Evening star., 1925-08-22
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the BookLover.

Every Summer there are many con-
Quoted cruises to Norway. Sweden and
Denmark. More individualistic travel
lers act as their own conductors IN
their visits to the varied scenery OF
these three countries. Not as many
books of travel have been written
about the Scandinavian lands as about
other parts Of Europe, but there are,
nevertheless, number which combine
information and good description. In
Viking Land" by w. 8. Monroe.
Is "the result Of two vacation trips
to Norway and rather wide reading of
the extensive literature of the coun-
try" Norway Is country rich in
mountains. ice fields. waterfalls and
fjords, but the author finds it equally
rich in human interest-the history,
customs and traditions Of the people.
The book is especially well organized.
Chapters are given to the geography,
to the history from the Viking age to
he present time. to religion, education,
politics and social life, to agriculture,
fishing, forestry and commerce, to
transportation. to the large cities. to
the scenery Of the fields. mountains,
valleys and fjords. toImusic, art and
literature. In short, the book would
be invaluable to take on a visit to
Norway and Is most interesting to
read at home. OF the fjords which are
so characteristic of Norway Mr.. Mon
roe says: Ten or a dozen great arms
of the sea, from so to 100 miles in
length and from a few yards to sew
eral miles in width, penetrate into the
heart of the Scandinavian peninsula.
These deep drowned valleys, with
sheer precipices often more than 1000
feet high, are the fjords OF Nor
way, more numerous and picturesque
In this country than in any other part
of the world. Branch fjords strike out
right and left from the main ones
much as the fingers radiate from the
hand. The fjords are of extraordinary
depth, and they are generally deep
est when farthest from the sea. steep
mountain walls rise from either side
of their banks: the lower edges are
fringed with pine, birch and alder; the
SUBMITS are often covered with per-
petual snow and the towering noun
tains in the foreground are rehected
sharp and clear in the fjords' depths,
Waterfalls burst from the Ice FIELDS
above and beyond the cliffs; and, seen
from the fjords below, they look ike
bands of silver"
Robert Medill has book on sweden
and Its People," in which he attempts
ito present In miniature picture OF
Sweden and its people through q de-
scription OF the outstanding features
of the country as they impress the
average traveller" Stockholm, the
Venice of the North" located on
dozen islands in the watercourses con-
Meeting Lake Malar with the Baltic.
us among the most beautiful capital
cities of the world" Almost every
thing faces the water in Stockholm
and a large part of the traffic is wa
terway traffic. Tiny steamers bring
from the suburbs and the reaches OF
the nearby waterways their crowds OF
commuters and deposit them briskly
upon the quays which border the city
streets" The chapter Across Sweden
by Canal" describes the unique trip
through the Gotta Canal from Gothen-
burg, on the Cattegat, to Stockholm.
on the Baltic. 1t Is leisurely jour
ney of two days and half, that takes
you along peaceful rivers, across wide,
shimmering lakes; through green
meadows. under overhanging trees,
within sight Of nesting villages and
ancient churches and castle ruins" In
Dalecarlia, in the center of Sweden,
are to be seen the gayest national cos
tunes, still worn by the peasants on
Sundays and holidays. THE costumes
of the country folk are exactly what
we see in a historical and romantic
opera" The life Of the Lapps in the
far north is described In the chapter.
"Gypsies of the Northern Wilderness
'Lapland is not separate country
but a province in Northern Sweden al
though the country OF the Lapps ex-
tends over the extreme northern parts
or Norway, Sweden and Finland, In
those wide stretches of wilderness
where these three states come togeth-
err" Though the Winters in Lapland
are bitterly cold and very long, begin
ming with October, the Summers are
characterized by green meadows and
leafy woodland, sparkling lakes and
surging watercourses, warm sun and
long days, during which time the
Lapps discard their furs and spend
much time out of doors. while their
reindeer roam over the mountain sides
contentedly munching the tender
leaves and grasses"
Denmark has not as fine scenery as
Norway and Sweden, but arouses en-
thusiasm in its lovers for other
reasons. One writer begins her book
on Denmark: The more one loves,
the more difficult 1t is to describe the
object of ones admiration" Two
women, among several writer's, have
written affectionately of Denmark.
Margaret Thomas, in Denmark, Past
and Present." complains that al
though Denmark lies within 86 hours
easy journey of London, few Eng
lish people know as much about 1t as
about Egypt and Australia. In her trip
the author, OF course, spends much
time in Copenhagen, but she confesses
herself fond Of lingering by the way"
and so she fingers long in the small
towns and villages and along the coun'
tryside of rural Denmark. She visits
Roskilde, the ancient capital OF Den
mark; the fine old castle Of Fred
eriksborg at Hillerod: F'redensborg,
the Summer residence Of the Kings
of Denmark the commercial town
of Helsingor, with its fine harbor and
It's grim fortress of Kronborg, the
Elsinor of Hamlet; Odense, the next
largest town in Denmark after
Copenhagen and the home of Hans
Christian Andersen; Veile, one Of the
few places in Denmark which may
justly be called hilly; Skagen, on a
peninsula tapering in width from
to 2 miles; Aaiborg, with its pic
turesque old houses; Viborg, so quiet
on it's black heaths that 1t seems to
be always Sunday" there; and the
nn6 IOf6SIS anu DeduIlIUl lakes De-
tween Skanderborg and Silkeborg..
X X
II has been said that Copenhagen
is Denmark. Ethel c. Hargrove seems
to be OF this opinion In her book The
Charm Of Copenhagen" The life of
/ Copenhagen pleases her She would
rather walk along the Langelinie, a
long promenade fronting the sound,
than on any other seaside promenade
she knows. The Smedelinien, a beau.
tiful walk by the moat, is a haven of