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Show cAAAaA AAAAA A A A A AA A A AA A AAA AAA A A A Am A AA AAAAAA A AAAAAAAAj J ' In Norway's Old Capital 1 Sight of Chriatiania Will Repay Traveler for Time Taken in Journey to the North : : (Speclnl Correspondence.) With regret for the loss of pleasures pleas-ures proved In lovely Stockholm, with anticipation for tho Joys of a town untried, un-tried, with a solid night's ride across country, wo three emerged from tho slcopor, wide awake to tho Interest and novelty of Norwny's capital, re-nownod re-nownod for Its busy shipping port, and Its fair harbor of long arms and deep dents, which lond a beauty unrivaled un-rivaled amid the glories of this earth. The Crown Prince paid us a visit, and for miles nwny tho country flocked flock-ed to tho city. Peasant nnd farmer rattled tn, till sidewalk and curb were packed with surging humanity. Flags floated from palace and cottage; cot-tage; the booming of cannon, tho rattle rat-tle of hoofs, and tho advance of the royal guard proclaimed the noble entry. en-try. Tho ladles held n charity ba-taar, ba-taar, In his honor, nnd radiant signs flashed out their greeting. Tho great structuro never had moro than pushing push-ing room, for tho crowds which swept on to this Interesting center. Norwny's fairest girls, arrayed In national na-tional emblems, allured tho buyer to their dainty booths, which flamed In colors gay. Stalls outsldo satisfied tho coarser tasto for fries, for yards of sausago and schooners of beer. Within, tho buyer could choose from a list that Included an Iced cako or a cart wheel. Many of the heavier goods took their chances, being loaned loan-ed ns advertisements by tho city merchants. And a mint of money wns mndo In lotteries. This wns the Norweglnn magnet. It riveted the Matron till sho wns dragged away, with purse depleted. Kroner nftcr kroner she passed over to the beguiling beguil-ing mnld, who encouraged hor weak ncss, ns she took Just ono moro chance deep down In tho well-filled churn, or In tho revolving wnBh machine, ma-chine, to draw up only a blank, whoro ono In Bcores might find n magic number. Town Rich In Relics. Tho town was rich In relics, nnd tho Matron browsed In odd corners and fished up twisted candlesticks , of brass, and wooden tlntlrons three feot long, guided Dy u crunk, which must hnvo slid over tho table llko a snowshoo, whllo Its deep carving of heroic scenes was Imprinted In tho , clothing. Powtor plates depicted glories nover before drcrtmqd, nnd tho Matron will go mourning to tho grave, for n certain grnnd platter, carved In luxury, and stabbed with tho dato 1781, which grinned at her behind closed glnss Just bertro trnln time. All Chrlstlanla has an Idlo wny of locking Its doors nnd going homo to dinner botwoen 2 nnd 4. Tho city Is prnctlcnlly dead. No power on earth could uproot a proprietor. At this trying hour sho spied tho grinning figures which exulted with sardonic Joy In their nntlqulty. How sho bent and clamored at tho casement! case-ment! How sho longed to smash tho glass window! How sho sees today, will always see, that battered powtor, with Its giddy scenes, and staggering figures on tho mnrgin, 1784. Wondrous Viking Ship. Hut If one's soul Is lost to such n bauble, what soutlments must overwhelm over-whelm tho boholdor as ho stands ho-foro ho-foro that wondrous viking ship whoso history runs back 1,000 years, whoso ribs nnd thwarts nnd ruddor defied tho lapse of ages, as they lay wrapped for centuries In their mantle of blue clay! Now exhumed, tho ragged edges rend us nnclent history. Tho old bcrsekera dashed through tho watery wa-tery mnln, with their foaming dragons headed for foreign shores. They whipped up tho cca with fury, nnd thoy pillaged all In their path. Far back In 800, tho great Charlos wept for tho havoc which thoso northern sea kings would bring to Southern Europe. His prophecy wns fulfilled. Thoy woro grim nnd hnrdy plrntes, theso fonm-fleckod ndvonturers, nnd when tho wild Hfo of sea robbing wns ovor, tho stijrdy viking chief wns laid to rest In tho bravo crnft which hnd borno him on wild waters. To us who havo watched swift groyhounds and skipping yachts, how clumsy nnd bungling Booms this relic of the sens. Dut It served tho tlmo and nood. The squnro sail was rlggod to tho central mast, tho ruddor clung to tho right, and sixteen rough rowlocks woro wedgod Into a side plank. Wo should ay, God pity tho wild mnn who sot forth on stormy seas to-day In such a clumsy contrlvnnco; but 1,000 years back this Bamo contrlvnnco wns tho proud queen of the wnters, tho easy conqueror on a mighty main, and tho lesson sho reads us, of past power and prcsont progress alone Is worth the northern trip, evon though tho tomb chnmbor which burlod tho viking king was pillaged of its hero and Its treasures, in remoter centuries. cen-turies. The Mighty Ibten. Two mighty monuments, an ancient and a modern, has Chrlstlanla, and nt dally noontide, the trio hovered In tho salon of the Grnnd Hotel, for but n glimpse of thnt Goliath of modern times, whose weighty slodgo hnmmor nailed to tho wnlls of "Tho Doll's House" a verdict which startled mod- tat t Street Corner In Chrlstlanla. brnlty out of Lethean slumber; thnt mighty Samson who pulled down "Tho Plllnrs of Society," yet stood firm as tho rock-based mountains amid tho social dovnstatlon. Whllo ncceptcd theories swung buck and forth llko cobwebs caught In thoso tottering plllnrs, ho stood like a battering bat-tering mm, lunging ngnln and again his hard-headed front Into tho fuce of mock modesty, of cownrdly sham, of gllt-cdgcd hypocrisy. Ho wns fearless fear-less and torrlblo, ho wns scathing nnd shocking, but ho was honest, nnd wo loved him for his loyalty, his courngo before conviction, his right nbout face to duty, as ho saw It. Many u crnven who had long bent tho neck to tho yoke of soclety-ns-lt-ls know that tho mighty Ibsen had uttered ut-tered truths long ringing In his own heart. Tho head had reasoned them, but tho cowardly self had not dared speak them. It was Ibsen's wont, nt mlddny, to rend tho papers and sip his coffeo at tho Grnnd, unless curious oyes be-camo be-camo too mnny. In which enso ho shied awny for Intermittent spells. Ho docs not llko publicity or scrutiny, nnd tho trio wns warded that ho had tho mannors of a grizzly bear. Ho I would not speak nor bo spoken to by I tho hoi pollol. Uut tho general had an Irresistible way of her own. nnd fenr-lessly fenr-lessly would sho walk up to tho cannon's can-non's mouth, or beard tho lion In his den. In very pretty words sho aired her summer's study of tho Norse, nnd Karl Johan Gads. buttonholed tho mighty Ibsen quite as It ho wero her equal, nnd should bo honored by tho greeting. greet-ing. With qunlnt slips In hor halting speech sho told that literary Hon how woll ho had written, nnd how woll Bho liked his stories, his Ian-gunge, Ian-gunge, his country nnd himself. Tho Professor stood nghust beforo tho brazen effrontory. Tho Matron wns muto. Tho victim wns brnvo, nnd retaliated re-taliated with othor kindly speeches, which assured tho gcnoral that hor skill In tho langungo did credit to America. "Sco Ibsen and dlo." had boon tho Blognn of tho trio, and rivaling ri-valing tho momory of Chrlstlanla's glorious harbor, ono of tho many "most beautiful" views In the world, abovo tho momory of tho shattered and dlsmembored vlktng ship of con-turlos con-turlos past, Is tho treasured thought of that toworlng Goliath of modern literature |
