Show NORWAY AND SWEDEN harolt wasby in public opinion explains why norway cut loose from the bual alliance he sas that while he two peoples are both of the same birse root their traits are so dissimilar that they must ba left severely bilone 1 a friendly feeling is to bo expected there is little congeniality between norwegians Norwegia ns and swedes tbt former are largely peasants and bureaucrats entirely democratic in precepts it not in taste they are good but a trifle too oas and narrow to ever see themselves ai others see them they are fully a i clannish as the scots and like all peoples that are hemmed into small settlements by mountains they lack eliat spirit 0 toleration and that broadness of view which is apparent in this country where the population is in a constant flux the swedes have a proud and ancient and old fashioned nobility which dominates the peasantry and the bureaucracy they are a polished and aristocratic race with a tendency toward arro ganc eThey are less national and more cosmopolitan than the norwegians Norwegia ns although toleration is not a very strong point with them either thy are decidedly more liberal minded than tho nevertheless elss the latter aro more progressive in politics and more aggressive in method than tho swedes who are fully as conservative as the english though sprightly sad alert like the french socially modern norway might never have at a realization of its impossible and its 1 toward itself and coming generations had it not been for tho esthetic and cihi cal labors of the great literati Born bjornson and henrek ibsen these leaders arc followed by a host of very superior writers soma of whom have a european reputation and most of whom have political influence if ever a country was saved spiritually by ais literature norway was if the present dissolution ends with the declaration of an independent republic the upshot 0 it can be traced back to the later fifties when Born bernsons sons first patriotic note was sounded before 1860 be had virtual I 1 founded norwegian literature with his tares early peasant pastorals past orals as securely as homer ever founded greek letters in verse ibsen who had been drifting along under danish influence was sst on alro by the original bjorn spark and both writers set to work on quite diverging lines to educate the norwegian apito upito an esthetic appreciation 0 and the necessity for reform such writers aa jonas lie arne garborg and alexander clelland Kl elland joined the new literary political era each in his own way and old norway began to teem with the activities of the new movement edward grieg came to the surface and set music to the native enthusiasm nansen carried the name of norway to the ends of the world men like professor sars and dr sigurd ibsen were strong supporters out of this tremendous mental activity came a spirit of unrest and of general national dissatisfaction with existing conditions A strong chopo the breast of the people that borne day they should find a chance to casert themselves A strong desire to do something was also apparent the trouble is that the political ideals of modern norway rest on esthetic bases the national desire to do exploded in beautiful bubbles theroun try re sounded with grandiose speeches appeals mass meetings resolutions and festivals whereby the overflowing norseman norsemen Nor semen only succeeded in further exciting each other everybody was g politician everybody was for reform everybody saw that everything was to the dogs nothing ol 01 practical value was done dissatisfaction with the dual government ern ment which was always partial to sweden at Nor ways expense caused the norwegians Norwegia ns to experiment for themselves with reform schemes to improve the internal affairs new zealand there Is no country where more legislative medicine has been taken and wasted than in norway bills began to crop up in the stor thing which had for source ot inspiration some beautiful humanitarian thought or some charitable principle or something or other tremendously grand and sublime it was poetry ait was music it was art or at least the coruscation of minds influenced by the muses but it waa not practical if the time and effort spent la parliament poetry had been applied to alt real and urgent needs 0 tho land norway would have benefited by real and not imaginary advantages for tho administration Is perfectly sound and honest and grafl Is not tolerated |