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SWEDEN and
ITS PEOPLE

BY
ROBERT MEDILL

AUTHOR OF ‘‘ NORWEGIAN TOWNS AND PEOPLE,”’
“fA LitTLE Book oF BriTTANY,’’ ETC.

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NEW YORK 1924Gopyracht, 19:24, by
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There are a number of books on Sweden, on her
social and economic life, her art, her industries and
her history. It has not been my aim in the present
volume to cover any of these subjects. Instead, I have
endeavored to present in miniature a picture of
Sweden and its people through a description of the
outstanding features of the country as they impress
the average traveler. There necessarily many
places of interest in Sweden other than those de-
scribed in these pages; there is much about the life of
the people that I have left untouched. I have selected
only the most picturesque places, the cities of great-
est individuality, the people within Sweden’s bounda-
ries who are the most interesting and typical, setting
them against a lightly sketched background of history
and geography. Thus I hope I may convey to the
reader some measure of the spirit and atmosphere of
the oldest living nation in Europe and one that pre-
sents to the traveler to-day a land of progress, beauty
and romance.

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I—LAND AND PEOPLE .
Size and Climate—Historical Background—Popu-
lation—Natural Resources and Industries—Travy-
elers’ Routes—What Sweden Offers to the Visitor

II—TnHeE VENICE OF THE NorTH . : ee
The Founding of Stockholm—The Ancient Quar-
ter—Medieval Streets and Gabled Houses—The
Modern City—Policemen of Military Splendor—
The Water Life of the Capital

IlI—Tue Sitver SKERRIES OF STOCKHOLM

Stockholm’s Great Archipelago—Resorts on the
Waters of the Baltic—Historic Places on the
Shores of Lake Miilar—The King’s Summer Pal-
ace—Gripsholm, Castle of Rom: Upsala, the
Cradle of Swedish Learning

 

       

1v—Across SwEDEN BY CANAL .

From the Cattegat to the Baltic—Sailing Through
the Heart of Sweden—Gothenburg, the City of
Gustavus Adolphus—The Mighty Cataract of
Trollhittan—Sweden’s Inland Sea—The Crystal
Waters of Lake Viittern—Venerable Castles and
Time-Searred Churches

V—A Crry EMPIRE OF VANISHED GLORY
Sweden’s Storied City on the Island of Gotland—
Visby’s Medieval Sple ndor—Vast Ramparts That
Have Defied Time—Houses of the Merc Sanit Prin-
ees of the Middle Ages—The City of Ruins and
Roses—The Downfall of Visby

1D.

 

 

PAGE

1

23

64

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PAGE
VI—Tue Costumep Foik or DALECARLIA : ; 79

The Smiling Country of Lake Siljan—Friendly
People of “Sweden’s Heart”—Going to Church at
Ancient Rittvik—Picturesque Costumes Vivid
with Color—Voting on Prohibition in Dalecarlia
—Recreatiors of the Countryside

VII—Gypsirs oF THE NorRTHERN WILDERNESS

Lapland Atop the Scandinavian Peninsula—By
Rail North of the Arctic Cirele—The Reindeer
and Their Masters—The Simplicity of the Lapp
Household—Making a Call on a Lapp Family—
Fantastic Costumes of the Nomads of the North

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Leaving the Church at Rattvik . . Frontispiece

FACING PAGH
Gathering the Harvest in Sweden 6
Ancient Swedish Country Church 7
Orebro Castle, a Medieval Stronghold . : “Ae
On Stoeckholm’s Waterways . 21
Airplane View of Old Stockholm . ce 26
The Royal Palace in Stockholm . : , ee
A Quayside in Stockholm ; : 3 oe
Evening on Stockholm’s Watercourses eras

Drottningholm, the King’s Summer Palace. 44

Gripsholm Castle on Lake Malar . : oh 4D
Steamer on the Gota Canal . : : + abe
Bohus Castle on the Giéta-Alv River . Z 4.
Vadstena Castle on the Gota Canal . 45D
Sunday Morning in Dalecarlia . 7 00

A Lapp Family and Their Tent . : a Ol
Kalmar Castle in Southern Sweden . 06
The Ancient Walls of Visby . Ol
The Market Place of Visby . : ot ae

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THH ILLUSTRATIONS

   
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

FACING PAGD
The Burmeister House in Visby . ‘ ; : 13

In the Churchyard at Leksand . : : OO
Church Gossipers at Rattvik . ROL:
Going to Church by Boat on Lake Siljan . (eee
A Daleearlian Cyclist . ; ae a : On
Little Folk of Dalecarlia , 8b
Sunday Afternoon in Leksand . = 390
A Dalecarlian Maypole . : . : e
Lapps on the March : : ; : ‘ tS
A Lapp Hut and Storehouse . : , : S95
Lapp Father and Children . : 299
Lapp in Summer Garb . ee : Jer Los
Lapp Ski Runner and Reindeer . ; : ; 05
Going to Church in Lapland . See - do

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CHAPTER I

LAND AND PEOPLE

K’ a map of Sweden were laid on one of the
United States so that its length stretched

east and west instead of north and south as
it now runs one tip would rest on New York
and the other on Chicago. The width of the
country is not, to be sure, nearly so great, yet
in total area Sweden is half as large again as
Great Britain and Ireland together, containing
nearly 175,000 square miles and covering al-
most five per cent of the area of Europe.

In geological formation and in climate Swe-
den is unique among the countries of Europe.
It thrusts its head well into the Arctic regions,
stretching nearly two hundred miles north of
the Arctic Circle to the latitude of southern
Greenland, yet its southernmost point is well
south of Copenhagen, not many miles north
of Hamburg and about on a line with Neweastle
in England. This length of coast line and

mountain slope necessarily brings extreme
ranges of climate, yet so potent are the pre-

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SWHDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

vailing westerly winds in summer blowing off
the genial Gulf Stream that the weather is de-
lightfully warm well north of the Arctic Circle.
Days of eighteen, twenty and twenty-four
hours’ duration bring plenty of sunshine, and
under its pleasant warmth the verdure of field
and woodland is abundant. In June Stockholm
has days of eighteen and one half hours; in
the far north the sun for several weeks never
falls below the horizon. No other region on
the earth’s surface so far north as the upper
reaches of the Scandinavian peninsula is so
habitable for white man as this, because no
other land in that frigid zone has a natural
heating system which never fails. The Arctic
Circle elsewhere encloses ice-bound Greenland
and the bleak wastes of northern Siberia, but
here in Norway and Sweden its rigors are
overcome by the Gulf Stream, and the summers
are warm and agreeable.

Sweden is actually the oldest state in Hu-
rope. The ancestors of the present Swedes,
springing from a Teutonic branch of the Aryan
race, have lived in Sweden certainly five thou-
sand years ago and many indications point to
a period three times this length. There has
2LAND AND PEOPLE

 

been. in Sweden, moreover, less mixture of
blood than in almost any other European coun-
try, for, due to their relative isolation in the
north of Kurope and to a preservation of com-
plete independence throughout the ages, the
Swedes have maintained an almost complete
racial integrity.

Twelve hundred years ago the many petty
principalities then existing in Sweden were
welded into one confederation under King
Ingjald, who laid the foundations of the pres-
ent nation. During the period of the Vikings,
while the Norwegians and Danes were ravag-
ing the countries bordering on the North Sea
and the Mediterranean, the Swedes penetrated
eastward, colonizing with a sturdy zeal the vast
territories of Finland and Russia. In the mid-
dle of the ninth century the Russian Empire
was founded by Rurik the Swede and his fol-
lowers, and the Swedish Vikings pushed their
way along the rivers of Russia as far as the
Black and Caspian Seas. The dynasty founded
by Rurik controlled the destinies of Russia for
seven hundred years until at the end of the
sixteenth century the so-called ‘‘period of
great disorder’’ was followed by the Roma-

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

noffs, who from 1613 occupied the throne for
an unbroken sovereignty of three hundred
years, ending with the chaos precipitated by
the present Soviet régime.

In 1389 Sweden became united to Denmark
under Margaret, Queen of Denmark and Nor-
way, but this union was never acceptable to the
Swedes, who craved absolute independence, al-
though it suited the nobles and the ecclesiasti-
cal hierarchy, who were permitted a free hand
under the absentee monarchs reigning in Den-
mark during this period. Finally in 1520, after
a century and a half of alternating peaceful
rule and rebellion, a general massacre of Swed-
ish nobles was treacherously carried out in
Stockholm by Christian II which has gone
down in history as ‘‘T’he Blood Bath of Stock-
holm.’’ A wave of indignation swept over the
country at this unwarranted and barbarous act.
Gustavus Vasa, a young nobleman of twenty-
three years whose father had perished in the
massacre, promptly headed an uprising and
with tireless energy and an extraordinary skill
in organizing managed within a space of two
years to free the country and stamp out every
vestige of Danish authority. In 1523 Gustavus
+testes

LAND AND PEOPLE

 

was elected king and the modern Swedish state
was founded.

It was the grandson of this wise and ener-
getic monarch that brought Sweden to her
greatest eminence. Gustavus Adolphus, able
administrator and statesman, champion of
Protestantism and the most brilliant military
genius of his time, coming to the throne at
seventeen, extended the boundaries of his king-
dom to include a large part of the continent
bordering the Baltic that is now Russia, the
Baltic States and Germany, and raised Swe-
den to one of the proudest positions in all
Hurope and the most illustrious that she has
ever occupied. He met his death at the Battle
of Lutzen in 1632 at the age of thirty-eight,
but in the Thirty Years’ War by his defense of
religious liberty he had made himself master
of Northern Europe.

Sweden, under the successors of Gustavus
Adolphus, continued to exercise a dominant
power in EKurope until the advent of the quix-
otic and highly romantic King Charles XII.
Ascending the throne at the age of fifteen, he
found himself two years later at war with a
coalition of Denmark, Russia and Poland.
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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

Aided by the British and Dutch, Charles suc-
cessively defeated this alliance on their own
battlefields in brilliantly fought engagements
and determined finally to deal a crushing blow
at Russia, the hereditary enemy of Sweden.
With this task before him he marched his army
into Russia but, after nine years of victorious
fighting elsewhere, he met reverses in this vast
country of cold and wilderness, as did that
other invader of Russia, Napoleon, a century
later. At Poltava in 1709 he sustained a sig-
nal defeat and lost nearly all his army. Hs-
caping southward with a remnant of his troops,
he reached the Black Sea and established his
headquarters at Bender, where he tried to en-
list the help of the Sultan. Quarreling later
with this monarch, he was thrust into confine-
ment, but managing to escape and being cut
off from his own country he started with a few
companions in a dash across the hostile coun-
tries of Europe that completely blocked his
way. Finally, after one of the most adventur-
ous journeys in history, he reached the Baltic
and crossed to his native land in 1715. Un-
daunted by his reverses, he again took arms
against his enemies and gained some prelimi-

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The old country churches are picturesque in their rugged honesty of construc-
tion. The belfry was usually built apart, as in this tenth century church.

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SeonLAND AND PEOPLE

 

nary successes, but before winning decisive ac-
tions he was killed at the siege of Frederikshald
in 1718.

With his death Sweden’s star as one of the
great world powers had set, but if such emi-
nence had departed the people of the country
gained something of infinitely greater value,
for with the passing of Charles absolutism of
the crown was abolished and the will of the
people became supreme, the power being vested
in a cabinet answerable to the representatives
of the people and not to the king.

Notwithstanding the loss of most of her do-
minions Sweden, at the close of the eighteenth
century, still held sovereignty over Pomerania
and Finland. In the first years of the nine-
teenth century, however, Gustavus IV Adol-
phus, a narrow and arrogant monarch, joined
in the wars against Napoleon, as a result of
which he first lost Pomerania and later, in a
disastrous conflict with Russia in 1808, was
stripped of Finland also. These misfortunes
compelled the abdication of this ill-fated ruler
in 1809, and the reins of government were
taken over by his uncle, who was old and child-
less. A few years later Marshal Bernadotte,

7

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

one of Napoleon’s generals, was elected crown
prince and subsequently became king, thus
founding the present royal house. Immedi-
ately upon his election he reorganized the
Swedish army and joined the allies in their
war against Napoleon. After the defeat of
Bonaparte he turned north and attacked Den-
mark, the ally of Napoleon, and as a reward
for his participation in the war Norway was
detached from Denmark and ceded to Sweden
—a union that lasted until dissolved by mutual
consent in 1905. Thus Sweden to-day consists
only of her original territory on the Scandi-
navian peninsula.

So much for a brief historical review; the
land and its people of to-day are perhaps of
even greater interest.

The population of Sweden is roughly about
six millions. ‘Téhere are a quarter as many
more Swedes who have emigrated to other
countries. The majority of these have gone to
the United States. About seven hundred thou-
sand are resident there and their American-
born children number more than six hundred
thousand. There are four hundred and fifty
thousand Swedes resident in the various EKu-

8LAND AND PEOPLE

 

ropean countries, of which three hundred thou-
sand live in Finland. And thereby hangs an
interesting tale in ethnography. 7

As early as the twelfth century the Swedes
began to colonize Finland and established set-
tlements in the Aland Islands, which stretch
hke stepping-stones across the Baltic from the
gates of Stockholm to the Finnish mainland,
and also on the west coast of Finland. Since
then they have multiplied until to-day ten per
cent of the total population of Finland consist
of the Swedes and their progeny. In spite of
this long tenure of residence over centuries of
time the Swedish population in Finland still
remain Swedes. Im all this period they have
intermarried but little with the Finns and to-
day, after hundreds of years, they still speak
Swedish and, in the western part of the coun-
try, where they are most populous, they have
their Swedish newspapers. In America they
would easily have been absorbed and assimi-
lated in a generation. Until a century ago,
however, when it became a part of the Russian
Empire, Finland was attached to Sweden as
an integral part of the Swedish kingdom and
both Finnish and Swedish were the official lan-
9

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

guages of the country as they are now under
the Finnish Republic.

Sweden is still very widely regarded as an
agricultural nation, for farming and dairying
have always been the dominant occupations of
the people, and that Sweden is an important
dairying country is evident from the products
one finds on the table. It is almost the only
country in Europe where butter, for example,
is prodigally laid out, and one is tempted by
its ereamy excellence to indulge freely. Usu-
ally when in Rome I do as the Romans do and
patronize the dishes of the country, forming
as they do a welcome change from the routine
of my native bill of fare. In Sweden I shame-
lessly consume more than my share of knacke-
brod, the large crisp Swedish rye cake, which
is most delicious when liberally spread with
butter. Cream, too, a rarity in Kurope since
1914, is an article of commerce in Sweden and
not a museum exhibit. Combined in proper
solution with the morning coffee it is a wel-
come change to the American palate after the
hot milk and coffee concoctions one endures in
other Huropean countries. Incidentally they
possess the art of making good coffee in Swe-
10ee Me Oe be Oe Oe Oe Pe ee E
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LAND AND PEOPLE

  
    
   
    
  
   
  
 
 
 
 
    
  
 
   

 

den—certainly a distinguished accomplishment.

The prodigality of the Swede in the matter
of food is nowhere more in evidence than in
his national institution, the Sméorgasbord,
which means bread and butter table, a side
table where various relishes are served. This
sideboard groans under the weight of its lav-
ish hors d’euvres. Here the creamy butter
is in mountains and the guest helps himself
from the bewildering variety of fish and meats
and cheeses. Wherever you go in Sweden your
luncheon and supper and sometimes your
breakfast too will be preceded by this very
ample and very alluring and very bewildering
table.

In spite of the fact, however, that more than
seventy per cent of the population live in the
country, Sweden has become rapidly industrial-
ized during the present generation and has
taken a conspicuous place among the industrial
nations of the world. Slightly more than halt
of its people are now engaged in industry,
transport and trade and in these pursuits Swe-
den ranks ahead of France, Italy, Spain and
Holland.

The outstanding industries of Sweden are
Lt

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

iron and timber. From the earliest times iron
ore has been mined in Sweden and markets
have easily been secured for it because of its
superior quality. As far back as the middle
of the eighteenth century Sweden contributed
half of the world’s production of iron. In
earlier days the principal mining district was
in central Sweden, but in recent times the mines
in the far-off province of Lapland, north of
the Arctic Circle, have taken premier place.
Some years ago the Swedish Government built
a railroad across this far northern district from
the Gulf of Bothnia on the Baltic to Narvik
in Norway, just across the Swedish frontier
on the Atlantic. Iron is produced here on a
vast scale and a new empire of the north has
been founded. This railroad is virtually the
backbone of a rich field of ore deposits, link-
ing the mining town of Kiruna with the port
of Narvik, where ships berthed alongside of
oreat docks projecting into the harbor receive
the ore direct from the cars and carry it to
Kingland and Germany and, in fact, throughout
the world. Every forty-five minutes during
the day and night an electric train of thirty
cars containing more than a thousand tons of
12LAND AND PEOPLE

 

ore passes westward on its uninterrupted jour-
ney to the coast and at equal intervals a sim1i-
lar train of ‘‘empties’’ rattles on its way back
to the mines. In normal times six million
tons are mined here of which the greater part
is exported.

The mines in Lapland consist not of under-
ground veins but of mountains of ore and the
iron is merely blasted from the surface, almost
in a pure state. Much of the ore is 68 per cent
iron as compared with the saturation point of
72 per cent. Eventually the entire mountain
will disappear under the hand of the miner.
There is no immediate prospect of this, how-
ever, since the deposits here contain 758 mil-
lion tons of ore.

It is a curious fact that from this mountain
at Kiruna a broad vein of iron runs under the
lake adjoining the town, continuing under-
ground across country to a sister mountain of
iron three miles away at Luossavaara. The
coming of the railroad and the consequent de-
velopment of the mines at Kiruna have created
a city of ten thousand people where twenty
years ago there was open couniry, a startling
thing in Europe, although not unknown in the
13

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a re een tt eeeSWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

rapid growth of American communities. Ki-
runa, in fact, with its wooden houses, bears a
strong resemblance to a pioneer city of the
American West. At night this mountain of
iron, towering above the town, with its galleries
of electric lights tier upon tier, is an awesome
picture. ‘The Lapps, clad in their outlandish
costumes, coming to town from their remote en-
campments to sell their reindeer meat and hides
and to buy a few needed things of civilization,
strike a curious note against this modern in-
dustrial background.

The’ greatest wealth of Sweden, however, is
in its timberlands. With Russia disorganized
industrially, Sweden is now the first timber-
producing country in the world. Dense for-
ests abound in the northern part of the coun-
try and a continuous wooded tract covers an
area greater than the British Isles. It is es-
timated that fifty-nine per cent of the country
is covered with trees, or for every inhabitant
ninety-one and a half acres of forest. Immense
quantities of timber are cut each year under
a system of scientific forestry and are ground
up into wood pulp to be made into paper in
the Swedish mills or exported to be used in
14LAND AND PEOPLE

 

 

factories abroad. In the manufacture of
matches Sweden leads the world. In her larg-
est factory forty thousand boxes of matches
are turned out every hour.

If this were a book of Swedish industries
many pages might be filled with a description
of her natural wealth, her engineering, electri-
cal, copper, brass, chemical, pottery, glass and
other industries; but there are other things
of a less technical nature to be recorded here.

Of broader appeal to the traveler are
Sweden’s many places of historic and pictur-
esque interest. Certainly, while Sweden is not
so familiar as most Continental countries, yet
it is accessible enough to attract even the hur-
ried visitor to Europe. It is reached by direct
ocean routes from New York, or by steamers
over the North Sea from London and New-
castle; it is merely a short ferry journey from
Copenhagen; and from Berlin and Hamburg a
few hours’ trip by rail brings the traveler to
Sassnitz, where huge modern ferries carry him
across the Baltic. Leaving Berlin in the fore-
noon, you are thus in Tralleborg, in southern
Sweden, in the evening, and in Stockholm the
following morning.

15

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Sweden is accessible from many points in England and the
northern part of the Continent. The principal rail and
steamer routes are shown on this map

16ee OM et ba ot he Dot Ba

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LAND AND PEOPLE

 

To us Americans, Sweden is almost like a
part of ourselves. Certainly we have many
things in common, not only in our democratic
outlook on life but also in our devotion to spe-
cialized industry. Like us, for instance, Swe-
den seems to have adopted the telephone quite
as universally as we have. Stockholm in fact
has a telephone for every four inhabitants,
leading the cities of the world in the number of
telephones per capita, with Minneapolis, how-
ever, a close second.

Sweden has also attacked the prohibition
question with the same vigor, but in quite a
different manner than the United States.
They have adopted the system of rationing al-
coholic beverages which has thus far proved
successful and they have completely banished
the saloon from their cities.

English seems to be more generally spoken
than in any other country of the continent with
the possible exception of Switzerland.

English is compulsory in the schools and al-
most every educated man, especially of the
younger generation, speaks a little English at
least.

Naturally their customs vary from ours, but

17

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SWHDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

their manner of life has much in common which
appeals inherently to the American mind.

We Americans who keep to the right in walk-
ing and riding are sometimes bewildered in
visiting other countries where a different cus-
tom prevails. In England they walk to the
right and drive to the left. In Sweden they
both walk and drive to the left. It is the only
country in the world, I believe, where such a
custom prevails. Curiously enough, in Nor-
way, adjoining, all traffic moves to the right,
as ours does. I failed to notice this difference
in Stockholm and sallied forth on the street,
shortly after my arrival, in blissful ignorance
of it. I was soon in difficulty and thought the
people a very stupid lot to keep me dodging
out of their way. What atrocious manners
they had! Until another pedestrian and I had
dodged each other into a wall and I had nearly
bowled him over in my endeavor to continue
my walk, it never occurred to me that the fault
was mine.

Fringing the coast in southern Sweden are
the favorite seaside resorts, frequented by the
Germans in the days before the war. Here
you are in Scania, or, as the Swedes eall it,
18LAND AND PEOPLE

 

Skane, ‘‘The Granary of Sweden,’’ the most
thickly populated and the most fertile district
in the kingdom. In the mild climate of the
southern part apricots, peaches and grapes
ripen to perfection and enough sugar beets are
erown to supply the entire country with sugar.

Scania abounds in old castles and ancient
manor houses and its largest town is Malmo,
situated directly across the sound from Copen-
hagen, which with its more than a hundred
thousand people is the third city of the state,
an attractive town with many relics of the past.
In this province too is the old university city
of Lund, famed for more than a thousand years
as a seat of learning and as an ecclesiastical
center. It possesse#a cathedral which was be-
oun in the eleventh century and is the oldest
metropolitan church in the north distinguished
for having one of the largest crypts of any
similar building in the world.

At the narrowest part of the sound which
separates Sweden from Denmark, where it be-
comes a strait but three miles in width, hes
Halsingborg situated on terraces rising from
the shore. Directly opposite, on the Danish
side, is Helsingor, or Elsinore. Here is the
Ls.

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PDS Me a bP) ed be ot he eeSWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

famous castle of Kronborg, the scene of Ham-
let. It is only a short ferry journey between
the two cities and this is the route usually
taken by travelers between Copenhagen and
most points in Sweden.

Just north of Halsingborg is Sofiero, the
favorite summer residence of the Crown
Prince, and beyond are Molle and Bastad,
among the most popular seaside resorts in
Sweden, vying with Falsterbo, which is south
of Malmo, on the very tip of the Swedish
peninsula, and famous for its stretches of
sandy beach and its fashionable Continental
atmosphere and appurtenances.

Following the western coast line northward
from Halsingborg, we arrive at Gothenburg,
the second city of the kingdom. Here begins
the favorite tourist route through the Gota
Canal that pierces the heart of Sweden, link-
ing up in one continuous waterway the city
of Stockholm on an estuary of the Baltic with
its twin city, Gothenburg, on the opposite side
of the peninsula. Properly speaking, it is not
a canal, but consists of a series of rivers and
lakes connected by artificial waterways. Out
of a total of two hundred and forty miles of
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|LAND AND PEOPLE

 

waterway only fifty-six are actually canalized.

Northwest of Stockholm—a matter of seven
hours by train—lies the enchanting province
of Dalecarlia, where, on Sundays and holidays,
in the pretty little villages and towns that clus-
ter about Lake Siljan, may be seen the most
impressive display of medieval costumes to be
found in Kurope.

Jamtland—if you were a Swede you would
pronounce it ‘‘Yemtland’’—is a favorite
mountain country and lies at the foot of Mt.
Areskutan, which lacks a few hundred feet of
being a mile high, but nevertheless is one of
the giants of the plateau district which aver-
ages two thousand feet in altitude. Jimtland
is a fie country of great wide valleys, vast
open spaces, prettily wooded sections inter-
spersed with prosperous farms, bald, rounded,
barren mountain tops and roaring waterfalls.
In winter this country is the home of winter
sports. Ski running down the slopes and, in
February and March, competitions for ski
jumping, coasting, tobogganing and curling en-
liven the short winter days. This district marks
the most southerly migrations of the Lapps
and the more venturesome of these strange, shy
21

 

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

nomads often appear in groups at the sport
centers. Are and its neighboring towns are
in the exact latitude of Trondhjem, which is
just over the mountain range across the Nor-
wegian border, a few hours distant by rail.
Finally north of here, perched at the top of
the Scandinavian peninsula, is the province of
Lapland, a vast tableland of great mountains
and boundless forests, of tumbling, foaming
watercourses and thundering falls, of moun-
tains of iron and the midnight sun, the home
of the Lapps, the strangest and most primitive
people west of the Asiatic border.

 

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Nd) arilCHAPTER II
Tur VENICE oF THE NortTH

IRGER JARL or, as we would say in Eng-

lish, Karl Birger, a powerful nobleman of
medieval times, was taking no chances when
he laid the foundations of modern Stockholm
in 1255. Taking into account the commercial
advantages of a location directly on the sea
coast, he decided with due deliberation that
safety first was the wisest policy, and conse-
quently selected for the capital of his domin-
ion a small group of three islands many miles
from deep water in the extensive watercourses
that connect the great lake Malar, which the
Swedes call Malaren, with the near-by waters of
the Baltic. In spite of their protected position
behind the barrier of hundreds of similar bodies
of land these islands, which had long been set-
tled, were repeatedly plundered by pirates and
roving tribes. In consequence, Birger Jarl
strongly fortified the site of his city and so
put a stop to these recurring and devastating
invasions. This forethought in picking the sit-

23

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

uation of Stockholm not only gave it unusually
great protection from foreign foes in the suc-
ceeding centuries, but because of its superb
natural environment made possible its present-
day beauty.

Stockholm, thus situated amid encircling and
intersecting waterways and now grown so large
as to occupy a dozen islands, is therefore called
‘““T'he Venice of the North’’ with excellent rea-
son. Back in the 17th century, in the piping
times of Gustavus Adolphus, when with almost
startling suddeness Sweden became a great
world power, there was a pronounced desire
among the Swedes to make Stockholm one of
the most splendid capitals of Europe. With
such an almost unequaled situation the possi-
bilities were unlimited. If the magnificence of
the idealists of that day has not been fully
achieved it 1s nevertheless a fact that Stock-
holm is among the most beautiful capital cities
of the world. Rome and Venice were the
models of these ambitious dreamers of the six-
teen hundreds and thus it is natural that, archi-
tecturally, Italian Renaissance plays a large
part in the older buildings.

The original city occupying its small island
24VENICE OF THE NORTH

 

and two outlying fragments in the swirling
waters of Lake Malar’s outlet, remained within
these relatively small confines for several cen-
turies, keeping off marauders by the impreg-
nability of its position and the strength of its
defenses. Finally, when Sweden was thrown
into the vortex of world affairs, trade increased,
the population grew, and the city was forced to
expand to neighboring islands. ‘To-day, con-
nected up with bridges, it occupies a wide area
on these various bodies of land, some of which
are thickly populated while others resemble
oreat parks.

It is on this original island, ‘‘the city be-
tween the bridges’’ as it is called, that the an-
cient houses stand bearing testimony to its
earlier history. The narrow thoroughfares,
flanked by rows of these tall plaster buildings
that strongly resemble one another, twist and
turn through the narrow confines of this medie-
val island metropolis having as their chief ob-
ject either the broad street that follows the
encircling waterfront always crowded with
shipping activity, or the Stortorget at the
top of the Palace Hill to which they climb
steeply.

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Fire has swept this old city many times in
the past three centuries and the ancient timber
buildings that first graced its streets have long
since disappeared to be replaced by stone and
plaster structures of later times. So tall are
these and so narrow are the streets that as you
stroll along you have the impression of walking
through deep canyons. The doorways of many
of these houses are surmounted by their sculp-
tured coats-of-arms and the tiny shops that
seem almost to hide behind the modest win-
dows indicate the character of their calling by
the display of diminutive symbolic signs. A
gold pretzel indicates a bread shop, a maid bus-
ily milking a cow invites you into a dairy, a
light of stained glass betrays the presence of
a picture store, a pewter stein naturally sug-
gests a place of liquid refreshments and a pair
of wings atop a pole entwined with serpents is
set, for some reason or other, over a full-fledged
bakery. The main shopping center of modern
Stockholm lies across the bridge in the newer
city, but many shops of modest demeanor pur-
veying every kind of ware still remain to serve
the people who cling to this venerable frag-
ment of the present-day capital and the sea-
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VENICE OF THE NORTH

 

faring folk whose ships are moored to the
quays near by.

On the bluff of this island facing the newer
Stockholm stands the King’s palace, a massive
Italian Renaissance building constructed in a
vast quadrangle and erected nearly two cen-
turies ago. It faces the water—almost every-
thing faces the water in Stockholm—and in its
majestic proportions it seems to express the
very spirit of the North. Not far away is the
Stortorget, or Great Market, flanked by curi-
ous old gabled houses, the most picturesque in
all Stockholm. On the facade of one of these
patriarchs, over whose doorway is sculptured
the builders’ coat-of-arms and the date 1650,
may be seen wrought iron crosses distributed
lavishly over the surface. These, it is said, are
a relic of the famous ‘‘Blood Bath’’ of 1520,
in which eighty-two nobles and distinguished
citizens of Stockholm were executed. One
of these ornaments remains as a memorial
for each citizen who died a martyr for
Swedish independence. On the opposite side
of this tiny island, a few minutes’ walk
distant, is held the daily market where in
the early morning hours the market people
27

 

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SWEDEN AND ITS PHOPLE

 

come by boat, tram and cart to display their
wares. The market place lies by the water’s
edge, a convenient place for the fishmonger and
the market gardener who berth their vessels by
the quay alongside. There are scores of these
tiny craft lying cheek by jowl and in the square
or plaza adjoining are displayed a dazzling
supply of viands to titillate the imagination of
the purchasers of which there seem to be no
lack, for during the height of the market there
is feverish activity in buying and selling. The
cash-and-carry plan is popular in Scandinavia.
To secure the best that the market affords the
wise buyers come early, which means before
nine o’clock; after that the choice 1s gone.

If you think that because Stockholm lies in
the far North you are restricted in the variety
of diet at hand, you have but to observe the
tiny stands, presided over by jolly-looking,
stout peasant women, which are groaning with
strawberries, wild and cultivated, currants,
eooseberries, cherries, artichokes, mushrooms,
squash, cucumbers, carrots, beets, peas, lettuce,
potatoes, chickens, fish, cut and potted flowers
in profusion and other foods of the animal and
vegetable kingdom.

28VENICE OF THE NORTH

 

In this ancient quarter of modern Stockholm
are venerable churches and time-worn public
buildings around which the life of the city in
earlier days revolved, witnesses of many stir-
ring events in Swedish history. There is the
Knights House, built in 1641 to be the House
of Representatives of the Swedish nobility, the
most exquisite seventeenth century building in
Stockholm; the Stor Kyrkan, or Market Church,
supposed to have been founded by Birger Jarl
in 1264, although the present edifice was rebuilt
in 1726; and the Riddarsholms Church, once a
Franciscan chapel and now the Westminster
Abbey of Sweden where, since the reign of Gus-
tavus Adolphus, the Swedish kings and national
heroes have been buried. It contains the chapel
of Gustavus Adolphus built in 1633 by the
King’s own order given before his departure
for the wars in Germany where he met his un-
timely death, and here rests his sarcophagus
wrought in green marble. In another chapel is
the tomb of Charles XII, the much loved hero-
knieht of the Swedish people. The tombs of
kings and queens appear on every hand, and
the floor of the church is entirely paved with
gravestones of its illustrious dead.

29

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ASWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

Flanking the Norrbo, the short bridge lead-
ing to the palace, are the imposing Houses of
Parliament, and on the square at the other end
of the bridge in the newer city is the Royal
Opera, where you may enjoy grand opera,
thanks to the control of the state, for the mod-
est sum of forty cents, if you are not too proud
to sit in the topmost gallery. The King pays
fifteen thousand dollars a year for his box, a
royal privilege that the ordinary citizen hardly
envies.

On the oceasion of my first visit to the Swe-
dish capital I attended the opera and thor-
oughly enjoyed it. The music was excellent.
This experiment being successful, I essayed the
theatre, and a few evenings later found myself
listening to a comic opera. But I had reckoned
without the language, which was against me.
Music knows no language, comedy is dependent
upon it. Without the spoken word the per-
formance failed of conviction, for the play was
a Spanish romance, bristling with what should
have been fierce, black-eyed Andalusian brig-
ands and olive-complexioned seforitas. Since
there is hardly a black eye in all Scandinavia,
and olive complexions are rarely found north
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VENICE OF THE NORTH

 

of 45° north latitude, much necessarily was
left to my imagination. The rather staccato
tones of the Swedish language were at a dis-
advantage in replacing the soft musical ca-
dences of Spanish. This was my only experi-
ment in Swedish drama. The next time I shall
seek out a Viking pantomime.

There is the same sense of symmetry in the
Stockholm streets that is found in many other
Continental cities—an orderliness of architec-
tural arrangement that is quite missing from
our American and English cities. This is
largely due, of course, to the restricted height
of the buildings, but there is about the business
streets of this northern capital a diminutive
quality in building and shop, and width of street
and sidewalk that makes it seem almost like a
toy city. The shops are mostly of uniform size
with neat square show windows, so similar that
it is difficult at a glance to distinguish one from
another. These shops face on straight narrow
streets that seem to accentuate the Lilliputian
character of everything, but because the build-
ings are low the pedestrian has no sense of
feeling shut in. These qualities, rather than
detracting from the interest of the city, give it
ol

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

a definite charm and contribute an interesting
element to its personality.

In the residential streets the spaces are
ereater and the buildings are more imposing.
Rows of large apartment houses line the thor-
oughfares in the modern sections, the architec-
ture of these immense blocks being character-
ized by the dignity and austerity of the North.
There is nothing provincial in the aspect of
Stockholm. It gives the impression rather of
being finished, the air of a city with a vision,
the capital of a nation proud of its achieve-
ments.

As befits a city as dignified and as well or-
dered as Stockholm, the police force is impres.
sively arrayed. The police, whether on foot or
on horseback, are smartly uniformed in mili.
tary splendor and the visitor, seeking informa-
tion, approaches them almost apologetically.
In their short military frock coats adorned with
gleaming brass buttons, their pointed helmets
heavily encrusted with gold, and their swords
embellished with tassels and gilt, they are al-
most the exact counterpart of the German
army officers of the old régime. They are prob-
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n the water-threaded location of Sweden’s capital city there is the
always different aspect of the channels at twilight to enchant both

andVENICE OF THE NORTH

 

ably the most splendidly groomed policemen in
the world.

There is much to amuse the visitor in Stock-
holm. The water courses that trace their devi-
ous ways here and there are throbbing with life
and busy with traffic. Ferries and steamers
and sailing craft tie up at the quays, which are
really part of the city streets, and contribute
no end of activity to the scene. There are ex-
cursions by steamer to island and mainland
resorts in the great lake Malaren and the Bal-
tic, and in the city itself there are parks and
great open spaces in the less populated islands.
There is one park called Skansen, situated on
an island a short walk from the center of the
city, that is an outdoor museum or permanent
exposition. Here are scenes typical of Swe-
den’s life in the past and the present. There
are cabins of the forest dwellers, Lapp huts,
old farmhouses, medieval wooden churches, and
other buildings that distinguish the varied life
of the country—an all-Swedish study in archi-
tecture and the life of the groups that make up
the Swedish nation. Capping the highest part
of the park is a restaurant, where pretty blond
30

 
  
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   
   
 
 
 
  
  
 
 

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

waitresses serve you in the brilliant native cos-
tumes of Dalecarlia and other rural communi-
ties, and above it all is a tower from which The
Venice of the North is spread at your feet as
from an aeroplane.

In summer these parkways and open
stretches on the various islands are thronged
by picnicking parties and pedestrians and holi-
day seekers, and the water courses are alive
with motor boats and other pleasure craft. In
winter they are the rendezvous of countless ski-
ers and the frozen streams and artificial rinks
are thronged with skaters. The architecturally
splendid stadium erected for the Olympiad of
1912 is thrown open in summer to sports of all
kinds and in winter it becomes a skating rink,
or rather a series of rinks, for there are sec-
tions for figure skaters, speed skaters and chil-
dren. Stockholm is not so cold a city as its
latitude might indicate, but in January and
February the thermometer is low enough and
the sun’s rays so ineffective as to insure al-
most continuous winter sports.

The extensive archipelago, of which Stock-
holm is the center, extends east on the arm of
the Baltic more than thirty-five miles to the
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VENICE OF THE NORTH

 
    
 
 
 
 
 
  
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   

 

 

 

open sea, and westward into Lake Malar, nearly
seventy-five miles. The many communities of
small villages and summer homes along the
liquid lanes of this skdrgard are linked up to
the capital with frequent steamship service,
and the diminutive vessels that cover these
routes make a rare sight as they steam into the
waters of the city in the early morning. And
this, incidentally, is one of the things that give
Stockholm, in its water-rimmed setting, its
charm and never-ending interest. The city, ex-
panding from its earliest site, spreads itself
over a dozen islands and, along the flowing
roads that intersect its divisions, moves the wa-
ter life of the city and its skerries. Regardless
of the number of times the traveler may have
visited Stockholm he will never tire of watch-
ing the rising tide of traffic that comes with
the early morning hours, the most conspicuous
part of which are the flocks of little steamships
that move swiftly along their ways, coming
from miniature towns and summer communi-
ties, near by and far away, racing for their ac-
customed berths along the stone quays of the
city like a group of race horses dashing for the
finish. At eight o’clock the city waterways are
30

 

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

almost deserted. Before long the first steam-
boat appears, and hanging on its flank are
others that have taken up the chase. A few
minutes pass, then another group steams into
sight, its members in a sort of free-for-all race
for their goal.

The waters are soon alive with moving
traffic, gleaming white in the morning sun. The
long curve of the Norrstrém that flows past
the Royal Palace, the stately Riksdag House
and the Royal Opera, grouped together in the
center of the city, is the objective, principally,
of these steamers. The quay, a part of the
open street in this hub of the civic wheel, is
quite untenanted at an early hour, but by nine
o’clock it is edged by a row of little white
steamers. Puffing up to the stone rampart with
eminent satisfaction they cast their moormg
lines over the stanchions on shore and lay down
their gangplanks, over which their passengers
stream and hurry off to their tasks in the city.
Following this wholesale desertion the freight
is leisurely unloaded and carted off in drays,
in motor wagons and in simple man-power push
carts.

You may follow the shore line of Stockholm
36VENICE OF THE NORTH

   

 

where you will, to the sections where the tim-
ber and fuel boats are berthed, to the quays
where the larger steamships lie, to the water-
side market where the produce boats tie up,
to the docks frequented by picturesque sailing
vessels or to the haunts of the multitude of
motor boats on which, in splendid privacy,
many people commute, and you will find an
abundance of things to engage your interest.
Plying the swiftly flowing waters are vessels of
every sort from the diminutive ferries, that for
ten Ore will carry you across a narrow strait
and save you a land journey of a mile, to the
big looming ships that travel the seven seas.
There is no cleaner or more orderly water-side
in the world for, with such an abundance of
docking space, there 1s never any congestion
and being part of the city’s streets it is kept
well swept. The waters that flow through the
city are clean and sparkling, moving rapidly
from the reaches of Lake Malar into the cur-
rents of the Baltic.

The daytime interest of these city water-
courses is transformed into beauty by the magic
of the night. When the passenger boats have
made their departure and the working craft are

of

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SWHDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

tied up to their silent wharves, the myriad
lights of the city throw shafts and pools of
oleaming brilliance into the moving waters and
the moon, with an alchemist’s cunning, fashions
shimmering lanes of beaten silver on the som-
ber surface.CHAPTHR It
THe SILtveR SKERRIES oF StrockKHOLM

HERE are in the countless waterways of

Stockholm’s skdrgard between twelve and
thirteen hundred islands, some mere rocky
islets and others splendidly wooded tracts, but
all seem equally beautiful in the silvery surface
of the clear and glistening waters. Along the
wooded shores of these protected waters, fring-
ing strait and channel and bay, the people of
the capital have built their summer homes, and
here, too, in the olden days the kings and lords
erected their castles. To-day these ancient
structures, clothed in the stern architecture of
the North, reconstruct for the visitor the cha-
teau life of the hardy Norsemen of ancient
times. It is from the throbbing center of
Stockholm that you take passage for the his-
toric castles and fashionable resorts on the
tree-clad shores of the archipelago. You
might, following the practice of a friend of mine
when he is in Stockholm, select at random any
one of the little passenger steamers that dock

og

petirae

  
   
    
 
 
  
 
 
  
   
   
    
    
    
    

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

Face ern + sae asieeeentiaieneestta tiheietaiecnl-ciee ten emia Demeeeenee net demmemeemeentantameteienmensaieecad kate oeietee haem eileen oad a eae eee ake te ek en Yok nthe heh ee reed ee ee scaehcheehieeeel aerated an oanra (Tt

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on the city’s street, without regard to its des-
tination, and, upon departure, find yourself be-
fore long sailing through enchanting scenery
bound for a haven that proves well worth a
visit, for every steamer route that radiates
from the capital is one of delight. There are
islands in this picturesque littoral of every
shape and size, emerald green in their tree-clad
slopes, some quite uninhabited but more with
summer homes. Motor boats frisk everywhere,
more useful here than motor cars, sailing crait
plow through the ruffled sea and people bathe
in the clear blue waters. This is the picture
you get, a picture of the city workers at play
in the warm, short summer in one of the finest
water playgrounds in the world.

If your time is limited, however, you will
hardly want to select your steamer haphazard
but will embark instead for the places that are
famous in Swedish history. Hast of Stock-
holm, toward the Baltic, is Saltsjobaden, a sail
of an hour and a half through countless water
courses, hemmed by wooded shores, which har-
bor a multitude of tiny cottages and imposing
villas grouped in a dozen summer communi-
ties, at which the tiny steamers make momen-
40SEN

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ponmeat oreo yaaa re RIN ee “

SKERRIES OF STOCKHOLM

ee

 

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asses chceenemtneaamaansesetioa intakes dans tela betaio as Sucsromndatsars ale

tary stops. Saltsjobaden—meaning’ salt-sea-
baths—is the most fashionable watering place
of the capital. Here on a slender, tree-covered
peninsula jutting out into the salt water and

 

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The archipelago of Stockholm extends eastward into the

waters of the Baltic and westward into those of Lake

Malar. The principal resorts and places of historic in-
terest are shown here.

ea
hoe ee

aleng a circular bay are large hotels, within
gardened grounds, and villas and bathing pavil-
ions to which the gay and fashionable come for
their summer holidays and, to a lesser degree,
in winter for winter sports, and where day ex-
eursionists from Stockholm dare to venture.
Vaxholm, in the same waters and equally dis-
4]

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

tant from the capital, is another well-known,
but less fashionable, Mecca for the holiday
seeker. A little fishing town of fifteen hundred
people with hotels and popular restaurants, it
is patronized largely by excursionists and is
a favorite rendezvous for motor and sail boats,
which throng the surrounding waters. The
venerable fortress of Vaxholm is here, the
raison d’étre of the town, picturesquely set on
a tiny islet in the little sound a hundred yards
from shore. Built by Gustavus Vasa in the
sixteenth century and strengthened in recent
years, it has guarded the approach to Stock-
holm for several centuries.

In the other direction from the capital, wes-
terly in the fresh waters of Lake Malar, are
situated a royal palace of the present, a grim
castle of ancient kings and the most historic
city of Sweden, for centuries a famous seat of
learning. Sailing in this direction you thread,
as you do in the direction of the Baltic, scores
of channels which make their way through the
numberless islands that dot the waters. You
are going inland now and the shore line you
find is more genial in character, the evergreen
covering of the islands and mainland inter-
42,SKERRIES OF STOCKHOLM

 

spersed with elm and maples and other decidu-
ous trees less somber, and punctuated with
farms and meadows.

In forty-five minutes by steamer you arrive
at the chateau of Drottningholm, the equiva-
lent in English of ‘‘Queen Island,’’ a royal resi-
dence named after the Queen of Johan III, who
built a palace here in the sixteenth century.
This was replaced a century later by the pres-
ent chateau, which is the summer residence of
the Swedish kings.

If you contrive to pay your visit when the
King is away you will see exactly how a demo-
eratic monarch of the twentieth century lives.
You will be conducted through a rather simply
furnished palace, free from flamboyant decora-
tions, through the quarters occupied by the
present royal family, through the visitors’
suite where the Kaiser and the Queen of Hol-
land and the King of Portugal and lesser
breeds have put up. The furniture throughout
the various apartments is almost entirely an-
tique and in spite of its age is, even to the cov-
ers, in fine condition. The ancient chair cover-
ings, many of which are hand painted, have
been admirably preserved, for the Queen with

43

ce
ttole te tetels

ee _ Pere peer te * "-* ay ty

Se Ie SO reo, yee
wetssdi dd bs bacausasaas bs; a4 4.40 / a wp ecengneeelitiere »
ra ne ee yr orn ny Ne Ne Pepe lets S

roe
Per,
a'sa le ea aca St ee eae eee ate eaten seme e ah ane Seamer aatiaama amend mama earhea ates eaaeeareabeacenana mente eer Pre oy
in Psp ea . i . . . 3 “ Fp et . aha eM ae ee F rae a il
eae ’ - = =a — —— — — : < * = = _— : : ; ; — : .

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ca
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SWEDEN AND ITS PHOPLE

 

commendable care orders them to be kept coy-
ered, particularly those in the guest rooms,
when not in use. The Queen betrays every evi-
dence of being a careful and scrupulous house-
keeper, for when I was there a year or two ago
the palace was closed to visitors for the pur-
pose of being put through complete renovation
in expectation of a visit from the Queen of Hol-
land, and I can testify to the thoroughness of
the work. If the Queen, on her visit, discovered
a speck of dust she must have searched for it
after the order of Diogenes.

The royal family lives a quiet life here in
this secluded spot. The King entertains rela-
tively little, for entertaining is an expensive
business in these modern times, when king's are
obliged to serape along on moderate incomes,
and finds amusement in reading and in playing
cards, of which he is very fond.

The chateau is built in the French style and
its stately grounds were laid out in the seven-
teenth century by Charles XI, in the formal
style of the gardens of Versailles. In the park
of the chateau is the China Slott, a pagoda-like
cottage erected for his queen by Adolphus
Frederick in 1770. To this modest Chinese
+4—

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‘SKERRIES OF STOCKHOLM

 

house one of the earlier king's delighted to come
and live, away from the greater pretense of
the chateau.

Historically and romantically the finest cas-
tle in Sweden is Gripsholm, further west on the
wide stretches of Lake Malar, and because of
its associations and its situation I should rather
visit this venerable pile than any other in the
kingdom. By the side of the little town of
Mariefred, on the edge of the lake, rise the four
red towers of this imposing medieval castle,
built in 1537 by Gustavus Vasa, the father of
modern Sweden and the founder of a dynasty.
He was a heroic figure, this doughty warrior.
He wrenched the country from Christian, of
Denmark, who had, by subterfuge, added Swe-
den to his Scandinavian dominions, became its
ruler and reigned over it for nearly forty years,
organizing its army and navy, its industries
and its agriculture, endearing himself to his
subjects by his indomitable will, his devotion
to his country’s his God-fearing
qualities, becoming an almost absolute and pa-
triarchal monarch. Gustavus Vasa created a
nation out of a disorganized country and pre-
pared the way for Sweden’s greatness under
45

interests,

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SWEDEN AND ITS PHOPLED

 

the illustrious Gustavus Adolphus, his grand-
son, who in turn brought Sweden to its pinna-
cle of glory.

The exterior and interior of Gripsholm pos-
sess in every line the rugged strength of its
founder. The castle is now a museum contain-
ing one of the most remarkable collections of
royal paintings in HKurope. The rooms are
wainscoted in native woods and the ceilings are
elaborate in design, of carved and colored
woods and frescoes, and on the walls hang a
multitude of portraits of the kings and queens
and noblemen of Europe who helped to make
history in the past two or three centuries.
The rooms contain, as well, the original furni-
ture of Gustavus Vasa and his successors on the
Swedish throne, so that you may reconstruct
in your mind the royal home life of the day.
There is about Gripsholm, in its isolated situ-
ation, an aloofness from modern life, a stately
calm in its setting on the wooded shore of the
lake, a picturesqueness of location that conveys
the atmosphere of remote days. The httle town
of Mariefred that nestles on the lake shore near
by is asleep in the shadow of the castle, its
serenity quite undisturbed by the commerce and
46CL Oe eee

Tat ithl, ta telate Pa tghatetatatetetel
ee OC De RC Oe ot hC  OC TE Oe pte
ON et

On aaa

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— =-—s4 - eee ag ae - - 7 ee ed ed ee i tel ne ha
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etme ne Fr rp nent OP SEY eye Cae eee Ane eres
Pe eee FN a ne ee

   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

SKERRIES OF STOCKHOLM

 

bustle of the capital city a few hours away.
If the day be warm you will wander over from
the castle, mount the stairs of the tiny inn that
has catered to wayfarers for many generations
and, on the upper porch which overlooks a gar-
den flanked by trees, you will, in the languorous
air of the early afternoon, eat your lunch of
dishes prepared with the certain skill of Swe-
dish culinary art. I’ve done exactly this and I
envy you your experience.

You’ve heard of Upsala, of course, the cradle
of Swedish learning. You can reach it by
steamer along this same waterway or you can
oo in less time by rail. On the way you may
stop off at Skokloster, which means ‘‘Forest
Monastery,’’ a turreted chateau on the forested
fringe of the lake that occupies the site of a
medieval monastery which was presented by
Gustavus Adolphus to one of his marshals.
The monastery, useless now that the Reforma-
tion had left its permanent mark in Sweden,
was destroyed and in its place was erected this
splendid palace, filled afterwards with the
spoils of the Thirty Years’ War.

Upsala is not only a famous university town,
but it is, as well, the most venerable city in the
47

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Daal SS a enna Sree eae a eneeeeteneeemnneiiielal

POTEFET a ae Per eee eee.
te ek IS ETE PL PEN ata
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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

realm. A few minutes’ drive from the present
city brings you to Old Upsala, which was the
seat of the early pagan kings of Sweden, and
where to this day stand three tumuli of these
kings, great burial mounds which date from
the fifth or sixth centuries B.C. The most
revered of the ancient Scandinavian gods was
Freyr, the god of light, and here in Old Up-
sala, on the site of the present village church it
is said, stood the temple to this deity. But the
new Upsala will interest you more, and it is
not so new either, for the cathedral which is
the largest church in the Scandinavian penin-
sula was begun in 1260, and the university
founded in 1477. Gustavus Vasa, that indom-
itable builder, erected a long, unadorned eas-
tle here in the sixteenth century which, on the
hill, dominates not only the city but indeed the
surrounding country. And in the cathedral
was buried Gustavus, the founder of the castle,
with his three wives, and Linneus, Sweden-
borg and other people distinguished in Swedish
history.

Few capitals of the world, it will be seen,
have at their doors surroundings more allur-
ing, or more accessible, or more conveniently
48SKERRIES OF STOCKHOLM

 

reached, or less expensively seen, than Stock-
holm. When endowed, itself, with an unexam-
pled situation, with splendid buildings and im-
maculate streets, with the old rubbing elbows
with the new, with sunshine and sparkling wa-
ters, with parks and drives and tree-clad sub-
urbs, with enchanting evenings along jeweled
waterways, Stockholm is a city to linger in.

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CHAPTER [IV
Across SWEDEN BY CANAL

N all Europe is there any trip more unusual
than the journey through the Gota Canal
in Sweden? Where else can you find a flowing
road that makes its way through the heart of
the country from coast to coast beginning at
one of the two most important cities and end-
ing at the other, a passage that takes you along
peaceful rivers, across wide shimmering lakes,
through green meadows, under overhanging
trees, within sight of nestling villages and an-
cient churches and castle ruins.

The credit of building this splendid water-
way belongs to no modern engineer, inspired
by a desire to open up the beauties of the
Swedish countryside to foreign tourists, but to
Bishop Brask of Linkdping, a town on the
route, who in 1516 advocated this canal as a
means for Swedish vessels to escape the duties
levied by the Danes on shipping passing
through the sound. Gustavus Vasa and Charles
IX subsequently recommended the project, but
oOACROSS SWEDEN BY CANAL |

 

it was not until 1716 in the reign of Charles XIT
that work was actually begun. In spite of the
wars carried on during the reign of the last
mentioned monarch the great engineering proj-
ect was vigorously advanced. Difficulties, how-
ever, attendant upon the building of some of
the locks where unusual technical problems
were encountered delayed the completion of the
canal until the early part of the last century,
when a final effort was made leading at last to
the opening of the route from the Cattegat to
the Baltic in 1832. The canal is really a com-
bination of river, lake and canal, for out of a
total distance of two hundred and forty miles
less than sixty miles are artificial waterway.
The variation of scenery thus afforded consti-
tutes the greatest charm of the route.

At Gothenburg you board the diminutive
steamer which is to carry you on your cruise
through the heart of Sweden. It was the far-
seeing Gustavus Adolphus who founded the
city of Gothenburg in 1619. At that time he
was but twenty-five, but he had already showed
himself to have creative genius, to be an organ-
izer, an able administrator, and a statesman
as well as a soldier. He realized that Sweden
ol

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— ———— —

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

pueneene

" a ceenerttieer ee ene Oe een

Be 7h tH ee - tt a . .

he oi me ( a - oe tae alten ti arene enn Someta mame a lett Le Lia ae end a elt ee hee eae el er ee tk tk Ail eh all a et ek ee Tt ee Seat eeate oe Py Ea
- ° Ms P +? ew a =. ae : =

 

 

 

 

SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

needed a port on the waters of the Atlantic
close to the ocean highways if his country was
to be a factor in future world trade. There
had been a number of towns or trading posts on
the chosen site during the preceding centuries,
but because of their exposed position each had
fallen prey to the depredations of northern
kings and pirates. Gustavus Adolphus was
none the less determined to build a city that
would stand, a monument to Swedish trade and
industry. It is related that as he paused in his
inspection of the site on a hill within what is
now the city, a bird pursued by an eagle
dropped in utter exhaustion at his feet. Re-
garding this as a favorable omen, he exclaimed,
pointing at the land before him, ‘‘There shall
the town be built.’? In commemoration of this
legend his statue, in the principal square which
bears his name, shows him executing this im-
pressive gesture. As a matter of fact the spot
was chosen because of its logical situation at
the mouth of the Géta-Alv River and because of
the recommendation of his Dutch mercantile
advisers who later laid out the city after the
Low Countries plan of straight streets and nu-
merous canals. Powerful fortifications were
ootee

ACROSS SWEDEN BY CANAL

 

 

 

constructed about the city and its walls were
surrounded by a broad moat. Intended for an-
other purpose, it is these very defenses that
make the modern city one of the best ordered
and most beautiful towns of moderate size in
the North. For the walls have long since been
razed to make way for a splendid esplanade
and the moat has been converted into a water
feature, with grass-clad and tree-lined banks,
that winds through the heart of the city creat-
ing many enchanting vistas. Many of the
smaller canals have been filled in and trans-
formed into streets, and those that are left con-
tribute greatly to the picturesqueness and in-
terest of the city. A large park of rare natural
beauty has been added: to sthese features of
lesser proportions so that.Gothenburg has been
provided with many of the elements that go to
make a really beautiful city. There is almost
nothing in the town that is ancient or bizarre,
for the streets are ample in size and the build-
ines that line them are modern structures of
stone and plaster.

The visitor will delight in wandering along’
the fragments of the canals of the past and
through the park, formerly the moat, that winds
Do

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Re Tear gar eae oe pO Me gh Loree Senet
eee Te ec aan Narn :
Fea Ne enSWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

in serpentine fashion through the city, its slop-
ing sides tastefully landscaped with shrubs and
trees that cast reflections in the placid waters
beneath. He will doubtless stop at the daily
market which occupies a tiny plaza by the edge
of this esplanade where the rosy cheeked mar-
ket women sit behind their little stands of fruit
and flowers, stretched along the grassy bank,
and he will be entertained by the less attractive
trading in produce and meats, live chickens and
ducks and rabbits which is carried on behind
the low market buildings within the square.

He will want to stroll over by the water front
where ships from the four corners of the earth
throng the quays, Gothenburg being the second
city of Sweden and its greatest port. Here are
found massive oeear liners, trading vessels of
the North Sea and Mediterranean fleets, the
smaller coasting vessels and Baltic merchant-
men, deep sea trawlers and fishing smacks.
Gothenburg’s trade is a far flung one and as
proof that she possesses a versatile citizenry
stands the fact that she has become an indus-
trial city of some importance as well, with a
considerable diversity of manufactures. If the
day be hot the visitor will, after this tour of
o4oe

_

 

ws

 

“
ord
“=

renee

od

=

I’rom the decks of the diminutive steamers of the
Gota Canal the country’s landscape and varied life
pass in slow review.

> rf ss a os = -_« - - _ oa
Se eee er ee eT

 

 

The ruined towers of Bohus Castle, a stronghold
on the Goéta River built by a Norwegian king in
1308. are known as “father’s hat and mother’s cap.”

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Sarina aL ane haa nahieateme tt reat ae art

 

, rae Sete ee oo

 

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ACROSS SWEDEN BY CANAL

 

the city, doubtless adjourn to one of the big
outdoor restaurants that are situated in the
outskirts of the city and laid out with gardens
and arbors and trellises and vine-clad veran-
das, there to refresh himself with the alluring
dishes of Swedish cuisine. The Swedes un-
derstand the amenities; they live well and they
see that the strangers within their gates are
given the best they have.

It is a leisurely journey of two days and a
half on which you embark in the little steamer
from Gothenburg. You will not spend long in
your tiny cabin, but will take a seat on deck,
and as the boat noses its way through narrow
waterways overhung with trees, glides across
some of the most beautiful lakes in Sweden, or
clambers slowly up a series of locks, you will
enjoy the country’s landscape and varied life
as it passes in slow review before you.

The journey abounds, I must warn you, in
no striking natural wonders; the castles and
churches that are encountered along the line
are in no way remarkable; the towns and vil-
lages passed by the slowly moving steamers
are characterized by nothing that differentiates
them from a hundred others in Sweden. The
Oo

hd ee.
<cuvi naw A — _ a oad eed , a Ta ae a a aa a ace at i hn ct iin ad acai aetna tactician inti an tia i ih Unearth ind dapat ans open. eran, iL Pear
or : = : - - ~ a . ¥ : “ett z 4 oe ay rg amt > CJ Nese ad

an

 

 

    
  
 
 
    
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

trip is never a dramatic one. The charm of
the course, its infinite charm, lies in its mild
adventure and the exceeding intimacy with
which it brings you in touch with the rural life
of the country. It makes you feel the heart
beat of Scandinavia. One sees from his com-
fortable deck the best of Sweden; the pictur-
esque peasantry, some of them still wearing
colorful costumes; delightful villages, spot-
lessly clean, dominated by old gray churches
built many centuries ago; imposing ruins and
medieval castles; idyllic lakes; the archipelago
of the Baltic; and, finally, the capital city of
Stockholm.

During the first part of the journey the
steamer proceeds slowly up the Gota River.
Before the boat has been under way for very
long the ruins of the great Bohus Fort, built
in 1308, come into sight. In its day this fortress
was the most formidable stronghold im the
North. Only two of the towers remain and they
are now known as “‘fars hatt och mors mossa,”’
father’s hat and mother’s cap. On the oppo-
site shore is the little town of Kongelf, now an
unimportant village, but at one time a meeting-
o6siviesssviesrp erred
aoe Me it ee Bee Oe Oe
ee eee ee Oe Pe |

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
   

 

 

 

 

 

ACROSS SWEDEN BY CANAL

 

 

place for the rulers of three Scandinavian na-
tions.

At Trollhattan the steamer meets its first
series of locks, and as the boat consumes an
hour or two in climbing the watery staircase,
you have ample time to see the magnificent
Trollhittan Falls and one of the largest elec-
tric power stations in the world. As for me, I
admit that the edge of my anticipation was
dulled somewhat by a fellow passenger who
had been talking to me during the last hour of
the journey. He boasted grandiloquently of
the traveling he had done, and warned me not
to be enthusiastic about Trollhattan Falls. No
waterfalls, he contended, could compare with
those of the Zambesi, and after his description
of how he had stood on the escarpment of the
African Rain Forest and watched the thunder-
ing cataract hurl itself over the four-hundred-
foot face of the opposite cliff, he almost made
me feel ashamed to take the trouble to look at
these northern falls. When I returned to the
boat my confession that Trollhattan had
thrilled me caused him to sniff contemptu-
ously.

Ss pag a ete eee hg SS NENT ITE Ne SP a
Seveavtend te ¢ ays a ererhb tno vg rt ee ee ee eS Sen oar See Net Ee SE re See Be a Me am

So erioert, Se sre Ter ad ie pectin we Ee a RR Hep ee ry WE Narn et We SAR leg: OT rn Pn ney ag aa
Oe etre ee een ee ee eer eT Te ee ee Pe errr we erseete Mt rnee tw Petite oe.

er ee a oe _ - er a ra

-

57

 

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iy : : : : Beye pata oy So gag eRe ea ae STS Fe Ep EAS
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rind * ; i _ 7
pats 5 ; “— d nye : ite nl

 

  

 

   
    
     
  
 
 
 
    
    
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
    

SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

As a matter of fact this cataract is magnifi-
cent. The falls are six in number and the vol-
ume of water passing over them is unsurpassed
by any in Kurope, unless it be by the Finnish
Imatra. The river has forced its passage
through a barrier of granite, hurtling and roar-
ing its way between rocky canyons for a de-
scent of one hundred and nine feet during the
course of nearly a mile. The accumulated force
of this water is some 270,000 horsepower, of
which 170,000 horsepower has been utilized by
the enormous electric power station constructed
near the cataract. The current generated is
in part consumed by the large industrial estab-
lishments near the falls, and in part distributed
over the surrounding country. Sweden is
richly supplied with water-power and, since
she lacks coal deposits adequate to her needs,
she transforms her cataracts into electricity.

Shortly after leaving Trollhattan the boat
olides into the smooth waters of Lake Vanern,
the largest inland lake of Sweden and, outside
of Russia, the largest in Europe. Lake Vanern
is more than two thousand square miles in area
and, ike Lake Vattern, was in prehistoric times
an arm of the sea, separating southern Sweden
O8PA PL Moe Me Mod Le ot MT
oad tats ete tetahate etereeteters”

  

 

 

ACROSS SWEDEN BY CANAL

  
 
 
 
  
   
  
 
 
 
  
   
  
 
 
  
   

 

from the northern part. Here you have time
enough to stretch your legs a bit in a scramble
up to the top of Kinnekulle, a mountain tower-
ing eight hundred feet over the surrounding
country and possessing extraordinary geologi-

SSeS I le eS Ie Or re Be pote ee 2
Te ee A ter ee Pap ge WO ened i ey ELIS Ratings Sa eg a pines be SE et ms
ee ee ee eee Te ee ee ene et eee ee) eel :

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a ee OC ee ee ee

 

—t

aM alar en, |
SSTOSKHOMN

 

  

   

o< Z Seat

Re TRO CHATIAN > iS

( 7 Ee
GOTEBORG

The Gota Canal runs through the heart of Sweden con-

necting Stockholm and Gothenburg, the two principal

cities. The dotted line shows the route made up of river,
lake and canal.

 
 
    
  

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AFISKA INSTITUTET

eal interest. It rises in different rock strata;
the lowest consists of sandstone with alum
slate, the second is limestone, the third clay-
slate, and the highest layer is of diorite, an
eruptive mass which once covered the entire
hill. The Kinnekulle with its rich vegetation,
og

 

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

its valleys and woods, its bold cliffs, and its
numerous farms and pastures, is an inland
rural paradise.

After it leaves Lake Vanern the canal begins
a long uphill climb in its trip through Vaster-
gotland. From lock to lock the boat is lifted
until it is fially one hundred and sixty feet
above Lake Vanern and three hundred and
eight feet above the surface of the Baltic.
While the boat is busy sailing upstairs it is
interesting to walk along the shore of the canal
and watch the farm people who are at work
near by. As it chanced I here came upon a
Swedish-American who had returned to his
home country after spending several years in
our Middle West. He told me a good deal about
the region through which I was passing, and
asked many questions about conditions in the
United States. The Swedish peasant is a gen-
ial fellow, intelligent, alert, and energetic. In-
eidentally, he is an excellent farmer, eager to
put into practice the newest scientific methods.

Near the point where the canal enters Lake
Vattern the boat passes the impressive fortress
of Karlsborg, and then crosses the lake to the
city of Motala. Lake Vattern is the second
60a, . xs /
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The Swedish peasantry, nearly all of whom belong to the

Lutheran church, are strict church-goers, as will be seen from

this Sunday scene in Dalecarlia. The biblical quotation above
the door is carved in old Swedish.

a

Soe = — D

panel ase ee

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ACROSS SWEDEN BY CANAL

 

largest of Sweden’s numerous lakes and is curi-
ous in that its surface is nearly three hundred
feet above the level of the sea and, the water
being in some places nearly four hundred feet
deep, the bottom sinks more than a hundred
feet below sea level. Vattern is fed almost en-
tirely by subterranean springs and its waters
are so extraordinarily clear that the bottom
ean be seen at a depth of sixty-five feet.

Vadstena, a little to the south, is one of the
most interesting historical places in Sweden.
The town is dominated by a somber castle in
the Renaissance style. St. Bridget of Sweden
founded a convent at Vadstena in the middle of
the fourteenth century which became the
parent of numerous other convents in other
European countries and formed the connecting
link between Sweden and the civilization of the
south of Europe. Very little remains of the
original convent buildings, but the church, con-
secrated in 1430, contains many memorials of
the middle ages, including a shrine said to con-
tain the bones of St. Bridget herself.

From Motala the canal passes the old Vreta
abbey church with its numerous graves of the
middle ages and makes its gradual descent to
61

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

the Baltic; Lake Vattern is the highest point
to which the boats are raised. From this point,
the slow progression downstairs is even more
delightful than the upward climb; some of the
views are even more beautiful. Ostergdétland,
the fertile country through which the canal
passes, justifies the loyalty which it has in-
spired in its natives. It is said in Sweden that
when an old-time Ostro-Goth was asked from
what part of the country he came, he replied:
‘From Ostergétland, God be praised.”’

Across Lake Boren the little steamer next
makes its way, and passing through a section
of the canal that overlooks a rich and smiling
landscape, brings the traveler to the town of
Berg, where a Cistercian convent built in the
thirteenth century still exists. The journey
proceeds through Lakes Roxen and Asplagen
until the last part of the Gota Canal is reached
at Sdderkoping, in ancient times a mighty com-
mercial town, now a charming watering place.
At the edge of the town close enough to be
easily visited are the ruins of Stegeborg, a
eastle of that doughty monarch Gustavus Vasa.
Here King Johan [II was born.

At Mem the last lock ushers the steamer
62ACROSS SWEDEN BY CANAL

gently into an arm of the Baltic Sea, and the
water-trip across the mainland of Sweden is
over. Through the lovely archipelago of the
Baltic the boat cruises, in and out of narrow
straits and between verdant islands, to the
Sodertelje Canal, then through Lake Malar with
its innumerable islands and its thickly wooded
shores to the water-threaded city of Stockholm,
‘““Mhe Queen of Malaren.’’

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CHAPTER V
A Crry Emrpre oF VANISHED GLORY

N a tiny island in the Baltic scarcely more

than fifty miles from the Swedish main-
land rise the castellated towers of an ancient
walled city that from the earliest times pos-
sessed imperial commercial power and during
the middle ages was one of the world’s great
trading ports. Forgotten by modern masters
of commerce and almost unknown by the rank
and file of present-day people, it was famous
during the centuries of its great eminence from
the teeming centers of Asia to the golden
cities of the Mediterranean. Merchant princes
walked its streets, kings sought to possess its
glory, imposing cathedrals expressed its grati-
tude and evidenced its wealth and its rich argo-
sies ladened with treasure sailed the seven
seas. All this medieval splendor has unhappily
for the city-empire long since departed. Visby
on the island of Gotland still lives, but, ignored
by the world of which it was a vital part, it
spends its latter days in sleepy contemplation
64A CITY EMPIRE

 

of its former glory, tranquillity and peace to-
day taking the place of the striving and turbu-
lence of yesterday.

Set sail for Gotland from either Stockholm or
Kalmar, whichever you please, and arise early
in the morning to view your approach to the
enchanted city of Visby. From the Swedish
capital it is but twelve hours’ journey, and but
eight if you prefer to leave from the more
southerly Kalmar, which is one of the oldest
towns of the kingdom and possesses a moated
castle of the twelfth century. As you steam into
the harbor you will see rising out of the mists
of the morning the spires and walls and towers
of a fairy city mirrored in the calm, clear wa-
ters of the Baltic, with its rugged outlines of
masonry that seem to have been wrought by
the hand of a fabled Titan. Landing on shore
you will find almost totally deserted streets,
for its worthy inhabitants of the twentieth cen-
tury have little need to rise with the sun to
take care of pressing business. After a while
as you sit in your hotel on one of the winding
thoroughfares which is more lane than street
you may watch the city leisurely coming to life
to add a day of quiet industry to the scores of
69

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SOTO RIE I IIT EO ead
Se ee ee Oe en ee re ee aerate ee eee hk poe a

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PI EO TO Lg Lg Poe
(IN RS OTERO: SES
Pea eR i een ee ed aSWEDEN AND ITS PHOPLE

 

thousands of more feverish ones in times
gone by.

To go back to the beginning of Visby and its
Gothic inhabitants it is necessary to wander
back through the pathway of time to the dim
days of the ancient world. Visby at that time
had not been born but Gotland, with its ener-
getic inhabitants was an island empire and oc-
cupied a position in the trade of the Baltic
analogous to that of Rhodes and Crete and
Sicily in the Mediterranean. That it was a
maritime power of considerable consequence is
proved by the discovery in the soil of Gotland
of numerous coins of the first century A.D. In-
deed thousands of pieces of money bearing the
imprint of Greek and Arabic, Roman and Eng-
lish have been found on this tiny island, which
indicates the far-flung trade of the Gotlanders.
The Gotland Vikings of the seventh, eighth and
ninth centuries, trading and marauding, had
extensive relations with the southern powers.
Thirty thousand Arabian coins brought by
these hardy mariners from the Caspian by sea
and along the mighty rivers that cross Russia
have been recovered from the soil of Gotland.
As a heritage of those far off times Gothic re-
66twelfth

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bA CITY EMPIRE

 

 

 

 

 

 

mains a living tongue in the southern part of
the island, although its purity has been greatly
diminished by the admixture of German, Rus-
sian, Hnglish and Scandinavian words and is
now a dialect rather than a language.

Gotland, while the largest island in the Bal-
tic, is, with its seventy-two miles of length and
less than thirty miles of breadth, but a speck on
the map of Europe. In those medieval days,
however, it stood at the crossroads of the Bal-
tic, squarely in the path of the great ancient
trade route between Asia and Novgorod, the
Russian milestone on the way, and the Baltic,
and the steady flow of commerce centered there.
The Gotland peasants and mariners throughout
the entire length and breadth of the island ap-
pear to have been engaged in foreign trade on
a large scale. They established a trading-fac-
tory in Novgorod which handled the rich cara-
vans of wares that had their origin in the Hast,
their vessels scoured the sea lanes in Orient
and Occident buying, selling, and distributing,
and their traders roamed the world on vessels
of other nationalities always returning home
in the end with goods or gold to add to their
tiny island’s commercial supremacy. England

67

Par earn eee
ear et areata ise
Pare ee

ti giecd a telye gece
cca toe OE oe)
Si ba bt od bd )4 hh

eo a,

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ner eee eer ey rene nr ne Were eM eee ee et+} yt = _~ - oe Dereon iethneereten cement erecta peel teem oatemeteammemetiena ina cermeert et nha eth emai tae ine ete me tar entail eit ih ee A rel al allt lial eel ere i eee _-
: f cc = re ~ et eae er en aes el

S
=
‘a
ea
2
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SWEDEN AND ITS PHOPLE

 

and the thriving states of northern Europe
adopted the sea laws and coinage of these ener-
getic traders. The English knew the Got-
landers as Osterlings. Sterling, the designa-
tion of British currency, is a corruption of this
word.

Until the early part of the twelfth century
this lucrative trade of northern Kurope was
largely in the hands of the Goths. It is not
strange therefore that merchants of other
countries began to cast covetous eyes at the
prosperous Goths and that, gradually, num-
bers of them came and established themselves
there. Visby thus developed from an inconse-
quential village into a full-fledged city and its
twenty thousand residents were soon in control
of almost the entire trade that was formerly
distributed throughout the island. People from
many nations gathered here. The Germans,
energetic traders themselves, came in such
numbers that at one time half the town council
and two of the chief magistrates were Germans.
Tn 1280 an alliance with Liibeck was formed and
two years later Riga joined the confederation
for protection against the pirates of the Baltic.
Extensive trading privileges with the principal
68a
eee >t ae

Poe be ot Be ne Oe Be
Cpt ee At es.

 

    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
   
  

 

 

 

 

A CITY EMPIRE

 

German trading ports were granted to the
burghers of Visby by the German emperor and
a trade alliance embracing these thirty or more
cities was formed. Thus there came into being
what was probably the beginning of the mighty
Hanseatic League which controlled the trade of
northern Hurope for the succeeding centuries.
Visby became one of the chief seats if indeed
not the actual headquarters of the League.

These were golden days for this fortunate
city of destiny. The riches that flowed here
were proverbial, expressed in an ancient ballad
which ran:

The Gotlanders weigh gold with twenty-pound
weights

And play with the choicest gems.

The pigs eat out of silver troughs

And the women spin with golden distaffs.

To make its defense secure great walls were
constructed about the city, that still rise above
the waters of the Baltic, mellowed by beauty-
giving ivy, where once they frowned with un-
compromising sternness on friend and foe

alike. There remain in Europe few cities that
69

ata evel e 9 0. * eh, Palatal te ais

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

are so encompassed by their stalwart bulwarks
of the past. If you have visited Aigues-Mortes
and Carcassonne in France, or Toledo in Spain,
you have some idea of the character of the an-
cient defense works that exist to-day at Visby.
For two miles and a half these vast, gray forti-
fications extend their battlemented tops around
the city, crowned at regular intervals by
square unadorned towers rising, some of them,
to a height of sixty feet, between which is a
series of bartizans supported by corbels that
add a picturesque touch to the venerable walls.
Thirty-eight out of forty-eight of these towers
have outlived their generation and stand guard
over the city to this day, a futile defense now
for age has hopelessly weakened their might,
and the glory and treasure that they were once
charged to protect have long since departed.
In earlier times a moat, and in some places a
series of three moats, gave added protection
and these water defenses are still traceable.
If you believe in legend and tradition you will
pause a moment at the tower of Jungfrutornet
or ‘‘maiden’s tower,’’? while your guide ex-
plains how a maiden, the daughter of a burgo-
master of Visby, fell in love with a Danish
70A CITY EMPIRE

 

king disguised as a Gotlander and delivered
up to him the key of the city gate stolen at
night from under her father’s pillow. The city
fell to the enemy of course and the enraged
citizens built this tower and walled into it
the unfortunate maiden as a reward for her
treachery.

Between these giant walls the life of the city,
shrunk to half its former size, pulses slowly
through its streets and narrow lanes. The in-
spiration of greater days is in the names
of these crooked thoroughfares—Lancaster
Street, Novgorod Street, Ltibeck Street, Riga
Street, Danzig Street—but not even this can
bring again to Visby a tithe of her ancient
glory. Along these dried up arteries of travel,
once thronged by English, German and Russian
traders, are fragments of churches, abbeys,
cathedrals and dwellings of Hanseatic days.
But the good people of present day Visby even
though possessed no longer of treasure and
glory have not allowed beauty to vanish from
their lives for there are tiny gardens every-
where which yield roses of luxuriant abun-
dance, and ivy wanders over the stately ruins
of the past softening with its dainty touch the
71

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scars and wounds of time. You do not wonder
that Visby is called ‘‘The Town of Ruins and
Roses.’’ |

The narrow streets of Gotland’s capital,
from which branch off winding and sometimes
steeply climbing lanes, are lined with diminu-
tive low-eaved and tiny-windowed houses of
wood and stone and plaster, products of more
recent times, but standing among them here
and there are sentinels of the past, high,
narrow, stately, gabled houses, the homes of the
great merchant princes of the middle ages. In
early times when Visby was the focus of the
northern commercial world sixteen splendid
stone churches catered to the spiritual needs of
its people. The ruins of ten of these houses of
worship remain to-day, relies of the eleventh
and twelfth centuries, and another one, the
cathedral of St. Mary, which was consecrated
in 1225, is, after these centuries, still in use
by the Christian folk of the city. It is a great
assortment of churches you find, once attached
to Franciscan and Dominican monasteries, for
the Reformation had not yet come to Hurope—
churches with massive square towers that were
used for defense purposes, sister churches built
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‘A CITY EMPIRE

 

in exact physical duplicate separated merely
by a narrow lane, and a church, octagon in
form, consisting of two stories and two sepa-
rate floors with one choir in common. If these
churches no longer bring spiritual solace to
the people they still serve the worshiper of
beauty. Their mellow, ivy-clad walls, their
graceful columns and arches rising here and
there above the city add beauty to the present
and bring the atmosphere of the past, and from
their towers the view to the distant horizon
where the blue waters of the Baltic blend into
the sky is one of enchanting loveliness.

The sixteen churches that, in the time of its
magnificence, served the spiritual needs of
Visby’s twenty or twenty-five thousand people
is graphic evidence both of the city’s prosperity
and wealth and of the religious impulse of the
time. That a community of this size could sup-
port so many churches, many of them vast
structures of medieval splendor, is difficult to
comprehend, especially as they were all of one
faith. The explanation doubtless lies in the
fact that in those days religion occupied a
dominant position in men’s lives and was a
living thing. Besides, the ritualistic service

7

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

with its music and chanting, its pomp and cere-
mony, was almost the people’s only amusement.
Material prosperity, defense against sin and
even life itself were things, moreover, to be
obtained from God by the intercession of the
saints and thanks were accustomed to be given
for preservation from danger. Visby’s har-
bor, thronged with ships from the seven
seas and the haven of mariners who had come
unscathed through the perils of the deep, was
assuredly a place in which to return thanks.
With so great a floating population it is small
wonder perhaps that Visby had her sixteen
churches and that the island of Gotland as a
whole supported nearly a hundred of them. It
is likely that a generous share of the riches
flowing through the city found its way into the
coffers of the church, providing funds in abund-
ance for the extensive building of ecclesiastical
structures that took place during this period
of splendor.

That such a treasure house as Visby could
exist in the middle ages without attracting the
cupidity of kings and pirates and sea rovers
when men with unbridled passions sought to
take what they could possess by right or might
74A CITY EMPIRE

 

is not to be thought of, and during these cen-
turies the burghers were on many occasions

summoned to the defense of the city. But
the time came at last when even her mas-
sive walls and the stout hearts of the de-

fenders were to be broken. Valdemar, King
of Denmark, determined to possess the city
and its fabled wealth. Whether or not the
legend is true of the burgomaster’s daugh-
ter who fell in love with Valdemar, the King
of the Danes disguised as a Gotlander, and
delivered up to him the key of the city, it is
nevertheless a fact that this monarch at the
head of his troops took the city in 1361 and
sacked it and compelled the burghers to deliver
up to him three great hogsheads filled with
gold and silver and gems and other precious
things as a ransom for the city, to save it from
the torch. If you go and stand before the
church of St. Nicholas in Visby you will ob-
serve two rose windows, sightless now lke most
of the other aged structures of the city. Hach
of these windows, tradition relates, contained
a giant carbuncle that glowed with such lumi-
nous brilliance that sailors on the bosom of the
sea were accustomed to steer their vessels into

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Sate

 

 

SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

harbor with their aid as by a beacon. These
priceless gems were carried off by Valdemar,
but tradition further relates that the King’s
ship, ladened with his immensely rich plunder,
including the precious carbuncles, encountered
a storm off the coast of Gotland and foundered,
the King himself barely escaping with his life.
To this day the sailors and fishermen of Got-
land declare that in calm weather the glow of
these carbuncles from the resting-place of the
gems far beneath the surface of the water is
distinctly seen.

It was a sanguinary battle that was fought
outside the gates of the city on that memo-
rable July day and one that was to change for-
ever the destinies of the city. Eighteen hun-
dred burghers fell in gallant defense of their
city and these, with the Danes who likewise
gave up their lives in this sharp, fateful con-
flict, were buried in a common grave marked
by a curious stone cross that has remained
through the centuries. Some years ago excava-
tions in this ancient burial place brought to
light several hundred skeletons, many of them
encased in armor and accompanied by their
medieval weapons, a grim memorial of the

76A CITY EMPIRE

 

ereatest historical event and the most melan-
choly chapter in the romantic annals of the
eapital of the Goths.

But the extraordinary vitality of Visby en-
abled it to outlive even this devastating and im-
poverishing raid and the city continued to be a
mighty power in the trade of the North for
yet a long time. However, the losses in men
and treasure on that tragic day struck a tell-
ing blow at the vital forces of the city, a weak-
ening of vitality that its rivals for the com-
mercial supremacy of the Baltic were not slow
to take advantage of, and the almost impercep-
tible decay of Visby seems to have set in at
that hour. An earlier blow at the prestige of
Visby, and the first, struck as far back as 1293,
when the Hanseatic League ordered all appeals
from the trading-factory at Novgorod to be
heard at Liibeck instead of at Visby. Follow-
ing this came the disastrous raid of Valdemar
in 1361, and this in turn was succeeded by a
gradual change in the commercial routes of the
North so that the trading ships no longer
brought their rich cargoes there, and the town’s
ascendancy was at an end. Finally the Goths
became involved in the wars between Den-

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SWHDHEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

mark and Sweden, the island was the prey of
pirates and marauders, and Visby’s star of
destiny set forever. Thus the proud city of the
Baltic enthroned for centuries in the glory of
the middle ages sank into total oblivion. How
complete is the world’s neglect of this vener-
able mart you will see if you mount with me
the rough crumbling staircase of the ruined
chureh of St. Nicholas and ascend to the roof.
The Baltic is still there glittering in the morn-
ing sun and the golden argosies are yet throng-
ing its waters just as they were accustcemed to
do in ancient times, although the vessels are
now swiftly propelled by a new power un-
known to the ancients. But surging along in the
tireless energy of the twentieth century these
richly cargoed ships no longer steer for Visby’s
harbor, but hurry past, with insolent disregard
of Visby’s age and fallen eminence, to newer
ports where the modern masters of commerce
are waiting—passing, forever passing the de-
throned monarch which waits in vain for the
homage that will never return.|

    
  
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
    

CHAPTHAER Vi
Tue CostumMeEep F'oLK or DALECARLIA

Goa of dress is usually associated with
southern countries. We find it natural
that the warm-blooded peoples of the south
should express their temperamental efferves-
cence in the colors of their costumes, so Spain
and Italy, and the other Mediterranean lands
are habitually regarded as the happy hunting
geround of the traveler whose quest is the pic-
turesque in life. But this plausible generaliza-
tion is soon discarded by the visitor to Sweden.
There, in one of the most northerly countries of
Kurope, we find persisting to-day two radically
different groups of national costumes that are
unsurpassed by any on the continent. Up in
the north of Sweden, close to the Arctic Circle,
dwell the Lapps, the aborigines of the Scand1-
navian peninsula, whose racial stock is quite
distinct from that of their present masters, the
Swedes. These strange people wear a dress
that is picturesque, indeed almost fantastic,
and markedly colorful. Further south, almost
79

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PPS er Poe a bed Pl bk ee ee PA

lt See he be
roa be Pe ee Be

etl py ete as Tan eet og Pea rrr eS LY ee ap ayax® ea a ee
ae re ee Se phat eet CSC ES OE SUCRE EEL EAE
ee tay SESS UE eT ee EM MN tert rR
Sn ee ee a ee :

MOIST LLL ETL ME GE I A IS RE NO IAIN TITIES EE ES ITT eI IOS III EO aE
= papi ae nth a TEE TL an Sigs tnd bee Ye ag ey ae we eed SEO EO a ae Te RE NO SB ee NE LOE EIT a cen e RS Pa Oe net Se a ae BEE Oe Se a re gt See ST RII Tene tel
» . " ‘ ne An ay oe - Pee" ern - SpE I ee Ps Pn ne ey et ae she ree Rea Se ee
~ en ee eens eee i ne eee a ee

‘S:
Ry
7.SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

in the center of Sweden, live the natives of
Dalecarlia, called the ‘‘ Heart of Sweden,’’ who
cling to an ancient dress that is resplendent in
medieval color and design. But one of these
costumes has a festive significance, while the
other has none: the Lapps wear their curious
garb on every day of the year, for they know
no other; whereas the Dalecarlians, for the
most part, don their gala attire only on Sun-
days and holidays.

The home of these sturdy Dalecarlians is a
smiling fertile province of rich farm land and
wooded hills surrounding Lake Siljan—appro-
priately known as the ‘‘Eye of Dalecarlia’’—a
vreat body of water on whose gently sloping
shores cluster the pretty little towns that are
the social and business foci for the people of
the surrounding countryside. There are nine
or ten of these towns in all, each with its tribu-
tary community that is distinguished by its own
individual costume, by an individuality that
lies simply in the shape of a bonnet or the cut
of bodice or skirt—really a distinction with-
out a difference.

They are a friendly people, these men and
women of sentiment and tradition. While on
80costume,

difference

little

by

are distinguished

folk

>
—
—
a
~
~

of the

es

;
—

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the

Dalecarlia

In

treat Soot

a ee

aesA OP RR te ee rE OE ee NY ney as NE
ce aeeeceedin Sanbemmeenl aieeee dines remanent ee .
: - ce alee atte ee a ee Ree seed tet oi wy wee ae
é oo a ed aetna theta iat tain tata tiatintn ttn th ite anesthe nk eee tinal bad : ba ps (oe ine:

Sip.

zed moment of gos
il of the little log sheds of which there

*

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for

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ind
ture mav be seen sever

isants sti

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In the background of th

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ister comes to church.

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ich horse whose m

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*FOLK OF DALECARLIA

 

the train that was carrying me to Dalecarlia, I
fell into conversation with the conductor who
visited my compartment at frequent intervals.
When he learned that I had traveled so great a
distance to see the people of his little-visited
land and that I intended, perhaps, to write of
them, his pleasure was unconcealed. This big,
kindly man told me that he had been a sailor
before the mast many years ago, and that in the
course of his seafaring he had visited Savan-
nah and New Orleans—an introduction to
America which was apparently sufficient to
give him a proprietory interest in everything
or any one related to the Stars and Stripes.
At length, when we reached a junction of the
line, he came once more, explained with some
formality that he was relieved from duty at this
point, and expressed his pleasure at our meet-
ing and his regret that he could not see me
through to my destination.

Immediately after our departure from the
station, a well-dressed citizen of the province
strolled along the corridor of my car looking
into the several compartments. Mine seemed
to satisfy him. Entering, he introduced him-
self as a Swede and a Dalecarlian who had
81

 

ee)
oe

, ~
ar

Poe oe e

SN Fea Pew pt a ee er ae ey a ee ern  adbege A
ek se a tk Were rer ote ldaed Sees Cet Bana ae
4 hey eek Se peg ae eg ed bape ror ee ee Pee ee ben Pd at p ** a ra P a! a

: gap ep eee amie et Pal a Te et ee AP cee ene F as
ee ee ee eee ere tte ei ee eS ee treet LO

RIS Fee ree eee SSS eee ~ Sees a SSR =
e ik Ret at Sederer naar an lates Mpa hart ee <r ru eR
sa *5 = co edataetats tatetne eae eee ne TT ee

oa NIC ne alg aero aia aria yes
COE iehy aale Mt ett st area kaart tates aetna eee
yey ye Se eee See et eee Sr a a ee ee ee

ee ee ee ee See ti tae

papeeereSain nha aa ities eel ee aan ee eR CE

 

 

 

 

 

 

SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

once been in Hartford—indeed he had been chef
in a club of that city—and seated himself com-
fortably for a friendly chat. It developed that
he was an emissary of my late friend the con-
ductor, who had told him the purpose of my
visit to Dalecarlia. And so we chatted pleas-
antly all the way to Rattvik, my destination,
where he acted as my interpreter at the station,
and where we parted like old school-day
friends. No introduction to the friendly, sim-
ple people of this pretty parish could have been
more fitting or more typical.

These vigorous Dalecarlian peasants have
reason to be proud of the share that they have
had in making their country’s history, and of
their entity and solidarity that is symbolically
perpetuated in a distinctive national dress. As
related in the first chapter of this book, they
played a powerful part in the struggle for
Swedish unity. When, early in the sixteenth
century, Christian IJ—a monarch of intellec-
tual culture and ability, but self-willed and
cruel—had brought the country to an evil state
by his ill-conceived measures, his suffering sub-
jects were suddenly goaded to rise in indigna-
tion and horror at his execution of no less than
82FOLK OF DALE CARLIA

 

eighty-two so-called rebels, in the market place
of the capital. The peasants of Dalarne, to use
the Swedish name for the province, were quick

 

    
 

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x A UPPSALA

 

 

 

 

 

RARIOGRAFISSA INSTITUTE

The province of Dalecarlia is in the center of Sweden.
It is in the small towns that cluster around Lake Siljan
that the gayly costumed folk live.

to rally to the standard of Gustavus Vasa, whose
father had been murdered in the ‘‘ Blood Bath.”’
Vasa, backed by his powerful army, whose
83

3 erie ee el
Perret LoS

rete op pes eee aT OO RI eet ee ee ee ee Per Tre "3°
ae i teeaert ie ert RD eT COLIC Le Ls Rt oer etn rae
MS a fa ee ee we ELE es Pan a Noche een raat the NS et gen ame ee we) _
Ce nn en el ieee aie ino alte

III III I IIT IIE TI
oe Oe karat eI ea RES rhc. el
Se ae ee Pr Nr en Ee ee er nN TN TN ne ee a en

ns re aa ed ee er OE TS ee a a elles SION ——- ————-
te Peed a er ann wrge SP OE OE LE Te eas tee See ae eee ee ies re
ys ee : sin» tea = NE tN eet ey se enn wef

ap ee nee ape ery nt nt) oes een een ana abn een anaesSWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

backbone was this same peasantry, declared
Sweden independent of Danish sovereignty un-
der Christian and, making his declaration a
reality by force of arms, won the right to be
called the founder of modern Sweden.

It was at Rattvik, the principal town of
Dalecarlia, on Lake Siljan, that Gustavus
Vasa summoned his countrymen to arms, and
a monument now stands on an eminence at
the edge of the churchyard to mark the his-
toric spot where the liberator addressed the
people. And it is to the little white six-
teenth century church, a few hundred yards
distant, that the farmers and townsfolk come
to worship, appareled in their bright, becom-
ing garb. On any week-day you may see oc-
casional workers in the fields, or housewives
busy in their yards, wearing this costume of
their forefathers, but on Sundays and holidays
you encounter not a few but thousands of men
and women, each in a dress peculiar to an indi-
vidual district. Substantially the same, but
differing slightly in details, these costumes in-
stantly identify the communities of the wear-
ers.

To this church at Rattvik, and to many other
84the ;

lS

Sunday

unusual sights of

most

One of the

by

irrival of church worshippers

.

<

ave been

these h

reat barges, but

iy In g

in this w:
private

imme

ve
4

~
\
«
~

+

_
ao
—
oo
—
-

formerly, whole communi

rater.

W

aced by

rep!

aimost

ee eee ee Te ee eee eet nt ee eet ot et rts

ww

es rene Peete i cece ete Datel Ieee te een aaa

ree ee ee aa

Le

i eS tT

sR enelders.

their

of

imitation

precise

vehicle.
Meri:

the

ir

c

popul

most
irments

ilecarlia’s
to the g:

 

 

D

ill-suited

bicycle,

seems

The

E
a
e
e
[ie
i
po
e
Ee
Ae
&
i
E
|
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:
|
:
|
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|
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Sent eeee ee ee ee ee tt ee Pe
Pie Oe hee ee he et ee ee Se ee ee ee
St ee be ba od pt Sd CS PLL EL Mt PPR EG OS oR ee SP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOLK OF DALECARLIA

  
   
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
   

 

 

meeting-houses, the people of the countryside
come on foot, on bicycle, in two-wheel carts,
and in motor cars that are chiefly of American
manufacture. Those who have driven behind
faithful old Dobbin unharness him and lead
him into a tiny log cabin where a comfortable
stall awaits his pleasure. Fringing the church
grounds by the lake there are many of these
diminutive cabins ready for their Sabbath oc-
cupants; but the lordly automobile must be
content with an indiscriminate berth along the
grassy roadside.

Across the water in Leksand the people con-
gregate in the great, steepled, timber church,
set in park-like grounds that border an arm of
the lake. It is distinctly Russian in its charac-
ter, with its huge wooden belfry, and it betrays
the origin of its builders, for it was constructed
in the seventeenth century by Russian prison-
ers of war taken by the Swedes.

It is somewhat startling to enter one of these
churches after the people have assembled. The
scene they present at worship and the pano-
rama they make as they emerge and talk in
groups or stroll through the towns seem strik-
ingly like an operatic setting. The women with
89

+ - oe ory a ee ian at tay SP YT eS He Med We Pet ere ee pantaer Pore TOO Oe
SS SP Se at he eli eter pred ee ye te ie ete Be eer ee he Jee Neath eee Ir eet ae 2s Beek a Pigs ye or neing oe |
te ee eee a Se ORT aed Sales Le Go ig et ee eS Pt ye . ee
SB ee ars ee See ae eg Tad gece g ae agen bepaapan we tated s Pope ye bernd a ey er a4 w+ os Foss er to eer dimers
Se eee eee eee nn healed Sad behind 2

I Ta aa eT
Prenatig gee Rg Vy Ft IS na ee naa
Sess isssets saclensentsticheihhetadatnasciadeniaeitimeng mea benatatal

ras gL POe ptm PT at ed eae PP Se IY re rl Sy
eee SO TE en aN Pal ae a a Ot ee me Se ele Renner eM et rN cet eeen? my tah in Pastor atten Farrer wie
‘ ear Lae . Pe on ea ef ee
rare a es ee eae erties : a eT SS Se a aeehdneeeiennemmaanememennmee ees
PT see : — we a ree

wee

eK ue
Peta oe IK OC:
—
&
e
c
|
sa
|
|
|
| 2
e
aes
bs
e
|
o
| 4
|
be
Sate
ape

he

Ku

a
a
gj
s

et

 

 

 

SWEDEN AND ITS PHOPLE

 

their high conical bonnets and lace caps and
eolored bodices and the men in their clerical-
cut blue coats, seated in Quaker fashion, form
an unforgettable picture straight out of the
past—a medieval mosaic in the polished but
colorless social structure of modernity.

The costumes of the country folk are exactly
what we see in a historical and romantic opera.
The bodices of the women’s dresses are fash-
ioned of gaily colored velvet; the skirts, which
are of cloth, are worn with what appears to be
a gaily striped apron, but which is, in reality, a
strip of multi-colored fabric sewn into the
front. The younger women in some communi-
ties don upright conical bonnets with striped
trimming, while in others a sort of sun bonnet
is the head dress. The elder women affect lace
or linen caps. The sartorial embellishment of
the men is equally picturesque, though lacking
in the vivid colors which characterize that of
the gentler sex. Their coats, reaching to the
knee, consist of blue and plum-colored cloth,
cut high in the neck and single breasted after
the fashion of a cleric; waistcoats of the same
color; yellow buckskin knee breeches and blue
or red stockings with little red tassels hanging
86Ee eerie ore Te Ct eRe REOe RE TSS eee
MOR Oe De te earth te ete oe
PPR OC d ht ok Ea et Eyes Tet Ca

     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOLK OF DALECARLIA

jauntily from the turned-over tops. In their
vigorous dances these coats flare out in the
most amusing fashion. But if you are delighted
with the costumes of the grown-ups you will
be captivated by the children, who are dressed
in precise imitation of their elders, seemingly
proud at their early age of perpetuating a cos-
tume that has survived the centuries, in digni-
fying a people of independent Swedish nation-
ality.

While I was in Dalecarlia the much-heralded
referendum on prohibition was held, and I re-
paired to Rattvik to watch the activities attend-
ant upon this important event. It was a bril-
liant summer day and people flocked townward
to attend church and afterwards to visit the
polling places. It was a solemn yet unconven-
tional affair and was, incidentally, a time of no
little social importance to the country folk, pro-
viding as it did endless/opportunities for gos-
sip. There were the usual gatherings after the
church service, leisurely strolls to the school-
house not far away, where the voting took place
and where many groups formed to discuss so-
berly the supreme event of the day. Seem-
ingly there is no ban against electioneering in
87

vie 4-4
ere

* Ps
a . 0
ete tatetat, tet

“
die @ #6 44
CP ee De

fT

te
Pe}
Pad:
ey
t

at >t

ree Ned

SO ees een iccer os ebterseieeee =A
Sate Oy Srp eee roe aoa
rete eet RL ee tr Ses

er eer tr Or MEE ned a eer olsen
ee ee ee te eee Cee ei

SOO EE (EE

Oat ata et ete
end oe Sl ee DaSWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

Sweden and little squads of people formed
everywhere adjacent to the polls. At the en-
trance men and women representing the rival
camps were stationed proffering ballots to the
voters. These ballots consisted of small cards
containing the single word Ja and Nej, the
‘‘ves’? and ‘‘no’’ of the Swedish vocabulary.
The voters made their selection, placed them
in envelopes and handed them to the election
clerks, who were surrounded by a throng of
eager voters and spectators. Then the voters’
names were checked off in a book, recording the
fact that their ballots had been cast.

It was a clear sunny day and at Rattvik the
scene was a brilliant one—the neat schoolhouse,
country folk, old and young, arriving and de-
parting by cart and automobile, groups of the
more socially inclined scattered here and there
in sunlight and shade, gleaming patches of
light in the open and deep shadows under bush
and tree. Presently we heard the singing of
children’s voices and a procession of boys and
girls appeared, appealing in their quaint cos-
tumes and in the charm of their simplicity. At
the head of the procession, which was in charge
of a Salvation Army lass, marched a boy ear-
88FOLE OF DALECARLIA

 

rying a large banner on which was inscribed:
“Hor Our Sake VOTE YES on August 27th,”’
the children’s mute appeal to their elders to
catify the prohibition referendum. Up to the
very steps of the schoolhouse they marched,
singing solemnly the while, impressive in their
dignity and simplicity; then back again to the
open road so that no eye would escape this ur-
gent plea that Sweden might, in part at least,
follow the example of America. Nor was Dale-
carlia deaf to this appeal of the children, for
it sent in an overwhelming vote to the Riksdag
at Stockholm in favor of restrictions in strong
drink, although the opponents of the measure
won throughout the country by a slender ma-
jority in the nearly two million votes cast, the
cities, as usual in matters of this kind, over-
coming the votes of the country districts.

In Leksand I asked a quaintly dressed man
of three score years and ten how he had cast
his vote.

‘‘Well,’? he said, ‘‘I have taken my glass
of wine and beer for many years and am fond
of it. I know how to drink in moderation, but
for the protection of those who have a less de-
gree of control, I voted ‘yes.’’’ Hvidently a

89

Saya

an be ee ar ee [SCS eee PP a a Ee PTT WEE "

wo aT ae ee eee ee ee Veer eer Sea ne et beara sor) a re
Bo a eae 5 2 “rs oe - aaey Yrs > aa oar 8- si Ph % @- Bad i r — Fy] Phe os ~

re =< By ee ee ae e s fiertme= We sa oy by emp bree tm , ‘eaihs
ne eae ee ee as

—-

eg TO ee SS
SF eaeaih atoratMerbaee ata teem epaey aamenras open ite ai ean gee caren aarti e ara” ra
SP ae neat ear ce IR aac T cee a TCR IO TOR ER tates
Fay ep he e  e Needpigs ce Fee Tele a aera et bap we ire rR he yet cele

OE en eee bat ee

Pad ig oh dg 2 a Matar tat en ny el eee Fe me ye
<) oy * Fate see es = ere a ee nas - am des nt oe ee"

Tee ae : a ¢ :
Fe Ee ee a meal

oaSWEDEN AND ITS PHOPLE

 

typical sentiment, judging from the result of
the vote in this district.

Dancing is the principal recreation of the
Dalecarlian country folk and an evening of
this sort of festivity is a thing well worth see-
ing. No insipid toddle or fox trot suits these
sturdy sons and daughters of a vigorous race,
for, inspired by a native orchestra of piano,
violin and zither, they go through their reper-
toire of picturesque folk dances with tremen-
dous vigor, waltzing with such impetuosity
that the men swing their partners clear from
the ground. The musicians keep time with their
feet on the board floor and the music with its
jig-like quality is stimulating to action. But
it is on midsummer evening, the night of June
23rd, that the dancing is seen at its best. Every
community throughout the province, no mat-
ter how small and unimportant, has its tall,
slender May pole standing in a spot convenient
to the villagers. Each year this is decorated
anew with wreaths and garlands, and is the
center of enthusiastic gatherings of the peas-
ants in their native costumes. Midsummer
evening is the great outdoor festival of the year
and the dancing continues all night, even dur-
90Cee eet er ten Tees

,
PT Pe Oe

or the
* stage

Street
> operatic

the

in
the

from

 

scene

CRI oniaue
we: cern verte 3
tne? ay gh

issemblave

cor

the

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oe NG ecient

ea

rance of bein
costume.

Dalecarlia
val

1€

il
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in med

event

ives the locality the

 

is

there

public square

Whenever

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‘ *

The Maypole, decorated with wreaths and garlands, is a

feature of every Dalecarlian community. Around it on Mid-

summer Eve, June 23rd, the great outdoor festival of the
vear, the country folk dance the bright night through.

a
if

ie
ie
=
:

:
Be
Be
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a
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oe oe Me et oe bt Oe Oe

ee ee tee Be ee De lee Dt ee bee ee Oe ht Oe Be CRE he he ae
PE PEPE Poe PLM OE EMD BC Ok OMe ed ba be bt by be St ot Oy DF bt Se)
ae De Be Oe Be Ce Pt Ot Be Pte Be be be od ed Be et tnd

 
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
    

 

 

 

 

FOLK OF DALECARLIA

 

ing the brief twilight that comes when the sun
dips below the horizon. The natives deck
themselves with garlands from the field, the
children gather flowers and throw showers of
them into the passing vehicles, and the carnival
spirit is rampant. A pretty idea, this tribute
to the return of the sun in its glory; a festival
that is a legacy no doubt from pagan days
modified from actual worship of the sun god
to mere exuberance at the return of summer’s
light and warmth.

An innate happiness and courtesy character-
izes these simple people of Dalecarlia. The
children and servants respond to a greeting
with a quaint curtsy, and any Sunday or holi-
day one encounters children along the roadside
who eagerly thrust forth bouquets of flowers
for you to grasp as you drive by, gifts expres-
sive of their happiness and their welcome. On
Sunday afternoons, in the pretty little towns,
football and other athletic sports are held, at-
tracting throngs of natives in their gay attire.
But it is the women who are doing most to per-
petuate the romantic costume of Dalecarla,
for while the older men are frequently seen in
this curious apparel of their ancestors, the
91

ee SoCoS SSosSes: SEES OOS a a EES =v
Rhee SOS ES UU ECO OR een Te EN He
ee ee ere Tere rt ee te tee ee eet Ot eee

I OO OE En Ka Pe
oS ye ee Oe Sa
ee es ee Tiber  ee se
ape ee ig Se ICE Sh ne eal ea te OO Ret ee TRA ae *
ee Se er oS et Stet A Cd Nr hes thee ge RE SR
Se ne ee ae nt Ore ee ee et eee es oe

PS aCe ee ee PP i Ne ee are = SO ET
ee al IO See Ne oe ad 9 MeL ee ce oe Feo kes eh inser ange eed yer poate ger er Col ghee Sera of
ee ee ee “ennai ttn iso etc et ag a Ha

Pe Sa aes

i
ee
se)
er
7

- ‘ ‘ ‘
elt eSWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

younger men prefer the fashions of to-day.
While thousands of young women are seen
‘Carrayed in their magnificent attire’’ very few
of the younger men can be found who are car-
rying on in this way the traditions of their
native landee ee ee Oe eee eae Oe ht ee ee oe br et DE De Dee Da he Behe ee Be eh ht |
a eM Oe ee Oe a ee te ht dd Bt oe Dt a dB
Se aed Re oe be Od bt Bee bd be ie be a be Sod Dd nd a6 Oe Pd Ot a DE Pe Pe Ph a

—s
at a
A
 Y
en
th

    
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
   

CHAPTER VII

GYPSIES OF THE NoRTHERN WIuILDERNESS

Ea oe ee pee ee mo om ty ~ — = 7 i FoR 2
Ta eer at oe Nee RINE Tage Me MMe NTE ae Ie MILES Te EN Tek:
ee nr are ee ee ere Tet eee ee eee ee

ee a Sas BE IT ee
Fare ert Pe a a SN NT oe aN Sa Rete
RMSE Se oe Pe IIL ie te Ne Reet a eater a Geanae cette
nn Se NA ee ee eee)

HE popular conception of Lapland is that

of a vast desolate waste in the far North,
perpetually snowbound; of the Lapps as a spe-
cles of Hskimo who live their solitary lives in
temperatures of Arctic frigidity far from the
frontiers of civilization.

These, however, are not even half truths.
Lapland is not a separate country but a prov-
ince in northern Sweden, although the country
of the Lapps extends over the extreme north-
ern parts of Norway, Sweden and Finland, in
those wide stretches of wilderness where these
three states come together. At any rate, except
in the highest mountains where snow persists
all the year, summer in the land of the Lapps
is characterized by green meadows and leafy
woodland, sparkling lakes and surging water-
courses, warm sun and long days, during
which time the Lapps discard their furs and
spend much time out of doors, while their rein-
deer roam over the mountain sides contentedly
93

wre

a ee

as

ere)
SE Py
Te

M4$<" *sehguecenteas
oe
ieee

oH F

2

     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

:
f :
:
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ie
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es
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4
@

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

munching the tender leaves and grasses. Win-
ter comes early, however. October brings
snow; the sun, which in midsummer never dis-
appears, rapidly loses its strength and the long
winter, with its biting temperature, sets in.
Then it is that we have the Lapland of our im-
agination.

Far from dwelling remote from the frontiers
of civilization, the Lapps, for many centuries,
have been in contact with the Scandinavian
people and in recent times have lived as close
neighbors to, if, indeed, not side by side with
them. As in the case of our American Indians,
they have remained almost unaffected by the
culture of the whites around them and live
their lives in the uncultured ways of their re-
mote ancestors. Indeed, the Lapps are among
the most primitive people in the world. T’o be
sure, thousands of these strange folk have
forsaken their ancient habits, have ceased to be
wanderers on the face of the land and have
settled down as fisherfolk and farmers, without
amalgamation, however, with the Swedes about
them. But the most interesting of these people
to visit and to study are the nomad or moun-
tain Lapps, who still follow the seasons, roam-
94hk ie be be ba oe OL |
he 4 ee bd bed be BY

  

 

 

GYPSIES OF THE NORTH

 

  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

 

ing across the country in search of grazing
grounds for their reindeer.

To find these shy and peace-loving folk it is
necessary, if convenience be considered, to
stalk them in their summer villages in the
northwestern part of Lapland, near the Arctic
Circle, and to reach their country you have but
to embark on the Swedish government railway
that runs through the heart of this province,
serving the settler and transporting the im-
mense quantities of iron ore that are mined at
Kiruna, in the center of this region. I am
speaking now of the Swedish province of Lap-
land, for if you are not an explorer of inac-
cessible places or a pioneer of the unbroken
wilderness you will have to visit the Lapps
where the railroad will bring you within easy
journey. ‘Their country in northern Norway,
except near the coast, and in Finland, and to
some extent in Sweden as well, is still a ‘‘vast
wilderness, a boundless contiguity of shade,’’
whose undulating solitudes are yet undisturbed
by the whistle of the locomotive.

The Lapps are a solitary folk not given to
participation in Swedish life, but in the towns
where they go to buy the few needed articles of
99

SEIT ena ay eee a epee ate a ee a eee cara on ie Ene ee eee Seen en ee oe ee ee ee ee SP te
LS a el ere ea ee Te NFL Soe NN ee a ie ey eae rae Sy Set ate woe cree te akan Yin Wace Ene Sr PETE Se pees ARE ea De RE NE
ee err er teehee aie wae ah pay OR Iai Fe eels ele aren eae Se oe OO NL Lr eS eer See aa anes 5 ee he " Ree
Se ete Pape rg Stee ea el eee ee oe ae en eer eng ere ed gee apt ee LS Sd Gall wera ee Oe we  Y Sapte bap apa Aen be ee ae tg ee PN anRin ae ed ag hee ma MP ere we
ee ae ne a en ee nn eee ee ee ee eT ee ee a ee ee eee et Pee ee

 

ae qe
Daath eae a a See ere

SPCPETE ET

eet ee ee
oe ee
Pee eee

at atereta’ a"?at hh or al eh ate Ce hak th ote enn tear eee ea ee eee I

‘NARVIK x¢ Alnovik2nss &
S rag SN alnovi SS ey
Riksgransen ,.. wae See Ne re xy
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Ny “3 ABISKOR
N iw im, . ~ =
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Skala 1:3000 000 Junkarhaltan O

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—————————— Qniuekg

 

 

 

KARTOGRAFISKA INSTITUTET

The railroad makes its way northwest
through the heart of the Swedish province
of Lapland tapping the rich iron mines at
Gillivare and Kiruna. The dotted lines on
this map indicate the tourist routes.

96

\’ todas Pp teeetnestetetae een
a ee
mod od ol z — y ee
ef eh . s . Te ec a ee nD a
7 +? a - re A i / 3 a : Ce ote et Deel Pee et Eh ee ke
+ ’ 5 ae a — - Se 2 '* at A : - eh ete hs Foe rah i ‘ fr ete eh Sed “stiepid, 4
PL ee ee De De be ae be oe at ee te et Be De ot et ba ed ot hd hd he lee Dt ae ek Pe

Co ee Ot Oe hE Oe De tl Be a be Dd be Od oe Be ek od Bd dl be pe Bd
Ie ae ae be a be ae He Ok Ok Doe he oe ed eh OTB ek OL LOE Po nee

os
aie
ae
5th

ree

  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
   
  
   
   
    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See

GYPSIES OF THE NORTH |

 

 

 

 

 

 

civilization and to sell their reindeer meat and.
hides they do come in contact with the Swedish
people. In spite of this relationship the Lapps
continue to dwell in settlements exactly as they
existed before the dawn of civilization. The
temporary villages erected on the march con-
sist entirely of tents, quickly erected on poles
and covered with coarse burlap, blankets and
skins, not unlike an Indian wiewam. Their
headquarters for the summer and winter con-
sist, on the other hand, of conical mud huts,
ten, twenty or even more houses scattered over
a fairly wide area constituting a settlement.
These huts are of the simplest construction,
merely poles covered with birch bark and
thatched with sod. The tents are pitched and
the huts erected on the bare ground over which
is spread a layer of birch twigs, and on top of
this reindeer skins are thrown. In the center
of the hut, on the ground, is an open fire which
keeps the occupants warm and over which the
food is cooked. In this single circular room
the entire family lives, and sometimes boarders
are taken in, too. Access is by means of a door
set in the sloping sides and held in place by
reindeer thongs. Existence is thus reduced to
97

* - es PS: 1s. ou ORS —— rar ae PPro Mey on rr rer 1.4 4 ro Py ne + is ae =
veer ay ne ae meg ey en - - y Gatuew eo: @ ee ee FS Ot, ay as Ngee s —
ee eee eer ee eee ee Ct een ret te Oe teeter Ctr

 

BRR AIT EEL CE LS IIE IRN I I ORES IEEE

ee IS ot ac RE RARE al Sea GRE NB I ae eB ee ITE I

2 aes : ep . iaine BS po Magee as ey ie iy oy ae pene se tee LT et en  ae
Por nee Ce a amr

ad Be
FEAT TM Ra ee PON aE) toe
vt Ped bed ee Be&
ies
ee
ie
e
L
ie
ey
el
:
|
C
g
.
|
|
'

i"
iy
=
ry
a
ae

 

 

 

SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

its simplest terms and worry over the high cost
of living is definitely eliminated from the ealen-
dar of these supreme exponents of the simple
life.

Making a call in Lapland you pull up the door
of your prospective hosts and enter without
ceremony. When the Book of Etiquette is
translated into Lappish, visits will be, perhaps,
by invitation only, or at least the ealler will
knock before entering, but Lappish etiquette
was formulated long before the advent of our
effete civilization and the utmost democracy
still prevails. Mr. and Mrs. Lapp, and the
children, should the latter not be out at play,
you will find squatting on the floor around the
fire or sitting at leisure against the side of the
hut. In the center, on the ground, is the fire,
and the chimney is a simple opening in the roof.
No furniture whatever graces the interior be-
yond a little chest or two, a few inches high,
wherein are kept various small possessions.
An inverted wooden box usually serves as a
sideboard for the food and the simple cooking
utensils. Many of the problems of household
moving which affect civilization are, you will
perceive, quite eliminated.

98Pe he PI a oat al he ae a hd ee be od bk Bc oak tae ad ak ad ba ed eh in ke tae de be ce tee be

ool ele wlalel ele
Pd

‘ a oe
Neeson ie beet

   

Here, crossing the lake which adjoins the town of Kiruna, in

. central
Swedish Lapland, is shown a typical procession of migrating I apps with
their sledges piled high with tents, clothing

ind equipment.

 

__
a

ae ee *~

a Ph 7 a tah

in Gio Fi

oe

Between their semi-annual migrations, the Lapps live in more or less

permanent dwellings not unlike the hogans of the Navajo Indians. These

are made of poles covered with birch bark and thatched with thick sod.
On a covered platform, near the hut shown above, are kept meat, hides
and provisions.

Pe Ld nd bal te bak be Oe ne ek Oe me
PLM Pe 4 ett

Area

tt ne

a
a

a”

th=
e
Be
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te:
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be
fs
;
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a
fe
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ee
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| |
f )
i

Pada

~~ =
aa)

 

Lapp children are miniatures of their elders, wearing

in winter the same warm reindeer skin costume with

reindeer boots and reindeer breeches. ‘These young-

sters are wearing bells about their necks to keep them
from getting lost.ee ee ee ee Oe ee hee Biot be bee >t DT DE be oe bt ha Be be ha
ECR ote ee he Beet et Bh et Die ae me be te Oe od Ot BA dt i i Be Be
Phd hee bes dad be hb be Sol io hg bd ba de bd et pe he et Bt ek OM oe bo LP

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

GYPSIES OF THE NORTH

 

 

 

 

 

And this extreme simplicity of household
equipment leads to an equal artlessness of
habit. What, for example, could be more
delightfully easy when bedtime comes than
merely to remove your rawhide moccasins, drop
on the soft deerskins spread on the ground,
draw a blanket over you and lose interest in the
world. The father and mother of the family
sometimes hang up a small curtain to screen
themselves from the rest of the household, but
this constitutes the utmost privacy they ever
have. This naive habit of sleeping in their
clothes, which at least saves time and trouble,
insures warmth of body and effects a consider-
able saving in laundry work. The Lapp en-
campments are usually pitched by the side of
a lake, but the worthy citizens seem to do their
bathing and laundry vicariously—by watching
the water.

Doubtless one becomes accustomed to a lack
of hygiene and sanitation in living. But the
visitor, fresh from the ultra refinements of
civilization, who possesses a vivid imagination,
will not, I venture to say, altogether enjoy the
novelty and informality of sleeping or eating
in a Lapp community. I have never paid any

99

PP PS ad ade as ibe hee ie
APOE a be bt Pe ee ee

ae
apt et a tat stat
a q'e eae ye

Pre

* ST a I a IE TT I od La ere Cara on
Seat eee ales ae aes Seay Se SSO SET a a ma ;
OTS Gee ee os =e Seoy Sree ee a wp tins - " Ay “ i ; omen he _ — e ne ‘ a< ~ & ‘rete none + a o.+- : hee al
eae arn NNT ean oer emer er ee weener treM tt etn Sire Ce rere a
i eet ;

SN EE Eset Soss
ms a SE oar suite eee Rent te

r wy ee ar yy aes wy we a - o — eu Pee ee :

= Petes ie om Ntatatndtateteiaint eed ay rer TE

Pee ny

  
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 

ss

 

Os Pee Pe Pe 4 era
ee ee Ee son nk BA 8 aOe ied a ee a ore ee aor rete ee ie ae
: gs st eterreyite : = ER ain we Tne

a.
Z
*
4

 

 

 

SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

Fe ae a ee a ee Ee
a a aie —= = : = ee ee

long visits to Lappish camps, but I have spent
an occasional night with a native family, and
I must confess that, owing to the fantastic
strangeness of the surroundings and the infor-
mality of the arrangements I have slept but lit-
tle. To woo gentle slumber fully clad, couched
on a deerskin rug, which you realize has been
there for many weeks welcoming friendly in-
sects, a smoldering fire at your side, filling the
hut with smoke, dogs wandering in during the
silence of the night and rolling up in friendly
fashion at your feet, the yelping of their
friends in the community and every movement
of the night distinctly audible through the
open top of your bed chamber, is a difficult
thing.

The meals of the Lapps are as simple and
unceremonious as their living arrangements,
consisting principally as they do of deer meat,
stewed or fried, or merely dried or smoked and
eaten uncooked. Cakes and bread are some-
times made from the flour purchased in the
towns and coffee is used sweetened with salt,
the resulting beverage being quite foreign to
the palate of the visitor. Goats’ milk is also
used extensively, for it is, so to speak, a home-
100“yes

i ee ee ee ee Oe he De he be pe bt pel aed Det bt bt Dd ba Bd et he ee A ee
aie rer D er oor ee te eRe Oe Be DL he Ok be PE PE PL Ok eon LR Le ek PO ee ee Bea
hl De ba Da be De Oe Det Wd Det Be et ee, eb

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GYPSIES OF THE NORTH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

grown product. Goat herds are a part of most
Lapp communities.

In spite of this devotion to a meat diet the
Lapps, especially the children, are fond of
sweets, and accept them from the visitor with
enthusiasm. Journeying for a few days one
time among some Lapp encampments and
bringing with me my provender, there was left
over on the day of my departure a small bag
of dried fruit. Having lunched with a Lapp
family I handed the bag of fruit to the father
as a present for the children. He accepted it
gladly, promptly handed out a piece of fruit
to each of his children, overlooked his wife
entirely and leisurely ate the rest himself.
This impressed me as showing not only that
sweets are enjoyed by all ages of Lapp Booey
but that it identified as well the father’s posi-
tion in the household. In Lapland he still
shows every evidence of being undisputably the
head of the family.

Upon entering to make your call you receive
little cordiality of greeting. Effusive hand-
shaking and gracious compliments are reserved
for highly civilized folk. The occupants will,
momentarily, glance up from their work, but
101

     
   
  
   
  
  
  
    
    
      
    
   
 
 
  
  
 
 

-
SS a

yea ba eA:
Oe AS Pe DA
Pe be ed Pe PP ee ee ok oe PE OH ia Sra SLE
ee DY PCP Pte ed ee OC ES

3
a
AY 4

i
he
a |

ON I rem
rae yt rar oy |

i

SR ey eee OE WI
atin aces pe ete ae er ae OEE Smee weet
ororer wee Ped ere Sey)

=< _- ——- ~~ or eyte wba Peer
va ee a te ee ae eanéeee iol 5 a
es SPL SES RE In Fe le aot - ak seen oe Ree etn tee ee
eiameteta tata ww eee er te eT ee ae

et ee ee ee Se ee

_— --- — jae eer 7 ven on . a

SSeS. Se

IOs ere ~~
Sn Aes = 8 ep at et UP er rere
weet eee ps

SST Sse
b+ ees Jec

ms c
= - Ie as eee
Peery St er yer yer

ae e Ser ROO ee
PP Pare ae ee ee ee Oy eS ee

 

Se le en een

i. a ae . 1 :
PL Sh a at eeeWe
4!
a
a
LE

 

 

 

SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

TS eer ee a Te ' eee
: ~ - . = - - — . TN
i: m " - : 5 Nee ee eee eee nn ee ee ee tee ee eer - Sl

without curiosity or surprise, even though a
visitor from without may be somewhat rare.
If you speak with the tongue of a Lapp you
will say:

‘““Pyuri paiva,’’? which means ‘‘Good-day to
you.’’

The reply will be ‘‘Puuris purris,’’ or “‘l
wish you good-day.”’

And if you are very polite you will answer:

““Tbmil ahti,’’ ‘‘God bless you.”’

The greeting would be somewhat different if
you yourself were a Lapp and should meet a
friend whom you had not seen for some time.
In that event you would advance, put your arm
around him and clap him gently on the back,
murmuring the customary sentiment of good
will.

In ease, therefore, you are the visitor don’t
regard it as lacking in courtesy if your welcome
seems devoid of cordiality. The Lapps are
among the most impassive and unemotional
people in the world, accounted for, perhaps,
by their excessive shyness.

They will, in playing the part of host, mo-
tion you to a seat on their tiny treasure chest,
knowing your unfamiliarity with the simple
102Pod as ik

et ee pe be ee ee ad Pe Pe) ee ee

. : a
Pe PU ee
Pee eee ee eee De ee ee ee ee he eh ee ee DE he be oe a Pe he Dee Pee De Be od BA ee be Me Da De ot Bd ek Pee Oe
eee ee ee ee ee ee eee eee ee ee ee oe Pe el oe ee ot ee ee oe Be ee ie ee
eee Dee Oe De a ee Dea Re Oe al ba el Se a ne bea at Bek ee Bet ak a Dk Oe ee BE eee at Bd ht ok dhl td ba be be be et be
’ .

  

 

 

 

 

  
   
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
  
   
   

GYPSIES OF THE NORTH

 

 

 

 

 

 

art of sitting on the floor. Perhaps they will
inquire where you have just come from, but
as a rule you will have to do the talking. Their
replies to your questions will be almost entirely
in monosyllables and they will proceed with
their occupations as though you were not pres-
ent. Questions on their part are rare. While
on the subject of social procedure you should
be warned that the one question you must
never ask is concerning the number of reindeer
they possess, the equivalent of inquiring of a
new-found acquaintance how much money he is
worth. ‘The reindeer constitute the Lapps’
sole wealth and they guard this information
with profound secrecy. On the other hand,
such impersonal questions as those regarding
their ages you may ask with impunity.

While you are carrying on this conversation,
which bears close resemblance to a monologue,
your hosts will be proceeding with their tasks.
The favorite craft of the men is the working
of reindeer horn, carving out knife handles,
sheaths, spoons and other articles ingeniously
fashioned. The women, free of arduous house-
keeping, make the family apparel. You will
fnd them weaving brightly colored material
103

 

> RA Te r
Ph ee a ne ee +

Ce OCA RPS Fear keDN a RT Pe pe arent iene artnet ty .
Seen, Z a eS ee ee ee id
SAP - el eee eee en : A
Pet S ee 7 P
FP) EE Pris y . “+* : : : Stel cette ene inea eect reece eine eine eaten tee een ee 2
eee Sees te ¥ Z -* : : i ‘ a 4 Se i ICs seahemineitiahaieansh tattered meek sibee on satel neha ineearabactceed etree caer =
- SS = are See ide RC et eat " te : whee 2 TICES, ae fe ‘ ein RAG, s Sf . oh areal sae ca are Nee

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

for belts and dress trimmings, making clothing
by hand and on sewing machines, gloves for
their own use and for the market, scraping
and tanning hides for these purposes by im-
mersing them in a bath of birch bark and water.
Even their thread for sewing the heavy winter
garments and moccasins 1s home made. The
women fashion it from reindeer sinews, pull-
ing the strands through their teeth to soften
them and to remove stray threads.

During the summer the men make and re-
pair sledges, harness, skis and tent equipment,
and a certain amount of fishing and hunting 1s
indulged in. Snowshoes are never used but
the Lapps are expert in the use of skis and
employ them extensively. The herdsmen of
the camp are off continually with the reindeer
herds, which occasionally number as many as
a thousand head and which, at certain times
of the year, must be closely watched or they
will disperse rapidly. Reindeer never become
entirely tame unless broken to harness, and
consequently must be guarded with care.

Among the primitive people of the world
there are few that wear more colorful or fan-
tastic costumes than the Lapps. In summer
104Among the primitive people of the world there are

few that wear more colorful or fantastic costumes

than the Lapps. The hat, adorned by a flaming red
tassel, is a masterpiece.

Bs
te taRe |
aid
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and emplo
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beast of burden

 

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‘Theoe
ee ee ee Oe Eee ee ee Pe babe be ed Dee Ce Pee De ee OC OG he Oe eae ee eee
ee ee ee ee Bl bee ek ee ee De Oe Dok Bt Oe ae oe oe ot Oe SRP LPR Pe ere r rarer cer!
ok tu bi bel be da bd oe Dd ha Bt bd hd od De DA Pe bd Ded aed 9d dA PP PL OE bt OOM A PE Ok Ee Ue Ae db be ba 4 bt dd ae

ee eae ata etal
Ln epee rhs tates ea Pa Pos Mace ot pC ae meen Ns
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ssideta

SP led er ae ee ee pier a ed ere wee et OC at weer at see ear Se era en eee a Jee SFE
ey etree ae eae eta tes ea emmy ere Be ee er nner art tererieee a er tee Me Sa et eae ie eee athe
Ce ee ee nee ee ee ree bt ele ee hae Ll ee

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GYPSIES OF THE NORTH

 

 

 

 

     
  
 
 
 
 
    
  
   
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   

 

the women array themselves in blue cloth
dresses trimmed with gold braid, in which reds
and yellows predominate, a broad belt of col-
ored cloth or leather, a bright-figured kerchief,
worn around the neck fastened with a large
silver broach, tight breeches of blue cloth or
skin, reindeer moccasins tied with colored
braid, and red and blue lace-trimmed caps.
Indoors and out, curiously enough, these caps
always appear to be worn. The little girls
are exact duplicates of their mothers, even to
the long skirts.

The apparel of the men is equally strange
and colorful. Their summer costume consists
of a blue cloth tunic, cut very full with the
suggestion of a tail like a cutaway, trimmed
with colored braid and held in by a broad belt
from which hang two knives of native manu-
facture, blue cloth or skin breeches, moccasins
turned up at the toes and stuffed with a fine
dried grass that takes the place of socks, a
gay kerchief around the neck and a hat with
a patent-leather peak, although the head cov-
ering varies somewhat with the locality. The
hat is a masterpiece. Cut full and adorned
by a huge, fluffy red tassel, it sits at a rakish
105

 

|

Pe
‘;° Py
rocer)
sees
Pia
eee
% S|
aga |
POA ye
ee ee)
ba
; i" ‘7
ae
t Ae
eer
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Po euro’
et
er
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agate
Poho
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bps
RC
o
(abe 4
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Pee
Malet a 4
ts }
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byte:
pe
th
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Cathe!
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Pie
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three
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Halas
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4 eS
40
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ca
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4d Pe Pe Be ee, PS RD Ne Pei ch a a ore a :
Ne at 4 Crash Soe zs * - eee =“ P 7 - a 2
t+ - share dieendieentanteniennemmiememitatemmmntadadeinnieiened iatinechahtaens Tete t teed tend nan tenia doe eam ae ee eth ek ace cies hain eae aes - ~
. 4 ; : = 3 A a lad . oe bat me reat eee Od te abe ee ee tk a eee s Poe ear et ees eee

 

 

 

SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

angle and gives the wearer the appearance of
a court jester or of an actor in a comic opera.
The skin-tight breeches, surmounted by the
flowing coat caught in the center by a belt that
causes the skirt of the tunic to flare, gives
them a top-heavy appearance, not unlike that
of a pouter pigeon. The highly amusing char-
acter of the ensemble is enhanced by the fact
that the men are usually pigeon-toed, and in
walking fail to straighten their knees, with the
result that they move along with a springy gait.
No doubt their curious method of walking has
been developed through countless generations
of nomadic life, enabling them to cover long
distances over slippery trails with the least
effort and fatigue.

The boys dress exactly like their fathers and
look like jaunty young Robin Hoods. This
effect of manliness disappears when they run,
for the skirts of their tunics fly out in all direc-
tions and they look as a man would appear do-
ing a marathon in a full-dress suit. But, asa
rule, the boys conduct themselves with great
self-reliance and when given a serious task to
perform such as, for example, leading the way
over a trail or when sent on an errand they
106a PE Pb ad hk Be ee te ad bP AP oP adele a PP OO PS TIN TS S LAT AE PCO De PE Oe De be be of BO De Oe 1d ae ea
ed PP PS TR 8 D6 De iD BOB Bee Oat i Se he de” bel le ee Be a be he a a

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

swing rapidly forward in complete silence,
never lingering and looking neither to the right
nor to the left.

The children regard the stranger with no
little curiosity and with some suspicion, but
they soon become friendly. If you are carrying
a camera, however, and attempt to take their
photographs they appear terrified and scamper
in all directions. Unless you gain the confi-
dence of their elders and a friendly basis is
established they will never approach near
enough to come within range of the camera.

The contradictory attitude which the Lapps
assume toward the camera is a curious one.
They will rarely submit to being photographed
and the very old people will fly in terror if
you attempt it. If, however, you gain their
friendships, their scruples will, in many cases,
be overcome and you may take their pictures
at will. The root of their objection seems
to lie in their religious belief, which, founded
on the Lutheran faith, teaches them to forsake
graven images, and being without a fine sense
of discrimination, they have come to regard
with superstitious fear the image wrought by
the magic of the camera.
107

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

Long since the Lapps have forsaken their
paganism of early days and, under the influence
of the Swedish church, have embraced Chris-
tianity. As early as the sixteenth century ef-
forts were made to Christianize them. At the
beginning of the last century they were pro-
foundly influenced by the teachings of Lesta-
dius, a Lutheran missionary, who initiated
among them a religious movement, somber, ec-
static, compelling, that has spread through the
entire Lappish race. They are now a deeply
religious folk, and are known as Lestadienists.
Honest and trustworthy and loyal to their
faith, they hold Sunday in such respect that
many of them refuse to trade on that day.

These strange people, while enjoying almost
unlimited freedom, are not ignored by the
State. The Swedish government has long rec-
ognized its obligation to the Lapps within its
boundaries and has been equally conscious of
the value of their wholly distinctive industry
in the utilization of vast stretches of land un-
suitable for other purposes. ‘The reindeer
herds of the Lappish nomads probably average
a quarter of a million head and contribute in
hides and meat a considerable wealth to the
108Se Oe
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ns ee A Pe ea SS ee ee ee OS ee
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GYPSIES OF THE NORTH

 

country. Indeed, for a century or more the
Lappish people have been the concern of the
several northern Huropean states and a series
of conventions between Norway, Sweden and
Russia have been held, at which regulations
governing the interstate migrations of the
Lapps have been formulated in order that these
snow gypsies might not be deprived of their
ancient rights. The boundaries of the grazing
grounds and dwelling places of the reindeer
and their masters have thus been defined and
protection to their life and industry afforded.

The Swedish government has also long since
adopted a progressive policy of education for
the Lapps. For some time education has been
compulsory, the State providing teachers, fre-
quently of Lapp birth, who move about with
the people and reside at the various summer
and winter encampments. At the established
settlements the schoolhouse is a conical, sod-
thatched hut, exactly like the adjoining homes,
and here the bright-eyed pupils, arranged in
a semicircle, sit on the ground and get their
rudiments of education. The children begin
their schooling at eight years of age and for
a period of six years receive six months’ in-

109

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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

struction each term. During the first three
years the children are taught in the encamp-
ments; the remaining three are spent at a cen-
tral school, where the pupils board. The cur-
riculum is directed mainly toward making the
Lapps efficient in their native tasks and the
course is thus a very practical one. The chil-
dren are taught the scientific raising and man-
agement of reindeer, natural history, nature
study, hygiene and related subjects. This in-
struction is given in Swedish, but respect for
the language of their forefathers and a con-
tinuance of its use is urged. On the other hand,
they are encouraged to learn Swedish in order
that they may not be at a disadvantage when
trading with the Scandinavian merchants. The
children are bright and eager, surpassing in
keenness the Swedish children until they reach
the age of twelve or thirteen years, when their
mental development seems to be arrested and
they appear capable of making little further
progress.

In view of this groundwork of education and
a relative opulence from the successful raising
of reindeer it is surprising the manner in which
the Lapps continue to live in the primitive
110Ss ol

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The colored braid, the belts and cap trimmings of the

Lapps are not made in the civilized centers of Sweden

but are woven by hand by the Lapp women themselves,

who regard the ornamentation of their costume as practical
a necessity as eating or sleeping.

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GYPSIES OF THE NORTH

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ways of their ancestors without any of the
comforts of civilization, and their total lack
of any intellectual pursuits, even of the sim-
plest sort. At certain times of the year, when
they are killing their deer for market, and
branding their calves, and during the several
spring and fall months in which they are mov-
ing between their summer and winter encamp-
ments, their work is tiresome and exacting.
Through this period they are obliged, in the
severities of the Lapland climate, to break up
camp almost daily, move their families and
possessions and guard their herds. The rest
of the year they have plenty of leisure time,
during which they sit in their huts making ar-
ticles of reindeer horn and clothing for their
families, enterprises that are carried on by
hand in the most primitive manner. Reading
is an unknown recreation and when not en-
gaged in these simple industries they sit aim-
lessly about their huts taking their ease. The
Lapps, as a result, are quite without imagina-
tion and manifest little interest in anything
that does not affect their own lives. That I,
for example, should have come a long distance
from overseas to visit them in their far north-
ay

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PU PE PR Toe ie bl Bek ORE ODS 5d BSSWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

ern homes meant, in some instances when it
was explained, nothing whatever to them and
in other cases it caused only momentary won-
der. A three-thousand-mile journey from the
new world failed to penetrate their understand-
ing until it was illustrated as being a distance
equal to many times their annual migration.
Eiven the younger folk never appeared to have
heard of America or of a city called New York.

Some families are even less influenced by
education and modern life than others and are
only in the first stages of civilization. Hnter-
ing a hut one morning, for instance, I found
a father and his two young daughters sitting
on the ground against the wall munching bits
of meat which they were paring off reindeer
bones and which apparently had been dried
but not cooked. Feeling a bit hungry they had,
like animals, picked up these chunks of meat
to devour them without any more formal ar-
rangements for a meal than this, a somewhat
typical occurrence. As we talked with the
father, a conversation which he had little inter-
est in maintaining, due to diffidence or indiffer-
ence or sheer ignorance, he continued to pare
off meat and eat it, every now and then non-
112a ee ee ee De ee Det ee hee)
Pia at EBS, Dk DB Dk Set CR ot ot DD Oo elt ad a

  

 

 

 

GYPSIES OF THE NORTH

 

 

 

 

 

 

chalantly wiping his knife on the backs of the
dogs, which were contentedly lying at his side
as official and intimate members of the family.
In the evening the children come in from play
and get their evening meal, and then without
preparation or any more formality than that
of an animal which tires of eating and sinks
into sleep they flop over on the warm deer-
skins fully dressed and are asleep almost be-
fore they touch the ground. Save for the use
of a few modern cooking utensils, a limited
supply of prepared articles of food, such as
flour, and a market for their reindeer meat and
hides, the Lapps live the life of primitive man.

Racially the Lapps are of quite a different
stock from the Scandinavian. Their origin is
somewhat in doubt, but it is likely that they
migrated to the Scandinavian peninsula from
the east, possibly as hunters and fishermen in
primitive times following the recession of the
inland ice as it gradually uncovered the north-
erly lands. They are commonly thought of as
Mongolian in origin, a theory that is to some
extent borne out by their physical character-
istics. Their short stature, high cheek bones,
low foreheads, yellowish-brown complexions,
113

= SESE IR FS Ee IRE Se
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SWEDEN AND ITS PEOPLE

 

brown eyes and dark, or straight black hair
indicate an Hastern rather than a Western
type. Never at any time have they been very
numerous and to-day in northern Sweden they
hardly muster more than eight or nine thou-
sand. Of these, in Swedish Lapland, about
twenty-five hundred are nomads. In Norway
and Finland there is probably an equal num-
ber of these strange, unchanging people.

THE ENDey

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ALDERMAN LIBRARY

The return of this book is due on the date
indicated below

DUE DUE

 

 

 

Usually books are lent out for two weeks, but
there are exceptions and the borrower should
note carefully the date stamped above. Fines
are charged for over-Ccue books at the rate of
five cents a day; for reserved books there are
special rates and regulations. Books must be
presented at the desk if renewal is desired.. es en)
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