Denmark
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M. Pearson Thomson >> Denmark
When the first snowdrops appear, the boys and girls gather some and
enclose them in a piece of paper, on which is written a poem. This
"Vintergaekke-Brev," which they post to their friends, is signed by
ink-spots, as numerous as the letters in their name. The friend must
guess the name of the sender within a week, or the latter demands a
gift.
Confirmation means coming-out in Denmark. As this is the greatest
festival of youth, the young folk are loaded with presents; then girls
put up their hair and boys begin to smoke.
The marriage of a daughter is an expensive affair for parents in
Denmark, as they are supposed to find all the home for the bride, as
well as the trousseau. The wedding-ring is worn by both while engaged,
as well as after the marriage ceremony.
The Epiphany is celebrated in many homes by the burning of three
candles, and the children are given a holiday on this, the festival of
the Three Kings. No doubt you know this is a commemoration of the three
wise men of the East presenting their offerings of gold, frankincense,
and myrrh to our Lord.
Storks are considered the sacred birds of Denmark. These harbingers of
good-luck the children take great interest in, and more especially in
the growth of the stork family on the roof-tree.
CHAPTER VII
A JAUNT THROUGH JUTLAND--I
Jutland is the only province left to Denmark which can claim to be
mainland, and though it is the most northern part of the country, some
of its scenery is very beautiful.
The "Jyde," as the people of Jutland are called, are proud of their
birthplace, of their language, and of their pronunciation, which the
Copenhageners call "accent," but the Jyde declare they speak the purest
Danish in the kingdom. However this may be, I am not in a position to
judge, but I do know that I can understand the Jyde Danish better, and
that it falls upon my ear with a more pleasing sound than does the
Danish of the Copenhageners.
The east coast of Jutland is quite charming, so we will start our tour
from the first interesting spot on this route, and try to obtain a
glimpse of the country.
In Kolding stands a famous castle, which was partially burnt down in
1808. This gigantic ruin is now covered in, and used as an historical
museum for war relics.
Fredericia is a very important place. Here that part of the train which
contains the goods, luggage, and mails, as well as the first-class
passenger carriages for Copenhagen, is shunted on to the large steam
ferry-boat waiting to receive it. This carries it across the smiling
waters of the Little Belt. A fresh engine then takes it across the
island of Funen to the steam-ferry waiting to carry it across the Great
Belt to Korsoer, on the shores of Seeland, when a locomotive takes the
train to Copenhagen in the ordinary way. These steam-ferries are
peculiar to Denmark, and are specially built and equipped for this work.
Danish enterprise overcomes the difficulties of transport through a
kingdom of islands by these ferries.
Fredericia is an old fortified town with mighty city walls, which make a
fine promenade for the citizens, giving them a charming view of the
Little Belt's sunlit waters. In this town the Danes won a glorious
victory over the Prussians in 1849.
Vejle is one of the most picturesque places on the east coast. Along the
Vejlefjord the tall, straight pines of Jutland are reflected in the
cool, still depths of blue water, and the tiniest of puffing steamers
will carry you over to Munkebjerg. The fascinating and famous Munkebjerg
Forest is very beautiful--a romantic place in which the youthful lovers
of Denmark delight. These glorious beech woods extend for miles, the
trees sloping down to the water's edge from a high ridge, whence you
have a magnificent view of the glittering fjord. Most inviting are
these cool green shades on a hot summer's day, but when clothed in the
glowing tints of autumn they present to the eye a feast of gorgeous
colour. A golden and warm brown carpet of crisp, crackling leaves
underfoot, the lap of the fjord as a steamer ploughs along, sending the
water hissing through the bowing reeds which fringe the bank, make the
soothing sounds which fall on lovers' ears as they wander through these
pleasant glades.
[Illustration: HARVEST TIME.]
In winter this forest is left to the snow and hoarfrost, and cold, cairn
beauty holds it fast for many days.
The pretty hotel of Munkebjerg, standing on the summit of the ridge,
which you espy through a clearing in the trees, is reached by some
scores of steps from the landing-stage. Patient "Moses," the hotel
luggage-carrier, awaits the prospective guests at the pier. This
handsome brown donkey is quite a character, and mounts gaily his own
private zigzag path leading to the hotel when heavily laden. His
dejection, however, when returning with empty panniers, is accounted for
by the circumstance of "No load, no carrot!" at the end of the climb.
Grejsdal is another beautiful spot inland from the fjord, past which the
primitive local train takes us to Jellinge. In this quaint upland
village stand the two great barrows, the reputed graves of King Gorm and
Queen Thyra, his wife, the great-grandparents of Canute the Great, the
Danish King who ruled over England for twenty years. A beautiful Norman
church stands between these barrows, and two massive Runic stones tell
that "Harald the King commanded this memorial to be raised to Gorm, his
Father, and Thyra, his Mother: the Harald who conquered the whole of
Denmark and Norway, and Christianized the Danes." Steps lead to the top
of these grassy barrows, and so large are they that over a thousand men
can stand at the top. The village children use them as a playground
occasionally.
Skanderborg, which is prettily situated on a lake, is a celebrated town.
Here a famous siege took place, in which the valiant Niels Ebbesen fell,
after freeing his country from the tyrannical rule of the German Count
Gert.
Aarhus, the capital of Jutland, is the second oldest town in Denmark.
Its interesting cathedral is the longest in the kingdom, and was built
in the twelfth century. The town possesses a magnificent harbour, on the
Cattegat, the shores of which make a pleasant promenade.
Randers is a pretty place, with many quaint thatched houses belonging to
the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. The Gudenaa,
Denmark's only river, skirts the town. This river is narrow and
slow-moving, as there are no heights to give it force.
Hobro, situated on a fjord, wears an air of seclusion, lying as it does
far away from the railway-station. A sail on this fjord will bring us to
Mariager, the smallest town in Denmark. Renowned are the magnificent
beech-woods and ancient abbey of this tiny town. In the surroundings we
have a panoramic view of typical Jutish scenery--a charming landscape in
the sunset glow, forest, fjord, farmsteads, and moor affording a rich
variety of still life.
Aalborg, the delightful old market town on the Limfjord, is fascinating,
especially at night, when its myriad lamps throw long shafts of light
across the water. Scattered through the town are many old half-timbered
houses. These beautiful buildings, with their cream-coloured rough-cast
walls, oak beams, richly carved overhanging eaves, and soft-red tiled
roofs, show little evidence of the ravages of time. The most famous of
these houses was built, in the seventeenth century, by Jens Bang, an
apothecary. The chemist's shop occupies the large ground-floor room, the
windows of which have appropriate key-stones. On one is carved a man's
head with swollen face, another with a lolling tongue, and similar
grotesques.
To be an idler and watch the traffic going to and fro over the pontoon
bridge which spans the Limfjord is a delightful way of passing the time.
Warmed by the sun and fanned by the breezes which blow along the fjord,
you may be amused and interested for hours by the life that streams past
you. Occasionally the traffic is impeded by the bridge being opened to
allow the ships to pass through. Small vessels can in this way save time
and avoid the danger of rounding the north point of Jutland. If you
look at your map you will see that this fjord cuts through Jutland, thus
making a short passage from the Cattegat to the North Sea.
Jutland north of the Limfjord is called Vendsyssel. Curious effects of
mirage may be seen in summer-time in the extensive "Vildmose"[7] of this
district.
CHAPTER VIII
A JAUNT THROUGH JUTLAND--II
As we pass through Vendsyssel homely farmsteads and windmills add a
charm to the landscape, while tethered kine and sportive goats complete
a picture of rural life.
When we arrive at Frederikshavn we come to the end of the State railway.
This terminus lies close to the port, which is an important place of
call for the large passenger and cargo steamers bound for Norway and
other countries, as well as being a refuge for the fishing-fleet.
A slow-moving local train takes us across the sandy wastes to Skagen, a
straggling village, with the dignity of royal borough, bestowed upon it
by Queen Margaret, in the fourteenth century, as a reward to the brave
fishermen who saved from shipwreck some of her kins-folk. Skagen is a
picturesque and interesting place, the home of many artists, as well as
a noted seaside resort.
Broendum's Hotel, a celebrated hostelry, where the majority of visitors
and artists stay, is a delightfully comfortable, homely dwelling. The
dining-room, adorned with many specimens of the artists' work, is a
unique and interesting picture-gallery.
On the outskirts of the town the white tower of the old church of Skagen
may be seen peeping over the sand-dunes. This "stepped" tower, with its
red-tiled, saddle-back roof, forms a striking feature in this weird and
lonely landscape. The church itself is buried beneath the sand, leaving
only the tower to mark the place that is called the "Pompeii of
Denmark," sand, not lava, being answerable for this entombment. It is
said that the village which surrounded the church was buried by a
sandstorm in the fourteenth century. This scene of desolation, on a
windy day, when the "sand fiend" revels and riots, is best left to the
booming surf and avoided by those who do not wish to be blinded.
To the south of Skagen lie other curious phenomena created by this
"Storm King." The "Raabjerg Miler" are vast and characteristic dunes of
powdery sand in long ridges, like huge waves petrified in the very act
of turning over! In the neighbouring quicksands trees have been planted,
but refuse to grow.
Viborg, the old capital of Jutland, possesses an historically
interesting cathedral. In the crypt stands the tomb of King Eric
Glipping, as well as those of other monarchs. The interior of the
cathedral is decorated with fine frescoes by modern artists.
As we journey to Silkeborg we pass through the vast heathland, "Alhede,"
and are impressed by the plodding perseverance of the heath-folk. The
marvellous enterprise of the Danes who started and have so successfully
carried out the cultivation of these barren tracts of land deserves
admiration. The convicts are employed in this work, planting, trenching,
and digging, making this waste land ready for the farmer. These men have
a cap with a visor-like mask, which can be pulled over the face at will.
This shields the face from the cold blasts so prevalent on these moors;
also, it prevents the prying eyes of strangers or fellow-workers.
Many baby forests are being nursed into sturdy growth, as a protection
for farm-lands from the sand and wind storms.
This monotonous-looking heath is not without beauty; indeed, it has a
melancholy charm for those who dwell on it. The children love it when
the heather is in bloom, and spend happy days gathering berries from out
of the gorgeous purple carpet. The great stacks of peat drying in the
sun denote that this is the principal fuel of the moor-folk.
From Silkeborg we start to see the Himmelbjerget, the mountain of this
flat country. It rises to a height of five hundred feet, being the
highest point in Denmark.
'Tis the joy and pride of the Danes, who select this mountain and lake
district before all others for their honeymoons!
A curious paddle-boat, worked by hand, or a small motor-boat will take
us over the lake to the foot of Himmelbjerget. Our motor-boat, with
fussy throb, carries us away down the narrow river which opens into the
lake. The life on the banks of the river is very interesting. As we sail
past the pretty villas, with background of cool, green beech-woods, we
notice that a Danish garden must always have a summer-house to make it
complete. In these garden-rooms the Danes take all their meals in
summer-time. The drooping branches of the beech-trees dip, swish, and
bend to the swirl of water created by our boat, which makes miniature
waves leap and run along the bank in a playful way. How delightfully
peaceful the surrounding landscape is as we skim over the silvery lake
and then land! The climbing of this mountain does not take long. There
is a splendid view from the top of Himmelbjerget, for the country lies
spread out like a map before us. This lake district is very beautiful,
and when the ling is in full bloom, the heather and forest-clad hills
encircling the lakes blaze with colour.
At Silkeborg the River Gudenaa flows through the lakes Kundsoe and Julsoe,
becoming navigable, but it is only used by small boats and barges for
transporting wood from the forests. The termination "Soe" means lake,
while "Aae" means stream. Steen Steensen Blicher, the poet of Jutland,
has described this scenery, which he loved so much, quite charmingly in
some of his lyrical poems. He sings:
"The Danes have their homes where the fair beeches grow,
By shores where forget-me-nots cluster."
This poet did much to encourage the home industries of the
moor-dwellers, being in sympathy with them, as well as with their lonely
moorlands.
The old-time moor-dwellers' habitations have become an interesting
museum in Herning. This little mid-Jutland town is in the centre of the
moors, so its museum contains a unique collection from the homes of
these sturdy peasants. The amount of delicate needlework these lonely,
thrifty folks accomplished in the long winter days is surprising. This
"Hedebo" needlework is the finest stitchery you can well imagine,
wrought on home-spun linen with flaxen thread. Such marvellous patterns
and intricate designs! Little wonder that the best examples are
treasured by the nation. The men of the family wore a white linen smock
for weddings and great occasions. So thickly are these overwrought with
needlework that they will stand alone, and seem to have a woman's
lifetime spent upon them. Needless to say, these family garments were
handed down as heirlooms from father to son.
Knitting, weaving, the making of Jyde pottery and wooden shoes (which
all wear), are among the other industries of these people.
As we journey through Skjern and down the west coast to Esbjerg, the end
of our journey, we notice the picturesque attire of the field-workers.
An old shepherd, with vivid blue shirt and sleeveless brown coat, with
white straggling locks streaming over his shoulders, tends his few
sheep. This clever old man is doing three things at once--minding his
sheep, smoking his pipe, and knitting a stocking. The Danes are great
knitters, men and women being equally good at it. Many girls are
working in the fields, their various coloured garments making bright
specks on the landscape. Occasionally a bullock-cart slowly drags its
way across the field-road, laden with clattering milk-cans. We pass
flourishing farmsteads, with storks' nests on the roofs. The
father-stork, standing on one leg, keeping guard over his young, looks
pensively out over the moors, thinking, no doubt, that soon it will not
be worth his while to come all the way from Egypt to find frogs in the
marshes! For the indefatigable Dalgas has roused the dilatory Danes to
such good purpose that soon the marshes and waste lands of Jutland will
be no more.
CHAPTER IX
THE PEOPLE'S AMUSEMENTS
"Have you been in Tivoli?" is the first question a Copenhagener would
ask you on your arrival in the gay capital. If not, your Danish friend
will carry you off to see these beautiful pleasure-gardens. Tivoli is
for all classes, and is the most popular place of amusement in Denmark.
This delightful summer resort is the place of all others in which to
study the jovial side of the Danish character. Even the King and his
royal visitors occasionally pay visits, incognito, to these fascinating
gardens, taking their "sixpenn'orth of fun" with the people, whose good
manners would never allow them to take the slightest notice of their
monarch when he is enjoying himself in this way. To children Tivoli is
the ideal Sunday treat. Every taste is catered for at Tivoli, and the
Saturday classical concerts have become famous, for one of the Danes'
chief pleasures is good music. Tivoli becomes fairyland when illuminated
with its myriad lights outlining the buildings and gleaming through the
trees. The light-hearted gaiety of the Dane is very infectious, and the
stranger is irresistibly caught by it. The atmosphere of unalloyed
merriment which pervades when tables are spread under the trees for the
alfresco supper is distinctly exhilarating. These gardens have
amusements for the frivolous also, such as switchbacks, pantomimes of
the "Punch and Judy" kind, and frequently firework displays, which last
entertainment generally concludes the evening.
The Royal Theatre in Copenhagen is a national school of patriotism, and
the healthy spirit of its plays has an ennobling effect on the people.
Everything is Danish here, and Denmark is the only small nation in
Europe which has successfully founded a national dramatic art. The
"Moliere of the North," Ludwig Holberg, was the father of the Danish
drama, and the first to make the people realize the beauty of their own
language. This gifted Dane was a great comedy-writer, and had the
faculty of making his fellows see the comic side of their follies.
The "Royal Ballet" played at this theatre is quite distinctive.
Bournonville, its creator, was a poet who expressed himself in motion
instead of words, and these "dumb poems" appeal strongly to the
Scandinavian character. This poet aimed at something more than
spectacular effects upon the people: his art consisted in presenting
instructive tableaux, which, while holding the attention of his
audience, taught them their traditional history. The delicate daintiness
of the Danish ballet everyone must appreciate. The exquisite and
intricate dances, together with the magnificent tableaux, are
accompanied by wild and magical music of Danish composition.
Bournonville ballets represent scenes from classical mythology, as well
as from ancient Scandinavian history, and the Danish people are much
attached to this Northern composer of ballet. "Ei blot til Lyst"--Not
only for pleasure--is the motto over this National Theatre door, and it
is in the Ballet School here that the young Danes begin their training.
These young folk take great pleasure in learning the beautiful dances,
as well as in the operatic and dramatic work which they have to study,
for they must serve a certain period in this, as in any other
profession.
Another place of amusement which gives pleasure to many of the poorer
people is the Working Men's Theatre. Actors, musicians, as well as the
entire management, are all of the working classes, who are trained in
the evenings by professionals. The result is quite wonderful, and proves
the pleasure and interest these working people take in their tuition,
and how their artistic abilities are developed by it. On Sundays, and
occasionally in the week, a performance is given, when the working
classes crowd into the theatre to see their fellows perform. This
entertainment only costs sixpence for good seats, drama and farce being
the representations most appreciated. Notwithstanding that smoking is
prohibited during the performances--a rule which you would think no Dane
could tolerate, being seldom seen without pipe or cigarette--it is a
great success, and denotes that their love of the play is greater than
their pleasure in the weed.
CHAPTER X
FARM LIFE--BUTTER-MAKING--"HEDESELSKABET"
Farming in Denmark is the most important industry of the kingdom, and
gives employment to half the nation. The peasant is very enlightened and
advanced in his methods; agricultural and farm products form the
principal exports of the country. England takes the greater part of this
produce. Three or four times a week the ships leave Esbjerg--this port
being the only Danish one not blocked by ice during some part of the
winter--for the English ports, laden with butter, bacon and eggs for the
London market. Now, why can the Danish farmer, whose land is poorer and
his climate more severe than ours, produce so much? Education,
co-operation and the help given by the State to small farmers lay the
foundation, so the Danes will tell you, of the farmer's prosperity. The
thrift and industry of the peasant farmer is quite astonishing. He is
able to bring up a large, well-educated family and live comfortably on
seven or eight acres of land; whereas in England we are told that three
acres will not keep a cow! The Danish farmer makes six acres keep two
cows, many chickens, some pigs, himself, wife and family, and there is
never any evidence of poverty on these small farms--quite the reverse.
The farmer is strong and wiry, his wife fine and buxom, and his children
sturdy, well-cared-for little urchins. All, however, must work--and work
very hard--both with head and hands to produce this splendid result. The
Danish farmer grows a rapid rotation of crops for his animals, manuring
heavily after each crop, and never allowing his land to lie fallow as we
do. On these small farms there is practically no grass-land; hedges and
fences are unnecessary as the animals are always tethered when grazing.
Omission of hedges is more economical also, making it possible to
cultivate every inch of land. There is nothing wasted on a Danish farm.
Many large flourishing farms also exist in Denmark, with acres of both
meadow and arable land, just as in England; but the peasant farmer is
the interesting example of the Danish system of legislation. The
Government helps this small holder by every means in its power to become
a freehold farmer should he be willing and thrifty enough to try.
The typical Danish farmstead is built in the form of a square, three
sides of which are occupied by the sheds for the animals, the fourth
side being the dwelling-house, which is generally connected with the
sheds by a covered passage--a cosy arrangement for all, as in bad
weather the farmer need not go outside to attend to the animals, while
the latter benefit by the warmth from the farmhouse.
The Danes would never speak crossly to a cow or call her by other than
her own name, which is generally printed on a board over her stall. The
cow, in fact, is the domestic pet of the Danish farm. In the winter
these animals are taken for a daily walk wearing their winter coats of
jute!
These small farmers realize that "Union is Strength," and have built up
for themselves a marvellous system of co-operation. This brings the
market literally to the door of the peasant farmer. Carts collect the
farm produce daily and transport it to the nearest factories belonging
to this co-operation of farmers. At these factories the milk is turned
into delicious butter, the eggs are examined by electric light, and "Mr.
Pig" quickly changes his name to Bacon! These three commodities form the
most remunerative products of the farm.
The Danish farmer is a strong believer in education, thanks to the
Grundtvig High-schools. Bishop Grundtvig started these schools for the
benefit of the sons and daughters of yeomen. When winter comes, and
outside farm-work is at a standstill, the farmer and his family attend
these schools to learn new methods of farming and dairy-work. The
farmer's children are early taught to take a hand and interest
themselves in the farm-work. The son, when school is over for the day,
must help to feed the live-stock, do a bit of spade-work or
carpentering, and perhaps a little book-keeping before bedtime. These
practical lessons develop in the lad a love of farm-work and a pride
in helping on the family resources.
[Illustration: VAGT-PARADEN. LIFEGUARDS DRAWING UP OUTSIDE THE PALACE.]
Butter-making is an interesting sight at the splendidly equipped
steam-factories, and we all know that Danish butter is renowned for its
excellence. When the milk is weighed and tested it runs into a large
receiver, thence to the separator; from there the cream flows into the
scalder, and pours over the ice frame in a rich cool stream into a
wooden vat.
Meanwhile the separated milk has returned through a pipe to the waiting
milk-cans and is given back to the farmer, who utilizes it to feed his
calves and pigs. The cream leaves the vat for the churn through a wooden
channel, and when full the churn is set in motion. This combined churn
and butter-worker completes the process of butter-making, and when the
golden mass is taken out it is ready to be packed for the English
market. The milk, on being received at the factory, is weighed and paid
for according to weight. It takes 25 lbs. of milk to make 1 lb. of
butter.