THE ALUMNI JOURNAL, 



277 



NORWAY, THE LAND OF THE 

 MIDNIGHT SUN. 

 The first Alumni lecture of the season 

 was delivered in the ampitheatre of the 

 College, on Wednesday evening, October 

 14th by Col. Herman Henneberger, on 

 Norway, the "Land of the Midnight 

 Sun." 



About three hundred of the members 

 of the Association with their friends in- 

 cluding several ladies, were highly inter- 

 ested by a most instructive and realistic 

 description of the trip which Col. Hen- 

 neberger and his wife made to Norway. 

 Mrs. Henneberger had charge of the 

 stereopticon, and during the hour and a 

 half occupied in the delivery of the lect- 

 ure, threw illustrations upon the screen 

 almost continuously. The applause 

 which greeted many of these pictures tes- 

 tified the appreciation of the beauty and 

 perfection of the illustrations, even by so 

 critical and experienced an audience. 



Alter a brief introduction the audience 

 were, in imagination, put on board an 

 Atlantic liner, crossed the ocean accom- 

 panied by some of its unpleasant experi- 

 ences, as well as its pleasures, and finally 

 found themselves sailing up the Christi- 

 ania Fyord, where, from the deck of the 

 little steamer, they saw the snow-capped 

 mountains on either side. Landing at 

 Christiania, the Capitol of Norway, the 

 main street, "Karl Johans Gade," was 

 shown with the King's palace in the dis- 

 tance. 



Leaving Christiania by one of the most 

 beautiful roads, an avenue of firs, the 

 travel was continued either in Carnole, 

 Stoklkarre or Landau by the posting sys- 

 tem, the system being an arrangement 

 between the farmers and the government 

 to lurnish travelers with conveyances. 

 In this way the journey is continued to 

 the waters ot the Hardanger Fyord, 

 climbing to great heights, and for days 

 passing over the table lands or Fyelds 



where mountains soar still higher, and 

 verdure and human habitations are very 

 rare. When you meet the peasantry ycu 

 find them the moi-t hospitable in the 

 world; you partake ot iheir humble food, 

 and rest by night in homely lodgings. 

 An illustiated description of the farm- 

 houses was given, showing the bright, 

 open fire-places and simple furniture. 



The method of drying hay is to hang 

 it on wire or racks made of twigs in order 

 to get the greatest sun exposure — the 

 ground is so damp the hay has to be 

 hung up. Odde, which lies in the Har- 

 danger Fyorde, is finally reached, the 

 various cataracts and the Buarbrae glac- 

 ier visited. The costumes of the people, 

 married and single, and the bridal dress 

 with the wedding ceremony were describ- 

 ed. Bergen, the home of the Vikings, 

 with its fish market was then reached. 

 Leaving Bergen by railway to Vossvan- 

 gen, the travelers climb, by several 

 stages, to the summit of the pass that 

 leads over the mountains to Gudvongen, 

 resting on a little plateau called Stall- 

 heim, one of the most celebrated and im- 

 pressive spots in Norway, looking down 

 upon "Naerodal," one of the most ex- 

 quisite valleys in the world. 



Continuing the journey you arrive at 

 Haeg, and visit the old church of Bor- 

 gund, a most fantastic edifice, built in the 

 twelfth century. The illustration of a 

 farmer's wife rolling out her "fladbrod,'^ 

 bread made from unfermented dough o 

 barley and oatmeal sometimes mixed 

 with pea flour which gives it the greenish 

 color. This dough is rolled into large 

 circular loaves, having a diameter of two 

 or three feet and the thickness of paste- 

 board, and it will keep an indefinite time. 

 Returning to the beautiful sunny Fyord 

 the steamer stops at "Balholmen" where 

 the court of King Bele is, and here also 

 is laid the Norwegian scene in Edna 

 Lyal's ''The Hardy Norseman," the 



