164 SCANDINAVIA. 



The Swedish Church and Universities, 



The Lutheran is the State religion, and according to the census returns, which 

 naturally include the indifferent amongst the faithful, nearly the whole Swedish 

 nation belongs to this worship. But within the Church itself there are great 

 differences. The members of certain Norrland communities, carried away by 

 religious fervour, include dancing in their programme, jumping and whirling 

 about till they are breathless. The Protestant Nonconformists amount to no more 

 than a few thousands, and the Jews, excluded from the kingdom down to the year 

 1810, have not yet had time to found large communities in the commercial towns, 

 Homan Catholics are fewer still, and only since 1870 have public offices been thrown 

 open to all Swedish citizens, irrespective of their religious belief. 



The power of the Established Church is still very considerable, although 

 assailed from two opposite quarters by freethinkers and zealous Dissenters. 

 Through its pastors and consistories it takes a largo share in the local adminis- 

 tration, and it keeps all the civil registers except those of the capital. For 

 members of the Church marriage solemnised by the pastor is alone valid, civil 

 unions being tolerated only when one of the contracting parties is a Jew, or 

 belongs to some recognised form of Dissent ; but even in this case the marringe 

 can be legally celebrated only after the banns have been thrice put up in the 

 Lutheran Church. 



The primary schools also are placed under the direct control of the pastors and 

 Consistories, who see that Luther's catechism is duly taught, that the pious praQ,tice8 

 are kept up, and all the children regularly " confirmed," Moreover, the Church, 

 like the nation, has its deliberative assemblies. A Synod was held in 1803 in order 

 to obtain the clerg3''s assent to a change of the constitution which aimed at 

 suppressing that body as a distinct section of the Diet. This assembly is composed 

 of GO members, 30 lay and 30 ecclesiastic, amongst whom are all the bishops of the 

 realm, with the Archbishop as cx-offido President of the Synod. The country is 

 divided into twelve dioceses, to which may be added the Stockholm Consistory, in 

 reality independent of the archiépiscopal see of Upsala. The dioceses are sub- 

 divided into deaneries, pastorates, and parishes, these last numbering about 2,500. 



The two Universities of Upsala and Lund have an independent status, con- 

 stituting them distinct bodies in the State. Still they depend officially on the 

 Church, the Archbishop of Upsala being Vice- Chancellor of the former, and 

 the Bishop of Lund of the latter. In both the student is bound to form part of 

 a "nation," those of Upsala numbering thirteen, named generally after the old 

 historical provinces, besides three for Stockholm, Goteborg, and Kalmar. Each of 

 these groups forms a little self-governing republic, enjoying special privileges, 

 and possessing considerable property and capital, whose revenues are chiefly 

 applied to the support of poor students. They have large halls for the general 

 assemblies and celebrations, libraries, and lecture-rooms. Some are even owners of 

 country seats. Nor is their autonomy limited to the control of their property, and 

 to their respective " nations " the students must apply for their certiEcates, and in 



