The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

“Grey rock the dullelt stone took , 3 imagi- nation. a. t , outing act or bewitchment Gfigg'l genius. l-lis mode of n s so char- ucteristic thatwegar‘ always able to recognize it, becaus 6, stands alone, on an elevation, 110m others, of home, o£ the; , ng for a‘ piece of ground of hi_a own,- a place to come back to from his world travels. Here at “’l‘roldhaugen" he found the soli- tndc he craved for creative work. In the slime: bars of, this. home Greig heard "me odies Within a. melody and poems within}. poem". Here he cap- turcd something of rugged Norway ilself right in his music. "Grieg loved every ngok of Trold- haugen and characteristically allowed everything to grow wil ", said Sigv mund. "Nothing was to _be trimmed or chopped down, everything must be granted freedom of self expression. Nesting boxes were hung to attract birds”. -. The lyrical "music of “The Birdâ€" ling" cifipresses Grie'g’s delight with the bir s coming to nest. In his composition "The Wedding Day at Troldhaugen", one may feel the air of festivity that often pervaded his home. The Canadians were inspired by this treat. They pan'sed reverencly before the jagged rock along the fjord where high up on the rugged surface are the rough hewn tombs of Nine and Edvard Grieg. Walking up the nar- row pathway of the ravine the Can- ndians could hear the strains of Gricg’s great love son , sung by their Norwegian hostess, cc 0 and reâ€"echo along the fjordâ€"thia time with new meaning. At Fru Irminger's home a delight- ful tea was served with typical Nor- weginn dishes and tables beautifully decorated with Canadian maple leaves encircled with leaves from the Nor- way maple. In the centre of the iahle was the famous pretzel-shaped Norwegian pastry ringâ€"“birthday hriugleflâ€"a delicacy served on festive occasions. Here the group met Miss Ins Strong, British Trade Represen- tative for the Bergen District, the first women to be appointed by Brit- sm to such a. post. Looking down 1,050 feet from the WP of Floyen Mountain, where the Canadians were entertained to dinner. the beautiful 880-yearâ€"old city of Bar- EEH appeared like a fairyland nestled along the fjord between the seven “9‘19 (mountains). In the mountain FOP restaurant the Canadians were ‘mpressed with the gorgeous fire- Flaces, the huge logs standing upright 3% they burned; they were impressed mth the tasty Norwegian food and fhe attractive decorations which Included Norwe inn and Canadian “ass, but above a 1 they were impress- ed with the warmth and friendliness of the Norwegian hospitality. Throu h Ru gcd Norway Fran? Berggen to Oslo Bright and early Monday morning the. Canadian delegation boarded the “51.11 for Oslo. Ii‘ru Gunvor vaerud, the? Betgcn_chief hostess, accom- Pamed the group to act as interpreter and to see that everyone was well lnuked after. C‘fl’fiSing through Norway was a glorious and aweâ€"inspiring experi- ence. Along fjords where jagged ‘ and sheaves of grain impaled on pole rocks drop sheer into ihl'alighfei'tile valleys withlepriihnptsi-IE one-looking towns, beside l' . itt e . )tIBm farms with their sddfdglgd “"598. hey hanging over Wires to the Norwegian State Rs 8 , , _ ilws its way with its tired but hepyygng of_ Canadian form women. ’1 is 30 - mile railroad line, a miracle in engin- ‘e‘ermg, travelled through 46 miles of dahow screens" and tunnels. For a aisgggcemof g0 milles the route was s _ee ins. A run ' Fines the train reached apheighltmg 4,523 get ahfive sea level. nae t_ e Harden ‘okul ' was clearly Visible as it Edweredgiiig: the 6,000-foot mountain plateau across the lake. Close by the lake was a stone memorial, a mute tribute to the courage and daring of Robert Falcon Scott, the British explorer who trained at Finse with his men prior to their Ill-fated‘h'l to the Antarctic. Here in t e mountains many of the settlements are very old. The feelinv of tradition is deeply ingrained. Th: Canadians learned that in several communities the peasant culture sur- v‘ives almost unchanged. Various sec- tions of the country have their own festive costumes. There are about 20 driferent costumes in all. Rich in tra- dition, "folk museums” have been established in many places to pressrve the culture, folk lore and customs of the past. As the Canadians travelled along and saw the huge hydro develop- ments, the pulp and paper mills, and the signs of reforestation, they dis- cussed these and many other items With Norwegian companions. Thus they learned much about this beauti- ful rugged country. Norway was hard hit by the war. Eindence of this was seen in many places. Along the Bergen shore line the German U boat base is still clearly visible, hewn out of rock in the fjord. There were bombing. occupation, hardship. But the Norwegians are making a marvellous recovery. The Canadians admired their courage, their force of will, their tenacity of spirit in carrying out their recovery programme. To cite one example, 370,000 cattle have been imported to re-stock the farms which were strip- ped of cattle by the Germans during the war. "Norges Husmorforbund" Greet Group in Oslo Dressed in colourful Norwegian costumes, the Oslo "Norges Husmor- forbund" hostesses turned out “full force” to greet the Canadians with a sincere and hearty welcome. Warm and affectionate smiles spread over the whole group as the Norwegians pinned corsages on_ each of their guests, at the same time_ assuring the Canadians of their friendship and gratitude for their coming. . Another delectable Norwegian sup~ per awaited them. Although the night was late, the happy conversation, good food and friendly companionship gave the Canadians a splendid start towards an enriching experience in Oslo. I Looking back at their day in Oslo the Canadians marvelled at how effici- ently and thoughtfully their hostesses had planned in order that their Can- adian sisters could do. and see so much. Escorted by their Oslo host- esses, the group found September the fifth brimful of excitement in spite of ll-da rain. Ii“Glimmesr’ioing with a study of Nor- wegian handicraft at “Den Norskc Husflidsforening" the Canadians were impressed with the beautiful wood carvings, the dolls dressed in various Norwegian costumes, the bold geo- metric designs in the Fair Isle knit- ting, the colourful weaving and many other examples of Norweg1an dom- estic craftsmanship. One Norwegian lady was weaving the tapestry which would later hang in the famous Oslo 't Hall. ‘ Clliyrom authentic Norwegian cos- tumes, characteristics and designs peculiar to the various districts in Norway were studied. The colour and HOME AND COUNTRY W178 of material used the st le of Rather“. the lace and rieedlewoixk de- slmfind the silver brooch worn are each indicative of the section of Nor- way from which the costume comes. 1“. defimbmg the purpose of this fancinating handicraft centre it was explained to the Canadians that the domestic arts and crafts of Norway exhibited a high degree of excellence in the olden days, but these arts fell into decline when industrialism be- .came dominant in the 19th century. ‘Den'Norske Husllidsforening” As. societion was formed in 1891 in order to hall) the country people become, as far as possible, self-sufficient as in “me!” days, to develop good taste in colour and design and to provide a market» for products of Norwegian domestic crafstmanship. ‘The Canadians were so intrigued with all they were seeing and learn- ing that it wasn’t any wonder their hostesses found they were entirely off-schedule by the time their guests were “rounded up" and ushered into the bus. .F‘ragner Park was visited next. The Vigelend sculptures in this park have become world famous. Gustav Vigo- lsnd, working from 1890 to 1943, pro- duced many sculptures, the finest of which are found here. About 150 inde- pendent art works, grouped in great indiVidusl units, combine together in a united whole. This collection of sculp- tural work is said to be the greatest ever produced by a single artist. The )vhole sculpture park has a symbolic character, the cycle of life being one of the principal motifs. The artist through his statuary depicts the various phases in the life of man With the underlying thought that the human race is eternal. The huge obelisk with its symbol of the ascen- sion of the soul to higher divine re- gions is the point of culmination of the whole plan. This symbol is ex- pressed through 121 figures carved in the 50-foot monolith in an ascend- ing movement. The Norwegian Women's Institutes (Norges Husmorforbunds) take a great interest in nursery schools and were instrumental in starting them in Norway in 1922. The Canadians visited one of these schools. The light, airy rooms with modern equipment geared to provide for the needs of the “pre-schooler" were very rightfully the pride and joy of the Norwegian women. Just to see the tiny tots enjoying themselves while they learn touched a tender spot in the hearts of the Canadians. To obtain the necessary money to build the kindergartens, the Nor- wegian Institutes arrange each year a “Children's Week". For the Oslo disâ€" trict alone, over 240 Institute meni- bers work each day for the kinder- gartensâ€"either at the schools or making handicrafts to sell in order to raise the money for the schools. During Children’s Week the handi- crafts are sold, tag days are held and, in a special parade, each kindergarten enters a float. In this way Norges Husmorforhund has been able to build 53 kindergartens throughout Norway. The municipalities of Oslo and Ber- gen now realize the value of these schools and provide 50% of the run- ning expenses. At the “Norsk Folkemuseum" the delegates were given an opportunity of studying the life and culture of ancient Norway. In this very fine open- air museum the various exhibits are not detached and isolated like items in a scientific collection, but are united so as to form a general pic- ture of life in olden times. Old homes, farm buildings and churches have been set up here and furnished Just as they once stood in their original Norwegian settings. . Because this folk museum 15.50 vast the Norwegian hostesses had, 1}] their careful planning, made a choice for Canadians. A special interpreter gave the story of Norwegian tapestries and weaving. From fine examples of these works of art the Canadians followed the story with interest from the sixth century down through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, to the present day. In the earliest times the motifs were chiefly religious and red was used a great deal. At the time of the Renaissance Germans migrated to Norway bririgin their art of tapestry weavipg Wltll. t em. The Mediseval tradition continued up to about 1579. Beautiful examples showed the story of Easter, Christmas, the Virgin and Child, and the Adoration of the East- ern Magi. From 1579 on, some sub- Jects of a less religious nature were used; more blues, yellows, greens and blacks and whites were to be seen, With very little red. Around 1600 the art spread to the peasants and one could see the bright, gay, peasant colours introduced. Viking Ships Housed in "Norsk Folkemuseum” Viking ships bring to mind the stormy saga of the seas and the romance of those adventurous Norse- men whose expeditions brought them fame and fortune in the days be- tween 800 and 1050 A.D. To see and study the three famous Viking ships, the Oseburg, Gokstad and Tune, was to appreciate more fully the high degree of culture and craftsmanship reached by those en- terprising people. These ships had been used as burial chambers for cele- brated people of Viking times. Discovered in huge mounds near the Oslo Fjord, they were unearthed over 1000 years later. The poet turf and heavy blue clay of the burrow had preserved the contents to such an extent that archaeologists were able to make a detailed study and report on the history and customs of this nge. Because the Vikings believed their dead would require earthly posâ€" sessions in “the land beyond the seas", they built an elaborate burial cham- ber on the ship and in and around the chamber they enclosed such objects as they thought would be needed in "Valhalla". In the Oscbcrg Ship, discovered in 1904, a Queen and her bondwoman had been buried. The burial chamber proper resembled a tent and was built of enormous oak planks standing about 6 feet high over the beds in which the Queen and her bondwoman had been placed. They had been sup- plied with quilts, pillows, blankets and clothes as well as pieces of tapestry which probably decorated the interior wall of the chamber, Ar- ticles interred included beautifully carved oak chests decorated with tinned nails, a chair of beech-wood, 4 sleighs, a founwheelcd cart richly carved with figures of animals and snakes, looms, a yarn reel, kitchen utensils, buckets, ladies and dishes. The chests contained lamps, scissors, a cotton box, flaxbeaters and wheat. A wooden pail contained wild apples, several of which were fully preserved. Walnuts, hazelnuts, cress sectls and wood were found. Outside the ship there were found about 15 horses, 4 dogs and 1 ox. A study of these antiquities gave an insight into the life in the home of a petty king of the Viking Age. The carving was of particular interest, not only because of its professional and high artistic quality, but because the pieces were the work of many artists. Apparently at the court of the Oseberg Queen the arts of the carver and weaver enjoyed great pri« vileges. The work involved in the restor- ation of these ships and their con~ tents was tremendous. To illustrate, one sleigh alone was made up of 1,058 fragments. Each fragment was boiled in alum then dried and impregnated with linseed oil. The restoration of this sleigh alone occupied aperiod of more than a year. Many objects were found in such a poor state of repair that the original parts could not be pieced together. Where enough infor- mation was available the missing parts were made up, but the arche- ologists were very careful to distin- guish between the original and the reproductions. An overwhelming amount of infor- mation had been amassed through the (Continued on page 4)