Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. II.djvu/257

Rh It is said to be difficult to give to one portion of these Norwegian people any sense of religious or civil order; they are spoken of as obstinate and unmanageable; but they are able tillers of the ground, and they prepare the way for a better race; and their children, when they have been taught in American schools, and after that become servants in the better American families, are praised as the best of servants—faithful, laborious, and attached; merely difficult to accustom to perfect cleanliness and order. The greater number of domestic servants in these young Mississippi States come from the Norwegian colonies scattered over the country. In a general way the Norwegians seem to succeed better here than the Swedes. A Norwegian newspaper is published at Madison, called “The Norwegian's Friend,” some copies of which I have obtained.

After an excellent breakfast, at which our young hostess, at my request, regaled us also with the songs of her native land, sung to the guitar with a fresh, sweet voice, we took our leave of that amiable lady, who will now find a good friend in Mrs. C., and through her many other friends in Madison. We drove home in a shower of rain, stopping now and then by the way to talk with the Norwegian people in the fields, and reached Madison as the sun sank amid the most unimaginable splendour, over that beautiful lake district and the city. The prevalence of sunny weather in America, makes it easier and more agreeable to travel there than anywhere else. One may be sure of fine weather; and if a heavy shower does come, you may depend upon its soon being over, and that the sun will shortly be out again.

In Madison I have seen a good many people, and some tiresome interrogators (and these I place among the goats), with the usual questions, “How do you like the United States? How do you like Madison? Our roads? Do you know Jenny Lind personally?” and so on. Some