A NATION OF GENTLEMEN.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2826, 23 August 1890, Page 6 (Supplement)

A NATION OF GENTLEMEN.

Tiu: beautiful politeness and courtesy of the Swedes is a tiling that is very striking to visitors. They have a large assortment of bows, bobs, curtsies, and hat-liftings according to ago and sex, but the lifting of the hat to mere acquaintances reaches, I fancy, much lower down in the social scale than elsewhere in Europe ; it looks odd to see the butcher boy in a blouse elaborately taking off his hat to the baker's assistant. That this universal courtesy and politeness is not merely on the surface is proved by the trouble to which Swedes will invariably put themselves in order to be of use to a stranger in need of help or information. So much is this the ease that I at last tried to avoid asking my way in tin; country round about Stockholm, because it so often happened that the countryman whom I interrogated would lay aside his occupation and accompany me some little distance in order to make sure of setting mo on the right path For this service he would seldom accept any recompense. Another point which soon attracts tliu attention of visitors is the punctilious honesty and truthfulness of the Swedes ; this is test seen in the many little incidents of daily life. When asking for places at a theatre, for instance, the ticket clerk never fails to inform you if, owing to a crowded state of the house, a better position would be secured with a cheaper ticket than the one asked for. Again, when parcels are taken out, by steamers from Stockholm to country places in the neighbourhood, they are just thrown out on to the quay, where they frequently remain half the day without being claimed. It never seemed to occur to anyone that they could possibly be taken by anyone but their right owners. On a trip of any length, as for instanco to Gotenburg by canal, a little book lies in the saloon of the steamer in which each passenger keeps his own account of the number of meals, en/i s, cognacs, &c., he may take during tlie journey. But indeed it is impossible to talk to a Swede for any length of time

and not see how incapable of any meanness oc dishonesty he must- be There is nearly always a simplicity and straightforwardness of manner, the very antipodes of allectation, which is certainly a very pleasing attribute, and which can scarcely fail to convince the least observant person that lie lias before him a man who thoroughly rospccts himself, and walks very steadfastly on the straight line. Tho Swedes, you feel, aro a nation of gentlemen down to tho coal-heavers and tho wharf-men. Not, to appear prejudiced in tlioir favour, however, T will confess that they aro obstinato. It is tho trait in their charactor, I bolieve, that has made the application of trial by jury, at any rate in tho usual acceptation of the term, impossible in Sweden. There is a certain Scotch housewife to bo met with in tho classio pages of Punch who waxes sarcastic about tlio folly of having summoned her " gudo man" to sorvo on a jury, and tho absurdity of oxpocting him to agree with eleven perfect strangers when lie had never oven been known to bo of one mind with his own beloved wife. It was of course a most unreasonable thing to ask of the poor man. Tho Swede being of a very similar mental texture with the Scotchman, it is not attempted in this country to gel. twelve men to agree together. A jury is certainly empauclled, and its members are invited to listen to the evidence and form opinions, but they are not consulted as to the verdict, exccpt in the event of their unanimously disagreeing with the judge's sentence. In this case the jury's decision prevails, and the judge is constrained to take a back seat. There must be several advantages in this method of procedure, particularly in the prevention of deadlocks. Why should it not be favourably considered by our new law reformers who, it is said, are beginning to suspect our old time-honoured system of being somewhat cumbersome and out of touch with the times ?—Temple liar.