circus--minus the menagerie, of course. I would like to describe this
serio-comical demonstration for the benefit of my American readers; but
I am sorry to say that I can no longer remember the titles of the
different officers, heralds, guards, lackeys, pages, etc.,--all of them
dressed in the most gorgeous costumes, some of them preceding, others
following the king and the royal princes, who were adorned with all the
mediaeval clap-trap insignia of royalty, and wrapped in huge mantles of
gay colors, and with long trains borne by courtiers or pages. We can
comprehend the importance of a display of this kind a couple of
centuries ago, but it seems to me that the common sense of our times
demands its abolishment, and unless I am very much mistaken King Charles
himself, who was a practical and sensible man, was of the same opinion.

The same winter I made a visit to Norway, which was repeated the
following summer. The social and political conditions of the country
reminded me somewhat of America, Norway being ahead of Sweden in that
respect, and I am not surprised that the Norwegians are proud of their
beautiful country.

One of my most pleasant journeys in Europe was a trip which I took in
company with wife and children in the early part of the summer of 1872.
On this trip we went through the lovely province of Soedermanland, and
thence by rail to Stockholm, where we met many old friends and
acquaintances. Midsummerday was celebrated in the circle of a number of
happy friends at Hasselbakken, and on the following days we made
repeated visits to the enchanting surroundings of the capital. On one of
these outings to Drotningholm, a summer palace, we met other American
tourists, and I remember distinctly how we all agreed that this was just
the locality for some charitable institution, where the unfortunate poor
and suffering members of society could be taken care of, as, for
instance, a home for old widows, or orphans, or old men who have served
their country faithfully in peace or war, but have been reduced to
poverty in their old age. As a contrast to Drotningholm we pictured in
our minds the Soldiers' Home near Washington, where Abraham Lincoln had
a few rooms, and found rest and recreation among trees and flowers, and
it seemed to us that some of the country palaces of Sweden might just as
well be used for a similar purpose.

Having remained in Stockholm for some time, we directed our course
southward, by way of the