inexorable, and crime is punished more severely perhaps than in any
other country. At the same time the people distinguish an important
difference between temperance and total abstinence. They give their
children beer in unlimited quantities, but absolutely prohibit the
sale of whisky, and send drunken men to prison with burglars and
assassins. Norwegian reformers hold that beer is the great promoter of
temperance, and encourage its use as a beverage, although every saloon
in the kingdom is closed on Sundays, on all holidays, and Saturday
afternoon, which is the regular pay day for the working classes. These
are practical regulations, devised for the purpose of restraining
those who are not capable of controlling their own appetites and
encouraging thrift and economy. While the saloons are closed on pay
day, the savings banks are open until midnight.

It is difficult to become accustomed to the long twilights in Norway.
One can read and write at a window as late as ten o'clock without
difficulty, and during the months of June, July, and August few
artificial lights are used, either in the streets or in the shops or
in the residences. A candle is usually kept handy for an emergency,
but it is light enough to dress and undress at any hour of the night,
and it seems childish to go to bed before dark. The hours for meals
are awkward to those accustomed to American ways. Breakfast is usually
served from seven till nine o'clock. Four o'clock is the fashionable
dinner hour, without luncheon. After dinner men return to their
business and keep open their shops and offices until a nine or ten
o'clock supper during the long days.

No one will ever starve to death in Norway. American palates may not
always crave the food, but they can not complain of its abundance. The
table is usually loaded with all sorts of fish and cold meats, both