The Project Gutenberg EBook of Gerda in Sweden, by Etta Blaisdell McDonald

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Title: Gerda in Sweden

Author: Etta Blaisdell McDonald

Release Date: October 15, 2004 [EBook #13758]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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LITTLE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE

GERDA IN SWEDEN

BY ETTA BLAISDELL McDONALD AND JULIA DALRYMPLE

Authors of "Kathleen in Ireland," "Manuel in Mexico," "Ume San in Japan,"
"Rafael in Italy," "Fritz in Germany," "Boris in Russia," "Betty in
Canada," etc.

1910

PREFACE

The Swedish people are a hospitable, peace-loving race, kindly and
industrious, making the most of their resources. In the south of Sweden
are broad farming-lands with well-tilled fields and comfortable red
farmhouses; in the central portion are hills and dales, rich in mines of
copper and iron which have been famous for hundreds of years. In the
cities and towns are factories where thousands of workers are employed,
making all sorts of useful articles, from matches to steam-engines. The
rivers which flow down to the sea from the western chain of mountains
carry millions of logs from the great dark forests. As soon as the ice
breaks up in the spring, whole fleets of fishing boats and lumber vessels
sail up and down the coast; sawmills whirr and buzz all day long; the hum
of labor is heard all over the land.

In this Northland the winter days are short and cold; but there are the
long sunny summer days, when even in the south of Sweden midnight is
nothing but a soft twilight, and in the north the sun shines for a whole
month without once dipping below the horizon. This is a glorious time for
both young and old. The people live out-of-doors day and night, going to
the parks and gardens, rowing and sailing and swimming, singing and
dancing on the village green, celebrating the midsummer festival with
feasting and merry-making,--for once more the sun rides high in the
heavens, and Baldur, the sun god, has conquered th