MR. QUINTIN HOGG, FOUNDER OF THE POLYTECHNIC.

T

HERE are few more interesting features in connection with the multiform work of the Regent Street Polytechnic Institute than the development of a kind of co-operative holiday movement for the benefit of the ten thousand clerks and mechanics who are enrolled amongst its members and students. The movement originated in an attempt made by Mr. Quintin Hogg to entertain thirty or forty of the members during the summer holidays at his country house. As the Institute grew and began to count its members by thousands, the continuance of this arrangement became impossible, and the committee were led to consider the desirability of making holiday arrangements a special feature of their work. Their first great effort in this direction was in connection with the Paris Exhibition of 1889. Mr. Robert Mitchell, the energetic and indefatigable secretary, to whose efforts the success of these holiday trips must be entirely attributed, succeeded in organising a trip to Paris by which 2,100 young men, and 400 young women, visited the Exhibition and spent eight days in Paris for the inclusive sum of £2 7s. 6d. each. Encouraged by this success, the committee arranged last year for a Scotch trip. Morningside College, Edinburgh, was placed at the service of the party, and no less than 3,500 young persons, of both sexes, visited North Britain, went through the Trossachs, down the Clyde, up to the Highlands, and had a most interesting trip of eight days for £2 7s. 6d., and about 30s. extra for the daily trips. The committee also arranged a trip in 1860 to Madeira, of which 200 availed themselves, a trip to Killarney for a similar number, and trips to Switzerland, Clacton, and Hastings.

Early in the present year the committee conceived the idea of a proportionately cheap trip for the members of the institute and their friends to the Norwegian fjords. Those who had been most regarded as authorities in such matters ridiculed the idea, but, undeterred by their opinion,

they succeeded in arranging with the Halvorsen Steamship Company for a series of five trips, of which the second has just been most successfully concluded. The trips were to cover the principal places of interest, from the Hardanger Fjord in the south to Molde in the north, were to occupy thirteen days, each trip was to consist of about one hundred passengers, and the inclusive fare was to be eight guineas. In addition to this some certain journeys on shore involved an expenditure of 26s., bringing the total necessary cost for the whole trip to £9 14s. As I was advertised to conduct the second trip, it may be well for me at once to say that all the arrangements which I am about to describe, and award a deserved commendation, were carried out by Mr. Mitchell, who accompanied the trip, and that my duties were confined to acting as chaplain and host.

On Saturday afternoon, July 4th, the steam yacht Fridtjof, Capt. Evjenth, of the Halvorsen Line, left Gravesend with one hundred and seventeen tourists on board, one hundred and fifteen of whom had never visited Norway before, and the great majority of whom had never slept in a berth in their lives. When this fact is borne in mind, it was an eloquent testimony to the steadiness of the vessel and the propitious character of the elements that Sunday morning found the breakfast table as crowded as any day during the trip, and that our Sunday morning service illustration was attended by the whole company. With eight Wesleyan ministers, one clergyman, and at least ten lay preachers on board the duties of chaplain were not onerous. With a continuance of favourable weather the two days at sea passed quickly by, and early on Tuesday morning we anchored off Stavanger. The mail steamer for England was just departing as we arrived, and first acquaintance with a bewildering foreign currency of nine kröners for ten shillings, and forty-five öre for sixpence had to be made very rapidly in order to purchase postage stamps for letters announcing a delightful passage. Stavanger possesses a rather fine cathedral with a remarkable carved pulpit, which Josiah Nix, of the West London Mission, was very eager, had time permitted, to use as a rostrum. I must, however, in passing, pay tribute to the good conduct of all the party alike in this edifice and amidst the grander beauties of nature which we were soon to visit. The "jolly bank holiday" kind of conduct was conspicuous by its absence, and some who might have been harshly judged as Philistines of the Philistines, and bourgeois of the bourgeoisie, showed a keen appreciation of the scenery and surroundings of the Norwegian fjords which would have satisfied the soul of John Ruskin. During the morning's ramble, accompanied by a friend, I dropped into a Norwegian confectioner's shop, and proceeded, in true John Bull-abroad fashion, fiercely to brandish a weight, whilst my friend poked an umbrella into a tin of biscuits, our united purpose being to ask for a pound of that commodity. To our surprise and chagrin, the shopkeeper in this back-street of a little Norwegian town said quietly in perfect English, "How many biscuits do you want?" If Mark Twain had been looking round the corner, he might have described our feelings. I can't. It seemed that the shopkeeper had spent ten years in America, and was a type of a large number of Norwegians who have not only picked up the English language, but also the Yankee cuteness, and are trying to teach

their fellow-countrymen to make the Britisher pay a high price for all his pleasures. This, however, is not by any means the only secret of the rapid increase in the number of English-speaking Norwegians. We found that in nearly all the towns we visited English was being taught in the Government schools to the children of the small farmers and the labouring classes, and even the boys who drove the stolkjarres, between their schooling and the English tourist, had picked up a fair command of our language. All this is a striking indication of the rapid spread of the English tongue which is going on all over the world.

In the afternoon when we had left Stavanger behind and were quietly steaming down the Bükken Fjord and

great sounding board, against which the echo of four cannon which we fired reverberated like a whole battery of artillery. The evening had cleared up, and the weather once again was perfect. After the captain had let off some rockets for the amusement of our visitors-which so completed the effect that, as one of our company remarked, "Spiffin' was the only word for it "-the concert commenced spontaneously by one of our party striking up the grand hymn, "All hail the power of Jesu's "The women in the boats replied to this hymn by singing with great sweetness the Norwegian national anthem. Our party responded with "Rule Britannia," and so the concert went on for about an hour, finishing with the Doxology, each party heartily cheering songs.

name!

the Bömmel Fjord into the Hardanger Fjord, we had our first touch of bad weather in a storm of rain which lasted a few hours. Like all the bad weather of the trip, it occurred when it would least effect our enjoyment. Safely sheltered by a comfortable awning we amused ourselves by watching for whales, and after several false alarms three of Jonah's lifeboats were sighted to the great satisfaction of everybody.

We reached a small village named Gjerdi, at the head of the Hardanger Fjord, a little before midnight, and were treated to a most unique entertainment. The villagers had assembled to meet us from the country for several miles round, and came off in boats accompanied by their good pastor, and dressed in their quaint and interesting national costume. The boats surrounded the ship and waited for our party to commence the strangest concert at which I was ever present. The lofty mountains around the little bay at the head of the fjord furnished a

given by the others. My description of this idyllic scene is very imperfect, and the memory of it will not soon be forgotten by any who were present. It was still practically daylight when the concert finished. The sun had only just dipped below the horizon, and whilst a few of us retired to rest, several went ashore and had a jolly country dance in the open air with Norwegian maidens, neither side being able to speak a word of the other's language.

Three hours in bed was all that was allowed that night for those of our number who had decided to cross the great Folgefonde glacier and meet us at Odde in the afternoon. The rest of the party were up at four o'clock in the morning, and, landing at Sundal, climbed to the foot of one arm of the glacier, returning to the steamer for breakfast and for the journey down the Sör Fjord to Odde. No guide-book descriptions or travellers" records will successfully describe all the charms of these

days spent on the fjords. Only those who have visited them can imagine the pleasure afforded to these hundred young people, who most of them would never have left their native shores but for the forethought and effort of Mr. Quintin Hogg and those who have worked with him for so many years.

The drive from Odde to Laatefoss (Foss is Norse for waterfall) was our first experience of the Norwegian scenery inland, and alike on the journey and at the waterfall I was again impressed with the deep and true appreciation of the grand and the beautiful which characterised these embryo tourists. The blasé traveller who has "done" everything in the world, from Niagara to the Falls of the Zambesi, from the Himalayas to the Mexican Popocatapetl, might possibly have regarded our party as intruders if he had met us in these journeyings; but if he had known the rich enjoyment with which our company gazed on these mountains and waterfalls, he would have been more envious than scornful.

Resuming our journey along the fjords we called at the little town of Eide on Wednesday evening, and reached the flourishing seaport of Bergen on Thursday morning. An admirable dinner was served to the company at the Hotel Bergen, and after an afternoon spent in rambles around this interesting seaport, we started upon one of the most extraordinary night journeys that a party of tourists ever attempted. The first part of this unique expedition consisted of a four hours' railway ride from Bergen to Vossevangen, through scenery of unsurpassed grandeur and beauty. Such is the character of the country that it has necessitated the formation of fifty-five tunnels in a journey of rather less than seventy English miles. I was much amused by the keen anxiety expressed by some of our English fellow passengers as to where our one hundred and seventeen would sleep, and their surprise and relief when I told them that Vossevangen was only a resting place in a journey which would last until seven the next morning. Never was a railway journey more enjoyed than ours on this occasion. The platforms of the Pullman carriages were found admirably adapted for outlooks, and the long stoppages at the stations relieved any monotony that so long a journey might have caused. Our reception at Fleischer's Hotel, Vossevangen, where we were to sup prior to our long drive, was most amusing. A crowd of English and American tourists watched our long procession defiling from the station to the hotel with the keenest interest. After a rest of two hours and a splendid supper, we started at 10 p.m. on our long midnight drive. Our 58 stolkjarres and kariols formed the strangest cavalcade that I have ever seen. Slowly for five delightful hours our long procession wound its way up to the top of the watershed from which the rivers flow down the northern side to the Sogne Fjord. That drive is simply indescribable. One good minister in our party could only express his feelings by saying at intervals, "I call this original; that man Mitchell is a genius." So light was the journey that at midnight one of our company took a photograph, which is here reproduced, and several of us read with ease a passage from the leading article of a newspaper, and others wrote billets-doux to friends at home. About three o'clock we began to descend, and reached Gudvangen about half-past five. After a hearty breakfast at Hansen's Hotel we were met by our steamer, which had come round from Bergen.

I am told that the scenery down the Naero Fjord, on which Gudvangen is situated, and the Sogne Fjord, of which it is a branch, is peculiarly interesting and beautiful. During most of the day the deck resembled that of a man

of-war after an action. The analogy was made the moreperfect by a capital joke played on one of our party whom sleep had captured as completely as if he had been a hibernating dormouse. Some who had been to the Naval Exhibition arrayed the sleeper in a Union Jack, placed a telescope in his hand, labelled him, "The Death of Nelson-visitors are requested not to touch,' and then summoned all the passengers who were awake to see the show. In forty winks, many times multiplied, and in innocent jokes, the day passed quickly by, our vessel steaming through charming fjords on its way to our most northern point, the town of Molde, which we reached on Saturday morning. Two hours ashore enabled us to visit this pretty Norwegian town, with its church possessing the famous picture of the Resurrection Morn, and then we steamed away again through more fjords to Naes, the little town at the foot of the great Romsdal Horn. Here the Orient liner, the Garonne, had preceded us by a few hours, and such was the demand for kariols that some had come from a distance of forty miles to supply our requirements for the drive around the Romsdal Horn. Once again we set out in a long procession, which led a Yankee tourist from the Garonne, who was kept half an hour waiting as we defiled by, to exclaim, "I guess you beat the record in this country." Naes was left at midnight, and Sunday was spent in the Geiranger Fjord, the vessel anchoring for morning. service. In the afternoon we landed at Meraak, at the head of the fjord, climbing the wonderful Corkscrew Road. After supper at the Union Hotel, an interesting open-air service was held on the lawn in front of the hotel, and was attended by a large number of the villagers, who were attracted by the capital singing of our party, but their knowledge of English was not sufficient for them to benefit much by the addresses. On Monday we steamed quietly down the fjords and along the coast, sheltered by the islands, to Bergen, where Tuesday was spent in very enjoyable excursions. Wednesday found us homeward bound, just calling for a couple of hours in the early morning at Hangesund, giving us time to visit the spot where Harold Haarfagr, the Egbert of Norway, was buried in 933, and to whose memory a monument was recently erected on the thousandth anniversary of the commencement of his reign. Weather scarcely less favourable than that of our outward passage fell to our lot on the return journey, and on a day of almost cloudless sunshine and perfect calm we arrived at Harwich, after a thirteen days' trip of surpassing enjoyment.

Looking back upon the voyage as a whole, there were several features that stand out prominently. First and foremost I would emphasize the genuine good-fellowship of all on board. If this trip be a specimen of the "people" on holiday, I should like to take all my holidays in future with similar company. From first to last no jarring note disturbed our harmony. As a natural corollary of this good fellowship, I was impressed by the great distance certain pairs of our tourists travelled in a very few days. I said to our amiable secretary, who has just been looking over my shoulder, "Perhaps I had better cross that out, it may frighten the mammas. "Not at all," he replied, "it will only make them come with us next time, and we found an advantage last voyage, as everything then was signed, sealed, and delivered before we left the boat."

The last point that occurs to me as worth emphasizing is the illustration of the value of the co-operative principle which this trip affords. For all practical purposes our tourists had every enjoyment which the passengers secured on expensive steamers spending twice and three times as much as we did. At the same time, the fact

Besides M. Victor Cherbuliez' articles on "Art and Nature," and the French view of the McKinley Bill, and others which are more fully noticed elsewhere, there is an interesting medical article on "Tuberculosis by M. Rochard, in which, after dwelling at some length upon the preventive measures by which the spread of the disease can be best restricted, he concludes with a warm and hopeful eulogium of the labours of the bacteriologists, and the results which may fairly be looked for notwithstanding the disappointment which has attended the great and sudden hopes raised by Dr. Koch. There is no doubt of the existence of the bacillus of tuberculosis. To have made this sure is a step forward, of which the honour belongs to Dr. Koch. His method of destroying it has proved a failure. This is not, in M. Rochard's opinion, to say that no method will yet be found either by him, or by some one else. M. Baudrillart pleads urgently, in his article upon "Le Crédit Agricole," the advantages which may be anticipated for French agriculture by the establishment of some system of credit, aud points out how agriculture tends, day by day, to draw nearer in its conditions to other forms of industry and commerce. M. Paul

Monceaux contributes a scholarly article on "Vulgar Latin" to the second number for the month, and a "Sketch of the Spanish War" is drawn from the same memoirs of Comte Vigo Rousillon which furnished, not long ago, a striking picture of Napoleon's Egyptian campaign.

THE NOUVELLE REVUE.

THE number for the 1st of July opens with a short article by Don Cesare Lombroso, which has for its object to show that passion has a good deal to do with political revolts and revolutions, and that noble passions are stirred in revolutions, and base ones in revolts. The thought is hardly, however, worked out beyond the point which it has already assumed in every mind, and the paper is rather a succession of notes than an article.

"Germs and Dust," by M. Léon Daudet, is noticed elsewhere. A sketch by M. Wodzinski of a new novel by the Polish author Sienkiewicz, gives a vivid impression to Western readers of the mixture of simplicity and subtlety which Tolstoi has taught us to look for in Slavonic fiction. The Imperial marriage projects of 1852 are, of course, those of Napoleon III., and M. de Brotonne's account does not place the figure of the "parvenu" Emperor in a very agreeable light. The progress of State Communism is a protest by M. Charles Limousin against the danger that we run of a tyranny that may prove worse than any which our fathers have endured. M. Masseras, always strong on economic questions, has an article on the United States in 1890. M. du Wailly contributes in his "Lake Tchad and the Kingdom of Bornu" one of his characteristic African sketches.

ANNLAS OF THE FREE SCHOOL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE.

THE article which has most interest of actuality for English readers in the current quarterly publication of this journal is a lucid and moderate re-statement of the Newfoundland question from the French point of view. The subject has been so thoroughly canvassed in the English press that, historically speaking, there is scarcely anything left to learn. The account given by M. J. Cruchon of the facts is substantially the same as that which has been repeated ad nauseam by every daily the in England for last year and a half. It is chiefly interesting to find how little the French statement differs from the English, and how fully a French writer is able to appreciate the position of the people of Newfoundland. But, as M. Cruchon says, so far as their conception of their own rights is concerned, the French are perfectly content with matters as they stand. If Newfoundland is not, the onus of providing a satisfactory solution, or at any rate of proving its case against France, falls upon it. As for the French Govern

newspaper

ment.

It is not for us to formulate desires (with regard to acceptable compensation). The British Government must know better than any one the full delicacy of the position in which it is placed. For years past England has only seemed to govern her colonies on condition of obeying them. If such a system suits her she is perfectly free to follow it. But if it pleases Newfoundlanders to violate our rights England can have no claim to shelter herself behind the "selfgovernment" of her colony. We have no discussion with the Cabinet of St. John's. We only recognise the English Cabinet, which signed the treaties. It is for it to consider the situation and to seek for some combination by which it can escape from the difficulty. Our rights, which are incontestable, satisfy us fully; it is not, therefore, for us to take the initiative.

Considering the contest which has raged round the French rights, it is forcing the use of language not a little to say that they are "incontestable." Some of them are, as M. Cruchon himself points ont, so difficult of definition that they are about to be submitted to a council of arbitration.

Besides the article on Newfoundland there is one on the English Audit and Exchequer Department; the remaining notices are historic or bibliographical.

THE GAZETTE DES BEAUX ARTS.

THE Gazette for July consists entirely of continuations. There is not one new article to indicate, but the continuations will be willingly received by readers who have already become interested in preceding chapters. M. Edouard Rod continues his literary sketch of the contents of the two salons Paul Durrieu satisfactorily establishes his theory of the illustration of the famous copy of Boetius, by Alexandre Bening, and gives some detail of the life of this hitherto anonymous miniaturist. He gives also a delightful speci-men of Bening's more familiar style in a photogravure representing the interior of a jeweller's shop. M. Paul Seidel continues, with plentiful and interesting illustrations, his biographical sketch of the painter of the Court of the great Frederick-M. Antoine Pesne. M. Rod's article is accompanied by some beautiful illustrations of portraiture and sculpture from the salons.