SWEDEN: Wild Moose & Death

Two major themes set the tempo of conversation among smart Swedes last week.

Death. A solemn Royal theme was Death. Every official flag in Sweden went to half mast for Prince Friedrich II, 71, abdicated Grand Duke of Baden in Germany, uncle of the reigning Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg, and brother of Her Majesty Queen Victoria of Sweden.

The German citizens of Baden never ceased to cheer His Grand Ducal Highness, when he rode out among them, palsied and almost blind. Once he wore the uniform of Commanding General of the German Eighth Army Corps; but at the close of the War he was among the first petty rulers of German states to abdicate in favor of Democracy.

Moose. The second topic which stirred Swedes, last week, was wild moose. These mighty, antlered game were alarmingly reported to be browsing upon and trampling down thousands of aspen saplings in the province of Smaland. Aspen is a wood much used for making match sticks; and match making is a major industry of Sweden. Therefore the wild moose tales alarmed.

Throughout Scandinavia moose hunting is esteemed the noblest use of fire arms. Accordingly there is drastic enforcement of laws protecting wild moose out of season. But next winter a determined Parliamentary lobby will urge modification of the game law in the interest of the Swedish Match Co., a gigantic monopoly of such wealth and potency that it occasionally makes governmental loans to the smaller states of Europe.