In such company one may well echo the words of that rough, manly song which you hear in every street of Copenhagen, and which is to Denmark what Old John Brown is to America:
And we must do our best, you know, for if we slink away,
The Germans will come in on us, and for us make our hay;
And so with all my might,
Like a soldier brave I'll fight,
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
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Of the environs of Copenhagen it is impossible to speak too highly. On the east, you pass at one stride from among the quaint old nine-storied houses, which stare at you from their arched windows as from uplifted eyebrows, to the green, open country, rich in stately trees and blossoming hedgerows, in busy windmills, perched on grassy knolls, and clear, smooth streams, alive with darting fish. On the west, the breezy promenade along the sea-wall, in full view of the harbor, leads to a high rampart of turf, from which you survey as lovely a panorama of field and forest, sunny hillsides and shadowy dells, winding shores and blue, sparkling waters, as ever gladdened the eye of an artist.
No wonder the roads are thronged, all the Summer through, with many seated cars and substantial omnibuses, freighted with shouting children, well-filled lunch-baskets, and the most jovial holiday-makers in all Europe.
Fredensborg, the Central Park of Copenhagen, is probably the most frequented of its suburban resorts, and certainly not without reason. Lying within easy reach of the city, it offers a choice of attractions sufficiently varied to meet all tastes. Those who are fond of solitude may find secluded nooks and shady paths which Spenser himself would have commended.
Those who admire fine scenery may survey at a glance Copenhagen itself, the distant coast of Sweden, and the blue expanse of sunlit sea between, from the brow of the hill upon which Fredensborg Palace stands. The more practical spirits, who seek only fresh air to brace their jaded nerves, and the creature comforts of good tea and bread and butter, may count upon an ample supply of all three.
The palace itself is a homely-looking, whitewashed building, more like a big farm-house than a royal residence, but very clean and comfortable withal. At the foot of the hill upon which it is built lies a small artificial lake, the favorite resort of the late King, old Frederick VI., who was as fond of boating as Louis XVI. of lock-making, or the Czar Nicholas of drilling soldiers.
On this lake his Majesty was wont to display the nautical skill which he thought he possessed, by steering a pleasure-boat rowed by the Crown Prince and the officers of the court. To enjoy this august spectacle, the loyal Danes crowded into the park by thousands every Sunday evening, and clustered around the spot where their King and Governor was thus amusing himself.
On one occasion, however, the royal steersman was graciously pleased to handle his craft so awkwardly as to run her violently aground, with a shock which sent the oarsmen sprawling; whereupon, a naval officer in the crowd, with more wit than prudence, shouted in a stentorian voice, "Ship ahoy! Shall I send a pilot on board?" This commentary so enraged the stranded monarch that he sought out the offender and cashiered him, as a warning to all irreverent folks whos should presume to make sport of the little weaknesses of their superiors.
It would be an endless task to enumerate the countless other beautiful spots, rich in historical and legendary associations of every kind, which abound in every part of Zealand. But if one spot is to be held sacred above all the rest, let it be, for the sake of those qualities which men have reverenced and women have loved since the beginning of time, the Soldiers' Grave-yard at Copenhagen. The great cemetary beside it may be showier and more spacious, but it lacks the simple pathos which gathers around "those who died in harness." In the cemetary are trim marble crosses and stately granite obelisks; the soldiers' ground displays only plain wooden tablets, all bearing the same terribly significant date, (1864,) and the brief, touching inscription, "Fell for the Fatherland." A fit epitaph, indeed, for these nameless heroes, who knew at least how to die when success was hopeless. Not a single man buried here was over 35! Picked men indeed were these, Denmark's best and bravest; "rare food for powder," as the imperial artillerist used to say of his own legions.
They lie here in native Copenhagen, with the sweet Spring flowers blooming above them, and bright-eyed children, who were unconcious infants at the time of the great conflict, bringing their little cans of water to sprinkle the graves of the fathers and brothers whom they never knew.
[unsigned, but likely written by DAVID KER.]
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The New York Times, March 30, 1919:
Copenhagen a Contender for Baltic Supremacy
Danish Capital Hopes to Supplant Hamburg,
Shipping Centre of German Commercial Domination in That Region
Free Port Expanded and Improved
By Albert E. Hasse.
Copenhagen, with a commercial history of 800 years, for ages the leader of Scandinavian trading cities, has thrown a challenge to Hamburg for supremacy in Baltic trade; a territory which includes Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Russia, and part of Northern Germany.
Although the geographical position of Copenhagen should have made it the receiving and distributing point for the Baltic regions many years before the world war, it was unable effectively to assert itself. This was true despite the fat that Denmark's capital possessed one of the chief requisites of a world-trading centre, a free port. Hamburg was then a world crossroad, possessing a free port, too, and offering excellent banking facilities. It was German financial domination and Copenhagen's lack of banking conveniences which prevented real competition and caused the commercial world to forget the existence of a free port in Copenhagen.
Copenhagen's ability to express its aspiration to be a world-trading centre may be ascribed to good fortune, which is good luck combined with good sense. In this case the good luck was the war; and the good sense the initiative and ability displayed by the business men of Denmark.
The war made Copenhagen a clearing house for Europe. As the capital of one of the most important neutral European countries, it became a political centre of great significance. Changed conditions brought prosperity, and a new class of business men assumed control. The financier supplanted the producer.
Denmark's financial system was, even before the war, sound. Her methods for mobilizing her credits had long been accepted by the financial world. Old banks expanded, and new banks came into existence. It is reported that deposits grew to almost four times their pre-war amount. Insurance records of old Denmark were shattered in a manner that had never been thought possible; for Copenhagen became the place in which American and European insurance companies placed their reinsurance, a business which had once gone to the Central Powers.
On the heels of this increased financial power came a positive assertion of initiative on the part of the Danish business man. Worldwide trading organizations came into being, and Copenhagen became the home of these organizations, the branches of which were chiefly in the countries at war with Germany. Among these organizations is the Transatlantic Company, which was started in 1916 to compile information regarding foreign trade and to invest capital in firms engaged in foreign trade. This organization has, so far, succeeded in associating itself with seventeen importing and exporting companies. Another important organization is the General Commercial Company, Ltd., started in 1917, which differs from the Transatlantic Company only in that it is concerned chiefly with Russia and South America.
Though increased financial power and strong commercial organizations free from German influence are sources of strong assurance to the Danish trader, yet the free port has been the foundation of the confidence upon which they have placed their hopes. Their confidence in Copenhagen's free port has not been lessened by the constant warnings that Sweden and Norway will not stand with folded arms while Denmark attempts to gain supremacy in the Baltic trade. Again and again the warning is made that Malmö and Gothenburg in Sweden, and Bergen and Christiana in Norway, are planning free harbors. The Dane knows that more cities of Scandinavia will be needed to handle the enormous resulting traffic, yet he is well aware of the fact that the geographical position of either Malmö or Gothenburg is not as favorable as that of Copenhagen.
Norway's claims do not loom large, for Bergen and Christiana cannot be placed in the same category with Gothenburg of Malmö. Bergen is fairly disconnected from the rest of the world. Situated among the mountains, its only connection with an important point in Norway is a single track railway to Christiana. Christiana's free harbor, because of its foggy and winding entrance, would be of service only a few months of the winter season.
The port of Copenhagen has been free for more than twenty-five years. For a period of years it was not improved, but during the war changes have been made and a real development has taken place. It has been estimated that more than $10,000,000 has been spent thus. Its tonnage capacity, reported to be 1,600,000, has been pronounced as inadequate for the traffic which Copenhagen may expect. This condition, however, may be easily overcome, since the free port, being north of the city, is at a point where it may be engaged to twice its present capacity. The opportunity for development is not limited to the northern neighborhood of the city; for recently all of the unused land at the southern end of Copenhagen was purchased by two Danish companies, who intend to erect factories, assembling plants, and warehouses at that point. It is interesting to recall rumors printed in Danish papers that this move was made in order to counteract the efforts of German capitalists, who planned to purchase this land.
The free port is a semi-official institution, and is in close connection with the Danish Customs Department. In fact, it is an agency of that department. Like all other free ports, it offers certain advantages to the foreign manufacturer. Goods may be stored in its buildings free of duty for any length of time. Thus the privilege is afforded to the Baltic distributor of having a convenient storehouse for his goods, which may accumulate during a slack season. When the demand becomes heavy, the Baltic trader is in a position to meet the wants of his customers immediately. The cargoes of oceangoing vessels may be unloaded at Copenhagen and distributed by the smaller steamers which call at the less important Baltic ports. These steamers would return to Copenhagen with the exports of the Baltic regions, which would form the return cargo of the oceangoing vessels.
The convenience which the Copenhagen free port affords the foreign manufacturers is not confined to the Baltic territory alone; for Copenhagen may well take Hamburg's place for all Europe. As Hamburg was at one time so Copenhagen is now a terminus for many ships calling at all parts of the world, and chiefly at European ports. Hence it offers the same service that Hamburg did in former years, that is, quick and cheap transshipment of all goods, when the demand is heavy, to all European ports.
If Copenhagen should score this latter victory over Hamburg, there are some who believe that its free port would not be sufficient to enable it to realize permanently the fruits of the victory. But the entire island of Sjaelland can be used as a storehouse and as a harbor. A foreign manufacturer interested in the free port of Copenhagen will find numerous points on this island where he may establish a warehouse, factory, or assembling plant. That the Danish Government would willingly make such establishments part of the free port, if the business involved was on a sufficient scale, is the opinion of one well informed on questions of the Copenhagen port.
While the Danes believe that an official economic boycott of Germany by the Allies would aid Copenhagen in its struggle with Hamburg, yet they do not wish Copenhagen to be chosen because, after Hamburg, it is the next best choice, but because it is logically the best choice. They show that support of Hamburg and neglect of Copenhagen by the Allies means a gradual drifting back to the days before the war, when, with the aid of ports such as Hamburg, Germany was slowly creating a vast contiguous economic empire composed of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Russia. They believe that the commercial future of the Allies, particularly of America and England, in the Baltic territory depends upon the choice between Copenhagen and Hamburg. Copenhagen is prepared.
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