Emanuel; or, Children of the Soil [A novel.] From the Danish ... by Mrs. E. Lucas. Illustrated [and with a preface] by N. Erichsen

Front matter

EMANUEL OR CHILDREN OF THE SOIL All Rights Reserved. (UCKP0! •EMANUElb •TNE-D^JT^-OF-HENRLH: I|LtUT- -R^sEa -BY NEfly- EPKHsEN IN " Emanuel, or Children of the Soil," Henrik Pontoppidan gives us a chapter in the Evolution of the Danish Peasant. The period he chooses for the story, about twenty years ago, was one filled with the falling echoes of great religious and political enthusiasms. Until 1788, when Serfage was abolished under the regency of Frederik the Sixth, " the People's Friend," the Danish Peasant was simply a slave, bought and sold with the land he laboured on, and absolutely at the mercy of his feudal lord. Personal freedom became his then, but he was still without the other rights of a citizen. These were, however, granted him in the fullest measure by the Constitution of 1849, a constitution that was then the most free of any in Europe.

This gave him, amongst other things, Religious Liberty, Manhood Suffrage, Free Education, a Free Press, and Parish Councils. The outburst of popular enthusiasm at this juncture was immense. The Peasant was half intoxicated with his new powers, and was anxious to experiment with them at once. vu

Preface

VIII The two predominant political parties in Den mark at that time, under whose influence he fell, were the " National-Liberal " party and the " Friends of the Peasants." The former had grown out of the Constitutional disputes with the dependent Duchies, Schleswig and Holstein, which culminated in the war of 1848, when the Danes were victorious. It was patriotic, anti-German, Scandinavian ; and taught with un measured enthusiasm that no personal sacrifice was too great in the cause of Denmark. The " Friends of the Peasants " were also Patriotic, but more democratically so, and de clared that the welfare of their country depended mainly on the Peasant, whom they courted and exalted in every possible way. Both of these movements also more or less directly influenced a man who was then one of the most remarkable figures in Denmark, Bishop Nicholai Frederik Severin Grundtvig, the Saga- Priest ; and through him reacted back on the Peasant.

Born in 1783, he had spent his early life and manhood in combating the hide-bound orthodoxy and formal pietism of the State Church ; and by the time the Constitution was granted he had gathered a great following in the Church, and had aroused the same sort of personal enthusiasm as John Wesley in England. He saw that the peasant, though nominally free, was still bound in ignorance, an ignorance which he bent all his mind to dispel. He had

PREFACE.

IX been struck during a visit to England with the efforts that were made there for the enlighten ment of the poorer classes, and resolved to imitate them in Denmark. This he did by the establishment of " High Schools " for the people, where he gathered together young men and maidens, for months at a time (the one sex in summer the other in winter), and by means of lectures, historical readings, and the singing of patriotic songs, saturated their minds with a love of their Father land and a knowledge of its glorious past. He put the old gods before them as the only natural and inevitable forerunners of Christianity, and constantly recited the Eddas and Sagas. The awakening of the spirit was his prime object, rather than the training of the intellect. So successful were the High Schools that in a somewhat modified form they are now general all over Denmark, and in an address given at the opening of the new building of the Danish Students Society, in 1894, Georg Brandes said : — " If we wished to point out to a foreigner what was most remarkable in modern Denmark we should distinguish three things of National Origin," and the first of these is " the Peoples' High Schools."

This great institution, then, with its religious political teaching, together with the outcome of the agitations of the " National-Liberal " party and the "Friends of the Peasants," form the

PREFACE.

X background to the story before us. Grundtvig himself had died in 1872, but the Grundtvigians were still a united and powerful body. The National-Liberals and the Friends of the Peasants were no longer organized parties, but they had left their mark on the minds of the People, whose keen interest in politics was kept alive by the grave dangers that loomed on the constitutional horizon. By the revision of the Constitution in 1S66 their liberties were already and somewhat curtailed, and a still more serious incursion on them (to which reference is made in Mr Pontoppidan's later story, " The Promised Land," a sequel to " Emanuel ") was soon to be made by the decreeing of provisionary Budgets by the King without the consent of the Rigsdag. Veilby and Skibberup have their prototypes in two picturesque and remote villages on the Roeskilde Fjord in North Sjoelland.

Here Henrik Pontoppidan lived for years, and here he learnt to know the Peasants whom he describes so charmingly, not only in " Emanuel " and " The Promised Land," but also in his volumes of short stories, " Village Pictures," and " From the Cottages." Here, too, the material for the illustrations in this volume and "The Promised Land " was collected. NELLY ERICHSEN. April 1896. NOTE In reading all names a has the sound of a in father. e „ „ a in pane. i ,-. » ee. 11 „ „ 00. y .. ii "■ All final e's accented, thus Hansine, Hanseene. b 3{1 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS " CUCKOO ! " . . . . . Frontispiece PAGE Half-Title to Book I. . . . . I Head-piece ...... 3 Emanuel introduced to His Parishioners . 27 Their First Meeting ..... 37 Half-Title to Book II. . . . -53 The Men carried the Women ashore . . 55 "I?" said He, starting and looking down at Her ....... 77 The Crows flew Homewards over the Fields at Sunset ...... 93 A Little Place with Yellow-washed Outbuildings ...... 96 Hansine at Home . . . . .101 Their brown Hands motionless on their Laps . 122 Half-Title to Book III. .... 133 The Girls in the Boat began to sing . . 161 "The Death of Young Bure" . . . 165 He took hold of her Arm and held her back . 175 Miss Ragnhild put the Bowl hurriedly down . 192 Else is Astonished . . . . .201 Ane and Hansine ..... 207 ILLUSTRATIONS XIV PAGB Emanuel gazed in Her Face . . .211 Else opened the Chests one by one . . 222 The Day of the Engagement . . . 224 Half-Title to Book IV. .... 229 The lonely Church at Skibberup . . . 231 He began to Steak ..... 239 " My Clerical Duties call Me away " . . 266 Half-Title to Book V. .... 277 He led the Way into the Church . . . 301 Tail-piece ...... •BOOK •ONE!-

Chapter I

It was towards the end of the seventies. For a week the devil's own weather had raged over the district. The storm had swept from the east on the wings of wild, jagged, blue black clouds, lashing up the waters of the fiord, so that great masses of foam were thrown high on to the fields. In many places the peasants' winter corn was completely uprooted ; the reeds and rushes in the bogs were beaten down, the meadows seared, and the ditches choked with sand and earth so that the water not finding an outlet spread itself over both fields and roads. There were uprooted trees in every direction, shattered telegraph posts, broken down corn stacks, and dead birds killed by the hurricane. In the little village of Veilby which lay quite unprotected on the top of a hill, an old barn blew down one night with such a crash, that all the people sprang up out of their beds and rushed into the street in their night clothes.

A dozen chimney pots were blown down the same night, and whole flower beds uprooted in the Parsonage garden ; and all the starlings' building boxes were blown out of the trees. Nay the heavenly powers did not even spare the Provst; while the storm was at its height he stepped out one afternoon on to the verandah to look round at the scene of devastation ; the wind lifted the hat from his white head, threw it to the ground like a ball, trundled it along the road, and in spite of all his efforts to stop it, swept it along in a swirling dust-cloud. It only relin quished its prey in a ditch behind some black thorn bushes, a long way down the high road, to cast its force over a little girl who lived beyond the common, and who weeping bitterly, was struggling home from school. Then with howls and shrieks as of a hundred devils let loose, the wind enveloped the worn out little creature, puffed up her skirts and drove her nearer and nearer the edge of the road, till it at last overturned her by a corner stone, and sent her rolling with despairing cries into an old gravel pit.

Here her little doubled up corpse was found next day by the searchers ; a new catechism still tightly pressed to her sheltering bosom, with convulsive grasp. Never in the memory of man had such weather been known. " The Lord preserve those at sea," the people shouted to each other through the uproar, when they met in the street as they fought their way step by step along the road with head bowed down ; or flying along with the storm behind them. " Lucky folks who have a roof over their heads," thought those who were sitting at home in their half dark rooms, where even in the middle of the day they could hardly see to read the newspaper ; while the wind piped and whistled round them as if all the evil spirits were let loose on the village. The horses stood pricking up their ears in the stables, and shaking with fear ; the cows bellowed one against the other as at a fire, even the cats went mewing about in a plaintive manner; and the dogs snuffed round uneasily, with their tails between their legs.

When at last the storm subsided a little, the snow came tumbling down in white masses ; — and though it was still early winter, the beginning of December, it remained lying on the ground and filling the ditches, hiding the uprooted trees, heaping itself against broken fences, and covering torn thatch. For full three days and nights heaven and earth were merged in one. By this time several people had begun to search their innermost hearts, and to make up their accounts with the Almighty in the belief that the Day of Judgment must be at hand. Even on the evening of the third day when the people began shovelling away the snow drifts from the doors, and sweeping the thick cakes of snow from the window panes, more than one man standing EMANUEL; OR on his door-step, in the struggling moonbeams, peering out over the desolate white waste of snow to which earth and fiord were changed, wondered " what it all meant," that is to say was it a warning, a heavenly proclamation of some great event which might be expected to befal the village, the district, or possibly the whole land in the immediate future ?

Chapter II

On the same evening a young stranger was sitting in the study with the Provst, he had arrived the day before, when the snowstorm was at its height. He was a tall slightly built man in a long black coat and white tie. His light blue eyes looked out with an open glance, from a pale childlike face. Over his forehead, which was high and arched, waved a quantity of slightly curling hair, and a fine growth of pale down was visible on his chin and down the sides of his cheeks. Provst Tonnesen sat opposite to him in a large old fashioned porter's chair with earpieces and a neck cushion. He was a handsome man of giant build, with the bearing of a church dignitary ; his head was massive, and covered with short bristling white hair. Behind long, overhanging, and still quite black eyebrows gleamed dark grey eyes, which together with the full curves of the nose and lips gave to the clean shaven face a somewhat southern appearance.

His clothing, from the spotless cambric tie to his brocaded vest and shining boots, disclosed an unusual degree of attention to outward appearance in a village pastor. His bearing, and the way in which in the course of conver sation he took whiffs from a long -stemmed pipe all revealed the self-confident man of the world. Folding doors at his side stood open to the drawing - room, a large handsomely furnished room where his daughter, a pale, auburn haired girl, sat working by a tall lamp with a green shade. Silence reigned around. All sound seemed drowned in the waste of snow with out. Besides the Provst's deep bass voice only the crackling of the stove was to be heard and the monotonous chatter of a parrot in a cage by the young lady. The young stranger was the Provst's new curate whose arrival had been awaited with much interest, not only at the Parsonage but throughout the parish.

Directly after the mid day meal the two priests had withdrawn to the subdued light of the study ; and for the last four hours had discussed all kinds of things concern ing their mutually responsible office. The conversation was almost entirely carried EMANUEL; OR on by the Provst. The curate was a very young man of six-and-twenty, and he had only a few days ago been solemnly ordained by the Bishop to the cure of souls. It was evident that he was still somewhat oppressed by his new dignity. He coloured up every time the Provst addressed him as " Herr Pastor," and looked down shyly. The Provst began his discourse in a quiet instructive tone, dwelling somewhat on the words, as if he secretly enjoyed the unusual pleasant ness of his voice, and the polish of his phrases. It did not often fall to his lot to have such an intelligent listener, and he could not resist the temptation to allow his fluency a somewhat wide range.

As he came to a closer discussion of the church to-day, and when he touched upon the many controversial elements within the church his voice lost its calmness, and his language was less controlled. Finally he bent forward and said with a strong emphasis and looking straight into the curate's eyes : " What I particularly want to impress upon you Mr Hansted is — that it is not only the priest's right, but his sacred and inalienable duty to his Master whose Kingdom on earth he administers, I say it is the undeniable duty of the priest, on every occasion to maintain the un doubted authority of the church. The beautiful old patriarchal feeling which formerly existed between the shepherd of souls and his flock will soon, unfortunately, be no more than a Saga. And whose is the blame ? Who are those that for years have systematically undermined the authority. of the church, and broken down the traditional respect of the people for their duly constituted ministers of religion.

Are they the so-called Freethinkers, the open and audacious Atheists ? It may be said that it is so, but don't believe it ! No, it is within the church's own doors that the corruption has been nourished. It is those movements pregnant with disaster, which, under the name of ' democratic liberty,' and ' equality,' have risen from the dregs of the people, and which now have found their way even into the sacred precincts of the church — not only by means of hot-headed youths here and there, but — unfortunately — latterly even through some of the most trusted men in the church. I need not explain myself further, no doubt you know to what I refer. Who and what are these so called followers of Grundtvig, — with their ' Friendly Meetings,' and their High schools, which have latterly received state support ?

And this ' Colporteur ' nuisance, these preaching shoe makers and tailors — ignorant persons, who — mark you — are sent out by the priests themselves into the land, and empowered to bear witness in the name of the Holy Church ? I cannot understand the blindness of certain of our colleagues, who do not see how destructive is such a proceeding to the dignity and authority which we (there is no use denying it among ourselves) cannot afford to be without in the presence of the common people, who are not in a position to value true superiority, or to judge rightly of spiritual qualifi cations. And what are the consequences ? Do we not already see the fruits ? These shoemaker and tailor apostles — are they not marvellous orators, almost prophets in the eyes of the populace ? Their phrases and catchwords de moralize the people to such an extent, that they will hardly listen to a proper well thought out sermon, and they lose all taste for the solemnities of a church service. — It is only a few days since one of these presumptuous individuals presented himself to me as a ' colleague ; ' and even had the insolence to ask permission to use the church for his ministrations !

This is what we have come to ! Tramps in the pulpit, criminals at the altar. In this manner is the Church's brilliance tar nished. This is what its importance has sunk to ! — I ask you, Pastor Hansted, when is it to end ? " He had talked himself into an ever increasing violence of passion. His face was pale and he trembled in every limb, and at his last words he rose to his full height, straightening his giant frame as if ready for the fray at once. The curate looked at him in astonishment and even the young lady turned her head, while the parrot screamed and flapped its wings. Quite beside himself with excitement, the Provst tramped up and down the floor with steps which echoed through the room. In a few minutes he came back to his place, and stopping in front of the curate, looked at him with a searching glance which blazed under the dark eyebrows like lightning in a storm cloud, said, in a voice which still trembled, " I hope, Pastor Hansted, that you understand my anxiety in the case I have just mentioned ; and I hope you share the doubts which every conscientious priest must entertain in the face of these movements ...

I won't conceal from you that even in this parish I see traces of agitation. A certain weaver named Hansen, as ignorant as he is audacious, one of the sad products of this High school movement, has been trying, for the last year or two, to form a revolutionary party among the congregation ; this party of braggarts and ignoramuses dares openly to defy me. But I won't stand it ! I feel it is my duty to crush this spirit of revolt with inexorable severity, and I hope I may depend on your support in the future, Mr Hansted. I hope in all matters of importance we shall work together for the glory of God and the good of the congregation." " I have no higher wish," answered the young man quietly, looking at the floor. " I am quite sure of that," continued the Provst, evidently pleased by the curate's answer.

"At the same time, I am glad to have it con firmed by your own lips. I do not doubt that we shall get on very well together." At this moment a softly-chiming clock in the drawing-room struck eight. At the sound the Provst's daughter appeared in the doorway, and invited the gentlemen to come in to tea. " Well then we must obey," said the Provst in a lively voice, and rose. Laying his hand on the curate's shoulder he added jocularly, " as you have perhaps perceived, Pastor Hansted, my daughter rules the house and I may tell you that she is a strict commander. We can continue the conversation another time. Come in, you must put up with a countrified supper table."

Chapter III

The dining-room — like most of the Parsonage rooms — was a lofty and well proportioned apart ment, with a richly decorated ceiling and frescoes over the doors. Although Veilby and Skibberup were far from being rich livings, the Parsonage and all its out buildings were in a style more in keeping with the seat of a rich landed pro prietor, than a dwelling for a servant of the church. The Provst's predecessor in the living had been an exceedingly rich man, and his first work had been to level the old Parsonage buildings with the ground. At his own cost he erected the present palatial building, the costliness of which led to pilgrimages from all parts of the country to look at it. Even now the wildest tales were told of the recklessness with which he squandered his money. A peasant only had to go to him and complain of a misfortune with his cattle, or say that his corn was blighted, and he would immediately run a pen through his debt for tithes, and sometimes even hand him a note for 50 Daler when he left.

All that he asked in return was to be left in peace with his books and his works of art ; and as the parishioners always had considerably less taste for the treasures of religion than for the more tangible goods of this world, the best under standing existed between the congregation and its head during the fifteen years reign of the " Millionaire Priest." In the meantime Provst Tonnesen complained bitterly of his predecessor, and with reason ; by his proceedings he had entirely muddled the ideas of the parishioners. They had grown accustomed to regard tithes and offerings as things they might give or withhold at their discretion, so that when the Provst demanded that regularity should be re-introduced and even required strictly punctual payments, it was looked upon as unseemly greed in a priest, and gave rise to a meeting which was the first source of the strained relations which had existed ever since.

The hostile feeling against the Provst had in the last few days taken a new and characteristic turn, and it was the remembrance of this which was at the bottom of his recent violent outburst. The fact was, that the conspiring peasants having again refused to pay their tithes, the rector had distrained, and according to a preconcerted arrangement, they had all allowed their old manure carts and wagons to be seized, and drove up one day in solemn procession before the Parsonage, where the sale was to take place. Then amid great merriment they bought their goods back again and drove off exultant. If the Provst then had reasonable cause to be displeased with his predecessor's relations with his parishoners, he was in return doubly grateful for the princely home he had left behind him. It exactly corresponded to what, in his opinion, was a fitting residence for a Vicar of Christ in the parishes of Veilby and Skibberup ; and it was partly on this account that he still held this — in proportion to his age and seniority — very moderate living.

Moreover he was suffering from an imaginary mortification at the hands of the higher powers, which he attributed to the personal spite of his immediate superior, namely the Bishop, an unusually liberal minded man both in ecclesiastical affairs and in politics. It was in fact not one of Provst Tonnesen's failings to undervalue himself, and as he had more than once been passed over on the filling up of some of the larger appointments, he looked upon this as an intentional slight, and determined that he would not again apply for preferment under his present Bishop — a decision which the smallness of his family and some private fortune enabled him to maintain without any great self-denial. He was not however, above accepting a little balm for his wound when, a year or two later he allowed himself to be nominated Provst or rural dean ; a position in which he at last found a fitting field for his superfluous energy, and his self-esteem recovered from the mortifications it had under gone.

From that day he lived and breathed among old documents, and acts of parliament, composing with painful solicitude sheet upon sheet of representations to diocesan authorities and county councils. He instituted elaborate enquiries at every opportunity among his sub ordinate clergy, and was the special dread of the school masters under his jurisdiction, whom he pursued with endless lists of reports and schedules which he insisted on having filled up with great precision. He did in fact succeed to a great extent in strengthening the clerical control over the Education Department ; and it was not with out reason that he considered himself at home on this subject, for in his younger days he had been assistant master at one of the public schools for several years. He explained all these measures to the curate at the tea-table, giving him to understand that he was taking a curate so as to have more time to devote to these works.

The curate, listening in silence, absently crumbled his bread on the cloth without eating anything. He had hardly eaten at all for the twenty-four hours he had been under the Provst's roof. He did not give the impression of being ill at ease. On the contrary there was an expression of joy and thankfulness in his gentle light blue eyes, when he now and then raised them and glanced round the room, dwelling a moment on the daughter of the house, as she stood behind the steaming urn. Miss Ragnhild Tonnesen was, like her father, a stately figure and the image of him. She had the same large expressive eyes — only a shade lighter — the same southern type of nose and well-formed mouth. But she was slim almost to thinness, nor had she inherited the Provst's healthy dark complexion. Her skin was pale and delicate, almost transparent — as if it had never known either wind or sun.

On the other hand her haughty bearing and formal carriage were again quite her father's, just as the relation ship could be traced in the inordinate care of her person which was disclosed by her elegant costume in the latest fashion. Miss Ragnhild was twenty-four years old and the Provst's only child. If at the first moment she appeared somewhat older, it was the result of having been the mistress of her father's house for some years. While quite a child the Provst had lost his wife, and it was owing to the overwhelming shock of his loss that he gave up his promising future as a schoolmaster and moved into a country parsonage in search of consolation and quiet for himself and his child.

Chapter IV

They were just about to leave the table, when the lame old family servant put her head in from the kitchen, and announced that a person was at the door with a sledge, and insisted on seeing the Provst. " At this time of day ! " exclaimed the Provst, raising his eye-brows ominously, " What does he want, Lone ? " " How should I know ? " she answered, sourly, " He said he had to fetch the Provst to a sick person." " To a sick person ! In this weather ! And now, at night . . . who ever can it be, Lone ? " " How can I tell ... he says he is Anders Jorgen's son from Skibberup." " Oh, indeed ! " murmured the Provst, with a gloomy look and nodding his head. " Is old Anders Jorgen to be called away now ? Dear, dear ? Where is the messenger ? " " I shewed him into the study. " The Provst finished his tea, wiped his mouth, and rose.

B On his way through the drawing-room he drew out of his tail pocket a black silk cap, with which he was wont to cover himself before presenting himself to his parishoners. Having also prepared himself by clearing his throat loudly, he entered his study. A little figure stood by the door in the subdued green light, enveloped in an immense great coat several sizes too large for him, from which only a light mop of hair, two swollen blue hands and a pair of feet in white woollen socks stuck out. " Good evening," said the Provst, in a friendly voice, waving his hand, " Do you want to speak to me ? " A hiccup was his first answer, followed by yes " in a frightened whisper. "What is your name, friend?" continued the Provst. For a moment the only sound was the chattering of the lad's teeth. At last the answer came hoarsely and hurriedly, " Ole Christian Julius Andersen."

" Are you a son of old Anders Jorgen of Skibberup ? " Yes. " Then it was you who came to me as a candi date for confirmation last year, wasn't it." Yes. " And now you have come to request me to administer the Sacrament to your old father I thought I had heard that he had been ailing for some time." A quiver passed through the lad at these words, he began to shift his feet uneasily and twirled his fur cap round and round in his hands like a wheel. " It's rather late in the evening you know, and the state of the roads is very bad," continued the Provst calmly. " But in consideration of the gravity of the case I will not refuse — well, what is it ? have you anything else on your mind ? I suppose the roads are passable now. Are the lanes dug out ? " Yes ; but — '' Are they cleared down under the ridge ? ' The snow clearers are out.