1912 Olympic Games Official Report Part 2

For example, the Royal Library exhibited a number of books dealingwith athletics, the exhibition including an interesting collection ofmanuscripts (some dating from the 16:th century, these latter embracingchiefly riding and fencing), and the rich literature of our daysin the field of sport and athletics.At the open-air museum of Skansen, the various Provincial Associationsfor the promotion of home-sloyd (domestic handiwork), exhibited,for the purpose of sale, products of Swedish home labour — Scaniantapestry and lace, linen from Västergötland and Ångermanland, and leather,bone and mazer work from Lapland. The objects sold formed apleasing contrast with the ordinary souvenirs sold at industrial exhibitions.At the open-air theatre at Skansen there was given a “folk-play”called “The Värmlanders”, and at the lower theatre, which is also anout-of-doors establishment, Topelius’ play, “The Whirligig”, was givenduring the whole of the summer.The Northern Museum allowed the Östergötland Association for thePromotion of Home Sloyd to use two of its rooms, for the purpose ofexhibiting the fine old lace, hemstitch and tapestry made in thepeasant homes, etc., of the province.The Swedish Artists’ Association, the Swedish Artists’ Union, anartist, Mr. G. Fjaestad, and the Sloyd Association called “HandarbetetsVänner”, had very interesting exhibitions of work during the summer,and it was everywhere evident that the intention was to make thevery best possible impression on an occasion like that of the OlympicGames, the holding of which was such an honour to the country.On casting a glance back at the efforts made by the EntertainmentsCommittee to arrange public amusements during the course ofthe Games, it will be found that the indoor-entertainments offered toour visitors and which (as, for example, in the case of those at theRoyal Opera House) were of a very high class, could not compete,as far as the attendance of the public was concerned, with theout-of-door amusements, even if these were of the very simplest description.A long evening spent in the open air amid the witchery of theNorthern summer twilight that, during June and July, forms our nighthere, seemed to be the natural continuation of the exciting out-doorlife of the daytime, and the Terrace Café at the Stadium and all theother open-air establishments of the kind were, as a rule, quite full,while the theatres were playing to half-empty houses. It would bedifficult to say, however, whether this experience should be a guidefor places in more southern latitudes, where artifical lighting replaces,though it cannot vie with, the natural beauty of a northern summer eve.It should also be added that, in many cases, the expectations ofthose who went to great extra expense and made sacrifices in orderto be able to offer the public increased opportunities of enjoying themselvesduring the course of the summer of 1912 here in Stockholm,were not fulfilled. In consequence of the vast scale on which the829