"All for Norway"

Within the stark-white Royal Palace at Oslo, the capital of Norway, a tall man who carries himself like a ramrod and seldom smiles, waited last week in the expectation that an area several times larger than his present kingdom would soon be added to it. King Haakon VII of Norway knew that the great polar dirigible Norge** ("Norway") would shortly set out to fly over an unexplored area exceeding one-fourth million square miles, the icecap of the world. (See AERONAUTICS.) At the stern of the Norge flies a silk Norwegian flag, the gift of King Haakon and Queen Maud (TIME, April 12, SCIENCE). Within the Norge's gondola are other Norwegian flags of stiffest canvas, securely sewed to stout weighted spikes. According to international convention all that is necessary for Norway to annex legally the unexplored north polar region is for the Norge to fly over it, dropping a sufficient number of flags. Already King Haakon's realm embraces the south polar cap, discovered and claimed for Norway by the same Norseman (Amundsen, 1911) who now sails aboard the Norge.

Haakon VII. The monarch who may thus shortly reign over a large part of the two extremities of the globe is the second son of King Frederick VIII and brother of Christian X of Denmark. In 1896 King Edward VII of Britain prudently caused the marriage of his third daughter, Maud, to Haakon, then Prince Carl of Denmark. In 1905 the Norwegian Storting (Parliament), emboldened by the benign attitude of the British Lion, declared dissolved the union of Norway and Sweden (1814-1905) and elected as king of Norway, Carl of Denmark, who promptly took the favorite name of the long extinct Norwegian Royal House, Haakon. Sweden, pondering well the power of father-in-law Edward VII, made no serious attempt to block the secession of Norway. Thus Haakon has been called the "chief strategic asset of his people."

While still Carl of Denmark, he became known as "the sailor prince." From his 13th year he was constantly aboard some Danish warship-- used to go off by himself and chew at a great slice of coarse rye bread to keep down his seasickness.

When Edward VII looked about for a hardy son-in-law, he was reputedly not unpleased at reports that Prince Carl of Denmark could command any ship capable of being sailed, in language sufficiently lurid to cow the most rebellious forecastle hand. Since Carl has become Haakon, he has not so much mellowed as acquired reserve. Cheerful, kindly, stout of heart, he conceals these characteristics behind the bearing of a martinet.

His people have penetrated by intuition to the true man; unquestionably love and respect their King. Said a writer in the Paris Matin recently: "Haakon's wife adores him--but who does not?"

/- The national motto.

** Pronounced Norge. The g is sounded as in gold. The e, barely heard, is sounded as in eh?