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Wars have been fought for less. But modern Scandinavians preen themselves on their sweet reasonableness, have cut their armies and navies down next to zero. As civilized nations, they passed their war along to the Permanent Court of International Justice at The Hague. The Norway-Denmark war was thus a war of claims, fought without blood or world headlines, before the 15 world judges. For a year every Dane and Norwegian who met fought their own private war of claims.
Last week the world judges gave Denmark the decision, 12 to 2 (U. S. Delegate Frank Billings Kellogg not voting)._ At once jubilant Denmark broke out in a rash of flags. Milling crowds tore up newspapers and flung them into the air. Schoolchildren sang the national anthem until they were red in the face. Premier Thorvald A. M. Stauning who loves his little Eskimos cabled them they were now all Danes without a doubt. Danish jubilance was dimmed by news that snow & blizzard last month killed 15 in eastern Greenland, 13 of them by drowning when a trawler cracked up on the coast.
In the Norwegian Storting (Parliament) Premier Mowinckel moodily read the World Court's decision into a dead silence. Tears trickled down the stolid face of many a delegate. When Premier Mowinckel had finished, no one spoke. The members rose and went silently out of the room.
Norway's towering King Haakon wired his even taller brother King Christian, "I hope . . . good collaboration will be established again to the advantage of fellow-feeling in Scandinavia." Winner Christian replied in cautious echo, "I trust in the good collaboration of Norway and Denmark to the advantage of fellow-feeling in Scandinavia."