, 1874-08-30

A learned gentleman, who visited Iceland
few years ago, contributes four-column artlcl
to tho New York Evangelist On that interestin
country. The following extracts will be found @
general interest:
Much of tho interest which We feel to-day il
these islanders and their Mlltenuial Celebration
a11ses from She fact that to tho Scandinavia,
race England and America are largely indebted
more largely than to any other source, for til
very backbone and nauew. not only OF thci
characteristic traits; and that there, in TINT lone
far-aWay island, We have the very huguag
and customs Of the ninth century. safely pre-
served for us, precisely as tley used to be; s<
nhilate time and revisit the past.
Instead OF the inhabitants being war.iorB now
they are peaceful j; hut the old world cnstoms
remain otherwise the same Every one is still
taught at home to read. write, and cipher by his
elders, who were thus taught, and we'll taught
too, before him for there Is only one school in
the whole island for advanced atudent-the
Academy at Reyxjavik.
The 6ages, reduced to writing 800 years ago
aud snng by Scalds centuries before that, car
phraseology they are as near the coloquial lam
guage OF to-day Ms tho text Of our English Bible
ls to the column of newspaper.
There are about 81, 0JD inhabitants, and these
widofy scattered. The C,0oJ farms situated On
the habitable shore-belt which surrounds the
other hv draaru 1nilas ~ lava wnctas deao
Aorda-.r7cs IT The aaa viii ,,;,t n,ounteina ~,
eithar s1aNand ranid r;va1,. 1i,ch sra danoar1 W.
ons to ford ;: - that iuyen,le schools sra n,ita
impracticabte~ Yet tue young continue to be
hone-etiucateI from generation to generation,
tv and as a rnass-1;ernanv norI,ons onfv ~
canto;-aro the best ed11cated neop|e in tho
world Thav noaaass oool tranata atinna ~ tha
hoat Fnronaan uorEa
The Scandinayia1I. Al ws harm e1eevhere sad
r,oaasaaad - m innate 1oyc of trntb rn,,cb eor,
nestncss resnect and honor for women 1ora 81
nerronal freedon. roYarence. m to the lieht that
was IN him. Tor sacred thinrs: rraat solf-re-
lianca. combined with energy Of viii to dara and
whether by SEQ or land and much sen-deniai
under eiyen circumstances"
AZ to the IceIandio lauouage: of 4 hundred
English wortis- according to Trench sirty came
from Scandinavian. thirty from thn J,nt;n }ve
from tie Greek and i've from othor aonrces
This shows what an chronological nina tho study
of Icelandic opens up Tor tic understandine of
our own language and not less important in
the eame direction. althou Oh see,ninr even mora
remote a. furnishing us With NOT only Iccia11dic
roots. but with Roman. Etr11Bcsn. and Greek
roots ia the study of Sanscrit
These two old aud yery important LANGUAGES
va have long tbourht- and fifteon ycars wn ven-
tured to predict. viii oue DIV be. to a Certain
extent, taught in all our schools: for the study
Of English etvmoIocy. short Of the aid derived
from Sauscrt and Icelandic roots, is only a mere
scratching OF tho surface, The noble Iitera-
lures of both these languages are also an in
heritance for all time.
To tho Romans We traco municipal institutions.
5ubiectiou to the central authority controlling
tho rights Of individuals: to the Scaudinayiaus-
that principle of personal liberty which reests