Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-06-23
ICELANDIC WOMEN.
A Visit 90 Some Humble Ladies OF
That Frigid Cline.


Manners are simple in Iceland, as in
deed in all the Scandinavian countries;
and all the simpler here because there
is really no distinction OF rank. There
is no title of respect, save Herra to the
bishop and SRA to a priest; not even
such title as Mr.. or Mrs, or esquire.
II you go to call for lady, you tap at
the door aud ask if Ingibjorg or Valger-
or IS I'M or, il you wish to give her full
name, lngibjorg Thoryaldsdottir, or
birlksdottr, or Bjarnardottir, las the
case may BEL for there is no title of
politeness to apply Here name, more
over, is her own name, unchanged from
birth TO death; for as there are no sur
names or family names among the Ice
landers, but only Christian names. there
is no reason for wife assuming her
husbands name, and she is Thoryalds-
dottir after her marriage with Guomundr
lust as before, while her children are
Guomundisson and Guomaudsdottir.
When such a concession is made to the
rights of women, it is little surprising
to find that she is in any other respect
treated as an inferior, not usually sitting
down to the table with the men Of the
family, but waiting on them, and dining
separately. Otherwise, however, women
seem sufficiently well off, having full
rights of property, and riding valorously
about the country wherever they will;
and we could not hear that there was
any movement for their emancipation,
or indeed for social reform of any kind,
though, to be sure, imperfect knowledge
of the the language restricted our in
quiries. In one regard the women of
Iceland have obtained completer equal
ity than their sisters in continental Eu-
rope. They receive exactly the same
education as the men do. There are no
schools in the island naturally, as fami-
lies live mostly dozen miles apart; and
instruction is therefore given by the
father to his sons and daughters alike
and together, the priest-where there is
a priest-sometimes adding little Latin
or Danish. Thus the girl learn all her
parents can teach her, and is as good an
arithmetician, and as familiar with the
Sagas, as her brothers. Accomplish
ments, of course, are pretty well out of
the question; painting, not only from
the difficulty of procuring the materials,
but because there is really nothing to
paint; dancing because you can seldom
gather sufficiently large party and
have no rooms big enough; instrument
tai music, on account OF the impossible
ty of transporting piano over rocks and
boys on the back OF pony. Neverthe'
less, we found in a remote house, Ia
good wooden house, by the way,) upon
the coast, where we were hospitable en-
tertained for day and night not only
a piano, but several young ladies' who
could play exeellently on it and guitar,
accompanying themselves to songs in
four of FIVE languages, the Swedish, as
we thought, the prettiest of all. They
lived in the most desolate spot imagina-
ble-the sea roaring in front on a long
strand; inland, a plain OF dreary bog,
and behind it, miles away, grin shapeless
mountains. They. had no neighbors
within ten or fifteen miles, and told as
they were often without visitor for
months together. But they were as
bright and cheerful as possible; and
though they did not respond to the sug-
gestion of dance, they sang and played
to two of us all evening long in the tiny
drawing room, while the storm howled
without; and their worthy father (who
was sort Of general merchant for that
part of the island) aud the lord-lieuten-
ant of the county, who had dropped in
from his house thirty or forty miles off,
brewed noble bowls of punch, and held
forth to our third comrade, in strange
mixture of tongues, upon the resources
of Iceland, and the prospects of opening,
by means Of British capital, flourish
ing trade in sulphur.