American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-08-22
iceland's Great Festival.

The festival which the people of iso
lated and barren Iceland were to ceie
brate Saturday is an event worthy of at
tention from the more busy and social
nations of the earth. 1t is their mile
nary of existence; for in S74 A. ID. lngol
sailed thither, with other pagan chiefs OF
Norway, to escape the restraints OF the
centralized sovereignty built up by Har
old, the Fairhaired, and the mightier in
fluences of Christianity encouraged by
st. Olaf, his successor. These Morse VI
kings were thus, however different in ma
ture and tendency, the prototypes of the
Plymouth pilgrims in that they soug,,; in
exile civil and religious freedom denied
them at home. There, out of the beaten
track of the worth, they made a Repub-
= lie, their Aiming embodied popular gov
eminent, and their laws first Instituted
trial by jury. For four centuries this
lasted; an age during which n great liter
allure was made, distinguished by epic
poets, philosophers and historians; in
which commerce ard exploration gave
the ma ion fame. Then at last the re-
ligion that Ingolf and his fellows fled
FROM sought ard conquered their prster-
ity: envies AMI jealcusies reat The fabric
of liberty, anc the government the faith
ers rebelied against stretched its power
over the uurcsisting children. Their lit
rights vanished one by one. And so since
the dark ages of Europe, which were
their light ages Iceland has been but n
tradition of history and poetry.
Now dawns new day; or rather now
slow dawn bursts into futl light
Thirty years ago the spirit of the Ice
iandic people was so wei revived that
once again they got their .Ait'iing: in ten
years more they gained free trade, and
one Ivy one, as they weni, TIE privileges
of freedom return. Their festival thus
celebrates also renewed as well as
commentaries historic national life,
and King Christian Of Denmark. the first
OF their Sovereigns to visit them, comes
with free constitution in his hand for
largesse to his distant subjects. He finds
revived nation in every point: their
culture befokened by newspapers and
libraries, and rising men III many walks.
from poetry and criticism to science and
politics; finds too sense of entity so
strong that even the shadow of depend
ence gals and the popular ambition
reaches beyond the concessions of the
King to an absolute cutting loose from
his dominion.
To Is this millennial festival bears a
double interest; a republican sympathy
and an intellectual gratitude. Iceland l.
a land OF marvels, an abode OF poetic
meaning tnat aunereS IN the tremendous
throes of nature. and is interpreted in the
wild and stern imaginations of northern
mythology From the crowding vol
canoes, the devastati. g lava, the treeless
and desert surface, with scarce patches
of soil and scanty heritage for fiocks and
nerds, the great rivers, the broad fIords
from the whole weird scenery of a land
that fire and frost continually quarrel
over-there has come an influence that
nearly all modern literatures have felt;
that nodded all Scandinavian life, in
spired the German thought, and has its
share in English letters to this day. We
owe the Icelanders hearty fellowship
for these things, and, besides, there is
that casual tie of Left Ericson's early
visit to our shores. 1t is well that we
were represented at Reykyavik on this
rare festal anniversary. 1t is courtesy
that Iceland will perhaps repay to our
now young Republic 900 years hence
we trust, at allevents, that Bayard Tay-
lor, Mr.. Halsted and Mr.. Field will not
fail to invite delegation of her journal
lists and notables to our nearing centen-
nial-Spring7ield (lNass.) Republican,