The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-07-16

)t bHil bl DIlCh. botil 10 u p'NtSSbNh
against fire and as affording most con-
fenient receptacle for ashes, in all districts
where wood is burned for fuel.
Manners and Customs in Iceland.
Manners are simple in Iceland, as indeed |
IN all the Scandinavian countries and all
the simpler here because there is really no
distinction of ranks. Nobody is rich. and
hardly anybody abjectlv poor; everybody
has to work for himself, and works lex
cept, to be sure, a few storekeepers In
Reykiavik, and one or two spots on the
coast) with his own hands. Wealth would
not raise a man much above his fellows,
and there are indeed no means of employ
ing it except in supplying a house with
what would be thought in England indis-
comforts. Wealth, therefore, is
not greatly coveted (althOsgh the lcelan-
der likes a good bargain, especially III
horsefesh). and an air OF contentment
rei9ns. The farm servant scarcely differs
from the farmer, and probably, if steady
fellow, ends by marrying the farmers
daughter and getting a farm himself.
There is no title of respect, save Herra TO
the Bishop and SRA to priest; not even
such title as Mr.. or Mrs, or Esquire. If
you go to call on lady you tap at the
door, and ask if Ingibjorg or Valgregor IS
in: Or if YOU wish to give her her full
name. Ingibjorg ThorvaldSdottir, or Eli
rikstdottir, or Bjarnardottir, las the case
bel. for there is no title of politeness to
apply. Her name, moreover, is her own
name. unchanged from birth to death Tor
as there are no surnames or family names
among the icelanders, but only Christian
names, there is no reason for wife aSSum-
ing her husbands name, and she is Thor
valdsdottir after her marriage with Quo
mundr just as before, while her children
are GuomundsSon and GuOmundsttlr.
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
table with the men of the family, but
waiting on them, and dining separately.
Otherwise, however. women seem sutfi-
GENTLY well off, having full rights of prop
erty 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 re-
form of any kind, though, 10 be sure, I'M
perfect knowledge of the language re-
stricted our inquiries. In one regard the
women of Iceland have obtained completer
equality than their sisters in Continental
Europe. They receive exactly the same
education as the men do. There are no
schools in the island naturally, as families
live mostly a dozen miles apart, and IN
structiOn is therefore givenby the father 10
his sons and daughters alike and together,
the prlest-where there is a priest-some-
times adding little Latin or Danish. Thus
the Girl learns all her parents can teach her,
and is as good an arithmetician, and as tamil-
lar with the Sagas, as her brothers. Ac-
cOmplishments, of course, are pretty well
out of the question; painting, not only
from the difficulty of procuring materials,
but because there is really nothing to
paint: dancing, because you can seldom
gather sufficiently large party, and have
no rooms big enough; instrumental mu-
sic, on account of the impossfbility OF
Transporting piano over rocks ana Dogs
on the back of a pony. Nevertheless, we
| found in a remote house "a good wooden
! house by the way, upon the coast, where
we were Hospitality entertained for day
and night. not only piano, but several
Young ladies who could play eXcellently
/ on it and a guitar, accompanying them
selves to songs in four or five languages
! the Swedish, as we thought, the prettles1
of all. They lived in the most desOlatC
spot imaginable-the sea roaring in from
on a long strand; inland. a plain of dreary
bog, and behind it, miles away, grim
! shapeless mountains. They had no neigh
bors within 10 or - miles, and told u;
| they were often without visitor fol
months together. But they were as bright
and cheerful as possible; and though they
did not respond to the suggestion OF
dance, they sang and played to two OF u.
all evening long in the tlny drawmg-room
while the storm hOwled without; and thei
worthy father (whO was a sort of genera
merchant for that part of the island), anC
the Lord Lieutenant of the county, whC
had dropped in from his house 80 or n
miles off. brewed noble bowls of punch
and held forth TO our third cOmrade, in {;
strange mixture of tongues, upon the re
sources of Iceland, and the prospects o
opening, by means of British capital,
flOurishing trade in sulphur.
As for society, it must not be imagined
that there is any society in Iceland in tn
same sense as in England or America
Except at weddings or funerals. there ar
no social gatherings; even in the town al
entertainment is the rarest thing in tn
world, and in the country it is impossible
There are no " country people" no " bes
SETS" and hence no struggles to get int
them. But there is not only great dea
of practical hospitality, everybody staying
as a matter of course, at everybody else
house, but very generous spirit shown i
giving it. This is one of the things whic
one most enjoys in travelling there, an
which atones for many discOmfOrts. Eve
rywhere you meet a hearty welcome; a
that the house affords is set before you, tn
best room is at your service, and what
done, be it great or little, is done in an III
= grudging spirit and with genuine kindl
ness of manner. In fact, the strongeS
impression which we carried away, afte
that of the grimness of the scenery, wa
: that of the geniality of the people and tn
pleasant sense of a social equality whic
involves no obtrusive selfassertiOn by tn
poorer. since it is the natural result of til
r conditions under which life goes on.-W
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