The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-09-30
ICELAND AND ITS PEOPLE.
A COUNTRY FORMED By VOLCANIC
UPHEAvAL.
Primitive Existence of the Inhabi-
Ianls-Farm Lifo-FOnd of Read
ing, Speaking Many Languages.

volcanic upheaval and has ever been one
OIL the most active volcanic regions of the
globe. 1t is situated in the North At
lantic Ocean, just south of the arctic
circle, which it touches and geograph-
lcally belongs to the Western Hemi-
sphere, though the circumstances of its
discovery and the political changes that
TOOK place during the eusuing centuries
cast its lot with the Old World. In area
the island is about 40, 900 square miles
or somewhat similar to the States of
Maine and Ohio, but niue-tenths of this
is entirely uninhabited.
The farms and villages of Iceland are
all contained in a narrow belt that runs
around the island, and are situated in
the valleys between the mountain chains
that radiate from the high land Of the
interior and extend far into the sea.
Within this inhabitable ring the island
IS one vast DESERT huge tableland that
has for ages been the trysting place of
natures most violent forces. Riven and
torn and tossed-the earthquake, gla-
cier, and volcano have united to produce
a scene that cannot be equaled. For an
extent of 20, 600 miles there is utter desc
lation, inhabited by no human being
From this tableland again rise mountains
and volcanoes, singly or in groups, while
the snowy domes of the Jokulls
pronounced Yaekul and meaning
a mountain eternaly covered with snow,)
tower high above them all. Every century
sees changes in this interior. Hills rise
where before there were valleys; boiling
springs disappear OF burst forth where
they had not previously been known,
and In the mountain sides or on the level
plain huge chasms open with reverberat-
ing reports and belch forth seas of molten
lava. In the southwestern part of the
island, about sixty miles from Reykjavik
stands Hecla, comparatively small,
though very active, volcano. Further to
the eastward is the terrible Vatna Jokull
stretching its glacier arms and riven cliffs
over the surrounding country-4, 900
miles of ice resting upon a nest of vol
canoes that, perhaps, are only waiting
the time when they shall, as before, open
their huge throats and gashed sides and
spread destruction over sea and land,
suffocating many birds, animals, and
men with their noXious gases, destroy
ing the fishes in the sea, and sending
the waters of the rivers Kissing and
screaming into the air before the ap-
proach of the fiery flood. The two most
violent eruptions on record have occurred
from this group, and several times have
they spread ashes and sand over the
farms that lay within the course of the
wind and over the seas for hundreds of
miles.
From the name and situation, one
might expect TO find Iceland a cold,
desolate country, shrouded much of the
time in snow and bordered like the east
coast of its neighbor, Greenland, with
almost impenetrable fields of ice. The
Gulf Stream, however, plays an
important part in modifying
and equalizing the climate, and
though the summers are somewhat cooler
and shorter, the winters are far milder
than in some parts of our own country.
Quite difference exists between the
climates of the southern and northern
parts of the island but if we trace the
isothermal or line of mean temperature,
equal to that of Akurey'ri on the north
coast, we will find it leading lis far south
in other countries that boast of more
salubrious climate.
With the exception of the priests
(Lutheran) and a few merchants, the
people are all farmers. Those who live
near the sea, or one of the many fiords,
combine several occupations, and thus
gain good livelihood, or even wealth.
The priests hold their position under the
government, and are paid from the public |
treasury, but they generally add farming
to their official duties. The merchants |
have their stores at one of the small viii |
lagos about the coast and carry a stock |
comprising almost everything. Some.
times they employ agents who travel /.
through the country buying ponies,
which they ship to Scotland, or perhaps /.
they own small vessel which coasts |
around the island buying oil and Goldfish. |
The farmer obtains all the necessaries of 1
life from the land and waters around .
him. The rocks and turf are his build |
ing material, the bogs furnish mex.
haustible supplies of peat for fuel, the |
rivers swarm with salmon during the
summer, and the sheep yield wool for
his clothing. If near the sea, the almost
dOmesticated elder duck contributes its
eggs and down, the seals and sharks give
oil for his light, and Goldfish are added
to his winter stores. Once year he
journeys to Reykjavik OF one of the
smaller villages and barters his produce
for things that serve to make his isolated
life more comfortable. Usually wool and
elder down are the things brought. For
these he is given credit by the merchant,
and permitted to draw his yearly supply
of goods, consisting of ryemeal, flour,
coffee, sugar, calico and lumber. Upon
the farms the houses. with very few
exceptions. are clusters of low,
turf-coyered huts with gable ends,
doors and window frames Of
wood, and, if seen from dis
tance, are not easily recognized by the
stranger Sheep and even ponies are fire.
quently seen upon the roofs in quest of
the grass that grows more luxuriantly
there than in the pastures; but the in
terror of the houses is often made very
comfortable by paneling and flooring
with wood, painted. and sometimes
nicely furnished. Not having much to
do at any season, not caring to exert