Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-05-04
THE LAND OF ICE.
Movement on Foot to Remove the
Entire Population OF Iceland TO
Manitoba.


Manitoba.
In the western part of Pembina
county Dakota, but few miles from
the Canadian boundry. lie three town
ships settled entirely by Icelanders,
most OF whom lived a short time in
Manitoba before crossing into the
United States Near Sioux Falls, in
the same territory. are few Iceland
ers; there is another settlement i'm Iowa
and still another in Wisconsin. while
in Manitoba the tlourishing settlements
OF Chill. Thingvalla, and New Iceland
contain several thousand of the same
people. All these settlements, in both
countries. have much the same history,
says The Philadelphia Cal, and illus
trate the painful fact that for the third
time in its history Iceland is threat
ened with depopulation. For the third
time the climate OF that strangely in
teresting island is changing for the
worse. and this time the change is SO
prolonged that q scheme is pr objected
in the Canadian northwest to bring
all the remaining $4,000 in Iceland to
the new world.
The extinction Of such a people would
be calamity TO the sent mental and
we may well refuse to believe it posi-.
BILE; for no doubt remnant will remain
will find life much moro tolerable when
the surplus population is removed, and
when nature again becomes genial.
will thoroughly re-people the old
land.
Iceland is the most interesting is
land in the world. About as large as
Ohio. 1t contains rs many volcanoes as
this continent; and a population never
as large AS congressional district, ii
has produced more poets and romance
writer's than any state. and has a his
tory as fascinating as that of any nation.
when all Europe was sunk in the bar
barism that followed the Northmen's
destruction OF Rome, Irish priests
and scholars found religious
community in Iceland; and when
civilization had revived in only a
few Mediterranean provinces. and that
but feeby. Iceland was in its golden
age Of poets, preachers and scholars.
There is good evidence that Column
| bus obta ned his first ideas of the
western world in Iceland. and there is
undoubted history that people of that
race discovered America long before
the Spaniards. Once in its LOLA years
of authenic history blight fell on
| Iceland, its population sunk to
minimum, and for two hundred years
il had neither scholars nor historians.
/ 4 4
IA term OF years and threatened gener-
al destruction. and now the same phen-
omenon IS being repeated, with addi-
tional evil that the ce-low from
Greenland comes later in the season
aud has formed "a permanent mass
against the north side of the island.
No class of foreigners become Amer
icanized so RAPIDLY and easily as the
Scandnavians. This is true of the
Swedes. Danes. Norwegians. and pre-
EN- nently true of the Icelanders. Those
in Manitoba are enthusiast for the
confederation and liberal supporters of
all English Canadian schemes of pro-
gress. They have several newspapers
in their own language, and maintain
good schools and churches. In the
three Icelandic townships in Dakota are
some six hundred voters, and the high
standard of intelligence is remarkable.
In the church library in the little viii
lage OF Mountain Containing less than
fifty houses) are several hundred vol
ums of English, French, German. Nor
wegian, Icelandic, Greek. and Latin.
aud the resident preacher Lnthern) is
most accomplished scholar. both in
the classic and modern languages. There
is no country in the world, probably
where education Is so universal as in
Iceland: the morals OF the people are
good, save one vice of the Scandinav-
ians. We may Judge that from the
clause In the latest trade report to the
effect that the import Of brandy has
declined to twenty-four quarts per
capital II the seventy-five thousand
people in Iceland must leave there
(which all scholars will pray will not be)
Manitoba could not get better settlers
and should they follow their kinsmen
into the United States they will add
valuable element to the much compos-
ite Yankee.
Maddox. Norwegian viking, dis
covered Iceland in $50. and four years
later Garthar Svafarrson sailed around
it Ten years later Norwegians colon
lied it but soon found that Irish
Christians had located there at least $50
years before. Their record adds that
the remaining Irish left when the
Morse pagans came" The Norwegian
settlers were dsaffected citizens, UNI
willing to submit to new form of gov
eminent just established in Norway,
and in 92S they made Iceland repub-
lie: but 254 years afterward they re-
newed allegiance TO Haco king of
Norway, Iceland retaining her seperate
legislature. In 1887 Norway and Dem
mark were united. and when again d.
vided Iceland fell to Denmark. to which
it is still attached. Ii 1874 the Iceland
ers celebrated the 1,000th anniversary