St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-14
LIFE IN ICELAND.
The Quaint Houses There ana
Their Picturesque Interior


Their Picturesque Interior.
Atlantic. /
The buildings of a farm usually aAe
under one roof and stand in q rowswifa
their gable ends facing the court. They
are peculiarly constructed; economy Eaf
timber and the exigencies of tHe
climate furnish, however, a key p
their architecture. Ordinarily thleS are
but one story in height. They are
framed of wood, and their gables aise
are wooden; their sides and backs.
which usually slope to the ground, are
commonly Of lava and turf; the roof ~
ways is matched with turf, which
quickly grows together and fornasa con-
tinuous covering, through which wet
and cold scarcely can penetrate.
Seeing from distance group Oh
farm buildings bears the appearance OF
an irregular graSs-grOwn hillOck, upon
which, to heighten tile illusion, sheep
are calmly grazing. The farmhouse
proper consists of two or three gables;
next it is the byre for the winter
shelter of the cows if, the farmer is suf-
ficiently well-to-iO to possess. any, and
next the slnithy with Its forge and an
vii: the lcelander in his isolation is
thrown upon his own resources, aud rs
obliged still to exercise upon OCCASION
calling that has descended to him from
the immemorial past. +
Entering the house through the low
doorway in one of the gables. YOU find
yourself in a long straight passage,
through which. even in broad daylight,
you must commonly grope your
way. The floor is sometimes
of boards, sometimes of earth;
on each side doors open
into the adjoining buildings, separated
from each other by wooden partitions.
Usually, the door on one side leads INTO
the common living room of the house.
the apartment occupying the whole of
the building In which it is situated.
A quaint and picturesque interior
meets your eye. 1t is long, low room,
lighted at either end by square win,
dow. Above, the beams are visible and
have been made the place Of deposit for
an indescribable variety of household
articles. Along one side stands the low
stationary bed which serves also as q
lounging place by day; some square
wooden chests are ranged along the on
posite side; at the end, particularly in
winter, several women are carding aIM
spinning wool. This common room al
ways indicates the thrift OF poverty OF
the farmer. Sometimes tits scrupufousIY
neat and orderly, and its furisi.
ture is good and substantial, if not
costly. Frequently, however, every
thing about the place is OF the most
primitive kind, and comfort, convent,
ence and cleanliness are unknown. The
bed looks as if it were never made np-
and dirt, tieas, children and dogsiaTe
distributed in equal, though inOrdinatt.
proportions.
If you enter the door on the opposite
side of the hallway, you find smaller
room,s usually furnished with chairs
and table, and sometimes with bexi.
This, in the larger houses, is the spare
room of the house, and, after the yariotas
saddles and Sunday. garments placed
here for safe keeping have been re
moved, it is assigned to the change
guest. Ii, instead of turning to the
right OF to the left, you continue yonr
way along the passage to the end, ,yal
arrive at the Kitchen, which usually is
in separate building. Its yduc7
is of :: earth. IR- "a, firepiaes
tfickers an uncertain 3 fire of peat;
and over it hangs an iron. pot FROM
acrane. Everything is dark anu smoke,
begrimed, for much of the smoke does
not escape through. the open chimney,
and the only light is from the fire. Per-
haps an old woman with her black
garments and her tasSeled hafa
bends over the kettle, and stirs it's con-
tents. The unsteady light gives 1t all a
weird appearance, and you wonder if
the crone is not muttering an ineal.ta-
ton. 1t is such an interior as Gerard
Deuw would have loved to paint.