San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-01-04
THE METROPOLIS OF ICELAND.
Sights and Sounds OF Reyljavik-Build-
ings-Lines of Ponies.

Sights and Sounds OF Reykjavik-Build-
ings-Lines of Ponies.
Reykjavik, poor little metropolis Of 1000
inhabitants, has, nevertheless, its sights and
sounds Its houses, with but few exceptions
of wood, consist usually Of single story,
but in isolated instances rise to the dignity
of two. Through the town runs a wide and
tolerably straight street, on which live sew
eral of the dignitaries of the island, the bish-
op, the governor, the chief justice, and other
members of the government. Upon one
side, surrounded by wooden palings, is the
public square, in the center of which stands
a bronze statue of Thorwaldsen, presented
by the Danish government to the native
country of the sculptor. At the farther end
is the little cathedral, which contains mar
BILE font by the artist himself. Around the
different sides of the square are grouped the
new parliament honse, the postoffice and a
school for girls which draws its pupils from
all parts of the country.
One Of the most IMPOSING buildings of the
capital is the jail, and two of the most awe
inspiring of the citizens are the policemen,
who in turn patrol the streets in felt helmets
and uniforms. 1t was not discovered, how
ever, that they ever arrested anybody, be-
cause nobody ever SO far forgot themselves
as to warrant arrest. The Jail, consequently,
is always empty, fact that can be but i'm
perfectly understood when one sees its mani
fast superiority to all other dwellings One
of the policemen exercises, in addition to his
function of guardian of the public veal, that
of librarian Of the Icelandic Literary society,
which was established as long ago as 1916
has nnhliShal H. =. oil,
an author and has written at least one valua-
bic book.
The streets of Reykjavik are unpaved, but
at certain corners, wide apart, stand lamp
posts, wherein burn kerosene lamps to light
the belated citizen to his door, One of the
most characteristic of street signs is the long
lines of ponies that almost continually come
and go, bringing loads of dried fish, and car
rying back the necessaries of life; and almost
all of life's necessary demands in Iceland
must be supplied from without. Even the
wood with which the houses are framed
comes from Norway, and must be taken into
the interior on the backs of horses. A fire.
quent sight is a procession of ponies, each
with board on either side, fastened at one
end to the pack saddle, while the other end
is left to trail and bump along the uneven
road. On pleasant mornings another kind
of procession is often seen. 1t j, composed
of women and girls, each with wooden tub,
Hnd all going to the warm springs to do the
household washing. The water can be had
at all temperatures, from boiling hot, where
it bubbles up out of the earth, to tepid, fur
ther down the little stream formed from the
overflow. Dipping up tubful of hot water,
the washerwoman puts her washing to soak,
and then selects convenient place upon the
bank near the waters edge, where she kneels
and rubs and wrings piece by piece.-Will-
lam H. Carpenter in Atlantic Monthly.