Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-11-15
Iceland.
Golden Days.

Golden Days.
There is no country 50 little under
stood and so generally misunderstood |
as the one known as Iceland. 1t is a
very old country, and not far from
the great centres Of European wealth |
and culture, but it is far from the |
beaten path Of travel, and being stu
ated, according to popular notion,
within the region of eternal snow and |
ice, has been unattractive to all but
the most ventursOme of travellers.
1t is Jorge island, about the size of
the State of Pennsylvania, and
although it belongs to Europe, geo.
graphically it should be credited to
America, as it is five hundred miles
from Scotland and only one hundred
and sixty from Greenland. 1t is
regular in shape, its coasts being fire.
quently indented with 1jords or bays.
Being Of volcanic origin, the natural
scenery of Iceland is the grandest and
most appalling to be found in the
world. In the interior are vast val.
ieys, deep abysses formed of extinct
craters, plains Of birthstone, honey
cOmbel rock and immense fields of
lava, which have filled the beds of
lakes and transformed fertile dales in
to stony deserts. These tracts are
thousands of life, and the fearful ST.
lence of these barrenS is only broken
by the Kissing of innumerable hot
springs and the constant Subteranean
thunders of smoking volcanoes.
The whole surface of Iceland bears
the traces of volcanic eruptions, and
the fiery eruptiOns may burstr forth
at any time. Hecla, which stands
isolated in the center of the island
and visible from the sea on clear days
is 800 feet in height and has a cir
conference of twenty-five miles. 1t
is one of the three great volcanoes of
Europe, the Others being Etna and
Nesuvius. Hecla has erupted thir-
teen times in the past century, but
there are others on the island quite as
furious. Skaptar-Jokul, OrRfa, Kra-
bla, and four or five more are spas
modic volcanoes, and have been the
center of terrible eruptions. The ma
tives call them slumbering volcanoes,
and for that reason are very danger
Ous,as men are tempted into fancied
security around their bases, until
there is a sudden Outburst of floods of
hot water, ice, stones and mud,
sweeping man and his property to de-
struction.
Toward the center of the island
there are hot springs, boiling mud
lakes, and sulphurous jets of steam
and in this district are the Great Gey.
ser and the Strake Geyser, noted as
among the wonders of the world.
Winter in Iceland extends from
October to April, and the summers
are very short. But it is summer
indeed, from the lst of June to the
10th of July, when the sun shines
day and night, or more correctly
speaking, there is no night. To make
up for this, there are twenty days il
December when there is no sun at all
There are gentle rains in summer
bat in winter the usual snowfall il
from nine to eleven feet, covering al
small houses. 1t is also intensely
cold in winter, the mercury frequent
ly cOngealing IN the thermometer.
Viewed from our standpoint, i
seems impossible that any civilized
people could live in such a des0lat'
land, where everything cOnspire
against mankind, but it is an aston
ishing fact that the Icelanders are dis
tinguished for their intelligence
There is scarcely one person in tn
entire population of 10000 who can
not read and ite,and their languag
is said to be the oldest in Eurore
Iceland had her renowned poets an,
authors before America was discOy