Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1897-01-09


m, this month. In fact. 1t is years
since thestittie country has had any
thin. 10 eura! it, but as for outside
aid it would take u series or such
raIIlauafSes 10 bring them TO seek IL
rhey are peculiarly hardy and ex-
ceetliusly Intelligent. In faet, ecucsl-
tiuss Is with slIcm of such importance
that where distances make Il impos-
sibla Tor children to attend school the
..Iaonntain is brought to Monmmed;
in ether words, the school, or ratner
the itinerant teacher, comes TO them
Almost every parish, il 1t is any dis-
tance from the coast towns, has traF-
clit.g 9pi.a=a-le. who, as q rule, Simply
directs the educational work IN eaeh
household. lays out the course OF STUDY
ana leaves the actual work o. nearing
lessons and OF calculating problems 70
the parents.
n Il d rare treat to go into the home
az one or these Iceland farmer families
ard during the long winter evening
watcii the educational work as u pro
crosses. The Iarish priest-lceianders
have beesl I.urherans since 154e-may
nerlsaDs ls. on his monthly visit, and
Tiiis means not alone consolation Tor
tie soul bat i rigid examination OF the
yot5nger ones in their studies. At the
ace 81 fourteen comes the tinal exami-
nation. and no child can be confirmed
until this has been passed.
Education for the farming classes
erls iii this point; but for the amDi
tioils tilere are the high schools II VI,
r-iers parts of the country. the scho0
Of philosophy and languages at Reys
iayik. anil FOR many there ts the lint
yersity al Copenhagen. for 10 inc0a
siderable proportion of the high staoo3
nnn;,s erd np their curriculum ct SUI
les in the Danish capital
when they return they become -
leaders ia the political contests which
are always stirring up this liberty
loving nation. Nominaliy Iceland IS /;
daTpndenc- of Denmark. but sine.
1879. when their constitution was re
stored to them. they have been enjoy
ing almost absolute freedom of polit
icaI action The Althing, or Icelan'
parliamsut, meets every other yeal
aud Of the entire membership Of thirty
six. only six are named by the kine
These six comprise just one-hin OF TIL
uaper house, While the tWenty-1ou
members 0T the lower house are eleci
ed directly by the people. The, Lane
siisfdifiE, or soy ermor, is named 70
HE ~ fkle hinE vi ttEblIftAAs 49, 49,
upon the recommendation Of the a
thing. His power does not extend
the veto, FOR a majority vote OF bot
houses makes i measure law, unlcS
OF course, ii be a matter involving
change ia the constitution, when tn
kings veto IL effective.
But in its literary life Iceland
many respects even sarpasses its 8
called mother country. Its schoia.
shave transplanted the classics of q
nations into their own yernacula
MAGAZINES and daily and weekly new
papers have excellent calculations, m
Iceland's libraries are becoming g.
eecdingly massive.
TO the student of American histol
the great library building at Reykj
yik forms an invaluable aid. In FAX
Iceland was colOnized by people 4
whom education took the place of m
Itary life Wars were unknown
them, and their peaceful inclination
were early accentuated by an Isolate
frcn, the great European world, whit
was essentially cOndu 1--WE to Literal
labor. so It Is that almost all the a
cient Scandinavian MANUSCRIPTS a
Icc!andtc. Ieelandic archaeologists /
covered for MS the great sages of d
&oEkN, inc Guuls, the Iltiius hElhsi
the Sturiungasaga, the Njaissaga, 4
Folugpa and others rs interesting.
But,fas above stated, 1t is to the st
dent of American history that the
eraiy labors Of Icelanders are especi;
Is important. There is the story Of t
visit OF Columbus 10 Reykjavik, whe
lie learned OF the strange adventure
one of Lief Ericsson. and then travel
hack again to Bristol thence to Ma
rid. and few years later TO America
TO ihe eye OF the traveller Icelal
presents many features nf lntcre
White it borders on the habic circ
the Gulf stream gives its coast mi
temperature, but In the interior the
IS little possibility for varied industi
Tile low growing grass makes the IA
ing of ponies and sheep remuneratil
~ fact. Iceland exports 500 head