Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1897-01-21
WOMEN TAiLORS IN ICELAND.
Wife Of m English Professor Establishes
. Novel School.


Outside Of the capital, Reykjavik.
there has not been a tailor on Iceland
in the memory Of man. So the women
have always had to make the mems
clothes, for the Iceland men, when they
are not occupied afield wringing hard
living out Of the reluctant soil. are too
busy telling stories Of the great deeds
Of their fathers, the Erik Brighteyeses
and Skallagrim Lambtails Of heroic
past, to bother with trousers and such
things.
As all the things in the world which
the men neglect have to be done by the
women-good reason why their work
never ends-and as they have never
been taught tailoring, IT comes about
that the population Of Iceland, outside
Of the capital. is one huge, preposterous
misft. Hence tailoring is put at the
very head OF the curriculum in the girls
high school which Mrs. Sigridr Magnus-
sen has built for the better education Of
the Iceland girls.
The Iceland mother Is. In fact, the
universal schoolmistress Of the land,
and IT was so that she might be fitted
for the place that Mrs. Magnussen built
her school.
II stands, or stood. on a patch OF
ground In Reykiavik, upon which the
builder was born. Just now she Is very
much troubled by the news Of the great
earthquakes up there, and by the dread
that the school may have fallen down;
In which case she will have to do it all
over again. Icelanders, men or women,
never give up task once begun.
Some Of their hero tales are running
yet, after 900 years, with the end not
vet In sight. Even II It still stands, 1t
has to be braced up. The funds have
run out, which is the reason why Mrs.
Magnussen came to this country, al
vised by Miss Frances E. Willard, whom
she met in England. to try to sell col,
lection Of antique bangles and orna-
ments gathered in Iceland, so as to pro-
vide an endowment fund for her school.
The collection is now in the Metropol-
itan museum on exhibition. II has
more than pathetic interest, for
II is almost wholly made up Of
heirlooms surrendered by the women
OF the bleak island in the Arctic sea in
the years Of distress that followed the
dreadful volcanic eruption Of 1875, and
the three winters" OF 1928. Those
were the years when they had no sum-
mer and the sun never shone. The arc
tic Ice came down and closed every ford
and harbor.
The people froze In July and not a
blade Of grass grew. There had never
been such season since anybody could
remember. Men and cattle starved,
and II was then that the women, to keep
life in themselves, and those dear to
them, surrendered the heirlooms jeal-
ously guarded for ages to buy bread.
This Is the treasure that Mrs. Magnus-
sen has brought to New York. She will
part with the tears of her countrywom-
en-, she says, only to dry them. A bet
ter day shall dawn for Iceland when she
returns with the money Of the wealthy
Americans.
It is not true. according to Mrs. Mag
nussen, that the people Of Iceland are
habitually hocking about the shore,
waiting to be taken of. They stay
there because it is the best place for
them. It is all lava further in. Just
now they are afraid Of going into the
country forfear themountans illopen
on them. literally and hguratively, but
they have not the least notion Of desert
ing. The only considerable emigration
from Iceland was during the hard years
between the eruption and the "thrce
winters" Then 10000 Of the people
went to Canada, leaving 10000 there;
but there are to-day over $4,000 left. In
spite Of this growth there is elbow
room yet in Iceland. 1t is just the size
of Ohio, with 10000 square miles Of
chiefly rock and lava, consequently 1t
has a population something less than
two to the square mile.-N. Y. Sun.