Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-11-13
lCElAND'S AuTHlNG.
A Picture Of the Parliament House. WI
the Legislature In Session.

tne AcSlSl8turo IN SESSION.
A deep hush fell upon the stran-
gers CALLER as the clerk of the low
or house rose to read the record.
The viking blood within me began
to leap as l caught here and there a
word that has not been used in our
common English tongue since it was
tricked out in Norman frippery by
the Bastard eight cen turtles ago It
was the parliament house in Rel
i! kiayik, and the althing was in SEES.
sion. As the president seized pen
to sign the record l glanced diff.
IDENTIFY at my companions. For the
lack Of grille, the women sat to
the left of the gallery, as in church,
and the men to the right. There
were tishwife from the quay, one
or two farmers daughters in town
for days shopping and others OBJ
viously present, as in another place,
to hear their relatives derluiLl. The
men represented on their side the
same range of interests and included
also the captain of the Iceland bri-
gale of the Salvation Army, a Dan
ish lieutenant, French baSinun
and an official of the house In a
corner sat another Englishn!an,
young artist from the potteIics AS
the president rose the door noi>ily
opened and there trooped in, as il
to another place, II couple of half
shod youngsters from the Latin
school.
The senate house is square and
lofty, with decorated ceiling, and
around the walls hang portraits in
oil of famous althins men The
benches are in horseshoe, and
each of the "a members has his APP
pointed place, with couple of ink
pots and Il spittoon. Out of his six
and eightpence day (and travelling
expenses) he can readily afford
we'll filled snuff horn, and the regu.
larity wherewith some of the con-
script fathers laid train of gun
powder along the gulley between
the index and the thumb was IL sight
for Russell, &. j., himself.
The session lasts for = couple of
months only, and some of the al
thing men have Travelled for weeks
to fulfill their duties. The Danish
mail steamer makes one of its voy-
ages sort Of parliamentary train.
Starting from Reythafjorth1, on the
east coast. it circles lie island nurth-
wand aud Jacks up thescnators from
hOiIi to i"ld. Some OF them come
i'll On st.'.ltlatA, diving bciole
them kl :; train of Lack lonies
and renOunts The stLatUIs eprc-
sent the strongest elemci.izi IL The
public lite If Iceland In IGls, law
yels, n.tlthults, divisional I!usis-
tratcs i..h. Tie IKE. rhclC is also all
upper house, flied half Ivy election
from t.; I,A tr and half Ly he king.
The ltr.n .nt NUle liu lIiilOIln to
u'It liz l'sl!h--i llCSk ttlUt liiltl-
way in snail intss between Com
Paul and TIE colonial secretary, sur-
nouA.td by Il cruvat that nlryht
ka>e cost II Krone AS he read, in a
robust yih!Lg note, from tie orders
of the day, the Daln.h governor
stroIl,d in, gold laced ard cIuulet.
ed, 81, at Tie desk reserved for him,
lifted the I'D to fetch out his papers,
glanced round for an attendant. who |
is also the curator Of the museum,
to bring him an agenda and took ,
stock nonchalantly of the house.
The horseshoe still divided its in
terest between snuttirg, following
the text of the reader and glanclng
through the newspaper, which COLI
tanned intelligence brought north
by the mail Except for size and
grandeur, the scene most wildly
recalled to my memory was the
Glasgow city council chamber
New York Pest