The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-10-03
ICELAND.
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until 1880, when ii became dependency of Den
mark, and then came the religious uphoava brouoht
about by the apostate monk Luther Professionalism
was introduced into the island b, his agents but
the people would have it not. and then began
ruthless persecution by fire and sword. The bish-
ops and priests of the island were seized upon and
carried away to Denmark and thare thrown into
prison. The churches were pulled down, and no
effort was spared t. crush Catholicy out of the
peoples heart The Reformers succeeded for the
poor people had lost their shepherds. and sheer
bereft of the care the tender guidance of their
shepherds. wander off into the byways and are lost
the people Of Iceland, without their bish ps and
priests. lost the Faith. Cathocy was barred in the
island from 1850 to 49, and then two priests tax
ing advantage of the proclamation of religious lib
erty made in Denmark in the latter year. went out
to the island to minister to the wants of the French
fishermen there. They followed i'll 1895 by
the sisters of the Congregation of st. Joseph de
Chamberg, and thus gradually Catholicy got a lit
tie hold again on the island. Those good sisters
worked amongst the sick Catholics and Protestant.
alike, and by their especially of the lepers won
the enconiums of all classes. Leprosy was always
prevalent in the island, but it is not that awful
type of leprosy that you find at Mokai, that beau
tifui island of the Pacific, inseparably connected
with the name of Father Damien, and of which som?
poet writes
Crowd more sail though clouds are looming
Better the tempests roar and strife,
Better the wild waves shock and booming
Than this dread land of death in life"
t,eprosy in Iceland is hereditary and not CON
tagious. Infants inherit from their parents b
for persons Of different blood there is 20 DANGER
and hence it is that the lepers in the hospitals there
not isolated but move freely amongst tie other
sick,
As a natural result of Professionalism the ma
orty of the inhabitants are either Raionalists o.
Atheists, but their Ratonalism is a moderate Ra
tonalism, not that absolute Rationalism to be met
with on the continent They do not go so far as to
deny the Divine Existence, and they have certain
reverence for the Bible. It is indeed surprising to
see the number of ratonalistc books that are read
on the island, especially Danish, German a1.d
French and one book has a special fascination fer
the people-Renan's Life of Jesus" With regard
to morality it would be well indeed if some e ,h,,se
so-caled religious nations would take q lesson il
some things from the people of Iceland. You sec
no gutter press papers amongst them papers thai
made a trade out of immoral garbage. They coun
tenance not divorce, adultery any of those smilai
crimes, and if loose immoral play were put o1i
the stage in their theatres, such plays that alas I
hold pride of place often on our boards it would
Immediately be Kissed off and it's author-we he
would get gentle reminder to earn his bread in
more honest way.
Every the island knows how to read and
write, and most of the people are thoroughly con
versant with the history Of their country the lives
and works of their great men-historians states
men and poets. They have craving after knowl-
edge. and it is no unusual thing to meet many on