The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-02
Horseback Tours In Saga Land.

An interesting land and It's people are
described in Iceland by W. s. &. Rus-
SELL tBadger). Probably no race hut
the hardy Norsemen coming upon such
country, hard. cold and up to the time
OF their discovery unpopuated. would
ever have thought Of making n home
in IT, The early Norwegian days were
fighting times, men fought the climate
and the obstinate soil and the stormy
seas for n living, and in the intervals
fought each other and celebrated their
fights in the splendid eddas and sagas
that ought to be better known to-day.
Longfellow knew their beauty.
In 1862 the Icelanders. weary Of
hoodshed in constant feuds. surrend-
cred their freedom to Haakon, king Of
Norway. In 1860 Denmark took Nor
way and Iceland. In 1920 n plague
wiped out two-thirds Of the islands
population. In 1854 Bishop Guth-
brandr Thorlaksson made the first
complete translation OF the Bible into
Icelandc In 1902 Denmark granted to
a company In Copenhagen a monopoly
of the islands trade, an unhappy ar
rangement for the islanders. In tho
seventeenth century pirates from over
sea harricd the coasts and carried
many OF the folk away to captivity.
In 1907 smallpox had $4,000 victims.
Half "A century later there was pesti-
lcnce that killed the cattle and caused
famine. In 1888 "A volcanic eruption
caused the loss OF 1900 human lives
and many cattle, horses and sheep. IN
1900 the Althing, which had met In the
sunken plain Of Thingvellir for over 900
years. left the LoSherg to history and
removed To Reyklavik to sit beneath a
roof. Jon Sigurthsson, patriot, won for
his people from the Danish king, at the
celebration Of the country's millennial
anniversary, a constitution and polti-
cal freedom. II is bare but graphic
recital of the history Of a hardy. liberty
loving. hard working folk.
Mr. Russell finds Iceland n fascinating
country. lie knows It pretty well, having
spent four summers there. 1909. 1910
1911 and 1913. in geological research
and exploration. Tho people are kindly
honest and hoSpltahlc, Their homes are
simple. humble, pastoral; an old
house OF turf and stone. hay patch
enclosed. q sheep yard and little vege-
I table garden.
/ To the geologist the land Is delight
]
nature; still in the making. rather
with it's mighty uphcavals from the
/ neither abyss" and league long blades
/ Of ice planning the hasaltic ridges and
CLASSY peaks. Lakes. rivers and lin,
waterfalls abound; mountains not in
chains. bu, Scattered hithcr nnd'yon at
the strange caprice of Pluto. Meadows
with rich and beautiful flora lakes popu-
] l. lea,
quicksands; sandy, wind swept wastes
valleys with fine focks aud herds al
graZc--and areas of smoking, sulphur
bubblng caldrons where natures chem.
istry Is at its most malodorous: such
Is the scenery of Iceland
"Nik" Ia creek. Reykjavik. tho
smoking creek. The city is on the noril
side Of a headland. and tx slowly ad
I vancing up the side of two high hill,
ut the back Of It's site The old city, or
the level land along the waterfront
has an undeservcd reputation for dir
and bad smells. The streets are wide
and clean. Water Is pipcd eight mile.
into town. Fish curing is restricted /,
the shore, and the author. himself
New Highlander. AYERS that many
fishing town on the Ntm England coas
|
number Of well stocked shops Tele
graph and telephone run out from tn,
capital to all the towns and to man,
isolated farms, and submarine Cabl,
carries the news of the world Gas 1!
used for light and fuel. The population
is nearly 1900, II is all very differ
ent from the Iceland in the geograph,
books of half a lifetime ago.
:.
ings in the city. notably the Govern
ment building, the Thlnghus. the SAT
nahus, the library and cathedral. TIL
Thinghus Is dignified and severely simpl
In ornamentaton; it has some good pic
lures by Danish artists and a collection
of the works Of native painters A por
trait of Jon Sigurthsson. Iceland
George Washington is notable TIL
city library has 10000 volumes an
5000 manuscripts, some of them he
yond valuing in money. monuments q
, Iceland's history. II is n polyglot as
scmhlagc Of books. "Wehstcr's Dictlon
AIRY" was noted in a prominent position
and Emersons works are We'll wor
with use. The museum represents wit
. practical completeness the natural his
tory OF the country, but the botany
deficient In the Safnahus valuahl
collection of native ANTIQUITIES Is stored
Many others that should be there ar
, In COPENHAGEN; the Danish treasur
, pays $l5,6o0 a year to Iceland as "ir
: tcrest" on the borrowed" treasure
4 fine font by Thorwadsen graces Il
cathedral and statue Of him IL in III
. public square. Denmark ella ms hin
hui Mr. Russell rocounts these facts
. His father was an ICelander. WOO
carver. his mother was Dane. and \
. was born Mt sea, on n voyage 0ctweo
. the two countries
! The university has schools Of Ia,
p medicine and theology besides the ar
department; sciences are not much dea
n with. The city boasts also nautical an
s commercial schools, girls lgh scho
, and public grammar sCho1s Thel
I are dozen or so newspapers and Sc,
eral MAGAZINES. Iceland bookbindel