The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-02-20
ICELAND BANISHES BOOZE,
ISLAND COUNTRY WHERE WO-
MEN VOTE GOES "DRY."-
FORMERLY NOTORIOUS
IY WET"
Late Lord Duffcrin Told How Es-
scntial IL Was To Crack a Bot
tle'' There.

|
New York Times.
| Within a few months Russia has
gone dry" and now Iceland follows
her example. Nay, not content with
prohibiting the liquor traffic, Iceland
has ordered all the liquor now with
In her boundaries to be promptly ex-
ported. 1t may be merely a coinci-
dence that Iceland enjoys the bene-
fits of woman suffrage; the cable de-
tails are meagre as yet.
1t is a pity that the first Lord Duff
terin could not have lived to read this
bit of news. 1t would have done more
than anything else to convince him
that this is a world of change. It was
in 1856 that he visited Iceland and
bore admiring testimony to the social
customs which made essential q vast
capacity and a strong head. A social
visit, he informed an appreciative
world in his ''Letters from High Lat
itudes.' necessitated the cracking of
a bottle" with the host, and to refuse
1t was an objectionable an offense
as to refuse to shake hands. A
beaker was "conside,ed the fit
test token a lady could present
to her true love-" 1t was the
duty of the ladies Of the house to keep
the guest supplied. Breakfast involv-
ed a libation. repeated immediately
afterwards.
One OF his companions put up" for
the night at a farmhoue. His hostess
escorted him to his room and put q
brandy bottle under the pillow; and by
that time he was well enough ac-
quainted with the customs Of the
country to understand that II was
expected to be empty by morning, or
he would have affronted his kindly
entertainers.
Lord Dufferin relates how he dined
at the governors house, though din
ner is too modern q term to apply
TO the entertainment" He had come
heroically prepared. he says, to do
his part and crafty his hosts, even
IL 1t necessitated his going under the
table instead OF sitting at it; but "at
the rate we We're going. it seemed
probable that this contamination
would take place before the second
course"
He tried 10 pretend that ne had
not observed tho refllinG OF his glass.
40 IS to give his friends a chance 20
get q little ahead; but they merely
sat thirsty and disconsolate until he
gave up the deception. 1t would not
have been etiquette for them t, dis
tance him.
Yet he was able 10 make a speech;
and he made three. one in French, one
IN English and one in Latin, in re-
sponsc TO toasts given in those Ian
guages. He has preserved his Latin
speech, which could only have been
given under special inspiration. 1t
contained six able manipuations of
language as "Haustem longum, haus-
tum fortem. ct haustum omnes simul,"
Ga long pull. a strong pull and a pull
all together.) and "Unum tactum
naturae totum orbem facit econsan-
guineum," Zone touch Of nature
makes the whole world KIM
Times have changed since Lord
Dufferin's day. Manners have soft
ened. Recent visitors have seen no
such ground and lofty drinking as
made up the chief JOY of the inhabi-
tants then. And now Iceland has re-
formed altogether; SO great is her dis
taste for the beverages of joy that
she cannot initiate West Virginia S
example and give the dealers q chance
to dispose OF their stock. She pitches
the Rum Devil off the island, neck
and crop. AT the rate he is going he
will soon have nowhere i'm this broad
world a rest for the sole of his foot.