The sun., 1918-08-16
Tho Flag Of Iceland Appears.

mo rag Of lceiend appears.
Shippers In the harbor Of Chris
tiania enjoyin ing the warm sun at 10
O'Clock Of night Id July were star
tied out Of their lazy comfort by the
sight Of a strange ensign flying at the
mast Of trim new freighter making
her way up the beautiful ford to
anchorage. 1t was a red cross edged
with white on field Of blue; 1t was
and is the flag Of Iceland, which so
far as is known never had been dis
played before in foreign port.
The surprise of the sea captains
was no greater than that Of the repre-
sentatives Of the British, American,
French and italian Governments who
met in council In London to draw up
a new trade agreement with Iceland.
the compact Of 1916 having expired.
Into the council chamber walked a
mission from the earthquake tor
mented Isle. They had with them the
British COnsul-General to Reykjavik
but not soul from Copenhagen.
A new understanding was reached
whereby the Icelanders are rationed
literally, and In return pledge them
selves to sell certain OF their prod
ucts to England. All this was con-
sumniatcd without the signature of
any representative of the crown to
which Iceland nominally still owes
allegiance.
In both these significant incidents
Iceland outstripped the leisurely prog
ress OF the law. She has been con-
tending for absolute independence for
more than 400 years; now she seems
to have gone ahead and taken It,
Whereat there Is great glee from
Reykjavik on the west to Rifstangl on
the east, from Raudagnupr and Kogr
on the Arctic Circle TO Thykkvibaer
on the south coast.
There's stubborn stuff in these de.
scendants Of exlled Morse noblemen.
The Norsemen found the place 1,O4S
years ago. but the Irish already were
there. You can't beat the Irish. Dis
agreeable persons have said that Ice
landers still talk Norwegian with a
brogue. That Is base calumny. The
tongue in fact Is the language of the
ancient sagas, kept undefiled to this
day. Their real heritage from the
Irish Is the habit Of being agin' the
Government.
Denmark got Iceland from Norway
in 1880, The Icelandic claim is that
the treaty contained no provision de
stroylng her national identity. Res
tive always Iceland secured the seq
regatiOn OF her finances from those OF
Denmark In 1871, also the payment Of
sum III compensation for certain
church properties seized and sold by
the crown at the time Of the Refor-
nation. Home rule came in 1903.
The next step, in 1913, was m ampJl-
fication Of rights. Iceland won the
privilege OF flying her own flag on her
own soil and In her own ports. Dan
ish officials were sent packing home,
every one. From that time forth. the
Althing at Reykjavik made all lee
lands laws and administered them
through Its own Cabinet. The stipula-
ton remained that Copenhagen must
be consulted upon affairs OF state
specifically upon matters concerning
foreign relations.
Naturally the forbidden things were
just what Iceland felt the irresistible
urge toward doing. Precedents range
from EVE and the apple down through
the ages TO us and wet paint signs.
That explains the flag in n foreign
port and the conclusion of what
amounts to a treaty without so much
as "by your leave" to CHRISTIAN Y.
In peace times this might have made
Il minor sensation, provoking a Cabi-
net crisis in Copenhagen. to say moth
ing OF pictures of Iceland ponies in
the Sunday newspapers. Nowadays
the European press lets II go with
few lines. AS for us. American CORE
spondents did not think the trifles
worth cabling.
Somehow we never do get much
news from Iceland. and itN seems n
pity, She Is always doing the piquant
and unexpected. For instance. after
worrying through LOO years without
a railroad, she suddenly decided in
1914 to build one-Seventy-siX miles
Of narrow gauge from the teeming
of Reykjavlk with Its 200
souls, through the fertile Thingvalla |
region to Rangvalle, and branching to |
Eyrarbakki. Isit finished? We never
we're told. The names look like KIP
LING's India. Does anybody speak !
10Th languages well enough to tell us
whether the likeness extends TO pro- !
Iceland has the area of New York |
state, or n little less, and the popula-
ion Of Yonkers, or n little more.
That gives elbow room. After n hard |
winter, a generation ago, 10000 lee
anders migrated to Manitoba. When
Canada called for volunteers at the |