The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-02-08

wear nSJkJdNlk.
ferring exile with their accustomed
! liberties To Il vaSSalagc which was an
Outrage to the free-born.
Discovered by Naddodd
| Thus began the incur~ionS and ex-
/ curSiOnS of the Vikings. The fair
haired warriors of the North spread
/ themselves over many lands. even in
/ fnr-off ByZantium. For centuries the
coast and river hamletS of England.
! Scotland and Ireland were constantly
on the alert in case of depredationS
and sudden descentS The distant
| lava peaks of Farce ultimately became
| the homes Of those who dared not
return to Norway, until at last one of
| their number, the viking Naddodd. left
the isles and was driven by contrary
! winds in sight Of the SnOw-capped
peaks of Iceland. A landing was eff
| fected. hut NaddOdd found no trace of
human beings. Christening the newly
discovered country Snaeland. he i'm
mediately took his departure. Four
years later, in S64. came Gardar. a
Swedish Viking, who was the first TO
circumnavigate the island. He re-
christeDed the land Gardar's Holm.
Then came Floki. who found his way
to the island by the aid of ravens. and
who gave to the then inhospitable
land the present chilly name of Ice
land.
Reykjavik, the smoking Creek"
now the principal town, was recog-
nized from the earliest times as an
unfortunate location for a settlement
and capital. The original colony
was settled here by IngOlfr Arnarson.
a high-bOrn Jarl of Norway, who left
his native land in the company of his
fOster-brOther Hjorleifr. ten years
after the descent of Floki upon its
shores.
Within 60 years from the coming
of Ingolfr, the population of the island
is said to have numbered over 10000.
So much land. however, had been taken
by the first Corners that an agreement
was made by which all late Corners
could take only rs much land as they
was done by building a huge fire in
the center of the lot. whence the claim
ant Travelled in q circle as far away
from the fire as he could see the
smoke.
Kindly and HospitabIe.
From this virile race. which Scorned
to bend the knee to Harald. the mod
ern Icelanders are descended. They
are kindly and hospitable to the
stranger within their borders. while !
their homes are simple and quaint. |
Some are old dwelling places of turf !
and stone with an inclosed moving |
patch, the sheep folds. the byre and |
q small garden for vegetables The |
spoken tongue of Iceland is no longer |
heard in the Morse valleys. but in the |
the Icelanders have retained it in |
its ancient purity; and sagas and ira
ditiOns of the remote past are as
familiar as household words to the in
habitants.
The government, down to the grant |
iiIS VI dul'u'luy' ilti'l at It's Ituu Il |
minister, appointed by the king Of
Denmark. resident at Reykjavik. and
TO the althing. or the
parliament of the colony, for all acts
Iceland. The althing con-
sisted of sc members, of whom 80
were elected by the people and six by
the crown. 1t was elected every two
years, and was divided into two cham
bers. of which the upper was composed
Of six elected and six appointed men,
berS. while the lower consisted of "a
elected members. The king of Den
mark had the nominal right of veto.
In. 1911 suffrage vas extended to
women and servants. and the right IS
now possessed by all competent adj
ultS. The revenue of the country is
derived almost entirely from customs.
sea and return by dark. II is about
10 miles. round trip. OF course. the