The sun., 1919-03-23

adherents, colonized Iceland, Wnere the
lrst settlement Is considered to have
cen in 872. Within a century the en-
ire coast line was peopled with sea-
caring men, who spent their summers
n piracy along northern Europe and
returned to Iceland to spend the win
ter, enjoying the fruits OF their plum
der.
Before Columbus Lived.
In the tenth century a man named
Eric the Red, outlawed from Norway
for murder. came to Iceland. The habit
Of man killing was too strong upon
him. and in 9S2 he was outlawed from
Iceland for three years. There was
then current in Iceland a belief that a
sailor named Gunnb1orn, of whom lit
tie Is otherwise known, had sighted
reefs west OF Iceland. This tradition
caused Eric to sail west, to become the
discoverer OF Greenland, whose glacier
covered mountains rise from the sea
before the peaks Of Iceland disappear
in the east. Like navigators Of to-day,
Eric found the east coast blockaded
with foes SO he sailed south
around Cape Farewell. and landed upon
TIE lHNltlHS south"Oot Soso'
where he spent his exile.
On his return to Iceland he gave q
favorable account Of the country
which he had named Greenland" for
as the saga naively says, "he thought
people would all the more desire tc
settle the country II 1t had fair
name"
In 9S5 a feet OF twenty-five vessels
sai lied from Iceland for Greenland
Some were shipwrecked, some turned
back. but fourteen reached cir des-
tination. There is no census OF the
| original settlers, but 1t is probable thai
each ship carried not less than fifty
people, and the number can be safely
put at from 600 to 700. Each ship car
ried all tho household goods OF tho
owners, including horses, cattle ant
sheep and flourishing farming com
munity sprang up.
One OF the important results was thu
discovery OF the mainland OF Nortf
America Left Ericsson, son OF Eric
the Red, sailed in the year 1000 from
Norway TO visit his father in Green
| land. II was before exact navigation
and he sailed too far south and strucl
| another coast than that Of Greenland
This was the first fully authenticate
| discovery of America The story o
his epoch making voyage Is so vel
known that we shall not dwell upon II
He returned to Greenland and th'
story Of his discovery spread to Ice
land and the rest of Europe and fount
Judgment not only in the minds o
men, but also In documents In various
parts Of Europe.
About the year 1000 Christianit!
was brought to Greenland, and from
that time we find records Of the colony
not only In the sagas and annals o
Iceland. but also in the archives o
the Holy See in Rome. BY the twelfth
century there were IN Greenland
bishopric. two monasteries, a hummer,
and fourteen churches. The colon,
cannot have had a population OF les
than 5000: the actual number ma
have been considerably more. The,
regularly paid tithes to Rome, and W
have papal records showing that II
1347 they even contributed In walru
ivory 70 the Crusedes ana to q Nor
wegian war expedition against Russia
Trade was mostly with Norway w
have records of the Greenlanders' tri
angular voyages tirst from Greenlan
to the mainland of America for timber
carrying II to Iceland for house build
ing. taking Icelandic wares in ex
change and returning with them I
Greenland.