Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1921-04-29
ICELAND: LACKS ICE AND
/ .r.n ~ RAILROADS aa,l m n

=
to most persons about as reasonable
as carrying wheat to the, Dakotas, cot
ton to Texas or beans to Boston. But
according to press dispatches the Ice
landers made an appeal during the
past winter to Norway, the nearest
European country, to ship them ice in
order that they might save their her
ring harvest from being spoiled by the
mild weather. o-sgs ,o ,,,.
The land which, has come, down in
history as Iceland might with more
accuracy have been given a diametri-
cally opposite, title,l and called The
Land of, Fire. The surface Of no
other country, perhaps, is so deeply
marked by the whitening blasts that
well up from time to time; and in no
country of equal area are to be found
so many volcanic peaks and vents.
Nearly 5000 square miles of the 40-
600 Of the country's area are covered
by lava flows. pr STe8 W96 fe jaaa
Iceland is approximately the size OF
Ohio and about 5000 square miles
larger than Ireland. 1t is only short
distance off the Europeward coast Of
Greenland! land its northefnmost cape
just touches the Arctic Circle From
there'rth miinight sun can be seen.
In spite of its position so near the
North pole, Iceland, thanks to the
Gulf stream, has relatively mild win
ter climate Eeyk jaSik, I the capital,
Is in the same latitude as Nome Alas
ka, but has January temperature
milder than that of Munich, Germany,
or Milan, Italy.
Icelandic summers, however, are
cool, due to the large fields Of ice
that float down from the North. Grain
cannot be grown satisfactorily, and all
breadstuffs must be imported. eN $3.50
Though Icelandsrs. faced by implac-
able natural forces and conditions,
have been unable TO achieve any great
degree of physical development on
their lava-covered, short-summered is
land, they have made notable advances
In less material fields. A truly re-
markable literary" development sprang
up In this far northern island in the
twelfth and nthirteenthl Centuries, a
full hundred years bef6te the Renais.
sance began to make itself felt in
sunny Italy. .a''a7a ~ s>17''n we ere
In more fece1nt times the 'fcelanders
have shown themselves to be In ad-
vance OF many parts OF the world in
their, social and political ideas. Won.
en- had full political privileges in Ice.
land earlier probably than In any 9th.
er CIVILIZED country, At the present
time part Of the Althing, the Icelandic
parliament, Is elected by proportional
representation. Votes for women Is
not the, only mark which feminism
has placed on the life of Iceland. The
custom of women retaining their own
names when they marry is more gen
eral In, Iceland, perhaps, than In any
other modern country. ,,.ag tn.ts .i
The political status of Iceland is, In
some ways peculiar. In effect 1t might
be said 70 be- an autonomous state IL
partnership with Denmark 1t has nc
army orsnavys and is under no obi
cation TO contribute either men OIL
money to the Danish military forces
Denmark recognizes the countrys per
manent neutrality Furthermore, tht
present arrangement Is only temper
airy, and after December 81, 1910
either of the associated countries ma,
demand a revision of the "Act Of
Union" which now unites them.