Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-01
Pays Warm Tribute
To Iceland's Ancient Althing

of industry developed The telephone,
the telegraph and radio have linked up
the island with the world outside. And
now with the probability of the estab-
liShment of airlinss as the usual means
Of long-distance travel, Iceland's isola-
ton seems likely to become altogether
thing Of the past and this wide-awake
people VIII begin to be more widely
known"
Impressed by the fact that the little
island welcomes ON this occasion rep
resentatiVes of Scandinavian royalty.
the Santa Rosa Press Democrat ex-
claims; Talk about political stability!
Is there another country in the world
comparable with Iceland? Certainly
not in Europe or America" AS to its
age, that paper observes that 1.-The
heroic little nation isn't merely old in
the sense in which some other countries
can boast of their age. Some nations,
as governmental entities, have died and
revived. Iceland celebrates the COM
pletion of 1000 years of self-goyern-
ment under its own Parliament"
The fact that the ancient Althing is
still going strong" is the outstanding
fact also to the Dayton Daily News,
which finds in the story of the island
political philosophy of interest to other
nations, stating. The arteries of the
nations, like the arteries of their in
habitants, grow old and hard and the
nation dies, This has b2en the way,
at any rate, of the past. Iceland's
Parliament is now ahead of Methuselah,
with no present sign of a funeral march.
What's the secret? Iceland isn't as
cherries as its name implies: but it
isn't much of temptation, none the
less, to a marauding Caesar This is
one answer, Add that it is a small. UNI
crowded country. where the government
hasn't much chance to get far from
the people"
X x X x
Recalling world conditions at the
time the Althing began its continuous
existence, the Providence Bulletin
states: out Of the hordes of Asia
Genghis Khan was still to recruit his
locustlike invaders Magma Charta was
not even an idea The origin of the
Swiss Confederation and the calling of
the first English Parliament were as
far removed from the first Althing as
we are today from the middle of the
sixteenth century. Seventy years later
Eric was to set out on his bold cruise,
and 600 years were to elapsa before the
New World was discovered. The United
States was then but wide silence
A tribute to the country possessing
such a history and still bristline with
EAAA4A@tANN va Nb~o 10 lIci4h ny LLlE k1akl
Bernardino Sun, while the Brooklyn
Daily Eagle declares, n re is the SIM
pie life and adds as to the social
conditions of the nation: Almost every
family has its spinning wheel and every
little village has its looms. Nature is
not lavish Hay is 80 per ccnt of the
total agricultural product. Potatoes
turnips and cabbagas are raised. Sea
fishing and bird hunting are prime
industries Oil for lighting and for
export, food from the flesh and fuel
from the dried skeletons of the myriad
birds on the Westmann Island cliffs
mean much. The hay feeds about 750.-
900 sheep 10000 cattle and 10000
horses, small but hardy creatures, use
full almost anywhere. The exports total
100000, in wood, oil, feathers. sui
phur, Iceland moss, hand-knit wooden
and Worsted stockings and mittens. and.
above all, dried and sailed fish"
While we are congraSllating our
selves over the completion of $50 years
or SO of representative government i'm
this country" remarks the Fort Worth
Star Telegram, Iceland, the nearest
European country to us, is Observing
the l,000th anniversary of its Parlias
ment." That paper points out that
from $50 to 1852 Iceland had "ifs
golden age, when its famous sapas were
produced. Its literature was great when
Europe's was poor" concludes that
paper.