The Coolidge examiner., 1935-07-05

the most important physical fact In
It's life does not appear. Up from
the south flows the warm Gulf
stream To enfold the island and
work the magic OF whlsking Ii, In
effect. nearly n thousand miles to-
ward the Equator; so that its eli
mate IL not that of the polar re-
glon, but of southern Canada or
northern United States.
On Icelands coasts are thriving
towns with buildings OF stone,
gabled roofs and church steeples,
busy streets and electric lights. In
the streets are men and women
garbed much as are the inhabitants
Of Copenhagen and Glasgow, ottawa
and Minneapolis. Ones eyes tell
him that here Is the same civiliza-
ton that Europe and America know.
And immaterial factors proclaim
the truth still more Enthusiastically
than do material things. Here, In
this far northern land. a worthy
national literature and stable ma
tional institutions were developed
when much OF Europe was found
ering In the Dark ages. Here the
lamp OF Nordic Renaissance
burned anl lighted Its own region
before the beacon OF the Latin
Renaissance was held aloft to light
the way for the world This north
ern light has never failed.
II Is true that physically Ice
lands best foot is forward. It's
most pleasant aspect is Its fringe
of coast. Inland II is in nowlse
a pretty country. though the dis
tinction may be made that It pos
sesses much scenery OF beauty-a
weird, magnificent beauty coupled
with desolatlon: for. though Ice
land is not the ley waste that dis
tant popular fancy would make II,
II Jared less fortunately at the
hands Of another OF Natures great
forces. fire. The land is actively
volcanic. and In the interior. on
every hand. are the evidences Of
great fiery outbursts of the past.
To tourists II presents none of those
scenes which have made other lands
popular; no forests. no rich mea-
dows, no prosperous appearing
farms with beautiful gardens.
Reykjavik. on Iceland's SOUTH
western coast, Is the capital and
metropolis OF the island. Like all
other early settlements In Iceland,
It was founded by Norweglans.
Tngolf and Hjorleif, two Norwegian
chiefs who refused to recognize
Harald Haarfager. Norway's first
king. settled on the southern shore
Of Iceland In S74. Shortly after
ward. settlements OF hardy Sean
dinavians sprang up rapidly as the
splendid fishing grounds in the VI
cinity became known in Europe.
As the traveller enters the Rey-
kjavik harbor. he sees little to sug-
gest that the city has been the
capital OF Iceland since 1900 and
for many years has been the Ice
landic seat of learning. Everything
appears to have commercial as
pect. The harbor Is parade
ground for dingy. weather-beaten,
commercial and fishing craft, the
quays are lined with unattractive
warehouses, and portions OF the
shore nearby are white with Goldfish
that the Islanders put out each day
to dry.
Capital City Is Interesting.
Once in the town, however, the
picture changes. More than one
fourth of Iceland's 10000 inhabi-
tants live in the gaudily-painted
wooden and corrugated iron houses
that border wide streets. American
automobiles (there are about 300
OF them In the capitaD are slowly
taking the place of the little Ice
land horses that not long ago had
only wheelbarrows as their competi-
tors in the transportation field.
The show place of the capital is
the City Square. Here in the CEN
ter Of a grassy plot rises the sta
tue Of Thorwaldsen, the Icelandic
sculptor, which was presented to
the Icelanders by the city OF Copen-
hagen in 1874. Overlooking the
square is the huge stone Althing's
house, where the Althing, which
corresponds to our congress, meets
every two years; and the Reykja-
vik cathedral, stone structure
with a wooden tower which was
built in 1S47. 1t is not much larger
than the average-dzed- Church in
this country.
The buildings of the Iceland unl-
versity, which was established in
1911, the museum, and the library
are In the eastern portion Of the
capital city.