Heimskringla - 26.08.1925, Blaðsíða 5

WINNIPEG, 26. ÁGÚST, 1925.
HEIMSKRINGLA
5. BLAÐSIÐA
hafi haldig lífinu í okkur börnunum
hinum. Og með þessu litla dæmi hefi
eg sýnt yöur sál frumbyggjanna. Eg
þekki ekkert sálareinkenni þeirra göf
ugra en hjálpsemina, meölíSanina,
fúsleikann til þess aS deila öllu sínu
milli annara. Svona var ár eftir ár
meS þá, sem fyrir voru. Þeir miSl-
nSu þeim nýkomnu því iitla sem þeir
áttu. Þag fólk var göfugt fólk.
Eg ætla ekki aS rifja upp rauna-
sögu frumbyggjanna fyrstu árin. Eg
ætla ekki aS segja frá erfiSleikunum,
sem fyrir lágu. Eg ætla ekki aS hafa
orS á því, hvaS börnin voru stund-
um svöng þau árin, og hlökkuSu mik-
iS til þess ag pabbi kæmi heim meS
hvítfisk norSan frá Hverfisteinsnesi.
Eg ætla ekki aS tala um drepsóttina,
bóluna, sem lá eins og mara yfir
nýlendunni veturinn 1876—7 og sýkti
menn í hundraSa tali og deyddi meira
en hundraS manns. Eg ætla ekki aS
segja frá tárum mæSranna, né blóSg-
um fótum feSranna, er þeir brutust
út í fen og skóga eSa gengu ísinn
til fiskiveiSa. En eg ætla aS hafa
orS á því, aS þaS fólk, sem þoldi
þetta, þaS fólk, sem barSist þessari
baráttu, og sigraSi, — þaS var göf-
ugt fólk, tápmikiS fólk — islenzkt
fólk.
HefSi eg mátt vera aS því, hefSi
eg haft gaman af aS segja unga
fölkinu frá sumit af því, sem land-
námsfólkiS lagSi á sig í þá daga. Eg
hefSi viljaS segja ykkur ungu stúlk-
unum, sem þjótiS i bifreiSum eftir
rennsléttum vegum upp til Winnipeg
á tveim klukkutímum, frá þvi, þegar
mæSur ykkar og ömmur ykkar óSu
for og vegleysur fótgangandi til
Winnipeg, til aS komast í vist og
vinna inn fáa dali, til þess aS hjálpa
pabbai sinum og mömmu sinni og
kaupa fyrir fæSi og klæSi handa
yngri systkinum sínunt. ÞiS hefSuS
áreiSanlega gott af aS kynnast and-
legu og líkamlegu tápi og göfug-
lyndi þeirra kvenna.
En nú vil eg ekki aS tilheyrendur
minir álykti, aS líf okkar á landnánts-
tíSinni hafi veriS nteS ölllt gleSi-
snautt. ÞaS var langt frá því. Eg
gæti sagt ykkur mörg dæmi þess, aS
þaS lá oft vel á fólkitiu. Eitt skal
eg nefna. ÞaS var kveSskapurinn.
Landarnir voru altaf aS kveSa. Alt-
af bjuggu þeir til vísur. Þeir gerSu
visur um alla hluti, og þeir gerStt
vísur hver um annan. Færi maSur út
á vatn aS vitja urn net sín, bátti
hann eins vel búast viS aS eitihver
náunginn hefSi gert vísu um sig á
meSan. Alt var þaS — eSa oftast
•— græskulaust, hélt í mönnum hita
og varnaSi þunglyndi. Eg kann
margar þessar visur. Eg er aS hugsa
um aS gefa þær út. En eg verS aS
draga þaS þangaS til þiS allir eruS
dauSir. Eg veit ekki nema visurnar
séu um ykkur sjálfa, suma.
Eg man eftir fyrsta jólatrénu. ÞaS
var veturinn eftir bóluveturinn. Von-
arsólin var aftur komin upp. Jóla-
tréS var i vöruhúsinu, þar sent
“stjórnarlániS’ ’hafSi veriS geymt.
Séra Jón Bjarnason var þá kominn
og “madd|ajna” Lárai meS gitarínn
sinn. ÞaS var sungiS. John Taylor
átti gamla töfralukt og sýndi hreyfi-
myndir á hvitu tjaldi. Þá var gam-
an. Eg gteti trúaS, aS um þa jola-
gleSi okkar í vöruhúsinu hefSi mátt
segja:
“Aldrei siklingur neinn hefir sinni i
höll
lifaS sælli né fegurri stund.”
Menninff landnámsmanna.
Ekki má eg skiljast svo viS þetta
niál, aS ekki fari eg nokkrum orSum
tim einhver þau atriSi, er lýsa menn-
ingarhugsjónum landnámsmanna.
Þegar íslendingar námu vestur-
strönd Winnipegvatns sunnanverija,
var landiS ómælt og aS mestu leyti
fyrir utan lög og dóm. Svo langt
norSur náSi Manitobafylki þá ekki.
LandiS nefndist “District of Kee-
tvatin” og var háS yfirstjórninni í
Canada einni saman. Þegar hinn
fyrsta vetur mældu íslendingar sjálf-
ir landiS og skiftu því í bújarSir eftir
lögum þeim, sem um þaS gilda hér
i álfu. Hinn næsta vetur, 1877, gerS-
nst þau tíSindi, er eg hygg einsdæmi
vera munu í nýbygSunt Vesturheims.
NýlendulýSur þessi hinn islenzki
stofnar einskonar lýSveldi hér á
vatnsbakkanum. LýSfundir eru haldn
ir og stjórnarfyrirkomulag ákveSiS.
Lög eru samin fyrir nýlenduna. Ný-
lendunni er skift i sýslur (bygSir).
Kosnir sýslumenn eSa bygSarstjórar,
í hverri sýslu og sýsluhefnd (bygS'-
arráS). En yfirstjórn nýlendunnar
er í höndum nýlenduráSsins, en þaS
skipa bygSarstjórarnir fjórir og yfir-
maSur sá, er nefndist “þingstjóri”
(governor). ÞaS æSsta embætti skip-
aSi S'igtrvggur Jónasson. !— E’n"
hverntíma kemur sú tíS, aS i sögu
Canada verSur frá þessu skýrt, sem
einhverjum einkennilegasta og aSdá-
anlegasta viSburSi i sögu landsins á
landnámstíS. Eg vil halda því frani,
aS aS þessu leyti beri sjálfir hinir
frægu “feSur” Nýja Englands engan
ægishjálm yfir feSur Nýja íslands.
Sjálfum mér veit eg aS aldrei fellur
meiri heiSur i skaut, en sá, aS mega
telja mig son “bygSarstjórans” i
VíSinessbygS.
Þessi sjálfstjórn frumbyggjanna í
Nýja íslandi stóS i rauninni alt til
1883. ÞaS Ieynir sér ekki, aS feSur
vorir trúSu því, aS frelsi og farsæld
lands og lýSs er borgiS einungis meS
lögbundnu skipulagi og virSingu fyr-
ir lögum landsins.
AnnaS dæmi skal eg taka til marks
um táp menningarinnar hjá frum-
byggjunum íslenzku. Hygg eg þaS
einnig nær einstakt i sinni röS. Þeg-
ar árig 1877 brjótast efnalausir ný-
lendumenn í því, aS eignast prent-
smiSju og gefa út biaS. Eg hefi eitt-
hvaS heyrt um þaS, hversu erfiSlega
gekk aS fá áhöldin og íslenzka stíla.
NorSur á Lundi viS íslendingafljót
var prentsmiSjan sett. Ekki man
eg betur en aS menn bæru þangaS
prentáhöldin á bakinu. í september
kom “Framfari” í heiminn. Nafn
blaSsins ber meS sér, hvaS fyrir
mönnum hefir vakaS. ÞaS hefir
veriS sterk framfara og framsóknar-
þrá í brjóstum leiStoganna, sem
færSust þetta þrekvirki í fang. Og
prentsmiSjan og blaSiS eru óræk
sönnunarmerki þess, aS án bókmenta
fær íslenzk sál ekki lífi haldiS. Án
bókmenta gátu nýlendumenn ekki un-
aS æfi sinni árinu lengur.
Þá eru skólarnir. Þegar á allra
fyrstu árum, þrátt fyrir alla fátækt
og allar áhyggjur fyrir daglegu
brauSi, er komiS á skólum. ASal-
lega var þaS á Gintli, en þó líka í
Lundl. Á Gimli voru þaS fóstur-
dætur John Taylors, sem skólanum
veittu fyrst forstöSu. ÞangaS sóttu
ekki börnin ein, heldur settust þar
fulltíSamenn og fjölskyldufeSur á
skólabekk, til þess, um fram alt, aS_
“læra máliS”, komast lítilsháttar niS-
ur í ensku. En aSallega komu kenslu-
málin í hendur frú Láru Bjarnason,
þegar þau hjón komu til nýlendunn-
ar. Vetur eftir vetur kendi hún
barnaskóla á Gimli endurgjaldslaust
aS heita mátti. Starf þeirrar göfugu
konu og gildi þess fyrir menning ný-
lendulýSsins verSur aldrei fullmetiS.
Og loks er i þessu sambandi aS
minnast þeirra mála, sem langmest
áhrif höfSu og mestu umróti ollu. En
þaS voru sjálf eilífSarmál mannanna.
Baráttan og einstæSingsskapurinn,
sorgirnar sáru og dauSinn, knúSu
sálir tnanna í áttina til guSs. Hér
var engin kirkja. Enginp prestur.
En trúar- og tilbeiSsluþörfin var ó-
mótstæSileg. I einverunni fóru
menn aS hugsa tueS eigin höfSi um
trúmál. Svo kotnu samtök um aS
fá kennitnenn. Tveir prestar komu.
— göfugir. ógleymanlegir leiStogar.
— séra Jón Bjarnason og séra Páll
Þorláksson. Því miSur lágtt leiSir
þeirra ekki saman. TrúmálastriSinu
frá þeim árurn er viSbrugSiS. Ö-
neitanlega var þaS aS ýntsu leyti öm-
urlegt, og þangaS má aS líkindutn
rekja rætur þess ófriSar i kirkju-
málum, setn löngurn hefir fylgt Vest-
ur-Islendingum. F.n þangaS má og
rekja — og J>aS varSar meiru —
þaS sannfæringarþrek, þaS hugsana-
sjálfstæSi, þá sannleiksást og þá siS-
ferSilegu einttrS, sent þratt fyrir alla
sundttrþykkjtina hefir auSkent trúar-
líf íslendinga hér vestan hafs. Land-
námsfeSurnir voru þar, sent á öSrttm
sviSum lifsins. þrekmiklir, karlntann-
legir og ótrauSir. Máttur trúarlifs-
ins er oss rttnninn frá þessunt feSrunt
vorum. Þeir voru jafnan heilir,
aldrei hálfir. Hver dirfist aS kasta
steini á leiSi þeirra?
Tilheyrendur mínir I Eg hefi leit-
ast viS aS leiSa hugsanir ySar og til-
finningar aS feSrutn vorum ,frum-
byggjunttm islenzku i landi hér. Eg
hefi bent ySur á hvilikir ntenn þaS
voru. Eg hefi vakiS eftirtekt ySar á
þvi, aS sporin þeirra voru þung og
blóS sársaukans er í fótförum þeirra.
MeS þvi er þá og eftirtekt vor vakin
á þvi, hversu dýru verSi þeir keyptu
oss börnum sínum þetta land. Frá
hverju leiSi landnámsmanna hljóm-
ar rödd sem þruman sterk, og særir
oss viS alt, sem heilagt er, aS byggja
vel ofan á grundvöllinn, sem þeir
lögSu.
GuS blessi minningu frumbyggj-
anna islenzku allra.
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Canada
(Ftamh. frá 1. bls.)
life you must contribute, the nation-
hood of Canada.
Prior to Confederation there were
several British colonies in British
North America each with a measure
of self-government, each having its
own economic and political entity.
Their attitude was provincial and
colonial and any idea of distinct
nationality was indeed remote. Yet
there were men in those days who
could see visions of the future. Mac-
donald, Cartier, Tupper, McGhee, to
mention only a few of the Fathers
of Confederation, were Statesmen.
They had the picture of a united
Canada before them and were not
afraid to hope for the future. Their
drearns of yesterday are the realities
of to-day. In their ntinds sprouted
the seed of Canadian nationality.
That seed has grown. The onward
march of Canada towards nationhoód
has been ntarvellously rapid, Time
does not permit me to do ínore than
merly outline the .stages of that on-
ward ntarch. There has been a com-
plete change in the British attitude
towards Canada; the government
front Downing Street is a thing of
the past; there has been a free and
complete recognition of provincial
and federal autonomy and the right
of self-government in all matters
which concern Canada aloqfe: tþe
checks provided on federal legis-
lation have rarelv been used. Almost
entirely in fact, if not in form, Can-
ada has been granted the right of
self-government. With this has
grown our sense of manhood. Eco-
nottiic factors have also largely cOntri-
buted to our sense of nationality. We
are beginning to feel that we have a
heritage of value, that our country
is not a barren waste of ice and
snow but a land of wealth and pro-
mise. The tremendous development
of our western prairies (for we are
now the greatest exporters of wheat
in the world), the developtnent of our
mines and our forests and our water
power have given us the feeling that
we are not paupers but have un-
limited assets behind us. We can take
our place with other nations and stand
solidly on our own feet. We have
country of which we are proud and
we can face the future with con-
fidence and optimism based on the
reality of natural wealth. The col-
onial idea is gone. The Dotninions
are being called into the councils of
the Empire as partners on terms of
equalitv. The Imperial Conferences
marked a great stage in the develop-
ment of our national consciousness.
The attitute of such conferences of
Canadian premiers from Sir Wilfred
Laurier onward to the present has
been consistently manly and English
statesmen have freely admitted their
right to the position of independence
that they have adopted. During. the
war the kernel of Canadian nationa!
•status ripened still further. No
nation in the world played a ntore
heroic part than Canada in that ter-
rible dranta that began in 1914.
Canada enterged from that war with
a new status in the éyes of the
world. She signed the Peace Treaty
recognized by Great Britain and the
powers of the world as a nation.
Canada has taken her seat in the
Councils of the League of Nations
and proudly holds her place in the
ranks of those nations that are und-
ertaking the arduous march towards
the goal of world peace. Canada is
negotiating her own treaties with
other nations. There is rnuch dis-
cussion in the public press and else-
where of the advisability of having
a Canadian ambassador at Washing-
ton, a distinctive Canadian flag, such
as some of the other Dominions have
and the advisability of a self con-
tained judicial systeni. I had the
pleasure recently of hearing a great
Þ J E R SE M NOTIÐ
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VERÐ CÆÐI ÁNÆGJA.
Canadian orator, Sir Geo. Foster,
speak on the subject of Canada. He
outlined much more ably than I
could hope to do sonie of the stages
of development that I have mentioned
and he made one statement that I
should like to repeat to-day. “No
nation in the world of the size of
Canada can point to as great an
achievement as Canada has accom-
plished in the short space of half a
century.” The pulse of Canada is
quickening; the spirit of Canadian
national consciousness is becoming a
rea! factor in the public life of
Canada. The march towards nation-
hood has been steady and rapid.
Should this march cease? Can it
cease? These are questions that 1
leave with you for consideration.
You may ask, Why should we con-
cern ourselves with this spirit of
national consciousness? If we have
full sel f-government and material
prosperity what more do we want?
What is the value of this sense of
nationality ? What do I mean by
it? Let us look at the lessons of
History. I use the term spirit of
nationality and national conscious-
ness in a special sense. I rnean bv
it the spirit that holds a people to-
gether and carries them trough ad-
versity to success; the spirit that
tnakes the inhabitants of a country
an entity ready to defend that counlrv
and give their lives that it may con-
tinue free and prosper; the spirit
that caused the Icelanders, after
centunies of privation, famine and
plague, to scorn the suggestion made
in the eighteenth century that they
should abandon Iceland and migrate
to Denmark and made them stand
fast to the island that was home to
them ; the spirit that moved Leonidas
and his noble band to lay down their
lives at Thermopylae that the Persian
hordes might not overrun Greece;
the spirit that moved Drake to attack
the Invincible Arniada and drive it
from the seas and so save England
froni the maw of Spain; the spirit
that held the British squares intact at
Waterloo and saved Europe from
Napoleon; the spirit that inspired the
French defence of Verdun and the
immortal words “they shall not pass”
and kept the German beasí out of
Paris; the spirit that held the Cana-
dians fast in that hell of poison gas
at the battle of Ypres and saved the
civilization of the world. Is the
spirit that enables men to do these
things, that keeps a nation intact,
steadfast and strong, lightly to be cast
aside aS of no value! Yet there are
many in this land of ours who would
oppose our march towards nation-
hood. They' raise ‘the cry of dis-
lovalty; to them the quickening of the
pulse of Canadian consciousness
spells the disintegration of the Em-
pire, the breaking of the ties that
hokl Canada to England, the abnega-
tion of English institutions and tra-
ditions. Their fears are unfounded.
There is no one in this audience who
more ardently admires English in-
stitutions and traditions than I do.
England is the mother of liberty;
she has l>een the leader in freedom
of political development; she stands
to-day in the forefront of the nations
of the world, the home of law and
order, a model of political and com-
mercial morálity for other nations
to follow. Yet in no country does
the spirit of national consciousness
more strongly prevail than it does in
England. Canada must follow the
model of England on her march to
her self-realization. Canada
would be an unworthy daughter of
her mother England were she to
cease now in her self-development,
and we Canadians, who are of non-
British origin, would be unworthy
foster-children of our foster-mother
England if we should be unwilling
to take our place in the march along
the road of national consciousness. I
have no fears for the future. I should
like to see our national consciousness
grow strong and clean and I know
of no better model to follow than
that of England.
Yet the pathway is not free from
obstacles econoniic as well as racial.
Canada is composed of different
areas whose economic needs are
widely divergent. There is great
discontent in the Maritime Provinces
and irresponsible politicians have in the
west raised the threat of secession if
western demands are not immediately
met. Canada has serious economic
problems that call for solution. If
Canada is to be a nation it must be
a united one, free from sectionalism
and internal discord. Then too Can-
ada has a mixed population of French,
British and non-British origin. The
French Canadian to my mind oc-
cupies a different position from that
of other Canadians of non-British
origin, I do not intend to-day to
labor that proposition. But what of
the other Canadians of non-British
origin ? Each group must make its
contribution to the life of the new
land to which it has conie. What
fuel can you and I add to the fire
of Canadian national consciousness ?
Can we be both Icelanders and Can-
adians? You must answer that
question. Here I should like to draw
a distinction between the older and
the younger generations. I cannot ask
the older man, who knows Iceland,
who was born there, brought up in
its traditions, steeped in its literature,
full of its national conscious.ness, to
cast out from his soul the very fibre
of his being. Yet we who are born
in this country, are in different
position. To us Canada is our native
land, here we live and have our op-
portunities, here our children are
born, here we expect to die. To us
there can be but one choice between
Iceland and Canada, and that choice
is Canada. The spirit of national
consciousnes's is a jealous mistress
brooking no rival.
And so our lot is cast. I have al-
most finished. What contribution
can we make ? What qualities can we
give to the life of Cánada? It has
been my great privilege to speak on
several occasions recently on the
early history of the Icelandic Settle-
ments in North America. If I have
læen guilty of ihaccuracies of detail
I ask your pardon. I have been
more concerned to trace their path-
way through hardship and privation
to the success and prosperity they
now enjoy; What qualities did those
heroic pioneers display? What held
them in this settlement and in other
parts of Canada despite vears of
deadening adversity ? The same quali-
ties as have held Iceland together for
over a 1000 years of adversity and
have raised her to her present fH>-
sition of independence and freedom.
Those qualities were not qualities of
brilliance but infinitely more valu-
able qualities — tenacitv of pur-
pose, singleness of mind, persever-
ance, industry and courage. If those
qualities have been transmitted to
us and if we can give them to Can-
ada we can play a not unworthy part
in the task of nation-building. We
can add fuel to the fire of Canadian
national consciousness that will en-
able that fire to burn with a bright,
steady and strong flatne, a flame that
will light the pathway of Canada’s
march to the free, upright, clean and
virile nationhood.
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SAGA
ER KOMIN ÚT
HÚRRA FYRIR LANDANUM!
Fyrsa bók “Sögru”, 160 bls. auk kápu, bíöur kaupenda og Ies_
enda. Margt í bók þessari, sim hver einn og einasti íslendingur
verCur aö lesa, eins og t. d. rímuna af köppunum miklu, frá kosn-
ingaorustunni skæöu, 1917. Nú birt í fyrsta sinn. Þaö er græsku-
laust gaman, eins og Kirkjusöngur ísl. í Winnipeg, sem greinir
frá anarl orustu — hlutdrægnislaust.
“Saga” er líklegast ódýrasta tímarititS og ódýrasta'bókin sem
nokkur einstaklingur gefur út á íslenzku. A fjórba hundraö bls.
á ári fyrir tvo dali, nú á þessum siöustu og verstu tímum ís-
lenzkrar bókaútgáfu, og fellivetri ísl. bókamarkabar vestanhafs!
Kr þats ekki dásamlegt, hve sumir eru barnalega sinnatSir, at5 vera
ati lengja dautSastrítS vors deyjandi máls i Ameriku — þakkarlítitS,
fyrirhafnarmíkitS og metS ærnum kostnatsi?
Hér birtist éfnisyfirlit fyrstu bókar:
kötturin"NÖ*4Tl ~ “Líf»i?s hann vic”. hi»- H1 — Lögreglu-
F'rumNiimdnr MÖKiir og rlNM. eftlr I* .1». I».t — Kvenna-
fU"’ “Lamhi5 hún litla Móra”, 54 — Lilja Skáiholt.
1 — Skáldsau?5urinn, 78 — Vitrun H. PM 42.
fMlenxknr l»,jór*sa-nIr. oftlr B. H. SÍKiir«MM»n. M. Inicl-
marMNon, 1». S. frft SnuftárkrAk ok 1». I*. frft 1 nMiim* —
Alfkonuhringurinn, 106 — Fiskigaldur, 102 — Fjalldals-
hrúnir, 111 — Hesthúsdraugurinn, 109.
Munnmæll og MmANÖgur: — ArfleitSsluskrá asnans, 147
— Fjölmennasta stéttin, 153 — Manitou-Oopah, 64.
KlmntSar Miigur, eftlr Þ. Þ. Þ.t — Kapparima, 68 —
Kirkjusongur, 100.
RltiíertSlr, eftlr I>. Þ. Þ.t — Austrænn andi, 118 — Hug-
rúnar, 82 — “Kak”, 90 — Morgundagurinn, 49 — óvitar,
52 — “Vizkusteinninn”, 97.
Sannnr MÍSgur: — Dýrin fyrir dómstólum miöaldanna,
139 — Fyrsta einvígi í löftinu, 138 — Þrettán klukkuslög
bjarga lifi manns, 138.
Skrltnl: — Alt af fyrir, 99 — Dæmalaus vinnukona, 48 _
Eina náttúrugáfan, 145 — Fatalítil viökynning, 85 _
“Gamlir eru elztir”, 67 — GótSur endir, 96 — Hann fór
ekki, 77 — Heldur verri grikkurinn, 101 — Kvennhygg-
indl, 99 — Mjólk etia skírnarvatn, 89 — Reynandi væri
þatS, 41 — Vísindaleg útlistun, 81.
AfgreitSsla “Sögu” er atS 732 McGee Street, Winnlpeg.
Askrifendur vertSa *t5 borga fyrirfram $2.00 fyrir árganginn.
en æski menn atS kaupá fyrstu bókina, sem sýnishorn, geta menn
fengitS hana í lausasölu fyrir atSeins $1.00 — segi og skrifa einn
dal, sem sendist til
732 McOEE STHEET — WIXXIPKfi, M VN.
íslenzkir bóksalar í W.inipeg og úti um sveitir útvega og selja
einnig tímarlt þetta til hvers sem óskar þess.
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