Lögberg - 06.12.1934, Blaðsíða 3

3
memorial to Leif Ericsson and pre-
sent the same as a gift of the
American people to the people of
Iceland in the American participa-
tion in such celebration.” Refer-
ence is here made to the commemo-
ration, in 1930, of the thousandth
anniversary of the Icelandic parlia-
ment. As is well known, the Presi-
dent of the United States appointed
a delegation of five eminent Ameri-
cans to take part in that celebra-
tion; and on the same occasion
there was presented to the people of
Iceland, as a gift from the people
of the United States, a magnificent
statue of Leif Ericsson, the work
of Sterling Calder, a distinguished
American sculptor; which statue
now stands in a prominent place in
Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland.
It is but just to add that this un-
animous action of Congress was the
result of the splendid work of many
persons and groups interested, but
much of the credit for it belongs to
former Congresssman O. B. Burt-
ness of Grand Forks, N.D., who
introduced the resolution in the
House, and to Senator William
Borah of Idaho, who sponsored the
measure in the Senate.
Now it may be asked: What
manner of man was Leif Ericsson,
and what were the circumstances
surrounding his discovery of Ame-
rica?
Leif was born in Iceland around
the year 965 (perhaps as late as
970). The blood of adventurers
flowed in his veins. His father was
Eric the Red, by birth a Norwegian,
who migrated to Iceland at an early
age. In the year 982 he was outlawed
from Iceland for manslaughter, not
an uncommon practice in that pagan
day, nor by any means forgotten in
our supposedly enlightened era. It
is indicative of the enterprising and
adventurous spirit of Eric that he
resolutely set out to seek a land in
the West, which an Icelander by the
name of Gunnbjorn was reported
to have seen some years before.
It is a matter of common knowledge
that Eric discovered Greenland and
became the father and for years the
leader of the. Icelandic settlement
which flourished there for cen-
turies. Leif’s mother was the
granddaughter of one of the most
prominent Norwegian settlers of
southwestern Iceland. Very likely
Leif accompanied his father on the
latter's exploration voyage to
Greenland in 982; whether he re-
turned with him to Iceland tempo-
rarily in 985 is not certain; on the
othér hand there is no doubt as to
his having made his home with his
father in Greenland after the latter
settled there permanently in 986.
We may safely infer that those first
years in the new environment put
young Leif to the test and were for
him an excellent school. And soon
he showed his mettle and spirit of
high adventure.
In the year 999 Leif set out on a
voyage from Greenland to Norway;
instead of following the customary
route which was by way of Ice-
land, he struck boldly across the
Atlantic, reaching the Hebrides
and sailing from there to Norway.
This was, as far as is known, the
first voyage directly across the At-
lantic. Commenting on tRis achieve-
ment Dr. Nansen says: “This was
an exploit equal to the greatest in
history; it is the beginning of ocean
navigation.” Even if Leif Ericsson
had not discovered America, this
first Atlantic crossing would have
entitled him to a prominent place in
the annals of ocean navigation.
During the following winter
(999-1000) Leif remained at the
court of King Olav Tryggvason—
king was then zealously engaged in
Christianizing Norway and also de-
sired to bring within the realm of
Christianity the other lands settled
by the Norwegians or their de-
scendants. Through his efforts,
Leif Ericsson was converted to the
Christian faith and undertook the
difficult task of Christianizing the
Icelanders in Greenland.
According to the Saga of Eric
the Red, generally regarded as the
most trustworthy of the Icelandic
sources, Leif set out for Green-
land in the summer of the year
1000, carrying on board his ship one
or more priests along with his crew
of seamen. On this return voyage
he was' driven out of his course
and came to a land which he had
not seen before, where he and his
men found self-sown wheat fields
and grapevines. Scholars are agreed
that this must have been the east-
ern coast of North America; ap-
propriately the Norsemen named
this country “Vinland.” Another
important Icelandic source, the
Flatey Book, substantiates the ac-
count in the Saga of Eric the Red,
and the historicity of the discovery
is also supported by a number of
brief references in early Icelandic
and northern writings. The loca-
tion of “Vinland” is, however, a
matter of sonie disagreement, but
the historical evidence points to the
New England coafet.
When Leif Ericsson discovered
America, he was, as we saw, re-
turning to his home in Greenland,
commissioned to Christianize that
country. According to our sources
he was successful in that undertak-
ing. He therefore deserves a place
in the history of the church and its
missionary-work. As a man who
won for the church of his day a
new land, he also merits the sym-
pathy and the admiration of all
present-day church people, regard-
less of denomination.
Leif Ericsson’s story after his
discovery of America can be brief-
ly told. Upon the death of his
father he became the leader of the
Icelandic colony in Greenland, a
place which he filled with great
distinction until the end of his days.
He died around the year 1020. He
has, therefore, as far as can be
ascertained, only reached the age of
50-60 years. But it can be truly
said of him that he “lived in deeds
not years.” He had achieved what
the Norsemen looked upon as the
highest good: “the fame that is the
reward of great deeds.”
Icelandic historical sources tell of
several attempts to colonize the
land discovered by Leif Ericsson.
Most important was the expedition
of the Icelander Thorfinn Karlsefni,
usually dated 1003-1006; he and
his group of colonists, some 160 in
number, spent three yeárs on this
continent, exploring fairly exten-
sively the eastern coast of North
America before returning to Green-
land. Their expedition failed be-
cause of the hostility of a warlike
native population. That hositility,
together with the lack of man-
power on the part of the Norse-
men, accounts for their failure to
establish a lasting colony in the
New World. Nevertheless, Karls-
efni’s courageous attempt is not
forgotten. In Fairmont Park in
Philadelphia stands an impressive
monument erected in his honor,
the work of a noted Icelandic sculp-
tor, Einar Jonsson. Moreover, Leif
Ericsson’s discovery of Anierica
may well have paved the way for
the later discovery by Columbus; it
has been cstablished that several
years previous to his great voyage,
Columbus visited Iceland, and it is
entirely within reason to think that
he gained there some vital informa-
tion, which does in no way make
his venture across the seven seas
less admirable.
Leif Ericsson, therefore, deserves
to be remembered as the discoverer
of America, as a pioneer in ocean
navigation, as a crusader of the
church, and as a successful leader
of men. In this splendid statue of
the explorer, presented by the
I nited States to Iceland, Mr. Cal-
dcr has, it appears to me, admir-
ably interpreted the spirit of Leif
Ericsson. The sculptor pictures
him as bravely facing the unknown,
a sword at his side, a crucifix in his
left hand; determination and cour-
are written on his face.
Leif Ericsson stands as a symbol
of the love of high adventure and
noble endeavor. He is the em-
bodiment of the spirit of pioneer-
ing. Therefore. his example de-
serves to be held up before the
aspiring youth of the land which he
discovered. —Superior Tidende,
LÖGBEIRG. FIMTUDAGINN 6. DESEMBER, 1934.
Til vina og vandafólks
í Vesturheimí
Reykjavik,
18. nóvember, 1934.
Sökum þess að þaÖ voru svo
rnargir, sem mæltust til þess aÖ eg
sendi sér línu, þá tek eg beinustu
leiÖina til að láta það fólk vita að
ferð mín gekk öll vel. Eg stansaði
fjóra daga í Chicago, hjá góðkunn-
ingja mínum, H. H. Reykjalín. Það
fólk tók mér eins vel og eg hefði
verið einn af þeirra nánustu ætt-
ingjum. Svo heimsótti eg góð-
kunningja minn próf. J. S. Björn-
son og systur hans Áróru, og átti
hjá þeim góðgerða- og gleðistund.
Svo hitti eg Sigfús frænda minn,
óg tók hann mig í bíl sínuin út i
sýningargarðinn. Þann 29. október
lagði eg á stað til New York, og
tók sú ferð réttan sólarhring. Þeg-
ar þangað kom þá var þar maður
staddur til að taka á móti mér, og
fylgdi hann mér til Y.M.C.A., því
þar hafði eg hugsað mér að bíða
eftir skipinu, sem eg átti að fara
með til Englands. En það lagði á
stað 2. nóvember. Fengum við
bezta veður, aðeins einn dagur, sem
gat heitið að væri ilt í sjó, en þá
voru líka margir veikir. En eg stóð
mig býsna vel, hafði alt af góða
matarlyst, og fiskurinn fékk ekkert
af því. Við komum til Liverpool
kl. 9 f. h. þann 11. nóv. Þar beið
mín maður með bíl, sem tók mig
á gistihús tilheyrandi White Star
félaginu, sem eg var með. Þar var
eg í bezta yfirlæti til næsta dags.
Þá kom bíll að sækja mig og flutti
mig til járnhrautarstöðvar. Kl. 4
e. m. kofn eg til Edinburgh; þar
beið min maður með bíl og keyrði
mig til Leith og alveg ofan á
brvggju þar sem Gullfoss lá. Næsta
morgun lagði hann á stað til ís-
lands og kl. 8 að kveldi þess 16.
nóv. lenti hann við bryggjuna í
Reykjavík. Þar beið mín æskuvinur
minn og leikbróðir, Sveinn Sölva-
son, og tók hann mig í bíl heim til
sín. Svo ekki er annað hægt að
segja en að ferðin gengi öll upp á
það bezta. Þetta verður að nægja'
að sinni.
Vinsamlegast,
H. T. Hjaltalín.
PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS CARDS
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Prompt Delivery. Nine Stores Winnipag, Man. Ste. 4 Norman Apts. 814 Sargent Ave., Winnipeg
Gjafir í ‘Jubilee’ sjóðinn
Á næsta kirkjuþingi verður minst
fimtíu ára afmælis Hins. ev. lút.
kirkjufélags Islendinga i Vestur-
heimi. Aðal hlutverk kirkjufélags-
ins er viðhald og efling kristnihalds
í bygðum vorum. Það er vort
heimatrúboð. Að borin sé fram
frjáls afmælisgjöf til þess, auk
hinna venjulegu árlegu tillaga til
starfseminnar, á að vera einn þátt-
ur í hátíðahaldinu næsta ár. Engin
gjöf í sjóðinn má fara fram úr ein-
um dollar frá hverjum einstaklingi,
þó allar minni gjafir séu vel þegn-
ar. Þar sem ástæður leyfa gætu
margir eða allir meðlimir í fjöl-
skyldu tekið þátt og væri það æski-
legt.
Áður auglýst .........$185.05
Safnað af G. B. Jónnsyni,
Gimli, Man.
1
F. O. Lyngdal............... 1.00
Mrs. F. O. Lyngdal.......... t.oo
Harold Bjarnason ........... 1.00
H. P. Tergesen ............. 1.00
Mrs. Sigríður Tergesen .... 1.00
J. B. Johnson .............. 1.00
Mrs. Josephina Johnson .... 1.00
Mrs. Christiana Chiswell .. 1.00
Egill Egilsson ............. 1.00
Mrs. Guðveig Egilsson .... 1.00
Bljörn H. Johnson........... 1.00
Mrs. Guðfinna Johnson .... 0.50
Mrs. Ólína Th. Erlendsson.. 0.50
Daníel Daníelsson .......... 0.50
Mrs. Maria Daníelsson .... 0.50
Mrs. Guðrún J. Magnússon 0.25
Mrs. Sesselja Lee .......... 0.25
Mrs. Sigríður Goodman .... 0.25
Kristinn Hannesson ......... 0.50
Mrs. Kristrún Hannesson.. 0.50
Ónefndur ................... 0.25
Sigurður Sveinsson.......... O.io
Alls ...................15.10
Samtals....................200.15
3. desember 1934.
Með þökkum,
S. O. Bjerring, féh.
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