Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.06.1967, Blaðsíða 2

2
LÖGBERG-HEIMSKRINGLA, FIMMTUDAGINN 1. JÚNÍ 1967
Dr. VALDIMAR J. EYLANDS
A CENTURY OF PROGRESS
Canada is a very interesting
country, both from the view-
point of geology and socio-
logy. It is believed to be one
of the oldest countries in the
world. Scientists are perhaps
more generous than exact in
their estimate of the age of
the world, and it seems that
their conjectures expand with
every passing decade. Some
years ago, college students
were told that the world is
about a hundred million years
old. Now, the figure has been
changed to about four hundred
million years. Somewhere in
this misty past, the North
American continent is believ-
ed to have emerged from the
primeval fogs with Canada
raising its rocky skull above
the mountainous waves of the
icy waters in the far north.
Long ages afterwards, so
goes the theory, perhaps five
hundred thousands years ago,
something that was to become
man, crawled from the slime
of the coastal waters, dried
itself on the tree tops of Cen-
tral Asia, then descended to
the ground, multiplied rapid-
ly, and spread over the face of
the earth, finally travelling
across a land bridge, long since
submerged, from north east-
ern Asia, into the north west-
ern corner of North America.
This is in the region of the
Diomede Islands in the Bering
Strait.
Man, as he appeared some
five hundred thousand years
ago was probably not the kind
of a fellow a modern young
lady would care to meet in a
dark alley, but he gradually
improved in looks and be-
havior. Even so, the descen-
dants of the original immi-
grants from Asia, now living
in Canada, or el'sewhere on
this continent, have never
been very popular among
those who later took posses-
sion of the land. Whether
Indians or Eskimos, they are
a Mongolian type of man, and
they resented and resisted the
invasion of their country by
Mr. Paleiace, of whatever ori-
gin. But by the order of des-
tiny Canada has been the
meeting place of these widely
divergent races. While Red-
face, the primitive aboriginal
inhabitant of the country, and
its sole master for untold cen-
turies, came from Asia, Pale-
face came from almost every
country in Europe.
Dr. Valdimar J. Eylands.
Each national group carried ■
with it its own language and
racial heritage which they
were determined to preserve
and perpetuate. In order to
accomplish this, they have fre-
quently formed solid blocks,
or cultural islands in various
parts of the country. As Can-
ada observes its one hundredth
anniversary as a nation this
process is still going on, thus
complicating and compound-
ing the problem of integra-
tion and national unity in
Canada. Thus, the story of
Canada is the story of clash
and conflict, of rivalries and
suspicions, of exploration and
and conquests, but remarkab-
ly enough, it is also a story of
unity and achievement, per-
haps without parallel in a
A Viking dragon ship of the lOlh century.
hundred years history of any
other nation.
Canada is not only one of
the oldest countries in the
world, but also one of the
largest. It is indeed as large
as the entire continent of Eu-
rope, and second only in size
to the Union of Soviet Repub-
lics. At the close of the first
century of national existence
the population of Canada is
small, considering the size of
the country, somewhere
around twenty million, oc-
cupying a relatively narrow
ribbon of territory stretched
from coast to coast, immedia-
tely north of the United States
boundary, while the vast
northland consists largely of
pioneer outposts and sub-arc-
tic tundra. The famous Brit-
ish historian, Sir Archibald
Alison, once stated that pro-
bably seven-eights of the im-
mense surface of British
North America are doomed
t.o eternal sterility from the
excessive severity of the cli-
mate, and yield only scant
herbage to the reindeer, the
elk, and the muskox. He failed
to note that this is the chosen
habitat of a large remnant of
Canada’s original inhabitants,
the Eskimos.
Vilhjalmur Stefansson did
not agree with Sir Archibald
in his appraisal of the far
north, but seemed to believe
that Canada was being tilted
toward the sun, and spoke
poetically of the “northward
course of Empire.” But Ste-
fansson was perhaps a better
explorer than a prophet. At
least the empire is no more,
and the sun seems to stand
still, even as it did in the
days of Joshua, so far as the
Canadian climate is concern-
ed. But his dream of north-
ward expansion, which is also
shared by some present ffaV
Canadian politicians, may still
come true. A few small com-
munities have, in the last de-
cade, been established at va-
rious places in the northland,
but the idea of moving there
on a large scale has not yet
caught the public imagination.
Canada is not only one of
the oldest countries in the
world, and territorially, one
of the largest, it is also the
home of a new nation. Apart
from the new nations which
in the last decades have been
springing forth on the map of
Africa, Canada is one of the
youngest nations in the world.
A century is but a moment in
the history of nations. Iceland,
Canada’s nearest European
neighbor, and Europe’s young-
est country, was already al-
most a thousand years old
when the Canadian nation was
born.Of course, Canada has a
! long prehistory, and a colonial
THE EDITORIAL BOARD OF LÓGBERG-HEIMSKRINGLA
is pleased to present this special issue in honor of the Centen-
nial of Confederation. The members of the Board are indebted
to those who have given of their time and talents to ensure
the success of this publication.
Dr. Valdimar J. Eylands has written a review of the hislory
of Canada; the Hon. J. T. Thorson presenls his view of Canada
as it enlers its second cenlury of Confederation; Dr. Thorvaldur
Johnson contributes an arlicle entitled "Wheal in Canada. 1867-
1967", a subject on which he is a recognized international
authority; Wilhelm Kristjanson has prepared a special lisl for
this issue conlaining important daies from the history of the
Icelanders in Norih America.
Ingibjörg Jónsson was pursuaded to make available to our
readers the English translalion of the series of articles which
she wrote in Icelandic on her recent visit to Quebec in company
with a group of editors of eihnic publicaiions in Western
Canada. Caroline Gunnarsson translaled this travelogue as well
as the story "After the Last Curtain” by Guðrún (Finnsdóltir)
Johnson. a noled short story wriler.
Included in this issue is ihe presentation speech delivered
by Dr. P. H. T. Thorlakson in Ottawa on April 14th at the un-
veiling ceremony of the beautiful bronze plaque presented to
the government and people of Canada as a centennial gift from
Canadians of Icelandic descenl.
Professor Haraldur Bessason has contribuled an article on
proper names of Icelandic origin in North America.
The Ediiorial Board was unanimously agreed thal it would
be appropriale to fealure Guttormur J. Guttormsson’s poem
"Canada" on the front page of this centennial issue together
with Jakobina Johnson's English translation of the poem.
The Cenlennial Prayer and Declaration, on page 20, which
was read by our late Governor General Vanier over TV and
radio al midnight January 1, 1967, was composed by members
of the Canadian Interfaith Conference.
The members of the Board of Lögberg-Heimskringla take
this opporlunity io wish our readers and friends a
HAPPY CENTENNIAL
history before the creation of
a national state.
We shall never know the
names of the men who first
came to Canada from the west.
But the names of the first men
who came from the east are
well known. They were the
vikings who hailed from Ice-
land and Greenland around
the year 1000. There was
Bjarni Herjolfsson who sight-
ed the Canadian coast. There
was Leifur Eiriksson, who ac-
tually landed, and gave names
to at least three different loca-
lities, Helluland, (Land of
Stones) most likely Labrador;
Markland, (the country of
trees) perhaps Newfoundland,
or Nova Scotia; and Vinland,
(Winjeland) the location of
which is still a matter of con-
troversy. There was Thorfinn-
ur Karlsefni, who tried to
make a real settlement. It was
in that settlement that Snorri
was born, the first 100% white
North American. But they
abandoned this settlement
after about four years. These
Icelandic men were over-
whelmed by the original in-
habitants. Perhaps they felt
insecure, and feared for their
lives. Perhaps they did not
want to co-exist with people
so vastly inferior to them-
selves. At any rate they sailed
away into the clearer atmos-
phere of the north where
there were no trees to hide
savages in ambush, and where
there was no treachery. Their
sojourn in the western world
made no impact on its future
history, and remains to this
day a matter of mere aca-
demic interest.
FIRST EXPLORATION
AND SETTLEMENT
After the return of the Vik-
ings to their Greenland shores,
there is no record of Scandi-
navians setting foot on Cana-
dian soil, until Jens Munk, a
Danish explorer, trying to find
“the short route” to India, led
his expedition to the mouth of
the Churchill River in the fall
of 1619.
Only two members of his
crews survived the rigours of
the ensuing winter, and re-
turned to tell of the tragedy.
However, other Europeans
came much earlier, and were
more successful than the north
ern adventurers. In 1496 John
Cabot obtained a commission
from Henry VII, of England,
to go on a voyage of discovery.
On June 24th, 1497, he sighted
land, perhaps Cape Breton Is-
land. This discovery furnished
ground for England’s later
claim to North American ter-
ritory.
By the early 16th century,
French fishermen among
others, began to frequent the
cod banks of Newfoundland.
In 1534, Jacques Cariier, an
adventurer of St. Malo, in
Britanny, sailed into the Gulf
of St. Lawrence to Stadcona,
(Quebec) and took possession
of it in the name of the French
king. Cartier seems to have
been a zealous missionary for
his church, as well as a colo-
nist for his king. On arrival
in Canada, he wrote an ex-
tensive letter to his sovereign,
pleading with him to expedite
the settlement of the newly