Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.06.1967, Blaðsíða 2

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

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