Lögberg-Heimskringla - 21.09.1984, Blaðsíða 5

WINNIPEG, FOSTUDAGUR 21. SEPTEMBER 1984-5
Paul Sveinbjörn Johnson's speech June 17
The Icelandic Association of
Sunday, June 17, 1984, The
Icelandic Association of Chicago
celebrated the 40 year anniver-
sary of the Republic of Iceland at
the Orrington Hotel in Evanston,
Illinois. Present were the Associa-
tion's honored guests, the Consuls
of Denmark, Finland, Iceland
and Norway, and over 50
members of the Association, and
friends of Iceland from the Chica-
go area. A social hour and lun-
cheon were followed by the 40
Year Anniversary Program.
The keynote speaker was Con-
sul General of Iceland, Paul
Sveinbjörn Johnson. His wife,
Mrs. Áslaug R. Johnson, spoke on
the events leading to June 17,
1944. Consul General of Den-
mark, Knut Rasmussen and Con-
sul General of Norway, Bjarne
Solheim gave recognition and af-
firmation to the bonds of friend-
ship that unite Iceland and the
other Nordic Countries. A poetry
reading was given by Mrs. Lovísa
Ruesch, the President of the Asso-
ciation.
Speech delivered by Consul P.
Sveinbjörn Johnson to the Icelandic
Association of Chicago and the Of-
ficial Representatives of the Nordic
Countries on June 17, 1984 at the Or-
rington Hotel, Evanston, Illinois.
Forty years ago today, the event
which we are now commemorating
in these pleasant surroundings,
amongst close friends and colleagues,
was formally and ceremoniously ac-
complished on the timeless plains of
Thingvellir — the ancient seat of
parliament — amidst a great con-
course of the nation. Through the Act
of Union of 1918, the Kingdom of
Iceland had existed in association
with Denmark since 1918. The Act
by its terms had expired, and was
naturally followed on that summer
day of 1944 by the publically man-
dated statement of full in-
dependence. This proud announce-
ment was issued to a large allied oc-
cupation force and to a world rent by
fearful strife from the Volga River,
across the beaches of Normandy, to
the China seas. It is not therefore sur-
prising that the press of the Western
world gave scant heed to the expres-
sion from the Icelandic people of
their firm intention to participate ful-
ly in the councils of the free nations
and of their confidence that the day
would not be long coming when they
could do so.
Evolution, if that term can be ap-
plied to social, economic, political
and technical progress, does not pro-
ceed slowly in Iceland. We should
remember that at the turn of the cen-
tury Icelanders were still fishing on
the open seas in vessels that were lit-
tle more than large row boats. There
were no highways linking the major
Within only a few decades, a modern
merchant marine, consisting of ad-
vanced fishing vessels and cargo
ships, had been developed; the
nucleus of an air-transport company
had come into existence; modern
roads were being prepared; and
research was well underway toward
the development of economic ap-
plications for the country's vast
energy resources. When the Republic
was founded on June 17, 1944,
Icelanders were therefore ready to
assume the responsibilities of full
participation as an equal partner in
the various world councils and
organizations that sprang into ex-
istence at the end of the war.
A brief anecdote may illustrate the
position in which the Icelanders
found themselves after their state-
ment of independence. The story is
told by Gylfi Gislason that Halldor
Laxness, the Nobel prize winner in
literature in 1955, was asked by a
Swedish journalist at the Awards
Dinner in Stockholm if driving his
luxury automobile on the rough
Icelandic roads was not an expensive
undertaking. A tense moment follow-
ed, many considering this an
awkward question to ask a Nobel
prize winner. Laxness thought about
it for a moment and then replied,
"Being an Icelander is, on the whole,
a very expensive proposition.”
When the Republic was created,
the population of Iceland was about
126,000 — little more than the city of
Peoria, Illinois — but it nevertheless
quickly established diplomatic mis-
sions abroad so that, today, Icelandic
Embassies, exist in the United States,
Britain, France, the Soviet Union,
Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the
Federal Republic of Germany. In
turn, the ambassadors to these coun-
tries are themselves accredited to
some 50 other nations. In addition to
the career foreign service officers,
Iceland is represented by honorary
consuls in about 200 cities, 18 of
which are in the United States.
Iceland is also a member of some 35
major international organizations, in-
cluding the United Nations, NATO,
the Counsel of Europe, the Nordic
Counsel and so forth.
The last forty years, or perhaps I
should say these first forty years,
have seen Iceland become a sub-
stantial force in the development of
an International Law of the Sea look-
ing toward the conservation of food
sou'rces and the orderly development
of the vast mineral resources of the
oceans for the ultimate benefit of all
nations, large and small. These years
have also brought substantial
developments in the harnessing of
natural energy sources so that
Iceland, in cooperation with various
foreign concerns, now is home to one
of the largest aluminum reduction
plants in Europe supplying
customers as far as South Africa and
China; and across the country, on the
North coast, a highly successful
dyatamite plant is in day and night
production, powered by the energy
generated by the natural hot springs
in the area.
Icelandair has become a major fac-
tor in North Atlantic passenger and
freight service, and, while fish con-
tinue to dominate in the export
market, Icelandic producers have
established a substantial niche in the
high fashion woolen garment field,
and American and European furni-
ture retailers have recognized the
design and quality characteristics of
home furnishings manufactured in
Iceland which are attracting foreign
buyers.
This is not the appropriate place to
present a rubric of accomplishments.
Much has been done and of course,
Islenskir þjóðbúningar
Hér gefur að líta ungar vesturíslenskar blómarósir
frá árinu 1927. Þær eru allar klæddar íslenskum
trading centers, and transportation þióðbúningum. Ef einhver þekkir einhverja þeirra
from point topoint around the coun- f*, . . ...
try was carried out largely on the sea. þ** tutiö blaÖÍÖ VÍta.
Chicago
there is a great deal that must follow,
but I think it worthwhile to consider
for a moment how it has come to
pass, that this tiny and young
Republic has been able, not only to
survive, but to have made a signifi-
cant impact on international affairs
— political and economic. I suggest
that the major reason for the rapid
progress that Icelanders have been
able to make lies in the fact that dur-
ing the approximate 600 years before
the founding of this Republic, they
did not lose their cultural traditions.
This meant that during those long
dark years nearly all Icelanders were
literate. Therefore, despite crippling
trade restrictions, climatic changes,
volcanic eruptions, pestilence, and
what could have been soul-destroy-
ing poverty, intellectual qualities and
inclinations were retained so that the
new skills required by the technical
age could be quickly mastered. A
poor fisherman easily adapted to life
on a trawler, and a struggling farrner
quickly to work in a factory. It was
this devotion to cultural traditions,
foremost, the preservation of the
language, which encouraged intellec-
tual independence and pride in
literary traditions, which kept the
Icelandic ethic from vanishing in a
foreign söciety.
Icelanders show how people can
maintain an old culture in a modern
independent state. By keeping faith
with the past, they were able to
remember their days of dignity and
freedom and thereby regain their in-
dependence. All of this served to
preserve education among the com-
mon people and form the founda-
tions of a new free society.
Icelanders show how people can
maintain an old culture in a modern
independent state. By keeping faith
with the past, they were able to
remember their days of dignity and
freedom and thereby regain their in-
dependence. All of this served to
preserve education among the com-
mon people and form the founda-
tions of a new free society.
Iceland is one of five small states
comprising eight small nations on the
edge of the inhabitable world —
states that exist in general harmony
each with its independent, free, and
prosperous society. I like to believe
that the Nordic countries reflect the
reality that independence and
freedom are dependent upon preser-
vation of traditions and culture.
The intellectual freedom which is
characteristic of the Nordic countries
inspires respect for the opinions of
others. This, in turn, acts to maintain
cultural identities, while, at the same
time, forging a bond through com-
mon interest and respect which gives
stability and a refreshing note of sani-
ty to the northern edge of our world.
It seems appropriate to conclude
these remarks with GUÐ BLESSI
ÍSLAND!