Lögberg-Heimskringla - 01.07.2015, Qupperneq 4

4 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • July 1 2015
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Practicing the scales of democracy
Lögberg-
Heimskringla
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Heimskringla stofnað 9. september 1886
Lögberg stofnað 14. janúar 1888
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ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Stefan's Saga
Letter to the Editor
Each year, three national holidays come upon us in a short span of time:
Þjóðhátíðardagurinn, the
national holiday of Iceland
on June 17th, Canada Day on
July 1st, and Independence
Day in the United States on
the fourth of July. Just 17 days
separate these three holidays
and many people of Icelandic
ancestry mark all three.
In June of this year, there
were two additional landmark
events to commemorate:
the 800th anniversary of
the proclamation of the
Magna Carta on June 15 and,
four days later, the 100th
anniversary of Icelandic
women achieving the right
to vote in national elections.
Moreover, the centennial of
Manitoba women winning
the vote will be marked in
January of 2016. It’s hard not
to think about the rights and
obligations of citizenship at
such a time.
At a crucial moment in
1874, when the Icelanders
immigrating to North America
were deciding where to settle,
they were offered what may
well be an unparalleled lure by
Canadian authorities: “They
were to enjoy full liberty
and the right of citizenship,
having fulfilled residence
requirements, forthwith and
on the same terms as native-
born citizens.” In other words,
they were promised a fast and
direct pathway to citizenship.
For people who were leaving
their homeland precisely
as it was being granted a
new constitution and taking
another important step on the
road to independence, being
assured that they would be free
and equal citizens in their new
home must have been very
appealing. And they moved
quickly on taking advantage
of the offer, organizing a local
government in New Iceland
(not a “republic” as we
sometimes hear) and quickly
taking upon themselves the
mantle of citizenship.
The Icelanders’ embrace
of citizenship in the United
States was equally energetic.
In Sveinbjorn Johnson’s
insightful 1906 history of
the Icelandic settlement
in Pembina County, North
Dakota, he made this
observation of the Icelandic
immigrants: “In the presence
of public issues they forget
that they are Icelanders, but
remember only that they
are American citizens. The
prevalent idea seems to be
that first and last they are
Americans. They glory in
their family tree, the roots
of which lie deep in the soil
of Iceland, but that is only
equaled by the sacred pride
they take in the privilege of
calling themselves American
citizens. They love to see the
little island of the north enjoy
prosperity, but that does not
blind them to their duty or
diminish their patriotism.
They love the commonwealth
of North Dakota because of
her opportunities; they are
loyal to the flag because it
floats over a free country.”
Over the years, the
Icelandic immigrants to North
America and their descendants
have taken leading roles in
the public life of Canada and
the United States, serving
in parliament, provincial
and state legislatures, on
municipal councils and school
boards, and in the judiciary.
Beyond that, Icelandic North
Americans have been active
in the wide range of civic
activities that demand the
efforts of an active citizenry:
providing leadership in
nonprofit organizations and
community groups, supporting
wide-ranging charitable
endeavours, serving in the
armed forces, contributing
to public discourse in the
media, voting in elections
– the list goes on and on.
By all accounts, our people
have taken the obligations
of citizenship seriously
and have been represented
disproportionately among the
leaders of public life.
Back in 1937, Canadian
historian Fred Landon wrote,
“We hear much these days of
education for citizenship, but
the only real and effective
education for citizenship lies
in its actual practice.” At a
time when there is increasing
cynicism about public life –
in Canada, Iceland, and the
United States – we would
do well to ask ourselves
whether part of the problem,
at least, isn’t that we and our
fellow citizens have allowed
ourselves to fall out of
practice. Citizenship is not just
a matter of rights and benefits,
it also demands that we fulfill
certain obligations, the first
of which is simply to be
involved. Musicians become
accomplished by rigorously
practicing their scales and it
seems to me that citizenship
is no different. If we wish to
be accomplished citizens, if
we yearn for society to move
from cynicism to optimism,
and from ambivalence to
engagement, then we must
devote ourselves to practicing
the scales of democracy. Just
as our ancestors were drawn to
the promise of citizenship in
their new home, we must feel
called to fulfill that promise.
Stefan Jonasson
Editor
L-H DEADLINES
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Monday, July 13
Dear Stefan,
A few weeks ago, while
reading Northwestern, the
Northwestern University
alumni magazine, I came across
an article that immediately
caught my attention – “Benefits
of Bilingualism,” subtitled
“Speaking more than one
language is good for the brain.
The author of the article states:
“If you are one of the growing
number of people who speak
multiple languages, new
research from Northwestern
needs no translation. Bilingual
speakers enjoy cognitive
benefits beyond the fulfillment
of fluency. Those speakers
process competing information
more efficiently and more
easily than those who know just
a single language.”
The author further states,
“You can always learn another
language and learn it to
fluency.”
Why not Icelandic?
Yours truly,
George Hanson
Port Townsend, WA
Dear Lögberg-Heimskringla,
The editorials by Stefan
Jonasson are a “must-read” in
every issue. Keep up the good
work! Bring back the hilarious
“Ask Gryla” column too.
Loved it.

Jett Vincent Isleifson
Winnipeg, MB
First Lutheran Church
580 Victor Street
Winnipeg R3G 1R2
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www.mts.net/~flcwin
Worship with us
Sundays 10:30 a.m.
Pastor Michael Kurtz
Robert T. Kristjanson
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Gimli, MB R0C 1B0
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Phone: 204-642-5283