The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.1977, Page 21

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
19
W. KRISTJANSON:
THE ICELANDIC STUDENTS SOCIETY
IN WINNIPEG
The story of the Icelandic Students
Society in Winnipeg reflects the vi-
sion and enterprise of its founders,
as most pioneering stories do.
By the turn of the century there
were a few Icelandic students in at-
tendance at the University of Mani-
toba. Already graduated were Fri-
mann B. Anderson (B.A.,1885), Olaf-
ur Stephensen (Medicine, 1895), Olaf-
ur Bjornson (Medicine, 1897), Brand-
ur J. Brandson (Medicine, 1900),
Thomas H. Johnson (Law, 1900), and
Ingvar Buason (B.A., 1900).
It was but natural that these Ice-
landic students, especially those
from the country, should form a
close association, and this they did.
They founded the Icelandic Stu-
dents Society, the first meeting of
which was held on Jan. 13, 1901, in
the North West Hall. The chief pro-
moters were Thorvaldur Thorvalds-
son, Ingvar Buason, Arni Anderson,
Marino Hannesson, and Stefan Gutt-
ormsson. (Hkr. 25 Dec., 1902). Twelve
others attended the first meeting.
Thomas H. Johnson, Thorbergur
Thorvaldson, Egill Skjold, Maria
Anderson, Gudrun Johannsdottir,
Oliver Olsen, Magnus Hjaltason,
Fred Olsen, Olafur Eggertsson, Jo-
hann Bjarnason, and Olafur Bjorns-
son. (Hkr. XV, No. 17.) The first
president was Ingvar Buason, who
at that time was studying First Year
Medicine.
The aims of the Society were
to provide financial assistance to
students seeking higher educa-
tion and who were in need of
aid,
to promote spread of knowledge of
Icelandic literature among Ca-
nadians,
to stimulate interest among Ice-
landic students in Canadian li-
terature. (c/f Hkr. 25 Dec., 1902.)
to stimulate interest in the Ice-
landic language and literature
among the membership and
through its contact with the ge-
neral public.
To this may be added the general
aim of support for progressive
measures (framfaramal) among
the Icelandic people in the
country. (Hkr. 12 Dec., 1901.)
The Society was immediately ac-
tive. Meetings were held regularly
every fortnight. Loans to students
amounted to nearly one hundred
dollars. At an open meeting on
March 30, 1901, there was a debate
on the subject, “Are the Western
Icelanders doing right in promoting
in any way emigration from Ice-
land to America?” The affirmative
in this debate was taken by Johann
Bjarnason and Olafur Eggertsson;
the negative by Johann Solmunds-
son and Stefan Guttormsson. At a
meeting in November, the subject