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About Schley County news. (Ellaville, Ga.) 1889-1939 | View Entire Issue (March 4, 1892)
ICELAND. Bird’s-Eye View of a Land of Volcanoes and Geysers. There are but Few Trees—-Hay is the Most Important Crop. Iceland presents natural features of interest in its volcanoes and geysers, but its people are remarkable for their literature, written wholly in Iceland or by Icelanders six or seven hundred years ago. From the literary produc tions of the Icelanders, especially the “Elder or Poetic Edda” and the “Younger or Prose Edda,” are de rived most of the knowledge of Scan dinavian mythology. Some of the important facts relating to Iceland are summarized as follows: Iceland is a large island in the North Atlantic, belonging geograph ically to the western hemisphere. It lies about one hundred and sixty miles east of Greenland and six hundred miles west of Norway. Its greatest length is 325 miles, its greatest breadth 208, and its area, including the neigh boring islands, 39,758 square miles. The population is about 70,000. In the interior is the great central table land, from 1500 to 2000 feet above the sea, and forming a wilderness. There are fertile valleys in the north ern, eastern and southern portions of the island. There are numerous vol canoes on the islands, the principal one being Ilecla, situated in the south western part of the island, in the dis trict of Rangavvalla, forty miles from the coast. About thirty-five miles northwest of Ilecla and seventy miles from Iloykiavik are the celebrated inter mittent hot springs, or geysers. In a circle of about two miles there are over one hundred springs which send up hot water, and fifty of them are in the space of a few acres. The most noted of these geysers are the Great and Little Strohr. The great eruptions occur every thirty hours and last for five minutes, consisting of an immense fountain of hot water seven ty feet high, enveloped in clouds of steam. The average winter temper ature of Ilaykiavik is 29.3 degrees Fahrenheit and in summer 53.6 degrees, being for the year about the same as that of Moscow. Iceland is almost a treeless country. Hay raised in the lowlands is the most important crop. Potatoes and a few vegeta bles 8re cultivated in small quantities. The most val uable vegetable production is the well known Iceland moss of commerce. In the interior reindeer roam in herds. Cows, horses, sheep and goats consti tute the wealth of the Icelanders. The people arc the descendants of the Nor wegians, who settled iu Iceland in 871 and subsequently. T hey speak the purest Norse lan guage. Nearly every adult can read and write. The settlements are most ly along the coast and in certain low lands and valleys. Commercial and social intercourse is quite limited. There are no roads. Trade is by barter. The principal imports are cereals, cotlee, sugar, spirits and to bacco. The chief exports are fish, salt moat, tallow, sheepskins, wool, eiderdown and horses. At Reykiavik there is a college with six professors, embracing a complete literary, classi cal and scientific course. The ecclesi astical establishment, which is exclu sively Lutheran, consists of the Bishop of Reykiavik,who,with the Governor Genera!, forms the spiritual court,and -0 arch-deaneries, which subdi vided are into 196 livings. Since 1387 the King of Denmark ias k ( * en the acknowledged sovereign of Iceland. 1 he island has its own constitution and administration under a charter dated January 5, 1874, by which the legislative power is vested in the Althing, which is composed of _ _ thirty-six members, of whom thirty are ch cted by the people and six appointed by the crown. T he highest local authority is the Governor ______ of Stiftamtmand. At the '< nd of the administration is a minis tep a PP°>nted by thq King of Den niaix Ibis minister resides at Copen a * en ai, d is responsible to the Althing. [Mai, and Express. Spi inkle dry salt among your furs, under and on your carpets, ns a pre vention of moths. China’s Troops and Their Arms. The Chinese Army, as a fighting force in the manner in which we un derstand the term, can be scarcely 6aid to exist. On paper there are pro vincial forces, designated as the Army of the Green Standard, iu contradis tinction to the Mancher garrisons, di vided into white, blue, yellow and red banners, oach of which is again sub-divided into plain white and bor dered white, plain blue and bordered blue, etc. Green is the color distin. guishing the Chinese troops, and a very shadowy set of men they are. These land forces, numbering in all from four to five thousand men, are an absolutely effete organization, dis charging the duties of sedentary gar risons or local constabulary,but super, seded on all occasions when active ser vice Ib required by the so-called “braves,” or irregular troops, enlisted and discharged as circumstances re quire. The arms of these troops are of tho most primitive types. The majority carry long knives or spears, many having only sticks or -clubs. Some have modern arms, but in the major ity of instances their knowledge of the use of these are comparatively limited. The army of Li Hung Chang, the Viceroy of the Province of Chihli, numbering about 60,000 men, may bo said to be the only large body of troops iu China armed with improved modern guns and skilled in the use of them. The arsenals of China contain a large supply of modern weapons of more or less improved types, which in case of actual war, would probably be issued to the troops, but in peace times the natural conservatism of the rulers prevents the troops being given these arms and taught their use. Hence, should war with foreign pow ers eusue, tho Chinese, though sup plied with the weapons to meet their enemies, wou’d be ignorant of how to use them, and so would naturally re vert to their favored knives and spears—-articles with which they would not stand the slightest chance of success when opposed to foreign soldiers. Tlie divisions of the Chinese army are quite numerous, and each seems to act independently of the other—in fact, operating as almost distiecl bodies of troops. The main division in each province is commanded by the General-in-Chief, and bears the name of the “General’s Command.” Anoth er division, to which the task of gar. risoning the provincial capital is as signed, is known as the “Governor’! Command,” and the Governor Gene ral has still another separate army uii. dor his control. In addition to these three armies in each province, there are also separate military organiza tions presided over by the Directors General of the Yellow River and the Grain Transport.— [New York Times. Well Disciplined Dneks. The following passage from an ar ticle in Blackwood’s Magazine may raise in some fowl-breeders a new ap. preciation of Chinese skill iu disci plining their feathered flocks: “During our stay at Hankow we visited a duck farm. The process of heeping the ducks is very simple. A large wooden shed stands near the edge of the river, where tho owner of the farm or an employe spends the night with his feathered friends. There must have been several thou sands of ducks in the farm we visited. Before sunrise the door of the shed is opened, and out run the ducks, scrambling one over the other into tho river, where they spend the day feed ing. As soon as sunset approaches, from all parts of the river they come, tor they wander far among,the rush es and islands during the day, and there is still more hurry and scurry to get into the shed than there was to got out at dawn. The reason is sim t ple. Immovable by the door sits the Chinaman, a long cane in his hand, and woe betide the last duck to enter, for down on its back comes the long bamboo with a pain-inflicting thud. In this way punctuality is insured among tho ducks.” Children could hardly have learned their lesson better than the ducks. A Blow and a Kiss. “Red and gold make a beautiful combination,” said the auburn haired Miss Jones to her friend, Miss Smith. “ Yes, your head and your heart, for instance.”—fNew York Press. __ SCHLEY COUNTY JJEWS. Saved. Her heart is the court of love Wherein I am being tried; I ask the powers above That she may become my bride. Her “no” to me will be death— Ah, ended is all the strife, For “yes” with a smile she saith; The verdict is thus “for life!” — [Edgar A. Elliston, in Munsey’s Magazine. HUMOROUS. A slow match- The courtship of i bashful young man. ‘•Something that should be looked into”—a microscope. Egotism is a failing which is inva. riably possessed by the other fellow. lie—There is a good deal to be said in favor of cremation. She (shiver ing)—Yes, indeed. It’s so clean and nice and—warm. Creditor (angrily)—Do you expect me to call many times for this ac count? Debtor (blandly)—I do, but I hope you won’t. Penelope—Do you 6ee that hand some fellow by the piano? I rejected him once. Perdita—That’s nothing. I rejected him twice. Even Washington’s graceful car riage didn’t make as lasting impres sion on history as the hack he took at his father’s cherry tree. Marriage seems never so much failure to a man as when something goes wrong at home that he can’t possibly biatne on his wife. “The dinner is abominable, dear! You would do me a favor sending away your cook.’’“Impossible, viscount; it’s my mother.” Caller—Where’s your father, bub. Is he in or out? Bub—Both. Caller, How can that be? Bub—Easy enough. He’s iu debt and out er business. Teacher—Do you know the differ ence between right and wrong? —Xaw. if you were to take your brother’s cake from him, what would you do. Eat it up. The Hostess—Let me introduce you to Mr. Rimer, the famous poet, Mr. Dossit. You must be acquainted his beautiful poems. Mr. (retired)—Oh, yes; I’ve wrapped tons of butter in ’em! Dr. Emdee: You must stop going out with the boys or you will down your constitution. Joblots: danger; the later I am out the before the tougher I feel iu the morn ing. “What will you do if you are elected?” asked the deputation of vo ters delegated to ascertain the ground whereon the candidate stood. Scott! What 6hall I do if Pm elected!” groaned the candidate to himself before he made an audible re ply She (at her desk)—Dear, please tell me how to spell costume. I’m writ ing to mother about my lovely now gown. He—Well, are you ready? She —Y T es. He—C-o-s-t, cost. She—Yes. He—T-o, to. She—Well? He—M-e, me—$200, us yet unpaid. a wretch. “She may be well educated, as say, but she uses very singular ex pressions.” “She does?” “Yes; yes terday, for instance, she spoke of a musical concert.” “Wasn’t that cor rect?” “Certainly not. It wasn’t necessary to say musical in speaking of a concert. A concert must be mu sical.” “Must, eh? Well, I’ve been at some that were not.” How glad I am that leap year’s come, Oh, future bright and sunny! For every single girl I know Has stacks and stacks of money. The Home of the Potato. The world owes Chile a dent ot gratitude which will never bo paid, for that country is agreed by botanists to be the native home of the white, or round, commonly called the “Irish,” potato. On the western slopes of tho Chilean Andes the potato plant still grows wild in a form so similar that #f tho cultivated variety as to bo easily recognizable. The cultivation ol the plant spread into Peru and New Granada about the time of the Euro pean conquest, and into Virginia Nortli Carolina in the latter half the sixteenth century, about the time that it was taken to Europe. wild potato, however, grows only in Chile. The tubers are about the size of marbles, but have all the taste and the characteristics of the Varieties.— rGlobc- Democrat. THIS IS ONE OF THE 40 STYLES WHICH WE MAKE EASY RIDING e: a:- -x * a:- -x- *- PRACTICAL No. 165, STAR GEAR SPINDLE BODY. NATURAL WOOD FINISn, OR PAINTED, Built on Honor. 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