Islandia by Austin Tappan Wright

Author:Austin Tappan Wright [Wright, Austin Tappan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sci Fi & Fantasy
Publisher: Holt Rinehart and Winston
Published: 1944-01-10T00:00:00+00:00

When the council adjourned for the midday recess, I went to Lambertson at the hotel, and found him with a heavy mail and several newcomers, a busy man. It was some time before he asked as to the happenings “on the hill.” I reported what Lord Dora had been saying, and he did not seem much interested.

For my own mail there came a brief interval after lunch. Most important was a cablegram from my friend in New York stating that the paper I had sent him had been accepted and that more was wanted. I was thus transformed from a would-be to an actual foreign correspondent, and the feeling was pleasant. There was also a letter from Gladys Hunter, who had followed mine and was aware of the important events now happening.

Back to the Council Chamber with renewed interest, I saw more faces on the diplomatic benches, but they were largely of strangers who had arrived that morning and had come to see a show. As Lord Dorn resumed his speech they whispered together, their escorts from the legations pointing out Tor, Dorna, Mora, and other important persons.

It was a gray chilly afternoon and the room was rather dim, colors glowing somberly; and as though influenced by this, Lord Dorn spoke more quietly and with less of what had seemed to be rancor, as though he had been angry at having to play the part he did.

“In Islandian life, the natural unit is the family and all else is subservient. This is not true in foreign countries. They often announce that the family is the foundation of the state: but by family they mean the small domestic group of husband, wife, and children, not the continuing of generations on the same land; and when they say that this group is the foundation of the state, they mean that if husbands and wives are faithful and have many children, the state will flourish. For them the family is good because it is a foundation for something more important.”

He then spoke at length upon the effect of foreign intercourse on Islandian life. If trade alone were involved he believed that no great changes would come, because Islandians would not readily become buyers and sellers. “But,” he cried, “the foreigners would live among us and would bring their diseases and pests to ourselves and all our growing things,” and he then graphically described them and their effect. Advertising would be necessary, and he told of the changes it would bring to the face of the country. But it was not trade that was to be feared so much as concessions; and for the rest of the afternoon he worked out in detail exactly what would happen if concessions were granted: the gradual substitution of wealth in money for wealth in productive agencies like land and ships and flocks; the development of the indirect ownership of such wealth through ownership of securities; the introduction of banks and credit transactions; and as a consequence the

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.