108 THE LAST CRUISE OF THE CARNEGIE 



The day after our arrival was spent in examining the mag- 

 netic station on Engey Island, where observations had been 

 made in 1914. Tents were pitched, and the hay-field cleared for 

 the potential-gradient comparisons. That evening Monsieur 

 Simon held a dance at his house. We were introduced to several 

 attractive young ladies of the island. Many of them had studied 

 in the ITnited States, others had spent some years in England or 

 the Scandinavian countries. All spoke English (or American!) 

 better than we. We also met some of the officers of the Danish 

 cruiser, Fylla, stationed here for part of the year to patrol the 

 fisheries. 



This event served to show us how little we knew about Iceland. 

 Nowhere did we discard more false notions about a foreign 

 country than we did there. The climate in Reykjavik was found 

 comparable to that of New York. Snowfall is moderate and soon 

 melts away. The mighty Gulf Stream, in its journey of thousands 

 of miles, still holds enough warmth to keep the main harbors free 

 of ice, and permits the growing of the usual household crops. 

 Grass is abundant, and sheep and ponies are bred on a grand 

 scale. 



Life in Reykjavik is not unique, except for the very short day- 

 light in winter, and the virtual absence of night during the sum- 

 mer. We were not far enough north to experience a midnight 

 sun, but one went to bed in daylight and an early riser was many 

 hours behind the sun. 



Instead of finding a squalid fishing-village, composed of har- 

 dened toilers of the sea, fighting a cruel nature for a meagre 

 living, we found perhaps the highest general level of culture of 

 our whole cruise. Libraries, museums, model schools, hydroelec- 

 tric power, airplane transportation, orchestras, and choral socie- 

 ties; a generous, intelligent population, at home in the world, 

 reading good books and plays — truly a different picture from that 

 we had brought with us. 



We found there a successful solution to a great social problem. 

 Once a notoriously rum-drinking community, Iceland has by a 

 gradual process of popular education and government control 

 closed all open saloons. By limiting the sale of liquor to wines 



