No Prisons and No Policemen

In 1874, Iceland celebrated the one-thousandth anniversary of its colonization. At the same time it became independent of Denmark, though subject to the King of Denmark as the head of the Icelandic government. Its new government is thoroughly republican in spirit, all citizens having equal rights and perfect religious liberty. The Icelanders as a race are noble, intellectual, and brave. There are no prisons, and no officers answering to our policemen, on the Island. The island is itself, in many respects, one of the most interesting parts of the world; its physical features are very remarkable, and not less so is the history of the people. All tongues owe to Iceland the word Geyser,--that is gusher,--for geysers (spouting fountains) were first found there. But most remarkable of all is their literature, which preserved the ideas, manners, and religion of that Teutonic race in their purity for many hundred years, whose Eddas and Sagas are the chief source of our knowledge of the race. The Norse language is still spoken in Iceland. About the year 1000 the Icelanders were converted to Christianity; in multitudes they assembled at the hot springs for baptism, preferring hot to cold water for the rite. Like all northern nations, they have preferred the Protestant form of religion. In China, also, there are no policemen, each citizen being responsible for the good behavior of his ten neighbors. This constitution of society is not without analogies to that of Anglo-Saxon England.