The Portland daily press., 1881-02-09
Selma Borg Of Finland.

| o0lud bOTS Oh F1u1dnO.
Next week Miss Selma Borg will favor the
| Portland people with one of her lectures. At
the request of some of her friends short
sketch of the life and work of this somewhat
extraordinary woman is appended. 1t is to be
| hoped the hall will be well filled with the
| friends and admirers of woman who, while
| retaining the womanly nature, has chosen the
platform for the sphere of action whereon to
| represent her nationality and to incite he1 sex
to greater usefulness in all the higher employ
ments of life.
Selma Borg was born in 1888, in the little
town of Gamla-Karleby, East Bothnia, Fin
land, 64th latitude. She sprang from one of
the Oldest and most aristocrattc families of that
Duchy She was the youngest of large fami-
ly, was the pet of fond and doting father
and mother, and heroine among her brothers
and sisters. From early childhood she was
imbued with the spirit of freedom. Confined
to the school-room in the winter, she was like
bird led loose in the summer and spent the
vacations in outdoor sports, rambling ON the
seacoast, hunting in the forests and fishing in
the famous northern lakes. Her one thought
seemed to be to go out into the world, beyond
the sea, into the western world, the world to-
wards which she would gaze at sunset. When
she played with her brothers, it would be at
going to sea-Baltimore and Boston being the
terminus of their voyages AT the age of IA
she was confirmed in the State Church, the
Lutheran, and left her sports to become
young lady. History was her favorite study;
to it she pays her homage as the basis of her
logical thought moral convictions and stern
principles. At Is she realized her wish to 90
away from home. She was sent to Stockholm
where she studied literature, music and the
languages. She studied music under Norman,
the great Swedish composer, and her voice was
trained by Giinter, leading professor of the
Royal Academy. Her voice failing under ar
duous study, she went to a milder climate at
Lausanne, Switzerland, and remained there
three years in one pensionnat, where she COM
pleted thorough collegiate course. During
her stay there she was asked by an Americ an
lady the question: "Where is Finland?' This
question aroused in her patriotic nature the
old desire to visit the land of her childish
Dreams and tell its people of her land, of the
Kalevala people-the Firms, the Oldest in
habitants of the North the mother stock of all
other Northern natiOnalities, who occupied
Northern Russia and Sweden centuries before
either the Slavs or the Scandanavians found
their way there. In a letter to her brother she
conveyed to him her desires to go to America
to master the English language and to place
before the intellects of that land her peoples
claim to recognition. On her return from
Switzerland she remained two years at the
capital of Finland, Helsingfors, studying
music, painting, history and literature with
the best professors. At the end of this time
came the opportunity for which she had so
long wished-an intimate friend married and
was to leave for America. Having obtained
the reluctant consent of her family she ac-
companied her friend to this unknown land of
her dreams. Never was land and people
more idealized than was America by this
young enthusiast when she first landed in New
York in 1864.
She visited and travelled for some time, and
then taught music, French and drawing for
three years in Aurora, Ill. From here she
was1nvited to Jacksonville, ILL.,, to become the
leader of the finest musical society then in the
West. From there she came to Boston and
began the translation of Madame Schwartz's
novels from the Swedish, which became the
sensation OF the season. Among them were
"Gold and Name" "Birth and Education
Guilt and Innocence and "Gerda," the Dub
lcation of which was started by Lee & Shep
ard, continued by Porter & Coates of Phila-
delphia, but finally dicontinued.
AT the time of the Franco-Prussian war, the
great financial crisis which swept over Europe
affected the large banking houses, and in the
crash the house of the Borgs went down.
This threw Miss Borg sentirely upon her own
resources, but with independence and energy
sue LOOK up the struggle OF lie.
In 1875 she returned to Finland for the pur-
pose of having the Grand Duchy represented
at the Centennial. She was received with un-
bounded enthusiasm by her countrymen and
countrywomen. Endorsed by the Senate she
made journey Of over twelve hundred miles
throughout the entire country, visiting all the
towns and villages, and even the homes of
peasants.
The excitement she created among the peo-
pie was intense. Committees we're formed in
every department, but the work was suddenly
brought to an end. An old law of Finland
having necessitated petition from the Senate
to the Grand Duke of Finland (the Emperor
OF Russia) the intrigues and jealousies at st.
Petersburg succeeded in defrauding the peo-
pie of Finland from being represented.
Miss Borg had been chosen as the commits
sioner to the Centennial, hence would have
been the only lady commissioner. The failure
OF her schemes was to her a profound disap-
pointment, which made her realize that al
thoug h entirely independent of Russia, the
Grand Duchy must ever suffer from a union
thrust upon her by the inevitable law of in
ternational relationship, but nevertheless hu-
initiating to the Oldest, bravest and freest ma
tion of the North.
Upon her return from Finland, in the same
year, she began course of lectures upon her
country and people, which she delivered sue
ceSsfully in Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode
Island and the other New England States. In
1880 Mrs. Emily Newhall of Boston opened
red and fifty representative men and women
of Cambridge and Boston, DIR. Hedge, Dr.
Holmes, Mr.. James. Mr.. Pierce and other Har-
ward men being among the number. Before
this audience she presented her lecture on the
Kalevala epic, which until this time was al
most unknown in America, except in some
rare cases of extended literary research as in
the case of Longfellow, whose knowledge of
the Kalevala "Wainemoinem" is proven by
his "Hiawatha."
When in Finland in 1875 Miss Borg was pre-
sented with a fine collection of her national
music, and in connection with her mental
patriotic work, she conceived the idea of pre-.
senting to the public this music in orchestra
This she has done with great success, leading
the orchestra herself with Carl Scutz's orches-
ira in Philadelphia, Theodore Thomas's Or
chestra, and the celebrated Reeves orchestra
| of Providence.
| Having been received and acknowledged as
| a scholar of the highest mental attainments, a
| musical enthusiast with thorough knowledge
| of the sentiment and power of orchestration,
| and an extempore speaker of more than ordi-
nary linguistic ability, Miss Borg will continue
! with her lectures and musical renditions of
| Finland music until she has reached the in
telects of the entire American public, SO that
Finland, her ancient and stern music-loving
people, shall be known here as thoroughly as
in Europe, and be recognized as among the
| Oldest, noblest, truest and most enduring rep
resentatives of the human family.