The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-05-30

lACt. 00Se6s ao 1<4iJCAOsAss = @(s-S~
Swedish clergyman, in q recent In
terview with a Chicago reporter, gave
the following statement concerning
the Laplanders:
sLapland, you are aware, lies along
the North Polar Sea, and is partly
in Norway, partly in Sweden, partly
in Finland and partly in Russia. To
the east of it. in Russia, and extend
ing further to the north, is Siberia.
The eastern part Of Lapland is under
the Russian Government and is DOM
mated in religious matters by the
Greek church. Tho western portion
is under the united government Of
Sweden and Norway, and y govern
ed religiously by the established Lu-
theran church. Lapland is . large
country but has, as yet been i'm
perfectly explored, and its exact di-
mensisns are not known. It extends
a great distance within the polar cir
Gle. / have myselftraveled seventy
miles within the circle, and how
much farther north the land extends
the inhabitants have no idea. 1t is q
mountainous country, and consists
almos. entirely of alternate lofty
mountains and narrow valleys.
"For six weeks in the summer the
sun does not 90 out of sight, but
sails around the heavens, only Dip
ping nsarer toward the horizon at
the north. Then in the winter for
six weeks Il never gets above the
horizon at eli, but only approaches
it at midday. In the summer time
it becomes as warm there as it does
here; and in the winter the ther-
mometer remains As degrees below
zero for four or five months together.
The cold is not 80 keenly felt Is You
might suppose, and yet it was so Sc
we're that l had to return to Sweden
several times to recuperate, and even
so it has seriously impaired my sense
of hearing. AS to snow and ice, there
is no snow on the mountains, be-
cause it all blows off into the valleys,
where it accumulates in some places
to unknown depths. The rivers, Of
course, are frozen up in winter.
"The population of Lapland is es-
timated at q 900. The origin of the
word Lapp is unknown, but it is
supposed to mean nomad. The
Lapps, like their name, are of un-
known origin. They are, as a race,
distinct from any other people in
Europe. They have straight, brown
hair, light eyes and no beard. Their
complexion has been represented to
be a sort of copper color, but that ID
a mistake. They appear to be of that
complexion because they are begrim.
med with smoke. But, when they
wash their faces they are seen to be
of pale, ashy and rather blush.
white complexion. In character
they are friendly and hospital. They
can all shoot. but they are not at all
warlike in disposition. For truth
fulness, honesty and virtue, they
compare favorably with other Euro
pean races, but their intelligence j.
of low order. They speak a Ian
guage which is somewhat easy TO &C
quire. and which is very different
from European language. 1t is {
written as we'll as a spoken language
and many of them can read ant
write ii.
The staff oflife in Lapland is th'
reindeer. This animal is their beast
of burden, their clothier and theil
butcher. The country has no othel
animals worth speaking of but th'
reindeer, dogs and goats. 1t yield.
To grain and no fruits. The well.
Go people live on boiled reindeeI
meat. The only thing they eat witt
it is kind of sour grass, which they
boil to the consistency of jelly. Ii
the winter they can only procur,
water by melting the snow. Tn,
poorer people cannot afford ever
this diet, but live entirely on fish
The waters yield excellent fish, and
among others, a very fine kind o
salmon. But in winter these fisl
can be taken only By cutting througl
the thick ice which covers the rivers
The clothing of the people consist
of double suit of reindeer skin
one with the fur turned inward ans
the other with the fur turned out
ward. They also wear a conical ha
made of the same material.
"The reindeer live entirely on
kind of moss that grows on th
ground, and which, in the winter
: they obtain by digging down thre
the snow for it. This moss does no
grow everywhere on the ground
either; and it is a singular fact tina
the reindeer are possessed of a mys
teriOus instinct, bv which they Cal
tell where it is, so that they neve
dig through the snow in vain. As I
: water, they are dependent for moist
ure on what they can gather b,
licking the snow.
"The Lapps live in tents, not NOR
, than ten feet in width. made of rein
/: deer hides. They build fire in th
middle of it and sit around it,crouch
| ing as low as possible to avoid th,
smoke of the fire, and pass the tim
in smoking tobacco and tellin,
stories. They are a nomadic rae
and not at all gregarious. They hav
no cities or towns, and the neares
approach they make to a village
when twenty persons will pitch thei
tents in the neighborhood of littl
Lutheran church erected by tn
Government.
They have sort of Bible callet
the 'Gobdas.' This is written on
reindeer hide, and contains th
mythology of the race. 1t teaches
however, not Of the Creator and @
the origin of the universe, but entire
ly of duty and morals. Like tn
race and tongue, it is of unknown
origin. But the Lapps have no,
almost universally abandoned thu
Gobdas for the Christian religion
Their religion is mostly nationa
and formal, but found y few choic
; spirits among them whose religio