The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-06
MORALITY IN FINLAND.
A Land Where a Coca Name Ia
Moro Than Riches.
Tho Punishmcnt for Crime Docs Not WIN.
Out tho Stain. and Wealth Cannot
Compensate for Loss OF
Reputation.

Thc standard of morality in Finland
mot TINT morality which consists moro.
ly in the Keeping upof Appearances and
the throwing of dust in our neigllbors,
eyes-is much higher than in most cours-
tries, decidedly higher thcn in Sweden.
which has grated so mally of its civil
lzing institutions on the Finnish stock.
Finland is united to The Russian empire,
and it's capital, llcsngfors, is but n
nights journey from ST. Petersburg,
ard yet the difference between the two
countries in religion, morality and we'll
being could not be greater were they
separated fromGach other by the carth's
diameter
This enormous difference lis manifest
in outward things; in nothing so strils-
ingly as the aspect of the streets of Fin
nish cities ut night, A woman, or n
girl, would be afraid tn wall, alone at
night, even on the Ncvsky Prospect i'm
st. Petersburg, and this Telling is AMPLY
jushflehsoy the insults to Which those
respectable females are occasionally
subjected whom dire necessity drives
GIFT after eight or mime O'Clock at night.
I'm !Halsingfors, on the contrary, 3 girl
'unayNv ak alone i'm my quarter Sf the
|city;st any hour 81 the might without
the slightest risk ca apprehension. And
'tlifs outward appearance of dccorum
;and propriety, which 'surpasscs any,
thing have noticed in any either Eu-
'ropcan city, is nts 4 mere ornamental
mantle. q coating of 'rhitcwash given
ITO moral scp,tlther, IA beautiful OUT
side, but withinfnll5f dead mems bones
and of all unclcanncss, says writer
lin the London Telegraph
1t is II very fsair inSicationrof the nor
:al condition 81 the Grand Duchy. In
Finlandpublic opinEJn is nri irresistible
torce-incmriIsir;lbf5 stronger than mere
legal restraints ark .barrif rS-and 1T lis
wholly enlisted ouiSle side of morality
and justice. The population is one i'm
mense family Of two millions and IL half,
all the members of whick, when oncpj
they have attained u certa in standard of
public usefulness. are more or less
known to each other, and each one feels
that i'll all Thc turning points of life the
eyes of all his 'countrymcn are fixed
upon him, and Il disgraccful action isne-
membcredff for generations.
good name and fame, therefore. lis
concrete rrdliry in Finland, where,
without It, n man is disqualified from
occupyingnpos of trust in the office
of any large firm and serving the state
in any capacity. The only refuge .ope1l
to him-If tharr chance to be Il vacunqy
lis the post Of censor of Finnish books
and newspapers fort the Russian GOV
ernment, I'm occupation which erects
an impossible barrier between Thin.
fand his countrymcnfor all time.
cause of his failure, is under y ,cloutl
which, even lin favorable cases 1T re
quires some time and great efforts &c.
dispcl; and, IF Il dishonest bankrupt he
is under lock and l,ey as we'll. &ntl al
though when he has undergone his, son-
tencc in prison nd,afterward reTr,iindd
in moral quarantinGfor year, Sr tive,
or three, during which he must keep
aloof from dil trade and commerce, he
is permitted to begin anew, Il sadder
and a wiser man; he is usually wise
enough 10 refuse tor avail himself of the
privilege, we'll knowing that no amount
of capital CHI compensate for the loss
of ones ,geod name, without which
trade or commerce in Finland is un
utter impossfbility.
The visible results of this hcalthfhi
moral tone of the community arelthat
vice and crime are'rapidly diminishing.
and show n: strong tendency to .Hisap-i
pear. And .this is perfectly natural.
The collapse of most men in a}l ,coun-i
tries in the sstrugSle for life err be
shown to- be i'm consequence of moral.
rather than intellectual defects. and it
is to this collapse that the GREATEST
number CT vices ;lndrrrimes are atttab-
utablc.
Now, t1,e INNS arc Observation-Disclosures
spimble and plastic tlsan the French,
less imaginative rand&subtle than .The
Russians and less sentimental tfan,the
{ Germans, nut; they make up for n <ee.'-
tain mental slngyishness and stiffness
by an extremely delicate moral sex
sibility, to axhichnhey aye indebted fe,
most of their .pdhticala nd economical
successes
Dwellings Nf belgian W.orisingmen.
s.al