The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-04-12
A TOWN IN FINLAND.

sustained, and their due sequence is sub.
ject to strict rules of euphony. The
dotted Din pronunciation somewhat
similar to the French en--of the first
syllable must be followed by an or an
j. Rhyme is admitted with reluctance,
ALTERATION being preferred. The Fin
nish alphabet contains but nineteen let.
ters, and of these b, c, d, f aud & are
found only in few foreign words.
A singular feature of this language and
one that Is also characteristic Of the
Magyar, Turkish and other kindred
tongues, consists of the frequent use of
endearing diminutives. By series OF
suffixes to the names of human beings,
birds, fishes, trees, plants, stones, met
sls, and even actions, events and feel
ings, diminutiyes are obtained which by
their forms present the names so made
in different colors; they become more
naive, more cnildlike, eventually more
roguish or humorous. The English
language is poor in this respect, so this
trait is almost lost in translating Finnish
into English. It is language OF a
people who live close to nature and are
at home among the animals of the will
derness. Beasts aud birds, winds,
woods and waters, falling SHOWS and
flying sands, as we'll as rolling rocks, are
carefully distinguished by correspond
iLg verbs of eVerchauging acoustic i'm.
port.
The Firms are extremely careless about
family names, arguing, eff the family
does not exist, what is the use Of giving
the child name2" In 1886 ukase was
framed compelling the clergy to add a
family name to that Of a saint given In
baptism. In the earliest age of Suomi
it appears that the people worshiped the
conspicuous objects in nature under
their respective and sensible forms. As
the existence of invisible agencies was
recognized, these were attributed to su-
perior persons who lived independent OF
these visible entities, but at the same
time we're connected with them. The
idea of Finnish mythology seems to lie
in this: That all objects in nature are
governed by invisible deities Or genii
Independent of one another.
Ukko (signitying old, all-father) is re-
garded as the highest of Finnish deities.
Frost, snow, hail, ice, wind and rain,
sunshine and shadow, are thought to
come from the hands of Ukko. IN the
Kslevala he is called "Leader of the
Clouds, ""God Of the Breezes, ""Golden
King" "Silver Ruler of the Air."
"Fatner of the Heavens" etc. He is
benign and gracious, when the Virgin
Marietta, after long. vain speeca, i'm
plores him to tell where her "golden in
FAINT lies hidden" he, full of sollcitude
for her grief. tells her
Yonder is thy golden infant;
There thy holy babe lies sleeping,
Hidden to his belt in water,
Hidden in the reeds and rushes.
Among the deities of the air are the
mystic maidens, some of whom were
created by the rubbing of Ukko's hand
OOOQ QlS l6lG huCCs 4hCJ Votn sAS
crimson borders of the clouds -oue
sprinkles white milk, one spriukles red
milk and the third sprinklcs black milk
over the hills and mountains.
Any one looking at the man Of Fin
land will see that it is full of names like
Pyhajarvl (sacred lake, and Pyhejski
(sacred rlver). Some of the old Fin
landers still offer goats and calves to
these sacred waters. In Esthonia is a
rivulet, vohcnda, held in such reve renee
that until very recently none dared to
fell tree or cut shrub in its immedi-
ate vicinity lest death overtake the Of
fender within year in punishment for
his sacrilege.
Nowhere are the inconsistencies of
human theory and practice more Curl
ously and forcibly shown than in the Gus
tom in vogue among the old Firms, who
are not believers in a future life, but