The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-01-11
THE SWEDISH F1NNs.

scribing their origin and cfla1anteris
rcs and commenting on their herol
history. In regard ITO the ancient Finn
the writer says:
"VirllIty of 1.-THE most marked kind
manly fortltude and indomdtable ten
acity of win lie i'm the very marrow o
THE Finn; so much so as often to de
generate either into the merest OBJ
stinacy or unreasoniEg aversion t
everything new; this he HAS chung
through all the vioissAtudes of conitin
nous warfare, with its accompanyin;
horrors of devastation and famine, al
the more lte1utble lbecause of the pov
ierty of the country, with unfiinchint
devotion to his customs and his creed
and above all to his language. 1t mia!
he inferr'ed from THE fact of the Finn:
being so constantly involved ir
strife THAT they are a war'ike people
Nothing could be further from the
TRUTH. In no single instance, l think
1 may with safety assert, have they
been the aggu'essors. Indeed, they are
positively remarkable for possessing a
most peaceable disposition. The very
fact, however of the frequent recur-
renee of violent conflict between them
hnd their Swedish and Russian neigh
bors, proves them to be as distinguish
ed for courage and endurance as for
9,,of no Vat Hln1Ic OH
THE Films never would for moment
tamely submit Ito provocation, ever OPP
posing "a determined front to attack,
when once conquered they have observ-
ed "a stdadfast loyalty and an exalted
conception of the sacredness of an oath
of allegiance which must perfoce ex-
tort the the admiration of foe as we'll
las of friend.
How could a people survive so ter
rble am apprenticeship in national evo,
tuition unless it possessed inexhaustible
vidlity, knowledge of its virtue and
a belief in its ability to shape its des-
TINY? And these staunch virtues OF
Ihar'dihood, patience, courage and hon
esty, and wlthal of unhggresslveness,
abide in THE Finn of today, and cheer
him Ito hope for the morrow Of poIit-
ical freedom. Young as is this people,
considered as a national entity, it has
made surprising progniess in the last
half century of bellies lettres and the
fine arts. The feeling for 1.-THE beautiful
was ever fnnIate i'm the breast of the
Finn; even when the turmoil of his hard
lot crushed ilts expression, the soul Of
music Was astir within him ait the law
ing of his granite rocks by the sea
waves, ait THE soughing of the breeze
his pine and birch forests, at
the foaming of his waterfalls and the
rlppling of his numberless CANALS and
nlkes; the sense of the artistic awoke
alt sight of his acres of wav-
ing corn, of his limpid streams, and
pellucid lakes, of his daTk-green fir
belts kissing the waters edge; and the !
sublime spirit of the sweetest and pur-
eat poetry filled his being as year after
year the vast, calm serenity of the
summer midnight brooded in the mys-
teriou's hush of it's faint rose half-light !
over his beloved land, paling the glow
Jf THE festival bonfires he lights on his
ynlnite enanences."
The influence of the Swedes upon
Finland ds sketched:
Suffice 1t here to say THAT the Scan
element in the population
llltes from a little over thousand
5ears ago, when the first extensive NIL
movement took place; a large
yody of Swedes crossed the Baltic, and
eIHtling in the Aland archipelago off
he southwest coast of Finland. Some
If the emiguants seem to have pushed
N to the mainland and settled in the
'outhern panit of the province of Ny
and. At various periods fuTther bodies
# Swedes made their way to the same
egfon, and extending their new homes
long the southern coast eastward.
some three or four hundred years sub,
equenIt to the first migration another
Intensive movement from the Scandl,
lavlan peninsula occurred.
''The character of the Swedish Fin
ander is more emotional than THAT of
he Finn, and therefore possesses less
f steadiness and patience. On tne
ther hand, he is much quicker not
nly to think, but TO act; with a keen
r perception of the bright side OF
fe, and "a corresponding promptitude
D seize ON it's every opportunity for
ielding plelsure, he combines "a sen,
ftiveness that is less fitted to with
tand its constant trials than is the
Temperament of the Finn,
thom the long necessity of fighting
1r his very existence lhas Injured to
ne hardship and possible penury. New
rtheless, much of this impatience of
-orry has left him, by reason of the
cry fact of his having lived side by
de with THE stolid Finn for so many
snturGes; ne has gradually acquired
luch of the Ialtter's philosophical calm,
nd now differs greatly from his broth
r across THE Baltic. Indeed, though
his language intact, he
peaks with a different accent, having
ist that peculiar singsong information
hitch distinguishes the speech of the
anuine Sweed and the latter processes
, look down on his Finnicized relative
Consequence.
Speaking generally, the Swedish Fin
.nders are sharper and keener in busi-
sss, more enterpTising and desirous
, keeping in touch with the outer
orld, than their Tavast and Aarelian
rdshers. and as a consequence are more
ell to do and more progressive in their
ieas and habits. Until quite recently
le intellectual accomplishments Of the
alton were ito be credited almost en-
rely t6 them; thus Runeberg, the great
Jet of Finland, rhe recognition Of
hose genius has become well-nigh
orid-wide. wrote in Swedish, as does
: who Of all Finnish authors is the
NY one widely known in the United
iates, Zachardas TopeIius, whose Sur