The sun., 1898-05-15

toms are peculiar. For example. the Fin.
lander never shakes hands. He seizes ones
digits as though they were pumphandle, and
warmly holds them. wrcstles with them. and
wags them, until you wonder whether you will
be able ever again to claim your hand as your
own. Again, he makes point Of being do
voted to his wife In public, fondling her assidu-
ously before his friends. On the other hand
he seldom kisces his mother. and never his sis
ters. Daughters seldom kiss their parents
and brothers and sisters rarely touch hands,
Another strange freak in land where for two
or three months thero is no night, is that the
Firms never have shutters and seldom blinds
at the windows; consequently the sun streams
in unRbated. Moreover, the beds arc always 30
placed that the occupants face the windows.
Apparently Finlanders cannot have too much
sunlight. by way of contrast to the darkness
they live in during the long winter. In the
north of the Grand Duchy the sun disappears
altogether in December and January, and win
ter every year lasts for eight or nine months.
Here we should note that while the cold is ex.
cessive. according TO the thermometer, one
does not suffer from it. AS rule, the air is
dry. and fresh. invigorating crispnesS pre-
walls. Our author tells US that on one occa-
sion, when the thermometer registered % below
zero of Fahrenheit, she found it far less cold
than a mild, damp day In England.
Passing to the moral qualities of the Firms,
we observe, first, that they are among the
bravosJ people in the world. OF their courage
q single example must suffice. A fortress in
Finland was besieged by the Russians in 1908.
After q severe struggle it was at last taken by
assault when the Russians discovered that
fifty-Hve out of tho sixty defenders were dead.
Notable also is the democratic spirit of tho
Finnish people. The poorest peasant is a gen.
ia. ,.IR
ing. and he expects every one to treat him as
an equal.
Owing, doubtless. to the fact that they were so
long isolated from tho rest of Europe the Firms
are very inqusitive This is as characteristic
trait as is their obsLinacy their truthfulness
or their honesty. The peasant asks ~here you
come from the moment he secs you arc a
stranger, and the better class folk soon turn the
traveller inside out with questions. They ask
not only where you como from, but where you
arc going, what your business IL and whether
you have a husband, wife, father, mother.
brothers, sisters, &C., all most good .naturedly.
but pertinRciously. The Firms, 1t seems, are
very intense; they are mon of few words slow
to anger, slower TO forgive. They never do any
thing In hurry. Life Is very serious TO them
and they endure great privations with pa
tience. They never trife; Irritation they
abhor; chaff they simply do not understand.
Honest they arc, We have said. TO an extraor-
dinary degree; they are also kind-hearted, re-
specters of law and order ana lovers OF peace.
They arc moro than hospitable: IL Is evident
from our authors experience that they arc
overpoweringy generous In their invitations
to tho veriest stranger and most obliGing In
their dealings with foreigners. doing their best
to entertain you. to understand your speech
and to show you all they can of Finland.
whereof they are immensely proud
NJ w II