Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-10-25

tbe called settled, apples pears and
cherries are grown, as also soma ber-
ries. Fir. spruce and birch make up
the forest area, though an oak Is some-
times seen. A wheat crop is uncertain.
Oats, buckwheat and flax are grown tod
some extent. Rye is the staple grain
and feeds the people. Oats are still
being cut at the first of October and
much of 1t is not yet mature, though
winter wheat is out of the ground and
the antics of the thermometer are
constant reminder that winter is not
1 far off.
Only one-tenth of the people Of Fin
land live in towns and eight-tenths OF
the population are engaged in agricul-
lture. Their life is simple. The barren
soil supports them and supplies their
Ineeds. Manufactures are few in num-
ber What are the wants of Finland
peasant save food, drink and clothing?
He raises his own grain. He or his
/ neighbor for him bakes his, bread,
brews his beer, makes his shoes and his
coat He has no money to spend in the
city; his products are too few. He can
live and for him comfortably, by an
exchange of his products with his
|neighbor, equally a producer. This is
market 1t is found in the cities, but it
is not patronized by the townspeople.
j Peasants buy of peasants.
The people of Finland are not litter
ate. The per cent of illiteracy is very
small. They have none of the Injuries
of richer peoples. Their cottages are
4 certainly very cold. AS a people they
orr fcn NJ IL vi; lo,
loften drunken. Most of the work is
done by the women. The young men
have either emigrated to other lands or
are in the Russian military service.
The older men are too often inclined to
Lounge about the house. Finlanders
always carry short dagger or knife
hanging in its sheath at their side and
they are said to have much of the spirit
of revenge.
q When l came into the country at
Abo one of the first things 1 noticed
was that the street placard bore three
names--one Finnish one Swedish and
one of these translated into Russian
and displayed III Russian characters. A
there are hui five thousand Russians in
all Finland it is easy to see that this
/ latter is a bit of Russian zeal for sup
! posed Russian glory. Towns thus have
/ three names. the Swedish and Finnish
!, different, the third usually Russian
rendering of one of the other two.
Swcdes constitute one-siXth of the pop
! uation of Finland. They are largely
descendants of Swedish settlers who
came into the country at the time of
: 1.-THE conquest by Sweden IN the twelfth
century The races have remained dis
tinct and have retained their racial
I characteristics to a remarkable degree.
S The two peoples live in the same neigh
E borhoods and in the same villages, yet
loften the barriers of separation are so
i marked that they neither understand
8 the others language. The Swedes are
! lsettled only in the southwest. The
: inns and hotels are mostly Swedish. A
: few times got into a Finnish estab-
: lishment and was glad to get away. To
!. the east and north the hoe is the ALL
d purpose implement in agriculture. In
a the better parts of the country horses
are utilized. People travel in two-wheel
carts. They also do their hauling with
. carts. Outside the few chief cities one
!. lmay travel for a hundred miles and see
!. no other vehicle
i / like the Finland horse because of
!. The way he gets over the ground. The
! horses are full of life and activity
!. though Of small size and are all alike
:. The drivers OH the road are usually wo-
II men. The man STAYS at home and
bakes the bread, grlnds the rye. makes
n the shoes or weaves the cloth which the
! wife carts to nlarke; and sells. AS
q Towns are so few markets are far apart
i and the round trip way means jour
is lney of thirty or even fifty miles. Al
,f What hour they start from home can
a not guess. They We're always on the
d market chanering over their produce
IS at as early an hour as could succeed
IF lin waking by ten o'clock many hat
IS sold out. fed the pony. and We're strap
st lping and tying to the cartboN the cans
t. BOTTLES bags, packages and boxes fo
re the return. These markets offer ;
I'd compete variety even furnishing foo
l. land drink. Coffee is brought in a cal
ne perhaps for twenty miles kept hot b.
ST lbcing wrapped in blankets, and sold GU
a. at five pennia cup. less than on
~ cent A favorite market dish is grue
ne made Of fruits and grain. Cooke
a. Ineats, hot and cold, and various sau
ad sages are sold on the market.
e Helsingfors, the capital of FINLAND
u with seventy thousand people. is
o. beautiful city situated on the souther
Oh coast on a peninsula which extends in
of Ito the Baltic Sea. lis wide streets ar
er clean and we'll paved, it's buildings mas
ed siye and constructed of granite or lime
n stone The public buildings. halls
mt legislation. university and churche
tn will compare with similar structure
is of any city. To me Helsingfors is III
its queen city of the Baltic. AT the res
is of the city is wilderness of rock, tn
re- small peninsula is completely covere
IN and there is no room for the city
m grow For this reason building site
90 command a high price. This conditio
de also affects rents and cheap living
for the little capital is quite an impcssib
ne, thing.
he / have no sympathy with the eau.
,ht of Russia in Finland. 1t is anoth
sar case OF the strong against the wea
all When the Russians conquered II
at. country in 1909 they entered into 8
the agreement allowing to Finland a col
ley siderable measure of national indepel
;ay dence though constituting II a graz
icy duchy of the empire. This nation
zen freedom the Firms have zealously che
;.t,ad ,,ol,tipo IL their lives. at II