The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-18

call it, are most peculiar, yet they are an
| intellectual and musical people even in
| the lowest ranks of life. They are deter
| mined and persevering, and it is no I'M
! reading for his school and his university
and finally taking his NJ. A degree and
even becoming professor.
1t would seem as if the Firms have at
tanned something like an fdal condition,
for very few persons are rich and very
many in comfortable circumstances. No
one can live beyond his income very well,
for in January OF every year the exact
income of every person is published in
the newspapers as a basis of the income
tax.
For two or three months in the year
there is really no night in Finland. The
sun sets at about 1880 p. m, but even
then there is a sort of twilight until it
rises again in a few hours.
The family is everything TO the Finn.
In the summer almost every one who
lives in city goes to his island home
There are so many of these islands all
over Finland that no one takes the
trouble TO own them. If a Finn sees an
island that he likes, all he does is to put
up house on it and no one interferes
AS his children grow up and marry. he
erects villas for them on the same island.
and very soon the island becomes the
home Of tw or three generations. The
paternal homestead is the centre around
which children and grandchildren rally,
and on Sundays especially all of the fam
lily and its branches dine together Cold
as it is in Finland in winter, the heat of
summer is just as extreme, and the mos
quitoes are very much ike those report
ed in the Klondike. Travellers say that
the family life is the most simple and
beautiful, and it is proven statistically
that morality is very high, divorce very
infrequent throughout Finland.
Next TO his country, the Finn believes
in education. They have had a university
since 1910, and the system of primary and
intermediate education is as good as any
in the world. The teacher is looked up
TO in Finland as a person of great con-
sequence. 1t is the most honorable of the
professions and after thirty years of ser
vice every teacher, male or female, is
pensioned by the State.
Finnish women are thoroughly well ed
ucated; they aremusical and artistic,
beautiful needlewomen, manage their
homes well and generally speak three or
four languages. Thew are members of
the great literary and scientific societies.
Among the 212 Fellows that compose the
Geographical Society, there are seventy
women. In tn Swdish Library Socity
there are eighty-two women. The scien-
tihc publications issued by these and sim
liar Finnish societies are considered of
great value by scientists all over the
world. The bicycle and telephone have
Finland. Everybody rides a
wheel and no house is without a tele-
phone.
The musical culture Of the people is
something remarkable. Everybody sings
and sings well. The musical festival held
at SOrdavala are attended by ten or
twelve thousand people every year, and
the singing of the old folk songs and the
runes of the Runo singers are worth 60
ng miles to hear.
. The Finnish language is almost as hard !
to learn as Chinese. Though it is mu-
steal, expressive and poetical some of |
he words are extremely long. Here is |
an ordinary specimen, Opittomattomun-
iessansakin," which means even in his !
ignorance"
The method of bathing in Finland is |
me of the most curious customs of the |
A Finnish bath once taken by |
nan or woman can never be forgotten
The bath house is called bastu, and is a
title wooden building, the outer room of
which contains a large oven; the inner
DOM has a large sized tin bath tub filled
With cold water
The bather is first thoroughly steamed
hen beaten by a maid with a broom of
,irch leaves and finally doused with cold
water.
These baths are taken every Saturday
light, the whole family al once, men,
women and children, masters and ser
ants, each beating the other with the
irch branches in a strange promiscuity
hat seems shocking to most civilized
eople.