New-York tribune., 1905-11-05
RED FLAG TN FINLAND.
Only a Sign Of ReUoIutiofp-PeopEs
Fitted for Self -GoUermment.

mo country in the world is mors capabls Of
self government than Finland" said Professor
H. Montague Donner the other day. Professor.
Donner Is the son Of a former Finnish Senator.
He has uncle who Is a member Of the Fin
nish Diet and professor IN the University OF
Helsingfors. Professor II. Montague Donner IL
connected with the Girls Technical High School
in this city. 1t has been impossible for him to
return to his native land since the Gar began
the process of Outstanding Finland because his
writings have made him persona non grata, and
such a visit would probably result in the ban
ishment Of his relatives from the country.
Finland has been accustomed to self-govern-
ment in q greater or lesser degree for centuries"
said he. 'The national character of the Binns In
one OF peculiar independence Of mind. marked By
a great measure Of self-reliance. From the ear
liest times of Swedish domination. six centuries
ago, the Firms were recognized apart,
and were willingly granted a measure OF self
government which made them distinct, POLITICAL
ly as we'll as ethnologically, from the great
of the Scandinavian peoples. From oonstitu-
tion which took its beginnings In the middle of
the fifteenth century. there has grown up among
the Finnish people a deep sense of nationality.
Constitutional government has trained the peo-
pie to meet every sort Of political and social
problem with prudence. foresight and wise con-
servatism mingled with desire for progress
"The prosperity and progress of the country
under its own parliamentary government for the
ninety years during which the Russian Czars
kept their oath to respect the Finnish constitu-
ton is conclusively shown by the astonishing
! Industrial and educational development of the
| country. The amazingly low percentage OF IL
Iiteracy of fraction OF per cent. a figure no
| where equalled in the world. has been attained.
This means that only person out of every
on
in the rising generation who is unacquanted
with these two branches The Lutheran clergy
absolutely refuse to marry any ono who cannot
read and write
Practically all of the young people reach the
high normal schools. and 1t is tho ambition
of every peasant to give HIS children an educa-
ton. The University of Helsingfors. founded
four years after Harvard College, is about the
size of Yale University. The population Of the
country is only 2,7O0OOO slightly below that Of
Massachusetts, Latin, and often Greek. Swedish
and Finnish, French often, and English. by those
going into commerce. are studied. The result Is
that the pper classes are thoroughly cosmo-
politan.
There has never been any known corruption
in Finnish public life. This is one Of the reasons
they the most erninently fitted Of all peoples
Of the world for national existence. There is no
thievery of any sort The people have high
sense of pride in personal honor and a high
standard of integrity. Practically all the peo-
pie members Of the Lutheran Church. There
is little litigation and few murders The death
penalty has not BEEN executed in more than a
century. The people believe in long terms Of
Imprisonment for punishment
THE statement that the red flag was raised
in Helsingfors may give a wrong impression "a
some people. who think of it as the sign Of an
archy. The feeling connected with the red flag
in Finland does not SAVIOR OF anarchy at all. Il
is simply expression of the revolutionary
idea. the democratic idea as opposed to autoc-
racy. 1t is embodiment of an orderly and
progressive development of democratic ideas.
The whole machinery Of government is thor
oughly organized and has been seasoned and
improved through century after century by
practical use"