Morris tribune., 1914-12-04
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Helen Gray, in an article in The
Christian Herald entitled Finland,
Her Rise and Danger" says:
Finland, with her three million in
habitants, is one of the most progress
sive little countries in the world. 1t
was conquered from Sweden by Rus
STA in 1909, under Gear Alexander l.,
but six months before the cession took
place, while the people in another part
of the country were still fighting, the
car, finding the people amenable and
weary of fighting, called'a meeting of
the diet in the little cathedral church
at .Borga and gave to Finland auton-
omy. Geographically, she is still a
part of the Russian empire. Some
fifty years ago Finland's educational
awakening started, having it's genesis
with a few young men who founded
most important member of which was
Elias Lonrott, who compiled the Ka-
levala, the Finnish epic, from which
Longfellow borrowed the meter for
his HiaWatha. Woman suffrage in
Finland was a matter of happening.
1t was the outcome of the threat of
Russia in 1899 to destroy the auton-
omy of the little nation. All over the
land the people began to organize in
defense of their country, their most
powerful ammunition being education.
Education is the only thing that will
save u.s., said Finnish woman to me.
knowledge will teach the people to
see." So splendidly have the women
of Finland helped in the uplift OF
their country, educationally, economic
ally and politically, that when the sub
| ject of woman suffrage was preached
about eight years ago their services
were too valuable to be ignored and
| they were readily given the vote
| which took effect in 1907. At a re
| cent election at Helsingfors twenty
one women were elected to parlia
ment, the SociaEDemocratic party
having the largest number, thirteen
While the glory of Russia is her be
| jeweled buildings-there are NJ
churches in the world so laden with
jewels as Russian churches glory
Of Finland is her schools. There are
only five illiterates to each 1000 PEG
pie in Finland; there are 789 litter
ates to each 1000 in Russia. In manu-
features Finland is progressing. Sht
makes linen articles of the fines
quality, tablecloths, napkins, etc. He
wooden and cotton mills are excellent
considerable reputation. Lumber i
her biggest industry. Finland pos
4 sesses more acres of forest than an
other country in Europe. Agricul
turally, Finland is a poor country
but berries grow abundantly, and bal
ley, oats and rye are grown. Their
are no orchards. In the warm sea
son vegetation advances rapidly. TIL
Finlanders are hoping against hop
that Russia will not absorb then
They have lost their military With
the last few years; Finnish stamp
may no longer be placed on foreig
letters, and that Russia will raise tn
low Finnish tariff to the high level c
her own is expected, when the pul
chasing power of the Firms will b
greatly reduced.
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Per Ostberg, special messenger {
the king of Sweden, reached Ne
York on Nov. "a from Christiansan'
bearing . message, from King Gusts
to the Swedish embassy at Washing
ton, which, he said, was too importar
to trust either to the mails or the c.
bles. He left at once for Washington
The messenger disclaimed knowledg
of the contents of the packet he ca
ried. He said it had been sealed pc
sonally by the king and was entruste
to him only few hours before Il
steamer sailed. He had only fe
minutes to spare when he boarded IL
vessel at ChristiaAsand. Mr.. Ostbel
thought that the message did not de
with Sweden's neutrality status. "Tl
government has taken extraordinal
precautions to prevent the transport
ton through its domains of suppl,
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