Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-01-02

their civil but their political laws must be
maintained" Today, a century after those
words were written, there seems at last
good hope that Alexander rs intention may
be permanently fulfilled, writes Rosalind
Travers Hyndman in New York Sun.
A. race of Monaghan origin and language, the
-.tSuomilaiset' or people of the fens-were Chris
tianized very early in the thirteenth century
by the Swedes, who treated them on tne
whole with equality and justice, and intermarrleo
with them freely, not, however, allowing the FIN
nish language to be written or spoken 70 any eA
tent. The result was that in 1903 Russia con-
quered a people who spoke Swedish and regarded
themselves as independent Swedes; and although
the Films have passed through enormous national
changes In the course of the century, Russians OF
the ruling classes could never get it our OF their
heads that Finland desired to belong to Sweden
again.
The governors Of Russia, having much vaster
affairs In hand, did not realize that the remark
able development Of Finnish nationalism was gu
rected, first and last, against the Swedish AE-
guage and Finno-Swedish domination. The Finnish
language. was spoken only by the remote peas
artry and Finnish names even We're not legaly
recognized. Yet, meanwhile, a great movement
was steadily growing up for the revlvai OF Fin
lands own singularly rich and beautiful tongue
The Finnish people began to think Of their
country as Suomi something utterly distinct
from Sweden or RUSSIA, having d lduBuuSC AHA
literature of its own. From 1S49 onward, Wnen
LOnnrot published the second edition OF the "kale-
vala,' Finland's national epic, educated Firms were
beginning to give up Swedish as a means OF COM
munication and learning to use the strange, dill
cult, sonorous language which was their birth
right.
Naturally his development soon cleft the coun-
try in two. Stany Firms urged, not unreasonabiy,
that it was hardly practicable for SO small q peo-
/. 80 &I,oYrsoluac af Prom CnOn6inaV via from
Russia, from the rest of Europe in fact, by
climbing on to a language island" In this way. But
nationalism trlumphed. In 1858 the mice little
constitution granted by Alexander II left the
Firms free to govern themselves in all internal
matters In a, fairly representative manner, and
from this time the study Of Finnish became an
integral part Of the general education.
The use of the revived language of Finland
grew so fast that Swedish-speaking Firms began
to find themselves in a minority, and in 1894 after
a very hot debate the Finnish language was placed
on an equality with Swedish in the Finland SEN
ate. "Svekoman' (Swede-Finn) and "Fennoman"
fFinnish-Finn) became cries Of warfare. and the
language conflict fell roughly into line with the
divisions of class. The progressive and prole-
tartan elements In the country were Fennoman,
while the middle class, conservative and aristo-
cratic forces were for a long while by speech and
traditions Swede.
All this time the Firms as a people and as a
nation kept strictly to that policy of detachment
and independence which has always marked them.
They took no part at all In Russian affairs and
showed little interest in those Of Scandinavia
they appeared to Europe generally as self-cen-
tered as a Chinese colony in the West might be.
Finland meant to work out her salvation alone.
IA literature and art indeed the country was open
to European influences, for the Firms have always
been great travellers, wandering about the CONT
Qent with cold, appraising eyes, selecting and TAX
ing back with them such ideas as they considered
likely to be of use. They took political ideas also
from Scandinavia and from Germany, but they
had no desire to make propaganda for their OWL
ideas or their own race.
Yet Inevitably they were bound to be a growing
trouble to the Russian government and a stun
bling block to Pan-Slav policy. Obviously a demo
cratic and almost self-governing province was out
of place among the folds of the vast autocratl,
rule which covered all the Russias then.
But a far more important objection was, this
The duchy of Finland, alien in language, character
and administration, was a complete break In tina
scheme of one vast homogeneous Russia, stretch
ang from the Norwegian coast to the Pacific, on
In language, laws, religion and government-tha
dream Of giant unity and monotony which SEEM
to have filled the minds of the directors of Russb
for 30 years and more. There seems little doub
that the deposed dynasty cherished this desigl
as the Hohenzollerns did that of "M~itte-Europa.
II was a similar huge, dull. magnificent, mischIey
GUS idea, t~rampling even more widely over tn
rights of other nations and intended to produc
an even more dismal uniformity Of rule.
So, dispassIonately viewed--and the Finn, eve
when considering his own misfortunes, is EN-
nentiy Observation-Disclosures first attack upo
the liberties Of Finland in 1899 was inevitable.
catastrophe of nature, There is little need {
recall "the bad years" from 1899 to 1906. when tn
Finnish constitution was suspended and the coul
try was placed under the rule of a military dict,
tor. General Bobrikoff. They form a monotonou
record Nf press censorship, dismissals Of natiy
officials, Illegal arrests and exile.
The great strike OF 10051908, however u u
cessfuI In its main objects. achieved two thinAs