The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-01-10

selves conquered by Russia, but
united to her for their own clear
advantage; therefore not only
thelr 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
De permanently fulfilled, writes Rosalind
iravers Hyndman in New York Sun.
A race Of Mongolian origin and language, the
"Suomiaiset' or people Of the fcns-were Chris
uaplzed very early in the thirteenth century
oy the Swedes, who treated them on the
whole with equality and justice, and intermarried
with Them freely, not. however, allowing the Fin
DISH language TO be written or spoken to any ex-
fent. The result was that in 1908 Russia con-
auered q 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 1t 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 d.
rected, first and last, against the Swedish Ian
guage and Finno-Swedish domination. The Finnish
language was spoken only by the remote peas
kntry and Finnish names even were not legally
recognized. Yet, meanwhile, a great movement
was steadily growing up for the revival 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 a language and
literature Of it's own. From 1S49 onward, when
LOnnrot published the second edition of the "Kale-
vala,' FiDland's national epic, educated Films were
beginning to give up Swedish as a means Of COM
munication and learning to use the strange, diff
cult, sonorous language which was their birth
light.
Naturally this development soon cleft the coun-
- A. Ao No. r.--- 1900 -~A
that 1t was hardly practicable for SO small a PEG.
pie to cut themselves off from Scandinavia, from
Russia, from the rest of Europe in fact, "by
climbing on to a language island" In this way. But
Rationalism %triumphed. In 1868 the mice little
constitution" granted by Alexander III 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 Swedlsh-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 "F%ennoman"
(Finnlsh.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 Films as a people and as a
patton 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.
I'm literature and art indeed the country was open
to European influences, for the Firms have always
been great travellers, wandering about the CONT
nent 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 own
ideas or their own race.
Yet inevitably they were bound to be a growing
trouble to the Russian government and q STUN
bling block to Pan-Slav policy. Obviously q demo-
cratic and almost self-governing province was out
VI place among the folds Of the vast autocratic
rule which covered all the Russias then.
But a far more important objection was this:
The duchy of Finland, allen In language, character
and administration, was a complete break In that
scheme of one vast homogeneous Russia. stretch
ing from the Norwegian coast to the Pacific, one
ia language, laws, religion and government-that
dream Of giant unity and monotony which seems
to have filed the minds Of the directors of Russia
Tor 30 years and more. There seems little doubt
hat the '~deposed dynasty cherished this design
rs the Hohenzollerns did that Of "M~ittel-Europa."
It was a similar huge, dull, magnificent. mischiev.
Gus idea, %trampling even more widely over the
rights of other nations and intended to produce
an even more dismal uniformity of rule.
So. dispassiOnately viewed--and the Finn, even
when considering his own misfortunes, Is emf
uently dispassionate-Russia's first attack upon
the liberties of Finland In 1909 was Inevitable, a
catastrophe Of nature. There Is little need 10
recall 'the bad years" from 1890 to 1906, when the
Finnish constitution was suspended and the coun-
try was placed under tn. rule of a military dicta-
tor, General Bobrikof. They rorm a monotonous
record Of press censorship. dismissals Of native
officials, Illegal arrests and exile.
The great strike Of 19O5-190G. however unsuc-