Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1919-01-02

advantage; therefore only
their civil political must be
maintained Today, a century after those
words written, there last
good hope that Alexander Is intention
be permanently fulfilled. writes Rosalind
Travers Hyndman in New York Sun
o Monaghan origin and language the
'-Suomilaiset' people of the feDs-were Chris
by the Swedes, who treated them on the
whole with equality and justice. and internarriefi
with them freely, not, however, allowing me IN
nlsh ianeuage TO be written or spoken 10 any eA-
in 1908 Russia
quered people who spoke Swedish and regarded
themselves as independent SFeoes; ana althousn
the Firms passed through enormous national
changes in the 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
realize that the remark
able development Finnish nationalis1n was di-
rected hrst and last. against the S1Nedsn IAN
guage and Finno-Swedish domination The Finnish
language spoken only by the remote peas
antry and Finnish names even were not legally
recognized Yet, meanwhile. great movement
steadily growing up for the revival of Fin
lands sfngularly rich and beautiful tongue
The Finnish people began to think of their
from sweden or russia having language ana
literature of its From 1919 onward when
1Onnrot published the second edition of the "Kale
vala. Finlands national epic educated Firms were
beginning to give up Swedish means of COM
municatton and learning to use the strange. diff
cult. sonorous language which was their birth
right
Naturally this development cleft the coun-
try IN two Many F1nns urged not unreasohaps'
that it was hardly practicable for so small peo-
Russia, from the rest of Europe in fact, 'sby
climbing on to language island" in this way But
nationalism triumphed- In 1868 the mice little
constitution" granted by Alexander II left the
Firms free to govern themselves in all internal
from this time the study of Finnish became a
integral part of the general education
language of Finland
grew Swedfsh-speaking Firms began
to find themselves in a minority, and in 1894 after
a very % Finnish language placed
equality with Swedish in the Finland SEN
ate. "Svekoman' (Swede-Ffnn) and ..Fennoman"
Sh-Ein became warfare.
language conflict fell roughly into line with the
tartan elements country Fennoman,
while the middle class, conservative and aristo-
cratic forces for long while by speech and
traditions Swede,
All this time a people a
nation kept strictly to that policy of detachment
and independence a always marked them
They took part at all In Russian affairs and
showed little interest those of Scandinavia
they appeared Europe generally self-cen-
tered Chinese colony in the West might be-
Finland meant to work Ter salvation alone.
In literature TT country open
European Influences for the Firms have always
been great travellers wandering about the CONT
with cold, appraising selecting and TAX
ing back with them such ideas they considered
likely to be of They took political ideas also
from Scandinavia and from Germany but they
desire make aganda for their own
their
Yet inevitably they were bound to be growing
trouble to government a stun
bling block to Pan-Slav policy obviously a demo
cratic and almost self-governing province out
o. place among the folds of the autocratic
rule which covered all the Russias then.
But a far Important objection this
The duchy of Finland, alien language, character
administration, complete break that
scheme OF vast homogeneous Russia, stretch
from the Norwegian coast to the Pacific, one
In language, laws religion and government-that
dream giant unity and monotony which seems
to the minds of the directors Russia
30 years and more There seems little doubt
that deposed dynasty cherished this design
he Hohenzollerns did that of
1t was a similar huge. dull. magnificent mischev
Gus idea. trampiing even more widely the
rights of other nations and intended o produce
an even dismal uniformity OF rule.
So, dispassionately viewed-and Finn ever
nently dfspassionate-Russia's first attack upoI
liberties Finland in 1899 inevitable 8
catastrophe There little need IL
recall .4the bad years" from 1899 to 1906,
Finnish constitution suspended and coun
placed under the rule OF military dfcta
tor. General Bobrikon They form a monotonou
press censorship. dfsrnfssalsS natiys
officials, illegal and exile
The great strike OF 19O51906. however unsuc
eessful main objects. achieved two things