The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1920-03-04

6CN1NzIlN 1916 Emperor Alexander / of
HEySa%@9|H Russia wrote to Steinheit then
NfSfaEH governor general of Finland, in the
lNH1g following terms: "As regards the
conditions of Finland my intention has been
to give this people political existence, so
that they may not feel themselves conquered
by Russia, but united to her for their own
clear advantage; therefore not only their
civil but their political laws must be MAIN
tained." Today, century after those words
were written, there seems at last good hope
that Alexander Is intention may be perman-
emily fulfilled, writes Rosalind Travers
Hyndman in New York Sun.
A race of Mongolian origin and Ian
guage, the "Suomilaiset" or people of the fens
were Christianized very early in the thir-
teenth century by the Swedes, who treated
them on the whole with equality and justice,
and intermarried with them freely, not, how
ever, allowing the Finnish language to be
written or spoken to any extent. The result
was that in 1903 Russia conquered people
who spoke Swedish and regarded themselves
as independent Swedes; and although the
Firms have passed through enormous national
changes in the course of the century, Rus
slams of the ruling classes could never get it
out of their heads that Finland desired to
belong to Swenden again.
The governors of Russia, having much
vaster affairs in hand, did not realize that the
remarkable development of Finnish ma
tionalism was directed, first and last, against
the Swedish language and Finno-Swedish
domination. The Finnish language was spo-
ken only by the remote peasantry and Fin
nish names even were not legally recognized.
Yet, meanwhile, 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, hav-
ing language and literature of its own.
From 1849 onward when Lonnrot published
the second edition of the "Kalevala," Fin
lands NATIONAL epic, educated Films were
beginning to give up Swedish as means of
communication and learning to use the
strange, difficult, sonorous language which
was their birthright.
Naturally this development soon cleft
the country in two. Many Films urged,
not unreasonably, that it was hardly practi-
cable for so small people 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 national
ism triumphed. In 1863 the mice little con-
stitution" granted by Alexander II left the
Firms free to govern themselves in all inter-
nal matters in fairly representative manner,
and from this time the study of Finnish be-
came an integral part of the general educa-
ton.
The use of the revived language of Fin
land grew so fast that Swedish-speaking
Firms began to find themselves in minority,
and in 1894 after very hot debate the Fin
nish language was placed on an equality
with Swedish in the Finland senate. "Sveko-
man" (Swede-Finn) and "Fennoman" Fin
nish-Finn became cries of warfare, and the
language conflict fell roughly into line with
the divisions of class The progressive and
proletarian elements in the country were
Fennoman, while the middle class, conserva-
tive and aristocratic forces were for long
while by speech and traditions Swede.
All this time the Films as people and
as nation kept strictly to that policy of de-
tachment and independence which has al
ways marked them. They took no part at
all in Russian affairs and showed little inter
est in those of Scandinavia; they appeared to
Europe generally as self-centered as Chi
nese colony in the West might be.
Finland meant to work out her saliva.
ton alone. In literature and art indeed the
country was open to European influences
for the Firms have always been great ira
velers, wandering about the continent witt
cold, appraising eyes, selecting and taking
back with them such ideas as they considered
likely to be of use. They took political idea
also from Scandinavia and from Germany