The mirror., 1920-01-29
A. COMMUNITY WITHOUT TAXES
b. Mrs. Frank, E.. Las0, in Travel


IF YOU were told to go and find the
richest parish in the world, you would
naturally look for it in one of the great
wealthy countries of the earth. You would
expect to find it in England or France or
America, or perhaps even in Russia. But
you would have to try again. Strangely
enough, this parish is hidden in eompara-
lively small, sparsely populated country in
the far north. The name of the parish is
Orsa, and it is situated in the Province of
Dalarna (Dalecarlia) in the northwest of
Sweden.
We do not mean that the people here
are wealthy as individuals; they are rather
the reverse. We mean that Orsa, as COM
munity, has some large funds that can be
used only for the common good of its in
habitants. In fact, Orsa has established for
itself practical sort of socialism.
Long ago, probably about fifteen hun
dred or two thousand years back in history,
Orsa first began to be populated by people
belonging to the Teutonic race. Before that
time (and nobody knows how far back) the
few beings who made their homes here in
the wilderness were Films and Laplanders.
If the settlers, who came here fifteen
numbered or two thousand years ago, were
enough developed to appreciate the beauty
of landscape, they surely must have thrilled
with JOY as their eyes beheld these proud
mountains, one behind the other in SEEM
ingly endless chain. And everything. except
the glittering lake-the Orsa-sjo-was cov-
cred with swaying forests. For the few
Films and Laplanders did not till the soil.
They were satisfied with the forests and the
lake. offered for food.
Although miles and miles of splendid
timber surrounded the settlers, as yet be-
longing to him who took it, nobody thought
of building large house. Every house was
small and built alike. This remained so
until century ago, when individual owner
ship of forests became partly recognized
even here. Then it seems that he who had
succeeded in seizing large area of growing
timber wanted to show off his wealth by
building bigger house than his neighbor.
Nevertheless he continued to live in only two
rooms. The rest were for looks alone.
To their peculiar language they adhered
faithfully. This very day there are old folks
in Orsa who cannot understand or speak
Swedish. To understand their language one
must study it. 1t is not dialect of Swedish,
but tongue with rules and regulations of
its own, as is the case in several other par
ishes in Dalarna.
Their costumes for generations have
been alike as far back as we can trace-each
garment has been handed down from one
generation to another. Their ways of liv-
ing are still primitive enough to warrant
the supposition that these people have lived
much the same for hundreds of years. Yet
when one gets better acquainted with them
one sees clearly enough that they have not
Slept" while the rest of the world has
rushed onward.
They have lived isolated, satisfied to do
things as their fathers did them, but mean
while they have thought. Associating with
. these peasants, one is often amazed at their
intelligence and wit, their clear and unerr-
ing judgment, their advanced understand
ing of things.
AS the years rolled by, the peasants Of
Orsa learned that forests were just as val
liable as their cultivated land nd-perhaps even
more so. The 'home" forests that is the
forests near their villages, were divided be-
tween all who possessed cultivated land; of
course so divided that he who had the lar
gest area of cultivated land got the largest
allotment of forest. But farther away were
other forests to which led no roads, Ii, some
cases not even paths, for which therefore no
one had much practical use. And those for
ests were still common property.
Then came the age of timber cutting
in Sweden. LAUNDERING companies grew like
mushrooms over night. The forests were
cut down; one saw-mill after another was
built. Ali sorts of factories for improving
and working the wood rose in short time,
Foreigners came and bought, and many ships
came and carried the dead forests away,
All this the peasants of Dalarna soon
learned A few of them sold their forests