Evening star., 1939-12-24

1RONWOOD, Mich.-Of the more
than 100000 persons in the United States
who were born in Finland or born in the
United States of Finnish parentage, ap-
proximately $4,000 are residents of the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan Thousands
OF others live in the northern counties
OF Wisconsin and Minnesota, while
sizable groups are to be found in the
city Of Detroit. in North Ohio, in Mas
sachusetts and on the Pacific Coast.
Firms were among the early settlers in
this country, number of them having
been members of the Swedish colony
established in Delaware 300 years ago.
Probably the first Finn to settle in
Michigan was a carpenter who arrived
In Detroit in 1882.
The greatest influx of Firms into.
Michigan began in the early 1905 and
continued until the time of the World
War. They were attracted to the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan by opportunities
Tor employment in the iron mines, chiefly
on the Gogebic Range. which centers
about 1ronWood and in numbering SINH
lar opportunities attracted many of them
TO Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota
In these three States, bordering on Lake
superior, they found not only employ
.ment but also a climate and a topo-
kraphy almost identical with those of
their native land
Purchased Farm Land.
The Upper Peninsula is a region of
rugged hills, forests and lakes. While the
winters are long, the summers are ideal
Having lived on the land in their native
Finland, many of the Firms who started
out as iron miners or lumberjacks saved
their money-they are thrifty people
and purchased tracts of cutover land.
Undaunted by the short growing season,
the long winters and the rock-strewn ma
ture of the glacier drift which covers the
rolling hills, these sturdy pioneers pro-
ceeded to hew farms out of the wilder
ness.
An example of this pioneering spirit
may be cited:
Finnish farmer who started as a
miner spent As of his IS years develop
ing an excellent farm a few miles from
1ronwood. Several years ago, when the
Federal Government planned "resettle-
nent project on the outskirts of the
city, this Finn was induced to sell his
farm. Instead of retiring and spending
his remaining years living on his saw
ings and the money paid him for his
farm, he moved to new tract of cut
over land, which he had acquired a few
years before, and started in grubbing a
new farm out of the stump and brush
covered soil.
Minority Is COmmunistic.
The great majority OF the Firms are
deeply religious, conservative and literate
people, sober, industrious and thrifty.
There is. however, small minority that
Is communistic, forming the backbone
Of the Communist party in the Upper
Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin, or
sympathetic toward Communism. There
Is distinct cleavage between these
groups, with the radicals having no affili-
alton with the churches or lodges of the
larger group.
There are three principal church
groups of the Firms in the United States,
all of the Lutheran faith. Two of these
belong to the Suomi Synod and the Ma
tional Lutheran Synod. and the third
to the Apostolic Lutheran Church. Eff
forts to combine the Suomi and National
Synod have been In progress for several
years.
The Suomi Synod has churches
throughout the country, wherever there
are groups of Firms, and it also main
tains the only Finnish college in the
country, Suomi College of Hancock, in
Michigans copper country. This insti-
tuition. besides offering general academic
courses, also trains young men for the
ministry
Five Finnish Newspapers.
There are five daily newspapers in the
country printed in Finnish and six other
newspapers published from one to three
times weekly. Two dailies are published
IN Duluth, Minn.-Industriali by the
Workers Socialist Publishing Co., and
Paivalehti, conservative publication.
Tyomies, radical publication, is brought
out in Superior, Wis; Raivaaja, in Fitch
burg, Mass, and Eteebpain, in New York.
The ideals Of the conservative Finnish
press, which are the ideals of the Finnish
group for which it speaks, are set forth
in one Of their newspapers as follows:
ITO help preserve the ideals and sacred
traditions of this, our adopted country,
the United States of America To revere
Its laws and inspire others to respect and
obey them. To strive increasingly to
quicken the publics sense of civic duty.
In all ways to aid in making this country
greater and better than we found it,"
The majority of the Firms of the Upper
Peninsula consistently voted the Repub-
lican ticket until 1882, when they swung
over to the Democratic. Many of them,
however, continued to vote Republican,
and in the last year or two there have
been indications that many others are
returning to the Republican ranks. The
chief reason for this in the Upper PENN
sula appears to be feeling that although
they constitute the largest foreign Ian
guage" group in the Upper Peninsula
they have received only praise and scant