68 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



The Finns are said to have lived on the Volga in the seventh century 

 and to have been driven north in the eighth century to their present 

 home. They were conquered and christianized in the twelfth century 

 by the Swedes, who occupied and ruled the country for more than five 

 hundred years. In the wars between Sweden and Eussia, Finland 

 was often the battleground, and finally by treaty in 1809 Sweden ceded 

 the grand duchy of Finland to Eussia. 



The Finnish constitution of 1772 afforded ample protection to the 

 liberties of the people. It insured practical autonomy in internal 

 affairs and provided that the Finnish army could not be required to 

 serve outside of Finland. Alexander I. guaranteed to Finland the 

 preservation of its laws, constitution and religion, and this pledge has 

 been renewed by each succeeding ruler, including the present Tsar, 

 Nicholas II., who however has broken his pledge. The condition of 

 the Finns under their own constitution has been much better than 

 that of any other subjects of the Tsar. Serfdom never existed in their 

 country and five ninths of the land was owned by peasants. The 

 policy of Eussianization pursued by Tsar Nicholas II. since 1898 has 

 practically set aside the constitution and reduced the grand duchy of 

 Finland to the status of an ordinary Eussian province. 



Since 1863 Eussia has attempted to eliminate Swedish influence 

 by fostering the growth of the native language and literature. Now, 

 however, the Finnish language is placed under the ban and the re- 

 moval of high officials of Finland's educational system and the sub- 

 stitution of Eussians in their places at Helsingfors and other educa- 

 tional centers may be considered an indication of the coming suppres- 

 sion of the Finnish language in the schools. 



The majority of our Finnish immigrants come from near the 

 coast, and in this locality the Swedish influence upon the people is 

 shown most markedly by the frequent great variation from the recog- 

 nized Finnish type. It is difficult in some cases to differentiate them 

 from the Swedes and it is rare to find among these immigrants the 

 broad head, flat features, yellow skin, obliquely set eyes, or other 

 characteristics of the Ugro-Finnic type. They are tall and well pro- 

 portioned, sometimes with fair complexions, sometimes with a queer 

 combination of the characteristics of Finn and Swede. Eighty per 

 cent, of the Finns are engaged in agricultural pursuits. They are 

 honest, industrious and energetic; and it is a very rare occurrence to 

 find an illiterate Finn. 



Lithuanians. 



The Lithuanian people, according to their traditions and the re- 

 searches of some eminent ethnologists, were probably the first of the 

 Aryan race to settle in Europe. Their first European home seems to 

 have been in the valley of the Danube in the country now known as 

 Bulgaria. The valley of the Danube was the natural highway of in- 



