90 EUGENIC WORK IN SWEDISH FINLAND 



dish undergraduates at the University of Helsingfors the only state University 

 - amounts to 666 against 2,602 Finnish alumni. Moreover the Swedish academy 

 at Abo, just lately founded, whose Principal is Edw. Westermarck, the renowned 

 Professor of sociology, counts about 140 alumni. 



I beg here specially to point out, that Swedish culture is of a considerably 

 earlier date than Finnish. It is only 50 to 60 years ago since government offi- 

 cials were mostly recruited from the ranks of the Swedish population. Lately, 

 thanks to intense Finnish propaganda an ever increasing number of Finnish schools 

 have been founded and the Finnish educated classes are steadily increasing in 

 number. 



The boundaries between the two spheres of language have undergone chan- 

 ges partly in favour of the Finns, partly in favour of the Swedes. During the 

 last few decades a remarkable immigration of Finns has taken place into the Swe- 

 dish towns and also in some places on the country-side. Above all industrial en- 

 terprise has attracted the Finns. However, lack of hands for farming purposes in 

 consequence of immigration to the towns and emigration to foreign lands (chiefly 

 America) have given Finnish workmen employment in Swedish districts. Part of 

 these immigrants have remained in their new abodes on the Swedish land and 

 many have bought large or small farms.* 



At first this immigration aroused little attention but with the growing cons* 

 ciousness of nationality, now manifest amongst the Swedish population, the view 

 is more and more gaining ground that measures must be taken to ensure that 

 Swedish land should remain in Swedish hands. 



The Swedish population wants to ensure its future also through measures of 

 another kind. They desire to be regarded as a part of the population of Finland 

 on an equality with the Finnish majority both as to administration and cultural 

 rights. Indeed, a protection of the minority is demanded and legal measures are 

 claimed, for the sake of procuring self-government within certain bounds to the 

 Swedish minority. 



Hitherto however, these requirements have met with serious resistance from 

 the Finnish side. Even if they were granted, it is clear to the Swedish popula- 

 tion, that laws cannot offer the Swedish an unfailing protection against pres- 

 sure from the Finnish majority, unless the Swedish themselves possess the will to 

 live and are ready to make sacrifices in order to create an innate power, which 

 under all circumstances constitutes the most unfailing defence of a people. Through 

 considerations of this kind it became evident, that it was indispensable to take 

 measures towards ameliorating the standard of health among the people in Swe- 

 dish Finland. 



A circumstance which helped to a great extent to hasten the realisation of this 

 plan may be shortly mentioned here. 



In 1911 Miss Jenny Florin made a donation of Fmk. 100,000: to the Swe- 

 dish Literary Society in Finland, on condition that the interest of the fund should 

 be used to promote medical science. This was outside the proper sphere of work 

 of the Society, of which fact the donatrix was aware. However, knowing that 



* The facts stated above are mostly taken out of the work : La Nationality Suedoise de la Finlande par G. NIKANDER et 

 E. von BORN. Helsingfors 1920. 



L.- 



