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* FINLAND. with 121,254 depositors, and deposits amounting to 75,139,173 marks; or about 2S marks pel In habitant. Govebnment. The position of Finland in the Russian Empire was until recently that of a dependency, with its own constitution, and prai tically autonomy in its internal affairs, all dip loniatic relations, however, being carried on i". the Empire. The executive department c ii the Senate (whichmeetsat Helsingfors), whose members are i linated by the Emperor (the (irand Duke of Finland i, the t . ■ > ■ r : i. . i General, and the State's Secretariat for Finland a( Saint Petersburg. The national Diet is composed of nobles, clergy, burghers, and peasants. The Fin- nish Army, according to the provisions of the defense law of 1878, could no1 be required to serve outside of Finland, and was under the com- mand of Finnish officers. The autonomy of Fin- land has. however, been practically suppressed by the Emperor, his policy being calculated to re- duce the country to the condition of a Russian province (see History below). The Diet, while permitted to go through the forms of legislating and of treating with Russia, has really been robbed of its rights. The Czar has assumed the ride of supreme ruler, communicating his sov- ereign will by means of edicts. Population and Religion. The population of Finland numbered 2,060,782 in 1S80, 2,380,140 in 1890, and 2,673,200 in 1899, or about 19 per square mile. The females exceeded the males in 1899 by about 30.024. and the urban population (■Hilled only about 11.2 per cent, of the total. The chief cities and their populations (1897) are: Helsingfors (the capital), 88,711; Abo, 36,898; Tammerfors, 34,148; and Viborg, 25,235. As regards religion, in 1899 there were 2,620,891 Lutherans, 48,812 Greek Orthodox, 2020 Baptists, 560 Roman Catholics, and 300 Methodists. The language of the country is Finnish, although Swedish is spoken by the higher classes, in addi- tion to the Swedes, who form about 13 per cent, of the population. The Russians number but a few thousand. See Finns. Education. In accordance with the Russian movement in Finland, the Imperial authorities have practically taken charge of the Finnish school system with the purpose of supplanting the native language and learning by the Russian. Finland is well known for its literacy, but now that the Imperial Government, which has never been very kindly disposed toward education, has taken summary control, the native school system Is entering upon a doubtful future. Evidently it will not be long before Russians will supplant Finns as schoolteachers. Already a Russian has been appointed chancellor of the famous univer- sity of Helsingfors. This university is at the head of the Finnish educational scheme. It was founded at Abo in 1640 and transferred to Hel- singfors in 1827. In 1900 it had an attendance of 23 IS. of whom 354 were women. There were 50 lyceums in 1899. Primary instruction is fur- nished by public, parochial, and traveling schools. According to the school census of 1896, out of 457.078 children of school age only 18.771 re- ceived no education. The public schools are maintained largely by local funds, but receive o subvention from the Government. Finland has a large number of periodicals, and not a few learned societies. History. The Finns are said to have dwelt on 625 FINLAND. Hie Volga in the seventh century, and to b been driven northward at the beginning omi. In tl f.,r t he extension of < Ihristianit] imbitious fot bi in 1 hi. ended in tl ing. Mm teent b century in 1 1 tianization of i he people and i lieii Swedish [i m ;i.. i hi iorn ip ei i psala, win. Swedish expedit ion in I Finn and I patron saint and mar- tyr. For over five bun mained an a ppa na gi of 1 be i .vedisb crow d i I tavus Vasa (q.v.) introduced the Lutheran re- ligion in L528, [II. ountry a grand duchy. Under Swedish rule the people en- joyed an autonomous constitutional government, and developed a simple, intelligent, and line civilization. While Finnish remained the lan- guage of the peasantry, Swedish became thai of the towns and of the cultivated and official classes. During the long wars between Ru ia and Sweden Finland n i frequently a battle ground, and as the Finnish frontier is only thirty- three miles from Saint Petersburg, it was natu- rally desired bj the former countrj to round out its territory and complete its defenses. This desire was realized in the Peace of Fredriks- hanin, September 17, 1809, following upon a Russian invasion, by which Sweden ceded the grand duchy with the Aland Islands to B sia. Alexander 1. (q.v.) guaranteed to Fin- land the preservation of it- laws, Constitution, and religion, and this pledge has been solemnly renewed to the Finnish estates bj each of his successors, including the presenl Czar. In 1898, however, Nicholas II. began the series of mea ures which have since been 3lovi l. put in operation looking to the Russifieation of Finland, m com- mon with other provinces of the Russian Empire. The army law, which was to change the army from a purely national force for purposes of de- fense to an integral part of the Russian Army and make it a heavier burden, received a check in February, 1991, in the form of a heavy adverse vote in the Russian Council of State, but this served nieielx to retard the process of Russifiea- tion for a very brief time. In October, 1902, a series of ordinances was promulgated, aiming at the complete destruction oi Finnish autonomy. The Senate was placed under the control of the Governor-General, who. under the new conditions, exercises the virtual power of di-mi-sal over all administrative officials, as well as over the jui of the law court-. To secure immunity for the I: sian bureaucracy in their attack upon the liber- tie- of the people, it was provided that no official, however humble, could lie brought to trial with- out the consent of his superior. Before this Rus- s j an had been made the official Ian md a rigid censorship had resulted in the suppression of i nun in i el Finnish journals. Consult: Michelin, Finland im t9ten Jahrhun- Helsingfors, 1894); Tweedie, Through Fin- /„„,, 1897); Statistisk irbok for Finland (annual, Helsingfors); Barnhak, Russland und Finland (Leipzig, 1900); People of Finland in Archaic Times (London. 1892); Koskinen. Finnische Geschichte (Leipzig, 1873) : Ignatius, he G (Helsingfors, 1878); Jonas, Das Qrossfarsten-