The Oregon daily journal., June 30, 1907, Page 40, Image 40

THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 3fr- 1907
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TQ ECENTLY, in He&ntfors, the capital
, fiT of Finland, assembled what was, per
haps, the most remarkable body of
ItXislators in the world.
I ; Before the tall and stately marble statue
tf a beautiful woman, sword in hand and
guarded hy a watchful lion the vigilant fig'
, tsre of eternal Justicesat the president of
the strange body, an old man, with the scars
tif hardship on his face. .
t About the great room, decorated in white
'and gold, sat jgg delegates representatives
of the people of Fmland-the newly elected
Finnish Landtag, or fixtt:' Sprinkled among;
JJMJvcre nineteen, women,1 some young, some .
old, some pretty, some determined and severe ,
of countenanced . ' '
They, too, were there as representatives
of the people, legally elected, with full and
equal powers with the men. The initial ses
sion marked the attainment by Finland of
liberty after one of the most remarkable rev
dlutions of the age-fa bloodless revolution; '
which i had been planned and carried out by "
the leading women of the land,' assisted by the
men. : y-- V . ' j ,
This revolution took the shape of a gen'
eral strike, which lasted six days. The men
refused to work, the women refused to cook,
sew or turn a hand, and finally the czar of
Russia acceded to their demands. The men
demanded a larger, measure of liberty; the
women called , for ' suffrage and equality : in
every way with the men. - , .'. ....
, Nine of the women legislators are Social
ists. One is a washerwoman, another the
Tiead of a servant girls' union, several are
school teachers; some are farmers wives. Of
the nineteen women, fourteen are unmarried.'
The female legislators demand new and'
' ttringent legislation. Among other things,
they wish to abolish the sale of alcoholic
Tiquor in the country. The world watches
and watts to see what they will do. ,
Pit
1 U -S
draumded (ul) and Abaoluta suffragv, tr from ny taint
of precedence or ftrorlUem.
Bo the wonderful revolution fu attended by mora
, Wonderful ' reault farlUment which it purely demo
rratla and where women alt and vote with the men.
. At the election which followed the conceailon of the
cr, nineteen women were elected. Among them, of
course, were the patrioU-MUe Kakklkoakl, Mlae Mind
SUlanpaa, Maria Ljine and Alexandra Grtpenberf. .'
There are four political partlea la Finland the Social
Democrat, Vho have W jdeputlea; the fennoman. or
rtnnlah National, or Conservative, party, 60 deputise; the
Touna; Fennoman, or Ltberala, K deputlea. and the 8we
komana, or Swedlifc Liberal party, tt deputlea.
It la alsnlOoant that a number of the womea elected
to the Parliament are achool teacher. Bealde thoe
already named, the llat of the member, with their ooou-
patlon, la a follower. .
. If In Irtjelnl Herman, principal of a tlrl hlrh MbeoL
Mi 0amar Htrvina writer and teachr in eehool -In
Hllnfori, who was banished with her brother durlna'
i oar
11 . Nlssiaea, principal .ef
Hslilnffor Bleb
emancipation of the women for equal auitrace, for equal
.wage for women, for the civil right of women, mar
rled and unmarried, and right for both legitimate and
Illegitimate children. . ,
She asked for better condition for the women who
worked, for tb servants, joined In a union of which he
1 was the head. And the women breathlessly read her
vehement plea and demand,' and their heart burned
tor what they felt they, were fitted to posse. She waa
preparing- the way for the treat trlke.Ube bloodle
revolution. .
. Herself a cook and housemaid when' a girl, h knew
what the working women suffered, what they endured
and what email compensation they received. She called
: lor Justice to her m,' l T-.r?'?7?f sf?.. . -v
Marl lane, spirited, fiery, angry, burning With fury
against tha oppressor, also breathed a oontagloua spirit
of revolution. In word that at into human heart like
vitriol ah unfolded th wrong Inflicted upon the people .
of Finland, apok of th extortion of the Russian oil- '
, garchy, of tha oppression of native women.
CALLED FOR REVOLUTION ,
Woman' work; grave sir, is never done. '
HEN Finland was taken from Sweden and an-
nexed to Russia In 1809, Csar Alexander gave
the people a distinct autonomy. Thla decision
waa confirmed by every aucceedlng csar until
Ch present ruler came to Russia's throne. .
It was not because of resistance or incompetency on
tha part of the Finnish people that the arbitrary, unjust
nd oppressive spirit of ccardom fell upon the land, de .
frlvlns; the people of their liberty and Inflicting goading
tutelage and exaction; ;'-','v; .-
Finland raised her due contingent of soldiers for the
mplre and paid the taxation levied, but the constitution
was abrogated by the decision that the czar should de
cide and overrule all law discussed and enacted by the
Diet -'v.- . v
Quietly, for year, the peopleof Finland mourned their
; loss of liberty. Yet their expression of sorrow showed
, tha depth of their grief and shame. They draped their
houses in mourning and refused to burn lamps at night.
tt'he women wore black. - .Tc. ,
' When the oppressive Bobrikof, Russian governor gen-'
eral, arrived In Heltttngfora theie were no violent demon
stration. But when be waa seen coming down a street
very man, woman and child crossed to the other side.
! ' " , , : OSTRACIZED THE TYRANT
Sometimes he would 'patronle" a bazaar or concert
for charity. The Finns would buy up all the ticket-and
Uy at home. The general would be the only one ores
eoc These quiet manifestation of contempt and "In
subordluaticn" galled the Russian beyond words.
When ho first arrived n the city all the hotels re
fused admittance to him. By mistake one rented him
a room, and when the management learned who he was
esked him to leave. He refused. The people boycotted r'
the hotel, and Its business waa ruined. , "
When Russia took charge of the postal service of
Finland h Finn Issued black mourning stamp and
Jilacfd theae on letter beside the official stamp. The :
lussiaa government destroyed - alt letter bearing the
attouralng stamp and prohibited It use..
Such measures and there were many caused the mer
try of . atlonal indignation to rise. . Two years ago a
Swung man, Eugene Bchaumun, assassinated Bobrikof
ar.d then killed hmelf. Scbaumaa was the son of a
Jromlnent senator, end waa -highly educated. He la -;
aiid tixisy a a martyr and hero in Finland.
The duke of Obeiensky waa appointed to Bobrikof V
" place, and a year passed s Improvement of condition
' which the Finn expected did not materialise. The Iron
band did not relax. There was no relenting, no- softenln '
c-f the ruling powers. Then came the celebrated six -cay'
trika . . c- ..,..,;-,..,. ,.t. ;
Among the concession demanded by the people -wa -Hjffrssre
for the women. For year Mis H. KakklkoskJ.
cue of the leading Socialists, had gone through the coun-
try. proclaiming the message of liberty. V .
Jler blue es flashed and kindled hope In the hearta
rf toonsands; her vibrant words called loudly for liberty 'i
I r womea as well as men.' And her word war echoed
1 re-echoed In tbe hearta of th people,
lu her SaclaUaUo aewspapor Minna SlUanpaa cried tot -'
: Their government was a farce, aha declared. Russia
was a monstrou leech, sapping the wealth of her coun
try," draining the energies of tha men and women. She
called, with clenched flats and biasing eyes, for a revolu-.
tlon, for freedom both for men and women.
; Then there was Baroness Alexandra. Grlpenberg.
- 8he spoke and wrote and traveled about the country ex
pounding tbe doctrine of the equality of women. She
wore sho.t skirts, close cropped hair, end exhibited a
spirit of masculine determination and endeavor.
She Is the head of the International Women', League
in Finland. She ha lectured and traveled a in France,
, England and the United States. Her writing bar been
,:. translated , Into many language. ," i.
, Baroness Grlpenberg wa a leader Of the old Finnish
or National party. During th incumbency of Bobrikof ,.
the policy of the party was one of opportunism. It lead
ers believed that those who bold office should utter no
i protest for fear of being turned out but, In retaining
office, do as much food as they could quietly. Baroness
Grlpenberg, however, In her Impassioned way, called for
freedom and suffrage for women. - -
And all ever Finland the women arose. They were
Inflamed with the spirit of revolution. They urged th
men to throw down the gauntlet to the oppressors; they
' themselves .would help. . Even as they demanded equal
rlghu, so they would fight Aye, although there should
be bloodshed! And then came the six day' strike.
' They were six dark days in Finland. Neither man
t nor woman worked.-
In the lumber and paper mill no wheel moved, no
log wa rolled, sawed or crushed: no sound was heard.
On the roads of Finland no horse or mule wa seen,
no wagon passed.
In the fields no one toiled; the plow lay idle. Along
the river the fishermen's net lay unused; at th aalmoa
traps no one waa seen from morning until night.
Cities and town were seemingly places of th dead.
' None worked In tbe factories. Trains stood still on the
railroads. No one operated the telephone and telegraph -
lines, f No fires were made. The men did no manner of :
labor. ' The women even refused to cook. Life was at a '
standstill. Industry was paralysed. And this remark
able stale of affair had been engineered and brought
about by the women of Finland! . - .
What could Russia do? There were no violent up- ,
risings euch as could be quelled by Cossacks and armed .
troop.' The revolution wa peaceful. There were no
quarrel. , The street were deserted,- .
APPALLING QUIETNESS
What could Russia do -with these people T Such a '
revolution was unprecedented it was ominous, appalling
In it quietnea. a ......
Russia for one wa nonplussed. She had dealt With
hot-headed Nihilists and had sent women agitators to the
mines of Siberia, But in this little country of wood and ;
water she could do nothing but concede. - j. 1
And the women wont The men credit the victory to
the women. ' - ; i; , , . .. -.
Beside asking Russia for suffrage for women, th
people asked for a reorganization of their Parliament:
There had been four houses the first house had members
who were of tbe nobility and who Inherited eeatsr th
second wa of priests and teachers, the third ef mem
ber taken from th middle class and th fourth of rep-:
resentative of the peasant.
' The nation asked for a .Parliament consisting of one
body, with all of the delegates elected by the people. They 1
tb Russian
' - .Miss AW
Mis Ida Wemraelpuo, teacher , la a common school '
la Hvltls.
Mrs. Oebhard, physician in Helslngfora
Mrs. LlUI riwloja, wife of a Khortan farmer. '
.Miss HUroa aaasaoea, teacher in a Vloory public '
cnool.
Miss H. Xakklkoskl, leader of the Social Imoer(t
P'a Mlnunl Kanervo, wife ef a working mas.
Mies Ida Aale, workina woman. .
M!s Alexandra Relnheldsaon, washarwomaa,
Mrs, Amada Hlannla, public school (Mchar.
' Mrs. Anrta Houtarl. wife of a Vlborg merchant.
' Miss Marta. Ralnlo. the greatest aaiMtor In the cenntry,
daushter of a farmer near Vlborg. v.
Mlsa nn! Kllpainen, daughter of a Vlborg general. ' t
Mis Hagman'a parent .were tradespeople. 8he la
nnusuaUy brilliant, and besides her school work edits a
political magaslne. During the period of Russian op- :
pression Mis Hagman often went Into the streets and
fought the Russian guard. Sh Is a rather stout wom
an, with a pleasant face. She wear her hair cut short. -
Mi Dagmar Hervln I principal of a achool In the
sapltal and a writer of considerable reputation.' . She Is
a' highly educated and studious' woman,' and for years ;.
has been interested in political economy. She Is 40 years
of age, I of alight build, with dark hair and eyes.
-Among the things for which th women Intend to
fight art -marriage by civil Instead of a religious cere- 1
mony, equal wages for both sexes for tha aame kind of
work, and equal rlghta for legitimate and illegitimate
children.
! They Intend to fight for tha absolute prohibition of
alcoholic liquor and tha abolition of a number of old
fashioned rulee, among them one that requires a woman
who wlshea to teach In a boys school to petition the
csar "to direct hrU of her sex."
The men deputies la Parliament have announced that
they will support the measures advocated by the women.
They are Inclined to disfavor their stringent attltuda on
v the liquor question, however. Many reforms are prom
ised. ,,a;'p.,; f;A-'-.v' Ay'r'
Zn many part of Finland farms have been depleted.
- farmhouse have fallen Into deoay. This Is because of tbe
j. exactions of be Russian government.
' (During th election campaign th Social Democrat
promised every farmer that he ahould bar fir acre of
land, two oowa, and that when b was unabl to farm
he ahould reoelv a pension of 120 a month.
This ssbem cannot be carried out tor a long time,
however. The Socialists declare that their first affords
will be to secure an amelioration of conditions; then as
the revenue increase additional advantage will 'be
offered the people. 4 .
For th first time In the world the Socialist are In
control of a legislative body.- Of course their power la not
absolute; they will be hindered by the overruling hand of
tha csar. , They know they can go so far and no further.
But It is felt that their liberalism and democratlo spirit "
will have a great influence In th progress and proprlty
of th country.. )
Finland Is a land ef wood and water, and no fewer
than 250 rlvera flow through it Into the Baltic. In 18M It
was calculated that the forests contained 23,!M,f89 largo
trees and W,TU,60l smaller one. ; In 18GS there were two
pulp mill; at preaent there are about 43. In 1898 there
were employed In the mills 1969 men, who produced pulp
valued at 11500,000. , In ISM the Incom of Finland i
amounted to 138,000,000. i - , ' '
In 1890 th population of Finland was 1.880,140. Nearly
everybody can read and write.
Helslngfor. the capital, is an Ideal city. Down th
center run a wide esplanade of gardens and tree. Thr
are no slum there, no tumble-down houses, no rendesvou
ot crooks. The town Is clean and looks prosperous. At
preaent there are nearly 8000 university students, and
nearly 600,000 children and young men and women are
going to achooL
When the Finnish Parliament opened not a uniform
waa seta In, the great hall. . Not uniformed official ,
took part Th meeting waa called to order by the old- ',
eat deputy, laaao Holkka, I. peasant. Judge P. E.
Svlnhufvud, who had been deposed and exiled by Bobri- .
kof, was eleoted president,
A formM address was read at the opening from Csar
Nicholas) by Ooveroor Genera! Gerhard, , This was sag
applauded. Judge Bvinhufvud'g reply was tars and
' lacking tn the usual obsequious trttia of diplomatic com
munication. . H declared that the Wet would alwaye
be guided by the principle of respect for the rights of
Finland. "Our aim," he declared frankly, "is for the
full restoration' of the freedom and legal status ct the
duchy." ' F " t ' '"
Th offlclaJ preceptor led In cheering for the csar. and
' a number of the deputies joined, but th Socialists re
; malned allent . ... ' ' "' .'
In the Diet a husband and wife act as deputia
Dr. and Mrs. Oebhard. Both belong to the OlA Finn
party and coincide In their political view. ; y V
Among tb women who attended the opening was
Madame Male Talvlo. the foremost novUt of Finland.
Madam Talvlo is strikingly beautiful woman. " She is
tall and slender, a pur blonds,' with wonderful gold"
hair.':-..'" V I ' :' V : " "'.
It Is said that sh has la preparaBon a measure which
she- will endeavor to have paaaed calling for freer mar
riage laws. , Madame Talvlo 1 the wife of Professor M!k
kola, and Uvea with him oa a farm, where she writes ad
vanced novel. . ,
"liEES LOVE! IN FREEDOM
"Th more free wedlock la. she declares, "the more
intense is tb lov, th more cordial are the relations be-
tweea wife and husband, ' New moral principle, the prin
ciple of real education, ahould be appUed to mod era.
marriage. i- '-.'yy 'f v- --
The law of today, the customs, th religions, do not
satisfy the conditions and oharaeter of the modem gen
eration. Indeed, no law, religion or custom ahould bind
a woman to 4 man; only tb laws' that govern actual life
hould bild them.
Th woman of Finland are essentially home-loving. ,
But they take an active and vital Interest In their gov
ernment, ' ., , .'4 . ...r
That Finland is a country of advancement for the fair
aex cannot be 4enled. Many of the peasant woman are
rather good looking, and are of a high order of lntelli- .
gene. In the towns the women conduct literary and,
political aocietlea. : ,
Ml Kakklkoakl was asked whether the women la
the Diet would form a group and follow a partioular
program.'-. - '
"Certainly not," be answered. ' "Women can scereely
bare any dlsagreemenU with the men, for we ..know they ,
never will espouse our demands In regard to our political
rights. -
"We do not aim to make tha womea Ilka tba men; all .'
w want la to make th women reliable wive. W con-
demn the conventionalism of American women, the oo
quetry of th French and the slavery of ' th Oerman, '
The only difficulty may be coneemlng new marriage and
dlvore law' , ,
MBnHMSBSMtfBBl
WE-aft.
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WW
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Wwjpg'x fibw
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TffEl
TStiOa ....
! more than thirty years she
had been corresponding aeo-
' retary of th Womn' For
eign v, Mlaslonary Society.
Her entire life waa devoted ;
to religious work. She was
swet - and saintly woman.
How, you ask, was her
face chosen to. represent lib
erty Impersonated i i as an
Indian face on tha colnf
The story, waa flrat told
by a mlaslonary who knew,
Mrs. Keen. During her life
time sh rarely spoke of tbe
Interesting fact-only after ;
i - i ner oeatn wa in swry re-
, , vealed. t v , - ,l
: ... ' Her father, James Barton Longacre, waa an engraver.
He worked In the Philadelphia Mint, where th die for
th cent wa mad. Sarah, his first child, was a alight
and beautiful girl when be made the atamp ot th pennies
we now use. ;-. .-. ..
Sarah wa his pride. She was, for her age, tall, supple
and beautiful.1 Her face waa aweet and refined, what '
waa more natural than that when he engraved the die he
ahould transfer to it the classic features of the child
h o loved! ..-.v h..-. " -
' Mrs. Keen waa born in PhlladelDhla. Fehmarv sn. ist .
At th age of IS sh wa converted in the Union Methodist
Episcopal Church, at a revival meeting at which were
every Thursday afternoon h held a class meeting) la ' j
srroro ay
sy I, IM7.
The coupl
Keen died.
- -4 .-
AVE you ever noticed the f eatures of
tbe licad on. the Amerioan: penny 1 An
Indian'g bead, you sty. You are wrong
St lftaat if t)l 1aim V4 ovita tit Yi
man who made the copper die is true. The face
it a woman's I . ,
H
O"
BSERVE the long, thin,' delicate no, the low fore
head, the essentially feminine llpa Then regard
. th picture of Mra Sarah Longaere Keen mark
th resemblance! Mrs. Keen, when a girl, Is said
to have furnished the model for the head of tba cent
Mrs, Keen died la Philadelphia in January. 1908. For
- 200 conversion.
She waa married, at the age of 19, on Ma
John F.. Keen. Her married life waa ldaL
lived hapully for forty-four year, when MV. Keen
. . -ine woman wnoae race is said to grace (tie cent waa
a thoroughly religious woman; aba waa imbued with the
- Christian spirit. . , -- - ' . ; v-
About th time of her marriage the mother of Mrs.
' Keen became deeply interested in the work of Dr. Walter
" and Mr.- Phoebe Palmer, who. preached the doctrine' of
living upon higher-planes in the dally life. In the winter
of ISiS-Mrs. Keen' mother began a aerie .of "Tuesday
meetings." There pious women met, prayed and Jold one
another how they overcame their, temptations and met
?i their struggles, 'r-i ry-.f -'m-; .-..,f-t..--,-.i:i:, v
The meeting continued for thirty-eight year. And
they did not end at Mrs. Longaere' death. Mr. Keen'
: - father continued holding them, and when he passed away -
Mra Keen, with her brother, the Rev, Andrew Longaere,
' took bia place. -, , , .
- Mra Keen at this time' lived near Chestnut Hill. Phlla
, delpbla. There bad been visitor to her home, nd she
- waa rearing quite a family of children. Despite her
! family duties on Sundays, she gathered the children of
neighboring farmer to her home, and there unfvided to
them th Bible in her simple, motherly way. - ,
? Each Sunday evening she invited the parents of the
. ' children to her home, and -led a prayer meeting. And
X.-tVl: ny''ny'y :.'-l:,v.";.v-;'.Vf.:',j:;;-; ..
Halnea' Church.
Foreign mlaslonary work always appealed
Keen, and In 1870 ah became corresponding aecretary f
: tb branch of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society la
her city. She resigned only a few month before her
death.- fyy ;y:,syymAi t. yyyyyy-.i:y ,;y'A -";
Even while sh lay ill In bed, scarcely abla to move,,
Mrs. Keen dictated letter to missionaries. Some she ;
advised, others sh enthused, encouraged, begging them 'r
not to despair or give up their endeavora, Her lettera ;
always possessed the peculiar personal appeal; they were,
inspiring and devotional. .
' After her death a missionary, Laura M. Whit, wrote:
- "Many a time In China I contrasted th crisp, formal,
business communications sent by heads of other mission
' to their missionaries, with th loving, tender letter of
counsel and help that alway came from my own doer
missionary mother.. - , ; ' , : s ' . . i
"How indulgent fhe, was to ut. Never was request
' mads that ah did not try to grant; and If that were
. impossible, the kindness and sympathy that cam lnstwi
more than made uo for the disappointment -
"It was alway easy to confess to her th trial and
disappointments, tne mistaxea ana rauures oc missionary
life. And. in return, ahe dared telb u our faulta and
" weaknesses, at the same time covering them by hee
' mantle or cnaruy worn tne, gas oi ouera.-.v
BEAUTIFUL IN MIND ANP BODY
And the wonderful spirit of the woman Is expressed
In the following sentlmeqts found written In her Bible
. after she died; ..u-"-''..-'. ". . r.-v'iyr. y
"Let us each for awhile shut ourselves away from the
- dally- call and work and go alone where we can talk
" to our Father, and He can talk to ua; till we shall know
that tha work is God' work; till we see all through the
district, all through v the conference, all through . the
Woman's Foreign Missionary Society Ood himself. '
v" "Every act will be IHumlnated, - no letter, trivial, no 4
, call to b neg!ectd. --. The call is to so many.
Those who are telling it are so few. Our hearts will burn "
' within us and'we cannot keep silence. We shall not be
' afraid to ask for money, w (ball not hesitat about
asking aomebody to help," r- - , ,- ; ; ... ; -
This, then, is -the story of the woman whose fac
appear, on the penny, A beautiful as her face wa
her life. Even to her old age Mr. Keen was considered
-'a beautiful woman. 8he preserved the regular oontour .
Of countenance, the Softness of features of her girlhood, .
and these, withal, were mellowed by iivry hair. On of
' her missionary friends wrotei . .-
, "While-musing over the radiance of her life' sunset
; ss reflected on that Ineffably lovely face, I tried to mek
' a apectrum analysis of It holy light. . , - i
"Th flrt element waa Ood. for ber life was one con
tinual prayer. The second, work, for she -was always
' busy In her King service. Yet her work never deneger-.-tod
into mere activity of th flesh, but was constantly
glorified, by the third element, love, which blesaed ever,
Visw vvi wiivmj mm vimw wwwwe
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