. All the Russias: travels and studies in contemporary European Russia, Finland, Siberia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. in the rooms extinguished. A deputation of ladiesplaced a mourning band on the monument of Alexander II., whilegroups of young men made a round of the town and compelledRussian shopkeepers to put out their lights. They also forcedtheir way into Finnish houses in order to extinguish the of the bands demonstrated before a Russian booksellersshop and made rough music outside the residences of some Sen-ators, to whom threatening letters bearing the signatures of mem-b
. All the Russias: travels and studies in contemporary European Russia, Finland, Siberia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. in the rooms extinguished. A deputation of ladiesplaced a mourning band on the monument of Alexander II., whilegroups of young men made a round of the town and compelledRussian shopkeepers to put out their lights. They also forcedtheir way into Finnish houses in order to extinguish the of the bands demonstrated before a Russian booksellersshop and made rough music outside the residences of some Sen-ators, to whom threatening letters bearing the signatures of mem-bers of the Secret Patriotic Association were sent.* So the * The Times, February 23, 1901. 86 ALL THE RUSSIAS wretched struggle goes on, and the young Finn turns his eyes andoften his steps toward the Western World. Nothing could be easier than to write a few pages of dithyram-bic denunciation, declaring one side to be wholly right and theother wholly wrong, and I well know that I shall be reproachedin no measured terms for not doing so. Moreover, sweepinggenerality is much more convincing than discrimination. Yet I. ! i The Rune-Singers. find myself unable to take this course. The rights and wrongsof the dispute are not, so far as I can judge, thus strictly appor-tioned. Like most rights and wrongs, when disputes rage, theyare shared. I am certain, too, that only harm is done by longand bitter discussion of the relations of Russia and Finland atthis moment. Therefore I shall write briefly, but frankly, onthis painful topic. There is no doubt whatever that, under the Finnish Consti- THE FINNS AND THEIR NEIGHBOURS 87 tution, the contention of the Finns is right and that of the Rus-sians wrong. In the Fundamental Laws, the Order on the Diet,paragraph 71, says: A fundamental law can be instituted, modi-fied, explained, or abolished, only on the representation of theEmperor and Grand Duke, and with the consent of all the Or-ders. That is clear, and it is final, so far as any law or
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