Drive along a
country road, and every peasant will raise his hat to you, not
deferentially, but with the quiet dignity of an equal. The high
standard of education, almost legally exacted from the lowest classes
in Finland, is unusually high, for the most illiterate plough boy
may not marry the girl of his choice until he can read the Bible
from end to end to the satisfaction of his pastor, and the same
rule applies to the fair sex.
The climate of Finland is by no means so severe as is generally
imagined. As a matter of fact, no country of a similar latitude,
with the exception of Sweden, enjoys the same immunity from intense
cold. This is owing to the Gulf Stream, which also imparts its genial
influence to Scandinavia. In summer the heat is never excessive, the
rainfall is insignificant, and thunderstorms are rare. July is the
warmest, and January the coldest month, but the mean temperature of
Helsingfors in mid-winter has never fallen below that of Astrakhan,
on the Caspian Sea.
The weather is, however, frequently changeable, and even in summer
the thermometer often rises or falls many degrees in the space
of a few hours.
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