FINNS, in their own language called Suoma/ainen, and by the Russians Chudes, are n the narrower sense a race of people inhabit ng the northwest of European Russia (govern ments of Archangel and Olonetz), but espe cially the grand duchy of Finland. In a wider sense Finnic is the name applied to the Finno Ugric, one of the five chief branches of the northern or Uralo-Altaic family of peoples and anguages. These peoples were formerly spread aver the whole north of Asia and north of Europe, and they are divided into the five fam ilies, the Tungusic, Turkic, Mongolic, Samoie dic, and Uralo-Finnic or Finnic family proper. The last or most westerly family still forms the population of north Europe and northwest Asia, and formerly covered the greater part of Scandinavia. It is again divided into four groups or branches (1) the Ugric, to which the Ostiaks, Voguls and Magyars belong; (2) the Bulgaric or Volgaic, consisting of the Tchere misses and the Mordvins; (3) the Permic, composed of the Permians, Sirianes and Vo tiaks; and (4) the Chudic or Baltic group. To the last belong, besides the Finns proper, the Esths of Esthonia and the Lives or Livonians, the Chudes (in the narrower sense), that is, Karelians, Vepses and Votes, in the govern ments of Novgorod and Olonetz, and the Lapps in Archangel and the northern parts of Fin land, Sweden and Norway. The Finns proper are divided into two branches: the Tavastians in the southwest, and the Karelians in the east of Finland. The Finns may properly be iden tified with the Scythians, and their earliest seats appear to have been the Ural Mountains and the neighborhood of the Caspian Sea. They
originally led a peaceful nomadic life, but sub sequently practised agriculture and adopted set tled habits. They seem to have been compelled to migrate more to the northwest about the be ginning of the Christian era by the pressure of the Gothic tribes, and the country west of the Ural Mountains, more particularly the region where the Great and Little Volga unite, became their second home. From this the bulk of them had again to remove to their present abodes, though considerable numbers were left on the Volga, Oka, Kama, about the sources of the Dwina, in the Ural, and others again spread eastward, some of them as far as the Altai Mountains. The Finns are a serious people, and their so-called amusements show this trait. They are educated and have most decided opin ions as to 'Woman's rights," political rights be ing accorded to both sexes; coeducation is the rule. Although Finland has been united with Russia, or a part of Russia, since 1809, yet the better educated Finns speak the Swedish lan guage. The emperor encourages the use of the Finnish language. The Finns are communica tive on business matters and often do not hesi tate to tell what other people might call "family secrets." They ask freely about the affairs of others. They have choirs and musical socie ties in Finland, and where found in other coun tries they show a love for music, although their music lacks all suggestions of joyousness. See FINLAND.