SELLING PEOPLE IN FINLAND.

Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 103, 3 May 1890, Page 1 (Supplement)

SELLING PEOPLE IN FINLAND.

The Holsingfors correspondent of the Daily News writes : — In most civilised countries there is some form of work and alms houses for people unable to provide for themselves, and institutions of the kind are also in existence in the chief towns in Finland. But in other places of this country these poor things are classed with the lower animals, and are treated accordingly. Every year the authorities of the different parishes gather the paupers, lunatics, and agod people of the district to the place of auction, and, in the presence of intending speculators and others interested, the auction of human beings begins. The auctioneer begi us, say, with an aged woman, miserable and pitiable in the extreme. He points out that she is, after all, not so bad as the public might suppose. She is a good worker, and ought to bo kept at a very low cost. He thon invites offors. An old farmer will keep her through the coming year for a compensation of 200 marks, during which time he will be permitted to use her for whatever lawful purpose he pleases, even so far, I believe, as to punish hor for any wrongs nhe may be answerable for, it being always understood that he may make as much use of her "as is lawful." It will be his duty to maintain her in every respect, and anything like cruelty on his part is, of course, forbidden. One bid succeeds the other, until the "lot" is knocked down at a bid of may be a mark or two a week. The next case is perchance a young lad, sadly deranged, and wholly unfit for anything save the asylum. But asylums there are none, and the unfortunate lad has to take his chance with the others. It is sad to watch the eager faces of the poor creatures in the body of the room. That young crippled woman, who by good care might become a useful member of society, was taken by that rough-looking peasant yonder, who ill-treated her, nearly starved her, and made her worse than when she came to his hous?. Just watch with what eagerness she follows the proceedings, and how anxious she is as to the result. She haa been longing for this day for months, and now it has come she has a chance of falling into better hands, where she will have kinder treatment. But now it looks as though her former owner will have her again, for he is now bidding lower and lower — " Gone." There, she is tiod to him for another year. In due course she is assisted into the cart and taken off to the old place. These Bights are hard to witness, and high time is it that they ceased.

The death 3 recorded in the Times of ""the first month of 1890 are unparalleled in number. They amount to 1498, and though possibly an allowance of 200 should be made for ■ those advertised more than once, the numbers are extraordinary. No less than ten deaths of nonagenarians and ninety-two of octogenarians are notified, while the deaths "between seventy and eighty were very numerous. In oue day eighty-eevea deaths were given. More women than mon have died over eighty.