Often it happened that it was not even necessary to wait to save money enough in advance, because those who had gone on before sent tickets to their relatives or close friends at home; it is estimated that in the years 1905-07 alone some 16,000 tickets were furnished in this way, 25 which in turn did nothing but confirm the illusion that everyone who had crossed the ocean had become a success. Of course, people generally are adaptable, and the Latin proverb, Ubi bene, ibi patria, is true in this connection. Many did leave for America with just one reason, one goal in mind: the search for riches. Or if not riches, at least enough money so that one could return to the old country and get some land of one's own, and, who knows, live comfortably the last years of one's life.

At the time of the maximum exodus, there was hardly a family which did not have some relative or other who had emigrated. The poorer seashore communities of Ostrobothnia were threatened with complete desertion, 26 but not entirely because the people were so poor but because they possessed the special characteristics which emigration required : 27 determination, courage and initiative surely were necessary for someone facing an unknown future. Furthermore, in the russification period, historical factors also influenced these northerners, for this province had been particularly sensitive to the preservation of its sense of freedom. The foreign yoke threatened to weigh heavy on them, and the men of these plains were prepared to leave the country rather than submit to tyranny. The illegal conscription act of 1901, mentioned in the previous chapter, and the resistance to it were particularly strong factors making for emigration. 28 The old saying, "Swedes we are not, Russians we do not want to become, hence we must be Finns," was altered a bit to fit the new circumstances : "We intend to become neither Swedes nor Russians, but Americans in all seriousness." At a time like that, if someone returned to the country on a visit from America and urged others who feared conscription into the Russian armies, "Boys, if you're ordered east, go west!" the words fell on receptive ears. At such a time it was useless to apply for a passport, but other means were effective: when one Nikolai Ekola was called to service he took his cousin Isak Rantala's passport, and with

25. Kolehmainen and Hill, op. cit. p. 24.

26. Carl J. Silfversten, Finlandssvenskarna i Amerika. Duluth, Minn., 1931. Cf Introduction.

27. J. Wargelin, op. cit. p. 45.

28. E. I. Parmanen, Laittomien asevelvollisuuskutsuntojen vaikutus siirtolaisuuteen. "Jouluviesti 1931" pp 37-39.

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