More Past-times
A new era in our swim
ming had started. I guess my brothers and other friends gained courage to begin swimming too once I got started. We often spent all day long at the outdoor swimming hall [left: Kumpula outdoor smimming pool] and our swimming skills improved to the point that we started trying out the diving board and knew that we were skilled enough to be able to get back to the stairs at least from there. Naturally we became too wild, as boys of that age often do, and started horsing around on the diving tower as well. We g
ot away with the first few times, but one day as we were playing around on the first level (which was about 8 meters high) one of the supervisors began to climb up the stairs and threatened to throw us down from there. There was nothing else to do but jump off before the caught up to us. It was a new experience for me and it became our favorite past time. We went to play up on the tower like we belonged there and as soon as a supervisor climbed up to throw us off we would let him get almost catch us and then jump off. Pretty soon they realized that they didn’t need to throw us off and that we were fully capable of getting down by ourselves. That same summer I learned how to dive head first – "Swan Dive" - and became pretty good at it.[rt. Showing off his diving form at Kumpula pool in 1984, age 75]. But eight meters was as high as I ever climbed on the tower. That was the only summer when I practiced diving. This was the summer of 1919. The next several summers all the brothe
rs spent in Tohmajärvi.
ming had started. I guess my brothers and other friends gained courage to begin swimming too once I got started. We often spent all day long at the outdoor swimming hall [left: Kumpula outdoor smimming pool] and our swimming skills improved to the point that we started trying out the diving board and knew that we were skilled enough to be able to get back to the stairs at least from there. Naturally we became too wild, as boys of that age often do, and started horsing around on the diving tower as well. We g
ot away with the first few times, but one day as we were playing around on the first level (which was about 8 meters high) one of the supervisors began to climb up the stairs and threatened to throw us down from there. There was nothing else to do but jump off before the caught up to us. It was a new experience for me and it became our favorite past time. We went to play up on the tower like we belonged there and as soon as a supervisor climbed up to throw us off we would let him get almost catch us and then jump off. Pretty soon they realized that they didn’t need to throw us off and that we were fully capable of getting down by ourselves. That same summer I learned how to dive head first – "Swan Dive" - and became pretty good at it.[rt. Showing off his diving form at Kumpula pool in 1984, age 75]. But eight meters was as high as I ever climbed on the tower. That was the only summer when I practiced diving. This was the summer of 1919. The next several summers all the brothe
rs spent in Tohmajärvi.
We had other past times too, and fishing was one of them. It was in the days when everything was homemade. Father helped assemble my first fishing pole. I think I even had a real fish hook too, though I can’t recall for sure. Usually we fished from the dock at the north end of Hernesaarikatu, and our daily catch mostly consisted of ruffs and minnows – the occasional perch would be mixed in once in a while. Our catch was never anything to brag about, but they were fish nevertheless, and got us started fishing.
These were the days when I started whittling boats out of bark and eventually out of real wood. I fashioned the masts and the sails myself, and braided side-railings out of rope, so I was very proud of my schooner. One beautiful summer day I was at the Jätkäsaari pier. Ships from foreign countries were always docked there and all kinds of tempting frag
rances hung in the air – spices and fruits, etc. Passenger ships bound for Germany were docked there too: white and handsome, the ship Borekin was docked there as well; I can’t recall the number, but it may have been III. The sea gave off a strong fragrance of salt and seaweed and created in me a yearning for those wonderful faraway places which the ships always encountered along the way on their travels. New York was ever the golden city – I usually pictured it as a very warm place where the asphalt on the streets was so hot in the summer that it would burn the bottoms of your feet. And all those tall buildings and crowds of people – it had to truly be a fairytale land.
rances hung in the air – spices and fruits, etc. Passenger ships bound for Germany were docked there too: white and handsome, the ship Borekin was docked there as well; I can’t recall the number, but it may have been III. The sea gave off a strong fragrance of salt and seaweed and created in me a yearning for those wonderful faraway places which the ships always encountered along the way on their travels. New York was ever the golden city – I usually pictured it as a very warm place where the asphalt on the streets was so hot in the summer that it would burn the bottoms of your feet. And all those tall buildings and crowds of people – it had to truly be a fairytale land.
I watched the ships and savored the breeze, clutching my little ship tucked safely under my arm. A certain gentleman was watching the ships as well and h
ad a little girl with him who was about my age. To me she looked like an angel, and I must have stood there staring at her. The girl glanced at me, glanced at the little boat tucked under my arm – and wrinkled her little nose at me. This little girl no longer seemed so angelic. But that moment has stayed so fresh in my mind that I can vividly recall all of those feelings. I can’t recapture a picture of the little girl other than that she was dressed in some type of white outfit. But I can vividly recall the warmth of the sun, the light sparkling on the summer waves and then the strong fragrance of the ocean.
ad a little girl with him who was about my age. To me she looked like an angel, and I must have stood there staring at her. The girl glanced at me, glanced at the little boat tucked under my arm – and wrinkled her little nose at me. This little girl no longer seemed so angelic. But that moment has stayed so fresh in my mind that I can vividly recall all of those feelings. I can’t recapture a picture of the little girl other than that she was dressed in some type of white outfit. But I can vividly recall the warmth of the sun, the light sparkling on the summer waves and then the strong fragrance of the ocean.
Every so often we were able to go with Father on trips to the islands. The ferries were small and shallow, and the furnace was set down in a depression in the middle of the boat. It was always such warm and sheltered plac
e even when it was windy that I was usually stationed somewhere near to it. And then on one occasion Father took us with him to go berry picking somewhere west of Helsinki. I can’t recall anymore how we traveled there, but the trip so stayed with me that I wrote an essay about it in the second form of the lyceum. I had spent so many summers in Karjala that their dialect had become part of me. I recall how Mr. Berg felt that my use of the Karjala dialect was faulty and he corrected my linguistic errors into the proper form, and this lesson has stayed with me so forcefully that I never again wrote using the Karjala dialect. But this incident has preserved the berry picking trip in my memory.
e even when it was windy that I was usually stationed somewhere near to it. And then on one occasion Father took us with him to go berry picking somewhere west of Helsinki. I can’t recall anymore how we traveled there, but the trip so stayed with me that I wrote an essay about it in the second form of the lyceum. I had spent so many summers in Karjala that their dialect had become part of me. I recall how Mr. Berg felt that my use of the Karjala dialect was faulty and he corrected my linguistic errors into the proper form, and this lesson has stayed with me so forcefully that I never again wrote using the Karjala dialect. But this incident has preserved the berry picking trip in my memory.
Prayers and Bible Reading
In high school as well as in elementary school we always said a morning prayer, so the format for praying has always stayed with me. And in high school where we poor kids were served a noon meal we always said a blessing on the food before eating and a prayer 
of thanksgiving at the end of the meal. The prayers weren’t anything elaborate but they served their purpose. The blessing on the food was as follows: “Bless, O Lord, our meal and be with us always. Amen.” And the thanksgiving prayer: “Thanks, O Lord, for our meal. Amen.” Short and powerful, and to the point. Mr. Dahlberg was very religious, as I recall, and so was Mr. Kalarvo. Every day we had a Bible lesson so it awakened out interest in religion very early on.
of thanksgiving at the end of the meal. The prayers weren’t anything elaborate but they served their purpose. The blessing on the food was as follows: “Bless, O Lord, our meal and be with us always. Amen.” And the thanksgiving prayer: “Thanks, O Lord, for our meal. Amen.” Short and powerful, and to the point. Mr. Dahlberg was very religious, as I recall, and so was Mr. Kalarvo. Every day we had a Bible lesson so it awakened out interest in religion very early on.
I read the Bible through as soon as I was able to read – I would have been around 8 or 9 years old. There were a lot of things in the Old Testament that were beyond the comprehension of a child, but I read it anyway. It was the only book, the Bible that is, which we had in our home other than our school books. I had read the Bible three times before I turned 15.
I Discover the Public Library and the Joy of Reading
It may have happened at an even earlier age because later on I discovered the public library which I often visited several times a week. At the Rikhardinkatu Library [left] we were allowed to borrow just one novel and one non-fiction book at a time. It was two kilometers to the library so it took up quite a bit of time during the week if one went there to return and take out books several times a week The distance was only a coupl
e of kilometers, it’s true, but you couldn’t do that too often. That’s why I tried to find the thickest books on the book list and made my own list of them according to which I asked for books. In those days they didn’t have free shelves where you could go find books on your own, but instead you had to tell the librarian which book you wanted and he would go find it for you. On my list was for instance Hansen’s “Across Greenland on Skis,” which I dutifully read from cover to cover. In high school then on one occasion Mr. Korvenkontio asked who had read this book and I was the only one who raised his hand. He was rather surprised and asked me if I hadn’t found it rather dull, and I had to admit having read books that were much more captivating. It was after all, a daily journal, where most entries were started off by recording the weather conditions: cloud cover, wind direction and velocity, temperature, w
hether the snow conditions were wet or dry, and so forth. It was probably about 700 pages or more, but there is no way to check on it.
e of kilometers, it’s true, but you couldn’t do that too often. That’s why I tried to find the thickest books on the book list and made my own list of them according to which I asked for books. In those days they didn’t have free shelves where you could go find books on your own, but instead you had to tell the librarian which book you wanted and he would go find it for you. On my list was for instance Hansen’s “Across Greenland on Skis,” which I dutifully read from cover to cover. In high school then on one occasion Mr. Korvenkontio asked who had read this book and I was the only one who raised his hand. He was rather surprised and asked me if I hadn’t found it rather dull, and I had to admit having read books that were much more captivating. It was after all, a daily journal, where most entries were started off by recording the weather conditions: cloud cover, wind direction and velocity, temperature, w
hether the snow conditions were wet or dry, and so forth. It was probably about 700 pages or more, but there is no way to check on it.
In any case, reading became my escape route from the drabness of everyday life into a brighter sphere and the world of imagination. In recall Mother Selma every once in a while remarking that, "There that boy is reading again, and doesn’t hear or see a thing." I totally tuned out to the world around me while reading. One day while we lived at Tokankatu Mother brought me back to reality. We had a table in the middle of the room and I was leaning against one of the corners reading another book, oblivious to my surroundings. Mother gave me a little nudge and said, "Why don’t you go outside for a change rather than always spending your time with your nose buried in a book." The book went clattering on the table and I was quickly startled into reality. Well, Mother was a very perceptive parent and knew that spending time outdoors would do this bookworm a world of good!
But reading continued to be a passion for me. Around that time I got my hands on a book about the Trojan Wars and found it the most interesting reading. The result was
that we made ourselves wooden sword and spears, and turned the bottoms of velour hat boxes into shields. This seems to have been before Father had remarried, so I was probably about 10 years old. We made up a lot of games based around the tales of Troy. During that same time period I was able to borrow—I know it didn’t come from the library – the History of Rome. It consisted of about 10 volumes, but I can’t recall if I borrowed these from some friends. It was fascinating reading, and from then on I have always enjoyed reading about Rome and its history. Latin has always held an interest for me, but up to this point I haven’t done anything about it. Wonder if I should?
that we made ourselves wooden sword and spears, and turned the bottoms of velour hat boxes into shields. This seems to have been before Father had remarried, so I was probably about 10 years old. We made up a lot of games based around the tales of Troy. During that same time period I was able to borrow—I know it didn’t come from the library – the History of Rome. It consisted of about 10 volumes, but I can’t recall if I borrowed these from some friends. It was fascinating reading, and from then on I have always enjoyed reading about Rome and its history. Latin has always held an interest for me, but up to this point I haven’t done anything about it. Wonder if I should?
Business Ventures
It was probably the first fall after the war that we boys started wanting to earn some money, and the easiest way of course was to sell newspapers. We went to the Työmies book publishers located in the basement of Työv
äentalo on what is now called Passivuorenkatu. There anyone at all could purchase newspapers at a predetermined discount. Father had given us a shiny silver mark coin and, since we didn’t know the first thing about the whole busi
ness, our friend Hono came to our rescue. He took our coin and bought us some newspapers – took some of them for himself which made some of the older boys say that he shouldn’t rob little kids that way. But Hono was a hardnosed wheeler dealer and couldn’t care less about what anyone else said or thought. Well, we couldn’t even peddle the newspapers Hono had left us with, so we ended up bringing home a big stack of unsold papers, and didn’t have anywhere close to a mark to show for our endeavors. So that was the end of our business venture.
äentalo on what is now called Passivuorenkatu. There anyone at all could purchase newspapers at a predetermined discount. Father had given us a shiny silver mark coin and, since we didn’t know the first thing about the whole busi
ness, our friend Hono came to our rescue. He took our coin and bought us some newspapers – took some of them for himself which made some of the older boys say that he shouldn’t rob little kids that way. But Hono was a hardnosed wheeler dealer and couldn’t care less about what anyone else said or thought. Well, we couldn’t even peddle the newspapers Hono had left us with, so we ended up bringing home a big stack of unsold papers, and didn’t have anywhere close to a mark to show for our endeavors. So that was the end of our business venture.
One of our othe
r business ventures that comes to mind was selling Christmas cards. One Christmas Eve will forever remain with me because it was chilly with icy rain coming down. My feet were soaked because there were holes in the bottoms of my shoes. I was somewhere near the corner of Fredrikinkatu and Erikinkatu and recall going into a stationary store to sell my cards. The shop lady took pity on me and, from the goodness of her heart, bought one card even though she herself was in the business of selling the very same cards. It didn’t even dawn on me. In those days it was popular to have cards with Alpine scenes with russet skies and the landscape sprinkled with realistic looking snow.
r business ventures that comes to mind was selling Christmas cards. One Christmas Eve will forever remain with me because it was chilly with icy rain coming down. My feet were soaked because there were holes in the bottoms of my shoes. I was somewhere near the corner of Fredrikinkatu and Erikinkatu and recall going into a stationary store to sell my cards. The shop lady took pity on me and, from the goodness of her heart, bought one card even though she herself was in the business of selling the very same cards. It didn’t even dawn on me. In those days it was popular to have cards with Alpine scenes with russet skies and the landscape sprinkled with realistic looking snow.
Translated from the original Finnish: Marja-Leena Tolvanen-Rogers
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