Summary of The Book

The Land of White Lilies tells the story of Finland, with a population of 2 million,
known as the land of swamps and rocks, and the development of the country by everyone
from the intellectuals, peasants, officers, civil servants, clergy to teachers. Grigory Petrov,
the author of the book The Land of White Lilies, narrated the book from the mouth of the
main character Snelman, and the book is told through chapters.

Up until 1811, Sweden ruled over the Finns. The Swedes controlled everything,
including politics, business, the arts, education, and even the church. The leaders,
intellectuals, educators, medical professionals, government employees, and military
officers were all Swedes. These individuals despised the Finns. The evolution of Finnish
culture was also impacted by this circumstance. Their cultural growth was restricted to
the acquisition of fundamental literacy skills till the turn of the century. However, Russia
annexed half of Finland in 1808, and the Russian Tsar vowed to maintain all prior rights.
They have the chance to freely build their own culture thanks to this occasion. Finnish
culture was developed under the leadership of Johan Wilhelm Snelman.

One of the smartest members of the new wave of Finnish thinkers was Snelman.
He announced a mobilisation for Finland's growth. He began by initially speaking with
academics about this mission. He was advising them that being wise does not imply
having a low opinion of the common people, and that they ought to impart all that they
had learnt to the populace. They have to provide knowledge on how to improve one's lot
in life to the socially underprivileged. The teachers came next, then the thinkers. All
throughout summer, Snelman's instructors lectured them and encouraged them to
complete their work well.

Snelman saw the clergy as very important people in line with this goal. He defined
atheism as the death of all the sacred values of the people, and the clergy had a lot of work
to prevent this spirit of spirituality from dying and people not to lose their hope. The
clergy brought children and youth together, trying to influence them and instill faith. In
doing so, they did not despise intelligence, science and the pleasures of life.

In the administration, a new constitution with fresh clauses drafted in accordance

with the pact between Finland and Russia was enacted in 1816. As a result, the parliament

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resumed its operations. Finland's entire civil service went to Helsinki. Thus, Finnish
officials took the place of Swedish statesmen. Help us raise our folks to be people with a
strong sense of justice who are law-abiding or more, Snelman pleaded with the officers.

One of the biggest changes was in Army. During the Swedes, the soldiers in the
barracks drank and gambled. They didn't care about any public issue and they were rude.
Snelman et al. introduced a novel idea in this area. They spoke on the value of military
training in lectures they provided to the officers. Now, every family wanted their sons to
join the military and receive a good education. Because troops were trained in the barracks
and all the qualities a decent person should possess, from science to culture, were
explained.

The change and development of this and many other features have led to great
steps being taken on behalf of this small country. All the people, from the lowest to the
highest, worked hard. In Finland, which is called the land of swamps and rocks, people
placed fertile lands on the rocks and started farming there. They produced, schools were
opened, people began to read. As a result of this and many other factors, Finland is a
developed country with a very high level of welfare and education.

Important Events and Implications

The strength and weakness of states, the progress and degeneration of nations, do
not arise solely from statesmen. Whatever the rulers are, they are a reflection of their
nation. They are a reflection of the national spirit. As a nation is, statesmen are like them.
That's why, since ancient times, "Every nation has the government and statesmen it
deserves." States should act wisely in times of crisis and this should concern all layers of
the people.

Snelman was a great scientist, profound philosopher, and famous politician of the
time. He was a public teacher who established Finnish culture. He was reaching out to all
kinds of people without saying summer and winter, chatting, revealing their talents in
their inner world and dealing with all kinds of problems. He awakened intelligent people,
opened their minds, and was constantly texting. He made everyone, from seven to
seventy, united in the goal of progress and empowerment. He was constantly

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embroidering the following in the memory of his nation. “Finland is always in danger of
being invaded by Russia and Sweden. In order to be able to resist against its powerful and
colonial neighbors, it must be higher than them in terms of culture and civilization.
Whenever our little nation has a higher civilization than its great neighbors, only then will
the danger be averted.” Snelman, together with a handful of young teachers, clergy,
lawyers and civil servants, declared a mobilization to educate the public and expand
education.

Another important event was the army. Under the leadership of Snelman, young
Finnish intellectuals also gave due importance to the army. They especially aimed to deal
with the training and education of soldiers in the army. Previously, the soldiers were
constantly drunk, cursing unspeakable. Soldiers cursed each other, officers cursed each
other, and even generals cursed each other. They used to talk abusively while loving or
vilifying the other person. They were all vile and sinister curses. Without hesitation, they
would curse parents, belief in religion, the sun and the moon. New and young Finnish
officers brought cleaning agents to the barracks. They made the soldiers use soap before
and after meals. Clean towels were embezzled. A toothbrush and paste were distributed
to each soldier and they were taught the importance of cleaning their teeth. After teeth
cleaning, they taught tongue cleaning and speaking properly and without swearing. The
officers themselves never spoke bad words or cursed. The barracks took on a completely
different atmosphere.

Book and Engineering Ethics

Change and development in the army is one of the best examples in terms of
ethics. Because, according to engineering ethics, engineers will endeavor to advance and
strengthen their reputation for honesty, honor, and worth in the industry. The Finnish
military did the same for their profession. During the Swedes, the soldiers in the barracks
drank and gambled. They didn't care about any public issue and they were rude. After
Snelman's education and change move, this situation was reversed. So much so that now
all families wanted their sons to go to the army and receive a good education. As a result,

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the most popular students of high schools began to enter military schools and become
members of the army after graduating from their schools.

According to engineering ethics, engineers will advance professionally through

their own careers and create possibilities for the advancement of other engineers in their
charge. Similarly, after Snelman and his friends aroused the people, military officers
trained their subordinates and glorified them both professionally and morally. In this way,
each of the young officers became good educators. No matter how long the military drills
took, the officers spent an hour or two each day training the soldiers. The officers held
special plays, amusements, plays, and general reading nights for the soldiers. They were
chatting with them and also reading stories about various nations and books about the
valor of famous heroes. Young Finnish officers were a great cultural power in the Finnish
lands, which nature had deprived of wealth and fertility, as if with contempt. Like the
production of a factory, smart, strong, lively people were growing for the country.

Again, according to engineering ethics, while carrying out their professional

responsibilities, engineers will place a priority on the security, well-being, and welfare of
society. Snelman also recommends this to intellectuals with the following words: “Being
enlightened is not wearing fashionable clothes or wearing a starched collar and modern
hat. The people did not train you to get a good wage and play cards and dominoes in the
so-called reading rooms in the evenings. All those who have read have to develop the
national intelligence, awaken the national conscience, strengthen the national will. I'm
asking you, when do you start life building? When will you, ladies and gentlemen, repay
your debt to life?”. Similarly, one of the characters in the book, The Jam King, shows that
he cares about the welfare of the Finnish people in his speech. Jam King Jarvinen is a
successful man who came out of poverty and became very wealthy, and he tells the
audience that all Finnish people are like him and they need to break their shells. At the
expense of his own ego, efforts and success, he puts forward the welfare of his nation and
motivates them in this direction.

Another clause of engineering ethics is that engineers should avoid conflicts of

interest and represent any employer or client as trustworthy attorneys. The reflection of
this principle in the book can be seen in Snelman's critique of parents. According to
Snelman, parents do not care about their children at all. They do nothing but buy them

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candy and toys from time to time. In the face of this situation, the child's mind, mind, and
spirit remains like an uncultivated field. Nothing useful will be planted here. Thus, parents
do not take care of their children entrusted to them properly. They put their own interests,
in other words, their own interests before the future of their children. Snelman criticizes
this situation and says it should be reversed.