Elias Simojoki - The Burning Bush: Speeches by Elias Simojoki

The Burning Bush:

Speeches by Elias Simojoki

T HE B URNING B USH

Palava Pensas

SPEECHES BY

E LIAS S IMOJOKI

Translated by Jarno Alander

Antelope Hill Publishing

Translation copyright 2021 Antelope Hill Publishing

The original content of this work in Finnish is in the public domain

Compiled by Vilho Helanen

Foreword and Introduction by Vilho Helanen

Originally published by Werner Sderstrm Osakeyhti, Helsinki 1942.

Original English translation 2021 by Jarno Alander, with thanks to Teemu Lahtinen for his historical expertise

Cover art by sswifty

Edited by Margaret Bauer

The publisher can be contacted at

Antelopehillpublishing.com

Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-953730-58-9

EPUB ISBN-13: 978-1-953730-59-6

Contents

Elias Simojoki was a nationalist fighter, and as such his lot in life was to be controversial. But only now that his lifes work is concluded, can we fully appreciate it.

Simojokis main influence was as a leader of youth. Undeniably he was one of the most significant moral leaders that Finlands youth have ever had. His influence on the educated youth of our country has been decisive in the last two decades. In previous years, that youth, and especially its most active members, have encountered significant criticism. At times their potential has been dismissed as wasted, at others they have been derided as being misguided. To many of previous generations, the new youth have seemed alien in their thoughts, ideals, and attitudes toward life.

However, ever since the fall of 1939, this estimation has changed. As officers fighting on the front lines during the Winter War, the men of our present generation achieved the respect of our nation. Our present struggle has only fortified that respect. No one would make the mistake of calling them a wasted generation any longer. Their achievements show that the influences and the leadership that made them who they are were overwhelmingly positive and correct. But where do these ideals, thoughts, and attitudes, that have now proven their worth in the great trial by fire of our nation, come from? And what exactly do they include in the final analysis?

These questions without a doubt will direct our attention to Elias Simojoki, who was their fiercest advocate, and whose lifes work received its final seal, when he joined the heroic dead on the ice of Lake Ladoga a reality. We have entered the decisive battle for life or death, which Simojoki tirelessly insisted was inevitable. For many, it seems a great defeat for our nation that he is no longer among our ranks. But he lives on in his writings and speeches. His lifes work, as an appeal to the Finnish people, has never been more timely than now. His speeches also contain many observations regarding our national rise and awakening that will remain of value and interest far into the future.

The present collection by no means contains all of Simojokis speeches. Most of his work as a public speaker was carried out as a priestwhich, after all, was his principal occupation. His fierce sermons and speeches at conventicles will not soon be forgotten by those who had the privilege of hearing them in life. This tome contains only a couple of those, which some readers may consider a fault. However, the main purpose of this compilation is to bring together his speeches that deal with nationalism and patriotism. Besides, it was only very rarely that Simojoki wrote his religious sermons down, beyond brief notes and outlines.

No actual writings authored by Simojoki have been included. The one exception to this is the very first piece, Do You Remember, in which he describes the origins of his nationalist evangelical work in a heartfelt, almost shocking manner.

The time has not yet come for a full biography of Elias Simojoki. However, I have seen it fit to explain his life and work briefly, in an anecdotal manner. I hope the following pages can in some way illuminate the background of his speeches. I have received valuable aid and support in my work from the widow of my late friend, Mrs. Liisa Simojoki, from his sister Mrs. Rakel Ter, and from his brother, Vicar Arvi Simojoki, and I am deeply grateful to them.

Elias Simojoki was born into the famous Simelius family of clergymen, in the chaplains parsonage of Rautio, on January 28, 1899. He was an exceptionally beautiful and active child, winning the hearts of all around the parsonage. All of his well-known personality traits, which later in life would win peoples hearts over to him, were already apparent at the time. He was gregarious by nature and crystal clear in his soul. From childhood on he had an especially close relationship with God. It was not enough for him to confess his misdeeds to his parents in the evening before bed and ask for their forgiveness. He also took stock of his daily activities with the heavenly Father in his evening prayers. He was a regular attendee in church already as a small boy and often took part in conventicles. During his school years, the religious influences he received at home solidified into a decision that led him onto the path of a deep religious awakening.

He was warm-hearted and helpful already as a small child. He was especially fond of animals. The stable and barn at the parsonage were an entire world for him, one he loved to spend time in. This tenderness followed him through his entire life, and after all, it was the cries of pain of a wounded horse that finally led him to death on the ice of Lake Ladoga.

Simojoki attended the Finnish lyceum of the town of Oulu, where his wits and courage brought him the respect of his peers. He was often the winner in the boys rough games and competitions. He became the leader of his group of comrades and was always there to give them advice or counsel. His activities were always based on his early ideological awakening. He was a leading force in the sobriety society of his schools student association. He was the spokesman for both of these and also wrote for the student association magazine. At home he had already published his own little magazine, publishing in it writings which evidenced his sense of humor, which he became well known for later in life. At the lyceum, his lively writing style drew the attention of teachers, and his literary interests occupied a significant amount of his time. During this period, he was still very much a man of the written (as opposed to the spoken) word. It was not until the seventh grade that he gave a presentation on Tagore and his poetry at the annual celebration of the student association. The literary endeavors of his school years were crowned with his matriculation examination essay, Blessed be the Peacemakers, which already bore all the hallmarks of his literary style. The principal message of his essay was that it is possible to create peace with arms. Surprisingly, given how far removed from the current ideas of the time, his essay was given the highest grade, laudatur.

His profound interest in history, especially Finnish military history, was also already apparent in his childhood. He read all the literature on this topic that was available to him, and his writings as a schoolboy often dealt with it. As his family was living in Rantsila he often skied or rode around the countryside houses, his mind glowing with memories of the battles the Finnish army fought there in 1808-09. He was always excited when his father brought him along to Siikajoki to see the old battlefield, and he had the opportunity to examine the ancient, rusty weapons that still remained in the houses of the area. An interest in old weapons followed him throughout his entire life, and over the years he accumulated quite a collection of them.