' SWEDEN 711 SWEDEN
1866; studied at Figeac, Montfaucoa, and Cahors, farms in cultivation was 42S,75S, of which 120,78S
entered the Missions Etrang^res at Paris in August, were of 2 hectares and under; 270,511 of 2 to 20
1887; ordained on 21 Sept., 1889; set out for the hectares, and 34,883 above 100 hectares. The
Chinese mission three months later. Mgr. Rayssac harvest m Sweden was between 50 per cent and 75 per
was appointed vicar apostolic on 17 July, 1914, cent more abundant than normal, but the demand
and consecrated at Hong-kong on 3 May, 1915. was not equal to the supply. In order to allay the
From March, 1915, till February, 1917, he was discontent caused by the fact that laige quantities of
Apostolic administrator of Canton. He resides at foreign wheat was being imported, while Swedish
Swatow. The statistics of the vicariate for 1917 wheat was lying unbought, the government raised
recorded 22 European and 7 Chinese priests; 224 the duty on imported grain. In 1920, 286,535 tons
churches and chapels: 33,695 Catholics; 594 adult of wheat were produ^, 1,024,757 tons of oats,
baptisms, 3107 infant baptisms (1976 bemg of pagan 1,677,545 tons of potatoes, 3,599,014 tons of sugar
parentage); 77 confirmations; 5794 annual and 70,186 ' beet and fodder roots: and 4,499,896 tons of hay.
devotional confessions; 5208 Easter and 114,619 In 1919, the value oi all crops was estimated at
devotional communions; 76 bo3rs' schools with 1490 2145 million kroner (1 kronasS.268). The public
pupils; 12 girls' schools wiUi 497 pupils; 5 orphanages forests in Sweden (mostly on crown lands) have an
with 148 orphans. area of 8,193,981 hectares, and in 1918 yielded
The notable events in the vicariate since its erec- 5,636,240 cubic metres of timber. In the same year,
tion are as follows: In October, 1915, Father Louis 289,113 men, 50,516 women, 34,980 boys and 10,671
Etienne, when travelling to Swatow to report in girls (under 18 years of age) were employed in the
accordance with the French military law, was shot factories. On 15 July, 1921, the Sales Union which
and stabbed by brigands, but he recovered after had regulated the price of timber, was dissolved, and
eight months in a hospital at Hong-kong: in 1916 the ike sales of timber, which had shrunk to a low level.
Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres were withdrawn from improved. A new eight-hour week law went into
the vicariate; in 1917 the southern armies defeated the effect on 1 January, 1920. Foreign competition has
northern forces, but in June, 1918, Swatow was been severely felt m the iron and steel trade. About
recovered by the Pekin Government. A very violent 4,981,110 tons of iron ore were mined in 1919; of
earthquake occurred on 13 February, 1918, killing these, 2,418,989 tons were exported. Of the 493,701
hundreds in Swatow and on the island of Namoa. tons of pig iron mined in 1919, 81,578 tons were
In Swatow the Catholic church was badly shaken and exported. In Sweden^ 45,108 persons were engaged
is beyond repair, while in Chaochowfu the tower of in mining. The foreign trade of Sweden in 1920,
the beautiful church of Notre Dame AuxUiatrioe was included exports valued at £127.421,500 and imports
thrown down and the walls of the building split. valued at £187,415.833. At the end of 1919, the
railway mileage in Sweden was 9392, of which 3409
Sweden, (cf. C. E., XVI-^347a).— The area of the miles belonged to the state. The total revenue was
monarchy is 173,035 square miles and the population estimated at £71,926,310, the expenditure, £46,792,-
on 31 December, 1920, was 5,904,000, including 777. On 1 January, 1921, the total debt, chiefly
4.161,000 in the rural communes and 1,743,000 in contracted for productive purposes, was 1,270,440,927
the cities. kronor, or 217 kroner per head of the population
Education. — In 1919 there were 77 public second- (96 in 1910). The assets in the state were 1,207,-
ary schools with 27,384 pupils, 51 high schools with 806,233 kroner.
3486 pupils, 2 high and 7 elementary technical Dbfencb. — ^The military forces of Sweden are
schools with about 4000 pupils, 17,085 elementary recruited on the principle of universal suffrage. The
schools with 24.265 teachers and 706,841 pupils, and peace standing (1920) is about 86,507 men. The
5 navigation schools. Education is compulsory and Swedish navyis used entireljr as a coast defense force,
free, and children not attending the public schools Rbcent History. — During the World War,
must furnish proofs of being privately educated. Sweden maintained the strictest neutrality, although
There are 2 umversities at Upsala and at Lund, also its shipping suffered greatly from the submarines and
medical, philosophical, and law faculties at Stockholm the allied blockade. After the war, Sweden claimed
and Gdteoorg. the Alland Islands, which were, however, awarded
Social CoNnmoNS. — According to the Poor Law by the League of Nations to Finland. On 26 May.
'Ordinances issued in 1918, the communes are obliged 1919, the Swedish Parliament granted full national
to assist children imder 16 years of aoe, if necessary, suffra^ to women, who in 1909, had been given
- and all those who are disabled from disease, old age, municipal suffrage. In June, 1919, the Swedish
and infirmity. In each commune, which constitutes Conness of Independent Socialists at Stockholm,
a poor distnct, there is a board of public assistances. votcS to join the Third International at Moscow
In 1919 a total of 256,441 received relief (140,973 in and adopted a resolution favoring Bolshevist prin-
.country parishes, 115,468 in towns). ciples. In 1920, a marriage law was passed depnving
Government. — Sweden * is a constitutional mon- the husband of personal guardianship over the wife
- archy, with a King and a Parliament of two houses, and of legal rieht to dispose of the wife's property.
The King must be a member of the Lutheran Church. The wife could acquire property in her own right,
rand exercises his iM>wer in concert with the Council If both parties desired a divorce, no court action was
of State and the Ihet. The provincial administration required, the parties merely registered before a judge,
is entrusted in Stockholm to a High Governor and in and the marriage was automatically dissolved. A
each of the 24 governments to a prefect, who is trade agreement with Soviet Russia was signed in
nominated by the King. Ecclesiastical affairs and February, 1922. A consultative referendum on the
questions relating to the primary schools are desdt question of alcohol will take place in Au^^t, 1922,
with by the parish assemblies, presided over by the Sweden, Vigabiatb Apostolic of, is under the
pastor of the parish. guidance of Mgr. Albert Bitter, titular bishop of
Reliqion. — ^The mass of the population belong to Doliche. He was bom in 1848 at Melle, in the
the Lutheran Church, recognized as the State religion, diocese of Hildesheim, was ordained in 1874, and
There are 12 bishoprics, and 1587 parishes (1920). spent his early priestly life as a missionary in Sweden,
Upsala is the metropolitan see. The deigy are chie^ first in Stockholm and then in Gdteborg. Later he
supported from the parishes and proce^ of churda went to Mecldenbuig and returning to Sweden was
lands. The Jews number about 6000. raised to the episcopacy and appomted vicar apos-
EcoNOMic CoNDmoNB. — In 1919 the number of telle 1893. To his apostolic labors is largely due
