ade known to the civilized world by an adventurous sailor named
Pytheas, a man of more than ordinary talent, who was sailing
northward and discovered a land inhabited by a then unknown people. He
reported his discovery to the Romans, but the difficulty was that
Pytheas had seen so much more than any of the Greeks or Romans of
those days that they utterly refused to believe his statements. Time
has proved that the sailor was nearer right in many of his apparently
visionary statements than his countrymen dreamed, although it has
taken centuries to prove the fact in some cases.

The people whom Pytheas then introduced to the polite world were
Teutons, a branch of the great Aryan race and closely related to the
early English. The men were simple, truthful, and brave, but were
sadly addicted to drink, it was said, and consequently were often
quarrelsome. The women were much like those of to-day in their
characteristics: virtuous, proud, and dignified; very beautiful, with
golden-hued hair, blue eyes, and fresh, fair complexions. Like most of
the early peoples, the Teutons worshiped gods and goddesses, and so
have many customs and traditions in common with other branches of the
Aryans.

If England has enjoyed the merriest Yule-tides of the past, certainly
Germany enjoys the merriest of the present, for in no other country is
the day so fully and heartily observed. It is the great occasion of
the year and means much to the people.

For a week or more before the day, loads of evergreen trees of all
sizes may be seen coming into the cities and towns to be piled up in
squares and open places until the entire place looks like a forest of
small firs. One wonders where they all come from and for how many
years the supply will last, but it is not likely to fail at present.

The Lutherans gave Martin Luther the credit of introducing the
Christmas tree into Germany. He may have helped to make it popular,
but certainly there is abundant evidence to prove that it was known
long before the Reformer's time. It is generally supposed to have its
origin in mythological times and to be a vestige of the marvelous
tree, Yggdrasil.

Possibly Martin Luther thought of the old story of the tree and
imagined, as he traveled alone one cold night, how pretty the
snow-laden fir-trees along his path would look could they be lighted
by the twinkling stars overhead. But whether he had anything to do
with it or not, the tree is now one of the most imp