Canadian Forestry Journal, Julij, 1918 



\119 



The Origin of tlie Christinas Tree 



From ''Literary Digest.'' 



The history of the Christmas-tree 

 is difficult to trace. It has been con- 

 nected with Ygdrasil, the great tree of 

 Norse mythology, and Christmas- 

 trees and May-poles are known to be 

 relics of that famous Scandinavian 

 Ash. The roots and branches of 

 Ygdrasil, the world-tree, or as it is 

 sometimes called, the Tree of Time, 

 bound together heaven, the earth, and 

 hell. From it all tribes of nature 

 received nourishment. According to 

 a Scandinavian legend of great an- 

 tiquity the Christmas-tree owes its 

 origin to the service-tree which sprang 

 from soil that had been drenched with 

 the blood of two lovers who had been 

 foully murdered. During the Christ- 

 mas season flaming lights that no 

 wind could extinguish sprang myster- 

 iously from its branches at night, and 

 the practise of illuminating the 

 Christmas-tree may, perhaps, be 

 traced to this tradition, which no 

 doubt was strongly influenced by the 

 fact that lights were (and still are) a 

 feature of the Jewish feast of the 

 Chanuca or Lights (December 10). 

 Among the Greeks Christmas is called 

 the Feast of Lights. 



From the earliest times Scandi- 

 navia was inhabited by two distinct 

 peoples — the Svea (or Swedes) in the 

 north, and the (jota (or Goths), in the 

 south. They spoke similar languages 

 and were of the same stock. In the 

 -fourth century the territory occupied 

 by the Goths extended from the 

 Baltic to the Black Sea, but this vast 

 state was broken up by the Huns 

 whose hordes then overran Furope. 

 To the dispersion of the Goths may be 

 attributed the spread of Scandi- 

 navian customs over the continent 

 and the fact that the Christmas-tree 

 is sometimes said to have originated 

 with the Germans. 



Sir George Bird wood has traced the 

 history of the Christmas-tree to the 

 ancient EgA'ptian practice of decking 

 houses at the time of the winter 



solstice with branches of the date- 

 palm, the symbol of life triumphant 

 over death, and therefore of perennial 

 life in Ihe renewal of each bounteous 

 vcar. 



LUMBERMEN UPHOLD 

 LABORATORIES 



A few weeks ago the American 

 Lumberman offered the suggestion 

 that the lumber industry should re- 

 cognize and appreciate the value to it 

 and to the people of the Forest Pro- 

 ducts Laboratory, and should urge 

 upon Congress the necessity for more 

 hberal appropriations for its support 

 in order that it might attain to the full 

 measure of usefulness. It is gratifying 

 to note that the lumber industry has 

 taken cognizance of this suggestion 

 and through resolutions adopted at 

 the annual meeting of the National 

 Lumber Manufacturers' Association 

 in Chicago this week has requested the 

 national legislature to provide more 

 liberally for this branch of the United 

 States Forest Service that is doing 

 such an important work for the 

 Government and for the industrv. 



PAPER FROM SAWDUST 



A portion of the edition of The 

 London (Eng.) "Times" is printed on 

 paper whereof sawdust is the prin- 

 cipal constituent. The Times says: 

 "Sawdust is a by-product produced 

 in Britain. It takes the place of wood 

 pulp, the importation of which is now 

 greatly reduced owing to Government 

 restriction. This paper is manufac- 

 tured by the Donside Paper Mills, 

 Aberdeen, where experiments have 

 been in progress for a considerable 

 time and are still being carried on in 

 the hope of effecting further improve- 

 ments." 



