Lapland, spread across the northern tip of Europe, is a territory which demands of its natives, hardiness and unbending stamina. A country of continual cold, the climate exerts an immense influence on the habits and pursuits of the Lapps, who, by some miracle of endurance, draw from the reindeer their tenuous livelihood. But despite- or perhaps the cause of- the severity of their surroundings, these are a vigorous people, whose lives are marked by the order and dignity of an ancient system, and who maintain one of the few primitive societies in Europe.