An Interview with the Editor 



AN INTERVIEW WITH THE EDITOR. 



We wish to know, Mr. Editor, whether we ought to say 

 Selt or Kelt ? 



It depends upon what you mean by the word. There are 

 races of men known as Celts. I advise you to call them Kelts 

 and to write them Kelts. There are certain little prehistoric 

 implements known as Celts. These you had best call Selts 

 and spell Celts. 



By the way from when do we date " prehistoric " times ? 



It depends upon what you accept as historic data. The 

 diligence of investigators is rapidly bringing much time that 

 was considered prehistoric into the domain of history. Dif- 

 ferent nations and races also differ much in the length of 

 time during which they have had a history. 



But as to history of Britain, when do you say that history 

 begins ? 



Well, as a landmark we may say that it begins with Julius 

 Caesar, that is, half a century before Christ. 

 Why do you fix upon Caesar ? 



Because he was the first to make notes of what he found in 

 Britain, and to leave them in a form which has come down 

 to us. 



Had no one, then, visited Britain before Caesar ? 



Oh, yes, many. Merchants in numbers had sailed to Corn- 

 wall to fetch tin, and there had long been constant commerce 

 between Britain and the Continent across the Dover Straits. 

 It was the reports of these traders which impelled Caesar and 

 the Romans to desire to possess Britain ; but no one had 

 written anything in the form of a report. 



How as to Tacitus ? 



His writings are most important, but they come a century 

 later than Caesar. There were, it is true, one or two inci- 

 dental references to Britain prior to Caesar's time, but they 

 are very brief and open to some doubt. 



