The Irish standard., 1905-02-18
where OR WHEN
The Celts Originated Does Not
Find Ready answer.
There Seems to be No Substan-
tial Theory at Hand.

newspaper Office to receive letter
from Il reader in which a brief Ques-
ton is asked, but which cannot be an
Swered in Il column. Such letter
came to the Newark Ledger few
days ago. This is the question: "Wherc
did the Celts originate, and how many
are there in the world?
Now this question, as the old saying
goes, would puzzle a Philadelphia
, lawyer. EVEN our eloquent and patri-
otto friend, NJ. j. Ryan Of the United
Irish League. \ search of the most
eminent authorities Oh the history of
the Celts, whether German, French or
English writing authors, makes it
clear that there is no substantial the
Celts hold as fixed opinion as to
where or when the Celts originated
The most generally accepted theory is
that the Celts began their westward mi
grltionS from Hinu-KuSh about 1000
years before the birth of Christ But
ut that time there were colonies of
Celts in Persia and Greece. The very
earliest histories of the countries now
| known as Germany and France relate
! that the Celts had been in those parts
for IL time far distant in tile traditions
Of the tribes that yielded to the arms
of the Romans.
The Gauls We're the same people as
the Colts. The confusion of names
arose between those authors who
wrote in Greek and those who wrote
in Latin. The Greeks called the an
cient people from whom most Irish
people are descended Cclts, the Rom
ans spoke of these people as Gauls.
1t seems probable that the Romans
gave to the Celts in Western Europe
i the name of Giuls-pronounced Gaels,
| because that was the name by which
these fiery people We're called by them
selves. The first dawn of history
shows the Celts or Gauls fighting
| against other people, and divided into
| factions which w:lrred against them
| selves.
In Greece or Rome the Celts fought
Oh this or that side against Greece,
against Persia. for Persia, for Rome
and against Rome -Four times the
Celts conquered Rome. 1t was the
strength of the Celts fighting with
Hannibal that gave that African COM
| mander his many victories over the
Romans. Where the Africans refused
to brave the terrors of the Alps in the
passage into Italy, the Celts, Injured to
hardships in snow and ice, crossed the
mountains and fell on the Romans
| with fury. For 500 years teh Gauls or
| Celts from what we now call France
and Germany terroriZed Rome. The
| Roman senate in the year 100 B. c.,
after declaring that 112 tribes of Celts
had sworn allegiance to Rome, pro-
nounced a curse on any Gaul or Celt
who should cross the Alps, which the
senators pronounced 1.-The barrier of the
There is both traditional and docu-
mcntary evidence that Celts from Ire
land joined with the Celts Of Britain
| and the western parts of the continent
| Of Europe in warning against and for
the Roman empire. The sculptured
| face of Gaus on several Roman trium-
pllal arches that remain to this day
show that those Gauls or Celts were in
features precisely like the present day
| types Of faces which artists pronounce
good models for the portraiture of
Irish Celts. Julius Caesar made his
reputation as !; general in his wars
against the Gauls, and he it was who
by excellent statccraft built up legions
of GaulS who became Il source of
strength to the Roman empire and
helped build the line of roads, fortified
camps and trading stations that in
after time were of such great use to
the Christian missionaries throughout
the Roman empire.
The most tremendous battle ever
fought in Europe, in the year 732 AID.
Il great battle against the Arabs, was
won in France by the superior energy
and bodily vigor of the Celts, of whom
many, according to an ancient letter
by the bishop of N1arseilles, We're Irish.
These Irish were recruited for the cam
paign by Irish missionaries, who went
| from France and Germany to summon
soldiers from Hibernia to drive the
Arabs out Of section Of country en-
hracing a hundred thousand square
miles, in which every monastery and
church had been destroyed by the Ma
hometans. The civilization of the
world depended upon that great battle
fought near Tours, France, in Septem-
Der and early October III the year A.
ID. 1872 1t was Aahometanism against
! CllriStianitq. 1t was the East against
the West. 1t was the Celt against
the hordes of the False Prophet. The
Celt won, leaving II hundred and eighty
thousand dead Mahometans on the field
after battle not interrupted for IL
! days.
! From that day to this. Mahometan
mothers have frightened their children
when fractions by saying 1.-The Celts
l>r,k 10 R~p