The INFORMATION SCENE IN BRITAIN AND GERMANY: 2. Information in Britain

Love of the past is one of the key features of the British character. Tourists who flock to our shores see it in our carefully‐preserved archaeological sites, ancient monuments, churches, castles, palaces and timbered buildings. During their visit they may even learn from the guides that tradition is so important to us that its continuance may acquire legal force. If an individual can prove that he and his predecessors have enjoyed a privilege for a certain length of time he may be granted leave to enjoy it in perpetuity, as, for example, by our laws of ancient lights and right of way. In spite of evidence of this kind foreigners usually still fail to understand how fundamental tradition is to our nature and how much we respect our long‐standing institutions. Thus, in order properly to understand the present state of the information industry in Great Britain it will be necessary to examine its historical growth. As with most British institutions it owes much to the circumstances of its development.