Sir Samuel Ferguson, Poet and Orator, 7 



acted. He thought it would act successfully, and if the Ulster 

 Literary Theatre were to take it up with a view to its presentation, 

 it would be an excellent idea. The larger number of Irish critics 

 preferred " Conari,"a work which belonged to the "great" school 

 of poetry. Though at times over scholarly and nodding now and 

 again — all great poets occasionally nodded as opposed to the 

 little self-conscious ones who were never caught napping— 

 Ferguson was always strong, simple, and sensible ; he was no 

 mere reed for blowing music through. What Mr. Yeats wrote 

 about him some years ago remained true to-day, that " he was 

 the greatest poet Ireland had produced, because he was the most 

 central and the most Celtic." The school of mystic poetry 

 founded by Mr. W. B. Yeats, which Padraic Column, Mrs. Eva 

 Gore Booth, Joseph Campbell, and others each in their own 

 distinguished way followed, found more favour in England than 

 Ferguson's poetry did. But he (the lecturer) was still convinced 

 that Ferguson, through his great gifts of heart and head and his 

 single-minded devotion to his country's literature, remained, and 

 would long remain, the truest representative of ancient bards. 



The Very Rev. the Dean of Bej.fast, in moving a vote of 

 thanks to Mr. Graves, said it was an exceedingly nice thing that 

 the latter should come to Belfast to lay, as it were, a wreath on 

 the tomb of Sir Samuel Ferguson, and stimulate in their hearts 

 that growing interest taken in the work that the deceased poet 

 had done. It did seem as if the Celtic spirit in literature was 

 beginning to be recognized for what it was, and as if it was about 

 to come to its own again. 



Mr. James Corr seconded the motion. 



The resolution was carried by acclamation, and appropriately 

 acknowledged. 



