Page:Speeches and addresses by the late Thomas E Ellis M P.pdf/108

 work the characteristics of the Celtic genius. It is the spirit of liberty which gives the life to the mind, so it is not unnatural to find that the Celtic genius has contributed most of the literary wealth of the world not through Celtic peoples subject to England as through the main current of English life.

But not in literature alone has the Celt set his mark on man's endeavour towards higher things. "The true glory of the Celt in Europe is his artistic eminence." So remarks Mr. Fergusson in his History of Architecture, and he adds:" It is not perhaps too much to assert that without the Celt's intervention we should not have possessed in modern times a church worthy of admiration, or a picture, or a statue we could look at without shame." John Gibson of Conway represents the Celt's aptitude for sculpture, as Richard Wilson does his meditative love of Nature.

The influence of the Celt on the literature and art of Britain is pervasive and strong. That is generally acknowledged, but it is contended that the institutions and laws of Britain are thoroughly Teutonic. So they