Alfred Hayes

Abstract

THE recent death of Alfred Hayes will recall to the minds of many one who was for successive generations associated with the intellectual and social life of Birmingham, not only as Principal and later Secretary of the Midland Institute, but also by reason of his literary activities in various directions. He was recognised as the poet, who held on manfully in surroundings more or less indifferent and even antagonistic to such an immaterial outlook on life. To me his death brought back a particularly striking sonnet, ” Pasteur's Grave”, which was written in the following circumstances.