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of many things connected with the scientific part of his vocation, requires no written word of praise to make his merits known. We are confident that our new Mayor will not fail in his arduous duties so far as integrity of purpose and aptitude of mental capacity are concerned; and he has our earnest wish that he may have sufficient health and leisure allowed him in the midst of his many engagements to enable him to bring that integrity and ability to bear on his municipal and magisterial duties. His Worship is fortunate in having in his predecessor, Mr. Ross, a deputy-Mayor ready with so much grace and efficiency to give him all the help he may have chance to need."

The Town Council

In further editorial remarks, the same journal says:-"The Council and Local Board of this borough have no small task in hand to rule, as they should do, these growing towns. The largest work may appear to have been done in the nearly completed drainage operations; but this may be in appearances only. The waterworks and the lighting, paving and rating departments of municipal legislation, will for a long time - perhaps always - require the greatest amount of wisdom and public honesty which the borough can snd to its governing board to ensure their being well attended to and equally done. In the Council there are a few men - the Mayor and ex-Mayor, for example - who represent the higher class of local business qualifications. But, taken as a whole, we cannot pronounce the municipal body to be above par. We will not say how much we think some of them of its members are below it. If even these, however, will but recognise in this fact the greater need that exists for painstaking effort to understand their work and to do it with a single eye to the general good, it may be proved again - what the world has often seen before - that patient, plodding mediocrity may better serve its generation than the fitful radiance of careless genius. In this, as in some other things,

Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop
Than when we soar

"The stooping of a small mind to learn is a brighter omen of good than the soaring of a greater one to show off. However as we are in no immediate peril of being endangered by the erratic flights of genius, let us only hope that none of our Councillors will assume the faults of greatness in the acknowledged absence of redeeming irtues. Prudence and calm judgement will be more 

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