ABSTRACT
THE greatest need of the new industrial towns was for men of public spirit able and willing to play their part in local government. Wise counsels were particularly necessary when urban growth was in its early stages, but it was precisely during these formative years that such leadership was so often lacking. The landed gentlemen often looked askance at the despoilers of the countryside, while the new industrialists were usually too preoccupied with establishing themselves and staving off bankruptcy to divert any of their attention to the local affairs of the communities which they were responsible for creating.
