o 18 ADELAIDE AND VICINITY sir Ungdon Bonython kindlv interest which Mr. Barrow took in his work. He did work, too. The staff of the paper was very small in those days, and the responsibilities of each member of it were e.xceedingly heavy. Sir Langdon, however, never showed any disposition to shirk the many and various duties imposed upon him, although his very willingness to be of service increased the number of the tasks laid upon him. He toiled for the love of it, and because he was deeply interested in the success of the paper— never stopping to ask whether the engagement allotted, or which he had voluntarily undertaken because he saw it needed doing, did or did not come within his proper routine. If others made their labor as light as possible, that was a matter for themselves ; he had no inclination to follow their example. Sir Langdon's zeal, though actuated by a higher motive, brought its due reward in rapid and substantial promotion. While quite a youth he was made chief of the reporting staff, and shortly afterwards he became sub-editor, which office very soon developed into that of managing editor. In 1878 Sir Langdon received a proof of the confidence of his employers by being admitted a member of the firm of Messrs. Barrow & King, a place in the proprietorship being at the same time found for the late Mr. F"rederic B. Burden, a step-son of Mr. Barrow. Mr. Thomas King retired from the partnership in 1884, the style of the firm being then changed to that of Messrs. Burden & Bonython ; while, in 1893, Mr. Burden, who had previously gone to England, parted with his interest, and Sir Langdon Bonython became sole proprietor, being then not 45 years of age. Seldom, anywhere else, has there been such a steady record of individual progress won entirely by merit and industry. Sir Langdon has long taken a deep interest in education, believing, as he does, that there is no nobler vocation than that of the teacher. His enthusiasm in the cause has been demonstrated in a very practical manner. He was gazetted a member of the Adelaide School Board when it was created on August 10, 1881, and two years later he became chairman, an office which he still fills with accustomed conscientiousness. In that capacity he exerci.ses control over the principal schools of the metropolis, and his influence has ever proved of a beneficial character, alike to the State, the teachers, and the children. In 1886, .Sir Langdon was appointed a member of the Technical Education Commission, on whose recommendation the splendid School of Mines and Industries, now one of the principal glories of the South Australian education system, was established. Indeed, it was due to his initiative that the proposal took definite shape. He was an original member of the Council of the institution, in which he has ever manifested more than a father's interest; and when, in 1889, Sir John Cockburn, the first president, became Premier of the Province, Sir Langdon succeeded to that honorable post, the executive work of which he has since performed in a signally successful manner. It was owing to his tireless care that the .school lived through the troublous times immediately following its birth ; and it is chiefly due to his energy, prudence, and forethought that it has attained its present status. The knighthood conferred upon him by Her Majesty the Queen in May, 1898, was a fitting recognition of the magnificent services rendered to the cause of education ; and it is plea.sant to know that the earliest congratulations on the reception of that richly- deserved honor came from the members of the Adelaide Teachers' Association, who,
