Notwithstanding that nearly all my life I have been more or less associated with politics, and for over forty years have been upon the register of voters, I have never voted on the winning side except on the occasion when Mr. A.J. Balfour stood for the City of London. I still hope I may do so before I die. It was in the year 1885, after the passing of the Redistribution Bill, that I became more closely associated with politics. By this Redistribution Act, Middlesex (for many years it had been represented by two members) was divided into seven constituencies. I joined the Liberal Association in Hornsey, one of the new divisions, and the one in which I then lived, and from that time onwards took an active part in their proceedings. On the eve of the first elections in these divisions, we had a big send-off meeting of the Middlesex candidates at the Holloway Hall, at which the great Liberal veteran Mr. Samuel Morley presided. Many leading politicians were present, including Sir Charles Dilke, Mr. W.S. Caine, Mr. Alfred Milner (now Viscount Milner), who stood for the Harrow Division, Mr. S.D. Waddy, and others. Great enthusiasm prevailed, but the success at the polling booth was not as great as we anticipated, and the Hornsey Division returned a Conservative, which it continued to do until a fresh division of Middlesex took place under the Act of 1918. Mr. Carvel Williams, the champion for Disestablishment of the Church, was our president; he was a most able and eloquent speaker, full of work and energy and equal to any emergency, but although we had occasionally such speakers as Mr. Asquith, Mr. Lloyd George, and other leading politicians of that day, success at the poll was never obtained. I was for many years chairman of the Council, and that brought me in touch with many men of light and leading. I was, however, compelled to give it up, as so many other duties had a more special call upon my time. In 1904 I was induced to join the non-political party which was standing for the London County Council Division of Stoke Newington, and was returned. And here let me state that I have a great objection to party feeling in local affairs. It is quite bad enough when carried to extremes in parliamentary contests, but local affairs should be dealt with entirely from the local point of view of what is best and from none other. Having made many new friends and being elected to the Library Committee, I found myself in my element amongst books. Before the Free Library was started at Stoke Newington, with my good friend Mr. A.W. Mackenzie, I originated a private Free Library in the Finsbury Park District, and although this library was not very large it was very serviceable. It was carried on by voluntary aid and contributions, and, in accordance with the Act passed in 1892, afterwards taken over by the Council of Stoke Newington.