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gave evidence of that public spirit which was so conspicuous through 
life, and where the foundation of that career of usefulness for which 
he was distinguished was laid. At that time the hours of shopmen 
were excessive, and impressed with the evils of this, he, in union with 
others, inaugurated the movement for shorter hours. It was at a 
meeting of young men that Mr Knox set himself to expose the bad 
effects of protracted hours of labour, and to point out the importance 
of intellectual improvement of the class interested. Before he left 
Dundee his gifts as a public speaker attracted attention, while his 
aspirations after mental culture and social reform secured for him 
the position of a trusted leader among the young men with whom he 
associated. After a few years spent in Dundee, he returned to Edin- 
burgh, and ultimately commenced business as a partner in the well- 
known firm of Knox, Samuel & Dickson. Mr Knox was a man of 
remarkable strength, both mentally and physically, and there were few 
public men better known or more generally respected among his fellow- 
citizens. His appearance was commanding; he had fine features, an 
open frank countenance, a high forehead and dark expressive eyes 
which gave an impression of intense earnestness to all who met him. 
He was distinguished by a breadth of thought and enthusiastic 
attachment to every movement that aimed at the moral, educational, 
and social elevation of the people, and he was attracted to almost 
every platform which sought to correct public abuses or lend a 
helping hand to the struggling and helpless. There was at the same 
time a geniality of feeling and kindliness of disposition, stirred by 
generous impulses, which secured for him a hearty welcome among 
all classes. As a politician he belonged to the advanced Liberal or 
Kadical section of reformers, but he was at the same time tolerant of 
the opinions of those who differed from him, whether Whigs or 
Conservatives. As a sanitary reformer he was a fellow-worker with 
Dr Begg, Dr Guthrie, Dr James Cowan, and latterly with Dr William 
Chambers, who found in him a hearty coadjutor in carrying out 
the grand scheme for the improvement of the city, by substituting 
open well-aired streets for ill-ventilated and confined lanes and closes. 
In order to the enterprise for that object being carried out, a large 
amount of preliminary education was necessary to prepare the public 
mind. With one or two other social reformers, Mr Knox explored 
the slums and dark places of the city by day and night, and by the 
