Tower and Town, April 2024 (view the full edition)EditorialWith daffodils brightly decorating Marlborough and its surrounds, it is easy to forget the floods that grimly greeted the new year. Their force is however still visible in fields, lanes and buildings - the College's own Memorial Hall joining the list of damaged properties. This devastation and the simultaneous scorching of my native Australia brought to mind some ancient counsel: "Floods will rob us of one thing, fire of another. These are conditions of our existence which we cannot change. What we can do is adopt a noble spirit...that we may bear up bravely under all that fortune sends us and bring our wills into tune with nature's; reversals, after all, are the means by which nature regulates this visible realm of hers: clear skies follow cloudy; after the calm comes the storm...It is by means of opposites that eternity endures." Seneca, Letters from a Stoic. This edition contains examples of Marlburians' work that reflects the seasons, the power of nature, and the creation that follows destruction. The essays relate to Venice, no stranger to floods, and to the impact of fire on humankind. The short story and poems involve Yuletide joy at that bleak time of year. Finally, the prints are inspired by William Morris (OM), their interplay of leaves and fruits a reminder that spring has arrived: nature is indeed regulating her visible realm. Richard Sandall |