ved the then universal opinion
that the unemployed of East London were immigrants from rural districts;
Sydney Olivier on "Zola"; William Morris on "Gothic Architecture"
(replacing a lecture on Morris himself by Ernest Radford, who was absent
through illness); Sergius Stepniak on "Tolstoi, Tchernytchevsky, and the
Russian School"; Hubert Bland on "Socialist Novels"; and finally on July
18th Bernard Shaw on "Ibsen." This last may perhaps be regarded as the
high-water mark in Fabian lectures. The minutes, which rarely stray
beyond bare facts, record that "the paper was a long one," nearer two
hours than one, if my memory is accurate, and add: "The meeting was a
very large one and the lecture was well received." In fact the lecture
was the bulk of the volume "The Quintessence of Ibsenism," which some
regard as the finest of Bernard Shaw's works, and it is perhaps
unnecessary to say that the effect on the packed audience was
overwhelming. It was "briefly discussed" by a number of speakers, but
they seemed as out of place as a debate after an oratorio.

* * * * *

On June 16th Henry H. Hutchinson of Derby was elected a member, an event
of much greater importance than at the time appeared. Mr. Hutchinson had
been clerk to the Justices of Derby, and when we first knew him had
retired, and was with his wife living a somewhat wandering life
accompanied by a daughter, who also joined the Society a few months
later. He was not rich, but he was generous, and on July 29th it is
recorded in the minutes of the Executive that he had offered us L100 or
L200, and approved the suggestion that it should be chiefly used for
lectures in country centres.

A fortnight later the "Lancashire campaign" was planned. It was
thoroughly organised. An advanced agent was sent down, and abstracts of
lectures were prepared and printed to facilitate accurate reports in the
press. Complete lists of the forthcoming lectures--dates, places,
subjects, and lecturers--were printed. All the Essayists except Olivier
took part, and in addition Robert E. Dell, W.S. De Mattos, and the Rev.
Stewart Headlam. An account of the Society written by Bernard Shaw was
reprinted from the "Scottish Leader" for September 4th, 1890, for the
use of the audience and the Press.

A "Report" of the campaign was issued on November 4th, which says:--

"The campaign began on September 20th and ended on October 27th, when
about sixty lectures in all ha