ialism Restated": in 1914 Bernard Shaw gave another course
of six at Kingsway Hall on the "Redistribution of Income," in which he
developed the thesis that the economic goal of Socialism is equality of
income for all. Lastly, in 1915 a course of six lectures at King's Hall
by the three already named on "The World after the War" proved to be
unexpectedly successful. The lecturing to clubs and other societies
carried on by new generations of members still continues, but it forms
by no means so prominent a part of the Society's work as in earlier
years.

Local Fabian organisation, as is always the case in time of depression,
is on the down grade. The London groups scarcely exist, and but few
local societies, besides that of Liverpool, show signs of life. The
Research Department, the Women's Group, and the Nursery are still
active.

The Society has an old-established tradition and a settled policy, but
in fact it is not now controlled by anything like an Old Gang. The
Executive Committee numbers twenty-one: two only of these, Sidney Webb
and myself, have sat upon it from its early days: only two others, Dr.
Lawson Dodd (the Treasurer) and W. Stephen Sanders (the General
Secretary) were on the Executive during the great contest with Mr. Wells
ten years ago. All the rest have joined it within the last few years,
and if they support the old tradition, it is because they accept it, and
not because they created it. Moreover the majority of the members are
young people, most of them born since the Society was founded. The
Society is old, but it does not consist, in the main, of old people.

What its future may be I shall consider in the next, and concluding,
chapter.

* * * * *

I must add a final paragraph to my history. At the time I write, in the
first days of 1916, the war is with us and the end is not in sight. In
accordance with the rule which forbids it to speak, unless it has
something of value to say, the Society has made no pronouncement and
adopted no policy. A resolution registering the opinion of the majority
of a few hundred members assembled in a hall is not worth recording when
the subject is one in which millions are as concerned and virtually as
competent as themselves.

Naturally there is diversity of opinion amongst the members. On the one
hand Mr. Clifford Allen, a member of the Executive, has played a leading
part in organising opposition to conscription and opposing the