The lectures of the early months of 1890 were a somewhat brilliant series.  Sidney Webb on the Eight Hours Bill; James Rowlands, M.P., on the then favourite Liberal nostrum of Leasehold Enfranchisement (which the Essayists demolished in a crushing debate); Dr. Bernard Bosanquet on “The Antithesis between Individualism and Socialism Philosophically Considered”; Mrs. Besant on “Socialism and the School Board Policy”; Mr. (now Sir) H. Llewellyn Smith on “The Causes and Effects of Immigration from Country to Town,” in which he disproved 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.

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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 had been delivered ... not only in Lancashire, at Manchester, Liverpool, Rochdale, Oldham, Preston, Salford, and the district round Manchester, but also at Barnsley, Kendal, Carlisle, Sheffield, and Hebden Bridge.