d 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.

"In thus making our first attack upon the stronghold of the old Unionism
and the new Toryism, we would have been contented with a very small
measure of success, and we are much more than contented with the results
obtained. The lectures, except for a few days during the contest at
Eccles, were extremely well reported, and even the 'Manchester Guardian'
(the 'Daily News' of the manufacturing districts) came out with an
approving leader. The audiences throughout the campaign steadily
increased and followed the lectures with close and intelligent
attention. In particular the members of Liberal working men's clubs
constantly declared that they had never heard 'the thing put so
straight' before, and complained that the ordinary party lecturers were
afraid or unwilling to speak out. Men who frankly confessed that they
had hesitated before voting for the admission of our lecturers to their
clubs were enthusiastic in welcoming our message as soon as they heard
it. The vigorous propaganda in the manufacturing districts of the S.D.F.
branches has been chiefly carried on by means of outdoor meetings. Its
effect upon working-class opinion, especially among unskilled labourers,
has been marked and important, but it has entirely failed to reach the
working-men politicians who form the rank and file of the Liberal
Associations and Clubs, or the 'well-dressed' Liberals who vaguely
desire social reform, but have been encouraged by their leaders to avoid
all exact thought on the subject."

* * * * *

The lectures were given chiefly in sets of four in consecutive weeks,
mostly at Liberal and Radical Clubs: others were arranged by
Co-operative Societies, and by branches of the S.D.F. and the Socialist
League. The subjects were "Socialism," "Where Liberalism Fails,"
"Co-operation and Labour," "The Future of Women," "The Eight Hours
Bill," "The Politics of Labour," and so on. Those arranged by
Co-operative Societies were, we are told, the least successful, but it
is hoped "that they will bring about a better feeling between Socialists
and Co-operators," a state of things which on the side of the Socialists
was, as we have previously indicated, badly wanted. It should be noted
that much of the succes