One regular lecture a day for four days a week is the rule, but
impromptu lectures or debates in the evenings, got up amongst the
guests, are customary. Moreover, frequent conferences on special
subjects are held, either by allied bodies, such as the Committee for
the Prevention of Destitution, or by a Group, such as the Education
Group or the Research Department. On these occasions the proportion of
work to play is higher. The School-house belongs to the Society for the
whole year, and parties are arranged for Christmas, Easter, and
Whitsuntide whenever possible.
After four years at Llanbedr the lease was terminated and the original
Committee wound up. The capital borrowed had all been repaid, and there
remained, after a sale by auction, a lot of property and nearly L100 in
cash. This the Committee transferred to the Society, and thereupon the
quasi-independence of the Summer School came to an end. In 1911 a new
experiment was tried. A small hotel at Saas Grund, off the Rhone Valley,
was secured, and during six weeks three large parties of Fabians
occupied it for periods of a fortnight each. The summer was one of the
finest of recent years, and the high mountains were exceptionally
attractive. On account of the remoteness of the place, and the desire to
make the most of a short time, lectures were as a rule confined to the
evening, and distinguished visitors were few, but an address by Dr.
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