THE 'civilization of today may not seem a very beautiful or graceful spectacle, but we have only to took at the satirists of a century ago to realize the magnitude of the horrors from which we have already escaped. In this series of talks Mr. Lambert will survey some of the great achievements in social progress-John Howard's crusade to cleanse the prisons ; Wilberforce's campaign against the slave trade ; Owen's attempts to reform industry; Shaftesbury's attack on child labour; and the lesser-known activities of Chadwick and Lovett. This evening's talk will deal with the greatest feat of all, and many listeners will no doubt be startled to learn of the revolting conditions that obtained in our prisons before Howard's time.