when they are singing with genuine feelings is not slowness, but rowdi-ness, as the neighbors of the Salvation Army know” (Shaw, 1891/1955,p. 250). This was not the usual music review. Shaw’s lively style helpedmake his columns accessible and fun. At the same time, his expertise andhigh standards were obvious. In the estimation of W. H. Auden, Shaw “wasprobably the best music critic who ever lived” (1942/1953, p. 156).During his early years in London Shaw also became a socialist. Inthe 1880s he discovered and virtually took over the Fabian Society, a dis-organized group of socialists named after the Roman general, QuintusFabius Maxiumus. The original Fabius purportedly defeated Hannibal bypatiently waiting out his enemy until the right moment for battle, andthroughout their history the Fabians have been committed to promotingsocialist ideals by picking the right political battles, rather than supportingrevolution. Shortly after joining the Fabians, Shaw wrote aManifestoforthe group. The irreverent and entertaining Shavian voice was as new tosocialism as it had been to art criticism, and Shaw helped attract some ofthe leading socialist minds to the Fabians. Under the guidance primarily ofShaw and Sidney and Beatrice Webb, the group grew in number and rep-utation. In 1900 the Fabians joined with Trade Unions to form the LaborParty. Then, in 1913 the Fabians launched a newspaper, theNew Statesman,for which Shaw was one of the major financial underwriters. All of theseefforts have had enduring impact. At the beginning of the 21st century, theFabian Society, theNew Statesmanand the Labor Party remain major forcesin British political life.