Sproul Hall's many years as the University's representative in Sacramento helped considerably in financing Berkeley through the Depression. The great majority of Californians lived as their forebears had, in small towns, even villages. There were only two cities of mark, Los Angeles and San Francisco, in both of which the severest ravages of economic depression in California were to be seen. Institutionally, Stanford was harder hit than Berkeley during the Depression. This came chiefly from shrunken resources from its investments and land holdings, but also from deficient leadership. Cover charges and set-ups at the hotels were cheap in the Depression, and there was always a high spirit about hotel dancing by students—who included Stanford and Santa Clara students most weekends. Intellectual life on the campus was quickened and catalyzed by a constant flow of outsiders coming to lecture, mostly evenings, sometimes late afternoons.