Omaha daily bee., 1886-08-22
\ Great Educational Movement.

There is no fact connected with the
growth and expansion of the intellectual
ard moral forces of the time mere inter
esting and remarkable than the phenom
cnal progress of the Chautauqua move
ment, which it may be remarked
is peculiarly an American enterprise
With the great mass of intelligent people
who have heard of this movement, and
with many of those even who have been
|. its bencficlaries and are now enjoying its
advantages, there is probably very little
accurate knowledge of the extent of its
ramitications and of the great good it is
accomplishing not only in this country
but in many other lands. A volume by
Rev. DIR. John II. Vincent, Just issued
from the Chautauqua press in Boston,
narrates in most interesting form the his
tory, work and character of this remark
able movement, of which the author is
competent to speak as one of its origina-
tors and still its head. Beginning in
1874, by the joint labor of wealthy and
Christian citizen of Akron, Ohio, Mr..
John Miller, and DR.. Vincent, with the
idea of simply utilizing the time of the
summer vacation by moderate course
of religious reading and study, more
particularly with reference to Sunday
school work, the movement taking its
name from the beautiful lake in south
western New York where it got its start,
and where the assemblies are annually
held, has since broadened its scope until
it has become one of the greatest educa-
tional instrumentalities of the age.
Chautauqua is aptly described as the
biggest of camp-meetings, the most
encyclopedia Of un;TIe n.;.TIersitles, the widest
or educational reading associations. Its
plan is TO establish in every house col.
!cgc whore knowledge may be acquired
| with SO little expenditure OF time that nc
mcmber of n family desiring such knowl
| edge need be excluded from the privilege
In this way it brings mental culture to
thousands who would otherwise meyer
have got it, and by the simplest OF
means. How extensive its good work
has grown to be will appear from the
fact that having its local habitation in
the summer assembly ut Chautauqua
lake, it likewise governs some
thirty similar camp pmeetings scat
tered from Maine to California
while its reading circles. pursuing
various courses of prescribed reading ano
study, report to the central Office at Plain
field, New Jersey, not only from a great
number of places in the United States
but from the Dominion of Canada, Nova
Scotia, France, England, Scotland, Ire
land, China, India, Bulgaria, Syria, Per.
| ei Rncuia MaSioA Tanfrnl
Sandwich islands and Japan. Among
the highly interesting Results recorded is
the fact that in Japan there are over one
thousand members of Chautauqua cir
Gle; that in Capo Colony, South Africa
the Chautauqua plan has been eminently
successful; and that il has penetrated
oven into Russia and been kindly re-
oeived.
While every branch of this admirable
and comprehensive plan of education
is excellent, the most popular and best
feature of the work is the Literary and
Scientific Circle" This is company ot
| pledged readers for mutual help and en-
couragement under experienced lead.
ers and adopted text t-books. pre-.
scribng symmetrical tour years
course of reading and study in literature
art and science, in connection with the
routine of daily life, and especially
adapted for those whose educational ad-
vantagcs have been limited. 1t requires,
if one would secure its proper benefits,
an average time of about forty minutes
per day. In its careful selection and
wide range OF topics it promotes good
habits of daily thought and conversation,
and gives at least an introduction to, and
considerable of the insight and outlook
of liberal education" 1t tends to re,
move that indefinite and embarrassing
distance between the educated" and
the common mind, to level undesirable
class distinctions and to make common
interests. Aside from the wider outlook
and the larger information, it upiifts and
strengthens the mental aud social
faculties, and SO inures not only to the
private benefit of the individual, but to
the public advantage of a larger man
! hood and Homanhood, a higher grade OF