Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-01-15
The Meaning of Ohautauqua.
BY HELEN CAMPBELL.

BY HELEN CAMPBELL.
| am so often asked, by letter or other
wise, nv view of the work done at Chau-
tauqua, that it seems worth while to for
muate, in degree. at least, such convic-
tlon AS has come to me. The readers of
The Union Signal hardly need this, since
its story is often referred to there, yet
even for them there arc some who are
more or less uncertain as to the real nature
of the movement.
| think that for many of us there has
been thorough diStrust of the sort of edu-
cation to be acquired by Chautauqua
methods. For my own part confess in
the beginning, to not only distrust, but
dislike, which endured for long time.
Beginning mammoth campmeeting,
with some forms of culture thrown in it
seemed TO me to carry with it many of the
weakest elements in our American life
content with inadequate knowledge; the
lack of thoroughness that is our bane. and
great cackling over the small egg repre-
sented by the Chautauqua diploma. The
thdWGU9WdH. q magazine which became
at once its organ did somewhat toward
modifying this conviction. lis limitations
were plain, but its work showed earnest
| purpose. and its scope constantly enlarged.
Back of any incungrutieS and inadequa
work. No man, save he who had been
circuit preacher, and had thus known the
/ barrenne,s of the shut-in lives he encouu-
tered as he rode, could SO well gauge the
needs and the lon@lngs of women and girls
cut off from intercourse with the world
aud ignorant OF how to bring the world to
their own doors. 1t is Bishop Vincent
who is the heart and soul of the move
ment. and its largeness is of the same ma
! turc as his own.
Philanthropy has no right to the name
| unless its work Is constructive. Its one
aim, aside from the inevitable phase Of
/ temporary shelter or suCcor for the help
less, should he to develop the individual
from the mass. Enlightenment education
better chance: these are bound up in any
philanthropy that belongs to real progress,
and all these are the watchwords of the
/ Chautauqua movement. Fourteen wears
, of steady advance finds the word to day a
! synonym for many things impossible TO
realize or even fully credit TIL ones own
\ eyes have seen, and ones own ears heard
on the spot. With charging means and
Y phenomenal growth. the settlement which
+ began in tents j. now town. stil in the
/ grove on the shore Of the quiet lake, hut a
+ city in its crowded. busy life. The great
school of languages has men like Harper,
u VI d4t- IpI tit { !lS>itIt >iilt. supported
I by others of equal reputation in their own
/ states, and men of large gifts and culture
represent modern languages. There j.
\ not phase of work from history and liter
aturc 70 cooking. or general industrial ed
/ ucation, that Is not represented there. col
iegc students come to work up some ne
/ elected point Ministers refresh them
selves with study To which every light of
modern criticism i brought. oxford
has sent for the last year OF two. Priuc- (
pal Fairharn. Of Mansfield College, pro.
found thinker in the field Of Biblical cri,i-
ci>m, and fascinating speaker on liter
airy topics. Music and art in general, are
IN the hands Of experts, and the standard
has not only risen steadily but j, now #
the highest. For three wears. DR.. Richard
+ Ely. of Johns Hopkins University. one
of our leading authorities in political
economy, has given courses of lectures
there, and has now great class managed
ty CORES >pondcnCe, and every department
OF science j. equally We'll represented.
1t Is at this point that my own cunycr-
sion, long partial one. fulfilled itself |
/ When. after that first course. a prominent
lecturer there came TO see me, said Ia /
him. with the memory of his thorough /
German training in my mind Il want
You 70 tell me >quartly just how YOU felt
about going t" Chautau4ua, and how
much in reality it represents TO you"
1t i violating no confidence to give hi~ 1
reply, since he has many times found DC. /
casion t" repeat it 10 others. Il did not ,
want to, he said nth laugh Reals |
he>itated because was not sure Of The
worth of anything TO be done in such time
and under such conditions. am sure
now. II is yeIy American, but il j. -cuu
inc work, and shall always be glad 10 be +.
par, Of it
1hl> Is the summary Of many a one who !
goes 10 >Coh and remains 10 enjoy. John .
llahbertOn. for instance, best known To u>
/ through Helen's Babies went this year
to study the comic side. He found it. but .
he found also something else; what it WAS I
he will presently tell for himself 1t
is sufficient To say that on the third day (
he was seen engaging cottage for l-9l |
planning 10 bring his family there for the /
season Mole than this, having beamed /
generally upon every classroom then |
open, lie proceeded to join the class of
1894, was promptly made its president /.
and went about triumphant with the class
ribbon in his buttoEhole. He laughed and /
we all laughed at a good many bits of by /
play, but tears We're often quite as near
the surface.
one sees there hundreds upon hundreds, 4
NtH, lHDHSdHIS Oh women, anu L liberal I
>prlHkling of men, farmers and farmers /
wives, whose lives had been unending |
toll till they found there their first outlook !
into something larger. Old women took /.
courage and began one and another course;
anything they had desired and never found /
till now. On Recognition Day, the Chau !
tauqua commencement, four hundred and /
more Of the class of 1890 marched through 4
the Golden Gate, and up to the Hall OF
| Philosophy where diplomas are given go
at their head a white-headed but bright |
eyed woman If eighty-two years. who had
just finished the four years course with |
the granddaughter on whose arm she lean
ed There We're other heads as white, if
not a Old, and one ard all as they passed !
between the long lines Of white -frocked
children, strewing flowers before them
joined in the song the trained chorus led
| for them:
Farewell. farewell to the old.
We bury the dead wears joyfuly
/ To find them again in eternity
| Farewell, farewell to the old
Smile as you ike at the big key and the
solemn verger unlocking the gate; at the
/ ,,f -,