The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-08-13
CHAUTAUQUA Is OVER.
Closed on Sunday Evening And All
Vote 1t a Success. Well Have
Another Next August.

The second Chautauqua held in Leon
by the Redpath Chautauqua System
closed on Sunday night with the largest
attendance of the week. In fact there
had been steady increase each day
during the week and the attendance
was very satisfactory to the managers,
the big tent being filed all week. The
Redpath System have made good with
their programs, and during the entire
week they were here, during which
time seventeen programs were present
ed there was not a single change or
failure to appear, and the excellent
program was carried out exactly as it
had been advertised. The question of
whether Leon wanted another Chautau-
qua next year was taken up and the
management asked that they be guaran-
teed an advance sale of 1000 tickets.
Cards were circulated and nearly the
required number of individual pledges
wers received and so we'll satisfied we're
the businessmen Of Leon with the two
previous Chautauquas that the Com
mercial Club stood ready to make good
and pledged the sale Of the balance of
the tickets required to close the con-
tract. The Redpath people stated that
the time of holding the Leon Chautau-
qua would be either one or two weeks
later than the date this year, and next
year they promise us seven full days
instead of six, as they will use double
set of tents and equipment and have the
tent all set up at each place several
days before the Chautauqua opens.
While they made no definite promises
as to just what the attractions would
be they assured the Commercial Club
that the program would be stronger
than this year and would guarantee
that it would give satisfaction. They
can see where some mistakes have been
made in the past in the selection of
talent and will profit by their expert
ence. We believe the Chautauqua
movement has come to stay. 1t is the
kind Of entertainment the people want
and in no other way can it be secured
so cheaply. Next year there will be
seven days, with Il different programs
and those who purchase season tickets
in advance secure them for $3.50, which
makes each program cost only cents.
Special attention will be given next
year to the musical numbers and some
now novelties will be introduced. Peo-
pie should remember that In providing
a Chautauqua program it cannot be ex-
peeted that every number on the pro-
gram will please every person. The
opinion of the people varies widely.
What one person thinks is superb, may
not interest another person, and then
the next number may strike them just
the reverse. There must be attractions
which will please all classes Of people,
and this is what the Redpath System
is endeavoring to provide.
One of the greatest treats during the
Chautauqua was the masterly address
of DR.. Thomas E. Green, on Wednesday
afternoon, who caused his big audience
to become SO enrapped in his delight
fully wonderful maze of words as to en-
tirely forget the passage Of time and sit
spell bound while tho speaker discours-
ed for more than an hour. His subject
"The Signs Of the Times" or "The Key
to the Twentieth Century" was handled
with much directness, interspersed
with long flights of Kaleidoscope por-
trayals that were wonderful in their
versatility. He said in part:
at is presumptuous to say the least
for lecturer to attempt in one short
hour, to handle so vast = theme that has
run for centuries" He then spoke Of
the passage of time, how fast it hurries
on making history as it goes, where
we know not and how we know not"
No one understands it we'll enough to
attempt to hedge the subject within the
confines of definition.
ut is the little things" that bother
the scientist not the big things. If we
take the little things for granted, the
hi nrnhtorno oooilv cn1vnI io
the atom which, battling the intelligence
of the scientist demands hours of study
and research to ascertain it's compost
tion. But what of time?
what of time which has transpired
in the past ages and which has brought
civilization to the very threshold OF the
twentieth century? What of the his
tory, which time, with it's decisive and
yet slowly working hand has written
on the pages Of the world? When we
stop to think of it, history is but the
little happenings Of everyday life with
it's long Train of causes and effects.
And yet out of this web OF events the
purpose of the age is woven in distinct
pattern which is not to be ignored.
In looking over the history one sees
points which the historian chooses to
Coll uoS iuuluSs VI du age. Inc speak
er then made his theme more concrete
by saying that "the beginning of new
age in the history of the world. At
the beginning of the twentieth century
the world comes to turning point and
human beings change their ideals and
turn out a new era in which people
have new thoughts and new hopes."
The speaker said that never had q
great thing happened in the history of
the ages but had been prophesied by
some one, years before it happened.
For the last twenty years prophetic
voices have been looking forward to
the twentieth century to introduce
something in civilization.
where the turning points are found
in the worlds history one always finds
two characteristics that show the turn
ing point; the first is that they have al
ways been prophesied and the second
that in fulfillment of'the prophecy the
event always comes as great surprise,
although the world has been looking for
the very thing to happen for fifty years" !"
The basic idea Of Dr. Green's lecture
was that there are no accidents in the
world bnt evarvthinr in foroorA i1od