The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1909-08-18

Theodore Roosevelt. wouldn't want anything
better than contract to pay Theodore Roosevelt
$780, 600, more, for year of such lectur-
ing as Mr. Bryan does" said the manager of a
bureau that is in the business OF providing Chau-
tauqua attractions. He would earn that and a
good deal more. He would be what theatrical
people call scream You couldn't find tents Jig
enough to hold the crowds that would flock to
hear and him. And when he gets back from
Africa-say, haven't had the nerve to figure out
what he would be worth for hundred lectures
on some such subject as Roaring Lions Have
Met l have to think about it, because hate to
think of losing good thing like that. But some
body will line him up some time-and then look
OUT"
OF course, not every man who goes Chautauqua-
ing makes much out of the game as Mr.. Bryan.
but even at that there are hundreds of men VINO
are paid much $500 and $3.50 per engage
ment The very lowest price is about $50, and
that fol very ordinary attraction or speaker.
The average fills about fifty dates in the
son, the income from Chautauqua-ng for the
lesser lights ranges from $500 downward to
$1,000. This does not count the winter lecture
course engagements; neither does it make allow
ance for the fact that most speakers have other
sources of income, as teachers preachers, or
doctors or lawyers, something.
Chautauqua-ng appeals especially to preachers,
and there are more reverend gentlemen among
platform orators and lecturers than any other pro-
fession The preacher has more time for Chau
tauqua-ing If he be little more than ordinarily
industrious, he get away for two
gagements week and still preach his regular
gets vacation anyway, leaving him all of his
time for his engagements Chautauqua-ng is
easier than preaching. One sermon will do for
hundred Chautauqua audiences, while it takes
eral hundred sermons for congregational audi
in the same time. 1--we written three lee
lures, addresses" said prominent preacher
year ago, "all good enough for Chautauqua audi
for five years at least. I'm going to quit
writing two sermons week for my congregation,
retire from the ministry for the present at least
and go Chautauquaing. His congregation paid
him $4,000 a year for about hundred different
sermons. He gets two times that much for
delivering sermon about fifty sixty times
in the of few months, and during the re-
mander of the year he INDUCES himself in de-
lightful recreation and study.
The business is systematized.
A LsO Chautauqua-ing appeals to the man prom-
nent in public life and large proportion of the
successes of the platform governors, United
States senators congressman. They make good
attractions, because they easy to advertise,
and they usually make good with their audiences
because of their wide experience public speak
Moreover, they know how to deal with live
topics-topics that appeal to the masses of peo
pie. Incidentally, the long-protracted special
sion of congress is interfering seriously with the
Chautauqua industry and the voices of LaFollette
Beveridge, Dolliver, ct al. not heard with the
frequency of old.
There time when Chautauqua-ing was
rather haphazard sort of business Every man
made his own engagements with the local socie-
ties or committees or through bureau The WORK
of booking had not been thoroughly system
atized then and some weeks a lecturer found him
self practically idle, while other weeks were filled
full of engagements that cancellations were
necessary, causing endless inconvenience and dis
appointment. Also, lecturer would often find
himself billed" for town in the afternoon and
another couple of hundred miles away that some
nght almost always he found himself contracted
for succeeding engagements without reference to
the schedules of trains and the need of some sleep
and rest.
A few years ago western man conceived the
idea OF systematizng the business, and the Chau-
tauqua circuit was the result The bureau con-
Quoted by this man makes specially of finnish
ing complete programmes to something like n
dred different Chautauquas in the west. For these
programs he uses perhaps thirty forty differ
ent speakers and attractions. Long before the
season opens his contracts with the local commit
tees complete and then he begins arranging
q perfect schedule of dates for every man ON his