The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-28
ToPEKA's CHAUTAUoUA.


appropriate saying which is going
around the town these days. 1t is
significant Of the fact that there will
be pleasure and profit in store for
everyone who heeds it. The annual
Topeka Chautauqua has started out
most auspiciously. 1t will continue
during the morning, afternoon and
evening of each day until July 5. 1t is
an undertaking and an institution that
is worthy of the generous support of
all the people of the City and those who
live in it's immediate neighbornood. It
is not in the nature Of charity.
Neither is it money-maker. II its
receipts are enough to pay its legiti-
mate expenses and a little surplus left
which will warrant plans for its de-
velopment and enlargement for next
year, its promoters will be more than
satisfied. They represent the best ele-
ment of public citizenship in the town.
Ard IL tie conduct of this Chautauqua
they are opening the door of iastruc-
ton and learning for all classes o. peo-
pie. They are really giving more than
value received for the mere pittarces it
costs to participate in the educational
courses and interesting and instructive
entertainment PROVIDED.
There is no doubt that there are Alto
gether too many summer Chautauquas
in Kansas. Almost every town in :he
state of any pretence to size, and some
without any, have Chautauquas OF
their own. The result is that few of
them are overly successful. A dozen
of them divide up the patronage that
should go to one. And because they
are not successful financially. because
they do not have the means to provide
the best possible features for educa-
tional and entertainment purposes,
they fail to do the work that might
reasonably be expected of them. But
because there are failures in the Chau-
tauqua line that is no good argument
| against properly conducted institu-
ton of this sort. Rather is it a sug-
gestion that there should be fewer
Chautauquas, and that those interest
ed in them should get together and de-
eide on a few central and advantage
GUS localities in the state for the hold
| ing OF all of the Chautauquas that the
people need and are able to support
without their becoming burdensome.
| Things will work out this way in time,
and the sooner the better.
When they have, it will be found that
the Topeka Chautauqua will be one of
the few to remain. There are reasons
a-plenty for this. Topeka is the nat
| ural center for this section of the state.
| 1t has the facilities for the holding of
an assembly of this sort. It is equipped
with people who are most capable of
conducting one. There are other local
| tiles in the state which fill the same
| bill, and they too will have, their
| Chautauquas. The result will be that
all of the people in the state who are
interested in these fine projects will
participate in them, and the benefits
| accruing to them will be accordingly
| great.
One excellent way to. assure the per-
manency of the Topeka Chautauqua is
| for Topekans to give it hearty aid now.
| In years to come it will be likely to at
! tract great numbers of people from
4 out of town to spend a ten days or two
| weeks in the city. This will be OF
| benefit to the people of the city in
many ways. Realizing this, they ought
not to be slow to extend their patron
| age to the Chautauqua of the present.
They are not being asked
| to give something for nothing. They
| will get dollars worth of good for every
nickel that they spend. In fact the
| benefits to be derived by persons at
tending such a Chautauqua as is To-
peka's cannot be measured in dollars
|