The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1913-07-17
cHAUTAUQUA A a
FINE SUCCESS
THIS YEARS ENTERTAINMENT
WAS EXCELLENT THROUGH
OUT THE COURSE
COURSE COMES OUT WELL FINANCIALLY
The Most Successful Chautaucua That
Was Ever Held Here, is Caani-
r1ous Verdict Of Many Patrons

The HroOkings c~hautauqUa came to
a close last evening, after Icing in
session eight days, and the patrons
all pronounce it to have been the most
successful series of entertainments
ever given here. Every speaker was
not a Bryan or a Bob Ingersoll, but
they were all good and some of them
We're better than that. The entertain.
ers were very fair and the musical
numbers were all that was anticipated.
Altogether We believe that the course
this yea was the most satisfactory
II ever given here, and it certainly
was the best attended. About eight
hundred season tickets were sold and
the attendance at each entertainment
ran from that number up to fourteen
hundred.
Prof. Kerr tells us that he has a
number of improvements in view for
next year, among which will be the up
holstering of the seats at the pavilion.
This will be much appreciated by
those chautauqua patrons who will
have to take their meals off the mantel
piece for the next few days.
Paul F. Voelker was the platform
superintendent during the week and
made a very efficient one. He kept
the crowds ~good-natured, and his in
Productions of. the various numbers
were pleasing.
The program, though excellent, was
about as poorly arranged as it well
could be. The lectures were invar-
iably presented in the afternoon, when
the men who particularly enjoy this
class of entertainment, were unable
to go, and the Raweis, Brush, the
magician, the Euclid quartette, the
Gamble Concert company and the
Kaffir boys, attractions that appealed
particularly to the ladies and children,
were put on at night. There was no
eXcus for this either, as both the
entertainers and the lecturer for the
day come down from Huron in the
morning and remained here until the
next morning, and their positions on
the program could just as we'll have
been switched. A particularly bril-
liant example of this poor arrangement
was seen on Sunday. DR.. Hunsberger
delivered a splendid address on World
Peace in the afternoon, a lecture that
would have been ideal for a Sunday
evening, and at night Mr.. Wiggam
entertained the biggest crowd Of the
week, a large part of them being from
out of town, IN the evil effects of
bringing up a baby on a bottle. Mr..
Wiggam's lecture was a good one, but
it would have been much more appro-
pirate for an afternoon crowd.
A pleasing feature of the Monday
evening program was the appearance
Of Miss Ethel Wakefield of Lake Ben
ton, as an extra number. Miss Wake
field beautifully rendered Dearest
by Sidney Homer, and "A Hindoo
Chant by Bemberg, and as an encore
she gave Thy Beaming Eyes" Miss
Wakefield has an unusually sweet
voice, yet it was powerful enough to
fill the large pavilion and none of the
paid talent during the week gave more
pleasure to the audience. She has
spent the past two years in study at
the New England Conservatory of
Music, at Boston, and is now teaching
vocal. Miss Cecile Welch of Brook.
ings, also a student at the Boston
school, beautifully played the &C.
compartment for Miss Wakefield.
Miss Lillian Breed of B~rookings,
who has a well established reputation
Us a reader and impersonator, appear
ed as an extra number on the Tues.
day evening program. Miss Breed
gave three numbers and her work was
a surprise and a delight to those of
her friends, who like the writer, had
not heard her since her return from
school. She possesses exceptional
talent and no entertainer during the
week better pleased the ch~autauqua
patrons.
The success OF Miss Breed leads us
to wonder why more local talent can
not be employed during the chautau-
qua. We have talent enough to furnish
most of the preludes and it would be
better and create more local interest
than the average travelling company.
No entertainer during the week better
pleased the audience than Miss Breed,