Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-08-26
One Of the Best Assemblies Ever
Held in Webster City is the
Verdict Of all Who
Attended a5 y
CHICAGO aUARTE7TE pLEAsEs
Chautauqua Closed With Two Fine
Addresses by Thomas Brooks
Fletcher. ...
QUARTETTE PLEAsES

The last two days of the Chau-
tauqua were on the whole most sat-
isfactory, and closed what is by
common consent one of the best
Chautauquas Webster City has had,
and those who so enjoyed the week
will look forward to the Chautauqua
season of next summer with pleasur-
able anticipation. r.
Saturday afternoon the Chicago
Quartette gave their first prelude
concert, and made a good impress
sion, the trombone quartettes,
Brackets March, with Bonnie
Sweet Bessie, the Maid of Dundee, in
response to an encore, were espec-
tally pleasing. .a...
The talk on Country Life" by
Joe Wing, whose contributions to
the Breeders Gazette" are in high
favor with the average farmer, was
in the form of stories, relative to
the life of the speaker. The descip-
ton of the retaining Of the home
farm from an $500 income to one of
handsome proportions was a lesson
by which all farmers might profit.
Mr.. Wing seems to have solved the
problem of keeping his boys on the
farm and claims that it is because
he has made them partners in the
misunderstanding them mems wages,
taking them into his confidence in
all things, and being boy with
them.
A story was told of farm of
some one thousand acres in France,
where land used for farming for a
thousand years is more productive
than Iowa land, due to proper rota-
ton Of crops and systematic fertil-
Z ting -.
Mr.. Wing does not claim to be
good platform speaker and the gen.
eral verdict was that he is better
read than heard.
Saturday evening the Chicago
Quartette gave the entire program
which consisted of slide trombone
numbers, vocal Quartettes, solos and
readings. Mr.. Dixon, rendered in
costume an improvised sketch which
he calls "The Hoosier." 1t consists
OF readings chiefly from the pen of
James Whitcomb Riley. Mr.. Dixon
was considered by some at his best
when reading "That Old Sweet
Heart of Nine" with musical &C
compartment. Among the best mu-
steal numbers were Water lilies,
"On the Seas" Peter Piper" and
the trombone quartette. Pilgrims
Chorus, from Tannhauser.
This was the first appearance of
this quartette in Webster City and
the popular verdict pronounced
them good musicians.
The last day of the Chautauqua
dawned bright and beautiful and
proved to be another "red letter
day" The prelude concerts, both
afternoon and evening, consisted
principally of sacred numbers and
those which were not were in keep
Ing with the day. Such selections
as "Still With Thee" "The Way
side Cross" 1.-THE Last Hope,"|
(trombone quartette), "The Palms"
and Sweet Gallilee,' were rendered
in manner most pleasing to the
audience. The tenor solos by Mr. |
Turner deserve special mention.
In introducing Thomas Brooks
the speaker OF the day, Mr..
Kelly assured the audience that II
oratory, as some believed, was dead,
1t had been revived in Mr.. Fletcher.
The subject of the afternoon adj
dress was, "The Tragedies of the I'm
The almost lightning
with which the speaker
poured forth upon the audience his
burning words of truth and wisdom,
1t times held them spell bound. and
the bursts Of applause which would
often have followed, were smother
I'd for fear the next thought would
be missed. :
By way of illustration, the speak
n used the preparedness of David /;
when the challenge Of the giant
anne to the armies of Israel. Con- '
,cious of his strength, Goliath had
Ient forth the challenge for a duel
which, whether won by Israelite or
would decide the battle.
somehow a brand new idea had en- [
cred the head Of the little shepherd
10Y. Probably his parents had OBJ {