The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-06-25
cHAUrAuoUA IN SUMNER
The "Most American Thing
America"

The word "Chautauqua" has only a
geographical significance. The mother
Chautauqua, at Chautauqua, N. Y, is
forty-three years old and ranks Sec
ond to none as a place for great con-
ferenoes where, annually, religious
and educational programs Of world
wide Importance are given. Only a
limited few can go to the annual in
tellectual feast at Chautauqua Lake,
but the kind OF work done there Is
needed everywhere, so the Chautau-
qua has gone to the people and the
Chautauqua circuits with their large,
inviting tents are as much a feature OF
our national life as the tents Of the
ever-present circus, and what a CON
trast! The show comes to town for
two performances, with menagerie
to make it respectable for the church
ly folk to attend on the ehildren's ac-
count, while the real drawing power
centers around the ring. the clowns,
and the performers who do daredevil
stunts.
The Chautauqua remains in q town
three, five, six or seven days and ex-
hibits a program of such high class
and entertainments of such fine order
that the institution has commended
itself to some FIVE thousand communi-
ties and more than FIVE millions OF
people are instructed, inspired enter
tanned and influenced for better things
| have spent my last five summer va
cations as a Chautauqua superinten-
dent and serial lecturer, and each sea
son finds me more enthusiastic
Chautauqua booster
The Major and the Minor Leagues
Chautauqua circuits, like baseball,
have major and minor leagues. The
major organizations require con-
tract from the communities they
serve, guaranteeing the sale OF GER
tain number of season tickets, amount
ing to from s1,4O0 to S1,750, depending
upon the program given by the respec-
tive Chautauqua companies. The
smaller Chautauquas VIII book towns
for three, FIVE or six days at cost to
each community of from $3.50 to ST.
100. know of no Chautauqua associ-
alton that does not make an honest
tlOIl " give lulf iOA iiOh1y ~
ceived, and the programs are worth
more to each season ticket holder
than the price of his ticket. The best
argument in support of that statement |
is the fact that from ninety to ninety
five per cent. of the towns having |
Chautauqua, sign up for next season
before the program for the present |
season is concluded
The Chautauqua does not depend i
on the size of the town, nor is it con-
ditioned on railroad facilities or hotel
accommodations. For successful
the right kind of program
on the part of the Chautauqua associ-
alton and the right kind OF Chautau-
qua boosters on the part OF the com
mittee are the two requisites.
The best people in every community
are usually the members OF the local.
Chautauqua organization and commit
tees. The local chairman of the
twelve Chautauqua towns over which
| was privileged to preside and deliver
my series of lectures last summer, in
Guided three lawyers. two doctors, two
of schools, one col.
ege president and four business men.
These representative citizens are
usually the most prominent men inI
heir respective communities, educat-
I'd, cultured, Christian gentlemen, Who'll
are vitality interested in the welfare
II the people in their home towns.
1t is rather singular that although
he mother Chautauqua had its birth
n the Empire State and several of
he first independent Chautauquas
we're in the East, the Middle West