The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1918-08-22
CnAUTAUQUA IS OVER

/ Closed Sunday Night and Everybody
Well Pleased. Contract Sion
ed for Another Next Year.
The Midland Chautauqua closed
their seven day program Sunday
night, and taking it all in az they
program for the entire week Of any
Chautauqua ever held in Leon. There
was not single substitution on the
entire program, every speaker and
attraction appearing as advertised,
and the program pleased everyone:
week, increasing each day, but
threatening weather on several
evenings kept a good many away
from the best attractions. While
the attendance was good the advance
sale of season tickets did not come
up to the number guaranteed and
each had to put up $500, receiving
in return season ticket which they
could sell or give away. A contract
was signed with the Midland system
for another Chantauqua next year,
on a guarantee of 500 season tick
cts at $2.25 @ each, the 5gsE guarantee ntzeobe be-
and it is expected this will be in
creased to $50, SO that the purchase
of two season tickets by each guar
antor next year will fill the contract.
At the meeting Sunday afternoon,
local organization for next year was
perfected with the following offic-
ers:
Riee Rfes'densMe Presidents1We 5 S5e~aE' f. Shields
and Mrs. l.. p. VanWerden.
Secretary-G. B. Price
Treasurer-M Morris Gardner.
On last Wednesday afternoon Dor
othy Halstead appeared in a pro
and readings, which was fairly good,
being followed by Lorenzo Zwickey,
in program of art, poetry and phil
osophy. Wednesday evening the
prelude was by Miss Halstead, and
then one Of the best attractions Of
gian Red Cross nurse. Miss van Gas
tel was attending school when the
Huns invaded Belgium and she vol
unteered as Red Cross nurse. She
appeared in the Red Cross costume,
and told in very interesting man al :
atrocities of the Huns. She is a
refined and talented young lady.
who after escaping from her native
country came to America to continue
her education at the University OF
California. Her story was a thrill
ing and dramatic one, especially her
plea for America to wake up and
support the boys who have gone
over to France to fight for freedom.
Many people from surrounding towns
came to hear her. but a threatening
storm caused many to leave much to
their regret.
violinist delighted his audience, be-
ing most ably assisted by Miss Helen
Kellere pianist, and Mary Taggart
Blassius, lyric soprano, who has
remarkable sweet voice. In the even
ing the same company. furnished the
prelude and the speaker was ex-
Oh governmental affairs, and while
we do not agree with him on all
things, he made very fair speech,
quite a different speech from the
first ones which he made in Iowa,
which caused very unfavorable COM
ment: Mr.; Shaw SHAY is is opposed f%d rd;,4o,ds to the
and criticised the failure to build
merchant marine years ago. But
throughout his address he made it
appear that he knew more about
running the government of the. I'm
tied States than any other living
your own conclusions.
Friday the musical numbers were
by the American Ladies Quartet,
four good looking, snappy girls, who
could sing and play. Ihey were
elaborately costumed, and the Dig
attractions appearing this year. At
the afternoon session DR.. 3: J. Pow
eli spoke on ''The Second Line De-
fense," dealing with imperative com
munity problems, his lecture being
very interesting and instructive.
Friday evening the speaker Rer+or was as
Plymouth Congregational church at
Des Moines, one of the highest sal
aried ministers in America. He put
recently returned from trip to the
European countries, as official OBJ
server of the Red Cross and army
activities, travelling as captain IN IN
to meet and talk with the big men
of the armies over there, as well as
to visit all parts of the country,
being under fire several times, and
his address was most interesting, as
he told more about actual conditions
mince words, and his audience lis
tened with intense interest to his
story until after eleven o'clock, and
no one left until he finished.
Saturday afternoon the speaker
topic was 1.-THE Greatest Work on
Earth" being a government message
in regard to war work and activities
and very interesting. The Oxford
Co. appeared in short program of
musical numbers and they pleased
everyone. In the evening the Ok
ford company gave the full full program, prags1a.
operas and melodies, and ending with
presentation of the comic opera
'The DOLL They gave the opera
entire, with full costumes and stage
settings. The members of the com.
pany are singers of rare ability, and
their production ranked with the
best ever seen at Chautauqua.
Each member was soloist, and the
pianist, lad of only seventeen
years, was a prodigy, his playing be-
ing one of the features of the even
ing.