The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-09-09
CHAUTAUQUA OFFICER
SUBMITS STATEMENT

o. F. Ward. president of the Rich
mond Chautauqua association, issued
a statement Friday on behalf of the
association, in which he discusses
statements made by DR.. Russell H
Bready. platform manager during the
1921 assembly, in his last address on
my Impressions of Richmond and of
the Chautauqua" The statement fol-
lows:
Those who were present at the
close Of the Chautauqua last Sunday
will recall some very spicy impress
sions' by DR.. Russell H. Bready, who
was platform manager during the SEES
sion. While the criticisms were di
rected largely toward the failure of
the merchants and civic organizations
TO patronize the Chautauqua, for fear
his remarks may be misconstrued, as
an officer of the association, it is felt
/ that few facts may be in order.
so far as the Chautauqua receiv.
ing the support of the civic organize
tions, it never has received their SUP
port as.such any more than it has re-
ceived the support of every church If
/ the city. 1t has been a matter of i'll
/ dividual support since its inception,
and the program has been set before
the community as an uplift PROPOSE
ton, for the benefit of any who chose
to take part in its advantages.
DIR. Bready is not familiar with the
conditions that affect the Richmond
! Chautauqua It is the largest indie
pendent Chautauqua in the United
| States, and the only independent
/ Chautauqua held within the corporate
] limits of a city of over 10000 popula-
! ton. The civic organizations have
/ their own meetings, and there is not
week but some speaker of note is
! heard, and for this reason their or
CARNATIONS are in manner surfeited
with matter that is much the same
as the program offered at the Char
tauqua. Several of the officers of the
! Chautauqua are members Of the
| Chamber of Commerce and also mem
! bers of other clubs, but no especial
effort has been made to secure the
| backing of any organization because
of such membership An examination
| of the list of euarantors will show
! that practically every phase of city
industries is represented. Prior to
the opening of the last session, seven
/
in the city took a block of tickets
and sold them without any profit to
! themselves in financial way.
| AS to the Chautauqua having be-
come farmers institute this is no
reflection upon the farmer, the mer-
chant or the mana cement. The farm
t er has access to recreation to which
he looks forward with pleasure, and
,At no. k,,1 I1 80
Z, lectures and entertainments such as
are INDUCED in by our civic organi,
cations. He attends the ChautauGua
because he finds varied form Of enter
/ tainment, which is not offered him by
any other organization A compare
I tive showing of ticket sales, however,
will show many more tickets sold to
residents of the city than those resid-
| ing ouside. The fact that none con-
nected with Chautauqua association
| receives any remuneration for services
rendered makes it unnecessary for
! them to worry about profits and as
there has not been deficit in the four
| teen years it has been managed lc-
] cally, it would seem that sufficient
patrons are to be found who are will
ling to contribute toward the success
of the institution.
| Or. Broadly. received some cheers
when he spoke of a pavilion being
needed. This also showed his lack CT
knowledge concerning Chautauquas, as
! it is so authentic that every Chau-
tauqua that has erected pavilion has
ceased to function after two or three
| years. A few years ago the writer
was sent to Chicago to secure plans
nd int = II
with about 100 professional Chautau-
qua people, including. both managers
and talent. and in every instance ad-
vice was against the erection OF pa
vilion if we wished to preserve the
Chautauqua. No later than last week
Senator Willis, Brooks Fletcher and
| Roscoe Gilmore Stott advise US to
keep away from the pavilion project
In the matter of entertaining the
talent, the management catered to the
wishes of the talent Governor Allen
was entertained by Mr.. Fouike, AMI
Senator Willis at his own request, was
left alone at the hotel, as he had come
from Washington by way of New York
and was very tired. Wherever it was
possible the talent was met at train or
hotel and taken to and from the
S-ooAuo' nc IdiCAt uoco AOL "dllL any
elaborate plan of entertainment and
only expect courteous treatment, which
was accorded in every instance.
1.-The Richmond Chautauqua may
go on the rocks as stated by Or.
Bready. but it will not be for the
reasons named by him, as the support
he. wishes has never been factor,
and so long as the management is
able to build a fifteen day program of
the weight and variety given this year,
the institution will go on even though
the audience is composed of teachers
and farmers two very important ele-
ments in the life of this community"
o. F. WARD,
President Richmond Chautauqua
Association.
<glzzzanEHzEHnEzzzzE -