Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-12-09
CHAPTER XIX.-Continued,

Nlne tour OF them eX-
ministers, and II an excongressman,
all Of them delivering "~inspirational
addresses" The only facts or opin-
ions which Carol derived from them
were: Lincoln was Il ce .ebrated pres
ident Of the United States, but in his
youth extremely poor. James J..
Hill was h best known railroad
man of II West, and in his youth
extremely poor. Honesty and cour-
tesy IN business are preferable to-
boorishness n exposed trickery, but
this is not to be taken personally,
since all persons in Gopher Prairie
are known to be honest and cour-
teous. London is a large city. A dis
tinguished statesman once taught
Sunday school.
Four entertainers who told Jew
ish stories, Irish stories, German
stories, Chinese. stories, and Tennessee
m~ountaineer stories, most of which
Carol had heard.
A LADY elocutionist" who recited
Kip.ing and initiated children.
A lecturer with motion-pictures OF
an Andean explorations: excellent
pictures and a hating narrative.
Three brass-bands, a company Of
six opera-sinGers. a Hawaiian SEX
tette. and four youths who played
sa%xophones n guitars disguised as
wash-boards. The most applauded
pieces were those. such as the Lucia"
inevitably, which the audience had
heard most often.
|. The local superintendent, who re-
manned through the week while the
other enlighteners went to other
Chautauquas for their daily perform
ances. The superintendent was a
bookish. underfed man who worked
hard at rousing artificial enthusiasm,
at trying to make the audience cheer
by dividing them into competitive
squads and telling them that they
were intelligent and made splendid
communal noises. He gave most OF
the morning lectures, droning with
equal unhappy facility about poetry.
the Holy Land, and the injustice to
sharing.
The final item was a man who
neither Iectured, inspired. nor enter
tanned; a plain little nan with his
hands in. his pockets. All the other
speakers had confessed, II. cannot
keep from telling the citizens Of your
beautiful city that o of the talent
on this circuit have found a more
charming spot or more enterprising
man suggested that the architecture
of Gopher Prairie was haphazard,
and that 1t was scottish to let the lake.
front be monopolized by the cinder-
heaped wall of the railroad embank-
ment. Afterward the audience grum-
bled. Maybe that guys. got the
right dope, but what's the use of
looking on the dark side OF things oil
the time? New ideas are first-rate,
but not all this criticism. Enough
trouble in life without looking for
It'll" II
Thus the Chautauqua. as Carol saw
1t. After 1t. the town felt proud and
educated. ,..a
Two weeks later the Great Wa
smote Europe.
For a month Gopher Prairie had
the delight Of shuddering, then as
the war settled down to a business
of trench-fighting. they forgot
When Carol talked about the Balk-
ans. and the possibility of a German
revolution, Kennicott yawned. ooh
yes, it's a great old scrap, but it's
none OF our business. Folke out here
are too busy growing corn to mon-
key with any fool war that those
foreigners want TO set themselves
into"
1t was Miles Bjornstam who said.
~ can figure-it ont. I'm opposed
70 vars. but stli, seems IKE Ger