Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1932-08-11
THIS YEARS CHAUTAUQUA
PROGRAM ONE OF THE BEST

The twenty-seventh annual as
sembly of the Muskingum Valley
Chautauqua closed Friday night,
with one of the largest crowds of
the week. The attraction for the
evening was the play Chicken
Feed" staged by the Freeman Ham
mond Players, who also presented
"Your Uncle Dudley" to a good
sized and we'll pleased audience Fri
day afternoon. Both plays had
enough comedy in them to be de-
lightfully entertaining, and enough
lesson to make them very interest
ing. The cast was very good.
On Thursday afternoon the Welsh
Imperial Singers gave little fore
taste of their evenings program, as
a prelude to the address by Attorney
General Gilbert Bettman Mr. Bett-
man arrived late, having gone out
to the Embree park before his en-
gagement here, which left quite an
intermission between the prelude
and the speech. He talked princi-
pally of his duties as attorney gem
eral and his view of the import
ance of holding public office, AMI
did not go into partisan politics at
ALL
The full concert by the Welsh
Imperial Singers at night was the
high spot of the program, musical
ly, if not the high spot Of the whole
twenty-seven Chautauqua programs
staged here The twelve singers
and pianist, under the direction CT
Mr.. Festyn Davies, presented great
choruses in way that thrilled their
hearers. The vocal and piano solo
numbers delighted everybody. Nine
of the twelve singers sang solos dur
ing the day, and each of them was a
distinct success. Who that heard
these concerts will ever forget the
"Pilgrims Chorus from Tam
hauser, "Sweet Bye and Bye"
Killarney" and many others?
These men were picked by Mr.. Dav-
les from all over Wales, by permis-
sion of the King of England, and
represented Britain in song compe-
tition with singers of other nations.
The Chautauqua was disappoint-
ing in point of receipts, falling off
in every department from the poor
showing made last year. Those who
went right along pronounced the en-
whole history of the Chautauqua.
There wasn't single inferior num-
ber in six days. The Malconta band
helped out Thursday night by giving
an open-air concert in the park, as
of old. This was greatly appre-
ciated. A great deal of service was
rendered without compensation this
year to make the Chautauqua pos
sible
S. H. Pollock, platform manager,
and his father, Rev. S. X. Pollock,
who had charge of the Bible hour,
were paid only their actual ex-
penses. The band charged nothing.
The two political speakers received
not cent Mrs. Kishler spent 4
whole month drilling the youngsters
for the pageant, and went to quite
bit of expense, for a very small
return. j. e. Torbert and Mrs. Tor
bert donated their time, as did Miss
Carolyn Torbert, with her marimba-
phone numbers for the morning
hour, and C. S. Hatton, with his
baritone solos. The Redpath Bu-
reau will be out several hundred
dollars on the talent furnished.
With all of this help from the out
side, it does look like local people
should have rallied to the support
of the Chautauqua in sufficient
numbers to hold out some hope fo~
the future.
The management wishes to thank
the ticket sellers, takers, ushers,
the care-taker, and all who gave
their services for small compensa-
tion or none, the Suburban Power,
Riverside Telephone Co., and all
who were so generous in their con-
tribution of materials and service
this trying year.