plomas show four seals belong to the
"Order of the White Seal," those who have seven seals, to the "League of
the Round Table," and if they have fourteen seals or more, the "Guild of
the Seven Seals." Each of these societies holds its annual reunion at
Chautauqua, wears its own badge, and marches behind its own banner in
the procession.

The reference to seals brings us to another feature of Chautauqua, and
especially of the C. L. S. C., which attracted universal attention and
led many thousands into the charmed circle,--those touches of poetry and
sentiment, which no one but Dr. Vincent could have originated. There
were the three mottoes of the C. L. S. C. always made prominent in its
prospectus and announcements, "We Study the Word and the Works of God";
"Let Us Keep Our Heavenly Father in the Midst"; and "Never be
Discouraged." The second of these sentences was spoken by the venerable
Hebraist, Dr. Stephen H. Vail, as with tears upon his face he parted
with Dr. Vincent, at the session of 1877, a year before the announcement
of the C. L. S. C. There was for each class a name. The first class to
take a name was that of '84, established in 1880. They were continually
calling for class-meetings until Dr. Vincent in his announcements spoke
of them as "those irrepressible eighty-fours!" Whereupon they promptly
adopted as their name, "The Irrepressibles," and their example was
followed by the other classes. The class of 1882 took the name, "The
Pioneers." Classes are known as "The Vincent Class," "The Lewis Miller
Class"--others are named after Shakespeare, Tennyson, Sidney Lanier,
etc. The class graduating in 1892 commemorated the discovery of America
four hundred years before, by the name "Columbia." Then, too, each class
has its own flower, which its members seek to wear on the great days of
the C. L. S. C.; but only the Pioneer class of 1882 proudly bears before
it in procession a hatchet, and its members wear little hatchets as
badges. Dr. Hale said that the reason why the Pioneers carry hatchets is
that "they axe the way!" Each class has its own officers and trustees,
and though all its members are never assembled, and can never meet each
other, they maintain a strong bond of union through correspondence.
There is the great silk banner of the Chautauqua Circle leading the
procession on Recognition Day, followed by the classes from 1882 until
the present, each class marching behind its banner. In the early days,
until