s history written? We will not accept the votes of
the thousands who beside the lake, in the Hall of Philosophy, or under
the roof of the amphitheater, have been inoculated with the Chautauqua
spirit. We will seek for the testimony of sane, intelligent, and
thoughtful people, and we will be guided in our conclusions by their
opinions. Let us listen to the words of the wise and then determine
whether a book about Chautauqua should be published. We have the
utterances by word of mouth and the written statements of public men,
governors, senators, presidents; of educators, professors, and college
presidents; of preachers and ecclesiastics in many churches; of speakers
upon many platforms; of authors whose works are read everywhere; and we
present their testimonials as a sufficient warrant for the preparation
and publication of _The Story of Chautauqua_.

The Hon. George W. Atkinson, Governor of West Virginia, visited
Chautauqua in 1899, and in his Recognition Day address on "Modern
Educational Requirements" spoke as follows:

It (Chautauqua) is the common people's College,
and its courses of instruction are so admirably
arranged that it somehow induces the toiling
millions to voluntarily grapple with all subjects
and with all knowledge.

My Chautauqua courses have taught me that what we
need most is only so much knowledge as we can
assimilate and organize into a basis for action;
for if more be given it may become injurious.

Chautauqua is doing more to nourish the intellects
of the masses than any other system of education
extant; except the public schools of the common
country.

Here is the testimony of ex-Governor Adolph O. Eberhardt of Minnesota:

If I had the choice of being the founder of any
great movement the world has ever known, I would
choose the Chautauqua movement.

The Hon. William Jennings Bryan, from the point of view of a speaker
upon many Chautauqua platforms, wrote:

The privilege and opportunity of addressing from
one to seven or eight thousand of his fellow
Americans in the Chautauqua frame of mind, in the
mood which almost as clearly asserts itself under
the tent or amphitheater as does reverence under
the "dim, religious light"--this privilege and
this opportunit