dges and following banners. The C. L. S. C., with all its
usages of camp fires, Recognition Day, vigil, procession and arches, was
kept prominent. We established a Chautauqua Boys' Club, and Girls' Club
also. We could not conduct a summer school, as the meeting lasted only a
fortnight, but we had lecture courses of high character upon literature.
Kansas contained more old soldiers in its population than any other
State in the Union, and the Grand Army Day at Ottawa was an event of
State-wide interest. Some distinguished veterans spoke on these
occasions, among them General John A. Logan, Major William McKinley, and
General John B. Gordon of the Confederate Army; also Private A. J.
Palmer of New York, whose "Company D, the Die-No-Mores," roused
enthusiasm to its summit. One element in Ottawa's success was the
steadfast loyalty of the city,--a place then of seven or eight thousand
people, which enjoyed a special prohibitory law some years earlier than
the rest of the State. Almost every family had its tent in Forest Park
and lived there day and night during the fortnight of the meetings.
Another cause of its prosperity was its able, broad, and continuous
management. Its President for many years was the Rev. Duncan C. Milner,
a Chautauquan from his boots up to his head, and laboring with untiring
energy in its behalf.

I must tell an amusing story of our camp fire one summer. As the ground
was by this time well occupied, we decided to have the bonfire on a raft
out in the stream, while the crowd sang the songs and listened to the
speeches from the Hall of Philosophy on the shore. But when we met at
night for the services, the raft and the materials ready for lighting
had disappeared! We were told that the janitor had thought it an
improvement to have the fire lighted above, in a bend of the river, and
float down to the Hall. We waited, not exactly pleased with the
janitor's unauthorized action, and after a time we heard a mighty
racket. The raft with the bonfire was floating down the stream, while
around it was a convoy of about a hundred boats, loaded with boys, and
each boy blowing a horn or yelling in the most vociferous manner. That
put an end to any prospect of songs and speeches, for who could command
silence to such a din? But that was not all nor the worst. The janitor
tried in vain to anchor his raft, but it still floated downward. We saw
our camp fire sail majestically down the river, until it approached the
mill