FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   229  
230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   >>  
ong railroad jumps from Assembly to Assembly, guarantee of continuous engagement to attractive speakers, better publicity, and the concentration of responsibility. It is found that the most successful Chautauquas are held, not in cities, nor even in large towns, but in the smaller places. The town of a thousand, or even one as small as five hundred inhabitants, during its annual Chautauqua week will rally from the farms and hamlets two thousand people to hear a popular lecture, five or seven thousand during the week. In each place an advance agent appears, interviews the business men, the ministers, and the heads of any clubs or improvement societies, and obtains pledges of support by the sale of a definite number of tickets. College boys make up the tent crews; a Scout Master organizes the Boy Scouts; and trained experts arrange for the advertising. The "morning-hour men" give lectures in courses of uplifting nature on civic and national questions; the popular features of the program are supplied by entertainers, musical troupes, bands, artists, and dramatic companies. It is a fact of deeper significance than many recognize that political leaders find here the greatest forum for their messages. Many of these orators receive more than fees for their speeches; they come near the heart of the people, they reach their constituencies and disseminate their views more widely than through any other agency. Some political reformers have won not only prominence, but power through these chain Chautauquas. It may be remembered that while the Hon. William Jennings Bryan was Secretary of State he received some criticism and even ridicule for "hitting the Chautauqua trail" and "going off with the yodelers." On that subject the _Baltimore Sun_ said in an editorial: If it could be demonstrated, we would be willing to wager that the average Chautauqua student has a far better knowledge of public questions than the average of those who sneer. And whether he likes it or not, no public official of to-day can afford to disregard the Chautauqua movement. Mr. Bryan himself gave this testimony in the _Review of Reviews_: The Chautauqua affords one of the best opportunities now presented a public speaker for the discussion of questions of interest to the people. The audience is a select one, always composed of the thoughtful ele
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   229  
230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   >>  



Top keywords:
Chautauqua
 

questions

 
thousand
 
people
 

public

 

political

 

popular

 

average

 

Chautauquas

 
Assembly

Secretary

 

received

 
hitting
 
ridicule
 
criticism
 

orators

 
speeches
 
widely
 

agency

 

receive


prominence

 

reformers

 

constituencies

 

William

 

remembered

 
disseminate
 
Jennings
 

student

 

testimony

 

Review


Reviews
 
affords
 

afford

 

disregard

 
movement
 
opportunities
 

select

 

composed

 

thoughtful

 
audience

interest

 

presented

 

speaker

 
discussion
 

demonstrated

 
editorial
 

subject

 

Baltimore

 

official

 

knowledge