Letters of regret were then read from unavoidable absentees. Time and space will only permit of the publication of the following letter, which is an embodiment of the sentiment contained in the others:
Hot Springs, Ark., September 24, 1883.
Rev. J. G. O’Connell, President C. L. S. C. Alumni Association of Cincinnati, Ohio:—Please accept my thanks for your very kind invitation to attend the C. L. S. C. reception, Friday evening, September 28. The intervening 700 miles will prevent. But does not the Chancellor of the Out-of-Doors University say that, “When the bell at Chautauqua rings on memorial days, all true Chautauquans hear its echo?” And as this same Chancellor teaches so diligently the superiority of mind over matter, why may I not apply this teaching to my own case and say to you that I will be with you in some sort of soul-telephonic manner, and hear your speeches and join in your songs, and enjoy with you the feast of reason and the flow of soul?
I am sorry I said I couldn’t go. I think you may expect me. I read most carefully the report of Commencement Day, and welcomed (in my heart) all the ’83s.
A popular writer in a most popular magazine says: “There are in this life three stages of existence. The first, when we believe every thing is white. The second, when one is sure every thing is black; the third, when one knows that the majority of things are simply gray.”
Members of the C. L. S. C. have gone a step further than that. To us, all the world has a golden hue. How can one fully understand the meaning of the terms, “communion of Saints,” and “brotherly kindness,” unless he has spent a season at Chautauqua as a student, in full sympathy with the great work being done there? What grand opportunities are there afforded for growth and symmetrical development of character.
Please tell your Alumni Association how glad I am to be counted one of its members. I thank you again for your kind remembrance of me.
Wishing you a most joyous reunion, and uniting with you in warmest love for our Alma Mater, I am yours sincerely,
Hattie N. Young.
The officers were elected for the coming year, and after a handsome collation bountifully served, the society parted for the evening, filled with additional enthusiasm for the success of their Alma Mater. President, Mr. John G. O’Connell; Vice Presidents, Mr. M. S. Turrell, Mrs. M. J. Pyle, Miss Mary E. Dunaway; Corresponding Secretary, Mr. Clifford Lakeman; Recording Secretary, Miss Julia Kolbe; Treasurer, Miss Selina Wood.