About the middle of last February six ladies and one gentleman met at the house of a lady interested in the C. L. S. C. workings, to see if a circle could not be started in Markesan, Wis. It was not until March 11 that they had a regular working meeting. They call the circle the “Climax,” and now have fourteen enthusiastic regular members, and five local members. Shakspere day was observed with an interesting program, consisting of roll call, response to be a gem of thought from Shakspere, a biographical sketch of his life, a paper on his eccentricities, songs, and several readings.
Monona Lake Assembly has aroused enthusiasm for the C. L. S. C. work among very many of its visitors. Another tribute to its good influence comes from a friend writing of the origin of the oldest circle at Eau Claire, Wis.: “In 1882 one of our circle visited the Assembly at Monona and came back full of enthusiasm, which resulted in the organization of a circle. We started with six members. It took us some time to get acquainted with the method of instruction, and to gain the necessary discipline for memorizing (we are none of us very young). We have never increased our original membership, because we found that six who were congenial could work profitably together. Our circle, with one exception, visited Monona last summer. We gained a fresh inspiration from the ‘Round-Table.’ Last fall two other societies were organized, one consisting of members of the Congregational Church, numbering eighteen, and professing great pleasure in their work. The other society consists of young ladies, graduates of the high school. They have a membership of ten; they feel great satisfaction in the work. They are all young, fresh minds, and enjoy that advantage over our circle, but they can’t exceed us in enthusiasm. When the societies multiplied we gave our little society a name. We are now known as the ‘Alpha Society.’ We often bless good Dr. Vincent in our hearts for originating and developing the plan of C. L. S. C. work. I recently met a Chautauquan from a little town of a few hundred people—Knapp. She said: ‘We have only a little circle of six. We are farmers’ wives, and are very busy, but we do enjoy our reading. We can see we are doing better work this year than we did last year, so we feel encouraged.’”
Iowa never fails to send us fresh and interesting items. This month two circles organized in October of 1883 are reported, one from Corydon of ten members, and another of fifteen members from Humboldt. In both the interest is good and the work growing.
Anamosa, Iowa, has a circle of fourteen now on its second year of work. The secretary writes: “Our hearts and minds are aglow with genuine Chautauqua enthusiasm. It has all been full of suggestive life and interest. We have kept all the Memorial Days, and followed out its principles and precepts.” At their Longfellow memorial the circle kindly opened their doors to their friends, hoping by this means to extend the field of C. L. S. C. work in the town. A well written article in a local paper on the work done, shows how thoroughly its influence is appreciated: “When one has passed an evening with such a club, that has been faithfully kept up year by year, not for social delight but for hard study of history, philosophy, belles lettres and the evidences of the Christian religion, he realizes the worth of it and since music, good music too, is ever added to the mental labor as joint refiner of mind and heart, he approves the ‘club’ as one of the finest social and literary organizations that has ever blessed this city.”
A capital subject for a talk or essay is this, which we find on the program of the Shakspere exercises at Shanandoah, Iowa: “How Shakspere is regarded by literary men.”
At Carthage, Missouri, a “Chautauqua Anniversary” was recently held by the two-year-old circle there. Between forty and fifty were present. The literary exercises were followed by an elaborate supper. The subjects of the evening’s toasts were the Memorial Days, taking them in order.
The various local circles of the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle of Kansas City, Missouri, united in a service commemorative of Shakspere. The church in which the exercises were held was handsomely decorated for the occasion with flowers and plants, and with three elegant banners prepared for and presented to the circle in Kansas City by the Columbus Buggy Company, of Columbus, O. The gift of these was prompted by the Milton Memorial Services held by these circles several months since, at which the donors were present. Beside the circles of Kansas City and the Wyandott circle, a large audience was present to listen to the exercises. The local circles of Kansas City are the “Kansas City Circle,” the “Dundee,” the “Central Circle” and the “Clyde Circle,” the “Ladies’ Forest Avenue Circle,” and a circle on Summit Street.
In a letter from a circle in New Orleans, La., we find some interesting points. The circle selects topics for discussions at their meetings. Each member is required to bring in thoughts, statistics or quotations bearing upon the subject. Popular topics are taken, as for example, one given at a recent meeting was “The Higher Education of Women.” The idea is a good one. Such discussions give an agreeable change from so much historical and scientific reading. Among their officers they have a chaplain who conducts the opening exercises of the evening; another excellent plan. Just now they are meeting a difficulty which comes to many circles. The writer says: “The majority of the circle are of class of ’85. They commenced the course as young members, with no outside interests, and now at their maturity are branching off to their respective callings; one an ordained Episcopalian minister, in a distant parish; another leaves this summer to finish a collegiate course for the Presbyterian ministry, and others go elsewhere, yet we may feel assured, never to lose interest in the C. L. S. C.” Losing the tried, trusty “stand-bys” of a society is generally one of the most dangerous trials it goes through. Only a persistent putting of the shoulder to the wheel will carry it over, but that always does it.
From Cañon City, Col., a lady writes: “We have organized a little circle of about ten members and have worked hard up to this time to demonstrate to ourselves our interest and determination to prosecute the studies. For housekeepers who have long been out of the discipline of students the work pushes us so that we, as yet, have not been able to read anything additional to the course. One of our number prepares questions on the lessons and acts as president or referee. These questions are on slips of paper, and each member draws one, on which to gather information to report to the class at the next meeting. Enough to say thus far we enjoy our reading very much, and hope it is but the beginning of a systematic study, which will end only with life.”
A friend sending us the program of the Longfellow celebration at Durango, Colorado, writes: “I send you a copy of our Longfellow program. While it may suggest nothing new as a literary program, it may be a satisfaction to lovers of the C. L. S. C. to hear that in this new frontier town of Southwestern Colorado, sandwiched between the Ute and the Navajo Reservations, the ‘Chautauqua Idea’ has taken root.” One exercise of the evening we do not remember to have seen before in any report: “The exercise—quotation guesses—was a pleasant little diversion. The president distributed slips of paper amongst the members, each slip containing a line from some one of Longfellow’s poems. Each slip was numbered, and as the president called the number the member holding that number would read the sentiment from her slip and finish it in the language of the poem from which it was taken. The evening’s entertainment closed with a banquet, and everyone went home feeling better acquainted with Longfellow and more deeply in love with the C. L. S. C.”