A report of a successful first year comes from Auburn, Rhode Island, where the “Clio,” of fourteen members, was formed in October last. The new circles are all, like the “Clio,” promising to start next fall with fresh vigor.——Our thanks are due the “Esmeralda Bachelor” circle for the program of the first memorial services under the auspices of the Rhode Island Chautauqua Union. Great credit is due to Prof. John H. Appleton, the president of the Union, for his efforts to make the occasion a success.——The Sentinel Advertiser, of Hope Valley, devoted almost a column to a Shakspere evening, at which the “Aryans” of that town entertained the “Pawcatuck” circle of Carolina. Some twenty-six of the guest circle were present and were greeted with elegant hospitality by the home circle.
They are always doing something new at Ocean Grove, New York. The last has been a Tree Planting Day. On April 15 the C. L. S. C. planted a beautiful maple for each class respectively of ’85, ’86, ’87, and ’88. Representatives of each class were present, the largest number, of course, being for 1888. There was a short address by Dr. Stokes, prayer by the Rev. A. E. Ballard, and an appropriate song for each tree set out in Bishops’ Grove. In the evening a “service extraordinary” was held; trees and tree planting were the topics of talks, of songs, reading and reminiscences.——The Palmyra C. L. S. C. has enjoyed two evenings in chemistry recently, Prof. J. C. Norris, of Walworth Academy, kindly explaining dark points to them, and performing many fine experiments. The circle is very warm in its praise of the lecture and lecturer.——A Chautauqua circle consisting of fifteen members was organized at Union Springs in January of this year. The members make their lessons interesting and profitable with music, questions, and readings.——The “Philomathean,” of Lancaster, has a capital way of working in its inexperienced members. “Questions, criticisms, and commendations are interspersed through the whole evening. We aim to draw out the silent ones, to make all interested and feel themselves responsible; try to have every one feel that he must take every appointment, and allow no one to escape his turn at getting up question lists and easy work, and so seek to train them for the more difficult work.” This circle is not yet a year old, and numbers fifteen members.——We are happy to introduce the first C. L. S. C. inventors. The “Unique” circle, of Lockport, claim that honor. Their invention is a game made up from the questions and answers in The Chautauquan, and is intended to form a comprehensive review of the year’s work. “The Unique” is the title of it. Would it not be generous in the Lockport circle to share their discovery with the rest of us?——The “Argonaut” circle, of Buffalo, entertained a large number of invited friends at a special meeting held in April. The affair was a decided success. The “Argonauts” deserve special credit for the efforts that they are making to awaken interest in the affairs of the C. L. S. C. by extra meetings.——At Yonkers there is a circle now in its third year which has never reported to The Chautauquan before. In all it numbers twenty. Their work during the past three years of their existence has been in regular programs of essays, readings, and questions and answers, with an occasional variation to suit necessity. This year they held a very successful memorial service in honor of Longfellow’s day, and more recently have had a valuable lecture, with experiments, on chemistry.——Fourteen persons are reading the Bryant course in connection with The Chautauquan, at Munnsville. The circle did not undertake work until January, so adopted a short course for the rest of this year rather than try the regular course. We hope to find them at work on the regular course next fall, with their hopes of a larger membership gratified.
“Our Junto” is a circle within a circle. Five young men of the “Broadway” circle, of Camden, New Jersey, form it. Their program for the spring (of which they ought to be very proud) is a little book rather than a single page, containing the work laid out for the “Juntonians.” The plan is admirable. Each member has something to do at every meeting, and he knows what it is to be so long beforehand that he has ample opportunity to gather material. All circles will find it to their advantage to give attention to “Our Junto’s” plan.——Last October a few of the many students in the C. L. S. C. in Newark, organized a local circle. By the perseverance of these few others have been persuaded to join until the circle numbers about twenty. They have taken the name “Arcadia.” Memorial days in particular find pleasant observance. The last celebration, Longfellow day, was especially interesting. The chemistry is furnishing an excellent opportunity for experiments, which the “Arcadia” is fortunate enough to have a chance to carry on in an academy laboratory.——For the sake of northern New Jersey, which they are sorry not to see often reported in The Chautauquan, the members of the “Hawthorne,” of Hackettstown, a circle of five members, formed in April last, has sent us thus promptly its report. The “Hawthorne” plunged in medias res and celebrated the Shakspere memorial almost as soon as its organization was complete. Such a vigorous start promises well for their progress next year.——The “Round Table” circle of Jersey City is a band of twenty enthusiastic workers. A great deal of genuine hard work has been done by them the past year. The memorial days are celebrated, and every incentive used to foster the true Chautauqua spirit. Experiments have recently been given the class at the high school under the direction of the teacher of science.——The “Ionic,” organized in Dover, in January last, grows in interest with each meeting. There are nine members, whose happy experience thus far has been never to be discouraged. But why should they be? “Each member does his part.”
The “Kensington,” of Philadelphia, is a circle of eleven members who are much in love with their readings. Such a success has their circle become that the members are willing to sacrifice other things to be present, and the president writes that he has received great benefit in going over again the fields of study that he harvested years ago.——A letter from the secretary of the “Pleiades,” of Philadelphia, says: “‘Pleiades’ is now nearly two years old. We began the present school year by increasing our membership from nine to eighteen. We took the advice given in The Chautauquan on simplicity of government, adopting such rules only as would systematize matters, and having as little formality as possible. It is a success. The meetings are so profitable that we think of continuing them all summer. Two of our members have taken college courses in chemistry, and they have been giving us some practical experiments in this delightful study. Greetings to our sister circles, and praises to our alma mater.”——The “Emanon” circle, of West Philadelphia, has sustained a sad loss in the death of Mr. John S. Rodgers, to whom the circle ascribes its success. He had been the instructor of the class for a long enough time for its members to appreciate his worth and sincerely mourn his death.——A similar sorrow has come to the circle of West Bellevue, where Mrs. Dr. W. G. Humber, a loyal member of the C. L. S. C., died on the morning of May 3d.——The Chautauquans of Pittsburgh make more of Special Sunday than any other circles that we know of. Our last reminder of this is a tiny vest-pocket program of the exercises carried out by the “Duquesne” and “Mount Washington” circles on the second Sabbath in May.——The circle at Uniondale writes us that it has chosen for its name “Meredith,” in honor of Samuel Meredith, first Treasurer of the United States, and for their motto they have selected “Spare minutes are the gold dust of time.”——What better proof of the efficiency of the course than this testimony from the “Tennyson” circle of thirty members, at Rochester, Pa.: “We think generally that our most pleasant evenings are spent at our circle. One thing that deserves to be especially noted is that light reading among us is being superseded by solid study and the reading of standard authors.”——A circle of ’88s, at Allegheny City, bears the popular name of “Wallace Bruce.” Starting with eighteen members they have grown to twenty-eight, a sign, we hope, that next year they will increase with the same rapidity. Their program of Shaksperean exercises is before us, and it bears some excellent numbers.——The “Carbondale” circle reports a prosperous year. The interest and enthusiasm of the members is increasing. The memorial days are all observed, and by devoting ten to fifteen minutes of each session to singing the circle is becoming familiar with Chautauqua songs. Mr. and Mrs. G. R. Alden gave the circle some very happy talks on their return from their recent trip to the Florida Chautauqua and New Orleans Exposition. The circle closed its first year with a trip to England; this year it closed with a “Greek night.” Going direct to France they propose to visit Paris, Switzerland, Italy and Greece. Arrived in Hellas, the manners, customs, home life and amusements of the Greeks are to be described in short essays. Each member intends to constitute “thonself” a committee of one to secure a new member for next year’s circle.——An appreciative letter reaches us from Springboro, where a circle now numbering fifteen has been in existence since 1881. The president writes: “While we are nearing the goal of graduation we look back with gratitude at our rich feast with kings and princes, with masters of art, of science, and of literature. Best of all, we find that we have been made to more clearly understand the wonderful power of the Infinite in all things. With our motto ‘Invincible’ still before us we hope not only to finish the course, but keep climbing with the Chautauqua brotherhood while life lasts.”——Let all good Chautauquans congratulate the fraternity at Montrose. Thus the secretary writes: “It has long been a wish that we might have a branch of the C. L. S. C. in our ‘City on the Hill.’ Four attempts were made, but to no avail; finally a few who were especially enthusiastic endeavored to push ahead once more. The result has been more successful than we anticipated. We organized in January with nine members, and now have grown to sixteen. We trust that July will find us with the desired amount of work fully and well accomplished. There is a most encouraging prospect of doubling the membership another year.”
Twenty-seven enrolled members make up the circle at Erie, Pa. The circle meets in the Y. M. C. A. parlors, and the informal, pleasant meetings have proved a great attraction to the members. The Shakspere memorial was observed very successfully, by a parlor session. The literary part of the program consisted of a discussion on the authorship of Shakspere, followed by readings, then came refreshments and the evening was closed by a half hour of Chautauqua songs. Not many evenings ago an address was delivered by the president on Emerson, followed by an hour of practical observation through the telescope. The Erie circle claims that they have interesting meetings, and as a proof say that a non-member, a blind man, is in almost constant attendance.——About 100 members of the C. L. S. C. Alumni Association of Pittsburgh met in a social way at the parlors of the Seventh Avenue Hotel on April 20th, to enjoy the pleasures attendant upon the third annual reunion of the society. Arrangements had been partially made for the reception of Dr. Vincent, who had been expected, but the following letter was received instead:
To the Annual Reunion of the Pittsburgh C. L. S. C. Alumni Association, Pittsburgh, Pa.:
My Dear Fellow-Students—I sincerely regret the engagement which had been made prior to the invitation to meet you this evening. The original engagement it was impossible to break. I am therefore denied the privilege of your feast of reason and flow of soul. The Chautauqua work increases in expansion and power. The later classes are steadily growing. I have the good hope that the classes of ’89, already forming, will be the largest and most flourishing of all. I am more and more convinced that there are multitudes of people who would hail with joy the provisions of the “C. L. S. C.” if they were simply informed concerning them. Are you doing all you can toward the enlightenment of the great public with regard to the C. L. S. C. and other branches of the Chautauqua work? Let me urge you to renewed zeal in this direction. Bidding you “a hearty God speed,” I remain your servant in this goodly work.
J. H. Vincent.
The banquet passed off most pleasantly.