The Story of Chautauqua

by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut

CHAPTER XXII

WAR CLOUDS AND WAR DRUMS
(1913-1916)

There have been visitors at Chautauqua who, listening to some of the lecturers and their radical expressions, were alarmed and inclined to believe that the woods were full of cranks, faultfinders of the general social order, wild agitators, and revolutionary reformers bent on reorganizing the world. Chautauqua has always favored the freest discussion of all subjects and has admitted to its platform spokesmen upon all the questions of the time and from every point of view, even some unpopular men airing their unpopular ideas, confident that in the conflict of opinions the right will triumph. In 1913 the living question under discussion was Socialism; what it means, its positive aims and the arguments both for and against it. Here are the names of some speakers on that controverted subject. Professor Scott Nearing, perhaps the most radical of any, spoke on "Social Sanity," although his conception of sanity was looked upon by many as absolutely insane. Mr. J. W. Bengough explained and advocated "The Single Tax" and almost converted some of us to his doctrine. Mrs. Rose Pastor Stokes, a most winsome speaker, without opinion as to her views, told us of "The Socialist's Attitude towards Charity," which was that much denominated charity is simple justice. Mr. Victor L. Berger of Milwaukee, who has several times been denied a seat in Congress to which he was elected on the Socialist ticket, stated the views and demands of his party. Dr. H. H. Powers spoke on "Present Day Socialism in Europe," John Mitchell gave us "The Trades-union Point of View." Earl Barnes took part in the discussion, and Dr. Charles R. Henderson of Chicago also touched upon it. Some speakers were openly for, others as strongly against the movement. Whether the Socialist Party gained voters may be doubted, but it certainly enjoyed a full and fair hearing.

Turning from politics to religion, which should have a more intimate friendship than most people give them, we notice the Devotional Hour during the season of 1913. The Chaplain for the first week was Dr. Charles F. Wishart of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, his addresses being on "The Christian View of Some Facts of Life." Dr. Lynn Harold Hough, then a Methodist pastor in Baltimore, and Rev. Arthur C. Hill of London were on the list. Dr. S. M. Crothers of Cambridge, Mass., preached one Sunday and conducted the Devotional Hour a week in a series on "Gaining the Mastery." Bishop Williams was on the platform again, speaking on "Aspects of Personal Religion." Anyone who attended this service through the season—and the daily congregation was not far below a thousand—would obtain a pretty clear understanding of Christianity and the character of its advocates.

Every year the musical element grows at Chautauqua. There was this year, as had been the case for several seasons, a Musical Festival Week, with daily concerts. For many years there had been a quartette of the best soloists during July and another during August, supported by a chorus often of three hundred voices and the great Massey organ. Henry B. Vincent, who is the son of Dr. B. T. Vincent of the Children's Class, grew up at Chautauqua, in a sense, spending his summers there from early childhood. For many years he has been at the organ seat, except when conducting the orchestra which he organized and trained. In 1912 he gave an interesting course of lectures on "How to Listen to Music." Every Sunday afternoon a large audience assembles to hear Mr. Vincent for an hour in an organ recital. An oratorio of his composition and under his direction was given at Chautauqua some years ago, entitled "The Prodigal Son." With one Vincent Founder and Chancellor, his son the President, one nephew a lecturer every year or two on literature, the other nephew the organ and band master, and his mother the President of the Woman's Club for many years, the Vincent family has been worthily represented at Chautauqua.

While speaking of music we must not forget one course of lectures by Mr. Olin Downes, musical critic of the Boston Post, on "Musical Expression in Dramatic Form," a history of the music drama in general; early French operas; the German Romantic School; Richard Wagner; Verdi and Latter-day Italians.

Prof. Richard Burton gave an entire course of lectures on "The Serious Bernard Shaw," which caused a run upon the library for Shaw's writings, as I perceived, for I vainly sought them. Miss Maud Miner of the School of Expression gave some recitals and a lecture, packed full of suggestions on "Efficiency in Speech." Dr. George Vincent spoke to a crowded Amphitheater on "A National Philosophy of Life." A Serbian, Prince Lazarovich Hvebelianovich, gave a lurid picture of the Balkan situation. Let me quote one sentence as reported in the Daily of July 11, 1913 (note the date):

"Within the next few months there will be a war; and such a war as has not stirred Europe since the days of Napoleon; a war that will involve all the principal nations on that side of the Atlantic."

Less than thirteen months after that prediction came the event in the capital of his own little nation which let loose twenty millions of armed men, filled the seas with warships, above and beneath the waves, and the skies with fighting aeroplanes.

Mrs. Percy V. Pennybacker of Texas, gave a series of addresses on the Federation of Woman's Clubs, of which she was at that time the President. We listened to a Chinaman, Ng Poon Chew, the editor of a Chinese daily paper in San Francisco, on "China in Transformation," a clear account of the new Republic of China in its varied aspects, spoken in the best of English. We noticed too, that the speaker showed an understanding and appreciation which foreigners are often slow to obtain of American humor and jokes.