The Story of Chautauqua

by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut

"Wal, strangers from the East think they know when it's goin' to rain and when it ain't; but us fellers who've lived in Kansas thirty years never know whether it'll rain in five minutes or whether it won't rain in three months."

The Ottawa Assembly was one of the best in the Chautauqua system. The people of the city built for its use a large tabernacle and halls for classes. Beside the park flows the River Marais du Cygne, "the Swamp of the Swan," celebrated in one of Whittier's poems; and on a bank overlooking the river was erected a Hall of Philosophy, copying the old Hall at Chautauqua, except that its columns were lighter and ornamented, improving its appearance. We followed the Chautauqua programs as far as possible, having many of the same speakers on our platform and Professor Sherwin to lead the music, succeeded later by Dr. H. R. Palmer. The teacher-training work, then called the Normal Class, was maintained thoroughly, with adult, intermediate, and children's classes,—all wearing badges and following banners. The C. L. S. C., with all its usages of camp fires, Recognition Day, vigil, procession and arches, was kept prominent. We established a Chautauqua Boys' Club, and Girls' Club also. We could not conduct a summer school, as the meeting lasted only a fortnight, but we had lecture courses of high character upon literature. Kansas contained more old soldiers in its population than any other State in the Union, and the Grand Army Day at Ottawa was an event of State-wide interest. Some distinguished veterans spoke on these occasions, among them General John A. Logan, Major William McKinley, and General John B. Gordon of the Confederate Army; also Private A. J. Palmer of New York, whose "Company D, the Die-No-Mores," roused enthusiasm to its summit. One element in Ottawa's success was the steadfast loyalty of the city,—a place then of seven or eight thousand people, which enjoyed a special prohibitory law some years earlier than the rest of the State. Almost every family had its tent in Forest Park and lived there day and night during the fortnight of the meetings. Another cause of its prosperity was its able, broad, and continuous management. Its President for many years was the Rev. Duncan C. Milner, a Chautauquan from his boots up to his head, and laboring with untiring energy in its behalf.

I must tell an amusing story of our camp fire one summer. As the ground was by this time well occupied, we decided to have the bonfire on a raft out in the stream, while the crowd sang the songs and listened to the speeches from the Hall of Philosophy on the shore. But when we met at night for the services, the raft and the materials ready for lighting had disappeared! We were told that the janitor had thought it an improvement to have the fire lighted above, in a bend of the river, and float down to the Hall. We waited, not exactly pleased with the janitor's unauthorized action, and after a time we heard a mighty racket. The raft with the bonfire was floating down the stream, while around it was a convoy of about a hundred boats, loaded with boys, and each boy blowing a horn or yelling in the most vociferous manner. That put an end to any prospect of songs and speeches, for who could command silence to such a din? But that was not all nor the worst. The janitor tried in vain to anchor his raft, but it still floated downward. We saw our camp fire sail majestically down the river, until it approached the mill dam and the falls, when the boys desperately rowed their boats out of danger. Raft and contents went over the falls and the bonfire was quenched in the devouring flood. As we saw it going to its doom, I distinctly heard the word "dam" spoken, and I fear it was intended to include a final "n." But that was the last attempt at a camp fire. When I proposed one at the next season, the entire Round Table burst out with a roaring laugh.

The success of Ottawa led to the opening of many other Assemblies all over the State, and by degrees weakened this, the mother Chautauqua of Kansas. It is still maintained, but in a small way, as one of the chain Chautauquas.

In 1879, a Sunday School Congress which soon grew into an Assembly was held at Ocean Grove, on the Atlantic Coast, almost the only place where the camp meeting, the summer resort, and the Chautauqua idea have lived together in mutual peace and prosperity. But even at Ocean Grove the Assembly has been overshadowed, almost out of sight, by the camp meeting and the summer boarding-house contingent. For several seasons I took part in the work, and in 1881 conducted the Children's Class. On the next to the last day I told all the children to meet me at our chapel, naming the hour when the tide would be at its lowest, every child to bring a pail and shovel, or a shingle, if his shovel had been lost. We formed a goodly procession of three hundred, marching down the avenue, myself at the head. At the beach I had selected a suitable area, and set the children to constructing out of the damp sand a model two hundred feet long of Palestine, the land of which we had been studying in the daily class. It was a sight to see those young nation builders, making the coastline, piling up the mountains, and digging out the Jordan valley with its lakes. Some Biblically inclined gentlemen aided in the supervision, and apparently a thousand people stood above and looked on. When it was finished I walked up and down the model, asking the children questions upon it, and was somewhat surprised to find how much they knew. Some whose conduct in the class gave little promise were among the promptest to exploit their knowledge. It was my purpose to leave the map that it might be seen by the multitude until the tide should wash it away. But the boys shouted, "Can't we stamp it down now?" and I rather reluctantly consented. Palestine has been overrun, and trodden down, and destroyed by armies of Assyrians, Babylonians, Turks, Crusaders, and many other warriors, but the land never suffered such a treading down by the Gentiles as on that morning at Ocean Grove.

In the year 1879, the wind-wafted seed of Chautauqua was borne to the Pacific Coast and an Assembly was founded at Pacific Grove in Monterey, California. I know not whether it remains, but the Grove has been the place of meeting for the California Methodist Conference year after year. Another Assembly combined with the summer resort was established this year at Mountain Lake in Maryland, a charming spot, whose elevation beside a lovely lake brings coolness to the summer air.

One more Assembly established in 1879 must not be forgotten. In the early years of Chautauqua we used to see a plainly clad man, who from his appearance might have been a farmer or a lumberman; in fact, he was the proprietor of a large saw and planing mill. This man was at every meeting, listened intently and took full notes, for he was intelligent, reading good books, and ardent in his devotion to Chautauqua. For years he was one of my friends, but, alas! I have forgotten his name. He lived in Northern Indiana, and in 1879 was able to interest enough people to start an Assembly at Island Park at Rome City, Indiana, not far from the Michigan line. He became its Secretary, managed its finances, and called upon the Rev. A. H. Gillet, one of Dr. Vincent's lieutenants, to conduct it. For many years Island Park was one of the foremost children of Chautauqua in its program and its attendance. It was situated upon an island in a lovely lake, with bridges leading to the mainland, where most of the tents and cottages were placed, and where buildings were erected for the normal classes and the kindergarten; the Tabernacle, seating 2500, being upon the island which was bright with flower beds amid winding paths. For years Island Park was a center of Chautauqua influence and strong in promoting the C. L. S. C., but like many other Assemblies, it failed to receive financial support and was abandoned.

Two great Assemblies, both closely following the path of Chautauqua, were founded in the year 1880. One of these was Monona Lake, near Madison, Wis. It was established by the State Sunday School Association, its founder and first president being the Hon. Elihu Colman of Fond du Lac. Like Ottawa in Kansas, it was an assembly of tents, not of cottages. The first session, a small gathering, was held in 1880 on the shores of Green Lake, one of the five hundred lakes of Wisconsin; but in the following year it was removed to Monona Lake, one of the five surrounding the capital city, Madison. After Mr. Colman, the Rev. F. S. Stein, D.D., became President, and for nearly a generation, Mr. Moseley, a bookseller of Madison, was its efficient secretary, business manager, and organizer of its programs. The standards of Monona Lake were high and its work was thorough, but for lack of adequate support, it was given up after nearly thirty years of usefulness and the point became an amusement park.

Among those prominent in the early seasons at Monona Lake was the Rev. O. P. Bestor, who was active in promoting the C. L. S. C. He brought with him his son, who began as a small boy attending the Assembly, and formed the assembly-habit so strongly that in the after years he grew up to be the President of the Chautauqua Institution—Albert E. Bestor, LL.D.

The other notable Chautauqua started in 1880 was the New England Assembly at South Framingham, Mass., originally in closer affiliation with the original Chautauqua than any other Assembly, for it chose Dr. Vincent as Superintendent of Instruction, and many of its speakers were also on the Chautauqua program. It drew from all the New England States, until its success led to the establishment of other Assemblies at Fryeburg, Maine, at Northampton, Mass., and at Plainville, Conn. One of Dr. Vincent's assistants at the Framingham Assembly was the Dr. A. E. Dunning, at first Congregational Secretary of Sunday School work, later Editor of the Congregationalist. Dr. Vincent, after a few years, gave the Assembly into the hands of Dr. Dunning and the writer, and sometimes we conducted it jointly; at other times in successive years. On an eminence overlooking the grounds and the adjoining lake arose another Hall of Philosophy, like the one at Chautauqua, and all the Chautauqua customs were followed—C. L. S. C., Normal Class, Children's Classes, and the rest. The first President was the Rev. William R. Clark, who was instrumental in locating the Assembly upon the ground of a camp meeting which it succeeded. It was continued for more than a generation, but at last succumbed to changing times. Perhaps it might have continued longer, if throughout its history it had not been encumbered by the debts of the former Camp Meeting Association.