On Friday evening, April 28, occurred the memorial exercises of the
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, in honor of Shakspere,
Bryant, Milton, Addison and Longfellow. We have about twenty-five
members in our circle, and a limited number of invitations to persons
not members were issued, the greater part of whom attended.
The ladies labored hard all day in arranging the rooms, and, as if by
magic, changed the appearance from a prayer-meeting room to one of the
cosiest and most inviting places you have ever seen. The floors were
handsomely carpeted, the walls hung with paintings, and the chairs and
round tables grouped about the room in such manner as to give an air of
informality that was truly delightful.
The program, as might be expected, was a choice one. Careful
preparation, a familiarity with the subject, deep interest in the work,
can be truthfully said of the efforts of each, and to write a detailed
criticism would be supererogation. It is necessary to state, however,
that in responding to the roll-call each member gave a quotation from
one of the poets. The entire program was as follows: