DR. VINCENT: There are persons in this world who unite in purely literary
and intellectual enterprises. The union creates a sort of literary
friendship. There are people who unite in sympathy, loving a common
object, sharing in sorrow, sharing in joy, creating a friendship full of
sentiment. There are people in this world who are united in practical
efforts. They have a common aim. They agree upon a method; they coöperate
for the result, and this is practical friendship.
The charm of the C. L. S. C. is found in this, that it is a union in
intellectual and literary activity, a union in affection, a union in
practical aim and service. It aims to do three things:—To cultivate the
intellect, to cultivate the heart, and to develop the executive forces of
our natures. By this three-fold bond we are united as members of the C.
L. S. C. We meet this glad day in this beautiful grove, under the play
of this charming sunshine; we meet to remember, we meet to rejoice, we
meet to resolve. And as the years go by may our memories grow sweeter,
our rejoicing more intense, and our resolves stronger. And as we meet
from year to year “to study the words and the works of God,” let us try
“to keep our Heavenly Father in the midst.” The blending of the mottoes,
felicitous only as a blending of mottoes, does not express the whole
theological truth I would convey.
Mr. Robertson said, in writing one of his charming letters to his
brother, “I have through all these years been seeking God, and I am just
awakening to the fact that all these years it is God who has been seeking
me.” We need not try to keep our Heavenly Father in the midst. In the
boundlessness of his grace, he is glad to come into the midst and here
to abide, and if we have any longing of heart after him, however feeble
it may be, it is because he is already there, breathing into us his own
life, and giving to us a measure of his own joy. Let us pray to him.
We thank thee, our Father, that through the year thou hast been with
us, and that thou hast guided us; that in hours of prosperity thou hast
held us, and in hours of sorrow thou hast given us comfort. And on this
beautiful afternoon, in this sacred place, we meet and make mention of
thy name and of thy love. We thank thee for thy great kindness to us. We
confess our great sinfulness against thee, and our utter unworthiness
before thee. We ask for the gifts of grace which thou art ready to
bestow, and we open our hearts by the leadings of thy spirit, that thy
spirit may enter in and abide with us.
Bless the homes we represent; bless the circles of which we are members;
bless the vast sweep of the circle with which we are connected, and may
all the members of our fraternity have thy presence and thy grace. And
with all their seeking, may they seek spiritual power, and seeking, may
they find. Enlighten our understanding with thy wisdom, inspire our
hearts with thy love; strengthen our wills with all holy purposes. Bring
us after these reunions, and after the separations, after all the joys
and sorrows, the gains and the losses of human life, into thine own
immediate presence, and we shall praise thee, the only God, Father, Son
and Holy Ghost. Amen.
After a song Dr. Vincent said:
Is any body here from Monteagle? Are any here who were present this year
at Lakeside, Monona Lake, Lake Bluff, Ocean Grove? Have we any one here
who could make us a brief report of the C. L. S. C. work at any of these
assemblies? Where is Dr. Hurlbut? Kansas Assembly—Dr. Hurlbut presided
there.
DR. HURLBUT: I would state that we recognized the C. L. S. C. at Kansas,
and we had a very pleasant time. When we called for the members of the C.
L. S. C. to have a meeting I found but five, but we had a Round-Table.
And the next day we had twenty present, and when we came to the day for
the recognition of the members of ’83, we found three members of the
class. We marched the three members of ’83 in procession, and took them
down to the tabernacle and made a speech to them. We had a number of
Round-Tables, and distributed the circulars, and a great many people said
that they were going to join. This was in Ottawa, Kansas.
On the afternoon of graduation an address was delivered by Dr. G. P.
Hays, an old Chautauquan, who delivered an admirable address. In the
evening we had a camp fire, and though there were only about twenty
members present, we had a fine camp fire. We had a good place to hold it,
and we gave notice that we would admit no one but members of the C. L. S.
C., but we made an exception that any who wished to join, or if they had
any friends whom they wished to represent, or if there were any members
of the C. L. S. C. in the towns where they lived, they might come. We
made a procession three hundred strong by actual count, all interested
in the C. L. S. C., to a greater or less degree. We had some interesting
addresses. Mr. Hatch, a member of the C. L. S. C. of that city, made a
very interesting address, and Dr. Hays spoke, and one or two others from
the places around, and we had a few solemn words from Prof. Sherwin, and
a few more solemn words from Prof. Beard. At the close of the camp fire
we found that the C. L. S. C. stock had gone up above par. People wanted
to know all about it. One old gentleman from the country came up to the
president and said that he did not know any thing about this C. L. S. C.
that we were talking about, but he was going to join if it did not cost
more than a dollar, and he joined that night. You will find that the next
year there will be over two hundred members of the C. L. S. C. present.
DR. VINCENT: That is a very refreshing report in every sense.
DR. HURLBUT: I could tell you all about Island Park.
DR. VINCENT: Let us hear from that.
A GENTLEMAN: I could tell you about Monteagle.
DR. VINCENT: Let us hear it.
A GENTLEMAN: There were some sixteen or eighteen of the C. L. S. C.
present. We did not have very many meetings, but we met once or twice and
agreed to form a procession and give Dr. Vincent a welcome when he came.
This we did. We met in a body and called on him, and had a very pleasant
talk from him.
DR. VINCENT: That was not all that was done by the C. L. S. C. at
Monteagle. I was greeted very warmly by the C. L. S. C. members at
Monteagle. I found Monteagle literally a very high place, something over
2000 feet above the sea. To my surprise there were more than twenty
members of the C. L. S. C. at our Round-Table. Going up the mountain on
the railway a young gentleman came to me and introduced himself. He said,
“I am a member of the C. L. S. C., and my sister is a member. She is on
the train, and very anxious to see you.” I saw her, and found her to be
an enthusiastic C. L. S. C. She knew all about the Memorial Days, and
knew all about everything in connection with the C. L. S. C. work, the C.
L. S. C. column, the news from the various states, the mottoes, and all
the special directions that had been given. She had read all the reading
for the year and much on the Seal Course. I think she had completed the
White Crystal Seal. She said she was all alone in the town where she
lived. She had done everything that was required, even to the buying a
badge, and wearing it, and observing the five o’clock hour. She said that
next year there would be a large number from her town.
I am always afraid of obtruding Chautauqua on these other centers, lest
they suggest that Chautauqua be a little more modest. I therefore do not
allow the name to be used too much.
DR. HURLBUT: In Kansas, I know that one person wrote to a newspaper
and said that there was one evil that ought to be nipped in the bud.
He said that this evil was the peddling around of Chautauqua ideas by
professionals through the country.
DR. VINCENT: I am always sensitive about speaking too much of Chautauqua.
At Lakeside I made my first speech without naming Chautauqua, and I did
the same at Framingham, until others came to me and said that I need not
be so particular, that they considered themselves in some degree a part
of Chautauqua. I found the same spirit at Monteagle. I did not see a
thing, or hear a syllable at Monteagle, that did not indicate a hearty
sympathy with the Chautauqua work. I never was more royally treated.
At one Round-Table on errors of speech they criticised several of
my mispronunciations, and what was the worst of it, when I sent for
Webster, Webster sustained those southerners. They got an idea that I
rather enjoyed the pointing out of my errors. We had a good time in the
correction of errors in speech. We had also a recognition speech. We
formed in procession, one graduate of ’83, and I had the satisfaction of
extending the right hand of fellowship to the one in the procession at
that service.
Mr. Van Lennep told me that they kept up their Round-Tables every day
until the close of the Assembly, and that they numbered seventy strong
and raised a fund of $500 toward building a hall of philosophy at
Monteagle. (Applause.)
This is a sort of reunion meeting; for songs, for questions, for
statements of difficulties, and for reports. Are there any large local
circles represented here? Is there a local circle of one hundred members
represented here to-day? Let the leader of that circle stand up and raise
the hand. Are there any? Mr. Martin, of Pittsburgh, has such a circle.
MR. MARTIN: I would say that we have a circle in Pittsburgh that has
enrolled something like seven or eight hundred members altogether.
Occasionally one or two hundred of them will drop out, so we do not claim
that we have a circle quite up to that number all the time. We have
fifty-four graduates enrolled as a sort of executive committee to keep
up our Local Circle movement. We have monthly meetings, and also have
numerous weekly meetings in different parts of the city. These weekly
meetings are usually reported to the central circle, and the members
attend more or less at our monthly meetings.
As an alumni association, we have got up on a little higher plane, and
during the past year we held three meetings. Our first meeting was a
reunion and banquet at one of the leading hotels. Our second meeting
was a very enthusiastic one, conducted by the members of the alumni
association in the eastern part of our city. At our last and final
meeting we had Bishop Warren to address us. We had one of the largest
churches in the city filled, and charged an admission fee as well. We
felt rich. We have a fund of about $60 to start with next year. We expect
to bring a large number of ’83 members into our alumni association. We
are still enthusiastic over the C. L. S. C. We were enthusiastic five
years ago, have been every year since, and propose to continue to be
enthusiastic as long as the C. L. S. C. exists. (Applause.)
DR. VINCENT: That is good. Is there any one here who can make some
report from Monterey Circle? They had an unusual time last year. Is Miss
Hudson present? Although she has not been at Monterey, she has been
in communication with the Monterey people. Would you object to make a
statement as you have it?
MISS HUDSON: I can give a few facts.
DR. VINCENT: Please do so. Miss Myrtie Hudson, of Ann Arbor.
MISS HUDSON: I have received quite enthusiastic reports from Monterey.
There were present in July twenty-five members to graduate. I do not know
how large the class was through the state, but they had about that number
present. The exercises held were in the hall, which was beautifully
decorated for the occasion. An address was delivered and the diplomas
were given out by Dr. Stratton, our president of the branch of the
Pacific coast. He was one of the graduates of ’83. Dr. Wythe, the author
of our book on biology, was also one of the graduates.
I have received this message from there to-day, that the book, “The Hall
in the Grove,” has been of very great value in their work, and they want
to make the suggestion, that it would be a good idea to have this book
read by members in the first year, instead of the fourth year.
DR. VINCENT: The suggestion of having “The Hall in the Grove” read in the
first year instead of the fourth year is a very good one.
MRS. BARLOW, of Detroit: I would like to speak in behalf of “The Hall in
the Grove.” I was a graduate of ’82. We have a large circle in Detroit,
but I do not know the membership, because I have not been able to attend
very frequently. Our president of that circle, Mrs. A. L. Clark, who
has been president for five years, died this summer. I suppose that she
intended to come to Chautauqua this year. I waited here some minutes,
thinking some one else from Detroit would speak of her. I wish you could
know what a work she did in Detroit, what an influence she had in the
community of young people, not always among the wealthy, but among those
in the stores, and those who had no other way of cultivation. No one
knows how much they owe to Mrs. Clark.
About “The Hall in the Grove.” I have tried in our neighborhood for four
years to organize a local circle, but have failed. But this last summer
I had two copies of “The Hall in the Grove” which I have circulated very
industriously, and I hope to organize a circle in October.
DR. VINCENT: I intended to speak at the proper time, concerning Mrs.
Clark, this devoted worker. There is no woman in connection with our
Circle who has done more hearty work. I have received from many members
of the Circle tributes to her worth and work.
MRS. BARLOW: Mrs. Clark had a very large class of colored adult people
that she taught every Sabbath in the Y. M. C. A. room. They would have
filled almost any house. A great many of them have been converted, I have
no doubt, from her work.
DR. HURLBUT: I had the privilege last winter in Washington City of
visiting a circle composed entirely of colored people, and I thought I
should like to make a little mention of that circle. It was a circle of
between thirty and forty people of color. They met at a private house, a
handsome residence, with every thing about it in the finest taste. The
exercises that night in that circle impressed me wonderfully. From the
conversation that I had with the members I learned that some of them
were teachers in the city of Washington, and one was a member of the
Washington Board of Education. Another had read five times as much as
we required on geology last year. One of the city teachers read a paper
of great interest. Every person connected with the circle belonged to
what we call the African race. I never in my life was impressed with the
earnestness, thoroughness, efficiency and downright energy in the C. L.
S. C. work of any class of people more than I was on that occasion with
that of these members in Washington City.
MR. BRIDGE: You have not spoken about New England.
DR. VINCENT: At Framingham, Mass., we have an Assembly which opens
immediately after the close of Chautauqua Assembly, and this year a
little before the close. Last year we had four hundred and forty recorded
members present at that Assembly, and the sales of the books are reported
as being double what they were the year before. And I believe the
prospects for this year are much more brilliant.
After various announcements Dr. Vincent said: Turn to the nineteenth
number. We must sing “Day is Dying in the West,” or it would not seem
natural. The other evening we omitted it, and a few of us came back and
sang it.
After the song, the Round-Table was dismissed with the benediction by
Rev. Mr. Alden.