CHAUTAUQUA 



1287 



CHAUVEAU 



CHAUTAUQUA, shatawk'wa, a name given 

 to a remarkable system of popular education, 

 which is the evolution of a Sunday-school 

 assembly held at Chautauqua Lake, New York, 

 in the summer of 1874, for the instruction of 



LOCATION OF CHAUTAUQUA 

 Sunday-school teachers. The movement was 

 popular from the first, and has increased from 

 year to year in scope until it has grown to 

 large proportions. It now has fifteen depart- 

 ments in its summer schools, and an assembly 

 attended by 40,000 to 50,000 persons annually; 

 there is also a home reading circle with thou- 

 sands of members, and it has property on 

 Chautauqua Lake worth $1,250,000, with over 

 600 cottages and public buildings for its sum- 

 mer population. 



Chautauqua Institution. The plan of the 

 founders of .the movement Lewis Miller of 

 Akron, O., and Rev. (afterwards Bishop) John 

 H. Vincent was for religious instruction only, 

 but the scope of the work soon broadened until 

 it aimed at an education that should be at 

 once intellectual, ethical and spiritual. In 1879 

 a group of schools was established with graded 

 courses of study covering four years, in which 

 literature, art, history and pedagogy were 

 taught. From 1883 to 1893 Dr. William Rainey 

 Harper, president of the University of Chicago 

 from 1891 to 1906, gave his summers to Chau- 

 tauqua work, and during this time a complete 

 system of summer schools was established. 

 This system now includes fifteen distinct 

 schools, embracing courses in English, European 

 and ancient literature, history, pedagogy and 

 nearly all the arts and sciences. George Vin- 

 cent, president of the University of Minnesota, 

 son of Bishop Vincent, became president in 

 1907, with about 200 leading educators as in- 

 structors. In 1915 his title was changed to 

 chancellor, Arthur E. Bestor becoming presi- 

 dent. Bishop Vincent became chancellor emeri- 



tus. The sessions of the schools are held dur- 

 ing the months of July and August. An im- 

 portant feature of the Chautauqua movement 

 has always been the popular exercises i>( the 

 summer assembly. They consist of -talks on 

 interesting topics, lectures by noted speakers 

 from all over the world, concerts and various 

 recreations. These are all free to Chautauqua 

 visitors. 



Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle, 

 the name given to the home reading course, is 

 the best-known branch of the Chautauqua 

 work. Each course consists of four years of 

 reading, known as American, English, Euro- 

 pean and Classical years, and includes history, 

 art, travel, literature and science. The work 

 of each year is complete in itself, and each 

 member of the Circle reads the same books. 

 In addition, there are eighty-eight courses for 

 those who wish to specialize. The books used 

 are specially prepared for the courses, with re- 

 quired readings in The Independent, the pres- 

 ent current events element of the course, which 

 in 1914 absorbed The Chautauquan, the former 

 official organ. There are also a monthly bulle- 

 tin, The Round Table, and a membership book 

 of hints and helps for home study. Diplomas 

 are awarded for completing the four-years' 

 reading course. For some years the plan in- 

 cluded teaching by correspondence, but this 

 has been discontinued. 



The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Cir- 

 cle was organized in 1878 with the idea that it 

 would meet a recognized want with persons 

 who had been denied a liberal education, and 

 would appeal to old and young alike. It proved 

 amazingly popular, 7,000 enrolling the first year. 

 Over 300,000 have joined the Circle; 60,000 of 

 them have completed at least one course. The 

 idea pleased the English so well that they have 

 patterned their British Home Reading Union 

 after it. Branches of the Chautauqua system 

 have been established in Japan and South 

 Africa. The work has also proved as popular 

 in Canada as in the United States. 



Local "Chautauquas." The idea of the 

 Chautauqua Assembly spread through America, 

 and local "Chautauquas" sprang up every- 

 where. These assemblies employ popular lec- 

 turers and other entertainers and hold sessions 

 of several days, which are largely attended. 

 There are 4,000 of these "Chautauquas." A*. 



CHAUVEAU, sho vo' , PIERRE JOSEPH OLIVIER 

 (1820-1890), a Canadian Wnainn, educator 

 and man of letters, one of the most talented 

 French-Canadians of his generation, at one 



