CHAUTAUQUA

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 7254, 25 October 1919, Page 2

CHAUTAUQUA

Last Summer New Zealand visited for the first time by *? Chautauqua Association lv-? provided throughout the v -chtowns it visited a series ofllß certs and lectures of Vpr . r ,c °n" order. Practically all th? t gh included in last "ve-ir's hi n Wns arranged for a revisit andT^ other towns have been ,H? n? both in the North and Softl amis. In some cities and Ow f the season extends ov4 -S days, and in others three" da^ lauranga is to have three H? ■ NovembcriSth.^h.an'd^. .Naturally the question arif c to what Chautauqua is,'whSV. came from, what is its iim • l New Zealand, how is it tin lri where does the mo * e « < SLc°K " SUPPlied b^he ORIGIN OF CHAUTAUQUA torty-eight years ago th people who spent their summ holidays upon ihc shores of LaT Chautauqua, in New York' Stat organised a huge summer gather ing. Lecturers upon various"! jects and from ciiflFerent parts of the world spoke to them, an musical artists were secured 2 entertain them. What a splendid combination of Education and Lnte-tammem! The meetings were a great success. The even became an annual institution Chautauqua was born. DEVELOPMENT OF CHAUTAUQUA Citizens in other centra throughout America established similar meeting j n the| «» vrh,ch they called "Chautauq^ from the name of the parent or ganisation. The movement grew steadily but slowly at first fO--the centres, acting independents of each other lacked unity of pur. pose. Then the Chautauqua centres were linked together into'a circuit, each centre taking the" same programme and co-operat ing with dates. With this organisation, the movement spread from a few hundred assemblies to many thousands throughout Canada and the United States. CHAUTAUQUA AIMS AND IDEALS The aim of Chautauqua is t 0 establish a platform whereby yitai questions may be discussed by distinguished speakers in a non-partisan and non-sectarian manner, and to combine these discourses in a happy way with music and_ high-class entertainment. It is a twentieth century assembly, featuring Intellect, Art' Music, Oratory and Entertainment of the better sort. It aims .to be broadly educational without being academic, and to level prejudice in school, church, state and society by creating mutual confidence for all social, progress. It solves the problem of clean, wholesome public entertainment at a minimum cost on a democratic # basis. In fact, Chautauqua is an international movement towards world democracy expressed in the fellowship of mutual service emulating the highest aspirations of mankind in every avenue of expressive endeavour.

To make arrangements for the Tauranga season a meeting is called by the Mayor, Mr B. Dive, to be held in the Borough Council Chambers on Tuesday evening next at 7.30.