CHAUTAUQUA

Taihape Daily Times, 10 March 1919, Page 4

CHAUTAUQUA

Chautauqua lias made its appearance in Taihape, and one of 1 lie • biggest audiences ever (assembled in this young, virile town assembled to acquire at first-hand a knowledge of what Chautauqua really is. Of course, it is impossible to demonstrate the whole scheme in one evening; the first meeting was, however, supremely successful in proving beyond all cavill or doubt that the Chautauqua conception of music is calculated to invoke a keener practice and a higher understanding of the art; every item on •Saturday evening was inspiriting, uplifting or ennobling, and those who wore unfortunately absent have lost their opportunity of hearing the clever and versatile Apollo Concert Company. Chautauqua consists of a number of entertaining land educational companies, and no company will remain In Taihape more than one day. This course is part of the Chautauqua system; it is not lu- change of programme, but an entire change of entertainers and instructors. The Apollo

Concert Company has gone; this afternoon and night Doctor Andrew Johnson will illustrate, in his humorous lectures, how easy it is to administer valuable, lasting information such as is essential to the development of the very highest class of citizenship. The intent of Chautauqua is something immeasurably more beneficial than a mere tickling of the risible faculty; Cl/autauqua is here in the interests of the highest democratic ideals; it seeks to link up the whole •Anglo-Saxon peoples. whether they reside in the United States, Canada, Britain, Stouth Africa. 'Australlia Or New Zealand: to establish such tan understanding that will, render any resort to arms between them next to impossible, and the methods adopted are proving remarkably successful. The manager of Chautauqua made it plain that Chautauqua was something more than a money-making venture, and he indicated that after he and the artists under his management had departed from New Zealand Chautauqua would remain, and that before he left ia. balance-sheet would be published showing what money was taken, and that all of it would not go out of the country. After Doctor Johnson comes Mildred Clemens, relative of the late Mark Twain; on following days there will come the Hon. J. C. Herbsman and Chancellor G-. H. Bradford, two of America's noted citizens, and on Saturday, the last Chautauqua day, Mr Earle C. Miller will lecture on “What an American sees in Australasia, ’ ’ and the Southern Seas Sextette will give a grand concert. If the day should ever come when present religions arc obsolete, we can imagine that something on the lines (of Chautauqua will have taken their place.