CHAUTAUQUA.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 March 1920, Page 3

CHAUTAUQUA.

OPENING OP NEW PLYMOUTH SEASON. The New Plymouth Chautauqua season opened yesterday afternoon. Several reasons delayed the erection of the big marquee, which is always one of the characteristics of Chautauqua and helps to give it an unconventional atmosphere, so the opening season took place at the Empire Theatre. There was a good attendance, and Mr. Paget briefly welcomed all present, and introduced the Lyric Quartette, who gave an hour's entertainment of a most enjoyable character. The quartette consists of Messrs. Arthur Ripley (first tenor), A. Richards (second tenor), Alan Mcßlwain (baritone entertainer), and John l:\an 'jhssl They a;e an Auckland combination and set a very high standard in male quartette work. The blend of the voices, which is the first and most important consideration, was almost perfect, and an enjoyable feature of the singing was the beautiful and delicate modulation of the voices. They appeared equally at home in light and sentimental pieces as in the "straighter" numbers, and the reception accorded them proved they were thoroughly appreciated. Their items included "The Mulligan Musketeers," "They Kissed, I Saw Them Do it," 'The Soldier's Farewell," "A Perfect lit'-." and several humorous numbers, in■lnding ,f Peter Piper," "Fishing," and '•Two Plies." Solos were sung by Messrs. Ryan and Ripley, and Messrs. Richards and Ryan sang duets, while Mr, McElwain proved himself a capital entertainer with some humorous monologues and recitations- Mrs. Ripley played the accompaniments in a very acceptable manner. LAST NIGHT'S SESSION. Last night's session had to be held in the Coronation Hall, and in spite of the inclemency of the weather there was a vefy large audience. The Mayor (Mr. Jas. Clarke), in a brief address, welcomed the visitors and gave some explanation of the purpose and object oi the movement. Mr. Hopper acknowledged the Mayor's welcome. The first part of the programme was igain entrusted to the Lyric Four, who jave a splendid programme of quartettes and other items of a highly entertaining character, Mr. McElwain again delighting the audience with his humorous recital-. Dr Arthur D. Carpenter, one of the foremost , American exponents of the science of astronomy, and who has been described as "the greatest populariser of astronomy that the world knows," then gave his lecture, "Worlds in the Making" He first dealt with the conditions of science in the dim days when the world was deemed to be flat, and from that followed the progress of research in a racy and interesting manner, which gripped his hearers and held their attention throughout. From the belief that the earth was the centre of the universe the lecturer traced his way from the discovery that it was really one of the most insignificant sif the planets. Ho said that if lie could transport the audience,. on to Jupiter and there provide them with a powerful telescope the earth would not be seen at all. Gallilea made the first telescope from a pipe of an old organ, and when he (succeeded in making an instrument that magnified 3-2 times he discovered that the sun rotated 011 it l ! own axis. The moon he described as a burnt-out star, from which the water and air had escaped !vto «nace. and what was seen on looking at it was its scenery—its vast ocean ! «'<! - rid mountain peaks. The highest mountain in the moon was sft. Curtis {2!).500ft.). The same process which had deadened the moon, he declared, was taking place on the earth. Worlds were like human beings—they were born into "man's estate" and then paled arid died. Long before that time, however, all life would cease to exist on this planet. Dr. Carpenter refcrerd t.o the discovery by that giant astronomer of the 18t.li century, Sir Wm_ Hirsehol, of whom he Fiitid pvcry Englishman ought to be proud, of the existence of double, treble and multiple stars, "and of 30,000 suns in the globular cluster of Hercules, e <ftch one 00 times bigger than our sun, and each the centre of a system of rotating worlds, probably knowing a higher state of civilisation than we possess. The lecturer dealt in an interesting way with the wonder of the view of the Inrgp constellations through the 72in. telescope at Victoria, British Columbia, lie also gave a very impressive idea of the immensity of the universe by homely illustrations of the time'that would be occupied in travelling from the earth to different planets and to the stars. The lecturer was frequently applauded for the very lucid way in which he made point by point, and he concluded his remarks with a word of congratulation to the local Astronomical Society and commended it to the support of everyone. To-day the Lyric Four and Dr. Carpenter will again have the platform. Very heavy rain showers commenced to fail in New Plymouth yesterday afternoon, and throughout the night there were frequent heavy downpours. And yet Dr. Carpenter in his talk last night on astronomical matters insisted that the earth was going through the same process as that which had reduced the moon to a dead body and that eventually all its waters would be dried up. The speaker somewhat humorously remarked, just after a heavy shower had made hearing in the Coronation Hall difficult, that he supposed the audience would hardly be impressed by his statement under the circumstances.