The Chautauquan, Vol. 05, March 1885Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Science
The Chautauquan, Vol. 05, March 1885
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Chautauqua Institution -- Periodicals; Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle -- Periodicals
The managers of the Chautauqua movement, however, recognize the fact
that there are thousands of full-grown men and women who are at their
best intellectually, and who, with some leisure and much longing,
believe they could do more than read. They want to study; to study in
downright earnest; to develop mental power; to cultivate taste; to
increase knowledge, to make use of it by tongue and pen and life. There
are tens of thousands of young people out of school by necessities
commercial and filial, who are awakened to the power within and the
possibilities beyond. They believe they could learn a language, and
enjoy the literature of it. They believe they could think and grow,
speak and write. They are willing, and eager to try. Out of minutes they
could construct college terms. They have will enough, heart enough,
brain enough to begin, to go on, to go through, and all this, while
the everyday life continues with its duty for this hour and for that.
They believe that into the closely woven texture of everyday, home and
business life, there may be drawn threads of scarlet, crimson, blue and
gold, until their homespun walls become radiant with form and color
worthy to decorate the royal chamber—the chamber of their king, God the
Father of earnest souls.
Chautauqua denounces the talk of certain rich men about the “poor
having their place,” and that it would be “better for working people to
confine themselves to work, or at best to understand subjects bearing
entirely on their everyday duties in field or shop, and let science and
literature alone.” Chautauqua would make working men cultivated, and give
them recreation from manual toil in realms of wonder, taste, science,
literature and art. Chautauqua would spread out over the lot of the
toiler a dome, vast, radiant, rich and inspiring.
Therefore the Chautauqua School of Liberal Arts has been organized,
and chartered with full university powers, for non-resident pupils,
who, by correspondence with competent instructors, may study what they
please, when they please, and as they please, eliciting suggestion, and
giving answer and thesis, taking all the time they need, passing final
examination in writing in the presence of witnesses, and having their
examination papers subjected to the scrutiny of competent and impartial
critics. When, after the required standard in the several departments
which constitute the college course has been attained, whether in four,
or ten, or fourteen years, the successful candidate shall have his
diploma and his degree; and through this window he has constructed out
of all these fragments of time—fragments picked up from dusty floor and
pavement, from mine, and field, and shop—through this window the light
shall shine in its beauty, and people shall see what genius, industry and
persistent will can do with the cast away fragments of spare moments and
random opportunities.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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