As one by one the required books had been read by diligent members,
there came urgent requests from many for the names of other books, on
history, on sciences, and especially on the Bible. Dr. Vincent and his
staff were compelled to look for the best books on special courses,
supplementing the required course. By degrees almost a hundred of these
courses were arranged, and have been pursued by multitudes. The one who
read the regular course through four years was to receive a diploma; if
he answered the questions of very simple "Outline Memoranda," his
diploma was to bear one seal. If he took the stiffer "Outline Memoranda"
described above, his diploma was to receive an additional seal for each
year's work. Each special course was to have its own special seal. Any
member who read the Bible through while pursuing the course, would have
a gold crown seal upon his diploma. There were some elderly people who
seemed to have nothing in the world to do, but to read special courses,
fill out the memoranda, send for seals, and then demand another course
on Crete or Kamchatka, or the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, until Miss
Kimball, her helpers, and her literary friends were kept on the jump to
find books on these various subjects. Hanging on the walls of C. L. S.
C. classrooms at Chautauqua are diplomas illuminated with a hundred
seals or more, sent to the class headquarters as memorials of diligent
readers who have passed away.
The readers of these seal-courses become members of various "orders" of
different rank. Those whose diplomas show four seals belong to the
"Order of the White Seal," those who have seven seals, to the "League of
the Round Table," and if they have fourteen seals or more, the "Guild of
the Seven Seals." Each of these societies holds its annual reunion at
Chautauqua, wears its own badge, and marches behind its own banner in
the procession.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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