Chautauqua - I'm bringing it back

Chautauqua - Entomology, sociology but not Scientology

I first came across this word whilst reading “Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance”. In this book, the author - Robert M. Pirsig, describes his chapters as Chautauqua’s, which roughly describes themes of thought. A Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the 19^th and 20^th centuries. The Chautauqua was a hipster form of what we know as TED talks today. It brought entertainment and culture through speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers and specialists of the day. These events moved throughout rural America in the form similar to a traveling circus, with tents and live entertainment schedules. The word Chautauqua was also used by H.L Mencken to describe a herd of clumsy writers.

I see the Chautauqua as a more modern representation of the discussions held by Greek philosophers in the town square. I find this whole concept fitting for the name of my blog, since it represents discussions on burning societal themes in a public forum.

Religious topics, political satires, lectures and musical performances were the main themes represented in the Chautauqua. I hope to steer this blog along the same chalk lines.

The boys watched in horror as their father and sister/aunt/mother gave a live rendition of the "birds and the bees" thinking: "wait a minute, this isn't the circus".

As a closing to the start of my spell book of Chautauqua’s I would like to leave you with a bit of wisdom from the most famous speaker at the Chautauqua’s.  His name was Russel H. Conwell and he delivered this speech more than 6000 times at different Chautauqua’s around the world. The story is called “Acre of diamonds” and it was first published in 1890. The central idea around the speech is that one need not look elsewhere for achievement, opportunity or fortune – the resources to achieve all good things are present in one’s own community.

"I say that you ought to get rich, and it is your duty to get rich.... The men who get rich may be the most honest men you find in the community. Let me say here clearly .. . ninety-eight out of one hundred of the rich men of America are honest. That is why they are rich. That is why they are trusted with money. That is why they carry on great enterprises and find plenty of people to work with them. It is because they are honest men. ... ... I sympathize with the poor, but the number of poor who are to be sympathised with is very small. To sympathize with a man whom God has punished for his sins ... is to do wrong.... let us remember there is not a poor person in the United States who was not made poor by his own shortcomings. ..."

This view is a bit alternative to our traditional view that rich people are all conniving and that you cannot get to the top without trampling those below. Well, I must say I tend to agree with mister Conwell in certain aspects.

Give me a man who could stay afloat with a bit of power and responsibility and I will trust him above anyone who is yet to prove their moral stance with the burden of power.