Chautauqua

sha-taw'qua, the Indian name of a beautiful lake in extreme western New York. The name has also passed to the county in which the lake is situated and to a summer resort on its shores. The Chautauqua Assembly, instituted by Dr. John Vincent in 1874 to give vacation instruction to Sunday school teachers has grown to large proportions as a summer center for teachers and reform rallies. The Chautauqua Reading Circle grew out of the Assembly. A simple plan of organization has been followed. General officers arrange four-year courses in study and reading, usually preparing special texts for the purpose. Local circles of adults are organized by correspondence. They elect their own officers and meet regularly for study and conference. Diplomas are issued by the general officers upon sufficient evidence that the entire course has been pursued with intelligence. A quarter of a million members have been claimed for the Circle.