s they were called. Some of these were community circles,
people of one village or town, irrespective of church relations; other
circles were connected with the churches. In those days before the
Christian Endeavor Society, the Epworth League, and other nation-wide
organizations had appropriated the interest of the young people, the
Chautauqua Circle was the literary society in many churches.

I recall the testimony of a Methodist minister of those days, given to
me when I met him at his conference in the Middle West.

When I was sent to my last church, I learned that
there was a reading circle among its members, and
I heard the news with some dismay, for in more
than one place I had started a literary society
and found that it was necessary for me to supply
all the thought and labor to keep it in operation,
to plan the course, to select people to write
papers and persuade them to do it, to be ready to
fill vacancies on the program. And as soon as I
stopped supplying steam, the society was sure to
come to a stand-still. But at this church I found
a Chautauqua Circle that was taking care of
itself. Its programs were provided, the members
were reading a regular course and making their
reports; they presided in turn at the meetings,
and I was not called upon to take any part unless
I desired it. Also in the prayer-meetings, I could
soon recognize the members of the Circle by a
touch of intelligence in their testimonies.

It is the opinion of the writer that if one could ascertain the history
of the woman's clubs that now cover the country, and ascertain their
origin, it would be found that nearly all of the older woman's clubs
arose out of Chautauqua Circles whose members, after completing the
prescribed course, took up civics or politics, or literature. It would
be an interesting study to ascertain how far the General Federation of
Women's Clubs of America was an outgrowth of the Chautauqua movement.

CHAPTER X

THE SCHOOL OF LANGUAGES

[Illustration: Congregational House]

[Illustration: Fenton Memorial, Deaconess' House]

THE year 1879 marked an extension in more than one direction of
Chautauqua's plans and program. The season was lengthened to forty-three
days, more than double the length of the earlier sessions.