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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us January 7, 2006 Ashland’s cultural heritage should be held up as a model Scott Dalgarno Recently I was looking through a collection of materials housed in our fine library concerning the history of the Ashland Chautauqua society. The Chautauqua movement was begun in America by the Rev. John Heyl Vincent in 1874. Like millions of others of his countrymen, Vincent was appalled by the horrors of the Civil War. No one had imagined at the outset that such a war could have been so bloody. One United States Congressman had said on the floor of the House that he did not fear such a conflict. He insisted that the blood drawn in the event of a war between the states could be “mopped up with a single pocket handkerchief.” This was surely the understatement of all time. The late and great Shelby Foote once speculated that a person ought to be given a PhD if he could calculate how many pocket handkerchiefs it would have taken. War can sometimes be unavoidable — witness the Afghan war, but Vincent was concerned about how humans have too often entered into wars without first taking into consideration the real costs. He wanted to spur an interest in life-long education hoping that an educated public might stem the tide of ill-advised future wars. What a worthwhile endeavor. From his home in New Jersey the movement took off. It found its way to the Rogue Valley by 1892. Central Point was originally planned to be its local base but citizens of Ashland led by Mr. G.F. Billings lobbied hard and soon the wooden domed structure (it stood on the foundations of our present Elizabethan theater) was built and a continuous stream of the day’s grand orators, preachers, and musicians began making their way to our town. Among the luminaries was four-time presidential candidate, William Jennings Bryan. In the library’s collection I found a brochure dated: “1917-1918” advertising Ashland’s Chautauqua Literary Scientific Circle — a women’s study club dedicated to higher learning. That group is still going but it’s now simply called, “The Study Club.” The Circle sponsored a series of lectures which were presented weekly (can you believe it?) on various topics relating to literary and historical classics and modern scientific and technological breakthroughs. The topics included, “Life in Ancient Athens,” “Homer’s Odyssey,” “The Book of Job.” The list went on and on. One hundred years ago the women of Ashland were veritable classical scholars. It was obviously very popular. Coming, as it did, during “The Great War” (another war entered into by men who promised that it would be over in matter of months) the group spawned hope that a groundswell of interest in life-long education might turn a whole society against the waste of war. What a contrast to this present bellicose age where there is a bias in our country against critical thinking, serious learning, and scholarship. That is all out of style now. It is deemed liberal and elitist and is dismissed at the highest levels. But think, with issues like Intelligent Design vs. evolution on the front burner today, we could use more forums like the old Chautauqua Literary Scientific Circle. Call me an elitist snob if you want, but I think using our minds is still a good idea. Critical thinking is more important than ever. Maybe the Greeks and Romans knew a few things that it might be good for us to know in these days as our government looks for an expeditious way to extricate itself from Iraq (another promised “short” conflict). The Greeks and Romans had to deal with those people, too, you know. Jim Lehrer, host of PBS’s “Newshour,” noted recently a sad statistic about the sorry number of people who crack any book at all after graduation from college. Sorry indeed. But let me hasten to acknowledge that one of the best things about this little town of ours is the extraordinarily high regard people here have for education. Especially learning in adulthood. SOLIR, and our Elderhostel are evidences that people here value the life of the mind. With things like newspapers and print journals facing dismal readership these days let’s not forget what an important part adult education has played in the cultural heritage of this fine little city of ours. Scott Dalgarno is pastor of Ashland’s First Presbyterian Church. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams