Chautauqua << shuh TAW kwuh >> is a system of summer school and correspondence school education founded at Chautauqua Lake, New York, in 1874. The term also refers to traveling groups, called Tent Chautauquas, which had no connection with the original educational movement.
The Chautauqua Institution.
Rev. John H. Vincent, a Methodist clergyman, and Lewis Miller of Akron, Ohio, first conceived the idea of setting up a summer school to give instruction to Sunday-school teachers. The first assembly was held at Chautauqua in August 1874. The movement rapidly expanded to include a school of languages (1878), a summer school for public school teachers (1879), a school of theology (1881), and a series of clubs for young people interested in reading, music, fine arts, physical education, and religion. In 1883, the Chautauqua University was established. The university closed in 1898. But the Chautauqua Institution continues a summer adult education program and makes its facilities available to other interested groups.
The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
is a correspondence school with courses in such fields as history, literature, science, and art. Founded in 1878, it is one of the oldest U.S. correspondence schools. It influenced adult education leaders in many countries.
Tent Chautauquas
were traveling groups that operated in the United States from 1903 to 1930. They moved from town to town giving lectures, concerts, recitals, and shows in a tent. Their popularity decreased with the development of radio and other forms of entertainment.
See also Lyceum.
