New Chautauqua

You wouldn’t believe it, but it’s true. Last night on the quad at Keene State College, William Jennings Bryan literally talked up a storm.

What, you say? William Jennings Bryan couldn’t possibly have spoken at Keene State last night, having died in Dayton, Tennessee on July 26, 1925? Well, here’s photographic proof. On a hot New Hampshire night, who other than Bryan (best known for being the inspiration behind the fiery fundamentalist in the play-turned-movie Inherit the Wind) would be working the crowd in a three piece suit?

Unless some mad scientist has let his time machine run amok in southern New Hampshire, there’s only one explanation for why Bryan, 19th century anti-lynching activist Ida Wells-Barnett, and an incognito Teddy Roosevelt were mingling with the masses at Keene State last night. The 2005 Chautauqua has come to town!

Chautauqua is an annual event sponsored by the New Hampshire Humanities Council. The term “Chautauqua” dates back to 1874, when the Chautauqua Institute in New York began offering summer adult education programs for Sunday school teachers. Featuring presentations on the arts, religion, and education, the Chautauqua Institution created a format copied by other organizations offering traveling programs with lectures, dramatic presentations, and musical performances. Like the American lyceum system, Chautauqua is rooted in the 19th century, when a society without radio, television, or Internet relied upon lectures and public debates to educate and entertain.

In New Hampshire’s annual Chautauqua, a cast of scholar-actors in period dress bring historical figures to life: in addition to Bryan, Wells-Barnett, and Roosevelt, this summer’s Chautauqua features presentations by Thomas Edison, peace activist Sarah Farmer, and restaurant entrepeneur Fred Harvey. Gathered under the theme of “America Reinvents Itself,” the 2005 Chautauqua encourages audiences to get into the mindset of 1905 America by bringing part of history alive. After hearing a lecture by a historical figure, audience members can ask that person questions in order to better understand the issues and arguments that underpin today’s American society.

Although thunderclouds descended–and then opened–before William Jennings Bryan (portrayed energetically by A. Theodore Kachel) could tackle the famously hot topic of evolution, my four-legged “date” and I enjoyed Dr. Brucella Wiggins Jordan’s portrayal of Ida B. Wells-Barnett, listening as we did from a comfy patch of grass just outside the Chautauqua tent. Jordan’s performance illustrated the historical knowledge and on-the-spot spontaneity a scholar turned historical reenactor must display on the Chautauqua stage. After Jordan had used the term “lynching” to refer to the 1892 shooting deaths of three African American businessmen in Memphis, Tennessee, an audience member asked what the word “lynching” meant. Mindful that her primetime performance was attended by a score of families with young children, Jordan in her role as Wells-Barnett answered the question delicately, defining “lynching” as an extra-judicial killing without divulging too many gorey details of how these killings took place.

Although American history might not be the most popular academic subject, last night’s crowds were, like Reggie, all ears, eagerly listening to Wells-Barnett’s and Bryan’s lectures and asking thoughtful questions afterward. This isn’t to say, though, that my four-legged companion didn’t occasionally succeed at stealing the show, attracting more than his share of passing admirers, including Theodore Roosevelt himself. It seems Dr. Doug A. Mishler, who portrayed Roosevelt on Thursday night and served as emcee on Friday, is a dog lover, making a beeline from the Chautauqua stage to give Reggie a pat. Later (after Reg and I took an intermission break to find a water fountain) Mishler again cooed over Reg, remarking that only a well-cultured dog would drink neatly out of a paper cup. I’d tend to agree, and elaborate: only a well-cultured dog would attend Chautauqua in the first place.

If you’re in the Granite State and are looking for more than a cupful of culture, you can check out the 2005 Chautauqua tonight at Keene State College, July 24 at Greeley Park in Nashua, or July 25-27 at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth.