1995

Great orators past lay framework for war, peace talks—08/19-20/1955
As the 50th anniversary of World War II comes to pass, Chautauquans ponder the paradox of "War and Peace" in lectures, questions and porch discussions. This is not the first time for such dialogue.
   As early as 1931, with the outbreak of totalitarian aggression from Germany, Japan and Italy, each revolution of the globe brought humankind further along the downward spiral toward war. No other place in America, outside of Washington, was as informed with contemplative speeches and discussions as Chautauqua. At times, the drama of war overtook the activities and events on grounds.
   On the subject of war and peace no one spoke as eloquently or stately as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt did on Saturday, August 15, 1936. [read article]

A day in the life of a professional dancer—08/07/1995
While most people go to work in an office, a few hold office within themselves—artists. The daubs and flecks of a painter employ mind, arms and senses. The poet orders mind, voice and language into the business of a poem. Unlike any other artist, however, the dancer heads a vast corporation of muscle and bone, similiar to Time-Warner in scope, which produces a momentary manuscript of human capability for a consumer, the audience.
   Few people understand the business of the body. There is a tendency to separate the two, business from body. For Davis Robertson, a dancer in the Chautauqua Dance Company, every day requires total organization as a body and a business.
[read article]

Week 4 examines America's schools, industries—07/15-16/1995
The smell of wet mittens on the radiator and rubber cement mixed with color construction paper have faded from all memory of education in America—it's now concealed and corrupted under a stench with no known origin and no foreseen end.
   In much the same way, the American consciousness fears its inventiveness and industry could have run out of gas or could have been overtaken by a more speedy and streamlined foreign contingent. If the topic of Week Four, "World Competitiveness: U.S. Education and Industry," could be reduced to the cry of a children's fable, the question is not whether the "sky is falling," but whether the sky has already collapsed. In a week of lectures and porch discussions, Chautauquans face this task: the attempt to assess whether a ceiling exists for American enterprise and ideals.
[read article]

United Nations poised for active future—08/22/1995
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Transformed Kentucky leads states in education—07/19/1995
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May dissects arguments for active euthanasia—07/01-02/1995
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Choreographer Wildberger reinvents modern dance—07/08-09/1995
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Dancer finds rhythm in ceramics—07/05/1995
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Major General Smith exposes military strategy—08/24/1995
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1996

America On Trial
Elshtain charges Chautauquans to revitalize nation's democracy—06/28/1996
Alexis de Tocqueville commended us. Martin Luther King Jr. challenged us. Jean Bethke Elshtain finds us sleeping in the garden allowing our plants to wither away. In her Thursday morning lecture, Elshtain placed America on trial—an America living through an age of political resentment and withdrawl from civic life. At the onset of her lecture, Elshtain asked the question, "What can be done to revivify the American democracy?" [read article]

Platform explores evolving democracies—07/27-28/1996
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Election coverage illuminates poor reporting—06/26/1996
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A reader's voice from the past: Diaries unveil rich CLSC history—8/04/1996
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Economist addresses historical outlook in "Visions of the Future"—07/25/1996
[read article]