What is the Chautauqua Movement?

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July 28, Monday — U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis born, 1929. The remains of a prehistoric man were discovered near Kennewick, Washington, 1996.

July 29, Tuesday — St. Martha. Moon at perigee. Artist Vincent van Gogh died, 1890. Four inches of rain fell on Tucson, Arizona, 1959.

July 30, Wednesday — Elvis Presley made his debut performance at the Overton Park Shell, Memphis, Tennessee, 1954. Health is not valued till sickness come.

July 31, Thursday — St. Ignatius of Loyola. Actor Dean Cain born, 1966. The ashes of astrogeologist Eugene Shoemaker were deposited on the Moon, 1999.

Aug. 1, Friday — Lammas Day. New Moon. Eclipse of the Sun. A 16-inch snow cover remained at 5,550 feet on Mount Rainier, Washington, 1954.

Aug. 2, Saturday — In San Francisco, California, Andrew Smith Hallidie successfully tested the world's first cable car, 1873. Inventor Alexander Graham Bell died, 1922.

Aug. 3, Sunday — Conjunction of Saturn and the Moon. At 2:47 a.m., Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as U.S. president by his father at his Vermont homestead, 1923.

Traveling culture

Q: What can you tell me about Chautauquas?

— A.M., Miami, Fla.

A: The Chautauqua movement formed in the resort village by the same name on the western shore of Chautauqua Lake in New York. Reverend John Heyl Vincent and Lewis Miller proposed the idea in 1873 when they were attending a Methodist-Episcopal camp meeting. Their idea was that, in addition to the religious revival meetings, secular instruction should be included in the summer programs. Consequently, in 1874, the Chautauqua Institute was formed, which began eight-week-long programs of studies in the humanities, sciences and arts, with visiting speakers such as authors, explorers, scientists, musicians and political leaders, as well as various forms of entertainment to create a fairlike atmosphere.

Thousands of people attended the meetings, which provided a sort of summer adult education, as we might call it today. More people considered it culture; for those living nearby, it provided a long summer of interesting lectures and events from which to choose. Out of the original idea sprang smaller groups in other locations, as well as correspondence materials for home-study groups or individual study.

By 1912, the movement had become a more commercial format, and traveling lecturers and entertainers were organized to bring the Chautauqua to local groups around the country, for a fee. The traveling circuit continued strong for a good 12 years and then faded, but the Chautauqua assembly at the lake continued long after that. In 1961, J. E. Gould published a book called The Chautauqua Movement.

Bee lucky

Q: We've installed our first beehive this summer. Any lore that we should know?

— H.P., Henderson, N.C.

A: According to weather lore, when bees remain in their hive or fly just a short distance away, you can expect showers and rain. If they return hastily to their hive, bad weather is approaching. "Bees will not swarm before a storm" is the rhyming version. If bees start the day early, they will not perform a full day's work, it is rumored, but "When bees to distance wing their flight, / Days are warm and skies are bright."

Symbolically, bees are used to represent diligence, hard work, or organization. A dream of bees may be a fearful one because of their sting or may suggest overactivity or being overwhelmed by work or obligations. Being "busy as a bee" may be the road to success, but being the drone will get you nowhere. Some see bees as a symbol of conformity. In ancient legends, bees were messengers of the gods. Ireland and Scotland confer wisdom on their bees and countrymen begin any new venture by "telling it to the bees" in a hope for divine intervention. A bee in the house suggests that a visitor is coming, but a bee that dies in the house brings bad luck. Likewise, bee swarms have been considered bad luck.

A time for everything

Q: Inventions precede patents, obviously, but can you name some inventions that preceded their uses by some years?

— K.L., Santa Fe, N.Mex.

A: In some cases, the inventions evolved over time, making small improvements gradually until popularity increased. Certainly that was the case with the zipper, which you could say began as an invention in 1782 and didn't come into popularity until about 1838, when it was connected to Goodrich's rubber galoshes and found its name. Antibiotics began in 1910 and came into their usefulness about 1940.

Often, wartime applications or scientific advancements determined the success of a new invention. The heart pacemaker, developed in 1928, waited until about 1960 for the surgical advances to make it more practical. The helicopter was invented in 1904, but it wasn't considered useful until 1941, during wartime. Radar followed a similar course, beginning in 1904 also, and coming into usefulness about 1939. The radio was ready in 1890 and used around 1914. Television waited even longer, from 1884 to 1947. Oddly, the cigarette lighter was invented before matches, but because it required powdered platinum, it wasn't considered practical. Rubber tires (1845) were invented before automobiles, but they were used primarily for bicycles.

The Old Farmer's Almanac Weekly Riddle

Q: What kind of car has whiskers and purrs?

A: A catillac

Send your questions to: Ask The Old Farmer's Almanac, P.O. Box 520, Dublin, NH 03444. Visit our "Question of the Day" section at Almanac.com for more advice.