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end of the century. Delsarte based his system on a theological belief that everything was essentially triune in composition (based on the trinity of the Godhead). Delsarte divided every part of expression into a pattern of three or nine. For example, he classified gestures according to "zones" of the body: the torso, the vital zone; the head, the intellectual zone; and the face, the moral zone. Movement also had a trinitarian representation: about the center was normal, away from the center was eccentric, and towards the center was concentric (Robb, 143-144). American teachers appropriated Delsarte's system and added their own changes to develop a system of exercises designed to provide grace and proper posture, thus Delsarte's system affected physical education as well.
A unique course offered during the 1895 session was the Interpretative Recitals by S. H. Clark. First offered at the New York Chautauqua the previous summer, they were billed as “a new
departure in the study of literature” ( The Florida Chautauqua, 1895, 5). In essence, the programs were lecture-recitals.
At the beginning of the lecture, the attention of the audience is directed to some fundamental principle in poetic art, as unity, contrast, dramatic background. Each is carefully explained and illustrated. Then the lecturer reads with running comment some great poem, elucidating the above principles, giving to the listener a criterion to which he can thereafter refer (The Florida
Chautauqua, 1895, 5).
This use of performance to illustrate literary devices was a new departure for both the study of literature and the instruction of
interpretation in speech. This approach skillfully combined education and art competence. The individual was more capable of appropriating the poetry once she/he grasped the principles.
Solomon H. Clark was a significant figure in the field of
performance studies. In 1897, two years after this presentation, Clark, of the University of Chicago, along with William B. Chamberlain from the Chicago Theological Seminary, published Principles of Vocal
Expression. Clark's primary interest was the mental technique of
interpretation. In the book, Clark stressed a conversational approach to interpretation and provided numerous activities in "colloquial diction" (Robb, 173) for students. Even at this early date Clark's shift from emphasizing delivery technique to emphasizing the literature itself was evident.
Literature contains two elements, the intellectual and the
emotional. The intellectual part is that which deals with facts, for in the most ethereal poetry there must be a substantial basis. The intellectual side of literature deals with particulars, details. The contemplation of facts stimulates, under certain conditions, the poet's imagination: and that in turn stimulates his emotions. Now, the stirring of the poet's imagination is manifested in the language, style, and form in which his thought is clothed. Hence, it is our purpose to analyze literature in order that we may show that particular sounds or elements are uniformly used to express particular emotions (Chamberlain, William B. and Clark,
Solomon H., Principles of Vocal Expression, p. 386 quoted in Robb, 174).
Clark published Interpretation of the Printed Page in 1915. This work clearly indicates the shift from Elocution to Interpretation and a focus on the mental process.
The lengthy listing of those employed to participate as
performers or lecturers in the assembly also illustrates the expansion of the program over previous years. The program claimed that over one hundred individuals had been employed for the assembly. The
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Rogers’ Goshen Band (a standard feature for many years), the English Hand Bell Ringers, Bamesville Mandolin and Guitar Club, and various soloists. The five individuals listed under “Entertainments” include an impersonator, a reader, a missionary, and S. H. Clark, reader and elocutionist. The longest list, made up of more than thirty-five different speakers, appeared under “The Lecture Platform.”
The content of the assembly demonstrated a greatly improved offering over the 1893 session both in terms of basic numbers and diversity of content. The assembly appears to have rebounded. Religious offerings were comparable to previous years. Sundays always consisted of Sunday school, morning sermon, Vesper service, song service, and evening sermon. Each morning during the week a devotional time was set aside; however, the session had a noticeable decline in the number of general sessions which could be identified as religiously oriented. In earlier sessions there had been a varying number of lectures that were religious in nature. This was true even in the short 1893 program.
The 1895 program witnessed a significant increase in the
number of sessions that were entertaining in nature; many of them were strictly musical presentations. Concerts by Rogers’ Goshen Band, The Bamesville Mandolin and Guitar Club, and The English Handbell Ringers were an almost daily occurrence. The program included musical preludes before nearly every evening lecture time, and grand concerts, featuring multiple performers, were also frequent. Professor S. H. Clark’s presentation of Interpretative Recitals increased the number of speech and mixed entertainments presented.
Another category that showed tremendous increase was the general educational lectures. These lectures cannot be clearly
identified with another category. This assembly program included more than thirty general lectures. Lecture titles included many diverse topics, such as “The Growth of Constitutional Government in America,
Legislative Department,” ‘T h e Lost Atlantis,” T h e Average Man," “Ultimate America, Whither are W e Drifting, and What Will Be Our Destiny?” T h e Newspaper of Today,” and “Evolution as a Theory.”
While the program of 1893 gave cause for concern about the future of the Florida Chautauqua, the 1895 program represented an increasingly strong and vital assembly. The 1895 session also was something of a turning point in the thrust and mission of the assembly. Both in formal classwork and general sessions, this assembly placed a greater emphasis on education, formal and informal, with an increased interest in entertainments, and a concomitant decrease in religious activities. This was a fundamental re-definition of what kind of goods would be prized. The shift was essentially an economic decision. Greater interest in education and entertainment meant increased gate receipts. The Chautauqua was able to adapt to the shifting cultural scene in Northwest Florida. There was less interest in religion and more interest in education and entertainments. Over the next ten years, this shift was solidified and the Florida Chautauqua experienced its greatest period.