Jewish Chautauqua Society class books and proceedings, The.
The Jewish Chautauqua Society
[Judaica]. Harris, Maurice H. Jewish History and Literature. A Course of Lessons from the Rise of the Kabbala to the Expulsion of the Jews by Spain. The Fourth Syllabus in the Course in the Chautauqua System of Education, Department of Jewish Studies. Philadelphia: Jewish Chautauqua Society, 1899.
12mo.; staples, rusted and loose at pastedowns; bookplate and written number on front pastedown, discreet numbers on rear endpaper, rear pastedown stained; green paper-covered boards, cloth spine, edgeworn.
Boxed with:
Papers Presented at the Fifth Annual Session of the Summer Assembly of the Jewish Chautauqua Society. Held at Atlantic City, N. J., July 7 to July 28, 1901. Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1902.
12mo.; bookplate front pastedown; library pocket and card on rear endpaper and pastedown; stamped occasionally throughout, not affecting text; red cloth, lightly edgeworn; tan printed label on spine.
Boxed with:
Joseph, Morris. Course-Book on the Jewish Religion. The Chautauqua System of Jewish Education. Interleaved for students’ notes. Philadelphia: The Jewish Chautauqua Society, 1908.
12mo.; stapled; green wrappers, lightly rubbed and edgeworn, spine hand-labeled.
Boxed with:
Jewish Education Historical Survey. The Chautauqua System of Jewish Education. Philadelphia: The Jewish Chautauqua Society, 1912.
12mo.; stamped on title page and once internally, discreet writing on rear endpaper; brown wrappers, library pocket and writing on inner front cover.
Four volumes that collectively reflect the range of activities undertaken by the Jewish Chautauqua Society, established in 1893 to educate the public about Judaism. It was part of a general Chautauqua movement in America, named after the adult-education summer institute established at Chautauqua Lake, New York in 1874. Originally a religious (Christian) program, the first Chautauqua was expanded to include general classes and lecture series in the arts, sciences and humanities, as well as providing entertainment. The success of the summer program led to a correspondence school and the publication of material for study groups. The Jewish Chautauqua Society was one of approximately two hundred groups that adopted the same ideal of popular adult education. The Society achieved this goal through annual meetings (particularly geared towards religious school teachers), a correspondence school, publication of education materials, and, starting in 1910, summer school lectures at universities. By 1941, the Society sponsored lectures at 168 colleges, reaching 200,000 students of all faiths.
The two syllabi, Jewish History and Literature and Course-Book on the Jewish Religion, represent the Society’s most influential type of publication; both were composed by leading scholars. Maurice Henry Harris (1859-1930) received his A.B., A.M., and Ph.D. at Columbia; he was the rabbi of what became the leading Reform congregation in the country and the author of many textbooks, including another Chautauqua outline. Joseph Morris (1848-1933), an English rabbi, based the Course-Book on the Jewish Religion on his most famous work, Judaism as Creed and Life. The Course-Book was Harry Levi‘s copy—a rabbi, Levi wrote a Chautauqua course-book of his own and was influential in instituting local Chautauqua conventions; he also taught tolerance between Jews and Christians and was the author several other articles and books. His bookplate is on the inner front cover; an unknown hand, presumably a student of Levi’s, has answered several of the questions in the first three lessons. Both books outline courses, with required readings, recommended readings, suggestions of items to focus on, and review questions. Individual readers, study groups, and religious school classes all used the syllabi to direct their reading.
In addition to the course-books, the Jewish Chautauqua Society held annual sessions, thre
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