Curious minds keep a southern Minnesota book group going for 142 years
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In every corner of Minnesota, there are good stories waiting to be told of places that make our state great and people who in Walt Whitman’s words “contribute a verse” each day. MPR News sent longtime reporter Dan Gunderson on a mission to capture those stories as part of a series called “Wander & Wonder: Exploring Minnesota’s unexpected places.”
Chester A. Arthur was president and the Civil War was still fresh in the national memory in 1883 when eight women, drawn together by their love of literature and learning, formed Blue Earth's first Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle.
Chautauqua then was a fledgling American cultural and social movement with roots in upstate New York. Its founders believed reading in the arts and sciences would broaden education beyond America’s gilded elite. By the early 20th century, some 10,000 groups had formed.
By the 1930s, though, the movement began to fade as public education expanded in towns and cities. In many towns, these learning groups eventually foundered.
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But not in Blue Earth. At 142 years old, it’s believed to be the second oldest continuously operating Chautauqua circle in the country. It’s a tradition the current circle of women embraces each time they meet.
‘A fire to be kindled’
The Blue Earth circle is named in honor of Julia Mitchell, the group’s founder and a local minister’s wife. The women come together twice a month at a local church. Over the decades, its membership has run a steady eight to 12 women.
These days, their meetings start with the Pledge of Allegiance, a prayer and a pledge with words that invoke the ancient Greek philosopher Plutarch: “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”
There’s no food, coffee or wine served. They want the focus to be on books and conversation.
The discussion on this day centers on the young adult novel “Mexican WhiteBoy” about a 16-year-old trying to navigate the multiethnic crosscurrents of life in San Diego. Elloyce Queensland, a 93-year-old retired teacher who’s been part of this reading group for more than 30 years, leads the talk.
“I would say we have a very lively discussion each time,” Queensland said. “And I just love the group because I think we all like reading. We all like books. We have curious minds, I think, and we like each other.”
At 77, retired teacher Lil Robinson is one of the younger members of the Julia Mitchell circle.
“After a steady diet of young adult literature teaching seventh grade English, I knew I needed something a bit more challenging,” she said. “And boy, does Mitchell fit the bill. I mean, the books we read are so varied.”
And sometimes the discussions are spirited.
“Oh, God, yes, We have probably our best discussions when there is disagreement, because we’re not like the current political climate. We don’t name-call. We don’t spew lies. We just share our thoughts,” said Robinson as other members laughed.
The easy banter and laughter reflects a level of comfort among members despite political and philosophical differences.
President Rita Frundt said trust makes for a safe space. “Maybe within our book club, we feel freer to disagree than we would other places in town where we don’t know what kind of response we might get for our opinion.”
A chance to join ‘the learned class’
The Chautauqua circle was created for women, and with few exceptions remained so over the decades. The chance to study Latin and noted literary works offered an important educational opportunity for women, said Randy Anderson, executive director of the Faribault County Historical Society.
“You were part of the learned class and Minnesota, I think, has always been kind of an egalitarian state when it comes to women in higher education. I think it's sort of the Scandinavian spirit,” Anderson said.
The southern Minnesota circle started as a Sunday school training for teachers. “It became so popular that all kinds of people wanted to study,” explained Barb Baker, historian of the Blue Earth group.
The early members were mostly local women of means, she said. “They were mostly like the banker's wife, and you know that type of person who wasn’t struggling, who maybe even had a maid at home to wash the clothes and make the food, because who had time to read these books?”
Circle members could earn a type of diploma by completing a reading list and associated work over four years. Thirteen of the 16 charter members earned diplomas. While not an accredited college degree, the diploma was important to the women who pursued it.
“There was no way that people out in the country could get to college,” Baker added. “So this was a wonderful thing.”
As public education became more accessible, the Chautauqua education groups in many communities transitioned to more of an informal book club.
The Blue Earth circle reading list from 1883-84 included Coleman E. Bishop’s “Pictures from English History, by the Great Historical Artists,” “Preparatory Latin Course in English,” by William Cleaver Wilkinson and J.H. Wythe’s “Easy Lessons in Vegetable Biology.”
There was also some Greek history, tips on human behavior and a bit of Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Book choices are different now, but still intended to create discussion around contemporary issues.
Despite the Blue Earth circle’s staying power — only the Abbie A. Hatch Literary and Scientific Circle in Illinois is older and still meets monthly — Frundt says keeping the group going is a challenge.
“Because most younger women work, this (group) has always met in the afternoon, and the age group of the people who are in it now do not want to go out at night,” she said. “So, yeah, I think it’s an issue. I don’t know how this is going to happen. We pray for a long life, I guess.”
