Dr. Bill, back to your original post...

I had something when I was little (not as long ago, since I was born in 1976) which sounds like it is a descendant of your Chautauqua. It was a slate (not a real slate, since magnets could stick to it) mounted on a box about 5" in height. The slate was tilted slightly toward you, the whole thing was meant to sit on a table. There were sliding doors somewhere on the box, and inside there were cardboard stencils. There were guides along the sides of the slate so you could slip one onto the slate and trace letters of the alphabet. Also inside were a whole bunch of alphabet magnets, so you could spell things on the slate that way. As I recall, there was a lot of information on those little cards.

I'd completely forgotten about it until I read your post. Thanks for reminding me - it was a favourite toy of mine, too!