Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1837-1839, 1837-11-11

Tfsvelling later one evening than usual, I ~
my way in tho midst Of those extensive ioFest
which still skirt some Of thoso western cities
Alter wandering about for SONS time, o. turnin
| Pfecipitous ridge which obstructed my course
! came suddenIy upon one Of those singular gath
erings Of the church militant, called camp meet
Jugs. Before me streached grove Of tall pine
| beneath whose dark foliage. and in striking
| contrast with the same, pitched numerous whit
tents embracing Z level Of several acres IN ex
tent, entirely devoid of underbrush, and carpete'
| with the falling tresses Of the over-hangint
| boughs. o., one side Of this enclosure, severa
feet from the ground plain lodge-quadrangul
arly formed Of rough boards nailed to the tree:
| with the pulpit in front, and benches around the
sides, for the elders and ministers who were t.
address the congregation, From this spot to va
rious points in the enclosure stretched in diverg
ing lines, the straight poles of1ofty pines, feIleG
for the occasion, across whose PROSTATE length
with the interspace Of here and there ga long
drawn asile," were laid the rude seats Of those
hardy worshipers. Innumerabie lamps were sus
pended on all sides Of the encampmenf, blending
their Pickering light with the glare ofpine torch
e. from the several tents where the evenings re-
past was in preparation, while millions Of fire
flies shot like tiny meteors along the dark open
ings Of the surrounding forests, and the eyes ol
the sleepless stars looked TO witness the de-
As paused to survey the wonderful scene,
the wild howl Of q wolf rang through the shud-
dcring air, and a moment after fawn passed me,
and bounding into the enclosure, ,opped down
exhausted in one Of the open aisles. This sim
guar instance was succeeded by dead silence,
tho speaker, who had just finished the last dis
course Of the evening. and was about reading
the concluding hymn. "Welcome," said the aged
man, with compassionate emotion, "welcome, poor
wearied and prosecuted wanderer, to the refuge
and rest We seek not in vai.:! We did well TO flee
your days been heightened and ye shall yet range
through the green places ofthe wilerdEess, wbero
the hand Of God bringeth forth the tender herb
and the pleasant water course, even for creatures
like We. Pilgrims Of the world continued he,
10 his hushed auditory, '@sha1I the beasts that
perish be wiser in their day and generation than
yc, who fashioned after the image Of all the All
wise? Flee to the fold Of God! The wild pi-
yeon shrinks to her covert at the scream Of the
wood hawk, and the roebuck bounds 1eetly from
he yell of the panther, while We, who en-
with many foes, having eyes, see not,
md cars, hear MOTTO heed not the voice of tho
,rowlcr. Wot ye not that We, like that poor pan
ing bind, were hunted up and down in this dark |
wilderness Of the worldf Flee TO the fold Of God!
both not temptation haunt your footsteps from |
he rising Of the sun to the going down thereof2-{
10Th not remorse dart his frey arrows into your
leediing hearts at evey turns Doth not con-
cience smite ye with its avenging sword when
yer ye turn deaf ear to the still small voice?
lee to the fold Of God! Do do not the cares Of
he world, its vanity and vexation Of spirit sur
,und yc, when We rise up and when We dream
reans! Flee to the fold Of God! Is not death
70 ever present shadow Of your earthliness and
'th not the prince Of the power Of the air-thc
ighty Nimrod Of your princeless souls-trace
'ur guilty souls along this pilgrimage Of sin9
fee on then, fellow sinners, fec to the fold Of
cd! wherein ye shall find refuge and rest. {
Vain were the attempts to depict the scene ,
oan.. the sobs, the hysteric shrieks Of the tes-
fed females, and indeed the convulsive shudder /,
the whole assembly, leave to the readers i'm
memory, II he has ever witnessed s
cling had little subsidized, the tremulous yet r
4 unmusical voice Of the late speaker was j
ard chanting that striking hymn:
ssop, poor sinner, ssnp and think, &c
Before you farther 60: e
Will you stop upon tho brink
on everlasting no! Ia
One listener after another joined in the strain,
presently tel thousand voices were blended IN =
D swelling symphony. I have listened to the c
dnieht neal Of the reused ocean and trembled I
nd The laundering Of the Niagara, but never e
n INV heart husled to breathlessness, as by the q
ing chorus Of that solemn anthem. The place;
. Scene-and the music Of that vast choir, fill q
2 tho depths OF the mOt0 1OfeSt WIN eCuOcS VI
rrible warning,-werc all calculated to make q u
yid impression even on mind the most obdu-
te. / sunk down on my blended knees, awe
ruck and ovorpowered. 1t seemed to me that a
cry voice was directed to myself, in eager
precation to fly from the brink Of the dreadful O
VS. to which "hope never comes at all" The e
rvice closed with the hymn, the worshippers {.
WY retired to THEFT respective tents and silence
d sleep resumed their quiet empire; but there n
emained, rivited 10 the earth, motionlcss and I!
Dne. Yet not alone, for the voice Of q mysteri-
. presence kept whispering in my ear, flee to Il
Q fold Of God! even the monitory "stop" of ~
Q thrilling hymn, rung like q trumpet from p
raven through the chambers Of my heart.
wed myself to the earth, and there all night, n
d the gloom of that loaely forest, and TIA moan Z
its solemn pines gazsdon tho phantoms Of mis- b
Mt hours, imploring light 10 my darkened spirit,
ergy to subdue it frey passioas-strength to ..
mask the specious vanities Of tho world, and IL
ego its momentary pleasures, for the unin,- 81
inable cycle Of an eternal beattudc, tall morn It
; dawned upon my silent vigil, and found me q
ssed with that inward peace which seems the Of
's1''' q heaven. "a,
the year l7lO, the Danish Of
Il, under the command Of Admiral Gyldenlserve, 81
sent to the Baltic in pursuit Of Swedish Aeet Pt
in consequence a the sudden sickness Of his g
~, he found il necessary to sail for Kioege Bay,
=