The New York herald., 1845-08-15
Cafip Meeting ON Long Island.
FARMINGDALE. August IL. 1916

Cafip Meeting ON Long Island.
FARMKaDALE, August H. lSi5
Another Chapter of our Vsrac,ous Chronicle, of the
Camp Mceting-In mhich Men and Things are
treated Of tairiy and freely, and ,ciM all Respect
to 'the one Thing Needfm"
Early this morning there was no end to the stir
and hustle in this vicinity. From some cause or
other, have not heard accounted for Wednesday
is every year the gala day at the camp meeting here
and so it has proved this BY the railroad,
which is about one mile from the "hoy fair" any
number of vehicles were TO be seen--somc alter
landing passengers but the principal number Of them
willing to take freight OF all sorts, in furtherance OF
the good cause, at the rate of sixpence head for
passengers. 81 never" said gentleman who had
just arrived from New York-"saw anything lker
race course" "Lord, sir, replied reverend look
ing mortal, dressed in suit of rusty black, with
short cropped hair-"And sir, what wonder is IN
that-sure!y Il race course ought to be Ike race
course; this place, sir, Is dedicated tor the present
week to grand race for the prize OF our high cal
ling according to the injunction of the Apostle, run
that you may obtain Now, sir don't know whether
you are willing to the list not; at all events,
will and with the guidance of Provldence-the spur
of hope-and the whip OF fah shall not be idle until
get my crown OF glory. And yet, sir, although
yonder wood encloses race ground, and although
am humble competitor for the prIze-it IS as tar
from resembling horse race course-and am as
far from being jockey, or an animal, as Gal,
vanis is from being christian. Remember the old
adage-' A mans not horse II he's born IN sta
BILE; neither IS course necessarily profane horse
race course whatever remarks may be thrown out
against u.s." The Jealous parson paused-his face
became contracted-wlth benevolence, OF course
he gave glance OF such character at his coniuted
and wondering listener, cannot be interpreted nor
dlscerned by common, worldly eyes or language,
and turned away. sThey are .testy chaps, these
Methodist parsons" observed the other, as clear
and hat hell ra SnOhhS
let's have some sarsaparllia to wash that down :;
and off they wen leaving us to look in another
direction for some other pleasant and profitable incl
dent
As to the suffers and camp-folowers, there are a
very fairproportlon IN this division OF the Army OF
the Lord. We have any quantity OF those soft, sweet
and mclliiluous beverages which cool but lnebriate
not. believe there Is no other generic term tor
them but the homely one of ''rot-gut," which, ac-
cordlng 10 tradition, was first applied by Souter
Johnny to compound called a "Jug OF the Joke"
And yet impotent and harmless these draughts
are, except in as far the above quoted term Is ex
pressve OF some leading quality possessed by them
the committee have taken solemn vow that not on
y John Barleycorn but all the softer drinks are to
die. At last nine ten shops, stores and standings
are placed by the highway for the convenience Of
the traveller Fruit, confectionery, refreshments,
and all the rest abound and are bought eagerly by
the crowds of visitors AS tar as can learn they are
productive OF nothing In the form OF disorder or lr-
regularity, and not only this, but people find II great
convenience to be able to cut their coat according to
their cloth at these cheap establishments and the
conduct OF the committee is nothing short of lima
tured and vexaous and deserving of reprehension
in any one, but how much more when practlsed by
persons who profess the live-long day, except in
their intervals of mischief, TO be in immediate COM
munion with the King of Kings. God forgive
them.
On one side of the camp ground is spacious,
level tract of pasture, of several Around this
there were not less than ten twelve hundred car
rlages OF various kinds. Perhaps there was no ea-
ture observable there to-day more striking than this,
and It gave 1t the appearance OF a common far or
market rather than an assembly for an exclusively
religious purpose. Several thousand spectators
were seen roaming about here and there through
the rows of tents, during services, which show
that large portion of the men did not go exactly 10
be converted Nevertheless, an immenseiassemblage
collected in front of the preachers stand, which was
garnshed by, as near could count, score of
reverend wOrkmen, each ready and willing to divine
rightly the word in his turn. The female sex was
far in the majority, and tar as the fact is worth
any thing we put it to their credit deducting, how
ever, atrfe on account of their being two to one IN
the aggregate OF those who were on The ground-as
well non-worshlppers as worshippers during the
afternoon sermon in the middle OF the discourse, as
the speaker was descantlng most earnestly on the
terrors OF damnation cry OF the most piercing and
horrible onesJ smote our ears. The preacher stop
ped, stared and listened. Louder and louder grew
the diabolica yels-for nothing less can style
them. People arose and gazed in wild abstrac-
tion, to the broken and apparently angry ex-
clamations-it appeared as though some maleiactor
undergoing at the whipping post the excrucla-
ting torments of the cato'nine- -talls-or rather,
like the ferocious tuning OF the newly imported
denzen of the lake that bnrneth forever, as de-
scrbed by the author of Dialogues of Devils" AT
last the cry subsidized. The discourse was resumed
with one or two remarks, which gave us to know
that it was one of those gracious demonstrations OF
religion, alias workings OF the SPIRIT priced here
among the stumps and brusfwood, more valua-
bic than gold, and sweeer than honey and!he honey
comb.
One of the most curious specimens of the seek
ing multitude. was that OF man who was earnest,
constant and we may say offclous, in his declara-
ton OF Intentions relative to his pursuit of saliva
ton. lie was a broad shoudered solidly built sal.
lor, middle aged, and deeply tanned and beside the
deep brown, he wore tinge OF drollery his
vlsage that gave broad hint that he was up to bi
of fun. On the way down, he first emerged
from obscurity in the railroad car, which he prone
naded from one end to the other, with the coal
over his arm, and the free and easy gait of the tai
on deck Il say, messmates," said he, money is
no trouble 10 me there's enough in the locker, and
like Will Watch, dye see,
This night il I've luck, uis the sails Of my trading
In dock can lay serve a friend. too, beside.
Look ye I'm going TO be converted, and dammc
away won't go unless do. Idont want for none,
WHAT'S the world to man if his wifc's widow
Pm going to the camp TO be saved for Pm blow'd il
be castaway as long as there's plank III the Graf
of mercy to hold on" Thus he went in a stem
toran voice, becoming at times voclierous that
many OF the passengers thought his eccentricy hard
yredcened the annoyance he gave. We saw hin
ior the second time IN carriage entertaining some
hall dozen oi countrymen, between the railroad and
the encampment. Again we had the ediiicaton o.
observing hun In grave consultation with six or se
ven Methodist parsons just before preaching and i
was clear from the seriousness with which they chat
ted, that he had made decidedly favorable lmpres.
sion as to his sincerity in protesting TO be candi
date for share of the divine JUNCTION. Through tn,
whole service our friend, with the red shirt, was
Temarkable parsonage in the group no man wal
louder IN his amens,' nor more fervent in "glo
ries'-thc fact was, the rolcking sailor was glorious
all through, from beginning to end, and took deci
and lay.
But what is worthy Of note and beyond our com
prehenslon II all the stories we hear OF the eats
goodness annually performed at these meetings ar,
mol so hanY ibis. Is the fact that nnf a rehrohaf.