Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1857-09-04

country papers are expected to follow him,
and the voters are to follow them. That is
Democracy -
THE JOURNAL ON CAMP MEETINGS.
I'VE admire an independent, out-spoken
paper, one that reproyes vice, and seeks to
promote virtue, let the blow fall where il
may. We would not admit any other into
our family. 1t is nonsense to say that such
and such things are not the business Of edi-
tors. Whatever affects public morals OF
the public good is their business, and the
editor who, entertaining view Of the mis-
chievous tendency Of a certain thing, is
afraid to express his opinion, is unfit for his
place. Hence we admire the independence
of the STATE Journal in pitching into Camp
Meetings, last week. Taking occasion &c
soticc a camp meeting near this city, i
1.-THE day has past when camp meeting:
are necessary In this age, wherechurches
are large, plentiful, and commodious, camp
meetings are productive of much more harm
than good :. The great majority of people
who attend them 90 for the same idle curl
osity that induces them TO attend circus OF
any other tented show The meetings AFFORD
a pretext for the assembling of all the row.
dies and FOUNDERS in the country for miles
around More drunkenness and licentious
ness attend one camp meeting of three days
| duration-especially if one Of those days
| be Sunday-than accompanies the assem-
bling Of the people together in any other
public manner for twice the length Of time
1t is time the religious part of community
was viewing these things in their proper
| light ~ saI -
Now that's plain and out-spoken. II
gives the opinion of the paper (for, be il
known, the paper is snit) in regard tc
camp meetings, just as it has right to do
and, entertaining such views, just as it is in
duty bound to do. If these meetings are
twice as productive of drunkenness and Ii
centiousness as circuses, theatres, cor any
other tented shows, the editor ofthat paper
and of every other paper should condemn
them te m
But the editors opinion. and the facts may
be at variance There are thousands equal
" as talented, and equally as well informed
and quite as deeply interested in promoting
good morals, who believe differently, after
many years observation.
Why should camp meetings be the most
pernicious class of meetings. Is there
anything in the appropriate exercises Of
such a meeting that should tend to Icen
tiousness Does preaching, praying, sing
ing, and exhorting, in the open air, tC
vast multitude, demoralize more than
similar exercises in house7 There are in
deed large numbers Of lewd menand womer
who attend these meetings-drunkards anc
gamblers attend, but the meetings neither
make them such, nor afford them unusua
facilities for developing their wickedness.-
They simply concentrate what would be JUS
as injurious If more diffused, and persons
who roam around the out-skirts, and asso-
ciate chiefly with the baser sort, conclud,
that the devil has bill of sale for the
whole affair Men, accustomed to see bu
an occasional demonstration Of wickedness
seeing its development when thus concen
trated, attribute all to the camp meeting
while those who 60 to worship or who con-
fine their observation to the conduct of th,
better portion Of the people are butlittle an
noyed By rowdies. That wicked men anc
women attendcamp meetings is no argumen
against them, but otherwise 1t is tina
suchpersons, who contemn the ordinary ser
vices of the sanctuary, may be brough
within the influences Of the Gospel tina
these meetings are held, and there ar,
thousands Of living witnesses of the efficacy
of this means of arresting the attention o
Maynard sinners who had resisted all 9th
ers.
The time Of camp meetings lis not past
and never will be- While the devil uses Sc
so many agencies to ensnare and ruin man
the church should forsake none. Tha
camp meetings have been useful, none will
deny. IL Christ could preach and teach Of
the mountains, and in the fields, away from
the confusion Of the cities, his follower
should do so too.
With such laws as now exist in Indiana
(thanks to preachers meddling with politics
TO protect camp meetings, no meeting nee'
be disturbed by rowdies. No congregation
ever worshipped in this city ..or elsewhere
with less annoyance than did the congrega
ton on the camp ground last week, includ
ing Sunday. The only objection to cam
meetings is that people are getting rich 81
fast-have so much business-such larg
farms-such large stores-large shops, tina
they cannot take time TO attend to the ..feas
Of tabcrnacles When they were poorer
or when their fathers we're poorer the,
could spare weeks time and the necessa
ny funds 10 60 10 camp meeting. They hav'
now only time TO work, time TO fret, an,
time 10 die, aud the settlement Of their estat'
dcyelopes the fact that, with oil their hast
and grudging, they leave but little more 70
their children than their less hasty fathers
whileitis evident that they have laid up mucl
less treasure above. With men who hay'
time TO do good, and who feel that the con
version Of their children aud their neigh
bors is an object camp meetings will eve
be precious, though they may be despised b.
others.
TRUE AND FAITHFUL