Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-08-31
FROM THE OAMPzMEETING.
Correspondence of the IntelHgeucer.l
CAMP GROUND, Castlemau's Run,
cs..l -. 00t1, 1890
Sunday, Aug. 18th, IS

and hear all that was see-able or hear-able on an
occasion of this sort. In the village one mile
from here-Bethany-he procured himself
slow going quadruped, not being much of an
equestrian, and proceeded quietly and digni-
fied-ly along in the wake of the general cayal-
cade of buggies, carriages, horses and pedes-
TRANS that lined the road far the eye could
reach. "What went ye out into the wilderness
! to see?n was a question that was asked in a
long gone time of the crowds that were rushing
Ipell:mell after man that fed OH locust and wild
IhOney, and said strange and curious things. 1t
occurred to your reporter as he looked at these
Epeople, that the same question would be as
tmuch poser to these crowds as it was to. the
Ipublicans and sinners of old. Therefore, not
wishing to embarrass any body, he didn't pro-
lpound the interrogatory, but contented himself
with the quiet reflection, that they were going
lpretty much for the same reason as they would
go to horse race, militia muster, or any 9TH
err thing that bid fair to afford considerable of
sensation; After thus meditatively jogging on
to the end OF his journey. your reporter sudden
ly lifted up his eyes, and behold, like BalalS, the
son of Beor, the white tents thickly dotting this
beautiful and famous old Camp Ground-and
Ilike him, almost felt like exciaining, Chow
Igoodly are thy tents, o Jacob-and thy taber-
inacles, 0 Israeli" Surely, even to dissenting
nondescript like your reporter, it was pleasant
and very suggestive sight to see, in this shady
and secluded vale-shut out, as it were, from all
the world around these tents pitched meath
the shade of these trees, beside the murnuring
stream, just as they had been year afteryearfor
this half century past The Castleman's Run
Camp Ground is known almost wherever Metho-
dsm is known over the country-(and where is
1T thatit is notS) For generation or more it
has been a sort of Mecca for all good Metho-
Gists, everywhere hereabouts, for fifty miles
round, and to it they have come with their
wives and their little ones, with their bag and
| baggage, to enjoy season of good old fashion,
sTaying foliage of these DID, SCARED, nail driven
and torch singed trees, the fathers and mothers
of many of these here present to day, have sung
and prayed and shouted-have eaten and drank
and slept, in years long gone, and thereforeitis,
no doubt, that the sput has become a hallowed
and consecrated heritage to these, their kinsuen,
either in the flesh or the spirit. Long ago, an.
other anil more primitive people came here 10
worship. They came, not SO many of them in
carriages and buggies, but in old fashioned,
| squeaking wagons, covered with canvass, over
rough roads, with their families strewn promis-
cously among the bedding, the pots, kettles and
pans They came after the crops had all been
cut and harvested, eager with their sturdy
| hearts, (and hands if necessarily for a fray with
| the devil and his emssarieS. The little vale
here is a picturesque one, apparently designed
| by nature for some such purpose. 1t is a green
plat of ground of few acres, shut out from all
| the world, save by the narrow defileS through
which it is reached from the east and west It
is almost overshadowed at this season of the
| year by the heavy foliage, the precipitous noun
tain sleeps which rise high on every side, and
the sombre shades lend to the impreSSveness
OF the scenes often occurring underneath them.
Along and high up the sleeps today wet and
disagreeable as it is, were to be seen squads of
persons seated here and there some talking, 9th.
ers looking, others again eating water melons,
| smoking cigars, &C., while below them, were
Ouggies, wagons, go-carts and carry-ails of every
sort and size, together with unharnessed and
saddle horses scattered about in every place
where they could be-
Arrived within the encampment, / found the
seats pretty well filed The space around the pull
pit was filed with the leading brethren and sisters
who had Just commenced stirring tune which
asst swclled up from the people inside and outside
the tents, was calculator to enlived even slug
gish temperament. The pulpit, with capacity
| Tor ten or dozen, seemed to be about full
Among them were the Revs. Holmes Hudson
Stevens and Others well known on this camp
| ground for years past. After song or two and
prayer, the Rev. @. a. Holmes (sonof George
| Holmes, once an old ''war horse in the cause
known all over Western Virginia and Pennsyl-
vana for his eccentricities, especially for being
addicted to sarcasm to an unsound degree for a
man of "the white tic,'D got Gp, took his text
and proceeded. His text was the 2Sth>versc of
the Sth chapter of Romans reading thus
And know that all things shall work together for good to
them thatlove God: to them who according 10
his purpose.
The gist of his discourse was to upset the
tenets Of John Calvin and to vindicatc the Ar
mcnian views held by pretty much all the fol-
lowers of John Wesley-or, in other. words, to
show that the gospel was not intended for A.
more than b.; or, in still other words, that it was
intended as it proclaims-for every cseaturc
whether he or she be Jew or Gentile-5 Greek or
barbarian. Ionce heard this Rev. Mr.. holmes
OF, as he was then called. "Charley Holiness
when was quite lad, and he not much more
He was then a boy preacher-somewha hike the
chap that made so much fuss out in Missouri du.
ring the recent awakening" and was considera-
Bile ofa pet among the older brethercn aud sisters
He was then Precocious, it was thought, and full
of promise. OF late years, however, have
heard very little about him, and rather suspect
that like most precocious youths, he stopped off
lat period when other youths have just clearly
begun to develope. His scrrnon to. day was a Ia
the old man-with the old man (like Hamlet) left
out-and consequently did not impress me tre-
.ucudously. Notwithstanding, it was good
better than ordinary. One of his fathers oddi-
ties came nppermost, in this reinark--"that he
would rather be damned than carried to heaven
against his withdrawing, OF course, that he
took but little stock in the Calvanistic notion
that some men would get there vi at arms as
lit WERE
4 But mnSt close hero f,y. tlis .Iat+srs +,,,t;,