The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-10-11
DAILY PRESS.
.-.s CORTLAND
Monday Morning, October IL, 1869.
A sYes,ern Camp Meeting.
STRIKING SCENES In AN IOWA WILDERNESS.
CORTLAND


| Correspondence of the n. Y. Evening Postlr
t'''. CHICAGO, Sept. 2S, 1860.
| The session of scamp meeting' is Just clos
| ed. For the past few weeks the woods of the
| West have resounded with Methodist hymns
| and prayers and sermons. The religious be-
| liel which finds expression in vocal outbursts
| and physical excitement takes strong hold IN
| new regions, and the wide woods Of the West
and South. where churches are few, oiler the
| best fields for the labors of the devoted diSci-
pies OF Wesley who are generally the tore
runners OF the less demonStfatve styles of re-
igous instruction. Camp meetings" IN the
East, and near the large cities and towns, dlt-
fer widely from those on the frontiers, miles
away from the sound of the church9Oing bell
and where religious instructions are unire-
quent. -a ''-
In distant part OF Iowa, far away from
railroads and steamboats,, where Lature is just
beginning to yield TO civilization, and the VIII
derness is only dotted with cultivated fields.
lately found a busy scene. Within little
open space meu were erecting rude plat
form; others were pitching small tents; 9TH
els were building hasly structures OF rough
boards or b. u9hs in circle; covered wagons
filed with iami y utensils were ranged alOund;
women were preparing the MONDAY meal at
blazing fires on the ground, and children were
playing hide-aud-seek in the dense under
brush, or watching the proceedings with Gu i
Gus eyes. An old man approached me, say
ing: Light, stranger! aud stay to camp
meeting; ii will do ye good;', ana, willing to
add to my stock OF experience, L dismounted,
tetnered my horse, and joined the thron9
whose hospitality was freely rendered. The
afternoon was consumed in completing the
the preparations, the number OF attendants
constantly increasing, until by nightlal prob
ably a thousand persons OF all ages were as
sembled-rough, labor-worn men and women
| with honest iaces, but with bacSswoods man
nerS and attire. Ir ...l.et. sfa ..'f .u8
After the evening meal, as night came on,
| torches, candles and lanterns We're lighted and
| placed about the speakers stand, and at the
| blowing of horn the audience gathered and
seated themselves on logs, chairs, wagon seats
and boards around the platform, upon which
were thee or four plainly dressed preachers
OF serious mien, one Of whom opened the eX-
crcises by giving out a favorte Methodist
hymn, which the congregation joined in si- 6
ing with great fervor.
when the last note died away another
preacher, with a voice tatering with age but
clear and piercing, offered up a long prayer,
wonderfully adapted to the needs of his lis
teners, and as he increased in the fervor of his
supplcatods the eXclamations OF his hearers
| kept rising in intensity, willie the suppants
bent on their knees, threw themselves down,
leaped up and again prostrated themselves,
until the scene became perfectly fearful in It's
excitement. Then the old preacher gradual
| ly lowered his tones, allayIng the tide OF al.
| most phrenzed feeling until the final "Amen,'
| which was repeated with emphasis by the
whole multitude, and after a few minutes si-
| lence they arose and resumed their seats.
| 1t was now growing quite dark, and the
candles and torches faring around, showing
| the multitude in shadowy outline, made a
weird and impressive scene. Another leader
| then gave out Luther's sublime old hymn,
descriptive of the Judgment:
| l 'Great God what do see and hear, 81
| The end of things creaIed?' II
| And the company began to sing with great