Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1871-08-09
The HIIIth. National
CdHlD-,HcetM9,
Held AZ Urbana, Ohio, Commencing
Aug. 1. And Closing Aug. IL. 1871.
URBANA, August /, 1871.

URBANA, August /, 1871.
THE OCCASION.
Most Of our pioneers, and particularly
those belonging to the Methodist church,
have for many years past spoken in re-
gretful terms Of the decadence Of the old
fashioned week Of camp-meeting, which
it was their custom, in earlier years Of
life, TO enjoy each summer. While adj
mitting that the occasion for engaging
in this Druidical manner of worship
was past, they have never failed to de-
plore the abandonment of the custom,
and to sigh for its return. This feeling,
in fact, has been so extended that dur
ing the last three or four years a large
number of congregations have decided
to revive the old custom and hold year
~ camp-meetings in Goods first tenn
pies" Oftimes adopting place of wOr-
ship and from choice the very groves
wherein their fathers were accustomed
to gather from necessity.
Sometime in the summer Of 1867, the
Rev. J. S. Inskip, of the Baltimore Con-
ference in Maryland, conceived the idea
of undertaking a special work in this di-
TectiOn by giving these meetings in diff
ferent parts of the country and under
the sanction Of the Church at large.
With this object in view, and assisted
by number Of coiaborers, he held that
year-a very large open-air meeting at
Vineland, New Jersy. The next year
he gave a similar, though still larger,
one at Mannheim, Pennsylvania. The
following year, 1869, another was given
at Round Lake, New York, while last
year he decided to enlarge the area of
his operations, ard held meetings at
Hamilton, Massachusetts; OakentOn,
Maryland, and Desplaines, Illinois.
Commencing early this year he has al
ready held meetings at Sacramento,
Santa Clara and San Francisco, Cali
fornia; at Salt Lake City, Utah; at
Round Lake, New York, and is now at
this place for the same purpose. All of
these meetings, excepting those in Cal
ifOrnia and the one I'm Salt Lake, have
been called National Camp-meetings,
principally because they were under the
patronage of no particular Conference of
the Church, but "runv rather Oh a gem
principle of evangeliZatiOn and ApOs-
tOlic labors. These meetings have gen
orally been very largely attended, draw
ing to them crowds of people for many
miles around. Whether these vast audi
ences generally come together with an
eye single to the worship of Col and the
furtherance of Christ's cause, or were
not rather prompted to have a weeks
recreation in the country, at the same
time throwing the responsibility there
for upon theirreigious natures, of course
it is impossible TO say. We think, how
ever, that persons of the latter class
might be found if they would wholly
UnbosOm their feelings. The weeks
recreation is certainly nothing wrong
The only pity is that they can not as
sumo it without charging the loss of time
and money to their exhausted spiritual
natures.
Mr.. Inskip, has associated with him
in this work the following named gen
tlemen, all of them, we believe, clergy
men of the Methodist denomination:
Rev. w. Mcdonald, Brooklyn, n. Y;
Rev. George Hughes, Camden, n. J.;
Rev. S. Coleman, Williamsport, n. Y;
Rev. w. L. Grey, Philadelphia; Rev. w.
Osborne, Newark, n. J.; Rev. L. R.
Dunn, of n. J.; Rev. c. A. Munger, of
Maine; Rev. w. T. Harlan, of Rhode
Island; Rev. A. CoOkner, of n. J.; Rev.
J. Thompson, Philadelphia; Rev. Geo.
Wells, Milwaukee, and Rev. J. E. Scar
les, New Haven.
THE PLACE.
But it is not of fcamp-meetiugs in gen.
eraI that T came to write, but rather of.
the particular one now being held at
this place. The camp-ground lies two
miles south of Urbana, and embraces a
track of forty acres of woodland, which
is owned in fee simple by the two
Methodist congregations of that town.
On the ground have been erected some
forty or sixty substantial, twO-stOry
frame cottages or tents, while perhaps
one hundred canvas wall tents are
ranged in rows running east and west.
The cottages are built around a quad
rangle which has been seated, apd at
one end of which preachers stand has
been erected. Here, every day during
the meeting, the greater part Of the
services are held. Indeed, on all pre-
viOus occasions of this kind, this has
been the only place where religious SER
vices were held, but on this exceptional
occasion there has been brought into
requisitiOn the huge tent in which the
previous national meetings have been
held, which has been christened the