Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1871-08-09
VOLUME X. NO. 20.

church fashion, with alsles, tbOugu lie
seats are plain, rough boards, without
backs. The pulpit Is nothing but a
platform with a plain deal table stand
/ ing upon it, and a few chairs for the
reverend orators The tent viii hold,
when packed TO the utmost, perhaps
three thousand persons, though an Ell
thusiaslic lady with whom l was talk
ing last night assured me that seven
thousand had repeatedly been within
the sacred incIosure.
Three thousand persons, however,
make up pretty goOd-sized crowd. and
one before which almost any public
speeker might be willing to appear with
complaeency. Weralher fancy thai Mr..
Daniel Rice or Mr.. Adam Forepaugh or
Mr.. James Robinson would either oi
them be very well pleased at seeing a
crowd of three thousand gathered with
in the boundaries Of their canvases es-
pecialIy if they paid their usual per cap
ital of fifty cents, and we doubt not any
of the clerical brethren gathered here
will not quarrel that this tent Il beg
pardon, tabernacle) will not hold more
when he sees it filled with attentive lis
teners. At least they ought to be.
FEEDING AND LODGING.
The provisions for feeding and lodging
this enormous crowd are of course no
small matter. The contract for furnish
ing this, which would seem to be a
profitable as well as big undertaking,
has been let to Mr.. Aaron Wiley, of this
city, and Mr.. James Watson, of the
Henrie House, Cincinnati, which is in
itself sufficient guarantee that it will
be well attended to.
And then there are the usual
number of candy shops, soda-water and
ice-cream stands, barber shops, ct id
oBlne genus, all of them conducted with
a propriety and solemnity that is charm
ing indeed.
1 RELIGIOUS EXERCISES.
To-day is the first day of the meeting,
and has been consequently devoted al
most wholly to getting ready. This af-
ternoOn at three o'clock the first meet
ing was held in the grove, but the at
/ tendance was small, large majority of
/ the tent-hOlders being occupied indoors.
The exercises, however, were gone
through with, and consisted mainly of
singing, prayer, and an Introductory
discourse by Rev. Mr.. Inskip. To-mOr-
row the regular exercises of the meet
ing will be commenced in earnest.
URBANA, August ,, 1871.
AT the time my letter of yesterday
was brought to close, the first religious
services Of the camp-meeting were still
in progress. These exercises were
brought to conclusion shortly before
| five o'clock by a reverend gentleman
offering a most extraordinary prayer,
in which, among other crude and inn
possible things he prayed that a ''stream
of salvation might be allowed to flow ID
thousand miles wide and running both
ways" To the credit, however, of the
cloth we will say that such ridiculous
forms of expression as this have thus
far been infrequent. From six until
eight o'clock is the time devoted to sup
per, and the families who are running"
tents-fOr such is the form of expression
find it rather busy time. This be-
ing the longest sime not devoted to re-
ligiOus services during the day, it is an
hour sacred TO culinary pursuits and
neighborhood gossip, and besides being
the busiest, is perhaps the most enjoyed
of the whole twenty-fOur, by the major
ity of those here.
NIGHT on THE GROUNDS.
The evening exercises in the Taber-
nacle last night were of an interesting
description, consisting of preaching, ex-
hortations, singing and prayers. Quite a
number of persons present signified
disposition to have the prayers of the
Church offered in their behalf, and the
meeting was kept up until about half
past nine o'clock. An hour later the
bell sounded to put out the lights, and
perfect order prevailed over the entire
ground.
During the night a heavy storm of rain
came up, and those whose tents were of
fiimsy material or badly rooted soon be-
gan to appreciate that an elemental war
was in progress, which, though it threat
ened no real danger to them, in many
cases caused no little inconvenience.
My quarters here at the aHenner were
fortunately well protected, but many
others were less fortunate. A good
many were thoroughly drenched with
the rain. I could not help laughing at
an old lady from Cincinnati, who de-
clared that she changed her bed four
times during the night, and yet was
drenched and got desperate rheuma-
tism" after all. She insisted, however,
that she believed in camp-meetings as
much as ever.
MATHIS.
At five o'clock this morning the early
prayer-meeting took place in the Taber-
nacle. Despite the torrents of rain that
were falling at the time, am told that
it was well attended, and by no means
lacking in interest-an assertion which
1 was, and in future will he, ready to ac-
cept, rather than go to the inconven-
ience of a personal investigation.
This early meeting over, a couple of
hours are devoted to the preparatiOn- of
the morning meal, and such family and
Drivatp dpvOfiOnS aS usually fake n1npp