The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-30
Methodist summer Gatherings.

to the people at all times
Methodist Summer Gatherings.
Camp meetings have become an absolute
necessity to the maintenance of American
Methodism and every year finds their num-
Der increased and increasing. This year more
than ever they have been multiplied, until we
have within easy ride of New York nearly
score Of such meetings to be held during July
and August. With the advent of the Fourth
of July some of those will be in full trim, Sea
Cliff Grove, Long Island leading off, There
are thousands of good people in the country,
we have no doubt, who would mourn the loss
of the camp meetings as they would an only
son; and yet these meetings are not what
they once were. Nor are they now continued
wholly under the inspiration of the idea with
which they were first started, AS means of
reaching the fashionable city masses who
take their summerings in the country
the camp meetings are great failures. But as
a means of social enjoyment on a scale much
more extended than city life affords they are
great success. They bring together larger
number of Methodist Christians, and very often
Christians from other denominations, than are
ever found gathered together elsewhere, and
there is a freedom and ease Of grace and man
ner in those gatherings which go far toward
modifying the asperities of human nature and
bringing Church people more closely together
than they would otherwise be brought. Camp
meetings, too, are not without their spiritual
fruits, though, looked at in this light only, they
do not pay.
But modern camp meetings have another,
and in some instances manifestly more i'm
portant, feature. They are now for the most
part magnificent land speculaions A num-
Der of wealthy men, ministers and laymen,
organize an association, buy up eligible
pieces of property at two, three or five hun
dred dollars an acre, which they sell by the lot
at four or five times that sum per acre.
In this way they turn an honest penny. But
his speculative spirit is deteriorating tn
tmeetings more and more, and diverting them
from their original purpose Formerly the
church people were content to get away into
some quiet outof-the-way grove, like that at
Sing Sing to spend few weeks Of religious
rest and retirement beyond the din and tur-
MOL of city life and the vexations of fashion
able society But now the nearer they can get
to the fashionable resort the better they like it.
Hence two Of the most prominent camp
grounds Of the country have grown up within
few years near Saratoga and Long Branch,
the two great fashionable resorts Of the coun-
try. The idea was to give fashionable church.
goers all the advantages of fashionable life
without the supposed disadvantages which
they would have to endure by going merely to
Long Branch or to Saratoga, had they no
camp groves near those places. 1t was thought,
too, that the successors of the Galilean fisher
men might be able in this way to draw some
fashionable and wealthy fish into their nets
But in this they have been disappointed, and
the fish have rather captured the fishermen.
1t is, Of course, legitimate for the Church to
go after the people wherever she may find
them but if she seeks their good she should
not conform her practices to theirs; yet,
in part, this is what has been done and what
Christians are still doing. Calling rose a
thistle will not make it one; nor will calling
land speculation camp meeting make it serve
the original purpose Of camp meetings.
There are several new groves to be opened
during the next and succeeding months, and
it is to be hoped that their managers will profit
by the faults or follies of those that have gone
before them. In many of the camp meetings
an iron rule prevails touching the closing of
the gates against all Sunday corners. This,
we think, is mistake Christians should not
be more exclusive in their grove meetings than
in their church meetings and, as they would
not think of shutting their church doors
on Sunday to keep out those who might
desire to enter, neither should they shut
out Of their groves those who might
wish to hear the proclamation of the Gospel
under the canopy of heaven on the Lords
Day The plea that such proceeding would
encourage Sunday travel is not we'll founded,
and if it were the necessity is the greater
therefore, that the Church should absorb some
of this surplus city population, whose travel
she cannot prevent, and perhaps make Sab
bath keepers of the Sabbath breakers. Weare
glad that the rule against selling beverages Of
any sort on the ground is very generally en-
forced. It ought to be universally so, for the
devil is very willy, and if he gets an inch he
win take an ell. Every avenue of approach
whereby either he or his emissaries as vendors
OF any unchristian thing may enter should
therefore be carefully guarded
PRoGREss OF THE ULTRAMoNTANE WAR IN
GERMANY.-Our Berlin correspondent, on
another page of the HERALD to-day details
the progress of the war between Church and
State in GERMANY The Jesuits the principol
objects of attack, are to be outlawed in man
ner if Bismarck can carry his point. The
Reichstag, some time since, on motion in
troduced by one of its members, requested the
government to frame bill regulating the organ
ization of religious orders within the empire.
No way slow to obey the request, the federal
council has performed that duty. The bill, as