Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-08-13
CHRISTIANITY,
GshH1 Ne
sat..,. -etins Scene among the Free Meth
."-Unnatural and Profane Contor.
lions or" Converted New Jersey
Fanatics.

A New York Sun reporter who
has been running down among the
Methodists at their camp meeting
near Dover, N. j., tells of some
queer things be saw and heard.
The chosen spot is beautiful
grove on the mountain side, near the
verge of the Morris and Sussex turn
pike road, and equally distant from
Dover and Rockway. 1t was evil.
IDENTIFY the intention Of these relig-
ious enthusiasts to get as far from
the influences of the world as possi~
BILE.
eve are two and a half miles from
any whisky shops, and the further
away we get from them, the nearer
the Lord will come to u.s." said one
of the members.
The tents are pitched in circular
form on gradual slope. The
preaching stand is a rough affair,
with apartments in the rear for the
accommodation Of visiting clergy
men. In front are rude seats capa.
bic of accommodating nearly thou
sand persons.
AS the reporter entered the camp,
lights suspended from trees were
brightly burning. The people were
holding prayer.meetings in the vari-
Gus prayer-tents. In one of these
were heard POWERFUL shouts, groan-
ings, shrleks, and agonizing. Get
ting nearer, view of the scene dis
closing men and women lying thick
ly together on the ground. Many
Of them were stiff and helpless.
Their features were set as in death.
Their hands clutched firmly what
ever was within grasping reach.
Those who showed any signs of life
were giving forth agonizing shouts
and groans. The reporter remem.
bered that these persons were also
called shouting Methodists. He
learned that nowhere in the country
are they as loud as near Dover.
Their prayer is not an intelligent
petition, but q series of groanings
and cries TO the Almighty. One
strong climbed individual said not
q word for fifteen minutes, but the
one cry of "Help, Lord !" Help,
Lord !" Another shouted with equal
fervor, "Come down. Come
down" A third wruug his hands
and alternately cried and laughed,
shouting, THANK God p "Thank
God !" The woman were even more
noisy than their brethren, and show
ed far greater proficiency in their
gynnastic exercises They sprung
into the air three feet or more and
fell lengthwise on the ground. They
threw up their arms, while their fea-
lures were expressive of frantic ter>
ror or delight. Then they frantical-
ly Rugged each other, kissed each
other, and again resumed their emo
tional devoti0ns.
The scene was most remarkable.
Worldly women, out of curiosity Wis
tied the camp, were seen to shrink
away from the prayer-tents, and
many small children were frightened
and begged TO be taken away from
the ground. And yet the tent scenes
were as nothing when compared
with the grand prayer season before
the pulpit at the close Of the preach
ing services. Here an open spot is
reserved. The sinners are bid go
forward and be prayed for, and rs
many of the disciples as can crowd
around and pray for the candidate.
A dozen clergymen in The little pull
pit shout and stamp and lean over
the railing, and jump high above the
platform. The disciples rend the air
with their groanings and lamenta-
tions. The woman scream and
shrek, and barndish their arms iD
the deep agitation Of repentance un-
til utterly exhausted they drop to
the earth. The poor sinner became
thoroughly alarmed and, believing his
end to be near, is heard to express
q desire to be saved. This gives
the disciples encouragement, and the
shouting is renewed with increased
fervor.
The reporter saw boy, mere
child of six or eight years, endeavor-
ing to get out o. the mass of frenzied
humanity. The tears were stream
ing down his cheeks, and terror was
depict on every feature. "Let me
go" said he, "oh, | am afraid | am
so afraid !" But O stalwart Chris
tian siezed him, and carried him to
the centre of the throBg. He made
a second attempt TO get away, with
the same result. He sank to the
ground, and was lost TO view.
NOW, SEQ here stranger" said
bluff old farmer TO the reporter, iii
you and | and DOZEN or huns
dred of our neighbors were TO got
off by ourselves and make that noise
for fun, they'd send the police for us
in a jiffy, aud hurry US all away TO
the mad-house and lock US up,
wouldn't they ?"
EYES," said the reporter
"Well, | can begin to sec why they
burned folks at the stake in early
days for being Christians. What
oetteF'n crazy is that woman" and
the old man pointed to a stout te-
male who was jumping as high into
the air as 200 pounds of flesh would
allow. "And if we laugh at EN-
they call us scofiers," be said, turn
ing away.
A description of the scene is i'm.
posslbl Imagine 200 men and wo-
men crowded closely, and shouting
aud shrieking with ali their power,
jumping up and down on each other
and over each other, twisting faces
feature, limbs and bodies in very.
shape, and you have a
grand season of prayer among the
Free Methodists.
EE The Asistic cholera is grad |
lally spreading over Russia. It's
taking its usual course-from the |