The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-08
SING SING CAMP MEETING
Celebration Of an Interesting Anniversary-Aa
Immense Audience wOrshipping Beneath
the Trees-Progress of Methodism at
Sing Sing During the Past Forty
one Years-How the Camp
Meeting Ground Was
First Secured.

It having been widely known among those OF the
Methodist Episcopal persuasion that exercises
concentrating the forty-frst anniversary Of the
Sing Sing Camp Meeting were to be carried out on
the grounds of the Association yesterday, not less
than four thousand people assembled there to
participate In the solemn services During tho
forenoon every way train on the Hudson River
Railroad which arrived at Sing Sing contributed
its crowd to swell the multitude OF dovotees, while
the steamboats, from New York and other places
must have reaped rich harvest during the day.
The arrivals either by tram or boat were charac-
terized by Babel OF vociferatons on the part Of
rural hack drivers and owners OF other vehicles,
many OF which, for antiquated stock and 0utlandish
STYLE were simply indescribaDle. On the dusty,
uphill road leading from the village to the camp
meeting grounds the efforts of the natives to
"turn an honest pennyn were observable; ON
every side. The fences were ornamented
with the Stars and Stripes waving lam
guidly over improv.sed tables, on which were
spread various suspcious-lookng refreshments,
varied occasionally with liberal display OF unripe
fruit. Each vender seemed fully alive to the fact
that camp meeting week only comes once year.
On the road could also be seen every DOS
sible description Of conveyance, from the
elegant barouche to the ancient family cart
Of the humble farmer, who with his
wife and numerous family, had been perhaps
travelling since midnight towards the Mecca q
trudgtng patiently and cheeriully through the
BLINDING CLOUDS OF DUST
once again supplicate the Throne Of Grace In that
venerable grove, so dear to the hearts Of all
The exercises commenced with q 'iove FEAST"
which called forth an abundance Of religious
TONS to deiray the expenses Of the camp Meet
ing Association, which include the construction
new IN 'front.' Of the and
the handsome sum q $500 being given IL abort
above" having been intoned By the vast assem-
GeU a %aas the pu MsE
TO- PROCEEDED to deliver historical Slscou1s:
camp o
Episcopal Church OF New York. During his dis
course, which was Of pleasant. coloquial nature,
as we as pathetic incidents in the lives Of the cier
gymen who had from year to year preacned
to the thousands upon thousands who had sought
and found heavenly consolation beneath the ma
The Of :ss Ne s In sSs sb e hs n
door gathering Of the Methodsts on that side Of
the Hudson River took place a. Carmel Pgns%
different times until 1881. The woods where they
had formerly worshipped having fallen before the
4 ooMMirrBE WAS APPOINTED
from New York to select some permanent place
for camp meeting ground, aud ultimately de-
cided on securing the beautiful grove at Sing Sing.
instead Of the war whoOp Of the latter
the songs OF Zion now resound through.
out the peaceful grove. He traced In o lucid
ana eloquent manner the progress OF the camp
meeting from its infancy to the present time, men
toning, among other dlvines formerly associated
Rice, Griffin, Coles, Smith, Tackabury, Donnely
Ferris, Pittman, Clarke, MattesOn, Bangs, Brown
the Methodist Church in their day and generation.
Among the clergymen present were the Rev.
born, D. De vinne, J. S. Gorse, J. H. Lent, N. r.
Lent, A H. Ferguson, J. s. Ferguson, J. :. Rich
J. G. Oakley, T. w. Chadwick, E. Denniston, U.
Messiter W. G. Smith, Charles K. True, w. McAnis.
ter, w. H. Ferris, O. r. North, 9. 8. Brown, w. II.
Evans and L. b. Smith.