The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-11
PORT RICHMOND, ST.

II
at Port Richmond, $. IA Largo As
semblage of White People on the
Camp Ground Yesterdny-How Fifty
Dollars was Raised-Thc Singing, tho
Jokes and tiae Fun of the Collection
Very Little About Religion and q Great
Deal About Dollars.
colored camp meeting, in connection with the
c0lored Methodist church at Port Richmond, s.
l., has been held during the past week In
grove in the vicinity OF Elm Park. Yesterday was
the closing day, and there was a large attendance,
principally Of "white folks" at all the services.
This however has not been the case throughout the
week. and the meeting has been declared by those
most interested in its progress to be failure. The
weather was so delightfully."- fine and the ground is
so easy Of approach both by the road and the bay
that many New Workers made visit to the camp
an excuse for days excursion, and farmers and
residents of the neighborhoOd drove their wives
and sweethearts to the ground, and at one time in
the afternoon service yesterday the grove was so
crowded with vehicles that the circle resembled q
race track more than q camp ground. There
was so little that was sOlemntZing or had
even the appearance OF religion that 1t
was wonder that those who went to
laugh fulfilled their intention, and did not remain
to pray. very rough platform erected under
cluster Of trees served for preachers stand and
on this were three or four cOlored minister's The
orator Of the day was the Rev. Thomas Clement
Oliver, pastor OF the coored church corner Of
Prince and Sullivan streets, New York. He
preached sermon from the seventh chapter Of
Pauls first epistle to the Corinthians and thirty
first verse; The subject was ''The Use and Abuse
OF the World" and was discoursed with
rather more intellectually than colored min
listers generally give to their sermons. One
of the abuses of the world to which Mr.. Oliver re-
ferred was the love Of money, and in support
thereof he said :-'T know folks that stick so
tight to O dollar that they
MAKE THE EAGLE sQUEAL.n
In combating some OF the arguments of those who
sneer at religion he said lie didn't care what they
said they'd get Paul on their SIDE and until they
showed better man than Paul lie would not mind
what any "D. D." or al. d." said, and by .sH. d.
lie said he meant 'horse DOCTOR" Little jokes like
these went long way With the audience and
served TO supply them with the fun for which they
came. The sermon was evidently intended to
lead up to the great object OF the camp
meeting, which was to realize some money
chapel OF the society, and those who had antici.
pated this were not surprised to hear Mr. Oliver, at
the close OF his sermon, deliver himself as fol-
laws:-'My young brother turning 10 a youthful
coored preacher on the platfOrm) informs me, and
! am sorry to have to say it, that he is $50 behind
the boxes round among those ladies and gentle
men and you'll get more than that; see it in their
III
closed space that was just below the
stand, which was filled with a collec-
ton of feminine c colo beauty, and said,
choir was young lady, little o1color, attred
fashionably in white. sne wore
VIOLET KID GLOVES,
and beat time with fashionaby constructed
parasOl. The choir was strengthened by the voices
Of the ministers on the platform, with the excep.
ton OF Mr.. Oliver, who left to refresh his inner
man at the refreshment tent, The singing drew
the crowds from all parts OF the grove, though the
negro melodies generally are, the coored people
having adopted the Penillion style OF singing pecI.
Liar to Welsh bards which Is not an Improvement
was sung may be judged OF from the following
specimen verses:-
saa ya e.
took the gospel trumpet and began TO blow.
Sometimes ! feel discouraged and think my word i'm
But tnen the holy spirit revives my soul again,
will publish Tree salvation while am here below
And blow the gospel trumpet through the world TO-
This was sung with all their mortal powers
voice head, feet and body, all entuned Tor the oc
cason, and the effect was certainly Inspiring and
amusing 10 the thousand white folks who sur
rounded the surging circle. The brethren who
held the "cigar boxes" returned with the contri-
buttons OF the circle and Mr.. Onver again mounted
the platform and said that there had been col
lected only s2l. Now. the brother told him he must
have $780, so am very sorry, said the preacher, but
must
STOP THE SINGING
until we get the remaining $50. don't want to
be hard with you, but you'll easily see that the
sooner we get the 500 the sooner you'l nave the
singing. Now;if some OF the white folks and some
OF those folks In carriages would hand In a dollar
apiece we should soon have 1t. Thank you,
brother; here Is dollar, given me by a gentleman
behind me. Now we want few more. I'm some
thing like the boy who, wandering all day. came
to good woman's house and said :-'Miss,Is viii
you give me drink OF water2 I'm so hungry and
don't know where to sleep tonight I want quite
as much as am asking for.n AS the singing peo-
pie were not giving anything Mr.. Oliver addressed
them and said:-"Now, you singing folk, you must
give something. You sing and you must
give. There's a little bird in the woods that sinps
~ love YOU love your and then there's another
fellow who gets up and sings, "Shew II, shew it.n
BY this time the singing mad been commenced
again, and this had drawn together the stragglers
In lew minutes the
CIGAR BOX BRETHREN
came on the platform, and Mr.. Oliver announced
that they were only Ave dollars short OF the fifty
and they would take up that five In cents. The
boxes went round again, the leading soprano and
her chorus singing all the time, and IN a few min
utes there came In the five dollars, and seventy
five cents over. Evidently the grand aim OF tile
camp meeting had been accomplished ana the con-
Rregation was dismissed until the evening service,
hAn IAN r11na nllun ttxv rnt.IsI In mazda