The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-02-27
THE CAMP-MEETING.
BY BARRY GRAY.

lleNe IL was out OF respect TO his WdSn-
erWoman, whose husband is a colored
preacher, and who, doubtless, figured
at the meeting aforesaid. If / had
washerwoman who owned a preacher
for a husband, should feel it my boun
den duty to attend all the camp-meet-
ings he did. Not having washerwo-
man thus situated in life, however,
have never been to such meetings.
Therefore, when Frank informed me
that he had seen the whole affair, and
had thereby been much edited, I re-
queste him, in a very polite manner
after having first invited him to partake
of bottle of Scotch ale-to write for
me an account of the same. After many
urging and remindings on my part, &C
companyipg the same with sundry bot
ties of ale, obtained, at last, from my
tion-which I read aloud to Mrs.
Gray of
THE CAMP MEETING.
al heard there was a negro Comp
meeting in Vans woods, and, never
having seen O sable conventicle, de-
termined to go. The camp was five or
six miles distant, with choice of two
conveyances, to-wit on foot, or in the
Shanghai stage The Shanghai stage
is a great institution ; in capacity, some
what over Noah's ark. 1t lies between
our village and the neighboring town,
freighted with all sorts of animate and
inanimate burdens. 1t is as proverb al
for regularity in its departures and re-
turns as the town clock. My boarding
house-keeper depends on it instead of
the clCck-which, being around several
corners, cannot be seen from our house,
and call us to breakfast, dinner and
tea, Just when it goes by. Once the
Shanghai stage broke down, and was
two hours behind time; and, though
dinner was quite ready, yet our land
lady wouldn't allow the bell to be rung
till the stage came along. If that stage
should cease running, 1 think our board
ing-house would have to be closed"
Mrs. Gray interrupted me at this
point in my reading, by remarking that
she tn, ught my friend Frank boarded
at the SpreadIEagle tavern.
[ answered Mrs. G., that she was
right "but in the height of the sum-
mer's travel, Frank is obliged to go into
other quarters, so that the transient
guests of the Spread Eagle may be ac-
commodated " Thereupon, my wife
calculated ''Oh !" and proceeded with
Franks narrative, as follows
cit was at the faded end of sum-
mer evenings twilight that plunged
into the unknown abyss Of the Shang-
hal, heard the driver sing out All rightr
from the bow of our craft, and went
rolling through clouds of dust to the
aground. The vehicle started be-
fore had fairly gotten my seat conse-
quently, found myself, much to my
surprise and secret delight, pumped
bodily into the arms of half-a-dozen
gay-hearted damsels, occupying the seat
fronting mine. The introduction being
of rather O pleasant nature all around,
latter being extricated from the en-
tanglement in which had fallen-sand-
wiched myself between two fat men in
nv seat proper, and proceeded to pros
ecute with ardor the acquaintance thus
happily commenced. found the dam
sells We some of the F. T. VS., first
families of the village, and were b )und
to the camp ground, under the superin-
tendence of a solemn bachelor uncle to
three of them, who sat with the driver
for fear of sea-sickness.
Considering the fact that we are 60
ing to meeting we were. l think, rather
lively. Wait for the wagon may have
been applicable to the Shanghai, but it
did not then, nor does it now, seem to
me altogether an appropriate hymn
with which to open the exercises. In
due time however, wereached the camp
ground-a pretty piece of woods, with
a stream running through one corner of
it. The tout eSefl6Le, as we entered the
area of the camp, was exceedingly pic
turesuue. Vehicles of every descrip-
ton, from the elegant carriage to the
'coarsest wagon box filled the outer
circle. The horses were, many OF them,
'unhitched' from the wagons, and were
either tied to some neighboring trees, or
! else were security hitched to the wagons
themselves. Passing this equestrian
circle, through which the vendors of
| peanuts and candies were apparently
| doing a thriving trade with the 'outsi-
| ders,' we came to what might be consid-
J cred the camp proper-a collection of
| sheds, forming the arc of the circle, en-
| closed the spot where the service were
/ held. These sheds, or tents, as the
preachers termed them, were for the use
and convenience of the assembly, and
comprised the preachers tent, the sis
ters' tent, and the kitchen and dining
tents. Within this penetralia, seats
! formed from rough boards, held por-
ton of the audience the remainder
either sat on the ground, or else were
perched amid the trees. Between these
seats and the preachers stand was an
open space where the brethren could as
semble for the closer exercises of a
prayer-meeting.
1.-THE evening services had COM
menced, when the bachelor uncle and
myself, accompanied by the light bri-
gade of damsels, entered the camp
grounds. Having, after some difficulty,
obtained desirable seats, we turned our
attention to the novel scene about us.
At least three-fourths of the assembly
was of the Caucasian race, and had
come there, like ourselves, simply from
curiosity. If any were drawn there by
a worse motive-with a desire of mock
ing those supplemented worshipers-
we will trust that they who came to
mock, remained to pray
60 We saw before us, the long bench
in the pulpit with a row of ebony st.
Pauls one of whom was discoursing
to the people below. The ground was
/ lighted by fires, placed at substantial
intervals, and one might readily
| imagine he beheld the turfy affairs of
/ bAAO DAOAAo1 CBdACN IOI Inc
| fitful glare of the wood fires had a weird
effect on the swart group within the
circle, interpreted with, here and there.
a white face. Though we came not to
I laugh or scoff at the worshipers, yet now
and then something would be said or
4 done of a nature so ludicrous, that gray
/ ity of demeanor was, for the time, out
| of the question. Their eloquence, If
/ not Athenian, was, at least, practical,
direct and simple, and seemed fully APP
preciated by the assembled audience,
as their oft-repeated 'amens, and yes,
brother, yes, testified. But their main
/ reliance appeared to be in the singing !;
and their strange hymns filed the wide
woods, and were echoed back from the
hill-sides with wonderful distinctness.
Such hymns aud tunes as The Good
Old Way We'll soon have done with
Trouble here and Mary, ring dem
BELLS were the favorites. The felt hat
circulated freely for the odd coin OF the
spectators. Indeed, they seemed to re
" on their music for obtaining the sin
3