The Caucasian. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1874-1875, 1874-10-17
Tsast 4 Tsbesnaelse.
From Our Special Correspondent.

rum Our SPec'Sl SWxcopQnQe0C.
Camp Meetings are the Gentiles
Feast Of Tabernacles and no doub
the idea of the present Camp Meet
ing, now fixed institution IN til,
Methodist church in America, orig
mated in the Feast Of Tabernacle
or Feast of Tents of the Jews, aut
is therefore of divine origin. Thi'
feast with them is commemorative,
Of their fathers dwelling forty year.
in tents, AZ travellers in the wilder
ness. 1t was kept on the 18th u
the month Tisri, the first Of the
civil year, ami all Israel were Oh
ligetl to attend the temple and t.
dwell eight days under tents o.
branches in memory Of the passage
Of the children o. Israel through the
wilderness. This seems to be the
origin Of Camp Meetings. The
present Camp Meetings however
have no special Specification to ans
great event to be remembered but
are just what the name means in
Methodist phrascology, a meeting
in camps, in which everybody that
attends Is expected to stay on the
ground and give their whole time
and attention to the meeting, that
is preaching, praying, singing and
urging people to IL better life. The
great objective point Of the meet.
ing is for the conversion OF men to
Christ and every thing conyerges
to that point. The great utility of
Camp Meetings lies in the fact, that
they reach great many people
that can he reached by no other
means. The word Of God is read
aud discussed here, and the Gospel
is not here given in broken doses as
else where, once Il week or once q
month, but all Gay and all night
A man coming to q Camp Meeting
can't help receiving some religious
influence. Every body is expected
at the camp, all denominations AMI
all classes, the rich and the poor.
the high and the low, and they all
get there some how. You may see
there men who have never uttered
anA thing nearer u prayer than an
oath tor years, listening and inter
ested. Camp Meetings reach eases
that the Church does not reach
and hence their great use. Like
every other religious institution.
they are violently opposed 10y some
people. Some OF the good people
OF Alexandria look upon them as
indecent and unfit to he attended
10y gentle folks, and they let ont
dark insinuations which would NOT
le uttered. did they remember that
the insinnations reflect back n,,u,
themselves. You cant trust Your
daughters or wife ut such a place !:
we'll keep them at home by ali
means
We have in this Parish one camp
and the meeting there br
gan ri, FRIDAY, October Sth,. and
closed the Tuesday following. Al
company lett Alexan.
d'lh Friday morning for the camp
si"n''1. fourteen miles down the
la! on, I" carna''s bridge and then
seventies" miles through the Pine
" GODS and We found ourselves in
sight Of the camp. The route was
'tHvcilrd 10y instinct more than by
direction. tor none can say where.
he Is when once in the wilderness
IT pines. Every road goes to the
camp, and every fork will bring
'"u into the camp ground. | may
'ay, by way or noticing a peculiar
ty about The route, that it is ten
niles further from Alexandria To-
he camp than from the canp to
Whether the road
''r'nks on the home stretch or why.
cannot say, hut this is the univer ;;
ai testimony OF those attending.
We arrived ut 5 T.. NJ, with day
'El't enough to spread out the blank ..
IS upon the pine straw and knock !
- - trough Tor our horses. The
INT given for our accommodation
'as fifty by twenty feet, two rooms q
nj Il hall between, ladies' to occu- ::
y one loom the gentlemen the -
tl'er Already some five hundred >
cope were on the grounds and o. o.
imp nfrs began to glim1nrr all y
rou':d and by their ljgbc showing .
clear outline the tall shafts ofthr q
me, rearing their heads right up
lnons the stars. All is hustle and -
hrn'"g confusion, new arrivals of u
ANS and unloading of plundrr.- "
ne nt;Shi"g Of horses, the shout Il
drivers just coming in with Ball 81
~ Brandy in the lead. The NOV =
y hsures of men seen by camp ~
res, the notes of hy mn coming q :,
ON some tent, whose inmates are y =
settled and ready for the meet u