The daily gazette., 1877-09-26
From the N. Y. Sun.
The Modern Macedonia.
GLAD TIDINGs FROM A HoMELY
NEGRO PULPIT IN TIE PINES
OF NEW JERSEY.

OF NEW JERSE1.
News of the success of the negro camp
meeting at Red Bank, where as many as
fifty dollars were collected in the deacons'
baskets in one night, spread far and wide
and although cold weather had already
! been felt, the negroes of Macedonia ex-
perienced "a call" TO holi a meeting, too.
Macedonia is not shown on any map, nor
do the finger boards that mark every road
crossing in Monmouth county include it
in the many little bamlets they point to.
Yet Maced'n 'nia is sixty years old, is COM
posed of fifty buildings, and is larger than
its neighbors, Coburg, Morrisville, Edin-
burg, and Sandy Moo. Like those vii
lagos it is away from railroads and turn
pixies, and being in that great, dense
forest, called The Pines," that extends
for fifty miles, with breadth Of twenty
miles is extremely difficult 10 find. 1t
has only one white man in it, store
keeper named Bennett. The Macedon-
ians are colored people, and many of
them were at one time slaves in the
South. By energy and industry they
have cleared the pine trees off large tracts
of productive land, and have made, as
they delight in saying, "de wilderness to
blothom like de rothe." Peter Rock, the
most extensive landowner, cultiyates
100 acres, and his father tills forty acres.
They employ farm hands, and beside
sending milk, eggs, and vegetables to
Long Branch, they market much produce
| in New York. The smaller landed pro-
prietors OF Macedonia attend their faIm
until the watering place season opens, ,and
| har in a q .
cottages, returning IN the autumn to
harvest the produce upon which they
| live in the winter, Macedonia houses are
small, shingled frame buildings; but they
are kept whitewashed, their yards are
tidy, and their open doors raveal nothing
that is not cleanly and comfortable.
Macedonia has school house and teacher
| and two Methodist churches.
"Why two churches" plous negro
was asked.
A"Vell, SIR" said he, "we has two
churches, RELY, but We only thpeak of
one. That one ith the Zion. Both
churches hath the thame dithsypline, but
de Bethel don't git de people dat de Zion
do, 1t haint got de krect gubberment.
Zion is managed by de truthtees, but
Bethel ith in charge of de elder and de
deacons, and truthtees is merely servants
to his call"
In copse the people of Zion Church
have erected pulpit which looks like a
large Punch and Judy box, and hun
dred pine-board benches, ana in the
singers pew-separated from the other
seats by rail of logs big and strong
enough for the cage of an elephant-are
mo MI -,
kerosene lamps hang from the pine trees
others are arranged like footlights on the
pulpit, and like rude candelabra around
the singers pew. Dominic Thomas
Hinton, the young resident pastor over
Zion, leads in matters spiritual, and has
a patriarchal white-haired deacon named
Wilson to assist him. To look after the
finances Dominic Evans has been en-
ployed, or, probably, has proffered his
services, for, he is, beyond doubt, the
champion beggar. He has tho most Sc
ductive, artistic methods for the making
ofwhite folks pay we'll for their enter
tainment. Dominic Wilson, the singing
preacher, attends on Sunday only. The
retreshment tents on the grounds are
large and numerous. Cornelius - Wig
gins, who made little fortune at Red
| Bank, have two tents at acedonia.
Their special license for the sale of to-
bacco has expired, and everybody sells it
| without annoying the authorities by Sc
curing permission. 1t is said that Cor
nellus Il Virgins took in hundred dol
lars in one day at Morford's Woods near
Red Bank. Deacon Silas Holmes, whose
piety forbids his staying away from any
I NIL i
for making money!, has dining tent
with kitchen attached. In the day time
at Macedonia the camp ground is some
what dark, for only few yellow bars of
sunshine sift throug the forest leaves. No
meetings are held, and only wage ms
bringing pies, cigars, peanuts, and soda
water visit the grounds. The negroes
sprawl on the pulpit, and sleep on the
pews, or, If inclined to talk, discuss the
new points the dominic made in his last
/ sermon, rarely managing to end the de-
bate except il anger and with oaths.
But at night the grounds present gay
appearance. The waving flames of the
oil lamps call up constant shadows
among the trees, or at the tabernacle
shed light enough TO bring the pulpit,
the crowded singers box, and the great
compact gathering Of worshippers into
prominence, while along two sides of the
camp the gayly lighted tents, each one
the centre Of throng Of men and wom-
ell, stand in line like the bazaars of a
busy oriental street at night. To the
left the moonlight falls i'll a rich flood
upon clearing in which are scores of
restless horses and glossy wagons, whose
shining tops CLINT back the cold, clear
light.
son, Lord az aged brother ia pray
ing, "you has mighty big ears fer to
hear mighty big eyes fer to see,
mighty big hans fer to do, AMI thou
are lubly and sweet, and well dispos-
ed to them what lubs you. Dat is
why we ask you fer TO back US agin
the hosts of sin you kin take de com
mand like you did over de Canyites,
de Jebusites and de Mallektes-and
wik you leadin' and a orderin' we
kin dribe debbil to his den."
Cries of "Das so, so you kim
'Bress de Lamb" go up from the
throats of the earnest listeners, and
after the prayer is over, and the de
vout old man who less has arisen,
} trembling and groaning under 4
| =