Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-07-01

NONRESIDENT Reflections of n "Globe"
Reporter Who Rarely Has an Opportu-
nifty for saIvation--The Attendance
Large and Orderly--Sunday Papers Not
Allowed to be Sold, but Real Estate
Auctioncd OF From the Pulpit--A Dis
tinction More Nice than Divine.
A night Of drenching rain to which the
morning dawn gave relief, promised a
oheerless Sabbath to the people of Red Rock
camp. Those who have not tried it, can form
but faint idea of the dreary misery of a wet
night under canvass. There is something SO
utterly wretched and in the feeling of pre-
found helplessness and desolation, that the
mind becomes apathetic and helpless. The
campers-out must have felt this to perfection
yesterday morning, when daybreak asserted it.
self sufficiently to make more apparent the
pouring rain and the black inky sky.
1t was evident to the most hopeful that the
inspiration given by thousands hOcking to-
gether not for them that day, and pa
thence and resignation are cardinal Christian
virtues the good people prepared to make the
best of the situation. OF course people must
eat, even under the most trying circumstances,
but it is doubtful if the careful housekeeper
who had looked forward with pleasure to the
rOUauce Oh u gypsy NE, With no sweeping anu
no household drudgery to do, had ever prepared
breakfast before under such adverse circum :
stances. Breakfast, however, pre-
pared and the day begun; the
rain slackened the sky cleared
u little, not by the clouds being rolled together
and swept away by the winds, but by sheer ex-
haustion-they had descended in one continued
deluge till there was nothing left, and the
azure and gray again appeared. Although the
rain had ceased and left it bright above, still
the camp was far from pleasant dwelling
place. The peaty, saturated soil ret king
its moisture into the murky close atmosphere,
and the thick foliage of the grove rained down
it's monotonous splashing drops upon the fall
en- leaves Unpleasant and uncomfortable as
it all was, there were those whom The rain did
not deter and the early trains brought in hun
cireds of visitors who were bent upon having a
good time either spiritually profanely.
The Rev. ID. Cobb, director and leader, saw
at once that it was impracticable to carry out
the programme of the day to the letter and at
once abandoned the idea of open air services.
The three prayer tents two OF which are quite
large and capable of seating 400 people, were
accordingly used and the usual revival and
camp meeting services peculiar to Methodism
held, including love feasts, experience
and witness meetings, young peoples meetings
and prcachings.
favorable, and each train and boat brought to
the grounds their additional hundreds till the
grove became quite alive with promenaders of
all ages and compilations, and presented more
the appearance of champs elyse festal
day than q grove consecrated to prayer
and meditation. OF course, there not
nearly the people present that there would have
been had the morning opened bright
and cheerful, but then there could not
probably have been less than four
thousand 1T is difficult, however, to give an
approximate guess at numbers in place where
Il be-, II ,roI%
gether and the people scattered among them.
Besides those coming on the trains and boats
there were at least Il hundred conveyances such
as farmers wagons and buggies-many driving
out from st. Paul. In estimating the numbers
it should also be borne in mind that people
were always going as well as coming-every
boa and each train that came and went carried
away as well as broug hit its living freight.
Perhaps more easy question to solve than
the number of attendants is the motives
which actuated those to visit the camping
ground Men do not gather figs of thistles nor
do thousands of persons meet in such man
ner without showing something OF their inner
nature. 1t was of course manifest that some
came for devotion and it equally plain that
like number brought there by curiosity.
Some were there to tiirt without doubt, simply
because they did flirt.
There were others who came to enjoy the
fresh, free air and eat with every inconvenience,
lunch carefully prepared for the occasion.
lhey Gene Tor that purpose, surely, for they
did nothing else.
There were Methodists there, of course, and
there were Catholics there were Presbyterians
and Splrltualists; there were Baptists and
Materialists and Freethinkers, if not free low
CTS, and there were loafers. But with all the
great diversity of sects and classes, there was
perfect order and decorum.
OPEN AIR SERVICE.
At half past two o'clock the great bell tolled
the hour for assembling before the covered
platform for the first open-ar service of the
day. At least half an hour
elapsed before the large congregation
was seated and nearly all the benches were oc-
cupied. There were some vacant seats, how
ever, and there still remained many persons
walking and chatting about the grounds. 1t
must be said to their credit, however, that when
Mr. Cobb announced that the rule of the assoc
cation was that no one must stand near and
talk, to the annoyance of those desiring to
hear, everyone complied with the rule Though
the assembly was very large it was by no means
composed OF none but repentant sinners and
sanctihed saints-perfect Chrlstians-for many
sat looking around them with sublime indiffer-
ence to everything going on about the platform
but sensitively alive to all that took place out
side the lale of the congregation. Even minis
tels though kneellng, stared around them during
prayer very unbeconingly, and one became so
interested IN Il new Goa he had on that he
carefully brushed it and smoothed the sleeve
with his hand and blew from it an intruding
insect. The service was opened with singing
and prayer, after which some business matters
We're brought forward, and here it should be
stated that although selling newspapers on the
ground was strictly forbidden, the gentleman
making the business announcements held one
in his hand and offered lots for sale as glibly
rs real estate auctloneer. In was an
nounced from the platform that smok-
NOT oil
standing on the platform chewed away at q
"quid' of the poisonous weed as industriously
as goat chewing his cud. These were things
calling out comments from the unconverted.
THE SERMON.
The sermon was preached by the Rev. Will
liam Mcdonald of Boston, who took for his
text the first three verses of the sixth chapter
OF Hebrews. His discourse was chiefly to show
that perfect Christian is not only possible
but necessary for salvation. He argued that
men admit perfection in every thing else, and
yet VIII not give God the power to make per-
rect his greatest work. His chief argument
was that because men call things perfect they
are that extravaganza expressions used with
out fully comprehending the whole thing made
the thing what it was said to be. For instance
ne used the illustration that men say a perfect
hover, without noticing the slight defect in
one OF It's petals, perfect animal, perfect
ENNAN' ''.iN' VIC LINZ, tul because u Carplng
critic and close observing Judge can find
some defect, that does not make it less perfect.
tie gave as definition of perfection that that
which accomplishes the purpose for
. whlch 1T was made is perfect
riaaseratlng with the steam engine, "a watch &C.,
not recognizing the fact that it is no sible =
one machine can do certain work that another
might be made to do it better. This seemed
the weakest part Of his whole discourse His
entreaty to his unconverted hearers, however,
was earnest, ane persuasive, and effectual. and
expressed themselves anxions as.s su ~ VINO