Smyrna times., 1879-06-04
The First Peninsular Camp Meeting.

|
A Seaford correspondent of Every Erening
furnishes many interesting "reminiscences
from the autobiography of Rev. DR.. William
Morgan, a native of Sussex county, of the
great revivals of 1901 and 1902 when Meth
odism swept over the peninsula like a
flame. Among other incidents is an ac-
count of the first camp meeting, which was
in 1905 at Farson's Hill west of this town,
as he calls it Chapel Branch. We quote
"There were but few churches in those
days, and the inhabitants Of the sparsely set.
tied districts were compelled to walk or
ride great way to attend public worship.
The membership had rapidly augmented,
and, while the demand for more churches
could not be supplied, the ones erected
were not adapted to the purpose for which
they were used. Under these circumstan.
ces it was proposed to hold an open-air |
meeting, at some convenient point easy of
access, where all who felt inclined could |
congregate to render thanks to God for the |
infinite blessings He had showered upon |
the people. The proposition at first met |
with considerable opposition from some of
dices were finally overcome, and they joined
! the most prominent members, but their preju
heartily in the work. The first tent was
pitched on July 25th, 1905 at place called
| Chapel Branch, about three miles from
Smyrna, in Kent county, Delaware. DR..
| William P. Chandler was presiding elder.
| The topography of the camp was somewhat
as follows: The ground selected was an
| oblong square in the midst of a delightful
| grove of shady trees. Aisles or streets were
laid out which crossed each other at right
| angles, the preachers stand being in the
centre. The front row of seats was called
first court, and so on in succession until the
| last row which 6aSiUDafad hack
court. The main avenues were called New
York and Philadelphia. A company from
Baltimore brought with them a vessels
sail, which they erected upon poles, and
held it in position by mailing the four
corners of the canvass to the trees. 4 Mr..
Sampson, from Worcester county, Nd, had
a tent made of tow linen, six feet square,
pinned to the ground by small wooden
pegs, and during preaching his family Gift
was raining) had to lie fat upon quilts
spread upon the ground and poke their
head through the aperature in the tent to
hear what the minister had to say. There
were about eighty covered carts and wagons,
the bodies of which were removed from the
running gear and deposited in semi-circle
about the grand stand. There were two
bowers devoted to the use of the penitents.
: They were formed by sticking the end of
poles in the ground and bending them over
so as to form crescent. These were cover.
ed and walled with boughs of trees In the
centre a bench was arranged at which
! seekers after salvation were permitted to
1 kneel. One was at the north and the other
at the south end of the stand-one for the
/ men and the other for the women. A dis
tinctive feature of these meetings was the
l absence of the promiscuous mingling of the
e sexes. When any one experienced the
. power of conviction they were invited
e to these bowers, the men laboring
: with men, and the women taking
e charge of their contrite sisters. The timer
It ant preachers had a marquee erected
r adjoining the stand. A commissary sup
s piled the provisions, cook was provided
e and the preachers ate and slept in theil
e comfortable quarters; yet no one was per
e mitted to cross its sacred threshold excep
70 by special invitation. The negroes partici
II pated, in the religious exercises, but i
s. must not be imagined that the color line
was not distinctly drawn. An effectiv,
,r barricade against the invasion of rowdiei
lr was constructed of cart and wagon wheels
It Dr. Chandler being a rigid disciplinarian
s had his forces we'll drilled as to their re
a. spective duties. All local preachers, ex
D. horters and class leaders, were. required t.
b. report to him at the marquee at stateC
e periods, where they were enrolled in classes
le making one a captain of the guard com
as manding detail of six men. These wer
IS all designated by paper badge pinned Of
ly the front of the hat, upon which was writ
le ten the title of their Office. The duty c
I'd this guard was to preserve peace and orde
is within the jurisdiction of the camp, suI
ct press all bosterous or riotous demonstra
I'd tions, and to arrest and expel frcm tn
! oil 1la
he They were also required to report the nun
n. ber of conversions at each prayer meeting
,h The negroes adopted the same method, bU
We being unable to read kept their count b
it notching a stick for every convert. TheI
1t were some eight or ten on this committe
nd and as each one made the return for tn
1t same person, the numbers were all counte
sh together, which amounted to about tw
ng thirds more than was the actual number
ce converts. All formality and extreme col
N. ventionalities were dispensed with.
NJ course everything was conducted with IL
strictsst regard for propriety, and the pc
ished manners of the gentlemen and IL
IN refined tastes of the ladies gave an air
OF culture and respectibility to the va
OF sssemblage. There were no tables.
he sat on the ground or stood erect to eat the
pie meals. Knives, China plates and mugs
OF the same material constituted the equi
'uS ment of every family, each member beir
nd supplied with one of each article. tt
ays provisions consisted of the indispensab
In Indian pone, a few biscuits, a boiled hal
nrs cheese, and occasionally a chicken. The
ays were slowed away in bag or trunk un
to occasion required them to be brought fort
ara "This was the manner in which the fiji
I'M peninsula camp meeting was conducte
Is and its success far excelled the most sa
in ouine Expectations of its projectors. Abo
ian 1000 persons were proselyted to Methc
ey' ism, and many of them arose to pror
'Wo nence in the church, while quite a numb
en-, entered the missionary field, and becan
the scattered throughout the earth.
ned F. P"
had CuRIosIT1Es IN PoMoLoGY.-Some va