Daily Republican., 1879-07-21
A NOTE.
A NOTE.
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Camp Meeting sunday Traffic


The Meth dist community of Viii
mington seem to bs considerably exer
cised upon the question OF attending
the Brandywine Summit Camp meeting
this wear. on account OF the stand the
Wilmington Conference has taken on
the subject of Sunday traffic. Viewed
from tae standpoint taken by strict Sab
batarians, there is no doubt nucn to
complain of on account of the Sunday
traffic at camp meetings which in many
places has grown to suca vast proper.
tions as to over shadow the good that
mi ,ht be done. There are some things
which really appear indispensable, the
selling of which void not appear like
. breach of the Sabbath if the traffic
was only c)nired to those articles, but
just where to draw the line is rather
difficult 10 fad out. One thing is very
certain, booths for the selling Of drinka
bles, 10, cream, toba, co and cigars, cakes
and confections, water melons and other
fruit are entirely unnecessary. The sell
ing of these conduces much to turning
the Sabbath into q day Of traffic, and
making i. appear more lks great holi-
day fair than place for religious wor-
ship. This tratIi, / certainly incon-
sist-nt with the religious lurposts Of =
camp-meet ny besides being shameful
add wifi violation OF the Sabbath
and We are not surprised at all
that the real spiritually minded
part Of Metholism revolts against such
practices. Wee the traffic confined to
the real necessaries of life and not the
luxuries, much Of the evil complained
Of wo I'D b. obvia.el, and even then
there is no (, cd reason why all that is
required for consumption on Sunday
cannot be provided on the previous
Saturday. Ia olden times, when camp
meetings were really necessary on &C.
eo1n, of the scarcity of churches in the
country, our good fathers and mothers
Woul at,nd camp in the huge canvas
e ,ver ID farm wagon, with the rear end
backed up to the circle, and which an
swer-d all the purposes OF the modern
constructed tents with parlors, dining
rooHs, kitchens and luxurious sleeping
apartment,. The great family chest
CONTAINED the home made loaves of
bre I'd, tie boiled ham, the jar of pick
les, a pound Or two of butter, and for
drink the pure water unadulterated by
sither tea o. Golfer, from the pebble
bottomed spring was the never fail
ing supply. The boarding tents
and booths in those primitive times
we're not thought necessary. These
we're tle tunes of spiritual power at
camp meetings, because the people then
went to worship, and not to luxuriate
and live on the fatness of the land as
in mo lern days. The great national
camp meetings and camps for the pro-
motion of holiness were not then
thought of, and there were no such in
centives to break the Sabbath as there
now are. As camp meetings during
the 'ast twenty years past have been
continually merging into pleasure re-
sorts, and large crowds attend them
merely for the pleasure of doing so they
have become tempting bait to the Gu
pidity Of those who saw money in them.
Large tempting offers for the privilege
Of keeping boarding tent, an ice cream
stani q water melon booth, a horse
pound, have had such golden gild
that tb- modern day lir.ctOrs could not
resist Them, and hence the degeneracy
into which they have fallen. The
Methodist people OF Wilmington GER
tainly should not be- blamed for trying
to return to some semblanoe of old |
camp meeting times and respect for the
Sabbath, +, but while they are doing so they
should not forget that their own skirts
are not clear of the very thing with
which they charge the Directors of the
Braudywin. Summit camp. While
they ale finding fault with those Di-
rect rs for allowing the desecratien OF
the Sabbath TO continue, all three of the
Wilmington Companies that usually at
tend that camp, have regularly kept
boarding. tents and if they did not make
money ous Of tnen it was not because
tney did not try. Here appears to be a
strange inconsistency, and it looks as if
tina opposition to other provision stands
might arise from the fact that they
k.pt custom away from the regular
boarding tables. "Lst him that is with
ou. sin cast the first stone," said our
Divine Lori and Master while he was
here upon earth. Laudable as the effort
may be to purify the Brandywine Sum.
init Camp of Sunday traffic, our Will
Methodists should ponder over
the passage above quoted, as they are
to erect their large boarding
tents for another camp ne-'ing cam
paign. Reforms should always ne com
mrnced at home, and wonri he more