National Republican., 1880-08-16

WASHINGTON GROVE,
NoNTGo merry Co., Nd, Aug. 10, 1880.
I am writing this under the shadow Of q
far.reaching antique oal1 tree, in wliOse
branches tho century.liying crow must have
lived, loved aud died for many generations Of
corvino existence. All around grow thickly
the black oak aud the chestnut, with an oc.
casioual hickory, In one irregulsrly park.liko
grove. On either side Of the grove the white
pine throws out 10 tho sabbath air lis delicate
tracery Of fern-lke frondagc. Through vistas
in the grove and its piue irngos you catch
glimpse of gently swelling uplands clothed
with q grassy turf and covered with
woods, over whose tops hangs the blue haze
of the midsummer. Studies of pastoral
still life, these glimpscs Of the world
beyond the camp servo to intensity the still
ness around, thereby hcighteuihg tho sweet
spell of the social solitude In which every
sense is STEPPED. The slanting sheen of the
sunlight shimmcrs amid the tops of the black
oaks, tipping their feathcry frOndage with
silvery glilterancc. A dreamy calm btoods
over the scene n dreamy ccno hovers Ia the
air. From tho central circle Of tie camp
comes the distant hum of the tabernacle,
mellowtd and soitened through the distance,
aud taking OF that little tlncc OF unpleasant.
ness which the wilderness, uurelicvcd, never
fails to inpart. The sting Of solitude is the
absence ot humanity. The Garden of Edon,
Moses aud the poets, was n very dreaiy desert
10 Adam until Eve smiled. Iheu the Oppres-
sion of tho solitude was so far mitigatcd that
Adam, nsligatcd by Eve, plunged into mis-
chief and went to stealing apples. Eve never
forgave herself for that indiscrotion, aud smce
that time has devoted herself with uutiring
assiduty TO the hard task of breaking Adam
of his bad habits. The camp-mecting is in the
line OF her efforts at reform Without the
presence of the many fair Ewes out here Adam
would not be found ia the tabernacle. You
would probably bavo TO look for him at the
| tavern.
With this thought however, the spell of
| the stiffness seems broken. A merry laugh
rings upon the air, aud you look up to see
| the woods alive with fair worshipors. The
bright sunshine rpples through the swaying
| swinging branches of tho Overarcliug trees
| in chtckcred culIeuts Of shine aud shade
green on the grass, golden on the sand. Some
how or other tho bright radiance seems
brighter as the girls pass by. 1t is strange
how much more beautiful the sunshine CLEANS
| when its beams fall on laughing eyes aud rosy
| lips and flowing drapcry Aud you remember
that this thought has frequently occurred TO
you before. The musical echo Of curnct's
call, full, smooth, round, Rugs through the
woods like the bell which summons to prayer.
You awake TO u sense OF duty. There is SER
vice Mt the tabernacle, aud ththcr the girls
are going. You will 60, too, aud you fall be-
hind tho nearest bevy of beauties, thinking
that the groves were Gods first temples, aud
how exquisite is the fit of that Swiss muslin
dress before you. Ere man had learned to
hew the shaft OF lay the arclilravc the iemi-
| nine taste, always perfect aud inimi,abe in
its sense Of harmony, had devised the dainty
adaptation OF snowy muslin to its present
beautiful uses aud gone 10 worship conscious
of performing its duties in tho most graceful
Ian haRnIuinu ~ A nd In mali
thoughts your footsteps are directed by your
unintentional guido TO the centre of the camp
and the caves Of the tabernacle
Hero the solemn s1nctity aud sou-inspir-
ing majesty of the christian worship burst
like glenn of revelation upon you, scatter
ing all lighter thoughts and subduing overy
sense TO symphony with its sweet and spirit-
ual simplicity. In the mingled awe and rap.
turc Of the scene the soul stands out naked in
its intimate communion with God. You feel
the force Of tue presence of the Lord. Gazing
upon the crowds before You, your soul Is
shaken rs never before with sense of the
terrible and triumphant majesty of your
Maker. This is not religious picuic, as some
have 1ippantly slid. There is no triflng here
iu the thought of invoking the Divine pres.
ence in tho woods, under tho shadow Of the
grand old trees that OyeTarCh aud eubOwer all
The gay trappings aud ornamontatious of the
churches, cathedral aisles mulioncd win
dows groined arches, may detiact from tho
solcmnity in the appeals they make to
! the cultivated taste and weaken the
sauctity by diyerting the attention. There
is nothing here Of that sort. Aud to-day
your reporter, standing at tho outer edge of
the tabernacle aud gazing upon the upturncd
faces which filled that largo incosure, all
grave and calm in the swoetly solemn thought
that they were in the presence OF God Him
self, felt the earnest spell that pervRded every
af fn1,t 4 al. III
exercises had been opened in the morning at
$50 by tho Rev. w. ii. Laney, which con-
sisted Of prayer and sacred song and cdify-
ing experience. About 1890 Rev B. Peyton
Brown superintonded the taking up of col.
lection, aud at II o'clock Rev. ]. McKoudree
Reilly opened the midday worship. His text
was tho fifth TO the eleventh verses, inclusive
of the second chapter of PHILIPPIANS, The
| theme WAS the majesty, the humility and the
ultimate glory of Jesus Upon this text he
, built up a glowing and beautiful SER
mon, which came homo TO every heart that
listened. Earnestness Of conviction, chaste
simplicity of diction, fcrvid eloquencc OF
thought, mado this sermon remarkable alike
} in it's delivery and its effects. Many moist
cned eyes acknowledged tho power Of the
truth SO chastely yet SO glowingy put by the
great preacher, who this morning more than
, justified his reputation rs a cogcnt logician
D aud gu elegant speaker Tho seed sown by
0 Dr. BELLY will not assuredly all fall OH stony
+ places or amid thorns and briels nor by the
/, wayside whoTo tho birds of the air will pick
: and boar it away, but in good ground wheIt
: in many cRses Its justification will be thirty
and sixty and even hundred-iold.
/ After the close Of these exercises the vas
1 congregation was dismissed uulil Q o'clock
WSsef WeesH t4G again Ana s Eamio hoaa hS hShs
material rofrCshmcnt began to obtrude them
selves. Tho young lady who owns that par
o ticular reporter Of THE NATIONAL REPUBLI
! CAN sent here to work up the camp.moetin,
/. gently insinuated 10 him that she was akin Il
tho oft.quo.ed maideR inimortaizcd by tn,
poet MS
A creature not too bright or good
Y For human natures daily food.
So the reporter, like tho "Three Corbies" 0
the old English ballad, began to ask the ques
o ton, Where shall We go dine today Fate
h always kind to children and-}ohemians
said under the greenwood tree" and directed
him TO that Particular tree under whose clus
tering boughs Mrs. Dorsey has erected he
IS household gods for the benefit of those wis,
G aud fortunate enough to be directed thither
s Hero was excellent food, plenty of it, promp
J. and courteous attendance, clean aud nea
:. parapheruaia and very moderate prices Afte
K dinner i strOlled through the camp feein(
/. bctter satisfied than before, and even NOR,
= favorably impressed with what saw, Ther,
e is much virtue in good dinner. You re
n memb Der that Elijah tho Tshbite tha
rugged old giant who looms up IL
Titanic grandeur against the sombro back
q .t. L q 4