The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-08-18
a Reniiniscence.

roI hali century it has been the custom
iof The people of God, In the Method;.;
Pe!suasion, living in the terri.or;a! Limits ~
oiu fendieton District, to assemble once .
war AT SANDY Springs Camp Ground for tho
purpose OK holding four or five days meet.
n'e rmS ,oi .ieir mutual benefit and encourage
i; iiich, IN the Chrictian Coarse. In tho oar.
s iIci history of this event, the annual return
ui .!iis reiigioui festival was looked to with
.eJoicihs Dy many and with disfayor Inv
@ noie. out these occasions yery soon be-
.aiie me resort of the vicious, the lcentio,,s
,"e @ uiSsipated and as the people of God
would begin to make due preparations for
thls great event, SO the children of the dny;i vii
"ouin begin to marshal their cohorts for a
5iaiiu saturnalia of hellish reyelries and
utssipatlons. Even in TIE infantilc stare
9l inns tinle.honorcd relisous festival. tie
uevoteeS OF Bacchus had made such serious
',iai 'HdUaus upon the prime object of this reli.
Of I'll thIs Isa'mer,ng, n,,g mat many good men, even
grave doubts as 10 the propriety Of contin-
uing tle otherwise unobjectionabe plan Of
assembling once II year. 10 hold a CANA
meeting, around the site of these pIrglinr
pure and sparkling waters.
INC Ilrst talnp-mceting tlut was ever held
There, and for several wears thereafter wa.
aeou, mile south Of the present location
where me waters of the life.giving spring
su.Hlc forth from the pebbly bottom in q
iiuee stream. in almost mex haustibe abun
uailce. The owner Of the land on which
.nis celebrated spring was located, being
strongly iinbued with the spirit of opposi-
,.on, rom the causes alluded TO, Thought
~ crush tne enterprise, along with its III.
.ehlait evils, by interposing his right Of
ptropcr!y, ana denying the people aforesaid
oi asa!h meeting OH that somewhat sacred
spol, ior The purpose of holding another
camp. meeting, But how true in this case
a; a; III many others man appUin,s but God
disarpoints. The very means taken. if moi
to crush t'Ic enterprise entirely NJ ienst ~
urive It from that ncighborhood, proved
,lie means OF securely ensconcng it within
one mile OF It's original site, as II permanent
institution.
Alter 1t was known that no more carlp-
i.cclihss could be held at the original place.
,itel's were taken by The ardent frie,.ds Of
.iiose meetings TO purchase suflicici., uuan-
NY ol iahJ, adjacent to another notable
spring, IN t!tc same ne ghborhood, where
thcy hced lear no molestation or hiudranco
rom the owners Of land Mr. Thomas
E;assaway, Sr., long since dead, purchased
.mliteeh acres OF land, the present site on
wnich the camp-ground is located. with tho
privilege of water from this notable snrinr
80 80 loils us used for religious purposes. For
thls tract he paid fOrty-iiye dollars AMI
'ii'n suDuivlded It into ninety tent lots of
adequate dimensions for the purposes indi-
catcu, anu rc,sold them at fifty cents per LOT,
when brought nm back his forty-iive dol
ials' - chllrch has been located and an
Act ol Incorporation obtained, so that the
Goh'roi oi the property has passed into the
hands of trustees, FOR religious purposes
80 that the Sandy Springs Camp Meetin,
mas become fixture in certain Sense. or
course 1t is i'll the power of the Christian
peoplc VINO originated and now patronize
TINS institution, of their own motion. ia
pt lor
iore The war, and then again once since. the
influx o! wickedness had become such an
annoyance ut these annual festivals that it
became Il much moOted question. even in
lhe Methodist Conferences, whether it would
not DC Letter for the cause of Christianity,
~ ,,'o ulsc1ntlnue these assemblagcs, but there
were always enough OF the old staunch
ir'ends OF the Sandy Springs Camp-Mecting
10 ueleat any project looking to perina-
heht uiscontintiancc Of this ancient and
venerable religious festival. The God whom
.nGse people 50 devoutly worshippcd, 80
o,ue'cu ,.u an thlngs as to bring good out pf
evii and the very evil which had mcnucod
heir religious enjoyment all the time and
threatened their existence, eliminated i'm
forcing the Legislature to forbid Sunday
excursions, even though ostcnsiblv for re-
ligious purposes. This timely Act gave
great relief to the good people who annu.
any assembled at this place for religious
sald TO have been one of the uuictcst and
most ENJOYABLE of any perhaps since the
war.
In the ancient church. and under the old
dispensation, the people of Israel were often
required to make long journeys and spend
days and weeks in religious feasts and acts
OF worship. May we not reasonably con-
cluie that now, as then, an entire separa-
ton from worldly cares and worldly pur-
suits, for series Of days with an entire
conservation of our time to acts of religious
worship, would be beneficial to the Chris
tian's growth i'll grace and n stimulated zeal
i'll the Christian warfare? Think of these
things T. II. r.