The Penn's Grove record., 1883-09-08
C~INcINNATUs, DICTATOR.

OlNen ulutl OuI hdHu anu scdij III
the 3, 207th year of u Dictator
81 ip.
CINCINNATUs, DICTATOR.
BRAUNNUs SCAEvoLA, LIEToR.
Rex will arrive september 9Th, and
his receipt on will be ON a scale equal
to his Importance. These festivities
promise to rival those of Mardi Gras in
New Orleans, Baltimore Oriole and
Yelled Prophets of Sthories.
The camp-meeting season is now at
its height and all grades,3f camps are
blooming with religious privileges.
TIE groves resound with eloquent ex-
horiations to im~penitent sinners, urg-
ing them to forsahe their evil ways and
walk in the paths of righteousness.
There are echoes by tile amens and hal
lelujahs of the righteous.
The old time fervor of the camp
meeting is gone. The excitement
which prevailed when hundreds of con
verts would crowd to the anxious
seats'' is a thing of the past. The re-
ported conversions are less numerous
than of old. The real estate camp
meeting has done much to drive the
old-fashioned camp off the track. In
Producing all the modern attractions
which it brought to make religion de-
lightful, it has driven out most of the
religion and made the camp meeting
largely a thing of attractions and fash
ions. In the decay of the old style
camp meeting the cause of pure and un
defilei religion has lost nothing. There
were some good features in the old
style of camp, but there were a great
many miscellaneous ones. Most of the
real estate camps have proved pecunia-
ny failures, although as moral resorts,
where liquo. and gambling are excluded
they furnish pleasant boarding places
for religious purposes.
While making a note of camp meet
ings it brings to my mind, there are IA
great many Christians who seem to
thil.k they miss the very essence of re-
ligion unless they are in a state Of &C.
stacy all the time. The Methodist PEG
pie are especially given to this delusion
When they become frantically happy
and are compelled to give vent to their
feelings by shouting and wild gesticu-
l~ations, they think the Holy Spirit has
taken possession of them, and that
they are reading their title clear to
heavenly bliss. Real religion, however
is remarkable for its power of endur-
ance. not for its effervesceing quality.
A man has the gist of the whole mat
ter in his heart when he can tell the
truth in a trale AMI not sand his sugar
Religion is MT excitement either in
whole or in part, hut a steady pull, a
long pull, and an honest pull. A man
is a pretty bad specimen of what relig-
ion can produce il at the prayer-meet-
ing he goes off like pop beer, all froth,
and in his business the next day is as
stale as ditch water. Unless a man
can carry his religion behind the
ter with him, he hasD't enough of it to
do HIM any good. Some of this class
are crying continually for the time to
come when the Millennial shall dawn.
That will be wien men want it, and
not before. When rich church mem
beers are willing to nod to poor church
members, when bulls and bears in Wall
street lie down in the same green past
ures side by side, without a dream Of
fleeing the limbs. then we shall hear
the footing of horns and the sounds of
jubilee which are to usher US in the
millennial day; but that time will not
arrive until ''the hawks ONE down to
help the hens feed their little chickens.
II. G. S.