The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-09-06
THE BUSH ARBOR,
BilI Arp's Visit to q Campmee,iup
''Where'eI the devil firtis a nou,e NJ p,,,o,
No Quickly Luild. LiIns..lc 80.


lie quickly builds himself chapel there"
put at this bush -arbor meeting ground
l dident see any sign of the devil. Ev.
eryoody was well behaved and looked
thoughtful and serious. Even the little
children sat still during preaching. and
oident run around and 20 TO the sprinp
as usual at campmeetings. These bush
aroor meetings just fit the time and the
season, and are an improvement on the
Old campmeetings. The country folks
can do their cooking at home, and 90
early in the morning and stay till four
O'Clock, and have good time and dirk
in and enjoy power of religion. There
Is no use in taking it all day and ali
night too. When folks move to camp.
ground to stay it is q power of trouble 10
fix up and carry beds, and baggage. and
chickens, and supplies of all kinds, and
TO nave TO be cooking halfthe time when
tney get there. and inviting company to
dinner and bring all the water and be
worried about the vittels aud the chil.
dren and everything. Home is the best
place for family at night. If all the
family cant go to meeting every day,
some can 60 one day and some another,
ana then they have a good time when
the,y come home talking about it and
telling. who they saw and how they were
dressed and what the preacher said.
like these bush .arbor meetings. There
Is freedom and a simplicity about them
that just suits country folks. Everybody
can 60 there on an equality. see moth.
ers there with babes at the breast and
little children around who wouldn't have
ventured in a church, but here they can
SIT out in the suburbs and listen to the
preaching and join in the singing, and if
the baby begins to cry they can get
little further of and walk round and
disturb nobody. l heard two sermons
preached yesterday and saw lots of
children, but there wascnt sound to
disturb the preacher or the congregation.
As for singing there is nothing like it in
Trinity or Grace church or Eeecher's
church or any other house. 1 like a
good cho!1 and instrumental music and
the swelling organ and all that in city
churches. 1t is all grand and beautiful
and artistically fine, but for the purest
and best emotions and the most loving
sympathy with nature and humanity
give me the old fashioned, outdoor mu-
SIC or hundred voices at campmeet.
ing. They sing with love aud a spirit
that is catching and long before YOU
reach the grounds the sweet melody floats
to you upon the air and something tells
you there is love to God and peace and
good will to man in the place to which
you are going. "Oh, music! What is
it, and where does it dwell?" Some
writer has beautifully said that it is the
Only pleasure upon earth that is alike
common to angels and to men. l don't
blame these good old fashioned people
for loving vocal music in times of wor.
ship. Most any kind has chsrm to me,
but sympathize with old father Gill
rath, who said to the choir when they
slipped little organ in his church and
took him unawares, "kiver it up, chill
dren; kiver that brass thing up-me
and my son Jabez can lead the music
without that" and he set in on
MY soul be on thy guard,
Ten Thousand foes arise"
like he was fortifying against the devil
and all his angels. My good old father
used to tell about an old time preacher
who had the same horror Of instrumental
music in the church, and when the choir
run over him and got big bass vol he
was sad and subducd and refused to be
reconciled. One Sunday morning an
old man COW was grazing around the
church, and just before singing time he
commenced, boo. 600! boo. 900! and
the old preacher, who was little deaf,
rose up, aud with great feeling, said, ii
do hope the choir will not begin to tune
that big fiddle until read out The hymn"
And read Of another preacher who died
hard on the same line, and when they
voted b =" down and voted the bass viol
into the music, rose up and said, "The
cnoif will please prepare 10 fiddle aud
sing the 242d him, common meter" I
have great respect and consideration for
the ways and the likings of our fathers
Their pure and simple methods-even
their prejudices are to be tolerated and
humored, for they are fast passing away
and they have been good to us and left
rs the legacy of good example. With
what pride and comfort old father Gill
reath looked upon the humble people
who sat under the shade Of bush :arbor,
as he remarked: 81 built this for these
good people to come to and worship God
after their own liking. Fashion and 6ne
dressing keeps a power of poor folks
away from church, but it don't keep 'em
away from here"
Old Uncle Puckett preached the first
sermon and his text was, "Mark We well
her bulwarks and consider her palaces"
and his face grew bright with rapture ae
he told what the Christian religion had
done for the world and for humanity.
love to look at the faith that 10 visible on
the faces of these old men. If was an
infdel or an atheist, or Jew, and SOL
emnly believed my faith was right, /
would not seek to disturb these old
people in their religion, for in the first
place it is religion that corrupts no one,
endapgers no ore, and if it be an illusion
it is on the safe side and it makes them
happy. This is reason enough for me.
1t is pitiful spectacle to see an old man
wavering, tossed about with every wind
and tide of doctrine.
Rev. Samuel Jones followed in an
hours talk. 1t did not seem 80 long for
he knows how to entertain an audience.
His happiest faculty is in interposing
anecdotes and allegories to make his dc.
clarations more pointed and better
understood. He draws his illustrations
from nature-from the field and the
farm, and the domestic animals, and the
wild game in the woods and from the
workshop, and the humblest occupations
of life. When he tells them that the
heart is like field with fence around
it; and though it may be very good
fence, yet if there is one broken rail some
long-nosed hog will find it and get in
and destroy the crop-and so the heart
\ 4 IL