Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-11-08

Wild and Weird Performances at a
campaigning.

Florida Letter to San Francisco Chronicle.
After dinner it was arranged by few among
the crowd to go to camp-meeting, which was
held about mile from the house. Accordingly
vehicles were made ready and away We started.
Long before we arrived upon the grounds We
were made aware of the vicinity by stentorian
shouts, and presently we came in sight of tie
sheds, log huts and cottages built for the ac-
cOmmodatiOn OF the campers The Florida
darky knows his value and does not look up or
bow down to the white population as rule, like
his black brothers of southern states. Not he;
rather patroniZes them, except in the cases OF
Old family slaves who have not outlived their
good manners. 1t must have been one of these,
an aged man with stopping shoulders and pa
triarchal face, who invited US to "witness de ex-
elcises" We had already witnessed" some of
the exercises Of few outsiders who were very
full OF whisky. but they were probably not ofthe
brothers. There were no seats The people were
standing reclining on the ground and in some in
stances kneeing. An African preacher with Pc
culiar countenance and immense ears was holding
forth on ''De Day ob Judgment" "YO'll be dar,
Broder John; n you, Sister Sally Nudge, n
yo'I hef to par befo' de great jedge OBJ all de
yeth n wha'll yo' say TO- yOself when he axes
yO' TO yo' record? What'll yo' say3 I'll toleyo
what; yo'll call on the SAN OBJ Floridy to jes'
scoop n swallow yo' all up. Oar amt no hills,
nor rocks. nor mountains her, but de san. is
mighty shirty n de sun mighty hot; but dar's a
place hotter'n Floridy" Terrible groans burst
forth at this. and as the daring preacher pictured
the tOrments of that opposite condition to para
disc the yells and shouts and even shrieks be-
came deafenng. One big black woman, whose
vOciferations were louder than the rest, man.
aged to keep one eye on us and one on the
preacher during the entire sermon.
The preachers description of heaven was
amusing, the principal delights of that region
seeming to consist in having no work to do. no
corn to shuck. no 'taters to hoe. no cotton to
intensified. Then the singing! The most graphic
pen could not do justice to that. One song, in
Nhich even the children participated, swinging
and rolling their small black bodies was some
thing like this:
Ho, wo Come into dis meetin',
Come, pore souls;
Come. git yO' sins all pardOned,
Come, pore souls;
Come'n curry de big cross onward,
oh, pore souls!
Git on board de gospel train, oh!
Come, pore souls.
And so on, to wailing, dirge-like tune. I
did not hear any very cheerful music, but all
smOte the ear with sadness, no matter what the
words were. Presently the sexes separated, the
men standing off in circle, the women nrassing
together. led by tall crOne of most unearthly
cOuntenance. her hair carried up from her tenn
Piles to point. two long tusks falling over her
lower lip and craving longer every time she
opened her mouth. This strange woman began
the exercises, lifting one hand after the other.
wagging her head, stamping right and left. with
a curious monOtony. and soon every woman and
child in the meeting engaged in the holy dance,
the men locking on and appearing to be affected
by the rhapsodies of their wives, sisters, sweet
hearts and children.