Daily Republican., 1885-08-10
Before The Camp.
OUT ON BRBNDYWIHx SUMMIT
A BIG SUNDAY Br.sARk TRE
CON MMENCEMENr n or OAMP,
SERMONS.

ELOQ QUEN 7 SERMONS.
Never before In the twenty years his.
tory of Brandywine Summit Camp
Meeting were 80 many families tented
upon the grounds before the commence
ment Of the camp. There are 1875 tents
upon the grounds, and fully 76 Of them
were tenanted by Saturday evening.
The weather on Friday afternoon and
Friday night WAS very discoursging.
The rain fell In torrents, and all who
could were glad to keep within their
tents, which they fixed up more for
comfort than display. The pattering of
rain upon the tents even silenced the
rasping Of the katy-did.its and the
|screeching Of the owls. and even the
squirrels were glad to keep within
their hollow tree holes.
Saturday morning, however, brought
with 1t riffs In the clouds, and wind
driving them apart let ont the sunlight
to find its way down amongst the deep
foliage amongst the tents. The cry of
the landlord" created no greater joy
Iamongst the discoverers of this new
western world than did the cry OF "the
sun, the sum-" did to the tenters ON
Brandy wine Summit Camp on Eatur-
day morning.
All day long teams bearing wagon
loads of furniture kept coming in from
both town and country. The noise OF
the saw, hatchet and tack hammer
increased, and the greetings Of friends
who had not mot before for year at
least wero warm and hearty.
When the shades of evening curtain
Il vol hn
denizens within the forest, who were
prepared to enjoy sleep upon even a
soft plank without rocking lullaby.
With the twittering of the birds and
the cha sting Of the squirrels the tenters
looked out upon beautiful. clear Sab.
bath morning. The balmy atmosphere
never was clearer nor purer, and when
the seven o'clock bell rang from the
boarding tents OF Oliver OF the Union,
Mccall of St. Paul's and Peters OF
Sloan, there were keen appetitss to
assuage, ard the white aproned walters
were Kept busy pouring out the fra
grant Mocha and supplying boarders
I with snowy white bread, I esh meat,
ham sweet and sailed, golden hued but
ter, with number of other "fllings
lin."
Il
these walters are. Mr.. divers walters
1t is said, have agreed to arrange the
knives, forks and spoons, one each to a
plate In different position each meal
When Mr.. Oliver came to his tables
yesterday he found salt cellars, pepper
boxes and goblets arranged in such q
queer, fantastic manner, that upon look.
Ing close he found the initials J. A. O.,
Is. Thames A. divers Boarding
Tent.
Breakfast over, at 1890 the bell ran np
for servi ices in the large pavilion. 1,
beiug known that the venerable Father
Hance, in his 88th year, WAS to preach
every body that could, went out to hear
hun, and the residents of the country
for miles around came In by hundreds
to swell the congregation. This grand
told christian soldier has been telling
the people for years, (for he is gene
trally called upon to preach the frs
sermon) that he didn't expect to be
there next year, but the good maol
Ispares his life from year to year to tel
tho st .ry of his love and kindness.
The old warriors step, however, ID
less firm and his voice IL little more
tremulo and weak. Upon taking the
Bible announced his text from Joshua
Oath chapter, the 14th and part of the
18th verses. The concluding paragraph
of.his text reads: "AId If it seems
evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose
you this day whom ye will serve" In
his introduction the venerable preach.
or said he did not know why he was
called upon to preach the frat sermon
1t was by no consent of his that it WAS
done; rs he was put there to preach, the
people would have to be satisfied with
what they got. Whether the dish
would be relished depended much upon
the cond ition of the appetite. He then
applied himself to his text and impress.
Cd the importance of making choice,
early. They we're commanded to choose
&" to-day" whom they would serve.
The sermon was inter larded with per.
sopal experience. He alluded to those
who started whenhe did in the religious
life. They had nearly all gone before
and we're shouting on the other shore.
~ see one brother down Ihero," said
Father Hance, "whose conversion /
Witnessed fifty years ago." The person
alluded to was John Fraim, father of
BENZ amin and Robert G. Fraim, Esq,
who occupied the chair in front OF the
stand. "Yes," ssid:Mr. Fraim, "you
were present fifty years ago, when l
was converted" Mr.. Hance stated
that when he was young he desired to
he 80 converted that he would have to
lie down stiff like many he had seen,
tbut when he was converted his religion
Iloossned him up and made him some
times Jump in the air. Mr.. Hance
grew very fervent In his exhortation to
sin ners to choose this day and to make
a wise choice. He preached an hour
and three minutes Nobody left the
congregation while he preached, and
the time seemed short to all.
The greatest oratorical sermon of the
day was left for Presiding Elder Swim.
dell of the South Philadelphia District,
philadelphia Conference. He took his
text from the 16Sh Psalm, aad 9th and
10Th verses. Any attempt to give any
Idea of Mr.. Swindell's sermon in q
running report, would fail to do justice.
For an hour and quarter he kept his
Iaudieuce spell bound, not only by the
elouu uence of his speech, but by the
depth of his logic He constituted the
Iworld his Jury, and before that jury no
Iarraicn ed the power and the goodness
Iof God, and challenged the jury of the
world to decide.
He carried the minds and feelings Of
his audience with him in his highest
flights of thought aud penetration into
, the M steries of God and his works, and
, when he cl :sed there were none who
would not have gladly remained a hall
hour longer at least, 10 have listened TO
his Intellectual unfolding of tho truth
as he found 1t in the Providence of God.
II In the evening, at s o'clock, Rev. Mr..
! ISmith of Sloan charge, preached from
1.-The same text that Rev. Mr.. Hance
preached from in the morning, he hav.
ing chosen that text for the evening
without knowing that Father Hance
/ l. ITa !,