The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-08-07
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OLD TIME CAMP MEETINGS.
A Veteran Tells How They Were Conducted
Forty Years Ago.


A Veteran Tells How They Were Conducted
Forty Years Ago.
From the Washington Post
l.. w Worthington and j. w. Wade, both Of
whom are now at Washington Grove, are vet
Grams in the matter of camp meetings The
former has attended sixty-nine camp meetings,
and can therefore be regarded as an authority.
lie sat on the porch of his cottage at the Grove
and chatted to Post reporter Of the days that
are gone by.
"The old camp meeting" said he, twas gen.
orally held in August; the harvest was ali over
then and the hay was cut and stacked The
churches would join together and fix on a
camp ground, and then everybody would be
busy Tor week or more getting ready Each
church would have big tent--a company tent
first camp meeting held by Washington Meth
odists was in 1877 about q mile from Mechan-
icsville. There wern't any railroads in those
days. and II you wanted to go to camp you
either went in o wagon, rode on horseback or
walked. A big crowd went to that camp, and
McKendree church-to which then belonged,
and OF which l am still u member made
splendid showing, fully 125 of our people going
along. We met at the church, and if you wit
messed such scene now, you wouldn't know
what to make of 1t. Big wagons, drawn by
four and six-horse teams, were loaded up with
bedding and the outfit that was necessity In
rem and sisters, although many of the former
preferred to walk. The women sang and tho
men shonted as the long string of vehicles
moved off on that fine August evening. for it
was about 7 o'clock when We started. All
through the night we travelled, and next morn
ing about o'clock we arrived at the camp
ground, singing the songs OF Zion as they are
not often sung now. Foundry, Wesley and
MeKsndree churches We're all represented, and
each had big company tents ct that gathering.
4
year. and to show you how we did in those days,
III tell you that we hauled the f25 people and
their belongings to the ground and home again
and boarded them all through the seven daY'a
meeting for So q head And they were well
fed, too, for we could buy big fat chickens for
ST. dozen, and everything else was cheap In
proportion. After we settled up the accounts
Mckondree had % clear profit Of $40, which
was turned over TO the mite fund,
'The next year." said Mr.. Worthington,
as he laughed ut Mr.. Wade (who sat on his
porch, few feet distant), II was sick and
Wade was treasurer When his accounts were
squared up he was ten cents in arrears"
81 fed them better than you did, /" retoraed
Mr.. Wade; 81 couldn't bear to see the people
suffer for the want OF little something to eat.
And, by the way, he added, II believe was
ten cents ahead, instead of being ten cents be-
hind" And the two good-iiatured old gentle
men laughed at each others banter.
"How did the strangers get fed?' asked the
reporter. 49,, , - ,,
",
ton We made little moro Oh them than we
did on our own folks We charged them twen-
ty-ive cents n meal on week days and fifty
cents on Sundays. There's where our profit
was. The Sunday crowd was always large,
and when il got through eating there was but
little left in the line OF provisions"
"What kind OF sleeping accommodations
did you haye?"
"fhey wern't like what we have now, you
can he sure of that. Some times we had big
tents, with canvas petition down the centre.
On one side of this the men would sleep, while
the women occupied the other half. Many q
time I've been woke up by a kick from tho
wandering heel of some dreaming girl. They
were no such tents as we have now. Every
body made their own shelter. Some used old
quilts and blankets, and the protection was
generally OF the sltInmest and most primitive
description"
GLOW do the camp meetings OF today COM
pare with their predecessors spiritually"
"They don't compare at all, was the reply,
accompanied by regretful shake OF the head.
"In the olden time have known of as many
as 200 conversions at one meeting There IL
none OF that now, and camp meetings exist
only in name. In the country you viii find an
occasional camp where the meetings are pretty
much as they were with us fifty years ago, but
they are not as popular; the preachers would
rather attend city camp such as this IS. We
used TO have prayer meetings from day light
until dark, except when there was preaching
at the stand. We often had difficulty In clos
ing the meetings in the company tents 80 that
the big preaching services might so on. There
were meetings every minute in the day. That
style OF spiritual business would not do now;
all the young folks would be tired out long be-
fore dinner time, and II such programme was
continued the camp would be almost deserted
In a very little while"
"When was the Washington Grove camp
first started"
"Fifteen years ago we laid the ground out.
The first cottage was put mp by Richard III.
Willett and the next one was built by Thomas
T. Morgan. Mine was the third but IL was the
first one that had shingled roof for they put
cotton covers on theirs. The first tax assess
ment on the ground and property was about
$50, while last year IL was 800. That's q
pretty good showngY
"Ifow many OF the brethren and sisters are
still alive who attended that first camp you
spoke of"
"Very few very few. At McKeudree there
are Zeph. Jones' George T. Langley and his
vile, Mrs. John Hardness, Mrs. Osborne and
myself. At Hamlne there are Thomas III.
Langley and his wife land how Tom Langley
used 10 singh and Henry Buslby, while the
only other one is John w. Wade, who belongs
10 Foundry That little company Is all that Is
left Of the men and women who worshipped
God in woods and under the shelter OF the Mo
Kendree company tent forty years ago. OF
course some OF their children may have been
- a lit a.