Connecticut western news., 1889-08-07
DOWN.. IN FLORIDA.
HOW THE DARkIEs HOLD CAMP
 MEETINGS.

DO w lN :. IN LON1DH. HOW THE DARkIEs HOLD CAMP
 MEETINGS.
 Quaint Songs and Peculiar Ceremonies.
 The sun was sinking like great ball of fire in a sea of pink clouds behind the distant pines. The trunks of the trees stood out darkly against the bright sky, and the gray moss, tinged with red, looked as if fairy maid had changed its ashen hue. The only sound to disturb the peaceful calm was the low, plaintive tone of mocking- bird in a tree overhead. AS we proceeded on our way we emerged from the pine woods, and crossing a prairie we entered dense-wooded hummock. Now we could plainly hear the darkies chanting, and their melodious voices sounded soft and clear ill the distance. Following the sound we made our way through the woods, and finally reached Q clearing. There we saw an old church ready to fall to pieces from age and decay. Great boards were nailed across it to keep it together, and the spaces be- tween the logs were filled with moss.
 Inside the old hovel the preacher was holding forth and crowd of darkies who could not find room in side were pressing around the door to hear him. Bad as some of them had been during the week, lying, thieving, stealing, yet for the time being they were the most religious set of darkies to be met with in that part of the country. Long and loud were the lamentations to the Lord for their past iniquities and earnest were they now in singing His praises. Some were almost hysterical in their fervor, cry ing and moaning to the good Lord to Ildhc lHClli UCCCcI. olHClS IooNOSa solemn, and holding their books before them, which were in many cases up side down, they devoutly joined in the chorus.
 Brother Harris gave out the first verse in deep, impressive voice, as follows:-
 Dah wah q mn, he name wah Lot,
 Oats jis what de Good Book say,
 An he hab a wife, an' daughter got,
 Oats jis what de Good Book say.
 His wife she balk, an' make halt,
 An de Lawd he turn her into salt,
 Oh, dat's what de Good Book say. Then came the hearty chorus: Oats jis what de Good Book say, it am, Yes, dat's what de Good Book say,
 Jis read it froo, you'll find it true, Fo' dats what de Good Book say.
 With scarcely moment for breath ing time Brother Harris gave out the next verse:
 Old Adame, he wah de fust built man, Oats what de Good Book say,
 An Ebe came next, den sin began; Oats js what de Good Book say.
 Ebe bit de apple right in two, A berry wicked thing for Ebe to do, But dat's what de Good Book say, it am, Oats what dc Good Book say. Without any intermission Brother Harris began another favorite song, accompanied by various high treble voices, with ringing variations:
 Oh, long foh to reach dat heabenly sho,' To meet ole Peter stan'in at do do'; l He say to me, oh, how you do? | Come set right yondeh in de golden pew
 Dat de good solid people do go clean froo
 To dip in de goreD sea.
 Repeating the quaint words of tht last two lines over and over again they fingered lovingly on last wort "sea," ere they sang another verse, a. follows:-
 l Good Mir. Jesus a-sittin' in de prov,
 Come all yo' niggahs, make yo bow, | On l LOOK uOWn OH uc WO Iu DcIOW l An watch dem white trash shublin' snow | While angels fishes nip my toe
 When dip in de golden sea.
 Then followed the sermon, by Br'e Harris. Poor old man, as he stoot there ill their midst, shaking as if witt the palsy, his eyes rolled up heaven ward, so that only the whites were t' be seen, his long white hair showin: his great age and his frame feebl and bent, one could not help thinking that his days were all but spent.
 For few moments he stood silen before the crowd, violently swayin. his body and waving his arms franti cally in the air. Then, ill loud penetrating voice, he drew fearfu but vivid picture of the rich man il hell, whilst Lazarus smiled com placcnlty at his misery from "dc foo ob de great white frome." There, i the depths of hell, was the fallen sinful brother, sitting on Q hissin gridiron, the flames leaping and dart ing round him. As they stretch ou their long forked tongues to devou him he groans and writhes in hi agony, whilst a long-tailed devil grin sardonically at his misery and add new fuel to the flame. As the poo victim tries in vain to escape the dev roughly pushes him back again. Hi throat is parched with thirst, and t add to his torments he hears the soun