The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-06-05
Protracted Meetings in tho South.

SNeo~~'
'In the northern states protracted meet
ings al Q held in the winter; the late summer
is the time for revivals in the south. In
southern cities protracted services are held
in the winter. spring or fall months: but in
the rural districts it is the universal custom
to hold revival meetings in the summer.
There is a good reason, as there always Is,
for general custom In most southern sec
tions there is abundant leisure from the mid
die Of July to the later part OF August.
Crops are laid by Fodder pulling does not
begin, as rule, for some weeks Except IN
the most southern counties cotton picking IS
not vet. The first bolt Of the cotton crop
for iSSS- SO reached market this year July 5,
from the plantation Of Primus Jones OF
South Georgia. He has brought the first
bolt to market for several years past. But
this does not mean that cotton picking has
fairly begun. The last work has been done
that can be done, another lick would now be
hurtful; all the farmer can do for his crop
now is to let it alone.
$50 he goes to meeting. All over Georgia
protracted meetings are in progress; all pas
tors-except the city men-are hard ut work
with all the help they can get. This is true
of all churches that bold protracted meet
ines In this country churches that do not
hold them do not amount to much. Camp
meetings among the Methodists. also to some
extent among Presbyterian s. Old School
and Cumberland-are in full blast But tho
camp meeting is mostly Methodist institu-
tion. The Baptists do not use the camp
meeting as rule; but the basket meeting
they make the most Of. A prayer meeting
at 8. PREACHING at II, 'intermission' and ono
or two hours for din er: baskets opened,
dinner served on rude improvised tables, or
upon cloths spread upon the grass, or taken
from the baskets and discussed In the original
way-fngers and pocket knives-tho eaters
standing about in groups under the trees,
talking, laughing, eating-all happy inns
intermission for dinner allows the social IN
stinct-so strong in southern country people
fair play. Kindred, friends, neighoors,
meet and talk Of what concerns them, and
all 60 back for the evening service and then
20 home to sleep, those nearest entertaining
the visiting kin and brethren. Back again
next day, till the four days meeting is over.
II there be great interest II becomes pro-
tracted meeting" :,
No people in tho parish are more worthy
Of pastors special attention than tho boys,
all the boya not only the most decorous and
promising boys, but also tho mischievous and
turbulent and vagrant boys. The forces
bound up in a real whirlwind Of a boy may
be trained to do the work Of gloriously
energetic manhood When the pastor makes
his regular rounds Of calls, he seldom sees the
boys. They are at school, or in the streets,
at the base ball game, roaming the fields or
woods, "going in swimming" sailing toy
boats or managing real ones ,inc pastor
should know their haunts, and should seek
them in them, not to preach them sermons
then and there, but to sympathize with all
innocent pastimes and let them know that hc
was altogether a boy himself once and il
something of boy still. "Do you know
Dr.-2" said a mother to her fifteen-year.
old son shortly after the advent of new
pastor. "Yes," said the boy, he's going fish,
Ing with n,e some day. That mother wept
happy tcars that night, for her boy. had
dropped out Of the weekly prayer meeting
year or two before. and had only attencs5
church to please her. His new pastor hao
already won his heart, AMI he was not will
ing to miss cue Of his sermons.-L1' out
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