The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-08
ACTON TO CLOSE TO-DAY
LAST SERVICE OF THE SEASON AT
THE CAMP GROUND THIS EVENING.
Sermon Yesterday by Rev. G.
Reed-The Crowds at Bethany He
gin to- show Increase.

To-day is the last day at Acton camp
meeting and a great crowd is expected. DR..
Lewis Curtis, of Cincinnati, senior agent of
the Methodist Book Concern, will preach in
the morning, Rev. j. d. Hartsock in the
afternoon and Rev. c.. Fenwick Reed at
night. After the evening service, which
will be in the nature of a grand rally, the
campers will form in a final grand process
sion and march around Jericho by moon
light.
Camp will he broke on Monday, although
more than a dozen families intend to re-
main indefinitely on the grounds. 1t has
been a fairly successful season and the cot
tagers are consequently much felicitated.
The outlook for next season is also very
good, many improvements having been de-
cided on.
Fenwick Reed, boy evangelist from Terre
Haute, yesterday stirred things up at the
camp and his praises are being suns on
every hand. Mr.. Reed is truly a striking
Inquire. He possesses a peculiarly hand
some countenance, set off by blonde hair
and blue eyes, and not the vestige of a
beard may be seen on his face. His per-
sonal attractiveness contributes largely no
doubt to his success, but he is also gifted
with the magnetic power of born speakers
"NN NNh'C4o OLlS lIAdI are dIlylnllS out
commonplace. Though but twenty-six
years of age, he has already achieved some
fame and will this year give up his pulpit
and devote his powers hereafter to evan
gelical work alone. Perhaps he is widest
known as the divine who some months ago
astonished easy-going humanity by an
nouncing that 'ShelDyville was only fifty
miles from he'll" Mr.. Reed says, however,
that he never made such a statement and
that his real words, which We're harmless
enough, were badly distorted. But, never
theless, the young man is not given TO
medIy-mouthed expressions and he usually
startles his audience every now and then
by some unexpected
lie spoke yesterday on the text: us not
this the carpenter? And they were offended
at MN. Early IN his sermon he took &C.
Saslon to turn MS batteries against Sum
day train and took the cottagers to task
for buying things at the hotel on Sunday.
1t is a shame" he said, that there should
be a hotel in a Christian camp ground
where the employees did not have the OPP
portunity to attend worship. 1t is as bad
to buy a chicken at this hotel on Sunday
as 1t Is TO buy a whole barnyard. 1t is as
bad to buy a pound Of beef on Sunday as a
whole COW, and it is no good talking about
closing the saloons when we buy other
goods-men have as much right TO obtain
their whisky on the Lords day as we have
TO BUY Ice cream"
Speaking to his text Mr.. Reed said that
the reason the Jews were offended at Jesus
was because he had risen from being a
carpenter to something higher. So long as
he was only a carpenter they were satisfied
with MIN. His case is similar to that or
the preachers who so long as they preach
about nothing are acceptable to their con-
gregationS, but who when they begin to
speak OF the doctrine of holiness, imme-
dlately give rise to much offense.
Jesus was a good carpenter because we
know that he did all things well. He was
not the kind that put doOrknobs on that
fall off the next day and who hide their
defects of workmanship with putty and
paint. God wished his son to honor manuaI
labor. He is greatly in favor of men earn
ing their own living, but many men are
afraid of the disgrace of horny hands.
There is as much religion in making d
horseshoe as in delivering a sermon. What
IL God went on strike? l am afraid that il
he did nobody would be busy save the I'M
dertakerS."
The speaker spoke of those who did moth
ing, saying that there would be plenty OF
men on the earth if they were all taken
off. he thought that everyone should work
at something and, like the carpenter, Christ
make the world richer and better. A great
penter's bench and have their sides
smoothed and their rough edges taken off,
but even q common drunkard may turn out
well after a little chiseling.
Mr.. Reed then likened the people to tools
used by Christ at his bench. Many are
wrong places. Sometimes a good janitor
gets in the Sunday school superintendent
place. Men get into the pulpit who have
no business there, and the leader of the
choir is often only fitted to sing the hogs
home at night. Christ is a good carpenter
and never fits a square piece to a round
hole. You will never get into the wrong
place If you let him use you.
In the evening Evangelist Hartsock
preached on the text, Christ Shut Out"