Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1898-08-10
A SUNDAY OFF
IN THE WOODS.
An Editorial visit to
Pitman Grove and the big
Camp Meeting.
SCENES AND SERMONS BENEATH THE TRtE'
A GREAT ORATOR AND A POWERFUL
SERVICE AND OTHER FEATURES.

1t is an old saying among those
who live along the seashore, "When
gulls fly inland, high in the air. look
out for storm!" So when, last Fri
day, / saw lawyer Higbee and some
other members of the Atlantic Coun-
| ty Bar, headed for the Camp meeting
at Pitman Grove, concluded it was
time for me to take in sail and change
my course. There is nothing partieu-
larly remarkable in the way of scene
ry between Pleasantville and Pitman
on q hot Sunday and there is nothing
in the appearance OF a tired newspa-
per editor to excite attention or
create any public tumult. Sunday
trains do not stop at Pitman because
young men from the city, and yet
they tell us at every meeting that
they are just itching to get hold OF
troops of such sinners for the pur-
pose of converting them. don't ex-
actl.; understand how the two facts
hitch together, and the weather is too
warm to find out about it. You can
reach the Camp ground, however, by
paying twenty-five cents to ride from
Glassboro, nearly four miles over a
dusty road, in old ramshackle ;"
wagons carrying dozen people or
so. Yon can also wait at GlassbOrO
an hour until they get aload. When
you reach Pitman you find very
large grove of oak trees whose thick
leaves almost exclude the sun and
make it delightfully."- cool and COM
Portable. Within the enclosure are
between four and five hundred small
cottages, some Of them very hand
some, on dozen different avenues,
all converging, like the spokes of
wheel, at a common centre where a
big open wooden Pavilion has been
erected where religious services are
held during the day and evening.
The Pavilion will seat several thous-
and people and the listeners are
treated to some excellent sermons by
by the big guns of the Methodist de-
nomination.
Sunday afternoon the great audi
ence was thrilled by one of the grand
est sermons that | ever heard from
human lips. 1t was delivered by
Rev. Patrick J. Kain, pastor of the
Fourth Reform Church of Manayunk,
Pa. AS will be inferred from his name
wit and natural oratory for which
his race is noted. He was formerly a
Catholic Priest, but became converted
to Professionalism several years ago,
and has done q wonderful work
among the young people where he is
located. He is finely educated and
has a most attractive stage presence.
If he had been an actor he would
have ranked with Booth and McCul-
Tough. In his impassioned oratory
he has all the iInpetuosity OF the late
John B. Cough and the eloquence of
Ingersoll, while he is a Past Master
in graceful and fOrcible gesticulations.
For more than an hour he held the
vast audience in breathless attention
while scores of his ministerial breth-
ern upon the platform satspellbound
by his matchless eloquenee. His sub
ject was Belshazzar's Feast and the
pith of his text the familiar words
from Daniel, Thou art weighed in
the balance and found wanting" He
drew wonderful word picture of
the greatness and grandeur Of acient
Babylon, described the great walls
and buildings and Hanging Gardens
and the mechanical skill of the inhabi-
tants in the beautiful arts now Who'll
ly lost. His vivid description of the
riOtous banquet, the advance of the
armies of Darius and Cyrus, and the
capture of the City were SO realistic
that | almost felt that was in dam
ger OF being captured by those an
cient heather. In all that is force
full and graceful in oratory, in diction
and elocution, the Rev. 'Kain can
stand in the front rank of American
pulpit orators, and count it among
the pleasntest church experiences of
my life that was privileged to hear
him. What great and lasting good
such brilliant men are capable of ac-
complishing God bless them, one
and all, wherever found of whatev-
er nationality or creed who devote
their lives and their magnificent tai
ents to the bettering of the human
race!
They have most excellent water at
Pitman from the famous spring there
and you can drink all you want free
of expense. You can get soda water
during the week but not on Sunday.
: Soda not sold on sunday" was the
thrilling inscription Iran up against
at the drug store. / could have
bought bottle OF very cheap whis-
key, with enough aloes in it to call it
bitters," or some. other medicine
like Jamaica Ginger which is ninety
per cent. brandy. But an entirely