Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-12-26
PREACHING PITS.
The old Cornwall Mine sbnfts wbers
Wesley and wbiteneld
Held Revival.

Scattered throughout the length and
breadth OF Cornwall are innumerable
disused mine shafts, as might be ex-
pected in country whose mining
industry has existed for considerably
over 20 centuries. When the lodes Of
tin and copper gave out, or became
too poor to pay for the working, the
mines were Abandoned leaving either
innumerable yawning chasms or
shafts hundreds of fathoms deep to
scar the face of the country. In time
the woodwork which had been placed
as n lining to the shafts to support
the side rotted away, and, as a result,
the sides caved in and fell into tho
shaft and so formed q pit. In many
cases the "run-in," as this caving-in
is termed, formed perfectly circular
pit in the shape of an inverted trun-
Gated cone, sometimes measuring over
hundred feet in diameter at the sur
face and from 30 to 40 feet In its
greatest depth. When the ground was
more "rubbly" the pit would be wider
and deeper. When the great religious
revival under the preaching OF Wesley
and Whitefield took place, Cornwall
was one of the counties in which the
movement took deep root. Chapels
sprang up very quickly; but until
these were built the revivalists looked
about for places in which they might
worship without molestation. Some
genius saw great possibilities in these
'run-in" mine shafts, and so the
preaching pit" became an accom-
plished fact. The bottoms of the pits
were leveled, aud on the sloping side
rude seats were formed by cutting
the earth into tiers of steps and COW
ering them with turf. A high bank
was raised at one side of the preacher
and an opening was cut so as to give
easy access to the pit. In some cases
railing was erected around the outer
edge, having an entrance gate.
In these rude, improvised amphi-
theaters, eminently suited to the
rough, emotional nature of the Cor
nish miner, revival services were held,
and hundreds of converts were
drought in" as the Cornishman
terms it. With nothing but the blue
sky above and the green grass below,
the pit crowded tier above tier with
solemn faced religionists, listening
with bated breath to the denuncia-
tion of the sinner and the exhorta-
tion to flee from wrath eternal; the
young, dark-haired, blue-eyed lads
and maidens sitting hand in hand as is
the custom with Cornish lovers, and
their elders nodding and shaking
their heads as they agree or disagree
with the remarks of the preacher, oc-
casionally emitting a groan or an
"Amen;" while over all, the gather
of the scene, and makes II a fit subject
for the brush of Rembrandt. Then,
when the hymn, rolling from a thou
sand throats and echoed from the pit
sides, had been sung, followed by the
prayer, in which the entire spirit of
the supplicant was poured forth with
violent gesticulations and contortions
of body, to the accompaniment of
"Amens," groans, and "Hallelujahs"
of the believers, mingled with cries
and shrieks from the "unsaved," it
would seem as If the spirit of the an
cient Druids had survived through
the centuries in this remnant of Brit
aims ancient people.
These preaching pits" are all situ-
ated in West Cornwall. That at Gwen
nap, near Redruth, is the largest and
best known. 1t is AZ yards in diam
eter, and will accommodate 10000 peo-
pie. In Wesley's time it was very
much larger. Others are situated at
Newlyn East, near Newquay, and at
Indian Queens, near Truro. The pits
are not now regularly used as places
of worship; but on bank holidays
special services are held in them and
they are used also on the occasion
of q Sunday school treat. At such
times they are well worth visiting
Chambers journal.