New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-25
A CITY CAMP MEETING.
1T LACKS THE CHARACTERISTIC EN-
THUSIAsM OF THE COUNTRY.


The rural camp meeting with its naive en-
,husiasm and It's free-and-easy atmosphere OF
hrotbarlv affection. wears a somewhat exotc
And artificial air when II appears IN ii'e'iopo"
90, surroundings. In fact, it is not easy Tor
my one who has known the camp meeting eise-
,,oro to recognize ANYTHING Of this character
ietic enthusiasm or this frank fraternzihg III
bo "tant meetings" which are attracting more
Than usual attention in New-fork thls year
Somehow the great mass of those who go TO
these meetings on vacant lots IN great CIT!
like this seem to regard the proceedings from
We point of view Of only partially Interested
outsiders. not as something in which they them
ELVES have an intimate part.
Last Sunday a flag bearing the legend Glad
Tidings" was unfurled in the boarded-oh hO-
low below the street level on FiftysiXth st. be
tween Broadway and Egnth-ave The nag
waved over a huge tent where. as the news
rapers had freely announced the Rev. ;. Hart
we'll Pratt was going to hold Gospel meet
hat afternoon. 1t had been expected by many
NJ those interested in such matters that the
great Moody himself would address the meet
ing but this turned out to be mistake
Nevertheless. as early as 1880 o'clock the
throng began to appear by small groups ana 10
knock obviously at the closed gate in the sun
cried board fence Of the lot. Two small boys
jealously poked their heads out ard as pohteY
rs they could requested the seekers To take
exercise in the thOroughfares Of the vicinity for
mother half-hour. as the tent would not he
5pen until and the meeting would begin at
40
When the visitors eXpostulated, the sound OF
voices without would attract Mr.. Pratt him
self who was busy inside like the Apostle PAU.
with the occupation of a tentmaker. Mr. Pratt
,vopId exnlain that the tent itself was as yet
hardly ready to receive people, certain ropes
having vet TO be made taut; that the meeting
had heec fairly announced fer 40 that he
could not allow all the seats to be occupied IN
advance to the exclusion of those upon whose
steady attendance the enterprise chiefly relied
When the spokeswOman OF the premature party
it was generally a sp0keswOman, not man
eyrIained that they had come all the way from
Brooklyn. Mr. Pratts good nature always
welded TO their plea and the small sentries
were given the word to admit the supplicants.
one elderly lady. the head and front Of
BROOKLYN squad took the concession, evidently
rather as bare justice than a favor. She
seemcd much annoyed that Brooklyn people
ter and led her party down the wooden steps
and up 10 "A front row of seats with stern de
termination by and 10y Mr.. Pratt lifted up
his voice and requested all those early corners
e. move to the back Of the tent. as to let the
correctly Informed later arrivals have a chance.
The indignant Christian woman from Brooklyn
looked as if neither horses nor dynamos should
budgc her but those OF her command favored
compliance
Come" said one 1T is a request"
Eyes" said another gentle member Of the
party las it is a request
So the front rank wavered and broke. The
stern leader had TO yield to the weakness Of her
forces. Other groups followed the example, AMI
there was a general movement away from the
platform.
In one point the NewYork vacant-lot meet
hg is like the primitive article; nearly all the