Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-08-22
A HALF DAY AT CAMP-MEET-
ING

A HALF DAY AT CAMP-MEET-
ING.
Il Despite the drought and the al
most utter annihilatiOn of the crop
the turn-Ou at Newton Hamilton
camp-meeting on Sunday was large
Not as large as on some previOu
summers, but nevertheless larg'
and the worshiping congregation
during religious service ranged ap
prOximately between five hundred
and 4 thousand people, a congre
CATION large enough for any place
The woods outside the preaching
circle was full of people. The large
towns in the Juniata valley al
furnished large quotas of the mul
titude. The surrounding country
to distance of 8, 10, 20 miles con
tributed people who came in all
kinds of cOnveyances and the
woods north and west was full OF
teams from far and near. Large
numbers of people brought lunch
with them and at the dinner hour
groups of people seated through
out the grounds gave the woods an
appearance that it cannot again
have within the next year. The
water supply was ample from a
well S25 feet deep, clear, fresh
sulpher water and a man was, con-
stantly employed turning the
wheel that ran the pump. An ad-
mission fee of sets was charged for
each person who passed the rail-
road gate. Within the past few
years there has been a great
change in the faces one passes on
the grounds. The most of the
faces are new. The ever changing
population is no mora plainly seen
than in Newton Hamilton camp
meeting and the most of the faces
are young. The most of people
who used to go there have died or
moved beyond the radius of the
camp meeting. Others have come
to take their places. The number
of tent holders this year is not up
to that of some years past, but the
grounds are more attractive in
many ways. And the multitude
that were there on Sunday enjoy
ed themselves in prOmenading on
the broad walks of crushed lime
stone leading from the railroad
station to the grove. All great
places must have a walk for peo-
pie 70 promenade on. Why it is so
may be considered at another time.
A seat alongside of the walk
with attention directed to the
prOmenaders, reveals almost every
phase of character. There were
the flirting men and women; the
blaze man from the bigger towns
and the little towns of the Juniata
valley. who think they have seen
it all and that they have passed
the religious phase of camp-meet-
ing life, up and down they 60 with
a hardSned stare. There are the
fresh boys and young men to be
met with in every little town and
hamlet, who get off guys of var
ious kinds native to their fresh
ness. There are those who are
careless of the prophecies of the
places and smoke and swagger and
alas. here and there at long inter
walls comes the man under the in
fiuence of an intOxicant. The
promenade is study and can be
turned into a source of moral and
intellectual profit to thOughtful1
men and women. There can not
be a better place to get a view of
of the characteristics of peO-
pie than the crowded promen-
ade of a religious resort or a place
of worldly resort. 1t would be a
satisfaction to know what the wor-
shipping 500 back in the camp
thought of the prOmenading stran-
gers within the gates. We said
almost all the multitude we're
young. There were exceptions
here and there. The man who
had passed the three score
years and ten was to be met with.
Notably there was on the ground
one of the greatest bicycle riders
in the interior of the state. The
color of his complexion is young,
but his hair and beard is white.
He had ridden on his wheel ten
miles from Mill creek. His name
is j. G. COrbin. He is on the bOr-
der land of 80 years of age. Two
years ago he rode from Mill creek
to Lewisburg on the Susquehanna
in one day, a distance of ninety six
miles and to make the 100 miles,
he road four miles around the race
track of the fair ground. He rode
to Lewisburg to visit the big uni
versity there. He said when i
was younger l loved to be out
promenading at places of this kind,
but now think, like to sit in
places like this and hear thinking