The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-16
INCENSE OF ROAST BEEF
TT CLOSED THE NEGRO CAMP
MEETING In A BLAZE
OF GLORY
BARBECUE WAS THE FINALE
And the Boy Preacher Gave the As
sembIed Host n Vigorous Ser
mon on Observance of
the Sabbath.

"Oh, brudders, you all want to get to
heaben, and " all want to know what
you'll do when y get there, but none Of
y want to know what you'll have to do
before y get there. I'm goin' to tell you
now what you'll have to do to get there"
The speaker was Harry Killibrew, the
nine-year-old boy preacher from Ken
lucky, and he was addressing the as
semblage at the negro camp meeting-a
negro meeting where for each black face
there were to be seen three white ones.
After announcing his intention to wan
der from his text and instruct his audi
tors in the rules Of conduct necessary to
insure eternal happiness, Harry changed
his mind. He seemed to decide that 1t
would be better to tell the people what
they should do in order to keep away
from a place he named-a place where, it
is said, the mean temperature is higher
than that of Chicago in summer, but
where no prostrations from the heat have
ever been recorded. And he told them
about it. He limited himself to criti-
cism of modern habits in regard to Sun
day observance.
THE Lord, said Harry, tells you to
remember the Sabbath day and keep it
holy. He wants you to give that day
over to Him. You give him part of it.
You get up about noon and then begin
to talk about going to church. Then
you find that you forgot to do sonnet thing
yesterday, and you got to do it now. OF
course you forgot something, when you
let the devil get at you and he made
you forget it. And you let him stay
with you and make you do it now, in
stead of putting it off till Monday. And
then the devil is happy, for he knows
that he's got your soul. And he will
get it sure if you don't stop forgetting
and doing things on Sunday"
Harry suddenly broke off his sermon at
this point, and the testimonial meeting
was begun.
It was in the testimonial meeting that
the difference between the meeting on
University avenue and the negro camp
meeting as it is conducted in the South,
became apparent. Testimony in a South
ern camp meeting means a fervent burst
of prayer and Thanksgiving, ending usual
ly with a rush of tears.
At the camp meeting which closed
last night there were no such demon
STATIONS. When testimony was asked
for only a few land most of them white,
responded. They gave their testimony
in few quiet, almost inaudible words,
saying simply that they had found the
Lord and were certain of salvation. One
old colored woman, indeed, broke down
and wept as she spoke of her hope Of
meeting in the next world those she had
loved in this, but the enthusiasm which
makes the testimony of Southern negro
g. sermon was absent.
The only point of resemblance between
the Norhrrn camp meeting and its South
ern progenitor was the pit at the back
of the grounds, where, over slow fire,
a beef was roasting. The sight of the
great animal, spitted entire, was novel
one to most of the visitors at the
grounds. and crowds stood around he
pit all day. but the barbecued meat,
strange, to Northern eyes and palates,
was not as eagerly sought as it would
have been-sn a similar occasion 800 miles
further South.