The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-04-13
Nervous Excitement
Intense at Revivals.

This was the initial meeting of a lon9
series OF revival and camp meetings. ~
peculiar physical manifestation was OBJ
served In these REVEALS. The nervous s1-
citement brought on what was popularity
called the jerks" 1t seemed that 1t wao
involuntary. When under the influence the
sufferer would dance or sing or shout Some
times they would sway from side to side. %
throw the head backward and forward. q
leap or spring. Usually those under the
influence would fall upon the ground at the
close Of the jerking period and remain rigid
for hours. Sometimes whole multitudes
would become dumb and fall prostrate. Al
the swoon passed away the sufferer would
weep piteously. moan and sob. Then the
gloom would lift and joy would come.
AS the spirit of these meetings spread
The den and for new preachers was greater
than the church could supply. 1t was in
this demand that the Cumberland Presby-
terrain Church had its origin. David Rice, Q
leading member OF the PENNSYLVANIA Pres
bytery. visited the Cumberland country. He
was convinced that the REVEALS were doing
great good. Approaching the lack of preach
ers. he suggested that laymen possessing
the proper qualifications for carrying ON
the work should be selected to apply for
membership in the presbytery. Alexander
Anderson. FINS Ewing and Samuel King
applied end We're licensed to exhort. In the
revival the Cumberland country, as 1t was
called. was part OF the Pennsylvania Pres
bytery, but in 1902 this was divided ard
the Cumberland Presbytery established. It
was composed of ten ministers, OF whom
five favored and five opposed the methods
of the REVEALS.
BY various stages the Cumberland Church
was evolved. The system of licensing young
men to eXhort was one point of difference
between the Cumberland followers and the
synod. A dividing wedge was a difference
on doctrinal points. There were delays. ap-
peals to the synod and attempts at recon-
Citation. In 1910. at the residence Of Samuel
Meadow. in Dixon County, Tennessee, it
was proposed to establish a new and inde-
pendent. presbytery. This was done on the
4th of February. By 1913 the number Of
presbyteries had increased to three, and 1
October of that year the first synod Of the
Cumberland Presbyterian Church was
formed. In 1929 the first General Assembly
met at Princeton. Ky.
1t is worthy of remark that McGready, IN
whose exertions the new church had ito
origin. never Joined It.
OF the ministers, besides the McGees and
McGready, who were leaders in this nrst
meeting, there were Hodge and Rankin 81
the Presbyterian Church. and William Nc 4
Kendree, William Burke. John Sale and
Benjamin Lakin of the Methodist Church,
The name of McKendree Is still familiar,
since a well-known institution of learptp9 y
bears that name. Il
Thus 1t was that the great revival In.
stitrted camp meetings. a method which has
been followed by one branch of the church
for nearly a hundred years and brought into
being another influential division Of Presby.
o1Ri
Camp meetings have almost passed away.
The conditions of living that made them
are now seldom found. Many
and crowded communities { Y
caused the plan of a central camping
ground, where preaching could be heard, to
be abandoned. The modern revival finds AK
preston in the Moody meetings of yeata.
day and the Campbell Morgan m~eetings1D4
to-day. - lbnL