The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-08-06

mp-Meetings, Then and Now.-Fifty
ysan ago camp meetings, compared with those
" sooay, were elementary, says the Baltimore
Amer1can. The campers not only lived in
ssnes, Dut IN tents of the most primitive char
scter. Military science had not at that time
developed the commodious canvas dwelling
LOW generally known and used. and the peO-
Pc were left to their own devices in shaping
.nelr temporary abode. Green boughs and
sLa1s furnished the majority of the beds, though
on.eIprislng housekeepers, even in those days,
.Umeumes varied the monotony and excited
tne jealousy of the less fortunate by luxurious
eIspiay OF bedding and other useful household
furniture. When itrained, and not infrequent-
y Il rained very hard, there was nothing to
cneer the spirits of the detected campers except
tne consciousness of the purpose for which
tney were assembled. Neither the pulpit nor
the seats of the congregation were exempt from
lne downpOur and services were impossible.
Inc tents, with provoking unanimity, leaked,
ana there was no consolation for the inmates
lob-lolly.
That kind of campmeeting can be found to-
gay IN remote country districts though there
mas been decided improvement everywhere in
the housing of the worshipers, and there has
Deen another change ofgreat significance which
mas done much to alter the distinctive charac-
Ter OF these annual religious gatherings. Fifty
years ago there were preachers whose influence
az these gatherings was so remarkable as to
WIN Tor them the distinction of camp meeting
preachers They were men of large frames.
| stent0rian voices and vivid imaginations. The
last but by no means the least of these Colos-
suses was the Rev. Henry Slicer. He was sew
eral inches more than six feet TALL with an eye
and beak like an eagle, and his voice could
De easily heard for half mile. When the
| great horn blew for service the campers turned
out en- masse, and thousands, attracted from a
distance by the reputation of the preacher,
helped to augment the attendance. His
strongest point was in picturing the torments
OF the damned and as he rose from one fight
| to another, heaping up the horrible tortures of
hell. the sympathy of the vast congregation
| swelled into agonized cries and pleadings for
rescue.
Fifty years have made a wonderful differ
enee. In addition to the very general decline
I ohthe doctrine Of eternal punishment the ma
lofity Of preachers have concluded that it is
| better tOappeal to the nobler qualities of human
nature than to terrify and threaten. Those
camP-meting preachers. however, were very
real IN their day, and they were giants. The
| preachers d the twentieth century are proba-
bly, as abls, and they exert as much, if not
more, influence, but in different way. The
people have changed, and change in the
method of treatment necessarily follows. To
! describe he[las ten thousand millions of times
hotter than an iron furnace in full blast, which
| was one OF d.. Slicer's SMILES, would be more
| apt to excite amazement than horror in the
AA4AAsAo VA q ~ OuCAA ACeutAOus
ed changes have occurred in the manner of
| holding camp-meetings which are patronized
| by people from the cities.
Comfort is nolonger tabooed. Where there
are tents they are not of the crude. leaky sort
which act as sleeves for the rain. They are the
latest Improvements and provided with plank
floors and bedding as comfortable as can be
had at home. In many instances houses take
the place of tents, with verandas from which
the breeze can be enjoyed and the garish sun
Isr~tt Id D~Nl
ton are fully protected from changes in the
weather. There are some who nrge that the
spirit of camp-meetings is thus destroyed. This
depends upon what is meant by the camp
meeting spirit. Presumably the object Of these
religious encampments is to worship God in
the woods or surrounded by such natural con-
ditions as directly denote Gods handiwork.
The conditions are there, whether the campers
live in leaky tents or comfortable houses. The
worshipers are encompassed by nature just the
same, no matter how they house themselves.
The grass and leaves and bushes are at their
feet, the woods tower above them, and the blue
canopy of the skies is over all
lie old times, when it poured in torrents, the
campers sought refuge wherever they could
find it. They never attended service under
such conditions. Had they done so there
might be logic in the plea that the spirit of
camp-meetings has been changed. That part
of nature which manifested itself in heavy
rains had no more attraction for them than
for modern campers. Pursuing this line of
reasoning the latter have concluded that COM
fort, or even luxury, is not out of place in the
worship of God, even though surrounded by
an elemental environment which is directly
the work of His hands.
The Law Governing Autos on the Pub
lie HighWays.-The Westminster Sentinel
says it transpires that the Maryland Legisla-
ture, at its session last winter. passed ian act
defining motor vehicles and providing for the
registration of the same and uniform rules
regulating the use and speed thereof" This
law was not among those published in news
papers, and the acts of the session have not yet
appeared in official book form hence it has
been impossible to find copy of it. A copy
of the original bill az introduced in the House
Of Delegates shows that it was almost identical
with the New Jersey law on the same subject;
AZ tsta.hg sqwaRdnanta. among the, most
made by these amendments, it is alleged, are
the reduction of the speed limits, the increase
of the penalties and the inclusion ofall animals
domestic not specified in a clause requiring
that 1.-The person in charge of motor vehicle,
at the request of any person riding horse or
horses, or other animals, or at the indication
of such horse or horses or other animals be-
coming alarmed by said motor vehicle, shall
go as far as practicable to the side of the road
and remain stationary until the said horse or
horses or other animals have passed to safe
noise as possible with the steam."
The Baltimore american states that where
the New Jersey law permits speed OF one
mile in six minutes 40 miles an hour) round
sharp curves and at the intersection of promi-
nent crossroads where such roads passes
through the open country the Maryland law
provides q maximum of one mile in 10 min
utes. (six miles an hourly
In the ''built-up portions of city, town or
village" a maximum speed of mile in ten
minutes (six miles an hour, only,) is permitted
by the Maryland law.
The highest rate of speed allowable in the
open country is ten miles an hour and the law
provides that in meeting or passing person
driving or leading horse or horses or other
animals, such speed be reduced to mile in ten
minutes"
These figures may not be strictly accurate
but they evidently give the general scope of
the provisions relating to the speed at which
motor vehicles may be run under the con-
ditions referred to.
The term motor vehicles is defined by the
law to 'include automobiles, locomobiles and
all other vehicles propelled otherwise than by
muscular power, excepting the cars of electric
and steam railways and other motor vehicles
running only upon rails or tracks"
Severe penalties are provided for violations
of the law.
Riggs Road Case to be Resumed.-Attor.
news Redmond G. Stewart, W. Irvine Cross and
Frank /. Duncan, counsel for the petitioners
for the reopening of the portion of the Garrison
Forest road which formerly ran between the
residence and the barn of Mr.. T. Dudley Riggs,
near Stevenson. Green Spring Valley, appeared
before the Highways Commissioners this week
and secured a repeal of the order of the COM
mission passed last week adjourning the hear
ing of the petition until decision was render.
ed in court in what is known as the North road
case. The North road is one of the two roads
opened by Mr.. Riggs in lieu Of the closing. of
the portion of the Garrison Forest road, which
the petitioners seek to have reopened. Mr..
Yellott stated that the order was passed mad
vertently under a misunderstanding of facts
and that it would be rescinded and the hearing
resumed on Thursday of next week.
Cornerstone Laying.-In the presence Of
several hundred persons the cornerstone of the
| parish house for st. Matthew's Protestant Epis-
copal Church, at Sparrow's Point, was laid by
Rev. Hobart Smith, archdeacon of Towson,
| last Sunday afternoon. The services were very
simple and were conducted by the pastor, Rev:
Lewis B. Browne. The music was furnished
| by the vested choir assisted by Mr.. /. III. New.