The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1906-10-28
RELIGION OUT DOORS
characteristics of a Georgia
Camp Meeting.
LOVE AND THEOLOGY MIXED
Young People Have q GOOd Time,
but Are Good Listeners at the Serv-
ices-abuses OF the Camp Meeting
Abated-People Of All Denomiaa-
lions Enjoy Religious Exercises.
.dra7i J. clsrt in the Atlanta Constitution.

Edward Z Clark in the Atlanta Constitution.
At q Georgia camp meeting" l. trits
but expressive phrase which has literally
swept round the globe and made famous
the Bible institutes, rallies. conferences
or season REVEALS, whatever it may be
desired to call them. which arc distinctive
features or Georgia religion
To Georgian and 70 all outsiders who
have ever ATTENDED a good old-tfme
Georgia camp meeting the very mention
Of the name nils the heart with recollec-
tons OF good things o. All kinds ana
creates longing for those good old days
10 come back again.
For a time some wears ago. Il looked
Ike the camp meeting was on the d
cline, but Of recent years IL has taken p
bound forward again, and ia now being
placed on a lirmer and more substantial
basis than ever before.
Instead Of temporary tents and arborG.
the camp grounds are being covered with
solid wood aud stone buildings. and IN
less all signs fail. the Georgia camp
meeting is destined TO become q certain
and solid factor in the distinctive religious
features OF the world.
The camp meeting 10 Georgia church
folks is largely what the conference and
Bible institutes are 10 other places Bu-
at the camp meeting there is greater free
0om than at the other meetings,
II Is a time when religion runs riot, and
also when the happy hearted feel free 6"
worship God caTefree under the spreading
trees and away from the hustle Of hu-
mainly
Time OF LOVe-making.
Il is a time Of double loyc-making. The
sincere and holy are making love TO Cod
and giving up their entire tine and en-
ergy TO q whole-souled and blissfUl com
munion with Him away from the critical
and exactinS forms Of the city or even
( tho village church
The young folks are largely making love
20 each other. This does not mean 20 say
that there arc not hundreds Of younc
folks who are deeply concerned TeligiOusll
during thC progress Of the camp meeting
but boys sill be boys and girls Will b
girls. and when thrown together there r.
bound to be loyc-making between the
hours OF service.
There Is a happy couple living IN we'll
ordered home that spoke their first love
messages 10 each other in the tents O.
cottages or under the wild, unCultivateL
/ trees Of the camp ground.
And not only Is the human love spread
abroad lavishly at the camp meeting. bUt
/ God learns more Of the love Of his trtI-
I servants at such times than He ever
knew before With the world and it,
cares left behind. and all the friends who
are 10th TO look and laugh, il the spirit
Il ell <
burst with their load Of love and JOY.
there = riot Of love flung UP al the
throne Of grace and shoBered on the men
and women Of the earth. and thus human
and divine love inteTmlngie together ana
form . bloOdless riot which wraps the
soul Of men and women IN JOY and fills
the heart of God with that satisfaction a.
can only come when he sees His children
and followers laying down the things
which are temporal and laying hold 10 the
I higher things which are eternal and full
/ OF glory
Revival of the Camp Meeting.
/ The abuse OF the camp meeting was
what caused its decline a few years ago.
! But those who saw its value and loved
/ the refreshing season which it gave both
10 body and the spirit Of the Christian,
went 10 work to guard it against its
/ abuses.
+ II is now a well-known fact that those
who are irreverential and disrespectful
TO God are frowned down upon and not
( desired AT the Georgia camp meeting,
whether it be Of one denomination or an
ether.
This typical Georgia religious feast.
planned By the forefathers to refresh
I -4-S~ -
| Jians, IL is now evident, viii never die,
/ but will grow in strength and individ-
uaIity as the years pass.
| one OF the most noteworthy facts IN
| connection with the camp meeting OF the
/ State is that Jhe camp-meeung spirit II
not possessed solely by any one denOni-
nation.
| The staid and orthodox PresbyteTians,
/ those of the blue-stocking variety; even
! those who sit erect in church and never
crack smile, have camp meetings in
Georgia. and are proud of them. too.
For years the only Presbyterian camp
meeting in the world has been held a
/ Conyers. Ca. and TO it each year flock
1 the most solid and orthodox forces of the
/ Presbyterian Church. and there recreate
and loosen UP their religious natures.
All Denominations Represented.
The Methodists have camp meetings
and the shoutings of good old Methods
/ hallelujahs mingle often with the fervent
and heartfelt "amens' of the Presbyte-
rians and Baptists. The praise the
Lords" and the glory 10 Gods" OF the
| Holiness sects are also heard lifting their
/ Heartfelt. and no less sincere. refrain 10
/ the King OF II0gs and Lord Of Lords
| Thus in Georgia, instead of having the
| summertime as a season Of religious
dearth and sleepiness IL Is a time when
! religion blossoms forth from every Hill
/ top and revivals and camp meetings shout
1 their joyful and soulful acclaims 10 God,
and the musical and even unmusical lift
their voices and make noises" which tell
strongly to the listener Of religious fervor
and heartfelt religion.
/ 1t has proven great boon to the GeOr-
gia religious forces. because it keeps them
up to the highest notch possible during a
/ season ordinarily of relaxation. and there
are thousands of Christians In the Empire
State who take nc vacation save the one
/ spent at camp meetings, and who have no
/ relaxation of their religious life caused By
/ the attendance upon some fashionable Or
| goddess summer resort.
/ This is one reason why there's so many
/ good folks" in Georgia. The kind or
/ good folks that people Of all stations and
/ opinions like TO meet with and chat With
/ and have for friends The kind that arr
/ honest and free and happy and loving
rather than critical
Can't Sleep with a Clock.