Evening star., 1909-07-11

timately associated with the p'-
4 - oneer days Of America, Is rapid
ly passing out of existence. In
Its stead has come a new-fashioned reli-
gious summer assembly, dominated large
ly by college-bred men and women. From
the announcements OF the meetings of the
present summer 1t would seem that this
new institution has not only eclipsed the
camp meeting. but seriously menaces the
supremacy Of the ordinary summer re-
sort.
Only in remote rural quarters may be
found the camp-meeting grove, with its
rude slab shacks and platforms and the
horses of visitors tied around about the
edge Of the woods Sometimes the tents
and wooden cottages of the visitors re-
main for the greater part of the summer,
as sort of camping-out experience for
families who want a simple and economi-
cal place of sojourn. The famous "ex-
horters" among the denominations conf
plain. though. that the camp meeting re
vfral' lie not what it used to be. and
ehoe - g. "" 1880 pOPuili ShtiS SCdl
idea that men could "get religion" after
the crops were in has been seriously af-
fected by the general advance of culture
throughout the country. Some old-fash-
ioned folk lament the decline Of the camp
meeting, and blame this upon the en-
| croachment Of worldliness. The truth is
that the camp meeting was simply char
acteristic accompaniment of the forma-
tive stage of the nations development.
With the progress Of education and pros
perity 1t has had to give way. along with
the log cabin and the prairie schooner, to
different type Of expression of the abid-
ing religious sentiment.
I 1t is a significant fact, overlooked by
many persons, that some of the most
prosperous and populous OF the summer
resorts of America are those which bear
distinctitely religious impress. From
Ocean Grove, on the Atlantic, to Pacific
Grove, In California. these modified chau-
tauquas are attracting an increasing num-
ber OF visitors each year. To a great body
OF the rank and file of the American peo-
pie they take the place OF the fashion
able summer resort, because, for one
practical reason, they are less expensive
In most respects and they do not main
tain the extreme fashion Of elaborate
dressing and spending in vogue in some
places. Nevertheless, it is probably true
| that Northfield. Moody's home in Massa-
| chusetts, and famous place OF religious
assembly, attracts a greater number of
wealthy and aristocratic people than does
Saratoga or Bar Harbor.
The forerunner of this new type of
summering place, which has crowded out
the camp meeting and also demanded
elbow room of certain fashionable re-
sorts which thought themselves immov-
ably established, was the chautauqua
idea of Bishop John II. Vincent. This
started originally as a Sunday school
| summer assembly, and gradually devci-
oped into a general educational enter
prise, always tinged by the religious at
mosphere. The mother" chautauqua, on
Lake ChautauQua, in northwestern New
York, has been enormously successful
| from every standpoint. Hundreds of
other chautauquas have sprung up in all
| other parts of the land. While the re-
| Hgious element is not lacking in these,
they have come to be primarily educa-
tional. The best lecturers and the best
entertainment talent find chautauqua as
semblies their most successful fields.