The Penn's Grove record., 1911-09-08
Ocean Groves Greatest Meeting
An Old Pastor Heard From

An Old Pastor Heard From
BRO. SUMMERILL:
Thinking it would interest some OF
YOUR readers l send you an account OF
the Camp Meeting at Ocean Grove.
This years meetings have been the
o greatest in the history of this world
wide known resort which is unique in
its history, in its government and In
its religious influence.
More meetings have been held and
more conversions took place than III
any previous year. Last Sunday was
the second Sunday Of the camp meeting
and the greatest of the year. Fourteen
meetings were the order of the day and
it was estimated that the aggregate at
tendance at all of them was 10000
persons.
The annual lovefeast was observed
in the auditorium at 9 in the morning.
The participants, representing nearly
every religions sect in the country.
numbered 10000, many standing in the
aisles, unable to secure seats. The
I unique service was conducted by the
Rev. DR.. William H. Morgan, pastor OF
the Central M. E. Church of Newark.
| Altogether, some 300 testified in regard
| to their religious experience.
Among those who testified was Mrs.
| Harriet Kidder, widow of DR.. Kidder,
/ the Methodist missionary; A. ID. De-
| Haven, New York broker and member
| of the Ocean Grove association, who
told how he was converted in the
straw before a Methodist altar over 5O
wears age. He was followed by 80
phie. the Scrub Woman" a religious
character from New York, who danced
before the altar as she talked. Henri
eta Lumm, a negro Episcopalian, and
another aged colored woman who sang
a HYMN. An Italian missionary from
Rome and a Hebrew from Pittsburg
were two of the many other races who
had members among those who testi-
fed. This shows how widespread the
people are who come here.
Two excellent sermons were dellv-
cred in the auditorium Sunday at
the regular Sunday meeting hours by
DR.. F. B. Wilson, Of Yonkers, in the
morning and the Rev. j. G. Wilson, D..
D., of Philadelphia, in the evening.
DR., F. B. Wilson's address largely
centered on the present day religion,
his text being John, xiv: 22-"Judas
saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how
is it that thou wilt manifest thyself
unto us and not unto the wOrld?"
"Atheism," he said at the beginning,
sis not the most formidable foe to the
spread of the gospel. Our danger is
not from the presence of thought, but
from the absence of it"
An absolute denial of the existence
of God, he said, is not in the order OF
things as they now exist. Every man,
he said, as long as he has a religious
nature, will seek some object of wor-
ship; if he cannot find God, he will
create an idol to suit his fancy. This
search for God, he thought, was good
evidence that a man is thinking along
religious matters. misguided hetero-
doxy," he said. sis rather TO be chosen
than an orthodoxy too lazy or too dis
honest to prove its claims"
The cowardice that evades all thought
on religion he scored severely. "Next
to the man who thinks wrongly is the
mar who doesn't think at all, :" he said
ssapd worse than either is the man who
lacks courage of what he thinks"
He then entered upon a discussion
of what it means to be a true Chris
tan. To bring out his point he said
that a man might be friendly with the
officers of a bank but he could moi
have his draft honored 10y the cashier
unless he had a deposit in the vault,
The same is true Of God in heaven, he
said. Many people who arrive at the
portals of heaven, he stated, find thai
they were merely acquaintance will
God and not heirs to his kingdom.
J The Rev. DR.. j. G. Wilson's text was
Corinthians, Ill: 9-''FOr we are la
!; borers together with God; ye are Gods
} husbandry; ye are Gods building.
That text, he said, contains what
should be the aim and object of every
chnrch today. "The business of the
church to day." he asserted, 4" is to SCI
to it that good characters are made Of
the young men and women OF the
country. 1t is engaged I'D The making
of men,"
He stated that many young people
of the day think that sin can be trlf1es
with in this age without the cOnse
} uuent punishment which was meteC
out to the sinner in the Biblical days
1t is that erroneous idea, he maintained
that is making much corruption IL
present day affairs.
Great improvements have been made
to Ocean Grove along the board WALL
the past year. A large hotel was built
at the north end. A music pavilion
was added and the attractions i'll an
other year will compare with Asbury
Park, the twin city on the north side
of Wesley lake.
There has been a movement in some
quarters for "a borough government.
DR.. e. A. Ballard at the last Sunday
service took the platform for a few
minutes to review the borough question
for the congregation and put before
Them the arguments that are against
the formation of a borough-that with
Ocean Grove a borough there will be
NO noora ouiot there and that