The Penn's Grove record., 1914-07-31
"REMINISCENCES OF CAhp MEETING DAYS
When Penns Grove WAS The Very
VestibuIe OF PARADISE.

"big Sunday" which will be on next
Sunday.
Many of our old residentf will recall
the times when camp meetings were held
under the auspices of Emmanpel Church,
near PENIS Grove. That was when the
inhabitants were more PROVINCIAL and
when all M%ethodism in this region was
more united in social accord. In the
latter part of the Sos camp meetings
were held in the woods about two and
a half miles from Penns Grove, below the
dupont reservoir, which was a pond to
drive the old mill which stood beside it
for about a hundred and fifty years. Comp
was held on either side of the road where
John Norton now has tomatoes and sweet
potatoes growing.
Camp meetings were held there in 1866,
Z and s. The memory of this was recall.
ed recently by reading in the Christian
Advocate an accent of the death OF Mrs.
Annie E. Goodman, widow OF Rev. AL
fred Goodman, in Germantown, Pa,
April %, 1914, in her Goth year.
Who was Alfred G. Goodman?
He was a famous Methodist preacher,
of Philadelphia, born in 1928, and died
in 1871. He preached at the camp meet
ing in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and
Delaware. He was pronounced to have
been a spiritual seer with a seraphic roy
atty of %eloquence and brought heaven
nearer by his presence. He visited Penns
Grove camp during the Cos. He wrote a
letter to his wife
Camp Ground, Thursday 500.
81 am Just outside OF Heaven. Penns
Grove is as usual, the very vestibule of
Paradise. The meeting, always good, was
never more glorious than this year. An
unusual number of tents are OH the ground
and crowds Of preachers, Brothers Belden,
Inskip and wife, etc. x + \ Yester-
day | was sick, but camp meeting has
cured me. There is constant inquiries
respecting yourself and great regret ex-
pressed that you are not here"
There are very few old folks living who
will recall Rev. Goodman and the time
when Heaven was so near Penns Grove,
| yet his widow to whom he wrote this
letter forty-eight years ago died only three
months ago.
He so impressed congregations that
churches in Philadelphia and other places
were named for him.
Those were days before Pitman Grove
and Ocean Grove, Island Heights
and Ocean City camp meetings were; in
fact, before those places, now cities had a
local habitation and a name. In those
days scores of persons from Philadelphia
Methodist Churches came to Penns Grove
on the steamer Major Reybold, journeyed
two and a half miles in wagons, brought
large tents and stayed two weeks in the
forest primeval and enjoyed the religious
services, and the fresh food from the near
by farms. Neither city folks nor farmers
lived such strenuous lives as now.
In the early seventies when these other
resorts were started there was no Penns
Grove camp meeting, but after the great
revival under Mrs. Lizzie Smith during
the winter OF 1857, the camp meeting
spirit WAS revived. In the late 70s and
early sos camp meetings were held in
Joseph Divers woods, a mile from Penns
Grove where now is John l.. Corson's
field between the road and Edwin Leaps
residence. Mrs. Smith, who then resided
in Penns Grove, did much towards
keeping up the religious enthusiasm as
she has continued to do for the past sew
eral years at Pitman Grove.
The increase of religious zeal and the
growing up of another generation with
local interests and ambitions led to the
division OF Methodism. The change in
the manner and crops on farms also has
led to less leisure time. Formerly wheat,
corn and cantaloupes and water melons
were the principal farm crops. From
the middle of July to the middle of Aug
ust after the wheat was gathered, corn
and sweet potatoes cultivated for the last
time, there was leisure time with many
for camp meetings, picnics and excursions
Since the growing Of more early produce
such as white potatoes, peppers, and es-
pecially tomatoes, has been engaged in,
there has been little leisure, because farm
ers have pursued a strenuous life. In those
former days there was little social life out
side OF church circles. The community
has become more cosmopolitan and less
provincial.
If a famous Methodist minister, like
Alfred Goodman were to come to Penns
Grove now would he think he was ''just
outside of Heaven and in the vestibule OF
Paradise?"
1t would entirely be according to his
state of mind and with whom he associat-
ed. We believe there is more goodness
now than iorty-eight years ago. All that
is needed to manifest it is more unity OF
action.