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Iowa Tent

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 18, 1871

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 38, No. 5.

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Iowa Tent.

By Dudley Marvin Canright; George I. Butler

AT the close of the La Porte City Camp-meeting, it was thought best to commence a course of lectures, as there seemed to be a large interest manifested at that meeting; hence the tent was moved into the city, and a regular course of lectures entered upon. But we soon saw that we had calculated on too much; for our congregation at the best was only small, and no real interest was manifested by those who did attend. After staying one week, our audience dropped down to only about thirty besides our own people; so we closed our meetings there.
This has taught us that it is not a good plan to follow a camp-meeting with a course of lectures. We believe the same thing was tried in Oneida, N. Y., Kilbourn City, Clinton Junction, Wis., and with like results. A camp-meeting is a large affair generally. It is attended by scores and hundreds of our people, with from a dozen to thirty tents; our best speakers are expected to be heard; above all, Bro. and sister White are expected to be there and speak. All this draws a crowd for a day or two, most of whom have no real interest to hear the truth. To change from such a meeting as this, to an ordinary course of lectures, appears to the people as though the thing were about a failure; so if any should have some interest, they are ashamed to show it, and hence stay away. We hope to learn wisdom by the things we have suffered. We tried to improve our time while there by holding meetings with the church. We were much encouraged with the results, and hope we have left them in a better condition than they have been in before. The brethren were all very kind to us in providing for our wants.
Tuesday, July 4, we came to Leon, Decatur Co., Iowa. It is a village of less than a thousand people, twenty-two miles from the railroad, and twelve miles from the Missouri line. Here our tent is now pitched. It seems to be a promising opening. We hope for the prayers of our brethren, and for the help of God, in whose name we go forth to win souls from error to truth. D. M. CANRIGHT, GEO. I. BUTLER.