The Southern California Camp-Meeting by H. W. Cottrell

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 17, 1907

The Southern California Camp-Meeting

By H. W. Cottrell

One of the most remarkable camp-meetings I ever attended, in some particulars, was the one held at Los Angeles, which closed September 2, having continued three weeks. The camp-meeting was preceded by an institute, which also continued three weeks.

The camp was situated on a ten-acre plat of land just outside the city limits. Two lines of electric cars ran directly to the camp, which made it very convenient for the traveling public. The camp was beautifully laid out with broad avenues and streets, and the usual directory was found convenient for locating the twelve hundred people who were residents in the cotton city composed of three hundred one family homes. There were also five large tents for public service, and one for a dining hall.

The principal auditorium was sixty by one hundred forty feet, seated to its utmost capacity, and on Sabbaths, and usually in the evening, it was filled to overflowing.

The attendance from the city during the evenings and on Sundays was fair for such occasions. A deep impression was made upon the minds and hearts of the people through the preaching of the word, and I trust that fruit of the effort put forth may be seen in the kingdom of God.

The evening and Sunday services were given up almost entirely to the consideration of the special features of the great message that we are commissioned to bear to all people in this generation.

While the spirit of the Master was present in every service, the Sabbath services were especially marked by the Spirit's presence in the conversion of souls, reclaiming backsliders, and sending deep conviction to the hearts of believers that the time had fully come when each should be entirely surrendered to the Lord, and wholly consecrated to him for immediate and active service. Forty were buried with their Lord in baptism.

There were special services held each day with the German and Spanish-speaking people; also with the young people, intermediate, primary, and kindergarten divisions. There were about forty German persons present, and the services for them were in charge of Elder A. Schlotthauer. The Spanish services were under the general direction of J. F. Blunt and Mrs. Augusta S. De Angeles. The Spanish attendance averaged from fifteen to twenty-five.

The young people's work was directed by Profs. H. G. Lucas, E. S. Ballenger, and J. L. Kay. There was an average of one hundred fifty in this division. There were one hundred seventy-five in the intermediate department, and they were in general charge of Mrs. Dr. Leadsworth. There were eighty in the primary division, and they were in charge of Sisters Ruth Kane and Letta Hibben. There were one hundred little people in the kindergarten in the care of Mrs. Geo. Miller.

All the instructors did their best, under God, in the work assigned them, and the Lord greatly blessed their efforts.

A course of study was conducted the last week of the meeting on the subject of Bible organization, in which the people manifested marked interest, and were greatly profited. Certainly no line of thought presented created a greater awakening among our people than the one on order among the people of God.

Dr. Lillis Wood-Starr, assisted by other physicians and nurses, gave instruction daily on health and temperance.

Besides the ministers of the local conference, there were present, all or a portion of the time, Elders I. H. Evans, W. T. Knox, M. C. Wilcox, W. C. White, H. G. Thurston, A. Schlotthauer, and F. R. Rogers, and Brethren H. H. Hall and J. R. Ferren, and the writer. Brother H. G. Lucas was set apart by ordination to the sacred work of the gospel ministry.

Elder G. W. Reaser was re-elected president of the conference; H. H. Winslow was elected secretary and treasurer.

The remainder of the executive committee is about the same as last year. Pledges and donations were secured to be applied as follows: Fernando Academy, $2,500; $150,000 fund, $700; Sabbath-school collection, $700. Through the public sale of the Bible Training School, $230 was provided for the Southern Missionary Society, to be forwarded through the regular channel. The conference voted $1,500 of its surplus tithe to the foreign mission treasury, $500 of which is to be applied to the work for the colored people in the South, conducted by the Southern Missionary Society, under the direction of the Southern Union Conference, and $2,000 more was also voted conditionally to the mission work.

H. W. COTTRELL.