The Indiana Camp-Meeting.
By M. K. W.
The sixth annual camp-meeting of the Seventh-day Adventists, in the State of Indiana, commenced according to appointment, Thursday, August 9, and continued until the next Tuesday. It was held about one and a half miles from the city of Kokomo, in one of the most beautiful beech groves that nature often produces. The trees were large and high, and their branches so interlaced as to form a natural roof over the camp, thus affording a complete protection from the rays of the sun, and quite a protection from the rain. In point of numbers and interest this meeting far surpassed any ever held by S. D. Adventists in this State. Beside the large pavilion which was used for meetings in rainy weather, there were twenty-four large family tents in which over three hundred persons tented during the meeting. Elder Lane, who has been president of this Conference for some months, had thoroughly advertised the meeting in all the leading papers for miles around, and as the result the outside attendance was large. On Sunday the people turned out en masse from the neighboring cities, villages and country. Three excursion trains were run, one from Indianapolis, the State capital, one from Frankfort, and another from Plymouth, and these poured out their loads of living freight upon the grounds. Beside this, more than five hundred teams were hitched at one time in the woods just outside the camp. It was estimated by those who are competent judges that there were not less than seven thousand persons on the ground, nearly all of whom manifested the most intense interest to hear. Sabbath was a good day for those in camp. In the morning social meeting at the stand, over seventy testimonies were given in about forty-five minutes. These were necessarily very brief, but they were right to the point and very interesting. Many who had commenced to keep the Sabbath during the past year told with tears in their eyes of their love for the truth and of their gratitude for ever being permitted to see the light upon the Sabbath question. When looking over this large company of men and women of moral worth, noble in appearance and commanding in influence, and comparing them with the little company composed mostly of poor, uneducated brethren and sisters who met at the first camp-meeting held in the State six years ago, those who attended that meeting could but exclaim, “What hath the Lord wrought!” During the forenoon service, while Elder Lane was addressing a large audience in the tent, the clouds which had been gathering during the morning poured forth a copious shower upon the parched earth, causing all nature to rejoice but breaking up the meeting. In the afternoon Mrs. White addressed the people from the words of Peter in his second epistle and first chapter, clearly showing that if we would be patient we must first be temperate. Sunday morning dawned bright and clear, the clouds of the previous day having entirely disappeared. The crowd soon began to pour in, and at 10:30 A. M., Elder Waggoner addressed them upon the subject of “The Sabbath,” with good effect. At 2:30 P. M., Mrs. White took the stand and spoke upon the subject of “Temperance.” The city of Kokomo having been awakened on this subject by the labors of Mrs. Russel, a popular temperance lecturer still in the place, and the notice of the meeting having been quite generally published in the newspapers and by handbills, an immense crowd assembled to hear. And although not more than one-half of them could be seated, the rest stood crowded into the aisles and around the stand, and gave the closest attention for an hour and a half. Mrs. White is in full union with the efforts almost everywhere being made by temperance workers to reclaim drunkards and to suppress the liquor traffic, but she claims that the reform work should be still deeper, that tobacco in all its forms should be laid aside, and that temperance in all things should be taught to children from their childhood up. Monday morning, at 8:30, a session of the State Conference was held to elect officers for the ensuing year, and to transact other important business. Elder Lane was re-elected president, and Mrs. M. Fatic, secretary. New licenses were granted to Brethren Reece and Caldwell, and several other young men were recommended to go out and improve their talents during the coming year. Over two hundred dollars were raised for the Battle Creek College, and one hundred for the General Conference. In the afternoon, Mrs. White again addressed the people with freedom and power, vividly portraying the persecutions and sufferings through which the apostles passed for Christ’s sake. At the close of the sermon a call was made for sinners and backsliders to come forward for prayers, when between forty and fifty made their way to the front seats. The deepest feeling was manifested, and the most heart-felt testimonies were borne. The next morning a meeting was held for the ordination of Brother Bartlett, after which the congregation repaired to the water where fifteen willing souls followed their Saviour into the watery grave. And thus closed the Indiana camp-meeting for 1877. A favorable impression has been made upon the people of this State, and from this time we expect the work will go forward with a new impetus. M. K. W.