Upper Columbia Camp-Meeting.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
This meeting was held on the old camp-ground at Milton, Or., and was preceded by a ten days' session of Bible study. The attendance at the meeting was much smaller than last year; the excessively cold winter and dry spring had put crops back so much that many felt unable to come. Much-needed rains fell a few weeks before the meeting, which caused some to take courage and reverse their decision to stay away. If our brethren allow the fear of hard times to hinder them from obtaining the spiritual blessings God places within their reach, they will lose much. If the Lord is indeed soon coming, we cannot look for long-continued seasons of temporal prosperity, yet our spiritual needs are greater than ever. We need the blessings to be received at our annual gatherings more than ever before, and sacrifices must be made to obtain them. Sometimes the Lord tries us, and we find that the sacrifice does not prove so great as we thought it would be. One brother who hesitated long about attending, finally left his work and attended a portion of the Institute and the camp-meeting. On his return home, he found that his business had prospered in his absence more than when he was present. Two class exercises of the Institute were held each day before the meeting, and one every day after the meeting began. The intervals between classes during the Institute were devoted to study and to work on the ground. Morning and evening prayer-meetings were held each day, and these, together with the influence of the Bible study, gave those present a good preparation for the meeting. As people came onto the ground just before or at the beginning of the regular camp-meeting, they found the Spirit of the Lord already present, and a deep interest manifested. Indeed, it was not possible, as one brother said, to tell when the camp-meeting really began. The business sessions were marked by a spirit of union, and a desire to see the cause advance. The ten days' session of Bible study allowed the workers present to mature plans and to arrange business so that it could be attended to with dispatch. The Lord helped in the preaching of the word, to a marked degree, and the social meetings were seasons of blessing. Many said that it was the best camp-meeting that they had ever attended; this was not because of the smoothness of the preaching, but because there was a willingness on their part to carry out the instructions given. In closing, we wish to mention two benefits resulting from the holding of a Biblical Institute before and during a camp-meeting: 1. The people have something to think and talk about. We never attended a camp-meeting where there was so little visiting and idle talk. Wherever a little group was gathered, they were engaged in earnest study, preparing for the next recitation. 2. As a natural consequence, the spiritual interest of the meeting was quickened. The Holy Spirit came into hearts as they meditated on the word. If no permanent increase of knowledge had been gained by those present, these results alone would amply repay for the effort. We trust, however, that lasting impressions have been made, and that all have received a new impetus in Bible study. We are now on the pleasant camp-ground in Portland, ready to begin the work to-morrow morning. E. J. W. Portland, Or., June 13, 1885.