CAMP-MEETING SANITATION
By David Paulson
In recent years much light has come to this people in reference to the management of our camp-meetings. There is, however, one phase of the question upon which little has been said in these communications, and that is camp-meeting hygiene. Undoubtedly, the reason that this question has not received the same attention as the others is because God has given such clear light upon this subject, not only in recent discoveries of science, but also in the sad lessons of every-day experiences. Our camp-meetings furnish a grand opportunity to diffuse, throughout the length and breadth of a Conference, life-giving truths; but be it remembered that when these principles are neglected, these meetings furnish as great a medium for the dissemination, all over the State, of deadly diseases. If unsanitary conditions are allowed to exist at a great camp-meeting, and thereby human life is sacrificed, and long days of needless suffering incurred by others, will not God require this at some one's hands? Frequently, hundreds of dollars are expended for new tents, and in beautifying the grounds, and liberally advertising the meetings to the general public; yet unhygienic conditions are allowed here and there to breed pestilence, when the entire grounds could have been kept in a sanitary condition with the expenditure of a few dollars, and a few hours of daily, diligent supervision by proper persons. It has been my good fortune to attend nearly fifty camp-meetings during the last few years, and without exception I have received spiritual benefit from these important gatherings; but again and again, I have stood at the bedside and witnessed intense suffering, which was evidently the result of neglect to carry out, or inability to secure, proper sanitary conditions. Such occasions necessarily present but meager facilities for the proper care of the sick, so it is doubly important that every precaution be taken to preserve the health of those who attend. I am prepared to state that at those camp-meetings where proper precautions were not taken to secure pure drinking-water, where the unsanitary conditions of closets and vaults were practically ignored, there was at least five times as much sickness as at those gatherings where these things received the attention that their importance deserves. Frequently, our camp-meetings are held in shady spots, where the sun does not have free access to disinfect the soil, yet for a quarter of a century these places may have been used by other denominations for similar gatherings, and almost every foot of the surface may be more or less contaminated with typhoid fever and other disease germs. Yet our people, in order to save a few dollars perhaps, use the water from some shallow well, which, under the circumstances, is virtually a cesspool, receiving infected water from this contaminated area. In several instances, I have seen such a well situated in the lowest portion of an old camp-ground, and have observed the surface water, washing this infected area, go directly into the well, and the next day I have been kept busy attending a long list of patients suffering with acute bowel troubles, or coming down with the fever. It is because I have been forced to see so much of this that I feel it my duty to offer a few suggestions. In such cases, if permission can not be secured to dig a new well remote from the grounds, then one of the first official announcements should be to the effect that there is probably “death in the well,” and that the drinking-water should be boiled a few minutes, which would destroy the disease germs, or at any rate render the water comparatively safe. The vault pits should be dug sufficiently deep to permit a liberal quantity of fresh lime, dry sand, or dry earth to be shoveled into them at least three times a day. Why should not every spot on our camp-grounds bear witness to the thoroughness with which the light and truth that God has committed to us is carried out? Men should be selected to have oversight of the sanitation of our camp-grounds who firmly believe in inscribing “Holiness to the Lord” on every spot set aside for these great gatherings. Our dining tents, which are now patronized so liberally, should teach correct principles upon the diet question, just as truly as the servant of God should teach the importance of right habits of thought and action, from the pulpit. If not, why not? To allow the staple articles of diet on these tables to consist of soft, doughy bread and pasty grains, with a marked scarcity of fruit, when it hangs in abundance in a ripe condition in the very orchards surrounding the grounds, certainly tends to check the spiritual benefits of such a meeting. It is not necessary to present on the tables a great variety of food, but the utmost care should be taken to see that that which is placed on the tables is thoroughly cooked. And as far as all grain preparations and breads are concerned, it is always far better to have them thoroughly subjected to oven-heat than merely kettle-cooked. It is true that this will, in some instances, necessitate the renting of an extra range at a little expense; but it is also extra expense when some of our laborers, who have grown gray in the Master's service find it necessary to cancel important engagements, where their words of counsel are sadly needed, and then go to our sanitariums to recuperate, because of an oversight in reference to some of these seemingly minor things pertaining to the camp-meeting. DAVID PAULSON.