New England Camp-Meeting.
By George I. Butler
This meeting was held in South Lancaster, Mass., on the ground recently purchased by the brethren for a permanent camp-ground. They have fitted it up with care and taste, and it answers well the purpose. It is convenient to the railroad. The grove is of pine trees, and the brethren there have manifested their liberality in paying eleven hundred dollars to make sure of a permanent place for meetings. There were some thirty tents upon the ground, and about three hundred brethren. Bro. Andrews and Haskell were present to assist in the meetings. The weather was quite wet, and somewhat cool, and many of the meetings were therefore held under the large tent. The outside attendance Sunday was quite small compared with what it has been in many places. Our meetings passed off very pleasantly and we had no disturbance. All the business proceedings passed off well. Our religious meetings were interesting and profitable, and many expressed themselves as well satisfied with them, and spoke of great personal benefit they had received in attending them, because of the close and practical preaching to which they had listened, and the good social meetings they had enjoyed. On Sabbath, from one hundred and fifty to two hundred came forward for prayers, still it seemed to me our meetings were hardly as spiritual and profitable as some of the camp-meetings we have held this season; and it seemed as if the work should have been continued till it got a deeper hold of the hearts of the people. The brethren manifested a liberal spirit in answer to the call for the Hygienic Book Fund, and pledged upward of $1000.00 to that important object. Our brethren in this Conference certainly have set those in other States a noble example in liberally contributing to important enterprises. If the spiritual interests of the Conference are correspondingly prominent, it will no doubt receive a great blessing from the Lord. In this direction there is no doubt room for improvement. Owing to the many calls upon Bro. Haskell’s time, and the scarcity of proper labor, the brethren no doubt feel the need of help. May God bless his cause in New England, and may there be found many who will give their hearts to God, and their efforts to the advancement of his cause.