The New England Camp-Meeting.
By Uriah Smith
We reached the camp-ground at South Lancaster Friday morning, Aug. 27. The meetings commenced Thursday morning at 5:30, and a full series of meetings was held that day. The brethren of New England seem to be disposed to make the most of their privileges; hence they opened the meeting at the very earliest point the notice would allow, and will no doubt continue it till the latest. There are some forty tents already erected, and the meeting promises to be the largest yet held on this ground. Bro. White has already spoken twice, and Sr. W. once. Bro. and Sr. W. bring reports of a most cheering camp-meeting in Vermont, and an interest to hear further so great that Bro. Canright has been left behind to follow it up. The feeling in all this community seems to be friendly, and the papers are giving very full and courteous notices of the meeting. [The above was received from Bro. Smith too late for the paper last week. Since then, the following has been received.] We can now speak more fully of this meeting than in our brief note of last week. It soon became evident that the brethren and sisters who had come together were not in a condition to take hold of the work as they ought, nor to really appreciate the truths that might be spoken unto them, and that unless there should be an advance movement and a breaking away from the binding influence then present, so that light and freedom could come in, the meeting would be in a large degree a failure. Thus the Sabbath opened with a spirit of labor resting heavily upon the servants of the Lord. Sabbath morning began to witness a better state of things. A plain testimony was borne to the people, and some good confessions were made. From this point, the meeting began to rise in interest and freedom, and grew better and better till the close. Sabbath afternoon a forward movement was made for prayers. All the seats that were cleared were speedily filled up, and still they were pressing forward. It soon became evident that it was easier to ascertain the number who had not come forward than those who had. And it was ascertained that there were only about forty of all the congregation who had not taken a part in this movement. And among these were not a few who were starting for the first time in the service of the Lord. The feeling was deep and wide-spread; and it was a scene long to be remembered. Sunday was a successful day. Bro. White spoke in the forenoon and evening, and Sr. W. in the afternoon. The attendance was large, numbering between two and three thousand, and the speakers enjoyed great freedom and clearness in the subjects they had to present. On Monday, another scene took place of a very marked and most encouraging character. A call was made in the afternoon for candidates for baptism. About ten at first responded; but there was a feeling evidently prevailing in the congregation, leading others to decide in regard to this important duty. So one after another joined themselves to the number, making such remarks as showed that the Spirit of the Lord was working with them, until twenty-two had signified their desire to go forward in that ordinance, and were accepted by the members of the churches present with which they wished to unite themselves. The scene at the water was one of the most pleasant and impressive we have ever witnessed. The joyful expression on the countenances of the candidates as they came up and out of the water, either praising the Lord, or joining in the song arising from the congregation on the banks, all conspired to render the scene impressive in more than an ordinary degree. It was good to be there. One case is worthy of special mention as showing the strength of conviction which the present truth works upon the minds of the conscientious. A young man from Leominster, who had attended some of the meetings lately held in the tent there, was at the camp-meeting on Sabbath and Sunday, but being an engineer in a manufacturing establishment returned to his work Sunday night. He was, however, so deeply convicted that he could not rest, and Monday forenoon, procuring another hand to take his place in the mill, and squaring up his account with tobacco, by thrusting his last box of cigars into the furnace, he returned to the camp-ground. We have rarely seen a person more deeply convicted. The power of the truth, and his worldly prospects beginning to grow quite flattering, were balancing in the scale. Could he give up these under circumstances peculiarly trying, and accept the truth with the sacrifices which it seemed inevitably to involve? He testified as he came forward for baptism that he had come to settle this matter, and it must be decided one way or the other. Happily, he was enabled to decide in the right direction, to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and went forward in baptism. The Lord bless him and help him to continue faithful in the new life upon which he has entered. At the parting meeting, Tuesday morning, testimonies were crowded in in rapid succession, and scores would have been glad to speak for whom there was no time. Thus the meeting closed in the most encouraging manner. The brethren and sisters were cheered, and we believe will try to follow up the advantage gained by this meeting. By vote of the Conference, and a rising vote of the congregation, they expressed their determination not to let slip the things they had heard, but to carry them out in their efforts to advance the cause for the year to come. We look for the cause in New England to rise and prosper, in accordance with the onward nature of the work in all parts of the field to-day. U. S.