GRAND RALLY IN NEW ENGLAND.
The Massachusetts Camp-Meeting a Great Success.
Twenty Thousand People upon the Ground.
We arrived upon the camp-ground in Groveland, Mass., Wednesday evening, and found eighteen tents already up. The number was speedily run up the next day to fifty-five tents, which was an increase by fifteen tents over any previous S. D. A. camp-meeting in New England; and there was a corresponding increase in the number of brethren and sisters present. This was a good omen upon the start. The ground was pleasantly located in a grove of oaks and pines. A branch of the Boston and Maine R. R. runs across one edge of the ground, over which trains passed each way nearly every hour in the day, stopping at the ground. A few rods beyond the R. R., though hidden from view by the high banks, is the Merrimac river, where two steam yachts landed passengers from Haverhill every hour on Sunday, and twice a day on other days. The meeting started off with great apparent readiness on the part of those present to take hold of the work. This at once brought a free spirit and a good state of feeling into the meeting. In the social meeting on Friday at 9 A. M., one hundred and ten as intelligent and spirited testimonies as one often hears, were borne in about one hour. And in none of the social meetings did those who were conducting them have occasion to prompt the brethren to fill up the time, and but little cause to caution them to be short and to the point. No opportunity was given to throw in directions of this kind. Thus freely moved the social meetings through the entire occasion. No bondage was felt in the preaching. The subjects presented seemed to be appreciated, and every blow struck apparently raised the interest a degree higher. But the great feature of the meeting was the unprecedented gathering on first-day. Eld. Haskell had extensively advertised the meeting in the leading papers of this section. And after the meeting commenced on Thursday, the reports written by Miss M. L. Clough began to appear in the same papers. The interest of the people was thus aroused, and the result showed what may be accomplished in this direction by a little effort. The following description of Sunday’s services by a reporter of the Haverhill Publisher, which appeared in the issue of that paper of Aug. 29, will be of more interest to the readers of the REVIEW than anything we might say concerning it:— “Sunday was the great day at the meeting in the woods at Bradford, by the Seventh-day Adventists, bringing together the largest assembly of people ever convened in this region for a similar purpose, and it appears to have been much enjoyed, not only by the Adventists proper, but by a very large number of people who always enjoy themselves by getting out for a free and easy day of roaming about, and communing with nature in one way and another.” “The railroads were taxed beyond the utmost capacity of all their preparations for the occasion, and large numbers were prevented from attendance by not finding means of conveyance at the time the trains started, or by not finding the trains moving when their effervescent inclinations were just active enough to stimulate them to visit the scene. We understand there were thousands at the station in Lawrence who could not be accommodated with conveyance, all the cars at command being literally packed to overflowing. It was the same at this station, and in the afternoon we noticed a train of sixteen heavy-laden cars slowly pulling out for the camp. In addition, two steam yachts were very busy, and omnibuses and barges were constantly running, while private carriages without number thronged in the way thereto. Had the cars run every half hour, they would have been full, and a much larger number of people would have passed over the road. As it was, it is thought fully twenty thousand visited the grounds during the day. But this was only an experimental occasion; another year an improvement can be made in the facilities for travel.” “The speaking through the day was almost continuous, it being in part an exposition of the doctrines of the sect, and was, therefore, ‘seed sowing’; in addition there were two addresses on Temperance by Mrs. White, of California.” “Eld. White gave himself to the critical work of expounding the religious theory of the sect of which he is one of the chiefs, the leading points of which are, as we have before stated: First, a belief in the literal, personal second coming of Christ; second, the sleep of the dead till he appears; third, the resurrection of the just to join him in the skies for a thousand years; fourth, the resurrection of the balance of the human race, who are to drag out a miserable existence for a season on the earth, which is not only to become a howling wilderness, but a land of desolation and extreme wretchedness, which is to continue till the ‘great multitude which no man can number’ have suffered enough, then they are to be destroyed ‘root and branch,’—that is, annihilated—and in connection with this terrible devastation the earth is to become purified, sin brought to an end, and the earthly creation restored to its primeval purity and glory, when Christ and his saints will descend to inherit it forever, being clothed with flesh and blood as now, but undying.” “Eld. Smith, of Michigan, spoke in the evening upon ‘The United States in Prophecy,’ giving to prophetic words a turn in harmony with the belief which we have briefly shadowed forth. A very important and prominent point in their faith is the observance of the seventh day as their Sabbath and season of rest and worship.” “Eld. Haskell, who was the superintendent of the camp, found his time completely occupied in providing for the various wants of the great crowd, which far exceeded all expectations and provisions made therefor. The supply tent, or sutler’s quarters, was eaten out at an early hour, and a messenger dispatched to this city, who completely cleaned out the Winter street bakery, and even that reinforcement did not meet the wants in satisfying the hungry cravings of the great crowd. Eld. Haskell exerted himself to the utmost, but, not having the power of miracle working, found it hard to feed five thousand with the few ‘loaves and fishes’ at his command.” “The novelty of the gathering, and the auspicious day, contributed to make the assembly an immense one, in the movements of which general good order and quiet prevailed.” “We understand the arrangement is a permanent one for holding the annual camp-meeting in this grove, now fairly dedicated to their cause, and it may be that it will be thus occupied till the time shall arrive which is fixed in the dream which we think constitutes their faith; if so, it may be a very long time, the duration of which the B. and M. Railroad will not object to. It always was the desire and delight of the race to occasionally assemble in great numbers, and in order to do so they must have a central idea to rally round, and that of this sect may as well be one of those ideas as anything else. We, certainly, rejoice with the brethren and sisters of this peculiar faith, so far as the occasion has been to them a joy and a success.” This writer, as is not strange, has made a few inaccurate statements respecting our faith, but what he says is a good general description of the scene of Sunday. In all the vast assemblage, scarcely a trace of the rowdy element could be perceived. They gave evidence of being for the most part persons of intelligence, culture and standing in society. It was as fine an audience as one could wish; and hence the best of order and quiet prevailed throughout. Bro. and Sr. White each spoke briefly, both forenoon and afternoon, thus giving the people four addresses of about 45 minutes each in length. Bro. White confined himself to an exposition of the great themes involved in our name as Seventh-day Adventists, namely, the observance of the seventh day as the Sabbath, and the literal second coming of Christ soon to occur. The remarks of sister White on temperance, above referred to, were received with such favor that the officers of the Haverhill Reform Club immediately besought her to speak on that subject in the city. Accordingly, appointment was given out for her to speak in the City Hall, their regular place of meeting, on Monday night. On this occasion, the hall, which will accommodate about eleven hundred persons, was filled to its utmost capacity with the very elite of Haverhill’s society, professional men of all classes, officers of the city, and the most intelligent of the people. Being introduced by the President, Bro. White made a few appropriate introductory remarks, followed by sister White with one of her most successful efforts. She struck intemperance at the very root, showing that on the home table largely exists the fountain from which flow the first tiny rivulets of perverted appetite, which soon deepen into an uncontrollable current of indulgence, and sweep the victim to a drunkard’s grave. She arraigned the sin of mothers in giving so much time to the follies of dress instead of giving it to the moral and mental elevation of their households; and the sin of fathers, in wasting time, health and means on the gross indulgence in tobacco in its various forms, instead of uniting with their companions in noble efforts to dot our land with model households where the parents shall occupy their proper positions, and the children come up with well-balanced and well-disciplined powers, to act a self-reliant and manly part in the world, and thus shut off recruits from the great army of tobacco and liquor devotees. Her remarks raised the audience to a high pitch of enthusiasm, which was manifested by several outbursts of applause while she was speaking, and by hearty hand-shaking and words of approval at the close. Monday on the camp-ground was an interesting day. In the forenoon, after a discourse appropriate to the occasion by Bro. White, Bro. Dores A. Robinson was solemnly ordained to the work of the ministry. In the afternoon, after a discourse by Bro. White on the subject of baptism, thirty-three candidates were examined, to whom the rite was then administered by Bro. Haskell in the waters of the Merrimac. The business sessions of the Conference passed off with the utmost harmony of feeling. The religious feeling was at times great. About one hundred and fifty at one time came forward for prayers, and a goodly number made the decision and commenced the observance of the Sabbath at this meeting. The brethren have gone to their homes, pleased, encouraged, strengthened; we trust to work, grow, and overcome. The laborers feel well repaid for all their efforts; and the prospects before the cause in New England were never better.