OUR CAMP-MEETINGS by James White

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 19, 1876

OUR CAMP-MEETINGS.

By James White

Our annual camp-meetings for the several State Conferences are becoming gatherings of great importance. As a people we have no settled pastors. Many of our churches do not enjoy the labors of any of our preachers once a quarter during the entire year. How important, then, that the members of our churches, and the scattered brethren, should spend one week each year in holy convocation, to enjoy the preaching of the Word, be benefited with the social services, and to take, and to feel, personal interest in all branches of the great work.

The camp-meeting presents a favorable opportunity also for our people to bring their unconverted children and friends under a strong religious influence favorable to their conversion. And probably no means of grace are more favorable to the instruction and quickening of our people than these annual meetings. We therefore decide that the numbers of these great occasions should not decrease, but rather increase.

The camp-meetings for 1876, have far surpassed those of previous years in numbers in attendance—both of our people, and from the outside—in interest, efficiency and power. And we have learned this, that as far as our people lay their plans, and promptly meet the feelings of the better classes in liberal and respectable preparations, in a spirit of courtesy, just so far the people seem to respond in general interest, and in maintaining order. Our camp-meetings are becoming proverbial for unparalleled good order.

Our camp-meeting reporter, Miss Mary L. Clough—Mrs. W.'s niece, much respected and beloved by our people, not only for her ability as a writer, but for all those qualities and accomplishments which make her a refined lady—has done a work with her pen which but few of our people comprehend. We sum up the advantages of this reporting system as follows:—

1. It takes the work of reporting from the newspaper reporters, who are not always able to do us justice, even if they were disposed to be candid; and it secures to us full, truthful and candid statement of the facts in the case.

2. In having this matter of reporting entirely under our own control, we can furnish the daily reports to as many different papers as copyists can produce copies. And as there are plenty of good copyists on all our camp-grounds, this matter of multiplying copies for different secular dailies can be run up to any number desired.

3. In this grand reporting system we are getting the start of those who may wish to misrepresent us through the secular press. And this very thing will prove a mighty lever to open our way to gain access to the people. As we have had free access to the best daily papers at Omaha, St. Paul, Dubuque, Milwaukee, Madison, Des Moines, Burlington (Iowa), Kansas City, Indianapolis, Chicago, Cleveland, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Bay City, Jackson, Detroit, Syracuse, Rome, Boston, Burlington (Vt.), Portland, Augusta, Bangor, and a host of smaller ones, in which have been given brief statements of our history, movements, and doctrines, the masses of the great North will no longer inquire—“Who are the Seventh-day Adventists?”

4. In a style to secure an attentive reading from the public, full statements have been given of our publishing houses at Battle Creek, Mich., Oakland, Cal., and Bâle, Suisse. Our College and Health Institute have also been mentioned in such connections as to advertise them far more completely than could be done by notices of them among the common advertisements of all these papers from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic.

5. And all this advertising, and spreading before the masses the facts concerning our religious faith, and what we are doing, has cost simply the writing, copying, stationery and postage. Put into the hands of our tract societies and our institutions $10,000, and with this sum they cannot send out as much light, and so effectually advertise our institutions, as has been done the past season by means of the camp-meeting reports.

The camp-meetings, of this season have been a great success, closing with the very excellent ones in Nebraska and California. Let God be praised for the past, and let timely preparations be made for 1877. We here suggest that Eld. S. N. Haskell, a member of the General Conference Committee be consulted in season relative to the location and general arrangements. We shall be very happy to see these grand convocations extending into Virginia, Kentucky, Texas, and other Southern States. J. W.