The Michigan Camp-Meeting.
By Editor
ANOTHER meeting on the ground at Battle Creek has passed. It has not been without numerous scenes and incidents which are more or less common to all the camp-meetings of our people, and of any one of which it may be said, This has well paid for the entire meeting. Some may go from the most powerful and profitable meeting, not particularly impressed or benefited, because they are themselves too much like the heath in the desert, and do not know when good cometh. But who that has a heart susceptible of divine influences, can attend such gatherings and not receive a lasting blessing? How much some are losing by not attending the camp-meetings! How can they be contented to remain away! We have neither time nor space to give even a full synopsis of the meetings. We had many fears that the number of business sessions to be held would greatly detract from the religious interests of the occasion. But the business matters were disposed of in a marvelously brief, effective, and harmonious manner. A greater amount of business was transacted during the seven days of this meeting, than during the fourteen days of the meeting of 1874; and yet there was a fair proportion of time to devote to religious services, which were not without their interest and good results. The happy disposal of so much business was due to the energy and tact of Bro. White, who took hold to lift in every direction, and whose executive ability, when his way is clear from any serious hindrances and drawbacks is equal to the occasion. Only a few particulars concerning the religious meetings can we give. At the early social meeting on Friday morning ninety-three testimonies were given in fifty-eight minutes. On Sabbath morning the congregation was divided into three companies, in each of which between sixty and seventy spoke. The testimonies were intelligent and substantial, having the ring of the true coin, and showing that all hearts were beating in unison in the same work—the work of the third angel's message, which is to lead souls to the keeping of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus the few remaining years while mercy may be found. At nine a general social meeting at the stand. But it was soon seen that the congregation was so large, and so many wished to speak, that it was practicable to divide the congregation as they sat into three divisions, each under charge of its leaders, and thus hold three meetings in one. It worked admirably; and for most of the time three were speaking at once; and this caused no more distraction or confusion, as was remarked at the time, than different birds singing in the same forest cause disorder and confusion. This was a remarkable meeting surpassing in interest anything of the kind we have ever witnessed. It was good to be there. In the afternoon an intense religious feeling pervaded the congregation as sister White spoke on Christ's pathetic lamentation over Jerusalem. At the conclusion of her remarks, some three hundred or more came forward for prayers. The preaching during the meeting was performed by Eld. Jas. White, Mrs. E. G. White, and Elds. Hull, Bourdeau, St. John, Smith, and Jones. Bro. W. spoke five times and sister W. four. On Sunday, though the day was broken up with showers, the crowd that came to the ground was uncommonly large. A special train on the Chicago and Lake Huron road brought in some seven hundred passengers. Besides these many came in with their own conveyances from eighteen to twenty miles, through all the region round about, so that in the afternoon the number present was estimated at four thousand. Sr. White spoke in the forenoon during the rain, under unfavorable circumstances, to as many as could be literally packed under the tent, flanked on all sides by a surrounding wall of standing listeners eight or ten feet deep. This rendered speaking in the close and oppressive air within, a severe tax upon her physical strength. In the afternoon Bro. W. spoke with freedom on the Sabbath question. But many coming from so long a distance, had not arrived in season to hear all the discourse, and not being able to remain till evening were going away disappointed if they could not hear more—disappointed, in fact, if they could not hear Mrs. White. Under these circumstances she roused herself, notwithstanding her worn condition, to speak again in the afternoon. This she was however enabled to do with unwonted freedom and power, the Lord signally sustaining and blessing her in the arduous effort. The presence of Bro. Francois Urgos, who recently embraced the truth in Kankakee, Ill., under the labors of Bro. Bourdeau added no little interest to the meeting. This Bro., of a noble Italian family, espoused the cause of freedom and fought for the liberty of his country under Garabaldi; but when the papal cause was re-established by the intervention of the Austrians, after much oppression, and a series of narrow escapes he fled from the country. After traveling in various parts of the eastern world he came to America, and here has received the truth, as above stated. He has an uncle who is prime minister of Italy, and brothers who are in the service of the king and government. Victor Emanuel has invited him to return to Italy; and if he would renounce Protestantism, his family would welcome him back, and he could live in affluence under government pension. But he prefers the truth, and deigns to return, when he can do so independently, and when he has provided himself with some of our works in Italian, to make known the truth to his countrymen. He however labors under the disadvantage of being totally blind, having lost one eye in the service, and the other through the machinations of the Jesuits, who have followed him with the purpose of taking his life. A sketch of his history, giving his experience as a prisoner of the inquisition in Rome, &c., &c., will be published soon. He will for the time being teach Italian and Spanish in connection with our school, if there are those who desire to learn these languages. The welcome presence of Eld. N. V. Hull, the delegate from the Seventh-day Baptist General Conference, is spoken of by Bro. White in another column. His discourse Sunday evening was on the subject of persevering, prevailing faith, as illustrated in the case of the Syrophenician woman, Matt. 15:21-28. It was replete with instruction and encouragement, and was listened to with marked attention by the large assemblage. Bro. Bourdeau gave an interesting and encouraging report of a Frenchman who had received the truth in Africa, where he found several families keeping the Sabbath. He desires, after suitable preparation, to return to engage in missionary labor there. A notice of this case will also be found in another column. On Monday afternoon, forty-eight were immersed in the Kalamazoo river, Brn. E. R. Jones and H. M. Kenyon administering the ordinance. Some of these were very interesting cases: one a little girl in her ninth year, thus early following understandingly her Saviour in this divine ordinance; another a young man who, when he first heard of this faith, was connected with a drug store in a neighboring city. The trial volume was sent by some one to the proprietor of this store. Instead of being favorably impressed with the truth, he became so incensed against it as to commit some of the papers to the flames. Finally he told the young man that he would give them to him. The young man read them and was interested. The seed found good soil. He and his companion are, as the result, keeping the Sabbath, and here he took upon himself the baptismal vows. Thus the good providence of God often directs the truth into channels we know not of, where honest hearts are to be found, and fruit is to appear. Withhold not your hands, O ye who are scattering the words of life through the printed page. Souls are everywhere turning Heavenward, as the glorious consequence. Two from the Review Office we were rejoiced to see go forward on this occasion, besides the daughter and son-in-law of Eld. J. B. Frisbie, and others whom we could mention with equal pleasure. There were eighty-five tents on the ground, six less than last year; but one of these, a forty-foot tent, contained many families, and another, a sixty-foot tent, many more, being filled very much as a hive is filled with bees. Had these all had separate tents, there would have been at least one hundred. The number present it was judged was larger than one year ago. Another feature of the meeting was very noticeable, and that was the number of recent converts to the truth. The present is the fourth year a camp-meeting has been held upon the ground of Battle Creek, yet scores testify that it was the first camp-meeting of this kind they ever attended, some keeping the Sabbath for the first time there on the ground, some dating their conversion to the truth three weeks before, some six, some two months, four, five, six, &c. The truth is working more rapidly than we are aware, and agencies seem to be preparing to carry it into all the earth. As we look back upon the meeting, we see no features of an unpleasant or discouraging character, but many of great interest and the most hope-inspiring nature; the advantage therefore lies immensely in this direction. The meeting has been good, and will do good. And when, a little in the future the race is accomplished, and the prize is gained, we believe that some will look back to this meeting as their starting point in the way to Heaven, and many others, as a timely help to them in their Christian course.