The South Dakota Camp-Meeting
By Charles Thompson
This meeting was held, according to appointment, on the fair-grounds at Redfield, S. Dak., near the Plainview Academy, June 24-30. The officers of the conference and the delegates met on Friday of the preceding week, and arranged for the standing committees, and did some preliminary work in order to expedite the business, as the meeting proper was to last but a week. Elder O. A. Olsen attended during the early part of the meeting, assisting in the opening of the conference and in the preaching, and giving valuable instruction until the twenty-sixth, at which time he left for the Wisconsin meeting. All the local conference laborers and the union conference officials were present part or all of the time during the meeting. In addition to these, we were favored with the labors of Elder N. Z. Town, of the General Conference; Elders J. H. Schilling and S. Mortensen; Brother S. N. Curtiss, of the Pacific Press Branch at Kansas City; and of Prof. C. L. Benson, of Union College, who gave valuable assistance in connection with the young people's work, as well as in the general meetings for the English. Meetings were held daily in the English, German, and Scandinavian languages. The business of the conference passed off quite harmoniously, and the reports gave evidence that an encouraging gain had been made in all the different departments, notwithstanding the severe drought through which the State has passed. The report from the Plainview Academy showed that it had enjoyed a good patronage, and that the school had gained several hundred dollars above its running expenses. It is true that there is quite a debt on the school; but this is caused by the failure in crops, which prevented the payment of pledges, rather than by any mismanagement on the part of the officers. The drought is now broken. The fields are waving with the promise of a good crop this year; and if this materializes, I think the pledges will largely be forthcoming. The needs of the cause, both at home and abroad, were presented to the brethren, and cash and pledges to the amount of $3,000 were freely given. From the beginning of the meeting, a strong spiritual work was carried forward for all upon the ground. This was done each day from eight to nine o'clock in the division meetings on the camp; frequent public revivals were also held, which were responded to in an encouraging way, and I am sure all present felt the blessing and power of the Spirit of God. On Sabbath afternoon more than fifty were baptized in the river near the camp. This was the result of revivals previously held in the churches, as well as of the work done on the camp-ground. Altogether, we believe the South Dakota camp-meeting was a great blessing, and we expect to see the work go forward in this conference in a marked way. Elder C. M. Babcock was reelected conference president, and there was no material change in the other officers. Personally, I enjoyed the privilege of meeting so many of the brethren and sisters in this conference and of becoming acquainted with them, and of giving all the counsel and assistance I could in the laying of plans for aggressive work. The conference is planning to hold several tent efforts in new fields, as well as to carry forward revival and definite missionary work in the churches.