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From: Wtynf <>
Subject: [GenChat-L] Fwd: Aunt Charlotte's book ( Camp Meetings )
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 20:44:22 EDT
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From: "or-roots" <>
Sender: Walt 55 <>
Subject: Aunt Charlotte's book ( Camp Meetings )
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The Meetings were usually held in a fir grove, and people came from
everywhere. To us children, it was a wonderful picnic that lasted for days.
The air under the trees was heavy with the fragrance of fresh, damp earth and
evergreens, and the newly split timber that the seats were built of. The wind
in the tops of the tall firs kept up an incessant soothing murmur. About
sunset the air would seem to fairly tingle with freshness. Then the preacher
would call from the platform that it was time to come to order. Someone would
give out the hymn and everybody would sing. Sometimes the leader would get it
pitched too high or too low as the case might be, then one after another would
fall out till the song died away in a dribble of strained notes. A new start
would be taken and the song would carry its followers on to the very end.
A long, low bench placed at the side would fill up long before the service
really commenced, with a row of chattering little youngsters. Our bench was
always placed where it would be in plain view of our Mothers and the preacher.
Oh! how hard it was to keep quiet through the long sermon, but the prayers
too, were long but gave us a fine chance to whisper and exchange confidence
with our next neighbors. It was at such a time as this that I told about Elvi'
stepping through the stovepipe hole in the ceiling, when the Meeting was going
on in the room below at sister Mary's house. The memory of it was too much for
me and I laughed out loud. Dear me! but I was spanked for that.
I remember attending a Meeting held on the banks of the Yamhill river. Off
to one side of the grounds was a half dozen camps, they were quite apart from
the rest and nobody went there. We children were told not to go near that part
of the camp grounds. We were not told why, but we saw the older ones glance
that way furtively and heads were shaken and mouths drawn down. Even the names
of the family camped there was spoken with lowered voices. There was something
terrible at that place, we children were all sure of that. We feared that it
might be catching and we talked about it among ourselves and wondered and
peeked whenever we had the chance.
One night just as preaching had begun we heard a big commotion in the
Clark's camp. "Glory to god." we heard, Then "Jesus is with us tonight,
halleluiah." (Only they called it Hulli-u-jay).Little heads all along our row
were picked up. We forgot that we were ladies and opened our mouths and
stared. The "shouting" old ladies jumped up from the congregation and started
toward the Clark's camp. "Mothers in Israel" they were called. some of them, I
remember were very fat and each one seemed trying to reach the Clark's camp
first. They were all excited and were hollering "Glory to god" and pounding
each other. Someone had "gotten religion." a poor unfortunate, who had been
shunned by everyone that was there and despised, had found her way to God,
apparently without guidance. Good people can be so cruel sometimes. My Mother
was deeply religious, but her religion was of a different kind. She was very
dignified and quiet and she was always easy for anyone in trouble to go to.
Walt Davies
Monouth, Or
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