Activities and Speakers

The camp meeting had its real beginning when at 5:00 in the afternoon those on the grounds assembled under the sugar maple trees facing the speaker's stand. Ellen White gave what might be called the keynote address.WV 146.1

Through the week of meetings, 16 discourses were given—six by James White, five by Ellen White, four by Andrews, and one by Nathan Fuller. Uriah Smith reported:WV 146.2

We doubt if a series of more stirring, earnest, vehement, and pointed discourses were ever consecutively given. They were all aglow with the fire of present truth. The Spirit of the Lord is evidently calling the minds of His servants to the special duties and dangers of the church at the present time (Ibid., September 15, 1868).WV 146.3

The weather was good. Meetings were held under the trees through Sabbath. Three hundred people tented on the grounds. It was estimated that 1,000 Sabbathkeepers attended most of the time, many staying in the homes of church members in the Wright area. Some thought that on Sunday as many as 3,000 were on the grounds as people from the surrounding country came in. But Sunday morning a hard rain fell, and attendance dropped to about 2,000. Meetings were held simultaneously in the two big tents.WV 146.4

Sunday afternoon, as the sky was clearing, Ellen White spoke. Tracts were distributed freely to the crowd. Then in the evening James White spoke from the stand on the law and the gospel. Meetings continued through Monday, the evening meeting bringing the camp meeting to a close. Smith reported of the weeklong convocation that “best of order reigned throughout, and no disturbance was experienced from any quarter” (Ibid.). Joseph Clarke, a layman, declared in his report:WV 146.5

The order and regularity observed at this meeting was unusual for a meeting of this kind. If all camp meetings could be conducted as this was, we should hear of glorious results (Ibid., September 22, 1868).WV 146.6