The mother's dark face was lit for a moment with tender pride. She made
no effort to reach the orator's side. It was enough that she had seen
the flash from her Boy's eyes. She was content. The day was filled with
a great joy.
The summer camp meetings began the following week. The grounds were
located a mile from the straggling little village which was the center
of the county's activities. All religious denominations used the
spacious auditorium for their services. The Methodists camped there an
entire month. The Baptists stayed but two weeks. The Baptist temperament
frowned on the social frivolities which were inseparable from these long
intimate associations at close quarters. The more volatile temperament
of the Methodists revelled in them, and Methodism grew with astounding
rapidity under the system.
The auditorium was simply a huge quadrangular shed with board roof
uphold by cedar posts. At one end of the shed stood the platform on
which was built the pulpit, a square box-like structure about four feet
high. The seats were made of rough-hewn half logs set on pegs driven in
augur holes. There were no backs to them. A single wide aisle led from
the end facing the pulpit, and two narrow ones intersected the main
aisle at the centre.
In front of the pulpit were placed the mourner's benches facing the
three sides of the space left for the free movement of the mourners
under the stress of religious emotion.
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