AS A CAMP MEETING WORKER.
When health and distance would permit, Mrs. Elizabeth could be depended
upon as a tent holder and laborer at every camp meeting. She had a superior
tent, and it was in its place and order from the first to the last hour.
It was a little odd that Mr. Arnold had very little camp meeting zeal, when
his wife had so much. He would go when entirely convenient, enjoy a few
sermons and some pleasant conversations with friends, when he "must go
home, see to things, and regain the rest he had lost." "Mother and the
children were sufficient to see to the tent, and enjoyed such mode of life
better than he did."
With her the camp meeting was neither a place of recreation nor weariness.
Its single object was to save souls. True to this purpose, she forecast for
weeks to obtain as tent guests thoughtful persons of honorable character
whom she could bring and hold under the influence of the meeting until they
were converted.
For one meeting a Presbyterian deacon, who lived in a neglected
neighborhood, was induced to bring his children and near a dozen more, all
young people nearly or quite grown, and stay through the meeting. Of course
these guests would help stock the tent, and would feel bound in courtesy to
attend the meetings of the tent as well as preaching at the stand, and the
good deacon have to do his share in conducting these tent meetings. When
the deacon returned home he carried with him a beautiful flock of the
Saviour's lambs; and while the most of his own children joined his church,
several miles away, the rest of these lambs were gathered into a Methodist
fold at their own schoolhouse, the nucleus of a church which now has a good
church edifice and has long had a prosperous existence. It is worthy of
remark that to this day this church is next neighbor to the one founded
soon after upon the work of the exhorters before alluded to.