A CANVAS TOWN.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 January 1922, Page 6

A CANVAS TOWN.

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS. SEVERAL HUNDRED IN CAMP. GATHERING AT NEW PLYMOUTH. “The object of this camp meeting is not a picnic,” said a member of the Seventh Day Adventist brethren in conducting a Daily News representative over this society’s annual camp, which is situated on the New Plymouth racecourse. In the bright sunshine of yesterday afternoon, however, and the picturesque sorroundings of the Jockey Club’s course the encampment seemed to suggest, more of a holiday, but explanations which followed showed that the society means business. At thesame time they are quite enamored with their samp site. There are 126 tents, which were erected to meet the’ influx of visitors to the camp from all over the North Island. As there are between, four and five hundred persons assembled the tents did not provide the required accommodation, and the various appointments on the course have been called into use. The “tote” is doing duty as a number of living apartments. All the windows were wide open yesterday and one occupant improved the appearance by decoration with a bowl of flowers. The publican’s booth is also accommodating a further batch and a few are housed on the verandah of the tea kiosk. The tents bear a comfortable appearance and are divided into two compartments, bedroom, and living room. The camp is provided with marquees for meeting purposes and there are fitted with comfortable seating accommodation, and rostrum for the speakers, and a special stand for the choir of fifty. Electric light is tapped from the borough mains. The camp complement is comprised of men, women and children, and special meetings are held for the young people. An important item in a camp is the cooking of meals. In this instance the club’s kitchen and dining rooms have been brought into There is a common dining room and fopd is also cooked for parties who wish to partake of meals in their own tents. The dining room is the room which is for luncheon purposes in the inside enclosure on race days, and in this there is also a store where various goods are sold. This department, it was stated, specialises in stocking the Adventist community’s own health foods. Another adjunct of the camp arrangements was found beneath the outside stand, where a number of people were engaged in making buckets out of petrol tins. These improvised utensils are generally adopted in the annual camps and are useful for carrying water, etc. Quite a heap of tops* of tins bore evidence of the work which had been going on.

The camp has a motor garage, as some of the visitors have come by road. It is a canvas structure adjoining the “pav-out” windows on the outside lawn and sheltered some motor cycles and ears. One party, who journeyed from the north, came via Mount Messenger and reported the roads had suffered owing to the recent rains. There were evidences of the journey on the car and in the mud which was* gathered on the front wheels and radiator and up to the head lamps. Shower baths are erected in canvas structures and water is laid on to various parts of the camp. The daily round commences at 6.30, and devotional exercises and business meetings are held throughout the camp. The Seventh Day community are not new to camp life, and probably most of those assembled this year have had similar experience, as the denomination has held about twenty camps in New Zealand. Life under canvas has no special health problems in their experience, as the genera] rule has been I’ttlc sickness. The gathering, howevdr. includes amongst its numbers a medical man.

The first public meeting was held last night. It is the practice to make all the meetings open to the public, but. particularly the evening ones. Speakers will include three visitors from Australia, Pastors Anderson, Westerman and Knight, and the gathering will last till the loth inst.

FIRST NIGHT SESSION.

A LECTURE ON THE BIBLE. Last night the opening address of the camp session was delivered by Pastor F. Knight, of Australia. His subject was “The, Inspiration of the Bible.” The speaker gave a most interesting address upon this subject, pointing out that the Bible had a most remarkable history attaching to it, in that it had passed through many storms during the past ages. But it held a most unique place in the world to-day in its world-wide circulation and its universal popularity, it having been translated into over 600 languages.

The speaker pointed out that it was not a discovery, but a revelation, as it contained the Word of God, and was therefore a living word. The structure of this remarkable Book was also dwelt upon. It contains perfect harmony, although written by a variety of writers during a period covering 1500 years. It has "one central theme, which is “Christ.” The speaker pointed out that the one great conclusive proof that the Bible is an inspired Book consists in the wonderful fulfilment of prophecy, many of the most important events ot history being accurately and specifically foretold. . . . Pastor Knight, closed by inviting his audience to carefully follow the meetings which are to be held during the camp, and thus gain a clearer knowledge of the prophetic portions of Scripture as they are presented from night to ni'O-ht. * The speaker was listened to by" a very attentive audience and the huge pavilion was well filled, although all the campers have not yet reached the ground. The subjects which are to follo'w will be announced in the columns of the daily Press.