Editorial Thoughts Saturday, June 10, 1871

A party of Methodist preachers are coming to this city with a big tent, for the purpose of holding camp meetings . Our readers who have been brought up in this Territory do not know what a camp meeting is. In the Eastern States, a grove is selected, a stand built, seats arranged for the people, and a great excitement raised in the country, to have the men and women come together to meeting. Then the preachers commence their labors. They appeal to the fears of the people, try to rouse them to a sense of their sinful condition, and describe to them the terrors of hell, so that they may seek for religion. A mourners' bench is provided to which all are led who desire to become religious, at which the preachers gather together to pray with and for their converts. Everything is done to excite and terrify the people so that they may seek to be converted. Preachers in old times have led mobs against the Latter-day Saints and driven them from their homes. This camp meeting is a new plan; they cannot very well raise a mob, but they hope by means of the camp meeting to seduce the Saints, particularly the young persons, from the truth, and break down the influence of the Priesthood. They expect to commence their meetings to-day; but they will not likely get started until to-morrow the 11th. In our next we shall give an account of the proceedings to our readers.