KESWICK CONVENTION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 314, 29 September 1908, Page 11

KESWICK CONVENTION.

. .v .;;.—- • FAMOUS RELIGIOUS MEETINC* , \ PLACE. N. . V-C-'' [ a ßi the Key. J. Cocker.)' • The foundefs of tho Keswick Convention betrayed their ; wisdom in their choice .of tho locality'iaJwhich'; to hold tho gathering. ■ Lakeland,' of. Cumberland, and Westmore- . land^ia indescribable.' Its beauty is entranc- ' Ridihg'.onJthe .top of a coach between ; KfsWick and' Lake Windermere, a lady from "Agenda/laid! to:the writer: "All my adjective's; were."'used up long ago, but this is ma'|hifioejit.. We have nothing in America' to equal,i£. Our ltockies are bigger, but not so .beautiful." The scenery of its. lakes and dales, hills arid mountains,-is lovely beyond description*. • '' ' .. Whfe'a -chorus "of- England's' sweetest ; poet«yhas'' su'rig' in this district. Its-'beauty ! ■ has£ app&alcd to their poetio natures and , jma|iflatiplis,. and, they -have, sung in their ■ Jiighfest I'and sweetest' notes. : On the hillside ■ ovoSflooking*: Ijake Windermere is Dove; Nest Cottage, where Mrs. Heiuans wrote' of the' ' beSutiful scenery she daily • gazed "'upon. "Christopher North" walked 'these dales,' baling.; for/his, companions Samuel • Taylor Coleridge,-i'De .Quincey. -. andi Hartley - Coleridge.?, <It 'was at the ''Nags' Head?' in, the valley ;of rfWythbuni, . near to Holvellyn'd frowning peak, 1 that, the four , met at the end ■.of ivdax's walk : and, adventure, and, whilst the others .were conversing, Wilson fired" a ..gun; up'-.'the chimney, startling..." his companions,' * and almost burying Hartley ColeritlgdMn an' avalanche- of soot. ' It . was tat Arublesidovthat Harriet Martineau '.lived, and' heri-'home; was the meeting-place of . literary •celebrities, junclu'ding Emerson'■ and George Eliot;v,/About a.mile from- Ambleside'is the hoAe'of Arnold, of Biigby, which is often visited .by,''old .Rugby boys." At Grasmere Wordsworth: lived, /-and 'Dove Cottage, his i:fortner/rosiderice, is one of the show places ■„of rthe ; : Jooality.'"Though .his later days were : spent at'Bydal, Mount, an ideal poet's home; j WdfdswQrtVs;i name . will for ever be'asso- . Above all others, he / ha^'S'un'g-of it: .beauty. W e visited .bis home' r,: -:with,considerable' pleasure. ... In ;'Keswick : lived Southey, and, for some. ;' years'vjie,and.,Samuel: Taylor Coleridge lived :inVthe'. .same'house , and wrote together. .Just ■ outside, Keswick are the waters.,of. Ladore, immortalisidV by . -Southey's famous poem.' Siiice, the'.; day... when Gray, of Elegy fame, •wrote, one';hundred and forty years ago of 1 the. beauties' of this district, a host of writ,eri baye.;uriitcd with him in praise of the scenery: iji. this poet's, paradise.»

A .Town Under Canvas, . „ . town of Keafrick is ' situated. :on the shore' of ?Lake Denventwater, and' has a > population; 1 of about ' four thousand ''persons, but' flt'coriventioh .time the number rises to . 'nino'wTt& 'thousand.-':-Not -only.'is, all the' available "accommodation; taken up, but .camps!are formed, and hundreds of persons ,' live .uiideH canvas during convention time. / It*is hafyest .time/for the residents, and the charge ifor,' board or lodging is almost double . that at ordinary times. It- is , thijtyrflve'■ years since.'the first convention • ■ was' held/;- and the interest in the annua] . well maintained. Sometimes the ;attendance has; not been as large as at' • other;'times, but Jieswick has ! become the , mother:'i; of conventions.. - In' England, ''America, and- Australasia conventions 'have been-.held, in Keswick .lines, and other great . religious'gatheriugs. have sprung , into ;existv ence. - During the holding .of the last Kes- ': wick .Convention a', conference of the .mem-' bers'of.Ahe] Christian student movement was held { ; in;',Chatswoi-th Park, in the '; Peak of Derbyshire,' when : there was an' attendance ■ of students.,: .. . ; . Araongsf'the fiye;'.thpusand:visitor^ s itjthe Keswick, gathering^svere.persons:.'from : . every ■ continent-'and froM ~mort ,tho world; including" a' fair 'sprinkling 'of''New Zealandors. ■ Many of those present were of ' the ybetter.-'class;'' .. It is an,expensive visit, the travel; living,''and' incidental expenMsJro&kiiig it' impossible' for many of' tho. • pqqr^.qlSls.to;attend. A number of well-. .td-'do'!jperMns. who are not. .able, to .attend pay of a. ."substitute,'.'; and'in this .' of those who othorwise would be unatle to attend are able to do so. . It is a/widely representative, gathering, most of the churthes. being represented, though prob- : .ably.imcmbers 'of the Anglican:. Church are ■in majority.' - - The.- convention is undenominational in character. 'Disputed doc-trines-are not discussed. Those subjects are . spoken'topon on which there is general agreement ' ambngst, : evangelical Christians—subjects -which deal with..the . spiritual life of i: the individual inore'than'tho doctrines of tho Church. • -The speakers at the, convention . were' representatives of various churches, Dr. Campbell Morgan; Dr. Harry Guinness; Eev.fJolin.M'Neil, Bev. Evan Hopkins, Rev. . 'Webb./Peploe, llev. Gregory Mantle, and others,addressed the gatherings. The motto of. Keswick is :"All one in Christ;"' and-the gathering is, an 'illustration of the motto. It wjas' a gathering ' of culture.. and refined Christians, persons who -are. well read and ; . hav6' ; made a special study of the literature of the.'Keswick school. A number, of ! book-' ' stalls .were near the tents, and an abundance, of literature which had received the' . approval of thq committee was on sale. I"*'" ii-rtf Undemonstrative. Meetings. < The meetings were of. a -quiet and undemonstrative, nature., Tho singing was tender,;-sweet, supplicatory, .and often sub- , Keswick has its own hymnbook, and singing!has a prominent place 111 the gather*: ' ing. .r.;The meetings were held in two large tent's,;,each seating, about 2500 persons, and each>;tenfc.' Was filled from; half an hour to an hour'before, the: meetings commenced, and was spent in-singing.: It,A?as good 6inging, for, rn any of . thoso present had rood voices] and sang. in perfect harmony. It was f a'tre'at:to' listen to the singing. The whole?town seemed to he full of it. Through the j open of llie houses in every ' Btrcet. and, oil the hillsides round the town , could, be .heard singing. .It Was a i)lace of Bong.; Emotionalism is decried by the leaders, and'-,thereTis very, little deinonstration in tho meetings.. The/question: has often been asked:. Is Keswick--: practical ? ' Many persons are of the.'impression that it is simply sentimental, •thatlnianjT- who "attend the gatherings are> simply: religious sentimentalists who are very nice -people: and whoso greatest pleasure' is .tossing: hymns and'talk about good things, but'who fail to be of practical value to-tho Ch.irch' asi'a 4 whole. In a. large. gathering; -like .-'Keswick; it is quite ■ possible that therefore a number of "goody-goody" people who' possess: a-kind of confectionery religion . that is'., not /of '.a. very substantial nature; thfcre -may' even ,ho those who take a spiritual pride in the thought that they are better than many Christians who do not attend tho gathering; but this number is fow. There . may.be;some;who are religious mystics, but evenMf,. this is so,'in this practical age the ,'nuttber y'bf . mystics is not too-great. The history!'of the ! Christian Church is'richer tccuse' of tho mystics- who have lived. A /air: followers of Thomas a Kempis would en-rich^-the. Church to-day. But surely Keswick must'-have a practical influence''upon the[ Church at large. Whatever increases the . individual life will surciy incroase the life of\the;>whole-.: and Keswick ought to be reflected in the life of the "Church. Then Kcsvuk'has its own missionaries, who,-whilst unftii foreign fields, are supported bys.tne. Keswick fund, the income of which . is ;seyc£ar'thousand pounds annually. Delegates "at* also sent out to visit missionaries in' fofeign ".lands and hold meetings to encourage the workers on distant fields. Its balance-sheet is a practical proof that Keswick- v is'practical. ' ■ All .thelfipoakers struck a : high- note, Tho spiritual l life ,qf the individual was dealt with. Social, questions were not, dealt with. Those ror&'riii i-who , think that it is ca minister's duty to speak; upon spiritual subjects and not toTdea]'with,'social, questions would surely be■ pleased .with Keswick., though we fail to fee how a person could live up to the Keswicli'standard and not fight every evil with whioh" he comes in contact.-