The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: Increasing Attacks by Press and Clergy

I. “Herald” Feature Stories Draw Thousands to Tent

James Gordon Bennett, ¹ enterprising editor and proprietor of the New York Herald, was ever on the alert to surpass his rivals with a newsbeat. He saw in the huge Millerite camp meeting in Newark, New Jersey, with its mammoth tent—the largest in American ideal opportunity for a “scoop,” in newspaper parlance. Accordingly, Bennett sent a special reporter to cover the daily happenings at the camp. A series of ten feature stories resulted, illustrated with original pen sketches, appearing in the Herald in ten installments, between November 3 and 15, 1842. They ran under the covering title “End of the World.” The layout of the camp and schedule of the meetings, together with topics given throughout the encampment, were set forth. And Miller’s prophetic expositions were played up in typically journalistic style. PFF4 738.1

Some of these write-ups were given as much as two and one-half columns of space. The cartoon sketches—of Father Miller in preaching pose, and about the only contemporary drawings of the Great Tent-are burlesque in style. And Dr. William Brownlee’s. reply is thrust prominently into the series-Brownlee being brought from New York by the local clergy to answer Miller. But all this gave unprecedented publicity to Miller’s teachings, revealing to some degree the scope and spirit of the Advent Movement, as well as that of the opposition. As a result multiplied thousands were attracted who otherwise would not have attended. This simple fact impelled J. V. Himes to dispatch a letter of deep appreciation to the Herald for its effective aid in the wider dissemination of the advent views. In this way the public press gave wings to the Millerite message. (Picture of tent appears on p. 656.) PFF4 738.2