Puck — September 10, 1879 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This satirical page mocks religious camp meetings—popular American evangelical gatherings of the era. The top cartoon shows a mother warning her daughter against attending with a young man, calling it a "Camp-meetin'" (implying impropriety occurs there). The larger illustration depicts a nighttime camp meeting "during the day," showing attendees in various states of religious fervor and apparent hysteria. One figure exclaims "She's got religion, strong!" The scene satirizes emotional excess and questionable behavior at these events, particularly near water where figures wade about. The visible partial text references "increase" and appears to mock the manipulative conversion tactics used. Puck's satire suggests camp meetings were less about genuine piety and more about social chaos disguised as religious devotion.