A revivalistic meeting extending over several days or weeks.
1835. Mr. Hall advised a protracted meeting for four days.—Andrew Reed, ‘Journey in North America,’ i. 185.
1837. The origin of protracted meetings is the same with the camp-meetings of the Methodists…. The Methodists, governed we believe by a single motive, gained bravely by the camp-meeting, and the orthodox, fearful of their increase, met them, in the protracted meeting, on their own ground.—Knick. Mag., ix. 353 (April).
1842. Protracted Meetings. Walter Scott of Cincinnati and Thomas Taylor of this city will hold a series of protracted meetings.—Phila. Spirit of the Times, Feb. 19.
[1850. He was a well-meaning, half-educated, and uncommonly ‘protracted’ preacher, and we have no doubt he has ‘gone to his reward.’—Knick. Mag., xxxvi. 82 (July)].
1852. I have been at the Methodists’ meeting many a time, and have followed up their protracted meetings, and sought for religion.—H. C. Kimball, at the Mormon Tabernacle, July 11: ‘Journal of Discourses,’ i. 35.
1854. The Holy Ghost was received by the laying on of hands. Was this ever taught you in England, or in America, except by the Latter-day Saints? Did you hear this at any protracted meeting of Presbyterians, or at any meeting of the members of the Church of England?—J. M. Grant, the same, Dec. 17: id., ii. 231.
1855. It’s a gentleman that calculates to hold a protracted meeten here to night.—Haliburton, ‘Nature and Human Nature,’ i. 2. (N.E.D.)
1857. I went to a protracted meeting, and took a load of persons with me…. During this time of going to the protracted meeting, I had firewood to cut, my sick father to attend to, and to take care of our stock.—Geo. A. Smith at the Bowery, Salt Lake City, Aug. 2: ‘Journal of Discourses,’ v. 105.
1863. A protracted meeting is being held in the Methodist church every evening this week.—Rocky Mountain News, Denver, March 19.
1908. We went home feelin’ like we’d been through a big protracted meetin’ and got religion over again.—Eliza C. Hall, ‘Aunt Jane of Kentucky,’ p. 24.
