It is no longer enough simply to erect a tent, announce a, subject, and expect an overflowing crowd. We are and must be what the disciples were of old—"fishers of men." Fishing is an art. It involves skill, preparation, and planning. Success nearly always depends upon using the right kind of bait. Even fish appreciate a colorful, attractive bait; and in this respect people are like fish.
We must, in every line of salesmanship, demand attention, gain an interest, create a desire, and secure a decision. A neat, attractive, colorful tent is the bait that starts people up this four-step ladder, and into the gospel net. Every person who attends an effort must necessarily have made a decision before ever setting foot inside the tent—he must decide to attend. The appearance of the tent is one of the greatest contributing factors in that decision. The neatness of the tent demands his attention ; the arrangement of entrance display, with the help of color, gains an interest and a desire to see the inside ; and the last step naturally follows—a decision is made.
We live in a streamlined world. We must be up to the minute if we expect to catch people's interest. There is nothing inherently evil in the word "modern." Just because a thing is modern and up to date it is not necessarily bad or unwholesome. We can be modern in some things and still be Christians. We certainly do not gain the right kind of attention by being dated and outmoded.
For a tent to be attractive today it must conform to the principles of modern display, without, of course, opposing the age-old basic fundamentals of balance, proportion, symmetry, good taste, etc. Line flow, the blending of curves with straight lines, rounded edges, the use of drapery for balance, cut-out letters, the subtle use of lights, parallel lines made of molding or painted to convey the idea of speed or motion, and above all the proper, yet free, use of color —these are some of the essentials of modern display. Through and in them all must be simplicity, for it is the essence, the l'esprit de corps, of modern design, which is never complex but amazingly simple and beautifully plain.
The tent is usually divided into three sections, somewhat similar to the sanctuary:' First, the outside court, which takes in the entrance and false front; second, the congregation area, or the seats and aisles ; third, the rostrum, with its pulpit, choir loft, and sometimes the prayer room or pictured truth room in the rear.
Before considering these three sections in order, let us first think of the lot, for we cannot have an attractive tent and ignore the property upon which it stands. We cannot sever the body from the feet, or the house from the foundation and landscape. I now mention factors which I recognize to be common knowledge to all of us, but not always common practice.
The lot must at all times be clean. It should be as level as possible and ditched to drain easily. If the tent can be placed so as to make best use of the shrubbery and trees, so much the better. If the effort is to be long and the weather is suitable and the soil productive, flower beds can be set out and shrubbery transplanted. The front portion of the lot, especially around the entrance, can be raked each night preceding the meeting, provided the ground is fine soil, sand, or gravel. Rake in straight lines, thereby leaving a neat pattern.
I. An Entrance That Welcomes and Draws
To gain attention, interest, and attendance, we must do more today than we did yesterday. Modern stores give careful thought to display, and draw more people than the corner mercantile with its squatty wood stove surrounded by tobacco spitters and yarn spinners. Nothing adds more to the interest and attractiveness of 6, tent than a front. It can be made in sections and set up quickly. Size and shape are optional. Wings spreading out from a recessed hallway (leading back perspectively to wide, inviting, double doors) not only attract the passer-by but also have a welcoming, drawing psychology. The wings, placed to form a funnel with the double doors as the vortex, are like arms held out in welcome. A modern lighting fixture—fluorescent or lumiline—placed within the hallway entrance, meets war restrictions.
The entrance must be well lighted and cheerful. Colored lights can be used to advantage —soft blue, amber, green, straw, etc. All these have the quality of attracting attention. Shrubs of different types and shapes, obtained from a nursery at a small cost, placed at either side of the hallway entrance and at the extreme end of the wings, can do wonders in dignifying the front, and give it an air of stability and permanence.
Cut-out letters of redwood, masonite, celotex, white pine, or tin, spelling out a name such as, "Beacon Lights of Prophecy," "The Bible Tent," or some other name, are eye catchers, and seem to be superior to painted signs. A sign can be placed somewhere near the entrance, announcing the subject and special features in cut-out letters. The Mitten-display letter, made of plaster of Paris, is most attractive and modern for such use. Large sheets of celotex, painted any bright color, can be placed on the wings as bulletin boards for announcements or attractive Bible posters. Flower beds along the wings put life in the front appearance.
Baffle Board.—The baffle board is really a part of the entrance. Placed directly in the entrance, six to eight feet beyond the doors, it discourages the would-be mixed multitude or merely curious who would clutter up the hallway and disturb. It can have many other uses. Any motto—"Welcome, Friends," "Come Unto Me," "I Will Give You Rest," etc.—made of cut-out letters, always draws favorable comment from those attending. An attractive question box or literature rack can be placed on it. Even a reminder of the next night's subject can be put up. Hidden spotlights directed on it help light up the rear of the tent. The other side of the baffle board (facing the platform) may be used as the back for the bookstand.
Bookstand Display.—The bookstand should not resemble a box, nor a wayside hot-dog stand. It should be in keeping with the general lines of the front and the platform. A modern fixture for light, celotex, and drapes (monk's cloth or suiting), an inclined plane for book display, Bible mottoes relative to reading or studying made of cut-out letters, an almost vertical back display board leaning against the baffle, with books arranged according to color and subject—all these help to boost sales and compel people to stop each night.
Enclosed Lonny.—If the tent is large enough or the crowd is small enough, an enclosed lobby around the baffle board and bookstand adds a meditative and restful touch. Equipped with settees, chairs, rugs, ferns, and flower tables, it encourages people to come early and read a bit, and also affords embarrassed mothers a quiet retreat when wiggly children become unruly. The lobby can be made with drapes or folding screens.
II Arrangement of Auditorium
Aisle Arrangement.—The number of aisles is entirely up to the evangelist, but the easier and quicker people can get in, get seated, and get out, the better they like it. A good-looking arrangement is a wide, straight center aisle leading from baffle board at the entrance down to the pulpit at the center of the rostrum (putting the center poles in the middle of the center aisle enables anyone in the audience to see the speaker without craning around a post) and an aisle on either side subdividing the two large sections. The wider the aisles, the better the appearance. The aisles should be straight and definite at all times.
Chair Spacing.—Chairs should be staked down in neat, straight rows. In no meeting do people enjoy havinc, their feet stepped on; therefore, the rows should be at least eighteen inches apart. This arrangement ensures facility of movement, a happier, more-at-ease audience, and a better-looking tent. It is encouraging to have a crowd, but we must not crowd the people. If you want your audience to have a close, yet easy, association, do not jam them together in the rows. People like to have elbow room. Remember that in an audience there are always those who are careless about personal cleanliness, and an overheated tent does not add to the enjoyment of those in close proximity. To guard against this distasteful situation, make sure that the chairs are at least three inches apart in the rows.
The chairs should be straightened each night before meeting. Neat rows lend to the atmosphere of order and harmony. Individual covers of various bright colors can be made for the chair backs. The cost, considering the durability, and the psychological effect resulting from the addition to interior attractiveness, is certainly nominal and well directed.
Ground Covering.—Shlee burlap is out for the duration, the ground can be covered with large pine shavings or gravel—not sawdust, as it is too dusty and irritating to nose and throat. The ground must be level, with all holes and cracks filled up. A broken leg or a sprained ankle is certainly not good publicity, and lawsuits can make a budget look sick. If shavings or gravel cannot be secured, the ground should at least be weeded and raked. Each night before meeting the tent floor should be raked in straight lines, and as much in the same direction as possible. Since children will tear paper into bits, drop gum wrappers, etc, a daily pickup should be routine.
Songbooks.—The songbooks should either be stacked neatly in the bookstand at the entrance, or be distributed equally on chairs—all placed in the same position, face up. To have ushers greet the people with a smile, a "Good evening," and a songbook, helps to break down formality and to set people at ease.
