That was how everyone did it back then. You can still meet with people, doesn't have to be those places. In France they met in Salons (people's living rooms, usually wealthier people).

Here we have GreatAwakening.win, we have telegram, we have group chats, and all sorts of ways to connect with any size group of people at any level -local, county, state, nation, and instantly communicate.

There is no doubt, however, that in-person meetings are far more powerful. That's why they tried to cancel Thanksgiving and Christmas.