The deſign of Goſpelizing the Savages of
N. Amer:
is
^hath been eſteemed of^
So
^Such^ im-
portance &
[gap: tear][guess: of So great] utility
as to engage the attention of the greateſt
&
beſt of men for Ages paſt;
[illegible]
^an[gap: tear][guess: d]
therefore^ there have been
Several Societies formed & incorporated by Royal charters in this
Kingdom
^#^,
[left]# who have made Several laudeble attempts for this end.
(all, or at leaſt two of wch, have made many attempts to this
purpoſe, a particular hiſtory whereof would be too long to give.
But to the grief of
both of [illegible] all
who are aquainted with the Sta
[gap: stain][guess: te of
the] Indians there, & pray for their converſion to X, the Succeſs of their pious en-
deavours hath been very Small in proportion
to what might have been
expected. It is well know to all who are acquainted with the Hiſtory of
N.E. what was done there among the Indians at
Martins
Vinyard,
& pla-
ces about
Boſton
& along the Sea Coaſt, b
uty the great
mr
Elliot of
Boſton
^& others^ many years Since, & that the Goſpel was received by many of the Natives
in thoſe parts, which Still continues to bleſs
thoſe tribes, & is Supported
[gap: tear] by the
Hon.ble Society in London. The moſt
alſo are acquain-
ted with the Succeſs the
[gap: tear]
[gap: tear] of Good m
r
D.
Brainard ha
[gap: tear][guess: d
a‐] mong the Indians at
Croſwixſung in
N.
Jerſey, & Forks of
Dillawa[gap: tear][guess: re]
Penſilvania, the fruits of whoſe Labours remain to this day, &
thoſe Indians
are collected, & are under the Care of the Rev
d
Jn.o
Brainard, brother to
David
^in New Jerſey,^
[illegible]. Some good alſo followed
the labours of the Rev
d
mr Searge^a^nt, & afterwards of the Rev
d
m
r
J. Edwards at
Stockbridge in the
Government of Maſſechuſets Bay; as alſo of the Rev
d
mr Haley among the Indians of the
Six
nations at
Onohoquage on
Suſquehannah river, Theſe three laſt were Sent by the
Hon.ble Society in London. Yet after all the many attempts which have
proved almoſt
fruitleſs
&
the Small Succeſs of thoſe which have been the moſt
incouraging Seemed
to caſt a cloud over the whole deſign. Before I proceed it may be
[illegible]
natural to inquire, what were the cauſes of hindrance in this good work.
And 1. The Indians have imbibed very Strong
prejudices againſt the Engliſh,
from the repeated impoſitions
& frauds the have Suffered from thoſe who have
traded with them, &
eſpecially
thoſe who have purchaſed their Lands. Hence they
^are ready to^
Suſpect
that they are not
[illegible] Safe while they have
the Engliſh
men among
them, & are ever jealous that the deſign is to lay Some plan to get their
Lands from them,
as is [illegible][guess: evident]
^as is evident^ from many facts w
ch can be adduced.
This Jealouſy Seems to have been the reaſon of their critical obſervance of the
conduct of the miſſionaries, which hath rendered it very difficult to be-
have So as to
avoid their Suſpecion of Some fraudulent deſign; & this is
greatly heightened by the impoſſibility of converſing with them but
by an Interpreter who generally being an Engliſhman, as well as
the Miſſionary, they naturally Suſpect they are, or at leaſt may be,
laying Schemes unknown to them, &
theſe
Suſpicions have oppertunity to
Strengthen greatly, before the Miſſionary may come to know
the reaſon
any thing
of the matter thro' ignorance of their language. Hence it hath been generally
found that, altho' the Indians would admit the miſſionaries among them
& tre
[gap: tear][guess: at] them
with reſpect,
their way, for a while, yet they have moſt commonly
grown Shy & gradually declined in their attendance, by w
ch the miſſionaries
have been diſcouraged, & after one or two attempts have declined the Miſſion
except in a few inſtances. To confirm what is obſerved above I Shall give one
inſtance out of many. It once happened that three Miſſ.
rs
& one Interpreter were
at one place among a party of Indians who had been
formerly inſtructed in Some
meaſure, & who owned a conſiderable tract of Land, where they continued about
a fourt'ni't; Another Miſſ.
ry was at a place about 100 miles diſtant, at the
houſe of an Indian inſtructed by
mr Wheelock, where were a number of In-
dians
who
were very buſy in talking togather: the Indian who had been inſtructed,
being in a room adjoining, & overhearing them, informed the miſſ
ry of their
converſation, w
ch was to this purpoſe, One Said "What is the reaſon that three
miniſters are gone to
[gap: tear][guess: O]? Why does
[gap: tear][guess: not] one go to that other place?
[gap: tear]
[gap: tear] no miniſter
&
[gap: tear][guess: to] Such a place. I
can't See why they all go to one place.
[gap: tear][guess: ano]ther anſwered, Why, I'll tell you,' The Indians have but little land at
Such & Such places, & that is the reaſon
the do not go there; But at
O they
have a good
deal of land, & that's the reaſon So many are gone there; it is
to git their Land. This gave the Miſſ
ry much trouble
to remove their
Suſpicions which
^& it^ was
done with great difficulty,
^he
removed their jealouſies^
&
eſpecially as no good reaſon
^which might be mentioned to them,^ could be given for thoſe three miſſ.
rs being at that place. This account I had
from the miſſ
ry's own mouth.
2. Another great obſticle hath been The want of their Language, which hath
made it impoſſible to communicate any thing to them but by an Intrepreter.
I need Say nothing to convince the inteligent
& thinking part of mankind, that
preaching by an interpreter,
when each
Sentence muſt be interpreted, before
the next can be delivered,
muſt
deſtroy the whole pathos & energy of delivery
& render even the moſt important Subjects much leſs
inlivening to the hearers
even where good Interpreters can be had. But there is a
great difficulty to
obtain any who can at all anſwer this end; &
thoſe who can Speak the language
of the Indians are generally Such as have been
traders among them, or Some
captive who has
been learned their language; & both theſe Sorts of people are
well known to be moſt commonly of Such characters as to make it infinitely
unfit to truſt them with affairs of Such eternal conſequence. The Rev
d
mr Wheelock, in a Narrative of
his
School
publiſh in
Boſton in 1763. writes thus on
(3)
this head. "There are very few or
no interpreters, who are Suitable &
"well-accompliſhed for the Buſineſs, to be had.
Mr Occom found great
"difficulty laſt year in his Miſſion on this account. And not only the cauſe,
"but his own reputation Suffered much by the unfaithfulneſs of the man
"he imployed. I Suppoſe the Interpreters now imployed by the
Hon:
Com- "miſſ.rs are the beſt that are to be had at preſent. But how many Na-
"tions are there for whom there is no
interpreter at all, except, it may
"be, Some ignorant & perhaps vicious perſon who has been their cap-
"tive, & whom it is utterly unſafe to truſt in matters of Such eternal con‐
"ſequence. And how Shall this difficulty be remidied? It Seems it muſt
"be one of theſe two ways, viz. either their Children muſt come to us, or
"ours go to them" To this I add, that the expence of Supporting an
Interpreter is much greater than will Support an
Indian
Miſſ
ry. who
is capable of Speaking their language. The
Hon:
Commiſſ.rs in Boſton
co'd
not obtain
mr
Gun whom they imployed, under £50. Ster: per an:
be‐
ſides the Support of the Miſſ
ry; & they allowed
mr Occom but about
£15
ſSter. per An: who taught a School, & preached to them in their own
language. It is true this allowance was far
below what was abſolute‐
ly
[gap: tear][guess: nece]ſſery, & not more than enough to defray the
^extraordinary^
charges of his office
& company, without any thing for the Support of himſelf
&
famely; Yet
had they allowed him £50.
or £60
^or £70^ per. An: it would not have been more
than half as much as another miſſ.
n would coſt. This difficulty of obtain-
ing Suitable interpreters, & the great expence of the miſſion when they
could be obtained, hath been a block at the very threſhold, &
diſcouraged
thoſe
who, out of Love to Chriſt
& the Souls of men, would gladly have ventured
out among them to preach the Goſpel.
3. Another difficulty
^y.t^ hath been & Still
[illegible]remains is, The wandering
&
unſettled manner of life w
ch the Indian lead. For tho they have little vil-
lages where their
hutts are at no great diſtance from one another, yet they
are frequently obliged to wander to a great diſtance to procure Something,
by hunting, to live on; in w
ch rambles they generally carry their Wives
& Children with them. This was the caſe with
the Onoidas when
mr
Occom was among them in the year
176
[illegible]^2^ They were
obliged to go to
Suſquehan‐nah river to hunt for food; in which tour he accompanied & preached
to them. And this often hath been the caſe as is evident by the accounts given
by
the
moſt of the miſſionaries, & in particular in the Continuation of m
r
Wheelock's Narrative printed in
Boſton in 1765.
This is a difficulty not eaſily
remidied, &
muſt be born with till they can
be bro't to till their lands & not depend So much on the uncertain means of
(4)
hunting for their Support. The moſt likely way to affect this will be con-
Sidered hereafter.
4. Difficult as it is for Miſſionaries to go among the Indians with any
any tolerable hopes of Succeſs, it is Still more difficult, in Several reſpects,
to Set up Schools among them to any great advantage. For not only the
'fore-
mentioned
Jealouſies,
wan't of their Language, &
wandering, but alſo the
a
fverſion the parents have to Such a diſcipline as is abſolutely
neceſ‐
ſary to keep them in any order and promote their learning
^is a
great obſtruction^ The Children
are So uſed to an idle life, that they are ever ready to wander & neglect the
School, & when at School to neglect their books; & if any diſcipline is uſed,
both they & their parents reſent it, & hence will not allow, or at leaſt will
not urge the
m children to go to School.
Mr Wheelock in his narrative printed
in
Boſton 1763. page
219. writes thus, "There is no Such thing as
Sending
Engliſh "Miſſionaries, or Setting up & maintaining Engliſh Schools to any good pur‐
poſe in moſt places among them, as their Temper, State & condition have
"been & Still are. It is poſſible a School may be maintained to Some
"good purpoſe at
Onohoquage, where there have been heretofore Several
"faithful miſſionaries, by the bleſſing of God on whoſe labours the In‐
"dians are in Some meaſure civilized, Some of them baptized, a Number
"of them, in the judgment of
Charity, real Chriſtians — And
[gap: tear][guess: where]
the
"Hon: Scotch= Commiſſ.
rs, I hear, have Sent two Miſſionaries, & have made
"Some attempts to Set up a School. But at
Jeningo, a little beyond, they
"will by no means admit an
Engliſh
Miſſionary to reſide among them.
"And tho' there were many of them under great awakenings & concern,
"by the bleſſing of God on the labours of a Chriſtian Indian from theſe
"parts, yet Such was the violent oppoſition of Numbers of them, that
"it was tho't by no means Safe, for an
Engliſhman to go among them,
"with a deſign to tarry with them #. And like to this is the caſe with
"parties of Indians for near an hundred miles togather, on the weſt Side
"of
Suſquehannah River. Another School or two may poſſibly be Set up
^[below]with^ # I find at the End of the Rev
d
mr Randals Sermon preached before
the
Society in Scotland in 1763. a letter from the Rev
d
mr Samuel Mather of
Boſton,
^in^ which
he gives a very agreable
&
juſt account of the
Indians at
Onohoquage which he
had from a perſon who had lived among them, & who he Says alſo informed him,
"That about 16 miles weſt of
Onohoquage, there are
200 Indians, who
gene-
"rally
[illegible] talk
Engliſh, & who have an
Indian teacher, who knows but little,
"tho he Seems well diſpoſed. Theſe Indians Seem well prepared for an
Engliſh "miſſionary" — Theſe are
^the^ Indians above mentioned at
Jeningo: and the acc.
t which
mr Wheelock here has publiſhed he had from this Indian preacher, who is
(5)
"with Succeſs among the
Mohawks,
[illegible]
"[illegible] "
& where they have got into the way of cultivating their Lands for a
living,
"& So have more ability to Support their children, &
leſs
occaſion to ram-
"ble abroad with them. But even in theſe places we may find it more dif-
"ficult than we may imagin before trial be made (tho' I would by no means
"diſcourage the trial of every feaſible method for the accompliſhing this
"great deſign) but by Acquaintance with the Schools which the
Hon:
Lon- "don
Commiſſioners have, with pious Zeal, Set up & maintained among
"the Several tribes in theſe parts, I am much confirmed in theſe Sen-
"timents. Theſe parties live amongſt, and are incompaſſed by the Engliſh, have
"long had good preaching, & numbers of them appear to be truly godly.
"Yet Such is the Savage temper of
many, their want of due eſteem for
"learning, & gratitude to their benefactors, &
eſpecially their want of Govern-
"ment, that their Schoolmaſters, tho
Skilful
& faithful men, conſtantly com-
"plain they can't keep the
ir children in any meaſure
conſtant at School.
"
Mr
Clelland the School-maſter at
Mohegan has often told me what
unwea-
"ried pains he had taken by viſiting
&
diſcourſing with their parents, &c. to
"remidy this evil, & after all can't accompliſh it. The children are Suffered
"to n
[gap: tear][guess: eg]lect their attendance on inſtruction, &
waſte much time, by which
"means they don't learn So much in Several years as
they might, & others
"do in one, who are taken out of the reach of their parents, & out of the way
"of Indian examples, & are kept to School under good government & con-
"Stant inſtruction. I the reather mention this Inſtance, becauſe of the well
"known Skill & fidelity of that good Gentleman, &
becauſe that tribe are as
"much civilized, & as many of them chriſtianized, as perhaps any party of
"them in this government. And by all I can learn,
it is no better in this reſpect
"with any other. They are So diſaffected towards a good &
neceſſary government,
"that as gentle an exerciſe of it as may be, &
anſwer the deſign of keeping up
"order & regularity in any meaſure among them, will likely So diſguſt them as
"to render the caſe
worſe
reather than better. Captain
Martain
Kellog com‐
"plained of this as his great diſcouragement in the School at
Stockbridge, not‐
withſtanding he underſtood, as well as any man, the diſpoſitions of the Indians,
^[below]and^
one of the
Mohegan tribe
^taught & Sent by mr Wheelock^
& who has been often among them endeavouring to
teach them according to his
ability, with whom I am well acquainted, & who told
me that they were greatly prejudiced againſt the Engliſh as they removed to that
place being turned off their land elſe where; & who went among them in 1763, & could
not preach to them as the man whom he expected to be his interpreter
was not there
& none among them could interpret for him. This account he gave me
immediately
after his return. So that there muſt be Some miſtake in
mr Mathers Account
(6)
"and had the advantage of knowing
their language &
cuſtoms, having been so
"long a captive among them, & was high in their affiction
&
eſteem; Yet he was
"obliged to take the Children home to
Weatherſfield with him, quite away from
"their parents, before he
could exerciſe that government which was neceſſary
"in order to their profitting at School — And beſides all this they are so
"extreemly poor, & depend so much upon hunting for a livel
yihood, that they are
"in
no capacity to Support their children at School, if their diſpoſition for it
"were ever So good" i.e. in a conſtant
& regular way. Some light may be
thrown on this Subject by a letter from
David Fowler an Indian School‐maſ‐
ter educated by
mr Wheelock, dated,
Onoida,
June 24. 1765. — "My
Scholars
"learn very well, I have put eleve
[gap: tear][guess: n] of them into a, b, ab. (i.e. 19 day after he
begun
the School) "I have three m
[gap: tear][guess: or]e that will advance to that place this week
"& Some have got to the Sixth page. It is a thouſand pities they cannot keep
"togather: they are often going about to git their proviſion. One of the chiefs,
"in whoſe
houſe I live, told me, he believed Some of the Indians would Starve
"to death
this Summer. Some of them have almoſt
conſumed all their corn
"already." From hence it appears, that the goſpelizing the Indians is attend-
ed with very great difficulties, & were it not abſolutely
neceſſary, theſe things
would be Sufficient to diſcourage any attempt; But where any thing is ne‐
ceſſary, & of infinite importance (as this certainly is, both with regard to our‐
Selves as God's covenant people, & to them as formed for immortality) the
greater the difficulties are, the
more vigourous Should be our efforts, & if
we fail in one attempt we Should try another. This is the way of men as
to things
of infinitely leſs importance. But alaſs!
the children of this world are often wi‐ ſer in their generation than the children of Light. Let us not then be diſcou‐
raged, but attend to what follows, which is humbly offered as the moſt likely
remidy for theſe evils, & which, by the bleſſing of God hath done more already,
than any attempt which was ever before
made.
About 27 years ago, the Rev
d
mr Occom an Indian of the
Mohegan
tribe near
New London in
Connecticut in
New England, was converted from pagan‐
iſm (as were a number beſides of that tribe) till which time he had lived to-
tally ignorant of the chriſtian religion; being then betwen 16 & 17 years of
age. After this he had a Strong deſire to learn to read the Scriptures. He ap-
plied to Some
Engliſh, who lived near his tribe, to inſtruct him in his letters, &c.
& by his diligent application, without any School, he was able to read
brokenly
in the
^Bible^
New Teſtament,
& Speak a little broken Engliſh when he was about 19
years old: at which time, hearing that the Rev
d
mr Wheelock, whom he had heard
preach among the Indians, & for whom he had a high eſteem, had a number
of Engliſh youths fitting for college, he had a deſire to go to him to be inſtructed
for a few weeks in reading — Providence opened the way by
his Mother going
to
mr Wheelock, who cheerfully took him, & taught him 4 years, near one
year of which
time he was unable to Study thro'
indiſpoſition of body. His
application
(7)
application to Study was So intence, that at the end of that time he hurt
his eyes so as to be unable to perſue his Studies, and
was adviſed to go
^therefore went^ to
Montauk on
Long Iſland, & taught
[illegible][guess: a] School among the
Indians. there,
who where he took the place of the Rev
d
mr Horton who had been imployed among
them by the
Hon. Scotch Commiſſioners in N. York. At his firſt going to that
place he taught School about a year & half without Support from any So-
ciety; but marrying, he found
it neceſſary to have Some other help than
he could procure by labour in vacant hours. He
kept School both parts of
the day, & in the winter
months
^Seaſon^ evenings alſo, attended their Sick, & funerals,
and prayed & expounded the Scriptors to them & exhorted them every Sabbath
& did all the other parts of a teacher among them, So that his time being al‐
moſt wholly ingroſed he could do but little for his own Support. Some
friends knowing his circumſtances applied to the
Hon: London Commiſſionrs in Boſton who gave him £15 Ster. per an: which they continued for moſt of
the 1
[illegible]6 years he was there. But
his family increaſing greatly he was
obliged to remove to his own land in
Mohegan, in order to procure Some
Support for them, & here he had for one year £22:10 Ster: from the S.
d
Hon:
London
Commiſſ.rs; & being 100 miles diſtant from them, & Surround-
ed by the
Hon:
Scotch
Commiſſ.rs in Connecticut, it was tho't
beſt he Sho'd
be under their care; & accordingly
that Board in
July 1764. prefered a
requeſt to have him diſmiſed from
the Board in Boſton to them, with the
continuance of his Sallery; which was readily done,
only
^but^ they continued
the Sallery only for that year: so that being much in debt before, he was
now reduced
to Some Straights as the
Board in Connecticut had no
means of
relief for him, yet it pleaſed God to open the hearts of friends So that he did
not Suffer. But to
return.
About 8 years after
mr
Occom left
mr
Wheelock, i.e. in 1754.
The
Sent to
the Rev
d
m
r
John Branard in
New Jerſey for two boys in order to edu-
cate them. He was
encouraged to this by obſerving the Succeſs which m
r
occum had among the Indians on
long Iſland, who were filled with prejudices
against their Miniſter the Rev
d
mr Horton, & all other miniſters around, by the
intemperate Zeal of Some exhorters from
N. England; & who were happily
cured by his prudent management among them, so as to
attend to the Sober dic-
tates of religion, &
Seing that,
by the divine bleſſing, his labours had been
Succeſful
^by the divine bleſſing^ for the Saving good of Some; &
obſerving
alſo that his own Na-
tion, as well as thoſe adjacent who knew him, depended on him to con-
duct their civil,
as well as religious affairs, he concluded that
the teaching
the Indians
by their own Sons was the moſt likely way to Succeſs; & therefore
procured the two boys above mentioned. When he took theſe two youths, he had
no fund for their Support, nor Sufficient income for the
Support of his own
(8)
numerous family; tho' he had Some eſtate in land
[illegible][guess: or]
^And^ from that time till
I left
America, he never had any thing in hand for the Support of the cauſe
except twice a
Small matter
^little^ more than to diſcharge the debts
^in which^ he had in-
volved
his own eſtate
by it; And when he firſt undertook this work, he
says Page 14
th of his firſt Narrative "I did not much think of any
"thing more than only to clear my Self
& family of partaking in the
"
guilt
publick guilt of our land & nation in such a neglect of them."
After he had inſtructed
theſe two Youths for near two years, one of them faling into
a decline, he Sent him home, & two more of the
Delawar Tribe came in his place.
And altho the war Soon commenced, & the face of Indian affairs appeared more
& more gloomy; yet Such was the good behaviour of the Boys, & their proficiency
in learning that he was incouraged to go on, & gradually increaſe the Number, So
that in
April
1757, he had four; & in
April 1759, five; & Seven in
November, 1760;
& eleven in
Auguſt 1761, & in
Novem 1762 he had no leſs than 25 in
his School*
[right]*&
[illegible]
[illegible]
& thus he went on to increaſe the number till in the whole he hath had between 40 & 50 whome he Supports.
Mr
Mr Wheelock's principle view
hath been
^had^ all along
^been^, to open a way to the
Six na‐ tions, &
thro' them, to more remote tribes, if the affair Should Succeed: But this could
not be accompliſhed at firſt. Thoſe Nations had always been averſe to parting with their
Children to go to the
Engliſh.
^[illegible][guess: The]
Hon:^
Cadwalleder Colden Governor of
New York told me, that
he had
tr
yied to obtain Some of their Children to
have them
educate
d, &
tho'
perſonally
acquainted & intimate with many of them, could never prevail. Hence
mr Whee- lock was under a neceſſity of begining with thoſe Tribes who had Some acquaintance
with the Engliſh, &
alſo with religion. Beſides, the War commencing, it was quite imprac-
ticable, & would have been eſteemed wild & extravagant indeed, to have made an attempt
of this nature among Indians
who were often in Suſpence what Side to take in the war;
& his propoſal to obtain them, when the war was ended, "was by many hardly to be account-
ed for but by a diſtempred brain." By the time the War ended, he had taken
four
of the
Delawar Nation from
New Jerſey, one of whom was dead; & two from
Montauk on
Long-
Iſland in
N. York
governm.
t
& only one from
Connecticut, viz from
Mohegan; & Since
that time hath never taken any from
[illegible]thoſe Nations, excepting
32 or 3 who were deſign'd
for trades after they had learned to read, write, & keep common accounts, &
theſe
were
^are^ not reckoned in the
^School^[illegible].
The attempt to procure youths from the
Six
Nations at firſt was hazardous,
& would require
Some
conſiderable
exp
ience, & had
mr Wheelock attempted it without
any help from Some Society, & without money to Support the charge of So extraor-
dinary an enterprize, the
yre would have been Still more danger
ifthat he
would
have been reproached as raſh
&
preſumptious. Therefore in May 1761, he ap-
plied to the
Hon:
Scotch
Commiſſrs in Boſton, who approving the deſign of
Sending for children of remote tribes, paſſed a vote on
May 7. to this purpoſe,
That m.r Wheelock be deſired to fit out David Fowler an Indian
youth to acom‐pany the Revd
mr Occom on a Miſſion to Onoida, & that Said David be Supported on Sd
Miſſion a term not not exceeding 4 months, & that he endeavour, to bring on his return, to bring down three
Boys to be put under mr Wheelocks care
& that £20 be put into mr Wheelocks hand to carry on the deſign; & that when
(9)
Said Sum Shall be expended, he adviſe the treaſurer of it & Send his accounts for allowance. This was accordingly done & the thre boys procured & Sent
to
mr Wheelock. This was the firſt opening among the back nations, & was
much facilitated by
mr Occom
&
David Fowler,
going up among them (who
had
been educated in
mr Wheelocks
School) going up
among them & giving them
a favourable Idea of the deſign, &
eſpecially by the influance
&
aſſiſtance of
Sir W.m
Johnſon. Incouraged by this countenance from
the Board,
Mr Wheelock applied to the
General Aſſembly of Maſſechuſets Bay the November following,
who granted him £54 Ster: on which incouragement he took Six more
Children of the
Six
Nations, truſting providence for the Supply of what that
Sum Should fall Short in their
Support. This Sum of £54 Ster. that
Hon:
Aſſem‐ bly have granted
forto
mr Wheelock from year to year Since; & by the charities of
the pious in & about
Boſton,
Portſmouth,
Connecticut,
New York
&
Phila- delphia, & Some kind, unexpected providential Supplies from friends of the
cauſe in
Great Britain,
the School hath been hither to Supported; tho' no mo-
ney hath
[illegible] ever
been in hand more than Sufficient to diſchare
preſent debts (w
ch
Some times have been very conſiderable without any human proſp
iect of relief) &,
to twice only, to keep
the School a few
weeks.
In this number of youth there was one
Mr Kirtland the Son of a
Miniſter in
Norwich in
New England, & Since there have been three or four more En‐
gliſh youth taken in to be trained up as aſſociates with the Indians in their
Miſſions, & Several who have had the moſt of their education at their own
expence are now imployed as miſſionaries among the Indians, & Sup-
ported by this Charity.
In Novem.
r 1764,
Mr Kirtland
&
Joſeph
Wolley an Indian youth, Set out
for the
Six Nations in order to winter among them. The went to
Onohoquage where
Joſeph continued with the Indians till the next fall teaching School
&
inſtructing them in the things of God &
Jeſus
Chriſt in which he appeared
to be much ingaged.
Mr Kirtland went from thence to
Fort Johnſon, &
tarried with
Sir W.m
Joh[illegible]nſon learning the Mohawk language, till the
17th of January following, & then traveled
^on boat^ in company with two Seneca
Indians,
about 250 miles thro' a Snow four feet deep,
&till he came to the
Seneca Na‐
tion
who are numerous, among whom he continued till the Spring of 1766, &
Suffered many hardſhips, & was often in great danger of being murdered by
Some of that Savage Nation
— But God preſirved him; & by him hath opened
a hopeful proſpect of carrying the bleſſed
goſpel among that numerous and
Savage tribe.
Beſides
theſe The encouraging accounts which
mr Kirtland gave of the d
[gap: tear][guess: iſ] poſition
of the Indians & their earneſst
deſire to Send their Children to
mr
[gap: tear][guess: Whee-] lock
& to have teachers come among them, excited him to look out for Som
[gap: tear][guess: e]
En-
gli
[gap: tear][guess: ſh]
10
gliſh
miſſionaries to Sen
td out with thoſe Indian youth who were quallified for
inſtructing the heathen.
Mr Wheelock was incouraged to Send
thoſe
Engliſh
Miſ‐
ſionaries by the confidence which he knew theſe Indians had in him, as Sincerely
Seeking their good, of which they were perſwaded by his educating their Children: &
alſo by the earneſt
deſire they expreſſed of
being inſtructed having miniſters Sent
among them, of which they had been deſtitute for Several years. Accordingly he
called the
Hon: Board of Commiſſ.rs in Connecticty to meet on the
12th of March 1765 in order to examine meſſ .
rs
Titus Smith
&
Theo: Chamberlain as miſſionaries,
David Fowler, a
Montauk
Indian,
Hezekiah Calvin, a
Dielaware,
Moſes,
Johannes,
Abraham primus,
Abraham Secundus
&
Peter,
Mohawks as Schoolmaſters: ac-
cordingly we met; & providence So ordered it, that at the very time we were
gathering, three
Indians arived from
Onohoquage, having traviled on foot 300
miles thro' the Snow; & at the Same inſtant
alſo came in
mr
Gun the Interpre-
ter, who was well acquainted with thoſe indians, by whom we were able to under-
stand them & they us. Thus theſe three parties met, in leſs than half an hour, from
places 300 miles diſtant, without any previous appointment or the leaſt know-
ledge of each others deſign. Their Arrand was to aſk for a miniſter to go & preach
Chriſt to them, & Said they had
^had^ no miniſter for a great while.
The Board examined
and approved the Candidates; & on the
24th of April following they two were or-
dained, &
commiſſioned by
the Board as Miſſionaries, who went to the
Six nations in
company with the Schoolmaſters who were placed in Schools among them
& in the Autum following they had in their Schools about 130 children, who
made good
proficiency in reading, tho they knew not a letter (moſt of them) when
they went among them: And by a letter from
mr Wheelock
^Since^ I am informed that
he had accounts of above 100
children in only four of thoſe
Schooles
laſt Summer.
Thus I have given as honeſt, plain, tho imperfect,
^an^
hiſtory of the riſe
& pro-
greſs of
this School as I am capable of in So
Short a cumpaſs: and I perſwad
my-
ſelf that it will eaſily appear,
[illegible]that this plan is more likely to
obviate the before-
m
ientioned difficulties, than any other
that hath been attempted, & is incomparably
better than to depend wholly on Engliſh
miſſ:
rs: for, let it be obſerved
1. The Indians entertain no Jealouſies of their own Children as having a deſign of defrauding them of their Lands, their intereſt being one; So ye grand objection is removed.
2. An Indian Miſſionary may be Supported wth
leſs than half the expence, that will be neceſſary for the Support of an Engliſh
Miſſionary, who can't conform to their manner of living, & who can have no dependance on them for any part of it; but on the contrary,
they will be always expecting Some favours from him, which will not be the caſe with an Indian.
3. Hereby the great expence of an Interpreter will be Saved, as the Indians will
Speak to them in their
own language & So be able to addreſs them with more pathos
[gap: tear][guess: &] energy; & be in a capacity more readily to prevent any riſing
jealouſies
& difficulties
[gap: tear][guess: whi]ch may be breading among them, & which could not be eaſily
diſcovered by one who
[gap: tear][guess: is ig]norant of their language.
[gap: tear][guess: 4.] Indian Miſſionaries may be Suppoſed better to underſtand the tempers &
Cuſtoms
[gap: tear][guess: of the] Indians, & more readily conform to them in a thouſand things than the Engliſh
(11)
can, & in things wherein their nonconformity may cauſe
diſguſt, & by them be
conſtrued as the fruit of pride, or it may be, Something worſe.
5.The Influence of their own Sons among them will likely be much greater
than of any
Engliſhman whatever. They will look upon Such as one of them;
their Intereſt the Same with theirs: & will naturally eſteem him as the hon–
of their Nation, & be more ready to be adviſed
& Submit to his reproofs, than
to any
Engliſh
miſſionary; &
eſpecially will they, more patiently, endure y
e
diſcipline
neceſſary in a School from one of their own nation than from
the
Engliſh. This is abundantly evident in the caſe of
mr Occom, who taught
School a long time among the
Indians at
Montauk, where, he Says, he could,
without offence, uſe any neceſſary Sever
^it^y with the Children & reprove the
Parents for any fault: & even among
his own tribe his influence is
much
greater than any other man's in that whole government, as well as among
all
the tribes in that vicinity
6.The great difference between the Engliſh manner of living, & that of the Indians cauſes them to diſpare of immitating them; but when they See their own Sons capable of huſbandry
& a decent life, this hath already, & will pro- pably continue more & more to animate them to induſtry
&
huſbandry, that they alſo may partake of the Sweets of life, & not be so frequently reduced to a
Staving condition, which a dependance on hunting diſpoſes them to. And this is the moſt likely means of preventing their rambling, & collecting them to‐ gather in compact bodies, & fixing them in Setled habitations; which will effec- tually prevent their going to war
with us, as then their property will be fixed, & not eaſily removed, &
therefor
expoſed to be deſtroyed, & they ruined ^in caſe of a war^, & will alſo incline them to uſe their Influence with the more defiant nations to keep them in peace; & to defend us when theyre Shall be war, as they will be our fronteer, &
moſt liable to Suffer. This alſo will bring them under better advantages for
inſtruction, as they will not need to ramble for their foodt. Let me add here
alſo, that this will be of inconceivable advantage to the trade of this Nation,
as every civilized Indian will take a conſiderable quantity of Britiſh ma- nufactories yearly. Beſides, this will enable them to procure a living [illegible] from the one ^fiftieth^
hundreth part of the land which is now neceſſary for them to hunt on, & the reſidue may be improved by the Engliſh, without any injury to the Indians when once they learn huſbandry, & hereby the britiſh Colonies can be extended, & the people there be under no neceſſity of going into ma- nufactories; which they never will, while they
have Sufficient land to improve.
7. The Friendſhip and acquaintance which the
Indian boys, from diſtinct
Tribes & places, will contract & cultivate, while togather,
[illegible]at School, may be
(12)
improved much for the
benefit advantage & furtherance of their Miſſion
8. In this School, children of different nations may, &
eaſily will, learn one ano- thers language, &
Engliſh youth may learn of them; & thereby Save the vaſt
expence of Interpreters, & their miniſtry be much more acceptable, & edify‐ ing to the Indians.
9. Indian miſſionaries will readily own Engliſh ones, who Shall be aſſociated with them (where the Engliſh can be introduced) as elder brethren, eſpecially while they are So much dependant on the Engliſh for a Support — & they will mutually help each other to recommend the deſign to the favourable reception of the pagans, remove their prejudices,
conciliate their friendſhip, &
indce them to repoſe due confidence in the Engliſh.
10. The Indians being acquainted with the Engliſh language, will thereby be naturally bound to them, (for all know how Strong
the tie of language is) & will of courſe be naturally diſpoſed to trade with the people they can under- Stand; & will alſo have the advantage of knowing what deeds
& other writings they Sign, by which they will be guarded from thoſe
impoſitions, which have been the ground of their Jealoſies, &
coſt the Engliſh So much blood &
treaſure
11. Indians bro't up for miſſionaries in this School,
& the Engliſh youth alſo are not likely to forſake the buſineſs of their miſſion, as they
are
^will^ not
likely to
^probably^ be invited to churches among the Engliſh; and as they will have the induce-
ment to continue among the
Indians which no Engliſh man can have, viz.
that they will neceſſarily be eſteemed, honoured & advanced among them on
account of their Superior knowledge. This has been
the caſe
moſt evidently
with
mr Occom who hath more influence & honour among his own Nation
& all the Tribes around them, than any S
^a^chim of the back nations hath
among
^them.^
[illegible][guess: thoſe
Miſſionaries]
12 [illegible]
where as there are very few inſtances of
Engliſh
Miſſ.
rs who have had a delicate education, but have Soon prefered
the pleaſures of Society & a field of more extenſive
uſefulneſs, of which they
have had a fairer proſpect
[illegible][guess: of] among the Engliſh, to the regions of Igno-
rance, &
hardſhips of life in a dreary Wilderneſs, where their improvements
in learning & Science are hid, & they Seem almoſt
loſt to themſelves
& the world.
If the above obſervations are juſt, it is eaſy for the attentive mind to See that the
School before deſcribed is exactly calculated to anſwer all the difficulties which
have hitherto obſtructed this glorious work beyond any thing which hath yet
been attempted. And if the Indians can be bro't to agriculture & live decently,
it will tend to cure them of the vice of drinking to exceſs, which hath ever
been a great obſtruction to the progreſs of the Goſpel among them, & rendered
it dangerous for miſſionaries to be among them. The inſtance of
mr Occoms
nation is a full proof of this. Formerly they were,
like other Indians, addicted
to drinking to exceſs, but now they cultivate their lands & have the comforts
(13)
of life they are as free from that
vice as perhaps any So large a num-
ber of people togather among the Engliſh.
I do not pretend that this plan is So perfect as to be incapable of
improve- ment; but am Senſible it is yet [illegible][guess: defic]neceſſarily deficient in many reſpects
& time, with experience, may diſcover many more defects, than ^do^ now occur. Give me
leave to hint one or two things which go [illegible]
^belong^ to the plan, & which can't at
preſent be accompliſhed for want of Supplies.
1. It is propoſed to obtain a large tract of land nearer the back Indians
in order to erect
the School, &
imploy a great Number of Indian Youth
of different nations in huſbandry as well as So much learning as Shall
be neceſſary for common buſineſs; & to train up a number of Girls to
all the buſineſs of houſ-wif
^e^ry
& Such trades as Shall render them uſeful
in their families; &
alſo to teach the Indians lads Such trades as will en-
able them to
promote huſbandry
&c among their own Nations. This was
the plan propoſed by the Rev
d
mr
Seargent of
Stockbridge,
& adopted by
the Hon. Society in London
&
mr David Bainard, & was generally approved.
2. It is propoſed that the Indian youths, who have been taught to read & write well, & Some of whom are of other nations & languages, Should go[illegible] accompanied by
Such Engliſh youth as are deſigned for a Miſſion, to Some nation where they are likely to be imployed in order to Set up Schools to teach the chil- dren Engliſh, while they perfect themſelves in their own or a Strange lan- guage — This indeed is now perſued with reſpect to a number, but need's larger Supplies to carry it into thoroug^h^ execution.
This whole Scheem Seems to bid So farr for Succeſs; & the effects of it have already been So remarkable, that I freely own, That
after my intimate ac- quaintance with it for Several years I am not able
to form any objection of any weight againſt it: And yet I have heard of three objections wch have been improved to its diſadvantage, which I beg leave now to obviate.
1. The great expence of taking Indian youth from their parents & educat- ing them among the engliſh is objected to this plan.
What I have Said already
[illegible][guess: is]
^would be^
[illegible][guess: a]
Sufficient anſwer to this objection were it not
for an Extract from
Dr Chancy's Sermon preach in
Boſton at the ordination
of
mr Bowman on
Auguſt 31. 1762, which I find publiſhe here at the end of
the Rev
d
mr Randals Sermon, preach before
the
Society in Edenburgh, for pro- moting chriſtian knowledge; His words are "We have have not incouraged the
"Sending theſe Boys; &, as we imagine, for very good reaſons. The charge of bring-
"ing them from their own homes, & educating them among us, would be very
"great. We have felt the truth of
this, as we lately found ourſelves obliged to
"pay nearly £60. Sterling in leſs than one year for three Boys only."
Theſe boys were under
mr Wheelocks care; & I freely own that this expence is
very great. As it is natural for every one to underſtand by this
^account^ that, three Boys
(14)
only would ordinarily coſt near £60 Sterling in leſs than one year, per-
haps in eight or nine months. But
the Dr was unhappily miſtaken as to the
fact, which was this.
David
Fowler was on a miſſion near four months in which
he Spent (including the expence of fitting him out) near £15. Ster: He procured
& Sent down three Mohawk Lads, they each brot a horſe which
mr Wheelock was obliged to keep in a time of great drought; they
all came
[illegible]little better than
naked, except one
who had Some cloths; He cloathed them all — In about three
months, one being in a decline when he came
was obliged to return, and another
to accompany him,
The expence of their
Journey back about [illegible] miles [illegible][guess: weſt] one Soon died, the other married & did not return. The third accompanied
mr Kirtland about 200 miles to procure two more to Supply their
place, which
journey was expenſive; the two they obtained
came naked were to be clothed
which added
to the expence; So that in Stead of
"three Boys only" there was the
clothing &
firniſhing
David Fowler
[illegible]with horſe
& money for his long journey
of Several months; the Expence of the Boys journey home above 200 miles;
the expence of
Kirtlands Journey (excepting his horſe) to bring down the
other two; the paſturing their horſes in a dry & difficult Seaſon; the cloath-
ing
all five
& repairing their cloathing while they tarried; their Boarding
Schooling, waſhing, lodging, firewood, Candles, books, paper, &c. the amount
of all which. for near twelve months was, errors excepted, juſt £58.17.
S.7 ¼
d Sterling: Hence it appears that the
Dr was groſly
miſtaken, when he Says "for
three boys only" It is a pitty he had not examined the caſe more thoro'ly
before he publiſhed concerning it, which he had the faireſt
oppertunity for
as he was Cha
[illegible]irman of
the Committee when the
bill
^account^ was carried in: and it
is a debt he owes to the
world & to truth to
[illegible]own his miſtake
& Set this
affair in a true light, as it reſpects a matter of fact.. But this whole
II. affair is Set in a more full light in
mr Wheelocks Narrative printed
in
Boſton Page. 39-45. which has never be replied to by the
D.r
II. The Second objection is, That the moſt of the Indian youth which m
r
Wheelock hath had in
his School are taken from the civilized &
chriſtianized
Indians in
Connecticut.
This is alſo a groſ
miſtake: for So intimately as I am acquainted with
the School, I know of but two Indians
in it
or that ever were in it, which belonged
to
connecticut, & one of thoſe, as I remember, was deſigned for a trade and the other
for a farmer.
^mr Occom indeed is another exception; but he had left mr Wheelock 8 or 9 years before^ he had the tho'ts of a School, & never was reckond as one oft.
III. It is alſo objected, that it would be a much better & cheaper way to learn the Indians to read in their own language than to
teach them Engliſh. In an‐ ſwer to this I would obſerve
1. There are no books in the language of any of the back nations, except the
Pſalms
& a few other paſſages of Scripture in the Mohawk language; & it is
next to impoſſible to find any man
^to^ whom it would be Safe to truſt the
(15)
work of tranſlating the Scriptures into that or any other
^back^ Indian
language.
2. If the Bible & Some other good books were tranſlated into any one
language which is known in
America, it would be of uſe to but a compa‐
retively Small number, as the
ſ language differs generally ever hundred or 2
miles, not only in its Idiom, but in the very words as much as
the Welch
differs from the Engliſh; So that there would require many tranſlations,
which, as
they
^it^ would
not be exceeding difficult to procure them,
if not impoſſible, So the impreſ‐
ſions of them muſt be very expenſive.
I have now only to add a few motives which tend to influence the pious & be- nevolent to exert themſelves for the Support of this School & of the miſſionaries
&
Schoolmaſter who are & may be Sent from it into the Wilderneſs to inſtruct the periſhing pagans in reading, writing, religion & the civil arts.
1. The conſideration of the low & wretched condition in which they live, Should ex- cite us to
this. Their habitations are uſually made of the Bark of trees, & are inſuffi‐cien't to difend them from the rain &
^cold^
[illegible]. their lodging the cold earth or ye bark of a tree, & at beſt the Skin of a Bare or some other beaſt — their food, the fleſh of wild beaſts they take in hunting which they commonly eat without Salt, & frequent- ly without bread, as they are unacquainted with huſbandry, &
raiſe no bread corn, except Maiſe or Indian corn, of which the
Sildom have a Sufficiency. And they, depending on hunting, are often Starved thro' want. Now, if we are required to
deal our bread to the hungry, where can we find more proper
objects? eſſpecially as there are So many thouſands
& millions of theſe unhappy wretches, & a Smal matter comparatively, will be Sufficient to bring them to be able to
Support themſelves.
2. They have Souls as will as we, & are capable of the Same happineſs or mi-
ſery;
& therefore love to their immortal part Should excite us to endeavour to
Spread the Goſpel among them, without which they cannot be Saved in God's ordinary way. And
can we pretend to be the followers of X
& partakers of his Spirit, & yet be in- different to the happineſs or miſery of their precious Souls!
3. God hath evidently intimated his diſpleaſure at our neglect, in Suffering
the Indians to be Such a Sore Scurge to the Britiſh Colonies, in barbarouſly butch-
ering & murdering the inhabitants, captivating their Sons, daſhing their little
ones againſt the Stones, & burning & laying waſt the c
^o^untry, for near a hundred
miles togather as the did the laſt war: all which might have been prevented, had
there been Suitable pains
taken in time to Send pious, zealous miſſionaries among
them, eſpecially of their own Sons, who being trained up with the Engliſh would
naturally have an attachment to them, & by various means might have prevented
their engaging in a war. "There is
good reaſon to think, that if one half which has
been laid out in building forts, maning
& Supporting them, & in preſents to buy the
friendſhip of the Indians, had been prudently laid out in Supporting faithful miſſior.
s
&
School maſters among them, that the more inſtructed, & civilized party would have
been a better defence, than all the expenſive
fortreſſes
& prevented the laying waſte So
many towns & villages: Witneſs the conſequence of Sending
mr Sergeant to
Stock-
bridge, which was in the very road by w
ch they moſt
uſually came upon our
people, & by w
ch there hath never been one attact made upon us, since his going there"
Sir W.m
Johnſon in a letter to
mr Occom, Say "Every Indian in the near
Onoida
Caſtle,
the Oghquagoes,
Mohawks,
Schoharees, &
Candia Indians are determined to live &
die with the Engliſh; owing in a great meaſure to the little knowledge they have of
our religion, which I heartily wiſh was more known to them & the reſt."
4. The great obligations which lie on us as God's Covent people, who have
all we injoy more than they in a covent way, & So are bound to de[illegible]vote all to the Glory
of our liberal benefactor, Should be a motive to excite us to liberallity in this work.
5. The converſion of the heathen is that on wh the heart of the great Redeemer is greatly
Sit — for he shall be Satiſfied
whe he Sees of the travil of his Soul. And can we be in[gap: tear][guess: dif-] ferent in that in which he is So ingaged! did he become poor, that we might be rich; & Shall we grudge a little of our Subſtance
& pains for to Save thoſe Souls for which he died! Surely if the love of Chriſt dwells in us we Shall think nothing too much or too hard that is in our
power in order to Set X on his throne among the heathien
6. The Spreading knowledge & Civility among the Indians will greatly increaſe the trade & we^a^lth of this nation, as they will then wear the britiſh manufacturies, which article alone would every year far more than compenſate the annual expence of inſtructing them
7. There are many promiſſes of God that X's Kingdom Shall come among the hea‐ then; & therefore we have good reaſon to believe our endeavours will not be fruitleſs
8 The deſign is carried far already by that eminant, faithful Servant of God m
r
Wheelock, who with infinite pains & labour
^& to [illegible][guess: the]
hazard of his own eſtate^, hath trained up a number who are
now imployed in teaching the heathen; & if he can't be incouraged to go on, who will
ever attempt the like again
9. Many are willing to go out & Suffer the hardſhips of Such a wilderneſs life,
&
forſake every comfort that reſults from Society & plenty, & go thro dangers &
fateagues. too many & great to be here deſcribed; And this they have done hitherto without any other encouragement but that
which hath aroſe from the hope of Spreading the Goſpel among their periſhing fellow men, & from the promiſſes of a future reward in Glory; & can any who bare the name of Chriſtians be backward to give of their Subſtance to fead
&
cloath them, while they bear the burden & heat of the day — Surely we Should bear one anothers burdens & So fulfil the Law of Chriſt.
10. And not to add. The gracious incouragement given by God himſelf, & his many promiſſes that he will reward, even in this life, with temporal bleſſings
& in the life to come with eternal advantage, whatever is given for the
advance- ment of his cauſe here Should awaken us to Such acts of charity & piety. Many are the promiſes to this purpoſe —Caſt thy bread on the Waters, & thou Shall find it after many days. The liberal Soul deviſeth liberal things, & by liberal things Shall he Stand
Bleſſed is the man that conſidereth the poor, the Lord Shall be with him in time of trouble, &c.
&c.
&c. And this is one yea[illegible] the principle thing
which Chriſt will at laſt acknowledge as the mark of his diſciples, & will reward with eternal Joy: He Shall then Say to them on his right hand,
Come ye bleſſed of my father inhierit the Kingdom — for I was an hungred, & ye gave me meet, I was athurſt, & ye gave me drink — — In as much as ye did it to one of the leaſt of theſe my brethren, ye did it to me —
May we be of this happy number, Amen & amen —