As the reasons you offered for our not
going to College, are some of them new to me; and espe
cially my shortsightedness is such, and Judgment of Af‐
fairs so immature , I am quite unfit for an answer.
It will be a great disappointment of my expectations
according to the Plan and Agreement I came upon,
not
to spend any more time at College. If I rightly re‐
member,
the Agreement was, that I should be fit
ted for College — and spend
the major part of the
term of four years there, and then to receive the
Honors
of College, if accounted worthy of them. This
would be necessary for a common Recommendation,
at least among People and Gentlemen in
North-Ame‐ rica, where I might be known; etc. if it should ever
happen I might not be engaged in a mission, or if I
should — And it would be an Advantage in getting
into business in those parts, if upon some sufficient
reason I should not pursue the design. The dislike,
and evil suspicion of many who profess
friendship
to me, and are not Friends to the design, will be rais
ed
against the Plan, and will be apt to think hard of
Mr. Wheelock, (though the reasons should be given) and
so the
School and cause might be reproached. The
cruel tongues of many would then be set on fire,
(as o‐
thers like disposed have been,) and "say,
Mr. Wheelock would not treat one of his own Sons so, who should be de
signed for the same Work: But were there not some lu‐
crative
Views somewhere at the Bottom, things would
not be so." Though the design has gained ground, and
become more Honourable than our Colleges;
yet, Men
of those parts, will not be so sensible of it, 'til by and by;
and not only so, but, Sir, will not the
School and we, who
have gone so far, be looked upon in
a diminitive Light
by the College? I imagine it will be a great Advantage
to get an Acquaintance with Scholars, that when they
shall leave College and enter
into business abroad,
one might be of service to another. And, may I express
the passion — How comforting and supporting will
friendship be to one in the lonely
desert! It is but a short
season I can have to get an acquaintance with anybody
special within two years and half here — and to be sure
I must be under poor circumstances among the Pagans.
And will not an acquaintance with Men of Learning
be
of great Advantage to one, who must be so much ex
posed in a crafty World as a missionary? There are
several exercises of Improvement at College, we have not
here; though they are not absolutely
necessary for one who
expects to spend all his Days among Heathen; yet would
they not be serviceable and enlarging to the Mind? What
you said, Sir, as to the mathematics, it give me Satis
faction — To have a tolerable acquaintance with them
I suppose is sufficient — Other Studies would be more agre
eable, as well as profitable — I can easily, (and indeed,
it would be too black Ingratitude not to) believe your
Plans and Schemes to be the most for my Profit, and
to fix me for usefulness. And was the School fixed
and set up, it would not give me the least
Uneasi
ness, If I did not go to College at all: But until
that is done, would it not be best, all things considered,
that we should spend a little time at College, as was pro
posed, and agreed to, when we entered the
School?
Mr.
Kirtland often (with tears) laments his short Acquain
tance with Classical, scholastic Studies; and thinks
it to be necessary for a missionary, as well as any
other Calling in Life.