I Suppose you have received some Letters —
with the Reasons of my not coming to
Lebanon, as I had
intend‐
ed —my Family most
of them are unwell — and my 2nd Daughter
in a critical State of Life — and other things so with me, that my
Time is wholly took up— and
several things yet to do of impor‐
tance that I can't yet attend to — I saw
Mr-Hunt‐ington (whom you mentioned to Me when at
Lebanon)
who
informs me that He with 2 schoolmasters are to
go soon for
Oneida, and the Indian Country — Per‐
haps as things are
Circumstanced — it
[guess: may not]
be best
at present ('til you sir
see fur‐
ther) to employ more than One Missionary
(besides
Mr Kirtland) and 2 Schoolmasters — and perhaps
Mr Huntington (as things now are) may do best to
go — He is indeed young, and
has not had much time, or
advantage to get acquaintance in these affairs —
but (being, I hope, honestly
and heartily inclined to serve
the Redeemer, in this most important Cause) He may be suc‐
ceeded, and
blessed in the undertaking -— There are many
difficulties, and dangers, attending of it, especially to one
unacquainted with The Indian Language, manner
etc. But God is able to do all things, and even out of
weakness to ordain Strength -— I believe
sir it
would be best (if possible) for one of the
Schoolmaster
to go as an Interpreter to
Mr Huntington For He will
be put to difficulty otherwise to get an interpreter
— and moreover if
Mr Huntington
proposes to spend his
Life among the Indians, to be sure to give his Mind
to Learn their Language; The advantage of it is
inconceivably great to a missionary — next to the Grace
of God and
ministerial Gifts it is the better half
of a missionary's qualifications to do service in the
Cause — I could
wish that all and
every one that
think of doing Service as missionaries among the
Indians woud give themselves to the Learning of
their Language, as one most
necessary ante‐
cedent qualification for their going among them
And for this most important purpose that
you would
sir get as soon as possible a pro‐
fessor of Indian in your School and that the
Indian Language may be taught as equally if
not even more necessary than Latin Greek
or Hebrew as I am indeed certain it is in this
Case by my own most certain experience
Their Language may be reduced to the rules
of grammar
and taught as any other Language
and be learned as soon or sooner than any
other especially by those who have any taste
or genius for the Oriental Languages —as I
could
easily
show by what I learned of it —
—was it the will of God I should spend as much
Time away there again as I did the last
winter I think I could be master of their
Language and be able to reduce it to the Rules
of grammar which I think would be a service
of unspeakable
advantage whoever does it to effect —And
if
your son or any other proposes to go into the service
I hope they will in the meantime give themselves to
the study of the Indian Tongue —you see
sir the affair
is so much on my Mind that I know not how
to dismiss it or give over urging it upon your
mind sir
'til you do something to effect about it
the which when I hear of my Mind will be easy
in that respect — but I must not enlarge
May the Father of Lights direct you sir in
all things and make his will in these and all respects
plain and perfect for the furtherance and upbuilding
the Redeemers Kingdom among the benighted
Heathen
P.s. I believe upon the whole it may be best for your
son
Mr.
Rodolphus not to go for the
Oneida
until you
sir
and
your
son have had a personal Interview with
Mr Kirtland at Your own House
and
those affairs —
subsisting be considered
and amicably settled to mutual
satisfaction which I hope through the mercy and Grace
of God may be done and well done so that the
pathway of Duty may be open and plain That there
may be nothing in that respect within or
without to hurt or offend in all Gods Holy Moun‐
tain — It was my labour there with
Kirtland
and prayer to
God then and
since tha
[gap: tear][guess: t]
[gap: tear] might be done —