In a letter of the
fourth of this Month I informed
you of a New disposition we were making here with
respect to the schoolmasters and Schools. This was com
pleted and we began to act upon it the thirteenth, and
beyond all Expectation it
succeeded so well that our
Schools which at most had not for Some Time exceeded
ten Children, in less than one week exceeded thirty, and
we have now near all the Children who
live anything
handy and are not in the Woods. There are indeed two
Families in this castle who have never sent the Children
to School and never would. The Fathers of these Families
(are about forty years of age), men who rarely appear
in
Public unless tis to get drunk. Last Week the
Indians met to rejoice together at the Birth of a Child.
I went to the Place where they were assembled, found
these two men not yet intoxicated; and as my Interpreter
was not present
asked them in my own broken manner
they had fit to go to School, they both answered they
had three and immediately fell to raising little objections
against sending them to school; all which I did my utmost
to remove; and at Length got a promise, and shall I think
have the Six at School as soon as the hunting season now
commencing is at an End. And there is a prospect that would
Mr. Johnson continue at
fort
Hunter and no new disgust
takes Place among the Indians either here or there, we
shall in both Places have the Schools attended as con=
stantly as any common Schools in New England. The
Parents now put their
Children under our Care, and at
this Place as soon as the Signal for coming to
School
has been given, the scholars run to School or else
darest not let me see them for they know the
next is a whipping. The happy Effect of a severer
discipline than has been hitherto used in these Towns
will I hope
[illegible][guess: Daly] be more and more apparent.
This seeming Reformation is not confined to the
schools, the People have begin to attend meeting more
universally and more constantly than they have ever
before done since I came to these Parts. I had
threatened to leave them on Account of their Neglect
But cannot (I rejoice at it) now do it without
having it said that I only made an excuse of
that to get away, and would not stay after they were
careful to attend. I cant say that the Indians are
eager or sufficiently
careful to attend meeting yet
they do come together in their own Time and where less
than a month ago I had not above a Dozen or fifteen
Hearers I have now
nigh a hundred though some of them
whites; for the Dutch in those Parts having no preaching
begin in small numbers to attend our Meetings.
They are
a bigoted People and suspicious of our Differing from them
in Principles as we omit God
[illegible]ars and other ceremonies
in Baptism. upon the whole the present
prospect is such
that nothing short of necessity will prevent my staying
and improving to the utmost the present Juncture.
But when I think how fast my debts increase here dont know
what to think. hope soon to be helped. Duty to
Madam Love to all
Rev. Sir