Nathaniel Whitaker, letter, to Moses Peck, 1764 October 23

Author Whitaker, Nathaniel[pers0037.ocp]

23 October 1764[1764-10-23]

ms number764573.2

[note (type: abstract): Whitaker writes about his disappointment in Occom’s return from his mission, and endorses the proposal to send Kirtland on a mission. Whitaker notes that those not involved in missionary efforts are too quick to judge when those efforts fail.][note (type: handwriting): Handwriting is formal and clear.][note (type: paper): Large single sheet is in good condition, yet there is moderate wear around the edges, and some heavy creasing.][note (type: ink): Brown-black.][note (type: noteworthy): Although this letter is from Whitaker to Peck, the trailer is in Wheelock's hand.]
Persistent Identifier
[Opener]
To [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Peck[pers0032.ocp] My very dear Brother
As there is Nothing of [ſuch | such]ſuchsuch Moment as promoting the Kindgom of our glorious Redeemer among Men [ſo | so]ſoso the Enlargement of it by [ſending | sending]ſendingsending his Knowledge among the poor benighted Savages demands our [ſerious | serious]ſeriousserious and critical Attention. This is what has engaged the Attention Minds of [ſome | some]ſomesome of the [moſt | most]moſtmost worthy and [Uſeful | useful]Uſefuluseful Men our Nation hath produced, [inſtance | instance]inſtanceinstance [Docr | Dr.]DocrDr. Colman[pers0136.ocp], Sergeant[pers0471.ocp], Brainerd[pers0003.ocp], and others, and by their experience and labour in Indian Affairs, others, who have been [deſirious | desirous]deſiriousdesirous to [ſpread | spread]ſpreadspread the Savour of [Chriſt's | Christ's]Chriſt'sChrist's Knowledge among them have been lead to various projects for this [purpoſe | purpose]purpoſepurpose, all of which have had [ſome | some]ſomesome [ſuitableneſs | suitableness]ſuitableneſssuitableness to this happy End; and [doubtleſs | doubtless]doubtleſsdoubtless all of them in the plan, or in the Execution of it have had their Defects which have been more [eaſily | easily]eaſilyeasily [diſcovered | discovered]diſcovereddiscovered by the Spectators than by the Actors, and [eſpecially | especially]eſpeciallyespecially when the Events have [diſcovered | discovered]diſcovereddiscovered their Impropriety; and when this has been the [Caſe | case]Caſecase [thoſe | those]thoſethose who have learned too little of the Difficulty [& | and]&and weight of [ſuch | such]ſuchsuch Under- takings have been too ready to condemn the Undertakers as [raſh | rash]raſhrash or [fooliſh | foolish]fooliſhfoolish [&c | etc.]&cetc. and the plan as being poorly executed, whence if they had been the Actors the Stage might have been much [leſs | less]leſsless entertaining, and much [leſs | less]leſsless been affected by them —
What Wonder then if the [Revd | Rev.]Revd Rev. [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Wheelock[pers0036.ocp] be often blamed and [cenſured | censured]cenſuredcensured as [raſh | rash]raſhrash, conceited, [preſumptuous | presumptuous]preſumptuouspresumptuous, imprudent and the like? [eſpecially | especially]eſpeciallyespecially if any of his Schemes (which in his Undertaking, you know, are very many) [ſhould | should]ſhouldshould [miſcarry | miscarry]miſcarrymiscarry, even though this [ſhould | should]ſhouldshould happen by the Influence, not to [ſay | say]ſaysay the Fault, of others. You, dear Brother, [muſt | must]muſtmust be very [ſenſible | sensible]ſenſiblesensible that the Return of [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Occom[pers0030.ocp] without [purſuing | pursuing]purſuingpursuing his [Miſsion | mission]Miſsionmission has been, and is grievous to us; and we would have done any thing in [Reaſon | reason]Reaſonreason to have forwarded it; But [ſo | so]ſoso it is; he is returned and the Season is too late for him now to go, as he has a numerous Family to provide for [& | and]&and little to do it with. Therefore it was thought by [ſome | some]ſomesome of the [Commiſsioners | Commissioners]CommiſsionersCommissioners[org0034.ocp] who happened to be together, and by [ſome | some]ſomesome of the [reſt | rest]reſtrest who have been [conſulted | consulted]conſultedconsulted at other Times, that nothing could [ſo | so]ſoso well [ſupply | supply]ſupplysupply this Defect [& | and]&and [anſwer | answer]anſweranswer the End in View (which was procuring [ſome | some]ſomesome Indian Youth for the School[org0098.ocp] from the Mohawks[org0062.ocp], [Senecaes | Senecas]SenecaesSenecas[org0088.ocp], and [ſome | some]ſomesome of the remote Tribes, [& | and]&and to conciliate their [Friendſhip | friendship]Friendſhipfriendship, [& | and]&and [eſpecially | especially]eſpeciallyespecially to the [Deſign | design]Deſigndesign of [ſending | sending]ſendingsending [Miſsionaries | missionaries]Miſsionariesmissionaries among them [&c | etc.]&cetc.) as to [ſend | send]ſendsend [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Kirtland[pers0315.ocp] with one of the Indian Youth with him now before the Winter [ſets | sets]ſetssets in which [Circumſtance | circumstance]Circumſtancecircumstance forbid calling the [Commiſsioners | Commissioners]CommiſsionersCommissioners[org0034.ocp] together on this [Occaſion | occasion]Occaſionoccasion as they live remote [ſome | some]ſomesome of them. This Advantage farther is [propoſed | proposed]propoſedproposed by Kirtland[pers0315.ocp]'s [& | and]&and [Joſeph | Joseph]JoſephJoseph[pers0041.ocp] the Indian Youth's going, that they may learn the Seneca Language [& | and]&and by living with them may [ſhew | show]ſhewshow their [kind­neſs | kindness]kind­neſskindness to them, [& | and]&and procure their [Friendſhip | friendship]Friendſhipfriendship.
As to [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Kirtland[pers0315.ocp], his Attainments in Learning are [ſuch | such]ſuchsuch, and his [Induſtry | industry]Induſtryindustry [ſo | so]ſoso great, that there is not the [leaſt | least]leaſtleast Scruple with me, but he will obtain a Degree at [New-Jerſey | New Jersey]New-JerſeyNew Jersey College[org0067.ocp] next fall, [eſpecially | especially]eſpeciallyespecially as he hath leave of the [preſident | president]preſidentpresident[pers0192.ocp] to be at [diſposal | disposal]diſposaldisposal other Ways if thought [beſt | best]beſtbest, and
with the [Aſsurance | assurance]Aſsuranceassurance of his Influence for a Degree; and [beſides | besides]beſidesbesides all this his [Caſe | case]Caſecase is peculiar, [& | and]&and will require Abatements to be made if Needed, as he [deſigns | designs]deſignsdesigns on a [Miſsion | mission]Miſsionmission [& | and]&and is [ſupported | supported]ſupportedsupported by Charity, and [beſides | besides]beſidesbesides he will be much improved by this Tour as is likely from his active and [induſtrious | industrious]induſtriousindustrious Turn, and as he will have an Indian Scholar with him. [Theſe | These]TheſeThese [conſiderations | considerations]conſiderationsconsiderations render it highly probable that there will be no Difficulty as to his Degree, and there- fore I hope his kind and generous Benefactors will not think hard, [tho' | though]tho'though he turns [aſide | aside]aſideaside a little from his peculiar Studies, and that they will continue their Benefactions, and [ſo | so]ſoso lay up for [themſelves | themselves]themſelvesthemselves in Store a good Foundation [againſt | against]againſtagainst the Time to come. You know Dear Brother, that every thing that is done in this Affair [muſt | must]muſtmust be done on the [higheſt | highest]higheſthighest probability ^[above] which the Actors can find in the [Caſe | case]Caſecase^which the Actors can find in the [Caſe | case]Caſecase [& | and]&and not on Certainties, and if they judge well [& | and]&and God [ſhews | shows]ſhewsshows by the Events, that he favours the [Deſign | design]Deſigndesign, Men will be ready to applaud the Managers, but if [otherwiſe | otherwise]otherwiſeotherwise they [muſt | must]muſtmust expect Blame how well [ſoever | soever]ſoeversoever they have judged But I hope [thoſe | those]thoſethose who have been [ſo | so]ſoso generous in contributing to this good [Deſign | design]Deſigndesign have leaned to judge more according to Truth. I dare to [ſay | say]ſaysay this for [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Wheelock[pers0036.ocp], that [uprightneſs | uprightness]uprightneſsuprightness, Integrity, Caution, [& | and]&and [ſingle­neſs | single­ness]ſingle­neſssingle­ness of Eye to the grand point, free of [ſelfisſh | selfish]ſelfisſhselfish Motives from worldly Gain has ever appeared to influence him in this great [& | and]&and weighty Undertak­ing, [ſince | since]ſincesince I have been acquainted with him which has been ever [ſince | since]ſincesince the School[org0098.ocp] became the Object of public Attention, [& | and]&and I believe I have had as great an Intimacy, [& | and]&and as thorough an [Inſight | insight]Inſightinsight into his motives projects and Ends as any Man living, or as any could have, or [wiſh | wish]wiſhwish to have; [& | and]&and I would add that of all the Schemes he hath [proſecuted | prosecuted]proſecutedprosecuted [ſince | since]ſincesince my [Accquaintance | acquaintance]Accquaintanceacquaintance (and they have been many in this new [& | and]&and difficult Affair) few, very few if any have [miſcarried | miscarried]miſcarriedmiscarried which he has had the Direction of, or turned out to the [Diſad­vantage | disad­vantage]Diſad­vantagedisad­vantage of the [Cauſe | cause]Cauſecause. In a Word I verily believe the [ſending | sending]ſendingsending of [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Kirtland[pers0315.ocp] will be no [Diſadvantage | disadvantage]Diſadvantagedisadvantage to him, [& | and]&and will be much to the [furtherence | furtherance]furtherencefurtherance of the [Cauſe | cause]Cauſecause of Religion. You may make [ſuch | such]ſuchsuch a [Uſe | use]Uſeuse of this Letter as you [ſhall | shall]ſhallshall think will add [moſt | most]moſtmost to the Advantage of the [Deſign | design]Deſigndesign, only take ^[above] Dear^Dear [Mr | Mr.]MrMr. Smith[pers0499.ocp]'s Opinion about it, and I need not tell you not to let it [ſee | see]ſeesee the [publick | public]publickpublic
[Closer]
I am your real Friend and Brother in [Chriſt | Christ]ChriſtChrist Nathaniel Whitaker[pers0037.ocp]
[Trailer]
[M.r | Mr.]M.rMr. Whitaker[pers0037.ocp] to [M.r | Mr.]M.rMr. Peck[pers0032.ocp]. [Octr | October]OctrOctober 1764[1764-10-23]
Document Summary

People identified in this document:

id Text in document Role in header Authorized Name
pers0032.ocp M r Mr. Peck recipient Peck, Moses
pers0136.ocp Doc r Dr. Colman mentioned Coleman, Benjamin
pers0471.ocp Sergeant mentioned Sergeant, Sr., John
pers0003.ocp Brainerd mentioned Brainerd, David
pers0036.ocp Wheelock mentioned Wheelock, Eleazar
pers0030.ocp M r Mr. Occom mentioned Occom, Samson
pers0315.ocp M r Mr. Kirtland mentioned Kirkland, Samuel
pers0315.ocp Kirtland mentioned Kirkland, Samuel
pers0041.ocp Joſeph Joseph mentioned Woolley, Joseph
pers0192.ocp the preſident president mentioned Finley, Samuel
pers0036.ocp M r Mr. Wheelock mentioned Wheelock, Eleazar
pers0499.ocp M r Mr. Smith mentioned Smith
pers0037.ocp Nathaniel Whitaker writer Whitaker, Nathaniel
pers0037.ocp M. r Mr. Whitaker writer Whitaker, Nathaniel
pers0032.ocp M. r Mr. Peck recipient Peck, Moses

Places identified in this document:

id Text in document Authorized Name
place0034.ocp Chelſea Chelsea

Organizations identified in this document:

id Text in document Authorized Name
org0034.ocp the CommiſsionersCommissioners Connecticut Board of Correspondents of the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge
org0098.ocp the School Moor’s Indian Charity School
org0062.ocp the Mohawks Mohawk Nation
org0088.ocp SenecaesSenecas Seneca Nation
org0067.ocp New-JerſeyNew Jersey College Princeton University

Dates identified in this document:

Standard Form Text
1764-10-23 October 23d23rd 1764.
1764-10-23 OctrOctober 1764

Regularized text:

Type Original Regularized
modernization Chelſea Chelsea
modernization 23d 23rd
modernization Mr Mr.
modernization ſuch such
modernization ſo so
modernization ſending sending
modernization ſerious serious
modernization ſome some
modernization moſt most
modernization Uſeful useful
modernization inſtance instance
modernization Docr Dr.
variation deſirious desirous
modernization ſpread spread
modernization Chriſt's Christ's
modernization purpoſe purpose
modernization ſuitableneſs suitableness
modernization doubtleſs doubtless
modernization eaſily easily
modernization diſcovered discovered
modernization eſpecially especially
modernization Caſe case
modernization thoſe those
modernization raſh rash
modernization fooliſh foolish
modernization &c etc.
modernization leſs less
modernization Revd Rev.
modernization cenſured censured
modernization preſumptuous presumptuous
modernization ſhould should
modernization miſcarry miscarry
modernization ſay say
modernization muſt must
modernization ſenſible sensible
modernization purſuing pursuing
modernization Miſsion mission
modernization Reaſon reason
modernization Commiſsioners Commissioners
modernization reſt rest
modernization conſulted consulted
modernization ſupply supply
modernization anſwer answer
variation Senecaes Senecas
modernization Friendſhip friendship
modernization Deſign design
modernization Miſsionaries missionaries
modernization ſend send
modernization ſets sets
modernization Circumſtance circumstance
modernization Occaſion occasion
modernization propoſed proposed
modernization Joſeph Joseph
variation ſhew show
modernization kind­neſs kindness
modernization Induſtry industry
modernization leaſt least
modernization New-Jerſey New Jersey
modernization preſident president
modernization diſposal disposal
modernization beſt best
modernization Aſsurance assurance
modernization beſides besides
modernization deſigns designs
modernization ſupported supported
modernization induſtrious industrious
modernization Theſe These
modernization conſiderations considerations
modernization aſide aside
modernization themſelves themselves
modernization againſt against
modernization higheſt highest
variation ſhews shows
modernization otherwiſe otherwise
modernization ſoever soever
modernization uprightneſs uprightness
modernization ſingle­neſs single­ness
modernization ſelfisſh selfish
modernization ſince since
modernization Inſight insight
modernization wiſh wish
modernization proſecuted prosecuted
variation Accquaintance acquaintance
modernization miſcarried miscarried
modernization Diſad­vantage disad­vantage
modernization Cauſe cause
modernization Diſadvantage disadvantage
variation furtherence furtherance
modernization Uſe use
modernization ſhall shall
modernization ſee see
variation publick public
modernization Chriſt Christ
modernization M.r Mr.

Expanded abbreviations:

Abbreviation Expansion
& and
tho' though
Octr October

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