A plain and faithful narrative of the original design, rise, progress and present state of the Indian charity-school at Lebanon, in Connecticut

A plain and faithful narrative of the original design, rise, progress and present state of the Indian charity-school at Lebanon, in Connecticut
Eleazar Wheelock

Eleazar Wheelock

A plain and faithful narrative of the original design, rise, progress and present state of the Indian charity-school at Lebanon, in Connecticut

NARRATIVE

"The Liberal deviseth liberal Things, and by liberal Things

"shall he stand."–Isai. xxxii. 8.

"The liberal Soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth

"shall also be watered himself."–Prov. xi. 25.

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE WILLIAM, MARQUIS OF LOTHIAN

May it please your Lordship,

That Charity and disinterested Care for the Souls of Men, which make so amiable a Part of your Lordship's Character, and give a Lustre and Grace to all those worldly Honours with which God has dignified you, and entitle you to the kindest Wishes, and sincerest Prayers of all who love our Lord Jesus Christ, and long for the Enlargement of his Kingdom in the World; do now embolden me to inscribe the following Narrative to your Lordship, as a Testimonial of my Gratitude, for that repeated Liberality, whereby you have testified your Approbation of our feeble Attempts in the important Affair here related, and given your Sanction to the Plan we have been prosecuting.

And as you have animated and encouraged our small Beginnings, when we had most need of such Countenance and Assistance; so your Condescention and Generosity have made me solicitous how to manifest my Gratitude suitably to a Personage of such Distinction.

But as your Lordship could propose no other End, besides that which we were pursuing, when you thus opened your Hand for our Assistance therein, while it was yet small and obscure; so I may reasonably suppose, nothing I can return will give your Lordship more Satisfaction, than a plain, and concise Account of the Progress of it, and our still growing and encreasing Prospects of those good Effects, which will be the only Reward which your Lordship could have in View.

And though it be presented to your Lordship in a very plain and unfashionable Dress, agreeable to the Country from whence it comes, yet I am perswaded your Lordship will not despise it on that Account, since the Dress, plain and unfashionable as it is, does so much excel the savage, and sordid Habit, and Appearance of those miserable Creatures, who have so moved your Lordship's Compassion as to become the Objects of your Charity and Beneficence. Nor will Modesty itself under such endearing and inviting Expressions of your Lordship's Condescention and Goodness, forbid our reposing Confidence in you as our Patron, or indulging the animating Expectation of future Benefit by your Smiles on this infant Institution.

May the Blessing of many, who shall, in the present and succeeding Generations, reap the Benefit of your generous Donations, come upon you.

And that God may graciously lengthen out your valuable and important Life, to refresh the Bowels of his Saints, and encourage THIS, and every Attempt to make known the Name of Christ, "and manifest the Savour of his Knowledge in every Place," and late confer upon you a Crown of Life with distinguished Honours, is the earnest Prayer of,

May it please your Lordship,
Your Lordship's
much obliged, and
most obedient
humble Servant,

Eleazar Wheelock.

Lebanon, Dec. 16. 1762.

A NARRATIVE OF THE

Original Design, Rise, Progress and present State of the INDIAN CHARITY-SCHOOL in Lebanon.

Understanding there are Numbers of religious and charitably disposed Persons, who only wait to know where their Charities may be bestowed in the best Manner for the Advancement of the Kingdom of the great Redeemer; and, supposing there may also be in some, evil Surmisings about, and a Disposition to discredit a Cause which they don't love, and have no Disposition to promote; I have, to gratify the one, and prevent the Mischiefs of the other, thought it my Duty to give the Publick a short, plain, and faithful Narrative of the Original Design, Rise, Progress, and present State of the Charity-School here, called Moor's Indian-Charity School, &c. And I hope there is need of little or nothing more than a plain and faithful Relation of Facts, with the Grounds and Reasons of them, to justify the Undertaking, and all the Pains and Expence there has been, in the Prosecution thereof. And to convince all Persons of Ability, that this School is a proper Object of their Charity; and that whatever they shall contribute for the Furtherance of it, will be an Offering acceptable to God, and properly bestowed for the promoting a Design which the Heart of the great Redeemer is infinitely set upon.

The Considerations first moving me to enter upon the Design of educating the Children of our Heathen Natives were such as these; viz.

The great Obligations lying upon us, as God's Covenant-People, who have all we have better than they in a Covenant Way, and consequently are under Covenant-Bonds to improve it in the best Manner for the Honour and Glory of our liberal Benefactor. And can such Want of Charity to those poor Creatures, as our Neglect has shewn; and, our Neglect of that which God has so plainly made to be the Matter of our Care and Duty; and that which the Heart of the great Redeemer is so set upon, as that he never desired any other Compensation for all the Travail of his Soul, can it, I say, be without great Guilt on our Part?

It has seem'd to me, he must be stupidly indifferent to the Redeemer's Cause and Interest in the World; and criminally deaf and blind to the Intimations of the Favour and Displeasure of God in the Dispensations of his Providence, who could not perceive plain Intimations of God's Displeasure against us for this Neglect, inscribed in Capitals, on the very Front of divine Dispensations, from Year to Year, in permitting the Savages to be such a sore Scourge to our Land, and make such Depredations on our Frontiers, inhumanly butchering and captivating our People; not only in a Time of War, but when we had good Reason to think (if ever we had) that we dwelt safely by them.

And there is good Reason to think, that if one half which has been, for so many Years past expended in building Forts, manning and supporting them, had been prudently laid out in supporting faithful Missionaries, and School-Masters among them, the instructed and civilized Party would have been a far better Defence than all our expensive Fortresses, and prevented the laying waste so many Towns and Villages: Witness the Consequence of sending Mr. Sergeant to Stockbridge, which was in the very Road by which they most usually came upon our People, and by which there has never been one Attack made upon us since his going there; and this notwithstanding there has been, by all Accounts, less Appearance of the saving Effects of the Gospel there than in any other Place, where so much has been expended for many Years past.

And not only our Covenant Bonds, by which we owe our all to God, and our divine Redeemer—our Pity to their Bodies in their miserable, needy State—our Charity to their perishing Souls—and our own Peace, and Safety by them, should constrain us to it; but also Gratitude, Duty, and Loyalty to our rightful Sovereign. How great the Benefit which would hereby accrue to the Crown of Great-Britain, and how much the Interests of His Majesty's Dominions, especially in America, would be promoted hereby, we can hardly conceive.

And the Christianizing the Natives of this Land is expressly mentioned in the Royal Charter granted to this Colony, as a Motive inducing His Majesty to grant that Royal Favour to our Fathers. And since we are risen up in their Stead, and enjoy the inestimable Favour granted to them, on this Consideration; What can excuse our not performing to our utmost, that which was engaged by, and reasonably expected from, them? But that which is of greatest Weight, and should powerfully excite and perswade us hereto, are the many Commands, strong Motives, precious Promises, and tremendous Threatnings, which fill so great a Part of the sacred Pages; and are so perfectly calculated to awaken all our Powers, to spread the Knowledge of the only true God, and Saviour, and make it as extensive and common as possible. It is a Work, in which every one in his Place, and according to his Ability, is under sacred Bonds to use his utmost Endeavours. But for Brevity sake, I omit a particular Mention of them, supposing none have read their Bibles attentively, who do not know, that this is a darling Subject of them; and that enough is there spoken by the Mouth of God himself, to obviate and silence all the Objections which Sloth, Covetousness, or Love of the World can suggest against it; and to assure them it is not a Course to Penury, and outward Want, but to Fulness, and worldly Felicity; while they are at the same Time laying up a Treasure to be remitted by Christ himself, a Thousand Fold, when he shall say to them on his Right-hand, come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you—For I was an hungred, and ye gave me Meat, &c. If denying Food and Raiment, when we have them in our Power, to supply the bodily Necessities of the Poor and Needy, does in the Apostle's Account, evidence, that the Love of God is wanting in our Hearts; how much more does the Neglect of the precious Souls of our Fellow-Creatures, who are perishing for lack of Vision, when we have such Fulness to impart, fall below our high Profession of Love to Christ. Can the Objection that there is extraordinary Expence and Difficulty in accomplishing it, be esteemed weighty enough to excuse and justify our Neglect, in a Case of such Necessity and Importance? And especially if we consider, there is not so much necessary hereto, as would render the Attempt any Thing like an intolerable Burden, or a Burden to be felt, if those who are concerned therein, i. e. the Christian World, were in any Measure united and agreed in it. And considering further, that the Advantage thereby to the Crown of Great-Britain (supposing the Success of Endeavours should be only in Proportion as have been, the Successes of feeble Endeavours in Times past) would abundantly compensate all the Expence, besides all those temporal and eternal Rewards of such Charity and Liberality, which are secured in the many great and precious Promises of God.

These were some of the Considerations which, I think, had some Influence to my making an Attempt in this Affair; though I did not then much think of any Thing more than only to clear myself, and Family, of partaking in the public Guilt of our Land and Nation in such a Neglect of them.

And as there were few or none who seemed so much to lay the Necessity and Importance of the Case to Heart, as to exert themselves in earnest, and lead the Way therein, I was naturally put upon Consideration and Enquiry what Methods might have the greatest Probability of Success; and upon the whole was fully perswaded that this, which I have been pursuing, had by far the greatest Probability of any that had been proposed, viz. by the Mission of their own Sons in Conjunction with the English; and that a Number of Girls should also be instructed in whatever should be necessary to render them fit, to perform the Female Part, as House-wives, School-mistresses, Tayloresses, &c. and to go and be with these Youth, when they shall be hundreds of Miles distant from the English on the Business of their Mission: And prevent a Necessity of their turning savage in their Manner of Living, for want of those who may do those Offices for them, and by this means support the Reputation of their Mission, and also recommend to the Savages a more rational and decent Manner of Living, than that which they are in—And thereby, in Time, remedy and remove that great, and hitherto insuperable Difficulty, so constantly complained of by all our Missionaries among them, as the great Impediment in the Way to the Success of their Mission, viz. their continual rambling about; which they can't avoid so long as they depend so much upon Fishing, Fowling, and Hunting for their Support. And I am more and more perswaded, that I have sufficient and unanswerable Reasons to justify this Plan.

As,

1. The deep rooted Prejudices they have so generally imbibed against the English, that they are selfish, and have secret Designs to incroach upon their Lands, or otherwise wrong them in their Interests. This Jealousy seems to have been occasioned, nourished, and confirmed by some of their Neighbours, who have got large Tracts of their Lands for a very inconsiderable Part of their true Value, and, it is commonly said, by taking the Advantage of them when they were intoxicated with Liquor. And also, by unrighteous Dealers, who have taken such Advantage to buy their Skins and Furrs at less than half Price, &c. And perhaps these Jealousies may be, not a little, increased by a Consciousness of their own Perfidy and Inhumanity towards the English. And it seems there is no Way to avoid the bad Influence and Effects of these Prejudices, at present, unless it be by the Mission of their own Sons. And it is reasonable to suppose their Jealousies are not less, since the late Conquest in this Land, by which they are put into our Power, than they were before.

2. An Indian Missionary may be supported with less than half the Expence, that will be necessary to support an Englishman, who can't conform to their Manner of Living, and who will have no Dependance upon them for any Part of it. And an Indian who speaks their Language, it may reasonably be supposed, will be at least four Times as serviceable among them, supposing he be otherwise equally qualified as one who can communicate to or receive nothing from them, but by an Interpreter: He may improve all Opportunities not only in Public, but, "when he fits in the House, walks by the Way, when he lies down, and when he rises up:" And speak with as much Life and Spirit as the Nature and Importance of the Matter require, which is very much lost when communicated by an Interpreter.

3. Indian Missionaries may be supposed better to understand the Tempers and Customs of Indians, and more readily to conform to them in a thousand Things than the English can; and in Things wherein the Nonconformity of the English may cause Disgust, and be construed as the Fruit of Pride, and an Evidence and Expression of their Scorn and Disrespect.

4. The Influence of their own Sons among them will likely be much greater than of any Englishman whatsoever. They will look upon such an one as one of them, his Interest the same with theirs; and will naturally esteem him as an Honour to their Nation, and be more likely to submit patiently to his Instructions and Reproofs than to any English Missionary. This is quite evident in the Case of Mr. Occom, whose Influence among the Indians, even of his own Tribe, is much greater than any other Man's; and when he shall settle and live decently, and in Fashion, among them, will likely do more to invite them to imitate his Manner of Living, than any Englishman.

5. The Acquaintance and Friendship which Indian Boys from different and distant Tribes and Places, will contract and cultivate, while together at School, may, and if they are zealously affected will, be improved much for the Advantage and Furtherance of the Design of their Mission; while they send to, hear from, or visit one another, confirming the Things which have been spoken. And this without so much Ceremony to introduce one another, as will be necessary in the Case of English Missionaries; and without the Cumber and Expence of Interpreters.

6. Indian Missionaries will not disdain to own English ones, who shall be Associates with them, (where the English can be introduced) as elder Brethren; nor scorn to be advised or reproved, counselled or conducted by them; especially so long as they shall be so much dependent upon the English for their Support; which will likely be till God has made them his People; and then, likely, they will not stand in such need of English Guides and Counsellors. And they will mutually help one another, to recommend the Design to the favourable Reception and good Liking of the Pagans, remove their Prejudices, conciliate their Friendship, and induce them to repose due Confidence in the English.

7. In this School, Children of different Nations may, and easily will learn one another's Language, and English Youth may learn of them; and so save the vast Expence and Trouble of Interpreters; and their Ministry be much more acceptable and edifying to the Indians. But,

8. There is no such thing as sending English Missionaries, or setting up and maintaining English Schools to any good Purpose, in most Places among them, as their Temper, State and Condition have been and still are. It is possible a School may be maintained to some good Purpose, at Onohoquagee, where there have been heretofore several faithful Missionaries, by the Blessing of God upon whose Labours the Indians are in some Measure civilized, some of them baptized, a Number of them in a Judgment of Charity, real Christians; and where they have a Sachem, who is a Man of Understanding, Virtue, Steadiness, and entirely friendly to the Design of propagating the Gospel among them, and zealous to promote it. And where the Hon. Scotch Commissioners, I hear, have sent two Missionaries, and have made some Attempt 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' they were many of them under great Awakenings and Concern, by God's Blessing on the Labours of a Christian Indian from these Parts; yet such was the violent Opposition of Numbers among them, that it was thought by no means safe for an Englishman to go among them, with Design to tarry with them. And like to this is the Case with the Parties of Indians, for near an hundred Miles together, on the West Side of Susquehanah River. Another School or two may possibly be set up with Success among the Mohawks, where Mr. Ogilvie and other Episcopal Missionaries have bestowed much Labour, to good Purpose; and where they have got into the Way of cultivating their Lands for a Living, and so have more Ability to support their Children, and less Occasion to ramble abroad with them. But even in these Places we may find it more difficult than we imagine before the Trial be made (though 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. London Commissioners have with pious Zeal, set up and maintained among the several Tribes in these Parts, I am much confirmed in such Sentiments. These Parties live amongst, and are encompassed by the English, have long had good Preaching, and Numbers of them appear to be truly godly. Yet such is the savage Temper of many, their want of due Esteem for Learning, and Gratitude to their Benefactors, and especially their want of Government, that their School-Masters, tho' skilful and faithful Men, constantly complain they can't keep the Children in any Measure constant at School. Mr. Clelland the School-Master at Mohegan has often told me what unwearied Pains he has taken by visiting, and discoursing with their Parents, &c. to remedy this Evil, and after all can't accomplish it. The Children are suffered to neglect their Attendance on Instruction, and waste much Time, by which means they don't learn so much in several Years as they might, and others do in one, who are taken out of the reach of their Parents, and out of the way of Indian Examples, and are kept to School under good Government and constant Instruction. I the rather mention this Instance, because of the well-known Fidelity and Skill of that good Gentleman, and because that Tribe are as much civilized, and 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 and necessary Government, that as gentle an Exercise of it as may be, and answer the Design of keeping up Order and Regularity in any Measure among them, will likely so disgust them as to render the Case worse rather than better. Captain Martin Kellog complain'd of this as his great Discouragement in the School at Stockbridge, notwithstanding he understood as well as any Man the Disposition of Indians, and had the Advantage of knowing their Language and Customs, having been so long a Captive among them, and was high in their Affection and 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 profiting at School. But as to most Places, there is no such thing at present as introducing either English School-Masters or Missionaries to continue with them; such are their Prejudices in general, and such the malevolent, and ungovernable Temper of some, that none but an Indian would dare venture his Life among them.

And besides all this, they are so extremely poor, and depend so much upon Hunting for a Livelihood, that they are in no Capacity to support their Children at School, if their Disposition for it were ever so good.

Mr. Occom informed me by a Letter from the Oneida Country last Summer, and the same Account I had also from the young Man which I sent there, that the Indians were almost starved, having nothing to live upon but what they got by Fishing, Fowling and Hunting, that he had no other Way to come at them, to preach to them, but by following them from Place to Place in their Hunting. And though the Condition of all may not be quite so indigent as of these, nor the Condition of these at all Times quite so bad as it was then, yet it is well known that they universally depend upon Roving and Hunting mainly for their Support; and whoever has heard the constant Complaint of Missionaries, and the Matter of their Discouragement, or has only read what the Reverend Messi'rs. Sergeant and D. Brainerd have wrote upon this Head, can't charge me with writing without sufficient Evidence, and good Authority, if I had no other but theirs.

And what are a few Instances, where Schools may possibly be maintained to some good Purpose, compared with those Tribes and Nations of them, where there are no Circumstances at present, but their Misery and Necessity, to invite us so much as to make the Trial.

By the Blessing of God on his late Majesty's Arms, there is now, no doubt, a Door opened for a hundred Missionaries; and (unless we can find such as can speak to them in their own Language) for as many Interpreters; and perhaps for ten Times that Number, provided we could find such as are suitable for the Business, and such as may be introduced in a Way agreeable to the Savages, and so as to avoid the bad Effects of their Prejudices against the English. But,

9. There are very few or no Interpreters, who are suitable and 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 employed.

I suppose the Interpreters now employed by the Hon. Commissioners are the best that are to be had at present. But how many Nations are there for whom there is no Interpreter at all, except, it may be, some ignorant and perhaps vicious Person, who has been their Captive, and whom it is utterly unsafe to trust in Matters of such eternal Consequence. And how shall this Difficulty be remedied? It seems it must be by one of these two Ways, viz. either their Children must come to us, or ours go to them. But who will venture their Children with them, unless with some of the civilized Parties, who have given the strongest Testimonies of their Friendship? If it be said, that all the Natives are now at Peace with us: It may be, their Chiefs, and the better-temper'd Part of them are so. But who does not know that their Leagues and Covenants with us are little worth, and like to be so till they become Christians? And that the tender Mercies of many of them are Cruelty? Who is so unacquainted with the History of them, as not to know, there is Reason to think, there are many among their lawless Herds, who would gladly embrace an Opportunity to commit a secret Murder on such English Youth?—Even Mr. Occom, though an Indian, did not think it safe for him, being of another Tribe and Language, and in such Connections with the English, to go among the numerous Tribe of the Seneca's, where he had no Avenger of his Blood for them to fear.

When, and as soon as the Method proposed by the Rev'd Mess. Sergeant and Brainerd, can be put into Execution, viz. to have Lands appropriated to the Use of Indian Schools, and prudent skilful Farmers, or Tradesmen, to lead and instruct the Boys, and Mistresses to instruct the Girls in such Manufactures as are proper for them, at certain Hours, as a Diversion from their School Exercises, and the Children taken quite away from their Parents, and the pernicious Influence of Indian Examples, there may be some good Prospect of great Advantage by Schools among them.

And must it be esteemed a wild Imagination, if it be supposed that well-instructed, sober, religious Indians, may with special Advantage be employed as Masters and Mistresses in such Schools; and that the Design will be much recommended to the Indians thereby; and that there may be special Advantage by such, serving as occasional Interpreters for Visitors from different Nations from Time to Time; and they hereby receive the fullest Conviction of the Sincerity of our Intentions, and be confirmed and established in friendly Sentiments of us, and encouraged to send their Children, &c.?

I am fully perswaded from the Acquaintance I have had with them, it will be found, whenever the Trial shall be made, to be very difficult if not impossible, unless the Arm of the Lord should be revealed in an eminent Manner, to cure them of such savage and sordid Practices, as they have been inured to from their Mother's Womb, and form their Minds and Manners to proper Rules of Virtue, Decency and Humanity, while they are daily under the pernicious Influence of their Parents Example, and their many Vices made familiar thereby.