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

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.