It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from this/these transcript(s) must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collection Coordinating Committee. [Notes added by transcribers are in square brackets. Dashes in square brackets indicate unclear words or letters. indicate words the author inserted to a previously written line.] MSS SC 2197 – American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions Letter Received Number of Tasks: 8 ----- new page (MSSSC_2197_p001.jpg) Jacksonville Oct. 2. 1833. Pres. D. Green, Sec. A. B. C. F. M., Dear, Sir, I take the liberty to address you on behalf of a Committee that was appointed at a public meeting in this place Sept. 23. I ask, in reference to a mission to the Indians (West of the Rocky Mountains. You are already apprised, in a letter from Pres. Beecher, that a meeting for consultation was held last Spring, on this Subject, & your letter in answer to Mr. Beecher's has been recieved. I am instruct ed to inform your Board of what has been done since & to lay the business before them as it now stands in this part of the country. Several gentlemen held a meeting for consultation, on the 4th of Sept., at which I, in connection with two others, was solicited to undertake the business of obtaining information respecting the Indians beyond the Rocky Mountains & to ascertain if possible, the practicability of es- tablishing a mission among them. For this pur- pose I visited St. Louis, which is the point at which all communication with the West centres. The result of their investigations was communicated in a public meeting in this town, on the 23. Sept., while the Synod of Illinois was in Session here. The substance of that report you may probably receive from Rev. Mr. Bullard, who was present at the meeting, & to whom I have forwarded a copy. Several resolutions were passed in that meeting & a number of interesting speeches made in the oc- casion, & there was evidently a Spirit awakened on the Subject, that I trust will not again sleep till something is done for the Indians. A com- mittee was appointed to make further inquiries, & devise some measures in reform as to the subject. This committee held a meeting on the 26. of Sept. at which it was resolved that it is expedient to es- ----- new page (MSSSC_2197_p002.jpg) tablish a mission among the Indians west of the Rocky Mountains . — Also — That it is expedient that ten men or more be employed to explore the country, [--] act as Pioneers with reference to establishing a mis- sion there. An execution Committee was appointed to carry into effect the resolution respecting the em- ploying of the ten or more men. —The committee have also appointed a Cor. Sec. to correspond with your Board on the subject. One topic of the correspondence was to request the Board, to employ Rev. Mr. Kingsbury to go imme- diately West of the Rocky Mountains for the purpose of ascertaining what can be done for the Indians there. If the should see fit to do so, the ten men in question, should they be obtained, could go out with him next spring, which it appears to us, is very of all the circum- stances of the case, is very important and desirable, for if nothing is done next Spring, -nothing can be done, till a year from next spring, & a year lost in the enterprize may be of incalculable evil, especially when so many years have been lost. — Further, the Committee de- sire the Board, should it be impracticable for Mr. Kingsbury to be employed in the manner specified, to correspond with Rev. S. A. Worcester, or Rev. Mr. Potter of Cruk Path, with the view of obtaining one of them to engage immediately in this enterprize, I take the conduct of a mission. Could he come on here & act as agent for the Board during the Win ter, for the purpose of obtaining the men & the means, for starting a mission next spring- there can be no doubt but they might all be procured West of the Alle- ghany Mountains. We do plead that, if the Board can consistently do any thing in this business, they would immediately give us their assistance. That the[-] will be something done here, we humbly hope, & pray, & believe. And it is all important that the first movement be the best possible. In order for this, it is important to have some man take the management of it, whose experiences in missionary operations, & whose acquaintance with the Indian character &c. would ----- new page (MSSSC_2197_p003.jpg) qualify him to prosecute the undertaking succesful- ly. And we have the fullest confidence; that either of the gentlemen above named possesses the requisite qualifications for such a work. The Committee would beg leave to suggest to the Board, the importance, & necessity, of planting among the Indians, so far beyond the utmost limits of the white population as that when this popu- lation reaches the Indians the great work of civil- izing & Christianizing them will have been thorough- ly accomplished. There is no other way doing the Indians permanent benefit, or of employing the re- sources of this Church effectively & economically. It is comparatively of little use to waste time & money upon those tribes that are so near the fron teirs, as to be constantly liable to be removed – they must stationary, on some given territory, long enough for the work to be done. Plant the missions beyond the Rocky Mountains, & there will probably be time to accomplish the work. This seems to be the only hope of saving the Indians. If this fail, we must give them over to the mournful prospect of utter extinct tion, & this too without ever enjoying, as a people the blessings of the "glorious gospel of the blessed God." The Philanthropist cannot help asking, "shall it be so? Another consideration worthy of special notice, is that one of the first things to be done by a mission among the Indians, is to establish infant schools. The infant school system, you are aware, has been tried with great success. It is peculiarly filled to gain & secure the attention & the in- terest of the children & their parents. — We want, at least one man among the ten before mentioned, who is qualifi- ed to teach on the Infant School System — & we would specially request the Board, if they can do it, to procure such a man. Could infant schools be established in sever- al tribes, the next generation would grow up with similar habits, & feelings, & instead of being divided up into little petty clans, warring with one another, they would become amalgamated & to make but one community having ----- new page (MSSSC_2197_p004.jpg) the same government–same laws, the same religion. This may be called theory, & that past experience shows the great difficulty of of making the Indians any better than savages. But I would ask where has the ex- periment been fairly tried? Where has the work been commenced & carried on any considerable time, that has not been resulted in good? And should the work be undertaken & prosecuted under circumstances with out [--] interruption we have reason to believe, from all past experience, that there is nothing in the way of – bringing the Indians under the full influence of the gospel, that does not stand in the way of bringing any other people under the same influence. And it is very probable that the infant School System might be intro- duced with the happiest effect among the adults. Be that as it may, the children might be completely transformed & through them the parents would learn much. There is a young lady nurse at Chicago, engaged in infant school instruction who has been teaching among the Indians at Mackinaw. She says, she took little Indian children that knew not their right hand from their left, and two years had the happiness of hearing them read in the word of God. And the p children instead of becoming weary of the school were highly delighted through out. And Indian girls were under her instruction have gone forth to teach infant schools among their people. This Lady said, she believed the infant school system was devised, in the Providence of God, on purpose to benefit the Indians, [--] is so admirably adapted to their habits & condition. And, truly such appears to be the fact. Could one or two first rate infant school teachers go[--]t & commence operations next Summer, great good would be done, & much would be gained. We think, that could the board fur- nish a teacher of this kind, all the other members of the mission could be procured in the valley of the Mississippi. We do not ask the Board to support a secular establishment, but to support the mission- aries, catechists, & teachers, & if they could fit out the mechanics & farmers, it is expected the establishment so far as pertains to secular appart would support itself, ----- new page (MSSSC_2197_p005.jpg) We think also, if one or two christian Indians could be obtained to acc to join the mission in the character of teachers or catechists, it would be of essential ben- efit to the undertaking. Mr. Worcester, Kingsbury, or Potter, might obtain them among the Cherokees or choc- taws. They would [---] be a living witnesses of the power of Unity – & of what it can do for Indians. We will feel desirous to have something done for the Indians speedily, & permanently beneficial. It is true, there many Indians this side of the mountains, & it asked, "Why go by all these for So far from the borders of civilization to find Indians when so many can be found nearer home?" These ought we to civilize and not to leave the other uncivilized. But fur- ther, I it appears to us, that a matter of gratitude that the chh. have an opportunity of going so far — This very fact is the most venorable ground of hope that the Indians will be saved from extinction. There will time to operate extensively & radically before the white population shall reach them. Begin on the borders, where the Indians are upon the move back, & we may follow them over the Rocky Mountains, & into the Ocean, & the problem for ever remain unsolved, "Can the Indians be made a civilized & christian people?" The enemy would triumph, the [---] chh. would be found guilty of the blood of their souls. ----- new page (MSSSC_2197_p006.jpg) Letter to the A. B. C. F. M. on a mission West of the Rocky Mts. [Written upside down on page] Letter to the A. B. C. F. M. Concerning a Mission West of the Rocky Mountains Oct. 2, 1833. ----- new page (MSSSC_2197_p007.jpg) Incipient measures in relation to the establish- ment of a mission among the Indians West of Rocky Mounts At a public meeting held in Jacksonville Sept. 23. 1833, after attending to facts & statements laid before them by various gentlemen on the importance of a mission West of the Rocky Mountains, A Committee was ap- pointed, which held a meeting Sept. 26. When the fol- lowing Resolution was adopted; viz: "Resolved, that it is expedient, that ten men or more be employed to explore the country West of the Rocky Mountains, & to act as Pioneers with refer- ence to establishing a mission there." Encouragement for Such an enterprise. First, the voice of the Christian public demands it. Secondly, The A.B.C.F.M. "Contemplate Farming new stations among the wandering tribes of the North West Coast. They have also encouraged this particular enterprize contemplated by the Committee, in a letter addressed to President Beecher, chairman of the Committe, in which they say, that, although their experience forbids their taking the supervision of a large secular estab- lishment, yet, they say that "Missionaries, [---] Cateclists, & teachers may be directed & supported by the Board as others are among the Indians. "They have appointed Rev. Mr. Kingsbury of the Choctaw Mis- sion, to visit some of the Western tribes, & see what can be done for them. Thirdly: The Signs of the times clearly indicate that the present is the time to labor for the Indians, & that God will the well directed, prayerful efforts of his peo- ple. The committee have directed their Cor. Sec. to correspond with A. Board, with a view of obtaining the labors of Mr. Kingsbury immediately for the country West of the mountains; I have also appointed an execution Committee for the purpose of obtaining ten men, required for commencing the mission.— ----- new page (MSSSC_2197_p008.jpg) Incipient Measures for establishing a Mis- sion west of the Rocky Mountains— 1833. [The following is written sideways to right of page] In view of the above considerations, & relying on the God of missions to remove the obstacles, & to give favor in the eyes of the heathen; we the undersign- ed, offer ourselves to this mission—to go, as soon as the way is prepared in the Providence of God, to carry the news of salvation to the injured & persecuted In- dians West of the Rocky Mountains. Name. Residence. Occupation.