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Indications of a moral revolution in the place--Political
movements at Detroit--Review of the state of society at
Michilimackinack, arising from its being the great central power of
the north-west fur trade--A letter from Dr. Greene--Prerequisites of
the missionary function--Discouragements--The state of the Mackinack
Mission--Problem of employing native teachers and
evangelists--Letter of Mr. Duponceau--Ethnological
gossip--Translation of the Bible into Algonquin--Don M. Najera--Premium
offered by the French Institute--Persistent Satanic influence among
the Indian tribes--Boundary dispute with Ohio--Character of the
State Convention.
1835. Jan. 10th. The year opened with some bright moral
gleams. The members of the church had, early in the autumn, felt the
necessity of a close union. Left by their esteemed pastor, who had
been their "guide, philosopher, and friend" for twelve years, and by
some of its leading members, they rested with more directness and
simplicity of faith on God. They ordained a fast. Evening and
lecture meetings were observed to be full of eager listeners. A
marked attention was paid on the Sabbath when Mr. J.D. Stevens, who
had come into the harbor late in the fall, bound westward, agreed to
pass the winter and occupied Mr. Ferry's empty desk. The Sabbath
schools in the village and at the mission were observed to be well
attended. Indeed, it was not long in being noticed that we were in
the midst of a quiet and deeply-spread revival. Never, it would
seem, was there a truer exemplification of the maxim that "the race
is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong," for we had
supposed ourselves to be shorn of all strength by the loss of our
pastor, by the failure of help from the Home Missionary Society, and
by the withdrawal from the island of some of our most efficient
members. This feeling of weakness and desertion was, in fact, the
secret of our strength, which laid in the church's humility. Ere we
were aware of it, a spirit of profound seriousness stole over the
community like a soft and gentle wind.
28th. Maj. Whiting writes, from Detroit: "There is nothing
new in the political world, excepting that Michigan has no governor
yet, and that the council has authorized a convention to form a
State Government next April. Some think the step premature; others
that it is all a matter of course. The cold has been excessive on
the Atlantic seaboard--down to about 40 deg. below zero in New
England, and even 22 deg. below at Washington. Here we have had it
hardly down to 0."
Feb. 3d. Mr. Robert Stuart writes, from Brooklyn, in relation
to the revival in a portion of the inhabitants of this island, among
whom he has so long lived, in terms of Christian sympathy. Mackinack
is a point where, to amass "silver and gold," has been the great
struggle of men from the earliest days of our history. Few places on
the continent have been so celebrated a locality, for so long a
period, of wild and unlicensed enjoyment, for both burgeois
and voyageur engaged in the perilous and adventuresome
business of the fur trade. Those who speak of its history during the
last half of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century,
depict the periods of the annual return of the traders from their
wintering stations in the great panorama of the wilderness, east,
west, north, and south, as a perfect carnival, in which eating and
drinking and wild carousals prevailed. The earnings of a year were
often spent in a week or a day. As to practical morality, it was
regarded by the higher order of "merchant-voyageurs" as something
spoken of in books, but not worth the while of a bon vivant.
The common hands, who paddled canoes and underwent the drudgery of
the trade (who were exclusively of the lower order of Canadian
peasantry), squared their moral accounts once a year with a
well-conducted confessional interview and a crown, and felt as happy
as the "Christian Pilgrim" when he had been relieved of his burden.
It would, probably, be wrong to say that the lordly Highlander, the
impetuous son of Erin, or the proud and independent Englishman, who
vied with each other in feats of sumptuous hospitality during these
periods of relaxation, did much better on the score of moral
responsibilities. They broke, generally, nine out of the ten
commandments without a wince, but kept the other very scrupulously,
and would flash up and call their companions to a duel who doubted
them on that point. But of the practical things of religion, as they
are depicted by Paul and the Apostles, they lived in utter
disregard; these things were laid aside, like the heavier parts of
Dr. Drowsy's sermon, for "some more fitting opportunity," that is to
say, till a fortune was secured from the avails of "skins and
peltries," and they returned triumphantly to the precincts of
civilized and Christian society. Of the wild and picturesque Indian,
who was ever a man most scrupulous of rites and ceremonies, it was
hardly deemed worth inquiry whether he had a soul, or whether the
deity of the elements, whom he worshiped under the name of the Great
Spirit, was not, in the language of the Universalist Poet, "Jehovah,
Jove, or Lord."
A society which, like that of Michilimackinack, was based on such a
state of affairs but a few years back, could hardly be regarded
without strong solicitude, for my correspondent had been a witness,
in the first revival under Mr. Ferry, in 1828, of which he was
himself a subject, that there is a "POWER that breaketh the flinty
heart in pieces, who also giveth freely and upbraideth not." Most,
of the subjects of hope at this time were, however, of a younger
growth and a more recent type of migration. "May the spirit of Lord
Jesus Christ," is his pious remark, "be with, and direct you all in
the great work of leading souls into the kingdom of his grace! It is
a fearful responsibility, but if you look to him, and him alone, for
guidance, he will bless and prosper your efforts."
19th. Rev. David Greene, Missionary Rooms, Boston, discusses
in a letter of this date, some questions respecting the policy and
high function of missionary labor--the present state of the
Mackinack mission; and the character and fitness of educated persons
of the native stocks for evangelists, which are of high importance.
He remarks:--
"All you write respecting the impropriety of being disheartened--the
demand of the Indians on our church, and candidates for missionary
service--the necessity of withdrawing our dependence for success and
the work of converting men, from any particular human instruments,
and placing them on God alone; and the propriety of having
missionaries released from secular cares and labors, as far as
practicable, accords perfectly with my own views, and, so far as I
know, with those entertained by our committee.
"But the difficulty, after all, remains, of obtaining suitable
persons to carry forward our plans--of making our young men feel
that they ought to turn away from the millions, in the populous
nations of Asia, and go among our scattered tribes. Here is our
whole ground of discouragement. So far as conversions are concerned
(and these are the great objects of a missionary's labor), none of
our missions have been more successful than those among the Indians;
and if we had a hundred men of the spirit and activity of David
Brainerd, or Eliot, I should have the strongest expectations that
all our Indian tribes would be converted without great delay. But we
have no prospect of obtaining them. I fear there are few such in our
churches.
"I think that the mission of Mackinack has been a very successful
one, especially in exerting an extensive religious influence, and
being, as you justly remark, 'the nucleus of Christianity in the
north-west.' How far the recent changes in the arrangements of the
American Fur Company are going to affect its importance in these
respects and others, I cannot say, but our Committee are by no means
disposed to relinquish it, while there is a hope of doing sufficient
good there to justify the keeping up of the requisite establishment.
The farm we do not wish to retain, if we can sell it at a reasonable
price. All the secular affairs we would be glad to reduce, and
intend to do it as soon as it can be done without too great
sacrifice of property. The family, we know, is too large, and we
hope it may be reduced; but there are some impediments in the way of
doing it at once, especially as the females there have been worn out
in the service, and possess a genuine missionary spirit. We desire
to obtain a missionary, and have made many inquiries for one, but
hear of none with whom the church and other residents, together with
the visitors at Mackinack, would be satisfied.
"As to a school for evangelists and teachers. Do you think, dear
sir, that the persons of Indian descent could now be found,
possessed of piety, talents, good character, and a disposition to
take this course of life, in sufficient numbers to justify giving
the school such a turn? Or, are there youths sufficiently promising,
though not pious, with whose education you would think it advisable
to proceed, hoping that, by the blessings of God, they would be
converted and made heralds of mercy to their red brethren? I have
supposed there were not, and that an attempt of this kind would
almost certainly prove abortive. A more detailed knowledge of facts,
which you are in a situation to possess, might change my opinion.
There is nothing we more desire and labor for, at all our missions,
than good native helpers. They are an invaluable acquisition,
but our experience teaches us that they are exceedingly rare. Not
one educated heathen youth in ten, even if pious when he commences
his studies, has been found fit for an office requiring judgment,
good common sense, and energy of character. Still we do not think
that this ought to deter us from attempts to raise up native
teachers and evangelists. Most of the work of converting the heathen
nations must unquestionably be performed by them. If the opening
should seem fair, we would try it at Mackinack."
28th. In a letter from Mr. Duponceau, respecting the
publication of my lectures on the grammatical structure of the
Chippewa language, he communicates the latest philological news in
this and other parts of the world, respecting the Indian languages.
"You will not be a little astonished that a translation of the
Bible is now making at Rome into the Algonquin (which I presume
to be the same, or nearly the same as the Chippewa) language, under
the auspices of the present Pope, Gregory XVI. The translator is a
French missionary, who has long resided among those Indians in
Canada. He has written a grammar and dictionary of that idiom, which
he writes me he is shortly going to put to press. It will be curious
to compare that grammar and that dictionary with your own, and to
see how far the two languages, the Algonquin and the Chippewa, agree
with or differ from each other. When I was in Canada I heard much of
this Mr. Thavenet, the name of that missionary. He enjoys a great
reputation in this country, and it seems he has obtained the favor
of the Pope.
"We have in this city a Mexican gentleman, Don Manuel Najera, a man
of letters, well skilled in the Mexican and other Indian languages
of that country. He says they are all, as I call them,
polysynthetic, and resemble in that respect those of the Indians of
the United States. One only he excepts, the Othomi, and that, he
says, is monosyllabic, like the Chinese. He has translated into it,
from the Greek, the eleventh Ode of Anacreon, which I am going to
present to the Philosophical Society. He has added grammatical
notes, which are extremely curious. He has also written in Latin,
several interesting dissertations on other Mexican idioms, also for
the society, which I expect will be published in their transactions,
either in the original or in a translation. He is greatly pleased
with your specimen of a Chippewa grammar. He understands English
very well, also French, Italian, and, of course, his native Spanish.
"The philosophy of our Indian languages has become very fashionable
among the learned in Europe. The Institute of France has offered a
premium of a gold medal, of the value of 1200 francs, for the best
essay on the grammatical construction of the family of North
American languages, of which the Chippewa, the Delaware and Mohegan
are considered the principal branches, of course including the
Iroquois, Wyandot, Naudowessie, &c. The premium is to be awarded on
the 1st of May next. I would have informed you of it at the time, if
it had not been made a sine qua non that the memoirs should
be written in Latin or French. I have, therefore, ventured on
sending one, in which I have availed myself of your excellent
grammar, giving credit for it, as in duty bound. I have literally
translated what you say at the beginning of your first and of your
second lecture, which will be found the best part of my work, as it
is impossible to describe the character of those languages with more
clearness and elegance."
10th. A young gentleman (Mr. W. Fred. Williams) spent a few
days at my house, at Michilimackinack, much to our gratification,
and, it seems from a kind letter of this date, written from Buffalo,
also to his own. He sends me a box of geological specimens, and a
Chinese idol, and some sticks of frankincense--just received by him
from a relative, who is a missionary in Canton, as an offering of
remembrance. The heart is gratified with friendly little
interchanges of respect, and it is a false sense of human dignity
that prevents their instant acknowledgment. We study, read,
investigate, compare, experiment, judge as philosophers, but we live
as men--as common men. Facts move or startle the judgment; but such
little things as the gift of even an apple, or a smiling friendly
countenance, appeal to the heart.
13th. My article for the Theological Review was well
received. "It was in time," says the editor, "for the March number,
and you will receive it in a few days. I read it, and so did the
committee, with the highest satisfaction. It contains much new
information relating to the superstitions of the Indians, and is
well calculated to have the effect you designed, of awakening the
interest of the Christian community in behalf of our aborigines. I
was particularly gratified with the coincidence of your judgment
with the opinion I have entertained for some years, respecting the
reality of Satanic influence at the present time. We intend
shortly to publish on this point."
This is a point incidentally brought out, in the examination of the
aged converted jossakeed, or prophet of the Ottawa nation,
called Chusco. He insisted, and could not be made, to waver from the
point, that Satanic influences alone helped him to perform his
tricks of jugglery, particularly the often noted one of shaking and
agitating the tight-wound pyramidal, oracular lodge. No
cross-questioning could make him give up this explanation. He
avowed, that, aside of his incantations, he had no part in the
matter, and never put his hands to the poles. It resulted, as the
only conclusion to be drawn from this instance of his art, that the
Satanic influence, although invisible, was veritably present,
adapting itself to the devices of the Indian priesthood, for the
purpose of deceiving the tribe. I reported this to his pastor who
had admitted his evidences of faith, who replied, on reflection,
that this was the Gospel doctrine, which was everywhere disclosed by
the New Testament, which depicts the "Prince of the Power of the
Air" as really present and free to act in the deception of men and
nations, the world over. If so, we should no longer wonder at human
crime and folly. Murders and robberies of the blackest dye become
intelligible. And every plan of false prophecy, from the Arabian,
who has enslaved half Asia, to the simple performer of forest
juggling on the banks of Lakes Huron and Michigan, is explained as
with beams of light.
31st. A Mr. H. Howe, of Worcester, Mass., writes, wishing to
be informed of same stream of the Upper Mississippi, having
sufficient water power, with pine timber, and means of ready issue
into the Mississippi, to furnish a suitable site for a saw-mill. The
question is readily answered: there are many such, but it is
entirely Indian country, and cannot be entered for such a purpose
without violating the Indian intercourse act, which it is a part of
my duty, as an Indian Agent, to enforce. It would be a trespass,
subjecting him to a suit in the U.S. District Court. I replied to
him, stating these views.
April 7th. The dispute with Ohio, respecting our southern
boundary, grows warmer, and is fomented, on her part, by speculators
in public lands on the western shores of Maumee Bay. Otherwise it
could be easily settled. The mere historical and geographical
question, as founded on the language of the Ordinance of 1787, would
appear to leave the right with Michigan. Ohio legislation, or
constitutional encroachment, could not surely overrule an act of
Congress. "The difficulty with Ohio," says Major W., of Detroit, "is
of a threatening character. It is not now, perhaps, any nearer
adjustment that at any previous stage, although pacificators have
been sent on by the President. But the 'million of freemen' State
does not think it comports with her dignity to desist, or vacate
Michigan, is prepared for war, and is determined to proceed to blood
if need be. Gov. Cass will be here, it is said on good authority, in
May or June. Political divisions here, unfortunately, run too high
for a proper convention. Party feeling has governed exclusively, in
a case where they, perhaps, can have no operation. Whoever goes into
the convention will probably have nearly the same views, and it
would have been well to have sent the best and most intelligent.
But, on the whole, probably three-fourths of the members will find
it as new business as if they were to undertake astronomy."
14th. Charles Fotheringay, of Toronto, U.C., issues and
forwards a circular headed "Lyceum of Natural History and the Fine
Arts." The object is to found, in that city, a cabinet which shall
do justice to the claims of science and philosophical learning on
this subject.
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Personal Memoirs of a Residence of Thirty Years with the
Indian Tribes on the American Frontiers, 1851
Thirty
Years with the Indians
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