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CHEROKEE PHffilIX
ANP IMtlABy ADVOCATE.
CHEROKEE NATION, PROPRIETOR. EDITED BY ELIJAH HICKS.
VOIi. T.
XEWECHOTA, CHEROKEE MTIOX, SATURDAY, AVOIJ8T 17, 1833.
PEtNTEP WEEKLY.
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XO. 37.
From tho Religious Intelligencer.
THE NORTH WESTERN INDIANS.
ITe copy from the Christian Advo-
}e and Journal, of Neur York, the
lowing extract of a letter from Mr.
;rsis Skinner, an assistant mission-
of the American Board at Macki-
1». The letter is addressed to the
[isiionnry Society of the Methodist
liscopal Church, calling upon it for
in prosecuting missions among the
lians at the north-west, and giving
le minute and important particulars
relation tytlte efforts of the Church of
W to plant itself and secure a firm
il-liold in the western country. We
iw that many doubts are entertained
this subject, and people are incred-
>us to the facts which are so often
[rented; and it is this incredulity
lich makes the danger greater, and
success of the Catholics more ccr-
|a. For our own part, we have every
lurance that the See of Rome is look-
at the future subjugation of this
intry to its spiritual power, as one
the brightest hopes (perhaps the
Ijhtest) that shines above its darken-
!horizon; and wo are confirmed in
|f fears, not only by tbo aclf-ilnny ing
rigorous efforts made by the.Cath-
:s at the West, but by the increas-
avorsion to true religion which is so
pensively manifested in our country,
pin the prevalence of a skeptical
H a licentious “liberality among our
tizens.
|Tho letter of Mr. Skinner, though
signed more particularly for our Me
lodist brethren, we hope will have the
Feet to stir up members of other do
minations also, to increased efforts
r the Indians.
“I suppose sir, it would he only say-
what you already know, were 1 to
you the Catholics are vigorously
metrating the Indian country, (as we
ill the region north and west of Mack-
aw,) rendering the darkness which
iw envelopes it, “still more dark.”
herever they go, they carry with
nun so much of the imposing and
lystcrious ceremony, that they are but
io successful in prejudicing the Indi-
is so strongly against the “new re
gion,” as they call the Protestant,
lat they seem effectually to close and
hr every avenue by which the mission
ary might hope to gain access to them.
Fow, I would ask, are there none in
our church who are willing to sacri-
ice and suffer as much for the cause of
ruth of the Catholics arc for error and
Superstition ?
At Parbrierosh, the nearest Indian
ttlement to the Mississippi, a Catho-
ic priest has established himself, who
> a European, and I doubt not, reared
lore delicately than most our Ameri
ca preachers; and yet he is content to
ie deprived of all refined society, and
loacly all which can be termed civiliz
'd. I believe that there is not one in-
lividual in thirty miles of his station
rho can speak English, except his in
terpreter, who is half Indian.
“He has built a house, and lives as
ethers around live; and the lruits of
his toil and self-denial are, almost a
"hole settlement of the most noble, in
teresting Indians inhabiting this region,
converted to the Catholic faith.
“Only a few years since, (I believe
minion. O! what heart warmed with
the love of God, would not bleed over
a people thus blinded by false doctrine,
hastening on to eternity, and separated
by insuperable barriers from the “way
of life?” Even now, in the present
life, they groan under the intolerable
burthen, and often say, “The way to
heaven is a hard way—so much pe
nance to be performed,, and so many
Latin phrases to be learned, they some
times almost despair.” And yet they
are terrified at the idea of seeking an
other way; it being a prominent part of
their teacher’s duty to pursuade them,
that Jo change their religion would be
to ensure to themselves eternal wrath.
“Looking at their present situation,
it docs indeed seem that, as a people
they must live and die as they are, and
perish, unless some one possessing the
spirit which animated a Whitefield, a
Wesley, a Martin, an Elliot, and oth
ers, go to their help.
“'There is also a priest at this place,
an Italian, said to belong to an opulent
family in Rome, who, with the usual
characteristics of Italians of rank, viz:
effeminacy, refinement, and luxury; is
content to board with an Indian wo
man, and accommodate himself to cir
cumstances, for the sake of extending
the church of Rome. He is indeed a
faithful servant of his master, and man
ifests a zeal, and patience, and perse
verance, which Christians would do
well to imitate. In coming to Missis
sippi, he certainly must have sacrificed
almost all that renders life dear; home,
kindred, and friends were forsaken^
and the elegant, refined society, and
country, evidently dear to his heart as
life itself, exchanged for a home on this
lonely island, with no society but the
rude, uncivilized French and Indians.
Ho now looks back upon the city of
Rome, the home of his childhood, as
the Eden of this world, the counternart
of heaven; dui expresses no desire to
return. He seems to feel, that to aid
in establishing the Roman supremacy
in this country, is an object to which
no other is paramount. All personal
suffering in view of this, seems, in his
view, unworthy to be named. Though
young and effeminate, ho displays a
hardihood which few ministers evince
in time of difficulty.
Now, sir, I would again ask—are
there none in your church who are wil
ling to make the same sacrifices ? I
would be grateful for what has been
done. The Methodists have done
much in Canada, and are still doing
much; but there is a great field to be
occupied, I feel like getting at your
feet, and calling upon you, ns the
Lord’s watchmen, to cast your eyes
over this land of darkness, as you stand
on the walls of Zion, and then tell me
“what of the night?”
“After passing the Sault dc St. Ma
rie, (only 19 miles from Mackinaw,)
your eyes will meet with no messenger
of the Lord of Hosts, until you reach
La Point, on the south west side of the
Lake Superior, a distance of500 miles.
There you will find brothers Hall and
Boutwell, laboring alone in the wilder
ness. From thence you pass on a few
hundred miles farther, and you will see
brother Ayre toiling alone, without any
to hold up his hands, or encourage his
heart. From this place you may go,
(if steering directly north,) to the Pole
—you may pass thousands of wander
ing. perishing Indians; but you will
find none to direct them to the Lamb of
God.
“If you look west of Mackinaw,
where, sir, will your eye rest on one
whose business it is to direct the multi
tudes who inhabit that region, to Him
who is the way, and the only way to
Heaven? Again I ask; “Watchmen,
what of the night?” Can you send
more help to us? Candid, firm, self-
denying, devoted Methodists are what
we want. The missionary who goes a-
mong the Indians, must be a man after
God’s own heart, one willing and able
to endure hardships, and toil, and want,
and privations of every kind. Brother
him; and this has to be done, not only
once or twice, but constantly, suminei
or winter, cold or hot, wet or dry.—
The Indians must be followed from
place to place in their wanderings.
Prom the Boston Recorder.
A WORD FOR MINISTERS.
1 presume it is now universally be-
lieved that the world is to be “filled
with the knowledge of God” by hu
man instrumentality—by the dissemin
ation of Bible truth frorti the press and
the lips of Jiving teachers. The ex
pense of giving that knowledge to the
600.000. 000 now destitute of it, will be
considerable; but it will be more than
$600,000,000 or one dollar to an indi
vidual? Look for instance at Chind,
supposed to contain a population of
350.000. 000. Will it pr. bably cost
more than as many dollars to give
the gospel to that empire? $350,000,-
000, would defray the expense of plac
ing the Bible in every family, and sup
port, at a salary of $600, a religious
teacher for every 2000 souls; and yet
leave half the sum, $175,000,000, un
employed. ' It may, therefore, be very
savely asserted that the evangelization
of the world will not cost more than
$600,000,000. If, then, the gospel
shall be the means of the conversion of
one in ten of those who receive it, eve
ry $100 which is rightly applied in giv
ing the gospel to the heathen, will be
the means of good equal to that of
transforming into a Christian commu
nity like our own, a pagan neighbor-
hpod of 100 inhabitants, and saving jo
souls.—But you say, “we cannot de-
pend upon mathematical cilculations
about souls: it is not a suitable subject
for estimates of expense in dollars and
cents.” Very true, to a certain ex
tent: but our contributions are doubt
less the means of doing good, and how *
shall we judge how much and so Ho*-- I
mine what effort it is worth while to
soul in Asia, it is as important as the I
salvation of one of their parishoners; 8t
ff I mistake not they will resolve to
ftdd to those who will be as stars in the
crowns of their rejoicing, some from
heathen lauds every year.
toree,) they earnestly begged for Pro- «»****
Nant teachers—were convinced- of Hall whom I have before mentioned,
‘ says, “As the people of his charge
will not come to him, he must go to
|ft«ir need of instruction—encouraged
I to hope for it, and then disappointed,
I'totil weary of pressing their suit,
I they applied to the Catholic#, and
"fere successful. The result is what
I might have been expected—the ex-
I change of pagan rites and superstitions
"or the doubly cruel yoke of popish do-
them;” and in order to do this, he has
often to travel many miles on foot, in
the wilderness, over swamps and riv
ers, and he must lodge, if necessary,
in wigwams—must carry his food on his
back, or eat such as the Indians give
make, or what self-denial to practice, if;
not in some such way as this ? I have
made the above calculation, not as lea
ding to perfect certainty respecting the
amount of good done, but for the pur
pose of doing away the too common dis
position to feel that no good is done by
our contributions, if we cannot follow
the very dollars and cents we give, and
sec what effects they are the means of
producing.
The work of giving to tho heathen
the knowledge requisite for their salva
tion will unquestionably be done, to a
great extent, by means of money; and
as money is a subject of calculation I
see no impropriety in setting down
and counting, so far as wo can, the
cost of tho work in which we are cn-
gaged. .
The conversion of an individual in
Africa, considering the influence that
will be exerted on others, is certainly
as important as that of an individual
here. Those efforts of a minister, then,
which result in raising $100 for foreign
missions, do as much for the promo
tion of the cause of Christ and the sal
vation of souls, as those which result in
the conversion of ten of his parishon
ers. Now cannot many a minister ac
complish the former object at a very
small expense of time and labor? By
preaching a few missionary sermons
yearly; by a iittle effort to give his
people, or rather to induce them to
procure for themselves, the missiona
ry intelligence contained in some of our
periodicals; and a little more, to make
them systematic in their contributions
and render their missionary society in
teresting and efficient; and by setting
himself an example of liberality, al
most any minister may bring $100 into
the missionary treasury, and thus do
probably as much good as by all his
other labors: and that in addition the
beneficial effects of greater variety and
consequently greater interest, in the
subjects of this discourse, and of culti
vating the very spirit of Christ—a
spirit of active benevolence among his
people.
If then a minister makes no efforts to
f tromote the cause of his missions he
oses half his usefulness at least—throws
away hulf the talents, which his master
has committed to his care, and com
manded him to improve.
Let ministers look at this subject
candidly, deliberately and prayerfully,
remembering that if they can directly
or iqdirectly, be the means of saving a
Erom (ho New York Observer.
Tract Cause in the South and West.
Messrs. Editors—During my ab
sence of seven months, I have travelled
more than six thousand miles. I com
menced my labors for the Tract Socie-
y Charleston, S. C., and have since
visited most of the principal towns in
Georgia, and the South Western and
Western States. The Tract cause
when fully presented, has met the ap
probation of the friends of religion «en-
ei ally, and in most cases has been cor
dially embraced and patronized. The
little time allowed me in each State ren
dered it impracticable for me to do
much for the interior. But I have secu
and heard enough of the wants of the
people to produce upon my mind a ve
ry strong conviction that the work be
fore us is great and is but just com-
fncnced. Though many Christians
have enlisted in the Tract cause, and
through their instrumentality Tracts
have been sent to every State, & much
good has been accomplished, still the
gieat mass of the people remain unsup-
phed, and the great body of Christians
j are but partially alive to the spiritual
| interests of those among whom they
dwell. 1 he Tract cause is not duly
appreciated, the power of the press is
not understood, and the facilities which
the 1 met system affords for inculcating
divine truth upon the mind, not only
trough the press, blit bv personal
Christian effort, arc but partially known.
I o bring the whole subject in all its
bearings before the churches is of vast
importance to JH, nfff^*MMrnbff.—
Few men are aware of the great varie
ty and high character of the society’s
publications; that they are from the
pens of some of the ablest and best men
that have lived. To make these and
many other facts known, and to im
press them upon the minds of intelligent
Christians generally at the south and
west, is an object that deserves special
attention. This must be aono through
the periodical press and by the labors
of faithful and devotedly pious agents
of the society. And when we consider
the present low 6tate of religion in ma
ny of our churches, and the rapidity
with which multitudes of souls are has
tened to eternity, there seems to be no
time for delay in this work. *
In South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama,
Mississippi and Louisiana, the opera
tions of the Tract Sosiety seems to be
in a great measure suspended for want
of suitable agents to call the attention
of the people to the subject. The de
positories at all the large commercial
centres have at this time a tolerable
supply of Tracts, and the people in all
these places are willing to contribute
from time to time to sustain them, and
to circulate Tracts in their own cities.
But to secure the general and discreet
circulation through these states, re
quires the vigorous and active co-ope
ration of the whole Christian communi
ty; and the permanent labors of at
least six or eight faithful men are now
needed to call forth this co-operation.
The states of Tennessee, Kentucky,
Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,
Western Pennsylvania, and Virginia,
though partially supplied with agents,
are by no means fully occupied. All
these states need the special attention
of the committee. They embrace an
immense population of enterprising
men, many of whom are in great need
of religious instruction, and the socie
ty’s publications and efforts may be
useful to them.
The object of the agents in visiting
these states should be to bring the
claims of the society before as large a
portion of the population as possible.
They should explain to them its princi
ples of action, give a concise descrip
tion of its operations, make known the
character and variety of its publica
tions, show their adaptedness to be
useful to all classes of the community,
and thus endeavor to secure their gen
eral circulation. Their attention should
also be directed especially to the sale
of bound volumes, not only of the regu
lar seriep, but valuable occasional vol
umes. A complete set of the society ’«
publications, n ? w make a very respec-
able family hbrary. Let it be one ob
ject then, of the agents to introduceLthe
whole or a part of it bound into as ma
ny families as possible. They will re
main and may be useful for many years.
It is of great moment that suitable
men be obtained, and sent forth with-
out delay to occupy all the agents
fields which are now vacant. Let them
engage in the work permanently. In
connection with preaching the gospel
as they have opportunity and strength,
et them do all in their power by means
of tracts to bring its truths to bear up
on the entire population. Let them en-
deavor to call forth all the energies of
the church to engage in this work.—
1 rusting in the Lord let them never be
weary m well doing, but persevere un
to the end, and they may be assured of
a glorious harvest. Instances of the
usefulness of tracts often come under
the observation of such agents, and
are communicated. And all that seems
necessary to secure a much greater
blessing than we have yet experienced,
is that we press on vigorously in faith
and prayer, trusting in Him alone who
is able and willing to grant it.
But it will be perceived that men and
pecuniary means are essential to the
success of this enterprise. If the slcep-
mg energies of (lie church at the south
and west are to be brought into action,
i must be done mainly through the
blessing ot God upon the labors of some
devoted men who are willing to bear
the self-denial of becoming the special
devotees of this cause. They must
traverse tne land in its length and
rreadth, describe the spiritual wants of
tho people, meet, converse and pray
with Christians, and endeavor to make
them leel their obligations I
round ihem, and arouse and encourage
them till they are induced to rise unit
edly as one man and enter heart and
hand into the work of presenting the
gospel to every family who will receive
it at their hands. In view of this great
work, let every friend of the Tract
Cause and of the Gospel, unite iu
prayer to God for wisdom and strength,
and perseverance, and every neediul
qualification to bo given to all who
now are, or may hereafter be engaged
in this department of benevolence,
and that success may crown their ef
forts. O: EASTMAN.
New York, July 16, 1833.
NOTHING LOST BY KEEPING
THE SABBATH.
I will acquaint you with a truth, that
above foity years experience and strict
observation of myself hath assuredly
taught me. I have been near fifty
years a man as much conversant in bu
siness, and that of moment und impor
tance; as most men; and I will assure
you, I wms never under any inclination
to fanatucism, enthusiasm, or supersti
tion.
In all this time, I have most indus
triously observed in myself and my con
cerns, these three things:—
1. Whenever I have undertaken any
secular business on the Lord’s day,
which was not absolutely and indispen
sably necessary,) that business never
prospered or succeeded with me.
Nay, if I had set myself that day to
forecast or dcscign any temporal busi
ness, to be done or performed after
wards, though such forecast was just
and honest in itself, and had as fair a
prospect as could be desired, yet I have
always disappointed in the effecting of
it, or the success of it. So it grew al
most proverbial with me, when any im
portuned me to any secular business
that day, to answer them, that if tficy
suspccted it to succeed amiss, then
they might desire my undertaking of it
upon that day. And this was so certain
an observation of me, that I feared to
think of any secular business on that
day, because the resolution then ta
ken would be disappointed or unsuc
cessful.
2. That always the more closely I
applied myself to the duties of the
Lord’s day, the more happy and suc
cessful were my business and employ
ments of the week following. So that I
could, from the loose and strict obser
vance of that day, take a just prospect
and true calculation of my temporal
success in the ensuing week.