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CHEROKEE FHlfeNIX, AND INDIANS’ ADVOCATE.
4
PRINTED UNDER THE PATRONAGE, AND FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE CIlEtOKLE RATION, AND DEVOTED TO 'IDE CAUSE OF INDIANS.
E. JSOUDINOTT,
Editor.
NEW ECIIOTA, WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 11,1829.
VOL, 1.--NO. Afe*
PRINTED WEEKLY BY •
JNO. P. WHEEXBR,
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AGENTS FOR THE CHEROKEE
PHOENIX.
The following persons are authorized to
receive subscriptions and payments for the
Cherokee Phoenix.
Messrs. Peirce &, Williams, No. 20
Market St. Boston, Mass.
George. M. Tracy, Agent ofthe A, B.
{£. F. M. N nv York.
Rev. A. D. Eody, Canandaigua, N. Y. ^
. Thomas Hastings, Utica, N. Y.
Pollard & Converse, li.chmond, Va.
Rev. James Campbell, Beaufort, S. C
William Moultrie Reid, Charleston,
■s. c.
Col, George Smith, Statesville, W. T.
William M. Combs, Nashville Ten.
Rev. Bennet Roberts—Powal Me.
Mr. Thos. R. Gold, (an itinerant Gen
tleman.)
Jeremiah Austil, Mobile Ala.
M2UdT.*i«t airrucK irtrjzs*
nBLimous.
A LETTER FROM A CHEROKEE
TO HIS BROTHER.
The author of the following letter is a
jounj man who has be n brought to the
experimental knowledge of Jesus Christ,
through the instrumentality ofthe mission
aries.
March 8th, 1828.
My dear and beloved Brother—I
write you these few lines, which 1
hope you will leceive as coming from
an affectionate brother. I hope you
will not be displeased with any thing
that I write, but try to derive good
from it. I have a little Book
from which I will select a few re
marks, and which I think, is address
ed to such as you are upon the most
weighty and interesting concerns, on
Which depend your present comfort
and your everlasting salvation. You
ace that people all around you are
dying; and you know that soon you
must die, and be fixed in a state that
is unchangeable. Is it not then a
question of great importance for you
to put to yourself, “Have I any solid
ground of hope that I shall go to heav
en when I die, or have I not rather
awful reasons to fear that I shall sink
down into hell, and there lift up my
eyes in everlasting torments?” If you
live in sin, and die in sin, this must be
your portion. Attend, therefore, with
seriousness to the following considera
tions:
While you live in sin, you are in the
greatest danger. You would pity a
poor man who was thoughtless and un
concerned, while on the brink of some
frightful gulf; but the gulf, on the
borders of which you are thoughtless
ly standing, is infinitely more tremen
dous. You would eonsider him a mad
man, who for one short hour of pleas
ure, would expose himself to misery
all his future life; but you are more
inexcusable, who for those pleasures of
sin which are but for a season, are veil
luring upon a miserable eternity. Thei e
is an impressive voice which sounds i«:
the word of Gud,thu'te“xcept a man b«
jorn again, he cannot see the kingdom
of God.” John, iii, 3. A voice whici.
was uttered by that Saviour who will
shortly, judge you; and if you should
then be found to be a stranger to this
new birth, it would be better for yon
that you had never been born; for he
will say concerning you, “Take him,
and bind him hand and foot, and casi
him into outer darkness. There shftll
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”—
Matt, xxii, 13.
If you were to think of these things,
as becomes men that have never dy
ing souls, they would ever be upper
most in your mind. Yon would think
of them when at labour in the held, or
when busy in the house. O, happy
would it be for you, if an abiding sense
of them would drive you to Christ,
the strong bold as a prisoner of hope
"B it if you should determine to banish
all these thoughts, because they make
you uneasy, and go on dream-ng of hap
piness over the pit of dost ruction, be
assured that your delusion will not last
long. Soon death will come and take
you out of this world; and oh, what
sights will you then see! what, sounds
iviil you then hear! what anguish will
you then feel! You who could not
hear to hear of hell how will you en
dure tlie lire that shall never be
quenched? (), iny brother, it seems
to me that you arc fast preparing for
that place of torment: only think, 27
yea;s, 324 months, 1.408 weeks, 0855
days, 130 520 hours, 8,191,200 min
utes or 491,472,000 sec’s of your pre
cious t me are gone,never to return: for
time that is gone, is gone forever. How
have you spent most of this precious
time? The whole of it I might say
has been spent in idleness and intem
perance;-but this is very wrong, for
time thus idled away is, precious time
lost in vain; and time spent in intem
perance. is a great deal worse, for it
is said, “drunkards shall not inherit
the kingdom of God.” If you only got
drunk and did nothing more, it would
not appear very bad; but when you
are drunk you will do any tiling. If
you have a thousand dollars, when you
become drunk you will soon get rid of
it; therefore 1 say get drunk and you
will do any thing. If you want to kill
a man, get drunk. If you want to
light, get drunk. If you want to be
poor, or if you want to be covered
with rags, get drunk. If you want to
fall out with your best friend, get
drunk. Ifyou want to make all your
friends and neighbors enemies, get
drunk. Ifyou want to shorten your
life, get drunk. 1 might mention ma
ny other things; but oniy think of these,
and you will be paid lor your trouble.
Lastly, It you want to be suie to have
your soul go to hell, get drunk, again
apd again, and continue to become
drunk, and it will go there. Men of
this world are destroying their souls
fast enough, but those who make a
practice of excessive d; inking, are go
ing before all others, and if they per
sist in it they are ruined forever. It
is no wonder that God has published
such a threatening as he has. What
would a drunkard do in heaven? The
spirits of the just are there, and an
innumerable company of angels, and
God himself, a Being glorious in holi
ness. Ifyou want to see God, Jesus
Christ, and those holy beings in heav
en, turn, turn now I say, before you
go any further in your intemperate
course; for the longer you delay it
will be more difficult to turn Oh,
then put it off no longer, for who
knows that you will live another month
longer, or even another day? The
Lord only. Therefore he says “be
hold, now is the accepted time; be
hold, now is the day of salvation.” If
you put it off, the Lord may say to
you, as he did to one of old, “thou fool
this night shall thy soul be required of
thee.” Then., O my brother, in hell
you will find your soul, as in a mo
ment, when you die, and with the
rich man there, lifting up your eyes,
and in vain calling for one Irop of wa
ter to cool your parched taigue.”
Remember iny brother that in a
very little time, death and judgment,
and eternity, will overtakt you. O
what haste is death makinj! There
is no post so swift, there is to messen
ger so sure, and when lie cones, then,
of all thy unjust gains, for vliieh you
have sold your soul and salvation, and
of all your sinful pleasurei, nothing
will remain but the heavy reckoning
and a bitter remembrance. Yes,
you must stand before the judgment
seat of Christ. You must tiere give
an account to him of your stewardship,
of your time, your talents, anil privi
leges, and why you employed tlem for
your sinful pleasure and prolt, and
not for his glory. And when Ik shall
say, “did 1 send thee into thaworld
oniy to get wealth, and to forat thy
immortal soul? Did I appoii my
sabbaths, to be profained byWcu,
and give you my word, only to It ne
glected? Did I give you my law and
commandments, only to be trarpled
upon? Did I not send my faithful min
isters, to set before you the biasings
which my grace provided for the thief
of sinners? And still, notwilhstnd-
iug all this, did you not harden \our
heart, and go on in the way of jpur
own evil thoughts?” When the i\v-
ful Judge shall put these questionsto
your soul, what answer will you be
able to give? Will you not be speech
less with confusion and self conviction?
And will not your heart sink within
you when you shall hear him prouounee
the awful sentence, “Depart from me,
ye cursed, into everlasting fire, pre
pared for the devil and bis angels.” |
O, that you would listen to glad tid
ings with a heart warmed with love to
that God who has been pleased to
manifest such a display of liis love to
a lost world, as to ’‘give bis only be
gotten son that whosoever believeth
in him might not perish, but have ever
lasting life.” Though your sins are
many, there is yet hope. Jesus the
blessed son of God has died, to save
the ehiefest of sinners. Come then
and buy salvation without money, and
without price. O be entreated by
your affectionate brother to tuin from
your wickedness and live; yes, the
Lord says unto you “turn ye, turn ye,
for why will ye die.”
From your affectionate brother,
From the Christian Watchman.
THE CHRISTIAN IND .AN GIRL.
It is delightful to trace the indenti-
ty of the operations ofthe Spirit of
oud, as well in the untutored as in
the civilised and educated, in that
change which he affects in regenera
tion. The sameness to which i\e re
fer, is not that which respects the
means of operation, but that which
relates to the effect produced. All
the converted are brought to an un
conditional submission to God, and
to a full surrender of their hearts to
his service. Whatever falls short of
this, falls below that religion which
the gospel requires, and will not stand
in the final day.
The Indian girl a part of lyhose
gracious exercises we here present
from the missionary Herald of the
present month, was a member of the
mission school at Mackinaw, and the
account, in her own language, is given
in a communication from Mr. Ferry,
missionary at Mackinaw.
After stating the manner in which
she w r as first awakened to see her ru
ined state as a sinner, by hearing the
bible read and explained, and also
how her convictions were from time
to time and by different means, re
vived and deepened, she proceeds
to state the manner of her enlight
ening and deliverance of follows:—
“After a time, becoming more con
scious of my state, and collected in
mind, these were my feelings: 1
have tried every way, and all in vain.
I cannot help mvself. Neither prayers
nor anxiety todo any -joodjthcy lead mo
to no relief. U is right, it is just in
God to destroy me: 1 ought to perish.
Ho may do v\bat he pleases. If he
senus me to hell, let him doit, and if
he shows me mercy, well; let him do
just as he wishes with me. Here, es
in a moment, I l^d such a kind of
one, or ivliulc vii4v ol myself, and a
willingness to kb i» God s hands, that
I could lie nvlonger, and resolved to
go in prayyf and throw myself for the
last tiiae/t the feet of the Saviour,
and solt^nly beg of him to do what
he wc4*d with me. Just at this time
Elba [an Indian pious woman in the
family, w;ho, from the very filth of
degradation, has become as we hope
one of Christ s lambsj came and talk
ed a good deal with me. She told
me how easy it was to believe in the
Saviour il 1 would; and after talking
sometime said, “We will,pray togeth
er.” Here 1 lost all my burden: 1
felt light; a feeling that I cannot de
scribe. I had n© thought that I loved
Chiist; but 1 was happy; was afraid
to give indulgence to these feelings,
for it would be dreadful, after all, it
appeared to me, to go to hell with no
feeling of distress about il! Rising
f.om our knees, I was conscious of
a smile on my countenance, which 1
designedly concealed w ith my hand
kerchief, lest Eliza should observe it.
Leaving the room, Miss 0. called me
to her bed-room, to eat some supper
prepared for me. I went, but could
lot eat. JSliss 0. and Mis C. urged
ne, and asked why I refused, to
ivliich 1 made no direct answer. When
they saw that I either could or would
not eat, they proposed uniting in
prayer, in which they each led in suc
cession. Here I was filled with that
happiness which I hope to enjoy in
'heaven. I do not know but my enjoy
ment was as great as it was possible
for my soul to have, arising from a
view of the love, the nearness, and
glory of the Saviour. I seemed to
see it, to feel it all, in a fulness of
joy beyond expression. At the close
of prayer my mind ran on this hymn
—“Alas, and did nay Saviour bleed!”
and without expressing the wish I
had to hear this hymn sung, Miss C.
in a few moments commenced singing
it. The whole hymn possessed my
soul in mingled joy, and wonder, and
love, espically the last verses, so that
I was here as much lost to myself in
the bliss of joy, as 1 had >been before
in the anguish of despair. Perhaps,
my countenance told my feelings; and
Miss O. asked me if I could now love
that Saviour. I answered, 1 hope I
do. This was the first intimation I
had dared to give of the peace of my
soul. But my joy had swallowed up
all fear, and I could not resist the an
swer. Now I had such a love for all
around, as well as for the Saviour,
•that I could have folded them to my
bosom. For tw’o days following,
night and day, there was no abate
ment of happiness I appeared to lie
in a new world; every thing led me
to God. Not an object did I see but
seemed to say, “How glorious and
lovely is the gieat God.”
INDIANS.
From the Connecticut Journal.
THE CHEROKEE INDIANS.
, A Milledgeville, Geo. paper, the
Southron, of the 1 Otli ult. has an arti
cle alluding to the bill w hich has been
reported to the House of Represen
tatives of Georgia, providing for the
extension of the jurisdiction of the
laws of the 6tate to the territory oc
cupied by the Cherokees. “They
are not citizens of the state,” says
the editor; “they are not the owners
of the land they occupy. They can
not be subjected to the tax law, to
the militia law, or to all the civil laws
in force in Georgia.” After institu
ting the inquiry, how and in what
manner the Cherokees can be sub
jected even to the poll-tax, by ex
tending (o them the jurisdiction of the
slate laws, the editor comes to the
point, that these Indians a;e tenants
at will; that the federal government
can never induce them to relinguisii
their present possessions, and that , ( .e
immediate use of coercive measures
alone can possibly prevent the total
extinction ofthe Cherokees, who ne
pressed on all sides by a constantly
increasing white population. “Y.e
have,” says this writer, * a latgo
black population, who consider the In
dians very little better than them
selves in point of independence to tlie
whites;” amj as the Indians associate
with the blacks more freely than v.iih
the whites* the ciisi out cut j.r.d envy of
the former (the slaves) will be great
ly increased. The summing op of
the whole chapter on the Cherokees,
is this: They must be driven from
lhe soil for which they have an inlu r-
ent attachment, and driven at the
point of sword and bayonet; for they
have no right nor title to their pn s-
ent homes. r l Ins is a very siirnmaiy
improvement. The plan is one that
might easily be carried into execution
by a few divisions of Georgia mili
tia.
The Cherokees perhaps have doubt’
less assimilated nearer to the manners
and customs of their more favored
neighbors than any tribes, who have
come in contact w ith civilization.—
The very circumstance of their refu
sal to migrate hence, whiie the le*
moval can be effected of tribes less
enlightened, is altogether in their
favor. If they have a claim to the
lands they hold; if they prefer lam's
which they have cultivated in some
degree, to wild forest lands; ai.d if,
in tine, they do not choose to remove,
they will do well to retain their pos
sessions, and make the most of them.
But when the Indians of the south are
coerced those of the noith must be
coerced in like manner; and the same
act which forces the Cherokees of
Georgia from their present groom s,
must drive Red Jacket and the In
dians of New York, the Six Nations,
beyond Lake-Pepin. Why do not die
neighboring farmers and editors of
New-York, press the unqualified an
nihilation of their Indians? Is it 1 e*
cause they have no slaves? Or is it
because they have less courage, that
they are less solicitous to diavv the
sabre upon Red Jacket, than the t d-
itor ol the Southron to coerce the In
dians of his state? It is quite idle,
at this time, to talk of coercion.—
The plan of extending to the unfortu
nate aborigines an opportunity tp do
well, as far as they may be well dis
posed, would seem to’be the part of
wisdom, of mercy, and of justice.
We have the remnant of an Indian
tribe in an eastern section of our own
state. They have the benefit offer-
tile and beautiful lands upon tlie
Thames. The JUohegans, for the
most part, have but poorly improved
the property and privileges, of which
they have been left in the undisturb
ed possession; but their annihilation
has, at no time w itliin our recollection,
been seriously proposed. It is true
that the most benevolent amongst us
cannot confidently hope to see the un-
staid, the wandering-end beggerly sons
of Uncas, gathered within the pale of
regular society. To abandoned de
pravity, there are, however, excep
tions among them. Many of the In
dians of the Six Nations are no bet
ter than the wors*t of ours, but it is
doubtful whether the exceptions are
not there upon the other score. They
have churches, where they assemb'e
for Christian worship; and although
philanthropic eyes may be oft,en pain
ed at the sight of the vices of many of
them, yet we have never heard it
urged by the citizens of New-York,
as a matter of philanthropy, to massa
cre them, and thus divest the soil of
an incumbrance, as palpable as li e
forest, which first stood upon the
slopes and valleys where the white
spires of their churches now point, to
heaven.
The public has supposed that the
lauds ofthe Cherokees, as well as
their soil, were susceptible of a
