The missionary. (Mt. Zion, Hancock County, Ga.) 1819-182?, March 11, 1822, Image 1

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No. 40 Vol. 111. edited and published BY NATHAN S. S. BEMAN 4- CO. The Terms of “ The Missionary” are Three Dollars a year if paid in advance* or within sixty days from the time of subscribing; or Three Bol lars and Fifty Cents at the end of the year. 1 No'Subscriftion will be received for a short el 1 time than one year, and no paper discontinued until all arrearages are paid.’ Advertisements will be inserted, by the square, at 62 1-2 cents for the first insertion; and for every subsequent insertion 43 3-4 cents. Those who furnish standing advertisements for the year, shall bo entitled to a deduction of one I quarter of the amount from the above rates. * All Communications and Letters relating to the Office, will be directed to N. S. S. Beman & Cos. and whether enclosing money or not, must come.POST PAID.- Should any neglect to do this they will be charged with the postage. Printing Tor Pnblick Officers and others will be done on the most liberal terms. N AGENTS FOR THIS PAPER. AUGUSTA , J. & H, Ely. COLUMBIA, J.By nom,Esq. PM.Columbia C.H. GREENE&BOROUGH, A. H. Scott. SPARTA, Cyprian Wilcox. HARTFORD, Puiaj4t,G.B.GardinerEsq.PM. PO WELTON, S. Duggar, Esq. P M. CLINTON, Jones Cos. J. W. Carrington. SA VANN AH, S. C. & J. Schenck. KATONTON, C. Pendleton, Esq. P M. ALFORD'S P.O. Greene, C. Alford, Esq. PM. ABBEVILLE, (S. C.) Rev. H. Reid. SANDO.FER, Abbeville, S. C Maj. U. Hill. MARION, Twiggs, S. Williams, Esq. PM. JEFFERSON, Jackson, Rev. E. Pharr. LIBERTY-HALL, Morgan, C. Allen, Esq. WATKINSVILLE , Clark . H. W. Scovell, Esq. P. M. RICEBORO', Liberty, Wm. Baker, Esq. F M. GRANTSVII.LE, Grtene, Samuel Finley. PENDLETON, S.C. Joseph Grisham, Esq. PM. DANIELSV/LLE, Madison, J.Long, Esq. PM. ERVINSVILLE, Rutherford, N. C. Rev. llueh Quin. ATHENS, Clarke, B. B. Peck. LlNCOLNTO.\",Lincoln.Teier Lamar,Esq. PM. SPARTANBURGH, S.C. J.Brannon.Esq. PM. MILL EDGE FILL E, Leonard Perkins. ELBERTON ’ George Inskeep, Esq. P M. DUBLIN, Laurens, W. B. Coleman, Esq. P M. LOUISVILLE, Jeffi'n, John Bostwick,Esq.PM. MALLORYSVILLE, Wilkes, Asa Dearing, Esq. P M. WAYNESBORO', Samuel Sturges, Esq. P M* LAURENS, S. C. . Archibald Young, Esq. WRIGHTSBORO', Q.’ L. C. Franklin, Esq. MONTICELLO. Greene D. Brantley, Esq.PM. CARNESVILLE, Henry Freeman, Esq. P. M. SALEM, Clark, Raleigh Green, Esq. P. M. MADISON, Morgan, William Bandy. DARIEN, Allen Smith. Esq. P. M. INDIAN CONFERENCE WITH THE PRESIDENT. To the Editors of the National Intelligencer. Gentlemen : Several persons having expres sed an earnest wish to see some account of the late conference of the Indians with tile President, the inclosed letter, intended for a distant friend, is at your service. I regret that I have not leis ure to make it more worthy of (he publick eye. A SUBSCRIBER. Washington, Feu. G, 1822. J\ly dear Friend: —Happening to make a morning visit to the President two or three days ago, 1 learnt that the Indian s , now in Washington, would be there in a few minutes, for the purpose of having a talk with their Great Father, and l was tempted to wait and witness a spectacle to tne so novel and interesting. They accor dingly soon arrived, and were shewn into the anti-chamber to the right of the draw ing room. When I entered, I found the thirteen, thut is twelve men and one woman, seated round the room, and Major O’Fallon, the officer who has charge of them, with .four or five other gentlemen, standing at the fire place. They were all dressed in blue cloth surtputs, with red cuffs fd cape?, blue pantaloons and boots—in ort, in complete American costume, ex pt that they wore on their heads a sort of coronet bedizened with red and blue foil, and stuck all round with feathers of the gayest colours. Their faces, too, were painted, though in a less fantastick style than usual. The squaw sat on a sofa near her husband, dressed in scarlet panta loons, and wrapped in a green camblct cloak, without any ornament on her long Mr'k hair. They consisted, as 1 was told, of the Pawnees, Kansas, Ottoes, Mahas, and Misspuries. The five chiefs were dis tinguished by two silver epaulettes, and the two half chiefs by one. They were evi dently not easy in their new habiliments— their coats seemed to pinch them about the -shoulders; smd now ahd then they would ‘lake off their uneasy head dresses, and one sought a temporary relief by pulling off his .boots. Upon Major OTallon suggesting that they left the presents they intended for the President, the young men were immediate ly despatched by their chiefs, and the squaw by her husband, for their intended tokens of friendship and good will. They return ed in a few’ minutes with Buffalo skins, pipe?, mocasins, and feather head dresses. The President entered, with the Secretary of War, and taking his seat, delivered to them, through the interpreters an extem pore address, from notes held in his band —and, as they used two distinct languages, it was necessary that every sentence should be twice interpreted. The President told them he was glad to see them—that, when he had met them before, he was too much engaged in receiving his great council to sh<*v them the atteution he wished—and THE MIS STONER!. that now he had more leisure, and he was as pleased to see them in the dress of their white brethren as he had been before in that of their own country. He adverted to the visit they had made to our large towns—to our arsenals, navy yards, and the like, and told them that as much as they had seen, it could give them but a faint idea of our numbers and strength as the deer and the buffalo they might chance to meet in passing through their forest, bore a small proportion to those they did not see. That they had met with few of our warriours, because they were not want ed at the seat of government, and because we were at peace with all the world—but if we were in a state of war, all our citizens would take arms into their hands and be come brave Warriours. He enjoined them to preserve peace with one another, and to listen to no voioc wiiicii shouiirpersuaire them to distrust the friendship of the Uni ted States. They were told that they should receive some presents, and be con ducted safely back to their wives and chil dren by Major O’Fallon, whose advice they were told to consider as the advice of their great father, the President. This address was interpreted sentence by sentence, and and at the end of each, first those who spoke one language, and then those who spoke the other, gave invariably a sign of assent, which was a sort of inar ticulate sound or grunt. Before the Presi dent had finished, the Judges of the Su preme Court, and some others, happening to call on the President, increased the number of attentive auditors. When the President had finished, Major O’Fallon then told them their great father was ready to hear what they had to say, and he encouraged them to speak with the same freedom that they would use in their own village. The principal Pawnee Chief the* stepped forward, and, having shaken hands with the President, the Secretary of War, and Maj. O’Fallon, he delivered his oration, pausing, however, after every two or three sentences, until the interpreter could do his office.’ He appeared to be about 45 years of age, was 6 feet high ; had a fine face and person, a dignified grav ity, and gestures, which, though violent and excessive, were never ungraceful, and always appropriate. He was followed by the four other chiefs, each of whom ex hibited a style of oratory of his own, though they all ‘used the same vehement and sig nificant gesticulation. Short speeches be ing then made by their followers, they brought their presents, and laying them at the feet of the President, made some per tinent remarks on each, explaining its his tory or use. In these numerous speeches I regret that I had not thought of taking notes, or even of impressing on my mind what was said by each. As it i, 1 can only recal some of their most striking remarks, without al ways remembering by which speaker they were made. The first speaker said, that he had heard the words of the Great Father, and they bad gone in at one ear, hut would not go out at the other; that they had seen our chiefs, our towns, our buildings, and were much pleased with all that they had seen. They found the U. States populous and powerful, while they were weak and few ; that the Great Spirit had made some men white and others red ; the white men could make fine houses, and guns and fur niture. The red men could make nothing. The white man lived upon the animals he raised at home ; the red man hunted the buffalo,whose skin he wore and whose flesh he ate. Yet the Great Spirit intended there should be white and red men, and protect ed them both. He said that some white men had offered to send preachers among them, to teach them their way of worship ping the Great Spirit, and of cultivating the ground. He said there were a good many buffaloes in his country, which his nation wished to be pernnittoJ i„ hunt awhile long er, and after he was dead, and the buffalo extinguished, his nation might plant corn and raise animals like the whites. He gave thanks for their new clothes, professed friendship for the whites, and hoped soon to return to his own country. The next orator, in a different language, began by shewing his hands, and stating that they were clean—unstained with blood; that he had from a boy been a friend to the whites, and had been, on that ac count, an object of suspicion among his own tribe. He said he had seen our towns and our churches, and that we worshipped the Great Spirit one way, and they worshipped him another. He, like the first speaker, deprecated the habits ofeivilization so long as the buffalo were abundant in their coun try. One Speaker began by saying that he had been very wicked in his life ; he had been like a mad dog ; he had killed men belonging to all three tribes, pointing to the rest; but since he had known his fa ther, (Maj. O’F.) he at peace.— For the last three years he had been as if his arms were broke, he had not struck a blow.’ Ad ardent attachment to their country as well as their habits of life was frequently manifested. They said to their great fa ther, you haye a fine country, great towns, GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPIL TO EVERY CREATURK. Jrsus Ctucxtr. MOUNT ZION, (HANCOCK CO. GA.) MONDAY, MARCH li, 1822. large houses to live in, fine clothes to wear, but we love our country as much as you love yours. You love to work —we don’t want to work as long as we can kill buffalo and steal horses.* Our villages are small ; we won’t lie and say they are as largt as yours—but our men are as brave. Such as you see us, such are the men we have left behind us. Two of them spoke with great humility of the red people compared with (he whites, whom they distinctly admitted that the great spirit had made their superiors. They all expressed the pleasure they de rived from their new clothes, and one said he felt in his new dress like an animal that had shed his old hair, and came out sleek in the spring. Though they in general have acomnos edo ess and ‘elf-inaacMMu-** nicb is unknown To civilized man, it was clear that the first speaker was not quite at his ease. Each succeeding orator, however, seemed to feel less of embarrassment or rather re serve, until the fourth was as liud as you ever heard a lawyer at a county court bar. After the chiefs and half chiefe had spok en, each of their followers aso made a short speech. One of these, ja young man about 25 years of age, upwards of six feet high, with a remarkably Ijandsome face, shewed a hesitation at first tiat produced a general smile/rom the mor* experienced orators. He was fluent eno igh, however, after he had begun. He that his fa ther had died when be was 1 very young, and that he had grown up like the grass which again shoots forth after it seems to have been killed by the frost- He was not yet a great man-—he was a mere boy —he was not equal to his chief, but he endeav oured to keep close behind him (putting one fore finger behind the other.) He hoped one day to be a leader in his tribe. This youth had been mentioned by his chief in warm terms of commendation and friendship, and an epaulette indirectly soli cited for him. When our lordly sex bad finished their speeches, which they seemed as fond of making as are the members of some other great councils, the squaw, a comely young woman of eighteen, urged by some of them, apparently in sport, approached the Presi dent, and hanging her head on one side, with a pleasing smile and yet more pleasing timidity, said that her Great Father had given the red men new clothes like white men,.and they looked very well in them ; that those who had no silver medals would look still better ifthey had them, and that she too would like to be dressed as a white woman if her great Father would give her anew dress. I suspected the first part of her speech was suggested by others, and the last was as natural as her blushes and smiles. You see that the love of finery is not created by civilization; it merely be comes more chaste and discriminating. Before the presents were delivered, the chief of the Great Pawnees decorated him self in a singular head dress of turkey feath ers, so stuck ia the edge of a long slip of wampum as to form a crown round his brows, and a large oval down his back, which it lmost completely covered. An elderly chief of the Missouri tribe, who proved to be the husband of the squaw, fol lowed his example, and substituted his na tive head dress for that which had been giv en him. This consisted of a profusion of horse hair, stained, of a bright scarlet, and surmounted (risum teneatis ?) with two polished taper horns, as long as those of an ox. There was, however, I assure you, nothing in the looks or demeanour of his spouse to justify the wicked ideas which this ill-omened ornament suggested. After the conference was at an end, they partook of wine, cake, and other refres ments, of which they were no wise sparing ; and then lighting their pipes, filled with wild tobacco, they,smoked awhile, and pre sented their several pipes to the President, Chief and others, to take a whiff, in token or peace ana amity. It is impossible to see these people, and believe, as I do, that they are destined, in no very long lapse of time, to disappear from the facemf the earth, without feeling for them great interest. With some vices, and much grossness, they possess many fine traits of character; and we never can for get that they were the native lords of that soil which they are gradually yielding to their invaders. Yes, 1 firmly belieye that all our liberal and humane attempts to civilize them wiy prove hopeless and una vailing. Whether it is that they acquire our bad habits before our good ones, or that their course of life has, by itslongcon-, tinuance, so modified the nature of the race that it cannot thrive under the restraints of civilization,. I know not; but it is certain * Query.—Did the great Mr. Wright of Mary land derive his ideas of Indian morality from these harrangues of his aboriginal brethren of u ,the chase ?” “ The late of God,” says He, “is in scribed upon their hearts,” and consequently, any attempt to civilize them would tend to “ un hinge their principles,” and make them rebels to their Creator, whose mandate has fixed thteir linb its and mode of life, and taught .them, according to the reasoning of this profound and logical rep resentative of a Christian people, to murder their prisoners and “ steal horses.” that all the tribes which have remained among us have gradually dwindled to in significance or become entirely extinct. You know that every experiment to rear the young wild dock has failed: and that they die as certainly by your kindness as your neglect. It may beg with them. Considering the race to be thus transient, I have often wished that more pains were bestowed, and by more competent persons, in recording what is most remarkable and peculiar among them, now that those pecu liarities are fresh & unchanged by their con nexion with us. Aud iam sorry that 1 have not been able to give you a more faithful picture of a scene which, I believe, above all others, is calculated to shew them to the best advantage. lam sure I have gimuuf,. fu;-* i-i. the very lively gratification it afforded. I am truly, your friend, &c. [The sentiments expressed in the concluding paragraph pf this piece, we cannot suffer to oc cupy a place in our paper without a few remarks. We know it is a prevailing opinion, published in almost every newspaper, and expressed in almost every circle, and thundered from the lips of ma ny an empty declaimer in Congress, that the minds and manners of the Indians are not suscep tible of cultivation. The expression, “ I firmly believe that all our liberal and humane attempts to civilize them will prove hopeless and unavail ing,” used by this writer, is substantially adopted by thousands in our country. But upon what da ta is this deep and thorough conviction founded ? Not surely upon the history of other nations; — for all were once in a state of equally “ hopeless” barbarism, and fram this condition they hare emerged by gradual and progressive steps. Nei ther do we think, that this conclusion is author ized by the hisfory of these savages. Few ra tional experiments have as yet been made for their civilization, add these few have by no means proved abortive. Many of these children of the forest have had no other intercourse with the whites, than that which is calculated to increase their debasement. Those tribes which have re ceived regular and Christian instructions, give us ample evidence of their talents and aptness to learn. The friends of Schools and Missions among the natives of the wilderness, will never be discour aged by the theories of political writers and Congressional declairoers, while they keep their ryr t stondily fiver! upon the happy changes wl/lcn have been effected “among me nnd upon the promises of Divine assistance in their labours of lqve.] LETTER FROM MR. FISK. From the Middlebury, ( Vermont ) Standard. Extract of a letter from Rev. Mr. Fisk, one of the American Missionaries to Jerusalem, to a gen tleman in this village, dated Smyrna, Sept. IG, 1821. I sometimes find it useful to institute id my mind a comparison between the institu tions and people of this country and of America. 1 can scarcely fancy myself in the same world or among the same race of beings. Think of a government in which every office is sold to the highest bidder, and in which a- criminal may almost uni formly obtain his freedom by the payment of money. Think of schools, in most of which the only thing taught is to pronounce the words of a language which neither pu pils nor teachers understand Think of places of publick worship, in which nearly all >he exercises *re performed in an un- known tongue. Think of one half the fe-’ males in the country prohibited from going out without concealing their faces, while both the laws and the religions of the coun try allow polygamy and concubinage. Think of a country, in which scarce one woman in an hundred can read, and where perhaps not half the men are more fortu nate. Think of a country, in which a gov crnour has liberty to behead seven men a day without assigning any teason whatever for so doing, where a criminal is condemn eiwwiuiuut jury, jiuu i hart almost said Wlin out trial or witnesses, and after being con demned, is immediately beheaded, strang led or hung at the first convenient place in the street, and left hanging two or three days. Think of a country in which, in case of publick disturbance, one half the community can murder whomsoever they please of the other half with impunity. Think of a country, in which an armed man will meet a respectable inoffensive citizen in the street of a populous city at mid day, and shoot him dead on the spot, and then sit down quietly and smoke his pipe in sight of the corpse, while even the guards of the city are passing by. Think of a country, in which the name of Christi anity exists hut only as a name for that superstition and idolatry, which belong to Paganism; and in which the delusions of the falee Prophet exist will all their impu rities and all their abominations. Such a country, or rather much worse than even this description, is Turkey. How differ erent from that country in which it is yntir happiness to live, and in which it was my happiness to commence my existence! Americans are generally proud of those privileges, which distinguish them from other nations. Would to God they were all equally zealous to improve as they ought j those privileges, i tbmk a short - : —r-~-- Price , j|3,sopr. ann. or, f $3,00 in advance, j residence in this country would prepare an American to appreciate more justly the privileges enjoyed in his native land. It seems to me as though if I were permitted to live in America again, every privilege would be doublj valuable. Just before closing this letter,-1 heard a pistdl fired at the door of (be house in which I live. On inquiry, I learned that a Turfc had shot a Greek. I went to the window, and saw the blood on the stones about 5 feet from the door, at which I Had entered 5 to 10 minutes before. The Wreek ex pired soon after. Such events happen al most daily since the revolt of the Greeks, in other parts of the Empire, and scarcely any notice is taken of them by authorities of the town. SANDWICH ISLAND MISSION. The following late and interesting particulars iff this Mjssion were communicated by Mr. Thurs ton, one of the American Missionaries to these remote islands. Let it not be forgotten, that a short time since, .the people who are here spoken of as being the subjects of Christian and literary instruction, were the worshippers of wooden'deities that these idols have been voluntarily renounced, and are no placed in the museums of England and America, as oh* Jects of publick curiosity, . “ W Mrs TANARUS, I take* my pen. From Kirooah we by Mowce, and there spent a month in comfortable circum stances ; after which we arrived here, and were received rnlo the bosom of the fami ly at Woahoo. After the perils I had ex perienced, I cannot describe to you my emotions, in reaching this establishment. It seemed like getting home to a fathers house. Here now, on an extensive plan, m a grass-thatched cottage, with half a do zen pupils, having the daily Society of Christian community, my time passes al most imperceptibly away. Eleven chil- dren and adults are members of ihe family, and about thirty of the school. Seven, long since, could read the scriptures intel ligibiy; several have committed to memo vy for children ; and sev eral have practised the art of writing with much suefcess. The King is becoming more temperate. Several of bis last inter views with the famlty L a y e gives vnuth encouragement. Last week he made his yeariy splendid entertainment in honour of his nnliciV momnrj,. ‘l’wo tables were spread in the midst of many thousand na tives, where himself, the mission familj', captains, officers, and residents, were seat ed. At his request a minister was situated at each table, and God acknowledged as giver of those good things, which were spread before them. “ We are now building the house sent out from America. When that is complet ed, be says he intends to taboo* dancing on the Sabbath, and to attend meeting. He wishes to have a house sent out to Aim, by the good people of America, three stories high s—one5 —one story for the worship of Jeho vah, as by and by he intends to pray. He wishes to have us get all (he sounds, and print books and prayers in the Oivhyhean language. He called (We other day, and wished to know how the abovementioned lathes Okahoo-hov , and John E-cJ had pro ceeded in their spelling-books and Testa ments. When he Was iuforriied, and had looked at -their writing, he three limes mentioned how very sorry he ivas, (hat ho had left off learning He felt vexed with himself for so doing;—was ashamed to be gin a second (imp ; and many people told him, by way of discouragement, they should think he would be. There is a prospect that his little brother will become a mem ber of the family, and be educated in tl. “ At Atooi prospects of usefulness are very flattering. Tamoree calls the breth ren and sisters stationed there his children{ and supplies their wants with all the indul gence of a fond father. Himself and his wire nave commenced inking their meal* at the table of the brethren, art? trepy de sirous to learn to read, and become ac quainted with; the contents of the Bible. The king ba'placed thirty children under their instruction, to be educated as children are in America.” * That is, forbid dancing on the Sabbath., t Boys mentioned in the preceding parts of the letter, as being most advanced in learning. Charleston , S. C. Feb. 16. HIARfNERS’CHURCH. On ijabbath last, the Mariners’ church of thi9 city was first opened for the s< rvice of our heavenly Father. An eloquent and ap propriate sermon was preached by lb® Rev. Dr. Palmer, from Psalm J 42, 4th verse—“ No man cared for my soul.” The first part of the discourse went to shew liow this useful clasS of our fellow citizens had been neglected in their moral and re ligious improvement: that neither the publick servants of God, nor private Chris tians, appeared to care for the souls of sail ors. The second part pointed out the ev idences, that there was a change of senti ment goine on, both in this city and other parts of the world—that people begin to> care for the souls of sailors—Marine Bible Societies l , Port Societies, ant} tjig.