MEMOIR OF THE REV. JOHN STUART, D. D.

THE LAST MISSIONARY TO THE MOHAWKS .

The conversion and civilization of the American Indians engaged the attention of Europeans atan early date. The christianizing of the Iroquois especially became the object of the Jesuits ofCanada as far back as 1642, and a few years afterwards Father Jogues laid down his life on theMohawk river, for the Gospel. The Dutch who first colonised these parts, did not give the subjectmuch consideration. The clergy at the Manhatans succeeded in teaching one young savage theprayers so that he could repeat the responses in church, and also to read and write well. He wasthen furnished with a Bible and was sent to evangelize the heathen. But he pawned the book forbrandy, became a thorough beast and did more harm than good. 1

The government of New York did not make any effort to christianize the Five Nations furtherthan to pay, for some time, a small salary to the clergyman at Albany to attend to the wants of suchIndians as might apply to him. The Rev. M r Freeman of that city translated morning and eveningprayers, the litany, the Athanasian Creed, with some passages of the old and New' Testament into theIndian tongue, but those professing to be Christians in 1710, are represented as “ so ignorant andscandalous that they can scarce be reputed Christians .” 2 In 1712, Mr. Andrew's was sent as aMissionary to the Mohawks by the Society for propagating the Gospel, and a church was built atthe mouth of the Scohary creek, but this Missionary soon abandoned the place, and as he was thefirst, so w r as he the last, that resided among them for a great many years, the Society afterwardscontenting themselves with imitating the policy of the government and allowing a small stipendto their clergyman at Albany to act as a missionary to the Mohawks . In which capacity he didthem but very little good.

In 1748, the people of New England turned their attention to this field of labor, and the Rev* 1Mess™ Spencer, Woodbridge, and Hawley visited successively the tribes on the Mohawk andSusquehannah rivers. 3 The commencement of the French war, soon afterwards, interrupted allmissionary efforts w r est of Albany , which w ere not renewed until 1761, when thel{ev d Dr. Wheelockdirected his attention to that quarter, and endeavoured by introducing Indians, as missionaries andschoolmasters, to reclaim the Natives from their savage life. He gives the result of his effortsand experience, in these words:

“Among those whom I have educated, there have been near forty who were good readers and writers, and were instructedln the principles of the Christian religion, as their age, and time, would admit, and were sufficiently masters of English grammar, arithmetic, and a number considerably advanced in a knowledge of Greek and Latin , and one of them carriedthrough college, and was a good scholar, and others carried through a course of learning with not less expence for each of them,than would have been necessary to have supported an English youth through a course of collegiate studies, and they havegenerally behaved well while they were with me, and left my school with fair and unblemished characters, and under themfluence of every motive I could set before them, to a good improvement of the distinguishing talents which God had com-mitted to them, and many of them have gone immediately from iny school into good, and reputable business, and suchbusiness as they were equal to, and generally to serve as schoolmasters, but some as interpreters, &c. and nothing has

1 O’Call. X. 'Motherland ii., 319.Vol. IV.

2 N. T. Poet. Hist. iii.

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3 X. Y. Doc. Hist. iii.