Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-12-25

\ ~ Aaine Aam Anticipated
..'..;::s &C.,; \ N u q, . 80; - y;
He stated tkak u fst1rning 10 scenes 6g1s a.
him. he had besn disappointed but few Of te forms
and faces his memory had treasured nseparabe from
these scenes The mountains and the rivers remain
they WERE but other men and other occupy the
places of those whom he had left.
Thirytwo years ago he had gone from the habtations
of his people take up his abode among the Choctaw
Indians, in what was then regarded as the far West
This tribe then numbered about twenty thousand people,
and occupied vast region of territory On his journey
to their country he had travelled among civilized and
often opuent and intelligent white people, and had been
obliged listen to oaths and blasphemies from the lips
of many of the favored among them; but when he
reached the country of the red these things ceased
He heard oaths and rreverent mprecations
The Choctaws mind had not been SO far enlightened
respecting the Supreme Being to enable him to
baspheme that name He had, it is true, his superst
tions, in which he but too we'll established Rain
conjurors and fair weather conjurors and incarnation
DOCTORS and many other personages of the kind existed
among them but they had distinct conceptions of
Deity, their morality superior to their religious
knowledge Neither polygamy nor infanticde was deem
ed criminal That the child burden to its parent
and when twins were born of them was sure to be
put to death The "nobe savage and the freedom and
independence of forest life often extoled but by
the true and well-informed phanthropist.
1t is true that of the teachings of civilization
had preceded the abors of the Christian missionary and
that the intoxicating draught familiar to the untu
ored Choctaw. Its universal and the degraded
white was than vigant in ministering the
accursed appetite. Have you among your whole tribe"
asked missionary "none who refrain from this prac
tce-none who refuse drink, and who remain sober 2?
lie answered: Among that whole people there was
one man who did not debase himself by drunkenness An
appeal was at once madenot the white for pro-
lection from the destroyer but the red spurn
his cruel temptation. The appeal -nccrua The
Choctaws enacted and faithfully executed law excluding
all kinds of Intoxicating drinks from their territory In
the enforcement of this law liquors seized and
poured upon the earh kegs burnt and bottles
and TASKS broken Soon after this law went into opera
ton Improvement perceptbe. Previously all kinds
Of labor were performed by the 1t beneath
the dignity of the to labor, in the pursuits of
the chase the games practised among them After
ward the missionaries preached them and they came
willingly listen The task difficult and imper-
fecty performed An iiterate interpreter had to be
lied to interpret things he doubt little understood
Yet by such means they abored until they became
acquainted with the language Of the Choctaws and
thus prepared, they went to work to make al
phabe and translate the scriptures into Choctaw and to
write hymns to be sung in their worship. They built
schoohouses and gathered the children into them The
people approved all this and heartily as to ap-
propriae the extension of the system an annuity of
six thousand dollars for sixteen years. due to them the
United States Government Thus aided, the work pros
pered well for time, but many of the people of
Mississippi and Alabama discovered the "cupidity of
the missionaries and although the American Board was
spending on the Choctaws another dollar with each of the
six thousand appropriated by themselves, yet the minds
OF the Indians operated upon that the mssiona
almost regretted that they had accepted the annuity
as of extending the work The speaker quoted
the quaint words Of Dr. Wiherspoon that some things
die in less time than you kin them - and So he sad
expired this opposition to their labors.
School-houses and churches had greatly multiplied
when the Chocaws told that they move beyond
the Mississippi The people Of the United States wanted
the lands they occupied and the State Of Mississippi re-
quired their removal They submitted reluctantly and
their memorable and melancholy exodus
The cholera followed them their way and malignant
fevers awaited them in their home west of Arkansas
insomuch that at time higher estimate could be
made Of them than eleven thousand souls The mission
aries shared their exile The people had learned patience
and industry. In their home they
ganized constitutional republic, and their first egsa
tive act the re-enactment of their "lquor law"
which had been formerly nu6ed by the laws Of the State
of Mississippi, under which liquors had for some time
been sold among them in spite Of their opposition New
churches and school-houses were built, and farms
laid of and cultivated. Many of the houses built
by them are spacious comfortable and of fine appear
ance There are Baptists, Methodsts, and Presbyte-
rians among them probably $500 members in all Their
places Of worship well attended and they take deep
interest in the education of their offspring.
Many Mr. Baenne said, appear consider the Indians
doomed people, and believe that they perish and
mass away He sees no such necessity We live upon
the lands that we're theirs they recede before We
can well afford to follow them with Kindness and kind
ness may win and save them. In what has been done
among the Choctaws Christ has been honored and this
book pacng his hand upon the Bible been honored
with what other book could the missionaries have per-
formed the work that has been done through their
mentality? What nfdel book; what work Of philoso-
phys His hearer, might judge for themselves.
He would only add that if this work is to prosecuted
further ii needs the prayers and the contributions Of
christians. Whether these were to be offered by the
people before him, they themselves decide But
II the duty is not incumbent upon them, upon whom do,sa
dspolveP