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 Memoir of the life of 
 
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MEMOIE 
 
 THE LIFE 
 
 ,K^ 
 
 JEREMIAH EVAETS, ESQ. 
 
 LATE CORRESPONDING SECRETARY OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF 
 COMMISSIONERS FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS. 
 
 BY E. C. TRACY. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY CROCKER AND BREWSTER, 
 
 47, Washington-street. 
 1845. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1845, 
 
 BY CROCKER AND BREWSTER. 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Herder, speaking of a National Biography, remarks that the 
 names of those only should have a place in it, who have actually 
 contributed something to the well-being of mankind ; and that, in 
 regard to such, it should be the biographer's chief aim to show 
 how they thus contributed ; how they became what they were ; 
 what obstacles they had to encounter ; how far they went, and 
 what they left to be done by others ; and finally how they them- 
 selves regarded what they had done — the work of their lives. 
 A true narrative embracing these points, he adds, and derived, as 
 far as practicable, from the lips or the writings of the subject of it, 
 or of those who most intimately knew him, would be like a voice 
 from the grave — like a Last Will and Testament of the deceased, in 
 regard to what was most peculiarly his own and his noblest legacy. 
 
 The first, at least, of these demands, is fully met in the follow- 
 ing pages. Mr. Evarts is to be numbered, beyond all question, 
 among those who have contributed to the well-being of their race. 
 For the rest, the writer can only say that he has studiously en- 
 deavored to make such use of the materials within his reach, as 
 not altogether to fail in the particulars mentioned by Herder. It 
 will be found accordingly, that the life of Mr. Evarts, and especially 
 the great employments of his life and liis views relating to them, 
 are laid before the reader chiefly in his own language. The se- 
 lections from his writings, published and unpublished, have been 
 carefully made with constant reference to this object. His pub- 
 lished writings have been used the more freely, not only as the 
 best biographical materials, but because they are not of such a na- 
 ture as to demand separate republication, and it is only in this 
 volume that any adequate record of his views on the important 
 subjects that most occupied him, will be generally accessible. 
 
 The papers left by Mr. Evarts are voluminous, as he was fond 
 of writing, and much in the habit of preserving every written thing. 
 But in one respect, they might by some be deemed deficient ; and 
 this volume may in consequence disappoint expectations. The 
 
4 PREFACE. 
 
 manuscripts contain little that relates directly to his own expe- 
 rience and progress in the Christian life. From a very early pe- 
 riod, passages of this kind become brief and incidental ; and even 
 papers relating to his Christian experience while in college, to 
 which the writer has been particularly referred, are not now to be 
 found. How far the following facts may account for this, it is im- 
 possible to determine. When leaving home on one of his earliest 
 journeys to the south, he directed that, in case of his decease, cer- 
 tain packages of papers should be destroyed. After his return he 
 was told by the person employed in his office, to whom the charge 
 was given, that it would not have been complied with. When 
 next called away on a distant journey, he looked over his papers 
 and committed many to the flames himself It is not supposed, 
 however, that after becoming engaged in the great business of his 
 life he ever wrote much on the subject referred to ; and to give 
 that topic any more prominence than it here holds, would not be 
 in keeping with his character and habits. His inner life as a 
 Christian was habitually and naturally expressed in his daily busi- 
 ness; and transacting that heartily as unto the Lord, and with 
 constant prayer, it became to him a chief means of spiritual disci- 
 pline. Hence even his official writings are often in the highest 
 sense autobiographical, and yet without the least obtrusion of the 
 private individual into the place of the functionary. 
 
 In the preparation of this volume the writer has been under 
 great obligations to gentlemen connected with the American Board 
 of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, and to other friends and 
 correspondents of Mr. Evarts who have furnished valuable sug- 
 gestions and materials, and has been very much aided by the 
 Memoir in the Missionary Herald, written (by one of his associates 
 soon after his death. To this last mentioned source, it will be 
 seen, he has been indebted almost exclusively, as was proper, for 
 the concluding pages of the Memoir, instead of trusting to his own 
 less intimate personal knowledge. 
 
 Such as it is, and with unfeigned diffidence respecting his own 
 agency in it, the writer submits the volume to the friends of mis- 
 sions and to the public, in the hope that so much of the mind and 
 spirit of Mr. Evarts will be found in its pages as to render them 
 of sterling value, and of iise to the cause in which he dehghted 
 above all things to labor while he lived, and to take leave of 
 which was one of the severest trials connected with approaching 
 death. E. C. T. 
 
 Windsor, Vt., Mmj, 1845. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I . 
 
 Birth and Childhood of Mr. Evarts, 9, 10. Studies at East Guilford, 10. Enters 
 Yale College, 11. Character in College, 12. Religious Habits, 17. Conver- 
 sion, 19 — 25. Early Habits as a Christian, 25, 26. Characteristic Traits, 27 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Prospects and Plans after leaving College, 29. At Peacham, Mr. Worcester's 
 Remarks on his Character and Habits, 30. Religious Diary, 32—36. Faith- 
 fulness as an Instructor, 37. Choice of a Profession, 37 — 43. Marriage, 44. 
 Student at Law, 44. At the Bar, 45—47. Political Views, 47, 4S. Religious 
 Activity, Letter from Professor Stuart, 4S — 50. Extracts from Corres- 
 pondence, 51 — 54 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Invited to take charge of the Panoplist as Editor, 55. Providential training for 
 his future position, 56 — 59. Origin of the Panoplist, State of the Churches, 
 Unilarianism, 59 — 62. Character, leading objects, and labors, as an editor, 
 62 — 94. Elevation of Christian Character, 63. Religious Education, 65. 
 Unitarian Controversy, 69. Intemperance, 75. "War, 76. Slavery, 79. Edu- 
 cation Societies, 90, 93. Prison Discipline Society, 90. Character as a Re- 
 former, 91. Foreign Missions, 92 
 
 CHAPTERIV. 
 
 Origin of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, 96. 
 Mr. Evarts elected Treasurer, 9S. Correspondence and otherlWritings in the 
 service of the Board, 99. Letter to Dr. Worcester on the Ordination of Mis- 
 sionaries at Newburyport, 107. Visit to Canada, and Letter on E3brts"to pro- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 mote the belter observance of the Lord's Day, 109. Failure of Health and 
 Voyage to Savannah, 110. Agricultural Riches of Georgia, 110. Congrega- 
 tions of blacks at Savannah, Portrait of the Countess of Huntington, 112. 
 Slavery, 113. Auction Sale of Slaves, 114. Prospects at Charleston in regard 
 to funds for Missions, 116. Charleston to Columbia, 117. Meeting of Synod 
 at Augusta, lis. Objects and Prospects of his journey. Arrival at Brainerd, 
 Visit to Rev. J. Gambold, 119. Catharine Brown, 121. Leaves Brainerd with 
 Mr. Cornelius and others, 123. Journal in Tennessee, 125. Route home, 126. 
 State of Indian affairs and assurances from Government, 127. Dr. Worcester's 
 Visit to "Washington, 129. Mr. Calhoun's Treaty with the Cherokees, 130. 
 President Monroe's visit to Brainerd, 131. Enlargement of Indian Missions, 
 Discouragements respecting Funds, 132. Failure of Dr. Worcester's health, 
 and his death at Brainerd, 133, 145. Letter to Rev. W. Goodell, on his Agen- 
 cy, 134. To Messrs. Parsons and Fisk, missionaries in Western Asia, 1-38. To 
 Rev. C. Kingsbury, embarrassments, 139. To Rev. Ard Hoyt, employments 
 and health, 140. To Messrs. Parsons and Fisk, motives to fidelity, 141. To 
 Dr. Worcester, want of funds, 141. To Dr. Chapin, qualifications of missiona- 
 ries, 142. To the Sandwich Islands, 148. Notices of the Death and Charac- 
 ter of Dr. Worcester, 149. Extract from the Annual Report, 153 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Mr. Evarts both Secretary and Treasurer, 159. Circulation of the Missionary 
 Herald. 160. Failure of Health and second Voyage to Savannah, 161. Death- 
 bed of a young Physician, 162. Letter to Hon. W. Reed, sense of official 
 duly, 165. To Rev. R. Anderson, names of stations, 165. Notes on the con- 
 dition of the Blacks, 166. Salubrity of Athens, Sufferings of the first Settlers 
 from the Indians, IGS. Dr. Waddel's views of Slavery, 170. Sabbath in Jack- 
 son County, 170. Employments at Brainerd, 171. Remarks on his visit, 174. 
 Proposal in regard to a Treasurer, 179. Journal in Tennessee and Virginia, ISO. 
 Annual Meeting of 1S22, Mr. Evarts Corresponding Secretary, ISl. Letter to 
 Rev C. King.sbury, on the death of Mrs. K., ISl. Journal of employments, 
 Health, 1S3. To Ceylon, first grant from the American Bible Society, Duties 
 of Missionaries, Letters home, 1S4. To Adam Hodgson, Esq., on his Letters, 
 166. Visit to Vermont, and third visit to the Indian Missions, with David 
 Brown, United Foreign Missionary Society, 1S7. Relations of the United 
 States Government to the Cherokees, interview with Rev. J. J. Robertson, ISS. 
 Letter to an Assistant, on the duties of his office, 1S9. Troubles in regard to 
 the Indians, 190. Cautions respecting accounts of Revivals of Religion, 191. 
 The Monthly Concert, note on Western Virginia, 192. Notes on Tennessee, 
 193. Visit to Brainerd, 197. Employments at home, 200. Letter to Eev. C. 
 Washburn, missionary economy, 201. To Mr. Hall, who had been alarmed by 
 exposure to violence, 203. To Cherokee Converts, 204. To. Mrs. Mosely, on 
 the death of her husband, 205 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Failure of Health and fourth visit to the South, Article on the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society, 207. Death of his youngest Daughter, 212, 21S, 221. Letter to 
 an agent, to obtain funds the hardest part of the missionary work, 212. To 
 Ceylon, on a revival of religion there, 214. To T. L. McKenney, Esq., on the 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 removal of the Indians, 215. Journal in South Carolina and Georgia, 218. 
 American Tract Society, New York and Boston, 219. Aid given by the Tract 
 Society to Foreign Missions, Death of Rev. P. Fisk, 221. Marriage of E. 
 Boudinot, 222. Labors at Meetings of Auxiliaries, 223. Return of Consump- 
 tive symptoms and fifth visit to Indian Missions, 224. Remarks on Complaints 
 against the Board, election of members. Colored men as missionaries to Afri- 
 ca, 225. Ability of the Country and want of Religious Charity, 226. Birth- 
 day Reflections, 227. Methodist Meeting, 22S. Instance of Liberality, 229. 
 Charleston to Augusta, 229. Instruction of Slaves, 231. TravelUug on the 
 Sabbath, 232. Special Concert of Prayer, 233. The Creek Treaty, 234. 
 Sabbath on the way, 234. Employments in the Indian Country, 236. The 
 Mississippi River, 237. Frances Wright, 23S. The Ohio, 240. Travelling on 
 the Sabbath, 242. Union of Missionary Societies effected, 244. Letter to 
 Rev. C. Kingsbury, encouragement to missionary labors, 244. To Rev. D. S. 
 Butrick, advice, 245. To John Nitchie, Esq., union of Societies, 246. To 
 Messrs. Bird and Goodell, death of Mr. Fisk, 247. To Rev. William Potter, 
 247. To Mr. Moses Jewell, personal acquaintance with missionaries, assist- 
 ants, 248. To a Gentleman on the General Plan of Indian Missions, 249. 
 To an Agent of the Board, 252. To a friend in Virginia, slavery, 252. To 
 Sandwich Islands Chiefs, 253. Death of Rev. G. Hall, 256. Annual Meeting 
 at New Haven, Extracts from Report, 256. Labors in New York, 261. 
 Arrangements with the American Tract Society, 262. Expostulatory Letter 
 to Missionaries, 
 
 264 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Visit to Washington in 1S27, and labors in connexion with Rev. C. S. Stewart, 
 267, 269, 272. Indian affairs, 26S, 269. Interview with the President, 269. 
 Creek Treaty, 270. Visit to Virginia, 272. Letter to Rev. C. Kingsbury, re- 
 moval of the Indians, 274. To Rev. R. Anderson, interview with Rev. Dr. 
 Green, Presbyterian missions, 275. Address to the Students at Princeton, 276. 
 Outrages at the Sandwich Islands, Lieut. Percival, 273. Increased interest in 
 Missions, 279. Letter to Josiah Bissell, Contributions of the rich, 279. An- 
 nual Meeting, Extract from Report, 2&1. Origin of the Extra Effort, 285. 
 Letters to E. Lord, Esq., on Extra Effort, 286, 7, 8. Paper in the Missionary 
 Herald, on same subject, 290 Article on Sandwich Islands, in North Ameri- 
 can Review, 291. Rehgious Movements in Boston, Spirit of the Pilgrims, 292. 
 Paper on qualifications of Missionaries, 293. Letter to Rev. C. Kingsbury, 
 apprehensions respecting the Indians, 299. To Rev. R. Anderson, Extra 
 Effort, 301, 2. Visit to Washington, March 1S28, 303. Mr. Randolph's 
 Speech, 304. George Guess and the Cherokee Alphabet, 305. Prospects of 
 the Indians, 306. Letter to Rev. C. Washburn, missionary economy, 307. 
 Case of Lieut. Percival, 309. Need of Agents for the Board among the 
 Churches, 313. Letter to S. G., combinations among the Students, 314. 
 Annual Meeting, Extract from Report, 315. Sabbath Mails, Sabbath Union, 
 Mr. Bissell, 3^^ 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Visit to Washington in 1S29, with reference to the Indians and the Sabbath 
 Mails— Col. Johnson's Sabbath Mail Report, 320. London Post-office, 322. 
 Interview with Gen. Jackson, 324. Measures to secure the discontinuance of 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Sabbath Mails, number and character of petitions, 325. Letter to D. Greene, 
 Sabbath Mails, Indian aflairs, 327. Views of the advocates of the removal 
 of the Indians, 329. Meeting of the Sabbath Union, Mr. Maxwell's Speech 
 on Temperance, 331. Meeting of the General Asi'embly, 332. Letter to L 
 S. Williams, revival of religion among the Choctaws, 3-33. To J. H., letter of 
 consolation, 334. Pressure of employments and failure of health, 335. Essays 
 of * William Penn," 336. Influence of the Essays, 347. Other labors on be- 
 half of the Indians, 349. Visit, in April 1S30, to Washington, 353. Aspect of 
 the Indian question, 3-54. Advice to friends in the Cherokee nation, 356. 
 Debate in the Senate on the Indian Bill, 3.57. Interview with Col. M'K, 360. 
 A new Treaty with the Choctaws, 361, 364. New Haven Theology, 362. 
 Letter to Rev C. Kingsbury, Indian affairs, 362. Sabbath Mails, 363. Influ- 
 ence of " William Penn." Mr. Frelinghuysen, New York Indian Board, Gen. 
 Cass, 365. Influence of Memorials, Vote of the Senate on the Indian Bill, 366. 
 Visit to Virginia, 367. Chief Justice Marshall, 368. Speeches of Messrs. Fre- 
 linghuysen and Livingston on Sabbath Mails, 369, 371. Debate on the Indian 
 Bill in the House of Representatives, 370—379. Consultations with Mr. Wirt 
 and the Cherokees, 379, 381. The Maysville Road veto, 3S0, 3SL Labors for 
 the Indians after his return home, 383 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Twentieth Annual Report of the Board, Extracts, 38-5 — 388. Further efforts on 
 behalf of the Indians, Letter to Rev. F. Wayland, 398. To E. Lord, Esq., 
 Annual Meeting, Suggestions in regard to the Indians, 400. To Rev. George 
 Potts, Christian duty of efforts in favor of the Indians, 401. To E. Lord, Esq., 
 Indian affairs, 402. Visit to New Bedford, 403. Last Instructions to Mission- 
 aries, extracts, 405. Failure of Health, Letter to Hon. I. C. Bates, 409. 
 Voyage to Havana, 410. Spiritual state of mind, 410. Conversion of his 
 eldest son, 413. Last days and triumphant death, 414—417. Remarks on his 
 character, 418 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Labors of Mr. Evarts in relation to the Indian Question, 431. Draft of a Protest 
 against the Principles and Policy of the Indian Bill of May, 1830,433. Address 
 to the People of the United States, by the General Council of the Cherokee 
 Nation, July 1830, 442 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 BIRTH AND EDUCATION, 1781—1802. 
 
 Jeremiah Evarts, eldest son of James and Sarah Evarts, was 
 born in Sunderland, Vermont, on the third day of February, 1781. ^ 
 His father, a native of Guilford, Connecticut, where the Evarts 
 family had resided from about the year 1650, was a respectable 
 farmer, and a man of uncommon public spirit ; his mother was 
 the eldest daughter of Timothy Todd, Esq., also of Guilford. 
 Her family, originally from Yorkshire, England, were distinguished 
 for their love of books ; and her uncle, Rev. Jonathan Todd, for 
 many years Pastor of the Congregational church in East Guilford, 
 is spoken of as one of the first scholars of his time. She was an 
 intelligent, pious, and benevolent woman ; and although removed 
 from opportunities to indulge to much extent the literary tastes 
 characteristic of her family, yet cherished enough of their spirit to 
 sympathize with and encourage those tastes in her son. To her 
 instructions and influence also, and to those of his excellent grand- 
 mother — who was a woman of strong mind and devoted piety — 
 must chiefly be attributed the religious impressions that attended 
 him through childhood and youth. James Evarts was among the 
 earliest inhabitants of Sunderland, and afterwards of Georgia, of 
 which township he was an original proprietor, and to which he 
 removed in 1787. The subject of this memoir, then six years of 
 age, was already distinguished for industry, faithfulness, and love 
 of books. Reading was his favorite amusement when less than 
 2 
 
10 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 three years of age, and among his characteristic employments at 
 that early period was the teaching of a little playmate, of his own 
 age, the alphabet. On returning from school one day in his fifth 
 year, he begged for a new book. What ! is your book worn 
 out ? asked his father. *' Oh no, sir ; but I have read all the 
 sense out of it," was the quick reply. No words could better 
 express his manner of reading through life. His time was chiefly 
 devoted to the usual employments of a pioneer farmer's son, where 
 hardy and enterprizing men were opening their fields in the midst 
 of primeval forests, near the shores of Lake Champlain, till he 
 left the paternal roof to enter upon classical studies in Connecticut. 
 Although his frame was too slender and his constitution too deli- 
 cate for hard and continuous labor, it was less his unfitness for 
 agricultural employments than the intellectual promise observed 
 by his family and friends that induced his father to give him the 
 best advantages in his power for obtaining a thorough education 
 and entering one of the learned professions. In his circumstances, 
 in a new settlement and with few books, the facilities for acquiring 
 knowledge, except those afforded immediately by parental watch- 
 fulness and care, were of course very limited. But of these, such 
 as they were, he made the most diligent use. When not other- 
 wise employed, he always had a book in his hand. " I believe," 
 remarked a sister, " that every page of the Spectator was as 
 familiar to him as his spelling-book, when quite a child." In 
 January, 1798, at the age of seventeen, he left home for East 
 Guilford, Connecticut, and was there placed under the tuition of 
 Rev. John Elliot, D. D., the worthy successor of Rev. Jonathan 
 Todd, mentioned above, who, as was common for clergymen in 
 those times, usually had a few pupils under his care. He had 
 before only acquired a knowledge of the English studies then 
 taught in common schools, and devoted two or three months at 
 Burlington to the Latin. He now resumed the study under 
 the strongest impulses of gratified desire, and of youthful ardor 
 and hope. While under the tuition of Dr. Elliot, between the 
 last of January and the first of September, 1798, he read and 
 reviewed those parts parts of Virgil, Cicero's Orations, and the 
 Greek Testament, which were then required of candidates for 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 11 
 
 admission to Yale College ; and a fellow-student remarks that he 
 was probably better fitted for admission than half of his class. 
 
 The discipline of the woods was salutary to young Evarts. He 
 had books and sympathy enough to cherish without fully gratify- 
 ing his intellectual tastes ; while the pursuits and observations of 
 his daily life were constant lessons of industry, energy, self-reli- 
 ance and hope. A brief journal, in which he made almost daily 
 entries from the time of his going to school at Burlington till after 
 he entered on his professional studies, shows him to have been 
 uncommonly thoughtful and observing, and to have possessed in 
 all respects a remarkable manliness and maturity of character. If 
 he had day-dreams, they were of books and learned men, and of 
 life in the learned professions ; while the realities of every hour 
 taught him how difficulties were overcome and victories achieved, 
 — to labor, as well as live, for the realization of distant hopes. 
 Improvement was an object kept always distinctly in view ; and 
 he was laboring constantly to furnish his mind with knowledge, to 
 form a character, and to qualify himself for usefulness. Nor was 
 he laying the foundation for intellectual eminence only : this early 
 period of his life was marked by conscientiousness, integrity, firm- 
 ness of purpose, freedom from passion and youthful levity, and a 
 wakeful interest in whatever affected the well-beinff of the com- 
 
 O 
 
 munity around him. 
 
 Thus, in his eighteenth year, and not yet a twelve-month from 
 his axe and plough, the young student was admitted a member of 
 the freshman class in Yale College in September, 1798. " I well 
 remember," says a classmate, " the first assembling of our divis- 
 ion of the class for recitation. We were all strangers to each 
 other, and felt the usual commixture of emotions which such an 
 occasion is wont to produce ; among which curiosity, and a desire 
 to form ' ominous conjectures ' in regard to each one's character 
 and merits, are not the least active. There sat Evarts, in a plain 
 rustic garb, with which fashion evidently had never intermeddled ; 
 his stature of the middling height ; his form remarkably slender ; 
 his manners stiff; and his whole exterior having nothing to pre- 
 possess a stranger in his behalf, except a countenance which be- 
 spoke as much honesty as ever falls to the lot of man. When his 
 turn came to recite he made z, strong impression on my mind, and 
 
12 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 I believe on the minds of most present, that he would take a high 
 stand as a scholar. He at once gained the respect of his com- 
 panions ; and those who were ambitious of intellectual superiority 
 seemed to feel that they would find in him a competitor." His 
 time at college was industriously and faithfully employed. He 
 wasted no hours in aimless reading, and passed over no subject 
 carelessly. On whatever subject he took up, his investigations 
 and reflections were continued till his views were fully settled and 
 ready for use. He did not read a book without knowing distinctly 
 what there was in it that he approved and what that he con- 
 demned, and being able to assign definite reasons. His habits 
 were methodical, and his memory, in regard both to principles 
 and facts, remarkably retentive. The extent to which he pushed 
 his studies in literature or science does not appear to have been 
 great ; but his attainments were of the most substantial and per- 
 manent character. The class to which he belonged was one of 
 the largest and best that had ever graduated at Yale, and was 
 publicly complimented as such by President Dwight. Evarts 
 was known as the severest student in college ; and in respect to 
 habits of accurate and successful investigation, thorough mastery of 
 the whole course of collegiate study, and ability to bring all the 
 faculties of his mind into judicious use, he probably had no supe- 
 rior in his class. 
 
 But his collegiate life cannot be passed over thus briefly ; al- 
 though the interest of the pages here devoted to it must result not 
 from any succession of brilliant intellectual triumphs, rarely 
 achieved and far beyond the common hope ; but chiefly from hab- 
 its and characteristics that every student may aim at without pre- 
 sumption and cultivate with success. " He was prominent," says 
 a classmate, " for his sagacity, his manly and industrious habits, 
 his generous regard of his companions, his wisdom and scholar- 
 ship, in the whole of his collegiate course ; and including the 
 whole series of studies, he had not his superior in the class. He 
 was punctual, to a proverb, in all the duties assigned him ; and 
 although conscious of what he could achieve, he never shunned 
 the society of his inferiors in point of talents and acquirements, 
 nor allowed himself to speak of them with a supercilious air, or 
 with severity, or even with disrespect and any unkjndness. I 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 13 
 
 never knew him severe either in college, or since, except upon 
 error, vice and crime. By this generous course, he endeared him- 
 self to all who had intercourse with him, secured the warm confi- 
 dence of his friends, and contributed to their usefulness and hap- 
 piness. He early developed qualities which fitted him to sway 
 the human mind, and to shape and direct public sentiment. On 
 all questions he was heard with interest ; and on questions of dif- 
 ficulty, when passions became violent, and the excitement ap- 
 proaching to a tempest, his voice, his counsels, his arguments, 
 which even then bore the dignity of age and experience, were 
 always influential, and often such as to control the meeting. Not 
 unfrequently, his efforts, in an emergency of unusual interest, se- 
 cured a triumph on the side he advocated ; and I do not recollect 
 an instance, in which he allowed himself to enlist warmly and 
 perseveringly on the wrong side. We were sure to hear the voice 
 of Evarts on the side of law, order, respect for constituted author- 
 ities, for superiors in age and office, and for the principles of virtue. 
 In these respects, he was an eminent example for all his colle<Te 
 acquaintance, and exhibited the same noble, generous, and fixed 
 traits of character, which were so happily developed in his subse- 
 quent life. When I have seen him in Boston, in New York, in 
 Philadelphia, and elsewhere, in private consultation or in public 
 discussion, I have been struck with the fact, and have remarked 
 it to others, how very like in his manner, in his matter, and in his 
 chief aim, is our friend Evarts to what he was in college : calm 
 cool, dignified, of unbending integrity, with the spirit of an acute 
 jurist, of a statesman, an apostle and a hero ; fearlessly sustaininf 
 the truth, to the honor of his country and the good of men. Presi- 4^ 
 dent Dwight acknowledged him among his favorites, as a scholar 
 as a Christian, and as a friend. In the senior year, when the ques- 
 tion before the class for forensic discussion was, * Is dancing a useful 
 employment ? ' Evarts came in competition with the President 
 in a manner which amused and instructed us all. The Doctor 
 allowed his pupils in freedom of remark, to any extent within the 
 bounds of decorum and sound argument. He had somewhat free- 
 ly stated the reasons in justification of dancing, and seemed to 
 justify balls, when properly conducted and confined to a select 
 party. Evarts had taken the other side of the question, and be- 
 
14 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 came alarmed at the appearance of a dangerous latitudinarianism 
 on this subject, from so high authority, and was anxious to secure 
 a righteous decision. In the course of the debate, and in reply- 
 to some views of the President, in a manner familiar, but respect- 
 ful and dignified, he turned upon him with an appeal derived from 
 that petition in the Lord's prayer, " lead us not into temptation." 
 * Sir, can you say to the youth in this community, anything which 
 shall encourage them in their fondness for the frivolities of the 
 ball-room ; that shall blind them to the vices and the many dan- 
 gers of this scene of delusive charms and merriment ? — can you 
 do this, when rising from your knees in prayer, having offered the 
 petition, lead us not into temptation, and with the sound of this 
 request still vibrating on your ear, enter the ball-room ; — or direct 
 your pupils to offer this prayer and then tell them that they can, 
 with safety or with innocence, resort to the ball-room, and lead 
 in the dance ? ' This appeal, with the attendant remarks, was 
 happy and powerful ; and whilst his classmates were delighted 
 with his decision and boldness, it was obvious that the President 
 himself was gratified, though his arguments were frittered and given 
 to the winds. This anecdote illustrates a leading characteristic 
 in this man, which he uniformly exhibited when the emergency 
 called for it." * 
 
 " His recitations," another remarks, " showed that he spared 
 no pains to master his studies ; and his accuracy on all points 
 proved the minuteness of his investigations and the clearness of 
 his apprehension. It was not with him, as it is with too many 
 who come out occasionally with superior mental efforts, giving ev- 
 idence of what they might be with uniform exertion, but as often 
 sinking into inferiority through want of constant diligence ; — he 
 was always prepared on his lessons ; his accuracy never forsook 
 him ; and 1 do not remember that he ever lost a lesson, or recited 
 one imperfectly. This will hold true of him through his whole 
 college course. As our studies varied in our onward progress, the 
 same accuracy and diligence were still conspicuous. I do not 
 
 * In one of his Note Books of this period, is a sketch of the leading- considerations 
 urged by him in the debate mentioned above. The topics enumerated exhaust the 
 subject, and are selected and arranged with a degree of judgment and ability that 
 would be expected only from mature intellect and long practice. The argument was 
 afterwards written out and published in a series of numbers in a newspaper. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 15 
 
 consider it invidious to others to say that, all things considered, 
 he early became the first scholar in his division of the class, and 
 maintained that rank to the end of his collegiate course. Others 
 may have excelled him somewhat in some particular department ; 
 but, taking the various branches of study into view, I am confident 
 that all would have awarded him the first place. 
 
 " Mr. Evarts was naturally inclined to be accurate and partic- 
 ular about everything. Whenever he examined a subject, he 
 wished to know all about it, and to understand it just as it was. 
 Whatever he undertook to do, he endeavored to do it well. Yet 
 there was nothing in him which we usually denominate plodding. 
 His perceptions were quick, and he grasped a subject with great 
 readiness, but without parade ; and having grasped it, he never 
 relinquished his hold. He possessed, also, much acutencss of 
 mind. It was a hard matter, indeed, to impose upon him with 
 false appearances. I was never acquainted with a man who was 
 naturally a greater lover of truth, relate to what it might ; and 
 few, I believe, have been better able to comprehend it. It is dif- 
 ficult to say in what department he particularly excelled. His 
 mind was of such a structure that it made little difference to what 
 branch of study his attention was directed. He seemed to con- 
 sider all the parts of the course of study pursued in college as 
 wisely prescribed by the proper authority, and well adapted to 
 the improvement of the mind ; and that he was not at liberty to 
 form predilections in favor of one or more branches to the neglect 
 of others, and then to rely on his distaste for the latter as an apol- 
 ogy for his defects, and a quietus to his conscience. For the first 
 two or three years he excelled less in composition than in any 
 other collegiate exercise ; not from the want of thoughts, and a 
 clear and forcible expression of them, but rather from a defect in 
 the ornaments of style, and rhetorical embellishment in general. 
 I well remember a remark made to him by our Tutor,* after read- 
 ing a composition some time in our junior year, that his style and 
 language were correct, and such as were suited to the gravity of 
 age ; but unless he cultivated a more florid style in the season of 
 youth when some redundancy is tolerated, he would be in danger, 
 
 * Rev. Henry Davis, D. D., afterwards President of Middlebury and Hamilton 
 Colleges. 
 
16 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 as he advanced in life, of becoming dry beyond what a proper re- 
 gard to taste would warrant. This intimation was not thrown 
 away. From that time he began to cultivate his style ; and 
 his compositions soon evinced that he possessed good taste, as 
 well as solidity of thinking. The fact was, his mind had been 
 too intent on truth to regard with much solicitude the mere garb 
 in which it was presented to others. In his senior year, the in- 
 vestigation of moral truth, in direct reference to the benefitting of 
 mankind, seemed to be his favorite pursuit. He had little relish 
 for curious speculations. Theories he did not discard ; but such 
 as were reducible to practice were the only ones which claimed 
 his serious attention. 
 
 It was not until the middle of his senior year, that Mr. Evarts 
 became a Christian. Before this event, hovk^ever, his moral princi- 
 ples and conduct were strictly correct. No one ever possessed 
 o-reater natural integrity, or was more punctilious in the discharge of 
 what he deemed to be his duty. He was always conspicuous for his 
 industry, and his love of order, punctuality and method, in what- 
 ever he undertook. Few scholars had ever less occasion for self- 
 reproach on account of time misspent. In his intercourse with 
 his companions, he was open-hearted, honest, sincere. He ap- 
 peared to have an instinctive dislike for whatever was morally 
 wrong, vain, or frivolous ; and he was forward to reprove it, 
 wherever discovered. No one in the class was allowed to admin- 
 ister reproof with equal freedom, or could do it with so little 
 offence. Such was his reputation for integrity and judiciousness, 
 that none seemed to question his motives, or refused to pay def- 
 erence to his opinions. Some might have thought that his ten- 
 dency was to be somewhat too censorious, but no one doubted 
 the purity of his intentions, or the benevolence by which he was 
 actuated. He was not prone to consider any faults as venial ; 
 and for that reason he did not admit, as justifications, many of the 
 excuses which might be pleaded in self-vindication. At any rate 
 he was impartial ; for he judged himself by the same rule that he 
 applied to others, and practised favoritism to none. There was 
 nothing in his character which bordered on moroseness. Though 
 grave, he was cheerful ; he was fond of society, companionable 
 in his habits and feelings, entertaining in his conversation, and 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 17 
 
 ready both to receive and to impart innocent amusement. Though 
 a strict disciplinarian, he was a great enemy to all stifihess and 
 formality in the intercourse between friends. Among these he 
 made himself at home, treated them without reserve, and wished 
 to be so treated in return. This was the result both of his natu- 
 ral directness of manner in all his conduct, and of the openness 
 of his disposition. Notwithstanding his natural gravity and seri- 
 ousness, k\v men ever had a stronger sense of the ridiculous, or 
 were more easily provoked to a laugh by the sudden presentation 
 of a ludicrous object." 
 
 Such was he before he became a new man in Christ. Through 
 the whole period of his youth, he had been attentive to the claims 
 of Divine truth, and of unblemished morals. In the house of 
 God he was a careful and studious hearer. From the time of his 
 arrival at Guilford the subjects of all the sermons that he heard 
 were noticed in his Diary, sometimes with brief outlines, and at 
 others with a remark or two of his own. After he entered college 
 and became a hearer of Dr. Dwight, these notes became gradu- 
 ally more copious, those of a single sermon sometimes occupying 
 many pages. His respect for the Bible and the Sabbath were 
 unusual ; and at the daily religious exercises in the coJlege chapel, 
 his air and manner were devotional. The Scriptures read and 
 the remarks made by the President at these services were fre- 
 quently noticed in his Diary. He has been heard to say that it 
 was a matter of inquiry with him then, whether he did not pos- 
 sess a truly religious character. But he had not yet learned the 
 plague of his own heart, and afterwards felt the need of a state of 
 soul far different from anything that he had yet experienced. 
 Among his p; pers is a Prayer, dated February 26, 1798 ; a few 
 months before he entered college. The next year he became a 
 regular attendant at the meetings for prayer held weekly by the 
 few pious students then in college, and read with great interest 
 such missionary intelligence as came within his reach.* Occa- 
 sional passages from his Journal show that religion was a subject 
 of frequent and serious thought : 
 
 * A ■' Missionary Magazine" was then pnWished at New York, 
 
18 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 1800, Aug. 24, — Sunday. The President preached in the 
 morning, from Titus ii. 6. At the close of the sermon he rec- 
 ommended to us, to shut ourselves up after divine service in the 
 afternoon, and look into our prospect for the world to come. In 
 this examination he advised us to leave passion and appetite be- 
 hind, and to go according to the dictates of reason and conscience. 
 This advice (God willing) I intend to follow. In the afternoon 
 the text was 1 Peter i. 15, 16. I endeavored to comply with 
 the President's request. It is wonderful how remiss men are in 
 respect to their future state. I have been remarkably so. At the 
 same time I have a very feeble constitution, and my health is very 
 bad ; so that it is probable I shall soon go down to the grave, the 
 house appointed for all the living. I pray God, in his infinite 
 mercy, to prepare me for the change. 
 
 Dec. 28, P. M. A sermon from the last verse of Ecclesi- 
 astfts. It was very affecting. O God, may I live mindful of the 
 
 judgment 1 , of our class, was propounded for admission 
 
 to the church. Would that I were fit. 
 
 These serious hours were however comparatively only excep- 
 tions to the general tenor of his life, which was still " according 
 to the course of this world." 
 
 1801, Aug. 19. News arrived of the death of Strong, my 
 classmate. He was a member of the visible, and we hope of the 
 real church of Christ. He and I were appointed disputants to- 
 gether seven months ago, and now he is gone ! ' One shall be 
 taken, and another left.' This certainly ought to be a warning 
 to me, and God grant that it may. 
 
 1802, Jan. 9. From my own experience I am induced to 
 believe that evil spirits are continually present on this earth, and 
 that they tempt and lead astray the minds of men. Else, whence 
 does it so frequently happen to me, and to many others, that, when 
 we are thinking seriously on any subject, the bent of our minds is 
 suddenly turned aside, and something seems to force itself forward 
 on purpose to distract attention. The thoughts introduced are 
 also of a light and profane character, — besides the circumstance 
 of their being such as never before occurred. How ought vv'e to 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 1^ 
 
 pray for assistance in the hoar of formidable temptation ! How 
 ought we to thank the Lord for his kind protection of us against 
 he wiles of the arch-deceiver, and for the assurance in his word, 
 — ' resist the devil, and he will flee from you.'' 
 
 March 7. My friend Field * was admitted into the holy 
 communion of the Christian church. I pray God that I may be 
 no longer careless about my eternal salvation. 
 
 The admission to the church of a member of his class, as men- 
 tioned in the last extract, and a conversation with the same indi- 
 vidual the week before, were the means of greatly deepening Mr. 
 Evarts's religious impressions. The evening of the 13th of March 
 was spent by him in conversation with Dr. Dwight and his tutor, 
 Mr. Davis, on the question, What shall I do to be saved ? He 
 very soon after found peace in believing, and consecrated himself 
 to the service of Christ in a written covenant, as recommended in 
 Doddi'idge's * Rise and Progress,' which he was reading at the time. 
 This was before any uncommon seriousness began to prevail in 
 college. He very soon became a member of the College church, 
 and engaged, humbly, but zealously and with characteristic frank- 
 ness and decision, in labors to bring his fellow-students to know 
 and obey the truth. 
 
 But this season was the beginning of an era not only in his 
 life, but in the religious history of the College, and, to a great 
 extent, of our country. 
 
 " When Evarts entered college," says his classmate, Dr. Field, 
 *' there were very few pious students. Two only are believed at 
 that time to have joined the class, and one of these died the sec- 
 ond year. There were some solitary conversions afterwards, and 
 about seven before the revival began. There were a few in the 
 three under classes ; from fifteen to twenty among all the students ; 
 who, with those belonging to the faculty, constituted the College 
 church. The graduates in the four classes affected by the revival, 
 namely, those who took their degrees in 1802-5, were 221. The 
 pious students had been in the habit of meeting weekly for 
 prayer, to implore the influences of the Holy Spirit upon their 
 
 * Rev. D. D. Fieldj D. D., now of Haddam, Conn. 
 
20 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 own hearts and upon the hearts of theh' associates. Those seasons 
 were very precious. Says one accustomed to attend them, whose 
 letter is before me, ' If 1 ever knew what it is to pray with fer- 
 vency, if I ever had any true fellowship with Christians, it was at 
 those meetings.' The college all along enjoyed the excellent in- 
 structions of President Dwight, who was also professor of theology. 
 The discourses contained in his system of theology were preached 
 to the students, together with miscellaneous discourses, oftentimes 
 more experimental and pungent, and at times not less eloquent. 
 These were now specially owned and blessed of God. 
 
 " It should be mentioned here, certainly not with boasting, but 
 with gratitude to the Father of mercies, that the class to which 
 Mr. Evarts belonged, was saved from those unhappy occurrences, 
 to which ardent and inexperienced youth are much exposed, so 
 appropriately denominated college scrapes. Nothing of this kind 
 took place through their whole course ; nor was an individual in 
 the class detected in anything which occasioned expulsion, sus- 
 pension, or public admonition. This unusual exemption was 
 ascribable to various causes ; to the paternal government of the 
 college, to the excellent tutors, (Mr. Day, now president of the 
 college, and Mr. Davis,) who instructed the two divisions of the 
 class the first three years, and in whom the greatest confidence 
 was placed, and to the influence of Evarts and other prominent 
 individuals, who were always on the side of order and virtue. 
 
 " It is not in my power, after the lapse of more than thirty 
 years, to describe minutely the workings of Evarts's mind ; 
 though it is well remembered that his distress was great. This 
 appeared in his countenance and in everything pertaining to him. 
 But he soon found joy and peace in believing in Christ. Having 
 been well indoctrinated, he assumed almost at once the character of 
 a confirmed as he did of a humble believer. On the 4th of April 
 he united with the church. At this time, (as it is stated in the 
 account of the revival in the Connecticut Evangelical Magazine,) 
 *a few others, though it was not then publicly known, had become 
 particularly attentive to divine things.' On the 3d of May three 
 others united with the church, who are now ministers of the gos- 
 pel in three different States ; and on the 10th, three more, one of 
 whom was the Rev. Joshua Huntington, the late greatly beloved 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 21 
 
 pastor of the Old South Church in Boston. ' Before their ad- 
 mission,' (that is, the admission of these six in May,) says the 
 account just referred to, ' a small number of others began to be 
 uncommonly serious. About this time the same disposition ap- 
 peared rapidly to extend itself, so that before the vacation, which 
 began on the 12th of May, not less than fifty of the students ex- 
 hibited a new and very solemn sense of the importance of divine 
 things.' At no period of the revival was the work more rapid 
 and powerful than in the first part of this month. The convictions 
 of some were very deep, and in some instances they were pro- 
 longed. In the prospect of separating, the pious part of the stu- 
 dents were very much concerned lest they themselves and their 
 awakened companions should suffer from the temptations to 
 which they would be exposed during the period of relaxation ; 
 the Lord was entreated to prevent the evil, and the evil was pre- 
 vented. The pious and the awakened in one case and in another 
 found among their relatives and their friends, among ministers 
 and private Christians, those who took the deepest interest in their 
 situation, who counselled them and prayed for them. Thus the 
 revival became a subject of greater notoriety and of more general 
 interest. As there had been no considerable revival in the college 
 for a long period, and as there was a great want of ministers in 
 the country, many blessed God for what had been accomplished. 
 Public prayers were offered for the advancement of the revival in 
 some of the churches in the State. No one is recollected to have 
 lost his impressions during the vacation. So it is said in the ac- 
 count to which reference has been repeatedly made : ' On their 
 return, after vacation, the same character still predominated, and 
 hitherto not an individual has appeared to lose the interest which 
 he had professed to feel in religious subjects. The only change 
 which has been perceived is that in which good men will rejoice. 
 The determination to leave all and follow Christ, has, it is be- 
 lieved, become stronger and more settled. The number also has 
 become considerably enlarged — upwards of eighty appear now 
 to be deeply interested in their salvation.' This account was 
 dated on the 15th of June. It was drawn up by a member of the 
 faculty, and was, not improbably, shown to all the members, and 
 approved by them. It is remarkably candid and correct, so far as 
 
22 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 it goes. It should be remembered however that the revival pro- 
 gressed after this was written. In the month of July, twenty-two 
 were admitted to the church, fourteen of whom have been settled 
 in the ministry. A number were admitted in the month of Au- 
 gust, and on the first Sabbath in September, the Sabbath preceding 
 the commencement, when Mr. Evarts and fifty-five others took 
 the Baccalaureat degree. Of these, twenty-five were then pro- 
 fessors of religion. These entered into a covenant of mutual cor- 
 respondence and fidelity. They also engaged, among other things, 
 to be done for their classmates universally, 'to pray for those of 
 them who were then inquiring the way to Zion, that they might 
 be brought into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, and that 
 those who were then in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity 
 might be brought to the acknowledgment of the truth as it is in 
 Jesus.' Two died within a year, whose minds were impressed in 
 the revival, and who gave some evidence of piety, though they 
 did not unite with the church on earth. Several others united with 
 churches either that year, or soon after, whose religious course 
 commenced that season. Of this class of fifty-five, twenty are 
 now in their graves. 
 
 " The number of converts in all the classes would doubtless be 
 estimated differently. Without attempting too great precision, it 
 would probably be, by different individuals, between seventy-five 
 and ninety ; while a happy influence was thrown over the college 
 at large. Though at first a very few were disposed to cavil, yet 
 the appearance of opposition scarcely existed while the revival 
 continued. The impression was nearly or quite universal that the 
 work was of God. Everywhere, in the apartments of the stu- 
 dents, in the recitation rooms, in the college yard, in walks in the 
 streets in and about the city, and especially in the sanctuary, 
 there were indications of the divine presence. 
 
 " ' With respect to religion,' continues the account, ' all of 
 them are greatly desirous to be taught, but none to assume the 
 office of teaching. No spirit of self-sufficiency, no inclination to 
 distribute censures, no appearance of arrogance, no flights of a 
 wild imagination, have hitherto been discovered. The lofty- 
 minded have become humble, the light-minded sober, the thought- 
 less solemn, and the vicious regular and uncensurable. The doc- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 23 
 
 trines of grace appear almost instinctively to be acknowledged by 
 all, without a doubt, as the doctrines of the gospel — the doctrines 
 according to which they hope to be saved. 
 
 " ' The influence of this spirit on their companions has been 
 visible and not unimportant. There are very few who are not 
 more solemn, and in whom a greater propriety of conduct is not 
 clearly discernible. 
 
 " ' On the whole, the state of Yale College is, in the view of 
 the instructors, more pleasing and desirable than at any former 
 period within their knowledge.' 
 
 " The college exercises, I think, were not suspended at all ; 
 but the students availed themselves of the intervals between study 
 hours and other college duties, and spent them in reading, conver- 
 sation and devotion. Whenever they met, two, five, ten or more 
 together, religion was the all-absorbing subject of thought and re- 
 mark. Some of the discourses of the President at that time were 
 particularly impressive. One is recollected on divine sovereignty, 
 and another on the text, ' Think not to say within yourselves, 
 We have Abraham to our father : for I say unto you that God is 
 able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.' The 
 venerable Dr. Perkins, of West Hartford, came and spent a Sab- 
 bath at college. A sermon was preached there by Rev. Ammi 
 R. Robbins, of Norfolk ; and another by Rev. Azel Bachus, D. D., 
 then of Bethlehem, afterwards President of Hamilton College, 
 from the passage, ' Except ye be converted, and become as little 
 children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.' 
 
 " The influence of this revival upon the college at the time has 
 been sufficiently shown. It must have been happy on succeeding 
 classes. Religion has never been as low at that institution since 
 as before. 
 
 " The influence of this revival has been important on society. 
 When this is said, it is not to be disguised that a few, of whom bet- 
 ter things were then hoped, have since given but doubtful evi- 
 dence of piety. But to the honor of divine grace it should be 
 recorded, that the mass of those who were then regarded as truly 
 converted to God, have adorned their profession. About forty-five 
 became ministers of the gospel, who first found a good hope 
 through grace at that time. Some were orevented from entering 
 
24 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 the ministry through feebleness of voice or of general health. 
 These, with others have carried the influence of piety into vari- 
 ous occupations and departments of life." 
 
 Another classmate,* speaking of his conversion, says : " I know 
 that for some time previous his attention was strongly turned upon 
 religious subjects ; that his natural conscientiousness, regard to 
 truth, punctiliousness as to duty, and his attention to the means 
 of grace were much strengthened ; and that he was one of the 
 first whose hopeful conversion became the harbinger of good 
 things to come. As soon as he became, in his own estimation, a 
 disciple of Christ, he put forth all his powers in the service of his 
 Master. He considered himself called upon to live to the glory 
 of God and the good of mankind. He took an active and con- 
 spicuous part in promoting the revival, and was anxious to extend 
 its blessings to every individual in college. He shunned no re- 
 sponsibility and refused no labor in subserving to this end. Such 
 had been his previous moral training, such the correctness of his 
 views on matters of religion, such the maturity of his judgment, 
 and such his general weight of character, that he seemed hardly 
 to pass a novitiate in a religious life, but took at once the attitude 
 of an old disciple. His counsel and advice were soon in demand, 
 and were given with an ease and a promptitude which seemed 
 natural only to long experience. How far his prayers and exer- 
 tions contributed to advance that work of divine grace whicl^ dif- 
 fused such joy and gladness through the churches in our land, and 
 whose fruits are enjoyed to this day, can be known only to the 
 Being to whom those prayers and exertions were consecrated." 
 " In a youth whose mind had been so well disciplined," says 
 another, " and whose moral and even religious habits had been 
 very much in accordance with the gospel, so far as the eye of 
 man could see, the change from the old to the new man in Christ 
 Jesus, would not be so marked, especially in his external conduct. 
 But he was effectually convicted of his deep native depravity — 
 placed no reliance for acceptance on any previous character or 
 qualification, — and with a repentance accompanied with self- 
 loathing and self-condemnation, he gave himself to God, relying 
 
 * Hon. John Hall, of Ellington, Conn. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 25 
 
 solely on his mercy through Christ. I mention this because of 
 his strictly moral life before his conversion, and that it may be 
 known that from the first he was prepared to take the ground of 
 total ill-desert on his part. But although no striking change ap- 
 peared in his conduct, the evidence of a great revolution in the 
 entire man appeared in the marked elevation of his whole mind, 
 
 — his views, feelings and aims now having come under a holy 
 influence ; his virtues were ennobled and animated by the as- 
 pirations of holy love ; his soul acted under a new sense of the 
 excellence of purity, and struggled with fresh vigor to acquire it, 
 
 — alive to the degradation of mankind under the pressure of sin, 
 and alive to the purpose to vindicate the claims of divine truth. 
 His correspondent solicitude for the spiritual welfare of his class- 
 mates and others, and the faithful labors which resulted from it, 
 greatly endeared him to not a few, and rendered his usefulness to 
 the church of Christ, even in the first weeks of his membership, 
 prominent." 
 
 But however high the estimate made by others of the Christian 
 character and the usefulness of Mr. Evarts at this time, he was 
 himself deeply sensible of his own insufficiency, and of his constant 
 need of grace, and strength, and wisdom from above. The vaca- 
 tion, which commenced about the middle of May, was spent 
 in a visit to his friends in Vermont. His journal gives evidence 
 of habitual watchfulness and self-searching : 
 
 " Called," he says, " upon M., of the junior class. Found his 
 religious impressions not yet worn off, — thanks be to God." " I 
 sinned this day in speaking rashly and in harboring evil thoughts." 
 " To-day T was vain, light, ostentatious and foolish in some of my 
 behavior. For three nights past I have been where family prayers 
 were attended. How delightful it is." " Sabbath. Last night I 
 endeavored to examine my conduct for the week past. O Lord, 
 it is of thy goodness that I am not cut off in my sins." " Lord's 
 Day. As this is the first Sabbath in the month, I have endeav- 
 ored to examine my conduct for the five weeks past." *' During 
 the week past I have spoken too much against people, and have 
 been too ready to condemn others rather than myself." "Satur- 
 day. On looking back I find that for the past week I have been 
 remiss in the daily examination of my conduct." ■' ' Then shall 
 4 
 
26 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 two be in the field ; the one shall be taken, and the other left.' 
 The truth of this is seen in college at the present time. In sev- 
 eral instances persons have all at once forsaken their vicious com- 
 panions, and have bent their whole thoughts to the redemption that 
 is in Christ. Those have been taken in whom we should have least 
 expected such feelings. O Lord, continue to pour out thy spirit 
 upon this institution. O may none here be left." "' He that 
 converteth a sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul 
 from death.' Who that is qualified would not rejoice to engage 
 in this labor of love ! to convert one soul ! to liberate an immortal 
 soul from the bondage of sin, and from a state of exposedness to 
 eternal banishment from the presence of the Lord, and to bring 
 that soul into the way to the enjoyment of beatific visions forever 
 and ever ! How well is a neighbor's soul worth the toil of a 
 whole life! What can be done for the salvation of men, that we 
 ought not to do ? How diligently ought we to search for oppor- 
 tunities to offer admonition, expostulation, or reproof; to bring the 
 sinner's acts before the tribunal of his conscience, and to show 
 him how depraved he is by nature and by practice. A faithful 
 minister has the promise of a crown of glory laid up for him by 
 his divine Master. How glorious to be the instrument of the Al- 
 mighty in effecting the purposes of his love ; how glorious to be 
 called a servant of God, and to be engaged in the same work with 
 him ! Never since the days of the apostles was there more en- 
 couragement to preach the gospel, than now." " On Wednesday 
 I did not give any admonition according to my fifth resolution." 
 
 Thus was commenced his Christian life ; with a formal conse- 
 cration of himself to God, with a series of written resolutions, and 
 with daily, weekly, monthly, and annual seasons for the review of 
 his conduct and for strict self-examination. 
 
 In the appointments for commencement, when he took his 
 Bachelor's degree, an English oration was assigned to him, and 
 his place for speaking was at the close of the morning exercises. 
 " When his name was called," says a classmate, " some of the 
 audience, wearied by the length of the preceding performances, 
 were retiring. In his personal appearance there was nothing pre- 
 possessing ; but he had scarcely began to speak, when there was 
 a marked attention among those who were near him, which soon 
 spread through the house. His subject was, " The Execution of 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 27 
 
 the Laws." It was treated with such clearness of statement, 
 such cogency of reasoning, and such eloquence and solemnity of 
 appeal, as awakened universal admiration.* 
 
 Among the characteristic traits with which he left college may 
 be noticed — 
 
 1. His attachment to his classmates. This was singularly 
 strong. He loved them as brothers ; and as long as he lived, no 
 lapse of time, or change of place or of circumstances, obliterated 
 his affection. If his memory is cherished, by those of them who 
 survive him, with fond regard, it is not only a tribute justly due to 
 his many virtues, but a merited return for his own fidelity of affec- 
 tion. In college he was one of the few who in that season of 
 literary ambition and desire for personal distinction, can receive 
 praise without being envied, and honors without being grudged. 
 He was also one of the few who can receive praise without self- 
 flattery, be honored without becoming proud, and be conscious of 
 his own powers and attainments without self-conceit. It is not 
 wonderful, therefore, that he passed through college and left it, as 
 he did, without an enemy, and that friendships there contracted 
 became perpetual. The dispositions thus cherished towards his 
 early associates prepared him to derive similar advantages and 
 pleasures from all the numerous and diverse connexions with his 
 fellow-men into which he was thrown in after life. His fellow- 
 laborers in the cause of truth and righteousness were, like his fel- 
 low-students, always friends. 
 
 2. Another characteristic as a student was, his deference to 
 superiors in age, wisdom, and goodness, and his love of their so- 
 ciety. He had none of that foolishness of youth which prevents 
 sittino at the feet of age ; none of that conceitedness of "little 
 learning " which forbids listening with deference to riper schol- 
 arship. With an honest desire for improvement, and as the right 
 of ingenuous youth engaged in the pursuit of knowledge, he 
 sought the acquaintance of men eminent for wisdom and ability. 
 He had none of that paltry vanity which seeks for companions 
 among whom it can shine as the first ; he never feared or blushed 
 to be among men who would eclipse him. In the choice of so- 
 ciety, and with regard to his bearing in it, he was honest, open- 
 
 * This Oration was afterwards published in the Panoplist, vol ii., p. 318. 
 
2g LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 hearted, manly. He knew his own resources, and used them 
 freely but modestly, — perfectly willing that others should know 
 alike their extent and their limits. This honest openness prepared 
 him to turn his hours of social intercourse to the best account. 
 While he was an under-graduate there was a periodical meeting 
 of the literati of the college, to which a select number of his 
 class were to be, for the first time, admitted, and to which he 
 looked forward with high anticipations of pleasure and improve- 
 ment. " I well remember," says a classmate, " his strong ex- 
 pressions of disappointment and indignation when the ill-timed 
 levity of some of his associates prevented the benefit which might 
 have been expected from such society." 
 
 3. Again, his mind was always awake to what passed around 
 him, and industriously gathered materials for future use, from every 
 quarter. His journals and note-books are replete with the fruits 
 of this activity. The remarks of his instructors, especially those 
 of Dr. Dwight ; the exercises read by his classmates, and the 
 disputes held by them before the tutors and the President ; public 
 occurrences ; his hours of social intercourse and relaxation, as well 
 as his studies and miscellaneous reading, — were all alike laid under 
 contribution, and made subservient to the high purposes of self- 
 improvement and future usefulness. 
 
 4. His habit of calling himself to strict account at regular and 
 short intervals, is another point that deserves remark. He acted 
 in the spirit of that Scripture, — If we would judge ourselves, we 
 should not be judged. In his pecuniary accounts he was equally 
 strict. He never avoided any expenditures that were proper, and 
 always made liberal provision of conveniences and comforts both 
 for himself and his friends ; but every cent was rigidly accounted 
 for. This was habitual from his boyhood. To secure more per- 
 fectly the object of it, he adopted while in college the practice of 
 a careful monthly examination of his accounts, when every item 
 of expenditure was brought under review and criticised. On leav- 
 i ng college, the whole expenditures of the four years were faith- 
 fully reviewed. The items were arranged under distinct heads, 
 with remarks upon each. The habits thus cultivated were of in- 
 estimable value to him afterwards, especially in connexion with 
 various religious charities. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 LIFE AT PEACHAM AND NEW HAVEN, ISOS— ISIO. 
 
 After leaving college, Mr. Evarts spent a few months at his 
 paternal home, employed chiefly in classical and other studies and 
 in writing, — his health, as it had been for a year or two, not vig- 
 orous but comfortable. His reading was, to considerable extent, 
 in books of experimental religion. His plans for future employ- 
 ment were not definitely settled ; and he felt the natural anxieties 
 of a young man thrown upon his own resources, without funds, 
 and with a constitution too feeble for hard service in any lucrative 
 business. From his friends he saw that he had received all the 
 pecuniary aid that he could expect or ask. Henceforth, said he, 
 " I must bustle my way, somehow or other," possibly not quite 
 aware how poorly qualified he was to make his way by dint of 
 bustling. 
 
 " I intend," he wrote to a friend, December 1, " God willing, 
 to return to Connecticut this winter, where I hope to engage in 
 some employment by which I can support myself and be in the 
 way of acquiring professional knowledge. I thank you for re- 
 minding me of the affecting scenes which we witnessed at college 
 last spring and summer. O that we may always keep in remem- 
 brance the marked attention, the indescribable solemnity, and the 
 deep concern which then prevailed, as well as the characters of 
 those who were awakened and the solid comforts which we hope 
 they received. While we keep these things in view we cannot 
 
30 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 but be admonished and guarded against sin, since we have seen 
 so clear a manifestation of the power of God." 
 
 The plan here mentioned was, however, soon laid aside, in con- 
 sequence of an application which he received from the Trustees 
 of the Caledonia County Grammar School, at Peacham, Vermont, 
 to take charge of that Institution as Principal. He accepted the 
 proposal, and entered upon his new duties early in April. In this 
 employment, and as a member of the family of the Rev. Leonard 
 Worcester, the revered Pastor of the Congregational Church in 
 Peacham, he spent a year, faithful as an instructor, and greatly 
 adorning the religious profession that he had made. " Though 
 he was usually quite cheerful," says Mr. Worcester, " his deport- 
 ment was remarkably serious and devout ; and his attention to 
 the duties of religion, — to those of the closet, I had every reason 
 to believe, as well as to those of a social and public nature, inva- 
 riable. The Bible he studied much and with great apparent 
 delight. He was, at that early period of his Christian course, re- 
 markable for uniformity of character. At all times, and in 
 every place, he appeared to be the same humble and exemplary 
 Christian. My opportunities of meeting with him, after he left 
 my family, were not very frequent ; but from the short interviews 
 with him which I did enjoy, my mind was deeply impressed with 
 what seemed to me the same uniformity in his character, which I 
 had noticed, with much pleasure, so long before. Allowing only 
 for his advanced attainments, such as I found him, from time to 
 time, at the age of from thirty to forty-five, or more, such, it al- 
 ways seemed to me, I had known him well, I think at about the 
 age of twenty-two. This has appeared to me the more remark- 
 able, as, while he was here, the state of religion among this peo- 
 ple, and in all this region, was lamentably low. Among the 
 youth, it had almost no existence. As a young Christian he 
 stood alone. Of the somewhat less than fifty, who were then 
 members of this church, I think only two were under the age of 
 about thirty years ; and those two were several years older than 
 himself, and were married persons. Hence, from persons of his 
 own age he could derive no assistance in his Christian course. 
 For this reason he associated but little with such persons, as he 
 greatly preferred the society of those whom he esteemed as the 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 3| 
 
 people of God, though much farther advanced in years. It was 
 a time, too, when most of the young people in this place, and I 
 believe in most other places, even in New England, indulged 
 themselves very much in various vain amusements ; and particu- 
 larly, those of the ball-room. And, however strange it may ap- 
 pear to Christians of your age, and younger, it is nevertheless true, 
 that, at that time, such amusements were somewhat more than tol- 
 erated, by many professors of religion, and by some highly esteem- 
 ed ministers of the gospel, reputed orthodox. But against these 
 things, Mr. Evarts took, unhesitatingly, a decided stand. I had 
 previously borne my testimony against them, and excited some 
 feeling on the subject, and considerable discussion. In this, Mr. 
 Evarts became an efficient helper. 
 
 He was considered a good Instructor, and we should gladly have 
 continued him longer in the school, had it suited his convenience. 
 The uniformity in his Christian character, of which I have spoken, 
 manifested itself in his school, as well as elsewhere. He appear- 
 ed to feel a tender solicitude for the spiritual welfare of his pupils, 
 as well as for their improvement in literature. I have reason to 
 believe it was his constant aim, both by suitable instruction, and 
 by his own Christian example, to impress divine things on their 
 minds. Occasionally, he devoted the afternoon of Saturday to 
 religious exercises with them. 
 
 You are aware, my dear Sir, that various plans for doing good, 
 in the active and efficient promotion of which that truly Christian 
 and conscientious philanthropy which developed itself so nobly in 
 the after life of Mr. Evarts, were scarcely in operation at all two and 
 thirty years ago. Even then, however, Mr. Evarts constantly 
 manifested, that it was his " heart's desire and prayer to God," for 
 others, that they might obtain salvation. He expressed much anxi- 
 ety for the salvation of beloved relatives, and particularly for his 
 beloved father, then advancing in years, without giving any evi- 
 dence of an interest in Christ. In our religious conferences, then 
 attended, however, almost only by professors of religion, he was 
 always active, and showed how deeply he felt for those who had 
 no anxiety for themselves. 
 
 In my family he was always a pleasant companion ; free and 
 familiar, and instructive in conversation. It was evidently his de- 
 
32 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 sire and his aim, that conversation might be on some topic, that could 
 be turned in some way, to good account. Indeed I think scarcely 
 any individual of my acquaintance, whether young or old, has ever 
 appeared to comply, more carefully than he did, with this exhorta- 
 tion of the Apostle, " Let no corrupt communication proceed out 
 of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that 
 it may minister grace to the hearers." 
 
 His Diary, and Letters written during this period, show what 
 were his habits, and especially the spiritual discipline to which he 
 subjected himself. 
 
 Lord's Day, April 10. It is more than a year since I united 
 with a Christian Church, — since I gave myself in covenant to 
 God, and promised to renounce worldly vanities. How little have 
 I served God — how much have I sinned ! Let me think over the 
 various kinds of wickedness that I have committed. Let me re- 
 member with strong crying and tears, my levity, my lukewarm- 
 ness, my obduracy of heart, my profane and unprofitable thoughts, 
 my yielding to temptation, my forgetfulness of God, my ingrati- 
 tude, my selfishness, my worldly ambition, my fearing the censure 
 of men more than the disapprobation of God, my neglect of the 
 Sabbath, and many other sins. Let me also remember my un- 
 kindness to friends, — my parents, and others. 
 
 19. Saw an old acquaintance, — an infidel. I know not wheth- 
 er I did my duty effectually. Would to God he were converted ! 
 
 23. Made some very serious observations to my school on the 
 subject of religion, — taking occasion from the catechism which I 
 was teaching. How unworthy am T to advise others to engage in 
 religion. Perhaps I introduced reflections too solemn. I hope 
 however it was with solemnity of demeanor. 
 
 30. To day I spoke freely to my school on the subject of re- 
 ligion. It appears to me that it would be delightful, unspeakably 
 delightful, to serve God without sin. 
 
 May 1 , Lord's Day. Looked over the covenant which I enter- 
 ed into with my classmates. Felt warmed in praying for them. 
 Also reviewed my conduct for the month past. Although I have 
 lived little to God, yet I have enjoyed something in attempting to 
 pray. Secret prayer is a pleasant duty to me. In my school I 
 have sometimes enjoyed myself in prayer. The Lord make me 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 33 
 
 more and more engaged in his service. In the morning enjoyed 
 contemplating the glory of the Gospel. It appeared to me that 
 there was an irresistible argument in proof of our Savior being a 
 teacher sent from God, from the things that he taught, and parti- 
 cularly from the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, which 
 I had then in my mind. To day have enjoyed something in the 
 service of God, I hope. I feel it impossible to do any thing as I 
 ought, without divine assistance. 
 
 2. This morning was worldly-minded. I see the dreadful pow- 
 er which sin has over me. Am much exercised in mind with re- 
 spect to a profession, and to a livelihood. Felt in the afternoon 
 as if I could most gladly hail Christ as a Savior from sin. 
 
 4. At the closing prayer in my school, I thought I could cry, 
 God be merciful to us sinners. Of what immense value is an im- 
 mortal soul ! 
 
 5. Some part of the day could not realize the things of eternity. 
 They seemed to me as an idle tale. Sometimes they seem just as 
 real as any thing in this world. Was rather too severe in school. 
 
 9. Was afraid God would take from me a sense of my sins. 
 During the day felt carnal, sold under sin : in the evening was 
 warmed towards God. My thoughts are too apt to wander at 
 family prayers. The Lord deliver me from sin. It seems to me 
 that I once in a while feel something in my heart that ought to 
 make me tremble. O God, subdue this stubborn heart. 
 
 13. Attended a lecture preparatory to the Sacrament of the 
 Lord's Supper. My thoughts are vile and wandering, my heart 
 cold and dull, my duties frequently lifeless, and I seem to be blind, 
 groping about for some one to lead me. The Lord make me such 
 as he would have me to be 1 
 
 15. Lord's Day. I again partook of the Sacrament of the 
 Lord's Supper, and I think found it for my comfort. I feel in- 
 wardly strengthened to make the inquiry always when I am about 
 to do any thing, whether it will be to the glory of God. 
 
 no. In the morning had a turn of infidelity, i. e. ever; thing 
 about religion appeared strange, and especially that the Son of 
 God should have come into this corner of the universe to save such 
 wretched creatures as I am. Had some sense of my sinfulness. 
 My great wish is that I may have that love which casteth out fear, 
 5 
 
34 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 and that I may sin no more. I do not know that I complied with 
 my fifth recommendation yesterday. In my leisure moments I 
 think over the sins with which my whole life has been filled. They 
 appear dreadful. 
 
 22. Lord's Day. Beautiful weather. If any outward object 
 can excite the mind to devotion, the appearance of nature at this 
 time must. Hope I felt some love to God in morning devotions. 
 I feel disposed to pray for my friends and my enemies, and for 
 the enemies of religion. I feel disposed to plead with God that I 
 may not be left to my own dark heart ; that I may not be troubled 
 with sceptical delusions. I have no doubt that, if God should 
 leave me to my own dark heart, to my own blind mind, and to my 
 own debased and depraved faculties, I should become an infidel in 
 principle and an atheist in practice. Oh how I ought to cry to 
 God continually to be delivered from the load of wickedness un- 
 der which I labor ; to fight, and strive, and pray to escape tempta- 
 tion, to lie low in the dust, to bridle my tongue ; to animate, en- 
 courage, reprove, and strengthen Christians ; to alarm sinners ; to 
 beware of ambition, avarice, and carnal lusts which war against 
 the soul ; to mourn because of my sins ; to visit Mount Calvary, 
 and weep there ; to see him whom I have pierced and mourn be- 
 cause of him. O Lord, save me from sin — save me from evil 
 thoughts — and uncharitableness ; make me thine ! make me thine ! 
 I must lie upon the mercy of God ; for a man who is not worth a 
 farthing cannot pay ten thousand talents. I think it is delightful 
 to lie on the mercy of God. 
 
 25. Sometimes I look back upon my sins with horror, and 
 sometimes I cannot discover them at all. 
 
 28. Had some sense of my vileness in the morning. Was 
 struck with the inconceivable importance of an immortal soul. 
 One soul is of more importance than all the worldly happiness of 
 all men — incalculably more. Oh that I could reflect feelingly on 
 the amazing responsibility which hangs upon every action that I 
 perform. Oh for that love which is the fulfilling of the law, which 
 purifieth the heart and overcometh the world. 
 
 June 3. Had a sceptical turn just at night. When I came to 
 pray in secret it vanished. 
 
 7. Received letters from two of my classmates. They write 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 35 
 
 tenderly on religion. The Lord be with them, and deliver them 
 from all their enemies. 
 
 8. Heard of an instance of gross transgression by one of my 
 pupils. I pray God he may be humbled for it, and that his soul 
 may not go on to destruction. 
 
 15. Had a sort of a sceptical turn. Every thing appeared 
 strange ; for instance, the salvation of men, the damnation of the 
 impenitent, he. Felt indisposed towards instructing in the cate- 
 chism — cold and dull, and unprofitable. 
 
 16. I have concluded it is best to draw up a plan for the re- 
 gulation of my conduct for three months to come. I wish to be 
 regulated by it so far as I shall find it salutary only. 
 
 Here follows a minute plan for all the hours of the day, for the 
 observance of the Sabbath, &c., ending with a few special cautions. 
 
 Pauca prcecipue cavenda. Taking up a book to read without 
 design to prom.ote some useful purpose. Sitting down in idleness. 
 Idle talking. Spending much time in reading newspapers. Be- 
 ing much engaged in worldly things. Indulging impure thoughts. 
 Thinking too much of my weak constitution. 
 
 I beseech the glorious God to have mercy upon me for his 
 name's sake ; to bless me in the three months to come, if he should 
 see fit to continue me on earth ; to make me walk in the light of 
 his countenance ; to save me form sins ; to draw me near to him- 
 self by the cords of love ; to make me submissive to his will in 
 all things. O Lord, guide me into all evangelical truth. Oh save 
 me — save me, for thy mercy's sake ! 
 
 17. At evening prayers it appeared delightful to pray for 
 my friends, my parent, my brother and sisters, my classmates, for 
 sinners, for infidels, for the heathen, for the church of God. I do 
 not recollect that I complied with my fifth recommendation yes- 
 terday. 
 
 July 9. This day I set apart to consider my duty with respect 
 to a profession. Wrote a considerable part of the day on the sub- 
 ject. Oh that I may spend the remainder of a life begun in so 
 much sin, in the service of God. 
 
 In regard to this difficult subject of a profession, he writes to a 
 friend, May 21, "I am in statu quo; — pretty much convinced, 
 
36 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 however, that my health will not allow me to preach. My 
 prayer is, that God will give me grace to serve him in some 
 way accepiably, for his name's sake." Again to another friend, 
 a few weeks later : — " I have been much in doubt respecting my 
 duty as to a profession. My religious friends advise me to preach. 
 But I extremely doubt whether my health will ever permit. It 
 seems now as if it would be almost a natural impossibility for me 
 to go through with the labors of the Sabbath ; and 1 do not know 
 that I have any reason to suppose that I shall be essentially strong- 
 er three years hence than now. If I only knew the path of duty, 
 I ihinli it would be pleasant to walk in it. Of late I have thought 
 much of the vast disproportion between time and eternity. It 
 astonishes, confounds, overwhelms me. Only think of the value 
 of one soul. ' What manner of persons ought we to be in all 
 holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the 
 coming of the day of God !' When I see a large number of peo- 
 ple together I cannot but reflect, — what an assemblage of immor- 
 tal beings there are before me ! In almost every company we see, 
 probably some will be made trophies of victorious grace in the 
 day of the Lord Jesus, and some will finally reject the counsel 
 of God." 
 
 These extracts abundantly confirm what Mr. Worcester says of 
 the uncommon spirituality of Mr. Evarts, — uncommon certainly in 
 a young man of his age and in his circumstances. It was to him 
 an anxious as well as a laborious year. The duties of a school 
 like his must have borne heavily upon one at once so inexperienc- 
 ed and so conscientious ; while with a feeble constitution and with- 
 out pecuniary resources, the fortunes of another had become linked 
 with his own, by a matrimonial engagement, and the important 
 question of a profession was still undecided. But none of these 
 things prevented the faithful and systematic watch over his own 
 heart, and a persevering endeavor to form an elevated Christian 
 character. With his clear conception of the law of holiness, his 
 thoughts may have been employed too much upon himself and too 
 little upon his Savior. Necessary as constant and strict self-exam- 
 ination is in the Christian life, it is yet a life of faith in the Son of 
 God. It is sustained by the bread which came down from Heaven. 
 It is by looking unto Jesus that the Christian becomes transformed 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 37 
 
 into the same image. It is a fact, however, that eminent Chris- 
 tians often, if not generally, in the early part of their religious life, 
 pass through a season of similar discipline. There seems also to 
 be some true analogy in this respect between the first entrance upon 
 a Christian life and subsequent progress in it, — between the pro- 
 cess that ends in the new birth and the progress of sanctification. 
 In both alike, the soul looks to the Savior because impelled by a 
 sense of its own state and wants. Self-knowledge is the first gift 
 of the awakening Spirit ; and by a just analogy the same Spirit, 
 in sanctifying the heart, might be expected often to move first in 
 the same direction. Few men have had a more cheerful faith, 
 looking unto Jesus, than Mr. Evarts habitually cherished in sub- 
 sequent life. 
 
 Facts that show the tender solicitude and faithfulness of Mr. 
 Evarts, as a Christian instructor, are incidentally mentioned in the 
 above extracts. Among his papers are the subjects of the ad- 
 dresses made to his school, sometimes with a full outline of the 
 topics introduced. He prepared himself for such duties with great 
 care, and labored with prayerful earnestness to bring to repentance 
 those who were committed to his charge. In school, and espe- 
 cially at the devotional exercises with which it was daily opened 
 and closed, he was watchful over his spirit and manner, lest he 
 should offend God by cold formality, and lest something should 
 be observed in his demeanor or fall from his lips, that would leave 
 an injurious impression on the young minds around him. 
 
 The question of a profession was not decided till after much 
 prayerful deliberation, nor without difficulty. A gentlemen who 
 enjoyed his friendship and confidence in a very high degree at the 
 time, gives the following account of the grounds on which the de- 
 cision was finally made : 
 
 "From the known activity and zeal of Mr. Evarts in religion, 
 and his many qualifications for a minister of the gospel, his friends 
 had never supposed that he would think of any other profession. 
 It was with surprise, therefore, that they first learned his determi- 
 nation to study law. This step, however, he did not take without 
 a most serious and conscientious regard to duty, and with a view 
 to his greatest usefulness as a Christian. When he left college, it 
 was his expectation to settle in the State of Vermont. Certain 
 
38 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 things seemed to him to render this measure indispensable. At 
 that time religion was at a very low ebb in that section of our 
 country. There were few men there in political life, and espe- 
 cially at the bar, of a religious character ; and very many of them 
 were openly and decidedly hostile to the truths of divine revela- 
 tion. The influence which they exerted on society at large was 
 most unfavorable to the cause of Christianity, and seriously im- 
 peded the labors of Christian ministers. Under these circum- 
 stances Mr. Evarts really believed that he could better subserve 
 the cause of Christ, in Vermont, as a practitioner at the bar, then 
 as a preacher. In this belief he resolved to study law, and as a 
 consistent Christian lawyer, to combat ignorance, prejudice, and 
 error, wherever met, and to promote a happy religious influence 
 through that State. He thought that one truly pious lawyer, a man 
 of talents, and thoroughly educated in his profession, would com- 
 mand more respect, and influence there, than many clergymen. 
 As he aimed at high attainments in all things, so here, too, he aimed 
 at nothing less. He intended to spare no pains in his professional 
 studies, and to qualify himself for all the usefulness in his power. 
 That he acted honestly in this determination, there is no question ; 
 whether he decidedly correctly, may admit of a doubt, but it is 
 one I do not wish to solve. Could he have foreseen the happy 
 change Vv'hich was soon to take place in that State, in regard to 
 those things which then pained his feelings, and without such in- 
 strumentality as he contemplated, I have reason to think that his 
 choice of a profession might have been different. This, however, 
 is a point which I will not attempt to decide. I know that he 
 firmly held the opinion that a pious lawyer, with the right talents 
 and perseverance, could render most important service to the 
 cause of religion, anywhere, and that he seriously debated in his 
 own mind whether it was not the imperious duty of some young 
 men, of education, and piety, and talents, to engage in the pro- 
 fession of law, with a view to their most efficient usefulness to 
 mankind. At that time the cause of foreign missions had not 
 been started ; no way of access to the heathen had been made 
 known ; the sympathies of the Christian community had not then 
 been aroused in their behalf ; and the imperative commands of 
 Christ to send them the gospel had been but faintly considered, 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 39 
 
 and more faintly still obeyed. The paramount importance, too, 
 o( preaching the gospel, beyond all other means of converting men 
 to God, and of benefitting their souls, had been strangely over- 
 looked, while secondary means had been exalted far beyond their 
 value. It ought, therefore, less to excite the wonder of those, 
 who are now better enlightened, that such a man as Mr. Evarts, 
 placed in his circumstances, should have formed the conclusion 
 which he did with regard to a profession. As soon as the cause 
 of missions was brought forward, we know how instantly and 
 earnestly his feelings were enlisted on its side. We know how 
 promptly and how effectually he co-operated in all the benevo- 
 lent movements of Christians, as they were successively made ; 
 and how cheerfully when duty seemed to call, and the time to 
 arrive, he relinquished a profession which he had so deliberately 
 chosen, and in which he had commenced a promising career. 
 These several considerations will lead us to believe that, in his 
 orio-inal choice of a profession, as well as in other matters, he 
 acted conscientiously ; and that the correctness of his judgment in 
 this case, is not so questionable as an imperfect acquaintance with 
 the actual state of things, and with the reasons and motives which 
 governed him, might lead us to suppose." 
 
 In the following letter to his friend Swan we have a full state- 
 ment of the difficulties with which he was beset in this matter : 
 
 TO MR. RO SWELL R. SWAN. 
 
 Peacham, December 5lh, 1S03. 
 
 Your friendly letter of November 10th was received on the 
 26th of the same month. I am obliged to you sincerely for the 
 animadversions which it contains on the subject of a profession, 
 though my mind is no more settled than it has been for a year or 
 more. Indeed this subject has given me no small degree of dis- 
 tress; and 1 see not the least prospect of ever knowing my duty 
 in the case. Perhaps it is right that for my sinfulness, I should 
 be left in perpetual obscurity and darkness. 
 
 Those who are opposed to my studying law, stand on ground 
 altogether untenable in my opinion. The arguments which they 
 use would operate to exclude every man from that profession. If 
 it is not right for a good man to study law, it certainly cannot be 
 
40 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 right for any man, as all men ought undoubtedly to be good, and 
 as a wicked man is by no means justifiable in doing anything 
 which a good man might not to do. The law then must be given 
 up as a cage of unclean birds, or collection of harpies polluting 
 everything by their impure touch. But do the persons who come 
 to this conclusion, call to mind that almost all our laws come into 
 existence by means of lawyers, and that this will probably always 
 be the case, the world remaining as it is ; and, moreover, that all 
 who decide upon laws are, and ought to be lawyers ; that is, 
 they ought to have faithfully and diligently studied the laws upon 
 which they decide ; and this includes all that I mean by the word 
 lawyer. So true is this, that 1 never heard of a great judge who 
 was not a lawyer ; and 1 believe it to be impossible, in the nature 
 of things, that there should be one, unless he were directly in- 
 spired. For my part I do not know of any Judge of any impor- 
 tant Court in the United States, who has not been a practising 
 attorney. Then my opponents must say, that all our Judges who 
 are to decide in cases of life and death, in cases of oppression, 
 cruelty and extortion, in cases of religious liberty, (whenever per- 
 secution shall exist ;) that all who are to legislate in matters of 
 intricacy and importance ; and that all who are to wield the Ex- 
 ecutive power of an extensive and numerous people, ought to be 
 taken from this cage of unclean birds, this banditti from whom 
 every good man ought to keep himself at a safe distance. I can 
 hardly conceive of a greater inconsistency. The Bible abun- 
 dantly establishes the propriety of having legislators, judges and 
 officers to carry the laws into execution. And you know it is a 
 maxim of common sense, as well as of law, that when anything is 
 declared to be lawful, all other things which are necessary to the 
 existence of that thing are declared to be lawful also. Thus 
 when God sanctions the appointment of judges, he must sanction 
 everything which is necessary to the proper qualification of these 
 judges. The Old Testament is full of examples and precepts 
 tending to show how good magistrates are made instrumental of 
 building up and extending the church, and evil ones of destroying 
 and wasting it. 
 
 But, perhaps, some one will say, that in the present situation 
 of this guilty world, it is best for Christians to stand aloof from 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 41 
 
 the concerns of it altogether, and to leave them to the direction of 
 Satan and his satellites. But is this so ? If all the restraints 
 which the civil law imposes were taken off throughout New Eng- 
 land, what would be the situation of Christianity three years hence ? 
 With respect to engaging in any business, it has ever been my 
 opinion, at least ever since my thoughts have been in any consid- 
 erable degree occupied by religion, that the welfare of immortal 
 souls ought to be the ultimate object of every Christian's labors ; 
 and, consequently, that every Christian ought to make it the busi- 
 ness not only of his life, but of every day and every hour, to be 
 employed in such a manner as he shall judge most conducive to 
 the accomplishment of this glorious design. This obligation does 
 not lie upon a minister, or upon a person qualified to be a minister, 
 exclusively, but it is binding upon every humble laborer, upon every 
 mother of a family, — in short, upon every Christian, and upon every 
 man. I should not have mentioned this, but it is a common notion 
 among mankind, that it belongs to ministers to take care of the souls 
 of men, and that other persons have no concern in the business. 
 However, I have no hesitation in declaring, that I can see no use- 
 fulness, nor amiableness, in conduct which does not tend either 
 imriiediately or remotely to the everlasting happiness of men. 
 
 But I do believe that many laymen are as useful in the Chris- 
 tian cause as many faithful ministers, or as they themselves would 
 have been had they been ministers. For aught that I can see, a 
 Washington by his wisdom may have saved a nation from domes- 
 tic wars, which would have brought in their course every crime 
 that can deform the human character, and filled the land with blas- 
 phemy and murder. So that, supposing him to have acted upon 
 motives of obedience to God, I see not why he may not be ranked 
 among the wise, between whom and those who have turned many 
 to righteousness, there seems to be a very close connection. In- 
 deed, I see not why he may not as really have been instrumental 
 in saving souls, though not so immediately, as an Edwards or a 
 Dwight, Why may not a Kennicott, supposing him never to 
 have preached, have subserved the cause of religion as much as a 
 Doddridge, a Fuller, or a Porteus ? Why may not a Sir William 
 Jones have been as really and as effectually a co-worker with 
 Christ, as any minister of the gospel in Christendom ? A sea-cap- 
 6 
 
42 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 tain is a character which promises as little of piety as almost any 
 in the world ; yet, from what I have heard of Captain Wilson, I 
 am ready to conclude that he has been as serviceable to the mis- 
 sions sent to the heathen from England, as any clergyman in 
 Great Britain. In short, I cannot see that it savors less of humil- 
 ity, of attachment to the Christian cause, or of love to the souls 
 of men, to talk of walking in the steps of Moses, of Joshua, of 
 David, or of Daniel, who were rulers ; or of Abraham, of Isaac, 
 of Jacob, or of Job, who were rich herdmen and agriculturists, 
 diffusing peace and gladness all around them, than to think of imi- 
 tating Samuel, or Isaiah, or Paul, in propagating the knowledge 
 of divine truth. Or, to take men who are not at such an incon- 
 ceivable distance from us in point of piety, is it not as much a 
 mark of zeal for the truth to think of followino- a Tread well, or 
 an Ellsworth, or almost any of the ancient rulers of New England, 
 as to imitate that very venerable body of ministers which our fa- 
 vored country has produced ? If, then, the profession of law is 
 not in itself unlawful, it remains to be determined by circumstances 
 whether it is lawful for any given individual or not ; for, doubt- 
 less, neither that, nor the ministry, nor any other profession is law- 
 ful for every man. 
 
 I have but a little room, but I will state what I apprehend to 
 be a few facts. 1. My health is such now, that I do not know that 
 I have the least shadow of reason to imagine I could go through 
 with the labors of a single Sabbath. 2. From the unanimous 
 advice of all the physicians whom 1 have consulted, and from six 
 years experience, I am led to conclude that I never can expect 
 good health, and but a very slow and gradual restoration to a 
 comfortable degree of health. 3. Ministers, besides the labors of 
 the Sabbath, have to prepare for that day, and to take a principal 
 part in funeral solemnities, lectures, conferences, he, which I am 
 sure I could not perform. 4. Almost every minister whom I have 
 known, who has engaged in that arduous work with a feeble con- 
 stitution, has been obliged to leave it ; and some who began with 
 a good constitution. 5. It will take me a considerable time to 
 get a profession, and then to be left without any resource, with 
 something more than myself dependent upon me, would not con- 
 tribute to the promotion of religion in my own soul, or the souls 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 43 
 
 of Others. 6. I conscientiously believe I could not recommend 
 any society to settle a man of so frail a constitution as I possess, 
 even should I be able to preach at first. 
 
 When I look at the bar, especially at the bar of Vermont, the 
 prospect is exceedingly dark and unpleasant. The scarcity of 
 good men here, is much greater than the scarcity of ministers. I 
 am also fully persuaded that a close attendance upon Courts would 
 be injurious to my health ; but then a lawyer is not obliged to 
 attend, and to labor so statedly as a minister is. The great temp- 
 tation to a lawyer is worldly-mindedness, and with it comes 
 desire to conform to the world. Where these gain a prevalence, 
 religion is cut up by the roots. My great fear would be, there- 
 fore, that I should not live a religious life, and consequently that 
 I should never do any good in the world. These considerations 
 repel me from the bar many times, and I am driven to seek for a 
 third alternative. But the instruction of youth would be a con- 
 finement for life, if I could go through with it ; for merchandize 
 or agriculture I have no stock, and am ignorant of both. That 
 God would direct me, now and forever, is the prayer of your 
 friend and brother. 
 
 The question being finally decided in favor of the law, he ac- 
 cordingly, at the expiration of the term of his engagement at 
 Peacham, repaired to New-Haven and commenced his studies in 
 that profession. In what spirit he did it, is shown by the follow- 
 ing entry in his Diary : — 
 
 April 18, 1804. Entered myself as a student at law with Judge 
 Chauncy. May God preserve me from sin in this arduous under- 
 taking 1 Oh may I live near to God from day to day 1 May I 
 keep my garments clean from all iniquity ! 
 
 Some of his apprehensions of danger, it seems, were removed 
 during the first months of his legal studies. " Last fall," he wrote 
 to a friend in January 1805, " I had several conversations with 
 Judge Ellsworth on the subject of Law. My objections to the 
 practice I stated with the utmost freedom. He did not convince 
 me that the profession was a lawful employment, for that I believed 
 before ; but that it was lawful to engage on the side of an unjust 
 
44 LIFE OFEVARTS. 
 
 client. He argued in this way. It is not the lawyer's business to 
 judge the cause ; that is the province of the Judge who is appointed 
 for that purpose ; the lawyer may therefore state those things which 
 are true, and are favorable to his client, and no more. A cause 
 plainly dirty and indecent ought not to be patronized. But say 
 here is a client who has no legal demand. The lawyer is bound 
 to tell him so. He still insists upon having his claim tried by an 
 impartial tribunal. Where is the wrong in stating those things 
 which are really in his favor ? Indeed where would be the right 
 of pre-judging his cause, of refusing that aid without which he 
 could not be heard, and of precluding a citizen from seeking his 
 redress in a court of justice ? The moment you preclude men 
 from being judged by the law of the land, that moment you intro- 
 duce club-law, and make every man his own judge, and his own 
 avenger. Besides, perhaps he may be right. Chief Justice Hale, 
 a Christian, whose ardent piety, inflexible perseverance in well- 
 doinp, and constant nearness to God, no man will doubt who has 
 read his life, undertook, when he first entered upon practice, to re- 
 fuse bad causes ; but when he found that he had rejected two men 
 who appeared afterwards to have right on their side, he relaxed as 
 to his conduct in this particular. So invaluable was the privilege 
 considered of being heard in a court of justice, that it is one of 
 the principal provisions of Magna Charta, that it shall be denied 
 to none of the king's subjects. 
 
 " Again, when a person has been confessedly guilty, (of theft 
 for instance,) there may be many circumstances of extenuation, 
 which, in order that justice may be done, the court ought to hear 
 and feel. 
 
 " Judge Ellsworth allows that there are many temptations in 
 the law, but desires that any employment may be pointed out in 
 which there are not. So much for law." 
 
 In September following, (1804,) he married Mrs. Mehitabel 
 Barnes, daughter of Hon. Roger Sherman ; in whom he found a 
 help eminently meet for the circumstances as well as for the man. 
 
 While a student at law, Mr. Evarts of course had upon his 
 hands many of the cares of active life. To defray the expenses 
 of his little family his house was opened to a few boarders, and he 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 45 
 
 undertook the tuition of some young men who were preparing to 
 enter college. But he yet found time for other studies than that 
 of law. He was aiming to appear at the Bar and to sustain him- 
 self there by all the aid that a liberal course of study in other de- 
 partments and a familiar acquaintance with the best models could 
 afford. He had a regular plan of classical and other studies 
 marked out, which he steadily pursued. He also wrote much for 
 his own improvement, and frequently for publication.* 
 
 In July, 1806, he was admitted to the Bar and opened an of- 
 fice in New Haven, where he continued in the practice of his pro- 
 fession till 1810. 
 
 Three or four years spent at the Bar in New Haven were of 
 course insufficient for the establishment of such a reputation, by a 
 young man, as he might in due season command. Mr. Evarts 
 was considered a well-read and sound lawyer ; and was an able 
 though not a popular advocate. In the progress that he made at 
 the Bar, he encountered some peculiar and formidable obstacles. 
 The duties and responsibilities of the office of Grand Juror are not 
 in all cases divided in Connecticut, as in some other states, among 
 a body of men ; but it is made the duty of specified individuals in 
 the different towns to present persons guilty of violations of law. 
 In the discharge of the duties of this office, Mr. Evarts had an 
 opportunity for the practical exemplification of the principles en- 
 forced in his Baccalaureate Oration. A gentleman who was at 
 that time a member of the New Haven Bar, gives the following 
 account of the circumstances: — Mr. Evarts, he remarks, "ever 
 had too much unbending integrity to be a popular lawyer. He 
 suffered not a little, and from some gentlemen of high standing in 
 
 * Among his earlier publications were the Oration which he delivered at the com- 
 mencement in 1505, when he was admitted to the degree of A. M. (Panoplist, vol. 1, 
 pp. 349, etc ;) a Dissertation on the state of hterature in New Fngland, read before the 
 Society of the Phi Beta Kappa, (Panoplist, vol. 2, pp 471, etc. ;) and several articles 
 on the Study of the Law, published in the Literary Cabinet — a Magazine edited by 
 under- graduates, among whom was the late Thomas Smith Grimke, Esq., of South 
 Carolina. This distinguished scholar and philanthropist, and most amiable man, was 
 for some time a member of Mr. E.'s family ; they were on terms of intimacy during 
 the whole residence of the former in New Haven, and cherished through life the sin- 
 cerest mutual respect and affection. — In the Literary Cabinet, Mr E.'s signature was 
 " Coke ;" in the Connecticut Evangelical Magazine, the early volumes of the Pano- 
 plist, and the newspapers at that time, " C. Y. A." (CoUegii Yalensis Alumnus.) 
 After he became Editor of the Panoplist, he wrote for that work under the signatures 
 of Philalethes, A. Ji., A. M , V. A., Agenor, Antipas, Benevolus, and others. 
 
46 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 the profession, for his unyielding firmness. The circumstances 
 respecting which you inquire, arose from the faithful discharge of 
 his duty as one of the Grand Jury for New Haven County, in the 
 prosecution of some individual or individuals for obvious violations 
 of some law of the state that had uniformly been winked at by 
 other persons in the same office. I do not now remember what 
 the offence was ; but it was one " contra bonos mores " — perhaps 
 the violation of the Sabbath. Mr. Evarts said to me that his oath 
 bound him to the prosecution ; and he could not be governed by 
 the corrupt usages of other men. He accordingly commenced a 
 process,* but failed ot convicting the offending party. He was 
 
 * How indeed could a man do otherwise, who in his heart entertained views re- 
 specting oaths of office like those which Mr. E. afterwards published : — 
 
 " It might be curious," he says, " to form an oath of office to suit the practice ot 
 many of our public officers. If I mistake not, it would run somewhat as follows : — 
 
 ' I solemnly swear, that I will faithfully and truly discharge the duties of a as 
 
 prescribed by the laws of this Commonwealth ; provided said laws are, in my opinion, 
 jitst and salutary, and have not become obsolete in consequence of the improvements of 
 modern times ; and provided it shall seem to vie expedient that the said laws should he 
 executed; and provided 1 ca7i discharge the duties imposed upon me by said office with 
 perfect ease, comfort, and repiitation to myself, and without the smallest risk of incurring 
 any personal inconvenience or u7ipopidarity.' Would not such an oath be a gross af- 
 front to God — an impudent trifling on a most solemn subject? What must be the 
 guilt, then, of taking a very different oath, and acting as if it were expressed in the 
 manner above stated ?" — Fanoplist, vol. 10, p. 3G2. 
 
 " Official perjury," he says again, '' differs from other kinds of false swearing in this, 
 that it is not an attestation to a falsehood, but an engagement entered into with an 
 oath to perform certain duties, which duties are afterward voluntarily neglected. It is 
 seldom less heinous than other kinds of perjury; but is often more so, as it is de- 
 liberate, persisted in, and habitual. It is committed more commonly than in any other 
 manner, by a neglect to execute laws which the person had solemnly sworn to exe- 
 cute. And if there is any meaning in an oath of office, if it is not an insignificant 
 ceremony, every civilized country lies under the horrid guilt of trifling with God in 
 the most vital concerns of the community. In this dreadful condemnation our country 
 must come in for a large share. Our morals have been fortified by wise, judicious, 
 and efficient laws ; laws which experience has proved to be salutary and efficient ; 
 but as immorality became bold, our magistrates have become timid ; they have for- 
 gotten their oaths ; and if this country is corrupted and destroyed, to the neglect of 
 official duties must be charged the guilt of destroying the most favored nation that the 
 sun ever shone upon. I am not ignorant of the answers to this heavy charge ; and I 
 know full well their miserable futility. IfJialfthe magistrates in New England would 
 go on resoliUely, tmiledly, and pr^ulently in the discharge of their plain duties, those du- 
 ties which they are sworn to discharge, they might yet save their country. They might 
 effectually put down Sabbath-breaking, profaneness, drunkenness, gambling, lewd- 
 nes'*, and idleness. I do not suppose that they could prevent these sins in every de- 
 gree ; but they might effectually discountenance them, and drive them utterly from 
 public view. How great is the sin of contributing to destroy a whole people! — 
 Paiioplist, vol. 7, p. 306. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 47 
 
 opposed by the first lawyers of the state ; — and denounced, and 
 greatly and shamefully abused, and by the community at large. 
 He suffered for a long period on this account, and for righteous- 
 ness' sake." 
 
 So completely had he brought his whole being into accordance 
 with the purest and strictest law of righteousness in regard to 
 official duty. 
 
 Nor number nor example with him wrought 
 
 To swerve from trutli, or change his constant mind, 
 
 Though single. 
 
 He was the farthest possible from being rash or obstinate. But 
 his conscientiousness and public spirit were both great ; and either, 
 in connection with his uncommon sagacity and judgment, would 
 have sufficed to keep him, in circumstances like these, above all 
 the influences of fear or favor that must of necessity bear strongly 
 upon a young lawyer situated as he was. It was these sterling 
 qualities that enabled him to encounter the obloquy of men at the 
 head of the profession, and whose bearing towards him must of 
 course almost decide the question — so important to him then — of 
 his present success at the Bar. In the same spirit he could disre- 
 gard the threats by which the unprincipled sometimes endeavored 
 to intimidate him, — supposing doubtless that the fears of a man so 
 unable to repel force by force might be easily practiced upon. 
 Being at one time engaged in a suit in which the opposite party 
 felt that his character, as involved in the transaction, was vulnera- 
 ble, Mr. Evarts was taken aside and threatened with personal 
 violence should he touch upon certain points. He heard the 
 threat calmly ; and when called upon to speak in the case did not 
 fail to set the unworthy conduct of the party in its proper light. 
 
 During this period, and indeed always, he took a lively interest 
 in political affairs. From his first entrance on life as a freeman 
 he thought much on the privileges and never shrunk from the du- 
 ties involved in that character. Nor as a citizen, any more than 
 as a magistrate, were his principles of action derived from the 
 practice of others. He looked to those higher sources in the 
 neglect of which so many trifle with the most solemn obliga- 
 tions and degrade the very name of freeman. If he was a 
 
48 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 zealous partizan, he was also a conscientious one. In com- 
 paring the two great political parties of the times, his favorite 
 points were connected with moral and religious considerations. 
 His influence could never be diverted, by any considerations, 
 from the support of what he believed to be the real moral in- 
 terests of the country. He studied, indeed, thoroughly, the mea- 
 sures and general policy of the parties ; and few men could assign 
 with equal promptness and precision, reasons for condemnation or 
 approval, with reference to the more obvious and generally appre- 
 ciable grounds of policy. But he went higher. All political 
 movements and changes were intimately connected in his mind 
 with the interests of morality and religion. Above all things he 
 was anxious to see enlightened conscience supreme in every pub- 
 lic office. The services or attachments of party were lighter than 
 air in the comparison. Nothing would sooner arouse his indigna- 
 tion than to see an individual in public life, using the influence that 
 office gives, to undermine the principles and corrupt the morals of 
 the young and ignorant. 
 
 Neither the study nor the practice of his profession withdrew his 
 attention from the claims of religion, or weakened his sense of 
 responsibility as a Christian. When most engaged in these pur- 
 suits, he never allowed himself either through indolence or easy 
 conformity to the habits and manners of associates older at the bar 
 and respected by all, to appear as any other than a strictly reli- 
 gious man. It was not with him as with too many, who disappoint 
 not only their friends but themselves, after their entrance upon a 
 secular profession, by losing in its cares, its pleasures, its hopes, and 
 the society to which it invites, the spirit of Christians, and that 
 deep sense of responsibility to God and of obligation to imitate 
 their Lord in doing good, with which they appeared to select the 
 pursuit and to enter upon its studies. With Mr. Evarts every thing 
 continued to he subservient to his obligations and pursuits as a dis- 
 ciple of Christ. By keeping his heart thus fixed, his character 
 and habits as a Christian philanthropist were subjected to excel- 
 lent discipline during this whole period. He wrote for the Con- 
 necticut Evangelical Magazine and afterwards for the Panoplist, — 
 both works of high character at that time ; and took a lively inter- 
 est in the circulation of both. He was one of the originators, and 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 49 
 
 while he remained in New-Haven, the secretary of the Connecti- 
 cut Religious Tract Society, — wrote a number of its publications, 
 and spent much time in gratuitous efforts to promote its objects. 
 
 As a member and officer of the church of Christ at this period 
 he will be best described in the language of his Pastor,* who speaks 
 of him as follows : — 
 
 " Soon after my settlement he attached himself to my church, 
 where, from first to last, he was always an active and most con- 
 spicuous member. 
 
 " Not long after he had joined us, an unusual attention to religion 
 commenced among my people. The consequence of this was 
 increased efforts of a religious nature among all who were actually 
 engaged in the cause of religion ; among whom no one was more 
 conspicuous than Mr. Evarts. He was soon chosen a deacon of 
 the church, in which office he demeaned himself in the most noble, 
 Christian, and exemplary manner, being always ready to every 
 good word and work. So many religious meetings were held, 
 during the revival, that it was quite impossible for me to attend 
 them all. Mr. Evarts, therefore, often supplied my place, pray- 
 ing, reading some appropriate piece, and following these, made 
 such remarks as the occasion required. 
 
 " The sound sense, the enlightened views, and the ardent piety 
 which he manifested in this way, were so conspicuous, that the 
 meetings which he attended were never complained of as being 
 deficient In interest. He and another excellent man, the late dea- 
 con S. Twining, of New Haven, were my right-hand men, on 
 whom I could always lean, and in whom I felt that I could repose 
 unreserved confidence. In this respect I was never disappointed. 
 
 " Never have I known any man, in whom the Christians of my 
 church had more unreserved confidence, than in Mr, Evarts, and 
 none to whom it was more justly due. His was not the flashing 
 light which gleams, and glares, and excites wonder, and then dies. 
 It was the steady, diffusive, warming, cheering, vivifying light of 
 the sun, which sheds life, and animation, and cheerfulness on all 
 within its reach. 
 
 " When I look back on those scenes of my early life, and ask, 
 
 * The Rev. Professor Stuart, of the Aiwjover Theological Seminary. 
 
 7 
 
50 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 Where and when have I seen their like ? T am constrained to feel 
 that, so far as my experience is concerned, I have witnessed none 
 of altogether the same tenor. It falls to the lot of few of my 
 beloved brethren in the ministry to have two such deacons as those 
 above-named. I am sure few can remember any associates with 
 more unmixed delight than I do these. 
 
 " I have never yet had the experience of knowing any man, in 
 whom all his acquaintance placed more unreserved confidence, 
 whether religious, civil, or social, than was placed in Mr. Evarts. 
 The enemies even of religion spoke but one voice respecting him. 
 Although some pronounced him to be mistaken in his views and 
 feelings, they believed him to be sincere. 
 
 His private character was one of the most faultless and com- 
 plete that I have ever known. Envy, slander, detraction, and 
 every thing of this nature, which forms so conspicuous a feature 
 in the character of many even that are called Christians, were as 
 remote from him as from any man that 1 have ever yet known. 
 Then there was an expansive, enlightened, elevated, noble state 
 of mind and feeling, that rendered him incapable of descending to 
 the arts which many employ, either to thwart his opponents, or to 
 throw obstacles in the way of those who were treading with him- 
 self the path to high esteem and elevated station in the minds of 
 the sober part of the public. All that was or could be gained by 
 his fellow-Christians, of true and solid reputation, seemed to him 
 to be clear gain to the church, and therefore to the stock whose 
 interests he was most engaged to promote. 
 
 " He left New Haven in January, 1810, in the same stage-coach 
 with myself, to take the editorship of the Panoplist, at Boston, 
 while I came to this place. Never did I, never can I, have a 
 dearer friend. The remembrance of his friendship, and of his 
 endearing qualities and virtues, comes over me like a refreshing 
 breeze from the regions of the blessed. But ah ! the thought that 
 he is gone from the circle of action in which I yet move — this 
 makes life less desirable, and death more welcome. 
 
 " There are many excellent, very excellent men in the church 
 now, whom I highly esteem and love. But how can I ever feel, 
 in all respects, towards any one who has not been connected 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 51 
 
 with me as Mr. Evarts was, just as I did towards him ? Who 
 will be ready to censure me, if I do not and cannot ? 
 
 " More unbending integrity, more fidelity, and steadfastness, and 
 true-heartedness, and modesty, and humility, and ardent devotion, 
 and enlightened zeal, and sound judgment, and trust-worthiness, and 
 kindness, I never expect to find in this world ; and not many have 
 gone to the other, who have more excelled in all that belongs to 
 the true character of the Christian, the scholar, and the gentle- 
 man." 
 
 A few extracts from the correspondence of Mr. Evarts, dunng 
 this period, are added : 
 
 TO THE REV. LEONARD WORCESTER. 
 
 December 8, 1806. 
 
 I observe by the papers that our wise Assembly men have at- 
 tempted to repeal all laws tending in any way to support or coun- 
 tenance religion. It seems, however, that they could not quite 
 get a vote. It is lamentable that so many could be brought to 
 wish for such a repeal ; and greatly to be desired that people 
 would learn that men of piety, virtue, public spirit, and patriotism, 
 make the best rulers, and ought on all occasions to be preferred to 
 those whose private lives are infamous, and whose public conduct 
 is little else than a loud and clamorous pursuit of their own ag- 
 grandizement. 
 
 I think it very possible that I shall remove to Vermont next 
 spring or summer, as my friends are very urgent to have me do it ; 
 and a more active, stirring life than I lead here, agrees with my 
 health. Should I remove, I hope to exert what talents and influ- 
 ence I may have in the service of God. 
 
 TO THE SAME. 
 
 December 24, 1807. 
 
 It was with much interest that I read your account of afiairs at 
 Peacham. I cannot but hope to hear that the solemn visitations 
 of Divine Providence have been the means of awakening sinners, 
 and exciting an attention to the realities of the world to come. 
 Mr. B.'s death struck me as an event full of alarm to those who 
 
52 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 were equally careless with him about the concerns of the soul. I 
 hope it has had the effect of an alarm upon them. 
 
 You have probably heard ere this of the uncommon revival of 
 religion at Litchfield and Goshen, in this State. At the latter 
 place there has been an unusual concern for many months — I be- 
 lieve considerably more than a year — and more than a hundred 
 persons have joined the church in consequence of the awakening. 
 The attention still continues great. At Litchfield the concern 
 began about six months ago, and was attended at first by some 
 very striking circumstances. It began on the same day in several 
 different parts of the town, without any uncommon visible means, 
 and without any intercourse or communication between the persons 
 affected. The attention soon became general, and so continues 
 at the present time. Twenty-seven were admitted into the church 
 at once in November, and thirty more are propounded for admis- 
 sion next Sabbath. This revival has pervaded all parts of the 
 town, but especially the thickest settlement about the meeting- 
 house, where for three quarters of a mile along the town street, 
 as I have been informed from good authority, more than three 
 fourths of the young people are either hopeful converts or solemnly 
 affected. The work is still increasing. 
 
 The people of this city are very inattentive to religion ; though 
 there is, I hope, somewhat of an increased eagerness to hear. Mr. 
 Stuart cannot but hope that there are signs of an awakening here. 
 The church has appointed a monthly meeting, in conjunction with 
 the other church in this town, for the purpose of praying for the 
 outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We have conferences also once 
 a week, confined principally to professing Christians, for the same 
 purpose, and for Christian instruction ; and we have pretty fre- 
 quent church meetings, for the purpose of reviving church disci- 
 pline and promoting brotherly communion. It is not an easy 
 thing to revive discipline where it has become obsolete. 
 
 TO A SISTER. 
 
 August 19, 1808. 
 
 The attention to religion continues here. The whole number 
 admitted to both Congregational churches, with those now pro- 
 pounded, is over one hundred and forty. The young converts are 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 53 
 
 generally very circumspect and exemplary in their Christian life. 
 A number of the young females meet by themselves once a week 
 for reading and religious conversation, and they allow nothing to 
 be said but on religious subjects. They are faithful also to ad- 
 monish each other of faults. The appearance of the town is 
 greatly changed for the better. Parties of mere amusement are 
 almost done with, and there is a great attendance on all religious 
 meetings. 
 
 TO MR. JOHN HALL. 
 
 January 21, 1809. 
 
 Of the state of religion here you have doubtless heard much. 
 New Haven is indeed greatly changed. More than two hundred 
 persons have professed their faith in Christ within a year, and 
 many more are anxious for their salvation. Almost all, except 
 decided scoffers, are more or less serious. There has been a de- 
 cline of the seriousness, but we hope it is reviving at present. 
 How constantly, how perseveringly, how anxiously ought we to 
 pray for the continuance and extension of so glorious a work. I 
 have to reproach myself with much slothfulness in this branch of 
 duty. 
 
 TO HIS SISTER. 
 
 July 21, 1809. 
 
 The state of religion here is much more pleasing than in most 
 parts of our country. Almost all the young ladies in the most 
 wealthy and respectable families are either professors of religion, 
 or are so well disposed towards it as to speak and act with the 
 greatest reverence on the subject. And those who profess to be 
 religious make it a very serious business ; we have every reason to 
 believe that they make great progress in the divine life. More 
 than three hundred have united with the churches here since the 
 beginning of January, 1808. 
 
 TO THE REV. LEONARD WORCESTER. 
 
 January 31, 1810. 
 
 You have heard of Mr. Stuart's removal to be a Professor at 
 Andover. This was a serious trial to his people and to the 
 
54 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 friends of religion generally. In the short space of three years 
 and ten months he had been made the instrument of great good. 
 In this brief period two hundred were added to his church, 
 twenty-eight from other churches, and one hundred and seventy- 
 two from the world ; of the latter, one hundred and forty were 
 hopeful converts, during the revival which commenced about two 
 years ago. The state of the church is now very pleasant. Much 
 animation exists in the pursuit of religious knowledge, and in the 
 practice of piety and virtue ; much sorrow for sin, much earnest 
 prayer, and considerable exertion for the salvation of those who 
 are yet impenitent. I trust that God will graciously supply the 
 vacancy occasioned by Mr. Stuart's removal, but see not at pre- 
 sent how it can be done. 
 
 To Mr. Merwin's church there have been added since the re- 
 vival commenced, 1 believe, about two hundred. This Divine 
 blessing you will, with us, regard as most important, and a subject 
 of elevated joy. The manners and general demeanor of the peo- 
 ple of the town have undergone an evident change. On the 
 whole. New Haven is the most agreeable place to live in that I 
 am acquainted with. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 EDITOR OF THE PANOPLIST. ISIO— 1821. 
 
 Notwithstanding what is said at the close of the preceding 
 chapter about removing to Vermont, and the pleasantness of New 
 Haven, we find Mr. Evarts, very soon after the last date, on a 
 visit to Massachusetts, considering the question of a removal to 
 Boston, Charlestown, or Andover. He had received an invitation 
 to take charge of the Panoplist, as editor. In a letter written 
 during this visit, he says : " On the subject of a place in which to 
 live, and an employment to fix upon, I am often perplexed. I 
 consider it as undoubted that if I enjoy health which will permit 
 me to remove, New Haven must be left ; although it is a place in 
 which I should rather live than in any other that 1 am acquainted 
 with, on all accounts, except the single one of a support. If I 
 had a reasonable assurance of support immediately from my pro- 
 fession alone, I should think it my duty to engage in no other 
 employment. But my experience at New Haven leads me to 
 distrust appearances, which might otherwise perhaps satisfy me. 
 This experience seems to tell me that I am not to get a living by 
 the law, although I am well convinced that my talents are better 
 fitted for practice at the bar than for any other employment, if I 
 could only get business. 
 
 " The principal reasons which induce me to think of the Pano- 
 plist are: — 1. A living ; one thousand dollars a year insured to 
 me — without which I shall do nothing — would be a very compe- 
 
56 LIFE OF EVARTS 
 
 tent support in Charlestown. 2. The employment would be the 
 means of doing much good. 3. It would lead to such studies as 
 are perfectly suited to my taste, and in which I should be very 
 pleasantly engaged, if engaged at all. To these advantages are 
 to be opposed the difficulties of suiting the two great parties of 
 religious people here ;* the difficulty of satisfying persons of taste ; 
 the hazard of stepping out of one's profession, he. he. Perhaps 
 my mind is disposed to see evils. May God direct us all." 
 
 That the failure at the bar, mentioned in this letter, was for 
 want of talents well adapted to the business of the profession, is a 
 supposition which those who were best capable of judging unani- 
 mously reject. Gentlemen of the bar who knew him intimately 
 then, and in later periods of his life, unite in regarding his talents 
 as remarkably fitted for the law. It may be said that he left the 
 profession too early. But might not a young man of even ordi- 
 nary qualifications, known personally and by reputation for char- 
 acter and scholarship as well as Mr. Evarts was in New Haven, ex- 
 pect in the course of three or four years, to make some progress, and 
 to receive something more than enough to defray his office expenses ? 
 The chief obstacles to Mr. Evart's success at New Haven arose 
 from circumstances already mentioned. He early rendered him- 
 self obnoxious to men eminent at the bar, and to many others, by 
 the faithful discharge of official duty ; and his residence at New 
 Haven was too short to overcome the difficulties that he had to 
 encounter from this cause. Other duties were before him ; and 
 in the providence of God these difficulties were made both a salu- 
 tary discipline and a means of compelling him to enter another 
 field of labor. How much would probably have been lost to the 
 cause of missions, to our country, and to the world, had the cir- 
 cumstances of his early professional life been different ; had imme- 
 diate success greeted him, and fame and affluence beckoned him 
 on. He whose ways are not our ways, had taken the young 
 lawyer by the hand, and was leading him through difficulties and 
 trials, through reproach and obloquy, through seasons of darkness 
 and discouragement, into the very, sphere of labor for which, above 
 all, he was best fitted, and in which, for the service of Christ and 
 
 * Hopkinsiang and Calvinists. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 57 
 
 the well-being of mankind, the labor of such a man, at that period, 
 were most needed. 
 
 His character had been formed under a strong influence from the 
 great religious movement that marked the close of the last and the 
 beginning of the present century. The Wesleyan and Baptist 
 Missionary Societies and the Sunday School Society, were formed 
 in London in his childhood ; and during his youth the London 
 Missionary Society, the Church Missionary Society, the Edinburgh 
 Missionary Society, the London Religious Tract Society, and in 
 this country, the Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York 
 Missionary Societies, had come into existence, and were already 
 attracting the attention of the Christian community. The journals 
 and correspondence of their missionaries and agents had the 
 freshness of novelty, and often an interest for the imagination, as 
 well as the heart, that took a strong hold of the susceptible and 
 benevolent. The moral and religious state of the world was be- ' 
 coming known ; startling disclosures of ignorance and sin were 
 made in Christian as well as in heathen lands ; and men wondered, 
 as at a new discovery, to read of the power of the gospel to sub- 
 due all things unto itself. Sir William Jones, who had done more 
 than all other men at the time to awaken an interest in the condi- 
 tion of the millions of British India, died in 1794 ; and his life and 
 labors were afterwards brought impressively home to the bosom of 
 young scholars, and to the Christian public, in the congenial memoir 
 of Lo'rd Teignmouth. Before Mr. Evarts entered on his professional 
 life, those most degraded specimens of humanity, the Hottentots 
 of South Africa, had begun to yield to the purifying and elevating 
 truths carried among them by Kicherer and Vanderkemp, and the 
 triumphs of the gospel in distant Tahiti had already commenced. 
 On the one hand, infidelity had burst out in the horrors of the 
 French Revolution, and was agitating Europe and America; 
 while on the other, Wilberforce was in the zenith of his power, 
 and John Newton, Thomas Scott, the Burders, the Fullers, the 
 Marshmans,the Careys, the Thorntons, the Macauleys, and the glo- 
 rious company of their fellow laborers of difl'erent communions, 
 were living exemplars of Christian discipleship, — distant enough 
 to secure for the young the full benefit of reverence, and yet near 
 enough for sympathy and attraction. With such individuals abroad 
 8 
 
58 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 and with m,en of congenial spirit in our own country, Mr. Evarts 
 felt himself intimately allied from the day that he began to cherish 
 the Christian hope ; and his feelings were elevated and his views 
 expanded by the thought. The affectionate reverence with which, 
 in his early years, he regarded the Christian statesmen and philan- 
 thropists of England, was remarkable, and was cherished through 
 life. 
 
 It was within the first ten years of the present century, Mr. Evarts 
 being still of an age naturally most susceptible of generous impulses, 
 that the British and Foreign Bible Society was formed, and the 
 example soon imitated in the organization of the Philadelphia and 
 Connecticut Bible Societies ; that the first Tract Societies in this 
 country were organized ; that some of the General Associations of 
 Congregational ministers in New England originated, and mutual 
 intercourse by deilegates began among them ; that the Andover 
 Theological Seminary was established ; that the publication of the 
 Christian Observer and Eclectic Review, the Massachusetts Mis- 
 sionary Magazine, the Connecticut Evangelical Magazine and the 
 Panoplist, were commenced ; that the Serampore Translations of 
 the Bible attracted most earnest attention ; and that Buchanan 
 visited the Syrian Christians in India, and began to sound his 
 trumpetrcall to the field of Christian missions through Europe and 
 America.* In a word, the first twenty years of the life of Mr. 
 Evarts, after childhood, were crowded with events most important 
 in the religious history of modern times. New fields for Christian 
 effort were discovered, new plans suggested, new enterprises under- 
 taken. He welcomed the movement with his whole heart. He 
 entered into life under its influence. He saw that it was right — that 
 it was in accordance with the law of love, and was demanded by 
 the highest religious obligation. And, as we have seen in other 
 
 * The Sunday School Society was founded in 1785 ; the Wesleyan Missionary So- 
 ciety in 1756 ; the Baptist Missionary Society in 1789 ; the London Missionary Society 
 in 1795 ; the Edinburgh and New York Missionary Society in 1796 ; the Connecticut 
 Missionary Society in 1798 ; the London Rehgious Tract Society and the Massachu- 
 setts Missionary Society in 1799 ; the Church Missionary Society in ISOO ; the British 
 and Foreign Bible Society in 1804 ; the Connecticut Religious Tract Society in 1S07 ; 
 the Philadelphia Bible Society in 1808 ; the Connecticut Bible Society in 1S09 ; the 
 publication of the Christian Observer was commenced in 1801; that of the Panoplist in 
 1605 ; the Andover Theological Seminary was organized in ISOS. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 59 
 
 spheres of action, convictions of right and duty were the law of 
 his life, so it was here. He was of course naturally led to watch 
 all the religious movements of the time. When the Panoplist was 
 established in 1805, he welcomed it as a new instrument of good, 
 and soon became one of its favorite correspondents. Hence the 
 invitation that has been mentioned. In May, 1810, he removed 
 to Charlestown. 
 
 The Panoplist owed its existence very much to the Rev. Jede- 
 diah Morse, D. D., of Charlestown, who is understood to have 
 been the principal editor for several years, aided, however, and 
 with great efficiency, both in the commencement and continuance 
 of the work, by the best writers among the orthodox Congrega- 
 tionalists of Massachusetts and the neighboring states. Every one 
 acquainted with the state of things in New England, and especi- 
 ally in Massachusetts, at that period, knows how important an in- 
 fluence this work exerted as a vehicle of evangelical truth and 
 important religious controversy ; how much it contributed to sift 
 opinions, stem the tide of error, diffuse an enlightened and scrip- 
 tural piety, and awaken the disciples of Christ to vigorous ex- 
 ertions for extending the kingdom of their Lord. Its establishment 
 will ever be regarded as marking an era in the religious history of 
 New England. 
 
 The Congregational churches were then beset with peculiar 
 difficulties and dangers. Unitarianism existed to a great extent, 
 but not in its present open and tangible shape. Its spirit had be- 
 come dominant among the professors and guardians of Harvard 
 College, that ancient monument of enlightened piety, devoted, in 
 the earliest year of New England, Christo et Ecdesice, to Christ 
 and the Church. It was exerting a powerful and ceaseless in- 
 fluence on the public mind from the heights of metropolitan litera- 
 ture. It numbered among its adherents those who gave law to 
 public opinion in matters of taste and learning. But Unitarianism 
 was not then, as now, the system of another well-defined body of 
 men out of the bosom of orthodox Congregationalism. Its minis- 
 ters had not, to much extent, appeared before the public as such ; 
 their own views of Christian doctrine were doubtless in many 
 cases exceedingly vague and unsettled ; and in that transition state 
 it was their natural policy to countenance and to cherish the belief 
 
60 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 that they had not departed essentially from the faith of their 
 fathers and of their orthodox brethren. Thus, while undefined, 
 and not distinctly before the public in the writings or in the 
 preaching of its ministers, the system was spreading among 
 pastors and in the churches. Many, from their connection with a 
 denomination known to be evangelical as a body, had a name to 
 live, while as to all knowledge of spiritual truth and experience of 
 its power, they were dead. By silence respecting the distinguish- 
 ing doctrines of the Gospel, and by introducing other views by 
 slow and imperceptible degrees — whether as the natural result of 
 their own gradual departure from the truth, or from motives of 
 policy — pastors had led their flocks far astray. And even where the 
 errors of the invading system were not distinctly embraced, there had 
 arisen extensively a strong distaste for the doctrines and practices 
 which the Fathers of New England regarded as according to god- 
 liness. The spirit of evangelical piety was hardly to be found in 
 free and vigorous action in a single Congregational church in 
 Boston. Even where such piety existed, its free growth and natu- 
 ral impulses were checked, and the influence that it ought to exert 
 was opposed, more or less, by interests and agencies of another 
 character in the same church. Park-street Church was formed in 
 1809, on exclusively evangelical principles ; and it was there only, 
 in Boston, that Congregationalists who held the faith and cherished 
 the spirit of the Pilgrim Fathers, could unite their prayers and 
 efforts for mutual edification and for the diffusion of truth, in the 
 confidence of meeting such only as were one with themselves in 
 principle and in feeling.* So great a defection in the metropolis 
 did not exist, of course, without an extensive corresponding 
 change in the country. In many of the most important towns, 
 the larger and more wealthy societies had come entirely under 
 
 * In saying this, the important services rendered to the cause of truth by many ex- 
 cellent members of the Old South Church, indeed, by that Church as a body, are not 
 forgotten. To that venerable body belongs the distinguished honor of having main- 
 tained the faith of our fathers through the whole period of declension referred to, and 
 of upholding alone the ancient standard, before the Park-street Church was formed. 
 That some of its members were more or less ensnared by the prevalent errors, is no 
 matter of wonder ; that as a body, it constantly maintained the truth, shows the power 
 of Divine grace in a company of intelligent and devoted Christians, most of whom 
 have gone to their rest, and whose memory is precious. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. gj 
 
 the same influences with those of Boston ; and throughout some 
 large districts, the spirit of true Christian piety seemed almost to 
 be gone and past recovery. 
 
 Nor were the friends of truth so strong as they have since be- 
 come, in knowledge, in faith, in mutual confidence and co-opera- 
 tion, and in the power derived from associated labors in the service 
 of their common Lord. By comparatively very few, even of the 
 clergy among the orthodox, were the the nature and tendencies of 
 Unitarianism well understood ; and the duties required by such a 
 state of things were not, therefore, generally seen or appreciated. 
 The points of difference between the parties had not been studied, 
 discussed, defined. The orthodox were not sufficiently acquainted 
 with each other. They did not know their own strength as a body. 
 In looking to one neighboring church or another for sympathy and 
 advice, they could not be sure that it would be accorded to them 
 in the spirit which they loved, because they had no adequate 
 means of knowing how far those churches remained sound in the 
 faith. In a word, the process of separation had hardly begun ; 
 and there was all the weakness of discordant materials and incon- 
 gruous mixtures, — of doubt, hesitation, and perplexity from a 
 thousand causes. The churches had a process of purification and 
 special instruction to go through ; it was necessary that they 
 should rid themselves of the more palpable incumbrances of error, 
 and put on armor against it. 
 
 The orthodox churches, and orthodox members of Unitarian or 
 mixed churches, also suffered, even more than now, from inade- 
 quate views of their duties and privileges as Christians. With 
 some exceptions on a limited scale, there were yet no societies for 
 distributing Bibles or Tracts, for educating young men for the min- 
 istry, or for missions, domestic or foreign. The movement in this 
 direction was but beginning. The churches had not generally 
 learned to strengthen and enlarge themselves by means of these 
 institutions, and were to a melancholy extent, ignorant of their 
 value. That series of revivals of religion which has been as life from 
 the dead to the churches of this land for the last thirty years, and 
 the influence of which is now felt in the four quarters of the globe, 
 had scarcely commenced ; and little was known of the thousand 
 agencies of the living voice and of the press that now give simul- 
 
62 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 taneous impulse to Christian philanthropy and enterprize through- 
 out the country. Even of the state of the churches themselves 
 there was much less mutual knowledge than at present ; much 
 more, notwithtstanding the movement already begun, was there a 
 sad ignorance of the vast destitute regions of our own country, and 
 of the wants and claims of heathen nations. 
 
 Such was the state of things when the publication of the Pan- 
 oplist was commenced, and such it was essentially, when Mr. Evarts 
 removed to Massachusetts and became the editor. He had from 
 the first, as has been before remarked, been among the most con- 
 stant writers for it ; and his qualifications for such pursuits and his 
 love of them had thus become well known to the conductors ; and 
 they united in urging the editorship upon him with an earnestness 
 and importunity which, considering the character of the applicants, 
 it would have been difficult to resist. He acceded to their pro- 
 posals with much hesitation, and as an experiment. Thoughts of 
 engaging again in professional labors were, however, soon aban- 
 doned ; for he found himself fully employed in duties congenial 
 to his tastes, and demanding the exercise of his highest powers 
 and best affections. 
 
 The arrangement was a happy one. His qualifications for the 
 editorship of such a journal are rarely combined in one individual. 
 He was a practical and well-disciplined writer. He was accus- 
 tomed to investigate subjects with direct reference to the state of 
 the public mind, and to the wants of the church and the world ; 
 and he had a fondness for writing which rendered it a pastime. 
 His mind had been trained by severe discipline, and was furnished 
 with extensive knowledge on a great variety of subjects, and en- 
 tirely at his command. He had great critical acumen, and was 
 able to search out and expose the most intricate and plausible 
 sophistry. His power of discrimination and analysis, and his 
 ability to examine a subject till he knew that he had seen the 
 whole of it, and to arrive at conclusions in which to rest safely 
 and with confidence, were remarkable. He was remarkable, also, 
 for accuracy, industry, and patience in research. While he pos- 
 sessed a moral courage that nothing could daunt, he was adorned 
 with uncommon candor in controversy, and meekness and self- 
 command under reproaches. His high estimate of the power and 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 63 
 
 importance of the press, and his deep sense of responsibility, effec- 
 tually secured him against rashness, and directed his labors toward 
 the public good. His elevated standard of religious feeling and ac- 
 tion, and especially his enterprize and zeal in behalf of religious and 
 charitable institutions, were just what was needed at that time in one 
 sustaining that relation to the Christian public. In regard to the 
 condition and wants of the churches, of the country, and of the 
 world, his mind and heart were full. Subjects were always pressing 
 upon his thoughts and his conscience. In writing, his mind was 
 too much engrossed with his subject and too fertile upon it, to ad- 
 rait of his being verbose or discursive. His style was characterized 
 by no ornament, except such as is involved in expressing thought 
 clearly, forcibly, and with strong feeling. His diction was pure 
 and copious ; always manly, and indicative of the energy and 
 comprehensiveness of his mind. 
 
 Under his care, the reputation of the Panoplist immediately rose ; 
 and it was probably better supported, and had more of the confi- 
 dence of the religious community generally, for the ten years 
 during which it was under his editorship, than any similar work 
 ever published in this country. This was secured as much by its 
 admirable adaptation to the wants of the public, as by the sound 
 judgment in other respects, and the literary ability and taste with 
 which it was conducted. 
 
 But his character as a Christian editor may be better illustrated 
 by a glance at some of the prominent objects to which his labors 
 were devoted. 
 
 Among these objects, the elevation of Christian character, es- 
 pecially with reference to the use of property and to activity in 
 doing good, held a prominent place. The excellence and dignity 
 of the Christian character, — the goodness and mercy of God in 
 calling men to be partakers of his holiness and co-workers with 
 him in doing good — the opportunities for the exercise of Christian 
 beneficence in a world like this, and especially in this age — the 
 nature and extent of that self-consecration which is the Christian's 
 duty and privilege — the stewardship of Christians in regard both to 
 the use of property and to the power of exerting a personal Influ- 
 ence on others — the state and prospects of those who know not 
 God — the examples of holy and devoted men, especially contem- 
 
54 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 poraries, who had acted in the very circumstances and in the dis- 
 charge of the same duties to which his own readers were called ; 
 — these and others of kindred nature were topics to which he 
 often recurred, and on which he dwelt with great earnestness and 
 effect. 
 
 " If the Panoplist has any merit," was his own language, " it 
 consists in the aid which our pages impart to the various plans of 
 Christian benevolence now in operation. The noblest aim to 
 which it aspires, is that of being an auxiliary in the great cause 
 which now unites the hearts and hands of so many active and 
 pious men throughout the world." * " The American people, if 
 not blind to their own permanent interests, and stupidly ignorant 
 of their own advantages, can perform wonders in the accomplish- 
 ment of the grandest designs which ever claimed the attention or 
 employed the activity of mortals ; designs of no less magnitude 
 than the establishment of schools, churches, and the regular min- 
 istration of divine ordinances, in all the destitute places of our 
 own country ; the distribution of the Bible, and the support of 
 missionaries to preach its doctrines, in every part of the globe ; the 
 alleviation of human suffering of every kind, wherever men are 
 found ; — in a word, the entire subjugation of the world to Christ, 
 and of course the eternal salvation of unnumbered millions in all 
 future generations. Who does not give thanks to God for the 
 opportunity to exert even the humblest agency in promoting so 
 blessed a consummation?" t " If all professed Christians were 
 truly what they profess to be, and if all real Christians were 
 plainly distinguished by that grand characteristic of the Savior, that 
 he went about doing good, how soon would the face of the world be 
 changed; how glorious would be the alteration; how divine the 
 effects. Every individual is answerable to his conscience, and to 
 God the judge of all, if he does not contribute his full proportion 
 towards bringing about so immense a good. Time is rolling on ; 
 the active years of those now in their prime are fast spending ; 
 health is impaired in ten thousand instances, and life is lost in ten 
 thousand more ; opportunities are passing by, never to return ; and 
 yet how slowly does the good cause advance, compared with the 
 wi.shes of Christians and the exigencies of mankind. What en- 
 terprizes must be undertaken, what labor performed, what perse- 
 verance exhibited, what an amazing combination organized, and 
 what extended operations carried on, before the world shall be 
 evangelized. Every year of delay in this work ought to be a year 
 of deep regret." X 
 
 " The most noble of sciences, the science of doing good, is too 
 htlle studied. If it were better understood and made the subject 
 of daily contemplation, the way would be prepared for a grander 
 display of benevolence on a large scale, than the world has ever 
 
 * Panoplist, Vol. xiii. Preface. t lb- Vol. ii. Preface. % lb. p. 3. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. g5 
 
 yet seen. The ultimate object aimed at would indeed be the 
 same which has been pursued by the truly virtuous in every age ; 
 but a peculiar sublimity would mark the enterprizes in which 
 Christians of eveiy nation and every langviage should engage with 
 enlightened minds and united efibrts ; and a peculiar glory would 
 crown these enterprizes. The employment of doing good — of 
 aiming directly, by prompt and vigorous action, to promote the per- 
 manent good of others — should be made a part of the regular 
 business of eveiy Christian. It should be reduced to a system, 
 and have a large share of time and property assigned to it. This 
 time and property should be sacredly devoted to God, and em- 
 ployed in the best practicable way ; not squandered on doubtful 
 or useless projects, nor hoarded up for future occasions, which may 
 never arrive ; but wisely apportioned to purposes of unquestiona- 
 ble utility, of great importance, and pressing urgency." * 
 
 " The day will arrive when one exertion put forth with a sincere 
 desire to benefit the souls of men, will be of more value to the 
 person who made it, and will be more highly appreciated by the 
 intelligent universe, than all the riches that avarice ever desired, 
 and all the power for which ambition ever toiled." t 
 
 " This world, especially at the present period, affords as encour- 
 aging a place for doing good, as the sublimest imagination can 
 create, or the most benevolent heart desire." t 
 
 It was such thoughts as these that flowed most spontaneously 
 from the pen of Mr. Evarts, whenever circumstances led him to 
 take a general view of the objects and bearings of the work under 
 his care. And it was his constant endeavor in every number, 
 by scriptural argument and affectionate appeal, by exhibiting the 
 state of the world and the progress of every good work, and by 
 reference to the example of the wise and good, to commend such 
 thoughts to the understandings and the hearts of his Christian 
 readers, — to diffuse them in active power like leaven through the 
 churches. 
 
 In its relations especially to this paramount object, he regarded 
 with deep interest the Christian education of children. The fol- 
 lowing extracts from an Essay " On educating Children for the 
 Present Times," which he published in the Panoplist, show the 
 elevation of his views and the reach of thought with which he 
 was wont to contemplate whatever nearly concerned the great 
 interests of humanity : 
 
 * Panoplist, vol. xiii. p. 1. t It>- vol. xiv. Preface, | lb. vol. xv. Preftce. 
 
 9 
 
66 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " Children should be educated in a course of self-denial. Un- 
 der this head I shall not be understood to countenance voluntary 
 austerities and mortifications, suflered for the sake of promoting 
 self-righteousness and pride, but to insist upon a habit of surren- 
 dering personal enjoyments and gratifications, whenever an en- 
 lightened conscience pronounces the surrender to be necessary. 
 Everything which would retard the pilgrim in his journey to the 
 heavenly rest, or limit the extent of his labors for his Savior, 
 should be cheerfully relinquished. Too many professed Christians 
 have deceived themselves, rather than others, by a mere profession. 
 They have made the sum of religion to consist in a round of formal 
 duties, while they remained under the entire dominion of selfish- 
 ness and worldly passions. Possibly they have made long prayers, 
 and have been able to converse tolerably well on religion, while 
 deaf to the calls of charity, and regardless of the great interests of 
 truth and godliness. Where there is no self-denial, there can he no 
 real virtue. The whole of a child's education should impress 
 upon him this fundamental truth ; and he should be accustomed 
 from his earliest years to make personal sacrifices for the good of 
 others. He should feel that he lives not for himself, but for man- 
 kind. If disposed to pervert this maxim, and to neglect the small 
 things within his reach, under pretence of doing good on a larger 
 scale, he can be called back from his reverie by the reflection, that 
 it requires no self-denial to do good on a large scale, in imagination 
 only ; while to discharge with fidelity the every-day duties of life 
 requires great steadiness of principle, and may prove the existence 
 of great love to God and man. * * * Children should be educated 
 in a course of habitual beneficence. Self-denial is preparatory to 
 beneficence. The one furnishes the means of doing good, the 
 other applies them. The great characteristic of our Savior while 
 on earth was, that he went about doing good. It should be deeply 
 impressed on the minds of the young, that this is the great thing 
 for which intelligent beings were made ; that by doing good, a re- 
 semblance of the glorious Creator is stamped upon the character; 
 and that all other desirable possessions, without this, will ultimately 
 prove of no value. 
 
 " A life of beneficence will be distinguished by two prominent 
 traits, charity and activity. It may be useful to consider these 
 traits separately. 
 
 " Charity should be taught systematically, both by precept and 
 example. It should be considered as an indispensable part of 
 instruction and of practice ; just as really so, as truth, justice, or 
 industry. It is as often commanded in the Scriptures, as any 
 other duty whatever ; it is not less necessary to the Christian than 
 any other duty ; it is most amiable in its aspect, most cheering in 
 its tendency, most blessed in its effects. Charity, by which I 
 here mean the gratuitous application of property and time to the 
 relief of the temporal and spiritual wants of others, is a duty which, 
 truth obhges me to say, has not been sufficiently understood or 
 practised by any part of the Christian world. Many are now 
 awakening to a perception of their duty; but the greater part. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 67 
 
 even of professors of religion, continue to sleep on. Yet God 
 has taken abundant pains to instruct men in the nature and 
 extent of charitable claims. If the Levitical law had been 
 given on purpose to designate and enforce claims of this kind, 
 it could not have been more express and particular than it is. 
 The whole New Testament supports, in regard to all mankind, the 
 great principles of beneficence which the law of Moses had urged 
 upon the Israelites, throughout the code of their national pohty. 
 If a nation were to act unanimously on these principles, it would 
 exhibit the highest degree of worldly prosperity, an universal free- 
 dom from poverty and want, and an universal practice of industry 
 and economy on the one hand, with a constant and humble de- 
 pendence on God and a perfect freedom from excess and intem- 
 perance on the other. Such an exhibition will yet be made by 
 all the nations of the earth, in the happy period which is visibly 
 approaching. That each religious parent may do all in his power 
 to hasten the period alluded to, let him instruct his children that 
 charity is to be performed with as much regularity, promptness 
 and cheerfulness, as any other duty of life. They should set apart 
 a weekly or monthly portion from their savings, or earnings, (as 
 soon as they are able to save or earn anything,) for this purpose; 
 and they should, if possible, be furnished with the opportunity of 
 saving and earning, at an early age. They should see, in the 
 cheerful countenances of their parents, the joy experienced in re- 
 lieving want and mitigating distress. They should be taught to 
 dwell with pleasure on the mayiy invitations to charity, which are 
 presented to the benevolent. No truly good object should they be 
 allowed to consider as an intruder, though their means should not 
 permit them to give aid except to a very few. The portion claimed 
 for benevolent purposes they should see to be a valuable and im- 
 portant portion ; not a mere trifle, utterly insignificant when com- 
 pared with their father's income. They should be taught to value 
 money principally as a means of communicating happiness ; and 
 for this purpose they should be encouraged to acquire, preserve 
 and expend it. The young may easily be taught to practise char- 
 ity, both by giving their money and spending their time for benev- 
 olent objects. It is not difficult to make them understand with 
 what temper, and from a regard to whose authority, these duties 
 are to be performed. The man who habituates his child to take 
 pleasure in doing good, especially if God confers at the same time 
 a truly benevolent disposition, does more for the temporal happi- 
 ness of the child, than if he left him heir to millions, without an 
 inclination to use his wealth for the benefit of mankind. Let 
 it not be supposed, that I am urging upon all to give large sums 
 in charity, or to teach their children to do so. That would be 
 absurd and imposible. But all should devote an important portion 
 of their means — a portion which cost them time, or labor, or some 
 thing which they value. The widow's two mites teach more 
 than could be fully detailed in a volume." 
 
 " Perhaps it will be said, that the course here recommended would 
 exhaust the community by charitable donations. Far from it. If 
 
dQ LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 this course were universally pursued, the community would be en- 
 riched in a manner hitherto unexampled in the world. If all the 
 poor exerted themselves to lay up money for charity, they would 
 insensibly and before they were aware of it, emerge from poverty. 
 They would never be found in a grog-shop, or at the gaming table. 
 The way in which much of the money necessary to reform the 
 world is to be procured, is by saving. More than fifty millions of 
 dollars, which have been annually wasted by the people of the 
 United States for these ten years past, might have been saved, 
 without abridging one rational enjoyment ; and this enormous sum 
 might have loeen employed in charity, without diminishing the 
 wealth of the country, or lessening the happiness of a single individ- 
 ual. It would indeed have increased the happiness of many millions. 
 The time is coming when these truths will be felt ; let children be 
 taught to feel them now. The time is coming when the number- 
 less milhons now squandered in debauchery, excess, and especially 
 in war, will no longer be perverted to fill this world with tears iind 
 blood, with agony and despair, and to people the world of perdi- 
 tion ; let children be taught to act with a particular design to 
 bring about that time as quick as possible." 
 
 " On the activity which ought to pervade the life of a Christian, 
 surely little need be said Shall he sleep at his post at such a 
 season as this ? Shall he fold his hands, and idly gaze around in 
 harvest time — the harvest time of the world? Shall he educate 
 his children to be spectators, lifeless spectators, rather than actors in 
 the wonderful events of the present day ? Every talent ought now 
 to be employed to the utmost. He that has the head to contrive, the 
 tongue and the pen to persuade, or the hands to execute, should be 
 on the alert, and make no compromise with ease and indolence. No 
 habit of honestly acquiring property, of instructing the ignorant, 
 of admonishing the vicious, should be suffered to subside. The 
 wisdom of age and the ardor of youth should form a holy combi- 
 nation, and all the powers and faculties of the body and mind 
 should be dedicated to the grand design of reforming mankind, by 
 producing in each circle of influence these good effects ; which, if 
 produced in every circle, would form the great consummation so 
 often mentioned." 
 
 " To piety, self-denial and beneficence, must be added courage. 
 Bold must be the man, and in the highest degree resolute and 
 persevering, who is completely fitted to be the most useful at the 
 present day. In order to instil suitable courage irito the minds of 
 the young, nothing will avail without a paramount regard to the 
 authority of God. In a mind where such a regard exists, it will 
 be practicable to form a habit of disregarding the opinions and 
 maxims of the Avorld. The youth in our public seminaries of 
 learning should be especially guarded on this head. They should, 
 as far as possible, be made superior to any temptation which can 
 be offered by a regard to the applauses or the votes of the people. 
 It is indeed to be most deeply lamented, that in consequence of 
 the depravity of man, the grand feature of an elective government 
 should become the most universal and powerful means of cojrrup- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 69 
 
 tion ; and that the exertions of the wisest and the best of men 
 should be so often hmited, paralyzed, and crashed, by the corrupt 
 influence of the weakest and the worst. Such, however, is the 
 fact. The only remedy, so far as human means are referred to, 
 is to form a combination of able, independent, upright men, who 
 are perfectly willing to forego all popular honors, for the sake of 
 promoting the present and eternal happiness of their fellow crea- 
 tures. Let me not be supposed to sanction, under the name of 
 courage, a proud, self-sufficient disregard of the feelings, or even 
 of the prejudices or vices of the world The courageous man may 
 be as conciliating in his manners, as inoffensive in his deportment, 
 affectionate and mild in his temper, as can possibly be desired by 
 any one ; but he may not yield to a temporizing policy ; he may not 
 surrender the great interests of virtue ; he may not cease to defend 
 them, for the sake of all the honors and rewards which the whole 
 world could bestow." 
 
 " Parents are encouraged to educate their cliildren religiously 
 by the consideration, that they are thus ordinarily doing good on a 
 more extensive scale, than in any other way. Christians should 
 certainly do all the good in their power, and they should seek the 
 means of doing good extensively and permanently. To all who 
 have children the means are at hand. The good conferred upon 
 mankind by giving the world a single well-educated, pious, public- 
 spirited, self-denying young man or young woman, is incalculable. 
 This subject is too often overlooked and disregarded. As domes- 
 tic discipline and domestic enjoyments are removed from public 
 view, and make no great figure in the common estimates of use- 
 fulness and influence, the fh-eside is too seldom considered as the 
 grand nursery of piety, in which plants of righteousness shall be 
 reared, and fitted to flomish and blossom and bear fruit forever. 
 All Christians have it not in their power to preach the gospel, be- 
 come pastors of churches, preside over seminaries of learning, or 
 write for the improvement of others ; but all have it in their power 
 to make the family circle a scene of religious improvement; a 
 little sanctuary, from which prayer and praise shall daily ascend to 
 God ; a school of virtue, in which immortal beings shall be trained 
 up for glory." 
 
 The purity of the churches was an object for the promotion of 
 which Mr. Evarts labored assiduously. The state of the churches 
 in Boston and the vicinity has already been mentioned. He had 
 not remained ignorant of these things till he visited Boston ; yet, 
 as is evident from his papers, he had formed no adequate concep- 
 tion of the magnitude of the evil, and of the dangers which threat- 
 ened the churches. During his visit to Massachusetts, while the 
 matter of the editorship was under consideration, he was at great 
 pains to acquaint himself fully with this subject. He listened 
 to the sermons of Unitarian ministers, and, after all that he had 
 
70 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 previously heard, was astonished at the extent of their departures 
 from the Gospel. He examined their writings, and saw how error 
 was inwrought into the fugitive literature of the metropolis, and 
 how every occasion was seized to bring what he regarded as Chris- 
 tian truth and piety into contempt. The plan of establishing 
 himself in Boston in the practice of his profession, led him to con- 
 sider the reception that a man with his views of Christianity and 
 of religious duty, would probably meet with. The result was dis- 
 heartening in the extreme. To conceal his religious opinions, or 
 to live any other than what he deemed a Christian life, was with 
 him out of the question ; and in such a state of the public mind, 
 the hope of his success as a lawyer in Boston seemed almost 
 equally so. Times are since changed. 
 
 It may well be supposed that a system so dominant, and as yet 
 not dissevered from orthodox Congregationalism, must exert a 
 deadly influence upon the churches, and Mr. Evarts was not slow 
 to perceive the necessity of entire separation. His inquiries on 
 the subject were prosecuted with great earnestness after his removal 
 to Charlestown, and when he was able to command ampler means 
 for forming a correct judgment on the various practical questions 
 that came up. By the results of these inquiries, the course pursued 
 in the Panoplist was conscientiously governed. His first great 
 object was, to bring before the public mind, clearly and impres- 
 sively, the neglected and misrepresented truths of the Gospel, in 
 their relations especially to Christian character and duty. To 
 exclude error, the surest way is to pre-occupy the mind and heart 
 with truth. Next he labored, in connexion with a few friends, to 
 bring evangelical Christians into their proper relations to each 
 other. Although among the most ardent promoters of union 
 among all who cherish the same essential faith and are actuated 
 by the same spirit, he would never sacrifice truth to the claims of 
 a spurious charity, or acquiesce in a factitious, delusive, deadly 
 peace. He saw the necessity of a separation before even the real 
 friends of evangelical religion could be brought to act together 
 and efficiently in the labors of Christian philanthrophy. 
 
 In order to this, to expose the prevalent errors, to bring them 
 into the open day, where they could be seen and known of all 
 men, was the first duty. The publication of the " Improved 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 71 
 
 version" of the New Testament, and of certain facts relating to 
 Unitarianism in America, in Belsham's Life of Lindsey, furnished 
 prominent occasions for this exposure. The review of the latter 
 in the Panoplist, gave rise to a controversy, in which the late Dr. 
 Channing took a prominent part. Prevalent errors thus became 
 known ; the characteristics of Unitarianism were understood ; its 
 incompatibility with evangelical religion was appreciated and felt. 
 Those who cherished the faith of their fathers, were led to see the 
 necessity of separation. Ministers of the Gospel could no longer 
 exchange pulpits with known supporters of the latitudinarian faith. 
 The line was drawn between truth and error ; between those who 
 were obedient to the one and the abettors of the other ; between 
 the churches in which the orthodox doctrine of Christ and him 
 crucified was preached, and those that had received " another 
 Gospel." 
 
 True, the change was not effected without a struggle ; nor 
 without ill-will ; nor without severe denunciations against those 
 who were most active in promoting it. No such separation ever 
 took place without the inteiTuption, to a greater or less extent, of 
 mutual good feeling ; and there is always occasion that seems 
 plausible to the superficial, and to the multitude who are naturally 
 prejudiced against religious truth, for charging men desirous of 
 separation in such cases, with a want of liberality and charity ; 
 with disturbing the peace of the churches ; with interrupting the 
 harmony of the community, and even breaking in upon the enjoy- 
 ments of fireside peace. In view of all these incidental evils, his 
 writings, through the whole controversy, were prepared and re- 
 vised with most careful regard to the requisitions of justice and 
 real charity. He was sometimes spoken of, for the course that he 
 pursued, with sufficient harshness. His motives were impeached ; 
 his character assailed ; and acts and feelings ascribed to him that 
 his soul abhorred. His accusers did not know him. Never was 
 he moved to publish a rash or ill-considered reply. At the outset 
 of his editorial life he had said : 
 
 " We could wish our pages to be so conducted, as that, were 
 it possible for us to revise them a century hence, when all the 
 passions of the moment shall have been forgotten, (however our 
 knowledge may have been increased or our views rectified,) we 
 
72 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 should not have occasion to bkish for the spirit manifested, or to 
 expunge a sentence on account of its unchristian tendency. And 
 though so complete a victory over passion, provocation and infir- 
 mity, is rather to be desired than expected, we shall anxiously 
 strive to obtain it"* 
 
 After the experience of three years, he adverted to this particu- 
 lar topic in the following terms : 
 
 " Among the duties which devolve on writers for religious publi- 
 cations, those which relate to the treatment of adversaries are 
 probably the most difficult. As we have never yet learnt from 
 Scripture, experience, or observation, that all the different schemes 
 of religion have an equal claim to be treated with deference and 
 respect, we cannot hesitate to believe, that many pernicious errors 
 actually exist in this country ; errors which materially afi'ect the 
 very foundations of Christian doctrine ; errors which, if cordially 
 embraced, must prove fatal to the souls of men. Nor can we hesi- 
 tate to believe, that these errors are zealously propagated from the 
 press and the pulpit ; and that, in some instances, men set apart 
 as the guides of their fellow sinners in the way to heaven, lead them 
 in the downward road to perdition. How are writers and preachers 
 of this class to be treated ? is the question. The rules which have 
 appeared to us most important, and altogether defensible, are 
 briefly as follows : 
 
 " First ; it should be regarded as a fundamental canon, not to 
 judge more unfavorably of any religious doctrine, than the Scrip- 
 tures authorize and require us to judge. We allow no human 
 authority in matters of faith. What the word of God condemns, 
 it is the duty of Christians to condemn ; but nothing more. We 
 are no advocates for drawing the bonds of fellowship closer than 
 God has drawn them ; nor for inventing stricter rules of conduct 
 than He has given. In construing the Scriptures, and searching 
 after their genuine meaning, the utmost candor, fairness and rev- 
 erence are to be exhibited; but when that meaning is satisfac- 
 torily ascertained, it is too serious a thing to be yielded out of 
 complaisance, or concealed from view for fear of reproach and 
 obloquy. It is to be avowed, proclaimed and defended, with all 
 possible zeal. 
 
 " Secondly; in controversies with the enemies of the tmth, the 
 law of love is never to be transgressed. Christ has made it the 
 duty of his followers to love all men. A real and earnest desire 
 of the present and future good of an opponent is perfectly consistent 
 with the persuasion that he is in extreme error, and in the way to 
 ruin. Indeed, the fact that any human being is in such error, 
 ought to awake a desire that he may be delivered from it, and will 
 imiformly do so, in hearts under the permanent influence of religion. 
 To ascertain whether a writer is really possessed of this benevo- 
 
 * Panoplist, vol. 6, p. 5. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 73 
 
 lent regard to his adversaries, whom he apprehends, at the same 
 time, to be the adversaries of the truth, let him answer to his own 
 satisfaction tlie following questions. If the person whom I am now 
 particularly opposing were my brother; had we been educated to- 
 gether in a fatlier's house ; or were he a son, whose salvation had 
 been near my heart ever since his birth ; should I not soften the 
 expressions which offer themselves to my pen ? If I answer in 
 the affirmative, is it because, in the case supposed, my natural 
 affection is stronger, than, in the real case, my benevolent regard 
 to an immortal being ? Should I be able to read what I am 
 writing to my opponent in private, without feeling the slightest 
 disposition to anger on the one hand, or the slightest degree of 
 compunction on the other? If not; Why? Ami able to say, 
 with a solemn reference to God, the Judge of all, and to the day 
 of final retribution. This pape was tonttenin love to mankind? 
 
 If all writers would faithfully pursue inquiries of this kind, 
 it is manifest that the race of Warburtons and Belshams would 
 soon become extinct."* 
 
 At the end of eleven years, when the warmth of the conflict 
 was over, and time had been afforded to review calmly all that 
 had been written, in closing his duties as editor of the Panoplist, 
 he speaks of this, the most difficult and painful part of his editorial 
 labors, as follows : 
 
 " In reviewing our work, we have endeavored to place before 
 the mind all the considerations which serve to explain or enforce 
 the great responsibility of one who writes for the public. How 
 much we are deceived as to our motives or our object, it is not in 
 onx own power, or that of any human tribunal, exactly to determine. 
 We can declare, however, without the least resei-ve, that we have 
 always intended to act, in reference to every thing published in 
 our pages, with entire Christian integrity, so far as we have been 
 able to judge of our motives. When the case required it, we have 
 given great deliberation to the question whether we should ])ub- 
 lish; and whether the manner, as well as the matter, could be jus- 
 tified. Whenever facts have been stated, or opinions with respect 
 to facts have been given, the most satisfactory evidence has been 
 required. We know not that the Panoplist has ever been seriously 
 assailed except by those who class themselves under the general 
 denomination of Unitarians. By them, indeed, the inost vehement 
 charges have been made. Some of these charges have been re-' 
 futecl formally, and at length. For the consideration of others, we 
 have had no time. In reference to all these charges, we are sat- 
 isfied that an impartial judge would pronounce them without 
 foundation. 
 
 In some instances, the facts which we had asserted, have been 
 
 * Panoplist, vol. 9, pp. 2, 3. 
 
 10 
 
74 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 denied ; but, in no instance, that we can recollect, has this denial 
 been supported. We are certain that no case of intentional mis- 
 representation can be made out against us, because no such case 
 has existed. In regard to those passages, in our various controversies 
 with Unitarians, which were thought to bear hard upon individuals, 
 we can aver, that they were written from considerations of a pub- 
 lic nature, and not from any unkindness to the persons concerned, 
 nor any wish to excite unpleasant feelings. In discharging what 
 we deemed to be a serious duty, we always endeavored to take 
 care, that no individual, and no party, should have just occasion to 
 complain of our representations; and we are not convinced, that 
 this care was ever insufficient, or ineffectual. Harsh and violent 
 things have been said of our work and our motives ; but we har- 
 bor no resentments, and pray that we and our opponents may view 
 things as they really are, and as they will be viewed when every 
 delusion shall cease, and unmixed truth shall be seen and ac- 
 knowledged." 
 
 " We should not have mentioned this subject, were it not for the 
 plain obligation, which rests upon every writer, to retract former 
 opinions or assertions, which he has found to be erroneous. At 
 the close of this work, the public have a claim to know what we 
 think of those passages which have been particularly obnoxious, 
 and on which the lapse of years has enabled us to form a delib- 
 erate judgment. After the general declaration of upright motives 
 wliich we have made, we would by no means intimate that we 
 have ever thought ourselves exempt from the influence of passion 
 and prejudice. To these causes of error we have doubtless been 
 more or less exposed; but we have attempted to guard against 
 them, and hope they have not operated to any very injurious extent. 
 
 "The present Editor has superintended the publication of the last 
 eleven volumes. Much of the original matter was written by 
 himself, and for nearly all the rest he avows the fullest responsibil- 
 ity."* 
 
 But his attention, as an editor, was by no means confined to sub- 
 jects strictly religious. He took a lively interest in whatever 
 affected the well being of his fellow men. His professional studies 
 and pursuits in early manhood had given him habits in this respect 
 that were kept up through life. He studied society, and all the 
 relations of social, civil, and political life, in the spirit of the 
 Hebrew prophets, in whose writings 
 
 Is plainest taught, and easiest learnt, 
 
 "What makes a nation happy, and keeps it so. 
 
 According to his views of political economy, it was of little 
 consequence whether the wealth of a community was represented 
 
 *Panoplist,. vol. 16, p. iv. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 75 
 
 by a few figures more or less, except as higher interests might be 
 affected by it. 
 
 It was in 1810, during the first year of his editorship, that he 
 began to direct the public mind to the prevalence o( intemperance. 
 The Panoplist for October of that year contained an article from 
 his pen, entitled " Arithmetic applied to Moral Purposes," which 
 developes the principle of ten thousand essays and addresses on 
 the subject, that have since been published. He had by some 
 means learned pretty accurately the cost of the ardent spirit con- 
 sumed in a country town in New England in one year.* It 
 would puzzle a fiend, he remarks, to tell how this sum could pro- 
 mote worse purposes ; and he proceeds to show what might be 
 done with it in salutary expenditures, — such as social libraries, and 
 libraries for ministers of the Gospel— the improvement of common 
 schools, and of roads and bridges — the relief and encouragement 
 of the poor and unfortunate — and the various purposes of Chris- 
 tian charity. The subject was resumed a few months after, for 
 the purpose of exhibiting more in detail the various direct and in- 
 direct losses that are involved in the expenditure of a given sum 
 for intoxicating drinks. So far as the economical view of the 
 subject is concerned, what has since been published in so many 
 forms is little else than the further developement and illustration 
 of the principles exhibited in these essays. 
 
 In June, 1811, soon after the publication of the second of these 
 articles, he was appointed, by the General Association of Massa- 
 chusetts, on a committee " to co-operate with committees of the 
 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church and of the General 
 Association of Connecticut, in devising measures which may have 
 an influence in preventing some of the numerous and threatening 
 mischiefs that are experienced throughout our country from the 
 excessive and intemperate use of spirituous liquors." Of this 
 Committee the Rev. Samuel Worcester, D. D., was chairman, 
 and ]Mr. Evarts clerk. The Committee held several meetings 
 and instituted extensive investigations, the results of which were 
 reported to the Association the next year. Among the measures 
 
 * The statement was ten thousand gallons, which cost the consumers ten thousand 
 dollars, in a population of two thousand souls. It was not supposed to be a town dis- 
 tinguished beyond most others for this vice. 
 
76 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 suggested in this report were, the formation of voluntary Associa- 
 tions, the employment of laborers without furnishing ardent spirits, 
 and the collection and publication of facts ; and it was suggested 
 whether it might not be a duty entirely to abstain from the use of 
 ardent spirits, " unless really and avowedly as a medicine." These 
 proceedings led to the formation of the Massachusetts Society for the 
 Suppression of Intemperance the next year, — a society which, if it 
 did not effect all that was desired and expected, and even fiiiled 
 of seizing on the most efficient principle of reformation, was yet 
 the means of incalculable good to the community, and will always 
 deserve grateful mention among the agencies to which we owe the 
 preservation of the public morals in their present healthful state. 
 At the organization of this society, Mr. Evarts was chosen one of 
 the counsellors. He continued to keep the subject before the 
 public by means of the Panoplist, and always took an active part 
 in all the subsequent movements for the promotion of the cause. 
 
 Other evils that afflict makind were investigated in the same 
 spirit. Soon after he assumed the editorship, he commenced a 
 series of articles " on Human Depravity," which furnished op- 
 portunity to discuss such subjects with great effect. Among the 
 topics touched upon, war was one, constituting the subject of an 
 entire paper. The following paragraph exhibits the train of 
 thought : 
 
 " War is generally, and justly, thought to be the greatest calam- 
 ity which afflicts and desolates this miserable world. Noth- 
 ing else presents such a terrible combination of crimes and 
 miseries. Nothing else gives such a complete destruction to the 
 social enjoyment, the pursuits, and the hopes of all those who' 
 come within the sphere of its immediate influence. No other 
 employment comes so near uniting the character of a fiend with 
 that of a beast of prey. No other calamity leaves behind such 
 indelible marks of its malignant influence. Earthquakes and 
 volcanoes, pestilence and famine, bring their peculiar evils ; but a 
 great consolation in these cases is, that the evils are not volunta- 
 rily inflicted by man upon his fellow-man and himself. In war, 
 on the contrary, man is necessarily the guilty cause. It is almost 
 too plain to be stated, that war can never exist without great and 
 aggravated guilt. Yet with all the horrors and cruelties which 
 attend its progress, and all the desolation and ruin which univer- 
 sally march in its train, war is, and ever has been, the favorite 
 pursuit of man. 
 
LIFE OF EVART3. 77 
 
 " The spirit which commanders admire in the soldiers under 
 their direction, is at the farthest possible remove from a good, kind 
 and benevolent disposition. It consists of a stupid contempt of 
 death, a proud contempt of the enemy, a boastful reliance on their 
 own strength, and several other ingredients equally at variance 
 with Christianity. It is a spiiit, not created by the eloquence of 
 the leader, but natively existing, and always ready to be operated 
 upon. Suppose an array to be wholly composed of such men as 
 David Brainerd or Richard Baxter, I do not mean as to talents, 
 but as to the state of moral feelings ; let thera all have the same 
 humility, meekness, patient submission to injuries, the same love 
 of truth and justice, the same concern for the salvation of souls, 
 the same desire to lessen human misery, and to promote universal 
 love and happiness, the same compassion for sinners, the same 
 solemn views of death, and the same fear of God, which distin- 
 guished these eminent saints ; and let their commander, a Marius, 
 or a Caesar, undertake to address them. How would he find ac- 
 cess to their feelings ? How would he make them understand his 
 arguments ? Or if we suppose one of the armies led by these 
 scourges of mankind, to have been suddenly transformed, by a 
 mighty Divine influence, into men of the character above des- 
 cribed, how wOuld their commander be surprised when he should 
 next call them together. He would perceive that the accustomed 
 topics of military eloquence had lost their effect. As he descanted 
 on expected plunder, the slaughter of foes, vengeance for insults 
 and indignities, the glory of successful valor, and other subjects of 
 the same nature, his hearers, instead of shouting, " Long live our 
 general," would view their employment with greater and greater 
 abhorrence as the speech proceeded ; and the speaker could not 
 help observing, to his mortification and unspeakable regret, that 
 the strings which had before vibrated to his touch, had now unac- 
 countably lost their tension." 
 
 This was written in April, 1811. The Peace Societies have 
 since made such views — views that have naturally occurred to 
 individual Christians in every age — familiar to the public. Two 
 years later, when the war expenses of the United States for the 
 year amounted to forty millions, and those of Great Britain to four 
 hundred and twenty millions of dollars, and when France had 
 twelve hundred thousand men under arms, the subject was again 
 taken up, in two articles on the expenses of war, and on the good 
 use that might be made of the money thus expended. The 
 amount of the estimate, for the Christian world in that most ex- 
 pensive year, was ^3,235,000,000, — including the destruction of 
 individual property and the loss of productive labor. The general 
 
78 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 view of the high purposes which that sum, otherwise employed, 
 might accomplish, is shown in the following paragraphs : 
 
 " Let us imagine, then, that all the armed men in the Christian 
 world, on the 10th of Sept. 1813, and all their attendants, and all 
 their employers, had been suddenly changed in their moral char- 
 acter, and become so thoroughly transformed, as to do justly, and 
 to love mercy, and to ivalk humbly ivith their God. It is very clear, 
 that hostilities would have immediately ceased ; all the armies 
 would have returned to their respective countries ; and by the first 
 of January 1814, those who had been engaged only in war and 
 violence, would be ready to enter upon the useful and profitable 
 labors of life. 
 
 Let us imagine further, that the people of all Christian nations 
 were willing to make as great pecuniary sacrifices, for a single 
 year, with a view to promote the temporal and eternal good of their 
 fellow creatures, as they made the year preceding, in carrying on 
 offensive and defensive war; and we shall find, that a permanent 
 fund would be raised, which, at six per cent, interest, would produce 
 $194,100,000, annually." 
 
 " I do not say, that it would be wise to raise such a fund ; but 
 only that such sacrifices as have been specified, icould do it. It 
 would certainly be wise however, for Christian nations to exert 
 themselves on a grand scale, and in their national capacities, for 
 the promulgation of the Gospel and the civilization of mankind." 
 
 " But to return : if wars were to cease, never to be renewed by 
 nations called Christian, and mankind were universally convinced 
 of the fact, the avails of the present systems of taxation, after the 
 single year above mentioned, might be almost wholly devoted to 
 the extinguishment of the war debts, which now press iipon many 
 nations with enormous weight. To the same purpose might be 
 apphed whatever could be derived from the sale of the brass, the 
 iron, the steel, &c. &c., which is now in various kinds of arms, but 
 which might be converted to useful purposes. The materials of 
 fortifications, which Avould be demolished, might be sold to be con- 
 verted into dwelling houses ; arsenals might be rented for com- 
 mercial ware-houses ; ships of war might be converted into shijis 
 of trade ; and every war-like preparation might answer some val- 
 uable end, and contribute to the wealth and comfort of the pubhc. 
 The least valuable could be used for fuel, and thus the words of 
 Scripture would be fulfilled by burning the chariot with fire. It is 
 reasonable, that those walls which have been erected by the toils 
 of ten or twenty successive generations, which have been moist- 
 ened with the sweat and cemented with the blood of unhappy 
 millions, should be made to alleviate the national burdens. There 
 would be an immense saving of productive labor to every nation ; so 
 that, in these various ways, every national debt might be discharged 
 in a few years." 
 
 " While this process was going on, the mternal condition of 
 every nation would be receiving great and unexampled improve- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 79 
 
 ments. Schools would be everywhere supported ; the children of 
 the poor would everywhere be educated ; churches would everj''- 
 whcre be erected ; the Sabbath would everywhere shine with a 
 glorious effulgence, and, as often as it returned, would be a day of 
 joy and salvation to assembled myriads. The writer of these re- 
 flections has been assured by a gentleman who travelled all over 
 England about the year 1792, and again about twenty years after- 
 wards, that the progress of internal improvement in that kingdom 
 within twenty years is amazing, and vastly exceeds the increase 
 of her external commerce. This statement may be depended on, 
 as the gentleman travelled, in the first instance, to use his own 
 expression, ' with a young, inquiring eye,' and, in the second, he 
 went over the same ground with a particular view to make a com- 
 parison. If this is the fact, notwithstanding the pressure of ex- 
 ternal war, how much more rapid and extensive would be the 
 progress in a time of profound peace, and when all the vast re- 
 sources of the kingdom should be gi-adually withdrawn from their 
 destination, as the public debt melted like snow under an April 
 sun." 
 
 " As the liberated resources of every nation would abundantly 
 suffice for every domestic improvement, and would meliorate the 
 condition of the people in relation to temporal things and spiritual 
 privileges, let us suppose the income from the permanent fund, 
 raised by the saving of one years ivar expenses, to be devoted solely 
 to the promulgation of the Gospel among the heathen nations, and 
 nations partly heathen. And surely it is not unreasonable, that 
 men should make such a sacrifice for such an object. It is now 
 more than eighteen hundred years since the hymn of the angels 
 was heard in Bethlehem, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth 
 peace, good will toivards men. The full import of this hymn will 
 hereafter be understood by mankind. As to the past, men have 
 always devoted the best of their resources, their wealth, their 
 talents, to the arts of war. Every year since any nation has 
 become nominally Christian, has seen the prime of everything de- 
 voted either to actual war, to a preparation for it, or to repair the 
 breaches which war had made. It is time that men had found 
 out that war is not the way to happiness ; let them pursue a dif- 
 ferent plan; let them become faithful subjects of the Prince of 
 peace, and use all their efforts to extend his dominion." 
 
 In regard to slavery his feelings were deeply enlisted ; and es- 
 pecially while the Missouri Question was before Congress, he dis- 
 cussed the subject at length and with great earnestness. He had 
 not only thought much of slavery, considered according to the 
 theory of it ; but he had observed its actual character and influ- 
 ences, and could speak with the more confidence and discrimina- 
 tion from having become personally acquainted with the system. 
 Many slave-holders he numbered among his personal friends, and 
 
80 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 for many others he cherished feelings of the sincerest respect and 
 confidence. He could recognize exalted worth as readily in South 
 Carolina as in Massachusetts ; and to indulge in indiscriminate 
 tirades against all the members of a slaveholding community was 
 equally abhorrent to his judgment and his feelings. The extracts 
 from his articles on this subject, here inserted, will suffice to show 
 his views and feelings in regard to American slavery and its re- 
 moval, and in what temper he conducted the discussion. The 
 subject was introduced by the following remarks : 
 
 " We invite the attention of our readers to a few remarks on the 
 greatest question which will probably come before the as- 
 sembled council of our nation during the present century. The 
 declaration of war, tremendous as that evil is to immense multi- 
 tudes, and disastrous as its consequences are to the community at 
 large, is yet a very limited and temporary calamity, if compared 
 with any measure which tends to perpetuate slavery, ignorance 
 and vice, among a large class of our fellow-creatures and count- 
 less myriads of their descendants. That the permission of slavery 
 in the new state of Missouri is such a measure, we do not assert, 
 at the commencement of our observations. That this is believed 
 to be its character by many judicious, dispassionate, candid men, 
 who have no personal, private, or political interest in the question, 
 is undeniable ; and this is sufficient to warrant the discussion. 
 Besides, the subject involves questions of national morality; — 
 questions on which our character as a just, magnanimous, humane 
 and Christian people, will much depend. On such questions, it is 
 the right and the duty of every man to express his thoughts boldly, 
 though temperately, and with none but kind feelings towards 
 those, who soberly and conscientiously differ from him." 
 
 " Let us here say, to those of our southern brethren who may cast 
 their eyes on these pages, that we would by no means counte- 
 nance the habit of bringing local prejudices to bear upon discussions 
 like the present. Much less would we tolerate reproachful lan- 
 guage, as used against the southern states, on account of the mere 
 existence of slavery there. On the contrary, the whole business 
 ought to be conducted with an enlarged reference to the perma- 
 nent good of the whole union, and with particular reference to the 
 permanent security of the southern people, and the gradual im- 
 provement of the condition of the black population. So far as 
 local considerations should have any weight, they should constrain 
 the assembled representatives of the people, and every writer and 
 speaker on the subject, to consult with peculiar tenderness and 
 solicitude, the e;reat interests of those parts of our country, where 
 slavery now exists. This may be done with little apprehension ; 
 for, unless we are entirely deceived, the great interest of the whole 
 imion will be best promoted, in reference to this subject, by the 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. Qj 
 
 very measures, wliich will exert a permanently salutary influence 
 on the southern states." 
 
 " It may be well to premise here, that slavery is universally ad- 
 mitted to be, as Judge Washington has well expressed it, an in- 
 herent vice in any community, where it exists. We should not 
 wish to use stronger language concerning it, than has been used 
 by Mr. Jefferson, himself a native and inhabitant of a slave-holding 
 state, and the possessor of numerous slaves. Few abler arguments 
 have been made, and few more eloquent appeals been delivered, in 
 behalf of the blacks of our southern country, than were heard in the 
 Legislature of South Carolina, about a year since, from one of the 
 Charleston members. There are, in the slave-holding states, gen- 
 tlemen of great worth and respectability, whose hearts are 
 deeply engaged in the design of mitigating the evils of slavery, 
 and in preparing the way for its gradual abolition. May the bles- 
 sing of the Almighty rest upon them, give them wisdom, zeal, and 
 perseverance, and crown their labors with success." 
 
 After touching upon a few other topics, the importance of the 
 question is again adverted to : 
 
 " The people of this country do not seem to be sufficiently aware 
 of the immense multitudes of persons, both freemen and slaves, 
 whose condition is to be affected by the present measures. When 
 we speak of the future population of our country, its greatness 
 seems incredible, merely because the subject is new, and because 
 the world has never before seen the rise of such an empire : at 
 least, history has brought down to us no memorial of such an em- 
 pire, as will probably exist, a century hence, between the Rocky 
 Mountains and the Atlantic. No reasonable man can see why our 
 whole country, on an average, should not be as populous as Mas- 
 sachusetts Proper now is. For ourselves, we believe it will be 
 much more populous. Nor can any man assign a cause, why 
 population should not advance for a hundred years to come, as it has 
 done for a hundred years past. Should that be the case, in seventy 
 years from this day, the people within the present limits of our coun- 
 try will amount to eighty millions ; of whom about thirteen millions 
 will be slaves, on the supposition that slaves increase in the same 
 ratio as the whole population. The free colored people will, at that 
 period, probably not be fewer than two millions, — making a black 
 population of fifteen milHons, exclusive of the slaves who may be 
 unlawfully imported into the United States within the same pe- 
 riod ; and who, with their descendants, will probably amount to two 
 millions, and may greatly surpass that number. It is quite within 
 the limits of possibility, that the child now in his cradle may be 
 president of the United States, when this amazing augmentation 
 of our numbers shall have actually taken place ; and the close of 
 the present century may leave within our borders one hundred 
 millions of human beings to enter upon the cares and duties of 
 the next age. Ought this consideration to be disregarded, on so 
 
 11 
 
82 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 momentous a question as that of freedom and slavery ? How- 
 cautious should be the legislator at the present day, lest his im- 
 providence, or his compliance with selfish importunities, or his re- 
 sort to temporary expediency, should justly expose his memory to 
 the bitter reproaches of countless millions yet to be bom ? 
 
 The discussion is concluded with the following remarks : 
 
 " In some of the preceding remarks it has been intimated that 
 slaves experience oppression at the hands of their masters. We 
 very well know that our southern brethren feel acutely the least 
 intimation of this sort. We cheerfully admit, that there are many 
 humane, kind, and benevolent persons, among the possessors of 
 slaves ; that some consult not only the temporal, but the spiritual 
 good of their slaves, with great solicitude ; and that slaves, in the 
 United States are better treated than in most other places where 
 they are found. But would our southern brethren wish to be 
 slaves themselves, even to the kindest and most benevolent mas- 
 ters within their knowledge ? Would they consent that their 
 children should be slaves, even to such masters ? What then 
 shall be said of the grasping miser, and the domestic tyrant? 
 Does any man love his neighbor as himself, when he willingly 
 intrusts his neighbor to the unrestrained will of such a master? 
 Are we yet to learn that unlimited power is always abused by the 
 depraved children of Adam ? Are we required to believe, that a 
 constant, all-pervading miracle is wrought in behalf of the unde- 
 fended, secluded, unheeded descendants of Africa ? We have 
 no inclination to go into particulars ; but we owe it to truth and 
 the cause of fhumanity, to declare, that the worst accounts of slav- 
 ery and its consequences, that have ever come to our knowledge, 
 have either been the relations of facts so public as to be unques- 
 tionable, or have proceeded directly from the mouths of respecta- 
 ble slave-holders themselves. We heard such a slave-holder 
 observe, with great deliberation and solemnity, that when the his- 
 tory of human crimes shall be recited to the astonished universe, 
 slavery will form the most dreadful chapter, not excepting even 
 war. This is a serious subject ; and it will be found so in the end. 
 
 " Let us imagine an intelligent traveller, some fifty years hence, 
 passing through the western country. In the States of Ohio, In- 
 diana, and Illinois, he finds a vigorous, healthy, industrious popu- 
 lation ; a land of cultivated farms, thriving villages, and populous 
 towns, inhabited by freemen only ; an ample domain, tilled in 
 small portions by the lords of the soil, abundant in its productions, 
 and almost boundless in its resources. Every individual has the 
 disposal of his own time, the employment of his own faculties ; 
 and is, in short, his own master. Here is no hereditary degrada- 
 tion ; no exclusion from the rights of men and of citizens. Here 
 is but one code of laws, enacted by the common voice, and admin- 
 istered for the common protection. The village school is open to 
 every child ; and every child learns to read his Bible. The village 
 sanctuary is open to every immortal being ; and not an individual 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. g3 
 
 is restrained from worshipping God whenever and wherever he 
 thinks proper, according to the dictates of his own conscience. 
 Here every man goes where he pleases, without suspicion, inter- 
 rogation, or notice. All feel safe, for all are brethren. 
 
 " Our traveller crosses the Mississippi. Everything is changed. 
 With indications of wealth, and power, and splendor, are inter- 
 mixed tokens of poverty, indolence, and hopeless depression. 
 One half of the people are masters, and the other half are slaves. 
 The extensive plantation removes the opulent land-holder, with 
 his sable retinue, from the inspection of the public, and from all 
 responsibility to human laws. Half the people are at their birth 
 excluded from all possibility of sharing in civil or political rights. 
 Their time, their earnings, their faculties, their children, their bod- 
 ies, and, in a very important sense, their souls too, are at the dis- 
 posal of others. The spring of industry is broken. Confidence is 
 extinguished. Labor is exacted by the dread of punishment alone. 
 Two codes of law are established — one for freemen, the other for 
 slaves. It is needless to say that slaves have no voice in making 
 laws for their own government — laws barbarous in their enact- 
 ments, inflicting heavy and disgraceful punishments for the slight- 
 est offences, executed in the most capricious manner, and giving 
 very inadequate redi'ess to the injured subject. Here half the 
 children are not permitted to learn to read ; for by reading they 
 would acquire knowledge, and knowledge is power. Knowledge 
 they must not possess ; for they would re-print our Declaration of 
 Independence in characters of blood. Of course they can never 
 read the Bible, that choicest gift of the Almighty. Nor can they 
 worship God, except at the will of a master. The gospel was de- 
 signed for the poor especially ; yet many of these people are 
 debarred from hearing it, though they are poor indeed. Here sus- 
 picion, distrust, and fear poison all enjoyment. On the slightest 
 alarm, the whole community is in trepidation, lest an insurrection 
 should be commencing. When the bells give warning of fire, the 
 vigorous part of the free population hasten, not to the fire-engines, 
 but to arms, lest the occasion should be seized for rapine, murder, 
 and rebellion. Every corporate town is busied, in proportion to 
 its exposure, in devising precautions against so horrible a calamity 
 as a servile war. In one place it is ordained that no slave shall 
 be taught to read ; and that any charitable individual who teaches 
 a slave to read shall be liable to a disgraceful punishment : in 
 another, that slaves shall not meet for public worship, except in 
 certain specified cases : in a third, that no slave shall leave his 
 master's inclosure, except with a written permit, which describes 
 the time of absence, and the distance to which he may go : in a 
 fourth, that no slave shall carry a cane in his hands, as he walks 
 the street, on penalty of a public whipping : in a fifth, that no 
 slave shall speak disrespectfully to any white man, on penalty of 
 fifteen lashes, to be inflicted at the public jail.* 
 
 * These enactments are not tlie work of imagination : they have actually been es- 
 tablished in some of our southern cities. What reason have we to suppose that 
 they will not be re-enacted hereafter at St. Louis and St. Charles ? 
 
84 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " Onr traveller loses all patience. He expostulates with the 
 people on their unequal laws, their heavy punishment of small 
 offences, and the general severity of their slave-code. The only 
 reply is, Our blacks must he kept 'under, or we cannot live with them. 
 But, he rejoins, do you not lament your unhappy condition? In- 
 deed we do ; but our fathers entailed the curse of slavery upon us, 
 and how can we escape from it ? Some few benevolent persons 
 are endeavoring to find a remedy for us ; but they are regarded as 
 visionary projectors. The general opinion is, that nothing can be 
 done. The traveller returns to the land of freedom, with a thank- 
 ful heart that there are communities in which equal rights, just 
 laws, and universal industry secure the people from the frightful 
 calamities wliich press upon every country filled with slaves. 
 
 "At the close of these remarks we cannot but express our serious 
 apprehension, that if present measures should be persisted in, the 
 issue of slavery on this continent will be more disastrous than has 
 ever yet been imagined. Before the number of slaves in North 
 America shall amount to twenty millions, how many plots, and 
 murders, and massacres will have taken place ? How much blood 
 will have been shed to suppress embryo insurrections ? How much 
 vigilance will have been necessary to prevent them ? How many 
 barbarous enactments will have found their place in the slave 
 codes ? How much cruel suffering is to be endured by the unhappy 
 blacks ; how much agonizing fear by the more unhappy whites ? 
 And the time will probably arrive when some future Spartacus 
 will muster his army of fugitives, or some future 'J'ouissaint en- 
 throne himself in the affections of his brethren, as the commence- 
 ment of an intestine convulsion unparalleled in the annals of this 
 sinful world. The thoughtless may care nothing about these pre- 
 dictions. The prejudiced may refuse to look at these prospects. 
 But enlightened legislators can have no excuse for neglecting the 
 wonderful increase of the blacks in our country. It is miserable 
 policy to leave the mischief untouched till it becomes unmanage- 
 able. Miracles are not to be expected in our behalf. If wise, 
 judicious, public-spirited measures are not speedily adopted for the 
 improvement of the blacks and the gradual abolition of slavery, 
 our rulers must go upon the presumption that the bondage of Afri- 
 cans is to be unlimited and perpetual. But unlimited and perpet- 
 ual it will not be. Things will not continue as they now are, in 
 this respect, to the end of the world. Black men will at last be 
 free ; and if they are not freed by kindness, under the direction 
 of wisdom, they will gain their liberty by violence, at the instiga- 
 tion of revenge. The duration of sei-vitude on this continent will 
 hardly equal, in future, the time during which it has existed hith- 
 erto. In the year 1620, the first slave ship entered the waters of 
 Virginia. At the very time when the tree of liberty was planted 
 on the hills of New England, the seeds of slavery were scattered 
 in the plains of the south. Slavery will not continue here two 
 centuries more — perhaps not one. By human agency it is to be 
 decided, under the control of Divine Providence, whether the 
 emancipation shall be peaceful, or demanded by force. In the 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 85 
 
 first event it cannot be accomplished without great care, toil, anx- 
 iety, public spirit, and many sacrifices ; in the latter, the prospect 
 is too awful to be described by the imagination. There is every 
 reason to fear that, according to the usual method of God's admin- 
 istration, the country must experience signal visitations of retribu- 
 tive justice. Unless the prayers of the pious, the labors of the 
 philanthropic, the measures of genuine patriotism, and the re- 
 straining energies of the gospel, conspire to arrest the threaten- 
 ing calamity, its arrival is morally certain. That such a holy union 
 as we have just adverted to may take place, and that it may com- 
 prise in its limits the north and the south, all the friends of God, 
 of their countiy, and of Africa, is our sincere prayer and continual 
 desire. 
 
 " We should do wrong to take leave of our readers without say- 
 ing that there are some topics of consolation, even if the tide of 
 slavery should roll westward without limits. A great effort has 
 been made to prevent such a disastrous event; a powerful and 
 united testimony has been borne, throughout a large part of our 
 nation, against the extension of slavery ; reasons have been urged, 
 founded in the eternal principles of justice, and commending them- 
 selves to the dispassionate judgment, not less than to the feeling 
 heart ; the country is awake to the dangers of slavery, and, it may 
 be hoped, will not fall into another deathlike slumber ; all benefi- 
 cent enterprises, at the present day, are prospered beyond the ex- 
 pectations of their friends ; and a great and general sympathy is 
 felt for the blacks, and a deep interest in all plans for the improve- 
 ment of their condition. But most of all should we remember that 
 God sometimes effectuates the deliverance of the oppressed and 
 unfriended, in a manner previously never imagined by men ; that 
 He often averts evil consequences, when they seem, to human 
 minds, unavoidable ; and that even the wrath of man shall praise 
 Him, and the remainder of wrath He is able to restrain." 
 
 Some months after the decision of the Missouri Question the 
 subject of slavery was again adverted to, the necessity of discus- 
 sion asserted, and the manner in which it should be carried on, 
 described : 
 
 " We are convinced, after very serious deliberation, that the 
 general subject of slavery and its consequences ought to be kept 
 before the eyes of the American people. Unless this be done, no 
 real improvement of the condition of the blacks in the United 
 States is to be expected. Abuses never voluntarily cure them- 
 selves ; nor do they quietly submit to exposure. But then- very 
 enormity sometimes provokes and compels exposure, and thus 
 hastens a correction, and prepares the way for a final remedy." 
 
 " Our southern brethren are extremely irritable on the subject 
 of slavery ; and are apt to be indignant, if any thing is said re- 
 specting it by the people of the north. We could most gladly 
 
86 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 wish that there were such evidence of an enhghtened, humane, 
 and persevering attention to the improvement of the blacks in the 
 southern regions of the United States, as would justify a profound 
 silence on the part of the northern people. But during the forty- 
 four years which have elapsed since our nation became independ- 
 ent, what has been done by the legislatures of Virginia, the 
 Carolinas, and Georgia, to elevate the character of the blacks, to 
 secure their rights, and to fit them to become ultimately entitled to 
 all the privileges of men and citizens ? Let the statement be fairly 
 made, and let all the laws, favorable and adverse to the happiness 
 of the slaves, be duly considered : it will then appear that the in- 
 habitants of the non-slave-holding states ought not to remain silent, 
 on the ground that the southern people know best what is to be done 
 and that they are doing all they can for the benefit of the blacks. 
 Unquestionably the people at the north would not be able to legis- 
 late wisely and judiciously, with respect to the slaves of Car- 
 olina. But they might safely adopt some general principles on 
 the subject. They might be able to say positively that something 
 ought to be done. They might without hazard assert the following 
 positions as incontrovertible : viz. That slavery is an unnatural 
 state of society ; — that it brings with it innumerable and tremen- 
 dous evils ; — that the idea of a perpetuation of slavery in a coun- 
 try claiming to be free, and asserting that all men are " created 
 equal," is a monstrous anomaly ; — that the general countenance of 
 such an idea would be supremely dishonorable to this country ; — 
 that all men in every part of the world ought to be taught to read 
 the Bible ; — that withholding the Bible from any class of men, 
 nnder any pretence whatever, is unchristian, and a daring opposition 
 to the will of the Most High ; — that the blacks of our country ought 
 to be immediately furnished with the means of religious instruc- 
 tion ; — that the most persevering, pubhc spirited, and unremitted 
 exertions of the best and wisest members of the community should 
 be applied to the mitigation and gradual abolition of slaveiy ; — that 
 no time is to be lost in this business ; — that the sooner the work is 
 commenced the more rapid will be its progress, and the less ardu- 
 ous the conflict with prejudice, injustice and selfishness ; — and that 
 no dictate of religion, or of an enlightened conscience, will permit 
 a benevolent man to sit down contented with the present state and 
 prospects of the negro population of this countiy." 
 
 " "What then is to be done ? Let the people be informed of the 
 nature and extent of the evil, without exaggeration and without 
 concealment. Let the truth be kindly, though fearlessly told. Let 
 the plans of the benevolent be submitted for consideration. Let 
 the friends of Africa and her sons be active and vigilant. Let there 
 be a rallying point in every slave-holding state, at which the friends 
 of liberty and of equal rights shall meet for the expression of their 
 opinions, and the promotion of the good cause. No doubt this 
 process will excite much opposition on the part of the interested 
 and the violent. But opposition must not deter from duty. How 
 would the slave-trade have ever been abohshed if Mr. Wilberforce 
 and his friends had yielded to opposition the most powerful, the 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 87 
 
 most determined, and the most malignant ? The friends of truth 
 and righteousness never yet achieved any great victory without a 
 great struggle." 
 
 " We need hardly say, that this cause eminently deserves to be 
 conducted with prudence and caution. No statements of facts 
 should be made without good authority. Large classes and com- 
 munities of men should not be judged by the excesses of a few. 
 Candid allowances should be made for the effect of education and 
 habit. Yet the fundamental principles of freedom should never 
 be abandoned ; the great and paramount and spiritual interests of 
 immortal beings should never be deserted." 
 
 Extracts from the slave-code of Virginia, furnished by a cor- 
 respondent in that State, were embodied in this article, with com- 
 ments to show their bearing. Expressions of dissatisfaction at the 
 South soon followed, and indeed in some places there was no 
 small stir about h. It was said that the Methodist free blacks of 
 Charleston were obliged to suspend the erection of a chapel in 
 consequence. In reply to complaints and remonstrances, another 
 article followed in November. 
 
 " We consider it indeed, one of the darkest signs, as to the fu- 
 ture prospects of the slave-holding country, that a vast majority of 
 slave-holders, as we fully believe, and of the most respectable 
 slave-holders too, are unwilling that the subject of slavery should 
 be publicly discussed in any manner, or in any place, by northern 
 or by southern people. We ask the most candid of our southern 
 friends, if this is not the case? And this being the case, how are 
 any general measures to be adopted for the melioration of the con- 
 dition of the blacks ?" 
 
 " The time must come, when this subject shall be boldly dis- 
 cussed, no matter how wisely and temperately, but still boldly, 
 even in the southern states, or the time of deliverance to the slave- 
 holding country will never come. It would be better undoubtedly, 
 that the southern people should take the lead in this discussion ; 
 but if they persevere in silence, is all the rest of the world bound 
 to be silent also ? There is, we admit, a time to be silent, as well 
 as a time to speak ; but are not all moral agents, who have the 
 faculty of speaking or writing, to judge on their own responsibility, 
 when this faculty is to be used? We beheve that the southern 
 people generally mistake their true interests in this momentous 
 concern. The sooner they enter publicly and avowedly upon the 
 work of reformation, the more easily will it be accomplished. 
 
 " If quietly going to sleep would cure the evil, this would doubt- 
 less be the easiest way ; but a sluggish acquiescence in any abuse 
 never yet removed it, especially in such an abuse as domestic sla- 
 very, and one so closely entwined with all the passions and inter- 
 ests of a populous community. 
 
 "But in what mamier should the discussion be conducted? 
 
88 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 This is indeed a grave question, and demands serious considera- 
 tion. We answer generally that the object of the discussion 
 should be to do good. The writers and speakers should feel the 
 subject to be one which involves the interests of this vast conti- 
 nent through all future times. They should utterly discard all 
 sectional prejudices ; at least this should be their constant endeavor, 
 though it is not reasonable to require of them entire exemption 
 from one of the most common infirmities of men. They should 
 feel the most unmingled Jiindness for those who are afflicted with 
 slavery, if themselves are so happy as to be exempt from it. Es- 
 pecially should we at the north avoid, both in feeling and expres- 
 sion, everything like exultation in comparing our condition with 
 that of our southern brethren, as though our own wisdom or good- 
 ness had made us to differ. We should avoid, also, the injustice 
 of condemning a whole community for the faults of a part, or im- 
 plying that the actual slave-holders are more unfavorably affected 
 by their condition than other persons would be, if placed in the 
 same circumstances. We should rejoice in every indication of 
 good, be it ever so small ; and should hope for success in every 
 incipient work of benevolence, so far as a regard to the teachings 
 of experience will warrant. We should not, however, from a 
 wish to think and speak kindly of the existing state of things, or 
 from a spurious benevolence, confound the eternal principles of 
 right and wrong. We should not be so silly as to think that call- 
 ing slavery a small evil, or a blessing, would make it so ; or that 
 all the injustice, and all the cruelty, and all the mental and moral 
 degradation — which have invariably attended slavery in a large 
 community, are at once to be cancelled, so that none of the guilt 
 will remain, by simply alleging that slavery was entailed upon the 
 present generation by their ancestors. The cause of truth should 
 never be betrayed by seeming to admit, for a moment, that black 
 men have no rights ; or that, because they cannot be trusted with 
 the possession of all their rights at once, they and their posterity 
 shall be doomed to interminable servitude. 
 
 " Our southern friends do not deny that slavery is an evil ; and 
 that it originated in avarice, oppression and cruelty. But they say, 
 the evil exists, and cannot be suddenly removed without producing 
 a greater evil. Granted. It will not do, however, to acquiesce in 
 the perpetual duration of slavery, because it cannot be removed 
 suddenly. And here should the patriotic legislator of the south 
 take his stand. He should insist upon making a declaration to the 
 world, that the present system of holding human beings in bon- 
 dage is to be excused only on the plea of necessity. He should 
 declare, that every exertion ought to be made to abolish slavery ; 
 that the thought of entailing such a curse upon all future ages is 
 abhorrent to the feelings of every virtuous man ; that, in measures 
 to be taken, with reference to this subject, the good of the blacks 
 should receive the first consideration, as they are defenceless, and 
 can have no voice in the decision ; that certain limits should be 
 immediately imposed upon the power of masters ; and that provis- 
 ion should be made for gradually imparting to slaves everytliing, 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 89 
 
 which is now withheld from them on the ground of necessity alone. 
 If all the legislatures of the south were to set about convincing the 
 world of their wish to benefit the blacks, and ultimately to redeem 
 them from their present degradation, there is abundant reason to 
 beheve, that the pecuhar blessing of God would attend every in- 
 cipient effort. "We hesitate not to say, that at the very beginning 
 of this process, the equality which the gospel teaches is to be 
 made the fundamental principle ; that equahty, we mean, which is 
 implied in loving our neighbor as ourselves. Every master should 
 feel, and be willing that his slaves should know that he feels the 
 obligation of discharging this law of love to them. He should be 
 willing that they should know that the present distinction between 
 master and slave is factitious and unnatural ; that it is kept up for 
 their good, more than for his profit or gratification ; that he should 
 rejoice if it could be safely obliterated ; and that by good conduct 
 they may expect a material improvement of their condition." 
 
 These extracts are made more full, from a desire to place here 
 an adequate record of the general views of Mr. Evarts upon the 
 subject. They underwent no material change during the subse- 
 quent period of his life. It is hardly necessary to add, that with 
 all the earnest convictions of his whole mind and soul upon the 
 subject, he entirely disapproved — that he abhorred — the style and 
 spirit with which some, before his death, had begun to conduct 
 their anti-slavery warfare. 
 
 Besides his labors as editor of the Panopllst, Mr. Evarts was often 
 called upon during this period to aid in ecclesiastical councils, to 
 give advice on other occasions, to draft important documents, and 
 perform other similar services for the churches in his vicinity. He 
 took a lively interest in all local as well as general movements for 
 the promotion of truth and righteousness. The church, the con- 
 gregation or the city, where Providence had cast his lot, were 
 fields of action which he never overiooked. He was an officer in 
 the churches with which he was connected in New Haven and 
 Boston ;* and was also called to serve as a municipal officer in 
 various capacities. To the various smaller associations immedi- 
 ately around him, designed to instruct, reform, or relieve the poor, 
 the vicious, or the ignorant, or to aid the larger societies, he de- 
 voted much time and labor. 
 
 He was active in the organization of the Massachusetts Bible 
 Society, and the Auxiliary of Middlesex county ; and was one of 
 
 * He removed from Charlestown to Boston in the year tS16. 
 
 12 
 
90 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 the first Managers of the American Bible Society. In the Mas- 
 sachusetts Missionary Society, though organized before he entered 
 on active hfe, he felt a deep interest, and was for many years its 
 Treasurer and one of its Trustees. He was appointed one of the 
 Committee of supplies of the Connecticut Education Society, 
 formed in 1815. Of the American Education Society, which he 
 ever regarded as of vital importance to the church, he was an 
 early and active friend, and one of the Vice-Presidents. To the 
 necessity of some special efforts like those since made to increase 
 the number of well-qualified ministers of the Gospel, he directed 
 the attention of the churches, in an essay published in the Pano- 
 plist as early as December, 1810. The following extract illus- 
 trates his habit of deriving from the far distant future cogent and 
 impressive arguments for present action : 
 
 " The candidates for the ministry," he remarks, " are at the pre- 
 sent time scarcely numerous enough to supply the vacancies which 
 are occurring in our old settlements. Beside these, churches and 
 societies are daily forming in newly settled parts of the countiy. 
 To furnish all these with ministers would require a large number 
 of young men — a much larger number than can be produced, unless 
 exertions, hitherto unexampled in this country, are speedily made. 
 And if we regard the future and judge it by the past, we shall be 
 convinced that within twenty years of this time many hundreds of 
 additional laborers will be needed to supply the new demands 
 which will arise from the increasing population of Maine, New 
 Hampshire, Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania, not to proceed 
 farther south, where the wants of the churches are still more im- 
 perious." 
 
 This, it will be noticed, was five years before the American 
 Education Society was formed. 
 
 In regard to these and all kindred movements which have since 
 become so firmly established an)ong the churches, it would not be 
 enough to say that they found in Mr. Evarts an early and constant 
 friend, of enlarged views, sagacious, active, and liberal. The 
 Secretary of the Prison Discipline Society attributes to him, more 
 than to any other man, the origin and early success of that philan- 
 thropic enterprise.* He had studied the subject, and was ready 
 
 *"The Vice-President of this Society, whose death we most deeply feel, was a 
 friend to this object belore the Society was formed, or even contemplated, except, 
 perhaps, by himself. His comprehensive mind, his deep research, and thorough 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 91 
 
 at once for action, without listening to any array of facts and 
 reasonings from another. So it was to a remarkable degree in 
 regard to Tract Societies, Societies for the benefit of Seamen, 
 Sabbath School Societies, and indeed whatever comes within the 
 sphere of Christian philanthropy. The whole subject was a study 
 with him from an early period. He would often speak of those 
 prophecies which relate to the future extension and glory of the ' 
 church, and of the state of things among men which is implied in 
 their full accomplishment. With this state of purity and glory he 
 would bring the present condition of the world — -its habits, its 
 social and political relations, its maxims and spirit, into comparison. 
 Then would come up thoughts of the work to be done, the evils 
 to be corrected, the knowledge to be diffused, and all the reforma- 
 tions to be brought about in order to the coming of that glorious 
 day ; and by a natural transition would follow the ways and 
 means, the actual and prospective agencies in such a w^ork. 
 These were favorite contemplations, and whatever subject engaged 
 his attention was disposed of clearly and methodically. Hence, 
 when social and public evils and new spheres and plans of Christian 
 beneficence were thought of, those who consulted him were often 
 astonished to find the subject already familiar to his thoughts, his 
 opinions formed, and his advice, in regard to particular measures, 
 ready almost at the moment. There is something in the fact that, 
 in regard to this his business, he had, like the merchant in his, 
 formed habits of rapid combination and promptness in disposing of 
 practical questions. But that is not all. He had studied these 
 very questions beforehand ; and when anything was suggested 
 that he had not before thought of in the same light, he was at 
 once able to understand its place and relations, and to discuss it 
 
 knowledge of the world in which we live, convinced Mr. Evarts, long before it had 
 been proposed, that the ground now occupied by this Society was a field for observa- 
 tion and benevolent action, which must not be neglected. While the revered man 
 of whom we speak, thus felt and reasoned, and gave the most substantial evidence of 
 his approbation by his countenance, patronage, and a letter of credit which would have 
 furnished Bibles for all the Prisons in the land, others, who might have esteemed them- 
 selves wiser than Mr. Evarts, looked on with indifference. The coolness, decision, 
 heartfelt approbation, and letter of credit, above alluded to, written in the full strength 
 of faith, and confidence of hope and afl^ection. for the purpose of recommending a 
 suitable agent to examine and supply destitute Prisons with the Bible, might have 
 been, for aught we know, the hinge on which the very existence of this Society de- 
 pended." [See 6th Rep. of Prison Dis. Soc. p. 5.] 
 
92 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 intelligently. The consequence of this was that, upon all such 
 subjects his conversation was full of the " seeds of things," and 
 he was resorted to continually for advice and assistance in every 
 good work. Whatever the enterprise was, relating to the establish- 
 ment of the Redeemer's kingdom among men, his counsel was 
 sought, and his suggestions were apt to have an important part in 
 shaping it and securing its success. 
 
 How much of their early hold on the public mind, and how 
 much in regard to the manner and spirit in which they have been 
 prosecuted, such enterprises owe to his attention and advocacy, it 
 would be difficult for any but those intimately associated with him 
 at the time, to understand. So far as he had anything to do with 
 them, every plan must be put upon its proper basis and exhibited 
 in its true relations. The truth served all his purposes ; for he 
 could see it clearly, express it forcibly, and his purposes were 
 honest. Distortion and exaggeration were equally abhorrent to 
 his moral and to his literary tastes. His habits and success are a 
 remarkable refutation of those who urge that rashness and indis- 
 cretion are to be expected, as a matter of course, in the character 
 of a reformer, or at least of a pioneer in reform. The most in- 
 ventive was not more prolific in suggestions ; the most ardent did 
 not surpass him in zeal, nor the most reckless in courage ; nor had 
 any reformer clearer views of the changes that Christianity de- 
 mands and will eiSfect in the relations of man to man, and people 
 to people ; but he was able to pursue a course that commended 
 itself to every man's conscience in the sight of God, and which time 
 would sanction. 
 
 But there was to him a far more engrossing theme than any of 
 these. He had watched the progress of British missions to the 
 heathen from an early period in his college life. The subject had 
 been gradually attracting the attention of the churches, and it was 
 an object with the Panoplist, from the beginning, to diffuse mis- 
 sionary intelligence. Into this department of his work he entered 
 with peculiar pleasure. His heart was early moved by the labors 
 of the London Missionary Society, the Moravian Brethren, and 
 the Baptist Translators at Serampore ; and the pages of his jour- 
 nal bore witness, not only in the selected intelligence, but in the 
 tenor and spirit of many original articles, to the zeal with which 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 93 
 
 he endeavored to awaken similar feelings in the hearts of others. 
 A new field was opening to the churches. The horizon of Chris- 
 tian benevolence was extended. The more enterprising among 
 Americans soon became inspired with a noble ambition to bear 
 some part in the work, and considerable sums were raised and sent 
 abroad, especially to Serampore. It is refreshing to see with what 
 cordiality he and his friends were ready to co-operate with the 
 devoted men at Serampore, — denominational differences not being 
 suffered to check the free promptings of Christian sympathy and 
 confidence. 
 
 It has already been mentioned that he wrote for the Panoplist, 
 while editor, under many different signatures. The Reviews were 
 also chiefly from his pen. Indeed, although he had able assistance, 
 and many valuable articles were contributed by others, he was 
 himself the author of a very large proportion, probably the greater 
 part of the original matter of the volumes that he edited, — namely, 
 from the sixth to the sixteenth, both inclusive. His own estimate 
 of its influence, written some years after it was discontinued, with 
 special reference to the Unitarian controversy, deserves to be 
 copied here: 
 
 " The Panoplist, however, published in Boston from 1805 to 
 1820, in sixteen volumes, should not be omitted here. Besides 
 exerting an important influence in the establishment and patron- 
 age of Bible, Missionary, Tract and Education Societies ; besides 
 furnishing a channel for the communication of thoughts on the 
 most interesting topics, to which the attention of the religious 
 public was drawn ; it rendered incalculable service to the cause of 
 truth, by compelling Unitarians to leave the concealment by which 
 they had so long been gaining influence, and in which lay the far 
 greater proportion of their strength. The charge of such conceal- 
 ment was indeed most indignantly resented, though the witnesses 
 adduced in support of it were distinguished Unitarians, and their 
 testimony was perfectly explicit. It is still more remarkable, that 
 these Unitarian witnesses were not publicly reprehended for having 
 given their testimony, nor was their veracity called in question ; 
 while the Reviewers in the Panoplist were bitterly reproached for 
 republisliing their statements from pages written by a leading Uni- 
 tarian, for the express purpose of giving an authentic history of 
 American Unitarianism. It is a curious fact, that the Christian 
 Examiner, which is far the most important Unitarian publication 
 in the United States, ten years after the charge Avas made in the 
 Panoplist, foHnd occasion to repeat and confirm it. The disclo- 
 sures, to which we have here referred, led the way to the contro- 
 
94 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 versy of 1815, which called forth the talents of the late Dr. 
 Worcester, so much to the advantage of the cause which he 
 espoused, and of which he proved so able an advocate. We are 
 among those who believe that all the controversies with Unitari- 
 ans, since the name was known in this country, have accelerated 
 the progress of correct sentiments ; have given strength, union and 
 consistency to the orthodox ; and are now contributing, in their 
 natural and predicted consequences, to the return of Boston and 
 the vicinity to the cordial reception of those doctrines, and the 
 exemplary practice of those duties, which so honorably distinguish- 
 ed the first settlers of New England. Believing all this, we can- 
 not doubt that a publication which aided so essentially in the 
 necessary developments, must have had an indispensable share 
 in producing those great and happy effects which are now 
 witnessed. Unless we are greatly mistaken, the Unitarians will 
 agree with us in saying, that if any good is to be derived from the 
 Theological Seminary in Andover ; if true religion is promoted by 
 the erection of new churches for orthodox assemblies in Boston; if 
 the doctrines of the Reformation, as ])reached in these assemblies, 
 are to be approved ; if revivals of religion, as the orthodox under- 
 stand the phrase, are to be desired ; if the education of hundreds 
 of ministers, and ultimately of thousands, under the fostering care 
 of charitable institutions, is to bring down coundess blessings upon 
 our land ; if the sending of the Gospel to the heathen, by Chris- 
 tians in America, is a good work, upon which the blessing of God 
 may be expected : — in fine, if the whole system of religious in- 
 struction and charitable exertion, as sustained by the orthodox, is 
 a blessing to mankind ; — then must the Panoplist be allowed to 
 have discharged an important service, as it promoted and defended 
 all the measures which led to these results, and was the organ of 
 many original suggestions respecting them." 
 
 It is safe to add, that in regard to the whole progress of events 
 here referred to, no one was a more active and efficient laborer, 
 no one a more safe or influential counsellor, and especially no one 
 more fruitful in " original suggestions," than Mr. Evarts. 
 
 In 1821, his engagements in the missionary work rendering it 
 impossible for him to bestow proper attention upon the editorship, 
 the Panoplist was discontinued at the close of the sixteenth volume. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TREASURER OF THE AMERICAN BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS 
 FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS. 1812— 1821. 
 
 It was very soon after the commencement of his editorial labors, 
 that Mr. Evarts had the happiness to record the organization of a 
 Board for the promotion of missions from this country to the 
 heathen. 
 
 It has been remarked that the thoughts which have given great 
 men their influence and their fame have most often been conceived 
 in early manhood. It is while the mind has the freshness and 
 pliability of young and vigorous growth, and before it becomes 
 hardened by surrounding influences and by habitual conformity to 
 what is common or what is dominant, that goodness and greatness 
 may be most often expected to develope themselves in new forms 
 of loveliness and power. The Paradise Lost originated in the 
 thought of a young scholar, the circle of whose private studies, in 
 his own estimation, was yet incomplete ; and the sublimest of 
 Newton's discoveries were made before he was thirty. So new 
 enterprizes of Christian benevolence seem to originate most gen- 
 erally with young men of that age ; with those whom the awak- 
 ening and enlightening Spirit finds mature enough to act with 
 vigor and constancy, but not hardened and blinded by custom and 
 time. It was among such that modern missions originated, both in 
 England and in this country. 
 
 The proceedings of the young men at Williams College, with 
 whom the movement that led to the organization of the American 
 
96 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions commenced, need 
 not be here detailed. The names of Samuel J. Mills and his as- 
 sociates at that time, the devotion with which they cherished their 
 purpose of engaging personally in foreign missions, their persever- 
 ance, and their becoming spirit of humility and of deference to 
 their superiors in age and Christian experience, will not be forgot- 
 ten by the American churches. Their history for two or three 
 years after their purpose was formed and their mutual pledge given, 
 is one that may always be dwelt upon with equal delight and 
 profit. The first public movement in accordance with their wishes 
 was nearly simultaneous with the removal of Mr. Evarts to 
 Charlestown ; and their plan received his cordial approbation be- 
 fore it was submitted to the consideration of any public body. 
 
 On the 26th of June, 1810, Rev. Drs. Worcester and Grifiin 
 and several other clergymen, being at Andover, met at the house 
 of the Rev. Professor Stuart, and spent the afternoon in hearing 
 the statements of the young men referred to, and in consultation 
 and prayer respecting the subject thus brought before them. *' In 
 the evening," says a gentleman who was present, *' I unexpect- 
 edly met Mr. Evarts, and had a very delightful interview with him. 
 He had come from Boston to attend the General Association of 
 Massachusetts, which was to meet the next day at Bradford. To 
 my joy I found Mr. Evarts entirely familiar with the subject which 
 the young men had presented during the afternoon. He seemed 
 to understand the whole, and was unhesitating in the opinion that 
 they were right, that the American churches should and would 
 sustain them, and that an appeal to secure the necessary aid ought 
 to be made without delay. My own mind was awed by the pro- 
 posal, and was most favorably impressed by his opinions and views. 
 They seemed bold ; but the whole history of the enterprize since 
 has shown them to have been just and correct." At Bradford, 
 although not a member of the Association, Mr. Evarts was active 
 and very influential, not only in procuring the unanimous vote in 
 favor of establishing a Board of Foreign Missions, but in arrang- 
 ing the details of the organization, and in preparing the members 
 10 co-operate in the great work to which the Providence of God 
 was thus calling the American churches. " I have ever regarded 
 Jeremiah Evarts," says the gentleman last quoted, " as one oi* 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 97 
 
 the principal founders * of the American Board of Commission- 
 ers for Foreign Missions. And after the Board had been organized, 
 and the question of funds came up, he was ready, and said at 
 once that agents should be sent among the churches and auxiliaries 
 formed, and that forthwith." Many hesitated, saying that the 
 churches would not bear it. But the faith of Mr. Evarts was 
 strong ; he trusted in God that the church would be made ready for 
 any measure that the exigency might demand. The Board held 
 its first meeting and was organized at Farmington, Connecticut, 
 on the 5th of September following. 
 
 The Panoplist was from the first the medium through which the 
 Board addressed the Christian public, and was made exceedingly 
 efficient in the promotion of its objects. Mr. Evarts labored in 
 various ways to bring the state and claims of the heathen before 
 the churches. Besides publishing liberal extracts from the reports 
 
 * Among those who were most prominent in this happy movement, and who with 
 Mr. Evarts have already entered into their rest, were the Rev. Drs. Worcester, Spring, 
 and Griffin. Dr. Worcester, in a letter addressed to Mr. Evarts a few weeks before 
 his death, slates the circumstances in which the plan of the Board originated as fol- 
 lows : 
 
 " ' The day of small things ' is in fresh remembrance. On the 2.5th of Juce. 1810, 
 serious deliberation, attended with fervent prayer, was held at Andover, reUtive to the 
 burning desire of three or four theological students there, to be employ^^ a* mission- 
 aries to the heathen. The result was, to refer the momentous queslior to the General 
 Association of Massachusetts. The next day Dr. Spring look a seat " "ly chaise, and 
 rode with me to Bradford, where the General Association was tr convene. In the 
 conversation on the way the ^rst idea, I believe, of the Ameri'AN Board of Com- 
 MissioNEKS FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS, was Suggested; — tb' form, the number of 
 members, and the name were proposed. On the 27th, the i"estion came before the 
 Association, and the report of the Committee, which was a<^op'ed by thai body, was 
 the substance of ihe result of the conversation in the chs»*e- 
 
 " On the 5tli of the ensuing September, the first me-ling of the Commissioners was 
 held, and the Board was organized. 
 
 " But wliat individual, who took a part in those inchoative deliberations and proceed- 
 ings, had any adequate anticipations of the mas'nUu^e and importance to which, in ten 
 years, they would grow? American Christians had never combined in any great en- 
 terprize or plan for spreading the knowledge of Christ, or advancing his kingdom ; had 
 never sent, from these shores, a single mi?sionary with the message of heavenly mercy 
 to any portion of the widely extenJed pagan world, lying in darkness and in wicked- 
 ness, without God, and without hope. Some scattered and transient efforts had indeed 
 been made, for the benefit of some of the native tribes of the American forests; but 
 without any general union, or any expansive or systematized plan of operations. In 
 these respects, there was no experience, no example ; all was untried, all to be begun. 
 What disposition would be found in the community, in regard to the great object, was 
 problematical." 
 
 13 
 
98 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 of English missionaries accompanied with remarks, he wrote re- 
 views of several works on missions, and various addresses and 
 appeals, in a spirit well calculated to awaken and convince. The 
 rapidity with which this project, so new, and deemed by many so 
 visionary, gained favor and support, proved that these labors were 
 not without effect. 
 
 At the annual meeting in 1811, Mr. Evarts was elected Treas- 
 urer, and in 1812 he was made a member of the Board and of the 
 Prudential Committee. The first named office he held for ten 
 years ; the two latter till his death. From the time of his appoint- 
 ment as Treasurer he was actively concerned in all the plans and 
 labors of Board and of the Committee, both for obtaining the neces- 
 sary funds and for enlarging and giving vigor to its operations 
 abroad. Into his office he carried all that careful attention to 
 business and that minute accuracy, for which he was always so 
 much distinguished. The value of these habits in managing the 
 affairs of an institution so novel, and to which so many were ready 
 to find grounds for objection, may readily be conceived. Not 
 only were his integrity and faithfulness to his trust above suspicion, 
 but his character for accuracy in all the details of his office com- 
 manded universal confidence. He appreciated as he ought a 
 good name in the management of a public religious charity ; and 
 during all his subsequent life, was accustomed to speak with hum- 
 ble thankfulaess of the confidence which the Christian community 
 reposed in him. and of the fact that, by Divine assistance, he and 
 his associates hal, been enabled to conduct the concerns of the 
 Board, from its begnning onward through periods of inexperience 
 and embarrassment, h such a manner as to obtain the uniform and 
 decided approbation of '.ts patrons. 
 
 From his first connectio^ with the Board his labors were very far 
 from being confined to its Treasury alone. The Rev. Sanmel 
 Worcester, D. D., was corresponding Secretary ; and upon these 
 two men devolved not only the executive business of the Board, 
 but, more than on any other individuals, the duty of giving its opera- 
 tions their form and direction, and of suggesting and maturing its 
 plans. They were often together; devoted many a long evening, 
 often protracted far into the night, to the consideration of the im- 
 portant questions that were continually coming up, and in the de- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 99 
 
 cision of which thay had no light from experience to guide them.* 
 The correspondence of Mr. Evarts with the missionaries, far 
 from being Hmited to the subjects indicated by his official relation 
 to them, embraced all the great topics in which the parties, as 
 laborers together for the promotion of truth and righteousness 
 among the heathen, felt a common interest. Upon him, also, de- 
 volved often the preparation of appeals to the public on behalf of 
 the Board, and other important documents. Addresses to the 
 Christian Public were prepared and published in 1811, 1812, and 
 1813, by Rev. Drs. Morse and Worcester and Mr. Evarts as a 
 committee. They were intended to make known more extensively 
 and fully the objects of the Board, its plans, and its claims on the 
 co-operation of the religious public. The latter half of that for 
 1811, and the whole of those for 1812 and 1813 were from the 
 pen of Mr. Evarts. These papers are models, which all engaged 
 in promoting objects of Christian benevolence, would do well to 
 study and to imitate. They aim at permanent results ; and are 
 elevated, in the topics introduced, and in the whole texture of 
 thought and style, far above all the arts that are too often resorted 
 to for immediate effect. The following paragraphs will serve as a 
 specimen. 
 
 After mentioning the two great departments of contemplated 
 labor, preaching and the translation of the Bible, the address of 
 1812 proceeds : — 
 
 " These objects are great. Every thing which has a direct ten- 
 dency to promote the salvation of immortal souls is great beyond the 
 power of language to express, or imagination to conceive. Who 
 shall describe the happiness to be enjoyed by a single redeemed sin- 
 ner during a blessed eternity? or the miseries, the unutterable and 
 never ending horrors, escaped in consequence of being made wise 
 unto salvation ? Who shall adequately declare the magnitude of 
 an attempt to evangelize whole nations, and ultimately to ren- 
 ovate a world ; an attempt to disenthral the slaves of Satan, and. 
 bring them into the glorious liberty of the sons of God ; an attempt 
 to diffuse peace and joy throughout the abodes of men, and to 
 people the regions of immortal life with redeemed and sanctified 
 spirits ? In an attempt thus noble and sublime does every man 
 engage, who aids in sending the heralds of salvation to the 
 heathen, and in putting the word of truth into their hands. 
 
 * After his removal to Boston, his office — for several years the only office in the 
 city for business of the Board,— was in his own house, in Pinckney-street. 
 
100 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " The objects are extensive. They admit, they require, the labors 
 of multitudes. The glorious employment of being fellow laborers 
 in the cause of God, is an employment in which all who are so 
 inclined, may at all times engage But the support of missions, 
 and the publication of the Scriptirres, in all nations, are enterprises 
 in which the efforts of multitudes can be united with peculiar fa- 
 cility. Christians in both hemispheres, and of every denomination, 
 can direct their exertions to produce one result, — a result of the 
 highest conceivable importance. Combined efforts, whether of a 
 good or evil character, are incomparably more poAverful than single 
 efforts can be. How delighifal, how enrapturing the sight, to be- 
 hold good men of every rank and condition, in all parts of the 
 world, uniting in one vast labor of love." 
 
 " It is not only practicable for multitudes to unite in the great 
 purpose of evangelizing the world, but such a union is absolutely 
 necessary, in order to bring about this event in the shortest time. 
 All the power and influence of the whole Christian world must be 
 \i \' put in requisition, during the course of those beneficent labors 
 f^'^H' ''^ which will precede the millennium. What expenses, what priva- 
 tions and sacrifices must be incurred, before six hundred millions of 
 heathens can read the word of God in their own languages, and pos- 
 sess it in their own families ; and before preachers can be furnished 
 to direct this countless host into the path of life ! The utmost ex- 
 ertion of every Christian now living, so far as his other duties will 
 permit, is required in this glorious service. How boundless must 
 be the field of labor which admits, and will continue to admit, the 
 labors of all benevolent persons, in every region of the habitable 
 globe ! 
 
 "But the most animating consideration still remains. These objects 
 are attainable. To deny the practicability and usefulness of missions 
 and translations of the Scriptures, would manifest a total ignorance 
 of the subject, or a deep hostility to the progress of Christianity. 
 Twenty years ago, objections to these extrardinary efforts might 
 have been formed much more plausibly than at present. Happily 
 for the world, such objections did not then stifle those beneficent 
 attempts which have already given the Bible to nations in the 
 heart of Asia, in their own languages. Whether Providence shall 
 bless the efforts of this Board, it is not in the power of man to de- 
 termine. Let us wait with humility and submission. But that 
 the objects in view will be attained, and by human instruments 
 too, will not be doubted by those who expect the final prevalence 
 of true religion over error and sin. If the failh of Christians in 
 America should be tried at the outset, it is no more than has fre- 
 quently been experienced by Christians in every age. Such trials 
 have often preceded the most signal success, and far from dis- 
 heartening, should stimulate to more animated and faithfid labors. 
 " It is an obvious reflection, and a pretty common one, that 
 Christians of the present generation are greatly favored. While 
 their eyes have seen most astonishing and unparalleled displays of 
 human wickedness, they have also beheld innumerable trophies of 
 divine grace. From nations betrayed, enslaved, weltering in their 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. JOl 
 
 blood, and shrouded in a starless night of infidelity and profligacy, 
 their attention has been turned with transport to tlie light which 
 has encircled the dwellings of the faithful, and to the rising glories 
 of the Sun of Righteousness. Their ears, for a long time stunned 
 by the outcries, blasphemies, and unutterable confusion of a wicked 
 world suffering the vengeance of God from the hands of cruel 
 men, have found a happy relief in hearing the glad sounds of sal- 
 vation reverberating through heathen lands, and in listening to the 
 songs of converted idolaters, soon to be exchanged for the songs 
 of the blessed. Aheady they hear, or seem to hear, the com- 
 mencement of that celestial hymn. Arise, shine; for thy light is 
 come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee ; a hymn in which 
 all the tribes and nations will hereafter unite with joy unspeakable, 
 and which will be re-echoed from the realms of immortality in one 
 boundless chorus of rapture and praise." 
 
 " To be silent and inactive spectators of these animating scenes, 
 if that only were permitted, would be a grand fehcity. But Chris- 
 tians need not be silent and inactive spectators. Indeed, they 
 ought not ; they must not. They are now favored \Yith opportu- 
 nities of promoting the cause of Christ, not enjoyed by preceding 
 generations. No age since that of the Apostles has afforded so 
 great encouragement to engage with zeal and activity in the best 
 of all causes, as the present day affords. How would the saints of . i(q^-*« ^''''''' 
 former times, the Baxters, the Beveridges, the Wattses, the Ed- (' ' _ "^ 
 wardses, have rejoiced to see this day ! They looked forward to 
 it, and to the more delightful scenes still future, with joyful antici- 
 pations. How would they have exulted to join in its employments, 
 and mingle their labors and prayers with those of the great multi- 
 tudes, who now incessantly labor and pray for the universal estab- 
 lishment of the Pvedeemer's kingdom I 
 
 It is now generally seen and felt, by those who have any claim 
 to be considered as proper judges, that Christianity is the only 
 remedy for the disorders and miseries of this world, as well as the 
 only foundation of hope for the world to come. No other agent 
 will ever control the violent passions of men ; and without the 
 true religion, all attempts to meliorate the condition of mankind 
 will prove as illusory as a feverish dream. The genuine patriot*/ yaUi^-a^ 
 therefore, and the genuine philanthropist, must labor, so far as ,- 
 they value the prosperity of their country and the happiness of thq ' 
 human race, to diifuse the knowledge and the influence of Chris-, 
 tianity, at home and abroad. Thus will they labor most effectually 
 to put a final period to oppression and slavery, to perfidy and war, 
 and to all the train of evils which falsehood, ambition, and cruelty 
 have so profusely scattered tln'ough the world. Infidelity seems 
 abashed, and in the attitude of retiring from every place where 
 her hideous form and features can be compared with the symmetry 
 and beauty of religion. She seeks concealment and obscurity, 
 and is half ashamed of her votaries, who, in their turn, are cor- 
 dially ashamed of her. Over infidelity and every abuse of religion 
 the Captain of our Salvation will triumph. Wise are they who en- 
 
102 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 list under his banner, fight his battles, and share in the joys of his 
 victory ! 
 
 " While soliciting the prayers of the pions, and the pecuniary 
 contributions of all who are able and willing to contribute, it be- 
 hooves us explicitly to disclaim any desire to profit by mere 
 appeals to the passions. We trust the addresses and other public 
 papers of the Board, have never partaken of this character. Con- 
 vinced that the work of evangelizing mankind is the noblest work 
 in which men ever engaged, that the encouragements to prosecute 
 it are at all times abundant, and that its completion is certain, 
 nothing more can at any time be needed to interest the hearts of 
 Christians in it, than to open a promising field of labor. 
 
 " At the present time, the call for renewed and increased exer- 
 tion is so loud, that it has been heard and obeyed by thousands in 
 diflerent parts of the world. The friend and patron of missions, 
 far from acting by the blind impulse of passion, is supported by 
 the plainest dictates of reason, the decisive experience of ages, 
 and the infallible declarations of Scripture. He who embarks in 
 such a cause, and whose heart approves the conclusions of his 
 reason, will not easily relinquish the object of his hopes and 
 prayers. 
 
 " It is worthy of particular notice, that there has been a uniform 
 progress, for the last twenty years, in the number, magnitude, and 
 svTCcess of the attempts to preach the Gospel, and to impart the 
 Scriptures to the ignorant and destitute, both in Christian and 
 heathen lands. God grant that this progress may continue and in- 
 crease ; and that those who offer, and all "who read this address, 
 may have some humble share in promoting a cause which aims 
 directly and supremely at the glory of God, and the salvation of the 
 whole human race." 
 
 The following passages are from the Address of 1813 : 
 
 " In behalf of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign 
 Missions, the subscribers, a committee for the purpose, beg leave 
 to solicit the attention of the Christian public to the cause in which 
 the Board is engaged, and for the promotion of which it was ori- 
 ginally instituted, and has since been incorporated. We are not 
 backward to state, at the commencement of this address, that we 
 shall lay before the reader, with great satisfaction, some of the 
 facts and reasons on which our attachment to this cause is founded, 
 and which, we are sure, will not fail to commend themselves to 
 every enlightened conscience, and to make an impression on 
 every pious heart. The cause itself is transcendently glorious, 
 and deserving of the warmest approbation of all men, however im- 
 perfectly or feebly we may state its claims. To doubt, or hesi- 
 tate, in regard to the urgency of these claims, and the duty of 
 keeping them habitually in view, would be equally repugnant to 
 -our feelings, and dishonorable to our profession as Christians. 
 Can it be a matter of doubt, or of indifference, to any man who 
 has the Scriptures in his hands, and has profited by perusing them. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. ]03 
 
 •whether Christianity is to become, at some future day, the reli- 
 gion of all mankind ? — whether its transforming power is univer- 
 sally to influence the hearts and the lives of men? — whether tlie 
 word of God is to be read, understood, and obeyed, by the nations 
 now sunk in idolatry and ignorance ? — whether this grand consum- 
 mation is to be effected by the means which men are voluntarily 
 to supply? — or whether there is an imperious necessity that 
 Christians should zealously co-operate in this great work of the 
 Lord? 
 
 " The object of the Board is one — the promulgation of Christianity 
 among the heathen. The means by which this object is designed 
 to be effected, are of two kinds ; — the publication and distribution ofsj r^\it^ 
 the Scriptures in the different languages ; and the support of faith- ^T^t/i»w^*^ 
 ful missionaries to explain, exemplify, and impress on the mind, 
 the great truths which the Scriptures contain. 
 
 " In regard to the distribution of the Scriptures, the Board is in ^ j<yL^)i 
 fact, though not in name, a Foreign Bible Society ; and, under *" 
 this aspect, we earnestly request that its advantages may be con- 
 sidered by all who would joyfully place the Bible in the hands of 
 pagans. Confined in its operations to no part of the globe in exclu- 
 sion of other parts, the Board can extend the sovereign balm 
 "wherever there are spiritual maladies to be healed ; enjoying the 
 benefit of established plans of correspondence and co-operation, 
 the result of its proceedings can be more prompt than could other- 
 wise be expected ; and having its attention long fixed on the most 
 promising fields of exertion, its agents will acquire a facility of 
 action, which can never be applied to single, insulated, and sudden 
 efforts. Through the instrumentality of the Board, every charita- 
 ble person, however retired or obscure, has it in his power to send 
 the Bible to those very heathens, than whom none of the human 
 race can need it more, and on v/hom there are peculiar encourage- 
 ments to bestow it. A known, regular, uninterrupted channel will 
 be kept open, (with the blessing of Providence,) through wliich 
 the streams of American beneficence may flow into the centre of 
 the pagan world, and contribute to fertilize regions which have 
 long been dreary and barren of all moral good. And shall not these 
 streams increase, till they form a mighty river, flowing with a 
 steady and resistless current, and bearing on its bosom the im- 
 mortal hopes of restored Jews, and the imperishable riches of con- 
 verted Gentiles ? Will not many of our countrymen esteem it a 
 high privilege, that their contributions, at whatever season be- 
 stowed, may, in a few months and without care or trouble to them- 
 selves, be so applied, even in the remote eastern hemisphere, as 
 to commence a series of good effects which shall never end, and 
 the number and magnitude of which no human powers can calcu- 
 late ? A single Bible given to a Hindoo or a Ceylonese, may be 
 the means of enlightening a family, of arousing the attention of 
 a neighborhood, or of withdrawing a multitude from idolatry, lead- 
 ing them to procure the Scriptures for themselves, and turning 
 them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to the 
 living God. 
 
104 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " Some persons speak of missions as though they were a new 
 thing in the world ; or at least as though they had never done much 
 good to mankind. These persons forget that Christianity has al- 
 ways been extended by missions, wherever it has been extended 
 at all, with the exception of what has been done in this way by 
 colonization. They forget that all Europe, and large portions of 
 Asia and Africa, have been converted to Christianity by missions ; 
 that the primitive preachers of Christianity were almost all mis- 
 sionaries ; that the disciples who composed our Lord's household, 
 to whom Matthias and Paul were subsequently added, were named 
 ynissionaries, and have been gloriously distinguished in all succeed- 
 ing ages, as the missionaries of Jesus Christ. They seem ignorant 
 that the word apostle, introduced into our language from the Greek, 
 is precisely of the same meaning as our word missionary; and 
 that learned divines have regretted that the word was not trans- 
 lated instead of being thus introduced. They forget that our an- 
 cestors in Britain were wretched idolaters, offering human sacri- 
 fices, and clinging to the most degrading superstitions, till they 
 were delivered from their miserable bondage by the instrumental- 
 ity of missionaries. If such mighty transformations were wrought 
 by the labors of missionaries, when printing was unknown, 
 and there was but little intercourse between nations, — w^hen 
 most barbarous nations were subdivided into a multitude of petty 
 states, hostile to each other, — when science was in its infancy, 
 and the restraints of law and order were but partially enjoyed, — 
 when commerce had just begun to produce its civilizing effects ; 
 — how much more encouragement is there to proceed with vigor in 
 the establishment and support of missions, in these highly favored 
 times, when the art of printing will enable us to multiply copies 
 of the Scriptures so as to supply the wants of every human be- 
 ing, — when commerce visits every part of the world, — when 
 wealth is abundant, and the means of supporting distant expedi- 
 tions of benevolence are easily supplied, — when the number of 
 persons engaged in this good work is great and increasing, — and 
 above all, when the day is not far distant, as we trust, in which 
 the word of the Lord shall have free course, and its influence be 
 felt from the rising to the setting sun ? 
 
 " We are anxious to fix your attention. Christian brethren, on 
 the great object of evangelizing all nations ; an object more glo- 
 rious, more worthy of the universal patronage and adm.iration of the 
 people of God, than the tongue can express, or the heart conceive, 
 and an object of sure and no very distant accomplishment. To 
 this object the eyes of Christians in many countries are already 
 most earnestly directed. The Christian world is now, for the first 
 time, reaching forward to its attainment, and even grasping it by 
 anticipation. In Great Britain, the promulgation of true religion 
 in every part of the earth, and the publication and distribution of 
 the Scriptures in every language, are topics of general and famil- 
 iar allusion, as though these stupendous events were at hand, and 
 were even now hailed with demonstrations of joy. When we 
 notice that the wisest and the best informed men in that empire, 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. IQ5 
 
 and in our owii countiy, partake of these joyful anticipations, and 
 that a similar crisis in the state of the church has never before 
 been known ; when we observe that this tone of pubhc feehng 
 has been excited not by a sudden impulse of enthusiasm, but by 
 a patient comparison of the word of God with his providence, 
 of prophecy with history, — by an attentive consideration of the pe- 
 culiar sigiu of the times, — and by the gradual operation of causes 
 above the powers of man to contrive or combine ; w^e are forced 
 to believe that God has great things to be accomplished by 
 the men of this generation ; and that, after punishing the nations 
 for their sins, he is about to deliver them from the wretched 
 bondage in which they have been held. To this day the an- 
 cient prophets looked forward with holy rapture ; for this day the 
 persecuted congregations of the faithful prayed during the gloomy 
 reign of popish superstition ; for this day the Reformers labored 
 and suffered ; for this day the most devout aspirations of pious 
 souls have in every age ascended. Shall we, who are so happy as 
 to see this day, neglect to do our part? Other times have been 
 times of preparation; the present age is emphatically the age of 
 action. Shall we remain idle in this harv^est time of the world ? 
 
 "None who have read their Bibles, ought to be ignorant that they 
 are stewards of whatever they possess ; that all their mens and 
 opportunities of doing good are recorded in the book of God's re- 
 membrance ; and that an account must be rendered of the manner 
 in which this stewardship has been exercised. Who, in this favored 
 land, can say that he has not been intrusted with at least one tal- 
 ent ? Who can be willing to hide that talent in a napkin ? How 
 many are there, who have their five, their ten, their fifty, their 
 hundred talents I And how unhappy will be their case, if all this 
 liberality of Providence shall be found at last to have been wasted 
 upon them ; to have produced none of the good to which it ought 
 to have been applied ; and to hav^e proved its earthly possesors 
 guilty of unfaithfulness to the rightful Proprietor ! 
 
 " The proportion of his property, which each Christian should 
 devote to public and charitable purposes, differs according to the 
 different circumstances in which he is placed, and must be left to 
 the decision of his own conscience instructed by the word of God. 
 But however ditficult it might be to determine the exact amount 
 which each one should give, there can be no hesitation in declaring, 
 that it should, in all circumstances, and at all times, be so great as 
 to be really valued by him who gives it, and thus be a real sacri- 
 fice in his estimation. For a poor widow to give her two mites, 
 even all her living, is a great sacrifice ; but for a wealthy man to 
 give two hundred mites can be no sacrifice at all ; for it would not 
 cause him a moment's uneasiness, nor be considered as a loss worthy 
 to be mentioned, if he were to lose ten times that sum in the bot- 
 tom of the sea. That Christians may act with system, and yield 
 to each charitable claim its proper regard, they will do wisely to 
 ascertain, each one for himself, how large a sum he ought to be- 
 stow froxn year to year ; always remembering, that it is safer to 
 
 14 
 
,^ 
 
 106 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 err on the side of generosity than on that of parsimony ; that few 
 err in giving too much, many withholding more than is meet; and 
 that his decision is to be re-examined at the judgment-seat of 
 Christ. 
 
 " Still less would we venture to intimate the proportion which is 
 due to the various charitable purposes now existing in this country. 
 We are confident, however, that where the pubhc have the means 
 of information in relation to such purposes, where no invidious com- 
 parisons are made between the claims of different charitable asocia- 
 tions, and no rivalship exists but that which provokes to love and to 
 good works, there is reason to believe that Providence will direct to 
 a proper distribution of pecuniary means. There are many charitable 
 institutions, on each of which every good man ought to implore 
 the divine blessing. Perhaps no one of them receives so much pat- 
 ronage as it deserves, and might very usefully employ. Let it be 
 the endeavor of the particular friends of each to increase the general 
 stock of benevolence, trusting that, if this be done, all benevolent 
 designs will receive a rapidly increasing patronage. 
 
 There is one objection to sending missionaries abroad so com- 
 mon, and so plausible at first view, that it ought to be mentioned 
 A^^ here. It is this : That many ministers of the gospel, more than 
 ^V I can at present be supplied, are imperiously needed at home. This 
 'y*^ objection states a melancholy truth, but proceeds on a mistaken 
 principle. If the apostles had argued thus, they never would have 
 quitted Judea ; the Gentiles would never have heard the gospel 
 till many ages after the Christian era ; our ancestors in Britain 
 would never have been converted. The same objection could have 
 applied, nay, was applied, to sending missionaries from Connecticut 
 and Massachusetts to our new settlements, when the domestic 
 Missionary Societies first began their operations. 
 
 " But not to dwell on this consideration, there is another which 
 settles the debate at once ; which is, That the readiest and most 
 \ efficacious method of promoting religion at home, is for Christians to 
 exert themselves to send it abroad. On the most thorough examina- 
 tion, this position will be found strictly and literally true. When 
 missions to the heathen were first contemplated in England, the 
 above objection was strongly urged, and with as great plausibil- 
 ity as it can ever be urged here. What has been the event ? The 
 number of evangelical preachers and professors of Christianity has 
 been increasing in that country, in an unexampled manner, during 
 the whole time since the first missionaries sailed from England. 
 The increase of faithful preachers alone has more than twenty-fold 
 exceeded the whole number of missionaries sent abroad. 
 
 When it was objected, on the floor of the Senate of Massa- 
 chusetts, to the act for incorporating the Board in whose behalf we 
 speak, that it was designed to afford the means of exporting relig- 
 ion, whereas there was none to spare from amoiig ourselves , it was 
 pleasantly and truly replied that religion was a commodity, of which 
 the more we exported the more we had remaining. Plowever 
 strange this may appear to some, it will not seem strange to 
 hira who considers the import of these words : " There is that 
 
 v^ 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 107 
 
 scattereth, and yet increaseth ; and there is that withholdeth 
 more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. He that water- 
 eth, shall be watered also himself. It is more blessed to give 
 than to receive." The government of God is a government 
 of benevolence ; and is intended to convince us that he who does 
 good to others, is most secure of receiving good himself The 
 same remark which was made respecting the increase of rehgion 
 in England, will apply to this country, so far as it has been in sim- 
 ilar circumstances." 
 
 The following extract of a letter to the Rev. Dr. Worcester, 
 dated March 31, 1815, shows the activity of Mr. Evarts' mind 
 in relation to missions during this period, and the kind of Influence 
 he was exerting. The first paragraph refers to the difficul- 
 ties encountered by the missionaries of the Board, In their first 
 attempts to establish themselves at Bombay. It seemed probable, 
 from the last advices then received, that they would be sent to 
 England by the British authorities :* 
 
 " I am decided, however," says Mr. Evarts, " as at present ad- 
 vised, that even the return of our missionaries to this country 
 should not prevent or Impede our mission to Ceylon. If we are 
 to be the instruments of doing anything worth mention for the 
 church of God and the poor heathen, we must exhibit some of 
 that enterprise which Is observable In the conduct of worldly 
 men. 
 
 " I congratulate you on your having an opportunity, in your 
 missionary sermon, to make a strenuous effort In favor of the good 
 cause — perhaps as good an opportunity as can ever be expected 
 during a whole life. If God should smile on our endeavors, and 
 make our way prosperous, a good missionary sermon before our 
 Board will speak long after Its author shall be removed from this 
 world. 
 
 " This brings to my mind another thought, which has many 
 times occurred to me, which, however, I forgot to mention at 
 Newburyport ; and that Is, that the sacrament of the Lord's Sup- 
 
 * See Reports of ihe Board for 1S13 and 1814, — especially the Appendix to the lat- 
 ter; and Mr. Bardwell's Memoir of Rev. Gordon Hall, for a particular account of these 
 difficulties. Burmah was the intended destination of the missionaries first sent out ; 
 but that plan was thwarted, and in the Providence of God, the little band was scat- 
 tered, and after many months of difficulty and anxiety, two separate missions were 
 commenced, — one at Bombay and the other on the Island of Ceylon. 
 
J 08 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 per should be administered at Newburyport after the ordination 
 solemnities. There may be objections which I do not foresee ; 
 but the proposal strikes me agreeably. I know of no proposal 
 which would bring so many Christians together, or which would so 
 powerfully strengthen the bonds of Christian love. The London 
 Missionary Society not only join in this celebration at their annual 
 meeting, but in their tours to form Auxiliary Missionary Societies, 
 the same ordinance is administered in all the great towns. This is 
 done, so far as I can judge, with the best effects. At Newbury- 
 port the occasion will be solemn ; the season of the year inviting ; 
 the concourse of ministers and private Christians great ; the per- 
 formances, 1 presume, highly gratifying ; the best affections of the 
 pious heart called forth — and why should we not there celebrate 
 the dying love of the Saviour ? I add, that the churches repre- 
 sented at the council are numerous, and many Christians who 
 will there meet, will see each other's faces no more on this side of 
 the grave. I know you will think seriously of this, and let me be 
 acquainted with the result of your reflections." 
 
 The ordination here referred to was that of six missionaries, — 
 Rev. Messrs. Samuel J. Mills, James Richards, Jun., Edward 
 Warren, Benjamin C. Meigs, Horatio Bardwell, and Daniel Poor, 
 — which took place at Newburyport on the 21st of June, 1815. 
 After the ordination services and a short recess, says Mr. Evarts in 
 the Panoplist, *' the house of worship (the largest in the common- 
 wealth) was again filled. The communicants from different and 
 distant churches, to the number of nearly seven hundred, who 
 had assembled on this interesting occasion, were seated together, 
 and apparently with one heart and one soul, celebrated the Lord's 
 Supper. * * * The scene was novel in this country, and was un- 
 commonly solemn and affecting. To many, we trust, it was a season 
 of sweet communion w^ith their ascended Saviour, and long to be 
 remembered with gratitude. The view of so many communicants, 
 assembled from various and distant churches, united in so solemn 
 an act of fellowship, never to partake this feast together again on 
 earth, brought impressively before the eye of faith the scenes of a 
 future and invisible world, and to the humble believer imparted 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 109 
 
 some pleasing foretaste of the future fellowship of the redeemed 
 around the throne of God and the Lamb." 
 
 In June, 1816, Mr. Evarts visited Lower Canada and Western 
 New York, partly on business and partly for the benefit of his 
 health. 
 
 A letter to Dr. Worcester, written during his absence, touches 
 upon a subject which now and often in subsequent years occupied 
 much of Mr. Evarts' attention, — the observance of the Christian 
 Sabbath : 
 
 " Through the kindness of Providence," he says, " I arrived 
 here on the 10th instant, after a tedious journey of a week, the 
 greater part of which will long be remembered on account of 
 snows and frosts hitherto unparalleled since the settlement of these 
 northern regions. My health is very good. I am expecting to 
 set out for Montreal tomorrow morning. I think the tour to that 
 place may be useful on several accounts. I shall endeavor to 
 obtain information concerning the Indians at St. Regis and other 
 places, and to learn the state of the people in Canada as to their 
 possessing the Scriptures, schools, k,c. I shall be glad if I can 
 gain such knowledge of the state of things in Canada, as may be 
 of some use to our national Bible Society. Should I obtain a 
 good companion and a tolerable conveyance, I think of visiting 
 Quebec, in which case I shall be absent ten days or a fortnight 
 from the United States. On my return to this place, I expect to 
 set out for the westward. 
 
 " I have thought much, on my journey, of the great enterprize 
 of restoring the sanctity of the Sabbath, and raising the tone of 
 public morals. There are more difficulties in the way of attaining 
 these objects than most reflecting men are aware of; the enemies 
 of reformation are in possession of many more strong-holds than 
 they even dream of; and without the particular care and interpo- 
 sition of God, I should hold the consummation which we desire, 
 as entirely hopeless. In regard to the Sabbath, I should think it 
 rash to expect a victory without a series of defeats for at least 
 twenty years. I speak of the matter on the supposition that God 
 proceeds with a series of favorahle, but not decisive interpositions, 
 and brings forward the good cause quite as fast as is usual in his 
 
no 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 providence. The question then comes up, how are we to support 
 a war of twenty years under a succession of defeats ? This is a 
 serious question, and is not to be disposed of by a few sanguine 
 hopes and wishes. I have thought much of this question, and my 
 judgment is that we must begin at the beginning. We are to 
 accompUsh an object by instruments. We must first obtain these 
 instruments ; and the first thing to be done is to pray specifically 
 that God would raise up, anoint, and set forth in the view of all 
 good people, the instruments which he will deign to employ. We 
 want a man possessing every good quality of Wilberforce ; and we 
 want such a man set forth, in the view of all our people, as an 
 instrument of good to mankind. It is a notorious truth, and one 
 which we may speak to each other, that there is not in Massachu- 
 setts a single man capable of leading the moral exertions of the 
 friends of religion and morality. I mean there is not a man in 
 civil life, and known to the public, who can lead these efforts 
 with a tenth part of the ability that Mr. Otis or Mr. Gore could 
 display on political subjects. I have but just entered on this sub- 
 ject, and must leave it, merely observing that God is as able to 
 raise up a Wilberforce on this side the Atlantic as on the other. 
 If we are to have a Wilberforce, who shall be received and hon- 
 ored as such, he is probably now at school, or at college, but may 
 be brought forward before the war ends. In the mean time we 
 must use such instruments as we have." 
 
 " You must not suppose, from my mentioning Mr. Wilberforce, 
 that I consider it as easy to obtain a victory in our case as in his 
 great enterprizes. It would be a hundred times as difficult to 
 restore the Sabbath in London as to abolish the slave trade or 
 open India to missionaries." 
 
 In accordance with the plan indicated in this letter, Mr. Evarts 
 visited Montreal and Quebec, and then the Western part of New 
 York, as far as the Falls of Niagara, returning by way of Albany 
 to Charlestown. 
 
 At the close of the year 1817 the health of Mr. Evarts became 
 seriously impaired, and he was advised by his physician, that re- 
 laxation from business and a visit to a milder climate were of 
 essential importance to its restoration. He arranged his business 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. m 
 
 accordingly ; and receiving from the Committee a commission as 
 general agent of the Board, formed his plans so as to make his 
 absence, while securing the great object of health, as subservient 
 as possible to its interests. He embarked for Savannah on the 
 20th of January, 1818 ; and arrived at that port, after a stormy 
 and dangerous passage, on the 9th of February. An account of 
 his subsequent proceedings will be given chiefly in extracts from 
 his letters and journals. 
 
 Savannah, Feb. 9. Landed from the Adeline and walked up 
 to the city. Passed two or three plantations, — one owned by an 
 Englishman whose slaves are said to be hardly used. I saw two 
 gangs of them, amounting to thirty in all, employed in ditching. 
 It would be called a cold day for that business with us. Some of 
 the men stood in mud half-leg deep. The women, who were as 
 numerous as the men, stood on the margin of the ditch, and 
 scraped out the mud with a long hoe. They were pretty warmly 
 clad ; but in general looked disconsolate and out of temper. 
 
 10. Visited Mr. Hubbard, a missionary sent by ladles in Boston, < 
 who is near his end of consumption. He has been treated with 
 the utmost kindness, and is visited by a number of pious persons 
 of both sexes. His mind is in a very happy state. 
 
 11. Attended an auction, for the purpose of seeing a negro 
 sold to the highest bidder. It was a humiliating spectacle, to see 
 a human being put up with damaged cheese, shoes, he. &;c., to 
 be disposed of for life to any man who might purchase him. The 
 fellow looked disconsolate. 
 
 18. The richness of this country in agricultural produce is 
 astonishing. Mr. M. informed me that the State of Georgia, con- 
 taining only 300,000 inhabitants, white and black, had exported 
 ^30,000,000 worth of produce in the last three years, — that is, 
 ^10,000,000 a year ; a greater sum, in his opinion and in mine, 
 than was ever received before for the produce of agricultural labor 
 by any community of the same population since the days of Noah. 
 Produce to the amount of ^8,000,000 is annually purchased at 
 Augusta. The peace [1815] found the planters in this and the 
 neighboring states greatly in debt ; but they have been completely 
 extricated and made rich by their exports. Cotton can be afforded 
 
112 L^FE OF EVARTS, 
 
 by the planter, even at the present high price of plantations and 
 stock (i. e. negroes !) at 15 cents a pound. The price is 31 
 cents ; and it has been 33. Rice is an excellent crop at ^3 per 
 hundred pounds ; the present price is .^6,25. 
 
 Dr. K. informs me that there are two large churches and con- 
 gregations of blacks in this city, under the care of black preachers, 
 who are Methodists. Sometimes there are 1,500 communicants 
 at one of these places. The Methodists are universally allowed 
 to have done great good to the slaves. 
 
 1 9. I have this week distributed reports, &;c , and am intend- 
 ing to leave this place for Beaufort next week. My intended 
 course is thence through Charleston, Georgetown, and Columbia, 
 to Augusta ; and thence through Waynesboro', Sparta, and 
 Athens, to Chickamaugah. 
 
 21. Called at a painter's room, to see a portrait of the countess 
 of Huntington. It was brought out by Mr. Whltefield and placed 
 in his Orphan Asylum. The countess is represented as walking 
 in a wilderness, holding a crown of thorns in her right hand, and 
 placing her right foot on the coronet, which, as a countess, she 
 had a right to wear. Her person is tall, erect, and slender ; her 
 countenance bears the marks of mortification and abstraction from 
 the world. The friend of religion will not fall to reflect on the 
 exalted virtue which this distinguished female exhibited, and on 
 the vast results, through eternity, of her activity in the service of 
 God. How trifling will all the decorations of nobility appear at 
 the last day ; and how fearful will be the condition of those who 
 shall have perverted the influence of their stations, and abused 
 their wealth, and hardened themselves in sin, while possessing the 
 means of extensive usefulness ! Had all the nobility of Great 
 Britain possessed the spirit of the countess of Huntington, what an 
 aspect would that Island now exhibit ! 
 
 23. Had an interesting conversation with Dr. K. about Eng- 
 land and France, where he had travelled. I suggested an opinion 
 which I had deliberately formed, and as to the correctness of 
 which I wished his judgment, viz. that the people of the United 
 States, including all classes, slaves, new settlements, he, are bet- 
 ter supplied with really evangelical preaching than the people of 
 England. To this he expressed his deliberate assent. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 113 
 
 March 3. Left Savannah this morning in the steamboat for 
 Charleston. — I found, by taking part in the exercises last evening, 
 [the Monthly Concert for prayer] that my voice could be used 
 with less injury than when I left home. 
 
 13. Charleston. Was eKtremely happy, after being disap- 
 pointed a long time, to receive letters from home. One of them 
 informs me of the birth of a son. For this signal favor of divine 
 providence, I hope to be thankful. I commend the babe to the 
 merciful protection of Heaven ; and pray that its soul may be 
 saved in the day of the Lord Jesus, however it may please God 
 to dispose of its temporal state. 
 
 Negroes are very dear here, and in all the southern country at 
 present. Mr. B. gave -92,800 lately for a woman and her five 
 children, the eldest of which was but ten, and only two could be 
 of any service as yet. The woman looked disconsolate, having 
 formed an opinion that her master would make her free, as he was 
 about leaving this country. She was greatly disappointed on be- 
 ing sold, though not dissatisfied with her new master. Mr. M. 
 said he would give .^ 1,500 for a fellow as good as one he showed 
 me, for a driver. The one to whom he referred, was not a very 
 intelligent fellow ; but remarkably active, faithful, and fond of 
 work, about twenty-five, a native African. 
 
 Mr. M. and Mr. B. agreed in the opinion, that slavery and the < ^IJ. 
 improvememt of the minds of slaves were incompatible. Mr. M. 
 was also of opinion, that all the low southern country can never 
 support a white population, without the labor of slaves. Whites 
 will experience certain death, if they attempt to labor in the field 
 here in the hottest weather. Mr. M. does not think that one out 
 of 200 would live a single summer. It has been tried abundantly, 
 by the most hardy men, and always proved fatal, or at least 
 brought on sickness that compelled them to desist. Negroes, on 
 the contrary, bear the heat not only without complaining, but with 
 pleasure. Mr. M. has been in the southern country thirty-one 
 years, and never heard a negro complain of heat. They lie down 
 in the sun of choice, when it is almost vertical, and when a white 
 man could not do it for five minutes without inevitable death. 
 Yet in this situation they will lie for hours asleep. 
 15 
 
114 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 Another man told me that they were very fond of a fire in 
 their cabins all summer, when the whites are panting and gasping 
 for breath. Mulattoes bear the heat less pleasantly than the ne- 
 groes, though brought up in all respects alike. — I observe compar- 
 atively few mulattoes on the plantations. 
 
 At 11 o'clock this day, I attended a sale of slaves belonging to 
 the estate of a gentleman lately deceased. The gang consisted of 
 105, as I counted them ; and they were said to be one of the best 
 gangs offered for sale, as their master had been uniformly kind to 
 them. Several other small lots were sold at the same time. 
 
 I noted down with a pencil several particulars of the sale, 
 which I shall now enter here. The negroes, put up at one time, 
 were mounted on a large table, and before the sale began, their 
 characters and qualities were given. The greater part of them 
 looked exceedingly disconsolate, much as if they were led to exe- 
 cution. Many were bathed in tears. Some few had an appear- 
 ance of little concern. They were put up in families, so far as 
 families existed, which was the case with the far greater number. 
 A job carpenter and his wife went at ^1,000 each — a field 
 woman at ^560. 
 
 I observed that there was a prevalent disposition to depreciate 
 themselves, in the poor creatures when spoken to, and to represent 
 themselves as sickly and unable to work, and to represent their 
 children as sickly. Some appeared to tell the truth as to their 
 ability ; but not one wished to show himself off to advantage. 
 The reason is obvious. The more a slave's new master gave for 
 him, the more he would expect of him. 
 
 I am told that in these sales generally, the slaves speak before- 
 hand to some gentleman whom they know, requesting him to come 
 forward and purchase them. This they do with the utmost im- 
 portunity, as they dread to be sold to a bad, or an unknown mas- 
 ter. It was pretty evident that most of the sales to-day were 
 made to persons to whom the slaves had made application. 
 I heard a gentleman say that a lot of nine which he had pur- 
 chased, were taken by him in consequence of their importunity. 
 He gave a high price for them ; but seemed to take it for granted 
 that he should have bought them at any rate. There were ex- 
 peptions to this observation, a considerable number being sold to 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. U5 
 
 masters whom they had never seen ; which, when they ascertained 
 the fact, occasioned the bitterest disappointment. A touchinf 
 case of this kind was that of the last lot above-mentioned. They 
 had evidently expected to be purchased by some one to whom 
 they had applied ; but when they were struck off, the name of a 
 different man was announced. One of them remarked with 
 amazement, that " he did not know the man ;" to which it was 
 tauntingly replied, " He will soon know you." The mingled 
 emotions of grief, rage, indignation, and despair, which were ex- 
 pressed by their countenances, and which found vent in tears and 
 broken sentences, are indescribable. Particularly was this the 
 case with an apprentice, who, if there is any dependence upon 
 physiognomy, was a fine fellow indeed. 
 
 But there were scenes more affecting than this. I refer to the 
 joy expressed by slaves, when their relatives and friends were 
 purchased according to their wishes, by those whom they con- 
 sidered as good masters. Several instances fell within my own 
 observation, of the warmest congratulations being offered to those 
 who had just descended from the table. The most affecting case 
 was that of two brothers, who went for ^1,220 each. They 
 w^ere purchased by a lady, according to their wishes. A wife, or 
 a sister, could not refrain from casting her arms round the neck of 
 one of them, and the congratulations which they received from 
 many blacks at once, were earnest and even passionate. An old 
 negro was giving them a charge to honor their new mistress, when 
 the lady herself appeared, (though the auction was attended by 
 her agent,) and was thanked in the most expressive manner for 
 having made the purchase. Her feelings were entirely overpow^- 
 ered. She could not speak, but shed a profusion of tears. 
 
 The only blow which I have as yet seen given to a negro, was 
 given by a gentleman of respectable appearance, in the area of 
 the exchange, just before the sale began. For some language, 
 which the gentleman doubtless considered impertinent, the negro 
 received a blow on the jaw, and walked away quietly as though 
 nothing unusual had taken place. 1 thought the gentleman con- 
 sulted his dignity very little in the case. 
 
 The negroes did not look so stout by any means as the laboring 
 white population of any part of our country. They looked 
 
IIQ LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 healthy, however; especially the children. Having just received 
 the news of the birth of a child, I could not but think how differ- 
 ently the destinies of men are disposed of in this world. My 
 children might be taken and sold with as much justice and pro- 
 priety as the immense multitude of native Africans, who have 
 been stolen and transported across the ocean. 
 
 23. Left Charleston for Georgetown. At a tavern on the 
 V road, was much surprized and pleased to find a missionary-box to 
 receive contributions for educating heathen youth. Judging from 
 the example of my fellow-passengers, the box receives but little 
 money. One of them imprecated a curse upon himself, if he ever 
 gave a cent for that purpose. I entered into some discussion with 
 him ; but, although it was easy to silence him, it was not easy to 
 alter his feelings. 
 
 April 6. Charleston. Mr. M'Dowell was at Charleston a 
 week before me. I might have come on with him ; but it was 
 not desirable, on any account, that there should be an appearance 
 of interference with each other. Indeed, the Presbyterian church 
 ought to have a fair opportunity to make its appeal, especially to 
 its own members ; and Mr. M'D. had made preparation by letter, 
 so that the people were expecting him. He has succeeded very 
 well. 
 V I was never in a place where so many people might give largely, 
 without abridging any luxury, as here ; and the mass of them do 
 give more liberally than the mass of people of the same wealth in 
 New England. But it does not require a tenth part of the self- 
 denial to give here, as with us. Money is very easily obtained ; 
 especially by those who have a competency already. Gen. P. 
 told me that he made but half a crop last year. I remarked that 
 I supposed it hardly paid expenses. He said, somewhat more. 
 Only think what sort of agriculture this is, when three-quarters of 
 an ordinary crop, after paying every expense, is clear gain to the 
 owner, and that without any personal labor of his own ! 
 > The question, how we are to receive a regular accession of do- 
 nations for our Board from the South, has dwell a good deal on my 
 mind. I have thought much of a circular letter, not of the com- 
 mon sort, than which nothing can be more inefficient ; but one 
 adapted to make each individual addressed feel that the appeal is 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 117 
 
 made to him particularly, and aimed directly and boldly at his 
 heart. We have conversed together about a letter for very rich 
 men. This is wanted, and will do good. We want at least two 
 others, which 1 thought much of while at Georgetown ; one de- 
 signed for persons possessed pf a competency, who maintain the 
 character of exemplary Christians, calculated to induce them to 
 make regular, unsolicited, and punctual remittances for our ob- 
 jects. The other should be addressed to persons of whom less 
 can be hoped in a systematic way, but who would do something: 
 handsome, if the subject were brought powerfully to their minds by 
 a concise abstract of facts and arguments. 
 
 8. Left Charleston in the stage for Columbia. We rode 
 thirty-eight miles in eleven hours. The country generally is sparse- 
 ly covered with yellow pine. There is scarcely a half-mile on 
 any of the great roads in New England, in which more agricul- 
 tural enterprise would not be seen, than in the whole thirty-four 
 miles after passing the Four Mile House. 
 
 10. Columbia. The greater part of the country on the way- 
 side extremely barren ; but as we approached the Congaree, there 
 were extensive plantations. This land could not be bought of 
 the owners ; but when a plantation is sold to settle an estate, it 
 goes at ^60 an acre, or more. A great part of the land between 
 this place and Charleston would not be taken as a gift. The 
 country is settled in the most unfavorable manner, both to the pro- 
 motion of the gospel and to the general diffusion of knowledge. 
 
 13. Mr. — , himself a wealthy man, thinks that large planters 
 ought to have their slaves taught to read, and to maintain a spir- 
 itual teacher for them alone. He says they can afford it well 
 enough — as indeed they can. 
 
 Between the sea-coast and the middle country, that is, for 
 about one hundred miles, is extremely unhealthy from the first 
 of July to November. It is reckoned almost certain death for a 
 northern man to pass through that region during those months. 
 I now have particularly in view the road from Charleston to Co- 
 lumbia. 
 
 15. Augusta. Arrived here yesterday, excessively fatigued. 
 Went to bed with a fever, and was kept awake four hours by 
 fatigue and pain. 
 
118 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 At Augusta Mr. Evarts attended the sessions of the Synod of 
 South Carolina and Georgia, and did much, by intercourse with 
 the members, to excite an interest in favor of Foreign Missions, 
 and to secure the co-operation of the Presbyterian churches in 
 those states for the promotion of the great objects of the Board. 
 
 The preceding extracts exhibit him almost exclusively as a 
 traveller, and by no means give, by themselves, an adequate or 
 even correct view of his employments. Wherever he went, and 
 especially at Savannah and Charleston, he was diligently laboring, 
 . to the utmost of his little strength, in diffusing information respect- 
 in ^ Foreign Missions, by personal intercourse with the pious and 
 intelligent, by public addresses, and by various other means ; in 
 soliciting donations, and making arrangements to secure future re- 
 mittances of funds ; in promoting other objects of Christian be- 
 nevolence ; and in writing for the Panoplist. It was the first visit 
 of an officer of the Board to the churches in that region ; and he 
 found that much labor was needed, to make those churches ac- 
 quainted with the subject of missions to the heathen, and to bring 
 them to appreciate and heartily co-operate in the objects, plans, 
 and proceedings of the Board. 
 
 TO REV. DR. WORCESTER. 
 
 Hancock Co., Georgia, April 29, 1818. 
 
 In my letter of the 25th, from Augusta, I had not room nor 
 lime to say all I wished relative to my progress from Charleston 
 to that place, nor to account for my being about a fortnight be- 
 hind my calculations, as I actually am. I would observe, in the 
 first place, that no person from the north can have an adequate 
 > view of the difficulty of getting from place to place in the south- 
 ern states. I could not go across from Georgetown to Columbia, 
 as I had hoped ; for there was no possible means of conveyance. 
 The extreme backwardness of the season, and the badness of the 
 roads, kept me from pushing forward as I otherwise might have 
 done. When at last I came to inquire at the stage-house for a 
 passage to Columbia, I found that the stage went but once a week 
 from Charleston to the capital of the state. I was detained five 
 days on this account. The stage was three days in going 123 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. ng 
 
 miles. I was obliged to wait three days for the northern stage, 
 and thus did not reach Augusta till Tuesday evening the 14th. 
 
 30. Sparta. The two objects of my journey, so far as health 
 is concerned, were, to avoid the evils of a northern climate, and 
 to gain strength by a tour on horseback. The first has been 
 completely attained ; for a blessing on the latter, upon which I 
 am now about to enter, I look to a kind Providence. I had 
 gained so much strength at Charleston, as to be able to walk six 
 miles in the course of a day without much fatigue. My ill turn 
 at Augusta put me back ; but I now feel much as before. 
 
 While at Augusta, I distributed copies of the Reports and the 
 Missionary Herald among the members of the Presbytery and 
 Synod convened there — conversed, as I had opportunity, on mis- 
 sions — and endeavored to increase a missionary influence. The 
 Synod appointed a committee to prepare a constitution for a 
 Missionary Society. I sought an interview with them, to request 
 that the basis might be so broad, that aid could be afforded, should 
 the funds permit, to our operations. To this they had no objec- 
 tion. Nothing more was done, however, than to recommend to 
 all the cono-resations the formation of local societies. Should this 
 be done with considerable zeal, we could address circulars and 
 other papers to the several societies, and it would be strange if 
 none should produce any effect. 
 
 On the 8th of May he reached Chickamaugah (afterwards 
 Brainerd,) by way of Springplace, where he spent a day of great 
 interest to himself with the venerable Moravian missionary. Rev. 
 John Gambold. The mission at Springplace was commenced in 
 1801, and had for thirteen years been under the care of Mr. 
 Gambold. On leaving him, says Mr. Evarts, " I could not but 
 reflect on the dignified character and noble employment of the 
 consistent and devoted missionary. Happy they who sustain this 
 character and spend their lives in this employment. Happy they, 
 who, when their Lord cometh, shall be found instructing the igno- 
 rant, and spreading the Saviour's name where it has never been 
 known before." In a letter to his family he speaks of this visit 
 with evident delisht : 
 
120 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " I rejoice that I have had opportunity to pay him (Mr. Gram- 
 bold) a visit. At his house I saw a most happy exemplification 
 of the pastoral, domestic, and social virtues, as produced by 
 genuine Christianity ; and it will certainly be my own fault, if the 
 day spent there proves not one of the most profitable of my life. 
 Mr. Gambold is fifty-eight and his wife fifty-six. They were mar- 
 ried for the mission, at an advanced period of life, and have been 
 employed in it together for thirteen years. A happier couple will 
 uot easily be found ; and their happiness arises primarily from love 
 to their Saviour, and next from the prosecution of a noble end, in 
 the manner which the Saviour commanded. An elder brother of 
 Mr. Gambold came on a visit of two months, and finding it so 
 happy a place, has prolonged his visit for nine years, and is now in 
 no haste to be gone. The two men manage their farm. Mrs. 
 Gambold is assisted by a mulatto servant and her little boy, in her 
 domestic afiairs. Mr. Gambold and his wife and brother are all 
 alive on religious subjects, and think of little but their employ- 
 ments, their Redeemer, and their reward in heaven. 
 
 " It was on Friday evening, the 8th inst., just after sun-set, that I 
 alighted at Brainerd. The path which leads to the mission-house 
 from the main road, passes through an open wood, which is extreme- 
 ly beautiful at this season of the year. The mild radiance of the 
 setting sun, the unbroken solitude of the wilderness, the pleasant- 
 ness of the forest with all its springing and blossoming vegetation, 
 the object of my journey, and the nature and design of the institu- 
 tion which I was about to visit, conspired to render the scene 
 solemn and interesting, and to fill the mind with tender emotions. 
 " Early in the evening, the children of the school, being m- 
 formed that one of their northern friends, whom they had been 
 expecting, had arrived, eagerly assembled in the hall, and were 
 drawn up in ranks and particularly introduced. They are neither 
 shy nor forward in their manners. To a stranger they appear not 
 less interesting than other children of the same age ; but if he con- 
 siders their circumstances and prospects, incomparably more so. 
 
 " At evening prayers, I was forcibly struck with the stillness, 
 order, and decorum of the children, and with the solemnity of the 
 family worship. A portion of the Scriptures was read, with Scott's 
 practical observations ; a hymn was sung, in which a large portion 
 of the children united, and Mr. Hoyt led the devotions of the nu- 
 merous family. If all the members of the Board could hear the 
 prayers, whicli are daily offered in their behalf at tliis station, (and 
 I presume at all others under their superintendence ;) and if all the 
 patrons and contributors could hear the thanks which are returned 
 to God for their liberality ; and especially, if they could see a large 
 circle of children, lately rescued from heathenism, kneeling with 
 apparent seriousness and engaging in the solemnities of Christian 
 worship, one of them already, a hopeful convert, and others thought- 
 ful and inquiring ; — if all these things could be seen, one may 
 safely predict that the exertions and sacrifices of the friends of 
 missions would be increased four-fold. These things are not the 
 less real, however, because they cannot be seen by every friend to 
 the cause." 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 121 
 
 This was the first mission amono; the Indians that the Board , 
 -established. ]Mr, Evarts was fully employed during the three 
 weeks that he spent among the Cherokees — nearly the whole time < Kl^, 
 at Brainerd (Chickamaugah,) in obtaining information of essential 
 importance to the Committee at home, and in consultations and 
 arrangements respecting future operations there and in other parts 
 of the Indian country. The completion of arrangements for estab- 
 lishing a mission among the Choctaws, especially, demanded 
 much time and very serious attention. In this, and indeed in all 
 his labors there, he was greatly assisted by Mr. Cornelius,* who 
 arrived a few days after him, and left the nation at the same time. 
 The mission at Brainerd had been commenced only sixteen months 
 before. The success that had attended it, and its whole aspect 
 was in a high degree animating to Mr. Evarts ; he examined 
 minutely all its concerns ; entered with the liveliest sympathy into 
 the feelings of his missionary brethren, and prepared himself to 
 be an invaluable counsellor, after his return, in regard to every thing 
 connected with Indian missions. The following paragraphs are 
 of the same date with the last extract : 
 
 "Particular mention has akeady been made of Catharine Brown; 
 but I think you will be pleased to hear something more of this in- 
 teresting female. Her parents are half-breeds, who have never 
 learnt to speak English ; yet if you were to see her at a boarding- 
 school in New-England, as she ordinarily appears here, you would 
 not distinguish her from well-educated females of the same age, 
 either by her complexion, features, dress, pronunciation, or man- 
 ners. If your attention were directed to her particularly, you 
 would notice a more than ordinary modesty and reserve. If you 
 were to see her in a religious meeting of pious females, you would 
 hot distinguish her, unless by her more than common simplicity 
 and humility. When she joined the school in July last, (having 
 come more than one hundred miles for that sole purpose,) she 
 could read in syllables of three letters, and was seventeen years 
 old. From her superior manners and comely person she had prob- 
 ably attracted more attention, than any other female in the nation. 
 She was vain, and excessively fond of dress, wearing a profusion 
 of ornaments m her ears. She can now read well in the Bible, is 
 fond of reading other books, and has been particularly pleased 
 with the Memoirs of Mrs. Newell. Last fall she became serious, 
 is believed to have experienced religion in the course of the 
 
 *Rev. Elias Cornelius, afterwards Mr. Evarts' successor as Corresponding- Secre- 
 tary lo the Board. 
 
 16 
 
122 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 autumn, and was baptized and admitted to the church in January. 
 Since that time she has been constantly in the family ; and all the 
 female members of it have the most intimate knowledge of her 
 conduct, and receive a frank disclosure of her feelings. It is their 
 unanimous oi)inion, that she gives uncommon evidence of piety. 
 At meetings for social prayer and religious improvement, held by 
 them on every Thursday afternooa and Sabbath evening, Cath- 
 arine prays in her turn, much to the gratification of her sisters 
 in Christ. Her prayers are distinguished by great simplicity, 
 as to thought and language, and seem to be the filial aspirations 
 of the devout child. Before Mrs. Chamberlin took charge of 
 the girls, Catherine had, of her own accord, commenced evening- 
 prayer with them, just as they were retiring to rest. Sometime 
 after this practice had been begun, it was discovered by one of 
 the missionaries, who, happening to pass by the cabin where 
 the girls lodge, overheard her pouring (brth her desires in very 
 afiecting and appropriate language. On being inquired of re- 
 specting it, she simply observed that she had prayed with the girls, 
 because she thought it was her duty. Yet this young woman, 
 whose conduct might now reprove many professing Christians that 
 have been instructed in religion from their infancy, only ten months 
 ago had never heard of Jesus Christ, nor had a single thought 
 whether the soul survived the body or not. Since she became re- 
 ligious, her trinkets have gradually disappeared, till only a single 
 drop remains in each ear. On hearing that pious females have, in 
 many instances, devoted their ornaments to the missionary cause, 
 she has determined to devote hers also. In coming to this deter- 
 mination, she acted without inlluence from the advice of others.* 
 
 " On the 14th instant we were highly gratified by the arrival of 
 Mr. Cornelius, who had been hourly expected for several days. 
 He brought with him a Choctaw youth of sixteen to be educated 
 at the Foreign Mission School in Connecticut. The arrival of Mr. 
 ^ C. was desirable on many accounts ; but particularly because he 
 was able to give precise information with respect to the proposed 
 seat of the mission to the Choctaws, and the best mode of con- 
 veying the missionaries thither. The interest felt in his welfare 
 by all who were present, and the important services, which he had 
 rendered to the cause of missions, while journeying within the 
 last sixteen months about four thousand miles, of which one 
 thousand miles were within the limits of the Indian nations, will 
 be easily felt and justly appreciated by yourself 
 
 " The subsequent Sabbath will long be remembered by us, on 
 account of its sacred solemnities. The admistration of the Lord's 
 supper had been appointed, in expectation of the arrival of Mr. 
 Cornelius. He preached from the chorus of the one hundred 
 and seventh Psalm : O that men would praise the Lord for his 
 goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men. It was 
 at this time that the colored man, mentioned above, was admitted 
 to the church. Twenty-four persons sat down together, here in 
 
 * For an account of this very interesting- female, see the Memoir of Catherine 
 Prown, by Rev. Dr. Anderson, now one of the Secretaries of the Board. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 123 
 
 the wilderness, at the table of their Lord. Five of us, who had 
 been intimately connected in these atteini)ts to convey the Gospel 
 to the Indians, expected to leave the place within a few days, two on 
 our way towards home, and the others to enter upon the Choctaw 
 mission. We could not indulge the slighest anticipation of ever 
 meeting again at this feast of love ; and it was altogether probable 
 that several of us should see each other's faces no luore in this 
 World, after the expected separation shonld have taken place. 
 These reflections, and many others which will suggest themselves 
 to your mind, rendered the occasion deeply aflccting. 
 
 During my stay the mission and school were visited by several 
 gentlemen, who were ]iassing through the nation, among whom 
 was the Governor of Tennessee. They all appeared pleased with 
 what they saw ; particularly the Governor, who spent a night at 
 the mission-house, and witnessed the regular exercises of the 
 school. Nothing strikes a stranger more agreeably, than the ease 
 and propriety with which the children sing several hymns, without 
 assistance from any other person. Mr. Chamberlin tells me that 
 he believes every child who has been at school any length of time, 
 can take part in the singing ; and it is with pleasure I add, that 
 every member of the missionary family can also join with the 
 voice, as well as with the understanding. 
 
 Mr. Cornelias and myself are preparing to set out for home on 
 Monday. We take three Cherokee youths with us for the Foreign 
 Mission School. One is the son of Mr. Hicks ; and the good man 
 has come up to spend the Sabbath with us.* 
 
 On the 25th, the necessary business having been completed, 
 Mr. Evarts, Mr. Cornelius, and several missionaries who were to 
 establish a new mission among the Choctaws, left Brainerd. 
 
 " The missionaries, who were about to leave Brainerd, felt 
 strongly attached to that place, as the scene of their first labors 
 among the heathen, and the place where signal tokens of the di- 
 vine favor had been manifested ; yet they were perfectly willing 
 to commence a new establishment, at the call of duty, though it 
 was to be four hundred miles distant, and in a perfect wilderness. 
 Mr. Williams was greatly attached to the children of the school, 
 as he had been the instructor for a considerable part of last year. 
 At the time of parting, the mission family, including all the chil- 
 dren, were assembled in the open passage. Mr. Hoyt prayed, and 
 all united in singing, " Blest be the tie that binds," &c. Many 
 tears were shed, and the elder children were deeply affected. 
 As Mr. Kingsbury, Mr. Cornelius, and myself were about to visit 
 the Cherokee agency by a circuitous route, we concluded to send 
 the Indian lads directly thither, under the care of an elder son of 
 Mr. Hicks. Nothing touched me more than to see this Christian 
 
 * Mr Hicks was a member of the Moraviaa Church, an intelligent, well informed 
 man, who had great influence in his nation. 
 
124 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 father, converted from heathenism in a heathen land, about to 
 send his darhng son to the heart of a Christian country, with a view 
 to his receivins: an enlarged and Christian education. The paren- 
 tal and filial attachment is described by onr missionaries, as being 
 uncommonly strong among the Indians; vastly stronger than any 
 other and ail other attachments. When the boys were mounted 
 for their journey, and Mr. Hicks had bidden us I'arcwell, he went 
 a short distance from his son into the woods, to take leave of him 
 aside from observation ; and thence turned off homeward. What 
 passed there I know not. Doubtless the yearnings of a parent's 
 bowels were experienced ; doubtless the prayers of a father as- 
 cended to the Preserver of men. These prayers will be echoed 
 from many a bosom ; and it will be ardently desired that the lad may 
 return in safety with a cultivated mind and a sanctified heart, and 
 may be a comfort to his father and a blessing to his people. 
 
 " The greater part of the mission family, not including the chil- 
 dren, accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Williams to the river, a distance 
 of seven miles. The road leads through an entire wilderness, and 
 no house is seen excejjt that of the ferryman, at a little distance 
 from the river's bank. The Tennessee is here a noble stream, 
 half a mile wide, and probably conveys in its channel twice or 
 three times as much water, as is conveyed in the channel of the 
 Connecticut against Middletown. When we look at such a river 
 on the map, we conceive of its banks as cultivated ; especially if 
 it runs through a country so long settled, and so populous as Ten- 
 nessee. But I am told, that the greater part of this river, even 
 without the Indian limits, is still shaded by native forests ; and 
 within these limits the eye of the boatman can seldom meet with 
 any indication that the coimtry is inhabited. The mighty flood 
 rolls along in solitary grandeur, as it did a thousand years ago. At 
 the place where the missionary boat was fastened, the banks pre- 
 sented nothing but a wilderness. The scene was new and im- 
 posing. As we looked up the river the eye caught a perpendicu- 
 lar cliir of lime-stone eighty feet high, which formed the right 
 bank ; a beautiful island divided the channel into nearly equal 
 parts ; and both banks were covered with luxuriant vegetation 
 from the oak to the cane, the flowering shrub, and the tender grass. 
 The trees had now assumed the appearance of summer. 
 
 " When the boat was ready to depart, and nfter we had enjoyed 
 an agreeable interview, a parting hymn by Dr. Doddridge was sung 
 to Old Hundred, and a prayer was offered by Mr. Cornelius. The 
 fact that this mission was prepared and sent forth in the wilder- 
 ness, gave the whole transaction an indescribable interest. None 
 were more affected than four native women, Avho could not speak 
 English, though they could understand something of it, and who 
 had come four or five miles to take leave of Mr. and Mrs. AVilhams. 
 One of them is so old, that she has great grand children at the 
 school. She is remarkable for kindness of disposition, and atten- 
 tion to the missionaries. 
 
 " The religious solemnities being over, we stepped on shore ; the 
 boatmen untied the ropes, pushed into the current, and the boat 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 1-25 
 
 moved gently out of our sight. Our friends of the mission family 
 returned to Brainerd ; we crossed the ferry, and pursued our course 
 towards Washington, Tennessee, through the woods. 
 
 " On Wednesday, at noon, we reached the Cherokee agency. 
 The venerable Col. Meigs, who was taken prisoner at Quebec 
 when Montgomery fell, has for many years been the agent of 
 government in this nation. He received us with the greatest kind- 
 ness, and expressed a deep interest in oiir mission and school. At 
 present there is a meeting of the Indians here, at which the whole 
 population has been invited to attend. The object of the meeting 
 is to explain the treaty of July last, and to enrol those who intend 
 removing across the Mississippi, and those who wish to take reser- 
 vations of a mile square, according to the treaty. It is a week 
 since the talk opened. The concourse was not so numerous as was 
 expected. There was, however, a very diversified assemblage, 
 composed of persons of all ages, of both sexes, and of all com- 
 plexions, from the full-blooded Cherokees to the whites. Govern- 
 or M'Minn was the commissioner of the government to transact 
 business with the Indians. He showed us many civilities, and in- 
 vited Mr. Cornelius to preach the next day. 
 
 " On Thursday morning the Governor held his concluding talk 
 with the natives and dismissed the council. Mr. Cornelius then 
 preached to a mixed audience, under the bower which had been 
 formed for the accommodation of the people during the long ses- 
 sion. According to the previous arrangement, I addressed the 
 Indians who were about removing to the Arkansas, on the subject 
 of establishing a mission and school among them. The public 
 interpreter explained my meaning, as I proceeded. The principal 
 chief had visited the school at Brainerd while I was there, and ap- 
 peared much pleased with it. Other leading Indians had done 
 the same ; and many who are about crossing the Mississippi had 
 expressed a strong wish that a school should accompany them. 
 Still it was thought desirable that the subject should t)e again 
 brought forward. AVe happened very opportunely to be in the na- 
 tion at the holding of this council. The particulars of the inter- 
 view will be related, God wiUing, when I am more at leisure. At 
 present I can only say that there are weighty reasons for establish- 
 ing a mission, as soon as possible, on the river Arkansas. 
 
 31. Knoxville, Tenn. A Sabbath school is regularly taught 
 here for blacks and whites. Mr. S. tells me that the means of 
 religious instruction here have been underrated. Religious knowl- 
 edge is more diffused than we have been led to suppose. There 
 are very few Presbyterian ministers, and there is a very great de- 
 ficiency of regular preaching of any sort ; but Methodists and 
 Baptists penetrate into all the recesses of the mountains and con- 
 vey many of the truths of the gospel to the minds of the people. 
 
]26 I^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 It is not right to compare this population with the heathen of 
 Asia, or with the heathen tribes of this country. 
 
 June 4. Wliile at Brainerd I was very busy, and regret much 
 that I had not time to write down at length all that we did, with 
 our reasons in each case. As it is, I depend much upon memory 
 to explain to the Committee the state of things at the mission. I 
 have with me the heads of our decisions, extracted from the sec- 
 retary's notes. 
 
 I am much more convinced than before I came this journey, 
 that a visit to the mission was very important, so far as I am. to 
 have any influence hereafter in directing Indian missions ; and I 
 trust it will not be useless, even if I should never again take part 
 in the measures of our Board. Our contemplated visit to the 
 city of Washington we deem of very considerable importance to 
 the cause. 
 
 June 5. This county is very new ; the climate is healthy ; 
 and I should think very well of it as the place of my future resi- 
 dence, in case I leave Boston,* were it not for the existence of 
 > slavery, which is a much greater evil than I ever conceived it to 
 be before my visit to the south. However, it is a uiuch less evil 
 here than in Georgia and the Carolinas. 
 
 Having parted with Mr. Cornelius, Mr. Evarts pursued his 
 journey alone on horseback, through Kentucky to Cincinnati, and 
 thence through Chillicothe, Zanesville, Wheeling, and Winchester, 
 to Washington, and home seizing every opportunity, by public 
 addresses and by intercourse with ministers of the gospel and oth- 
 ers, to awaken a missionary spirit and secure permanent aid to 
 the objects of the Board. 
 
 July 5. Sabbath, Uniontown, Pa. In the morning was in- 
 formed that there would be no preaching in town today. At- 
 tended Methodist prayer meeting, (or perhaps class n)eeting,) 
 There was no clergyman ; two prayers were made, hymns sung, 
 and a sort of personal examination had. Ten whites were pres- 
 ent, and nine blacks ; one of the prayers was made by a black 
 
 * Mr. Evans at this time, to use his own language, felt under obligations to continue 
 in his station at Boston as long as he could discharge its duties without immediate dan- 
 ger to his life ; but thought it probable that he should be compelled to seek a support 
 for his family elsewhere and in some different employment. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 127 
 
 man. I found no fault with any doctrine implied In their prayers 
 or exhortations. 
 
 At 1 1 o'clock was informed that Mr. W., the Presbyterian 
 minister, had unexpectedly returned, and that divine service would 
 be held as usual at the court-house. Between the services I in- 
 troduced myself to Mr. W., and proposed to make a statement 
 respecting the plans and objects of the Board, the Cherokee mis- 
 sion, Sic, in the evening. After some hesitation he consented, 
 and notice was given accordingly. In the evening the court- 
 house was crowded. After my statement, Mr. W. read some re- 
 ligious intelligence, and enforced the whole by very appropiiate 
 illustrations. The communications of the evening furnished him 
 an excellent occasion to press personal religion upon his hearers. 
 Uniontown is a respectable village, forty years old ; and yet has 
 never had regular preaching till within a little more than a year 
 past. Mr. W. used this fact with great effect, by remarking that 
 it might be a part of the plan of Providence, while Otaheitans, 
 Cherokees, and Hottentots, were brought into the kingdom of God, 
 to bring in some of the people of Uniontown too. The Gospel 
 is now preached here after such an unaccountable delay ; who 
 knows but it may be sent hither in mercy as well as to the 
 heathen ? 
 
 In the beginning of the next year (1819) the critical state of 
 the Cherokees and other Indian tribes gave Mr. Evarts, for a time, 
 great anxiety. The first mission of the Board among the Cher- 
 okees, it has already been remarked, was established at Chicka- 
 maugah, afterwards Brainerd. In the autumn of 1816, Rev. Cy- 
 rus Kingsbury, by direction of the Committee, visited the nation 
 for the purpose of selecting a station and making other necessary 
 arrangements. On his way thither he passed through Washing- 
 ton, where he made known to the President the intentions of the 
 Board, and received from him and from Mr. Crawford, then Sec- 
 retary of War, every encouragea)ent that could reasonably be 
 expected. He was assured officially that houses would be erected 
 at the public expense for the accommodation of a school and a 
 teacher, that agricultural implements would be furnished, and that, 
 as circumstances might from time to time justify and require, other 
 houses and various means for prosecuting the mission would be pro- 
 
128 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 vided in the same way.* Assurances of similar aid from the Gov- 
 ernment in the establishment of missions among the Choctaws, 
 Chickasaws, and Creeks, were officially given in 1817, and a par- 
 ticular desire manifested that the instruction of these four tribes 
 should go on at the same time.f These assurances were renewed 
 the next year, and preparations were made by the Board to do all 
 in their power to render effective, as speedily and extensively 
 as possible and among all the tribes named, the benevolent dispo- 
 sitions of the government. 
 
 The gratifying state in which ]\Ir. Evarts found the Cherokee 
 Mission, in the spring of 1818, will be recollected. In a few 
 short months only after that visit, the prospect which then appeared 
 so bright began to be clouded, and a series of difficulties com 
 menced, against which he struggled, with what devotion and 
 ability will appear hereafter, but in vain. The danger arose from 
 the attempted execution, by the government of the United States, 
 of a plan for removing the Indians from their ancient homes to 
 the country west of the Mississippi. On receiving the first inti- 
 mation that the change might probably soon be effected in regard 
 to the Cherokees, Mr. Evarts wrote to Dr. Worcester as follows : 
 
 TO REV. DR. WORCESTER. 
 
 Boston, February 3, 1819. 
 
 I now write to send a letter from father Hoyt,J for your peru- 
 sal, and with particular reference to the suggestion at the end, viz : 
 that some member of the Committee should visit Washington. 
 This lies with great weight upon my mind. Think of it — pray 
 over it — and then, if you are not decided against it, call a meet- 
 ing of the Prudential Committee very soon. 
 
 The present is an eventful crisis with the Cherokees ; and with 
 our establishment of course, and with all the Indian tribes. 
 
 If the Cherokees have given their delegates, as father Hoyt 
 says, power to exchange the whole country, the country will cer- 
 tainly he exchanged this winter, and the best terms must be made 
 that can be made. The Indian affairs are also before Congress in 
 
 * The Annual Report of the A. B. C. F. M. f Eighth Annual Report. 
 
 X Rev. Ard Hoyt, missionary of the Board. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. J29 
 
 some shape or other. The important crisis will be, the last fort- 
 night of the session and a few days afterwards ; say three weeks 
 from the 20th instant, at Washington. 
 
 Will not Mr. Reed* go ? If so, ail will rejoice. If not, will 
 not you go ? The health of the two senior members of the Com- 
 mittee puts them out of the question. If, after consultation, it 
 appears important that one should go, and if neither you nor Mr. 
 Reed can go, and if my health should be as it is, and the weather 
 not too bad, I would endeavor to go. But I should, for obvious 
 reasons, prefer to have Mr. Reed go, and yourself next to him. 
 
 When you consider the present state of the Indians, I think 
 you will regard the subject as deserving a meeting of the Pruden- 
 tial Committee by all means. 
 
 A meeting of the Prudential Committee was immediately held, 
 and the Corresponding Secretary of the Board was appointed to 
 proceed to Washington, to take such measures as might be deem- 
 ed necessary for the benefit of the mission. The subject still en- 
 grossed the feelings of Mr. Evarts, and the following letter was 
 addressed to Dr. Worcester at Washington : 
 
 Boston, Feb. 16, 1819. 
 I saw in Saturday's Centinel a statement, that from November 
 1st, to December 11th, about forty days, nearly 12,000 souls 
 crossed the Arkansas river, from the western country, with a view 
 to settle on the south side of it. Though the account is probably 
 exaggerated, yet, if there is a great emigration of whites to the 
 parts near the contemplated residence of the Cherokees, they will 
 be immediately pressed harder than they are now. And where is 
 the security that they will not be so pressed ? Suppose the pre- 
 sent government to be inclined vigorously to protect them there, 
 and to prevent intrusion ; is there any probability that future ad- 
 ministrations will be of the same mind ? Why not protect them 
 where they are ? It can be done easier than on the river Arkan- 
 sas. It is an important inquiry, how the tide of emigration now 
 sets, and how it will be likely to set in reference to the Arkansas 
 
 * Hon. William Reed o( Marblehead, a member of the Committee, and formerly a 
 member of Congress from Massachusetts. 
 
 17 
 
130 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 country. For myself, 1 very much suspect, that the Cherokees, 
 after removing to their trans-Mississippi country, will find them- 
 selves hemmed in by a growing population ; that they will find 
 great roads made through their country, to be travelled by whites ; 
 and that they will live exposed to all the vices and all the appre- 
 hensions which now beset them, and will lose all the advantages 
 which they have hitherto gained. 
 
 A letter from father Gambold, which came to hand this day, 
 mentions that Mr. Hicks and others, had gone to Washington, " to 
 try to obtain permission to remain on their own landJ" He adds, 
 " May the Lord be with them and influence our government to do 
 them justice 1" If government are now disposed to do them jus- 
 tice, they can do it more easily by quieting them in their present 
 possessions, than in any other way. This deserves very serious 
 consideration by all concerned. 
 
 I am sorry to see in this morning's Centlnel (16th) a notice of 
 your mission, furnished by some meddling correspondent. 1 sup- 
 pose you reach Washington this morning. May the Divine bles- 
 sing attend your exertions. 
 
 The representations of the Cherokee delegation and the argu- 
 ments urged by Dr. Worcester and other friends, were not without 
 effect. The Hon. John C. Calhoun was then Secretary of War, 
 and the negotiation, on the part of the United States, was conduct- 
 ed by him. It terminated in a treaty highly gratifying to the 
 Cherokees. The preamble distinctly recognized the wish of a 
 majority of the Cherokees to remain in the land of their fathers, 
 and their favorable inclination towards civilization and improve- 
 ment. The stipulations of the treaty were intended to gratify this 
 wish, and to encourage and meet this inclination. In considera- 
 tion of the assignment of lands in the Arkansas country to pait of 
 the nation who had emigrated, a large cession of territoryUo the 
 United States was agreed on, and the remainder secured to the 
 original proprietors forever. And of the ceded lands an appro- 
 priation was made of about 100,000 acres, for a perpetual school 
 fund, for the benefit of the Cherokees remaining in the land of 
 their fathers. The ratification of this treaty was regarded by Mr. 
 Evarts and those who acted with him as a most auspicious event. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 13j 
 
 " It is auspicious," says the Report of the Committee of the 
 Board, " as it shows, on the part of the government, not only a 
 favorable disposition towards the Indians, but also a conviction 
 that they can be and must be civilized ; and a settled and gen- 
 erous purpose to patronize and aid the benevolent work. It is 
 auspicious, as it provides funds which eventually will not be small, 
 for promoting the design. And it is auspicious in the influence 
 which it has, and which it will have, upon the Cherokees and 
 other Indian nations, and upon the American community. It 
 marks, indeed, a new and propitious era." 
 
 " The success of this delegation," say the missionaries in their 
 journal, " has raised the hopes of the nation." And speaking of 
 one of the delegation, an intelligent and devoted convert,* they 
 add : " While an entire exchange of country was thought of as a 
 measure which they might be pressed to adopt, his spirit was often 
 borne down with discouragement ; but since they have succeeded 
 in having part of their country guaranteed to them anew, and so 
 many Christian people engaged for their instruction, that hope 
 which was almost expiring, is raised to confident expectation. 
 His heart is overflowing with joy, gratitude, and praise to God, 
 whom he is ever ready to acknowledge as the Giver of every good 
 and perfect gift" 
 
 Dr. Worcester's parting address to the delegates at Washington, 
 was read in open council, and was received with evident and 
 great satisfaction. The desire and the spirit of improvement 
 throughout the nation, as a mass, received a remarkable impulse. 
 
 This view of the policy of government and these hopes received 
 additional confirmation a few weeks after the conclusion of the 
 Treaty. On the 27th of May the President of the United States, 
 (Mr. Monroe) being on a tour through the southern states, visited 
 Brainerd, and gave both to the missionaries and the Cherokees 
 the most gratifying proofs of his confidence and good will. It was 
 evident that he was ready to act heartily for the benefit of the 
 nation, in the spirit of the treaty. He expressed great satisfaction 
 with the plan and success of the mission, and gave orders for the 
 erection of larger and more commodious buildings for its accom- 
 
 * Charles R. Hicks. 
 
132 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 modation, with directions to the governmental agent to pay the 
 expense. And this was not the policy of the Executive alone. 
 It was also that of the National Legislature ; and an appropriation 
 of ^10,000 a year was soon after placed at the disposal of the 
 President for its promotion. 
 
 With such evidences that the policy of government was settled^ 
 and that efforts to instruct and civilize the Indians would receive 
 from the Executive and from Congress, not only favorable consid- 
 eration, but also liberal aid, the plans of the Board for the benefit of 
 the Cherokees, Choctaws, and Chickasaws were enlarged, and the 
 missions prosecuted with new enterprize and spirit. These facts 
 in the early history of the missions being remembered, the feelings 
 of Mr. Evarts, when, ten years after, the action of government was 
 suddenly changed, the missionary establishments — the schools and 
 churches that had grown up, threatened with utter ruin, and the 
 tribes themselves with destruction, will be better understood. 
 
 Another source of anxiety to Mr. Evarts at this period was the 
 state of the treasury of the Board. As early as December, 1818, 
 in a letter to Dr. Worcester, he speaks of discouragements in this 
 respect, and adds : " The indications by which I judge that the 
 missionary spirit is declining are these : There appear to be fewer 
 new associations formed than heretofore — the remittances from old 
 associations are smaller. Dr. T.* thinks without a single excep- 
 tion — and the aggregate of donations is less. On my return from 
 the south the conversation of Christians through the country was 
 full of exultation ; one would as soon have thought of the National 
 Bank becoming insolvent, as of a deficiency in our receipts ; — hut 
 the whole seems to have evaporated." 
 
 A few months later he says to another correspondent : *' The 
 business of our Board is becoming more and more arduous, diffi- 
 cult, and responsible. Unless God be with us, we shall not only 
 do nothing effectual ; but we shall come to nothing. Let us be 
 thankful for what we have received, and plead that we may feel 
 our dependence more and more." 
 
 " You can hardly be aware," he writes to a missionary in 
 March, 1820, "of the serious embarrassments with which our 
 
 * Mr. E.'s assistant. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. I33 
 
 Treasury is threatened. There is an amazing pressure for money 
 throughout the country ; many Christians are weak and faint in 
 their missionary feelings and exertions ; other institutions of a like 
 kind with ours are springing up. I mention these things not to 
 discourage you, but that you and we may feel more and more our 
 dependence on God for the means of doing any thing ; and that 
 you may pray earnestly for the excitement of a missionary spirit. 
 Be assured that we have very solemn questions of duty in our 
 Prudential Committee in reference to the extent of our missionary 
 operations. Economy is peculiarly necessary in every depart- 
 ment." 
 
 In the midst of these pecuniary difficulties, the health of Dr. 
 Worcester became so poor that resort to a milder climate was 
 deemed necessary. Accordingly in January, 1821, he took pas- 
 sage at Boston for New Orleans, in the hope that he should be 
 able to visit the Indian missions. He arrived at New Orleans 
 early in February. After spending some weeks in that city, he 
 ascended the river to Natchez, visited some of the mission stations, 
 in still declining health, and died at Brainerd, in the Cherokee 
 nation, on the 7th of June. To Mr. Evarts this was a severe 
 bereavement. For more than ten years, they had labored together 
 in the cause of missions, and for a yet longer time had been in 
 habits of the most unreserved and cordial intercourse, in relation to 
 subjects of the highest moment to the well-being of the churches 
 and of man. There was cherished between them the most affec- 
 tionate regard and the highest mutual esteem. Especially after 
 they became associated in the service of missions to the heathen, 
 the hours which they spent together were frequent, and rendered 
 precious by perfect sympathy in their labors, trials, and successes. 
 
 When Dr. Worcester left Boston, the duties of clerk of the 
 Prudential Committee and of Corresponding Secretary were as- 
 signed to Mr. Evarts, with instructions to procure such assistance 
 as might be necessary ; and this accumulation of responsibility, 
 commenced at a time of peculiar pressure and anxiety, was con- 
 tinued till the meeting of the Board in September, 1822. 
 
 A few extracts follow from the correspondence of Mr. Evarts 
 during this period : 
 
 < 
 
134 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 TO MR. WILLIAM GOODELL.* 
 
 January 19, 1S21. 
 
 As you are about to commence an agency in the service of the 
 American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, with the 
 benevolent wish of inviting the co-operation of all classes of per- 
 sons, in this great Christian community, to the noble work of evan- 
 gelizing the heathen, permit me to offer a few suggestions. 
 
 The application to individuals, or the public, in behalf of any 
 charity, is, in some respects, painful ; and the mind of an agent, 
 employed in such a business, needs to be sustained by powerful 
 considerations. 
 
 Let it therefore be habitually fixed in your mind, that the work 
 of missions, in all its parts, is peculiarly pleasing to God ; that it 
 is the very work in which the Saviour himself spent the days of 
 his ministry ; in which the Apostles labored and died ; and which 
 will at last be effectual to the renovation of the world. 
 
 Let it also be fixed firmly in your mind, that all successful at* 
 tempts to obtain donations for the cause of missions do, in fact, 
 promote the happiness of the donors ; and that they thus promote 
 it very much in proportion to the sacrifices made for the cause. 
 No sacrifice is made, none can be made, from sincere desire to glorify 
 God by honoring the institutions of the Saviour, without adding 
 to the temporal happiness of the person who makes the sacrifice. 
 This is an invariable law of the divine administration. It is de- 
 clared, in many different forms, by our Saviour himself, and is 
 in perfect accordance with matter of fact, as it falls under our 
 daily observation. The man who gives fifty dollars is certain, if he 
 acts from noble, generous, and truly benevolent motives, to derive 
 much greater enjoyment from it, than if, with the same ability, he 
 had given five dollars, or one dollar. The laboring man, or hired 
 girl, who makes an effort to save money, and gives five or ten dol- 
 lars for the cause of Christ, as many have done, in various parts 
 of the Christian world, no doubt receives a most abundant recom- 
 pense in this life. 
 
 It follows that an agent, who solicits benefactions to the mis- 
 
 * Rev. William Goodell, now missionary at Constantinople. 
 
' LIFE OF EVARTS. I35 
 
 sionary cause, is in reality a public benefactor, in many different 
 respects ; but particularly to those whom he may induce to make 
 liberal offerings to the Lord. 
 
 An agent should always /eeZ, and let it be seen that he feels, 
 that the cause is infinitely worthy of any sacrifice that can be 
 made to it. And it should be always understood, that the cause 
 is not only worthy of sacrifices, but demands them, and must have 
 them. Do Christians, does any generous minded man, wish to 
 have it otherwise ? Is it desired that no sacrifices should be made 
 for the greatest object, which ever invited the attention of men or 
 angels — an object, to accomplish which the Son of God came 
 down from heaven ? Does any person, who claims the name of a 
 man, wish that a few empty desires, and a few trifling donations, 
 should be sufficient to provide for the spiritual wants of the world. 
 Suppose it should be made apparent, that every man in Christen- 
 dom was bound to labor, in his proper employment, ten days in 
 each year, for the sole object of sending the Gospel to foreign 
 nations, and the most distant parts of the world, would it be a 
 subject of regret? Should not every person, male and female, of 
 every age, rejoice in the privilege of helping to bring forward the 
 days of emancipation from the bondage of Satan ? 
 
 As to proving the great duty of sending the Gospel to all 
 nations, the Scriptures are so full and explicit, that there is no 
 need of calling your attention to the subject particularly. But it 
 is manifest, on the plainest principles of benevolence, that, if the 
 Gospel is a blessing, it ought to be communicated as extensively 
 as possible. No man, but an open infidel, will deny the Gos- 
 pel to be a blessing ; but if the Gospel is true, it is every thing, 
 and no sacrifices to extend its influence can be too great. 
 
 What the Bible enjoins, in regard to the promulgation of the 
 Gospel, facts abundantly support and confirm. No question in 
 morals, or any business of life, can be more perfectly settled by 
 facts, than it is already settled, that Christian missions are now 
 effecting a most desirable and salutary change in many parts of 
 the world. Witness South Africa, Sierra Leone, the Society 
 Islands, Ceylon, the Coromandel Coast, New Holland, New 
 Zealand, the West Indies, Greenland, India near the Ganges, and 
 the country of the Cherokees and Choctaws. 
 
136 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 But objections will be started : Some one will say, how do I 
 know that the money which I give will be faithfully applied ? In 
 answer to this question there are various weighty considerations, 
 which I have not time to state. I simply observe that every 
 donor may have all the evidence that his money is faithfully ap- 
 plied, which it is possible to have that any human agency is 
 faithfully executed ; and much greater evidence than is usually 
 obtained, that any trust is faithfully performed. A person gives 
 a sum, great or small, for the aid of this cause. The sum is ac- 
 knowledged by a formal receipt from the agent, or proper officer. 
 It is also acknowledged in the monthly official list of donations ; 
 which list is, in effect, five thousand receipts scattered all over the 
 country, and read by thirty thousand people perhaps ; and among 
 them the donor and his friends. The amount of the donations in 
 a month is stated ; and the sum of the twelve monthly lists, is ex- 
 hibited to the Auditor, as the amount of donations received 
 during the year. Every donation is entered at large on the 
 books of the treasury, immediately on its reception. The Auditor 
 examines these entries, and ascertains, that the sums thus placed 
 to the credit of the Board, amount to the same as the sums pub- 
 lished. Thus much for the proof, that all donations are entered 
 to the credit of the Board. 
 
 As to payments from the Treasury, they are all made by orders 
 of the Prudential Committee, or of the Board. The Committee 
 authorize the expenditures and see the vouchers. All the ac- 
 counts, comprising every cent of the expenditures and descending 
 to ihe minute particulars, are read at the annual meeting of the 
 Board, and approved by that body. The Auditor examines all 
 the accounts, ascertains their correctness, and sees that all the 
 vouchers are correct and sufficient. It may not be improper here 
 to state, that during the ten years of the operations of the Board, 
 the Auditor has never discovered an error of a single cent in the 
 Treasurer's accounts. The office of Auditor has been discharged 
 by three gentlemen in succession, who are thoroughly versed in 
 mercantile transactions, and who are not members of the Board, 
 or of the Committee. 
 
 When money is remitted to the several stations, the Christian 
 public have all the security, which can rationally be expected, 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. iq'J 
 
 that it will be faithfully applied. The missionaries have given all 
 the proof which can be required, that they have the best interests 
 of the cause at heart. They wish to make their several stations 
 as flourishing as possible ; and, for this purpose, they are strongly 
 prompted to make the money go as far as possible — in other words, 
 to practise the best economy. 
 
 It is objected that some of our missions are too far off. But 
 we are taught in the parable of the good Samaritan, that every 
 man is our neighbor to whom we can possibly do good. And it 
 is demonstrably clear, that we can do good to the heathen in Asia, 
 in greater numbers, and at smaller expense, than to the heathen 
 any where else. As to all the purposes of charity, the children in 
 Ceylon and Bombay, and the heathen generally in those regions, 
 are at our doors. 
 
 It is objected that foreign missions draw money from our coun- 
 try — particularly, that they take away our specie. The proper 
 answer to this is, that the great and proper use of specie is to send 
 it wherever it is wanted, with a view to obtain any good object. 
 It is right to send it for tea and silk ; but can these compare with 
 the value of the Gospel ? Again : The first year after the peace, 
 it was computed that from three million to six million Spanish 
 dollars were sent from Massachusetts — that is, the sea-ports in that 
 state, — beyond the Cape of Good Hope, for the various kinds of 
 merchandize in those parts of the world. The most that the 
 Board ever sent, in specie, in one year, was fourteen thousand 
 dollars : that is, for every dollar which the Board sent in any one 
 year, the merchants sent probably not less than three hundred 
 dollars, in the year after the peace. The last remittance of 
 specie which we made, was one of four thousand five hundred dol- 
 lars ; and the same vessel took about two hundred thousand 
 dollars for merchants : that is, for one dollar, which the Board re- 
 mitted, the same vessel took more than forty dollars for silks, &;c. 
 and it has not been an uncommon thing for a single ship to carry 
 to India more money in specie, than the Board have expended, in 
 all their operations, in ten years ; and more than three times as 
 much as the Board has remitted, in specie, within that whole time. 
 
 There are many other objections, which you will be prepared to 
 meet. For the present I conclude. 
 18 
 
238 l^^FE OF EVARTS. 
 
 TO MESSRS. PAKSONS AND FISK, MISSIONARIES TO PALESTINE. 
 
 Boston, February 19, 1S21. 
 
 We are greatly apprehensive that our missions will all suffer for 
 want of funds. Most of them are suffering now, and our resources 
 to meet their various wants are very small. Pray, therefore, pray 
 earnestly for an increase of the spirit of self-denial in your native 
 country. 
 
 The poverty of our treasury, while it lasts, will effectually pre- 
 vent our sending missionaries to Smyrna, or any where else. 
 When this poverty will be removed, I cannot pretend to conjecture. 
 It will be when the Lord of missions pleases ; but not, I think, till 
 he has brought us to a lower ebb, and made us feel that we are 
 nothing and He is all. It would indeed be a melancholy thing, if 
 Christians in this country should not be deemed worthy to take 
 any considerable part in the conversion of the world. But the 
 Lord will select his own instruments, and honor whom he pleases 
 as the messengers of his mercy to a perishing world. 
 
 You will see, by our publications, that we do not intend to 
 betray the cause by lowering the claims of charity, or suffering the 
 community to remain ignorant of our necessities. 
 
 An exertion has been made in this town, which will gratify you 
 much. In consequence of the representations made in Mr. 
 Williamson's* letter, on the advantages of a printing establishment 
 at Smyrna and another at Jerusalem, a subscription has been 
 opened to raise three thousand dollars a year, for five years, for the 
 sole purpose of keeping in operation a printing establishment for 
 Western Asia, under the care of our Board and its missionaries. 
 We have held two meetings on the subject ; the last of them be- 
 fore the reception of your journals, which so abundantly illustrate 
 the suitableness of a press in vigorous operation to aid in the great 
 work of conveying the Gospel to the millions in those countries 
 who are ignorant of salvation and debased by superstition. 
 
 Keep us well informed as to the best way of promoting this 
 cause, and by the Divine blessing funds for the printing establish- 
 ment will be abundant. 
 
 Dr. Worcester is absent on a voyage to New Orleans and a 
 
 * British Chaplain at Malta. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. I39 
 
 visit to the Indian missions for the benefit of his health and of the 
 missions. His life and services are invaluable. Pray much for 
 him and for us all. 
 
 TO REV. CYRUS KINGSBURY. 
 
 Boston, March 8, 1S21. 
 
 Providence has restrained our means, and we are driven to the 
 alternative of withholding expected supplies from the Cherokee, 
 Choctaw, and Arkansas missions, or of suffering our brethren in 
 the East to remain destitute of support till they shall draw upon 
 us at such a disadvantage and to such an amount, that we cannot 
 pay their bills, and all our operations, our credit, and our reputa- 
 tion, as a Board, come to a dead stand together. I think, there- 
 fore, that your buildings at Mayhew and your operations in 
 the Six Towns must be suspended, unless they can be carried on 
 without drawing much from our Treasury, or running into debt. 
 If the Indians should be disappointed and discouraged, the evil 
 seems inevitable. 
 
 How great donations may be obtained by Dr. Worcester in 
 Louisiana and Mississippi, cannot be estimated by me, as I know 
 not very definitely the situation of those countries. I wish that 
 he and Mr. B. may receive a great deal. In my letter to Dr. 
 Worcester of this morning, I have expressed the opinion, that not 
 more than five thousand dollars can be paid from the treasury for 
 all the Indian missions between this day and the first of Septem- 
 ber, without danger of great embarrassment. 
 
 My letter of July 3d, I considered, and I presume you considered, 
 as a full and fair warning of the embarrassments which you and 
 your brethren might be compelled to meet. In that letter I re- 
 gretted that our recent remittance to India was so scanty ; yet we 
 have not sent a single dollar since that day, and in the shipment 
 soon to be made we must send less than half as much as would 
 be desirable. 
 
 The liberality of your laborers in making donations for the use 
 of the mission, is very pleasing. If all the laborers in our coun- 
 try would imitate the example, the effect would be grand. 
 
 While the Lord is trying us in various ways, let us not forget to 
 praise his name for what he has done ; and let us not faint, nor be 
 
140 I^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 discouraged. He will accomplish great and glorious things in his 
 own time, and with such agents and instruments as he chooses. 
 
 Do not suppose, my dear sir, that we feel unmindful of your 
 cares, labors, and sacrifices ; of the sickness, and pain, and be- 
 reavement, which you have experienced. We sympathize most 
 tenderly with you in all these things. We praise God that you 
 have had so much strength, resolution, courage, and perseverance. 
 Let these virtues be in you and abound. Pray for us, that we 
 may have wisdom and fidelity, and that God may vouchsafe his 
 merciful direction. For myself 1 feel an amazing responsibility, 
 especially during the absence of Dr. Worcester. Every sentence 
 which is now printed in the Herald, respecting our Board and its 
 objects, needs to be weighed with care. The correspondence 
 with contributors and donors is very great ; and, beside this, the 
 labor of providing for all our stations is not small. We have no 
 adequate provision for clerk hire, &tc., and I expect soon to be 
 left destitute of all help of this kind, except what I can employ 
 occasionally. I do not mention these things because I wish the 
 labors of my office less. On the contrary, I wish them so much 
 greater, that the Christian public would make ample provision for 
 clerks, porters, he. This will some time be the case, if the world 
 is ever converted by human instrumentality. In the mean time 
 let us be willing to wear out as fast as duty requires, taking all 
 prudent means to preserve health and life. 
 
 TO REV. ARD HOYT.* 
 
 Boston, March 14,1821. 
 
 You will be aware, from what I have already written, that it 
 would be highly improper to think of sending out more laborers 
 while our present embarrassments continue. We cannot send 
 them without great expense — we have not the money — we have 
 not time to select suitable persons — and our feeble powers must 
 be directed to save from sinking the missions already in existence 
 and the missionaries already on the ground. 
 
 So nmch writing as I have been obliged to do, has produced a 
 weakness in my breast, which threatens at least to suspend my 
 labors. 
 
 * Missionary at Brainerd. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 141 
 
 The whole care of the Missionary Herald, with my increasing 
 correspondence, and a thousand little concerns of all the missions, is 
 more than I can well bear. I rejoice to labor in this cause, and to 
 wear out in it. The Lord enable me so to apportion my attempts 
 to serve him, that I may be an instrument of accomplishing some- 
 thing for his glory. 
 
 TO MESSRS. PARSONS AND FISK. 
 
 Boston, March 30, 1S21. 
 
 You will not forget, dear brethren, that we have but one life in 
 which to do good ; that every opportunity is precious ; that the 
 eyes of the world are upon you ; that soon we must all appear 
 at the judgment seat of Christ. 
 
 The greater part of our missions have been sifted as wheat. 
 Let all who are engaged in the great work of sending the Gospel 
 abroad, look well to their motives and their measures. Oh may the 
 Lord interfere for a fallen, ruined world, and fill the earth with his 
 glory. 
 
 TO DR. WORCESTER. 
 
 Boston, April 2d, 1S121. 
 
 My two letters to Mr. Hoyt will show that our Indian missions 
 must not draw on me as they have done. Rather tlian do this, 
 they must, 
 
 L Dismiss all their hired help, without exception. 
 
 2. Dismiss their schools. 
 
 It is to be understood that, before either of these measures are 
 resorted to, they must suspend all their new establishments. 
 
 If these missions can keep along without drawing on me till next 
 fall, and without running in debt, 1 have hope that our treasury 
 may then begin to supply them again. 
 
 After the shipments of money to the East which are now pre 
 paring, and which are still quite inadequate, our expenditures since 
 the last annual meeting will have exceeded our receipts by more than 
 ten thousand dollars ; that is, full half the permanent fund is ex- 
 hausted ; and we shall soon be totally unable to meet drafts, if 
 they come in so rapidly, and our receipts are not increased. 
 
 You will see by the April Herald, that the receipts for the 
 
142 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 month preceding March 21st, were ^'5,487 65. Let us give 
 thanks. It will require similar receipts till next January, to enable 
 us to meet our engagements. For the last ten days the prospects 
 are not so promising ; but I have observed some striking tokens 
 that the Lord will carry on his own work. 
 
 TO REV. CALVIN CHAPIN, D. D. 
 
 Boston, April 17, 1S21. 
 
 For the qualifications of assistant missionaries, I refer you to a 
 note in Panoplist, vol. xv, page 377, August, 1819. That note 
 was written with more deliberation than I can now apply to the 
 subject ; and what reminds me of it at present is, that it has been 
 recently copied into the London Missionary Register with appro- 
 bation. I add the following hints, which you can suggest to ap- 
 plicants according to your wisdom, and in your own manner. 
 
 1st. All missionaries or assistants, sent with the advice and 
 patronage of our Board, must be entirely under our direction ; and 
 this must be so thoroughly understood, that they can never plead 
 ignorance, or feel themselves at liberty to disown the obligation. 
 
 2d. It is a solemn and awful truth, that there never has been a 
 single mission, consisting of any considerable number of individuals, 
 in which some of the members have not altogether deceived them- 
 selves, and disappointed the hopes of their friends. I mean, I have 
 never heard of such a mission, if the history was minutely known. 
 If there is any exception, it is among the Moravians. Let these 
 facts be pondered by every man who thinks of offering himself, or 
 of recommending another. 
 
 3d. No man can tell how great a change it makes when the 
 pressure of civil society, and especially of Christian society, is 
 taken off. 
 
 4th. It is absolutely impossible for an applicant to know 
 the real trials of a missionary life. What then shall be done to 
 ascertain whether he can bear those trials ? He must have been 
 put to some trials here. His character must, as far as possible, be 
 a tried character. 
 
 5th. After piety, missionary qualifications stand in the following 
 order : good temper, commonly called good nature, — a habit of 
 disinterestedness, or attention to the wants of others — cheerfulness 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. I43 
 
 — perseverance — energy. They are all necessary to a well qualified 
 missionary ; the two first are indispensable to the comfort of mis- 
 sion families. No man knows the importance of good temper, 
 (I have it from experienced judges,) who has not been a long 
 voyage, nor seen a large number of persons huddled together with 
 slender conveniences. 
 
 Be assured, dear sir, amid the multifarious cares of superintend- 
 ing missionary concerns, the most oppressing is the apprehension 
 of defection or incompetency in the persons sent out, after every 
 possible scrutiny. We are a frail and feeble race, — earthen ves- 
 sels, many of which get dashed to pieces in handling. Yet it 
 has pleased God that such vessels should be employed to commu- 
 nicate his Gospel. Let us humble ourselves before God, while we 
 praise him for what he has done. 
 
 The following extract of a letter received by Mr. Evarts from 
 Dr. Worcester about this time, is copied as a beautiful expression 
 of the devotedness of both to the service of missions, and of their 
 mutual confidence in each other. After speaking of the opportu- 
 nity afforded by his voyage for self-examination and a review of 
 his life, especially in respect to its more public employments, the 
 writer says ; 
 
 " One thing is consummated and settled in my mind, and that is, 
 a full and delightful conviction, that the cause of missions has 
 never held too high a place in my estimation, nor engaged too large 
 a share of my attention. This is saying nothing, and less than 
 nothing. It transcends — immeasurably transcends — the highest 
 estimation of every created mind. And what is the sacrifice of 
 health — what the sacrifice of life — to such a cause ? Be the event 
 what it may — recovered health, or early death — I never can regret 
 what I have done in this work ; — but only that I have done so 
 little, and with a heart so torpid. 
 
 " Though it may seem good to our Master and Lord to lay me 
 aside, you, my dearest friend, will, I devoutly hope and pray, be 
 continued in the work for many years. I know well that you too 
 have found it arduous ; and that you have long been, and still are, 
 urgently pressed by earthly considerations, to relinquish the situa- 
 tion, which, so much to the satisfaction of the friends of missions, 
 
144 I^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 you have for nine years held. It will not grieve you in the world 
 to come, if it shall appear that you have given up earthly objects 
 of great seeming magnitude and interest, that many might be 
 brought from the confines of eternal darkness to the abodes of im- 
 mortal light. The world has votaries enough — enough who are 
 deluded by its shows and its promises ; and who, to the neglect 
 of their own eternal interests and those of their fellow beings, give 
 themselves wholly to its fascinations and pursuits. Let the few 
 whose minds and hearts have been raised to higher views and 
 aspirations, exhibit full and unquestionable proof of their heavenly 
 birth, their immeasurable superiority to the world, and their 
 unreserved and unregretted devotedness to Him who haih called 
 them unto his kingdom and glory. If, for the unsubstantial, and 
 momentary objects of earthly pursuit, the children of this world 
 eagerly traverse land and sea, encounter dangers of every form, and 
 put health and life and whatever is dear to them at stake ; what 
 labors, or sacrifices, or sufferings, should not the children of light 
 ever hold themselves ready to yield, when the imperishable in- 
 terests of the kingdom of light are to be promoted ? The world 
 yet lieth in wickedness — in darkness and corruption. The Gospel 
 is the only remedy — the means prescribed by sovereign wisdom 
 for Its recovery. To communicate the Gospel to all the families of 
 the earth, is a work to be done by those who have felt its power, 
 and know its value. They have no time to lose — no advantages 
 to be neglected — no talents to be held unoccupied." 
 
 TO DR. WORCESTER, 
 
 Boston, May 5, 18121. 
 
 Your letter to Mr. Cornelius from " Doak's, Choctaw Wilder- 
 ness," came to hand yesterday and he kindly sent me a copy last 
 evening. 
 
 We were greatly surprised and distressed not to hear from you 
 in relation to your health at Natchez. Your letter to me, dated 
 March 23d, at that place, came to hand April 20th. Not hearing 
 any thing more, I began to fear that you were detained at 
 Natchez by severe sickness, and that you preferred not to write, 
 nor to permit any one else to write, till a crisis should have ar- 
 rived. Your letter of April 6th to Mr. Cornelius, gives us reason 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. ' 145 
 
 to hope you will get through the wilderness better than we had 
 feared. But our time and strength and opportunities of useful- 
 ness, are all in the Lord's hands, — a truth which you doubtless feel 
 and rejoice in, and from which you derive constant motives to labor 
 when strength is afforded, and to submission when strength is 
 taken away. 
 
 In regard to our various concerns, I have nothing material to 
 say, more than you will have found in my letters to Brainerd, 
 Eliot, and Talony, and in the Missionary Herald, — the May 
 number of which was put into the mail two days ago. We all 
 feel a deep interest in your restoration to health and to prolonged 
 and increased activity in the best of causes. May the Lord direct 
 to the wisest and best means for that end ; and may the friends of 
 missions derive a profitable lesson from the partial suspension of 
 labors which they esteem so valuable. We think of making an 
 effort in this town in behalf of the Board, within a few weeks. 
 May the Lord prosper it. 
 
 Accept my affectionate salutation. If the Lord should call you 
 to suffer continued weakness and weariness, may you be sustained 
 by the same grace which was sufficient for the great Apostle of 
 the Gentiles, in his various trials and wanderings for the cause of 
 Christ." 
 
 In letters to other correspondents, Mr. Evarts expressed more 
 lively apprehensions respecting the result of his friend's sickness. 
 
 " We are distressed (he says, June 6th,) with apprehensions for 
 the health and life of Dr. Worcester. Our last date from him was 
 May 6th, in the heart of the Choctaw nation, at May hew. He had 
 been very low, but was somewhat better. The Lord of missions 
 reigneth, and will accomplish his holy and glorious purposes ; but 
 we cannot see what we shall do, if this pillar of the missionary 
 cause in our country should be removed." 
 
 And again, June 21 : 
 
 " The threatening sickness of Dr. Worcester has filled the hearts 
 of many with anxiety. Should he be entirely removed from his 
 earthly labors, we see not how his place could be supplied. The 
 19 
 
146 I^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 suspension of them is deeply felt. But I would not indulge a 
 murmur. The Lord of missions knows who are to be his agents, 
 and he will bring them forward in due time." 
 
 The affliction that he feared, was at hand. At the date of the 
 last extract, his fellow laborer and friend, with whom he had been 
 so intimately connected in the cause dearest to the hearts of both 
 from the beginning, and which owed its form and its success so 
 much to their mutual counsels and cares, had already fallen asleep 
 in Jesus. He had reached Brainerd, where he died amid the tears 
 and prayers of his missionary friends, and where his body was 
 consigned to the grave, — adding a new and peculiar interest, in 
 the eye of the Christian traveller, in after years, to a lovely spot 
 that was already the centre of many hallowed associations.* 
 
 TO REV. ARD HOYT. 
 
 Boston, July 9, 1S21. 
 
 " Your letter accompanying the journals of the mission, and 
 giving an account of the departure of our beloved friend and my 
 highly revered associate, came to hand on Saturday. We learned 
 this distressing event by a letter from Mr. Hall, dated June lOih, 
 and received 29th, the same day that your letter of June 5th 
 reached Mrs. Worcester. She was therefore informed of the im- 
 minent danger of her dear husband in the morning, and of his death 
 in the evening of the same day. 
 
 We had many gloomy anticipations respecting the issue of his 
 sickness ; but as Providence had wonderfully brought him on his 
 way, we were not without hopes of his reaching home in safety, 
 and being able to promote the missionary cause by his counsels, 
 if not by his active labors. The Christian community feel the 
 loss very deeply and very extensively ; our Board will mourn with 
 peculiar feeling over the grave of an agent so invaluable, and an 
 associate so beloved ; and as to myself, where can I find, on this 
 side the grave, such a counsellor and such a friend ? How this 
 breach is to be repaired we know not ; but we do know that the 
 
 * In 1S44, the mission having been long before removed, the remains of Dr. "Wor- 
 cester were disinterred and carried to Salem, the scene of his principal labors on earth, 
 where they now rest in the Harmony Grove cemetery. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. I47 
 
 Lord of missions is able to raise up such agents as he will ac- 
 knowledge and bless. Pray much and earnestly on this subject. 
 Pray that God would glorify his name by making it known for the 
 salvation of many heathen. 
 
 The funeral solemnities on account of the death of this great 
 and good man will be attended at Salem on the 12th. The Rev. 
 Dr. Woods is to preach. 
 
 I want to write to you at great length on this subject, but I 
 cannot possibly do it now. Would time permit, I should pro- 
 pose many questions. I hope you will preserve every thing 
 which the departed saint said in his last days. Your journal is 
 faithful, no doubt, and very interesting. It prompts to many 
 questions, as we should gladly catch every whisper from such a 
 man, on such an embassy, and just on the verge of heaven." 
 
 But in this season of trial and affliction, Mr. Evarts was not 
 without peculiar and great consolations. At the close of March, 
 and again in June, he received letters from the Sandwich Islands, 
 giving an account of the arrival and favorable reception of the 
 missionaries there, and of the wonderful providences by which the 
 way of the Lord had been prepared. In the singular events that 
 had led to the establishment of this mission, he had from the first 
 taken the liveliest interest ; and the preparation and fitting out of 
 the first company of missionaries had cost him months of care and 
 labor. 
 
 TO MISSIONARIES AT THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. 
 
 Boston, July 9, 1821. 
 
 "This will probably be the first communication from our Board, 
 which will come to your hand, having been written after your ar- 
 rival and reception were known in this country. On opening your 
 various packages, you will perceive a deficiency — more to be de- 
 plored by you all, than any other which you could anticipate. 
 The hand of our beloved and revered Dr. Worcester writes no 
 more with pen and ink in this vale of tears. It lies cold and 
 powerless in the mission burying ground at Brainerd. His mind 
 is no more employed in devising and directing missionary enter- 
 prises on earth ; but we trust it is employed in noble services and 
 
148 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 with ineffable delight in the presence of that Saviour whose de- 
 voted servant he was. 
 
 We received the news of this afflicting event only ten days 
 ago. Of the illness and journey of our departed friend, you will 
 receive intelligence in the Missionary Herald, which brings down 
 the history of his journey to May SStli, on which day he arrived at 
 Brainerd. He lingered in extreme debility till the morning of 
 June 7th, when he was released from the pains and cares of mor- 
 tality, and as he fondly anticipated, we trust on the best grounds, 
 was received to the arms of the Redeemer. 
 
 Your letters and journals by the Levant reached my hand on 
 the 21st of March, a day which I shall long remember with pecu- 
 liar sensations. With what avidity your communications were 
 read, you will easily discern from the many publications which you 
 will receive by this and other opportunities. 
 
 And?:here let me observe, that what you see in the Missionary 
 Herald relative to your mission, appearing as editorial matter, you 
 may consider as written with more deliberation than I can write 
 in a letter, and as designed, so far as it is applicable, to express 
 my mind and the mind of the Prudential Committee. And this 
 will doubtless be the case, so long as the Herald shall be published 
 by the Board, and conducted by its officers. This consideration 
 will, at times, remove the appearance of neglect on certain topics 
 which are sufficiently discussed there. 
 
 For the various kind interpositions of Providence in your be- 
 half — for the establishment of the mission, the favorable regards 
 of the natives — the commencement of schools, the general health 
 and harmony of the mission families, and the respect and confi- 
 dence and generous aid of foreigners, we bless the God and Fa- 
 ther of our Lord and Savior. To Him be the praise and the 
 glory. Amen. 
 
 We are aware, dear brethren, of the many trials, temptations, and 
 dangers that beset your path. We know that you need the divine 
 direction at every step of your progress. Many prayers are con- 
 tinually offered in your behalf; and we hope that the same divine 
 goodness which has befriended you, in so signal a manner, will 
 continue to guard you and make you greatly honored instruments 
 in the promotion of the cause of Christ among the heathen. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. I49 
 
 This letter was written in haste, after nine at night, after the 
 close of a laborious day. I must close it, assuring you that it 
 bears my cordial regards for the welfare of you all, and my par- 
 ticular and affectionate salutations to you individually." 
 
 The circumstances of Dr. Worcester's death are more particu- 
 larly stated in a brief memoir, prepared by Mr. Evarts for the 
 Missionary Herald. Noticing his departure from Mayhew, he says — 
 
 " The next morning he set out for Brainerd ; and was accompa- 
 nied by Mr. Kingsbury to Columbus, a distance of eighteen miles, 
 where he arrived with little fatigue. Doct. Pride, who met him at 
 New Orleans, had been with him three months, and was about to 
 attend him to the north, was taken ill of a fever a hundred miles 
 from Columbus. After waiting three days, it was found that Doct. 
 Pride could not proceed, and he subsequently returned to Mayhew. 
 This must have been a severe disappointment to both. A stran- 
 ger was hired ; and the weary languishing traveller proceeded on 
 his way to Brainerd, where he arrived sooner than could have 
 been expected, considering his weakness, and the difficulties of 
 the journey. 
 
 "On the 25th of May he was carried in the arms of the raission- 
 ries, from his vehicle to the mission-house. Soon after his arrival, 
 it was observed to him, (we quote from the Missionary Journal,) 
 that " he had got almost through the wilderness." He replied, 
 " This may be true in more respects than one. God is gracious. He 
 has sustained me, as it were by miracle, thus far, and granted me 
 one great desire of my soul, in bringing me to Brainerd ; and if it 
 be agreeable to his holy purposes, that I should leave my poor re- 
 mains here, his will be done." He said further, " I had rather 
 leave my poor remains here, than at any other place." 
 
 " On the following Sabbath, " the members of the church, and 
 some of the congregation were introduced to him, at his request ; 
 and being raised in his bed, he addressed them in few w^ords. His 
 address, though short, was peculiarly feeling and interesting." He 
 afterwards requested that the children might come in. " He took 
 each by the hand as they passed the bed. Having all passed round 
 in procession, they stood and sang a hymn. He was affected to 
 tears most of the time. After the hymn, he addressed them in a 
 most affectionate manner, which, in turn, melted them to tears." 
 
 " His complaints became more alarming almost daily ; and, on 
 the second of June, he desired that a letter might be written to 
 his wife, of which he dictated a part, giving a brief notice of his 
 journey from Mayhew to Brainerd ; requesting Mr. Hoyt to w^rite 
 as he thought proper, with respect to the probable issue of the 
 sickness. 
 
 On the 5th the journal says : " Our dear friend is fast going to 
 the eternal world. In the morning we gave up all hopes of his re- 
 
150 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 covery. For short intervals, during the day, he has been in a 
 state of mental derangement ; but, even in this state, his mind 
 was employed on the great subject of building churches, and ex- 
 tending the dear Hedeemer's kingdom. 
 
 " ' G. During the day he has been insensible to pain ; and, to 
 appearance, spent much of his time in prayer. He said, if he 
 were to choose, he had rather go and be with Jesns, than dwell in 
 the flesh. He did not regret engaging in the missionary cause ; 
 but rejoiced that he had been enabled to do something toward 
 this great object." 
 
 " 'After an affectionate lamentation, the journal of the 7th records 
 the afflicting event, which had been anticipated. " This morning, 
 about 7 o'clock, he cast his eyes towards heaven, and smiling, re- 
 signed his spirit to God. Without the least apparent pain or 
 struggle, he fell asleep in the arms of Jesus." 
 
 " Two days afterwards the last offices of kindness were per- 
 formed ; a procession followed the corpse to the grave ; and Mr. 
 Hoyt preached a funeral sermon from Psalm cxii, 6. The right- 
 cous shall he in everlasfAng remembrance. 
 
 " Thus departed from this life a distinguished servant of the 
 Lord Jesus, who had lived for many years with his eye intent on 
 heaven, and who brought down blessings upon his fellow men by 
 his disinterested services and his fervent prayers : highly honored 
 in the circumstances of his death ; — on missionary ground, bearing 
 his last testimony to the glory of the missionary cause ; surrounded 
 by his brethren engaged in this divine employment, and by a 
 church gathered from pagans of the wilderness under his own su- 
 perintendence ; the hynms of converted Cherokees vibrating in 
 his ear, as a prelude to the song of Moses and the Lamb.- 
 
 " Who that contemplates the preceding character, and especially, 
 who that was intimately acquainted with the original, does not see 
 the exalting and purifying tendency of the cause of missions ? 
 What other cause is so grand in its extent, so beneficent in its de- 
 sign, so sure in its issue, so glorious in its triumphs ? Compared 
 with the mighty interests of the kingdom of Christ, the concerns 
 of earthly monarchies are small and trifling. It is indeed wonder- 
 ful that feeble men, with their sins and imperfections, should be 
 employed in a work which might well occupy the powers of ser- 
 aphs and archangels. Since, however, it has pleased God to make 
 some of our race the instruments of his mercy to others, we might 
 well conclude that a faithful discharge of such an office would 
 conduce to the highest elevation of the human character. So in- 
 deed we find it. The names of Brainerd, Swartz, Buchanan, Mar- 
 tyn, stand as memorials of illustrious virtue. With these, and such 
 as these, the name of Worcestek, will be inscribed, as an exam- 
 ple to future generations." 
 
 These impressive paragraphs breathe no mere evanescent feel- 
 in o^. The character of his departed friend was a treasure to Mr. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 151 
 
 Evarts ; and on a subsequent occasion, he paid to it the following 
 tribute, as just as it is beautiful and touching : 
 
 " Amid numerous indications of the divine favor toward the 
 cause in which the members of this Board are embarked, one 
 event has transpired, which comes home to each of our hearts 
 with all the poignancy of a personal affliction while it rests upon 
 us, and upon the friends of missions generally, with all the weight 
 of a public calamity. Our beloved and revered Corresponding 
 Secretary has finished his earthly course, — a course of pre-eminent 
 usefulness, dignity, and Christian virtue, terminating at the seat of 
 a highly favored mission, and in a manner most consoling to sur- 
 vivors, and honorable to the work which had so long employed his 
 best affections, and received the benefit of his eflicient services. 
 
 " It seems not less the dictate of justice and propriety, than of 
 feehng, to advert, on this occasion, to the many excellent qualities 
 by which our departed friend and associate was distinguished. 
 The strictly religious integrity of his character, his disinterested- 
 ness in promoting the welfare of the church, his great prudence 
 and sagacity in the management of important concerns, his habit- 
 ual piety in acknowledging God as the only foundation of hope 
 and the only author of success in attempts to meliorate the con- 
 dition of man, — his enlarged benevolence, the genuine eflect of 
 Christian principle operating on a powerful understanding, — his 
 strong and inviolable attachment to the missionary cause, — and his 
 assiduous and laborious attention to the duties of his office, will 
 not be forgotten by any who were intimately acquainted with 
 him ; and, least of all, by those who were so happy as to be asso- 
 ciated with him in exertions for the promotion of the Redeemer's 
 kingdom. Of his superior intelligence and his great practical wis- 
 dom, the world has abundant proofs in various writings, composed 
 by him as a functionary of this Board, and published by its author- 
 ity. His impressive exhibition of motives to activity in the divine 
 work of sending the gospel to the heathen; his animating appeals 
 to the hberality, and to the kind and generous feelings of the 
 Christian public ; his convincing representations of the ability of 
 the American churches to take a vigorous and active part in the 
 noblest of all charities ; his earnest exhortations to the perform- 
 ance of acknowledged duties ; and his easy and gentle, but com- 
 plete refutation of common objections, place him among the ablest 
 and most successful advocates of missions. No man of discern- 
 ment, who admits the gospel to be a remedial system, intended 
 for the salvation of mankind, can read the reports and addresses 
 which proceeded from his pen, without a full conviction that the 
 claims of the heathen world upon Christendom are irresistible. 
 
 " Your Committee cannot refrain from expressing their deep 
 sense of the great and peculiar loss which they have experienced 
 by this painful bereavement. They had long enjoyed the most 
 unreserved intimacy with the deceased. In numerous consulta- 
 tions, of a very solemn and sacred character, they had witnessed 
 
152 ^IFE ^F EVARTS. 
 
 his uncommon industry, his superior judgment, and his fidehty in 
 the service of his Divijie Master. Uniformly kind, obliging, and 
 respectful to his brethren of the Committee, he secured their cor- 
 dial attachment; and, in the lapse of years, the affectionate inter- 
 change of thoughts and feelings ripened into the tenderest personal 
 friendship. An intercourse thus formed and thus cemented, could 
 not be suddenly broken off without tearing asunder some of the 
 strongest ligaments which bind the hearts of men together. The 
 Committee doubt not they shall receive the condolence of their 
 brethren on this severe affliction. Indeed, many assurances of 
 heartfelt sympathy have already been communicated from res- 
 pected friends of missions in different and remote parts of our 
 country, who were not acquainted with the man whose memory 
 they revere, except by his public character and his benevolent 
 labors. The Committee, in their turn, and in unison with the feel- 
 ings of the Christian public generally, condole with the afflicted 
 family, from which its earthly support, and counsellor, and guide, 
 has been suddenly removed. 
 
 " But the ftimily and all other survivors have great and heavenly 
 consolations, while they contemplate the bright example and the 
 favored exit of our departed friend and brother. He is not dead, 
 but translated to a new and glorious life. As his earthly taberna- 
 cle was about to be dissolved, his love for the cause of Christ be- 
 came more intense, his piety more elevated, his trust in God un- 
 shaken. He neither lived to Jbimsclf, nor died to himself. His life 
 was a series of beneficent actions, begun from principle, pursued 
 with ardor, and completed with holy triumph. His removal was 
 in strict accordance with his progressive advancement in holiness, 
 — a seemly continuation of the same uniform history ; — the links 
 which connect the heavenly state with this vale of tears, shining 
 with peculiar lustre. Though our dull organs of sense will never 
 again hear his voice or see his revered form, yet he speaks to us 
 from heaven in language which cannot be misunderstood. He 
 urges us to self-denial, to activity, to diligence, to resolution, ta 
 perseverance, in our exertions to make known the name of our 
 Saviour among the heathen nations. He admonishes us that few 
 will be the years in which we can enjoy the honor and the privi- 
 lege of serving our Lord, by our humble agency in causing his 
 gospel to be proclaimed ; that the necessities of a world groaning 
 under the dommion of sin are imperious, and must not be deferred ; 
 and that the command of our ascended Redeemer cannot be treated 
 with indifference, especially in this day of increased means, of 
 powerful encouragements, of divine attestations to the efficacy of 
 the gospel among the most depraved and barbarous of our race. 
 He assures us that if, distrusting ourselves and relying upon the 
 all-sufficiency of God, we faithfully discharge our known duty, 
 we cannot fail of an eventual triumph and an eternal reward. 
 
 " Let us then, brethren, listen to this monitory voice. Let us 
 gird ourselves for the unwearied labor. Let us follow the banners of 
 the great Captain of Salvation ; and, however feeble in ourselves, 
 let us expect ultimately to prevail through divine power, and to 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. I53 
 
 share, with all the marshalled hosts of the Lord, in that great 
 victory over sin and Satan, which shall be celebrated in the 
 regions of light by songs of everlasting joy and praise." 
 
 These paragraphs are from the Annual Report of the Board, 
 presented in September, 1821, — the first of the series prepared by 
 Mr. Evarts. In the conclusion of that document, a favorable 
 change in the state of the Treasury is acknowledged with lively 
 satisfaction ; * and the feelings of Mr. Evarts in relation to the 
 general subject of missions, when on the eve of succeeding to the 
 office of his departed friend, are expressed as follows : 
 
 " The Christian church is urgently invited to enter vigorously 
 upon the work of missions by the fact, hitherto unparalleled, that 
 many pagan countries are now soliciting missionaries, and anxious- 
 ly desiring their arrival. Not only are the inhabitants of these 
 countries in pei'ishing want of evangelical instruction, but they are 
 in some degree sensible of their ignorance and their wretchedness. 
 They stretch out their imploring hands to those who are blessed 
 with the true religion, and ask that this greatest of blessings may 
 be imparted to them. Thus, while the fields already occupied im- 
 periously demand more laborers, other fields, of still greater extent, 
 spread themselves before the eye, and are ripe for the sickle. How 
 painful is it, that the gathering of this spiritual harvest should be 
 delayed. No disciple of Christ should consent to a delay in this 
 momentous concern of a world's recovery ; unless, after a diligent 
 examination of the subject, it shall appear that a delay is unavoid- 
 able. 
 
 " In conducting such an examination, it is important to bear in 
 mind that, so far as our own country is concerned, there are young 
 men and women, in sufficient numbers, and of the requisite quali- 
 fications, to fill every department of missionary labor. By suffi- 
 cient numbers, the Committee intend such an accession to those 
 who are already employed, as would strengthen every mission, 
 and make new establishments with every returning year. If this 
 regular increase were made, and the work were to proceed abroad 
 in geometrical progression, we need not be apprehensive lest the 
 churches should languish at home. The thought is not to be en- 
 tertained for a moment, that obedience to the great injunction of 
 our Saviour, which was given immediately before his ascension, 
 would diminish our spiritual privileges, or bring upon our Christian 
 
 * An appeal to the patrons of the Board, oa the state of the Treasury, was prepared 
 by Mr. Evarts, and pubUshed in the Missionary Herald of February. In April he wrote 
 to one of the missionaries, that that appeal had produced " an effect allogether favor- 
 able, and more immediate and perceptil)le, than any other publication ever made by 
 the Board." The appeal was little more than a brief statement of the condition of the 
 Treasury, and of the actual and probable consequences to the missions of continued 
 embarrassment. 
 
 20 
 
J 54 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 community his displeasure. In regard to the past, the matter of 
 fact is apparent. Never before were half so many young men in 
 a course of education for the ministry' among ourselves, as at the 
 present time ; and it may be safely asserted, that hundreds of these 
 young men were first led to think of becoming preachers of the 
 gospel by the interest which they felt in missions to the heathen, 
 and by the eflect of these missions in exposing the wants and 
 miseries of the greater part of the world, dead in sin, without God 
 and without hope. Facts of a similar character have recently ex- 
 isted in Great Britain, and on the continent of Europe. The at- 
 tempt to send salvation to remote pagans has proved as life from 
 the dead to many slnmbering churches ; and from the very nature 
 of Christianity, the same results must be expected, till there shall 
 be no ignorance abroad to be enlightened, and no lukewarmness 
 at home from which professed Christians are to be aroused. Let 
 it ever remain, then, fixed and settled in the mind, that there are 
 in our country young men enough to carry forward the work of 
 missions to an indefinite extent ; young men of undoubted piety, 
 qualified to rank high in their several callings, as evangelists, pas- 
 tors, founders of rising churches, translators of the Bible, directors 
 of the press, physicians, magistrates of colonies in their incipient 
 state, teachers of children and youth, husbandmen, mechanics of 
 every useful occupation, and seamen of every class, from the ex- 
 perienced navigator, who can guide his gallant ship in unknown 
 seas, to the hardy sailor, who is willing to buffet the waves of 
 every ocean, and run the hazard of every climate. Persons of all 
 these descriptions stand ready, and w^ait only for the word from 
 our churches, to go forth into all lands, and proclaim the unsearch- 
 able riches of Christ to the ends of the world. 
 
 "If the inquiry be made, whether the people of Ihe United States 
 are able to send forth such a number of missionaries as the heath- 
 en nations seem to demand from us, the answer must be in the 
 affirmative. We profess, as a people, to receive Christianity ; and 
 it is not common to hear infidelity openly avowed. A great multi- 
 tude, scattered throughout our extensive empire, profess to have 
 evidence of a personal interest m the promises of the gospel ; and 
 this multitude embraces many individuals of great wealth, a more 
 numerous class who possess competent fortunes, and a class still 
 more numerous, composed of persons who, in consequence of 
 their activity and industry, are capable of imparting a continual 
 and powerful impulse to any beneficent exertions in which they 
 should be generally and heartily engaged. Could not such a 
 Christian community achieve wonders in the work of benevolence, 
 compared with which all that the world has yet witnessed would 
 appear small and unworthy of the cause? There are many ways 
 of estimating our ability as a people, in all of which no man can 
 avoid coming to the same result, namely, that the process of en- 
 lightening mankind by the gospel could be carried on by us to an 
 extent which should leave all present exertions out of comparison 
 and out of remembrance. When it is considered how much a na- 
 tion will cheerfully pay, through a long series of years, to support 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. I55 
 
 a war, and to discharge a debt imposed by war ; when the millions 
 annually wasted in the consumption of spirituous liquors are com- 
 puted; and when the numerous other millions, expended in the 
 thousand modifications of extravagance, are taken into the esti- 
 mate, to what an astonishing sum would the whole amount ! And 
 how would it change the moral face of the world, if brought by 
 the willing hands, and accompanied by the fervent prayers, and 
 applied by the collected wisdom of such a community ! If we 
 take as a rule what is known to be paid for this great object by a 
 few individuals of enlarged benevolence, and su]ipose the same 
 disposition were graciously imparted to the mass of professed 
 Christians, we arrive at a similar conclusion. What an awful 
 picture does it give of mankmd to reflect that, even in Christian 
 countries, it should be thought impossible to spend as much for 
 the salvation of our fellow-creatures, as is freely spent to effectuate 
 their destruction ! How strange that it should be deemed chimer- 
 ical even to desire that one tenth part as much should be appro- 
 priated to send the Bible and preachers of righteousness among 
 the ignorant and destitute, as is actually spent to bring intemper- 
 ance, misery, and pauperism among ourselves I 
 
 " One of the first effects of the prevalence of Christianity among 
 a people who had hitherto been pagans is, that they make great 
 sacrifices to send the gospel to other pagans. Having lately es- 
 caped from the bondage of Satan, they feel the greatness of their 
 deliverance, and gladly aid in breaking off the manacles by which 
 any of their fellow-men are held. If the highly favored Christians 
 of this country were to make sacrifices in proportion 10 their num- 
 bers and property, as the newly converted South Sea Islanders 
 have done — or the Esquimaux on the Labrador coast — or the Hot- 
 tentots of South Africa — or the negroes at Sierra Leone, — a rev- 
 enue would be furnished corresponding with the magnitude of the 
 cause, and the claims which it has on the best affections of the 
 heart. But is the enlightened Christian of Europe or America 
 under less obligation to spread the gospel than the converted Es- 
 quimaux or Otaheitan? And why should he wish to be excused 
 from a service which is their glory and their joy ? a service more 
 dignified in its nature, more beneficent in its aspect on mankind, 
 and more acceptable to God, than any other service performed by 
 men since the creation of the world. 
 
 " If it should be suggested that so vast an increase of funds as 
 is here supposed, would render the concerns of the Bible and mis- 
 sionary societies unwieldly and unmanageable, on account of their 
 magnitude, let it be considered that, in the conduct of worldly 
 afl^airs, whenever the hearts of millions are set upon the accom- 
 plishment of any object, the work does not stop for want of agents. 
 The immense revenues which are collected for war do not fail of 
 application from this cause. The opulent merchant can find fac- 
 tors to manage his hundreds of thousands annually, at the extrem- 
 ity of the globe. And shall it be said that a vast Christian com- 
 munity, embracing in its limits so many gentlemen of tried charac- 
 ter, of liberal education, of professional eminence, of practical 
 
156 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 knowledge, of unquestioned piety, cannot bring into concentrated 
 operation, wisdom, and experience, and Christian integrity suffi- 
 cient to make a faithful and judicious application of the resources 
 placed at their disposal? We would not for a moment forget that 
 no missionary work can prosper, whatever may be the talents and 
 attainments of its conductors, unless it enjoy the favor of God. 
 But is it not as easy for God to provide faithful and competent 
 agents at home, as to send faithful missionaries abroad? 
 
 " And here the Committee would earnestly solicit the prayers of 
 the members of this Board, and of all who contribute to its funds 
 or desire its success, and of all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in 
 sincerity, that the persons who shall be designated at this meet- 
 ing, or at any future time, to manage its growing concerns, may be 
 qualified for this responsible station by eminent piety, zeal, indus- 
 try, activity and disinterestedness. Nor do we deem it out of 
 place to suggest, as a subject of continual prayer among all friends 
 to the promulgation of the gospel, that the Lord of the harvest 
 would select such laborers as He will approve, and especially that 
 the higher and more responsible stations, in all our charitable so- 
 cieties of a religious nature, may be held by men of God, desig- 
 nated with the full and hearty approbation of their brethren; men 
 who seek not the offices, directly nor indirectly, but are sought 
 for the offices ; men whom the Saviour will honor, by making 
 them the successful instruments of his mercy, and who shall se- 
 cure, not for their own gratification or distinction, but for the suc- 
 cess of the great cause in which they are embarked, the unhesi- 
 tating, uninterrupted confidence of the churches and of the world 
 around them. Whether the Committee who make the present 
 Report shall have any further agency in this divine work, and 
 what that agency shall be, is submitted to the disposal of Provi- 
 dence. The work itself must proceed, however, with accelerated 
 steps, long after their feeble labors on earth shall have ceased. If 
 any good shall have been effected by their instrumentality, to God 
 would they unfeignedly ascribe all the praise ; and most sincerely 
 would they pray that all who succeed them in this office may 
 greatly surpass them in every requisite qualification, and receive 
 continual tokens of the divine presence and blessing. 
 
 " It is to be always remembered that the standard of Christian 
 exertion is not to be taken from what the church has ever done, 
 except in the apostolic age, nor from what is now doing in any 
 part of Christendom ; but from what the church is able to do, what 
 the plainest dictates of benevolence require, and what the express 
 command of Christ enjoins. In reference to this subject, as well 
 as many others, we are not to cotint ourselves to have attained, but 
 ^xe hownA. x^ihex to press fonvard. Glorious will be the days, and 
 greatly are they to be desired, when all who profess to be disciples 
 of the Saviour, shall put forth their full and united powers to ex- 
 tend that spiritual kingdom, which shall at length become universal. 
 
 " The design of converting the world has for several years been 
 distinctly before the church. The indispensable duty of promoting 
 this design has been clearly proved, in many different ways, and 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 157 
 
 with irresistible force. The proof must have been brought home 
 to many consciences, and taken liold of many hearts. At such a 
 period, ignorance cannot be pleaded in extenuation of indifference. 
 No person ni a Christian country, endowed with common intelh- 
 gence, can with propriety be ignorant of what God is doing for his 
 people, and of what he has promised to do. Every person must 
 therefore be responsible for the part he takes, or neglects to take, 
 in this great business. But upon those who possess influence in 
 the church and in the community, a peculiar weight of responsi- 
 bility rests. 
 
 " Ministers of the gospel have it in their power to do more than 
 any other class of persons in aid of this cause ; the same cause 
 indeed, to which they have, in a peculiar sense, devoted their tal- 
 ents and their lives. If the clergy do not kindle into animated and 
 zealous exertions at the prospect of bringing new trophies to the 
 foot of the cross, how can it be expected that their people shall 
 become possessed of missionary ardor ? What can be more con- 
 sonant with the office of faithful preachers, than a systematic and 
 vigorous course of labors, to send forth men of like faithfulness 
 into every land ? What can more clearly show the benign ten- 
 dency of the religion which is preached, than well directed efforts 
 to make its blessings co-extensive with the human race ? What 
 can operate more powerfully to raise the tone of piety and the 
 standard of Christian charity, than the united and concentrated 
 action of those who are set for the defence of the gospel, and 
 who apply to the promulgation of the gospel all the advantages 
 which God has put into their hands. 
 
 " No truth is more forcibly exhibited in Scripture, than our strict 
 accountability for all the talents committed to us ; and for the use 
 of no talent can men be more responsible, than for the influence 
 which they may be capable of exerting, in consequence of occu- 
 pying a public station to which Divine Providence may have called 
 them for the highest and noblest purposes. How cheering the 
 thought that, while a minister in a Christian land is preparing for 
 heaven the immortal beings committed to his charge, he may be 
 exciting them to aid in conferring spiritual blessings upon other 
 immortals, the inhabitants of a distant continent or island — thus 
 putting in operation a series of beneficent causes, the effects of 
 which shall never have an end ; and thus laying a foundation for 
 eternal gratitude and praise, that they were the voluntary, though 
 feeble and unworthy instruments of contributing to so glorious a 
 consummation. How delightful the anticipation of meeting, in 
 the new Jerusalem, redeemed sinners from different and remote 
 parts of the world, proclaiming their obligations to the same benev- 
 olent agency, which was not only the means of eternal life to 
 many within the sphere of its direct operation, but was extended 
 to many others, of whom nothing was known but their need of 
 the gospel ? 
 
 " While a peculiar and most delightful agency is assigned to the 
 clergy, in the great work to which they are here called, all other 
 persons of influence in the church are also urged, by the most 
 
158 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 powerful considerations, to co-operate for the promotion of the 
 same glorious design. Let those who, by a long life of consistent 
 Christian example, have obtained the reputation of fathers and 
 mothers in Israel, take peculiar pleasure in giving their dying tes- 
 timony and their last labors to this cause. Thus will their setting 
 sun go down with a mild and heavenly radiance, and cast its vivi- 
 fying beams upon the generation that is to follow. The yoimg 
 Christian whose heart is set upon the greatest, the most desirable, 
 and the most permanent objects, has a path of true glory open be- 
 fore him. Can his ardent and vigorous mind need an exhortation ? 
 Will he not anticipate more than the occasion would permit to be 
 said ? Let him consult his Bible, his conscience, and cast his eye 
 forward to the judgment day, and he will not hnger or hesitate. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 CORRESPONDING SECRETARY. 1821—1824. 
 
 At the annual meeting of the Board in September, 1821, it of 
 course became necessary to make more definite arrangements in 
 regard to the offices of Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer. 
 For nearly a year, Mr. Evarts had discharged the duties of both. 
 His remarkable qualifications as Treasurer were so well known to 
 the Board and to the public, and he was so thoroughly acquainted 
 with everything relating to that department, that the question of 
 his removal to another sphere of duty was reluctantly entertained. 
 On the other hand, it seen)ed equally difficult to supply adequate- 
 ly, by the election of a new officer, the place left vacant by the 
 death of Dr. Worcester. It was finally concluded, as the arrange- 
 ment for a single year, that he should fill both offices ; and he was 
 elected accordingly. 
 
 Assistants were employed in both departments ; but his labors, 
 as the only man familiar with the duties of either, were necessarily 
 unremitted and severe. " We feel the loss of Dr. Worcester,"— 
 said he the next winter — " more and more. Do not cease to pray 
 that God will raise up faithful agents to carry on his glorious work 
 of salvation among the heathen, — faithful agents to manage the 
 concerns at home, as well as to preach abroad." The intelligence 
 from the Sandwich Islands encouraged the enlargement of the mis- 
 sion, and had a remarkable effect on the public mind. Offers of 
 
160 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 service as missionaries and assistants, to join that mission, multi- 
 plied beyond all precedent in our country ; and the correspondence 
 which these applications required, and the investigations necessary 
 to secure the services of the best men and guard the mission from 
 the unworthy and the unqualified, were duties equally arduous and 
 delicate. As many as eight or ten unmarried females of excellent 
 character were among the applicants. The number to be sent out 
 was large, and upon the proper selection of the company would 
 depend, so far as human agency could determine the result, the 
 success of the mission and the future character and well being of 
 a whole people. 
 
 The circulation of the Missionary Herald was another object of 
 deep interest to him at this time. " Your agency" — he writes to 
 Rev. William Goodell, in October — " will be productive of great 
 good, by producing a call for religious intelligence, and promoting 
 the circulation of the Herald. 
 
 " As to the profits of the work, experience alone will enable us 
 to form correct estimates. A most respectable committee is ap- 
 pointed to examine into the profits, and appropriate them. In re- 
 gard to our publication, I think it may safely be said, that not a 
 missionary institution in the world circulates its intelligence at so 
 little expense, and so advantageously, as our Board. We print 
 seven thousand copies, and hope next year to print more than ten 
 thousand. 
 
 " The Church Missionary Society in Great Britain, ^a society 
 conducted with distinguished ability, pays out of its Treasury for 
 printing the Missionary Register, more than ^4,800 a year ; and, 
 in the year ending in the spring of 1819, that Society paid more 
 than ,^15,000 for its various publications, and, in the annual re- 
 port, congratulated the Society on the good success of that expendi- 
 ture. Although our Board expended last year, for its missionary 
 operations, nearly half as much as the Church Missionary Society, 
 yet we paid but f| 1,558 10 for printing of every kind. 
 
 " It is probable that this very year the Church Missionary So- 
 ciety pays ^6,000 for their excellent publication distributed; 
 while our Board will distribute the Herald to great effect, and ac- 
 tually derive a profit from it." 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. Igj 
 
 Writing a few months after to a friend, he remarks : 
 
 " There is no one thing which is so uniformly pleasing to me 
 as the circulation of the Herald. We printed ten thousand copies 
 of the January number, and found that we should want more be- 
 fore the close of the year. Of the February number we printed 
 fourteen thousand, and shall probably keep up twelve thousand in 
 future months. The only reason why we do not print fourteen 
 thousand through the year is the crowded state of the mails, and 
 our fears tiiat, if we push the circulation, we shall endanger the 
 privilege of sending any by mail, as post-masters have a large dis- 
 cretionary power on this subject." 
 
 The circulation of the Herald has increased very much since 
 this lime ; but never has it been extended with the like rapidity. 
 
 The health of Mr. Evarts had been for some lime remarkably 
 good. January 18th, 1822, he says, " Since IMay, 1820, I have 
 not lost a day by ill health. I am generally able to be employed 
 without weariness to nine or ten in the evening ; and sometimes 
 later." 
 
 But these anxieties and labors were too unremitted and exhaust- 
 ing. Early in March, 1822, he was compelled to lay them aside 
 entirely, and to seek relief, for the second time, in a milder cli- 
 mate. The plan was similar to that of 1818. He took passage 
 on the 3d of March for Savannah ; and after spending a few weeks 
 there and in the vicinity, proceeded across the country to the 
 Indian missions, and thence home, by way of East Tennessee and 
 Western Virginia. Extracts from his journal and letters follow : 
 
 "March 10. Sabbath. (At sea.) Spent not only the Sabbath, 
 but the greater part of the voyage, in retired meditation and con- 
 templation. Neither my situation nor my health would permit 
 writing. My lungs would not bear much speaking. Reading to 
 profit was also out of the question. I would humbly hope, how- 
 ever, that the time did not pass altogether without improvement. 
 If I have gathered any new motives to diligence in the service of 
 my Lord, or made any advances in the divine life, to God be the 
 praise. 
 
 " 12. Mouth of the Savannah. I have made these slight entries 
 21 
 
163 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 to refresh my memory hereafter. Things of more importance 1 
 have not time and strength to enter in a suitable manner. Thanks 
 be rendered to my Preserver." 
 
 TO A MISSIONARY IN CEYLON. 
 
 Savannah. March 15, 1822. 
 
 Providence has brought me hither in consequence of a sudden 
 weakness of the lungs. Symptoms are at present favorable, and 1 
 hope to resume my labors before long. In the mean time I desire 
 to submit myself to the will of my Heavenly Father. To his 
 care and protection I commend myself and the cause of missions, 
 and all who are engaged in the good work of the Lord. I exhort 
 you to diligence, to fidelity, to holiness. You have had bright 
 dis|)lays of Christian virtue in Mrs. Poor and Mr. Warren. May 
 these be sanctified to you and to us. I am forbidden to VkTite 
 much. 
 
 (Journal.) Looking a little into books, I had a strong sense of 
 the excellence and desirableness of serving God, particularly as 
 an author. 
 
 17th. Sabbath. Rose in better health than at any time sinco 
 1 left Boston. To God be the praise. If my strength should be 
 restored, may it be devoted to his service. In the morning, and 
 after public worship, attended the Sabbath School ; — which is 
 well conducted here, and has been kept up with great regularity 
 and zeal since its first establishment six years ago. One hundred 
 and thirty children present. 
 
 Mr. C. related to me the following facts, respecting the death 
 of a young physician, who died here about a month ago. His 
 age was twenty-six. He was a young man of good talents, very 
 au)iable manners, and an honest disposition. Being attacked 
 with the consumption, he came hither for relief, but was too laie. 
 On a certain visit, the following conversation took place, which I 
 enter by way of dialogue, for the sake of brevity. 
 Dr. B. What do you think of my sickness? 
 Mr. C. Do you want my plain, honest opinion ? 
 Dr. B. Yes, 1 do. 
 
 Mr. C. You cannot recover; but may live three weeks, pei- 
 haps four. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 163 
 
 Dr. B. You are much mistaken. I shall get well. What 
 makes you think I shall not? 
 
 Mr. C. I have known so many similar cases. At any rate, 
 you may suppose 1 am right. You must die some time, or other. 
 Suppose you are to die soon : are you prepared to hear the sum 
 mons ? 
 
 Dr. B. Yes, I am ready to die. I have done my duty. I 
 have labored hard and faithfully to support a dependent mother 
 and sisters. This I consider my duty — all that God can require 
 of me. 
 
 Mr. C. then went into some explanation of the Gospel plan — 
 the necessity of faith in Christ, &c. 
 
 Dr. B. replied, that when he was at Andover Academy, at 
 about the age of eleven, he remembered that they had a good 
 deal to say about faith ; but he hated to hear of it, rarely went 
 to church afterwards, and paid no attention to religion. 
 
 Either at this visit, or a subsequent one, Mr. C. asked if he had 
 a Bible. Dr. B. replied in the negative ; but for three days he 
 had thought of sending for one. He had not mustered courage to 
 do so, however, as he supposed the people would laugh at him, 
 that a person so likely to get well should trouble his head about 
 such subjects. 
 
 Mr. C. immediately sent him a Bible ; and on calling some 
 days afterwards, found he had been reading it faithfully. He de- 
 clared with tears that he had prayed earnestly ; that he felt happy 
 in this exercise ; that he found the Bible contained the same things 
 which he had heard at Andover when a child ; that these things 
 had all been brought to his mind with great force ; that he thought 
 much better of Andover teaching than he had been accustomed 
 to do. 
 
 This was the last time Mr. C. could see him, as he grew weaker 
 daily, and all access was prohibited by the physicians. The young 
 man died soon after. 
 
 On this case, three remarks are obvious. 
 
 1. How are men deceived with respect to the issue of their 
 own sickness ! Even this physician thought he should recover, 
 when he was on the very verge of death, with a pulmonary con- 
 
164 LI^E OF EVARTS. 
 
 sumption. Let me be admonished, and stand daily ready for the 
 summons. 
 
 2. In what deplorable ignorance, as to religion, are many of the 
 young men of Boston, in the liberal professions. 
 
 3. The possibility that early lessons of piety may be brought 
 into use after the lapse of years, should induce every parent and 
 every teacher, to imbue the minds of the young with religious 
 truth as much as possible. 
 
 I may add, that this faithfulness on the part of Mr. C. should 
 stimulate me to be faithful in every similar case. On visiting 
 a sick man, and finding him accessible to religious conversation, it 
 should be remembered that every such opportunity may be the 
 last time. 
 
 21. In the afternoon walked to a prayer meeting of ladies, and 
 spoke on missionary subjects from three to five minutes, which fa- 
 tigued me much ; though my voice was kept quite in a low tone. 
 
 31. Sabbath. The sacrament of the Lord's Supper was ad- 
 ministered. Mr. Snodgrass preached. The communicants filled 
 a long table the whole length of the great aisle, and a cross 
 table before the pulpit ; besides some who sat in pews. Four 
 persons partook of the sacrament for the first time — all females. 
 
 The number of persons at public worship for three Sabbaths in 
 succession is about half as great as in Park-street Church. Not 
 many went out before the the administration of the sacrament. 
 
 It was on the 4th of April, 1802, that I first participated in this 
 ordinance. How little have I done in honor of my Divine Master 
 within twenty years 1 How much have I sinned 1 How little evi- 
 dence do I give of genuine religion ! How infinite the mercy that 
 receives me, if I am received at all ! 
 
 This morning I made a prayer in the church, and did not feel 
 any ill effects from it. This was at a prayer meeting previous to 
 public worship. 
 
 April 1. Attended the monthly concert in the evening, and 
 spoke seventeen minutes in a low and measured voice. 
 
 2. My lungs weak in consequence of speaking last evening ; 
 but I have reason to be thankful that no alarming symptoms ap- 
 pear. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 165 
 
 TO THE HON. WILLIAM REED. 
 
 Dawfuskie, near Savannah, April 4, 1822. 
 
 I have been gaining strength pretty regularly since my arrival 
 here ; and, if no unfavorable circumstance should prevent, I shall 
 probably set out for Augusta next week, and proceed thence on 
 my way to Braineid. But in regard to this plan and every other, 
 I would desire a filial acquiescence in the will of my heavenly 
 Father. If I should visit Brainerd, it seems desirable that I 
 should have strength and wisdom adequate to the performance of 
 the important duties which will there devolve upon me. For this 
 you will pray. Our concerns, as individuals, if viewed in con- 
 nexion with this world only, cannot be of much importance to 
 ourselves or others. Soon they will all be forgotten. But when 
 we act as agents of the church, with direct reference to the pro- 
 mulgation of the Gospel, our measures carry with them a great re- 
 sponsibilityj and are followed by everlasting consequences. Perhaps 
 in no point of view are the present operations of our Board so 
 important, as with reference to future operations of the same kind, 
 to be carried forward by the Christians of this country. Should 
 Providence frown upon our Board, and, from its present resources 
 and prospects, should it be brought low, the result could hardly 
 be otherwise than disastrous for a long time to come. So at least 
 it appears to us. If God be not with us, all our plans and labors 
 will be of no avail ; but if he has a work to be accomplished by 
 our poor instrumentality, he can enable us to perform it. There 
 are no views but these, which afford me any comfort in regard to 
 missionary concerns, or my agency in them. Were it not for 
 these views, I should long ago, if my own heart does not deceive 
 me, have withdrawn myself from all participation in the counsels 
 and exertions of the Board. 
 
 TO THE REV. RUFUS ANDERSON. 
 
 Savannah, April 9, 1822. 
 I am particularly pleased with the Committee's having declined 
 to appropriate the name Newell to Mr. Williams's station. I re- 
 gretted much before the receipt of your letter, that I had HOt the 
 
156 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 opportunity of expressing my views to the Committee on the sub- 
 ject of naming places after our own officers and missionaries. 
 
 That your own heahh is preserved, is cause of gratitude. 
 Though very desirous that the concerns of the Board should go on 
 well, I am not troubled by excessive solicitude. God can provide 
 agents for every part of his own work, and can furnish them with 
 the various qualifications, and sustain them under the most arduous 
 labors. That you and Mr. Chamberlain* may be enabled to bear 
 the burdens laid upon you, is my earnest petition to the throne of 
 grace. 
 
 I expect to set out for Augusta to-morrow morning in a sulkey. 
 My health has greatly improved, and I hope to reach Brainerd by 
 the last of this month. 
 
 While at Savannah Mr. Evarts wrote notices, on a separate 
 sheet, respecting the condition of the blacks : 
 
 March 17. Mr. tells me, that the condition of the 
 
 blacks is gradually improving here — that many of the children 
 learn to read. 
 
 Mr. tells me that the children of the free negroes in 
 
 Savannah generally attend school — that some young slaves learn 
 to read — that many more of the rising generation, than of their 
 fathers, will know letters. 
 
 He says that the negroes who profess religion, rely much on 
 dreams &;c. The great majority are Baptists. The Methodists 
 are more strict in discipline than the Baptists, and insist on more 
 evidence of piety. 
 
 March 23. In my repeated rides I have seen many negroes. 
 Those on the plantations near Savannah, appear to be in a very 
 abject condition. The young appear cheerful — -the aged very 
 miserable. Their poor bodies appear to be worn out by hard ser- 
 vice and scanty fare, while their minds are in perpetual infancy — 
 not having advanced towards enlarged thought, or made the least 
 progress as immortal beings. 
 
 * Mr. Levi Chamberlain, then an assistant at the Missionary Room!? in the Treas- 
 urer's department, and since of the Sandwich Island Mission. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. iq'j 
 
 Mr. says that the negroes on the islands are generally- 
 through their tasks by two o'clock — that they have as much land 
 as they can till for their own use, and that they might be in very 
 comfortable circumstances, if they were industrious. Every thing 
 which they can carry to market is sold for liquor. 
 
 March 29. In one of my excursions, I counted twenty-five 
 slaves at work in one field. The females have the same task 
 assigned them as the males. The clothing of almost all the ne- 
 groes out of town is very wretched, always coarse and dirty, — 
 generally old and tattered. 
 
 April 6. I have just returned from an excursion of three days, 
 to an island on which are several cotton plantations. The situa- 
 tion of the slaves is more abject and degraded, than I had ever 
 supposed. I refer not to cruelty, (of which instances are not 
 lacking,) but to that incomparable ignorance which must exist, of 
 course, where there is a total want of instruction of every kind ; 
 where there is no thought or reflection ; and where every germ of 
 enterprise is crushed by harsh and contemptuous treatment. Yet 
 I am fully convinced that there are no difficulties but moral ones, 
 in the way of a thorough renovation of this whole southern coun- 
 try ; and these God can remove by the mild and gracious opera- 
 tions of his Providence, whenever he sees best. Let every pos- 
 sible means be used by his children, and the work will proceed. 
 But every scheme of meliorating the condition of the slaveholding 
 country without the aid of the Gospel, must be chimerical. The 
 first step in the progress is, to get a competent number of religious 
 teachers, who will cheerfully and heartily devote themselves to the 
 work ; and this number must be much greater than has ever been 
 estimated. One minister of the Gospel to one thousand souls is by 
 no means enough ; unless the deficiency be made up by intelligent 
 catechists. It is greatly to be desired that as many pious young L 
 men, natives of the southern states, as God shall endue with the 
 requisite qualifications, may be employed as spiritual teachers of 
 their countrymen. They have many advantages over northern 
 young men ; as they are able to bear the climate, and there are 
 fewer prejudices against their efforts. But in the present state of 
 things, how are these young men to be prepared for the work ? 
 How are the rising generation to become religious ? The means 
 
169 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 of religion are not enjoyed : the youth are tempted in a thousand 
 ways to a life of idleness and sensuality. 
 
 In the mean time, the instruction of the blacks is a slow process, 
 and requires uncommon disinterestedness, and patience, and self- 
 denial. Slill, it implies no impossibility. If all Christians would 
 engage in the work of renovating every part of our own country, 
 they would find that God would interpose in their behalf, and by 
 new methods would carry forward the plans of infinite benevo- 
 lence. 
 
 10. Left Savannah in my sulkey. Stopped at K.'s, twenty- 
 seven miles. As one of the younger members was describing the 
 manner in which he had been accustomed to spend the Sabbath 
 while living at Savannah, I entered into conversation with him, to 
 inform him that there was a way of spending the Sabbath, which 
 would afford more enjoyment than could be had by profane dissi- 
 pation. He said he did not believe it to be possible for a young 
 man to be religious. In this opinion a young traveller from Sa- 
 vannah, of gentlemanly deportment, agreed with him. 
 
 The first observed, however, that when he went to Savannah 
 lately, he found, to his astonishment, that all his old companions 
 in drinking and frolicking on the Sabbath had, to use his own 
 words, " become Christians, and all belonged to the Methodist 
 church." He added that as soon as he found out this fact, he 
 left them. He supposed, however, that they were hypocrites. 
 
 21. (Sabbath, at Augusta.) The privileges of this Sabbath 
 have been precious, I trust, to me. At singing, in the Baptist 
 church, I was unusually affected with the final judgment, which 
 was brought to view in the second hymn. 
 
 22. Left Augusta. Arrived just at sunset at Mr. S's. Mr. 
 S. a Methodist — his shelves loaded with religious books, princi- 
 pally those published by Methodists, and circulated by their 
 preachers. On opening their Magazine for 1820, published in 
 New York, I was pleased to find so many good pieces — mixed, 
 however, with others which I could not approve. The circula- 
 tion of these books cannot but have a humanizing and christian- 
 izing effect, distributed as they are among people who would oth- 
 erwise be left in ignorance. 
 
 26. Athens. Received the most pleasing accounts of the 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. jgg 
 
 healthfulness of this village. No case of indigenous fever was 
 known here last summer. Not a death has occurred in the col- 
 lege by fever since it went into operation, more than twenty years 
 ago. Mr. C, (a native of Brattleborough, Vt.) says he consid- 
 ers this place as healthy during summer as any place in Vermont. 
 The ground is high ; the soil a coarse red loamy clay, mixed 
 with hard gravel. It acts as a strainer, and is perfectly dry in a 
 few minutes after rain. The face of the country is uneven, con- 
 siderably elevated above the beds of the two branches of the 
 Oconee, between which the village is situated. 
 
 In the evening; called upon Mrs. N., a widow, who has often 
 shown kindness to the missionaries. She came into this country 
 as a frontier settler, thirty-five years ago, and for four years was 
 obliged occasionally to resort to forts for protection — had a sister 
 killed by Indians, within hail of the fort where herself was. The 
 murder was most barbarous. Three children were with their 
 mother ; the eldest of whom the Indians scalped, though they 
 did not kill him. The two others were left unmolested. The 
 mother was returning from the fort to her house, expecting to 
 meet her husband on the road. Mrs. N. says the terrors of the 
 four years' exposure are beyond description. When her door was 
 shut, she dared not open it, for fear of seeing Indians ; and when 
 it was open, she dared not shut it, for fear Indians would approach 
 unseen. The settlers could not live all the while in forts, because 
 they must gain subsistence from the land ; and they could not live 
 all the while on their farms, without imminent danger of being 
 murdered. The Indians stole their horses, cattle, &;c., and mur- 
 dered unprotected individuals. After outrages of this kind, they 
 were pursued, and generally defended themselves at the expense 
 of some life among the white men. The state of anxiety in 
 which delicate women would be kept, must have been distressing. 
 Mrs. N. added that such were formerly her feelings respecting the 
 Indians, that she did not think any good could be done to them. 
 After visiting Brainerd, however, about two or three years ago, 
 and seeing the school there, she experienced an entire change in 
 her feelings on this subject. 
 
 There are nearly one hundred students in the college here, un- 
 der the instruction of a president, three professors, and a tutor. I 
 22 
 
170 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 attended prayers, and heard one of the youths declaim. There is 
 no professor of religion in college, though one or two students are 
 hopefully pious. 
 
 Dr. Waddel deeply laments the evils of slavery. If he could 
 bear the climate of Ohio, he would leave the slave country in a 
 few months. He most anxiously desires to do it. He does not 
 believe that religion in any form, certainly not in the Presbyterian 
 form, can flourish in a slave country. He does not believe that 
 domestic slaves can ever generally be brought to receive religious 
 education. They are generally much averse to attending family 
 prayers ; nd to any religious order. Some years ago he and the 
 elders of his church in South Carolina commenced Sabbath 
 schools. They were broken up, however, by the people, who 
 assembled in a mob-like manner, and dispersed both scholars and 
 teachers ; and this, although they set out upon the plan of teach- 
 ing those only whose masters were willing they should learn. 
 
 27. I am convinced that Jackson county, where I now am, is 
 as healthy as any place in the United States. Mr. M. has eleven 
 children ; never lost a child, nor had one sick a week. He has 
 lived in this place twenty-one years, having lived in Hancock 
 county ten years previously. The heat of summer is greatly mit- 
 igated by a pleasant breeze from the south-west, which generally 
 blows from ten to three. The nights are always cool. The 
 water from springs is pure, cool enough, and delicious to the taste. 
 Fevers are almost unknown. There is no sickly season. The 
 summer is more healthy than the winter when there are some 
 pleurisies. 
 
 As I was riding, I thought much of the solemn and arduous 
 duties which will devolve upon me at Brainerd, should the Lord 
 bring me thither, and afford me bodily strength to make a thor- 
 ough inspection of the mission. May He give me wisdom to 
 discharge these duties aright. 
 
 28. Sabbath. In this retirement, spent the forenoon in read- 
 ing the Bible, Scoit's Observations, the llih and 12th chapters of 
 Baxter's Saint's Rest, and some religious intelligence, with inter- 
 mediate meditation and reflection. How inestimably important is 
 the Sabbath, even when public worship cannot be enjoyed ! Still, 
 such are the deadness and coldness of the human heart, that it is 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 171 
 
 prone to grow idle and stupid, even it have experienced religion, 
 where the regular ordinances of God's house are not attended. 
 
 29. Mr. M., where I staid over the Sahhaih, appears to live 
 with as few ungratified desires as any man within my knowledge. 
 In a humble fartn-house, clothed with the manufactures of his 
 own family, surrounded by the many acres under his own cultiva- 
 tion, and by his own herds, wiihout a neighbor in sight, but with 
 his children settled within a moderate distance, keeping an open 
 house for strangers, especially for religious persons, many of whom 
 come that way to see him ; having abundance of leisure, and be- 
 ing somewhat engaged in public employments, he is more truly 
 independent than the rich planter, or the richer nobleman. 
 
 30. Blackburn's. B. tells me that the Cherokees are increas- 
 ing in numbers very fast — much faster than ever before. 
 
 I found with him an elderly man, now an inhabitant of Ala- 
 bama, formerly of Georgia, who made the first settlement at 
 Blackburn's place, about twenty years ago, and kept store here 
 till 1813, when his partner died, and he removed. The design of 
 this preface is to show how well he must be acquainted with the 
 nation, he having visited every village in it. He assisted the com- 
 missioners in laying out what is called the Federal Road, eighteen 
 or nineteen years ago, piloting them on the course where it now 
 runs. He says the progress which the natives make in farming 
 and domestic manufactures is surprising ; that you will rarely find 
 a Cherokee in his ancient dress ; that many have become labori- 
 ous farmers since they were men, and were as much attached to 
 Indian habits as men could be. He told me of one particularly, 
 whom he at first encouraged himself, and who was then worth 
 nothing but a little stock, " and a chunk or two of a poney ; " 
 but now plants more than two hundred acres of corn. 
 
 May 1. Reached Mr. Hall's station at Taloney. ' 
 
 TO EEV. R. ANDERSON. 
 
 Aug-usta, April 17. 
 
 In regard to my writing letters from Brainerd for publication, it 
 must depend upon circumstances. No species of composition 
 requires so much care. In stating facts, much caution must 
 be used, that no more than the simple verity should be com- 
 
l-Yg LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 municated or understood ; and the whole should be compared and 
 revised with particular attention. I shall not spend more than a 
 fortnight at Brainerd, if I can get through the business in that 
 time ; and I shall, of course, be incessantly occupied while there. 
 However, if I can do any thing to promote the cause by writing 
 for publication, I shall do it. 
 
 These consultations resulted in remodelling entirely the mission 
 to the Cherokees. The establishment at Brainerd was found too 
 large to be conducted advantageously ; and it was determined to 
 make various changes, by which the number of residents there 
 was reduced about one half, and the direct influence of the mis- 
 sion diffused more extensively in the nation. 
 
 TO REV. R. ANDERSON. 
 
 Talony, May 2, 1822. 
 
 I think it not best to communicate any thing for publication 
 now. As I approach Brainerd, I feel very deeply the responsibil- 
 ity which rests upon me during my present visit. The Com- 
 mittee, I doubt not, sympathize with me in this respect. Every 
 year's experience convinces me that great wisdom, as well as zeal 
 and diligence, is necessary to carry on any mission with effect. 
 
 I have reason to be thankful that my health continues to im- 
 prove. This is a very pleasant time of the year ; but it is some- 
 what oppressive riding in the sun, when the thermometer is eighty- 
 two or eighty-three in the coolest shade that can be found. 
 
 I have nothing of importance to say, with respect to the state 
 of religion in the southern country through which I have pa.ssed. 
 It is a dreary and desolate region in this respect ; and I see not 
 how it is to be different, unless God sees fit to employ a different 
 system of agency from any that is now in operation. This he 
 can do ; but he will be inquired of by his people to do it for 
 them. 
 
 TO REV. E. CORNELIUS. 
 
 Knoxville, May 2S, 1822. 
 
 I Staid at Brainerd seventeen days, and was never more busy 
 for an equal time in my life. From day-break till ten or eleven 
 o'clock at night, I was employed (with the exception of a single 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. I73 
 
 evening, when I had a severe tooth-ache) in the various business 
 of the Cherokee and Choctaw missions. The business consisted < 
 of obtaining information and committing it to writing ; — inspecting 
 the various departments of this mission ; — attending to the vari- 
 ous exercises ; — holding consuhations with the brethren on various 
 subjects ; — answering a multitude of questions ; — visiting some 
 individuals, whose favor was of importance to the mission ; — 
 and in going through with the whole Choctaw business with 
 Mr. Kingsbury, and giving him written answers to all the ques- 
 tions which he thought it necessary to propose. 
 
 It would have given us great pleasure to have conferred with 
 you. All the circumstances of our former journey and visit were 
 fresh in my mind. Incidents were all the while occurring, which 
 brought to my recollection things that were said and done when 
 we were together. 
 
 There is one remarkable fact, on comparing my late visit with 
 my former one, which you would not be prepared to expect. It 
 is this : I cannot find that a single person whom we saw at 
 Brainerd, young or old, white, red, or black, has died during this 
 long interval. This is certainly an uncommon preservation of so 
 many individuals, engaged in so different employments, and so re- 
 mote from each other. Since 1 have been writing this, it has 
 occurred to me, that ToUontiskee, who just called in passing, is 
 no more. He died, as you know, near St. Louis. If we examine, 
 my dear friend we shall find that we have not done as much for 
 the cause of Christ within the period referred to, as we ought to 
 have done. Our time of labor may be very short. Let our power be 
 the only limit of our exertions. Who would have thought, when 
 we separated from the mission family in May, 1818, and from Mr. 
 Williams and Mr. Kingsbury, that we should all be alive in May, 
 1822, and that Dr. Worcester's remains would be deposited at 
 Brainerd ? Yet such is the Providence of God. 
 
 You can easily conceive many of my sad reflections, on stand- 
 ing by the grave of that great man. Not a week has passed, I 
 presume, and scarcely a day, since I heard of his death, without 
 some case occurring, in regard to which it would have been a high 
 gratification to consult whh him. 
 
 Mr. Kingsbury arrived at Brainerd the day before me, and set 
 
j-y^ LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 out on his return the day before 1 came away. His health is ap- 
 parently as good as when you last saw him. He is the same man 
 as heretofore. The same benevolent smile lights up his counten- 
 ance ; the same tender regard to the welfare of all these missions 
 is manifest in his remarks ; the same candor in acknowledging 
 errors in judgment ; the same mild and amiable disposition to 
 apologize for the errors of others; the same, wakeful solicitude, the 
 same readiness to assume care and labor, and the same willingness 
 to wear out, if necessary, in performing the humblest duties ; — in 
 short, the same missionary character was continually apparent. 
 We separated on Monday the 20th, in the road which passes over 
 the Lookout mountain, at the highest place, where we had a view 
 of the Tennessee and the hills beyond it. It was a very affecting 
 occasion. Should I never see the good man again, I shall greatly 
 rejoice in our late meeting. 
 
 At Knoxville he wrote also a letter to his associates, a few 
 paragraphs of which follow : 
 
 " Since the commencement of the present month 1 have vished 
 Brainerd, and spent more than a fortnight there in attending to 
 the concerns of that establishment ; and, in conjunction with Mr. 
 Kingsbury, to the concerns of the Choctaw mission. 
 
 " I hope to lay before the Committee, in person, the information 
 collected on the spot, the measures already adopted, or proposed 
 for adoption hereafter, and every thing, so far as I shall be able, 
 which is likely to have any material bearing upon the success of 
 the mission. 
 
 " When I arrived in the upper counties of Georgia, I endeavored 
 to obtain a suitable companion, before entering upon the Indian ter- 
 ritory ; partly because my health was not robust, but more, because 
 my friends, both at the north and the south, had urged the measure 
 upon me. Several clergymen and others, to whom I proposed the 
 subject, were desirous of visiting Brainerd, and expressed a strong 
 wish to accompany me ; but their engagements would not permit. 
 Thinking it unnecessary to delay my journey for the sake of com- 
 pany, I proceeded alone. Leaving the hospitable dwelling of Mr. 
 Montgomery, in Jackson county, on Monday the 29th of April, I 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. I75 
 
 rode to the Chatahoochy, which is the boundary of lands still re- 
 tained by the Cherokees. Early the next day, crossing the ferry, I 
 had a pleasant ride in the wilderness, the fields of the few inhabitants 
 on the road occupying but a small part of the way. Before noon, 
 on the first of May, 1 reached Taloney, and found Mr. Hall, Mr. 
 Parker, and their families, in comfortable circumstances. This 
 station is forty-six miles from the Chatahoochy, and sixty-two from 
 Brainerd, on what is called the Federal Road. It is near a small 
 river, called Talking Rock creek, and five miles from the Chero- 
 kee town of Taloney, which lies ofl' from the road, in a north- 
 easterly direction. I rested here till after breakfast on the 3rd, 
 and then set out with Mr. Hall for Brainerd. The intervening 
 time was spent in examining into the affairs of the station. I can- 
 not enter into details here ; but would say, in general, that most 
 gratifying evidence of the beneficial tendency and good effects of 
 local schools was very apparent. 
 
 "At evening we reached Springplace, and were kindly received 
 by Mr. Smith, the Moravian missionary, and by his family. The 
 venerable Mr. Gambold removed some time since to a new station, 
 called Oogh-gee-lo-gy ; near which place the greater part of the 
 converts under his ministry reside. I regretted very much that I 
 was not able to see this faithful missionary, in whose company, 
 while on my former journey, I spent one of the happiest days of 
 my life, and for -a horn the friends of missions, universally, so far 
 as they know his character, feel a sincere respect and cordial af- 
 fection. 
 
 *' On Saturday evening at half past nine, we arrived at Brainerd, 
 having been delayed partly by the heat and partly by other causes. 
 All was still. As we passed the burying-ground, on our way to 
 the mission-house, we stopped and looked awhile upon the grave 
 of Dr. Worcester. The light of the full moon, though obscured 
 by clouds, enabled us to distinguish the place. The reflections 
 which would naturally arise in the mind at such a lime, you, who 
 knew the man and the circumstances of his death, and the nature 
 of the union which had subsisted between us, can easily conceive. 
 
 " We found the mission family in usual health. But iew 
 Cherokee children were there, the spring vacation not having ex- 
 pired till the following Tuesday. Mr. Kingsbury had anived to 
 
176 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 meet me, by direction of the Committee, the day before. He was 
 accompanied by Mr. Goodell, who had visited Elliot and Mayhew, 
 having made an excursion from the route of his agency for that 
 purpose. During my stay at Brainerd, my time was much occu- 
 'pied, as you may well suppose, by a great variety of subjects, 
 which demanded attention. Mr. Kingsbury set out on his return 
 the 20th inst., and Mr. Goodell and myself came away the next 
 morning. 
 
 "At this season of the year, it was very pleasant travelling. The 
 waters had subsided, so that there was no serious difficulty in ford- 
 ing them ; though a (ew days before, the more rapid streams were 
 impassable, and others could only be crossed by swimming. Sev- 
 eral travellers whom I met had been detained by high water. 
 The forest, though generally the trees are not thick, afforded a 
 grateful shelter from the rays of the sun. The herbage and 
 flowers were in their most beautiful state, having all the freshness 
 of spring, and beginning to show the luxuriance of summer. I 
 I am told, however, that flowers in variety and abundance are to 
 be seen in the woods here, from the first of March to the first of 
 December. The long solitudes were peculiarly agreeable ; in one 
 instance it being fourteen miles from one house to another ; and, 
 in three other instances, ten, eleven, and twelve miles. The road 
 from Augusta to Nashville has been a good deal travelled since it 
 was opened through the Cherokee nation, eighteen years ago ; 
 though in former years much more than at present. It has been 
 quite an object, therefore, with several white men who were set- 
 tled here, and several natives of the country, to furnish food and 
 shelter to travellers. I observed that these establishments were 
 improving, in regard to buildings, furniture, and other things. In 
 two of these houses of entertainment, I found young females, (that 
 is, one in each,) who had been members of the school at Brainerd. 
 Their appearance was neat, becoming, and such as would be 
 thought respectable at the house of an inn-keeper among our- 
 selves. One of them I remembered having seen in the mission 
 family ; and Mr. Hall was of course well known to her. Sup- 
 posing that we should need refreshment, she provided tea unasked, 
 and waited upon us in a manner creditable to her hospitality and 
 her education. Several useful books stood upon a shelf, and she 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 177 
 
 said, in answer to my inquiry, that she was very fond of 
 speaking. 
 
 " It is very evident that the Cherokees are improving more < 
 rapidly at present, than at any previous time. There are more 
 instances of laborious industry among them every returning year. 
 There are more instances of serious inquiry after moral and reli- 
 gious truth. There is an increasing conviction, that many of the 
 whites sincerely wish to promote the welfare of the Indians. The 
 best informed and more intelligent Cherokees are very favorably 
 disposed towards the mission and school at Brainerd. At 
 several places in the nation is found an earnest desire to have vil- 
 lage schools, with regular preaching ; and there is nothing to 
 prevent the establishment of these, except what results from the 
 want of pecuniary means, and of interpreters. It is hoped that 
 the deficiency, in both these respects, will be removed to such an 
 extent, that the present generation may have lights kindled in all 
 their borders and that generations to come may be saved from 
 the darkness and wretchedness of their fathers. 
 
 " It used to be said, a few years since, with the greatest confi- 
 dence, and is sometimes repeated even now, that Indians can 
 never acquire the habit of labor. Facts abundantly disprove this 
 opinion. There are numerous instances among the Cherokees, of 
 very laborious and long continued industry ; and, in some of these 
 instances, the habit has commenced and become established after 
 the individuals had grown up in hereditary freedom from any thing 
 like regular labor. In more instances, the habit commenced in 
 youth, and is confirmed by practice. Some Indians, not only pro- 
 vide an abundant supply of food for their families, by the labor of 
 their own hands, but have a surplus of several hundred bushels of 
 corn, with which they procure clothing, furniture, and foreign 
 articles of luxury, particularly sugar and coffee, of which they are 
 immoderately fond. Others manufacture their own clothes from 
 cotton produced in their own fields. The current is now setting 
 very strongly in favor of agriculture and other laborious pursuits. 
 All are convinced that the very existence of their community must 
 be preserved in this way. if preserved at all. 
 
 " Notwithstanding these encouraging appearances, however, it is 
 not to be disguised, that many things still remaining among the 
 23 
 
178 I^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 Cherokees, are greatly to be deplored. Much poverty and 
 wretchedness, several gross vices, particularly drunkenness, and an 
 almost total ignorance of God, his law, and the plan of salvation, 
 need to be chased away, before the people generally can reach 
 the proper standard of rational and immortal beings. What has 
 been already done in the way of communicating evangelical in- 
 struction, though of inestimable value to such individuals as have 
 received spiritual benefit, and as an experiment of what way be 
 done, is yet a mere specimen of that benevolent agency which 
 needs to be extended, not only to every part of the Cherokee 
 country, but to all the Indian tribes in North America, and to all 
 the heathens on the globe. 
 
 " The attempts of the Cherokees to institute civil government 
 for themselves, adapted to their improving condition, succeed quite 
 as well as could be expected. Their incipient jurisprudence ap- 
 pears to secure the respect of the people. The distribution of the 
 legislative, judicial, and executive powers of government, is made 
 with considerable skill and judgment. I have in my possession 
 the details of the system ; but cannot conveniently transcribe them 
 here. While 1 was at Brainerd a court was held for Chickamaugah 
 district, and a member of it reported to me two of the cases which 
 were then decided. 
 
 " During my stay, I visited Mr. Hicks, who lives seventeen miles 
 from Brainerd. The Christian and public character of this man is 
 well known. Though he has been confined for a long time by ill 
 health, his mind is active and vigorous. He appears to be in- 
 fluenced in his labors for the good of his countrymen by patriotism, 
 under the control of Christian principle. He became a member 
 of the Moravian church about thirteen years ago; and his wife 
 lately joined the same communion. 
 
 *' It deserves to be mentioned with gratitude, that there has 
 been no instance hitherto, among the Cherokee converts at 
 Brainerd and Creek path, of any such departure from Christian 
 conduct, as to bring scandal upon the cause, or call for censure 
 from the church. On the contrary, all these converts discover a 
 great desire to ascertain their duty ; and, when they have learned 
 what their duty is, an uncommon willingness to perform it. The 
 same is true, so far as 1 have been informed; of the members of 
 the Moravian church. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 179 
 
 " It is obvious to every reflecting person, that now is the time to 
 benefit these southwestern tribes, by the communication of the 
 Gospel. If this time should pass away without being employed 
 to the best advantage; if the present attempts should fail, either 
 from the want of pecuniary means, or a deficiency of wisdom in 
 planning and directing the business, or of fidelity and perseverance 
 in the missionaries, or in consequence of the divine blessing not 
 being granted ; it is impossible to see how a remedy can ever be 
 applied hereafter. The present state of things cannot continue 
 long. The Cherokees, the Choctaws, and the other tribes, must "^ 
 either rise to the rank of intelligent men and well instructed 
 Christians, or they must melt away, destroyed by vices copied 
 from unprincipled whites, having sold their birthright for a mess of 
 pottage, and being left, in the land of their fathers, without pro- 
 perty, without a home, and without a friend. Who would not be 
 pained at so lamentable an issue ? How can any disciple of 
 Christ hesitate, whether he shall do all in his power to impart the 
 blessings of civilization and Christianity, at this critical period? A 
 favorable impulse may now be given, which, with the continued 
 smiles of Providence, shall perpetuate the privileges and the hopes 
 of the Gospel among a people, whose ancestors, from time imme- 
 morial, were enveloped in all the darkness of heathenism. Is not 
 such an object worthy of continued labors and persevering efforts ?" 
 
 TO REV. R. ANDERSON. 
 
 Knoxville, Tennessee, May 21, 1S22. 
 
 " The proposal of Dr. Porter of Catskill* strikes me very favor- 
 ably ; and I have only this observation to make upon it, that our 
 Board ought to proceed with great deliberation, in the selection of 
 every important officer. So far as I am personally concerned, I 
 desire to be employed in that sphere where my services may turn 
 to the best account ; and of this I am desirous that others should 
 judge. It would be certainly most agreeable to me, however, not 
 to be obliged to attend to so many departments as I have done 
 for a year or two. In regard to any new appointment, it should 
 of course be well considered, and the Board should not be hastily 
 
 * Relating to the apppintment of a Treasurer of the Board. 
 
180 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 committed. I do not mention this because I have any fears on the 
 subject ; but as a reason why 1 do not say any thing more decided." 
 
 " June 3. Left Knoxville. Stopped at L.'s. A methodist minister 
 present, — a young man on a circuit. He was very reserved and 
 shy. I could not engage him in conversation upon religious topics. 
 Did not forget the monthly concert : — the first on which I have 
 not been present with some assembly of the people of God, as I 
 remember, since July 1818, when I was in the north-west corner 
 of Maryland, on the Cumberland road. 
 
 "The negro who ferried me over at Mackley's, discovered great 
 joy when I inquired of him respecting his religious character. He 
 said that he could read some in the Bible ; but he had many ene- 
 mies, who would come and snatch the book from him and throw 
 it into the fire. He appeared to discover marks of real goodness. 
 I encouraged him to persevere, and gave him some advice as to 
 procuring books. 
 
 "4. Where we called for breakfast, our host was full of talk. 
 He said there had been a great change in the religious character 
 of J. within a few years. Dr. C. preached there early, and had 
 been the principal cause of the change. 
 
 " 6. Jonesboro.' Mr. Goodell preached in the evening, and I 
 made some remarks. Never have we been so cordially received 
 at any place. It was really cheering to see the alacrity of these 
 men. 
 
 " 9. Sabbath. Abingdon, Va. Attended the preaching of a 
 Methodist at the Court-house, A. M. In the interval of worship, 
 the minister baptized a negro infant, brought by its mother. He 
 made no inquiries of the woman, but immediately used the Wes- 
 leyan form of that ordinance. Afterwards our hostess told him 
 with a laugh that the black woman was a Baptist, and had her 
 child baptized because " she did not know whether her child, 
 when he grows up, will be a Methodist or a Baptist." 
 
 "Lexington, Va. June 15. At the post-office here I found the 
 June Herald ; — to my great joy, as it answers for many letters. 
 It has been here six or eight days. I could not find that it was 
 taken at any place between this town and Greenville, Tennessee, 
 a distance of two hundred and fifty-five miles. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 181 
 
 "At the house of an obscure Tennessee farmer, where I had ^ 
 stopped for rest and refreshment, I was surprised to find the Her- 
 ald ; and Mr. Goodell, at the house of a farmer, (where he called 
 for a drink of water, I think,) found the Christian Spectator, the 
 Religious Intelligencer, the Guardian, the Boston Recorder, and 
 the Herald. A clergyman with whom I spent a night, who lives 
 in a log house, (as does almost every body else in that region,) 
 and is evidently in very moderate circumstances, takes the Boston 
 Recorder, the Christian Spectator, and the family Visitor from 
 Richmond. He has the Herald sent to him for a society. Yet 
 corn, the staple of the country, sells for twenty-five cents a bushel ; 
 and it is almost impossible to get money for it at any price. How 
 ought such facts as these to shame multitudes of professors of 
 religion in New England ! If I can put these facts in such a form 
 as will give no offence, I may hereafter make use of them in 
 print." 
 
 Mr. Evarts arrived at Boston on the 17th of August. His 
 health having been essentially improved by the voyage and jour- 
 ney, he immediately engaged, with his accustomed industry, in 
 preparing the Annual Report, and in other important duties. At 
 the meeting of the Board in September, Henry Hill, Esq. was 
 elected Treasurer, and Mr. Evarts Corresponding Secretary, and 
 in this office he was continued, by annual election, till his death. 
 
 Among the earliest letters written after this arrangement, was 
 one of condolence to his missionary friend, Mr. Kingsbury. '' We 
 had learned," said he, "by a letter from Mr. Williams, which was 
 received a few days earlier than yours, that the Lord had seen fit, 
 in his holy and mysterious Providence, to remove from you the friend 
 of your bosom, one who was greatly endeared to you and to the 
 mission, and whose services were very valuable, and seemed to us 
 very much needed. This is, indeed, a severe affliction to us all. As 
 such I feel it ; and as such it will be extensively felt by the 
 friends of missions. But you will feel the stroke longer and 
 more keenly than others ; yet you will not be destitute of great 
 and heavenly consolations. These consolations will support you, 
 and enable you to prosecute the work to which you are assigned, 
 till you too are released from your labors, and your works follow 
 
182 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 you, as I trust they will, to the honor of free grace and to your 
 eternal joy. In the midst of disappointments and trials of this 
 mortal state, let us comfort one another with these words. 
 
 " I know not how short my own pilgrimage will be ; nor whether 
 I shall ever visit the south again ; yet I had fondly pleased myself 
 with the idea of being welcomed by Mrs. Kingsbury to her habi- 
 tation — the place of her cares and her comforts — the scene of her 
 laborious industry and patient self-denial. Happy will it be, if 
 we are prepared to meet in heaven. 
 
 " Instead of indulging in fruitless grief, let us dwell much on the 
 glorious victory over death and the grave, which Christianity has 
 achieved. Let us think of this subject with a holy exuhaiion; 
 and consider, even while we look on the dying bed of an intimate 
 friend, if such a friend is just going to heaven, how much more 
 occasion we have to rejoice than to mourn. 
 
 " For three years in succession, the AUwise Disposer has seen fit 
 to remove a valuable laborer from your mission at about this sea- 
 son of the year. Whether the summons of death will be more or 
 less frequent hereafter, it is not in the power of man to predict ; 
 but we may be certain that we shall labor but a little while here be- 
 low ; — that the demands upon our time are numerous and pressing ; 
 — and that we shall never regret having exerted ourselves to the 
 utmost in the service of our Divine Master. 
 
 "In regard to opening a school in the compact settlement near 
 Capt. Folsom's," he adds, passing to another topic, " 1 entirely ap- 
 prove of it, whenever you have any person, who can be assigned to 
 that service: and so, of other local schools. We wish them to be 
 established as fast as possible ; and, if we had men of proper quali- 
 fications, we should send them immediately. You must be aware, 
 my dear sir, that every young man who feels a missionary impulse, 
 is not qualified to go into the wilderness, — reside among a strange 
 people, — accustom himself, in some degree, to their modes of life, 
 — act as agent, teacher, laborer, guide and friend, — establish rules 
 for his school, — induce the parents and the children to conform 
 to these rules, — persevere in his work among many discourage- 
 ments, and fix himself firmly in the affections of the people, not- 
 withstanding the opposition of the ignorant and the unprincipled. 
 Some men can do all this ; our country contains many who could 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. I33 
 
 do it ; but of these many, nearly all are otherwise occupied, and 
 do not think of offering themselves to the work. I am convinced, 
 that nothing like an adequate number of local schools can be es- 
 tablished, eilher in the Choctaw or Cherokee nations, unless most 
 of them are commenced upon a very humble scale. The teacher 
 must go into a neighborhood as a single man ; — he must contrive, 
 and labor, and pray, till he gets a school-house erected, in great 
 part, by the industry of his own hands ; — he must proceed by de- 
 grees, and at small expense, and by continued industry, add one 
 comfort after another." 
 
 According to this arrangement Mr. Evarts was to discharge the 
 duties of Corresponding Secretary and editor of the Missionary 
 Herald. His private papers of this period indicate surprising in- 
 dustry and the most conscientious employment of time. The 
 year 1822 was commenced with a minute journal of business 
 transacted from day to day, in which the entries were made reg- 
 ularly till the failure of his health. " Unless 1 mistake," he re- 
 marks in the first entry for the year 1823, " it is useful, as a 
 prompter to activity and diligence, to note down, occasionally, the 
 manner in which time is employed, I propose to commence the 
 year in this manner. May the year now commencing be eminently 
 devoted to God." The entries that follow are not a mere journal 
 of what was done ; they show also the time — the hours and parts 
 of hours, devoted to various employments through the day. It 
 was some interrupted by a recurrence of ill health. A subsequent 
 journal, kept for a short time, shows still more minutely how every 
 moment in the twenty-four hours was employed. It was obviously 
 not his object when commencing these minute records, to continue 
 them for a long time. He thought it useful, occasionally, in order 
 to assure himself that his moments did not run to waste, and 
 to strengthen his habits of activity and diligence ; and these ends 
 were attained by the watchfulness necessary for such a record for 
 a few weeks at a time. As mere records, they would cost more 
 than they were worth. He used them as a means of discipline. 
 
 In the early part of the year, and till late in the spring, he was 
 much confined to his house by a weakness and irritation of the 
 lungs, with symptoms at times that were thought alarming. " It 
 
184 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 is not a new thought to me," he says in his Journal, April 13th, 
 18'23, (Sabbath,) " that God may very probably remove me soon 
 froni this world. Unless deceived as to my own feelings I can 
 truly say, Thy will be done. May the Lord give me wisdom to 
 spend my remaining time in his fear, and to the glory of his name, 
 — to the benefit of my family and friends, and to the furtherance 
 of the missionary cause. I have been providentially detained 
 from public worship two Sabbaths in January, four in February, 
 and two in March, before this day ; which is more, I think, than 
 I have been kept from the house of God by ill-health (beside this 
 winter and the six Sabbaths taken up in my voyages for health) 
 during the last twenty years. Happy could I say that my profi- 
 ciency in the knowledge and love of God corresponded with my 
 numerous advantages." 
 
 During this time he attended daily to his official and editorial 
 duties, as his strength would permit, and with the return of warm 
 weather was able to resume his usual habits of application. 
 
 TO THE CEVLON MISSIONARIES. 
 
 Boston, April 15, 1S23. 
 
 " I am happy to inform you that your application to the American 
 Bible Society was successful, and that we now remit the .'^SOO 
 which they granted for the purchase of Tamil Bibles. I was 
 providentially present in New York when the Report of the Com- 
 mittee was made to the Managers ; and expressed my gratification, 
 in a very full meeting, with the reasoning and conclusion of the 
 Report. The principle, however, of making any foreign grant, 
 was much opposed, both in the Committee and in the Board of 
 Managers. The ground of opposition was, as you may well sup- 
 pose, that our own country is in need of more Bibles than the So- 
 ciety is able to furnish. 
 
 " For myself, I consider this decision as a great era in the history 
 of the Society, and of evangelical operations in this country; and 
 as such I rejoice in it exceedingly, independently of any bearing 
 it may have on your mission, or any benefit which the Tamil pop- 
 ulation of India may derive from it. 
 
 We greatly desire that you may be able to set up a printing 
 press. The reasons for such a measure multiply daily, and I cannot 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS, 
 
 185 
 
 but hope you will be enabled to do it. Within a few days I have 
 received a letter from Mr. Mooney, formerly of Bombay, now one 
 of the directors of the East India Company and a member of 
 Parliament, advising that a reinforcement be sent to the Bombay 
 mission, and pledging himself to write to the governor, the judge, 
 and other influential persons there, with a view to gain admission 
 for additional missionaries. Mr. Wilberforce also wrote to me, 
 giving assurance that he would do all in his power to promote the 
 interests of our missions. I hope soon to write to both these gen- 
 tlemen, directing their attention to certain things in which they 
 Hiay be very useful to us. 
 
 "We have no missionary printers on our list of applicants, al- 
 though we want one much for the Mediterranean, and shall want 
 one for Ceylon. Pray much that suitable men may offer for every 
 department of the great work. Missionaries seem often to think 
 that men enough of the right character can be had at a moment's 
 warning. This is altogether a mistake. Pray that men and 
 women may be found, who are thoroughly furnished unto 
 every good loork. I cannot but give thanks to God on your be- 
 half, that you have been so much united in heart and in action. 
 This is a peculiar smile of Providence upon your mission. May 
 you be more and more connected together in brotherly love ; and 
 may you find by experience that the good seed of righteousness 
 is sown in peace of them that make peace. 
 
 "It has also given us great pleasure that you, in common with 
 the missionaries of the Board generally, preach to the heathen 
 the plain doctrines of the Gospel, particularly their exposure to 
 final and endless ruin. In connexion with this awful exposure, 
 you doubtless find the necessity of dwelling much on the love of 
 Christ. Ministers in this country are preaching more concerning 
 the character of Christ than they used to do, and unquestionably 
 you and other missionaries can bear witness that this blessed char- 
 acter should be held up continually to the view of the heathen. 
 
 " Permit me to add that in the communications of missionaries 
 with home, they should avoid the language of direct reproach, accu- 
 sation, or crimination of professing Christians for their supineness in 
 the missionary warfare. However just the language of crimination 
 may be, and however necessary that professed Christians should 
 24 
 
J 85 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 be made to feel their guilt in this matter, it is not best that a formal 
 accusation should b: preferrfd by a missionary, he may accom- 
 plish the business of arousing his countrymen by the language of 
 gratitude for what has been done ; the language of encouragement 
 for future exertions ; the language of deep and feeling lamentation 
 for the desolations which siuTOund him ; — by the exhibition of the 
 motives which constrain him to labor for the heathen ; and by the 
 description of inviting fields of labor with which he is acquainted. 
 Let him urge the claims of perishing millions, as claims which press 
 on the heart and conscience, — as claims which he cannot neglect or 
 disregard. Let him represent all that is done for the heathen, 
 though in itself a foundation for gratitude and praise unspeakable, 
 yet as very little, when compared with the wants of the heathen 
 world. Having done this, let him hope that others will follow his 
 reasonings to their various conclusions ; or that Christians will 
 make the ap| lication to themselves. 
 
 *' Missionaries, of all men in the world, should rely much on 
 prayer; and there are two topics which I would commend to your 
 special attention : one is, that God would be pleased to select such 
 men and women foumissionaries, in every department of the work, 
 as he shall see fit to honor in making them the cheerful and volun- 
 tary instruments of his mercy : the other is, that He would select 
 suitable persons, sufficient in number and in regular succession, to 
 take charge of missionary affairs at home. Pray for the Commit- 
 tee, and for all active agents of the Board." 
 
 TO ADAM HODGSON, ESQ. LIVERPOOL. 
 
 Boston, April 20, 1823. 
 
 " I sincerely congratulate you on the success of your letters in 
 the Christian Observer. They are very well received in this 
 country, and are regarded as candid and just. I did intend to 
 mention some slight errors into which you have fallen ; but 1 know 
 not that 1 shall get time. They do not, however, affect the gen- 
 .eral accuracy of the letters ; nor are they of material consequence 
 in any respect. Unless we are mistaken, the current of public 
 opinion in Great Britain is turning in favor of the people of the 
 United States. At least a kind and candid disposition towards us 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 187 
 
 is propagated more easily tiian ever heretofore. If the inhabitants 
 of both countries will be wise, they will find the highest interest of 
 each entirely compatible with the greatest prosperity of the 
 other. Indeed national rivalries and animosities are as unreason- 
 able and unprofitable as they are unchristian. I am persuaded 
 the world is learning, (but too slowly) some valuable lessons on 
 this point. Blessed are the peace-makers. 
 
 " Your quotation from a letter of Mrs. IMore gave rne and my 
 friends great pleasure. It is delightful to see a Christian influence 
 exerted to promote a good understanding and kind feelings 
 between two nations which are doubtless to take an important 
 part as instruments in fixing the moral destinies of the world." 
 
 " Aug. 15. Returned from a journey of more than five weeks 
 through the western part of this state, and the states of Vermont 
 and New Hampshire. It is but about sixty days before I expect 
 to set out on a journey and agency for the Board. Much business 
 needs to be done previously to my leaving. May the Lord give 
 me strength to accomplish it." 
 
 The journey and agency for the Board here alluded to, oc- 
 cupied several months. Mr. Evarts left Boston early in Decem- 
 ber, in company with David Brown, a young Cherokee of good 
 education and excellent character, on a visit to the Indian mis- 
 sions. On his way he attended public meetings in the cities and 
 principal towns, making such statements in public as opportunity 
 seemed to invite ; transacting various business of the Board ; and 
 conferring with many clergymen and others in regard to the in- 
 terests of our missionary institutions. At New York, Princeton, 
 Philadelphia, &ic., he was much engaged in consultations respect- 
 ing the union of the United Foreign Missionary Society* and the 
 American Board. The subject was then exciting great interest, and 
 demanded of Mr. Evarts the exercise of his best judgment, and all 
 the delicacy and prudence which even he could command. He 
 succeeded in satisfactorily disposing of two or three plans that had 
 
 * This Society originated in 1S17, in the union of the New York Missionary Sodety, 
 formed in 1796; the Northern Missionary Society, (in the State of New York,) 1797; 
 and the Western Missionary Society (Pittsburgh,) 1&02. Its missions were among; 
 the Indians exclusively. 
 
138 I^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 attracted some attention, and in gaining general assent to one pro- 
 posed by himself, and according to which, substantially, the union 
 was afterwards effected. From Philadelphia he wrote home, 
 urging immediate preparations for establishing a mission to China, 
 with a sketch of a plan, based on information derived from persons 
 engaged in the China trade. At Washington he spent about 
 three weeks. Congress was in session, and some important ques- 
 tions relating to the Indians were under consideration, and he 
 exerted himself to prevent any decision injurious to their religious 
 interests. His letters to his associates at home had been very 
 frequent ; but after spending more than two weeks in Washington, 
 he remarked : " I hardly know how it has come to pass that I 
 have not written to you from this place, except on the evening of 
 my arrival. My time has been so much divided by calls on mem- 
 bers of Congress, on the Cherokee delegation, and on others who 
 might exert an influence, greater or less, on our missionary con- 
 cerns, that I have scarcely been able to do the necessary writing 
 for persons on the spot." One of the questions that occasioned 
 Mr. Evarts some solicitude was the repeal of the law by which a 
 fund of ^'10,000 a year was placed at the disposal of the Presi- 
 dent, to be used in promoting the civilization of the Indians, — a 
 measure which some influential persons had a settled design to 
 carry. He had the satisfaction to see the plan defeated. In re- 
 gard, also, to the claims which the State of Georgia were then 
 beginning to urge, he left Washington in confident hope that they 
 would not prevail. " The Cherokees," he said, " are determined, 
 not to sell another foot of their land ; and so long as they remain 
 firm in their purpose, the people of this country will not forcibly 
 dispossess them." 
 
 At New York he met Mr. Robertson,* who had proposed to go 
 as a missionary to the Jews in Western Asia, under the patronage 
 of a society of ladies in Boston, auxiliary to the Board. 
 
 " Jan. 8. On my stating that we deemed it improper for us to 
 send out any missionaries who did not regard our other mission- 
 aries as ministers of the Gospel, and was not willing to unite with 
 
 * Rev. J. J. Robertson, D. D., afterwards Episcopal missionary at Athens and Con- 
 Btantinople. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. jgg 
 
 them in the ordinances of religion, he observed that, though he did 
 not wish to decide that they were not ministers of the Gospel, and 
 though he had no doubt that the ordinances, as administered by 
 them, were valid to such as received them in faith ; yet he hesitated, 
 to admit them himself as ministers in the Christian church, and 
 could not, with his present views, receive the sacrament at their 
 hands. I had two long interviews with him. He entirely concurs 
 with us in the propriety of our employing in the same field those 
 only who can act together as ministers in the celebration of the 
 sacraments and in the establishment of churches. I expressed a 
 wish that he might go out in the employment of the Episcopal 
 Missionary Society, and assured him that our missionaries would 
 rejoice to co-operate with him in any works of benevolence. He 
 thought that society would not be able to send a missionary for 
 a long time to come." 
 
 To a friend who had been employed to assist in the business of 
 his office : 
 
 Wilmingtoa, Del. January 17th, 1S24. 
 
 " Permit me to hail you as a fellow laborer in the greatest and 
 best of causes. A fellow laborer, indeed, you have been hereto- 
 fore ; but now, in a more peculiar and intimate sense, we sustain 
 this happy relationship to each other. Though I am not informed 
 to what extent your services are expected, as to duration or the 
 object to which they will be applied, I earnestly desire that you 
 may experience the divine direction in all that you do or at- 
 tempt for the spread of the Gospel as an agent for the Christian 
 public. 
 
 " Before I left Boston, the principal heavy business of my depart- 
 ment was despatched, viz. : the Annual Report, the fitting out 
 assistant missionaries, with all the preparatory measures respecting 
 them, the reinforcement to Bombay, and the appointment, com- 
 missioning, and instruction of agents. 
 
 " There must be some correspondence during my absence ; but 
 the most important business is the intercourse with the public by 
 means of the press. Here great caution and deliberation are 
 necessary, both in regard to facts and reasonings. In the state- 
 ment of facts it is the easiest thing in the world to make mistakes, 
 
190 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 by trusting one's self at all beyond the limits of unquestionable 
 authority. Of this you nnust have been aware from your connec- 
 tion with the Recorder ; but you can hardly be so fully aware of 
 it as you would be after a ten years' acquaintance with original 
 documents from which publications have been made and subjected 
 to the eyes of the writers. 
 
 " In regard to reasonings and motives presented to the Christian 
 public, there is need of still greater caution. I have never felt 
 the weight of my employment so much, in regard to any one thing, 
 as in regard to this. Not to say any thing which shall let down 
 the standard of missionary feeling, and of the duties imposed upon 
 Christians by the missionary cause, or which shall by its boldness 
 and apparently severe requisitions, offend some of the real friends 
 of the cause, is a delicate and difficult point. 
 
 " I would recommend to the Committee that they make imme- 
 diate arrangen)ents for the next annual meeting, in order to give 
 it a more popular cast than heretofore." 
 
 TO THE E.EV. CYRUS KINGSBURY. 
 
 City of Washington, Feb. 1, 1S24. ) 
 Sabbath evening. j 
 
 " It seems to me that the prospects of the Indians, so far as 
 their connexion with the government of the United States is to be 
 refrarded, are very dark and discouraging. The doctrines now 
 held, go the full length of asserting that the Indians can have no 
 separate community for any length of time, within the limits of 
 any State ; of course, not within the limits of the United States. 
 The Cherokee delegation is here, and in not a little trouble. I 
 feel distressed for them ; but can think of no relief for them as a 
 people, unless our whole American community were to become 
 just and benevolent, which is not to be expected. As mission- 
 aries and friends of missions, we must do what we can." 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 
 Washington City, February 6, 1S24. 
 
 " Pray inform me how the collections go on for the Boston For- 
 eign Missionary Society. 1 am anxious that a full effort should be 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 191 
 
 made there. Unless I am mistaken, Boston is more able, whether 
 the rich or the middling people are regarded, to raise a larger sum 
 annually, than any other city in the Union. There are more per- 
 sons whose living is within their income, than elsewhere. The 
 great enemy of charitable exertion is expensiveness of living — and 
 this threatens to destroy everything good in this country. The 
 Moravians could send missionaries. Why ? Because the plain- 
 est style of living satisfied them, and a large part of their scanty 
 earnings could be spared for the sake of the gospel." 
 
 TO MR. S. A. WORCESTER.* 
 
 Fredericksburgh, Va., February 14, 1S24. 
 
 *' I regret to see, in the Recorder of February 7lh, some things 
 
 which I communicated concerning Dr. and his church. 
 
 It was proper to read that paragraph at the monthly concert ; but, 
 on several accounts, quite a mistake to print the substance of it. 
 
 I feel this subject the more, as Dr. is peculiarly averse to 
 
 making a noise, as he expressed it, concerning a revival of relig- 
 ion. He was afraid that too much had been done of this sort, 
 with reference to the revival in Boston, and said that he should 
 regret nothing so much as to set people talking of the revival in 
 his congregation. He did not even call it by that name, though 
 there were thirty new inquirers, if I remember right, the week 
 that 1 had this conversation with him. If not thirty new inquirers, 
 there were that number under very deep and serious impressions. 
 I told him that Mr. Dwight and others at Boston, were quite op- 
 posed to making a noise about a revival, and entirely agreed with 
 him in thinking that it always had an unfavorable effect upon per- 
 sons in a state of religious anxiety to set them talking about oth- 
 ers, and to let ihem suppose that others are talking about them. 
 I do not mean to intimate, however, that it is not useful and proper 
 to say something of a revival during its continuance ; but it re- 
 quires much judgment to know what to say." 
 
 * Then an assistant in Mr. Evarts's office ; since, a missionary to the Cherokees. 
 
192 ^^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 
 Campbell County, Va., March 1, 1824. 
 
 " Another monthly concert has arrived. You have been permit- 
 ted to meet this evening in a place more dear to my recollections 
 than almost any other, and to unite with friends to whom I am 
 attached by many strong and tender ties in offering supplications 
 for the extension of the church and the salvation of perishing men. 
 Though in a remote country inn, 1 have directed my thoughts to 
 the place of your solemnities — and, unless I am deceived, have 
 been with you in spirit. I have rarely had a more impressive 
 view of the grandeur and glory of this voluntary union of so 
 many thousands, dispersed through so many countries, in asking 
 for the greatest blessings which are ever bestowed upon this guilty 
 world. The excitement of such a spirit as is evinced by so ex- 
 tensive a union for prayer, may justly be considered as decisive 
 evidence that the Lord has a special favor for the missionary cause, 
 and will at last make it triumphant." 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 
 Abingdon, Va., March 9, 1S24. 
 
 " I left all remains of snow yesterday morning, as 1 have de- 
 scended several hundred feet toward the valley of the Mississippi. 
 There is much good land in the counties through which this road 
 passes. Were it not for slavery, this mountain region would be a 
 most delightful place for a New England farmer to select for his 
 residence. The winter is quite cold enough to impart vigor, and 
 the climate is very healthy. I have now travelled about four hun- 
 dred and fifty miles in Virginia, during this journey, and I never 
 saw so much occasion to lament the introduction of the blacks 
 into our continent. If not one had entered the limits of this 
 State, it would have been the most populous and the most wealthy 
 State in the Union, and would, in all probability, have permanently 
 maintained the ascendancy. All religious and moral institutions 
 might have flourished. Instead of this, a moral desolation is 
 spreading over many parts of it." 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. ^93 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 
 Greenville College, Green County, ) 
 East Tennessee, March 12, 1S24. J 
 
 " Crossed the Holston just below its junction with the Watanga. 
 It is a curious fact, indicating the want of enterprize in this coun- 
 try, that there is not a single bridge over the Holston, (which af- 
 terwards takes the name of Tennessee,) from its source to its 
 mouth; and yet there is not a river in the United States over 
 which it would be more easy to erect durable bridges. There is 
 one bridfre, I am told, over the north branch of the Holston. At 
 many crossings, on roads not much travelled, there is no ferry ; 
 and when the waters are high, the traveller must wait till they 
 subside, unless he will swim his horse. 
 
 " The soil of East Tennessee is much more generally capable 
 of cultivation than any part of New England. There are some 
 steep and rocky hills ; but in many parts, for miles together, you 
 will not find an acre which might not be advantageously ploughed. 
 Yet the population is sparse, and the greater part of the country 
 is still a forest. The people can easily be supplied with the neces- 
 saries of life ; but the prices of foreign commodities are very high, 
 and are paid for with great difficulty. It is evident that, with the 
 same labor, a man may live much more comfortably, as a laboring 
 farmer, than in New England ; and yet, in point of fact, the farmers 
 of New England live more comfortably than the same class of peo- 
 ple here. The difference is made partly by habits formed here, 
 when the country was in a much ruder state than it is at present." 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 
 March 13, 1824. 
 
 " In my letter from Abingdon, I expressed my belief that relig- 
 ion was in a more encouraging state here, than at almost any pre- 
 vious time. Some facts which you may feel an interest in know- 
 ing, are as follows : 
 
 " When Mr. McE. was settled, which was about six years ago, 
 he had but one man in his church who was willing to pray in 
 public, or to take any leading part in social meetings ; now he 
 25 
 
194 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 has thirty-five such men, and prayer meetings are very frequent. 
 Men of influence, who are not admitted as church members, attend 
 public worship with increasing seriousness, and the avowal of infi- 
 delity is much more rare than in former years. 
 
 "Mr. G., the Presbyterian clergyman of J. , has admitted 
 
 sixty members into the two churches over which he is pastor, 
 during the last year. This place has a very religious character, 
 though formerly it was the reverse. The number of families in 
 the village I should suppose to be somewhere between seventy 
 and one hundred ; and I am told, that, in more than three quar- 
 ters of them, family worship is constantly maintained. 
 
 " Mr. G., the Presbyterian clergyman of R. , had admitted 
 
 one hundred to the communion of the two churches over which 
 he is pastor, within the year past ; and in these several congrega- 
 tions prospects are very pleasing at present. Since T was in this 
 part of the country, less than two years ago, several of the most 
 active lawyers, some of whom I then saw, have made a profession 
 
 of religion. One of these, Mr. , was admitted to the church 
 
 just before he set out on his way to Washington, as a member of 
 the present Congress. On the evening before his departure, a 
 small social meeting for prayer in his behalf was held at his house. 
 He is a young man, and this is the first session he has been a 
 member. 
 
 "I arrived at J. on Wednesday evening rather late. On 
 
 calling at the minister's residence, I found he had gone to an eve- 
 ning meeting. So far as I could judge, a large part of the people 
 were going also, though the walking was very bad. I resorted to 
 a tavern formerly kept by a religious man now deceased, and sat 
 some time in the public room, where seven or eight farmers had 
 formed a circle round the fire. The court was in session, and 
 they were attending. They conversed freely on various subjects ; 
 and during my stay I did not hear from them a word of profane- 
 ness, levity, slander, or passion ; in short, not a word that would 
 lead a stranger to form an unfavorable opinion of any one of the 
 number. I would not have you infer that there is no profaneness 
 here ; but I have been many times in taverns, at court time, in 
 country towns of New England, and a similar statement could not 
 always, (I fear not often) be made respecting them. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. ^95 
 
 " As I approach the seat of the Cherokee mission, I deeply feel 
 the need of divine assistance in discharging the duties which de- 
 volve upon me on this journey. Without this aid I shall do 
 nothing to good account. The Committee, 1 hope, will not cease 
 to pray for me. Any counsels which they may impart, will be 
 thankfully received and diligently regarded. I beseech the Lord 
 of missions to guide the Committee in all things, and to have the 
 operations of our Board under his peculiar care. May he raise up 
 more faithful and successful instruments than any which have yet 
 been used." 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 Clover Hill, Blount Co., E. Tennessee, March 22, 1824. 
 
 "Two days ago I wrote you a short letter from Knoxviile, in 
 which I acknowledged having received the melancholy tidings of 
 my father's death. This event, though long anticipated, is at- 
 tended by many painful reflections ; and I feel more inclined to 
 indulge in sadness, than on any former occasion. I have no dis- 
 position, I trust, to murmur at the dispensations of divine Provi- 
 dence ; but my heart is distressed on account of the sin and guilt 
 under which our race are suffering, and which bring upon them 
 sickness and death and other innumerable evils ; and ray mind 
 dwells on a thousand circumstances, connected with this relation 
 to a parent now gone, which no other person could feel or under- 
 stand.* Yet I know it is my duty to pursue the course in which 
 I am engaged, and to communicate such things relative to my 
 journey, as may possibly be of some use to us hereafter." 
 
 "Thursday, 18. The following are some of the principal ex- 
 ternal difficulties in the way of establishing the ordinances of the 
 Gospel, in this part of the country, so that all the people may be 
 within the reach of stated preaching : 
 
 * During- the latter years of his life, Mr. James Evarts suffered much from various 
 losses and perplexities, under which the son e.xerled himself greatly to aid and sus- 
 tain him. He never made a public profession of faith in Christ. " For many months," 
 says one of his associates, who was also at the time a member of his family, "for 
 many months Mr. Evarts was in the habit of inviting me into his study every Sab 
 bath morning:, with few exceptions, to look to Heaven with united voice for his aged 
 father." 
 
195 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " 1. The inhabitants live much dispersed. The plan of their 
 settlement seems to have been, to remove as far from neighbors as 
 possible. Their farms are very large, and much intervening forest 
 is left among the plantations. They have no wish, generally 
 speaking, to live on a public road ; they seldom associate or con- 
 fer together for any common purpose ; and they get into such 
 habits of living alone, that it seems almost impossible to impart to 
 them the same principles of social conduct as exist among people 
 in different circumstances. They have no division into townships 
 and parishes, and of course none of that small municipal legisla- 
 tion and government, which are of immense value at the north, in 
 making the people acquainted with each other, and forming the 
 rudiments of our republican institutions. 
 
 " 2. The people, besides being dispersed over a great surface 
 of territory, are much divided as to religious profession. You will 
 find, for instance, a Presbyterian here, and his neighbors will be 
 Baptists or Methodists, and you will have to travel miles before 
 you find another Presbyterian. 
 
 *' 3. A general prejudice prevails against supporting ministers 
 by a regular salary. This prejudice is so powerful, that it would 
 ruin the prospects of a candidate to say any thing about his sup- 
 port. Of course, there can be no dependence upon preaching, as 
 a certain means of maintaining the preacher. Mr. A. observed to 
 me last evening, that when people give something to a minister 
 here, they do it rather from friendship, or a warm personal attach- 
 ment, than as a compensation for valuable services. The Metho- 
 dists and Baptists, that is, many of them, preach vehemently 
 against salaries. 
 
 " 4. There is no such thing in this country as thoroughness or 
 perseverance in any plan of united and concentrated action. If 
 a good undertaking is begun to-day, this is no reason why it 
 should not be abandoned tomorrow. 
 
 " 5. The ignorance of a large proportion of the people is very 
 great. Many who can read, are still very poor readers, and in 
 fact read little or nothing. They have few common schools, and 
 these not very good. 
 
 " These obstacles appear so great, that many persons have con- 
 cluded that this western world must be given over to hopeless 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 197 
 
 ignorance and wickedness. I am of a different opinion. The 
 country is undoubtedly improving, though not so fast as Christian 
 benevolence would desire. Such is the constitution of liuman 
 things, that moral changes cannot be effected, in a large com- 
 munity, at once ; but God has abundantly shown, I think, that the 
 new settlements in the United States are not to be given up to 
 spiritual desolation. There is great need, however, of public 
 spirit, in order to rescue the present generation from vice and 
 ignorance." 
 
 Arriving on the 25th of March at Brainerd, he immediately 
 commenced a course of investigation into the state of the mission, 
 and of consultation with its meinbers, which led to important 
 changes. A laborious week was spent with ihe missionaries there. 
 He made an excursion, occupying thirteen days, to the local 
 schools in different parts of the nation. Examples of obdurate 
 depravity, ignorance, and dissipation that he met with among the 
 natives, affected him deeply. After lodging at the house of a 
 Cherokee, where instances of these obstacles to the influence of 
 divine truth forced themselves on his attention, he remarks : 
 
 " It is certainly no easy matter to reclaim an ignorant, a vicious, 
 and a savage people. Yet it can be accomplished, and it will be 
 accomplished. In many places the work may be long and ar- 
 duous ; in some it may retrograde ; but it will ultimately be 
 effectual every where. It is very obvious, however, that nothing 
 but the promises of Scripture could have prompted to missionary 
 exertions on the part of those who have any just views of the 
 human heart and of the inveteracy of bad habits. The evil of 
 intemperate drinking will hardly be restrained in any neighbor- 
 hood till schools are established in it ; or at least, till there are 
 some means of stated instruction. On this account it is particu- 
 larly important that the youths educated at Brainerd or elsewhere, 
 should be competent to teach school, and to bear a firm and con- 
 sistent testimony against vice in every shape. All our plans for 
 the benefit of this people will come to nothing, unless God be 
 pleased to continue the work of genuine conversion, which we 
 trust he has begun, and of which there are some bright ex- 
 amples." 
 
198 I^^FE OF EVARTS. 
 
 He found much, however, to encourage him. He met with 
 intelligent natives who appeared to be devotedly pious, and saw 
 evidence that God was calling others to repentance. He was 
 pleased with the appearance of the recent converts. " The man- 
 ner of the Cherokees who pray in public," he says, "is humble 
 and reverential, and at the greatest remove from any thing bois- 
 terous or ostentatious. They speak without hesitation, and in as 
 low a tone as is consistent with being heard." He had the plea- 
 sure, also, of again visiting Mr. Gambold, the Moravian mission- 
 ary, and of conversing with him on various important missionary 
 subjects, particularly those relating to missions among the Chero- 
 kees. He found this excellent rnan fully sympathising with him 
 in regard to their political prospects, and " well aware that a 
 general cession of territory would be their certain destruction, not 
 only as a community, but as individuals." 
 
 After returning to Brainerd and another week of severe labor, 
 he succeeded in completing, much to the satisfaction of all par- 
 ties, the changes that seemed desirable in regard to the location of 
 the several mission families, and the arrangement of their labors. 
 He left the nation with the conviction that never before had there 
 been so much encouragement to evangelical labor among the 
 Cherokees, as then, and entreating the prayers of all, that a bles- 
 sing might follow the changes that had been made. 
 
 It would be natural to look in his correspondence or among his 
 papers, after a visit like this to a people in a state of transition 
 from barbarism to the habits of civilized and Christian life, for a 
 full record of the results of his observations. Sonie fragments of 
 the kind are in fact at hand, written at a midnight hour, after a 
 day of severe labor, or while providentially detained at the dwel- 
 ling of a rude and intoxicated Indian. And when leaving Brain- 
 erd, he wrote to his associates that he had materials enough for 
 many letters, but expressing doubt when, if ever, he should be 
 able to write them out. The fact was, that he was incessantly at 
 work on the business intrusted to him, — business of immense im- 
 portance, and the weight of which pressed heavily upon him. His 
 remaikable memory, with documents and notes having immediate 
 reference to tiiat business, would suffice, he knew, for the pur- 
 poses of the Committee and the Board ; and although he delighted 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 199 
 
 in writing, and was ready to seize for that purpose every moment 
 not otherwise occupied, he found little opportunity even to sketch 
 the facts and characteristics that were continually arresting his 
 attention. The traveller, the philanthropist, the man, were kept in 
 abeyance ; while every moment and every faculty were devoted to 
 the duties of the agent. His mission was discharged with all 
 faithfulness and energy ; and a sufficient record of it as a matter 
 of business, was scrupulously kept. But this was about all. " It 
 may be thought," he says at a later period, of his tour — " it may 
 be thought that I should say more about the missions. The fact 
 is, I cannot give a fair representation in a few sentences. There 
 are many encouragements, and not a few things that ought to teach 
 us wisdom. It is not an easy thing to conduct missions. May the 
 Lord take the cause under his own special care and protection." 
 
 Having completed his business among the Cherokees, he left 
 Brainerd on the 21st of April, and hastened on to the discharge 
 of similar duties in the Choctaw nation. Several weeks were 
 spent th^.e, principally at Mayhew, where he met several mission- 
 aries from their stations. " There are many things at Mayhew," 
 he says, " to please the eye and cheer the heart of the Christian 
 traveller. The natural scenery is both grand and beautiful. As 
 one approaches the mission houses, either from the east or the 
 south, the whole aspect of surrountling objects is fitted to awaken 
 lofty and solemn thoughts. A prairie of unequalled magnificence, 
 covered with luxuriant vegetation, and skirted with the forests of 
 many centuries, invites even the careless to admire the varied 
 works of God. In the margin of this delightful amphitheatre, rise 
 the habitations of those messengers of peace who have taken up 
 their abode with uncivilized men for the sake of their spiritual 
 good. Here is agriculture, beginning to call forth the riches of the 
 soil ; and the mechanic arts, promoting the comfort and resources 
 of the people ; and schools, training the young to principles of 
 knowledge and virtue ; and the church, the pillar and ground of 
 the truth, receiving converts from heathenism and preparing them 
 for Heaven." 
 
 The investigations and arrangements of his laborious agency- 
 having been completed, he returned by way of Natchez and New 
 Orleans, — taking passage thence to New York early in June. Dur- 
 
200 ^^^E ^^ EVARTS. 
 
 ing this tour, he says, " I stood by the grave of Catharine Brown, 
 visited her relatives, saw abundant proofs of the increase of reli- 
 gion in the Cherokee nation, and conferred with all the mission- 
 aries on the condition of their respective stations. Every mission 
 has its troubles and difficulties ; and the truth is very manifest in 
 all parts of the earth, that " except the Lord build the house, they 
 labor in vain that build it." 
 
 The remainder of the year was spent chiefly at home, in the 
 usual dulies'of liis office ; with the additional labor, however, of 
 employing several agents in the formation of auxiliaries and associ- 
 ations, and the preparation of several tracts to assist in the same 
 object of a more general organization in aid of the Board. A few 
 extracts from his correspondence will close the chapter. The first 
 relates to general topics of missionary duty ; others, to an inter- 
 ruption of missionary labors through the violence of wicked men ; 
 and the last is to the bereaved widow of a missionary. They 
 show with what care he watched to promote the well-being and 
 usefulness of missionaries, and how tenderly he sympathized in 
 their trials. 
 
 TO REV. CEPHAS WASHBURN. 
 
 Natchez, May 28, 1824. 
 
 "Missions to the heathen are established with a view to the sal- 
 vation of perishing souls. The object is altogether a religious 
 one, and it should be held continually in view. Piety should be 
 cultivated in all the members of a mission family, and by all the 
 means which are conducive to that end. Still it is evident, that 
 much labor of the hands, and much care and reflection must be 
 applied to secular things, in order that any mission may be prosper- 
 ous ; and especially is this the case with missions where boarding 
 schools are maintained. This secular labor must be undertaken 
 and peiformed from religious motives; and being thus performed, 
 it should proceed with as much alacrity, vigor, and perseverance, 
 as are exercised by prudent men in any worldly pursuit. 
 
 " As missions are supported at great expense, economy in the 
 use of money, time, and labor, is of very great importance. This 
 should be esteemed an indispensable duty, whether the circum- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 201 
 
 Stances and wishes of donors, the obhgations of the Board to the 
 Christian community, or the wants of the heathen are considered. 
 
 " To promote economy in the use of money, the following sug- 
 gestions, with reference to all our Indian missions, may be of use. 
 It is to be considered, that these missions have been supplied by 
 the liberality of the Christian public in a more abundant manner, 
 probably, than any other missions supported by Protestant Chris- 
 tendom. In keeping up the establishments already formed, it may 
 be well to observe the following rules ; viz. 
 
 "1. In all purchases for the use of a mission, let the inquiry be, 
 What can we do without, consistently ivith health and the advan- 
 tageous prosecution of our worJc 1 and not, fVhat ivould be agree- 
 able to us 1 The first inquiry is made of necessity by ninety-nine 
 hundredths of the human race ; or rather an inquiry much more 
 moderate and humble. And even in the most favored parts of the 
 Ciiristian world, and among the most industrious of the people, 
 their expenses are all the while limited by necessity, making slow 
 and gradual advances to comfort and convenience. Shall mission- 
 aries wish to be better supj)Iied than the immense multitude of 
 their brethren, even in those places where prudence and industry 
 meet with their best reward ? The fewer articles there are on 
 hand, the less time and care are necessary to prevent loss and 
 waste. I have always found, when on journeys, that the fewer 
 articles I have had with me, the more comfortably I have got 
 along. Missionaries are pilgrims. 
 
 "2. Let there be as little hired labor as possible. Before any 
 person is hired, let it be rendered as certain as the nature of hu- 
 man things will admit, that the labor will be profitable, and will 
 redound to. the substantial interest of the establishment. And 
 during the progress of the labor, let this be held continually in 
 view ; and, whenever it is found that labor is unprofitable, discon- 
 tinue it. 
 
 "3. Be careful with whom you Intrust property, either in greater 
 or smaller sums. 
 
 "In regard to economy o( time, let it be considered, that oppor 
 tunities of doing good are fleeting and uncertain ; that every year 
 is immensely important to our Indian tribes ; that the commence- 
 ment of other missions to the Aborigines depends much on the 
 26 
 
202 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 success of those which are now in existence ; and that the real 
 conversion of the natives should not be lost sight of, as the mark 
 at which you are aiming. Your duties should, therefore, be so as- 
 signed and divided, that all the time may be perfectly occupied, 
 and none of it be permitted to escape without answering some 
 valuable end. 
 
 " As to economy of labor, what I would principally call your 
 attention to, is the duty of so arranging all your business, that there 
 shall not be any unnecessary labor, either of your own hands, or 
 of persons hired. It should be an object, therefore, to avoid, or 
 rather save, labor in regard to things where it has been thought ne- 
 cessary. Very great improvements can frequently be made in 
 this matUsr, without encroaching upon the claims of neatness or 
 comfort. Provided these two objects are secured, there should be 
 little sacrifice for any thing further ; nor should even comfort be 
 insisted on as indispensable. Many of the servants of God, in 
 every age, have labored in very uncomfortable circumstances. 
 But with care, industry, and patience, it will rarely happen that 
 comfort will, for a long time, be withheld from a faithful mission- 
 ary. 
 
 *' The more I become acquainted with missionary concerns, the 
 more deeply impressed my mind becomes with the truth, that 
 there must be self-denial, there must be arduous labor, there 
 must be watchful care, there must be unremitting diligence, in order 
 to the successful prosecution of the missionary work. It is not 
 an easy matter to raise up the ignorant to knowledge and virtue, 
 to reclaim the wicked, and to minister in bringing to life and 
 holiness those who were dead in trespasses and sins. This labor 
 will beget fatigue, and sometimes sickness ; all which is to be 
 meekly and quietly received, as part of the dealings of a wise and 
 holy Providence. 
 
 " Permit me to say, my dear sir, that I shall long remember with 
 pleasure and gratitude the interesting hours and days which we 
 spent together, in the course of our late journey ; and that I feel 
 a personal attachment which can only arise from personal ac- 
 quaintance. May the Lord preserve you, and enable you to 
 serve him acceptably, and make you a blessing to the heathen." 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 203 
 
 REV. CYRUS KINGSBURY, CHOCTAWS. 
 
 Boston, December 7, 1S24. 
 
 " You have experienced a great loss in the death of Mr. Mose- 
 ley. He was a man of an excellent spirit, and of true devoted- 
 ness. I little thought, when we were consulting last May, that he 
 would be the first to be called from his work. Let his goodness, 
 faith, and patience stimulate survivors to a faithful discharge of 
 their respective trusts. 
 
 " The concerns of the Indian missions lie with great weight 
 upon my mind. Their situation is very critical. I do not appre- 
 hend them in immediate danger of extinction ; but, unless 1 mis- 
 take, they are in great danger of coming far short of our hopes, 
 and of what might be deemed our reasonable expectations ; I 
 mean, the reasonable expectations of the Christian public, consid- 
 ering the encouraging appearances held out, and the vast expenses 
 incurred. 
 
 "The question recurs, how shall this danger be averted? Let 
 this question be well pondered. The Lord must build the house, 
 or it will never be built. But how will he build it ? In my opin- 
 ion, he will build it by an improved character, a more holy and 
 self-denying service, in those whom he employs in every depart- 
 ment of the work. I do not believe a mere alteration of plan 
 will do much. Some improvements, suggested by experience, 
 may be valuable ; but the great improvement to be desired, in the 
 Christian public, in the Committee, in preaching and assistant 
 missionaries, is, greater love for the souls of the heathen, which 
 will lead to a more active, cheerful, and successful prosecution of 
 the work. 
 
 " May the Lord deliver us from our weakness, and supply our 
 manifold deficiencies, and save the souls of the poor benighted 
 heathen, for his name's sake ; and to Him shall be the glory." 
 
 TO MR. MOODY HALL, CHEROKEES. 
 
 Boston, August 20, 1824. 
 
 " I do not wonder that you were greatly alarmed at the attack 
 of Pritchett ; and especially that Mrs. Hall had distressing appre- 
 
204 I^I^E OF EVARTS. 
 
 hensions. But now that you have had time to examine and n- 
 sider, 1 do strongly hope that you will not be driven into precip- 
 itate measures. The whole interruption I consider to be the work 
 of the devil, to prevent the salvation of souls; and I exhort you 
 not to give place to the devil. If you do, he will drive you from 
 one place to another, till he drives you out of your employment, 
 and far away from the service of God. Mrs. Hall will consider 
 that she is under the divine protection ; that no evil can come near 
 her, but by permission of her heavenly Father ; and that all things 
 shall work together for good to those who love God — to those who 
 are called according to his purpose. I exhort her to possess her 
 soul in patience. 
 
 " I feel very solicitous respecting your new converts, and pray 
 that you and Mr. Butrick may have the wisdom to advise, direct, 
 and exhort them in such a manner, that, by the grace of God, they 
 may all stand firm." 
 
 TO THE CHEROKEE CONVERTS WHO HAVE BEEN UNITED IN THE 
 CHURCH AT CARMEL. 
 
 Boston, August 21, 1S24. 
 
 " I cannot begin my letter to you without speaking of the good- 
 ness of God to you in sending you the gospel, and in causing you 
 to hear it, and inclining your hearts to receive it. Unite with me 
 in giving thanks to God for his unspeakable gift. 
 
 " The assault made upon Mr. Hall, on the 26th of April last, 
 was heard of by me with sorrow. The painful apprehensions 
 which he and his family suffered, are much to be regretted, as 
 they broke off his useful labors for a season, and cast a cloud over 
 the station. Let me exhort you, brethren and sisters, to some 
 duties which present circumstances call for. 
 
 '' In the first place, 1 doubt not you will treat Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hall with particular kindness and attention. Christianity makes 
 men kind to each other. Especially should the professors of re- 
 ligion be kind to their teachers, and to those who have devoted 
 their lives to the service of Christ as missionaries. Study, there- 
 fore, I beseech you, those things which will promote the comfort 
 and happiness of your teachers. Endeavor to render them more 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 205 
 
 and more useful. Add your influences to theirs. You will not 
 fail, I hope, to bear a decided testimony against all disorderly 
 conduct. Teach the young what evils come from bad company, 
 profaneness and drinking. Do all in your power to make your 
 settlement distinguished for order, sobriety, and good morals. 
 
 " Again. I exhort you to a life of purity, industry, sobriety, 
 and prayer. The time of our sojourning here is short. The day 
 of the Lord is at hand. Soon we shall appear before him. All 
 our thoughts will then be known ; all our motives will then be 
 examined. May the Lord enable us to see that day with joy, and 
 not with grief. You did well that you invited Mr, Hall to return. 
 May his return be blessed to you and your children." 
 
 TO MRS. S. C. MOSELEY, CHOCTAWS. 
 
 Boston, December 7, 1824. 
 
 "The hand of the Lord has indeed been laid heavily upon you, 
 and you have tasted of the cup of sorrow. For a time you may 
 have nearly sunk under the weight of affliction. We sympathize 
 with you in your trials, and pray that the Lord may cause all that 
 has befallen you to work together for your good. And this I 
 doubt not he will do ; for I trust you are among his friends, among 
 the called according to his purpose. Amidst all your distresses, 
 how numerous are the mercies you have enjoyed ! The great and 
 crowning mercy is, the confident assurance that your dearest earth- 
 ly friend has entered into a state of perfect enjoyment, of uninter- 
 rupted holiness and joy. Add to this the reflection that God 
 knew the best time and manner for his removal, and is able to 
 answer by it his unknown purposes of love and grace. Your 
 plans of domestic happiness are indeed interrupted ; but you may 
 yet be able to see that it was for your improvement in the divine 
 life, and preparation for higher employments, when you shall be 
 united to your departed consort in the world of the blessed. When 
 I saw Mr. Moseley at Mayhew, and consulted with him and the 
 other missionaries, 1 little thought he would be summoned away 
 from his labors so soon. His health appeared better to me than 
 it was in fact. I should have judged him very likely to live to 
 old age. But the Lord seeth not as man seeth. With him our days 
 
206 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 are numbered, and he fixes the bounds of our habitation. I can- 
 not avoid bearing testimony to the excellent spirit which I think 
 was in our departed friend and brother. His temper was amiable 
 and candid ; he expressed his opinions with modesty and with 
 decision ; his eye was single, and his great object was the appro- 
 bation of his Master. His truly missionary example will long be 
 remembered by his associates. They will, as I trust, profit by it. 
 And now, dear madam, what remains, but to commit yourself and 
 all your interests into the hands of your heavenly Father, with 
 steadfast faith ? Ask of him wisdom and a truly devoted spirit, 
 that you may serve him acceptably in whatever sphere you may 
 be called to act. Soon our opportunities of service will be over. 
 Let us do what we can for that blessed Saviour, who has done so 
 much for us. To be a successful missionary requires not only 
 much piety, but much activity and diligence and patient, perse- 
 vering labor. In no other way can the ignorant be instructed, so 
 as to be thoroughly acquainted with the gospel plan of salvation. 
 Much preparatory service is necessary in order to authorize a hope 
 that saving truth may be communicated. It gave me pleasure to 
 hear that you had accompanied Mr. Smith to Eliot with the de- 
 sign of teaching a school there. May the Lord give you some 
 immortal souls from among the young Choctaw females, as the 
 rev/ard of faithful exertions and importunate prayers. 
 
 " I am, dear madam, with affectionate remembrance to the 
 brethren and sisters at Eliot, yours in the gospel, which alone can 
 bring true consolation." 
 
CHAPTER VI, 
 
 CORRESPONDING SECRETARY. 1S25— 1S27. 
 
 BEroRE the end of January, 1825, the labors of Mr. Evarts 
 were again interrupted, to considerable extent, by ill health ; and 
 by advice of his physician he sought relief in a warmer climate, 
 and took passage for Charleston, South Carolina. During the 
 voyage, he prepared for the Missionary Herald a characteristic 
 article on the British and Foreign Bible Society. After details 
 respecting the funds and operations of the Society, collected from 
 its latest Report, he proceeds, in the tone of devoted Christian 
 philanthropy that with him had become habitual : 
 
 " It is gratifying to observe the zeal, enterprise, and persever- 
 ance, by which this institution has been raised to such a state of 
 prosperity. There are many facts in its history, not only in a high 
 degree honorable to its patrons and conductors, but very encour- 
 aging to the conductors of other religious charities. The point has 
 now been settled by actual experiment, that large sums of money 
 can be raised in voluntary contributions, with a good degree of 
 regularity, through a series of years, for the promotion of the spiri- 
 tual interests of mankind. It has been proved, also, that an asso- 
 ciation of individuals may call to its aid such an amount of talent, 
 character, and public spirit, as shall secure the respect and confi- 
 dence of an intelligent community, notwithstanding the opposition 
 of men of perverted minds. There seems to be no inherent dif- 
 ficulty in enlarging these operations to any extent which shall be 
 necessary or desirable. Let the energies of Christendom be 
 directed to the moral renovation of the human race, and greater 
 things will be accomplished, both as to means and results, labors 
 
208 L^^E 0^ EVARTS. 
 
 and successes, designs and achievements, than the most sanguine 
 friends of Bible and Missionary Societies have ever conceived. 
 
 " It is a very happy circumstance attending the exertions of this 
 great institution, that much the larger portion of its funds is sup- 
 j)lied by the poor, and those who, if not poor, are yet far removed 
 from affluence. It would be easy for a few rich men to contribute 
 a much larger sum than has yet been received ; but nothing could 
 be more imhappy than for the rich to be the only persons who 
 should feel themselves called upon to take part in religious char- 
 ities. There are some who seem to lament that a poor man 
 should even be invited to take any part in those labors of love, 
 which are designed to honor his Saviour, and promote the salva- 
 tion of his fellow men. Never was compassion more misplaced. 
 It is, indeed, a shallow philosophy, which supposes that a poor 
 man is a loser, either as to present enjoyment or future hopes, by 
 cheerfully giving a part of his earnings to purchase a Bible for his 
 family, or to send one to a distant stranger. The fact is unques- 
 tionable, that a habit of earning and saving money for religious 
 charity is a most prolific source of enjoyment. It cannot be other- 
 wise. The design is elevated, and imparts its dignity to the mind 
 of a poor man, as easily as to the mind of a rich man. The af- 
 fections called into exercise are benevolent, and tend only to hap- 
 piness. The man who sincerely endeavors to do good to his fel- 
 low men, always receives an ample reward. Especially is this 
 the case when he consults their highest interests, in the use of 
 divinely appointed means, and from evangelical motives. It would 
 be equally absurd and cruel, therefore, to debar the poor man the 
 privilege of casting his mite into the treasury of the Lord. Rather 
 ought he to be encouraged to make larger and still larger offerings, 
 as God shall enable him ; for it may be safely affirmed, that no 
 one who pursues this course, will have occasion to regret it, either 
 here or hereafter. 
 
 " These voluntary contributions, collected from so many thous- 
 ands of individuals, and mostly in small sums, cannot be obtained 
 without great exertions in the way of solicitation, the institution 
 of auxiliary societies, the attending of annual meetings, and the 
 distribution of the Society's publications. In the cities and large 
 towns throughout Great Britain, committees of ladies and gentle- 
 men spend much time in sohciting subscriptions and calling to re- 
 ceive the payment. In some cities, perhaps in many, ladies call 
 weekly on the poor to receive their subscriptions of a penny a 
 week. Many distinguished clergymen take journeys, make ad- 
 dresses, and excite the friends of the Society to continued exer- 
 tions. One gentleman, Mr. C. S. Dudley, has been employed for 
 several years as an agent, in forming and visiting societies in dif- 
 ferent parts of England. The secretaries, assistant secretaries, 
 and clerks, must employ much of their time in the various business 
 of raising funds, as well as in the extensive con-esjjondencc of the 
 Society. All this labor must be continued and increased, if the 
 operations of the Society are continued and increased. The 
 friends of religious charities must not complain, therefore, if they 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 209 
 
 find agencies necessary, unless they would renounce the objects of 
 their attachment and abandon them for ever. Without agents the 
 business cannot be done at all. Without numerous, active, de- 
 voted, public-spirited agents, it cannot be done effectually. 
 
 " In this view of the subject, those who are engaged, either 
 statedly or occasionally, in soliciting the charities of others, should 
 take encouragement to proceed without relaxation in their work. 
 Their part of the process is as important as that of the printer or 
 the translator of the Scriptures, or the missionary among the 
 heathen. 
 
 " We are unwilling to close these remarks without adverting to 
 the small proportion which the money expended in religious char- 
 ity bears to that which is paid for various other objects. The an- 
 nual income of the British and Foreign Bible Society is thought 
 to be a large sura ; and it certainly is not a small one : but it is but 
 about a 7iine hundredth imrt of the annual war expenses of Great 
 Britain, during several years of the late European contest; and 
 less than a three hundredth part of the annual interest now paid by 
 that nation on its war debt. If the sum annually raised by the 
 Bible Society were divided among all the families in the United 
 Kingdom, it would afford about ten cents to each family ; whereas 
 the amount annually paid, during a series of years, for the support 
 of the late war, was not less than ninetij dollars to each family ; 
 and the present annual interest of the war debt is thirty dollars 
 or more, probably thirty-five dollars, to each family. Now it would 
 be as practicable, ivere the people so inclined, to spendninety dollars 
 for cachfamihj through a series of years, for the distribution of the 
 Bible, the support of missionaries, the circulation of tracts, the 
 rehgious education of the poor, and other similar purposes, as it 
 was to spend the same sum for carrying on a war. We would not 
 be understood as saying that it would be practicable to bear 
 both classes of expense, to this full extent, at the same time. 
 But, in the nature of things, it would be as easy for a great popu- 
 lous nation to make a decided and vigorous demonstration of its 
 power and its resources for the honor of God and the salvation of 
 men, as it is for the same nation to make a like demonstration of 
 its power in supporting a popular war, or defending itself from a 
 threatened invasion. Nor would we be understood to inti- 
 mate how large a sum might be wisely expended in the great and 
 stupendous process of meliorating the moral condition of man ; 
 evidently, however, a much larger sum than has ever yet been de- 
 voted to this purpose. The men of future times will have the 
 largeness of heart, and those results of experience, which will 
 enable them to direct the energies of wiser and more enlightened 
 generations than have yet lived upon earth. To them may be 
 left the plans and estimates of that vast moral machinery, which 
 is to affect the millions of the human race. 
 
 " But to return from this digression ; — though war is the most 
 expensive of all the favorite pursuits of man, there are various 
 other ways of spending money, which absorb enormous sums, 
 compared with which, the religious charities of the day are a trifle. 
 
 27 
 
210 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 There are several great landholders in Great Britain, and several 
 capitalists in its metropolis, each of whom has an income greater 
 than that of the British and Foreign Bible Society ; and it is quite 
 moderate to say that the sums expended by the rich in luxurious 
 living, and by them and others in various kinds of intemperance 
 and gross vice, is one or two hundred times greater than the aggre- 
 gate of all that is paid to the Bible Society, and to missionary So- 
 cieties, with all their kindred institutions. 
 
 " To form some judgment of what might be accomplished, in the 
 way of charity, by the people of the British Islands, let the follow- 
 ing view be taken. 
 
 "1. Let us suppose that the j9oor ow/?/ were to take hold of the 
 business of religious charity ; but that they were to do it with the 
 utmost zeal and alacrity — with the same spirit which actuated the 
 poor widow in the Gospel, whose liberality is commemorated and 
 approved by our Saviour himself; — with the same alacrity which 
 enabled the Jews under Nehemiah's direction to complete the wall 
 of the rising city, the rapid progress of which undertaking is suf- 
 ficiently accounted for, when the sacred historian says, /or the peo- 
 ple had a mind to work ; — with that patience which supports men 
 in the pursuit of an object dear to their heart, and attainable by 
 their exertions ; — and with that just estimate, which prefers the 
 pearl of great price to all other acquisitions. 
 
 There are probably in the British Islands not far from four mil- 
 lions of families ; of whom, in the present prosperous times, not 
 more than one tenth are paupers. Let the dividing line between 
 the rich, the middling, and the poorer classes, be so drawn as to 
 include 100,000 families in the first class, 500,000 in the second, 
 and 3,000,000 in the third. Now if these three millions of families 
 were to appropriate to public works of beneficence all that could 
 be saved by abandoning every vice, how vast would be the 
 amount received ! If there were no intemperate drinking, no 
 gaming, no quarrelling, no litigation, no lewdness, no idleness; and 
 all this multitude were industriously employed in providing for their 
 own wants, and then in earning and saving for the cause of 
 Christ, who does not see that their united contributions would form 
 an aggregate of many millions ? 
 
 "2. If the 500,000 families in middling circumstances were to 
 put forth their full strength in the prosecution of the same work, 
 the result would be still greater. There are few who could not 
 give their tens, and many could give their hundreds. It is to be 
 remembered that this class of persons contains a large part of the 
 moral and intellectual force of every country. Here is enterprise, 
 here is industry, which, in the ordinary course of Divine Provi- 
 dence, will command success. 
 
 " 3. There remain 100,000 families of the rich, possessing a 
 greater amount of wealth than any equal number of families in 
 any nation upon earth. Here is the opulent landholder, whose 
 rents surpass the revenues o^ petty States. Here is the great 
 banker, who lends money to the crowned heads of Europe, and 
 the republican governments of America. Here is the merchant, 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 211 
 
 whose ships visit every country, and exchange the commodities of 
 every climate ; and here the enterprising manufacturer, whose 
 skill and capital employ the industry of thousands. Every head 
 of a family in this class could give his hundreds; inany their 
 thousands ; some their tens of thousands. If all the individuals 
 of this class were actuated by the enlarged liberality of Zaccheus, 
 when he said, half my goods I give to tke poor ; if they were dis- 
 posed to comply with the spirit of our Saviour's direction, sell that 
 ye have and give alms ; if they were as much alive to the moral 
 condition of the world, as the wealthy man is to the rise of stocks, 
 or the state of the market ; if they took as much pleasure in aid- 
 ing sinners to escape from the wrath to come and arrive at heaven, 
 as many of them do in erecting and embellishing country houses, 
 or making and supporting expensive gardens, or accumulating 
 money in the funds : in a word, if it were their meat and their 
 drink to do the will of their heavenly Father, nothing could be 
 more easy, than to furnish resources without a parallel in the his- 
 tory of the world. 
 
 '' It may be said that such a state of things as is here supposed, 
 would change the whole face of human society, and alter many of 
 the pursuits of man. True ; and it would alter them all for the 
 belter. It would take countless millions of mankind from trifling, 
 frivolous, and vicious pursuits, and employ them in a course of well 
 directed, manly, and vigorous industry ; and would make all their 
 labor, instead of being wasted, as much of it now is, in vanity and 
 folly, bear uj)on the present comfort and future hopes of the world. 
 We do not say this rashly ; but profess the fullest confidence in 
 being able to prove it, whenever occasion offers, or the time will 
 permit. 
 
 " We have made the preceding calculations with reference to 
 Great Britain, because she is so highly favored as to give the prin- 
 cipal examples of a widely extended and persevering Christian 
 beneficence. But, considering the public burdens resting upon that 
 nation, it is much easier for the people of the United States to 
 raise any moderate sum for rehgious charity, say five millions of 
 dollars in a year, than for the people of Great Britain to raise the 
 same sum. In one sense, both are perfectly and equally easy ; 
 that is, if all who are able, were inclined to give. In that case, it 
 would be as easy for either nation to raise such a sum, as it is for 
 a healthy man to walk or to breathe. But, in another sense, a 
 respectable sum cannot be raised without considerable sacrifice 
 of time, and labor, and influence, on the part of the more liberal 
 and public-spirited. Take the matter as it would prove in fact, 
 and the people of the United States are more able to take a vig- 
 orous part in promoting the moral renovation of the world, than 
 the people of any other country that the sun shines upon. The 
 means of our people being great, and the motives imperative, the 
 path of duty is plain. Oh that the Lord would give a disposition 
 to walk in it." 
 
212 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 At Charleston he was industriously employed in arrangements 
 for the departure of a mission family (Mr. and Mrs. Wright of the 
 Choctaw mission) to their field of labor ; in writing the Annual 
 Report, and in other official labors. Soon after the article on the 
 Bible Society, also, followed another of kindred spirit, relating to 
 an individual in humble life, whose example of Christian liberality 
 Mr. Evarts had always regarded with lively interest, and now held 
 up before the friends of missions, in the hope that it might do 
 something towards awakening a like spirit in others.* 
 
 From Charleston he made a brief visit to Augusta (in company 
 ^ with Mr. and Mrs. Wright, on their way to the scene of their 
 mission) and to Savannah on missionary business ; and soon after his 
 return, he took passage for New York. During his absence he had 
 received intelligence of the death of his youngest daughter, a very 
 dear and lovely child ; and every feeling of the parent's and hus- 
 band's heart urged him immediately home. But the interests of 
 the Board required his attention in New York and Philadelphia, 
 and it w^as not till late in May that he reached Boston. 
 
 A few passages from his journal and correspondence will show 
 what most interested him during these first five months of the 
 year : 
 
 TO AN AGENT OF THE BOARD, 
 
 Boston, February 7, 1825. 
 
 " I greatly desire that Christians should feel that the furnishing 
 the money as God has given the ability, is in itself, if there were 
 a willing mind, beyond comparison, the easiest part of the whole 
 business; and yet, in point of fact, it is beyond measure the 
 hardest. Missionaries can be had, men of fine talents and fine 
 prospects, who are willing to go to the heathen and labor like 
 slaves, among the most degraded and ignorant of their species, 
 without intermission or cessation, till death releases them from their 
 toils. Oceans can be traversed, barbarous languages can be con- 
 quered and reduced to writing, the Bible can be translated, schools 
 can be taught, whole heathen communities can be enlightened and 
 
 * See account of Mr. Solomon Goodell, late of Jamaica, Vermont, Missionary 
 Herald, August, 1S25, (vol.21, p. 256) — afterwards published separately as a tract. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 213 
 
 transformed. At home, persons can be found who will devote 
 their time and powers to superintending missionary concerns, and 
 acting as almoners and agents of the Christian public ; though this 
 is by far a more difficult thing to be obtained than to get laborers 
 for distant fields. In one instance only have we been able to 
 persuade an intended assistant missionary to stop and labor at the 
 Missionary Rooms ; that was the excellent Mr. Chamberlain, now 
 at the Sandwich Islands ; and he consented to the measure only 
 as a temporary thing. Persons can be found who set a noble 
 example of Christian self-denial in order to furnish resources for 
 the support of missions. There are individuals in this city who 
 labor hard in their several employments, or professions with a view 
 to earn money for the service of the Lord ; and having earned it, 
 they lay their plans of economy so as to save it ; and having 
 both earned and saved it, they give up all thoughts of being rich, 
 to which they are tempted by every thing that surrounds them, and 
 by the whole course of this world ; and having thus removed the 
 desire or the intention of being rich, they consecrate to various 
 purposes or religious charity, from three hundred to one thousand 
 dollars each annually. And these are the persons most familiarly 
 acquainted with the manner in which the missionary affairs are 
 conducted. Others, in humble circumstances, but with a zeal not 
 less commendable, give largely of their small earnings. Poor me- 
 chanics, engaged constantly in manual labor, give their ten, twenty, 
 and thirty dollars annually." 
 
 TO THE CEYLON MISSIONARIES. 
 
 Boston, February 7, 1S25. 
 
 " Various letters from your mission, under dates from March to 
 June last, came to hand on the 24th ult. Previous letters, giving 
 some account, or rather a brief notice, of the revival of religion 
 which God has mercifully vouchsafed to you, were received a 
 month before. We would unite with you in ascribing praise and 
 thanksgiving to the Lord of missions for his great goodness in this 
 signal event ; for this earnest of what he is able and willing to 
 do, and of what he may hereafter do, at many stations. Let it 
 teach us and you to pray more fervently and importunately for the 
 
214 I-IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 continual influences of that blessed Spirit who convinces the world 
 of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment, and on whose benign 
 interposition the hopes of our guilty world are suspended. 
 
 " I should think your time might have been well employed in 
 describing various particulars at much greater length : such as the 
 experience of individuals, the reasons you had to judge favorably, 
 the pains taken to guard against deception, and some of the ex- 
 hortations of your brethren of other denominations, (the English 
 Church and Wesleyan Missionaries.) 
 
 " There appeared the more necessity for this, as some of the 
 measures seemed calculated to produce an effect on the animal 
 feelings, especially by way of sympathy. I now refer to your 
 inviting them to rise, to signify their desire to be Christians and 
 to partake of the Lord's Supper, he. 
 
 " All this was doubtless proper; but the reasons for it should, I 
 think, have been stated. Last spring, when I was in the Choc- 
 taw nation, there was some religious excitement at Mayhew, which 
 resulted in the hopeful conversion of two Choctaw girls and sev- 
 eral hired men. A Methodist preached near the mission house 
 on Sabbath evening, and a large part of the pupils attended. 1 
 was present, with Mr. Kingsbury and others. Towards the close 
 of the services the preacher made such representations and pro- 
 posals, as induced all the pupils present to come forward and kneel 
 down in the middle of the room. Now the children acted from 
 the impulse of the moment, with very little knowledge and very 
 little feeling of any kind. The preacher, according to the practice 
 of the country, might reckon them all as real converts ; whereas, 
 in general, they did not furnish a particle of evidence that they 
 had any perception of sin or any desire for salvation. I do not 
 mention this as a case resembling that at Ceylon ; but there are 
 many readers of the Herald who have known much of such 
 hasty proceedings as I have described, and who are unacquainted 
 with the character of the Ceylon missionaries. It is important 
 that they and the public generally should have evidence that great 
 care and caution are used. 
 
 " I believe, indeed, that the Board will, under the blessing of 
 Providence, increase in resources. But my belief is founded on 
 the general aspect of the times, and on the promises of the Bible 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 215 
 
 which relate to the future enlargement of Zlon ; but not at all on 
 our own skill or wisdom, or the hold that we have upon the Chris- 
 tian public, or the interest that the public take in missionary con- 
 cerns, or the reasonableness of the missionary cause, or the ingrat- 
 itude and folly of deserting it. It is the easiest thing in the world, 
 take men as they are, for the cause of missions to be the general 
 subject of praise and approbation, and yet that the pecuniary sup- 
 port of it should be more and more feeble and irregular continu- 
 ally. It requires no self-denial to praise a good cause, or to pe- 
 ruse a missionary magazine once in a while ; but to make large, 
 prompt, and regular offerings of money is quite a different matter. 
 " In regard to your own support and the support of the cause, 
 I think that you should eminently feel that you are pensioners 
 of the Divine bounty ; that you should elevate your eyes and 
 hearts to God ; that you should meekly and humbly plead with 
 Hira who makes daily provision for the ravens ; that you should 
 remember that, while the duty of Christians is plain, and neg- 
 lect and apathy are inexcusable, there are no human means of 
 compelling a performance of this duty ; and that missionaries gen- 
 erally, as the Moravians are apt to do, should use the language of 
 thankfulness for what the good Lord is doing for them and others, 
 rather than the language of complaint, even if brought into great 
 straits, perplexities, and sufferings." 
 
 TO T. L. Mc'KENNY, ESQ. 
 
 Boston, February 14, 1835. 
 
 " In regard to the proposed removal of the Indians, 1 have 
 many fears as to the expected efficacy of the measure, arising 
 principally from the following considerations : 
 
 " 1. The difficulty of finding land which the Indians will con- 
 sider of a quality as good as that which they leave. 
 
 "2. The difficulty of persuading them that it is for their in- 
 terest to remove. Without this persuasion, the more intelligent 
 and industrious will remain long behind, and the more ignorant 
 and idle only will go at first. 
 
 " 3. The difficulty of establishing and maintaining over the 
 

 216 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 emigrants such a government as shall preserve the peace among 
 them, and induce them to provide for their wants by their labor. 
 
 " 4. Tlie certainty that if they live in a habitable region, they 
 will be surrounded and closely hemmed in by a dense population 
 of whites, and of course exposed to the same evils which beset 
 them now. 
 
 " I shall rejoice if these difficulties vanish on experiment, and I 
 honor the benevolent intentions of the President, the Secretary of 
 War, and yourself. May the great Ruler of nations direct to such 
 a course as shall preserve our red brethren from further depression, 
 and greatly elevate them as moral and intelligent beings. 
 
 " As to the office of Commissioner, I have not seen any account 
 of the Act before Congress, and know not what would be ex- 
 pected of one who should receive the appointment. It is not prob- 
 able that my friends here would consent to my accepting any 
 office which would require me to be long absent from home, as I 
 am much occupied with the duties of Corresponding Secretary. 
 I owe it to my own feelings, however, to say that I have often 
 thought, if my domestic circumstances would permit, and I could 
 be released from my duties here, I should delight to be an agent 
 of some kind among the Indians, so that I could labor in the wil- 
 derness with a prospect of success for their benefit. Your intro- 
 duction of this topic emboldens me to suggest that I hope the 
 government will be happy in the selection of Commissioners and 
 agents to carry forward this business. Men are wanted, not only 
 of irreproachable character in every respect, but of enlarged 
 minds, of true benevolence, of public spirit, and of great activity." 
 
 This letter deserves particular attention, as evidence of Mr. 
 Evarts's views of the plan for removing the Indians at that early 
 period, and of his readiness to put the best construction on the 
 motives of those who were concerned in devising and promoting 
 it. If the plan must be acted upon, he was ready, by his sug- 
 gestions and by the aid of missions, to contribute anything in his 
 power to make it safe and salutary. 
 
 " April 7. (Charleston.) Spent the evening very pleasantly at 
 Mr. B's. All the gentlemen agreed that the condition of slaves 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 217 
 
 in this country was much improved within twenty years, and that 
 the general state of society was also improved. The Sabbath is 
 better observed, and there is less profaneness. 
 
 " 14. (On the way to Augusta.) Our road today was over 
 a country almost perfectly level. It may bo doubted whether 
 any part of it is higher above tide-water than some part of the 
 suburbs of Charleston ; that is, perhaps thirty feet. In one field 
 I saw forty negroes at work, principally females, — a black driver 
 sitting upon the fence with a whip in his hand, watching their 
 work. In another field I counted twenty-four. 
 
 " 17. In reading the three last chapters of the Revelations, I 
 was forcibly struck with the vivid representation of eternal realities. 
 Oh may I fix my heart on heaven, and be always directing my 
 course thither ! 
 
 " 19. Walterboro'. A murderer was on trial today. I went 
 into the court-house and examined the appearance of the assem- 
 bly — judge, jury, lawyers, prisoner, and spectators, — a very differ- 
 ent assemblage from what will be seen in a New England court- 
 house. The people bore some resemblance to the lower class of 
 laboring people in the farming districts of New England, except 
 that their health did not appear as good. Some of them were 
 most deplorable exhibitions of the deleterious influence of climate. 
 Tents were erected for grog-shops not far from the court-house ; 
 and among the crowd there was the noise of violence, with much 
 swearing. Many women accompanied their husbands. 
 
 "The fact that a small sandy plain, in the midst of a damp 
 country extending hundreds of miles, should be a preservation 
 against fever, even to northern constitutions, is exceedingly impor- 
 tant in regard to the cause of the fever." 
 
 TO A MISSIONARY. 
 
 Augusta, April 23, 1825. 
 
 " Missionaries should endeavor to make some progress every 
 
 day in their great work. They are apt (and we are all apt) to 
 
 spend the present in preparation, thinking that in future much 
 
 time may be spent in action. But if there is a regular progress — 
 
 28 
 
218 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 if something is done every day — though the advance may not be 
 perceptible at once, the effect will at last be considerable. 
 
 " April 23. I have been much interested in an account of the 
 
 late Mr. , of this place. He was once Mayor of Augusta ; 
 
 and at the time of the death, a member of the U. S. Senate. He 
 had been regardless of divine things through life, till near its close ; 
 but when all hope of recovery from a lingering disease was taken 
 away, he applied himself in earnest to the state of his soul. For 
 a long time he was in a state of utter despair on account of the 
 number and magnitude of his sins. At last he died joyfully, ex- 
 pressing the most undoubting assurance of happiness beyond the 
 grave. Whatever opinion may be entertained of the sincerity of 
 such a repentance, the facts in the case are very useful to be 
 known, 
 
 " May 3. Savannah. Attended the annual meeting of the 
 Savannah Missionary Society. The Rev. Mr. Howe read the 
 Report, which was animated and good. I made observations, or 
 statements, which occupied about eighteen minutes. The Hon. 
 James M. Wayne delivered a formal written address of thirty min- 
 utes. He is at present a Judge of the Supreme Court. He dwelt 
 upon a universal and particular Providence — the baneful effects of 
 idolatry — and laid it down as a principle, that the plan of redemp- 
 tion, as revealed in the Gospel, affords the only adequate remedy 
 for the wants of mankind. The address was calculated to do 
 good ; and I was peculiarly pleased to see a layman of his stand- 
 ing come forward in this manner. 
 
 "6. Charleston. At evening, received letters containing in- 
 telligence of the death of my daughter Sarah. Gladly would I 
 have watched and prayed by her bed-side, if the Lord had per- 
 mitted. May 1 be more faithful to my other children ; and may 
 this Providence be sanctified to them all, and to the afflicted 
 mother. The Lord is righteous in all his dispensations, and ever 
 to be adored and loved. Oh that he would sanctify me by his 
 truth and receive me to himself." 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 219 
 
 TO REV. R. ANDERSON. 
 
 New York, May 20, 1825. 
 
 " I must now ask your attention to a subject of very considerable 
 importance, with a view to your suggesting it to Dr. W., Mr. F., 
 and others. The Tract Society here have appointed a committee 
 to repair to Boston and confer with the American Tract Society 
 on the subject of a union. I hope several of these gentlemen 
 will attend, and that I shall travel in their company. It seems 
 important that matters should be prepared and digested a little ; 
 so that, if a union cannot be eflected, the business may be so man- 
 aged as to leave a happy impression on the minds of the commit- 
 tee. I hope a satisfactory union may yet be formed ; and I am 
 convinced no person will more rejoice in it a few years hence, than 
 the principal patrons of the American Tract Society. Rather 
 than have a debate, I should think it would be well that a resolu- 
 tion be prepared and offered, referring the whole subject of nego- 
 tiation to a committee with full powers. On this resolution, the 
 general reasons for a union could be offered, and the general rea- 
 sons against it also ; but the details, respecting which there would 
 be danger of unadvised speeches, might be left to the committee." 
 
 To understand this extract, and appreciate it as an illustration 
 of the writer's character and habits, the relation of the two So- 
 cieties mentioned should be recollected. The American Tract 
 Society, originally the New England Tract Society, had the seat 
 of its operations at Boston, and had for many years been con- 
 ducted with great judgment and success. Its operations had be- 
 come so extensive, and it was of so national a character, that the 
 change of name was evidently appropriate, and only taking in 
 form the position that its beneficence and activity had secured to 
 it in fact. It was the American Tract Society, before it called 
 itself so. In this state of things the active and devoted friends of 
 the cause in New York extended their plans and prepared to make 
 that city the centre of Tract operations for the Union. It was 
 natural, for many reasons, that the friends of the Boston Society, 
 who had labored in its service and replenished its treasury from 
 the first, and had seen its beneficent influence extending and its re- 
 
220 LI^E OF EVARTS. 
 
 suits becoming more rich, for a long series of years, till it had, through 
 their faithful services, come to be a national institution ; and who 
 had prepared an extensive series of tracts, many of them original, 
 and formed all their plans with a view to independent operations 
 and the supply of the whole country, — it was natural, in these cir- 
 cumstances, that they should be at first somewhat reluctant to take 
 the position of a mere auxiliary to a new society in another city. 
 It seemed to them hardly just to the religious community in the 
 bosom of which the institution had grown up ; and fears were ex- 
 pressed that the warm attachment of many would grow cold. Mr. 
 Evarts, it will be seen, gave these considerations their due weight. 
 He respected the motives and feelings of those who entertained 
 them. But it was his habit, in regard to every religious enterprize, 
 to rise above all local and temporary considerations as completely 
 as above those of mere personal bearing. He fixed his eye on 
 the great cause ; and with a large and liberal survey of its rela- 
 tions and prospects, endeavored to select that plan which would 
 be best for the world and most for the glory of God. Hence his 
 anxiety in this case that the friends of the cause on both sides 
 should meet and part, not only in peace, but with an increase of 
 mutual good will. His own personal feelings were never suffered 
 to interfere with such a question ; and he would have the whole 
 business managed so as not to disturb the personal feelings of any. 
 He knew human frailty, and was always ready to make allow- 
 ances for it ; but for the same reason, he was also ever anxious so 
 to arrange all movements in the Christian world, as to avoid the 
 excitement of unpleasant feeling, and make the friends of truth 
 feel the blessedness of acting together harmoniously. Had this move- 
 ment resulted otherwise than he wished, he would have been none 
 the less ready to cooperate heartily with both the societies, and to do 
 every thing in his power to secure their highest efficiency. He 
 cherished the spirit of a truly Christian republicanism. He had 
 faith in the presence of the Saviour with his people in their delib- 
 erations, and in the strictly Providential overruling of their plans. 
 Hence he was as ready to devote himself to the execution of a 
 plan suggested by another, as if it had been of his own originating. 
 He went where the Divine Providence, by the movement and de- 
 termination of Christian minds, seemed to lead. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 221 
 
 He attended the meeting held to consider this subject, and the 
 result was a union in which all parties have had reason to rejoice. 
 A few months after, in reply to inquiries of the Secretary of the 
 New York Society, he said : " There is no one thing by which your 
 Society could promote the welfare of mankind more effectually than 
 by distributing your publications through many foreign and distant 
 countries, by the aid of missionaries ; while, at the same time, no 
 other part of your proceedings would so certainly or so strongly 
 attract the affections of the Christian community. I rejoice, 
 therefore, in reading the inquiries in your letter, and to say in re- 
 ply, that either now, or at no distant period, you may easily aid 
 every one of our missions." Here we see the origin of the foreign 
 operations of the Tract Society, — which have since swelled to such 
 importance as to demand, in prosecuting them, the expenditure 
 of ^30,000 annually. 
 
 " 24. Reached home. God has seen fit, during my absence, 
 to remove a beloved child. I should have been glad to be 
 present, had he seen fit, at the closing scene. But it has 
 been otherwise ordered, and I have not a word to say. Though I 
 have prayed much and often for my children, jointly and individ- 
 ually, I have to blame myself that I have not done enough for 
 their spiritual interests — have not felt enough for their souls — have 
 not taught them enough their need of a Saviour. Were it in my 
 power, I would most gladly perform offices of kindness for my 
 poor little Sarah. Most gladly would I cherish her, and lead her 
 opening mind to the Saviour of lost men. Little did I think that 
 my opportunities of doing this would so soon be over. 
 
 " 28. Attended the funeral of a child, and visited the tomb 
 of little Sarah — saw the mouldering corpse — an affecting memorial 
 of our weakness and our exposure to death." 
 
 TO THE REV. JONAS KING. 
 
 Boston, June 24, 1S25. 
 
 " I deeply feel for you personally, and for the mission, when I 
 think of the death of our beloved brother Fisk. I had hoped to 
 greet him again in this world, to have the benefit of his advice 
 with reference to the mission in which he labored, and to see him 
 
222 LIFE OF EVARTS, 
 
 sail again for tiie Holy Land. I had hoped to enjoy the pleasure 
 of hearing him address assembled multitudes, and of seeing 
 with what ardent affection he would everywhere be received by his 
 Christian brethren. While I was myself in the bosom of the western 
 wilderness, I read the melancholy news. The same afternoon, in 
 various ways, I heard of the death of intimate friends in Boston. 
 It was to me a solemn season, and I pray that the impression of it 
 may not speedily be erased. Few such men as Mr. Fisk are to be 
 found in any country. Oh that it may please the Lord to raise up 
 many such for our churches at home and our missions abroad ! 
 
 "1 think it will be w^ell for you, both in writing and in conver- 
 sation, and in more public addresses, to have a regard to the notion 
 that is very easily propagated and very apt to prevail, that nothing 
 is accomplished by missionary exertion till converts are made, or 
 at least till the ordinances of religion are firmly established. Men 
 are apt to grow cold in the best of causes, and great and constant 
 exertion is necessary to keep them from fainting. 
 
 " You will see by publications transmitted herewith, that God 
 is exceedingly gracious to our country in sending down showers of 
 Divine grace upon the colleges. We have every reason to praise 
 and magnify his name." 
 
 The occasion of the following letter was this : Elias Boudinot, 
 a very promising Indian youth of the Cherokee nation, while a 
 member of the Mission School at Cornwall, formed a matrimonial 
 engagement with a young lady of that place, of respectable con- 
 nexions. This circumstance caused no little excitement in the 
 neighborhood ; and some of the friends and patrons of the school 
 were led to adopt measures that gave Mr. E. great pain and 
 anxiety. 
 
 TO THE UEV. CALVIN CHAPIN, T>. D. 
 
 Boston, July 5, 1S25. 
 
 " I am extremely distressed to hear of the violent opposition made 
 at Cornwall to the marriage of Boudinot and Colonel Gould's 
 daughter. If the parties have conducted honorably in this matter, 
 and a firm engagement of marriage has been entered into, I do not 
 see how the contract can be proved to be morally wrong ; and if 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 223 
 
 it is not, 1 do not see how others can be justified in compelHng 
 one of the parties to violate it. As to any unpopularity which 
 might attach to the school, through prejudice, ignorance, or mis- 
 apprehension, I should think it much less to be dreaded, than that 
 the agents or teachers of the school should act upon principles 
 which the Christian world will not justify. Can it be pretended, 
 at this age of the world, that a small variance of complexion is to 
 present an insuperable barrier to matrimonial connexions ? or that 
 the different tribes of men are to be kept forever and entirely dis- 
 tinct ? That parents have a right to take these things into consider- 
 ation, and to make them a reason for withholding their consent, I 
 do not deny. But the public have nothing to do with the matter, 
 so long as the public morals are not violated. I do not know of 
 any event which has so threatening an aspect upon the Cherokee 
 mission, nor anything which will be so painful to the missionaries, 
 as that this promising young man should be treated with harshness 
 by his Christian fathers and brethren of the North." 
 
 After the annual meeting of the Board in September, Mr. Evarts 
 spent some weeks in attending the meetings of auxiliary societies 
 in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Having been disappointed in 
 regard to assistance, his labors were very arduous. At one time 
 he made public addresses ten days out of eleven successively ; 
 which, with his health and habits, was more than he could well 
 endure. The people listened with attention, he says, and the 
 meetings were often interesting ; but he was most deeply con- 
 vinced of the necessity of a great work by means of agencies, be- 
 fore the Christian public could be brought to act as the exigencies 
 of the cause demanded. He felt severely his need of assistance, and 
 regretted that persons on whom he had relied, should seem to feel 
 so little of the weight that pressed heavily on his own heart ; yet, 
 after a rather thin meeting, he is glad that they were not present, 
 as they might not have regarded the occasion as worth an effort, 
 and perhaps would have been discouraged, so as to decline such 
 services for the future. And in saying this, he seems to forget his 
 own position, and not to be aware — or rather to regard it as a 
 matter of course and what could not be otherwise, — how he was 
 himself ready to make an effort in the humblest and most limited 
 
224 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 spheres, and was living such a life of faith in the supreme excel- 
 lency of the cause itself, as to be far above discouragement 
 from the circumstances of an auxiliary meeting, whatever they 
 might be. 
 
 Early in 1826, we find Mr. Evarts again taking passage from 
 Boston for Charleston, on his way to the Indian missions, — not, 
 however, merely for the purpose of such a visit, for his con- 
 sumptive symptoms had returned, and a visit to the South was 
 deemed necessary. 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 
 At sea, ia the brig Maine, January 23, 1826. 
 
 "We have now been upon the great waters nearly four days, 
 and I feel happy in being able to resume my pen, though in a 
 smoky cabin and no superabundance of light. Such has always 
 been my experience in voyaging, however, that the good things 
 which I have received from my heavenly Father, have greatly 
 overbalanced any unpleasant circumstances in which I was placed, 
 and have left me plentiful subjects of gratitude and praise. 
 
 " Thursday, January 19th, a little after one, we left Long Wharf 
 and went to sea slowly, with a moderate northerly wind, against 
 the tide. The sun shone clear ; the moon rose beautiful ; the sea 
 was smooth ; and the general aspect of things was as pleasant 
 as can ever be expected upon our northern coast in the winter. 
 
 " Sabbath, January 22. Rose for breakfast, having been tossed 
 in my birth forty-eight hours. The morning was fine — the clouds 
 breaking away, and the sun appearing — thus furnishing many 
 topics of reflection suited to the occasion. The whole day and 
 evening were pleasant ; all was quiet on board ; the sea was very 
 smooth ; I was able to walk and sit on deck ; and we abounded in 
 comforts. 
 
 " Tuesday, January 24. In itself considered, how much more 
 pleasant it is to remain at home, especially at such a home and in 
 such employments as have fallen to my lot, than to be absent on 
 any business or in any pursuit whatever ! This reminds me to 
 speak of health ; and I would say with gratitude, that I have so 
 little cough as would ordinarily excite no attention. I have not 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 225 
 
 had a moment's uneasiness from this cause since I came on board ; 
 except that I have some apprehension as to what may be the 
 effect of a land breeze, or of landing after a short voyage. 
 
 "Charleston, Jan. 28. (After mentioning some complaints against 
 the Board and the results of inquiry,) I notice this matter particularly 
 for the sake of making two observations : — 1. When we hear any 
 complaining, or grumbling, with respect to the doings of our Board, 
 we are apt to overrate its importance. I believe this has been the 
 case invariably hitherto. 2. We must not, however, conclude 
 that, like the king of England, we can do no wrong. We must 
 not be offended, if people suppose we have actually done wrong. 
 We must take it for granted that some will judge with very scanty 
 means of information ; and, although some may hastily blame us, 
 others may blindly applaud our doings. Our only security is in 
 the Divine teaching ; and this is not to be expected without asking 
 for it, nor without using other means of obtaining it. We must 
 deliberate well before we act, and look carefully on every side of 
 a subject ; and when we have done so, we must proceed boldly, 
 not hesitatingly and tremblingly, in what we conceive to be the 
 right course. When we publish, we must see to it that our 
 reasons are in themselves good, and that we make them intel- 
 ligible. We must avoid giving lame accounts, which will need 
 subsequent propping and bolstering. 
 
 " January 30. The following suggestions I make with refer- 
 ence to the next annual meeting of our Board ; and may perhaps 
 make others hereafter. If the union* should be consummated, the 
 Board will probably think it best to elect from twenty to twenty- 
 five members, — say five in New England, and the rest in other 
 parts of the country. It seems to me very important that no elec- 
 tion of a member should be made from motives of policy, — that 
 is, to disarm opposition, to flatter, to gain influence with men in 
 political life, he. he. (Here follows a list of gentlemen suggested 
 as candidates, with remarks.) 
 
 " Attended a meeting of ministers from nine to twelve o'clock. 
 After their regular business was through, I proposed these ques- 
 tions to be answered next week : — Can young colored /iien be 
 
 ♦ Between the Board and the United Foreign Missionary Society. 
 
 29 
 
226 LIFE OF EVAHTS. 
 
 found of suitable character to be taken as beneficiaries, and edu- 
 cated for missionary services in Africa? Will they be found 
 among the free blacks, or the slaves ? 
 
 " February 1. Last night, at one o'clock, we were alarmed by 
 the cry of fire. It proved to be in mills not contiguous to other 
 buildings. The last month has been fruitful in alarms. In twenty 
 different places attempts have been made by incendiaries to burn 
 the city ; and fires have actually broken out in eight or ten 
 instances. Large patrols walk the city every night. It is not 
 supposed that these attempts have their origin with the black 
 population, though some blacks may be used as tools. Fires, 
 however, in a city filled with slaves, are very troublesome occur- 
 rences. The military invariably make their appearance, with 
 arras — quite as regularly as the fire engines." 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 
 " February 2. The more I am acquainted with our country, 
 the more I am convinced of our ability, as a people, to do great 
 things in works of charity. I suppose there are in the Presby- 
 terian churches and congregations of this city, at least twenty men 
 
 who are able to do as much as Mr. ; and perhaps twenty 
 
 others who are able to do as much as Mr. ; and twenty 
 
 others who might do as much as Mr. . Many of these are 
 
 professors of religion, and nearly all are friendly to orthodoxy and 
 missions. Episcopalians have much more wealth than Presby- 
 terians here ; and there is considerable property in the bands of 
 Methodists, Baptists, and others. Southern people have always 
 > been more ready to give their five and ten dollars than Northern 
 people. Hence I argue that the main thing wanted here is, that 
 the principle of religious charity should be cultivated. How 
 much might be done by this single city ? If we had an agent of 
 the right sort in the southern country, he might spend five or ten 
 years advantageously in organizing the inhabitants for this effort 
 and in bringing them to the work. Such an agent as I know Mr. 
 Fisk* to be, might exert an immediate and most salutary influence 
 on the state of religion wherever he labored, while he was leading 
 wealthy individuals to the formation of correct and scriptural 
 habits of charitable exertion." 
 
 * Rev. Pliny Fisk, late missionary to Palestine. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 2'27 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 
 " February 3. This day I close my forty-fifih, and enter upon 
 my forty-sixth year. I can hardly believe I am so old. Sixteen 
 years ago to-day I arrived at Boston, with the design of becoming 
 editor of the Panoplist, and entering upon that course of labor 
 which I have since pursued. During that period, in which, though 
 it appears short, many interesting events have taken place, I 
 have received many favors at the hand of God. My health, with 
 the exception of greater liability to diseases of the lungs, is as 
 good as it was then, and my ability to labor as great. I have 
 occasion to lament my sinfulness, and my failure in respect to all 
 the relative duties, as well as in the duties which I owe to my 
 Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. But, unless my heart deceives 
 me, I entered upon editorial labors, and subsequently upon labors 
 more immediately connected with the missionary cause, from a 
 conviction that I could do more for the church of Christ in this 
 manner, than in any other. Though sensible of numberless imper- 
 fections, and aware that my attachment to the cause of God has 
 been feeble compared with its paramount claims, and that my 
 efforts have not preserved that character of uniform strenuousness, 
 which the urgency of the case demanded ; yet I can deliberately 
 declare that 1 have never published anything which appeared to 
 me inaccurate, unfair, or calculated to mislead ; that I have never 
 used an argument which appeared to me unsound or even doubt- 
 ful ; and that I have never proposed or advocated a measure 
 which did not seem to be consistent with the strictest principles of 
 Christian integrity. While I lament that I have served God with 
 so little faithfulness and zeal, I rejoice that I have had the oppor- 
 tunity of attempting something for the honor of his name ; and I 
 pray that, if my life should be spared, I may have grace to dis- 
 charge my various duties with alacrity ; that I may never lie as a 
 dead weight upon the cause ; and that I may be succeeded by 
 those who shall bring to the work far greater abilities than I ever 
 possessed, with a more devoted spirit, and a more constant and 
 lively interest in the great things of the gospel. I would peni- 
 tently and humbly ask the pardon of all my numerous offences, in 
 the name and for the sake of Christ, in whom is all my hope, and 
 
228 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 to whom I would cheerfully commit all my concerns for time and 
 for eternity." 
 
 While in Charleston, Mr. Evarts spent much time in consulta- 
 tions and arrangements in regard to the formation of an auxiliary 
 missionary society. The object was at length accomplished, 
 much to his satisfaction. After the organization of the society, he 
 says : " On the whole, the meeting was an auspicious one, and 
 we have cause for gratitude. We must remember, however, that 
 annual efforts must be made everywhere, but especially at the 
 South. Everybody here is convinced of this. The most prom- 
 ising part of our plan is, that no engagement is made for future 
 years. Mr. B. gives it as the decided result of his observation, 
 that nothing is to be relied on in the interior of the southern 
 country, any more than in the cities, without an annual effort. It 
 is desirable that persons may be found, in as many places as pos- 
 sible, to make such an effort ; but if this cannot be done, agents 
 must be employed." 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 
 "February 12. Sabbath evening, I went to a Methodist meet- 
 ing. The sermon was serious, and might well lead a serious mind 
 to profitable reflections. To a light mind, there were some things 
 which would naturally excite levity. I was altogether surprised 
 and shocked to find that the greater part of the audience evi- 
 dently came together for purposes of levity, or something worse, 
 if anything can be worse than to go to the house of God for the 
 deliberate purpose of merriment. I should think three fourths of 
 the persons present were young fellows and young ^girls, gaily 
 dressed, whispering, laughing, and prepared to leave the house 
 with far other emotions than the preaching of the gospel was in- 
 tended to produce. They seemed perfectly at home, and very 
 well acquainted with each other. I would not have mentioned 
 these facts, were it not that we ought to know, so far as we can 
 easily learn it, the tendency of different kinds of preaching. 
 These people could not have had any respect for the ministrations 
 which they had previously witnessed there. I was scarcely ever 
 niore struck with the necessity of a well educated ministry, and 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 229 
 
 of having intellectual power and true dignity of character at- 
 tached to the sacred office. There are four Methodist churches 
 in this city, and as many nninisters, who preach in rotation. 
 
 " A great part of the northern young men here are said to be 
 very dissolute. There is no doubt, however, but the state of re- 
 ligion is improving, and open wickedness is not so prevalent as 
 formerly. Sabbath-breaking and profaneness are considered marks 
 of vulgarity, and are not practised by many persons of respecta- 
 ble standing in society. In one respect, (and I am sorry to say 
 it,) there is a falling off. A few years ago there were men who 
 gave larger sums in charity than are now given. These liberal 
 men are dead, and their places are not fully supplied ; though 
 the number of individuals who contribute small sums is increased. 
 
 " A good use may be made of the following case, though the 
 
 name must not be mentioned. Mr. , of this city, but in 
 
 his youth from Rhode Island, was accustomed to give very liber- 
 ally to charitable objects, usually one hundred dollars to each, let 
 the applications be ever so frequent. He was also very kind in 
 lending his credit to young men whom he deemed meritorious, 
 when they were in great need of pecuniary aid. In this way he 
 saved some, perhaps many, from bankruptcy. So liberal was he, 
 that business men said he would give away all his property. 
 About six years ago he died, leaving an estate of ^300,000. 
 His age was above eighty. He was esteemed very pious. I saw 
 him when I was first at Charleston, eight years ago, — a truly ven- 
 erable man. Far from having given away too much, he might 
 evidently have given more without the least injury to his family 
 or any other person. 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 
 " Augusta, February 16. The road from Charleston to Au- 
 gusta is a very dreary one, though not materially different from 
 that to Savannah, to Columbia, to Georgetown, — in short, any of 
 the great roads in the low country of Georgia or South Carolina. 
 We arrived at Jacksonboro', thirty miles from the ferry near 
 Charleston, at dark. In that distance, I counted twenty-two 
 houses on the road, or within three fourths of a mile of it, the po- 
 sition of which I marked as we passed them. Four were gentle- 
 
230 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 men's seats, (winter residences,) and one a tavern. The others 
 were intended only for overseers. Some stood alone ; others were 
 surrounded by negro huts. The cleared land did not occupy 
 more than one third of the way. The rest was forest ; that is, a 
 growth of pines, sparsely scattered. A large part of what is now 
 forest, was formerly cultivated ; some of it twenty years ago, and 
 some of it sixty. I saw ridges, indicating former cultivation, in a 
 part now covered with thick woods; and large pines growing 
 upon a mud bank, formerly the inside of a ditch. The pine 
 grows in this climate with great rapidity. The sea-island cotton 
 grows well upon this road as far as Jacksonboro', and generally 
 twenty or thirty miles from the coast. This is also called black 
 seed and long staple. The other kind of cotton is called indis- 
 criminately by either of the four names, green seed, short staple, 
 upland, and bowed. One of these kinds is gradually changed 
 into the other by carrying the seed for planting from the sea-coast 
 to the back country, and vice versa. It is remarkable that a coun- 
 try of the richest agricultural products in the world, should exhibit 
 to a stranger passing through it, every mark of deep poverty. 
 Slave labor has been known to produce eight hundred dollars a 
 year to each hand employed in cultivating sea-island cotton, and 
 at the present prices has, in some instances, produced nearly that 
 sum. Large plantations, suitable for this crop, would sell for one 
 hundred dollars an acre ; and yet, from various facts stated, many 
 slaves, when their price was high, must have paid for themselves 
 and the land on which they worked, in two years, besides their 
 own support in the mean time. In the interior, much land that 
 will produce a tolerable crop of upland cotton, may be purchased 
 at from two to five dollars. Much land in the three southern 
 States, lying on the Atlantic, covered with pine timber, that would 
 be valuable at the North, would not bring anything here, unless 
 attached to tracts of a better quality. One cause of the poverty 
 of appearance is, that the planters do not live on their plan- 
 tations, except a short time in the winter ; whereas formerly they 
 resided there the whole year. Before the revolutionary war, 
 large families of children were brought up on many plantations, 
 where it would now be at the risk of his life for the owner him- 
 self, born and educated in this climate; to spend a single night 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 231 
 
 between the first of July and the first of October. Many have 
 lost their lives by staying so late as the middle of June. No sat- 
 isfactory explanation of the cause of this change has ever been 
 given. It is said that the present unhealthiness of the low coun- 
 try has caused it to be so much deserted, that many splendid and 
 very expensive mansions have fallen into decay and utter rum. 
 In some places the buildings have entirely disappeared, and the 
 spots where they stood are indicated only by rows of trees that 
 were planted by men of former generations. These facts would 
 seem to support what is said to be Mr. Jefl'erson's theory, that 
 this low country, at some future period, will be in the possession 
 of the blacks. 
 
 " We supped at Jacksonboro', at a tavern kept by a white man, 
 who has a mulatto wife. She keeps a good house for this coun- 
 try — brought much property to her husband — has numerous slaves 
 at her disposal, and they appear neater and better dressed than 
 any other slaves I have yet seen. 
 
 " The land through Barnwell district, for fifty miles, is very 
 poor ; and yet the district is said to contain many wealthy plant- 
 ers. I have no doubt the county of Worcester, Massachusetts, 
 contains more good houses than the whole cotton growing country 
 of the United States, (not including the cities,) although last year's 
 crop of cotton will probably sell for f 24,000,000. 
 
 " Before taking leave of Carolina, I would say that there are ^ 
 some things of a discouraging nature, in regard to the character 
 of slavery and the treatment of slaves. It is now more difficult, 
 than it was a few years ago, to instruct the blacks. Many legal 
 impediments are thrown in the way. Sabbath schools for their 
 benefit cannot be maintained. When they attempt separate wor- 
 ship, with teachers of their own color, they are dispersed, some- 
 times in the most barbarous and cruel manner. The discussions 
 in the northern papers on the subject of slavery, irritate the peo- 
 ple of Carolina (South) and Georgia beyond what you would sup- 
 pose. The paper in the Christian Spectator more than a year 
 ago, excited a great flame here. There is a passage in the paper 
 alluded to, which I was sorry to see at the time. 1 am persuaded, 
 however, that the southern people must make up their minds to 
 have northern people speak rashly, unadvisedly, and ignorantly 
 
232 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 on this subject. With all this allowance, much truth will be 
 spoken, and it will gradually produce its effect. Even now I 
 cannot but think that the cause of freedom is advancing on the 
 whole. A considerable number of the planters are becoming con- 
 scientious on the subject, and are desirous that some means of 
 gradual relief should be discovered. 
 
 " As to a point which I have mentioned once before, the pos- 
 sibility of obtaining young blacks for an education, I was informed 
 by several of the clergy in Charleston, that there would be no 
 difficulty in obtaining a sufficient number. 
 
 " Among the instances of liberality at Charleston is one, I think, 
 which could hardly find a parallel in Boston, and which I would 
 here commemorate, to be used in my projected tract of examples. 
 It is that of . He receives a salary of two thou- 
 sand dollars a year. For some time past he has made it a rule, 
 whenever he receives a quarter's salary, to pay all his debts, and 
 distribute the remainder among different charitable objects. His 
 family is small, and he lives with economy ; and thus he has it in 
 his power to give four hundred dollars a year to different objects. 
 
 " Of all the places which I have visited, this is more given to 
 idolatry of money, than any other which I can recollect. The 
 causes are very evident. A valuable commodity is brought here 
 in great abundance, sold for cash, and forwarded to sell again. 
 This being the case for a series of years, produces a sharp com- 
 petition — the result of which is, that a majority of buyers lose by 
 their business. Since I have been here, cotton has fallen from 
 twelve and a half to ten cents, just twenty per cent. When I 
 was here last spring, the price was twenty-eight cents. Yet a 
 great deal of money is passing from hand to hand, and there is 
 much luxury, dissipation, and extravagance. Religion is very 
 low, and the prospects of the church in this State rather gloomy. 
 
 *' As evening approached, I conversed with a religious man from 
 Hartford, with respect to travelling on the Sabbath. I had felt 
 reluctant to go to-morrow, but the necessity appeared so great,* 
 
 * The stage-coach went only on Sundays and Wednesdays. Attempts to procure 
 a private conveyance to go on Monday were unsuccessful, vk^hile Mr. E.'s engage- 
 ments and appointments to meet missionaries, rendered any delay exceedingly incon- 
 venient. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 233 
 
 that we had made our calculations to set out before day-light in 
 the stage. The result of this conversation and my own reflections 
 was, that we should stay till Wednesday, though such a delay ap- 
 peared a serious misfortune. If 1 had gone, the fact would have 
 been extensively known here, while the causes and motives 
 could not have been known. 1 have long thought, and repeatedly 
 said, that if the Sabbath is preserved in this country, it must be 
 owing to the strict example of Christians. I mean every part of 
 this country ; New England as well as the south. 
 
 " The other day, while coming up from Charleston, I inquired 
 of the stage proprietor why he sent his stage on the Sabbath 
 towards Athens. He said he did it at the particular request of 
 the country merchants, who pleaded that they finished their busi- 
 ness at Augusta on Saturday, and wished to get home so that they 
 might attend to their business on Monday. So deliberate and 
 concerted a plan to violate the Sabbath, I had not previously 
 known. By the operation of this plan, here and at Charleston, 
 we are detained just a week ; and by the fact that the stage here 
 does not follow the arrival of the stage from Charleston, two days 
 more. I pray that this delay may not materially affect the objects 
 of my visit. 
 
 " Paid particular attention to the concert of prayer, which, as 
 you may remember, the missionaries in the Choctaw nation agreed 
 to observe with reference to my intended visit. As you will prob- 
 ably receive this not long after the time when I expect to arrive 
 at Brainerd, I hope you and Mr. Anderson, if you do not observe 
 the same evening, will not forget this subject in your intercessions ; 
 and that you will pray for the following things : viz. 
 
 " 1. That my health may be preserved, so that I may perform 
 the service assigned me, and return to my employments with suffi- 
 cient strength to pursue them. 
 
 " 2. That the weather and other external things may be so or- 
 dered, that I may not be prevented from doing any thing which 
 is really necessary to be done. 
 
 " 3. That I may visit the several stations, and deal with the 
 various individuals there employed, in the exercise of a meek, 
 candid, and faithful spirit. 
 
 " 4. That the missionaries and others may be actuated by the 
 30 
 
234 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 benevolent and self-denying spirit of the Gospel, in all their rep- 
 resentations, plans, and discussions. 
 
 " 5. That those measures may be adopted, which shall most 
 conduce to the permanent prosperity of these missions, the com- 
 fort of the missionaries, and the salvation of the heathen. 
 
 " 6. That the teaching and consolations of the Holy Spirit 
 may be graciously afforded ; and that all concerned may feel the 
 indispensable necessity of the divine blessing in order to any 
 success. 
 
 " 7. That souls may speedily be converted to God ; and that 
 all hopeful converts may be preserved from apostasy, and from 
 bringing any reproach upon the cause of truth and of missions." 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 
 " Feb. 23. Was greatly annoyed in the middle of the night, 
 by the swearing and vociferation of a number of young men, 
 who had been drinking. I do not think I have heard so much 
 swearing, indicating habits of the grossest profaneness, at any 
 public house where I have stopped, within the last twenty years. 
 
 " The people are all alive here on the subject of the Creek 
 treaty, anxiously looking for intelligence from the seat of govern- 
 ment. I am told there is scarcely a native Georgian in the state 
 who will not get into a passion the moment the perfect 
 right of the state to the Creek lands is called in question. We 
 had two fellow passengers yesterday, who avowed their readiness 
 to shoulder their muskets and take possession by force, should it be 
 necessary. I afterwards learned that one of them is a young gen- 
 tleman of property, who was educated in Yale College, and is a 
 
 professor of religion — a friend of revivals — and in general 
 
 a friend of strict principles and northern institutions. So much 
 are men influenced by the circumstances in which they are placed. 
 Our driver, however, said he would not bear arms against the 
 Creeks. He had lived among them two years ; and he did not 
 believe they had been treated fairly." 
 
 TO H. HILL, "ESQ. 
 
 « Sabbath, Feb. 26. This is the third Sabbath which I have 
 spent far from religious ordinances, in this part of Georgia, viz. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 335 
 
 May 4, 1818, at a Mr. Hardy's, formerly a sea captain, twelve 
 miles north-west of Athens, where there was no preaching at 
 that time. The second Sabbath was spent at the iiouse of Mr. 
 Montgomery, a religious man, a little off the road, twenty-two 
 tniles north-west of Athens, April 28, 1822 ; and now, after an in- 
 terval of four years more, I am upon the same ground again. I 
 cannot have the means of judging extensively ; but I should think 
 there had been very little alteration in the moral and religious state 
 of the country within the last eight years. How many of these 
 years of darkness and moral death are to revolve, is known only 
 to the Lord of all, in whose hands are the issues of life. It is as 
 true of these people as of downright heathens, that they must be 
 helped from abroad, or they will never come to the knowledge of 
 the truth. 
 
 " Several travellers stopped, and several visitors arrived and 
 went, in the course of the day ; but we had a room to ourselves, 
 where we attended morning and evening prayers. At the latter, 
 I invited the family of the landlord to be present. All came, ex- 
 cept himself; that is, his wife, two visitors, and five or six children, 
 who gave very good attention. 1 read the sixteenth chapter of 
 Luke, made some observations, and offered a prayer ; then read the 
 latter part of the 25th of Matthew, made some observations, and 
 Mr. Manwaring offered a prayer. We distributed several tracts. 
 The family appeared to have very few books. I saw no Bible, and 
 intended to inquire whether they had any ; but the proper time 
 escaped me. 
 
 " Monday, Feb, 27. The facts with which I became ac- 
 quainted here, agreed perfectly with what T had previously learned, 
 in convincing me that this part of Georgia is one of the healthiest 
 regions in the LTnited States. The influenza has prevailed here 
 lately, and several persons have died of it. But fevers are scarcely 
 known here, and I could not find that any dangerous epidemic pre- 
 vails. As our landlord could not tell of a single disease of which 
 people died, I asked if there are any very old people. He an- 
 swered that the country had not been settled long enough to con- 
 tain old people, as the first inhabitants entered the country when 
 they were young. He thought about as many men died of being 
 'killed, as in any other way ; there being a man in jail for murder 
 
236 l^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 in each of five contiguous counties. The number of inhabitants 
 is small." 
 
 The last date is near the borders of what was then the Indian 
 country, in which Mr. Evarts spent the next two months at hard 
 work, having inspected, during that time, eighteen mission stations. 
 He writes from Candy's Creek, March 1 — " 1 am now on my way 
 to the Baptist mission in the Valley Towns, and expect to return 
 by this place to Brainerd, Willstown, and thence to Creek Path, 
 Huntsville, and Mayhew, where I shall endeavor to be on the first 
 of April. It will be hard work, however, as I must ride every 
 day but the Sabbath, and do a great deal of business of which I 
 cannot get time at present to make any record." Again, dating 
 *' on the Natchez Trace, ten miles N. E. of Ai-ik-hun-nuh, 
 May 1 :" 
 
 " During the last two weeks and a half, I have visited the 
 school at Mr. Juzon's, Emmaus, Goshen, Hachah, (Mr. Gleason's 
 place.) Bethel, and Ai-ik-hun-nuh ; also the place of Mr. Wil- 
 liams's residence ; — have travelled three hundred and forty miles 
 in the wilderness, in company with Messrs. Kingsbury, Byington, 
 and Worcester ; — have slept three times in the woods and twice 
 under sheds near Indian houses ; lost our horses once, when thirty 
 miles from any station ; — been detained for hours by hazardous and 
 difficult creeks in the midst of swamps, where we were compelled to 
 make our unwilling horses swim, and to carry our own saddles and 
 baggage across on slippery logs ; — several times under peals of 
 heavy thunder and threatening rain, and when the heavens wore the 
 most terrific aspect ; twice missed our way and were put to serious 
 inconvenience ; — and in these various ways have been so much 
 hindered, that the two days assigned for our journey from Ai-ik- 
 hun-nuh to Elliot were consumed, and I did not feel warranted to 
 give up the endeavor to be in Philadelphia before the General 
 Assembly rises. I am now on my way with Mr. Kingsbury to 
 Monroe, where I hope to get a guide and proceed to the Chicka- 
 saw Bluffs, (or Memphis,) in the S. W. corner of Tennessee, 
 where I shall aim to get on board a steamboat for Louisville, Cin- 
 cinnati, or Pittsburgh. Whether I shall get to Philadelphia in 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 237 
 
 season, depends upon many Providential dispensations, which we 
 call contingencies, because we can neither foresee nor control 
 thetn. I have written to Mr. Smith and Mr. Howes at Eliot, ex- 
 pressing my regret that 1 could not visit them. This station needs 
 visiting, perhaps, less than any other; as the affairs are managed 
 with great judgment and economy by Mr. Smith. 
 
 "Though our late jaunt has been fatiguing to us all, and in 
 various respects has not been a party of pleasure, yet we have 
 been kindly protected ; — have experienced many interpositions of 
 Providence : have enjoyed constant health, had good appetites 
 and enough to eat, slept soundly, and proceeded on our way 
 cheerfully. I have not mentioned these things to make much of 
 them — least of all that they should be published,— but that you 
 might have a bird's eye view of our travels. 
 
 " We have seen some of the natives far removed from the 
 whites, in the original darkness of their condition, and the sight 
 has made an impression upon our minds which nothing else could 
 have made. 
 
 " Two things are very evident from my journey : one, that it is 
 for the interest of our missions that all persons employed in them 
 as missionaries and school masters should learn the language of the 
 people where they labor, as fast as possible without neglecting 
 pressing duties: the other, that well conducted schools will be 
 greatly instrumental, sooner or later, in introducing the Gospel. 
 
 " It is now time for me to take to my lodgings on the floor, ex- 
 pecting to set out on my journey at break of day." 
 
 TO H. HILL, ESQ. 
 
 Mississippi River, May 10, 1S26. 
 
 " It may be of use to myself, if I should live, and to others 
 who may hereafter travel the same route, to keep a full journal of 
 what strikes the eye, or the mind, while upon this great highway 
 of the Western States, and of Central North America ; a highway 
 which will be more travelled a hundred years hence, than any 
 other thoroughfare in the world. 
 
 " Monday, May 8, 1826. Arrived at Memphis, (fourth and 
 lowest Chickasaw Bluff,) at a quarter past nine in the morning. 
 This place is seven miles north of the line which separates Ten- 
 
238 J-'IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 nessee from Mississippi. It is not yet so rich or so populous as 
 the ancient capital of Egypt. There are four or five stores, and 
 perhaps ten log houses, with two or three poor framed houses. A 
 large framed house is to be erected here this season for a tavern. 
 The land of the back country is rich, but very sparsely settled, 
 and the people are poor. 
 
 " The victory which steam has achieved over the strong cur- 
 rent, the floods, the drift wood, and other numerous obstacles of the 
 Mississippi, is one of the most remarkable things in the history of 
 human improvement. I have never been so much affected with 
 the power of mind over matter, as in witnessing what takes place 
 upon this river. Soon after our arrival to-day, the Paragon from 
 Louisville passed down the river, deeply laden. Her progress, at 
 the rate of fourteen miles an hour, may fitly be compared to the 
 march of a giant. The commotion which such a boat makes in 
 the water, extends from the middle of the river in regiilar waves, 
 which dash with considerable force and noise against each shore, 
 agitating the flat-bottomed boats and every thing else that floats 
 upon the surface. 
 
 " The famous Miss Wright,* the tourist, philanthropist, and 
 emancipator, is here, and desires to take a passage up the river; 
 but it is doubtful whether she would embark in the night. I had 
 not before learned that she has actually entered upon the plan of 
 liberating slaves by means of their own labor; and that she has 
 commenced an establishment, in pursuance of her plan, not many 
 miles from this place. My informant says that she has purchased 
 twenty or thirty slaves, who are to be made free when they shall 
 have reimbursed the purchase money by the avails of their own 
 labor; that she has set them at work, and is sanguine as to the 
 result ; but that she wants more funds than her own resources can 
 supply. It is a part of her design, that the slaves shall be pre- 
 pared for liberty, while they are earning money to pa}'^ for it. 
 
 " As for myself, I have no faith in Miss Wright's capacity to 
 form a feasible plan, or her ability to execute one that should be 
 formed by others. In what kind of labor she employs her slaves, 
 
 * Frances Wright, of English birth and education, of atheistical and libertine prin- 
 ciples, and afterwards married to a Frenchman named Darusmont. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 239 
 
 I forgot to inquire ; but I suspect that the funds which she invests 
 in this manner will be very insecure. 
 
 " In regard to Memphis and the neighborhood, T could not learn 
 that there is any moral culture of the inhabitants. A IMeihodist 
 preacher has sometimes conducted public worship ; but the people 
 were not desirous of hearing him, as he is intemperate. There 
 is not a school, as one of the inhabitants told me, in all that part 
 of Tennessee which lies west of the Tennessee river; a large 
 tract, over the whole of which the inhabitants are thinly scat- 
 tered.* 
 
 " The number of Passengers in the President was not great ; 
 perhaps a dozen in the cabin and one hundred on deck. Her 
 size, tonnage, and accommodations are not large. She is worked 
 on the high pressure principle. Our treatment on board was very 
 civil ; except that one of the passengers was exceedingly profane. 
 His language was very offensive. He is an inhabitant of Louis- 
 iana. Learning that I was connected with missions, he introduced 
 the subject of religion by saying that he had twice been near 
 death by fevers, and that he could never make hiniself believe 
 that he had committed sin enough to cause God to send him to 
 hell. I intimated that he might be mistaken, to which he assented ; 
 but added that he could not think he was. He added that he was 
 no Painite, though he had been for two years of his life ; that he 
 saw the ill effects of Paine's system upon the state of society ; 
 that he read his Bible, when^t home, every day. 
 
 " We travelled eighty or ninety miles, by the course of the 
 river, in the President. Our progress, when in motion, was six 
 
 * While this is going to the press, the following notice of Memphis falls under the 
 editor's eye, which it may be worth the while to copy, as one annong the thousand il- 
 lustrations that might be collected, of the rapid progress of our country in uioral 
 and religious cultivation, as well as in po[)ulation and in wealth : 
 
 " In 1S31, Memphis contained about three hundred inhabitants. At that lime there 
 was no organized church in the place, except the Presbyterian, which contained eight 
 or ten members. There are now nearly two hundred and fifty members m that church. 
 This church raised last year for different benevolent purposes at least three thousand 
 dollars. The Sabbath School enrolls upwards of two hundred pupils. The school 
 contributes money to educate two children in China. The city now contains a popula- 
 tion of between five and six thousand souls, between thirty and forty lawyers, 
 more than forty physicians, three female schools, four male schools, seven ministers, 
 five houses of worship, and three others under contract. The Presbyterian Sewing 
 Society supports one Colporteur." 
 
240 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 miles an hour, against the current, which in the middle of the 
 river, is remarkably uniform, and in the present high waters, is 
 thought to be five miles an hour. Much is gained by the boats, 
 however, in running close by the banks, in eddies, and the most 
 favorable parts of the stream ; while, in descending, they keep 
 the thread of the current, as it is termed. 
 
 "The Caledonia is a superb boat, the largest on the river, and 
 was an object of great admiration, when 1 was at New Orleans in 
 June 1824. She has now three hundred deck passengers, and 
 perhaps forty in the cabin, which is the most spacious apartment 
 of the kind that I remember to have seen. To come from the 
 midst of the forest, from sleeping in the woods, and from poor log 
 houses, where a candle could scarcely be obtained, to a splendid 
 room, surrounded by mirrors and hangings of scarlet and blue, 
 filled with rich furniture, and illuminated with a profusion of sper- 
 maceti candles, afforded one of the most striking contrasts, as to 
 externals, that I had witnessed. 
 
 "Thursday, May 11. At sunrise entered the mouth of the 
 Ohio. The scenery was beautiful. Each river opened before us 
 in a most inviting manner. Both appeared of equal size ; that is, 
 of about the common width of the Mississippi from this place to 
 New Orleans. There is a beautiful farm on the Missouri side, 
 opposite the mouth of the Ohio ; and another is commenced near 
 the point of Illinois. Some predict that this point will hereafter 
 be the site of a great city ; and I see nothing improbable in the 
 supposition. In the highest floods it will probably be overflown 
 one or two feet ; but building lots may easily be elevated above 
 this danger. The appearance of the soil in the three slates here 
 in view is in the highest degree rich, and of inexhaustible fertility. 
 The distance of this place from Memphis, by the course of the 
 river is, according to the Western Pilot, 205 miles. I think it 
 must be more, as it is at least 150 miles in a straight line, that 
 is, just two degrees of latitude veering considerably towards the 
 east. 
 
 " The appearance of the Mississippi and its banks is very inter- 
 esting on several accounts ; but after a while becomes tiresome 
 from its sameness. The vegetation of its banks is of a beautiful 
 green ; and the curves and points of the shores and islands are 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 241 
 
 very graceful. Vast quantities of drift wood are found on the 
 surface when the water is high ; and it is very often necessary to 
 stop the engine, in order to avoid breaking the wheels. There is 
 one striking proof of the strength of the current, which I cannot 
 help remarking. In cases where a bank has been formed from 
 the bottom of the river to its surface, near one side, leaving a pas- 
 sage for water enough to make a small river, there is not only a 
 violent current in this passage, but the parts thus separated from 
 the mass of waters are sometimes two feet lower than the rest of 
 the river, and the water runs over the intervening bank, in the 
 midst of the flood-wood, as over a dam which should raise a 
 stream two feet. The shores of the river are generally from six 
 inches to one or two feet under water at present. The trees are 
 almost exclusively willows and cotton-wood. The latter is a 
 species of poplar, the leaf and upper branches of which greatly 
 resemble the common poplar of New England. The bark of the 
 lower part resembles occasionally that of the black ash, or the 
 elm. The peculiarity of the cotton-wood seems to be, that it 
 grows well in standing water. It is good for nothing, except for 
 fuel when split and thoroughly dried. On this the steamboats 
 will be obliged ultimately to rely, as the ash is nearly exhausted 
 in many places. In some reaches of considerable length beside 
 those which are called Bluffs, the banks are one, two, three, and 
 even six feet above the present level of waters. The difference 
 between high and low water mark is twelve feet at New Orleans ; 
 twenty-five feet at Natchez ; thirty feet at Memphis ; more than 
 that above. 
 
 " My mind has been this day directed to the meeting of the 
 Bible Society, and of the other religious charities, which hold 
 their anniversaries this week. May the Great Head of the church 
 direct in all their deliberations, and may his holy name be 
 glorified. 
 
 "In 1810 or 1811, Mr. Fulton was in Washington, attending 
 to an application for the first steamboat on the Ohio. He then 
 gave it as his opinion, that, in twenty years, there would be fifty 
 boats propelled by steam on the western waters. This was 
 deemed so extravagant as to be excused only by the pardonable 
 31 
 
242 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 frailty of an inventor. But now, in fifteen or sixteen years, 170 
 boats, or more, have been built on these waters, and considerably 
 more than one hundred are now plying. The first was put in 
 motion here in 1814 ; there were but eight in 1818 ; twelve 
 were built last year in Cincinnati, at an average expense of 
 ^20,000 each. Twenty-four others were built between New 
 Albany and Pittsburgh the same year. 
 
 " Saturday, May 13, 1826. The shores of the Ohio are beau- 
 tiful, affording a considerable variety of scenery. I have as yet 
 seen but one steeple, and that a small one ; but I cannot help an- 
 ticipating the time, when the eye shall be delighted with churches, 
 every few miles, and when the whole river shall be lined with 
 cities and villages, indicating a happy and populous community. 
 
 " Two days ago I conversed with Judge , respecting Miss 
 
 Wright's plan for emancipating the blacks. He expressed him- 
 self very strongly to this effect, that the northern people had no 
 business to say any thing about slavery, — it was a thing with 
 which they had no concern ; they should leave it to those among 
 whom it exists. To-day -I proposed to him, as he had often re- 
 flected on the subject, to say what should be done to meliorate 
 the condition of the blacks. ' In the first place,' said he, * send 
 out of the country to Africa, or Hayti, all the free negroes.' To 
 this I assented, and added, but what shall be done for the slaves ? 
 ' Let the same process be continued, which is now commenced, 
 and in which the condition of the slaves is greatly improved with- 
 in my memory. Instances of cruelty are very rare ; and in many 
 cases, strong attachments are formed between slaves and the family 
 of their masters. Let the minds of masters be cultivated, and 
 there is no calculating what the result will be.' 
 
 " Arrived at Louisville at nine. Ascertained that all the steam- 
 boats now here, four in number, will set out for some place up the 
 river to-morrow morning. This activity of public conveyances on 
 the Sabbath I find to be a very great evil. I am very desirous of 
 arriving in Philadelphia as soon as possible. All the boats set 
 out hence on the Sabbath, leaving none for Monday. If we do 
 not go to-morrow, we must wait for some boat to come down and 
 return ; as none of the boats at Shippingport could ascend at this 
 stage of the waters. Besides, two of the boats to set out to- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 243 
 
 morrow are bound to Pittsburgh, and will be more likely to 
 ascend than others, should the river be low. Yet, pressing as 
 these circumstances were, I did not think we should be justified in 
 setting out on the Sabbath. If the same boat in which we came, 
 had continued to ascend, the case would have been different ; but 
 here a new voyage commences ; we are in a large town, where 
 the preaching of the gospel can be attended ; our example would 
 be known, and the reasons for it would not be known. I have 
 been exhorting others not to travel on the Sabbath ; and what 
 would they think and say, if I were unnecessarily to travel in the 
 company of some of them, and leave others attending public 
 worship? The business that I profess to have at heart is the 
 Lord's business ; and he can promote it in Philadelphia without 
 my presence as well as with it. If by staying here over the Sab- 
 bath, [ should be hindered in my journey till after the General 
 Assembly rises, as I think not improbable, it still would not prove 
 that I ought to have proceeded. 
 
 " At the close of service, Dr. Blackburn gave notice that he 
 should be absent on the forenoon of the next Sabbath ; and said 
 he felt bound to assign the reason. He was to attend at the 
 house of a planter, who had a considerable number of servants 
 who were young, and whom he was about dedicating to God in 
 baptism, as their guardian and the person bound to see to their 
 education. The Dr. added, that heads of families were bound to " 
 dedicate not only their children, but their servants, bought with 
 their money, or born in their house, to God in baptism, and to see 
 to their Christian education. 
 
 " 15. Dr. Blackburn assured me that the condition of the 
 slaves was improving, and the way preparing in that state for 
 general emancipation. 
 
 " About noon we took passage in the Velocipede for Wheeling 
 or Pittsburgh. This boat was to have sailed yesterday morning; 
 but one of the engineers was drowned on Saturday night, and she 
 was thus delayed. The banks of this river are here very beauti- 
 ful, and will be delightful indeed, when the country shall have be^ 
 come old and highly cultivated." 
 
244 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 At Philadelphia, the important business that had made him 
 so anxious to meet the General Assembly, was satisfactorily 
 arranged. " The question of consenting to a union between the 
 two Missionary Societies," he writes, " was a good deal debated. 
 The proposal was warmly opposed ; but, on the final question, 
 the measure was carried by a great majority, probably not more 
 than one out of ten having voted in the opposition. The princi- 
 pal ground of opposition was, the apprehension that the mission- 
 aries appointed at some future time might be unsound in the faith, 
 as they would not be under the control of any church, and would 
 not have given their assent to any confession of their common 
 faith. There will be opposition in the Dutch church, and princi- 
 pally on the same ground." The meeting of the Dutch Synod, 
 however, he did not wait to attend, but hastened to Boston, 
 where the summer was spent in the quiet of home, and in the fa- 
 vorite employments of Christian beneficence, to which his office 
 and position called him. His correspondence at this time touches 
 upon a variety of important subjects : 
 
 TO REV. C. KINGSBURY. 
 
 Boston, June 12, 1826. 
 
 " All the brethren and sisters will do well, I think, to read the 
 New Testament, making personal application to themselves, as 
 connected with a mission, of all the passages which relate to 
 Christian intercourse, Christian sympathy, and the bad effects of 
 evil surmisings, &z;c. 
 
 " Why should you not all be encouraged by what God is doing 
 at the Sandwich Islands ? The Choctaws are equally within the 
 reach of his grace. 1 have reason to believe, that every individ- 
 ual connected with the Choctaw mission as a laborer, would re- 
 joice in such a state of things as Mr. Richards describes at La- 
 haina. It would amply repay the labors of a whole life, if a 
 missionary could see inquiring natives anxiously desirous of salva- 
 tion, and flying from the wrath to come. Why should not mis- 
 sionaries in every land look forward to such a state of things with 
 -holy confidence in God ? Why should they not labor diligently 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 245 
 
 and strenuously and cheerfully in this expectation ? Oh that the 
 Lord would impart to them, and their advisers and directors — 
 
 ' The high endeavor and the glad success, 
 The strength to suffer, and the will to serve.' " 
 
 TO THE K.EV. DANIEL S. BUTRICK. 
 
 Boston, June 20, 1826. 
 
 "I reached home on the 9th instant, having experienced much 
 of the Divine favor on my way. There are many things to en- 
 courage us in our missionary work, as well as many to humble us. 
 The union of the Board with the United Foreign Missionary Soci- 
 ety has been consented to by both the ecclesiastical judicatories 
 to which it was referred. But we shall greatly need judicious and 
 faithful agents, and great labor will be required, before the friends 
 of missions throughout the country can be organized so as to afford 
 those resources which the missionary cause demands. 
 
 " Your terms with Mr. are very reasonable, and the 
 
 expense trifling. I would advise you to adhere exactly to these 
 terms, and not contribute any other than the stipulated articles. 
 My principal reason is, that all uncivilized people need to be 
 taught by example the benefit of an exact execution of contracts ; 
 and it is quite injurious to them to give a great deal more than 
 you promise to do. It tends to n^ake them dissatisfied, even 
 when they are generously dealt with, and leads them to think 
 that all are indebted to them, while they are indebted to nobody. 
 
 " 1 strongly desire that abundant pains should be taken with 
 
 Mr. , Mr. , and others, (Cherokee converts,) to 
 
 preserve them from falling, to recover any of them from their wan- 
 derings, to instruct them in the duties of piety, justice, kindness, 
 industry, &;c. No Christian virtue can grow without cultivation. 
 Regenerate men cannot make advances in piety, unless they are 
 taught by human instrumentality ; — at least, the cases are very- 
 rare, in which the human character is much improved without 
 those means which God requires us to use. Be diligent, there- 
 fore, in teaching these men from house to house. You can ac- 
 complish much by simply telling them what good men do in 
 Christian lands, leaving the application to be made by themselves. 
 " You do not mention the state of I.'s health. I feel a great 
 
246 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 interest in that youth. From what I learn, he is affected with an 
 incurable malady. Do request him, from me, to consider whether 
 his peace is made with God, and exhort him to believe and be 
 saved. If you have D. with you, try to gain him also to be on 
 the Lord's side, and to advance towards happiness and heaven. 
 
 " Remember me kindly to the brethren whose names have been 
 mentioned in this letter. May grace, mercy, and peace, abound 
 with them all." 
 
 TO JOHN NITCHIE, ESQ. 
 
 Boston, June 24, 1S26. 
 
 " I sincerely thank you for the very interesting account which 
 you have given of the discussions in the Dutch Synod on the sub- 
 ject of the Union. I hope I am in some measure thankful to God 
 for the happy issue of these discussions ; for happy I must call 
 . the issue, notwithstanding there was so much hesitation in comins: 
 to it. I have no doubt but the debates, both in the General As- 
 sembly and in your Synod, will be productive of much good. 
 The attention of many will have been thus drawn to the subject; 
 the friends of foreign missions and of the union will be roused to 
 greater activity, than if no opposition had been made ; some of 
 the opposers themselves will be convinced, and will become hearty 
 in the cause ; and when the matter comes fairly before the people, 
 as I hope it will come before them in our labors to produce a 
 thorough organization, I have not the least doubt but a great ma- 
 jority of the piety, good sense, humanity and benevolence of the 
 Dutch church will ultimately be enlisted in behalf of the heathen. 
 
 " After I saw you the other day, I conversed with several gen- 
 tlemen on the best time and manner of making a general effort in 
 the city of New York. All agreed in the opinion that the first 
 effort made in the city, after the union shall have been consum- 
 mated, ought to be a general effort, a great effort, and made with 
 all the advantages of which we can avail ourselves." 
 
 TO MESSRS. BIRD AND GOODELL MISSIONARIES, BEYROOT. 
 
 Boston, June 29, 1S26. 
 " When I was at Mayhew, on the 10th of April, I first learned 
 the melancholy fact that Mr. Fisk had been called away from his 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 347 
 
 field of labor — melancholy when regarded in its bearing on the 
 people of Western Asia, and upon the present interests of our 
 Board ; hut joyful when considered as the kind and gracious sum- 
 mons of his Divine Master to a state of freedom from sin and ev- 
 erlasting rewards. There is no need that I should write about 
 our dearly beloved friend, who has thus unexpectedly been re- 
 moved from us. I have esteemed him one of the ablest and most 
 judicious missionaries whom the Christian world has recently em- 
 ployed to promote the interests of Zion. 1 am so much accus- 
 tomed, however, to experience losses and disappointment in the 
 missionary work, and to look upon heaven as a release from the 
 contamination of sin, and I have so strong a conviction that what- 
 ever our heavenly Father does is right, that I cannot feel like 
 mourning much, when our most beloved friends, who have given 
 good evidence of faith in Christ, are removed from us. Still it is 
 a solemn truth, that the removal of burning and shining lights 
 very often is followed by the encroachments of the empire of dark- 
 ness over regions upon which light had begun to shine. When 
 spiritual guides are taken away, it is often in anger, and the poor 
 perishing people are left to grope in error and sin. We ought to 
 pray earnestly, therefore, that the lives of faithful missionaries 
 and ministers may be spared, and that their number may be in- 
 creased a hundred fold. How will the world otherwise become 
 enlightened, reclaimed, converted, sanctified and saved ? " 
 
 TO REV. WILLIAM POTTER, CHEROKEES. 
 
 Boston, July 3, 1826. 
 
 " 1 have the happiness to say that, by the favor of Providence, 
 I reached home on the 9ih ult., not having experienced a mo- 
 ment's sickness since I was confined in your chamber. 
 
 "I feel great interest in the success of your station, especially 
 in its spiritual success. While God is pouring out his Spirit upon 
 so many parts of our land, upon our colleges and schools, upon 
 our young people, upon infidels and profligates, is it too much to 
 hope that he may shed down the same glorious and divine influ- 
 ence upon the Cherokees at all the stations? Pray earnestly for 
 this ; and to your prayers, join constant and faithful labor ; and 
 may the Lord grant you his blessing." 
 
248 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 TO MR. MOSES JEWELL, EMMAUS, CHOCTAWS. 
 
 Boston, July 17th, 1S26. 
 
 " The notice which you take of my late visit, and the effect 
 which you ascribe to it, have a sensible influence in reviving the im- 
 pressions made upon my mind while passing through the Choctaw 
 nation. 1 have always had a great desire to form a personal ac- 
 quaintancetwith all our missionaries, and have regretted that in 
 any one instance, as in the case of Mr. Howes, I have been dis- 
 appointed. It is not in human nature to feel so much for those 
 whom we never saw, as we should feel, if, beside all our other means 
 of knowing their characters, we had conferred with them face to 
 face, on the most mteresting subjects, and had witnessed their 
 manner of speaking and conceiving of things. Since I left Em- 
 maus, my mind has often reverted to your place, and I have fre- 
 quently wished our various interviews, particularly our last ride, 
 could have been prolonged. 
 
 " Our Committee are so fully convinced of the importance of 
 such an acquaintance as you mention, that we now send for the 
 candidates for missionary employment, that they spend some time 
 in Boston for that special purpose. There is a young man at the 
 Rooms now, who may probably become a school-master in the 
 Choctaw nation, and I expect others for other missions in a few 
 weeks.* 
 
 " Beyond a doubt, the best help you can have is that of good 
 missionaries, persons willing to spend and be spent for the sake of 
 Christ and the heathen ; persons who love work, and who always 
 expect and wish to do as much as their strength will admit, and 
 who patiently leave the result to Providence. It is not a vain 
 thing to hope that such persons may be employed, for we have 
 examples of the most gratifying nature in our various missions. 
 It must be admitted, however, that sometimes persons who are 
 not habitually industrious, mistake their calling, and find their 
 way into the missionary field. Such things must be expected in 
 the imperfections of human affairs. But even this class should 
 
 * This practice has since been adopted formally by the Committee, as a rule in re- 
 gard to all candidates. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 249 
 
 not be regarded as useless and hopeless. By mild expostulations, 
 by kind treatment, by showing them the nature of their obliga- 
 tions and the necesshy of vigorous exertions, and especially by 
 setting them a good example, they may be greatly improved 
 in their characters. 
 
 " Your application for assistants will be laid before the Com- 
 mittee, and we shall do what we can for the benefit of your sta- 
 tion. We must depend for assistants on those whom the Lord 
 sends, after we have used the proper means of inquiry. In order 
 to lessen the burden of your cares, I would suggest the following 
 hints : 
 
 " 1. Lay out no new business, unless the state of the mission 
 imperiously demand it. 
 
 *' 2. In transacting old business, or following up an old plan, 
 act as steadily as possible, so that some advances may be made 
 every day. 
 
 " 3. When disappointments occur, receive them mildly and 
 patiently, and limit the evil of them as much as possible. 
 
 " I am sorry you did not mention the state of the school, as I 
 am very desirous to know how education advances at all the sta- 
 tions. Please request Mr. Gage to write concerning the con- 
 duct of the boys, out of school as well as in, and to make any 
 suo-crestions which he thinks will be useful to the Committee. 
 
 TO A GENTLEMAN AT WASHINGTON, WHO HAD SUGGESTED SOME 
 
 MODIFICATIONS OF THE PLAN ADOPTED IN REGARD TO 
 
 MISSIONS AMONG THE INDIANS. 
 
 Boston, July 28, 1S26. 
 
 "Though occupied with pressing business, I have read your 
 letter, and conversed respecting the subject with the Rev. Mr. 
 Vaill, a missionary who has resided nearly six years in the 
 Indian country, and is well acquainted whh the character of at 
 least one tribe, the Osages. He has also seen much of the Chero- 
 kees. I have myself made four visits to missions among the 
 Indians, and within the last six months, have personally inspected 
 eighteen missionary stations. 
 
 " Though I feel a sincere respect for any exhibition of benevo- 
 lence in behalf of our Indians, I must frankly state that I think 
 32 
 
250 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 your plan, so far as its peculiarities are concerned, is erroneous, 
 and will not be successful. 
 
 " The project of intermixing white settlers with Indians, is one 
 to which, of all others, they have the most unconquerable ob- 
 jections. 1 mean to except mission families and such mechanics 
 as the Indians themselves send for. There are weighty reasons 
 why the persons who are to aid in civilizing the Indians should 
 be few, and of the most select character. I have not time to state 
 them. You will find the subject treated with great wisdom and 
 perspicuity in Dr. Dwight's Travels, vol. 3. Modern discoveries 
 have added nothing to the principles there laid down. In a word, 
 such tribes as the Cherokees and Choctaws, who have entered 
 upon a system of proceedings with reference to this matter, would 
 not permit the government to portion out their lands to settlers. 
 The more wandering tribes will never settle side by side with the 
 whites. And, in either case, if the plan were adopted, the Indians 
 "would sink, and gradually disappear, from the single consideration 
 of the inferiority which they would daily feel, and under the 
 withering influence of which they would become extinct, as many 
 tribes have become extinct before them. 
 
 " As to teaching the English language, agriculture, the me- 
 chanic arts, &:c., it is exactly what our Board and other societies 
 have been doing for the last ten years, and the reasons for which 
 you will find in our Annual Reports much at large. The advan- 
 tage of communicating the English language has always been a 
 favorite and familiar topic with us ; yet experience has proved to our 
 full conviction, that it is a more difficult thing to teach English, even 
 to the children, than we had at first supposed ; and that it is wise for 
 some of the persons at every missionary establishment, to learn the 
 language spoken by the Indians at that place. This is useful on 
 every account ; but especially as the medium of communicating 
 divine truth to the minds of the adult population. 
 
 " I am constrained to differ from you as to the duty of preach- 
 ing the Gospel to the natives as soon as possible. There is abun- 
 dant, proof from the days of Eliot to tlie present year, that the 
 word of God, brought home to the mind of an Indian, is capable 
 of producing an entire moral change; and this change operates 
 with more power in promoting civilization, than all other causes 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 251 
 
 whatever. I have known many families perfectly civilized in this 
 manner. I have never known one person civlHzed by mere per- 
 suasion, or by convincing him that he would be more comfortable, 
 or mora happy, than in his native state, though many are ready 
 enough to admit the conclusion. 
 
 Schools, farms, and shops are good auxiliaries ; and without 
 them a good state of society cannot exist, nor can the institutions of 
 religion be permanently enjoyed. But all these things will not 
 civilize a single tribe, if made to occupy the principal place. At 
 least, such are the results of our reasoning and experience. 
 
 " While I say this, I wish to be understood as entirely approving 
 the use made by government of the ten thousand dollars fund. 
 Let that be applied, as it has been, for the support of schools, &;c. 
 But let it be observed that these schools could not be supported as 
 they have been, unless missionary societies had expended a much 
 larger sum." 
 
 TO AN AGENT OF THE BOARD. 
 
 Boston, August 13, 1626. 
 
 " Mr. Anderson has, at my request, written some brief directions. 
 I will only add that I think you will do well to keep the following 
 points in mind : 
 
 " 1st. That an ardent love to the cause of Christ is the best 
 prompter to exertion. 
 
 " 2d. That caution and enterprise must be united, to make a 
 successful agent. 
 
 " 3d. That it should be deeply impressed upon the minds of 
 agents, how much depends on getting z. few persons, of each sex, 
 in every town, heartily engaged in the cause of missions, and de- 
 termined to carry the plan of the Board into execution. All can- 
 not be expected to feel an equal interest in these great concerns, 
 nor have all an equal talent to excite interest in others. While 
 you should endeavor to awaken the whole community, you will be 
 aware that pecuhar pains should be taken in private, to confirm, 
 and establish, and encourage those who are to take a lead in the 
 places where they live. 
 
 " 4th. Take care to guard against delays and procrastination 
 
252 * I^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 in these movements. People are all inclined to say (or nearly 
 all) that the present is an unfavorable time. No doubt the calls 
 are pressing every where, and pecuniary embarrassments are ex- 
 tensively felt ; but the wants of the world are imperious, and will 
 never be less so without human exertion. 
 
 " 5lh. You will explain to the different societies, in what man- 
 ner they can make remittances, and how they are to apply for the 
 Missionary Herald. 
 
 " 6th. If you hear objections to the missionaries, or their man- 
 ner of conducting missions, or to the measures of the Board, you 
 will cultivate a mild and candid spirit — will say that it is not safe 
 to take up an opinion against these operations on slight grounds, 
 and that it is easy to be mistaken in such matters, unless all the 
 facts and circumstances are known. 
 
 *' 7th. Let the tendency of all you do or say be, to raise a high 
 standard of Christian duty in respect to benevolent exertions and 
 the sacrifice of property. 
 
 " 8th. Endeavor to make your hearers feel a responsibility for 
 keeping up the old missions and for sending forth new ones. Show 
 the unreasonableness of shifting the responsibility upon others. The 
 interests of Christ's kingdom are equally the interests of all his 
 disciples, and not the interests of a few only. With these 
 hasty directions, which, however, are prompted by considerable 
 experience, I am, &;c." 
 
 TO A FRIEND IN VIRGINIA A NATIVE OF THAT STATE. 
 
 Boston, August 8, 1826. 
 
 ^'What is to be done with the blacks of this country? There are 
 several preliminary questions. The first is, Are we bound to the 
 profoundest silence on the whole subject of slavery, in all its rela- 
 tions, and with respect to all its consequences ? 
 
 "I should like to see you take up the negative of this question, 
 and pursue it till there should be no room to doubt on the subject. 
 Is it possible that we should have two million souls among us, in 
 a peculiar condition, and that we should be debarred the use of 
 pen and ink, of speech and thought concerning them ? Especially, 
 when these two million will increase to six million, at a very low 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 253 
 
 estimate, in the short space of fifty years, if nothing is done to 
 remove them ? Besides, if it were our duty to be silent, who shall 
 compel the " wilderness of free minds," spread over this vast con- 
 tinent, to remain unmoved ? And if the subject must be thought 
 of and talked about ; and if men will be so obstinate as to write 
 even ; and if it is little short of treason for a northern man to 
 take any interest in the matter ; — why should not southern men 
 take hold of it with zeal, and resolution, and a steady hand ? Why 
 should they not discuss this mighty argument in a manner which 
 becomes it — avowing principles — showing their principles to be 
 defensible on the grounds of reason, justice, Scripture, our politi- 
 cal professions, kindness, humanity, benevolence — laying down 
 plain and palpable rules for the relation of master and slave — 
 coming forward with their projects for the future — telling the world 
 how far slavery is to be a matter of necessity, and how far 
 it is to be fostered as a desirable thing — a lovely evil : — Finally, 
 they should be brought to feel and to avow that they must make 
 up their minds to think and act, or others will; think and act for 
 them. I do not mean in an unconstitutional way, but in some 
 way, which shall have a real and permanent effect. 
 
 "I am not for violent measures. There is not one northern man 
 in a hundred for violent measures. Probably 1 should be consid- 
 ered rather as an apologist for slavery ; because I believe it would 
 be right, and pleasing to God, that this relation should grad- H 
 ually cease, considering the present necessity, rather than that a 
 sudden and universal emancipation should take place, even with 
 the cheerful consent of every slave-holder. It would be right, 
 however, that every slave-holder should feel willing to let his 
 slaves go free as fast as their best interests could be provided 
 for, and should lend his counsels, his influence, and his prayers, 
 that such a provision may be speedily made." 
 
 TO KAAHUMANU, A CHIEF WOMAN AT THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. 
 
 Boston, August 21, 1826 
 
 "Much love to you, my friend. I have heard many things of 
 you in past years. Your kind acts to the missionaries were not 
 forgotten by them. They wrote of them to us in their letters. 
 
254 I^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 But the greatest and best thing which we have heard of you is, 
 that you love the word of Jehovah, and trust in Jesus Christ for 
 salvation. To hear of this, gave us all great joy, and to see it all 
 written in your letter to me, made me feel very happy. 1 give 
 thanks to God, our Heavenly Father, for what he has done for you 
 and the people of your Islands. 
 
 And now let me exhort you to lead a holy life — a life of prayer, 
 and to labor for the good of the young King and his sister, that 
 they may become the children of God, and may be preserved from 
 the evils which are about in the world. Our blessed Saviour has 
 said, " How hardly shall they that have riches, enter the kingdom 
 of God !" And it is so with rulers and great men. They are full 
 of cares. They have many things to do. They are often sur- 
 rounded with evil men, who tempt them to act wickedly. But 
 praised be the name of the Lord, he has mercy upon some great 
 men, and rich men, and kings, as well as upon the poor, and those 
 in a low condition. 
 
 " And we rejoice greatly that you, and Karaimoku, and other 
 chiefs, are, as we hope, brought into the fold of Christ. Oh may 
 you be preserved there, and delivered from every enemy of your 
 peace, and be prepared for heavenly rest ! We pray for you often, 
 and we ask you to pray for us, that we may all meet before our 
 Father's throne. 
 
 " We wish all the men and women and all the children of 
 your Islands, to learn the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning 
 of wisdom. I send my kind salutations to Opiia, to Boki, to Kai- 
 kioeva, and the other chiefs. Let Boki always remember the 
 good advice given him by the King of England. 
 
 " May the kind and merciful Saviour preserve you from sin and 
 receive you to himself, and to him be the glory forever, amen. 
 Your friend in the Gospel." 
 
 TO KARAIMOKU, A CHIEF MAN AT THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. 
 
 Boston, August 21, 1S26. 
 
 " Much love to you, Karaimoku. Your letter to me came to 
 my hands safely. I thank you for it. The people here are very 
 glad to learn that you have forsaken your old ways, and that you 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 255 
 
 love the word of Jehovah. May you love his word more and 
 more. May your mind be enlightened ; may your heart be filled 
 with good desires ; and may you be prepared for heaven. 
 
 *' Be friendly to the missionaries, who went from this country to 
 teach your people. They need your help, so that they may 
 preach to all your people. 
 
 "Let the children all learn to read the word of God. They 
 will then know what Jehovah requires them to do. 
 
 " The Sabbath should be strictly observed. God gave it to 
 man in great kindness and love. By honoring the Sabbath, we 
 honor God who appointed it. 
 
 " You know that the missionaries speak the truth ; that they 
 love you much ; and that their labor for the salvation of your 
 souls is great. 
 
 " Mr. Stewart has just arrived here. He has spoken of you 
 with much kind affection. He greatly desires the good of your- 
 self and your people. His wife is much better in health than 
 when she left the islands. We hope she will be entirely well, and 
 that she will return to you again. 
 
 "■ Trust in Jehovah, and you will be safe. Be afraid of sin. 
 Some of the chiefs of the South Sea Islands, after they appeared 
 to have become the servants of God, have fallen into sin, and have 
 been separated from the people of God. This is a great evil. 
 Pray much against this, and be much on your guard. 
 
 " I very much desire that you may serve God faithfully, and be 
 received at last to dwell with him in heaven. Your affectionate 
 friend in the Gospel." 
 
 TO MRS. HALL. 
 
 Boston, September 5, 1826. 
 
 ** Before you open the inclosed letters, or proceed far in reading 
 these lines, permit me to request that you spend a few moments 
 in prayer to God, that he would enable you to receive any intelli- 
 gence here communicated with a composure and submission which 
 shall be pleasing in his sight. 
 
 " Last evening, while we were at the monthly concert, it was 
 reported that a vessel had arrived directly from Bombay. Toward 
 
256 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 the close of the meeting, letters were brought in, and we learned 
 that mournful news were probably contained in them. We found 
 occasion to recur to those great principles which authorize us to 
 rely at all times upon the mercy, kindness, faithfulness, and right- 
 eousness of all God's dealings with mankind, and upon his peculiar 
 favors to his own children. Though he chastens them for a season, 
 yet he will never leave them nor forsake them, and the afflictions 
 which they experience, though for the present not joyous, but 
 grievous, will work out for them an eternal weight of glory. 
 
 " One of the first letters upon which I fixed my eyes, was 
 written by Mr. Hall himself, at the close of which he infoimed me 
 that he was just setting out on a preaching tour in the interior. 
 This was dated the second of March. 
 
 " From other sources I soon learned that he proceeded on his 
 tour, and was diligently employed in his work for more than two 
 weeks. The cholera prevailed extensively in the country through 
 which he passed. 
 
 " On the twentieth of the month your beloved husband was 
 seized with that terrible disorder. It would seem that he had the 
 command of his faculties ; that he prescribed for himself; that he 
 prayed, and repeatedly ascribed glory to God. The time of his 
 departure had arrived. At twelve o'clock his spirit was released 
 from the body, and I doubt not, was received by his Saviour. 
 
 " And now, my dear Madam, what remains, but that you seek 
 of your Heavenly Father those consolations which He can only 
 give. We tenderly commend you and your little boy to his pater- 
 nal care, and we ask for you his blessing. We sympathize with 
 you in your sorrows, and shall be ready to afford you all the aid 
 and counsel in our power. 
 
 " May you be enriched with spiritual consolations, and guided 
 in the way of life and peace." 
 
 The annual meeting of the Board was held at New Haven. 
 The year had been one of uncommon religious activity, and Mr. 
 Evarts was much, but very pleasantly employed, while at home, in 
 various consultations and labors for the promotion of the Lord's 
 kingdom. The week, had passed away, leaving behind a lively 
 impression of encouragement and increasing hope. His labors 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 257 
 
 were evidently not in vain in the Lord. He left home with a 
 full heart. The spirit that he had labored for so many years to 
 promote, was diffusing itself over the land, and its fruits were seen 
 in numerous revivals of religion, in the multiplication of benevo- 
 lent societies, and in their increased activity and power. The at- 
 mosphere was becoming more congenial ; and his desires and 
 hopes were expressed in the Annual Report, with the freedom and 
 energy that belong to discourse on mighty interests, when the 
 speaker is sure of the hearer's sympathy.* 
 
 " At none of our previous meetings," he says, " have the reasons 
 for mutual congratulation, or the excitements to united thanksgiv- 
 ing, been more numerous or more delightful. Whether we direct 
 our attention to the manifest increase of divine light in the regions 
 of darkness where our missions have been planted; — to the rapid 
 progress of education, under the fostering care of this Board, and of 
 numerous kindred institutions ; — to the power which truth is now 
 exerting, wherever it is brought to bear upon the prejudices, the 
 superstitions, and the idolatries of many generations ; — to the re- 
 markable exhibitions of mercy in the revivals of religion, especially 
 in our colleges and schools, by which the past year has been 
 greatly distinguished ; — to the earnest thus given, that the supply 
 of faithful ministers and missionaries shall not fail, and the proof 
 thus furnished, that the Lord of missions, ever mindful of his 
 promise, is operating, according to his established plan, by means 
 and instruments provided in due season and proper order ; — to the 
 field for evangelical labor, opening and expanding, in many direc- 
 tions, as far as our vision can extend ; — to the simultaneous move- 
 ment of the great religious charities of the day, all informed by the 
 same living principle, and advancing with equal and unfaltering 
 step in the same upward course ; — to the general conviction which 
 has taken possession of reflecting minds, that some great change 
 m the intellectual and moral condition of our race is near ; — to the 
 increased facilities for concentrated and powerful action, afforded 
 by the late happy union of this Board with a sister institution ; — 
 or to the ' earnest expectation of the heathen world,' more apparent 
 than at any former period, that the ' creation ' is to be delivered 
 from the burden of guilt and woe, under which it has ' groaned 
 and travailed in pain till now :' — in short, whether we look at the 
 universal aspect of things, or at any one prominent and peculiar 
 feature of the times in which we live, we are prompted to exclaim. 
 Blessed are the eyes which behold these animating scenes, and 
 blessed are the hands which are permitted to lay hold of these 
 beneficent agencies." 
 
 * The eloquent conclusion of this Report was written at New Haven, on Com- 
 mencement day, when, after having joined the public procession, he retired to his 
 lodgings and devoted to that work the hours of the public exercises. 
 
 33 
 
258 LIFE OF EVART3. 
 
 " It would seem that if a man were permitted to choose the 
 epoch of his short residence on earth with a sole view 1o his 
 greatest usefulness to the church of Christ, it would be difficult for 
 him to prefer any other time to the present. In former ages, the 
 faithful were oMiged to look forward through a long succession of 
 gloomy years, till the domination of the man of sin and of the 
 false prophet should be completed; but now we are able to see 
 under the borders of that black and baleful curtain which the god 
 of this world has drawn over its guilty surface, and is now strug- 
 gling in vain to hold to its original fastenings. The light shines 
 not only in Goshen, but the Egyptian darkness of six thousand 
 years begins to break away, and glimpses of the Sun of Right- 
 eousness are beheld from many a mountain and plain never visited 
 by his beams before ; — sure presage of that effluence of light, 
 which shall cast an air of splendor and beauty over the habitations 
 of men, penetrate the darkest cavern to which guilt has retreated, 
 and melt the massy bars of the dampest dungeon in which either 
 innocence or guilt has been immured. Two or three centuries 
 hence, and the battle will have been fought, the victory achieved, 
 and the opportunity for gaining laurels in this warfare will have 
 passed away. But now is the time for vigorous action, for holy 
 enterprise, for exploits which shall become the theme of grateful 
 recollection and lofty celebration forever. Where is the man 
 emulous of a distinction which God will approve, and panting after 
 a renown which shall never mock the possessor ? Let him put on 
 his armor, and gird himself for the pending controversy. Has he 
 the faculty of speaking in public, and of pleading the cause of mil- 
 lions, groaning under the tyranny of sin, and exposed to its penal- 
 ty? Let him fill his mouth with arguments, and pour forth f^iom a 
 warm heart such a flood of eloquence, as shall sweep away the 
 defences of avarice and the objections of covert infidelity. Let 
 him raise his voice to such a pitch of vehement expostulation, as 
 shall awaken the half slumbering churches, and incite the friends 
 of the Redeemer to deeds worthy of their high calling. Does he 
 hold the pen of a ready writer? He may address himself to the 
 reason and consciences of men, — call into action their dormant 
 energies, — and thus generate an influence which shall extend it- 
 self beyond the powers of human calculation. Can he relate facts, 
 and deliver a consistent testimony to the honor of his God? Then 
 let him recount, in the social and domestic circle, the great events 
 which are transpiring, and the greater and more glorious ones 
 which are foretold. Is he called to the high office of a Christian 
 missionary ? He may immediately erect the banner of the cross 
 upon the ruins of some of Satan's demolished fortresses. Can he 
 teach even a little school of heathen children, in a retired glen 
 among the mountains ? He may lay the foundation for Christian 
 institutions, that shall shed around them a healing power, and re- 
 main an expression of the divine beneficence to the end of time. 
 No man is so highly gifted, as not to find the amplest scope for his 
 talents, were they a thousand times greater than they are ; and no 
 man is so feeble, as to forbid his aspiring after the honor of fur- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 259 
 
 nishing material aid to a cause, which needs and will receive the 
 voluntary services of countless multitudes. 
 
 " We live not only in the most favored age, but in a part of the 
 world where pecuhar advantages for benevolent exertion are ]ire- 
 sented. Far be the thought of boasting, on this sacred occasion, 
 either of our temporal or spiritual privileges. What have we, that 
 we have not received ? What have we, that we have not forfeit- 
 ed by our negligence and ingratitude ? Yet we are not, under the 
 pretence of humility, to remain ignorant of the amazing power 
 which American Christians may now exert upon the destinies of 
 men ; nor unmindful of the account to be rendered of our distin- 
 guished opportunities. In a new and growing country, already 
 containing great resources, and making rapid progress in the ac- 
 quisition of greater; — a country in which a singular impulse has 
 been given to the human faculties, by the great events in our po- 
 litical history, and by the prospect of improving his condition 
 which is held out to every individual ; — a country maintaining a 
 constant intercourse with all parts of the world, and exhibiting a 
 commercial enterprise never surpassed; — and, above all, a country 
 upon which spiritual influences, in the form of revivals of religion, 
 have descended with most benign efficacy for the last thirty 
 years; — in such a country, \vith such resources and such pros- 
 pects, what may not be accomplished for Christ? How shall we 
 limit or restrain our capabilities of receiving and diffusing moral 
 good? Though ChristianSjin many other lands might plead their 
 narrow sphere of action, and the barriers which inclose them on. 
 all sides ; though they might dwell upon their almost universal 
 poverty, and the oppressive burdens which they are compelled to 
 bear ; — no such pleas will avail in our case. And great will be 
 our condemnation, and great our shame, if, while we applaud mag- 
 nificent plans and gigantic efforts in relation to other subjects, we 
 content ourselves with puny calculations and pigmy enterprises 
 for the glory of God and the salvation of men. 
 
 " We shall be the more inexcusable, as we see more living and 
 demonstrative proof than probably was ever seen before, that we 
 may certainly calculate upon a good moral effect from a persever- 
 ing application of good moral power. Every genuine believer in 
 Christianity, and every other person who is willing to see things 
 as they are, may easily be convinced, that the circulation of the 
 Bible, the establishment of schools in which the true religion is 
 taught, and the faithful preaching of the Gospel, will as certainly 
 change the moral condition and prospects of a community, as that 
 the introduction of true systems of geography and astronomy into 
 seminaries of learning will banish the absurdities of Hindoo phi- 
 losophy. Doubtless no human instrumentality is adequate to 
 effect the conversion of a single soul; but wherever human in- 
 strumentaUty is cogently applied to this object, for a series of 
 years, it is so universally attended by a higher influence, that this 
 united effect of human labor and divine energy seems a part of 
 the settled plan of God's administration. It is not more certain 
 that industry tends to the accumulation of property, or that study 
 and observation enrich the mind with knowledge, than that the 
 
260 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 preaching of the Gospel, in whatever country, is made the means 
 of preparing souls for heaven. And to bring the matter home to 
 the bosom of each individual, a man may just as reasonably ex- 
 pend his property in large sums, and in pursuance of a settled plan 
 of action, in the expectation of being the voluntary and happy in- 
 strument of saving souls from death and bringing them to glory, 
 as he may sow his field in expectation of a harvest, or lay the 
 foundation of his house in hope of completing it, or send his ship 
 to sea in hope of a return, lie may as reasonably expect to suc- 
 ceed in the first object, as in the others; and, 'if his motive be 
 right, he cannot fail of his reward. The man who sends a mis- 
 sionary to Africa or Asia, though his missionary should die on the 
 passage, will have it remembered to his honor, when this world 
 shall have passed away, that he stretched out his hand to raise 
 his distant fellow creatures from degradation and sin; that he 
 made a serious effort, at a personal sacrifice, to impart to the suf- 
 ferers on another continent, the blessings which he valued in his 
 owii case ; and that he set an example of benevolence and pubHc 
 spirit, which, if followed by all who entertain similar hopes, would 
 soon change the condition of the world, and fill it with righteous- 
 ness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. The man, who sends 
 forth in different languages a great number of Bibles and tracts, 
 may, after pursuing this course for several years, come to the firm 
 persuasion, that he has aided many souls' in their escape from 
 death, and probably conveyed the light of life to some minds that 
 would otherwise have remained in utter darkness forever. It 
 should be deeply impressed upon the heart of every Christian, 
 especially in these days, that sinners are as truly saved by human 
 instrumentality from sinking into the gulf of perdition, as the ship- 
 wrecked mariner is rescued from a watery grave, by the advent- 
 urous interposition of spectators who hasten to his relief in a life- 
 boat. Why is it, then, that any man should think himself a con- 
 sistent Christian, without laboring as strenuously to exert some 
 agency in bringing immortal souls to glory, as the most enterpris- 
 ing merchant, or the most laborious farmer presses forward in the 
 pursuit of wealth? Both these classes of objects are sought 
 voluntarily, and both with hopes of success. But how amazing 
 the disparity in their value I and with how much alacrity the least 
 valuable are sought, while those which are of more intrinsic worth 
 than the material universe, are neglected !" 
 
 With these feelings and hopes he entered upon the duties of 
 the autumn. "Let me remhid you," he writes to a returned mis- 
 sionary, then about to enter upon an agency for the Board, " let 
 me remind you what a noble part for the cause of God you may, 
 by his grace, have it in your power to assume during the year to 
 come. I know scarcely any sphere of exertion more extensive, or 
 more desirable, than that upon which you are now entering. With 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 261 
 
 the Divine blessing you may do more in one year to hasten the 
 approach of the millennium, than many a faithful minister, even 
 in these days, can do during a long life. Think much of this, 
 and pray much about it ; and when you are composing sermons, 
 remember that a single good paragraph, written with precision, 
 force and unction, may put in motion a thousand active minds, 
 and lead to tens of thousands of blessed results." 
 
 In November he visited New York, to assist in arrangements for 
 enlisting the churches of that city in aid of the Board. The 
 union with the Presbyterian Society having been consummated, it 
 became the duty of the friends of the cause to make that arrange- 
 ment as effective as possible. In this service he spent several 
 weeks, not returning to Boston till one of the last days of the 
 year. It was a lime of unremitted labor, and no little anxiety 
 and perplexity. The formal union that had been effected, was to 
 be made an efficient one ; and the first movements for that end 
 demanded great care, as well as activity and energy. The regu- 
 lar organization necessary in order to bring the subject properly 
 before all the members of the churches, did not always meet with 
 ready concurrence. When meetings had been planned and noti- 
 fied with great care and labor, the result, as to the numbers pre- 
 sent and the amount subscribed, was often disheartening. On 
 one occasion, returning from a meeting in one of the most wealthy 
 churches, he wrote to his associates at Boston : " Those who 
 were present, appeared gratified ; and if I had not thought of the 
 numerous disheartening things which I have witnessed elsewhere, 
 I should have been altogether pleased with the appearance of the 
 people, and should have been full of sanguine hopes as to the re- 
 sult. As it was, I could not help hoping. No objection was 
 made — all were interested and pleased — none were disgusted or 
 offended — all were ready to subscribe — and how much do you 
 think they did subscribe ? I was told by one who summed up 
 the different papers, that eighty-nine dollars were entered ; and I 
 observed that the sums varied from ^10 to fifty cents. I presume 
 that every one felt fully satisfied that he had done his duty. I 
 know not what to say, and therefore say nothing." In other in- 
 stances, however, the results were in a high degree gratifying, and 
 he had the pleasure in each succeeding year to see that these 
 
262 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 efforts had not been in vain, but were likely to produce, as they 
 have done, abundant and increasing fruits of Christian liberality. 
 
 The failure to obtain in New York generally the liberal sub- 
 scriptions that he hoped for, was felt the more sensibly on account 
 of the state of the treasury at the time. 
 
 Yet he performed his agency thoroughly and energetically to 
 the end. "This city and Boston," he said, " ought to be, and 
 must be, closely united in benevolent action." 
 
 While in New York, he also drew up with much care a plan 
 upon which the Tract Society might give its aid to missionary 
 operations without danger of compromising its principles, and 
 with the least possible embarrassment and delay in bringing out 
 the publications in distant parts of the world and in languages 
 unknown in this country. The plan, for substance, was adopted, 
 and still guides these operations. In a letter to the Secretary of 
 the Society, explaining his views, he remarks that, " among the 
 numerous charitable institutions of the present day, there are few 
 indeed which can co-operate so extenrsively and beneficially, as 
 Missionary and Tract Societies ;" that " this co-operation can be 
 continued and extended from the incipient stages of missionary 
 eftbrt to the final triumph of Christianity in every part of the 
 world ;" and concludes, in the catholic spirit that was habitual 
 with him, as follows: " Though my attention is especially drawn 
 to the wants of the missions under the care of our Board, yet I 
 have learned with pleasure that our Baptist brethren in the Cher- 
 okee nation contemplate establishing a mission-press ; and in such 
 an event, I am persuaded that a grant of paper would be a par- 
 ticular favor to that mission and to the people for whose benefit it 
 was instituted." 
 
 TO E.EV. W. A. HALLOCK, SECRETAUY OF THE AMERICAN TRACT 
 
 SOCIETY. 
 
 Boston, January S, 1827. 
 
 " Your letter of December 30th arrived at the Missionary 
 Rooms on the 2d instant, the day before I had the pleasure of en- 
 tering the place where most of all I delight to labor. The kind 
 manner in which I have been made welcome to the Rooms of the 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 263 
 
 Tract Society's House, and the affectionate sympathy with which 
 I was received by your Committee, are gratefully remembered. 
 The deep interest which you and your associates take in the mis- 
 sionary cause, is one among many proofs of the expansive nature 
 of Christian benevolence. Wherever men are seriously engaged 
 in attempts to benefit the souls of their fellow creatures by one 
 process of evangelical labor, they cherish with delight every other 
 process by which the same object is attempted with a reasonable 
 prospect of success. Accept my thanks for the kindness and 
 patience with which you bore interruption in your constant labors, 
 from myself and my coadjutors being so near you." 
 
 Upon the labors and results of his visit to New York, be re- 
 marks, in a letter written after his return : " My visit had been 
 long expected, and the patrons of our Board residing there wished 
 much for some external agency — that is, some agency from abroad. 
 I labored there for six weeks, sometimes in circumstances of great 
 discouragement, and under a most oppressive weight of care, such 
 as I never experienced before. Indeed, this whole service was 
 wearing in the extreme upon my spirits. How much rather would 
 I have been employed as I was with you last April in the Choc- 
 taw wilderness, swimming the head waters of Pearl river ! Drafts 
 for ^25,000 were to be provided for in London ; we had paid 
 for debts and the missions of the United Foreign Missionary So- 
 ciety, more than ^15,000 over and above what we had received 
 through the channels of that Society ; and I dreaded open and 
 irretrievable bankruptcy ; not because we had not credit enough 
 to borrow the money, but because borrowing would only delay 
 the evil, not prevent its pressure. You will have seen our Ad- 
 dress in the February Herald on this subject Our mission- 
 aries at all our old stations may well reflect with great seriousness, 
 that all injudicious and improvident expenditures at these stations 
 greatly retard the sending of aid to those missions abroad which 
 imperiously demand aid ; and I cannot at this moment form an 
 opinion when we shall be able to send a single missionary to Bom- 
 bay, although the voice of the whole Christian world would com- 
 pel us lo send immediately." 
 
264 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 Among the letters written by Mr. Evarts during the few weeks 
 that he now spent in Boston and the vicinity, was a long one of 
 seven sheets to a missionary among the Indians, in which he enters 
 with great minuteness into the discussion of various perplexing 
 questions that embarrassed the operations of the mission. In con- 
 clusion, after referring to a want of brotherly love and of a public 
 spirit in regard to the common interests of the mission, and a dis- 
 position to blame one another, confessedly prevalent at some mis- 
 sions, he concludes in a strain of earnest expostulation, that may 
 well be commended to the prayerful attention of many Christians 
 elsewhere, as well as to those for whom it was written. " The 
 Prudential Committee," he says, "are appealed to most particu- 
 larly for a remedy. Now if the Committee were much wiser than 
 they are, how could they apply a remedy to such a case as this, 
 when it is confessed that the parties live in habitual disregard of 
 some of the plainest commands of the New Testament, such as 
 those which require them to love one another, and to be of the 
 same mind and of the same judgment ; and when, as is too appa- 
 rent, each one seeks his own good, and few of them the things 
 which are Jesus Christ's ? I do not apply these questions to any 
 but those who have made the most ample confessions. The New 
 Testament is the grand directory ; and where that fails of regula- 
 ting the lives of missionaries, what can be done? 
 
 " One solemn appeal I would desire to make to every individ- 
 ual who reads or hears this letter. It is this : If every other in- 
 dividual connected with missions should fail in his duty, I charge 
 you to see that the souls of these poor Indians be not lost through 
 your neglect. If your schools should be relinquished, and your 
 mission houses abandoned to the owls, and weeds should take un- 
 disturbed possession of your fields ; — if the government should 
 become discouraged, and the enemies of the red men should tri- 
 umph in their hopeless degradation, and the failure of Indian 
 missions should bereave other people of spiritual knowledge, and 
 the tide of Christian benevolence should experience a most disas- 
 trous ebb ; — if this course of calamity should be seen, to the dis- 
 may of Christ's friends and the exultation of his foes, resolve that, 
 by the grace of God, you will have no share in producing it ; that 
 you will clear your hands of it utterly; that you will not spend 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 265 
 
 your time in finding fault with others, but in a cheerful and thor- 
 ough devotion of your strength to your own work, in your appro- 
 priate sphere of action. 
 
 " The plan of missions among the Indians may have defects 
 which we have not yet discovered ; and there are some already 
 discovered which do not admit of an immediate remedy ; but I am 
 convinced there is no such defect of plan as will excuse from 
 blame in case of an utter failure. A great responsibility r§sts 
 upon those who are in the field, — a responsibility from which they 
 cannot escape, if they would, and from which they ought not to 
 wish an escape possible. This responsibility consists, not in 
 making new theories, so much as in taking up the cross daily, and 
 following Christ in the regeneration. It appears to me that the 
 spirit of a true missionary would prompt to the exclamation, Woe 
 is me, if the gospel be not preached to these heathen ! Woe is 
 me, if the souls of these Indians perish ! Let me do anything, 
 let me be anything, to subserve this glorious purpose of saving 
 them from ruin ! " 
 
 Of these remarks, he afterwards repeats an expression of anxiety 
 lest they should be misapplied, or unnecessarily injure the feelings 
 of any person in the service of the missions. " I have endeav- 
 ored," he says, " to write just as I think would be useful to my- 
 self, if I were laboring in one of the Indian missions at this time." 
 He adds : " When I began this letter, I thought it possible that 
 I might attempt to visit the Osage missions in April or May next ; 
 in which case I might land at Memphis in March, and spend a 
 fortnight in the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations. But the Com- 
 mittee think my services more important on this side the Alleghany 
 mountains. I am perfectly ready to travel any where, and to do 
 any thing which shall seem to be consistent with the best allot- 
 ment of my time." 
 
 34 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CORRESPONDING SECRETARY. 1827—1828. 
 
 The mind of Mr. Evarts, though early displaying the soundness 
 and equable vigor of maturity, was yet in a state of constant 
 growth. His sphere of activity became rapidly enlarged, but 
 never outgrew his power to discharge its duties. This was 
 especially noticeable when, by the death of Dr. Worcester, he 
 was left the oldest executive officer of the Board, and the only 
 individual acquainted, by personal participation in its concerns, with 
 its whole history, and with all its agencies and relations, at home 
 and abroad. His mind, it was observed, acted with increased 
 freedom and energy, and every new exigency seemed to gird him 
 with new strength and develope new resources. Very early in 
 life he adopted and inscribed in the volumes of his library the 
 motto — 
 
 " Nil sine magno vita lohore dedit mortalihus." 
 
 And just as strongly as he believed that nothing worthy is ever 
 brought to pass in this world without hard work, did he also be- 
 lieve that hy hard work, any man, and himself in particular, could 
 do well whatever it might be incumbent upon him to do at all. The 
 increasing duties of his office from time to time were therefore all 
 met as matters of business, about the adequate discharge of which 
 there ought not to be, and must not be, any question. He shrunk 
 from no task because it was hard, no undertaking because it was 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS 267 
 
 great, no difficulty because it was perplexing. The work of the 
 Lord must not be slighted ; and when, in special exigencies, busi- 
 ness accumulated unexpectedly and beyond the physical energies 
 at command, the hardest and worst of it was yet done promptly 
 and thoroughly. When, in addition to this, we recollect his 
 singular memory, and his ability to command at any moment all 
 that he had ever known of persons and events, we may readily 
 conceive that, as was the fact, he not only kept up with the 
 routine of his work, but went forward in it with constantly in- 
 creasing power and expanding sympathies. 
 
 We now approach another marked period in his history, when 
 his mind and principles were subjected to new tests. It became 
 his duty to spend much time in co-operation or in conflict with men 
 in political life, of the highest ability, and famihar with all the 
 sources of political power and influence. If any such had thought 
 of him hitherto only as the Editor of a Religious Journal, or as 
 the Secretary of a INIissionary Society, and therefore ignorant of 
 what is required and what may be done in those capacities — had 
 regarded him as a man of limited views and resources, and un- 
 fitted for their sphere of action, they were soon undeceived. 
 
 Before the end of February, 1827, he was again at New York, 
 on his way to Washington. He found the affairs of the auxiliary 
 in an encouraging state. " The work," he says, " appeared to be 
 in pretty good progress, four thousand three hundred dollars 
 having been paid to the Treasurer. A letter of directions for Ex- 
 ecutive Committees, Secretaries, and Treasurers, needs to be pre- 
 pared with great care, containing all the useful suggestions which 
 can be thought of. This will relieve our constitution from several 
 details, which impede the business of forming societies." 
 
 " Philadelphia, February 25. Sabbath. Called upon a friend, 
 and accompanied him to Arch-street Church, (Dr. Janeway's) 
 where the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administered. 
 The Doctor preached from I Cor. v. 7, For even Christ our 
 Passover is sacrificed for us, on the design and benefits of the 
 atonement. This text, by the way, would come within the scope 
 of Dr. Channing's reproach and ridicule. 
 
 " Washington, February 27. Learned, to my gratification, that 
 
268 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 Mr. Stewart* made his statement in the Representatives' Cham- 
 ber at the time appointed, and that it was received with much 
 interest. I cannot learn that there were many members of Con- 
 gress present. It was not expected by me that there would be. 
 But the house was full, and the assembly very respectable. Mr. 
 Southardf waited on Mr. S. to the chair, and helped him sing, 
 as he was obliged to be chorister as well as preacher, and to raise 
 the tune, as it is called here. 
 
 "March 2. Mr. Stewart's story appeared so marvellous that 
 all were not able to credit it. Some said it was a priest's story. 
 
 General said he would rather have heard it from a good 
 
 honest sailor ; by which, I suppose, we are to understand that the 
 veracity of ministers of the Gospel is not equal to that of honest 
 sailors. However, there will be a real benefit in having the state- 
 ment made in this place. It will show that we are not afraid to 
 meet the rulers of the people on their own ground, and to state 
 before the world facts tending to prove the value of the Gospel to 
 the most debased of our species. 
 
 " 3. Called on Colonel M'Kee, formerly Indian Agent among 
 the Choctaws. I inquired what he thought would ultimately be- 
 come of the Choctaws and Chickasaws. He says they will sell 
 their land and remove beyond the Mississippi, or they will waste 
 away and become extinct. He adds that, as a people, they are 
 in much worse circumstances now than ten years ago. He attrib- 
 utes this deterioration principally to the vicinity of the whites, 
 and the greater facilities thus furnished for the introduction of 
 whiskey. Several Indians whom he formerly knew to be pos- 
 sessed of considerable property, are now mere vagabonds, having 
 spent all they were worth for whiskey. 
 
 "■ These reasons would weigh powerfully in favor of a removal 
 of the Indians, if it were possible to get them out of the reach of 
 vicious white men. As the case now is, I think their prospects 
 very gloomy. Individuals may be converted, and in this let us 
 rejoice ; and, perhaps, we ought not to give up the hope that, as 
 communities, they may be Christianized and preserved. The 
 history of savage nations, however, coming into close contact with 
 
 * Rev. C. S. Stewart, then lately returned from the Sandwich I&lands. 
 t Secretary of the Navy. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 269 
 
 civilized ones, gives us little reason to make very sanguine con- 
 clusions as to the preservation of the former in their national 
 capacity." 
 
 At this time Mr. Evarts found the controversy between Geor- 
 gia and the Cherokees, which finally resulted in the removal of 
 the latter from their native soil and the graves of their fathers, 
 already occupying the attention of Congress. On the 2d of 
 March, Mr. Everett, of Massachusetts, made in the House of Rep- 
 resentatives a report sustaining the claims of the Cherokees to 
 jurisdiction within their own territory, independent of the States, 
 as secured to them by treaty. Mr. Drayton, of South Carolina, 
 presented resolutions of an opposite tenor, maintaining that the 
 mdi vidua! States have entire jurisdiction over the Indians within 
 their respective chartered limits. Mr. Evarts was present, and 
 while in Washington watched the progress of the discussion with 
 the liveliest interest. 
 
 He was chiefly employed, however, with Mr. Stewart, in at- 
 tending missionary meetings, assisting in the organization of asso- 
 ciations, he, in which work he found the usual obstacles and en- 
 couragements. " It takes a great while," he says, after attending 
 such meetings for several days in succession, " it takes a great 
 while to raise people up to the proper standard of giving. We 
 must be patient, and proceed as fast as we can. In the mean 
 time, let us examine well our own motives, and strive to urge 
 others to act with a supreme reference to the glory of God." 
 
 "March 9. Yesterday I called with Mr. S. upon the Presi' 
 dent. He was alone, but we had not more than well entered 
 into conversation before others were admitted, and they were suc- 
 ceeded by another, till I found there was little hope of seeing him 
 alone again, and therefore came away. I wished to speak to him 
 freely on the subject of our missions among the Indians, and be- 
 gan with some observations on the late Georgia controversy. I 
 thought it my duty to say to him, that so far as I had learned or 
 could judge, the late stand taken by the Government was warmly 
 approved ; and that this approbation rested not so much upon the 
 present controversy, as upon the principle asserted : viz. that the 
 
270 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 Indians are to be protected in their rights. I added that I pre- 
 sumed the present difficulty might easily be settled by the pur- 
 chase of the narrow strip of land now claimed of the Creeks by 
 Georgia ; but that the same principles would be applicable to 
 other disputes, which would probably arise soon, and therefore it 
 was of great consequence to have them distinctly asserted. He 
 appeared rather gratified. 
 
 " Last evening Mr. S. and myself attended a meeting in Mr. 
 
 's congregation, for the purpose of organizing an association. 
 
 We pursued the usual course with the usual success. The people 
 were pleased with what they heard ; at least they appeared to be 
 pleased ; but not much zeal was discovered when they came to 
 act. We had dined at Georgetown, and after dinner met the col- 
 lectors and endeavored to inspirit them ; which was no easy mat- 
 ter. If there were in each congregation some two or three per- 
 sons who would determine to labor hard in this cause, a great re- 
 sult would be produced." 
 
 "March 10. Col. related to me the following facts rela- 
 tive to the Treaty of the Indian Springs [between the United 
 States and the Creek Indians,] which was formed in February, 
 1825. The commissioners were expressly directed by the Gov- 
 ernment not to treat at all, unless with the Creek Nation. They 
 wrote for farther instructions, stating that they could not get the 
 consent of the people at large, and wishing to be informed if they 
 might not treat with part of the chiefs. Mr. Calhoun answered, 
 that they must not treat with any persons, whether chiefs or not, 
 unless they were authorized to speak for the people. And yet 
 the commissioners made the treaty with a few persons whom they 
 knew to be unauthorized, and sent it on to Washington in the 
 greatest haste, that it might arrive before the Senate should ad- 
 journ. When Mr. Calhoun received it, he sent for Col. , 
 
 and they looked over the signatures together. They were per- 
 fectly convinced that the highest chiefs and the mass of the peo- 
 ple had nothing to do with it ; and that the transaction was dis- 
 graceful in the extreme, and ought to be instantly disowned. Mr. 
 Calhoun expressed himself very strongly on the subject ; went ' 
 over to the President's immediately with the document, and ad- 
 vised him to send it back without even laying it before the Senate. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 271 
 
 Mr. Monroe, however, whose term of office was about to expire ia 
 two or three days, thought he had better send it to the Senate, 
 and let that body take the responsibihty of rejecting it. He sent 
 with it the letter of the Agent, objecting to its validity ; but as 
 the same Agent had signed the treaty as a witness ; as no person 
 in the Senate was able and willing to explain the transaction ; 
 and as the friends of Georgia and the enemies of the Indians 
 pressed the subject with extraordinary zeal and urgency, the 
 treaty was ratified and sent back to Mr. Adams, who had be- 
 come President. He doubtless disapproved the measure, but was 
 not then acquainted with all its enormity. He felt himself to be 
 in delicate circumstances, and wished to avoid collision with 
 Georgia, if possible. He therefore assented to the treaty ; but, 
 soon after, learning more of its true character, he entered upoQ 
 those negotiations which led to the treaty of 1826, by which the 
 former was annulled. The two commissioners who effected the 
 treaty of 1825, were citizens of Georgia, and acted entirely un- 
 der the influence of her views and wishes. Thus were the rights 
 of these poor dependent Indians bartered away ; and there was 
 no man in the Senate of the United States who could show the 
 rest the rottenness and vileness of the whole transaction. 
 
 " Mr. Barbour entertained the same opinion as I have just ex- 
 pressed, in regard to the treaty of 1825, at the Indian Springs. 
 He said there was not a man in the United States, who, if the 
 facts were laid before him, could hesitate to say that that treaty 
 was fraudulent and void ; that in transactions between man and 
 man, the attempt to enforce such a contract would be highly dis- 
 honorable ; and that those men in Georgia who would insist upon 
 vested rights under that treaty, would not hesitate to take the 
 Cherokee lands without a treaty. 
 
 " Mr, Barbour then went into a long exposition of his views in 
 regard to the Indians, which are substantially the same with those 
 contained in his report on the subject, of February 1826. One 
 great argument in favor of a removal of the Indians is, that they 
 cannot remain where they are, on account of the determination of 
 the States of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi that they shall 
 not. This cupidity of the States, he thinks, will not be perma- 
 nently resisted by the General Government. If, in the election of 
 
272 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 President, the vote of Georgia should be necessary to a choice, 
 Mr. Barbour supposes that men might possibly be found who 
 would engage to do whatever Georgia should require. ' It was not 
 to be disguised,' he said, ' that the solicitude now was, who shall 
 rule over us, rather than what the rulers shall do for the good of 
 the people.' There is no question that he is right in his opinion ; 
 and that this evil is of so prominent and notorious a character, as 
 to form the most common topic of lamentation, complaint, and 
 crimination, among all classes of people at Washington. These 
 are humiliating facts ; and should teach us that there is no safe 
 reliance, except upon the kind overruling providence of God. 
 
 " Monday, March 12. Alexandria. Called on Mr. Keith, the 
 Episcopal minister, yesterday, and again to-day. He is a man of 
 the most catholic spirit, and warmly evangelical. He had given 
 notice the day before of a meeting in his church this evening, 
 which was held accordingly. A respectable number were pre- 
 sent. Mr. Stewart spoke, and I followed. This is the first time 
 (no, it is the third time) that I have spoken in an Episcopal 
 church. The other two instances were at Georgetown and Fred- 
 ericksburgh, three years ago, when I was with David Brown. 
 
 "March 18. Norfolk. You judged correctly that I should 
 feel a deep interest in Mr. Goodell's letter,* of which you sent me 
 a copy. I read it with great eagerness as soon as I received it, 
 on board the steamboat, stopping repeatedly to indulge my feel- 
 ings of admiration, and I hope of gratitude, for the remarkable 
 progress of divine truth in that darkest region that has ever been 
 professedly Christian. I was happy to receive so interesting and 
 animating an account of your Monthly Concert. Very little at- 
 tention is paid to that season, so far as [ can learn, any where in 
 the Middle States. It is very rare to find a man,. even among the 
 intelligent part of the community, who knows anything about 
 missions ; and in most places it would seem to be the work of 
 years to excite even a small degree of attention to the subject. 
 
 " Called upon Mr. Southard immediately after breakfast, and 
 conversed with him alone on two important points, namely, the 
 Percival affair, and the appointment of a consul to reside at the 
 Sandwich Islands. 
 
 * From Beiri^t, relating to affairs at Constantinople. — 3Iiss. Herald, vol. xxiii, p. 112. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 275 
 
 " 19. I believe 1 mentioned in one of my late letters, that 
 such is the impression made by the late fire here, that it would not 
 be wise to attempt to raise funds for our Board at present. In- 
 deed, to be yielding and silent is the only course ; for we should 
 not be supported by any considerable number of friends, should 
 we make the attempt ; while we should expose the cause to the 
 charge of rashness and presumption. It is not the fact, however, 
 that the fire has made any real difference in the ability of the mass 
 of the people to give, or that it has occasioned any general dis- 
 tress, or is a subject of great lamentation. But the people have 
 faint and feeble views in regard to the obligation and extent of 
 claims upon them for the cause of Christ ; and while this is the 
 case, nothing can be done which seems to encroach upon the in- 
 terests of the suffering poor at their doors." 
 
 From Norfolk he proceeded to Petersburgh and Richmond, in 
 both which cities the agency was prosecuted with the usual suc- 
 cess. 
 
 " Richmond, 27th. It is extremely difficult for an agent or an 
 officer of the Board, to know what to say, when wishing to bring 
 home to the conscience the duty of forming an elevated standard 
 of Christian charity. On the one hand, you are in danger of 
 making people contented with themselves, when they do not give 
 one fiftieth part as much as they ought to give ; and on the other, 
 you may easily offend them by pressing an argument, or by 
 stating what others are actually doing, 1 every day see the need 
 of a tract of examples, to be circulated very freely in those parts 
 of the country which are to be visited by agents. 
 
 " 28. Attended a meeting in the Presbyterian church, where 
 between one hundred and fifty and two hundred persons assem- 
 bled. They felt much interested ; and at the close, appointed 
 the officers of the former missionary society, a committee to re- 
 port concerning a new organization ; which, I have no doubt, will 
 be readily adopted. 1 do not flatter myself with the expectation 
 of any great results. I shall not be surprised if Mr. Bissell shall 
 raise more in the single village of Rochester, for the ten years to 
 come, than will be raised in the great State of Virginia, for mis- 
 sions to the heathen." 
 35 
 
274 LIFE OF EVART3. 
 
 His visit to Virginia was found afterwards to have produced a 
 deeper and more lasting impression in favor of missions than these 
 extracts indicate. . 
 
 TO REV. C. KINGSBURY. 
 
 Washington city, April 5, 1S27. 
 
 " Yesterday I called on Mr. Varnum, at his house in this city, 
 and he showed me your letter of March 4lh, on the subject of the 
 alleged influence of the missionaries in reference to the removal 
 of the Indians. I think your observations very proper and just ; 
 and that you need never be afraid of communicating your delib- 
 erate thoughts on this subject to any member of Congress, or 
 any member of the government. 
 
 " I have conversed with the Secretary of War and with Col. 
 McKenney repeatedly of late, on the subject of our policy toward 
 the Indians. Their views are substantially the same as appear 
 in the report of that Department of February 3, 1826, which I 
 read with you at Mayhew. I told the Secretary that I approved 
 the benevolent spirit of that report ; and that I thought the 
 character of this country was never so deeply concerned in this 
 matter as at the present moment. Neither he nor Col. McKen- 
 ney would urge the removal of the Indians, unless upon the fol- 
 lowing conditions : 
 
 " 1. That they may be satisfied themselves with the country 
 to which they are to be removed. 
 
 " 2. That this country be secured to them, in such a manner 
 that there shall be no danger of molestation hereafter. 
 
 " 3. That the intrusion of the whites shall be prevented. 
 
 " 4. That a good government, and the means of instruction, 
 and of permanent improvement, shall be secured. 
 
 " 5. That, in order to derive benefit from experience, the 
 work of removal must be slow. 
 
 *' On these principles, I certainly have not a single feeling ad- 
 verse to the experiment being made. The subject is attended 
 with many difficulties, let us take what course we may. 
 
 " As to the duty of missionaries, however, the case is very clear. 
 They should not interfere at all with the political matters of the 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS 275 
 
 Indians : and when asked what the government will do, the answer 
 should always be — The President says the Indians shall not go 
 without their own consent ; and they must judge for themselves 
 whether it is best for them to go or stay. 
 
 " We have some pleasing intelligence in regard to the missions 
 which have lately come under our care near Buffalo, and at Mack- 
 inaw ; and there are some causes of anxiety. 
 
 " May the Lord bless his own truth, and fill the world with his 
 glory." 
 
 In another letter of the same date and upon the same subject, 
 he says: " Nothing effectual will ever be done, unless the people 
 take the matter in hand and compel Congress to give the subject 
 an impartial consideration. If this is not practicable, the poor 
 Indians will be trodden under foot, and hunted down like wild 
 beasts, although the Executive should labor to save them with the 
 greatest sincerity. In Congress all legislative measures must orig- 
 inate, and there all appropriations must be made ; and I am sorry 
 to say that Congress is strangely negligent of the public business." 
 
 Leaving Washington, he proceeded to Baltimore and Philadel- 
 phia, prosecuting his labors in both cities with encouraging suc- 
 cess. 
 
 TO REV. R. ANDERSON. 
 
 Trenton, N. J., April 16, 1S27. 
 
 "Dr. Green objected, as he said he should in his letter, to 
 forming associations in aid of our Board in Philadelphia. He is 
 willing, however, that a general collection should be made for our 
 treasury, by calling upon those who are able to give liberally, 
 and by taking up contributions in churches ; and in this matter he 
 is willing to give his name, his subscription, and his warm recom- 
 mendation of the Board. But he objects to a permanent organ- 
 ization, because he thinks the Presbyterian church, as a church, 
 and acting by its highest judicatory, should send forth missionaries. 
 I endeavored to convince him that this was not done by any 
 church in Christendom ; — neither the Scottish Missionary Society, 
 nor the London, nor any other, acting under the highest authori- 
 ties of the church. I observed, further, that when the individual 
 
276 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 members of a church united in sending the gospel to the heathen, 
 in a manner approved by the highest authority of that church, it 
 could not be said that the church was guilty of negligence in re- 
 gard to the missionary cause. If individuals acted with liberality 
 and spirit, in a manner and for a purpose recommended by a 
 church, it would be substantially the same thing as if the church 
 acted in her representative or concentrated character. It did not 
 appear, however, that my arguments carried much conviction with 
 them ; for the Doctor declared his intention, and the intention of 
 his friends, to engage the General Assembly, if possible, to take 
 up the subject of missions to the heathen. He did not know that 
 he should be a member — and he did not know how many would 
 support him in such a measure, if he were ; but he felt bound in 
 conscience to make the attempt. I asked him how it would be 
 possible, in case a majority of the General Assembly should think 
 with him, to place things as they were before the late union ? He 
 said there was no need of it. We had taken the missions, and 
 paid the debts of the United Foreign Missionary Society, and we 
 might take all the property of that Society. I told him that the 
 property of the Society was nothing but certain buildings, &,c., 
 which were of no value, except upon the principle of continuing 
 the missions where they were ; and that the missions received 
 from that Society were an annual charge of thousands of dollars 
 upon our treasury, beside the large debt which we paid. I could 
 hardly contain my surprise at the easy method of settling the mat- 
 ter which the Doctor had so readily discovered. 
 
 " There is no reason to apprehend that the General Assembly 
 will adopt any measure inconsistent with the decision of last 
 spring ; and it is to be regretted that there should be any hesita- 
 tion among the ministers of Philadelphia." 
 
 " Princeton, April 18. At 4 P. M., attended a meeting of the 
 students in the Theological Seminary, and addressed them nearly 
 an hour, on the duty of a student of theology in regard to mis- 
 sions. I divided my discourse as follows : 1. He is to under- 
 stand the subject thoroughly. 2. He is to ascertain what the 
 Lord would have him do. Among the reasons why he should not 
 go on a foreign mission are — want of health, want of moral disci- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 277 
 
 pline, and certain engagements (like the care of agent parents) in 
 this country. The following are not, of themselves, sufficient 
 reasons for declining missionary service : 1. The demands of our 
 own country. These demands are not so urgent as the claims of 
 the heathen ; and they are more likely to be supplied. 2. The 
 want of pecuniary means to go forth immediately. Let the ap- 
 plicant, if no means are aftbrded, continue to seek for admission 
 to the heathen, and this will rouse the churches to supply the 
 means. 3. The want of a large field of certain operations among 
 the heathen. These three reasons are not sufficient to excuse a 
 man from missionary service. 
 
 " But, whether a candidate for the ministry goes abroad or 
 stays at home, he should have a missionary character ; and, if 
 settled as a pastor, he should — 
 
 " 1. Cultivate a missionary spirit among his people. 
 " 2. Set a truly missionary example. 
 
 " 3. Draw forth the intellectual and moral resources of his 
 people, and of all within his reach, for this object. 
 
 " I added these two encouragements: 1. That success is in 
 proportion to effort. 2. The peculiar character of the present age. 
 " At the close of the meeting, Dr. Alexander spoke to me on 
 the subject of an asylum for superannuated and disabled mission- 
 aries, and the widows and children of missionaries. This will be 
 a suitable subject for the business part of the next Report. The 
 time has arrived when the minds of thinking people are a good 
 deal directed to it ; and the Board must take it up. 
 
 " 19. Prepared a constitution, &;c., for the meeting to-day. 
 A meeting was held, and a central society formed under very 
 happy auspices. Mr. WoodhuU, the minister of the place, pre- 
 sided. Dr. Alexander moved the adoption of the constitution in 
 a very good speech. He was followed by Mr. Stockton, a lawyer 
 of Trenton, who spoke with great feeling. There was a great 
 deal of animation, and this will be a very important auxiliary. 
 An association was formed in the Seminary, which will probably 
 raise ^100. The ladies of this village have already collected 
 ^90. Mr. K. is delighted with the success here; and I think 
 we may consider it as a maxim, that the more intelligent a com- 
 munity is, the more certain we are of success." 
 
278 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 At the end of April he arrived at home, and spent a few weeks 
 in the bosom of his family and in the society and the labors that 
 he most delighted in. In June, however, we find him on another 
 laborious excursion to the east, attending the anniversaries of 
 auxiliaries in New Hampshire and Maine. 
 
 Besides these agencies abroad, in the general service of the 
 cause, he was deeply interested and had much labor on his 
 hands at this time, in preparing to send out a large reinforcement 
 to the Sandwich Islands mission, which left the country early in 
 November. There were, too, circumstances connected with that 
 mission, that tried his feelings exceedingly, and occasioned much 
 anxious thought and labor for many months. While the mission 
 was excedingly prosperous in its efforts to elevate and purify the 
 native character, and had secured the confidence of chiefs and 
 people, an outbreak of lust and passion among unprincipled 
 foreigners kept them, in 1826, in the most trying circumstances 
 for the period of ten months. The persecution originated entirely 
 from hostility to the purifying influences of the Gospel ; and was 
 so abominable in its character, so trying to the missionaries, such an 
 obtrusion of the worst vices of civilized life upon a people just 
 waking to a love of truth and purity, and in view of the official 
 position of some of the actors, so dishonorable to our country's 
 name, as to excite, wherever the facts were even partially 
 known, feelings of the liveliest sympathy for the heroic mission- 
 aries and the outraged natives, and unutterable indignation at the 
 conduct of men who were bound by their official station, as well 
 as by all the ties of humanity, of a common country, and of reli- 
 gion, to place themselves in the attitude of benefactors and friends. 
 On no subject, Mr. Evarts remarked, did he find it so difficult to 
 control his feelings. "But let us cultivate," he added, "the 
 meekness of Christianity ; it may be well to publish a full dis- 
 closure ; but not till after we have deliberated coolly." 
 
 Most prominent among the offenders, was Lieut. John Percival, 
 of the United States Navy, who visited the Islands in command of 
 the armed schooner Dolphin, in January, 1826. As this was the 
 first public vessel from their native land, the missionaries had a right 
 to expect civil treatment, at least, if not kind offices, from all on 
 board. But in this reasonable expectation they were lamentably 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 279 
 
 disappointed. Lieut. Percival at once assumed an attitude exceed- 
 ingly hostile to the objects of the mission, and the whole influence 
 of his visit was destructive of the interests of religion and morality. 
 A law had been enacted by the chiefs, forbidding females to go 
 on board foreign vessels, as had been customary, for the purposes 
 of prostitution. Percival demanded the repeal of this law ; and 
 by the most outrageous and infamous means, at length succeeded 
 in breaking up its salutary restraints. 
 
 After Mr. Evarts and his associates had " deliberated coolly" 
 upon these transactions, it was resolved to make a formal com- 
 plaint against Peroival, to the Secretary of the Navy ; and in con- 
 sequence of their representations, a court of inquiry was ordered. 
 This case occasioned him much labor and anxiety. The result 
 will be seen on a subsequent page. 
 
 Nor was this all. The efforts of Mr. Evarts and his associates 
 had conspired, with other influences, to awaken extensively a new 
 feeling in regard to the work of missions. An address to the 
 patrons of the Board, prepared by him and published in February, 
 had produced an immediate and very perceptible effect in the in- 
 crease of funds ; the union of the Presbyterian Society with the 
 Board had brought the operations of the latter more fully before 
 the Christian public in the middle, southern, and western States ; 
 an important and active auxiliary had been formed in the city of 
 New York, and much had been done in that state. New Jersey, 
 and elsewhere, in the way of forming associations and exciting an 
 interest. Early in the season, the Prudential Committee began 
 to receive pressing applications from liberal individuals at a dis- 
 tance, proposing that a plan should be adopted by which the re- 
 sources of the Board might be suddenly and greatly increased, 
 with a view to enlarged operations. In this state of things, his 
 feelings were expressed in the following letter : 
 
 TO JOSIAH BISSELL, JR. ROCHESTER, N. Y 
 
 Boston, July 15th, 1S27. 
 
 " Your favor of the 9th, came to hand yesterday, and bore 
 renewed evidence of the interest which you feel in the operations 
 
280 ^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 of our Board, and of the generous devotedness which you manifest 
 to the cause of our blessed Redeemer. Your plan of raising 
 money will be laid before our Committee at the first meeting. 
 Although I think you calculate too sanguinely, I have great con- 
 fidence in a measure which I have often contemplated, and which, 
 I suppose, is substantially the same as yours. It is this: — to send 
 out an agent to call upon rich men who profess to be followers of 
 Christ, and spend time with one after another in succession, at 
 their own houses, till they would cheerfully take upon them an 
 engagement to pay a handsome sum annually, as long as God 
 shall give them the ability. This measure was, first suggested by 
 the lamented Mr. Fisk, who intended, if his life had been spared, 
 to execute such an agency in our land, and to say plainly to any 
 individual to whom God has given property, and who acknowl- 
 edged his responsibility, that he ought to give enough, regularly, 
 to support a married missionary ; or, in other words, that such 
 men should give, according to their ability, one ^300, another 
 ^500, another ^700, another ^'1,000, annually. He would add, 
 — ' My dear sir, you will feel better and happier to give enough 
 to send a married or an unmarried missionary, and to sustain him 
 permanently, than you will if you take but a feeble part in this 
 greatest, best of labors. You are able to support a missionary. 
 You will never feel the loss of the money ; and the effects of such 
 an effort will be great, and will have a happy bearing on the 
 destiny of immortal beings.' In some such manner, that beloved 
 missionary thought he could prevail with rich disciples to honor 
 the Lord with their substance. He has been called away to 
 higher services ; but others remain, and must perform their respec- 
 tive duties. 
 
 " You have my hearty concurrence in what you say about a 
 high standard, and the boldness which becomes agents of our 
 public charities. We must take care, however, not to urge strong 
 meat upon those who are unable to bear it. Let us do what we 
 can to raise the Christian character, in every respect, and especially 
 in works of beneficence." 
 
 At the annual meeting in September, which was held in the city 
 of New York, this feeling developed itself in the most impressive 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 281 
 
 manner, so that all hearts were remarkably moved in view of the 
 greatness and urgency of the work. The sessions of the Board 
 instead of closing, as usual, on Friday or Saturday, were continued 
 to Monday evening. In the conclusion of the Annual Report, 
 Mr. Evarts had taken such views of the purposes and the gran- 
 deur of the missionary movement, and of its relations to all the 
 noblest interests of humanity, and had poured forth his soul in 
 such earnestness of eloquent appeal, as to very much deepen the 
 impression that already prevailed. 
 
 " Of all the moral phenomena m the present eventful period of 
 the world, none is more evident, than that the cause of religion 
 at home and abroad is one ; that the same principles which prompt 
 to the Christian education of our families and to the instruction and 
 warning of our relatives and friends, naturally impel to evangelical 
 efforts for the benefit of every portion of the human race ; that this 
 tendency of benevolent principles does not exist in theory merely, 
 but is seen in daily practice ; and that henceforth the attempt to 
 separate living piety from expansive beneficence, will be as vain 
 as it is unscriptural. On this subject, the church is certainly mak- 
 ing advances of the most auspicious character. It is difficult to 
 see how she can go backward, without such a dereliction of prin- 
 ciple as shall seriously alarm her, and arouse her from any partial 
 slumber into which she may have begun to fall. May we not 
 rest assured, then, that the number of public spirited, self-denying 
 Christians will be increasing in all future time ? May we not take 
 it for granted, that all existing plans for the melioration of mankind 
 will be rendered more perfect and more enlarged in their opera- 
 tion ; and that more of sanctified talent, and more of that wisdom 
 which is from above, will be called into the administration of these 
 high concerns ? And, with the accompanying favor of heaven, 
 may we not expect to see the waters of salvation flowing in broader 
 and deeper channels, till they shall have reached the remotest hab- 
 itations of men ? 
 
 " These pleasing anticipations seem warranted in part by the 
 course v/hich serious and contemplative minds are taking in the 
 most enlightened countries of continental Europe. Evidence from 
 various quarters, and of many kinds, leaves no room for doubting 
 that persons of a philosophical cast are, to a considerable extent, 
 looking to religion, as the last and only hope of man. Other things 
 have promised ranch, but have regularly failed in the performance, 
 till this failure is generally seen and acknowledged. The inefficacy 
 of human systems is so manifest, that the claims of Christianity 
 are examined anew, and with increasing interest. A conviction 
 hence arises, and is spreading, that for the improvement of man in 
 all his domestic and social relations ; for the acquisition and pres- 
 ervation of liberty ; for the wise and equitable administration of 
 civil government, all other means are immeasurably inferior to the 
 36 
 
289 I'lFI''' ^^l' I'VAKTS. 
 
 simple oliioiu-y ol" tin- (."nsiu'I. \\'1\imi the iiiiiul has procociUHl 
 tluis far, il dix^s nol stop till ll\i> cause o\' this astuiiishiiii;- powrr is 
 iiivostii^atrd ; ami when it is fDnml, that tlu^ lUMo consults tiic tcm- 
 ]H)ral liappiiirss ot' man by siMtiiiji; holoii^ him a law Avhirh irni-lics 
 llu' heart, ami with tho most awl'iil saiirtioiis restrains all those inor- 
 dinate ilesnes, hy whieh the world has been kept in so nineli aj;i- 
 itatiou and snllernii!: ; tluMi tlu> eonelnsioii is irresistible, thiit tlie Bi- 
 ble had its oriiiin with Ibm who \s wd/kJci/'uI in coitnci/ (iik/ r.trr//c/it 
 in tro/Iiin::;, who/.7/f;<' ir/nif mis in man, and who provides, with all a 
 latluM's tendiMiiess, lor tlu> reei>very ot'his errini>' ehildren, by semling 
 forth the renovatini;: and healinu,' mlhieiu'es ol" his Spirit, with the 
 laithl'nl animneiation of his ^\■ord. h\ a process like this, the mintls 
 ol'many retleelini;' and intellii;ent n\en ari> at this moment advaneinj;. 
 They hail with ileli<;ht the nniltiform i)perations ot' Christian be- 
 nevolence ; and si'em t(» look with anxious expectation for the 
 blesseil results, Tlu're is most, manifestly u constant accession of 
 favor to the luissionuy cause ; and it is I'xertini:; an inlhuMice, in 
 various ways, uiiu-h i;reater and nuMe salutary, than iuattentivo 
 observtMs are in tlie habit of snspectiiii;'. 
 
 •' While this Mtate oi' \\n\vj;s shouhl excite grateful emotions, and 
 V,C leail \o humble ci>nlidence in (loil.by whom the hearts t)f princes, 
 niul pontill's, and philosophers, are turiunl whithersoever he M'ill, 
 it is not to be di.sri>t!,arded, that there is also a numifest increase 
 of hostility to missions and to the great cause of evangelical 
 virtue. I\len seem extiMisividy to be taking sides with nioro 
 determiniHl sjiirit than luMi-tofore. There is, no ilonbt, a largo 
 inert mass, which remains as yet unuun ed. Jhit the {>xertions of 
 Christians for so many and so noble objects, all conspiring to- 
 gether for the grandest consummation which the earth is ever to 
 witness, cannot escape the i>bsiMvation ol" those who pay any nt- 
 tentiou to llie movements iil" th(> moral world. It must be ex- 
 j)ected, therel'ore, that all the ailherents of oKl and rottiMi systems 
 of religious error, lenced in as they nre by civil and ecclesiastical 
 ilespi>tism ; all who openly cast i>li the restraints which the (los- 
 ]iel impost's upon the guilty passions; all who hav(^ made up their 
 minds that thi'y will never iUmiv themselves, nor do good to others, 
 from any fear oi' (ioil or regard to man ; ami all who would dread 
 that religi«)n should get such a juiwer and currenl-y in the world, 
 ns to intluence public o[>inion on the greatest subjects of human 
 interest : — these classes of men, and all who tall umler their sway, 
 nre rallying, and will gradiudly assume the form of most deciiled 
 resistance. At least, sui-li ap[>ear to be the indications ol' the pres- 
 ent day." 
 
 *• That the chuich may t'ullil hcv high destinies, us the rhaniu-l 
 through which spiritual blessings are ilispensed to a guilty worlil, 
 il seems necessary that ]>rolessors of religion generally, and lead- 
 ing members of our churches especially, should make great ad- 
 vances [leyond their present attninnuMits. A lew of the particu- 
 lars in which such an advance should be appaieni, are all that 
 the present occasii>n permits to be mentioned. 
 
 "1. C/iris(ians shouhl mure p rape 1 1 y cstiinuh- the object of mission- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 283 
 
 ary exertion. Thousands who approve of this object, and count 
 themselves among its friends, have very inadequate notions of iis 
 magnitude or its merits. They seem not to be aware that the ob- 
 ject of missionary exertions is no less than the moral renovation 
 of a world ; that the base passions which have so long and so 
 deplorably tyrannized over the noble faculties of man, are to be 
 subdued ; that all that is oppressive in governments, all that is re- 
 fractory and seditious among the people, all that is fierce, overbear- 
 ing and unjust in the conduct of nations toward each other, is to 
 give place to the law of love, carried equally into the greatest and 
 the least transactions. Wars are to cease. All the domestic relations 
 are to be sanctified. Every village is to have its school an.l its 
 church; every family its Bible, and the morning and the evening 
 prayer. The tabernacle of God is to be pitched among men. 
 The favor of God is to be invoked upon every enterprise ; a 
 reverential fear of God is to pervade every movement ; the 
 love of God is to be cherisbed in every bosom. Then will 
 have arrived the time when trees of righteousness shall stretch 
 forth their protecting branches in every country, and display their 
 fresh and undecaying foliage for the healing of the nations. Then 
 the days of mourning, lamentation, and woe shall be succeeded by 
 universal confidence, peace, and joy ; and the acclamations of ran- 
 somed millions, without a discordant voice, will ascend from all the 
 continents and islands of this regenerated and happy world. 
 
 "2. The disciples of Christ should more justly estimate the conse- 
 quences of their 'personal efforts. Perhaps there is no subject on which 
 men are more apt to err, than in not assigning its proper and full 
 effect to a consistent example, and to a persevering course of 
 Christian beneficence. The individual who holds all his powers 
 and faculties consecrated to the service of his Lord, will, in 
 the lapse of years, infuse the same spirit into others ; and will 
 thus multiply the means of doing good to a surprising extent. 
 And now, when the faithful labors of the pious are seen to have 
 so direct a bearing upon the prosperity of our own churches, the 
 purification of our great community, the conversion of distant 
 tribes, and the renovation of the world, what excuse can there be 
 for apathy, or for slow, hesitating, and feeble movements ? What- 
 ever may have been the case in former times, when there was 
 little communication between different parts of the world, and 
 when all the advantages of concentrated action had not been 
 proved, it is now perfectly apparent that the friends of God and 
 man are called upon to act with one heart and one soul, for the 
 accomplishment of one grand object. This great and blessed 
 union, so holy in its design, so reasonable in its nature, so glorious 
 in its results, cannot be promoted in any way so rapidly, or so ef- 
 fectually, as by bringing to its aid an active, zealous, personal in- 
 fluence. Now is the time for noble examples, attended by lively 
 exhortations and a faithful testimony to others. Let the man 
 who can easily make his influence felt through a neighborhood, or 
 a town, give himself no rest till it shall be actually thus felt; and 
 till his friends and neighbors shall become associated with him in 
 the most delightfLil work to which their hands and hearts were 
 
284 LIFE OF EVAKTS. 
 
 ever invited. Is he able to move a county or a state, let him feel 
 the urgency of the claims which his Saviour has upon him. And 
 ■urhile he goes forth to stimulate his brethren, let him remember 
 how great will be the difTerence between their engaging in the 
 cause now, with their whole strength, and their deferring it to a 
 more convenient season, and leaving it to the uncertainty of 
 future years. 
 
 " 3. TJie foUoiccrs of CJirist hate need to onake much greater ad- 
 vances than they have yet made, in feeling and manifesting an inter- 
 est i?i the success of their Master's cause. If, as the Apostle says, 
 whether one member suffer, all the members suffer ivith it ; or one 
 member be honored, all the members rejoice ivith it, how lively should 
 the sympathy be, at the present day, between the professors of 
 godliness in Christian lands, and their brethren among the heath- 
 en ! — between the great host of the faithful, and the small band of 
 pioneers, who have penetrated into the territories of the enemy I 
 Far from the heart be apathy, negligence, lukewarmness. Every 
 man, and every woman, who can feel for the sufferings of our 
 race, and can jvidge what it is to have no hope, and to live without 
 God in the world, should watch every movement in the preparations 
 for the great struggle which is commencing. What right will any 
 one have to exult in the victory, who now sits with his arms fold- 
 ed, and his mind at ease, w*hen the greatest of all controversies is 
 about to be decided? What right has such an one to number 
 himself among the soldiers of the cross ? If a man does not ex- 
 hibit signs of life at such a time as this, how can it be concluded 
 that he has the principle of life within him ? Let it be well consid- 
 ered, then, how vast an augmentation of interest there must be in 
 our churches, before all the members shall be prepared to take 
 that part in the benevolent operations of the day, which would 
 comport so well with their profession, and to which they are urged 
 by every motive of fidelity to their Lord. 
 
 " 4. It should be more generally felt than it seems to be at 
 present, that great advances in personal holiness are indispensable to a 
 rapid and successful prosecution of the missionary xvork. This is a 
 matter of vital importance. If it is overlooked, all the machinery 
 of missions, schools and presses, will be a cumbersome apparatus, 
 — a laborious, exhausting, useless parade. It is believed, indeed, 
 that true piety, sincere love to God and man, is at the bottom of 
 the extraordinary efforts which we behold. But a great increase 
 of piety, at home and abroad, is extremely desirable. After all 
 proper allowances on account of the reverence which we justly 
 feel for the memory of saints in ages that are past, where can we 
 now find such men as Baxter and Doddridge, Edwards and Brain- 
 erd? Or if we can fix upon an individual, here and there, who 
 bears a pleasing resemblance to these illustrious champions of the 
 cross, how rare are the instances. But the exigencies of the times 
 demand many, very many individuals, who, in purity of doctrine, 
 holiness of life, compass of thought, enlargement of views, capa- 
 city of labor, intenseness of desire, fervor of zeal, and assurance 
 of triumph, shall make a visible and near approach to the great 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 285 
 
 Apostle of the Gentiles. The friends of missions, the conductors 
 of missions, and the beloved missionaries themselves, need fresh 
 anointings from on high. Oh that it would please the God of all 
 consolation and hope to inspire his servants with a pure devotion, 
 accompanied by spiritual influences shed abroad upon others; and 
 thus give the most joyful evidence that the coming of the Lord to 
 reign over the nations is near, even at the door." 
 
 At an early period of the meeting a committee, of whom Mr. 
 Evarts was one, was appointed to consider the subject of the in- 
 crease of funds and the enlargement of operations. On Saturday 
 they reported a series of resolutions, recognizing gratefully the suc- 
 cess of the enterprise and the state of the public mind, as calling 
 for enlarged operations, and recommending an appeal, especially 
 to the more wealthy friends of missions, for more liberal aid. 
 When the Board was about to enter upon the consideration of this 
 report, a member remarked that this was one of the most im- 
 portant subjects that ever engaged the attention of a deliberative 
 assembly, and suggested that special prayer be made for the 
 blessing of God upon the Board in the approaching discussion. 
 Prayer was offered, and the discussion resumed. 
 
 A plan was suggested by friends of the Board, for raising an 
 extra subscription of ,^100,000; which was urged at a special 
 meeting, by thrilling appeals from Mr. Josiah Bissell of Rociies- 
 ter, Rev. Drs. Beecher and McAuley, Rev. Jonas King, and 
 others. The result was an unprecedented subscription on the 
 spot — two subscriptions of ,^5,000 each, annually, for five years ; 
 six others of -^ 1,000 ; a pledge by an individual of $'10,000, for 
 hi(nself and friends ; the whole amount being ^25,675 ; ^20,615 
 of which was in annual subscriptions for five years, making 
 ^108,375, mostly, however, on the condition that the subsciiption 
 should be raised to ^100,000 within twelve months. Mr. Evarts 
 sympathised with the prevailing feeling, and rejoiced, but with 
 trembling. " I have just returned," he wrote to the missionaries 
 at the Sandwich Islands, " from the annual meeting of the Board 
 at New York, which, on several accounts, was the most interest- 
 ing meeting I ever attended, but particularly, as it furnished abun- 
 dant proof that the missionary spirit is rising, and that there 
 will be no want of funds for the support of missions, provided the 
 
286 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 Lord gives wisdom to the directors of missions to select suitable 
 missionaries, and gives success to their labors. The confidence in 
 our Committee and our Board is so great that it makes me tremble 
 for our responsibility ; and I earnestly exhort you all to strive, 
 equally and constantly, for high moral and spiritual attainments. 
 Avoid all jealousy, ambition, indolence, unprofitable use of time, 
 useless disputes with opposers. Be cautious not to forget for a 
 day how much depends upon your united counsels. Preserve your 
 health as far as possible, consistently with the discharge of plain 
 duties. Remember that it is not for the Sandwich Islands alone 
 that you live and labor, but for the whole heathen world, on which 
 your example and influence will be brought to bear, and which 
 must be affected by what you do. If God should see fit to give you 
 in a high degree persevering Christian virtue, great practical wis- 
 dom, and glorious success, you are a beacon to the whole world, 
 and your light will especially beam upon the western coast of 
 North and South America. Your mission has been hitherto suc- 
 cessful in a manner nearly or quite unexampled, (let God have 
 the glory,) and I am far from expressing distrust for the future ; 
 but you and we must feel that we have not yet attained, and that 
 we are to press forward." 
 
 Thus originated a great extra effort, as It was called. It was 
 not successful, in securing for the Board the specified sum in the 
 proposed way : and the effect upon many minds was doubtless 
 unfavorable. The view taken of it by Mr. Evarts is partly indi- 
 cated in his letter to Mr. Bissell, on a preceding page. They are 
 more fully expressed in the following letters to the chairman of 
 the New York committee ; and it is believed that the results 
 (aside from the raising of the specific sum) have very much corres- 
 ponded with his expectations. 
 
 TO E. LORD, ESQ, 
 
 Boston, November 30, 1S27. 
 
 " You will excuse me for suggesting (though I doubt not your 
 Committee are of the same opinion) that this special effort should 
 be confined to the wealthy and the prosperous, to those who are 
 able to engage a handsome donation. In this way only can you 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 287 
 
 avoid interfering with the general plan of contributing through the 
 associations ; and I think, in all your movements you should guard 
 against misapprehension on this point, by having it clearly stated 
 that this effort, made by friends of the Board for the accomplish- 
 ment of a great object, is not designed to hinder, to supersede, or 
 in any way to interfere with, the plan of a general organization of 
 the friends of missions in all parts of the country, and of all 
 classes of persons. On the other hand, those who manifest pe- 
 culiar liberality in this extra effort, should take good care to 
 strengthen the associations by making the payments through these 
 channels ; or if that should not be thought best, by subscribing a 
 distinct sum as members of the associations. 
 
 " Go on and prosper, dear brethren, and expect to see greater 
 things in the world, than have yet presented themselves to our 
 eyes." 
 
 TO E. LORD, ESQ. 
 
 Boston, December 15, 1S27. 
 
 " Your letter of the 12th came to hand this morning, and be- 
 ing desirous that you should have an answer by return of mail, I 
 must write briefly, and without consulting my associates. 
 
 " You will easily perceive that the Prudential Committee are 
 placed in a delicate situation respecting the extra efforts now 
 making under the auspices of the Committee of which you are 
 chairman. In order to make this business plain, 1 will give a 
 short history of the origin and progress of this effort. 
 
 " Mr. Bissell proposed the half million plan, as he called it, 
 early last summer. I wrote to him that I thought he calculated 
 too sanguinely ; but that we had long contemplated an effort to 
 be made with rich Christians, by which they should be induced 
 to engage large sums annually, as long as they should live ; that 
 such sums should separately support a missionary or some distinct 
 missionary labor, had been long in Mr. Fisk's mind, and we hoped 
 for his aid in accomplishing such an effort, if he had lived to re- 
 turn to this country. Before the meeting of the Board, Mr. Bis- 
 sell had seen several of the members, and had given them a pretty 
 favorable impression in regard to the practicability of his plan. 
 
288 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 When I first saw him, which was on my arrival in New York, 
 October 1st, I told him his great error in calculation was this : 
 he went upon the assumption that every city and town could be 
 made to act in these matters like Rochester, in proportion to the 
 numbers of professed Christians ; without considering that every 
 place has not such a man as himself, and that people throughout 
 our land have not been in such a course of training, as the people 
 of Rochester have. 
 
 " When his proposal came before the Board, you recollect that 
 it was the opinion of all, that we, as a Board, could not bring it 
 before the public ; that our numerous pledges forbade it ; and 
 that our general plan of organization was more important than any 
 particular measure. With this decision, which appeared to be 
 unanimous, Mr. Bissell was entirely satisfied." 
 
 TO E. LORD, ESQ. 
 
 Boston, December 15, 1827. 
 
 " Though I have sent to the post-office two letters to-day, on the 
 subject of your extra effort, and in answer to your favor of the 
 12th, there are some topics on which I have as yet said nothing 
 directly. 
 
 '•' As to the importance of the Jive years subscription being en- 
 tirely successful, I see clearly that such an event would be ex- 
 tremely happy in its results, both as it respects this country and 
 Europe; and I should deeply regret a disappointment in this re- 
 spect. I cannot agree with you, however, that, unless the plan 
 should be entirely successful, it would have been better that no 
 extra effort should have been made. Unless I have been under a 
 mistake, much good has been done already in various ways, by 
 attracting attention to the subject of missions ; by shewing men 
 of the world that the friends of Christ can do liberal things for 
 his cause ; by raising the standard of Christian liberality, and by 
 convincing people practically that it does not hurt them to part 
 with their property for good objects. Indeed, your own observa- 
 tions on the good that is done by getting men personally interest- 
 ed, as large subscribers, are in perfect coincidence with my views 
 on the subject. The good thus done will be in proportion to the 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 339 
 
 number of individuals interested, whether that number shall be as 
 great as we could wish or not. 
 
 " You remark that, personally, you were not sanguine as to the 
 expediency of attempting the thing in the form and for the amount 
 that was decided upon, but yielded to those who had money to 
 give, or who felt strong confidence as to the disposition of those 
 who possess wealth. This was my own state of mind, and I 
 think, the state of mind of many other members of the Board. 
 But I felt deeply impressed with the awe and reverence which 
 were due to the extraordinary leadings of Providence as mani- 
 fested in the long cherished plan of Mr. Bissell ; his extraordinary 
 success in previous efforts ; the high character of devotedness in 
 his conduct and principles ; the presence and most gratifying 
 statement of Mr. King ; the corroborating statement of Dr. Spring, 
 who had been in France; the lively and earnest support of others 
 of the New York clergy ; the evident presence of the Holy Spirit 
 in the deliberations of the Board, that ever blessed and most be- 
 neficent Agent in the glorious work of man's redemption, whose 
 kindly influences should always be spoken of with gratitude and 
 praise ; the uncommon liberality which appeared ready to burst 
 forth on the first 'impulse. All these things led me to think that 
 it was safer to stand still and see what Providence would do, than 
 to quench the holy ardor of the occasion by what would have 
 been deemed cold and timid calculations. And since the meeting 
 •of the Board, the success at Albany and Troy has been such, 
 as, though not equal to Mr. Bissell's anticipation, should greatly 
 encourage you and us." 
 
 Mr..Evart3, it will be seen, felt strongly that the effort demand- 
 ed of those to whom the appeal was made, no more than was 
 reasonable, and that such movement of the public mind was right 
 and proper. His own standard of Christian duty in regard to 
 missions had been long since formed, and here he saw with grati- 
 tude and joy an approach to it by greater numbers of people, and 
 with greater rapidity, than ever before. His heart was animated 
 by the fact. He felt more deeply the responsibilities of his own 
 position, and was excited to extraordinary diligence, that he might 
 37 
 
290 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 not fail to discharge, in a manner acceptable to God, the duties 
 that pressed upon him. Thinking it ''conducive to fidelity and 
 industry," he resumed, on the 1st of December, a brief journal of 
 his daily labors. The spirit that had been awakened, he strove 
 to keep alive and diffuse. This is seen in all his correspondence, 
 and it breathes earnestly in some papers prepared for the Mission- 
 ary Herald. 
 
 " For several years past," was his language, " the number of in- 
 dividuals has been increasing, who have deeply felt, and strongly 
 expressed, their sense of the obligalion resting upon our Christian 
 community, to enter with great energy into the fields now open for 
 missionary labor. The conviction that the friends of missions in 
 America are called upon to take a vigorous part in the glorious en- 
 terprise of sending the Gospel into all the world, is firmly estab- 
 lished in the minds of many. Nor does the matter rest in a mere 
 conviction of the understanding. A rapid advance has taken place 
 in the willingness to make pecuniary sacrifices for this object. It 
 can now be truly said, that persons of both sexes are to be found, 
 in city and country, who esteem it a privilege to bring large con- 
 tributions in aid of this work of the Lord. 
 
 " A strong desire has been manifested within the last few 
 months, that the operations of the Board of Foreign Missions 
 should be immediately and greatly extended; and that, as a pre- 
 paratory measure, a corresponding increase of pecuniary means 
 should be secured. An enlarged liberahty, disdaining the limits 
 of previous examples, seemed ready to burst forth, whenever a 
 distinct call should be made for it, with reference to specific plans 
 of evangelical effort. At the late annual meetmg of the Board, 
 such plans were proposed ; and the immediate effect was an un- 
 paralleled subscription, the details of which appeared in our last 
 number. When the intelligence of this spontaneous effort went 
 abroad, it was heard with joy and thanksgiving by multitudes, and 
 was made the signal for new and extraordinary exertions through 
 the land. 
 
 "Such have been the indications of Providence in regard to this 
 subject, that the Committee feel authorized to believe that a new 
 era has dawned upon the American churches ; and that the time has 
 arrived, when such a number of wealthy and prosperous disciples 
 of Christ will come forward with their liberal offerings unsolicited, 
 as shall attract the attention and gain the co-operation of their 
 brethren in less affluent circumstances ; and thus, unless the signs 
 of the times are mistaken, there will hereafter be no delay for 
 want of money, to send into any inviting field such well qualified 
 laborers as God shall furnish and endow with the requisite spirit 
 and zeal. 
 
 " This state of things impo.ses very solemn duties upon the 
 Comniittee, both in regard to selecting new stations, and appoint- 
 ing missionaries and assistants to occupy them." 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 291 
 
 " Looking to Jesns, the author and finisher of our faith, and 
 considering the peculiar duties and obhgations of the age, the 
 Committee feel prepared to say that no man who possesses suit- 
 able qualifications to go forth as a preacher of the Gospel to the 
 heathen, need hesitate a moment lest his services should not be 
 needed. Every sach man is bound solemnly to consider in what 
 place it is the pleasure of the Lord that he should live and labor; 
 and, should he feel moved to offer himself for the missionary 
 work, he will next make the matter a subject of prayer and of 
 solemn consultation with judicious Christian friends who are well 
 acquainted with his character." 
 
 It was not, however, this subject alone that occupied his time. 
 As was always the case when at home, he was active in every 
 duty of his position as a member and officer of Park Street 
 Church, and as one in whose judgment and activity the orthodox 
 Christians of Boston very much confided in regard to every 
 common movement. And at tliis period, the state of things 
 was so interesting and peculiar as to make large demands upon 
 his time. 
 
 There had appeared, too, in London, a book relating to the 
 Sandwich Islands,* and a review of it in the London Quarterly, 
 containing gross misrepresentations and slanders in regard to our 
 mission there. Appearing with such external marks of authority, 
 and being put forth with an air of confidence, these representa- 
 tions were well calculated to make an impression upon such as 
 were neither particularly acquainted with the facts in this case, nor 
 interested in the cause of missions generally. Happily, Mr. 
 Evarts had at command the most ample materials for an answer, 
 which he wrought into a lively and effective article for the North 
 American Review. Never were slanders more triumphantly re- 
 futed, or the shallow arts of accusing ignorance and malice more 
 thoroughly exposed.f 
 
 Thus ended the year 1827. 
 
 * Voyage of his Majesty's Ship Blonde to the Sandwich Islands, in the years 1S24-5. 
 Capt. the Rt. Hon. Lord Byron, commander; London, 1S26. 4to. The volume was a 
 bookseller's speculation, prepared by another and unfriendly hand, from certain papers 
 obtained from the chaplain of the Blonde. 
 
 t See North American Review, No. LVIII, January 1&2S, pp. 59—126. The ariicle 
 was also published in a separate pamphlet, with a brief but caustic postscript, con- 
 taining additional damnatory facts relating to the publishers of the slander. 
 
292 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 At the commencement of the year 1828, Mr. Evarts was 
 deeply interested in the progress of truth in his own neighbor- 
 hood. Several new orthodox churches had been recently formed 
 in Boston, and houses of worship erected for their accommo- 
 dation ; in all which he took an active part, devising plans, 
 harmonizing interests, and contributing liberally towards the 
 necessary expenses. Another measure deemed necessary at this 
 juncture, for the defence and advancement of the truth, was the 
 establishment of a new religious magazine.' Since the discon- 
 tinuance of the Panoplist in 1820, the orthodox community in 
 Massachusetts had possessed no journal of the kind ; and it was 
 felt that, the controversies of the times having assumed new as- 
 pects, the friends of evangelical truth ought again to appear in 
 the field of active public discussion. In all the consultations and 
 preliminary arrangements that led to the establishment of The 
 Spirit of the Pilgrims, Mr. Evarts took a leading part, and the 
 delicate office of preparing the introductory article was assigned 
 to him. 
 
 Of his labors in regard to such movements, no adequate record 
 exists, and among his own papers, the slightest possible reference 
 to them, or none at all. But it will long be remembered how the 
 hearts of those who loved Zion were smitten, when he was re- 
 moved from these councils, feeling that they had lost one who 
 was unsurpassed in any quality that can render a wise man's 
 counsels or a good man's influence valuable, and who " showed as 
 little liability to mistake as can be expected of any man in this 
 state of imperfection." * 
 
 Looking forward, in consequence of the existing state of the 
 public mind, to enlarged missionary operations, he did all in his 
 power to render the movement a safe and effectual one — to guard 
 it from dangers and facilitate its action. For this purpose, among 
 other things, he prepared with great care, suggestions to candi- 
 dates for employment as missionaries, and to their friends, which ap- 
 peared in the Herald for January. In pursuance of our purpose 
 to exhibit in his own language, as far as practicable, his views on 
 
 * Sermon on the death of Mr. Evarts. by Rev. Leonard Woods, D. D. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 293 
 
 important questions connected with the cause, the substance of 
 this paper is here inserted : 
 
 " Without further introduction, the following remarks are sub- 
 mitted to the consideration of such readers as contemplate enter- 
 ing upon a missionary hfe. It may fairly be assumed, that, among 
 the younger members of evangelical churches throughout our land, 
 the number of such readers is by no means small ; and, as the 
 spirit of Christian benevolence rises, and the demand for missioii- 
 ary labor becomes more imperious, it may be expected that this 
 number will be continually increasing. 
 
 '•1. Let those who think of personally going forth to the heathen 
 as heralds of divine mercy, sit down and deliberately coiint the cost. 
 There is some danger lest, in the glow of youthful feeling, and 
 under the stimulus of crow^ded assemblies, and eloquent addresses, 
 and examples of liberality, the cause of missions should be regarded 
 only in the light of a glorious and triumphant cause ; and not as an 
 arduous conflict, a long continued struggle, a controversy w^ith prin- 
 cipalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. 
 But it is a diHerent thing to spend one's strength among ignorant 
 idolaters, or rude savages, from what it is to read accounts 
 of missionary labors, or to form in imagination a picture of 
 a vigorous and successful onset against the powders of darkness. 
 There is no safe course for a missionary, but to expect many trials ; 
 some of them unforeseen and unthought of, and others different 
 in reality from what they were in contemplation. If faithful and 
 devoted, he will also experience many consolations ; and not the 
 least of which will be the sustaining consciousness that he is in- 
 fluenced by the benevolence of the Gospel ; — the same principle, 
 which appeared with such transcendent loveUness in the character 
 of our Saviour, and which was exhibited to so happy an extent, 
 and ill so remarkable a manner, by the great apostle to the Gen- 
 tiles. He will be in the habit of reflecting, also, that the object is 
 worthy of infinitely greater sacrifices than he can have made to it ; 
 and that, however discouraging appearances may be, the ultimate 
 consequences of fidehty will be unspeakably delightful and glo- 
 rious. 
 
 " 2. It is very important that those who are looking forward to 
 the responsible station of missionaries, should be thoroughly ac- 
 quainted with their own character. There is more need of caution 
 here, as men are apt to be ignorant of themselves ; and especially is 
 it true that young persons, during the progress of their education, 
 often greatly misjudge as to their relative standing, and their pre- 
 vailing motives of action. The real character of a man is, however, 
 very likely to develope itself suddenly, when he is thrown into diffi- 
 cult and untried circumstances. Let the candidate for missionary 
 employment, then, make it a particular study to ascertain how he 
 stands in the sight of 'God. For this let him labor with much 
 assiduity ; not merely to gain satisfaction as to his having repent- 
 ed of sin and believed hi Christ, but to learn whether he has that 
 
294 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 love for the souls of men, that devotedness, that zeal, that patience 
 in trouble, that readiness for kind andbrotherly co-operation, which 
 are essential to an elevated course of Christian beneficence. 
 To aid himself in this matter, let him apply to some pious friend, 
 who can judge impartially, and who will become a candid and 
 faithful adviser. It will be of incalculable benefit to a missionary 
 to have made great progress in moral discipline ; — in subduing 
 pride, selfishness, vanity, ambition, and habits of indulgence, be- 
 ibre he takes upon him a public character. To all these evils, and 
 many others the heart of man is exposed; and it is not the part of 
 wisdom to deny the danger, or attempt to conceal it. In the busi- 
 ness of self-government, those are the most successful who have 
 the most thorough knowledge of their weakness, their exposures, 
 and their dangers. 
 
 " 3. The missionary enterprise has now arrived at such a stage 
 in its progress, that the soldiers of the cross have special need of 
 being well furnished with the Gospel armor. The evangelical ex- 
 ertions which are now distinctly and avowedly directed to the 
 moral renovation of the world, are fast attracting the attention of 
 all observing and reflecting men ; and are regarded with very dif- 
 ferent views by various classes of individuals, according to their 
 feelings, their prejudices, and the part which they are personally 
 disposed to take, either in favor of diviue truth, or against it. 
 
 " The friends and supporters of missions entertain high hopes of 
 success, as they have good reason for doing ; but these hopes be- 
 ing somewhat indefinite, in regard to time, manner, and circum- 
 stances, often lead to sanguine conclusions. These friends, also, 
 very generally form an exalted opinion of the moral excellence of 
 missionaries ; and the mere fact, that a man offers to go forth in 
 this capacity, is a passport to their xmbounded confidence. Such 
 a state of things should operate powerfully upon the mind of an 
 ingenuous man ; and should induce him to aim strenuously to prove 
 worthy of that confidence which is so liberally bestowed upon 
 him in advance. 
 
 " The enemies of Christ were probably never more on the alert 
 than at this moment, to discover flaws in the character of his pro- 
 fessed friends, and to publish them abroad, with a view to bring 
 reproach and disgrace upon all that is doing to extend the limits of 
 the church. These enemies are more or less open in their hostility, 
 according to circumstances ; but they all agree in opposing the 
 progress of truth. They are to be found in every Christian coun- 
 try, and have access to almost every considerable missionary sta- 
 tion. Some of them are becoming much alarmed, and habitually 
 discover great malignity. Let every missionary expect to be 
 watched by such men ; let him make this anticipated scrutiny a 
 reason for examining and judging himself; and let him take spe- 
 cial care, that those icJto are of the contrary part rnay he ashamed, 
 having no evil thing to say ofhiw.; or, if they are beyond the reach 
 of shame, and will not be silent, let them be compelled to rely 
 upon mere slander, which can either be refuted, or left to destroy 
 itself. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 295 
 
 "It is always to be remembered, that an example of Christian integ- 
 rity, benevolence, and piety, will commend itself to the consciences 
 of even the most bitter opposers ; while others, who are not com- 
 mitted by any acts of direct hostility to the truth, will not be back- 
 ward in avowing their convictions, and bearing a decided testimony 
 to a life of consistent evangelical virtue. Progress in holiness is 
 to be desired by a missionary, as a mean of usefulness to all 
 around him, while it is a source of unfailing satisfaction to himself 
 
 "4. The man who has deliberately consecrated himself to the 
 service of Christ among the heathen, should not be solicitous re- 
 specting subordinate matters. He should cheerfully leave to Prov- 
 idence the precise field of his labor, the time and manner of his 
 going forth, and other things of a similar nature. Not that he 
 should act without consideration in relation to any subject, howev- 
 er small ; — nor that he should fail to communicate any facts, views, 
 or reasonings, which have weight in his own mind ; — but he should 
 carefully avoid distressing anxiety about the future, and cheerfully 
 commit himself and all his interests to God. Nothing is m.ore 
 common, than for young men who are about closing the term of their 
 education, to feel as though it would be extremely desirable to 
 have the tenor of their future years marked out icith certainty ; not 
 reflecting that, even if their lives were secure for years to come, 
 such certainty would be unattainable by human power or foresight. 
 It cannot be attained in regard to any class of men, much less profes- 
 sional men, who remain in our own country. The most mature plans 
 are often interrupted ; and the only wise and safe course, at home 
 or abroad, is to prepare for usefulness in some important sphere, 
 and then leave every future allotment to be disclosed in the ordi- 
 nary course of Providence. 
 
 " 5. The man who contemplates entering upon a missionary 
 life, should habitually rely upon the promise and the favor of 
 God, as the only ground of confidence, with reference to the great 
 work of converting the nations. No combination of human talents, 
 no multiplication of human labors can ever succeed, unless God 
 accompany these labors by the energy of the Holy Spirit. Though 
 the means used for enlightening and reforming and saving men 
 are wisely fitted, under the Gospel dispensation, to accomplish 
 these glorious ends, yet they will all fail, unless they are followed 
 by a special blessing from on high. The external preparations for 
 spreading the Gospel, though increased a hundred fold beyond 
 their present amount, should not withdraw our attention for a mo- 
 ment from the Great Source of spiritual hfe, without whose kindly 
 influence nothing of importance will be done for the permanent 
 melioration of the human race. The hopes of the Christian world, 
 while they rest on the declared purpose of the Most High, are 
 called into lively exercise by events which are continually transpir- 
 ing ; and it seems hardly possible to avoid the conclusion, that He 
 who has excited his people to strenuous efforts, and united, impor- 
 tunate, and persevering prayer, will impart that divine energy, 
 without which every thing else will be unavailing. 
 
 " As the number of missionaries is increasing, and will increase 
 still more rapidly, a large portion of our clergymen, and numerous 
 
296 ^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 lay members of our churches, will be called upon for their advice 
 to individuals who think of missionary sei"vice, and for their testi- 
 monials to the character of such as may be deemed suitable can- 
 didates for that high employment. The business of selecting and 
 sending forth spiritual laborers is exceedingly responsible ; and 
 should be discharged with a deep feeling of the magnitude of the 
 interests depending. Private friendships, personal attachments, 
 and the strong desires of the intended missionary, should never 
 induce to the recommendation of any person, who is not deliber- 
 ately judged to be fit for the sacred vocation to which he aspires. 
 It need not be said, that all good men are not equally qualified for 
 usefulness; nor that a man who will be useful in some one place, may 
 not have the requisite qualifications to be useful in all other places. 
 It seems proper therefore, to call the attention of clergymen and 
 others to some prominent traits of character, which should be 
 foiuid in all who are sent forth to the heathen, either as ordained 
 missionaries, or as assistants in any department of the work. 
 
 " And first, as a general quahfication, it is extremely desirable 
 that each missionary should have acquired such a character in the 
 religious circles where he is known, as shall call forth the sponta- 
 neous approbation of his acquaintances, when his purpose is first 
 announced. This prompt and general attestation to the consisten- 
 cy of his conduct with his professions, and to his possessing the 
 great elements of the Christian character, is one of the best evi- 
 dences of fitness for the work, so far as these evidences fall under 
 human cognizance. It is very gratifying to the Committee to be 
 informed respecting any mdividual recommended to them, that 
 he is such a man as will do good any where ; that his offering 
 himself for the semce is unanimously approved by those who 
 know him ; and that his friends will expect to hear good things 
 from him, into whatever part of the vineyard he may be sent. 
 The Committee would not intimate that such a reputation for 
 general excellence is indispensable ; but it is certainly desirable, 
 and should be considered as attainable by all, who, with singleness 
 of heart, and respectable intellectual powers, devote themselves 
 to the promotion of the glory of God. 
 
 " Besides being able to express an opinion of a candidate's gen- 
 eral fitness for the work, those who give testimonials should look 
 distinctly at several important traits of character. Here the Com- 
 mittee would observe that missionaries, who have been some time 
 in the field, are scriipulous beyond all others, in regard to the qual- 
 ifications of those who shall be sent forth to them as fellow 
 laborers. They confess and lament their own deficiencies, while 
 they would do all in their power to raise the standard of missionary 
 excellence. Their correspondence bears frequent testimony to 
 their earnestness on this subject. . In some instances, they have 
 consulted together, and drawn out an elaborate description of such 
 a character as they have thought candidates should possess. At 
 a missionary meeting in the western wilderness, a paper of this 
 kind was composed, from which the following particulars are 
 taken. They were intended to apply to missionaries who shall 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 297 
 
 go to the Indians beyond the Mississippi, but are applicable, with 
 small variations, to others. 
 
 " ' In addition to vital piety, competent literary acquirements, a 
 thorough knowledge of the Bible and of theology, such missionaries 
 should have, 
 
 "'1. An enterprising turn of mind ; a spirit that will support a 
 man while he travels without company, sleeps without shelter, and 
 is sick without attendants ; a spirit that will sustain hardship of 
 every description without repining. 
 
 " ' 2. An amiable temper. The countenance of a missionary 
 should indicate a pleasant and cheerful state of mind, and should 
 be to him, wherever he goes, his letter of recommendation. 
 
 " ' 3. Promptness in argument. Indians are sagacious in discern- 
 ing character, shrewd in their cavils against true reUgion, and ever 
 ready to hold in derision such as appear weaker or less wise 
 than themselves ; while they respect those whom they consider 
 their superiors. 
 
 " ' 4. Equanimity is an essential qualification of the western 
 missionary. He must pass through all his difficulties with a firm, 
 unshaken resolution. He should be steadfast, unmovable, always 
 mild, always affectionate, but always decided. 
 
 '"5. Punctuality to his engagements. 
 
 " ' 6. Skill in the p)Cbrticular business assigned him. No novices 
 should be sent out. A great degree of ardor and self-denial, 
 though it may entitle a man to compassion, will but poorly com- 
 pensate for the losses and disappointments sustained by the mis- 
 sion, in consequence of his inexperience and want of skill. 
 
 " ' 7. A good bodily constitution.' 
 
 " It will be observed, that the sixth particular has reference to 
 assistant missionaries, who are employed as teachers, farmers, and 
 mechanics. 
 
 " The Committee would add, that missionaries of all classes, 
 and both sexes, should have a well established character for, 
 
 " 8. Habitual industry. It is not sufficient that a man should be 
 capable of vigorous activity either of mind or body, as the case 
 may be, bat he should have been in habits of continued employ- 
 ment, and should be uneasy, and out of his element, unless actually 
 employed. 
 
 " 9. Habitual carefidness. This trait of character should have 
 respect to every part of duty. The missionary should be careful 
 of property, of his health, of his words, of the measures he re- 
 commends, the examples he sets, and of all his means and oppor- 
 tunities of usefulness. 
 
 " 10. Humility, embracing, besides what is usually understood 
 by that term, a willingness to labor on a small scale, and for 
 the benefit of a few immortal beings, when a larger sphere is 
 not accessible. In fixing on a field of labor, the number of souls 
 to be benefitted is always an important consideration ; but it some- 
 times happens that a missionary, even in a populous country, can 
 get but a few hearers. There are many causes which may cir- 
 cumscribe his direct influence within narrow limits. In such a 
 
 38 
 
298 L^^E OF EVARTS. 
 
 state of things, he should consider how great an object it is to brin g 
 one soul to heaven, and what inconceivable good may result from 
 his forming his own character to a happy resemblance of his 
 Saviour, 
 
 " Jt not unfrequently happens that persons apparently pious qre 
 encumbered with serious disqualifications for missionary services ; 
 which, however, they may not regard in this light, or perhaps may 
 not be conscious of them at all. A few of these disqualifications 
 will be mentioned. 
 
 " 1. A disposition to change. There are some persons who are 
 very confident they could do a great deal of good, if they were in 
 certain imaginable circumstances. They are frequently changing 
 their condition, with a view lo arrive at a state so desirable. They 
 always see many reasons for new changes, and thus life wears 
 away, while they are preparing to employ it well. Sometimes, 
 beyond a doubt, this love of change is a principal cause which 
 first j)rompts the desire of going on a mission. 
 
 " 2. A strong tendency to depression of spirits. No man needs 
 the buoyancy of a cheerful, elastic state of mind more than a mis- 
 sionary. He should be grave and serious ; but in his tempera- 
 ment hope and joy should predominate. 
 
 " 3. Jealousy. When an individual is known to suffer from this 
 evil, he should be advised to remain in the bosom of a Christian 
 community. Jealousy may have respect to many subjects ; but, in 
 a missionary, it naturally fixes upon the relative standing of his 
 brethren, the estimation in which he is himself held, and the sup- 
 posed motives of those who have had any agency in assigning his 
 duties. 
 
 "4. A habit of inconsiderate talking. Rash and idle words are 
 very inconvenient things in a missionary circle. In a large society 
 men are very apt to find their level, and a talkative man is duly 
 estimated ; but in a small band of brethren, shut out from the 
 world, it is not easy to restrain an ungovernable tongue. 
 
 " 5. Incapacity to judge of human character. This deficiency is 
 sometimes called ignorance of the world, and sometimes a want 
 of common sense. It is occasionally found in persons who have 
 all their lives had intercourse with men ; while, on the other hand, 
 many whose observation has been confined to their native village, 
 are rarely deceived in their estimation of men and things. 
 
 " 6. Levity. No person can gain the respect and confidence 
 of uncivilized men, especially of our western Indians, if given to 
 lightness of mind ; and the example of levity is extremely un- 
 profitable to a mission family. 
 
 " The present indications of Providence are such as to warrant 
 the confidence, that pecuniary means will be furnished by Ameri- 
 can Christians, adequate to sending forth to the heathen as many 
 qualified preachers of the Gospel as can be found ready to enter 
 upon the service. Old fields of labor are extending, new ones are 
 opening, and millions of immortal beings are waiting to hear the 
 message of salvation. The Committee feel as though they are 
 abundantly supported by the wishes, and pledges, and expectations 
 of their Christian brethren, in declaring that no man who aspires 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 299 
 
 to this high and holy office, need hesitate lest he should not find a 
 place for labor among the heathen, or the means of getting access 
 to them. Unless all the signs of the times are misinterpreted, it 
 may also be taken for granted, that may suitable laborers for every 
 department of the work will be selected from the American 
 churches ; and that our happy country, greatly favored of heaven 
 in temporal and spiritual privileges, will be honored as an almoner 
 of the divine bounty to pagan nations. 
 
 " Let every pious young man, especially if preparing for the 
 ministry, seriously inquire what the Lord ivould have 1dm to do, in 
 reference to this subject. Let him ask the advice of his Christian 
 friends, and get their aid in forming a judgment of his character. 
 If he doubts as to his qualifications, let him aim to become 
 qualified. 
 
 " Ministers and private Christians should feel themselves called 
 upon to search for suitable men, whom they would confide in as 
 the messengers of the churches. There may be some, perhaps 
 many, who, from too low an estimate of themselves, do not think 
 of missionary employment ; but who might still be eminently 
 useful. Possibly they need but the inspiring voice of a judicious 
 adviser, to kindle the latent spark of missionary zeal into a 
 flame. 
 
 " Besides ordained missionaries and agents, the missions now 
 under the care of the Board, and others to be formed, will need 
 the services of a considerable number of teachers of youth, who 
 should be men and women of active minds, industrious habits, and 
 an enterprising character. Some of them should possess qualifica- 
 tions greatly superior to what are deemed requisite in teachers of 
 common schools ; and several of this description, and of both 
 sexes, are urgently^needed at the present time. Is not our country 
 able to furnish them ? Should not every eye be wakeful till they 
 are foimd and sent forth ? 
 
 " The Committee must look to their Christian brethren to share 
 with them the responsibility of selecting and sending forth spiritual 
 laborers. It is a matter of common concern. The interests of the 
 church are deeply involved in it. Missionaries, though self-moved, 
 (or rather moved by love to the souls of men,) are not self-ap- 
 pointed. It is not meet that they should be. It would not be ac- 
 cording to the usage of the primitive church. 
 
 " To conclude, let the whole body of the faithful importunately 
 pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his har- 
 vest ; — men whose service he will bless, whose character he will 
 protect, and whose fidelity he will graciously recompense with his 
 decisive benediction at the final day." 
 
 The intended visit of Mr. Evarts to the Indian missions this 
 year was prevented by the urgency of other engagements, and 
 one of his associates took his place in that service. " I have re- 
 peatedly informed you," he said in a letter to Rev. C. Kingsbury, 
 January 18, "that my journey was prevented by the exigencies 
 
^^ 
 
 300 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 of our affairs at home. I have to-day written a few lines to Mr. 
 L. S. Williams. I do not know but some of my words may give 
 him pain. If so, you must comfort him, that he may not have 
 sorrow upon sorrow. The fact is, I feel exceedingly distressed in 
 regard to Indian missions, and my distress and anxiety are con- 
 tinually increasing. I hope affairs may be so ordered, that Mr. 
 Williams will stay at the place where he is now stationed, and that 
 he will gain access to the people, and do them good. 
 
 *' You have probably received from Mr. Varnum the various 
 documents on Indian subjects, which have been recently printed 
 by Congress. It will be more and more difficult for Indians to 
 live in the old States ; in Georgia, for instance ; and whether 
 they can find any resting-place upon this continent, remains to be 
 seen. The great obstacle to their improvement is the depravity 
 of the heart. If they would all receive the gospel, renounce all 
 wickedness, become industrious and exemplary, they would be 
 safe, notwithstanding all the cupidity and injustice of the whites. 
 If, on the other hand, the whites were entirely and only benevo- 
 lent ; if they loved their neighbors as themselves, and were wil- 
 ling to labor hard and wait patiently for the reformation of their 
 red neighbors, the Indians would then have a chance for them- 
 selves ; and even if they rose very slowly, they might still rise at 
 last. But with the prevailing depravity of both classes, I see no 
 hope, unless it shall please God to pour out his Spirit in a remark- 
 able manner. Here the matter must rest ; and unless our mis- 
 sions shall be so far honored as to introduce the gospel in its 
 power more rapidly than hitherto, I see not but the object must 
 fail. 
 
 " Present my kind regards to Col. Folsom.* I pray that he 
 may give his heart to the Lord, and be made an instrument of 
 great good to his people. I did hope to have seen him and you 
 this winter, and to consult and pray together more solemnly than 
 at any former time. But the matter was otherwise ordered." * 
 
 Before the end of February, he was again on his way to Wash- 
 ington. 
 
 * An intelligent Chief of the Choctaw nation. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 301 
 
 TO REV. R. ANDERSON. 
 
 Philadelphia, March 1, 1828. 
 
 "I spent the greater part of Thursday evening at Mr. Lord's, 
 in conversation upon the Extra Effort plan. He thinks it ex- 
 tremely important that this plan should succeed, and that the Pru- 
 dential Committee would act wisely to bend their efforts very 
 much to this object. He sees very clearly that the impulse given 
 in New York has produced great results. To this impulse can 
 be traced most directly the Bible exertions in Pennsylvania, and 
 missionary exertions in New Jersey ; from both of which incalcu- 
 lable good will proceed. And he thinks that, if the original plan 
 should be carried into effect, it would propagate an impulse much 
 farther than can now be imagined ; whereas, if it fails, he sup- 
 poses that the subscribers will generally decline paying, except for 
 the first year ; that they will be somewhat disgusted ; and that 
 they will divert their energies hereafter into another channel. 
 
 " For my part, I have no doubt that a great advantage would 
 be gained, if the ^100,000 were filled. This might be done, 
 perhaps, if we had ten such agents as Mr. King and ten such as 
 Mr. Bissell. But when we consider that about five months have 
 elapsed, and not more than ^8,000 or ^10,000 have been added 
 to the subscription of the first evening, it must appear a very diffi- 
 cult thing, with the means at our disposal, even to get the sum up 
 to ^50,000. Mr. Lord seemed to suppose that our Committee, 
 by making a serious effort, could do much, if they were not able 
 to accomplish the whole. One thing we must do ; and that is, 
 write a suitable letter to members of the Board and honorary mem- 
 bers, with a view to their exertions in the six months to come." 
 
 In fact, Mr. Evarts found reason to apprehend unfavorable re- 
 sults from the Extra Effort upon the ordinary sources of income; 
 and exerted himself to prevent it. " The great desideratum every- 
 where is," he remarks, " a sufficient number of men and women 
 who lay the matter to heart, and will spend time to bring the sub- 
 ject of missions before all the people. There is no great use in 
 foretelling evil, at least, in many cases ; but 1 shall not be surprised, 
 if there is a great deficiency in the ordinary subscriptions of the 
 
302 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 city of New York. I suggested the employment of a suitable 
 agent, or agents, to visit the several associations and to call upon 
 individuals." 
 
 TO REV. R. ANDERSON. 
 
 Philadelphia, March 3, 1S28. 
 
 " On Saturday, I wrote an account of my interview with Mr. 
 Lord ; and concluded, I think, with expressing an opinion that 
 we could hardly hope to get the extra subscription up to ^50,000. 
 Yet I am far from thinking it best to stop soliciting for that object. 
 If, at the close of the year, but half the original sum should be 
 obtained, it is quite probable that the subscribers would continue 
 the time for receiving subscriptions, or consent to its extension, if 
 there was a probability that it could be carried further with en- 
 couraging prospects. There are many towns in our country, 
 where from ,|^500 to ^1000 could be obtained by the united la- 
 bors of Mr. King and Mr. Kirk, or Mr. Bissell and Mr. Whiting. 
 We must admit, however, that there will be danger of a great ebb, 
 where a flood may have been raised by a violent wind ; or, in 
 plainer language, those individuals who are induced to subscribe 
 by a sudden movement and strong pressure, will be very likely 
 to regret what they have done, and to fall into a complaining 
 habit, which will predispose them to find fault with the Board and 
 its missionaries. In this way, one man in a populous town may 
 greatly embarrass missionary operations hereafter. Though I have 
 no doubt that God is about to accomplish much by Mr. Bissell's 
 ^100,000 movement, yet by some of its consequences we may 
 experience much trouble. Let us avoid as much of it as we can 
 by the exercise of all our prudence, and patiently take the rest ; 
 expecting that every measure which we adopt will be liable to 
 inconveniencies. 
 
 " The most difficult part of this business is, to know what to 
 say concerning it in the Missionary Herald. I think I shall write 
 something for the April number." 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 303 
 
 TO REV. R. ANDERSON. 
 
 Washington, D. C, March 11, 1828. 
 
 " We had in our coach [from Baltimore] two Quaker men and 
 two women ; one of them, as I afterwards ascertained, was Mrs. 
 Elizabeth Robson, from England, a famous female preacher. We 
 
 had also a man by the name of , from Buffalo, who took 
 
 occasion to speak against missionaries, in very severe and violent 
 terms. He knew all about them — and all about the Indians, k,c. 
 Before the missionaries went among them, the Indians were the 
 most virtuous and honest set of men in the world ; now they were 
 vicious and miserable. 
 
 •' I felt it to be my duty to silence his battery, which was easily 
 done. I discoursed a while on Major Long's account of the In- 
 dians — then on the accounts of the missionaries — urging that no 
 missionary, so far as my knowledge extended, had been proved 
 mistaken in regard to facts which tended to develope the Indian 
 character. 
 
 " He then went upon Mr. , and the treatment which he 
 
 had received from the other missionaries. I regretted the case of 
 
 Mr. ; and added that I was not aware that he had made 
 
 erroneous statements as to the Indian character and condition. 
 
 " My opponent now shifted his ground. He knew Mr. Harris 
 very well, and Mr. Harris was a very good man. The mission- 
 aries were good men : the difficulties in regard to them were, that 
 they thought nobody would be saved but themselves ; they con- 
 demned other people ; they had no charity. For his part, he had 
 charity for all. 
 
 " I asked him what he had said just before, respectino- the 
 character of missionaries generally ; and requested him to repeat 
 it, as I thought the company would like to hear it again. 
 
 " This was an effectual damper. He afterwards became very 
 obsequious. 1 yesterday met him in the street, and he was ex- 
 tremely polite, and wished to carry anything for me which I wish 
 to send to Buffalo. I shall contrive to send something by him. 
 
 " The Quakers and an intelligent young gentleman from Phil- 
 adelphia spoke to me privately afterwards on the ignorance and 
 
304 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 presumption of the man. He was, however, a fair specimen of 
 the opposers of missions, and knew more than most of them. 
 
 " I was happy to learn from Mr. Post, that he had invited sev- 
 eral members of Congress, who were professors of religion, to 
 meet at his house every Thursday evening for religious conversa- 
 tion and prayer. Several such meetings had been held. Not 
 more than three gentlemen, 1 believe had been together — though 
 perhaps half a dozen in the whole have attended." 
 
 TO REV. R. ANDERSON. 
 
 Washington, D. C, March 11. 
 
 " Friday, March 7. After the call of Capt. Jones was over,* 
 who should enter the room but David Brown. He told me that 
 he had addressed me a letter, and of course you know that he is 
 here. He probably stated in that letter that he is secretary of the 
 Arkansas delegates, who are engaged in business respecting their 
 limits, &;c. I never saw him look better. The same pleasant 
 smile plays on his countenance. He was very tastefully dressed, 
 and his figure has rather gained in ease and gracefulness. He left 
 the Arkansas country in the fall — Creekpath the last of January, 
 and has been here a fortnight. 
 
 " P. M. Went to the Capitol at 4. Heard Mr. Randolph 
 about an hour. The question was on Mr. Oakley's amendments 
 to the appropriation for surveys, &c. You could not guess any- 
 thing about the subject, however, from the speech. It was a 
 curious exhibition of the vagaries to which the human mind is 
 liable. Mr. Randolph has been greatly flattered of late, espe- 
 cially in regard to his last speech on Chilton's resolutions of 
 which speech, as revised by himself with great care, the opposi- 
 tion members have distributed thirty thousand copies. 
 
 *' Among the topics which I heard this afternoon from him, 
 were the character of Hume as a historian, — the evils of gentility, 
 or extravagant living, — the necessity of working hard and prac- 
 tising rigid economy — the evils of our paper money system — the 
 
 * Capt. Thomas Ap Catesby Jones, of the United States Navy, who had visited the 
 Sandwich Islands a few months after Lieut. Percival, and whose conduct while there 
 had been highly gratifying to the friends of missions, and honorable to himself and his 
 country. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS 3O5 
 
 character of two Virginia judges — one a drunkard, the other a 
 bankrupt — analysis and criticism of one of Horace's odes, with a 
 long quotation from it — comparison of Herodotus and Polybius as 
 historians — quotation from one of his own speeches, delivered in 
 1808 — account of his own fortune, management of his estate, and 
 self-denial — tribute to hard-working men — description of his near- 
 est neighbor in Virginia — and a recommendation to members of 
 Congress to go home immediately. He had an exhortation to this 
 effect : ' The man who is determined to be independent, will not 
 make long faces, raise his eyes to heaven, and go canting and 
 whining about, that he may become attached to some missionary 
 society or colonization society.' 
 
 " Saturday, March 8. Soon after breakfast, went to William- 
 son's, where the Arkansas delegation are. Was there introduced 
 to Graves, John Rogers, James Rogers, Black Fox, and George 
 Guess. I believe there are some others belonging to the company. 
 I may hereafter describe them all. In Guess I felt a peculiar in- 
 terest. He is very modest in appearance, a man about fifty 
 years old, dressed in the costume of the country — that is, a hunt- 
 ing-frock, pantaloons, moccasins, and a handkerchief tied around 
 the head. The others were dressed as well, and appeared in every 
 respect as well, as members of Congress generally. The Rogerses 
 speak good English ; but Graves, Black Fox, and Guess, spoke 
 in Cherokee only. I asked Guess, by David as an interpreter, to 
 tell me what induced him to form an alphabet, and how he pro- 
 ceeded in doing it ? 
 
 " Guess replied, that he had observed that many things were 
 found out by men, and known in the world ; but that this knowl- 
 edge escaped and was lost for want of some way to preserve it ; 
 that he had observed white people write things on paper, and he 
 had seen books, and he knew that what was written down re- 
 mained and was not forgotten ; that he attempted, therefore, to 
 fix certain marks for sounds ; that he thought, if he could make 
 things fast on the paper, it would be like catching a wild animal 
 and taming it; that he found great difficulty in proceeding with 
 his alphabet, as he forgot the sounds which he had assigned to 
 marks ; that he was much puzzled about a character for the hiss- 
 ing sound ; (I suppose his meaning was, that he had much difficulty 
 39 
 
306 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 to ascertain whether s should be a separate syllable, and have a 
 separate character or not ;) that when this point was settled, he 
 proceeded easily and rapidly ; that his alphabet cost him a month's 
 study ; and that he afterwards made an alphabet for the pen ; that 
 is, for speedy writing ; the characters of which he wrote under 
 the corresponding characters of the other. The two alphabets 
 have no great resemblance to each other.* 
 
 " Wednesday, 12. Yesterday read Mr. McLean's speech in 
 the House of Representatives, and to-day Mr. Vinton's, on the 
 emigration of the Indians. I am more and more in doubt respect- 
 ing that measure ; and have made up my mind to advise members 
 against it, unless Congress first adopt a definite plan, and embody 
 it in the form of a law, which would be a guaranty none too strong 
 for the poor Indians. 
 
 "March 13. I called on Mr. Bates, and conversed with him 
 long on the Indian subject — having made up my mind decisively, 
 that Congress ought not to take any step towards the removal of 
 the Indians, till they fix upon a definite plan of proceeding, and 
 give all the pledges which can be afforded by a law that the plan 
 shall be pursued. This they will not do the present session ; and 
 therefore I think they should make no appropriation to defray the 
 expense of exploring. 
 
 "15. I thought it my duty to urge upon Mr. V., as I have 
 upon other members, the impropriety of leading the Indians for- 
 ward in the dark — of making to them vague promises of uncertain 
 good, before a definite plan is fixed upon for their benefit, — a plan 
 which has been thoroughly examined, and has received the delib- 
 erate sanction of all the branches of the Government. 
 
 * The alphabet of Guess, considering its origin, is one of the most remarkable 
 achievements of the human mind. It appears that he began by attempting to make a 
 character for every word. Finding that in this way his memory became overburdened 
 with the number, he began to analyze the words, and to notice that the same character 
 would answer for parts of many words. Every syllable in the Cherokee language is 
 either a simple vowel sound, or a vowel preceded by a consonant. The vowel sounds 
 are six; the consonants, simple and compound, twelve; the syllables resulting from 
 their combination, seventy-two ; by certain modifications of a few of these syllables 
 several others are formed, making eighty-five in all. For each, Guess formed a char- 
 acter ; so that the alphabet consists of eighty-five letters, each representing a syllable, 
 — ^justas the letters F I K C, rapidly pronounced, give the syllablesof the word I'^racy. 
 Of course, when these characters are mastered, the pupil has learned to read ; which 
 is usually done ia two or three days. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 307 
 
 "March 21. The measures for the removal of the Indians 
 will drag heavily in Congress ; but the ignorance, perverseness, 
 and vices of the Indians themselves, painful as the prospect is, 
 must destroy them, all but a remnant. No doubt the injustice, 
 rapacity, and hard-heartedness of the whites will bring them in 
 for a share in the ruin. To judge differently would be to imitate 
 the false prophet, who cried Peace, pence, when there was no 
 peace. We must strive to make the remnant as large as we can." 
 
 *T0 REV. C. WASHBURN. 
 
 Washington, March 29, 1828. 
 
 " The time has nearly arrived for Mr. Kingsbury and Mr. 
 Greene to leave the Choctaw nation ; and before this comes to 
 hand, I hope they will be with you ; and I shall have them espe- 
 cially in view in what I now write. 
 
 " There are two classes of subjects to which we wish all your 
 minds to be directed. 1. Those which relate to the immigration 
 of the Indians west of the Mississippi. 2. Those which relate to 
 the establishment of missions which shall be efficient, and which 
 shall be conducted at a small expense. 
 
 " As to the removal of the Indians, we wish to receive a satis- 
 factory answer to the following inquiries. Can any land be 
 found, west of the Mississippi, beyond the limits of the States 
 and territories, which will be satisfactory to the Indians ? Will 
 the Indians, after their removal, be more beyond the influence of 
 the whites than they are now ? Will not their white neighbors 
 be worse men, and more lawless, than their present neighbors 
 are ? Must not their country be intersected by roads for the ac- 
 commodation of whites, which would of course expose the natives 
 to all sorts of contamination ? Would not the Indians be de- 
 pressed and dispirited by a strict supervision under white rulers ? 
 
 " On the second head, — on the best method of conducting mis- 
 sions among the Indians : 
 
 " Our Committee have long been fixed in the conclusion, that 
 more invention must be applied to bringing all the faculties of mis- 
 sionaries to bear upon the religious culture of the natives. By 
 bringing all the faculties to bear, I mean, that there should be as 
 little time spent upon temporals, as a proper regard to health and 
 
308 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 decency will permit. We think we must arrive at such a state of 
 improvement that a small mission family, consisting of a mission- 
 ary, his wife, and a few small children, will live comfortably on 
 an allowance of from ^'150 to ^250 a year, including every ex- 
 pense, except what is derived from a little farm and garden ; and 
 that the missionary should have one half or two thirds of his time 
 for spiritual labors. 
 
 " Should it be asked whether it would not be better economy 
 to increase the allowance to from ^300 to ,^'500 ; and let the 
 missionary apply his whole time to his appropriate work ? — I an- 
 swer that, so far as our experience goes, we do not think there is 
 any way of securing a missionary's whole time to spiritual labor. 
 Certainly there is no way, if he lives alone. Money will not do 
 it. Besides, two missionaries, devoting half their time vigorously 
 and faithfully to spiritual labor, and the rest to the secular work 
 of their station, would do more good than one missionary, devoting 
 his whole time, were that practicable. As an inducement to 
 economy in our Indian missions, let it be considered that less than 
 ^100 a year will enable a young man to obtain an education for 
 the ministry; that ^50 a year will enable many a young man to 
 go through college, who would not otherwise do it; that ^25 a 
 year, in money, will keep a student in the Maryville Seminary ; 
 that .^100 a year will enable many congregations to settle minis- 
 ters, where it would not otherwise be done, and where there are 
 500, 1,000, or 1,500 souls to be benefitted by his labors. 
 
 " I am aware that exhortations to economy sometimes appear 
 to savor of a secular spirit. But, unless we are deceived, we urge 
 to this duty from a regard to the souls of men. The money which 
 is raised from the Christian public, is given from religious consid- 
 erations. Half our time and care and anxiety at the Rooms is 
 expended upon raising funds ; and we are at this moment more 
 than ^40,000 in debt. Ought we not to urge economy as an 
 imperious religious duty ? 
 
 " May the Lord give us wisdom and fidelity, for his name's 
 sake." 
 
 Mr. Evarts remained in Washington till the 10th of April. 
 A principal object of this visit was to secure adequate protection 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 309 
 
 for the mission to the Sandwich Islands, against such outrages as 
 those of Capt. Percival, which have been already mentioned. It 
 was a subject that required the exercise of great tact and judg- 
 ment, in personal intercourse with official persons, and in the pre- 
 paration of papers and other arrangements. It occupied much of 
 his time during the year, and even into 1829, Although the re- 
 sult was not in all respects such as to meet his views of the de- 
 mands of public justice, the leading object was fully accomplished.* 
 The next year the United States Ship Vincennes was sent to the 
 Islands,! to repair the mischief that had been done ; and the 
 friends of missions have since had no reason to complain of the 
 treatment received by them, or by the native authorities, from the 
 government of the United States or persons connected with our 
 navy. As long as the result was doubtful, he continued to put 
 forth every judicious effort to secure the punishment of the guilty, 
 and to bring the facts before the public in their proper light, so 
 far as decency would permit their publication. In this, as in all 
 similar cases, he relied very much on public opinion, and the 
 
 * Of this trial and the result, Mr. Evarts prepared an account for the Annual Re- 
 port of 1S2S. " The court," he says, "occupied twenty-six days in examining wit- 
 nesses and taking down their testimony. The Prudential Committee were allowed to 
 be present, and to propose questions to witnesses, by an agent whom they employed 
 as legal counsel for that purpose. They took fall notes of the evidence, and copies of 
 nearly all the depositions ; the import and bearing of which, however, it is not thought 
 proper to disclose at present. 
 
 " About the middle of June, the proceedings of the court were transmitted to the 
 navy department ; but what the decision was, and how far the proceedings are ap- 
 proved by the President, the Committee are not able to state, as nothing, so far as 
 they know, has transpired on the subject. No agent having been sent to the Islands 
 to authenticate written evidence, and the letters and statements of missionaries and 
 others, however worthy of confidence, not being legally admissible, it could not be 
 expected that a full developement could be made, at the distance of many thousand 
 miles from the scene of these transactions. 
 
 " In the present state of the proceedings, it is not deemed expedient to intimate how 
 much was proved under the several charges brought before the court, further than to 
 say that enough appeared to justify the Committee and the Board for preferring and 
 sustaining their complaints, and the government for making the investigation." 
 
 Though repeated inquiries were made of the government during the next year and 
 a half, no definite answer was received. Neither the result of the investigation by the 
 Court of Inquiry, nor the decision of the President upon it, has since been made public. 
 
 t Under the command of Captain William Bolton Finch, with Rev. C. S. Stewart, 
 lately missionary at the Islands, and well known and esteemed by the chiefs, as chap- 
 lain, and bearing presents from the government, and all desirable official assurances of 
 sympathy and countenance in every effort to promote civihzation, good morals, and 
 religion, among the people. 
 
310 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 power of the press. Placing the missionaries and their friends 
 before the community on the ground of justice, purity, and virtue, 
 and as the friends of the ignorant and defenceless, he relied 
 strongly on the righteous verdict of the people, and on the power 
 of that verdict to afford adequate protection, even should law fail 
 to accomplish its proper end, as a terror to evil doers. And he 
 triumphed. This struggle it was that proved to the world, that 
 even the islands of the Pacific were not beyond the reach of a 
 righteous public opinion at home ; and that he who would escape 
 infamy in the United States and in England, must beware of 
 infamous deeds at Honolulu, no less than in New York and in 
 London.* 
 
 Not sure how soon the victory might be achieved, he sought to 
 prepare those who acted with him to persevere to the end. To 
 the missionaries at the Islands, he held the following language : 
 
 TO THE SANDWICH ISLANDS MISSIONARIES. 
 
 Boston, July 28, 1828. 
 
 " This controversy with abandoned foreigners must be con- 
 tinued till it is brought to a happy close. We cannot retreat. 
 Vicious men must feel at the Sandwich Islands, as well as here, 
 that they cannot publicly violate the decencies of life without 
 danger of exposure. In this way, and with a concurrent blessing 
 of God upon your evangelical labors, public vice may be restrain- 
 ed ; but it is contrary to all experience, that the Christian religion 
 should gain a permanent influence over the mass of the people, if 
 vice is shameles.sly predominant in all the seaports and principal 
 places. This struggle with vice at Honolulu and Lahaina, is 
 really a struggle for the existence of your mission. I fully be- 
 lieve that the external character, at least, of the residents must be 
 improved, or they must leave the Islands, or the missionaries will 
 be deprived of all influence, and a most portentous cloud will 
 overshadow them and their labors. 
 
 " It is not probable that any of the missionaries will lose their 
 lives by the violence of opposers ; but if they should be called 
 
 * Mr. Evarts took care to have the conduct of abandoned masters of British vessels 
 at the Islands; properly represented in London. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 311 
 
 to this trial, it ought to be met calmly, and even joyfully, in com- 
 parison to yielding to the unreasonable desires of wicked men. 
 Indeed, I scarcely know any situation in which a good man would 
 sooner die by violent hands, than the very one which the Sand- 
 wich Islands missionaries are called to occupy. 
 
 " I would inculcate feelings of the most tender compassion to- 
 wards the unhappy men who, notwithstanding divine truth, are 
 hardening themselves in sin. Pray for them earnestly and affec- 
 tionately, and admonish them kindly. Perad venture God may 
 bring them to repentance and to obedience of the truth." 
 
 To his associates and the public at home he said : — 
 
 " Private scandal is not to be encouraged, and no unnecessary 
 publicity should be given to secret sins ; but when individuals 
 come forth as the public champions of vice ; when they insist on 
 the privilege of openly trampling on laws made by natives for the 
 promotion of the public morals ; when they express a determina- 
 tion to pursue such a course as will tend to the utter subversion 
 of religion, and to the ruin, temporal and eternal, of all who can 
 be brought wit^hin the vortex of their criminal design and their 
 base example ; it is not only proper, but indispensable, that the 
 real state of things should be exposed. There is no reason why 
 it should not be fully understood at the Sandwich Islands, that 
 the public conduct of foreigners, not only .may be lawfully, but 
 that it shall be^ effectually, made public in Great Britain and 
 America, and consequently wherever civilized men are to be 
 found. Such part of this public conduct as tends to the promo- 
 tion of peace, industry, morality, knowledge, and true religion, 
 will receive the hearty commendation of all men whose praise is 
 of any value ; and all that power of influence and example 
 which tends to depress those who are beginning to rise, and to 
 sink deeper in guilt and shame those who have never felt any 
 moral restraints, will surely bring with it that punishment inflicted 
 by many, that public reproach and odium, which even the most 
 abandoned must perceive to be just, and which few indeed are so 
 hardened as not to feel. 
 
312 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " At this age of the world, it is hardly to be supposed, what- 
 ever may be threatened, that a missionary will be murdered by his 
 countrymen, or by others who speak the same language, merely 
 because he has felt obliged, in the course of his duty, to publish 
 unwelcome truths. If this should be the case, it would be a great 
 calamity ; and it would be lamented especially, on account of 
 the guilt in which it would involve the perpetrators, and all who 
 encouraged them, or inflamed their passions. But even such an 
 event, however deplorable, might be overruled for the promotion 
 of the missionary cause. It would attract the notice of Europe 
 and America, as did the death of the missionary S.mith ; and it 
 would compel investigations, on the part of public authorities, 
 which could not but issue favorably. There is no alternative so 
 bad, as that Satan and his adherents should be led to think that 
 they are more powerful than the friends of God ; and that what- 
 ever abominations may be committed, silence respecting them 
 may be enforced upon missionaries, and missionary societies, and 
 the Christian world." 
 
 In the course of the summer, the particulars of fresh outrages 
 at the Islands were received ; some of them occasioned by the 
 publication, in this country, of letters from the missionaries, in 
 which too much truth was told to suit the purposes of those who 
 loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 
 In accordance with the convictions above expressed, Mr. Evarts 
 did not fail to make the facts fully known, to the extent of his 
 power, with appropriate comments. The conflict was ended. 
 The missionaries of the Board, in whatever distant and obscure 
 spot they might serve their Lord, were effectually brought under 
 the protecting shield of public opinion and national honor. It is 
 not probable that the missionaries, officers, and friends of the 
 Board will ever again be called to endure the anguish and toil of 
 that trying time. The exertions of Mr. Evarts, together with his 
 sympathy for the sufferers and his anxiety for the results, com- 
 bined with other causes to make these among the most laborious 
 months of his life.* 
 
 * For a full account of the painful occurrences here alluded to, see the Missionary 
 Herald and Report of the Board for 1827, 1628; and History of American Board, 
 pp. 161—3 ; 174—8. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 313 
 
 The question of the removal of the Indians, also, was daily- 
 coming to occupy more of his thoughts and time ; and he endea- 
 vored, while at Washington, to prepare himself for any duty 
 relating to it, that might devolve upon him. The alphabet of 
 Guess had given a new and extraordinary impulse to education 
 among the Cherokees, who were making rapid advances in all the 
 arts of civilized life ; and they were now living under a written 
 constitution of government, and had a newspaper and numerous 
 books, printed in their own language and their own alphabet. 
 Thus every day they were appealing more strongly for sympathy 
 and protection, while the threatening dangers gathered blackness 
 in proportion. 
 
 After his return, Mr. Evarts did little more than to pass at 
 home the busy season of the religious anniversaries, and attend to 
 urgent and harassing official duties connected with the trial of 
 Lieutenant Percival, when we find him again away on an ex- 
 cursion to Vermont, attending the meetings of auxiliaries, con- 
 sulting with the friends of the cause and with candidates for mis- 
 sionary employment, and endeavoring to devise and put into 
 operation measures that should secure the increased efficiency of 
 the recently organized associations. Everywhere he saw the need 
 of some active agency to keep the subject properly before the 
 Christian public, and to secure the regular contributions even of 
 those who called themselves friends of the cause. " Experience," 
 he writes, " while it proves the present system by far the best that 
 has been tried, makes it very evident that, with the immense ma- 
 jority of contributors, the whole business would fall absolutely 
 dead without an inquiry, if they were left to their own movements. 
 If the whole missionary cause were dead, they would probably 
 express some very loud regrets ; but as to any efforts to resuscitate 
 it, they could not be expected from this class of friends. Indeed it 
 cannot be denied, as one of the speakers at Pawlet suggested, ' that 
 very few can be found who would not gladly be passed over by 
 the collectors ; or who, if not applied to, would of themselves 
 seek the channel of communication, so that their money might be 
 seasonably transmitted. ' All this evinces a very imperfect state of 
 things among Christians." 
 40 
 
314 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " July 4. Burlington. The two parties had separate celebra- 
 tions. A great multitude was assembled ; and there was much 
 noise, drinking, and swearing. The injury done to public morals 
 by the celebration of the Fourth of July is incalculable. Take 
 the whole United States, and the amount of wickedness perpetrat- 
 ed on that day is frightful." 
 
 During this season, a Greek youth at Yale College, who was 
 under his official guardianship, becanie implicated in a College 
 difficulty. His kind and judicious letter on the occasion deserves 
 a place here, for the sake of young men in like circumstances : 
 
 TO S. G., YALE COLLEGE. 
 
 Boston, August 6, 1S29. 
 
 " I learn by a letter from Judge Baldwin, that you and your 
 countryman became somewhat involved in the late difficulty 
 among the students. Considering how universal the combination 
 was among your classmates, it is not strange that you were carried 
 away with it. But you must learn a lesson by this history, and not 
 get into the same difficulty a second time. 
 
 " Combinations are always wrong. If any real grievance is 
 experienced by students, it can be redressed by stating facts 
 and making application in a respectful manner. Majorities of 
 classes have no right to prescribe what all their fellow students 
 shall do. The attempt is a flagrant violation of the rights of mi- 
 norities. Every student should be left to act according to his 
 own judgment, without reference to the wishes of others. 
 
 " There are none of the students who ought to avoid rash and 
 hasty measures with more care and caution, than yourselves. You 
 should remember that Greece is more exposed to the evils of an- 
 archy, as resulting from violent party measures, than to all other 
 evils combined. 
 
 "We hope the troops of Ibrahim will be soon removed ; but, 
 unless the people can learn to be deliberate, patient, and submissive 
 to just authority, their liberty will avail them nothing. They will 
 be a prey to endless dissensions, if they follow hasty leaders, on 
 the impulse given by inflammatory speeches. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 315 
 
 '< Let me inlreat yon, therefore, not to yield in future to any 
 combination of students wiiatever. If necessary, you can plead 
 that, being foreigners, you are non-combatants ; but it will be quite 
 as well to protest against the right of your fellow students to pre- 
 scribe laws for each other." 
 
 The annual meeting of the Board this year was held at Phila- 
 delphia, where he again endeavored, by a statement of facts and 
 an appeal to acknowledged Christian principles, to impress upon all 
 the duty of giving to the cause of missions a regular and sys- 
 tematic support. 
 
 " The efforts made by Christians, within the last thirty years, to 
 send the Gospel into the dark places of the earth, have left a deep 
 impression extensively upon the minds of reflecting men, that the 
 following positions are unquestionable : viz. 
 
 " 'IHiat the state of the heathen nations is now substantially the 
 same as it was in the days of the Apostles ; — 
 
 " That, in many countries called Christian, the inventions of 
 men and tlie accumulated superstitions of ignorant and corrupt 
 a<?es have utterly eclipsed the light of revelation, and reduced 
 millions of souls very nearly to the level of absolute paganism; — 
 " That, reckoning heathens, Mohammedans, and the ignorant and 
 superstitious in countries nominally Christian, we cannot avoid the 
 conclusion, that more than nine tenths of the human race are 
 without any correct knowledge of God and his government, any- 
 just views of sin, or any true apprehension of ihe way of salva- 
 tion ; — 
 
 " That the Gospel affords the only adequate relief for the tem- 
 poral, as well as for the spiritual wants of men ; — 
 
 " That before it can afford this relief, it must be preached, under- 
 stood, and obeyed ; — 
 
 " That, wherever the Gospel is preached in simplicity and with 
 persevering fidelity, it is proved to be the power of God and ihe 
 wisdom of God, in some who believe ; — 
 
 " That, in the fulfilment of the divine promises, God has shown 
 himself willing to accompany the labors of his servants with the 
 renewing and sanctifying influences of his Spirit; and 
 
 " Thai there is ample encouragement to multiply faithful teach- 
 ers, and send then:i to every land, in expectation of a glorious ad- 
 vance of truth and holiness, which shall reach all the nations, and 
 bring men universally to rejoice in the salvation of Christ. 
 
 "Though these positions are fully admitted to be true, a very small 
 number of individuals are found, who are willing to carry them 
 out into all their practical consequences. Nothing can be clearer, 
 than that men are bound to make exertions for the benefit of their 
 fellow men, in proportion to their own ability, and the magnitude 
 of the blessings which they endeavor to communicate. And when 
 
316 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 these blessings are inconceivably great, and the probability that 
 they may be coramunicaled is strong, we are bound by the general 
 law of benevolence, if there were no express command on ihe 
 subject, to make vigorous, cheerful, and long continued exertions, 
 that there may be no failure on our part, in the great and holy work 
 of bringing penitent sinners home to God. It is too plain for argu- 
 ment, that every professed follower of Christ is bound by his pro- 
 fession, taken in any intelligible sense, to do something for the 
 common cause of religion ; and every well instructed Christian, 
 who thinks he knows experimentally the value of the Gospel, 
 cannot consistently do less than devote a suitable and a worthy 
 portion of his time and property to promoting the spiritual good of 
 mankind. And this portion should be appropriated as a matter of 
 system and of fixed principle. What portion of our time and prop- 
 erly should be deemed suitable and worthy, must be settled by a ref- 
 erence to the most obvious motives of Christianity, and especially to 
 those feelings of love, gratitude, and generous sympathy, to which 
 the appeal is so often made by our Saviour and his Apostles. No 
 conclusions short of these can be entertained for a moment, unless 
 we go the full length of releasing ourselves from all obligation to 
 labor for the good of others ; and thus declare concerning ourselves, 
 that we are not partakers of the divine nature ; that we have not 
 the spirit of Christ ; and that we do not lay up treasure in heaven. 
 This would be no less, than to disinherit ourselves from our Heav- 
 enly Father's bounty, to rely for happiness upon our own resources, 
 and to proclaim ourselves independent of God. To such frightful 
 extremities must Ave be led, unless we are willing to acknowledge 
 that we are not our own, but ai'e bought with ainice; and that no 
 true Christian liveth to himself; and that no man, who is duly 
 mindful of his spiritual nature and his immortal destiny, can with- 
 hold from the service of the church, and of the great human family, 
 those faculties which he received by the grace of his Redeemer." 
 
 The remainder of the autumn was very much employed in la- 
 borious and sometimes perplexing duties, immediately connected 
 with the missionary service. Another subject, however, was be- 
 ginning to attract attention, and a movement now commenced in 
 every way congenial to the feelings of Mr. Evarts. The Sabbath 
 was always to him the holy of the Lord, honorable, a day of sa- 
 cred rest and religious improvement. Personally, he was faithful 
 and diligent in the use of its privileges. It is not probable that 
 after he entered college, he ever failed to note down in some 
 form the subject of the sermons that he heard, with skeletons and 
 remarks, according to the circumstances : and his high estimate of 
 the privilege of sacred rest and of public worship, is strikingly 
 shown by many passages in these papers. For the community, too, 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 317 
 
 he valued the Sabbath as above all price ; and the means of se- 
 curing its more general and appropriate observance had been with 
 him a subject of much thought for many years.* 
 
 In 1828, the public attention was extensively called to the pro- 
 fanation of the Sabbath by public conveyances, and by the opera- 
 tions of the Post Office Department. The opening of the Post 
 Offices for part of the Sabbath day was a practice gradually in- 
 troduced, at first without any requirement of law. In 1810, a 
 section was inserted in the law regulating the Department, by 
 which Postmasters were obliged to deliver letters at all reasonable 
 hours 071 every day of the week. This requirement attracted very 
 little attention at the time ; and it is supposed that the section 
 alluded to was scarcely considered at all, except by the committee 
 that introduced it. Its consequences, however, soon began to at- 
 tract attention ; and the transportation of the mail and the open- 
 ing of the offices were soon extensively felt, by intelligent and 
 Christian men, to be a serious and alarming evil. 
 
 Soon after the conclusion of the last war with Great Britain, 
 while Mr. Evarts was editor of the Panoplist, the subject was 
 much discussed, and numerous petitions went up to Congress, ask- 
 ing for a removal of these evils. The attention of Congress was 
 arrested, and a respectful report was made by the Postmaster 
 General ; but a regard to what was supposed to be the public ac- 
 commodation and convenience prevented any legislative inter- 
 position. 
 
 Although the evil and the wrong continued to weigh heavily 
 upon the minds of reflecting and patriotic men, no general effort 
 was made on the subject till this year.f Early in December, a 
 
 * See letter to Dr. Worcester, p. 1C9, June 18, 1816. 
 
 t A National Sabbath Union was formed in New York in the spring of the year 
 1S2S. In any adequate history of this movement, the name of the late Josiah Bis- 
 SELL, Jr., of Rochester, New York, would be most honorably conspicuous. Some 
 characteristic notices of this remarkable man occur on preceding pages. No one who 
 met him at this time can forget the activity, the energy, the singleness of purpose, the 
 entire devotedness to a good cause for Christ's sake, the unreserved consecration of 
 property, time, and influence, and the fervent devotional spirit, that marked every 
 waking moment, and made all around him glow in the cause. The sound judgment of 
 Mr. Evarts, although decidedly with him in the general tenor of his movements, could 
 not alwaj's approve of every act and word ; but he most cordially sympathized with 
 him in spirit, and often remarked that a few such men as Josiah Bissell would 
 hasten the day of the church's millennial glory. Mr. Bissell and others on the great 
 
318 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 most respectable committee was organized in New York city, con- 
 sisting of gentlemen of different religious denominations, who soon 
 sent out an invitation to their countrymen to join in a petition for 
 the closing of the Post-offices and discontinuance of the mails 
 on the Sabbath. Mr. Evarts at once engaged in the effort with 
 great earnestness ; and as a member of a committee for that pur- 
 pose, wrote a petition which was circulated in Boston and distribu- 
 ted throughout New England. The movement cheered and ani- 
 mated him. " You would be surprised," he writes, Dec. 26, " at 
 the increase of moral feeling on this subject, as is evinced by activ- 
 ity in promoting subscriptions, he. A large portion of the most 
 respectable inhabitants of Boston are among the signers." 
 
 Just at this juncture, too, the clouds began to gather more 
 thickly over the prospects of the Indians, for whom he had labored 
 so many years, whose progress he had watched with such deep 
 interest, and whose well being, not only religious considerations, 
 but extensive personal acquaintance made so dear to him. At the 
 close of December, it was determined by the Prudential Com- 
 mittee that he must again repair to Washington. *' The particu- 
 lar object is," he writes, " to make representations respecting the 
 rights of the Indians; as it appears from the President's message, 
 and the report of the Secretary of War, that severe measures are 
 meditated against them ; or in other words, that they will be com- 
 pelled to remove, or to have their white neighbors let in upon 
 them. I hope to set out in a fortnight, though it will be difficult. 
 It would be much more agreeable, on several accounts, to stay in 
 Boston, and get well through our correspondence." 
 
 thoroughfares were particularly affected by this consideration ; — that the patronagre of 
 government, in paying for the transportation of the mails on the Sabbath, fluni^hed 
 the means for, and was the cause of, the running of stage coaches on that day, and of 
 a great and rapidly increasing profanation of it, wherever such patronage was given. 
 It was a national measure ; and the people, who might order it otherwise, were in- 
 volved in the guilt. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CORRESPONDING SECRETARY. 1829—1830. 
 
 We are now arrived at those months of intense anxiety and 
 unremitted labor, that proved too much for the feeble constitution 
 of Mr. Evarts, and hurried iiim to his final rest. Indeed, from the 
 beginning of 1828, the outrages at the Sandwich Islands, and one 
 or two other harassing subjects immediately connected with his 
 official duties, had filled his mind, to an unwonted degree, with 
 anxiety and care. He could always sleep soundly, when he 
 chose; and that power enabled him, though of so frail health, to 
 endure what would have broken down most stronger men. But 
 he allowed himself scarcely any other moments of rest or relaxa- 
 tion. Much of the time away from home, busy with other men 
 during their active hours, and then preparing important and 
 voluminous documents when alone, protracting his labors to 
 eleven and twelve o'clock at night, and even later, — although he 
 reached the beginning of the year 1829 without a sensible failure 
 of health, it is evident from the result, that the sustaining power, 
 even then, was in the spiritual, rather than the physical energies. 
 
 After an anxious and laborious month at home, he left Boston 
 at the close of January, on his way to Washington, whither he 
 was called, not only by the agitation of the question of the re- 
 moval of the Indians, but by the earnest representations of gentle- 
 men in Boston, New York, and at the seat of government, urging 
 
320 ^^FE ^^ EVARTS. 
 
 the importance of his attention there, to second the memorials 
 that had been forwarded in great numbers, praying for a discon- 
 tinuance of the Sabbath mails. " It would give me pleasure," 
 he writes to Mr. Bissell, " did time permit, to write upon the va- 
 rious topics which you mention. But I am much occupied ; new 
 business comes upon me daily ; and I am wishing to set out soon 
 for Washington, to attend to the concerns of Indian missions, and 
 to afford my feeble aid in regard to Sabbath measures. The 
 spirit of your letter I admire. Several important thoughts may be 
 of use to me and to others. I would caution you, however, against 
 saying severe things against the rich. Our Saviour knew the hearts 
 of all men ; but we are weak and ignorant, and may be too much 
 influenced by the pressure of circumstances, partial views, and 
 various passions. The principle of universal consecration may 
 indeed be insisted upon ; and the obligation to do all we can, and 
 to do it now." 
 
 A few of the memorials sent on by those who wished to have 
 the mails discontinued on the Sabbath, had been addressed to the 
 Senate, and Col. Richard M. Johnson, then chairman of the Post 
 Office Committee in that body, had presented an adverse, and a 
 very unjust and bitter report upon the subject, before Mr. Evarts 
 left Boston.* As an appeal to vulgar prejudices, it was well cal- 
 culated to accomplish its end, and encourage the opposition of 
 those who care nothing for the sanctity of the Lord's Day ; and 
 the mouths of multitudes were soon filled with arguments against 
 clerical influence and the alleged wish to unite church and state. 
 
 Mr. Evarts, having been delayed by important business at New 
 Haven and elsewhere, did not reach Washington till Februa- 
 ry 12th. 
 
 " February 5. New York. Attended a meeting of the Mana- 
 gers of the American Bible Society. Two subjects of importance 
 came up ; — one, an application for money to print the Scriptures 
 in the Burman language ; the other, a proposal to give the 
 Auxiliary Committee power to appoint agents and send them 
 
 * Four memorials only, with 350 sig^nalures, had then been presented in the Senate. 
 At the same time there were probably at least 25,000 signatures to memorials present- 
 ed in the House of Representatives. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 321 
 
 forth without reference to the Board of Managers. The first was 
 referred to the Committee of Foreign Distribution. The second 
 proposal was carried, and was considered a victory over the com- 
 mercial sjjirit, as it is called, of a certain part of the Managers. 
 Dr. Milnor made a good speech upon the utility of agents, and 
 upon the necessity of enlarged operations. 
 
 " 6. Attended a meeting of the Managers of the Seamen's 
 Friend Society, and answered, as far as I was able, all questions 
 proposed in reference to a missionary among the sailors in the 
 river of Canton. 
 
 " P. M. Wrote No. 2* to the Missionary Rooms, and a letter 
 to Mr. Chamberlain at the Sandwich Islands. Spent part of the 
 evening with Mr. T., who had lately returned from Washington, 
 and from whom I learned much that may be useful to me. 
 
 " Monday, 9. Reached Lancaster! at four o'clock and York 
 at nine. Mr. Cheeves lives near Lancaster. This is supposed 
 to be the richest agricultural district in the United States ; but 
 the people are not advanced in any other kind of civilization, 
 than what relates to the cultivation of land. There is a total 
 absence of taste in their dwelling-houses, gardens, Stc, and a 
 great want of comfort too. 
 
 " I was told in the stage, by an inhabitant of the vicinity, that 
 nearly all the land from Lancaster to Columbia, (eleven miles,) 
 would produce sixty bushels of wheat to the acre. I also learned 
 a fact that interested me much, as bearing upon the settlement of 
 the great prairies beyond the Mississippi. It was this ; that the 
 country about Lancaster was entirely destitute of trees, except 
 upon the water courses, when the country was settled, which I 
 think was less than a century ago ; that the people then were 
 obliged to dig ditches, as they could make no fences ; and that 
 the thrifty and beautiful woodlands which are now to be seen, 
 
 * These letters to the Rooms, whether written while absent at Washington at dif- 
 ferent times, or on other journeys, were in fact journals of daily employments —labors, 
 conversations, &c., with remarks, written in all the freedom of unreserved confidence. 
 They are crowded with interest, but, from the nature of the case, not generally adapt- 
 ed to publication. 
 
 t This route, and by stage, being the only one then practicable from Philadelphia to 
 Baltimore. 
 
 41 
 
3!i<J2 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 have had their origin since the annual fires were stopped by cul- 
 tivation. 
 
 " 10. Baltimore. Made several calls. Conversed v^'ith Mr. 
 Nevins about aiding our missionary operations. He says nothing 
 can be effectually done in Baltimore without a good agent ; — that 
 Messrs. King and Kirk prepared the way for another agent, 
 though they could not succeed themselves. They set the mark 
 so high that the rich men were not prepared to reach it. They 
 asked for hundreds, which they could not obtain, though they ex- 
 cited the people so that they would willingly have given tens. 
 
 "11. Washington. Arrived at eleven at Gadsby's, where 
 are nearly 200 lodgers, including Gen. Jackson and his suite. 
 
 " 15. Immediately on my arrival, I endeavored to ascertain 
 how matters stood respecting the various concerns which brought 
 me hither, with a view to apply my time to that subject which 
 demanded it most." 
 
 The Committee of the House of Representatives, to which 
 body the memorials relating to Sabbath mails had generally been 
 sent, had presented a report, doing justice to the principles and 
 motives of the memorialists, and recommending some changes in 
 accordance with their views. But the report had not been acted 
 upon in any way, and the friends of the Sabbath were a good 
 deal solicitous about the result. 
 
 " February 16. The Postmaster General informed me that 
 the Post Office in London is not opened on the Sabbath, as we 
 previously knew ; and that no mail is made up, nor is any mail 
 received at that office, on that day. This he has from Mr. 
 Vaughan, the British minister now here. The mails which had 
 left London previously to the Sabbath, continue their course on 
 the Sabbath, as on other days ; and the post-offices, in the pro- 
 vincial towns are open a little while on Sabbath mornings. The 
 mail coaches leave London, and come in, on the Sabbath ; but 
 they leave the city without the mail, and do not approach the 
 post-office at all. It follows that the return mails are kept in the 
 coaches, or at the stage offices, till the Sabbath is past. All that 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 323 
 
 is necessary in Great Britain, in order that the Sabbath should be 
 perfectly observed by the post-office department, is, that the same 
 plan should be pursued in the provincial towns and on the 
 highways, as is pursued in London, the great emporium of the 
 world, whose post-office is probably the seat of more business, and 
 that of greater importance, than the aggregate business of any 
 other five post-offices upon earth ; say the post-offices of Paris, 
 Vienna, Petersburgh, Hamburg, and New York. How ridiculous 
 to talk, so largely of expresses, as though forty mercantile houses 
 would have their men running a race from New York to Boston 
 every Sabbath, if the mail were not carried, when the mail does 
 not leave London from Saturday afternoon till Monday afternoon ; 
 and when the mercantile correspondence between London and 
 Liverpool alone, is estimated to be at least five times as great as 
 between New York and Philadelphia. 
 
 " It is perfectly evident that nearly all the active opposition 
 which the petitions have to encounter, originates in the dislike of 
 religion, and the fear that religion is likely to gain too much in- 
 fluence. This we knew beforehand ; and this we are constantly 
 to remember ; though we must not say it publicly. How can it 
 be expected that members of Congress should wish to defend the 
 Sabbath, when the most of them pay no religious regard to it 
 whatever ? It was estimated yesterday by a member, that not 
 more than one tenth part of the members of the two houses at- 
 tend public worship as a regular thing ; others attend half the 
 time ; others very seldom ; and a large number scarcely at all 
 durino- the session. Some have said that they attend when at 
 home, and that is enough ; they cannot spend the time to attend 
 here. 
 
 " Went to the House, to witness the presentation of petitions. 
 Members spoke so low, and there was so much noise, that I could 
 not ascertain how many petitions had relation to Sabbath mails. 
 There were a respectable number, however ; and, among them, 
 one was presented by Mr. Crowninshield, from persons in his 
 district, one by Mr. Everett, from inhabitants of Cambridge, and 
 some from North Carolina, Ohio, Alabama, Missouri, and other 
 states. 
 
324 I^I^E OF EVARTS. 
 
 \ "21. I think the prospect of the Cherokees very dark. Mr. 
 
 ~ ■ Ross* told me this morning, that if Georgia sends in her officers to 
 
 , ^ execute process upon the Indians, they will resist, from mere des- 
 
 J peration, being determined to sell their lives as dearly as possible, 
 
 and preferring death to subjugation or exile. 
 
 "23. Yesterday Dr. Ely preached in the Capitol. This 
 "^rooming he introduced me to the General [Jackson.] We enter- 
 ed immediately upon Indian affairs. He thinks that the Indians 
 are in a difficult case. The evil which he apprehends is, a direct 
 , i^ collision between the national and slate authorities. It is mani- 
 fast that he is not now prepared to interpose and defend the Cher- 
 okees from Georgia ; and you may easily judge whether it is 
 probable he will be in more favorable circumstances hereafter to 
 decide in favor of the weaker party. I must say, however, that 
 ■-■L I have no evidence that any man now at Washington, and having 
 the power to defend the Indians, would be more likely to do so 
 than he. It seems to be taken for granted, that if a ' sovereign 
 and independent state,' to use the cant phrase of the day, under- 
 takes to dispossess the Indians, the national government can do 
 nothing to prevent it. I shall wait for another interview, at 
 ^' I which I shall endeavor to state the question plainly. It is, how- 
 -*' ^1 jtever, a tender point ; and it is very difficult to be faithful and suf- 
 ficiently respectful. 
 
 " 25. Mr. M'L. [who, it was supposed, would be the new 
 
 Secretary of War,] is the man whom, of all others connected with 
 
 ^/ either of the parties, I would wish to see in the Department of 
 
 ^/'^ War. Not that I suppose that he can withstand the strong cur- 
 
 ^ h^ rent now running against the Indians, nor that he has altogether 
 
 correct views on the subject ; but I know of no man in public life, 
 
 or extensively known to the American people as a politician, 
 
 who has more correct principles than he ; and whatever may be 
 
 his views, he is mild and candid in his manner, and will be steady 
 
 and energetic in his course of conduct. 
 
 " For the last week, I have spent a part of every day in look- 
 ing over the petitions with reference to the Sabbath, in the Com- 
 mittee room in which the Committee of the House on Post 
 
 * John Ross, principal chief of the Cherokees. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 325 
 
 Offices and Post Roads hold their meetings. Mr. H. of New 
 York has been with me. I obtained permission from the chair- 
 man. We have now gone over all that we can find, except those 
 which have been offered during the last two weeks. I shall be 
 able to state the number of petitions and the number of signers. 
 
 " There is among the petitioners a vast amount of moral and 
 intellectual power ; and, if supported by the proper degree of 
 zealous effort, it must be successful. 
 
 " If our whole country were to petition, as has been done in 
 Boston, Newburyport, Springfield, West Springfield, Albany, 
 New York, Newark, Baltimore, Prince Edward, Va., Charleston, 
 S. C, Augusta, Ga., and many other places ; and if the petitioners 
 would, in the interval between the present session of Congress 
 and the next, use their influence with members, there could be 
 no doubt of a favorable issue within a short time. 
 
 " The following measures, (or rather classes of measures,) 
 should be resolved upon immediately, by the friends of the 
 Sabbath. 
 
 *' 1. To make the celebration of the anniversary of the Gen- 
 eral Sabbath Union as interesting as possible ; and to have a se- 
 ries of resolutions ably and carefully drawn, and an address made 
 ready for the occasion. 
 
 " 2. To organize a system by which the friends of the Sab- 
 bath shall make known their wishes to their representatives, face 
 to face, repeatedly and earnestly, as soon as possible after their 
 return from Washington. 
 
 " 3. To take the proper steps in season to call forth the re- 
 ligious strength of the country in petitions next fall. 
 
 " 4. To secure, as far as possible, the co-operation of Chris- 
 tians of different denominations. 
 
 " I am strongly of opinion that we must keep the command of 
 God in the front of this battle ; and that the matter of expe- 
 diency and temporal benefit must come in subsequently, as con- 
 firmatory and auxiHary. I have not found a single member of 
 Congress whose defence of the Sabbath would be worth a fig, 
 who would not build altogether on the foundation of the Sabbath 
 being a divine institution, and of our being obliged to regard it as 
 such. 
 
326 ^IPE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " The plain common sense petitions, from almost all parts of 
 the country, begin by a reference to the law of God." 
 
 The result of this examination of memorials was, the publica- 
 tion, in May, of a pamphlet, prepared with great care, giving a 
 list of the places from which memorials were sent ; extracts from 
 memorials, arranged under appropriate heads ; and selected names 
 of memorialists ; the whole designed to exhibit briefly the nature 
 and importance of the object, the reasons urged for the proposed 
 change, and the union of intelligent men in all the departments of 
 business and of public life, in seeking that change. 
 
 " February 26. I have not yet mentioned the remonstrances 
 against Congress doing any thing in compliance with the peti- 
 tions on the subject of Sabbath mails. 
 
 " These remonstrances have been presented from towns on the 
 line of the Pioneer stages,* — from the County of Kennebec, 
 Me., from Philadelphia, and a few other places. There was 
 great zeal in Philadelphia against the Sabbath, and I should 
 think but little in its favor. A printed form of a remonstrance 
 was circulated and pressed upon the lowest classes of society. 
 We discovered that, to swell the list of names, duplicate signa- 
 tures had been obtained, to a considerable extent. Our most 
 charitable conclusion is, that the signers were requested to sign 
 duplicates, that a remonstrance might be presented to each house ; 
 but that the agents in this business thought it would be a good 
 trick to send the whole to one house, for the purpose of counting 
 a large number of names. I first observed that the same name 
 was repeated in several small lists of names, which were sent 
 separately. This led to a comparison of two long lists, where it 
 was observed that both began with the same signers, though not 
 exactly in the same order. At last I found that one of the lists, 
 (the longest of all,) contained whole sheets with the same names 
 repeated exactly in the same order. I shall endeavor to examine 
 this matter further. 
 
 * A line of stages from Albany to BufTalo, established by the exertions and 
 chiefly at the expense of Mr. Bissell, as a Sabbath-keeping line, for the purpose of 
 preventing, as far as possible, the profanation of the Sabbath on that groat thor- 
 oughfaro. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 327 
 
 " I have just been spending some time with Mr. Ross and his 
 colleagues. They were just preparing a petition to Congress, in 
 which I advised two amendments, that were readily adopted. I 
 have thought it to be my duty to avow myself a decided friend of 
 the Indians, while I disclaim any authority from them to act as 
 their agent. There was an interesting debate yesterday on Indian 
 subjects, at which I was not present. It is expected to be re- 
 newed to-day, and I hasten to the Capitol to hear it." 
 
 TO MR. D. GUEENE. 
 
 " Since I wrote this forenoon, I have spent an hour with Mr. 
 F. It does me good to see such a man on this ground. If there 
 were twenty of the same stamp, suitably dispersed in each house, 
 almost any thing could be accomplished for the good of our be- 
 loved country. How far he will be able to stand alone, or nearly 
 alone, time will show. I believe I have not yet said to you, what 
 I have ascertained to be the fact, that men from whom I had 
 expected better things, are guilty of tergiversation in regard to 
 moral subjects ; and I presume, a fortiori, in regard to other sub- 
 jects, where their own views and interests are to be promoted. 
 Thus, on the Sabbath question, men who talked very fairly and 
 decidedly to me in regard to closing post-offices, used all their in- 
 fluence with others to prevent anything whatever being done. 
 
 " I believe, however, that a sufficient number can be enlisted 
 to take a firm stand at the next session of Congress ; and if there 
 is a firm, decided, argumentative stand taken, in the way of serious, 
 persevering debate, it will do much to help the cause of morals in 
 our land. 
 
 " Monday, March 9th. Last Friday, I learned that the Re- 
 view of Mr. Johnson's Report had been received by all the mem- 
 bers. They knew not whence it came. I borrowed a copy, and 
 read it through with great delight. I then lent it to Mr. F., with 
 whom I have spent the two last evenings, and who read it through 
 immediately, and with entire and warm approbation. He says 
 it will do immense good, and that a cheap edition must be exten- 
 sively circulated. More of this hereafter. 
 
328 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 i< " I have just parted with Gov. and Gov. . They 
 
 are both entirely dispirited about the Indians. Gov. says 
 
 their case is entirely hopeless. The whites will destroy the whole 
 
 race. Gov. says that, unless the present progress of things 
 
 is arrested now, nothing can be done hereafter. 
 
 j^ " Not a single appropriation has been made for the northern 
 Indians, in their present critical and precarious condition. The 
 appropriations requested may all have been well enough, for aught 
 I know ; but they were defeated by the friends of the Indians, be- 
 cause they would not legislate in the dark — and because they would 
 not begin by making points, or corners, in a plan, till they could 
 see how the plan is to be filled up. This hesitation I entirely 
 approve, and urged Mr. B. and others not to do any thing till the 
 bearing of what they are doing could be seen. 
 V> "^^^ " Next session there will be, I think, much and intelligent de- 
 \ .^V bating on this subject ; and the result will be, either that Congress 
 ** will do nothing, and the whites, under the protection of the South- 
 
 ern States, will deal with the Indians as seems right in their own 
 eyes ; or everything will be carried headlong, in all branches of 
 
 Jf- the government, against the poor Indians. I have not seen a sin- 
 gle man, of any party, who thinks that anything effectual can be 
 done to protect our weak red men of the forest." 
 
 Yet Mr. Evarts did not despair of the republic. 
 
 J,- " If we can promote the cause of good morals and of religion," 
 he wrote at this time, " and if it should please the Lord to favor 
 us in years to come as in years past, twenty years will not elapse 
 before the voice of conscience will be felt and regarded exten- 
 sively within the walls of the Capitol. We should aim that this 
 may be accomplished immediately." 
 
 sL, " March 28. I am writing a document on the rights of the 
 1 Cherokees, to be laid before the government ; * not with the ex- 
 i pectation of producing any effect on the cabinet ; but for the sake 
 
 * This argument, though written out to the extent of more than fifty close pages, 
 was never entirely completed, Mr. Evarts having finally decided on an appeal to the 
 public. The course of reasoning was that pursued in the Essays afterwards published 
 under the signature ©f William Penn. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 329 
 
 of bearing a testimony, and thus clearing ourselves from any share ^ ^-cLfw- -^ 
 in what will be most glaring injustice. Gen. Jackson left home, I ^'^^ 
 
 I have no doubt, with a settled conviction that it would be neces- 
 sary to deliver the Indians over to the States. 
 
 " A letter has been already written by him to the Creeks, say- 
 ing that he cannot interpose to shield them from the laws of Ala- 
 bama ; but that if they will remove, they shall be secure in the 
 possession of lands at the west forever. 1 have no doubt he will ^ 
 say the same to the Cherokee delegation before they leave the ^ 
 city. 
 
 " Mr. L. thinks it would be best for our Board to join in advis- 4 
 ing removal ; that by approving of the measures of government, 
 we should get assistance. But I do not think we can stand ac- r 
 quitted before God, or posterity, unless we bear a testimony against -/- 
 the threatened course of proceeding. If the Indians are compelled 
 to go, we must do them as much good as we can. Till that com- 
 pulsion shall be in operation, 'and irresistible, and shall be seen to be 
 so, I think we are not bound to conceal our opinion ; but that, on 
 the contrary, we are bound to declare it plainly, at least once. ■*- 
 
 " I shall set out on the first of April, or as soon after as possi- 
 ble. I do not make as much progress as I could desire. Yet I 
 sit up till eleven or twelve o'clock, see very little company, ex- 
 cept on business, and visit very little. 
 
 " Philadelphia, April 6. Before leaving Washington, I had an 
 interview with the Secretary of War on the Indian subject. Mr. 
 B., of Georgia happened to be present. On my way hither I fell 
 into the same steamboat with him, and, without any formal intro- 
 duction, I conversed on the subject of Indian treaties. This provi- 
 dential interview I have looked upon as very important, as it 
 enables me to say, more explicitly and fully than I should other- 
 wise have felt warranted to say, (though I had no doubt in my 
 own mind,) to what extent the government and the southern States 
 will go, in regard to denying the rights of the Cherokees. Mr. 
 B. stated that the government inconsiderately fell into the habitue 
 of making treaties with the Indians ; that Indians are not proper 
 parties to treaties ; that the government of the United States have 
 no power to guarantee to Indians lands within the limits of any of 
 the old States ; and that Georgia has a perfect title to the Cher- 
 42 
 
330 I-^FE OF EVARTS. 
 
 okee lands, while the Cherokees have no title at all but that of 
 occupancy. He said (what I knew before) that Gen. Jackson had 
 written to the Creeks in Alabama, stating that he could not pro- 
 tect them from the laws of that State. 
 ji. " The temper and feelings of the government are such that the 
 members will feel exasperated, if we interpose by way of argu- 
 ment, and attempt, however respectfully, to defend the rights of 
 i ^ the Cherokees. Although this does not alter my opinion in re- 
 gard to the path of duty, it furnishes a powerful reason why we 
 should consider well what we do. I did not finish my long doc- 
 ument on this subject ; but thought I should send it back from 
 New York, if it meet the approbation of Mr. F. I now think I 
 shall show it to him, take his advice, and bring it with me to 
 Boston. 
 . ^ "I place great reliance on Mr. F.'s opinion, not only because 
 it is valuable in itself, but because we must rely more on his 
 agency in behalf of anything good, than on the agency of any 
 other man connected with our national councils. 
 
 " Troubles and vexations are thickening around us ; and I have 
 no doubt they will be much greater, before they are less. But, so 
 far as we can do what is right, I am not concerned about conse- 
 quences." 
 
 " I returned from Washington," he writes after his arrival home, 
 " just a week ago, having been absent from Boston since the last 
 day of January. During this week we have had a Committee 
 meeting, at which much business was transacted. I have been to 
 Andover, whence I came this morning. My principal business at 
 Washington related to the condition of the Indians. I had not 
 much intercourse with the government, — either the old or the new 
 administration ; but enough to learn that the poor Indians have 
 little to hope for, unless the Lord should turn the hearts of our 
 rulers by the instrumentality of the reasonings, expostulations, and 
 entreaties of his people." 
 
 Having gone through the urgent business at home, and carried 
 his pamphlet on Sabbath mails through the press, he went to New 
 York and Philadelphia, to attend the religious anniversaries and 
 the General Assembly. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 331 
 
 "New York, Monday morning, May 11. Breakfasted with 
 Mr. Bruen, in order to hear bis report for the Sabbath Union. 
 From eleven to two, was engaged in writing resolutions respecting 
 the Sabbath Union. After dinner these resolutions were read and 
 criticised, and were copied late in the evening. I had been re- 
 quested on Saturday evening to prepare them. Till we arrived, 
 the Committee had not intended to have any resolutions, and had 
 made very little preparation for the meeting. 
 
 " Tuesday, 12. Sabbath Union, meeting for business at eight. 
 The pledge struck out nearly unanimously, Mr. Bissell warmly 
 concurring. 
 
 "Public meeting at ten, at the Methodist church, John street. 
 Audience not large ; but the meeting, I think, was the best, the 
 most unstudied, and the most natural of the week. Dr. Reese, a 
 Methodist, moved the printing of the Report, in a warm speech, 
 in which he urged Christians of all denominations to unite in 
 preserving the public morals, and to have a regard to this subject 
 in their estimation of the character of public men. I made a 
 short statement in regard to the perceptible influence of the pres- 
 ent Sabbath measures. Mr. Mcllvaine made a speech of much 
 merit, though parts of it were a good deal studied. Dr. Beecher 
 made the concluding speech. Some thought it the best speech 
 they ever heard him make. It would certainly rank among his 
 most impressive addresses. 
 
 " In the evening, the temperance meeting formed an era in this 
 country. This era consisted in the speech of Mr. Maxwell, which 
 was an hour and ten minutes in length, and was listened to with 
 the most profound attention. It was, in many respects, a noble 
 effort ; but the two things which constituted it the commencement 
 of an era were, the fearless manner in which he attacked the pub- 
 lic authorities of the city, and the distinct proposal of an adequate 
 remedy. The public authorities he represented as yielding to 
 immorality for the sake of securing the votes of the immoral — and 
 he declared, in two instances, perhaps a quarter of an hour apart, 
 that the people of this country cannot retain a free government, 
 unless they will choose for their rulers " men who fear God and 
 honor the law." He said that great responsibility lies upon the 
 Methodists and Baptists of this city ; for they might, by union 
 
332 '^^^^ OF EVARTS. 
 
 and co-operation, secure the election of good men for their rulers. 
 He suggested one great measure to prevent intemperance in cities ; 
 which was, that ardent spirits should not be sold at the same shops 
 with bread and other necessaries of life. At the close he pro- 
 nounced a studied eulogium, (the only studied part of "his speech,) 
 on the American Temperance Society. He compared it, in a 
 long and beautiful paragraph, to the infant Hercules. He intro- 
 duced this part of this speech by a confession in nearly these 
 words : ' I was one of those, sir, who are accustomed to say, " All 
 this stir about intemperance is of no use ; all things will remain as 
 they were ; " but I thank God I have changed my mind. I have 
 read and heard the statements of wiser men than myself; and the 
 result is, that I am convinced a great change is already accom- 
 plished, and a still greater is at hand.' 
 
 " He enlarged upon the power of the press, saying, that Mr. 
 Wilberforce did not abolish the slave trade. It was done by the 
 press. Nor has Mr. O'Connel with his Irish Association, nor the 
 Duke of Wellington, nor Mr. Peel, nor the king of England, car- 
 ried the question of Catholic emancipation. It has been done by 
 the press. 
 
 " In short, he pressed this great doctrine, which is so clear to 
 us, that public opinion, under the powerful direction of virtuous 
 minds, must be relied upon for rendering our country enlightened 
 and permanently free." 
 
 At Philadelphia, the business of Mr. Evarts was harassing and 
 delicate. It was exceedingly important to retain the good will 
 and co-operation of the Presbyterian churches ; and indeed the 
 friends of the Board thought themselves entitled to that aid in con- 
 sequence of former transactions. The missions and other respon- 
 sibilities of the United Foreign Mission Society had been assumed 
 by the Board, with the understanding, sanctioned by the General 
 Assembly, that the co-operation of the Presbyterian churches 
 might be relied on ; and his nice sense of justice was painfully 
 touched, when he found leading individuals in that church disposed 
 to withdraw their aid, and do what they might to unite the whole 
 body in the exclusive support of a separate organization. But he 
 was not a man to become the means, even innocently, and as a 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 wronged party, of alienated feeling among the people of God, if 
 he could possibly avoid it. His aim, therefore, was, to prevent 
 any disturbance of mutual good will, and at the same time to se- 
 cure for the Board continued and unobjectionable access to the 
 Presbyterian churches, for their sympathy and aid. He was able 
 to leave the business in a state that he considered pretty good, 
 though not exactly such as he could wish. 
 
 Early in June he was again at his post in Boston, preparing to 
 go through the summer's work at the Rooms without the aid of 
 either of the Assistant Secretaries. Mr. Anderson had been ab- 
 sent nearly a year, on a visit to the Mediterranean missions, and 
 Mr. Greene now left Boston on a tour of inspection among the 
 Northwestern Indians. The Annual Report was to be prepared, 
 the condition of the Southern Indians was pressing upon his heart 
 with increased urgency, and various other important avocations, 
 which increased with increase of years, occupied too unremittin- - 
 every day and every waking hour. 
 
 TO MR. I.. S. WILLIAMS, AI-IK-HUN-NA. 
 
 Boston, June 8, 1829. 
 
 " Your letter and journal of May 4th was received on the 6th 
 Inst. It is gratifying to us to receive such evidences of the presence 
 of the Lord with our missionaries, and of his blessing on their 
 labors, as your letter furnishes. 
 
 " The present state of things among the Choctaws renders 
 your situation and that of your brethren, peculiarly interesting 
 and responsible. I trust, my dear sir, you are duly sensible of 
 this, and that you feel the importance of much prudence, fidelity 
 and zeal, and the consequent necessity of much prayer for wis- 
 dom and grace to help you, in dealing with the souls whom you 
 are called to watch over and instruct, at a time when they are be- 
 ginning to awake to their eternal interests. Those especially, 
 concerning whom you hope that they have embraced the gospel, 
 will need to be watched over with more than ordinary care ; to be 
 guarded against false hopes and premature professions ; and also 
 against the many snares and temptations to which they are and 
 must be exposed. The importance of this subject is increased by 
 
334 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 the considerations, that the character which these first converts 
 take, and the tone which is now given to their rehgious feelings 
 and habits, will materially affect the character of future converts, 
 for years, and perhaps for generations to come. 
 
 " While you are cautious about giving encouragement to new 
 converts, or pronouncing them to be such, let not your zeal slacken 
 about others. Now is your harvest time, for which you have long 
 prayed. Now is the time to thrust in your sickle and reap, accor- 
 ding to the strength which the Lord gives you. You should, 
 therefore be instant, in season and out of season ; preaching the 
 word, holding up the truth clearly, affectionately, and pungently, 
 before the minds of the people, pouring simple instruction into 
 their minds on all proper occasions, and endeavoring to commend 
 yourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. Your 
 work is indeed arduous, but your encouragements are great, and 
 great will be your reward, if you are faithful unto death." 
 
 In a private letter to a bereaved correspondent, dated July 4th, 
 Mr. Evarts, after expressions of sympathy and the suggestion of 
 topics of consolation, aims delicately to soothe the wounded heart, 
 by fixing the attention of his friend on the good to be done and 
 on the means of salutary influence within his individual reach. 
 
 TO J. H. ESQ. 
 
 Boston, July 4, 1S29. 
 
 "In regard to your departed wife, you have strong consolations. 
 She gave good evidence of being prepared for the change which 
 she has experienced. I have never yet felt it in my heart to wish, 
 that any of the friends of God, (however dear they might be to 
 me personally,) should be brought back to this world. Though 
 their services may have seemed necessary here, yet, when God 
 has determined the question of their residence on earth, and they 
 are fairly discharged from further responsibility here, I cannot but 
 regard them as having made a happy escape from a world of sin 
 and woe. 
 
 " Let us not mourn for them, but for those who remain ; and 
 let us strive to be accounted worthy to associate with those who 
 through faith and patience have inherited the promises. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 335 
 
 "There is much for us to do while we remain in the world ; and 
 none of us can plead that we have not a sphere of action. The 
 minds of men are stirring on the subject of religion, and the press 
 is exerting an amazing influence upon the human condition. It is, 
 to a vast extent, under the control of bad men. And what is much 
 to be regretted, the friends of virtue and good order are very indo- 
 lent, as to holding profligate or heedless editors in check. This 
 could be done with the greatest ease, as various experiments of 
 this kind have shown. 
 
 " 1 hope you have seen our pamphlet on Sabbath mails ; but 
 lest you should not, I send you a copy. Let me solicit you to 
 write on the subject of the Sabbath for one of the Hartford papers. 
 You could do it well. Let me ask, also, that you will write a 
 full and elaborate petition to Congress on the subject, to be sub- 
 scribed and transmitted early in November. There is a great ad- 
 vantage in having petitions written with care ; not that they will, 
 as a matter of course, have any effect upon Congress. But they 
 may be published with good effect in the places where they were 
 written ; and they afford vantage ground to advocates on the 
 floor of Congress, of whom we shall have some in both houses. 
 
 "This is an immensely important subject, and swells in magni- 
 tude the more it is considered and examined. There is more and 
 more reason to hope that our nation can be made to see and ap- 
 preciate the value of the Sabbath." 
 • 
 
 " I am occupied at present," he writes in August to one of his 
 
 associates, "with the following things: L Consultations and 
 advice. 2. Missionary correspondence. 3. Editing the Mis- 
 sionary Herald. 4. Examining the Treasurer's accounts with 
 Mr. Hubbard. 5. Judging as to candidates and new applicants 
 for missionary employment. 6. Beginning the Annual Report. 
 
 7. Writing on the subject of the Indians two numbers a week.* 
 
 8. Miscellaneous. You need not be surprised, therefore, if I 
 get sick, or have a bad Report, or leave some part of the mission- 
 ary work to suffer materially." And a few days later: 
 
 " My health has been very good till last Saturday, at evening, 
 when 1 was over-worked. Yesterday and to-day 1 have just been 
 
 * The Essays of '• William Penn." 
 
336 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 able to attend to ordinary business ; and I do not see that it will 
 be possible to write on the Report till you return. Mr. Whiting * 
 has been absent a fortnight. 
 
 " The Indian subject is attracting more and more attention ; 
 and if the Indians are firm and quiet, it will be very difficult for 
 the government to remove them." 
 
 The Indian subject was " attracting more and more attention " 
 chiefly because the exertions of Mr. Evarts began to produce their 
 proper effect upon the public. Under the impressions left upon 
 his mind by his visit to Washington, his first impulse, as we have 
 seen, was to prepare a statement of the case by way of testimony 
 and remonstrance, and leave it with the government. 
 
 But he had hardly left the seat of government, when a letter 
 was addressed by Gen. Eaton, then Secretary of War, to the 
 Cherokee delegation at Washington, in which the policy of the 
 administration was announced and positions assumed that seemed 
 to Mr. Evarts to be at war with every principle of justice and 
 good faith. The tenor of this letter precluded all hope of suc- 
 cess in any appeal to the government in favor of the rights of the 
 Indians, and served to awaken public attention to the subject in 
 all parts of the country. The feeling excited and the comments 
 called forth by it, encouraged him to hope that an appeal to the 
 people could not be altogether fruitless. The case was so clear, 
 and he had so much confidence in the fidelity of the public con- 
 science, and the power of public opinion, that when he saw so 
 many indications of a readiness to examine the subject and to 
 sympathize with the weaker, the injured, and the threatened party, 
 he could no longer hesitate, but resolved to make full trial of the 
 influence of the press. Accordingly, he prepared himself by a 
 careful review of our relations to the southern tribes, and more 
 especially to the Cherokees, examining the numerous treaties en- 
 tered into by the colonial, state, and national authorities, and the 
 state and national legislation and judicial decisions bearing upon 
 the question ; and in July began the preparation of a series of 
 Essays on the " Present Crisis in the Condition of the American 
 
 * Rev. G. B. Whiting, missionary to Syria, who assisted Mr. Evarts during Mr. 
 Greene's absence. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 337 
 
 Indians." The first two papers were sent to a friend in Washing- 
 ton in July, with the following note to the editors of the National 
 Intelligencer : 
 
 " Gentlemen : I send for your paper two numbers of a series of 
 Essays 07i the pending and ripening controversy between the United 
 States and the Indians. I hope you will insert them. Permit me, 
 as an inducement, to make the following suggestions : 
 
 " 1. This is a subject which must be abundantly discussed in 
 our country. 
 
 " 2. It will be among the most important, and probably the 
 most contested, business of the 21st Congress. Some able mem- 
 bers of Congress, to my certain knowledge, wish to have the mat- 
 ter discussed. 
 
 " 3. I expect to make it appear, by a particular examination of 
 treaties, that the United States are bound to secure to the Chero- 
 kees the integrity and inviolabihty of their territory, till they volun- 
 tarily surrender it. 
 
 " 4. In the course of this investigation, I shall not agree with 
 the present Executive of the United States, in the construction 
 which he gives to treaties ; but shall be sustained by the uniform 
 tenor of our negotiations with the Indians, and legislation for them, 
 from the origin of our government to the present day. 
 
 " 5. My discussions will not assume a party character at all ; 
 and whenever I speak of the President, or the Secretary of War, 
 it shall always be by their official designation, and in a respectful 
 manner. Though I think that the President has greatly mistaken 
 his powers and his duty in regard to the Indians, I have no wish 
 concerning him, but that he may be a wise and judicious ruler of 
 our growing republic. 
 
 " I have always approved of the decomm which you have ob- 
 served, in speaking of public characters. 
 
 " 6. I propose to furnish two numbers a week, that they may 
 be copied into semi-weekly papers, if their editors see fit. 
 
 " 7. The two numbers now sent, have been read to an eminent 
 civilian, and approved by him ; and I shall endeavor to be careful 
 in my principles, and accurate in my conclusions. At any rate, 
 should I fall into error, I am perfectly willing that my error should 
 be exposed. 
 
 " 8.. Should you insert these papers, as I hope you may, I would 
 request that there may be as little delay as possible ; for there are 
 many symptoms that the country wiU be awake to the discussion, 
 and is impatient for it. 
 
 " Li the mean time, permit me to use the signature of that up- 
 right legislator and distinguished philanthropist, 
 
 " WILLIAM PENN." 
 
 The facts brought under review in this discussion related chiefly 
 to the Cherokees and to the claims of the State of Georgia ; but 
 43 
 
338 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 in the principles contended for, the rights of all the Indian tribes 
 east of the Mississippi were equally involved. The case of the 
 Cherokees, as briefly stated by Mr. Evarts himself, was as follows : 
 
 " For several years past," he says, " it has been evident that 
 the affairs of the southern Indians were approaching to a crisis. 
 The increase of white population in the vicinity of the Indian ter- 
 ritories, would of itself lead to efforts to acquire more Indian lands. 
 But the rapid improvement of the Cherokees in civilization, and 
 their taking measures to render their civil government stable, 
 caused the people of Georgia to apprehend that the Indians would 
 so thoroughly understand their rights and their interests, as that it 
 would soon be impossible to purchase their country. Hence, from 
 1820 to 1827, efforts were constantly made by the authorities of 
 Georgia to obtain all the remaining lands of the Creeks and Cher- 
 okees which lay within what are called the chartered limits of that 
 State. The lands of the Creeks were obtained, though with diffi- 
 culty, and by a process of bribery, fraud, ungenerous importunity, 
 and unmanly threats, an impartial history of which would confer 
 no credit on our country. The Cherokees positively refused to 
 cede another foot of land. With them the business hung in sus- 
 pense during the period above mentioned. Lands had been ob- 
 tained from the Indians, in time of peace, by treaty only. The 
 general government alone was authorised to treat, being invested 
 with that exclusive power by the federal constitution. These 
 principles were perfectly well established, and had been implicitly 
 acknowledged by Georgia, in her public acts, times almost innu- 
 merable. 
 
 " In December, 1827, the legislature of Georgia asserted the 
 claim of that State to the Cherokee country in a different man- 
 ner, and placed it on different grounds, from anything which had 
 been previously attempted. It was now discovered that the Cher- 
 okees had no title to their lands ; that they were mere tenants at 
 will ; and that Georgia might take possession by force, whenever 
 she pleased. A long report, containing these doctrines, was adopted 
 by both branches of the legislature, approved by the Governor, and 
 by him officially communicated to the president of the United 
 States. 
 
 " Nothing material was done on this subject during the last year 
 of Mr. Adams' administration ; but, on the 18th of April, 1829, the 
 Secretary of War addressed a letter to the Cherokee Deputation, 
 in which he told them that Indian nations residing within the char- 
 tered limits of any State, were subject to the legislation of that 
 State ; and that the President had no power to protect them from it. 
 This annunciation was entirely new to the Cherokees. It was, 
 moreover, entirely inconsistent with the whole intercourse between 
 the Cherokees and the United States, during a period of more than 
 half a century. 
 
 " As the last session of Congress approached, a petition was 
 prepared by the Cherokee council, in which the justice of the 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 339 
 
 United Slates was invoked, and protection was claimed against 
 the encroachments of Georgia. In December, 1828, the legisla- 
 ture of that State had passed an act to extend the laivs of Georgia 
 over the Cherokees residing in that portion of their own country 
 which is comprehended within the chartered limits of Georgia. 
 The act was to take eliect on the first day of June, 1830, and was 
 doubtless intended to convince the Indians that it would be im- 
 possible for them to live on the land of their fathers. No meas- 
 ure like this had ever been adopted by any legislature, from the 
 first settlement of this continent by the English to the present day. 
 Nor is there any instance of a State, previously to the act of Geor- 
 gia, having claimed the right of driving peaceable Indians from 
 their hereditary possessions, and dividing these possessions among 
 the whites. Since the act of Georgia, the States of Alabama and 
 Mississippi have adopted the same principles, and with a view to 
 the same results." 
 
 The publicalion of the argument of Mr. Evarts in support of 
 
 i the rights of the Cherokees, and against the novel claims of the 
 
 State of Georgia, was commenced on the first of August. The 
 
 1 Essays, as they appeared, were immediately copied into other 
 
 Ijournals, and were, it is believed, republished more extensively, 
 
 I and more generally read, than any other series ever written in 
 this country. The ablest statesmen and jurists pronounced the 
 ^argument to be one of the most perfect and triumphant that they 
 had ever seen.* The clearness and cogency of the reasoning, the 
 vivacity of the style, and the evident sincerity and earnestness of 
 the writer, rendered the articles attractive to readers of every class ; 
 so that, although the discussion was continued through twenty- 
 four numbers, and necessarily devoted for the most part to such dry 
 topics as the construction and bearing of various treaties, and 
 other like questions of international and municipal law, the public 
 attention was held, with increasing interest, to the end. It is due 
 to the subject to quote here a passage or two, showing what it 
 was that Mr. Evarts was called to contend against, and upon what 
 principles his opposition was based. The passages are selected 
 also as specimens of his more Impassioned style ; 
 
 " In a quotation which my last number contained, from a deci- 
 sion of the Supreme Court of the United States, it is said, ' That 
 
 )* Chief Justice Marshall, of the United States Supreme Court, pronounced the 
 ^ Essays the " most conclusive argument that he ever read on any subject whatever." 
 
340 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 the Indian right of possession has never been questioned ;' and 
 that ' it has never been contended that their title amounted to 
 nothing.' This decision was pronounced in 1823. Since that 
 time the pohticians of Georgia have strenuously contended that 
 the Indian title amounts to nothing. 
 
 " In a Report of the joint committee of the Legislature of 
 Georgia, which was approved by the Senate of that State, De- 
 cember 27, 1827, are found such passages as the following : 
 
 " The Committee say that European nations ' asserted success- 
 fully the right of occupying such parts ' of America, ' as each dis- 
 covered, and thereby they established their supreme command 
 over it.' 
 
 " Again : ' It may be contended, with much plausibility, that 
 there is, in these claims, more of force, than of justice ; but they 
 are claims which have been recognized and admitted by the 
 whole civilized world ; and it is unquestionably true, that, under 
 such circumstances, ybrce becomes right.' 
 
 " The Committee suppose that ' every foot of land in the United 
 States is held ' by the same title. 
 
 " The Committee say that it is contended that, by the compact 
 of 1802, ' a consideration was contemplated to be paid by the United 
 States to the Indians for their relinquishment of this title ; and 
 therefore, that it was of such a character as was entitled to respect, 
 and as could not be taken from them, unless by their consent.' 
 The Committee add, ' But we are of a difierent opinion.' 
 
 " ' Before Georgia became a party 1o the articles of agreement 
 and cession, [the compact of 1802] she could rightfully have pos- 
 sessed herself of those lands, either by negotiation with the 
 Indians, or by force ; and she had determined, in one of the two 
 ways, to do so : but by this contract she made it the duty of the 
 United States to sustain the expense of obtaining for her the pos- 
 session, provided it could be done upon reasonable terms, and by 
 negotiation ; but in case it should be necessary to resort to force, 
 this contract with the United States makes no provision : the con- 
 sequence is, that Georgia is left untrammelled, and at full liberty 
 to prosecute her rights in that point of view, according to her own 
 discretion, and as though no such contract had been made.' 
 
 " The Committee give it as their opinion, ' That the right of soil 
 and sovereignty was perfect in Great Britain ; that the possession 
 of the Indians was permissive ; that they were under the protec- 
 tion of that government ; that their title was temporary ; that they 
 were mere tenants at will ; and that such tenancy might have been 
 determined at any moment, either by negotiation or force, at the 
 pleasure of Great Britain.' 
 
 " The words printed in italics are thus distinguished by the 
 Committee." 
 
 " It might be difficult to tell which is most remarkable, the rea- 
 soning or the morality of these extracts. 
 
 " The Committee argue that, as there is no provision in the 
 compact of 1802, by virtue of which the United States are bound 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 341 
 
 10 use force upon the Indians, it follows that Georgia has a right 
 to apply force whenever she pleases. This is one specimen of 
 the logic. Again: to most people there would seem to be weight 
 in the remark, that, as the Indians were evidently to receive a 
 consideration for their lands, they must have a title which should 
 command respect. But no; in view of this statement, the Com- 
 mittee come to a different conclusion. Here is another specimen. 
 
 " The morality of the doctrines inculcated by the Georgia legis- 
 lature may be sufficiently understood by the broad positions, that 
 discovery gave absolute title to Europeans ; that the title of the 
 original inhabitants was permissive ; that it was a mere tenancy 
 at will (which is no title at all;) that the discoverer might deter- 
 mine the tenancy at any moment, by negotiation or force ; and 
 that, as all European governments are alleged to be agreed in 
 these principles, 'force becomes right.' 
 
 " The inhabitants of North America might, therefore, have been 
 rightfully driven into the ocean, ' at any tnomentl when the discov- 
 erers should have been willing and able thus to drive them. It is 
 to be inferred, that Cortes and Pizarro were only executing the 
 lawful commands of the king of Spain, when they were taking 
 possession of Mexico and Peru, which, according to this doctrine, 
 rightfully belonged to him ; though, in doing so, they were under the 
 unpleasant necessity of murdering the original inhabitants. 
 
 " The Committee are entirely mistaken in point of fact, when 
 they say that ' ever}^ foot of land in the United States is held ' by 
 such a title as has been described ; that is, a title in the European 
 sovereign, which, on the moment of discovery, supplanted and 
 subverted all the rights of the natives to the lands on which they 
 were born, and of which they were in full possession. It may be 
 truly said that there is not, within the limits of the United States, 
 as fixed by the peace of 1763, a single foot of land held, as against 
 the original inhabitants, by the title of discovery alone. Incom- 
 parably the largest portion of the territory, within the above men- 
 tioned limits, has been purchased of the Indians. Some small 
 portions have been conquered ; the original owners having been 
 nearly exterminated in war, or driven from their lands by a supe- 
 rior force, or compelled to cede them, as the price of a pacification. 
 But in all these cases, the wars had some other origin than an 
 attempt to enforce the title of discovery. The politi'cians of 
 Georgia are requested to produce a single instance, after the set- 
 tlement of the Anglo-American colonies commenced, of any Eng- 
 lish sovereign, or any colonial governor, or any colonial legislature, 
 or any State legislature, anterior to the treaty of the Indian Spring 
 in 1825, having assumed the right of taking forcible possession of 
 Indian country, at any moment, by virtue of the title of discovery, 
 and without any regard to what the Supreme Court has called 
 ' the just and legal claim ' of the natives to retain possession of 
 their country. The exclusive right of extinguishing the Indian 
 title, or what has usually been called the right of pre-emption, is a 
 totally different thing from this all-absorbing and overwhelming 
 right of discovery, on which Georgia now insists. If a single in- 
 stance of such an assumption can be produced, let it be brought 
 
342 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 forward. Let us contemplate the circumstances in which it origi- 
 nated, and examine its claims to respect. Thousands of instances 
 can be adduced, on the other hand, of acknowledgments made by 
 emigrants from Europe, and by rulers of every grade, from the 
 highest to the lowest; — acknowledgments which admitted the 
 perfect right of the Indians to the peaceable possession of their 
 country, so long as they chose to retain it. 
 
 " But if all the governments of Europe had, during the three last 
 centuries, held the doctrine now so warmly espoused by Georgia, 
 how utterly vain would be every attempt to defend it, or to make 
 it appear otherwise than tyrannical, cruel, and abominable. Not 
 all the monarchs of Europe, nor all the writers on the laws of na- 
 tions, — not all the power and all the sophistry in the world, — could 
 alter its character, or convince an honest, candid, intelligent man, 
 that it is entitled to the least respect. What is this doctrine, so 
 necessary to the present claims of Georgia ? It is neither more 
 nor less than the assumption, that the circumstance of an English 
 vessel having sailed along the American coast from Cape Hatteras 
 to the bay of Fundy, as the case might be, gave the English king 
 an absolute and perfect title, not only to the coast, but to all the 
 interior; and that he might, therefore, empower any of his subjects 
 to take forcible possession of the country, to the immediate exclu- 
 sion and destruction of the original inhabitants. 
 
 " In the history of the slave-trade, we have a perfect exhibition 
 of the total inefiicacy of human law to sanction what is flagitiously 
 immoral ; especially after the eyes of mankind are fixed upon it. 
 For more than two hundred years, the principal powers of Europe 
 legalized the slave-trade. The judicial tribunals of all countries 
 sustained it by their decisions. It was universally established and 
 assented to. But was it right ? The voice of the world has pro- 
 noiinced its irrevocable sentence. It is now piracy ; and to have 
 been recently connected with it, is indelible infamy. But is it more 
 clearly wrong to take Africans from their native land, than it is to 
 make slaves of the Cherokees upon their native land? or, on 
 penalty of their being thus enslaved, driving them into exile ? 
 
 " It may be supposed, that this is too strong a representation of 
 the case ; and that it would be no very serious calamity to the 
 Cherokees, if they were to come under the laws of Georgia. One 
 would think, however, that the spirit of the report from which 
 quotations have been made, must be an indication of what is to be 
 expected froui Georgia, in the way of systematic legislation on 
 this subject. 
 
 " One law has already been enacted, with the direct view of 
 extending the jurisdiction of Georgia over the Cherokees. It was 
 approved December 20th, 1&28, and deserves a particular con- 
 sideration. 
 
 " The first five sections divide that part of the Cherokee coun- 
 try which falls within the chartered limits of Georgia, into five 
 portions, attaching each one of these portions to a contiguous 
 county of Georgia. The sixth section extends the laws of 
 Georgia over white residents within the limits above mentioned ; 
 and the seventh declares that, after June 1st, 1830, all Lidians 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 343 
 
 ' residing in said territory, and within anyone of the counties as 
 aforesaid, shall be liable and subject to such laws and regulations 
 as the legislature may hereafter prescribe." 
 
 " Sec. 8. That all laws, usages, and customs, made, established, 
 and in force, in the said territory, by the said Cherokee Indians, 
 be, and the same are hereby, on and after the first day of June, 
 1830, declared null and void. 
 
 " 9. That no Indian, or descendant of Indian, residing M'ithin 
 the Creek or Cherokee nations of Indians, shall be deemed a com- 
 petent witness, or a party to any suit, in any court created by the 
 constitution or laws of this State, to which a white man may be a 
 party." 
 
 " Under the administration of this law, a white man might rob 
 or murder a Cherokee, in the presence of many Indians and de- 
 scendants of Indians ; and yet the otTence could not be proved. 
 That crimes of this malignant character would be committed, is by 
 no means improbable ; but assaults, abuses, and vexations of a 
 far inferior stamp, would render the servitude of the Cherokees 
 intolerable. The plan of Georgia is, as explained by her Senate, 
 to seize five sixths of the territory in question, and distribute it 
 among her citizens. If a Cherokee head of a family chooses to 
 remain, he may possibly have his house and a little farm assigned 
 to him. This is the most favorable supposition. But his rights 
 are not acknowledged. He does not keep the land because it is 
 his own ; but receives it as a boon from Georgia. He will be sur- 
 rounded by five white neighbors. These settlers will not be from 
 the more sober, temperate, and orderly citizens of Georgia, but 
 from the idle, the dissolute, the quarrelsome. Many of them will 
 hate Indians, and take every opportunity of insulting and abusing 
 them. If the cattle of a Cherokee are driven away in his pre- 
 sence ; if his fences are thrown down and his crops destroyed ; if 
 his children are beaten, and his domestic sanctuary invaded ; — 
 whatever outrage and whatever injury he may experience, he can- 
 not even seek a legal remedy. He can neither he a party, nor a 
 witness. He has no friend who can be heard in his behalf. Not 
 an individual can be found who has any interest in seeing justice 
 done him, and who, at the same time, has any power to serve him. 
 Even the slaves of his new neighbors are defended by the self- 
 interest of their masters. But he has not even this consolation. 
 He is exposed to the greatest evils of slavery, without any of its 
 alleviations. Every body is let loose upon him ; and it is neither 
 the interest, nor the inclination, nor the official duty, of the Avhite 
 settlers to defend him. Every body may destroy his property ; 
 but nobody is bound to keep him from starving when his property 
 is gone. How long could a Cherokee live under such treatment 
 as this ? 
 
 " Accustomed from his birth to feelings of entire equality and 
 independence, he would find himself, at a single stroke, smitten to 
 the earth, and there held till the manacles of a most degrading vas- 
 salage were fastened upon him. As soon as the net of Georgia 
 legislation is sprung over him, he is equally and instantly exposed 
 
344 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 to public persecution and private indignity. He feels himself to 
 be a vagabond, even while standing upon the very acres which 
 his own hands have laboriously subdued and tilled, — an outlaw, in 
 the house which he has erected and made comfortable for himself, 
 and which, to a white man, would be a castle, — a trespasser, for 
 innocently treading the soil of his native forests, — an intruder, for 
 drinking the pure water of his native springs, or breathing the air 
 of his native mountains, — a stranger among his neighbors, — an 
 alien, on the spot where he was born. 
 
 " Who are the human beings, thus suddenly brought into so de- 
 plorable and abject a condition ? Are they Caffres and Hottentots, 
 skulking through the woods, in a state of nudity, or covered only 
 by a few shreds of tattered sheepskin ? Are they runaway slaves, 
 pursued by the vengeance of exasperated masters? Are they 
 Ishmaelites, waylaying the path of inoffensive travellers, and their 
 hands reeking with the blood of recent murders? Arc they bands 
 of ruffians, collected from the worst among the discharged tenants 
 of our penitentiaries ? Have they invaded our settlements, driven 
 off the inhabitants, and established themselves in an unrighteous 
 possession, of which they are now about to be divested ? What 
 is their character, and what is their crime, that their lands are to 
 be divided, and their persons and families to be put beyond the 
 protection of the law ? 
 
 " If they were Caffres, or Hottentots, they should be dealt with 
 kindly; and should be compassionated in their ignorance and de- 
 gradation. If some of them were Ishmaelites and renegadoes, 
 they should be tried in a regular manner. The innocent should 
 not be punished with the guilty. The guilty should not be pun- 
 ished without a trial ; and neither the innocent nor the guUty 
 should be delivered over to private malice. 
 
 " How would an intelligent foreigner, a German, a Frenchman, 
 or an Englishman, be astonished to learn that the Cherokees are 
 neither savages, nor criminals ; — that they have never encroached 
 upon the lands of others ; — that their only ofience consists in the 
 possession of lands which their neighbors covet; — that they are 
 peaceful agriculturists, better clothed, fed, and housed, than many 
 of the peasantry in most civilized countries ; — that they have sus- 
 tained diplomatic relations with the whites, at different periods, 
 from the first settlement of the coniiguous territory by Europeans ; 
 — that these relations have ripened into a firm and lasting peace, 
 which has not been broken by a single act of hostility for forty 
 years ; — that the peace thus cemented is the subject of numerous 
 treaties, the bases of which are, a sovereignty of the Cherokees, 
 limited, in certain respects, by express stipulations, and a guaranty, 
 on the part of the United States, of protection and inviolate terri- 
 torial limits ; — that the treaties have been the foundation of nume- 
 rous legal enactments for the protection of the weaker party, 
 whose title has been pronounced, by the highest tribunal in our 
 country, to be worthy of the respect of all courts, till it be legiti- 
 mately extinguished ; — that the Cherokees are not charged with 
 having broken their engagements, or done any thing to forfeit the 
 guaranty which they had received as the indispensable condition 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 345 
 
 of their grants to the United States ; — that they have always been 
 called brothers and children by the President of the United States, 
 and by all other public functionaries speaking in the name of the 
 country ; — that they have been encouraged and aided in rising to 
 a state of civilization, by our national government and benevolent 
 associations of individuals ; — that one great motive presented to 
 their minds by the government, has uniformly been the hope and 
 expectation of a permanent residence, as farmers and mechanics, 
 upon the lands of their ancestors, and the enjoyment of wise laws, 
 administered by themselves, upon truly republican principles; — 
 that, relying upon these guaranties, and sustained by such a hope, 
 and aided in the cultivation of their minds and hearts by benevo- 
 lent individuals stationed among them at their own request, and 
 partly at the charge of the general government, they have greatly 
 risen in their character, condition, and prospects ; — that they have 
 a regularly organized government of their own, consisting of legis- 
 lative, judicial, and executive departments, formed by the advice 
 of the third President of the United States, and now in easy and 
 natural operation ; — that a majority of the people can read their 
 own language, which was never reduced to writing till less than 
 seven years ago, and never printed till within less than two 
 years ; — that a considerable number of the young and some of the 
 older can read and write the English language ; — that ten or 
 twelve schools are now attended by Cherokee children ; — that, for 
 years past, unassisted native Cherokees have been able to trans- 
 act public business, by written communications, which, to say the 
 least, need not fear a comparison, in point of style, sense, and ar- 
 gument, with many communications made to them by some of the 
 highest functionaries of our national government ; — that these Cher- 
 okees, in their treatment of whites, as in their intercourse with 
 each other, are mild in their manners and hospitable in their feel- 
 ings and conduct; — and, to crown the whole, that they are bound 
 to us by the ties of Christianity which they profess, and which 
 many of them exemplify as members of regular Christian 
 churches. 
 
 " These are the men whose country is to be Avrested from them, 
 and who are to be brought under the laws of Georgia without 
 their own consent. These civilized and educated men ; — these 
 orderly members of a society, raised, in part, by the fostering care 
 of our national government, from rude materials, but now exhibit- 
 ing a good degree of symmetry and beauty ; — these laborious far- 
 mers and practical republicans; — these dependent allies, who 
 committed their all to our good faith, on the ' guaranty ' of Gen. 
 Washington, the ' assurance ' of Mr. Jefferson, and the re-assurance 
 of Gen. Jackson and Mr. Calhoun, sanctioned, as these several 
 acts were, by the Senate of the United States ; — these ' citizens of 
 the Cherokee nation,' as we called them in the treaty of Holston ; 
 — these fellow Christians, regular members of Moravian, Presby- 
 terian, Baptist, and Methodist churches, fellow-citizens icith the 
 saints and of the household of God, are to be suddenly brought under 
 the laws of Georgia, according to which they can be neither wit- 
 
 44 
 
346 ^^^^ OF EVARTS. 
 
 nesses nor parties in a court of justice. Under the laws, did I 
 say ? It is a monstrous perversion to call such a state of things, 
 living under law. They are to be made outlaws on the land of 
 their fathers ; arid, in this condition, to be allowed the privilege of 
 choosing between exile and chains. 
 
 " But who are the men that impose so fearful an alternative ? 
 and what is the government that hesitates to redeem its pledge? 
 Is it some rotten Asiatic despotism, sinking under the crimes and 
 cormptions of by-gone centuries, feeling no responsibility and re- 
 garding no law of morality or religion ? Not so. It is a govern- 
 ment which sprung into existence with the declaration " that all 
 men are created equal ; that they are endowed by their Creator with 
 certain unalienable rights ; that among these are life, liberty, and the 
 pursuit of happiness." From a government thus established, this 
 flagrant wrong is apprehended ; and from a people who boast that 
 they are the freest and most enlightened community on earth ; 
 who insist on the right of every community to govern itself; and 
 who abjure the very idea of foreign dictation." 
 
 " Government has arrived at the bank of the Rubicon. If our 
 rulers now stop, they may save the country from the charge of bad 
 faith. If they proceed, it will be known by all men, that, in a 
 plain case, without any plausible plea of necessity, and for very 
 weak and unsatisfactory reasons, the great and boasting Republic of 
 the United States of North America incurred the guilt of violating 
 treaties ; and that this guilt was incurred when the subject was 
 fairly before the eyes of the American community, and had attract- 
 ed more attention than any other public measure since the close of 
 the last war. 
 
 " In one of the sublimest portions of Divine Revelation, the 
 following words are written : 
 
 " Cursed be he that removetk his neighbor's landmark : and all the 
 people shall say, Amen. 
 
 " Cursed be he that maketh the blind to icander out of the way : 
 and all the people shall saij, Amen. 
 
 " Cursed be he that 2^(^n''erteth the Judgment of the stranger, fa- 
 therless, and tvidoiv : and all the people shall say, Amen. 
 
 " Is it possible that our national rulers shall be willing to expose 
 themselves and their country to these curses of Almighty God ? 
 Curses uttered to a people, in circumstances not altogether unlike 
 our own ? Curses reduced to writing by the inspired lawgiver, for 
 the terror and warning of all nations, and receiving the united and 
 hearty ATnen of all people to whom they have been made 
 known ? 
 
 " It is now proposed to remove the landmarks, in every sense ; — 
 to disregard territorial boundaries, definitely fixed, and for many 
 years respected ; — to disregard a most obvious princijile of natural 
 justice, in accordance with Avhich the possessor of property is 
 to hold it, till some one claims it who has a better right ; — to forget 
 the doctrine of the law of nations, that engagements with depend- 
 ent allies are as rigidly to be observed, as stipulations between com- 
 munities of equal power and sovereignty ; — to shut our ears to the 
 voice of our own sages of the law, who say that Indians have a 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 347 
 
 right to retain possession of their land and to use it according to their 
 discretion, antecedentlj^ to any positive compacts ; and finally, to 
 dishonor Washington, the Father of his country, — to stultify the 
 Senate of the United States during a period of thirty-seven years, 
 — to burn one hundred and fifty documents, as yet preserved in 
 the archives of State, under the denomination of treaties with 
 Indians, and to tear out sheets from every volume of our national 
 statute-book and scatter them to the winds. 
 
 " Nothing of this kind has ever yet been done, certainly not on a 
 large scale, by Anglo-Americans. To us, as a nation, it will be a 
 new thing under the sun. We have never yet acted upon the 
 principle of seizing the lands of peaceable Indians, and compelling 
 them to remove. We have never yet declared treaties with them 
 to be mere waste paper. 
 
 " Let it be taken for granted, then, that law ivill prevail. ' Of 
 law,' says the "judicious Hooker," in strains which have been ad- 
 mired for their beauty and eloquence ever since they were written, 
 — ' Of law, there can be no less acknowledged, than that her seat 
 is the bosom of God ; her voice the harmony of the world. All 
 things in heaven and earth do her homage ; the very least as 
 feeling her care, and the greatest as not exempted from her power. 
 Both angels ami men, and creatures of what condition soever, each 
 in different sort and order, yet all with uniform consent, admiring 
 her as the mother of their peace and joy.' " 
 
 In the midst of this discussion, it was necessary for Mr. Evarts 
 to prepare the Annual Report and attend the annual meeting at 
 Albany, where the duties of the Board, in view of the existing re- 
 lations between the government of the United States and the In- 
 dian tribes, were a subject of anxious deliberation. No sufficient 
 reason appeared for changing the course hitherto pursued and in- 
 dicated in the preceding pages. The plan of a mission to China 
 was also to be matured, and the missionary to be sent out under 
 suitable instructions. 
 
 The publication of the Essays in the newspapers having been 
 completed, they were immediately reprinted at Boston, in a pam- 
 phlet, with an appendix ; and also at Philadelphia, at the expense 
 of that eminent philanthropist, the late Roberts Vaux, and others. 
 The author soon became known, and was at once recognised as 
 the centre of the general movement that was now felt throughout 
 the country. Letters of thanks, and earnest inquiries what was 
 to be done, came in from different quarters. " I offer my sincere 
 congratulations," wrote Mr. Vaux, " on the great movement res- 
 pecting the poor Indians, which is now making in various parts of 
 our country. It must have an effect. Thy labors have contrib- 
 
348 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 uted essentially to this public sympathy ; and the judgments of 
 a great and influential class of the people are unequivocally pro- 
 nounced. The national legislature must hear and forbear. We 
 have had a large edition of ihe Essays of William Penn printed 
 here, and I wish to know whether any copies of that admirable 
 work have been sent in pamphlet form from Boston to Washington. 
 We think it proper that each member of Congress be furnished 
 with a copy." Another eminent individual, still living, wrote : 
 '• In the name of the sixty thousand Indians now threatened with 
 ruin, and of humanity, justice, religion, and public faith, I tender 
 the highest acknowledgments to William Penn, for his unanswer- 
 able plea in behalf of the tribes in question. I speak the senti- 
 ments of thousands, and indeed, I must be permitted to add, of all 
 candid men who have read this plea, when I say that it is abso- 
 lutely unanswerable. Rarely indeed is it possible to make out so 
 strong a case on any great question of national justice and good 
 faith. I rejoice to learn that the plea has just been presented to 
 the public in a pamphlet form. It ought to be distributed in every 
 part of the land." " Only let us know what we can do, and I 
 may venture to promise that it shall be done. Oh that we had a 
 hundred men who would go through the land with all the fire of 
 Peter the Hermit ! " Another : " We are to hold a public meet- 
 ing for prayer, in view of the present crisis of affairs between our 
 national government and the Indians. The inquiry is made with 
 much interest, What can be done to prevent the catastrophe im- 
 pending ? What can we do to avert from our nation the sin, and 
 the shame, and the peril, into which the government seems deter- 
 mined to plunge us ? I write to ask you whether any measures 
 have been proposed — whether any expression of public feeling, by 
 memorials to Congress, or otherwise, is practicable or desirable." 
 A gentleman in New York : " I beg you to draft and send me such 
 resolutions as may set forth the subject in its magnitude, and with 
 its lofty claims upon the attention and sympathy of civilized man, 
 here and abroad. I know of no one here capable of preparing 
 these resolutions as they ought to be — no one indeed any where, 
 but William Penn." And again : '-'I rejoice in the more favora- 
 ble aspect of this Indian subject, and in the occasion there is for 
 thankfulness that you have been enabled to do for it what was 
 indispensable, and what Providence had prepared no one else to 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 349 
 
 do." To the duties of the position in which the providence of 
 God had now so evidently placed him, Mr. Evarts gave himself 
 up to the utmost limit of his strength. At an early day he drew 
 up " A Brief View of the Present Relations between the Gov- 
 ernment and People of the United States and the Indians within 
 our National Limits ; " which was submitted to influential indi- 
 viduals in the city of New York, and then printed and extensively 
 circulated in the newspapers and otherwise, with their sanction. 
 The object was, to bring within a convenient compass for popular 
 use, the leading results of the Essays of " William Penn." 
 
 On the 7th of December, the first session of the 2lst Congress 
 was opened, and the next day Gen. Jackson's first message as 
 President of the United States was sent to the two Houses, and 
 published to the country. The positions assumed in that document 
 were such as to justify the worst apprehensions in relation to the 
 course which the Executive would pursue towards the Indians, 
 and to make it still more evident than before, that, if the rights of 
 those Indians and the national faith and honor were preserved at all, 
 it could only be done by the most strenuous efforts to interpose the 
 influence of a healthful public sentiment. No sooner had the 
 message been generally read, than the way was prepared for pub- 
 lic meetings and memorials to Congress. The people were ready, 
 every where, to give their attendance and their names ; and Mr. 
 Evarts exerted himself, by active correspondence, to have the pro- 
 ceedings so arranged as to call forth most generally and effectively 
 a full expression of the public mind. A few extracts from corres- 
 pondence will show the progress of events. 
 
 FROM E. LORD, ESQ., TO MR. EVARTS. 
 
 New York, December 16, 1&29. 
 
 " I write in great haste, to say, that I think the way is now open 
 to have a powerful public meeting on behalf of the Indians, to 
 petition Congress. I wish, therefore, for your advice in relation 
 to the matter, and a draft of a petition as soon as may be." 
 
 TO E. LORD, ESQ. 
 
 Boston, December 19, 1S29 
 
 "Your letter of the 16ih came to hand this day, when I was 
 sitting at the preparation of a petition. I wish I could put it into 
 
350 I^IfE OF EVARTS. 
 
 the mail this evening; but shall not be able. Extraordinaries ex- 
 cepted, I shall put it into the mail on Monday, and you will re- 
 ceive it on Wednesday morning. 1 suppose your meeting, from 
 what you have said, will be on Wednesday night. 
 
 " Your letter encourages me much. Let me advise that an 
 accurate account of the meeting and report of the speeches be 
 made for immediate publication. I have not seen a single state- 
 ment in William Penn contradicted. Since the publication of 
 these numbers, the government has forborne to deny that the 
 Cherokees have a right to stay ; though that right is nugatory, if 
 Georgia may extend her laws over the Indians. 
 
 " Since the publication of the Brief View, the government has 
 altered the plan of governing the Indians in their new territory : 
 but the plan of putting them all under white rulers, in one gov- 
 ernment, as described by William Penn, was urged by the former 
 Secretaries of War, and by McK., as may be found in many docu- 
 ments. You will please to mention this to Mr. M. and others. 
 
 " There is one great evil to which the Indians are now exposed 
 — viz. being frightened out of their rights before Congress and the 
 Supreme Court can interfere in their behalf. An eye should be 
 had to this evil in the contemplated public meeting. The Presi- 
 dent tells these tribes, that Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi have 
 the right of bringing the Indians under their laws. The Indians 
 think that the President knows, and that they must obey. Num- 
 bers, from this apprehension, begin to remove, or to make prepar- 
 ations for a removal. This is represented by the government as 
 proof that the Indians are willing to remove. And thus one result 
 of oppression is made a plausible excuse for continuing the op- 
 pression." 
 
 TO E. LORD, ESQ. 
 
 Boslon, December 21, 1S29. 
 
 "I send you the Memorial. It is long. You may make it 
 shorter. It appears to me it will be well for the New York memo- 
 rial to go into detail, and to be published. These details need 
 respectable names. Afterwards, short memorials may be sent 
 with effect through the country. 
 
 "Do not fail to write me the result of the meelincr." 
 
^ LIFE OF EVARTS. 35I 
 
 E. LORD, ESQ., TO MR. EVARTS. 
 
 New York, December 20, 1829. 
 
 " We had a noble meeting — nothing untoward of any sort oc- 
 curred — the room was full, and uncommonly respectable — and" a 
 very deep impression was made. The memorial was adopted 
 unanimously. Maj. Fairlie was sick and could not attend. Col. 
 Trumbull's services in the chair were, on the whole, to be prefer- 
 red. Indeed, nothing could have been more unexceptionable. 
 The American and Daily Advertiser will publish the Memorial at 
 length, and perhaps some other papers will do so. The speeches 
 I am in hopes to get written out for publication. Maxwell's and 
 Ketchum's were eloquent and spirit-stirring in a high degree. On 
 the whole, the meeting was a successful and triumphant effort 
 in behalf of the cause. I have received many congratulations to 
 this effect to-day — most of my friends being aware that I had 
 taken the chief responsibility of calling it. 
 
 " I am relieved from a greater degree of anxiety than I ever 
 felt before for any matter of this nature. The last week or 
 ten days has been a period of almost sleepless concern and exer- 
 tion. So many were timid and hesitating, that the few who had 
 promised to stand by almost held back. The men fixed on for 
 chairman and secretaries from day to day, all declined or were 
 sick, until yesterday afternoon ; and at last I was told that I must 
 be at the room prepared to be put in the chair, which I readily 
 assented to. Just before the hour. Col. Trumbull was seen ; and 
 in the room, Mr. Sharpe, connected with the Dutch church, yield- 
 ed to my solicitations to act as secretary ; and finally it seemed 
 not only to me but to others, that Divine Providence specially 
 interposed to give favor and success to the arrangements and 
 proceedings of the nieeting. 
 
 " I shall endeavor to send you a copy of the memorial by the 
 next mail. I directed one to be sent last night, but know not that 
 it went. You will see that some slight amendments took place in 
 it. 
 
 " I am sure you will rejoice in the result of this movement. I 
 confess it encourages me much in regard to the Indians, and to our 
 own government and country. 
 
352 I^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " Several thorough going partizans (editors and others) of the 
 administration were present last evening ; also, several of the New 
 York Indian Board. But the meeting was too numerous and re- 
 spectable, and gave tokens of approbation too decisive, to admit of 
 any opposition, even by saying nay in a single instance." 
 
 TO E. LORD, ESQ. 
 
 Boston, December 31, 1629. 
 
 " Your letter of the 29th came to hand last evening, and gave 
 me and my friends, (some of whom happened to be present,) 
 great pleasure. I hope we are thankful to God for his kind inter- 
 position and direction of the business. Two copies of the printed 
 memorial were also received. 
 
 " I suppose the copies of the memorial will generally be signed 
 by the chairman and secretaries, and will have the resolution ap- 
 pended, calling upon the people to petition, Stc. We shall be 
 glad to receive a multitude of copies for circulation in New 
 England. 
 
 " You have my sincere thanks for persevering. I have scarcely 
 ever been deceived, as to the effect of measures upon the public 
 mind, if an experiment could be fairly made. The only diffi- 
 culty in this case is, the want of that direct and personal interest, 
 which shall compel the people to think and act upon the subject. 
 Such a state of things makes it necessary for the benevolent to 
 work hard ; but the labor is honorable. Let the world think of it, 
 as the world is apt to think of measures relating to the great and 
 permanent interests of mankind. 
 
 " Will you not have petitions to Congress to be signed by indi- 
 viduals, as well as by the presiding officers of meetings ? It ap- 
 pears to me that the cause is well worth the trouble ; and that you 
 may find active committee men, who will undertake the service. 
 
 *' Let me suggest that you and twenty others should write to 
 Philadelphia, and urge a public meeting there, to be conducted 
 under the auspices of able and enlightened men. Similar meet- 
 ings should be held at Albany, Troy, Utica, Canandaigua, &,c. 
 
 " As to prospects — I have great confidence that the measures 
 of the Executive will not obtain the sanction of Congress — that 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 353 
 
 no new territory will be set apart for Indians — and, in short, that 
 nothing of a positive kind will be done. My fear is, that the In- 
 dians will be left to the tender mercies of Georgia ; that they will 
 be bitterly persecuted ; and that they will be scattered in a state of 
 despondency approaching to despair. I think they should be en- 
 couraged to hold on, till the voice of the country and the deci- 
 sions of the Supreme Court shall compel Georgia to do them jus- 
 tice. If they do hold on, the struggle must be a long one ; and 
 intelligent men in every part of the country must be made to 
 think. 
 
 " You will not impute to me any vanity of authorship, when I 
 say that many suggestions have been made, that William Penn, 
 in pamphlet form, should be extensively distributed ; especially 
 among leading men in the middle and southern States. In no 
 other way, except by the distribution of books, can many of these 
 leading men be reached. 
 
 " A stereotype edition has been proposed." 
 
 The New York Memorial (prepared, as the correspondence 
 shows, by Mr. Evarts,) was immediately printed and circulated in 
 all parts of the country. Meantime, he was actively engaged in 
 preparations for a public meeting in Boston, which was attended 
 by gentlemen from all parts of the Commonwealth, on the 21st of 
 January, and again, by adjournment, on the 8th of February ; 
 and which resulted in the adoption of a memorial to Congress,* 
 and in the preparation of a Circular Letter to the citizens of Massa- 
 chusetts, designed to secure their immediate and general co-oper- 
 ation. 
 
 In such employments, in correspondence on the subject of the 
 Sabbath, and in the usual duties of his office, he was occupied at 
 Boston till the last of March, when it was deemed advisable that 
 he should again visit the seat of government. He arrived at 
 Washington on the third of April, and was at once in habits of 
 daily intercourse with those members of Congress and others, m- 
 cluding the Cherokee delegation, who were particularly interested 
 to sustain the rights of the Indians. He found the aspect of the 
 cause doubtful, and the month that he spent there was a time of 
 
 * Written, also, by Mr. Evarts. 
 
 45 
 
354 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 intense anxiety. He would have been more cheered by many 
 favorable indications, and by the inherent strength of the cause, 
 but for two considerations. In the first place, the Committees on 
 Indian Affairs in the two Houses were so constituted as to give 
 great advantage to those States in which efforts were making to 
 remove the Indians. In each Committee, a majority of the mem- 
 bers were from States directly interested in the acquisition of In- 
 dian lands, and on each Georgia was represented. These Com- 
 mittees had made elaborate reports, fully sustaining the policy of 
 the administration. Again, the measure had become decidedly, 
 and in spite of all efforts to prevent it, a party question. A mem- 
 ber of Congress, a gentleman of some influence, and chairman of 
 one of the most important Committees, was known to have said : 
 " Sir, we have succeeded in making the Indian subject a party 
 measure. There may be some chicken-hearted fellows at the 
 North, who will not stand by the party ; but we shall carry the 
 measure in both Houses : and in the lower House, by a majority 
 of perhaps seventeen or twenty." This last circumstance weighed 
 upon the heart of Mr. Evarts, not only as inauspicious in regard to 
 the decision of this question, but as an instance and evidence 
 of political depravity, most dishonorable in itself and most danger- 
 ous in its tendencies. " What should we think," said he, " of 
 a juryman, who should predict that a plaintiff would lose his farm, 
 because the jury were resolved to decide the suit, not on the mer- 
 its of the title proved in court, but solely with a view to the effect 
 of the decision upon a certain political party ? But the present 
 case is incomparably stronger. Here are 75,000 souls, in 15,000 
 families, whose farms, property, residence, attachments, country, 
 government, laws, habits, customs, everything earthly, were to be 
 torn from them, or confirmed to them, by the decision of Congress. 
 The same decision would ultimately touch the interests of two or 
 three hundred thousand other human beings, descendants of the 
 original possessors of this continent. The decision could be 
 properly made only by a regard to what is right and just in itself, 
 and to the engagements by which the United States had bound 
 themselves in the most solemn manner. The subject was not a 
 new one. The government had acted upon it in hundreds of 
 instances. The current of precedents had been perfectly uniform. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 355 
 
 All our great men, how much soever they had differed on other 
 points, had thought alike upon this. The reputation of the coun- 
 try abroad, and with posterity, was thought to be deeply impli- 
 cated. Yet all these considerations are disregarded. The whole 
 matter is to be settled by the simple fact, ' We have succeeded 
 in making it a party question.'' Who could have imagined, that 
 a member of the American Congress, a man of some influence, 
 and who supposes himself to have a great deal, would descend to 
 the avowal of such baseness ? And how deplorable is the fact, 
 if the declaration which he made was substantially true ! 
 
 " The friends of the Indians did all in their power to prevent 
 the question of Indian rights being made a party question. There 
 was no possible inducement for them to make it one. They re- 
 gretted extremely that the administration had expressed any opin- 
 ion upon it, and had not left it for the unbiassed decision of Con- 
 gress. That, in the actual circumstances of the case, there should 
 be some party influence, seemed inevitable ; but that a direct 
 attempt should be made to set aside all the precedents of fifty 
 years, and withdraw the guaranty solemnly given to dependent 
 tribes ; that all this should be attempted, without any regard to 
 law or conscience, treaty or honesty, ought not to have been ex- 
 pected. It should have been deemed morally impossible." 
 
 The following letter was written by Mr. Evarts to a friend in 
 the Cherokee nation, and copies sent to several persons in the 
 Indian country during the winter : 
 
 " The present critical condition of the Cherokees leads many 
 of their friends in this part of the country, to wish that they may 
 pursue the most judicious course of conduct ; that they may not 
 lose any thing by rash and unadvised measures, on the one hand, 
 nor by negligence, apathy, and discouragement on the other. 
 
 "Their northern friends do not feel called upon to advise the 
 Cherokees, on the question whether it will be for their interest to 
 remove, or to remain on the land of their fathers. This question 
 they ought to settle for themselves; and they have sufficient 
 means of getting knowledge on the subject. 
 
 k 
 
356 I^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " We feel it to be perfectly right, however, to make suggestions, 
 for the consideration of the Cherokees, in regard to the best man- 
 ner of obtaining from the United States the fulfilment of all trea- 
 ties. It is for the honor of our country, and for the benefit of all 
 parties, that this important subject should be settled upon correct 
 principles. And, in order to this, the Cherokees, Choctaws, and 
 other tribes, should bear in mind the following things. 
 
 " 1. The treaties of the United States should be constantly kept 
 in the front of all representions on the subject. They should be 
 often repeated, and in a tone of great earnestness. The Indians 
 should not be satisfied with having told their story once to Con- 
 gress. They must not presume that their story is fresh in the 
 minds of members. It should be brought forward often ; and 
 urged, sometimes in the way of complaint against intruders, some- 
 times in the way of soliciting protection for the future ; and these 
 two things should be always urged, viz. that the treaties are plain, 
 and that they were always confirmed, according to their obvious 
 meaning, by agents of the government. 
 
 " 2. These tribes should have some of their best men at 
 Washington, during every session of Congress, till their affairs are 
 settled ; — men whom they can trust, who can neither be deceived, 
 nor misled, nor frightened, by any agents or officers of the gov- 
 ernment. Letters should be written to these delegations, by 
 every mail, keeping them well and truly informed of the state of 
 feeling among their people at home. 
 
 " 3. These delegations should employ able counsel, and in- 
 sist on being heard before the Committees on Indian Affairs, and 
 on being allowed to produce witnesses to show the real condition 
 of their respective tribes ; and, in this way, they should detect 
 and expose the numerous falsehoods which are put into circula' 
 tion by their enemies. 
 
 "All these tribes should understand that their best friends 
 throughout the country are firmly of opinion, that if the govern- 
 ment cannot protect the Indians where they are, they cannot pro- 
 tect them any where else. Let the Indians themselves be fully 
 aware of this ; and if they ever mean to make a stand for their 
 rights, let the stand be made now. It can never be made so well 
 hereafter. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 357 
 
 " You can make any prudent use of these hints ; it being my 
 sincere desire that they may promote the cause of justice and 
 humanity." 
 
 On the 6th of April, the debate on the Indian Bill commenced 
 in the Senate. Its progress is detailed in the journal of Mr. 
 Evarts. 
 
 "April 6. Washington. Received letters, which had been 
 lying for me at the post-office, from missionaries in the Cherokee 
 and Choctaw nations. Mr. Kingsbury thinks the law of Missis- 
 sippi worse for the Indians than the law of Georgia ; and that the 
 system now pursued will prove the utter destruction of the 
 Indians, whether they stay or remove. He supposes a majority 
 of Congress will be against them ; and yet he is unwilling to 
 realize that the Indians will be abandoned and sacrificed. He 
 cannot see whence deliverance is to come. 
 
 " I went to the capitol rather late, and found Mr. White* 
 making his opening speech on the bill for the removal of the 
 Indians. Nearly the whole of it I heard. There was nothing in 
 it which is not perfectly familiar to all who have read on the sub- 
 ject. The scope of his argument was as follows : — Great Britain 
 gave' this continent, to a certain extent, to the colonies by char- 
 ter. She did not consider the Indians as having any right to the 
 soil. After the revolution, the States had the same right to the 
 soil which Great Britain had before. This right belonged to the 
 several States, and not to the general government. The treaty of 
 Hopewell, (in 1785) was an encroachment upon the rights of the 
 States of Georgia and North Carolina. They protested against it. 
 When the general government was formed under our present con- 
 stitution, the States acted in their sovereign capacity, and not the 
 people in their individual capacity, or their aggregate capacity as 
 a nation. The constitution is a compact, therefore, by which the 
 United Slates guaranty to each State all the territory within its 
 chartered limits. This guaranty to each State is anterior to any 
 guaranty to the southern Indians, and inconsistent with it. 
 
 * Hon. Hugh White, Senator from Tennessee. 
 
358 ^IFE O^ EVARTS. 
 
 " The treaty of Holston, (in 1791) contains a guaranty to the 
 Cherokees of all their lands not ceded. But the government had 
 not the power to make such a treaty. A treaty is a compact be- 
 tween sovereign states — between communities foreign to each 
 other. But the Indians were not foreigners. They were justly 
 amenable to the laws of the several States, so far as the States 
 should see fit to make laws for them. 
 
 " The present bill makes provision for the removal of the 
 Indians. It facilitates their removal, though it does not constrain 
 them to it. Some of them are capable of making good citizens 
 in any State of the Union. But the majority cannot live under 
 the laws of a civilized people. The experiment has been made 
 by Indians on the reservations of previous cessions. They cannot 
 remain with the whites. The provisions of this bill are intended 
 for their benefit. 
 
 " This speech was extended through about two hours and a 
 half. It contained the following admissions, which will not be 
 without their good effect ; viz. 
 
 "That it was the policy and the manifest intention of the 
 government, from 1791 to the last treaty of 1819, to secure to 
 the Cherokees the permanent possession of their lands ; and that 
 all the treaties were made upon this basis. The design was, to 
 make them a civilized people — first herdmen, and then agricul- 
 turists. 
 
 " That there are among the Cherokees now, and perhaps some 
 within the hearing of the speaker's voice, men whom he consid- 
 ered capable, both in point of intelligence and integrity, of repre- 
 senting a State on the floor of either house of Congress ; and 
 whom he should be willing, if they were citizens of Tennessee, to 
 see on the floor of either house, as representing him and his fel- 
 low citizens. 
 
 " That he could easily conceive how honest men, both in and 
 out of Congress, should differ on this subject ; for he had been 
 formerly of a very different opinion from the one which he now 
 expressed. It was the consideration of the rights of sovereign 
 States, that wrought this change in his mind. 
 
 " There was nothing bitter, or provoking, or ungentlemanly, in 
 his speech. Nor was there anything striking or forcible. I ob- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 359 
 
 served that Mr. Frelinghuysen and Mr. Sprague took full notes, 
 and paid strict attention. 
 
 " April 7, 1830. Mr. Frelinghuysen commenced his speech 
 this day at half past twelve, and continued it two hours and 
 twenty minutes, when he gave way to a motion for adjournment, 
 and will finish his speech to-morrow. 
 
 " He began by expressing a regret, that the President of the 
 United States had not followed the example of President Wash- 
 ington, and waited for the deliberations of the other branches of 
 the government, instead of deciding questions which it did not be- 
 long to him to decide, thus endeavoring to forestall public opinion, 
 and in fact prejudicing and greatly injuring the weaker party. 
 He animadverted with considerable severity, upon the directions 
 of the Secretary of War to bribe the Cherokee chiefs, by tamper- 
 ing with them privately, and offering them reservations of land 
 and other rewards as the means of bringing about a cession of 
 lands. 
 
 " He then entered upon the consideration of the subject, and 
 contended that the Indians had a perfect right originally ; that 
 this right was admitted by the British government, by the Ameri- 
 can colonies, by the confederated States, and lastly, by the United 
 States, in all treaties with Indians. He examined the treaties with ^ 
 some particularity. 
 
 " April 8. Mr. Frelinghuysen rose to continue his speech, at 
 half past one, and spoke two hours and five minutes. He exam- 
 ined the treaties which had been made between Georgia and the 
 Indians, and showed that she was forever debarred from denying 
 them to be a separate people. 
 
 " As to Alabama and Mississippi, he placed these States in a 
 curious predicament. He was led by the Report of the Senate 
 to look at the manner in which these States were admitted into 
 the Union, and found the facts to be these. It was stipulated in 
 the compact of 1802, between the United States and Georgia, 
 that whenever the territory between the west line of Georgia and 
 the river Mississippi should be formed into a new State, it should 
 not be admitted into the Union, unless it formally agreed to be 
 admitted upon the basis of the famous ordinance of 1787 — 
 (Nathan Dane's ordinance,) in all respects, except in regard to 
 
360 I^^FE OF EVARTS. 
 
 the article forbidding slavery. When Mississippi applied in 1816, 
 and Alabama in 1819, to be admitted, Congress prescribed, 
 among other things, that these States should expressly agree to 
 be admitted upon that ordinance ; and the acts admitting them 
 severally declared that they had expressly agreed to be admitted 
 on the basis of the ordinance. 
 1^ " When the ordinance is examined, it is found to contain a 
 provision that the States thus admitted should never encroach 
 upon, or invade, the lands, customs, rights, property, or liberty of 
 the Indians, unless in a just and lawful war. 
 
 " This provision was pressed hard upon Alabama and Missis- 
 sippi, and we cannot conceive how the senators of those States 
 will answer him. 
 
 " On the whole, his speech to-day, was entirely triumphant, in 
 every part. It pinched very hard. Messrs. Livingston, Taze- 
 well, Forsyth, and White listened with constant attention. 
 
 " April 10. Yesterday I called, for the first time since my ar- 
 rival, on Col. McK. If I could have avoided it, I would not 
 have seen the man. He appeared somewhat embarrassed, when 
 I went in. He introduced me to Mr. Bell, of the Indian Com- 
 mittee. After Mr. B. had retired, he said, ' Well, you have 
 been laboring hard.' I asked him what he referred to. He re- 
 plied, ' In writing the numbers of " William Penn ;" but it all 
 wont do — I understand the whole subject. I see through it all. 
 These questions of abstract right are of no use. The Chero- 
 kees are like children in a house on fire. We must pull them 
 out.' 
 
 " That is his old figure, which he displayed to me last year, 
 and which he has since put into print. He went on : 
 
 " ' The Indians have a right to their country, a perfect right, — 
 as much so as any man has to his domicil ; but — ' 
 
 "I interrupted him to ask, why he did not, in all his writings, 
 begin by saying that the Indians had a perfect right ? Though 
 exceedingly impudent, he looked a little embarrassed, and added : 
 * It would do no good — it is not in the power of man to defend 
 them.' 
 
 " I said, with emphasis and in a tone of authority, Sir, it is in 
 r- the power of man to defend them. If the President of the United 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 361 
 
 States had sent forth a proclamation, as General Washington 
 would have done ; if he had said with firmness, These Cherokees 
 shall be protected ; if he had declared that the laws should be 
 rigidly enforced, and that the whole authority vested in him by 
 the constitution should be exerted to preserve the national honor ; 
 — if these things had been done, not a Georgian would have ven- 
 tured over the line. Is the world to be told that we cannot en- 
 force our laws, and cannot fulfil our most solemn engagements ? 
 
 " He said that there had always been trouble from intruders. 
 [ admitted that there had been some inconvenience ; but said that 
 it is now much diminished, and must be renewed, if the Indians 
 are removed. 
 
 " We then talked awhile on other matters. 
 
 "Saturday evening, April 10. I have omitted to the last an 
 article of intelligence which appears to me very sorrowful : but 
 Providence may have something in view which we cannot com- 
 prehend. 
 
 " Yesterday a letter was received at the War Office, from Mr. 
 Kingsbury, dated March 22d, stating that a treaty had just been 
 signed, by which the Choctaws engaged to remove in a body. 
 
 " By a treaty. Col. McKenney understood a formal written en- 
 gagement that they would form a treaty as soon as commissioners 
 could be appointed to treat with them. From what I heard 
 to-day, I am inclined to think an express was sent on, a week 
 since, with a commission to form a treaty. 
 
 " Mr. Kingsbury does not appear to have been present, but 
 wrote to secure the interests of the mission ; as he was told, 
 nothing had been said on that subject by the Choctaws. I can- 
 not see any light coming out of this event, but doubtless light 
 will come. The anti-Indians were greatly exhilarated by this 
 event. Copies were immediately sent to the chairman of the 
 Committee of each House. 
 
 " You will know in a moment, that the laws of Mississippi 
 are the sole cause of this movement. 
 
 "11. Sabbath. Mr. , from Connecticut, preached on 
 
 the nature of evangelical repentance and the obligations to it. 
 He showed some tinges of the New Haven theology ; such as 
 46 
 
362 I^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 were taken notice of by old-lashioned Christians, and such as 
 would tend to impede his usefulness."* 
 
 TO REV. C. KINGSBURY, MAYHEW. 
 
 Washington, April 12, 1S30. 
 
 " The advice which would have been proper when your letters 
 were written, would be entirely too late now. 1 hesitated some, 
 in my own mind, what would have been the best course for Col. 
 Folsom to pursue ; and, indeed, 1 told Mr. Holmes, when I saw 
 him in New York about ten days ago, or twelve, that I thought 
 it most prudent not to attempt to execute the laws. I now think, 
 however, that a better plan would be, not to pay any attention to 
 the laws of Mississippi. But these speculations are all in vain — 
 it would seem that it is too late to do any thing for the 
 Choctaws. 
 
 " Last Friday morning, the 9th instant, 1 called on Col. 
 McKenney, of the Indian Office, and found that he had just re- 
 ceived your letter of March 22d, stating that the Choctaws had 
 signed a treaty, and that they were all ready to remove. This 
 was the first notice which the government had received of the 
 matter. It was very sorrowful news to me, as it came just at the 
 time when the discussion of the Indian question had begun ; and 
 when we had considerable hopes that the rights of the Indians 
 might be successfully defended in the House of Representatives, 
 where a great debate is expected. I will not say that the friends 
 of the Indians in each house will be disheartened by this event ; 
 but I fear that this will be the case. 
 
 " You must have gotten my letter from Boston about the time 
 when your letter was dated, in which I advised that the Choc- 
 taws should wait and have the decision of the Supreme Court. 
 There cannot be the least doubt that the Court would pronounce 
 the laws of Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama unconstitutional ; 
 and these tribes would have preserved the lands of their fathers ; 
 but if they remove, it is impossible that they should ever again 
 
 * Oa this subject of the New Haven theology, as he calls it, Mr. Evarts felt deeply, 
 regarding the peculiar views expressed by Drs. Taylor and Fitch, which had been the 
 occasion of much controversy, as erroneous and of very pernicious tendency. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 363 
 
 have a good title to their lands. They will always be obliged to 
 remove, whenever the white people are disposed to crowd upon 
 them. Poor, unhappy people ! If they knew how to defend 
 their own rights, they would not be thus injured and oppressed. 
 
 " I wish to say to you, that the leaders of the Choctaws should 
 do what they can to defend the interests of the people, if they do 
 consent to a removal. 
 
 " 1. Whatever compact they make, they should insist on its 
 being called a treaty, and on its being ratified by the Senate of 
 the United States. 
 
 " 2. They should insist that no measures shall be taken for a 
 removal, till the treaty shall have been thus ratified, and till the 
 land assigned to the Choctaws beyond the Mississippi shall have 
 been marked out. 
 
 " 3. That the most solemn guaranty shall be given to the 
 new country. This guaranty should be by treaty, and not by law. 
 A law can be repealed next year. 
 
 " Though I suppose, if the Indians remove, nothing will defend 
 them permanently ; yet a treaty will defend them many years 
 longer than a law would ; and it will be much better security 
 while it lasts. 
 
 " Again : if it should appear next winter, that the Choctaws 
 were frightened into a treaty by an apprehension of the laws of 
 Mississippi, it is very possible that the Senate will not ratify the 
 treaty ; but will say to the Indians, remain where you are. You 
 need not be frightened out of your inheritance. 
 
 " Write to the Missionary Rooms, immediately on the receipt 
 of this, if possible. 
 
 "May the Lord guide us all, and make us blessings to the 
 poor Indians." 
 
 " April 12. I wish more petitions on both subjects [the rights 
 of the Indians and the Sabbath mails] to be forwarded. The 
 sluggishness and cowardice of the friends of the Sabbath are amaz- 
 ing. Col. Johnson said in his place, not long since, that there were 
 four remonstrants against stopping the mail to one petitioner. I 
 do not believe this ; but there is four times as much zeal against 
 religion as there is in its favor. I have seen, in a paper just come 
 
364 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 to hand, notice of a meeting being formally called at Nashville, to 
 devise means of banishing Presbyteiianism from the State. It is 
 quite likely that Mr. Grundy * may know more of the malignant 
 opposition to religion there, than we are aware of. 
 
 " April 17. One of the Representatives from Alabama told 
 Coodey f that every shot of Mr. Sprague's speech yesterday told, 
 and passed through the centre ; and yet, he added, ' I must vote 
 against you, or I shall be scalped when I go home ; ' meaning, by 
 his constituents. Now what can we do, when men will act in 
 this manner? The question is already as plain in the Senate as 
 any question of human conduct can possibly be. Not one ques- 
 tion of theft, robbery, or murder, in ten thousand, is so perfectly 
 free from all doubt or cavil ; not one bond in ten thousand that 
 are collected or enforced by courts of justice, is so perfectly clear 
 of all dispute ; and yet it is expected that men will vote by 
 platoons, in regular rank and file, according to party drilling, on 
 this question of public faith. I have never before seen exactly 
 such a commentary on human depravity. 
 
 " May the Lord avert the evil we apprehend. 
 
 " April 18. There are some things exceedingly dark in this 
 matter of Indian rights. The Choctaw treaty would seem to have 
 come out exactly at the wrong time. The fact is, that the gov- 
 ernment, by its public threats and its private agents, has advan- 
 tages, which it is pressing to the utmost. To aid in this disgrace- 
 ful affair of making all the powers of our great nation bear down 
 upon the rights of these feeble tribes, Mr. Attorney General has 
 given an opinion that all the separate improvements left by emi- 
 grants, belong to Georgia ; and of course it follows that Geor- 
 gians settling on these relinquished improvements, are not intruders. 
 This single opinion, if practised upon, would drive all the south- 
 ern tribes away in three years. Words are very feeble to express 
 the indignation and abhorrence in which these tricks should be 
 held by every honorable man. 
 
 " The Choctaw treaty is in the President's hands ; I do not 
 
 * Hon. Felix Grundy, Senator from Tennessee, who had been urged, as a religious 
 man, to aid the petitioners for the discontinuance of Sabbath mails, and had declined, 
 under the influence of political friends. 
 
 t One of the Cherokee delegation, at Washington. 
 
LIFE OF .EVARTS. 365 
 
 think it will be ratified ; for I think that more than one third of 
 the Senators will pronounce it to have been obtained under the 
 influence of terror or misapprehension. 
 
 " I think of going to Richmond, by way of Norfolk, next Fri- 
 day.* My cough is so obstinate, and my lungs so irritated and 
 irritable, that I shall not speak on missions in public. 
 
 " Norfolk, April 25. As to the causes which have operated to 
 bring up this discussion, so as to make anything like a stand against 
 the measures of government, there is no doubt that the publica- 
 tion of William Penn is by far more operative than any other. 
 Mr. F. has told me that nothing would have been done without 
 it. And it is curious that it should have been published in the 
 very best conceivable way : first, in the Intelligencer ; then in 
 other papers ; then in a pamphlet. I found most abundant proof, 
 that the distribution of the pamphlet among members of Congress 
 had been very useful ; not that 1 suppose all, or even half, had 
 read it with any attention ; but many had, and especially those 
 who had the ability to influence others. 
 
 " The next cause was, the having such a man in the Senate as 
 Mr. Frelinghuysen. Without his exertions, I think no regular 
 opposition to the bill would have been made in the Senate. As 
 the case now is, the discussion has gained much attention, and will 
 command much more ; but how much it will avail the poor Indians, 
 cannot be foreseen. 
 
 " As to the operative causes on the other side, they are these n 
 two : 1. The southern interest, and the pledges of the President ,' k 
 to support it. 2. The effort to preserve the integrity of the Jack- 
 son party. Both these very powerful principles are in constant' 
 operation against the Indians ; and they are opposed only by a 
 love of justice and a sense of integrity, with some little sense of 
 shame ; and, on the part of a few, some little dread of unpopularity. 
 
 "As to the Indian Board of New York, and the Baptist Board 
 of Boston, and the writings of Cass,f &c., they do not all weigh 
 
 * To meet members of his family. 
 
 t Tlie first named Board was a short-lived organization, formed for the purpose of 
 aiding the policy of the Executive, and the other had talcen the same position. Gen. 
 Cass had written an article for the North American Review, in which, in opposition to 
 views expressed by himself in the same Journal a few years before, he had, with sin- 
 gular inconsistency, endeavored to sustain those in power in their positions. 
 
 i< 
 
366 I^IFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 a single feather ; or, if ihey do, I am not able to perceive any 
 evidence of the fact. 
 
 " Among the causes favorable to the Indians, should be men- 
 tioned the memorials in their behalf. These memorials have done 
 much toward directing attention to the subject, and compelling 
 members to think of it ; and it may be said with great confidence, 
 that if the people in the northern, middle, and western States had 
 entered, with as much spirit as became them, into the business of 
 j)etitioning, they might have secured the Indians forever in their 
 rights. If this cause fails of a perfect and most triumphant vin- 
 dication, it will fail solely from the apathy, and lukewarmness, and 
 timidity, and laziness of those who are really friendly to the Indians, 
 and would gladly preserve our national failh inviolate. 
 
 " Richmond, April 28, 1830. Did not learn the disposition of 
 the Indian bill in the Senate till this morning ; am greatly dis- 
 tressed and mortified, for our country's sake, that the vote stands 
 worse than 1 had thought in any degree probable. 
 
 " It seems tiiat all the Jackson men, (with the exception of 
 Gen. Smith, who was absent.) voted for the bill and against the 
 amendments, except that Mr. Barnard voted for the most impor- 
 tant amendments, as he had said he should do. And besides this 
 organized and unbroken party, three Adams men joined them on 
 every vote. In regard to each of these men, we had some mis- 
 givings at times ; but the case was so clear, that I could not think 
 it probable that more than one out of the three would prove recre- 
 ant to the cause of justice, and honor, and good faith. 
 
 " Votes against the Indians : States directly interested, 
 and pledged by doings of the State Legislatures, 
 namely, — Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Car- 
 olina, and Tennessee, — all slave States, 10 
 
 '' The slave States of Lousiana, South Carolina, Vir- 
 ginia, and Kentucky, 8 
 
 " Free States of Illinois, Indiana, and New York, 6 
 
 " Half of Missouri, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and 
 
 New Hampshire, 4 
 
 28 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 367 
 
 :J 
 
 " Without that disregard of human rights which is to be found 
 among slave-holders only, nothing could have been done against 
 the Indians ; and without the base surrender of all personal dig- X 
 nity and independence to the capricious mandate of party disci- 
 pline, the slave-holders would not have received aid enough to, 
 carry their point. 
 
 " When I left Washington, our hopes were strong in regard to 
 the House of Representatives. But from the specimen of the 
 strength of party bonds in the Senate, I augur ill of the House. 
 
 " It will be no matter of surprise, if the bill should be crowded 
 onward by far inferior business, till a few days before the close of 
 the session, and then urged through by the previous question. I 
 would have every thing done that can be done ; but it seems as if\Jb 
 Providence was at war with the Indians ; and that very little sue- j 
 cess is likely to attend efforts made in their behalf. The Lord 1 
 will vindicate his own plan ; though many of his doings are inscru-J 
 table to us. 
 
 " If the misdeeds of our rulers could fall directly and heavily 
 upon the electors, who send mere machines, instead of men, and 
 worthless demagogues, instead of reflecting, responsible statesmen, 
 there would be some consolation in it, and a remedy might be 
 hoped for; but the evil falls generally on the innocent, or those 
 who are least deserving of ill. 
 
 " I have conversed with many men of sense in regard to the 
 monstrous evils attending our government ; and they all say there 
 is no hope of relief, except by means of raising the moral and in--? ' 
 tellectual character of the common people. How this is to be ^"^ • 
 done, with all the demoralizing and deteriorating processes now at 
 work, is not very easily seen ; especially when we consider how 
 tame and timid, and how vacillating and inconstant — how yield- 
 ing and compromising — nine tenths of even the religious people 
 are on all political questions which involve moral and religious 
 cortsiderations. 
 
 " The Lord knows how to hush all these contending elements 
 to peace. May he soon exert his power, and subdue the world to 
 himself. 
 
 "Richmond, May 29, 1830. Mr. Frelinghuysen wrote to me 
 a line after the vote on Saturday, in which he said he felt very 
 
368 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 sad. 1 do not wonder that he did. The framers of the Consti- 
 tution placed more confidence in the Senate, probably, than in any- 
 other part of the complicated machine of our government — not 
 even excepting the Supreme Court. The Senate was designed 
 to be the special guardian of the faith and honor of the United 
 States ; and if this guardian proves faithless to its high trust, where 
 can we look for redress ? The Supreme Court is, indeed, the 
 tribunal where the proper interpretation of treaties is to be sought ; 
 but in nine instances out of ten, the mischfef of violated faith 
 will be done before the decision of that Court can be had, and 
 the evil is therefore remediless." 
 
 No language, Mr. Evarts said on another occasion, could do 
 justice to the feelings of the friends of the Indians after this vole. 
 *' They viewed the measure as altogether unparalleled in the his- 
 tory of free governments. The smallness of the temptation to 
 such an outrageous breach of faith seemed to render the whole 
 business unaccountable. Bonaparte might be expected to break 
 two or three treaties with Spain and Holland, for the sake of 
 bringing millions of men and hundreds of millions of money un- 
 der his control. Here was a great temptation. But we have 
 broken scores of treaties with dependent Indians, and descended 
 to the most pitiful subterfuges and evasions, not to augment our 
 national power and resources — not to avoid any danger — but sim- 
 ply to appease a groundless clamor, and make an insignificant ac- 
 quisition of new lands." 
 
 "May 1. Richmond. Went with Dr. Rice to Chief Justice 
 Marshall's, and was received by him with his accustomed affabil- 
 ity. He is very plain in his manners, his dress, and his mode of 
 living. Though slender in person, the freshness of his counte- 
 nance and the liveliness of his eye indicate good health. He is 
 now seventy-three years old. I was exceedingly glad to have 
 it in my power to pay my respects to this venerable man. The 
 most visible traits in his character are simplicity and modesty. I 
 introduced several topics on which I supposed there would be no 
 impropriety in his expressing an opinion, but said nothing about 
 the Indian question, for obvious reasons." 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 359 
 
 '' The interest on the Indian question has rather increased than 
 otherwise, since I left Washington. Many hopes are entertained 
 that the bill will be defeated in the lower house. I confess I have 
 very few hopes. Still, every effort is to be made. The friends of 
 the Indians suppose that some members would rather leave the 
 subject without acting upon it till next session, than vote against 
 the bill now ; especially they think this will be the case after two 
 or three days discussion." 
 
 On the 5th, Mr. Evarts returned to Washington, to resume his 
 labors at that post of anxious observation. 
 
 "7. lam recovered of the irritation of my lungs, and am as 
 well as usual ; but think I must ride a good deal on horse-back 
 the coming summer." 
 
 " May 8, 1830. This day Mr. Frelinghuysen called up his 
 resolution in relation to Sabbath mails, and, I am sorry to say, I 
 was absent. It appeared very unlikely that he would be able 
 to do this, as some unfinished business of importance, it was sup- 
 posed, would occupy the time. 
 
 " I have heard from a spectator, that he spoke an hour and a 
 half, or more, and very much to the purpose. Mr. Livingston re- 
 plied, in a speech of three quarters of an hour, in which he gained 
 no credit. It was a low piece of bar-room talk about church and 
 state, the blue laws of Connecticut, hanging witches at Salem, 
 &;c. he. Mr. F., in a short reply, made Mr. L. rather ashamed 
 of his tirade. 
 
 " On motion of Mr. Bibb, the resolution was laid on the table, 
 where it will probably always lie. Considering the state of feeling 
 here, no better course on this subject could be pursued, than the 
 one which has been pursued. I consider it certain, that nothing 
 will be done by Congress to gratify the petitioners, till the people 
 are better ; and especially, till the religious community are more 
 spirited and more united on the subject. Dr. Rice is of opin- 
 ion, that while we petition without any well grounded hope of 
 success, the effect is to unite the wicked and make them feel their 
 own strength, and get them more and more committed against the 
 Gospel. The religious community, if sufficiently active and uni- 
 47 
 
370 LIFE OF EVART3. 
 
 ted, could carry their point ; but as they will be neither active nor 
 united, the case is very difierent. 
 
 "Monday May 10. I have been in doubt whether I ought to 
 set out for home next Friday, or to stay longer for the sake of 
 hearing the debate on the Indian question. 
 
 " The arguments for setting out are, that we should rather be 
 at home — that I might be there during election week — that I wish 
 to be there in season for writing on the Indian question,* Sec. &z;c. 
 
 " On the other hand, as I shall have staid till the discussion 
 begins, it would seem a pity to leave it, if I can do any good by 
 staying. Mr. Frelinghuysen thinks I had better stay. There 
 may be a use hereafter, in writing the history of these discussions ; 
 and I could do it much better, if present, than by information derived 
 from any other source. Besides, it is important to form an opinion 
 whether more is to be done for the Indians, or they are to be aban- 
 doned. This opinion can be better formed here, and during the 
 progress of the discussion, than elsewhere, and at any other time." 
 
 " On the 13th of May the Indian Bill was taken up in the 
 * House of Representatives, and Mr. Bell, chairman of the Com- 
 mittee, commenced the debate. The result was still regarded as 
 doubtful, the most careful estimate giving a majority of two or 
 three, perhaps, in favor of the bill. 
 
 " 14. I counted the members after Mr. Bell had spoken an 
 hour, and again near the close : there were sixty-five at one time, 
 and sixty-three at the other, within the bar — out of more than 
 two hundred. Very few paid much attention — scarcely any but 
 those who expect to speak. 
 
 " 15. Mr. Storrs brought forward most interesting new matter 
 from the Executive Journal of the Senate in 1793, and from Mr. 
 Jefferson's account of the deliberations of the Cabinet at that pe- 
 riod, by which it appeared that the Cabinet came to the deliberate 
 decision that the Indian tribes generally should be distinctly and 
 solemnly informed that this government acknowledged them to be 
 the rightful proprietors and true owners of the land occupied by 
 
 * The Editor of the North American Review (Hod. Alexander H. Everett,) not 
 being satisfied with the position held by the Reviewr,in consequence of the admission 
 by the previous Editor, of an article by Gov. Cass, (mentioned before,) favoring the 
 views of the administration, had applied to Mr. Evarts for an article on the subject. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 37^ 
 
 them and not sold to the United States ; that they had a perfect 
 right to retain their own government and sovereignty upon these 
 lands forever ; and that all which the United States claimed was, 
 the exclusive power of pre-emption, whenever the Indians should 
 be disposed to sell. 
 
 " 16. Sabbath. Sermon by Mr. Young, of Lexington, Ken- 
 tucky, from Hebrews xi. 1. On one point he was very clear, 
 namely, that this verse is not a definition of faith, but a description 
 of some of its effects ; as it is called in another place, the victory 
 that overcometh, &;c. Perhaps there is no passage of Scripture 
 which is more generally considered a definition than this verse ; 
 but I believe it will be found that there is not a metaphysical or 
 logical definition in the New Testament. Certain characteristics 
 and effects of faith, the new birth, sin, love, he. Sic, are found 
 stated in many different places ; and if we would have a defini- 
 tion, we must make it for ourselves by considering, comparing, and 
 ascertaining the correct meaning of all these passages. Of late 
 years I have thought much of this subject. 
 
 " As to the issue of the Indian question, I have this only ground 
 of hope left, that God will not leave us as a people to such 
 guilt and infatuation as would be involved in the success of the 
 bill from the Senate. On any calculation of numbers and proba- 
 bilities, made without reference to what God will do, I cannot 
 sustain a hope that the bill will be defeated. And our views of 
 what God will do, are very dim and short-sighted. Of one thing 
 you may be sure — and that is, that it will be your duty to pray 
 earnestly and much on the reception of these lines. Probably the 
 fate of the bill will be decided about the 26th instant ; possibly, 
 sooner. 
 
 " Mr. Frelinghuysen's discussion of the Sabbath mail question 
 is spoken of with great approbation by those who heard it. His 
 reply to Mr. Livingston was very happy. Mr. Hillhouse * was 
 delighted with Mr. F.'s argument in favor of the Sabbath, and 
 said it would console all the pious people of the country, who 
 had been compared to Cataline, Arnold, and Judas. 
 
 * The venerable James Hillhouse, of Conneciicut, formerly of the Senate, and 
 then, at an advanced age, on his last visit to the seat of government. 
 
372 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " Yesterday I had a conversation with Mr. Grundy on the sub- 
 ject of the Sabbath, having requested an introduction for that 
 purpose. 
 
 "May 18, 1830. To-day Mr. Evans, of Maine, spoke on the 
 Indian bill three hours. Mr. Huntington, of Connecticut, two 
 hours and three quarters ; and 1 left Mr. Johns, of Delaware, 
 speaking. All these are against the bill. The two first were 
 good speeches, and I have no doubt the last will be, or is, if now 
 closing. The difficulty is, that nearly all the friends of the bill 
 absent themselves, while the opposers of it are speakino^. To 
 Mr. Huntington's conclusive arguments there probably were not 
 five attending who are expected to vote for the bill ; although it 
 is said one hundred are known to be in favor of it. Probably about 
 two hundred will be present when the decisive vote is taken. 
 
 " There is much talking and planning out of doors on the sub- 
 ject. It is said confidently that all Pennsylvania will go against 
 the bill ; and some of our friends are as confident that, if she 
 does, the measure will be defeated. But I cannot encourage 
 much confidence — only enough to urge to incessant prayer, and a 
 resolution to do whatever can be done to mitigate the evil, should 
 it come upon us. 
 
 " 19, Not thinking that anything important would take place, 
 I did not return to the Capitol after tea last evening. It was, 
 however, a most interesting time. Several amendments were re- 
 jected ; but one was adopted in Committee, which, if sanctioned 
 by the House, will be, in some respects, of inestimable value. It 
 goes to secure the Indians in all their rights, as guaranteed in 
 compacts, treaties, and engagements between themselves and the 
 United States. It was offered by Mr. Ramsey, of Pennsylvania, 
 and had nearly all the votes of that State. 
 
 " The previous question may now be called for at any moment ; 
 and this would cut off all amendments, as no one has yet been 
 adopted by the House. The previous question will certainly be 
 called for this evening, unless the friends of the bill are afraid to 
 call for it. 
 
 " We have various alternations of hope and fear. It has been 
 whispered to me confidentially that all the Pennsylvania delega- 
 tion, except one, will vote for a substitute for the whole bill, to 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 373 
 
 be offered by way of amendment by Mr. Hemphill, when the 
 question now under debate is disposed of. 
 
 " Before 12, the House took up the subject. The regular 
 question was, on adopting the amendment reported to the House 
 by the Committee of the Whole. To this Mr. Storrs offered an 
 amendment, which is now under consideration. It is fo this effect, 
 namely, that in all negotiations with the Indians, they shall be 
 treated with as nations, and not as individuals. 
 
 "On this question Mr. Bates and Mr. Everett have delivered 
 speeches of about three hours each — both of them good ; but 
 Mr. Everett's, very able, and more likely to have an effect than 
 anything which has been spoken. It did not dwell much upon 
 treaties, &;c., but upon the inexpediency, the cruelty, and the 
 expensiveness of this course of measures. 
 
 " Mr. Wilde is now speaking. I heard his beginning, which was 
 a good deal more moderate, I have no doubt, in consequence of 
 the criticisms on his former speeches. The hopes of the friends 
 of the Indians have greatly increased within the last twenty-four 
 hours ; but some of these friends even now have no hope. Mr. 
 Hemphill's contemplated amendment has been read for the infor- 
 mation of the House. It is a complete substitute, authorizing the 
 President and Senate to appoint three commissioners, from States 
 who have no interest in the question, to visit these tribes, and the 
 country west of the Mississippi, and report facts to Congress — and 
 appropriating ,^20,000 to defray the expenses. 
 
 '' The previous question was called for at ten minutes past 10 ; 
 but the motion was superseded by the motion to adjourn, which 
 was carried, 91 to 82. 
 
 " 20. No progress to-day in the Indian bill. It is said that 
 even the Georgians will vote for Mr. Ramsey's amendment, think- 
 ing that the bill will not pass without it, and saying that they do 
 not care a cent about the amendment. If this should prove true, 
 I consider much gained. The faith of treaties would be preserved 
 by the letter of the law, though I have no doubt it would be vio- 
 lated in practice. But the great gain would be this : We could, 
 with the blessing of God, hold the drowning honor of the nation 
 by the hair above water, till we could get strength to pull it out. 
 I have never felt so deeply, as since I have been here, the inde- 
 
374 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 scribable infamy of the deed, which a weak infatuated administra- 
 tion is so desirous of perpetrating. 
 
 *' If we could only have a respite, all our friends here think 
 we could defeat the measure ; and that the Indian question may 
 be made, in some States, to exert an influence on the election of 
 members to Congress next fall. And if there can be time for the 
 Supreme Court to decide, the nation will stand by the decision 
 of that tribunal, and will defend the Indians. 
 
 "21. You will wish to know how we feel. I am afraid to 
 hope, especially since the result in the Senate, lest I should expe- 
 rience a cruel disappointment. Tlie countenances of our friends, 
 however, are brightening with hope ; while the Georgians are 
 obviously and greatly alarmed for the fate of the bill. I would 
 gladly do all I am able, and then submissively wait the Divine 
 will. 
 
 "May 22, 1830. To-morrow is the Sabbath. We have rea- 
 son to think that great exertions will be made in private by the 
 Georgians. How much they will be aided by the powers of hell, 
 I do not know ; but I do know, that there is One, who rules 
 over all. He can direct the hearts of rnen, so as to accomplish 
 his designs. If he shall see fit to give up this nation to blindness 
 of mind and hardness of heart, it needs no prophet to say that 
 we shall suffer extreme calamities. May the Lord avert them. 
 
 " On Monday, at ten, the House meets. One hour is occupied 
 in resolutions. Soon after eleven, the Indian Bill will probably 
 be taken up ; and its fate will probably be decided before the House 
 adjourns. 
 
 " 23. I would not have you suppose that I think the passage 
 of the bill with Mr. Ramsey's amendment a small evil. Far from 
 it. The evil to the Indians will be tremendous. But there will 
 be more scope for exertion, than if the bill should pass as it came 
 from the Senate. I would humbly and submissively wait the de- 
 velopement of the Divine will in regard to this matter. The Lord 
 is King in Zion, and let his name be praised. 
 
 " May 24. At half past eleven this morning, the contest on 
 the Indian bill began. The last thing which was done last week, 
 on this subject, was a motion for the previous question, which mo- 
 tion was suspended by a motion to adjourn, which prevailed. Of 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 375 
 
 course the motion for the previous question was the first thing to 
 be attended to. A call of the House was demanded, and the call 
 was taken by ayes and noes. This took half an hour. Nearly 
 all voted for the call, which was then made. I think 193 mem- 
 bers were present. [N. B. 204 are supposed to be in the city.] 
 On seconding the call for the previous question, 78 arose. This 
 not being a majority, the call for the previous question was not 
 seconded. 
 
 " A debate then began on Mr. Storrs's amendment. After a 
 while he withdrew his amendment, alleging that he would make 
 it a question, if he deemed proper, after the proposed amend- 
 ment of Mr. Hemphill should have been before the House. 
 
 " The debate continued on Mr. Ramsey's amendment. Mr. 
 Lewis, of Alabama, made a most violent speech. He rallied the 
 Jackson party. He said this was a party matter of the opposi- 
 tion. That they (the opposition) said that this was a favorite 
 measure of the administration, and if this measure were not carried, 
 the administration would be down — and, added he, they say truly. 
 He said, that those members, who were chosen to support the party, 
 would betray the party and their constituents, if they did not 
 support the administration. 
 
 " He violently attacked Mr. Storrs and Mr. Everett. Mr. S. 
 disdained a reply, and was perfectly good natured. Mr. E. made 
 a very short and a very good reply. 
 
 "Mr. Vinton next made a very good speech of an hour, or more, 
 on the impolicy of the measure. This brought us to three and a 
 half o'clock. 
 
 " The previous question was then called by one of the Geor- 
 gia party. A call of the House was made — the absentees re- 
 duced to six — who are said to be three on each side. 
 
 " The question was then put on seconding the previous ques- 
 tion. It was not seconded, ayes 93 — noes 99. It was supposed 
 that all the noes will vote for Mr. Hemphill's amendment. This 
 is considered a very favorable indication. Mr. Lumpkin just told 
 Mr. Storrs that the bill will be defeated. The Lord grant it. 
 
 "Mr. Wayne commenced a long speech at five, and is still speak- 
 ing, half past six." 
 
376 l^If'E OF EVARTS. 
 
 Alas for the hope expressed in the foregoing extract ! The sheet 
 was sent on to his associates hy the intended mail with the follow- 
 ing Postscript : 
 
 " P. S. I have the unspeakable pain and mortification of saying 
 that the Indian bill passed to a third reading at ten o'clock — ayes 
 102, nays 97. This is the decisive vote. H. W. Dwight voted 
 for it. 
 
 " May 25. 1 ought to have said last evening, that after Mr. 
 Wayne's speech, which lasted till seven, Judge Spencer spoke 
 with great energy an hour. 
 
 " My postscript assured you of the melancholy fact that the 
 bill passed to a third reading, by a majority of five. It was sup- 
 posed that four, who voted with that majority, would have pre- 
 ferred the amendment of Mr. Hemphill, and would have carried 
 that amendment, if the previous question had not been carried. 
 That question having been carried, they preferred voting for the 
 bill to voting against it. Mr. Dwight and three Pennsylvanians 
 were probably of that number. 
 
 "When Judge Spencer closed, the previous question was 
 called for — and not seconded, the vote being ninety-seven ayes, 
 and 98 noes. 
 
 " Soon after, Mr. McDuffie said that whatever we might think 
 on the subject, Georgia would not recede, and if the House inter- 
 posed in the only way in which it could constitutionally, blood 
 would be shed, and the House would be responsible. He, there- 
 fore, moved the previous question. This was moved for the 
 fourth time yesterday ; and the ayes and noes were taken thirteen 
 times, as one of the clerks told me. 
 
 " On Mr. McDuffie's motion, the House divided, and there 
 were ninety-eight and ninety-eight, and the Speaker decided in 
 favor of taking the previous question, which was taken by ayes 
 and noes — ninety-nine and ninety-nine (two having come in,) 
 and the Speaker decided in the affirmative, making one hundred 
 to ninety-nine. 
 
 " The main question was then put, and decided as I mentioned 
 yesterday, 102 to 97. Mr. Dickinson, of Troy, having come in, 
 and making, with the Speaker, just 200 ; and I believe these are 
 all who are expected. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 377 
 
 " If Mr. Dickinson, who came from a sick bed between nine 
 and ten o'clock, had arrived two minutes earHer, he would have 
 prevented the previous question ; and if the vote had been taken 
 on Mr. Hemphill's amendment, the most probable supposition is, 
 that it would have stood 101 to 98, in which case the Speaker's 
 vote would not have been required, as it would have had no 
 effect. 
 
 " After the decision last night, I went to Mr. Clayton's quar- 
 ters to engage him to speak in the Senate, where I found our 
 friends in tolerable spirits, after the defeat, and determined to re- 
 new the war to-day, on the third reading. 
 
 " Accordingly, as soon as the previous business was disposed of, 
 the Indian bill was taken up and read. Mr. Hemphill moved 
 that the House should go into a Committee of the whole ; and 
 that the Committee should be instructed to report the bill with 
 his amendment. The House was interrupted by the impeach- 
 ment of Judge Peck ; and when the subject was resumed, the 
 previous question was called for, seconded 96 to 96 ; and the 
 Speaker decided in the affirmative. The previous question was 
 then taken by ayes and noes, and decided, ayes 98, noes 99 — 
 the Georgia side, in all these cases, being in the affirmative. So 
 the previous question was not carried. Two members were out 
 of the way purposely, who will vote for Mr. Hemphill's amend- 
 ment. 
 
 " If the vote could have been taken this afternoon, on the 
 amendment, it would have stood 100 and 100 ; at least, that is 
 the most probable estimate. Ninety-nine members voted against 
 the previous question. All these would have voted for the 
 amendment, except Mr. Dwight ; and the two absent members 
 would have been present, making 100. 
 
 " Mr. Dwight engaged yesterday to vote for the amendment ; 
 though he* voted in favor of the bill ; but to-day he says he will 
 not vote for the amendment, though he voted against the previous 
 question, in order, as he says, to keep the bill open for other 
 amendments. To-morrow, I presume, he will vote for the pre- 
 vious question ; and the bill will pass as before, 102 to 97. The 
 two other members could keep off the previous question ; but they 
 43 
 
378 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 will not ; as they will not be responsible to their constituents for 
 delaying and defeating private bills, which is the consequence of 
 prolonging this struggle. 
 
 " As the case now stands, we suppose just half the House to be 
 really opposed in feeling to the bill ; though three will vote for 
 the bill, rather than give a direct vote against it. 
 
 " I need not say how mortified, ashamed, indignant, and dis- 
 tressed we are at the conduct of Mr. Dwight. He might, proba- 
 bly, even now save the Indians. 
 
 " May 26. As I predicted yesterday, the bill passed the 
 House, 102 to 97, at a quarter past one to-day ; and the Senate 
 concurred in the amendments at a quarter past three ; so that 
 the bill only wants the signature of the President to become 
 a law. 
 
 " Several amendments to the amendment of Mr. Ramsey were 
 tried in the Senate ; but without success — one by Mr. Freling- 
 huysen, against State encroachments, and in favor of protection till 
 the Indians choose to remove ; one by Mr. Sprague, that treaties 
 should be carried into effect, according to their true intent and 
 meaning ; and one by Mr. Clayton, that the operations of the 
 Act should be confined to the Cherokees in the State of 
 Georgia. All these were rejected by the same votes as were 
 given in favor of the bill a month ago ; that is, so far as members 
 were present. 
 
 " Mr. Dwight told Mr. Sprague yesterday afternoon, that he 
 would vote for Mr. Hemphill's amendment ; so we may fairly say 
 that he and Messrs. Ramsey, Ford, and Scott, in addition to the 
 ninety-seven who voted against the bill, would have made 101 in 
 favor of that amendment, leaving the same ninety-eight against 
 the amendment, who voted for the previous question yesterday. 
 But our friends could not get a trial on the amendment, on ac- 
 count of the recurrence of the previous question. 
 
 " It was certainly a great weakness in the four men whose 
 names are mentioned above, that they should have voted for the 
 bill, after publicly and solemnly and perseveringly having shown 
 their preference for a bill radically different. But the three 
 Pennsylvanians had probably committed themselves, and they are 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 379 
 
 decidedly for the administration ; and possibly they were satisfied, 
 in great part, by the amendment of Mr. Ramsey, which had 
 been adopted. They actually made a struggle for the Indians. 
 But as to Mr. Dwight, 1 say nothing. 
 
 " The votes of the several States stood as follows, (reckoning 
 the Speaker, who three times gave a casting vote in favor of the 
 bill,) on the final passage, and on the passage to a third reading. 
 
 New Hampshire 
 Maine, 
 
 
 
 Ayes. 
 6 
 2 
 
 Noes. 
 
 3 
 
 Alabama, 
 Mississippi, 
 
 
 
 Ayes. 
 3 
 1 
 
 Noes. 
 
 
 
 Vermont, 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 Louisiana, 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 Massachusetts, 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 12 
 
 Missouri, 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Connecticut, 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 Tennessee, 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 1 
 
 Rhode Island, 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 Kentucky, 
 
 
 
 S 
 
 4 
 
 New York, 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 15 
 
 Illinois, 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 New Jersey, 
 
 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 Indiana, 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 Pennsylvania, 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 15 
 
 Ohio, 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 11 
 
 Delaware, 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 Virginia, 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 6 
 
 102 
 
 97 
 
 Maryland, . 
 Norih Carolina, 
 South Carolina, 
 Georgia, 
 
 
 
 5 
 8 
 9 
 7 
 
 3 
 5 
 
 
 
 Add the Speaker 
 16 from Virgin! 
 
 mal 
 a, 
 
 :ing 
 
 1 
 103 
 
 
 " Thus the matter stands, in fact : but if Mr. Hemphill's 
 amendment could have been tried, four are to be deducted from 
 one column and added to the other ; making the real sense of the 
 House (including the Speaker) to be, for the Indians, 101 ; 
 against them, 99. 
 
 " But the Lord ordered it otherwise. 
 
 " I hope to leave this place on Friday ; but shall write again 
 to-morrow. 
 
 " It is a curious fact, that the Pennsylvania Jacksonians went-i 
 so generally for the Indians, and the New York Jacksonians uni- 
 versally, I think, against them. I can account for it only as an / 
 honor conferred by Providence on Pennsylvania, as a consequence 
 of the upright conduct of the founder of that State, in his treat-^ 
 ment of the natives. 
 
 *' May 27. I spent a great part of this forenoon in consulta- 
 tion with Mr. Wirt and the Cherokees, in regard to their matters. 
 Though I wish exceedingly to leave this place, I do not see how 
 I can do so till next Monday ; and then perhaps it will be impos- 
 
380 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 sible to find conveyance, as seats are even now taken for that day 
 in all public vehicles. 
 
 " In this conjuncture of affairs, the Cherokees need advice and 
 assistance ; and to leave them now, would be to lose the opportu- 
 nity of doing much good. 
 
 '' My family and the Committee and all at the Rooms may be 
 assured that 1 wish to get away from this place more than they 
 wish to have me. 
 
 " To-day I learned that the Maysville Road bill has been re- 
 turned by the President, with his objections. Several who voted 
 for the Indian bill, now say that they would vote against it ; and 
 it is estimated that such is the effect of returning the Maysville 
 Road bill, that the Indian bill would now be rejected by a major- 
 ity often votes, and some say twenty. But it is too late. In re- 
 turning this bill, the President has come out against internal im- 
 provements, of certain kinds at least ; and thus has offended many 
 of his friends. Had he signed the act, he would have offended 
 the South, and perhaps the Van Buren party generally. He 
 kept back the bill as long as he could, in order to get the Indian 
 bill out of the way ; but this is the last day, and had it not been 
 for the previous question, either Mr. Hemphill's amendment 
 would have been adopted, or the discussion would have been 
 prolonged till to-day, when the whole project would have been 
 overthrown. Our friends were aware of all this ; but nothing 
 more could have been done by the great body of our friends than 
 was done. I never knew men feel the solemnity of an occasion 
 more. 
 
 " I have seen a considerable number last evening and to-day, 
 who think that there is great reason to hope for an expression of 
 public opinion, that will compel the government to be cautious, 
 and will ultimately vindicate the rights of the Indians. They 
 say that if the Cherokees submit quietly to the encroachments of 
 Georgia for a year, and seek redress in a legal way only, they 
 will be secured in their possessions ever afterwards. 
 
 " Some say that there will be such a feeling among the people, 
 as will secure the repeal of the law next winter; or, at any rate, 
 prevent any more appropriations. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 381 
 
 " All are of opinion that a great effort should be made to en- 
 lighten the people, and call forth a strong expression of their 
 opinion on the subject. 
 
 " May 29. I have spent a considerable part of this day in 
 Mr. Wirt's company with the Cherokees. It seems extremely 
 important to our country and to the world, that we extricate our- 
 selves from the disgraceful predicament in which we are placed 
 by the passage of the Indian bill. 
 
 " At times I am exceedingly cast down as to the result ; but 
 our friends here are many of them very confident that the people 
 of the United States will insist on the President's retracing his 
 steps. Some think the act will be repealed the next session of 
 Congress ; or, at any rate, that Congress will appropriate no 
 more money to this object. 
 
 " It seems a most remarkable Providence, that the bill should 
 pass, when a majority present shewed themselves to be really and 
 obstinately opposed to it ; and that it passed by a majority of 
 five, when the very next day, as is confidently stated, at least 
 twelve who voted for it, would have voted against it ; in which 
 case the vote would have been, ayes 90 — noes 109. No one 
 doubts that it would have been rejected. This strange state 
 of things should make us stand astonished at the ways of Provi- 
 dence. 
 
 " We had many doubts whether the Indian cause did not suf- 
 fer by delay ; but I am now convinced that all the delay was 
 serviceable to our cause ; and that we only wanted a little more 
 delay. We gained by the argument constantly ; and the enemy 
 was entirely silenced. Is not this some indication that we shall 
 gain before the people ? 
 
 " If the Indian bill had been discussed before the tariff, 
 we should not have had Pennsylvania on our side. It was 
 a great triumph to detach that State from the Jackson ranks. 
 The veto upon the Maysville Road has nearly completed what 
 the Indian bill began. The administration party is in a very 
 disjointed state ; and the weakness of the cabinet is daily more 
 and more apparent. But all this does not save the poor In- 
 dians ; and I have great fears that they will be destroyed, at the 
 expense of a fearful accumulation of national guilt." 
 
382 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " My comfort is," said Mr. Evarts to a member of Congress at 
 his side, when the final vote on the bill was announced, " my 
 comfort is that God governs the world ; and my hope is, that 
 when the people of the United States come to understand the 
 subject, there will a redeeming spirit arise ; for I will not believe 
 that the nation is yet lost to truth and honor." 
 
 With such feelings he left Washington and hastened to his be- 
 loved home, and to the Office Rooms, which had been for so 
 many years the scene of his most pleasant labors, but which he 
 was no more to visit without a weight of anxiety and care in 
 regard to the Indians, which preyed upon his health, and which 
 he was able to throw off only when he had become so feeble 
 that labor in the cause was obviously, for him, no longer a 
 duty.* 
 
 On his return he had, in New York, called together a few 
 gentlemen for an interchange of views on the Indian question, 
 when it was agreed that the friends of the Indians ought to 
 hold themselves in readiness to petition the President of the 
 United States on their behalf whenever the same should be 
 expedient; and a committee, of which he was chairman, was 
 appointed, to watch the progress of events and make any public 
 statements that might be necessary. A similar arrangement 
 was at this same time adopted in regard to the question of 
 Sabbath Mails. 
 
 After his arrival at home, on one of the first days in June, 
 not yet despairing of the republic, he immediately engaged in 
 new efforts to avert, if possible, the impending calamity. He 
 edited a volume of speeches on the Indian Bill, embracing the 
 leading arguments against it, with an Introduction, and exerted 
 himself to secure for it, and for separate speeches, an extensive 
 circulation. He prepared a careful history of the Indian Bill, 
 which was published in seven numbers in the New York Ob- 
 
 * During this anxious month, besides the labors indicated in the text, Mr. Evarts 
 prepared two important documents relating; to the Indian question, one of which has 
 never been published at all, and the other not as from his pen. They will be found, 
 with a sketch of his more public efforts to avert the impending wrong, in the 
 Appendix. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 383 
 
 server. He wrote an article for the North American Review, 
 designed to put the question in its true light before the literary 
 classes of the community, and as a statement of the case for 
 other countries and for future ages. He endeavored, in the 
 official journal and at the annual meeting of the Board, to give a 
 proper direction and impulse to the feelings of his associates and 
 of the Christian public. He kept up an active correspondence 
 on the subject, endeavoring to prepare the way for more public 
 efforts during the approaching session of Congress. And finally, 
 near the close of the year, he sent to the National Intelligencer, 
 under the signature of " William Penn," two eloquent papers on 
 the state of the Indian question and the duties of the people 
 of the United States in regard to it. These papers appeared just 
 before the meeting of Congress, and were the last, as they are 
 perhaps the most eloquent, public appeal, that he lived to make 
 upon this subject,* He often said that he intended fully to clear 
 himself from this great iniquity. It was under this sense of urgent 
 duty that he labored, as was sliown most impressively to those 
 most intimate with him, and the witnesses of his daily life. There 
 was perhaps no other subject which, for the last two years of his 
 life, and even during his last sickness, he so constantly and 
 solemnly remembered in his prayers. That sense of dependence 
 on God, and that reference of all to the divine will, so frequently 
 expressed in his letters, he habitually felt. On the morning of 
 the day when the final vote on the Indian bill was to be taken 
 in the House of Representatives, as he was entering the capitol 
 with a Christian friend, he remarked that God only could direct 
 to a right decision on that momentous question, and requested his 
 friend to retire with him to a vacant room for prayer. And after 
 the vote was taken, feeling, as he said, that nothing but a special 
 divine interposition could save the Indians from ruin, they again 
 retired, at his suggestion, to the same room for the same pur- 
 pose. And so it ever was, in regard to this and to all sub- 
 jects, however great his anxiety might be, his heart instinctively 
 turned to God in prayer, and in that he found relief. Having 
 
 * A Memorial of the Board to Congress, written ia January, was his last effort in 
 the cause. 
 
384 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 done, in the fear of God, what seenned his duty, and made 
 known his requests to his Heavenly Father, he strove to sub- 
 due every rebellious feeling as to the result, and to be quiet 
 as a child. Alas ! — when good faith is broken, and justice 
 trampled under foot, and the poor and dependent robbed and 
 perhaps destroyed utterly, and all by one's own dear country — 
 how hard ! 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 LAST PUBLIC EMPLOYMENTS, SICKNESS AND DEATH. 1S30— 31. 
 
 The Annual Report of the Board for the year 1830, was the 
 twentieth ; the first ten having been written by Dr. Worcester, 
 and the second ten by Mr. Evarts, — a fact which he mentioned 
 to one of his associates at the time, wishing it to be remembered. 
 This circumstance, together with the events that had brought the 
 cause into such relations to men in public life and to the com- 
 munity, gave a peculiar direction and impulse to his thoughts. 
 He felt more deeply than ever, how needful it was that the nation 
 and its government should act under a sense of religious responsi- 
 bility. The Report, prepared in this state of mind, and doubtless 
 with a lively apprehension that it might be his last work of the 
 kind, opens with a glance at some considerations suggested by the 
 close of " one fifth of a century " of labor in the cause. 
 
 " Twenty years have elapsed, since the first organization of this 
 Board ; and almost nineteen, since the first embarkation of mis- 
 sionaries from America to distant parts of the heathen world. In 
 Jmae, 1810, the attention of our churches was suddenly arrested 
 by the self-consecration to the missionary service of four young 
 men, who were then members of the Theological Seminary at 
 Andover. The Board, under its present designation, was imme- 
 diately instituted ; and the first annual meeting was held in Sep- 
 tember of the same year. 
 
 " One fifth of a century has already passed away. The greater 
 part of the early members of the Board now sleep with their fath- 
 ers ; and of those who for several years had the principal agency 
 49 
 
386 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 in condncling the executive business of the institution, the present 
 Corresponding Secretary is the only survivor. It would seem 
 proper, after the lapse of such a period, to look back upon the path 
 through which Providence has led us, and to derive from the retro- 
 spect, such lessons of instruction and encouragement as it is calcu- 
 lated to afford. 
 
 " It is an obvious remark, but a most important one, that all the 
 reasons which were first urged in favor of missions to the heathen, 
 are proved to be true and valid. Not a flaw has been discovered 
 in one of them. Not an imperfection, not a weakness, has been 
 detected in a single reason on which the friends of missions ever 
 placed much reliance. On the contrary, the more the subject has 
 been examined, the more the condition of the heathen has been 
 explored, and the more the efiects of introducing the gospel among 
 pagans have been witnessed, the stronger do all the arguments in 
 favor of missions appear. 
 
 " When it is considered that the missionary cause has now, for a 
 long time, been exposed to the scrutiny of friends and enemies ; — 
 to the doubts of the timid, the scoffs of the profane, and the sophis- 
 tries of the sceptical ; and when the solidity of its foundation is 
 proved by every trial, there need be no apprehension as to its per- 
 manency and its ultimate triumph. All systems of false doctrine, 
 and all codes of unsound morality, are subject to continual varia- 
 tions. They are sustained, so long as sustained at all, by a series 
 of temporary expedients. The reasons assigned at one time, es- 
 pecially in all cases of practical error, are essentially different from 
 those which had been assigned at another. The inference is in- 
 evitable. 
 
 " But though the principles upon which missions to the heathen 
 have been urged, are unchangeable, the agents and the circum- 
 stances are constantly experiencing that mutability which belongs 
 to all terrestrial objects. The members of this IBoard, one after 
 another, disappear from among men. Missionaries leave their 
 bones in the ocean and on the land, — in their exploring journeys, 
 and at their several stations. Others of their number, debilitated 
 by fatigue, and exposure, and constant care, are unable lo pursue 
 their labors. The most active and useful friends and patrons of 
 missions have limits assigned to their influence and exertions. 
 The attention of many good men is divided and weakened by the 
 .multiplicity of charitable exertions ; and the incessant care of the 
 multitude is directed to perishable objects and pursuits. 
 
 " It may be assumed, indeed, that American Christians will not 
 relinquish the cause of missions ; but great eflbrts will be neces- 
 sary to raise the tone of missionary feeling to its proper elevation, 
 and to keep it from sinking ; and no human efforts, unaided from 
 above, will be adequate to such a result, desirable as it is, and as 
 all Christians will acknowledge it to be. 
 
 " During the last twenty years, many favorable changes have 
 taken place in the religious state of the world. Many benevolent 
 enterprises have been commenced and prosecuted with success. 
 Much has been done in the way of getting access to various classes 
 of the miserable. The gospel has proved, its efficacy upon multi- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 387 
 
 tudes of all classes, and in all situations. It has been shown to 
 be adequate to every emergency; and, to the considerate and 
 well informed mind, it stands forth as the only hope of the world. 
 Yet the opposing influences are many and strong. Though these 
 influences jnay all be traced to the depravity of our nature, and to 
 the machinations of the god of this world, they are still exceedingly 
 complicated and various. In less enlightened nations, superstition, 
 inveterate customs, perverse habits, dread of innovation, — all with- 
 stand the progress of truth. In countries where free discussion is 
 enjoyed, and the power of the press is felt, it is easy to take ad- 
 vantage of ignorance and credulity, and to disseminate false doc- 
 trine, skepticism, infidelity, and practical atheism. Even in the 
 church of God, formality, spiritual pride, a desire of pre-eminence, 
 and a love of ease, have too often fortified themselves, and greatly 
 diminished, or utterly excluded, the genuine fruits of the gospel. 
 With all the frightful mass of guilt and crime under which the 
 heathen world is groaning; — with selfishness in a thousand forms ; 
 — with pride, irreligion, and sensuality, in all their odious and dis- 
 gusting varieties ; with enemies abroad, and enemies in their own 
 bosoms, have the disciples of Christ to contend, as they go forth 
 to labor for the establishment of his kingdom. The contest would 
 indeed be hopeless, were they not authorized to expect help from 
 on high. While looking within themselves, and on the world far 
 and near, in parts or in the whole, causes of overwhelming des- 
 pondency would be found. But when the eye of faith is lifted to 
 heaven,— when the promises of the inspired page are considered, 
 and the poAverful effects of the gospel are duly regarded, — then it 
 is that all doubts are dismissed, and the soul prepares to put forth 
 its full vigor in the cause of God and his church." 
 
 It is in the conclusion of the Report, however, that his views 
 of the cause, and of the duties and destinies of his country, are 
 uttered with the o-reatest freedom and earnestness. As if ur^ed 
 on by some secret admonition that his labors on earth were soon 
 to close, he yielded to the impulses of his heart, and expressed 
 more fully than he had ever before done, his views respecting 
 the future growth and influence of this nation, the dan<)-ers to 
 which it is exposed, the means of its preservation, the exalted 
 and beneficent destiny to which he would have it aspire, and the 
 solemn responsibility resting upon the individuals that compose it, 
 with reference to the succeeding and ever enlarginj^ generations 
 of its wide-spread and countless inhabitants, and to the world at 
 large. Study it, thou who wouldst serve God among men ; and 
 learn thy place and thy duty : 
 
 -Quem te Deus esse 
 
 Jussit, et humanu qui parte localus es in re, 
 Disce." 
 
388 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 After the usual survey of the missions and proceedings of the 
 Board, the Report concludes as follows : 
 
 " Christians have, for twenty or thirty years past, distinctly 
 avowed the determination to labor for tlie conversion of the icorld. 
 They have professed a full belief that the time is rapidly approach- 
 ing, when all men will be brought under the influence of the gos- 
 pel; when nominally Christian nations will be so reformed and 
 pnrified, that vice, and infidelity, and superstition, and crime, and 
 a merely secular profession of religion, will have disappeared, and 
 been ultimately banished by the power of divine truth operating 
 kindly, but irresistibly, through the medium of correct public 
 opinion, pervading a truly virtuous and pious community. In ac- 
 cordance with this belief, the friends of Christ have put into oper- 
 ation certain principles and causes which are evidently adapted to 
 change the condition of mankind ; and the effects of these causes 
 are already becoming manifest to the world. The principles of 
 the Bible have certainly been gaining influence among men for 
 the last twenty-five years ; and the enemies of the Bible can easily 
 see that, if this rising influence should steadily increase, all oppo- 
 sition to it must be at last overwhelmed and utterly destroyed. 
 Hence it is, that they are so ready to combine their exertions, and 
 conspire together as one com.pact and consolidated body, for the 
 purpose of limiting the progress of genuine Christianity. Wicked 
 men are very willing to praise religion in the abstract, and often 
 to decry superstition; but when the inflaence of religion comes so 
 near them as to threaten their peace and self-complacency, unless 
 they change their course of life, and abstain from things heretofore 
 deemed reputable and proper, — against such an influence their 
 hearts rise with a feeling of most determined resistance. In this 
 way is it accounted for by the most intelligent and observing 
 Christians of Europe and America, that opposition to the gospel 
 should have recently assumed so malignant an aspect. Every 
 form of idolatry, however cruel, disgusting, and abominable, and 
 however accompanied by the grossest immoralities, — every mode 
 of superstition, however debased, and prostituted to become the 
 minister of sin, — will find apologists in Christian communities. 
 Even the horrid inquisition, with its annual auto dafe, and its host 
 of victims, would appear cpiite tolerable to not a few among us, if 
 compared with such a state of feeling in the community, as should 
 call forth a general expression of concern and compassion for any 
 man who was not upright, conscientious, irreproachable, temperate 
 in all things, serious, prayerful, obviously preparing for heaven, and 
 looJdns vnto Jesus as tltc Author and Fi/iishcr of his faith. 
 
 " If these views of the present state of things are correct, it is 
 obvious that, as the ])ower of religion shall increase, the opposition 
 will likewise increase at least in an equal proportion; unless God 
 should see fit to restrain the violence which is so naturally called 
 into existence. That religion is steadily to increase henceforward, 
 there is much reason to hope ; perhaps we ought to say, there is 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 339 
 
 abundant reason to believe : that it will ultimately prevail, we are 
 not to doubt for a moment. 
 
 " While actim^ in behalf of a large portion of the Christian com- 
 munity in the United States, it will not be deemed improper to 
 direct our thoughts to the future destinies of our country. Such 
 an investigation, if properly conducted, cannot be a useless em- 
 ployment ; especially as the success, or the want of success, of 
 this institution, and of similar associations for benevolent purposes, 
 will materially affect the future condition, not only of America, but 
 of all mankind. Our exertions may naturally be expected to re- 
 ceive some impulse from a consideration of the vast consequences 
 to flow from them. 
 
 " If an authoritative sanction were necessary to justify our look- 
 ing forward, and estimating the value of present eflbrt by the 
 results hereafter to be seen, we have many such sanctions in the 
 Bible. The great lawgiver of the ancient dispensation urged the 
 people of Israel, by many most affecting considerations, to bear iu 
 mind the influence of their own conduct upon the condition of 
 their posterity. Almost every prophet sounds the trumpet of 
 alarm and raises its most terrific notes, wdien calling attention to 
 the fact, that the present conduct of the people was to fix the des- 
 tiny of generations to come ; and our Savior himself reprehends 
 the dulness of those who witnessed his ministrations, and yet were 
 not able to discern the signs of the times. 
 
 " It is not presumption, then, it is not vain curiosity, for us to 
 look forward and form some opinion of the probable condition of 
 the people of America, and of the bearing which our own example 
 and influence will have upon the future state of our beloved 
 country. 
 
 " Looking at the present condition of mankind with the light of 
 history alone, there are three suppositions which maybe made, not 
 without some plausibility, in regard to the character of the people 
 of North America, who shall speak the English language when 
 the whole continent shall be full of inhabitants. The first of these 
 suppositions is, that the proportion then existing between morality 
 and vice, truth and error, honesty and crime, religion and impiety, 
 will be the same, or nearly the same, as at present; — the second, 
 that infidelity and wickedness will prevail, while the friends of 
 God are reduced to a very small number and driven into obscurity ; 
 and the third, that religion will pervade the land, in the length of 
 it and the breadth of it, till opposition shall have ceased, and the 
 whole vast community shall wear the aspect and exemplify the 
 reality of a nation, or rather a cluster of nations, consecrated to 
 God, the grateful recipients of his bounty, and the honored instru- 
 ments of conveying his beneficence to other nations, rising to an 
 equal state of glory and happiness. 
 
 " The first of these suppositions is the least plausible of the three; 
 but still it is the one which most naturally strikes the mind, and it 
 therefore deserves particular consideration. What then will be the 
 condition of this country in future times, if the proportion between 
 religion and iiTeligion, the church and the world, should remaiq as 
 it now is ? 
 
390 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 "We are to remember that the population of the United States 
 has quaclrnpled within the last fifty years; and if the restraints 
 of religious principle continue to operate with their present de- 
 gree of force, there is no improbability in supposing that our popu- 
 lation will increase with nearly the same rapidity as at present, till 
 the continent is replenished with people. How short a period is 
 fifty years, to the man who looks back upon it ! Most of the mem- 
 bers of this Board were born before the commencement of it ; and 
 those who were not, are familiar with the details of its history, 
 as if they were occurrences of yesterday. But, in fifty years to come, 
 (at the close of which period some of our children now in school 
 will sustain a portion of the most responsible offices in the religious 
 and the political world,) our population will have swollen to fifty 
 millions ; and, in fifty years more, to two hundred millions. 
 
 " It has been computed, after a careful estimate of the capabilities 
 of America, that, with the present degree of knowledge, and with- 
 out any reliance upon future discoveries in agriculture and the arts, 
 this whole continent will sustain at least two thousand millions of 
 inhabitants, in circumstances of comfort. Let it be supposed, then» 
 that, after a hundred years from this time, the pojjulation shall be 
 doubled in thirty years instead of twenty-five. At this rate, the 
 descendants of the present inhabitants of the United States, in 
 one hundred and seventy years from this day, will amount to one 
 thousand millions. If we keep in view the fundamental position, 
 that religious restraints are not to be diminished, this conclusion is 
 in no degree improbable. But the calculation founded on this posi- 
 tion M'ill certainly be safe, if the descendants of the present inhab- 
 itants of British America be thrown into the scale, and if it be con- 
 sidered that the emigration from Europe to America is constantly 
 and rnpidly increasing, and is likely to increase still more raj)idly. 
 For obvious reasons, the inhabitants of Spanish America will not 
 increase so fast as the people of the United States. It may be 
 assumed, then, that if the jiower of religious principle be not weak- 
 ened among us and our descendants, there will be on this continent, 
 in the year 1880, (when the young children now around our tables 
 and in our schools will not have ceased to take an active part in 
 human affairs,) fifty millions of human beings, speaking the English 
 language; and, in fifty years more, (when some of our grand chil- 
 dren will be spectators, if they shall have ceased to be actors,) there 
 will be tAvo hundred millions ; and, in seventy years more, one thou- 
 sand millions. The condition of this amazing mass of human be- 
 ings must, according to the established laws of the divine govern^ 
 ment, be more or less affected by the principles and conduct of the 
 present generation. If, according to the supposition, the relative 
 power of religion be not diminished, the diminution will be pre- 
 vented, with the favor of Heaven, by the strenuous efforts of the 
 friends of God. 
 
 " Of the twelve millions and a half, who now compose our popu- 
 lation, about five millions are men and women ; the rest are clnl- 
 dren, or persons in early youth. Of the adults, enlightened charity 
 can hardly go further than to suppose, that one million will include 
 all who are truly pious, and all who live habitually under a sense of 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 39I 
 
 personal responsibility to God lor their conduct. The remaining 
 four millions, though not under the direct influence of religious con- 
 siderations, are, to a great extent, restrained by fears respecting 
 the world to come, and by the example, exhortations, and prayers 
 of the religious part of the community. The general influence of 
 their lives, however, is unfavorable to religion ; and vast multitudes 
 are vicious and abandoned, diffusing a moral pestilence all around 
 them, perpetrating enormous crimes, eluding human law, or sufier- 
 ing its penaUies. 
 
 " These four millions, who may be comprehended under the gen- 
 eral denomination of people of the world, have six millions of chil- 
 dren and youth under their direct control, and exposed to their con- 
 stant example; and the other million of adults, who are habitually 
 influenced 65'^ rehgious considerations, and who, to avoid circumlocu- 
 tion, may be denominated the church, have under their direct control, 
 and subject to the influence of their constant example, a million and 
 a half of children and youth. It is to be observed, that though the 
 restraining influence of the church upon the world is in a high de- 
 gree salutary, so far as the preservation of order in a free country 
 is concerned, and so ilir as the tone of general morality is regarded ; 
 yet it is at present such as by no means to satisfy the desires of a 
 benevolent mind. The church itself is burdened with many unsound 
 and unprofitable members. There is much jealousy, suspicion, error, 
 bigotry, and much defective morality too, within its pale. Com- 
 pared with what ought to be seen, there is little zeal, devotedness, 
 self-denial, and spiritual vigor. 
 
 " If the proportion between religion and irreligion is to remain the 
 same, the god of this world will number among his followers, in the 
 United States, fifty years hence, no fewer than sixteen millions of 
 adults, having under tlieir direction twenty-four millions of children 
 and youth ; while the church, the divided, weak, inefficient church, 
 comprising all who act under a constant sense of religious respon- 
 sibility, though many of these belong to no regularly organized body 
 of disciples, and many others exhibit no very consistent example, — 
 the church, thus rent and disfigm-ed, will contain but one fourth as 
 many adults, and a proportionate number of children and youth un- 
 der its direction. 
 
 "Where one theatre, with its purlieus of vice and infamy, now al- 
 lures to destruction, four of these noxious seminaries will educate 
 their hundreds and their thousands for a life of profligacy and a 
 hopeless end. Where one jail now raises its horrid and cheerless 
 front, four will vex the eyes of the political economist, and chill the 
 heart of every friend of man. Where a penitentiary now admits a 
 regiment of disarmed malefactors, and confines them in degrading 
 servitude and chains, its walls must be so extended as to receive a 
 little army of felons, who will be prevented by physical force alone 
 from seizing the property, or attacking the lives of peaceable inhab- 
 itants. For one printed vehicle of slander and falsehood, of ribaldry 
 and blasphemy, which now dishonors the press, four of these pes- 
 tiferous agents will pervade the community ; and all sorts of mis- 
 chievous influence will be increased in the same proportion. 
 
392 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " Is this a, prospect at which a good man can look with compo- 
 sure? The appeal is made to Christians, — to men who believe that 
 the gospel is the great remedy for human sufierings, — and that, 
 where the gospel is rejected, all is lost. 
 
 " Looking forward only fifiy years further, (when some of oar 
 grand-children will hardly be men of grey hairs,) and we must mul- 
 tiply every theatre and every jail by sixteen ; and, in seventy years 
 from that time, every receptacle of evil which now annoys us, must 
 be multiplied by eighty. In one hundred and seventy years from 
 the present day, (a period forty years shorter than that which has 
 elapsed since the landing at Plymouth,) the jieople of the world, in 
 distinction from the church, then inhabiting America, and speaking 
 the English language, will amount to three hundred and twenty 
 millions of men and women, and four hundred and eighty millions 
 of children and youth, while the church will contain but one fourth 
 of that number. It is true, that, on this supposition, there will be 
 numerically a large multitude arranged on the side of the church, 
 a goodly proportion of whom may be charitably considered as on 
 their way to heaven. But who can bear the thought, that, in such 
 a vast congregated mass of immortals, four out of five should be not 
 only destitute of religion, but living in such a manner as to obstruct 
 its progress, and limit its influence I 
 
 "We have proceeded thus far upon the principle, that the relative 
 power of religion is to remain the same as at present. This, how- 
 ever, though a plausible supposition, is far from being probable. 
 There is no example of the kind, in the history of the church. 
 There have been, indeed, many alternations of success and defeat ; 
 but no instance of religion and irreligion advancing side by side, in 
 regular proportions, for a period so long as one hundred and seventy 
 years. 
 
 " If Christians in the United States have not strength enough to 
 advance, they will not have strength enough to hold their own ; and 
 they must expect to be overwhelmed by floods of ungodliness. The 
 church will then be driven into a corner, so that the world will sup- 
 pose a final victory has been achieved. There will probably be 
 some forms of religion remaining, gradually losing even the miser- 
 able efficacy of forms, and falling down to the level of the lowest 
 superstition. But the general asj)ect will be that of a community 
 living without God in the world. 
 
 " Pride, ambition, luxury, sensuality, profaneness, blasphemy, 
 frightfully intermingled with poverty, crime, debasement, guilt, and 
 shame, will lash with scorpions the enslaved and abject population. 
 Even from this land of the pilgrims will arise the cry of milhons, 
 suffering under the torments which their own guilty passions will 
 have brought upon them. 
 
 " It is ol)vious, that, if religious restraints be withdrawn, the num- 
 ber of inhabitants will not increase so fast as according to the pre- 
 ceding calculation. Still, the history of the world has shown that 
 it requires long continued, as well as almost universal profligacy, to 
 arrest the increase of population altogether. With the great ad- 
 vantages of soil and climate which this country enjoys, it may be 
 expected, judging from God's government of the world hitherto, that 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 393 
 
 our population will advance with rapidity, even though it should be 
 checked by licentiousness. We may estimate that, in such circum- 
 stances, our numbers will be forty-five, instead of fifty millions, 
 at the end of fifty years ; an hundred and fifty, instead of two hun- 
 dred millions in fifty years more ; and five hundred, instead of one 
 thousand millions, "in" one hundred and seventy years from the pres- 
 ent time. The wickedness of the people, left almost without re- 
 straint from counteracting example, would increase at such a fear- 
 ful rate, that, by the period last mentioned, it would greatly have 
 retarded the progress of population ; and much beyond that period, 
 any increase of numbers would be slow and doubtful. 
 
 "Here then, we have five hundred millions of human beings, all 
 living, (with exceptions too small to be taken into tlie account,) 
 according to the maxim, Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow ice 
 die. 
 
 " What would be the number of theatres and other receptacles of 
 vice to amuse and gratify such a population? What the number of 
 jails and penitentiaries, of police officers and armed guards, to coerce 
 and restrain so vast a multitude, who would have no restraining prin- 
 ciple in their own bosoms ? Atheists may talk about liberty ; but we 
 know, that there can never be a truly free government, without an 
 intelligent and conscientious subjection to law; and where there is 
 no sense of accountability to God, there can be no respect for the 
 order of society, or the rights of men. 
 
 "Populous heathen nations, and nominally Christian nations that 
 have sunk nearly to the level of heathenism, are indeed without any 
 restraining influence of true religion ; and they are able, by means 
 of racks, dungeons, and armies^, of spies, guards, and oflicers, to 
 preserve some kind of public order. The people are prepared for 
 this, having been transformed into beasts of burden, by the long in- 
 fluence of superstition, and the domination of privileged orders. 
 But, if the people of America speaking the English language should 
 lose nearly all the religious restraint which now exerts so salutary 
 an influence in our land, they will be a very different sort of men 
 from the Chinese, or the inhabitants of Turkey, or Spain. All 
 determined to gratify themselves, and none wiUing to submit to 
 others ; all havmg arms in their hands, and refusing to surrender 
 them, — wickedness and violence will reign with tremendous and 
 indomitable energy. 
 
 " The Sabbath will have ceased to shed its benign and holy ra- 
 diance upon the land ; for when the number of religious persons shall 
 have dwindled to a very small fraction of the community, it will be 
 impossible to preserve the Sabbath, except as a day of thoughtless 
 festivity and noisy mirth, — and pre-eminently a day of sin. Then 
 God will hide his" face from an erring and self-destroying people ; 
 and dense and angry clouds, the precursors of his vengeance, will 
 gather from every quarter of the horizon. One cry of violence and 
 blasphemy will ascend like the cry of Sodom, from all the dwellers 
 between the two oceans, and between the gulf of^ Mexico and the 
 northern sea. No extraordinary instruments of divine wrath need 
 be furnished. The remorseless cravings of unsatisfied desire, the 
 
 50 
 
394 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 aggressions and resistance, the insults and revenge, the cruelty and 
 perfidy, the fraud and malice, pervading all ranks and classes of 
 men, will supply more than a sufficient number of public execu- 
 tioners. 
 
 " Who, that has not a heart of adamant, can, without shuddering, 
 regard such a day as probable ? Who, that really expects such a day, 
 but must wish to leave no posterity of his own, to mingle in the hor- 
 rid strife — to become either tyrants or slaves, oppressors or victims ; 
 — all victims, indeed, to their own follies and crimes ? 
 
 " Yet this is the very state of things which multitudes among us 
 are laboring to produce. They do not see ihe whole efiect of 
 what they would gladly accomplish ; but they most heartily desire 
 that the lime should arrive, when the Sabbath shall be universally 
 regarded as an exploded superstition, and when there shall be no 
 concentrated public opinion to pass censure even upon the most 
 odious vices. 
 
 " Not only is such a state of things desired and aimed at by mul- 
 titudes, but it is precisely such an issue as the unresisted depravi- 
 ty of man will speedily terminate in. It is altogether a practical 
 matter; and will be the sad history of this country, unless ihe good, 
 and the public spirited, and the pious of the present and succeed- 
 ing generations, acting under the great Captain of salvation, avert 
 so awful a calamity. 
 
 "The remaining supposition is, that the relative power of religion 
 will increase, till, before the expiration of the longest period here 
 mentioned, opposition shall gradually have died away ; and all the 
 happy millions of this continent shall live together as brethren, ador- 
 ing their Creator and Redeemer, and lending a cheerful influence to 
 every good design. Then will be a day of glory, such as the world 
 has never yet witnessed. As the sun rises on a Sabbath morning, 
 and travels westward from Newfoundland to the Oregon, he will be- 
 hold the countless millions assembling, as if by a common impulse, 
 in the temples with which every valley, mountain, and plain will 
 be adorned. The morning psalm and evening anthem will com- 
 mence with the multitudes on the Atlantic coast, be sustained by 
 the loud chorus of ten thousand times ten thousand in the valley of 
 the Mississippi, and prolonged by the thousands of thousands on the 
 shores of the Pacific. Throughout this wide expanse, not a disso- 
 nant voice will be heard. If, unhappily, there should be here and 
 there an individual whose heart is not in unison with this divine 
 employment, he will choose to be silent. Then the tabernacle of 
 God will be with men. Then will it be seen and known to the 
 universe, what the religion of the Bible can do, even on this side 
 of the grave, for a penitent, restored, and rejoicing world. But 
 while contemplating such a display of glory and happiness on earth, 
 we are not to forget that this illustrious exhibition of divine power 
 and love would derive nearly all its interest from the fact, that 
 these countless millions were in a process of rapid transmission 
 from earth to heaven. 
 
 " Is it asked, What has this subject to do Avith the meeting of a 
 foreign missionary society ? JMuch, in various respects. It is per- 
 fectly clear to the mind of a contemplative Christian, that efforts 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 395 
 
 made in this country to send the gospel to distant heathen, are as 
 sure to bring permanent and spiritual blessings to ourselves, as any 
 evangelical efiorts that can be made. And, if missions to the 
 heathen were to receive no future support from America, what 
 would this prove, but that Christian benevolence was at so low an 
 ebb among us ; that there was so little of primitive zeal or apostolic 
 enterprize to be found ; that nothing great, and noble, and effec- 
 tual, in the way of charitable effort, could ever hereafter be ex- 
 pected from this people ? If our domestic missionary societies are 
 to be sustained, they must be sustained by Christian benevolence : 
 but, wherever this divine principle exists, it will seek access to the 
 heathen ; and where access is once gained, it will not be relin- 
 quished. In a thousand ways, the beneficial influence of sending 
 the gospel abroad, is felt in our religious prosperity at home. If, 
 through the apathy of Christians in regard to the condition of the 
 heathen, it should be necessary first to curtail and then to with- 
 draw our foreign operations, sad would be that hour, and of most 
 disastrous influence upon all our domestic institutions. 
 
 " Be it known, then, and felt by us all, that there is no way in 
 which we can so powerfully aid the cause of God in our own 
 land, as by doubling and quadrupling our sacrifices for the salva- 
 tion of distant pagans. 
 
 " These considerations are not to be set aside as a theoretical 
 discussion. We, and our associates and friends throughout the 
 country, are to have an agency in fixing the destiny of the genera- 
 tions to come ; and in fixmg their destiny by what we shall do, or 
 neglect to do, in this very matter of sending the gospel to the 
 heathen. Christians in the United States have a character to 
 sustain, or to lose. They are to receive the approbation of pos- 
 terity for perseverance in well-doing ; or to be sentenced to public 
 reprobation as betrayers of high trusts. They are to be rewarded 
 as benefactors of their race, or to share the doom of the servant 
 who hid his Lord's money in a napkin. There is no avoiding this 
 responsibility. They cannot hide themselves in dishonorable 
 graves, in such a manner as to escape reproach, if they now raise 
 the craven cry of surrender, instead of anticipating the shout of 
 victory and triumph. 
 
 " AVhen John Carver and his associates landed at Plymouth, 
 and afterwards John Winthrop and his associates arrived at 
 Charlestown, they might have doubted, on some accounts, wheth- 
 er their names would be known to posterity. They labored, how- 
 ever, for the good of mankind, and laid foundations with a distinct 
 and special and declared regard to the benefit of future times. 
 Their posterity remember them with inexpressible gratitude ; and 
 their names will receive new tributes of admiration with every 
 succeeding age. 
 
 " The moral enterprises of the present day are novel, — if not in 
 their character and principle, yet in their combination and effect. 
 They will be thoroughly examined hereafter, and the hundreds of 
 millions of Americans will, in the next century, declare the result. 
 We may now imagine these millions convened, as in some vast 
 amphitheatre, and directing their anxious and concentrated gaze 
 
396 LIFE OF EVAKTS. 
 
 upon us. Happy will it be for our countiy and the world, if they 
 can then exclaim, ' These were the men of the nineteenth cen- 
 tury, who came to the help of the Lord against the mighty ; — 
 these friends and patrons of missionary and Bible institutions ;— 
 these supporters of a press truly free, which, by its salutary issues, 
 emancipated the nations from the thraldom of sin ; — these defend- 
 ers of the Sabbath and all its holy influences ; — these are the men 
 who counted the cost of denying themselves, and cheerfully made 
 the sacrifice of throwing all their powers and resources into an 
 effort for the world's deliverance. God smiled upon their perse- 
 vering and united labors, acknowledged them as his friends and 
 servants, and we now hail them as benefactors of our happy mil- 
 lions, and of thousands of millions yet unborn.' 
 
 " In words like these may we imagine that our humble instru- 
 mentality will be commemorated, if we are faithful to our engage- 
 ments. But shoidd we become weary of our work and relinquish 
 it; should its difficulty dishearten us, and the confused shouts of 
 the enemy terrify us ; should we say, that these Anakims are too 
 tall for us to encounter, and their fortifications are too strong for us 
 to assail; and we must leave to better men and after times the 
 glory of such high achievements : — should we fold our hands and 
 say, that another age of darkness must intervene before the dawn 
 of the millennial day shall rise ; — that we have been beguiled by 
 a meteor, which we took to be the morning star ascending on 
 high ; and that we must remit our efforts, and make up our minds 
 that our children and our children's children, for centuries to come, 
 are to grind in the vast prison-house which is preparing for their 
 reception : if these are to be our conclusions, and these the depths 
 to which our high hopes have fallen, let no man write our epitaph. 
 The sooner we are forgotten, the better. If it were possible, let 
 every recorded trace of the religious exertions of the present day 
 be blotted out, so that the knowledge of our disastrous failure may 
 not discourage the enterprise of some future age. But it will not 
 be possible ; for the enemy will preserve our sanguine predictions 
 and the memoiy of our gigantic plans, to grace his triumph, and as 
 a standing exhibition of a design which joined all that was splendid 
 and glorious in anticipation to all that was feeble and abortive in 
 execution. In siich a melancholy termination of our efforts, some 
 indignant prophet of the Lord, in that retirement to which the 
 Yjrevailing wickedness shall have consigned him, will utter his 
 complaint against us. ' These are the men,' he will say, ' to 
 whose energy and fidelity God committed the condition of their 
 posterity. The charge fell from their feeble hands. They began 
 to build, but were not able to finish, because they were not wil- 
 ling to labor. They put their hands to the plough, but looked 
 back, and were not fit for the kingdom of heaven.' 
 
 " If we would avoid this catastrophe, more dei)lorable than 
 words can describe, we must feel deeply and constantly, that with- 
 out Christ we can do nothing; and that from him must proceed, 
 
 ' Our high endeavor, and our glad success, 
 Our strength to suffer, and our will to serve.' 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 397 
 
 " To him must we look habitually, as the Hope of Israel, as 
 the Redeemer of his chosen people, as King of kings and Lord of 
 lords. 
 
 " Knowing his power and willingness to save, we must distrust 
 ourselves only ; and, in such a temper, we must apply to him to 
 call forth more zeal and devotedness, and to place more consecrat- 
 ed talent in requisition. 
 
 " The professed friends of Christ, — those who are charitably 
 regarded as his real .friends, must, as a body, show more zeal 
 and self-denial in his cause, or it cannot advance : that is, it can- 
 not advance according to any known method of the divine admin- 
 istration. 
 
 " This is a very solemn concern. It is a painful truth, but 
 thousands of facts prove it to be a truth unquestionable, that the 
 mass of those who are regarded as the real friends of Christ, 
 are in no degree awake to the responsibility of their situation. 
 They have but a very indistinct apprehension of what they are 
 able to do — of what they ought to do — of what the world is losing 
 by their neglect; and the very imperfect decisions of their minds 
 are but slowly and partially executed by the performances of their 
 hands. 
 
 " This is the more to be lamented, as we are now at the very 
 harvest time of the world. The individual who annually gives 
 his few dollars or his few cents, puts tracts and Bibles into the 
 hands of distant heathens immediately; or places heathen chil- 
 dren in a missionary school ; or aids in training up native preach- 
 ers to itinerate and proclaim the gospel among their countrymen. 
 
 " As to consecrated talent, never was there such a call to bring 
 it into exercise ; never such a reward as it now has to offer to a 
 benevolent heart. The man whose labors contribute, in any ma- 
 terial degree, to raise up, and purify, and ennoble the future mil- 
 lions of America, will do more for himself, as aiming to exert a 
 salutary influence, (even if his name should never be known to 
 his grateful fellow men,) than has ever yet been done for the most 
 successful aspirant, by all that the world calls fame. 
 
 " The preacher, who sends abroad a sermon full of great and 
 striking thoughts, that command the attention of the religious 
 world, and make their way through a thousand channels to suc- 
 cessive ages ; — the sacred bard, who composes a hymn that shall 
 be stereotyped a century hence, on the other side of the Kocky 
 Mountains, and printed on the same page with Cowper's ' O for a 
 closer walk with God,' or the ' Martyrs Glorified' of Watts ; — the 
 writer, who shall print a warm and stirring treatise on practical re- 
 ligion, which shall stand by the side of the Saint's Rest, in the 
 library of every family, when our country shall have become 
 thoroughly and consistently Christian ; — the editor of a periodical, 
 or the agent of any of our religious charities, who shall indite a 
 paragraph, able to move the hearts of men to great and noble 
 deeds, and to secure for itself a permanent existence among the 
 elements of thought and action : the man who shall do any one of 
 these things, or any thing of a similar character, will exert an 
 efficient influence over more minds than have ever yet heard the 
 
398 L^^E OF EVARTS. 
 
 name of Homer or Cicero ; and will cheer more hearts, during a 
 single generation, than have ever yet responded to the calls of 
 the mightiest genius. To aid, even in a feeble and indirect man- 
 ner, the work of bringing thousands of millions to glory and virtue, 
 to heaven and to God, is to reach an exalted rank among those 
 whom their Saviour will honor as the instruments of his divine 
 beneficence." 
 
 The Indian question was not yet conclusively settled. The 
 Act of Congress, the passage of which had given Mr. Evarts so 
 much pain, authorized the President of the United Slates to 
 prosecute the plan of removing the Indians ; but it might yet be 
 repealed, or the execution of it might be prevented by the with- 
 holding of appropriations, or the refusal of the Senate to ratify 
 treaties made under such compulsion. Measures had been taken, 
 also, to secure, if practicable, the interposition of the Supreme 
 Court of the United States ; and it seemed desirable at least to 
 defer active measures under the treaty, until the decision of that 
 tribunal should be obtained. It was a subject, therefore, that 
 naturally occupied a prominent place in the plans of Mr. Evarts 
 for the year. His active correspondence and other labors in re- 
 gard to it were continued.* Three or four letters of this period 
 will show the state of his mind. 
 
 TO REV. FRANCIS WAYLAND, D. D. 
 
 Boston, July 1, 1S30. 
 
 " Mr. Anderson read to us this morning your letter to him, so 
 far as it relates to the Indian subject. Mr. Wisner and Mr. 
 Greene were present. It was agreed that I should write to you 
 and say that you must come to Boston on the subject. I have 
 not time to write a long letter, and if I had, a letter would be a 
 very imperfect communication. You intimate that you wish 
 * the case may not be as bad as it seems to be.' I have no doubt 
 the case is far worse than you ever conceived of. Last evening I 
 
 * This was a crisis that justified, in his view, a departure from his usual more silent 
 course respecting elections. The preservation, inviolate, of the public faith, as 
 pledged in the Indian treaties, he regarded as paramount to all other questions then 
 before the minds of electors ; and when the election of a member of Congress from 
 Boston came on, he attended a meeting of citizens at Faneuil Hall, and moved a 
 resolution urging the support of one of the candidates on that ground. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 399 
 
 received a letter from Mr. Kingsbury, which informs us that the 
 removing system has already brought immense evil upon the 
 Choctaws. As the Methodist missionaries were forward in pro- 
 moting the treaty, so called, which the Choctaws offered to make 
 in March last, the opposers of religion have rallied, and charge 
 the whole removing system upon all the missionaries and upon 
 the Gospel. They arrayed patriotism against religion ; and as 
 they are undoubtedly right in their feelings as patriots, and in 
 their indignation at the base manner in which their rights have 
 been taken from them, by bullying, threats, and bribery, — and as 
 the people are really and unanin)ously opposed to a removal, un- 
 less they are driven to it by the dread of oppression, — it follows 
 that the opposers of religion have a tremendous advantage. 
 
 " Our missionaries have been cautious and prudent, as to inter- 
 fering with the politics of the Indians ; but Mr. Kingsbury has 
 told the government, in a dignified manner, that he considers 
 the measures unjust and oppressive. All our missionaries east of 
 the Mississippi consider the whole scheme to be a wanton and 
 abominable robbery ; yet all this does not shield them from being 
 represented, by the opposers of religion, as having contributed to 
 this result. 
 
 " As to the Baptists, I regret exceedingly the part which they 
 have taken, though I think a large part of the Baptists here are 
 opposed to a removal. I have avoided, however, and wish to 
 avoid, everything which would lead to sectarian feelings, and I 
 make the most charitable allowances for those who, as I think, 
 have been egregiously misled. 
 
 " If proper efforts are made by good people, the rights of the 
 Indians will yet be defended. 1 have many fears that these 
 efforts will not be made ; but I have no doubt that every finger 
 lifted now in behalf of the weak and suffering, will ward off 
 loads of misery from a portion at least of the people of the 
 United States. 
 
 " Let me know when you will be in town, as I will endeavor 
 so to arrange matters that you shall see Mr. Webster, Mr. 
 Everett, and others. 
 
 " P. S. 1 do think the matter is important enough for a journey 
 of forty miles, [t may well demand that one hundred thousand 
 
400 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 of our people should make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, if such a 
 pilgrimage would aid in averting the evil." 
 
 TO E. LORD, ESQ, 
 
 Boston, October 13,1830. 
 
 " I regretted much, that you were providentially hindered from 
 attending with us to our annual business, as I wished to confer 
 with you on the Indian question. 
 
 " The meeting was an interesting one. There was some dif- 
 ference of opinion, as to the expediency of expressing our views 
 in regard to the claims of Georgia over the Cherokees. Yet a 
 resolution passed on that subject, as you will see by the papers ; 
 and another, requesting the Committee to prepare a petition to 
 Congress. The latter passed unanimously, though with the un- 
 derstanding that the rights of the Indians by treaty should not be 
 insisted on, because some members of the Board, perhaps a quar- 
 ter of those who were present, thought that would be such an 
 interference with politics, as a missionary society should not be 
 chargeable with. In my apprehension, this was altogether a mis- 
 take ; but, for the sake of unanimity, the resolution passed with 
 the understanding that the memorial should dwell upon the inju- 
 rious consequences of a removal to the Indians, and not upon the 
 obligations of the United States to protect them where they are. 
 This part of the case, it was alleged, might be presented by indi- 
 viduals, and not by a religious incorporated body. 
 
 " The subject of raising funds, or of pressing the claims of the 
 heathen upon the Christian public, drew forth much and very 
 able discussion. It was matter of much regret, that so few peo- 
 ple were present to hear it, and so few members to participate in 
 it : for the most interesting discussion of all was on Saturday, 
 when several members had left the city. 
 
 " In regard to the Indian question, I think much remains to be 
 done by the friends of justice and our country's honor, especially 
 in our large cities. 
 
 " The following things have struck me as desirable. 
 
 " 1. That several eminent lawyers, in different parts of the 
 United States, should give their opinions, with a view to publica- 
 tion. That some of these opinions should be given without a 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 401 
 
 fee — volunteered for the good of the country — and where a fee is 
 necessary, it should be raised in each city where the opinion is 
 asked. 
 
 " 2. That petitions should be circulated, throughout the coun- 
 try, praying Congress : 1st. To repeal the Indian bill. 2d. If 
 that cannot be done, to make no more appropriations under it. 
 3d. The Senate not to ratify any treaty made under the auspices 
 of that bill. 
 
 " Beside these things, there ought to be an effort made to en- 
 gage all good writers to fill the papers with moving appeals on 
 the subject. Those members of Congress who feel a deep in- 
 terest in the subject, should be induced to speak early in the ses- 
 sion, and to keep the subject constantly before the two houses. 
 
 TO REV. GEORGE POTTS. 
 
 Missionary Rooms, November 2, 1830. 
 
 " A year ago you visited the Choctaws. They have had a 
 season of persecution and suffering since that time. Lately a 
 treaty has been wrested from them in a most unjustifiable manner. 
 
 " I would respectfully propose it to you and to the good people 
 with whom you associate, whether it is not your solemn duty to 
 petition Congress, praying that justice may be done, and disclaim- 
 ing all sanction of the process of robbery that is going on. How 
 can the men of principle in Mississippi clear themselves in the 
 sight of God, unless they bear testimony against these most fla- 
 grant acts of injustice ? It is a serious question, and should be 
 very seriously considered. I write to you as a decided friend of 
 the Indians and a lover of fair dealing. A petition signed by 
 respectable men in Natchez would have a great effect in prevent- 
 ing the ratification of unfair treaties. If the Choctaws are re- 
 moved in the manner now contemplated, it is the opinion of the 
 missionaries, and it is our opinion, that they will be ruined and 
 the tribe destroyed. Many will die in the process ; and this will 
 be murder on the part of all who have urged the measure regard- 
 less of the rights of the Indians, and of all who might have raised 
 a voice in their favor and would not. Those parts of our coun- 
 try will doubtless have the largest share in the punishment, which 
 51 
 
402 l^^FE OF EVARTS. 
 
 have had the largest share in the crime ; and every friend of the 
 South, residing there, ought to do all in his power to stay the 
 plague and wipe off the stain." 
 
 TO E. LORD, ESQ. 
 
 Boston, November 24, 1830. 
 
 " You may have seen that the National Intelligencer of last 
 Saturday announces two essays by William Penn, as soon to ap- 
 pear in that paper. These essays have received the approbation 
 of gentlemen as competent to judge what the present crisis de- 
 mands, as any men in the country. 
 
 " The object of this letter is to request that you will exert 
 yourself and make influence with others, to have those numbers 
 republished in the Journal of Commerce, the Daily, the Ameri- 
 can, and the Commercial, as soon as they appear. I know you 
 will appreciate my motives. It is necessary to act speedily, if we 
 would avoid the foulest disgrace that ever befell an intelligent 
 people. Wherever these essays are republished, they should be 
 accompanied by editorial remarks. 
 
 " I wish I could be in New York next week, with a view to 
 consult with you and others on this subject. Among the mea- 
 sures which I think ought to be taken in your city, are these. 
 
 " 1. The raising an adequate fund to print on this subject. 
 
 " 2. The publication of a large edition of Mr. Wirt's opinion, 
 with some brief remarks to aid it. 
 
 "3. The printing of numerous copies of some of the principal 
 speeches on the Indian bill ; viz. Mr. Storrs's, Mr. Bates's, Mr. 
 Everett's, he. Stereotype plates, you know, are on hand. 
 
 " 4. The sending as many of Mr. Wirt's opinion and these 
 speeches to Washington, as members of Congress on the right 
 side would be willing to frank to their friends in all parts of the 
 United States. 
 
 " 5. The sending forth a circular letter to all parts of the 
 country, soliciting petitions in behalf of the Indians. 
 
 " 6. The writing and publishing a good, animated, and cogent 
 form of a petition, as an example and model. 
 
 " 7. The procuring this petition to be signed in New York by 
 as many as possible. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 403 
 
 " Generally, the rousing up as much public feeling in behalf of 
 the Indians, and as much indignation against the mean, false, and 
 treacherous course pursued at present, as possible. 
 
 " In a vvoid, if the Indians are destroyed, and our country is 
 deeply and permanently disgraced, let the reproach be wiped off, 
 as far as possible, from the religious and public-spirited portion of 
 the community." 
 
 Meantime the ordinary business of the Board was calling for 
 unusual labors, especially in regard to the sending out of a rein- 
 forcement to the Sandwich Islands mission. " I doubt not," writes 
 Mr. Evarts to an associate on the Prudential Committee, " I 
 doubt not you feel with me, that our responsibilities are assuming 
 a more weighty character than ever before ; and that we have 
 serious difficulties to contend with. As to our proposed excursion 
 to Exeter, [to attend a missionary meeting,] I must be excused 
 from going, if other arrangements can be made ; if not, I will go. 
 The fact is, there are a great many more things to be done here 
 [at his office] than can possibly be accomplished." 
 
 About the middle of December, he visited New Bedford to 
 superintend the embarkation of missionaries, and to attend mis- 
 sionary meetings in the vicinity. In this he spent about two weeks 
 of hard and exciting labor, and exposed often to weather exceed- 
 ingly unfavorable to his health, of the failure of which he had 
 before received decided admonition. His time was employed in 
 consultation with the missionaries and arranging their concerns ; 
 in writing the official Instructions, and numerous letters to the 
 missionaries and chiefs at the Islands ; in attending meetings, and 
 in other ways holding intercourse with the people of New Bedford 
 and the neighboring towns for the purpose of securing among 
 them a warmer interest in the operations of the Board. Other 
 subjects, however, were by no means excluded from his thoughts, 
 as the following passages from his journal, addressed to a friend 
 and fellow-laborer, shows : 
 
 " Fall River, a quarter before 12 o'clock, December 20. I 
 now retire to rest, but must mention that I have read this evening, 
 in the Christian Spectator for December, part of the Review of 
 
404 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 Sprague's Lectures. I wish you to read from page 651 to the 
 end of the article. On page 652 you will find thoughts like those 
 in the close of our last Report. That and the next page are 
 powerfully written. Blessed is the man who warns his country- 
 men of their dangers, and rouses Christians to the proper state of 
 activity. On page 656 is a powerful expostulation with parents 
 on doing what they can to fix the character of their children as 
 friends of God ; and the next page has a most indignant repro- 
 bation of the seducers and destroyers of youth by means of vice 
 and infidelity. I have seldom been more deeply affected in re- 
 gard to my responsibility as a parent, than by this article. 
 
 " 21st. Evening. Met gentlemen at Mr. Holmes's, and spent 
 the greater part of the evening in conversation on the Indian 
 question. It was resolved to call a meeting of friends of the 
 Indians, at some day within a short time, with the view of peti- 
 tioning in their behalf. Conversed also about a subscription here 
 in aid of our mission, besides a collection. This was agreed upon, 
 though rather in a faint manner. 
 
 " 26. Sabbath. I have thought jnuch this morning on the 
 wisdom of living habitually in such a state that death could not 
 take me by surprise; by which I mean, that trust in God should 
 be so constantly in exercise, and the fear of offending Him so pre- 
 dominant, and faith in the Saviour so lively, that a known sum- 
 mons to leave the world should create neither apprehension nor 
 alarm. How far I have been, or am, in possession of such a state 
 of mind, there would be no use in my declaring ; but I do most 
 seriously desire that all my friends should seek after and obtain it. 
 
 " 28. At sunrise, the bell of Mr. Holmes's church tolled as a 
 signal for the embarkation of the missionaries. We immediately 
 repaired to the wharf, where a parting hymn was sung, and a 
 prayer was offered by Dr. Wisner. Many persons of both sexes 
 were present. The scene was deeply affecting to many. We 
 took a hasty and affectionate leave of the missionaries, as the 
 sloop which conveyed them was about leaving the wharf." 
 
 As it is the last paper of the kind which he wrote, and as ex- 
 hibiting in a strong light the views of Mr. Evarts on some impor- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 405 
 
 tant topics connected with missions, extracts from the Instructions 
 which he prepared and delivered at this time, are here copied : 
 
 " Besides the general importance of the objects to -which you 
 are devoted, there is another consideration which makes it proper 
 that the Committee should address you pubUcly. We refer to the 
 pubhc relation which subsists between missionaries and those to 
 whom the friends of missions have intrusted the responsil)le ser- 
 vice of senchng forth, superintending, and directing evangelical 
 laborers. However inadequately we may discharge the duties 
 assigned us, it is proper that these duties should be publicly rec- 
 ognized. How arduous the suitable supervision of missionary 
 concerns is, the great body of Christians have little apprehension. 
 Even you will probably never know, though after a few years you 
 may have had such experience as will enable you to imagine, 
 with what trembling solicitude despatches from missionary stations 
 are frequently opened ; — how the heart sickens and almost faints, 
 lest evil tidings should arrive, and lest, through the opposition of 
 wicked men, and the wiles of Satan, or the injudicious manage- 
 ment of the Committee, or the imperfection of missionaries, or the 
 removal of valuable men by death, or some other adverse occur- 
 rence, the cause should suffer, the designs of good, men should be 
 defeated, and the heaihen should not receive the benefit intended 
 for them. Very often, on the other hand, tears of joy and grati- 
 tude start into the eye, as it runs over pages written by a beloved 
 missionary, — one who relates wonderful things, which God has 
 done and is doing by feeble instrumentality, and who describes 
 the manner in which the designs of the great adversary are 
 thwarted, and the gospel is promoted by attempts to obstruct its 
 progress. 
 
 " Be assured, beloved friends, that between the members of this 
 Committee and all faithful missionaries, there arises a personal 
 attachment, which grows stronger, as the occasions for bringing it 
 into exercise increase in number and importance. This remark is 
 made the rather, as you have had fewer opportunities of ])ersonal 
 acquaintance with the Committee, than have happened in regard 
 to individuals composing any previous reinforcement to the Sand- 
 wich Islands. In the language of the apostle, it is in our hearts to 
 live and die with you ; that is, so long as life remains, we wish to 
 co-operate with you constantly, heartily, and most affectionately, 
 for the promulgation of the gospel. 
 
 " When the lassitude of a sultry climate oppresses you, and 
 tempts you to indolence, remember that you have no time to be 
 idle ; for you are executing an agency which is of unspeakable 
 importance, and admits of no delay. When you are provoked by 
 the ingratitude of those for whom you labor, or the machinations 
 of opposers, or the treachery of false friends, (if you should be 
 called to these trials,) remember that you have no time to be 
 peevish or angry ; for you are discharging duties which have re- 
 spect to eternity. When you are tempted to be vain and self-com- 
 placent on account of any remarkable success with which your 
 
406 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 labors may have been crowned, or any peculiar approbation which 
 you may have received from your fellow-laborers, or the Chris- 
 tian public, — remember that these things, considered in them- 
 selves, are too small to occupy your thoughts, or to hinder you in 
 your work. Aim rather at that fidelity in executing your commis- 
 sion, which shall be followed by the commendation of your Lord. 
 This seeking the favor of God will never interrupt your labors, 
 nor impair your energy, nor distract your thoughts, nor be in any 
 measure incompatible with the highest estimate of your calling. 
 
 " Permit us to urge upon you here the consideration, tluit your 
 calling requires great diligence. This is partly implied in what has 
 been already said ; but it deserves a more particular exhibition. 
 Very seldom is any thing valuable acquired among men without 
 diligence. The wise man said, long ago, the diligent hand makcth 
 rick ; and the farmer, the artisan, the mariner, the merchant, have 
 found, in every age, that diligence alone affords a reasonable as- 
 surance of success. Much more strongly does this appear in ref- 
 erence to moral things. Men are naturally in a wayward state ; 
 and this trait of character is very prominent, in all heathen nations. 
 It is hard to correct them. It is hard to reform them. It is gener- 
 ally hard lo enlighten them ; and it is harder still to make them 
 deeply sensible that they are sinners and need salvation. All 
 these things have been done ; and, with the blessing of God, will 
 be done again: but, in the doing of them, great diligence is neces- 
 sary. Divine truth must be communicated in many ways, and on 
 all occasions. Admonition, exhortation, reproof, must be adminis- 
 tered. The law of kindness must be on the lips of the faithful 
 missionary, and the law of benevolence must per])etually warm 
 his heart. 
 
 " Besides, you will always have much to do to regulate your 
 private and personal afiairs in a strange land, and among a strange 
 people. The correspondence with your patrons and friends at 
 home, the duties of hospitality, the preparations for public preach- 
 ing and teaching, the superintendence of schools, the translation 
 and distribution of the Scriptures, tracts, and school-books, and 
 other cares incident to these, would occupy, if it were possible for 
 you to bear such labor, every hour of the day and the night. Add 
 to these things the vicissitudes of sickness and pain, of disappoint- 
 ment and bereavement, and it is evident that your lives, if you 
 would be faithful, must present a series of incessant labors. 
 
 " We know it has been said by the enemies of missions, that 
 young men and women go abroad on missionary service for the 
 sake of leading an easy life. The time of this assembly will not 
 be wasted, however, by a formal refutation of this thoughtless ob- 
 jection. 
 
 " You, who have consecrated yourselves to this service, can 
 doubtless testify that you always regarded the life of a mission- 
 ary as a life of severe labor. So your friends and relatives have 
 regarded it. And the individuals here assembled will testify that 
 your patrons represent it in no other light. Nothing that is writ- 
 ten or said on the subject, either by missionaries, or the directors 
 of missions, can authorize any other expectation. Still, it may not 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 407 
 
 be useless to bring the matter distinctly before you on this occa- 
 sion. It is much easier to expect to be laborious, and to resolve to 
 be so, than to hold out in a laborious public service for a long suc- 
 cession of years. Most men are induced to labor only by the pres- 
 sure of necessity, or the strong impulse of avarice or ambition ; and 
 it is not every true Christian, nor eveiy missionary, who has benev- 
 olence enough to carry him through a life of unremitted exertions, 
 made solely for the benefit of others. The virtues of dihgence 
 and industry are to be cultivated, therefore, and cherished, as 
 Christian graces. They are not to be obtained without an effort. 
 They cannnot be formed into a habit, except by great resolution 
 and perseverance ; and, unless formed into a habit, labi>r will 
 always be irksome. 
 
 " One temptation to remit your diligence will arise from the 
 changes of situation and circumstances to which missionary un- 
 dertaldn^ are exposed. You may, in certain circumstances, be 
 apt to thmk that some time hence, when a particular advantage 
 shall have been gained, or a particular obstruction removed, you 
 will begin to labor with great vigor and zeal ; but that now you 
 can do little with a prospect of success. The question should not 
 be, however, what you may hope to do hereafter; but what you 
 can do now. Let it be a settled purpose, followed by a corres- 
 ponding practice, that you will every day do something for the 
 spiritual good of your fellow-men ; and that this something shall 
 be the very best thing which, in the circumstances of the case, 
 you can do ; and after pursuing this practice for years, you will 
 find that you have done much for the cause of God. The very 
 least that you can have done will be, that you have left a standing 
 and consistent testimony to the power of your benevolence, — to 
 the divine principles which led you forth to the heathen, — to your 
 confidence in the efficacy of the gospel, — and to 3^our firm belief 
 in the retributions of eternity. Such a testimony, borne for a length 
 of time, cannot be without good effects. But the probability is 
 very great, that you will behold many direct proofs of your fidelity, 
 and that the angels of God will rejoice in heaven over many souls 
 brought to repentance through your spiritual diligence. 
 
 " The most touching motives to such persevering activity in the 
 cause of God, are found throughout the New Testament; but 
 especially the examples of Paul and the other apostles, and of 
 Christ himself, should be sufficient to banish all tendency to self- 
 indulgence, and to stimulate the most sluggish to unwearied exer- 
 tion And when, to the example of our blessed Saviour, are added 
 his description of tloe fields ivhitefor the harvest, and his command 
 to icork while the day lasts, for the night cometh, imchich no man can 
 xonrk, it should seem that no missionary will think of excusing him- 
 self from a course which was sanctioned by such authority, and 
 is commended by so many powerful considerations. 
 
 " Let it not be supposed that a life of labor is of necessity a life 
 of pain, anxiety, and sorrow. Far from it. Probably no mere 
 man ever had more exalted enjoyments than the apostle Paul ; 
 and certainly no mere man ever encountered more severe, con- 
 stant, and unwearied labors. The great secret of making a labo- 
 
408 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 rioiis life pleasant, or even tolerable, consists in making the par- 
 ticular acts of labor, which are performed daily, a gratification. 
 When this is done, the great i)oint is gained. Let it be urged upon 
 you, then, my dear friends, to make your calculation for obtaining 
 the greater part of your enjoyment, as you are passing through the 
 world, from strenuous labor. After taking suitable care of your 
 health, let labor be sought as regularly as your daily food, till it 
 becomes as easy and natural to be engaged in some useful employ- 
 ment, as it is to breathe. 
 
 " From the very commencement of your missionary life, cultivate 
 a spirit of enterprise. Without such a spirit, nothing great will be 
 achieved in any human pursuit. And this is an age of enterprise, 
 to a remarkable and un[)recedented extent. In manufactures, in 
 the mechanic arts, in agriculture, in education, in the science of 
 government, men are awake and active; their minds are all on 
 the alert; their ingenuity is tasked ; and they are making' improve- 
 ments with the greatest zeal. Shall not the same enterprise be 
 seen in moral and religious things ? Shall not missionaries, espe- 
 cially, aim at making discoveries and improvements in the noblest 
 of all practical sciences, — that of applying the means which God 
 has provided for the moral renovation of the world ? There are 
 many problems yet to be solved, before it can be said that the best 
 mode of administering missionary concerns has been discovered. 
 What degree of expense shall be incurred in the support of mis- 
 sionary families, so as to secure the greatest possible efficiency, 
 with a given amount of money ; — how to dispose of the children 
 of missionaries in a manner most grateful to their parents, and 
 most creditable to the cause ; — in what proportion to spend money 
 and time upon the education of the heathen, as a distinct thing 
 from preaching the gospel ; — how far the press should be employed; 
 — by what means the attention of the heathen can be best gained 
 at the beginning ; — how their wayward practices and habits can 
 be best restrained and corrected ; — how the intercourse between 
 missionaries and the Christian world can be conducted in the best 
 manner, so as to secure the highest responsibility and the most 
 entire confidence ; and how the suitable proportion between min- 
 isters of the gospel retained at home and missionaries seni abroad, 
 is to be fixed in practice as well as in principle : — all these things 
 present questions yet to be solved. 
 
 " There is room for boundless enterprise, therefore, in the great 
 missionary field, which is the world ; and blessed will be the name 
 of that man by whose perspicacious diligence new and effectual 
 measures for bringing the gospel to the minds and hearts of the 
 the heathen shall have been discovered." 
 
 Mr. Evarts immediately returned to Boston, but reached home 
 much debilitated. He proceeded, however, to prepare the Memo- 
 rial of the Board to Congress on the state of the Indians, to write 
 various important official letters, and to put all his secular affairs 
 in the most perfect order for his contemplated absence, expecting 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 409 
 
 to proceed to Washington to do what might be practicable there 
 on behalf of the Indians, and thence on an agency in the middle 
 or south-western States. His active correspondence with eminent 
 members of Congress and with other gentlemen, in regard to 
 Indian afFairs, was continued, and he was daily consulted upon 
 all the leading movements of the season, legislative and other, 
 upon the subject. His friends at Washington kept him advised 
 of every movement there, and of the dispositions that prevailed, 
 and urged his presence ; and he continued, though with obviously 
 failing health, to cherish his plan for spending the winter and spring 
 as above mentioned, till, early in February, he was advised that it 
 was necessary to relinquish business, and to seek immediately a tropi- 
 cal climate. On the 2d of February the Memorial of the Board 
 was sent on to Mr. Everett, with a letter expressing the hope that 
 improving health would soon enable him to follow. On the 14th, 
 that hope had fled, and he wrote to another friend at Washington 
 as follows : 
 
 TO HON. I. C. BATES. 
 
 Boston, February 14, 1S31. 
 
 " My health Is too feeble to think of seeing Washington this 
 winter. I expect to embark in a few days for the Havana. 
 
 "This is a great disappointment to me, but it is an allotment 
 of Providence to which I reverentially submit. God doeth all 
 things well. 
 
 ''Please to tell Messrs. Taylor, Ridge, and Goody,* that I 
 would cheerfully have given them my best service, however fee- 
 ble, if I had been permitted to meet them. 
 
 " Let them be encouraged. God will yet interpose, as I hope, 
 for their people. 
 
 " P. S. Please to tell Mr. Taylor and his colleagues, that we 
 have strongly advised our missionaries in the Cherokee nation not 
 to leave on account of the new Georgia law, which was doubtless 
 aimed at them, and which will expose them to the penitentiary 
 at least four years, for simply residing on Cherokee territory after 
 the 1st of March. 
 
 * Delegates of the Cherokee nation. 
 
 52 
 
410 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 " Mr. Worcester has written that he has made up his mind to 
 stay and take the consequences, unless we advise otherwise. 
 
 " The public sentiment here is in favor of the missionaries going 
 cheerfully to the State Prison ; but the Cherokees must be ready 
 to do the same, and wait the operation of law." 
 
 This was his last letter to Washington. The next day he 
 embarked for Havana ; and a note of sympathy and friendship 
 from Mr. Everett, written at the close of an honorable but inef- 
 fectual endeavor, on his part, to secure a proper re-hearing of the 
 case of the Indians, closed sadly his intercourse on earth with his 
 friends in Congress. 
 
 He had a favorable passage, and arrived at Havana on the sec- 
 ond of March, without any improvement of his health. There, 
 and at the hospitable mansion of Mrs. Jenckes, near Matanzas, he 
 remained, enjoying every advantage of climate and the kindest at- 
 tentions, with health, as he thought, gradually improving, * till the 
 eighteenth of April, when he embarked for f Savannah. There 
 he arrived on the 24lh, much exhausted by the brief voyage. 
 After remaining one week, his friends most assiduously adminis- 
 tering to his comfort, he proceeded by water to Charleston, which 
 city he reached on the 3d of May. There, in the family of the 
 Rev. Dr. Palmer, pastor of the Circular Church, and surrounded 
 by a circle of acquaintance, every thing which friendship or med- 
 ical skill could suggest, was done to restore vigor and health to 
 his diseased system, but without effect. He steadily and rapidly 
 declined, and it was soon evident that his labors on earth were 
 drawing to a close. 
 
 Previous to his departure from home, he had manifested an un- 
 usually spiritual state of mind. There was a solemnity of con- 
 versation and demeanor, a tenderness of affection towards his 
 family and friends, a thankfulness for every thing done for him, a 
 quiet committing of himself and family, and of all the great in- 
 terests in which he was concerned, into the hands of his Heavenly 
 Father, which were uncommon even for him, and wholly inde- 
 
 * Subsequent events show that this was nothing more than a slight temporary relief 
 in regard to some symptoms, 
 t The private memorandum was about this lime. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 411 
 
 scribable. He faithfully counselled every member of his family, 
 and did every thing and said every thing which would have been 
 expected, and in the very spirit which would have become him, 
 if he had known that he should never return. Indeed, this appa- 
 rent completion of his work and this striking meetness for the 
 heavenly world, occasioned a sort of secret foreboding in his 
 friends that they should see him no more. 
 
 He remained in the same calm and devout frame through the 
 whole of his sickness. On his voyage his mind, he remarked, 
 " was peaceful, though solemn." '• I have been entirely free 
 from anxiety — have daily consecrated myself to God, and felt 
 happy in being in his hands and waiting his pleasure." 
 
 While crossing the Bahama Banks, Sabbath, Feb. 27th, he 
 wrote : — " Daily, and many times a day, I have been disposed, 
 I trust, to acknowledge the goodness of God, and to consecrate 
 myself anew to his service. I had thought of making a formal 
 and written consecration of myself to the Lord this forenoon ; but 
 my mind is so weighed down by my feeble body, that I can write 
 nothing, except of the simplest kind, and cannot adequately dwell 
 upon the amazing theme of being a servant of God, and of having 
 him for my portion forever." And a few hours after : " We have 
 turned the southwest end of Abaco. I have looked at this work 
 of God, which it is not likel}' I shall see again ; and have turned 
 my thoughts many times to the great and blessed Creator of all." 
 
 " Here, in this sea, I consecrate myself to God as my chief 
 good : — to him as my Heavenly Father, infinitely kind and tender 
 of his children ; to him as my kind and merciful Redeemer, by 
 whose blood and merits alone I do hope for salvation ; to him as 
 the beneficent Renewer and Sanctifier of the saved. I implore 
 the forgiveness of my numerous and aggravated transgressions ; 
 and I ask that my remaining time and strength may be employed 
 for the glory of God, my portion, and for the good of his crea- 
 tures." 
 
 " Whether I make my grave on the land or in the ocean, I 
 submit cheerfully to him. It will be as he pleases ; and so it should 
 be. I pray that the circumstances of my death, be it sooner or 
 later, may be favorable to religion ; that [ may not deceive myself 
 in the great concerns of my soul ; that I may depart in peace, 
 
412 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 and be received, through infinite mercy, to the everlasting kingdom 
 of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 
 
 He still retained the same thankfulness for every favor he re- 
 ceived. After arriving in Cuba, he writes : — " 1 have a thousand 
 things to be thankful for : and it is my daily prayer that, if my 
 health should be fully restored, I may be more entirely consecrated 
 to God, than at any previous period of my life." " I cannot be 
 sufficiently thankful that Providence has sent me to so good a 
 place for the recovery of my health ; where I liave so many good 
 things, and so many kind attentions from strangers, to whom I am 
 and shall be under great obligations." 
 
 The missionary cause was still dear to his heart, and its inter- 
 ests were taken into the account in all his plans. In writing to 
 his associates for their advice respecting the course to be pursued 
 for the recovery of his health, he says : — " I would distinctly pre- 
 mise, what has been so often said before, that the Committee will 
 advise (as I wish them and myself to decide in this matter) with 
 a single, though enlarged view, to the interests of the missionary 
 cause. This should always be prominent, both in profession and 
 in fact. Whatever individuals may do from personal considera- 
 tions, or from a regard to the cause, or from both classes of mo- 
 tives jointly, it has always been the maxim of the Committee to act, 
 as a Committee, from public motives only ; and whenever we may 
 have failed in this respect, it has been from error in judgment, 
 or want of wisdom or firmness ; and not from allowing a different 
 principle from the one just mentioned.'' In a subsequent letter, 
 remarking on a voyage to England and travelling in this country — 
 the two courses that had been proposed for his restoration to 
 health, he preferred the voyage, " if," he adds, " the prospect 
 should be that 1 should have sufficient vigor while abroad to make 
 my travels useful to the missionary cause : otherwise I should not 
 think it best to go, though it promise fairer to health than any 
 other course. 1 would not lift a finger to go to England, (much 
 and long as I have venerated that country and a portion of its in- 
 habitants,) unless the cause of Christ would be promoted, so far as 
 we can judge, by such a visit." At a later date : " I keep the 
 missionary cause in view in all these plans ; that is, I seek restor- 
 ation for the sake of laboring in the missionary cause. It has cer- 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 413 
 
 tainly boen my chosen employment. I now consecrate myself to 
 God for this cause. If he needs or designs to accept my ser- 
 vices, he will retain them : if not, it will be for reasons infinitely 
 good and wise." 
 
 The Indians, though he had endeavored to dismiss anxious care 
 respecting them, were not forgotten. Referring to their case in a 
 letter, he remarked : — " I have not allowed this subject to oppress 
 my mind at all. It has been a standing topic in my prayers ; and 
 1 have endeavored to leave it quietly to the disposition of Provi- 
 dence." 
 
 His family continued to share in his affectionate counsels and 
 prayers. Describing the manner in which he spent his days, and 
 mentioning his wife, and his children by name, he writes : " I early 
 pray for you and for other relatives, and consecrate myself to God 
 for the day." Again, to one of his children: — "You will not 
 forget that religion is the great thing ; that it is to be sought first 
 of all ; that nothing else is, comparatively, worthy of attention. 
 It is beyond expression important that you, at this period of your 
 life, make it the first object of desire and pursuit. These things 
 you have often heard ; but I feel it to be my duty to call your 
 mind particularly and solemnly to them. My own mind is very 
 frequently upon them." 
 
 Before leaving Cuba, he received intelligence of a revival of 
 religion in Yale College, and that his eldest son* was a partaker 
 in its special blessings. 
 
 "This news," he writes, "I receive with most devout joy and 
 gratitude. I render humble and hearty thanks to God, and pray 
 that he will prevent this youth from being deceived or mistaken ; 
 that his spiritual advisers may be faithful and wise ; and that he 
 may be taught by the Spirit of truth." " It is impossible that I 
 should write to John at such length as I could wish. He needs atten- 
 tion constantly and immediately. I would therefore urgently request 
 Mr. G. to write him a long and faithful letter on the amazing impor- 
 tance of being a thorough, instead of a feeble, doubtful, half-way 
 Christian. The limes demand the best of men and women ; and 
 
 * John J. Evarts, then in College, who was cut off in the bloom of life, a scholar 
 and Cliristian of high promise, anU followed his father to his rest in 1S33, at the age 
 of twenty-one. 
 
414 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 this Is the certain, and only certain way to happiness, while pass- 
 ing through this world." To liis son he wrote : — "This intelli- 
 gence gave me great joy. I immediately gave thanks to God for 
 it. I know very well that sometimes reports of this kind are pre- 
 mature ; and that young persons sometimes deceive themselves ; 
 yet I cannot help keeping this day, as far as possible, as a day of 
 thanksgiving." *' And now, my dear son, I comniend you to God 
 in Jesus Christ, praying that you may be taught by the Spirit ; 
 that your College teachers and others may be faithful to your soul; 
 that you may make thorough work in regard to the state of your 
 lieart, and a consecration of yourself to God ; that you may thus 
 be prepared, in the best and only sure way, for happiness in this 
 world ; that you may be useful to your fellow men, and look 
 with a well grounded confidence for Heaven at last." 
 
 " I have prayed for you daily, and more than once a day, par- 
 ticularly ; the burden of my supplication being that this interesting 
 lime of life — this very spring — might not pass, and leave you 
 without religion. I should be glad to write more, but my weak- 
 ness will not allow it." 
 
 " P. S. Let me exhort you to read two or three, or more 
 pages of Baxter's Saints' Rest, very deliberately and prayerfully 
 every day." 
 
 As Mr. Evarts walked with God during his life, so when he 
 found himself near the grave, and already entering the valley of 
 death, he was assured that his Lord and Saviour was with him 
 still. There was nothing in the prospect dark or alarming. He 
 viewed the scene around him and watched the approaches of 
 death with entire calmness and self-control. On Friday, the 6th 
 of May, four days before his departure, a number of ministers, at 
 liis request, met him in his chamber, when, though exceedingly 
 weak and prostrate, he addressed them, and remarked that he 
 knew his case to be extremely critical — that he found it pleas- 
 ant to be in the hands of God, who would do all things well — and 
 that he had no painful solicitude as to the results of his sickness, 
 but thought it his duty to use every means for the preservation of 
 life. He then requested an interest in their special and united 
 prayers : — 1st. That if consistent with God's will, he might recov- 
 er; 2ndly, That he might have a sweet sense of pardoned sin, 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 415 
 
 and unshaken confidence in the Saviour ; 3dly, That if God should 
 spare his life, he might be wholly and entirely the Lord's, conse- 
 crated to his service ; and 4thly, That, if it should please God to 
 remove him by this sickness, he might be able to glorify l)im on a 
 bed of languishing and pain, and that his precious cause might be 
 promoted by his death. He then expressed a firm and abiding hope 
 in the Lord Jesus, and seemed like a little child sweetly reclining 
 on the arm of its foithful protector. By this effort he was so much 
 exhausted that, at his request, the persons present retired to anoih 
 er apartment for special prayer. 
 
 During Saturday, there was no material change in his symptoms. 
 Still, however, he w^as more feeble, and his pains returned with 
 violence. On Saturday evening he remarked : " To-morrow is the 
 rest of the holy Sabbath. I may be in eternity before it arrives. 
 ]\Iy mind is so weak that I cannot pursue a train of thought ; hut I 
 bless God, it is tranquil. ]\ot my will, but thine, O God, be done !" 
 To one who remarked — We hardly know how to spare you from 
 the missionary cause, he said : " Don't mention it, don't mention 
 it : the Lord knows best." After taking a little food, he said : " I 
 shall require but little more nourishment in this world. My work 
 is almost done — Jesus reigns — blessed be he. I wish to lie as a 
 penitent sinner at the foot of the cross." About nine o'clock he 
 breathed out a short but comprehensive prayer, in interrupted and 
 broken petitions, making at its close a full and entire surrender of 
 body and soul into the Redeemer's hands ; and said : " O dear 
 Saviour, if this be the last night I have to pray on earth, 
 let my unworthy prayer be exchanged for praise in thy kingdom 
 above. Amen, amen." Speaking of his family, he said : " I 
 pity them ; but God is a faithful God, he will take care of them — 
 he will take care of them — that is enough." On being asked if he 
 had any particular message to send them, he said : " Give ihem my 
 love — my dying love — the Lord reigns." 
 
 On Sabbath morning his appearance was greatly changed, 
 and during the day he was gradually sinking, yet able to con- 
 verse. To a young professor of religion who was in attendance, 
 he said : " You have professed religion while young ; so did \. 
 I rejoice in it. All I have to say to you is, endeavor to aim at 
 high attainments. The present age demands great things of 
 
416 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 Christians. Be not satisfied with being half a Christian. Be en- 
 tirely consecrated to his service. There are some things that I 
 could do, if Providence wills that I should get better ; but I have 
 no will of my own. 1 can rejoice that I am in the hands of the 
 Lord. My mind is perfectly clear." To several young Chris- 
 tians he said : — '" I feel a great interest in young Christians. I 
 want to exhort you to help each other. Live near to God. Be 
 bold in his service. It is the only thing worth being bold in. 
 Do not be afraid. The Lord be with you." In the evening he 
 again mentioned his family with much emotion, but added, " I am 
 willing to go. 1 have committed them all to God. He has been 
 good to them." 
 
 On the morning of the 10th, when told, in answer to his in- 
 quiry, that death seemed to be near, he said : — '-'The will of the 
 Lord be done. Attend now to what I say, as to the words of a 
 dying man." Then naming the several members of his family and 
 other relatives, he added: — "To all my relations and friends, 
 grace, mercy, and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom alone 
 they and I can hope to be saved. And I wish in these dying 
 words to recognize the great Redeemer as the Saviour from sin and 
 hell ; able and willing to save all that come unto God by him. 
 To him I commend my spirit, as to an all-sufficient Saviour. He 
 is the great champion and conqueror of death and hell. And I 
 recognize the great Spirit of God as the renovator of God's elect ; 
 and herein, if I gather strength, I wish to recognize and acknowl- 
 edge the church of God, containing all who have truly dedicated 
 themselves to him in a true and everlasting covenant. And here 
 permit me, a poor unworthy worm of the dust, to give thanks to 
 many of the children of God, from whom I have received confi- 
 dence, kindness, and favor, as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 And one more duty ; if in any respect I have offended the chil- 
 dren of God, I ask their forgiveness. If I have grieved them by- 
 impatience, or any other way, I ask their forgiveness." 
 
 A iesv hours after, when his thoughts were evidently fixed on 
 the Saviour and the heavenly world, he was asked, — Have you 
 any thing to say to the missionaries — any message ? He said : 
 '' Oh yes, oh yes ; but I am afraid I shall make distinctions — 
 don't let me make distinctions." No, was the reply — all the 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 417 
 
 missionaries. Does the missionary cause appear more precious 
 and important than ever ? After a considerable pause, and with 
 much expression of countenance and emphasis of manner, he said: 
 " You have called me back to the world !" 
 
 During the day, he had seasons of pain and very laborious 
 breathing. About nine o'clock in the evening, expecting that his 
 time was come, he requested to be laid in a position suitable for 
 the occasion. But in about a quarter of an hour he had a return 
 of violent pain, and when nearly exhausted he said, *• Dear Jesus." 
 It was added : 
 
 " While on his breast I lean my head, 
 And breathe my life out sweetly there." 
 
 Immediately he burst forth with expressions of rapture which i 
 cannot be described : — " Praise him, praise him, praise him in a \ 
 way which you know not of." It was said, you will soon see i 
 Jesus as he is, and you will then know how to praise him.' i 
 " Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful glory. We cannot under- | 
 stand — we cannot comprehend — wonderful glory — I will praise i 
 him, I will praise him. — Who are in the room? Call all in — 
 call all — let a great many come — I wish to give directions — won- . 
 derful — glory — Jesus reigns." All the members of the family 
 were called ; but before they could be assembled, he sank down / 
 exhausted, and scarcely spoke again. He continued to breathe,/ 
 free from any paroxysm of pain, until a quarter before eleven 
 o'clock, when he fell asleep in Jesus. 
 
 The remains of Mr. Evarts were brought to Boston, and re- 
 pose in the family vault beneath Park-street Church — the endear- 
 ed resort of his Sabbaths for so many years, and the place where 
 he had enjoyed so much at his favorite meeting, the Monthly 
 Concert of prayer for the conversion of the world. 
 
 Under the direction of his associates of the Prudential Com- 
 mittee, funeral services were performed in the chapel of tbe^ 
 Theological Seminary at Andover, with a sermon by the Rev. 
 Dr. Woods ; and their loss was recorded in their Minutes in the 
 following terms : 
 
 ''Resolved, That the Committee are deeply impressed with 
 the great loss which has been sustained by themselves and by the 
 53 
 
418 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 Board in whose behalf they act, and by the cause of Christian 
 benevolence in general, in the removal, by death, of their be- 
 loved friend and associate, Jkremiah Evarts, Esq., who, from 
 the origin of the Board, has been devotedly and efficiently en- 
 gaged in promoting its prosperity and usefulness, in the offices of 
 Treasurer and Corresponding Secretary, and as a member of this 
 Committee. While they bow with submission to this severe 
 stroke of a wise and merciful Providence, the Committee desire to 
 acknowledge with devout thankfulness to the Giver of every good 
 and perfect gift, the disinterestedness of spirit, the comprehensive- 
 ness of views, the soundness of judgment, the accuracy of de- 
 tail, the laborious industry, the undeviating integrity, the uniform 
 patience and kindness, the habitual dependence on God, and the 
 distinguished ability and success, which characterized the efforts 
 of Mr. Evarts in the missionary cause, and in the various de- 
 partments of philanthropic and benevolent exertion." 
 
 A minute of similar tenor was adopted at the next annual 
 meeting of the Board, as a just tribute to one who had " devoted 
 all the powers of his strong, sagacious and sanctified mind to the 
 cause of missions among the heathen, with a degree of zeal, judg- 
 ment, disinterestedness, and indefatigable diligence and perse- 
 verance, which has probably never been exceeded by any one 
 occupying a similar station, and which commanded the universal 
 confidence of the friends of missions to whom he was known, in 
 every part of the world." 
 
 But such notices represent too feebly the feeling of bereave- 
 ment that pervaded the whole religious community. It can best 
 be imagined by reflecting on what he was, and on the relations 
 that he had sustained, during the whole active period of his life, 
 to the religious enterprises of the time. 
 
 " It is by no means easy," remarks one who was associated 
 with him in office for several years, " it is by no means easy to 
 analyze such a character as that of Mr. Evarts, and exhibit the 
 several parts in detail. We do not contemplate a well propor- 
 tioned edifice as consisting of parts, or think of the appearance 
 or separate effect of each stone : but we look at it as a whole ; 
 and the impression on our minds is the impression made by it as a 
 whole. The parts of his character were so adjusted to each 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 419 
 
 Other, and so interlocked, that the separate traits were scarcely- 
 noticed. So in his labors there was not an imposing display of 
 some one great qnality ; but rather a harmonious and effective 
 combination of all the useful qualities of the understanding and 
 the heart. His character may be best learned from the life he 
 lived, and the labors he accomplished. Only some of its general 
 features, as exhibited in his public life, will be attempted here. 
 
 "The first and strongest impression which Mr. Evarts made on 
 the minds of others was, probably, that of a man controlled by an 
 enlightened Christian public spirit. He felt a deep interest in 
 the welfare of his fellow men, and in every thing that could affect 
 their happiness. This feeling was the overflowing of genuine 
 Christian love, [t was well proportioned to the objects which 
 called it forth, and often rose to a noble enthusiasm. It was 
 limited to no party, to no one great public interest, to no portion 
 of the hunjan family. In its wide range, it embraced all, and 
 was tenderly concerned for all. While he was most deeply anx- 
 ious for the spiritual interests of mankind, he was alive to every 
 thing that tended to advance knowledge or civilization, or to im- 
 prove their political or social condition. Although fully aware of 
 the duties which he owed to himself and his family, and uncom- 
 monly faithful in discharging them, yet he regarded himself and 
 them as living for the public good. He never seemed to permit 
 any other interest to come into competition with that. He 
 thought for it, prayed for it, labored for it ; without once asking 
 what thanks or what emolument would be secured, or what hard- 
 ship or reproach would be encountered. 
 
 " In performing the labors to which his public spirit led him, 
 his industry was untiring. He committed himself early and for 
 life to the public service, and never drew back. He was one of 
 the very few men who will labor as strenuously and perseveringly 
 for the public as for himself. In every community where he re- 
 sided, and in all the societies with which he was connected, he 
 was willing that the burden of the labor should be thrown on 
 him, and seldom declined any service assigned to him. Nor did 
 he wait for labor to be imposed upon him ; he sought for it when- 
 ever it would promote the public good. It was his highest en- 
 joyment. It is doubtful whether he ever failed to accomplish any 
 
420 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 important object within his reach, because he was not sufficiently 
 interested in it, or because it would require too great effort. 
 Though of a feeble constitution, and incapable of great bodily 
 exertion, yet few men could endure so intense and long-continued 
 mental labor without exhaustion. 
 
 " Mr. Evarts was eminently enterprising. He cast his eye 
 over all portions of society around him, and abroad over the 
 world, to see what needed to be done ; and he felt a responsibility 
 for seeing it done, to the extent of his ability and influence. 
 What was within his power he would undertake ; and what was 
 not, he would press on the attention of others. He knew well 
 what was feasible, and how to select means for its accomplish- 
 ment. His plans and opinions were thoroughly formed and 
 weighed, and their bearings examined ; so that he dared to trust 
 them, and defend them. While he had no attachment to old 
 systems, as such, he had no fondness for change, or for trying 
 rash experiments. As the moving power which impelled him to 
 action was in himself, he did not wait to be urged on by public 
 opinion. He did not ask whether his measures would meet with 
 public favor, but whether they would promote the public good. 
 If they would, he had a right to propose them first. If public 
 opinion was not right, he would endeavor to correct it. It must 
 originate with some individual, and it mio;ht as well originate with 
 him as with another. He was, perhaps, generally in advance of 
 the public in his opinions. His ever active and benevolent mind 
 was much employed in reflecting, and forming opinions, on va- 
 rious subjects not immediately connected with his business, which 
 enabled him to write or give counsel with little apparent premedi- 
 tation, and as it was sometimes thought, with too much haste and 
 positiveness. The fact was, that the subjects were not new to 
 him, but had received his deliberate examination. His thoughts 
 and conversation were almost always on public objects ; and he 
 often suggested plans for benevolent action, to which they who 
 heard him wished he might devote his life. 
 
 " Mr. Evarts possessed a large share of true courage ; both 
 that which elevates the mind to great undertakings, and that 
 which preserves it undaunted amidst great opposition and danger. 
 Nothing within the reach of human power — nothing certainly 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 421 
 
 which had been made a duty, seemed to him too difficult, relying 
 on divine aid, to be attempted. Nor did he excuse himself from 
 arduous labors, on the plea that they belonged to more able men, 
 and thus leave them undone. He would make the endeavor him- 
 self. Yet he was always willing to avail himself of tiie counsel 
 and co-operation of others, and readily acknowledged his obliga- 
 tions to them. He did not waste time in inquiries whether he 
 should succeed or not. He would do what he could, and clear 
 himself, so as not afterwards to be pained with the conviction, 
 that the cause had failed through his dilatoriness or inefficiency. 
 To that timidity which is always predicting defeat, that pusillanim- 
 ity which does nothing because it has so much to do, and that 
 despondency which is ever occupied in contemplating its own de- 
 ficiencies, he was a stranger. While in the path of duty, he feared 
 no evil. He knew that truth and righteousness would ultimately 
 prevail, however they might now be disregarded and trampled on ; 
 and as for himself, if he was misrepresented, or reproached, or 
 ridiculed, looking forward to the day when the secrets of all 
 hearts shall be revealed, he committed himself to Him that judgeth 
 righteously. 
 
 " His promptness and energy were no less conspicuous. A 
 discriminating mind, aided by long established habits of careful in- 
 vestigation, enabled him to examine questions, and form conclu- 
 sions on which he could confidently rely, with surprising rapidity. 
 He ever felt that he was acting on his own responsibility. When 
 he had decided on his course, a strength of feeling, a determina- 
 tion of purpose, a concentration of all his powers in action, and a 
 directness of aim in every movement, made opposition yield, and 
 bore him on to the accomplishment of his designs. Yet he was 
 mild and courteous to all, and as far as possible removed from 
 obstinacy. 
 
 '• Few men could co-operate so cordially and harmoniously with 
 their associates. The Prudential Committee and his other fellow- 
 laborers in the missionary work, do not recollect to have ever receiv- 
 ed from him one angry or complaining word. He was always frank, 
 affectionate, and tender of their feelings ; never petulant, jealous, 
 or overbearing. He would indeed maintain his views with great 
 earnestness, as if he attached an importance to them ; but if he 
 
422 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 was overruled, and some measure was agreed on which he could 
 not advise to, and predicted would fail, he did not sullenly hold 
 back, as if determined to verify his prediction ; but contributed all 
 his endeavors to bring the best result out of the course adopted. 
 
 *^ Integrity and a love of justice were obvious traits in the 
 character of Mr. Evarts. He often spoke with admiration of the 
 holy character of God. So he did, also, of the character of those 
 men, who, in times of trial, have displayed eminent honesty and 
 steadfastness of principle. He regarded with peculiar abhorrence, 
 all dishonesty, injustice, oppression, tergiversation, and intrigue: 
 and no man was more free from them in his conduct ; and no 
 man, probably, who has stood in so delicate and responsible rela- 
 tions to the community, has been less suspected, or more implicit- 
 ly confided in. He ever felt himself accountable to the com- 
 munity for the funds and influence intrusted to him ; and it was a 
 principle adopted by himself, and inculcated on his associates, 
 that such a course should be pursued, and all accounts and docu- 
 ments kept in such a state, that, if the public should demand an 
 exhibition of them any day, it might be made. Such a demand 
 he knew the public had a right to make of any one transacting 
 public business. He often spoke with gratitude of his having 
 been so long permitted to be a servant of the Christian com- 
 munity, and so long enjoyed its confidence. 
 
 As Corresponding Secretary, he was often placed in very deli- 
 cate circumstances, being obliged to speak and act in such a man- 
 ner as to affect the feelings and interests of many persons ; de- 
 clining the offers of some, dismissing others from the service, 
 pointing out the faults of others, and directing the labors of others. 
 All this was done very frankly and plainly, his language always 
 corresponding with his meaning ; yet he seldom gave offence. 
 He intended to pursue a course which was so obviously right that 
 no reasonable person could find fault. It would probably be dif- 
 ficult to point out an instance where he acted towards any person 
 from prejudice or passion. If he erred, it was in forming too fa- 
 vorable opinions, and being too lenient. 
 
 " In his investigations and arguments he showed the same love 
 for simple truth. A victory won by sophistry or unfairness had 
 no charms for him. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 423 
 
 " Mr. Evarts felt a solemn responsibility for using all his 
 faculties and time so as to accomplish the most good. Con- 
 science and a sense of duty exercised a control over him, as un- 
 yielding and supreme as that of gravitation over the natural 
 world. Neither interest, nor ease, nor the pleasures of social in- 
 tercourse could draw him from his appropriate labors. Nor did 
 he bear the toil and confinement of duty with reluctance or com- 
 plaining. Labor was pleasure. Feeling bound as a public ser- 
 vant to labor to the extent of his ability, and return in valuable 
 service a full equivalent for all that he received, he was con- 
 stantly endeavoring to improve his faculties and habits, and ex- 
 tend his acquisitions, that he n)ight become more competent to his 
 work. He was not less assiduous in cultivating his religious char- 
 acter by devotional reading, watchfulness, and self-denying ac- 
 tion ; and his prayers for wisdom and grace were constant and 
 importunate. 
 
 " To a man who is obliged to examine many subjects, and to 
 transact many kinds of business requiring thoroughness and accu- 
 racy, scarcely anything is more important than that intellectual 
 training, by which control is obtained over all the faculties. This 
 Mr. Evarts possessed. He could at all seasons of the year, in all 
 states of health, and however beset by cares and troubles, bring 
 his mind into vigorous action, and direct it as he pleased. He 
 could, also, at any call, leave a subject on which his thoughts and 
 feelings were intensely fixed, and without loss of time fix them as 
 intensely on another ; and when permitted, he could resume the 
 former where he left it, and immediately proceed, as if no inter- 
 ruption had been experienced. In this manner, the habit of close 
 and accurate thought and vigor of mind were preserved amidst 
 the distracting cares of a miscellaneous business. 
 
 " He possessed a similar control over his feelings. His emo- 
 tions were strong, often like a broad and deep tide, but he rarely 
 wrote or spoke in public under the influence of wrong or exces- 
 sive feeling ; and whenever important interests were at stake, he 
 was always sufficiently guarded. He did not waste his strength 
 in solicitude respecting the future. In a letter to his family, writ- 
 ten during his last sickness, he remarks : ' It is a habit with me 
 not to cherish anxiety which I know will be useless, which must, 
 
424 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 therefore, be hurtful, and which is so plainly forbidden in the 
 Scriptures. How much better is it, than to be thus anxious, to 
 commit ourselves and each other, and all who are dear to us, to 
 the keeping of our heavenly Father, without whom not a spar- 
 row fallelh to the ground.' This habit, built on his self-control 
 and humble reliance on God, he was enabled to extend to every- 
 thing in which he was concerned. Whatever might be his busi- 
 ness, he would take portions of every day for relieving his mind 
 entirely from its burden, in which he appeared to succeed per- 
 fectly. He often remarked that no subject of thought or care 
 ever prevented his falling into quiet sleep, when the season for it 
 arrived. 
 
 *' He was aided in his labors by a memory minutely retentive, and 
 accurate to a remarkable degree. The whole of his past life, with 
 all its events, with all the acknowledge he had acquired, seemed 
 to have left palpable traces on his memory, to remain spread out 
 before him, and to be made the objects of distinct retrospection, 
 as on a map. On his third visit to the south-western Indians, 
 while making a water passage, either for use or amusement, he 
 wrote out a diary of each of his two previous tours from memory, 
 noting where he was and what he did each day, from the time he 
 left Boston till his return, one of seven and the other of four 
 months, and one performed tv^'o and the other six years previously ; 
 and, as he said, without stopping a minute to recollect himself. 
 His habit of associating contemporaneous events, and his distinct 
 remembrance, rendering the past to him almost the same as the 
 present, extended to things which persons generally least regard. 
 While writing ' William Penn,' he wished to quote a passage 
 from Hooker, all the words of which he could not recall, and the 
 book was not at hand. He soon remembered reading the passage 
 in a newspaper, of which he kept a file ; and by a little effort he 
 recollected the precise date, though ten years before, and immedi- 
 ately turned to the file and found it. Nothing was more common 
 with him in his family, than to remark that, so many years ago 
 to-day, such a battle or such another event in history occurred ; 
 and then to proceed to remark on the circumstances of it, or the 
 characters concerned in it, with as much minuteness and readiness 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 425 
 
 as if the book were before him. This rendered his conversation 
 pecLiharly interesting and instructive. 
 
 " In his 'writing, though no man more scrupulously adhered to 
 truth and accuracy, yet he seldom referred to books. The tablet 
 of his memory was his record — a substitute for books and docu- 
 ments. His missionary correspondence was greatly facilitated by 
 his having the whole history of the Board and of each mission, 
 with the character of each missionary, distinctly before his mind. 
 This power, which he said he never took pains to acquire, was 
 undoubtedly owing, in a great degree, to the perfect distinctness 
 and order with which he viewed objects ; and contributed greatly 
 to his despatch in business, and his readiness to give counsel. 
 
 " It may be remarked, in passing, that he seemed also to be 
 able to forget what he pleased. When he was told by his physi- 
 cian the winter before his decease, that he could not proceed to 
 Washington as he had designed, to labor for the Indians, and that 
 his only hope of recovery lay in his relinquishing business, and 
 making a voyage to a southern climate, he immediately dismissed 
 the subject, which for the preceding two years had been to him 
 one of so much thought and anxiety ; and it is not recollected 
 that he even mentioned it, during the two or three weeks that 
 intervened before his embarkation. 
 
 " Another power which Mr. Evarts possessed in a high degree, 
 was that of collecting and using evidence for forming correct 
 opinions. It made little difference how intangible or complicated 
 in its nature, or how various in kind, the evidence might be; he 
 would with great rapidity so weigh it as to arrive at conclusions 
 in which he was seldom disappointed. In connection with this, he 
 possessed a remarkable forecast or calculation as to the future. 
 As an instance of this, may be mentioned an estimate which he 
 formed and published, while the census of the United States was 
 taking in 1820, of what the population of each State would be. 
 It proved almost accurate enough for the marshal's report. 
 
 " Mr. Evarts's habits of business were well adapted to public 
 life. A punctuality never occasioning disappointment or delay, 
 and an unfailing accuracy characterized, all his transactions and 
 writings. His books exhibit most clearly how all the sums of 
 money, public or private, that ever passed through his hands, were 
 54 
 
426 LIFE OF EVART3. 
 
 obtained and disposed of. He aimed to transact all business with 
 despatch, and in the best manner ; and to render every document, 
 in its form, style, spirit, and even penmanship, as perfect as pos- 
 sible. He perceived almost instinctively how his work could be 
 prosecuted most advantageously, and he never lost time in matters 
 that would not promote his end, or in ascertaining what to do 
 next. 
 
 " In all his plans and labors, Mr. Evarts habitually acknowledged 
 his dependence on God, carefully noticed his providence, and 
 sought direction and aid by prayer. He spent one evening each 
 week with his associates in the missionary work, in conversation 
 and prayer relative to their duties and the concerns intrusted to 
 them. The feeling of responsibility and dependence expressed 
 on these occasions, the acknowledgments of unfaithfulness and ill- 
 desert, the thankfulness for past success, and the earnest suppli- 
 cations for wisdom and grace, expressed on these occasions, will 
 long be remembered. When at Washington, on the morning that 
 the vote was to be taken on the Indian bill, he remarked to a 
 Christian friend with whom he was entering the capitol, that God 
 only could direct to a right decision of that momentous question, 
 and requested the friend to retire with him to a vacant room for 
 prayer. After the vote was taken, he remarked to the same friend 
 that nothing but a special divine interposition could save the 
 Indians from ruin ; and again, at his suggestion, they retired to 
 the same room for prayer. However great his anxiety on any 
 subject, spreading it before God in prayer seemed to give him relief. 
 
 " There was in Mr. Evarts an assemblage of qualities and an 
 attention to every duty, constituting a completeness of character 
 seldom found. He could originate or comprehend the largest 
 plans, and yet attend to the minutest details ; he was equally fa- 
 miliar with principles and facts ; he could devise or execute, 
 feel or reason ; he could transact the retired business of an office, 
 or manage his cause in writing or debate before the public ; he 
 could meet worldly men or religious men ; could perform every 
 duty to the public and every duty to his family ; could be firm 
 and energetic in his purposes, and yet co-operate harmoniously 
 with his associates ; he could be intensely and almost constantly 
 occupied with business, and yet be habitually spiritually-minded. 
 
LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 427 
 
 Probably few men have sustained through life a more amiable or 
 irreproachable character, or possessed the really useful talents in 
 a greater variety or measure, or have used them with more benev- 
 olence, wisdom, and industry, for promoting the highest well-being 
 of his fellow-men. Few have been so ready and adequate to 
 every service to which they were called. 
 
 " In his family, Mr. Evarts was uncommonly affectionate and 
 accessible, and manifested the deepest interest in their welfare. 
 He conversed familiarly with all the members of it on interesting 
 topics, and in the most animated and instructive manner, with 
 great beauty and strength of language, and often with much 
 pleasantry, but never with levity. For giving life to conversa- 
 tion, and as an interesting companion at home or abroad, no one, 
 in the estimation of the family, could fill his place. He treated 
 them with marked courtesy and respect, and was in return greatly 
 beloved and respected by them. 
 
 " To his particular friends, especially those of his early life, he 
 was most devotedly attached ; and his affectionate partiality for 
 them was, perhaps, in some instances, excessive. He was fond 
 of society, and took great pleasure in conversation, and would 
 render himself interesting to all classes of persons. In every 
 circle with which he mingled, he contributed his full share to 
 the instruction and entertainment, without exhibiting in the least 
 degree the mental absence of the business man, or the stiffness of 
 the scholar." 
 
 In person, Mr. Evarts was of the medium height, of a slight 
 frame and spare habit, with a countenance, though not at first, 
 more than his person, particularly striking, yet indicating great 
 intelligence and activity, and all those moral traits that invite con- 
 fidence and command respect. His manners were those of a man 
 conscious alike of what was due to himself and to others, — self- 
 possessed, respectful, kind ; his conversation not brilliant, but 
 easy, animated, and to a very remarkable degree instructive ; his 
 attachments, as has been remarked, strong and permanent, and 
 his disposition social. His hospitality was cordial, and felt by 
 visiters to be a perfect welcome to what his modest and frugal 
 fireside might afford ; and particularly was he fond of seeing much 
 
4m 
 
 LIFE OF EVARTS. 
 
 at his own house, persons engaged in the public service of Christ, 
 or in any way connected with the missions. Whether Greek or 
 Jew, Indian, Hawaiian, or Negro, the stranger was sought by him 
 as a guest, and so treated as to feel himself a stranger no more. 
 
 In his views of religious truth, he probably agreed more nearly 
 with his early instructor, the late President Dwight, than any other 
 writer. He was fond of the works of Calvin, Edwards, and others 
 of the like spirit. His attachment to the doctrines and polity of 
 the orthodox Congregationalists was intelligent and strong, but 
 without bigotry. It may be doubted whether his veneration for 
 the character of Wilberforce and his Christian regard for the 
 excellent fellow-laborers of that great and good man, were at all 
 diminished by the fact that they were members of the Church of 
 England ; rather, their relations to that church clothed their char- 
 acters, in his view, with peculiar interest, and gave them special 
 claims to sympathy and respect. 
 
 Among books of devotion, Baxter's Saints' Rest was his favor- 
 ite ; but his habit, in this respect, was to read little and meditate 
 much. Especially in the later years of his life, religious medi- 
 tation, more than reading, was the chosen employment of his 
 devotional hours. Evidence of his habitual prayerfulness fre- 
 quently appears on the preceding pages. He enjoyed communion 
 with God in private, social, and public prayer ; and it was his con- 
 stant resort in all employments, and in all difficulties and trials ; and 
 he studiously made it a means of self-control and discipline. The 
 following characteristic memorandum is without date, but the topics 
 indicate the occasion with sufficient definiteness. The want of 
 specifications under the last head is to be attributed to the fact 
 that it had been a standing topic of daily prayer, at home and 
 abroad alike, for so many years. 
 
 PLAN OF PRAYER. 
 I. For Myself. 
 
 1. That 1 may journey purely in a religious manner. 
 
 2. That I may aim at preserving a devout temper. 
 
 3. That I may be preserved from rash and imprudent speeches 
 in regard to the government, the opposers of missions, or any 
 Other subject. 
 
LIFE OF EVART3. 429 
 
 4. That I may cultivate a temper universally mild and amia- 
 ble towards all men ; and whenever I hear of sinful actions, before 
 I say a word by way of censure, remember how much I find to 
 blame in myself, though under so great advantages. 
 
 5. That the journey may conduce especially to these three 
 objects, — my health, the deliverance of the Indians, and the pro- 
 motion of the missionary cause. 
 
 II. For My Family. 
 
 1. For each member, according to circumstances. 
 
 2. That, if we should never meet in this world, my failures in 
 duty may not prevent their meeting, all the friends of God, in 
 heaven. 
 
 3. That they may each and all seek the favor of God. 
 
 III. For the Indians. 
 
 1. That God would especially protect the pious ones, and 
 preserve them. 
 
 2. That inquirers may not be diverted. 
 
 3. That those who are tempted to drinking and other sins, may 
 be withheld and restrained. 
 
 4. That in none of the tribes the poor may be betrayed by 
 their chiefs or abandoned whites. 
 
 5. That the friends of the Indians, in Congress and out, may 
 be cautious, prudent, he, but especially not lacking in zeal. 
 
 6. That our government may be withheld, &;c. 
 
 7. That the minds of the rulers of Georgia may be so directed 
 as not to proceed to extremities. 
 
 8. That some peace-maker may arise, who shall obtain a hear- 
 ing for both sides. 
 
 9. That the rights of the Indians may be vindicated, and the 
 honor of the country preserved. 
 
 IV. Prayer for our Board, and for Missions generally. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 LABORS OF MR. EVARTS IN RELATION TO THE INDIAN 
 
 QUESTION. 
 
 The following sketch of the writings of Mr. Evarts upon the 
 Indian Question is based upon memoranda of his own ; and the 
 particular facts stated relating to some items in the list, are all 
 given on that authority. The list, of course, embraces only papers 
 designed for publication, or of an official character ; and nothing of 
 his voluminous correspondence and journal at Washington. 
 
 1. Essays of " William Penn," first published in the National 
 IntelHgencer in twenty-four numbers, appearing from August to 
 December, 1829. As they appeared, they were copied into more 
 than a hundred newspapers, as is beUeved, and many of them pa- 
 pers which had a very extensive circulation. 
 
 2. A Pamphlet Edition of these Essays, carefully revised and 
 corrected, with an appendix. 
 
 3. An examination of some things in regard to the Indian 
 Question as affecting the Choctaw nation, published in the Mis- 
 sionary Herald for December, 1829. 
 
 4. A Brief Statement of the present relations between the 
 Government and People of the United States and the Indians, 
 signed by George Newbold, Hugh Maxwell, Charles King, and 
 others, and published in New York, Nov. 1829. 
 
 5. Two long articles in the New York Observer, in answer to 
 the Charleston Observer. In these articles the decisions of the 
 Supreme Court are examined. 
 
 6. The Memorial to Congress from Inhabitants of the city of 
 New York in regard to the Indians : — adopted at a pubUc meeting, 
 John Trumbull, chairman. Dec. 1829. 
 
 7. Some passages in the pamphlet edition of a Review of the 
 Indian Question, which appeared originally in the American Mag- 
 azine, January, 1830. 
 
 8. The Boston Resolutions and Memorial. The most spirited 
 parts of the Memorial, as originally written, were omitted by the 
 committee to accommodate it to the supposed state of the public 
 mind. February, 1830. 
 
432 APPENDIX. 
 
 9. Procured the publication in a separate pamphlet, of a Review 
 that appeared in the Spirit of the Pilgrims. February, 1830. 
 
 10. A Protest, written at the request of leading members of 
 Congress, intended to be signed by members of both Houses who 
 voted against the Indian Bill. The subject had been considered 
 privately before the arrival of Mr. Evarts at Washington, and the 
 labor of preparing the document had been assigned to Mr. Taylor, 
 of New York. He wished Mr. E. to relieve him from it, as he was 
 much occupied by his duties in the House. About the time of the 
 passage of the iiill, however, it was concluded not to sign such a 
 paper ; as it would be too much to expect of the administration 
 members voting against the Bill, to unite in such a measure ; and 
 should it appear signed only by members of the opposition, it would 
 be denominated a party measure, and do more harm than good, — 
 as it was exceedingly important to keep the question as free as 
 possible from the influences of party. The plan, therefore, though 
 it had been warmly cherished by many for several weeks, was 
 finally abandoned by general consent, and the paper was never 
 used. May, 1830. 
 
 11. It was next suggested from the same quarter, that Mr. 
 Evarts should write an Address to be signed by the Cherokee Del- 
 egation, and published on the eve of their departure from Washing- 
 ton. This was agreed upon ; but when mentioned to Mr. Wirt, he 
 suggested that it would come with more weight, if the Cherokee 
 Council, from the heart of their own nation, were to issue the Address. 
 The document was prepared accordingly, and is the Address of the 
 Cherokee Council to the People of the United States, published 
 in the Cherokee Phoenix, July 24, 1830. The two concluding par- 
 agraphs were added in the Cherokee nation. May, 1630. 
 
 12. Speeches on the Indian Bill, a volume published in Sep- 
 tember, 1830. Mr. Evarts prepared the Prospectus — urged their 
 publication — wrote to members of Congress respecting them — 
 corrected them all for the press — and wrote the Preface, containing 
 an abstract of the arguments in favor of the Bill. " I believe," 
 says Mr. Evarts, " there has never been so correct a volume of 
 speeches published in this country, nor one creditable to so many 
 speakers. July and August, 1830. 
 
 13. An account of the effect of the Choctaw Treaty, published 
 in the Missionary Herald for August, 1830. July, 1830. 
 
 14. An Article on the Removal of the Indians, published in the 
 North American Review for October, 1830. Written in August, 
 by particular request of the Editor, Alexander H. Everett, Esq. 
 
 15. A History of the Indian Bill, seven numbers, published in 
 the New York Observer. Summer and Autumn of 1830. 
 
 16. Two numbers on "the Present State of the Indian Ques- 
 tion," signed " William Penn," and published in the National In- 
 telligencer in the Autumn of 1830. 
 
 17. Two Memorials to Congress, written officially, on behalf of 
 the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, one 
 in January, 1830, and the other in January, 1831. 
 
 Numbers 10 and 11 in the foregoing list will be found on the 
 following pages. 
 
APPENDIX. 433 
 
 DRAFT OF A PROTEST AGAINST THE PRINCIPLES AND POLICY 
 OF THE INDIAN BILL OF MAY, 1S30. 
 
 The Act entitled, an Act to provide for an exchange of lands 
 with the Indians residing in any of the States or Territories, and 
 for their removal west of the Mississippi, which has recently pass- 
 ed both Houses of Congress, and been sent to the President of 
 the United States for his approbation, being of a novel and pecu- 
 liar character, and involving principles of the deepest interest to 
 the reputation of this Republic, seems to the undersigned to re- 
 quire of them something more than the record of their names in 
 the negative, on the passage of the bill through the two branches 
 of the National Legislature. Unless the undersigned are entirely 
 mistaken as to the nature, design, and tendency of this Act, and 
 the interpretation which it will receive from the Executive, it is a 
 measure fraught with extreme danger and responsibility, and des- 
 tined to bring upon our country the guilt and shame of oppressing 
 the weak, robbing the poor, and violating the most solemn engage- 
 ments which it IS in the power of this government to make ; — en- 
 gagements unequivocal in their meaning, many times repeated, 
 and always, till recently, understood in the same sense, and in ac- 
 cordance with the obvious import of the language, by both the par- 
 ties, and by all the communities now feeling a peculiar interest in 
 the subject. If this is a fair statement of the case, the condition 
 to which our country has arrived is indeed an awful one; and it 
 well becomes every patriot, and every friend of free institutions, to 
 survey the gulf into which we have fallen from a most command- 
 ing elevation. 
 
 That the undersigned may prepare the way for disclaiming all 
 agency in producing the present state of things, and all participa- 
 tion in the responsibility attached to it, a more detailed exposition, 
 though still a brief one, will be advisable. 
 
 The Act in question places in the hands of the Executive half 
 a million of dollars to commence the work of removing the Indians, 
 according to a plan very imperfectly sketched in the act itself, but 
 no where else described by the laws of the land, and never before 
 sanctioned by the co-ordinate branches of the government. The 
 Act is not a substantive measure, resting upon its own merits, and 
 springing from a simple regard to the benefit of the Indians ; but 
 it is a co-operating measure, obviously intended to aid the States of 
 Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, in expelling the Indians 
 from their patrimonial inheritance ; and in doing this, as the 
 undersigned conceive, in violation of the public faith, and under 
 circumstances of aggravated injustice. 
 
 The words of the Act contemplate the voluntary removal of the 
 Indians ; but if their consent to a removal be obtained by bribery, 
 threats, or the oppressive legislation of the States, it will not be vol- 
 untary, in any proper and honorable sense. From public docu- 
 ments laid before Congress during the present session, it appears 
 55 
 
434 APPENDIX. 
 
 that measures have been recommended by the Secretary of War, 
 which, however disguised in language, cannot be considered as 
 any thing less than bribery. The Indians have been repeatedly 
 told, during the past year, by the President, the Secretary of War, 
 and other public functionaries, that they cannot be protected by 
 the general government against the laws of the several States ; 
 and the Indians have been informed from these high sources, that 
 they cannot live under state laws, and that the operation of these 
 laws would ensure their destruction. It appears to the undersign- 
 ed, that the Act recently passed will be justly regarded as sanc- 
 tioning the declarations of the President and the Secretary of 
 War, on these subjects; and that it will furnish the means of bri- 
 bery, and the occasion of threats, and an invitation to systematic 
 and legalized oppression on the part of the States, in such a man- 
 ner as to make the legislative and executive departments of our 
 government justly responsible to mankind for these odious and 
 disgraceful measures. 
 
 The undersigned are aware that the legislation of Georgia, Al- 
 abama, and Mississippi is said not to be oppressive ; but it is not 
 denied that the Indians regard it as oppressive, and this is suffi- 
 cient to ensure its condemnation as an expedient to drive away 
 the Indians. Besides, no dispassionate statesman in the world, 
 if acquainted with the actual condition of the Indians, can deny 
 that these laws are oppressive in a very high degree ; and it has 
 been acknowledged, on the floor of the Senate, by one of the Sen- 
 ators from Georgia, that it is the wish and aim of that State to ef- 
 fect a removal of the Indians. 
 
 Again, if the existing laws were not oppressive, other laws, 
 which will be oppressive, can easily be made ; for it is to be re- 
 membered, that a joint resolution was adopted by the legislature 
 of Georgia, in December, 1827, which was approved by the Gov- 
 ernor, and transmitted to the President of the United States, in 
 which it is declared that the Cherokee Indians are only tenants 
 at will ; that Georgia has a right to dispossess them at any mo- 
 ment ; that if other measures will not answer, she may properly 
 resort to force ; and that she wants their lands, and will have 
 them. 
 
 In order to come to a full understanding of the case, it is neces- 
 sary to look, for a few moments, at the claims or the Indians, and 
 the relations subsisting between them and the United States. 
 
 The four southwestern tribes of Indians within our national limits, 
 now reside upon lands which came to them through the immemorial 
 occupancy of their ancestors. These lands have never been in 
 the possession of the whites ; nor has the title of the original pos- 
 sessors ever been abandoned, or in any way transferred. The 
 mere statement of these facts is sufficient to show that the law of 
 nations and the fundamental principles of morality forbid that 
 these original possessors of the soil should be deprived of their 
 possessions without their own consent. But this is not all the case. 
 From the first settlement of the continent by Anglo-Americans, 
 boundaries were established between the territory sold, or surren- 
 dered to the whites, and the territory still retained by the natives. 
 
APPENDIX. 435 
 
 In the establishment of these boundaries, the natives always had 
 a voice ; and the mere fixing a boundary is an admission of title 
 in the original possessors. 
 
 In the year 1785, the confederated States made a treaty with the 
 Cherokees, one of the tribes abovementioned, by which their na- 
 tional character was admitted, peace was established, and various 
 reciprocal engagements were entered into ; the Cherokees ex- 
 pressly putting themselves under the protection of the United. 
 States, and implicitly reserving to themselves all their rights not 
 expressly surrendered. A definite national boundary was fixed, 
 leaving the Indians under their own government. 
 
 When the Federal Constitution was adopted, this treaty became 
 the supreme law of the land. 
 
 In 1791, a treaty was made between the United States and the 
 Cherokees, in which the same great principles are involved as in 
 the treaty of 1785, and by which an express and solemn guaranty 
 was given to the Clrerokee nation of all its lands not ceded to the 
 United States. Thirteen treaties were subsequently made be- 
 tween the same parties, at different periods down to the year 1819, 
 in all which the national existence, and the right of remaining 
 permanently under their own government upon the land of their 
 fathers, are implicitly, and in many forms, admitted. The guaranty 
 is always implied, and was expressly repeated, in the year 1798, 
 and declared to be for ever. 
 
 By these various treaties, the Cherokees placed themselves un- 
 der the protection of the United States, submitted the regulation 
 of their trade to the United States, granted the free naviga- 
 tion of their rivers and the opening of certain specified roads through 
 their territory, ceded large tracts of valuable land, and engaged 
 not to form compacts with foreign powers, with any separate State 
 of this Union, or with individuals. They received from the United 
 States, in consideration of these grants and cessions, a perpetual 
 guaranty of their lands not ceded, covenants of perpetual peace 
 and good neighborhood, various pecuniary annuities, and stipula- 
 tions that the United States would aid them in the work of civili- 
 zation, which they had commenced. 
 
 Thus the matter stands on the basis of treaties. The laws of 
 the United States were conformed to these stipulations in all re- 
 spects. White intruders into the Cherokee territory were subject- 
 ed to heavy penalties ; and this territory was described, in the in- 
 tercourse laws, as not being within the jurisdiction of the United 
 States, or within the jurisdiction of any territorial district of the 
 United States, and of course not within the jurisdiction of any 
 state. Intruders have repeatedly been expelled from the Chero- 
 kee territory, in pursuance of treaties and the intercourse law, by 
 the armed force of the United States. It may safely be asserted 
 that the people of Georgia have always supposed, until within less 
 than four years past, that the only way of acquiring Cherokee 
 lands was by means of solemn treaties between the United Stales 
 and the Cherokee nation. 
 
 It should here be observed, that the treaties with the Indians 
 have uniformly been ratified with the same solemnity, as treaties 
 
436 APPENDIX. 
 
 between the United States and the powers of Europe ; and, at the 
 commencement of President Washington's administration, the 
 great principles which were to be pursued in negotiating with the 
 Indians, received the dehberate sanction of the Senate, before they 
 were embodied in the treaties. Among these principles were an 
 inviolable guaranty, and the free consent of the Indians to terms 
 fairly proposed and fully understood. 
 
 In this manner are the United States bound to the Indians; and, 
 by the constitution of our national government, whenever the 
 United States are bound as a whole, each State belonging to the 
 Union is bound as a part. It is not denied by the majority who 
 passed this Act,, that, according to the plain meaning of the treaties 
 above described and the intercourse law, the Cherokees are to be 
 protected by the whole power of the United States against the 
 laws of Georgia; and all this is plain, even if Georgia had never 
 consented to these treaties and this law, but had uniformly pro- 
 tested against them. 
 
 The undersigned are of opinion, however, that Georgia has, in 
 numerous instances, approved of the whole system of treating 
 with the Indians, and has bound herself to that system as strongly 
 as it is possible for a community to bind itself by its most solemn 
 acts. 
 
 From the first settlement of Georgia till the peace of 1783, nu- 
 merous treaties were made between the colonists and the natives, 
 in all which boundaries were agreed upon ; and no treaty has been 
 produced which asserts, or even intimates, the right of the whites 
 to dispossess the Indians beyond the boundary. The very reverse 
 is always implied, and often asserted. After the peace of 1783, 
 and before the adoption of the federal constitution, Georgia, as a 
 sovereign and independent State, made treaties with the Indians, in 
 all of which the same great principles were involved. By the adop- 
 tion of the federal constitution, the treaty of Hopewell became 
 the supreme law of the land ; and all subsequent treaties made by 
 the general government with Indians, have become the supreme 
 law of the land from the dates of their ratification, respectively. 
 "When Georgia came into the Union, she of course admitted the 
 treaty of Hopewell to be the supreme law of the land ; and she 
 engaged, also, to regard all future treaties as invested with the 
 same high character. 
 
 In the compact of 1802, between the United Slates and Geor- 
 gia, it is clearly implied that, whenever the Indian title should be 
 extinguished, it would be extinguished by means of a fair and hon- 
 orable treaty ; and, in that compact, mention is made of treaties, 
 in such a manner as to show it to be the understanding of the par- 
 ties, that the general government alone could acquire from the 
 Indians the title to their lands. The very compact of 1802, on 
 which Georgia so much insists, and which, by a solemn legislative 
 act, she declared to be binding upon all her citizens forever; that 
 compact debars her from claiming the extinguishment of Indian title 
 in any other way than as a consequence of treaties to be nego- 
 tiated with the Indian nations by the United States. From 1802 
 to 1826, Georgia frequently and importunately urged the general 
 
APPENDIX. ^37 
 
 government to pnrcliase, by means of treaties, for her use and 
 benefit, lands belonging to the Creek and Cherokee nations ; and 
 the undersigned have never heard an intimation that the people 
 of Georgia, within that period, ever suggested the possibility of 
 acquiring these lands in any other way. Considerable tracts be- 
 longing to the Cherokees, and all the lands belonging to the 
 Creeks and lying within the chartered limits of Georgia, were thus 
 acquired ; amounting, in the whole, to 15,000,000 of acres. When 
 these lands were obtained by Georgia, they were from time to 
 time described in her laws, as having been acquired by the United 
 States for her use by means of treaties with these Indian nations. 
 So late as the year 1825, the governor of Georgia, in a proclama- 
 tion issued by him, declared one of these treaties with the Creek 
 nation to be the supreme law of the land. 
 
 From the date of the organization of the general government to 
 the present time, fourteen treaties have been made with the Cher- 
 okee nation, ( ) with the Creek nation, and more than a 
 
 hundred with other Indian nations ; and it has not been stated, so 
 far as the undersigned have heard, that a single Senator of Geor- 
 gia has refused his advice and consent to any one of them, as they 
 severally were ratified by the Senate of the United States. 
 
 The undersigned are aware that it is noiv said, that compacts 
 with Indian nations are not treaties ; but no authority for such a 
 declaration has been shown. These compacts have all the attri- 
 butes of treaties, as the word treaty has been understood ever 
 since it was introduced into the English language. That word 
 was in frequent use, as applicable to compacts with Indians, from 
 the first settlement of this country. It was thus used, in number- 
 less instances, by the revolutionary Congress, and by the very 
 men who formed the federal constitution. It was thus used by 
 the same men, as contemporary expoiuiders and administrators of 
 the constitution which they had formed. What possihle reason is 
 there, then, for asserting that compacts with Indians are not 
 treaties ? 
 
 Besides, that body which has the exclusive power of makiu"" 
 treaties, must, from the nature of the case, have the exclusive 
 power of deciding what a treaty is ; and having decided that cer- 
 tain compacts are treaties, and ratified and authenticated them as 
 such, there is no power known to the constitution, which can de- 
 clare that they are not treaties. They are the supreme law of the 
 land, and both rulers and people are bound by them, until they are 
 altered or annulled by the parties. 
 
 The treaties with the Cherokees were negotiated under the 
 direction of the first five Presidents of the United States, and 
 some of them by the direct agency of the distinguished individu- 
 als who now hold the two highest offices under the federal consti- 
 tution. They were ratified by every Senate for a period of thirty 
 years ; and similar treaties have been ratified down to the present 
 session inclusive. Appropriations to carry them into eftect have 
 been made by every House of Representatives. These treaties 
 are plain in their language, and incapable of being perverted by 
 ingenuity, or obscured by sophistry. They abound in professions 
 
438 APPENDIX. 
 
 of kindness, good faith, and justice. By these treaties the United 
 States, at a very critical period of their history, were saved from 
 the expense and embarrassment of a protracted Indian war. The 
 new settlements were delivered from Indian invasion, and the 
 indescribable terrors and alarms which the dread of such invasion 
 never fails to excite. By these treaties the United States acquired 
 of the Cherokees large and valuable tracts of land, which now 
 contain a white population of hundreds of thousands ; while the 
 Cherokees have retained for their own use but a moderate portion 
 of their x)riginal territory, and that by far the least valuable. In 
 the discussion which preceded the passage of this act, a Senator 
 from Georgia declared in his place, that the acquisition of the 
 Cherokee lands now demanded by that State is a very inconsider- 
 able thing ; and, compared with previous cessions of land by the 
 Cherokee nation, — much more compared with the value of an 
 unspotted national character, — the remaining lands of the Chero- 
 kees are certainly an object of small consideration. 
 
 Again, these treaties are incorporated into the laws which relate 
 to our national intercourse with Indians, in such a manner that 
 they cannot be detached without destroying the whole system. 
 The first intercourse law and the first treaty, under the federal 
 constitution, were made contemporaneously ; and the legislative 
 power has invariably acted as the handmaid of the treaty- making 
 power. 
 
 The States of Mississippi and Alabama are bound, not only as 
 parts of the Union, equally with all the other States and with the 
 nation at large, to observe all treaties as the supreme law of the 
 land; but these States were admitted into the Union, with the ex- 
 press covenant and solemn engagem.ent, that they would conform 
 to the ordinance of 1787, which forever prohibits them from invad- 
 ing or disturbing the Indians in their property, rights, and liberty, 
 unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress, and from 
 taking the lands and property of the Indians without their consent. 
 
 The undersigned conceive, therefore, that the rulers and people 
 of the United States are bound to the Indian nations, so long as 
 these nations shall fulfil their part of the existing covenants, not 
 to encroach upon their lands, nor disturb them in the enjoyment of 
 their laws and customs, nor exercise any dominion over them, ex- 
 cept what they have expressly admitted the federal government 
 to exercise. jN'o complaint is preferred against them as having 
 violated any of the existing compacts. They live in amity with 
 their white neighbors ; and the Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Choc- 
 taw nations have for many years cultivated the most friendly re- 
 lations with us, and have been in the habit of treating the citizens 
 of the United States who pass through their borders, with civility, 
 kindness, and hospitality. 
 
 When it is considered that, (to say nothing of the period anterior 
 to the revolution,) our diplomatic relations with Indians com- 
 menced at the very origin of our national existence ; that they 
 were formed into a well-digested system at the organization of 
 our present form of government, and solemnly and deliberately 
 sanctioned by the venerated founders of the republic ; that they 
 
AfPENDIX. 
 
 439 
 
 have been confirmed by every Senate and every House of Repre- 
 sentatives of the United States ; that they were explained by 
 President Washington, in his official letters to the Indians, as 
 meaning precisely those things which the Cherokeesand the other 
 south-western tribes now understand them to mean ; that they are 
 not capable of any other meaning ; that a guaranty of lands not 
 ceded, if not formal, at least in effect and substance, was always a 
 sine qua no)i of treaties on the part of the Lidians ; that President 
 Jefferson, during the whole course of his public life, asserted the 
 very principles of Indian title which are now pleaded by the In- 
 dians ; that the treaties were made at our solicitation, and for our 
 benefit ; that the United States obtained lands which brought 
 millions into the public treasury, and are now a large part of the 
 inhabited territory of flourishing States ; that the Cherokee coun- 
 try now claimed by Georgia is of inconsiderable value ; that there 
 is no plea of necessity in the case, and if there were, it is a plea 
 which should always be suspected when assigned as a reason for 
 violating positive compacts ; that the State of Georgia is bound in 
 many ways, both as a member of the Union and as a separate 
 State, if it is possible for a community to be bound by its own acts ; 
 that this series of obligations extends through nearly half a cen- 
 tury ; that the Cherokees, especially, have been urged to engage 
 in the work of civilization by the argument that they were to re- 
 main permanently on the land of their fathers ; that this argument 
 was not only pressed upon them constantly by agents of the gov- 
 ernment, but was repeatedly embodied in treaties ; and that the 
 Indian nations committed themselves and their all to the guardian- 
 ship of our good faith :— When all these things are considered, 
 the undersigned feel compelled to say, that any course of measures, 
 which, however plausibly described, is in effect a violation of these 
 pubUc engagements, thus solemnly anddehberately formed and rat- 
 ified, exhibits a frightful compound of ingratitude, injustice, and 
 perfidy. Nothing hke it ever before stained the annals of this 
 country. In some respects, there is an aggravation attached to 
 this deplorable abandonment of plighted faith, which cannot find 
 a parallel in history. These declarations are made with the deep- 
 est sorrow, and with indescribable mortification and distress. If 
 the facts in the case could be concealed, there would be a power- 
 ful reason for silence. But they cannot. Every volume of our 
 statutes proclaims Indian rights, and will remain a perpetual testi- 
 mony to our disgrace. In various ways, our government has in- 
 vited the attention of the civilized world to the principles of jus- 
 tice and humanity which it has solemnly professed, and to which 
 it stands pledged. 
 
 Though the greatest objection to the Act in question is, in the 
 opmion of the undersigned, its being a violation of the public faith ; 
 yet there are other objections of a very grave character. 
 
 It would seem a sufficient reason for voting in the negative on 
 the passage of this Act, that the scheme which it is designed to 
 support is crude and undigested, and has never yet been subjected 
 to an experiment on a large scale. There is nothing in history 
 that resembles it. So far as any thing hke an experiment has 
 
440 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 been tried, the result has been by no means favorable to the suc- 
 cess of the present plan. The Seminoles and a part of the Dela- 
 wares migrated, at the instance of the general government. Offi- 
 cial documents published by the government show that these emi- 
 grants were plunged into the deepest distress ; that many of them 
 died of famine ; and their condition is now miserable in the ex- 
 treme, 
 
 Again ; the removal of 75,000 souls, (the number at which the 
 south-western tribes are estimated by the Secretary of War,) must 
 be attended with extreme suffering. No human care or caution 
 can prevent this suffering. Were it inflicted directly by Divine 
 Providence, we should sympathize with the sufferers, as in other 
 cases of unavoidable calamity. But the suffering in this case will 
 be brought upon unoffending tribes by human agency, — by the 
 agency of this great republic, acting through its government upon 
 the sufferers. Let it be considered that Indians are men ; that 
 they have not only the rights and privileges of men, but the same 
 susceptibility of hunger, sickness, pain, and grief, as other men; 
 and that, on some accounts, the measure now proposed will be 
 attended with more permanent evils to them than a similar course 
 of measures would bring upon an equal number of white inhabi- 
 tants, residing in one of the cities or counties of the United States. 
 
 The expense of this undertaking will, as there is reason to be- 
 lieve, be enormous. The chairman of the Indian committee of 
 the House estimated them at $5,000,000. Several members, who 
 have given much attention to the subject, suppose they will amount 
 to four or five times that sum. For the support of the public faith, 
 such an expenditure would meet the approbation of an intelligent 
 and moral community ; but it should not be incurred, unless for 
 the most substantial reasons. 
 
 It is contended by the advocates of removal, that the country 
 now in the possession of the Indians is needed for the accommo- 
 dation of the whites, while the country to which they are to be re- 
 moved is much better for the accommodation of the Indians, than 
 the territory which they now possess. But it seems to the under- 
 signed, that this plea of necessity is not sustained by facts, if it 
 were valid in its nature. The United Slates now possess one hun- 
 dred million acres of unsettled land purchased of Indians ; and the 
 present rate of sales is but one million a year. Besides, if the 
 lands to which the Indians remove are valuable and inviting, they 
 will be sought by whites ; and pretexts will not be wanting for 
 obtaining them. Indeed, the principles on which the present course 
 of measures has been decided, would authorize the banishment of 
 Indians from the national limits of the United States, and even 
 from this continent. 
 
 It will be impossible, if the Indians are compelled to remove, 
 ever to regain their confidence. They will regard themselves as 
 pensioners on the bounty of the United States, and not as pos- 
 sessing any rights either of property, person, or government. The 
 natural tendency of such a state of things is, to produce in 
 any men, most of all in Indians, despondency, recklessness of 
 mind, and utter despair of the future. The natural consequence 
 
APPENDIX. 441 
 
 seems to be, that all the improvements now making in their con- 
 dition will receive a disastrous check, if they do not utterly cease. 
 
 In conclusion, the undersigned solemnly declare that they have 
 endeavored to form their opinions upon this subject, with a sole 
 reference to the great principles of national morality and public 
 duty; and that they have not, in any respect, wished it to become 
 a party measure. On the contrary, they have deprecated the pro- 
 bability that their opposition to the measure would be ascribed to 
 the influence of party. This is a matter of far too serious a char- 
 acter to be confounded with the ordinary political questions of the 
 day. It relates to great questions of the law of nations, and to 
 fundamental principles of right and wrong. It implicates the re- 
 putation of our country throughout the civilized world; and will 
 bear witness against the rulers and the people who sanction it, so 
 long as the record of these transactions shall be preserved. It is 
 to be regarded, therefore, as a great calamity ; much greater than 
 words can adequately express, and probably much greater than 
 can now be fully imagined. 
 
 From all participation in bringing this calamity upon the people 
 of the United States, the undersigned do publicly and solemnly 
 exonerate themselves ; and, on the part of themselves and their 
 constituents, they feel bound to abjure the principles on which 
 the present course of measures respecting the Indians is founded, 
 and to pronounce this course of measures to be, in their judgment, 
 a most unjustifiable series of acts of oppression toward the weak 
 and defenceless, and a manifest and very aggravated violation of 
 the public faith. 
 
 They cannot but earnestly desire that these transactions may 
 be viewed in their true fight by the government and people of the 
 United States ; that the Chief Magistrate may exercise with ex- 
 treme caution the vast power which is placed in his hands by the 
 Act in question ; that the dangerous and mistaken policy, here 
 briefly described, may be speedily abandoned ; that our national 
 character may come forth with pristine brightness, from the ecfipse 
 by which it is obscured ; and that no reproach may become per- 
 manently attached to our national character. 
 
 Of this result, however, there can be no hope, unless a change 
 of measures be resorted to, nor unless the people of the United 
 States demand that the faith of the nation shall be preserved in- 
 violate and transmitted to posterity without a stain. 
 
 56 
 
II. 
 
 ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, BY THE 
 GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE CHEROKEE NATION, JULY 1&30. 
 
 Some months ago a delegation was appointed by the constitut- 
 ed authorities of the Cherokee nation, to repair to the city of 
 Washington, and, in behalf of this nation, to lay before the gov- 
 ernment of the United States such representations, as should 
 seem most likely to secure to us, as a people, that protection, aid, 
 and good neighborhood, which had been so often promised to us, 
 and of which we stand in great need. Soon after their arrival in 
 the city, they presented to Congress a petition from our National 
 Council, asking for the interposition of that body in our behalf,, 
 especially with reference to the laws of Georgia, which were sus- 
 pended in a most terrifying manner over a large part of our popu- 
 lation, and protesting, in the most decided terms, against the opera- 
 tion of these laws. In the course of the winter, they presented 
 petitions to Congress, signed by more than four thousand of our 
 citizens, including, probably, more than nineteen-twentieths, and 
 for aught we can tell, ninety-nine hundredths, of the adult males 
 of the nation, (our whole population being about sixteen thousand,); 
 pleading with the assembled representatives of the American peo- 
 ple, that the solemn engagements between their fathers and our 
 fathers may be preserved, as they have been till recently, in full 
 force and continued operation : asking, in a word, for protection 
 against threatened usurpation, and for a faithful execution of a 
 guaranty, which is perfectly plain in its meaning, has been repeat- 
 edly and rigidly enforced in our favor, and has received the sanc- 
 tion of the government of the United States for nearly forty years. 
 
 More than a year ago, we were officially given to understand by 
 the Secretary of War, that the President could not protect us 
 against the laws of Georgia. This information was entirely un- 
 expected ; as it went upon the principle, that treaties made be- 
 tween the United States and the Cherokee nation have no power 
 to withstand the legislation of separate States ; and, of course, that 
 they have no efficacy whatever, but leave our people to the mercy 
 of the neighboring whites, whose supposed interests would be 
 promoted by our expulsion or extermination. It would be impos- 
 sible to describe the sorrow which affi3Cted our minds, on learning 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 443 
 
 that the Chief Magistrate of the United States had come to this 
 conchision, that all his illustrious predecessors had held intercourse 
 with us on principles which could not be sustained — promises 
 made hundreds of times, in almost every conceivable manner — • 
 often in the forna of solemn treaties, sometimes in letters written 
 by the Chief Magistrate with his own hand, very often in letters 
 written by the Secretary of War under his direction, sometimes 
 orally by the President and Secretary to our chiefs, and frequent- 
 ly, and always, both orally and in writing, by the Agent of the 
 tJnited States residing among us, whose most important business 
 it was to see the guaranty of the United States faithfully ex- 
 ecuted. 
 
 Soon after the war of the revolution, as we have learned from 
 our fathers, the Cherokees looked upon the promises of the whites 
 with great distrust and suspicion ; but the frank and magnanimous 
 conduct of General Washington did much to allay these feelings. 
 The perseverance of successive Presidents, and especially of Mr. 
 Jefierson, in the same course of policy, and in the constant assur- 
 ance that our country should remain inviolate, except so far as we 
 voluntarily ceded it, nearly banished anxiety in regard to encroach- 
 ments from the whites. To this result, the aid which we received 
 from the United States in the attempts of our people to become 
 civilized, and the kind efibrts of benevolent societies, have greatly 
 contributed. Of late years, however, much solicitude was occa- 
 sioned among our people by the claims of Georgia. This sohci- 
 tude arose from an apprehension, that, by extreme importunity, 
 threats, and other undue influence, a treaty would be made which 
 should cede the territory, and thus compel the inhabitants to re- 
 move. But it never occurred to us for a moment, that without 
 any new treaty, without any assent of our rulers and people, with- 
 out even a pretended compact, and against our vehement and 
 unanimous protestations, we should be delivered over to the dis- 
 cretion of those who had declared by a legislative act, that they 
 wanted the Cherokee lands and would have them. 
 
 Finding that relief could not be obtained from the Chief Magis- 
 trate, and not doubting that our claim to protection was just, we 
 made our application to Congress. During four long months our 
 delegation waited at the doors of the National Legislature of the 
 United States, and the people at home, in the most painful sus- 
 pense, to learn in what manner our application would be answer- 
 ed; and, now that Congress has adjourned, on the very day be- 
 fore the date fixed by Georgia for the extension of her oppressive 
 laws over the greater part of our country, the distressing intelli- 
 gence has been received, that we have received no answer at all ; 
 and no department of the government has assured us that we are 
 to receive the desired protection. But just at the close of the 
 session, an act was passed, by which half a million of dollars was 
 appropriated towards effecting a removal of Indians ; and we have 
 great reason to fear that the influence of this act will be brought 
 to bear most injuriously upon us. The passage of this act is cer- 
 tainly understood by the representatives of Georgia as abandoning 
 
444 APPENDIX. 
 
 US to the oppressive and cruel measures of the State, and as 
 sanctioning the opinion that treaties witli Indians do not restrain. 
 State legislation. We are informed by those who are competent 
 to judge, that the recent act does not admit of such construction ; 
 but that the passage of it, under the actual circumstances of the 
 controversy, will be considered as sanctioning the pretensions of 
 Georgia, there is too much reason to fear. 
 
 Thus have we realized, with heavy hearts, that our supplication 
 has not been heard ; that the protection heretofore experienced is 
 now to be withheld ; that the guaranty, in consequence of which 
 our fathers laid aside their arms and ceded the best portions of 
 their country, means nothing ; and that we must either emigrate 
 to an unknown region and leave the pleasant land to which we 
 have the strongest attachments, or submit to the legislation of a 
 State which has already made our people outlaws, and enacted 
 that any Cherokee, who shall endeavor to prevent the seUing of 
 his country, shall be imprisoned in the penitentiary of Georgia not 
 less than four years. To our countrymen, this has been melan- 
 choly intelligence, and with the most bitter disappointment has it 
 been received. 
 
 But in the midst of our sorrows, we do not forget our obligations to 
 our friends and benefactors. It was with sensations of inexpressible 
 joy, that we have learned, that the voice of thousands, in many 
 parts of the United States, has been raised in our behalf, and that 
 numerous memorials have been offered in our favor, in both houses 
 of Congress. To those numerous friends who have thus sympa- 
 thized with us in our low estate, we tender our grateful acknowl- 
 edgments. In pleading our cause, they have pleaded the cause 
 of the poor and defenceless throughout the world. Our special 
 thanks are due, however, to those honorable men who so ably and 
 eloquently asserted our rights in both branches of the national 
 legislature. Their efforts will be appreciated, wherever the merits 
 of this question shall be known ; and we cannot but think, that 
 they have secured for themselves a permanent reputation among 
 the disinterested advocates of humanity, equal rights, justice, and 
 good faith. We even cherish the hope that these eflbrts, second- 
 ed and followed by others of a similar character, will yet be avail- 
 able so far as to mitigate our sufferings, if not to effect our entire 
 deliverance. 
 
 Before we close this address, permit us to state what we con- 
 ceive to be our relations with the United States. After the peace 
 of 1783, the Cherokees were an independent people — absolutely 
 so, as much as any people on earth. They had been allies to 
 Great Britain, and as faithful allies, took a part in the colonial 
 war on her side. They had placed themselves under her protec- 
 tion ; and had they, without cause, declared hostility against their 
 protector, and had the colonies been subdued, what might not 
 have been their fate ? But her power on this continent was 
 broken. She acknowledged the independence of the United 
 States and made peace. The Cherokees, therefore, stood alone, 
 and in these circumstances continued the war. They were then 
 
APPENDIX. 445 
 
 under no obligations to the United States, any more than to Great 
 Britain, France, or Spain. The United States never subjugated 
 the Cherokees ; on the contrary, our fathers remained in posses- 
 sion of their country, and with arms in their hands. 
 
 The people of the United Stales sought a peace; and, in 1785, 
 the treaty of Hopewell was formed, by which the Cherokees came 
 under the protection of the United States, and submitted to such 
 limitations of sovereignty as are mentioned in that instrument. 
 None of these limitations, however, affected in the slightest de- 
 gree, their rights of self-government and inviolate territory. The 
 citizens of the United States had no right of passage through the 
 Cherokee country, till the year 1791, and then only in one direc- 
 tion, and by an express treaty stipulation. When the Federal 
 constitution was adopted, the treaty of Hopewell was confirmed, 
 with all other treaties, as the supreme law of the land. In 1791, 
 the treaty of Holston was made, by which the sovereignty of the 
 Cherokees was qualified as follows : The Cherokees acknowl- 
 edged themselves to be luider the protection of the United States, 
 and of no other sovereign. They engaged that they would not 
 hold any treaty with a foreign power, with any separate State of 
 the Union, or with individuals. They agreed that the United 
 States should have the exclusive right of regulating their trade ; 
 that the citizens of the United States should have a right of way 
 in one direction through the Cherokee coimtry ; and that if an 
 Indian should do injury to a citizen of the United States, he should 
 be delivered up to be tried and punished. A cession of lands was 
 also made to the United States. On the other hand, the United 
 States paid a sum of money ; olTered protection ; engaged to 
 punish citizens of the United States who should do any injury to 
 the Cherokees ; abandoned white settlers on Cherokee lands to 
 the discretion of the Cherokees ; stipulated that white men should 
 not hunt on these lands, nor even enter the country without a 
 passport ; and gave a solemn guaranty of all Cherokee lands not 
 ceded. This treaty is the basis of all subsequent compacts ; and 
 in none of them are the relations of the parties at all changed. 
 
 The Cherokees have always fulfilled their engagements. They 
 have never re-claimed those portions of sovereignty, which they 
 surrendered by the treaties of Hopewell and Holston. These por- 
 tions were surrendered for the purpose of obtaining the guaranty 
 which was recommended to them as the great equivalent. Had 
 they refused to comply with their engagements, there is no doubt 
 the United States would have enforced a compliance. Is the 
 duty of fulfilling engagements on the other side less binding than 
 it would be, if the Cherokees had the power of enforcing their 
 just claims ? 
 
 'I'he people of the United States will have the fairness to re- 
 flect, that all the treaties between them and the Cherokees were 
 made at the solicitation, and for the benefit, of the whites ; that 
 valuable considerations were given for every stipulation, on the 
 part of the United States ; that it is impossible to reinstate the 
 parties in their former situation ; that there are now hundreds of 
 
446 APPENDIX. 
 
 thousands of citizens of Ihe United Slates, residing upon lands 
 ceded by the Cherokees in these very treaties ; and that our peo- 
 ple have trusted their country to the guaranty of the United 
 States. If this guaranty fails them, in what can they trust ? and 
 where can they look for protection ? 
 
 We are aware that some persons suppose it will be for our ad- 
 vantage to remove beyond the Mississippi. We think otherwise. 
 Our people universally think otherwise. Thinking that it would 
 be fatal to their interests, they have almost to a man sent their 
 memorial to Congress, deprecating the necessity of a removal. 
 This question was distinctly before their minds when they signed 
 their memorial. Not an adult person can be found, who has not 
 an opinion on the subject; and if the people were to understand 
 distinctly, that they could be protected against the laws of the 
 neighboring States, there is probably not an adult person in the 
 nation, who would think it best to remove ; though possibly a few 
 might emigrate individually. There are doubtless many who 
 would flee to an unknown country, however beset with dangers, 
 privations and sufferings, rather thaia be sentenced to spend six 
 years in a Georgia prison for advising one of their neighbors not to 
 betray his country. And there are others who could not think of 
 living as outlaws in their native land, exposed to numberless vex- 
 ations, and exchided from being parties or witnesses in a court of 
 justice. It is incredible that Georgia should ever have enacted 
 the oppressive laws to which reference is here made, unless she 
 had supposed that something extremely terrific in its character 
 was necessary, in order to make the Cherokees willing to remove. 
 We are not willing to remove ; and if we could be brought to this 
 extremity, it would be, not by argument; not because our judgment 
 was satisfied ; not because our condition will be improved — but 
 only because we cannot endure to be deprived of our national and 
 individual rights, and subjected to a process of intolerable op- 
 pression. 
 
 We wish to remain on the land of our fathers. We have a perfect 
 and original right to claim this, without interruption or molestation. 
 The treaties with us, and laws of the United States made in pur- 
 suance of treaties, guaranty our residence, and our privileges, and 
 secure us against intruders. Our only request is, that these trea- 
 ties may be fulfilled, and these laws executed. 
 
 But if we are compelled to leave our country, we see nothing 
 Tjut ruin before us. The country west of the Arkansas territory is 
 imknown to us. From what we can learn of it, we have no pre- 
 possessions in its favor. All the inviting parts of it, as we be- 
 lieve, are pre-occupied by various Indian nations, to which it has 
 Tjeen assigned. They would regard us as intruders, and look upon 
 ns with an evil eye. The far greater part of that region is, be- 
 yond all controversy, badly supplied with wood and water ; and no 
 Indian tribe can live as agriculturists without these articles. All 
 our neighbors, in case of our removal, though crowded into our 
 near vicinity, would speak a language totally different from ours, 
 and practise different customs. The original possessors of that 
 
APPENDIX, 
 
 447 
 
 region are now wandering savages, lurking for prey in the neigh- 
 borhood. They have always been at war, and would be easily 
 tempted to turn their arms against peaceful emigrants. Were the 
 country to which we are urged much belter than it is represented 
 to be, and were it free from the objections wbich we have made 
 to it, still it is not the land of our birth, nor of our afiectioiis. It 
 contains neither the scenes of our childhood, nor the graves of our 
 fathers. 
 
 The removal of families to a new country, even under the most 
 favorable auspices, and when the spirits are sustained by jileasing 
 visions of the future, is attended with much depression of mind 
 and sinking of heart. This is the case, when the removal is a 
 matter of decided preference, and when the persons concerned are 
 in early youth or vigorous manhood, Judge, then, what must be 
 the circumstances of a removal, when a whole comu:>unity, em- 
 bracing persons of all classes and every description, from the in- 
 fant to the man of extreme old age, the sick, the blind, the lame,, 
 the improvident, the reckless, the desperate, as well as the pru- 
 dent, the considerate, the industrious, are compelled to remove by 
 odious and intolerable vexations and persecutions, brought upon 
 them in the forms of law, when all will agree only in this, that 
 they have been cruelly robbed of their country, in violation of the 
 most solemn compacts which it is possible for communities to- 
 form with each other ; and that, if they should make themselves 
 comifortable in their residence, they have nothing to expect here- 
 after but to be the victims of a future legahzed robbery I 
 
 Such we deem, and are absolutely certain, will be the feelings 
 of the whole Cherokee people, if they are forcibly compelled by 
 the laws of Georgia to remove; and with these feelings, how is it 
 possible that we should pursue our present course of improvement, 
 or avoid sinking into utter despondency ? We have been called 
 a poor, ignorant, and degraded people. We certainly are not rich ; 
 nor have we ever boasted of our knowledge, or our moral or intel- 
 lectual elevation. But there is not a man within our limits so 
 ignorant as not to know that he has a right to live on the land of 
 his fathers, in the possession of his immemorial privileges, and 
 that this right has been acknowledged and guarantied by the 
 United States ; nor is there a man so degraded as not to feel a 
 keen sense of injury, on being deprived of this right and driven 
 into exile. 
 
 It is under a sense of the most pungent feelings that we make 
 this, perhaps our last appeal to the good people of the United 
 States. It cannot be that the community we are addressing, re- 
 markable for its intelligence and religious sensibilities, and pre- 
 eminent for its devotion to the rights of man, will lay aside this 
 appeal, without considering that we stand in need of its sympathy 
 and commiseration. We know that to the Christian and the phi- 
 lanthropist, the voice of our multiplied sorrows and fiery trials will 
 not appear as an idle tale. In our o\vn land, on our own soil, and 
 in our own dwellings, which we reared for our wives and for our 
 little ones, when there was peace on our mountains and in our 
 
448 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 valleys, we are encountering troubles which cannot but try our 
 very souls. But shall we, on account of these troubles, forsake 
 our beloved country ? Shall we be compelled by a civihzed and 
 Christian people, with whom we have lived in perfect peace for 
 the last forty years, and for whom we have willingly bled in war, 
 to bid a final adieu to our homes, our farms, our streams, and our 
 beautiful forests? No. We are still firm. We intend still to 
 cling, with our wonted affection, to the land which gave us birth, 
 and which, every day of our lives, brings to us new and stronger 
 ties of attachment. We appeal to the Judge of all the earth, who 
 will finally award us justice, and to the good sense of the Ameri- 
 can people, whether we are intruders upon the land of others. 
 Our consciences bear us witness that we are the invaders of no 
 man's rights — we have robbed no man of his territory — we have 
 usurped no man's authority, nor have we deprived any one of his 
 unalienable privileges. How then shall we mdirectly confess the 
 right of another people to our land by leaving it forever ? On the 
 soil which contains the ashes of our beloved men, we wish to live, 
 on this soil we wish to die. 
 
 We entreat those to whom the foregoing paragraphs are ad- 
 dressed, to remember the great law of love, " Do to others as ye 
 would that others should do to you." Let them remember that of 
 all nations on the earth, they are under the greatest obligation to 
 obey this law. We pray them to remember that, for the sake of 
 principle, their forefathers were compelled to leave, therefore driven 
 from the old world, and that the winds of persecution wafted them 
 over the great waters, and landed them on the shores of the new 
 world, when the Indian was the sole lord and proprietor of these 
 extensive domains. Let them remember in what way they were 
 received by the savage of America, when power was in his hand, 
 and his ferocity could not be restrained by any human arm. We 
 urge them to bear in mind, that those who would now ask of them 
 a cup of cold water, and a spot of earth, a portion of their own patri- 
 monial possessions, on which to live and die in peace, are the de- 
 scendants of those whose origin, as inhabitants of North America, 
 history and tradition are ahke insufficient to reveal. Let them 
 bring to remembrance all these facts, and they cannot, and we are 
 sure, they ivill not fail to remember, and sympathize with us in 
 these our trials and sufferings. 
 
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