# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 04 11_S132
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

132

recognized what God had done for them within a few years through the preaching of the Gospel, how all the old heathen conditions had been overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit and a lovely life of faith had begun among them. Thereupon he turned to the last sad months, in which he had been hindered from introducing them into the richer understanding of the Scripture, because he had had to do without the help of a faithful interpreter. The two last interpreters who had been in the service of the mission here had proved, alas, dishonest and unfit, and after they had been dismissed on that account, no substitute for them could be found. It was therefore high time to deliberate how the said distress might be remedied; it was also expressly the purpose for which the delegates of the Church, to which we all belonged, were now here, to see how the congregation at Shebahyonk might best be advised.

Thereupon the undersigned took the word and expressed the humble conviction of the Synod, according to which the time had now come when the two Indian mission congregations Shebahyonk and Bethany might be united. Although the inhabitants of each have their peculiarity, and the distance between the two amounts to more than 100 miles, yet the same one faith binds them, and if this shows itself active in both through love, each will also be ready to impart to the other what good it has; it will gladly enjoy in common with the other the benefits of fellowship, yes, for the sake of this fellowship will gladly bring a sacrifice. It was no longer possible for the congregation at Shebahyonk to receive the full preaching of the Gospel otherwise than by uniting with the brethren at Bethany in a common dwelling place. Also the expenses for the maintenance of a mission station were so high that if one could put two together, it was a sacred duty to carry this out, in order, by such saving, to be put in a position to let other heathen also share in the benefits of the preaching of the Word of the cross. As to the external difficulties which stood in the way, God had already provided for their overcoming, in that the fellowship of the Brethren, at its last convention at Cleveland, had resolved to be helpful to the red brethren, so that each Lutheran family in Shebahyonk and Bethany might be furnished with about 40 acres of land. This resolution had been the more necessary since it was known, according to Missionary Auch's statement, that the government of the United States would no longer tolerate the Indians in the organized States, except when through land ownership and agriculture they acquired a right to claim the toleration and protection of the State concerned. We saw the time approaching with swift steps when our dear brethren would have to fear being expelled with the other landless Indians beyond the border of the country, and losing all the benefits now obtained, to be worn out in war with their neighbors, or by other misery of the journey, or of a strange land. That, then, had moved our fellowship to the plan of forestalling, by acquisition of sufficient land for each Christian family in Shebahyonk and Bethany, that any of our people should be struck by the hardship of expulsion. — The acquisition of a larger tract of land could be effected most easily in one place, and thus made the living together of the red brethren in one place most desirable. — They should also not leave unnoticed that several of their young men were in difficulty about wives. In Shebahyonk there were at present no maidens, and if the young men nevertheless desired wives, they would fall into great temptation to take women of another faith from the neighborhood (perhaps from the Methodist village of Kawkawling, 40 miles distant). How dangerous that would be for the continuance of the whole congregation, anyone could easily judge. In Bethany, on the contrary, through the growing and already grown girls there, the need of wives would soon be remedied. — If we now took together all that had been mentioned, (so we concluded) it seemed to us to be God's will that the two Indian villages be put together and both, through unity, grow together into one strong congregation. Yet the matter would have to be subject to further deliberation, especially as to the "how" of the union. We therefore wished now to hear the voice and counsel of the red brethren themselves.

There now rose the brother of the chief Meganigischick (the latter himself had been very ill, and was indeed present, but still weak) and acknowledged his gratitude to God, who had so blessed this house (we were in the church) and the congregation that therein the Gospel had been preached for several years to his own and his brethren's salvation. As beautiful and bright as the cheerful sunshine now shone into this place and gladdened the hearts, so cheerful and clear it had now become in his heart; and that was his joy, for the sake of which he had now for years thanked the Lord daily and fervently. This body and this life were perishable and death awaited us all, wherefore it was beyond doubt that for the sake of God's Word everything else that relates to this life must be set aside; care for the immortal soul was the most important thing in life. To himself it was the dearest wish to abide in the Word of God; without it he could be no more. The wretchedness of the former interpreters he and his brethren had themselves painfully felt, and they saw that they could no longer remain without the richer exposition of the Word of God. He was ready to do everything so that the present want might be remedied and they be united with the Bethanians. Yet he wished to let the other brethren also speak what the opinion of their heart was. — When he had thus spoken in a noble language (better than I can render it) and seized by the holiest earnestness in the deepest heart, it was evident that the assembly was greatly moved and not able to bring the question to decision at once. They wished first to speak at home with the women and other members of their families and to discuss the matter with them in a friendly way. The assembly was therefore closed for the present and it was proposed that they meet a second time the same afternoon. This proposal was accepted.

Before we had yet finished our midday meal, we were summoned to return to the assembly, since the Indians wished to make use of the day, especially favorable for fishing, after the close of the meeting. When we thereupon appeared at once in their midst, the first question on the part of the Indians was when we then thought the union should take place. We answered that precisely this question was to be deliberated by us in common. Now a moment of silence ensued; then the Indian brethren communicated the following to us: In their conference with their wives they had perceived that it was necessary to unite the two stations; yet there lived among them all the cheerful hope that their brethren at Bethany would move to them, and not they, conversely, to the Bethanians. They could adduce several reasons which made it desirable that Shebahyonk be chosen as the common dwelling and settlement place. First, it was unfounded to believe that there was no good wheat land about Shebahyonk; secondly, the shores of Saginaw Bay, on which they dwelt, were so rich in means of livelihood that they must fear making a bad exchange in respect to temporal things if they moved to Bethany. The Bay offered them not only the advantage of the most excellent fishery in summer and winter, but since they had no neighbors for many miles, the hunting also was far more productive with them than at Bethany, since that place lay in the midst of the forest, where the Yankees were by degrees making a show of taking possession of the land with settlements and the building of sawmills. (A sawmill is in fact already being built at present 2 miles above Bethany, and much land in the neighborhood is being bought up by the owners and their workmen.) The ease of traffic by boats and canoes of birch bark on the Bay was worth much to the inhabitants of Shebahyonk, and made all necessaries of life far cheaper for them than at Bethany, whither one had a long forest road to the nearest trading places or with much toil had to go up the swift-flowing Pine River