History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843]

  • Source Note
  • Historical Introduction
Page 1533
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<​April 14​> Brother: We do not now complain. The Choctaw suffers, but he never weeps. You have the strong arm, and we cannot resist.— But the pale face worships the Great Spirit.— So does the red man. The Great Spirit loves truth. When you took our country you promised us land. There is your promise in the book. Twelve times have the trees dropped their leaves, and yet we have received no land. Our houses have been taken from us. The white man’s plough turns up the bones of our fathers. We dare not kindle up our fires; and yet you said we might remain and you would give us land.
Brother: Is this truth? But we believe, now our Great Father knows our condition he will listen to us. We are as mourning orphans in our country; but our father will take us by the hand. When he fulfils his promise, we will answer his talk. He means well. We know it. But we cannot think now. Grief has made children of us. When our business is settled we shall be men again, and talk to our Great Father about what he has promised.
Brother: You stand in the moccasins of a great chief; you speak the words of a mighty nation, and your talk was long. My people are small; their shadow scarcely reaches to your knee; they are scattered and gone; when I shout, I hear my voice in the depths of the woods, but no answering shouts come back.— My words, therefore are few. I have nothing more to say, but to tell what I have said to the tall chief of the pale faces, whose brother (William Tyler, of , brother to the of the , recently appointed one of the Choctaw Commissioners.) stands by your side.” [HC 5:359]
15 April 1843 • Saturday
<​15​> Attended Court Martial, which was held at my house.
In the evening rode out in my carriage with
A <​was​> held at Vinalhaven, Fox Island, Maine, when 4 consisting of 128 members, 4 , 5 , 6 and 3 were represented, quite a number have been recently .
16 April 1843 • Sunday
<​16​> Sunday. Meeting at the at 10 A.M. I read ’s letter to the of the Times and Seasons concerning the death of who died in Dec 20th. 1842, and I remarked that I read it, because it was so appropriate to all who had died in the faith. The following synopsis was reported by and :—
“Almost all who have fallen in these last days, in the , have fallen in a strange land; this is a strange land to those who come from a distance.
“We should cultivate sympathy for the afflicted among us. If there is a place on earth where men should cultivate this spirit and pour in the oil and wine in the bosoms of the afflicted, it is this place: and this spirit is manifest here, and although a stranger and afflicted when he arrives, he finds a brother and a friend ready to administer to his necessities. [HC 5:360]
“I would esteem it one of the greatest blessings, if I am to be afflicted in this world, to have my lot cast where I can find brothers and friends all around me, but this is not the thing I referred to; it is to have the privilege of having our dead buried on the land, where God has appointed to gather his Saints together, and where there will be none but Saints; where they may have the privilege of laying their bodies where the Son of Man will make his appearance, and where they may hear the sound of the trump, that shall call them forth to [p. 1533]
April 14 Brother: We do not now complain. The Choctaw suffers, but he never weeps. You have the strong arm, and we cannot resist.— But the pale face worships the Great Spirit.— So does the red man. The Great Spirit loves truth. When you took our country you promised us land. There is your promise in the book. Twelve times have the trees dropped their leaves, and yet we have received no land. Our houses have been taken from us. The white man’s plough turns up the bones of our fathers. We dare not kindle up our fires; and yet you said we might remain and you would give us land.
Brother: Is this truth? But we believe, now our Great Father knows our condition he will listen to us. We are as mourning orphans in our country; but our father will take us by the hand. When he fulfils his promise, we will answer his talk. He means well. We know it. But we cannot think now. Grief has made children of us. When our business is settled we shall be men again, and talk to our Great Father about what he has promised.
Brother: You stand in the moccasins of a great chief; you speak the words of a mighty nation, and your talk was long. My people are small; their shadow scarcely reaches to your knee; they are scattered and gone; when I shout, I hear my voice in the depths of the woods, but no answering shouts come back.— My words, therefore are few. I have nothing more to say, but to tell what I have said to the tall chief of the pale faces, whose brother (William Tyler, of , brother to the of the , recently appointed one of the Choctaw Commissioners.) stands by your side.” [HC 5:359]
15 April 1843 • Saturday
15 Attended Court Martial, which was held at my house.
In the evening rode out in my carriage with
A was held at Vinalhaven, Fox Island, Maine, when 4 consisting of 128 members, 4 , 5 , 6 and 3 were represented, quite a number have been recently .
16 April 1843 • Sunday
16 Sunday. Meeting at the at 10 A.M. I read ’s letter to the of the Times and Seasons concerning the death of who died in Dec 20th. 1842, and I remarked that I read it, because it was so appropriate to all who had died in the faith. The following synopsis was reported by and :—
“Almost all who have fallen in these last days, in the , have fallen in a strange land; this is a strange land to those who come from a distance.
“We should cultivate sympathy for the afflicted among us. If there is a place on earth where men should cultivate this spirit and pour in the oil and wine in the bosoms of the afflicted, it is this place: and this spirit is manifest here, and although a stranger and afflicted when he arrives, he finds a brother and a friend ready to administer to his necessities. [HC 5:360]
“I would esteem it one of the greatest blessings, if I am to be afflicted in this world, to have my lot cast where I can find brothers and friends all around me, but this is not the thing I referred to; it is to have the privilege of having our dead buried on the land, where God has appointed to gather his Saints together, and where there will be none but Saints; where they may have the privilege of laying their bodies where the Son of Man will make his appearance, and where they may hear the sound of the trump, that shall call them forth to [p. 1533]
Page 1533