“But the difficulty, after all, remains, of obtaining suitable persons to carry forward our plans—­of making our young men feel that they ought to turn away from the millions, in the populous nations of Asia, and go among our scattered tribes.  Here is our whole ground of discouragement.  So far as conversions are concerned (and these are the great objects of a missionary’s labor), none of our missions have been more successful than those among the Indians; and if we had a hundred men of the spirit and activity of David Brainerd, or Eliot, I should have the strongest expectations that all our Indian tribes would be converted without great delay.  But we have no prospect of obtaining them.  I fear there are few such in our churches.

“I think that the mission of Mackinack has been a very successful one, especially in exerting an extensive religious influence, and being, as you justly remark, ‘the nucleus of Christianity in the north-west.’  How far the recent changes in the arrangements of the American Fur Company are going to affect its importance in these respects and others, I cannot say, but our Committee are by no means disposed to relinquish it, while there is a hope of doing sufficient good there to justify the keeping up of the requisite establishment.  The farm we do not wish to retain, if we can sell it at a reasonable price.  All the secular affairs we would be glad to reduce, and intend to do it as soon as it can be done without too great sacrifice of property.  The family, we know, is too large, and we hope it may be reduced; but there are some impediments in the way of doing it at once, especially as the females there have been worn out in the service, and possess a genuine missionary spirit.  We desire to obtain a missionary, and have made many inquiries for one, but hear of none with whom the church and other residents, together with the visitors at Mackinack, would be satisfied.

“As to a school for evangelists and teachers.  Do you think, dear sir, that the persons of Indian descent could now be found, possessed of piety, talents, good character, and a disposition to take this course of life, in sufficient numbers to justify giving the school such a turn?  Or, are there youths sufficiently promising, though not pious, with whose education you would think it advisable to proceed, hoping that, by the blessings of God, they would be converted and made heralds of mercy to their red brethren?  I have supposed there were not, and that an attempt of this kind would almost certainly prove abortive.  A more detailed knowledge of facts, which you are in a situation to possess, might change my opinion.  There is nothing we more desire and labor for, at all our missions, than good native helpers.  They are an invaluable acquisition, but our experience teaches us that they are exceedingly rare.  Not one educated heathen youth in ten, even if pious when he commences his studies, has been found fit for an office requiring judgment, good common sense, and energy of character.  Still we do not think that this ought to deter us from attempts to raise up native teachers and evangelists.  Most of the work of converting the heathen nations must unquestionably be performed by them.  If the opening should seem fair, we would try it at Mackinack.”