Letter-1839, January 22

Shawnee Mission, Jan. 22, 1839

   Dear Brother,— I have neglected to write to you a little beyond the usual time; and I can only say, by way of apology, that I have been so much crowded with business for a few weeks past, it has been exceedingly difficult to find time to write to any person. And, secondly, the community have been so thoroughly furnished with information recently, from our beloved brothers, Seys and Lee, who represent two of our most important missionary fields, that it did not seem necessary for us to write much at present; and I thought it would be best for us to work as hard as we could, and say but little until Brother Lee got through with all he has to say about Oregon country, and collects his company of missionaries, and hoists his sails for Willamette; and by that time perhaps we may have something good to tell about the Shawnees, Delawares, Peories, Kickapoos, Pottawotamies, Kanzas &c.

   We have already commenced preparing buildings for our Indian manual labor school. We have employed Brother David Lock, of Carrollton, Ill., to do our brick work, and he has come on with a company of hands and is now making preparations. We have employed the Shawnee Indians to make rails for the farm; they are now at work, and I expect they will furnish some twenty-five or thirty thousand by planting time.

   Our plan is to fence and plough up some four or five hundred acres of prairie, sow some in grass for meadow and pasture, plant some in corn, sow wheat, oats, &c., so we will be able to raise nearly the whole support for the school ourselves, after the improvements are made. We expect to have our buildings ready to open school immediately after our next conference which will be held in October.

   The Indians friendly to civilization are much pleased with our plan of a manual labor school, because their children will be taught how to work and make a comfortable support for themselves, as  well as to read and write; and some who have hitherto opposed schools, say they will send their children to this school, that they may learn to work, for they know that the Indians cannot live any longer by hunting as they formerly lived. I am more than ever convinced that when we get our school ready we shall be able to educate more children, and do it cheaper than we ever could on our old plans….

Yours affectionately,
Thomas Johnson

[Christian Advocate and Journal, March 8, 1839, Files in Baker U. Library.]