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 the North An^rican Ir.dians. 445

of the feed corn, without the leafl exemption of the poor, contrary to the tender feelings even of our indigent warriors and great canoe men, who ilretch out a kindly hand to their poor brethren. That part of the old be loved fpeech, the tenth bafket-full, was calculated only for your fuppofed predeceflbrs, who confifled of twelve families \. one of which was devoted to the divine fervice. Therefore, they were allowed fome part of the religious offerings, and of the yearly produce of the land, to make their own and their families hearts rejoice, and at the fame time to keep them humble, and make them hofpitable to the widow, the fatherlefs, and the ftranger. They, like the humble fcholars of the great beloved mefienger, were always poor i they honeftly minded their religious duty, and were not allowed to purchafe any land, nor to expofe their virtue to the temptations of heaping up yellow (tone, or employing their minds on any thing, except the divine law.

The lives and manners of the early teachers of the fpeech of the divine meflenger, as I before told you, were alfo ftriflly juft and blamelefs. They equally taught by precept and example ; and their leflhns, like thofe of their great mafter, were plain, fimple, and holy. They were humble in their behaviour, and moderate in their apparel, food, and drink, and faithful in the difcharge of their religious office : inftead of afTuming the arrogant title of divine chieftains, they honeftly gave them- felves the lowly name of Intookfare I/htoboollo^ " Servants of God," in imitation of the life, precept, and example of the holy meflenger, which ftrongly actuated their honeft hearts. When they were weary after the toils of the day, by inftructing the people, and working at their trade, as your beloved men do, they joyfully refted themfelves in their humble cottages, and refremed themfelves with their homely fare ; and there they inftructed the young people to invoke Yo-He-Wah^ and fpeak the divine fpeech. In this religious manner, they fpent their time through various countries, by the direction of divine wifdom, as a ftrong pointed lefibn to all fucceeding beloved men to purfue, and they fealed the truth with their blood fuch were the primitive teachers of the divine word. They lived and died in a ftate of equality ; and were there any different degrees to be obferved in the holy office of religion, learning and piety mould recommend poor beloved men to the high feats of profit- but only toilfome places are now allotted them, with an allowance infuf- ficient to fupport themfelves, fo that they cannot ftretch out their kindly hand to the poor.

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