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Protestant mission to the heathen in modern times began in
Cambridge; the first Protestant sermon in a heathen tongue was preached here; the first translation of the
Bible by an Englishman into a heathen tongue was printed here; the first Protestant tract in a heathen language was written and printed here.’
1 The result of all these labors up to the year 1674 was described by
Gookin, in his ‘
Historical Collections of the Indians in
New England,’ printed in the first volume of Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Besides
Natick, the most important of all, there were six communities in
Massachusetts, exclusive of
Plymouth, which had long been denominated ‘praying towns;’ namely, Pakemitt, or Punkapaog (now
Stoughton); Hassanamesitt, or Hassanamisco (
Grafton); Okommakamesit (
Marlborough); Wamesit, or Pawtuckett (
Tewksbury); Nashobah (
Littleton); Magunkaquog (
Hopkinton). There were also seven ‘new praying towns,’ where the Gospel had been favorably received about three years: Manchage (Oxford); Chabanakongkomun (
Dudley); Maanexit (north part of
Woodstock, at that time included in
Massachusetts); Quantisset (southeast part of
Woodstock); Wabquissit (southwest part of
Woodstock); Packachoog (south part of
Worcester); Waeuntug (
Uxbridge). ‘There are two other Indian towns; viz., Weshakin
2 and Quabaug,
3 which are coming on to receive the gospel; and reckoning these, there are nine in the Nipmuck country.’
4 In these fourteen established towns, there were two organized churches, and, as
Gookin estimated, about eleven hundred ‘souls yielding obedience to the gospel.’
Meantime an earnest effort was made to impart scientific as well as religious knowledge to the Indians, in which commendable work Mr. Eliot was a prominent actor.
His labors and their result are described by Gookin in his ‘Historical Collections.’
Besides preaching and inducing others to preach the Gospel, and translating the Bible and other books into the Indian language, —‘he took great care that schools should be planted among the praying Indians; and he taught some himself to read, that they might be capable to teach others; and by his procurement some of the choice Indian youths were put to school with English schoolmasters, to learn both English, Latin, and Greek tongues.
There was much cost out of the Corporation stock expended in this work, for fitting and preparing the Indian youth to be learned ’
