things to the children, "I have sometimes doubted whether there was more
than a single man, among our forefathers, who realized that an Indian
possesses a mind and a heart, and an immortal soul. That single man was
John Eliot. All the rest of the early settlers seemed to think that the
Indians were an inferior race of beings, whom the Creator had merely
allowed to keep possession of this beautiful country, till the white men
should be in want of it.

"Did the pious men of those days never try to make Christians of them?"
asked Laurence.

"Sometimes, it is true," answered Grandfather, "the magistrates and
ministers would talk about civilizing and converting the red people. But,
at the bottom of their hearts, they would have had almost as much
expectation of civilizing a wild bear of the woods, and making him fit for
paradise. They felt no faith in the success of any such attempts, because
they had no love for the poor Indians. Now Eliot was full of love for
them, and therefore so full of faith and hope, that he spent the labor of
a lifetime in their behalf."

"I would have conquered them first, and then converted them," said
Charley.

"Ah, Charley, there spoke the very spirit of our forefathers!" replied
Grandfather. "But Mr. Eliot had a better spirit. He looked upon them as
his brethren. He persuaded as many of them as he could, to leave off their
idle and wandering habits, and to build houses, and cultivate the earth,
as the English did. He established schools among them, and taught many of
the Indians how to read. He taught them, likewise, how to pray. Hence they
were called ’praying Indians.’ Finally, having spent the best years of his