Page:Works of the Late Doctor Benjamin Franklin (1793).djvu/266

liamſburg a college, with a fund, for educating Indian youth; and that if the chiefs of the Six Nations would ſend down half a dozen of their ſons to that college, the government would take care that they ſhould be well provided for, and inſtructed in all the learning of the white people. It is one of the Indian rules of politeneſs not to anſwer a public propoſition the ſame day that it is made; they think it would be treating it as a light matter; and that they ſhew it reſpect by taking time to conſider it, as of a matter important. They therefore deferred their anſwer till the day following; when their ſpeaker began, by expreſſing their deep ſenſe of the kindneſs of the Virginia government, in making them that offer; "for we know," ſays he, "that you highly eſteem the kind of learning taught in thoſe colleges, and that the maintenance of our young men, while with you, would be very expenſive to you. We are convinced, therefore, that you mean to do us good by your propoſal; and we thank you heartily. But you who are wiſe muſt know, that different nations have different conceptions of things and you will therefore not take it amiſs, if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the fame with yours. We have had ſome experience of it: ſeveral of our young people were formerly brought up at the colleges of the northern provinces; they were inſtructed in all your ſciences; but when they came back to us, they were bad runners; ignorant of every means of living in the woods; unable to bear either cold or hunger; knew neither how to build a cabin, take a deer, or kill an enemy; ſpoke our language imperfectly; were therefore neither fit for hunters, warriors, or counſellers; they were totally good for nothing.