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The Philander Chase letters were written in the 18th and 19th century and therefore may contain language that we understand today as harmful or offensive. You may encounter paternalist descriptions of Native Americans, racial slurs, or sexism. For more information, see our policy page.
Description
Ward discusses conversion efforts in the East Indies and England's war with Spain, and asks Chase to set aside a plot of land near the college in his name.
Date
12-28-1826
Keywords
Mary Ohio, General Convention, East Indies, Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Ireland, Spain, King Ferdinand VII, Lord Kenyon, G.W. Marriott
Recommended Citation
Ward, Rev. W., "Letter to Philander Chase" (1826). Philander Chase Letters. 660.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/chase_letters/660
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Transcript
Gt Horkesley
Dec. 28. 1826
My beloved & revered Bishop of Ohio,
Your letter has just reached the Rectory of Gt. Horkesley & has afforded a feast at our fireside as delicious, I will venture to say, as any one of the many that your person & your letters have created in Old England. That is saying [tho] little, for Mary Ohio is in this House, & I will venture to say that of all the hearts that wish well to Ohio, there is none that beats higher for the prosperity of its Bishop & the spiritual wants of its people than that of my sweet Mary. Indeed my dear Bishop, my heart most warmly partakes in all your feelings for your beloved people, & for the prosperity that seems to attend your blessed undertaking. How my heart rejoices at the rapid progress you are making, & the sure & permanent foundation on which you are building! May it please the Father of mercies to grant you long life & health to see all your great objects compleated [sic]. I long to hear the result of your general Convention. O! dear, O! Dear: how unanimous & united you Bishops should be, in the midst of confusion; in the midst of a [jarring] & schismatical generation. You should all labour like St. Paul to maintain unity peace & concord; “the unity of the Spirit in the [bond] of peace.” Again I must say I long to know what passed at your convention. I am sure you will rejoice & thank God that there is just now a fair prospect of three Bishops being sent from this country to the East Indies, Calcutta, Madras, & Bombay. And what is most important to England & the World, the work of conversion is begun in [?]. Above 300, chiefly heads of families have read their recantations in [?] Church in the County M[?] within the last eleven weeks; all this from the circulation of the Bible & parish schools, & what would produce a world of good in your widely esteemed Diocese with few clergy, Readers of the Bible, the Bible alone, from house to house, in Irish as well as English. It is incredible the effect that this has had among the Irish, many of whom I am sure is in your Diocese. You might have them all [?] to the Church by this means. Creatures that never heard a verse of the Bible before, are more easily gained over than those that have been able to read & [hear] brought up in the habit of interpreting it in the [Dancy] mode. You will also have heard that we are involved in War with the Apostolic [Junta] of Spain. But I trust we shall make short work of it; for all England to a [?] (two Radicals excepted) has already in 24 hours, as it were, pushed off her fleets & armies to the [?] & Trafalgar, to make the old stupid Bigot Ferdinand tremble on his tottering throne.
Now let us proceed to business. I assure you I am quite in earnest when I say I wish most earnestly to form a bond of union between my family & Ohio & its primitive Bishop to the latest of my posterity. I am therefore quite in earnest when I say that I wish to purchase £100 worth of your salable land. I am no speculator, nor have I any money to spare; far from it. My only motive therefore is that which I have mentioned. I will leave the whole transaction to you. You best know the most eligible spot & the most advantageous purchase, & only remember that it is for your own Child Mary Ohio who love you & takes the most lively interest in all your good works, & prays for you & your with all her pure & fervent heart. Let it be as near the College as possible. In short, let it be where you please, & that I am sure will be the most eligible spot; & five it an appropriate name, only unite the name of Mary. Pray how much of your 4000 acres have you already disposed of? I hope you have received my Box & its contents safe. The good Kenyons & Marriott are all well, except dear Marriott’s eldest Daughter, who I fear is in a decline. You will be glad to hear that through the mercy of God we are all in this house pretty much as you left us in point of health & spirits; all my children promising well to become heirs of immortality, inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven. That being the case I am easy about their provision here. I am quite sure their heavenly Father will feed & cloath [sic] them when I am taken from them. Pray give their love & blessing & their Mother’s & mine to your dear Wife & Children. & keep a very large portion to yourself, & never forget your ever faithfully attached Friend & servant W. Ward