CORRESPONDENCE 293
my family in good health. I immediately entered upon the duties of a missionary and, after preaching one Sabbath, left home on a tour in the Willamette Valley. On reaching this city I found two of our brethren in the legislature and two more from the country present. Upon deliberating upon the importance of immediate action on the subject of locating and putting into operation an institution of learning under the direction of the denomination, it was agreed to call a meeting to be held at this place on the 21st and 22d days of September to take action on the subject. The meeting was accordingly held and an educational society was formed; but in consequence of the small number in attendance the meet- ing was adjourned to the 4th of October to the YamHill Church. At that meeting every church in the Territory but one was represented, and the convention voted to locate the institution on the Willamette River about 70 miles up the river from this place and appointed a brother to repair im- mediately to the place and secure the site. It was then un- derstood that the land was vacant. The convention also ap- pointed Rev. Richmond Cheadle to labor two months for the purpose of raising two thousand dollars for erecting a school house and covering other necessary expenses. The conven- tion also invited me to move to the place and take charge of the school and voted: to pay me $400 and to request the Home Missionary Society to continue my appointment with the usual salary of $200, regarding that amount as barely sufficient to sustain my family for the year. Solely from the consideration of the fact that the exigency of the case seemed to demand immediate action, and we have no man in Ore- gon but myself to whom our brethren are willing to look to fill his place till a competent teacher can be found and sent us from the States, I thought it best to comply with the call. The convention also instructed me to correspond with you on the subject of engaging a well qualified teacher to take charge of the school. We hope to be able to pay a teacher $800 salary. Thus you perceive the reason whv I ad- dress you from this place. I have just arrived here with my
