Letter from Harriet to Clara

noyes_c_cor_483.pdf

Dublin Core

Title

Letter from Harriet to Clara

Subject

Mail steamers; Travel books; Death

Description

Harriet is glad that Mary's and Martha's letters came yesterday because if not Harriet would have had to go to Hong Kong to get the mail. Harriet received a copy of Mr. Condit's (Edgar Mantelbert Condit) new book; "Two Years in Three Continents: Experiences, Impressions, and Observations of Two Americans Abroad". Harriet recalls the months she was back home when Edward died.

Creator

Noyes, Harriet Newell

Source

The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #5

Publisher

Unpublished

Date

Unknown

Contributor

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

Format

PDF

Language

eng (English)

Type

Text

Identifier

noyes_c_cor_483

Text Item Type Metadata

Text

Canton China
My dear Clara -
Your letter of Sept 25
with Mary's of the 13th and
Martha's of the 21st all
came in this morning most
unexpectedly they came over
on one of the steamers from
Tacoma. It was most
fortunate for me that they
came for I was planning to
go down this afternoon to meet
the Gaelic which is expected
in Hongkong tomorrow. I
disliked so much being
obliged to spend the Sabbath
in Hongkong but there seemed
no help for it. If the letters
had not come this morning
I should be on the steamer
tonight and tomorrow would
have found that there was
no need to go down. and stay
at the hotel over Sabbath.
The China will come in if
on schedule time all

right on [u]Wednesday[/u] so I can
go down one night and come
back the next and that will
suit so much better .I would
not mind Macao but I just
[u]hate[/u] to go to Hongkong .I
am sorry Martha will
miss the company of the
lot of Baptists who are
coming on the Gaelic but
it is ever so much better for
her to come a month later
It is very hot here still this
evening oppressively so but
perhaps three weeks later
it will be more comfortable.
The mail today brought me
a nice copy of Mr Condit's
new book. Two years in
Three Continents
Experiences
Impressions
Observations.
I will enclose a copy of the
Prefatory note which is in the
book which will [u]part of it[/u]
strike an answering chord in

your hear I am sure.
He had the papers in which
his letters were printed sent to
me and now I will send
them back "across the [--briny--]
[u]briny[/u] deep" to you.
I wonder if you get any
time to read now or
whether it all goes into
church work and choring.
How I wish I could step in
some nice winter evening
and talk and talk and talk
I always think of how you
said Edward would say
"[u]Now[/u] is the best time of the
day"- It does not seems as
though we had any nice
winter evenings because the
shadows later Eclipsed them
but we did have November
December and till January
28th and then that nice
evening the 31st when the
shadows rolled away for
a little moment. He

was never quite so happy
again until the Saviour
met him on the other
side and he [u]knew[/u] that
all was well .I suppose
if we could be together we
would go over and over
again those days but it is
better to look forward to
the light and joy ahead
than to the shadows and
sadness left behind.
So many things bring him
to mind .I am so thankful
that I could be at home
during those sad sad
months . that had to be
lived through .I do not
now believe that any one
could have such an experience
as he had when younger and
not have it come back again
if the person lived until the
time when strength begins to decline

[Note: Letter concludes sideways on page one]
How many of us are safe at home and they are the happiest +
we need
have no
sad thoughts
of them
Now must
say goodnight
with love
Hattie

中国广州
我亲爱的Clara
你9月25日的信
和Mary在13号的信
还有Martha21号的信
都在今天早上意外地来了,
从Tacoma的一艘船来了。
/
对我来说,
最不幸的是
我们本来机会在Gaelic船
/
去香港接它。
/
我不喜欢被强迫地
把安息日花在香港,
但是看起来没有办法。
如果信今天早上没有来,
/
我是今天晚上会去轮船的
而且明天会发现
我们不需要去,
/
就会住在酒店过安息日。
如果周三可以按计划进行,
China轮船会来

/
我就可以晚上去,
然后第二天回来,
就可以很好地适合我的时间。
我不介意澳门
但是我不喜欢去香港。
我很抱歉
她不能在Gaelic轮船上与浸信会传教士共度时光
/
/
但是她比晚一个月来要好。
/
今天晚上热得很有压力,
/
但是三周以后可能会舒服一点。
/
这个邮包给我带来了Condit先生的新书。
/
两年
在三个州
实践
印相
发现。
我会用一段来自你听说过的书的一部分的序言
/
来结束这一部分。
/

/
他的信里有报纸
给我寄来了,
现在我要把它们漂洋过海寄给你。
/
/
我想知道你是否有时间读
/
或者已经进入教堂并且做家务事了。
/
我多希望我能在一个美好的冬夜,
/
一直不停地说话。
我经常在想你说的Edward会怎么说
/
现在是一天中最好的时候——
看起来,
我们不会有个很好的冬夜
/
因为阴天让它们黯然失色,
但是我们还有
11月、12月
知道1月28日,
然后是31号阴天就会消除一段时间。
/
/

/
他绝不会再一次那么开心了,
直到耶稣再一次来到他身边
/
他也知道全部。
我想
如果我们可以在一起
我们会一次又一次地这样过,
但是
还是要向前看,
看向光明和欢乐;
而不是向后看,
看向阴影和悲伤
很多事情让我想起他。
我很感激我这几个不得不经历的
悲伤的月在家度过。
/
/
我不相信
任何人会有这样的经历
/
就像他年轻的时候那样
却一去不复返,
如果人到不再强壮的时候
还活着,

【边缘书写】
多少人还安全在家地在家,他们是最幸福的。
而且我们需要
消除他们的悲伤想法。
/
/
现在必须说晚安了
/
我爱你
Hattie

Original Format

Letter

Citation

Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Harriet to Clara,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed March 29, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/1009.

Output Formats