Letter from Hattie to Clara, May 21, 1881
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Clara, May 21, 1881
Subject
Birthdays; Hospital size; Widows; Remarriage; Abusive men; Birthday parties
Description
In this letter to her sister Clara, Harriet wishes her a happy birthday. They are waiting to hear back about whether or not they will expand the currently crowded. She talks about Miss Foster, who is headed to Australia to meet a brother she has never met. Miss Foster's mother was a widow and remarried to a man who turned out to be hateful. He throws letters from Miss Foster or her brothers in the fire. Harriet apologizes for including a sad story in Clara's birthday letter, but she feels very badly for both Miss Foster and her mother. The Parkes boy, whose birthday is the same as Clara's, had a nice party to celebrate.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #2
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1881-05-21
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_242
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China
May 21st 1881.
My dear Clara,
I am still in
time to send you a birthday
greeting for with you it is now
the evening of the 21st although
here the morning of May 22nd
I hope you have had a pleasant
birthday. night before last the
letters came written on Mary's
birthday. This is Sabbath morning.
and brings to mind your
birthday five years ago. I will
only commence my letter to-day,
and finish it at another time.
I thought of you many times
yesterday and send across the
sea every good wish for the
coming year. This is a lovely
morning everything seems so peaceful.
I presume it will be warm later
in the day. Miss Foster who is here
thinks this is such a peaceful
restful place. May 28th
I must finish this this
morning for the mail goes
out this afternoon . We have
a meeting at two-o-clock as
the Communion is to be tomorrow.
Yesterday afternoon the chapel
was filled. I do not know
how the congregation will be
seated tomorrow I presume
the hospital people will be
crowded out. We are waiting
with much interest to know
what the decision at home
will be with regard to enlarging
the hospital chapel or building
a new one. I presume we
shall know when our estimates
come out in August. Miss
Foster has gone back to HongKong.
She wishes very much to
stay longer but has promised
to go back to address the
soldiers. She dreaded it and
I should think it would be
very hard to do. She is a
very earnest Christian. She is
going now to Australia to visit
two brothers there one whom she
has never seen - as he left
England before she was born.
He now has a family of twelve
and one grand-child.
Miss Foster took such a fancy
to Henry. I think she knew
something of his peculiar trials
although she did not say so and
she would be well prepared to
sympathize with him. Her Mother
was left a widow - and with two
children at home Miss Foster and
a brother. They were very happy
her Mother I should think must
be one of the best of women. After
a while a man came along much
younger than herself apparently a
most devoted Christian a kind of
revivalist. He wanted her to
marry him and she did so
thinking he was one of the best of
men but in a day or two found
out that he was perfectly hateful.
The day after they were married
he smashed her ^[former] husbands picture
and another day because she
spoke of her son in Australia as a
good son he threw the only picture
she had of him in the fire.
He drove both the children away
and will not allow her to receive
any letters from them. Miss
Foster has been out six years
and she has never written to
her but once and that made
it a great deal harder for her.
He will take letters that came to
her from her children and
put them in the fire before she
can upon them. Miss Foster
says if she should go home she
could not see her alone I suppose
she means unless they could
steal an interview. It seems
as though there ought to be a law
that would at least allow of
imprisonment for such people
until they would come to a better
state of mind. I know of [u]two[/u]
who would do to begin with
and they might easily be
spared to try the experiment.
I feel so sorry for Miss Fosters
mother. In some ways it seems
harder when the woman has
such a hard time --
[Note: Written sideways on page one]
I have drifted
into rather a
sad story for
your birthday
letters. Your
little friend out
here Mrs Parkes'
little boy whose
birthday comes
with yours celebrated
the day with a party.
We were very
glad to see Mr
Sites I wish she
could have come
too & then I could
have had them
here but I
presume he
and Henry
enjoyed being
together. Your loving
Hattie.
中国广州，
1881 年 5 月 21 日。
亲爱的克拉拉，
我仍然及时向你致以生日祝福，
因为现在是 21 日晚上，
尽管在这里是 5 月 22 日早上，
但我希望你度过了一个愉快的生日。
前天晚上，
这些信是在玛丽的生日那天写的。
这是安息日的早晨。
想起你五年前的生日。
我只会在今天开始写我的信，
然后再写完。
昨天我好几次想你，
隔海送去对来年的每一个美好祝愿。
这是一个美好的早晨，
一切都显得那么平静。
估计当天晚些时候会很暖和。
在这里的福斯特小姐认为这里是一个如此宁静祥和的地方。
5 月 28 日 我必须在今天早上完成这件事，
因为今天下午邮件就出去了。
我们在两点开会，
因为明天要举行圣餐。
昨天下午，
教堂里坐满了人。
我不知道明天会众如何坐下，
我想医院的人会被挤掉。
我们怀着极大的兴趣等待着知道家里关于扩大医院教堂或建造新教堂的决定。
我想我们会知道我们的估计什么时候会在八月出来。
福斯特小姐已回香港。
她非常希望能多待一会儿，
但已经答应回去向士兵们讲话。
她害怕它，
我认为这将很难做到。
她是一个非常认真的基督徒。
她现在要去澳大利亚探望那里的两个兄弟，
其中一个是她从未见过的——因为他在她出生前就离开了英国。
他现在有一个十二口之家和一个孙子。
福斯特小姐非常喜欢亨利。
我想她对他的特殊考验有所了解，
尽管她没有说出来，
而且她会做好充分的准备去同情他。
她的母亲留下了一个寡妇 - 家里有两个孩子，
福斯特小姐和一个兄弟。
他们很高兴她的母亲，
我认为她一定是最好的女人之一。
过了一会儿，
一个比她年轻得多的男人出现了，
显然是一个最虔诚的基督徒，
一种复兴主义者。
他想让她嫁给他，
她认为他是最好的男人之一，
但一两天后发现他完全可恨。
他们结婚后的第二天，
他砸了她前夫的照片，
另一天，
因为她说她在澳大利亚的儿子是个好儿子，
他把她唯一的他的照片扔进了火里。
他把两个孩子都赶走了，
不让她收到他们的任何信件。
福斯特小姐已经出去六年了，
她从来没有给她写过信，
只有一次，
这让她变得更加困难。
他会把她孩子们寄给她的信拿走，
然后在她拿过来之前把它们放在火里。
福斯特小姐说如果她应该回家，
她就不能单独见她，
我想她的意思是除非他们能偷走一次采访。
似乎应该有一项法律，
至少允许对这些人进行监禁，
直到他们的精神状态有所好转。
我知道有两个人会这样做，
他们可能很容易就可以免于尝试这个实验。
我为福斯特小姐的母亲感到难过。
在某些方面，
当女人过得如此艰难时，
这似乎更难——[注：写在第一页上]
我已经为你的生日信陷入了一个相当悲伤的故事。
你的小朋友在这里帕克斯太太的小男孩，
他的生日和你一起过生日，
庆祝了这一天。
我们很高兴看到 Sites 先生，
我希望她也能来，
然后我可以在这里拥有它们，
但我认为他和亨利很享受在一起。
你亲爱的，
海蒂。
May 21st 1881.
My dear Clara,
I am still in
time to send you a birthday
greeting for with you it is now
the evening of the 21st although
here the morning of May 22nd
I hope you have had a pleasant
birthday. night before last the
letters came written on Mary's
birthday. This is Sabbath morning.
and brings to mind your
birthday five years ago. I will
only commence my letter to-day,
and finish it at another time.
I thought of you many times
yesterday and send across the
sea every good wish for the
coming year. This is a lovely
morning everything seems so peaceful.
I presume it will be warm later
in the day. Miss Foster who is here
thinks this is such a peaceful
restful place. May 28th
I must finish this this
morning for the mail goes
out this afternoon . We have
a meeting at two-o-clock as
the Communion is to be tomorrow.
Yesterday afternoon the chapel
was filled. I do not know
how the congregation will be
seated tomorrow I presume
the hospital people will be
crowded out. We are waiting
with much interest to know
what the decision at home
will be with regard to enlarging
the hospital chapel or building
a new one. I presume we
shall know when our estimates
come out in August. Miss
Foster has gone back to HongKong.
She wishes very much to
stay longer but has promised
to go back to address the
soldiers. She dreaded it and
I should think it would be
very hard to do. She is a
very earnest Christian. She is
going now to Australia to visit
two brothers there one whom she
has never seen - as he left
England before she was born.
He now has a family of twelve
and one grand-child.
Miss Foster took such a fancy
to Henry. I think she knew
something of his peculiar trials
although she did not say so and
she would be well prepared to
sympathize with him. Her Mother
was left a widow - and with two
children at home Miss Foster and
a brother. They were very happy
her Mother I should think must
be one of the best of women. After
a while a man came along much
younger than herself apparently a
most devoted Christian a kind of
revivalist. He wanted her to
marry him and she did so
thinking he was one of the best of
men but in a day or two found
out that he was perfectly hateful.
The day after they were married
he smashed her ^[former] husbands picture
and another day because she
spoke of her son in Australia as a
good son he threw the only picture
she had of him in the fire.
He drove both the children away
and will not allow her to receive
any letters from them. Miss
Foster has been out six years
and she has never written to
her but once and that made
it a great deal harder for her.
He will take letters that came to
her from her children and
put them in the fire before she
can upon them. Miss Foster
says if she should go home she
could not see her alone I suppose
she means unless they could
steal an interview. It seems
as though there ought to be a law
that would at least allow of
imprisonment for such people
until they would come to a better
state of mind. I know of [u]two[/u]
who would do to begin with
and they might easily be
spared to try the experiment.
I feel so sorry for Miss Fosters
mother. In some ways it seems
harder when the woman has
such a hard time --
[Note: Written sideways on page one]
I have drifted
into rather a
sad story for
your birthday
letters. Your
little friend out
here Mrs Parkes'
little boy whose
birthday comes
with yours celebrated
the day with a party.
We were very
glad to see Mr
Sites I wish she
could have come
too & then I could
have had them
here but I
presume he
and Henry
enjoyed being
together. Your loving
Hattie.
中国广州，
1881 年 5 月 21 日。
亲爱的克拉拉，
我仍然及时向你致以生日祝福，
因为现在是 21 日晚上，
尽管在这里是 5 月 22 日早上，
但我希望你度过了一个愉快的生日。
前天晚上，
这些信是在玛丽的生日那天写的。
这是安息日的早晨。
想起你五年前的生日。
我只会在今天开始写我的信，
然后再写完。
昨天我好几次想你，
隔海送去对来年的每一个美好祝愿。
这是一个美好的早晨，
一切都显得那么平静。
估计当天晚些时候会很暖和。
在这里的福斯特小姐认为这里是一个如此宁静祥和的地方。
5 月 28 日 我必须在今天早上完成这件事，
因为今天下午邮件就出去了。
我们在两点开会，
因为明天要举行圣餐。
昨天下午，
教堂里坐满了人。
我不知道明天会众如何坐下，
我想医院的人会被挤掉。
我们怀着极大的兴趣等待着知道家里关于扩大医院教堂或建造新教堂的决定。
我想我们会知道我们的估计什么时候会在八月出来。
福斯特小姐已回香港。
她非常希望能多待一会儿，
但已经答应回去向士兵们讲话。
她害怕它，
我认为这将很难做到。
她是一个非常认真的基督徒。
她现在要去澳大利亚探望那里的两个兄弟，
其中一个是她从未见过的——因为他在她出生前就离开了英国。
他现在有一个十二口之家和一个孙子。
福斯特小姐非常喜欢亨利。
我想她对他的特殊考验有所了解，
尽管她没有说出来，
而且她会做好充分的准备去同情他。
她的母亲留下了一个寡妇 - 家里有两个孩子，
福斯特小姐和一个兄弟。
他们很高兴她的母亲，
我认为她一定是最好的女人之一。
过了一会儿，
一个比她年轻得多的男人出现了，
显然是一个最虔诚的基督徒，
一种复兴主义者。
他想让她嫁给他，
她认为他是最好的男人之一，
但一两天后发现他完全可恨。
他们结婚后的第二天，
他砸了她前夫的照片，
另一天，
因为她说她在澳大利亚的儿子是个好儿子，
他把她唯一的他的照片扔进了火里。
他把两个孩子都赶走了，
不让她收到他们的任何信件。
福斯特小姐已经出去六年了，
她从来没有给她写过信，
只有一次，
这让她变得更加困难。
他会把她孩子们寄给她的信拿走，
然后在她拿过来之前把它们放在火里。
福斯特小姐说如果她应该回家，
她就不能单独见她，
我想她的意思是除非他们能偷走一次采访。
似乎应该有一项法律，
至少允许对这些人进行监禁，
直到他们的精神状态有所好转。
我知道有两个人会这样做，
他们可能很容易就可以免于尝试这个实验。
我为福斯特小姐的母亲感到难过。
在某些方面，
当女人过得如此艰难时，
这似乎更难——[注：写在第一页上]
我已经为你的生日信陷入了一个相当悲伤的故事。
你的小朋友在这里帕克斯太太的小男孩，
他的生日和你一起过生日，
庆祝了这一天。
我们很高兴看到 Sites 先生，
我希望她也能来，
然后我可以在这里拥有它们，
但我认为他和亨利很享受在一起。
你亲爱的，
海蒂。
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Clara, May 21, 1881,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed May 14, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/298.