Letter from Harriet to Father, June 30th, 1884
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Harriet to Father, June 30th, 1884
Subject
Boarding schools; Health; Cold (Disease); Floods; Happer, A. P., Jr. (Andrew Patton), -1897; Ashmore, William, 1824-1909; Kerr, J. G. (John Glasgow), 1824-1901
Description
Hattie writes to her father about the end of the school year and how excited she is for the term to be over. She gives updates on her students' progress coming up on final examinations and mentions that eight of the little girls have memorized the entire new testament. She gives updates on the various other missionaries: Dr. Happer is ill, she has not heard from Dr. Kerr since they went to Yokohama, and that Dr. and Mrs. Ashmore want her to visit in the summer. Harriet mentions wanting to go to Macao or Lin Chau on the break, and then how she has developed a cold from swimming in the flooded yard.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #3
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1884-06-30
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_346
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton June 30th 1884
My dear Father
I will only write
a few lines tonight so
that you will hear
something from me.
We are just in the
midst of closing the
Boarding School and
are too busy to think
of anything else. This
afternoon we have
had an examination
and this evening
reading the grades
and giving out the
prizes Tomorrow we
have a public
examination and
then we will be through
with this year of school.
It has been such
a [u]long[/u] year and
we have had a great
deal of anxiety I
am afraid some
of the good people
at home would write
me down as a very
poor missionary if
they knew how very
very glad I am to
have school out. We
are going to have
a good long vacation
until the middle
of October - and by
that time we will
no doubt feel ready
to see the scholars,
come back again
The scholars have been
very good this year
and we have had
on the whole quite
a prosperous year.
There have been in
all eighty girls and
thirty two women.
Eight of the girls have
finished committing to
memory the whole of
the New Testament.
I will send you a
"programme" of our
examination today
and tomorrow. I
think perhaps next
year we will have
the closing exercises in
the church. We have
not heard from Dr Kerr
since they left Yokohama
Mr + Mrs Henry are
enjoying being at home.
Dr Happer is very
ill and has been so
so long that it seems
very serious. There are
only three in Canton
now who have been
here longer than I
have Dr Happer
Dr Graves and
Henry. We are
thinking of going
to Macao with Mrs
Thomson next week
we had set our
hearts on going to
Lin Chau and perhaps
we may do so yet.
Dr + Mrs Ashmore
are very anxious
that I should go
up there for a visit
this summer. Possibly
I may but I hardly
think it possible.
I am having a
wretched cold in
my head such as I
have not had for
years. I suppose I
got it in the first
place in a very
foolish way, and
then added to it. We
have had so much
rain this year that
the high spring tides
made the water come
up all over our yard
about two feet deep.
and we could not
resist the temptation
to try to [u]swim[/u] in such
a [u]safe[/u] place. There
is a high wall all
around so it was not
very public. If Mr
Henry had been here
we could not have
done it and Mrs
Henry would have
been scandalized
to the last degree.
I suppose that is when
I commenced to
take cold and then
I added to it by
getting up to shut the
doors and windows
in the night when
it was storming.
Yesterday I wept
all day but today
I have been able
to dry my tears
and I hope that
by tomorrow I may
be presentable.
The water has
been so high it
has been almost
impossible to go out
on the river. Last
night at our Sabbath
eve serve there were
only thirteen . I did
not get a single
word from home by
the mail that came
in last week hope
I shall make
up for it when the
next one comes.
Now I must say
good night for tomorrow
will be a hard
day then after that
I hope we can
get some rest With
much love for all
Ever your aff daughter
Harriet
My dear Father
I will only write
a few lines tonight so
that you will hear
something from me.
We are just in the
midst of closing the
Boarding School and
are too busy to think
of anything else. This
afternoon we have
had an examination
and this evening
reading the grades
and giving out the
prizes Tomorrow we
have a public
examination and
then we will be through
with this year of school.
It has been such
a [u]long[/u] year and
we have had a great
deal of anxiety I
am afraid some
of the good people
at home would write
me down as a very
poor missionary if
they knew how very
very glad I am to
have school out. We
are going to have
a good long vacation
until the middle
of October - and by
that time we will
no doubt feel ready
to see the scholars,
come back again
The scholars have been
very good this year
and we have had
on the whole quite
a prosperous year.
There have been in
all eighty girls and
thirty two women.
Eight of the girls have
finished committing to
memory the whole of
the New Testament.
I will send you a
"programme" of our
examination today
and tomorrow. I
think perhaps next
year we will have
the closing exercises in
the church. We have
not heard from Dr Kerr
since they left Yokohama
Mr + Mrs Henry are
enjoying being at home.
Dr Happer is very
ill and has been so
so long that it seems
very serious. There are
only three in Canton
now who have been
here longer than I
have Dr Happer
Dr Graves and
Henry. We are
thinking of going
to Macao with Mrs
Thomson next week
we had set our
hearts on going to
Lin Chau and perhaps
we may do so yet.
Dr + Mrs Ashmore
are very anxious
that I should go
up there for a visit
this summer. Possibly
I may but I hardly
think it possible.
I am having a
wretched cold in
my head such as I
have not had for
years. I suppose I
got it in the first
place in a very
foolish way, and
then added to it. We
have had so much
rain this year that
the high spring tides
made the water come
up all over our yard
about two feet deep.
and we could not
resist the temptation
to try to [u]swim[/u] in such
a [u]safe[/u] place. There
is a high wall all
around so it was not
very public. If Mr
Henry had been here
we could not have
done it and Mrs
Henry would have
been scandalized
to the last degree.
I suppose that is when
I commenced to
take cold and then
I added to it by
getting up to shut the
doors and windows
in the night when
it was storming.
Yesterday I wept
all day but today
I have been able
to dry my tears
and I hope that
by tomorrow I may
be presentable.
The water has
been so high it
has been almost
impossible to go out
on the river. Last
night at our Sabbath
eve serve there were
only thirteen . I did
not get a single
word from home by
the mail that came
in last week hope
I shall make
up for it when the
next one comes.
Now I must say
good night for tomorrow
will be a hard
day then after that
I hope we can
get some rest With
much love for all
Ever your aff daughter
Harriet
广东1884年6月30日
我亲爱的父亲，
我会给您写几行，
这样您就会收到他的来信。
/
/
我们这一学期要结束，
太忙了，
我们无法考虑其他任何事情。
/
今天下午，
我给学生们做了一个考试
明天我们会给出成绩和奖品。
/
/
/
明天将有公开考试，
然后我们将完成学年。
/
/
/
这是一个漫长而紧张的学年，
/
/
如果家里的人听到我抱怨，
他们会认为我是一个糟糕的传教士，
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
但是我很高兴我们要放假到十月中旬，
到时候，
我会准备好再次见到学生。
/
/
/
/
/
/
今年我们的学生非常好，
总的来说，
我们度过了一个非常好的学年。
/
/
总共有八十个女孩和三十二个女人。
/
/
八个女孩已经记住了整个新约。
/
/
/
我会把明天活动的计划发给您。
/
/
/
/
我想明年我们会在教堂举行闭幕式。
/
自从 Kerr 医生离开横滨后我们就没有收到他的消息。
/
/
他们很享受待在家里。
/
Happer 医生病了这么久，
看起来很严重。
/
只有三个传教士在广东的时间比我长，
Happer 医生，
Graves 医生，
和Henry。
/
/
我们想下周和Thomson 太太一起去澳门
/
/
/
我们也想去连州
我们可能会去。
/
/
Ashmore 夫妇真的希望我今年夏天去拜访他们，
/
/
/
可能无法访问他们。
/
/
我得了多年来最严重的感冒，
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
我想我今年在涨潮雨下得很大的时候感冒了，
我们的院子被两英尺深的水淹没，
我们忍不住在里面游泳。
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
在我们的院子里游泳是可以的，
因为它非常私密，
因为它被高墙包围。
那时Henry和他的妻子都不在，
如果他们看到我们在院子里游泳，
他们会感到震惊。
/
/
/
/
我想那是我感冒的时候。
然后我在下雨的时候整夜关上门窗使我的感冒变得更糟。
/
/
/
/
/
/
昨天我擦了一整天，
我今天终于可以擦干眼泪，
我希望民天可以体面一点。
/
/
/
/
水太高了，
几乎不可能在河上出去。
/
/
昨晚我们的晚间礼拜时，
只有13人参加。
/
上周我没有写任何信寄回家，
所以我现在写得更多。
/
/
/
/
/
/
现在我要说晚安，
因为明天会很艰难，
之后我可以得到一些急需的休息。
/
/
给大家我的爱。
您深爱的女儿，
Harriet
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Harriet to Father, June 30th, 1884,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 29, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/405.