Letter from Hattie to Em, February 4, 1885
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Em, February 4, 1885
Subject
Travel; Schools; Chinese language--Study and teaching; New Year; Mail service; Steamboats; Correspondence
Description
Harriet tells Emily that the schools are closed for the New Year holidays. Miss Lewis and Miss Young are learning Chinese and their teachers are the cook's son and a schoolboy. Harriet likes Macau a lot. Harriet wishes that they could send things by mail within China as easily as it is to send things within the United States.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #3
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1885-02-04
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_365
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Macao
Feb 4th 1885
My dear Em -
I cannot tell you how
[u]delighted[/u] I am that I can again
write to you from [u]Macao[/u]. We
have closed all our day schools for
the New Year holidays and we
felt that we must come down
once more before we reopen the
Boarding School for then we
will not be able to leave Canton.
We have two schools down here
now and came down to close them
Next year we hope to have another.
We expeccted to come down
today but Monday eve at the
Monthly Concert we learned that
there would be a steamer down
on Tuesday, we have been having
only every other day. So we
could not resist the inducement
to "hurry up" and come down
a day sooner and surprise "the girls"
Miss Lewis and Miss Young. We
succeeded in doing it as they
did not know the steamer was
coming down. It was Miss Lewis'
[u]49th[/u] birthday. Yesterday FebY 3d
was Miss Young's 3d so you
see there is some difference in their
ages. They are both studying most
diligently at the language. each
one has a very juvenile teacher
Miss Lewis' is our cook's son and
Miss Young has one of their schoolboys
We call them their Professors.
Miss Young reminds me of you
all the time and she is [u]very[/u] smart
about sewing and all kinds of
fancy work very intellectual
[u]very[/u] good, and good natured
and agreeable and sensible
and has beautiful eyes and
is tall and stopps, so you see
how very strong the resemblance is.
They were as glad to see us yesterday
as we were to see them. I did
not think I could ever be so
glad to go anywhere in China
as I was to come down here. There
was only one bit of alloy you know
every rose must have its thorns, and
that was that we know Dr and
Mrs Graves wanted so much to
come down that it seemed most
selfish and rude not to ask them.
But we know if they did we
would be obliged to spend every
minute of the day and till late
in the evening entertaining them
and what we want so much is
to have [u]rest[/u] from visiting. I have
a pile of about 80 letters and
I am going to try and get
them all answered. You see
I am beginning with you.
We received one home mail the
day before we came down. and
it brought your letter of Dec 3d
You were very busy getting ready
for Christmas which is now long
past. I think I wrote to you
that the shawl I sent was one
of seven that I crocheted in spare
moments which I thought was pretty
good for me as I am not as
quick as you and Clara are
at that business. I wish we
could send things back and forth
by mail as easily from China
as from one part of USA to
another It is so hard to get an
opportunity to send anything on
account of there being so mch
trouble about the duty Mrs
Happer says she will not undertake
to take anything for any one
They expect to be in Wooster about
the 1st of May. They will spend
[Note: Letter concludes vertically on page one]
a little
time there
and then
go to the
Gen Assembly
I hope you
will all
see Mrs
Happer this
time. Dr H
looks quite
old and
feeble but
I presume
a visit home
will cure him.
With much love
from Hattie -
Feb 4th 1885
My dear Em -
I cannot tell you how
[u]delighted[/u] I am that I can again
write to you from [u]Macao[/u]. We
have closed all our day schools for
the New Year holidays and we
felt that we must come down
once more before we reopen the
Boarding School for then we
will not be able to leave Canton.
We have two schools down here
now and came down to close them
Next year we hope to have another.
We expeccted to come down
today but Monday eve at the
Monthly Concert we learned that
there would be a steamer down
on Tuesday, we have been having
only every other day. So we
could not resist the inducement
to "hurry up" and come down
a day sooner and surprise "the girls"
Miss Lewis and Miss Young. We
succeeded in doing it as they
did not know the steamer was
coming down. It was Miss Lewis'
[u]49th[/u] birthday. Yesterday FebY 3d
was Miss Young's 3d so you
see there is some difference in their
ages. They are both studying most
diligently at the language. each
one has a very juvenile teacher
Miss Lewis' is our cook's son and
Miss Young has one of their schoolboys
We call them their Professors.
Miss Young reminds me of you
all the time and she is [u]very[/u] smart
about sewing and all kinds of
fancy work very intellectual
[u]very[/u] good, and good natured
and agreeable and sensible
and has beautiful eyes and
is tall and stopps, so you see
how very strong the resemblance is.
They were as glad to see us yesterday
as we were to see them. I did
not think I could ever be so
glad to go anywhere in China
as I was to come down here. There
was only one bit of alloy you know
every rose must have its thorns, and
that was that we know Dr and
Mrs Graves wanted so much to
come down that it seemed most
selfish and rude not to ask them.
But we know if they did we
would be obliged to spend every
minute of the day and till late
in the evening entertaining them
and what we want so much is
to have [u]rest[/u] from visiting. I have
a pile of about 80 letters and
I am going to try and get
them all answered. You see
I am beginning with you.
We received one home mail the
day before we came down. and
it brought your letter of Dec 3d
You were very busy getting ready
for Christmas which is now long
past. I think I wrote to you
that the shawl I sent was one
of seven that I crocheted in spare
moments which I thought was pretty
good for me as I am not as
quick as you and Clara are
at that business. I wish we
could send things back and forth
by mail as easily from China
as from one part of USA to
another It is so hard to get an
opportunity to send anything on
account of there being so mch
trouble about the duty Mrs
Happer says she will not undertake
to take anything for any one
They expect to be in Wooster about
the 1st of May. They will spend
[Note: Letter concludes vertically on page one]
a little
time there
and then
go to the
Gen Assembly
I hope you
will all
see Mrs
Happer this
time. Dr H
looks quite
old and
feeble but
I presume
a visit home
will cure him.
With much love
from Hattie -
澳门
1885年2月4日
亲爱的Em
我真的不知道该怎么说
我实在太高兴了
我又到澳门了。
我们学校新年放假了
在寄宿学校开放之前
我认为我们必须再通讯一次
然后我们就不会离开广东了。
我们在这里有两所学校
现在把它们关了
明年我希望我们可以再开一所。
我们期待今天回去
但是星期一晚上
在月音乐会上，我们听说
星期二有一艘轮船来。
我们只能隔天来。
所以不能持续加速引诱
然后来学校给女孩们：Lewis小姐和Young小姐惊喜
我们成功地做到了
因为她们不知道这个学期开始了。
Lewis小姐49岁了。
昨天，2月3号Young小姐30岁生日，
因此她们有年龄差的。
她们中文语言学习都很努力。
她们都有一个小老师
Lewis小姐的是我们厨师的儿子
Young小姐有一个在上学的男孩。
我们称他们为她们的小教授。
Young小姐一直提醒我
她在缝纫、绣花方面很有天赋
所以漂亮的样式都很多，
都很好，很自然，还很愉悦，很清楚
有很漂亮的眼睛。
因此你可以看出来有多少相似性。
她们昨天很高兴见到我们
就像我们见到她们一样。
我想不到我有机会可以去中国的任何地方
因为我来了这里。
只有一点点合金
你知道所有玫瑰花一定有刺，
而且我们知道Graves医生和Graves太太
太想来了
看起来不询问他们最自私又无理的。
但是你知道
我们会被强迫花费一天所有的时间
直到很晚才到了娱乐时间
我们太想休息一下了。
我有一堆儿大概80封信
我要努力回复。
我要从你的信开始回。
我们来之前，
收到了从家里寄来的包裹。
而且它捎来了你12月3日的信。
准备圣诞节很忙
现在过去很久了。
我认为我给你写信
那个寄给你的方巾是我在空闲的时候织的
我觉得很好
因为我不会像你和Clara那么快到工作
我希望我能给你送一些东西回去
以后，从美国往中国送东西
就像在美国国内送一样容易
很难有机会
写一些报告的东西
有太多税务方面麻烦
Happer太太说
她不会试图带走任何东西给任何人。
她们期待5月1日去Wooster。
他们会
【纵向书写】
花一点时间
在那
然后去集会
我希望你们这次
可以见到
Happer太太，
Happer医生看起来很老很衰弱
但是我认为
回去美国
可以治愈他。
爱你的Hattie
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Em, February 4, 1885,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 27, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/421.