Letter from Hattie to Edward, August 19, 1889
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Edward, August 19, 1889
Subject
Jackson, Andrew, 1767-1845; Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901; Wanamaker, John, 1838-1922; Steamboats; Sabbath; Herald and Presbyter; Presbyterian Church; Elders (Church officers)--Baptists, [Presbyterian Church, etc.]; Heaven
Description
Harriet writes to her older brother, Edward, about how many missionaries he has sent to China and the difference in opinion among the missionaries about traveling on the Sabbath/Eve of the Sabbath. She mentions a letter from Brother Notestein and infers from it that he plans to stay working with Edward. She includes an article about Pres. Andrew Jackson refusing the role of a ruling elder of the Presbyterian Church in Nashville and expresses gladness at Henry being an elder instead of President. She ends back on the Sabbath debate and criticizes Pres. Harrison for going on a yacht on the Sabbath.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #4
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1889-08-19
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_429
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China
Aug 19th 1889
My dear Edward,
I am constantly
wondering whether Henry
is still with you or whether
they have all left again
for China. If we count
Dr & Mrs McCandliss leaving
this will make the ninth
time you have started
missionaries to China. I
remember just how you
looked mounted on that
wagon load of trunks.
I have just been out on
the verandah to watch
the morning steamer come
in to see if Dr McCandliss
was on board but I did
not see anything of him
so expect he will be up
tonight. Perhaps he is too
conscientious to start from
Hong Kong on the steamer
Sabbath evening. There
There is a difference of
opinion or at least of practice
among our missionaries with
reference to this. I think
however almost any of them
except Dr Kerr and Dr
Swan I imagine would
not hesitate to come on the
Sabbath eve boat if it
suited their convenience.
I received by the last
mail a nice letter from
brother Notestien. In this
he does not write as though
he had ever had any
thought of leaving Seville
he does not write anything
directly about it but writes
as though he were expecting
to continue with you.
I saw something in
the Herald and Presbyter
yesterday which I must
copy for you as I fear
you may not have seen it.
"Andrew Jackson's opinion
was expressed when he declined
his election as a ruling elder
of the Presbyterian church in
Nashville after his retirement
from the Presidency. He
said that he did not feel
himself worthy of so holy an
office and regarded it as
the highest honor which had
been offered to him. He said
"to be a ruler in the Church
of God is the greatest honor
on Earth." I never knew
before that he was such a
decided Christian as he must
have been to have been
elected an Elder and
it seems nice that he appreciated
it so much. I am so
glad that you are an
Elder. I would a
thousand times rather you
would be an Elder in
the Church in Seville
than President of the
United States. A few
years hence political
eminence will amount to
so little. The "kingdom
of heaven" is the one that
will endure forever, and
it seems very different
to hold office in that. I
am sorry to see from the
papers that President Harrison
feels justified in going out
in Wanamaker's yacht
on the Sabbath. I do not
doubt he needs the rest but I
wish he could take it some
other or less publicly. The
Sabbath question however
is a very difficult one to
solve There is so much
difference of opinion between
good men. I am afraid
a good many of our Chinese
Christians are not very careful
about its observance. I always
think more of home on
Sabbath than any other day.
How nice it would be if I could
spend them at home.
[Continued vertically on the first page]
It is
almost
breakfast
time so
I will
say good
bye for
this letter
With love
Hattie
中国广州
1889 年 8 月 19 日
我亲爱的爱德华，
我一直在想亨利是否还在你身边，
或者他们是否都已再次离开中国。
如果我们算上麦坎德利斯医生和夫人的离开，
这将是您第九次开始向中国传教。
我记得你坐在那辆满载行李箱上的样子。
我刚刚在阳台上看早班轮船进来看看麦坎德利斯医生是否在船上，
但我没有看到他的任何东西，
所以预计他今晚会起床。
或许他太认真了，
不能在轮船安息日晚上从香港出发。
在这方面，
我们的传教士之间存在意见分歧，
或者至少在实践上存在分歧。
我想，
除了 Kerr 医生和 Swan 医生之外，
我想几乎他们中的任何一个人都会毫不犹豫地登上安息日前夜的船，
如果它适合他们的方便的话。
在上一封邮件中，
我收到了一封来自 Notestien 兄弟的好信。
在这本书中，
他没有写出好像他曾经有过离开塞维利亚的想法，
他没有直接写任何关于它的东西，
而是写得好像他期待继续和你在一起一样。
昨天我在《先驱报》和《长老会》上看到了一些东西，
我必须复制给你，
因为我担心你可能没有看到。
安德鲁杰克逊的观点在他从总统职位退休后拒绝被选为纳什维尔长老会的执政长老时表达了这一观点。
他说他觉得自己不配担任如此神圣的职务，
并认为这是给予他的最高荣誉。
他说，
在上帝的教会中成为统治者是地球上最大的荣誉。
我以前从来不知道他是一个如此坚定的基督徒，
因为他一定是被选为长老的，
他如此欣赏这似乎很好。
我很高兴你是一位长老。
我千百次宁愿你成为塞维利亚教会的长老，
也不愿成为美国总统。
几年后，
政治声望将变得微乎其微。
“天国”是永远长存的，
在其中担任公职似乎很不一样。
我很遗憾从报纸上看到哈里森总统认为在安息日乘坐瓦纳梅克的游艇是正当的。
我不怀疑他需要剩下的，
但我希望他能以其他方式或不公开地接受它。
然而，
安息日问题是一个非常难以解决的问题。
好人之间的意见分歧很大。
恐怕我们很多中国基督徒都不太注意遵守它。
在安息日，
我总是比其他任何一天都更想家。
如果我能把它们花在家里该多好。
[第一页垂直续] 早餐时间快到了，
所以我要和这封信说再见了 爱的海蒂
Aug 19th 1889
My dear Edward,
I am constantly
wondering whether Henry
is still with you or whether
they have all left again
for China. If we count
Dr & Mrs McCandliss leaving
this will make the ninth
time you have started
missionaries to China. I
remember just how you
looked mounted on that
wagon load of trunks.
I have just been out on
the verandah to watch
the morning steamer come
in to see if Dr McCandliss
was on board but I did
not see anything of him
so expect he will be up
tonight. Perhaps he is too
conscientious to start from
Hong Kong on the steamer
Sabbath evening. There
There is a difference of
opinion or at least of practice
among our missionaries with
reference to this. I think
however almost any of them
except Dr Kerr and Dr
Swan I imagine would
not hesitate to come on the
Sabbath eve boat if it
suited their convenience.
I received by the last
mail a nice letter from
brother Notestien. In this
he does not write as though
he had ever had any
thought of leaving Seville
he does not write anything
directly about it but writes
as though he were expecting
to continue with you.
I saw something in
the Herald and Presbyter
yesterday which I must
copy for you as I fear
you may not have seen it.
"Andrew Jackson's opinion
was expressed when he declined
his election as a ruling elder
of the Presbyterian church in
Nashville after his retirement
from the Presidency. He
said that he did not feel
himself worthy of so holy an
office and regarded it as
the highest honor which had
been offered to him. He said
"to be a ruler in the Church
of God is the greatest honor
on Earth." I never knew
before that he was such a
decided Christian as he must
have been to have been
elected an Elder and
it seems nice that he appreciated
it so much. I am so
glad that you are an
Elder. I would a
thousand times rather you
would be an Elder in
the Church in Seville
than President of the
United States. A few
years hence political
eminence will amount to
so little. The "kingdom
of heaven" is the one that
will endure forever, and
it seems very different
to hold office in that. I
am sorry to see from the
papers that President Harrison
feels justified in going out
in Wanamaker's yacht
on the Sabbath. I do not
doubt he needs the rest but I
wish he could take it some
other or less publicly. The
Sabbath question however
is a very difficult one to
solve There is so much
difference of opinion between
good men. I am afraid
a good many of our Chinese
Christians are not very careful
about its observance. I always
think more of home on
Sabbath than any other day.
How nice it would be if I could
spend them at home.
[Continued vertically on the first page]
It is
almost
breakfast
time so
I will
say good
bye for
this letter
With love
Hattie
中国广州
1889 年 8 月 19 日
我亲爱的爱德华，
我一直在想亨利是否还在你身边，
或者他们是否都已再次离开中国。
如果我们算上麦坎德利斯医生和夫人的离开，
这将是您第九次开始向中国传教。
我记得你坐在那辆满载行李箱上的样子。
我刚刚在阳台上看早班轮船进来看看麦坎德利斯医生是否在船上，
但我没有看到他的任何东西，
所以预计他今晚会起床。
或许他太认真了，
不能在轮船安息日晚上从香港出发。
在这方面，
我们的传教士之间存在意见分歧，
或者至少在实践上存在分歧。
我想，
除了 Kerr 医生和 Swan 医生之外，
我想几乎他们中的任何一个人都会毫不犹豫地登上安息日前夜的船，
如果它适合他们的方便的话。
在上一封邮件中，
我收到了一封来自 Notestien 兄弟的好信。
在这本书中，
他没有写出好像他曾经有过离开塞维利亚的想法，
他没有直接写任何关于它的东西，
而是写得好像他期待继续和你在一起一样。
昨天我在《先驱报》和《长老会》上看到了一些东西，
我必须复制给你，
因为我担心你可能没有看到。
安德鲁杰克逊的观点在他从总统职位退休后拒绝被选为纳什维尔长老会的执政长老时表达了这一观点。
他说他觉得自己不配担任如此神圣的职务，
并认为这是给予他的最高荣誉。
他说，
在上帝的教会中成为统治者是地球上最大的荣誉。
我以前从来不知道他是一个如此坚定的基督徒，
因为他一定是被选为长老的，
他如此欣赏这似乎很好。
我很高兴你是一位长老。
我千百次宁愿你成为塞维利亚教会的长老，
也不愿成为美国总统。
几年后，
政治声望将变得微乎其微。
“天国”是永远长存的，
在其中担任公职似乎很不一样。
我很遗憾从报纸上看到哈里森总统认为在安息日乘坐瓦纳梅克的游艇是正当的。
我不怀疑他需要剩下的，
但我希望他能以其他方式或不公开地接受它。
然而，
安息日问题是一个非常难以解决的问题。
好人之间的意见分歧很大。
恐怕我们很多中国基督徒都不太注意遵守它。
在安息日，
我总是比其他任何一天都更想家。
如果我能把它们花在家里该多好。
[第一页垂直续] 早餐时间快到了，
所以我要和这封信说再见了 爱的海蒂
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Edward, August 19, 1889,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed May 4, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/487.