Letter from Henry to Emily, February 26, 1880
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Henry to Emily, February 26, 1880
Subject
Rain and rainfall; Weather; Women teachers; Telephone; Statistics
Description
Henry writes to Em, telling her about the ongoing rain. It has poured for 20 days straight. He is glad that Em is enjoying her time teaching at Wadsworth school and that Johnnie Happer likes Wooster. Henry says what a curious thing the telephone is. He gives Em some statistics about the mission and the number of students studying at the school.
Creator
Noyes, Henry Varnum
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #3
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1880-02-26
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_640
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton Feb 26th 1880
My dear Sister Em
[u] Wet [/u], [u] wet [/u] [u] wet [/u] is the
order of the day here. It is a wet
cloudy day to day just as it has
been almost every day in Feb thus far.
It rained every day for 20 days and
there have not been more than 2 or 3
days since that it has not rained.
We hav'nt seen the moon since Feb 1st and
not the sun more than 2 or 3 times. It
would look friendly to see his face once
more. We are not however troubled with
the mud under foot as you are at home
or were when the letters were written. For
our streets are all hard with large granite
stones and while the rain makes them
wet and dirty we don't get much
depth of mud. I am glad you find[--ing--]
teaching in the Wadsworth school a pleasant
employment and hope it will continue to
be so. You were at home when you
wrote for winter vacation and had a
nice time of course. You wrote that
you had received a letter from Josie Kerr.
His father & mother are very much
troubled about him. Mrs Kerr has only had
one letter from him since she came back.
She fully expects now to go home
to look after him, is thinking of
starting in the course of a month
or 6 weeks. I hope she may hear
something to lead her to change her
plans but she seems quite decided
now. Josie has got into some trouble
at the place where he is staying and
they do not wish to keep him.
I am glad that Johnnie Happer
likes it at Wooster.
Some of you sent Mark
[?Tiam's?] response to the toast "Babies"
at Chicago. It is not bad. I
read it, with due appreciation. Clara
or Mary I forget which say that
Willie's hair is lighter colored than they
had thought. I tell him he is a little
"tow-head" and he has got so that when I
say to him [u] Who is this? [/u] he will say
tow-head tow-head. He will not be a
tow head very much longer as his hair
seems to be changing its color you now
see quite a dark shade looking through
it. He is strong and fat and seems
to have a good time.
What a curious thing the
telephone is. How strange it must seem
to hear the very tones of one's voice
who is miles away. I wish we
had one in working order from
here to the old house on the hill.
I suppose the girls will
write that they received permission
by the last mail to go ahead with
the school building so I presume
it will be up by the middle of the year.
It seems that cousin Horace
has closed his labors at Bridgewater.
He seems to have been very highly
esteemed.
Chinese New Years has come
and gone since we wrote last. There
is an unusual amount of noise
at that time mostly from fire crackers.
But everything now is getting back into
the old track and people are starting
on another long year of plodding
work without any break until New
Years comes again.
I do not think of any special
news from here. I sent day be-
fore yesterday, one of my old Los
Angeles boys Mo-Hing to rent a
place to live in and to preach
at Kong-Mun where I had a school
some years ago. It is about 6 miles
from San-Ui and has a population
of about 100,000. We find it very
difficult to rent chapels, but I hope
he will be able to get a place to
live in I have just finished writing
the Mission Report for last year ending
Dec 31st 1879. I will give you a few
of the Statistics. The whole number of
church members is 369. The number
added during the year 65 (1st ch 30 2d
ch 30 San Ui ch 5) Contributions $129.05
No of scholars in all the boys schools 227
" " " Girls 318
Total 545
No of scholars in Bible class and
Sabbath schools 170. No of books & tracts
sold & donated 36,732.
The first report I wrote was
in 1867. At that time the number
of Chinese members was 32. Then
there was one native preacher now
there are 14. Then No Bible women now
there are 7. Then 3 Boys day schools now
there are 6. Then no Girls schools, now
there are 11.
I just happen to think of those
nice gold-bowed spectacles that father got.
I am glad he was so pleasantly sur-
prized and that Mr & Mrs Elliott are such
good friend Now I must close. We are all
well and send much love
Your aff Bro
Henry
My dear Sister Em
[u] Wet [/u], [u] wet [/u] [u] wet [/u] is the
order of the day here. It is a wet
cloudy day to day just as it has
been almost every day in Feb thus far.
It rained every day for 20 days and
there have not been more than 2 or 3
days since that it has not rained.
We hav'nt seen the moon since Feb 1st and
not the sun more than 2 or 3 times. It
would look friendly to see his face once
more. We are not however troubled with
the mud under foot as you are at home
or were when the letters were written. For
our streets are all hard with large granite
stones and while the rain makes them
wet and dirty we don't get much
depth of mud. I am glad you find[--ing--]
teaching in the Wadsworth school a pleasant
employment and hope it will continue to
be so. You were at home when you
wrote for winter vacation and had a
nice time of course. You wrote that
you had received a letter from Josie Kerr.
His father & mother are very much
troubled about him. Mrs Kerr has only had
one letter from him since she came back.
She fully expects now to go home
to look after him, is thinking of
starting in the course of a month
or 6 weeks. I hope she may hear
something to lead her to change her
plans but she seems quite decided
now. Josie has got into some trouble
at the place where he is staying and
they do not wish to keep him.
I am glad that Johnnie Happer
likes it at Wooster.
Some of you sent Mark
[?Tiam's?] response to the toast "Babies"
at Chicago. It is not bad. I
read it, with due appreciation. Clara
or Mary I forget which say that
Willie's hair is lighter colored than they
had thought. I tell him he is a little
"tow-head" and he has got so that when I
say to him [u] Who is this? [/u] he will say
tow-head tow-head. He will not be a
tow head very much longer as his hair
seems to be changing its color you now
see quite a dark shade looking through
it. He is strong and fat and seems
to have a good time.
What a curious thing the
telephone is. How strange it must seem
to hear the very tones of one's voice
who is miles away. I wish we
had one in working order from
here to the old house on the hill.
I suppose the girls will
write that they received permission
by the last mail to go ahead with
the school building so I presume
it will be up by the middle of the year.
It seems that cousin Horace
has closed his labors at Bridgewater.
He seems to have been very highly
esteemed.
Chinese New Years has come
and gone since we wrote last. There
is an unusual amount of noise
at that time mostly from fire crackers.
But everything now is getting back into
the old track and people are starting
on another long year of plodding
work without any break until New
Years comes again.
I do not think of any special
news from here. I sent day be-
fore yesterday, one of my old Los
Angeles boys Mo-Hing to rent a
place to live in and to preach
at Kong-Mun where I had a school
some years ago. It is about 6 miles
from San-Ui and has a population
of about 100,000. We find it very
difficult to rent chapels, but I hope
he will be able to get a place to
live in I have just finished writing
the Mission Report for last year ending
Dec 31st 1879. I will give you a few
of the Statistics. The whole number of
church members is 369. The number
added during the year 65 (1st ch 30 2d
ch 30 San Ui ch 5) Contributions $129.05
No of scholars in all the boys schools 227
" " " Girls 318
Total 545
No of scholars in Bible class and
Sabbath schools 170. No of books & tracts
sold & donated 36,732.
The first report I wrote was
in 1867. At that time the number
of Chinese members was 32. Then
there was one native preacher now
there are 14. Then No Bible women now
there are 7. Then 3 Boys day schools now
there are 6. Then no Girls schools, now
there are 11.
I just happen to think of those
nice gold-bowed spectacles that father got.
I am glad he was so pleasantly sur-
prized and that Mr & Mrs Elliott are such
good friend Now I must close. We are all
well and send much love
Your aff Bro
Henry
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Henry Varnum, “Letter from Henry to Emily, February 26, 1880,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 18, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/702.