Section of Letter from Harriet
Dublin Core
Title
Section of Letter from Harriet
Subject
Missionaries; Conversion; Idolatry; Persecution--China
Description
Harriet writes about a letter that Dr. Happer received from Mr. Corbett wherein he and Mr. Leyenbarger evangelize in the North. They converted many natives, two of whom had rejected their original beliefs after being unable to afford offerings but hiding due to social pressures. Harriet thinks that many more natives may be secret Christians. Dr. Graves says that persecutions have taken place against Roman Catholics with many killed, when the leader's family was lost to him, appearing as a punishment from the Christian God. The Wesleyan Mr. Hargreaves reports that a Buddhist monk wishes to convert and donate his small monastery as a chapel. Henry has returned, and Mr. Fulton is still in Lin Chau. Many young farmers may soon begin mission work. Mrs. Kerr's visit was more enjoyable than her time in America.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
Loose, The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
Unknown
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_664
Coverage
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
2
Our last monthly concert
was a very interesting meeting
Dr Graves led. Dr
Happer spoke of a letter
just received from Mr
Corbett in which he wrote
of a trip he and Mr
Leyenbarger had just
returned from. Mr
Corbett had baptized
fifty and Mr Leyenbarger
I think one hundred
and ten .Their work
in the country at the North
seems most encouraging.
Mr Masters told of a
very interesting incident
which had just come
to his knowledge. In
one of the Wesleyan
chapels a short time
before at the close of
the daily preaching one
day two men came up
and told the native
assistant that they wished
to be baptized and unite
with the church. The
preachers told them
that he was very glad but
if they had only heard
one sermon they were
deciding very hastily and
without much knowledge.
They said they had
heard preaching hundreds
of times. Further conversation
elicited the facts that
they had been believers
in Christianity for
several years one for
seven the other for five
but secretly for fear of
men -- The one who
had given up the worship
of idols seven years since
came to the conclusion
that it was wrong from
listening to preaching
in the chapels. He
told his wife that he could
not think it right to give
any more money to be used
in worshipping idols and
she said she would earn
the money herself. After
a time he moved to
another home which
they were to occupy with
another family. He soon
noticed that in the
apartments of the other
family there were no
idols and upon asking
about it was delighted
to find that his neighbor
and all his family were
also believers in Christianity
They had given up the
worship of idols and for
a long time had been
in the habit every morning
of going out in the open
court and lighting candles
and worshipping the true
God. It was a delightful
surprise to both the men
and the one who had
been a listener longer
explained to the
3
other more clearly about
Christian worship and that
the lighting of candles or
any such forms was
unnecessary . Since then
they have had their
daily worship together and
are known by all their
neighbors as believers in
Jesus. and as they
find that they must
endure the reproach of
being followers of Jesus
they have concluded to
have the comforts +
privilege of being numbered
with His people. This
incident in itself seems
very encouraging and
still more so as proof
of what we often hope
and think is true that
there may be many who
are secretly believing in
the Saviour of sinners.
I often think of the time
when Elijah thought that
he was left alone but God
assured him that there
were still seven thousand
faithful ones who had
not bowed the knee to
Baal . And so we
may hope that He knows
of many who are believing
secretly here in China
but are not yet strong
enough to face the
opposition which they know
they must meet if they
make known their
feelings. After Mr Masters
had finished Dr Graves
spoke of something that he
had just heard About
four years since I think
it was some of the Roman
Catholic Christians at one
of the stations were most
cruelly persecuted Four I
think were killed. one man
I remember hearing at the
time was rolled up in one
of the cotton bed covers which
they use in winter and
it was then saturated
with kerosene oil and set
on fire. A time was
set to destroy all the
Christians but the threat
was not carried out.
It seems that the man
who was the ringleader
in this persecution .soon
afterwards lost all his
children and grandchildren
and was himself killed
in his own house by two
of his nephews. The
people about there all
say that it was clearly
a punishment set upon
him by the God of the
Christians and since
then none have
dared to molest them
or make them afraid.
Mr Hargreaves a Wesleyan
missionary who lives soem
two hundred miles in
4
the interior told an interesting
fact of a Buddhist priest
who has become a
Christian and wishes to
unite with the church.
The monastery in which
he has lived which must
be a very small one as
only himself and another
priest who has also given
up Buddhism lived
there he wishes to sell
to the mission that it
may be used as a
chapel .Mr Hargreaves
is doubtful as to whether
it will be best to take
the temple or not.
The Chinese constantly
pray that the idol
temples may be changed
into temples for the
worship of the one true God-
and this seems like
the beginning of the answer
I imagine the next ten
years will see a very great
change in China
far more doubtless
than in the past ten
and in looking back
we se that there
has been most encouraging
progress. Mr Henry
has just returned
from a trip in the
country .Henry has
been away about two weeks
will perhaps be home
tomorrow . Mr Fulton
is still up at Lin Chau.
I hope we shall soon
be able to get a station
there or rather to get
houses so that the
missionaries who are to
go here can go. I dont
suppose they will send
any more to Canton
unless some of those
who are here get off
into the country -
From the papers we
see there are a great
many young men
who are ready to
come out as a missionaries
Still as old the harvest
is plenteous and the
laborers few so we shall
be gla to welcome all
earnest laborers.
Hattie Kerr told me
the other day that her
Father thinks of going
home in two years
for a year or two -
We should miss him
dreadfully. he is a dear
good man. I always feel
glad that Mrs Kerr enjoyed
her visit so much at our
home for she did not have
much pleasure elsewhere
while in America.
With warmest love Yr aff daughter
Harriet -
Our last monthly concert
was a very interesting meeting
Dr Graves led. Dr
Happer spoke of a letter
just received from Mr
Corbett in which he wrote
of a trip he and Mr
Leyenbarger had just
returned from. Mr
Corbett had baptized
fifty and Mr Leyenbarger
I think one hundred
and ten .Their work
in the country at the North
seems most encouraging.
Mr Masters told of a
very interesting incident
which had just come
to his knowledge. In
one of the Wesleyan
chapels a short time
before at the close of
the daily preaching one
day two men came up
and told the native
assistant that they wished
to be baptized and unite
with the church. The
preachers told them
that he was very glad but
if they had only heard
one sermon they were
deciding very hastily and
without much knowledge.
They said they had
heard preaching hundreds
of times. Further conversation
elicited the facts that
they had been believers
in Christianity for
several years one for
seven the other for five
but secretly for fear of
men -- The one who
had given up the worship
of idols seven years since
came to the conclusion
that it was wrong from
listening to preaching
in the chapels. He
told his wife that he could
not think it right to give
any more money to be used
in worshipping idols and
she said she would earn
the money herself. After
a time he moved to
another home which
they were to occupy with
another family. He soon
noticed that in the
apartments of the other
family there were no
idols and upon asking
about it was delighted
to find that his neighbor
and all his family were
also believers in Christianity
They had given up the
worship of idols and for
a long time had been
in the habit every morning
of going out in the open
court and lighting candles
and worshipping the true
God. It was a delightful
surprise to both the men
and the one who had
been a listener longer
explained to the
3
other more clearly about
Christian worship and that
the lighting of candles or
any such forms was
unnecessary . Since then
they have had their
daily worship together and
are known by all their
neighbors as believers in
Jesus. and as they
find that they must
endure the reproach of
being followers of Jesus
they have concluded to
have the comforts +
privilege of being numbered
with His people. This
incident in itself seems
very encouraging and
still more so as proof
of what we often hope
and think is true that
there may be many who
are secretly believing in
the Saviour of sinners.
I often think of the time
when Elijah thought that
he was left alone but God
assured him that there
were still seven thousand
faithful ones who had
not bowed the knee to
Baal . And so we
may hope that He knows
of many who are believing
secretly here in China
but are not yet strong
enough to face the
opposition which they know
they must meet if they
make known their
feelings. After Mr Masters
had finished Dr Graves
spoke of something that he
had just heard About
four years since I think
it was some of the Roman
Catholic Christians at one
of the stations were most
cruelly persecuted Four I
think were killed. one man
I remember hearing at the
time was rolled up in one
of the cotton bed covers which
they use in winter and
it was then saturated
with kerosene oil and set
on fire. A time was
set to destroy all the
Christians but the threat
was not carried out.
It seems that the man
who was the ringleader
in this persecution .soon
afterwards lost all his
children and grandchildren
and was himself killed
in his own house by two
of his nephews. The
people about there all
say that it was clearly
a punishment set upon
him by the God of the
Christians and since
then none have
dared to molest them
or make them afraid.
Mr Hargreaves a Wesleyan
missionary who lives soem
two hundred miles in
4
the interior told an interesting
fact of a Buddhist priest
who has become a
Christian and wishes to
unite with the church.
The monastery in which
he has lived which must
be a very small one as
only himself and another
priest who has also given
up Buddhism lived
there he wishes to sell
to the mission that it
may be used as a
chapel .Mr Hargreaves
is doubtful as to whether
it will be best to take
the temple or not.
The Chinese constantly
pray that the idol
temples may be changed
into temples for the
worship of the one true God-
and this seems like
the beginning of the answer
I imagine the next ten
years will see a very great
change in China
far more doubtless
than in the past ten
and in looking back
we se that there
has been most encouraging
progress. Mr Henry
has just returned
from a trip in the
country .Henry has
been away about two weeks
will perhaps be home
tomorrow . Mr Fulton
is still up at Lin Chau.
I hope we shall soon
be able to get a station
there or rather to get
houses so that the
missionaries who are to
go here can go. I dont
suppose they will send
any more to Canton
unless some of those
who are here get off
into the country -
From the papers we
see there are a great
many young men
who are ready to
come out as a missionaries
Still as old the harvest
is plenteous and the
laborers few so we shall
be gla to welcome all
earnest laborers.
Hattie Kerr told me
the other day that her
Father thinks of going
home in two years
for a year or two -
We should miss him
dreadfully. he is a dear
good man. I always feel
glad that Mrs Kerr enjoyed
her visit so much at our
home for she did not have
much pleasure elsewhere
while in America.
With warmest love Yr aff daughter
Harriet -
2 我们上一个月的音乐会和Graves医生见面很有趣。 / / Happer医生说了他收到的一封信， / 是Corbett先生写给他的， 他说他和Leyenbarger先生刚刚回来。 / / Corbett先生给50施洗， 而且我认为 Leyenbarger先生给110人施洗。 / / 他们在北方的工作看起来是最受支持的。 / Masters先生说了一个 他认为很有趣的事。 / / 在其中一个卫理公会小教堂， 在当天传教结束之前 / / 一天两个男人来 告诉当地的助理 他们想要受洗礼 并且加入教堂。 / 牧师告诉他们， 他很高兴， 但是他们如果只是听说过一次传教 就决定加入组织， 是很仓促的决定， 也没有很多知识。 他们是他们听传教已经数百次了。 / 进一步的交谈证实了他们的话 / 他们已经开始信仰基督教很多年了， / 一个人信了7年， 另一个信了5年， 但是都是保密的。 那个放弃信仰7年的男人 / / 自从来听了传教以后 发现自己错了。 / / 他告诉我们 他认为他的妻子 之前给她信仰的主很多钱是对的， / 而且她说她会自己挣这么多钱。 / 过了一阵子， 他搬家了， 搬去了一个另一个家庭合住的地方。 他很快注意到了， 在合住的公寓里没有神， / 而且问过知道 他很高兴地找到了邻居 / 邻居一家也是基督教信仰者。 / 他放弃了对主的礼拜， / 而且很长一段时间 习惯于早起去开放庭院 / 并且燃起蜡烛， 开始对真神的礼拜。 对于两个男人来说很惊喜 / 信仰更久的人向另一位基督徒解释说， 蜡烛对于基督的礼拜是不必要的。 / 3 / 同时点燃了蜡烛。 / / 从此之后， 他们每天都会聚集进行仪式， / 并且让所有邻居知道了 他们是耶稣的信徒， 而且他们发现 他们必须忍受成为跟随者的批评时 / / 他们会被安慰， / 在上帝面前有特殊待遇。 / 这一发现让他们倍受鼓舞 因为它证实了我们的信念， 变得比我们想象的更坚强 / 即有更多人暗中相信上帝。 / / / 我经常想那段时间 Elijah认为他被单独留下来 / 但是上帝会保佑他 依然有7000人还没向Baal鞠躬。 / / 所以我们也许希望 他知道很多人秘密地在中国相信 / / 但是还不够强大去面对我们已知的困难。 / / / / 在Masters先生和Graves医生说过 / / 他四年前听说的事以后， / 我认为是一些在其中一个驻地的罗马天主教 / 是最凶残的被压迫， / 我认为被杀了， 我记得一个男人 被卷入了冬天用的纯棉的床单 / / 然后被煤油浸湿以后烧掉。 / 中国人定下时间毁灭所有基督徒 基督徒非常害怕， 幸运的是， 他们只是威胁却从未实施。 看起来， 那个男人是这次暴乱的头目， / 很快他失去了他的孩子们和孙子们， / 他自己在家里被两个侄子杀了。 / / 所有人都很清楚 / 那是上帝对他的惩罚， / 而且从那之后 没有人再有勇气伤害别人 / 或使人害怕。 Hargreaves先生是理工会传教士， 他住在距内部200里的地方 / 4 他说了一个关于神父很有趣的事实， / 现在他信基督教， / 并且希望与教堂联合。 他住的寺院一定特别小 / / 因为只有他和另外一个放弃佛教的牧师 / 住在那里， 他希望把寺院卖给组织 让它变成一座小教堂。 / Hargreaves先生不知道 是否要把庙拿来做教堂。 / / 中国人一直在那座庙里拜佛， / 可能把庙弄成向真神忏悔的地。 / / 看起来这像这个问题的答案。 / 我肯定接下来的十年里 中国会发生很大的变化 / / / 而且往回看看 让我们在过程中受到鼓舞 / / Henry先生从乡下回来了。 / Henry走了两周 / 也许明天就要回到家了。 Fulton先生还在连州。 / 我希望我们能很快找到下一个根据地 / 或者找一套房子， 以至于来这里的传教士可以住。 / / 我认为他们不会向广州派更多人了 / 除非有些人离开这里。 / / 从报纸上来看， 我们发现 很多年轻男人 准备去做传教士了。 / 像往常一样， 收获很多， 劳动人很少， 所以我们很高兴欢迎所有的劳动民。 / Hattie Kerr告诉我 她的父亲想一两年后回家。 / / 我们会非常想他。 他是个很好的人。 我经常很高兴 Kerr太太和喜欢来我家看望他 / 因为她在美国的时候不喜欢去任何地方。 / / 爱您的女儿 Harriet
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Section of Letter from Harriet,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 23, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/730.