Letter from Hattie to Em, May 4, 1868

Letter from Hattie to Em, May 4, 1868

Missionaries; Leave of absence; Married people in missionary work; Chinese language--Study and teaching

In this letter to her sister Emily on her birthday, Harriet playfully teases her sister about her health and wishes she was with her. Harriet then writes about the monthly missionary meeting. She is quite upset about the potential departure of the Prestons. She raves about the couple and claims that everybody is as fond of them as she is, She concludes by talking about her study of the Chinese language and her work with a girls' school.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

Loose, The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection

Unpublished

1868-05-04

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_935

[Note: Additionally note sideways at the top of page one]
I sent to
Hong kong
for some
lace a
little while
ago and
I think
it will
make
pretty
collars &
I send
a little
piece
for you
to try
Yours
with
love
"Hatt"

Canton May 4th /68
My [u]darling[/u] Em.
Would you like to know
what was my first thought this morning.
WEll it was just this. To-day is [u]Em's[/u] birthday.
Would I not love to be with you long enough
to give you the 22 kisses you so richly
deserve. Would'nt I be a [u]long[/u] time doing
it though. I believe I could be all day
about it if you do like to have a person
if they are going to kiss you kiss you
quick" Ah Em do you remember
how I used to tease you sometimes. I am
[u]not sure[/u] that I would not do it again if I
was near enough. I believe I did not
send you even a line in our last but
you know that you was not [u]forgotten[/u].
We waited so long for the mail and I thought
I would write you after getting your
letters but the mail closed the next morning
so I had no time. Before we received
the letters I could not help feeling as though
some one was sick at home and almost
every night I would dream that it was you.

You must "eat" just as much fresh air as you
can get as they say in India. And you
will be very [u]very[/u] careful of your health wont
you even if you "dont cough at all hardly
+ dont raise any [u]scarcely[/u]." Ah Em I know
just exactly how much faith to put in
that when it comes from your pen. I hope
to hear the same good news of you from
the rest. Now you know I dont believe
any one is more [u]truthfl[/u] than "our Em."
Night before last I could not get asleep
very unusual by the way for me, and I
lay + thought of what you wrote that if
I felt lonesome I might think that "you
were thinking ^[of me]" + I wished so much that I
could [u]know[/u] whether you were just at that
moment thinking of me. Then I went
and sat by the window + watched the beautiful
moon thinking how soon it would pass over
to you and how much I wished that I could
send a message to you Since I commenced
this letter I have left off twice once to receive
a call from Mr + Mrs Badham. he is the teacher
of the government school that Dr Happer used
to teach. The evening we have spent at

the "monthly concert." The missionaries all
meet together the first Monday eve of the
month, and it is very pleasant as there are
about 25 all counted so we have quite a
congregation. WE have had an addition to
our number recently a Mr McKelvey + wife of
the UP Mission from Pittsburg. WE have met
them a few times and they are quite social
and will be quite an addition to our circle.
There are new missionaries coming out every
little while from some of the board in
England or America which is very pleasant.
I hope Dr Happer will not give up the idea
of coming back + Dr Lowrie writes that there
is the prospect of Mr Condits returning I hope
it may prove true. Mr Preston + wife are
thinking of going home soom on a visit.
His Father is very old + is so anxious to see
him again + the last mail brought them
word that her mother is very sick. I am
very anxious that they should go but we would
miss them oh [u]so much[/u] far more than any
other family here. If you ever see them
I know you will think everything of them
for [u]everybody does[/u]. He has been here 14 yrs.

and she has been out 15. She came out as Mrs Brewster + her husband
died in a very short time. Mr Preston came out soon after with a woman
in his heart which soon headed in the sunlight of Mrs Preston's smiles
and he has always considered himself as a very happy mortal
in becoming the husband of Mrs P an opinion in which every body
else agrees with him. He is a very efficient missionary + speaks
the language with a facility which only one now + then ever
acquires. But to turn the subject, and I will say something about
my study of the language. I know you will wonder what fills
up my time + I can hardly tell but I am quite sure that it
is filled up so full that studying is something as it used to be at
home. I would be so glad if I could study 5 hours every day
which ^[is] as much time as hardly any one devoits in a day to
the Chinese. I did not get fairly commenced with studying
until our return from Hong kong + then I had only 24 days
to study before Alfie came + he is such a [u]perfect little mischief[/u]
that it dsnt seem as if my studying had amounted to any
thing since he has been here. He has been here nearly
five weeks + we hope + expect that they will send for him
to come home soon. I spend an hour every day with
the school girls have tried to learn some Chinese songs
to sing with them. There are only 13 as yet I believe
Mrs Happer did not have more than 8 or 10. Hers was a boarding
school however while this is a day school. I presume at first boarding
schools were necessary to induce scholars to come at all but now
that there seems to be no difficulty about that I am [u]most
decidely[/u] opposed to them for a great many reasons -
Of course here in China with a teeming population
any number of parents would be delighted to turn their girls
over to any one who would take the responsibility of feeding +
clothing them. But my sheet is almost filled and I have been
sitting up some little time with only "Kitty Clyde" for company so I will
say goodnight now + write more on another sheet. Goodnight darling + that
you may have many [u]many[/u] happy returns of this day is the prayer of your [u]own loving[/u] Hattie-

[附加说明写在页面顶部]
我最近从
香港
订购了
一些蕾丝。
我觉得
这个蕾丝
可以用来做
漂亮的
衣领。
我送你一块
试试。
/
/
/
/
/
/
你亲爱的，
Hatt

广东1868年5月4日
我亲爱的Em，
你想知道我今天早上醒来的
第一个想法是什么吗？
就是这个：今天是Em的生日！
我很想给你
你当之无愧的22个吻。
我需要很长时间才能做到。
/
/
/
Em,你记得我以前是怎么
欺负你的吗？
如果我们现在在一起，
我确定不会这样做。
虽然上次没有给你寄信，
但我还是在想你。
我打算在收到你的信后
给你写一封信
但是邮局第二天早上就关门了，
所以我没有时间。
在我们收到信之前，
我还做噩梦梦见你生病了，
没想到你真的生病了。

印度人说：
你不许尽可能“吃”新鲜的空气。
即使你“不怎么咳嗽”，
你也必须非常注意你的健康。
我知道我相信你写的，
因为是你写的。
/
我希望我能从家里的其他人
那里听到这样的好消息。
Em，没有人比你诚实。
昨晚我奇怪地睡不着，
我在想你写给我的东西：
如果我感到孤独，
我可以想象你在想我。
我希望我能知道在那一刻
你是否真的在想我。
/
然后我走到窗前看着美丽的月亮
我想过月亮会如何从我身上掠过，
很快你就会看到它。
我希望月亮能给你发我心里的消息。
自从开始写这封信以来，
我不得不停顿两次。
一次是因为Badham夫妇来拜访
Badham先生是在Happer医生的政府学校当老师。

今天我们参加了每月的音乐会。
总共有大约 25 名传教士，
我们在每个月的第一个星期一聚会。
/
McKelvey夫妇，两位新传教士刚到
他们是长老会联合宣教来则匹兹堡传教士。
/
我们见过他们几次，
他们是我们朋友群的一个很好的补充。
很高兴每天都有
新的传教士从
英国和美国抵达。
我希望Happer医生还会考虑回来。
Lowrie医生说Condits先生会回来，
我希望他说对的。
Preston夫妇考虑
回家探亲。
Preston先生的父亲很老
最后一封信说
Preston太太的母亲病的很重。
我希望他们能尽快走，
但我会比这里的任何其他家庭更想念他们。
每个遇到他们的人都对他们评价很高，
我敢肯定，如果你遇到他们，
你也会对他们评价很高。

他来了14年，她来了15年。
一到中国，Preston太太是另外一个叫Brewster先生的夫人。
但Brewster先生抵达中国后不久就去世了。
Preston生认为自己很幸运能与Preston太太结婚,
大家都同意他的意见。
他是一位非常有效率的传教士，
会说很流利的中文，一种难学的语言。
说到这里，
我想告诉你关于我学习中文的事情。
我花了很多时间学习，
感觉就像回到了学校。
如果可以的话，
我试着每天学习五个小时的中文。
直到我们从香港回来我才开始学习中文，
然后我只有24天的时间学习，
直到Alfie来了，
我不得不把所有的时间照顾这个淘气的男孩。
他已经在这里将近五个星期了，
我们希望他的父母很快就会派他回家。
我每天花一个小时从学校的女学生那里
学一些中文歌曲
或者跟她们一起唱。
我们学校只有13名学生，但这仍然是一个不错的数字，
Happer太太的学校不超过八或十个。
她的学校是寄宿学校，
但我们是走读学校。
起初我认为寄宿学校比走读学校好，
但现在我反对他们。
我有很多反对寄宿学校的理由，
但我的页面几乎已经满了，
而且已经很晚了，所以我稍后再给你写一张纸。
除了Clyde猫咪，我是唯一一个不睡觉的人，
晚安我亲爱的妹妹，
你亲爱的Hattie

Letter