Letter from Hattie to Mattie, July 10, 1871
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Mattie, July 10, 1871
Subject
Teachers; Missionaries; Women; Christianity; Schools; Letters
Description
In this letter to her sister Martha, Harriet Noyes talks about the want for more missionaries in China, particularly women. This discussion on missionaries continues as Harriet writes about her new schools, and the admission of a Bible reader into the church. The letter concludes with Harriet relaying some information about the mail, as well as asking some questions about the mail.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #1
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1871-07-10
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_055
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China
July 10th 1871 -
My [u]dear Mattie[/u]
This morning "Lai Sin
Shang" our teacher ^[sent word] that he was a
little sick and would'nt come
around to teach. How delighted
I was to be sure. Now dont think
I'm growing hard hearted
but you know I imagine he
would enjoy it about as well to
be a little sick and stay at
home as to come and teach
us and then I was so glad
to have the day before the mail
goes to write letters. The last
mail did'nt bring any letters from
you I expect ^[at] the time of writing
you were giving your undivided
attention to your book agency.
By the way you are getting to be
quite a pedestrian if you would
walk eight miles every day in this
direction we should see you in
Canton after a while if you did'nt
get drowned in the Pacific ocean.
Dr Happer was inquiring the other
day if I did not know of some
lady that I could send for to
"come over and help us". He asked
about the Crane girls and you
and the rest of our girls. I did'nt
give him any encouragement that
any of you would come for I
did not know as there was room
for any encouragement to hope
that you would. I know
Alice Crane wished very much
to come but ^[from] what some of you
have written of her health I should
suppose she could not think of it.
Is it not so? I hope the ladies
societies at home that are getting
so interested in missions will take
up the matter and send us out
a lot of [u]nice ladies[/u] there is work
enough for any member.
A little while ago a woman came
to ask to be admitted into the church
She says she has been a believer
for many years can read
and seems to have a very intelligent
knowledge of the truth of christianity
so different from most of these [?poor?]
people different indeed from any
that I have met before. We are all
so much pleased with her and
hope + believe that she will make
an excellent Bible reader. Such
instances are so cheering only those
can know how cheering who have
labored long without any signs of
success. It does seem here a little
as though the work is gaining ground.
At [?Nganpin?] a few of the last visits
we have made we have enjoyed
very much. I feel so anxious to
get the new schools started next
year but we have not yet received
permission to put up the buildings
I told you I think some
time since that we had found
out that the letters we had sent
to Maggie Beacom were all
[u]misdirected[/u]. So we wrote again
and this mail received a reply,
and I find that she has mourned
over my silence as much as I
have hers. I am so glad that
it is past and that we may now
exchange letters as in days past
but if I had never heard from
her I think I should have loved
here none the less. She said that
she would be so glad to hear from
you but did not dare to write
to you for she had heard indirectly
that she was blamed for the past.
Perhaps if you would like to hear
from her you will write to her
her address is Remington Pa -
She says they think of making
a trip to San Francisco next spring.
Do you ever hear anything of
Miss Beattie of Ashland or [u]Dr Allen[/u]
+ his wife. She has never written
me but once. I dont know what
we should do if the [u]home[/u] friends
forgot us or forgot to write to us.
Now good-bye dear Mattie
with love for all from Hattie.
中国广州
1871 年 7 月 10 日 -
我亲爱的玛蒂
今天早上，
我们的老师“来仙上”发来消息说他有点病，
不会过来教书。
可以肯定，
我是多么高兴。
现在不要认为我变得铁石心肠，
但你知道我想他会喜欢生病一点，
呆在家里来教我们，
然后我很高兴在邮件寄出的前一天写信。
上一封邮件没有带来您的任何信件，
我预计在撰写本文时您正全神贯注于您的图书代理机构。
顺便说一句，
如果你每天朝这个方向走八英里，
你就会成为一个行人了，
如果你没有在太平洋中淹死的话，
过段时间我们应该会在广州见到你。
前几天，
哈珀医生询问我是否知道我可以派一位女士“过来帮助我们”。
他问起克兰女孩和你以及我们其他女孩的情况。
我没有给他任何鼓励你们会来的任何人，
因为我不知道，
因为有任何鼓励的余地希望你们会来。
我知道爱丽丝·克兰非常希望能来，
但从你们中的一些人写的关于她的健康状况来看，
我想她想不到。
不是这样吗？我希望对宣教如此感兴趣的国内女士协会会处理这件事，
并派出很多漂亮的女士给我们，
因为任何成员都可以做足够的工作。
前阵子来了一位女士，
要求加入教会 她说她信了很多年会读书似乎对基督教的真理有非常聪明的认识与大多数这些穷人不同确实不同从我以前遇到的任何事情中。
我们都对她非常满意，
希望并相信她会成为一名出色的圣经阅读者。
这样的事例是多么令人振奋，
只有那些辛辛苦苦长期没有任何成功迹象的人才知道是多么的振奋。
在这里，
似乎这项工作正在取得进展。
在 Nganpin 的最后几次访问中，
我们非常享受。
我对明年开办新学校感到非常着急，
但我们还没有获得建造建筑物的许可。
我告诉过你，
我想有一段时间了，
我们发现我们寄给 Maggie Beacom 的信都发错了方向。
所以我们再次写信，
这封邮件收到了回复，
我发现她为我的沉默而哀悼，
就像我对她的沉默一样。
我很高兴它已经过去了，
我们现在可以像过去一样交换信件，
但如果我从未收到她的消息，
我想我应该仍然爱这里。
她说她很高兴收到你的来信，
但不敢给你写信，
因为她间接听说她过去受到了指责。
也许如果你想听她的消息，
你会写信给她，
她的地址是 Remington 宾夕法尼亚州——
她说他们考虑明年春天去旧金山旅行。
你有没有听说过阿什兰的比蒂小姐或艾伦医生和他的妻子。
她从来没有给我写信，
只有一次。
如果家里的朋友忘记我们或忘记给我们写信，
我不知道该怎么办。
现在再见了，
亲爱的玛蒂。
给大家我的爱。
来自，
海蒂。
July 10th 1871 -
My [u]dear Mattie[/u]
This morning "Lai Sin
Shang" our teacher ^[sent word] that he was a
little sick and would'nt come
around to teach. How delighted
I was to be sure. Now dont think
I'm growing hard hearted
but you know I imagine he
would enjoy it about as well to
be a little sick and stay at
home as to come and teach
us and then I was so glad
to have the day before the mail
goes to write letters. The last
mail did'nt bring any letters from
you I expect ^[at] the time of writing
you were giving your undivided
attention to your book agency.
By the way you are getting to be
quite a pedestrian if you would
walk eight miles every day in this
direction we should see you in
Canton after a while if you did'nt
get drowned in the Pacific ocean.
Dr Happer was inquiring the other
day if I did not know of some
lady that I could send for to
"come over and help us". He asked
about the Crane girls and you
and the rest of our girls. I did'nt
give him any encouragement that
any of you would come for I
did not know as there was room
for any encouragement to hope
that you would. I know
Alice Crane wished very much
to come but ^[from] what some of you
have written of her health I should
suppose she could not think of it.
Is it not so? I hope the ladies
societies at home that are getting
so interested in missions will take
up the matter and send us out
a lot of [u]nice ladies[/u] there is work
enough for any member.
A little while ago a woman came
to ask to be admitted into the church
She says she has been a believer
for many years can read
and seems to have a very intelligent
knowledge of the truth of christianity
so different from most of these [?poor?]
people different indeed from any
that I have met before. We are all
so much pleased with her and
hope + believe that she will make
an excellent Bible reader. Such
instances are so cheering only those
can know how cheering who have
labored long without any signs of
success. It does seem here a little
as though the work is gaining ground.
At [?Nganpin?] a few of the last visits
we have made we have enjoyed
very much. I feel so anxious to
get the new schools started next
year but we have not yet received
permission to put up the buildings
I told you I think some
time since that we had found
out that the letters we had sent
to Maggie Beacom were all
[u]misdirected[/u]. So we wrote again
and this mail received a reply,
and I find that she has mourned
over my silence as much as I
have hers. I am so glad that
it is past and that we may now
exchange letters as in days past
but if I had never heard from
her I think I should have loved
here none the less. She said that
she would be so glad to hear from
you but did not dare to write
to you for she had heard indirectly
that she was blamed for the past.
Perhaps if you would like to hear
from her you will write to her
her address is Remington Pa -
She says they think of making
a trip to San Francisco next spring.
Do you ever hear anything of
Miss Beattie of Ashland or [u]Dr Allen[/u]
+ his wife. She has never written
me but once. I dont know what
we should do if the [u]home[/u] friends
forgot us or forgot to write to us.
Now good-bye dear Mattie
with love for all from Hattie.
中国广州
1871 年 7 月 10 日 -
我亲爱的玛蒂
今天早上，
我们的老师“来仙上”发来消息说他有点病，
不会过来教书。
可以肯定，
我是多么高兴。
现在不要认为我变得铁石心肠，
但你知道我想他会喜欢生病一点，
呆在家里来教我们，
然后我很高兴在邮件寄出的前一天写信。
上一封邮件没有带来您的任何信件，
我预计在撰写本文时您正全神贯注于您的图书代理机构。
顺便说一句，
如果你每天朝这个方向走八英里，
你就会成为一个行人了，
如果你没有在太平洋中淹死的话，
过段时间我们应该会在广州见到你。
前几天，
哈珀医生询问我是否知道我可以派一位女士“过来帮助我们”。
他问起克兰女孩和你以及我们其他女孩的情况。
我没有给他任何鼓励你们会来的任何人，
因为我不知道，
因为有任何鼓励的余地希望你们会来。
我知道爱丽丝·克兰非常希望能来，
但从你们中的一些人写的关于她的健康状况来看，
我想她想不到。
不是这样吗？我希望对宣教如此感兴趣的国内女士协会会处理这件事，
并派出很多漂亮的女士给我们，
因为任何成员都可以做足够的工作。
前阵子来了一位女士，
要求加入教会 她说她信了很多年会读书似乎对基督教的真理有非常聪明的认识与大多数这些穷人不同确实不同从我以前遇到的任何事情中。
我们都对她非常满意，
希望并相信她会成为一名出色的圣经阅读者。
这样的事例是多么令人振奋，
只有那些辛辛苦苦长期没有任何成功迹象的人才知道是多么的振奋。
在这里，
似乎这项工作正在取得进展。
在 Nganpin 的最后几次访问中，
我们非常享受。
我对明年开办新学校感到非常着急，
但我们还没有获得建造建筑物的许可。
我告诉过你，
我想有一段时间了，
我们发现我们寄给 Maggie Beacom 的信都发错了方向。
所以我们再次写信，
这封邮件收到了回复，
我发现她为我的沉默而哀悼，
就像我对她的沉默一样。
我很高兴它已经过去了，
我们现在可以像过去一样交换信件，
但如果我从未收到她的消息，
我想我应该仍然爱这里。
她说她很高兴收到你的来信，
但不敢给你写信，
因为她间接听说她过去受到了指责。
也许如果你想听她的消息，
你会写信给她，
她的地址是 Remington 宾夕法尼亚州——
她说他们考虑明年春天去旧金山旅行。
你有没有听说过阿什兰的比蒂小姐或艾伦医生和他的妻子。
她从来没有给我写信，
只有一次。
如果家里的朋友忘记我们或忘记给我们写信，
我不知道该怎么办。
现在再见了，
亲爱的玛蒂。
给大家我的爱。
来自，
海蒂。
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Mattie, July 10, 1871,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed November 21, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/103.