Letter from Hattie to Edward, March 11, 1872

Letter from Hattie to Edward, March 11, 1872

Missionaries; Visitors, Foreign; Voyages and travels; Lowrie, Walter M. (Walter Macon), 1819-1847; Lowrie, John C. (John Cameron), 1808-1900; Talmage, John Van Nest, 1819-1892; Ashmore, William, 1824-1909; Hepburn, J. C. (James Curtis), 1815-1911;

Harriet writes to Edward about the several missionaries that she and Henry have visited and/or have visited them. She mentions Dr. and Mrs. J.C. Hepburn, the latter of whom Harriet both visited in Japan and hosted in China, as well as the fact that the Hepburns know Walter Lowrie. Dr. Hepburn could not visit because he was working on his revised Japanese-English dictionary. She also mentions having a nice visit to Amoy to see Dr. and Mrs. John Talmage last fall. She lastly discusses wanting to visit home, a discussion with an Englishman about being American, and asks who is going to be president next.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #1

Unpublished

1872-3-11

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_075

Canton China
March 11th '72
My dear Edward,
I am going to answer
in advance the letter which I
hope the steamer will bring from
you when it comes in to-day.
I never can feel very much like writing
however until we have the "latest
dates." but if the mail comes in to
night and we have to send our
letters down in the morning there will
not be time for writing very many.
Mrs Dr Hepburn from Japan is
now with us and will remain
about two weeks. She is a very
pleasant lady I met her first in
Yokohama when on the way out
and hoped then that I might
sometime see her again but did
not then anticipate that after
four years she would come and
make us such a nice visit. She
is one of the old time missionaries and
although she does not look very old
talks about things that happened
thirty years ago. She + Walter
Lowrie were very fast friends he

lived with them much of the time
that he was in China + they always
called Each other by their first names.
Mrs Hepburn's name is [u]Clara[/u]. And it
is [u]true[/u] I have found at last although
it is very hard for me to believe it
that Walter Lowrie had blue eyes
and [u]very[/u] red hair. It always seemed
to me as though he must look like
John C Lowrie and have dark Eyes
and hair. I can hardly imagine
him any other way. Dr Hepburn
did not come down he is in
Shanghai publishing a revised
Edition of his Japanese dictionary.
We have had recently a visit from
the Farnhams of Shanghai
they are on their way home to
America via England her native
land. We gave Mr Farnham
our home address and he told
us that we might write to you
that he would be sure and make
you a visit and I think he
will. I think it was too bad
that Mr Preston did not go to
see you. Mr Farnham says
he expects to be in Ohio some

time and I have not much
doubt but you will see him.
They were very kind to us when
we were in Shanghai. I was so
sorry Mrs House did not visit you
as she [u]promised[/u] she would.
Mr + Mrs Ashmore of Swatow are
going home this spring and as
their home is in Ohio I hope you
may see them. I will write to them
before they leave. We were with them
a week in Swatow and they made
us a long visit three years ago.
They are just splendid people
although they are [u]Baptists[/u].
I wish they would come up to
Canton before they leave for home
but I dont suppose there is any
hope of it. We expect a visit soon
from Dr Wm [William] Scudder of India
who is going home this spring.
Dr + Mrs Talmage of Amoy too
go home in the spring . he is brother
of T DeWitt Talmage. We had
a nice visit with them when
in Amoy. We often think over
our delightful visit last fall.

If a visit home would be much more
delightful I dont know how we should
be able to endure the happiness still if
we ever have the opportunity I think I
shall be ready to try + see if I will not
be Equal to the occasion. We had quite a
[?talkation?] with an Englishman the other
day. He reminded me more of H S W
than anyone I have seen in China
before. I told him that every day I
felt more thankful than I did the
day before that I was an American
and I did not know but my heart
would burst with gratitude if I lived
to be very old. It is very difficult for
some English people to understand
how it is possible that we do not regret
that we were fated to open our eyes
first in America instead of
England. Do tell us what "they
say" about the Alabama claims.
the English here used to [?scent?] the
idea of America's ever presuming
to present any claims or England
condescending to notice them
but "Fortunes wheel goes round"
and England has learned
that she no longer sits at the
top. Who are you going to have
for President next. Are you not in
favor of having "Peace" another
four years.
[Note: Written vertically]
With love to all from Your aff sister Hattie



中国广州
1872 年 3 月11 日
亲爱的爱德华，
我将提前回信，
希望今天轮船寄来的信。
然而，
在我们有“最新日期”之前，
我永远不会非常喜欢写作。
但是如果邮件是晚上来的，
我们必须在早上把信寄下来，
那么就没有时间写很多了。
来自日本的赫本医生夫人现在和我们在一起，
将待两周左右。
她是一位非常和蔼可亲的女士，
我在离开的路上第一次在横滨遇到了她，
当时我希望我可能会再次见到她，
但没想到四年后她会来给我们带来如此愉快的访问。
她是旧时代的传教士之一，
虽然她看起来并不老，
但她谈论的是三十年前发生的事情。
她和沃尔特·洛瑞（Walter Lowrie）是非常好的朋友，
他在中国的大部分时间都和他们住在一起，
他们总是直呼对方的名字。
赫本夫人的名字是克拉拉。
虽然我很难相信沃尔特·洛瑞有一双蓝眼睛和一头红头发，
但我终于发现这是真的。
在我看来，
他总是看起来像约翰·C·洛瑞（John C Lowrie），
有着深色的眼睛和头发。
我几乎无法想象他有任何其他方式。
赫本医生没有下来他正在上海出版他的日语词典的修订版。
我们最近从上海的 Farnhams 拜访了他们，
他们正在通过她的故乡英国回到美国的路上。
我们给了 Farnham 先生我们的家庭住址，
他告诉我们，
我们可能会写信给您，
说他一定会拜访您，
我想他会的。
我认为普雷斯顿先生没有去看你真是太糟糕了。
法纳姆先生说他预计会在俄亥俄州待一段时间，
我没有太多疑问，
但你会见到他的。
我们在上海的时候，
他们对我们很好。
我很遗憾豪斯夫人没有像她承诺的那样去看望你。
汕头的 Ashmore 先生和夫人今年春天要回家了，
因为他们的家在俄亥俄州，
我希望你能见到他们。
我会在他们离开之前给他们写信。
我们在汕头和他们呆了一周，
三年前他们对我们进行了长时间的访问。
尽管他们是浸信会教徒，
但他们只是出色的人。
我希望他们在回家之前能到广州，
但我认为这没有任何希望。
我们期待今年春天即将回国的印度威廉·斯卡德医生来访。
厦门的Talmage医生和夫人也在春天回家。
他是 T DeWitt Talmage 的兄弟。
我们在淘大时与他们进行了愉快的访问。
我们经常回想去年秋天的愉快访问。
如果回家会更令人愉快，
我不知道如果我们有机会，
我们应该如何能够忍受幸福，
我想我会准备好尝试看看我是否会不适合这个场合。
前几天我们和一个英国人谈了很多话。
他比我以前在中国见过的任何人都让我想起了 H S W。
我告诉他，
我每天都比前一天更感激我是美国人，
我不知道，
但如果我能活到很老，
我的心会充满感激。
对于一些英国人来说，
很难理解我们怎么可能不后悔我们注定要首先在美国而不是英国睁开眼睛。
请告诉我们“他们怎么说”阿拉巴马州的主张。
这里的英国人曾经闻到美国曾经妄自菲薄地提出任何主张或英国居高临下地注意到它们的想法，
但是“命运之轮转动”并且英国已经知道她不再坐在顶部。
下一个总统你要选谁。
你不赞成再过四年“和平”吗？
[注：竖写]我把我的爱送给大家。
你的妹妹，
海蒂

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