Letter from Hattie to Frank, May 31, 1873

Letter from Hattie to Frank, May 31, 1873

Birthdays; Presbyterian Church; Women missionaries; Buildings

Harriet wishes Francis a happy 35th birthday. She also tells him that Henry has not come back yet and his delay might be due to the heavy raining that they have been experiencing, which made the river rise. Hattie is happy because the mother of one of her students told her that her family and some of her neighbours have given up worshipping idols. She writes about building a meeting house for the First Presbyterian Church in Canton, a new chapel for the Sabbath services, and the "Ladies' Home". Somebody wrote in "Our Monthly" about being against sending single lady missionaries, so Harriet expresses her disagreement stating that men are not the only ones who can work for Christ.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

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

Unpublished

1873-05-31

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_098

Canton China
May 31st 1873.
My dear Frank,
The last day of May has
come again and this time it makes
you thirty-five years old, but that
does not seem nearly as old to me
now as twenty-five did once. I find
myself wondering sometimes how
much Matt will think I have changed
during these years. I feel as though
I were about [u]fifty[/u] and I think I
look about as old as I feel. I fully
believe now that "Starin" stated the
truth when he said that "we are
all growing older every day." Still it
matters little "If [u]I[/u] am growing old
My heart is changeless still"
I will tell you at the commencement
of my letter what my state of mind
is so that if I write a [u]cross[/u] one you
will know what is the matter. I
am dreadfully [u]disappointed[/u] that
Henry has not yet come home. He
has been gone three weeks and
three days and I felt so sure he
would come to-night It was quite
uncertain when he would get back

and I begun to look for him a
week ago but I had my mind quite
made up to see him to-day. He
is [u]sure[/u] to be back if it is within the
bounds of possibility for the Conference
which meets next Wednesday Eve.
The heavy rains which we have had
these past weeks have swollen the river
so much that I presume they found
it slower getting up to their destination
than they expected. The last I heard
from Henry two weeks since he wrote
that they were stopped by the high
water the river having risen [u]12 feet[/u]
in 36 hours I have been so busy
since he went away that I have
had no time to be lonely. I wrote
you I think about the meeting
we had during two weeks. Two
meetings and sometimes three in
a day besides our ordinary work
left little time to think of anything
else. The interest we hope still
continues. I had a long and interesting
talk yesterday with a woman mother
of one of the girls in the school from
a village some two days journey
from here. She says her own family

has given up the worship of idols
and many of their neighbors have
also cast them away. We cannot
help feeling as we rejoice that we may
that we shall soon see great changes
here in China. Did I tell you
that we are talking about building
a meeting house for the First Pres church
of Canton. Hitherto we have met
in a little dark place in the basement
of Dr Happer's old house. Henry + I
have long been wishing that we might
have a better place but as Dr Happer
is pastor and he is generally very
much attached to [u]old[/u] things we
Expected it would be a long time
before he would see the necessity.
So you may believe that I was
[u]greatly[/u] delighted when he said
to me the other day that he had
been thinking that we must
have a new chapel for our
sabbath services. I hope they
can go to work at it at once
we need it so much. It will
stand on the ground now
occupied by Dr Happers old

house. Our "Ladies Home" we look
forward to having some time but no
one that wants to come need wait for
that. Miss Crouch Mattie & I can
tabernacle under this roof and if
Mary + Verdie Happer go home next year
to study as they expect they can
accommodate two or three over there
beside Miss Shaw & Lillie. Dr Happer's
house was built "600 dollars worth" larger
for the purpose of accommodating single
ladies. Mr Preston told me there was
a piece ^[in "Our Monthly"] against sending out single
lady missionaries which he said I
must answer but from what I have
heard I should not suppose it worth
anyone's while. I suppose it was written
by a Mr McDonald of Siam. A Miss
Dickey who was sent there did not
succeed well and has now gone to
Tungchow North China. But as Dr
Ellinwood wrote once, "We must remember
how many [u]men[/u] are sent out who
prove [u]utter failures[/u]". Never let [u]any[/u]
one say a word against the [u]class[/u] "as
you love me" Of course some do not succeed
well but "Exceptions prove the rule".

[Note: Letter concludes sideways on page one]
and I cannot help feeling that it is a specimen of unmitigated [u]selfishness[/u] when
a man raises his voice to protest against sending out single ladies as though the
[u]men[/u] only were
privileged to work
for Christ among
the heathens.
Now I guess
you will
think I had
better close
my letter
and I shall
agree with
you so
Good night.
Wishing you
many happy
returns of
your birth-day
I am
Your aff sister
Hattie.
~

中国广州
1873年5月31日
亲爱的Frank，
又到了五月的最后一天，
今天是你的35岁生日，
三十五岁对我来说似乎并不老。
/
/
我发现我开始注意
Matt会怎么想我这几年的变化。
我感觉我已经50了，
我认为我看起来一样老了。
/
我认为这个引文是正确的：
他说我们每天都在变老。
/
还是影响很小的，如果我在慢慢变老，
而我的心不变，
我会在我信的开头就告诉你我怎么想的，
/
以至于如果我穿过一个，
你就会知道怎么回事。
我很失望，
Henry还没有回家。
他已经出去三周零三天了，
我确定他今天晚上回来，
很不确定，
当他回来的时候，

我已经开始找他一周了，
但是我的内心在告诉我，
我今天可以见到他。
他一定会回来，
如果他还和传教组织有联系的话，
下周三晚上要开会。
上周的大雨
让河水上涨了很多，
我认为，
他们会发现他们的终点比期望值要高。
我最后一次受到Henry的信是在两周前，
/
他写道，他们会在河流的最高处停下来，
36小时内已经上涨了12码，
自从他走了以后
我忙得已经感觉不到孤独了。
/
我给你写信的时候在想我们这两周的会。
/
一天两场，或者忙的时候三场，
除了我们本职工作，
我们没有时间去想别的。
我们希望还能有兴趣。
我们昨天和一个女孩的妈妈，
有一个很长很有趣的交谈，
谈的是一个在乡村学校的女孩在这里两天的旅游。
/
她说她的父母已经放弃在家里供奉了，

/
而且很多邻居也放弃了。
我们非常高兴，
/
因为我们很快就可以给中国带来巨大的改变。
/
我有没有告诉过你建一座会议室给广东的第一长老教堂的事。
/
迄今为止，
我们还在Happer医生的一个很小很阴暗的地下室开会。
/
Henry 和我想了很久
我们需要一个更好的地方，
但是Happer医生是牧师，
他更喜欢旧的东西。
我们认为，
他要花很长时间才能看到必要性。
因此你会发现
当他说我们有一天要建造一间新的小教堂的时候，
我会非常高兴。
/
/
/
我希望他们可以开工，
我们太需要它了。
它会在地面上，
现在被Happer医生的老房子占着。

女人们住的地方，
我们希望放一点什么
但是没有人想来，我们需要等。
Crouch小姐、Mattie和我能在这个楼里做礼拜，
/
而且，如果Mary和Verdie Happer明年回去学习，
因为她们希望她们可以在那
和Shaw小姐和Lillie再住上两三年。
/
建造Happer医生的房子花了600美元，
为单身女人们扩建。
Preston先生告诉我
有一部分人，
不同意把单身女人们送出去，
他说，我必须回答，
但我认为没有必要
我认为那是暹罗的McDonald先生说的。
/
一个被送来这里没有成功的Dickey小姐，
现在去了北同州。
/
但是Eillinwood写过：
我们一定要记住有多少被送去的失败了的男人。
不要让任何人说有关于反对阶层的一个字，
“因为你们爱我”。
当然一部分是不成功，
但是证实了规则。

【边缘书写】
我确实觉得这是个灾难性自私的案例，
当一个男人开始为单身女人发声
因为那是他们
在异教徒中
为耶稣做的的工作。
/
现在，
我猜你在想
我最后停止写信，
/

我同意了，
所以
/
晚安。
祝你生日快乐
/
/
/
/
你的姐姐
Hattie.

Letter