Letter from Hattie to Mother, November 25, 1873

noyes_c_cor_106.pdf

Dublin Core

Title

Letter from Hattie to Mother, November 25, 1873

Subject

Letters; Travel; Cats; Women Missionaries; Missionaries; Death

Description

Harriet writes about how good it is to see her sister Martha, and the news that she is going with Henry to Hong Kong to visit other missionary friends. She then discusses how her kitty has grown and that the school is doing well. Lastly, she talks about another missionary, Mr. Corbett baptizing 150 people, as well as other tales from fellow missionaries including the death of Mr. Capp's wife.

Creator

Noyes, Harriet Newell

Source

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

Publisher

Unpublished

Date

1873-11-25

Contributor

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

Format

PDF

Language

eng (English)

Type

Text

Identifier

noyes_c_cor_106

Text Item Type Metadata

Text

[Note: Additional note written sideways on first page]
Three of the letters recd [received] by last mail had been first to
Canton Ohio although
two of them
were marked
plainly via
San Francisco
some stupid
postmaster
somewhere

Canton,
Nov 25th 1873
My dear Mother,
I do not know to whom
I wrote last but I know I have
not written many letters to
any one recently I begin to
feel as though I had almost
given up the practice. The
last letters from home were written
some days before Mattie expected
to leave for China and long ere
this reaches America we hope she
will be with us. I cannot describe
to you how it feels to think of
seeing her [u]next week[/u], If she
thinks to write to you from
Yokohama her letter will go
with this and when we
write for the next mail she
will be here to help us. I do not
know whether Henry has told
you that I am going with
him to Hongkong. I thought

I could not possibly leave the
Boarding School but our good
friends the Eitels of Hongkong urged
me to come down and stay with
them and as the time draws
nearer I feel as though I cannot
possibly stay in Canton.
Lillie Happer has been in
Hongkong for a week or two and
we hope she will stay down
until next week and if so
Miss Shaw will go down with
us and we will try and
carry out our idea of having
the five single ladies of the
Canton Pres Mission photographed
in a group. If we succeed
we will send you proof
positive. I am not going
to get [u]Entirely ready[/u] for Matt as
I wanted to. The schools fill
up my time so completely
that when I want to
do anything outside I find

it next to impossible
I do not know whether I have
Ever written that the army of
fleas that took posession here
last summer took French
leave so Mattie shall not
be annoyed by them.
Little kitty has grown to be a
nice large cat and very handsome
for China and is forgiven entirely
+ reinstated in favor. She is
a good deal like my dear
old Gray puss. The girls +
women in the schools
share more or less in our
enthusiasm over the expected
missionaries and almost
always mention them in
their prayers. I am sure
Mattie will be delighted with
the school. I know, I should
have been when I came.
In a letter Dr Happer
received recently from Dr

Nevins at Chefoo he says that
Mr Corbett in a recent trip
in the country baptized
150 persons. I dont think
there has ever been anything
like that in connection with
any of our missions in
China before. One of our
missionaries at Tungchow Mr
Capp started home a short
time since with his invalid
wife and was taken ill before
reaching Japan stopped at
Yokohama and died there.
It is a great loss to the Tungchow
mission he had only been
out five years and I have
heard him spoken of as
one of the most promising
missionaries in China.
I hope your ancle is well
before this you have been
so afflicted. I cannot write
more tonight but will hope
to next time.
[Note: Written sideways in the left hand margin]
With [u]much love for all[/u] from Your aff daughter Hattie

【首页沿侧书写】
上一个包裹给俄亥俄坎顿送了三封信,
虽然
两封信
被旧金山傻傻的邮差
清晰地标记了
一些东西
/
/
/

广东,
1873年11月25日
亲爱的母亲,
我不知道我上一次写给了谁
但是我知道我最近没有写太多
/
我开始感觉到,
我快要放弃写信来。
/
最近的家书是在Mattie想要离开中国前写的,
/
很久之前,
信到达了美国,
我希望她还在广州。
我无法向您描述,
我有多惦记她,盼着她下周来。
如果她想从横滨写给您,
她的信就会和这封信一起寄到您手里,
/
然后当我们寄下一个包裹的时候,
她会在这里帮助我们。
我不知道Henry有没有告诉您,
我下周要和他去香港。
/

我想我不太容易离开寄宿学校,
但是我们的朋友们,
香港的Eitels敦促我去,
并且和他们待一段时间,
而且,随着时间越来越近,
我觉得我不能待在广东。
/
Lillie Happer在香港待一到两周
/
我们希望她可以下周还在香港,
/
如果Shaw小姐和我们去
我们会试着
给我们广东五位单身女人
拍一张合照。
/
如果我们成功了
我会寄给您,
我没有做好充分的准备去香港。
/
学校占满了我所有的时间,
/
我几乎做不了想做的事
/

/
我不知道我有没有写过
关于跳骚的事
去年夏天,造成了很大的麻烦
突然就走了,
所以Mattie不会因为它们而烦恼。
/
小猫长成了大猫
而且特别好看
而且也被完全地谅解了,恢复了职位。
/
就像老灰猫一样好。
在学校的女孩们和女人们
/
多少在分享她们对于传教士们的期待与热情
/
而且一直在祈祷者中注意他们。
/
/
我确信Mattie会对学校感到很高兴。
我知道,我回来的时候
我应该去。
Happer医生在一封信里
收到了最近从Nevins医生在烟台的信,

他说,Corbett在一个有150人洗礼的乡村旅行。
/
/
我认为这不是什么事
/
可以和我们传教组织联系。
/
一个在台州的传教士
Capp先生开始在Tungchow安了家
/
自从他的无效妻子在到日本之前生了病
/
/
在横滨去世了。
对台州的传教组织来说,
这是一个很大的损失,
他只是来这里五年,
而且我听说过他
在中国传教士中是
其中一个保证。
我希望您的脚踝在这之前恢复了,
这让您很痛苦。
我今天晚上不能写太多了,
但是希望下次可以多写点。
/
【注:剩余笔记,左侧书写】
您的女儿Hattie给您寄去满满地爱。

Original Format

Letter

Citation

Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Mother, November 25, 1873,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 25, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/163.

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