Letter from Hattie to Em, May 4, 1874
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Em, May 4, 1874
Subject
Birthdays; Fashion; Dresses; University professors; Women university graduates
Description
Harriet wishes Emily a happy birthday and apologizes in advance because she will not be able to send Em a congratulating letter when she graduates from Wooster because there is no intermediate mail. She is glad that Em enjoyed Wooster and feels proud that she is going to be the first woman to graduate from Wooster University. She tells Em that they have a reporter from Wooster University that keeps them posted. Harriet is looking forward to going back home and meeting professors at Wooster, such as Dr. Taylor and Dr. Gregory. She hopes that Em wears the dress that she sent her and announces that she will send a bouquet.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #1
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1874-05-04
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_119
Coverage
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China.
May 4th 1874.
My darling Em,
The return of this
day brings to us all thoughts of "our
Em" and now there are four of us to
send you birth-day greetings from
China and I am sure you know that
all come from hearts that love you
most devotedly, We all intended to write
letters and send them so that you
would be sure and get them in time
to bear our congratulations to you on
your graduating day but on our return
from the country we found to our
disappointment that there would be
no intermediate mail and as they
cannot leave China until the 13th May
I am afraid they will not reach you
in time. I am so sorry, for as we
cannot have the pleasure {and it would
be [u]such a delight[/u] to me} to be present
when you "graduate with honor" I
so much wanted you to have the
written evidence that we would
be with you in spirit. I have
received the nice letters that you wrote
me on my birthday . I am [u]glad[/u] that
you feel that you can "give me to
the Mission work not only willingly but
[u]gladly[/u]," although my tears fell fast over
your letter I felt so [u]glad[/u] that you
wrote it to me. It was [u]very hard[/u] to
part with you but I think I did it
willingly and gladly and when I
had left you all I felt that
I had given up [u]everything[/u]. It is a
very [u]safe[/u] feeling when one feels that
there can be nothing in the future
pathway harder than what is past
and this I have felt ever since I
left America. We are beginning to look
forward with very much pleasure to our
coming home. I do not mean to allow
myself to think very much about it at
present for it seems as though if I do I
can hardly think of anything else.
I must tell you how very [u]very[/u] sorry I
feel that I have not tried harder to
find time to write to Brainerd while
you were there. It seems as though you
must feel as though I did not care
for your wishes but you know that it
is not so. I have wanted and intended
to write to the society but have neglected
it and now it is too late.
But my time has been very fully occupied
and that thought prevents me from
regretting [u]too much[/u] the many things
left undone that I would have gladly
done. I am [u]so glad[/u] that you have
enjoyed your [u]dear[/u] University so much.
I love it and all connected with it for
your sake. Perhaps that is most too sweeping
I presume I would feel like making [--]
exceptions if I knew all "the boys and girls
that go to that school". You say that
you shall be proud of your brother and
sister and you will allow us the same
privilege with regard to yourself I hope
At any rate we shall claim and
exercise it. Your talk about "shining by
reflected light" is very inappropriate and
unbecoming for the first lady graduate
of Wooster University. None of your brothers
and sisters have any light to spare for you
and if they had it would be entirely too
much like "carrying coals to New Castle" too
bestow the surplus rays upon you.
You must always remember that we
have a reporter from Wooster University
here "on the ground" and we are posted.
[u]I[/u] am [u]so delighted[/u] that you have
the honor of the first lady graduate
of Wooster University. I expect you
will feel lonely when you are through
It seems to me that [u]change[/u] Even change
for the better always has some sad fea[--u--]tures
There is one change however to which I look
forward with unmingled pleasure and that is
to the [u]visit home[/u]. Can it be possible that in
[u]two years[/u] I shall see you again?
I expect we should feel badly about leaving
Mattie + Lucy. It is nice that you
and Lucy are such warm friends. I think
she will get on very nicely here.
I do not know that,_ Henry just came in to
say something and the rest of that sentence
has fled, and now I tell him that "for the
life of me" I cannot think of [u]anything[/u] that I
do not know so that sentence must remain
unfinished and I will change the subject
and return to Wooster. We look forward to
meeting Dr Taylor and Dr Gregory and all
the rest of the "dear Professors" with much pleasure.
I am quite curious the men who could find an
entrance into your heart. Mattie says you
have had a great and good influence
in Wooster and I doubt not it is so.
I feel so sorry I must say it again that
I have never helped you at all in your
work for Brainerd. We would so love
to see you on graduation day some one
must tell us how you looked. I do hope you
could wear the dress we sent you. I suppose
it is the fashion in Wooster to give boquets to the
[u]favorite[/u] performers and so we will [u]send[/u] one to
you that we gathered for you when up the North
River. The Mountain laurel is Henry's contribution
the larkspur Lucy's the green fern Matties & the [?tinted?]
one mine. The boquet may be little and insignificant
but there will be no one that will carry more [u]love[/u]
with it than this. And now I must close
[Note: Written sideways in the left hand margin]
with every good wish for your future usefulness and happiness that a sister's
loving heart can prompt. Your own loving sister Hattie.
中国广州。
1874 年 5 月 4 日。
我亲爱的 Em，
这一天的回归让我们想起了“我们的 Em”，
现在我们有四个人从中国向你致以生日祝福，
我相信你知道这一切都是发自内心的最深爱你的人，
我们都打算写信寄出去，
这样你就可以确定并及时收到，
以便在你毕业那天向你表示祝贺，
但在我们从国家回来时，
我们感到失望的是，
那里不会是中间邮件，
因为他们要到 5 月 13 日才能离开中国，
恐怕他们不会及时到达您的手中。
我很抱歉，
因为当你“以荣誉毕业”时，
我们不能有幸在场{我会很高兴}我非常希望你有书面证据证明我们会和你在一起精神。
我收到了你在我生日那天写给我的好信。
我很高兴你觉得你可以“不仅心甘情愿地而且很高兴地把我交给宣教工作”，
虽然我的眼泪很快就掉下来了，
我很高兴你给我写了这封信。
和你分开很难，
但我想我是心甘情愿地做到了，
当我离开你的时候，
我觉得我已经放弃了一切。
当一个人觉得未来的道路上没有什么比过去更艰难时，
这是一种非常安全的感觉，
这是我离开美国后的感受。
我们开始非常高兴地期待我们回家。
目前我并不想让自己去想太多，
因为我似乎想不出别的什么。
我必须告诉你，
当你在那里时，
我没有更努力地抽出时间给布雷纳德写信，
我感到非常非常抱歉。
好像你一定觉得我不在乎你的意愿，
但你知道事实并非如此。
我曾想也打算写信给社会，
但忽略了它，
现在为时已晚。
但是我的时间已经被完全占用了，
这种想法使我不会为许多本来很乐意做的事情留下太多遗憾。
我很高兴你这么喜欢你亲爱的大学。
我喜欢它，
并且为了你而与它联系在一起。
也许这太笼统了，
我想如果我知道所有“上那所学校的男孩和女孩”，
我会想破例。
你说你会为你的兄弟姐妹感到骄傲，
你会允许我们对你自己享有同样的特权，
我希望无论如何我们都会要求并行使它。
你说的“反射光发光”对于伍斯特大学的第一夫人毕业生来说是非常不合适和不合适的。
你的兄弟姐妹没有一个可以为你留出光，
如果他们有，
那就太像“把煤运到新城堡”了，
把多余的光都给你了。
您必须永远记住，
我们有一名来自伍斯特大学的记者“在现场”，
我们已被发布。
我很高兴你有幸成为伍斯特大学的第一夫人毕业生。
我希望你在经历过之后会感到孤独在我看来，
改变即使是更好的改变也总是有一些悲伤的特征但是有一个改变我非常期待，
那就是回家。
两年后我还能再见到你吗？我希望我们应该对离开玛蒂和露西感到难过。
很高兴你和露西是这么热情的朋友。
我想她在这里会相处得很好。
我不知道，
亨利刚进来说点什么，
那句话的其余部分已经跑掉了，
现在我告诉他“为了我的一生”，
我想不出任何我不知道的事情，
所以这句话必须还没说完，
我就换个话题，
回到伍斯特。
我们期待着与泰勒博士和格雷戈里博士以及所有其他“亲爱的教授”会面，
非常高兴。
我很好奇那些能找到进入你内心的男人。
Mattie 说你对 Wooster 产生了巨大而良好的影响，
我怀疑不是这样。
很抱歉，
我必须再说一遍，
我从来没有在你为布雷纳德工作的过程中帮助过你。
我们很想在毕业那天见到你，
有人必须告诉我们你的样子。
我真希望你能穿上我们寄给你的裙子。
我想伍斯特的时尚是给最喜欢的表演者送花束，
所以我们会送一束给你，
这是我们在北河上为你收集的。
山月桂是亨利的贡献，
飞燕草露西的绿蕨马蒂斯和有色的一矿。
花束可能很小而且微不足道，
但没有人会比这更爱它。
现在我必须关闭
[注：写在左边空白处]，
对你未来的有用和幸福的美好祝愿，
姐妹们的爱心可以促成。
你自己可爱的妹妹，
海蒂。
May 4th 1874.
My darling Em,
The return of this
day brings to us all thoughts of "our
Em" and now there are four of us to
send you birth-day greetings from
China and I am sure you know that
all come from hearts that love you
most devotedly, We all intended to write
letters and send them so that you
would be sure and get them in time
to bear our congratulations to you on
your graduating day but on our return
from the country we found to our
disappointment that there would be
no intermediate mail and as they
cannot leave China until the 13th May
I am afraid they will not reach you
in time. I am so sorry, for as we
cannot have the pleasure {and it would
be [u]such a delight[/u] to me} to be present
when you "graduate with honor" I
so much wanted you to have the
written evidence that we would
be with you in spirit. I have
received the nice letters that you wrote
me on my birthday . I am [u]glad[/u] that
you feel that you can "give me to
the Mission work not only willingly but
[u]gladly[/u]," although my tears fell fast over
your letter I felt so [u]glad[/u] that you
wrote it to me. It was [u]very hard[/u] to
part with you but I think I did it
willingly and gladly and when I
had left you all I felt that
I had given up [u]everything[/u]. It is a
very [u]safe[/u] feeling when one feels that
there can be nothing in the future
pathway harder than what is past
and this I have felt ever since I
left America. We are beginning to look
forward with very much pleasure to our
coming home. I do not mean to allow
myself to think very much about it at
present for it seems as though if I do I
can hardly think of anything else.
I must tell you how very [u]very[/u] sorry I
feel that I have not tried harder to
find time to write to Brainerd while
you were there. It seems as though you
must feel as though I did not care
for your wishes but you know that it
is not so. I have wanted and intended
to write to the society but have neglected
it and now it is too late.
But my time has been very fully occupied
and that thought prevents me from
regretting [u]too much[/u] the many things
left undone that I would have gladly
done. I am [u]so glad[/u] that you have
enjoyed your [u]dear[/u] University so much.
I love it and all connected with it for
your sake. Perhaps that is most too sweeping
I presume I would feel like making [--]
exceptions if I knew all "the boys and girls
that go to that school". You say that
you shall be proud of your brother and
sister and you will allow us the same
privilege with regard to yourself I hope
At any rate we shall claim and
exercise it. Your talk about "shining by
reflected light" is very inappropriate and
unbecoming for the first lady graduate
of Wooster University. None of your brothers
and sisters have any light to spare for you
and if they had it would be entirely too
much like "carrying coals to New Castle" too
bestow the surplus rays upon you.
You must always remember that we
have a reporter from Wooster University
here "on the ground" and we are posted.
[u]I[/u] am [u]so delighted[/u] that you have
the honor of the first lady graduate
of Wooster University. I expect you
will feel lonely when you are through
It seems to me that [u]change[/u] Even change
for the better always has some sad fea[--u--]tures
There is one change however to which I look
forward with unmingled pleasure and that is
to the [u]visit home[/u]. Can it be possible that in
[u]two years[/u] I shall see you again?
I expect we should feel badly about leaving
Mattie + Lucy. It is nice that you
and Lucy are such warm friends. I think
she will get on very nicely here.
I do not know that,_ Henry just came in to
say something and the rest of that sentence
has fled, and now I tell him that "for the
life of me" I cannot think of [u]anything[/u] that I
do not know so that sentence must remain
unfinished and I will change the subject
and return to Wooster. We look forward to
meeting Dr Taylor and Dr Gregory and all
the rest of the "dear Professors" with much pleasure.
I am quite curious the men who could find an
entrance into your heart. Mattie says you
have had a great and good influence
in Wooster and I doubt not it is so.
I feel so sorry I must say it again that
I have never helped you at all in your
work for Brainerd. We would so love
to see you on graduation day some one
must tell us how you looked. I do hope you
could wear the dress we sent you. I suppose
it is the fashion in Wooster to give boquets to the
[u]favorite[/u] performers and so we will [u]send[/u] one to
you that we gathered for you when up the North
River. The Mountain laurel is Henry's contribution
the larkspur Lucy's the green fern Matties & the [?tinted?]
one mine. The boquet may be little and insignificant
but there will be no one that will carry more [u]love[/u]
with it than this. And now I must close
[Note: Written sideways in the left hand margin]
with every good wish for your future usefulness and happiness that a sister's
loving heart can prompt. Your own loving sister Hattie.
中国广州。
1874 年 5 月 4 日。
我亲爱的 Em，
这一天的回归让我们想起了“我们的 Em”，
现在我们有四个人从中国向你致以生日祝福，
我相信你知道这一切都是发自内心的最深爱你的人，
我们都打算写信寄出去，
这样你就可以确定并及时收到，
以便在你毕业那天向你表示祝贺，
但在我们从国家回来时，
我们感到失望的是，
那里不会是中间邮件，
因为他们要到 5 月 13 日才能离开中国，
恐怕他们不会及时到达您的手中。
我很抱歉，
因为当你“以荣誉毕业”时，
我们不能有幸在场{我会很高兴}我非常希望你有书面证据证明我们会和你在一起精神。
我收到了你在我生日那天写给我的好信。
我很高兴你觉得你可以“不仅心甘情愿地而且很高兴地把我交给宣教工作”，
虽然我的眼泪很快就掉下来了，
我很高兴你给我写了这封信。
和你分开很难，
但我想我是心甘情愿地做到了，
当我离开你的时候，
我觉得我已经放弃了一切。
当一个人觉得未来的道路上没有什么比过去更艰难时，
这是一种非常安全的感觉，
这是我离开美国后的感受。
我们开始非常高兴地期待我们回家。
目前我并不想让自己去想太多，
因为我似乎想不出别的什么。
我必须告诉你，
当你在那里时，
我没有更努力地抽出时间给布雷纳德写信，
我感到非常非常抱歉。
好像你一定觉得我不在乎你的意愿，
但你知道事实并非如此。
我曾想也打算写信给社会，
但忽略了它，
现在为时已晚。
但是我的时间已经被完全占用了，
这种想法使我不会为许多本来很乐意做的事情留下太多遗憾。
我很高兴你这么喜欢你亲爱的大学。
我喜欢它，
并且为了你而与它联系在一起。
也许这太笼统了，
我想如果我知道所有“上那所学校的男孩和女孩”，
我会想破例。
你说你会为你的兄弟姐妹感到骄傲，
你会允许我们对你自己享有同样的特权，
我希望无论如何我们都会要求并行使它。
你说的“反射光发光”对于伍斯特大学的第一夫人毕业生来说是非常不合适和不合适的。
你的兄弟姐妹没有一个可以为你留出光，
如果他们有，
那就太像“把煤运到新城堡”了，
把多余的光都给你了。
您必须永远记住，
我们有一名来自伍斯特大学的记者“在现场”，
我们已被发布。
我很高兴你有幸成为伍斯特大学的第一夫人毕业生。
我希望你在经历过之后会感到孤独在我看来，
改变即使是更好的改变也总是有一些悲伤的特征但是有一个改变我非常期待，
那就是回家。
两年后我还能再见到你吗？我希望我们应该对离开玛蒂和露西感到难过。
很高兴你和露西是这么热情的朋友。
我想她在这里会相处得很好。
我不知道，
亨利刚进来说点什么，
那句话的其余部分已经跑掉了，
现在我告诉他“为了我的一生”，
我想不出任何我不知道的事情，
所以这句话必须还没说完，
我就换个话题，
回到伍斯特。
我们期待着与泰勒博士和格雷戈里博士以及所有其他“亲爱的教授”会面，
非常高兴。
我很好奇那些能找到进入你内心的男人。
Mattie 说你对 Wooster 产生了巨大而良好的影响，
我怀疑不是这样。
很抱歉，
我必须再说一遍，
我从来没有在你为布雷纳德工作的过程中帮助过你。
我们很想在毕业那天见到你，
有人必须告诉我们你的样子。
我真希望你能穿上我们寄给你的裙子。
我想伍斯特的时尚是给最喜欢的表演者送花束，
所以我们会送一束给你，
这是我们在北河上为你收集的。
山月桂是亨利的贡献，
飞燕草露西的绿蕨马蒂斯和有色的一矿。
花束可能很小而且微不足道，
但没有人会比这更爱它。
现在我必须关闭
[注：写在左边空白处]，
对你未来的有用和幸福的美好祝愿，
姐妹们的爱心可以促成。
你自己可爱的妹妹，
海蒂。
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Em, May 4, 1874,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed May 2, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/175.