Letter from Hattie to "Dear Ones at Home", December 17, 1875

Letter from Hattie to "Dear Ones at Home", December 17, 1875

Letters; Travel; Women Missionaries

In this letter home, Harriet writes that they are still waiting for the latest letters from home. She expects they will be the last letters they get before beginning their journey home, which they have many stops planned for on the way. When they are home, Henry is attending a meeting of the General Assembly and Harriet plans on joining him whether they invite women or not. She recently had a nice eight course dinner with other missionary women.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #2

Unpublished

1875-12-17

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_161

Canton China -
[--Nov--] Dec 17th 1875
Dear Ones at [u]Home[/u]
Mattie says she
is writing to you all at once
and it seems such an [u]Economical[/u]
plan that I think I will
follow her example -
I presume these letters
will seem a little late in
reaching you as the
steamer has been detained
five days at this end of
the line. WE have been
expecting letters for some days
but they do not come -
I expect they will be
the last letters we shall
receive in China at present
as before the next steamer
will get here we hope to

be on our way to Hangkok
"homeward bound. We expect
from there to go directly home
only stopping if we find
that we can go through
Palestine - and a little while
in India . WE have concluded
not to think of going through
Egypt nor Europe. I am
very glad to go the shorter
way - still I suppose we
cannot hope to get home
until April perhaps in
time to see the leaves come
out . I cannot realize it
at all, can hardly imagine
how it will seem . I dreamed
a few nights since of getting
home and thought that Father
Mother and Sarah came to
Medina to meet us .
I wonder if Henry has
written to you any thing
more of his friend in Bangkok

She will go with us so we
shall form a happy trio I
am sure . I am sure
she will want to go to
her own home first and
stay awhile and then
Henry and I can go
on together to the old
homestead . Henry is appointed
a delegate to the General
Assembly and I suppose
will wish to attend the
meeting in May if we
reach home in time to
have a visit there first.
As I believe ladies are
usually invited to stay
away from the Assembly
I think I shall want
to stay where I am
sure of a welcome
We are having a busy
time now at the close
of the school time

We are to have a graduating
class of nine and I have
been arranging their [u]diplomas[/u]
to-day . We had the school-house
photographed yesterday and
we are going to have a copy
pasted at the top of a piece
of [u]red[/u] paper and underneath
a few sentences written
beneath. When I come
home I will bring one
To-morrow the girls have
invited us out to dinner
They are going to have a
foreign dinner for us - and
have invited Mrs Kerr Mrs Preston
Mrs Henry and Mary + Sophia
Preston. Last week Saturday
the [?women?] invited us and
they had a very nice dinner
prepared by [u]our cook[/u] Eight courses
1st Fish, 2nd Soup, 3rd Mutton - Chicken
Pie Vegetables, 4th Fruit Pie + Plum Pudding
5th Rice + Curry 6th Break + Cheese
7th Fruit + Nuts 8th Chinese soup.

[Note: Letter concludes sideways on first page]
It is late and chilly so if you will accept this
miserable apology for a letter I will say good night
and go to bed.
hoping to do
better next
time --
Ever yr loving
[u]Hattie[/u]

中国广州
1875年12月17日
亲爱的家人们，
Mattie说她给你们写信，
/
那是一个经济的计划，
我会和她一样，
/
我觉得这写信看起来到得有点晚了，
/
/
因为轮船晚到了五天。
/
我们期待信可以到，
/
但是他们没有来——
我希望这是在下一趟船来之前，
我最后收到的信，
/
/
我们希望我们在航角。

/
/
我们希望直接到家
如果我们发现我们能通过巴勒斯坦，
/
过一会儿就到印度。
我们最好没有想过去埃及或欧洲。
/
/
我很高兴可以少走一点路，
我们还是不能希望到家，
直到四月，
可以及时看到叶子出来。
/
我根本意识不到，
几乎想像不到那会是什么样。
/
几天去我们梦见过我们到家，
想的父母和Sarah到了Medina和我们见面。
/
/
我想知道
Henry是否给你们写了信，
写了除了曼谷朋友们的事情。

我确定，
她会和我们在一起会很快乐。
/
我确定她会想回自己家，
/
然后和我们待上几天，
/
然后和他一起去老房子。
Henry被代表大会授权
/
/
而且如果我们能去，
/
我希望五月去看看。
/
因为我相信
女人们通常和代表大会离得很远。
/
我认为我会想待在这，
/
我会很欢迎。
我们忙于学校放假的事。
/
/

我们有9个毕业班，
/
我安排了她们的学位。
我们昨天拍了校舍的照片，
/
而且我们把复印见放进框里，
衬上红纸
/
再写几句话。
我回家的时候
我会带上一个。
明天，女孩们被邀请去参加晚宴。
/
她们要去外国的晚餐
/
也邀请了Kerr太太、Preston太太
Henry太太和Mary还有Sophia Preston。
上周六，
女人们邀请我们去，
厨师给我们做了很好吃的八个菜，
/
有鱼、汤、羊肉-鸡肉、猪肉蔬菜、
水果派和李子布丁
咖喱饭、碎芝士、
水果坚果、还有中国汤。

【边缘书写】
很晚了也很冷，因此如果你们接受我的道歉
我要说晚安去睡觉了
/
希望下一次更好
/
/
爱你们的
Hattie

Letter