Letter from Hattie to Edward, September 30, 1878

Letter from Hattie to Edward, September 30, 1878

Schools; Birthdays; Steamboats

Harriet tells Edward that she is writing him a birthday letter and wishes they could spend the day together. The Shanghai Steamer Amoy brought Dr. Happer and Lillie back. She explains a long story involving Mrs. Happer and Mrs. La who is apparently well educated, well off and has been learning about a new doctrine. She wanted to give support to a large boarding school and has since opened four of them (also supporting them financially).

Noyes, Harriet Newell

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

Unpublished

1878-09-30

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_192

Canton China
Sept 30th 1878.
My dear Edward,
Remembering that this is
your birthday, I am up in the
morning early "in order to write
you a birthday letter, and
every good wish for this new
year of your life. I wish I
could spend the day with you
Last night {Sabbath} while we
were at the evening service the
Shanghai Steamer Amoy came
in. It brought Dr Happer & Lilie
down to Hongkong but they
stopped off there. I suppose he
will be up to-day. We quite
expected it had brought the
American mail but were
disappointed hope it will
come to-day. It seems
a long time since we

have had letters from home.
Before this reaches you [u]one
whole year[/u] will have passed
since I left you. I must
tell you something about the
work her which Mrs Happer was
telling me the other eve. There
is a woman here we call
Mrs La, who united with
the church a while ago. She
seems on some subjects a little
bit out of her mind sometimes
but since Lillie came back from
America she has been employing
her as a Bible Woman.
It seems long ago she was very
wealthy and studied with
a Chinese teacher a woman
who is also very well off & is
now quite up in years. It
seems this teacher and her
sister have had a school
for some time. They had

heard nothing from Mrs La for a
long time and supposed she was
dead as since she lost her property
she has never visited them. But a while
ago their servant found her & when
they heard of her & what she was
doing they sent for her to come
and teach them this new doctrine.
They seemed at once favorably
impressed with it. The eldest of
the sisters had a dream awhile
ago in which she thought the
Saviour came and talked with
her and told her she ought to
use her wealth in work for Him
in doing good to those about
her and spreading the knowledge
of Christianity. She at once
wrote to the Happers this has
come up since Lillie went
away, to know what she
should do. She seemed to
have it in her mind to open
at once and support a
large Boarding School. Andrew

answered her letter and advised
her to open day schools and
now we hear that She & her
sister have opened & are supporting
four, with perhaps seventy or
eighty scholars in all. They are
anxious to have them called
Christian schools and teach
the same books we teach in
our schools. When Lillie
comes back she will doubtless
go to see the schools and then
we can know how it all is,
[?if?] it is all true as appears on
the face of it, it seems very
hopeful indeed. Two schools
are in a village quite near the
city and two others are seven
miles away. When we know
more of it I will write you
a second chapter.
I want to write a letter to Uncle
Augustus this morning which
will make twenty five for
this mail. With love and
best wishes from Your aff sister
Hattie

中国广东
1878年9月30日
我亲爱的Edward，
今天是你的生日。
我今天起得很早，
为了给你写了一封信，
祝你生日快乐，
新年快乐。
我希望我能和你一起度过这一天。
/
昨晚我们在做晚间礼拜时，
来自上海的轮船抵达，
/
/
我猜他们今天会回来。
我们预计轮船会从美国带来邮件，
但它没有，
希望今天的轮船会有邮件。
/
/
/

好像很久没收到家里的来信了。
当这封信到达你手里时，
我已经离家一年多了。
我必须给你讲一个Happer太太昨天告诉我的关于这里传教工作的故事，
/
/
这里有个女人叫La太太，
她最近加入了教会，
/
有时，她看起来有点疯狂，
但Lillie从美国回来后聘用她作为圣经读者。
/
/
/
/
显然，
很久以前她很富有，
跟一位富有的中国老师学习。
/
显然，
这位老师和她的姐姐很久以前就开办了自己的学校。
/
/

老师很久没有收到La太太的消息了，
因为La太太失去了她所有的财产，
老师以为她已经死了。
但最近，
老师们找到了她
听说了她在教会的工作，
所以他们邀请La太太回来教他们基督教，
他们似乎对基督教印象深刻。
/
那个老师做了一个梦，
耶稣和她说话，
说她应该用她的钱做好工作，
传播基督教。
/
/
/
/
她给Happer夫妇写了一封信，
问他们应该做什么。
这一切都发生在Lillie离开之后。
/
老师想开一所大型寄宿学校，
/
/
/

但Andrew建议她开几所走读学校。
现在我们听说她和她姐姐是四日制学校的七八十名学生。
/

/
/
他们希望他们的学校是基督教学校并使用我们使用的相同教科书。
/
/
/
等Lillie回来，
她可以去学校看看，
但现在看来，
很有希望。
/
/
两所学校在城市附近的一个村庄，
两所学校离得更远。
当我知道更多时，
我会告诉你更多。
/
/
我要给我们的叔叔Augustus写一封信，
写完那封信后，
我总共写了25封。
爱和最美好的祝愿，
你亲爱的妹妹
Hattie

Letter