Letter from Hattie to Edward, April 11, 1879

Letter from Hattie to Edward, April 11, 1879

Mail steamers; Correspondence; Betrothal; Inventions

In this letter, Harriet tells Edward all about the news/ details about the mail steamers. She is curious about his "planter" that has been successful and she says that the board must feel rich with $268,000. She expresses her feminist thoughts towards women's pay. She talks about Mr. Faber, a German missionary. They were set up by Mrs. Kerr but were never fully engaged. He did not want her to feel annoyed about the publicity.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

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

Unpublished

1879-04-11

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_195

Canton China
April 11th 1879.
My dear Edward
I intended to answer
you letter by last mail but did
not get it done. It was a company
letter however and perhaps Henry
wrote to you. We have been hoping
that the next mail would come
in before we must send our letters
but have not heard of its reaching
Yokohama so I suppose we
need not look for it for a week yet.
We usually expect it a week from
the day that it is telegraphed
from Yokohama. It is on board
the Alaska this time one of the
old slow side wheel steamers.
We are greatly [u]delighted[/u] that our
postage is reduced to old rates
eight cents for a letter either
way around the world. I think
we will patronize the Pacific
line however it takes so much
longer the other way,
hope these steamers across the Pacific

will never be taken off the line.
Doubtless such reports are without
foundation. We are interested
in your planter's success some
selfish interest perhaps for this is
a very selfish world. We are all
ready to [u]help[/u] you spend your
fortune when you get it. I think
our Board must feel rich with a
legacy of $268,000 coming in
so soon, and Dr Ellinwood
writes that they are to have
another large legacy next year.
He complains so bitterly of the
way in which Woman's works
seems to be getting ahead of Men's
work but I suppose he feels no
objection to receiving $50,000 from
[u]Mrs[/u] Green to pay their debts &
$268,000 from [u]Mrs[/u] Lapsley.
It is all right for women to pay
into the Treasury but they object
to their having any say about
their paying [u]out[/u]. I suppose they
do what seems to them best,
but they seem to think that
it is much more important to
labor for the conversion of masculine

souls than feminine. I am
sure I shall be disappointed when
I get to heaven if I do not find
that all such distinctions have
vanished away-- not withstanding
the opinion of that worthy writer
that the Rachels & Sarahs & Rebekahs
will be found sitting at the feet of
Abraham Isaac & Jacob. I havnt
any doubt that I shall be glad to
sit at the feet of Abraham or Paul
or some of their [u]brethren[/u] of later years,
but [u]not[/u] because they were [u]men[/u] & I
a [u]woman[/u], during our pilgrimage
down here. My admiration for Paul
is unbounded, we have a missionary
here who makes me think of him.
Mr Faber a German missionary.
He is a very good man and a
man of wonderful intellect, very
good looking too, much like Henry
in looks. He is never going to get
married was engaged once after the
fashion of the German missionaries
to a lady he had never met,
but she died of consumption. He
has had throat trouble and now
his lungs seem to be affected.

He is a very particular friend of
Mrs Kerr's and she tried at one time
to arrange a match between him & me.
I suppose it must have been talked of
considerable among the German's themselves
for his [u]Board[/u] heard about it and
supposed it was all settled and sent
our their [u]congratulations[/u] said they did
not approve of their missionaries in general
marrying English or American ladies but
from what they heard of me were quite
willing to make an exception in my favor.
I had the satisfaction of knowing that the
German missionaries here would all be
wiling to take me in and convert me
into a German "frau" Poor Mr Faber was
quite distressed about the publicity of the
matter for he feared it would be annoying
to me. but it was no matter. He never did
really ask me in so many words.
I admire him very much but my admiration
would be much lessened if he should
mar his life and injure his usefulness
as many others have done by getting
married. Mattie says some one
at the North said that Paul was a
widower instead of a bachelor, & that
he was so set against matrimony because
he was unhappily married the first time.
Please ask Father if that is [u]true[/u].

[Note: Written vertically on the first page]
I didnt contemplate
writing such a
letter as this
when I commenced
but such as it
is will send
it along.
Postage is
[u]cheaper[/u]
now than
it has
been lately
Ever yr loving
sister
[u]Hattie[/u].

中国广州
1879年4月11日
亲爱的Edward
我本来想上一次回复你的信
但我没有写完。
但是是公司的信，
也许Henry会回复你。
我们希望在我们必须寄信之前，
下一封可以寄到，
/
但是我们还没听说它到达横滨
所以我认为，
我们一周之内还不用找。
我通常在信到达横滨的时候
就开始期盼。
它在Alaska船上，
这一次是那个比较慢的船之一。
/
我们很高兴，
我们的邮寄变慢了，
降价到8美分寄一封信。/
我认为我们会赞助太平洋线路，
它比其它线路花费的时间更长，
/
希望这些跨太平洋的船，

永远不会走其它线路。
毫无疑问，这些报告没有根据。
我们很感兴趣听听你种植成功的事情，
/
一些自私的兴趣也许是因为一个自私的世界。
/
我们已经准备好帮你花掉你的财富。
/
传教组织一定认为我们很富有
我们还有268，000美元要进账，
而且，
Ellinwood医生写道
他们明年还有两大笔资金。
他苦苦地抱怨
女人的工作方法就要超过男人们的了，
/
但是我认为他不反对
收到从Green太太那里来的50，000美元还债，
/
还有从Lapsley太太那里得到的268，000美元。
他认为让女人们花钱没有问题，
但女人不应该说如何花钱。
/
/
我认为他们在做他们认为最好的，
但是他们看起来在想，
谈一谈男人的工作比女人的工作累是很重要的。
/

/
当我到了天堂的时候，
希望没有性别歧视，
/
无法忍受这些作者的想法，
/
那些Rachel、Sarah和Rebekah
会在Abraham、Isaac和Jacob那里找到一席之地。
我一定会很高兴可以在Abraham或Paul那里有地位，
/
/
或者晚一点在他们的弟兄那里有一席之地，
但不是因为他们是男人，我是女人，
/
我对Paul非常欣赏，
我们这边有让我这么想他的传教士。
/
Faber先生是一个德国的传教士，
他是个很好的男士，
非常聪明，
也很帅，看起来很像Henry。
他决不会结婚，
为了凑合德国传教士，
他和一个从没见过的女人订婚了。
/
但是她因为肺结核死去了。
他嗓子出了问题，
现在肺也受到影响。

他说Kerr太太很好的朋友，
她努力把我和他联系起来。
/
我认为必须要好好谈一谈
德国人怎么想
/
然后确定一切都安排好了，
给他们送去恭喜，
告诉他们他们没有被传教士允许和英国人或美国人结婚，
/
但是听他们说，
如果我愿意他们可以给我一个特殊情况允许我。
我很满意知道这个，
德国传教士很愿意和我结婚
并且把我转为德国籍。
可怜的Faber先生因为这个报道很是忧虑
/
因为他害怕那会让我很烦，
但是没有关系。
他从未真正向我求婚，
我很欣赏他，
但是我的欣赏会变少，
如果他毁了自己人生，还像别人一样毫无意义地伤害自己。
随便找一个人结婚。
Mattie说，
北方人说Paul是一个丧妻之人，
而不是一个简简单单的单身汉，
他很反对结婚，
因为他的第一段婚姻很不幸福。
请问一下父亲这个情况是否属实。

【纵向书写】
我一开始没有想过写这样的信，
/
/
/
但是一写就停不下来。
/
/
现在邮寄比以后要便宜。
/
/
/
/
爱你的妹妹
/
Hattie

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