Letter from Hattie to Father, September 4, 1879

Letter from Hattie to Father, September 4, 1879

Budget; Debt; Presbyterian Church; Presbyterian Church--Missions

Harriet writes about how they have received the Board's budget estimates for the upcoming year. She writes about the failure of the firm Messrs Stewart & Co in England. The Board lost $55,000 so now their debt equals $107,000. Consequently, all building constructions have stopped. She believes that everything would have been better if the Board would have given them the legacy that was left for the mission to start with. Now it is going to be used to pay off the debt. She says that Presbyterian churches are really wealthy so they could relieve the Board's debt.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

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

Unpublished

1879-09-04

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_202

Canton China
Sept 4th 1879
My dear Father,
Our home mail
came yesterday and
brought us the long-looked
for letters from the Board
containing the estimates
for the coming year.
We are again disappointed
about our School Building
but this time we cannot
feel like blaming the Board
or any one else. Dr Ellinwood's
letter awakens our warmest
sympathy. You perhaps
know of the failure of
the firm of Messrs Stewart
& Co in England not
long since. The
mission funds have

been transmitted through
their hands to the different
mission fields. When the
news of this failure
first reached us the
Board wrote that they
would not lose any thing
by the failure. But
they have found to their
dismay that they have
lost $55,000, and
so their debt now amounts
to $107,000. In consequence
all building every where is
stopped for this year.
Dr Ellinwood writes that
they will put the matter
before the churches, and
if they will come forward
and clear off the debt,
the work can go on
and he hopes in that
case we may have

our building this year.
I felt so [u]perfectly sure[/u]
of it this time. I cannot
help feeling that it would
have been easier and
better for the Board and
nearer [u]right[/u] for the Board
to have given us the legacy
that was left for this
purpose and not send
it for anything else.
If they had let us have
it when we asked for it,
they would have lost so much
less, at any rate. I am
afraid the time will
never come when it
will be any easier to
pay it. It seems so
sad that the large
legacies will have to be
used in paying debts.

But I hope the churches
will make an extra
effort and relieve the
Board. There is plenty
of wealth in the Presbyterian
Church if those who have
it would only give of their
abundance. In our
large cities many of the
wealthiest churches are
the Presbyterian churches.
I suppose Dr Hall's church
could pay off the whole
debt and never mind
it at all. We shall
hope and look for better
news it is always darkest
just before day. Poor
Mr Rankin is almost
crushed by the state of the
Treasury. Dr Irving is out
of [u]health[/u] and has gone to Scotland.

[Note: Written vertically on the first page]
I will
write more
one another
sheet before
the mail
leaves.
Your aff daughter
[u]Hattie[/u].



中国广州
1879 年 9 月 4 日
我亲爱的父亲，
我们的家信昨天来了，
给我们带来了董事会期待已久的信件，
其中包含对来年的估计。
我们再次对我们的教学楼感到失望，
但这一次我们不能责怪董事会或其他任何人。
Ellinwood 医生的信唤起了我们最热烈的同情。
您也许知道不久前英国的 Messrs Stewart & Co 公司的失败。
宣教经费已经通过他们的手传递到不同的宣教领域。
当这个失败的消息第一次传到我们这里时，
董事会写道，
他们不会因为失败而失去任何东西。
但令他们沮丧的是，
他们损失了 55，000 美元，
因此他们的债务现在达到 107，000 美元。
因此，
今年所有的建筑都停止了。
Ellinwood 医生写道，
他们将把此事提交给教会，
如果他们能挺身而出，
还清债务，
工作就可以继续进行，
他希望在这种情况下，
我们今年能有我们的建筑。
这一次，
我非常确定。
我不禁感到，
如果董事会将为此目的而留下的遗产交给我们，
而不是将其用于其他任何目的，
这对董事会来说会更容易和更好，
而且更接近正确。
如果他们在我们要求的时候让我们拥有它，
无论如何，
他们的损失会少得多。
恐怕支付起来更容易的时候永远不会到来。
巨额遗产不得不用于偿还债务，
这似乎很可悲。
但我希望教会多加努力，
解救董事会。
如果那些拥有财富的人愿意付出他们的丰富，
那么长老会就会有很多财富。
在我们的大城市中，
许多最富有的教会是长老会。
我想霍尔医生的教堂可以还清全部债务，
而且根本不介意。
我们将希望并寻找更好的消息，
天前总是最黑暗的。
可怜的兰金先生几乎被财政部压垮了。
欧文医生身体不好，
去了苏格兰。
【注意：第一页竖着写】我会在邮件离开之前再写一张。
你的女儿，
海蒂。

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