Letter from Hattie to Em, May 4, 1880

Letter from Hattie to Em, May 4, 1880

Birthdays; Schools; Sick; Baptist--Missions; Women missionaries; Anniversaries

Harriet wishes Emily a happy birthday. Harriet visited two schools and went to see Miss Stein of the Baptist Mission because she is ill. Mattie left for Hong Kong yesterday and she will be there for a week or two. According to Harriet, Mattie has not been sleeping very well because she is nervous. It is Harriet's thirteenth year as a missionary in China. She is hoping to go home in eight years, while Mattie will probably go in 1882. Harriet enclosed blue bookmarks for Em and Mary. She chose blue because it is the color of fidelity.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

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

Unpublished

1880-05-04

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_213

Canton China
May 4th 1880
My dear Em,
Your birthday has
almost passed on this side of the
world as the clock has just
struck ten but it is morning with
you so I am still in good time
to wish you a happy birthday
and "many returns of the day".
I wonder if you will spend
it in the dear old home or
in your work at Wadsworth.
I have been to two schools
and this evening went down
to see Miss Stein of the
Baptist Mission who is quite
ill. She has just come out
but I fear she is not going
to be strong here. I doubt if
she was able to come otherwise
she seems very promising. I

am very sorry for her.
Mattie went down to
Hong Kong yesterday expects
to be gone a week or two.
She has not slept at all
scarcely for the past two or
three weeks otherwise she
seems very well. It seems to
be the watchmen who keep
her awake but I suppose
she would sleep if she
were not so nervous. We
have had a very cool
and comfortable spring so
far it really seems to me
as though the summers are
not quite so hot as they used
to be but I dont suppose
there is really any improvement.
This is my [u]thirteenth[/u] summer
in China that is counting in
[u]the two[/u] I [u]spent[/u] in America
at any rate I am in
my thirteenth year as a

missionary I remember
when I came here I thought
those who had been on the
field thirteen or fourteen years
were quite veterans. Mother
wrote on my birthday that
it was the second since I
left [u]home[/u]. It was the [u]third[/u]
'78 '79 '80. I can hardly
realize it, it does not seem
long since I left you but
in a few days more it will
be 2 1/2 years one fourth of
the time if I should stay out
ten years. I hope I shall
go home again in eight
years, and I shall not
lose track of the years behind
me however quickly they may
pass. If Mattie goes home
in 1882 the time will soon
come. Only a few days
now and it will be four

years since May 17th 1876.
It always seems to me that
the remembrance of the happiness
of that day gives me a clearer
idea of the joy of reaching
our heavenly home than
anything else ever did.
Is this too much like the
ideas of "Gates Ajar". If so
it is because I am still
"of the Earth Earthly". How
did you like Henry's sermon
on So shall we ever with
the Lord. Mrs Happer said
she did not enjoy at all its
ideas but it seems as though
they are perhaps correct.
Tell Clara we enjoy seeing,
The Christian at Work. Did you
all read that beautiful poem
in the number for March 4th
St John the Aged. I have
often wanted to copy it and
send home but have never done
so. I think it is so [u]beautiful[/u].

[Note: Written vertically on the first page]
And now
goodbye for
this time
I hope
some time
in the future
we may
spend our
birthdays
together again.
I enclose a book
mark for you
& one for Mary
I thought of
working them in
different colors
but the language
of [u]blue[/u] is [u]fidelity[/u],
so I chose it for that
Ever your loving [u]Hattie[/u].

Letter