Letter from Harriet to Father, March 21, 1881

Letter from Harriet to Father, March 21, 1881

School buildings; Cold (Disease)

Harriet inquires after the photograph of the school building that she previously sent her father. Hattie talks about how the photograph might get published in the Foreign Missionary, though it would be an expensive endevor. The weather has not been great so many of the scholars have not yet returned to school. The cold and damp weather also means that some of the children have gotten sick. Henry has gone out into the country. He may decide to buy land in Lin Chau with the permission of the mission.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

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

Unpublished

1881-03-21

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_235

Canton China
March 21st 1881.
My dear Father
The last mail
brought your letter written
just after you received the
photograph of the school
building. We are always
so glad to get your letters
and it has given us a
world of pleasure that you
have been so interested
in it all the way through.
We have always felt sure
whatever any one else might
write or say that we would
have warm sympathy in the
letters from the home circle.
Now that it is finished and
every thing has proved so
successful and satisfactory
we have little doubt that

every one will approve of it.
Last mail Martha had a
letter of warm congratulations
from Mrs Perkins and I
had a very nice letter from
Dr Ellinwood. I am sure
he has approved of it all the
time but I presume Dr Happer
influenced Dr Lowrie against
it. I do not know whether
they will publish it in the
Foreign Missionary or not
that is print the photograph
Dr Ellinwood writes that
it is very expensive to get
photographs copied. We
have had such miserable
weather that the school
has not filled up very full
yet and we are not in a
hurry to get the full number
as we want to save a
little money out of the

arrival allowance for some
finishing touches here and
there. We have watched
with interest to see whether
the walls show any signs
of cracking but they do not
as yet and it has been
so many months that we
can feel sure that it is very
well built much better than
the house in which we live.
We have been having
such cold weather that
several of the children
have had bad colds and
the building is [u]very[/u] airy and
not thoroughly dried yet so
it seems rather damp
there wet days. But
yesterday and to-day we
have had some sunshine
which we all enjoy.

Some years it is quite hot
by this time in March but
to-day the thermometer is only
64°. Mr Henry has gone
into the country for a time of six
weeks and taken all his family
so we are in undisturbed posession
of the whole establishment here.
The Mission has authorized
him to buy land in Lin Chau.
The secretaries and the old
missionaries are all in favor
of building new house in some
of the large cities at a distance
from Canton as [illegible] Ui and
Lin Chau but the new missionaries
do not seem to favor the idea and
I doubt whether they would ever be
willing to go. I dont know but the
result will be that Mr Henry will
go but I do not believe that would
be best. He has ten times the
ability in every way of either of
our young brethren, and so it
seems as though it will be best for
him to stay here. He would not
make a change at any rate before
he goes home three years hence.

[Note: Letter concludes vertically on page one]
You will
probably see
Martha
soon and
she will tell
you all
about
every thing.
I will send
a copy of
Dr Ellinwood's
letter. Dear
Dr Kerr does not
need any improving
in any way + if
he did I do not
think Mr Fulton
could improve
him. I wonder
what Mrs Kerr will
do when she comes
back. It seems as though
he will still have to board them
Ever yr aff daughter, Harriet.



中国广州
1881 年 3 月 21 日。
我亲爱的父亲 最后一封邮件带来了您在收到校舍照片后写的信。
我们总是很高兴收到您的来信，
这给了我们一个快乐的世界，
您一直对它如此感兴趣。
我们一直确信，
无论别人写什么或说什么，
我们都会在来自家庭圈子的信件中得到热烈的同情。
现在它已经完成，
每件事都证明是那么成功和令人满意，
我们毫无疑问每个人都会赞成它。
最后一封邮件，
玛莎收到了一封来自珀金斯夫人的热烈祝贺信，
我收到了一封来自埃林伍德医生的非常好的信。
我确信他一直都赞同它，
但我认为 Happer 医生影响了 Lowrie 医生反对它。
我不知道他们是否会在《外国传教士》上发表那张照片，
Ellinwood 医生写道，
复印照片非常昂贵。
我们经历了如此糟糕的天气，
以至于学校还没有满员，
我们并不急于获得完整的人数，
因为我们想从抵达津贴中节省一点钱，
以便在这里和那里进行一些收尾工作。
我们饶有兴趣地观察墙壁是否有任何开裂迹象，
但目前还没有，
而且已经过去了好几个月，
我们可以确定它建造得非常好，
比我们住的房子好得多。
我们的天气一直很冷，
以至于有几个孩子得了重感冒，
而且建筑物 [u] 非常 [/u] 通风而且还没有彻底干燥，
所以在潮湿的日子里看起来很潮湿。
但是昨天和今天我们都享受到了一些阳光。
几年来，
三月的这个时候已经很热了，
但今天温度计只有 64°。
亨利先生已进入该国六周，
并带走了他的所有家人，
因此我们在这里不受干扰地控制着整个机构。
使团已授权他在莲洲购买土地。
书记和老传教士都赞成在一些距离广州较远的大城市盖新房子，
就像[无法辨认] Ui和Lin Chau，
但新传教士似乎不赞成这个想法，
我怀疑他们是否会永远愿意去。
我不知道，
但结果是亨利先生会走，
但我不相信那是最好的。
他在各方面的能力都是我们两个年轻弟兄的十倍，
所以看来他最好留在这里。
在他三年后回家之前，
他无论如何都不会做出改变。
[注意：信件在第一页垂直结束]你可能很快就会见到玛莎，
她会告诉你每一件事。
我会寄一份艾林伍德医生的信。
亲爱的 Kerr 医生不需要任何改进 + 如果他这样做了，
我认为 Fulton 先生无法改进他。
我想知道克尔夫人回来后会做什么。
看来他还是得让他们上车 你的女儿，
哈丽特。

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