Letter from Hattie to Em, May 13, 1881
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Em, May 13, 1881
Subject
Birthdays; Weight gain; Friendly visiting; Young men
Description
In this letter to her sister Emily, Harriet wishes her happy birthday and tells her about her day. She says the next time they meet again, they might both be over fourty. Harriet says she has weighed more than ever before. Mrs. Kerr visited Emily and tells Harriet she is doing very well. Mrs. Kerr has a more pleasant visit with the Noyes family than with the Henrys. Harriet disapproves of the behavior of Josie Kerr. Mrs. White has strict ideas about how young boys should behave. Harriet says Mattie will be able to explain better in person.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #2
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1881-05-13
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_239
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China
May 13th 1881
My dear Em -
I suppose I had
better date your birthday letter
honestly on the 13th and instead
of writing to you on the 4th
will tell you how I spent the
day I left Hong Kong by the
morning steamer for Canton.
Had a pleasant trip up
the river although it was
rather warm --- Reached
here between three and two [Note: line drawn from top of "three" to bottom of "two"]
The time slipped away in
seeing the women and
girls +c until time for
tea which I had over
at Mr Henry's - and
afterwards we went up
to our Wednesday prayer
meeting at Mr Whites.
I am sure you will
know my good wishes
for your birth-day and
for your thirty sixth year
are as many and earnest
as though I could have spent
the day with you and
given them to you verbally.
Does it not seem strange
that if we are spared to
meet again we shall both
probably be [u]over forty[/u]=
I shall never be [u]fair[/u], fat,
and forty, I have a good
prospect however of being
fat + forty Mattie will
tell you that just before
she left here we were weighed
and I weighed 129 more
than I ever did before in
my life so you see I am
not getting thin. Mrs Kerr
brings me glowing accounts
of you - she says you are
looking so well and
[?blooming?]. She says she
thought she knew how good
you were before but she feels
now that she did not know
you thoroughly. She was
delighted with her visit at
our home and feels that
you were all very kind to
her as I am sure you
were. She felt very much
hurt that Mrs Henry's mother
+ sisters seemed so cold to her
at the last said they [u]had[/u] been
so kind - I am sorry, I wish
they had not let her know they
felt differently but I cannot
blame them in the least.
I do wonder how Josie will
carry sail now. I do not
think I ever wanted to
[u]shake[/u] any one within an inch
of his life so much as Josie
Kerr unless it was those
big boys at Ashland. Mrs
White was telling us the other
eve of one of her experiences.
She said when she was seventeen
just after she graduated she
had a school all young men
and older than herself. One
day they made a great noise in
going down stairs and she
made them all go back and told
them if they did not go down properly
she would [u]carry[/u] them down herself
one at a time .She said that after
she had taught a little she would
never have thought of saying such
a thing but it proved effectual-
I think she and Mattie would
agree very well in their ideas of
discipline . They tell me you
are developing a talent for
training [u]young men[/u] .I hope
you will find your efforts
blessed and rewarded
and appreciated. I am
so glad your health seems
so much better. Mattie
will tell you everything so
much better than I can
write that I think it will
hardly be necessary for me to
write much now
[Note: The following is written vertically on the first page]
With warmest love and every good wish from
Your loving
Hattie-
中国广州
1881 年 5 月 13 日
我亲爱的 Em -
我想我最好在 13 日诚实地写下你的生日信，
而不是在 4 日写信给你，
我会告诉你我是如何度过这一天的，
我乘早轮离开香港前往广州。
顺流而上，
虽然天气很暖和 --- 在三点到两点之间到达这里
[注：从“三”顶部到“二”底部绘制的线]
看到女人和女孩等的时间就这样溜走了直到我在亨利先生家喝茶——然后我们去了怀特先生的星期三祈祷会。
我相信你会知道我对你的生日和你三十六岁的美好祝愿，
就好像我可以和你一起度过这一天，
并把它们口头送给你一样。
如果我们能幸免于难再见面，
我们俩都可能超过四十岁，
这似乎并不奇怪吗？我永远不会美丽，
胖，
四十，
我很有可能变胖，
四十玛蒂会告诉你，
就在她之前离开这里，
我们被称重了，
我的体重比以往任何时候都重 129 倍，
所以你看我并没有变瘦。
克尔太太给我带来了关于你的热情洋溢的描述——她说你看起来很好，
而且很漂亮。
她说她以前以为她知道你有多好，
但现在她觉得她并不完全了解你。
她很高兴能到我们家拜访，
觉得你们都对她很好，
我相信你们都是。
亨利夫人的母亲和姐妹们对她如此冷漠，
最后说她们是如此友善，
她感到非常伤心——我很抱歉，
我希望她们没有让她知道她们的感受不同，
但我至少不能责怪她们。
我真想知道乔西现在将如何扬帆远航。
我想我从来不想像乔西·科尔那样动摇他生命中的任何一个人，
除非是阿什兰的那些大男孩。
怀特太太在另一个前夜告诉我们她的经历。
她说，
在她刚毕业后十七岁的时候，
她有一所学校，
所有的年轻人都比她年长。
有一天，
他们下楼梯时发出很大的响声，
她让他们都回去，
并告诉他们，
如果他们不能正确下楼，
她会自己一个一个地把他们带下来。
她说，
她教了一点之后，
她会从来没有想过要说这样的话，
但事实证明这是有效的——我认为她和玛蒂在他们的纪律观念上会非常一致。
他们告诉我你正在培养一种训练年轻人的天赋。
我希望你会发现你的努力得到了祝福、回报和赞赏。
我很高兴你的健康看起来好多了。
玛蒂会把一切都告诉你，
比我能写的要好，
我想我现在几乎没有必要写太多了
[注：以下内容在第一页垂直书写]
带着最温暖的爱和你爱的每一个美好祝愿，
海蒂-
May 13th 1881
My dear Em -
I suppose I had
better date your birthday letter
honestly on the 13th and instead
of writing to you on the 4th
will tell you how I spent the
day I left Hong Kong by the
morning steamer for Canton.
Had a pleasant trip up
the river although it was
rather warm --- Reached
here between three and two [Note: line drawn from top of "three" to bottom of "two"]
The time slipped away in
seeing the women and
girls +c until time for
tea which I had over
at Mr Henry's - and
afterwards we went up
to our Wednesday prayer
meeting at Mr Whites.
I am sure you will
know my good wishes
for your birth-day and
for your thirty sixth year
are as many and earnest
as though I could have spent
the day with you and
given them to you verbally.
Does it not seem strange
that if we are spared to
meet again we shall both
probably be [u]over forty[/u]=
I shall never be [u]fair[/u], fat,
and forty, I have a good
prospect however of being
fat + forty Mattie will
tell you that just before
she left here we were weighed
and I weighed 129 more
than I ever did before in
my life so you see I am
not getting thin. Mrs Kerr
brings me glowing accounts
of you - she says you are
looking so well and
[?blooming?]. She says she
thought she knew how good
you were before but she feels
now that she did not know
you thoroughly. She was
delighted with her visit at
our home and feels that
you were all very kind to
her as I am sure you
were. She felt very much
hurt that Mrs Henry's mother
+ sisters seemed so cold to her
at the last said they [u]had[/u] been
so kind - I am sorry, I wish
they had not let her know they
felt differently but I cannot
blame them in the least.
I do wonder how Josie will
carry sail now. I do not
think I ever wanted to
[u]shake[/u] any one within an inch
of his life so much as Josie
Kerr unless it was those
big boys at Ashland. Mrs
White was telling us the other
eve of one of her experiences.
She said when she was seventeen
just after she graduated she
had a school all young men
and older than herself. One
day they made a great noise in
going down stairs and she
made them all go back and told
them if they did not go down properly
she would [u]carry[/u] them down herself
one at a time .She said that after
she had taught a little she would
never have thought of saying such
a thing but it proved effectual-
I think she and Mattie would
agree very well in their ideas of
discipline . They tell me you
are developing a talent for
training [u]young men[/u] .I hope
you will find your efforts
blessed and rewarded
and appreciated. I am
so glad your health seems
so much better. Mattie
will tell you everything so
much better than I can
write that I think it will
hardly be necessary for me to
write much now
[Note: The following is written vertically on the first page]
With warmest love and every good wish from
Your loving
Hattie-
中国广州
1881 年 5 月 13 日
我亲爱的 Em -
我想我最好在 13 日诚实地写下你的生日信，
而不是在 4 日写信给你，
我会告诉你我是如何度过这一天的，
我乘早轮离开香港前往广州。
顺流而上，
虽然天气很暖和 --- 在三点到两点之间到达这里
[注：从“三”顶部到“二”底部绘制的线]
看到女人和女孩等的时间就这样溜走了直到我在亨利先生家喝茶——然后我们去了怀特先生的星期三祈祷会。
我相信你会知道我对你的生日和你三十六岁的美好祝愿，
就好像我可以和你一起度过这一天，
并把它们口头送给你一样。
如果我们能幸免于难再见面，
我们俩都可能超过四十岁，
这似乎并不奇怪吗？我永远不会美丽，
胖，
四十，
我很有可能变胖，
四十玛蒂会告诉你，
就在她之前离开这里，
我们被称重了，
我的体重比以往任何时候都重 129 倍，
所以你看我并没有变瘦。
克尔太太给我带来了关于你的热情洋溢的描述——她说你看起来很好，
而且很漂亮。
她说她以前以为她知道你有多好，
但现在她觉得她并不完全了解你。
她很高兴能到我们家拜访，
觉得你们都对她很好，
我相信你们都是。
亨利夫人的母亲和姐妹们对她如此冷漠，
最后说她们是如此友善，
她感到非常伤心——我很抱歉，
我希望她们没有让她知道她们的感受不同，
但我至少不能责怪她们。
我真想知道乔西现在将如何扬帆远航。
我想我从来不想像乔西·科尔那样动摇他生命中的任何一个人，
除非是阿什兰的那些大男孩。
怀特太太在另一个前夜告诉我们她的经历。
她说，
在她刚毕业后十七岁的时候，
她有一所学校，
所有的年轻人都比她年长。
有一天，
他们下楼梯时发出很大的响声，
她让他们都回去，
并告诉他们，
如果他们不能正确下楼，
她会自己一个一个地把他们带下来。
她说，
她教了一点之后，
她会从来没有想过要说这样的话，
但事实证明这是有效的——我认为她和玛蒂在他们的纪律观念上会非常一致。
他们告诉我你正在培养一种训练年轻人的天赋。
我希望你会发现你的努力得到了祝福、回报和赞赏。
我很高兴你的健康看起来好多了。
玛蒂会把一切都告诉你，
比我能写的要好，
我想我现在几乎没有必要写太多了
[注：以下内容在第一页垂直书写]
带着最温暖的爱和你爱的每一个美好祝愿，
海蒂-
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Em, May 13, 1881,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 25, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/295.