Letter from Harriet to Father, December 31, 1881
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Harriet to Father, December 31, 1881
Subject
New Year; Clergy; Mail service; Baptism; Communion; Sabbath
Description
Hattie wishes that she could say happy new year to her father in person. Nevertheless, she is grateful for the mail services which make the United States and China seem not so far apart. She tells her father that two new elders were ordained last Sabbath.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #2
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1881-12-31
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_266
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China
Dec 31st 1881.
My dear Father -
I will write a few lines
to you before the New Year
comes in so that you shall
have my last letter in 1881---
It seems but a little while
since the close of 1880, a year
passes so quickly now.
To-night is the eighteenth time
that I have watched the
old year out, the first time
was down in the Christian
Commission Rooms at Point of
Rocks the close of 1864. I wish
I could go to you as easily as
my thoughts can and wish
you a happy New Year without
the aid of pen and paper.
I hope that sometime I
may follow my thoughts
and visit you again in
the dear old home on the
hill. Meanwhile I am
very glad that I have
pen and paper and
that we have such good
facilities for communicating
with each other America
and China do not seem
very far apart now.
I wrote a few lines
to send down yesterday
fearing that we might
miss the mail but as we
expected it was postponed
from Dec 31st to Jan
4th and Mr Cunningham
says it will very likely be
postponed again until
the 10th [?Jan?] that came
you will have to wait
for letters. It is almost
time for us to have
another home mail.
The telegraph time we
hear is broken down so
we shall not have notice
of its arrival in Japan as
usual. Last Sabbath in
our 2nd church two new
elders were ordained. Mattie
will know them [?Mak Shui?] S.S. and
AKin the one armed man.
I should think they will
both do very well especially
AKin. He seemed very
humble about accepting
it did not seem to think
he was qualified but I am
sure he will do well. He is
a real good man. His
wife is one of the teachers in
the school and is such a
a nice woman and
earnest Christian. One
poor old woman who was
received last Sabbath was so
ill that she could not stay in
church. She was shaking in an
ague chill. She went out twice
and came back + was obliged
to go out again. Finally she
came in just before the close
and Mr Henry came down
+ baptized her and gave her
the Communion. I thought it
was a very beautiful sight he
looked so sympathetic and she
looked up at him so earnestly
while he asked and she
answered the necessary questions.
She seems a very nice woman has
gone out now to her home in the country
to bring her daughter-in-law out to
school. Mr Henry is a dear good
little missionary I am glad
you sent him by Mrs Graves
such a nice message of
thanks for his kindness to
us. He could not possible
be more kind that he has been.
[Note: Concludes vertically on page one]
Now I must
say good
bye with
every good
wish for
1882 from
your loving
daughter
Harriet
中国广州
1881 年 12 月 31 日。
亲爱的父亲——我会在新年到来之前给您写几行字，
以便您收到我在 1881 年的最后一封信——似乎距离 1880 年结束还有一段时间，
一个现在一年过得真快。
今晚是我第十八次观看旧年，
第一次是在 1864 年底在石点的基督教委员会会议室。
我希望我能尽可能轻松地去找你没有纸笔，
你新年快乐。
我希望有朝一日，
我可以按照我的想法，
在山上亲爱的老房子里再次拜访你。
同时，
我很高兴我有笔和纸，
而且我们有很好的交流设施，
美国和中国现在似乎相距不远。
我昨天写了几行寄下来，
担心我们可能会错过邮件，
但正如我们预期的那样，
它已从 12 月 31 日推迟到 1 月 4 日，
坎宁安先生说它很可能会再次推迟到 1 月 10 日，
你将不得不等待信件。
差不多是我们收到另一封家庭邮件的时候了。
我们听到的电报时间被打破了，
所以我们不会像往常一样收到它到达日本的通知。
在我们第二间教会的最后一个安息日，
两位新长老被按立。
Mattie 会认识他们 Mak Shui S.S. 和 AK 在一个武装人员中。
我应该认为他们都会做得很好，
尤其是AKin。
他似乎很谦虚地接受它似乎并不认为他有资格，
但我相信他会做得很好。
他是一个真正的好人。
他的妻子是学校的老师之一，
是一个很好的女人和热心的基督徒。
上个安息日接待了一位可怜的老妇人，
她病得很重，
不能待在教堂里。
她浑身发冷，
浑身发抖。
她出去了两次又回来了+不得不再次出去。
最后，
她在快结束前进来了，
亨利先生下来给她施洗，
并给了她圣餐。
我认为这是一个非常美丽的景象，
他看起来很有同情心，
当他问她时，
她如此认真地看着他，
她回答了必要的问题。
她似乎是一个非常好的女人，
现在已经到她在乡下的家中带她的儿媳上学了。
亨利先生是一位可爱的好小传教士，
我很高兴你由格雷夫斯夫人寄给他这么好的信息，
感谢他对我们的善意。
他不可能比以前更善良了。
[注：在第一页垂直结束]现在我必须向 1882 年的每一个美好祝愿说再见。
来自你亲爱的女儿，
哈丽特
Dec 31st 1881.
My dear Father -
I will write a few lines
to you before the New Year
comes in so that you shall
have my last letter in 1881---
It seems but a little while
since the close of 1880, a year
passes so quickly now.
To-night is the eighteenth time
that I have watched the
old year out, the first time
was down in the Christian
Commission Rooms at Point of
Rocks the close of 1864. I wish
I could go to you as easily as
my thoughts can and wish
you a happy New Year without
the aid of pen and paper.
I hope that sometime I
may follow my thoughts
and visit you again in
the dear old home on the
hill. Meanwhile I am
very glad that I have
pen and paper and
that we have such good
facilities for communicating
with each other America
and China do not seem
very far apart now.
I wrote a few lines
to send down yesterday
fearing that we might
miss the mail but as we
expected it was postponed
from Dec 31st to Jan
4th and Mr Cunningham
says it will very likely be
postponed again until
the 10th [?Jan?] that came
you will have to wait
for letters. It is almost
time for us to have
another home mail.
The telegraph time we
hear is broken down so
we shall not have notice
of its arrival in Japan as
usual. Last Sabbath in
our 2nd church two new
elders were ordained. Mattie
will know them [?Mak Shui?] S.S. and
AKin the one armed man.
I should think they will
both do very well especially
AKin. He seemed very
humble about accepting
it did not seem to think
he was qualified but I am
sure he will do well. He is
a real good man. His
wife is one of the teachers in
the school and is such a
a nice woman and
earnest Christian. One
poor old woman who was
received last Sabbath was so
ill that she could not stay in
church. She was shaking in an
ague chill. She went out twice
and came back + was obliged
to go out again. Finally she
came in just before the close
and Mr Henry came down
+ baptized her and gave her
the Communion. I thought it
was a very beautiful sight he
looked so sympathetic and she
looked up at him so earnestly
while he asked and she
answered the necessary questions.
She seems a very nice woman has
gone out now to her home in the country
to bring her daughter-in-law out to
school. Mr Henry is a dear good
little missionary I am glad
you sent him by Mrs Graves
such a nice message of
thanks for his kindness to
us. He could not possible
be more kind that he has been.
[Note: Concludes vertically on page one]
Now I must
say good
bye with
every good
wish for
1882 from
your loving
daughter
Harriet
中国广州
1881 年 12 月 31 日。
亲爱的父亲——我会在新年到来之前给您写几行字，
以便您收到我在 1881 年的最后一封信——似乎距离 1880 年结束还有一段时间，
一个现在一年过得真快。
今晚是我第十八次观看旧年，
第一次是在 1864 年底在石点的基督教委员会会议室。
我希望我能尽可能轻松地去找你没有纸笔，
你新年快乐。
我希望有朝一日，
我可以按照我的想法，
在山上亲爱的老房子里再次拜访你。
同时，
我很高兴我有笔和纸，
而且我们有很好的交流设施，
美国和中国现在似乎相距不远。
我昨天写了几行寄下来，
担心我们可能会错过邮件，
但正如我们预期的那样，
它已从 12 月 31 日推迟到 1 月 4 日，
坎宁安先生说它很可能会再次推迟到 1 月 10 日，
你将不得不等待信件。
差不多是我们收到另一封家庭邮件的时候了。
我们听到的电报时间被打破了，
所以我们不会像往常一样收到它到达日本的通知。
在我们第二间教会的最后一个安息日，
两位新长老被按立。
Mattie 会认识他们 Mak Shui S.S. 和 AK 在一个武装人员中。
我应该认为他们都会做得很好，
尤其是AKin。
他似乎很谦虚地接受它似乎并不认为他有资格，
但我相信他会做得很好。
他是一个真正的好人。
他的妻子是学校的老师之一，
是一个很好的女人和热心的基督徒。
上个安息日接待了一位可怜的老妇人，
她病得很重，
不能待在教堂里。
她浑身发冷，
浑身发抖。
她出去了两次又回来了+不得不再次出去。
最后，
她在快结束前进来了，
亨利先生下来给她施洗，
并给了她圣餐。
我认为这是一个非常美丽的景象，
他看起来很有同情心，
当他问她时，
她如此认真地看着他，
她回答了必要的问题。
她似乎是一个非常好的女人，
现在已经到她在乡下的家中带她的儿媳上学了。
亨利先生是一位可爱的好小传教士，
我很高兴你由格雷夫斯夫人寄给他这么好的信息，
感谢他对我们的善意。
他不可能比以前更善良了。
[注：在第一页垂直结束]现在我必须向 1882 年的每一个美好祝愿说再见。
来自你亲爱的女儿，
哈丽特
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Harriet to Father, December 31, 1881,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 27, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/322.