Letter from Hattie to Mattie, August 10, 1882

Letter from Hattie to Mattie, August 10, 1882

Mail steamers, Sickness; Women missionaries; Medicine; Tumors--Surgery

Harriet explains to Mattie that the steamers have been irregular lately. Harriet hopes that Mattie is feeling better now given that the most recent letters from home reported that she was in bed. Harriet received two letters from two prospective American missionaries in Canton inquiring about life in the mission. Miss Butler's ladies sent Miss Butler $50 dollars worth of medical books because they are glad she will study medicine. Miss Butler has been attending operations lately. For instance, she attended one of Dr. Kerr's surgeries. About a dozen medical students were present observing the surgery.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #3

Unpublished

1882-08-10

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_292

Canton China
Aug 10th 1882
My dear Mattie -
The mail leaves
for America tomorrow but
although it has been a
week since the last letters
came there is nothing yet
in the papers about any
steamer coming this way
We had such a little
mail by the last steamer
that we wanted another
before we had finished
reading that. The letters
from home from Mother
and Em reported you
as in bed again, which
was rather discouraging but
I hope you were some
better. Mr and Mrs Henry
with their family have just
started to HongKong on the

night steamer. Mr Colville
who preaches in Union Church
there has gone to Japan for nine
weeks. Mr Masters has taken
his pulpit for three sabbaths Mr
Henry will take it for three
and then our Henry the remaining
three. Mr + Mrs Henry wanted
me very much to go down with
them but I couldnt go to HongKong
to stay even to oblige them
Mrs Noyes asked Miss Butler
if we would come down and
stay with them. Miss Butler
says I was included in the
invitation but if so I am very
sure I was not wanted.
Miss Butler and I are just alike
in wishing to stay at home at all
times and under all circumstances.
I think the greatest trial she has
had since she has been here
is that she has been obliged
to go out so much. Little
Hattie Kerr besets her to play
croquet with her and Mr
White comes down once in a

while and then in the evening
we are so consistently [?invited?] out.
Mr Fulton is still away in the
country. I expect he will stay
until Miss Dr Niles arrives and
then come down to see if she
wants to be Mrs Fulton. I had
a letter from Mary Fulton by
last mail. She seems to think it
will be nice to get to Canton where
she will never need to go out
calling or visiting. She will be
rather surprised I imagine if
she ever gets here to find how
different it is from what she
thinks. I received two letters from
America this morning I suppose
they came over by some stray
steamer. One was from a Miss
Howells of Cincinnati Miss Ella
F Howells 429 W Eighth St.
who would like to be a missionary
and come to Canton and
writes for information et cetera et cetera.
If you should chance to
see her you could tell her

all about Canton. The other
enclosed $25.00 which I was
a little disappointed to find was
not for Canton but to purchase a
bookcase a present from Miss
Peabody to the ladies at Cheing Mai.
Did I ever tell you what Dr Ellinwood
told Miss Butler about her books. He
advised her to get from the shoe shops
boxes that had been used in packing
shoes, + to get them uniform in size
as she would probably want to use
them after she reached her for a
[u]book-case[/u]. I cant imagine what he
ever said it for when he knew so well
how our homes are furnished. I wonder
what he would think of a proposition to
pile up a lot of shoe boxes in his home
for a book-case. He told her not to bring
her organ as there were organs enough
in Canton already. Miss Butler's ladies
are sending her fifty dollars worth
of medical books. They are much
pleased with her plan of studying
medicine. She goes over every Wednesday
to see operations and [?stands?] it first
rate. This week Dr Kerr had a dreadful
operation a woman who had such
a terrible tumor weighing five pounds on
the side of her face. He dreaded
the operation very much was so afraid
she would die during it ---

[Note: Letter concludes vertically on page one]
Miss Butler and our three medical members were all there
Dr Thomson + Mr Jones who is studying also with Dr Kerr +
about a dozen
of his medical
students. I
spoke of going
over to see it but
Dr Kerr told
me not to come.
He hopes the
woman will
get well. It
seemed one
of the most cases
I have ever
seen - in the
hospital. I
wish Dr Kerr could
go away for
a rest somewhere.
He is looking pretty
well however.
Your aff sister Hattie -

中国广州
1882年8月10日
我亲爱的Mattie，
邮件明天发往美国。
/
尽管距离上一封信已经过去了一个星期，
/
但报纸上没有任何关于是否有另一艘轮船要来的消息。
/
/
这艘船给我们送来的信太少了，
以至于我们想用另外一艘，
在我们读完这些信件之前，
我们已经准备好接收更多的信件。
/
在我们从家里收到的信件中，
我们听说你再次卧床不起。
/
那一定非常令人沮丧。
我希望你再次好起来。
Henry夫妇和他们的家人
/
他们刚刚登上去香港的夜轮

Collins先生，
联合教会神父已去日本 9 周
/
Masters先生将交换他三周，
然后Henry先生将交换他 3 周，
然后我们的Henry将交换他 3 周。
/
Henry夫妇特别想让我
陪他们去香港，
但我不能去。
/
Noyes太太问我和Butler小姐
是否可以去和他们一起住。
Butler小姐说邀请中包括我，
但我不确定我是否被邀请。
/
/
Butler小姐和我很像，
我们总是想在任何情况下都呆在家里。
/
我觉得她来广州以来最大的挣扎就是不得不出去这么多。
/
/
小Hattie Kerr让她和她玩槌球，
/
偶尔White先生来，
/

晚上我们经常被邀请出去。
/
Fulton先生还在乡村。
我想他会留在那里直到Niles医生小姐到达，
那么他就会来这里向她求婚。
/
我在上一封邮件中收到了Mary Fulton的一封信。
/
她认为来广州会很好，
因为她不必拜访任何人，
也不必被拜访。
当她到达这里时，
她会非常惊讶，
因为我们经常拜访或被拜访。
/
今天早上，
我收到了两封来自美国的信，
我想他们是乘坐一艘特殊的轮船抵达的。
一封来自Ella F Howells小姐
她说
/
她想当传教士，
想来广州，
所以她问我要不要发信息给她，等等。
如果你看到她，
你应该告诉她广州的情况。

/
另一封信里有25美元。 
我很失望地发现这不是为广州传教士的捐赠，
/
而是打算从她那里购买一个书柜作为礼物送给清迈的女士们。
/
我有没有告诉你Ellinwood医生告诉Butler小姐关于她的书的事？
/
他让她把许多大小一致的鞋盒放在一起做成一个书柜。
/
/
/
/
不知道他为什么这么说，
/
他知道我们的家具是什么样的。
/
我想知道他会如何在自己的房子里放一个由鞋盒制成的书架。
他告诉她不要带管风琴，
/
因为广州已经有很多管风琴了。
Butler小姐的朋友们寄给她价值 50 美元的医学书籍。
/
他们很高兴她打算学医。
每个星期三，
她都会去医院观察手术。
本周，
Kerr医生对一位脸上长有 5 磅肿瘤的女性进行了一次可怕的手术。
/
他很害怕病人在手术中死亡。
/
/


Butler小姐和另外三位医生都在那里
还有12名医学生。
/
/
我说我想去看手术，
但Kerr医生告诉我不要来。
/
/
/
他希望那个女人能好起来。
/
这似乎是我在医院见过的最糟糕的病例之一。
/
/
/
/
我希望他可以去某个地方休息一下。
/
/
/
但他看起来还是很不错的。
你爱你的姐姐
Hattie

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