Letter from Hattie to Frank, April 11, 1870

Letter from Hattie to Frank, April 11, 1870

Missionaries; Steamboats; Home; Death; Girls' schools; Schools; Eye--Diseases; Pets

In this letter to her brother, Francis, Harriet Noyes gives updates on life in China. She writes of the missionaries who are going home, the care of schools, and the death of one of her pet canaries. Harriet also inquires about home, specifically Emily's problems with her eyes, and the various upcoming marriages of acquaintances.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #1

Unpublished

1870-04-11

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_037

Canton
April 11th '70-
My dear Frank,
I have managed
to get up early enough this morning
to write a letter to you. Henry is
going down to Mr Nevin's to help
him off he leaves for home to-day.
Each of the last steamers has taken
away some of our missionaries from
Canton but now there are no more
expecting to go home Henry & I say
that our turn will come next in
our mission as when Mr Preston
comes back they will all have come
out From home since we did.
But it is a long ways ahead although
the years do go by so fast I think
you will be sure to see Mr Nevin
at Home & I shall be so glad if you
can. We send by him a small
package which I hope you will
receive safely. A Mr Roberts from
Ambala India also goes home to
England via USA leaving in
the Japan. Henry has given him
a letter of introduction to Father
& cousin Gilbert but I presume it
is very doubtful whether he goes to
Guilford. It makes USA seem a

great deal nearer to meet so often
people who are going there or have
come from there. Ambala is not
very far from Lochana & Mr Roberts
knew Mr & Mrs Myers very well.
What a loss that Mission & the
heathen have sustained in the
death of Mr Myers. It seems so
mysterious that he should be taken
away from his work so young
but we know "He hath done [u]all[/u]
things well." I am glad that Mrs
Myers feels like staying in India.
Henry & I go to-day to Ngan-pin
& Mr McChesney is going with us.
Henry has a new school in "[?Peusla?]"
& it seems a very nice one. I would
so like to get a girls school there if
possible. My Canton school has now
28 girls. I am so glad the Mansfield
S School support it. Lucy's is supported
by friends in Baltimore. The school
that I commenced visiting last
year perhaps you will remember
about it after a few visits the
parents objected to my coming
and so I was obliged to discontinue
my visits. But this year soon
after the school reopened the teacher

sent me a written invitation to
resume my visits & I am now
going every week. This is a
school supported entirely by
the Chinese themselves. So the Hamshers
are going to leave Mansfield I
dont like to think of their getting
"so far away". Do give my love to
Mrs Dorsey + write something
about her when you write.
I believe I have never written to
her but I have often thought of
her. I suppose Emily Elliott
will be married before you get
this perhaps is already.
And [u]our Em[/u] how I do wish her
Eye would get better. Some of you
write to us [u]very particularly[/u] about
it is it both eyes or only one. Dont give
us her opinion only you know
we want something [u]reliable[/u].
Tell Emily & Sarah that the
latest additions to the Wesleyan
Mission Mr Parkes youngest
daughter is to be named
Sarah Emily. The two names
mean two different persons in my
mind & I can hardly think of

them as both belonging to one.
Tell Em that I begun a letter
to her but got no farther than the
first sentence. And Matt should
have a letter this mail for the nice
one she sent me. Have I told you
that one of my dear little birds
died one cold night last winter.
It was the singer + had grown so
tame that it would come & stand
in my hand + get seed. They were
given to me by Mr Davis + I prized
them very much. If it had been the
other one I would not have cared so
much for it cannot sing + has always
been so wild. I am glad
to hear Dr Allen is doing so well
in Ashland I wish they could
find them + inclination to write
to Canton. It seems funny to
think of Ash Beer's getting married.
We learn from the papers of the
sad calamity that has befallen
Vermillion Institute our "Alma
Mater". Well I suppose I must
put up the letters + send them off.
I wonder if any of you thought of me
"when the leaves came out" this spring &
how much I would have liked to see them.
With an "[u]immense[/u]" amount of love for all
from your loving Hattie

广州
1870年4月11日
我亲爱的Frank，
今天早上我设法早起给你写了一封信，
我做到了。
/
Henry准备去帮Nevin先生，
他今天回去。
最近许多传教士乘轮船回家，
但现在没有其他人打算离开。
/
轮到我们下一次了，
Preston先生回到中国后，
我们将是下一个波离开的人。
/
/
即使我们是下一个波，
也要很长时间才能回家，
但时间过得很快。
我相信当Nevin先生到家时你会见到他。
他可以从我们这里给你带来一个小包裹，
希望您能收到。
Roberts 先生在回家路上，
他来自英国，
但他在印度安吧啦当传教士，
他正在路过这里，
然后他从日本去美国呆几天，
最后回到英国。
Henry给了他一封介绍信给我们的父亲，
但我认为他不太可能经过我们的家乡Guilford。

这么多这里的传教士路过或者来自美国，
给我们带来一个特别亲切的感觉。
印度安吧啦离Lochana不远，
Roberts先生认识Myers夫妇。
Myers先生去世时，
/
这对异教徒和传教组织都是有莫大的损失。
/
我不知道为什么上帝会让他这么年轻就死了，
/
但我们知道上帝做任何事都是有充分理由的。
/
我很高兴Myers太太决定留在印度。
今天我和Henry准备去南平，
McChesney先生陪我们去。
Henry开了个新学校，
这似乎是一所不错的学校
我真的很想在那里开办一所女子学校。
我在广州的学校现在有28名女生入学。
我非常感谢Mansfield州立学校提供的资金。
Lucy在巴尔德莫的朋友帮她交学费。
你还记得我去年去过的学校吗?
去年学生家长不喜欢我的来访，
所以我不得不停下来。
/
/
/
但今年开学后，
老师邀请我去参观，

所以现在我每周都去。
/
这所学校是中国人自己出资的。
/
你在信中说Hansher夫妇要离开Mansfield，
/
我不喜欢他们走得太远。
给Dorsey太太我的爱，
并在下次写作时给我一些关于他的消息。
/
我从未给她写过信，
但我经常想起她
我猜你收到这封信的时候Emily Elliot已经结婚了，
或者在我写这封信的时候她已经结婚了。
/
希望Em的眼睛能好起来。
/
一些家庭成员写信猜测她是一只眼睛还是两只眼睛都有问题，
/
/
在你们确定之前请不要告诉我们任何事情。
告诉Emily和Sarah卫理公会传教士Parkes太太生了个女儿叫Sarah Emily。
/
/
/
这两个名字总会让我想起两个人而不是一个。
/
/

/
告诉Em我开始给她写信，
但我只写了第一句话。
上次Matt给我发一封特别美丽的信，
所以这次我会回他。
我告诉你了吗？
去年冬天的一个寒冷的夜晚，
我的两只鸟死了。
其中一只鸟是一只如此温顺的鸣禽，
它会吃掉我手中的谷物
Davis先生给了我，
我爱它们。
如果另一个死了，
我不会在乎，
因为它不会唱歌，
也不驯服。
我听说Allen医生在Ashland过得特别好，
我希望他会给我写信。
/
Ash Beer要结婚似乎很奇怪。
/
我在报纸上读到我们母校Vermillion Institute的悲剧。
/
/
我想是时候寄信了。
/
今年春天新叶长出来的时候你有想过我吗？
我很想看到它们。
/
给你们许多的爱，
Hattie

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