Letter from Harriet to Mother, May 4, 1883
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Harriet to Mother, May 4, 1883
Subject
Wedding anniversaries; Home; Families
Description
Hattie contemplates her time spent abroad and how even within her fortieth year, she feels just as youthful as if she was still twenty. She is glad to hear that her mother is feeling better and hopes that she will think of her on June 17th. It is her parents' golden wedding year. Harriet says that not many children have the fortune of being with their parents this long. The motto, "I need Thee every hour," was given to Harriet by her mother when she was home for her birthday in 1877 and it still hangs in the parlor. She also discusses Dr. Kerr and when missionaries should travel home on leave.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #3
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1883-05-04
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_316
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China
May 4th 1883
My dear Mother -
If I could start
tonight with this letter and
take the journey that it has
before it I would be home
in time to spend the 17th
of June with you. If I
had been out eight or ten
years how delighted I would
be to be getting ready to go
home. But I am so perfectly
well that I have a good hope
of staying out a good long
term and I ought to be
very thankful & glad that
it is so and I hope that
I am. Mrs Graves says
she likes to look at me I
look so well. I think I am
quite as strong and [u]youthful[/u]
as I could expect to be when
in my [u]fortieth[/u] year. That
fact I cannot realize at all
for I do not think I feel
any older than I did
twenty years ago. I was
glad to hear by the last
letters that you were feeling
well again. How much I
hope that you will soon feel
well in every respect and
happy. You must try to
think of all the the things there
are to make us happy in
this world and the trials
and troubles by the way
will be passed bye and
bye when we have entered
into the rest that remaineth.
I hope you will have a
pleasant day on the 17th
of June. You must
think of me some on that
day for I shall be sure
to think of you ---
Our friends here are very much
interested in the fact that this
is your golden wedding year.
so that Henry and I will
not be alone in thinking of you
on that day. Not many children
are so fortunate as to have
their parents spared to them
so long. We surely as a family
have great reason to be
grateful to God for his goodness
to us especially that we
may believe that we are all
"accepted in the Beloved" -
There are such beautiful
words I think and they
always bring Father to mind
for I never thought especially
of them until Em wrote
to me that he liked them
and she had made a
motto with these words ^whom The
one she sent to Martha is
on our walls and often
brings to me thoughts of Father.
The motto you gave me on
my birthday in 1877 the only
one I had at home hangs
in our parlor. Do you
remember what it was.
You and Father gave it to
me. It was "I need Thee
every hour" - a chromo with
beautiful calla lilies and
other flowers. I wonder
how soon I shall have
another birthday at home.
Dr Kerr who when he first
came out thought that
missionaries did not need to
go home to rest now thinks that
the rule of the English Presbyterian
Mission to go home every seven
years is [?nisest?] and most
economical in the need. No
missionary was ever or ever can
be more conscientious and economical
about using Mission funds in
the best way than Dr Kerr.
Taking everything into consideration
it seems as though his opinion on such
a question ought to have more weight than any one else.
[Note: Letter concludes vertically on page one]
I enclose a little bookmark with much love and
looking that
the year
that commences
June 11th
will be a
happy one
for you.
Ever lovingly
Your aff daughter
[u]Harriet[/u]
中国广州
1883 年 5 月 4 日
我亲爱的母亲——如果我今晚能从这封信开始，
踏上它之前的旅程，
我会及时回家和你一起度过 6 月 17 日。
如果我已经离开了八年或十年，
我会多么高兴准备回家。
但我非常好，
我很有希望长期留在外面，
我应该非常感谢和高兴，
我希望我是这样。
格雷夫斯夫人说她喜欢看着我，
我看起来很好。
我想我和我四十岁时所期望的一样强壮和年轻。
我根本无法意识到这一事实，
因为我不认为自己比 20 年前更老。
我很高兴在最后一封信中听到你又感觉好起来了。
我多么希望你很快就会在各方面都感觉良好和快乐。
你必须试着想一想这个世界上有什么能让我们快乐的事情，
当我们进入剩下的休息时，
一路上的考验和麻烦就会一一过去。
希望您在 6 月 17 日度过愉快的一天。
那天你一定会想起我，
因为我一定会想起你——我们这里的朋友很感兴趣，
因为这是你的金婚年。
这样亨利和我就不会在那天想你了。
没有多少孩子如此幸运，
以至于他们的父母能够幸免于他们这么久。
作为一个家庭，
我们当然有充分的理由感谢上帝对我们的善意，
尤其是我们可以相信我们都“被爱的人接纳”——我认为有如此美丽的词，
它们总是让我想起父亲，
因为我直到 Em 写信给我说他喜欢他们，
她才特别想到他们，
她用这些话做了座右铭，
她寄给 Martha 的那句话挂在我们的墙上，
经常让我想起父亲。
你在 1877 年我生日时给我的座右铭是我家里唯一的座右铭，
挂在我们的客厅里。
你还记得那是什么吗。
你和父亲把它给了我。
那是“我每个小时都需要你”——一个有美丽的马蹄莲和其他花朵的彩色。
我不知道多久我会在家里过另一个生日。
科尔医生刚出道时认为传教士不需要回家休息，
现在认为英国长老会每七年回家一次的规定在需要时是最好和最经济的。
在以最佳方式使用传教士资金方面，
没有任何传教士比克尔医生更认真、更经济。
考虑到一切，
他对这样一个问题的看法似乎应该比其他任何人都更有分量。
[注：字母在第一页垂直结束] 我附上一个充满爱意的小书签，
希望从 6 月 11 日开始的一年对你来说会是一个快乐的一年。
永远可爱，
你的女儿，
哈丽特
May 4th 1883
My dear Mother -
If I could start
tonight with this letter and
take the journey that it has
before it I would be home
in time to spend the 17th
of June with you. If I
had been out eight or ten
years how delighted I would
be to be getting ready to go
home. But I am so perfectly
well that I have a good hope
of staying out a good long
term and I ought to be
very thankful & glad that
it is so and I hope that
I am. Mrs Graves says
she likes to look at me I
look so well. I think I am
quite as strong and [u]youthful[/u]
as I could expect to be when
in my [u]fortieth[/u] year. That
fact I cannot realize at all
for I do not think I feel
any older than I did
twenty years ago. I was
glad to hear by the last
letters that you were feeling
well again. How much I
hope that you will soon feel
well in every respect and
happy. You must try to
think of all the the things there
are to make us happy in
this world and the trials
and troubles by the way
will be passed bye and
bye when we have entered
into the rest that remaineth.
I hope you will have a
pleasant day on the 17th
of June. You must
think of me some on that
day for I shall be sure
to think of you ---
Our friends here are very much
interested in the fact that this
is your golden wedding year.
so that Henry and I will
not be alone in thinking of you
on that day. Not many children
are so fortunate as to have
their parents spared to them
so long. We surely as a family
have great reason to be
grateful to God for his goodness
to us especially that we
may believe that we are all
"accepted in the Beloved" -
There are such beautiful
words I think and they
always bring Father to mind
for I never thought especially
of them until Em wrote
to me that he liked them
and she had made a
motto with these words ^whom The
one she sent to Martha is
on our walls and often
brings to me thoughts of Father.
The motto you gave me on
my birthday in 1877 the only
one I had at home hangs
in our parlor. Do you
remember what it was.
You and Father gave it to
me. It was "I need Thee
every hour" - a chromo with
beautiful calla lilies and
other flowers. I wonder
how soon I shall have
another birthday at home.
Dr Kerr who when he first
came out thought that
missionaries did not need to
go home to rest now thinks that
the rule of the English Presbyterian
Mission to go home every seven
years is [?nisest?] and most
economical in the need. No
missionary was ever or ever can
be more conscientious and economical
about using Mission funds in
the best way than Dr Kerr.
Taking everything into consideration
it seems as though his opinion on such
a question ought to have more weight than any one else.
[Note: Letter concludes vertically on page one]
I enclose a little bookmark with much love and
looking that
the year
that commences
June 11th
will be a
happy one
for you.
Ever lovingly
Your aff daughter
[u]Harriet[/u]
中国广州
1883 年 5 月 4 日
我亲爱的母亲——如果我今晚能从这封信开始，
踏上它之前的旅程，
我会及时回家和你一起度过 6 月 17 日。
如果我已经离开了八年或十年，
我会多么高兴准备回家。
但我非常好，
我很有希望长期留在外面，
我应该非常感谢和高兴，
我希望我是这样。
格雷夫斯夫人说她喜欢看着我，
我看起来很好。
我想我和我四十岁时所期望的一样强壮和年轻。
我根本无法意识到这一事实，
因为我不认为自己比 20 年前更老。
我很高兴在最后一封信中听到你又感觉好起来了。
我多么希望你很快就会在各方面都感觉良好和快乐。
你必须试着想一想这个世界上有什么能让我们快乐的事情，
当我们进入剩下的休息时，
一路上的考验和麻烦就会一一过去。
希望您在 6 月 17 日度过愉快的一天。
那天你一定会想起我，
因为我一定会想起你——我们这里的朋友很感兴趣，
因为这是你的金婚年。
这样亨利和我就不会在那天想你了。
没有多少孩子如此幸运，
以至于他们的父母能够幸免于他们这么久。
作为一个家庭，
我们当然有充分的理由感谢上帝对我们的善意，
尤其是我们可以相信我们都“被爱的人接纳”——我认为有如此美丽的词，
它们总是让我想起父亲，
因为我直到 Em 写信给我说他喜欢他们，
她才特别想到他们，
她用这些话做了座右铭，
她寄给 Martha 的那句话挂在我们的墙上，
经常让我想起父亲。
你在 1877 年我生日时给我的座右铭是我家里唯一的座右铭，
挂在我们的客厅里。
你还记得那是什么吗。
你和父亲把它给了我。
那是“我每个小时都需要你”——一个有美丽的马蹄莲和其他花朵的彩色。
我不知道多久我会在家里过另一个生日。
科尔医生刚出道时认为传教士不需要回家休息，
现在认为英国长老会每七年回家一次的规定在需要时是最好和最经济的。
在以最佳方式使用传教士资金方面，
没有任何传教士比克尔医生更认真、更经济。
考虑到一切，
他对这样一个问题的看法似乎应该比其他任何人都更有分量。
[注：字母在第一页垂直结束] 我附上一个充满爱意的小书签，
希望从 6 月 11 日开始的一年对你来说会是一个快乐的一年。
永远可爱，
你的女儿，
哈丽特
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Harriet to Mother, May 4, 1883,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed May 2, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/372.