Letter from Hattie to Mattie, June 1, 1883

Letter from Hattie to Mattie, June 1, 1883

Birthdays; Infants; Baptism; Sewing machines; Textile industry; Mothers-in-law

Harriet wishes her sister Martha a pleasant birthday and tells her that Ayan had a baby boy about a month ago. Harriet surprised herself by kissing the baby and naming the child "Kwai-Chun." The husband is a Baptist but was willing that the baby be baptized. Ayan has a terrible mother-in-law who Harriet is considering banning from the school (she wants to talk to the Consul about it). Fang Lau is living in Chicago with her husband and their boy was apparently the first Chinese child born in Chicago. The woman is sewing on a sewing machine and making $20 a month. Aping is married and Harriet is troubled that the girl's mother did not marry her to a young Christian man.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

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

Unpublished

1883-06-01

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_321

Canton China
June 1st 1883
My dear Mattie,
Your birthday has
nearly passed on this side
of the world but still I am
quite in time to say good
morning and wish you
a pleasant day and all
good wishes for the coming
year. I wish you might
soon get to feel entirely well
once more. It has been a
very warm day here the
thermometer standing at
90° now at half past ten
in the evening it is still up
to 88° But we have had
a very comfortable spring
not at all a disagreeable
rainy season this year.
I have been to AYan's school

to-day She wished me to write
to you about her baby, a
little boy now about a month
old. Will you believe me if
I tell you that I actually
kissed the child. Miss Butler
told me that if I would she
would give me the home mail
when I came back but she
failed in fulfilling her part
of the contract as the mail
did not come until the
next morning. I had no
idea that I would kiss it
but when I saw it looked
nice and clean and I
thought I should do it and
that it would please AYan
I have had the honor of selecting
a name for it. "Kwai-Chun"
I have named him which
means "belonging to the true," as
nearly as I can give it in
English. I was much
surprised that her husband

who is a Baptist was willing
that the baby should be baptized
but he seems quite pleased with
the idea. I am afraid
that Dr Graves has never
explained to him how very
wrong infant baptism is.
AYan has no end of trouble
with her mother-in-law who
really seems to be one of the
very worst woman that was
ever made. She has succeeded
in half spoiling her school.
I am seriously thinking of
going to see her and tell
her that if she does not keep
away from the school I
will appeal to the Consul
for protection for the school
from disturbance. I was
obliged last year to appeal
to the Consul on behalf of
one of my schools (Fang Kin's)
where the boys [u] tormented [/u] me
beyond endurance. Did
I ever send you Fang Lau's

address If you would write to
her in English her husband could
read it to her perhaps by this
time she has learned to read
English herself. Her address is
"Mrs May Len Far, 100 S Haskel St
Chicago Ill" Their little boy
was the first Chinese child born in
Chicago according to the newspapers.
I have heard that she is making
$20.00 a month sewing on a
sewing machine. I should think
that would seem a large sum
for her. Fang Kim is not teaching
this year. Her baby took up so
much of her time that it rather
spoiled her teaching. Dear
little [?APing?] is married and I
am afraid she is having a hard
time with her husband's heather
relative. It seemed such a shame
that her Mother married her
so when there were several of
the young Christian men that would
have been so glad any one of them
to have married her, and it would
have been so different for her.
I think Kwai Peny was very
much to blame. I do not
know whether it would have made

[Continued vertically on the first page]
any difference if she had remained here with us. We wanted
very much to keep
her to help in teaching
Miss Butler but
Mrs Noyes said
she had promised
to go there and
so of course she
went. Well
I have filled
up my letter
with accounts of [u] our [/u] [u] girls [/u]
With every
good wish for
your health
happiness and
usefulness.
Your aff sister
Hattie

中国广东
1883年6月日
我亲爱的Mattie，
虽然你的生日快过半了，
但我知道你刚刚在美国醒来，
所以我会说早上好
祝你生日快乐。
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祝你早日康复。
/
今天天气很热。 
今天早上十点三十分，
温度计已经超过华氏九十华氏度了，
现在是晚上，温度还是华氏 88 华氏度。
/
今年的春天很舒服，
没有下太多雨。
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今天我去了A Yan的学校。
她让我告诉你她的新生儿，
他是一个小男孩，
快一个月大了。
你会相信我真的吻了婴儿吗？
Butler 小姐说如果我亲吻孩子，
第二天她会从轮船上给我带来我的邮件，

/
但是他食言了，没有带来邮件因为轮船晚了。
我知道第二天收到家信。
/
我没想到我真的会吻它，
但它看起来很漂亮很干净，
我知道这会让A Yan很开心，
她实际上让我给孩子起名字，
我选择了归真，
这个名字的意思是“属于真实，”
这是一个奇怪的翻译，
但这是我能做的最好的。
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我很惊讶A Yan的丈夫是浸信会教友，
竟然想让孩子受洗。
恐怕Graves医生从来没有向他解释过婴儿洗礼是多么错误的做法。
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A Yan婆婆给她添了不少麻烦，
根据她告诉我的，
她的婆婆确实听起来很糟糕。
/
她的婆婆对她的学校产生了可怕的影响。
/
我想如果她不远离A Yan的学校，
我会要求领事馆保护学校不受干扰。
/
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我已经不得不让领事馆帮助我的另一所学校，
那是方琴的学校，
那里的男孩们把我折磨得无法忍受。
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我把方老的地址发给你了吗？
请你给她寄一封英文信，
她的丈夫可以给她读，
或者她已经学会了足够的英语来自己读。
他的地址是
据报纸报道，
他们的儿子是第一个在芝加哥出生的中国孩子。
我听说她每个月缝纫能挣二十美元，
我敢肯定这对她来说似乎是很多钱。
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方琴今年不教书，
她把所有的时间都花在照顾她的孩子上。
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亲爱的小阿萍结婚了，
但与丈夫的亲戚有困难，
可惜她妈妈让她结婚，
有这么多基督徒年轻人会很高兴娶给她，
如果她嫁给了其中一个
她的生活可能会大不相同。
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我想都怪Kwai Peny。
我不知道
如果她和我们住在这里会不会有什么不同

【纵向书写】
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我已经写了我们所有女孩的账目。 
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祝愿健康和幸福。 
你的妹妹，
Hattie

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