Letter from Hattie to Sara, August 7, 1883
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Sara, August 7, 1883
Subject
Aging; Colorism; Disease; Family; Home; Letters
Description
In this letter to her sister Sarah, Harriet talks about how she is both aging and getting darker and it affects her looks. She talks about when they will see each other again. Dr. Kerr is not very healthy recently and Harriet thinks this is partially due to exhaustion. This could also be because of troublesome family members. Harriet wishes they could have all been together for their parents' fiftieth. They keep in contact well, though, and Harriet feels sorry Miss Butler does not get as many letters.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #3
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1883-08-07
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_332
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China
Aug 7th 1883
My dear Sara,
Your letter of June
21st came a few days ago.
It seems nice to think that
you are at home again and
"as pretty as ever." We do
not show our age very much
at any rate if we are all
growing older every day.
Unfortunately for my good
looks I seem to grow [u] darker [/u]
as well as older every day.
Perhaps when I come home
next time people will say
as they did of Mr McDonald
of Siam that they "did not
know that out Board sent
out colored people as missionaries"
This remark was addressed
to his wife by a stranger who
sat next her while he was
making a speech. I am
afraid Clara could not
think me as pretty as ever but
I must try and have "a
beautiful soul" as the little
boy said of the lady who was
kind to him. I do hope
that you will feel that you
can stay at home and
rest this year. As Dr Graves
told us in meeting last evening
"A Man's life consisteth not in
the abundance of the things which
he possesseth." You would not
need to buy anything in the
way of clothing I should
think and in [u] our [/u] father's
home there is always "bread
enough and to spare" for
the children who came back
to the old home.
It is better to keep your health
by proper care and easier
too than to get it back if one
lose it by overwork. I am
afraid dear Dr Kerr's has
gone clear out of his grasp
but perhaps he can recover
it. He has worked too hard
We very much fear that
the work of overseeing the chapel
was the last strain. It seemed
as though if he could have
felt a little more trust in the
Chinese builder he might have
saved himself a great deal
and it would probably have
been just as well built
The builder is the same who
built the school-building
and he did that well and
he is a faithful Christian man.
But Dr Kerr could not trust
him to look after anything
and used to spend hours
after hours day and day in
looking after things. His
digestion seems so seriously
impaired that he does not
seem to get any nourishment
and dieting is rather a hobby
of his. His wife is not a very
good housekeeper and we do
not think he has ever had
such food as he should have
had to keep up his strength.
Dr Wales the Shamin
Doctor told Miss Niles that
he was "afraid the old woman
did not give him enough to eat."
It usually seems best for people
to go home but I am afraid
if Josie is not doing well it
would worry him to death
I presume Josies conduct has
had a great deal to do with his
failing health. It was too bad
that you missed being at
home on the 17th of June
and also Lucy Leaman's
visit. I think they should
have let you off. There are
so few whose parents celebrate
the fiftieth anniversary of their
marriage. But we were all
together in spirit at any rate.
We will have another mail
from home day after tomorrow.
I wish Miss Butlers home
friends were as good to write
to her as mine are but they are
all scattered in different homes
of their own and that makes
a difference Miss Niles' write
to her very regularly She has
a Father & Mother and sister in
her home in Hornellsville NY
[Continued vertically on the next page]
a married brother Henry a minister in Texas another bother
in the West
and
the youngest
brother in
college
I suppose
when Miss
Lewis comes
here she
will go to
Dr Happers
Three ladies
is as many
as this home will
accommodate
well. There is a
fourth room a small
one which might be
used if necessary.
Yours with much love, Hattie
中国广州
1883 年 8 月 7 日
亲爱的莎拉，
你 6 月 21 日的来信是几天前寄来的。
想到你又回到家了，
而且“一如既往的漂亮”，
这似乎很好。
如果我们每天都在变老，
我们无论如何都不会显露我们的年龄。
不幸的是，
对于我的美貌，
我似乎每天都在变黑和变老。
也许当我下次回家时，
人们会像他们对暹罗的麦克唐纳先生一样说，
他们“不知道董事会派出有色人种作为传教士” 这句话是坐在她旁边的一个陌生人对他的妻子说的，
而他正在做演讲。
恐怕克拉拉不会觉得我像以前一样漂亮，
但我必须努力拥有一个“美丽的灵魂”，
就像小男孩说的对他友善的女士一样。
我真的希望你今年会觉得你可以呆在家里休息。
正如格雷夫斯医生在昨晚的会议上告诉我们的那样：
“一个人的生命不在于他拥有的丰富的东西。”
我认为你不需要买衣服，
在我们父亲的家里，
总是有“足够的面包和多余的”供回到老家的孩子们使用。
最好通过适当的护理来保持健康，
而且也比因过度劳累而失去健康更容易恢复健康。
恐怕亲爱的克尔医生已经脱离了他的掌握，
但也许他可以恢复它。
他工作太辛苦了我们非常担心监督教堂的工作是最后的压力。
似乎他可以对中国建筑商多一点信任，
他可能会为自己节省很多，
而且它可能会建造得一样好。
建筑商是建造学校大楼的那个人，
他做到了好吧，
他是一个忠实的基督徒。
但克尔医生不能相信他会照顾任何东西，
并且过去常常日复一日地花费数小时来照顾事物。
他的消化似乎严重受损，
以至于他似乎没有得到任何营养，
节食是他的爱好。
他的妻子不是一个很好的管家，
我们认为他从来没有吃过他应该保持体力的食物。
沙明医生威尔士医生告诉奈尔斯小姐，
他“害怕老妇人没有给他足够的食物”。
人们通常最好回家，
但我担心如果乔西做得不好，
他会担心死我认为乔西的行为与他的健康状况不佳有很大关系。
你错过了 6 月 17 日在家的时间以及露西·利曼的来访，
真是太糟糕了。
我认为他们应该放过你。
很少有父母庆祝他们结婚五十周年。
但无论如何，
我们都在精神上团结在一起。
后天我们将收到另一封来自家里的邮件。
我希望巴特勒小姐的家乡朋友能像我的一样给她写信，
但他们都分散在自己的不同家中，
这会有所不同，
奈尔斯小姐经常给她写信 她有父亲、母亲和妹妹家在纽约霍内尔斯维尔
[在下一页垂直继续]
已婚的兄弟亨利
德克萨斯州的一位牧师 西部的另一个麻烦和大学里最小的兄弟 我想当刘易斯小姐来到这里时，
她会去找哈珀斯医生 三位女士多达这个家将容纳得很好。
还有第四间小房间，
必要时可以使用。
你的爱，
海蒂
Aug 7th 1883
My dear Sara,
Your letter of June
21st came a few days ago.
It seems nice to think that
you are at home again and
"as pretty as ever." We do
not show our age very much
at any rate if we are all
growing older every day.
Unfortunately for my good
looks I seem to grow [u] darker [/u]
as well as older every day.
Perhaps when I come home
next time people will say
as they did of Mr McDonald
of Siam that they "did not
know that out Board sent
out colored people as missionaries"
This remark was addressed
to his wife by a stranger who
sat next her while he was
making a speech. I am
afraid Clara could not
think me as pretty as ever but
I must try and have "a
beautiful soul" as the little
boy said of the lady who was
kind to him. I do hope
that you will feel that you
can stay at home and
rest this year. As Dr Graves
told us in meeting last evening
"A Man's life consisteth not in
the abundance of the things which
he possesseth." You would not
need to buy anything in the
way of clothing I should
think and in [u] our [/u] father's
home there is always "bread
enough and to spare" for
the children who came back
to the old home.
It is better to keep your health
by proper care and easier
too than to get it back if one
lose it by overwork. I am
afraid dear Dr Kerr's has
gone clear out of his grasp
but perhaps he can recover
it. He has worked too hard
We very much fear that
the work of overseeing the chapel
was the last strain. It seemed
as though if he could have
felt a little more trust in the
Chinese builder he might have
saved himself a great deal
and it would probably have
been just as well built
The builder is the same who
built the school-building
and he did that well and
he is a faithful Christian man.
But Dr Kerr could not trust
him to look after anything
and used to spend hours
after hours day and day in
looking after things. His
digestion seems so seriously
impaired that he does not
seem to get any nourishment
and dieting is rather a hobby
of his. His wife is not a very
good housekeeper and we do
not think he has ever had
such food as he should have
had to keep up his strength.
Dr Wales the Shamin
Doctor told Miss Niles that
he was "afraid the old woman
did not give him enough to eat."
It usually seems best for people
to go home but I am afraid
if Josie is not doing well it
would worry him to death
I presume Josies conduct has
had a great deal to do with his
failing health. It was too bad
that you missed being at
home on the 17th of June
and also Lucy Leaman's
visit. I think they should
have let you off. There are
so few whose parents celebrate
the fiftieth anniversary of their
marriage. But we were all
together in spirit at any rate.
We will have another mail
from home day after tomorrow.
I wish Miss Butlers home
friends were as good to write
to her as mine are but they are
all scattered in different homes
of their own and that makes
a difference Miss Niles' write
to her very regularly She has
a Father & Mother and sister in
her home in Hornellsville NY
[Continued vertically on the next page]
a married brother Henry a minister in Texas another bother
in the West
and
the youngest
brother in
college
I suppose
when Miss
Lewis comes
here she
will go to
Dr Happers
Three ladies
is as many
as this home will
accommodate
well. There is a
fourth room a small
one which might be
used if necessary.
Yours with much love, Hattie
中国广州
1883 年 8 月 7 日
亲爱的莎拉，
你 6 月 21 日的来信是几天前寄来的。
想到你又回到家了，
而且“一如既往的漂亮”，
这似乎很好。
如果我们每天都在变老，
我们无论如何都不会显露我们的年龄。
不幸的是，
对于我的美貌，
我似乎每天都在变黑和变老。
也许当我下次回家时，
人们会像他们对暹罗的麦克唐纳先生一样说，
他们“不知道董事会派出有色人种作为传教士” 这句话是坐在她旁边的一个陌生人对他的妻子说的，
而他正在做演讲。
恐怕克拉拉不会觉得我像以前一样漂亮，
但我必须努力拥有一个“美丽的灵魂”，
就像小男孩说的对他友善的女士一样。
我真的希望你今年会觉得你可以呆在家里休息。
正如格雷夫斯医生在昨晚的会议上告诉我们的那样：
“一个人的生命不在于他拥有的丰富的东西。”
我认为你不需要买衣服，
在我们父亲的家里，
总是有“足够的面包和多余的”供回到老家的孩子们使用。
最好通过适当的护理来保持健康，
而且也比因过度劳累而失去健康更容易恢复健康。
恐怕亲爱的克尔医生已经脱离了他的掌握，
但也许他可以恢复它。
他工作太辛苦了我们非常担心监督教堂的工作是最后的压力。
似乎他可以对中国建筑商多一点信任，
他可能会为自己节省很多，
而且它可能会建造得一样好。
建筑商是建造学校大楼的那个人，
他做到了好吧，
他是一个忠实的基督徒。
但克尔医生不能相信他会照顾任何东西，
并且过去常常日复一日地花费数小时来照顾事物。
他的消化似乎严重受损，
以至于他似乎没有得到任何营养，
节食是他的爱好。
他的妻子不是一个很好的管家，
我们认为他从来没有吃过他应该保持体力的食物。
沙明医生威尔士医生告诉奈尔斯小姐，
他“害怕老妇人没有给他足够的食物”。
人们通常最好回家，
但我担心如果乔西做得不好，
他会担心死我认为乔西的行为与他的健康状况不佳有很大关系。
你错过了 6 月 17 日在家的时间以及露西·利曼的来访，
真是太糟糕了。
我认为他们应该放过你。
很少有父母庆祝他们结婚五十周年。
但无论如何，
我们都在精神上团结在一起。
后天我们将收到另一封来自家里的邮件。
我希望巴特勒小姐的家乡朋友能像我的一样给她写信，
但他们都分散在自己的不同家中，
这会有所不同，
奈尔斯小姐经常给她写信 她有父亲、母亲和妹妹家在纽约霍内尔斯维尔
[在下一页垂直继续]
已婚的兄弟亨利
德克萨斯州的一位牧师 西部的另一个麻烦和大学里最小的兄弟 我想当刘易斯小姐来到这里时，
她会去找哈珀斯医生 三位女士多达这个家将容纳得很好。
还有第四间小房间，
必要时可以使用。
你的爱，
海蒂
Original Format
Letters
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Sara, August 7, 1883,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed May 5, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/388.