Letter from Harriet to Father, September 4, 1884

Letter from Harriet to Father, September 4, 1884

Sino-French War, 1884-1885; France--Foreign relations--China; China--Foreign relations--France; Consuls; Foreign visitors; Schools; Mobs; Christianity--China

Hattie explains to her father that the Chinese Christians are being persecuted. She tells him that the viceroy received telegrams announcing that the French were going to attack Canton. Some Consuls made emphasis on the fact that most French people have already left Canton and foreigners from other countries should not be bothered. However, rumors and distortions of the actual proclamations from the viceroy and consuls are spreading. For instance, there is a widespread misunderstanding that the reward would go to whoever captured native Christians. As a consequence, some schools are closed. Harriet writes that one of her day schools was attacked by a mob.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

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

Unpublished

1884-09-04

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_354

Sino-French War, 1884-1885

Canton China
Sept 4th 1884
My dear Father,
We have just come
home from our Mission prayer
meeting met tonight at Henry's
He came back with his family
from Macau a few days since.
We are having dark days
now the Chinese Christians are
so troubled and persecuted.
I wrote to you of the unfortunate
proclamation which appeared
Last Sabbath three days since
The affect has been most
deplorable I do not suppose one
in a hundred has read it
through carefully and
understandingly from end to end
and the consequence is that
all sorts of rumors are circulated
The Viceroy received telegrams
from Shanghai and Foochow
to the effect that the French
were on their way to attack
Canton. Some think that
he was so frightened that for
the time his judgement was

over-ruled and under the
influence of his fears he issued
the ill-advised proclamation.
The proclamation offered $100,000.00
to any one who would capture
a French gun boat $10,000.00 for
the head of the French Admiral
and so on down to $100.00 for
a private soldier. At the end
of the document a distinction
was made between French men
and the representatives of other
nationalities, but I imagine very
few noticed this point. Before
night the whole city was in a state
of great excitement I think I
have written to you of our experiences
on that day. We had no service
in the evening or least no one
came from elsewhere Dr Thomson
and [?our?] three ladies met together
and the next evening Monthly
Concert Dr & Mrs Graves & Miss
Young came up. The Concert
at once uplifted all foreigners and
no one has been out in the
streets since. In consequence
of the representations of the

Consuls other proclamations have
been issued telling the people
that the French formerly resident
in Canton have now all left and
calling their attention to the
point that the representatives of
other nationalities are not to
be molested. But the first
proclamation had already been
proclaimed every where and
it cannot be recalled. Distorted
versions are repeated on every
side. A woman came in
from my country school this
morning and she says that
all about it is reported that
for every native Christian who
may be seized a reward of
$100.00 [--will be--] is offered.
She did not dare to come
to the city by the direct road
but came a round about way
so that she would not be
recognized. The schools in
that village are broken up
for the time. Nearly every
moment of the past two or
three days has been spent

in listening to the sad accounts
of trouble and persecution which
the different Christians are suffering.
In the letter sent by the last
mail to the Seville Sabbath School
I wrote of one of my day schools
where there has been more or less
trouble for some time. Yesterday
a mob gathered there about
eleven-o-clock in the morning
and all day long reviled the
Christians there yelling and
throwing stones at the building.
In the afternoon the teachers
husband came to tell us of the
state of things and one pastor
Rev Kwan Loi who is as rare
and fear less as he is good
and earnest went back with
him to try and quiet the
people. But it was a vain
attempt the mob stoned them
and would listen to nothing
They were finally obliged to
escape in covered chairs.
The little teacher one of the
girls from the Boarding
School was pushed out into

[Continued vertically on the first page]
I am sure
you will
all pray
for the
native
Christians
I hope by
the next
mail
matters will
be a little
more settled
With love
for all
from Harriet.

中国广东
1884年9月4日
我亲爱的父亲，
我们刚从Henry主持的传教士祈祷会回来。
/
/
Henry和他家人前几天从澳门回来。
/
最近我们一直有黑暗的日子，
中国基督徒受到迫害。
/
我已经告诉过你上周日发布的不幸通知。
/
发布三天后开始感受到可怕的影响。
/
尽管很少有人仔细阅读通知，
/
各种恶毒的谣言都因为它而流传开来。
/
/
/
总督接到上海和福州的电报，
/
说法国人正在进攻广州的路上。
/
有些人认为总督被这个消息吓坏了，
发表了吓人的公告。
/

/
/
/
该公告为任何能俘获一艘法国炮艇的人奖励 100,000 美元，
/
任何能俘获法国海军上将的人奖励 10,000 美元，
/
任何能俘获一名法国士兵的人奖励 100 美元。
/
在文件的末尾有一个注释解释了如何区分法国人和其他外国人，
/
但我怀疑很少人注意到这一点。
/
白天，
这座城市一片混乱。
/
我想我写信给你讲述了我们那天的经历。
/
那天和第二天我们没有礼拜。
/
没有人来自其他地方。
第二天Thomson医生和三个女人一起团聚。
Young 小姐，Graves医生和Graves太太
都参加了每月音乐会，
但演唱会结束后，
没有一个外国人再次出门。
/
/

领事游说总督，
/
现在发布了新的公告，
/
解释说所有法国人都离开了广州，
/
其他外国人也不应该被打扰。
/
但是第一个公告已经发布，
/
无法召回。
/
谣言和歪曲比比皆是。
/
一位来自乡村学校的妇女报告说，
/
每逮捕一名中国基督徒，
/
都会悬赏 100 美元。
/
她不敢直接进城，
/
怕被人认出来。
/
那个村子的学校都解散了。
/
我们一直在听关于当地基督徒所遭受的麻烦和迫害的悲惨叙述。
/

/
/
/
在我寄给Seville周日学校的最后一封信中，
/
我说我的一所走读学校经常遇到麻烦。
/
昨天，
/
一群暴徒聚集在那里侮辱基督徒并向他们扔石头。
/
/
/
下午，
老师的丈夫来告诉我们发生了什么事。
/
我们的一位无所畏惧和勇敢的牧师，
/
他到村子里试图平息暴徒。
/
但随后暴徒开始向他们扔石头，
/
/
他们不得不逃跑。
/
其中一所女子寄宿学校的老师被推进了暴徒队伍里。
/
/

/
我希望你为所有的基督徒祈祷。 
/
/
我希望我能在下一封信中报告更好的消息。
/
/
/
我爱你们。
/
/
/
/
/
/
Harriet

Letter