Letter from Hattie to Edward, February 8, 1885
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Edward, February 8, 1885
Subject
Schools; New Year; Missionaries
Description
Harriet tells Edward that yesterday they closed the day schools in Macau, which are relatively new but they are going well. After the New Year holidays, they expect 30 scholars in the day girls' school and two boy schools. Harriet believes that the new missionaries have a different idea of courtesy. When a missionary goes back home and then returns, it is expected that he/she will have their house and job back. However, there has been some trouble lately regarding this. Mr. White and Mr. Fulton have been appointed to Kwang-Sai, where there are millions of people and no mission has ever been established. The new missionaries should bear this in mind Harriet hopes that the mission expands all over China, out from Canton.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #3
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1885-02-08
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_366
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Macao
FebY 8th 1885
My dear Edward
We are enjoying ourselves
in Macao again four of us this time.
Miss Young, Miss Lewis, Miss Butler + I.
We expect to have most of this month
together and then we must go back
to Canton and begin work in earnest
again. Yesterday we closed the day
schools here They have been opened
only about two months but seem
to have made a good beginning.
There are thirty scholars enrolled
for the girls day school when it
opens after New Years and we
expect to have two boys schools.
Miss Lewis will probably stay down
in Macao through the summer
and she can look after them,
We are commissioned to procure
a home for a Sanitarium for the
Mission, and are most anxious to
succeed in dining so, in self defense
as they are in danger of breaking
the tenth commandment. We were
rather astounded to learn that at
the last mission meeting .it was
proposed that the Mission should
rent [u]this home[/u]. Dr Thomson told
them that he did not think they
were at liberty to vote to try and
get a house which we had rented
away from us but Mr White could
not see any reason why they should
not. I felt like sending them word
that I hoped the Mission would
not feel free to vote to appropriate
our clothing or furniture or any
thing else we had bought and
paid for. The new missionaries
have a different idea of courtesy
from what has been held here.
When Mr Henry went home
the question came up of some one
going into his home but Mr Fulton
and Mr White said they did
not care to go in unless they could
hold it when Mr Henry came
back. They were told that such
a thing had [u]never[/u] been done that
when a missionary went home
for a visit he was of course supposed
to have the first claim on his
home and work when he came
back. One would have supposed
that one lesson would have been
sufficient but a few days ago the
same question came up about Dr
Happer's home and Mr White
said he would like to take it if
he could hold it when Dr Happer
came back. Dr Happer was
present at the time, he quite expects
now to come back in a year or so.
When Mr Fulton came out he
said he thought the old missionaries
ought to go off the field and let
the new ones have a chance
which seems a most singular way
to look at it when there are thousands
and thousands of places where
there are no missionaries and where
one can go and be "like Paul and
build on no other man's foundation."
As you no doubt know Mr Fulton
and Mr White are appointed to the
province of KwangSai where there are
[u]millions[/u] of people and no missionary
has as yet gone there. If you have
read Mr Fulton's letters you will
see how glowingly he writes of their great
desire to go there while in point of
fact it is the very last thing they
want and instead it has seemed
all the time that they are hoping that
some one will be obliged to leave so
that they can get fixed securely in
Canton. We shall all be very glad
if they ever do get away although Mr
Fulton seems about as poorly calculated
to begin work in the country as any one
well could be ---
[Note: Letter concludes sideways on page one]
Perhaps you
will think
I got up in
a bad humor
this morning
but [u]no[/u] I
am only
stating facts
Dr + Mrs
Thomson are
really + truly
anxious to go to
the country. We
do so much
wish to get
stations all
through the
country + [u]spread[/u]
out from Canton,
With love from
Hattie -
FebY 8th 1885
My dear Edward
We are enjoying ourselves
in Macao again four of us this time.
Miss Young, Miss Lewis, Miss Butler + I.
We expect to have most of this month
together and then we must go back
to Canton and begin work in earnest
again. Yesterday we closed the day
schools here They have been opened
only about two months but seem
to have made a good beginning.
There are thirty scholars enrolled
for the girls day school when it
opens after New Years and we
expect to have two boys schools.
Miss Lewis will probably stay down
in Macao through the summer
and she can look after them,
We are commissioned to procure
a home for a Sanitarium for the
Mission, and are most anxious to
succeed in dining so, in self defense
as they are in danger of breaking
the tenth commandment. We were
rather astounded to learn that at
the last mission meeting .it was
proposed that the Mission should
rent [u]this home[/u]. Dr Thomson told
them that he did not think they
were at liberty to vote to try and
get a house which we had rented
away from us but Mr White could
not see any reason why they should
not. I felt like sending them word
that I hoped the Mission would
not feel free to vote to appropriate
our clothing or furniture or any
thing else we had bought and
paid for. The new missionaries
have a different idea of courtesy
from what has been held here.
When Mr Henry went home
the question came up of some one
going into his home but Mr Fulton
and Mr White said they did
not care to go in unless they could
hold it when Mr Henry came
back. They were told that such
a thing had [u]never[/u] been done that
when a missionary went home
for a visit he was of course supposed
to have the first claim on his
home and work when he came
back. One would have supposed
that one lesson would have been
sufficient but a few days ago the
same question came up about Dr
Happer's home and Mr White
said he would like to take it if
he could hold it when Dr Happer
came back. Dr Happer was
present at the time, he quite expects
now to come back in a year or so.
When Mr Fulton came out he
said he thought the old missionaries
ought to go off the field and let
the new ones have a chance
which seems a most singular way
to look at it when there are thousands
and thousands of places where
there are no missionaries and where
one can go and be "like Paul and
build on no other man's foundation."
As you no doubt know Mr Fulton
and Mr White are appointed to the
province of KwangSai where there are
[u]millions[/u] of people and no missionary
has as yet gone there. If you have
read Mr Fulton's letters you will
see how glowingly he writes of their great
desire to go there while in point of
fact it is the very last thing they
want and instead it has seemed
all the time that they are hoping that
some one will be obliged to leave so
that they can get fixed securely in
Canton. We shall all be very glad
if they ever do get away although Mr
Fulton seems about as poorly calculated
to begin work in the country as any one
well could be ---
[Note: Letter concludes sideways on page one]
Perhaps you
will think
I got up in
a bad humor
this morning
but [u]no[/u] I
am only
stating facts
Dr + Mrs
Thomson are
really + truly
anxious to go to
the country. We
do so much
wish to get
stations all
through the
country + [u]spread[/u]
out from Canton,
With love from
Hattie -
澳门
1885年2月8日
亲爱的 Edward，
我、Young小姐、Lewis小姐、和Butler小姐
我们四个人在澳门玩得很开心，
/
我们将在这里停留一个月
然后返回广东继续工作。
/
今天我们关闭了这里的走读学校，
虽然他们才开业两个月，
但他们已经成功了。
/
走读学校有 30 名女生，
我们预计在春假后开设两所男校。
/
Lewis 可能会在整个夏天留在澳门，
以便她可以照顾学校。
我们被委托找一个地方建疗养院，
我们的许多传教士同胞
都非常渴望我们找到合适的地点来建造疗养院
以至于他们想违反第十条诫命!
【第十条诫禁止拿走别人的财产】
/
/
我们很惊讶，
上次会议，
有人提议传教组织把我们的房子租来做疗养院。
/
Thomson 医生说
组织不能把我们的房子从我们身边夺走，
但 White 先生认为传教组织应该投票
决定他们是否应该接管我们的房子。
我想问一下传教组织
他们是否也打算投票带走我们的衣服和家具。
这里的传教士对礼仪有不同的看法!
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
当传教组织提议使用我们的房子时，
Henry 在美国访问，
有人提议在Henry 回来之前使用我们的房子
Mr. White 和 Mr. Fulton 说，
如果他们在Henry 回来时不得不归还房子，
那么使用这栋房子是没有意义的。
他们还说
传教士应该控制自己的房子。
/
/
/
/
你会认为这足以说服传教组织，
但是前几天，
同样的问题又出现了!
有人提议使用Happer 医生的房子，
White 先生说他想使用他们的房子，
前提是 Happer 医生回来后他们可以继续使用。
/
Happer 医生计划一年左右回国。
/
/
Fulton 先生说
他认为老传教士应该退休，
让新传教士有机会，
我不同意，
我觉得这个观点太狭隘了
因为需要传教士的地方太多了，
还有很多地方应该建教堂。
/
/
/
你可能知道
Fulton 先生和 White 先生
应该去广西传教，
广西有数百万人，
但还没有传教士去过那里。
如果你读Fulton 先生的信，
他只说他多么渴望去广西做一名伟大的传教士，
但实际上
去广西是他最不想做的事，
他在广东附近徘徊，
希望其他传教士必须离开，
这样他才能留在这里。
我们等不及他离开这里去广西了，
然而
他似乎无论走到哪里
都会成为一个糟糕的传教士
/
/
【纵向书写】
你可能
认为
我今天
心情
不好，
但
我只是
说实话。
Thomson 夫妇
真的
很期待
下乡。
我们
真希望
传教士
能从广东
传遍
全国
有爱，
Hattie -
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Edward, February 8, 1885,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 29, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/422.