Letter from Hattie to Em, May 4, 1885

Letter from Hattie to Em, May 4, 1885

Birthdays; Western Reserve (Ohio); Concerts; Physicians, Foreign; Korea--Social life and customs--1864-1910

Harriet writes to her sister Emily, sending her birthday wishes. This evening they hosted their monthly concert and it was led by Dr. Taylor, a missionary from Japan (he is also an Ohioan). They are both very proud of their state. Henry even found an article a while ago where an English man argued that the people of the Western Reserve Ohio are superior to the rest of the world. Dr. Taylor has just been on a trip to Corea where he visited Dr. Allen who is the physician of the US Legation. He soon expects to open the King's hospital there. Harriet learned from Dr. Taylor that in Korea, women and girls are often kept secluded during the day, but at night for two hours, all of the men leave and the women can go about freely.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

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

Unpublished

1885-05-04

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_370

[Note: Additional note on page one]
I am going
to send a
little box
containing two
tiger claw
pins birthday
gifts for you
and Mary
The longest
one for you.
We went to
Henry's birthday
party + wore
them then I wore
the large one
and the two
small ones in
pink bows on
my sleeves.
I have some for Sara
+ Clara perhaps will wait
till I hear if these reach you all right.

Canton China
May 4th 1885
My dear Em -
Another birthday
for you is fairly begun
over in the home on the hill.
We have lived through it
here and are now about
ready to go to bed. but I
will first take time to write
you a few lines and send
you all best wishes. I
wonder if you realize any
more than I do that we
are growing older all the time.
I [u]know[/u] as each birthday
comes round that it does
make me one year older
but I do not feel any differently.
This evening we have had
the Monthly Concert which
is always held in our house.
It was led by Dr Taylor
a missionary from Japan.

His home is somewhere in Ohio.
We have more or less talk out
here about the [u]superiority[/u] of
Ohio and her children.
You see there is room for us
who came from Ohio to say
a great deal in his praise.
Henry read a while ago
in some paper an article
written by an Englishman
who attempted to account
for the "[u]fact[/u]" that the people
of the Western Reserve Ohio
were superior to the rest of
the world. He attributed it
to the fact that the Western
Reserve was settled by very
superior people and so [u]we[/u]
naturally [illegible] our superiority
This will do to tell Father
and Mother. If the rest
of the world is ready to
believe all this surely we
need not dispute it But
to go back to Dr Taylor.

Dr Thomson who you know
is boarding with us this
summer brought Dr Taylor
and another M D Dr
Luscher from St Louis over
to tea with him. Dr Taylor
has just been on a trip to
Corea, where he visit Dr
Allen whose name you have
perhaps seen in the Foreign
Missionary. Missionaries are
not allowed to go there but
he is there as the physician
of the US Legation. Another
missionary a Mr Underwood
a minister is staying there
as his apothecary ostensibly.
The legation at present
consists of one man so he
is well supplied with
medical attendants. Dr
Allen however soon expects
to open a hospital which
will be the King's hospital
and will be supported by

him. Of course they cannot
do much of anything in the
way of missionary work at
present but it is a beginning.
Dr Taylor told us of one odd
custom which prevails there
in Corea. The girls and you
women are kept very secluded
but every night at nine-o-clock
a bell is rung or a signal
give in some way and then
all the men go into the
homes and stay and the
women can go about the
streets freely until eleven
o-clock. It seems such
an odd custom. Dr
Luscher gave us quite an
interesting account of his early
life. but I must leave
it for another letter. I
did not finish this on the
day I commenced it or
I should have had it ready
for the last mail --

[Note: Letter concludes sideways on page one]
With much love Ever your aff Hattie --

我要送你两个带虎爪别针的小盒子，
/
/
是你和Mary的生日礼物。
/
更长的爪子是给你的。
/
/
/
/
我们去参加他的生日聚会时，
/
/
我戴了较长的别针，
/
并在袖子上放了两个粉色蝴蝶结的小别针。
/
/
/
我有一些给Sara和Clara，
/
但我会等到我确定你能收到这些后再发送。

中国广州
1885年5月4日
我亲爱的Em，
今天是你的另一个生日。
/
在山上的家里开始了。
即使你的一天才刚刚开始，
/
我们的一天也快结束了。
/
我想在睡觉前给你写一些鼓励的话。
/
你有没有意识到我们一直在变老？ 
我知道我们是，
但我没有感觉。
/
每年我过生日的时候，
/
我都觉得和前一年没有什么不同。
今晚我们举行了每月一次的音乐会，
/
它总是在我们家举行
音乐会由日本传教士主持
/

他在俄亥俄州有一所房子。
/
我们经常谈论俄亥俄州以及那里的人有多优秀
/
来自俄亥俄州的人们喜欢赞美俄亥俄州。
/
/
Henry读了一篇英国人写的关于俄亥俄州西部的人比世界其他地方的人优越的文章。
/
/
/
/
/
/
作者将俄亥俄州的优越性归因于定居在那里的人天生优越。
/
/
/
/
请把这篇文章告诉爸爸妈妈。
我想这会让他们开心。
如果世界其他地方都认为俄亥俄人优越，
我无法反驳。
/
现在我将回到Taylor医生的话题。

你已经知道今年夏天 Thomson 医生跟我们一起住。
/
有一天Taylor医生
请Taylor医生来
还有来自圣路易斯Luscher医生。
Taylor医生刚从韩国回来，
他在韩国的时候他拜访Allen医生，
/
你以前在外国传教士登记册上见过他的名字吗？
/
传教士不允许去韩国，
/
/
但他在美国大使馆当医生。
/
Underwood先生还以药剂师的名义在那里做传教工作。
/
美国驻韩国公使由一名老人和许多医疗专业人员组成。
/
/
Allen 医生计划很快在那里开设一家名为国王医院的医院，
/
他将支持该医院。
/
/

现在他们不能做传教工作，
/
但这是一个好的开始。
/
Taylor 医生，
他告诉我们韩国有一个奇怪的传统。
/
女孩和女人被隔离在房子里，
/
但每天晚上 9 点钟他们会敲钟，
/
所有的男人都进去，
/
女人直到 11 点才出来。
/
这个传统看起来很奇怪。
/
Luscher 医生给我们讲了他年轻时的有趣故事，
/
但我将不得不在另一封信中告诉你。
我开始写这封信的那天还没有写完。
/
如果我写完了这封信，
/
我本可以在以前的邮件中寄出的。

爱你们
Hattie

Letter