Letter from Hattie to Clara, August 24, 1889
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Clara, August 24, 1889
Subject
Cholera; Epidemics; Dinners and dining; Weight gain
Description
Harriet writes to her sister Clara, wondering if their postmaster, Art Gray, has been replaced. They hosted a tea party last night with the Wisners, Dr. and Mrs. McCandliss, Mr. Gilman, Martha, Dr. Kerr, and Dr. Niles. She describes what they ate and says that Olivia looks much better now that she's returned from Hainan and gained some weight. There have been cholera outbreaks in Hainan recently. She talks about the Swans and their travel plans.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #4
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1889-08-24
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_430
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton China
Aug 24th 1889
My dear Clara
Since we sent our
last letters the mail has
come from U.S.A. bringing
the letters written July 2nd
which should have come
by the preceding mail and
also those written a week
later. I wonder whether
Art Gray has lost his place
as Post Master. Some one
was saying a day or two
since that Pres Harrison
has made a great many
changes in this department
so I suppose Mr Gray
would not be likely to
escape. We had a little
tea party evening before
last. Mr & Mrs Wisner
Dr and Mrs McCandliss
and Mr Gilman, and
after tea Dr Kerr and
Martha and Dr Niles
came over. Miss Butler
thought she had a "very [u] very [/u]
plain tea." The bill of fare
was, first course, oyster soup,
second course, roast chicken,
potatoes, beans, tomatoes, rice
maccaroni & cheese, bread
and butter, third course,
ice cream, gold cake and
silver cake, fourth course,
bananas, apples, (siberian crab)
Siam [?pamelr?]. Olivia
is much better since she
came up here, has gained
eight pounds and looks so
much better. It is a pretty
hard place for them
down in Hainan and
they have as yet no comfortable
houses. Olivia came up first
looking very thin and white
then Mrs Gilman so very
ill came with her husband
and two little children they
are at Dr Swan's, and
last of all Dr McCandliss
came also, and he barely
escaped an attack of
cholera before he came away.
He was all alone except a
Chinese servant and he
was afraid of him, that
is [u] the [/u] [u] servant [/u] was afraid.
They have had three
epidemics down there this
summer, the cholera has
been the worst. Dr McC
was so ill that he wrote a
note to send to some of the
Custom House were but afterwards
concluded not to send it
but "[u] if [/u] [u] he [/u] [u] lived [/u] [u] until [/u] [u] morning [/u]"
to try to get away and come
up here which he was
able to do and has recovered
very rapidly. It is rather
hard for them they are
neither of them very strong
and would probably be
much better up here, and
it would be [u] so [/u] [u] much [/u] [u] nicer [/u]
for Dr Kerr than to have
Dr Swan and I imagine
Dr & Mrs Swan could stand
the climate there much better.
In the beginning if Dr Kerr
could have known how it would
be just a word from him
would have changed it all
but I hardly suppose ever
then he would have said
it. And it is very difficult
to say what would be best,
perhaps such an arrangement
might not be desirable
after all. Dr Swan's brother
is hoping to come out as a
missionary soon and
perhaps then they may
go together somewhere but
I imagine Dr Swan
and his wife will prefer
to remain here, and
he always expects to do
what he sets and to do.
He is [u] good [/u] and efficient
which is a great deal.
He is very thin and slight
[Continued vertically on the first page]
Be sure & give my love to Mrs Beam and all the
others in the class Mr Notestein writes Mrs B is very poorly,
and she
is growing
so large
weighs
159
I am afraid
she will
be immense
if she
continues for
she is only
twenty eight
I think
With love
Hattie.
中国广州
1889 年 8 月 24 日
我亲爱的克拉拉
自从我们寄出最后一封信以来，
这封邮件是从美国寄来的，
带来了 7 月 2 日写的信，
这些信本来应该是在前面的邮件中寄来的，
还有一周后写的。
我想知道 Art Gray 是否已经失去了他作为 Post Master 的位置。
有人说一两天后哈里森总统在这个部门做了很多改变，
所以我想格雷先生不太可能逃脱。
前天晚上我们开了个小茶会。
Wisner先生和夫人、McCandliss医生和夫人、和Gilman太太，
喝完茶后，
Kerr 医生、Martha 和 Niles 医生过来了。
巴特勒小姐认为她喝的是“非常非常普通的茶”。
票价是，
第一道菜，
牡蛎汤，
第二道菜，
烤鸡，
土豆，
豆子，
西红柿，
米饭通心粉和奶酪，
面包和黄油，
第三道菜，
冰淇淋，
金饼和银饼，
第四道菜，
香蕉，
苹果，
（西伯利亚蟹）暹罗帕梅尔。
奥利维亚自从来到这里后好多了，
体重增加了八磅，
看起来好多了。
海南对他们来说是一个相当艰苦的地方，
他们还没有舒适的房子。
奥利维亚首先出现时看起来很瘦很白，
然后吉尔曼太太病得很重，
带着她的丈夫和两个小孩来到斯旺医生那里，
最后麦坎德利斯医生也来了，
他在离开之前几乎没有逃脱霍乱的袭击.除了一个中国仆人，
他一个人，
他害怕他，
那是仆人害怕。
今年夏天他们在那里发生了三场流行病，
霍乱是最严重的。
麦克医生病得很重，
他写了一张纸条寄给一些海关大楼，
但后来得出结论，
不要寄，
而是“如果他能活到早上”，
试着离开并来到这里，
这是他能够做到的，
并且已经恢复得非常快。
这对他们来说是相当困难的，
他们都不是很强壮，
在这里可能会好得多，
对克尔医生来说，
比拥有斯旺医生要好得多，
我想斯旺医生和斯旺夫人可以忍受那里的气候更好的。
一开始，
如果科尔医生能够知道这只是他的一句话，
那会改变一切，
但我几乎不认为他会说出来。
而且很难说什么是最好的，
也许这样的安排毕竟是不可取的。
斯旺医生的兄弟希望能尽快出任传教士，
也许他们可能会一起去某个地方，
但我想斯旺医生和他的妻子会更愿意留在这里，
他总是希望做他设定的事情和做的事情。
他很好而且效率很高，
这很重要。
他很瘦很瘦 [在第一页上垂直续] 请务必向 Beam 夫人和班上的所有其他人表达我的爱如果她继续下去，
她将是巨大的，
因为我认为她只有 28 岁。
我认为她爱海蒂。
Aug 24th 1889
My dear Clara
Since we sent our
last letters the mail has
come from U.S.A. bringing
the letters written July 2nd
which should have come
by the preceding mail and
also those written a week
later. I wonder whether
Art Gray has lost his place
as Post Master. Some one
was saying a day or two
since that Pres Harrison
has made a great many
changes in this department
so I suppose Mr Gray
would not be likely to
escape. We had a little
tea party evening before
last. Mr & Mrs Wisner
Dr and Mrs McCandliss
and Mr Gilman, and
after tea Dr Kerr and
Martha and Dr Niles
came over. Miss Butler
thought she had a "very [u] very [/u]
plain tea." The bill of fare
was, first course, oyster soup,
second course, roast chicken,
potatoes, beans, tomatoes, rice
maccaroni & cheese, bread
and butter, third course,
ice cream, gold cake and
silver cake, fourth course,
bananas, apples, (siberian crab)
Siam [?pamelr?]. Olivia
is much better since she
came up here, has gained
eight pounds and looks so
much better. It is a pretty
hard place for them
down in Hainan and
they have as yet no comfortable
houses. Olivia came up first
looking very thin and white
then Mrs Gilman so very
ill came with her husband
and two little children they
are at Dr Swan's, and
last of all Dr McCandliss
came also, and he barely
escaped an attack of
cholera before he came away.
He was all alone except a
Chinese servant and he
was afraid of him, that
is [u] the [/u] [u] servant [/u] was afraid.
They have had three
epidemics down there this
summer, the cholera has
been the worst. Dr McC
was so ill that he wrote a
note to send to some of the
Custom House were but afterwards
concluded not to send it
but "[u] if [/u] [u] he [/u] [u] lived [/u] [u] until [/u] [u] morning [/u]"
to try to get away and come
up here which he was
able to do and has recovered
very rapidly. It is rather
hard for them they are
neither of them very strong
and would probably be
much better up here, and
it would be [u] so [/u] [u] much [/u] [u] nicer [/u]
for Dr Kerr than to have
Dr Swan and I imagine
Dr & Mrs Swan could stand
the climate there much better.
In the beginning if Dr Kerr
could have known how it would
be just a word from him
would have changed it all
but I hardly suppose ever
then he would have said
it. And it is very difficult
to say what would be best,
perhaps such an arrangement
might not be desirable
after all. Dr Swan's brother
is hoping to come out as a
missionary soon and
perhaps then they may
go together somewhere but
I imagine Dr Swan
and his wife will prefer
to remain here, and
he always expects to do
what he sets and to do.
He is [u] good [/u] and efficient
which is a great deal.
He is very thin and slight
[Continued vertically on the first page]
Be sure & give my love to Mrs Beam and all the
others in the class Mr Notestein writes Mrs B is very poorly,
and she
is growing
so large
weighs
159
I am afraid
she will
be immense
if she
continues for
she is only
twenty eight
I think
With love
Hattie.
中国广州
1889 年 8 月 24 日
我亲爱的克拉拉
自从我们寄出最后一封信以来，
这封邮件是从美国寄来的，
带来了 7 月 2 日写的信，
这些信本来应该是在前面的邮件中寄来的，
还有一周后写的。
我想知道 Art Gray 是否已经失去了他作为 Post Master 的位置。
有人说一两天后哈里森总统在这个部门做了很多改变，
所以我想格雷先生不太可能逃脱。
前天晚上我们开了个小茶会。
Wisner先生和夫人、McCandliss医生和夫人、和Gilman太太，
喝完茶后，
Kerr 医生、Martha 和 Niles 医生过来了。
巴特勒小姐认为她喝的是“非常非常普通的茶”。
票价是，
第一道菜，
牡蛎汤，
第二道菜，
烤鸡，
土豆，
豆子，
西红柿，
米饭通心粉和奶酪，
面包和黄油，
第三道菜，
冰淇淋，
金饼和银饼，
第四道菜，
香蕉，
苹果，
（西伯利亚蟹）暹罗帕梅尔。
奥利维亚自从来到这里后好多了，
体重增加了八磅，
看起来好多了。
海南对他们来说是一个相当艰苦的地方，
他们还没有舒适的房子。
奥利维亚首先出现时看起来很瘦很白，
然后吉尔曼太太病得很重，
带着她的丈夫和两个小孩来到斯旺医生那里，
最后麦坎德利斯医生也来了，
他在离开之前几乎没有逃脱霍乱的袭击.除了一个中国仆人，
他一个人，
他害怕他，
那是仆人害怕。
今年夏天他们在那里发生了三场流行病，
霍乱是最严重的。
麦克医生病得很重，
他写了一张纸条寄给一些海关大楼，
但后来得出结论，
不要寄，
而是“如果他能活到早上”，
试着离开并来到这里，
这是他能够做到的，
并且已经恢复得非常快。
这对他们来说是相当困难的，
他们都不是很强壮，
在这里可能会好得多，
对克尔医生来说，
比拥有斯旺医生要好得多，
我想斯旺医生和斯旺夫人可以忍受那里的气候更好的。
一开始，
如果科尔医生能够知道这只是他的一句话，
那会改变一切，
但我几乎不认为他会说出来。
而且很难说什么是最好的，
也许这样的安排毕竟是不可取的。
斯旺医生的兄弟希望能尽快出任传教士，
也许他们可能会一起去某个地方，
但我想斯旺医生和他的妻子会更愿意留在这里，
他总是希望做他设定的事情和做的事情。
他很好而且效率很高，
这很重要。
他很瘦很瘦 [在第一页上垂直续] 请务必向 Beam 夫人和班上的所有其他人表达我的爱如果她继续下去，
她将是巨大的，
因为我认为她只有 28 岁。
我认为她爱海蒂。
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Clara, August 24, 1889,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed April 24, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/485.