Letter from Hattie to Clara, September 4, 1889

Letter from Hattie to Clara, September 4, 1889

Letter writing; Weight; Health; Waists (Clothing); Dresses; Death; Families

Harriet writes to Clara about her continuing struggles with letter writing, the dresses she has been working on, as well as the weight and health of several other woman missionaries. She talks about Martha's school room and how there are framed pictures of their parents on the wall, leading her to a discussion of death, whether loved ones reunite in heaven, and the strength of the Noyes Family

Noyes, Harriet Newell

The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #4

Unpublished

1889-08-24

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_432

Canton China
Sept 4th 1889
My dear Clara
As I spent the forenoon
at the Chapel in the city I
can feel comfortable in taking
time to write some home letters.
I am afraid I do not [u]answer[/u]
your letters very well Miss Butler
thought that towards the last I
sent her very "skimpy" letters
and I suppose I did. for I
hardly knew what to write .
I shall always be so thankful
that I staid at home as long
as I did. I have been sewing
some for Miss Butler have
made her one white dress and
three waists . She made
three waists (white basques) for
herself but they were so large
that she gave them to
Martha . My pattern with
just a little shade of
alteration making it a trifle

larger first her very well
I expect I should find
the dresses that I made for
winter will not be too large
for I fear that I am
growing [u]larger[/u] as well as
[u]older[/u] every day. The last
time I was weighed I weighed
one hundred + thirty six pounds.
The loose Mother Hubbards that
we have worn all summer
favor expansion . Miss Lewis
however is thin enough to make
a proper average for both
Miss Butler and me.
She is [u]painfully[/u] thin and
looks [u]so old[/u]. To-day she
has gone to spend the day
with Mrs Williams a lady on
Shamian. Miss Fulton has
been having an attack of
asthma and I was surprised
to see her at the dispensary
to-day . but she seemed all
right . I presume Martha

will write to you about the
dedication of her little school
room . We had a meeting
with the Chinese Tuesday
afternoon last week and a
week ago today had the
Wednesday evening prayer
meeting there Mr Fulton
led the meeting . Martha
had Father's and Mother's
large pictures hung up
there They looked very
nice we put ferns. around
them and the rest of the
room was [?trimmed?]. It
seemed as though Father
and Mother must know
about it. I wonder so
much if they did . I
wrote to Em about an old
woman of eighty one
that I saw this morning
at the chapel. It seemed
when I was talking with
her as though she will see

Father + Mother very soon for
it does seem as it used to
to Martha as though those who go
from here will find them there.
Your last letter told us that
Mr Blood has gone to the home
above . His wife will be very lonely
but it cannot be for long . How
soon it will be a year since
Uncle Augustus went. I am
so glad you had that nice
visit with him . Cousin Addie
wrote that you were the last of
the cousins to visit him . I am
so thankful too that I could
go to them at the last . I
wonder if I ever answered the
long letter you wrote me commencing
May 17th. It seems lonely to me
to think of so few in the old home
but there are still a good number
of us in this world and we will
look forward to being together
there more or less of the time.
I was thinking the other day of
what you said about Em's being

[Note: Letter continues sideways on page one]
away + coming
home that there
was some compensation
for the absence
and I though
possible it might
be true in some
degree. of our
being away it
connects you
with this side
of the world.
If we were
all at home
the connection
with the Canton
mission would
be [?served?] -
+ now it seems
quite close,
three of us here.
The Noyes
[Note: Letter continues sideways on page two]
family is pretty strongly represented here now. Henry
will have charge of the Educational department for Men
+ boys
I have
it for
woman
+ girls
+ M's
husband
has the
Medical
dept
the three
together
make a
pretty
good [?show?]
of the
Canton Mission
[Note: Letter concludes sideways on page three]
work.
With love
[u]Hattie[/u]-

中国广州
1889年9月4日
我亲爱的Clara
我在城里的小教堂度过了一个下午，
/
现在我有时间回家写信了。
/
恐怕我没有很好地回复你的来信。
/
Butler小姐说我给你的最后一封信很薄，
/
我想是的，
我不知道该写什么。
我很感激能像以前一样呆在家里。
/
我一直在缝纫，
我给Butler小姐做了一件白色的裙子和三条腰带。
/
Butler小姐做了三条白色的巴斯克腰带，
/
但它们太大了，
/
所以她把它们给了Martha。
/
我把我的稍微大了一点。

我希望它很适合她。
/
我觉得为冬天做的衣服对我来说不再太大了。 
恐怕我一天天变大，
一天天变老。
/
上次称体重时，
我是 136 磅。
/
现在我甚至必须扩大我的宽松连衣裙。
/
Lewis小姐太瘦了，
/
如果你把Lewis小姐的体重加上我和Butler小姐的体重，
就是三个普通人。
他非常瘦而看起来很老。
今天
她去沙面陪Williams太太。
/
Fulton小姐哮喘发作了。
/
我今天在药房看到她很惊讶，
/
但她看起来好多了。
/

我敢肯定Martha会告诉你关于新的小教室。
/
我们在星期二下午与中国人会面，
/
上周，我们在那里举行了祷告会，
/
Fulton先生主持了通常的周三晚间祷告会。
/
她挂了父亲和母亲的照片，
看起来很漂亮。
/
我们在照片周围和房间的其他地方放了蕨类植物。
/
/
我敢肯定，
父母亲在天堂看到了我们所做的一切。
/
我真的想知道他们是否喜欢它。
/
我给Em写了一封关于今天早上我在教堂里看到的一位 81 岁老妇人的信。
/
/
和她说话的时候，
我突然想到，
/

她很快就会在天堂见到爸爸妈妈了。
/
死在这里的人会在天堂找到他们。
/
你上一封信说Blood先生死了去了天堂。
/
他的妻子会很寂寞，
但她不会寂寞太久。
/
Augustus叔叔去世已经一年了，
我很高兴你在他去世前对他进行了一次愉快的拜访。
表妹给我写了一封信，说你是最后一个拜访他的表兄弟姐妹。
/
我很感激我终于也拜访了他们。
/
我不记得我是否回复了你在 5 月 17 日写给我的长信。
/
/
想想我们老房子里的人这么少，
似乎很寂寞，
/
但世界上还有很多我们还活着，
所以我们可以期待未来某个时候一起在那里。
/
/

我昨天在想你说的关于Em出去，
/
你说虽然她在世界的另一端很伤心，
/
/
/
/
/
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但与遥远的地方有联系是件好事。
/
/
如果我们都在家里，
/
/
/
与广州的联系就会被切断。
/
/
现在我们三个人在广州，
感觉很亲近。
我们的家人现在在这里有很好的代表。
/
我将负责女孩和妇女的教育部门。
/
/
/
/
M的老公负责
医疗部门，
/
/
我们三个一起是广州传教士的好代表。
/
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爱你
Hattie

Letter