Letter from Hattie to Clara, September 15, 1889

Letter from Hattie to Clara, September 15, 1889

Travel; Heaven; Extended families; Autumn

Harriet writes to Clara, thinking of their cousins in the Westmoreland home and the anniversary of the death of their Uncle Augustus. She recently learned that Mrs. Dilthey, once an excellent missionary, passed away last year. She writes of the early autumn and reflects on those in heaven. Henry will be arriving back soon. She describes the travel plans of Martha and Miss Lewis.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

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

Unpublished

1889-09-15

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

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eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_439

Canton China
Sept 15th 1889
My dear Clara,
This is the Sabbath
and I know it will seem to
our cousins in the Westmoreland
home like the anniversary of
the day that dear Uncle
Augustus went home to heaven.
I suppose it has been a
long lonely year for them.
I wonder if it will grow
any easier for them as the
time goes by. It seems
pleasant to think of all
Fathers family Father, Mother
Brothers, and sisters all together
and happy forever.
Yesterday I was calling on
some of our German friends
and I inquired for Mrs Dilthey
one of the missionaries who
used to be here and they
said she died more than
a year ago. Mr and Mrs
Dilthey were most excellent

missionaries. They went home
some seven or eight years
since. He was very far gone
in consumption and only
lived a little while after reaching
Germany. He always made
me think so much of Frank.
Mrs Dilthey's mother and an
only sister died a year or
two before she did and her
Father had gone some years
before so she was the last one
and it seems so nice to think
that they are all in heaven
together just as it is with
Father's parents brothers and sisters.
I will copy a little extract I
saw in a paper a day or two since
Strangely do some people talk of
"getting over" a great sorrow.
No one ever does that at least no
nature which can be touched
by the feeling of grief at all.
The only way is to pass through
the ocean of affliction solemnly
slowly with humility and faith,
as the Israelites passed through
the sea. Then its very waves
of misery will divide and

become to us a wall on the
right side and on the left
until the gulf narrows and
narrows before our eyes and we
land safe on the opposite shore."
These days seem so much like
the September days last year
that I spent in the old home
in Westmoreland. It is the 17th
now. The autumn days seem
to bring a shade of sadness with
but I always think those who
are up in heaven and are
so perfectly happy would
not wish us to have a single
sad moment through remembering
and missing them.
And it is so different from what
it would be if we could not
look forward to meeting them
again. I think of you now
as only three again in the
dear old home. I hope
that you will have a pleasant
autumn and none of you be
obliged to work too hard.
It will be only a little while
now until Henry will be here
but you can imagine how
much satisfaction we shall

have in conversing with him
and hearing from you all.
I have some curiosity to see what
attitude the boys will take toward
their aunts in China. I wish
we could know whether they will
stop over in Japan but presume
they will not know themselves
until they reach there. If they
come right on they will be here
in three weeks otherwise it will
be about a month. Martha
expects to go down to Macau for
a few days and Miss Lewis will
go down with her. We have
talked some of going to Lin Chau
but shall not probably. Miss
Lewis wishes very much to go. She
had a very light attack of dengue
fever this time. Martha is
quite tired out. Miss Butler is
training a woman to cook for
her. I hope she will have as much
comfort with her as we do with
ours. Our cook has gone over there
to cook for them two weeks when
this one is to be qualified to go
We have very nice servants now.
They are a great comfort. The
boy is a member of the Baptist
Church, and is a very faithful
good boy. I often think of AKwai

[Continued vertically on the first page]
and wonder
if he
will ever
be a
Christian
I presume
they are
living now
just like
any other
heathens
but perhaps
some time
they may
change.
Ever yr loving
Hattie.

中国广东
1889年9月15日
我亲爱的Clara，
今天是安息日，
也是Augustus叔叔逝世纪念日，
/
我相信我们所有的表兄弟姐妹今天都在想他。
/
我想今年对他们来说一定感到很孤独。
/
/
我希望随着时间的推移，
/
他们会变得更好过。
很高兴想到父亲的所有家人在天堂永远在一起：
/
母亲，父亲，他的兄弟姐妹。
/
昨天我去拜访了一些德国朋友，
我问过Dilthey太太的事情，
/
她是一名传教士，曾经在这里，
/
但他们说她一年前去世了。
/
Dilthey夫妇，

他们是伟大的传教士。
/
他们七八年前回家了。
他们在广州的时候，
他得了非常严重的肺结核，
他们到达德国后不久就去世了。
他一直让我想到Frank。
/
Dilthey太太的母亲和她唯一的妹妹在她去世前一两年就去世了，
/
她的父亲几年前就去世了，
所以她是她家中最后一个死去的人。
/
很高兴想到他们都在天堂与父母和我们的家人在一起。
/
/
我要寄给你一些关于悲伤的报纸摘录：
/
“奇怪的是，
有些人怎么谈论“从巨大的悲伤中恢复过来”
/
没有人真正从悲伤中恢复过来，
/
克服悲伤的唯一方法，
/
就是带着信心和谦逊度过它，
/
就像以色列人过海一样。
/

当痛苦的波浪将我们分开时，
/
在我们眼前小路变窄，
然后我们安全地出现在对岸。”
/
这些日子让我想起了去年九月我在Westmoreland的老房子里度过的时光。
/
/
今天17号。
秋天的时候我总是很伤心，
/
我想到那些我们所爱的人已经上了天堂，
/
我知道他们不想让我们想念他们，
/
但我无法控制。
/
我想如果我们不能很快在天堂再次见到他们，
/
那会更难过。
/
我想着你们三个一起在我们的老房子里。
/
我希望你有一个美好的秋天，
/
不要太辛苦。
/
再过一会儿，
/
Henry就会到达这里，

/
我们会很高兴与他交谈并听到您的消息。
/
我想知道他的儿子们会如何看待他们在中国的阿姨。
/
我想知道他们是否会在日本停留，
/
但我想他们在到达日本之前不会了解自己。
/
如果他们直接来这里，
他们将在 3 周内到达，
否则，他们将在一个月内到达。
/
/
Martha和Lewis小姐打算一起去澳门。
我们讨论过去连州，
但我们可能不会去，
Lewis小姐特别想去，
但她今天早上有轻微的登革热病例。
Martha已经很累，
Butler小姐
她正在训练一个女人做她的厨师。
/
我希望她的厨师和我们的一样好。
/
我们的厨师已经过去为他们做饭两周了，
/
然后他们的新厨师就可以开始工作了。
我们现在有很好的仆人，
他们是一个很大的安慰，
一个男孩是浸信会的成员，
他善良而忠诚。

我经常想起AKwai，
想知道他是否会成为一名基督徒。
/
/
我知道他们现在是异教徒，
/
/
/
但也许他们将来会改变主意。
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
永远爱你，
Hattie.

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