Letter from Hattie to Mary, December 27, 1894

Letter from Hattie to Mary, December 27, 1894

New Year; English language--Study and teaching--Chinese speakers; Christmas--Exercises, recitations, etc; Singers

Harriet wishes Mary a happy new year. She wants to teach the scholars how to say "happy new year in English" so as to surprise Miss Butler and Miss Lewis. They had a Christmas exercise for the school on Christmas eve and a service on the evening of Christmas. After describing the Christmas exercise and the music, Harriet asks Mary to send her the book of Excell's Anthems.

Noyes, Harriet Newell

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

Unpublished

1894-12-27

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_461

Canton China
Dec 27th 94
My dear Mary,
I am too late to wish
you a Merry Christmas so
will say Happy New Year.
I told the scholars today that
I will teach them all to say
Happy New Year and then when
they come in on New Year's
day to bow to us all they are
to say to Miss Butler & Miss
Lewis "happy New Year" and
surprise them by their
knowledge of English. I told
them if they asked them who
taught them they could say
some one who learned to
speak English in America.
They seem to think it will
be good fun. Christmas
was a busy day and not
only Christmas but many
days before. Miss Lewis
was away in the country

so Miss Butler and I had
everything [--our own way--] to look after. We
sat up very late many nights
which was not the right thing
to do. The night the last mail
left I did not write a word
to send I think the first
mail I have ever missed
since I have been in China X
Miss Butler and I worked
that night until half past
two dressing a doll for Olivia's
little girl, Mr [?Seriett?] a new
missionary for Hainan was
here and was to leave the
next day and we wished
to send by him. X We had
a xmas exercise for the
school Christmas eve and
the evening of Christmas
the C.E. Societies had a
service in the Church for
which we furnished the
music. We have some really
good musicians now so it is
not difficult to prepare
music. Several play very

well and ALin is one of the
best singers I have ever heard
the American Board Mission
has a new lady out a Miss
Cheney from Boston, who
is a very good singer. X the
best without any exception
that has ever come to Canton
lady singer Mr Wisner was
the best gentleman singer.
But we none of us think that
Miss Cheney's niece is nearly
as good in quality as ALin's.
X ALin's little girl is such a
dear earnest little creature
and can do everything so well
except sing and she has
such a croaking voice we
are so sorry. One of the
exercises that we had was the
life of Christ told by sixteen girls
in four classes. We had sixteen
little pictures illustrations of
scenes in the life of Christ.
Alins little girl [?ALsit?] commenced
with the story of the wise men

There were four little girls
about seven years of age in
the first class and they told
the story beautifully. Then
they sang a little xmas song
which I [u] composed [/u] for the
occasion. After the next class
the school all sang When He
came to Bethany, and after
the third class I think when
I read that sweet story of old.
Then we had a Christmas
Anthem Duett & accompaniment
four parts in all. After
the fourth class, the four
eldest girls ALin & her sister
in law sang On Calvary's
brow. The Anthem came
in before they commenced
the story of Christ's life
There were several other pieces
of music and at the close
presents were distributed X
and "all went merry as
a marriage bell."
Altogether it was a very
nice Christmas. Before I

[Continued vertically on the first page]
forget it I
want to ask
if you will not
be sure and
send me "right
away," that
book of Excell's
Anthems you
used when
I was at home
Edward sent
me a later
book collection
of Excells Anthem
& others but
I wish very much
to have that
one soon, & I
will send money
for you to get
another in its place
With love Hattie.

中国广州
1894年12月27日
我亲爱的Mary
太晚了以至于不适合祝你圣诞快乐
/
所以我要说新年快乐
今天，
我告诉学生们，
我会教他们说“新年快乐”，
这样他们就可以对Butler小姐和Lewis小姐说这句话，
/
并用她们的英语水平给她们一个惊喜。
/
/
我说，
如果问他们是谁教他们说的，
/
他们应该回答，
“在美国学会说英语的人”
/
他们会觉得这很有趣。
/
圣诞节和圣诞节前的很多天都很忙。
/
Lewis小姐，

她在乡下，
所以Butle小姐和我按照自己的方式安排了一切。
即使这不是最好的做法
我们熬了很多晚。
上一封邮件的前一天晚上，
/
我什么也没写。 
/
我想这是我到达中国后第一次错过邮件。
Butler小姐和我
我们一起工作到凌晨 2 点之后为Olivia女儿的洋娃娃做衣服。
/
「Seriett」先生
他是新来的传教士，
要去海南，
我们想和他一起送洋娃娃。
/
我们在学校举行了平安夜活动，
/
圣诞节那天，
基督教协会在教堂举行了礼拜仪式，
/
有一些非常好的音乐。
这里有一些非常好的音乐家，
/
所以准备好音乐并不难。
许多人的乐器演奏得非常好，

A Lin是我听过的最好的歌手之一。
/
美国传教组织有一个来自波士顿的Cheney小姐，
她唱的很好。
/
无一例外，
/
来广州最好的男歌手就是Wisner先生。
/
/
我们不认为Cheney小姐的侄女和A Lin一样好。
/
/
A Lin的女儿很可爱很认真，
除了唱歌什么都做得很好，
/
但她唱得太差了，
她的声音听起来像呱呱，
我们很心疼她。
/
来自四个班级的十六个女孩讲述了基督的生平故事。
/
有十六幅基督生平场景的插图。
/
A Lin的女儿首先讲述了三位智者的故事。
/

一等班有四个小女孩，
/
她们都是7岁左右，
故事讲得很活灵活现。
然后他们唱了一首专门为这个场合而创作的圣诞歌曲。
/
下节课后，
/
全校都在唱《他来伯大尼时》。
第三节课后，
我读了圣诞故事。
然后我们进行了四部分伴奏的圣诞国歌二重唱。
/
第四节课结束后，
/
四个大女儿，
A Lin和她的嫂子唱了《在髑髅地的额头上》
/
国歌在那之前，
然后他们开始了耶稣生平的故事。
有更多的音乐，
分发了礼物，
每个人都尽可能地开朗。
/
/
总之，
这是一个非常美好的圣诞节。


/
在我忘记之前，
/
我想让你把我在家时使用的Excell的笙歌的书寄给我。
/
/
/
/
/
/
/
Edward寄给我一本其他笙歌的书，
/
但我真的很想拥有那一首。
/
我会寄钱给你自己再买一个。
/
/
/
/
/
爱你
Hattie

Letter