Letter from Mattie to Em, October 12, 1874

Letter from Mattie to Em, October 12, 1874

Friendly visiting; Fluency (Language learning); Women in higher education; Throat--Diseases

Mattie writes to her sister Em about their recent visitors. There was a group of missionaries from Siam who just left to go to Macau. She is glad they left because it is much easier to learn the language and get things done when there are no visitors. She congratulates Em on her commencement speech for Wooster which she read about in the Herald and Presbyter. She mentions Clara's schooling and that Henry is having some throat issues.

Kerr, Martha Noyes

The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #5

Unpublished

1874-10-12

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

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eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_487

Canton China
Oct 12th /74
My dear Em,
This is the first time I have
taken up a pen for more than a
week which is rather an unusual
thing since I came to China
The ladies and their gentleman
friend missionaries to siam have
been with us since our return
from Macao but left this morning
so one shall settle down into the
old programme again I suppos
I always begruge the time given
to company because it hinders our
study of the language and we
can only progress slowly at best but
I suppose it is all in a lifetime as
the saying is. We had a very pleas-
ant time with them. We received
our home letters this afternoon
and for once we were surprised
most agreeably by their reaching us
4 days sooner than was expected
I can not tell how nice it
seemed to know that the dear ones

at home were so much better. It helps
us wonderfully when we get such news .
But I should think you would be quite
overcome with such an amount of
company. Vacation has proved a change
but you can hardly call it a rest. So
Frank thinks his adversisement will
set things right does he? - I received a
letter from Maggie Beattie by this mail
and she tells me she is again out of em-
ployment. I am so very sorry for her
but she does not utter a complaining
word about the matter. Mr Baston has
also been obliged to say good bye to the
superintendancy . I shall not know just
how everything is there now that new
faces occupy the places of the corps I was
so long associated with. Becca sloan
is not now troubled with such "pigeon"
as school boards. Miss B---also mentions
that the Presbytery is about trying Proff.
Dieffendorf How very sad is would be if
he should be deposed from the minist[--e--]ry
but that seems in no wise impossible
Whatever may be his future course I can
not help thinking he has been the means of
a great deal of good in years agone.
Now Em, we have been gathering up
news from different sources and taking
all things into consideration we are
forced to conclude we have a pretty
gifted sister. I took up a copy of the

Herald and Presbyter a few days ago and
read an account of the Commencement
exercises at -W- wherein your performance
was pronounced excellent while noth-
ing was said of any other - of course we
could but consider this very complimen-
tary to the person in question .I also
understand that lawyer McSweeney said
he did not think a man in Wooster
could do as well just think of that
But Maggie wrote the best news of all
and that was that our precious sisters
influence over her class mates had been
wonderfully blessed in reference to their
spiritual welfare .Oh Em how nice
it was that you could be there and see
all your associate graduates brought to
Christ I am sure it will always be a
pleasant remembrance. If you do
teach school it will be nice if you
must be away from home to go back
to W. We shall wait anxious by for
letters to hear how things are settled
for the coming year. However it is,
it will be just what is best. I am certain
and that is such a comfort. Clara
writes she came out 2nd in Harmony
class much to her surprise - and much
to our gratification. Dear me what
sisters I have and they are not a bit proud
I would not trade off the [u]brothers[/u] and
sisters in the "home on the hill" for any

that I ever knew that's sure Today it is just a year from the
last sabbath I spent at home considering the day of the month
I can never forget that day nor just how everything seemed
In imagination I often hear the Organ as it sounded on that
morning but I have no recollection of the sermon Then in the
afternoon you marked the pieces in ChangedCross and Bible
my poor bible was considerably injured at Macao but I always
think when I look at it that our lives were saved that we might
do something for these heathen and it is a pleasant thought I
do not know whether this will find you at home or not but
will send it to Seville. If you go into "that school" we shall
want to hear all about it. Tomorrow our new church is to be
dedicated and we are so sorry Henry can not be here Received
a letter from him to-day and he is not coming home until
the middle of Nov. Dr Ellinwood and Nevins also another
physician advises his stay says he ought not to preach any for
5 or 6 months. The trouble is in his throat but if it can be stopped
there will not prove serious. Otherwise he is very well.
Lucy is still all right physically and understands taking care
of number one very well. Hattie is fairly commenced on another
term of school but the scholars are not all back yet. As for me
I commenced reading Mark today. hope I shall get through it a
[Note: written sideways in right margin]
little more spedily than I did Mathew.

[Note: Letter concludes sideways on page one]
somebody wrote to us that Maggie McDowell is about to marry
Dr Beach How she can do that is more than I can imagine I can
hardly expect she will be
happy in the new
relation. I receive
a letter from Mattie
Patton last mail and
find she is now in
Wadsworth. Clara
wrote of your picnic
on the 23rd I am so
glad you had such a
nice time I wrote
a letter which was to
reach you in time
to make me one of the
company but I guess
I did not reach you
in time Well no
matter of was not
much loss. I must
say good night. It
is still [u]warm weather[/u]
but our nights are
growing cool.
Your loving sister
Em --

Letter