Letter from Mattie to Em, March 21

Letter from Mattie to Em, March 21

Clothing; Presbyterian Church; Presbyterian Church--Government; Women missionaries; Letter writing

Mattie writes about home traditions they are instating at home and about what they will wear when the rainy season starts. She also writes about updates on their relatives and friends, one of whom has been brought before the Presbytery and Mattie wants to know what for. Mattie talks about disapproving of the Parks family and English lady missionaries. She concludes by saying she wrote to the Brainerd Society but hopes Em reads it instead.

Kerr, Martha Noyes

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

Unpublished

03-21

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_511

Canton March 21st
My dear Em,
It is almost tea time
Sat. night and we are going to have
beans for supper real beans cooked just
as they are at home. You do not
know how much pleasure I feel
in knowing that one meal in the
week is just like that at home. And
since Lucy and I came we have
instituted the bread & milk e[--a--]ra as
Henry says. We had talked about its
being very nice to have it after we
got home from meeting in the

evening so one day while Lucy and
I were busy studying Hattie and Hery
supped out and bought some bowls
and the next Sunday night gave us
a little surprise. Henry said it made
him feel almost as if he were at home
He has been out in the country since
last Tuesday and we have had a very
rainy week but I am not sure that
these boat trips do not do him good
although they are not always pleas
ant in all respects. It is our rainy
season now and we do not look for
anything else. Lucy is having a
white dress made proposes to trim
it with black alapacca braid I have
bought 12 yds. of material and we
think that we can get a suit apiece
or rather two polanaise and one
skirt Hattie has a skirt which will
do to go with it. Miss Shaw has been
unable to do mission work for several
weeks has been in bed nearly four
but is now beginning to be better
and hopes to be up soon. She is

troubled with female complaint. I
do feel so sorry for her. She is a most
devoted missionary and we could
ill afford to spare her. Lilly is also
somewhat worn out and thinks
some of taking a trip. If she does
she will probably be away most of
the summer. If she should and
Miss Shaw should not be well I am
afraid we will get into the harness with
but small capital in Chinese. We study
away everyday but it would take a
microscope or something else sometimes
to detect any progress. Patience and
perseverance are what we need here more
than any thing else. I suppose you are
or will be almost through your course
when you get this We shall think of you
so much I do hope we shall know just
what day it is the one of commencement
and it will be such a pleasure to think
of just how it will all be as far as we
can. I am so anxious that Mrs Leyenberger
should he present and think she will if
she reaches home before that time
She will have the governor's wife and
daughter from Hong Kong as fellow

[Continued vertically on the fourth page]
passengers as they go home by way of America The Japan
had the furniture upholstered in honor of the distinguished
personages and had orders not to put on the covers after putting
out to sea So much for being persons of note. Hattie has
been suffering from tooth ache for a few days suppose it is the
damp weather. We received a letter in the last mail from
Cousin Horace and his wife. Their prospective son in law
Cousin Ellens husband to be is a young naval officer and is
now in Chinese waters hopes to visit Canton before his return
to America Their letter was written to give us an introduc
tion to our future relative. We shall certainly be very glad to
see him. They write that cousin Elmira is very feeble
I wonder if Aunt Fay saw Mother before she went East. I
do hope she did for some how I can not help fearing she
will not return to Ohio. I can not realize that E. is so soon
to leave us I feel that she has worked too hard. I got quite
a long letter from Mrs Hamsher a short time since and she
gave me the first news of --- marriage. Em you may think
me inquisitive but I do want very much to know what sort
of a girl he married and what kind of family she belongs to
You say he came very getting brought before Presbytery do you know

[Continued on the fourth page]
for what [--re--] reason? Please tell me this and

[Continued vertically on the first page]
I will try and not ask any more questions in that direction
Hattie is writing to Maggie Beacom and Lucy home I think
so you see our pens are all
going. I got Annie's letter and was
so surprised that she did not say
a word about the death of her brother
Jim. I wrote to Becca by the first
mail of Feb and I suppose she has received
it by this time and I directed it
to the care of James Sloan because
I was not sure she would be in
Ashland. Last Sabbath Mr Parks one
of the Weslyian Mission buried a
little babe 9 weeks old the third child
they have lost within 9 months. They
have 9 small children living the
oldest about 5 years old and strange
to say that have never told them
what became of their brothers and sisters
the matter is to them a profound
mystery I can not see how they
can feel that it is right. They have
been here [--and go--] 10 years and go home
in April not to return

[Continued vertically on the second page]
It seems such a pity for them to do that now that they have the
language so well or I mean he has. The English ladies do not
study for the purpose of doing mission work. Well if I write
this over the 2nd time you will not be able to read it I fear
I am glad you had an easy time about examination and
you have our best wishes for your success in whatever you
do for commencement your loving Sister
Mattie
I have [--writing--] written to the [?Brainerd?] Soc. but I

[Continued vertically on the third page
hope you will read them yourself and not give it into
the hands of any of the members as it is not very well done



广州 3 月 21 日
亲爱的 Em，
快到周六下午茶时间了。
晚上，
我们将像在家一样煮豆子作为晚餐。
你不知道我知道一周中的一顿饭就像在家一样，
我感到多么高兴。
自从露西和我来之后，
正如亨利所说，
我们已经建立了面包和牛奶时代。
晚上开会回家后，
我们谈论过它非常好，
所以有一天我和露西忙着研究海蒂，
亨利吃完饭买了一些碗，
接下来的周日晚上给了我们一个小惊喜。
亨利说这让他感觉就像在家一样 自上周二以来他一直在乡下，
我们度过了一个非常下雨的一周，
但我不确定这些乘船旅行对他有没有好处，
尽管它们并不总是在所有方面都取悦蚂蚁。
现在是我们的雨季，
我们不寻找其他任何东西。
露西正在做一件白色的连衣裙，
建议用我买了 12 码的黑色羊驼毛辫来修剪它。
材料，
我们认为我们可以得到一套西装，
或者更确切地说，
两件波兰舞曲和一条裙子海蒂有一条裙子可以搭配它。
肖小姐已经有几个星期无法做宣教工作了，
已经躺了将近四岁，
但现在开始好转，
希望很快能起床。
她为女性的抱怨而烦恼。
我真为她感到难过。
她是一位最忠诚的传教士，
我们负担不起放过她。
莉莉也有些疲惫，
想去旅行。
如果她这样做了，
她可能会在夏天的大部分时间里离开。
如果她应该和肖小姐不应该很好，
我怕我们会用中文但很少的资本进入马具。
我们每天都在学习，
但有时需要显微镜或其他东西才能检测到任何进展。
耐心和毅力是我们在这里最需要的。
我想当你得到这个时，
你已经或即将完成你的课程我们会非常想你，
我希望我们能知道今天是开学日，
想想它是如何开始的，
我会很高兴将尽我们所能。
我非常担心 Leyenberger 夫人是否会出席，
并认为如果她在此之前回家的话她将有来自香港的州长的妻子和女儿作为同胞 [在第四页垂直继续] 乘客，
因为他们通过美国 日本为了纪念尊贵的人物，
把家具装了起来，
出海后还下令不要盖被子。
假设是潮湿的天气，
海蒂已经牙疼了几天。
我们在最后一封信中收到了霍勒斯堂兄和他的妻子寄来的一封信。
他们未来的女婿艾伦的表亲丈夫是一名年轻的海军军官，
现在在中国海域，
希望在他返回美国之前访问广州。
他们写信是为了向我们介绍我们未来的亲戚。
我们一定会很高兴见到他。
他们写道，
Elmira 表妹非常虚弱，
我想知道 Fay 姨妈在去东方之前是否见过母亲。
我确实希望她做了一些事情，
我不禁担心她不会回到俄亥俄州。
我无法意识到 E. 这么快就离开了我们，
我觉得她工作太努力了。
不久之后，
我收到了来自 Hamsher 夫人的一封很长的信，
她给了我结婚的第一个消息。
嗯，
你可能认为我很好奇，
但我非常想知道他娶了什么样的女孩，
她属于什么样的家庭你说他很高兴来到长老会你知道[继续第四页]是为了什么原因？请告诉我这一点并[在第一页上继续垂直] 我会尽量不再向海蒂写信给玛吉比科姆和露西家的那个方向提出任何问题，
我想你会看到我们的笔都在用。
我收到了安妮的信，
非常惊讶，
她对她哥哥吉姆的死只字未提。
我在 2 月的第一封邮件中写信给 Becca，
我想她此时已经收到了，
我把它交给了 James Sloan，
因为我不确定她会在阿什兰。
上个安息日，
卫斯理传教士帕克斯先生埋葬了一个 9 周大的小婴儿，
这是他们在 9 个月内失去的第三个孩子。
他们有 9 个小孩，
最大的 5 岁左右，
奇怪的是，
他们从来没有告诉过他们兄弟姐妹的下落，
这对他们来说是一个深奥的谜，
我看不出他们怎么能觉得这是对的。
他们在这里已经 10 年了，
四月回家不回来了 [在第二页垂直续] 现在他们的语言这么好，
或者我的意思是他有，
他们这样做似乎很可惜。
英国女士们学习的目的不是为了传教。
好吧，
如果我第二次写这篇文章，
您将无法阅读它，
我担心我很高兴您在考试中度过了轻松的时光，
并且您祝愿您在毕业典礼上所做的一切都取得成功你亲爱的玛蒂修女我已经写信给布雷纳德协会，
但我[在第三页垂直继续，
希望你自己阅读它们，
不要把它交给任何成员，
因为它做得不太好

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