Letter from Martha to Clara

Letter from Martha to Clara

Health; Death; Funeral rites and ceremonies; Travel; Diseases

Martha writes to Clara about the travels of their friends and colleagues, as well as how both of Henry's sons are ill. She then discussed potential new members of the church and the death/funeral of a small child in the community. They plan to leave for Hainam for six weeks soon.

Kerr, Martha Noyes

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

Unpublished

Unknown

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

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eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_530

My dear Clara -
As usual time presses, when
will we ever have leisure
to do all we would wish. Never
in this world. This morning
Mr Coleman left us for a weeks
stay in Macao, so we had an
early breakfast but notwithstand
ing all it is now 10 AM and
not very far on with my work
am I. After prayers went in to
see the family of Dr Henry's
Assistant at Tai Kat. His wife
has such a nice baby not yet
quite two months old, but poor
little woman she has been very
ill with fever. They leave for
home to day although she has
hardly strength for the journey

Is such a dear little woman and
he seems nice. They are about
to organize a church at Tai Kat
Mr Henrys work seems to grow. I
heard yesterday that Henry and his
family wanted to go up to Lien Chau
with the singles if the Mission ap-
proved. Neither of his boys are
well. Richard is down at Dr Thom
sons now, and it is hoped the change
will do him good. Willie goes
on Thursday to stay with the Henrys
who are to be there through the
moth of sept.- Then if they can
have the trip in Oct it will
carry them through the hot
weather. It will seem so nice
for Henry to go to Lien Chau - for
he was the first one of our
mission who ever went up there
And the native Christians are
always so glad to see him.
It will be our commission

next Sabbath and there are
three or four from the hospital
who will propose themselves for
[illegible] - three from the school
one is a woman from [?Nam H--?]
at the extreme north of this province
a very intelligent bright woman
She hopes bye and bye to come
into the school. A woman and
her daughter came the other day
to study in the hospital school, and
I think I will be able to make
arrangements for her until thhe
Boarding school commences when
if she proves suitable she will prob
ably go there. Yesterday one of our
Hospital workers Awong lost his
little child not yet a year old. The
poor Mother is not a christian and
it is so hard for her. Oh Clara it is
so distressing here when anyone
dies. A rush is at once made to

procure a coffing - the grave
clothes are put on, a coolie brings
the coffin, and the remains
are put in and nailed up with
no more feeling than if it were a
bale of goods. Yesterday I heard of
this death as we were going the rounds
before breakfast. Went out immedi
ately after to find the Mother and
her dead child It had been carried
into the dead room, and she sat at
the feet wailing as only a heather
Mother can wail. Tried to comfort her
The coffin was soon there and the
father was about to put the child
in when I took it. Oh such a poor
cheap coffin - 4 thin boards - nailed
loosely together with a top of the same
[--p--] material. The whole could have
been put together in five minutes
and it was so much to long. I lined
the bottom by putting some pecies of
cloth they had there then look all the
rest and rolled it up for a pillow

[Note: Letter concludes sideways on page one]
We are not sorry it is the 1st of Sept - only one more
month of
very hot weather
We expect to
leave for
Hainam in
about 6 weeks
The Fultons
will be here
in 17 days
more I sup-
pose. It is so
nice to think
of you as
comfortably well
With much love
Mattie



我亲爱的克拉拉——像往常一样，
时间紧迫，
我们什么时候才能有闲暇去做我们想做的一切。
这个世界上从来没有。
今天早上科尔曼先生离开我们在澳门逗留了一个星期，
所以我们早早吃了早餐，
但尽管现在已经是上午 10 点了，
我的工作还不是很远。
祈祷后去见亨利博士助理的家人在大吉。
他的妻子有一个这么好的孩子，
还不到两个月大，
但可怜的小女人，
她一直在发烧。
他们今天就回家了，
尽管她几乎没有力气去旅行。
真是一个可爱的小女人，
他看起来很好。
他们即将在大吉组织一座教堂，
亨利先生的工作似乎有所增长。
昨天我听说亨利和他的家人想和单身人士一起去连州，
如果特派团批准的话。
他的两个儿子都不好。
理查德现在在汤姆森医生那里，
希望这种改变对他有好处。
威利星期四去和亨利一家呆在一起，
他们将在那里度过 9 月的飞蛾。
- 如果他们能在 10 月去旅行，
那将带他们度过炎热的天气。
亨利去连州会很不错——因为他是我们传教团中第一个到那里去的人，
而且当地的基督徒总是很高兴见到他。
下个安息日将是我们的委托，
医院里有三四个人会为 [无法辨认] 求婚——学校里的三个人，
一个是来自 Nam H 的女人——在这个省的最北端，
一个非常聪明的聪明女人她希望再见到学校。
前几天一个女人和她的女儿来医院学校学习，
我想我可以为她安排，
直到寄宿学校开学，
如果她证明合适，
她可能会去那里。
昨天，
我们医院的一名工作人员 Awong 失去了他还不到一岁的小孩。
可怜的母亲不是基督徒，
这对她来说太难了。
哦，
克拉拉，
当有人死去时，
这真是令人痛苦。
立刻急忙去弄棺材——穿上墓服，
一个苦力带来棺材，
把遗体放进去钉牢，
就像是一捆货物一样。
昨天我在早餐前四处巡查时听说了这个死讯。
之后立刻出去，
找到了母亲和她死去的孩子被抬进了死屋，
她坐在脚边哭，
只有石南花妈妈才能哭。
试图安慰她棺材很快就到了，
当我把它拿走时，
父亲正准备把孩子放进去。
哦，
这么可怜的廉价棺材——4块薄板——用相同材料的顶部松散地钉在一起。
整个过程可以在五分钟内完成，
而且时间太长了。
我在底部放了一些他们在那里的布，
然后把剩下的都看了一遍，
然后把它卷起来当枕头[注：信在第一页横向结束]我们很抱歉现在是 9 月 1 日 - 再过一个月非常炎热的天气 我们预计将在大约 6 周后启程前往海南 我想富尔顿将在 17 天后到达这里。
很高兴能把你想得这么舒服
非常爱你的
马蒂

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