Letter from Hattie to Em, February 20, 1868
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Hattie to Em, February 20, 1868
Subject
Steamboats; Sick; Missionaries; Travel
Description
This is a letter from Harriet Noyes to her sister, Emily, while onboard the steamer, the "Kin Kiang," during a journey that Harriet and Henry are taking for Henry's health. She discusses their fellow passengers, as well as the other members of their Mission. In addition, she addresses some news from home (the family's health, their church's choir, and a musical convention in Cleveland) and fondly remembers time spent with family.
Creator
Noyes, Harriet Newell
Source
The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection, Box #1
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1868-02-20
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_005
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
On board the "Kin Kiang"
Feb'y 20th /68 -
My [u]Darling Em[/u]-
If you will promise
not to laugh at my shaky looking letters
I will write you a few lines on board the
"Kin Kiang" a little steamer that plies between
Hong Kong & Canton. There is such a
jarring motion that I can hardly write
at all but I expect you will manage to
read it some way. You will wonder that
I am "at sea" again so soon but Henry
is not able to study much & the Dr thought
it would be nice for him to have a little
change so we are going down to HongKong
for a few days. We did not intend to go
quite so soon but as Mr & Mrs Jones are
going down to-day we thought we would
come now and so have a visit with
them and see them start for [u]America[/u].
It is a beautiful day & this morning as I
saw Mrs Jones bidding her friends good-bye
I asked Henry how he would feel if we were
starting for home too & he said that if he
had been here ten years he thought he would
feel very happy in starting home. It seems
to me that if the time ever comes when it
will seem right for me to go home it will be
joy beyond measure. Dear Em if our
lives are spared ten years we will hope to
meet again. Mr Jones thinks the missionaries
ought all to go home at the end of seven years
Mrs Jones told of one who wrote home for permission
to return & the Secretary replied that they
did not want to see their missionaries
this side of Jordan. He was of another
Board however I do not imagine Dr Lowrie
or Dr Irving would send such word as
that to any of their missionaries. I cannot
help thinking all the time how glad you will
be to see Mrs Jones. She was with Cynthia more
and can [--you--] tell you more about her than
any of the other ladies here. She has expected
to sail in the China & so go home via
San Fransisco, but has a sister Mrs Waugh
a missionary in India & now they are
thinking some of going that way, & if so
it will probably be a long time before she
will get around to Ohio. I am sure you
will enjoy her visit she is such a nice lady
and you cannot possibly feel afraid of her.
Their two little children Lillie & Willie will
be with them I presume. It seems as though
seeing persons from here every once in a
while will make us seem much nearer
to you. Mr & Mrs Preston and family are hoping
to go home soon perhaps not until the
"Pacific Railroad" is completed and if they do
I hope you will see them. They are such nice
people I know you would enjoy a visit from
them so much. He makes me think of Henry
Mason very much indeed. From some of
your letters & Emily Elliotts we judge that
Dr Happer is thinking of returning soon.
Mr Condit also is thinking of returning.
If they should come back Mr Preston
would feel as though he could leave which
now seems almost impossible as he is so
very busy all the time. He preaches every
day in the chapel generally to a congregation
of several hundred. I went over once with Dr
Kerr. That day there were nearly 1000 there
Mr Preston speaks the language better than
any one else connected with the mission.
He shall be so glad to see Dr Happer when
he gets back. How many questions we will have
to ask him about all the "dear ones." He enjoyed
his visit before so much. He wrote Henry
that he had had a [u]most delightful[/u] visit & that
nothing was left undone by any one that could
be done to make his visit pleasant. I shall
not soon forget our nice trip to Cleveland I
always feel glad when I think of it that you & I
could have such a pleasant trip together. The
last place I went any distance in America
with Henry was the time that we attended
that Convention in Cleveland. And that
reminds me of your Musical Convention.
I am glad you had such a nice concert
and that Edward could go. If it was too
much for him I hope that he has long ere
this recovered. When we read our letters from
home I told Henry that for once I was so
glad that it had been so long since the letter
was written that we could hope that before
it reached here you were all better. It will
seem very long until we can hope to get
letters again. When I first opened the
letter and looked them over to see who
had written I thought that all had
written but Edward & you & I was
beginning to feel disappointed that there
was nothing from you. I thought perhaps
Edward would not feel able to write but I thought
you would surely write [u]something[/u] so I looked
again and found you. I thank you all
so much for writing it is so nice to hear
from [u]all[/u]. When any cannot write those who
do must tell us something about the rest.
You need not be afraid of getting your letters
alike there were no two of them at all alike
and never think that anything is too [u]little[/u]
to write about. There is nothing that interests
you that we will not be glad to hear.
I am glad that you have sacques like mine
we will keep them a long time My merino
dress was very much spoiled in coming so that
I took the skirt off & took out one breadth and
turned it cutting it more sloping so as to
make it full enough & then put the trimming
on straight round. I was [u]so surprised[/u] to know
what [^you made] a bonnet of. I always knew that your
powers of contriving were [u]wonderful[/u] but I would
not have thought them equal to that. I told
Henry I would not have been more surprised
if you had made it of a piece of sheeting.
So much for that I must tell you how much
Henry was amused when I told him about
your writing Starin "To put out the light when
he was ready to leave". He has spoken about
it a number of times and says it seems "so
funny" to think of it, and it very
funny" to me to think that "[u]our Em[/u]"
leads the singing so that Starin shall
not do it. Perhaps after a while he will
[u]forget[/u] that he is 2nd Chorister. I am glad
that Mr Crane's folks were with you Thanksgiving
Day. I thought about you all so much.
You know how glad I would have been to
be with you. It is always so pleasant to me
to think of the two last Thanksgivings at home
and though it makes me feel badly sometimes
to think how we are scattered now, yet
it is sweet to think of those who have gone
home where "there is no more parting".
For their sakes I can rejoice but how much
of lifes happiness has gone with them.
The last mail brought us letters from
Mattie & Emily at Oxford. I hope you & Mattie
write often. Before this reaches you you will
have seen her. It seems strange that Dr & Mrs
A & Mr & Mrs H met Mr Wilder. It seems as though
he is almost omnipresent. You are welcome to my
my interest in him. And now I must say
good-bye. You must take [^as] good care of yourself as
you do of others when they are sick & Sarah will lend you
her saddle & you must ride horseback for me, and take the
fresh air as much as you can. Your [u]own[/u] loving Hattie
Feb'y 20th /68 -
My [u]Darling Em[/u]-
If you will promise
not to laugh at my shaky looking letters
I will write you a few lines on board the
"Kin Kiang" a little steamer that plies between
Hong Kong & Canton. There is such a
jarring motion that I can hardly write
at all but I expect you will manage to
read it some way. You will wonder that
I am "at sea" again so soon but Henry
is not able to study much & the Dr thought
it would be nice for him to have a little
change so we are going down to HongKong
for a few days. We did not intend to go
quite so soon but as Mr & Mrs Jones are
going down to-day we thought we would
come now and so have a visit with
them and see them start for [u]America[/u].
It is a beautiful day & this morning as I
saw Mrs Jones bidding her friends good-bye
I asked Henry how he would feel if we were
starting for home too & he said that if he
had been here ten years he thought he would
feel very happy in starting home. It seems
to me that if the time ever comes when it
will seem right for me to go home it will be
joy beyond measure. Dear Em if our
lives are spared ten years we will hope to
meet again. Mr Jones thinks the missionaries
ought all to go home at the end of seven years
Mrs Jones told of one who wrote home for permission
to return & the Secretary replied that they
did not want to see their missionaries
this side of Jordan. He was of another
Board however I do not imagine Dr Lowrie
or Dr Irving would send such word as
that to any of their missionaries. I cannot
help thinking all the time how glad you will
be to see Mrs Jones. She was with Cynthia more
and can [--you--] tell you more about her than
any of the other ladies here. She has expected
to sail in the China & so go home via
San Fransisco, but has a sister Mrs Waugh
a missionary in India & now they are
thinking some of going that way, & if so
it will probably be a long time before she
will get around to Ohio. I am sure you
will enjoy her visit she is such a nice lady
and you cannot possibly feel afraid of her.
Their two little children Lillie & Willie will
be with them I presume. It seems as though
seeing persons from here every once in a
while will make us seem much nearer
to you. Mr & Mrs Preston and family are hoping
to go home soon perhaps not until the
"Pacific Railroad" is completed and if they do
I hope you will see them. They are such nice
people I know you would enjoy a visit from
them so much. He makes me think of Henry
Mason very much indeed. From some of
your letters & Emily Elliotts we judge that
Dr Happer is thinking of returning soon.
Mr Condit also is thinking of returning.
If they should come back Mr Preston
would feel as though he could leave which
now seems almost impossible as he is so
very busy all the time. He preaches every
day in the chapel generally to a congregation
of several hundred. I went over once with Dr
Kerr. That day there were nearly 1000 there
Mr Preston speaks the language better than
any one else connected with the mission.
He shall be so glad to see Dr Happer when
he gets back. How many questions we will have
to ask him about all the "dear ones." He enjoyed
his visit before so much. He wrote Henry
that he had had a [u]most delightful[/u] visit & that
nothing was left undone by any one that could
be done to make his visit pleasant. I shall
not soon forget our nice trip to Cleveland I
always feel glad when I think of it that you & I
could have such a pleasant trip together. The
last place I went any distance in America
with Henry was the time that we attended
that Convention in Cleveland. And that
reminds me of your Musical Convention.
I am glad you had such a nice concert
and that Edward could go. If it was too
much for him I hope that he has long ere
this recovered. When we read our letters from
home I told Henry that for once I was so
glad that it had been so long since the letter
was written that we could hope that before
it reached here you were all better. It will
seem very long until we can hope to get
letters again. When I first opened the
letter and looked them over to see who
had written I thought that all had
written but Edward & you & I was
beginning to feel disappointed that there
was nothing from you. I thought perhaps
Edward would not feel able to write but I thought
you would surely write [u]something[/u] so I looked
again and found you. I thank you all
so much for writing it is so nice to hear
from [u]all[/u]. When any cannot write those who
do must tell us something about the rest.
You need not be afraid of getting your letters
alike there were no two of them at all alike
and never think that anything is too [u]little[/u]
to write about. There is nothing that interests
you that we will not be glad to hear.
I am glad that you have sacques like mine
we will keep them a long time My merino
dress was very much spoiled in coming so that
I took the skirt off & took out one breadth and
turned it cutting it more sloping so as to
make it full enough & then put the trimming
on straight round. I was [u]so surprised[/u] to know
what [^you made] a bonnet of. I always knew that your
powers of contriving were [u]wonderful[/u] but I would
not have thought them equal to that. I told
Henry I would not have been more surprised
if you had made it of a piece of sheeting.
So much for that I must tell you how much
Henry was amused when I told him about
your writing Starin "To put out the light when
he was ready to leave". He has spoken about
it a number of times and says it seems "so
funny" to think of it, and it very
funny" to me to think that "[u]our Em[/u]"
leads the singing so that Starin shall
not do it. Perhaps after a while he will
[u]forget[/u] that he is 2nd Chorister. I am glad
that Mr Crane's folks were with you Thanksgiving
Day. I thought about you all so much.
You know how glad I would have been to
be with you. It is always so pleasant to me
to think of the two last Thanksgivings at home
and though it makes me feel badly sometimes
to think how we are scattered now, yet
it is sweet to think of those who have gone
home where "there is no more parting".
For their sakes I can rejoice but how much
of lifes happiness has gone with them.
The last mail brought us letters from
Mattie & Emily at Oxford. I hope you & Mattie
write often. Before this reaches you you will
have seen her. It seems strange that Dr & Mrs
A & Mr & Mrs H met Mr Wilder. It seems as though
he is almost omnipresent. You are welcome to my
my interest in him. And now I must say
good-bye. You must take [^as] good care of yourself as
you do of others when they are sick & Sarah will lend you
her saddle & you must ride horseback for me, and take the
fresh air as much as you can. Your [u]own[/u] loving Hattie
登上Kin Kiang船上
1868年2月20日
亲爱的Em
如果你向我保证
你不会嘲笑我发抖的书写
我会给你写一些
在Kin Kiang这个香港和广东之间的船上的事。
船一直在晃动
害得我几乎写不了东西
但是我希望你可以看懂。
你会好奇
我很快又到了海上
但是Henry不能学太多
而且医生认为做一些改变对他有好处
所以我们打算去香港待几天。
我们没有想要太早去
但是Jones夫妇今天去
我们想我们也现在去
然后和他们一起去
再看看他们对美国的开始。
真是美好的一天，而且今早我看到Jones太太
和她的朋友们道别
我问Henry对于我们搬家的感想
他说如果他的生命剩下10年
他认为他会很乐意。
对我来说
如果时间到了
会看起来正好是回家
那又是很好的。亲爱的Em
如果我们的生命只剩10年
我们希望再次见面。 Jones先生认为
传教士们应该在最后的7年回家。
Jones太太告诉其中给家里写信征求回家许可的一个
并且秘书回复我们
他们不想看到传教士们Jordan的这一面。
他是另一班的
但是我不能想象Lowrie医生
或Irving医生发出这样的词
给他们任何一个传教士。
我忍不住想象每一次你见Jones太太时
你会有多高兴。她多数时间和Cynthia在一起
而且你能多说一些她的事情
而不是这里其他女人的事情吗。
她期待在中国扬帆并且通过旧金山回家，
但是她有个姐姐Waugh太太
是一个印度的传教士，然后她们正在计划这么做
而且如果是这样
那会在她到俄亥俄州前花更长的时间
我确定你会喜欢拜访她
她是个很好的女人
而且你绝不会害怕她。
我认为她们两个小孩Lillie和Willie会和她们在一起。
看起来即使我们在各地
一旦有了联系
彼此间到距离就近了很多。
Preston和一家人希望早日回家
也许直到
“太平洋铁路”完成，而且如果他们真的可以
我希望你可以见到他们。
他们真的很好
我知道你会很喜欢拜访。
他让我想起了Henry Mason。
Mason very much indeed. From some of
从你的和Emily Elliotts的信里
your letters & Emily Elliotts we judge that
我们认为
Happer医生想很快回去。
Condit先生也想快回去。
如果他们应该回到Preston先生那边去
会觉得他们不可能离开很远
因为他们一直很忙。
他每天为上百个教堂会
在各个教堂传教
我和Kerr医生去了一次。
那天有将近1000个人在那
Preston先生说的中文
比任何一个传教士都好。当他回去的时候，他见到Happer医生很高兴；
我们会有多少问题要问他呀
他很享受之前的参观。
她对Henry写到
他有过和高兴的参观
而且没有什么
比这次拜访更让人开心。
我很久都不能够忘记我们这次美好的克利夫兰之旅
当我想到你和我有过如此美好的旅行
我总是觉得很快乐。
在美国和Henry去过的最后一个地方
我们参加了
克利夫兰的联合会。
我也想起了你的音乐会。
我很高兴你献上如此美妙的音乐会
而且Edward可以去。如果这对他来说太多
我希望他有更多（时间）恢复
当我们在家读信的时候
我告诉Henry，一旦我很高兴
信就会写的很长
我们希望之前到的都很好。
看起来日子很慢
直到我们再次得到信。当我第一次打开信
读它们，看看是谁写的
我想过所有
但是Edward、
你和我开始失望因为没有你的。
我想，可能Edward不会觉得他能写，但是我认为
你一定能写一点，所有我又看了一遍
然后找到了你。我非常感谢
收到你的信我很开心。
当不能写出来的时候
一定要说一些其他人。
你不用害怕写信
写什么我都喜欢看
而且不要认为没有什么事情太小而不愿写。
没有什么事激起你的兴趣
我们不会有兴趣。
我很高兴你和我一样有一样的裙子
我们保持很长时间
我的merino很爱打扮，而且被宠坏了
这让我方便脱下一件衬衫并且喘一口气
然后剪掉更多的斜线
变得更加饱满，并且在四圈装上装饰
我知道你做了一个引擎盖以后
很惊喜。我一直知道你的力量非常大
但是没有想到有这么大。
我告诉Henry我会很惊讶
如果你举起一张纸。
我必须告诉你太多事了
Henry被我对他的内容都笑了
我告诉他你写给Starin：准别走的时候。把灯熄灭“
他说过很多遍
每一次说的时候
想想都觉得有趣，
而且非常好玩得告诉我，让我想到了我们
领我们唱歌，Starin不会做
也许过一段时间
他会忘记他是第二个Chorister。我很高兴Crane先生的村民和你一起过感恩节。
我可惦记你们了。
你知道我那时候要和你一起会有多高兴。
它总是让我身心愉悦
想到前两个感恩节在家过
然后即使让我有时候想到我们现在分散在世界各地
而伤心，但是想的有些人回到没有聚会的家就感觉很甜蜜。
对于他们的目的我可以感到很欣慰
但是生活难料。
最后一次邮寄给我们带来了
Mattie和Emily在牛津给我们的信。我希望你和Mattie
经常写信。在联系到你们之前你会看到她。
看起来很奇怪A博士和A太太和H met夫妇和Wilder先生见过。
看起来他无处不在。欢迎你勾起我对他的兴趣。
而且现在我必须说再见了。
你一定要照顾好自己，
因为你也要在其他人生病的时候照顾他们，Sarah会把她的伤心传给你，
你一定要为我骑马，并且尽可能多的呼吸新鲜空气。
爱你的Hattie
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Harriet Newell, “Letter from Hattie to Em, February 20, 1868,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed November 21, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/6.