Letter from Mattie to the Ones at Home, December 11

Letter from Mattie to the Ones at Home, December 11

Travel; Steamboats; Women missionaries; Single people in missionary work; Diaries--Authorship; Letter writing

Mattie writes a long letter to her family at home, describing her first couple of days in Canton. She was extremely happy that Henry and Hattie came to meet her in Hong Kong. She hadn't seen them in eight years. They stay at Dr. Eitel's house. Mattie describes Henry and Hattie's house in great detail and talks about the school and her journal.

Kerr, Martha Noyes

Loose, The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection

Unpublished

12-11

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_583

[Note: D with circle around it written in blue ink at top of page]
Canton Dec 11th
Dear Ones at Home,
I wish I could
write to each one this morning but
believe it will really be better to send
one epistle and let you give Em & Sarah
the benefit of it after you have read it.
There is so much to say that I feel
perfectly at a loss how to begin but will
try first of all to tell you when where
and how I met Henry & Hattie. Our
steamer was 3 days behind time time
and did not reach Hong Kong until
Monday morning. Henry & Hattie went
down there on the preceding Wednesday
morning and staid at Dr Eitels a

great friend of theirs (German missionary)
who is one of the most jovial of spirits.
I did not manage to sleep at all the
night before you may imagine but
was up by the dawn of day. We might
have been in harbor by nine oclock
Sabbath eve but the Capt did not dare
to take the ship in until light so the
steam was redweed until we could
scarcely perceive we were moving.
Went up on deck and found we should
be at anchor in 30 minutes. I can
leave it to your imagination what
were my feelings. I supposed the vessel
would draw up to a wharf and I should
see Henry step from thence out to the
boat but as we stood on the upper deck
all at once Miss Coffman exclaimed "Who
is that waving a handkerchief Miss

Noyes is not that your brother? I
looked in the direction she pointed [--she--]
out and [u] thought [/u] I think it is, looked
again and sure enough sitting in the
end of a little row boat facing the steamer
was our brother whom I had not seen
for eight long years in another
instant I found Hattie was with him.
I [--learned--] leaned just as far forward as
possible and waved at them hoping my
position would distinguish me from the
other members of the party and they
knew me although they could not as yet
distinguish features. As soon as they
came near I rushed down stairs and
in another moment we were clasped
in each others arms. Hattie exclaimed
"Have you really got here" and Henry's
"[u] How [/u] [u] do [/u] [u] you [/u] [u] do [/u] [u] Matt[/u]" expressed volumes.

Then "How did you leave all the folks
at home" was the next question. We stood
two or three minutes scarcely saying a
word and then I took them on deck
and introduced them [--on--] [--deck--] [--and--]
[--introduced--] [--them--] to the rest of our party.
Dr Eitel had come on board and took
us bag and baggage to his house where
we took breakfast and dinner, visited
some public gardens after dinner and
had our pictures taken. At the gardens
we found Geraniums about 60 different
kinds of ferns, Boston Clover and a good
many other kinds of home plants.
You wanted me to tell you just how
Henry & Hattie looked. Well Henry of
course was dressed in black wore a
wool hat something like Edward's new
one and Gaiters tipped with leather.
Hattie her black silk with a buff
overskirt and the very pretty hat
which was presented to her. They are
some thinner than when at home
though Henry says he thinks he
would weigh 134 perhaps. One thing

5
that changes them is the absence of color
in their faces but that is consequent to
living in Canton, every one is so &
I suppose we shall copy after them in
this respect. They do not seem any older
than I thought they would, and if Henry's
hair was only a little thicker he would be
quite the brother of old. His forehead has
[u] three [/u] [u] light [/u] lines across & not as deep
as your old sister M has gotten by teaching
at home. Altogether I found them as
well as I expected but they did work Hattie
a little too hard in her school last year
She says she is learning to take it easier.
We came up from Hong Kong on the
evening boat which left at 5 A.M and
reached Canton at 1 A.M but we did

not land until morning. Almost
the first thing we heard after we were
out of bed was Dr Happer's voice imploring
us as soon as possible to make our appear
ance in the cabin. Miss Coffman Lucy
Hattie and I occupied the ladies cabin and
of course having 4 in the room we did
not progress in our operations very rapidly.
He left us for a time and then back
he came saying that if [--h--] we did
not look out he would turn the hose
on us. Luc thought that was a little
severe to start with. We walked up to our
house as it was only a short distance
from the landing at 1/2 past 7
found ourselves at home. Miss Coffman
came with us and will stay here until
the steamer goes out to Siam which will
probably be in about a week. The house
here is built of brick of a led color, is
right on the canal which is filled at
all times with boats similar in shape
to the one Henry has. The gate opens
from the sidewalk and we must
always ring a bell for the servant to
come and open it as it locks on the

inside. This gate is simply a double
plank door opening inward and
painted black. We step from the side-
walk on some long flat stones (5 in
number) laid lengthwise from the gate
to the 6 stone steps leading on to the
verandah. The yard is surrounded by
a wall built of the same brick as the
house and covered entirely on the inner
side by a creeping vine, as we look
out upon it we might imagine
it to be a beautiful hedge. I can
walk across the yard in 7 steps from
the gate to the house. This is covered
with nice green grass with two small
evergreens almost against the house
and the door steps are at one side [--and--]
or end rather the plot being 30 ft long
and Henry just tells me 12 ft wide.
On each of the stone steps are 2 flower
pots one at each end containing pinks
moss Geraniums and some small
evergreens. The floor of the verandah
is painted in diamonds of a dark and
lighter color (led) grained with black and
has the effect of marble as far as
appearances go. This verandah is

whitewashed (plastered first in order)
and 3 doors open upon it 2 from
the parlor and one from the hall.
Every door about the house is double
like the front church doors at home
opening from the middle, the upper
half of these outside ones being of
glass. A railing across the front is
filled with house plants. we will go into
the hall. This is wide painted nearly
like the verandah, that is the floor
while the other painting is not unlike
our light chamber furniture at home.
The stairs are at one side and between
the door and the stairs is a small
ornamental stand on [--n--] each side
of which is a straw bottomed arm
chair. Over the stand hangs a picture
of the Synod of China under it a
fancy bracket and four smaller
lithographs so arranged with this large
one as to make a diamond. On
the other side a straw bottomed chair
small stand large hall table presented

to Hattie and Henry by the mission
and another small stand and chair.
Over the table hangs the large picture
of Niagagra falls on one side of it
Beatrice, on the other Evangeline
and under it a picture of our flag
making a large diamond. The wall
is painted in imitation of this large
block marble hall paper. The first door
on the left leads to the parlor. Henry's
study is at the end, also the sitting room
but between the parlor and this is a
little alley like the one leading out of
our sitting room to the parlor but not
closed off from the hall. The parlor is
large a [--ce--] center table in the middle
covered with books, the organ in one
corner Hattie's writing desk in the
opposite one a sofa straw bottomed chairs
book case and several rocking chairs
filling up vacant spaces in the most
home like manner. One thing we find
all over the house and that is

pictures, many of them lithography
but vastly better than bare walls to look
at. The chambers are covered with
straw carpet like that we have in New
England except a room Henry uses
to study in and which has a wool
carpet on it. Hatties sleeping room
is large a real sitting room with
an extravagantly large center table
bureau rocking chair bed &c. Luc's room
is opposite ours and a little smaller.
Henry's on the same side of the
hall with hers and the sitting room
I spoke of next to ours. 4 chambers
all opening from the hall.
Every thing is comfortable and
home like we have good [u] butter [/u] good
flour, water excellent, fresh fish potatoes
eggs oranges Bananas &c &c rice of course
but no curry. Dr Happers house
is on the same side of the street
with ours only one house between,
and I do love Miss Shaw and
Lillie very much. Miss Shaw makes
me think of Miss Cornell of Columbus

I must tell you before I forget
it that our photograph was taken before
we left Hong Kong and [u] just [/u] [u] as [/u] [u] we [/u]
[u] landed [/u] in every particular. Henry's
[u] hat [/u] [u] minus [/u]. My bed clothes are large
enough to use. My plant (wax) lived
and is thriving. My vase came through
without breaking. Clara's leaves &c are
all right. Can not say as much
for Sarah's horse which was so sea sick
it lost its head and feet during
the voyage but we put the dilapidated
members together and laid it on Hattie's
plate at breakfast this morning and
it was in consequence partly demolished.
She & Henry are very much pleased with
their presents, but I suppose they will
write about them. Hattie's school is very
pleasant indeed the girls seem so nice
and some of their own accord have
been praying that we might have
a safe voyage and be brought to
Canton in health and be able to learn
the language in a year so we can
teach them. I can hardly say I have
quite faith enough to believe that the

prayer in reference to the language
will be quite answered. I send my
journal in unfinished state but
will try and conclude it in some
sort of fashion before the next
mail. Clara wishes to know the
truth about seasickness and I
must say that I did not slip
through quite as easily as Hattie
did was not able to write nearly
every day but filled it up as I
could. I have dated it in order
and see I have put in Sabbath as
though I journalized on that day
but that was not the case. I am
perfectly well now and what the
company saved in board will come
out of the pocket of the missionaries
I think from present appearances.
You may get this before the meetings
following the week of prayer shall
have finished. I know the home
people will remember the ones far
away during that week in Jan.
I think of you at home as
probably surrounded by snow while

[Continued vertically on the ninth page]
we are having weather similar to our Sept. Good bye, Mattie

Letter