Section of Unsigned Letter

Section of Unsigned Letter

Calendar, Chinese; Chinese New Year; Clothing; Selling--Clothing

The author, most likely Martha, is writing about how Chinese people mark passing time and how different it is from the Western way. It is an important holiday and women dress up. This leads to the discussion of how seriously women take dressing for New Year's. It also common practice for them to sell their clothes, or 'pawn' them when they need money. Sometimes the document's author will lend money out to people who sold their winter clothes.

Kerr, Martha Noyes

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

Unpublished

Unknown

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

noyes_c_cor_604

PDF

eng (English); chi (b) (Chinese)

Text

noyes_c_journal_582

[Note: &c transcribed as etc]
more than half we would
not ask them for any more
but go on building - and try
to plan somehow to get the
rest-- Well when your letter
came here were $20.00 and we
said - so much for the
new school. the very first
money it is that we have had
to put away for this purpose
Then last mail I had a
letter from my other Sabbath
school in Bloomfield New Jersey
and that had $50.00 in it given
by the young people there for
me to do what I liked with
so you see within two weeks
we have had $70.00 for that
building - If the good secretaries
think we better not go on
there will be two disappoint-
ed missionaries in our home
I have faith to believe they
will give their permission
Will it not be pleasant for
you all to feel you have had
a share in the house?- Per-
haps before we get it done
you can help us some
more. Our girls and women

have gone home for the New
Year's holidays. You will think
it funny when I tell you the
Chinese New Year is not one the
1st day of Jan. sometimes it is
at one time and sometimes
another - anytime between the
1st of Jan. and middle of Feb
we have known it to be
since our coming to China.
This year it was on the 15th
of Jan -- Each year we find
our selves asking what time is
Chinese New Year this year
for you sell all our schools
must close and the pupils
be at home at least a week
before this the only real holiday
the Chinese people have --
Then the year sometimes
has 13 months in it. The month
here may have 29 or 30 days
but never 31 -- Then they do
not have any names for
the months - but always say
this is the 1st month- or
this is the 2nd month [--instead-]
instead of telling us it is
Jan. or February-- Would it
not seem strange if we could

not talk about Monday Tues.
and so on. Here it is always
the 1st day of the month or the
2nd etc. If I were to tell a shop
keeper to finish any thing - for
me by next Tues for instance
he would look at me probably
as if he had not idea what I
meant and then say - What
day is this?- I often count on
on my fingers just I have
seen children do begin with the
fore finger and say - Monday
Tues Wednesday, an so on until
I come to the day I mean- and
so let him see how many it will
be -- He will brighten up and
say oh 4 days, or 6 days - as the
cast may be. You see how it
it is we do not always know
what time in their year it is
for when it is Feb with us it
may be Jan with them. This
New Years time is the great
occasion of the year. Every
body must appear in their
best dress-and if unfortunately
they have nothing [?the?] think
fine enough to visit and
receive their friends in they
have no objection to borrowing
so you never know whether
a woman has on her own suit

or not - Then suppose these
poor people get into debt and
want money [--the--] and they
get into that condition very
often - the very first thing they
do is to pawn their clothes.
Now if any of the children
do not know what pawn
means. I am sure the super-
intendent can tell you. Well
bye and bye this or that poor
woman who has done this will
come to us with a very long face
and a heart full of trouble and
tell us she is "[?tro?] pai ai" which
means that she is very unhappy
Well we inquire into the
matter and find that during
the warm weather she pawned
all her winter clothes - and
now during the cold weather
she wants them but has no
money to get them back.
Well perhaps this is the
Mother of one of our pupils
or possibly one of the teachers
in a day school - and what
is to be done. It usually
ends in our giving them
the money with a solemn
lecture upon the wrong
of doing so - and assuring them



[注：&c 转录为 etc] 一半以上我们不会再向他们要任何东西，
而是继续建造——并尝试以某种方式计划得到其余的——好吧，
当你的信来到这里时，
我们说是 20.00 美元——这么多新学校。
第一笔钱是我们为此目的必须存起来的。
最后一封邮件是我在新泽西布卢姆菲尔德的另一所安息日学校寄来的一封信，
里面有 50 美元，
是那里的年轻人给我的，
让我做我想做的事很喜欢，
所以你看，
在两周内，
我们为那栋建筑筹集了 70.00 美元 - 如果好秘书认为我们最好不要继续下去，
我们家会有两个失望的传教士，
我相信他们会同意让你们所有人都感到自己在房子里有一份高兴吗？-也许在我们完成它之前，
你们可以帮助我们更多。
我们的女孩和妇女已经回家过年了。
当我告诉你农历新年不是一月一日时，
你会觉得很有趣。
有时是一次，
有时是另一天——从 1 月 1 日到 2 月中旬之间的任何时候，
我们都知道是因为我们来到中国。
今年是 1 月 15 日 -- 每年我们都会问自己今年的农历新年是什么时候，
因为我们所有的学校都必须关闭，
学生们至少要在这个唯一真正的假期前一周在家中国人有—— 那么一年有时有13个月。
这里的月份可能有 29 或 30 天，
但从来没有 31 - 然后他们没有任何月份的名称 - 但总是说这是第 1 个月 - 或者这是第 2 个月，
而不是告诉我们它是一月或二月——如果我们不能谈论星期一星期二，
这会不会显得很奇怪。
等等。
这里总是每月的第一天或第二天等。
如果我要告诉店主完成任何事情 - 例如在下周二对我来说，
他可能会看着我，
好像他不知道我的意思然后说-今天是哪一天？-我经常指望我的手指，
只是我看到孩子们确实从食指开始说-星期一星期二星期三，
依此类推，
直到我遇到我要说的那一天-所以让他看看会有多少——他会亮起来说哦，
4天，
或者6天——因为演员可能是这样。
你看我们并不总是知道他们一年中的什么时候是二月和我们在一起的时候可能是一月和他们在一起。
这个新年时间是一年中的重要时刻。
每个人都必须穿着最好的衣服出现——如果不幸的是他们没有足够好的想法去拜访和接待他们的朋友，
他们也不反对借钱，
所以你永远不知道一个女人是否有自己的西装——那么假设这些穷人负债累累，
想要钱，
他们经常陷入这种境地——他们做的第一件事就是典当他们的衣服。
现在，
如果有任何孩子不知道典当是什么意思。
相信楼主可以告诉你的。
再见了，
这个或那个做过这件事的可怜女人会长着一张脸和一颗充满烦恼的心来找我们，
告诉我们她是“tro pai ai”，
这意味着她很不开心我们调查一下重要的是，
她发现在温暖的天气里，
她典当了所有的冬衣——现在在寒冷的天气里，
她想要它们，
但没有钱把它们拿回来。
好吧，
也许这是我们一名学生的母亲，
或者可能是走读学校的一名老师——以及要做什么。
它通常以我们给他们钱的方式结束，
并就这样做的错误进行庄严的演讲——并向他们保证

Paper