Section of an Unsigned Letter to Sarah
Dublin Core
Title
Section of an Unsigned Letter to Sarah
Subject
Home; Dead; Heaven; Family
Description
This letter reminisces about a vacated home and speculates about the author's mother in heaven. Willie has gone to America, and aging Henry has been too busy to meet.
Creator
Kerr, Martha Noyes
Source
Loose, The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
Unknown
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_634
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
My dear Sister Sarah,
I think of you in
the old home. Another year
of work done and another
vacation entered upon. But
the home coming was in
one respect so saddened.
I can not think of the dear
old home now without feeling
how still it must be. I can
hear the echo of Mothers
footstep in that passageway
at any moment. I read in
one of the papers by the last mail
an item in which it was
said that a person who had
been in heaven five minutes
knew more then all the
divines on Earth. We must try
all the time to look forward
and think of her blessedness
We could not for a moment think
of asking her for an instant even
to return to us. It was so good
in God to minister to her such an
abundant entrance into heaven
Not a doubt or fear can ever
enter the mind that she is not
safe in glory. She has been
spared from any anxieties
to come. I wrote her a
letter from Macau which was
not needed by her. She was al
ready safe from all that could
disturb or distress her. We think
of you now has having Bella
and the children there. It will
be a great pleasure to the little
boys to have the freedom of
the farm. And it will be so good
for Willie. I do hope he will
get strong while he is in America.
I do not see much of Henry
We are both so busy it seems
almost impossible to meet very
often. His school is growing
They have 60 in accommodations
built for 80. If he can only get
ground there will then be a
possibility of his being more
comfortably situated. But it is not
so easy to purchase land in
this populous old city of Canton
We hope that the thing can be
accomplished before he has to
leave for America. Time and
patience is said to accom-
plish all things so no doubt
this matter will be properly
settled in time. I do not think
you will find Henry greatly
changed but he is somewhat
bald and his wishers are grey
somewhat not very much so
He is working very hard and seems
to be well. They wrote me
from home that you had been
doing double duty the past year
Do not see how you could
endure so much work. It would
be very nice if you could be at home
next year. I love to think of the
five sisters all together this sum
mer. There will be a large
family and everyone must be
very busy, but perhaps that will
be well. You will not perhaps
feel quite as lonely. Who pours out
the coffee and tea at the table?
I want to ask if you girls put
on mourning I did not but it
sometimes seems as if it would
have been a comfort to have
worn it. A comfort to my own
feelings. But the weather is so
hot the Dr felt it would not be
well for me to do it. It is against
my principles at least I thought
it was until now, but the heart
does sometimes long to give this
outward expression of its sorrow
Yet when we think of all Mother
suffered here we can not find it
in our hearts to mourn that she
is rest. I wish so much that Dr
Kerr could have seen her before he
came back to China. If they could
have been at our house for a few
days he would have known father
[Continued vertically on the first page]
and mother both. It was so nice that Hattie visited them
last summer and that Mother thought so much of her.
When sister
Hattie comes
back it will
help me to talk
it all over
with her.
The letter I
began to her
on the 22nd of
June did not
get off but I
thought of her
nearly all day.
I hope we
can have a
letter from you
during vacation
They are like
angels visits [?fero?]
&c but we know
you can not
write when you are in school.
我亲爱的莎拉修女，
我在老家想起你。
又一年的工作完成，
又一个假期开始了。
但是，
即将到来的家在一方面是如此令人难过。
我现在想起那所亲爱的老家，
就会觉得它一定是多么安静。
我随时都能听到那条通道上母亲的脚步声。
我在最后一封邮件中的一篇论文中读到一篇文章，
其中说一个人在天堂里呆了五分钟，
比地球上所有的神灵都了解更多。
我们必须时刻努力向前看，
想着她的幸福我们一刻也想不起来，
甚至一刻都想请她回到我们身边。
上帝赐予她如此丰富的进入天堂的机会真是太好了她已经从未来的任何焦虑中幸免于难。
我给她写了一封她不需要的来自澳门的信。
她已经准备好远离一切可能打扰或困扰她的事情。
我们想你现在有贝拉和孩子们在那里。
小男孩们很高兴能拥有农场的自由。
这对威利来说太好了。
我真的希望他在美国时会变得坚强。
我没怎么看亨利 我们都很忙，
几乎不可能经常见面。
他的学校正在发展 他们为 80 人建造了 60 间宿舍。
如果他只能得到地面，
那么他的位置可能会更舒适。
但是在广州这个人口众多的老城买地并不是那么容易，
我们希望这件事能在他离开美国之前完成。
据说时间和耐心可以完成所有事情，
所以毫无疑问，
这件事会及时得到妥善解决。
我不认为你会发现亨利有很大的变化，
但他有点秃了，
他的愿望也不是很灰，
所以他工作很努力，
看起来很好。
他们在家里给我写信说你在过去的一年里一直在做双重工作不要看你怎么能忍受这么多的工作。
如果你明年能在家就好了。
我喜欢想到今年夏天五姐妹在一起。
会有一个大家庭，
每个人都一定很忙，
但也许那会很好。
你也许不会感到那么孤单。
谁倒了桌上的咖啡和茶？我想问一下你们这些女孩是否戴上了我没有戴上的丧服，
但有时戴上它似乎是一种安慰。
安慰自己的感情。
但是天气太热了，
医生觉得我这样做不太好。
至少直到现在我都认为这违反了我的原则，
但内心有时确实渴望将其悲伤的这种外在表达然而当我们想到母亲在这里遭受的所有痛苦时，
我们无法在心中哀悼她休息。
我非常希望克尔博士在回到中国之前能见到她。
如果他们能在我们家住几天，
他就会认识父亲（在第一页上继续垂直）和母亲。
去年夏天海蒂来拜访他们真是太好了，
妈妈也很想她。
当海蒂姐妹回来时，
它会帮助我和她好好谈谈。
我在 6 月 22 日开始写给她的信没有收到，
但我几乎整天都在想她。
我希望我们能在假期收到你的来信他们就像天使拜访fero 等，
但我们知道你在学校时不能写信。
I think of you in
the old home. Another year
of work done and another
vacation entered upon. But
the home coming was in
one respect so saddened.
I can not think of the dear
old home now without feeling
how still it must be. I can
hear the echo of Mothers
footstep in that passageway
at any moment. I read in
one of the papers by the last mail
an item in which it was
said that a person who had
been in heaven five minutes
knew more then all the
divines on Earth. We must try
all the time to look forward
and think of her blessedness
We could not for a moment think
of asking her for an instant even
to return to us. It was so good
in God to minister to her such an
abundant entrance into heaven
Not a doubt or fear can ever
enter the mind that she is not
safe in glory. She has been
spared from any anxieties
to come. I wrote her a
letter from Macau which was
not needed by her. She was al
ready safe from all that could
disturb or distress her. We think
of you now has having Bella
and the children there. It will
be a great pleasure to the little
boys to have the freedom of
the farm. And it will be so good
for Willie. I do hope he will
get strong while he is in America.
I do not see much of Henry
We are both so busy it seems
almost impossible to meet very
often. His school is growing
They have 60 in accommodations
built for 80. If he can only get
ground there will then be a
possibility of his being more
comfortably situated. But it is not
so easy to purchase land in
this populous old city of Canton
We hope that the thing can be
accomplished before he has to
leave for America. Time and
patience is said to accom-
plish all things so no doubt
this matter will be properly
settled in time. I do not think
you will find Henry greatly
changed but he is somewhat
bald and his wishers are grey
somewhat not very much so
He is working very hard and seems
to be well. They wrote me
from home that you had been
doing double duty the past year
Do not see how you could
endure so much work. It would
be very nice if you could be at home
next year. I love to think of the
five sisters all together this sum
mer. There will be a large
family and everyone must be
very busy, but perhaps that will
be well. You will not perhaps
feel quite as lonely. Who pours out
the coffee and tea at the table?
I want to ask if you girls put
on mourning I did not but it
sometimes seems as if it would
have been a comfort to have
worn it. A comfort to my own
feelings. But the weather is so
hot the Dr felt it would not be
well for me to do it. It is against
my principles at least I thought
it was until now, but the heart
does sometimes long to give this
outward expression of its sorrow
Yet when we think of all Mother
suffered here we can not find it
in our hearts to mourn that she
is rest. I wish so much that Dr
Kerr could have seen her before he
came back to China. If they could
have been at our house for a few
days he would have known father
[Continued vertically on the first page]
and mother both. It was so nice that Hattie visited them
last summer and that Mother thought so much of her.
When sister
Hattie comes
back it will
help me to talk
it all over
with her.
The letter I
began to her
on the 22nd of
June did not
get off but I
thought of her
nearly all day.
I hope we
can have a
letter from you
during vacation
They are like
angels visits [?fero?]
&c but we know
you can not
write when you are in school.
我亲爱的莎拉修女，
我在老家想起你。
又一年的工作完成，
又一个假期开始了。
但是，
即将到来的家在一方面是如此令人难过。
我现在想起那所亲爱的老家，
就会觉得它一定是多么安静。
我随时都能听到那条通道上母亲的脚步声。
我在最后一封邮件中的一篇论文中读到一篇文章，
其中说一个人在天堂里呆了五分钟，
比地球上所有的神灵都了解更多。
我们必须时刻努力向前看，
想着她的幸福我们一刻也想不起来，
甚至一刻都想请她回到我们身边。
上帝赐予她如此丰富的进入天堂的机会真是太好了她已经从未来的任何焦虑中幸免于难。
我给她写了一封她不需要的来自澳门的信。
她已经准备好远离一切可能打扰或困扰她的事情。
我们想你现在有贝拉和孩子们在那里。
小男孩们很高兴能拥有农场的自由。
这对威利来说太好了。
我真的希望他在美国时会变得坚强。
我没怎么看亨利 我们都很忙，
几乎不可能经常见面。
他的学校正在发展 他们为 80 人建造了 60 间宿舍。
如果他只能得到地面，
那么他的位置可能会更舒适。
但是在广州这个人口众多的老城买地并不是那么容易，
我们希望这件事能在他离开美国之前完成。
据说时间和耐心可以完成所有事情，
所以毫无疑问，
这件事会及时得到妥善解决。
我不认为你会发现亨利有很大的变化，
但他有点秃了，
他的愿望也不是很灰，
所以他工作很努力，
看起来很好。
他们在家里给我写信说你在过去的一年里一直在做双重工作不要看你怎么能忍受这么多的工作。
如果你明年能在家就好了。
我喜欢想到今年夏天五姐妹在一起。
会有一个大家庭，
每个人都一定很忙，
但也许那会很好。
你也许不会感到那么孤单。
谁倒了桌上的咖啡和茶？我想问一下你们这些女孩是否戴上了我没有戴上的丧服，
但有时戴上它似乎是一种安慰。
安慰自己的感情。
但是天气太热了，
医生觉得我这样做不太好。
至少直到现在我都认为这违反了我的原则，
但内心有时确实渴望将其悲伤的这种外在表达然而当我们想到母亲在这里遭受的所有痛苦时，
我们无法在心中哀悼她休息。
我非常希望克尔博士在回到中国之前能见到她。
如果他们能在我们家住几天，
他就会认识父亲（在第一页上继续垂直）和母亲。
去年夏天海蒂来拜访他们真是太好了，
妈妈也很想她。
当海蒂姐妹回来时，
它会帮助我和她好好谈谈。
我在 6 月 22 日开始写给她的信没有收到，
但我几乎整天都在想她。
我希望我们能在假期收到你的来信他们就像天使拜访fero 等，
但我们知道你在学校时不能写信。
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Kerr, Martha Noyes, “Section of an Unsigned Letter to Sarah,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed November 21, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/695.