Letter from Henry to Clara, September 8, 1880
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Henry to Clara, September 8, 1880
Subject
Health; Chinese language--Study and teaching--Foreign speakers; Married people in missionary work; Birth; Children of missionaries; School buildings; Presidents--Election
Description
Henry supposes that everybody back home is satisfied with the result of the Republican nomination partly because the nominee is from Ohio. He writes about his wife who has recently given birth to their second child. Henry also mentions that Willie, his first son, speaks Chinese very well and he is starting to learn English. Together with this letter, Henry sends his father an article that he wrote for the Chinese Recorder. The school building is almost done.
Creator
Noyes, Henry Varnum
Source
Loose, The College of Wooster, Special Collections, Noyes Collection
Publisher
Unpublished
Date
1880-09-08
Contributor
Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant
Rights
Format
PDF
Language
eng (English)
Type
Text
Identifier
noyes_c_cor_628
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Canton Sept 8th 1880
My dear Sister Clara
I think I wrote to Em by
the last mail and so am going to
scratch a few lines to you by this
one I was glad to get Mothers good
long letter by the last mail and hope
to send an answer to it one of these
days. She wrote that you and Em were
going to Lakeside. I am sure you must
have had a very nice time. It was
a comfort too to learn that Sarah has
better health this Winter. I wish she
could have a chance to rest for a year
and get thoroughly refreshed. I suppose
[--they will--] you all feel quite satisfied with
the result of the Republican nomination
We will still shout [u] Hurrah for Ohio [/u]. A
good place for presidents to come from.
I was glad too that the Convention put
on record in their platform a good
word for Hayes for I think he
deserves it. Mother writes that she
is sorry to hear that Mattie cannot
sleep &c &c. She has gone to Swatow
and is feeling much better is able
to sleep quite well there with the
quiet and the ocean breezes.
We are all well. Bella does not feel
very strong yet. Baby is getting along finely
has gained 2 1/4 pounds since he was
born, he weighed 7 then. Bella thinks
he looks some like father. I see it as
yet only from his eyes upwards. We
cannot tell just what color his eyes
will be. At present they look as though
they might be grey but I think Willie's
were so at first and then changed to
quite dark Baby's hair is dark
Willie feels much better since the weather
has got a little cooler. He is beginning to
ask what we call a great many things
in English so I expect he will learn
his mother tongue after awhile. I like to
hear him talk Chinese, he speaks it so
nicely. We have had some very hot
weather this summer but it will be
cool now before a great while. The
nights are getting to be very comfortable
now. I presume you will be surprised
to know that Mrs Kerr has left by the
steamer that has brought you this letter.
They seemed to feel that it was best
for her to go for a time and look
after the children. I suppose you
will see them after awhile but Mrs
Kerr thought she would go to [Coventry]
first. I expect Dr Kerr will feel quite
lonesome. We expect to go to Lin Chau
in about a month, will probably leave
here Oct 12th. Quite a company all
going at the same time but I do not
know whether they will all go to Lin Chau
or not. I send Father by this mail
a short article I prepared for the
Chinese Recorder giving a summary of
the mission work in this portion of
the Canton province. I do not suppose
you have any map on which the dis-
tricts of the Canton province are marked
so that you can not tell just where
the various places I mention are but I
suppose you can form some general idea.
The native assistant from Kong-Mun
has just come in and says the
owner of the building we rented then
refuses to receive any more rent and
insists that he shall move so I suppose
he will have to try to get another
place. Mother mentions the school building
It is almost done and looks very pretty.
Now I must say good bye for this time
Love from us all to you all and
much from your aff Bro
-Henry.
[Written vertically]
I havent time to look this over but I guess you can get my meaning if I have
omitted words or made mistakes.
My dear Sister Clara
I think I wrote to Em by
the last mail and so am going to
scratch a few lines to you by this
one I was glad to get Mothers good
long letter by the last mail and hope
to send an answer to it one of these
days. She wrote that you and Em were
going to Lakeside. I am sure you must
have had a very nice time. It was
a comfort too to learn that Sarah has
better health this Winter. I wish she
could have a chance to rest for a year
and get thoroughly refreshed. I suppose
[--they will--] you all feel quite satisfied with
the result of the Republican nomination
We will still shout [u] Hurrah for Ohio [/u]. A
good place for presidents to come from.
I was glad too that the Convention put
on record in their platform a good
word for Hayes for I think he
deserves it. Mother writes that she
is sorry to hear that Mattie cannot
sleep &c &c. She has gone to Swatow
and is feeling much better is able
to sleep quite well there with the
quiet and the ocean breezes.
We are all well. Bella does not feel
very strong yet. Baby is getting along finely
has gained 2 1/4 pounds since he was
born, he weighed 7 then. Bella thinks
he looks some like father. I see it as
yet only from his eyes upwards. We
cannot tell just what color his eyes
will be. At present they look as though
they might be grey but I think Willie's
were so at first and then changed to
quite dark Baby's hair is dark
Willie feels much better since the weather
has got a little cooler. He is beginning to
ask what we call a great many things
in English so I expect he will learn
his mother tongue after awhile. I like to
hear him talk Chinese, he speaks it so
nicely. We have had some very hot
weather this summer but it will be
cool now before a great while. The
nights are getting to be very comfortable
now. I presume you will be surprised
to know that Mrs Kerr has left by the
steamer that has brought you this letter.
They seemed to feel that it was best
for her to go for a time and look
after the children. I suppose you
will see them after awhile but Mrs
Kerr thought she would go to [Coventry]
first. I expect Dr Kerr will feel quite
lonesome. We expect to go to Lin Chau
in about a month, will probably leave
here Oct 12th. Quite a company all
going at the same time but I do not
know whether they will all go to Lin Chau
or not. I send Father by this mail
a short article I prepared for the
Chinese Recorder giving a summary of
the mission work in this portion of
the Canton province. I do not suppose
you have any map on which the dis-
tricts of the Canton province are marked
so that you can not tell just where
the various places I mention are but I
suppose you can form some general idea.
The native assistant from Kong-Mun
has just come in and says the
owner of the building we rented then
refuses to receive any more rent and
insists that he shall move so I suppose
he will have to try to get another
place. Mother mentions the school building
It is almost done and looks very pretty.
Now I must say good bye for this time
Love from us all to you all and
much from your aff Bro
-Henry.
[Written vertically]
I havent time to look this over but I guess you can get my meaning if I have
omitted words or made mistakes.
Original Format
Letter
Collection
Citation
Noyes, Henry Varnum, “Letter from Henry to Clara, September 8, 1880,” Letters from Harriet Noyes: Missionaries and Women's Education in Nineteenth Century China, accessed November 21, 2024, https://noyesletters.org/items/show/765.