Letter from Henry to Father, November 24, 1887

Letter from Henry to Father, November 24, 1887

Thanksgiving Day; Medical education; Islam--China; Bible--Versions; Rain and Rainfall

Henry writes to his father on what he believes is Thanksgiving day. He recounts the dinner he had with his fellow missionaries. Henry further details what he has been up to lately. The letter is interrupted as Henry goes to bed but is resumed on November 30 before the mail is sent. He heard from Hattie and Em in Medway and Westmoreland. He is also pleased to hear that Uncle Augustus is still active on his homestead. Henry plans to present a paper on Chinese Islam at his next conference and completed a translation of First Samuel. He concludes by saying that Bella and the children have reported that they are doing well.

Noyes, Henry Varnum

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

Unpublished

1887-11-24

Council on Library and Information Resources Hidden Special Collections Grant

PDF

eng (English)

Text

noyes_c_cor_817

Canton Nov 24th 1887
My dear Father
I am going to write a
few lines to you before going to
bed, as we have supposed this
is Thanksgiving day at home, and
have been observing it in a
measure. I spent a quite [?prenoon?]
at home and then went to take
dinner at Miss Butler's + Miss Lewis
[--Sopia--] Sophia Preston is there now, and
also a Mrs Thwing who has labored
among the Chinese in Brooklyn.
Dr Kerr + Martha were there and
also Dr Niles and young Mr Thwing.
He is not through college, but has
had to leave on account of his
health, for a time. He hopes to
complete his college course, study
medicine and then come out
here as a physician, seems like
a very bright promising young man
At 3-o-clock till four a meeting
was held with the girls + women's school

at which your son made
some remarks explaining the
significance of the day + some
of our causes of thanksgiving.
The native pastor of the 2d church
[?Kuan Loy?] followed with a few
remarks which were very good
After the meeting I spent the rest
of the afternoon and the evening
till 8-o-clock when I came home.
We had tea at Dr Kerrs - only [?them
am?] family and myself. I have
had a pleasant day and hope
the day which is now just
fairly begun with you will be
a pleasant + profitable one-
It seems nice to ^see Sophia Preston
so bright + happy. I was just a
little afraid she might feel sad
on coming to her own home, now
occupied by others, but she does
not- I think she will be a very
useful missionary-- I can see
a good deal of her good mother
in her - Now I will stop for to-night
but write some more before the mail goes.

Nov 30th I must finish my letter as
the mail goes this afternoon- The
letters from home came day before
yesterday bringing also letters
from Medway- Hattie + Em had
been to WEstmoreland and
made their visit there. It is
wonderful how much Uncle Augustus
keeps up. They said he was
helping haul something with
his ox-cart. That he would
go out to the fields standing
up in it + then read till
late in the evening. But they have
told you all this and more themselves.
I remember the old homestead there
very well, and just how uncle
Augustus looked both times I saw
him - the first time at his own
door when Edward and I went and
he knew us and called us each
by name before we told him who
we were - the next time when
he came to the depot for Hattie + me
with his big buffalo skin overcoat on +

then there was a third time I saw
him just before I came to China
the first time .
I am working away just
now, in addition to other duties
on a paper for the next con-
ference - on the subject of
Mohammedanism in China.
If it does no other good it
may give me some additional
knowledge about something I
have known very very little about
heretofore- I finished 1st Samuel
in translating a few days ago.
To day is a cloudy day
with a little rain -rather un-
usual for this time of year.
The papers say there has been a
typhoon in the China sea now
26th + 27th. I hope our party who
left for Siam Nov 24th did not get
into it-- My last mail from Bella
and the children says they are well
and expecting to get into the house she
has rented about the 1st of November.
Very much love form
Your Aff Son
-- Henry --



广州 1887 年 11 月 24 日
我亲爱的父亲
我要写一个
在去之前给你几行
床，正如我们所设想的那样
感恩节在家，和
一直在观察它
措施。我度过了一个相当的中午
在家里然后去拿
巴特勒小姐和刘易斯小姐的晚餐
索菲亚普雷斯顿现在在那里，而且
还有一位辛辛苦苦的思温夫人
在布鲁克林的华人中。
克尔博士和玛莎在那里
还有 Niles 博士和年轻的 Thwing 先生。
他没有读完大学，但有
因为他不得不离开
健康，一时间。他希望
完成他的大学课程，学习
吃药然后出来
在这里，作为一名医生，似乎
一个非常有前途的年轻人
三点到四点开会
与女子学校一起举行

你儿子在哪里做的
一些解释
一天的意义和一些
我们感恩的原因。
2d教会的本土牧师
Kuan Loy 紧随其后
非常好的评论
会议结束后我度过了剩下的
下午和晚上的
一直到我回家时八点。
我们在 Dr Kers 喝茶——只有他们
我是家人和我自己。我有
度过了愉快的一天和希望
现在刚刚的那一天
和你一起开始吧
一个愉快而有利可图的
很高兴见到索菲亚普雷斯顿
如此明亮和快乐。我只是一个
有点怕她会难过
来到她自己的家，现在
被别人占据，但她确实
不——我想她会是一个非常
有用的传教士——我能看到
很多她的好妈妈
在她身上——现在我今晚要停下来
但是在邮件发送之前再写一些。

11 月 30 日我必须完成我的信
邮件今天下午去-
前天家里来的信
昨天还带来了信件
来自 Medway-Hattie 和 Em
去过威斯特摩兰和
在那里进行了访问。这是
奥古斯都叔叔有多棒
跟上。他们说他是
帮助拖运东西
他的牛车。他会
站在田野里
在里面然后读到
晚上的晚些时候。但他们有
告诉你这一切，还有更多他们自己。
我记得那里的旧宅基地
很好，叔叔
奥古斯都看了我两次
他——第一次独自一人
爱德华和我去的时候门
他认识我们并给我们打电话
在我们告诉他谁之前按名字
我们是 - 下一次
他为海蒂和我来到仓库
穿着他的大水牛皮大衣

然后我第三次看到
我来中国之前的他
第一次 。
我只是在工作
现在，除了其他职责
关于下一次会议的论文——关于
中国的伊斯兰教。
如果它没有其他好处
可以给我一些额外的
我对某事的了解
知之甚少
迄今为止-我完成了第一个塞缪尔
前几天在翻译。
今天是阴天
下着小雨——这在一年中的这个时候很不寻常。
报纸说有一个
台风现在在中国海
26 日和 27 日。我希望我们党谁
11月24日离开暹罗没有得到
进入它——我从贝拉寄来的最后一封邮件
孩子们说他们很好
并期待进入她的房子
已租约 11 月 1 日。
非常爱的形式
你的儿子
——亨利——

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