"Money to help the artist Naude, I have got so many stories" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | T120 (M722): W.T. Stead Papers/14- pages 82-5 |
| Archive | National Archives Depot, Pretoria |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 31 March 1891 |
| Address From | Matjesfontein, Western Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | William Thomas Stead |
| Other Versions | Cronwright-Schreiner 1924: 204 |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the National Archives Repository, Pretoria, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Micofilm Collections.
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1Matjesfontein
2March 31 / 91
3
4Dear Friend
5
6I have read your article on Madame Novikoff. It is splendid,
7fas-cinating, intensely sympathetic. How is it that that great wide
8heart of yours cannot be a little more merciful to Dilke & Parnell.
9The glory of your nature is its width. All people seem so narrowly
10sym limited in their sympathies, not you; therefore I hate to
11see a limitation in you anywhere. I believe you to be the most loyal
12friend, I know, I would that thou wertest also the most magnanimous
13enemy.
14
15I should like to know Madame N – but we would never agree about Russia
16however much we might sympathize personally (Private) The First of my
17articles which will appear in the Forthnightly I think in J May or
18June, signed, A Returned South African, will not be very interesting,
19it is simply a des-cription of South Africa as a county. The second
20may be interesting as it des-cribes the people & the political
21situation. On all points, but one, I believe you will be perfectly in
22sympathy with me.
23
24I ?picture also
25
26Your friend Olive Schreiner
27
28
2March 31 / 91
3
4Dear Friend
5
6I have read your article on Madame Novikoff. It is splendid,
7fas-cinating, intensely sympathetic. How is it that that great wide
8heart of yours cannot be a little more merciful to Dilke & Parnell.
9The glory of your nature is its width. All people seem so narrowly
10sym limited in their sympathies, not you; therefore I hate to
11see a limitation in you anywhere. I believe you to be the most loyal
12friend, I know, I would that thou wertest also the most magnanimous
13enemy.
14
15I should like to know Madame N – but we would never agree about Russia
16however much we might sympathize personally (Private) The First of my
17articles which will appear in the Forthnightly I think in J May or
18June, signed, A Returned South African, will not be very interesting,
19it is simply a des-cription of South Africa as a county. The second
20may be interesting as it des-cribes the people & the political
21situation. On all points, but one, I believe you will be perfectly in
22sympathy with me.
23
24I ?picture also
25
26Your friend Olive Schreiner
27
28
Notation
Stead’s article on Olga Novikoff appeared as the February 'Character Sketch'. See W.T. Stead ‘Madame Olga Novikoff’ Review of Reviews, February 1891 pp.123-30. The ‘first of my articles’ refers to Schreiner’s ‘A Returned South African’ essays, originally published in a range of magazines, with this first one published in the Fortnightly; she intended to rework them in book form, as Stray Thoughts on South Africa. A dispute with a publisher and then the outbreak of the South African War (1899-1902) prevented this, and they were in the event with some additional essays published posthumously as Thoughts on South Africa. Cronwright-Schreiner’s (1924) extract from this letter is incorrect in various ways.
Stead’s article on Olga Novikoff appeared as the February 'Character Sketch'. See W.T. Stead ‘Madame Olga Novikoff’ Review of Reviews, February 1891 pp.123-30. The ‘first of my articles’ refers to Schreiner’s ‘A Returned South African’ essays, originally published in a range of magazines, with this first one published in the Fortnightly; she intended to rework them in book form, as Stray Thoughts on South Africa. A dispute with a publisher and then the outbreak of the South African War (1899-1902) prevented this, and they were in the event with some additional essays published posthumously as Thoughts on South Africa. Cronwright-Schreiner’s (1924) extract from this letter is incorrect in various ways.