"Predicts how war will be drummed up, strive to regard native as brother, Boer do so regard" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceEdward Carpenter 359/66
ArchiveSheffield Archives, Archives & Local Studies, Sheffield
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date9 November 1893
Address FromMiddelburg, Eastern Cape
Address To
Who ToEdward Carpenter
Other VersionsRive 1987: 226-7
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the Sheffield Archives, Sheffield Libraries, Archives and Information Services, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Archive Collections.
1 Middelburg
2 Nov 9 / 93
3
4 My dear old Ed
5
6 I want so to write to you tonight though I have not much to say that
7is interesting.
8
9 I got to Africa 11 days ago. I had to go to bed as soon as I landed &
10have been there almost ever since, but up here in the high Karroo I
11guess I shall get better soon. Ed: you would love Cron very much: he
12gets more & more beautiful the more I know him. He’s a great rest to
13me. There’s the most curious & complete "now" when I’m with him.
14He loves your books very much. He made me give him one of your
15likenesses to take back to the farm with him. You will be loved by
16both of us if you come to see us, as you must, Edward when we are
17settled. It’s all very beautiful with that friend of his. She is
18coming to stay here with me this week. If only I was stronger, life
19would be too beautiful; so I have to have a little sadness to tone it
20down! Everyone is so good & kind to me; & all my friends will welcome
21you if you come. The sky is so beautiful & blue. I think very tenderly
22of old Millthorpe. If ever Cron & I do come come to England we shall
23come straight there, & stay in the little cottage I was in.
24
25 I will send a paper on Colonial politics Cron has written. I think you
26will like it much. Cron’s very nice & uncivilized. When he came to
27see me he came very properly dressed, high collar, white shirt, tie, a
28very handsome young man. As we sat talking in the sun before my door,
29he suddenly unbuttoned his collar & threw it off without a word. In a
30few moments off went his necktie; then he took off his coat! then his
31waistcoat! then he rolled up his shirtsleeves! then he leaned back in
32the chair & drew a great sigh, as much as to say "Thank God!" & folded
33his arms, blissfully happy. Its really a great bond between us that we
34have such a horror of clothes. I could never have married anyone who
35believed that clothes were people! Give my love to my own old Bob when
36you see him; & to dear old George, & Lucy, & Harry & Louie. Good bye,
37dear old brother
38
39 Olive
40
41 Cron said he was going to write to you this week. I don’t know if he
42did.
43
44^I think we shall be married the middle of next January. Don’t speak
45about it generally because I don’t want it in the newspapers of
46course. ^
47
48 When you write next, address
49 c/o S. C. Cronwright
50 P. O. Halesowen 4
51 Cape Colony
52 South Africa.
53
54
55
56
Notation
It is not clear which paper on 'Colonial politics' by Cronwright-Schreiner is referred to, as he wrote frequent short articles and leaders for local Eastern Cape newspapers. Rive's (1987) version omits part of this letter and is also in a number of respects incorrect.