"Half-dead but into action" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Elisabeth Cobb 840/1/4 |
| Archive | University College London Library, Special Collections, UCL, London |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 12 February 1885 |
| Address From | 19 Charlotte Street, Westminster, London |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Elisabeth Cobb nee Sharpe |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to University College London (UCL) and its Library Services for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Special Collections.
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1
19 Charlotte St
2 Feb 12 / 85.
3
4 My dear Mrs Cobb
5
6 I am going to ask Miss Lord to come on Thursday afternoon. I think you
7said that would suit you better than Wednesday. I thought after you
8had left that perhaps if I had begged I might have been able to get
9you to stay the evening, & then we should have had time for a quiet
10talk. There are so many things I should like us to talk over.
11
12 I do hope you will be able to come even if Miss Lord can’t. Please
13remind me that there is a question I want to ask you when you come.
14It’s about a little half mental half physical fact with regard to
15which I should like to have other people’s experience. I often think
16that a thing quite as necessary as that ^women &^ men should understand
17& know more of eachother is that women should know really & understand
18more of one another, & each woman not be so much shut up to
19generalising from her own single experience. When you try to argue
20with men about many things they will turn round & say, ‘Ah yes, that
21is all very well, but you are speaking for yourself most women do not
22feel or think so,’ &c. And one doesn’t always know what to reply,
23does one?
24
25 Good bye,
26 Olive Schreiner
27
28 If Mr Pearson would care to come with you to meet Miss Lord I should
29be glad to see him.
30
2 Feb 12 / 85.
3
4 My dear Mrs Cobb
5
6 I am going to ask Miss Lord to come on Thursday afternoon. I think you
7said that would suit you better than Wednesday. I thought after you
8had left that perhaps if I had begged I might have been able to get
9you to stay the evening, & then we should have had time for a quiet
10talk. There are so many things I should like us to talk over.
11
12 I do hope you will be able to come even if Miss Lord can’t. Please
13remind me that there is a question I want to ask you when you come.
14It’s about a little half mental half physical fact with regard to
15which I should like to have other people’s experience. I often think
16that a thing quite as necessary as that ^women &^ men should understand
17& know more of eachother is that women should know really & understand
18more of one another, & each woman not be so much shut up to
19generalising from her own single experience. When you try to argue
20with men about many things they will turn round & say, ‘Ah yes, that
21is all very well, but you are speaking for yourself most women do not
22feel or think so,’ &c. And one doesn’t always know what to reply,
23does one?
24
25 Good bye,
26 Olive Schreiner
27
28 If Mr Pearson would care to come with you to meet Miss Lord I should
29be glad to see him.
30