Olive Schreiner Letters Online

Letter Reference	Olive Schreiner BC16/Box7/Fold4/Mar-Dec1920/41
Archive	University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary Type	Letter
Letter Date	30 November 1920
Address From	Oak Hall, Wynburg, Cape Town, Western Cape
Address To	Miller’s Point, Western Cape
Who To	Caroline Murray nee Molteno
Other Versions

The manuscript of this letter by Olive Schreiner belongs to the Archive referenced above; its ownership of the original should be acknowledged by referencing the letter as indicated: Copyright transcription: © Olive Schreiner Letters Project. This transcription can be freely used as long as copyright is acknowledged and it is referenced using the following citation: ‘Olive Schreiner to Caroline Murray nee Molteno, 30 November 1920, UCT Manuscripts & Archives, Olive Schreiner Letters Project transcription’. Please also supply letter line numbers for specific quotations.

Legend
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. The date of this letter is provided by the postmark on an attached envelope, which also provides the address it was sent to.

1:  Oak Hall
2:  Tram terminus
3:  Wynberg
4: 
5:  My dear Mrs Murray
6: 
7:  I am so glad to think next week you will be here. As you will be at
8:  Miller’s Point I cannot see much of you, but its will be so good to
9:  know you are all here in Africa. I am so anxious to know how dear old
10:  Freddie stood the voyage. Thank you for your letter which I have just
11:  gone. You will hear that the parliament doesn’t meet till March the 2nd,
12:  but that gives us longer time to work. Need I tell you I tell you I
13:  will do all I can. I will certainly write Smuts & will also have a
14:  talk with him when he comes I know intimately two Unionist members of
15:  parliament who I think are sure to be returned & who w I will get not
16:  only to vote but to speak for the bill I will also write to Hertzog
17:  who is a great friend of mine, & will see Tielman Roos when he comes
18:  down & several others. Oliver is I believe giving Law lectures at
19:  Jo’burg & I will get him to take the subject up. I know he thinks it
20:  ridiculous that a man can marry his wife’s sister & not his
21:  brother’s wife. I will also if you all think it will get a body of
22:  women & go with them with a petition to the Government. It seems not
23:  only to me a just thing but a very good thing that a man should be
24:  able to marry his wife’s sister.
25: 
26:  I am longing to know how you left Betty. Does she think of coming out?
27:  I made the mistake of my life in coming out; but it is too late now to
28:  repent. If I had had any idea what the condition of affairs here was I
29:  should never have dreamed of coming. Ruth Alexander told me when she
30:  was in London it was all a lie about people not being able to get
31:  rooms here, that they were cheap & plentiful & I could get them
32:  anywhere. I thought I should get two nice unfurnished rooms in
33:  Tamboer’s Kloof & settle down there. This wretched little room I
34:  have here is the only place I have been able to find after advertising
35:  & searching for two months: & I can’t go up-country now.
36: 
37:  I do hope Freddie will find the climate all he dreams of. I am so glad
38:  to hear from Betty that she thinks both you & Dr Murray looking much
39:  better. I felt very anxious about you
40: 
41:  Much love to you all.
42:  Olive
43: 
44: 
45: