| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box2/Fold1/Jan-June1899/35 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 6 June 1899 |
| Address From | 2 Primrose Terrace, Berea, Johannesburg, Transvaal |
| Address To | Girls Collegiate School, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape |
| Who To | Betty 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 Betty Molteno, 6 June 1899, 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 name of the addressee and the address this letter was sent to are provided by an attached envelope. The name of the addressee is also indicated by salutation and content.
1:
2 Primrose Terrace
2:
Berea Estate
Johannesburg
3:
June 6 / 99
4:
5:
Dear Friend
6:
7:
We are anxiously waiting for news of the conference which will reach
8: us today. I am trying to work at my man & woman book, but it is rather
9: difficult while one’s heart is so concentrated on other matters, &
10: yet, I must.
11:
12:
Wasn’t Solomon’s election opportune. It could not have come at a
13: better moment. If there is no war will you & Miss Green not come up
14: for your holiday or do you think it be exciting & distressing. You
15: must get real rest somewhere this holidays. You would find nice walks
16: near this if you came ^peaceful & quiet.^ Esselin has invited us over to
17: Pretoria from Saturday to Monday, & is giving a little dinner at the
18: Transvaal Hotel, of young Transvaalers to meet us. It is wonderful now
19: the national consciousness is waking up in South Africa.
20:
21:
Your brother’s little letter was first rate. Have you heard what
22: Merriman & Sauer
23:
24: ^thought of my paper? They’ve not written to me. Ons Land has a very
25: nice leader on it, & I got a very sympathetic letter from the Editor.
26: I want us all so much to keep together, to be in full touch with one
27: another.
^
28:
29:
Olive
30:
Notation
The man & woman book refers to the manuscript, left in Johannesburg when the Schreiners left for Karree Kloof in late August 1899, which was destroyed when their house was badly damaged and burned by marauding troops during the South African War; parts of it were published in the US in two articles on 'Woman', and these eventually became
Woman & Labour. The paper Schreiner refers to is
An English South African's View of the Situation, originally published in the
South African News over three successive days; see 'Words in Season. An English South African's View of the Situation'
South African News 1 June 1899 (p.8), 2 June 1899 (p.8) and 3 June 1899 (also p.8). It was also reprinted in a number of other newspapers. It then was published as a pamphlet, then as a book. A second edition of the book was ready but withdrawn from publication by Schreiner when the South African War started in October 1899, so as not to profit from this.
