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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box2/Fold1/Jan-June1899/35
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date6 June 1899
Address From2 Primrose Terrace, Berea, Johannesburg, Transvaal
Address ToGirls Collegiate School, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
Who ToBetty Molteno
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
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
8us today. I am trying to work at my man & woman book, but it is rather
9difficult while one’s heart is so concentrated on other matters, &
10yet, I must.
11
12 Wasn’t Solomon’s election opportune. It could not have come at a
13better moment. If there is no war will you & Miss Green not come up
14for your holiday or do you think it be exciting & distressing. You
15must get real rest somewhere this holidays. You would find nice walks
16near this if you came ^peaceful & quiet.^ Esselin has invited us over to
17Pretoria from Saturday to Monday, & is giving a little dinner at the
18Transvaal Hotel, of young Transvaalers to meet us. It is wonderful now
19the national consciousness is waking up in South Africa.
20
21 Your brother’s little letter was first rate. Have you heard what
22Merriman & Sauer
23
24^thought of my paper? They’ve not written to me. Ons Land has a very
25nice leader on it, & I got a very sympathetic letter from the Editor.
26I want us all so much to keep together, to be in full touch with one
27another. ^
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.