"Post-war typhoid, misery, common bond gone" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box3/Fold5/1906/1 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 18 January 1906 |
| Address From | Hanover, Northern Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Alice Greene |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please 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 of this letter is indicated by salutation and content.
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1
Hanover
2 Jan 18th 1906
3
4 Dear Friend
5
6 When is that long letter coming that you promised me. Yes, I have
7always had the feeling that now that now the one is gone who made the
8centre of the home, who was "home", you would perhaps all find that
9the dear old house was dead too. What makes a family a living reality
10are those deep bonds of common remembrance & ^the^ love for the dear
11dead; but any "house" can keep the members a family. In fact the
12artificial striving to keep up a central home may become a burden on
13some & divide instead of holding together.
14
15 It’s a hot Sunday afternoon & I’m sitting at the desk in the
16little study & it will soon be time to tea ready. There is nothing to
17tell you in the way of politics here. The South African Party will
18probably come this year or next I fancy, or rather Jameson’s
19government will go out. But I think there will be an entire reshuffle
20of the cards; both the ^South^ African & Progressive parties as now
21constituted & I think a third party will be formed. Now that the South
22African party has accepted British rule there is really no sharp
23dividing line between ^the^ Progressives & the South South African party
24p men, & they must divide on smaller question The war is as dead as a
25door nail now in the Colony. As far as I can understand things are
26going well in the Free State &
27
28^Transvaal. ^
29
30 Good bye, my dear one. Do you ever think of coming back here.
31 Olive
32
33
34
2 Jan 18th 1906
3
4 Dear Friend
5
6 When is that long letter coming that you promised me. Yes, I have
7always had the feeling that now that now the one is gone who made the
8centre of the home, who was "home", you would perhaps all find that
9the dear old house was dead too. What makes a family a living reality
10are those deep bonds of common remembrance & ^the^ love for the dear
11dead; but any "house" can keep the members a family. In fact the
12artificial striving to keep up a central home may become a burden on
13some & divide instead of holding together.
14
15 It’s a hot Sunday afternoon & I’m sitting at the desk in the
16little study & it will soon be time to tea ready. There is nothing to
17tell you in the way of politics here. The South African Party will
18probably come this year or next I fancy, or rather Jameson’s
19government will go out. But I think there will be an entire reshuffle
20of the cards; both the ^South^ African & Progressive parties as now
21constituted & I think a third party will be formed. Now that the South
22African party has accepted British rule there is really no sharp
23dividing line between ^the^ Progressives & the South South African party
24p men, & they must divide on smaller question The war is as dead as a
25door nail now in the Colony. As far as I can understand things are
26going well in the Free State &
27
28^Transvaal. ^
29
30 Good bye, my dear one. Do you ever think of coming back here.
31 Olive
32
33
34