Olive Schreiner Letters Online

Letter Reference	Olive Schreiner BC16/Box4/Fold1/1908/28
Archive	University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary Type	Letter
Letter Date	10 May 1908
Address From	Matjesfontein, Western Cape
Address To	Knor Hoek, Sir Lowrys Pass, Cape Town, Western Cape
Who To	Julia Solly nee Muspratt
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 Julia Solly nee Muspratt, 10 May 1908, UCT Manuscripts & Archives, Olive Schreiner Letters Project transcription’. Please also supply letter line numbers for specific quotations.

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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 address this letter was sent to is provided by an attached envelope.

1:  Matjesfontein
2:  May the 10th 1908
3: 
4:  Dear Mrs Solly
5: 
6:  I have been feeling quite unhappy about that letter I sent you
7:  thinking it had better not have been written. If the womans
8:  enfranchisement were kept back a year or two by any little mistakes:
9:  what difference would it make? It must come at last. I have not
10:  written to Mrs Macfadyen yet, & feel perhaps it would be better to
11:  trust her own fine feeling not to use the name of our little society,
12:  nor of any members of it who are not "Loyal Lady-Leaguers" to help
13:  forward her Loyal Lady-Leaguer work in the Transvaal, ^& in no way to
14:  connect us with it^. I think if some South African women can quietly
15:  start a society ^in the Transvaal^ there backed by some of the most
16:  solid & well known S A women it may have great effect on strengthening
17:  the hands of the Transvaal Government in giving the franchise. I shall
18:  be here for another two weeks, so if you are able to write please
19:  address here.
20: 
21:  I would so like to see the women of South Africa enfranchised before I
22:  die. But if one doesn’t, one knows it will come all the same.
23: 
24:  Yours ever most sincerely
25:  Olive Schreiner
26: 
27:  ^Dear Mrs Solly ^
28: 
29:  I enclose the subscriptions of the following new members;
30:  Mrs de Witt
31:  Montana Vista
32:  Cornwall Place
33:  Wynberg
34:  C.C.
35: 
36:  & Mrs J D Logan
37:  Matjesfontein
38: 
39:  & Mrs J D Logan (Junior)
40:  Matjesfontein
41:  Hon member
42: 
43:  3/- & my own subscription of 1/- making four shillings
44:  Please send receipts to each of the above addresses.
45: 
46:  In haste
47:  Yours ever
48:  Olive Schreiner
49: 
50:  Matjesfontein
51: 
52:  Young Logan is a very nice young fellow very different from his father
53:  & his mother is a dear good hearted woman Hope to get two more members
54:  tomorrow
55: