"Sorrowful heart about the Transvaal" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box5/Fold3/1914/55 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 1 September 1914 |
| Address From | 30 St Mary Abbotts Terrace, Kensington, London |
| Address To | |
| Who To | William Philip ('Will') Schreiner |
| 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 date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand. Schreiner was resident in St Mary Abbotts Terrace for some weeks during August and September 1914.
|
1Thanks for note dear I’m glad you are keeping fit. The Merriman’s
2invited me to dine with them yesterday, but at the last moment I
3didn’t feel well enough to go. He called on me this morning. It was
4good meeting him because he had just my feeling of sympathy with the
5German people & of the wrongness of our relation with Russia.
6
7Parliament has been called at the Cape & he says he is going back in a
8few weeks. He’s looking wonderfully well. Seems very doubtf
9sorrowful about the financial position at the Cape.
10
11Ghandi & Callenback came to see me today but I was out; they are
12coming again tomorrow. I’ve heard of a little college in the country
13which I am going to see tomorrow afternoon. My head is what troubles
14me most & the noise. I saw a most painful scene on the street today.
15A wretched little territorial, he looked like a canteen helper dressed
16up in kakai; ordering a poor working class Englishman who was driving
17a man & arrested by the police because he said he had seen him
18laughing at the squad ^of above 12 men^ he had with him. “Take him off
19to prison at once, take him off. – He laughed at us! I won’t have
20the Kings Uniform insulted! Take him off at once.” The police man
21was somewhat doubt-ful of his power to arrest the man without a
22warrant, but took his name & address & said a warrant should be issued:
23 The man in the King’s Uniform was very angry, said the van driver
24ought to shot. I think the sympathy of the whole crowd was with the
25van-man; it one would have imagined the other man must be drunk –
26but he didn’t seem to be. The poor old van man protested he was not
27laughing at the Kings Uniform.
28
29Good bye dear. I’ll let you know when I’m settled. Alice has
30kindly said I may just pay for my room here & board myself which will
31be much better till I can get quarters
32
33Olive
34
35^I’m all right as to money.^
36
37^The girl brought the enclosed letter with mine this morning & I opened
38it without looking at the address. Sorry.^
39
40^This is my view^
41
2invited me to dine with them yesterday, but at the last moment I
3didn’t feel well enough to go. He called on me this morning. It was
4good meeting him because he had just my feeling of sympathy with the
5German people & of the wrongness of our relation with Russia.
6
7Parliament has been called at the Cape & he says he is going back in a
8few weeks. He’s looking wonderfully well. Seems very doubtf
9sorrowful about the financial position at the Cape.
10
11Ghandi & Callenback came to see me today but I was out; they are
12coming again tomorrow. I’ve heard of a little college in the country
13which I am going to see tomorrow afternoon. My head is what troubles
14me most & the noise. I saw a most painful scene on the street today.
15A wretched little territorial, he looked like a canteen helper dressed
16up in kakai; ordering a poor working class Englishman who was driving
17a man & arrested by the police because he said he had seen him
18laughing at the squad ^of above 12 men^ he had with him. “Take him off
19to prison at once, take him off. – He laughed at us! I won’t have
20the Kings Uniform insulted! Take him off at once.” The police man
21was somewhat doubt-ful of his power to arrest the man without a
22warrant, but took his name & address & said a warrant should be issued:
23 The man in the King’s Uniform was very angry, said the van driver
24ought to shot. I think the sympathy of the whole crowd was with the
25van-man; it one would have imagined the other man must be drunk –
26but he didn’t seem to be. The poor old van man protested he was not
27laughing at the Kings Uniform.
28
29Good bye dear. I’ll let you know when I’m settled. Alice has
30kindly said I may just pay for my room here & board myself which will
31be much better till I can get quarters
32
33Olive
34
35^I’m all right as to money.^
36
37^The girl brought the enclosed letter with mine this morning & I opened
38it without looking at the address. Sorry.^
39
40^This is my view^
41
Notation
The enclosed letter is no longer attached. The final insertion, 'This is my view', is written onto a short cutting from a newspaper which proposes that, once Russia and Britain fully exerted their combined military strength, the war would quickly be over.
The enclosed letter is no longer attached. The final insertion, 'This is my view', is written onto a short cutting from a newspaper which proposes that, once Russia and Britain fully exerted their combined military strength, the war would quickly be over.