"On helping set up women's branch of Democratic Foundation 1880s London" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceA119 Renier / A119-133
ArchiveFree State Archives Repository, Bloemfontein
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date12 October 1900
Address Fromna
Address To
Who ToSomerset East Women’s Congress
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the Free State Archives Repository for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of their collections.
1Uittreksel van ‘n Toespraak gelewer deur live Schreiner aan ‘n
2Vroue-Kongres te Somerset-Oos, op 12 Oktober 1900.
3
4“The time is coming when England will realise that in losing for ever
5the friendship and alliance of those free republicans, she has lost
6what all the gold of the Transvaal can never repay to her.
7
8With her own guns she has blown away one of the bulwarks of her Empire.
9 There is not a beardless Boer boy, or an old man of 70 who has
10stained with his blood the kopje or dongas of his native land but
11England would have found it cheap to buy his life as a cost of
12millions of pounds.
13
14When that day comes, and will come, when foreign troops – Russian,
15French or German – are upon the soil of England, when Englishmen
16gather to defend Richmond Hill and Hampstead Heath, as we have
17gathered to defend the hills and asses of our native land – when the
18tramp of foreign soldiers is heard in the streets of London, and the
19ground is wet at the Marble Hall, and the Hyde Park corner
20
21With the blood of Englishmen; when the cup she now presses to our lips
22is pressed to hers; and England stands where we stand today; then let
23her remember South Africa.”
24
Notation
This open letter for the Somerset East Women’s Congress, held on 12 October 1900, exists as a proof copy in the Renier collection. Schreiner sent written addresses to some of the Volkskongresses and peace congresses and she spoke at others, as follows: Graaff-Reinet Volkskongres, April 1900 (spoke); Cape Town women's meeting, June 1900 (spoke); Somerset East peace congress, October 1900 (a letter of address); Paarl, November 1900 peace congress (a letter of address); Worcester Volkskongres, December 1900 (spoke).