1 Letter to be read at meeting
2
3 de Aar
4 May 29th 1908
5
6 Dear Miss Hobhouse
7
8 I regret I cannot be with you on the second.
9
10 The time is a very important one; because is it greatly to be desired,
11that (as in Australia) with the federation of the different South
12African states, should go the re cognition of woman’s citizenship, &
13her duty towards the state nation.
14
15 //The male members of our society, who have, in the past, alone, been
16intrusted with the duty of shaping laws & public insti-tutions, have
17in South Africa often shown a sanity & breadth of insight, often not
18always shown by those of other societies.
19
20 //In the non-sexual cases of our University regulations we have the
21noblest example of this. This constitution recognizes that the
22benefits of the highest intellectual culture are as curiously denied
23on the score of sex as of race: & that social health demands that
24their enjoyment ^use^ should depend, entirely on the desire & ability of
25the individual ^citizen^ to make use of them.
26
27 //In the splendid use which many of our younger women are now making
28of those advantages, we have as a society the reward of the breadth &
29foresight shown by certain of our men ^in the past^; & we have no not
30need to fear that in the future South Africa’s men will be far found
31falling behind those of other nations in the path of progressive &
32enlightened social development.
33
34 //I have never regarded the desire (now as wide spread as civilization
35itself) that woman should take her share in the duties & labours of
36the nation life, as in any sense a movement of the sexes against each
37other; but, rather, as a as a great integrative movement, of the sexes
38towards each other.
39
40 How deeply this movement ^is the expression^ of a great social need,
41felt equally by man & woman, unreadable is shown in our country, by
42that large body of its most intelligent & advanced men who, not only
43stand shoulder to shoulder with woman in her struggle for this reform,
44but who have indeed often been leaders.
45
46 There ?shal have been with-in the last weeks councils held by certain
47of our men, seeking to forward what ^they hope^ will ultimately be, a
48federation of our different states
49
50 //We here today are are met ^?in an endeavour to^ forward an even deeper
51& wider ^measure of^ reform – the Federation of the Sexes.
52
53 I believe they will ultimately succeed – I know, we shall.
54
55 Yours ever
56 Olive Schreiner
57
58

1 De Aar
2 Oct 3rd 1908
3
4 Dear Emily Hobhouse
5
6 I seems too sad that you are really going away from Africa, & yet I
7feel it’s best. I too would go if I could. That is, I feel I could
8do much more in Europe than I can here. No one needs me here now
9except the natives - & that is indeed hard & stern works that calls to
10all the bravest souls in South Africa for many years to come.
11
12 I think you will find a large field of work opening for in England in
13aiding our women there. Let me hear from you sometimes & know how the
14world opens before you. We shall have an uphill fight here to rouse &
15educate our women to their public duties. You see, we are just 60
16years behind Europe in this, as in so many other matters.
17
18 I wish you were coming this way on your journey home. Its is a noble
19page of a woman’s work that you are closing as you go away.
20
21 Yours ever & ever
22 Olive Schreiner
23
24 Ple Tell Naude he must spend a day with me on his way home. I have a
25tiny prophet’s character & I can put him in.
26
27 It is a terrible pity the last part of that journal was not translated
28in the same splendid simple style the first part was. If it were, I
29would be glad to write a little preface to it & I’m
30
31 ^sure some English publisher would be glad to take it simply as a
32"Human Document" as the Americans calls such a revelation of human
33nature. I think it wonderful.^
34
35
36