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Letter ReferenceHRC/OliveSchreinerLetters/OS-JohnHodgson/83
ArchiveHarry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date After Start: Monday 1914 ; Before End: 1918
Address Fromna
Address To
Who ToJohn Hodgson
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the University of Texas at Austin, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscript Collections. This letter has been dated by reference to content about the war.
1Monday
2
3Dear John
4
5I did feel unhappy about you last Saturday. Not about “Bombs” but
6you seemed to me so unwell to have lost all your old spirit &
7brightness. I’ve always felt as if you had more of the boy like
8“joy in life” than any man of your age I ever knew except my
9Husband. I’m sure you are working too hard. Don’t do it. Its the
10greatest mistake. I’ve just see a friend from the Cape who’s over
11worked, & now he can’t do any thing. I did it. If I hadn’t so
12mercilessly over worked myself during my youth my health ^heart^ would
13never have given way. I was so strong & w I felt it a kind of
14cowardice to save myself any where. Every time I see you lately you
15seem less & less like your old self. Is your work mainly mental, or is
16it largely physical. Perhaps you are only feeling the depression we
17all feel now.
18
19The war was much more terrible to me at first; I would pace up & down
20my room all night thinking of the boys and men lying dead on the
21battle fields. Now, I just feel sick of every thing – though I fight
22against the feeling. Things are on the whole brighter than they have
23ever been since the war started – but ones power of feeling seems
24almost worn out.
25
26Don’t over work. Don’t press yourself.
27
28Your loving small Aunt
29Olive
30
31Did you see the long review in the New Statesman of Sundays ^lasts^ play
32
Notation
The play reviewed cannot be established.