"Lies about Boer generals & about OS, she self-supporting" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner: Mimmie Murray 2001.24/2
ArchiveNational English Literary Museum, Grahamstown
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter DateThursday August 1908
Address FromYork House, Muizenberg, Western Cape
Address To
Who ToMinnie or Mimmie Murray nee Parkes
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the National English Literary Museum (NELM) for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscript Collections. This letter can be approximately dated by reference to content regarding the meeting of the Cape Town Women's Enfranchisement League which is referred to in it.
1 York House
2 Muizenberg
3 Thursday
4
5 Dear Mrs Murray
6
7 Thankyou so much for your letter. I was so played up that the Purcells
8wouldn't let me go up to Matjiesfontein where I should have had to
9cook &c for myself. So I've stayed on here with them for a little & am
10now a different person. My husband has promised to come & spend Xmas
11with us, & then I shall go up with him as far as Matjiesfontein, where
12I have take the two rooms that used to be the Bank, as the hotel is
13closed. I shall see if I can get on with my work there; but if I find
14it too hot I shall really accept your very very kind invitation & come
15on to Portlock. It will be so lovely to have you all about me. It is
16so nice when your work is done to have friends to speak to; especially
17children, are so refreshing sometimes. Mrs Purcell has a dear little
18nephew from Johannesburg staying with her, as well as her own two.
19Yesterday we went for a delightful picnic to Cape Point in a waggon.
20unreadable
21
22 Yes that meeting quite prostrated me. I think the whole matter should
23have been dealt with quite differently. Mrs Macfadyen's name should
24have been kept out all-together. A motion should simply have been
25brought in saying that the committee ^felt they^ had acted beyond their
26powers, that they felt their action had been illegal. It would have
27been voted on & passed in a minute, & then if Mrs Macfadyen had wanted
28to take action it would only have been at the general meeting when she
29could have carried nothing. I so strongly agree with you & Mrs Murray
30that our work is quietly to educate the women of the country, & that
31by big petitions &c we unreadable raise opposition, & put off the day
32when the politicians will ^be able to^ give it.
33
34 We had a fine drawing room meeting here on Monday, over 60 present;
35six or seven joined. The speeches especially Mrs Alexanders were very
36good. Freemantle spoke very strongly & dwelt on the point that needs
37dwelling on, that women should demand the vote not only to further
38women's interests, but the general interests of the country. I am so
39glad things are going well with your branch. The real work that needs
40doing now is the starting of branches in all up-country places.
41
42 Many many thanks for your kind invitation.
43
44 Yours ever
45 Olive Schreiner
46