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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner: Mimmie Murray 2001.24/74
ArchiveNational English Literary Museum, Grahamstown
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date3 November 1912
Address FromDe Aar, Northern 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.
1 De Aar
2 Nov. 3rd 1912
3
4 Dear Friend
5
6 Did you send me the early rubarb which I got yesterday? It came from
7Graaff Reinet so I expect you must have sent it. Thanks, we are
8enjoying it so.
9
10 The drought here is terrible. I hope your bazaar went off well. Please
11return me
that bit of letter to Anna Purcell. I ought to have marked
12it private. I hope I did as it was only for you.
13
14 I hope you understood dear, my position. I send you a bit of Earl
15Greys sp interview, as you may not have noticed it. You see, he feels
16just [page/s missing]
17
18 He thinks that terrible manhood suffrage in the Transvaal & Freestate
19will hang as a millstone about the neck of the South African
20government; I believe it will yet bathe this land in blood, unless it
21is done away with. I could not do anything that would not strengthen
22it, as it would be strengthened if women were enfranchised the on the
23same evil & rotten basis. I am for adult suffrage in all free
24homogenous suffrage where it means that every adult in the country
25will get a vote: but where it means that a tiny handful of men & women
26shall hold control & government over millions, it is absolutely
27necessary there should be a high educational qualification. When I
28would fight to the last gasp to undo that manhood franchise in the
29Transvaal & Freestate how can I rush to strengthen it by adding women
30to it?
31
32 If there were any change made in the basis of Franchise in the Cape
33Colony I should like to see the Educational test raised not lowered.
34
35 My heart is so bad dear I shall soon have to leave for Cape Town. I
36shall stay at my brother Will's till New Year & then go to unreadable
37Schmidt's Café at Muizenberg where I have taken a room, for two
38months.
39
40 My dear love to you all. I wish you were all coming to Cape Town.
41 Olive
42
43
44
Notation
There is a page or pages missing after 'You see, he feels just'. The 'bit of Earl Grey's interview' referred to is no longer attached.