"Studying defence act, moral story about boy and knife" Read the full letter
Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner: Mimmie Murray 2001.24/74 |
Archive | National English Literary Museum, Grahamstown |
Epistolary Type | Letter |
Letter Date | 3 November 1912 |
Address From | De Aar, Northern Cape |
Address To | |
Who To | Minnie or Mimmie Murray nee Parkes |
Other Versions | |
Permissions | Please 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.
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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
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.
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.