"Prostitution, changing a whole system" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Letters/415 |
| Archive | |
| Epistolary Type | |
| Letter Date | 4 November 1890 |
| Address From | Matjesfontein, Western Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Havelock Ellis |
| Other Versions | Cronwright-Schreiner 1924: 198 |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
When Cronwright-Schreiner prepared The Letters of Olive Schreiner, with few exceptions he then destroyed her originals. However, some people gave him copies and kept the originals or demanded the return of these; and when actual Schreiner letters can be compared with his versions, his have omissions, distortions and bowdlerisations. Where Schreiner originals have survived, these will be found in the relevant collections across the OSLO website. There is however a residue of some 587 items in The Letters for which no originals are extant. They are included here for sake of completeness. However, their relationship to Schreiners actual letters cannot now be gauged, and so they should be read with caution for the reasons given.
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1To Havelock Ellis.
2Matjesfontein, 4th Nov.
3
4I have the most extreme humbleness with regard to my business
5faculties. I could command a fleet, govern an army, lead a nation,
6write an epic, sooner than make a bargain about seven-and-sixpence.
7You see, I want to be so just! I shall never be able to act upon the
8difference in honour which prevails in a drawing-room or a
9dinner-table or a country-house. You don't try to push a man off the
10most comfortable seat, you don't try to eat all the ices and give none
11to anyone else! ... Good-bye. You have my corrections of the "Ruined
12Chapel" and “The Sunlight." The first copy of "Ruined Chapel" I sent I
13did in great haste. It's agony to me to think it was ever read by
14anyone so. If you have received the corrections of these two, then
15bring the book out. The others are all pretty right. Please revise
16carefully for me "The Sunlight Lay." What utter nonsense it was before,
17 the second Heaven, the noblest of all, clean left out.
18
2Matjesfontein, 4th Nov.
3
4I have the most extreme humbleness with regard to my business
5faculties. I could command a fleet, govern an army, lead a nation,
6write an epic, sooner than make a bargain about seven-and-sixpence.
7You see, I want to be so just! I shall never be able to act upon the
8difference in honour which prevails in a drawing-room or a
9dinner-table or a country-house. You don't try to push a man off the
10most comfortable seat, you don't try to eat all the ices and give none
11to anyone else! ... Good-bye. You have my corrections of the "Ruined
12Chapel" and “The Sunlight." The first copy of "Ruined Chapel" I sent I
13did in great haste. It's agony to me to think it was ever read by
14anyone so. If you have received the corrections of these two, then
15bring the book out. The others are all pretty right. Please revise
16carefully for me "The Sunlight Lay." What utter nonsense it was before,
17 the second Heaven, the noblest of all, clean left out.
18
Notation
The ‘Ruined Chapel’ and ‘The Sunlight’ are allegories appearing in Dreams.
The ‘Ruined Chapel’ and ‘The Sunlight’ are allegories appearing in Dreams.