"1908 address, federation of states, federation of sexes" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | John X. Merriman MSC 15/1910:151 |
| Archive | National Library of South Africa, Special Collections, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 26 May 1910 |
| Address From | De Aar, Northern Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | John X. Merriman |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the National Library of South Africa (NLSA), Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Special Collections.
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1
De Aar
2 May 26th 1910
3
4 My dear Mr Merriman
5
6 I have just seen the notice in the paper of your mother's death. I
7hope you will not feel it an intrusion that I write to express my deep
8sympathy with you. I know what her death must mean to you, & I am
9especially sorry that it has come at this time of much stress &
10anxiety for you. I can never forget how at a time of great stress &
11anxiety in my own life, when I seemed standing utterly alone a letter
12from you which I always treasure brought me much sympathy, the only
13sympathy I ever got in that terrible time from a South African. And I
14wish it were possible for me to be of a little help to you. But human
15sympathy can but help us little in facing the greatest afflictions of
16life. In one sense it may turn out best that you are not in the
17ministry You will now be free to act as a leader to that small "us"
18who realize that only by treating the South African natives with
19justice & binding them to us by affection can we make the future of
20South Africa great.
21
22 Please give my love to your wife & tell her how sorry I was she was
23away both times I called at Mount Nelson.
24
25 Yours very sincerely
26 Olive Schreiner
27
28 Please don't think this letter
29
30^needs any answer. I know how fully occupied your thoughts are^
31
32
2 May 26th 1910
3
4 My dear Mr Merriman
5
6 I have just seen the notice in the paper of your mother's death. I
7hope you will not feel it an intrusion that I write to express my deep
8sympathy with you. I know what her death must mean to you, & I am
9especially sorry that it has come at this time of much stress &
10anxiety for you. I can never forget how at a time of great stress &
11anxiety in my own life, when I seemed standing utterly alone a letter
12from you which I always treasure brought me much sympathy, the only
13sympathy I ever got in that terrible time from a South African. And I
14wish it were possible for me to be of a little help to you. But human
15sympathy can but help us little in facing the greatest afflictions of
16life. In one sense it may turn out best that you are not in the
17ministry You will now be free to act as a leader to that small "us"
18who realize that only by treating the South African natives with
19justice & binding them to us by affection can we make the future of
20South Africa great.
21
22 Please give my love to your wife & tell her how sorry I was she was
23away both times I called at Mount Nelson.
24
25 Yours very sincerely
26 Olive Schreiner
27
28 Please don't think this letter
29
30^needs any answer. I know how fully occupied your thoughts are^
31
32