"Mill's Logic as most affecting OS spiritual life, her debt to Mill can never be repaid" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceEdward Carpenter 359/5
ArchiveSheffield Archives, Archives & Local Studies, Sheffield
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date23 April 1887
Address FromGrand Hotel, Alassio, Italy
Address To
Who ToEdward Carpenter
Other VersionsRive 1987: 127
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the Sheffield Archives, Sheffield Libraries, Archives and Information Services, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Archive Collections. The date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand.
1 Grand Hotel
2 Alassio
3 Italy
4
5 Why didn’t you come to Agni while I was still here It’s quite
6close. I am leaving this on third ^of May^ get to Arona on Lake Maggiore
7the same evening & stay there for a couple of days going about the
8Lake in a steamer before I go on to Switzerland It’s wonderfully
9restful going about on these lake steamers, the most restful kind of
10motion there is. If you found it in your way to be there just then we
11could go about together. It’s right on your way to Agni; the direct
12like line if you come the St. Gotthard way to Italy. If you come later
13I’ll be somewhere near the lake of Lucerne, I think at ?Aeusty! If
14you felt inclined you might have a look at me in passing eh? There is
15nothing helps one like travelling when one is in pain. It’s well to
16say "work", but there’s a certain amount of pain which must be
17stilled before one can work, that’s just it.
18
19 I wish you could come to Italy soon, it’s no fancy only because one
20is in England & the without the sun; that makes one feel it would help
21one so. You don’t know how it helps me in the morning ^when I wake^ &
22first I feel that load with which one wakes, & then the thought "there
23will be sunshine!" You’ll soon feel stronger here.
24
25 What I wanted to say & forgot was an idea which likely you’ve also
26had which shows the "scientific"!!!! ground which underlies, (if we
27choose to unearth it) our pleas in favour of sy simplicity of living.
28I illustrate it by the analogy of a palm tree, I’ll work it out &
29show you some day. The last days I’ve not been working. I’ve got
30into a wild restless state again, & must "move on."
31
32 I’m glad about the book. My book’s going to be lovely, only no
33publisher will take it, & the libraries won’t circulate it.
34
35 Olive Schreiner
36
37 If you think it would be restful I’ll like to much to see you. You &
38Mrs Walters are the only two people ^I’d like to see.^
39
40 ^Thank you for telling me a little about yourself. Send me a card to
41know how you are. Please soon.^
42
43
44
Notation
Which book of Carpenter's this letter refers to cannot be established. Schreiner's 'my book' comment concerns From Man to Man. Rive's (1987) version omits part of the letter and is also in a number of respects incorrect.