"Alassio at basis doesn't change" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Edward Carpenter 359/60 |
| Archive | Sheffield Archives, Archives & Local Studies, Sheffield |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 1892 |
| Address From | na |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Edward Carpenter |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please 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. This letter has been dated 1892 because of its place in the archival sequence.
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1
Dear Old Ned
2
3 I’m coming home in April next. It will be beautiful to see you all.
4Old Bob & George & all of you. Couldn’t you come out here this
5summer & go back with me in April. Summer here is fine, winters are
6bad. I’ve had measles been up two months but quite fit again. Very
7well & happy.
8
9 Good bye
10 Olive
11
12 Alice had a peep at you. Said you looked at always. Everyone is very
13good & kind to me here, but I want to see my old comrades.
14
15 The only hope for Africa lies in the English people being unwilling to
16aid in these these things; but I fear there is no hope; no hope!
17
18 You can have no idea reading the paper at Home, where it will seem
19moderate & simple enough, what a storm it has raised in this country.
20You know what wildly excited socialist orators say that capitalism is
21in England & America; - well, that’s what it realy is here. You
22can’t picture anything worse! You don’t know what capitalism is in
23England. You’ve never seen a hord of men sweep down on a country, &
24take possession of every thing!! lands, mines, public works,
25Government, - everything! And we are so powerless. We are just like a
26tiny fly caught by the hindlegs in a huge spiders web. It’s no use.
27Good bye dear old boy. Cron sends his love to you. So do I.
28
29 Olive
30
31
32
2
3 I’m coming home in April next. It will be beautiful to see you all.
4Old Bob & George & all of you. Couldn’t you come out here this
5summer & go back with me in April. Summer here is fine, winters are
6bad. I’ve had measles been up two months but quite fit again. Very
7well & happy.
8
9 Good bye
10 Olive
11
12 Alice had a peep at you. Said you looked at always. Everyone is very
13good & kind to me here, but I want to see my old comrades.
14
15 The only hope for Africa lies in the English people being unwilling to
16aid in these these things; but I fear there is no hope; no hope!
17
18 You can have no idea reading the paper at Home, where it will seem
19moderate & simple enough, what a storm it has raised in this country.
20You know what wildly excited socialist orators say that capitalism is
21in England & America; - well, that’s what it realy is here. You
22can’t picture anything worse! You don’t know what capitalism is in
23England. You’ve never seen a hord of men sweep down on a country, &
24take possession of every thing!! lands, mines, public works,
25Government, - everything! And we are so powerless. We are just like a
26tiny fly caught by the hindlegs in a huge spiders web. It’s no use.
27Good bye dear old boy. Cron sends his love to you. So do I.
28
29 Olive
30
31
32
Notation
'The paper' referred to is Schreiner's ' Returned South African no. 1' essay, 'South Africa: its natural features, its diverse peoples, its political status: the problem', which was published in the Fortnightly Review in July 1891 to considerable effect. With a number of companion articles, it was intended for publication in book form as 'Stray Thoughts on South Africa'. However, although prepared for publication, a dispute with a US publisher and the events of the South African War prevented this. With some related essays, they were posthumously published as Thoughts on South Africa.
'The paper' referred to is Schreiner's ' Returned South African no. 1' essay, 'South Africa: its natural features, its diverse peoples, its political status: the problem', which was published in the Fortnightly Review in July 1891 to considerable effect. With a number of companion articles, it was intended for publication in book form as 'Stray Thoughts on South Africa'. However, although prepared for publication, a dispute with a US publisher and the events of the South African War prevented this. With some related essays, they were posthumously published as Thoughts on South Africa.