"Olive Schreiner's birth certificate" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceSchreiner-Hemming Family BC 1080 A1.7/107
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter DateSunday 28 February 1909
Address FromMatjesfontein, Western Cape
Address ToThe Highlands, Gardens, Cape Town, Western Cape
Who ToHenrietta ('Ettie') Schreiner m. Stakesby Lewis (1891)
Other Versions
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Legend
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. The date of this letter is provided by the postmark on an attached envelope and the address it was sent to is on its front. Schreiner was resident in Matjesfontein from late December 1908 to late March 1909. The final insertion is written on the envelope.
1 Private Sunday
2
3 Dear I think we should on no account wish for a "referendum" now.
4There would be a vast majority in favour of the constitution, I think.
5Wait till Will has been home a week & rested his poor tired brain a
6little, & then, when he has seen people in Cape Town ask his advice.
7My idea is that our hope of imp up setting the convent is to keep
8quite quiet on the native question, in public & newspapers till the
9Bond Congress. If Hofmeyr & the ^a part of the^ Bond are opposed to the
10convention, then we must take our measures for working in Parliament.
11It is just possible we may get a majority of members who will not
12accept the convention as it stands, that might break Merriman who is
13our great enemy on this matter & might give us a year. If the Bond
14does not oppose Merriman, then of course the convention will pass.
15
16 There is not one ^white^ man in five taking the Colony as a who wants to
17see the native enfranchised. If we make the opposition purely one on
18the native question we ensure its passing. What it seems to me you
19might do now with great advantage is to see any member’s of
20parliament of your way of thinking like Cartwright &c; & try to
21strengthen them in standing against the constitution.
22
23 I would say much if we were together.
24
25 Theo goes on finely.
26
27 As to the cottage. Its the only one to be had, they must have that or
28nothing. It’s very small as I said. But if there is only he, his
29nurse & daughter there is room for them. There is no place with a
30garden except the hotel & Mr Logans own house. The Karroo is not
31unusually bare for this time of year, but you know it is always bare.
32
33 Kate Stuart tells me she wired them not to come up till Wednesday
34night. Mrs Logan is going to begin getting the house right tomorrow.
35
36 Good bye dear one.
37 Olive
38
39 You see already in the Transvaal they are holding meetings objecting
40to the natives having the vote in the Cape Colony at all. We must not
41strengthen their hands.
42
43 ^It is not very hot here now not hotter than in Cape Town unless you
44are at Muizenburg.^
45
46
47