"Emily Hobhouse, Vrouemonument, funny story" Read the full letter
Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box2/Fold3/1900/54 |
Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
Epistolary Type | Letter |
Letter Date | 3 October 1900 |
Address From | Hanover, Northern Cape |
Address To | Rozelin, Gardens, Cape Town, Western Cape |
Who To | Betty Molteno |
Other Versions | |
Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
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 name of the addressee and the address this letter was sent to are provided by an attached envelope. The name of the addressee is also indicated by salutation and content.
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1
Sep Hanover
2 Oct 3 / 00
3
4 Dear Friend
5
6 After the sharp frosty night there was an absolutely perfect day. It
7was too cold to sit & write in our rooms so after breakfast we started
8off with Neta for a walk of almost three miles to the foot of the
9highest hill for 50 miles round. We climbed a round koppje in the
10middle of the vast plain & lay on it a couple of hours; you can see
11100 miles on either hand.
12
13 It was just beautiful lying in the sun. There were numbers of
14butterflies on the top, we counted four kinds; one lovely ?long
15butterfly I have never seen before as big as a moth, & of a lovely
16spotted green. We startled a little red hare too coming down, which
17was of a kind I saw also for the first time. I wished you could both
18have been there.
19
20 I have been asked by the women in Somerset East to go there to a
21woman’s meeting. I can’t afford to go, but will write them a short
22speech to read. Can’t you send them something? I have not been as
23well as this for many years, not since I wrote Peter Halket; I can
24walk so well in this high dry air. When we were on top of the Spitz
25Kop we must have been ^over^ five thousand feet above the sea. I’ve
26got a fire in my room tonight as its very cold & am just going to bed.
27The village is very live, all the willow trees in their fresh spring
28green.
29
30 Good bye. I do hope Miss Greene is quite better.
31 Olive
32
2 Oct 3 / 00
3
4 Dear Friend
5
6 After the sharp frosty night there was an absolutely perfect day. It
7was too cold to sit & write in our rooms so after breakfast we started
8off with Neta for a walk of almost three miles to the foot of the
9highest hill for 50 miles round. We climbed a round koppje in the
10middle of the vast plain & lay on it a couple of hours; you can see
11100 miles on either hand.
12
13 It was just beautiful lying in the sun. There were numbers of
14butterflies on the top, we counted four kinds; one lovely ?long
15butterfly I have never seen before as big as a moth, & of a lovely
16spotted green. We startled a little red hare too coming down, which
17was of a kind I saw also for the first time. I wished you could both
18have been there.
19
20 I have been asked by the women in Somerset East to go there to a
21woman’s meeting. I can’t afford to go, but will write them a short
22speech to read. Can’t you send them something? I have not been as
23well as this for many years, not since I wrote Peter Halket; I can
24walk so well in this high dry air. When we were on top of the Spitz
25Kop we must have been ^over^ five thousand feet above the sea. I’ve
26got a fire in my room tonight as its very cold & am just going to bed.
27The village is very live, all the willow trees in their fresh spring
28green.
29
30 Good bye. I do hope Miss Greene is quite better.
31 Olive
32
Notation
Regarding her 'short speech' to the Somerset East women's peace congress comment, Schreiner sent written addresses to some of the Volkskongresses and peace congresses and she spoke at others, as follows: Graaff-Reinet Volkskongres, April 1900 (spoke); Cape Town women's meeting, June 1900 (spoke); Somerset East peace congress, October 1900 (a letter of address); Paarl, November 1900 peace congress (a letter of address); Worcester Volkskongres, December 1900 (spoke).
Regarding her 'short speech' to the Somerset East women's peace congress comment, Schreiner sent written addresses to some of the Volkskongresses and peace congresses and she spoke at others, as follows: Graaff-Reinet Volkskongres, April 1900 (spoke); Cape Town women's meeting, June 1900 (spoke); Somerset East peace congress, October 1900 (a letter of address); Paarl, November 1900 peace congress (a letter of address); Worcester Volkskongres, December 1900 (spoke).