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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner BC16/Box4/Fold1/1908/18
ArchiveUniversity of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date6 April 1908
Address FromMatjesfontein, Western Cape
Address ToKnor Hoek, Sir Lowry’s Pass, Western Cape
Who ToJulia Solly nee Muspratt
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease 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 address this letter was sent to is provided by an attached envelope.
1 Matjesfontein
2 April 6th 1908
3
4 Dear Mrs Solly
5
6 I’m so sorry I’ve not been able to answer you for such a long time,
7 but my heart became very bad at de Aar, & I have been here for a
8month. I am getting much better, but writing has been like every thing
9else has been out of the question for a long.
10
11 I certainly think that if we want a South African woman there can be
12no difference of opinion that Mrs Murray (Dr Murray of Wynbergs wife)
13is the woman; & every woman to whom I have spoken agrees with me. At
14the same time I do think that the objection to Mrs Macfadyen or you or
15Mrs all the other ^non South African born^ members of our society that
16they are not South African born, that their families are not known
17here &c &c is foolish & narrow, & I don’t know that it would be
18right to give way to it. If there were an election I should vote for
19Mrs Murray not because she is a South African belonging to ^nor even
20because she belongs to a^ great well known family that has led in South
21Africa for 40 years & is known to every one; but simply because an
22immense forward movement would be given to the society if she were
23president. We have certainly no woman as talented as Mrs Macfadyen in
24the country. & I think
25
26 I hope things will go on well this winter. I am not sure that I shall
27be able to be there for the long cession of parliament, but I shall
28likely come down on the 13th of this month for a few short stay, till
29about the end of April. I do hope I shall see you while I am in town
30when we can talk matters over, especially the age-of-consent matter.
31
32 Thine ever
33 Olive Schreiner
34
35 You may say that the fact that Mrs Murray is SA Party would tell
36against her. But I really do not see that we have gained any Jingo
37following by having our president & secretary both Jingoes of the
38Jingoes belonging to the Loyal Lady’s League. They were not able to
39bring Jameson or Crewe or one single member of the ministry on to our
40side!
41
42 Of course I don’t know if Mrs Murray would be willing to president
43if she were asked.
44
45
46