"Downward movement of England, of South Africa, downtrodden millions" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceLetters/393
Archive
Epistolary Type
Letter Date5 April 1890
Address FromMatjesfontein, Western Cape
Address To
Who ToIsaline Philpot
Other VersionsCronwright-Schreiner 1924: 181
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
When Cronwright-Schreiner prepared The Letters of Olive Schreiner, with few exceptions he then destroyed her originals. However, some people gave him copies and kept the originals or demanded the return of these; and when actual Schreiner letters can be compared with his versions, his have omissions, distortions and bowdlerisations. Where Schreiner originals have survived, these will be found in the relevant collections across the OSLO website. There is however a residue of some 587 items in The Letters for which no originals are extant. They are included here for sake of completeness. However, their relationship to Schreiners actual letters cannot now be gauged, and so they should be read with caution for the reasons given. Cronwright-Schreiner comments that a ‘description of Matjesfontein, etc. ...’, which he has excised, comes after ‘since I left the Karroo.’.
1To Mrs. J. H. Philpot.
2Matjesfontein, 5th April.
3
4I have never had such perfect health for ten years, never since I left
5the Karroo. ... I am every week more glad I came to this country. ...
6Some English people who are here groan over it terribly, say “one
7can't live on sunshine and sky" and think it terribly lonesome. ... Do
8you know I feel so happy since I came here like I used to when I was a
9little girl only more so. All my English life seems to me sometimes
10like a dream; but sometimes a great wanting to see you all comes.
11