"Only hope for native after union is politicians falling out over spoils, Jabavu standing firm" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Letters/507 |
| Archive | |
| Epistolary Type | |
| Letter Date | 12 August 1912 |
| Address From | De Aar, Northern Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Adela Villiers Smith nee Villiers |
| Other Versions | Cronwright-Schreiner 1924: 313-4 |
| Permissions | Please 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.
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1To Mrs. Francis Smith.
2De Aar, 12th Aug.
3
4... I hope so much the Liberals are going to be defeated. Then I hope
5there will be a real break up of the Liberal Party, and Asquith and
6Grey will go to the Conservative Party where they truly belong. I am
7not so anxious for women to get the vote as that they should keep on
8fighting for it - it is the struggle that educates. A degraded and
9subject class or race gains much more by a fight for freedom than by
10having it given them. The great thing one wants for women after their
11long ages of subjection is that they should be mentally and
12spiritually free, and hold freedom the dearest thing on Earth. Giving
13them the franchise is of value because it will educate them to demand
14freedom in all things: but the fact that they fight for it and win it
15shows at least that body of women are free! I am so glad to see the
16women are taking a strong part in the American elections.
17
2De Aar, 12th Aug.
3
4... I hope so much the Liberals are going to be defeated. Then I hope
5there will be a real break up of the Liberal Party, and Asquith and
6Grey will go to the Conservative Party where they truly belong. I am
7not so anxious for women to get the vote as that they should keep on
8fighting for it - it is the struggle that educates. A degraded and
9subject class or race gains much more by a fight for freedom than by
10having it given them. The great thing one wants for women after their
11long ages of subjection is that they should be mentally and
12spiritually free, and hold freedom the dearest thing on Earth. Giving
13them the franchise is of value because it will educate them to demand
14freedom in all things: but the fact that they fight for it and win it
15shows at least that body of women are free! I am so glad to see the
16women are taking a strong part in the American elections.
17