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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner to Emily Hobhouse HTC/2
ArchiveHobhouse Trust, Canada
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date3 October 1908
Address FromDe Aar, Northern Cape
Address To
Who ToEmily Hobhouse
Other VersionsCronwright-Schreiner 1924: 283
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to Jennifer Hobhouse Balme and the Hobhouse Trust for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter to Emily Hobhouse, which is part of the Trust collection.
1 De Aar
2 Oct 3rd 1908
3
4 Dear Emily Hobhouse
5
6 I seems too sad that you are really going away from Africa, & yet I
7feel it’s best. I too would go if I could. That is, I feel I could
8do much more in Europe than I can here. No one needs me here now
9except the natives - & that is indeed hard & stern works that calls to
10all the bravest souls in South Africa for many years to come.
11
12 I think you will find a large field of work opening for in England in
13aiding our women there. Let me hear from you sometimes & know how the
14world opens before you. We shall have an uphill fight here to rouse &
15educate our women to their public duties. You see, we are just 60
16years behind Europe in this, as in so many other matters.
17
18 I wish you were coming this way on your journey home. Its is a noble
19page of a woman’s work that you are closing as you go away.
20
21 Yours ever & ever
22 Olive Schreiner
23
24 Ple Tell Naude he must spend a day with me on his way home. I have a
25tiny prophet’s character & I can put him in.
26
27 It is a terrible pity the last part of that journal was not translated
28in the same splendid simple style the first part was. If it were, I
29would be glad to write a little preface to it & I’m
30
31 ^sure some English publisher would be glad to take it simply as a
32"Human Document" as the Americans calls such a revelation of human
33nature. I think it wonderful.^
34
35
36
Notation
Emily Hobhouse has attached a note to this letter saying 'Olive Schreiner 2nd opinion of the Badenhorst Manuscript.' Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) version of the letter is incorrect in a range of respects.