"Colossal evil threatening South Africa, Boer society hidebound" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | T120 (M722): W.T. Stead Papers/64- pages 247-8 |
| Archive | National Archives Depot, Pretoria |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | After Start: January 1896 ; Before End: February 1896 |
| Address From | Kimberley, Northern Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | William Thomas Stead |
| Other Versions | Rive 1987: 266 |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the National Archives Repository, Pretoria, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Micofilm Collections.
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1Dear Friend
2
3I send you another letter from the same minister (a man whom you would
4greatly love & trust if you knew him) which will help to show you what
5the feeling of earnest thinking English men, who take no active share
6in political life, & have there fore nothing personal to gain or lose
7think in this matter. Destroy the letter when read. I do hope you will
8take a stand at least as wise & important ^justiceloving^ as that which
9you took on the Kama case. The future of South Africa lies largely in
10the ^hands of^ England of now; if the English public & the English
11Government do not make it perfectly ^clear^ that they unrestrictedly &
12entirely condemn the action of Rhodes, & do not take away the Charter
13& remove Rhodes from all positions of trust there will never be rest &
14trust of England in this country.
15
16Good bye, dear friend. Cron & I send our love to your son, he’s a fine
17lad, & will make I believe a good sterling man.
18
19Olive Schreiner
20
2
3I send you another letter from the same minister (a man whom you would
4greatly love & trust if you knew him) which will help to show you what
5the feeling of earnest thinking English men, who take no active share
6in political life, & have there fore nothing personal to gain or lose
7think in this matter. Destroy the letter when read. I do hope you will
8take a stand at least as wise & important ^justiceloving^ as that which
9you took on the Kama case. The future of South Africa lies largely in
10the ^hands of^ England of now; if the English public & the English
11Government do not make it perfectly ^clear^ that they unrestrictedly &
12entirely condemn the action of Rhodes, & do not take away the Charter
13& remove Rhodes from all positions of trust there will never be rest &
14trust of England in this country.
15
16Good bye, dear friend. Cron & I send our love to your son, he’s a fine
17lad, & will make I believe a good sterling man.
18
19Olive Schreiner
20
Notation
Stead’s article on Khama appeared in October 1895, while content refers to the wake of the Jameson Raid of December 1895-January 1896, and thus the provisional dating of this letter. The ‘other letter’ from a minister that Schreiner refers to is what was once enclosed with Schreiner’s 4 January 1896 letter to Stead (T120 (M722): W.T. Stead Papers/11- pages 74-5 & 249-250). Stead’s article is: W.T. Stead "Character Sketch. Khama, Chief of the Bamangwato" Review of Reviews October 1895 pp.302-17. Rive’s (1987) version omits part of this letter and is incorrect in minor ways.
Stead’s article on Khama appeared in October 1895, while content refers to the wake of the Jameson Raid of December 1895-January 1896, and thus the provisional dating of this letter. The ‘other letter’ from a minister that Schreiner refers to is what was once enclosed with Schreiner’s 4 January 1896 letter to Stead (T120 (M722): W.T. Stead Papers/11- pages 74-5 & 249-250). Stead’s article is: W.T. Stead "Character Sketch. Khama, Chief of the Bamangwato" Review of Reviews October 1895 pp.302-17. Rive’s (1987) version omits part of this letter and is incorrect in minor ways.