"Dream for federation of South Africa, one day we shall need love & devotion of black & coloured man" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceOlive Schreiner: Edward Carpenter SMD 30/32/q
ArchiveNational English Literary Museum, Grahamstown
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date13 October 1914
Address FromDurrants Hotel, Manchester Square, Westminster, London
Address ToMillthorpe, Holmesfield, Sheffield
Who ToEdward Carpenter
Other VersionsCronwright-Schreiner 1924: 340-41
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the National English Literary Museum (NELM) for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscript Collections. The date of this letter is provided by the postmark on an attached envelope, with the address it was sent to on its front. The letter is written on printed headed notepaper which has been crossed through.
1 The Windsor
261 & 62 Lancaster Gate, W.
3
4 Durrants Hotel
5 Manchester Square
6 London W.
7
8 Dear old Edward
9
10 I think so much of your tired face as you went away. You know Edward
11can live through all this but its crushing us, who had such hopes for
12the future 20 years ago. If you come to London come & see me. We'll go
13on the top of the tram to Hampton Court & look at the pictures there.
14
15 My darling nephew Oliver Schreiner who was doing so brilliantly at
16Cambridge has become an English officer & joined his regiment so may
17be sent to the front at any moment guarding he is now in Kent guarding
18the coast.
19
20 In Africa things are very terrible. We shall bath the red sands of
21German West Africa with the best blood of our youth, going to rob it
22from the Germans who have never done anything to us. De Aar is the
23first big place toward German West Africa - if the Germans are driven
24to come into the Cape by our attacking them that is where the first
25big fighting will be. When I think of my husband my heart feels sore.
26
27 Good bye dear. Edward
28 Olive
29
30 I wish I could feel with you that this war is going to bring the
31kingdom of heaven. I feel it is the beginning of a half a century of
32the most awful wars the world has seen. First this - then another war
33of probably England & Germany against Russia, then as the years pass
34with India, Japan & China & the native races of Africa. While the
35desire to dominate, & rule & possess empire is in the hearts of men
36there will always be war.
37
Notation
Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) version of this letter is incorrect in various respects.