"Spencer's First Principles, key books, we who have never been to school starved, you overfed" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner: F.S. Malan 1000/2 |
| Archive | National English Literary Museum, Grahamstown |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | After Start: 1907 ; Before End: 1910 |
| Address From | na |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Francois Stephanus ('FS') Malan |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please 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. This letter has been dated by reference to content. Various delegations made representations in Britain supporting or opposing Union of the former settler states of South Africa in 1908 and 1909. Edward VII died in May 1910 and the letter was written before this.
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1
Dear Friend
2
3 With great pleasure republish my little letter about Mrs Koopmans As
4to my brother Will, you know I was more opposed to his line of policy,
5even than you were, but when Jameson is the Lieutenant of the leader
6of the South African party, when men like Farrer & Hall & Fitz Patrick
7whose hands drip with the blood of Boer women & children only less
8plentifully than Rhodes, when Jan Smuts gets up & makes a speech
9commending Rhodes, & saying he wishes he were alive to take part in
10the Union of to-day, then I think it is time that all small
11differences as to the exact line of policy were dropped. I cannot
12understand South African men going & kissing the hand of that
13licentious scoundrel King Edward the 7th & going to England to
14?beseech the English people to allow them to have a Union; & then
15talking of "we can't appeal to England" - "England has nothing to do
16with us". It is a sight for Gods & men to laugh at. I only hope they
17will now be loyal to their King & their Empire; for a traitor is the
18lowest thing that creeps on Earth!
19
20 I'd like to have a long talk with you I'm not well enough to write.
21
22 Yours ever
23 Olive Schreiner
24
25
2
3 With great pleasure republish my little letter about Mrs Koopmans As
4to my brother Will, you know I was more opposed to his line of policy,
5even than you were, but when Jameson is the Lieutenant of the leader
6of the South African party, when men like Farrer & Hall & Fitz Patrick
7whose hands drip with the blood of Boer women & children only less
8plentifully than Rhodes, when Jan Smuts gets up & makes a speech
9commending Rhodes, & saying he wishes he were alive to take part in
10the Union of to-day, then I think it is time that all small
11differences as to the exact line of policy were dropped. I cannot
12understand South African men going & kissing the hand of that
13licentious scoundrel King Edward the 7th & going to England to
14?beseech the English people to allow them to have a Union; & then
15talking of "we can't appeal to England" - "England has nothing to do
16with us". It is a sight for Gods & men to laugh at. I only hope they
17will now be loyal to their King & their Empire; for a traitor is the
18lowest thing that creeps on Earth!
19
20 I'd like to have a long talk with you I'm not well enough to write.
21
22 Yours ever
23 Olive Schreiner
24
25
Notation
Schreiner's 'little paper' about Marie Koopmans-De Wet was an obituary; see 'Marie Koopmans-de Wet' De Suid-Afrikaan 1 Augustus 1906 (p.12).
Schreiner's 'little paper' about Marie Koopmans-De Wet was an obituary; see 'Marie Koopmans-de Wet' De Suid-Afrikaan 1 Augustus 1906 (p.12).