"Best blood of youth, beginning of half century of war" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner: Ruth Alexander MSC 26/2.1.7 |
| Archive | National Library of South Africa, Special Collections, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Sunday 15 August 1915 |
| Address From | Llandrindod Wells, Wales |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Ruth Alexander nee Schechter |
| Other Versions | |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the National Library of South Africa (NLSA), Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Special Collections. The date of this letter is derived from the postmark on an attached envelope, which also provides the address it was sent to.
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1
Llandrindod Wells
2 Wales
3 Sunday.
4
5 My dear Ruth
6
7 Yes send me any poems you write & I'll tell you really what I think of
8them If you would wish it I could send show them without mentioning
9who they were by to some literary critics, & tell you what they said.
10
11 I am staying here with Mrs Parker Mrs Murray of Kenilworth's daughter.
12She is a most sweet loving person & it is so nice to be near someone
13after my long year of loneliness in London. My darling friend Adela
14Smith is still so ill with consumption that I have seldom been allowed
15to see her, & Constance Lytton is still so ill she has never been to
16town for more than a year.
17
18 This is a quiet little health resort in the Wells in the centre of
19Wales. I like the air here, & am feeling most wonderfully stronger
20since I came. & oh so thankful to be out of London. Its not got a
21little little bit left of the old London.
22
23 Oliver Schreiner has gone to the Front in Flanders. One dreads day by
24day as it passes for the terrible news that may come.
25
26 I wonder how the election is going to go at the Cape? One learns so
27little from the news papers here, & that principally lies.
28
29 I am glad to hear from a news paper that at least ?Andrews & some of
30the working men & for peace & not playing into the hands of those who
31work to plunge South Africa deeper into the war. in Europe .
32
33 I am so thankful the Russian autocracy is not doing well, It may mean
34freedom at last for the Jews & the Russian people if there is again a
35great demonstration uprising.
36
37 I hope I shall have news of poor old Kallenbach soon.
38
39 Good bye dear Its a dark grey evening, the mist & rain creeping over
40the Welsh mountain tops.
41
42 You know how I love you
43 Olive
44
2 Wales
3 Sunday.
4
5 My dear Ruth
6
7 Yes send me any poems you write & I'll tell you really what I think of
8them If you would wish it I could send show them without mentioning
9who they were by to some literary critics, & tell you what they said.
10
11 I am staying here with Mrs Parker Mrs Murray of Kenilworth's daughter.
12She is a most sweet loving person & it is so nice to be near someone
13after my long year of loneliness in London. My darling friend Adela
14Smith is still so ill with consumption that I have seldom been allowed
15to see her, & Constance Lytton is still so ill she has never been to
16town for more than a year.
17
18 This is a quiet little health resort in the Wells in the centre of
19Wales. I like the air here, & am feeling most wonderfully stronger
20since I came. & oh so thankful to be out of London. Its not got a
21little little bit left of the old London.
22
23 Oliver Schreiner has gone to the Front in Flanders. One dreads day by
24day as it passes for the terrible news that may come.
25
26 I wonder how the election is going to go at the Cape? One learns so
27little from the news papers here, & that principally lies.
28
29 I am glad to hear from a news paper that at least ?Andrews & some of
30the working men & for peace & not playing into the hands of those who
31work to plunge South Africa deeper into the war. in Europe .
32
33 I am so thankful the Russian autocracy is not doing well, It may mean
34freedom at last for the Jews & the Russian people if there is again a
35great demonstration uprising.
36
37 I hope I shall have news of poor old Kallenbach soon.
38
39 Good bye dear Its a dark grey evening, the mist & rain creeping over
40the Welsh mountain tops.
41
42 You know how I love you
43 Olive
44