"Soldiers outside door, 'when the war is over'" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Smuts A1/186/83 |
| Archive | National Archives Repository, Pretoria |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Tuesday 28 June 1899 |
| Address From | 2 Primrose Terrace, Berea, Johannesburg, Transvaal |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Isie Smuts nee Krige |
| Other Versions | Rive 1987: 364-5 |
| 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 Special Collections. The date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand. Schreiner was resident in Johannesburg from December 1898 to late August 1899.
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1
Tuesday
2
3 Dear Mrs Smuts
4
5 Many thanks for your letter. I am coming over to Pretoria on Thursd
6Friday with two dear friends Miss Greene & Miss Molteno (sister of the
7two Bond members at the Cape). They are both intensely on our side.
8Miss Greene is an English woman who has been only 12 years at the Cape,
9 but I think she feels more the injustice & evil of Englands conduct
10towards the Transvaal than any of us! She is quite ready to fight for
11the Transvaal!! They have come up just to see how things are going.
12They are such sweet simple women I’m sure you will love them. Can we
13all three come & have dinner with you on Friday. Don’t mind saying
14if it will put you out, but they want so much to meet you & your
15husband. We shall come by the train which reaches Pretoria at ^12.40^ &
16shall come up to your house soon after. If we have They I hope
17are such dear simple souls, who hate dress & fashion as much as you or
18I do. I know you will love them.
19
20 I’m so glad the little son is better. I was so afraid he was going
21to be ill when we were there.
22
23 I am not at all restful about public matters; we may give, & give,
24till we have nothing left to give, & then have to fight in the end! As
25long as we have this accursed gold they will never leave us in peace;
26but time is with us, & every six months or year we can stave off war,
27makes our position stronger.
28
29 Yours ever lovingly
30 Olive Schreiner
31
32
33
2
3 Dear Mrs Smuts
4
5 Many thanks for your letter. I am coming over to Pretoria on Thursd
6Friday with two dear friends Miss Greene & Miss Molteno (sister of the
7two Bond members at the Cape). They are both intensely on our side.
8Miss Greene is an English woman who has been only 12 years at the Cape,
9 but I think she feels more the injustice & evil of Englands conduct
10towards the Transvaal than any of us! She is quite ready to fight for
11the Transvaal!! They have come up just to see how things are going.
12They are such sweet simple women I’m sure you will love them. Can we
13all three come & have dinner with you on Friday. Don’t mind saying
14if it will put you out, but they want so much to meet you & your
15husband. We shall come by the train which reaches Pretoria at ^12.40^ &
16shall come up to your house soon after. If we have They I hope
17are such dear simple souls, who hate dress & fashion as much as you or
18I do. I know you will love them.
19
20 I’m so glad the little son is better. I was so afraid he was going
21to be ill when we were there.
22
23 I am not at all restful about public matters; we may give, & give,
24till we have nothing left to give, & then have to fight in the end! As
25long as we have this accursed gold they will never leave us in peace;
26but time is with us, & every six months or year we can stave off war,
27makes our position stronger.
28
29 Yours ever lovingly
30 Olive Schreiner
31
32
33
Notation
Rive's (1987) version of this letter has been misdated, omits part of the letter and is also in a number of respects incorrect.
Rive's (1987) version of this letter has been misdated, omits part of the letter and is also in a number of respects incorrect.