"Studying defence act, moral story about boy and knife" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Smuts A1/204/148 |
| Archive | National Archives Repository, Pretoria |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Saturday 1918 |
| Address From | 9 Porchester Place, Edgware Road, Westminster, London |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Jan Smuts |
| Other Versions | |
| 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 year has been written on this letter in an unknown hand.
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1
9 Porchester Place
2 Edgware Road
3 Saturday
4
5 Dear Jan,
6
7 I’ve been feeling a little unhappy about you. You know if ever you
8were in trouble or needed love or friendship you could always look to
9me (as much as such a funny person as I could ever be of any good!).
10You know my nature I’m always with the under dog, not with the top
11dog. When people are very big & successful (or causes either) I
12don’t feel very interest in them. They don’t need me. I feel quite
13fond of Milner when they attack him at the meetings in the park, & say
14he should be turned out of the Cabinet because he’s not purely
15English. Its base ingratitude. If ever a man has been loyal to the
16English Government it is he. Ingratitude is the meanest of all faults.
17
18 If ever you should care to come & see me I’d be very glad to see you.
19 I’ve a nice quiet sitting room here. I shall be out Monday
20afternoon & on Tuesday evening after 6; but otherwise if you’d let
21me know you were coming ^before hand,^ I’d always be in. I’d be so
22disappointed if you came & I was out. But I expect your time is very
23fully taken up.
24
25 Give my fond love to your dear wife when you write to her. Tell her
26she doesn’t know how often I’m thinking of her. This long
27separation from you must be very hard ^for^ her, who is so devoted to
28you.
29
30 I know what it means to me to be so far from my husband.
31
32 Olive
33
34 I love you Jan. It will always be one of the sorrows of my life that I
35cannot always work heart & soul with you, in public matters.
36
37 You see near things ^so clearly & far things so badly!^
38
39
40
2 Edgware Road
3 Saturday
4
5 Dear Jan,
6
7 I’ve been feeling a little unhappy about you. You know if ever you
8were in trouble or needed love or friendship you could always look to
9me (as much as such a funny person as I could ever be of any good!).
10You know my nature I’m always with the under dog, not with the top
11dog. When people are very big & successful (or causes either) I
12don’t feel very interest in them. They don’t need me. I feel quite
13fond of Milner when they attack him at the meetings in the park, & say
14he should be turned out of the Cabinet because he’s not purely
15English. Its base ingratitude. If ever a man has been loyal to the
16English Government it is he. Ingratitude is the meanest of all faults.
17
18 If ever you should care to come & see me I’d be very glad to see you.
19 I’ve a nice quiet sitting room here. I shall be out Monday
20afternoon & on Tuesday evening after 6; but otherwise if you’d let
21me know you were coming ^before hand,^ I’d always be in. I’d be so
22disappointed if you came & I was out. But I expect your time is very
23fully taken up.
24
25 Give my fond love to your dear wife when you write to her. Tell her
26she doesn’t know how often I’m thinking of her. This long
27separation from you must be very hard ^for^ her, who is so devoted to
28you.
29
30 I know what it means to me to be so far from my husband.
31
32 Olive
33
34 I love you Jan. It will always be one of the sorrows of my life that I
35cannot always work heart & soul with you, in public matters.
36
37 You see near things ^so clearly & far things so badly!^
38
39
40