"Best blood of youth, beginning of half century of war" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Smuts A1/194/10/55 |
| Archive | National Archives Repository, Pretoria |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Monday 20 June 1912 |
| Address From | De Aar, Northern Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Isie Smuts nee Krige |
| 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 date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand.
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1
de Aar
2 Monday
3
4 Dear Isie
5
6 Thank you very much for your letter. I am back again at de Aar,
7feeling the sudden rise of 4000 feet a bit as I always do when I come
8up. It is so strange my sister should have gone first. I always seemed
9so much worse than she was till the last year. I always hoped she
10would long out live me, bad as her heart was.
11
12 I feel anxious about Jan with such a terrible load of work. I so fear
13he will wear himself out. I am very sorry Hull has left the Ministry.
14I can never help feeling a sympathy with him. There is something so
15wonderful in the way he has fought his way up in the world. I should
16also be sorry if Sauer left. He is a valuable man; but I have no doubt
17he was autocratic. It is all a curious jumble to me. I think there
18must before long be a break-up of all parties & a resorting of the
19cards.
20
21 Cron leaves next week for the Victoria falls & will be gone two weeks.
22I shall look after the house & the animals!
23
24 His mother died while I was in Cape Town. It was a very terrible death
25at the end. I was with her a few hours before she died.
26
27 Oh it is so beautiful to believe as I do that death is an everlasting
28sleep. That after all their sufferings our dear ones rest.
29
30 Good bye, dear.
31
32 Love to you all
33 Auntie Olive
34
35 How is Miss Hobhouse getting on?
36
37
38
2 Monday
3
4 Dear Isie
5
6 Thank you very much for your letter. I am back again at de Aar,
7feeling the sudden rise of 4000 feet a bit as I always do when I come
8up. It is so strange my sister should have gone first. I always seemed
9so much worse than she was till the last year. I always hoped she
10would long out live me, bad as her heart was.
11
12 I feel anxious about Jan with such a terrible load of work. I so fear
13he will wear himself out. I am very sorry Hull has left the Ministry.
14I can never help feeling a sympathy with him. There is something so
15wonderful in the way he has fought his way up in the world. I should
16also be sorry if Sauer left. He is a valuable man; but I have no doubt
17he was autocratic. It is all a curious jumble to me. I think there
18must before long be a break-up of all parties & a resorting of the
19cards.
20
21 Cron leaves next week for the Victoria falls & will be gone two weeks.
22I shall look after the house & the animals!
23
24 His mother died while I was in Cape Town. It was a very terrible death
25at the end. I was with her a few hours before she died.
26
27 Oh it is so beautiful to believe as I do that death is an everlasting
28sleep. That after all their sufferings our dear ones rest.
29
30 Good bye, dear.
31
32 Love to you all
33 Auntie Olive
34
35 How is Miss Hobhouse getting on?
36
37
38