"Never thought Cronwright-Schreiner loved Philpot" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceEdward Carpenter 359/19
ArchiveSheffield Archives, Archives & Local Studies, Sheffield
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date6 April 1888
Address FromAlassio, Italy
Address To
Who ToEdward Carpenter
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the Sheffield Archives, Sheffield Libraries, Archives and Information Services, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Archive Collections. The date has been written on this letter in an unknown hand.
1 Alassio
2
3 Lady Manchester & Mrs ?Senston asked me to go out with them & I’ve
4come back feeling so sad. You know the feeling when you’ve been with
5people who are asleep & ^whom^ nothing will ever wake.
6
7 //I send you Miss Müllers letter because it throws a little light on
8the question we talked about when you were here unreadable. I felt
9unreadable near you all day yesterday, though we didn’t talk
10unreadable Do you know just being near people sometimes rests me so.
11Does the love thing go on well? Is it finished?
12
13 Olive
14
15 ^This might be interesting to you Olive^
16
17
18
Notation
Schreiner’s final insertion is written on a letter to her from Henrietta Müller at 58 Cadogan Place, London, as follows:

I am writing to Mrs. Philpot about "Compromise." I enclose K.P’s letter. You can destroy it.

I have ?decided that the Club is a piteous failure. The men lay down the law, the women ?resent in silence and submit in silence – There is no ?debate at all –

Do not be afraid of me, I never talk of my friends to my friends. be at rest. For a very long time it will be unreadable the less men have to do with women the better for women, The men can’t keep putting swaddling clothes onto women whenever they come near them, and it is safest & best to let them alone.

Men are like gardeners who have nailed & pruned & clipt women into fantastic shapes like this [a little stylised sketch of a tree]

They can’t help it, & therefore the only chance for a woman to find out what her own shape is, is for her to grow alone, according to her own sweet will, under the open ske of Heaven. There she may flourish like a green bay tree, & bring forth fruit.

I send you my dream it is very like your "Dreams" Dearest Olive – you do not know how often, how lovingly I think of you.

Etta