The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-04
Rhodes and Olive
Great Novelist Once Loved
the South African Leader.


\ New York woman. who was a girl
hood friend OF Olive Shre.ner the famous
novelist. tells this story 10 the New York
World.
Olive Schrelner loved Cecil Rhodes: now
she hates him He Is beleagarsd in Kim.
beriey, his dreams Of empire crum6sesi az
/ his feet; she Is IN Cape Town. workins
with pen and voice for the Beers. his
enemies and her avengers
All me world has known Of the hatred.
but no, Of the love out OF which il grew
In Trooper Peter Ealket." Miss Schrei-
ner's second novel. Cecil Rhodes was held
up by name 10 The ohIoQuy o. civilization.
This generation has not witnessed a
more savage literary cruciaxion. Ard
that was hong before the present war was
talked Of The book was published. aptly
enough. just when the Napolean OF South
Africa was trying 70 whitewash himself
! before the Commission which investigated
the Jameson raid.
/ II was a singular insatuation. worthy OF
being enshrined by some great master %
psychology. Love revels in such con-
trasts. Perhaps II was the cornmandinS
imagination % Rhodes. 50 utterly unlike
her own. that captiyate. the authorcss
In him she saw one whose lodestar was
ambition whose viii was sdamant. whose
dreams were OF empire. or human SYM
patty, pof regard for human life and hap
! piness. he had not a s2ark-aad he was
proud Of II
It was inevitable that the two should
meet. Tor her family was conspicuous in
the public affairs CT the colony Her
father a German, was a remarkable char
acter, resembling IN some respects the
father OF Charlotte Bronte. With whom
literary critics are fond 90 comparing
Olive Schreiner. He was an evangelist
an emotional. extravagant wsnderer. With
doubtless a touch OF genius. which failed
% ind expression IN way - command
respectful attention. That he had com-
mandlng personality IS proved BY the
circumstances under which he won his
wife.
Travelling through Germany. in the
double. character % peddiar and exhorter.
he found shelter one night in the home OF
farmer who had a Young daughter
Next morning the peddier- preacher pro-
posed 10 his host for the girls hand and
more amazing sull-the girl herself was
HIS advocate They were married three
days later and started for South Africa.
While the evangelist lived his wife ana
her augmenting brood shared his nomaa
lie. on his death they settled in Ora
hamtown, and there the children received
from their mother a rudimentary educa-
ton as extraordinary as their antecedsnts
Latin as she was herself. she undorloak
70 teach her children the language by
herself, studying Il with them In te1g
books The result was that when In after
years they encountered educated people
they had a good working knowledge q
Latin, but employed a system Of pronnn-
citation entirely original
Olive was not the only gifted member %
the family. William, destined 10 be Pre-
mler OF Cape Colony during the inoet
stormy period Of its history-thc present
showed early talent for public affairs.
which earned for him the tbanlless dts
tinction OF becoming the political bull
wark between the Briton and the Boer
Theophilus. another brother inherited his
fathers zeal and eloquence. and became
one Of the married sisters. Mrs Stewart
while the other. Mrs Lewis. mansgcs
home for incspables. and ranks high as
philanthropist
But olive was the genius 81 the family
Again like Charlotte BrOntc, che began
life as governess. anil = was during
this period thar she wrote the story -
an African Farm" Her study WIS a
room ia a rude Boer homestead Tho
floor was earth not even glazed wits
bullocks blood the custom ~ the more
luxurious Beers She was wisp - a
woman then. al eyes and inaRination.
with the tlniest hands and feet. Now she
Is 50 plump that the bands and feet look
too small 70 be useful
she and cecil Rhodes spent much %
their time tcgether The Diamond King
exhibited every token % esfecm--of love.
the schrelner family thought
olive Schreiner had no social gifts. Ia
dress she had not reached her present
stage 81 a perpetual Mother Hubbard. aat
there was 10 time ~ which abe might
not have been deseT1bed as uncouven-
uonaL She could not play. sing Or masaI-
fscture small talk But she eouid TAX
mems talk, from gifted wauaan-s point
% vlew-and Cecil Rhodes passed May
go evening win her.
She dld more than talk She fsil r. love
And she believed she vac loved in rs-
turn
Whether Cecil Rhodes s7ozs - marriage
or even thought y ~. cannot b. reoor8ed.
II Is clear taat the scareiaeF family b.
usysd he meant H. f9r as eEcsyt the
mother nov s0h0r him an8 al his works.
Tire old woman's l8Ysity vas DeTsr
shaken Her friends aFngse one another
psth the Et9ry lEat whea Olive cent her
a present - $50 out - tAe grgoeesss =
'-I-roaprr peter TEalkef enc zsnt fhs
nsoaey 50 = rontssbofion - fsse fan' fas
erecting a s'afge = Rhodes 81 Ehotezis.
Ifarsver cruelty olive schfsfner may
have suffered from ne 6isogverT tlzat
Cseu nh0seF was rof a Hnarrvfag mar
ard - fSLs 5ar - has - FeFafeti1n -
2 voruan- "a rat o. ia a.
esunt csrdensn herself 81 single tlesee3-
uese Craa E~leat a T5lrE Cape Coipny
farmer d, F.ugles family. se.st 2er aad
Wa ssscspss-I. II defertaes - be- Htsr-
arr rspssatia1. Sc aa8 Fe,I'r cen
.-ass-i - aI9at her sasae. wsfs 70 axe
~ a .ss.s-e ~ Hsoheaz. henoe - azsrez
"a CAGE Tgern sDassg az 1tr Crga-
gYrlE1f- affre,rrT.
Care skrafnsr gave aErta - oue ehfl6
Eafta sizes i-l infanrF gee eaar~f if -
81 egraasfs affeF tsasa 80 frrss-
urea ;ae sse.ara - feasig fhAt hsr So
eaafr ress accsza beS ~ sF.ns fassffa.
r. -Efs aaaos-.lsa sa.s rr1fs 20 81 fasT.