The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-12-28
A Writer Passes.


Continent has produced sinces Moses
floated along the banks Of the Nile,
but whose career was as great a
disappointment to her friends and
Bryants in an earlier day, and for
much the same reason, Bryant
struck twelve when he wrote Than
atopsis" at 10, his first poem. His
friends always looked for something
equal tor superior--to his first
work. but looked in vain. Just so did
Olive Schreiner reach her apex in
The Story of an African Farm"
The rest, with the exception Of
Dreams" were merely the washings
of lees.
The times are out of joint: o
wretched spite, that ever was born
to set them right" cried storm tossed
Hamlet and his passionate protest
found an answering echo in her own
heart. She protested against the
world and its ways with tongue and
pen. A}feminist, she fought for suf-
frage when it still required courage
to do SO. A nationalist, her story
of an African Farm" elected the ac-
tivity of even Gladstone's pen in
rebuttal. Her prose Dreams" are
beyond anything THAT Remy de Gour-
mont has produced
When she came to London direct
from Basutoland in the heart of
South Africa with the Ms. of THE
story of an African Farm" as her
one asset, she was a little creature
with great large eyes. sun Drowned
skin and a shy, frightened manner.
AT that time owen Meredith was
reader for Macmillan's publishing
house and he reported favorably on
her MS, which redeemed his failure
in refusing East Lynne" For THE
Story of an African Farm" had a
tremendous sale. Meredith advised
the exclusion of a number of super
fluous chapters and much material
of controversial nature. Miss
Schreiner reluctantly consented. Aft
erward she declared that she did
not know it was the writer or she
would have allowed him to do as
he wished with the book.
When in London she was unknown
and suffered much from loneliness
and neglect. Lady Mary Annersley.
who affected literature, was very
kind to the shy, lonely creature, and
lion hunting Mrs. Anna Pague. who
drove around in a huge yellow
brougham--that Windsor called the
sarsaparilia Van-gathering up social
lions, tried to patronize her and got
numerically snubbed for her pains.
At Lady Mary's she was once asked
II she were lonesome and replied
simply zone could not be with the
British museum the Tower, the ABB
hey, Gladstone and so many other
ruins of interest" This was re-
peated to Gladstone and the Grand
Old Man chuckled. He loved
Parthian thrust like that.
When her novel began to attain
its tremendous vogue London wanted
to lionize her. Society began to make
inquiries preparatory to a deluge OF
invitations. but the shy. mouse like
creature was back on her native
veldt and the tuft-hunters were too
late. On her subsequent visits she
ignored society entirely.
Feminism owes a debt of gratitude
to her, Her book centered world
wide interest on the movement. 1t
was more a passionate, palpitating
pamphlet of protest against sex in
equalities than novel, though
there are some unforgettable lines.
Again and again she cries out
against the futility-as she sees II
of human effort, in her novel. When
Doss-the dog-in careless canine
play, bites a tumblebug in two that
was busily engaged in rolling a ball
to its hole, she records the simple
fact and cries out, 1T all ended in
play and no one knew whether II
had lived or died. A striving and a
striving and an ending in nothing"
Much was expected of her after
the publication of the epoch making
STORY of an African Farm " hut eX-