Letter to Louis Pio, mid-March 1872

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written March 1872


First published, in the languages of the original (English and Danish), in Die Neue Zeit, Bd. 1, Nr. 23, Stuttgart, 1921
Published in English in full for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 44


ENGELS TO LOUIS PIO

IN COPENHAGEN

[London, mid-March 1872]

Dear Mr Pio,

I think I cannot give you anything better for my first correspondence than the preceding translation of two excellent articles from the Pensamento Social.[1] I have not the slightest idea who may be the author, but they show an insight into the economical and historical conditions of the development of modern society which I am astonished to find in a paper coming from so remote a corner of the world.

By the bye, the article on organisation of agricultural production by Association from Socialisten which I got inserted in the published report of the Meetings of the General Council, has gone the round of the Spanish, Italian and American press, and I now find it reproduced in the Pensamento Social[2] ; it has created great sensation and will not be without its fruit. Altogether, with regard to the all-important question of enlisting the small peasantry and Husmaendena[3] in the proletarian movement, the Danes, owing to their local circumstances and to their great political intelligence, are now in advance of all other nations. I have told Liebknecht and others this, but unfortunately they are too lazy to learn Danish.

Mottershead has not attended the last three meetings of the General Council, but he intends, so he has told us, to resign from his office as Secretary for Denmark; he says he is too busy to carry out his duties as Secretary.

In the meantime, I beg you to be so kind as to correspond with me, and I take upon myself all responsibility for any repercussions which might affect you vis-à-vis the General Council because of it. We intend to transfer the secretaryship for Denmark to a Frenchman, a member of the Commune de Paris.[4]

With a socialist handshake and greetings,

F. Engels

[5]

I have translated the Portuguese articles into French, because this language permits an almost literal translation, and I have made it as literal as possible without regard to elegance or even correctness of French style.

  1. ↑ Presumably the articles 'A Ignaldade' and 'A Internacional', published in O Pensamento Social, No. 1, February 1872.
  2. ↑ A reference to Engels' account of the report of the Danish Federal Council and of Pio's article 'Om vore Landboforhold' (Socialisten, No. 17, 4 November 1871), made at the General Council meeting of 5 December 1871. The account was included in the report on the General Council meeting carried by The Eastern Post, No. 167, 9 December 1871. The translations of these items which Engels sent to Spain and Portugal were published in La Emancipation, No. 31, 14 January 1872, and O Pensamento Social, Nos. 1 and 2, February and March 1872.
  3. ↑ small tenants
  4. ↑ Frederic Etienne Cournet
  5. ↑ From here on up to and including the words '...literal translation' Engels writes in Danish.