Letter to Laura Lafargue, September 20, 1882

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 20 September 1882


First published, in the language of the original (English), in: F. Engels, P. et L. Lafargue, Correspondance, t. I, Paris, 1956
Reproduced from the original
Published in English in full in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 46


ENGELS TO LAURA LAFARGUE

IN VEVEY

London, 20 September 1882

My dear Laura,

I hope Mohr got my short note of the 18th.[1] Today, though under difficulties, I must fulfil my word to you. Have worked all day till six, then dined, now it's just nine, and so I am still a little under the influence of digestion, and besides Percy[2] is sitting in the room but fortunately has got hold of Joseph Andrews.[3]

Do I know Vevey? Why I was quartered there in September 1849 for about a fortnight and know all the Swiss shore of the lake from Villeneuve to Geneva, the Dent du Midi and the Mont Blanc and all the rest. If I am not much mistaken we officers were quartered in your Hotel on the Quay. On the square under the trees, facing the lake, Willich used to exercise his two horses.

I am only sorry you cannot even partially follow the route I made out for you,[4] the Bernese Oberland in many respects beats the lake of Geneva hollow. But if Mohr is to try for a visit to England in October, it will soon be time for you to leave the Alps. I do hope there will be no risk to him in trying to come. Otherwise it would be folly. But let the doctors decide, as also about his winter-resort. Only if he is to come he ought not to drive it too late. We have had fine but rather cold weather, especially night and morning; yesterday rain all day, today dry but mostly dull. By the way, Mohr's statistics of the barometer tally exactly with our experiences at the time at Yarmouth, only that we had a very wet day with the highest barometer, Tussy praying all the time for the stupid thing to fall again!

As to the star-foaming wine, that quality is the exclusive property of Cortaillod— the other Neuchâtel wines do not possess it as far as I know, nor are they so good.

I wonder who got up that foolish story about Bebel.[5] The Cologne Gazette[6] up to Friday last week[7] (date of the Paris papers that reported it) knows or at least tells nothing about it. The thing looks as if it was a canard concocted by Mehring and worked at Paris by Hirsch. I may be on the wrong scent, but I should not be at all astonished if it was so. Who else should have so quickly put in the Bataille and in the Citoyen a necrology, in which (in the Bataille at least) an old speech of Bebel's was quoted that he was for lawful means exclusively? The fright we got was something awful. On Friday night two members of the Working Men's Society Tottenham St. came and asked me, was it true? That was the first I heard. Tussy had the Bataille with the article mentioned above same night; the silence of the Justice might be explained by Longuet's absence. Hunting up German papers in the cafés was useless; the nos that could contain anything would no longer lie on the tables on Saturday. At last, Tussy (not I) got her Sozialdemokrat on Saturday night, and that was not only silent, but stated that Bebel was fit to go out again. To lose Bebel would have been irreparable. Where to find such another head not only in Germany but anywhere else? Where such theoretical clearness, such practical tact, such quiet determination among the younger generation? Well, it's not true and the relief I felt when all doubt had disappeared, I cannot describe.

I am also extremely glad that Jenny has got over her crisis and that the result is the fulfilment of a wish long felt by many. I believe she had a very hard time of it. No doubt Dourlen has provided her with someone to look after her, the people at 41 Maitland Park[8] make no doubt he has, and in that case the absence of the 'creator'[9] might perhaps be a blessing.

Little Pumpsia[10] has the chicken-pox and is very restless and takes at last to crying. The whole affair will be over in a few days and would not upset her so but for two pimples having come out on her tongue which, together with the coming of two teeth, make her mouth feel rather painful. Otherwise everything all well.

Love from all to yourself and Mohr and from yours affectionately,

F. Engels

Bernstein writes that 'The Vicar of Bray' has created a tremendous sensation.

Tussy had written three times to Jenny, since her return here, up to last Sunday!

  1. ↑ See previous letter.
  2. ↑ Percy Rosher
  3. ↑ H. Fielding, The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and His Friend Mr. Abraham Adams.
  4. ↑ See this volume, pp. 318-19.
  5. ↑ A reference to the false news of Bebel's death.
  6. ↑ Kölnische Zeitung
  7. ↑ 15 September
  8. ↑ Eleanor Marx and Helene Demuth
  9. ↑ Charles Longuet
  10. ↑ Lilian Rosher