Letter to Laura Lafargue, July 20, 1891

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 20 July 1891


First published, in the language of the original (English), in: F. Engels, P. et L. Lafargue, Correspondance, t. III, Paris, 1959
Reproduced from the original
Published in English in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 49


ENGELS TO LAURA LAFARGUE

AT LE PERREUX

London, 20 July 1891

My dear Laura,

The Culine business is very bad indeed—worthy of the fellow's name[1] —but what's to be done? With such a weapon in Constans' hands, we can only hold our tongues.

Louise went on Wednesday[2] and Jollymeier came on Saturday, but he is getting more and more Tristymeier, you have to work very hard to get a smile out of him now. Anyhow I'll try my best.

Paul asks me to send you a cheque, so enclosed £20; please let me know the receipt. I send it off quick because Jollymeier is still out at his walk, so if I close this letter all of a sudden, you will know the reason why.

We are preparing a tour at sea, but have not made up our plans yet, and I have not yet finished my ms.[3] —but am at the last addition as far as I can see. Hope to have done by Wednesday[4] at latest.

Paul thinks Tussy is troubling herself more than necessary about Brussels 135—I don't think so. Everything may go well, and probably will go well if everybody comes up to the scratch, but I have too much experience of such congresses, not to know how easily everything can go wrong. The Belgians have convoked for the 18th August[5] Tuesday, instead of Sunday 16th—if our people come on the 18th and the (Possibilists) Broussists and Hyndmanites on the 16th, they can play ducks and drakes with everything. Tussy has written yesterday to Volders but these fellows never even reply! As to what the English will do, that's mere toss-up; from Germany almost certainly Vollmar will come and intrigue; what the small countries are you know: not to be trusted across the road. And one mistake on our part, one neglected opportunity, may cause us unnecessary but unavoidable work for years to come.

And then there is that irrepressible Bonnier who point-blank informed me that Guesde and he were going to go in for a restoration of the old International with a Central Council. I told him point-blank that that was putting everything in the hands of the Belgians (the only possible Central Council) knowing what sort of people they were; it was ruining every chance of the movement here in England for a couple of years by a foolish attempt to precipitate matters not ripe for action; and in fact the best means of setting French, English and Germans at loggerheads one with the other. He seemed abashed, but who can guess what he and Guesde may do in their enthusiasm?

Viele Grüsse von Jollymeier und Deinem alten[6]

F.E.

  1. ↑ Hippolyte Culine, condemned with Paul Lafargue at the trial in Douai (see Note 275), had appealed for pardon to Minister of the Interior Constans, thus complicating for himself and Lafargue the campaign for the quashing of the unwarranted sentence.
    In referring to Culine's name Engels hints at its similarity to the French verb 'culer', which means 'to retreat'.
  2. ↑ 15 July
  3. ↑ the fourth German edition of The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State
  4. ↑ 22 July
  5. ↑ This refers to the circular of the Belgian Workers' Party of 17 June 1891, headlined 'Congrès international ouvrier socialiste de 1891' and signed by Jean Volders. The circular, published in Vorwärts on 26 June 1891 and in Le Socialiste, No. 41, 1 July 1891, contained an invitation to the International Socialist Congress due to meet in Brussels on 18 August 1891. It signified the virtual recognition by the Belgian socialists, who formerly supported the Possibilists, of the decisions adopted at the international conference in Halle (see Note 28).
  6. ↑ Best greetings from Jollymeier and your old friend