Letter to Ludwig Schorlemmer, May 28, 1892

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 28 May 1892


First published in: Marx and Engels, Works, First Russian Edition, Vol. XXIX, Moscow, 1946
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 49


ENGELS TO LUDWIG SCHORLEMMER

IN DARMSTADT

London, 28 May 1892

Dear Mr Schorlemmer,

I am not, alas, in a position to give you any better news today. Not only has Carl's[1] debility, both physical and mental, not diminished; it has actually increased, for which reason Gumpert has called in another physician, Dr Julius Dreschfeld of Mannheim, who is professor of medicine at Owens College[2] and is a great personal friend of Carl's. Unfortunately the opinion of this distinguished medical man is exactly the same as Gumpert's, namely that Carl's strength is gradually failing and that there is probably very little hope of his recovery. Since last Saturday Gumpert has kept him wholly confined to bed and has engaged a hospital nurse for him with whose work he declares himself completely satisfied. I myself propose, unless called before by Gumpert, to travel down to Manchester next Wednesday or Thursday[3] when, having seen for myself how things are, I should have more to tell you. But if Gumpert sends for me before then, I shall, of course, go down at once.

Bebel is still here and will be returning home with Singer in the middle of next week.[4] While here he has rallied very well, as was indeed essential for he was in fact very much run down. However, the doctor has forbidden him to speak in public for the next few months.

And Bebel's strength has got to be spared—he's such a splendid chap and we shall never get another like him.

In about three weeks' time our chaps in Paris will have a big daily that will be able to bear comparison with the best newspapers; it is to be under the control of Guesde and Lafargue.[5]

Mrs Kautsky joins me in sending kind regards to your mother and to the rest of the family.

Yours,

F. Engels

Carl has made his will in which he leaves everything to his mother. Should you receive inquiries from England regarding Carl's manuscripts, I would most strongly advise you to make no promises of any kind before finding out what is involved from Dr Gumpert, myself or someone else whom you know well.

  1. ↑ Carl Schorlemmer
  2. ↑ Owens College, founded in 1851, was a constituent college of Victoria University. In 1904 it became the Victoria University of Manchester.
  3. ↑ 1 or 2 June
  4. ↑ August Bebel and Paul Singer visited Engels in London approximately between 14 May and 1 June 1892.
  5. ↑ This concerns the plan for turning Le Socialiste, the weekly newspaper of the French Workers' Party (see Note 146), into a daily. Engels had asked Laura and Paul Lafargue to keep him informed of the progress of the negotiations. The plan failed to materialise.