Letter to Pasquale Martignetti, July 25, 1892

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 25 July 1892


First published, in the language of the original (German), in La corrispondenza di Marx e Engels con italiani. 1848-1895, Milano, 1964
Printed according to the original
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 49


ENGELS TO PASQUALE MARTIGNETTI

IN BENEVENTO

London, 25 July 1892

Dear Friend,

I have not replied to your letter of 13 May sooner because I wished to include with my reply a material token of my sympathy. At the time, however, I myself was short of funds and it is only now that I find myself in a position to send you the enclosed money-order for three pounds sterling. I know only too well that your troubles all derive from the struggle for existence and I'm only sorry that I cannot do more to make that struggle easier for you.

Meanwhile I'm glad to learn from your letter of 1 July that your health is improving and that there is no longer any fear of the neurasthenia that was threatening to take hold. I hope the improvement will continue, so that you will soon be able to look round for remunerative employment again.

I shall ask Aveling tomorrow about the Students' Marx; he is unlikely to raise any objections.[1]

You will have heard that in the elections[2] here we scored positive triumphs over both the old parties and that even where we lost we gave the Liberals a taste of our power. The movement is gaining more and more ground, thanks in particular to the resolution regarding eight hours demonstrations adopted by the Paris Congress. The First of May has fait merveille,[3] immeasurably more so than did the Chassepots at Mentana,[4] which have long since been consigned to the scrapheap.

With sincere regards,

Yours,

F. Engels

  1. ↑ This refers to Edward Aveling's book, The Students' Marx. An Introduction to the Study of Karl Marx' Capital (London, 1892), a popular summary of Volume I of Capital. In his letter to Engels of 1 July 1892 Martignetti said he intended to translate the book into Italian, and asked for a copy. At Engels' request one was sent him in August.
  2. ↑ The summer 1892 parliamentary election in Britain was won by the Liberals. The campaign brought success to the workers' and socialist organisations, which had put up a considerable number of independent candidates. Three of them—James Keir Hardie, John Burns and John Havelock Wilson—were elected.
  3. ↑ worked marvels
  4. ↑ At Mentana, on 3 November 1867, French troops in co-operation with the Pope's mercenary guards defeated Garibaldi's forces, which were on their second march on Rome to reunite the papal domain with Italy. Engels ironically quotes General Pierre Louis Charles de Failly, the French commander, who, referring to the efficacy of his soldiers' Chassepots (guns of a new system), reported: 'Nos fusils Chassepots ont fait merveille' ('Our Chassepots have worked a miracle').