Letter to Wilhelm Ellenbogen, January 28, 1895

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 28 January 1895


First published in: Marx and Engels, Works, Second Russian Edition, Vol. 50, Moscow, 1981
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 50


ENGELS TO WILHELM ELLENBOGEN

IN VIENNA

London, 28 January 1895
41 Regent's Park Road, N. W.

Esteemed Comrade,

Unfortunately for somewhat over a year I have been forced to make it my duty politely but firmly to decline all invitations to contribute to festive messages, etc., in particular periodically recurring ones, or to send messages of greetings on holidays (18 March, May Day, etc.), the only deviation from this rule being certain exceptional occasions, which promise an immediate specific effect. When you were bringing out the first issue of the daily in Vienna, I believed congratulations to be indicated.[1] If I sent you two lines for the May Day address, I would be compelled to do the same for the Czechs, Hungarians, Italians, Germans, Romanians and who knows what other nations and, moreover, probably send in addresses for the various May Day meetings, leave alone anniversaries like the 13th[2] and 18th of March.

If I am to have time for work, I am obliged to leave the demonstrating to younger forces.

Much as I would like to do a favour precisely to the Austrian comrades, I trust the above will help them realise that this time I must refuse.

Yours faithfully,

F. Engels

  1. ↑ F. Engels, 'Message of Greetings to the Austrian Workers on the Daily Publication of the Arbeiter-Zeitung'.
  2. ↑ Probably a slip of the pen. Should be 14 March, the day of Karl Marx's death.