Letter to Friedrich Engels, August 3, 1882

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MARX TO ENGELS

IN LONDON

Argenteuil, jeudi, 3 août 1882
11 Boulevard Thiers

DEAR FRED,

The difficulty over letter-writing is due to the following: at 7.30 a. m. I start off by washing and dressing myself, taking early morning coffee, etc.; at 8.30 a. m. departure for Enghien, not as a rule return- ing before noon, then déjeuner en famille at Argenteuil; from 2-4 p. m., rest, then a walk and pottering about with the children with conse- quences more detrimental to one's faculties of sight and hearing (let alone thought) than were ever experienced even by the Hegel of the Phänomenologie; finally, at 8 p. m., evening SUPPER, thereby concluding the day's work. So when would one find time for correspondence?

Tussychen is being of enormous help to Jennychen, nor could her stay here really be considered as a rest cure if she were not so fond of the children and of poor Jennychen and evincing in these particular circumstances qualities which lie dormant in London. Tussy and Laura have not seen one another yet and aren't exactly longing to do so. But for decency's sake they will have to meet at least once while I am here.

Now for a health bulletin. My cure began on 17 June. The weather up till now has been so far below the average for summer (French) that the season which starts in June in Enghien is regarded as a FAIL- URE by the établissement thermal and something 'better' is looked for in August and September. Constant changes of temperature, the sky often heavily overcast, particularly in the mornings after rain and orages, violent winds, moisture-laden atmosphere and hence often une chaleur lourde/ alias London's 'CLOSE' STATUS. The French have been at pains to stave off an alliance with England; by contrast, the English climate (I MEAN specifically the London climate) would seem to be making itself increasingly at home here, in Paris and environs. Such is the case this year at any rate. In between times, of course, we

have an occasional fine day, or fragments thereof. In these circum- stances my cure is having to contend with 'agreeable obstacles'. As Lenchen will recall, there was one particular day when Dr Feugier's examination, and the one undertaken a few hours later by Dr Dour- len, resulted in the same verdict: the râlements had disappeared and this meant the 'bronchial' character of the catarrh had been eliminat- ed. I didn't pass on 'such matters' to you; I suspected that the said bronchial catarrh had by no means croaked its last, and, indeed, dur- ing a brief spell of bad weather, it began to croak anew. That the cough hadn't 'disappeared' (though greatly alleviated, of course), I was aware, but didn't much mind about what remained of the cough once its character had changed.

Indeed, upon auscultating me last Monday (31 July), Dr Feugier found that the râle was still there, although grown fainter; the weather, he said, was especially malign and harmful in the case of these particular complaints. As a rule, patients only continue the sul- phur cure for 3 weeks; indeed, many people cannot tolerate it for a longer period without the risk of feverish attacks, etc. In view of my otherwise strong constitution and since I am still troubled by a cough, especially of a morning, he thought it best to continue the cure until the middle of August, with INHALATION, BATHS, DOUCHES and the drinking of sulphurous waters; no purpose would be served by prolonging it beyond that date. I shall, of course, follow the doctor's advice. On the other hand, however, it will by then probably be too late for the Engadine plan; both Feugier and Dourlen are afraid that I might otherwise expose myself to climatic ADVENTURES which a man, above all one in my condition, would do better not to invite unnecessarily.— I hope you will in any case come and spend a few days here (in which case the Lafargues would easily find you accommodation in Paris), not only so that we may confer about que faire après, but more espe- cially, you must understand, because I long to see you again after all these DAMNED vésicatoires and one or two very close shaves!

Laurachen wrote and told me that Deville is leaving for his home town of Tarbes on the evening of 2 August. But since I had expressed a desire to see him, Mesa proposed we should come to déjeuner with him on 2 August, when I should meet, besides the Lafargues, also Deville and Guesde. This was the first time that I had agreed to such a meeting. (It is always the livelier talk, and/or chatter which tells on

me — after the event.) Went off well. The Citoyen people seem to me to be succeeding with their public MEETINGS on the Egyptian, etc., affaires; however, as far as the performance of their paper is con- cerned, ils laissent beaucoup à désirer. Incidentally, and aside from the self- styled socialist journals, a large and most influential part of the Paris press is incomparably more independent than that of London. Despite pressure from most of the PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS, despite collusion be- tween the République Française, the Temps and the Journal des Débats, working hand-in-glove under the immediate direction of Gambetta; despite, what is more, the attempts at bribery by the FINANCIERS (Rothschilds, etc.) who have an immediate interest in joining the English crusade against Egypt, the Paris press has quashed every at- tempt (even Freycinet's disguised ones) at joint intervention with England or with a Quadruple Alliance; without that press, Cle- menceau would not have won his victory in parliament. But where in London is there even a modicum of an 'independent' press?

I cannot in fact remember where Loria's grandes opus is to be found in my library; nor would it seem to me worth your while taking the trouble to look for it. As you know, after reading the 'opus' (or RATHER the first half of the book, for I hadn't the patience to do more than skim through the 2nd half containing Mr Loria's fantasies about how his ideal norm, small landed property, i. e. smallholdings, could adequately be constructed), I was far from edified by the sickening covert flattery vis-à-vis myself and the overt assumption of 'superiority' not to mention falsification of certain of my views the better to refute them. Yet, though my first reaction was that I wanted to have no truck with him, I allowed myself to become further involved because he showed talent, because he had done a lot of swotting; because he was a poor devil who had written to me at length about his thirst for knowledge; because he was still very young and his admittedly far from youthful tendencies — they were, if anything, wise beyond his years — seemed understandable in view, partly of conditions in Italy, and partly of the school from which he derived; also because he sought to make his own, in so far as in him lay and not always with- out success, the methods of research he had found in Capital. I was 'amused' and pleased by his way of openly preening himself on hav- ing 'antiquated' Capital with his 'landed property'. For all that, I still harbour serious doubts about the young man's character.

After I had read through these 2 pamphlets, however, and a couple of days after Tussy's arrival here, I gave her my very categorical and final verdict — in words — I give you three guesses! — in the exactly same terms which the said Tussychen was amazed to find again, word for word, in your letter of 31 July which I showed her! Thus we, you and I, not only came to exactly the same conclusion, but formulated the same in exactly the same way\ Such being the case, we can, in future, only adopt an attitude of ironical aloofness towards him, without in any way becoming further involved in the business! He is far worse than the Kauzkitten, who at least has the best of intentions.

Apropos Hirsch. If he really has collaborated with Mehring, the party will never forgive him. Should I see him, I shall ask him point- blank. Come to that, as regards the controversy over my status, it would have been better had nothing been said. What are the workers to believe, unless it be that I was, so to speak, shamming sick, and had squandered all that time and money without good reason?

Next week the Lafargues are moving into their proper quarters which are said to be very pleasant, and cheap as local logements go.

Au revoir, OLD BOY. My love also to Lenchen.

Your

Moor