Letter to Wilhelm Liebknecht, February 29, 1888

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To Wilhelm Liebknecht in Borsdorf near Leipzig

London, February 29, 1888

Dear Liebknecht,

If you people will allocate 100 marks a quarter to Mrs Pfänder, I shall do the same, in which case she will have £40 a year and that will safeguard her against extreme indigence.

After Pfänder’s death she had a little money, opened a lodging house, but was necessarily restricted to a very second-rate neighbourhood; she was also unfortunate in other respects (e.g. let rooms to several paederasts who were found out)—in short, it didn’t work. Next she took a little shop, whereupon the daughter died who alone understood how to manage a small business of that sort—in short, the money melted away. Pfänder’s brother, whom the former had at one time bought out of the army and supported for a long period, and who is in New Ulm, Minnesota, insisted upon her going over there with her other daughter. On arrival they found they were to be treated as ‘poor relations’ and do domestic service. Mrs Pfänder was not slow to decide; she returned forthwith, having been there barely a fortnight. That ate up what little resources she had left. Since then everything possible has been done for her over here, but I am the only person here who can provide for her in the long run, though not with a sufficiency in view of all the other calls upon me. But, as I say, if your proposal goes through, the worst will be taken care of. In any case, it won’t be for very long.

I read the Daily News in the morning, the Evening Standard and Pall Mall Gazette in the evenings and the Weekly Dispatch on Sundays. At the moment, that is; I sometimes ring the changes. But if there is anything interesting in them, I send it to Paris for Laura and cannot very well depart from this. However, I shall see what I can send you. Provided you are looking for literary contributions rather than politics, the Weekly Dispatch is at all events better than the Saturday Review. Belongs to Mrs Ashton Dilke, editor Dr Al. Hunter, M. P. for Aberdeen. It’s bigoted, middle class-radical, but comprehensive so far as English news is concerned, has much parliamentary gossip during session time, and first-rate correspondence from Paris (Mrs Crawford of the Daily News, who can speak her mind much more freely here). I’ll send it to you sometimes.

Have heard nothing of the Irish tricolour to which you refer. Irish flags in Ireland and here are simply green with a golden harp, but without a crown (in the British coat-of-arms the harp wears a crown). In the Fenian days, 1865-67, many were green and orange to show the Orangemen of the North that they would not be destroyed, but accepted as brothers. However, no question of that any more.

I don’t think Bismarck is so stupid as to believe that the Russians would be a party to his crushing France. Constant squabbling between France and Germany is, after all, their chief means of dominating Europe and this implies their holding the scales. That Bismarck desires nothing more ardently than to sink France, if possible, beneath the waves is, of course, undeniable. But it won’t be so easy to do. The new French fortifications— the Mass and Moselle Lines, the two groups of fortresses in the north and southeast (Belfort, Besançon, Lyons, Dijon, Langres, Epinal) and, finally, the wonderful new groups of forts round Paris—have taken the wind out of his sails; as things are now, Germany cannot get the better of France or France the better of Germany. And that’s a very good thing. If the worst comes to the worst, the frontier will probably be the scene of a static war with changing fortunes, which will instill respect for their opponents into both armies and make possible a reasonable peace. On the other hand, the Russians may suffer a formidable drubbing, and that would be best of all. It’s just begun to snow again—for the past 3 weeks nothing but snow, frost and east wind, with a bit of a thaw in between-whiles. You would also seem to be having really filthy weather where you are.

Many regards.

Your

F. E.

Do you know a workingman called Carl August Nitzer from Lindenau, who was allegedly expelled from Leipzig (after being held for 3 months on remand), but then allegedly spent another 3 months agitating on behalf of Viereck before fleeing (which is why, he says, he cannot produce an expulsion order)? The laddie has come to me two or three times asking for money, but he gives the impression of being a case-hardened layabout and sponger.