Letter to Jenny Longuet, August 19, 1879

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 19 August 1879


First published in the languages of the original (German, French and English) in Annali, an. I, Milano, 1958
This letter was published in English for the first time in: K. Marx, On Education, Women and Children, arranged and edited, with an introduction and new translations by Saul K. Padover. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1975
Printed according to the original
Published in English in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 45


MARX TO JENNY LONGUET

IN RAMSGATE

St Hélier, 19 August 1879
Hôtel de l'Europe

My dear beloved Jennychen,

Long live the little citizen of the world![1] Il faut peupler le monde de garçons d'autant plus que la statistique anglaise montre un excès de filles. I'm glad that the catastrophe has proceeded auspiciously so far, though unfortunately under somewhat difficult circumstances. The ARRANGEMENT made by Mamma strikes me as being[2] far from the most convenient. At all events, Tussy and myself leave to-morrow for London and then I shall be very soon at your side[3] and everything will be quietly settled. Here the rainy time— otherwise so unknown to this delicious island—has again set in, so that we had already commenced discussing our departure, the whole aspect of our sojourn here having changed with the climatic and météorologie changes.

The Hôtel de l'Europe is excellent and one day we must go here together, toute la famille.

I can hardly expect to-morrow morning when the boat will start from here to Southampton. I feel so anxious with you and little Johnny.

In the meantime
my best
compliments
to Mamma
and Longuet. Just don't fret or worry, my child, everything will turn out all right.

Your trusty

OLD NICK[4]

You must excuse the brevity of this note, the reason being that the letter has to be posted at once.

  1. ↑ It's as well to stock the world with boys, particularly since statistics in England show a surplus of girls.
  2. ↑ by degrees
  3. ↑ On 21 August 1879, Marx interrupted his stay in Jersey (see Note 494) and arrived in Ramsgate to join his daughter Jenny and her newborn son Edgar. He returned to London on 17 September.
  4. ↑ jocular name for Marx