| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 16 April 1885 |
ENGELS TO LAURA LAFARGUE
IN PARIS
London, 16-17 April 1885
My dear Laura,
It has struck me, since I wrote last,[1] that something might be done in the matter of Lawroff s Russian friends, if they are willing to risk some money on preliminary expenses. 1) If the man died in London and the date of his death, locality, etc., is approximately known, these particulars might enable some one to trace the authentic record of the death. 2) Having that, it will be easy to ascertain at the Court of Probate whether there was a will proved, or whether some one, and who, took out letters of administration and appropriated the gold the man is supposed to have left.
These two steps will in any case be the first two steps that have to be taken, and will put the inquiring parties in a position where they can better judge whether it is worth while proceeding any further. I think Percy might be entrusted with this preliminary part of the matter, and I would see that his charges are no more than what is usual. They would depend, of course, upon the amount of trouble he would be put to.
How is poor old Lawroff getting on with his eyesight? It must be terrible for him to be debarred from the use of his books.
Here is another patient: old Harney has been hovering about all parts of England and Scotland ever since July last and everywhere persecuted by articular rheumatism and bad weather—and now at last turned up in London. He has gone through all sorts of semi- quack treatments — Turkish baths, brine-baths, magnetic belts, etc., and all of course no use, and now has put himself again in the hands of an advertising 'specialist' who exploits the uric-acid-gout theory (which in itself is quite correct) in what looks to me an extremely quackish way. However I'll hope the best, and the poor old fellow is much in want of it. He is shaky enough in arms, hands, legs and feet, and of course much reduced by the treatment he has undergone. I saw him this afternoon (he stays somewhere near the Brecknock) and he speaks of nothing but his sufferings, though here and there with a dash of his old dry humour. His treatment has of course cost him an awful lot of money and he seems to dread the necessity of re- turning to America. From all this you see how much eight months of continuous pains and gradually sinking hopes of relief have brought the old chap down. I hope the spring weather which anyhow must come sometime, will bring him at least some relief.
It's nothing but patients today. Tussy may have informed you that Edward fell ill about 10 days ago and that Donkin says it is a calculus in the kidney — he is at Ventnor at present and rest, we hope, will al- lay the irritation. Of course, there are a good many people loafing about with such a thing in their kidney but it is not pleasant cer- tainly.
The next patient is not so bad, but it is Nim, she had a severe cold, and as one could not keep her out of the kitchen, it turned into a — so far slight — attack of bronchitis. Anyhow I got her to consult the doctor today who told her the shortest way to get over it at once was to go to bed, so there we got her with a fire in the room and 64 degrees Fahrenheit and hope she will be able to get up about Monday.
So now I have come to an end of my sick-list, it is the longest I have had for some time and a mighty pleasant subject to write about, and more pleasant still for the reader!
Paul's article for Kautsky goes in German into the Neue Zeit[2] and in English into next Commonweal.[3] I do not know whether you get this regularly. The business arrangements are as usual awfully defective, everything is put upon Edward's shoulders and as he cannot super- vise every detail, nobody knows whether the paper is really forward- ed to all those people abroad who ought to have it. The whole Socialist League[4] is now in an awful excitement about the Afghan scare — they see not only war, but England defeated, India in revolt and last, revolution at home, Socialism triumphant — hooray! Poor Bax was going to write in this style but Tussy told him he had better see me about it, and I have done my best to cool him down a bit.
Whenever an Englishman does get free of Jingoism thoroughly, he seems to get a positive hatred of his own nationality. This is not such a bad quality, only rather misplaced in the case of a war with the Russian Tsar. The Socialist League will not as yet set England in a blaze, but the Russian Nihilists[5] may Russia — with the help of an unsuccessful war.
You will have seen the stupid proclamation of the German deputies in the Sozialdemokrat. The petit-bourgeois element has decidedly got the majority among the deputies, as I feared from the beginning. This is owing to the Socialist Law which gives them exceptional fa- cilities in pushing their candidatures. But they will soon find out their mistake, if they have not already done so. I am rather glad they have come out so soon and so stupidly. The separation from this element which has been pushed and cajoled principally by friend Lieb- knecht— with the usual best intentions, of course — will come, but I do not want to provoke it while the Socialist Law is in force, because that prevents us from fighting it out. It gives these people a certain advantage but that we must put up with for the time being. And I do not think they will push things to a crisis.
Now a word for Paul. No doubt lex is derived from legere[6] and νόμος from νέμω, and so a certain connection can be estab- lished between agricultural and political terms. And this cannot be otherwise. The first social regulations which were put in force, neces- sarily referred to production and the means of getting the livelihood. That this is confirmed by the development of the language, rien de plus naturel.[7] But now to go further, and to work the derivation of legere and νέμω into a complete system, cannot lead but to fanciful results — if only for the reason that we do not know at what time each particular derivate was formed and still less at what time it received the meaning at which it was handed down to us. And moreover, old etymologists like Vico are bad guide, ilex has the root il, and noth- ing to do with lex. Etymology like physiology and any other -ology must be learned, cannot be invented. And this leads me to the Roshers. You recollect Charley went in for a new railway carriage by which in case of a collision you could get smashed in a new way. Well, that is exploded. But Charley's younger brothers (one 20, the other 18) have invented a new carriage, have patented it, and old Rosher does not seem much disinclined to go in for this thing! What a family of geniuses!
Sur ce,[8] I shut up. Kind regards to Paul.— Hope 'better news next time'.
Affectionately yours,
F.E.
17th April. The doctor has been. Nim is better, and can get up in a couple of days.