| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 22 December 1886 |
ENGELS TO EMIL ENGELS Jun.
IN ENGELSKIRCHEN
London, 22 December 1886
Dear Emil,
I was very pleased to hear from you again and through you from your mother[1] and all the others.
As to your request, it occurs to me that it would be considered gross inconsistency on my part if I wished to contribute 150 marks to the Protestant Institute in Barmen because the aims it pursued were, as a rule, generally worthy. I believe your father-in-law[2] would likewise think it inconsistent were he to make a donation to an avowedly Social Democratic workers' fund on account of its generally worthy aims. But where there's a will there's a way and since in any case it always strikes me as somewhat comical whenever I see myself listed in the books as a shareholder of the Protestant Institute, I hereby present you with both the shares to do with as you please. I enclose a note for Hermann[3] who will, I trust, attend to the matter.
I am glad to hear that you are all well and especially that your mother's solicitude for her children and grandchildren is giving her a new lease of life. All of you will indeed miss your father[4] for a long time to come, both in the family and in the business. He was every inch a man and such a one will never be replaced in the family and only with difficulty in the business. However it will be a great help to you young people to step into positions of responsibility early on; unfortunately it was rare enough in Germany in my day, yet it is absolutely essential to the formation of the mind and particularly of the character. So let the elderly gentlemen amuse themselves in Barmen and in summer use Engelskirchen more for recuperation than for business. If you can run the firm on your own, so much the better; it will give you self-confidence.
But now I must close; Schorlemmer will be arriving from Manchester in a few minutes and tomorrow I expect more visitors from Paris[5] ; we shall therefore have a full house and that will put paid to my work and also to my correspondence. However I was anxious to settle the matter of the shares beforehand and have used my last free moment for this purpose.
So my particularly fond regards to your mother and to your wife,[6] your boy,[7] Hermann[8] and Moritz[9] and regards to yourself
From your Uncle
Friedrich
And in particular a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year to you all.