Letter to Paul Lafargue, June 30, 1888

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 30 June 1888


First published in French in: F. Engels, P. et L. Lafargue, Correspondance, t. III, Paris, 1959
First published in English in: Frederick Engels, Paul and Laura Lafargue, Correspondence, Vol. 3 (1891-95), Supplement Letters, Moscow, 1963
Published in English in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 48


ENGELS TO PAUL LAFARGUE

AT LE PERREUX

London, 30 June 1888

My dear Lafargue,

Little MacDonnell of the General Council,[1] who is editor of a working-class paper at Paterson, New Jersey,[2] has sent me a young man named R. Block, son of an old New York Socialist—his father is editor of a German bakers' newspaper[3] and secretary of their trades union. As the young man will be spending some days in Paris, I have given him a card addressed to you—his only other introduction in Paris is to Delahaye—also telling him that, since you live in the country, you can be of little use to him, save perhaps as a source of information. He is not involved in politics or socialism, and all he wants is to see Europe 'in the most approved fashion'. If, then, he should find his way to Le Perreux, I would be obliged if you could give him some good advice of the kind one might provide for a traveller desirous of seeing as much as possible in as short a time as possible. He is perfectly aware that you are in no position to show him the sights of Paris.

Aveling is back in London for a play that is to be performed tonight—his fifth, while his sixth will probably be performed next week. There can be no doubt that, by devoting himself to drama, 'He has struck oil', as the Yankees say.

Yours ever, F.E.

  1. ↑ Of the International Working Men's Association
  2. ↑ Paterson Labor Standard
  3. ↑ Deutsch-Amerikanische Bäcker-Zeitung