Letter to Karl Kautsky, June 11, 1892

ENGELS TO KARL KAUTSKY

IN STUTTGART

London, 11 June 1892

Dear Baron,

I would have written to you about Schorlemmer before now had I not wished to go and see for myself first. This I did only last week^[1] , after August and Paul had left for home on Wednesday,^[2]

I went down to Manchester that same day. I had already heard from Gumpert, who is treating him, that he was confined to bed, was quite apathetic and was probably suffering from a carcinogenic tumour of the right^[3] lung. And so I found him, unresponsive, totally incurious, but entirely free from pain; at the same time his faculties were clouded and he often supposed himself to be somewhere else. More than 5 to 10 minutes' conversation (when for the most part he mechanically repeated what the other person said) was too much for him and rest was what he needed most. The tumour of the lung continuing to develop, there was a marked dullness on percussion, while pressure on the large blood vessels and on the plexus also produced, on the one hand, impaired activity of the brain and, on the other, paralysis and oedema of the right arm. While there is no oedema of the legs, they are exceedingly weak, the muscles being relaxed and wasted. He might last out for a few weeks in this condition, but again might be carried off any day by some complication or other. There is, of course, no hope. I have told his family as much as they need to know, and have made provisions for the safeguarding of his fairly extensive mss; this may give rise to some interesting arguments. Gumpert got him to make his will before it was too late.

So that's another of our best chaps on the way out. He had not been his old self for four years or more, and had increasingly lost interest in anything not immediately connected with his work, the mere pursuit of which cost him considerable labour. Moreover, he was often testy because of increasing deafness and a susceptibility to the draughts and chills by which that deafness was instantly aggravated. Last year I made one more attempt to induce him to take a sea trip to Scotland and Ireland, but before twenty-four hours were out he was laid low by relatively minor adversities and we had to abandon the project. The tumour of the lung, now plainly distinguishable, explains much of this, and likewise his debility after the bout of influenza last March, which marked the beginning of his final illness.

My translation of the introduction to the English version of SOCIALISM: UTOPIAN AND SCIENTIFIC is now finished; as soon as the book comes out (and why it isn't already out I cannot think), I shall send you the introduction for the Neue Zeit.^[4] In the meantime I am sending you the Italian translation of the same book in the second edition published in Milan.

This country is swarming with congresses. On Thursday^[5] Tussy and Aveling returned from the Gasworkers' Congress in Plymouth 489 where they couldn't have set a better example to the TRADE UNIONISTS of the old stamp. A Liberal candidate, having given £10 towards a gasworkers' strike, or rather towards that of one of their factory workers' sections, asked to be admitted to the congress as an unofficial guest, a request ordinarily granted as a matter of course. The gasworkers, however, said quod non,^[6] they wanted no truck with middle-class candidates, and the man had no locus standi^[7] at their congress.

We've also got the miners over here.^[8] The day before yesterday the Germans, including a cesky towaryl,^[9] came to call on me. It was particularly unfortunate that Tussy shouldn't have been here to interpret and advise; I need tell you no more than that the chaps had fallen into the clutches of Julius^[10] , who failed to understand anything that went on either in English or in French and, though unacquainted with conditions and people over here, had to pretend he understood everything and was acquainted with everyone, thus isolating the chaps almost completely. On top of that, they had with them an Anglicised German who cannot speak either language and is hand in glove with the old TRADES UNIONS. Fortunately the Avelings were present on the last and most important day. The ignominy of the English is plain for all to see: The Continentals are demanding 8 hours for everyone employed in the mines, the English ask it only for those working underground! That has now been established and the vainglory of the English about their superior TRADES UNION ORGANISATION has been punctured by themselves.

Kindest regards from

Your

General