| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 18 October 1892 |
ENGELS TO LUDWIG SCHORLEMMER
IN DARMSTADT
London, 18 October 1892
My dear Schorlemmer,
I have your letters of 31 July and the 9th inst. It was my fault that Pumps forgot her Schmollis.[1] After so long an interval she no longer trusted herself to write in German off her own bat, and so I did it for her. Naturally I knew nothing of her tippling exploits in Darmstadt and put "Sie". Her husband[2] is not to blame, for he knows no German. Pumps is expecting a child any day, her fourth. Her second, a boy, unfortunately died, while her youngest, also a boy and really a very nice humorous little chap, is very delicate and at this moment far from well.
Because of what you said about Anschütz I delayed writing this letter for several days in the hope of hearing from him. But up till now there has been nothing. The position is that I must know first of all how exhaustive the biography is to be, whether it is intended for a periodical and if so which, etc., etc. If the man proposes to deal with our Carl[3] merely qua chemist, all he needs are a few particulars that could serve as a framework. If, however, he intends to depict the man as he was, the question arises as to whether he is the most suitable candidate and whether one ought, without further inquiry, to place at his disposal the letters to and from Carl. Again, a chemist living in Germany would necessarily be unfamiliar with the circumstances of a man who had lived in England for 30 years and more, and this would involve me in work of a much more comprehensive nature. That would not deter me. I should gladly devote as much time to it as I could spare, once I had seen the back of Volume III of Capital to which I have now returned. But who will provide me with a guarantee that my information is used in the spirit in which it was given? When in our presence, and in fact he spent all his vacations here in London except when he went to Germany in the summer, Carl was first and foremost a Social Democrat and up till now Social Democrats have been somewhat thinly represented in the ranks of the chemists. It certainly wouldn't do if, in his biography, the biographer were, so to speak, to beg his readers' pardon because the man whose life he was depicting had had the misfortune to be a Social Democrat!
Anschutz was, if I'm not mistaken, for a time a pupil of Carl's in Manchester. As already mentioned; I shall be glad to be of service—in so far as I have the time—but first of all I must know what is required and what kind of biography it is to be.
The executors in Manchester[4] are right in wanting to wind up whatever can be wound up without going into the settlement of the copyright questions. That will take time if only because the publishers stand to gain from a certain delay and are therefore in no hurry. I have heard nothing from Roscoe either; doubtless he won't make a move until he can put forward and accept or reject specific proposals.
I hope your daughter continues to improve and that she has been able to leave her bed in the meantime.
Why the old man[5] didn't come to Darmstadt I don't know. Does his wife[6] still perhaps have relations there whom he would rather not see too often, while feeling reluctant actually to steer clear of them? As to the business of Müller's[7] adultery and whether he committed it or whether he didn't, not a word has so far penetrated to London. Best compliments from Mrs Kautsky.
Yours,
F. Engels