Date: 1905-02-15
Source: ru:LS/v5

V. I. LENIN — TO S. I. GUSEV *)•
To Khariton.
15 February 1905.
Dear Friend! Many thanks for your letters.
Please continue in the same spirit—indeed, do so with even greater vigor—but allow me to add a few points: 1) Never limit yourself to merely taking notes on the letters or reports that are forwarded to you; rather, be sure to [write] and forward them—except for your own letters—to us directly; 2) It is absolutely essential that you establish direct links between us and new forces, with the youth, with fresh, vibrant circles.
Remember: the strength of a revolutionary organization lies precisely in the breadth of its connections. The number of new Russian contacts we receive from you must serve as the decisive measure of our friends’ effectiveness and the overall results of their work. So far, all the Petersburg comrades (shame on them!) have failed to provide us with a single new Russian contact—not Serafim [S. N. Afanasiev], not Syoyka [A. A. Bogdanov], not Zemlyachka, not Nikolai Ivanovich [I. Kh. Lalayants].
This is a scandal—a disgrace—a complete collapse!
Learn from the Mensheviks, for heaven’s sake. In No. 85 of Iskra, there were literally hundreds of correspondences.
After all, you’ve been reading Vpered to the youth—so why haven’t you connected us with a single one of those young activists??
Bear in mind: should you falter, we’ll be left stranded—and before long, you’ll find yourselves adrift, unless you manage to win over a dozen new, youthful, steadfast comrades who know how to work, how to maintain relationships, and who can carry on correspondence even without you. Remember this!! A professional revolutionary must cultivate dozens of new connections in every locality, entrusting them with the full burden of work, teaching them not through lectures but through hands-on engagement. Then move on to another place—and within a month or two, return to check in on those young deputies. I assure you…
9.

V. I. LENIN — TO S. I. GUSEV
There exists among us some kind of idiotic, philistine, Oblomov-like fear of the youth. I implore you: fight this fear with all your might.
Your Lenin. *)
*) The letter was published in Proletarskaya Revolyutsiya, No. 4 (39), 1925, p. 25.
2) All of No. 85 of Iskra, dated 9 February (27 January) 1905, is devoted to the events of 9 January. There are numerous reports from the provinces: Ekaterinoslav, Kiev, Rostov, Saratov, Sormovo, Warsaw, and beyond.