Since Comrade Plekhanov has undertaken such an interesting and instructive affair as acquainting the public with his private conversations, he will surely continue it, one may hope. He will probably recount with full circumstantiality and in detail two further conversations of his. The first, when he spoke of *grève générale des généraux*,[199] of wretched people, when he cited with rhetorical effect the phrase: "er ist ein Mann, und sie sind alte Weiber"[200] and assured [us] that he would most certainly, well yes, most certainly write a pamphlet under the title: "Thermidor in a Water Glass." The second, when he demonstrated the moral responsibility before the majority of those who are authorized by this majority, and compared people who consider party institutions unchangeable in composition with rats whose tails had grown together. Let us remind Comrade Plekhanov that both conversations took place two days before those cited by him, and occurred in the Landolt restaurant before dozens of listeners{198}.

Written in February, no later than February 7 (20), 1904.

First published in 1929 in *Leninsky Sbornik* X

Printed from the manuscript