London, 20 April 1889 

Dear Kautsky, 

As regards Schlesinger, I shall have a word with Liebknecht when he 
comes over here in about a fortnight. I have already written to him 
outlining the essential points. But you might be so good as to send me 
the thing*—stuff of this sort is unobtainable over here and I shouldn’t 
like to be in the position of having to accept everything he says at its face 
value. 

As to Schmidt, I have advised him to send you the ms. and see 
whether you can place it.> Schmidt has quietly developed into a Marxian 
and, as a result, no longer has any prospect of a university career, having 
been turned down by Halle—that noble university is confessional!—as 
a dissident and by Leipzig as a socialist,*”” while the Swiss have begged 
him to spare them his presence. Just now he is trying to get someone to 
publish the thesis he wrote for his habilitation;‘ the academic socialists 
tell him it is too Marxist and really won’t do. So the publishers are none 
too many. Schmidt came over to us entirely of his own accord, without 
any prompting and, indeed, despite numerous indirect warnings from 
myself, simply because he could not set his face against the truth. As 
things are today that is greatly to his credit and he has, moreover, acted 
most courageously. 

Now the point is that I am the very person who must not read and 
pass an opinion on his ms. He is seeking to reply to the question I raised 
in the preface to Volume IT.?*8 But I mustn’t come out prematurely with 
the contents of Volume III, and that is what is preventing me from 
taking a direct hand in the business. So I can’t be of any help to you this 
time. 

He—Schmidt—has thrown himself into journalism in Berlin; how 
he’ll get on I have no idea. At all events he has behaved with more energy 
and good sense than I credited him with. For a journalist, his style is 

aM. Schlesinger, Die soziale Frage —» See this volume, p.276 ~ © Formal admis- 
sion of a lecturer into a university faculty 

quite exceptionally ponderous, but that, after all, doesn’t matter much in 
Germany. 

I hope Louise gets through her last six weeks all right, and that she’ll 
then take a rest.*>* That damned Paris congress is causing me nothing but 
vexation. What a muddle! Ede helps me and I help him, where possible, 
and Tussy helps us both, but for the rest all is chaos. 

Your lieutenant* hasn’t been here yet. On the other hand we have 
Schorlemmer with us. The weather is glorious. Nim and I were in 
Highgate today—three hours’ stroll. But it’s now time for a meal and— 
at 5.30—for the post. 

Kindest regards from us all to Louise and yourself. 

Your 
EE.