AT LE PERREUX 
{[London,| 19 April 1892 

My dear Laura, 

At last —ouf, je respire*! When Sonnenschein saw that Edward’s 
translation of Socialisme Utopique etc. after all possible leading of type 
did look awfully meagre for a 2/6 book (what I told him from the be- 
ginning) he insisted on my writing a lengthy preface. And as I had 
promised to write a preface, and had various matters on my mind 
which I felt a liking to explain to the British philistine, I set to work, 
and at last, it is done. It’s I dare say about half as long as the whole 
book, and had to be done carefully, for the British philistine hates 
being made fun of by foreigners, yet I could not help it. 

By the bye, have you heard anything of Ravé and his transla- 
tion?? the thing ought to be out by this time. 

Now to your last letter. I think that these two things ought to be 
kept separated: 1) our relations to the Blanquists’ old school, and 2) 
those to the Boulanger-Blanquists. 

First. I cannot help thinking that our differences with Vaillant be- 
gan last April,? and that our people are not quite blameless. At that 
time Vaillant and we pulled together, the Allemanists °% being third 
party, and wanting a full recognition by us. Then, our people, with- 
out consulting the Blanquists, started the plan of processions to the 
Mairies and Palais Bourbon‘ with deputations to interview the élus.* 
To that the Blanquists naturally objected as they would not meet 
their traitres. But our people insisted, and thus, as far as I can see, 
drove the Blanquists into the alliance with the Allemanists. It strikes 
me our people in that case did a bit of rather sharp practice which af- 
ter all availed them nothing, for the whole plan fell through. 

What happened since, I know very little of, but no doubt, this final 

@ I can breathe.-° See this volume, pp. 183, 189 and 190.-° the premises of the 
Chamber of Deputies-* deputies -° traitors 

cause of mistrust between the Blanquists and our people once estab- 
lished, it would be easy for the tag-rag and bobtail of the Blanquists, 
the Allemanists helping, to widen the breach and to fortify the alli- 
ance between Blanquists and Allemanists, which again set us down in 
a hopeless minority in Paris. Now that would be no great misfortune 
provided we conquered in the provinces, and for that purpose Paul 
and Guesde have worked splendidly and we may expect, I hope, 
great successes on Ist May,*? and let Blanquists and Allemanists 
cuire dans leur jus.* 

But then comes this alliance with the ex-Boulangists of the Cham- 
ber. As I said before,” when the masses have been led into such a glar- 
ing mistake as that was with Boulanger, the break-up of the delusion 
makes them all the fitter for listening to sense, and coming round to 
us. That inheritance of Boulangism we were entitled to. But it appears 
to me, that it is a very different thing to accept, at the same time, the 
leaders of that movement, and not as private individuals, but at their 
own valuation and with the rank they held in the Boulangist crew. 
I cannot help holding in considerable contempt the men that allowed 
themselves to fall into that trap—on no matter what pretext. There 
is nothing that has damaged the reputation of the French, abroad, so 
much as this infatuation for a new saviour of society, and such a one! 
And had it been the bourgeois alone—but the great mass of the 
working class too went down on their knees before this windbag! 
What reliance can anyone in his senses place on the men that cast in 
their lot with this jouisseur* who intrigued with extreme Republicans, 
Clericals, Monarchists all at once and must have been quite as much 
of a ‘constitutional liar’ as S. Sonnenschein said to Bax he, Sonnen- 
schein, was! These men must be either deficient in character or in in- 
tellect or both, and certainly not worth having. What possible good 
can they be to us? 

1) We cannot rely on them for a day. 

2) If we form a party with them in the Chamber, they outnumber us 
and can pass the most absurd resolutions over our heads which we 
must either be bound by, or else secede again from them— which 
leaves us in a worse position than before. If I am to knuckle under 
a majority, after all I’d rather do so to one commanded by Vaillant, 
than to one led by Granger and Co. 

* stew in their own juice-° See this volume, pp. 381-82.-° bon viveur 

3) As all these men got into Parliament on false pretences, they are 
almost sure to be kicked out next election — so was it worth while for 
us to identify ourselves with them? 

And if Argyriades raves against the Germans, how about Roche- 
fort and his paper* which evidently receives Russian money (at least 
some of the rédacteurs) and Russian articles? 

The breach with the Blanquists’ old school may have been un- 
avoidable, and may be swallowed; but I do fail to see the slightest real 
advantage that can accrue to us from an alliance with the ex- 
Boulangist Radicals in the Chamber. Have we not, for the mere show 
of a group of some 25 men in Parliament, sacrificed very serious fu- 
ture chances? 

However the thing is done and cannot be helped. I only hope our 
friends will not place too much confidence in their new allies. And 
I believe our party in France is now strong enough to bear without se- 
rious damage the consequences of a mistake or two. 

That our new allies do not bring us any real strength in Paris, is 
shown by the fact that Paul and Guesde both go to the North on May 
Ist, which seems tantamount to our leaving the Ist of May in Paris 
entirely to the Blanquists and Possibilists.* As I said before, there 
would be no great harm in that, if we can beat them in the provinces; 
but if our new allies are not strong in Paris, where in the name of 
dickens are they strong? 

Your article on the religious interference in factories seems to have 
been too much for the Austrian press law practice. Your last one on 
night-work ” has appeared — Louise requests you not to blame her for 
one or two blunders they have put in in Vienna. 

We expected Bebel here for Easter, but he fell ill (catarrh of the 
stomach and intestine) and was stopped by the doctor. He expects to 
come about middle of May. This is the third attack within a year and 
he has received a serious warning from the doctor —a specialist. He 
wants him to go to Karlsbad,° which I think would set him up again. 

John Bull showed himself yesterday again in all his brutality at 
Hampstead Heath station, about 5 o’clock, rain threatening, a crowd 
rushed down the steps, and crushed eight people to death, mostly 

* L Intransigeant-" L. Lafargue, ‘Nachtarbeit für die Frauen in Frankreich’, Arbeiterin- 
nen-Zeitung, No. 8, 15 April 1892.-° Karlovy Vary 

women and children, injuring a dozen more. Imagine a French 
crowd being guilty of that! 

Ever yours, 
F. Engels 

Love from Louise. 

How about a delegate or two to May Ist here? The Posszbilists 
will have two men here (see Chronicle we sent you with Adolph 
Smith’s letter to Shipton?). Edward wrote to you about it, if you 
cannot send a man, try to delegate Bonnier from the Conseil National 
of the Party and to send a letter. Don’t allow the Possibilists to walk 
over the course as the representatives of France. But let it be done of- 
Sicially.