ENGELS TO LAURA LAFARGUE AND ELEANOR MARX- 
AVELING 

London, 14 November 1894 
To Laura Lafargue and Eleanor Marx-Aveling 

My dear girls, 

I have to address to you a few words with regard to my will. 

First you will find that I have taken the liberty of disposing of all my 
books, including those received from you after Mohr’s death, in favour of 
the German party. The whole of these books constitute a library so unique, 
and so complete at the same time, for the history and the study of Modern 
Socialism and all the sciences on which it is dependent, that it would be a 
pity to disperse it again. To keep it together, and to place it at the same time 
at the disposal of those desirous to use it, has been a wish expressed to me 
long ago by Bebel and other leaders of the German Socialist Party, and as 
they do indeed seem to be the best people for that purpose, I have consented. 
I hope that under the circumstances you will pardon my action and give your 
consent too. 

Second. I have had many a discussion with Sam Moore as to the possi- 
bility of providing, in my will, in some way for our dear Jenny’s children. 
Unfortunately, English law stands in the way. It could only be done under 
almost impossible conditions, where the expense would more than eat up the 
funds to be taken care of. I therefore had to give it up. Instead, I have left 
each of you three-eighths of the residue of my estate after defraying legacies 
etc. Of these, two -eighths are intended for yourselves, and the third eighth is 
meant to be held by each of you in trust for Jenny’s children, to be used as 
you and the children’s guardian, Paul Lafargue, may think best. In this way 
you are freed from all responsibility with regard to English law and can act 
as your own moral sense and love for the children may dictate. 

The money I owe to the children for shares of profits on Mohr’s writings 
are put down in my ledger, and will be paid by my Executors to the party 
who, according to English law, will be the children’s legal representative. 

And now good bye, 

My dear, dear girls. May you live long and healthily 

in body and soul and enjoy it! 
Frederick Engels 

Tussy will have to inform Meissner, Dietz, and the Vorwärts 
Buchhandlung* of Berlin that they will henceforth have to pay to her direct 
any sums due to the heirs of Karl Marx for honorarium etc. As to 
Sonnenschein, that will have to be settled in some other manner, the 
agreement about Capital’ being between him and me. 

F.E.