London, 10 May 1884 

My dear Lafargue, 

Herewith cheque for £14. 

Since I do not see any of the Paris papers, it is only from The Stand- 
ard and from yourself that I know what is going on; your electoral 
tactics are just what I myself would have recommended ?! — these 
people will do themselves in if left to their own devices; cive THEM 
PLENTY OF ROPE AND THEY ARE SURE TO HANG THEMSELVES. However, Bernstein 
wrote and told me that you had put up a candidate * in opposition to 
Joffrin, and that he thought this ill-advised; let me know what the cir- 
cumstances are so that I can answer him. 

Thank you for the article — it is only the first one and I cannot now 
remember if I wrote the sequel.?!7 

I have only seen the first number of Vaillant’s translation. It is 
good and accurate, save that he does not always appear to be con- 
versant with military terminology. 

Your lectures and those of Deville are excellent !7° but, at least for 
the published version, you should develop more exhaustively the con- 

* Louis Simon Dereure; see this volume, p. 141. 

clusions of your second one on Darwinism. That part seems over- 
whelmed by the mass of premisses leading up to the conclusion, nor 
is the latter self-evident enough, while its detail is inadequately devel- 
oped. I have not yet read the third one. As soon as the translation of 
The Poverty of Philosophy has been completed in Zurich,!! I shall 
suggest that they bring out the lectures in German. 

I shall now withdraw, having a rather important piece of work to 
complete: The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State,'7+ 
which I hope to have rid myself of by the end of next week. Until then 
I must soldier on. 

Give Laura a kiss from me and from Nim, who also sends one to 
you. 

Yours ever, 

F.E.