London, 28 January 1884 

Dear Bernstein, 

You,will have got my letter of the Ist, as will Kautsky that of 
the 9th.* I am in some doubt about the latter, being unsure of the 
number of the house (38?); I also sent him the photographs he 
wanted.” 

My inquiry today concerns the following: 

Various things among Marx’s papers will be suitable for the party 
archives '**; just now I am in process of sorting his books, etc., and 
am glad to be again in a condition to do so. Besides these, however, 
there is a good deal of superfluous stuff which would be very useful to 
an editorial library for the party organ ‘ and is superfluous here, as we 
have in duplo.’ Firstly dictionaries: 1) the big French-German 
Mozin-Peschier, 5 volumes quarto, binding very dilapidated, 2) the 
old Italian Jagemann, also very good, 3) Spanish, Dutch, Danish, 
perhaps even more. I can’t yet be sure whether Tussy might not 
want to keep one thing or another; if not shall I send them to Zurich 
with the remainder? Besides these, one thing or another wil] continue 
to turn up and could be offered to you, once I know that you are in- 
terested. 

Further, as regards Justice. This paper has suddenly been launched 
upon the world by Hyndman with insufficient financial and absolute- 
ly no literary preparation. To-Day might survive and within 6 to 12 
months pave the way for a weekly. But as it is the two of them are 
bound to sap each other’s strength. Hyndman, however, cannot wait 
and will probably burn his fingers yet again. They have asked me to 
contribute, but I refused on the grounds of lack of time. One can send 
stuff to To-Day without hesitation; but this won’t do in the case of 
a weekly purporting to be a party organ until one knows the whys 

* See this volume, pp. 73-75 and 75-77.-° of Engels-‘ i.e. Der Sozialdemok- 
rat-* duplicate copies 

and wherefores. It is apparent from the complete dearth of ideas in 
the first two numbers that the chaps are at their wits’ end and are 
looking to new contributors for further material. In short it has mis- 
fired and only an unexpectedly favourable turn of events can put it 
on its feet. 

In case Mr von der Mark or anyone else should again speak of our 
‘concessions’ to the anarchists,'°° the following passages prove that 
we had proclaimed the cessation [Aufhören] of the state before the 
anarchists even existed: Misere de la philosophie, page 177: 

‘La classe laborieuse substituera, dans son développement, a Vancienne 
société civile une association qui excluera les classes et leur antagonisme, 
et il-n’y aura plus de pouvoir politique proprement 
dit, putsque le pouvoir politique est précisément le 
résumé officiel de Vantagonisme dans la_ société 
civile.’* 

Manifesto, end of Section IT: 

“When, in the course of development, class distinctions have disap- 
peared ... the public power will lose its political character. Political 
power, properly so called, is merely the organised power of one class for op- 
pressing another.’ 

The last issue of the Sozialdemokrat‘ was again very good. Cheerful 
and plenty of meat in it. Admittedly this last does not always depend 
upon the editors. Your rendering of Lafargue is truly delightful; the 
German substitutions cheered me up enormously.!?? 

Regards to Kautsky. 

Yours, 
F.E.