ENGELS TO FRIEDRICH ADOLPH SORGE*”! 

London, 23 February 1889 

Dear Sorge, 

Your postcard of 19 January and letter of 10 February received.>”? I 
take The Labor Standard and shall give Mrs Wischnewetzky’s articles to 
Tussy, who will use them, should the ‘Labor Movement’ happen to be 
re-issued. The stuff in them is typical of America. Neglect of fire precau- 
tions, etc., on that scale simply would not pay in Europe. But it’s the 
same attitude as you take to railroads and everything else; provided only 
that they exist, no matter how, that is sufficient. 

Thank you for the item on Appleton.*”? On being approached, 
Sonnenschein said he had sold 500 copies of the cheap edition to 
Appleton. 

I didn’t see Der arme Teufel. It is Motteler’s favourite reading and that 
is something no one will begrudge him. Any remarks it makes about 
Aveling, no matter what they may be, are downright lies.>” 

I shall write and tell Kautsky what you have said about Rappaport.” 
Lack of material and a desire to be versatile mean that many get in who 
have no business to be there. Kautsky has been in Vienna since July and 
won't be returning here before July. 

I have sent you The Holy Family by registered book packet along 
with some French stuff. But you mustn’t tell Schliiter that I sent it to you; 
I had more or less promised him my spare copy for the archives””” before 
my trip to America, but you come first. It will probably arrive in March 
or April. 

In addition to this—all of them by today’s post—there’s a further 
parcel of French stuff as well as Commonweal and Gleichheit. Lafargue’s 
and Deville’s lectures*”° are no longer to be had here and I can’t get a 
reply out of the authors. However I keep pegging away at them. 

You will have received the copies of the Egalité. The Blanquists have 
had no luck with their Cri du Peuple; having bored people to tears, they 
found themselves compelled to join forces with Guesde, Lafargue, etc. 
(which Vaillant wanted to do from the beginning but was outvoted). In 
addition there are a few discontented Radicals. Up till now they have all 
got on well together—let’s hope it will remain so. Some more copies will 
go off shortly. 

During the latest election in Paris the Possibilists thoroughly 
disgraced themselves and actively supported the Opportunist Jacques.># 
The workers are now beginning to desert them. In the provinces, which 
are far better than Paris, they have lost all support. Their attempt, with 
the help of the English Trades Unions and of Hyndman, their trusty ally 
over here, to arrange an international congress in Paris without our 
Frenchmen but with the Belgians, Danes, Dutch and hence, or so they 
hoped, the Germans as well, is proving an ignominious failure. The 
Germans say they will not attend ezther congress if 2 of them are held in 
Paris. And both parties have been summoned to a conference at The 
Hague on the 28th of this month*; of the Germans, Liebknecht, Bebel 
and Bernstein will be there, and so will the Dutch and Belgians. Lafargue 
is going. So they must either eat humble pie or face universal opposition. 

In Germany things are getting more and more confused. Now that 
old William? is dead and Bismarck is tottering, the philistines have lost 
all confidence in the wielders of power. That vain young fool, the new, 
greater version of Old Fritz (pour rire’) wants to be Emperor and 

2 William I — > William II — © Frederick II (Frederick the Great) — 4 in jest 

Chancellor in one; the arch-reactionaries, priests and Junkers at court are 
doing their utmost to incite him against Bismarck and to bring about a 
clash—and meanwhile little Willie is pensioning off all the old generals 
and replacing them with his favourites. Another three years and the 
commands will all be in the hands of impudent coxcombs and the army 
will be ripe for another Jena.*”7 Bismarck knows this and that is what 
might induce him to embark on a quick war, especially if that vagabond 
Boulanger gets to the top. And then we’ll have a pretty state of affairs: 
an alliance between France and Russia which will completely rule out 
any revolution in France, for otherwise Russia will turn against her. But 
I hope it blows over. 
Warm regards to your wife.? 

Your 
EE.