Marx-Engels Correspondence 1852
Source: MECW Volume 39, p. 118;
First published: in MEGA, 1929.
Dear Heart,
I was very pleased to get your letter. By the way, you must never have any qualms about telling me all. If you, my poor little wretch, have to endure bitter reality, it is only fair that I should share that torment, at least in my thoughts. In any case, I know how unendingly resilient you are and how the slightest encouragement is enough to revive your spirits. I hope that the other £5 will reach you this week or on Monday at the latest.
I did of course pack the Schnellpost. But I haven’t got the back numbers in which Ruge deposited the better part of his ordure. The process of curing these stock-fish makes us laugh till we cry.
Though Oswald’s package won’t yield very much, something may be made of it. Our dear A. Ruge is incapable of writing 3 lines without compromising himself. ‘Moute’ [referring to a misprint in Brumaire], has already been corrected by me, unless I am mistaken.
The printer in the City seems to be a lesser lumen who, not having a superfluity of underlings, will certainly require an unconscionable time to do one sheet. His paper is 3 × worse than the American, and his type likewise, this being clearly quite worn out. But you have managed the business splendidly.
Harro’s pamphlet is truly touching in the naivety of its stupidity! Be so kind as to cut Engels’ article on Heinzen out of the Brüsseler-Zeitung and send it to us, — and that very soon. If the Kosmos doesn’t arrive, no matter. We have a letter of mine up here which contains the gist of the thing.
Love and kisses to my manikins.
Your
K. M.
Engels has further pointed out that whereas, throughout the pamphlet, I always deliberately write ‘Louis Bonaparte’, Mr Weydemeyer has entitled it ‘Louis Napoleon’.
P.S.
Dear Jenny, be so kind as to tell Eccarius that he should write a short postscript to his ‘Mechanics’ Strike’ since Weydemeyer is considering publishing it. We should agree to this, if only on Cluss’ account.
Dear Heart, send Jones the 2 enclosed pieces, ‘Chevalier Hillsemann’s Farewell’ and ‘John Barney and the French Minister’, together with the short cutting about ‘Cayenne’ — preferably by post, unless he comes to see you. I beg you not to bother Mr Pieper with such errands. To him, everything provides occasion for rodomontade and I don’t want Jones — who, by the way, was responsible for making him so uppish — to regard him as my alter ego. Since Pieper believes the letters are written for ‘the party’, he must not henceforward set eyes on any more of them.
[From Engels in Italian:]
Will Colonel Musch please accept my best and most cordial felicitations
F. Engels