30. Janua ry / 70. My dear Doctor,

I write these lines to tell you why Mohr has not answered your letters. Since about three weeks he has had carbuncles unter his arm, which were so painful that poor Mohr was unalbe to move his arm. Twice the doctor cut themSiehe J. Marx an Engels, um 17.1.1870.. This operation brought with it almost instantaneous relief. At the present moment I am happy to say, our dear patient is almost well again, though of course he still feels very weak – the necessary effect of the great pains he has suffered. Now that it is over, I think that was a good thing the illness came to a crisis as Mohr had been tormented by it for months past – you will remember he was anything but well at Hanover & in that state he continued up to the present time – sometimes a little better, sometimes worse.

Your correspondence with Jacoby Johann Jacoby. Siehe Marx an Engels, 27.1.1870 und Engels an Marx, 1.2.1870. amused him much. To judge from that venerable gentleman's rambling answer, your letters to him must have hit pretty hard.

I have also to acknowledge the receipt of your letter to myself – the contents of which surprised me not a little & have made me very anxious the hear the final decision of the Philistines of the "Künstler-Verein". Considering that this Verein is composed of the cream of Hanoverian society, the "cultivation" of the Upper Classes, on the strength of which they consider themselves so much superior to the Working Classes, certainly is something to be mightily proud of! The only pity is that these blockheads have succeeded in annoying you & in robbing you of so much time.

I must ask you & dear Trautchen to forgive me for not having before this informed you of the advent of a little stranger in Lafargue's family. On the second of January Paul announced to us the arrival of a girl in the rue du Cherche-Midi. She is exactly an year older younger than her brother, the birthdays of the children being on the same day. A few days ago Laura wrote us that she is much stronger. Her letter was accompanied by a most interesting lot of French journalsSiehe Engels an Marx, 25.1. und 1.2.1870. – the Marseillaise, Cloche, Réforme, Rappel and Pays. These journals give one a capital idea of the present state of France. The hubbub & exitement prevailing in the capital are incredible. All parties, nay all indiviuals are at loggerheads. Rochefort is at daggers drawn with his quondam friends an supporters Vermorel, Villemessant &c &c whom he openly denounces as mouchards, & they again in their organ, the "Figaro", return tit for tat. As for the Bancels, Gambettas, Pelletans, Favres, &c, that tribe of big-mouthed spouters of sonorous phrases have altogether vanished – they are no-where. Experiences has taught the people what they have to expect from the bragging 'gauche“. Not one of them dared to show his face at Victor Noir's funeral or to raise his voice in the Chambers. Rochefort, supported by brave old Raspail, has annihilated them – doomed them to a living death. Whatever Liebknecht may say to the contrary, Rochefort reigns supreme at Paris, & the wisdom of his conduct in preventing a collision with the military on the day of the intermentDas Begräbnis von Noir am 12. Januar geriet mit über 200000 Teilnehmern zu einer Kundgebung gegen das Kaiserreich. is now apparent to all. Were Liebknecht to read the Pays Bezug auf Artikel im „Volksstaat“ Nr 7 vom 22. Januar 1870 und Nr. 6 vom 19. Januar 1870. Siehe hierzu Anm. 117 in D., he would see that Cassagnac & consequently the Government do not disguise their rage at the fact – «que le peuple ne savait pas mourir pour ses convictions», «qu'ils n'ont pas élevé dans l'air le drapeau rouge»Zitate nach Le Pays vom 15. Januar 1870. Siehe Anm. 118a in D.. Formerly, shrieks the ferocious clown Cassagnac «les révolutionnaires étaient des hommes de cœr, des hommes de principes qui se battaient pour des idées, et qui savaient bien que ni canons, ni fusils, ni baïonettes ne tiendraient devant la poitrine nue du peuple qui réclame son droit». These 'naked-breasts' would indeed have been a feast for the cannons & chasse-pots of the Man of December, the more so, stationed as they were in the outskirts of Paris, where barricades could not be erected & where consequently the 100,000 soldiers would not, as in the narrow streets of Paris, have been exposed to a hand to hand scuffle with the people. – Then the "Volksstaat" also gives an incorrect account of the strike at CreuzotEs geht um einen Streik in der Waffenfabrik Schneider in Creusot am 21. bis 25. Januar 1870. Siehe Erl. 120 in D.. It is not true that the workmen demand higher wages and a diminution of the hours of labour. They simply requested to have the management of their sick fund in their own hands & not in those of M. Schneider, further that their fellow-workman Assy should not be sent away & that an under-master who had oppressed them, should be dismissed. These are the true causes of the strike. The French Government and the official press 30/i declare them to be due "à l'exitation artificielle". M. Guéroult, of the Opinion Nationale, montre «les société secrètes dominant, donnant des mots d'ordre et des consignes»Zitat aus Guéroults Artikel „Die Streiks“ in L'Opinion Nationale vom 28. Januar 1870. Siehe Anm. 121 in D.. These societies are of course, the International, from which Assy, the leader of the strike, is said to have received 55,000 frs. The "Times" reprints these statements & endorses them. Would they were true! It is a thousand pities the International cannot keep pace in its doings with the brilliant imaginings of these worthies. It is a significant fact that some of the soldiers sent to Creuzot at once fraternized with the miners. Four of these soldiers are to be tried for having attempted to enlist their comrades in the people's cause.

In Yorkshire a strike has also taken place, the workmen claiming the management of their own sick fund & protesting against the refusal of the Employers to allow the men to combine. As ever since the year 1824 the right of Combination has been legalised in EnglandSiehe dazu auch Anm. 121a in D., the masters are in fact acting in direct opposition to the laws of the country notwithstanding which Government supplies them with soldiers to do their bidding.

The particulars of the strike are exactly like those of Creuzot – free constitutional England & despot-ridden France do not differ – both countries have soldiers ready at hand to shoot down the men who have the courage to assert that they think they have intelligence enough to manage their own funds – their hard earned savings.

According to an estimate made by a correspondent to one of the English papers staying at Creuzot – the workmen lose by the strike 8000 £ a day, (wages) by whilst the loss to the masters is about 40,000 £ !!! a day.

Will you please give my best love to Trautchen & thank her for her letter. I will write to her very soon. Please also tell her that I must call upon her to hand over a certain little bracelet to "Käuzchen", for whom it was destined. As she is a sworn foe of the Communists she will know to appreciate my respect for private property. But joking apart, I really should not like to see the bracelet on Trautchens's arm – it is rather too "primitive".

With Mohr's kindest regards to the "Frau Gräfin", Käuzchen u an den Mann von der plastischen Bewegung

I remain very sincerely yours Jenny Marx.