My dear Challey,
I am delighted with the Siehe Marx
an J. Marx (Tochter),
5.5.1867 und
Erl.
Schließen photograph … I d’ont don't remember ever having been more agreeably
surprised. It is a splendid one — life-like. No painter
could have put more expression into it. I am beginning to
think the sun is no mean artist. I have already framed it,
& in doing so, you will be glad to hear, have “brought
out the tone of my mind”— I have surpassed myself. — So, at last, dear Mohr, there is
some chance of having you here again. We were so glad to hear from you this
morning. Your prolonged silence gave rise to the most
unpleasant imaginings. I feared you might be unwell, or that
you had gone to Berlin & that Bismark had
paid you more attention than is pleasant, or that you had
taken root in Holland. We all thought you had left Hanover
long ago, & that was the reason Laura
Marx.
Schließen Laura has not written to
you.
—Here the people are up & stirring. The heat, which is
excessive—more than Die Temperatur ist nach der
Fahrenheit-Skala angegeben.
Schließen 80 degrees in the
shade—has warmed the blood of Edmond
Beals.
Schließen
Beales & Co. Während der Wahlreformbewegung in Großbritannien
1865 bis 1867 organisierte die
„Reform
League“ in London in Parks
öffentliche Massenmeetings. Die britische
Regierung versuchte, mit Verboten und starkem
Polizeieinsatz die Versammlungen zu verhindern.
Die Führer der Reformbewegung beugten sich
zeitweise den Verboten, veranstalteten aber bald
unter dem
Druck
ihrer Anhänger weitere
Demonstrationen und öffentliche Meetings. Das
stark besuchte Meeting, das Jenny Marx im
vorliegenden Brief beschreibt, fand am 6. Mai 1867
statt. (Siehe The Hyde Park Reform demonstration.
In: The Times. London. Nr. 25 804, 7. May 1867.
S. 9; Whatever may be thought of the conduct of
the government in the question of the Hyde Park
Meeting … [Leitartikel.] Ebenda. S. 8). – Zur
„Reform-League“ siehe Erl. zu
Marx an J. Ph. Becker, zw. 9. u. 15.1.1866
und Handbuch
der europäischen Geschichte. Bd. 5 (1981). S.
394-400.
Schließen For the last fortnight there
have been continual skirmishes between the
Government & the Reformers, in which the
former have been most disgracefully
routed. The success of the
League is due to Bradlaugh who has behaved throughout
with great pluck. At the last sitting of the League, most of
the Reformers, believing discretion to be the better part of
valour, had thought it wisest to give in. But Bradlaugh, in a
|
warlike speech, declared that if no one else would lead the
people to the
park,
he alone was ready to do so. While he was speaking, officers
arrived from Walpole, with a proclamation to the
effect, that as the park is kept for the recreation of the
people, it is illegal to put it to other uses, in short,
that any attempt at holding a meeting would be stopped, the
leaders imprisoned & the lookers on fined. At this old
Beales winced ever so little, sneak
Conolly was downrightly cowed, Thomas
Hughes held forth on moderation—but
Bradlaugh overruled them all. His resolution to go in spite
of Queen
& Government was carried, amidst enthusiastic cheers
& throwing up of caps. From that moment a regular Panic
ran through the “Upper classes“. Fear turned them into
perfect low-comedians. Formidable detachments of mounted
police, guards, the artillery of Woolwich, special
constables (15,000) were put into readiness. The Times by turns
exhorted, entreated, & called down vengeance on the
rioters. The Standard
grew rabid, the gentle The Morning
Star.
Schließen star, ever meek & mild,
wept over the danger threatening property. Jeremiahs &
Cassandras
filled the air with lamentations & dark prophecies.
“Woe to Life & Property”, “Woe to Property & Life”! was the cry.—
Parliament was in the greatest hubbub.
|
Benjamin
Disraeli.
Schließen Benjamin did’nt know
whether to laugh or to cry. Walpole
tried to do the heroic, Gladstone
shilly-shallied.—John Bright
was the only man & frightened the hysterical women round
him, into fits.
In the Courts of Westminster there was
an incessant waggling of wigs; dry hands untied old
parchments, to find out legal quibbles to prove the
illegality of political demonstrations in a park.—The
patriotic Sergeant
Knox declared himself willing to sit on
6. Mai 1867.
Schließen Monday, from 8 in the morning
until ten in the evening, to bring the disturbers of peace
to justice. His devotion to his country was however not put
to the test. Before the ominous 6th of May had arrived, the high-strung nerves
of Walpole gave way, he became lachrymose,
& gave in; Beales had his say, all went off merrily
as a wedding-feast—the battle ended in a picnic. Möglicherweise als
Anspielung auf die Losung „His Majesty King Mob“
an den Wänden des New-Gate Gefängnisses in London
während der sogenannten „Gordon-Unruhen“ („Gordon
Riots“) 1780.
Schließen King
Mob did not play with heads
but with ginger-nuts. And what else could the people do? How
are they to break a government which
bends like india-rubber.
There were no accidents, one solitary special constable was roughly handled, & had to take away himself, & his ostentatiously displayed staff, with all | possible speed.—
The Am
22. April 1867 fand das Meeting der Londoner
Operative Tailors’ Protective Association statt,
das den Auftakt für den Londoner Schneiderstreik
gab, der vom 23. April bis Oktober 1867 dauerte.
Etwa 3500 Schneider, einschließlich seit Anfang
Juni 200 Schneider in Bristol, beteiligten sich
daran. Der Streik richtete sich gegen 89
Unternehmer, die die Forderungen ihrer Arbeiter
nach Lohnerhöhungen sowie eine Vereinheitlichung
der Tarife ablehnten. Vgl. dazu den Streik der
Pariser Schneider (siehe Erl.
zu M. Lawrence an Marx,
1.4.1867).
Schließen tailor’s strike
continues. Möglicherweise Anspielung auf die
Veröffentlichung des Briefes eines Unternehmers
bzw. Ingenieurs in der „Times“ vom 6. Mai 1867, in
dem dieser sich über den Schneiderstreik empörte
und die Verwendung der neuen Technik als Mittel
für die Ersetzung von Arbeitskräften durch
Maschinen propagierte: „Sir,—I am surprised that
the master tailors have not adopted a mode of
escaping from the tyranny of their men that has
been most successful in numerous strikes in the
manufactoring districts. For many years the cotton
manufacturers refusal to work necessarily threw
out of employment a body of labourers five times
as numerous as the spinners. At length of evil
grew so intolerable that the masters applied to
the machinemakers to construct a self-acting mule,
which should despense, in great measure, with the
human spinners. Enormous mechanical difficulties
were in the way, but the pressure of the strikes
was sufficient to overcome every obstacle, and now
the self-acting mule, perhaps the most beautiful
and ingenious machine ever intended, is in
universal use, and the strikes of spinners are
unknown. …“ (To the Editor of the Times. In: The
Times. London. Nr. 25 803, 6. Mai 1867. S. 10.
Rubrik: The tailors’ Strike. [Gez.:]
Mechanicus.)
Schließen The masters are
wild.
The Times sings dirges
on Free Trade & Free Competition.—But I am running on at
an unconscionable length. I had intended just only to write
a few lines to thank you for the very pleasant surprise of
this morning.
In the hope soon to see you,
Believe me, dear Karl Marx.Schließen Challey,
Your affectionate Spitzname von Jenny Marx (Tochter). Siehe Marx an Jenny Marx (Tochter), 5.5.1867 Erl.
Schließen “Joe”.
_____________
Zeugenbeschreibung und Überlieferung
Zeugenbeschreibung
Der Brief besteht aus einem Bogen mittelstarkem, weißem Papier im Format 226 × 179 mm. Prägung: eine Vignette mit der Aufschrift „Extra Super“. Jenny Marx (Tochter) hat die ersten drei Seiten vollständig, die vierte zu einem Drittel beschrieben. Schreibmaterial: schwarze Tinte.
Das Papier auf der dritten Seite ist beschädigt, Textverluste sind dadurch nicht entstanden.
Von unbekannter Hand: auf der ersten und der zweiten Seite oben links mit Bleistift der Vermerk: „E. 30“; auf der ersten Seite rechts mit Bleistift das Datum: „Mars 1867“.
Datierung in der Erstveröffentlichung: Anfang Mai 1867.
Drucke
Anmerkungen zum Brief
Der Brief ist die Antwort auf Marx’ Brief vom 5. Mai 1867 (Marx an J. Marx (Tochter), 5.5.1867). Zur Datierung: Da Laura Marx an ihren Vater am 8. Mai 1867 (L. Marx an Marx, 8.5.1867) – nach dem Eintreffen seines Briefes an Jenny (Tochter) vom 5. Mai 1867 (Marx an J. Marx (Tochter), 5.5.1867) – schrieb, kann man Jennys Brief mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit ebenfalls auf den 8. Mai datieren.
Zitiervorschlag
Jenny Marx (Tochter) an Karl Marx in Hannover. London, Mittwoch, 8. Mai 1867. In: Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe digital. Hg. von der Internationalen Marx-Engels-Stiftung. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Berlin. URL: http://megadigital.bbaw.de/briefe/detail.xql?id=M0000266. Abgerufen am 19.04.2024.