The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-11-06
Karl Marx
Personal RecoIIections

difficult situations OF life. To her
sense of order, her economy, her
ability Is due the fact that the family
never had to do without at least the
extreme necessaries. She understood
everything; she cooked and took care
of the running Of the house; she
dressed the children and cut their gar
Mrs Marx She was at once house
keeper and major domo of the house
which she conducted. The children
loved her like a mother, and she pos
sessed maternal authority over
them because she felt motherly af-
lection for them. Mrs. Marx consi-
dered Helena an intimate friend and
Marx felt special friendship for
her; he played chess with her and it
often happened that he lost the game.
Helenes love for the Marx family
was blind; everything that the Marks
did was good and could be nothing
else but good; he who criticized Marx
had to deal with her. She took every
intimate circle of the family under
her maternal protection. She had, so
to speak, adopted the entire family.
Miss Helene has survived Marx and
his wife; she has now transferred her
attention to the house of Engels whom
she came to know in her youth and
to whom she extended the affection
which she felt for the Marx family
Moreover, Engels was. in way, a
member of the family. Marks daugh-
ters called him their second father:
he was the alter ego of Marx. In
Germany, for a long timo theiI names
were never separated; and history
will always record them together in
it's pages. Marx and Engels have
made a reality in our century of the
ideal of friendship which the ancient
poets painted. From youth on they
had developed together paraIlelly, liv-
ed in an innermost community Of
ideas and emotions, participated in
the same revolutionary agitation, and,
as long as they were able to remain
united, they also worked together
They probably would have worked to-
gether their whole life long, had not
events compelled them to live apart
for about twenty years, After the
breakdown of the Revolution of 1S4S,
Engeis had to go to Manchester while
Marx was compelled to remain in
London. Nevertheless, they continued
to carry on their spiritual life in
common, communicating almost daily
thru letters to one another their opin-
ions on the political and scientific
events of the day as well as their
own spiritual labors. AS soon as Eng.
els could free himself from his work,
he FASTENED to leave Manchester and
set up his home in London, where he
settled only ten minutes away from
his dear Marx. From 1870 on, up to
the death OF his friend, not day
went by that the two men did not
see each other, now at the place Of
one, now at the place Of the other.
1t was a festival for the Marx fam.
lily when Engels said that he was com.
ing over from Manchester. For a
long time before, they spoke OF his
approaching visit. And ON the day Of
his arrival, Marx was so impatient
that he could not work The two
friends then sat smoking and drink
ing all night long in order to talk
over all the events that had taken
place since they were last together.
Marx placed Engels' opinion high
er than anyone else's. tor Engels was
the man he considered capable Of be-
ing his co-worker. Engels was an
entire public for him; no labor was
too great for Marx to convince and
win him for one al his ideas. For
example, have seen him re-read
whole volumes IN erder 20 and the
facts which he needed again 10
change Engels' opinion On some minor
point-which / cannot recall-of the
political and religious war OF the AZ