The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-03-16
WORKERS
MEMOIRS
OF MARX
By FRIEDRICH LEsSNER

do not think that my forerun-
ners will take it amiss if /, as a
workman, as plebeian knight of
the needle, write down for the bene-
fit OF my young comrades, on the
occasion of this commemorative fes-
tival, my memories of our immor-
tai champion. These memories are
based upon many years personal in
tercourse with Karl Marx. In part
they will describe the impressions
which Marx made on myself and
others, and in part they will am
plify the picture of his life.
He was always especially de-
lighted to get into touch with man
ual workers, and to have opportuni-
ties for conversing with them. He
especially sought the company of
those who did not hesitate to OPP
pose his views frankly, and those
who did not trouble him with flat
terry. The views of manual work
ers concerning the movement were
of great interest to him. He was
always ready to discuss important
political and economic problems
with them, quickly discovering
whether they really knew what they
were talking about, and being over
Joyed when this was the case.
During the lifetime of the In
ternational, he never missed a sit
ting of the General Council. After
the sittings, most of us, Marx in
Guided, usually adjourned to a quiet
tavern and continued the discus
sions informally over a glass of
beer. On the way home, Marx often
talked about the normal working
day, for as early as 1886 we had be-
gun agitating on behalf of the eight
-Four day, and this became part of
cur program at the Geneva Con-
gress in September, 1886. Marx
was fond of saying: eve want to
get an eight-hour day established as
the normal, but we ourselves are
apt to work at least twice as iong!"
1t is unfortunately true that Marx
was too prone to work overtime,
that he suffered from overwork.
The International alone cost him a
vast amount of time and energy
how much, no outsider can possibly
realize. Besides this, he had to
work for his living, and to spend
innumerable hours in the British
Museum Reading Room gathering
material for his historical and
economic writings.
lived not far from the Museum,
and on his way back to his home, in
Maitland Park Road, Haverstock
Fill, North London, he would often
drop in to have a word with me
about some matter connected with
the affairs of the International.
When he got home, he would sup,
and then take a short rest. After
that he usually set to work again,
often working far into the night and
even into the small hours-more
especially when he had beeen kept
away from his desk too long after
supper by visits from comrades.
Marks house was always open to
a trusty comrade. I can never for
get the happy hours which I, like
so many others, spent in his family
circle. Here his wife was the most
striking figure. She was tall and
very beautiful woman, of distin-
guished appearance, but at the same
time so kind-hearted, so amiable, so
full of life and withal so natural and
so free from stiffness, that visitors
felt as much at home with her as if
she had been their own mother or
sister.
She was an enthusiast for the
workers cause; and she rejoiced at
any victory, however small, won by
the workers in their fight with the
bourgeoisie.
The three daughters, too, were
from earliest childhood keenly in
terested in the modern working
class movement, which was always
the main topic of conversation in
the Marx household. The relation
ships between Marx and the girls
were the most intimate and uncon-
strained that can be imagined. Thew