The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-03-14
HOW TO READ:'CAPITAL'

contribution to the easier :, under
standing Of Chap. L.. While resdhg
the proof sheets, he wrote TOT Marx
on June is, 1867 that what Is OBJ
tanned here dialectically vail have TO
be confirmed historically In somewhat
greater detail, taking a sample from
history as ID were to determine
whether everything necessary has Al
ready been stated Several decades
later. Engels himself solved this prob
lem of historically demonstrating
the necessity for the formation I. Of,
money as s,swell las esthe = process
through which it takes place" hi his
last. unfinished monograph. the, So
celled supplement- to- Vol. M .tof
Capital" taJtlseugfl he WIS chiefly
interested In the histoy1ce portrayal
of the TRANSFORMATION oilyslues into
production prtces9 THIS \ supple
ment," brilliant piece Of hiytosdeal
description, is, appended to the third
volume Of our edition. .le' =.
In spite Of all these sids. It b ike
ly that many readers will md xtAe
first chapter too hard ut first rsaa-
Ing In that case st. Is, a1MSabae 70
follow the advice that SGsHE gqHe ttaei
wife. Of his friend KheSIssSala C9SaF-
enlher B.: o.s 18ST4--cf. .AppeHdx towel
l., p. s3l, new 3eHnsx edisier) y A4sSx
advised her to begin by:feading Cskep-
ters 8, IL Ia, Is and A.. whieh were
OF a more historical, J dsseTap live IN
ture. In a letter tosyictSr,, Adler
Friedrich Engels outlined S1naii4w
(arld even more deseleN suggestiosH
for the first. reading Of Vols ffEs arid
III, This letter Is reprpducAd; iHs$tie
Appendix to Vol. II. TheSrcsder
must not be satisfies, withstse tusSs
reading, 81 these articles, OF course,
but must study !, the 1rwyrk aSAtp.
starting at the hssdrnins. oniyst1sSn
Is the whole sigHif ieanees o6tthe his
tortcal sections disclosed. = n 4 :. T.
Most Prefsund Rsvsautssunsy sxssa
The reader should be-. wssSasd
against selecting only the tl,sogef6
chapters skipping the sebsolSke re
tuaI nlaterial.i' For these sections.
such as the story .of the sissat SoYts
standard working day and the H.
lustrstions Of the general law, Of
capitalist accumulation. are by no
means oltdated and are much more
than merely material On the sees-
trary, in a certain sense they salye
the results OF the theoretical analyses
--isa these sections the grave taasesr,s
OF capitalism, the. working days, eap.
pears IN the shesl. : Marx Rdvss q
concrete picture and a historical an.
alysis of the proletariat. It's s.coadi.
ton and its struggles, 1t Is here taaat
he arrives at the conclusion to which
MS political economy epoints: the
class struggle. 5. :. ;. .ssls j., -;
Capital Is doubtlexs,thes most pro-
found and reyolptionary wurk Ia
world literature. 1T gives the modern
proletarian MARKS revolutionary. dis
coveries, the ripest. fruits, sof hun
dreds Of years Of scientific develops
merlt. 1t provides him &1kh q tAxt-
book Of rnaterialistic ,dialectics, az tie
nlateriaGst- conception ct history La
general and of, its application to the
capitalist system In particular. lBrit
1t Is not intended to mako the reader
"savart." a bookworrn; cuitivatffiE
science for its own sake or for his
enjoyment. The reader Of .tCapatal"
must never forget that Marxisrn re-
quircs. the tying. up OF theory With
practice, and that revolutionary pras-
tlce takes priority For the revoiu-
tionary worker reading Capital. Is
not an end In itself but q guide Is
action, to the battle for the oyer-
throw Of the bourgeoisie and tie Nc
tory OF Socialism r., ~