The Romance of Ferdinand Lassalle
Brandes, George
The Romance of Ferdinand Lassalle The "Wunderkind" as Seen by George Brandes A Review by HARRY W. LAIDLER FERDINAND LASSALLE. By Georje Brandei. New Ytrk: Bernard G. Riekardi Co. MORRIS...
...Arthur Machen attain* a genuine beauty without losing the thrill...
...Granting what Ksutikj s ays about the weakness of our sjnreei of knowledge, I think the character of Jetus of Nazareth poiuuw a real personality quite beyond the power of the early Ckriititn community to create out ef i Jewish rebel chief of whom prieticaUy nothing cap be known...
...WHILE THEY LAST A COPY OF THIS BOOK, BOUND IN CLOTH...
...One 'of his first tasks wai to inspire the workers with confidence in their victory...
...The statement of the facts, in his opinion, was the most powerful form of political leverage...
...It would be presumptuous to critieite this book except against the ItekgTtiund of such careful reiearch it Kiuts ky himself hat given to the subject At most points hit Interpretation...
...in very grsteful to the Amal"J,lt«d for helping ui in this fight ErieoHUy do we appreciate the Hf™ cwperetion shown us on the a Ph G0,d' j0'nt B°,rd' tht r • Hollsnder, msnsger of 2"Ceit Dtptrtment of the New Joint Botrd, wst tht continued mUm of Mr...
...He neither wanted to ipend the remainder of his life in priion or, as Marx had done, escape to London...
...Just why, for instance, has the history of the Jew's bun 10 extraordinary as contrasted with ether tribal groups withy...
...Indeed, if the technic of t mytttry itory be te keep the reader gueitin, till the vtry end, then to have him recognize that the conclusion wai Inevitable, thit book ii no mytttry at all, for tht reader tan foretell the doting' events well in advenes...
...The Progressive psrty of the day had entered politics in 1861...
...nc# dissimilar environment...
...I suggest thii book snd s boxful of others dealing with crooks as material for lome bright youngster looking for an A. or Ph.D...
...Jesus wai in a very real ain a rebel, but like Ghandhi, todty...
...Thie*vogui of true stories tbout croeki, who ere slwsyt either victims of the polite snarchy of our timet or of mental snd phyiicsl diiease, it essentially tht tame ai the mediaeval custom of getting fun out of the village idiot...
...Thii shop has '* »»r*ement with the Amalga¦gej Clothing Worken...
...Thus Brandes vividly summarises i the personality of his subject...
...By R. L. Deardcn, /rem material tvppliod by Netley Lucas, Lincoln MacWeagh...
...Might, he maintained, when devoided of Right, was generally based on some outward show or lie, and the most effective way of overcoming Might was by producing such revelation as to oblige Might openly to admit the real nsturs of its intentions...
...Lassalle was offered the presidency...
...in the citiei visited had been closed by the police, he wee met by hundred...
...Universal Union...
...j j Jm Rainfoil Coat Company of 168 j ''"h avenue refused to renew its i JflMment...
...on his interesting relation...
...During this period he wrote some twenty works, three or four ef which might be regarded as books, delivered numerous speeches, i negotiated with scores of working men's deputations, emerged from ten j lawsuits, conducted an enormous correspondence, and, most important, organized the General Union of Ger- ' man Workmen, the forerunner of So- i cial Democratic party...
...Why is it thst then goody-goody itoriea of alleged bad men, boyi and wimmen find buyeri...
...Charles J. Finger'i "Bushnngiri" ii one of the few enjoyable books of recent years...
...The two fell in love...
...if the New Teitament, concede...
...TWO hundred and flfty-four ptget of imooth...
...Why d|fy Christianity rather than Mithraeim httemt the official religion of .the Roman Empire...
...When It "f Ji'covered that thin contnetor wing the icab work, A. Weinmi Secretary of the Raincoat Mik"»Unlon appealed to the Amalga"JM with the remit that this work 9 ,tflPPid...
...The ttrain of pride snd of despotism in hit nsturs, which prevented him from devoting himself entirely to hii own buiinen, moulded ai ht wai for one purpose, brought him to hit downfsl...
...He maintained that his only object was the improvement in the condition of the workers...
...Thii i«-vlelent sort of rebellion coit him followers while he lived and was Speedily rejected by official Christisnity after hit death...
...The General Union of German...
...MORRIS HILLQUIT'S sdmirable introduction to George Brandei' "Ferdinand Lasialle" —already published in Tha New Leader—is the best imaginable review of thit classic of the brilliant and romantic Socialist lsader...
...It is printed in clear type, on good paper, making a valuable addition to your library...
...Other chapters show thet the new nation born of tha Revolution brought no change) in the servile status of the workere, that the franchise was withheld from them for decades under the Constitution, that whites were still bought snd sold, that they were imprisoned for "conspiracy" when they organized, and then goes en to trace the organized struggles of the working class to emancipate themselves from the old abuses and injustice...
...There ii I Mntimentil Moderniim which, no | Sll thin Fundtmentalism, needs the tonic of this icarching examination *f thi origins of the religion which for betk, weal end woe has played * large a part in the hiitory of lumin afairs...
...The world snd the Socialitt movement are fortunate in thia charmingly told ttory of a greet and youthful and colorful leader of men...
...with Bismsrck, and his efforts to form a Labor party...
...Waited on by t Workmen's Committee in Leipzig to find out what ttctict the workers should pursue, he urged the formation of an independent movement...
...WILL BE GIVEN FREE WITH THREE DOLLARS' WORTH OF SUBSCRIPTIONS TO THE NEW LEADER WE HAVE ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF THESE BOOKS...
...As an orator, Lassalle was remarkable, among other thine:*, for his remarkable memory...
...Brandes dwells on Lassalle's socalled "iron law of wages," which, he maintained, did not exclude the workman from the possibility of improving his mode of lift, in consequence of" the progress of civilisation...
...LatSalls," says Brandes, "lomewhore, in on* of his letters, uatd the phrase, 'my ardent soul!' Lassalle perhaps alone could use this expression without exaggeration for hia innermost being concealed some force altin to fire...
...A few months later he was in hii grave...
...prevented him from following Rodbertui and concentrating only on social Improvement—Ignoring tha political...
...of the Countess Hatzfeldt, and undertook the difficult task of organization agiinst the bitter opposition of the ruling classes...
...Hii conviction...
...It is vital, interesting and informative...
...Brandes' work was first completed a half century ago...
...New York: t^pioetjnal Publiikeri...
...That it, not U interpretation, I think, which can ht supported by a cartful examination ef the Goepele or by a conlilmitioii of psychological probabilities...
...A characteristic common to all Lassalle's speeches in his defense is his habit of accumulating testimony with reference to one disputed point which he maintains with the utmost energy, his prsctiee of adopting the attitude of an accuser, his tactical advance to the attack from a defensive position, and his thorough demonstrstion of the ill-founded nature of the sccusations against him...
...Iti aim was the attainment of universal and direct suffrage...
...To Lassail* the party appeared lacking in vision and energy...
...THE blurbe on its jacket to emphasize the Idas that "The Rector of Msliseet" is more then a mystery itory, thst we feel inclined to claim that it it leu...
...from an ov*r-adornment, a heaping of sdjsetlve upon sdverb, si though Mr...
...Even greater wis the tour in the ipring of 1864, when he took pirt in the feitivitiei celebrating the foundition of th...
...by the lover of literature, and, not least| I by the seeker sftsr romsnce...
...Eustace Jervii, i formtr chaplain in tix of Hii Maj- etty't Prisons, swears that he knew i Lucai...
...You will be delighted with this book...
...About this time Lassalle made the acquaintance of Bismarck, to whom he protested regarding the violent interference of police...
...a piece of sheer besuttful writing...
...If hie ttory it true, Lucas wai s tick boy whoie case the British authorities failed to diagnose properly, and his history should no more be dished up for light reading than an account of the tinue degeneration ef a cancer victim...
...Laisslle found that Bismarck's desk was covered with the agitator's pamphlets...
...his leniusl fsnekes, it never eleered sway, even though the narrator had the uhoxpleinsd and iaesplicsble bad tests to convey the dasd rector to thii linful haunt in•teed of to thi study or the church...
...Ii it pirt of man'i growing coniciouinen thst, individually, he smounts to sbout si much ai s louse in s Third evenue flophouse in the profit icheme of things...
...Retd strive* vainly for ttyle, only te lets hit power...
...The book then considers the various forms of servitude these early workers endured, compares it with Negro slavery, their servile status in colonial law, their trearmeal by colonial masters, their revolts against their masters, their life as mudiillt in the secisl system of the colonial ruling class, and the part they played in the American Revolution...
...We ihou'.d rether ssy "nesr-beeuttful...
...Christianity's Beginnings ^|5io7*J-NORMAN THOMAS tAtjfVAtlONS 09 CHRISTIANITY By garl Keatifcy...
...Now York: Th* Dial Pro*: $t...
...His lodging places were decorated with flowers, and in sll the towns and upon all the roads wire serenades, gateways of honor, garlands, inscriptions, endless cheering, and the delighted uproar of s thousand voices...
...mystery ie thst it is, SS ths Glsigow Citisen puts It...
...If the itory ii faked, Lincoln MacVeigh should be •ihamed of himself for waiting good paper, type end boerdi...
...Although his headquarter...
...position, he yielded to the urging...
...on Lassalle's controversy with Schultze-Delitzsch...
...His tour of the Rhine provinces In September, 186,1, was like a triumphal procession...
...The family violently disapproved of an alliance with thii ' ecoundrel...
...Learning of thla, Lasialle wai beside himself...
...I doubt if Kautsky tu ins jeered- these questions, but I im quite sure thst the value of hii bonk does not depend upon such iniwir...
...Professor Kirsopp Lake, one of the most brilliant tnd critical of modern student...
...He was the bearer of light and tire to the world, a bearer of light bold and defiant as Lucifer himself, a torch-bearer who delighted to stand in the full glare of the torch with which he brought enlightenment - grand oseur et grind poseur...
...who wished to mike their new religion palatable to tke Roman authorities...
...Occasional elipe in grammar, sueh as "with a sudden jolt, the train had started"—where the pait Wai called for—are minor indications, rather the reverse of the main fault, which spring...
...The two short years from 1862 to 1864, immediately before his death, constitute the period of his activity which made Lassalle's name ever famous in the annals of workingclass history...
...A New Novelist A Review by WILLIAM LEA THE RECTOR OF MALISEET...
...j By Leslie Retd...
...I can enjoy and recommend a itory of sane outlaw*, itrong mentally and physically, but tripe haahed with underdone doughnuti, spoiled caviar tnd terved with molaiiei—no, thank you...
...Though hesitant about taking thi...
...While he can be called to task for his endless repetition of superlatives, haf'was admirable in his ability at rfpirtee, in the truths of his metaphors and in his definition of the facts in the esse...
...fluj book is by itself a liberal -tettion in what can be done by at intelligent sppliestion of the -sBdmic interpretation of hiitory to *tagrist events of the past...
...The least convincing part of his book, tn my mind, it connected with hii portrait of Jesut...
...All this, however, has relstively lltfli to do with the soundness of ¦tit ef Ksutiky'i interpretations Ud their value to intelligent stu*»t| ef lociil movement...
...His attacks were not directed against the monarchy as such, because he did not wish to divide the workers who could be induced to join in the campaign for universal suffrage...
...Temporarily—following grest rebuffs—he seemed to be triumphing...
...I am sjvsyi reminded by tuch booki how ¦tea easier it is to explain the past by some suchWory ss the materialist conception of history than to forecast the future...
...by historian, to obtain an accurate background of the social history of the times...
...i Netley Lucai mty htvt been a real r pereon, but Detrdtn hat don* his r damnedest to mikt hit ttory read r like cheap fiction...
...but that did not prevent successive prosecutions...
...Know the Land You Live In "The Workers in American Hietory" ie a substantial book, well bound in cloth...
...He nought to inspire the workers with great ideas...
...Nor did he feel with Marx that the time had come to preach revolution and overthrow of every form of the social order...
...It Is the kind of a book which is read by a Socialist to gain Inspiration for his cause...
...A special interest attaches to its reprint in the year 1925, which marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Lassalle...
...In his sgitation he refused to use inflammatory oratory...
...Certsinly no skilled writer of tuch tiles would begin with to studied sn atmotpher* ef eerie bogle fear, with the hero the only paitenger in a train parhapa pulled by something that "wai not an engine it sll, but some unthinkable being dragging mt on through the night to s wonderful and myaterioua destiny...
...The itory ii a naaty-nlce - hiitory of thi decline and fall of a i boy of "good breading " At about . fourteen in American girl aiki him to hook up her drett...
...The unnamed tranihas tomblned with the author w»its t work of prodigious learnZ.tlone* readable and interesting...
...In this he differed from Marx, who was thinking in terms of the world movement, whereas Lassalle was concerned with how the workers could become an effective force in Prussia in the early sixties...
...Tha Liberals regarded him as a conscious or unconscious tool of the reactionaries...
...The ideal of Brandes' volume, he himself maintains, is truth rather than brilliance...
...Kant jg gives slmost hslf of his book I |d examination of Roman society ¦ thi Imperial period snd to the yitory of the Jews preceding the riu of Christianity...
...in piychology...
...of workmen in every itation...
...Brandes believes that one of LassBllc's strengths as an orator was his care in writing, and quotes Crassus in Cicero's dialogue: "The great point is to write ss much as possible...
...They locket) her up, refuted to permit her to receive hit ardent letten, tnd induced her to agree to marry Herr van Rackowitza...
...oeni and gaining a number of j ""Mr improvements...
...Union, Local 20, I. L. G. W. U., ¦ PgS renewed their agreement with ! ™» employers retaining their con...
...The duel took place August 28, 1864...
...The philosophers, Rodbertus, Marx, and Engtlt, kept silent...
...Just' pacifism, though he counts it i weakness rather than a strength...
...Is it because "bourgeois morality," enforced by Rotarians, churches, fnternal organizations, credit men, savings banks snd employers, drives men to vicsrioui flouting of lawi between book coven ? The old stickum, "Be sure your tins will find you out," coati nearly all thi recent crook booki, but thia I book, written by a hack for Britiih t consumption, is so heavily imeared ,- with "I know I done wrong" glucose ; that, unlett your appetite grows by feeding oa the straightforward crime stuff sold daily for three r eentt, you will gag before the book t ii half read...
...Lassalle wai fortunate in hii choice of subjects...
...Veto York: $$.00...
...This firm attempted to "T' it« work done In the contract j !jE *f ^man and Kriegsman of *¦ M«t 10th itreet...
...csrry conviction...
...Even hii deficti hsve seemed to sdd s certsin lustre to fame of thil "Wonder Child," as von Humboldt called him, which keeps hit memory ever fresh...
...He has achieved both...
...As it was easily intelligible, it was able to Influence the great majority of the uneducated...
...Reld felt thst his msin words needed support Tee often then psirings occur in triplets "The little trsin wended its esiy wsy through ths dsrkening country," "-—ihtrply outlined in majestic tlonfnisi against tht inky sky " Sometimes, sipscislly iff descriptive peissgst, a whole leetiea growi overburdened...
...Hii carriage wai conitsntly overwhelmed with s rain of flowers, thrown with lure and laughing aim by tha factory girls...
...ht kisses her ' bare beck, tnd therefore it kind to women throughout hit crooked i career...
...The statesman was personally captivated with the young radical...
...ws are ¦ not roused by the rector...
...He wai buried at Genevi, September 2. Hii funeral wai attended by 4,000 of hii followers, and calibrated with interne grief and lorrow throughout Prunis...
...E. P. Dutton...
...Lassalle hid no knowledge of firearms One shot was firedThe hero of the working clan fell mortally wounded...
...and as it was scientifically profound, it was also able to influence the little band of highly cultured thinkers among the educated classes...
...Against tin background he traces the beginninrs «f the Christian Church from its early preletirian'charicter to its dtvtlopment as a powerful hierachiwl organization, the mainstay of the tsttblithed order...
...Reiacoat Makeri Win Their Demand!j Thi Waterproof G arment Work...
...Ht challenged the bridegroom...
...Writing is the best school and the best means of education for tha coming orator...
...Workmen was the result...
...In this volume, George Brandes has presented to the world s picture of this brilliant play boy of revolutionary movements, thii pre-eminent agitator, the passionate lover, this analytic philosopher, this social prophet and practical politician rolled Into one, that lesves sn indelible Imprint on one's memory...
...The one alluring mystery, as t* the contents of the hidden chats, ber where the sscetie rector Indulge...
...And a magnified job he has msde of it...
...Weingart Sick Man or Crookf A Review by PAUL F. SIFTON THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A CROOK...
...Kautsky argues that th* original Jesus, if He lived at all, was a rebel who used vielence and that the paeillt t-achings of Jesus were tht addition of Christian...
...During the war he impersonates a Britiih nival officer, a loldier, a teaman, a young lord, tttalt Cars, diamondi, money, clothet, beats his wsy te America snd keek, dost time in several pritom, and throughout blesti about hit conscience...
...He threw himself into the work of organizing the workers as the only force that could break the reaction...
...he wat a rebel who disbelieved h the usual formi of violence...
...Ht« burning love for knowledge and science, hi* thirst for rghteousness and truth, his enthusiasm, his unrestrained self-confidence, his deep self-conceit, hie courage, his delight in power -these were chsracterlstics which all found expression In the same fiery and devouring manner...
...We are not In *** el th* church tower thet Leonard could fsncy blotted out ths iky, nor lurpriied thst the morning showed it squtt...
...on his advocacy of productive unions...
...Thus the story becemee rather a tomtit ia a teapot, a vast stirring because s man over tmpreenoneble after sa illness fsll in leva with the dsughtsr of s maniac who jumped off a precipice to meet God...
...I think Lake is here nearer the truth thin Kautsky...
...Thia cloth bound edition has never been sold for less than $1.00...
...Regarded from a literary point of view, the originality of the movement consists in the clarity with which the agitator was able to compress the last and highest results of scientific investigation and mske them comprehensible to audiences in whom no scientific knowledge could be presupposed...
...we hsv* no fssr of ths dwerf he tells us frightens him...
...The claim msde for ths book beyond it...
...He had met at Rlgl In July Helene von Donniges, daughter of a Bavarian diplomat...
...Tgfj International Publithert kivt rendered a real service in giving us thit sdmirsble trsniKsutiky'i book in eo attracJJR fotm...
...the sttempt st fins writing Is too obvious snd spoilt sny sound effect Consn Doyl* rouses mo.re apprehension in his resders...
...The special nature of Lassalle's movement," writes Brandes, "con-1 sists in the conjunction of two cir-1 cumstsnces—its deep scientific truth and its popular character...
...To the laboring class Mutiky has given real help in msk- ! PI "the study of pait, fsr from ; "i»e* a mere intiquarian hobby, a , Bifhty weapon in the struggle of | *} present, with the purpoie of •MiiTing a better future...
...One paregraph supplies: "iirrsted . . . tenuous wisp . . . filmy drapery . . . surrounding gloom . . . liebuleu*) figure . . . tenebrous nndulstions . . . infrequent pools ef stagnant water which reflected the red glow from the engine with a transisnt glesm of light-" Such writing, is too lelf-conscious to help what might have been st lssst an effee- tlvs, if incomequetitl, itory __ ¦ • "THE WORKERS IN AMERICAN HISTORY" BY JAMES ONEAL Editor, THE NEW LEADER "Ths Workers in American History" considers the tragedy and sufferings of European workers which drove them to America in colonial times and how their coming enriched transportation agenciee and landed gentry in the American colonies who held them in a system of servitude...
...He delivered his long lectures, never ex- < tempore, word for word as he had written them, without a manuscript before him...
Vol. 2 • August 1925 • No. 35
