Page:William-morris-and-the-early-days-of-the-socialist-movement.djvu/209

186 August 16th (1886).

,—Please send us some more copy for Commonweal; for I am very anxious sometimes about the supply of that article. You will see that we are in hot water again with the police here, and for my part I think it a great nuisance. It is, after all, a side issue, and I grudge everything that takes people's attention off the true economical and social issues, which are the only things of importance. Still, we must fight out this skirmish, though I hope wisely.

With fraternal greetings from all of us.

December 1st, 1886.

,—Many thanks for your long, interesting, and hopeful letter. I was well pleased with all you had to tell me, except that you had been ill and were out of work. I suppose you will think I am teaching, if not my grandmother, yet at least my grandson, to suck eggs, when I say that it is most important that you should get more fuglemen. It seems to me that it would be good winter work for you to 'mutually improve' each other in Socialism and in public speaking. At Hammersmith we are having a class on Sundays to bring out young speakers, and try to cure them of 'stage-fever,' and their wrigglements to avoid speaking are amusing. I am much pleased to hear your views as to the parliamentary side of things; all the more as, to say the truth, up here we are having some trouble with some of our friends on that point. I think needlessly, because, after all, they have no more wish than the others to push the League into electioneering.

Yes, I did say that to Kropotkin; but I did not mean that at some time or other it might not be necessary for Socialists to go into Parliament in order to break it up; but again, that could only be when we are very much more advanced than we are now; in short, on the verge of a revolution; so that we might either capture the army, or shake their confidence in the legality of their position.