50. To HIS MOTHER
June 14, 1898
I received a letter dated May 30 from Manyasha, Mother dearest; tell her merci for it. But why does she not say a word about Voprosy Filosofii that I sent on May 14? Did she receive the book? (I sent it at Anyuta’s request; Manyasha writes that my letters of May 10 and 17 have been received.)
Life goes on as usual. I think Nadya is going to write today.
We are now having real summer weather. The heat is exceptional—Y.V. finds it very difficult. Nadya and I have begun bathing and have gone over to a summer system.
There is little news, and what there is is bad. In Tesinskoye Comrade Yefimov (a worker from Yekaterinoslav) has gone mad; he is suffering from persecution mania and Gleb has taken him to hospital. There has been a very nasty affair which concerns Yuly in Turukhansk; one of the exiles (a scandal-monger) made all sorts of silly accusations against him and they had to part company; Yuly is now living alone, is ill, his nerves are all to pieces and he cannot work. God save us from these “exile colonies” and exile “scandals”! Yuly has asked his father to try to get him transferred somewhere else, no matter where.
I am quite well (Nadya and Y.V., too). I am finishing the translation and shall then go back to my work again.[1] I have been informed that the collection of my articles is soon to be printed.
Regards to all. Is Mitya working? He should have some regular work, just “reading” in general is not much use.
Many kisses,
Yours,
V. U.
If anybody should be coming here ask Manyasha to send me from among my books (1) Borovikovsky, Zakony grazhdanskiye (Vol. X, Part 1), and (2) Ustav grazhdanskogo sudoproizvodstva (pocket edition).
[1] Lenin refers to the translation of Volume I of the Webbs’ book and work on his own book The Development of Capitalism in Russia.