Karl Marx and the Victorians

Before returning to the library what my left book group will be discussing next month -- Eric Hobsbawm's How to Change the World: Reflections on Marx and Marxism -- I must share some of the interesting quotes in the chapter titled, "Dr. Marx and the Victorian Critics," because they illuminate in the most interesting manner the attitude pro-capitalist intellectuals took toward him before they felt threatened:

"Marx is a Hegelian in philosophy and a rather bitter opponent of ministers of religion. But in forming an opinion of his writings we must not allow ourselves to be prejudiced against the man." -- Rev. M. Kaufmann, Socialism (1874)

"However its teaching may be viewed, no one will venture to dispute the masterly ingenuity, the rare acumen, the close argumentation and, let it be added, the incisive polemic which are displayed in ... the pages [of Capital]." -- W. H. Dawson, German Socialism and Ferdinand Lassalle (1888)

Of his views on the division of labor and machinery, "both learned and exhaustive, and is well worth reading." -- J. Shield Nicholson, Principles of Political Economy I (1893)

"Marx was trying to get at the right kinds of history. The orthodox historians ignore all the most significant factors in human development." -- George Unwin, Studies in Economic History (1927)

"Where alone Marx did memorable work as a historical theorist, was in his analysis and interpretation of the capitalist era, and here he must be admitted to have rendered eminent service, even by those who think his analysis more subtle than accurate, and his interpretations more ingenious than true." -- Robert Flint, Socialism (1895)

"[T]hough Marx has colored his picture too darkly, he has rendered great service in calling attention to the more gloomy features of modern industry, to which it is useless to shut our eyes." -- Llewellyn-Smith, Economic Aspects of State Socialism (1887)