ço THE SOCIALISM OF TO-DAY. 
SO he averred—a thesis which was perhaps amenable to criticism 
but not to the penal code. A general assembly of German 
working men was to take place at Leipsic in 1863. He took 
the opportunity to expound his views in an “open letter, 
addressed to the central committee, which was answered in a 
remarkable manner by Rodbertus-Jagetzow. Soon afterwards 
he expanded them in an address delivered at one of the sittings 
of the congress. . . 
Far from retracting, he emphasized his views still further in 
two writings which he published relative to the prosecutions 
directed against him.* His last publication, directed against 
Herr Schulze-Delitsch,t is the most remarkable he ever wrote. 
In it he developes his theories more at length than elsewhere, 
and, at the same time, wields with amazing energy the bitter 
weapon of irony. Sophistries are not lacking, but they are 
concealed by the originality of his historical and econotnical 
views. Proudhon himself never wrote anything more cutbng ; 
and Lassalle had a far greater knowledge of history and political 
economy. He was not altogether wrong when he boastingly 
said “ For every line that I write I am armed with all the 
science of our times.” Nevertheless, this publication is merely 
a pamphlet and not a scientific book. His great works on 
“ Heraclitus ” and on “ Acquired Rights,” however, lead one 
to believe that he was capable of producing something o 
durable value, but he had not the time. 
Lassalle was killed in a duel in the month of August, 1864. 
Bernhard Becker, formerly one of his disciples, has pubhshe 
all that is accurately known about this event, and he just y 
remarks that if Lassalle had lived more in conformity with his 
democratic doctrines, he would not have ended so like an 
adventurer. Nearly every year he used to go during the 
summer to rest and recruit, sometimes to the seaside, some 
times to Switzerland, and usually accompanied by his faithful 
friend the Countess of Hatzfeld. In 1863, after having founded 
the “ General Association of German Working Men, he pro-