novel out of his career, the plain ordinary world
may gain some conception of this "father of the German labor movement."
This is no place to deal with certain deplorable and contradictory
phases of his life nor even with some of his mad dreams that led
Bismarck, after saying that "he was one of the most intellectual and
gifted men with whom I have ever had intercourse, ..." to add "and it
was perhaps a matter of doubt to him whether the German Empire would
close with the Hohenzollern dynasty or the Lassalle dynasty."[14] Such
was the proud, unruly, ambitious spirit of the man, who, in 1862, came
actively to voice the claims of labor.

Setting out to regenerate society and appealing directly to the working
classes, Lassalle lashed them with scorn. "You German workingmen are
curious people," he said. "French and English workingmen have to be
shown how their miserable condition may be improved; but you have first
to be shown that you _are_ in a miserable condition. So long as you have
a piece of bad sausage and a glass of beer, you do not notice that you
want anything. That is a result of your accursed absence of needs. What,
you will say, is this, then, a virtue? Yes, in the eyes of the Christian
preacher of morality it is certainly a virtue. Absence of needs is the
virtue of the Indian pillar saint and of the Christian monk, but in the
eyes of the student of history and the political economist it is quite a
different matter. Ask all political economists what is the greatest
misfortune for a nation? The absence of wants. For these are the spurs
of its development and of civilization. The Neapolitan lazaroni are so
far behind in civilization, because they have no wants, because they
stretch themselves out contentedly and warm themselves in the sun when
they have secured a handful of macaroni. Why is the Russian Cossack so
backward in civilization? Because he eats tallow candles and is happy
when he can fuddle himself on bad liquor. To have as many needs as
possible, but to satisfy them in an honorable and respectable way, that
is the virtue of the present, of the economic age! And, so long as you
do not understand and follow that truth, I shall preach in vain."[15]
Other nations may be slaves, he added, recalling the words of Ludwig
Boerne; they may be put in chains and be held down by force, but the
Germans are flunkies--it is not necessary to lay chains on them--they
may be allowed to wander free about the house. Yet, wh