[Letter] Feb.15,1887,Smith College [to F.H. Giddings]

Feb. 15, 1887, Smith College.

Dear Mr. Giddings,
          I found my 5:15
train was so late last
evening that I should have
reached your house about
in time to leave it for
the 8 p.m. train for home.
So I telegraphed that I
could not come. This week
is so taken up with
appointments that I must
wait for the next club
meeting. (Is it the 28th?)
I will copy and send a letter
rec'd from Prof. Ely which
may interest you. It is from
an Oxford economist.
I had quite a list of
little things to say to you,
some of which can wait.
I had in mind to suggest
to you that the Am. Econ.
Assoc. has no better medium
of quick interchange of
thought than would be
afforded by Work and Wages
if all the members would
subscribe to it. Its character
has merited their subscriptions
and general support. Could you
not bring about something
of this sort? The object
would be to let it become,
not in a formal way, but
practically, the recognized
means of exchanging ideas, at
short notice, and in an
informal way.
 I wanted the benefit of
your clear judgment and
editorial experience in a
question that stirred me
personally a little. A generally
friendly review of my book in The Independent
contains a sharp criticism
on the ground of gross inconsistency
and a socialistic tendency.
The basis of it all is a
palpable misinterpretation
which it is no trouble whatever
to expose. I wrote asking
the editors if they would
permit, not a controversial
reply, but a correction of
the false interpretation. I have
not heard from them, and
suppose they have written to
the author of the review. I have
about concluded not to reply,
in the paper, but to send
a letter to the editor and
ask him to forward it to
the critic. The name does
not appear, but there are
things leading me to think it
is Prof. Hadley. I meant also to
say that I hope the readers of the
very complimentary circular of which
you spoke in your letter may not
be too much disappointed when the
article arrives. Your own judgment I
greatly value.

             Yours Very Truly,
                   J. B. Clark