[Letter] March 31,1887,Smith College [to F.H. Giddings]

March 31, 1887, Smith College.

Dear Mr. Giddings,
          The suggestion of
a dictionary of terms is a
very attractive one, and I
think we could certainly work
well together on it. My chief
cause of misgiving would be
on account of the extensive
grubbing that might be
required in culling the necessary
references. This would be in
itself a profitable study, but
would take time. Would you
think favorably of taking in
another partner of grubbing
propensities, and let him
overhaul the French, German,
and Italian literature which
the senior partners sit, in
a dignified manner, in
judgment on the results, and
furnish chiefly discrimination?
Perhaps you did not have
in mind a plan that would
make so extensive a work
necessary. I presume Dr. Bemis
could be induced to join the
undertaking on terms which
would relieve us of about all
the searching in foreign literature.
Should we desire this? I
do not know, as yet, what
my view on this point will be.
 If a dictionary of terms could be made to
win general acceptance it would certainly be
a scientifically valuable work. Would it also
be commercially profitable? Are economists and
quasi-economists numerous enough to buy
more than, say, an edition of 1000? It would
be a great satisfaction to me to have a hand
in shaping economic discussion to the extent
that a successful work of this kind would do. We
must confer farther on the matter. How would
it do, if Seligman still says nay, to have May meeting
given to an economic paper by Tuttle, and something on
composite photography by our Prof. Stoddard?

                           Yours Very Truly,
                                 J. B. Clark