[Letter] May 5,[1893] [to F.H. Giddings]

May 5, [1893], n. p.

Dear Friend,
       I will trust
in advance any version
of a theory of mine that
you may give. You may
condense and clarify
a statement of mine,
but will not change
the meaning of it.
 In correcting proof I
would like to follow the
example of Cicero and put
things that I did not
say. That would not do.
I remember saying that
the variation I confessed
was in distribution rather
than in the standard of
value. I have underscored
the word standard to
indicate that a variation
is caused in the rate of
exchange of a monopolized
article. The thing unaffected
is the nature of the
standard of measurement.
The line drawn under
the word standard may
not have been indicated
in my oral discussion.
It may strike those
who heard the talk as
an after-thought in the
way of emphasis. In that
case it would better be
left out, i.e. the underscoring
line. The sentence in
your letter that does not
have an agreeable sound
is the one in which you
say "I have not been a
bit well this Spring."
You must unload now.
I have done this from
necessity. I found my
sleep was being reduced from
seven hours per night
to six or even less. It
has seemed, by reason of
rest and change, to go
about up to the old
standard; but this recovery
has occurred within a
very few days. As a
veteran in the way of
practising the art of caring
for my health and
strength. I put in now
my petition that you
lessen the pressure of
work, whatever has to
give way for it. You were
doing what scared me
when I was at your
house in the Fall.
I could not begin to
carry such a load.
 I have been
wanting to ask you
whether you are going
to Chicago this summer,
and if so about when.
Shall you wait for the
meeting of the Economic
Association? I have an
idea that there is a chance
of getting better prices
by waiting a little,
but that waiting till
Sept. is selecting the
worst season.
 A rumor has come
to me that our Econ.
Association meets for
one day only. Do you
chance to know whether
this is true? Has the
nature of the program
happened to come to you?
 Do not so much
as answer this letter
till you feel like it.
I am not going to
exhort you to moderate
your work and then
make you wield the
pen for a marginal
increment of work. I
wish you would lie
off for a while and
visit me. I would not
bore you with over much
economic talk, but would
show you house plans
and sites, and views
from hills. If you cannot
come now, do so when
teaching stops!

    Yours Very Truly,
         J. B. Clark