[Letter] July 28,1901,Washington,Conn. [to F.H. Giddings]

July 28, 1901, Washington, Conn.

Dear Friend,
        I have just
been giving three days
to Mr. Lane, of the
Times-Herald of
Chicago. He brought a
big manuscript for
me to read, and it was
a job. I fear this will
be somewhat the case
if the Macmillan Co.
should send the book
to you. Two things may
afford a partial offset
to the labor cost of it;
the book is not without
strength and is very
readable; and I suppose
the Macmillan Co. will
at least alleviate the
dose by a modest
honorarium. I decline
to express an opinion
to the Macmillan Co.
and, in advance of a
reading of the ms. I
would better not express
one to you. It is fair
to call attention to the
connection between the
utilitarian ethics and
the socialism. If there
is no such thing as
right except as it consists
in pleasure for the
community, it is right
to hang the landholders
whenever the community
wishes to do it.
 I should be glad to
know what you think
of the ratio of assertion
to proof in the few
cardinal propositions
of the work such as
the law of diffusion of
wealth, and the connection
of this with the socialistic
development. The chapters
on Social Kinetics and
the Law of Capitalization
contain more of the
essence of the system ( ) 
Perhaps you will
escape reading the work.
I will tell you, in due
time, why I would not
write to the Macmillan
Co. giving an estimate
of the work. Commercially
you will see that it
is the socialism on
which it must depend
to make it go, if it
is to go. The man
has worked and
smoked himself into
a state of invalidism.
He has a weak heart
and can hardly walk
a mile on a hot day.
He cannot digest
food, and I felt a
large sympathy for
him personally. I did
not see how I could
let that color my
judgment of his
work. I tried to be fair.
 I was at
Harvard for four
days in the midst
of the heat, talking
to eighty or ninety
ministers who heroically
endured the combination
of heat and talk, and
even gave me very
cordial and general
thanks for putting
the element of talk
into the mixture.
Such is the kindness
of the ministerial
heart.

    Yours very truly,
       John B. Clark