Spencer Heath Archive

Item 2576

Letter from Spencer MacCallum to Brice M. Clagett, 22 Matthews Hall, Cambridge 38, Mass.

May 27, 1957

 

 

Dear Brice,

 

It’s a long time since I was in touch with you. I hope everything has been going well.

 

 I have some information about myself that you might like to work into the Alumni Weekly, and that I’m glad to pass on to you anyhow. You were one of the more thoughtful members at Prospect, and I always enjoyed the way you enlivened discussions there.

 

 I never thought to ask you what your relationship is — or was — to the Clagetts of Bartlett, Poe & Clagett, lawyers in Baltimore. Gen. J. Kemp Bartlett was a friend of my grandfather’s, and his son, Robert Bartlett, still does work for this foundation.

 

 I’ve been working for the above foundation for two years, helping to bring out my grandfather’s book, Citadel, Market and Altar. Publication date is June 5^th. It deals with the nature of and future of society from a philosophic and scientific point of view. Essentially, it approaches society as a spontaneous organizational form much like the cells in our bodies, but just emerging in its pattern. The inference to be drawn from it is that society is just about 1,000 percent better off than any of us have ever given it credit for, and that all we need is to understand it more and more. — And that our confusions about public affairs are something like the thoughts that go through the head of the grub that wakes prematurely in the cocoon, imprisoned and a monster, and doesn’t know anything about the pattern into which it is developing. My grandfather goes a long way toward developing the general outline of that pattern in the 260 pages of the book. And Here is a constructive examination of the organic social organization that over centuries has evolved parallel to the modern political successors of “principalities and powers.”³¹⁵²

 

 

 Well excuse this prolixity — I’m downright interested in the subject matter. It would be fine if you felt you wanted to note the book in the columns of PAW. A sample of the dust jacket is enclosed. Also, if you wanted, you could announce a 20 percent discount for members of the class. But you will have to judge the appropriateness of that.

 

 I often wonder why anyone would want to be class secretary but am glad someone does. You seem to be doing a good job. Best wishes to you and all your undertakings.

 

 

Sincerely,