Spencer Heath Archive

Item 1470

Carbon of a letter from Heath to John M. Cullerton, 18 East Colfax Avenue, Roselle Park, New Jersey

December 10, 1953

Dear Mr. Cullerton:

     I am happy to receive your letter of the third, only received yesterday since I was away for the weekend and so could not see you at church Sunday — much to my regret. But today I ran into Mr. Harrison at the Town Hall Club and we had supper and a good part of the evening together, much wishing you could have been with us. However we are going to meet there next Thursday evening, meeting at 6:30 for the development of a Civics Committee Program. Come and join us for supper as my guest if you can; if not, then for the evening if possible. In any event, I’ll be at the Unitarian Church Sunday to see you.

Mr. Harrison is enthusiastic for the esthetic approach to understanding in both science and art, and especially for an understanding of Society and its processes. I am sure you will enjoy him.

     Thanks for the great interest indicated by your letter. Proprietary administration of community capital and services is simply a further development into this field of the free enterprise method of administering private capital and services by proprietary corporate organizations. The initial capital would be, of course, the property merged and its income. A crucial chapter in my magnum opus shows the capitalist system evolving straight into the ultimate collectivist ideal without employment of brute force in any form — except against wild animals or anti-social men, function of the Citadel in Citadel, Market and Altar. As to individual home building and ownership, the Corporation would of course study the needs and desires of its clientele and furnish raw or partly fabricated materials, much as a department store furnishes either finished clothing or yard goods etc. for those who like to make their own, including the architectural services of patterns and designs. The individual lives will move more and more towards the philosophical ideal of individual self-realization under free selection and optional degrees of personal intimacy and association. Increasing leisure will induce wider non-vocational activities, admit of increasing non-necessities, spontaneous, creative.

 All instruments and subject-matters of contract are capital. All capital is social-ized wealth, administered for the benefit of others or ceasing to function as capital becomes consumption goods — de-social-ized — and no longer a public trust. There are varying degrees of skill and efficiency of administration. Large organizations make long-term commitments and conserve. Only very small ones exploit and destroy. Men are creative only when contractual — yes, when com-promising. I hope to see you Sunday, anyway.

Sincerely,