Spencer Heath Archive

Item 1581

Carbon of a letter from Heath to Friedrich von Hayek, 5807 South Dorchester Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

December 5, 1956

 

Dear Dr. Hayek:

     My grandson, Mr. Spencer MacCallum, and I were delightfully entertained at luncheon with you last Saturday. It was a happy conclusion of our visit to Chicago with our SPIRITUAL MOBILIZATION friends at their Conference on “Work in Today’s World.”

     Your conversation was stimulating in many ways, including especially your somewhat casual reference to the value of legal studies as a foundation for under­standing society, much as Latin is proved to be a good foundation /for/ understanding German and English grammar. I am prompted to send you copy of a letter I have since sent to Dr. Katz, with whom you are acquainted and whom, unfortunately, we were unable to see, along the lines of our conversation about a possible way out of the dilemma between man-made law, and some idealized con­ception of natural law, also man-made (the conception), both requiring artificial enforcement. I was happy to hear you say that there is or may be such a third alter­native, and would be interested in knowing more of what thoughts you have developed along that line. I will look for it in your forthcoming book as soon as it is published.

     That quotation from Sir Henry S. Maine you were thinking about. My grandson has searched this out, and he is doubtful whether he has found the right one for you, but I think he has found the substance of it in any case. We are enclosing it on a separate sheet.

     Thank you for reminding me of Dr. Machlup at Johns Hopkins. I hope to get in touch with him.

     We hope we may have the pleasure of seeing you again on your next visit east.

Cordially yours,

SH/m  Enc: Letter to Dr. Katz

Quotations from Maine