Birmingham age-herald., 1895-05-31
CLEVELAND WRITING
THE PRESIDENT TO ISSUE A WORK ON THE SCIENCE OF ECONOMICS.


 vorite Authors.
 MT. Cleveland is to appear before his countrymen in q new role He has become literary man. It might be moro correct to say that he has long been literary man. He has spent four years, more or less, in writing a book, still incomplete which seems likely to give him an alto gether unique position in our long line of presidents. It is a volume on economic science.
 Everybody knows that BTr. Cleveland has theories of his own in the domain of politics His views, however, in that aca- dcnic field of tho science cultivated by Adam Smith, Ricardo and Mill arc very little understood. Now, if therc is one study to which Mr. Cleveland has devoted his leisure, it is political economy and so- ciology. He is an ornnivorous reader in these departments of knowledge. His li- braTy Is stocked with tho standard works on the various subjects.
 It is not so much as means of acquir- ing information that MT. Cleveland reads with this persistence, but in order to keep pace with tho progress of thought. Those who have had opportunities of observing him in his private life arc aware of Mir Cleveland's fondness for reading, q fond ness which has grown upon him of late
 Another fact which has been noticed is that now he writes, writes, writes, for hours. He is always making notes as he proceeds In the matter of classifying his knowledge Mr. Cleveland shows decided expertness. He receives nearly all the cur rent works of importance that issue from the prcss-those. that is, which are in his line. They are duly and promptly read, and notes made of them for future refer encc.
 It may be interesting to detail in this connection the volumes lately ordered by MT. Cleveland for his private use-ordered personally. MT. Cleveland does not have his books charged, at least not those with which the New York trade supplies him. His orders are accompanied by the cash and go to him at Woodley. The trade re- ports him q very good customer, purchas- ing regularly. He gets all the lists of the publishers for his tastes are quite well known by this time to New York
 Here are ten books he has purchased re- gently, with the dates of tho orders. These orders come in typewritten memoranda or mere slips cut from catalogue. The dates accompany each:
 Dec. 10 1894, "Social Evolution" on"-Beniamin Kidd
 - Jan. l5 1895, "A Traveller From Altruria"- Howells
 Jan. 5, 1895, "Claims of Christianity''-Lilly
 Jan. 10, 1885, "Cesar''-Froude
 Feb. 6, 1895, "Declino and Fall of Roman Elm pire"-Gibbon.
 March 6, 1895, Republic" of Plato.
 March 10, 1895, Essays on Questions of the Day'-Godwin Smith.
 March 27, 1895, Regeneration Max Nor dau.
 March 9O 1895, "wealth Versus Common wealth "-Henry A. Lloyd.
 April ?, 1895, History of the United States" volume Al. B. McMaster.
 It will be noted that Mir. Cleveland is rather severe in his tastes and that he goes in for both old and new works. These books are merely those which have been ordered by him and sent from New York. He constantly receives books from all over tho world. His library grows apace.
 As reader however, MT. Cleveland is known to devote himself almost wholly to works which afford him material for his own essay in authorship. This book will probably appear when the president lays down the cares of office it being well | known that he will not hear of any men, tion of his name in connection with third term. The plan of it is not l.sw to those who have had opportunities of observing the progress of tho work but they are very few. Mr. Cleveland Is presenting econom- ic sciences from point of view somewhat in advance of J. Stuart Mill. His book is divided into four departments-produo tion, consumption, distribution and ex- change-and there is a special chapter under the department of consumption, on the theory of marginal utility. This the ory does not seem to find much favor with Mir. Cleveland.
 mi raj ha or tha thority of those who have talked with MT. Cleveland he does not mean to expound doctrines so much as to make clear the lines along which progress in economic thought must proceed. This way of going to work has permitted copious illustration, drawn from American history. In this MT. Cleveland seems to strike new note.
 But there are difficulties in the way of forecasting tho work itself, owing to tbe literary methods of the author As has been stated, Mir. Cleveland has been some years now gathering materials for his book. It is merely an intellectual exercise with him, and he revises and revises and makes copions references What he writes is the work of his own hand. In his li- brary at Woodley, Mr Cleveland reads far into the night. He writes at late hours, too, for he is likely to be least disturbed then. At this rate it takes months to write chapter, and even then there is further delay, because the manuscript is laid aside and sometimes not looked at for many weeks, when the matter is cruelty edited by its own author.
 Of course the distractions of public life arc largely responsible for the delay. This IS ono reason why the book is not destined to appear until Mir Cleveland becomes private citizen. Another is the unusual earc the author is taking in the matter of classification. Mir. Clcveland's notes and references are carefully made and filed away. He can, by means of the system he has devised, lay his hand on any para graph in any work he has over read pro vidcd he has citation to verify. His li-