Title
A California Thoreau. A Chat With John Muir. The Hermit of the Glaciers.
Files
Kimes Entry Number
A13-a
Original Date
3-28-1897
Publication
San Francisco Daily Call
Page/Column
p. 17, cols. 1-7, upper half of page. [Scrapbook I, pp. 58-59.[
Location
C
Recommended Citation
Muir, John, "A California Thoreau. A Chat With John Muir. The Hermit of the Glaciers." (1897). John Muir: A Reading Bibliography by Kimes, 1986 (Muir articles 1866-1986). 604.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/604
William and Maymie Kimes Annotation
On the beautiful ranch nestling among the foothills above Martinez dwells a man who has out-Thoreaued Thoreau, and gained for himself an international reputation as a close observer of nature in her most awful moods, and yet whose personality is probably as little known to the world at large as that of the recluse of Walden Pond. . . ."" After spending a ""charming day with Mr. Muir and his family,"" the writer observes: ""the famous mountaineer does not look the hardy, daring, even reckless explorer that he has been. . . . He is a model farmer and the casual observer might spend a day with him and see only the leisurely, wealthy, country gentleman of scholarly taste, with a predilection for scientific study."" Muir recounted many of his adventures, prompting the writer to say that Muir ""spun stories that were like tales out of dreamland."" When Muir was questioned about exposing himself to severe dangers, his statement was: ""There is something uncontrollable in every man that makes him do the thing he supremely desires, even when his judgment disapproves."" The writer concludes: ""Certainly this something uncontrollable ruled his destiny and compelled him in the pursuit of his supreme desires."" An edited version of this article was reprinted in a Wisconsin newspaper, but we were unable to locate it (Scrapbook I, p. 56).