Creator
J. E. Calkins
Recipient
John Muir
Preview
Transcription
[illegible]Lordsburg, Cal., Jan 21, 1909.My Dear Mr. Muir:-Your fine kindly letter of recent date came to hand on time, and was very welcome. Today there is another bond between us beside that furnished by the mails, viz: the weather. We are having the southern end of the great storm that has been in progress in Northern California, raising the rivers and otherx kinds of Cain, and all fears of a drouth here have been dispelled. We have had enough water spilled on us the past week to last the irrigators a whole season, if it were properly conserved. Also we have mud enough and to spare. But in a day or so, if things go as they usually do go here, we shall again be in the midst of such beautiful weather that we shall forget all about the wetting we have had.We read, with full appreciation, your statement of the difficulties that stand between you and any other arrangement for work. Sorting and packing an accumulation of relics, and any kind of curios, specimens, notes, or the like, is one of the most hopeless of tasks, for there is no visible end of it. The torment of trying to determine what shall be thrown away and what shall be kept, and how that which is kept is to be classified or stored so as to be at hand when wanted, is worse than three mere ordinary removals of furniture. I am sorry you are so burdened and perplexed---we all are sorry; but there seems to be no way in which we now can help you.It was very kind of you to say that the plan that I proposed is ideal, from your point of view. I am not sure that it is. You might grow tired of it. You might be dissatisfied with me, after you had tried me for a while. But in the face of all these suggestions of doubt, I see no better way. If we were to try it for a time, I believe, we would find it work well. It would take a little time to get things in shape, but it need not take very long. And after we had it going, I believe, we should find it work so well that we should not be sorry for putting the scheme into operation. Once we had such a shop open for business, and work in full swing, there would be an increase of output, and an increase of comfort and satisfaction in the making of it, that would make it look good to us, in spite of its imperfections.04410
Location
Lordsburg, Calif.
Date Original
1909 Jan 21
Source
Original letter dimensions: 21.5 x 18.5 cm.
Resource Identifier
muir18_0089-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 18, Image 0089
Copyright Status
Copyright status unknown
Copyright Statement
Some letters written to John Muir may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Owning Institution
University of the Pacific Library Holt-Atherton Special Collections. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Page Number
Page 1
Keywords
John Muir, correspondence, letters, author, writing, naturalist, California, correspondent, mail, message, post, exchange of letters, missive, notes, epistle
