Creator
Eliza S. Hendricks
Recipient
John Muir
Transcription
[Marked "Indianapolis letter"]
611 N. Meridian St.,
Indianapolis, April 8, '95.
My dear Mr. Muir:
In a letter I wrote you not long since in acknowledgment of the receipt of your book, which I presume reached you in due time, I took occasion to tease you a little bit regarding the somewhat "fishy" flavor of your most interesting account of the irreverent behavior of the Douglas squirrels when you sang, or whistled the "Old Hundredth" in their ears. Although I told you at the time that I entirely believed your statement, yet I have had a slightly uncomfortable feeling ever since, that you might not wholly understand that I was only using a friend's privilege in guying you for telling a wonderful story, which, told by a less truthful man, I might have doubted. Jokes are dangerous things to handle and are sometimes misunderstood even by good friends. I once knew a prominent man, the late Attorney General Dunn of Washington City, who said he rarely attempted a joke, without giving offense. Now do not think that I believed Sidney Smith when he said "A joke could not reach a Scotchman's brain without a surgical operation." You can both give and take gracefully. I only feared I had not made myself clear-hence this note, which is perhaps a work of supererogation.
Your book, with the "presentation copy" remembrance added to its other charms, will always be a wellspring of pleasure to me. I am looking forward with interest to your Alaska book. Mrs. DeVore is in the East now, lecturing upon her work. She is a very interesting talker, and, in going about, is acting under orders from the Missionary Board. I met her at the house of a friend who entertained her when she recently visited Indianapolis, and was glad to find she knows and admires you.
Yours, with warm regard,
Eliza S. Hendricks.
Location
Indianapolis [Ind]
Date Original
1895 Apr 08
Source
Original letter dimensions: 13 x 20.5 cm.
Recommended Citation
Hendricks, Eliza S., "Letter from Eliza S. Hendricks to John Muir, 1895 Apr 8." (1895). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 3078.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/3078
Resource Identifier
muir08_0925-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 08, Image 0925
Collection Identifier
Online finding aid for the microform version of the John Muir Correspondence http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0w1031nc
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
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Pages
3 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
