Creator
Alden Sampson
Recipient
John Muir
Transcription
2223 Atherton St.,
Berkeley, Cal.,
16 Oct., 1906.
Dear Mr. Muir,--
I have the pleasantest recollections of my visit at Martinez, in particular of our drive to Mr. Swett's and his courtesy. The bunches of Flaming Tokay grapes were much admired. One of these I took to my table at the Berkeley Inn, where it received tributes of admiration from Mrs. Lathrop and her son, [illegible] while the other graced our spread at a Sunday morning's breakfast on the rocks beyond North Berkeley, up under the eucalyptus ridge, at a reunion of a little circle known as the "Contented Club," composed of five Sierrans, all friends of yours I think. I have to thank you for great kindness to me on more than one occasion. It is forcibly brought to mind by work on which I am
02768
2
now engaged. The Berkeley Club has done me the honor again to ask me to read an essay before it. I am revising my two lectures on The Poetic Genius for that purpose, and realize in re-reading them that they show a lack of finish, and I want to thank you for your patience and kindness when they were laid before you. There may be here and there in them a "thread of gold", which no eye so quickly as yours would find, but they are not beaten gold. Fortunately, I have nearly a month before my paper is due, and I shall try to make the best use of the time. The subject opens a field of study of limitless range and depth and height. One cannot mediate on its themes without profit and deep delight.
May I make confession? You once would have given me still another of your photographs, had I not from a sort
03768
3
of shame and reluctance to despoil you almost rudely declined. I have no picture of you here, and should much appreciate if I might have your portrait by me. May I come and get it when your house is again in order?
Your books have been an enormous inspiration to me, and to no one intellectually, I think, am I more indebted than to you, in these latter years. I am having the daring to send you a gift on my part, which I can only hope you may like.
Please remember me most kindly to your daughter
and believe me,
Very sincerely yours,
[illegible]
Location
Berkeley, Calif.
Date Original
1906 Oct 16
Source
Original letter dimensions: 20 x 25 cm.
Recommended Citation
Sampson, Alden, "Letter from Alden Sampson to John Muir, 1906 Oct 16." (1906). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 3576.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/3576
Resource Identifier
muir16_0381-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 16, Image 0381
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
