Creator

Katharine Hooker

Recipient

John Muir

Transcription

"Stoking engine" [1]

[letterhead]

March 21.

My dear friend

How good of you to send me the advance copy of your new book. I take it as an honor, and a token of warm friendship and it takes its place with my other treasured books from you. Did they persuade you to change the title? I liked "When I was a Boy" better than its present name. I imagine you let other people have their own way about what you look upon

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[2]

non-essentials." Any way I shall enjoy reading it over again and at the same time remembering how it was written under my roof. Your presence there during those strange stormy times was oil on the waters. Who there could have dreamed a quiet harbor was so near - in point of duration? I hardly know why, but true calmness does not appear to have surrounded me yet. I wonder if so many years of tossing amid distress and uncertainty require long [illegible] serenity? I

2 [3]

was so distrusted and blamed for doing the wrong thing that I find it rare to believe in myself or to trust that I am doing what is worth while.
But we are well, tho Marian is rather tired after her steady labor at the college. I don't want her to take the position for a second year. What would you think if we three, Marian and I Ellie spent the coming summer in Europe? That is what we are planning now. It seems to be the one thing that tempts Marian. She loves traveling.

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[4]

had a dear letter from you last month, and I mourned a little, and smiled a little over it. You sound somewhat lonely and I don't believe you are stoking the engine sufficiently besides. you work yourself very hard and feed yourself too little. I know what a pleasure there is in work, I had so much quiet happiness out of writing my one little book, but you forget to take care of yourself.
I put in this letter to you which has just

3

[5]

found its way back to me, to show you what a journey it has made, not because there is any value in it.

Ever affectionately yours

Katharine Hooker

Do you like this little picture better than the others?

09993

Location

San Francisco

Circa Date

[1913] Mar 21

Source

Original letter dimensions: 21.5 x 13.5 cm.

Resource Identifier

muir21_0213-let.tif

File Identifier

Reel 21, Image 0213

Collection Identifier

Online finding aid for the microform version of the John Muir Correspondence http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0w1031nc

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

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