Creator
John Muir
Recipient
[Theodore Roosevelt]
Transcription
[Rough draft of letter]
[Martinez, January 27 1908]
Dear Mr. President [Roosevelt]:
I wish you another of your great new years. When I was walking with Emerson through the giant Sequoias above Wawona he quoted the Scripture, "There were giants in those days, mighty men of old, men of renown." Many are beginning to see that there are giants in these days also, by none made more manifest than yourself in the work you have done and are doing joining the oceans, controlling and putting to right our land-ways and water-ways - mountains, forests, deserts, gardens - overcoming all obstacles like a glacier, serene amid the maddest maelstroms, going ahead with the strength of God's simple, unchangeable, foundational righteousness. The world is growing better, though hard to believe it in the midst of the mad commercial maelstrom now whirling over the country like sand and dust storms on a desert, but these shall pass away - things refuse to be mismanaged long. Good citizens here as everywhere admire you and love you. You have all our hearts, and though we regret your presidency is drawing near the end we are glad to know that your work will go on and that in reality you will be our President as long as you live. I thank you for saving the Tamalpais redwoods, and doubt not you will save our great Yo[semite] Park from the commercial money changers. Not a decent citizen of all the country or the world who knows the facts of this Yo[semite] affair is in favor of spoiling it. To make reservoirs of city parks or cathedrals would hardly be greater crimes against right use.
This greeting has been delayed by my daughter Helen's illness. I have taken her to the Mohave desert and fondly hope the dry healing air will bring back her natural Scottish wholeness and strength.
Through everything, my dear Mr. President, I am,
Faithfully yours,
[John Muir]
04047
Martinez, California
Dear Mr President,
[in margin: [illegible] 1/27/08 pp[illegible]]
I wish you another of your great New Years, of great works, - joining the oceans, controlling & putting to right use water ways and landways, forests, deserts, gardens, mines; overcoming obstacles like a glacier, serene amid the maddest maelstroms of every sort the people are swirling in, going straight ahead in the strength of God's simple unchangeable foundational righteousness like Sequoias going to the sky. Your work Mr President often brings to mind a walk with Emerson in the Mariposa woods where we camped. He quoted the scripture "There were giants in those days." Your works show that there are giants in these days also. All good citizens here
as everywhere admire you & love you; you have all our hearts, and though we regret the end of your presidency is drawing nigh we are glad to know that in reality you will be in many ways our president as long as you live
In particular I thank you for saving the Tamalpais Redwoods and doubt not you will also save our great Yosemite park.
This greeting has been delayed by my daughter's illness, I have taken her to the Mohave desert where the dry healing air will, I fondly hope, bring back her natural Scottish wholeness & strength.
I am ever my dear President
faithfully yours
John Muir
January 1908.
Location
Martinez, Calif.
Date Original
1908 Jan 27
Source
Original letter dimensions unknown.
Recommended Citation
Muir, John, "Letter from John Muir to [Theodore Roosevelt], 1908 Jan 27." (1908). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 5253.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/5253
Resource Identifier
muir17_0110-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 17, Image 0110
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
Copyrighted
Copyright Statement
The unpublished works of John Muir are copyrighted by the Muir-Hanna Trust. To purchase copies of images and/or obtain permission to publish or exhibit them, see http://www.pacific.edu/Library/Find/Holt-Atherton-Special-Collections/Fees-and-Forms-.html
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.
Copyright Holder
Muir-Hanna Trust
Pages
5 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
