Creator

R. U. J. [Robert Undewood Johnson]

Recipient

John Muir

Transcription

New York. Nov. 11. 1894.

My dear Muir:

Here is a note from Borroughs. I hope to get someone to come with the boys. How I wish I might go, too! But that seems impossible. Perhaps Tesla and Dr. alker B. James, a fine fellow who says he is a friend of friends of yours in California. Of course I've not yet spoken to him of the trip.
Mr. Drake is back, looking his very best, and bringing good reports of you and yours, by which I am much delighted.
How we did scoop Tammany and David B! Among the Constitutional Amendments is one forbidding cutting or sale of lands in the Adirondack Preserve. I worked hard all election day as a Good Government Club watcher (4:30 a. m. to 9:60 p. m.) fighting with the beasts of Ephesus (Tammany heelers) and challenging and arresting them! That is a pretty good example of mixed metaphor, but not so good as this: “Why, gentlemen, they will shear the sheep that lays the golden egg until they pump it dry!” “The rapacity of these scoundrels, Sir, is such that if they were landed upon an uninhabited island it would not be twenty minutes before they would have their hands in the pockets of the naked savages!” Or this: “Mr. President, an apple of discord has been thrown into our midst and unless we nip it in the bud it will spread into a conflagration which will deluge the earth!”
How is the now California delegation on Yosemite and forestry matters? Caminetti is to stay at home, I see. We must watch him this session. Will the Sierra Club oppose his bill? and will you not examine it and write me a separate letter to use at Washington? Remember, the limits of the Park are substantially yours, and any modification should have your approval. The southwestern part we might chop a little, but not the northeastern. Am I right? Remember a separate letter on this topic.
I telegraphed you this past week for something for our Feb. Symposium. Your letter was not enough. I am pushing the McRae bill. See my editorial in Nov. Century. I am writing for Review of Reviews (Dec.) “Why not more Forest Reserves?” proposing their creation at headwaters of every western stream. Why nibble at the problem? I have urged this policy on the President, and shall stir him up again.
Bring the Sierra Club in line for these good causes. Are you not coming East this winter? As soon as I can get Gilder's attention I will write you what he says about the arrangement of your Glacier material. We must first see the pictures the other Drake has made.

Ever yours and Mrs. Muir's faithfully,
R. U. J.
[Robert Underwood Johnson]

West Park NY.

Oct 11, 1894

Dear Johnson,

Many thanks for Muir's letters. Also for the invitation to go to Cal. next summer. June is a long way off & I cannot arrange so far ahead. I will see & consider. Am pretty low this year--only 1/2 a crop of grapes.

Cordially yours

John Burroughs

01872

Location

New York

Date Original

1894-11-11

Source

Original letter dimensions: 20.5 x 13 cm.

Resource Identifier

muir08_0507-let.tif

File Identifier

Reel 08, Image 0507

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

4 pages

Keywords

Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters

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