Title:
Letter from [John Muir] to James Hay, [1901].
Creator:
[John Muir]
Publisher:
University of the Pacific Library Holt-Atherton Special Collections. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies
of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Contributor:
James Hay
Date:
[1901]
2008
Type:
Text
Format:
Image/jpeg2000
Identifier:
muir11_1095-md-1
Source:
Original letter dimensions: 22.5 x 14.5 cm.
Language:
eng
Coverage:
[Martinez, Calif.]
Rights:
Copyrighted
The unpublished works of John Muir are copyrighted by the Muir-Hanna Trust.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://library.pacific.edu/ha/forms
Muir-Hanna Trust
1984
Transcription:
(15) First draft of letter, in note-book 59 1901 My dear Cousin James Hay: I thank you for your long kind letter full
of news. The death of your brother Hardie, so widely beloved and respected, we all were prepared for, as Mrs. Lunam with fond
love watched over him and sent me full news of his advancing feebleness. When a good man dies in fullness of years even in
the midst of natural grief, however heavy, there is always the feeling that all the burden of years is at length laid down,
that he is at rest, and one hears well done good and faithful servant. Heaven and earth are seen close together, and the influence
of his life goes on forever. How short these later years appear. It seems but yesterday since we were all boys, and again
when we trace back the chain of events of which life is made up it seems immeasurably long. Often in the mountains the great
wild days seemed neither long nor short, without definite beginning or ending. We are all wearin awa and as late afternoon
comes on the years seem to fly fast and it behooves us to work hard and do our task while the light lasts. I'm glad to hear
the young folk are getting on so well. The success as far as pecuniary affairs are concerned is always a slow, ticklish, uncertain
thing with artists, especially in landscape, so few are able to buy good paintings, and of those who are few indeed have the
sure taste to know a good picture when they see it. John Muir 02890