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Nature, to experience, by taking to her a pure heart and unartificial mind, the infinite tenderness and power of her love.
You mentioned the refining influences of society. Compared with the intense purity and cordiality and beauty of Nature, the
most delicate refinements and cultures of civilization are gross barbarisms. As for the rough animals called men, who occur
in and on these mountains like sticks of condensed filth, I am not in contact with them; I do not live with them. I live alone,
or, rather, with the rocks and flowers and snows and blessed storms; I live in blessed mountain Light, and love nothing less
pure. You'll find me rough as the rocks and about the same color-granite. But as for loss of pure- mindedness that you seem
to fear, come and see my teachers; come, see my Mountain Mother and you will be at rest on that point. We have had a glorious
storm of the kind called earth- quake. I've just been writing an account of it for the N. Y. Tribune.1 It would seem strange
that any portion of our perpendicular walls are left unshattered. it is delightful to be trotted and dumpled on our Mother's
mountain knee. I hope we will be blessed with some more. The first shock of the morning of March 26th, at half past two o'clock,
was the most sublime storm I every experienced. Most cordially yours, JOHN MUIR. 1 Issue of May 7, 1872.