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letterhead December 20th, 1895 John Muir Esq. Martinez, Cal. Dear Sir, Your letter of October 18th, 1895, though
so kind and courteous, gave me and the other members of our Lecture Committee a pang of disappointment. Mr. E. A. Denicke
since then had the pleasure of hearing you speak before the Sierra Club, and at the next meeting of our Committee he exclaimed:
Oh if we could only get Mr. Muir to give that talk to the members of our Institute I have felt all along as though I could
not give you up. Many years ago I read your delightful articles as they came out in the Magazines, and a few weeks ago I took
out your Mountains of California and read it over again. And I can say to the credit of our members that the book has been
largely read by them. But if you would only come before them in person and talk to them as you write, I know you would largely
increase the number of the readers of your books and contributions to the periodicals. And, after all, is not that what you
write for, to give instruction and pleasure to as large a number of persons as possible? Will you not please come down and
help us start a Muir revival in San Francisco? 02053