John Muir Newsletter, May/June 1981

Holt-Atherton Pacific Center for Western Studies University of the Pacific Stockton, Calif 95211 VOLUME 1 MAY/JUNE 1981 NUMBER 3 EDITORIAL STAFF: RONALD H LIMBAUGH. JANICE D MAGDICH STATUS OF MUIR PROJECT FUNDING After a long, drawn-out struggle to reauthorize funding for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the latest news from Capitol Hill is encouraging. Although the House version of the reauthorization bill was defeated early in May, on June 2 the Senate version (S. 1050) was approved on the consent calendar and now comes before the House with the backing of the Senate Republican leadership S. 1050 provides for a two-year reauthorization of NHPRC\u27s grant program at an annual level of $3 million. Although this will reduce the Commission budget by 25% from current levels, the reauthorization measure, if approved, should provide sufficient funding to sustain at least most of the on-going grant projects, including the John Muir Papers Microform Project. But the primary objective now is to save NHPRC by securing passage of S. 1050, and by writing the White House to let the Reagan Administration know how important NHPRC is to scholars and students of John Muir and other prominent Americans. The larger the constituent mail the less likelihood for a Congressional or Presidencial defeat, so PLEASE HELP NOW. PROJECT UPDATE In the past two months the project processing of Muir correspondence, changes in series organization and work progressed. All corresponden in chronological order. Daily jou arated from the notebooks and sket has been completely reorganized an lished and precursor works; unpubl and unpublished works; and notes, manuscripts, the staff used the en as the arrangement key for all pub remanining categories were arrange key subject. staff has completed journals and manusc arrangement were ne ce has been integrat rnals have been iden chbooks. The manusc d divided into four ished works; fragmen Because of the diff try number in the Ki lished and precursor d either chronologic the initial ripts. Major cessary as this ed and arranged tified and sep- ripts series subseries: pub- ts of published iculty in dating mes\u27 bibliograph} works. The ally or by MICROFORM PROJECT PLANS; PHASE TWO. On June 1 the Project Staff submitted a grant application to NHPRC for the 1982 fiscal year, which begins October 1. Phase II of the project calls for preparation and publication of the Muir documents on microfiche cards. Microfiche has been selected as the filming medium because of its versatility and growing popularity among libraries and scholarly institutions, because the relative uniformity and content of the Muir Papers make it a feasible means of publication, and because of the advanges it has over microfilm in conducting research and preparing indexes and other finding aids. The Muir Journals will be filmed first, followed by Correspondence, Illustrations, and Manuscripts. Filming should be completed by the end of 1982, with a Guide to the microfiche scheduled to be finished by mid-1983. THE ELUSIVE CALYPSO BOREAL!S COMES TO LIGHT: By Maymie Kimes John Muir, in his List of Published Writings...placed Calypso Borealis, Boston Recorder, 1865, as his first published writing. The fact that no day or month of publication was given has frustrated, and at the same time challenged numerous scholars and Muir fans to devote countless hours to research. Mrs. Jeanne Carr in a letter to Muir dated December 16, 1866, responded with enthusiasm to Muir\u27s writing of his finding Calypso. In later correspondence to Muir, she related that Professor J. D. Butler (University of Wisconsin) during a visit took the Calypso letter without her knowledge and sent it with a letter of his own to the Boston Recorder . Dr. Federic Bade in his research refers to Muir\u27s elusive first newspaper articles as being In a red scrap book with a binder title of \u27Newspaper scrap book.\u27 For years scholars have wondered and repeatedly asked, Where is the newspaper scrapbook? Does it exist? Has it been lost? Rejoice, we need ask no more! Accolades to JMr. John Hanna, who upon the occassion of the John Muir National Conference, November 13-15, 1980, deposited the mysterious newspaper scrap- book, which is in fact two volumes, in the archives of the Holt-Atherton Pacific Center for Western Studies\u27 Stuart Library. Unfortunately, when the newspaper articles were pasted into the scrap- books, the date of publication of many of the articles including Caylpso were deleted. More good news! Recently, after many long and persistent hours in the Boston Public Library, Muir scholar and author Stephen Fox of Somerville, Maine, wrote: I found that fugitive first article in the Boston Recorder in the issue of December 21, 1866, page 1. Congratulations and scholarly appreciation to Stephen Fox! For The Boston Recorder THE CALYPSO BOREALIS Botanical Enthusiasm From Prof. J. D. Butler A young Wisconsin gatherer of simples seems not a whit behind Thoreau as a scruti- nizer and votary of nature. During the last season but one, he explored the flora CAYLPSO BOREALIS of Canada,—playing the pedestrian from Lake Superior to Niagara, setting out with primroses which come before the sallow dares, and take the winds of March with beauty, nor tiring till black frosts hid the last of the flowers. Having thus exhaused his ill-filled purse, he betook himself to the first mechanical toil that fell in his way. All naturalists will love to read what he wrote a friend who had inquired of him concerning that rarest as well as most fantastic and fairy-like of the orchid family—the Calypso borealis, which is, being interpreted, the hider of the north —a name strangely descriptive of its nature. Who of us outsiders can fail to envy him his esoteric raptures in his close communion with virgin nature? as well as to wish with all the heart that ours were such a vision and faculty divine and that for us also culture or genius had added a precious seeing to the eye, transfo-rming every weed to a flower, and transfiguring every flower with seven-fold beauty? But hear the inspired pilgrim. He writes: I did find Calypso—but only once, far in the depths of the very wildest of Canadian dark woods, near those high, cold, moss-covered swamps where most of the peninsular streams of Canada West take their rise. For several days in June I had been forcing my way through woods that seemed to become more and more dense, and among bogs more and more difficult to cross, when, one warm afternoon, after descending a hillside covered with huge half-dead hemlocks, I crossed an ice cold stream, and espied two specimens of Calypso. There, upon an open plat of yellow moss, near an immense rotten log, were these little plants so pure. They were alone. Not a vine was near, nor a blade of grass, nor a bush. Nor were there any birds or insects, for the great blocks of ice lay screened from the summer\u27s sun by deep beds of moss, and chilled the water. They were indeed alone, for the dull ignoble hemlocks were not companions, nor was the nearer abor-vitae, with its root-like pendulous branches decaying confusedly on the wet, cold ground. I never before saw a plant so full of life; so perfectly spiritual, it seemed pure enough for the throne of its Creator. I felt as if I were in the presence of superior beings who loved me and beckoned me to come. I sat down beside them and wept for joy. Could angels in their better land show us a more beautiful plant? How good is our Heavenly Father in granting us such friends as these plant-creatures, filling us wherever we go with pleasure so deep, so pure, so endless. I cannot understand the nature of the curse, Thorns and thistles shall bring forth thee. Is our world indeed the worse for this thisly curse? Are not all plants beautiful? or in some way useful? Would not the world suffer by the banishment of a single weed? The curse must be within ourselves. Give me this keen relish for simple pleasures, and he that will.may monopolize the lust, of the flesh, the lust of the eye, the pride of life,—yea, all pomps and marvels of the world. BOOKNOTES Our National Parks. John Muir, with a forward by Richard F. Fleck (Madison: University of Wisconson Press, 1981). 370 p.; illus.; index. Just relesed, this book is a reprint of the original published in 1901 and is a collection of ten essays all of which first appeared as articles in the Atlantic Monthly. Muir\u27s purpose for this book was to entice readers to visit and enjoy their national parks. FOOTNOTES Mr. Michael Link, Director of the Northwoods Audubon Center in Minnesota, is currently at work on a book that will trace the environmental ethics in the Great Lakes from the Indians to the present. Since Muir will play a significant role in this saga he has requested assistance from Newsletter readers who could provide him with some insight into Muir\u27s influence within Wisconsin and his walk to Niagara Falls. Anyone with information which would be of use to Mr. Link should contact him at the following address: Northwoods Audubon Center, Route 1, Sandstone, Minnesota 55072. If you missed the last Newsletter, we would like to remind you that the Summer issue of the Holt-Atherton Pacific Center\u27s quarterly journal, The Pacific Historian, will be devoted almost exclusively to John Muir. Due out in the middle of July, this issue will feature a wealth of material contributed by scholars from around the country at last Fall\u27s conference on the naturalist held here at UOP. JOHN MUIR NEWSLETTER Holt-Atherton Pacific Center for Western Studies University of the Pacific Stockton, California 95211 209-946-2404https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmn/1002/thumbnail.jp