Letter from R[obert] U[nderwood] Johnson to John Muir, 1900 Feb 7 .

February 7, 1900.R. W. GILDER, EDITOR.R. U. JOHNSON,ASSOCIATE EDITOR.C. C. BUEL,ASSISTANT EDITOR.Mr. John Muir,Martinez, Cal.My dear Muir,We are much delighted with the charm and raciness of the first chapters of your Memoirs of a Naturalist. It is really a classic, and you have admirably combined the human and scientific aspects of your early boyhood. There is not a Scotchman in the civilized world who will not take pride in the faithful portrayal of your boyhood\u27s experiences, and not a boy in the country who will not be inspired by it to a closer observation and study of nature. You have hit the happy medium between instruction and entertainment, with plenty of both. After all, what is so interesting as life, and the anecdotes and incidents you give, in addition to being entertaining, are really illuminating. Please go on with the rest of the work as fast as possible, before the old gentleman with the scythe comes along your way. Everybody here is delighted with what you have sent us, and we want you to put into this narrative form, incidentally, your maturer scientific work. This can be done without loading down the arrative, and what you write will be all the[02661] J.M.2.more attractive for having this human and sympathetic setting. naturally, as one of your pretended friends, I am personally much gratified with this literary harvest of your important life work.Faithfully yours,[illegible]Associate Editor.[02661