The Creating of Game Refuges 



"seeing men as trees walking" — the infinity of 

 nice and accurate observation, the discriminating 

 choice of illustration, the infallible tact and un- 

 varying sureness with which he holds our interest, 

 and the dominant poetic insight into the nature of 

 things, which are spread before the reader in lav- 

 ish abundance, in Muir's two books, "The Moun- 

 tains of California" and "Our National Parks." 

 No other books, in this province, by living author 

 offer to the reader so rich a feast. Recognizing 

 the fine endowments of Thoreau, and how greatly 

 all are his debtors, still we of this generation are 

 lucky in having one greater than he among us, 

 if wisdom of life and joyousness be the criterion 

 of a sound and of a sane philosophy. The time 

 will come when this will be generally recognized. 

 The verdict of posterity is the right one, and the 

 love of mankind is given throughout the centuries 

 to the men of insight, who possess the rare mental 

 endowment of sustained pleasure. Call it per- 

 petual youth, or joyousness, or what you like, the 

 fact remains that the power of sustained enthu- 

 siasm, lightness of heart and gaiety, with the 

 faculty of communicating to others that state of 

 mind, is not one of the commonest endowments 

 of the human brain. It is one that confers great 

 happiness to others, and one to whose possessor we 



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