The Days of a Man [1892 



foliage until the end, and in some such way the 

 warmth and cheer of the man's personality bright- 

 ened the lives of his friends. 



jack To a generation younger than any of those men- 



London tioned above belonged Jack London, the most 

 widely known Californian author since Bret Harte. 

 London, according to his own statements, was 

 brought up in Oakland as a "wharf rat," regarding 

 a capacity for hard drink as the test of manliness, 

 and burdened with various other notions that had 

 to be later unlearned. In "John Barleycorn," the 

 most powerful temperance document in existence, 

 he himself wrote about those years with the utmost 

 frankness. He was a thorough master of trenchant 

 English and picturesque incident. His venturesome 

 soul and a defiant attitude toward conventional 

 society early led him to the wilds of Alaska, as well 

 as to those of "darkest London." Notwithstanding 

 a repellent touch of the cynical and brutal, his 

 stories are recognized masterpieces of their kind. 

 His death in the prime of life was a distinct setback 

 to American literature. 



I first met him in Oakland as an attendant at my 

 university extension course on Evolution. He was 

 then a stocky young fellow of great physical strength 

 and endurance as well as of decided individuality. 

 Being much interested in the subject of my lectures, 

 he became in some degree an intellectual disciple, a 

 fact he freely recognized and testified to in "The Call 

 of the Wild " and other tales. At one time I asked him 

 to come to Stanford to read from his Alaskan stories. 

 His manner was both modest and effective, and 

 awakened the kindly personal interest of his hearers. 



460] 



