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Sierra Club Bulletin 



terial and spiritual ever existed for him, and scientific study only 

 served to deepen his natural reverence and faith. Throughout 

 this book, as through all the others, rings his triumphant belief 

 in the harmony and unity of our universe, its imperishable beau- 

 ty, its divine conception, ''reflecting the plans of God." 



It was a rare privilege to work with him day by day, a man of 

 the most original thought, of the very highest ideals, of sim- 

 plicity and truth and kindliness unsurpassed. He gave of his best 

 in conversation. His genial, whimsical humor, his acute ap- 

 praisal of character and motives, his wide knowledge of litera- 

 ture and intimate friendship with many of the leading men of 

 his time, made him a wonderful companion. The memory of our 

 long hours together will always remain a delight and an inspira- 

 tion, for they brought me not only increased love and reverence 

 for a beautiful spirit, but a new conception of the spiritual sig- 

 nificance of the great world of nature he loved so well. 



The work on this book was the chief pleasure and recreation 

 of Mr. Muir's last days, for through it he lived again many of 

 the most glorious experiences of his life. Always I shall remem- 

 ber the glow that would light his face whenever he paused in 

 his work to tell in stirring words the story of some particularly 

 inspiring day. Many years ago, after watching a sunrise in Gla- 

 cier Bay, he wrote: ''We turned and sailed away, joining the 

 outgoing bergs . . . feeling that, whatever the future might 

 have in store, the treasures we had gained this glorious morning 

 would enrich our lives forever." How true this was, how vital a 

 part of his life these treasures of memory were, no one who met 

 him could fail to know. For him neither time nor age had power 

 to dim the glory of that icy land, after the Sierra Nevada, the 

 best loved of all his wilderness homes. 



