Show OWES MUCH TO JOHN MUIR Famous Naturalist T Tills Tell ll of Determining ing Influence at the tho Outset of HI His Carr Car Enos A. A Mills Mille the tho nature guide and author who through his hili books on the wild life Ufe of ot the has hag done more than any other man In the West Welt to bring nature and anti human kind together tc tells what whet was the determining Influence Influence ence of ot hi his career This wee was a chance meeting with John Muir Mr Ir Mills then a 0 frail old year boy whoso poor health had bad led him hm to live much In the open was vas wandering one ono day over the hot bot sand hilts of ot a beach near San Francisco I 1 had picked up a strange sort of ot weed he be says Bays and was puzzling about It Always It was my desire to ask aak qu questions about tho the things of or the outdoors which I did not understand I saw an nn old man approaching He looked kindly and Intelligent and I asked him about the weed Tood He told me all about It In language which fascinated far fas me rae In turn he ho began to question question ques ques- tion Uon me We walked back to San Francisco together over the sand dunes and ond ho asked me more questions about my m- self and my work and ambitions and advised me to to- study nature at every ever opportunity and to learn to write and speak of what I saw aw The stranger tranger was John Moll Muir His fits advice gave me something definite to work work- toward I owe everything to him If It it I hadn't been for him I would havo have havoen been en a mere gypsy He lIe told me to 8 systematize my ray knowledge and that then I would be able to write The The Book Leaf Lent |