There is a longing in every student's life some time or other to share
his pleasure with the world, and if he happens to find himself in the
proper environment he cannot forego that pleasure. His studies, his
anxieties, his loves and his devotions are a part of him and he cannot
give himself to the world without giving these.
My personal contact with John Burroughs has meant a great deal to me and
these papers represent in a measure what I have enjoyed, though they
come far short of what I would like them to be. Some of them were
written among his native hills and it is hoped they will give the flavor
of his own experiences. Others were written at odd times on trains, on
boats, and in my study here, where I have enjoyed re-reading so many
times his essays on Nature. The qualities of the man and his papers have
always made a direct appeal to me, and I love to come in contact with
him and spend days with him.
Long before they were printed in book form, I had collected most of his
poems in my old scrap book and studied them. Their simplicity and beauty
combined with their perfect rhythm impressed me and almost at one
reading I was able to remember them line for line.
The names of Burroughs and Whitman are forever linked together and one
can hardly think of one in certain relations without thinking of the
other. To the literary public they have many ideals in common, and their
bonds of sympathy have been knit together forever in Burroughs essays.
To be associated with Burroughs is therefore to get many interesting and
valuable hints on the life and works of Whitman. While I write this
preface Mr. Burroughs talks with me in the evenings on the possible
future influence of Whitman on American literary methods and criticism.
The reader will not be surprised therefore, to find in this collection
of papers, one on the relation of these two grand old men.
I have not attempted to interpret John Burroughs. He is his own
interpreter and the very best one. In writing the papers, I have had in
mind only just what he has meant to me. How he has affected me and
changed the course of my life. How he has given me new eyes with which
to see, new ears with which to hear, and a new heart with which to love
God's great out-o'-doors.
Athens, Ga. January, 1911.