The evening times., 1899-03-23
Poet of the Sierras Meets Many
California Pioneers.
Carries the Forty Miners Back to the
Golden Days.
Joaquin Miller Says There Is Good
and Beauty i'm Everythina-The
Pessimfst "a Lcper.

last night of the Maryland Society OF Cali
fornia Pioneers, which rendered him a re-
ception at the Hotel Rennert, followed by
2 dinner at which was served the homely
healthy, abundant fare of the miners camp,
familiar, years ago, 10 the "FortyNin-
ers,' as part OF their life in the gold fields
OF the West
Rugged, genuine, beaming. with the soul
of the poet in his eyes, the vigor of the
miner aad the traveller in his frame, the
Western bard reached the Rennert carly
in the afternoon He looks like his pic
lures. Arrayed in the tight-ftting black
garb of an evangelist, with a finely
nodded hoary head, white beard falling On
his breast, with eyes of blue and hair that
touches his shoulders, his appearance is
unique and striking. His face has the
ruddy glow OF health, his mustache is
curled upward on either side, his form is
slightly bent, and his boots are of rawhide-
In his room at the Rennert he was found
alone, and when asked TO talk of his work
and travels said:
You are young: / am old. Years ago,
when l read what Longfellow wrote, How
beautiful is youth, / thought that the
words were foolish Now / know they are
great About me and my work? Why, |
am simply day laborer. with my home in
the mountains OF California, my ranch,
my mother, and my people. There l live
and try 10 be happy. / live because
should hate TO die. Ii is good TO live. /
have the right 10 live, and ] do ii. /
work and / write. Don't ask me when,
bur how-and / viii tell you how the poet
is made He must come to the world with
ideas, not words.
For long time the world has been
waiting for men with ideas. The youth
with the poetic soul must learn that
everything and everybody in the world is
beautiful or trying to be beautiful; that
all things are good or trying TO be good.
He must know love and passion. The
cynic is q corpse He contaminates the
air. damning not only himself but every
thing that touches him. The pessimist
is a leper, he is contagious he should die
Does he not know that when God had
made all things, he looked upon them
and behold, they were good. So the
young poet must know these things, must
believe them and then come to the world
with his ideas. not mere words.
Il have two duties now, to tell of the
Klondike and TO discourage many from
going there. The gold is there. but il is
buried under ice, and is gotten with
trouble. i Sndll Nffie OF lUe SllSlCe- the
light, the room of that great country, and
if / can will make up poem of the Klon
dixie. Up there, where you sleep in your
clothes, my notes piled up and my i'm
pressions grew bOundless.
The dinner was an informal affair and
many spoke and welcomed the poet A
number of prominent men were present
as specially invited guests Mr.. Daniel
Donnelly. president of the society, presid-
ed, Mr.. Charles c. Stieff. secretary acting
as POSTMASTER. The menu consisted of
pork and beans, buffalo meat, fapjacss.
and coffee cooked in California style OF
fifty years ago.
MIR. James johnson, the first spe ker,
said the society was honoring itself in hon
oring Mr., Miller, the great traveller aud
pioneer. He described his journeys
through California valleys when the tracks
of the bear and the elk were the only paths
through the wilderness
Mr.. Miller. after rising and looking over
the assembly, gathered in with a glance
the pioneers, who were all seated near
him, and said How are you, boys?' in
way that brought down the house. He
then recited with a ringing voice and an
inspired face verse of his own, begin
ming, we are few and old but our hearts
are bold There was great applause, and
Mr.. Miller then talked of his home, de-
scribing its situation. telling of his ia her,
who had lived the life of a missionary,
spent seyenty-two years in the wilderness
and never fired gun IN his life, nor knew
how to load one; of his mother, who dug
in her garden daily. and of his own life.
He told of the California sunrise OF the
suns sword of flames, OF its javelins of
light of the struggle of the dark and the
light which set the world ablaZe, al in
words of such burning poetic eloquence
haf he felt themselves fhrillad at
the pictures he painted.
MIR. John p Pope spoke of the appropri-
ateness of the pioneers welcome to the
American Byron" and of the pleasure il
was to all TO realize that their distinguish
ed guest had established a reputation that
had extended over Europe, and that his
fame was destined 10 grow and grow until
his works were translated into all lam
guages spoken by civilized people Mr.. A.
Leo Knott cited the ancient philosopher,
who is reported to have said, Let him
who wifi make the peoples laws, so / write
their songs" which. he declared was a
great truth. He said that Mr.. Miller was
well fitted to express the voice of nature
and suggested TO him to celebrate in q
poem the value Of the services of the Cali
fornia pioneers to their country and ITO the
world He likened them TO the Argonauts
who. with Jason, went in search of the
Golden Fleece
Edward f. Leyn, editor of the German
Correspondent" said that he was not a
forty miner. but was a friend of Mr..
Miller and had known him for twenty-sev-
en- years. He said that il was a shame
20 this country that Mr.. Miller had to 90
10 England TO become famous, and told how
publishers turned him away with a smile
He spoke of the grand life he had led as
a miner, lawyer and traveller. although
having spent not one day in school and OF
his great love for the memory OF Edgar
Allen Poe. Others who spoke were DR.. d.
c. Gilman, Clarence H. Forrest. Rev. DR..
Julius z. Grammer. Fabian Franklin and
Moses Pels Alexander Helper read an
original poem in honor of Mr.. Miller The
dinner came TO an end at 10 O'Clock
Among those present was Capt William
II. Jenkins, who went out to California in
1885. The invited guests, besides those
mentioned, were Rev. B. A. Abbott, Dr. I.
4. Atkinson, Edwin Hebden, Charles H.
oehem, Capt. Henry p Goddard, George NJ
Payne, Prof. E. B. Prettyman, A. Marshall
Elliott, Prof. William K Brooks, Bernard
c. Steiner. A. Newton Ebaugh, Charles w.
Hodell. Charles L. Pate William A. Boyd.
Andrew J. Pretsch John p Poe DR.. G.
Lone Taneyhill, DR.. Merville H. Carter.
Col A. b. Cunningham. ]. Hume Smith,
DR.. H. D. Booker, DR.. Maurice Bloomfield
and Rev. DR. w. Nj. Dame.
The pioneers. whose guest Mr.. Miller
WIS, are twenty in number. They are
Thomas S. Strattan, n. G. Numsen, John L.
Stief. Lewis Leopold, Thomas G. Morrow,
"A HAND SAW is A &C
SkANE