Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Nine minutes with John Burroughs

 I stumbled across a 9-minute film called A Day with John Burroughs.

It was made in 1919, when Burroughs was 82. It’s a silent film, of course. But you can see the old man showing three children the wonders of nature.

Burroughs was a popular nature writer in his day. He camped with Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Ford. He wrote a biography of his friend Walt Whitman.

Burroughs was perhaps the most popular voice of the conservation movement. I’m just getting around to reading him.

And, yes, there is more than a little irony in a note recommending a film. When I was a boy, I really did promise my parents that, if they didn’t make me go to the movies with the other kids, I’d be good.

• Source: The film is at https://archive.org/details/ADayWithJohnBurroughs

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