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Show 127, he tried to believe he was the Sierra's "elected artist," framing a picture by throwing up his arms to enclose it. But finally he despaired of such activity and admitted, "I could not help wishing that I were that artist. I had to be content, however, to take it into my soul." Into his soul, indeed. That has always been better than putting it on paper! So when he returned to Tuolumne Meadows with his two artist friends, he hoped that they would be able to reap this aesthetic treasure. They were very particular artists, however, and were at first disappointed with the scenery, because, as they said, "All this is sublime, but we see nothing as yet at all available for effective pictures." They required foregrounds, middlegrounds, and backgrounds, or so they insisted. Finally-when he showed them the Sierra Crown, they were satisfied, and "ran here and there, along the river-bends and up the side of the canon, choosing foregrounds for sketches." Clearly they did not come to gain vision, but to find something which suited their already-formed prejudices about beautiful scenery, and "Here, at last, was a typical Alpine landscape." They could spend three days working in Tuolumne, while Muir would spend his three days climbing Ritter, which he called a "grand masterpiece." His own essay offered an alternative way to perceive the Sierra, and along the way, he could include "some characteristic pictures, drawn from the wildest Places, and strung together on a strip of narrative." Thus his essay would be partly a defense of mountaineering as aesthetic activity- As he moved through the landscape, and |