The Earth is a temple. Man has been shifting and tampering with the Earth since the beginning of time, but no time hard hit as the industrial revolution. Whether the human mind perceives from religion, scientific facts or both, tampering with nature always comes with a price. The price of peace, the price of sheer humbleness, the price of pure existence in the raw form of nature in simple elegance.
The industrial revolution took sea and land by storm and the planet has faced a dehumanizing effect that will forever change the course of animated life, forever. The 19th and 20th Century documented environmental advocates that pushed for wilderness and revealed the greed of man kind on several levels of civilization. From politics to living in a cabin in the woods, environmentalists have spoken about the effects of mankind to the planet and how conservation is paramount.
George Marsh’s Man and Nature
George Marsh’s Man and Nature was published in 1867. Man and Nature was one of the first ever published works to expose and document the effects of man on nature. In essence, Marsh was writing to the world to raise awareness of man’s capitalistic traits and how those traits impact the environment. His purpose was to make “practical suggestions than to indulge in theoretical speculation”. The effervescent bounty of nature in its most unrestricted version is the ultimate giver of life. To use or destroy this in any form or fashion must be well thought out and proceeded with highly regarded caution. Marsh points out the greed of man and man’s devastating dependence on materialistic and manufactured goods. Does man need to consume as much as the industrial revolution promoted? Not according to George Marsh. George Marsh reiterates, “In the rudest stages of life man depends on spontaneous animal and vegetable growth for food and clothing”. Without nature and the wilderness, we would have none of this. “Man’s consumption of these products consequently diminishes the numerical abundance of the species which serve his uses”.
Man and Nature is written to be mindful of consumption and greed and how these traits change the course of nature. To bite the hand that feeds you, in a sense; the Earth being the hand of life and nourishment and man’s greed to be clenched jaws, filled with razor sharp teeth. George Marsh believes in the natural existence of land, water, air and sand. The elements of the Earth have a universal purpose to breed and sustain life, life not just of man, but all life from microscopic organisms to birds in flight.
John Muir and The Hetchy Hetch
41 years later, a noble environmentalist, John Muir, chimes in the Sierra Club Bulletin with The Hetchy Hetch Valley article published in 1908. The city of San Francisco was in the market for a water supply source and damning up the Hetchy Hetch was their main focus. John Muir was completely against this water scheme and tirelessly strived to prevent such a damn. John Muir found his heart and home in the mountains of Yosemite. Nowhere else did he find as much soul, spirit and solace. The Hetchy Hetch Valley was only one piece written and read from John Muir, Muir ravished the wilderness of Yosemite and wrote about it as he documented the preponderance of the natural world.
In the Sierra Club Bulletin article, Muir described the beautiful terrain and scenery of the Yosemite, Hetchy Hetch and Sequoia parks. He highlighted that the preservation of wilderness is the preservation of God’s Holy Temple. There is no need to build a cathedral when God’s ultimate cathedral is outside in the wilderness. John Muir testifies, “Dam Hetch-Hetchy! As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man”. John Muir was truly onto something and no one was more of a passionate advocate than he. Nature is vital and essential to the human mind and spirit and Muir captured and radiated that, without any reservation or fear.
Gifford Pinchot and Principles of Conservation
Gifford Pinchot was also a lover of nature but he was a modernist and was the perfect liaison between environmental and industrial movements. Pinchot was the delta. Known as the first American forestry leader, he combined forces with American politics. Pinchot was a modern thinker and in his work, Principles of Conservation, his modern thought shines in. As a professional in forestry, he believed that conservation wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for forestry. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Civilization has been going and building up for centuries before the discovery of America. Time cannot be traveled back, but only move forward and during the excavation of American forests stemmed the concept of conservation. Pinchot thought full circle in utilizing industry standards, efficient civilization and conservation to serve humanity as a whole.
Arguably, naturalists such as John Muir would believe otherwise and concur that such maneuvers as forestry, industrialization and civilization is lead by capital efforts with the goal of making profit. Moreover, though Pinchot was lashed by naturalists such as John Muir, Pinchot can be famed for such rigorous conservation efforts that spanned across the entire United States. Pinchot was a man of power, he was already in the Presidential office, so his thought and advocacy of conservation was a great stepping stone in American history. Pinchot also advocated to protect and utilize resources locally and as carefully as possible because without those resources, life could not be sustained. “It is equally its duty to cooperate with all our people in every section of outland to conserve a fundamental resource, without which this Nation cannot prosper .
John Muir and Gifford Pinchot worked together but also had different intentions of what was best for the environment. John Muir pushed for almost no development and encouraged man to live as close to nature as humanly possible. Gifford Pinchot was the delta factor while he advocated to benefit man, wildlife and nature.
Aldo Leopold and A Sand County Almanac
This 20th Century piece is dedicated to the poetic interpretation of the Earth plentiful. Aldo Leopold points out ethics in environmental conquest. "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” For this statement, it is gathered that no matter what man should do, in every step, man should look around 360 and think beyond the limits of possibilities that not only are thought of to benefit humanity but nature, wildlife, oceanic life, air, water and sand.
Though A Sand County Almanac was not as popular when it was first published, it later became a must have in the environmentalist world. The reason being, the book highlights how the Earth is the Mother of life and while man roams and creates a home, man should understand that respect and honor is vital. Man does not own the Earth. The land and ocean should not be managed by man and politics. Man should be using politics to control over consumption and innovate ways to sustain a civilized life without breeding unethical circumstances.
Conclusion
In conclusion, these four environmentalist truly had a passion for the planet. All of the mentioned authors above had some profound comments on what the industrialized movement has done to human habits and the environment. Because of the industrial revolution, mankind has become dependent on corporations to supply goods. Most city dwellers are 100% dependent on corporations to fulfill their needs, whether its food, work, water or transportation. Unfortunately, most corporations are not taking the ethical road but seem to be most interested in sale profits. Overall, from the writings of these late 19th to early 20th century man to our present time, it can be concluded that nature and conservation is critical to life on Earth.
Discussion
Bibliography
Hott, L. R., & Garey, D. (Producers), & Chowder, K., & Cronyn, H. (Writers). (n.d.). The Wilderness idea = The American experience. Battle for wilderness [Video file].
Leopold, A., & Sewell, M. (2001). A Sand County almanac: With essays on conservation. New York: Oxford University Press.
Marsh, G. P. (1967). Man and nature. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press.
Muir, J. (1908). Hetch-Hetchy, the Tuolumne Yosemite (Vol. VI, Ser. 4). Sierra Club Bulletin.
Pinchot, G. (n.d.). The fight for conservation. Boston: IndyPublish.com.
