The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.1961, Side 46

44
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Winter 1961
CONSERVING THE HUMAN HABITAT
Excerpts from a talk by G. B| Gunlogson, of Racine, Wis., at an annual meeting of the
Citizens Natural Resources Association in Milwaukee, Wis.
Every year countless convalescents
seek the green chemistries of living na-
ture to gain strength and new hope.
Millions of boys and girls go to camps.
Including such large institutions as
Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, churches,
Y.M.C.A., etc., there are countless org-
anizations providing funds and facil-
ities for city children to enjoy the ben-
efits that accrue from these experi-
ences. Nor is there any substitute for
the spiritual essence found in such sur-
roundings. .
Could it be that there is some instinc-
tive alliance between man and his
primeval vestiges? After all, his inher-
ent makeup and all his senses acquired
their form and fitness from long as-
sociation with the compelling facts and
forces of nature. Even his instincts and
emotions were disciplined by her
moods. The sounds which come to us
from the wind in the trees, the rustle
of leaves and the murmur of lapping-
water have not changed in a million
years. The infinite orderliness and
continuity of nature are still the most
abiding realities of life.
In America we have been endowed
with this congenial environment, rich
resources and much natural beauty.
Here we have generous living space
and opportunities for adventure and
for the exercise of our talents. From
these unique values we have derived
our character and culture. When we
preserve these values we are preserving
our way of life. As a nation we are ap-
proaching a stage of maturity. There
are no more geographical frontiers
left and the population, already large.
is becoming more homogeneous. We
are becoming increasingly geared to
technology and to mass psychology
with the inevitable tendency for our
individual personalities and our very
souls to become enmeshed in the gears.
Material progress does not mean that
the human being must lose his sense
of reality. I believe we can do our part
better in a modern world if we foster
a religion and a culture which recogn-
ize the individual as a part of an in-
finite universe rather than as a cog in
a sprocket. In the development of edu-
cational processes to meet our cultural
needs in the future, I believe that na-
ture areas dedicated to inspirational
and educational purposes may become
important adjuncts to church and
school.
Now these more or less inter-relatecl
considerations suggest three conclud-
ing observations: 1) Population pres-
sure will tend to impair the equality
of this natural environment unless
more effective measures can be devised
than heretofore to preserve its in-
tegrity. This is a most challenging con-
servation problem and one which
should concern everyone. 2) We have
arrived at a stage where we need to go
beyond our small groups to win sup-
port for our ideals and objectives. 3)
With increasing population pressure
everywhere, no nature areas or values
can be permanently defended without
public understanding and interest.
The only permanent safe guard of
these values we are talking about is an
informed public.