Positive Force

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

The people always want peace. God always wants peace. Must be the devil that tempts the powerful and those hungry for power to deny the will of the people and of God and go to war.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,
The blessings keep coming.
Sometimes it takes some effort to dispel the thought that bad fortune could appear on he horizon. With health issues as I age, that prospect is real enough, as is the possibility that some of the “news” terrorism could strike me and mine, or that economic or climate disaster could befall us all.
But I choose to relish the goodness you send to me. Life is good!
Amen

C. Unquoting Jesus:

“Lepers are one thing, but I would never put my hands on a person with AIDS.”

[What kind of Jesus would that be? No way He said that.]

D. Blog: An American Hero

Frederick Law Olmsted:
American Hero

Olmsted merits my current award as American Hero of the Year. I had heard brief mention of his name connected with Central Park in New York City and with the Biltmore Estate. Then my wife thought I should know more about him, so she gave me a biography. Well, I was blown away by this amazing man and the incredible life he led.

A few people know he laid out the grounds for the Biltmore Estate. More than that, though, he advised young George Vanderbilt to purchase as much Western North Carolina land as he could, not for a mere park, as George had planned, but for a vast forestry project – this when forest management was in its infancy.

By then, Olmsted was an old man. After all, he was a true late-bloomer, having turned to landscape architecture/design when he was in his 40s. By then, having received only childhood tutoring, he had worked as a seaman, a farmer, a traveling correspondent for what would become the New York Times, a magazine publisher (one of the founders of The Nation), and an expert on the latest agricultural methods aimed at what we now call sustainability.

His traveler’s account of life in the pre-civil war South, later compiled into a still-in-print single volume King Cotton, ranks as the foremost and most objective description we have of that era, so said the renowned historian Arthur Schlesinger.

In the midst of his beginning landscape career, Olmsted agreed to organize and oversee the Union’s agency responsible for medical care of its soldiers. Later, he took another break, of sorts, to manage the a vast mining/ranching/timber estate in California. While there, he advised San Francisco officials about placement of their major park (now Golden Gate Park), as well as proposing the road system, still in place, for the Yosemite Park.

He consulted with dozens of large cities and oversaw development of their major park systems. He also designed the campus layouts for numerous colleges, universities, hospitals and other large institutions.

Olmsted held the firm view that city dwellers, particularly the working classes, must have access to parks in order to maintain stability and peace in their lives. Although he had learned a lot from touring private European gardens and parks, this open access represented a uniquely American perspective at the time.

Americans owe a lot to Olmsted for his contributions to our national life. When I travel in the Pisgah National Forest or drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, I think with gratitude on this amazing man of the 19th century, whose legacy lives on quietly in the 21st century, enriching our lives. In my mind, he belongs with Jefferson, Franklin, Lincoln and the Roosevelts.

For such a late-bloomer, Frederick, you gave us a great deal. Thank you.