Fisherman's Sunday

Sigurd, shown at right in 1952, gave this talk at the First Presbyterian Church in his hometown of Ely, Minn., on May 1, 1955.

Fisherman's Sunday is dedicated to the out of doors and to the good things of this earth, to those who feel deeply about lakes and rivers and forests and to the happiness found there. It is dedicated to all who love our north country in the hope that what they have found may be perpetuated and that future generations may share the joys that are theirs.

Conservation means stewardship and responsibility toward the land and as such has to do with our way of life and conservation of the American spirit. It is far more than catching fish, or picnics, or excursions. It is involved with the entire concept of freedom, dignity of the individual, and what we choose to call the good life. A healthy nation is a happy nation and that happiness is dependent on abundant natural resources, on healthy soil and growing forests, on rivers that are clean and full. Fish and wildlife, berries and fruit, timber and watersheds, recreational opportunities are all dividends of wise use and conservation of the resources entrusted to us.

Let us this day dedicate ourselves to the premise that this land on which we live is a gift of God, and as such should be cherished and loved. In our attitudes, in our point of view, in our philosophy of life, let us live in harmony with this concept, exercise our great privilege of enjoying this land and caring for it in such a way that we may pass on to future generations an unravished, undesecrated heritage.

The moss-covered log on the altar, the fresh green sprays of spring on either side are symbolic of the great forest in which we live. That log was once a tall tree and when it died, mosses covered it and its once firm wood changed slowly to humus and earth. Seeds fell upon it and young flowers and trees took root there and drew their nourishment from its substance. This new growth typifies the living, growing forest, and phenomena of life eternal in a land that belongs to us.

America the Beautiful

America was a beautiful land when the white man came. Its rivers were clean and sparkling, its air was pure, its forests and meadows and mountains uncluttered and clean. How fitting the lines of our national song—"thy rocks and rills, thy woods and templed hills"—and what a vision they give of purity, of cleanliness, and order. But how swiftly the illusion disappears when we see the result of thoughtlessness and charming natural places are defiled with rubbish and debris.

It is no idle statement that "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." Clean homes and streets and roadsides, clean campsites and picnic places are as indicative of character as clean minds and hearts. When we go into the out of doors, let us remember that we are trustees, that ours is a definite responsibility to leave our part of America as beautiful as when we found it.

We sing "God Bless America." Let us all be reverent and humble when we say those words. Let us dedicate our lives to preserving its beauty so that all may know the real meaning of the words of the Psalmist when he said, "He leadeth me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul."

Wilderness

"Woe unto them that join house to house,
That lay field to field,
Till there be no place
That may be placed alone
In the midst of the earth."

So spoke the prophet Isaiah long ago but he voiced the need of all people for places where they might be alone with themselves and with their God.

Wilderness to the people of America is a spiritual and cultural necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium. We go there for perspective and the good of our souls and to recapture our lost sense of oneness with the earth and to know the presence of God.

To place monetary value on wilderness is impossible for within it are things beyond price: tranquility, solitude and quiet. Its real function is as a spiritual resource and to experience it is a rare privilege in an age torn by strife, uncertainty, and confusion.

Harvey Broome [note: a founder of the Wilderness Society] said, "Wilderness regions are islands in time with nothing to date them in the calendar of mankind. In such places one looks backward into the ages and forward untold years. They are bits of eternity."

We live close to the last wilderness lake country in the middle west, a country of lakes and rivers and forests that for beauty and charm have no counterpart. Here is an island of solitude, a bit of eternity, where men may always come to refresh their souls and to know peace.