The Folding Harpsichord: 8/04/06 John Muir National Historic Site Part 1

John Muir

John Muir 是十九世紀中到二十世紀初的美國重要的自然科學家和作家。十九世紀工業革命後的西方國家，人類利用工具征服大自然，「人定勝天」想法於是傳開。當砍伐森林來蓋房子、霸佔草原上來放牧牛羊、以及將河水堵起來做為飲用水等這些舉動被多數人視為文明進步的正常軌跡的時，John Muir提出反對的聲浪。

他所提倡的，是要完完全全地保護大自然的資源和面貌。在不受到任何人類的破壞下，這些美麗的景物，可供世世代代的子孫所享用。普遍上來說還沒有保育觀念的社會裡，他孤軍奮戰，在各大報張雜誌期刊上發文，宣導他的理念。慢慢地，他的觀點在各地方得到嚮應，連大羅斯福(Theodore Roosevelt)總統和其親信也在John Muir的帶領下，進入了優勝美地(Yosemite)，見證Yosemite的美。

與John Muir最常被聯想在一起的公園，無非是Yosemite。在John Muir大力推動下，國會通過成立Yosemite國家公園。但John Muir的貢獻不僅僅於此。他足跡從北邊Alaska的Glacier Bay，Washington的Mount Rainier，到加州的Kings Canyon，甚至遍佈Arizona的Grand Canyon和Petrified Forest。這些景點在他的鼓吹之下，日後都在大羅斯福帶領下的美國政府同意成立國家公園。後人譽他為「國家公園之父」，是一點也不為過。可惜，正當美國立法，要成立國家公園管理處(National Park Service) 來有效經營美國四處的國家公園時，他不幸病逝，無緣看到他夢寐以求的願忘被實現。John Muir於1914年離開人間，而NPS則在1916年正式成立。

後來的自然保育人士敬重John Muir，許多景點都因他而命名，不計其數，如之前去的Muir Woods National Monument，Alaska Glacier Bay National Park的Muir Glacier，以及加州有211 mile長的建行步道John Muir Trail。

John Muir was a late 19th century naturalist, preservationist, and writer, better known as the "father of the National Parks System." During a period immediately following the Industrial Revolution, it was the commonly held belief that man had conquered nature, using its machinery to accomplish feats at a scale previously unimaginable. As mankind was harvesting the natural resources at an ever increasing rate, John Muir's preservationist views stood out as a different voice.

John Muir argued that the natural wonders and beauties should be preserved to allow for future generations to see and continue to marvel at. He would write to many popular journals and newspapers, and his view would start to attract attention. A natural preservation movement would soon follow, with president Theodore Roosevelt being one of its advocates. Roosevelt would spend time in Yosemite with John Muir, and here he would be in awe of its beauty. Theodore Roosevelt would during his presidency proclaim 150 National Forests and 18 National Monuments, some of these which would be upgraded into National Parks later.

The establishment of the National Park Service, which would perhaps be John Muir's greatest dream realized, did not happen until 2 years after his death. John Muir passed away in 1914, whereas the National Park Service was established in 1916. However, John Muir's legacy lives on through each of the National Monument and National Park's wondrous beauties, and it serves as a constant reminder to us on what it takes for our kids and grand-kids and so forth to keep enjoying the wilderness and scenery.

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John Muir at Martinez, CA

雖然John Muir為一大自然癡，不嚮往人群，但他當然也經歷過文明生活。他早期其實是極為厲害的工程師；如不是眼睛短暫失明，認真反省他一生後決定投身大自然的保護，他很有可能會是下一個愛迪生。而他在年近四十的時候，在好友們的勸說之下，從Yosemite回到人群中。

在Oakland一帶，他認識了Louisa "Louie" Strentzel，當地大果農的女兒，也是一位出色的古典鋼琴家。其父John Strentzel本身也是個傳奇人物，原先在波蘭出生，後因波蘭向俄國起義失敗，擔心會被充軍而逃出來，輾轉流離到美國。雖念了醫，但對酒莊文化和園藝感興趣而日後從事水果業。在John Muir和Louisa相識的時候，John Strentzel已經是北加一帶事業最得最大的果農之一。John Muir和John Strentzel成了事業伙伴，也和Louisa Strentzel在1880結了婚，並在John Strentzel過逝後繼續經營Strentzel家庭的水果業。

水果業賺來大量的財富，使John Muir中年之後不籌吃穿，讓他可以專心寫作，繼續他悍衛大自然的使命。John Muir和Louisa Strentzel育有二女，是個盡職的先生和父親。妻子Louisa也瞭解John Muir對大自然的狂熱，開玩笑地說她先生有「懼低症」，因此對John Muir之後離家，再度消逝在Yosemite的深山裡是全力支持。

After spending so many years in Yosemite and nearing 40, he was urged by his friends to return to the San Francisco Bay Area and start a family of some sort. In Martinez, CA, he would meet the Strentzel family, who produced one of the largest citrus fruits in the United States.   Dr. John Strentzel was a physician from Poland interested in horticulture and vineyard culture and would make his living from this. Muir and Strentzel would first become business partners first, and by marrying John Strentzel's daughter Louisa "Louie," they would be family.

John Muir and Louie would take over the family business after Dr. John Strentzel's death. John Muir would make so much profit from the business that he would live a very comfortable life while focusing the remainder of his time fully to the preservation movement.    After 10 years on the ranch, John Muir's health would start to fail, and at his wife's plea, he would return to Yosemite, the place he really loved. Louie would jokingly say that John Muir suffered from "low altitude sickness." Despite being an eccentric personality, John Muir was said to be a devoted husband and loving father of two daughters, Wanda and Helen.

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John Muir National Historic Site

John Muir 和他老婆的家人定居在Martinez, CA，舊金山40 mile左右，往內陸的方向，在灣的東邊。原本John Muir和妻子住在1 mile遠以外的另一棟房子，不過在他岳父大人John Strentzel過逝後，於1890年Muir一家四口才搬進這一棟房子。John Muir的太太於1905過逝後，兩位女兒Wanda和Helen也都嫁人了，便只剩John Muir一人了。而當他1914年也過逝時，他的女兒們決定將房子賣掉。房子經幾次轉手之後，終於到了NPS的手中，在1964正式變成National Historic Site。

Muir家上下兩層，再加上一個閣樓和鐘塔。為維多利亞時期的建築。

The Muirs originally lived in another house a mile away in Martinez, CA. When Dr. Strentzel died in 1890, they would move into the Strentzel house and call this place home for the next few decades. Louie would pass away 1905, and by that time the two daughter have already left home, each with a family of their own. In 1915, one year after John Muir passed away, the daughters would decide to sell the house. After undergoing different changes in ownership, the house was finally given to the National Park Service, and the place was finally declared a Naional Historic Site in 1964.

The Muir house has two stories with an additional attic and bell tower. The house is of the Victorian-era architectural style.

John Muir 的老婆是出色的鋼琴家，如沒嫁人，是會考慮職業演奏生涯的。進門右側大廳擺的鋼琴，不是原本的琴，不過是當時同一個型號的琴。平時John Muir在家的時候，Louie不會常彈琴，因為John Muir嫌琴聲太吵。

Louie Muir was a brilliant pianist. You will notice a piano in the room on the right immediately after entering. It is not the original piano of the household, but an instrument of the same model of what the Muirs had in the late 19th century. Louie did not play the piano alot when John Muir was around the house, as John Muir complained it was noisy.

Muir一家人當時有顧一位廚師，是唯一住在家中的傭人，而且還是位中國人，阿方。阿方在廚房定下的規矩是，當他在煮飯的時候，女人和小孩子不准進廚房干擾他。他深怕人進來誤事，會搞砸他的工作。可見，阿方對他自己工作敬業的態度。

This is the kitchen of the Muir family. Their cook, a Chinese nicknamed Ah Fong, was the only servant allowed to live in the house. His only rule in the kitchen was : No women or children when he was working. He wanted to do his job and knew that women and children could easily distract him from whatever he was doing.

當時十九世紀末做鬆餅的鍋子。看來基本造型，在今天的美國也沒改變太多。
Waffle maker. The design is not that much different from those you see today.

這是廚房裡擺的大理石砧板。這是這棟房子裡剩下原來的家俱中其中的一件。另外一件是John Muir的辦公桌。

Marble cutting board. This is one of the two original furniture from the original house. The other piece is John Muir's own working desk.

二樓小孩的房間。
Kid's bedroom on the 2nd floor

這是John Muir在二樓的書房。從這張桌上，John Muir漂亮的文筆，改變了全人類對於大自然的態度，奠定了日後大自然保護活動和國家公園制度。

John Muir's workplace. From this desk, he would change the course of humanity on how it treated mother nature by eloquently rallying for the preservation of natural resources and lay the foundations for the National Park Service.