Mercy upon us! if it could be concealed, it would be well for all who are not pained to see the pleasantest of earthly spots deformed by man.”

I mean the sharp ache we feel when a place made for peace is ruined by greed or vanity. The island at Windermere was once wild and green, but men have cut its trees and laid down smooth grass where sheep used to graze. Now a vast house stands there, taller than our oldest oaks, blotting out the sky and the water. It does not belong to the land; it forces itself upon us, ugly and loud. We see how nature was altered for show, and we feel sorry for those who live with this sight every day.

I ask you to look at your own garden or the street where you walk. Does it hold life, or only what men have put there? If you find a spot that feels false, do not turn away. Tell someone else why it hurts to see it so changed. Let us speak plainly about how we ruin what is good, before we lose the power to fix it.