Talk:Matthew Fontaine Maury
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[edit] Talk About Matthew Fontaine Maury
i'm just doing a report on him, and i just wanted to write something........ does anyone know anything else about him? FroggyJamer 22:10, 5 November 2005 (UTC)happy day!!!:)
I guess not. I was kinda someone would write something down before Monday,........ oh, well.FroggyJamer 05:27, 7 November 2005 (UTC)
This is a question of style. In British English, which is what I, being British, write, one cannot begin a sentence with "Too," as in "Too, Maury served as a pall bearer for General...Lee."; it would have to be "Maury also served..." or "In addition, Maury served...". Although I naturally prefer my version of English, I am not a linguistic imperialist, and shall not impose my view and change the existing version, in case one can correctly start a sentence in American English with "Too" (though in all the years of my reading of prose written by Americans, I can't ever recall seeing such a usage). However, I hope a native speaker of American English will consider the point I've made and make the change if he/she considers an initial "Too" unsuitable also in American English.CWO 10:21, 11 November 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Religious?
Some web sites credit, in part, Maury's belief in the Bible for some of his discoveries. Is this true according to him?
///Read _The Bible and Science_ that Matthew Fontaine Maury gave a speech on to university graduating students. ///
If so, it definately ought to become part of the article. --Nerd42 01:50, 24 December 2005 (UTC)
- This seems to be exaggerated or in least uncertain. I found some letters by him where he does discuss Bible studies, but whether this influenced his science is debatable.--T. Anthony 16:03, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
/// M F Maury lived by the Holy Scriptures; created a prayer he said daily and read the scriptures constantly. They were his guide for every day living all of his life.///
Hmm ... well the first result on this google search was this site which says:
Almost immediately, Maury began the greatest task of his career. He was determined that captains should have charts that would enable them to sail as quickly and as safely as possible around the world. He used old log books and thousands of new observations to produce his famous wind and current charts of the world’s major oceans. These achievements earned him the epithet, “pathfinder of the seas.” /// Pathfinder of the Seas is also on his monument on Monument Avenue, Richmond, Virginia./// Maury also wrote ///Sailing/// Directions to accompany his charts, and he combined these with other observations about the ocean to produce The Physical Geography of the Sea, which first appeared in 1855. This was an immensely popular book, and marked the beginning of the science of oceanography.
Throughout all this success, Maury never forgot his belief in Scripture. Physical Geography is filled with references to the Bible. He could not help but be fascinated by passages that mention the sea, /// M F Maury was fascinated by the Bible long before he was fascinated by the Sea. His father Richard and mother Diana Minor -Maury [dau. of Gen John Minor of Fredericksburg, Virginia]raised their children with a lot of religion by reading scriptures before or after every meal./// every such as Psalm 8:8, Psalm 107:23-24, and Ecclesiastes 1:7. Whoever studies the sea, Maury contended, “must look upon it as a part of that exquisite machinery by which the harmonies of nature are preserved, and then will begin to perceive the developments of order and the evidences of design” (1859, p. 57).
Now, if this is true about his book, this seems to me to be important/worthy of note, if only because Maury is often cited as being a "creation scientist". --NERD42 EMAIL TALK H2G2 UNCYC NEWS 21:02, 22 January 2006 (UTC)
If accurate agreed. I knew something on his religiosity was in least worth mentioning.--T. Anthony 00:29, 23 January 2006 (UTC)
Unfortunately, having not read his book(s) and knowing little about him, I cannot confirm the accuracy of these claims made by the web sites at the present time. Doesn't anyone else know anything about this? --Nerd42 20:13, 24 January 2006 (UTC)
///Yes, I have read and transcribed many of Commodore ("Commander") Maury's publications as well as studied many of his nautical maps. Commander Matthew Fontaine descends from [France 1500 Jean (John) de La Fontaine] & Matthew Maury of [France; Huguenot families] M F Maury married Ann Hull Herndon of Fredericksburg, Virginia but he never declared himself as a 'creationist' in anything I have read. However, he was strongly opposed to Darwinism. Draw your conclusion from there.///
/// Use Google or other search engines to find _A VINDICATION OF VIRGINIA AND THE SOUTH_, written by Commander Maury (COMMODORE in the Virginia provisional navy when on Va. Gov. John Letcher's "Council of three, electing R E Lee to his position) Matthew Fontaine Maury/// The council of three was added to become the Council of seven and ceased when [Virginia which was declared Neutral Legally She had retained that right in the American Revolutionary War], ended up drawn into the Confederacy a couple of Months or more after Lincoln forced Carolina to fire on Fort Sumter. Three other states had awaited Virginia's decision; Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Use search engine: _Star of the West_, and note that that ship, carrying a USA Flag had been given a bow shot warning but continued onward to either resupply Fort Sumter or cause The Civil War on purpose. She was next fired on and HIT TWICE This was months before Lincoln took office. The North did not want war until it was pushed by Lincoln's copying the template of the idea of the _Star of the West_ in attempting to re-supply Fort Sumter except Lincoln sent several Men-Of-War ships and let the governer of Carolina know they were on their way. The South was thereby 'forced' to then quickly fire on Sumter. Otherwise since Sunmter was out of provisions the South could have simply waited those in Sumter to leave in Peace.
But with several men-of-war ships on the way and near, there was haste in actions to get the men in Sumter to leave -- and they were still allowed to leave in peace when they surrendered. The men-of-war sat off coast watching the action and then continued South. Through PROVOCATION "The South started the Civil War"!? Without Lincoln copying the template of the _Star of the West_ (which carried 200 armed men below decks and provisions)
Search: _Civil War At Sea_ by Virgil "Pat" Carrington Jones,(3 vols.; New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1960-62). I think this is in the 1st volume. Go to the Library or use interlibrary loan if you cannot get the book. I've read them and others similar to those via Public Library.
--Maury January 25, 2006 (UTC)
OK well ...
- Firmly opposed to Darwinism
- Quotes the Bible alot even when writing about science
... sounds like a creationist to me. --Nerd42 22:27, 25 January 2006 (UTC)
I myself try not to label people when it comes to religions of the world. I just state what I know. Matthew Fontaine Maury would never consider science without thinking of God's "weather machines". He was a naval scientist and he would never be one to not use the Bible every day in every way he could in his work. Refer to that with whatever you desire. I know of the man quite well and I could never view M F Maury discarding either science, religion, or writing. He loved the sea (as I did when in the navy) and the incredible discoveries. Of these things I could never guess which he could ever give up. I would say none of them and there is more like geology and keeping a constant flow of several projects he decided upon going constantly from his high energy and good imagination. On recall as I type this online M F Maury could not write without including God (Scripture). Many people of his day, raised with the Bible, did not accept all of Darwin's findings although, as always, some agreed with portions while others rejected all of Darwinism and yet still others accepted Darwin's ideas.
It has been stated that in war and under fire, if you do not believe in God you soon will. From my own experiences I agree with that. It is an awakening of hard-core reality. Still, to each his own.--Maury.
- You have to put things in a historical perspective. He died in 1873 it says.
What is "it" above?
Regardless, Matthew Fontaine Maury (b. Jan 14th, 1806 – d.1873 at Virginia Military Institute where he lived and worked in his civilian years. He was, and I have a photo, layed out in a casket in the Library, buried there in Lexington, Virginia directly across from Stonewall Jackson's first gravesite. M F Maury was placed in the Gilham vault and when spring came he was taken through Goshen Pass, as he desired, and laid to final rest in "Holly-Wood" (Hollywood)Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia over-looking the waters of the mighty James River -- which was once the Powhatan River. In the photo he is covered with medals given to him by several nations when he was a Lieutenant in the U S Navy. His daughters did that. There is a Monument to M F Maury at Goshen Pass. It includes a huge anchor and chain from the state of Tennessee that was in V.M.I. A globe was placed some short distance from his head which perhaps gave the sculptor the idea of the "Pathfinder of the Seas" monument in Richmond, Virginia.--Maury
Well I know it's popular in some circles to indicate that if someone failed to accept Darwinism as soon as it was stated then they were a creationist, but this is ahistorical. From my reading there were many mainstream scientists who embraced other theories of evolution up to the 1920s.
Please consider the brilliant scientist, Joseph Henry, of the Smithsonian. He lost many scientific friends because he would not accept Darwinism. I ask, is there anything wrong in being a Creationist? Too, defining a creationist includes introspection and personal beliefs. I think many people do not carry the exact same beliefs in creationism just as with Darwinism, I think individuals believe portions others believe but not all that others believe in creationism and Darwinism. It's somewhat like a blind person asking about colors. Each of us will have a different approach at the beginning and may well continue having a different explanation. I tend to cover the spectrum approach and explain that first, comparing it with various degrees of heat or cold and explaining that a color a person sees is what is reflected away instead of being absorbed by any object of any color. The explanation of light being white has to be covered and yet there is a color we call white. We differ in life experiences and readings and what we have been taught and we differ partly by our environment because we derive much of our experiences from our environment and yet there is the gene pool to also be considered. I ask now, explain creationism from your view and then explain Darwinism from your viewpoint. I suggest that people differ as much as there are religions in the world and as many churches split because of varied ideas. Who created God? Ae there more Gods than one? All is a belief system for every individual because we do not and can not KNOW all of the FACTS regardless of how much we BELIEVE anything. Polytheism was once the way of the cultured world of Egypt, Rome, Greece and so many other cultures and empires. Now it is monotheism. Whether polytheism or monotheism each was and remains a personal belief system that cannot be concluded as factual in this world we live in. Is there an after-life? Who knows? We may BELIEVE whatever we want but BELIEF is NOT FACT. This includes creationism vs darwinism and polytheism vs monotheism and perhaps other things we have not encountered yet.--Maury
In the 1880s I think this was even more true as many things still needed more evidence and support. For a scientist who died in 1873 to reject Darwinism means something very different than for one who died in 1973 or even 1943. If it's shown he rejected all theories of evolution then it might fit.--T. Anthony 01:02, 26 January 2006 (UTC)
Speculations are interesting. They keep our mind active and creative but ALWAYS, BELIEF is NOT FACT.
--Maury 23:22, 19 March 2006 (UTC)
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