Final answer:
The author critically presents human industrial activity as damaging to the environment, with a clear narrative that such disregard for nature results in both environmental and human suffering.
Step-by-step explanation:
The author's attitude toward human activity and its impact on the environment appears to be quite critical and reflects a grim view of the industrial society's effect on both natural and human landscapes. Life in the Iron Mills by Harding Davis vividly portrays a world where the industrial and consumer culture prioritizes its own advancement at the expense of the surrounding environment. This is evident through the juxtaposition of the polluted town of iron-works with the unreachable idyllic natural settings mentioned in the text. These descriptions provide a strong argument that human disregard for nature culminates not only in environmental degradation but also in diminished human spirit and suffering.