. The passage that appears to have directed his professional life describes Jesus exhorting his followers to Heal the Sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew, 10:8) In 1896, at the age 21, he decided to devote a period of time studying science and the arts and then to dedicate the rest of his life to helping the suffering. In the following year he became provisional Principal of the Theological College of Saint Thomas, from which he had just graduated, and in 1903 his appointment was made permanent. . Schweitzer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize of 1952,[79] accepting the prize with the speech, "The Problem of Peace". Schweitzer considered his ethic of Reverence for Life, not his hospital, his most important legacy, saying that his Lambarn Hospital was just "my own improvisation on the theme of Reverence for Life. Having circulated a questionnaire among players and organ-builders in several European countries, he produced a very considered report. His philosophy, he often stated, was built upon the principle of a reverence for life and the religious and ethical imperatives of helping others. The grave, on the banks of the Ogooue River, is marked by a cross he made himself. One of them, Gerald McKnight, wrote in his book "Verdiot on Schweitzer": "The temptation for Schweitzer to see Lambarene as a place cut off from the world, in which he can preserve "its original forms and so reject any theory of treatment or life other than his Visitors who equated cleanliness, tidiness and medicine were horrified by the station, for every patient was encouraged to bring one or two members of his family to cook of the world and life? The list, alas, goes on and his prejudices are difficult, if not impossible, to ignore. The compound even lacked electricity, except for the operating and dental rooms, and members of the staff read by kerosene lamp. Mankind had to choose to create the moral structures of civilization: the world-view must derive from the life-view, not vice versa. From the first, when Schweitzer's hospital was a broken-down hen coop, natives flocked by foot, by improvised stretcher, by dugout canoe to Lambarene for medical attention. for Life. [55] In early 1913, he and his wife set off to establish a hospital (the Hpital Albert Schweitzer) near an existing mission post. chief force of the famous hospital at Lambarene, in Gabon, the former French Equatorial Africa. In the years that followed, the hospital grew by leaps and bounds, not only in terms of bricks and mortar but also in its delivery of comprehensive and modern health care. At the Mulhouse gymnasium he received his "Abitur" (the certificate at the end of secondary education) in 1893. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. His father, a Lutheran pastor, moved the family to a nearby town, Gunsbach, which was situated in the foothills the Vosges mountain range. 97 Copy quote. For example, he once said, The African is indeed my brother, but my junior brother. On other occasions, he opined, I let the Africans pick all the fruit they want. The journalist James Cameron visited Lambarn in 1953 (when Schweitzer was 78) and found significant flaws in the practices and attitudes of Schweitzer and his staff. Allez-vous, OPP-opp. Schweitzer's view that "simple people need simple healing methods," however it might have outraged medical sophisticates, won for Lambarene a tremendous measure of native confidence. [4][5] He spent his childhood in Gunsbach, also in Alsace, where his father, the local Lutheran-Evangelical pastor of the EPCAAL, taught him how to play music. [76][77] Translating several couplets from the work, he remarked that the Kural insists on the idea that "good must be done for its own sake" and said, "There hardly exists in the literature of the world a collection of maxims in which we find so much lofty wisdom. Dr. Two physicians had arrived from Europe, and to them and to two nurses he turned over all medical responsibilities for a year and a half while he supervised (and helped) to fell trees, clear ground and construct buildings. Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace. Joseph also returned. True to his pledge, Schweitzer turned from music and theology to service to others. The two remaining volumes, on The World-View of Reverence for Life and a fourth on the Civilized State, were never completed. He was however also a theologian, organist, philosopher, and physician. [29] It became his custom to play during the lunch hour and on Sunday afternoons. He was also appointed organist for the Bach Concerts of the Orfo Catal at Barcelona, Spain, and often travelled there for that purpose. After his wife died in 1957, Schweitzer was almost continuously in Lambarene. "[76][77], After the birth of their daughter (Rhena Schweitzer Miller), Albert's wife, Helene Schweitzer was no longer able to live in Lambarn due to her health. Housed originally in the grounds of a mission, he chose to leave this comparative sanctuary for the unknown and forbidding regions of the jungle nearby. [21] During its preparation Schweitzer became a friend of Cosima Wagner, then resident in Strasbourg, with whom he had many theological and musical conversations, exploring his view of Bach's descriptive music, and playing the major Chorale Preludes for her at the Temple Neuf. Later Dr. Trensz replaced Nessmann, and Martha Lauterberg and Hans Muggenstorm joined them. According to some authors, Schweitzer's thought, and specifically his development of reverence for life, was influenced by Indian religious thought and in particular the Jain principle of ahimsa, or non-violence. Starting from its principle, founded on world and life denial, of abstention from action, ancient Indian thought and this is a period when in other respects ethics have not progressed very far reaches the tremendous discovery that ethics know no bounds. This was no sooner under way than Schweitzer fell ill, an epidemic of dysentery broke out and a famine set in. He died at 11:30 P.M. (6:30 P.M. New York time). Albert Schweitzer (1875 - 1965) was an Alsatian who dedicated his life to alleviating the suffering of Blacks in Africa, likely due to his Christian convictions. With theological insight, he interpreted the use of pictorial and symbolical representation in J. S. Bach's religious music. '"[72] In nature one form of life must always prey upon another. Indeed, Schweitzer became a notable organist, especially in the works of Bach. [10], From 1893 Schweitzer studied Protestant theology at the Kaiser Wilhelm University in Strasbourg. It resides in their vault today in deteriorating condition. All Rights Reserved. Dives represented opulent Europe, and Lazarus, with his open sores, the sick and helpless of Africa. Schweitzer's wife, Helene Schweitzer, served as an anaesthetist for surgical operations. . Rather than reading justification by faith as the main topic of Pauline thought, which has been the most popular argument set forward by Martin Luther, Schweitzer argues that Paul's emphasis was on the mystical union with God by "being in Christ". On one occasion a group of tourists pulled him away from the dinner table to get an explanation of his ethics. [63] Schweitzer eventually emended and complicated this notion with his later statement that "The time for speaking of older and younger brothers has passed". It is religion. Albert was born in 1875 in Kaysersberg (Alsace-Lorraine), Germany, (now Haut-Rhin, France), only two months after Germany annexed that province from France, as a result of winning the Franco-Prussian war. He disagreed sharply with Aristotle's view that man's knowledge of right and wrong would surely lead him to make When Schweitzer was in residence at Lambarene, virtually nothing was done without consulting him. Dr. Howard Markel writes a monthly column for the PBS NewsHour, highlighting momentous historical events that continue to shape modern medicine. Schweitzer inspired actor Hugh O'Brian when O'Brian visited in Africa. Albert Schweitzer, the son of an Evangelical Lutheran minister, was born on . Schweitzer and his wife did the best they could. " Albert Schweitzer Schweitzer maintained, nonetheless, that Jesus' concepts were eternal. over into experience.". People robbed native inhabitants of their land, made slaves of them, let loose the scum of mankind upon them. for the good of fellow men who need the help of a fellow man." ", His attitude was sharply expressed in a story he liked to tell of his orange trees. He took to playing the organ as soon as he was big enough to reach the pedals and amazed all who listened to him. Everyone can have their own Lambarn". out, including Schweitzer's pet parrot (which was not taught to talk because that would lower its dignity) and a hippopotamus that once invaded the vegetable garden. He locates Paul between the two extremes of primitive mysticism and developed mysticism. he had worked as an artisan in constructing many of its buildings; and, although the station was many times beset by adversities that would have discouraged a less dedicated man, it had grown at The soul is the sense of something higher than ourselves, something that stirs in us thoughts, hopes, and aspirations which go out to the world of goodness, truth and beauty. As Schweitzer recounted this climactic incident, he had been baffled in getting an answer to the question: Is it at all possible to find a real and permanent foundation in thought for a theory of the universe that shall be both ethical and affirmative world's end did not occur, according to Schweitzer's view, Jesus decided that He must undergo an atoning sacrifice, and that the great transformation would take place on the cross. Attending the University of Strasbourg, he served as curate at St. Nicholas, gave Schweitzer claims that this form of mysticism is more intellectual and can be found "among the Brahmans and in the Buddha, in Platonism, in Stoicism, in Spinoza, Schopenhauer, and Hegel".[42]. side by side! So far as we know, this is for the first time clearly expressed by Jainism. degree in February, 1913, Schweitzer studied medicine, but he did not entirely cut himself off from his other worlds. Meantime, as these beliefs were maturing in Schweitzer's mind, he continued his student life at Strasbourg and fixed with great precision the course of his future. In 1912, now armed with a medical degree, Schweitzer made a definite proposal to go as a physician to work at his own expense in the Paris Missionary Society's mission at Lambarn on the Ogoou river, in what is now Gabon, in Africa (then a French colony). ", Called upon to be specific about Reverence for Life, he explained that the concept "does not allow the scholar to live for science alone, even if he is very useful to the community in so doing.". Please check your inbox to confirm. A developed form of mysticism is attained when the "conception of the universal is reached and a man reflects upon his relation to the totality of being and to Being in itself". To support himself and to carry on the work at Lambarene, Schweitzer joined the medical staff of the Strasbourg Hospital, preached, gave lectures and organ recitals, traveled and wrote. Date of birth. [62], The poor conditions of the hospital in Lambarn were also famously criticized by Nigerian professor and novelist Chinua Achebe in his essay on Joseph Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness: "In a comment which has often been quoted Schweitzer says: 'The African is indeed my brother but my junior brother.' He envisaged instruments in which the French late-romantic full-organ sound should work integrally with the English and German romantic reed pipes, and with the classical Alsace Silbermann organ resources and baroque flue pipes, all in registers regulated (by stops) to access distinct voices in fugue or counterpoint capable of combination without loss of distinctness: different voices singing the same music together. Online Kentucky Death Indexes, Death Certificates and Vital Records Indexes. He received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy of "Reverence for Life",[3] becoming the eighth Frenchman to be awarded that prize. and time, making him inwardly free, so that he is fitted to be, in his own world and in his own time, a simple channel of the power of Jesus.". Kentucky Vital Records Indexes at Ancestry (these require payment) Kentucky Death Certificates and Records, 1852-1965 (coverage before 1911 varies by county) includes digitized Kentucky death certificates from 1911-1965, plus earlier records for some counties ; Kentucky Death Index, 1911-2000 Two 1992 episodes of the television series. Albert entered the Kaiser Wilhelm University of Strasbourg at age 18. "At the very moment when, at sunset, we were making our way through a herd of hippopotamuses, there flashed upon my mind, unforeseen and unsought, the phrase 'Reverence Schweitzer's arrival at this decision was calculated, a step in a quest for a faith to live by. The doctor never entirely left the pursuit of music and became well known as a virtuoso on the keyboard and pipes, especially when he played the works of Bach. Next, Schweitzer poses the question: "Of what precise kind then is the mysticism of Paul?" The epidemic promoted [28] Built especially for the tropics, it was delivered by river in a huge dug-out canoe to Lambarn, packed in a zinc-lined case. He fell ill from exhaustion on Aug. 28 and his condition worsened steadily. On Good Friday of 1913, the couple set sail, at their own expense, from Bordeaux to Africa. Schweitzer's death was kept secret through the night because of a request he had made to give his daughter time to send telegrams to relatives. He made the Africans too lazy to pick them Respect for life, overcoming coarser impulses and hollow doctrines, leads the individual to live in the service of other people and of every living creature. Albert Schweitzer studied the music of Johann Bach who was a German Composer. Among children 1-59 months of age, ALRI was present in 51% of the deaths, and enteric diseases in 30%. He had pondered the meaning of the parable of Dives and Lazarus and its application to his times, and he had concluded that There was great demand for a German edition, but, instead of translating it, he decided to rewrite it. Bach, he said, was chiefly a church composer. Schweitzer's ethical system, elucidated at length in "The Philosophy of Civilization," is boundless in its domain and in its demands. Lambarene was suffused with Reverence for Life to what some critics thought was an exaggerated degree. Nobel Peace Prize. Bartolf, Christian; Gericke, Marion; Miething, Dominique (2020): This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 08:10. He was the son of Louis Schweitzer and Adle Schillinger. As such, and as a Lutheran, "it is precisely to the chorale There he also received instruction in piano and counterpoint from professor Gustav Jacobsthal, and associated closely with Ernest Munch, the brother of his former teacher, organist of St William church, who was also a passionate admirer of J. S. Bach's music. He will end by destroying the earth. Schweitzer's university life was interrupted by a year of compulsory military service in 1894, a period that proved crucial to his religious thinking and to his life's vocation. Some of his more ardent admirers insisted that he was a jungle saint, even a modern Christ. He was elected to the French Academy in 1951. But determination to make his life an "argument" After retiring as a practicing doctor, Albert Schweitzer continued to oversee the hospital until his death at the age of 90. "You must give some time to your fellow man," Schweitzer counseled in paraphrase. [22] Schweitzer's interpretative approach greatly influenced the modern understanding of Bach's music. He also noted the lack of Africans trained to be skilled workers. Then a single cardioid microphone is placed on axis, bisecting the figure-8 pattern. " At that point in life where your talent meets the needs of the world, that is where God wants you to be. Although Schweitzer's views on Africa were out of date, he did what no man had done before him--he healed thousands and he welded world attention on Africa's many plights. The hospital suffered from squalor and was without modern amenities, and Schweitzer had little contact with the local people. had a profound influence on contemporary religious thinking. Director of the Lambarene hospital has been handed over to Schweitzer's assistant, Dr. Walter Munz. barred him from preaching at the station, but agreed to accept his medical skills. Its climate is among the world's worst, with fiercely hot days, clammy nights and seasonal torrents of rain. Dr. Albert Schweitzer who renounced fame and fortune as a musician 43 years ago - and who is on a visit to London - went to the Royal festival Hall yesterday - where he tried out the festival organ which he said ''She is magnificent - she is beautiful''. You Love Will Happiness. Schweitzer's talents that he taught him then and later without fee. Jesus, Schweitzer contended, believed himself the Messiah who would rule in a new kingdom of God when