Theologian, humanitarian, and physician (1875–1965) remembered for establishing a hospital in Lambarene, Gabon, and for receiving the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize for his philosophy of 'Reverence for Life.' Archive of twelve letters and notes from Albert Schweitzer to aphorist Hans Margolius, totaling 16 pages, ranging in size from a 3.5 x 5.5 postcard to an 8.5 x 11 sheet, dated from 1926 to 1965. Schweitzer's letters in German include 7 ALsS, two ANsS, an AL, an AN, and a NS, discussing his aphorisms, remarking that he is working on the philosophy of 'Reverence for Life,' complaining that he has insufficient time for letters of friendship, granting permission for him to use his remarks on Margolius's aphorisms, discussing his work against nuclear weapons and mentioning that it began with his friendship with Albert Einstein, observing that nuclear weapons are a violation of human rights, remarking that there are some 40 Albert-Schweitzer-Schools in Germany, stating that his hospital was intended to have 50 beds but it now has 600, mentioning recent work on Jewish thought, etc. Some of the notes or letters are written on the same sheet as letters or notes to Margolius penned by one of his secretaries, Mathilde Kottmann or Emma Haussknecht.
Selected excerpts (translated):
25 December 1959, ALS: "I took up this work [campaigning against nuclear weapons] as a friend of Einstein. We knew each other since his time in Berlin. It was a very intense friendship. In his last years, Einstein wanted to make the dangers of atomic weapons clear to the world, but no one listened to him. He suffered terribly as a result. He died in a state of despair."
7 February 1965, ALS: "Only by being attentive to and involved in creation do we truly become human…I could not bear the fact that European philosophy does not deal with the problem of our relationship to creation…Friendship is something deep and beautiful. In the quiet of Lambaréné, animal friendships flourish. Three hippopotamuses spend some nights on the bank by our hospital because they know that no one will harm them there."
In overall very good to fine condition, with old tape repairs and paper loss to one letter, and binder dings to several others.
