Johann Peter Schäfer

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Johann Peter Schäfer (born May 8, 1813 in Altenstadt (Hesse) ; † December 26, 1902 in Friedberg (Hesse) ) was a German special education teacher , pioneer of blind schools and social reformer .

Life

family

Johann Peter Schäfer was born as the ninth child of the tenant and smallholder Johann Heinrich Schäfer at Obergasse 16 in Altenstadt. The father died in 1814 before his son was one year old. From his mother, Dorothea geb. Geiß aus Büches , the half-orphan received a pious religious stamp.

In 1844 Johann Peter Schäfer married the teacher's daughter Henriette ("Jettchen") Anthes (born October 6, 1816 in Erda , † June 2, 1899 in Friedberg) from Lich . Ten children were born to you. One of his six surviving children was the future pastor Theodor Schäfer .

Youth and education

After his school days, which he said was very imperfect, Johann Peter Schäfer began an apprenticeship as a tailor in Friedberg. It was “a profession that I hated deeply; but what use did it, different circumstances forced me ”. The three-year apprenticeship ended with the absolution as a tailor journeyman. The work “with a good Catholic master, he didn't work on Sundays or public holidays, stimulated me to be good Protestant”. Because that was his life principle: "Christian is my name, Lutheran my nickname."

His traveling journeyman time took him to Bonn, Cologne and Elberfeld. Following the example of the young Jesus ( Lk 2.51  EU ), he finally returned to his mother in his native Altenstadt. In May 1836 he found a job in Frankfurt am Main as a "factory manager" in the orphanage. He taught the orphans in tailoring and was also entrusted with the upbringing of 24 boys. In order to be able to fulfill his deepest career desire to become a teacher, he took private lessons to prepare for the entrance examination to the Friedberg teachers' college. He failed the entrance exam in March 1837 - and accepted this as God's will.

At the urging and mediation of friends, he was able to begin pedagogical training under the direction of Christian Heinrich Zeller in June 1838 at the “Voluntary Poor School Teacher and Poor Children's Institution” of the Evangelical Mission Society Basel in Schloss Beuggen . From there he was sent in August 1839 to the school for the deaf and dumb, which had been moved from Beuggen to Riehen , where he was soon employed.

Pedagogical work

Schäfer used the time he was employed as an assistant teacher at the school for the deaf and mute for further training. From 1841 he taught the deaf and dumb daughter of the governor of Planta in Chur as a private tutor ; During his eight-week summer vacation he visited - on a foot trip home - “all institutions that concerned the welfare of suffering humanity: institutions for the deaf, dumb, madmen, idiots, the blind and the like. Württemberg in particular offered (for this) a rich field ”. When he visited the Deaf-Mute Institute in Friedberg (today: Johannes Vatter School) founded in 1837, its (first) director, Georg Jakob Roller, offered him a position as an assistant teacher. Schäfer took up this position on April 1, 1842. He found the conditions there to be poor. He worked “with all his might to get the matter out of the mundane” by getting educational literature and putting on collections of all kinds as teaching aids.

The rescue house in Arnsburg

Garden shed

In 1846, Friedberg prepared for the celebration of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi 's 100th birthday . Schäfer suggested: “If you want to honor the man, you want to found an institution for morally neglected children; because that was how Pestalozzi began ... and that made him great. ”But his suggestion was not well received. Nonetheless, he pursued his concern undeterred to offer physically healthy, but neglected and therefore “morally endangered” young people a “rescue house”. In order to raise the necessary capital, he published his One Hundred Stories from Life , the first work of his writing. These stories testify to his deep piety and his firm trust in God.

With the help of like-minded comrades, he finally found a suitable site with a "pavilion", the gardener's house, on the site of the former Arnsburg monastery near Lich, which "Count Otto zu Solms-Laubach, a generous sponsor of all charitable and philanthropic endeavors such as simple, honorable character, well-known man with a versatile mind and heart ... made available to the rescue facility free of charge for years ”. On October 27, 1847, the first “Rescue Center of the Grand Duchy of Hesse” was inaugurated. After an eventful history, the institution still exists today as the Evangelical Foundation in Arnsburg . In the spring of 1849 Schäfer traveled to Hamburg to get to know Johann Hinrich Wichern and his Rauhes Haus , and to gain knowledge from this for his own educational work.

The asylum for the blind in Friedberg

His dissatisfaction with the educational situation at the Friedberg School for the Deaf and Mute and his conviction that the blind are considerably more disadvantaged than the deaf and mute, prompted Schäfer “to found an institution for the blind with God's help”. To this end, in July 1849, he put an appeal in the Darmstädter Zeitung , asking people to be named for the school. Within one year, 30 registrations came together, mostly from poor backgrounds. His request for donations resulted in an initial capital of 640 guilders .

Schäfer started by taking an eight-year-old blind boy into his family's household in the house on the castle grounds (near the Adolfsturm ) on April 8, 1850 . “Classes take place on the first floor of the Falck brothers' house. (Eckhaus Breite Strasse and Schützenrain on the square of the former Leonhardskirche ... “From now on he devoted himself entirely to this heartfelt task after he had given up his position as a deaf and dumb teacher at the end of 1850. His plan to have his own building for this purpose The foundation stone was laid on the property at Kaiserstrasse 136 on April 15, 1851, and the asylum for the blind was inaugurated on October 30, 1851.

Schäfer's pedagogy was groundbreaking. After initial hesitation (see Th. Schäfer p. 109), he helped Braille , which is still little known in Germany, to make its breakthrough, gave the students time to do gymnastics (and the necessary facilities and equipment) and set up a “blind shop”, in which the handcrafted goods were sold. His aim was to support blind young people in such a way that they could contribute to their livelihood through their work. In Schäfer's time this was anything but natural; In some places it was believed that one could be satisfied with - the name is indicative - "Bewahranstalten". He attached great importance to the musical education of his students. He founded a school choir with which he undertook numerous concert tours (especially to surrounding communities to sing in church services, at community afternoons and mission festivals (see Th. Schäfer p. 111)).

From 1853 at the latest, the school for the blind received public grants. These flowed not least as a result of Schäfer's acquaintance with Grand Duke Ludwig III. , who stayed at Friedberg Castle frequently and was impressed by Schäfer's work. The Grand Duke and especially Grand Duchess Mathilde supported shepherds in many ways. In 1879 the Grand Duchy of Hesse took over the sponsorship of the school for the blind. The school for the blind was then renamed "Grand Ducal Hessian Blind Institution in Friedberg" (later, around 1900: "Grand Ducal Blind Institution in Friedberg"). Johann Peter Schäfer headed it for 44 years, until 1894, from 1879 with the title of "Director". At that time, Johann Peter Schäfer was already known and revered throughout Germany as the "blind father". When he retired at the age of 81 on October 1, 1894, “Mr. Director Schäfer was able to point out 262 trained blind people”.

Throughout these years, Schäfer's wife Henriette was responsible for the housekeeping including the garden, in which vegetables were grown for self-sufficiency, as well as for the management of the servants.

Other charitable activities

In addition to his main task, the management of the school for the blind, Schäfer took on numerous voluntary tasks in his city and in the neighboring communities. He was chairman of the Friedberg Poor's Association (and thus responsible for those in need of church and municipal welfare), supervised the Friedberg reserve hospital during the wars of 1866/1867 and 1870/1871, and induced the Friedberg city council to set up a communal gas station so - as one of the first Hessian cities - to illuminate the streets at night.

From 1863 to 1900 Schäfer kept the chronicle of the city of Friedberg, which was published in 1913 by Christian Waas.

On December 26th, 1902, Schäfer died at the age of 90, at that time Friedberg's oldest citizen.

Appreciations

On November 3, 1856, Schäfer became an honorary citizen of the city of Friedberg.

In addition, Schäfer was awarded the following medals:

  • Hessian Military Medical Cross, June 22, 1871
  • Prussian war memorial from Stahl on the Non-Combatant Gang, October 18, 1872
  • Knight's Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of Philip the Magnanimous, on September 11, 1889
  • Knight's Cross 1st Class with the Crown of the Order of Merit of Philip the Magnanimous, on July 11, 1894
  • Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Medal, April 12, 1900

His home community Altenstadt honored the "blind shepherd" on the occasion of his 100th birthday on May 1st, 1913, the day of Ascension, with a plaque:

“A memorial plaque in the church was donated to him by his loyal Altenstadters by a skilled hand; It was necessary to consecrate it on the festival day at the same time as the celebration of his centenary birthday as a visible sign that he and his work, now and in the distant future, should be properly valued in Altenstadt. The .... plaque bears the inscription: “To the father of the blind Hessian people, Johann Peter Schäfer, director of Friedberg, born in Altenstadt on May 8, 1913, died in Friedberg on December 26, 1902, dedicated to the centenary of his home community . "2. Cor. 5.14. "

  • In 1970 the Friedberger Blindenschule was renamed "Johann-Peter-Schäfer-Schule", which is located on "Johann-Peter-Schäfer-Strasse".
  • At the house where she was born in Altenstadt, a bronze plaque commemorates the social reformer known as the “blind shepherd”.
  • His grandson, the church painter Rudolf Schäfer , remembered the "father of the blind" through a picture in the 1929 edition of the Bible that he illustrated.

Fonts

  • A hundred stories from life. Collected and edited by JP Schäfer, teacher at the Deaf-Mute Institute in Friedberg in the Wetterau. For the best of a rescue institution for morally neglected children within the Grand Duchy of Hesse . Heinrich Zimmer, Frankfurt am Main 1846. Digitized version of the Bavarian State Library.
  • Institution for the blind in Friedberg . In: Court and State Handbook of the Grand Duchy of Hesse for the year 1894 . Staatsverlag, Darmstadt 1894, p. 218.
  • Johann Peter Schäfer. Self-biography . In: The blind friend. Journal for Improvement of the Lot of the Blind , Vol. XVI (1896), Issues 1 and 2, February 1, 1896, pp. 6-13.
  • Lieder-Concordanz or: The songs of the hymn book for the Evangelical Church in the Grand Duchy of Hesse . With a foreword by Wilhelm Weiffenbach. Bindernagel, Friedberg 1903.

literature

in order of appearance

  • Josef Libansky: The asylum for the blind in Friedberg in the Grand Duchy of Hesse (Dedicated to the father of the blind JP Schäfer.) In: The blind friend. Journal for Improvement of the Lot of the Blind , Vol. XVI (1896), Issues 1 and 2, February 1, 1896, pp. 17-21.
  • Theodor Schäfer: Johann Peter Schäfer, b. May 8, 1813, d. December 26, 1902. A contribution to the history of culture and Christian life in the nineteenth century. In memory of the hundredth anniversary of his birthday . G. Schloessmann's Verlagbuchhandlung (G. Fick), Hamburg 1913.
  • Christian Waas: The Friedberger Chroniken, published by the history and antiquity association Friedberg in Hessen . Bindernagel, Friedberg 1913. (New edition under the title Die Chroniken von Friedberg, Vol. 3. Verlag des Friedberger Geschichtsverein, Friedberg 1963.)
  • State Welfare Association Hessen, Public Relations Department (ed.): Johann-Peter-Schäfer-Schule Friedberg: School for the blind and visually impaired . Kassel 1993.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wilhelm Baur: Memoirs . Schlapp, Darmstadt 1911 (= Hessische Volksbücher, Vol. 10/11), p. 327.
  2. ^ Theodor Schäfer: Johann Peter Schäfer , p. 17.
  3. ↑ Self-biography , p. 6.
  4. ↑ a b Self-Biography , p. 8.
  5. ^ Volker Herrmann: Theodor Schäfer (1846-1914) as a deaconry scientist in the German Empire . In: Norbert Friedrich, Traugott Jähnichen (ed.): Social Protestantism in the Empire. Problem constellations - solution perspectives - action profiles . Lit, Münster 2005, ISBN 3-8258-8559-3 , pp. 279-295, quotation p. 282.
  6. ^ Theodor Schäfer: Johann Peter Schäfer , pp. 19–33.
  7. ↑ Schloss Beuggen: A Brief History of the Castle ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.freunde-schloss-beuggen.de
  8. ^ Theodor Schäfer: Johann Peter Schäfer , pp. 49–53.
  9. ^ Theodor Schäfer: Johann Peter Schäfer , p. 54ff.
  10. ↑ Theodor Schäfer: Johann Peter Schäfer , pp. 68–70.
  11. ↑ Quoted in: Johann Peter Schäfer and the beginnings of the Ev. Arnsburg Foundation ( Memento of the original from May 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on May 13, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.arnsburg.de
  12. ^ Theodor Schäfer: Johann Peter Schäfer , p. 75.
  13. ^ Theodor Schäfer: Johann Peter Schäfer , p. 81.
  14. ↑ a b Johann Peter Schäfer and the beginnings of the Ev. Arnsburg Foundation ( Memento of the original from May 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.arnsburg.de
  15. ↑ The history of the Evangelical Foundation in Arnsburg ( Memento of the original from May 14, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on May 13, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.arnsburg.de
  16. ↑ History table of education and welfare for the blind . In: The blind friend. Journal for Improvement of the Lot of the Blind , Vol. XXXV (1915), Issue 8, August 15, 1915, p. 171 (entry for the year 1849), accessed on April 9, 2015.
  17. ^ A b Christian Waas: The Friedberger Chroniken , published by the history and antiquity association Friedberg in Hessen. Bindernagel, Friedberg 1913, from 1850).
  18. ↑ Songs and words from the asylum for the blind in Friedberg in the Grand Duchy of Hesse . Third booklet: Short history of the creation of the blind house and inauguration ceremony of the same on October 30th. 1851 . Printed by Scriba, Friedberg 1852.
  19. ↑ a b Johann Peter Schäfer - the man who is called "blind shepherd".
  20. ↑ Joseph Libansky: The Blindenanstalt to Friedberg in the Grand Duchy of Hesse . In: The blind friend. Journal for Improvement of the Lot of the Blind , Vol. XVI (1896), Issue 1 and 2, February 1, 1896, pp. 17-21, here p. 19.
  21. ↑ a b Joseph Libansky: The Blindenanstalt to Friedberg in the Grand Duchy of Hesse . In: The blind friend. Journal for Improvement of the Lot of the Blind , Vol. XVI (1896), Issues 1 and 2, February 1, 1896, pp. 17-21, here p. 18.
  22. ↑ Grand Duchy of Hesse: Regierungsblatt 1860/224 , accessed on May 13, 2014.
  23. ↑ Joseph Libansky: The Blindenanstalt to Friedberg in the Grand Duchy of Hesse . In: The blind friend. Journal for Improvement of the Lot of the Blind , Vol. XVI (1896), Issues 1 and 2, February 1, 1896, pp. 17-21, here p. 17.
  24. ^ Commemorative sheet to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Grand Ducal Facility for the Blind in Friedberg, April 8, 1900 . Bindernagel, Friedberg 1900.
  25. ↑ History table of education and welfare for the blind . In: The blind friend. Journal for Improvement of the Lot of the Blind , Vol. XXXV (1915), Issue 8, August 15, 1915, p. 172 (entry for the year 1850), accessed on April 9, 2015.
  26. ↑ Joseph Libansky: The IX. Teacher for the blind in Berlin . In: The blind friend. Journal for Improvement of the Lot of the Blind , Vol. XVIII (1898), Issue 1 and 2, January 15, 1898, pp. 50–63, here p. 63.
  27. ^ Theodor Schäfer: Johann Peter Schäfer , pp. 49–53.
  28. ^ Theodor Schäfer: Johann Peter Schäfer , pp. 163–176.
  29. ^ Original of the manuscript in the Friedberger Stadtarchiv.
  30. ^ Theodor Schäfer: Johann Peter Schäfer , p. 177.
  31. ^ Wilhelm Rau: From Altenstadt's ecclesiastical past . In: Hans Helmut Rose (Red.): 1200 years of Altenstadt. 767–1967 , published by the Altenstadt parish council. Bad Selters 1967, pp. 193–199, here p. 196.
  32. ↑ Christmas with the painter Rudolf Schäfer , accessed on May 13, 2014.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Schäfer, Johann Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Blind shepherd
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German educator and social reformer
DATE OF BIRTH May 8, 1813
PLACE OF BIRTH Altenstadt
DATE OF DEATH December 26, 1902
Place of death Friedberg