Wednesday, September 11, 1991 - North Shore News - 29 The life of a Renaissance man Qut of My Life and Thought. An Autobiography. Schweitzer. Translated by A.B. Lemke. Henry Holi & Co. OSITIVE ROLE-MODELS are getting to be an en- dangered species. Not a day seems to pass without some politician caught picking the public pocket or peddling favors like a street-hustler, a professional athlete gambling on games or using recreational or performance- enhancing drugs, another moral leader arrested in a sleazy motel dressed in a salmon-suit and rollerskates. At Florshiem and Nike they must be doing big business fitting feet of clay. Though very much a 19th cen- tury man ina way, Albert Schweitzer remains one of the great moral heroes of our century. “1 want to be the pioneer of new Renaissance. | want to throw faith in a new humanity like a burning torch into our dark times,’’ he said in 1923. Aimost seven decades later, Schweitzer’s vcice still echoes in our collective inner ear, whether we recognize it or not. His princi- ple of ‘‘reverence for all life’ resonates with growing volume across the years, in the depths where the last whales sing, in the branches of forest giants spared the clear-cut, in worldwide organizations dedicated to the relief of human suffering, inthe , recycling bin outside your door. As an educated, pre-electrortic 19th century man, Schweitzer is articulate almost as a matter of course. A.B. Lemke’s new transla- tion of Out of My Life and Thought reveals a man utterly removed from the scandalous trivia that passes for contemporary John Moore BOOK REVIEW Albert autobiography; truly a last Renaissance m-7; theologian, musician, doctor and missionary who succored those whom even God seemed to have abandoned. The early chapters, dealing with his theological and philosophical! education, may seem, to contem- porary readers, a bit like argu- ments over how many angels can break-dance on a pinhead, but they are important to an under- standing of Schweitzer’s quiet in- dividualism, his precocious ability to find “‘more faith in honest doubt’’ when many of his con- temporaries turned to philosophies of despair. Schweitzer’s early researches in- to the life of Christ did not lead him to scholarly abstr: ction, bul are the source of his ifelong con- viction that faith alone is not enough, not even when accom- panied by occasional good works and ;pontaneous acts of generosi- ty, For Schweitzer, faith must be the a main-spring for a life of ceaseless _e = / positive moral action in this world. CUSTOM SHIRTMAKERS He never subscribed to the stereo- . JUST ARRIVED! typed missionary hypocrisy of sav- ing the soul at the expense of the HUGE SELECTION OF NEW PATTERNS OR FALL body; hence his decision to become a “‘jungle doctor’ when * 2x2 Egyptian cotton poly & cotton he could easily have had a safe, * 100% cotton — You decide the styte quiet life as a teacher and musi- cian back in comfortable am Monoore mach cuff fon ee renaed bourgeois Alsace. Bee" trom 38 - *89 2531 Granville St. at Broadway FREE pscking at rear 731-9190 There are heroes out there, often lamentably unsung, (most aren‘t even hummed), but few personify integrity as Schweitzer does. He is someone you might want to tell your kids about, especially after the umpteenth Rambo or Robocop re-run. an offer that should goright Ca ibe, anda omemade dessert? ONLY ae ce HARPKST— WEDNESOAY NiGHTS ¢ SUNDAY BRONCH QGUITALIST— a) THURSDAY, FRIDAY |i aE. SATURDAY NIGHES. trail and slope design. Over Get a free day pass for afriend along with top savings on your Blackcomb Early Bird Season Pass, This year, Blackcomb Mountain won Snow Country Magazine's much coveted award for best That makes Blackcomb the hottest spot in North 242] MAkWle DRE West VANCOWER, And now that we've made your journey uphilla breeze, we're making your downhill trip even better. We've expanded our snow- sports making system experts (already the America, and the savings you get with our Early Bird Season Pass more worthwhile than ever. Cesrr eo amieg ! tn your world’s longest). Extended our World Cup Free- style mogul run, Overbite, carved out an advanced skier's dream between Ridgerunner and Trapline and added a new trail paralleling Catskinner. Get in on the savings before September 16. You will share the Blackcomb experience with a friend because this year a free day pass is part of the deal. Call our Season Pass Hotline at 687-4712 or drop into the Sports Experts store in either North Vancouver or Pacific Centre and we'll process your pass on the spot. Miss it and it'll cost you. You wouldn't want Above l | that hanging over your head, would you? Bif CKCOMB