J. F. Oberlin (31 August 1740 – 1 June 1826) was an Alsatian
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
and a
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
. He has been known as John Frederic(k) Oberlin in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, Jean-Frédéric Oberlin in
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, and Johann Friedrich Oberlin in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
.
Life
Oberlin was born the son of Johann Georg Oberlin (1701–1770), a teacher, and Maria Magdalena (1718–1787), daughter of lawyer Johann Heinrich Feltz, on 31 August 1740 in the German-speaking city of
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
, where he studied theology. In 1766 he became Protestant pastor of Waldbach (now
Waldersbach
Waldersbach is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
Population
People
* Jean-Frédéric Oberlin lived here until his death in 1820.
* Anne Knight, an early British feminist and abolitionist, died here ...
), a remote and barren region in the Steinthal (
Ban de la Roche
Le Ban de la Roche (german: Steintal) is the name of an ancient seigneurie, later a county. It is situated in Alsace, France, Département du Bas-Rhin. This small region is referred by its old Ancien régime name because of its strong identity and ...
/Steintal), a valley in the
Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
on the borders of Alsace and Lorraine.
Oberlin set out to improve both the material and the spiritual condition of the inhabitants. He began by encouraging the construction of roads through the valley and the erection of bridges, rallying the peasantry to the enterprise by his personal example. He introduced an improved system of agriculture. Substantial cottages were erected, and various industrial arts were introduced. He founded an itinerant library, originated infant schools (precursors of the modern
nursery schools of France) and established an ordinary school at each of the five villages in the
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
. In the work of education he received great assistance from his housekeeper, Louisa Scheppler (1763–1837). He practiced medicine among them, founded a savings and loan bank and introduced cotton manufacturing.
Beside all this Oberlin was a man of rare spirituality, being frequently styled “a saint of the Protestant church,” and an excellent pastor, who preached each month three sermons in French and one in German. In 1812
Daniel Legrand
Daniel Legrand (1783 – 16 March 1859) was a Swiss industrialist and philanthropist of the Reformed Church who spent most of his life in Alsace, France. He campaigned for laws that would improve the condition of child workers, and of industrial wo ...
visited the Steinthal (
Ban de la Roche
Le Ban de la Roche (german: Steintal) is the name of an ancient seigneurie, later a county. It is situated in Alsace, France, Département du Bas-Rhin. This small region is referred by its old Ancien régime name because of its strong identity and ...
), where he met Oberlin, who lived in Waldersbach. Legrand came under the spell of the pastor, and moved with his ribbon factory to the village of
Urbach in the vicinity of Waldersbach, where he lived for the rest of his life.
Oberlin died at
Waldersbach
Waldersbach is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
Population
People
* Jean-Frédéric Oberlin lived here until his death in 1820.
* Anne Knight, an early British feminist and abolitionist, died here ...
on 1 June 1826 and was interred with great manifestations of honor and affection at Urbach (now
Fouday
Fouday (; german: Urbach; gsw-als, Fouda) is a Communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin Departments of France, department in Grand Est in north-eastern France.
At the start of 1975 Fouday was merged with the neighboring settlements of Walde ...
, Bas Rhin).
Legacy
Oberlin has been called the "true precursor of
social Christianity
Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not.
Etymology
The word "social" derives from ...
in France."
Daniel Legrand's grandson was
Tommy Fallot
Tommy Fallot (4 October 1844 – 3 September 1904) was a French pastor who is known as the founder of Christian socialism in France.
Early years
Tommy Fallot was born on 4 October 1844 in Fouday, Bas-Rhin.
His grandfather was Daniel Legrand (1783 ...
, founder of "Christianisme social."
Legrand and
Robert Owen
Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted e ...
(1771–1853) of Wales, another industrialist, advocated creation of an international organization dedicated to reform of labor laws.
Oberlin's orphan asylums were the beginning of the many “Oberlinvereine” for the protection of children, such as in
Leonberg
Leonberg (; swg, Leaberg) is a town in the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg about to the west of Stuttgart, the state capital. About 45,000 people live in Leonberg, making it the third-largest borough in the rural district (''Landkr ...
,
Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
and
Worms Worms may refer to:
*Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs
Places
*Worms, Germany, a city
**Worms (electoral district)
*Worms, Nebraska, U.S.
*Worms im Veltlintal, the German name for Bormio, Italy
Arts and entertainme ...
.
Oberlin, Ohio
Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, 31 miles southwest of Cleveland. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students.
The town is the birthplace of the ...
, a Christian colony, and its centerpiece,
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...
, a liberal arts college, were named for him upon their founding in 1833.
J. F. Oberlin University
''Ōbirin daigaku'' -- note that "Ōbirin" is written in the kanji for "beautiful cherry orchard". is a private university in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. The university was founded by Yasuzo Shimizu. Its name is derived from that of pastor and phi ...
in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, which was named for Oberlin College, also bears his name.
Oberlin, Louisiana
Oberlin is a town in and the parish seat of Allen Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,770 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Johann Friedrich Oberlin.
Oberlin was the home of Ernest S. Clements, a Democratic member ...
, was also named after him.
His brother
Jérémie Jacques Oberlin
Jérémie ( ht, Jeremi) is a commune and capital city of the Grand'Anse department in Haiti. It had a population of about 31,000 at the 2003 census. It is relatively isolated from the rest of the country. The Grande-Anse River flows near the ...
was a noted archaeologist and philologist.
[Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Oberlin, Jérémie Jacques". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.]
References
Sources
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Further reading
*
External links
Oberlin Museum at WaldersbachOberlin's Namesake, a multimedia presentation on J.F. Oberlin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oberlin, J. F.
1740 births
1826 deaths
Clergy from Strasbourg
French Protestant ministers and clergy
French philanthropists
Alsatian-German people