Newspaper Articles

Collecting some letters to editors, etc., that otherwise may slip through the cracks?

Memories of Robert Saitschick

Der Bund, Volume 116, Number 86, February 26, 1965

In the summer of 1940, when I was spending my holidays in Ascona with my husband, a social evening was to be held there to support German emigrants. A lottery with as many prizes as possible was planned as an attraction, and a large collection campaign was carried out for this purpose. I was given the task of procuring books, and one of the organizers said to me in a rather imperative tone: "You go to Emil Ludwig and Professor Saitschick. You will certainly get a lot there." 

"Professor Saitschick? Who is that?" - "What, you don't know who Professor Saitschick is? Shame on you! He is one of the most famous European philosophers." This claim did not convince me. They were obviously boasting about a local celebrity. Nevertheless, I wrote to the man, who was unknown to me at the time, that I would like to speak to him about a matter relating to a charitable purpose. He replied immediately that he was expecting me the next day. 

The professor lived in two villas connected by a covered walkway, which were situated on the shore of the lake in a magnificent park, from where one had a wonderful view. A manor house in the truest sense of the word. When I rang the bell, an elderly woman with an unkempt appearance and a dull expression on her face opened the door. She led me into a large, sunlit room, where an elderly gentleman of the pyknic type was sitting in an armchair. He immediately rose when I entered and welcomed me warmly. 

"I didn't know that Bern had risen to the point of granting a second woman the venia legendi," he began the conversation. "Yes, yes, the world is making progress!" There followed a very interesting questioning about what I was reading, how many students I had, etc., and I couldn't help but be amazed at how well-versed the philosopher, who had been completely unknown to me until then, was in my field. The conversation dragged on; the professor ordered tea, cast a disapproving glance at the unkempt waitress, and apologized for the "dry pastries." Now it was time to mention the purpose of my visit. In response to my request, he generously presented me with eight of his books. 

"You wrote all of this?" I asked in astonishment. "This is barely the fourth part of my 'immortal works,'" he said, amused. I began to leaf through the pile. Each of the books dealt with a subject that interested me, and I could not help expressing my surprise that I had not yet been able to find any reference to his works. "It is true that I do not get much attention. That happens to every author who does not have close relations with the press. I find such tactics repugnant, and I bear the consequences of my attitude with composure. I offer my works to people,because I believe that I am serving them, but I cannot force them on them by means that are morally dubious." This attitude won my sympathy immediately. 

As I leafed through the books, my eye fell on the name La Rochefoucault. - "You are quoting La Rochefoucault? How delighted I am! He is my favorite author, but no professional psychologist ever mentions him. I owe more to this author than to all my psychology teachers put together." Saitschick laughed happily and began to paint a picture of the French moralist that I had never heard or read before. What a wealth of knowledge he laid out before me, what depth of thought he revealed, and in what a fascinating way he spoke without hesitation, without the slightest difficulty in finding the right expressions! Suddenly he asked me to follow him and led me through the covered corridor into his second house. I stood there rooted to the spot: a huge number of etchings, engravings and watercolours were spread out on tables - you would have thought you were in an art museum. But Saitschick was already walking over to a shelf and taking out an unsightly little book: "This is a La Rochefoucault, first edition, Amsterdam, 1705," he said proudly. "There are probably no more than five copies of it left in the whole world!"

"I have the third edition," I boasted, "the one from Lausanne in 1760." 

"Really? Where did you get it?" 

"For three Swiss francs from a Parisian bookshop on the banks of the Seine."

"What an ignorant person! You must show me this edition; it is extremely rare." 

And in a subdued voice he added: "A few years ago I sold 30,000 books, mostly first editions, and gave them away for a bargain!" "How come? Why?" "My relatives in Russia were forced to emigrate to America, the promised land, to escape extermination. As they were completely penniless, I enabled them to make the expensive journey there by selling my books and gave them the basis for a new existence. They had suffered enough in Europe and should not have to endure a period of further deprivation as emigrants. They could actually all be helped and they are all doing well now." His gaze wandered over the half-empty shelves, his voice seemed weak. The sacrifice had evidently not been easy for him. 

Only later did I learn that, as the son of a rich banker, he had been able to acquire such a library. But sons from rich families in particular are often stingy and unwilling to make sacrifices. Later I also heard that Saitschick's help did not only extend to his relatives. He gave generously where there was need. When the wave of emigrants from Hitler's Germany began, Saitschick gave away part of his fortune. Anyone who could get hold of him benefited from his generous help. Seldom has a rich man put his fortune at the service of others to such an extent. He only made one condition: it was not to be spoken of! A nobleman in the fullest sense of the word. He then showed me further treasures, explaining them in detail. It all sounded like a proper lecture. My amazement grew more and more. What knowledge was contained in that half-bald head! Two hours had already passed and it was time to leave. The gifts were to be sent to me. As I left, I made him promise to visit us as soon as possible so that my husband could get to know him too. Just two days later, Saitschick came to see us and immediately a genuine friendship developed between these two men, which grew ever deeper over the years and lasted until my husband's death. Saitschick admired the versatility of Tramer's talents, his work as a doctor and his ethical attitude to his job and life. All of this corresponded to his own mentality and way of thinking and he was happy to see it put into practice. Soon after that memorable visit, I took a look at Saitschick's works and felt a great respect for the breadth and depth of his thoughts and the unusual extent of his knowledge. And I was ashamed of not having known about it for so long.Significantly, none of my colleagues in Bern had heard of Saitschick and his many works! In addition to the press - as Saitschick himself pointed out - the one-sided programming of our universities is also to blame; the lectures are mainly tailored to career preparation and neglect ethical and socio-political training. Otherwise the students, including me, would have had to learn about his works. When my husband and I returned to Ascona a year later - we owned a summer house there - Professor Saitschick was no longer living in the villas on the lake. A rich Nazi had bought the house at great expense in the middle of the war in order to protect himself against all eventualities. The people of Ascona cursed the Nazi criminals, but nevertheless sold their ancestral homes for large sums of money. As luck would have it, Professor Saitschick's new home, a large villa on a hill above the lake, was very close to our house. So we became neighbors, and Saitschick visited us often and at all hours of the day, sometimes as early as eight in the morning, to have interesting conversations with both of us or with one of us. In the new apartment, Mk had her big

In the bright rooms, Saitchick's art treasures were shown off to their best advantage. Among the paintings was a life-size portrait of Tolstoy by Rjepin, one of the most important Russian painters, a masterpiece of the first order! There were magnificent Italian ceramic plates from the 17th century hanging on the walls; in a display case one could see artistic glasses from every era, from Phoenician glass to modern, finely cut French or Czech crystal glasses. There were plates and fruit baskets made of old English silver; there were precious old Chinese carpets, and an "Aubusson" was not missing either. On a wonderful grand piano lay a brocade cover woven from gold thread. Saitchick now faced the problem of finding an assistant who could serve him not only as a capable housekeeper but also as a good secretary; for he was in the process of reworking one of his earlier books. In Ascona at that time, the well-known joke of the Russian communist Karl Radek was being circulated: "At the first level of culture, matriarchy reigned, at the second, patriarchy, and at the current third, secretariat rule. This third level is the most dangerous for human culture." Word soon got around in Ascona, where people were so keen to concern themselves with the affairs of their fellow human beings, that several marriage-minded secretaries were applying for Professor Saitschick's position. When he himself suspected such an intention, he rejected the applicants, even if they had the best references. And then, as fate would have it, Saitschick, in his goodness of heart, allowed himself to be tempted to give preference to an applicant who had suffered from unfortunate family circumstances. He wanted to ease her difficult lot. Before a year had passed, however, he was already married to her, and a few years later he separated from her forever. In the process, he lost the rest of his material possessions. He was taken in by a family where he was able to stay until the end of his life. However, he had to leave his beloved Ascona and now lived on the shores of Lake Zurich. We maintained our relationship; my husband in particular often spoke to him on the telephone. But never in the years that followed did Saitschick complain about the circumstances that caused his misfortune or about his current situation. As a man over eighty years old, he had been forced to exchange his stately villa for a single room and to adapt to the family that had taken him in, after having lived in complete independence for many years and having had ample financial means at his disposal. This is a difficult fate, even if the family that took him in was well-disposed towards him and looked after him faithfully. Saitschick never gave anyone an insight into his personal life,and it was a matter of course for him not to bother others with his own troubles and pains. Although his eyes and ears failed him, he still thought about the possibility of republishing his out-of-print works in a new and expanded edition, and he continued to work in this direction. He tirelessly collected the material for this, with the help of others. But he was also able to experience great gratitude himself: one of his former students has republished some of his works in gratitude for the support he had received earlier. It is thanks to him that Saitschick's writings have remained in circulation and accessible at all. But Saitschick was lacking an Eckermann, whom he would have needed so much in his old age. When my husband and I last visited him in Oberrieden - he was almost 90 years old at the time - we found him physically very frail, but still extraordinarily active mentally. We were amazed at how he spoke to us exclusively about political, social and literary problems and rejected all questions about his personal life. In conversation I mentioned a professor of philosophy at the University of Krakow whom I knew from earlier times, and to our great surprise Saitschick gave a whole speech about him, mentioned specific dates, titles of his works and assessed his work very accurately. Saitschick was blessed to have a creative spirit until the end and he remains an example of howand to our great surprise, Saitschick gave a whole speech about him, mentioned certain dates, titles of his works and judged his work very correctly. Saitschick was blessed to have a creative spirit until the end, and he remains an example of howand to our great surprise, Saitschick gave a whole speech about him, mentioned certain dates, titles of his works and judged his work very correctly. Saitschick was blessed to have a creative spirit until the end, and he remains an example of how

moral strengths can be retained into old age. Robert Saitschick had a high degree of ability to give an accurate opinion on political processes and social conditions, and he also judged people very clearly. But he was not a combative person. He knew that victory often does not go to the noblest, but all too often to the person who is not selective in his means. But he was demanding in this respect. Morality must form the basis of human action, he believed, otherwise society will collapse. With clairvoyance he recognized early on the course that the German people were taking after the First World War, and as early as 1926 he gave up his chair at the University of Cologne to move to Ascona in Switzerland, a place whose great development he also foresaw. During his time in Cologne he became friends with Konrad Adenauer, who gave him loyal support during his difficult times. Saitschick was also one of the first to recognise the danger of the left-wing socialist party in Russia, the Bolsheviks, and to turn against the spirit of the Russian communists. He saw through the tendency of Lenin's politics early on and warned against it - unfortunately, no one listened to him. In his study of Bismarck, which was republished a few years ago, he clearly grasped and judged his spirit. The work is said to have been one of the best on the "iron chancellor" and was distributed in 40,000 copies. Recognizing Hitler's spirit was not difficult for Saitschick, and he mocked those who did not want to see the danger looming for Europe. He studied the problems of understanding human nature in detail and wrote numerous works on the subject. If these books are not entirely satisfactory, it is because he does not emphasise the negative aspects of human nature enough. This is due to his personal disposition: he was a spirit who wanted to see and measure the beautiful and the sublime and was reluctant to say anything bad about people, as is necessary to characterize the "negative types". Saitschick was the first to write a study entitled "Genius and Character". Another, far more popular writer then took up this title and published a book that brought him laurels. When I asked why Saitschick did not protest against this, he replied with the casual gesture of a grand seigneur: "Let him enjoy it!" A strong social disposition was one of Saitschick's main characteristics. It led him to his fellow men, deepened his relationships with them and often made him deliberately overlook their negative sides. He passed a ruthless judgment on many historical figures, but never on one of his fellow men.His fellow human beings were the most valuable thing in his life. He was able to put himself in every situation, to recognize the good and the bad in every person; but he only acted according to the royal maxim that was part of his life: "Help people as much as possible so that they are not crushed by the burden of fate, but can enjoy life." He viewed everything from a higher perspective. Like so many others, he had never received an honor from the "highest authorities"; he had never received an honorary doctorate, never received a prize such as are so numerously handed out today; he was not even able to win a laurel on the occasion of his 90th birthday. This is not a credit to our society. Robert Saitschick was a unique phenomenon in the intellectual life of our time. He was a great judge of human nature and his statement was telling: "To see human follies and yet not despair about them - that is part of wisdom." He wrote his book on "People and Art of the Italian Renaissance" with enthusiasm because he himself was a figure of the Renaissance with his wide demands on sociability and his interest in art, literature and politics. But he did not possess the lust for power, the cruelty and the desire for power that he criticized in Renaissance people. On the other hand, he did have the tendency that he mentions in his work "On the Inner Need of Our Age": "There is no full life.

without the longing for what is far more than our reason can grasp and describe»; and a second sentence of this text testifies to his humanistic approach

version: "The increase of our character strength is far more necessary for us than the enrichment of our will."