At the time of his death in 1955 Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was working under the auspices of the Wenner-Gren Foundation in New York City. Born in Auvergne, France, in 1881, he was a member of the Society of Jesus. He held positions as professor of geology at the Catholic Institute in Paris, director of the National Geologic Survey of China, and director of the National Research Center of France. He lived in China for many years, and played a major role in the discovery of Peking man.
THE MAKING OF A MIND
Letters from a Soldier-Priest: 1914-1919
by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
"Of the outside events in Pierre Teilhard's life the war was probably the most decisive of all It had a profound effect on his whole being/' says Marguerite Teillard-Chambon, the recipient of these letters, in her introduction to the book.
At the outbreak of World War I Teilhard de Chardin, already an ordained priest, joined the French army. Throughout the four and a half years he spent as a stretcher-bearer in the front lines, he corresponded regularly with his cousin Marguerite. Since childhood they had been very close, and intellectually and spiritually had much in common. These letters reveal the development of Teilhard's ideas and personality, as well as his reactions to the war.
The danger and hardship that Teilhard shared with his Regiment of Zouaves and Moroccan Tirailleurs brought an intensity and awareness that he found immensely stimulating. His courage under fire and his devotion to the men under his care won for him the Croix de Guerre, the Medaille Militaire, the Legion d'Honneur, and three mentions in dispatches. The citation for the Legion d'Honneur describes Teilhard as "an outstanding stretcher-bearer who, during four years of active service, was in every battle and engagement the regiment took part in, applying to remain in the ranks in order that he might be with the men whose dangers and hardships he constantly shared.â
Part of THE MAKING OF A MIND is Teilhard's spiritual counsel to Marguerite. Another part describes his own development and the emergence of his great vision of the human situation. Finally, there is an extraordinarily detailed account of his day-to-day experiences at the frontâhis "baptism into reality."
"There is no better work of Teilhard'sâand hence no better work all round â for entering that rich and complex experience that was the starting point of all his subsequent endeavor. And this is of capital importance for understanding what the man is about."
Robert O'Connell,
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
More of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's books:
1. On Love and Happiness - http://www.archive.org/details/onlovehappiness000499mbp
2. Man's PLace in Nature - http://www.archive.org/details/MansPlaceInNature
3. Letters from a Traveler - http://www.archive.org/details/LettersFromATraveller
4. Hymn of the Universe - http://www.archive.org/details/HymnOfTheUniverse
5. Heart of Matter - http://www.archive.org/details/HeartOfMatter
6. Human Energy - http://www.archive.org/details/HumanEnergy
7. Writings in Time of War - http://www.archive.org/details/WritingsInTimeOfWar
8. Letters to Two Friends - http://www.archive.org/details/LettersToTwoFriends
9. Vision of the Past - http://www.archive.org/details/VisionOfThePast
10. The Divine Milieu - http://www.archive.org/details/TheDivineMilieu
11. The Appearance of Man - http://www.archive.org/details/TheAppearanceOfMan
12. The Making of a Mind - http://www.archive.org/details/TheMakingOfAMind
13. Letters to Leontine Zanta - http://www.archive.org/details/LettersToLeontineZanta
14. Toward the Future - http://www.archive.org/details/TowardTheFuture
15. The Future of Man - http://www.archive.org/details/TheFutureOfMan
16. Science and Christ - http://www.archive.org/details/ScienceAndChrist
17. The Phenomenon of Man - http://archive.org/details/ThePhenomenonOfMan
18. Let Me Explain - http://www.archive.org/details/LetMeExplain
19. Christianity and Evolution - http://www.archive.org/details/ChristianityAndEvolution
20. The Letters of Teilhard de Chardin and Lucille Swan - http://www.archive.org/details/TheLettersOfTeilhardDeChardinAndLucilleSwan
21. Activation of Energy - http://www.archive.org/details/ActivationOfEnergy
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