Journal d'un Quaker de Nôtre Temps (1893-1962) (review)

Book Reviews121 Journal d'un Quaker de Nôtre Temps (1893-1962). By Henry van Etten. Paris: Collection Alternance, Jean D'Halluin. 1964. 253 pages. 13 francs. This autobiography covers the entire history of contemporary Quakerism in France, which actually started with the Anglo-American relief project toward the end of the First World War, of which the book gives no account. Henry van Etten, a native of Paris, had some Dutch, English, and Jewish ancestry in his background, but his upbringing was typically French and Catholic, preparing him for commercial life. His first contact with Quakerism was as unorthodox as was his career: he encountered British Friends when pursuing his interest in Esperanto and working in a liquor firm. His longing to see social action in addition to the Christian pacifism which Tolstoy awakened in him, was evident in his work as a Salvation Army Secretary. After attending Quaker meetings at the home of Justine Dalencourt, he joined Friends in 1916; he also took a position in a military supply business. During the 1920's, Henry van Etten had extensive contacts with British and American Friends. Soon he became the leader of the small band of French Friends and devoted considerable time to prison reform by visiting penal institutions in many parts of France. Under the Nazi occupation he encountered some difficulties, yet he was able to maintain friendly relations with a few members of the German armed forces. After the war, he was in charge of a German reform school in the French occupation zone of Germany, conducting it in as liberal a spirit as possible. Van Etten visited the United States several times. Autobiographies are in their very nature self-centered, but they also convey impressions about a specific period of history. The author hardly touches upon his own spiritual concerns or the religious and organizational problems of French Friends as a group. These were, and still are, considerable; but in this volume he may have wanted to limit the description to his own work. France Yearly Meeting has remained small, and, like Germany Yearly Meeting, it has always suffered from the ecclesiastical and military traditions of the country. Dual membership in the established Churches as well as in Quakerism is still a problem in both groups. We learn little, if anything, about such matters from the book, as we also miss the mention of a number of devoted French, British, and American Friends who shared the work of the Paris Centre for many years. Henry van Etten's discontent with the United States can only evoke our regrets, as we are also surprised that he identifies himself with another's opinion that ours is a country without friendship. We suffer as much as he did from the summer heat, from New Jersey mosquitoes, and from unruly adolescent students; but these trivia are too provincial a scale by which to measure a nation. Yet these and other limitations perhaps ought to be overlooked in a rather subjective account. Henry van Etten's story reads well in spite of the sometimes tiresome listings of places and dates of his speech-making tours. The book gives some interesting insights into his personality as well as the conditions he chose to describe. Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaWilliam Hubben ...