Meta Wellmer (born Margarethe Wirth; 18 December 1826 – 1 August 1889), who also wrote under the pseudonym M. Wirth, was a German writer, teacher, and social reformer. Her work addressed women's rights, vegetarianism, and animal welfare. She taught in several European cities and wrote poetry, fiction, and essays on education and nutrition. She contributed to the periodical ("Association Journal for Friends of the Natural Way of Life") and published ("The Vegetarian Way of Life and the Vegetarians"; 1877). She corresponded with Thomas Carlyle and his family, wrote to Friedrich Nietzsche in 1875, and lived for much of her life in Ebersdorf, Reuss, where she died in 1889.
Biography
Early life and education Wellmer was born Margarethe Wirth was born in Leonrod, Kingdom of Bavaria, on 18 December 1826. Her mother was Eva Margaretha Wirth, an unmarried weaver and the daughter of the mayor of Leonrod, who married Johann Geck in Deberndorf in 1830. Wellmer later identified , a Royal Bavarian district judge and city commissioner who died in Munich in 1859, as her father; however, he was not named on her baptismal certificate, and it is uncertain whether he was her biological father. Through him, she received an education in the sciences, modern languages, and music.
Writing and teaching career Wellmer became a teacher at the age of 17. She taught in Germany, Switzerland, Paris, London, Madrid, and Rome. She published poetry, short stories, and articles on education, nutrition, and women's rights in German and foreign journals.
Vegetarianism and animal welfare Wellmer became a vegetarian in 1869 and was active in the vegetarian and animal welfare movements. She was an early female contributor to the ("Association Journal for Friends of the Natural Way of Life"). Her contributions included a poem in 1872 and an 1874 article, "Two Days of Travel", about travelling in Switzerland as a vegetarian. According to Birgit Pack, Wellmer was one of the few women who regularly wrote for the journal in the late 19th century.
Wellmer also published works on animal welfare. Her book ("The Vegetarian Way of Life and the Vegetarians") appeared in 1877.
Correspondence Wellmer corresponded with the Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher Thomas Carlyle and his family.
In 1875, Wellmer wrote to Friedrich Nietzsche and enclosed a copy of her book ("Ghost Stories from Modern Times"). In the letter, she discussed her admiration for Schopenhauer's philosophy and its ethical implications for daily life. She wrote that she had adopted vegetarianism, which she described as the only moral and humane way to live, and proposed a society of Schopenhauer's followers to promote his teachings on equality, kinship, and mutual support.
Personal life and death Wellmer was a feminist and spiritualist.
Wellmer spent much of her life in Ebersdorf, Reuss. She died there on 1 August 1889, at the reported age of 62.
Publications
Notes
References
External links Publications of Meta Wellmer Vereinsblatt der Freunde der natürlichen Lebensweise "The Wellmer Correspondence", letters of Thomas Carlyle and family to Meta Wellmer Letters to and from Meta Wellmer of the Carlyle family