The Rudolf Steiner Archive

52

To Marie von Sivers in Berlin
Saturday, December 8, 1906

Stuttgart, Dec. 8, 1906

My darling. Before things get started in Stuttgart, you should receive these few lines. Unfortunately, I still have a sore throat from Frankfurt. Those noble organizers had found it “clever” to hold both the public lecture and the internal evening event over beer and tobacco smoke. It goes without saying that my throat cannot stand this. Incidentally, there was another beauty in the evening. After the lecture, a questioner came forward with a sentence from Theosophy that was utter nonsense. When I said that nothing of the sort had been said in the lecture, he produced a leaflet that our good “Goethe branch” had printed, in which the sentence appeared. Of course, I now had to say that it did not occur to me to support such a thing. It turned out that the thing was a malicious translation of the already confusing English version of the leaflet. So I told the people. Afterwards, Mr. Hintze explained⁴⁰ that he had translated this from English. People have our leaflets in which the text is written in proper German. But Mr. Hintze finds it necessary to print leaflets especially according to the English text and to spend the money of the Goethe branch on them. He just went to school with the English.

Prof. Voigt ⁴¹ no longer comes because Mr. Hintze's “theosophy” with unnecessary “Buddhist” phrases seems impossible to German intellectual life. We have got rid of Mrs. Lübke; now we have another one in Frankfurt who has studied the things at the English source.

My darling, how is your translation of the Eleusinian mysteries coming along? ⁴² We need to have them soon.

You are coming to Leipzig, aren't you? Because Altmann will print the M brochure without a preface.⁴³ is, despite everything, an impertinence on his part, and one will certainly be followed by others.

Despite not really knowing how to manage my throat at the beginning yesterday in Heidelberg, it went well in the end. Hopefully I can manage it today in Stuttgart too. And by tomorrow or the day after, I hope that the voice, which is wrapping itself around at the moment, will be fine again. At the beginning of January, we absolutely must be able to send the congress programs. So we will have to stay in Munich for the time being. ⁴⁴

Incidentally, Nab is not responsible for the pamphlet; but he is partly responsible for the beer-smoking room. He was ill while the first heroic deed was being formed. Now he is healthy again. Incidentally, his illness is a remarkable case of too-quickly-achieved abstinence, as I have clearly realized. The man stands all day in the smell of leather. You know, he was still drinking his bottle when we first met him in Frankfurt. Now alcohol was what paralyzed the damage of the leather scent for him. He got away from it very quickly, and became a vegetarian just as quickly. Then the organism reacted with pleurisy. Now he has the reaction behind him and can of course avoid both meat and alcohol. But if you think about it, you will find many remarkable things about this case. The organism is caught between two causes of illness that paralyze each other. If one is eliminated – in this case alcohol – the other makes the organism ill until it has been eliminated. How many people today live only under mutually annulling causes of illness! |

Kindest regards, my darling, from your Rudolf

Greetings to Wiesel ⁴⁵ and Selling.

• 40. Oscar Hintze (1865-1955), 1906 member in Frankfurt, 1910 in Hamburg, 1913 resigned.
• 41. Andreas Voigt, member since February 1906, resigned in 1909.
• 42. Marie v. Sivers translated “The Sacred Drama of Eleusis” from Edouard Schuré's “Sanctuaires d'Orient”, Paris 1898, for the performance at the May 1907 congress in Munich and Rudolf Steiner put it into free rhythms. See “The Sacred Drama of Eleusis”, Dornach 1939.
• 43. From the correspondence between the publisher Altmann and Rudolf Steiner or Marie v. Sivers, which is available in the archive, it appears that Rudolf Steiner was to write a preface to a “Mahatma brochure”. This may have been for the second German edition of Annie Besant's book “H.P. Blavatsky and the Masters of the Wisdom”, published by the Theosophical Publishing House in Leipzig in 1924. It is not known when and where the first German edition was published.
• 44. The Fourth Congress of the Federation of European Sections of the T.G. was held in Munich in May 1907 by the German Section. Rudolf Steiner and Marie v. Sivers were in Munich from mid-April to prepare for it.
• 45. Rudolf Steiner's nickname for Clara Selling (1875-1961), sister of Wilhelm Selling, from 1905 she kept house for Marie v. Sivers, in 1910 she married Kurt Walther and went to Fürstenwalde/Spree. When he was transferred to Berlin in 1913, they both returned to Motzstr. 17.

65

To Marie von Sivers in Berlin
Sunday, February 7, 1909

Stuttgart, February 7, 1909

M. l. M. I can only send you a few words from here. There really was quite a lot to do. And actually, there is little time everywhere. But so far, as far as the theosophical content of the trip is concerned, everything has gone well. But we will probably have to save almost everything about that for the oral report. In Strasbourg, Oehler ⁷ is very eager. And it wasn't his fault that the lecture hall was so poorly heated that Maud ⁸ caught a cold so badly (on top of everything else) that she had to stay in bed. Now Scholl has brought her here. The two of them have become so ill from some food that was served to them yesterday that Maud is back in bed here as well. It is a shame for Scholl that she has to be a nurse like this. After Strasbourg, Freiburg. Not particularly well attended; but this time with a lot of participation. Then Mulhouse. Good. One is still missing for the lodge.⁹ I will bring applications for admission. The members of the local French lodge ¹⁰ were, by the way, completely there. In Basel, I found Bredow's letter about the theater rent. We can discuss the matter as soon as I return. But it looks as though the artists' theater won't work out, and it would be good if K. [Kalckreuth] looked for another theater. Your Berlin local question ¹¹ We can only decide after I arrive. The crises in Basel are unpleasant, since things went so well there theosophically. Actually, underlying feelings play a greater role than the facts that have occurred.

In Mulhouse, Ostermann turned up for a day. He told me that he would never be unfaithful. In Bern, we had the Grand Council Hall again. This time it was very well attended. There were French people there, but no interpreters. So this time I had to see how far I could get with my French. Necessity is the mother of invention in such matters. But it is quicker with an interpreter. In Bern, Miss Bright was ¹² Actually, she does not know much about all the events in England; and she is optimistic. Her real puzzle is Miss Ward, whose influence on her is a recurring theme, no matter what is said in conversation. She attended the public lecture in Bern, an E.S. and a lodge lecture. And Bern was probably good for her being there. Yesterday at noon she was invited with Mrs. Haefliger ¹³ invited, which I thought was necessary if I accepted the lunch invitation. She said she would have been very happy with anything.

The Lodge lecture is coming up soon. Bern-Stuttgart is a horrendous journey. In the evening I had to travel from Bern to Zurich at 8:37 p.m.; then there was a sleeping car to Stuttgart, where we arrived at 5:50 a.m. E.S. was at 11 a.m. Yesterday was very busy. In Basel and Bern there were Swiss from all sides.

Sincerely, Rudolf

I am very happy about your feelings towards the great subject of the Apocalypse; it is like an echo of my own when I have to speak about these powerful things. The way you feel about it only shows that you are doing the right thing.

• 7. Paul Oehler, chairman of the Goethe-Schiller branch in Strasbourg, founded in March 1908.
• 8. Maud Künstler from Cologne.
• 9. Seven members were needed to found a lodge or branch. In July 1909, the German Paulus branch was founded.
• 10. In Mühlhausen, there was already a French-speaking branch that was affiliated with the French section of the T.G. Theater rent... Künstlertheater: The premiere of Edouard Schuré's drama “The Children of Lucifer” on August 22, 1909 took place at the Munich Schauspielhaus.
• 11. Dürfte sich auf die verlegung des Berliner Zweiglokals von Motzstraße 17 nach Geisbergstraße 2 beziehen. The new restaurant was artistically designed according to Rudolf Steiner and inaugurated on May 5, 1909 (GA 284).
• 12. Esther Bright from London (born 1868), A. Besant's most loyal friend, but also friends with Rudolf Steiner and Marie v. Sivers. Rudolf Steiner commemorates her and her mother Ursula in 'My Life Course'. Apart from them, almost the entire English prominence, including Miss Edith Ward, had turned away from A. Besant because she had pushed for Leadbeater's re-admission to the TG.
• 13. Anna Haefliger (d. 1935), member since Sep. 1906, secretary at the founding of the Bern Johannes branch in 1907, later chairwoman.

119

Telegram to Marie von Sivers in Dornach
Monday, August 24, 1914, from Stuttgart

Arrived safely. Traveling further today. Greetings, Steiner.

136

Telegram to Marie von Sivers in Dornach
Wednesday, September 30, 1914, from Stuttgart

Arrive Basel tomorrow, Thursday, at 4:25 p.m. Steiner.

137

Telegram to Marie von Sivers in Dornach
Saturday, October 17, 1914, from Stuttgart

Arrived in Basel today, Saturday, at 4:25 p.m. Greetings, Steiner.

147

To Marie Steiner on a eurythmy tour
Monday, 7 March 1921

Stuttgart, 7 March 1921

My dear Mouse!

Before I leave Stuttgart,¹ I am sending this greeting quickly. Saturday morning we arrived; now Monday evening I want to leave. Wagner ² is coming with me. I will spend the night in Freiburg and will be in Dornach tomorrow. There was plenty to do in the short time available. And Ith ³ has already arrived here.

The most wretched smear campaign, originating in Göttingen and published in the Frankfurter Zeitung, ⁴ You have no doubt heard that the article, which of course will appear everywhere again, has brought. It is quite dreadful. I would be very grateful if I could at least arrive in Stuttgart again on the evening of the 15th ⁵ could; but it will just be the 8th until I am in Dornach, and then every day will be added up.

At noon today, a meeting was held here with Marx regarding the takeover of Waldorf-Astoria.⁶ I have negotiated with this Marx a Marxism that is not exactly unmarxist either. Incidentally, I can recommend Marx to you.

Otherwise, everything went well here, even if not exactly smoothly. Just the people in the building, Reebsteins and Olga ⁷ They are very nice and are visibly looking forward to seeing you.

Unfortunately I was in such a rush that I couldn't see del Monte. Hopefully everything will go well. Now the car is waiting and I am still waiting for Molt,⁸ who will bring me news of a fisherman who also has something to do with Waldorf-Astoria.

With my warmest regards,

Rudolf

• 1. After events in Holland (February 19 to March 3), Rudolf Steiner traveled to Stuttgart, Marie Steiner to Cologne for a eurythmy performance.
• 2. Otto Wagner, Stuttgart, secretary to Emil Molt.
• 3. Dr. Arnold I (1890-1979), 1920-1922 Director of Futurum AG. Later Director of Transport for the City of Zurich.
• 4. Göttingen was one of the main focuses of the opponents' activity. The aim of the attacks was not only the person of Rudolf Steiner and the anthroposophy he represented, but they were also directed against the efforts towards threefolding. Prof. Hugo Fuchs, director of the anatomical institute, emerged as the main opponent. On the one hand, personal motives were decisive – his wife Franziska had been a member since 1912 – but on the other hand, he belonged to the circle of the ethnically oriented Pan-Germanists, who accused Rudolf Steiner of treason. In January 1921, the Upper Silesian local groups of the Federation for Threefolding had published an appeal for the rescue of Upper Silesia (so far in GA 24, new in GA 255) in view of the referendum of March 20, 1921 on the question of which state it should belong to. The appeal, which was mainly written by Rudolf Steiner, called on the people of Upper Silesia to reject for the time being the annexation to a neighboring state until the clarification of the European situation and to realize the social threefolding in their territory. On February 25, 1921, the Göttingen local group of the “United Associations of Homeland-loving Upper Silesians” convened a protest meeting that passed a resolution protesting against the content of the appeal because it advocated the separation of Upper Silesia from the German Reich. The driving force behind this meeting and resolution was Prof. Fuchs and his followers. They were able to achieve that a counter-meeting planned by the Dreigliederungsbund for the next day was banned by the relevant authorities in the “interest of public peace, security and order”. The Dreigliederungsbund, under the leadership of Ernst Uehli, had no choice but to publish an “answer to the protest meeting” in the Dreigliederungszeitung of March 8 (2nd year, no. 36). In the Frankfurter Zeitung of March 4, 1921 (65th year, no. 167), the representatives of the threefolding idea were nevertheless branded as “traitors to Germanness”. The accusation was so serious that the Frankfurter Zeitung had to give the Federation for Threefolding the opportunity for a counterstatement on March 12, 1921 (65th year, no. 188). On the basis of this statement, which appeared under the title “Threefold Social Order and Upper Silesia”, the charge of treason could not be sustained, and the Frankfurter Zeitung had to withdraw it on March 15. (65th year, no. 196). However, nothing has changed in the hostility towards anthroposophical efforts.
• 5. for his course “Mathematics, Scientific Experiment, Observation and Knowledge Results from the Point of View of Anthroposophy” (GA 324), which takes place from 16 to 23 March.
• 6. The Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory in Stuttgart, managed by Emil Molt, was a joint-stock company. However, Molt was only a minority shareholder and depended on the approval of his other business partners for his decisions, the most important of whom was the Hamburg merchant Max Marx. As a co-founder of the business association “Der Kommende Tag AG”, Emil Molt considered it desirable to bring his company into this economic context as well. This meant that “Der Kommende Tag” had to take over the majority of the shares. Negotiations with the Hamburg shareholders began in October 1920 and led to a preliminary agreement in March 1921. The necessary clarifications, however, dragged on until the end of May. The acquisition of the shares was made retroactively to January 1, 1921. However, the hoped-for profit from the integration of Waldorf-Astoria failed to materialize, leaving the Coming Day with no choice but to resell the Waldorf-Astoria shares. In March 1922, a corresponding sales contract was concluded with a German banking consortium and the shares were sold again with effect from April 1, 1922. For Molt, this development was tragic, as it ultimately led to the downfall of his company in 1929.
• 7. (1894-1961). Came to Berlin from Posen around 1912. From 1913 until her marriage in 1927, she worked as a domestic helper in the Steiner household, first in Berlin and then in Dornach.
• 8. Kommerzienrat Dr. h.c. Emil Molt (1876-1936), industrialist, head of the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory in Stuttgart, member since October 1907. Actively involved in the development of the social threefolding movement and in this context founder of the Freie Waldorfschule Stuttgart (1919). Co-founder of Kommende Tag AG, Stuttgart, and Futurum AG, Dornach.

149

To Rudolf Steiner in Dornach
Saturday, February 25, 1922, from Stuttgart

We have now had our first rehearsal evening. Apparently people are enthusiastic. Of course, I don't know how much of this is due to the desire to make amends for our past faux pas. Yesterday there were a lot of visitors, and standing room was also allocated. However, “Nature” ¹ didn't go well; it is generally a matter where one gets the least out of the experience because the tension of memory predominates; unfortunately the stage is too narrow here, and now, due to the temperature difference in front of and behind the curtains, the curtains became so bloated that the ladies had to move together in the middle and thus stood much too crowded to allow the forms to take effect. I was just glad that Kisseleff ² didn't get caught in the curtains, which blew in her legs. This only lasted until the temperature had evened out. But it is too cold behind the curtains anyway, as there are no heaters. Now the ladies, heated from dancing, have to stand there in their thin veils and expose themselves to colds.

Incidentally, some people found the cloud-like blowing very beautiful.

The rest went off without a hitch and we only hear good things. But I am still afraid that we will be killed in Halle and Leipzig.

Uehli ³ spoke the introductory words and “handed over the stage to its destiny”.

Rittelmeyer invited me to Berlin for a second performance ⁴ written, we will practice here tomorrow and travel on Monday. Grunelius ⁵ awaits us, we are billeted in the Sedan Hotel.

All my warmest regards, I am very happy that we were able to see scenes from the mystery ⁶ and that you could feel the emotion.

Marie

• 1. Hymn to Nature by Goethe, adapted for eurhythmy by Rudolf Steiner in 1919.
• 2. Tatiana Kisseleff (1881-1970), Russian, member from March 1912, was one of the first and best eurythmy performers on the Dornach stage.
• 3. Ernst Uehli (1875-1959), member in Zurich since October 1908, from 1919 editor of the weekly journal “Dreigliederung des sozialen Organismus” and from October 1921 together with Dr. Kolisko, editor of the monthly journal for anthroposophy and threefolding “The Three”, as well as a member of the central board of the Anthroposophical Society, Stuttgart.
• 4. From March 5-12, 1922, an Anthroposophical College course took place in Berlin, led by Dr. Friedrich Rittelmeyer. In addition to the eurythmy performance on March 12, 1922, at the sold-out Deutsches Theater, a second smaller performance was added on March 9, 1922.
  Dr. Friedrich Rittelmeyer (1872-1938), a Protestant pastor and well-known preacher in Nuremberg, was at the “New Church” in Berlin from 1916. Personal contact with Rudolf Steiner since 1911. 1922 co-founder and first leader of the “Christian Community”. 1923 also on the board of the German national society.
• 5. Andreas v. Grunelius (1900-1987), a member since September 1920, first studied agriculture in Hohenheim, then earned a doctorate in political science in Tübingen. He accompanied Rudolf and Marie Steiner on many trips for their personal protection, and on May 15 he was also one of their defenders against the assassination attempt in Munich. In 1931, he and others founded the Waldorfspielzeug und Verlag GmbH in Stuttgart. After the Second World War, he initially managed the agriculture of the curative education home St. Barthelemy near Lake Geneva. In 1953, he came to the administration of the Ita Wegman Clinic in Arlesheim.
• 6. The lecture hall at the Stuttgart branch at Landhausstrasse 70 had been enlarged to include a stage with adjoining rooms. Various scenes from Rudolf Steiner's mystery dramas were presented in two eurythmy performances (February 24 and 25, 1922) to inaugurate the hall.

150

To Rudolf Steiner in Dornach, February 27, 1922,
written in Stuttgart, February 26, 1922.

[IMAGE REMOVED FROM PREVIEW]

152

[IMAGE REMOVED FROM PREVIEW]

156

To Marie Steiner on a eurythmy trip
Saturday, 25 November 1922

Stuttgart, 25 Nov. 1922

My dear Mouse!

I hope the journey continues to go well and that you arrive safely in Berlin. I had a fright as soon as I arrived here: I had your suitcase key. Now I have given it to Clara ¹⁸ But you will have had the suitcase opened long ago, of course.

I am busy here from morning till night. And now, as I write this, Husemann ¹⁹ who was the actual initiator of the boycott of Kolisko's brochure ²⁰. I had to tell him over the telephone, since he wanted to speak to me personally that same day: the Medical Council has been more outspoken in its opposition than anyone in the Society: they have given the order to prevent the lecture during the Medical Week ²¹ There is also a brochure that I think should be hidden so that no one can see it: I will refrain from asking you for any information about it.

At the teachers' conference yesterday, it was not possible to resolve the timetable issue because the preliminary meetings held without me were ineffectual. In addition, the Moltke book ²² these days with Mrs. v. Moltke ²³ on the first morning and afternoon of my stay here. Now, as I write this, Rittelmeyer is waiting downstairs; and I had to spend all mornings in school. ²⁴

Well, it is really quite difficult here. But forgive me for writing all this. But it is so clear to me at this moment that it just flowed from my pen.

I now intend to come to Berlin for the last of your performances and to give a branch lecture the following day.²⁵ I hope that this will be possible, although I will find much misery in Dornach. So hopefully everything will be fine there; I will telegraph in good time whether I will definitely come.

Warmest regards, Rudolf.

Greetings to Waller.

• 18. (died 1987), sister of Olga Zibell, member since May 1921, employed in the Reebstein household in Stuttgart.
• 19. Dr. med. Friedrich Husemann (1887-1959), a specialist in psychiatry, transferred from the French to the German Section in January 1912. 1921-1924 Physician at the Clinical-Therapeutic Institute in Stuttgart. In 1925 he founded a sanatorium, first in Freiburg-Günterstal, and from 1930 in Wiesneck near Freiburg im Breisgau.
• 20. Lilly Kolisko, “The Spleen Function and the Platelet Question”, Stuttgart 1922.
• 21. “Medical Week” Stuttgart, organized by the Clinical-Therapeutic Institute of “(Kommende Tag AG”. Rudolf Steiner gave 4 lectures (October 26-28, 1922). These are contained in the volume Physiological-Therapeutic Foundations on the Basis of Spiritual Science, GA 314.
• 22. The discussions with Mrs. v. Moltke related to the publication “H. v. Moltke, Erinnerungen, Briefe, Dokumente 1877-1916“, Stuttgart 1922. Three years earlier (1919), under the title ‘Die ’Schuld' am Kriege” (The 'Guilt' of the War), reflections and memories of the Chief of Staff H. v. Moltke on the events from July 1914 to November 1914, “introduced in agreement with Mrs. Eliza v. Moltke by Dr. Rudolf Steiner”. However, this edition was not delivered. Rudolf Steiner's introduction at that time is printed in Essays on the Threefold Social Organism and on the Present Times 1915-1921, GA 24.
• 23. liza v. Moltke, née Countess Moltke-Huitfeldt (1859-1932), from Sweden, wife of Helmuth v. Moltke, member of the Berlin branch since November 1905.
• 24. Rudolf Steiner held a total of 70 conferences with the teaching staff of the Free Waldorf School in Stuttgart, which he directed, from 1919-1924, GA 300.
• 25. On December 6, 1922, the last of several eurythmy performances took place in Berlin. Rudolf Steiner spoke the introductory words and gave a lecture the next day in the Berlin branch called 'The Experiences of the Human Being in the Ethereal Cosmos', GA 218.