Part Two: The Procedings of
the Conference
The
Foundation Meeting of the General Anthroposophical Society
25 December, 11.15 a.m.
Dr. Steiner greets those present with the words:
My dear friends!
Allow me
forthwith to open the Foundation Meeting of the
Anthroposophical Society. My first task is to announce the
names of the General Secretaries who will speak on behalf of
the national Societies:
America, the United States: Mr Monges.
Austria: On behalf of the Council: Count Polzer.
Belgium: Madame Muntz.
Czechoslovakia: Dr Eiselt, Dr Krkavec.
Denmark: Herr Hohlenberg.
England: Mr Collison.
Finland: Herr Donner.
France: Mademoiselle Sauerwein.
Germany:
on behalf of the Council: Dr
Unger.
on behalf of the Free Anthroposophical
Society: Dr Büchenbacher.
Holland: Dr Zeylmans van Emmichoven.
Honolulu: Madame Ferreri.
Italy: On behalf of the Council:
Baroness de Renzis, Rome,
The Duke of Cesaro, Fräulein
Schwarz, Milan.
Norway: Herr Ingerö.
Sweden: Fräulein Henström.
Switzerland: Herr Steffen.
Secondly I have to read to you a telegram
which has arrived: ‘Please convey to the gathering our
cordial greetings and best wishes for a good outcome, in the
name of Sweden's anthroposophists.’
Before coming
to the first point on the agenda I wish to ask whether in
accordance with the rules of procedure anyone wishes to
comment on the agenda?
No-one.
Then let us
take the first point on the agenda. I call on Herr Steffen,
who will also be speaking as the General Secretary of the
Society in Switzerland, within whose boundaries we are guests
here.
Albert
Steffen speaks:
He concludes
by reading a resolution of the Swiss delegates:
The delegates
of the Swiss branches have decided to announce publicly
today, on the occasion of the Foundation Meeting, the
following resolution:
‘Today,
on the occasion of the Foundation Meeting of the General
Anthroposophical World Society in Dornach, the
Anthroposophical Society in Switzerland wishes to express its
gratitude and enthusiasm for the fact that the Goetheanum,
which serves the cultural life of all mankind, is to be built
once again in Switzerland. The Swiss Society sees in this
both good fortune and great honour for its country. It wishes
to verify that it will do everything in its power to ensure
that the inexhaustible abundance of spiritual impulses given
to the world through the works of Rudolf Steiner can continue
to flow out from here. In collaboration with the other
national Societies it wants to hope that the pure and
beneficial source may become accessible to all human beings
who seek it.’
Dr. Steiner: My dear friends, in the
interest of a proper continuation of the Meeting it seems to
me sensible to postpone the discussion on announcements such
as that we have just heard to a time which will arise
naturally out of the proceedings.
For the
second point on the agenda I now wish to call for the reports
to be given by the various Secretaries of the various
national Societies. If anyone does not agree with this
arrangement of the agenda, please raise your hand.
It seems that
no-one disagrees, so let us continue with the agenda. Will
the different General Secretaries please come to the platform
to speak to our friends. I first call on the General
Secretary for the United States of America, Mr Monges, to
speak.
Mr Monges
gives his report.
Dr. Steiner: I would now like to call on
the General Secretary for Belgium, Madame Muntz, to
speak.
Madame Muntz
expresses her thanks for this honour, declares herself in
agreement with all the statements that have been made and
wishes the Meeting all the best.
Dr. Steiner: I now call on the General
Secretary for Denmark, Herr Hohlenberg, to speak.
Herr
Hohlenberg reports.
Dr. Steiner: I now call on the
representative of the Council in Germany, Dr Unger, to
speak.
Dr. Unger
reports on the work of the German national Society. He
concludes with words which have been recorded in the
short-hand report:
At present we
require in some aspects a rather comprehensive structure to
accommodate this Society. This will have to be brought into
full conformity with the Statutes presented here by Dr.
Steiner for the founding of the General Society. We declare
that the Anthroposophical Society in Germany will incorporate
every point of these Statutes into its own Statutes and that
these Statutes as a whole will be given precedence over the
Statutes or Rules of the Anthroposophical Society in Germany.
In addition I have also been especially called upon to
express deep gratitude to Dr. Steiner for taking on the heavy
obligations arising out of the founding of the General
Anthroposophical Society. Out of all the impressions gained
from this Conference, the question will have to be asked
whether every aspect of the work done in a large Society such
as that in Germany can participate in and wants to
participate in what is wanted by Dornach. Ever since Dr.
Steiner took up residence in Dornach, ever since there has
been work going on in Dornach, it has always gone without
saying that what took place in Dornach was seen as the
central point of all our work. Whatever else needs to be said
about the work of the Society in Germany will be better
brought forward during the further course of our gatherings.
Let me just say, however, that in recent months we have begun
a very intensive public programme. Hundreds of lectures of
all kinds, but particularly also those arising out of a
purely anthroposophical intention, have been given,
especially in the southwestern part of Germany, even in the
smallest places. All those who have participated, and there
are many, agree without reservation that even in the smallest
places there is a genuine interest in Anthroposophy, that
everywhere hearts are waiting for Anthroposophy, and that
wherever it is clearly and openly stated that the speaker
stands on the soil of the spiritual research given to the
world by Dr. Steiner it is really so that people feel: I am
reminded that I have a soul and that this soul is beginning
to be aware of itself once more. This is the case in all
human souls, even those found in the smallest places, so we
may look with confidence towards continuing our work in
future.
Dr. Steiner: I now call on the representative of the Free
Anthroposophical Society in Germany, Dr Büchenbacher, to
speak.
Dr
Büchenbacher reports and concludes with the words: I
would like to express our feeling of deepest gratitude to Dr.
Steiner for taking upon himself the leadership of the
Anthroposophical Society. This gives us the will and the
courage to work with what strength we have on the general
stream of forces of the Anthroposophical Society. We express
our profoundest thanks to him for having done this deed. And
we request that the Free Anthroposophical Society for its
part may be permitted to work according to its capacity
towards the fulfilment of the tasks which Dr. Steiner has set
it.
Dr. Steiner: May I now call on the General Secretary of
the English Anthroposophical Society, Mr Collison, to
speak.
Mr Collison
reports.
Dr. Steiner: I now call on the General Secretary of the
Anthroposophical Society in Finland, Herr Donner, to
speak.
Herr Donner
reports.
Dr. Steiner: I now call on the General Secretary of the
Anthroposophical Society in France, Mademoiselle Sauerwein,
to speak.
Mademoiselle
Sauerwein reports.
Dr. Steiner: I now call on the Dutch General Secretary of
the Anthroposophical Society, Dr Zeylmans van Emmichoven, to
speak.
Dr Zeylmans
van Emmichoven reports.
Dr. Steiner: May I ask you to remain in your seats for a
few more moments, dear friends. First of all, even during
this Conference forgetfulness has led to the accumulation of
a number of items of lost property. These have been gathered
together and may be collected by the losers from Herr
Kellermüller on their way out.
Secondly, the
programme for the remainder of today will be as follows: At
2.30 there will be a meeting of the Vorstand with the General
Secretaries, and any secretaries they may have brought with
them, down in the Glass House, in the Architects' Office.
This meeting will be for the Vorstand, the General
Secretaries, and possibly their secretaries, only.
At 4.30 there
will be a performance of the Nativity Play here.
Because of a
eurythmy rehearsal my evening lecture will begin at 8.30.
I now adjourn
today's meeting of members till tomorrow morning at 10
o'clock. I shall then have the pleasure of calling on the
representative of Honolulu, Madame Ferreri, to speak, and
representatives of other groups who did not speak today. The
meeting is now adjourned till tomorrow morning at 10
o'clock.
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