The Rudolf Steiner Archive

17. Report on the General Assembly of the German Section

Article by Richard Bresch in *Vâhan*, Vol. VI, No. 5, November 1904

[ 1 ] After the board meeting had taken place on Saturday starting at 3:00 p.m., the actual general assembly was scheduled for Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. All thirteen lodges were represented: Berlin with five votes, Leipzig with three, and all other lodges with two votes each, for a total of thirty votes. Düsseldorf, Hanover, Lugano, and Nuremberg were not represented in person but by proxies, and Nuremberg, Dresden, and Munich—as new lodges—were represented for the first time.

[ 2 ] Secretary-General Dr. Rudolf Steiner welcomed those present and emphasized that we Germans are an outpost in Central Europe for the spread of the great spiritual wave that swept across the Western world in 1875 through the Theosophical Movement. He then looked back on the past year and highlighted Mrs. Besant’s visit as the most significant event for the German Section, the beneficial influence of which he was convinced. Dr. Steiner then turned to his lecture at the Dresden Congress. As to what had motivated him as a Theosophist to do so, he felt no obligation to account for it; however, as General Secretary, he did wish to say a few words on the matter. He regarded the fact that the so-called secessionist movement had adopted our title, “Theosophical Society,” as a mistake, whether moral or intellectual. Our relationship with the others should therefore be understood to mean that we must help them. He would have given the lecture that was requested of him anywhere, regardless of what the Society called itself. Whether one should actively participate in the organizations was another matter! He (Dr. Steiner) personally considered that a mistake, and that was why he had not participated in anything during the entire Congress, even though he had been in Dresden the whole time. Regarding the voting—which had previously been a point of uncertainty—it was decided that the lodges should be free to choose whether to cast their votes collectively or to have them cast by multiple delegates. To avoid complications, please address all mail (including payments) intended for the German Section to Miss Marie von Sivers, Berlin W., Motzstraße 17.

[ 3 ] Miss Stinde (Munich) was elected to the Executive Board to replace Dr. Noll (Kassel), and Mr. Arenson (Cannstatt) was elected to replace Mr. Oppel (Stuttgart); Mr. Seiler (Charlottenburg) was elected Treasurer to replace Ms. von Holten. Mr. Krojanker was elected as auditor in place of Mr. Seiler.

[ 4 ] As for the treasury, revenue at the end of the fiscal year totaled 1,795 marks, while expenses totaled 795.04 marks. Of this amount, 427.51 marks were paid to the headquarters in Adyar; the remaining expenses were allocated to the printing of the bylaws, conference invitations, postage, and the German Section’s contribution to the European Congress in Amsterdam, bringing the current cash balance to 999.96 marks.

[ 5 ] Membership rose from 130 on October 1, 1903, to 251—an increase of 121 members. Seven members resigned or passed away.

[ 6 ] Reports on the activities of the representatives of the overseas branches are provided from time to time. It is worth noting in particular that Lugano expressed its gratitude in writing, and Stuttgart, through its representative, verbally expressed its gratitude to Dr. Steiner for his work over the past year.

[ 7 ] Prompted by the editorial footnote on p. 86 of the October issue of *Vâhan*, Mr. Ffelix] L[öhnis] (representing Dresden) submitted two motions. The first read, not verbatim but in essence, as follows: The General Assembly should decide whether it considers it consistent with the spirit of the Constitution and the decisions or executive decrees of the General Council and the President of the Theosophical Society for Adyar members to participate in convening a general Theosophical Congress.

[ 8 ] During the discussion of this motion, however, concerns were raised that the sharp tone occasionally adopted in the *Vâhan* toward secession might do more harm than good; in substance, however, the view expressed in the aforementioned footnote was generally endorsed—with the exception of the proposer—as it was indeed in line with the guiding principle set forth by Dr. Steiner. Experience has shown that such congresses inherently tend to form a new organization. Therefore, the co-convening of such congresses by Adyar members could not be approved, nor could such action be regarded as merely a private matter for the members. Consequently, the following motion was adopted as a resolution:

[ 9 ] “The General Assembly of the German Section of the Theosophical Society, held on October 30, 1904, resolves not to participate in any undertaking initiated by other so-called theosophical societies and considers it the duty of each individual branch to act in the same manner. Any participation may only be on a private basis by individual members.”

[ 10 ] Mr. Ffelix’s second motion] L[öhnis] was to collect all general resolutions and executive decrees scattered throughout *The Theosophist* and (in German) *Vâhan* and append them to the bylaws, so that no one who, upon joining the Society, had been presented only with the constitution and bylaws, might one day—as happened to the proposer with the aforementioned footnote— be taken by surprise, as it were, by such a resolution, and furthermore, so that everything might be submitted to the police—to whom the Constitution and Bylaws must be submitted upon the founding of a lodge—and be treated fairly. This motion met with full approval and was adopted as a resolution. The only surprising thing here is that this need had not long since become apparent throughout the entire Society.

[ 11 ] Now that this footnote has clarified an important matter—thus preventing members from making mistakes and, moreover, providing a lasting benefit that is by no means insignificant—those readers who took offense at it will likely come to terms with it. Why all of this could not have been achieved without “resorting to the public eye,” however, must remain undiscussed here.

[ 12 ] A motion was submitted from Munich to relocate the headquarters there, given the favorable conditions for theosophy prevailing in that city; however, the General Assembly merely noted this motion in the minutes. Mr. B. Hubo then suggested calling for voluntary contributions to put the Society on a more solid financial footing. After a brief debate, it was decided that the Executive Board should be tasked with soliciting such contributions. By half past two, all items on the agenda had been addressed.

[ 13 ] On the evening of October 30, starting at half past four, lectures and a discussion took place. First, Mr. Bresch spoke on the topic: “Should We Teach Theosophy to Young People?” He was followed by Dr. Steiner, who spoke on “The Nature of Clairvoyance.” Readers will find a summary of the latter lecture in this issue; we plan to publish the summary of the former in the next issue or the one after that.