The History of the German Section
of the Theosophical Society
1902–1913
GA 250
17 Deptember 1911, Berlin
Translated by Steiner Online Library
44. The Suspended Sixth Congress of the Federation of European Sections in Genoa in September 1911 (Editor’s Notes)
[ 1 ] The sixth congress of the Federation of European Sections of the Theosophical Society (Adyar) was to have been held in Genoa from September 17 to 21, 1911, under the theme “From Buddha to Christ.” The differences between Annie Besant’s and Rudolf Steiner’s teachings on Christ were to be openly discussed there. Even Krishnamurti was expected to attend the congress in Genoa, accompanied by Annie Besant.
[ 2 ] However, the congress was canceled shortly before it was to begin. See also Rudolf Steiner’s account at the tenth General Assembly of the German Section of the Theosophical Society in December 1911 on pages 454 ff. of this volume.
[ 3 ] In an article in the “Mitteilungen für die Mitglieder der Deutschen Sektion der Theosophischen Gesellschaft” (Newsletter for Members of the German Section of the Theosophical Society), No. 14/1912, Rudolf Steiner describes the rejection as follows: “I state that, following the rejection, I contacted the General Secretary of the Italian Section [Otto Penzig] 1General Secretary of the Italian Section [Otto Penzig]: Inserted by the editor. to find out the reasons for the rejection. He replied to me in a telegram: ‘I acted on strict orders from President Mrs. Besant and Secretary Mr. Wallace; please direct your inquiries to them.’—This is the strict, objective facts of the matter. Mrs. Besant is now spreading the following: I had misrepresented the whole matter, for she had never canceled the congress, but had merely informed Genoa that she would not be coming there. As a result, the opinion is spreading in wide circles of the Theosophical Society that I said something incorrect at our General Assembly, whereas I did not say anything at all about my view of the matter, but merely communicated to my members the clear wording of the official telegram from the General Secretary responsible for the matter. I have never said that Mrs. Besant canceled the congress, but only that she could not have canceled it because she had no right to do so.”
[ 4 ] Otto Penzig’s telegram, dated September 11, 1911, has been preserved (Archive Location 97/IV). It reads: “I acted on strict orders from President Besavit [Besant] and Wallace, secretary of the federation; please contact them officially = Penzig +.”
[ 5 ] According to his own account, Penzig appears to have overinterpreted Annie Besant’s prior refusal to attend the congress as indicated in this telegram. See, however, also his account of this matter in his letter of November 23, 1912, to Rudolf Steiner, which was reproduced in “Mitteilungen für die Mitglieder der Deutschen Sektion der Theosophischen Gesellschaft” No. 15/1913, p. 5. This suggests rather that, although Annie Besant later stated that she would never have allowed herself to cancel the congress, but only her own participation, in her confirmation telegram—in response to Penzig’s inquiry as to whether her refusal would also result in the suspension of the congress—she wrote “abandoning congress,” which means “giving up the congress.” Whether this meant that Annie Besant was referring to her participation in the congress or to the congress as a whole must remain open to interpretation.
[ 6 ] See also Rudolf Steiner’s letter to the members of the Theosophical Society dated January 15, 1913, in the “Communications for the Members of the German Section of the Theosophical Society” No. 15/1913 (both this letter and the above-mentioned quote by Rudolf Steiner from Bulletin No. 14/1912 are reprinted as part of the Rudolf Steiner Complete Works in “Writings on the History of the Anthroposophical Movement and Society 1902–1925,” GA37).