The Rudolf Steiner Archive

14. Speech at the Second Regular General Meeting of the “Freie Waldorfschule” Association

[ 1 ] After the business negotiations, Rudolf Steiner takes the floor:

[ 2 ] All in all, it can be said that some of what has emerged from our goals is, in fact, merely an isolated phenomenon within a vast complex of realities. Allow me, then, to make a few observations of my own, particularly regarding the experiences we have had since the time we founded the Waldorf School.

[ 3 ] We founded the Waldorf School as part of the impact that was to emerge from the spiritual movement, which is more than two decades old. Without this spiritual movement, the Waldorf School would be inconceivable. In particular, the plan to establish the Waldorf School originated with our dear friend Emil Molt at a time when, out of the distress of the era, there was a certain interest in the great questions of humanity. It is fair to say that when, counting on this interest, we began in 1919 to work in various directions within the spheres of public life from an anthroposophical perspective, we can say that since that time we have indeed been able to gain quite a wealth of experience in a specific direction.

[ 4 ] At first, there was a certain interest that promised to spread to wider circles. In 1919, there was great interest among people in working in one direction or another so that forces of renewal could take the place of forces of decline. Even today, one can still see that there is widespread interest in educational issues, not only in Central Europe but throughout the world. It is, after all, a striking fact that this year’s Shakespeare birthday celebration in Stratford was actually held under the banner of educational issues. As you know, I myself gave lectures at that celebration, and the event was entirely focused on educational issues; after all, it was a committee for new educational ideals that organized the event. This summer we will again have the opportunity to hold an event in Oxford, and of the twelve lectures, nine will deal specifically with educational issues. This shows that there is, after all, an interest in educational issues today.

[ 5 ] This interest can be found everywhere else as well. It is already quite evident today that, in the broadest sense, questions of education are considered to be the most important issues. There are numerous people who hold the correct belief that all discussion of social issues lacks a solid foundation unless it begins with questions of education. It has become clear that the chaos into which humanity has fallen—and continues to fall—has essentially been brought about by the failure to attach the proper importance to the spiritual aspects of human development.

[ 6 ] But this interest is, if I may put it that way, an intellectual interest. The way this interest manifests itself clearly shows that it is a kind of intellectual interest. People organize—just as they organize other kinds of conferences today—they also organize education conferences. They come together and discuss educational issues, and there is no denying that extraordinarily intelligent things are said at such gatherings. People speak with extraordinary intelligence today. A large part of humanity is intelligent, and on top of that, the fact remains that among the truly intelligent people, the majority today enjoy hearing themselves speak. This creates the best possible conditions for holding conferences and discussing how to find a way out of these chaotic circumstances.

[ 7 ] If it were up to such conferences, we would be well on our way. That, ladies and gentlemen, is something we should really bear in mind. I have said this many times before, and I am convinced that if twelve or any other number of people were to come together today with the intention of drawing up a program on the best way to educate children, the wisest possible outcome would result. I mean this in all seriousness. Program items that beautifully set forth the best pedagogical principles for dealing with children and so on—there is excellent literature on this subject today. People at these conferences talk about literature. What matters is that the work to be done be drawn from real life. When you draw up programs, you are never dealing with real life. In real life, you are dealing with a number of students and a number of teachers. You are dealing with people. These people will accomplish what needs to be accomplished—what they are capable of accomplishing.

[ 8 ] However, in order for what can be accomplished to actually be accomplished, it is essential to have one’s hands free to act from within the human realm. This brings us to the point that what really matters today is not so much that there is intellectual interest in the great questions of existence, but rather that there is the will to actually bring about the conditions under which such an educational system is possible. Herein lies the curious thing: while there is indeed the widest possible interest in thought—in the feeling that this or that ought to be—it is curious that this intellectual interest is not accompanied by a genuine interest of the will. You see, the fact that this interest of the will is missing is the reason why I said that what is discussed at our congresses is actually literature; it is not what is put into practice.

[ 9 ] One of the most important facts regarding the principles on which this Waldorf school was also founded is that we were able to grow the anthroposophical movement into a relatively large one. The anthroposophical movement has become a large one. This is evident in the fact that books that are difficult to read achieve the highest print runs. Everywhere, interest springs forth—an intellectual interest that even goes beyond mere intellectual curiosity to the extent that the anthroposophical movement attracts people who also have an emotional and heartfelt interest. In all our current movements, people come together who, under certain circumstances, have a purely intellectual interest, which, among those who are somewhat active, turns into an interest in discussion. The anthroposophical movement brings together those who have an intense human need, who require something for their souls, who wish to make progress with regard to the essence of the human being. This is how it is when one considers the more theoretical—the interest in knowledge and the interest in feeling—from a more theoretical perspective. There are many people today who say to themselves: “There is something here where one can satisfy one’s spiritual interests.”—That is how it is today. I hope it holds within it all the guarantees of growth, despite the scandalous opposition.

[ 10 ] What we lack are people who are not merely interested in ensuring that the anthroposophical movement is as large as possible and that it produces as much spiritual content as possible, but rather people who are interested in making this anthroposophical movement a reality—people who are actively involved in bringing about the anthroposophical movement. There are very few of them. We have a great many people who are just listeners—people who want something for themselves—but we have very few people who are collaborators in the full sense of the word.

[ 11 ] You see, when our Congress of Vienna was held—which, of course, was not a “congress” in the same sense as other congresses; our congresses are based on the premise that people gather to receive something they are to take home with them, whereas others are such that everyone wants to unload what they have at home—when this congress was held, the reality was that workers had to be there to prepare it and bring it to fruition, and that speakers had to be there. Time and again, it is a small number of friends who actually have to wear themselves out, who have to write until their fingers are sore, who have to empty their wallets. Then there is a small number of friends—the Waldorf teachers and a few others—who, through these contributions, thoroughly overwork themselves almost once a month and are, in fact, always terribly overworked.

[ 12 ] But once such a congress has come to an end—even if it was as successful as the one in Vienna—we have gained some experience in this direction, and yet we must admit: Yes, all the conditions are in place to further expand something like our Waldorf school system. But the conditions are such that the task becomes too much for the small number of people involved. We must constantly be on the lookout for new collaborators. I would like—and perhaps not everyone will agree—to speak quite openly about my experience in this regard. The situation today is such that I must believe there is the potential to attract an ever-increasing number of members in ample numbers. In Vienna, I gained the impression that there are enough people there who could be drawn in to become collaborators in the best sense of the word.

[ 13 ] But—and this is where our general concern converges with our concern for the Waldorf School—the problem is that it is not possible to expand the staff in any way, simply because we have no money. Everywhere else, people have the means to retain their staff. We have this means only to a very limited extent. The main question is always this: How do we offer people a means of livelihood when they break away from their previous means of livelihood? — That is the case. Today, if we want to make progress, we need a large number of staff members. Our current staff is not sufficient for this. Consequently, the work that gets done can only be accomplished by exhausting individual capacities, and what is accomplished through such intense exertion amounts to at most one-tenth of what could already be achieved today under existing conditions—what could be achieved if we could count on a full staff. This is particularly evident following the Congress of Vienna, where it became clear that what I have stated is borne out by experience.

[ 14 ] Of course, this is not about making a routine appeal to the stock exchanges of those who are already members. That is not the point; rather—to put it very strongly—it is simply that whenever an appeal has been made to the will of the people, particularly in recent times, the effort has failed.

[ 15 ] Ultimately, the Waldorf school movement is connected to the threefold social order movement. The Waldorf school movement is conceivable only within a free spiritual life. What we initially found in an interest in thought has not developed into an interest in will. When an attempt was then made to put into practice the only means of extending beyond Central Europe—the founding of the World School Association—the establishment of the World School Association, which was intended to encompass the entire civilized world, failed. The attempt to stir up the belief among people that the educational system ought to be different—that is, what was aspired to as the World School Association—ended in a miserable fiasco. One feels so terribly rebuffed when one appeals to the will. I am not saying that I am appealing for money in this case now. We lack money, but what we lack even more is the will. The interest shown is not truly profound; otherwise, it would extend to the right areas.

[ 16 ] We were able to establish the Waldorf School. Mr. Stockmeyer read aloud the decree, which essentially means that by Easter 1925 we will lose the first grade and, little by little, the four lower grades. We could hardly have established it anywhere else. The founding of the Waldorf School took place at just the right moment when it was possible to do such a thing. — We are constantly confronted with the fact that one can point to such things as powerful forces of decline when the educational system is left at the mercy of a general schematism. Time and again, one can point out that where this has reached its final stage—as embodied in the structure of the elementary school—one can point to the example of Lunacharsky’s school system in Soviet Russia, where it has been implemented! There, people think the way they will come to think here if this approach is carried through to its full consequences. The misery in Eastern Europe is the result of such a way of thinking—originating from unfree schools—finding its way into practice.

[ 17 ] To stir up enthusiasm today with such speeches that people feel the spiritual blood coursing through their souls, and realize: a large number of people who understand this must get involved; public opinion must be spread—with such speeches, I must say, while I have always been able to move from spreading the spiritual idea over the past twenty years to using language that appealed not merely to the hearts in a theoretical sense, but also to the hearts as organs of the will—I felt within the Anthroposophical Society, and later in other societies as well, that I thought to myself: Do people not have ears? - It seems as if people were unable to hear what was meant to move from word to deed. It was something that could lead to despair, as was evident in the fiasco of the World School Association.

[ 18 ] The figures in the school budget speak for themselves; but what goes far beyond the language of numbers—that is what must be emphasized: the immense suffering one feels today when confronted with the apathy that prevails in the widest circles. We must acknowledge: Certainly, there is interest in these circles in something like the Waldorf School, but there must also be interest in the foundations upon which the Waldorf School is built—and this interest must spread in a far more intense way than is currently evident.

[ 19 ] What do you think when something like this decree is read aloud? You think: Yes, maybe we’ll find a way to push through the lower grades for a few more years after all. Even in more intimate circles, the general sentiment is that perhaps we’ll have the opportunity to carry this out for a few more years after all. But the point is that everyone is now getting behind this. The school system must develop freely, as has been emphasized since 1919. Of course, this can only be realized if we reach out to the members of our various associations—who fully agree that such a system exists—so that what they have to offer is accepted, and so that more and more people are drawn to them and become active, participating members. First, the will must arise!

[ 20 ] I would like to say that this is how I see it: If the numbers speak for themselves, then we can say we have no money. Then, in turn, a hole is filled by raising money with great difficulty. But even with this approach, we are not making any progress. We can only move forward with the approach that was envisaged, as discussed by the World School Association. We must have a firm conviction that what is being done will truly become part of public opinion. In order to maintain the Waldorf School and to continue establishing new schools, we need a public opinion that is constantly growing—one that recognizes that the old school system leads only to forces of decline within humanity. That is what we need. If we can bring ourselves not merely to establish a few small, isolated schools here and there to carry out a sort of pedagogical quackery, but if we resolve to bring our educational principles into the public sphere so that they become a deep conviction among parents and non-parents alike—only then will we make progress!

[ 21 ] Now please forgive me if I really cannot help but say—so to speak—that I know many will acknowledge what I have just said as true, will find it entirely correct, but one only truly acknowledges it as true when one takes action! When one does something! That is why we must above all ensure that we do not merely establish schools—as best we can—using only the resources we already have, drawing from our branches and our already depleted funds; we must strive to promote these ideas so that they reach an ever-growing number of people.

[ 22 ] In this regard, our experience has been quite the opposite. The current issue of the *Dreigliederungszeitung* announces that in the future it will become a journal for anthroposophy. Why? Because the promising beginnings in the understanding of the threefold social order have come to nothing. Because, fundamentally, we must return to what we already had in mind before the Threefold Social Order movement. Although there is much talk about the Threefold Social Order, it is once again the case that one falls into despair when speaking with people. For this to become something that could shape public opinion—that is what we need above all else if we want to make progress with the Waldorf school.

[ 23 ] I must say, I’ve been saying this for quite some time. But everything else tends to resonate more than what I said today. I would like to say that if I regard as “faith” only what lives in people’s will, no one believes that anything can be achieved through faith, or that humanity can be helped solely through the free, educational nature of things. That would then lead us to a point where those who are still able to do so would also support us financially, so that we would not constantly be at a disadvantage compared to other movements.

[ 24 ] The anthroposophical movement is the very foundation upon which the Waldorf school movement is built. Even if it can be set back by such scandalous events, it possesses an inner vitality of its own. Many organizations are founded with ample financial resources but lack this inner vitality. Organizations are constantly being founded—there is money for them—but they eventually fail. If all the money that humanity spends today on unnecessary organizations could be channeled into our efforts, the reports would look very different. Then Mr. Leinhas would have to say, “Our reserve fund is so large that we must find ways to invest it profitably.”

[ 25 ] I don’t believe at all that the main problem today is that we might not have money. The problem is that we aren’t actually trying to assert ourselves with the determination to establish our part of spiritual life—which we recognize as true—within the world. What good would it do if I had explained that the way we worked last year was, in a certain sense, satisfactory? But here, when it comes to a general meeting, it is necessary to speak from this perspective. I am, after all, fully convinced that no matter how much better our Waldorf School becomes—if we do not find a way to bring our educational ideas into the public consciousness, then all our financial skills will be of no use to us.

[ 26 ] There must be a determination among an ever-growing number of people to convince everyone. In addition, the view must be spread that, for the good of humanity, it is necessary for something like what is in its infancy at the Waldorf School to continue to grow further and further.

[ 27 ] That is what I would like to instill in those parts of the heart where the impulse of the will resides. One can go quite far if one simply reflects on what really matters: that what matters is that we truly use our will to steer public opinion to where it should be. — That is what I have to say.

Discussion following the general meeting on June 20, 1922

[ 28 ] I should add that a large number of parents have called on the Waldorf School to take steps to formalize the relationship between the teaching staff and the parents. What can the parents themselves do for the children? — I would like to say that in the very near future we will carefully consider how we can work toward this goal. I myself will try, at parent-teacher conferences, to address the concerns reflected in these many signatures. We will strive to do whatever we can in this regard in the very near future.

[ 29 ] We can only succeed in expanding our membership by creating the conditions I have described. First, steps must be taken to shape public opinion in such a way that we can actually carry out our work on a broader scale. Then it will be possible to accomplish quite a lot. But as long as what is growing on our soil remains a secret among our members, we will not make any progress.

[ 30 ] Among other things, a question is raised regarding the official decree mentioned in the speech.

[ 31 ] Dr. Steiner: It wouldn’t help us to appeal to the authorities. We need to win over as many people as possible to the idea that such a school should exist. The authorities are acting entirely correctly if the matter is governed by law. The point is that opinions must take root and become a powerful force. This is about something much deeper. We must resolve to take a more generous view of the matter and tell ourselves: What we believe to be right must become public opinion. The point is to get this idea into as many minds as possible. We must ensure that as many people as possible hold a different opinion.

[ 32 ] Dr. Steiner (responding to a suggestion): That is out of the question. — The formation of public opinion is the only way to bring other means up for discussion. Winning over public opinion is our only practical path. We haven’t done it because there are far too few among us who believe in such a cause. I had a mental image of the World School Association being promoted in a certain way. If the monthly dues could be one franc, we could certainly achieve what such a World School Association would need to achieve. It would simply be a matter of each individual acting in such a way that enthusiasm is rooted in their will. Without doing this, we will not make any progress; instead, we will end up exhausting our last reserves. Even if we were to find many more well-meaning members, it is not practically feasible. Even if such a thing were to become feasible, we would only be depleting our last reserves. Our recent experience has shown us that it is necessary to draw in those circles that already have an interest in our cause but are held back by the fact that the majority of the existing membership feels compelled to keep the organization small.

[ 33 ] It’s fair to say that, once a certain membership fee has been set, it’s a good idea not to exclude those who simply aren’t able to pay the full amount. As for that section of the bylaws, let’s keep it among ourselves that it’s possible to pay less.