The Rudolf Steiner Archive

15. Speech at the Monthly Celebration Following the Fire at the Goetheanum

[ 1 ] My dear children, my dear students of the Waldorf School! When some of your classmates performed the moving poem about the flame ascending to heaven so beautifully through eurythmy at the beginning of this lovely school celebration, it made your dear teachers and me feel quite sad. For, you see, when eurythmy reveals something so deeply from the heart, one feels even more keenly what lies within what is being revealed. And now, something like this will always remind us of the grief, the pain, and the suffering that your teachers and I experienced together because of the terrible flames that destroyed the Goetheanum—our beloved Goetheanum. That Goetheanum, of which your teachers have spoken to you so often, about which you have heard—how every visit to the Goetheanum was a source of deep joy, enthusiasm, and refreshment for your teachers’ hearts.

[ 2 ] But, my dear children, my dear students, there is still more—and this is a great comfort—that finds its way into the hearts and souls of your teachers, who say from the depths of their hearts: “If something as beautiful as today’s celebration here at school is possible—oh, there really is a certain comfort for us—that is what we can instill in the hearts and souls of our dear children, our students.

[ 3 ] For this is a spiritual treasure, and even though it demands immense sacrifice and devotion, diligence, and attention on the part of our dear teachers, it is something that endures. It is a spiritual treasure with which one can overcome every blazing flame that reaches destructively into the human heart. And it is not only the Waldorf School itself, but also what lives within you, my dear children, students—that is what is the greatest comfort to those who guide you, especially during long nights of work and in moments of pain. And you can increase this comfort even further by doing what you have to do with diligence and attention—and with love for your teachers.

[ 4 ] Once upon a time, there were two people who went for a long walk one Sunday. They walked through the fields, basking in the glorious sunshine, and finally came to the forest, where they rested in the shade of the trees at a beautiful clearing, and there they talked to one another. They were very tired and had to rest for a long time. And there they talked to one another. And the conversation just came naturally—they were already elderly—they began talking about the joys, the labors, the sorrows, and the pains of life.

[ 5 ] Then it happened that he said: “Oh, life does have its joys after all. Life offers so many beautiful things. For example, I was at an art gallery. There I saw paintings by many artists. My heart rejoiced. There was so much beauty and grandeur there—it lifted my spirit.

[ 6 ] Then the other one said: “That’s something you have to keep in mind. But just think, my dear friend, what it would have been like if you hadn’t even learned in school to take pleasure in these pictures. You would have walked right past them without understanding them at all. Oh, my dear friend, one often has to look back and realize how school gives us the very things that make life joyful and worthwhile.

[ 7 ] And the other one said: “Yes, just look—we don’t need to go back that far.” On that lovely walk we took, where we saw the birds flying in the sky, our hearts were lifted, and we just had to sing songs out of joy. Would we have been able to do that if we hadn’t prepared our hearts to sing while we were in school?

[ 8 ] Then it occurred to the other one: We could have learned that later. — But when you learn something later, it doesn't come so naturally from the heart.

[ 9 ] And there, as they lay there and shook off their weariness, one of them felt deeply uplifted and joyful inside and said: “Oh, nature—it is so beautiful; there is so much to be found in nature.” “But look,” he said, “if nature is so beautiful, you can understand it better and better once you’ve learned, for example, to imitate nature through recitation.” - And then he became cheerful, and he recited a poem to the other one that ended with: “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” And they were happy not only that they could hear the rooster, but that they could experience all of this so vividly, because they had learned to empathize with what was out there in nature.

[ 10 ] One of them said: “We’re old people, but I happened to wander into the Waldorf School the other day. There, they still learn something different. They learn eurythmy. We never had the chance to learn that. When we’re happy, we have to remember that we can feel that joy because we’ve learned something.” What will the school mean for those who attended the Waldorf School, who are still young now, and who will later in life be able to remember something that can only come from the Waldorf School!? Life could not bring beauty at all if the heart and mind had not been prepared in school so that beauty could be experienced.

[ 11 ] When you’re sad, it’s comforting to think back on your school days. You can’t help but say: here at the Waldorf School, your teachers strive to shape your lives in such a way that later on, in times of joy and sorrow, you will draw greatly upon these memories when you recall your time at the Waldorf School so vividly. And then you will have serious moments. You will see that you simply cannot live if you cannot work. We wouldn’t be able to work if we hadn’t learned something proper. Now consider that your teachers are working so that you can work and live in the right way later in life; your teachers are thinking about your future lives. You should take this to heart. After having such a beautiful celebration as today’s, you must truly believe that you can learn for life. If, while at school, you tell yourselves: “Well, let’s not just learn what is pleasant to us, but also what is unpleasant”—then even that will become pleasant and joyful. And later in life, you will find joy in the very things that initially required a great deal of effort.

[ 12 ] These are all things that are always taken into consideration: The goal here is to prepare our students for a meaningful life in the future.

[ 13 ] That is how our oldest students felt. And it was a wonderful feeling, my dear students in the top class, when you expressed that you feel so at home here at this Waldorf School that you actually want to stay here for as long as you are supposed to be learning anything at all. Until the time comes when you step out into life, you would like to be taught in the same way you have been up to now at the Waldorf School.

[ 14 ] The fact is, this poses great difficulties. There are many obstacles to overcome. We will have to face the immense obstacles that lie ahead. We will try to overcome various obstacles in order to achieve what needs to be achieved. It may well have inspired hearts that beat for your ideals. This was preceded by the founding of this school by Emil Molt.

[ 15 ] Well, my dear children, my dear students, this is what I have always told all of you: If you love your teachers, then that love for your teachers will be the true love they have for you!—that love will be the power through which your teachers’ best guidance enters your hearts and souls. That is why I do not want to conclude what I have to say, but rather I want to say: may you be the ones to conclude it. I would like to urge you: Become clear about whether you want to devote diligence and attention to your life ideals, to what you want. If you want to devote these things—but from the heart—then accept the words I have spoken to your hearts; tell me... [The children call out to Dr. Steiner that they want to do so.]