Rudolf Steiner in the Waldorf School
GA 298
1 March 1923, Stuttgart
Address at the monthly assembly after the burning of the Goetheanum!
Dear children,1The first Goetheanum, a massive wooden building, burned to the ground on New Year’s Eve of 1922-23. Rudolf Steiner wrote about this building in Wege zu einem neuen Baustil [Toward a New Style of Architecture], 5 lectures given in Dornach, 1914, publ. Stuttgart, 1957, and in Der Baugedanke des Goetheanum [“The Architectural Idea of the Goetheanum”], one lecture given in Bern, 1921, publ. Stuttgart, 1958.dear boys and girls of the Waldorf School! At the beginning of this assembly, we saw some of your schoolmates give a very good performance in eurythmy. But when they performed this moving poem about fiery flames ascending to heaven, your dear teachers and I had reason to be very sad. You see, when eurythmy reveals something from the heart, we feel the content of the revelation more strongly. And now something like this always reminds us of the sorrow, the pain and the suffering that your teachers and I experienced together because of the terrible flames that destroyed the Goetheanum, our dear Goetheanum. Your teachers had often told you about this Goetheanum, and you had heard what a great pleasure, what an inspiration, what a refreshment for your teachers’ hearts each visit to the Goetheanum was.
But then, my dear children, dear boys and girls, your teachers’ hearts and souls are deeply comforted again; they can say from the very depths of their souls that when something as beautiful as today’s assembly can happen here in school, it is a certain comfort to them. It is a comfort for them to see what they have been able to plant in the hearts and souls of their dear students, for this is something that belongs to them spiritually, and even though it demands great sacrifice and devotion, hard work and attentiveness on the part of your teachers, it is something that lasts. With these spiritual belongings it is possible to conquer any raging flame that reaches out to destroy the human heart. And in painful moments and in the nights they spend working, it is not only the Waldorf School itself, it is also what lives in you, dear boys and girls, that is the greatest comfort for those who guide you. And you can make this comfort grow by doing what you have to do with hard work and attentiveness and with love for your teachers.
Once upon a time there were two people who went for a long walk one Sunday. They walked over the fields in the glorious sunshine, and finally they went into the woods, where they rested in a beautiful place in the shade of the trees and talked to each other. They were very tired and had to rest for a long time, and while they rested, they talked. And it happened quite naturally—for these people were already old—that they came to talk about the joys and work and sorrow and pain in life.
And it happened that one of them said, “Oh, life does have its pleasures, too. It gives us so much beauty. I was once in a gallery, for instance, where I saw pictures by many painters, and my heart was glad. It was so beautiful and grand, my soul opened up.”
And the other one said, “We must remember the things like that. But just think, my friend, what it would be like if you had not learned to enjoy pictures when you were in school. You would have walked right by those pictures without understanding them at all. My dear friend, we must so often think back to how school gave us what makes life pleasurable and valuable.”
And the other said, “But you know, we don't need to go back that far. On this nice walk we took today, when we saw the birds flying in the air, our hearts opened up and we had to sing songs of joy. Would we have been able to do that if we hadn't been able to prepare our hearts for singing when we were in school?”
And a thought occurred to the other one: “We could have learned that later. But when you learn something later, it doesn't come so fresh from your heart.”
And while they were lying there driving their tiredness away, one of them grew very uplifted and happy inside, and said, “Oh, Nature is so beautiful; there is so much to find in Nature. But you know, we can understand Nature better and better all the time. If we learned to imitate Nature in the poems we say, for instance.” And since he was in a mood to have fun, he recited a poem for his friend that ended in “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” And they were glad, not only because they could hear the cock crow, but because they were able to be so full of life and feel all this, having learned to identify with what was out in Nature.
When you are sad, it is a comfort to think back on your time in school. You cannot help but realize that here in the Waldorf School your teachers are making an effort to shape your lives so that later, in times of joy and sorrow, your many vivid recollections of the Waldorf School will be a great comfort to you. And then you will have serious times. You will realize that you would not be able to live if you could not work. And we would not be able to work if we had not learned anything sensible. And now think about how your teachers are working so that you will be able to work and live in the right way later on in life. The men and women who are your teachers are thinking ahead to your later years. I want you to inscribe that deeply on your heart. When we have a beautiful festive assembly like the one today, we are sure in our hearts that all of you can learn for life’s sake. And if you can say to yourselves while you are in school, “Now, we will try to learn not only what is pleasant for us, but also what is unpleasant,” then even what is unpleasant will become a pleasure and a joy for you. Later on in life, the pleasure for which you once had to work so hard will come to you.
These are all things we always have in mind. Here in this school, we are meant to prepare a good later life for you.
Our oldest students have felt this, and it was a beautiful feeling, dear students in the upper grades, to hear you express how you feel in this Waldorf School, to hear you say that you want to stay here as long as you can possibly go on learning, that you want to be taught here in same the way in which you have been taught until now, right up to the point when you step out into life.
There are great difficulties involved in this, many obstacles to overcome. We will have to experience these huge obstacles personally. We will try to overcome many different obstacles in order to achieve what ought to be achieved. This may already have inspired hearts that will strike you down for your ideals. The background for this was Emil Molts founding of this school.
Now, my dear children, dear boys and girls, here is something that I have always said to you: If you love your teachers,—and they have real love for you!—then your love for them will be the power that allows their best guidance to enter your hearts and souls. This is why I am not going to finish what I have to say. I want you to finish it. I want to ask you especially whether you will try to apply hard work and attentiveness to what you want, to your life’s goals, while you are here. If, from the bottom of your hearts, you do want to apply these things, then finish the words that I have spoken to your hearts; then say to me. .. [the children shout to Dr. Steiner that they will do it.].
Ansprache Bei Der Monatsfeier Nach Dem Brande Des Goetheanum
Meine lieben Kinder, meine lieben Schüler und Schülerinnen der Waldorfschule! Als einige eurer Mitschüler am Anfang dieser schönen Schulfeier in einer so guten eurythmischen Weise das ergreifende Gedicht von der zum Himmel aufsteigenden Feuerflamme durch die Eurythmie vorführten, da konnte es euren lieben Lehrern und Lehrerinnen und mir zusammen recht traurig werden. Denn, seht ihr, wenn gerade Eurythmie so aus dem Herzen heraus etwas offenbart, dann empfindet man das, was so in dem Geoffenbarten darinnen liegt, noch viel mehr. Und jetzt muß uns so etwas immer erinnern an die Trauer, an den Schmerz und das Leid, das eure Lehrer mit mir zusammen erlebt haben durch die furchtbaren Feuerflammen, die uns das Goetheanum, das liebe Goetheanum, zerstört haben. Jenes Goetheanum, von dem euch eure Lehrer so oft gesprochen haben, von dem ihr gehört habt, welche tiefe Freude, welche Begeisterung, welche Erquickung für die Herzen eurer Lehrer eben jeder Besuch am Goetheanum war.
Aber, meine lieben Kinder, meine lieben Schüler und Schülerinnen, da kommt dann noch, und das ist ein großer Trost, in die Herzen und Seelen eurer Lehrer das wiederum hinein, daß sie sich so recht aus den Tiefen des Gemütes heraus sagen, wenn so etwas Schönes sein kann, wie die heutige Feier hier in der Schule - ach, es gibt eben doch einen gewissen Trost für uns, das ist das, was wir hineinpflanzen können in die Herzen und Seelen unserer lieben Kinder, unserer Schüler und Schülerinnen.
Denn das ist ein Geistesgut, und wenn es auch ungeheure Opfer und Hingebung, Fleiß und Aufmerksamkeit von seiten der lieben Lehrer fordert, so ist es etwas, was bleibt. Es ist ein Geistesgut, mit dem man besiegen kann jede flammende Lohe, die sich zerstörend hineinerstreckt ins Menschenherz. Und nicht allein die Waldorfschule selbst, sondern auch das, was in euch, meine lieben Kinder, Schüler und Schülerinnen, lebt, das ist dasjenige, was gerade in den Arbeitsnächten und in schmerzlichen Augenblicken für die, die euch führen, der größte Trost ist. Und ihr könnt diesen Trost noch dadurch vergrößern, daß ihr selber das, was ihr zu tun habt, mit Fleiß und Aufmerksamkeit tut und mit Liebe zu euren Lehrern.
Es waren einmal zwei Menschen, die machten an einem Sonntag einen weiten Spaziergang. Sie gingen durch die Felder, durch den herrlichen Sonnenschein, und kamen zuletzt in den Wald, ruhten sich im Schatten der Bäume an einem schönen Waldplatz aus, und da sprachen sie miteinander. Sie waren sehr müde und mußten lange ruhen. Und da sprachen sie miteinander. Und sie kamen so wie von selbst hinein - sie waren schon alte Leute -, sie kamen hinein, zu reden über die Freuden, über die Arbeiten, über Leid und Schmerz des Lebens.
Da kam es dazu, daß er eine sagte: Ach, das Leben hat doch auch seine Freuden. Das Leben gibt so viel Schönes. Da war ich zum Beispiel in einer Bildergalerie. Da habe ich die Bilder von vielen Malern gesehen. Da hat sich mein Herz gefreut. Da war so viel Schönes und Großes, da ging die Seele auf.
Da sagte der andere: So etwas muß man bedenken. Aber denk einmal, mein lieber Freund, wie es gewesen wäre, wenn du nicht einmal in der Schule gelernt hättest, dich über die Bilder zu freuen. Du wärest da vorbeigegangen, ohne Verständnis für diese Bilder. Ach, lieber Freund, da muß man oft so zurückdenken, wie die Schule dasjenige gibt, was einem das Leben freudig, wertvoll macht.
Und der andere sagte: Ja, sieh nur, wir brauchen nicht so weit zurückzugehen. Auf dem schönen Spaziergang, den wir gemacht haben, wo wir die Vögel in den Lüften haben fliegen gesehen, da ging das Herz auf, und da mußten wir aus Freude Lieder singen. Hätten wir das gekonnt, wenn wir nicht in der Schule unsere Herzen hätten zum Singen bereiten können?
Da kam dem anderen der Gedanke: Das hätten wir später lernen können. - Aber wenn man später noch etwas lernt, dann geht es nicht so frisch vom Herzen heraus.
Und da wurde, während sie so dalagen und ihre Ermüdung hinwegtrieben, da wurde der eine noch ganz innerlich erhoben und freudig und sagte: Ach, die Natur, die ist doch so schön; man kann so viel in der Natur finden. Aber sieh einmal, sagte er, wenn die Natur so schön ist, man kann die Natur immer besser und besser verstehen, wenn man gelernt hat, zum Beispiel durch die Rezitation die Natur nachzuahmen. - Und da wurde er lustig, und da sagte er dem anderen ein Gedicht vor, das schloß wie: Kikerikii! Und sie waren froh darüber, daß sie nicht nur den Hahn hören konnten, sondern daß sie lebensvoll das alles empfinden konnten, weil sie gelernt hatten nachzufühlen, was draußen in der Natur war.
Der eine sagte: Wir sind alte Leute, aber da war ich neulich hineingeraten in die Waldorfschule. Da lernen sie noch etwas anderes. Da lernen sie Eurythmie. Die haben wir nicht lernen können. Wenn wir freudig sind, müssen wir uns erinnern, daß wir die Freude haben können, weil wir etwas gelernt haben. Was wird die Schule für die bedeuten, die in der Waldorfschule waren, die jetzt noch jung sind, und die sich später im Leben an so etwas erinnern können, was nur aus der Waldorfschule gebracht werden kann!? Das Leben könnte gar nicht das Schöne bringen, wenn nicht in der Schule sich Herz und Sinn vorbereitet hätten, damit etwas Schönes auch empfunden werden kann.
Wenn man traurig ist, gibt es einen Trost, wenn man zurückdenkt an die Schulzeit. Ihr könnt nicht anders sagen: hier in der Waldorfschule bemühen sich eure Lehrer, das Leben so für euch zu gestalten, daß ihr einmal später in freudigen und traurigen Zeiten viel haben werdet von dem, wenn ihr euch so lebhaft zurückerinnert an die Waldorfschule. Und dann werdet ihr ernste Stunden haben. Ihr werdet sehen, wie ihr gar nicht leben könnt, wenn ihr nicht arbeiten könnt. Arbeiten könnten wir nicht, wenn wir nicht etwas Ordentliches gelernt hätten. Jetzt bedenkt, daß eure Lehrer, damit ihr in der rechten Weise später im Leben arbeiten und leben könnt, arbeiten; es denken für euer späteres Leben eure Lehrer und Lehrerinnen. Das sollt ihr euch tief ins Herz schreiben. Wenn man eine so schöne Feier wie die heutige gehabt hat, da muß man dann recht herzlich denken, ihr könnt lernen für das Leben. Wenn ihr in der Schule euch denkt: Nun, nicht nur dasjenige, was uns angenehm ist, wollen wir lernen, sondern auch das, was unangenehm ist - dann wird aber auch das angenehm und freudig werden. Und im späteren Leben kommt für das die Freude, für das man sich zuerst hat viele Mühe geben müssen.
Das alles sind Dinge, die immer bedacht werden: Hier soll ein richtiges späteres Leben für unsere Schüler vorbereitet werden.
Das haben die gefühlt, die unsere Ältesten sind. Und es war eine schöne Empfindung, meine lieben Schüler der obersten Klasse, als ihr zum Ausdruck brachtet, daß ihr euch so darin fühlt in dieser Waldorfschule, daß ihr eigentlich noch so lange dableiben wollt, als ihr überhaupt irgendwie etwas lernen sollt. Bis zu dem Zeitpunkt, wo ihr hinaustretet ins Leben, möchtet ihr in derselben Weise unterrichtet werden, wie ihr es gefunden habt bis jetzt in der Waldorfschule.
Das ist so, daß es große Schwierigkeiten macht. Da sind viele Hindernisse zu überwinden. Wir werden fühlen müssen, was für riesige Hindernisse zu überwinden sind. Wir werden versuchen, mancherlei Hindernisse zu überwinden für die Erreichung dessen, was auch erreicht werden soll. Es mag schon Herzen begeistert haben, die euch zuschlagen für eure Ideale. Vorangegangen ist auch das, daß diese Schule gegründet hat Emil Molt.
Nun, meine lieben Kinder, meine lieben Schüler und Schülerinnen, das ist das, was ich immer zu euch allen gesagt habe: Wenn ihr eure Lehrer lieb habt, dann wird die Liebe für eure Lehrer und Lehrerinnen die haben für euch die rechte Liebe! - die Liebe wird die Kraft sein, auf der die besten Anleitungen eurer Lehrer und Lehrerinnen in eure Herzen und Seelen kommen. Deshalb möchte ich das, was ich zu sagen habe, nicht beschließen, sondern ich möchte sagen: möget ihr es beschließen. Ich möchte euch ans Herz legen: Werdet euch klar darüber, ob ihr für eure Lebensideale, für das, was ihr wollt, ob ihr hier Fleiß und Aufmerksamkeit verwenden wollt. Wenn ihr diese Dinge aufwenden wollt, aber aus dem Herzen heraus, dann beschließt die Worte, die ich zu euren Herzen gesprochen habe, sagt mir... [Die Kinder rufen Dr. Steiner zu, daß sie es tun wollen.]
Address at the monthly celebration after the fire at the Goetheanum
My dear children, my dear students of the Waldorf School! When some of your classmates performed the moving poem about the flame rising to heaven in such a beautiful eurythmic way at the beginning of this lovely school celebration, your dear teachers and I were overcome with sadness. For, you see, when eurythmy reveals something so heartfelt, one feels even more deeply what lies hidden within it. And now something like this must always remind us of the grief, the pain, and the suffering that your teachers experienced together with me through the terrible flames that destroyed the Goetheanum, our beloved Goetheanum. That Goetheanum of which your teachers have spoken to you so often, of which you have heard how every visit to the Goetheanum was a source of deep joy, enthusiasm, and refreshment for the hearts of your teachers.
But, my dear children, my dear students, there is also, and this is a great comfort, something that enters the hearts and souls of your teachers, that they say from the depths of their hearts, when something as beautiful as today's celebration here at school can happen – ah, there is indeed a certain comfort for us, that is what we can plant in the hearts and souls of our dear children, our students.
For this is spiritual wealth, and even if it demands tremendous sacrifice and dedication, diligence and attention on the part of our dear teachers, it is something that remains. It is spiritual wealth with which one can defeat every fiery 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, pupils, that is the greatest comfort, especially during the nights of work and painful moments for those who guide you. And you can increase this comfort even more by doing what you have to do with diligence and attention and with love for your teachers.
Once upon a time, there were two people who went for a long walk on a Sunday. They walked through the fields, through the glorious sunshine, and finally came to the forest, where they rested in the shade of the trees in a beautiful forest clearing, and there they talked to each other. They were very tired and had to rest for a long time. And so they talked to each other. And they came to it as if by themselves—they were already old people—they came to it to talk about the joys, the work, the suffering, and the pain of life.
Then it happened that one said: Ah, life does have its joys. Life gives so many beautiful things. For example, I was in an art gallery. There I saw paintings by many artists. My heart rejoiced. There was so much beauty and grandeur that my soul was lifted.
Then the other said: You have to consider something like that. But just think, my dear friend, what it would have been like if you hadn't even learned at school to enjoy the paintings. You would have walked past them without understanding them. Oh, dear friend, we often have to think back to how school gives us what makes life joyful and valuable.
And the other said: Yes, look, we don't need to go back that far. On the beautiful walk we took, where we saw the birds flying in the sky, our hearts opened up and we had to sing songs of joy. Would we have been able to do that if we hadn't been able to prepare our hearts for singing at school?
Then the other one had a thought: We could have learned that later. But when you learn something later, it doesn't come so fresh from the heart.
And as they lay there, their fatigue drifting away, one of them became uplifted and joyful inside and said: Oh, nature is so beautiful; you can find so much in nature. But look, he said, if nature is so beautiful, you can understand nature better and better once you have learned, for example, to imitate nature through recitation. And then he became cheerful and recited a poem to the other, which ended with: Cock-a-doodle-doo! And they were happy that they could not only hear the rooster, but that they could feel it all so vividly, because they had learned to empathize with what was going on outside in nature.
One of them said: We are old people, but I recently visited a Waldorf school. They learn something else there. They learn eurythmy. We weren't able to learn that. When we are joyful, we must remember that we can have joy because we have learned something. What will school mean for those who attended Waldorf school, who are still young, and who will later in life be able to remember something that can only be brought about by Waldorf school? Life could not bring beauty if the heart and mind had not been prepared at school to feel something beautiful.
When you are sad, there is comfort in thinking back on your school days. You cannot say otherwise: 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 have much to gain from vividly remembering your time at the Waldorf school. And then you will have serious moments. You will see that you cannot live if you cannot work. We would not be able to work if we had not 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 life. You should take this deeply to heart. When you have had such a beautiful celebration as today's, you must think sincerely that you can learn for life. When you think to yourselves at school: Well, let's not only learn what is pleasant for us, but also what is unpleasant – then even that will become pleasant and joyful. And later in life, the joy will come for what you first had to work hard for.
These are all things that are always considered: Here, a proper future life should be prepared for our students.
Our elders have felt this. And it was a wonderful feeling, my dear students in the upper class, when you expressed that you feel so at home in this Waldorf school that you actually want to stay as long as you possibly can to learn something. Until the moment you step out into life, you want to be taught in the same way you have been taught so far at the Waldorf school.
This is so difficult. There are many obstacles to overcome. We will have to feel what enormous obstacles there are to overcome. We will try to overcome many obstacles in order to achieve what needs to be achieved. It may already have inspired hearts that beat for your ideals. This was preceded by the fact that this school was founded by Emil Molt.
Well, my dear children, my dear students, this is what I have always said to all of you: If you love your teachers, then the love for your teachers will be the right love for you! Love will be the power that brings the best guidance from your teachers into your hearts and souls. Therefore, I do not want to conclude what I have to say, but I want to say: may you conclude it. I would like to urge you: be clear about whether you want to apply diligence and attention to your life ideals, to what you want. If you want to apply these things, but from the heart, then conclude the words I have spoken to your hearts, tell me... [The children call out to Dr. Steiner that they want to do so.]