The Constitution of the General Anthroposophical Society

GA 260a — 27 January 1924

The School of Spiritual Science II

We cannot establish branches of the Goetheanum everywhere where souls long for anthroposophy. For we are a poor society.

We will only be able to allow those individuals who are far away from the Goetheanum to participate in its work by continuing in written correspondence what is happening at the Goetheanum itself. The establishment of this written correspondence will still have to be discussed. Through it, individuals who are unable to spend a certain amount of time at the Goetheanum will also be able to participate in the classes there. In addition, this correspondence can be facilitated by visits made wherever possible by the leaders of life at the Goetheanum or by those closely associated with them to various locations.

But all this must be held together by the genuine anthroposophical spirit if the “university” with its esoteric life is to flourish.

The leadership of the Goetheanum will have to strive not to isolate itself in any way from the spiritual life of the present, but to look with full participation for everything in this spiritual life that reveals itself for the true further development of humanity.

For this reason, the leadership will be organized in such a way that individual personalities will take over the administration of individual sections, which are already possible and will hopefully flourish in ever more active work.

The focus will be on the general anthroposophical section, into which the educational section is to be incorporated for the time being. I myself will be responsible for the leadership of this section. A medical section will ensure that anthroposophy can enrich the art of healing. Dr. Ita Wegman will be in charge of its leadership. From time immemorial, medicine has been intimately connected with the central tasks of human knowledge. Anthroposophy should prove its vitality by reestablishing this connection. Dr. Ita Wegman's Clinical-Therapeutic Institute is a model institution for this endeavor and its practical application.

Artistic life must be particularly close to the heart of anthroposophy. In the cultivation of eurythmy over a number of years, we have seen a new artistic life springing up in the art of declamation and recitation. Music is closely connected with this. The cultivation of this life will take place in a separate section. Mrs. Marie Steiner has devoted herself to this life in the most dedicated way. She has been appointed by the Anthroposophical Society itself to lead this section.

The visual arts stood in the light of the Goetheanum building. In the central works that developed on this ground, a style unfolded that certainly still finds many opponents today. Of course, at present it can only express imperfectly what it wants to say. But it will be better understood as anthroposophy in general becomes more widely known. Miss E. Maryon has helped me in the development of this style in a way that makes her the ideal leader of the Section for Plastic Arts. There used to be a concept of the “beautiful sciences.” They bridged the gap between actual science and the works of human creative imagination. The view that a more recent era has developed of “science” has pushed the “fine arts” completely into the background. I will soon be speaking about the “fine arts” at the Goetheanum. We in the Anthroposophical Society are fortunate to have a wonderful representative of the “fine arts” among us: Albert Steffen. He is called upon not only to be the head of the Section for Fine Arts, but also to revive this branch of human creativity, which has been pushed into a corner to the detriment of civilization.

In addition, circumstances allow us to form a section for mathematical and astronomical views, headed by Dr. L. Vreede, and a natural science section, headed by Dr. Guenther Wachsmuth, through the personalities working among us. The field of astronomy is particularly important to anthroposophy, and the natural science section will demonstrate how genuine knowledge of nature is not in contradiction with anthroposophy, but in complete harmony with it. With his forthcoming book, Dr. G. Wachsmuth has proven himself to be the right leader for this section.