Current Social and Economic Issues
GA 332b — 31 December 1923, Dornach
Closing Address on 'Futurum' And the ‘Coming Day’
Erwin Hahl: Emphasizes that the reconstruction [of the Goetheanum] is absolutely necessary; raising money is an urgent necessity. Suggestions to get money through factory enterprises, such as machine factories.
Rudolf Steiner: I would ask you to remain in your seats for just a few more moments. I do, however, have something to say about the two points Mr. Hahl has discussed.
My dear friends, at the same moment that I decided with a heavy heart to take over the chairmanship of the Anthroposophical Society myself, I said to myself: Certain things that have taken place among us in recent years must not be allowed to happen again. And among these things is the fact that industries or the like are to be established or taken over by us, through which one strives to get money, to give money. This must not happen again. We have had the very worst experiences with this principle in recent years. You will remember, at least many of you, my dear friends, that when here, from about the same place, just a few steps to the right, years ago, the proposal was made to proceed with such foundations, I asserted that it cannot be expected that the appropriate personalities can be found in the present to stand behind these foundations and represent them to the end in such a way that the result is that money is given in order to get money back. Another experience has emerged – which is much more in line with my warning at the time – which is that we have given money, good money that we could use for our good cause, to lose. We don't want to do that again, my dear friends. Today we want to be very clear about the fact that we only want to work our way out of the good hearts of our friends, so that our friends know: we are not striving for this or that and promising this or that, but we are doing this or that with this money.
And so I would like to make it a condition for taking over the chairmanship from me that those financial experiments in connection with all kinds of industries, which have brought us such difficult experiences in recent years, are not repeated. It has been shown that the personalities who have been involved in a large number of experiments have not taken further care of them, and that they are now being continued by those who have something better to do now. There are, in fact, even better things.
Now, my dear friends, that prevents me from advising you in any way in this direction. Those things that have already been inaugurated in this direction must be continued with all energy, that is self-evident; but to get involved in something new of the same kind does not befit us for the next few years, when we must take every care not to let this ideal good that we have be influenced by such side currents. In the future, every friend must know that what he gives is used for the ideal endeavors as it is; it is not used somewhere first to be transformed into the form where it should then be more. - That will be something we, as I said, will not do again.
As for the second point, I found what Mr. Hahl said extremely gratifying; but that has already happened, especially during the summer, and Mr. Hahl only needs, in a very amiable way, to pay his dues where the collection has already been introduced for the construction of the Goetheanum. We do not always need to create new funds for what already exists. This could only be discussed in terms of how to make the existing fund quite substantial. 'But we do not need new funds, otherwise we will ultimately no longer know our way around because of all the funds.
This is the matter that I would still like to recommend to you. I have said it in this dryness because it really seems necessary to me that it be said today in this dry and clear way. I have spoken many times recently about the failure of these things, as they are also being conducted again with an industrial society. If something like this is to be done, then it should be done purely for itself, quite apart from the Anthroposophical Society. If they then want me to give purely practical advice, for my sake, on the production of machines and the like, then they may do so. But you will never see me, after the experiences I have had, offer my hand and enter such enterprises myself as a member of the board of directors or similar councils.