89. The Work in Stuttgart, Lugano, Weimar and Nuremberg

First of all, we will continue with a sketchy description of the work in the branches of the German section of the 'Theosophical Society'. To the information that has been provided about the effectiveness of the Hamburg, Cologne and Düsseldorf branches, a few more details will be added. There are now three branches of our section in Stuttgart. The first is led by Dr. med. F. Paulus in Cannstadt near Stuttgart, the second, which goes by the name Kerning-Zweig, has Prof. Boltz as its leader, and the third is chaired by Mr. Weißhaar (in Stuttgart). The three branches hold their private meetings, devoted to their inner life, separately; but they all come together for a joint discussion within a month. The Theosophical life in this place is very active. Recently, two important works have emerged from it. Members of the Theosophical Society in Stuttgart have translated the two works by Mabel Collins, “Flita” and “History of the Year”, into German. As mentioned in previous issues of this journal, both works are of great significance for the German theosophical movement. It should also be noted that Mr. Adolf Oppel, an old member of the Theosophical Society, is active in Stuttgart. He has a loyal circle of students to whom he is extremely important due to his significant and rich insights into theosophical life. Adolf Arenson belongs to Branch III. As a member of the Art Committee of the Congress of European Theosophical Sections, he has dedicated his energy to the musical part of the event, to which he is also devoted in other ways.

In Lugano, Switzerland, the German section has a branch that Günther Wagner chairs. Mr. Wagner is one of the oldest and most meritorious members of the German Theosophical movement. Long before an independent section could be formed, the movement owed extraordinary things to his active help. And wherever help is needed, he is there. He has translated numerous works on Theosophy from English into German and has won many people over to Theosophy through his mild and insightful manner.

In Weimar, Helene Lübke, a privy councillor, has been working in the local branch. Horst von Henning was at her side, and now that Mrs. Lübke is seeking a new field for the German section, he is taking over the running of the branch. Before Mrs. Lübke made herself available to the German section when it was founded three years ago, she was active in the Theosophical work in London. The young German section benefits greatly from the wealth of experience she gained there. And this work is characterized by deep devotion to the cause and a true understanding of what is important. She will temporarily devote her energies to another city because such energies must be applied as universally as possible. In Nuremberg, the Theosophical branch (Albrecht Dürer branch) has in Michael Bauer an energetic, thoroughly insightful leader who is firmly rooted in the theosophical life. He works for the cause in a beautiful way through his literary works and especially through the lectures he gives in Nuremberg, which open up broad horizons. The merits that this man has acquired for Theosophy in Germany are best characterized by the fact that the desire for a significant expansion of this effectiveness is expressed here. Unfortunately, his professional circumstances do not allow him to give lectures elsewhere, which could serve to promote the Theosophical movement in the best sense. One would hope that such an opportunity will arise as soon as possible. Further work in the branches will be reported in the following issues.

In addition to this, however, the theosophical work in places where there are no branches yet may be mentioned here. In September 1905, Dr. Rudolf Steiner, the General Secretary of the German Section, visited a number of cities where there are no branches yet, in addition to the cities where there are branches. He visited the following cities where there are branches: Freiburg i.Br., Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Weimar, and either gave public lectures or spoke at branch meetings. He visited the following cities that do not yet have branches and gave public lectures there: St. Gallen, Zurich, Basel, Heidelberg, Frankfurt am Main, Kassel.