The Rudolf Steiner Archive

126

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

[Dornach,] April 1923

I completely forgot to say: I received a desperate letter from Miss Beverley asking me to immediately ask if you agree to lecture in Ilkley in August? Everyone is waiting, articles have been written, etc. and she says that if it is not publicly announced right away, they may have to cancel because no one would come then. The teachers are all making their plans for August now. Please could you tell Bauer what I should write, or send me a note. Beverley says it is not necessary to approve the program now; only whether you want to present or not.

It's a shame I forgot this.

Kind regards

Edith Maryon

128

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

Sculptor's studio, Goetheanum, Thursday
, Dornach, [presumably April 26, 1923]

Dear and esteemed teacher!

You are probably traveling to Prague now. Hopefully everything went well in Stuttgart, so that you will not need to spend time there on the return journey, but can make a direct transit. That would be nice!

Yesterday, Bengal visited me and told me all sorts of things, otherwise it is very quiet here; the weather is finally better, so I was able to go for a walk twice yesterday, and sow seeds in the garden. Kalähne calmed down after half a day's vacation and a night at home, probably she was just a bit tired and a bit nervous.

Apart from a slight tickle in my throat, I feel fine. Yesterday Miss Lewis lent me a book that made me laugh a lot, and laughter is good for you! I also visited the studio and everything was in good order, except for the air! But the air was terribly “musty”. A change is really needed here. (I can't write properly with this pen - but there isn't another one in the house). All the flowers had wilted.

I have thought a lot about Stuttgart, and now I am thinking about how it will be in Prague, although that is a little more difficult to imagine because I have never seen the city.

Tomorrow is the 27th, so two more lectures, then you will come back to work here.

Dr. Wegman thinks that a topical ointment like Ritter cream for rubbing on the chest might help me. It is called something like Plantagen or similar. Do you think it would be good? I still have this feeling upstairs, something similar to a cold feeling that makes breathing difficult; after I sleep, it always gets a little better for a while.

Today the sun is shining and the weather is glorious, a shame you are not here to enjoy it too.

Miss Bauer sends her regards and is waiting to take the letter to the post office, so, since I have no [further] news, I will just say goodbye and send warmest greetings.

Best regards

Edith Maryon

130

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

Sculptor's studio, Goetheanum
Dornach near Basel, 11 May [1923]

Friday afternoon

Dear and esteemed teacher!

Just a few lines to greet you on my arrival in Kristiania. I am a little worried that this address may be wrong because it does not include the name of the city, so I am wondering whether I should write 'Kristiania' somewhere on the envelope.

I hope you had a good trip and [I hope] that the fur coat was taken (it is still very cold here, today I had to heat). I very much hope that the cough is now completely cured?? I am always the same; because the sun is shining, I will be in the studio for an hour. During this time I think a lot about the story of Job, because I have a very strong feeling that it will be the same for us as for him — after so much suffering, everything will be restored to us, and even more will be added, not the same beauty of the building, but still a different beauty. A second summer time should come for us. Don't laugh at that! I believe it will. We need the good times again, and the world needs another Goetheanum, however little it deserves or understands it for the time being.

I send you my warmest thoughts, and Bauer will take the letter to the post office and send my greetings.

Warmest regards

Edith Maryon

132

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

Sculptor's studio,
Goetheanum,
[May 12, 1923]

Saturday afternoon.

Dear and esteemed teacher,

the letter from Stuttgart has just arrived; I was very happy to hear that you arrived safely, although unfortunately there is no news about the cough and the fur coat??? Here the weather is disgusting, wind, rain and cold, today I could only go out for five minutes around the house – then another downpour came. Otherwise I am the same. I really can hardly understand how the A.G. can still sleep; if one has any strength, one should truly awaken now. Hopefully the Norwegians are less dreamy! and that something hopeful is happening there.

Warmest greetings

Edith Maryon

Miss Bauer asked me to send her regards.

135

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

Sculptor's studio, Goetheanum
Dornach near Basel, May 15, 1923

Dear and honored teacher,

I hope that the journey to Norway went very well and that you did not find it too cold? I also very much hope that you have now overcome your cough?? So far, I have only received news from Stuttgart; Flossie wrote that the journey was very nice.

Yesterday the weather here was quite dreadful, with such heavy rain that the mountains disappeared and you could only see a short distance, and it was so cold that today we weren't at all surprised to see snow on various mountains. By contrast, today it is quite nice, so I was able to go to the studio. Yesterday Ranzenberger read another art lecture, with slides; quite an audience despite the bad weather. (I was not there.)

Today I made a hat for Miss Bauer - very fun! Attached is a clipping from the Basler Nachrichten. No news yet from Mrs. Mackenzie in America: maybe she will meet you, but it is not certain.

Dr. Wegman was here yesterday; she thought I looked well, and it is better, though there is still a little too little breathing.

Afternoon. What a shame that the trip to Berlin was so disrupted! Hopefully the rest of the journey to Norway went well. All my best thoughts and good wishes for your voice.

Warmest regards,

Edith Maryon

[Newspaper cutting:]

Bern, May 14, re: The well-known American industrial magnate Henry Ford is reported to be planning to stay in Muri near Bern for a while. He has rented a villa for this purpose.

May 15

Bas[ler] Nachrichte

(The Don Quixote of the Peace Ship!) E.M.

136

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

Sculptor's studio, Goetheanum
Dornach near Basel, [May 19, 1923]

Saturday

Dear and esteemed teacher,

I am very glad that the journey to Norway went well; but so many extra lectures! The program only said Wednesday as the start date. Hopefully my three letters arrived – it was missing “Kristiania” at the given address, and I had serious doubts as to whether “Heggeli” was a city or not. I thought it was probably a suburb of Kristiania, but because it wasn't specified, I didn't know what to do. Nevertheless, I still dared to write Kristiania on the first letter. There is also nothing about coughing in the letters???

The weather here is mostly quite nasty and ugly; it is raining again at the moment; Miss Senn and Mr. Drescher are just going to the office to get married! Tonight there will be a celebration in the Bay hut, with a choir and singing! Flossie, Gerda Langen and others are in the choir. Leinhas is here again (not in the choir though!). It will be a merry party, Kalähne is invited too.

I send my warmest regards and hope that you will come back soon.

With best wishes,

Edith Maryon

138

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

Sculptor's studio, Goetheanum
Dornach near Basel, July 31, 1923

Dearest and most revered teacher,

Today is a rather boring day. I am tired and have a slight tickle in my throat, so I am staying at home for the time being and am dealing with the electric light bills for the three houses, a complicated matter that extends over many months. As a reward for this tedious work, I read and study all my old meditations etc. Kalähne has gone to Basel to buy me all kinds of little things, I'm out of pins etc. In the evening there is a thunderstorm over the mountains, but it doesn't seem to want to come very close. The whole sky is lit up by lightning, sometimes very violet in color, which I have rarely noticed.

I have just received a long letter from Miss Beverley, who thinks that you have not yet left Hiet and asks if a book by Miss McMillan has arrived? She is the speaker for next Saturday evening and the book should deal with your views on education. She is also sending this postcard for you, it seems to be a very antique carving, in the pasture near Ilkley.

I have already ordered the Schnee [snuff], hopefully it will arrive safely! Please write to me and let me know if it has reached you.

Regarding Schleutermann's resignation, Bauer tells me that the girl had been ill and stayed at home alone with her mother for a few days; when she returned, she brought the ring and gave it back to S. She seems a bit down about the matter. Aisenpreis is said to have stated that $. made a proposition to the girl, and she to him. But what kind of conditions, no one knows, for the time being, nothing more.

Wednesday. Today is nice weather, but a lot of wind. It still goes on with bills, etc. Kalähne has brought from Basel a strange kind of wire broom and made hunting for the flies, of which there are all too many.

Hopefully the people in Stuttgart have not prepared a nasty surprise this time – as an exception – based on past experiences, you always expect something.

I will think a lot about the journey and crossing, hopefully there will be no wind so that one can sleep well and rest a little – that is all too necessary. I hope that one can also spend a day of rest in London. The hotel is good, but there may be a lot of noise.

If you can get hold of a program (with details of talks) from Penmaenmawr, please send it to me. I don't know anything about what is supposed to happen there. With best wishes for the conference and

warmest regards

Edith Maryon

140

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner, sculptor's studio.

Dear dear teacher, Goetheanum, Aug. 2, 1923.

Today even less happened than yesterday, except for a little reading, a lot of sitting in the garden, and a short visit to the studio, I didn't do anything else at all. The weather today is glorious, what a shame that you have to sit in a hot compartment, but it should get better in a few hours because you will then reach the sea. I very much hope for a good crossing and to receive news of it soon. If only people aren't too demanding, you will be able to rest for a few hours and a night in London, which would be very desirable. Hopefully you will also be spared the pleasure of spending the evening in a hot theater! Good things are not given in London in August anyway.

If you come back and before you have to leave, would it be possible to celebrate a Michaelmas festival? You have talked about it so much, would it be possible to start now here? Maybe I could be there too by then.

The sunset is wonderfully beautiful, spread out widely on the horizon, bright pink with a delicate hint of lilac, then light gold at the top, then pink again with purple.

Aug. 3: It rained heavily in the morning, but it has stopped now and it remains warm and dull. They are probably in London now. Today I drew eurythmy figures again and continued the work with the calculations, (which is thoroughly boring!).

A welcome letter from Stuttgart has just arrived, and I am very happy to see that you are well – I hope you are not too tired.

I only hope that it would have been impossible for the people of Stuttgart to think up further mischief, it worries me to hear that they have nevertheless achieved something incredible. It may be too long for me to tell you more?

I am sending a press release, although it is superficial and uninteresting. No distinction is made between the different “Teachers”, as if they were all of equal value, and the story of each seems to be fairly unknown.

Congratulations on the conference!

Kind regards

Edith Maryon

142

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

Sculptor's studio, Goetheanum
Dornach near Basel, Aug. 4, 1923
(8:30 p.m.)

Dear and esteemed teacher,

I hope you arrived safely in Ilkley without too much tiredness. Miss Macmillan is probably speaking now, and afterwards, I think, you will say a few words to greet the people. I am very interested to know how many are coming and what their quality is? Miss Beverley promised to send me newspaper clippings if there are any, hopefully she will keep her word.

Today the weather was absolutely glorious, I was outside a lot, but I painted figures, read, etc. Dr. Wegman came yesterday evening, but she didn't say anything new, except that Dr. Bockholt's father is seriously ill and that's why she left; it may be that the Wegmans' own trip will be delayed a little because of this; because she can't leave Dr. Walther alone.

Sunday evening. I was able to sit outside again, and today I had less throat irritation. So many Sunday walkers pass by, mostly to pick at the bramble hedge; the black berries seem all too tempting in the sunshine. There is a merry-go-round in the village below and they are still celebrating the Swiss national holiday, you can hear the music up here, which one could easily do without. Everyone is leaving now, first Clason and Geck, now the eurythmists; the arrangements are even more primitive than usual because it's Sunday. It's getting quieter and quieter here and the only events are the postman bringing something. I wonder what's happening in Ilkley now, is it quiet at the lecture? And I hope nothing unpleasant has happened? I am a little uneasy.

Mr. Steffen and Mrs. Stückgold are just walking by with Felicitas. He says that Mrs. Hecker from Chicago has arrived and is bringing good news, as well as money, but of course he couldn't tell me the details from the street, where I was sitting by the window.

Monday. The letter from Harwich has arrived. I was very unhappy to receive the message that the train was late; I was worried that something might have happened to you, that you might have burned your fingers or something unpleasant. Please tell me that you are really okay. I hope I will hear soon what happened.

Here everything is the same. Bauer is in bed resting, she is very tired and run down.

The weather has become a little hotter, so hopefully it will be fine in Ilkley.

Did you have to stay overnight in Vlissingen?

Please write to me to say that you are well – the truth!

Warmest regards

Edith Maryon

145

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

Sculptor's studio, Goetheanum
Dornach near Basel, Aug. 7, 1923

Dear and esteemed teacher,

The letter from Sunday arrived today. I am both reassured and concerned about the reason for the delay, but I don't want to make any comments, except for the one that I am glad that there was a tunic! I also hope that it is of sufficiently heavy quality for northern English conditions and later for the sea? That's just stupid about the string! I thought the package should be there just Sunday. If it is not there, it probably means that they have not yet changed the Swiss money - I had no English - or that because I did not have a street number, the “manager” can keep the money for himself if he wants, because I do not know where to write to complain. That's why I'm writing a letter for you to send if the package doesn't arrive. But first you have to ask for the London telephone book at the post office and look for Messrs. Salmon and Glückstein, Tobacconists, Edgware Road, because of the house number. Also send English stamps, of course! If you were to take a trip to York, you would surely get snow there, because it is still used quite frequently in Northern England and Scotland. It is likely to be available in every large city in Northern England.

The “Special Address” and two lectures are already over. How did they go? Is the audience good and attentive?

It is very hot here today, so I am reading, drawing figures and sitting in the garden; and thinking about the work in Ilkley. Hopefully it won't be too exhausting there? Is it possible to have a little peace and quiet?

With best wishes and

Edith Maryon