The Rudolf Steiner Archive

8

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner
[Translation]

Türkenstraße 27 I1
Munich, June 3, 1913 Dear

Dr. Steiner,

please take a look at the enclosed clipping from the “Church Times” that my father just sent me. Unfortunately, the date is cut off, but I assume that it is last Friday's edition. This paper is read by practically all the English clergy, and certainly by the whole of the Anglican Church, and through the clergy reaches a large proportion of the laity. In addition, it is also read by many non-theologians. The matter seems to me, therefore, of considerable importance and an answer should be made to the many false views expressed. Will you let me know if you agree that an answer would be appropriate?

I am of the opinion that an answer should be given by an English author, since only an Englishman can know and understand the English Church. Only such a person could convey a different understanding to the readers of the “Church Times”. The answer would have to be written by the most capable thinker we can find.

The person who comes most to mind is Mrs. (Professor) Mackenzie. I believe you met her at Dr. Felkin's, she has been a member of his order for 7 or 8 years and is Professor of Education at Cardiff University (where her husband is a philosophy lecturer). Both are members of the Anthroposophical Society. I am personally friends with her, so I could ask her if she would write a reply, but of course I can't speak for you, nor do I know if you would agree, or perhaps you have a better suggestion.

From the other clipping, you see that Mrs. Besant is giving a lecture in London. I don't see how she dare do that after the way the second suit turned out for her. We had a telegram with the judge's verdict, but so far no newspaper report (I mean the defamation suit). If a reply is to be made, I think it should be as soon as possible; perhaps you would let me know what you would wish, and in what direction the answer should go - or let someone convey it to me.

Yours sincerely

L. Edith C. Maryon

Perhaps Prof. Mackenzie would agree to do it with me; in any case, I could provide her with the facts, which she would process in an article. If she accepts, it will be well done, she is extremely clever.

9

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner
[Translation]

Türkenstraße 27 II
Munich, June 20, 1913 Dear

Dr. Steiner,

Once you are back, if it suits you, would you answer one question for me? Would you tell me what I could best do after the end of the cycle? I can only continue studying and reflecting until the second week of September. After that date, I will have to find a job or be forced to return to England. I have a feeling that there might be something for me to do here, especially as I don't want to go back without being absolutely forced to do so. You will understand that I have to come to a decision about the kind of work I will do for the rest of my life. I need advice, so please forgive my request. If you tell me what you think is good, I will try in every way to do it, if at all possible.

Your student

L. Edith C. Maryon

14

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner
[Translation]

[No place given,
presumably spring 1914]

[No salutation]

Sunday

I didn't say anything about the most important thing on my mind, namely: is there anything that could help me understand the Mystery of Golgotha? If I could do it, I wouldn't find life and loneliness [in German] as hard as they are now, and I wouldn't have such stupid and weak thoughts about them.

If there is anything I could do to help, could you please tell me tomorrow, as I will be going to Miss von Sivers anyway to ask her a few things. However, if I should just continue to wait and keep doing the exercises I have been given, please consider the matter closed.

Your student

L. Edith C. Maryon

15

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

58, Grove Park Terrace
Chiswick London, 4.4.14

Dearest Teacher,

I feel I must write a few words, for it may be a very long time before I am able to come back to Dornach. There is nothing I can do, and I lack the German to express in words the immense gratitude I feel for my teacher; but it is a feeling that is always there and I want to say it one day.

On the last evening you asked me if I had something on my mind, and I said no, but that wasn't true, I just didn't think it was the right moment to ask the question.

Dr. Felkin is not in London, but I have written to him about what you said; it is only that I have sometimes said that you have so little time for letters, but perhaps if one does not live in Germany, one does not understand it so well. I hope that my karma will allow me to work a little more on the construction than I have done so far. Please accept my best regards from your student,

L. Edith C. Maryon.

18

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

58, Grove Park Terrace,
Chiswick, W. London
[presumably after April 18, 1914]

[From] tomorrow my address is
The Grange, Goudhurst Kent.

Sunday

Dear Teacher,

Please excuse me for writing to you again. I hadn't intended to, but Dr. Felkin doesn't know what treatment to give me until you have said what you think would be best. We do not want to interfere with your measures, and I myself think that you know what I should do, and if you are allowed to give me your advice, it could be of great help to Dr. Felkin and also to me. My health has deteriorated somewhat due to this work (it is hard) and so I am going to stay with friends in the country until May 4.

In the esoteric field I have learned something in these last few days and had an experience today, and now I no longer have darkness in my soul, and from this side I could expect an answer with patience, but I feel obliged to ask what is best to be done under these circumstances for Dr. Felkin, my family, and myself as well.

We do not feel entirely sure about the occult side of things, in order to find the right path. It is always against my better judgment to ask you something, because it is always more work for you, but what else can I do? And this is really important.

Therefore, I ask you to send me a telegram, or to Dr. Felkin; his telegraphic address is Felskamm, London.

Miss Wilson can tell you more; it is so much quicker in English!

I hope this can be goodbye, my dear teacher! How can I thank you? Your pupil,

L. Edith C. Maryon.

(Today Dr. Felkin said that he has already said everything necessary about my health.

22

Rudolf Steiner to Edith Maryon

Stuttgart, May 10, 1919

My dear Miss E. Maryon,

Thank you very much for your letter. I am so overworked here that I can only look through the sheet you sent if it is to be done carefully and send it back in a few days. To hold at least one lecture every day, followed by a discussion, is asking a lot of an old body, and I would be glad if I could use other parts of the body in between than just the larynx here in Dornach. But all this must be done. And since the day before yesterday, it seems as if I am better understood than before. But that can always change. Naturally I think a great deal about the work in Dornach and shall be satisfied when circumstances permit me to work again. The work here will still take some time.

For today, warmest greetings

Rudolf Steine

Stuttgart, Landhausstrasse 70 (at Kinkel's)

24

Rudolf Steiner to Edith Maryon

Stuttgart, June 4, 1919

Dear Miss E. Maryon,

Thank you for your letter. I have wanted to answer for a long time, but I have a lot of work to do. And work that requires a great deal of thought. If it were not for the misunderstandings that keep arising, everything would be easier. But everything you say is immediately distorted when it is retold. You see that people are fighting against you from all sides because of false reports. People try to fit everything into a party mold, and if something has nothing to do with any party mold, they make something completely different out of it. This is not only done by opponents, but also by people who are well-disposed towards the cause I represent. And so all real work is very difficult. I am very pleased to hear that the sculpting work in Dornach is continuing and I would be very happy to do artistic work there, far from the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day. But the necessities of the times must be served. One must not shirk one's duty. I hear that my book on the social question has now been published in Switzerland as well; I hope that from it people will see what I really want and that perhaps some things will calm down that are only the result of chatter from opponents and also beginners.

I am, however, gratified that there are still people who understand me correctly and who, on the basis of these thoughts,

sincerely greet me with unchanging convictions.

Dr. Rudolf Steiner

Stuttgart, Landhausstrasse 70, (at Kinkel's)

25

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

Villa Rosenau, Arlesheim
Pentecost Monday, [June 8, 1919]

Dear and esteemed teacher,

I am very happy to receive your letter, although I am sorry about its content: to hear how many obstacles and misunderstandings one has to overcome in order for such difficult work to progress. I can only recommend that everyone study the book thoroughly, so that they don't feel the need to read all kinds of things into it that have nothing to do with the matter at hand. I will finish the translation this week, that is, for the first time; then it will need to be critically revised. I have nothing to report about the printing yet; for the time being I have only been corresponding with Miss Franklin (the ground had to be prepared a bit first), but I hope that she will visit the publisher this week. It seems that paper is very expensive now and the price of books has risen considerably; she also thinks that the book is difficult to understand. So I don't know how successful we will be. I have received a favorable critique of the first chapter from Miss Hughes, but not yet from Professor. I would like to read the last book if a copy were available, but perhaps one must wait until it is no longer dangerous to send it. Is there any hope that the work in Stuttgart will be finished by the end of this month so that you can resume work here? Everything is slowly moving forward. On the south side of the Goetheanum, the scaffolding between the columns and windows has been removed, leaving the vaults and columns free. The capitals can be seen, and it is truly wonderfully beautiful and gives an idea of how it will look when it is completely freed from the forest of scaffolding poles. I have had the head (plasticine) of the 2nd Ahriman cast in the large studio, so that when the wooden head is worked out in the small studio, the model can stand beside it. But the original will of course be spoiled; may I have it done, or would you prefer us to wait a while before doing it?

I hope the letter about Collison and the photographs arrived safely? Otherwise, nothing has changed here.

With warm regards

L. Edith Maryon

26

Rudolf Steiner to Edith Maryon

Stuttgart, June 28, 1919

My dear Miss E. Maryon,

I was very pleased to receive your letters and the pictures you sent. I will have to continue working here for some time yet. But I believe that this time it will not be too long. I long for the work in the sculpture studio in Dornach. And it may well be that after some time I will be able to go there again, and then come back here to set up a school that is planned for Stuttgart. But today nothing certain can be said about the next timing. The circumstances of the times do not allow for such certainty.

It is very difficult to find understanding, especially for what is most necessary in these circumstances. It is difficult for people of our time to understand these necessities from a spiritual basis. Under the influence of materialistic habits of thought, they have distanced themselves from understanding how the spiritual also works in the material. They believe that the material can only be improved by the material. And so they do not see that every attempt to improve the material by mere material must lead further into confusion. My book is incomprehensible to some people simply because it contains different material from what they have been accustomed to thinking. And though it is difficult for people to get rid of old habits, they find it hardest to change their thinking habits. And yet there will be no salvation for our time except through a change of thinking, relearning.

I often think of our work in the Dornach sculpture studio and would love to be there. Only the obligatory work has to be done and only thoughts can be there.

With warmest regards

Dr. Rudolf Steiner

currently Stuttgart, Landhausstraße 70 (at Kinkel's)

27

Edith Maryon to Rudolf Steiner

Villa Rosenau
Arlesheim near Basel, July 6, 1919

Dear and esteemed teacher,

I am sending you the last photograph of the Christ head, which is also the best so far. I would also like to know whether I can use the title of the book “The roots of the social questions in the vital needs of the present and future”. “Germs” is not liked; it sounds a bit humorous and nobody is happy with it. I am now waiting for an answer from Messrs. Routledge (instead of National Labour Press, they have no office in London and Miss Franklin has turned to the other publisher).

I am truly sorry that the work is so much more difficult with so little understanding. Dr. Boos was here today and seems very satisfied with the progress in Switzerland. A very nice letter has arrived from a lady in England who seems to understand the matter and offers to do the translation. An American woman, now an Englishwoman, was introduced to me today by Dr. Boos and she promises financial and other support. She was very nice. She would like to win Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells for the cause if she could, they could achieve a lot for the cause. This week the last blocks are coming into the studio, everything will then be arranged, only the work longs very much for the first sculptor, especially for the Christ figure.

There is a terrible housing shortage, many houses have been sold. A rich Swiss woman offered double for the room of Miss Clason, more than triple for the service, etc., so Miss C. is now on the street. My stay here will probably be short as well, they are already charging double for heating, etc., and I have already been asked whether it would not be better to find other rooms! But I will stay a little longer (for now). I have now talked to Mr. Bay a lot about whether it would be possible to build small houses and rent rooms for around 30-35 francs, and now he is looking into the question. I thought that maybe my mother could lend me the money for a three-room apartment if it were possible to rent land near the canteen or the office (for a water pipe, etc.). Mr. Bay thinks that some wealthy Bernese members would be happy to build such houses. But I'll wait for your opinion until you come. The plan is for 2 rooms and 2 kitchens, but I would like 3 rooms and 1 kitchen and thought it might be something for Kisseleff, Clason and me, if the price is within the range of possibility. I also need to know your opinion about this; we'll wait until you come, just hoping that the wait won't be too long. The last corrections to the book are taking a long time; the head seems to have become a little tired!

In England, a small committee is being formed to work on the social question. Dr. Boos suggests that I should travel to England and give slide lectures about the Goetheanum!!

There is also a lot of work here; Stuttgart has already had a great deal.

With warmest regards,

L. Edith C. Maryon