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DR. RUDOLF STEINER, THEOSOPHIST, DIES
Leader
of Anthroposophical Movement Succumbs in Berne
at 65 Years.
BERNE.
March 30. — Dr. Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian philosopher and
theosophist. died here today. He was the President of the
Anthroposophical Society.
BERLIN. March 30. — News of the death or Dr.
Rudolf Steiner in Switzerland was received in Berlin today. Dr.
Steiner was 65 years old and was the leader of the Anthroposophical
Movement, which has its headquarters at Dornach, in the Alps. The
Goetheanum, the temple-like home of the organization, which was
burned in January, 1923, just after Dr. Steiner had delivered a
lecture, was about to be rebuilt. This had caused much controversy,
as many of the Swiss people declared that the plans were too
fantastic and that the building would mar the mountain which was the
scene of the battle in 1499, when the Swiss won their freedom by
defeating the army of the Swabian League.
Dr. Steiner was born at Kraljevec in Silesia in 1861.
From his youth onward he devoted himself to the study and propagation
of Goethe’s ideals, according to his own conception of them,
considerably amplifying the original thoughts of the great
philosopher as he interpreted them. At the same time, he studied
natural history, and applied to architectural structures such
natural forms as trees, vegetables, and fruits, thus producing the
buildings of the Society at Dornach.
His scheme for the organization of society that would
make everybody happy was described in his book, “The Threefold
State” of which more than 100,000 copies were sold on the
Continent, as well as a large edition in England. The secret for
removing the present ills from society lies in the division of the
community literally into three separate states, the economic, the
political, and the spiritual, the author maintaining that our
troubles now arise from the confusion of these states.
To carry on industrial activities in accordance with Dr.
Steiner’s ideals, a large company was formed, with headquarters
at Dornach, near Basle. It was called “The Futurum Company,
Ltd.” It started with a capital of $100,000 and soon directed
several factories, while subscriptions for shares were solicited all
over the world. Opinions as to the social theories of Dr. Steiner
were naturally varied. Dr. Simons, the former German Foreign
Minister, was said to have pronounced “The Threefold State”
the only possible remedy for Bolshevism.
The Goetheanum, a vast double-domed structure, was
dedicated to the memory of Goethe. It was built entirely of wood, at
a cost of 5,000,000 Swiss francs. At the time of its destruction
there was some talk of the fire having been started by opponents of
the Steiner teachings, there having been reports of threats to burn
the edifice, which had on that account been guarded for eighteen
months.
Among the books written by Steiner were “Philosophy
and Liberty,” “Goethe, the Father of a New Aestheticism,”
“Christianity as a Mystical Fact” and “Haeckel and
His Enemies.”
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