Eberhard Arnold

Meeting Transcript, March 5, 1935

[Arnold, Eberhard and Emmy papers – T.S.H.]

[Draft Translation by Bruderhof Historical Archive]

EA 340

Brotherhood Discussion on March 5, 1935, Alm Bruderhof

About the Children’s Community

Hardi suggests taking in little children from the slums in England. Suggestion for a visit to the Quakers in Paris. Georg to make personal appeals for help.

Georg Sending a prospectus had no result.

Hardi Richards speaks of Quakers who don’t want to put their children in National Socialist schools and therefore send them to a Quaker school for refugees. There would be no difficulty about this for children from Germany who still have their own parents. There might be for orphans.

Georg If someone were given this particular task, it should certainly be a possibility. If someone looks for children among the Germans outside and inside Germany, about fifteen children might be brought to the community in a year, and would presumably (probably) remain until they are twenty-one. We can easily do some sales work while looking for the children.

Winifred Suggests that a married couple should make such a trip together.

Eberhard How can we bring out our special character in comparison with other children’s homes, schools, and so on? What facts can we already state quite specifically so that people can see these are not to be found anywhere else?

Special Features

1. Our large, well-trained teaching staff

2. English language and history of civilization at the same time as German language and history of civilization through teachers coming from these two cultures.

What program can we offer the public between Easter 1935 and Easter 1936?

Trudi Our work among children receives a particular character because our children’s community is part of our common life. The children’s community lives and shares in the spirit of the church community. The morning gathering is an especially important part of our education: the steady, regular character of this meeting and of the whole life.

School Curriculum

Our direction must remain the same: connections between cultures and civilizations are to guide us further, and each individual subject must somehow be understood, penetrated, and given its right place through our spirit of church community. That is an ideal condition that is not yet achieved. Our teaching staff needs more time for studying on their own.

Do we want to accept children who go home in the holidays?

Reasons for our failure with our advertising leaflet:

People cannot imagine what such an atmosphere is like.

They are afraid the children will grow up ignorant of the world

Reason for our lack of success: Too few achievements to point out. Parents want their children to learn a great deal!

School Direction

There must be a Word Leader as school director (head master) to represent and express the views of the whole staff. The organization, daily management, and the relative importance of subjects must be taken on by the head teacher (master). Georg cannot supervise it. Hardi must be drawn in for this responsibility. It must be his task and duty. (Georg and Hardi) It will give a completely new aspect to Georg’s Service of the Word. Georg will become the traditional Hutterian schoolmaster for the Alm Bruderhof. Hardi must be drawn into responsibility; that is certainly his right and his duty (Georg and Hardi). Educational questions and art direction for our business are Georg’s special task.

Tasks for School Staff

1. Trudi is to advise in planning the timetable and writing this out, and in all secretarial matters concerning our school,

2. Georg Barth, as Servant of the Word, is to be Headmaster to lead the whole children’s and school community in as many-sided development as possible without neglecting school lessons of a different kind (physics, gymnastics). Georg’s chief care is the friendship and community among the staff, in the sense of church community.

3. Eberhard Heinrich will from today forward be appointed to the service of witness brother and future headmaster, to stand at Georg’s side in the various tasks for the school and for all the other children, and especially to supervise the subject matter and the relationship between the different subjects.

4. In addition, Lene is to take Trudi’s place. Lene is officially responsible as school director at the Alm Bruderhof. Lene is responsible for the timetable and for its being followed. Lene is responsible that the school covers its course of study. She is responsible to Georg and Hardi as representatives of the community, and acts as school director in contacts with parson Frommelt.

5. Marianne and Gladys: Singing.

6. Marianne teaches the elementary school. Trudi will take over the preparation and instruction for elementary teaching.

Trudi makes the suggestion that the English teachers should start teaching their special subjects, perhaps from Easter on.

It is left to the Service of the Word and its other responsibilities at what time George will take up his task in the school.

Are we finding ways and means to get our children’s prospectus to suitable readers? And what do we have for other people?

The year 1934 brought us women teachers, but no pupils. This means that our duty to find pupils is even more pressing than in earlier years. We must raise the money for this, here and in England.

Georg We have again and again expressed in our Brotherhood that our life should serve children and their education in a special way. We must print the new pamphlets, making use of the old, and trying to find personal connections. Our mission on sales’ journeys in Germany has not succeeded in stirring people up.

Edith It’s possible that people in Germany are already more receptive than previously. Just in Christian circles there are more possibilities today than there were last year.

Trudi We are led by the deepest inward sense of responsibility to draw children into our educational community. We have the possibility because of our teaching staff.

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The present prospectus must be enlarged to one that is easy to understand and that deals more with practical matters. Since the people are there, we must employ ourselves in this department of work. The prospectus must be sent to all emigrants. We must try to make contact with newspaper editors and obtain their agreement for us to send our prospectuses to their list of addresses. We want to make the decision to overcome this special difficulty before Easter. All our teaching staff in particular are expected to make an extra special effort. Establishing our work for children is the main task for the Alm Bruderhof and this year we must succeed in it!