THE LIFE STORY OF EMIL MOLT. From troubled orphan to Father of the Original Waldorf School. By Lucie Ménard
08.2023 / Sophia Institute Foundation Studies Final Research Paper
ABSTRACT
After the conclusion of World War I, Emil Molt (1876-1936), a wealthy German industrialist, decided to set up an anthroposophical school for his employees' children. This act was the foundation stone of Waldorf Education. Who was the formidable personality behind this risky enterprise? What were the roles of Anthroposophy and its leader, Rudolf Steiner, in Molt's life? The present paper delves into his life story in an anthroposophical fashion to unveil the mysterious connection between the man and the First Waldorf School.
The project was carried out following a classic sequence of biography work:
1. Emil Molt's whole life was divided into seven-year phases and summarized.
2. A panorama chart was generated to reveal potential interconnections, rhythms, and "mirrors."
3. The data was discussed and analyzed in light of the relevant literature. Namely, the underlying theory referenced in this document sprung from R. Steiner's initial depictions of human development and its archetypal laws.
The present article indicates that the Mother School sprouted from the fertile soil of Emil's particular trajectory over nine cycles, influenced by his environment, temperament, upbringing, relationships, career, and values. His belief in Steiner’s Threefold Social Order and his undying devotion to the School transpire today in his spiritual legacy: the worldwide Waldorf movement.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION - p.2
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS - p.3
3. RESULTS
a. Biographical summary in septennials i. The first 7-year cycle - p.4
ii. The second 7-year cycle - p.4
iii. The third 7-year cycle - p.5
iv. The fourth 7-year cycle - p.6
v. The fifth 7-year cycle - p.6
vi. The sixth 7-year cycle - p.7
vii. The seventh 7-year cycle - p.8
viii. The eighth 7-year cycle - p.10
ix. The ninth 7-year cycle - p.11
b. Biographical chart - p.13
c. Analytical discussion
i. General commentary - p.15
ii. Mirrors - p.16
iii. The Moon cycle - p.17
iv. The Jupiter cycle - p.17
v. The Saturn cycle - p.18
4. CONCLUSION - p.19
5. REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY - p.20 1
1 - INTRODUCTION
In April 1919, Emil Molt, General Manager and part owner [5] of the Waldorf Astoria cigarette factory in Stuttgart, Germany, asked Dr. Rudolf Steiner a fateful question. An assiduous student of Anthroposophy, he wished to establish a school for his employees' children according to those principles and offered the post of pedagogical director to his spiritual mentor [4]. This individual initiative spurred a worldwide movement [5]. Today, Emil Molt is duly credited and dearly remembered by Waldorf teachers and colleagues. However, he has fallen into anonymity among the larger public. Even Waldorf parents (i.e., the parents of pupils attending a Waldorf school) actively engaged in the happenings of their institutions do not know about him. Like Mercury, E. Molt's proximity to the Sun (i.e., R. Steiner) has rendered him practically invisible. As the founder of the First School, his contribution to humanity deserves more recognition. After all, he named it after his factory [2], which became the trademark of the ensuing educational approach.
His tale is also a refreshing example of a self-made man, whom Americans revere so much, who employed capitalism in the service of his workers and community [4], starkly contrasting with what we observe today.
In the present paper, Emil Molt's biography was examined with an anthroposophical lens to uncover the link of destiny between him and the School, whose opening in September of 1919 he considered the crowning achievement of his life [1]. How did such a pioneering idea originate in his mind? What prepared and led a tobacco businessman to take an interest in education to the point of putting together a tuition-free school? How could such a "bubble of optimism" [5] come to the surface among the ruins of a defeated and collapsing German society?
08.2023 / Sophia Institute Foundation Studies Final Research Paper
ABSTRACT
After the conclusion of World War I, Emil Molt (1876-1936), a wealthy German industrialist, decided to set up an anthroposophical school for his employees' children. This act was the foundation stone of Waldorf Education. Who was the formidable personality behind this risky enterprise? What were the roles of Anthroposophy and its leader, Rudolf Steiner, in Molt's life? The present paper delves into his life story in an anthroposophical fashion to unveil the mysterious connection between the man and the First Waldorf School.
The project was carried out following a classic sequence of biography work:
1. Emil Molt's whole life was divided into seven-year phases and summarized.
2. A panorama chart was generated to reveal potential interconnections, rhythms, and "mirrors."
3. The data was discussed and analyzed in light of the relevant literature. Namely, the underlying theory referenced in this document sprung from R. Steiner's initial depictions of human development and its archetypal laws.
The present article indicates that the Mother School sprouted from the fertile soil of Emil's particular trajectory over nine cycles, influenced by his environment, temperament, upbringing, relationships, career, and values. His belief in Steiner’s Threefold Social Order and his undying devotion to the School transpire today in his spiritual legacy: the worldwide Waldorf movement.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION - p.2
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS - p.3
3. RESULTS
a. Biographical summary in septennials i. The first 7-year cycle - p.4
ii. The second 7-year cycle - p.4
iii. The third 7-year cycle - p.5
iv. The fourth 7-year cycle - p.6
v. The fifth 7-year cycle - p.6
vi. The sixth 7-year cycle - p.7
vii. The seventh 7-year cycle - p.8
viii. The eighth 7-year cycle - p.10
ix. The ninth 7-year cycle - p.11
b. Biographical chart - p.13
c. Analytical discussion
i. General commentary - p.15
ii. Mirrors - p.16
iii. The Moon cycle - p.17
iv. The Jupiter cycle - p.17
v. The Saturn cycle - p.18
4. CONCLUSION - p.19
5. REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY - p.20 1
1 - INTRODUCTION
In April 1919, Emil Molt, General Manager and part owner [5] of the Waldorf Astoria cigarette factory in Stuttgart, Germany, asked Dr. Rudolf Steiner a fateful question. An assiduous student of Anthroposophy, he wished to establish a school for his employees' children according to those principles and offered the post of pedagogical director to his spiritual mentor [4]. This individual initiative spurred a worldwide movement [5]. Today, Emil Molt is duly credited and dearly remembered by Waldorf teachers and colleagues. However, he has fallen into anonymity among the larger public. Even Waldorf parents (i.e., the parents of pupils attending a Waldorf school) actively engaged in the happenings of their institutions do not know about him. Like Mercury, E. Molt's proximity to the Sun (i.e., R. Steiner) has rendered him practically invisible. As the founder of the First School, his contribution to humanity deserves more recognition. After all, he named it after his factory [2], which became the trademark of the ensuing educational approach.
His tale is also a refreshing example of a self-made man, whom Americans revere so much, who employed capitalism in the service of his workers and community [4], starkly contrasting with what we observe today.
In the present paper, Emil Molt's biography was examined with an anthroposophical lens to uncover the link of destiny between him and the School, whose opening in September of 1919 he considered the crowning achievement of his life [1]. How did such a pioneering idea originate in his mind? What prepared and led a tobacco businessman to take an interest in education to the point of putting together a tuition-free school? How could such a "bubble of optimism" [5] come to the surface among the ruins of a defeated and collapsing German society?