Against the Wind: Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhof - Plough

Against the Wind
In spite of her strictness, Elisabeth Arnold always maintained a good relationship
with her children and never let a rift develop between them. 11 Carl Franklin
Arnold, on the other hand, in his eagerness to foster intellectual discussion, was
ready to push things to extremes, even when the children were quite young. All in
all, Eberhard and his siblings went through a strenuous but markedly successful
course of characer building.
One question, however, was not up for discussion in the Arnold household: the
matter of class differences. Until he was twelve, Eberhard had very little contact
with the “common people.” At school he interaced almost exclusively with middle-
class boys, who were all well aware of their social standing. So it startled him to
discover that many people lived a life far simpler and less complicated than his,
and yet could still be happy, warm-hearted, and genuine. Then, Eberhard met
a homeless man and brought him into his parents’ elegant home. A short time
later, while on a trip to the mountains, he exchanged his hat for the filthy cap
of an elderly destitute man, and was rewarded with not only a scolding from his
parents but head lice as well. Why, Eberhard began to wonder, should someone
who was poor automatically be labeled wicked and criminal? His parents could
not always satisfy him with their evasive answers, and at times he contradicted
them. Eberhard knew well enough from his experiences at the Johannes High
School in Breslau that wealth and a highly resected family were no guarantee
of good behavior or an exemplary life. A factory owner’s son was a thief; the sons
of army officers and government officials were rude and malicious. As Eberhard
became a teenager, his youthful view of the world began to waver.
tEEnagE antiCS
Though it amounted to hardly more than a fling, during his eighth grade year
Eberhard joined a secret school gang known as “Suevia.” To prove their bravery
the boys fought fencing matches, using sticks as foils, imitating the duels fought
in university fraternities. There was talk of chivalry and knighthood, and beer
drinking, but Eberhard’s enthusiasm for these things was short-lived. When his
father caught him drunk, the shame Eberhard felt and the drastic punishment
levied by his school brought him up short. Together with a friend, Eberhard
resolved to break completely with such pastimes.
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