Anni - The Perfect Wisdom Web

a n n iwishes. On the one hand too little is demanded and onthe other, the humanly impossible.The news that Fräulein Dr. Kühn intended to leave theThale college for a teaching position elsewhere was asource of distress for Anni, who considered her one of thefew adults with whom she could be completely candid.Dr. Kühn’s classes on child psychology, with their Fröbelinspiredemphasis on respect for each child as an individual,were a highlight of the academic offerings atthe college for both Anni and Emi-Margret. Dr. Kühn,who had also befriended the girls outside the classroom,was aware both of their friendship and of the differencesbetween them. A Christian herself, she observedthe contrast between Emi-Margret’s childlike faith andAnni’s agonized seeking. She also saw how Anni’s outlookwas affected by her friendship with Irmgard Blau, whocontinued to advocate a permanently questioning mentalattitude. Dr. Kühn once remarked to Emi-Margret, “Iwonder who will win in Anni’s heart, Irmgard Blau oryou?” “Not me, I’m too stupid,” replied Emi-Margret, ayear younger and less sophisticated than the others. “No,”said Dr. Kühn. “It’s deeper than that.”Anni’s world was changing in other ways. As theyears passed, the Youth Movement had become betterorganized, more given to ideological disputes than todisorganized celebrations in woods and meadows. Theemphasis on the glory of youth was gradually replaced byan emphasis on the glory of Aryan youth as the NationalSocialists harnessed the energy of the Youth Movement74