Against the Wind: Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhof - Plough

Against the WindGerman in the Germans? “The German spirit…wants to dedicate life to a higherlife, a sacrificial life devoted to the loftiest tasks. Here are the generous virtues ofobedience and loyalty, of courage and readiness for sacrifice, of truthfulness, andcreative energy of character.” With views so far removed from reality, it took along time – at least two and a half years – before his feet were once more plantedon firm ground.diE furChE and thE furChE publiShing houSEIn the late summer of 1915 a telegram arrived in Dölau for the Arnolds fromUndersecretary of State Georg Michaelis, who at that time was head of the SCM: 18Eberhard was to serve the SCM as literary advisor and media relations manager,and to oversee both the editing of Die Furche (The Furrow) magazine and thedevelopment of the Furche Publishing House. 19 The offer came at just the righttime, and Eberhard essentially accepted it, seeing it as the logical continuationof his previous direction and as “God’s call.” 20 In preliminary discussions it wasagreed that as advisor he would oversee “charitable gifts,” a service to soldiers at thefront that supplied them with books and magazines. He would also act as assistanteditor for Die Furche. For the time being Dr. Gerhard Niedermeyer, the SCM’sgeneral secretary, would retain the magazine’s editorship. Under the agreementEberhard was to be free to work with student groups in Berlin. The SCM rented ahouse for the Arnold family in the Berlin suburb of Wilmersdorf: Landauerstrasse14, a newly built, modern house with six rooms and a view over a beautiful park.Life in Dölau had been peaceful and idyllic. Wartime Berlin was all rush,commotion, and excitement. At first nothing in the office of Die Furche ranaccording to plan. The Arnold parents in Breslau had to lend the money for themove. During October and November Eberhard was buried under piles of officework that was not even included in his job description. When he was finally givena secretary, she was entirely unable to cope. Not until the formal founding of theFurche Publishing House several months later was Eberhard able to regain Elsevon Hollander’s well-proven assistance. 21 To make matters worse Dr. Niedermeyer,the editor of Die Furche, suddenly insisted that he knew nothing of Eberhard’s jointeditorial responsibilities, and it took multiple emphatic references to the terms ofthe agreement before Eberhard could get one of his articles printed or could workon others. His first piece ran in the January 1916 issue.The unfriendly, all-business attitude of his SCM colleagues shocked Eberhard.In December, after more than one urgent request to discuss the matter, he had a68