The Society Of Brothers
(Page 2 of 3)
November/December 1971
By Barry Fishler/ Cover Photos By Andrew Schneider
The Nazis, naturally, were in furiated by this disobedience and, in 1937, the Gestapo ordered the community to dissolve. Members of the Society were permitted to leave for England, where earlier exiles—with only what they could carry out of Germany—had established a small branch community at Cotswald.
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The brothers soon opened a second commune in England, but when Britain entered the war the Society was faced with a critical choice . . . to let its German members be interned by the English or to find another home. The group chose to move to Paraguay—the only nation offering immediate asylum—and waited out the conflict in the back woods.
In 1954, with the war well behind them, the brothers established their first American community at Rifton. They embarked on their toy-making venture that same year.
The decision to make toys was a logical one for the Society of Brothers. They had searched around and experimented with different methods of supporting themselves, until they realized that the manufacture of playthings was most consistent with their concern for children.
That concern is evident throughout the commune. On the grounds, small groups of young children wander with teachers who try to integrate the lessons of nature with those of the classroom. Birds that were pictures in a book are seen flying through the air . . . flowers have depth and scent . . . squirrels bark from trees.
Shetland ponies wander the grounds, too . . . often with pony carts behind them. By comparing these horses and the cars in the parking lot, the children develop a feel for both the old ways and the new . . . and walking among the cars—feeling and touching them—is as much a part of their education as watching the ponies.
Nor are the children in any way lesser members of the community.
Each type of work is given equal value, so that youngsters who gather flowers are regarded just as highly as the toymakers, even though the flowers are for decoration and the toys for income. The Society encourages each member to contribute his best work to the commune, no matter what that "best work" may be.
The toys that largely support the Society are marketed under the tradename Community Playthings through the home at Rifton.
The brothers' catalog features over 50 pages of wooden toys, and one thing stands out about them all ... quality. These are sturdy toys, the kind no one seems to make anymore, and—because they're good—they don't come cheap. You can expect to pay up to $10 for a small one . . . over $100 for a large, complicated set.
None of the playthings made by the brothers has any baby blue ducklings scampering over the bolts or pink curlicues running up and down the sides . . . and all you have to do is think about it to know that the Society is right.
Kids don't need any of the wonderful geegaws that Madison Avenue always tries to pour over their toys. . . the decorations they have real use for will come right out of their own heads. If you have any doubts about that, think back to the packing crate you had when you were a child . . and how it had become a castle by the time your imagination got through embellishing it and moving in furniture, paintings, butlers, carpets and guests.
