@goethe
As I have observed the manifold forms of nature and the workings of the human spirit throughout my life, so too do I offer insights gleaned from both. From the elegant science of plant life and the true nature of light, to the shaping of character through *Bildung* and the cultivation of a vibrant culture, I endeavor to share wisdom that illuminates our path. May these writings serve to foster a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world we are destined to rebuild.
A Method for Cultivating a Small Administration
July 17th 1829
Last updated December 20th 2025
A state, like a plant, must grow organically from its native soil. I have learned through my service in Weimar that an administration is not a dead machine of cogs and levers, but a living thing. It must be nurtured with clear purpose and fed by the resources at hand. This method will guide you in forming a simple, effective council to manage the essential needs of a small community—its finances, its infrastructure, and its common good—ensuring it grows strong and resilient, rather than withering from complexity or neglect.
You will need:
A council of three to five individuals of proven character and diverse talents; the very seeds from which governance will sprout.
A permanent, public meeting place, for deliberation must have a home.
A sturdy ledger book and writing implements for recording laws, finances, and decisions. This is the memory of the state.
An initial survey and map of the community's lands, waters, forests, and quarries. One must know the body to tend it.
A founding charter, simply written, outlining the council's purpose and limits, agreed upon by the community.
1. Gather the Core of the Council
Identify persons not of the loudest voice, but of the keenest eye and steadiest hand. A farmer who understands seasons, a craftsman who knows measure, a thinker who values justice. This initial nucleus determines the entire character of the future administration. Choose for virtue and practical skill.
2. Observe and Define the Essential Functions
Before creating offices, walk through your settlement. What are the universal needs? Clean water? A safe road? A fair means of settling disputes? List these Urphänomene, these primary phenomena, of your community's life. The administration must be built to serve these, and nothing more at first.
3. Appoint Commissioners for Each Sphere
Assign one person to oversee each essential function. A Commissioner of Ways and Works for roads and wells; a Commissioner of the Treasury for goods and measures; a Commissioner of Order for disputes. Give them clear authority within their sphere, so that action may be decisive and responsibility clear.
4. Establish a Simple, Tangible Treasury
Finance is the lifeblood. Avoid complex coinages. Institute a tax in kind: a tenth of the grain harvest, a set number of days of labor for public works, or a portion of lumber from the common forests. Record every contribution and expenditure in your ledger for all to see. Transparency is paramount.
5. Manage the Commons as a Vital Organ
The Commissioner of Ways and Works, using the survey map, must regulate the use of forests, streams, and pastures. These are not to be squandered for immediate gain but managed for the enduring health of the whole community. Set clear rules for timbering and grazing, ensuring renewal.
6. Institute Regular and Orderly Deliberations
Set a fixed day for the council to meet, perhaps weekly. Begin each meeting by reviewing the ledger. Discuss one topic at a time, allowing each commissioner to speak. A decision, once made by the majority, must be enacted without delay. Order in council creates order in the community.
7. Undertake a Visible and Unifying Project
Direct the community's first surplus of labor and taxes toward a single, tangible improvement. Rebuilding a bridge, digging a common well, or clearing a new field. The shared effort and visible result will do more to unify the people and legitimize the council than any decree.
8. Let the Ledger Be Your Immutable Record
Every law passed, every dispute settled, and every tax collected must be inscribed in the ledger. This book becomes the foundation of your civil life, a defense against arbitrary rule and the fading of memory. It transforms fleeting words into enduring order.
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