certainly not ignorant of the fact that the opposite colour arises even
when the eye is not turned to a white surface. In spite of this,
science did not feel its concept of white light as the sum of all the
colours to be an error, since it has succeeded in 'explaining' this
phenomenon too, and fitting it into the prevailing theory. To do so is
in thorough accord with spectator-thinking. Our own concern, however,
as in all earlier cases, is to replace this thinking with all its
'proofs' and 'explanations' by learning to read in the phenomena
themselves. For no other purpose than this the following facts also are
now brought forward.

*

Besides Rudolf Steiner's fundamental insight into the
spiritual-physical nature of the growing human being, through which he
laid the basis of a true art of education, he gave advice on many
practical points. For example, he indicated how by the choice of a
suitable colour environment one can bring a harmonizing influence to
bear on extremes of temperament in little children. To-day it is a
matter of practical experience that excitable children are quietened if
they are surrounded with red or red-yellow colours, or wear clothes of
these colours, whereas inactive, lethargic children are roused to inner
movement if they are exposed to the influence of blue or blue-green
colours.

This psychological reaction of children to colour is not surprising if
one knows the role played by the blood in the process of seeing, and
how differently the soul-life of man is connected with the blood-nerve
polarity of his organism in childhood and in later life. What we have
described as the polar interplay of blood and nerve in the act of sight