DR. DAVID STARR JORDAN
BY WILLARD P. HATCH
- “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”—Matt. 7:20.
- “Indeed, the real treasury of man is his knowledge.”—Bahá’u’lláh, “The Third Ishráq.”
PRAGMATISM comes from the Greek word “pragma” meaning “an act.” According to Professor William James, the pragmatist judges all things by the differences made in the world of man by various lines of thought when carried into action. What effect will result if this or that thought is applied? Should the result be good then the thought and line of conduct should be accepted. If the results of new thought, when acted, are more beneficial than the results of former lines of thought when acted, then the new thought and action should be substituted for the old.
That great world teacher, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, proclaims, “Some men and women glory in their exalted thoughts, but, if these thoughts never reach the plane of action they remain useless: the power of thought is dependent on its manifestation in deeds.”
With these ideas as a starting point, a brief survey of the life of Dr. David Starr Jordan, chancellor emeritus of Leland Stanford Jr. University, who died September 19th, 1931, should prove of interest.
Dr. David Starr Jordan was assentially a pragmatist. He was a pragmatist as regards philosophy, character building, education, science and religion.
Dr. Jordan’s ethology sought to give a better citizen to the world, irrespective of nation or race. His philosophy was restless in the world of thought alone, and, like the sap in a tree, it ever endeavored to produce its fruit.
Dr. Jordan’s science strove to draw from the realms of the unknown, truths and basic laws in order to add them to the sum of human knowledge.
Dr. Jordan’s processes in the realm of education endeavored to train the innate capacity for good of the individual, that it might function along lines of useful and constructive service. This was, indeed, one of his preeminent attributes. He loved the intelligent, the true, the good and the peaceful—as opposed to ignorance, falsehood, the evil, the warring and the hateful.
The body of the scholar and the laborer, that of the king and the servant, alike arise from the dust in their cellular structure, progress by the command of God through the vegetable kingdom, the animal kingdom, unto the human kindom, and return once more to the mineral. The soul, however, not being a composition of different elements, but “of the nature of a single element,” plunges into new experiences in the worlds beyond. For single elements, even of matter, are indestructible.
The Prophet Muḥammad, in the Qur’án, deprecates the type of soul which has “grown old in vain.” As one’s view moves over the emphatic characteristics of Dr. Jordan’s life, as chronicled in his progress in both words and deeds, one easily arrives at the conclusion that he was not of this type. Rather does he come under the saying, in the same Sacred Book, which reads, “Save those who are patient and do right; these—for them is pardon and a mighty hire!”
II.
Dr. Jordan, like his most famous student, Herbert Hoover, progressed upwards rapidly from his sturdy beginning as a farmer’s boy. He worked his way through the university, at the start by manual labor; soon after by becoming an instructor in science. His father was able to send him but a few apples to promote his progress.
Blessed with an insatiable appetite for
scientific knowledge, this man, who was to
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DR. DAVID STARR JORDAN
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head
a splendid university from its very
beginning, through great difficulties, until
it was safely established, was at all times
singularly free from the manifestations of
envy. His praise of capacity usefully directed
was as noteworthy as was his disgust with
superstition; pseudo-knowledge, miscalled
science; insincerity, hypocrisy and sham.
This latter quality did not, however, make
him unwilling to recognize truth that was
new, especially when it was based on sound
reasoning, and met the pragmatic test of
being beneficial to man when carried into
deeds. He was, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wishes for
those upholding Truth, of the type of a
conquering eagle overwhelming the crows
of falsehood and superstition.
This characteristic of Dr. Jordan is a basic necessity in cooperative effort and defines the path of a broad-gauge man. It is also the requisite of the true teacher, who rejoices over his pupils developing under his tutelage, and pictures them active in the world of affairs, an activity which lies just around the corner in their fast approaching maturity.
III.
Bahá’ís know that universal peace, and its establishment between religions, nations, creeds, races and classes, throughout the affairs of men, is the most important objective of the twentieth century. As Christ says in His Beatitudes, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
Therefore it is interesting to find that Dr. David Starr Jordan extended the hospitality of Leland Stanford Jr. University to the great Protagonist of the Bahá’í Cause, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, during the year 1912, and introduced Him to the student body and faculty in words from which the following excerpt is taken:
“It is our portion to have with us. . . one of the great religious teachers of the world, one of the natural successors of the old Hebrew Prophets. . . . I have now the great pleasure and the great honor also of presenting to you ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”
The “Palo Altan” published at Palo Alto, California, beside which lies the beautiful campus of the university, featured this notable and unique event with headlines across an entire page* and then went on to say:
“A crowded assembly hall, holding nearly two thousand people, awaited with eager expectancy the appearance last Tuesday morning, of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá . . . ‘Abbás Effendi, the world leader of the Bahá’í Movement. The venerable prophet with His long gray beard and Persian cloak and turban, gave a true impression of the reincarnation of the Far Eastern prophet of old. . . .
“It seemed to be a notable day when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá from the far country of the Orient, met Dr. David Starr Jordan of the far western shore, both carrying the stand of international peace and universal brotherhood. It was Persia, the oldest nation of the world, indeed the fabled country of the Garden of Eden and the birthplace of the human race, bringing a message to America, the youngest great nation of the world.
‘For there is neither East nor West,
- Border nor Breed nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face,
- Though they come from the ends of the earth.’
“‘Abdu’l-Bahá carries the message of religion and Dr. Jordan carries the message of science, both aiming for one great result. As all men are the children of one God so are they all brothers and we are at the dawning of a new day when the relationship of world fraternity will be seen and recognized. . . .”†
This appreciative action of Dr. Jordan, at that time the active president of this distinguished university, was followed by a most powerful and penetrating address to the faculty and students by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; an address to which he afterwards referred the famous Bahá’í scientist, Auguste Forel.
————————
*In the issue dated November 1, 1912.
†The record of the meeting of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and David Starr Jordan appears in Dr. Jordan’s own words in his book, “The Days of a Man,” where he writes, on page 414, “Another visitor of this same year (1912) was the Bahá’í, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, son of Bahá’u’lláh, the famous Persian devotee, founder and head of a widespread religious sect holding as its chief tenet the Brotherhood of Man with all that this implies of personal friendliness and international peace. Through an interpreter the kindly apostle expressed with convincing force a message accepted, in name at least, by good men and women all through ages. He asked for some of my own essays to be translated into Persian and cordially invited me to his abode of peace in the hills of Damascus.”
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This
was done incidental to His “Proofs of
God’s Existence,” which He sent to the
learned Swiss scientist, and which has
become a classic.
IV.
Dr. Jordan was highly praised by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, when He later returned to London, England. After speaking of the “encouraging and profitable work being carried on by American universities,” He especially commended Dr. Jordan as a “very wise and erudite man, whose mind is full of thoughts of peace.”
Perhaps it was the irrefutable solution of the problem of how to achieve peace, as given to the world by Bahá’u’lláh, the great Father of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who was the Exemplar of His Father’s teachings, that attracted the sympathetic interest of Dr. Jordan to the Bahá’í Cause.
That there was such interest is amply proven by Dr. Jordan’s own words: no longer ago than March 6th, 1929, Dr. Jordan wrote, “. . . after many occasional breaks into mysticism I have grown very sympathetic with the work of the Bahá’í people and their point of view. . . .” Then to show this interest by deeds Dr. Jordan recommended that an article be written about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, descriptive of His work for the unity of the world, in a series of biographical sketches which included Dr. Jordan himself. Dr. Jordan’s good intention was communicated at the time by this writer to the distinguished Guardian of the Bahá’í Cause, Shoghi Effendi, who found the news very acceptable.
V.
How important it was that Dr. Jordan, occupying so high a position in the esteem of the thoughtful people of the world, should express his recognition of the highest of ideals among people of noble intention.
How well Dr. Jordan exemplified the words of that great Figure, Bahá’u’lláh, Who wrote:
“Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his
- country,
Let him rather glory in this, that he loves his
- kind.”
