Brilliant Star/Volume 18/Issue 1/Text

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volume 18 number 1

Brilliant Star

march-april 1986

Baha Splendor e Jalal Glory « Jamal Beauty 143

Dear Children,

Bah@u'lléh tells us to immerse ourselves in the ocean of His words. Can you imagine an ocean made of words, just as drops of water make up the real ocean? He tells us that pearls of wisdom are hidden in the depths of that ocean of His words, and that we can discover them if we are determined. Now THAT is a real treasure huni!

Words are one of the most important ways that we share ideas, feelings and information with each other. Since the beginning of our faith in the last century, the ways to convey words have grown so much: not only books, but radio, television, magazines, many newspapers, movies, computers, telegrams, telephones and recordings! We'll bet that you can think of even more ways that we hear or see words.

We know that when one of God’s Teachers appears in the world, a special spiritual energy comes with Him that causes tremendous change. The changes come to help bring about God’s wishes for mankind. So many of the new inventions that have to do with communication have helped us see that we really are one family of mankind on our planet. Now for the hard Job: how to help us become united and peaceful.

The plan for that is in that beautiful ocean of words that Bahd’u'llah invites us to plunge into. The Baha teachings have many things to say about how books, words

and learning can help bring us to peace, and one of the teachings is about a special language. In the future, we will not only treasure the books and words of our own language, but will learn another language with all the people of the world, so that we can talk together and make decisions no matter where we travel in the world. How words have power is what this issue of Brilliant Star is all about. Write us and let us know what pearls you are finding in the ocean of words!

Love Youn Edler

PS. Don’ forget that when you see the dove logo, it means that what you

are reading may be helpful as you celebrate the International Year of Peace!

About the cover

The alphabet on our cover was lovingly cross-stitched by Janet Richards in honor of the birth of Leah Foster Grammar. The design was “internationalized” and adapted from a pattern by Plaid Enterprises, Inc

Brilliant Star is a publication of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahaiis of the United States. It is published six times each year, in January, March, May, July, September and November. Copyright © 1986 National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahaiis of the United States. World rights reserved.

Address manuscripts and other editorial contributions to Brilliant Star/Radpour, Suburban Office Park, 5010 Austin Rd., Hixson, Tn. 37343. Manuscripts should be typewritten and double-spaced throughout. Brilliant Star does not offer monetary compensation to its contributors. Return postage should be included if manuscript is to be returned. Single copy $2.50; 6 issues (one year) $12.00; 12 issues (two years) $23.00; foreign, surface mail, one year $15.00, two years $28.00; foreign, air mail, one year $25.00, two years $47.50. An index for the preceding year's issues is available for $2.00. For subscriptions, change of address and adjustments write to Brilliant Star Subscriber Service, Suburban Office Park, 5010 Austin Rd., Hixson, Tn. 37343. All other correspondence should be addressed to Brilliant Star/Richards, 4 Village Dr., Yardville, N.J. 08620. Printed in the U.S.A.

Brilliant Star is intended for children of all ages and

strives to:

e develop the child's awareness of the oneness of humanity

e increase the child's conscious awareness of his spiritual nature and the need for its development

¢ develop the child's reasoning power and stimulate his love for the order of the universe

provide a standard by which the child may learn to relate to others with love and justice

® assist parents and teachers in developing all of the child's hidden talents and virtues

ISSN 0884-3635

Brilliant Star Editorial Board

Mary K. Radpour Managing Director

Deborah Bley Editor-in-Chief

Mimi McClellan Music Editor

Rita Leydon Art Director

Rita Leydon Production

Janet Richards Secretary

Keith Boehme Consultant [Page 1]

whats inside

Letters From 2 | A Mime 8

The Dervish 20 Our Friends a photo essay by a story from Bill George and The Dawnbreakers Rita Leydon retold by Susan Allen A New Language @ for a New Country by John S. Hatcher By Heart oa

ss _

Old Man Jones 22 a story by o-—

The R Attributes of God 14 eee 27

a poem by a story by Roger White Alvin N. Deibert Attributes of God 17 | Edward’s Day 28 A Language of 6 a song by a story with the Heart Alvin N. Deibert alternatives by by M. Afshin Nancy Braun

» ?

Secret Code 18 Crack this one, if you can! by Rita Leydon Book Nook 32 ry

Parent’s Page 33 1 [Page 2]

Letters from our friends

Sina Ghadirian of Montreal, Canada, is 11 years old. He and some of the other children in his Baha’i class sent us stories from Baha'i history that they wrote and illustrated. We wish we had room to share

all the stories with you! Here is Sina’s story

about ’Abdu’l-Baha and his ocean journey to the United States:

’"Abdu’l-Baha arrived in America on April 11th, 1912, for a nine months visit to the United States and Canada. He arrived on a small steamship known as the “Cedric” He had been invited to sail on the most beautiful and the largest steamship that had ever been built, a steamship that was supposed to be unsinkable. This steamship could carry 4000 passengers, and had a theater which could seat 1,200. This steamship was to make its maiden voyage on April 10th. It was called the “Titanic” ’Abdu’1-Baha did not sail on this ship because he said his heart did not prompt him to do so. Some of the most prominent people in the world sailed on the Titanic. The Titanic never arrived but sank in the north Atlantic after hitting an iceberg. Abdu’l-Baha arrived safely and quietly on board the Cedric.

The Staudt children, exhausted, upon their arrival in Ireland.

The Staudt family has gone pioneering to Ireland! Jamie Staudt wanted to tell us about it. She is four years old and wrote this story with her mom:

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Jamie. She used to live in the state of Vermont in America. She had a back yard with lots of flowers. There were lots of fields and woods nearby. She was a little Baha’ girl, who went to Feast and Holy Day celebrations, where she would say her Baha’ prayers with the other children.

One day Jamie’s Mommy and Daddy told her that she and her two brothers, Nathan and Daniel, would soon be pioneers to Ireland. This made Jamie feel good because she liked to be a helper for Bahd@’u'llah. She was also very excited to go on the big airplane. She would have to both sleep and eat breakfast on the plane!

Jamie’ first home in Ireland was at the National Baha’ Center in Dublin. It was such a fun place to be There was a big red swing set with a funny face at the top of it in the back yard, along with yummy raspberries growing that children were allowed to eat right off the bushes!

The third day, Jamie attended her very first Baha’ children’s classes... How special that other children that lived so far away from where she used to live also knew the same Bahai prayers!

Now Jamie lives in Drogheda, which is about an hour north of Dublin. She will soon start going regularly to children’s classes there. She can hardly wait! It sure is exciting and fun to be a little pioneer girl for Baha’u'lla4h—even if you're only four years old!

[Page 3]

Kimberly Pennington, who is six and lives in Milledgeville, Georgia, drew this butterfly after her grandmother, Sandy Jasnau, read her a story about him and how gossiping caused him problems.

Sean Womack, from Montclair, California, is 8 years old and sent us a beautiful poem about nature:

God created

The bugs,

The bushes,

The sun,

The trees,

And God created me.

Dear Brilliant Star,

I think your idea of this magazine is great. Some children and I go to Baha’i school every Sunday. We enjoy it and read a lot of your letters and exciting pictures. Everybody is excited about me ordering your magazines. They just can’t wait to hear more! I have been a Baha’i ever since I was born. Some other children have just started, and they love it! I will write soon. Thank you.

Shabnam Shahparnia 10 years old, Visalia, California

Sarah Simmons is seven and lives in Eureka, Colorado. She wrote this lovely poem:

If I were a butterfly I would fly around and Let people see my brilliant colors.

The children in Manhattan Beach, California, have been busy. Here is a picture of Faizi and Taraz Lee presenting three Baha’i children’s books to the Children’s Librarian at their public library.

a*

In Manhattan Beach and Lawndale, California, children joined together and had a pageant as part of their celebration of the Ninth Day of Ridvan. Dressed in robes and turbans, they did a play about crossing the river into the Garden of Ridvan. In this picture, they are gathering flowers to give to the adults who watched their special pageant. [Page 4]UNITED AT LAST by Fritz A. Mann © 1985

New Language

hen Baha’u 1lah said that “the

earth is but one country,’ He was not talking about some future time, but right now. Of course, many changes must take place before planet Earth can be organized the way it is supposed to be. That is the reason Baha’u'llah revealed so many plans for helping the citizens of this world community organize this new country.

You may already know some of

them. He said there should be a federation of governments; that is, there should be a larger government formed by representatives from each national government, similar to the way that the United States federal government is formed by representatives from each state. Baha’u'llah also talks about having only one currency, one system of weights and

for a New Country

Oe a FA.MANN

by John S. Hatcher

° 1986

measurements, and a world police force which would protect all the individual nations that form this commonwealth.

One of the essential ingredients in helping this new country is a means of communication. You know how important communication is if you have ever been to another country or if you have ever tried to work or play with someone who does not speak English very well. If you cannot communicate, you will not get very much accomplished no matter how sincerely you try.

Imagine if your family wanted to decide where to go on vacation. Think how difficult that would be if everyone in your family spoke a different language. Even if you could eventually figure out what each person [Page 5]was trying to say, it would take so long that the vacation would be over before you could agree where to go. Therefore, to help our new country communicate so it can conduct its business and solve its problems, Baha’u llah said that there should be a universal auxiliary language. The word “auxiliary” is important because it means that this language would be additional, that each person would learn this auxiliary language in addition to his or her native speech. But what will this language be? Baha’u'llah said that the language could be created or it could be selected from among existing languages. There have already been attempts to create a world language. A Polish philologist* Dr. Zamenoff, whose daughter Lydia was a Baha’i, invented a language called Esperanto in 1887. The term Esperanto means hope in this invented language, because it was the hope of Dr. Zamenoff to provide a way to unite the world. Interest in Esperanto has declined, and many Bahda’is feel it is likely that one of the existing languages will be the world auxiliary language. In past ages several different languages emerged as international languages. Latin was the common language in Western Europe when the Catholic Church dominated that part of the world. For a time French was the language of diplomacy. The spread of Islam made Arabic the language of many peoples and nations. Because of the spread of Western technology, children in many countries today learn English, but Chinese is spoken by the greatest

A philologist is someone who studies

languages and how they grow and change and compare with each other.

number of people in the world.

Because we know that the Baha’i community itself will help lead the way in organizing this new world community, it will be important for all the people in the world to have access to the writings of this Revelation. But which is the language of the Baha'i Revelation?

There are three “languages of revelation” in this dispensation. There are Persian and Arabic because Baha’u’llah revealed His tablets in both. But because the Guardian Shoghi Effendi translated many of the most important tablets of Baha’u’llah into English, English is also considered a language of revelation. In fact, the Universal House of Justice refers to the Guardian's translations into English because often when he translated these works, he translated a passage that might be ambiguous or unclear in the Persian or Arabic into something clearer in English.

Both English and Arabic are extremely rich languages. That is, both have vast numbers of words to choose from so that many shades of meaning can be expressed, as can very abstract or complicated ideas. Perhaps English or Arabic will become the auxiliary language, though both of these are very hard to learn.

As you think about what it will be like to be able to talk with everyone else in the world no matter where they live, no matter how remote their culture, consider one other thing: Baha’u’llah ordains that there must be a universal script to go with this language. Do you think you could learn to write in Persian or Arabic? How about Chinese? [Page 6]

aim was excited!

Today was the 20th of April, and the Festival of Ridvan was to start at sunset! All the children in Panchgani felt the greatness of this holy day as their families prepared to celebrate the time over one hundred years ago when Baha’u’llah entered the garden of Ridvan and gave the world the wonderful news that He was God’s Teacher and that He brought a precious message of love and unity to all the world.

That evening, all the

Baha'i families went to different villages to begin helping the Baha'is elect their local spiritual assemblies. Naim’s family got in a jeep

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illustrated by Cindy Pacileo

A Lanquace of the Heart

adapted from an account by M. Afshin

and went down a long, winding road toward the village they were to visit. The sun was just dropping out of sight behind the mountain when they stopped the jeep and started to walk the rest of the way in the dusk. Naim took his mother’s hand as he walked. The mountainside was beautiful with wild flowers and corn fields, and the sounds of lambs bleating in the nearby pastures was like a song of spring! Naim’s father lit a lantern to help show the way as the dark deepened. “Momon? How will I make friends with the children in the village? Do they know that we are

coming?” Naim asked his mother.

“There will be plenty of time for you to get to know the Baha’i children here as we help with the election. I’m sure you'll be good friends before the evening is over,’ his mother assured him, with a smile. “Let’s say a prayer for assistance.”

Naim and his parents stopped and prayed, then went on toward the village. In his pocket, Naim could feel the packet of sweets that he had brought to share with the children. “I am a soldier of God, like "Abdu’l-Baha said,” thought Naim. “But instead of guns like regular soldiers, we have [Page 7]a lantern, prayers, and my packet of sweets.’ He smiled at the thought.

“Allah-u-Abha! Allah-u-Abha!” voices called from above Naim.

Naim looked up and saw three children in a tree above him, smiling at him and waving. They had climbed up the tree to watch for Naim’s family along the road.

The children climbed down quickly. “Allah-uAbha!” Naim answered. He was so happy that he started to speak to the children quickly in Farsi, but they could not understand his language, and looked puzzled.

“Why don’t you try to speak to them in Hindi?” his mother suggested.

At once, Naim said, “Tumara nam kya hai?”

The children laughed happily and answered Naim’s question by telling him their names. They took his hands and ran off toward the village together.

The evening was wonderful. Naim felt as if he had known his new friends for a long time, especially when they all sang together:

"All the world sing Ya Baha, Alléh-u-Abhda.

Sing of love and peace, Ya Baha, Alléh-u-Abhd!

The world is one country,

Allah-u-Abha!”

The children knew most of the same songs that Naim knew, and even sang some new ones for him that Baha'is in their village had made up!

After the assembly was elected, refreshments were shared: bananas, sweets, the candy that Naim had brought, and one little child, finding nothing else, brought bread to share. Naim felt so at home with the Bahaiis of this village, and he thought about his new friends all the way home.

Before he fell asleep that night, he asked his mother, “How many languages are there in the world?”

“Over six hundred, Naim-jan,; she answered. Naim was thoughtful

for a moment, then he said, “Then there must be many people who cannot talk to each other.’

“That’s true, and now with people traveling so much, it must be a big problem for many people,” Mother answered. “Did you know, though, that Baha’u lah taught us that one day we will have a language that everyone can speak and that everyone will learn’ Then no matter what someone's own language might be, he will be

able to use this extra language to speak to anyone.’

Naim snuggled under the covers and smiled. “Tonight we spoke a new language, Momon. When the children called out to me ‘Allah-u-Abha’, I knew they were Baha'is and that we would be friends. When we said our prayers together at the Ridvan celebration and the election, they knew the same prayers. We even knew some of the same songs!”

His mother kissed him and said, “I am pleased with you, Naim. You have realized something that even some grownups have not: that the teachings of our faith are a language of love. What our tongues sometimes cannot say or our ears understand in a language different from our own, our hearts can understand.”

“When the children said ‘Allah-u-Abha’ tonight, it was a prayer, a greeting and ‘I love you’ all at once. I felt happy to be a Baha’i)’ said Naim. “For now, I guess that that is our world language. Good night, Momon.”

“Good night, Naim, his mother said and kissed him again. “Allah-uAbha” [Page 8]A MIME

by Bill George photographs by Rita Leydon

’m Bill George, Many a mime. people Amime _ think of is an funny 4 w actor little men pulling invisible who ropes when they doesn’t think of mime, speak. but it is more than that. ' It’s abstract I like to think of it theater: the bringing as universal theater, together of the theater that can be dynamics and understood by everyone

movement of dance with the grounded and word-oriented activities of drama.

no matter what language they speak or what country they come from.

Baha’u'llah wrote: “Let your vision be world embracing.” As a Baha’ actor, I am very interested in mime and hope it will

help us build the theater of the Golden Age, the Age

of the Dispensation of Baha’w’llah.

On the next several pages is a mime story. Can you tell me what it is about? You can write to me at Touchstone Theater, 908 East 5th St., Bethlehem, Pa. 18015.

The following is a list of words describing feelings and situations that are depicted in this mime story, see if you can match them up with the pictures: discovery, extended, submission, frustration, celebrate, inquiry, pressed, behind, joy, surprise, embraced, broken, sad, tense, lyric, unseen, alone [Page 9]

please turn the page 9

[Page 10]

[Page 11]

poll Lek Aha a aca ale Ftd if il

[Page 12]

[Page 13]

[Page 14]14

MI: Bustard took a triangularshaped bar of glass from his briefcase. “Does anyone know what this is?” he asked as the four children in his class examined it.

“Is it a mirror?” asked Anisa.

“No, it’s not a mirror,’ replied Mr. Bustard.

“It’s a paperweight,” answered Nabil.

“No, it’s not that. Do you have any idea what it is, Phillip or Sarah?”

They both shook their heads.

“This is called a prism. Can anyone guess what a prism does?”

Phillip raised his hand. “A prism is where they put people who break the law.” He giggled at his joke.

Mr. Bustard laughed too. “That’s very funny, Phillip, but that’s a ‘prison’ not a ‘prism’.” He spoke the two words distinctly so the children could hear the different sound. “A prism is used to separate light into different colors. Did you know that the light coming from this lamp contains all the colors of the rainbow? He positioned the prism

\ttributese*God

near the lamp and tilted it so it caught a ray of light. A rainbow of colors suddenly appeared on the opposite side. He held up a piece of white cardboard on which to reflect the different colors. The children were fascinated.

Mr. Bustard set down the prism and flipped over the piece of cardboard. There was a word printed on it.

“Can anyone pronounce this word?” he asked the class. Sarah raised her hand. “Yes, Sarah, tell us how to pronounce it.”

“At-tri-bute,;’ she said very assuredly.

“Very good. Can anyone tell me what an attribute is?”

The children sat quietly. Sarah wanted to answer but wasn’t sure she could explain it clearly.

“An attribute describes something,” Mr. Bustard continued. “If we say a person is ‘kind’, that is an attribute. If we describe someone as ‘happy-golucky’, that is his or her attribute. Can anyone think of other kinds of attributes that people have?” [Page 15]

“Pretty?” Anisa answered questioningly. She wasn’t certain she understood the idea yet.

“That’s right,” Mr. Bustard reassured her.

“Quiet,” said Nabil.

“Sad,” Phillip said loudly. He was sure of his answer.

“You're all correct,’ said Mr. Bustard. “Those are all attributes of people. God also has attributes. Can anyone think of an attribute of God?”

Sarah raised her hand quickly. “Love. God is love.”

“That’s exactly right. Love is one of the most important attributes of God. God loves all of us and He wants us to love Him.”

“Mighty and Powerful,’ said Phillip. “The prayer says He is ‘the Mighty, the Powerful?”

Mr. Bustard began to write the words the children came up with on the board. With a little help from him, they soon had a long list: love, might and power, peace, justice, beauty, forgiveness, joy.

Mr. Bustard decided the children understood the idea so he continued. “Look at all these words we use to describe God. We talk about the Oneness of God, but He has many attributes. How can that be?”

“He's like the light,” said Nabil. “The light is many colors, but it looks white.”

Mr. Bustard knew that the demonstration of the prism had been successful. He picked up the prism and recreated the rainbow on the cardboard. “Let’s pretend the light is God and all the colors we see are His attributes. This color is ‘love’.” He pointed to the first color of the spectrum. “This one is ‘might and power’. Here is ‘peace’ and next is ‘justice. Then we have ‘beauty, forgiveness, mercy and joy’.” He proceeded down the line of colors listing attributes of God. “The colors are many, but the light is one. So God is many things, but His reality is one.”

Mr. Bustard reached into his briefcase and took out the crayons and four cardboard circles four inches in diameter. “On these circles I have written an attribute of God. I want each of you to take one.” He spread them out on the table with the attributes turned down so the children could not see which one they got.

After each child had a cardboard circle in hand, Mr. Bustard continued. “On the blank side of the cardboard I want you to draw a picture to illustrate your attribute.”

The children thought for a few minutes and with some help from Mr. Bustard all were soon diligently at work. Nabil was busy drawing a flower to illustrate the attribute of “beauty”. For “joy”, Phillip made a smiling face. Anisa’s idea of “love” was a big red heart and Sarah chose to draw a fluffy white cloud floating in a blue sky for “peace”. When they finished, they shared them with each

please turn the page

15 [Page 16]16

other and explained why they had chosen that symbol. Then Mr. Bustard punched two small holes at the top, threaded a piece of yarn through them and hung the pictures around each child’s neck.

“Your assignment this week is to be an attribute of God; he explained. “I want you to do something to show the attribute of God which is hanging around your neck. Think about it carefully, talk it over with your parents, and when we get together next week I want you to tell us what you did. Do you think you can do that?”

After a little more discussion, they all agreed they would try. Then Mr. Bustard took out his guitar and played a song he had written about the attributes of God.

WWW

“Did you carry out your assignment this week?” Mr. Bustard asked at the start of the lesson the following week. All four children indicated they had. “Good. Tell us about it. Would you like to start, Sarah?”

“My attribute is ‘peace’,” she began. “Well, my two brothers and I sometimes get a little noisy at home. Sometimes we argue. This week I tried to be quieter than I usually am and I didn’t argue with my brothers. Mom and Dad thanked me and said the house was more peaceful this week.”

“That’s wonderful, Sarah. And what about you, Phillip?”

“I was ‘joy’. I talked it over with Dad and he helped me decide what to do. We went to visit an old man who lives alone. We brought him a box of his favorite cigars. Dad said we made him happy.”

“Very good. And how did you show the attribute of ‘beauty’, Nabil?”

“I bought a flower at the store and gave it to Grandma and Grandpa. They put it on the coffee table in their living room. Grandma said it made the living room look beautiful.”

“That was very nice. How about you, Anisa?”

“It was very simple. I hugged Mom and Dad every day and told them I loved them.”

“Children, I’m so pleased with what you did. Your ideas are all so clever. You all did a wonderful job. You see how we are needed to make the world a reflection of God’s attributes. Without us, God’s attributes would not appear. We are the ones who must express them. We can do things that show His love, beauty, peace and joy in the world. We are like the prism. God’s light shines through us. We can decide to reflect the rainbow of His attributes or we can turn them off. Without them the world would be a dark place, wouldn't it?”

God has man-y at-tri-butes, but His es-sence is One.

He is love and joy and peace and beau-ty.

If we want God’s at-tri-butes to light-en up the world, we've

got to let them shine through you andme. We've got to show

SS

love! We've got to show joy! We've got to be peace! We've got to show

beau-ty! | We've got to let them shine through you and

.

eo me. We've got to show Me. 17 [Page 18]18

RH

A secret code is a special way to communicate between a select group of people (who have access to the code) or perhaps just two people who want to share something special. It is really just a different form of an alphabet.

If you decide to use this code, or make up your own, keep in mind that it is possible to hurt the feelings of someone

(secret code) adapted by Rita Leydon

who doesn’t know the code. This can be avoided by not showing off your secret messages in front of other friends and classmates. A secret code can be a lot of fun between friends.

On the facing page is a Hidden Word by Baha’u’llah. See if you can decipher it (figure it out). After you have deciphered it, give it some thought. @

| A B C D EK F G H I J K L M N O Pp Q R S _ U Vv W X Y Z space [Page 19]

=

19 [Page 20]

20

s aN ES Sen ee cone nds, ene tee ee seen dy 2 8 eceee

a story from The Dawnbreakers retold by Susan Allen

Sometimes we don’t say what we mean clearly in our words, but may show what we really mean in another way. When this happens, it takes someone of an unusual gift to understand. See what happened when Bahd’u'lléh met a dervish.

Or: day after Baha’u’llah had received the wonderful message of the Bab, He was riding in the countryside. At this time, no one knew that Baha’u'llah was the Great Prophet promised by the Bab. This was God's secret to protect Baha’u’1llah in His early years.

As Baha’u’llah was riding, He saw avery strange man. He was squatting down beside his fire, cooking. He was a dervish. Baha’u'llah greeted him very kindly and courteously and asked the man what he was doing.

The dervish answered, “I am eating God. I am cooking and burning Him.”

Although Baha’u'llah knew this was impossible, He didn’t laugh. He was pleased. He saw that this man spoke simply and honestly from his own belief and desire to be near to God. Baha’u'1lah loved this strange

See mas, wee

man. Gently and lovingly He spoke to him, and told the dervish about the true nature of God.

Although many people might think he was a fool, this dervish had a very pure heart. Baha’u'1lah, being very wise, saw this. The dervish was deeply touched by the powerful spirit of Baha’u’llah. He forgot completely his own silly ideas when looking into the face of Baha’u’1lah and listening to His words. He straightaway stood up, leaving his things behind him, and followed Baha’u’llah.

This dervish alone saw what no one else could see: that Baha’u’llah was a Prophet of God. As he followed Baha’u'1lah on foot, he made up a poem:

Thou art the Daystar of Guidance. Thou art the Light of Truth. Unveil Thyself to Men,

O Revealer of the Truth.

As the man wandered in the countryside chanting, his poem became very famous. People from all around would learn it and repeat it. But they never knew his secret: this wonderful love-poem was about Baha’u’llah, the messenger of God for this day!

By Heart

This verse from Bahdé’uléh talks about a common language for all people on earth. Think about the earth as your own home as you memorize this passage.

"The day is approaching when all the peoples of the world will. have adopted one universal language & one common soript. When this is achieved, to whatsoever city aman may journey, it shall be as if he were entering his own home.”

Bahawllah *

from Gleanings from the Writings of Bahd’ulléh, pp. 249-250

Calligraphy by Michael Hughey. Mr. Hughey used a style of writing here that many calligraphers and handwriting enthusiasts worldwide are proposing as a universal script.

21 [Page 22]Old

22

Man ones

by Barbara Monajem

ST think Old Man Jones is really scary, said Caroline.

“He’s not scary, he’s just ugly,’ replied Josh.

“He has hair all over him,’ added Sandra, “and he always looks so grumpy. I’ve heard he's really mean.”

Caroline quivered inside. “What did he do that was so mean?”

“I don't know,’ said Sandra. “But they say he’s not very nice.”

And who are “they”? thought Caroline belligerently, but it didn’t seem worthwhile to pursue the matter. Nothing anyone said would make her less scared of Old Man Jones.

Mr. Jones was the caretaker at school. Caroline hated having to pass

him in the hallway, especially if she was alone on an errand to the office. It wasn’t that she had ever seen him do anything unkind; in fact, some of the boys, like Josh, didn’t seem to mind him at all.

“Let’s play Survival again,’ said Sandra. “But let’s make Old Man Jones the monster that’s going to attack.”

“Old Monster Jonesy,’ said Josh. He began to chant: “Old Monster Jonesy, leading the attack! Gonna break your bonesy...” He paused to think. “Hear your groans and moansy. Lying on your back!” finished Caroline defiantly.

They all giggled, shaking off twinges of conscience, and made up more unpleasant chants for an imaginary monster.

But Caroline just couldn’t keep her conscience down. It was bad enough being afraid of Mr. Jones, but acting nasty just seemed to make things worse. After supper, when she was drying the dishes, Caroline decided to put the problem before her mother.

“Mother, I need some advice tonight,’ she said, by way of a starter. This

was a little difficult and embarrassing.

Mother’s mouth twitched, and she looked suspiciously at her daughter. “Now what?”

“IT don’t like Mr. Jones, the caretaker at school.”

“Why, what has he done?” Mother was so instantly serious that Caroline had to start blurting it all out.

“Nothing. That’s just it. Some people say he's mean, but I can’t just believe them. I’ve never seen him do anything awful.” In her concentration, she put the cutlery in the drawer without the usual clash and clatter.

“Is anyone else afraid of him?” continued Mother.

“I don't know,’ pondered Caroline. “Nobody likes him much, that’s for sure. You know what?” she burst out, after setting down a stack of plates with an affirmative bang, “I think it’s because he looks so angry all the time, and because he never smiles!”

Her mother paused, sighed, drew in a breath, and said, “Maybe-’

Caroline flung up her hands before her face and cringed mockingly. “Don't say it, I know. ‘Maybe he’s unhappy!’”, she mimicked in a [Page 23]

mothery voice. “You say that about so many people.”

Mother laughed. “Well, maybe he is unhappy, like so many other people. Is he lonely? Is he shy?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

“Let’s just assume he is,” suggested Mother. “Why don’t you try smiling at him? Just like you would at a new kid at school. Maybe he needs a little friendly encouragement.”

“Oh, no!” was Caroline’ immediate frantic reaction, “I’d never have the nerve!” But that felt rotten; she couldn't afford to be afraid when it came to being nice to someone. She shoved that whole idea back into her mind, and grabbed a few more dishes.

“Why don’t you try looking at the good things about him?” said Mother, amused under

Ue

standing in her eyes. “Does he do a good job as caretaker?”

“I guess so. He’s always cleaning floors and changing lightbulbs and sweeping the playground. And when somebody gets sick he cleans it up right away!” Caroline wrinkled up her nose at the thought.

“That’s one for Mr. Jones!” Mother laughed.

More good things done by Mr. Jones came crowding into Caroline’ mind. “He paints the hopscotches on the playground, and mows the lawn, and takes care of the flower gardens at the front, too. I know, because I saw him pulling weeds.’ And, she thought, I walked around him as wide as I could.

“The flower gardens at the school are quite beautiful,’ said Mother. “The next time you see please turn the page

et 1 LS Se

illustrated by Keith Kresge [Page 24]24

. Ee

IM

him, think of all these nice things he does. If you keep thinking good thoughts about him, maybe you'll stop being afraid, and that smile of yours will just break out by itself”

Caroline tried the experiment. She still quaked whenever she saw Mr. Jones, but she couldn't help peeking timidly up at him, to see if there was some goodness showing through on his face. Of course his face hasn't changed, she thought, annoyed. How can he know the nice things I’m thinking about him?

The monster rhymes they had made up were catching on at school, and

Caroline was feeling more and more sorry that she had ever participated in them. Some of the braver boys were chanting them quite loudly, and the kids would suddenly go quiet, or break into giggles, whenever Mr. Jones passed through the playground.

“Old Jones the alien, With a mop and pail-ien, Lock him up in jail-ien And give him a banana!” yelled Josh, standing outside the playground door.

Why does he have to be so loud? thought Caroline furiously. “Oh, be quiet!” she whispered, glowering at Josh’s amazed look, and went through the doorway into

the school.

There before her in the vestibule stood Mr. Jones! Before she knew what was happening, she was staring straight up into his face. In panic, tears filling her eyes, she rushed past him into the girls’ restroom.

He looked so sad! she said to herself, when her heart began to slow its terrified thumping. He looked so miserable. And he didn’t look mean at all!

On the way home, she spoke to Josh and Sandra about it.

“Let’s stop saying those horrible rhymes,’ Caroline pleaded. “He looked so unhappy. Think of how rotten he must feel.” [Page 25]“It’s a shame. He made such a terrific monster. But I guess we'll have to stop,” sighed Josh. “I never thought of him as having feelings. That really spoils the game.” He shrugged. “Oh, well! It was fun while it lasted!”

“Who cares about his feelings?” asked Sarah spitefully. “Besides, if he wants us to be nice to him, why doesn't he be nice to us?”

“But he hasn't hurt anybody,’ protested Josh. “We're the mean ones.”

“Anyway, said Caroline, “if you were already lonely or shy, and everyone started being unkind to you, do you think it would be easy to be nice and friendly back?”

“Well, that’s just his problem!” said Sandra.

They all knew, however, that this particular game had had its day. Still, Caroline’s problem was far from solved. Ever since that terrifying encounter in the vestibule, Caroline was miserably uncomfortable about Mr. Jones. Probably he thinks I’m one of those mean kids, she thought. He must hate me!

Ww

It was Saturday, and they had all spent the afternoon at the park. It had been a sensational spring day: sunny, breezy, the delight of kids and pigeons alike. It was easier to forget about Mr. Jones on the weekends, when Caroline didn’t have to worry about seeing him.

All too soon, the sun went behind the clouds, and the air became chilly. Everyone was leaving the park.

“I guess it’s about time to go anyway,’ said Josh. “I’m hungry. See you later!”

Sandra rode off with her elder sister. Caroline picked up her bike, straddled it, and took one last look at the park. Spring! School is almost over, she thought, and at least I won’t have

Mr. Jones on my mind all the time.

She started to pedal away. Suddenly, the leg of her jeans was grabbed by the bicycle chain, and she just managed not to fall. She tugged at her jeans, but nothing would budge. Her new jeans, too! She didn’t want to tear them, and they were getting greasy from the chain. Maybe she could hop home, attached to the bike. But she would never get across a busy street safely, and besides, shed probably ruin the jeans.

Caroline tugged a bit more, maneuvering the bike back and forth, but to no avail. She looked around for help. There were a few kids left, on the other side of the playing field, but she didn’t know them. A few mothers with toddlers were by the swings. Maybe they could help.

Then, she saw Mr. Jones.

He was sitting on the park bench, quite close by, feeding the pigeons. The birds were clustering around him, eating right out of his hands.

Probably, he hadn't noticed Caroline. What should she do? Even if she called the other kids, or the mothers, for help,

he would be sure to see please turn the page

25 [Page 26]her, and to think that she had chosen not to ask him.

Caroline realized that her moment of truth had come. It was now, or never. If she tried to ignore Mr. Jones now, she had might as well crawl into a hole, for all she was worth.

Taking a deep breath, she called, “Mr. Jones!”

It came out as a very timid squeak, but he heard her.

“Please, Mr. Jones, could you help me get my pant leg out of the chain?”

He came over, not actually smiling, but his face was a lot less grumpy than usual. “Let’s see what I can do,’

he said, and in two jiffs the jeans were free. “Your mother can get that grease out with mechanics hand cleaner,’ he said. “Can you remember that? She might not know about it. I use it for my uniforms, after I fix the lawn mower, or the furnace.’ Caroline gulped, completely amazed and ashamed. Here he was, being so thoughtful and kind! “Yes, thank you...” She smoothed her soiled pantleg nervously, fighting for something to say. “Do—do you come here often to feed the pigeons? They really seem to like you, Mr. Jones!”

‘

LS

She raised her eyes, and Mr. Jones looked back at her. He held her gaze for a moment, then his face broke into a warm smile.

The next afternoon, when Caroline tossed a bag of crumbs into the carrier, and wheeled her bike to the street, Josh called, “Where are you going?”

“To the park.”

“Maybe we'll come too,” said Sandra.

“That’s a great idea,’ replied Caroline. “Especially if you like to feed the pigeons with Mr. Jones!”

And she pedaled triumphantly down the road.

ll

sl

[Page 27]Emily Dickinson was an American poetess, who lived in New England. Our Bahai friend, poet Roger White, has written a book of poems that give us glimpses into the life of Emily Dickinson. When she talks about “Crusoe” in the introduction to the poem, Ms. Dickinson is referring to a famous book called Robinson Crusoe, which was about a traveller who was ship-wrecked on an island.

This is an excerpt from Mr. Whites book, One Bird, One Cage, One Flight.

Used with permission.

little boy ran away from Amherst a few days ago,

and when asked where he was going, replied, “Vermont, or Asia.” Many of us go farther. My pathetic Crusoe!

Emily Dickinson

the Ru naway x

by Roger White

What distance, sir, to far away? \ That’s where I plan to run. I reason there's a sky there, too, And possibly a sun.

Vermont and Asia sound remote And dangerous on the tongue, But I am brave and capable And strong of limb and lung.

And I shall have adventures there, See wondrous and strange things. Ill slay a dragon if I must

And be the guest of kings.

A princess will attract my heart And by one valiant deed

I shall prove worthy of her love And on my snow-white steed

We'll ride through cool green forests To Maine or Zanzibar

And build our Kingdom by the sea. Tell me, sir, how far?

[Page 29]

SR Llp, Fi

t is 7:00 a.m. on Monday morning.

The sun is just beginning to come up. Edward is asleep. The first sound he hears is his mother’s voice calling him to get up and get ready for school. He feels so sleepy and warmly comfortable underneath his blankets. Now he makes his first choice of the day. What will he do?

¢ he could get right up and be cheerful

e he could set the alarm clock for 5 more minutes

Now Edward is out of bed. He is in his closet looking at his clothes and trying to decide what he should wear. What will he choose?

Edward is still a little sleepy; as he is getting dressed he puts his shirt on backwards by mistake. His

brother, Tim, notices the mistake and starts to tease Edward about it, calling him a baby and laughing uproariously. What will Edward do about it?

e ignore his brother and leave his shirt on backwards purposely

e ignore his brother and turn his shirt around to the right side

e punch Tim in the nose

Now Edward has gotten completely dressed and clean for school. He hops down the stairs to the kitchen. There he helps his mother by making toast while she scrambles the eggs for breakfast. While the family is eating, Tim drops his toast onto the floor. It lands jelly side down. Now Edward has another choice to make. What will he do?

After breakfast the family sits down to have morning prayers. Edward says one whole prayer that he has memorized and reads another prayer. While his mother and Tim say their prayers how will Edward choose to behave?

° sit quietly and think about God and what He wants him to do

e fidget

29

please turn the page [Page 30]

30

Edward and Tim say goodbye to their mother and walk to school through the snow together talking excitedly about ice skating. At the corner Tim goes on to the junior high school and Edward walks onto his own school playground. On the playground he sees a 4th grade boy hitting a first grader. Edward feels scared and worried and also curious. What will he do?

e go over and tell the big boy to stop

e stand around and watch the fight e go tell a teacher what is happening

That morning in class Edward finishes his reading assignment and gets a “CHAMPION?” sticker on his math paper. Those are the subjects he likes best. Then comes writing which he hates to do. His teacher says to copy 12 words from the blackboard. Edward has to make a choice. What should he do?

e hurry up and do a messy job just to get it over with

e do the best he can

e go watch a film strip instead

At lunch time Edward discovers that his mother has packed his favorite lunch: a swiss cheese and lettuce and pickle sandwich, an apple, and two chocolate chip cookies. His best friend Lucy is sad because her mother has forgotten to put any dessert in her lunch today. Edward feels sorry for Lucy but he is very hungry. What choice will he make?

That afternoon Edward's class gets to watch a movie. It is a very funny one about a squirrel who gets a job painting houses with her tail. The movie puts Edward in a good mood and he gets all his afternoon assignments done so quickly and well that he gets to make a puzzle at the activity table. While he is making the puzzle, one of the pieces falls off the table and disappears down into the heater vent on the floor. Now what is Edward going to do?

e tell the teacher what happened ¢ dont mention it

tell the teacher that the piece was already missing

° buy the teacher a new puzzle

The bell rings and school is over for today. Edward walks home part of the way with Lucy and then runs the last block home alone. He sits down and eats the snack his mother has ready for him and tells her all about his day at school. He remembers to [Page 31]tell her that he has a homework assignment; he has to count all the doors and windows in his house. Then his mother goes back to typing the book that she is writing. Edward

has another choice to make. What should he do?

e play now and do his homework after supper

e play for an hour and then do his homework right before supper

e do the homework right away

Edward’s mother says that she had better go and shovel the sidewalks before the mailman comes. After she has gone outside Edward gets to looking at the typewriter which he knows he is forbidden to touch. He has always had a very strong desire to see what it would be like to type on this machine. He is faced with a choice. What will he do?

e punch down a lot of keys e only punch down one key e leave the typewriter alone

e leave the keys alone, but turn the roller around and around

Edward’s mother comes in bringing the mail. He has gotten an early birthday card from his uncle with a dollar in it. Now he must decide, what will he use this money for?

Edward spends the rest of the afternoon sledding with Tim. When their father comes home from work he comes out and sleds with them. Then they all go in and help to prepare supper. After supper it is time for Edward to take his bath, get his pajamas on and read stories with his parents. Then Tim comes in to join them for evening prayers. Edward is so tired he can barely keep his eyes open. What will he do?

e say a short prayer and try to think about God for a minute before going to sleep

e say a long prayer

While Edward is sleeping let’s go

back and read the story again and

see what would have happened if Edward had made different choices.

31 [Page 32]32

Book N ook a review by Barbara Gilbert

The Story of Jumping Mouse by John Steptoe, Lothrop,

Lee and Shepard, New York, 1984.

ost of us have goals that we hope to

reach some day, and many of us do not understand how we can actually achieve those goals. The Story of Jumping Mouse a native American legend, can help us to understand

that being faithful to our » dreams without allowing » them to interfere with being kind to others, will

be worth the effort.

Jumping Mouse, a small and humble creature, dreams of reaching the far off land. Although the old ones warn that the journey will be long and dangerous, Jumping Mouse decides to try anyway. He finds other animals along his journey, and some attempt to block his path or discourage him from continuing.

Through his efforts, Jumping Mouse learns about giving to others. When he finds other animals in trouble, he responds by giving them something of himself, and is not afraid to share with others what little he does have to get him through the wilderness. Although his giving

causes him difficulties, in the face of fear, he sticks to his goal.

This story was a tale that began among the Plains Indians, and is re-told from memory by John Steptoe. The moral is a beautiful one and the author’s black-andwhite sketches are very true to life. Ml [Page 33]

Parents’ page

Learning to Love Learning

pee eee ee eee by Jeanie McKenna

‘In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man, and a source of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer, and

gladness unto him.”'

hese words of Baha’u’llah about

knowledge can inspire us to creativity in our role as primary educators of our children. In the Baha’{ Writings, there are many references to knowledge as the basis for developing skills for service to mankind. But understanding knowledge as a source of bounty and joy draws us to it as one of the attributes of God. This irresistable attraction can be the basis for a lifetime of learning. If we can help our children to learn for the sheer joy of it, they will learn a process which will assist them in achieving many and diverse goals.

Young children cannot understand that they must learn their numbers so as to grow to be brilliant mathematicians, and thus serve mankind in some career. They learn most readily when it is made fun, with counting rhymes or songs. This is testified to in the Writings. Time and again we reread the words “In their infancy...” and “co-mingled with their mother’s milk”, for example. So we know that the earlier this process is begun both in spiritual and material teaching, the easier children accept and learn.

This process is so easily set into motion, this process of making learning fun; learning for the happiness it brings. Through the pages of books children become informed of the wonderful world around them. Even very young children enjoy turning the pages of books and listening to the sound of a parent’s voice, long before they may settle down and actually make connections between what is being read and their world. As easy as opening a book, you have captured their fancy and introduced them to the lifelong process of learning. Books are keys with which we can help unlock latent potentialities in our children. What better place to discover the intricacies of the world, to instill the love of God and His prophets than in a loved one’s arms?

Later, the simple reading experience can be extended in many ways. Here are two. When a child asks a question, celebrate his inquisitiveness; give him an answer if you have one. And if you don’t know the

Bahai Education: A Compilation,

answer, show him that adults are curious, too. Go to an encyclopedia or other reference and discover an answer together. This is also a lesson in rudimentary research, an introduction to a process which will serve a seeker of knowledge and truth well.

Older children who can read independently still enjoy being read to. A family could agree on a book and each night take turns reading a chapter or two. This is good practice for oral presentation, and parents could initiate discussions wherein a child could develop debating skills, learning to defend his ideas. This ability will help our children when they endeavor to teach the Faith.

Resolving the competition between written and visual media, most notably television, is a great challenge parents face. The dangers inherent in too much television watching are more subtle than the exposure of our children to violence and sexist programming. A child’s attention span can be conditioned to a limited five or six minutes, because of the frequent disruption of commercials. Watching television instead of being involved in other types of play can limit a child’s burgeoning imagination. When everything is presented for a child, there is no need for him to use his mind to create. Also, after continual unmonitored TV watching, the child’s sense of reality can be distorted—a character is shot at five or six times only to return unscathed in the next scene. These are just a few ot the ill effects of too much television.

Yet TV is such a part of our society it would be nearly impossible to eliminate its effect on our children. There are ways, however, to put TV in its place, in our homes and with our children.

1. Take advantage of the quality programs available on public television. The shows are uninterrupted and even those designed for adults are appealing to young children.

2. Watch with your child and discuss obvious examples of untruthful, unrealistic advertising, violence, racism, and

Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, Baha’i P

sexism. This will help children realize that just because it’s on TV it doesn’t mean it’s true.

3. Finally, turn it off. Instead of sitting mesmerized by the tube, initiate another activity such as reading a book or playing a record. You may get complaints from older children, but younger ones enjoy these activities just as much or more than television, and even the older ones may enjoy an alternative activity if you are interacting with them.

Television can be a useful tool we parents can use in educating our children, and when tempered with wise viewing practices, it can become more effective.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in our attempts to provide a true Bahai education for our children, but if we can see the process as a series of challenges, met with the attitude of creating that sense of cheer and gladness spoken of by Baha’u'llah, we might feel a greater sense of accomplishment.

For practical pointers on instilling a love for reading and learning in our children, the following booklets are available free of charge with a stamped, self-addressed envelope from the International Reading Association (I.R.A.). Some of the titles available are: “You Can Encourage Your Child to Read” “Your Home is Your Child’s First School?) and “Eating Well Can Help Your Child Learn Better” The address is: I. R.A., 800 Barksdale Road, Box 8139, Newark, DE 19174-8139. If ordering four or more copies, your return envelope should have first class postage for two ounces. @

ublishing Trust, 1977. p 7.

33 [Page 34]

|The following prayer was written by the seven to ten year old class at the Eastern Pennsylvania Winter Institute. So from Casey, Magnus, Lee, Erica, RO mrt icl ay Urn ymreXCL CLEA Ken Charlie, Lars, Krispin, Chalet, Anisa, Eric and: Mona, here is their lovely prayer for lees

| M ieee A rrr a

Unite the world in ay ts | Beit e eG tos with love,

Let the world agree

=|

} to stop fighting

Beta) happiness and harmony.

et put an end to Nai ae

Oh God! 7 ‘Help re em Co at er

| to. bring love and peace —s_—

ea w) tat hearts of all mankind. uta art the All-Loving, | i io PW oe ale , ¥ ua 11-Wise. ‘ Mo Star aa inn co ie a a Ht ae | a i i a

tt ea

�

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