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Published bi-monthly ($2 a year)
APRIL 1957
A GUIDE FOR BAHAI! PARENTS AND TEACHERS
COMMITTEE
(Baha’i Year 114) No. 50
THE SHRINE OF HIS HOLINESS THE BAB UPON MT, CARMEL, THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD, HAIFA, ISRAEL,
O My Beloved Friends! You are the bearers of the name of God in this Day. You have been chosen as the reposi- tories of His mystery. It behoves each one of you to manifest the attributes of God, and to exemplify by your deeds
and words the signs of His righteousness, His power and glory.—The Bab
From the International Center
Not by the force of numbers, not by the mere exposition of a set of new and noble principles, not by an organized campaign of teaching — no matter how world-wide and elaborate in its character — not even by the staunchness of our faith or the exaltation of our enthusiasm, can we ultimately hope to vindicate in the eyes of a critical and sceptical age the supreme claim of the Abha Revelation. One thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendour of those eternal principles
roclaimed by Bahau'llah. r ee y f —Shoghi Effendi, Guardian
of the Baha’i World Faith. A BLESSED TIME FOR A BLESSED YOUTH
In a Tablet addressed by ‘Abdu’l-Baha to the American believers in 1906, He said, ‘‘ It is a New Year ... Now is the beginning of a cycle of Reality, a new Cycle, a new Age, a new century, a new time and a new year. Therefore it is very blessed.” (TAB, p. 38)
And ‘Abdu’l-Baha went on to explain
what the effect of this blessing should be “in the faces and characteristics of the believers,” so that they “may be- come a new people... and may make the world a new world.”
What an advantage the Baha’i Youth of today have in fulfilling these wishes of ‘Abdu’l-Baha! They start afresh,
without having to rid themselves of the “old ideas,” the “old garments,” the “ancient politics” mentioned by ‘Abdu’l-Baha as encumbering the old world. The Baha’i Youth are educated by the Teachings given to the world by the Divine Physician today—Baha’ u’llah—especially for the healing of the illnesses of this chaos and confusion in the decrepit old world caused by out- moded and selfish ideas, by the scars and patches of disunified thinking and action, and by the ancient patent medi- cines which do not cure, but often simply aggravate the disease. Not out of this past confusion, but out of the orderly and constructive growth of the new laws and institutions of Baha’u’Nah will come the healing of the present ills and the awakening of new life in the world.
The best minds of most of the gov-
ernments of the world and its sincere peoples are seeking the elixir which will put life into the seemingly dead body of the world. The Baha’i Youth know this elixir. It is their privilege and duty to nourish themselves with it every day and to offer it to others. ‘One drop of the Teachings of Baha’- u’llah has greater effect than rivers of past teachings. Indeed, ‘Abdul’Baha has said: “One single ready drop is bet- ter than a sea which is past. More espe- cially, this new Cause is like unto a sea, while all those which are past were like unto rivers.” (TAB p. 299)
How much meaning lies in those words “one single ready drop!” In the springtime the buds are ready to burst out, needing only the warmth of the sun and the showers of rain. Baha’i Youth are ready. The warmth of the love of Baha’u’llah poured forth in His Teachings and in His Convenant, and the showers of bounties in the tasks (yes, and the tests) given Baha’i Youth to do through the unerring guidance of our beloved Guardian—these awaken the Youth to unfold in this Springtime of the Divine Teachings, to bud and blossom so that the fruits of the Tree of Life may appear in the world and make it new. Is this not the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth? What greater privilege could there be than to work towards this objective!
Now we have the World Crusade, given to us in the unfoldment of the God-given Mandate of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, His Divine Plan, with its tasks made clear to us by our beloved Guardian. This is resulting in the establishment of many institutions of the World Order of Baha’wllah throughout the world, so that increasing thousands of people will awaken and come under the shade and protection of this Tree of Life. Already many seeds sown have borne fruit and the new believers themselves are car- rying the Teachings of Baha’u’llah to still other parts of the world.
Have you noticed that many of those actively engaged in the tasks of the World Crusade are Youth? As ‘Abdu’l- Baha said, this is a very blessed time. It seems to me perhaps it is especially blessed in the opportunities it offers to Baha’i Youth, to be a part of this stirring new life, whether in foreign fields or on the home front which now is of such concern to our beloved Guardian.
In the Tablet on the New Year ‘Abdu’l-Baha wrote further: “I desire for you all that you will have this great assistance and partake of this great bounty, and that in spirit and heart you will strive and endeavor until the world of war become the world of peace; the world of darkness the world of light; satanic conduct be turned into heavenly behavior; the ruined places become built up; the sword be turned into the olive branch; the flash of hatred become the flame of the love of God and the noise of the gun the voice of the Kingdom; the soldiers of death the soldiers of life; all the nations of the world one nation; all races as one race: and all national anthems harmonized into one melody. Then this maierial realm will be Paradise, the earth Heaven, and the world of Satan became the world of Angels.”
—Mrs. AMELIA COLLINS, Vice-President, International Council, and Hard of the Cause.
From a teacher's notebook
SPIRITUAL EDUCATION FOR THE “DIFFERENT” CHILD
Are there any children in your neigh- borhood who are obviously different from other children? Have you ever wondered about them, or what could be done for them?
“Exceptional” is a word which is used to describe a child who, for some as yet unknown reason, is mentally slower than the average child in our world’s society. “Crippled” is another word which indicates that an individual is physically incapable of performing all the functions of the average person.
Children of both the above types are found in great number all over this world. Some of these children are both “exceptional” and “crippled.” They may be found in all neighborhccds, all coun- tries, all classes; yet they make up a large group in our society which bears the brunt of some of the cruelest forms of prejudice which man, through his ignorance, is able to inflict on any mi- nority group.
What makes a child like this? (Many illnesses can be crippling, but for the sake of clarity we shall not deal with these in this article). Science only wishes it could know the full story, but as yet it does not. What is known is that many of these children are “born that way.” In other words, sometime before, during or shortly after birth, the child underwent some form of in- jury to some of the cells in his brain. Or, for some even more peculiar reason, the child’s brain simply didn’t develop fully. Just as many children are born without an arm or a leg, a child may be born with a part—maybe the very smallest part—of his brain missing. Be- cause of this, the child may have a slow reasoning power, or he may not be able to control his muscular move- ments, he may be deaf or blind, or may be without speech.
Before going any further, let us re- member that if you or I were hit by a car tomorrow and suffered a brain injury, we might become exactly like one of these children.
The sciences of medicine and educa- tion are finally trying to help these chil- dren to become productive, well-ad- justed members of society, And now, through surgery, physical and cccupa- tional therapies, many of them are learning to walk and use their hands. Many are learning to speak, many are being educated. Let us not be misled by appearances, quite a few of these handicapped children are very bright and able to learn.
As the Baha’i Faith is a Universal Faith, its principles must be applicable to all—not a few—members of society. This includes the exceptional and the crippled.
Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha repeat- edly affirm the duty of all parents and society to educate all children in “praiseworthy virtues and qualities” ... “and to study sciences with the utmost diligence.” However, they ac- knowledge the fact that all children are born with differences of learning capacity. So if a child should be in- capable of gaining the highest scientific knowledge, we should not be greatly
disturbed, for there is still a great path of enlightment open to each child and adult. Consider those points which ‘Abdu’l-Baha has listed for us as the qualifications of an “Enlightened Soul”: Knowledge — the knowledge of God; Faith; Steadfastness; Truthfulness; Up- rightness of conduct; Fidelity; Humil- ity. (BWFE. p. 384)
I firmly believe, through my experi- ences with handicapped and retarded children, that it is very possible—by learning through example and experi- ences of daily living—for any child to attain a degree of these qualities. The example should be both the parent and some kncwledge of the life of the Great Exemplar—the Manifestation of God. The child should be treated as closely as possible to a child who is not afflicted by a great handicap.
Though these children will have to suffer more, perhaps, than the average child, they will still grow. Consider these words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha on this subject: “As to the subject of babes and infants and weak ones who are afflicted by the hands of oppressors: This contains great wisdom and this subject is of paramout importance, In brief, for those souls there is recom- pense in another world and many de- tails are connected with this matter. For those souls that suffering is the greatest mercy of God. Verily that mercy of the Lord is far preferable to all the comfort of this world and the growth and development of this place of mortality.” (B.W.F. p. 372)
How can we help these children to learn and develop spiritually? First, we can accept the child and his own per- sonality, love him and enjoy him, as we should any child. We must accept his handicap realistically, providing him with educational goals he can attain, not impossibilities that would only frus- trate him and ourselves. We must allow him freedom to grow and investigate, rather than smothering his light with over-protection and fears. We must make plenty of social contact available to him and teach him to be part of a group, not the most important or unusual, but an integral part of the group. We can give him tasks and jobs within his ability to perform in the spirit of service, in order that he might feel and be worthwhile. We must praise him for his achievements if they are worthy of praise. We must discipline him when he needs discipline, and we must love him all the time. We must remember never to rush the handi- capped child, bearing in mind that he is not hopeless, but he may be slow.
But above all, we ourselves must pro- vide him—as his parent or teacher— with that example of fine conduct that we would have him follow, and we can only do this by attempting, to our best ability, to follow the life and teachings of our Great Exemplar.
It may be a surprise to all—as it has been to me—how much we can learn about educating ourselves when we work to educate a “different” child.
—Nancy L. JonrEs, Occupational
Therapist, Supervisor of Cere-
bral Palsy Service, University
Medical Center, Kansas City,
Kansas.
[Page 3]
INDEX
CONTENTS OF CHILD’S WAY JUNE, 1956 — APRIL, 1957
From the International Center
Subject Issue “A Blessed Time for a Blessed Youth” (Amelia Collins) Apr. From the editor's notebook Dominion Feb, From a teacher's notebook Covenant (“The Great Promise’) Dec. Character (“Self Development”-Stanwood Cobb) Oct. od 23 ” ” tad ” ”? ” ” 3? Dec. ” ” ” ” Pd Apr. Teaching Methods (Seminar) Aug. Justice and Prayer (Amy B. Dwelly) June Spiritual Education of the Different Child (Nancy Jones) Apr. Music Appreciation; Creative teaching (Idaho Report Concl.) June Questions and answers Modesty Aug. Religious Training Aug. Memorizing Prayers June Purpose of Life June Wisdom of Prayer June Training of Children June Sharing our letters Guardian’s directive to children June Problems of eleven-year-old (Baha’i mother) Aug. Teaching aims (Lawrence Passow) Dec. Response to Mr. Passow (Mrs. Warfield) Feb. Response to Mr. Passow (Dr. and Mrs. McClellan) Apr. Appreciation of Music (Jeanne Laite) Aug. Guardian’s letter to a nine-year-old Apr. Children’s hour news Baha’i House of Worship classes June Geneva Switzerland classes Oct. “Operation Giving” project Feb. Naw Ruz Greeting Apr. Geyserville Summer Classes and picture Feb, Trends, techniques, tips Symbols of World’s Religions and picture Dec. Use of Flannel Board June Art work in class Aug. Teaching the Baha’i Calendar Aug. How to make inexpensive blackboards Oct. Bulletin Boards and picture Oct. Art of Music Feb. Reader’s Service Suggested references Oct. ” ” Feb. Children’s Page Covenant (story) Dec. Mirza ’Ali Muhammad (story) Oct. Feast Day (story by Gary Rae Airth) Aug. Martyrdom of the Bab (story by Zoe Meyers) June Puzzler (Hidden Word) June Memory Qucte and picture June ” ” ” ” Aug. Temple of Light (story by Polly Marlowe) Feb. Puzzler (Glory) Apr. From a Child’s Notebook (Keithy Blum) Apr. The Mystery (story) Apr. The Treasure (story) Apr. Song (“Holy Gate’’) June » (“Work With Joy”) Aug. ” (“Knowledge is from God”) Oct. ” (“Your Song” - you write the verses) Dec. Junior Youth Page Source of Knowledge (article) Oct. The Marriage of ’Abdu’l-Baha Dec. Summer Schools (article) June What is Perfection? (article) Aug. Vacation at Green Acre (Karol Kaye) Oct. The Master’s Visit Dec. A Junior Youth reports (Peggy Brogan) Apr. Did you know that? (Facts for juniors) Oct. Feast-of Dominion Feb. Feast of Splendor . Apr. Feast of Beauty Apr. Brotherhood (Table Talk) Feb. Holiday Suggestion (Cheryl Gaye McCurdy) Feb. Song (“In An Eastern Garden”) Apr.
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Sharing
our letters
Excerpt from a letter written by R. Rabbani, to a nine year old girl.
“The beloved Guardian has received your letter of December 24th, and has instructed me to answer you on his behalf.
“He is happy to know that, now while you are young, and have determined to devote your life to serving Baha’u’llah; and he will pray that this deepest wish of your heart may be realized; and that even now, in these days of your youth, you may be able to show others by your deeds and your words what a Baha’i Life should be.
“If you will read one of the Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah each day, and endeavor to live according to that one on that day, it will help you to be patient and loving as you wish to be.”
DEaR EDITORS:
In the December 1956 issue of CHILD’s Way appeared a letter from Mr. Law- rence Passow of Franklin Park, Illinois, asking for clarification of the goal of the Baha’i Child Education program. We agree with you that this is a signifi- cant and pertinent question. We wish to offer an answer derived from some thinking about the spiritual education of our own children.
Let us state at the outset that we firmly believe the purpose is “. . . to help develop intelligent, clear thinking individuals ...” who, we would add, are capable of, and feel the respon- sibility for, independent investigation of the truth. Having stated this it must be pointed out that any parent or teacher who succeeds in this aim has at the same time “indoctrinated” a child with a basic Baha’i concept, for Inde- pendent Investigation of Reality is often stated to be the first principle of the Baha’i Faith. In part, then, what Mr. Pasow presents as seemingly alter- native goals are seen to be identical.
As to the teachings of other Faiths, these are surely part of a Baha’i educa- tional program, but an explanation is needed. What is incumbent upon the Baha’i teacher, it seems to us, is to present to the child the notion of the Oneness of God and of His Prophets, the authenticity of each of the Revelations upon which a major religion has been founded, and the essential verities com- mon to all of these religions. The child so. taught will be prejudiced against no form of worship and will feel at home in any mosque, church or syna- gogue where, as his curiosity matures, he may more intimately explore, ac-
cording to his own inclination, the
manifold variations of religious belief and practice to be found in the world.
A word more needs to be said. Teach- ing necessarily has two aspects: the content of what is taught and the man- ner or method of presentation. In the latter lies the crux of the question under discussion, it seems to us. Whether as parent or teacher it be- hooves a Baha’i to behave in his rela- tionships with children in such a way as to enable them to attain, as rapidly as possible, to full physical, mental and
3
[Page 4]
spiritual independence. This implies
that somewhere near the age of puberty
the youth will find himself free to
question, without anxiety from within
or resistance from without, all that
he has been taught and to pass judg-
ment on it—relying upon his own mind
and heart for his standards.
How can a parent or teacher accom- plish this? It is obviously a profounder and more subtle matter than merely telling a child that seeking truth is a virtue, though this is itself important and perhaps too often overlooked. We would mention only one factor. The adult who is truly humble—in the presence of his children or pupils as well as before God—-has acquired a characteristic of vital importance for what we are speaking of as the aim of Baha’i education.
Sincerely,
SamM McC LeL_an Mimi McCLEeLLAN Cambridge, Mass.
SELF DEVELOPMENT
CONCLUSION
Thus the will is not a completely free and independent instrument for self- perfection. Instead of being able to dominate and rule our desire-nature by the will and intelligence, we tend to be controlled and governed by our emotions and to make use of our in- telligence as an instrument to gain the objects of our desires.
It is vastly important, then, that we train our desire-nature heavenward, so to speak; in other words, come more and more earnestly to desire spiritual progress and_ spiritual powers and attainments. This desire is greatly strengthened by aspiration, prayer and meditation, and by association with others who are spiritually minded.
Prayer is the food of spirit. We can no more expect to develop spiritually without it than we could expect to de- velop physically without food. Man cannot rise spiritually by his own un- aided efforts. He needs the power of the Holy Spirit for self-perfectioning. This is attained through prayer, through turning to God and beseeching aid and grace for such a spiritual development.
There is a mysterious power which is called the grace of God. It is some- thing that few understand, perhaps none except the Revelator. It is that attribute of Deity which is available upon earnest request and beseechment for help in trouble; and more valuably still, for aid in spiritual development. Its contribution to our spiritual prog- ress may be compared to the contribu- tion of sunshine and richness of soil to the growth of plants. By attracting the grace of God to us through prayer and meditation, we can make amazing pro- gress in spiritual growth transcending the slow and tedious average.
It is the grace of God, this special outpouring of the Holy Spirit toward man’s needs, that causes those miracles of transmutation of human character which characterize the highest expe- riences of religious history. Through this power released by a Revelator we
4
see men and women turn from evil or from selfish idle lives to become verit- table saints. This power is especially potent in the early period of a great world religion. It is released in great waves upon the planet and becomes available for every earnest seeker.
The noblest fruits of human charac- ter have been achieved under the stim- ulus of devotion to religion. This rela- tionship of man to God through the channel of a Revelator, with the eter- nal stimulus and inspiration of that perfect and noble Pattern held before him, has produced the most glorious and noble characters in history.
We are today, I believe, at the dawn of another great religious epoch. We must learn to avail ourselves of this tremendous power of the Holy Spirit and of the grace of God for attaining the utmost possible self-development and character growth. We need this aid not only for character but also for an intellectual development that shall be universal in its scope. We are not fulfilling our function as spiritual be- ings until we shine with a new potency in the midst of a materialistic and evil world. Not until humanity awakens to this new plane and standard of self-development and self~perfection will an ideal social pattern for the world be achieved.
“When a divine spiritual illumina- tion becomes manifest in the world of humanity, when divine instruction and guidance appear, then enlightenment follows, a spirit is realized within, a new power descends and a new life is given. It is like the birth from the ani- mal kingdom into the kingdom of man. When man acquires these virtues, the oneness of the world of humanity will be revealed, the banner of interna- tional peace will be upraised, equality between all mankind will be realized and the Orient and Occident will be- come one. Then will the justice of God become manifest, all humanity will
appear as. the members of one family and every member of that family will be consecrated to cooperation and mu- tual assistance. The lights of the love of God will shine; eternal happiness will be unveiled; everlasting joy and spiritual delight will be attained.”*
Self-development is a lifelong proc- ess, not limited to youth. We grow eternally throughout this life and through future lives toward distant shining goals of power and glory of service which by no stretch of the imagination could we possibly conceive at this stage of our existence. Self- development, in its highest aspect, is divine development and has no end short of Infinity.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha — “The Reality of Man.”
Baha’i Publishing Trust, Wilmette, II.
The picture of the Baha’i House of Worship on the front page of the February issue was furnished CHILD’s Way through the courtesy of Joseph Smith, Elmhurst, Illinois.
The Tempie of Light story on the children’s page was written by Polly Marlowe, Eliot, Maine.
We deeply regret the omission of these acknowledgments.
THE EDITORS
Childs Way
Published bi-monthly by the Na- tional Baha’i Child Education Com- mittee with the help of all Baha’is.
EDITORS
Mrs. Jean Hutchinson Mrs, Lillian Richards Mrs. Janet Rodgers Kaye Mrs. Betty Fiedler
Miss Banu Hassan
Mrs. Ruth W. Jones
CORRESPONDENCE
Mrs, Betty Fiedler 836 Cedar Terrace Deerfield, Illinois
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Child’s Way
P. O. Box 245 Wilmette, Illinois Price: $2.00 for six issues
You will note that this issue of CHILD’s Way has a complete section for children and juniors instead of the one-page insert that appeared in past issues. All future issues of the magazine will carry this enlarged children’s section. CHILD’s Way has grown from a mimeographed, folded. form to a glossy paper, professionally printed magazine which can be pre- sented with pride to non-Baha’i parents and teachers. Its contents are selected and written with the same dedication and spirit of service which guided the first editors of CHILD’s Way.
Despite increased paper costs, greatly augmented printing expenses, and the fact that CHILD’s Way is now a larger, more complete publication, the subscription price per year is only $2.00 (beginning with this March-April issue). The price for single copies is 33c. A complete set of the past year’s issues may be pur- chased for $1.00.
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