Child's Way/Volume 4/Issue 3/Text

[Page -1]

‘MAY- JUNE

[Page 0]l. A long time ago...

3. The Declaration of the Béb, adapted from The Chosen Highway, by Lady Blomfield

4. A Prayer by Bahé’u'lléh . The Ascension of Bahé'u'llah, by Phyllis Hall

5. The Tree, part 5, by Marjadene Kbnishi

7. Space is Infinite, by 'Abdu’l-Bahé, from Mahmfid's Diary II, 132

8. Nah-wa—te-kee, by Katherine M. Young

12. Children's Page: Iceland, by René Steiner

14. What is the secret of the Sunrise? by Guy Murchie

15. "Two hands, two hands." by Ramona A. Brown

16. Song: Knowing and Loving God, by Mimi McCl ellan

17. All but one Letter, by Frieda M. Lease Riddles

18. Wbrk is Wbrship? by Virginia

Schroader

20. The Temple of Light, by Polly Marlow

23. The Stonecutter, adapted from a Japanese Folk tale

Editor: Helen Sousa Art: Be‘rfy deArauio Music Consultant: Mimi McClellan

CHILD‘S WAY is a publication of the National Spirifual Assembly of the Bahé’i's of the Uni’red Sfafes.

CHILD'S WAY is published bi-mom‘hly in January, March, May, July, September and November in Amherst, Massachusetts. Manuscripts, editorial correspondence and subscrip’rions should be addressed 10: CHILD’S WAY Magazine, Box 551, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002.

Subscriptions: USA, $4.50; Foreign, $5.00. Single copy, $ .75.

Application to mail at 2nd class postage rates is pending af Amherst Mass.

Speeéafi thanhe Io Mo££y King, Jean Hutchinooh and Steve Baal 601 acting ab udvioohb 60h the ZaAt tum iAAueA. Speeiafl thahhA uZAo Io Kuhi Bondeh, Kay RobinAon and Katya Scuba 60h theeh hefip on the diethibuting end.

Dean AduZtA: We head uboui mane

and mode peopfie who would Like to

ube Chifid'b Way in theih commuhiiieb (bome ahe Zh—Ehe South, oiheh uhe abhoad) but who cannot afifiohd a Aubochiption. You, too, phobubfiy hhow 06 ouch pKueeA. Woukd you conAi- deh bending them 9151 Aubeeaiptiono?

Dean Chifldheh: Thanh you 60a youe heApOhAeA hegahding Pen Puke. We Azxee do not have 100 many, though, and eépeeiaflfly dew fihom fioheigh eouhthieo.(Th1A, phobabfly, 1A beeaube Auhfiaee mail 10 flan away pflueeA {A ueey ezow, and the ehifldeen theee head ChiZd'g_Way bevehaz weeho ufitee ouh Ameheeah EZH'CahudLan finiehdo do.) 16 you have not been given a name and addeeAA yet, you WLKZ uehy ehoutty: Phyflbib Hafiz hue accepted to coohdinate thee phoject, and {A wanking on it now.

With hove 5hom youh editoh.

[Page 1]

AND ALL THAT LIVES ON EARTH AND IN THE SEA AND IN THE SKY, HE CREATED PLANTS, AND ANIMALS,

VeiIed in My immemoriaI being and in the ancient eternity of My essence, I knew My Iove for thee; therefore I created thee, have engraved on thee Mine image and revealed to thee My beauty.

"0 Son of Man! I loved thy creation, hence I created thee... f‘“ - Hidden Words of Baha'u'nah Nos. 3 & 4. /

AND MEN LOOKED FOR A WAY TO WORSHIP GOD...

Continued on page 2

[Page 2]K

A MEDIATOR IS NECESSARY BETWEEN MAN AND THE CREATOR - ONE WHO

WILL RECEIVE ALL THE LIGHT OF THE DIVINE SPLENDOR AND BRIGHTEN HUMANITY WITH ITS RAYS, IN THE SAME WAY THAT THE EARTH ATMOS-

PHERE RECEIVES AND SPREADS OUT THE RAYS OF THE SUN.

SPECIAL MEN, SENT BY GOD, HELPED HUMANITY TO DISCOVER THE THINGS THEY NEEDED TO LIVE BETTER. THESE MEN ALSO TAUGHT THEM ABOUT THE WORSHIP OF GOD.

THIS WAS SUCH A LONG TIME AGO, THAT WE DO NOT KNOW THEIR NAMES. THE FIRST ONE WE KNOW OF WAS NOAH; AND GOD MADE

A COVENANT WITH NOAH.

Do you happen to know the genera] name used for a1] these ’A' special men? They are ca11ed Prophets, or Manifestations . of God. I And do you remember what the word "Covenant" means? You I W111 find the answer on page 1 of the 1ast November-Decembef issue of Chi1d's Way. You can anso find a genera] answer \ in a dictionnary.

x“

0 Son 06 Being!

Make mentéon 06 Me on My eanth, that in My heaven I may hememben thee, thuA Ahafifl Mine eyeA and thine be Aozaeed.

-Bahd'u'££&h, Hidden Wondé

[Page 3]Veriiy He is the King of the Messengers...

The Declaration of the 3511)

May 23, 7844 §hay5h_Ahmad, a well known teacher of reiigion in Persia, gave his disciples certain signs by which they should know the divinely sent Heraid Who, he said, was aiready among them. These signs were written down in the form of a five- pointed star, following the chief outiines of the human body - fiiied with Persian and Arabic writing. He wouid be young - neither taii nor short - iarge, kind dark eyes, finely penciiied brows. He wouid not smoke, nor drink aicohoi. He would be uninstructed in the learning of the world. He wouid not need to study in order to know. He wouid be of the ”pure iineage”, that is he wouid be a Siyyid, a descendant of the prophet Muhammad. Adapted from Ihg_Chosen Highway by Lady Biomfieid

On May 23, 1844, in §hiraz, Muiia Husayn, from the town of Bdghihr,Persia, who was a discipie (a f0110wer) of §hay5h_Ahmad, found and recognized the Manifestation of God described above. His name was Mfrza’ Siyyid'Ah’ Muhammad; His titie was The Bab.

0n the same day, 'Abdu'i-Baha was born.

[Page 4]A PRAYER

H0£d Thou my night ahm, 0 God! and avaae continuaZZy with me. Guide me to the gauntain 06 Thy knowledge, and enciacle me with Thy gtaag. Set Thine angeflb on my night hand, and open mine eyeA to Thy Aptendon. Let mine eats hanhen to Thy meiodtoué tone, and camgont me with Thy pneéence. Fan Thou ant the bthength 06 my heaht, and the tnuAt 06 my Aoufl, and I deéine none othen bebide Thee.

- Bahé’u'fliéh

THE ASCENSION OF BAHA’U’LLAH Phyms Han

May 29, 1892, at down

In His 75th year, after 42 years of persecutions, imprisonment and exi1e, Baha'u'115h fe11 11]. On May 29, 1892, He left His body at the hour of dawn - 3 A.M. - in the Ho1y Land, and ascended unto God, from Whom He had come.

Bahé'u‘11éh wanted us a1] to agree and spread the truth that He brought us. So that we would never quarre] about His Word, He t01d us that whenever we had a question, we should ask His son, 'Abdu'1—Bahé, what His writings meant.

F0110w1ng this w111 of Baha'u'IIah, the peop1e of Bahé (the Baha'fs) are truly united.

[Page 5]

T HE T REE

Marjadene Konishi

Mike wants to know why his family can’t have

a Christmas tree. Many other questions also come up during his conversation with his Grandad, but now, at last, Grandad is getting to answer the question about the tree - and he does seem to think that trees "make good religious symbols.

"... But to get back to the trees: as for using them in celebrations, the only thing wrong with the way it's done today, I think, is that the SPIRITUAL meanings are not stressed. They just become something to find presents under. But in the Baha'i Scriptures there are many references to the Prophet as 'the Tree beyond Which there is no passing'.

"The reason for giving gifts on a Prophet's birth- day is to symbolize the great gifts that God gives to all mankind through His Holy Spirit and Prophet. Then why should we celebrate and give gifts only on the birthday of Jesus — and we don't even know that Christmas is really His birthday, anyway - and not on the birthdays of Gautama or Krishna or Muhammad? Yet if we celebrated the birthdays of all the Prophets and all the Holy Days of all the world's great Religions, we'd have no time left to get any work done! And Bahé'is believe that there is just an awful lot of work to do on this earth, and fast, so that EVERYBODY on it can have the time to celebrate and the money to buy gifts for each other! So it seems to us it makes the most sense to celebrate our happiness for all the Holy Spirit has ever given humanity on the Holy Days given to us by the latest Prophet -- Bahé'u'lléh. And Bahé'u'lléh told us to celebrate Intercalary Days as our gift giving time... not just one day, but FOUR!

Continued next page,

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"About the tree —- tell you what. Just once, this next Intercalary Days-period, we could fix one up to have a SPIRITUAL meaning along with beauty. We'll think of the tree itself as symbolising the Prophet. We'll put 18 BIG lights » on it, to symbolize the Letters of the Living, and lots and f ‘ lots of smaller lights to represefit you and me and Jennie and Mama and Daddy and all the Bahé'is of all colors all over the world. We'll have a big party and you can invite all your friends and we'll sit around the tree —- right in here'-- and I'll tell you many stories of the life of the Bab and of the Letters of the Living and Bahé'u'lléh and 'Abdu'l-Baha and\ Shoghi Effendi and the Knights of Bahé'u'lléh and of pioneers everywhere. And we'll also tell your friends why we don't usually have trees, and why we won't have one next year. We.can start getting ready right away. You can make all kinds of pretty ornaments, and I'll make some great big nine pointed stars out-of plywood and run lights around them -- and may be Daddy will put them up on the roof (I don't think I'll try that myself, this time). And.." .

Mike was jumping up and down with delight. "0 really, Grandad, can we? Won't it be funny? Everybody will wonder what is happening!"

"What IS happening out here?" came Mama's voice from the doorway. "Dinner is waiting for yOu two".

Mike was still bouncing up and down. "Mama, wait'll you hear what a good idea Grand- dad has} C'mon, Grandad, let's go tell Daddy!"

. Mama laughed a little doubtfully. "Dad, now what have you got us into?"

"Oh, just a little Baha'i consultation. We have just finished stating the question, ascertaining the facts, and consulting the scrip— tures, and just got started on the discussion. We'll need your help with the prayer, decision and carry—through."

"I'llbet!" commented Mama.

And Grandad grinned and winked as only' Grandad could grin and wink.

\

[Page 7]w”

Space is infinite

”When I was a chiId, whenever I would hear of the PtoIemaic system* -- that there are seven heavens Iike seven spheres one within another, each enclosing the next -- I wouId fee] despondent. Even in childhood, I never cared for a cIosed or Iimited space. Then one day in a prayer revealed by the Supreme Pen+, I heard a reference to infinite space; and hearing, was instantIy filled with unutterable deIight."

'Abdu'I-Baha

(Mahmud's Diary II, 132. Informal transIation by Marzieh GaiI)

• Ptolemy was a geographer and astronomer who flourished

at Alexandria about 130 A.D. He thought the earth was the fixed center of the universe. His system was later super- seded by that of Copernicus (1473—1543), who placed the sun at the center of the universe, instead of the earth.

M. G.

Bahé'u'lléh.

.1'7' ./ '\ fzmkwafiagu

[Page 8]

Wu Q\-W _ .. ' - -. w- '--,— ‘ ‘

NAH-WA-TE-KEE '

Katherine M. Young

Nah-wa-te-kee stood at the edge of the sighing waters, high in the heart of the blue mountains. There were Seven of these lake waters, and Nah-wa- te-kee was remembering the story told by her Ever-So-Great Grandfather. ."LittIe daughter of the x mountains, your seeing must be seeing, your hearing must‘ be hearing, you? feeling must be feeling, and tasting

must be tasting, and sme11ing must be sme111ng. When you look up you must Iook a1] the way up, and when you look down you must look all the way down; you must 100k into the depths. Your senses are gifted to you not to judge others but for you to judge yourself and guide your spirit smoothly and swiftly toward its goal. "Remember, it matters not, Nah-wa-te-kee, in what manner the Great Spirit speaks, if yOu are chosen to hear, you wi11 hear! ’ "The heavens lend a portion of themse1ves to the hearth, and the earth in turn gives back to the heavens.

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[Page 9]

These waters are here because they tel] of the Great Spirit's pianning. They are in the heart of the stone and lava because, no matter how barren the earth is, there is aiways the Great Spirit's iove.

“Littie daughter, the secrets of a1] things are in the waters. They teii you who you are. In their sighing they chant the ancient wisdom and 1egends of a11 things. Whenever your spirit is burdened and you are sad, go to the edge of the sighing waters and hear their story. And if the accents of the Great Spirit's iove are not within your sight, you wiii have to use the key of patience, 1itt1e daughter, and then you wi11 have to seek the new pathway, of the Spirit."

Nah-wa-te-kee looked up and 1istened. There rose in the midst of the mountain that which iooked 1ike an ancient monastery. She drifted toward it; the door was open. Within, she found a charming ancient woman of sturdy character and grace rocking back and forth in a very, very 01d, hand carved, wooden rocking chair. The room was void of other furnishings. The ancient one, with eyes burning with eternai iove, iooked at Nah— wa-te-kee. ”I have waited and waited for you! Now you have come. We did not know if you wouid hear, but you have heard.

I am the memory of your peopie of yesterday. Eons have passed away, and as they passed they chiseiied this replica (and she pointed at her person) representing the past, the present, and the future of your people. Ciimb, now, the staircase that winds into the aicove over-seeing the waters, for you have heard, and you must not tarry.”

Continued next page

[Page 10]IO

‘7

/

The young girT felt exhiTarated and excited, aTmost as though she were going to a coronation. Up, up, up she cTimbed. The tiny mocassins on her feet Tooked Tike baTTet sTippers. Her wind swept forehead was carressed by her biack, bTack tresses, and her bronze skin refTected the glows of movement. Her body began to sway to a great crescendo of music. It was the Symphony of the Spheres. Her Ever-So—Great Grandfather had ton her that few of their peopTe had heard this music. She began to dance and, above her, she saw a smaTT window just large enough for her body. She eased through and down the vine, twisted and snarTed, on the side of the tower of the monastery. The West wind tousTed her hair. A11 the trees of the forest were dancing with the music, except the one who, her peopTe said, guarded earth and the Tands, as a SentineT. It was waiting, waiting, but Na—wa-te-kee was dancing and dancing and swaying with the trees. A11 were newTy Teaved. Suddenly the giant Sentinel tree began swaying, and it began dancing, with the coTors of its new Teaves catching the Tights of the waters and 0f the forests.

”0h, ToveTy daughter of the ancient tribes

I wiTT sing to you.

It is a new woer, the 01d woer has passed away -

The seven waters, I have guarded these many years,

Are the seven churches who are overcome with fears.

But the Great Spirit caTTs to you and to His people

'Come dance with me and I wiTT teach you the steps to eternity.I

LittTe daughter, you have the patience of the water,

The courage of the earth's endurance,

The trustworthiness of the heavens,

[Page 11]And the br1111ance of the sun.

Ihe winds have gathered from the distances, And the Spirit has given them command; The music of the spheres is ca111ng With an earth—shaking p1an.

It is the day of unison and harmony, The day for the Spirit to rejoice.

Let a1] the brothers come together

And be of one voice.

Now your Spirit's one with me,

And where you go, 1'11 be.

Return now to your people,

L1tt1e daughter, Nah—wa-te-kee.

And Nah-wa-te-kee fouhd herself winding down the hunting trai] as she promised herse1f that she would return to the waters.

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[Page 12]CHILDREN’S PACE

Iceland

Rene Steiner 11 years old

IceTand! Whenever I think of that isTand, my thoughts retrieve the wonders I saw happening with my own human eyes. Baha'fs in the pTenty grasping this wonderfuT Tight Tike birds finding food in winter. Continents uniting under one roof to

ponder on the Words of God. News and teTegrams poured in to be read to everyone. John Robarts and PauT Haney, two dear Hands of the Cause of the Baha'i Faith started sparks of Tight in hesitant human hearts. But these are onTy a few things I saw at this life inspiring conference. The Unity Feast which took pTace at the LoftTeider HoteT received a TittTe tinge of spirit from the way it was crowded with Baha'is. The conference photo was taken with dozens of Icelanders Tooking on and one man crawTing onto his roof to take a photograph of this unusual sight. The news from other countries were thriTTing, but I Tiked the news from Fiesh, Switzerland the best because they proclaimed the Faith by sending baToons out with tags on them saying "Have you heard of Baha'u'TTah?”

Now, let me start from the beginning. It aTT started when I arrived at the Toronto Airport. The airport was beginning to fiTT up with Baha'is from a1] over Canada. I shyTy entered this crowd in which I found a boy who woqu be my best friend during the time of the conference. We waited and waited til], at Tast, the news came that we woqu be Teaving the North American continent at two o'cTock in the morning. The correct

12

[Page 13]time for the departure was supposed to have been eight o'cTock in the evening. We were taken to the Consteiiation Hotei

which was near the airport. We had a quick dinner of sandwiches and tea, then we made a rush to cTear the baggage and get our airplane tickets. When we had finished all that business, we boarded a bus which woqu transport us to Niagara Airport in the U.S.A. The ride to Niagara Airport was a TiveTy sight. The whoie bus started to sing, and sang til] the end of the journey. When we finaTTy arrived at the airport, we cTambered out of the bus and entered the overcrowded airport. We had arrived at twelve o'cTock midnight and boarded the piane at six o'clock in the morning. We had an excelient dinner on board the pTane and the airTine crew said they were sorry for delaying the Baha'is.

At about nine o'ciock in the morning we arrived to Iceland. The crew said that we had been the best passengers they had ever had. We were taken to our hotels by busses. That night, we had a good rest and on the next morning we went sightseeing around Reykjavik the capital of IceTand. For several days this routine went on. , But finaTTy the conference started. These days were so short that, when the day for leaving Iceland came, I felt as if we had been there only two days.

FareweTTs were said and tears were shed, for this conference had given birth to more than two hundred Baha'is.

l3

[Page 14]

What is the secret ‘5 '

'-I \\ ‘ - - ‘9 ‘ “. ‘ \ 0f the sunrlse . Guy Murchie When you see the sun rising, what do you think it is rising out of? Some peopie in the Amazon jungie think the sun rises

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out of the trees.

Some in the Sahara desert think it rises out of the sand.

Some in the South Sea isiands think it rises out of the ocean.

”T’jsr

But astronomers and astronauts now know that a1] these suns are one singie sun which is reaiiy ninety three miilion mi1es away in space.

In the same way, some people ca11 God Jehovah, some ca11 Him Aiiéh, and some caii Him the Great Spirit - but Bahé'is and a few others know that a1] these Gods are reaiiy the same God Who is everywhere and everywhen - for He is beyond space and time altogether.

This is something worth thinking about - for it is mystic and beautifui. It is the secret of the sunrise!

I4

[Page 15]"Two hands, two hands.’

Ramona A11en Brown

On October 22, 1912, 'Abdu'1-Bahé addressed an audience of chi1dren gathered at His home at 1815 Ca1if0rnia Street, San Francisco. Passing from one chi1d to another, the Master gave each two handsfu11 of marshma11ows, saying: "Two hands, two hands.” Then He spoke:

” May God assist and comfort all of them. Good children, good children. I am pleased with meeting the Children. They are the plants of the Rose Garden of Abba. I will pray to God that He may bestow upon them a Baha’f training and education so that each one of them may become

a very good Baha’f. They are very good children, excellent

Children. They are all illumined."

From : Memories gf_'Abdu'lfBah5: Reco11ect10ns gf_the Ear1y Days 9f_the Bahé'j Faith ifl_Ca1if0rnia.

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[Page 16]Knowing and loving God.

(2 or 3 part round) Words and Music Mimi McC1e11an + i

1. Know - ing and 10v - ing Know— 1ng and ____ 2. How can we know him? How can we 33;; 3. God sent a tea - cher. He sent us a _‘““ 4. G10 - ry of God ------ The G10 — ry of

5. Lis - ten and 1earn. Lis - ten and

ing God and 10v - ing Him is love Him? How can we know and love Him ---- How tea - Cher. A Great? new tea - Cher for to day To God Ba - hi - u — 115h the Prince of Peace has 1earn. What - e - ver this great. tea -cher- says is

to do. do we know what's true? we11,

we're here

te11 . us what to do The ‘ come t0 br1ng Us through. §9 cer - tain to be true.

Repeat first verse again.

1} Entrance of second part.

Dean ptahtAt and AthgehA: you may hottce fioua hoteA that tooh Amattea than the othehA; they aae the Aame aA the note that they fiottow. In Acme 06 the UQhéQA theAe t5 an extaa Ayitabte tn ther ptaceA, and the Amatt note AhoWA how that extna Agitabte muAt be bung. PehhapA tt t5 a btt dtfifitcutt, but we heaad

'6.thtA aong, and thought that you woutd enjoy 6thgtng tt.

[Page 17]All but one letter

Frieda M. Lease

In the seven flower names be1ow, a1] the 1etters of the alphabet but one are used. Can you name the missing 1etter?

I, ‘.

‘15}?7~ . / .7“ e. // K

4

How many of these flOWers do you know? Please draw them in the space below. Perhaps the librarian in your school could help you find a picture of those which you have never seen, and you could try to -remember them well enough to draw them

when you return home.

'N JBllBL auq :Jamsuv

Which part of a fish could you weigh yourself on? safyos aql What ring is always square? fiat: Eurxoq V

What driver never passed a driving test? JaAIIp M9103 V I7

[Page 18]' 18

Work is worship?

Virginia Schroader

'Joe shouted at the top of his lungs " Work is a curse! Work is a curse! It's impossible to find anything worse than work!" He ioved to say that to his sister because it made her so angry.

"Get out of my room, stupidheadt" Sally ye11ed back as she tried to push her brother Joe out of her room. Then she turned ’and picked up her 1itt1e Barbie to protect her from Jae; Hugging Barbie, Saily burst into tears and ye11ed, "Mother!"

It was a typica] fight. It ended in the usual way. Mother.

came running. But, today, Mother did not lecture Joe whiie comforting.

Sa11y. 'Today Mother came running in the regular way, but she said nothing to Joe. Joe was very surprised. He expected his Mother to quote tb him from the Baha'i Writings. He waited for her to te11 him that work is worship and how happy Joe's Father was to have a steady job he liked.

Mrs. Taylor smiled at Joe and kissed him. Saying nothing to Joe, Mrs. Tayior walked quietly into Saliy's room and Closed the door. Half an hour iater, Mother and daughter came out iaughing and talking.

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[Page 19]Joe wondered what was going to happen next. ‘He wondered if his Mother was sick. He wanted to sack Sa11y. Why did Sally always have to act so good? “I'm the o1dest and the smartest", Joe thought to himself.

What was Mother going to do? The on1y time Mother had fai1ed to talk to him when he was being mean to.Sa11y was the time when Joe pushed Sally, and she got hurt.‘ Then Mother had said nothing and sent Joe to his room. Dad had spanked him when he got home from work. It was the only time Joe had ever been spanked. Now Joe didn't know what to think.

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When Joe walked in to the kitchen‘to get a glass of mi1k, and to find out what Mother and Sa11y were doing, he was surprised. They were smiling and talking. *They were taking a11 the dishes out of the cupboards. '

"What are you doing, Mom? Looking for a mouse?" Joe asked smart1y. :

"No", Mother said cheerin. Then she_added, "Sa11y and I are working together. We're going to wash all the dishes we don't use very often and clean out the cupboards before we put them back."

"Oh," said Joe. "That's a shame." Inside, Joe felt bad.

To be continued. 19

[Page 20]

.20

The Temple of Light

, There was once a v111age on the s1de of a dark mounta1n

Po11y Mar1owe

where some strange peop1e 11ved. A 7 They were not 11ke you or 11ke me. There were the round peop1e, as round as a ba11, and the square peop1e, as square as a

‘ b1ock, the 1on9 th1n peop1e, as 1ong and thin as a penc11, and the

curv1ng peop1e, the shape of an S.

These peop1e were very unhappy. They d1d not get a1ong together at a11; rThe r0und peop1e thought that everyone shou1d Took 11ke them, so they tr1ed to ro11 everyone 1nto a round shape.

The Square peop1e were sure that they were the on1y good shape and they tr1ed to chop everyone 1nto a squareshape.

- The 1ong th1n peop1e, and th1s was awfu1, tr1ed to pu11 everyone1nto a 10ngth1n shape. ,

“Last of a11, there were the peop1e who were curved 11ke and Sand, of cOurse, they tr1ed to bend everyone 1nto an S shape. Everyone was afra1d. No one was happy. 1

One day, four men got together, one round, one square,

one ta11, one curv1ng, and they sa1d "Let us go 1nto the meadow

and s1t on a rock and decide what to do." So they went to the meadow together and consu1ted.

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A "I have an 1dea," said the square man. "Let us go to ' the Square Counc11 House and ask the square 1eader what to do. He a1ways has an answer. "

Then they a11 went to the SquareCounc11 House,but, a1as, on1y the quare man cou1d go through the square door. The others had to stand outside and they heard noth1ng!

[Page 21]Back to the meadow went the four men. Then the round man said: "I have an idea, Tet us go to the Round CounciT House and hear what the round Teader has to say." They aTT agreed on this pTan, but, aTas, onTy the round man could r011 through the round door and the others were left outside.

Back they went to the rock in the meadow to consuTt. FinaTTy they agreed that they would go together up onto the dark mountain to spend the night under the stars, and up there they woqu ask God to heTp them.

The next morning they started out with their knapsacks packed with chocoTate, peanuts, drinks, a fTashTight, a bedroTT, and hatchets. They cTimbed a1] day untiT night, then they spread out their bed r0115 under the stars, ate their supper, and after this they a1] joined hands and said "0 God, pTease help us!" Then they

Tay down to sTeep. “W,“

In the middle of the night, the round man woke up angx’ grabbed the square man. ”Brother," he cried, ”I think the woods ' are on fire!” The square man grabbed the taTT thin man. ”Brother," he cried, l‘I think the moon has faTTen into the woods!” The taTT thin man woke the curving man and shouted "I think the sun has fallen onto the earth!”

The four men jumped to their feet. Grabbing their axes, they began to cut a path through the tangTed forest toward a bright and fTaming Tight that fiTTed the sky and woods with its shining. Suddenly the woods ended, and before them on a crotch of the moun- tain stood a tempTe of wondrous beauty. Its top was as round as

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_ a _.__._‘

[Page 22]the moon and its base as round as the sun. Through its deiicateiy carved surface streamed shafts of giittering iight and, wonder of wonders, its design was made of all kinds of shapes, round, square, iong and curving.

The four men dropped their axes and ran up the wide weicome steps. Then each man found his own shape and entered the Temple of Light. Inside they met and joining hands they 1ifted their faces to the great dome high above them. As they stood together, a breeze blew through the Tempie and a voice said gentiy:

”Regard ye not one

another as strangers -

0f one tree are ye a11 the fruit and of one bough

the 1eaves -

The world is but one Country

And Mankind its citizens.” *

Gazing at each other, they were surprised to find that they were no ionger round, square, iong, thin, and curving. They were a1] in human form. Giving praise and thanks to God, they ran out of the great doors of the Tempie and, picking up their axes, they chopped a wide path down the side of the dark mountain to the viiiage, so that a1] the people of the viiiage couid find their way to the Tempie of light and become human at 1ast.

'These words are by Bahé'u'lléh

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h

\ ‘/

‘\ 7: \\\\ 1 / '

The Stonecutter

Adapted from a Japanese F01k ta1e

A iong time ago, in Japan (Do you know what Japan LA, and wheae Lt LA?), there lived a stonecutter. Every morning he went to the mountain to chisel siabs of rock from its side. Then he would poiish them smooth and sei] them to people for buiiding their homes. One day when he deiivered an especially beautifu] stone to a very rich man's house, he was invited inside. When he saw a1] of the beautifu] things there, he said to himself, ”I wish I were rich. I couid sleep in a bed soft a as a cioud, with siiken curtains and golden tasseis.” Then he turned sadly and went home.

But the mountain spirit had heard his wish, and when he reached the piace where his poor hut had been, there stood a wondrous castie, fu11 of servants and gorgeous furniture. That night the stonecutter slept upon a bed soft as a cioud, with golden tassels and siiken curtains.

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As he was now very rich, he no ionger had to work, so he siept as iate as he wished the next morning. When he awoke, he iooked out of his window to see what was going on in the world outside. Just then a fine carriage whizzed by, drawn by snow-white horses. There were servants running aiong both in front and in back of the carriage and inside it sat a prince with a golden umbreiia over his head.

The stonecutter was awed at such luxury. ”I wish I were a prince,” he said. ”I want to ride in a carriage with a golden umbreiia over my head.” No sooner had the words ieft his lips than he found himself riding in just such a carriage, with a golden umbrella over his head, and servants a1] dressed in scarlet and goid. For a whiie he was happy, sieeping and eating in his beautiful castle, driving whenever he wished in his iuxurious carriage.

But one day, when he was walking through his garden, he noticed that in spite of a11 the water he had ordered to be put on it, the flowers and grass were drying up. He feit a surge of anger that the sun shouid be defying his wishes.

“The sun is mightier than I," he cried, ”I wish I were the sun.” Again the mountain spirit heard him. In the twin- kiing of an eye the stonecutter had become the great sun. He felt as if nothing anywhere were as powerfu] as he, as he iooked down on the earth and pianets. But one day he noticed that a cioud had come between himself and the earth, and he couid not

.._\-s;

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send his 1ight where he pleased.

“The cloud is mightier than I," he cried, "I wish I were the cioud.” Immediateiy he found himseif changed into the cioud. For a while he enjoyed his new life. He caught the sun- beams, he sent the rain where he pieased, and he got so excited over his power that he began to cause great fioods, sweeping away whoie vi11ages. Only one thing he could not move -- a great rock on the mountainside. He became very angry.

”What!” he cried, “is the mountain mightier than I?

I wish I were the mountain.” At once he became the great moun- tain. He stood there, strong and immovabie for many years. Neither the storms nor the hot sun bothered him. But at last, one day, he heard a sharp tap, and a cracking sound at his foot. He looked down and there was a stonecutter, working away at him. A great slab of his own rock fei] away and he fe1t a shudder of fear.

"This man is stronger than I,” he cried. "I must be that man.” No sooner had he spoken than he became once again a stonecutter as he had been at the beginning, sleeping on a hard bed in a poor shack. Yet he was happier than he had ever been before because he had 1earned that to be himself was the very

happiest thing of a1]. - Reprinted from Ihg_Chi1d'§_flax