National Teaching Committee Bulletins/1922/June 30/Text
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1818 N Street, N. W.,
Washington, D. C.
June 30th, 1922.
Dear Friends:
Enclosed please find copy of an account written by Miss Martha Root of her visit at the Swedenborgian Convention held at Urbana, Ohio in June. It has been thought best to share this story with the friends for it has certain spiritual values and indicates how the friendly attitude increaseth knowledge, as Mrs. Parsons so aptly said this morning:
“Whenever it is possible for us to associate with groups of sincere people such as those who assembled at the recent Convention of the ‘New Church’, it is of utmost importance to do so. The experience would develop in us a sympathetic and hospitable mind, and at the same time open the way to the presentation of the Bahá’í Revelation to prepared souls.”
That Emanuel Swedenborg was a Forerunner of this Day is explicitly stated in the Tablet revealed for Mr. Brewster and printed in the Third Volume of Tablets, beginning at the bottom of page 536. It will undoubtedly be published in full soon in the “Star”.
Martha’s article herewith has been mimeographed and circulated without expense to the Teaching Fund.
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
In His Name and Service,
Faithfully,
Mariam Haney
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"In reality Emanuel was the Forerunner of the second coming of His Highness the Christ and the Herald of the Path of the Kingdom." ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. 3, p. 539, Tablets.
Notes and Observations of the Swedenborgian Convention[edit]
by Martha Root[edit]
John Chapman, or "Johnny Appleseed" as humanity came to call him, was a well educated young Bostonian who came to Pennsylvania about 1800. This young man was a Swedenborgian, -- but seeing the wonderful apples in Pennsylvania he conceived a two-fold mission. Traveling ahead into the wilds, later known as Ohio, he transported scores of bushels of apple seeds which he had washed from pulp cast out of the cider mills near Pittsburgh, Penna. He followed the rivers and planted nurseries about every hundred miles. Later when the seeds had grown into young trees he carried them inland giving or selling to coming settlers for a "fip and a penny-bit" these young orchard trees. He visited all their log cabins and read, prayed and talked to them of Swedenborg. As books were scarce, he tore out the sheets giving each family a page or two.
Today a convention of Swedenborgians, over five hundred delegates and friends met in convention in Urbana, Ohio, on Swedenborgian University grounds. There one saw the worth of rare spiritual fruits, the fragrant beauty of the younger soul blossoms, as well as the material country complacent with superior apple orchards.
Among the heart throbs of the four days with those fine spiritual souls the inspiration of Johnny Appleseed’s life stands out most. It is good to visit Conventions of all faiths, to proffer the Bahá’í cup, and with love to drink from their chalice: "Consort with all the people with joy and fragrance". (But it is a great mistake to try to "convert" -- it is as important to LISTEN to others as it is to speak, thus sympathy and love are given and returned mutually.)
Here are a few points gleaned from the convention: they had a pageant, "The Torch", written by one of their own number and enacted by 800 of the town people. The libretto was sent to three Bahá’í writers in different parts of the world. The idea will be a "torch" to light the genius of Bahá’ís to the pageants we could have based on scenes in Acca and in the new Acca, Green Acre. Some day more people will go to Bahá’í pageants in Acca than now go to Oberammergau.
They passed the following resolution: "Be it resolved, therefore, that the Convention of the New Jerusalem (Swedenborgians) at this annual session memorialize the Board of Managers of the Exposition to be held in Philadelphia in 1926 to take under consideration holding there a Parliament of Religion, and that the Swedenborgians have a headquarters for the religionists of the world."
Bahá’ís realize that it is to the Chicago Exposition at its Parliament of Religion in 1893 that we are indebted for our first knowledge of the Bahá’í Cause. The object was to bring together in conference leading representatives of the great historical religions of the world. Also to show men in the most impressive way what and how many important truths the various religions hold and teach in common. Also, to set forth by those most competent to speak, what are deemed the most important, distinctive truths held and taught by each religion. Also, to bring the nations of the earth into a more friendly fellowship in the hope of securing permanent international peace.
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Should a Parliament of Religion be held in Philadelphia the great part which Religion has had in history can be impressively told, its achievements narrated, its vast influence over art, ethics, education and governments can be set forth, its present condition can be indicated and its wide-spreading missionary activities can be eloquently described.
Another thought came to the Bahai: why cannot Bahai Assemblies arrange small parliaments of two or three days' sessions in their own cities and get everybody interested? It would bring out the Bahai Principles.
The subject this year in Urbana centered around Education. Next year it will be Growth -- spiritual, educational, financial.
They have several newspapers but one very small paper just for personals about isolated members over the country. It usually has one editorial too. This opens the way for a system of correspondence with new souls. The plan in detail will be submitted to our Teaching Committee.
They advertise their literature in such magazines as "Literary Digest" and "Current News". Filipinos seeing some advertisements, sent for the cheap, ten cent books, WHOLLY TO LEARN ENGLISH! They wanted some cheap English books. A few glimpsed the vision and they established reading groups and churches. Then sending to American Swedenborgians for some one to come and teach more, Dr. George G. Pulsford went. There are many hundred Swedenborgians now in the Philippine Islands. He is just back, spoke at the convention and introduced one of the Filipino youth of distinguished family who has come to the U. S. A. at his own expense to study in a Swedenborgian Theological School. He will go back and establish churches.
One Boston man had twelve thousand reprints of a Swedenborgian article in the Transcript. These were distributed at the Convention with the request they be passed on to inquirers and the Board also mailed one to each name in "Who's Who in America".
Their experience is that of all who hear of Swedenborg's message only from 6 to 7 per cent are really thinkers. The others must be read to. They discussed plans for organizing to train the seven per cent as lay teachers.
These friends keep the names and addresses of all people who buy books or inquire for magazines and they faithfully "follow up".
The Swedenborgians (they called themselves New Church) have a budget system and a per capita tax of six dollars for four divisions of the work. They give most liberally in other ways and they are a rich church. Johnny Appleseed, their pioneer in Ohio gave ALL. He wore a sack with head and arm holes cut out and went barefoot summer and winter. He spent a little money buying pretty hair ribbons to give all the little girls in the settlers' homes but whatever other money came from apple trees that were paid for, went to buy Swedenborgian books. (And Swedenborgians in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts caught the enthusiasm and all unasked gladly sent Johnny books to be cast over the new country like apple blossom petals.)
One night the Convention had a debate presented by four lawyers and followed by a Forum. This brought out the teachings of Swedenborg.
This is the way I hear, that Swedenborgism came to the United States. A package of books sent from England was sold at auction in Boston. There were three of Swedenborg's books. The purchaser became interested and sent to England for more.
Sunday, the Swedenborgian clergymen spoke at the same hour in seven of the churches of Urbana, and they all spoke of Swedenborg's teachings. There was no special Sunday morning convention service. A mass meeting was held in Clifford theater in the evening.
This was the first Convention held in a smaller city. They came to help the Urbana University work. The Urbana Chamber of Commerce assisted the local
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Swedenborgians in taking care of the hundreds of Convention guests.
They have a Junior Convention the same days as the Convention for adults.
Sunday School lessons were used last year from Swedenborg’s teachings. Some liked the set plan, others did not.
Only a glimpse of what one saw in this new window open to heaven can be mentioned in this Bulletin. But there are all manner of different kinds of Conventions being held over the country. If the Bahais can visit some of these they will soon learn how the opportunity comes to speak quietly, to make friends, to correspond later with these new souls of calibre, and they will use new features observed. People may remember one as they remembered Johnny Appleseed -- but if they do not, they may ponder in their hearts what the words in the blue booklet mean.
How like the apple blossoms are Bahais! The flower opens to the sun and its opening is its beauty, but even its beauty is for a purpose, that it may become fertilized. When this takes place it closes again to carry this fecundity to perfection to provide seed for future splendid trees. It can do no more. So Bahais are the "seeds" for the divine orchards of the new civilization.
In a letter received yesterday from Mr. Wm. H. Randall, he expressed perfectly this thought: "Lucy (Mrs. Wilson) must be very happy and pleased, as we all are, to see the fruit appearing on the trees our tiny hands have planted, and this is the great mystery: we plant a seed, it grows and comes to fruitage, and in that fruit again is the seed, and again it falls into the soil of creative life and another tree appears, and so from one little seed the whole earth becomes populated with the Spirit of God.
"Baha’o’llah has drawn the circle of Unity. He has made a design for the uniting of all the peoples, and for the gathering of them all under the Shelter of the Tent of Universal Unity. This is the work of the Divine Bounty, and we must all strive with heart and soul until we have the Reality of Unity in our midst, and as we work, so will strength be given unto us."
Abdul Baha.