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Vol. 10 Azamat 1, 75 (May 17,1919) No. 4
STAR OF THE WEST
"We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; that all nations shall become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men shall be strengthened, that diversity of religion shall cease and differences of race be annulled. So it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come."
—BAHA'O'LLAH.
Written for the Eleventh Annual Mashrekol-Azkar Convention and Bahai Congress held in New York City, April 26-30th, 1919.
BY JOSEPH H. HANNEN- O waiting world, Behold! The Master stands,
- With healing for thy wounds within His Hands;
- For every problem a solution brings—
- Glad-tidings herald from the King of Kings!
- O weary world! The Master brings thee rest,
- Freedom for every captive long oppressed.
- The Way of Truth again is opened wide,
- That all may happily in God abide.
- O world perplexed, embittered, sick of strife!
- The Master brings a Message of New Life;
- The wondrous news that war henceforth shall cease;
- The Promise of a Thousand Years of Peace!
- And O, ye heralds of the Golden Age!
- Promise of Prophets, dream of every sage,—
- The Master calls ye. Rise ye up and go
- To spread the news, that all the world may know!
- From East to West—from Maine to Golden Gate,
- Throughout this land, O hasten! Do not wait!
- And to the southland, to old Mexico,
- To Central, South America He bids ye go!
- O islands of the east and western sea,
- Thou too rejoice! The Truth shall come to thee.
- A host of heralds from the Lord of Lords,
- Thy glad deliverance from bonds affords!
- And thou—the Mother-Continent of ours—
- So sorely pressed by grisly war's dark powers—
- To Europe comes the message of release,
- The one assurance of a lasting Peace!
(Continued on page 53)
--PHOTO--
"O waiting world, Behold! The Master stands
. . . . . . .
O Lordly host, Abdul-Baha commands!"
STAR OF THE WEST
PUBLISHED NINETEEN TIMES A YEAR
In the Interests of the Bahai Movement
By the BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, 515 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
Entered as second-class matter April 9, 1911, at the postoffice at Chicago, Ill., under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Editorial Staff: ALBERT R. WINDUST — GERTRUDE BUIKEMA — DR. ZIA M. BAGDADI
Honorary Member: MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Terms: $2.50 per year; 15 cents per copy
Make Money Orders payable to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
To personal checks please add sufficient to cover the bank exchange.
Address all communications to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.
TABLET FROM ABDUL-BAHA.
He Is God!
O thou STAR OF THE WEST!
Be thou happy! Be thou happy! Shouldst thou continue to remain firm and eternal, ere long, thou shalt become the Star of the East and shalt spread in every country and clime. Thou art the first paper of the Bahais which is organized in the country of America. Although for the present thy subscribers are limited, thy form is small and thy voice weak, yet shouldst thou stand unshakable, become the object of the attention of the friends and the center of the generosity of the leaders of the faith who are firm in the Covenant, in the future thy subscribers will become hosts after hosts like unto the waves of the sea; thy volume will increase, thy arena will become vast and spacious and thy voice and fame will be raised and become world-wide—and at last thou shalt become the first paper of the world of humanity. Yet all these depend upon firmness, firmness, firmness!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Vol. 10
No. 4
ALLAH'O'ABHA!
The dark clouds of outer separation between the Orb of the Covenant and the Bahais in the west have been entirely scattered through the appearance of nine new Tablets brought by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab from the presence of Abdul-Baha.
The messenger proclaimed them: The Divine Plan and Charter of the New Age.
The far-reaching significance and the power of these Tablets unveiled at the Eleventh Annual Mashrekol-Azkar Convention and Bahai Congress dazzled the spiritual sight of all who attended those never-to-be-forgotten meetings..
Abdul-Baha cabled: "Let this be the Convention of the Covenant." It was.
It is the hope and intention of the STAR OF THE WEST to reflect, insofar as possible, the brilliancy of that epoch-making event.
In this issue we publish the first of the new Tablets, together with talks given at the first session.
We are also happy in presenting as a title page to this issue a cover design created by Carl Scheffler, and a poem by Joseph H. Hannen entitled "The Call" both prompted by the spirit of this new hour.
—The Editors.
- O Eastern land! Vast China and Japan!
- Thy pride returneth, as of ancient man!
- Thy Great Redeemer standeth at the door,
- His heralds hasten—joy forevermore!
- O eager world, Thy waited Lord is here!
- Fill hearts with hope, abandon every fear.
- Forgotten hate, let love reign all-supreme.
- And lo accomplished is the Golden Dream!
- O ye who know, the Master calleth ye
- To rise and serve, that all the world be free!
- As millions rose, a few brief moons ago—
- To offer life to vanquish threat'ning foe—
- So shalt ye rally to the Heavenly King,
- And life and all to His Cause gladly bring;
- Content and happy if it be to die
- Or live in exile if but He be nigh.
- Count not the cost, ye Army of our God,
- Thine is the noblest field man ever trod.
- Thy victory is certain as the sun,
- Thy fame eternal when the conflict is won!
- O Heav'nly World! The Kingdom soon to be,
- Where God shall reign o'er all, from sea to sea;
- Where men of every race shall do His will,
- And love of everyman each heart shall fill.
- O Lordly host, Abdul-Baha commands!
- Advance ye, conquer near and distant lands.
- "Allah'o'Abha!" is the battle-cry—
- Eternal life to those who else must die!
- The great new charters of the world are read!
- The Word hath spoken—thy feet must tread,
- From north to south, from east to west, the world,
- Till far and near His banner is unfurled!
Washington, D. C., April 21, 1919.
THE convocation of the friends held in New York City, April 26-May 1, 1919, stands out as a unique event in the history of the Bahai Cause and one which will be forever memorable. When one realizes the lapse of time, weeks and months growing into years, during
Eleventh Annual
Mashrekol-Azkar Convention
and
Bahai Congress
which communication on the material plane had been interrupted, the absolute joy of receiving the Words of Life, not only in single messages but literally in a volume of general Tablets and advices, explanations and exhortations, will be better understood. The presence at this Convention of our dear brother, Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, who was with Abdul-Baha from 1912 to the end of 1918, when he was sent direct to America, the bearer of precious documents and wonderful, epoch-making instructions, in itself made the occasion historic in the Bahai annals. Added to that, several cablegrams, received during the progress of the sessions, attested the presence of the Beloved with us, in spirit—a presence which was most manifest to all. "Let this be the Convention of the Covenant!"—these words, flashed across the
Eleventh Annual
Mashrekol-Azkar Convention
and
Bahai Congress
Feast of El-Rizwan
Hotel McAlpin, New York City
April twenty-sixth to April thirtieth inclusive
Nineteen Hundred Nineteen
As New York has made such progress in material civilization, I hope that it may also advance in the realm of God, so that the friends in this city may become the cause of the illumination of America; that this city may become the city of love and that the fragrances of God may spread from this place to all parts of the world.—Abdul Bahá Abbas, April 11, 1912. In his first talk on his arrival in America.
oceans, burned into the hearts of all, and the response was perfect. As day by day the general Tablets were read, and the words given in connection with each presented to us, the plan unfolded before our delighted spiritual eyes and all present were literally swept onward and forward upon the gales of spirituality which proceeded from the Center of spiritual power in the world.
The attendance at this Convention was larger than ever before. The immense banquet hall of the McAlpin Hotel was filled to overflowing at the Feast of Rizwan
and hundreds were unable to gain admission. The assembly hall was crowded at each of the sessions of the Congress, nine in number, while the same hall was well filled at the meetings of the Convention.
The fact that while we were gathered, discussing plans for spiritual union and harmony throughout the world, the delegates at Paris, in the Peace Conference, were meeting to establish the new world
COMMITTEES OF BAHAI TEMPLE UNITY FOR CONVENTION AND CONGRESS
| Convention and Congress Committee of the Executive Board | |
| Mr. Alfred E. Lunt, Chairman | Mr. William H. Randall |
| Mrs. May Maxwell | Mr. Charles Mason Remey |
| Mr. Harlan Foster Ober | |
| Publicity Committee | |
| Solita Solano | Horace Holley |
| Zoraya Fraser Chamberlain | William P. Dodge |
| Music Committee | |
| Mrs. Elizabeth Van Patten | Mr. Mountfort Mills |
| Mrs. Rohana Bogislav | Mr. Billy Dana |
| Decoration Committee | |
| Mrs. Marjorie Morton | Mrs. Berthalin Osgood |
| Miss Beatrice Irwin | Mr. W. Sutherland Maxwell |
| Miss Juliet Thompson | Mr. Mark Tobey |
| Executive Committee | |
| Mrs. Alice Ives Breed, Chairman | Miss Nellie Hope Lloyd, Treasurer |
| Dr. Hills Cole, Secretary | Mr. Mountfort Mills |
| Mr. Hooper Harris | |
| Finance Committee | |
| Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm, Chairman | Mr. Mountfort Mills |
| Mrs. Florian Krug | Miss Nellie Hope Lloyd |
| Housing Committee | |
| Mrs. Hooper Harris, Chairman | Mrs. Watt |
| Mrs. Ellen V. Beecher | Mrs. Washington |
| Mrs. Alice Beede | Mrs. Lincoln, Brooklyn |
| Miss Charlotte Bingham | Mrs. Bourgeois, West Englewood |
| Mrs. Kate Ives | Mrs. Bettinger, Newark |
| Mrs. Laning | Miss Moxie, Orange |
| Decorations | |
| Mrs. Champney, Chairman | Mrs. Marjorie Morton |
| Music | |
| Mrs. Eugena Chapman, Chairman | Mrs. Maud Gaudreux |
| Ushers | |
| Miss Nellie Hope Lloyd, Chairman | Miss Esther Davis |
| Mrs. Alice Godfrey | Mrs. Juliette Sherman |
| The Misses Baxter | The Misses Hoar |
| Laura Harris | Miss Cora Tucker |
| Miss Jones | Miss Bettinger |
| Miss Julia Lehman | Miss Segler |
2
conditions politically, economically and socially, lent a peculiar power and significance to the gathering of the friends in the metropolis of the new world. Since the last Convention, the thunder of the cannon and the rattle of musketry had been stilled, and the nations of the world, under the terms of the armistice, await the verdict of their representatives, gathered in solemn conclave. Who would have dreamed, ten years ago, when the First Bahai Temple Unity Convention was held in Chicago, that the events of the world drama, so graphically portrayed by BAHA'O'LLAH and emphasized by Abdul-Baha, would come to such a rapid culmination! It is within the ready recollection of many of us, that the Bahai teachings were called "ahead of the times" and termed a dream philosophy, perhaps adapted to some future age of the world. And now, how rapidly "the times" have caught up with The Message, so that today men talk the world over in terms of internationalism
OF EL-RIZWAN
5 P. M., Saturday, April 26th
Reception in Congress Hall to all delegates and friends.
Receiving
The Executive Board of Bahai Temple Unity
Board of Nine of New York Assembly,
Representatives of all group meetings in New York and vicinity.
6 P. M. Feast of El-Rizwan
Chairman
MRS. ALICE IVES BREED, New York CityPRAYER
SONGS
(At the piano—Mrs. McClean)
MR. MOUNTFORT MILLS
Greeting from New York and vicinity
Tablet—Woman's Station in this Great Day
Read by MARY HANFORD FORD
Greetings from MR. TOPAKYAN,
Acting Consul General for Persia in New York
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
REV. M. HALLIMOND, Bowery Mission
REV. PERCY STICKNEY GRANT, Church of the Ascension
REV. DR. W. N. GUTHRIE, St. Marks-in-the-Bouwerie3
and world unity, strange to their minds and tongues, but familiar to the Bahais.
A striking feature of the Feast of Rizwan was the presence and participation of several clergymen and leaders in other broad lines of thought,—chiefly those who had been reached and touched by Abdul-Baha when he was in America in 1912. Their words were akin to our teachings, and they—happily privileged to stand upon a higher plane than that of orthodoxy—sensed the need of what the Bahai teachings offer. The highest
notes of jubilation and the strongest messages of hope were given by the Bahai speakers. Truly, the world has had no more significant gathering in its history. And as the Tablets were read which represent the Charter of the New Age, and which outline in no uncertain terms the part America is to play in the spiritualization of the world,—there was joy abundant and hope unbounded, to offset all the doubt and uncertainty
RESPONSE TO GREETINGS
PRAYER
The quotations following in this program are extracts from
the Tablets and Words of Explanation, which are to be unveiled
during this Congress.
9 o'clock P. M., Saturday, April 26th
Chairman
MOUNTFORT MILLS, New York CityWILLIS ALLING
The Kingdom of God is like unto a farmer who comes into possession of a piece of pure and virgin soil. Heavenly seeds are scattered therein, the clouds of divine providence pour down and the rays of the Sun of Reality shine forth.—Abdul Baha Abbas.
HARP
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
"Unveiling of the Divine Plan,"
Tablet No. 1 and Tablet No. 2 to the Northeastern States, revealed by Abdul Baha
4which the epoch of reconstruction brings to those lacking the spiritual insight and the hope of the age.
Verily, the Convention of the Covenant was and is unique, like the Center of the Covenant, who was with us as surely as the heart of each auditor—unseen, yet filling the body spiritual with the very life-blood of the Spirit,—to be translated into deeds and actions, the effect of which shall never die!
MARGARET P. RANDALL and BERTHA HOLLEY
Chairman
Reading of Commune appearing at the end of the Tablet
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Chanting of Commune in Persian
SECOND SESSION BAHAI CONGRESS
3 o'clock P. M., Sunday, April 27th
Chairman
HOWARD MACNUTT, BrooklynORGAN PRELUDE
Like unto the cup-bearers of eternity, turn ye round in the assemblages of mankind, the over-flowing goblets of guidance and intoxicate them with the wine of the Love of God.—Abdul Bahá Abbas.
"The Power of the Holy Spirit"
MRS. AGNES S. PARSONS, Washington
"Words of Baha'o'llah"ENGLISH SONGS
Praise be to God that the gloomy night of ignorance has flitted away across the receding ages, and the bright dawn of intelligence and wisdom is becoming visible. Praise be to God that the cold winter of fanaticism and bigotry, with its chilling hand and irrational heterodoxy has come to an end, and the soul refreshing spring-time of the imperishable flowers and hyacinths of universal love and toleration, has dawned, perfuming all the nostrils with the sweet odors of trust and confidence.
—Abdul Bahá Abbas.
Opening of the Convention and Congress—The Feast of El-Rizwan
BY LOUIS G. GREGORY
THE conditions which marked the opening of the Eleventh Annual Mashrekol-Azkar Convention were in every way favorable to ideal happiness. This season of bounty began with a reception in Congress Hall of the McAlpin Hotel. Those receiving were the members of the Executive Board of Bahai Temple Unity, the Board of Nine of the New York Assembly and representatives of all group meetings in New York City and the vicinity. The exchange of greetings and handshakes were all so hearty and sincere as to show traces of the eternal bond of unity. All differences seemed so remote as to belong to a past age.
"Forget strangeness; gaze toward
oneness!" This divine exhortation seemed to be in the thought, manners and conduct of each and all.
The reception over, the friends entered the Banquet Hall, led by Mrs. Alice Ives Breed of New York. She was immediately followed by a brilliant array of speakers who were to adorn the Feast of El-Rizwan (Paradise), commemorating the Declaration of BAHA'O'LLAH. A dinner was served to the assembled
ORGAN
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
"Unveiling of the Divine Plan"
Tablet No. 1 and Tablet No. 2 to the Southern States.
revealed by Abdul Baha.
Unveiling of Tablets
The Misses HELEN and MARY HOTCHKISS
Chairman
Reading of Commune appearing at the end of Tablet
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Chanting of Commune in Persian
THIRD SESSION BAHAI CONGRESS
8 o'clock P. M., Sunday, April 27th
Chairman
MRS. MABEL RICE-WRAY, DetroitORGAN PRELUDE
This phenomenal world will not remain in an unchanging condition even for a short while. Second after second it undergoes change and transformation. Every foundation will finally become collapsed; every glory and splendor will at last vanish and disappear, but the Kingdom of God is eternal and the heavenly Sovereignty and Majesty will stand firm everlastingly. Hence in the estimation of a wise man the mat in the Kingdom of God is preferable to the throne of the government of the world. —Abdul Bahá Abbas.
friends who in number overflowed the banquet hall. It is estimated that more than six hundred persons were present.
Mrs. Breed happily expressed the spirit of the feast and in well chosen words introduced each speaker. Mother Beecher opened with a beautiful prayer selected from the revealed words. Mrs. Maud Gaudreaux sang to a very responsive audience, Mrs. McClean presiding at the piano.
Mr. Mountfort Mills in behalf of the New York Assembly, greeted the friends, expressing with genial warmth the
spirit of the occasion, its deep significance being the great tie which binds all the assemblies together in the Center of the Covenant.
Mrs. Mary Hanford Ford showed clearly how the birth of a great spirit in the world marks the dawn of a new era. The whole world will later realize the comradeship and love, the capacity for which is created by BAHA'O'LLAH. All battles must cease and all discord
"The Mysterious Forces of Civilization"
When the foundation of the Mashrekol-Azkar is laid in America, and that divine Edifice is completed, a most wonderful and thrilling motion will appear in the world of existence. The Mashrekol-Azkar will become the center around which all these universal Bahai activities will be clustered. From that point of light, the spirit of teaching, spreading the Cause of God and promoting the Teachings of God will permeate to all parts of the world. I hope that ere long the foundation of this celestial Temple will be laid—thus it may become conducive to the happiness of the heart of Abdul Baha.—Abdul Bahá Abbas.
"The Universal House of Worship for the New Age"
"The Monk's Story" | Moussorgsky |
"Immortalility" (Tagore) | Schminske |
"Volga Boat Song" | Russian Folk |
(Dr. Schminske at the piano)
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
"Unveiling of the Divine Plan"
Tablet No. 1 and Tablet No. 2 to the Central States,
revealed by Abdul Baha
Unveiling of Tablets
Miss ROUHIEH JONES and JEFFREY PARSONS
Chairman
Reading of Commune appearing at the end of the Tablet
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Chanting of Commune in Persian
ELEVENTH ANNUAL MASHREKOL-AZKAR
CONVENTION
10 o'clock A. M., Monday, April 28th
7
be banished so that the great peace may enter every heart.
Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, who has been with Abdul-Baha for the past seven years said, "I have only to bring a message of love and unity from Abdul-Baha, the Center of the Covenant of BAHA'O'LLAH. Both BAHA'O'LLAH and Abdul-Baha endured countless sufferings in order to create the happy faces seen at this feast." Abdul-Baha, is now looking toward America as that nation which is the hope of the nations whose principles of ideal justice and freedom will
prevail. The Bahai teachings reveal the means of tranquillity for each and all. The league of nations for which the statesmen are now striving, was provided for in the Book of the Manifestation sixty years ago. In his wonderful Tablets to the President of the United States and to the Emperor of Germany, he overturned slavery and oppression. Abdul-Baha has praised President Wilson
FOURTH SESSION BAHAI CONGRESS
3 o'clock P. M., Monday April 28th
Chairman
HORACE HOLLEY, New YorkORGAN PRELUDE
The Heavenly Irrigator appeared 70 years ago in Persia and taught His disciples how to flood the dry fields of the hearts. Through His knowledge and Inspiration they were enabled to transform the waste deserts of the minds and souls into the luxuriant gardens in which the rivers of light are flowing from the inaccessible Mountains of God.
Learn ye perseverance from your Universal Teacher, Baha'o'llah, who was not disheartened by any obstacle from irrigating the hearts of humanity. Kings and nations arose against Him, and banished Him to distant lands and countries. Nevertheless, whenever He entered a new place, fearlessly He occupied His time in the spiritual irrigation and the sowing of the seeds of knowledge and wisdom in the prepared fields of the Spirit.—Abdul Bahá Abbas.
"The Power of the Influence of Baha'o'llah"
For every head they must make a heavenly crown of self-sacrifice; for every neck a necklace studded with the scintillating jewels of humility; for every ear an earring of Truth and obedience; for every hand a bracelet of universal service, and for every finger a ring of sympathy; so that the wonders and beauty of the world of the Kingdom may encircle the globe.—Abdul Bahá Abbas.
"To Live the Life"
"Songs of Faith" | Chaminade |
RUTH WALES RANDALL
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
"Unveiling of the Divine Plan"
Tablet No. 1 and Tablet No. 2 to the Western States,
revealed by Abdul Baha.
HARP
son as one who is trying to serve humanity.
Mr. Topakyan, acting Consul General for Persia, expressed deep reverence for Abdul-Baha whom he referred to as "our beloved Master." He hoped God would sustain his every to spread teachings fraught with so much good to humanity. Such teachings are the real property of all peoples.
Mr. Charles Mason Remey responding, said, "Our noblest emotions are too deep for speech. It is difficult to voice what the friends from all parts of the country who have assembled here now feel. We are happy to be again in communication with Abdul-Baha after years of separation. Through the confirmations of the Center of the Covenant the teachings are to go to all parts of the world. He has shown us how he values deeds."
Rev. Percy Stickney Grant, rector of the Church of the Ascension, the first among the churches to welcome Abdul-Baha upon his arrival in America, was
MISS LENORE POWELL—MISS JUANITA STORCH
Chairman
Reading of Commune appearing at the end of the Tablet
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Chanting of Commune in Persian
FIFTH SESSION BAHAI CONGRESS
8 o'clock P. M., Monday, April 28th
Chairman
GRACE OBER, Cambridge, Mass.
ORGAN PRELUDE
The Bounties of God are not monopolized, the Favors of the Lord are not localized. The doors of the Kingdom of Abha are open to all. In the religion of the Blessed Perfection there are no Brahmans and Pariahs. His Graces are all encompassing, all-inclusive. Only let the hearts be pure, the rays of the Sun of Reality will reflect therein, be he black or white, red or yellow.—Abdul Bahá Abbas.
URBAIN LEDOUX
"The Oneness of the World of Humanity"
Do ye not look upon the smallness of your number and the multitudes of the nations. Five grains of wheat will be endued with heavenly blessing, whereas a thousand tons of tares will yield no results or effect. One fruitful tree will be conducive to the life of society, whereas a thousand forests of wild trees offer no fruits. The plain is covered with pebbles, but precious stones are rare. One pearl is better than a thousand wildernesses of sand; especially this Pearl of Great Price, which is endowed with Divine Blessing. Ere long thousands of other pearls will be born from It. When that Pearl associates and becomes intimate of the pebbles, they also all change into pearls.—Abdul Bahá Abbas.
the next speaker. He said his church had been greatly blessed in having such a teacher and servant as Abdul-Baha. If the church stands for anything, it should be love and peace. Certainly we ought always welcome any reinforcements. We are of one kin. The world needs spiritual outlook. Therefore the Bahai Movement has a work to do and a place to fill. Introspection and communion marked its beginning in a garden. But it could not stay in a garden. It became the religion of a prison. The outcome of religion is to carry the spirit of the garden to the life of a crowd.
It must solve the problem of economics and carry divine healing, sympathy into mills, factories and crowded streets. Good hearts are most essential. If favored but unloving hearts remain heedless the structure of the world will be destroyed. It is hoped that the Bahai Movement will renew and rear the structure of the divine civilization.
Mr. Albert Martin, president of the
"Ballade" | Hasselsmans |
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
"Unveiling of the Divine Plan"
Tablet No. 1 and Tablet No. 2 to Canada,
revealed by Abdul BahaORGAN
MARY MAXWELL and ELIZABETH CORISTINE
Chairman
Reading of Commune appearing at the end of the Tablet
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Chanting of Commune in Persian
ELEVENTH ANNUAL MASHREKOL-AZKAR CONVENTION
10 o'clock A. M., Tuesday, April 29th
New York branch of the Ethical Society, responded in a speech replete with brilliant epigrams. He took great pleasure, he said, in his personal friendship with the Bahais and has been a grateful student of the teachings for twenty-seven years. He said that some people regarded tolerance as the acme of spiritual perfection. But the Bahais had a higher virtue than tolerance; they showed appreciation. Their spirit and attitude was eclectic not polemic. They approve of everything that enriches spiritual life. It is the universal aspiration of faith. Man should ever seek the upper zone of his being. Unity is the master word of the hour. The Parliament of Religions may be forgotten but the Bahai Day is the sublime horizon beyond sectarian boundaries. It is not a sect but a fellowship. It appeals to all sects. It is not an organization but the triumph of Truth.
Rev. Dr. W. N. Guthrie, rector of St. Marks-in-the-Bouwerie, a church which
3 o'clock P. M., Tuesday, April 29th
Chairman
ROY C. WILHELM, New York CityORGAN PRELUDE
Patriotism is a collective center; nationalism is a collective center; identity of interests is a collective center; political alliance is a collective center; the union of ideals is a collective center, and the prosperity of the world of humanity is dependent upon the organization and promotion of the Collective Centers. Nevertheless, all the above institutions are in reality, the matter and not the substance, accidental and not eternal—temporary and not everlasting. With the appearance of great revolutions and upheavals, all these collective centers are swept away. But the Collective Center of the Kingdom, embodying the Institutes and Divine Teachings, is the eternal Collective Center.—Abdul Bahá Abbas.
"The Collective Center"
Whereas formerly they were as moths, they became royal falcons and whereas before they were as bubbles they became seas.—Abdul Bahá Abbas.
"The Demonstration of Divinity and Inspiration"
"Andante from Fifth Symphony" | Tschaikowski |
WILLIS ALLING
"Unveiling of the Divine Plan"Tablet No. 1 and Tablet No. 2, to the Bahai Assemblies and Meetings of the United States and Canada regarding the spreading of the Principles of Reality in Alaska, Mexico, Central America, South America and the West Indies. Revealed by Abdul Baha.
HARP
MISS DOROTHY HOAR and MISS ELFRIDA MARTIN
Chairman
Reading of Commune appearing at the End of the Tablet
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Chanting of Commune in Persian
11gives a home to the Bahais for a weekly meeting, was the next speaker. He felt that the Bahais would be interested to know about a statement recently made in a book written by a prominent Presbyterian, Loring Brown, who wonders at the mystery of the unknown God. He expresses amazement that a man so learned and wise as the Roman philosopher Seneca, could have spoken of Christianity only with bitter contempt. Therefore he questions, "How can we in our day know that we have seen the end of all the revelations of God?" Dr. Guthrie thought that such reflections would
make the orthodox quite uncomfortable. While he expected to live and die a Christian, he could not be narrow. He was not interested in sources but joined the river where it enters the sea, where all unite. He said, "We are all getting mixed up. We must all be decent or perish. The religion that makes people decent is preferred. To convert a decent Buddhist into an indecent Christian is absurd. But to change an indecent man
8 o'clock P. M., Tuesday. April 29th
Chairman
ZORAYA FRASER CHAMBERLAIN, BostonORGAN PRELUDE
It is the hope of Abdul Bahá that just as ye are confirmed and assisted on the Continent of America, ye may also be confirmed and assisted in other Continents of the globe;—that is, ye may carry the fame of the Cause of God to the East and to the West and spread the Glad-tiding of the appearance of the Kingdom of the Lord of Hosts throughout the five Continents of the world.—Abdul Bahá Abbas.
CHARLES MASON REMEY, Washington
"The Meeting of the East and the West"
In the matters of this world, however much man may strive and work to the point of death, he will be unable to earn the abundance, the freedom and the independent life of a small bird. This proves and establishes the fact that man is not created for the life of this ephemeral world:—nay, rather, is he created for the acquirement of infinite perfections, for the attainment to the sublimity of the world of humanity, to be drawn nigh unto the Divine Threshold, and to sit on the throne of Everlasting Sovereignty!
SONG—Cosmopolitan Group
RUANO BOGISLAV
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
"Unveiling of the Divine Plan"Tablet No. 1 and Tablet No. 2 to the Bahai Assemblies and Meetings of the United States and Canada regarding the spreading of the Principles of Reality in the Islands of the Pacific Ocean, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Asia, Africa and Europe. Revealed by Abdul Baha.
of one faith into a decent man of another is progress. All must be left the freedom of choice. We cannot enslave others without degradation to ourselves. The program of the Bahais is a big one. In the Bahai Movement the spirit has a new power." He hoped he would continue to have the honor of friendship with the Bahais.
Mr. Gibran of New York, said, "One of the most beautiful things in religion is the statement revealed by God: 'I was a hidden Treasure and I created man that I might be known.' By drawing closer together we get nearer to God, richer in His knowledge. Those who think that the fighting spirit and success in arms alone make a first class people have yet much to learn. The universal note of harmony is the music of the spheres."
Rev. Albert R. Vail, the last speaker, gave an address which in loftiness of thought and beauty of expression, was a fitting climax to the speeches of the
HARP
ZEENAT KHANOUM AND MISS JESSIE REVELL
Chairman
Reading of Commune appearing at the end of the Tablet
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Chanting of the Commune in Persian
EIGHTH SESSION BAHAI CONGRESS
3 o'clock P. M., Wednesday, April 30th
Chairman
WILLIAM H. HOAR, Fanwood, N. J.ORGAN PRELUDE
The Blessed Person of the Promised One is interpreted in the Holy Books as the Lord of Hosts, i.e., the heavenly armies! By heavenly armies those souls are intended who are entirely free from the human world, transformed into celestial spirits and have become divine angels.—Abdul Bahá Abbas.
"The Coming of the Promised One"
The Power of the Covenant will protect the Cause of Baha'o'llah from the doubts of the people of error. It is the fortified fortress of the Cause of God and the firm pillar of the religion of God. Today no power can conserve the oneness of the Bahai world save the Covenant of God; otherwise differences like unto a most great tempest will encompass the Bahai world. It is evident that the axis of the oneness of the world of humanity is the power of the Covenant and nothing else. —Abdul Bahá Abbas.
"The Most Great Characteristic, the Center of the Covenant"
"The Fountain" | Zabel |
ANNA. W. LAWRENCE
13evening. He explained that the Bahai Movement is the springtime of regeneration for the whole world. It is the freedom of man to flow in the current of the will of God. He dwelt upon the simplicity and beauty of the life of Abdul-Baha, who not only reflects the light of the New Day but unites its Gospel, because he is selfless. In him the Word is made flesh and lives a human life. The divine love and bounty which radiate from him, the Center of the Covenant, set all hearts aglow.
Rev. Howard C. Ives in great spiritual
attraction and earnestness, read the closing prayer from the holy Words, the benediction of the Feast of Paradise.
This celebration of the Feast of El-Rizwan was the beginning of a series of meetings which constitute a great event in the history of the Cause. As these gatherings continued from day to day the eloquence of the speakers attained new heights and the faith of the friends and attraction of the hearts grew greater
"Unveiling of the Divine Plan"
"Teaching Tablet of General Instructions"
Revealed by Abdul BahaHARP
MISS AMY K. WILKINSON and MISS PEARL PORTER
Chairman
Reading of Commune appearing at the end of the Tablet
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Chanting of the Commune in Persian
NINTH SESSION BAHAI CONGRESS
8 o'clock P. M., Wednesday, April 30th
Chairman
JULIET THOMPSON, New YorkORGAN PRELUDE
The time is your time! The hour is your hour! Make ye firm steps! Raise ye your voices! Unstop our ears! Unloose your tongues in His glorification! Let the different aims revolve around the one great Aim, and submerge all the varieties of opinion in the Colorless Sea of the Love of Baha'o'llah!
"The Doors of the Kingdom are Opened"
Serve ye your fellowmen. Help them under all circumstances. Inspire them with your faith and ennoble them with your example. The Blessed Perfection has desired for you this Divine Station. Work ye so that you may attain thereunto. He has prepared for you a most brilliant crown—not a crown of an empire but the Crown of social and spiritual service. Place it on your heads. He has spread before you a banquet, adorned with all kinds of heavenly food. Gather ye around it and do not deprive yourselves thereof. The Sun of His Mercy is shining. The Rains of His Clemency are pouring down. The Breezes of His Providence are wafting and the Ocean of His Bestowals is waving. Hasten ye! Hasten ye!
and greater. Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, the trusted messenger who came directly from the holy presence of Abdul-Baha, bringing the Tablets to America, spoke at every session, giving evidence of a new power which astonished as well as pleased his friends of long ago. It was a happy thought, too, on the part of the program committee to have among the speakers at the opening, some great souls who have not outwardly identified themselves with the Cause, but whose expressions so clearly showed the divine fire which consumes the veils.
The sources of life, to which the friends looked, were the Tablets of Abdul-Baha, unveiled at each session of the Congress, unfolding to the hearts and minds the majestic power and unapproachable eloquence of the Word of God. It was the conquest of the might of the Covenant of BAHA'O'LLAH over all regions of the earth. Praise be to God, "who hath awakened us and made us conscious. Verily out of the stones
"The Servant of God"
"Floods of Spring" | Rachmaninoff |
"Le Mirror" | Ferrarri |
"My Lovely Celia" | Monro |
ALMA CLAYBURGH
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
"Unveiling of the Divine Plan"
The 14 Original Tablets. Revealed by Abdul Baha
Chairman
Reading of Commune appearing at the end of the Tablet
MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Chanting of the Commune in Persian
15He can raise up children unto Abraham" and out the dust has He chosen instruments for His mention and praise!
The first session of the Congress on the same evening followed the Feast of El-Rizwan. Mr. Mountford Mills, of New York, presided. Mr. Harlan Foster Ober, of Boston, was introduced. In beautiful words which seemed to flow as a limpid stream, Mr. Ober impressed upon all the greatness of the occasion when the Divine Plan for teaching the whole world the lessons of peace and righteousness was to be revealed. He referred to the cycle
of Christ and showed what wonderful results had been accomplished by those earnest souls who were his disciples and who took up the responsibility of enlightening the world by conveying his message. Even greater results are to be accomplished in this the Day of God and all are to be moved to a greater efficiency in service.
Mirza Ahmad Sohrab followed with his first address, after which, to the soulful and sweet music of the harp and amid surroundings of beauty and fragrance, the Tablets to the Northeastern States were unveiled. Margaret P. Randall and Bertha Holley drew aside the curtains showing the Tablet in Persian beautifully embossed and framed. Beneath the Tablet was seen a colored map of the Northeastern States, the section addressed. The reading of the commune at the end of the Tablet and its chanting in Persian by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab concluded, brought to a close an evening of sustained interest and great impressiveness.
Address by Mr. Alfred Martin, of New York
Delivered at the Feast of El-Rizwan, Hotel McAlpin, New York City, Saturday evening, April 26th, 1919. Stenographically reported.
MEMBERS and fellow friends of the Bahai Movement: I want, at the outset, to express the very genuine pleasure it gives me to be here tonight. Among the many reasons that I might cite for the feeling of that pleasure is not only the personal friendship I have enjoyed with the men to whom your presiding officer has just referred, but also because I have been for the last twenty-seven years a very sympathetic and grateful student of the Bahai teaching.
If you were to ask me what there is in this Movement that has drawn me to it, that makes such a peculiarly powerful appeal, I should say, in the first place, that it stands for appreciation, the noblest word in the vocabulary of the human soul, a word which represents something far nobler than even tolerance, though in the judgment of so many people this is still regarded as the very acme of spiritual attainment. Tolerance is "the willing consent to have other people hold opinions different from your own." I quote the definition as given by the lamented Phillips Brooks. Tolerance always seems to me to have a certain measure of concession about it. We tolerate what we cannot help and would put out of the way if we could. Tolerance always implies a certain measure of patronizing condescension. The man who tolerates is very apt to assume an air of spiritual conceit, or superiority, which is inevitably and irresistibly spurned. I cannot agree with those who think that tolerance is the loveliest flower on the rose-bush of liberalism. Rather should I say that that loveliest flower is described only by the word appreciation, for that is the spirit which is dissatisfied with tolerance, which is altogether out of patience with mere forbearance and which blushes at persecution.
Appreciation is the spirit which takes the eclectic rather than the polemical attitude toward every great teacher and it is this characteristic in your Bahai Movement, I say, that primarily drew me toward it and caused it to make so strong an appeal. You bow before every master be he Zoroaster, Jesus, the Buddha, Mohammed, or any other that may be named. If I understand you aright, you go to these great teachers, not in a controversial but in a teachable spirit, asking of each one, "What have you to offer that we can borrow toward the enrichment and enhancement of the spiritual life?"
I take it that you in your Movement look upon the 137 sects into which the
Christian religion has been divided as though they were the stops and pedals of some great organ, some emphasizing the essential notes, others stressing the merely ornamental notes, but no one of itself giving forth the full-orbed music, but the harmonious blending of the individual melodies producing the symphony of universal aspiration and faith. That same spirit of appreciation causes you to recognize the fact that differences of climate, of racial origin, differences of environment, have given rise to varying expressions of one and the same spiritual sentiments, wonder, awe, reverence, aspiration, worship; so that whether it be the Aztec, bowing before his feathered god, or whether it be the New Zealander, bowing before his shapeless block; or whether it be the Mohammedan, prostrate in front of his mosque; or, again, the Christian, praying to his Father in heaven; or whether it be the cosmic theist, communing with "the infinite and eternal Energy," it is everywhere one and the same spiritual hunger, one and the same manifestation of passion to make progress in the upper zones of his being that is disclosed.
And then, perhaps, as a further ground for the powerful appeal that your Movement has made to me, I would mention the emphasis that you lay so persistently upon unity,—the master-word of the hour. And if I may dare to say it,—precisely as the first Hague Conference foreshadowed the coming of a successful League of Nations, so the World's Parliament of Religions, at Chicago, foreshadowed the coming fulfillment of the Bahai dream. Of that dream of religious fellowship I can say only that in my judgment it is nothing less than sublime, for its horizon expands far beyond any sectarian boundaries.
Just now we are witnessing a most interesting experiment fathered by our friends of the Episcopal Church,—a "World-Conference on faith and order," the preparations for which I have been following very closely for the past nine years. It may be that the immediate purpose of that world-conference will fall short of its sublime ambition, but whether it falls short of it or not, that conference is destined to produce a marked increase of mutual tolerance, mutual charity, mutual understanding and mutual teachableness. As such, it is certain to mark one forward step toward that larger unity that cannot be
| ELIZABETH GREENLEAF | EMILY VAIL |
| IDA F. SLATER | GRACE KRUG |
| MARY CULVER | CARRIE KINNEY |
| MARION JACK | GERTRUDE BUIKEMA |
| MRS. MOUNTFORT MILLS | MRS. J. W. LATIMER |
| AGNES S. PARSONS | CAROLINE BARBEE |
| RUTH WALES RANDALL | IDA FINCH |
| ANNIE L. PARMERTON | ELIZABETH ASHTON |
| JULIET THOMPSON | H. EMOGENE HOAGG |
| ELLA G. COOPER | MARJORIE MORTON |
| GRACE OBER | ELIZABETH VAN PATTEN |
| KATE IVES | WANDA DEUTH |
| MABEL RICE-WRAY | HEBE STRUVEN |
| JOSEPHINE DE LAGNEL | LOUISE A. WAITE |
| PAULINE HANNEN | LILLIAN FENN |
| CLAUDIA STUART COLES | ISABEL D. BRITTINGHAM |
| MARY LESCH | ELIZABETH COWLES |
USHERS FOR CONGRESS AND CONVENTION
| RHODA NICHOLS | DOROTHY HOAR |
| CHARLOTTE MUELLER | DOROTHY CULVER |
| JEAN NIXON | JESSIE REVELL |
| FRIEDA BULLINGER | |
embraced by even the word "Christian." For, I take it, friends, that it is not enough for us to be brothers and sisters in Christ, or in Moses, or in the Buddha, or in Zoroaster; we must be brothers and sisters in Humanity, with all the rest of mankind. I trust you will not misunderstand me. I will be second to no man in my reverence and admiration for the person and life of Jesus, but Christian exclusiveness is no more warranted than any other. And, if human brotherhood is ever going to be anything other than the grim caricature that we see today, with the rival religions
and their conflicting systems and claims, then it is eminently desirable and important that there should exist in the world one movement at least that stands for the ideal of genuine brotherhood in the sphere of religion.
Just one word more. I am drawn to this Movement because it is not a sect but a fellowship, and because it is not a sect, it is in a position to appeal to all sects. What is a sect? A sect, as its
--PHOTO--
DELEGATES AND FRIENDS ATTENDING ELEVENTH ANNUAL MASHREKOL-AZKAR CONVENTION AND BAHAI CONGRESS, NEW YORK CITY
derivation suggests—from the Latin sectum—is a part of humanity that has cut itself off from all the rest in order to live for itself and convert all the rest of the world into material for its own growth. But, friends, a part of humanity that lives not only for itself but for all the world beside, in one universal aim, is not a sect at all, but a fellowship. Whether the part be many or few, it is not sectarian if it lives for no sectarian end. Consequently, while the vast Christian Church is only a sect, and the vaster Buddhist Church is but a sect, the little Bahai Movement is no sect at all, but a Fellowship because it lives not for a sectarian end but rather for the purpose of serving as a leaven through which the world shall be helped to live up to the level of its own highest and noblest ends. May I express my very fervent hope that you of the Bahai Movement will remain true to your present distrust of organization and see to it that you organize only to such a degree as shall prove absolutely essential
to the performance of that great leavening work which is yours.
Just as fast as men and women everywhere grow to care more for spiritual freedom than they care for enslaving tradition and creed, just as fast as men and women everywhere come to care more for the triumph of Truth than they care for the triumph of their sect, so fast will the world witness that religious fellowship which rises far above the level of all distinctions of class, color, race and creed and unites men in that ideal Fellowship that was the dream of BAHA'O'LLAH and which is the inspiration of all his followers today.
Purposes and Hopes of the Congress
Address by MR. HARLAN FOSTER OBER, of Boston, delivered at the opening of the Bahai Congress at Hotel McAlpin, New York City, Saturday evening, April 26th, 1919. Stenographically reported.
MEMBERS and friends of this great universal, penetrative and powerful Bahai Movement: Because this is the most epoch-making time that we who have known of this Cause for years
have ever beheld, it was deemed pertinent that we should suggest to you in a general way in the very beginning something of the great things which are coming out one by one during the coming days.
From the vantage point of that high mountain, Carmel, Abdul-Baha, the Center of the Covenant of God, has turned his eyes and is looking towards this group of people to see to what extent they will respond to this tremendous call which has come through, from out of the heart of the war, yes, further than that, from the heart of peace and love and spirituality. The Word of God is the divine solvent. There is no other. The Word of God is the solution for the vexing problems which are facing the globe today.
The Bahai Cause, among the movements
in the world, is not limited, it is universal, it is not exclusive, it is inclusive of every soul in the universe. At this time, because the conditions of the world justify it and require it, because the firmness and steadfastness of the friends of God have created a certain capacity and because of the mercy of God as expressed through the Covenant, great plans are now to be unveiled which are to energize and spiritualize this Cause as never before. It is important that in coming to and approaching these great times our hearts and minds should be as a blank page. We should be prepared to receive the indelible imprints
of the Spirit. We should discover in ourselves, each and every one of us, a new ideal capacity, for without this new capacity, this new insight, it will be impossible to perceive this new note which is struck in these wonderful Tablets which are to be unveiled during these coming days.
Everything in this Congress revolves around these divine instructions. Can you imagine what it would have meant if in the days of Jesus Christ tremendous Tablets, revelations from Christ, had been presented to the body of the Christian people? How great that would appear in our history of the Gospel and in our history of those things which transpired at that time. Yet through the progress of the world and through the bounty of God and through the requirement of this illumined day and through the greatness of the problems themselves just exactly that thing has happened.
Mirza Ahmad Sohrab has been chosen by Abdul-Baha to bring these Tablets to us. Coming through every difficulty, and finally arriving in time for this Convention, he brings these divine instructions: more than that, he brings that close and intimate spiritual connection with Abdul-Baha.
We revolve, we move around Abdul-Baha. We find in him the universalization of all the great truths of the past, lived in such a way that it is an inspiration to every group of people. We are speaking not only to the Bahai body, which in numbers are few but which in power is great, but we are speaking through you to all the inhabitants of the globe. This plan is not a plan which relates to New York City. This plan is not a plan which relates merely to this country. These plans, as you will see by referring to the brief outlines in the program, refer to the entire globe. Tremendous possibilities are before us and tremendous responsibilities. Do we not hear the Voice of Abdul-Baha calling to us and calling through us to all the people of the globe? "O people, awake! Awake, and from your deep slumbers arise! Arise and know those divine realities which are deposited within you! Uncover this treasure which God has placed there as a means of beautifying and illumining this civilization. Let us turn away from material thoughts. Let us turn away from limited things and soar toward the limitless, the empyrean realms of vision!"
This is the call. We are speaking to every one who finds within himself the traces of that heavenly glory and who desires confirmation, who desires assistance, and who, free and severed from all save God, is following this great eternal journey along this broad highway. We are calling for those souls who perhaps wandering a little bit in one by-way or another yet have in their hearts the jewels of the utmost beauty. This is the time when we are the discoverers, if we are true Bahais, of all the divine qualities in the world.
Let us, therefore, as we approach these great unveilings, turn our hearts to God and know that we are living, through the mercy of God, at a time in the history of the world, which is absolutely epoch-making. In no past age or cycle of which we have record did such great events transpire. Realizing this, let us in our minds and hearts prepare that at the end we shall not go away from these sessions without a definite plan of action which shall spread the bounties of God to every last individual on the face of the globe.
Allah'o'Abha!
Unveiling of the Divine Plan for the Northeastern States
First talk by MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB at the Eleventh Annual Mashrekol-Azkar Convention and Bahai Congress, held in McAlpin Hotel, New York City, April 26th-30th, 1919.
BAHA'O'LLAH in the Tablet to the Pope of Rome says: "Arise in the Name of thy Lord the Merciful, amidst the assembly of beings, and take the Cup of Life in the hand of assurance; drink thou therefrom first, then give to drink to those who advance of the people of different religions."
Dear friends!
It is indeed a great joy to be present at this great gathering and a blessed privilege indeed to offer to you the Cup of Life prepared for you by our Beloved Abdul-Baha. So that you may drink of these Life-giving Words and then go forth—offering it to all the religionists of the world.
I bring you the greeting and love of Abdul-Baha and his hope and prayers for your spiritual advancement and illumination. During the last four years the Beloved has often spoken of your faithfulness and sincerity in the Cause, and of your yearning to serve and teach and help to further the cause of the oneness of the world of humanity.
There are many meetings held in this world. Each having a certain object in view, that object may be commercial, educational or economic, but I am sure that the object of this great Convention is to draw the hearts nearer together, to spread the knowledge of Truth, to uphold the ideals of God, to proclaim the Revelation of BAHA'O'LLAH and to express our devotion and adherence to the Center of the Covenant, Abdul-Baha, and carry out his instructions regarding the building of the Mashrekol-Azkar—the Temple, under the dome of which people of all nations and religions may worship God.
I come to you from the East, the land from the horizon of which all the Suns of Reality have arisen in the past. The land which has been the birthplace of His Holiness Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ and Mohammed and—in this Day—the Bab, BAHA'O'LLAH and Abdul-Baha.
I bring to you not worldly gifts which perish after a few years, but the jewels of the Kingdom of BAHA'O'LLAH—the universal instructions.
The great events of the last four years have changed the minds of men, producing a mental and spiritual revolution which cannot be healed without the power of the Holy Spirit.
Most every one feels that we are today standing on the threshold of an age of material, intellectual and spiritual regeneration. All the hidden forces of humanity are being stirred; political, social and economic principles of the last two generations are more or less set at naught and the wise men of every nation are thinking to reconstruct the body politic from top to bottom. There is not a man or woman in the remotest corners of Asia and Africa who has not felt the thrill of the coming change, and the spirit of transformation sweeping all over the world, has brought about tremendous unrest and upheaval. This great war and its perfect machinery for the destruction of men and property have appalled the ideal conscience of mankind and have made them realize more than anything else that war is death, while peace is life; war is hate, peace is love; war is darkness, peace is light; war is destructive, peace is constructive. All the beneficent forces of society have sprung up through the interplay of the forces of love, peace and association, and thus the vision of a better state of being has taken hold
of the minds of men all over the world, without exception. They long and pray for a more national religion, they work for a higher standard of truth, they pray for a nobler state of existence, they aspire toward a loftier plane of consciousness, and they dream of the perfections of humanity. They aim to eliminate the poverty of body and soul, and through the laws of a social religion recover the lost vision of beauty and love. . . . .
It is this divine optimism, this dream of the perfectibility of mankind, that characterizes more than anything the Bahai Movement. It is the dynamic spirit of the age, the up-rushing breeze of the Garden of Truth, the ideal picture of the oneness of humanity, that inspires our hearts and swells our breasts with bright hopes and eager expectations to behold the countenance of brotherhood, to unfurl the banner of international solidarity and to co-operate for the realization and perfection of a League of Nations based upon justice and righteousness. Our great spiritual leader, Abdul-Baha, has been teaching and upholding these universal principles all through his life and has shown in his daily life and deeds that it is possible for men to live with their neighbors, peacefully and without quarreling, and it is also possible to manifest the divine life in our material world, suffering it to become the prototype of the heavenly realm. I believe that from every standpoint Abdul-Baha is portraying to us the ideal perfeetions of God and humanity, and therefore his instructions are all based upon spiritual wisdom and celestial sagacity. Whatever he says or writes is for the good of humanity and the progress of social and divine order.
During the last few years, while the war was raging all over the earth and the doors of communication were closed with the outside world, Abdul-Baha was not only praying for the friends of God and suffering humanity, but he was also drawing a wonderful Plan, a great Law, a Bill of Rights for the spiritual guidance and regeneration of the world.
When the thunder-cloud of war broke over our heads in Palestine and the wheels of social and religious activities became clogged, Abdul-Baha divided his time between Haifa, Acca, Bahjee, Tiberias and Adasyah. Often for months he would stop in an adjoining building in the sacred Tomb of BAHA'O'LLAH. . . . .
It was during the months of March and April of 1916 that I had the greatest joy of my live with Abdul-Baha in Bahjee. I may claim without grave apprehension of contradiction that in the future those two months will be considered as the most significant, the most fruitful months in the Bahai history, and this, our Convention, as the most constructive Convention ever held in America.
The life of Abdul-Baha in Bahjee during those two months was not only prayerful and calm as the surface of a pure river but active and earnest, full of life and beauty; the highest ideals of the Kingdom, like jewels, were falling from his lips; the garden of his heart was adorned, as it is always adorned, with the imperishable roses of Truth and the Elysian field of his mind was begemmed with violets of spiritual emotions and hyacinths of divine wisdom.
On Monday morning, March 26, 1916, he was sitting peacefully in his room in Bahjee, now and then looking out of the window over the olive grove, beyond the sea and far it seemed into the infinitude. Suddenly he turned his wonderful, penetrating eyes upon me and asked me to chant one of the prayers of BAHA'O'LLAH. As I continued my chant I felt a strange consciousness coming over me—a realization of my unworthiness in being permitted to live so long and so near the divine presence of Abdul-Baha. When I finished the
prayer he looked at me with charming sweetness, that soft, dancing light in his eyes and said: "Thou must be infinitely grateful to BAHA'O'LLAH that He has chosen thee to be with me for so long a time. Surely it must be for a great purpose that is not apparent at the present time. It will become clear in the future. Now bring pen, paper and ink and I will dictate a Tablet for America."
[Here followed the reading of the Tablet received in America before the doors of communication closed. It was published in the STAR OF THE WEST, Vol. 7 No. [[Star of the West/Volume 7/Issue 10|10] and Vol. 9 No. [[Star of the West/Volume 9/Issue 14|14].]
Nearly ten months passed. Meanwhile this Tablet had been forwarded to America and its circulation among the friends of that section had created a great deal of active interest in the promotion of the Cause. But during the month following, the talks of Abdul-Baha on various occasions pointed to the fact that that Tablet was not final and that when the proper time came he would reveal another and more wonderful Tablet for the guidance of the friends.
This lordly promise was fulfilled on Friday morning, February 2nd, 1917. While he was walking in a small room in his house at Haifa, he dictated the following spiritual firman for the believers of the Northeastern States, ending with a supplication to be read by the teachers going into the field of activity spreading the light:
TABLET
To the believers of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful of the Northeastern States of the United States of America—Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York.
He Is God!
O ye real friends!
All the regions in the estimation of the True One are one region and all the cities and villages are ideally equal and similar to each other. Neither holds distinction over another. All of them are the fields of God and the habitation of the souls of men. But through faith and assurance and the precedence of one part over another the dweller imparts holiness and sanctification to the dwelling and some of the countries becoming exceptional, attain to the most great distinction.
For example, notwithstanding that some of the countries of Europe and America are distinguished for the purity of the air, the wholesomeness of water, and the charm of mountains, plains and prairies and are preferred above all the rest, yet Palestine became an honor to all other regions of the world because all the holy divine Manifestations, from the time of His Holiness Abraham to the time of the appearance of the Seal of the Prophets, have been either living in this region or emigrated to or travelled through here.
Likewise Yathroh and Batha attained to the most great bounty and the light of the Prophets have shown from that horizon. For this reason Palestine and Hedjaz are distinguished above all other regions.
Likewise as the Continent of America in the estimation of the True One is the field of the effulgence of lights, the Kingdom of the Manifestation of Mysteries, the home of the righteous ones and the gathering place of the free; therefore every section thereof is blessed; but because these nine states have been favored in faith and assurance, hence through this precedence they have obtained spiritual privilege. They must realize the value of this bounty; because they have obtained such a favor and in order to render thanksgiving for this most great bestowal, they must arise in the diffusion of divine fragrances, so that the blessed verse of the Koran:
"God is the light of heaven and earth; the similitude of His light is a niche in a wall, wherein a lamp is placed, and the lamp enclosed in a case of glass; the glass appears as if it were a shining star. It is lighted with the oil of a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East, nor of the West; it wanteth little but that the oil thereof would give light, although no fire touched it. This is the light added unto light. God will direct unto His light whom He pleaseth."—may be realized.
He says: "The world of nature is the world of darkness, because it is the origin of a thousand depravities, nay rather, it is darkness upon darkness." The illumination of the world of nature is dependent upon the splendor of the Sun of Reality. The grace of guidance is like unto the candle which is enkindled in the glass of knowledge and wisdom and that glass of knowledge and wisdom is the mirror of the heart of humanity. The oil of that luminous lamp is from the fruits of the Blessed Tree and that oil is so refined that it will burn without light. When the intensity of the light and the translucency of the glass and the purity of the mirror are brought together, it will become light upon light.
In brief, in these nine blessed states Abdul-Baha journeyed and traveled from place to place, explained the wisdom of the heavenly book and diffused the fragrances. In most of these states he founded the divine edifice and opened the door of teaching. In those states he sowed pure seeds and planted blessed trees.
Now the believers of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful must irrigate those fields and with the utmost power engage themselves in the cultivation of these heavenly plantations so that the seeds may grow and develop, prosperity and blessing be realized and many rich and great harvests be gathered in.
The Kingdom of God is like unto a farmer who comes into possession of a piece of pure and virgin soil. Heavenly seeds are scattered therein, the clouds of divine Providence pour down and the rays of the Sun of Reality shine forth.
Now all these bounties exist and appear in full in these nine states. The divine Gardener passed by that holy ground and scattered pure seeds from the lordly teachings in that field, the rain of the bounties of God poured down and
the heat of the Sun of Reality, that is,—the Merciful confirmations—shone with the utmost splendor. It is my hope that each one of those blessed souls may become a peerless and unique irrigator and the East and the West of America may become like unto a delectable paradise—so that all of you may hear from the Supreme Concourse the cry of "Blessed are ye, and again blessed are ye!"
Upon ye be greeting and praise!
The following supplication is to be read by the teachers and friends daily:
COMMUNE.
O Thou kind Lord! Praise be unto Thee that Thou hast shown unto us the highway of guidance, opened the doors of the Kingdom and manifested Thyself through the Sun of Reality. To the blind Thou hast given sight; to the deaf Thou hast granted hearing; Thou hast resuscitated the dead; Thou hast shown the way to those who have gone astray; Thou hast led those with parched lips to the Fountain of Guidance; Thou hast suffered the thirsty fish to reach the Ocean of Reality and Thou hast invited the wandering birds to the rose-garden of Grace.
O Thou Almighty! We people are Thy servants and Thy poor ones! We are remote, we yearn for Thy presence; we are thirsty for the water of Thy fountain; we are ill, longing for Thy medicine. We are walking in Thy path and have no aim or hope save the diffusion of Thy fragrances—so that the souls may raise the cry of: "O God! Guide us to the straight path!" May they open their eyes by beholding the lights and become freed from the darkness of ignorance! May they walk around the Lamp of Guidance! May the portionless receive a share! And may the deprived ones become the confidants of the mysteries!
O Almighty! Look upon us with the glance of mercifulness! Grant us heavenly confirmation! Bestow upon us the breaths of the Holy Spirit! So that we may become assisted in service and like unto brilliant stars we may shine in these regions with the light of guidance! Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty and Thou art the Wise and the Seeing!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
(Translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, Washington, D. C., March 23, 1919.)
The next morning when I took the transcription of it to him for correction, he took it in his hands, read it slowly and added a few words here and there. Then raising his head, said: "Come and take this, Mirza Ahmad. Let me see what you can do. Let me see what the friends of God in these states will do. Will they arise with a superhuman energy and spread the lights of the Sun of Reality in all those great cities, towns, villages and hamlets? I have pointed out to them the highway of service. Will they walk in it? I have drawn for them the Plan of God, will they, like experienced generals, lead the attack from all sides? Come! Take it and let us see the results. And what
are you going to do? Are you going to take a hand in this divine campaign? Now you are witnessing its birth. The time will soon come when you will have to work for its realization with all the power and energy that God has given thee."
These words were uttered over two years ago and on that day little did I realize that I would be here, standing before you and talking, taking an humble part in the inauguration of this great campaign of our Supreme General.
On another occasion he said:
"The believers must arise in perfect unity in teaching the Cause of God and grasping each other's hands be engaged in the diffusion of the fragrances of God, and know of a certainty that the confirmations of His Holiness BAHA'O'LLAH shall descend upon them.
"I hope that the Northeastern States, especially New York, may attain to the utmost state of perfection in the Cause of God, and in the matter of teaching and the promotion of the Word of God they may precede the friends of other parts. New York is the first and greatest city of the western hemisphere and the numberless passengers who come to America, come or pass through this city. Therefore, its important position is quite secure and must be taken into consideration. The friends of this city must be in the utmost love and amity, so that their unity may serve as an example to the other states.
"When thou art standing in their midst, tell them:
"The bounties of the Kingdom of God are great. The glances and favors of the Blessed Perfection are with you; the invisible cohorts are your support. Now step forward in this field of teaching. Then shall you see the greatness of results. Do not turn your faces away because of any difficulties and oppositions. The greater the difficulties the greater must be your firmness and steadfastness. Then you shall observe that the fame of the Cause will be more widely spread and the confirmations of the Kingdom of Abha appearing with greater effulgence. Hence, you must, first of all, arise in teaching the Cause and calling the people to the manifestation of the Kingdom, so that God's assistance may encircle you from all sides. Should you not render this service and should you not win this goal in the field of action, others coming after you will accomplish this work. Yet it is my hope that in this age you may become assisted in rendering these great services."
It is hoped that the delegates and friends from these parts will realize their great responsibility, for they have a great task before them. It is not the work of one or two or ten or twenty years but for a long stretch of years. It is indeed a divine responsibility to be called upon to reach a population of more than twenty-one millions or nearly one-fourth of the inhabitants of the United States. Think of New York and its five millions, Philadelphia one million and a half, Boston with its seven-hundred thousand, adding to this the thrifty inhabitants of hundreds of New England towns, Pittsburgh with its half-million, Rochester two hundred and fifty thousand—thus I may go on enumerating all the important centers of industries in these nine states. How are you going to teach these millions of people about the principles of the oneness of humanity, the brotherhood of the races, and the love of God as revealed in the writings of BAHA'O'LLAH and Abdul-Baha?
Recent Tablet to the Bahais of Egypt
Translation of the blessed Tablet revealed by Abdul-Baha and sent by him for publication in the STAR OF THE WEST.
To the STAR OF THE WEST:
Dear Sir:—I herewith enclose a copy of a Tablet recently revealed for the friends and maid-servants of the Merciful in the country of Egypt, which the Beloved wishes you to publish in the columns of your well-known STAR OF THE WEST.
To the friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful in the country of Egypt—Upon them be El-Baha-el-Abha!
He is God!
O ye who are sincere! O ye who are attracted! O ye who are of the new creation!
God, the Praised and the Exalted, hath said: "Are these the same as the old creatures? Nay rather, they are clothed in garments of a new creation!" Then know ye that in the estimation of God, the example of the creatures is like unto a pure, blessed tree of a wonderful trunk and strong seeds. He causes it to grow gracefully, then its roots become firm, its twigs spring forth, its leaves become verdant, its flowers bloom and its fruits appear. Then its shade expands over all the regions, until it reaches its ultimate evolution and growth, attains to its development and height, its significances become perfect and its branches extend over the East and the West of the earth. Then its creation is completed, its evolution is accomplished, its hopes become evident, it obtains its desire, it attains to its utmost perfection and its beauty becomes manifest. Then its withering begins, its leaves turn yellow, its flowers become scattered, its fruits fall down and its earthly elements return to the layers of its soil. No fruits remain upon it, no leaves, no attractiveness, no beauty, no sweetness and no freshness, until it becomes like unto an old hollow palm tree.
Then a new tree grows from its seeds, green, verdant and freshened by the divine outpouring, the merciful breeze, the heat from the Sun of Reality, the heavy rain from the clouds of the abundant mercy and the blowing wind from the wafting place of Providence. "Whatever verse we abolish or forget we replace by a better one." This is the example of the new creation, the miraculous cycle and the second resurrection, which is in conformity with the first creation.
Then thank ye God, the Praised and the Exalted, for the light of guidance, this complete bounty and this great bestowal. "He chooseth for His mercy whomsoever He wisheth." Then it is incumbent upon ye to cry out with most wonderful melodies:
Praise be to the One who created this marvelous dispensation!
Praise be to the One who made this new creation wonderful!
Praise be to the One who ordained this great outpouring!
Praise be to the One who shone forth with this evident light!
Praise be to the One who renewed this wonderful springtime!
Praise be to the One who perfumed the nostrils of the people of oneness with the merciful fragrance which is diffused in all the countries! "And thou didst see that the land which was barren and lifeless when we caused the water to descend upon it, moved and grew and brought forth a beautiful pair of all things."
Praise be to the One through the outpouring of Whose clouds these countries became verdant!
Praise be to the One through the heavy rain of Whose compassion these rose gardens became beautified!
Praise be to the one through the current of Whose stream, these reservoirs became overflowing!
Praise be to the One who has chosen the sincere ones to spread His teachings in the countries!
Praise be to the One who selected for His mercy pure souls; through the fragrance of Whose love and perfumed breaths the hearts of the pious throb!
Praise be to the One who made the stars of guidance to smite the wicked!
Praise be to the One who guided the chosen community to the upright way and straight path!
--ARABIC TEXT--
Praise be to the One who made them the signs of glad tidings among the people!
Praise be to the One who confirmed them by the banners of the great signs!
Praise be to the One who re-inforced them by the mighty forces!
Praise be to the One who assisted them with the hosts from the Supreme Concourse!
Praise be to the One who built for them lofty palaces commanding the zeniths of heaven from which the lights sparkle throughout the centuries and the ages!
Then, O ye who are attracted by the fragrances of God, thank ye God for this complete bounty, infinite mercy, encircling outpouring and perfect attainment! I pray God to strengthen your loins, give power to your backs, clarify your secrets and purify your consciences in all times and moments.
Upon ye be greetings and praise!
(Translated by Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi, May, 1919, Chicago, Ill.)
--ARABIC TEXT--
Tablets of Abdul-Baha recently revealed
SANTA BARBARA ASSEMBLY
To the friends of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful, Santa Barbara, California.—Upon them be BAHA'O'LLAH El-Abha!
He is God!
O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom!
Praise ye God for having entered into this Great Cause which is the illumination of the universe and the promulgator of the Oneness of the world of humanity. Ye have been freed from every prejudice and are exercising the utmost love and kindness to all religions. Ye love all men and seek service to the world of humanity.
Santa Barbara was an ordinary girl, but as she sacrificed her life and her soul for Christ, consider ye how resplendently, like unto a star, she shines from the horizon of the world.
Even until the present day her light is still resplendent.
Upon ye be greeting and praise!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
(Translated by Shoghi Rabbani, January 26, 1919. Home of Abdul-Baha, Haifa, Palestine.)
CLEVELAND ASSEMBLY
To the friends of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful, Cleveland, Ohio.—Upon them be BAHA'O'LLAH El-Abha!
He is God!
O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom!
Your letter was received. From its contents it was known that, praise be to God, your hearts are in the utmost purity and your souls are gladdened by the glad-tidings of God. The mass of the people are occupied with self and worldly desire, are immersed in the ocean of the nether world and are captives of the world of nature, save those souls who have been freed from the chains and fetters of the material world and like unto swift-flying birds are soaring in this unbounded realm. They are awake and vigilant, they shun the obscurity of the world of nature, their highest wish centers around the eradication of the struggle for existence, the shining forth of the spirituality and the love of the realm on high, the exercise of utmost kindness among men, the realization of an intimate and close connection among religions and the practice of the ideal of self-sacrifice. Then will the world of humanity be transformed into the Kingdom of God.
In fine, O ye friends, exert ye an effort. Every expenditure is in need of an income. This day, in the world of humanity, men are all the time expending, for war is nothing but the consummation of men and of wealth. At least engage ye in a deed of profit to the world of humanity that ye may partially compensate that loss. Perchance, through the divine confirmations, ye may be assisted in promulgating amity and concord among men, in substituting love for enmity, in causing universal peace to result from universal
war and in converting the loss and rancor into profit and love. This wish is realized through the power of the Kingdom.
Convey my greeting to the grieving family of him who has ascended to the Kingdom of God, Mr. Dick Potter, and tell them not to be disconsolate, not to wail and not to cry, for that heavenly bird has flown to the Infinite Realm and has stepped out from the dust-heap of the world to the rose-garden of immortality! Happy is he and blessed is his abode!
Upon ye be BAHA'O'LLAH El-Abha!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
(Translated by Shoghi Rabbani, January 18, 1919. Home of Abdul-Baha, Haifa, Palestine.)
AKRON ASSEMBLY
The friends of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful, Akron, Ohio.—Upon them be BAHA'O'LLAH El-Abha!
He is God!
O ye sons and daughters of the Kingdom!
Your letter was received. From its contents the truth of the saying of His Holiness Christ was realized when He says: "From all parts and regions they flock and enter into the Kingdom, while the sons of the Kingdom depart from it." Now ye who belong to the distant and outlying regions of the world,—almost half the globe standing between us;—yet notwithstanding this remoteness, have been awakened by the Call of the Kingdom, have been made aware and, thanks be to God, ye have become attracted to the splendors of the Sun of Truth.
My hope is that ye may raise high the standard of the oneness of the world of humanity and that ye may become the cause of union and harmony among all the races and religions, so that mankind may unite, may fling away the garb of indifference and engage in affection, that the fire of religious, racial, political and patriotic prejudices may be quenched and the burning flame of the enkindled fire in the Mount of Sinai may illuminate the world.
The blessed pictures of those illumined souls have been noted. Praise be to God, the light of God's love shines brilliantly in your faces.
(Signed) Abdul-Baha Abbas
(Translated by Shoghi Rabbani, January 28, 1919. Home of Abdul-Baha, Haifa, Palestine.)
URBANA ASSEMBLY
To the friends of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful, Urbana, Illinois.—Upon them be BAHA'O'LLAH El-Abha!
He is God!
O ye friends of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful!
Your detailed letter was a full exposition of firmness and steadfastness. Although throughout these days of abundant trials the maintenance of perseverance and firmness was difficult yet the friends of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful, praise be to God, have remained like unto an immovable rock, firm
and steadfast. Nay, rather, they have added to their stability. It is customary and as a rule in times of trial the feeble souls waver and turn away and the firm souls who are endowed with the power of the Spirit double in energy and strength. Adulterated copper turns totally black when thrown into the fire of test while pure gold increases in lustre and brilliancy.
His honor, Mr. Vail, is indeed an ignited candle and likewise his respected wife. They have no thought and no concern save the good of mankind and entertain no wish save the guidance of men. Day and night they strive with heart and soul, they labor arduously and endeavor heartily that this mortal world may reflect the splendor of the sanctified Realm and these disturbed souls may become the embodiment of faith and assurance.
As to the meeting with the friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful it is undoubtedly possible. Praise be to God, the way will be leveled and the doors will be opened and traffic and travel will become easy. But they must take into consideration the comfort of the journey so that no hardships may be endured on the way.
Concerning my travel to America, it is conditioned upon the harmony and the unity of the friends of God. They must be so united as to have the effect of one soul so that like unto a magnet which draws to itself the iron they may attract me to America.
Upon ye be BAHA'O'LLAH El-Abha!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
(Translated by Shoghi Rabbani, January 28, 1919. Home of Abdul-Baha, Haifa, Palestine.)
ALBERT VAIL
To his honor Mr. Albert Vail, Chicago, Illinois.—Upon him be BAHA'O'LLAH El-Abha!
He is God!
O thou revered personage!
Your second letter dated December 19, 1918, has been received. It was the cause of much joy and happiness because it indicated that thou art firm and steadfast in the Covenant and Testament and that thou hast a longing to herald the Kingdom. Today heralding the Kingdom is the magnetic force of the world of humanity because there is great readiness in the souls. The Divine teachings are the spirit of this age; nay, rather, the sun of this age. Every soul must endeavor, in order that the veils may be torn away from the eyes; then instantly they see the sun, and the heart and the eyes become illumined thereby.
Now through the assistance and favor of God this power of guidance and merciful bestowal are found in thee. Therefore with the utmost power go forward so that to the mouldering bones thou impartest life, to those born blind givest sight, quickenest souls that are depressed and discouraged and bestowest serenity and freshness. Every lamp will finally be extinguished except the lamp of the Kingdom which day unto day grows brighter. Every call will in the end become weak except the call to the Kingdom of God which day by day grows louder. Every road will in the end become crooked except the road of the Kingdom which day by day becomes straighter. Unquestionably the heavenly melody cannot be measured by the melody of earth and the
artificial lamps cannot be compared to the heavenly Sun. Therefore one must strive for whatsoever is eternal and everlasting in order day by day to become more illumined, day by day to grow stronger and day by day find new life.
If you are thinking of traveling to the west or the south with thy revered wife, it is very acceptable. I am hoping that thou mayest find such a confirmation that thou thyself becomest amazed.
Regarding the book that thou hast written it has been received and we are engaged in perusing it. God willing, thou shalt be confirmed in a second edition.
Convey my utmost love and tenderness to thy revered wife, likewise to . . .
I supplicate and implore to the Kingdom of God that thy father, mother and brother may, through the light of guidance, enter the Kingdom of God.
Upon thee be El-Baha-el-Abha!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
(February 10, 1919, Haifa, Palestine. Translated by Dr. Bagdadi, Chicago, March 27, 1919.)
LOUISE D. BOYLE
To the maid-servant of God, Louise D. Boyle, Miami, Florida.—Upon her be BAHA'O'LLAH El-Abha!
He is God!
O thou daughter of the Kingdom!
Your letter dated December 1918, was received. Thou hast written that in these days, in view of these terrible battles and the extinction of the fire of war, a new capability has sprung in men.
It is evident that not until rain, snow, cold, storm and hurricane come to pass will the capacity for spring be attained. In winter divine Providence prepares for the advent of the life-giving spring.
Similarly this terrible war has awakened people's minds and has given rise to sentiments of Universal Peace so that the divine teachings may exert an effect upon the peoples of all races.
At a time when I was in Europe and America, I raised high my voice in all temples and gatherings and it was published and circulated in the papers that—"O ye concourse of listeners! An imminent danger lies ahead. The whole of Europe has turned into a huge arsenal which a single spark will set ablaze. The flame of war shall attain supreme height and Europe shall be convulsed and this Balkan strife shall lead to universal war; the foundations of the world of humanity shall quake, cities shall be demolished and villages shall be razed to the ground; fathers shall lose their sons and sons shall lose their fathers; mothers shall wail and children shall cry and lament. O ye listeners! Endeavor perchance, God willing, ye may prevent this fire from spreading and this storm from raging!"
Whatever was explicitly recorded in the epistles and Tablets of BAHA'O'LLAH concerning future events was mentioned, but these exhortations were not accepted until this confiagration was set up.
At present all people have realized that war destroys the foundations of mankind and that men are in need of universal peace and similarly of the rest of the divine teachings.
Strive, therefore, that the light of the oneness of the world of humanity may be made resplendent, that misunderstanding among the religions and races of the world may be eliminated, that the nether world may reflect the realm on high and the Sun of Truth may shine over all regions.
Upon thee be BAHA'O'LLAH El-Abha!
(Translated by Shoghi Rabbani, February 1, 1919. Home of Abdul-Baha, Haifa, Palestine.)
"Praise be to God! In New York the divine believers are united and agreed."
TABLET TO JULIET THOMPSON
To the maid-servant of God, Miss Juliet Thompson—Upon her be greeting and praise!
He is God!
O thou beloved daughter of the Kingdom!
Thy letter was received. It contained the most great glad tidings,—that is, praise be to God, in New York the divine believers are united and agreed. For my heart there is no greater happiness than the unity and concord of the friends. The progress of the world of humanity and the illumination of the hearts and lives of the people are realized through unity and agreement and the promotion of the Word of God. Difference destroys the foundation of the divine edifice, causing coldness amongst the souls and the lethargy of all the active members. I hope that, day by day, this bounty may become more revealed in New York. Truly, I say, if the believers of God become united together with heart and soul, in a short while they will shine forth like unto the sun; they will obtain a joy and happiness the splendor of which will be cast upon all the regions of America.
Thou hast written that Mr. Vail, Mr. Ives and Mr. Horace Holley have loosened eloquent tongues and in the explanation of the divine teachings they deliver fluent speeches. This news also gave the utmost pleasure and delight.
Convey my longing greeting to the reverend minister whose name you mention in the letter and deliver to him this my message:
O thou dear friend! A wise farmer scatters his seeds in rich, productive soil. Those pure seeds are no other than the new, heavenly teachings and the rich soil is the hearts of the chosen ones. Become thou a heavenly farmer. Do not sow the seeds in barren soil. These variant and confusing thoughts have no results and produce no fruit. The time is spent without a crowning glory. Consider that millions of leaders of thought have come to this world and have dedicated their lives to the propagation of different schools of ideas, yet they obtained no result but the Apostles of His Holiness Christ scattered such seeds that up to this date they are gathering many harvests. There is no greater example than this.
Convey longing greeting on my behalf to each and all the friends.
Upon thee be greeting and praise!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
(Translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, June 29th, 1916.)
