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PUBLISHED NINETEEN TIMES A YEAR
In the Interest of the BAHAI MOVEMENT
By the BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, 515 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
Publishers: ALBERT R. WINDUST — GERTRUDE BUIKEMA — DR. ZIA M. BAGDADI
Entered as second-class matter April 9, 1911, at the postoffice at Chicago, Ill., under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Terms: $3.00 per year; 20 cents per copy.
Two copies to same name and address, $5.00 per year.
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.
"Great importance must be given to the development of the STAR OF THE WEST. The circle of its discussion must be widened; in its columns must be published the essential problems pertaining to the Bahai life in all its phases. Its contents must be so universal that even the strangers may subscribe to it. Articles must be published, dealing with the universal principles of the Cause, the writers proving that this Cause takes a vital interest in all the social and religious movements of the age and is conducive to the progress of the world and its inhabitants. In short, the STAR OF THE WEST must promote the aspirations and the ideals that will gather little by little around these general Tablets, bringing into the light of day all the historical, religious and racial knowledge which will be of the utmost value to the Bahai teachers all over the world."
From Unveiling of the Divine Plan.
| Vol. 11 | CONTENTS | No. 9 |
| PAGE | |
Plan of the Bahai Temple | 138 |
Recent Tablet from ABDUL-BAHA to Mrs. Corinne True | 139 |
"The Model for the Bahai Temple, Chicago" | 140 |
| Fac-simile of pages from The Architectural Record, June, 1920. | |
Editorial—"Become ye United in the Days of God" | 144 |
| From Bulletin No. 2, issued by the Teaching Committee. | |
Activities in the American Field | 145 |
| Extracts from Bulletin No. 2, issued by the Teaching Committee. |
O ye members of the Spiritual Assembly! Become ye firm and steadfast in the Covenant and Testament to such a degree that your meeting become the expression of one soul, and endeavor ye with your hearts and minds so that ye may become the cause of the illumination of this darkened world and that through your efforts the Lights of the Kingdom dawn upon this nether sphere.
(Words of Abdul-Baha, from Tablets of Abdul-Baha, page 438.)
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PLAN OF THE BAHAI TEMPLE. LOUIS J. BOURGEOIS, ARCHITECT.
Fac-simile of page from The Architectural Record, June 1920.
"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.
| Vol. 11 | Kamal 1, 76 (August 20, 1920) | No. 9 |
To the dear daughter of the Kingdom, Mrs. Corinne True, Chicago, Ill.—Upon her be the light of God, the Most Luminous!
He Is God!O thou dear daughter of the Kingdom!
Thy letter has been received and the proceedings of the Convention understood. Thanks be unto God that this Convention was supported by the confirmations of the Kingdom of Abha and as thou didst wish it was formed and ended.
Praise be unto God, that the model of the Mashrekol-Azkar made by Mr. Bourgeois was approved by his honor, Mr. Remey, and selected by the Convention. His honor, Mr. Remey is, verily, of perfect sincerity. He is like unto transparent water, filtered, lucid and without any impurity. He worked earnestly for several years, but he did not have any personal motive. He has not attachment to anything except to the Cause of God. This is the spirit of the firm and this is the characteristic of the sincere.
The model of the Mashrekol-Azkar is, however, too big. It needs several millions of dollars for the cost (of construction). If possible, Mr. Bourgeois may reproduce the same model on a smaller scale, so that one million dollars may suffice for its construction. This should be reconsidered only if possible.
Thy services to the Mashrekol-Azkar are accepted at the Threshold of the Most Great One.
Convey on my behalf the most wonderful Abha greetings to all the friends, especially to the House of Spirituality and other Assemblies. Practice utmost affection towards thy dear daughters on my behalf. I have no opportunity to write more than this.
Upon thee be the light of the Most Luminous!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
(Translated by Azizullah S. Bahadur, June 12th, 1920, Haifa, Palestine.)
BAHAI TEMPLE, CHICAGO
LOUIS J. BOURGEOIS, ARCHITECT
By
J. R. ReidTHE model designed by Louis J. Bourgeois for the great Bahai Temple to be built in Chicago is attracting much attention from architects. It is of unusual interest from several points of view. The Temple is a new and original form in architecture—"the first new idea in architecture since the thirteenth century," according to Mr. H. Van Buren Magonigle. Beautiful in the harmony of its proportions, it has in addition a singular charm in its symbolism; and to the psychologist it is noteworthy, because the creator declares: "It is Bahá Ollah's temple. I am only the channel through which it came."
In form the temple is a nonagon, or nine-sided structure, and its lower story offers a complete innovation in architecture in the use of nine inverted hall circles, with a great doorway in the centre of each, so that from whatsoever side one approaches the edifice it seems to extend its arms in welcome. From dome to foundation it is a unique creation and unlike any building in existence, yet one reads in its curving beauty the story of the architecture of the world. The first floor in its simplicity of line suggests the
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LOUIS J. BOURGEOIS.
Greek and Egyptian temples; while the treatment of the doors and windows is Romanesque in form, and both Gothic and Arabic in the intricacy and beauty of ornamentation. The second story is Renaissance in line and Gothic in the interlaced arches of its openings. The third is restful, quiet and Renaissance in treatment. Above it rises a lovely dome, suggestive of Byzantine forms; but above the closed top rise other beams of the dome itself like hands clasped in prayer, so that the dome gives the feeling of ascension and aspiration found previously in the Gothic towers alone.
In the geometric forms of the ornamentation covering the columns and surrounding windows and doors of the temple, one deciphers all the religious symbols of the world. Here are the swastika cross, the circle, the triangle, the double triangle or six pointed star (or Solomon's seal, the magic symbol of necromancers of old); but more than this, the noble symbol of the spiritual Orb, or Sun behind the Saviour of mankind; the five pointed star, representing the man saviour—Christ or Buddha or Mohammed; the Greek Cross, the Roman
or Christian Cross; and, supreme above all, the wonderful nine pointed star, figured in the structure of the temple itself, and appearing again and again in its ornamentation, as significant of the Spiritual Glory in the world today.
The nine pointed star reappears in the formation of the windows and doors, which are all topped by this magnificent allegory of spiritual glory, from which extend gilded rays covering the lower surfaces, and illustrating, in this vivid and artistic limning, the descent of the Holy Spirit.
Curiously enough this Descent of the Holy Spirit was the first thing Louis J. Bourgeois pictured in his drawing of the temple. He said, "I did the doors and windows of the lower story first, and then I got the entire form."
The numbers 9 and 19 recur again and again in the structure of the temple, illustrating its basic principle of Unity—9 being the number of perfection, containing in itself the completion of each perfect number cycle, and 19 representing the Union of God and man, as manifested in life, civilization and all things.
His description of how he made the model is as interesting as the structure itself; but in reading it one must remember that Bourgeois is an architect of long and wide experience. He built Gothic churches in France; then he built them in Canada. His buildings are found in Chicago, in California, where he erected and planned the well known house and garden of Paul de Longpré, the flower painter, and also in New York.
Twenty-five years ago he had a remarkable spiritual experience, through which he came into a knowledge of his spiritual self, as well as his physical man. Then he was told that some day he would build a great temple, and he made a sketch of a circular twelve sided building, at that time. Henceforth he dreamed of his temple, and tried to make a drawing of it, but could not. He became interested in the Bahai Movement, and nine years ago made an architectural drawing of a temple, in order that he might be represented in the competition spoken of at that time for the erection of a Bahai temple in Chicago; but he said then, "This is not my temple, I am only putting it in to get a chance in the competition. If I win, I can draw the real temple."
But the competition never materialized, and four years ago, when he returned from the Bahai convention in Boston, Bourgeois suddenly, in an hour's time, sketched the lower story of his temple. But he could get no further, and half dazed by the ornate splendor of this fragment realized that he must model it, because he could never express on a flat surface the many-faced beauty of its plan. He endeavored to cut into the plaster the intricate tracery of ornament he saw; but he had never done such work, and he was obliged to ask the help of a friend skilled in the art, and after half a day's training he went at his task successfully. He did each successive story in this way, modelling the beauty in plaster as it was revealed to him, never seeing the whole, yet saying to himself constantly, "How do I dare go on? Because this is so wonderful; and how can I make a dome wonderful enough to complete it?" And then always the thought would come, "The Power that is giving you this will give you a dome the most wonderful of all!"
So he did the first story with its welcoming arms, and the second with its Gothic elegance, and the third with its Renaissance quiet and beauty. One morning he wakened suddenly at three o'clock and knew that he was to draw the dome. He was very happy; and as his fingers flew on for a rich hour, he knew that the dome was the most wonderful of all. That is why he says, "It is Bahá Ollah's temple. It is not mine!"
There is another side to this temple story, which is both human and appealing. It has to do with love and comprehension and faithful service. The architect is not rich, and he realized that if he worked at his model the family income would cease, and perhaps no one would ever build his mighty temple. His wife is also an artist, but she bought a little notion store in West Englewood; and while he worked on the model, she sold ice cream and candy. When he needed
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clay for his first modelling he was out of money, so he went into the garden, filled his wife's clothes basket with Dorothy Perkins roses, which covered the arbor. He took them to New York and sold them for five dollars, with which he bought his clay.
He though he could make the model in three months, but it took him three years, and he says his wife is really the temple builder, for had it not been for her sympathy and cheerful sacrifice he never could have carried to completion the gigantic work.
The model is now on exhibition at the Kevorkian gallery in New York City. It was chosen for erection in Chicago by the delegates to the Bahai Convention, held recently in New York. Its original plan demands a building 360 feet in height, and 450 feet in diameter; but these figures will be halved for the Chicago structure, making a dimension of 180 by 225. The building constructed in this size will cost somewhere near a million and a half dollars.
One naturally asks what is behind such a conception and what it means for humanity. The Bahai Movement, which is planning this stupendous creation, is the great international movement of Unity and Brotherhood, which arose in Persia in 1844 and extends its branches and its influence everywhere at the present time. It was first taught by Ali Mohammed, who was presently given the title of Báb or Gate, meaning a door opened between heaven and earth. He foretold the coming af Bahá Ollah, who he said would appear in nineteen years, and would be the Glory of God for all mankind through the nobility of his life and teachings. Bahá Ollah means the Glory of God, and his influence, penetrating all mankind in the Glory shining through him, will at length unite all religions, all nations, all races—banishing hatred, rancour, partisanship in the great love which rises through realization of the Fatherhood of God and the true brotherhood of mankind.
Baha Ollah died in 1892 in the prison town of Acca, Syria, to which he had been sent by those persecutors who, as in the case of all the Prophets, could not distinguish light from darkness. He left
--PHOTO--
the leadership of the movement in the hands of his son, Abbas, also a prisoner, saying, "I have established a new covenant between God and Man, and my son is the centre of that covenant."
His son took the title of Abdul Baha, or The Servant of God, literally, the Slave of the Glory, and the name of Abdul-Baha has already become known everywhere, the synonym for service, love and wisdom. He was freed from imprisonment in 1908, through the action of the constitutional revolution in Turkey, and since then has travelled in western countries, visiting America in 1912.
The Bahai Revelation, as it is sometimes called, inspires a movement, not a sect. It has a very slight organization embodied in a Unity Board, which manages the Temple fund. The temple will be a great place of worship for all mankind. Its doors will never be closed; no priesthood will ever officiate within its walls; about it will be gardens and fountains; and beyond these, a series of buildings devoted to the application of true religion to life, a hospital, an orphan asylum, a hospice or house of hospitality, a guild house, a university, etc. Only worship can be voiced in the temple itself; but the results of such worship are to be evidenced in these surrounding buildings, where all activities of the community will meet in the comradeship inspired by mutual counsel from which criticism and politics shall have been banished.
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.
O ye apostles of BAHA'O'LLAH—May my life be a ransom to you!
. . . . Similarly, the Magazine, the STAR OF THE WEST, must be edited in the utmost regularity, but its contents must be the promulgator of the Cause of God—so that both in the East and the West, they may become informed of the most important events.
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
| Northeastern States: HOOPER HARRIS | Western States: HELEN S. GOODALL. |
| Southern States: | Dominion of Canada: MAY MAXWELL. |
| Central States: ALBERT VAIL, CARL SCHEFFLER. | |
| Editorial Staff: ALBERT R. WINDUST—GERTRUDE BUIKEMA—DR. ZIA M. BAGDADI | |
| Honorary Member: MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB | |
| Vol. 11 | Kamal 1, 76 (August 20, 1920) | No. 9 |
From the news items of a few of the activities in the Cause as recorded, we can see how the springtime of this New Dispensation is being heralded; but there is need for many teachers. The soil of human hearts everywhere is but awaiting the gift of the seed-sower—the gift which contains the germ of real life, the Message of the New Day.
Abdul-Baha tells us: "The believers of God in reality display much effort; but this effort must be expended in the right direction." He tells us also that he has drawn for us "the plan of God"; that he has "explained the Principles of BAHA'O'LLAH." "Now the promotion of those Principles depends upon their (the believers) co-operation."
We have in these last words of Abdul-Baha one of the ways to attainment, to the accomplishment of the service, at least in part, to which he has been and still is calling us. It is certain that all efforts will be immeasurably successful if there is the necessary co-operation.
The Center of the Covenant tells us to travel and teach, teach the Cause "or choose others and send them" (Divine Plan, page 30). "Now this is the time that you may arise and perform this most great service; travel throughout the world and call the people to the Kingdom of God." How is this to be accomplished save through co-operation? For what other time shall we wait? "These numbered days" are getting fewer and fewer. How very brief indeed is the remaining time, the last hour of our supreme opportunity for the most heavenly and glorious service ever vouchsafed to man. The saints and chosen ones throughout the ages longed to live at this time, and how can we who are so privileged and blessed, show our thankfulness and devotion save through sacrificial services rendered day and night?
Another instruction of Abdul-Baha is ever present: "Become ye firmly rooted in this great aim; send ye teachers to all directions. . . . Ever do I beg for you Divine Confirmation. . . . My Spirit is with each one of you."
From the Utterances of BAHA'O'LLAH, we quote the following: "Become ye united in the Days of God. Through this, His Cause will be spread amongst the servants and the fragrances be wafted over the cities. Hearken ye to that which the Pen of Revelation advises you on the part of the Mighty! Do ye not disagree in the Cause of God, for thereby the hearts of the unbelievers are rejoiced. Gather ye together with joy and fragrance, then peruse the verses of the Merciful, whereby the doors of knowledge are opened to your hearts. Then ye shall find yourselves in the station of firmness and will see your souls in manifest joy."
Abdul-Baha is divinely merciful unto us when he tells us that "today no power can conserve the oneness of the Bahai world save the Covenant of God."
And this oneness begets a loving co-operation.
From Bulletin No. 2, issued by the Teaching Committee.
Extracts from Bulletin No. 2, issued July 19, 1920, by the Teaching Committee
of the United States and Canada, appointed by the delegates to the Convention.THIS Number of the Bulletin will bring to your attention a record of several very interesting activities in the Cause, but that which thrills most of all is the news pertaining to the very successful tour of Jenabi Fazel Mazandarani. The following words of Abdul-Baha in a Tablet dated Haifa, June 3, 1920, may well be quoted here:
"His honor Fazel is one of the elect among the believers in His Holiness BAHA'O'LLAH. This respected one is severed, sincere and eloquent. It is my hope that the American friends will prove receptive to his advice and sermons and understand that there is considerable difference between this honored person and others."
JENABI FAZEL MAZANDARANI
Jenabi Fazel and Manoucher Khan, his interpreter, remained for nearly two weeks during June in Chicago. There were two large public meetings in Masonic Temple. At one Jenabi Fazel spoke on "The Divine Plan for World Unity"; and at the other on "The Remarkable Spread of the Bahai Cause in the East—How it is Reconstructing Persia." Then there were evening meetings at the home of Mrs. Corinne True, June 11, 12, 16, 17 and 19. In regard to their stay in Chicago, Mrs. True wrote:
"A great work of unifying was accomplished. Jenabi Fazel found us firm in the Covenant, praise be to God! We had nearly two weeks of meetings in the different homes and two Sundays in Masonic Temple, and finally on Friday evening, June 18th, a large attendance of the Assembly gathered at Miss Mary Lesch's home, and we saw then what Jenabi Fazel had done to get the Bahais more closely together. He spoke to the colored people in two of the leading colored homes, that of Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Mr. and Mrs. Barnett. Please tell the friends that Chicago was tremendously refreshed and warmed up by the visit of Jenabi Fazel and Manoucher Khan."
Mrs. Wm. F. Slater also wrote most refreshingly of the extraordinary spiritual uplift to all the Chicago Assembly by the visit of our beloved and revered Persian brothers, emphasizing the absolutely unique harmonizing spiritual
effect of their presence. Mr. Albert Vail's letter brought this word: "We are having some beautiful hours with Jenabi Fazel in Chicago. There have been meetings on the Temple grounds and others in the homes where he has spoken to the groups and brought to us the Master's beautiful messages and joy. He is an angel of light."
Before turning their foosteps east again for service during the summer, as planned, our Persian brothers visited the Kenosha (Wis.) Assembly, and the brief reports we have had indicate that they were immensely pleased with the Kenosha friends. Returning to Chicago, Jenabi Fazel and party left on June 21st for the east stopping en route in Detroit, Mich.
Then the party proceeded to New York City for their second visit. A few heavenly days were spent there. Mr. Mills had arranged some meetings, and the harmonizing effect of the presence of Jenabi Fazel was never more noticeable. He has love, peace, kindness in his own heart, and he radiates these qualities through confirmations from the divine Source.
One of the most beautiful meetings (and a precious experience for all believers fortunate enough to be present) held in and around New York, was the brilliant picnic at West Englewood, New Jersey, on Saturday, June 26th, an event termed by Abdul-Baha himself, "The Annual Souvenir of Abdul-Baha." This picnic held each year in the grove at West Englewood is looked forward to with great joy by the friends, for it is in commemoration of the Feast given to them by Abdul-Baha himself when he visited the Wilhelm home in 1912. Those present at the memorable gathering eight years ago often tell us of the fragrances of holiness so marked, and the rays of the Sun of Truth so manifest in, and radiating from, the divine host, the Center of the Covenant. Abdul-Baha told the friends gathered there then, that the Feast they were celebrating "had a name which would last forever and ever." Each successive year since 1912, the gathered friends at the "Souvenir of Abdul-Baha" feel the spiritual fragrances and confirmations and they know that Abdul-Baha is o'ershadowing them with his spiritual presence. This year the occasion was made particularly happy by the presence of Jenabi Fazel. Among others present were Mr. Harry Randall of Boston, Manoucher Khan, a few Japanese brothers, Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, friends from Riverton, N. J., and others, in all about one hundred and twenty-five. Mr. Roy Wilhelm had charge of the entire program. The evening meeting was held in the home of the Wilhelms with many inquiring friends present, some of whom had never heard the Message. The day was a beautiful one, and it was very evident that all present were experiencing the joyousness and real happiness of the spirit.
While Jenabi Fazel was in New York, Mirza Ahmad Sohrab joined his party, and he will travel with him to a great extent, in accordance with instructions from Abdul-Baha to Ahmad contained in a cable, and reading as follows: "Be with Fazel in important cities." Also we quote the following instruction of Abdul-Baha in a Tablet to Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, revealed in Haifa, May 18th, and translated in New York City, June 26th, 1920:
"His excellency, the ideal sage, Fazel Mazandarani, is the essence of humility and submission. God willing, with Manoucher Khan, he has reached the United States under the protection of the Almighty. This respected soul is evanescent in the Cause of the Blessed Perfection. He is wise, well informed and a thinker. There is no doubt that he will become the cause of the exhilaration, rejoicing and the guidance of others. You must exercise toward him the utmost respect and consideration, and placing your hands in each other's, become ye engaged in the promotion of the Word of God."
Jenabi Fazel and party, including Mirza Ahmad, left New York for Boston the last of June. In Boston they were entertained by the friends at the Victoria Hotel. Only a brief stay was made before leaving for Green Acre, where the party spent a few days as the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. H. Randall, returning to Boston after the 4th of July. Life at Green Acre was found very delightful. Since their return to Boston, reports from many of the friends continually arriving, contain thrilling accounts of the really constructive work actually accomplished and being accomplished; of the splendid openings and opportunities for service among all classes of people, indicating that the "Doors of the Kingdom" are being widely opened for Boston, the first city in New England.
On July 8th, a large public meeting was held in Pilgrim Hall which was very well attended. Jenabi Fazel's subject was "Abdul-Baha: His Life and Teachings." The many strangers present manifested great interest and enthusiasm, and this talk alone, addressed to such thinking, serious-minded, seeking souls, means that some day a rich harvest will be gathered from this seed planting.
Two public talks were also given at Community House on Massachusetts Ave.: On Monday evening, July 12th, a talk on "The Remedy for World Troubles" at the St. Paul A. M. E. Church in Cambridge; on July 13th, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. M. C. Oglesby, Somerville, Mass., and every morning from July 7th to July 18th, from 10:30 to 11:30, there were a series of public meetings at the Hotel Victoria.
An excerpt from a letter of Mr. Randall's, dated June 29, 1920, to Mrs. Parsons, gives a splendid idea of the ideal attitude of Jenabi Fazel: "I had a long talk with Jenabi Fazel, and he does not ask or select any one to travel with him. He is independent of all else save God, and he looks upon all the Bahais as being in one region, and does not consider us from the standpoint of our virtues or our faults, but he looks upon us in the light of our service to the Center of the Covenant, and all the friends together constitute the body of believers in America."
On July 15th, Jenabi Fazel and party were in Worcester, Mass., a public talk being given there at the Levana Club rooms. In his talk, so wisely, graciously and eloquently given, Jenabi Fazel emphasized the point of the practical application of the Bahai Religion, and those present could not fail to catch more than a glimpse of the divine civilization of the not far distant future. Mirza Ahmad presided at this meeting. While in this vicinity the friends were entertained most beautifully at the stately summer homes of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Collins and Mrs. Morton in Princeton, near Worcester.
On July 16th our revered teacher was in Springfield, Mass., serving, and after the engagement there, the party expected to return to Boston for a few days, leaving Boston, July 19th, for Green Acre, where they will remain for two or three weeks.
ALBERT VAIL
Mr. Albert Vail's work the past month has been of extraordinary interest, for one of his numerous services has been a series of seven brilliant talks on "The Bahai Teachings on Immortality." These were given at the home of Mrs. Corinne True, and repeated at Mr. and Mrs. Vail's home. We all know that one of the topics of vital interest today is "Life after Death," and generally, people eagerly listen to one who can lead them to a reliable source of information.
The series included the following talks: "The Origin of the Soul;" "The Appearance of Mind and Spirit in the Soul—its Divine Psychology;" "When Eternal Life Begins;" "Abdul-Baha's Brilliant Proof of Immortality;" "Is Communication with the Unseen World Possible;" "The Value of Psychic
Research;" "The Real Nature of Heaven, Hell, and the Unseen Kingdom;" "The Descent of the Kingdom to Earth—A Study of the New Jerusalem in the Glorious Book of Revelation."
Also during the month Mr. Vail has made a trip to St. Louis, and two or more visits to Urbana, Ill., and vicinity; in these centers spreading the Message of the glad-tidings of the Kingdom and in such an inspired way that the seeds of truth are carried home in the hearts of the people.
ROY C. WILHELM
Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm is among the traveling teachers just now. He left New York City on June 27th for an extensive trip to the Pacific Coast. It is supposed to be a business trip, but the greater part of Roy's thinking and serving is in the greatest business in life—the Bahai Cause,—and as all friends know this, a wave of rejoicing is set in motion when the friends hear that Roy is to make a Western business trip, for this means that in every city where he abides for a time, the glad-tidings will be shared, and his sisters and brothers in the Cause refreshed and encouraged.
LOUIS G. GREGORY
Mr. Louis G. Gregory has been in Maryland and Kentucky the past month; particularly good reports come from Louisville where he has been staying for over two weeks. His radiant enthusiasm and spiritual zealousness, his comprehensive presentation of the Bahai Message and teachings of this new Day of God, are attracting wide attention wherever he goes in the Southland. He is meeting with great success and not antagonism. Mr. Gregory writes as follows:
"The world day by day shows greater capacity to receive the Message. Signs of awakening appear in the South as elsewhere. There are many scattered believers, and vastly more who sympathize with the Cause as far as they understand it. Their approval is hearty and inspiring.
"The method of reaching the colored people is revealed in the instructions of Abdul-Baha, who knows their custom of opening their churches, schools and other meetings to visitors who meet their approval; but to meet the complex situation, the whites should be reached in greater numbers. They are perhaps more orthodox and will not so readily open their established institutions, but there is a vast work for teachers among them. Abdul-Baha, speaking of teaching in the South, says: 'Become ye firmly rooted in this great aim. Send ye teachers to all directions and become ye not apprehensive should ye meet strong opposition.'
"One of the most effective ways of reaching the whites of this region is for friends from other sections to come and reside for a season. Endless traces may result from such efforts. Miss M. Klebs, who has for a number of winters taught music at N. Augusta, S. C., started an Assembly there. Mrs. Boyle, spending a winter at Miami, Fla., attracted many who, like herself, were visitors. Mr. and Mrs. Ripley of Washington, have made several trips to Florida which they have improved for teaching. The efforts of Dr. Oakshette and Fred Mortensen were confirmed in Atlanta, Ga., where there is a radiant group. Elmore Hays, who spent some time west, after receiving the Message in Atlanta, has returned and is doing fine work. The Lakeland (Fla.) Assembly probably owes its origin to the residence of Byron S. Lane. The veteran, Paul K. Dealy, has lived for many years at Fairhope, Ala. Miss Annie Reinke at Austin, Tex., is a center of radiance. Dr. and Mrs. Guy of Boston, now reside and work at St. Augustine, Fla., where recently they arranged for Mrs. Ford to lecture. Mesdames Stott and Christine at Louisville, Ky., are the cause of life and hope to many souls.
"Among the colored friends who have done exceptional residence work may be mentioned Prof. Geo. W. Henderson, whose business college at Memphis,
Tenn., is a center of reality where hundreds of students come in contact with the Light. Mrs. Caroline W. Harris teaches the summer colony at Harper's Perry, W. Va. Mrs. H. G. Marshall has done a fine service in cities of Arkansas.
"Among those in past years who have either traveled or resided in the South and taught, may be mentioned our departed brothers, Joseph H. Hannen and Charles F. Haney; and our sisters, Mesdames Susie Stewart of Richmond and Elizabeth Diggett of Chicago—all of illumined and blessed memory. To these may be added Mesdames Hannen, (Hooper) Harris, Claudia Coles, Marie Watson, Viola Duckett, Miss Georgiana Dean; Messrs. Tate, Remey, and last but not least, Roy Williams, whose shining traces cover a wide circuit. To these may again be added many souls who believe in God and the Day of His Appearance, but on account of church connections can only teach in a limited way; for example Rev. Dr. Pontor of Atlanta, who lived and no doubt died a believer. We think, with a smile, of the brave Bishop Flipper, who is willing to take up the cudgels with the ministers in his conference who oppose the Cause; and with a broader smile, of another portly bishop who opposes, but whose wife is a firm believer. Harry Stillwell Edwards, former postmaster of Macon, Ga., has recently come out for the Cause and has written an article for the press on the subject. Dr. S. C. Mitchell, former president of the University of South Carolina, wrote that he had given the Message of Abdul-Baha on many, many platforms. He heard Abdul-Baha speak at Lake Mohonk. The president of Fisk University, to whom Mrs. Parsons gave the Message, readily arranges for the traveling teachers. Last year he publicly declared that they were all watching the Bahai Movement with keen interest.
"Jenabi Fazel, the eminent teacher, was surprised to learn that there are few Assemblies south as compared with other regions. He felt that under similar conditions in Persia, half the friends would migrate to a section where fewer Assemblies were found. Many of the colored have expressed, upon hearing the Message, the fervent wish that it might also reach the whites. When the whites become illumined, they almost invariably show a magnanimous spirit and teach the colored. The latter, while having the same wish for the advancement of the former, can only succeed in this measurably, in view of well known conditions. It is hoped in future that such thriving cities as Louisville, Memphis, Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Ft. Worth, Dallas, New Orleans, Shreveport, Birmingham, Jacksonville, Charleston, Richmond, etc., will attract an increasing number of resident teachers, who will form glowing places of contact for traveling teachers."
MARY HANFORD FORD
The following letter from Mrs. Mary Hanford Ford is shared with the friends:
"Since the Temple model has been on exhibition at the Kevorkian Gallery, its history has been very interesting. The model has a distinctive personality; to see it is like having an interview with a holy and magnificent personage. For instance, one day the editor of a theatrical magazine came in. He was something of a scoffer, and had evidently heard unpleasant things about the Bahai Movement. So he began to criticize the Temple. 'It is a very pretty thing, he remarked in a superior tone, 'but it is decidedly over-decorated; it will be an absurdity in its full size.' So the guardian of the Temple very gently began to show him the significance of the decoration,—how each line and curve was an expression of a great thought or a noble principle, so that all the spiritual tradition and future aspiration of the human race seemed imbedded in this Temple. His face changed and grew soft. His eyes began to shine; then and there the spirit penetrated him, and
though he came to stay five minutes, he remained two hours and left regretfully. Now he has opened his magazine to a monthly article on the Bahai Movement.
"A boy of ten or eleven came rushing up the stairs one day and stopped suddenly on the threshold with a 'Gee!' He had been studying architecture in school and wanted to see this 'new' thing. He could not repress his enthusiasm. I heard him talking about it the next day to some children on the street, and he brought in a little girl friend to share the treasure he had discovered.
"Many very wealthy and dignified people have come also with the same result. George Grey Barnard, the sculptor, declares the Temple marks a new development in architecture, and the beginning of a great era in art. He believes it will be built not only in Chicago, but in its full size on Fort Washington Heights in New York, where a group of millionaires will place it as an illustration of what religion has become to humanity. His wonderful blue eyes shine as he talks about it, his speaking hands weave sculptures in the air to fit his words, and he forgets everything but his marvelous theme.
"The colored people come in and sit quietly drinking in its presence, which makes realities of love, brotherhood, the immortal life, and sympathy. No one leaves cold or critical, and no one can utter gossip or criticism or scandals within that lovely radiation. So one can imagine what the great Temple will be when it rears its stately head in the blue heaven and all men feel it!"
From a recent Tablet we quote the following words of Abdul-Baha: "Thy letter has been received. Its contents indicated that the plan of Mr. Bourgeois has been selected. It is very good."
MR. AND MRS. KILLIUS
For the past two years or more Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Killius have been traveling teachers. They left their home in Spokane for the purpose only of sowing the seed of the Kingdom throughout the cities of Montana, as this was one of the States mentioned by Abdul-Baha, at that time, where the Message had not been spread. In order to have sufficient means to sustain them, they sold almost all of their household belongings and this together with Mr. Killius' business of home portrait photographer, enabled them to move about frequently. During this time they have spread the glorious Bahai Message broadcast, and were very fortunate in having a number of splendid articles placed in the leading newspapers of the State, and confirmations in every way successively reached them. They have served with a true Bahai spirit of love and devotion, and such services and offerings of love attracted many to the Cause.
MARION JACK
Miss Marion Jack has written a most interesting letter about the work in western Canada. We quote excerpts, as follows:
"The soil is extremely fertile, and the Great Gardener is surely busy in this field, otherwise the souls who are receptive would not be found so frequently, for it is very wonderful how a stranger who does not consider herself either a teacher or a speaker, could meet and give the Message to well over a hundred. The president of the Women's Canadian Club has, at the instigation of a former president I met, invited a Bahai speaker to occupy their platform when one comes this way. Then a Mrs. Dunn, a brilliant woman in the world of letters, has given us a good writeup in Fair Play, a weekly publication that is widely read, and the editor has, through this article, become interested."
Vancouver and its environs is very promising indeed, and as Miss Jack writes: "Proofs are in evidence all the time of the truth of the statement of the heavenly Beloved One that everywhere people now have capacity. Never since it has been my joy to serve have
I seen so many thinking and unbiased souls as in the west,—and if it is possible for any Bahai friends, who are seeking for a new field of labor, to come as far west as British Columbia, may they come and live in Vancouver. When a Bahai home is opened up here, meetings can begin."
One of Jenabi Fazel's wise sayings seems to fit right here, for Miss Jack does not consider herself a great public speaker, and the secret of her success is found in this saying: "The only thing which will enable one to give the Message to the people of the world, is not eloquence nor logic: it is rather pure faith, love and ecstacy."
ANNIE PARMERTON
Mrs. Annie Parmerton had an interesting month in Cleveland speaking at the North Congregational Church where they have an open forum. Socialists, Materialists, Christians, Jews and others were there represented in the meeting where she spoke and gave the Message of the Kingdom: a very mixed audience and just such a representation as usually appears at an open forum in any city. A number were attracted and asked for literature, for the most part on the social and economic teachings. The pastor of the church extended an invitation for a return engagement there in the fall, and he will welcome to his church any Bahai speaker visiting the city. Other private meetings were arranged in Cleveland for both the colored and white people, and there were many private interviews with strangers and friends, resulting in attraction, zeal, enthusiasm and a larger unity.
While Mrs. Parmerton was in Sandusky, Ohio, a new spirit was revived in the Assembly, and through divine confirmations, the banner of the Covenant was manifest, which means a quickening into real life and activity. Mrs. Parmerton also visited Akron, Dayton, Hamilton and Middletown, Ohio.
"MOTHER" BEECHER
"Mother" Beecher gives some very encouraging news of the progress of the work everywhere she has been traveling. She spent two very profitable weeks in New Haven, Conn., giving the Message both in public and private meetings, so that a large number of people in that city heard the glad-tidings. Interest was very general, but the Theosophists in particular seemed very much attracted; a group of them attended several of the meetings, and said the reason they did so was because there was life in Bahai meetings. Now through this service and the work also of the Misses Thompson, residents of New Haven and who have been striving to hold aloft the Bahai ideals there for so long, the field in New Haven is quite ready for another traveling teacher. "Mother" Beecher also served in New Jersey for a short time, and then returned to Canada where she remained for a few days in Montreal, then went on to Brockville, Ont. Of her experience there "Mother" Beecher writes:
"I have found some great souls seeking light and peace, mostly church people who have grown discontented, and are reaching out after something rational. What a privilege to teach Christians from their own Bible! I have longed and prayed for years for this bounty, and strange to say since I came into Canada last October my work has been nearly all among that class. Also among some Jews. My work here has been private, that is, in homes, rather than in public meetings."
For one like "Mother" Beecher, who will on the 26th of July be 80 years old (or 80 years young as in her case), we can readily see that the limitations of the human physical do not always operate when the spirit within one takes full control, and we strive "to live and move and have our being" in the Center of Life.
MR. AND MRS. BOSCH
From Papeete, Tahiti (an Island in the South Pacific-French Territory), we have received a letter from Mrs. Louise Bosch, shared with us by Mrs. True. Mr. and Mrs. John D. Bosch left San Francisco early last spring traveling to that far away Island of the Sea, leaving material rest—and the comforts of the modern world—responding to the call of the Center of the Covenant that teachers should travel to the Islands of the Pacific—they gave the Message to Mr. Alexander Drollet (the government interpreter at Tahiti) and his wife. Sister Louise writes:
"He (Mr. Drollet) was the first who became a believer and the first who heard the Truth. We presented the Truth to him and his wife in French at their home, not long after our arrival here. He uses the Greatest Name every morning, and he prays that wonderful prayer on page 58 of the Divine Plan. Without our telling him, he has selected that prayer for himself. In every way his rapid spiritual growth has amazed us, and words are unable to express our thankfulness to God. How great is the mercy of Abdul-Baha to have permitted us to come here to find such a soul! Mr. Drollet told us that always he had wished and hoped to do something sometime for the Polynesians here, and he said that he knew now that he would translate some of the teachings of Abdul-Baha into that language."
MRS. GOODALL, MRS. COOPER AND MRS. FRANKLAND
Mrs. Helen S. Goodall, Mrs. Ella Goodall Cooper and Mrs. A. J. Frankland of Berkeley—those precious friends on the Pacific Coast, visited in Southern California recently. Mrs. Cooper spoke on "The Bahai Movement for World Brotherhood" at the Recreation Center in Santa Barbara; and also addressed an audience at the large and fashionable Hotel Arlington. Mrs. Frankland spoke before the Theosophical Society while in Santa Barbara.
SOUTH AMERICA
Dr. and Mrs. Frederic Valles Vargas and Mrs. Maria Hersch of Buenos Aires, Argentine, S. A., have arrived in California, and will make a tour of this country, visiting the large Bahai Assemblies. These new friends from Buenos Aires sent a cable of greeting to the Bahai Convention in New York. Each one of the three has given talks on the Bahai Cause in Argentine since they heard the Message from Miss Martha Root last September. They represent the flower of Latin-American culture.
We are beginning to gather fruits from the beautiful services rendered by Miss Root on that great South American trip of last year which has added pages to the history of the Bahai Cause in this Western world. Here are a few of the results which are forthcoming:
O Theosophista, the Theosophical Magazine of Brazil, South America, published in Rio de Janeiro, has in its April number a most excellent article entitled "The Message Bahai to the Spiritual World." A short history of the Bab, BAHA'O'LLAH and Abdul-Baha is given: the twelve vital Principles are explained and the "to live the life" quoted in full with some selections from the Hidden Words. It was written by Guido Gnocchi of Santos, Brazil, under his Brazilian nom-de-plume Angelo Guido. Two other splendid articles on the Bahai Cause written by this same author have come from South America recently.
Abdul-Baha in a Tablet to Martha Root received in May, said: "Praise be to God, the Call of the Kingdom has been raised in South America, and the seeds of Guidance have been sowed in those cities and regions. Certainly the heat of the Sun of Reality, the rain of the Eternal Bounty and the breeze of the Love of God will make them germinate. Have confidence."
