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THE AGE has dawned when human fellowship will become a reality.
The century has come when all religions shall be unified.
The dispensation is at hand when all nations shall enjoy the blessings of International Peace.
The cycle has arrived when racial prejudice will be abandoned by tribes and peoples of the world.
The epoch has begun wherein all nativities will be conjoined in one great human family.
For all mankind shall dwell in peace and security beneath the shelter of the great tabernacle of the one living God.
--PHOTO--
| VOL. 16 | FEBRUARY, 1926 | No. 11 |
and lives, it conserves and protects all states and conditions of mankind.”
ONE of the most beneficent provisions of the Bahá’í laws for a more perfect humanity is the provision that all should work. Some kind of occupation which is of service to the world is enjoined upon every one as a religious duty. Bahá’u’lláh says: “The lowest of men are those who bear no fruit upon the earth. The best of people are they who gain by work.” Stronger than this even is the statement made by Bahá’u’lláh, that work done in the spirit of service is equivalent to prayer.
How wonderfully adapted to the modern world is this doctrine of cheerful and serviceable industry as a way to God. How comforting to those whose duties are heavy, to know that in pursuing with sincere intent their vocation or livelihood, they are engaging in worship more truly than if they neglected these duties in order to isolate themselves in mystic dreams and visions.
THE dualism between the world and the spirit will be annihilated, when all work is done in a spirit of service, and when by means of work man finds God. The Kingdom of God is to be established on earth. It can not be arrived at by abandoning the earth-life, neither can it be achieved by the neglect of earthly duties.
Zoroaster gave to the Persians the ideal of useful work as a service to God in His plan for evolving the world to higher and higher perfection. Is it not true that man, engaging in God’s great work of planetary improvement, finds his highest expression as the channel for His inspirations, the recipient of His energy and aid, the instrument of His destiny? All great servants of humanity have thus realized their work as something exalted above the mere need for daily bread, something above commercialism and self-seeking. They have given of their intelligence and energy for the benefit of mankind, feeling themselves instruments of the Divine.
THERE is no question of the benefit and blessing of work to the individual. Idleness is a disintegrating experience to personality, while occupation is an integrating and developing experience. It is, however, the social aspect of the Bahá’í requirement of universal work which is perhaps the most novel and worthy of consideration.
Not only, in the viewpoint of Bahá’ís, is work a spiritual virtue and duty; but the contrary is also true, that idleness is a spiritual fault. This truth holds, regardless of poverty
or wealth, regardless of sex. Even upon those who have no need of work for financial benefit, work is nevertheless enjoined. As to what the nature of that work shall be, this is left to personal judgment and predilection. It need not be wage-earning work, but it should be work that is of some benefit to the community. In fact, it is a great advantage to society to have in its midst a number of people whom financial needs do not compel to professional work, and who are thus free to devote their energies to those larger tasks for human welfare which offer no remuneration.
MODERN methods of living release at present a tremendous amount of energy on the part of the married woman who either does not have children, or who finds herself freed of child-raising at middle life when physical and mental development and efficiency are at their height.
This energy, set free in such large quantities by modern labor-saving devices—and spent so largely today in social activities which give the illusion of busy and justified occupation, when in reality they are but profitless diversions—should be utilized for the benefit of society and will be so utilized in the Bahá’í civilization; not by compulsion of law, but by spiritual urge and conscience.
The men of America hardly need an antidote for idleness. But in the Old World the gospel of pleasuresome leisure as the most prized gift life has to offer corrupts the earnestness and vitality of work among those upon whom destiny enforces the obligation of a livelihood, and upholds upon the social heights the sinister and selfish symbol of a humanity freed from all obligations, entitled to spend the precious hours, days, and years in pleasure seeking, in pastime, or in profitless avocations which are, so far as the needs of humanity are concerned, but another form of idleness.
All credit to those men and women of means who lift themselves out of this inertia of wealth and devote themselves to worthy occupation and responsibilities, bestowing upon society the benefits of their wisdom, their executive ability, their broader vision.
THE TIME is coming when monetary gain will not be the only or the chief incentive to work. Humanity is in dire need of the unselfish service of those very people whom either ability or circumstances have placed above the need of wage-earning. Here is a form of energy extremely useful and precious to society, for it is quite often the intelligent, efficient, and directive. Therefore it is apparent that when the Bahá’í law of universal work shall have drafted into use all of this splendid potential human energy, civilization will make enormous gains.
THE LAW of universal work, in combination with those economic provisions of Bahá’u’lláh which prevent poverty, will go far toward abolishing class feeling and envy. For it is not so much the physical comforts of wealth which the working classes envy as the pleasured leisure which waits hourly upon the desires of the wealthy at the same time that others are working perhaps beyond their strength.
To normal human psychology it is maddening to have to toil while others stand idly by. It is indeed the great, if not the chief, injustice of the world, after that of actual poverty. If poverty therefore be abolished; if simpler habits of diet and improved means make it possible for
the lower classes to have amply nourishing and satisfying food; if the cost and time of locomotion continue to diminish to a point where travel becomes available to all, if the sumptuaries of life will be more equalized between the classes,—there will then be little cause for envy and malevolence, the greatest vices of the deprived.
IN THE COMING race all will work—and none will work as hard as many do now. The strain, the harm, the injury of work will be removed. The hours of gainful occupation will be shortened, toward which there is already a strong tendency. The right amount of leisure—as great a blessing as honest, earnest, and worth-while work—will be enjoyed by all, not by a privileged few. The spread of universal education and the development of a spiritual consciousness will prevent the misuse of this leisure. The building of industrial plants in open districts, where the workmen can have homes and gardens, will bring literally to pass that verse in Isaiah, “And every man shall sit under his own fig tree.”
And as for the wealthy in that day, their toil for the public good, their countless activities proportioned to their abilities and humanitarian zeal, their simplicity of living, their utter lack of ostentation, will make them beloved, as indeed all such wealthy people in the past have been beloved.
DO WE NOT all know even today a few such people, who, having great means, have taken upon themselves great humanitarian responsibilities; who rise as early as the workman rises, work more than the (at present) allotted eight hours a day in causes and in needs that bless their fellowmen; who give sweetly of their time and of their personalities to the needs of even the humblest individual; who dress and eat and live simply, without undue luxury or ostentation; who fill in spare moments with manual work to an extent that no man can call them shirkers from hand toil. If it has been our good fortune to know such people, we can vividly picture to ourselves what the wealthy classes will be like in the Bahá’í divine civilization.
ONE PECULIAR corollary in regard to work is involved in the Bahá’í economic law which prevents poverty. According to this law those whose income falls below their needs have the right to draw upon the public treasury to meet their deficit. This is their inherent right, just as it is the right of the state to draw upon the surplus of those whose income is beyond their needs. By this beneficent law, guaranteeing the means of subsistence to all regardless of ability, health, success or failure—and not as a sop of charity, but as human justice—penury and want will disappear from off this planet. That dread wolf, more fear-causing to average humanity than any jungle-beast, will no longer howl at any door.
But it is clear that the effective working of this law requires that every man shall work to the full extent of his ability, with a willingness to sacrifice, if necessary, his personal predilections for the need of earning a livelihood. If one upon whom a family is dependent fails to earn sufficient in a vocation which he has chosen, he should be willing to take any work offered him which would increase his income.
Unless the consciousness of the human race change, it is apparent that these beneficent economic laws of Bahá’u’lláh could not be carried out. With man’s present inclination toward idling and leisure, such a law
would be too much an incentive to diminished effort. Not until work has taken on a spiritual aspect, and has become one of man’s chief spiritual duties, can the state hold out a helping hand to every individual and to every family whose income is insufficient for the actual daily needs.
GOD’S promise of sufficiency for every human need is based upon man’s willingness to cooperate. The earth holds enough for all. In the co-operative divine state, the truth will become apparent, that want and starvation were the needless appendages of a civilization that has passed.
Does this all seem a dream too wonderful for realization? It is no more impossible of fulfillment than that the Roman arena should have given place to Christian hospitals and charitable institutions. Religion can work marvels. And the great power and efficacy of the Bahá’í Movement lies in the fact that it is not a mere humanitarian platform looking toward a better age, but it is a religion which takes hold of the hearts of men and changes their desires and habits, gives them new qualities, spiritualizes their characters, and inspires them with the ardent desire to carry out those lofty principles for a perfected world which Bahá’u’lláh revealed as from God.
One of the most important instructions of Bahá’u’lláh in regard to the economic question is that all must engage in useful work. There must be no drones in the social hive, no able-bodied parasites on society. He says:
“It is enjoined on every one of you to engage in some occupation—some art, trade or the like. We have made this—your occupation—identical with the worship of God, the True One. . . . Waste not your time in idleness and indolence, and occupy yourselves with that which will profit yourselves and others besides yourselves. . . .”
How much of the energy employed in the business world of today is expended simply in cancelling and neutralizing the efforts of other people—in useless strife and competition! And how much in ways that are still more injurious! Were all to work; and were all work, whether of brain or hand, of a nature profitable to mankind, as Bahá’u’lláh commands, then the supplies of everything necessary for a healthy, comfortable and noble life would amply suffice for all. There need be no slums, no starvation, no destitution, no industrial slavery, no health-destroying drudgery.
In “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era.”
THE Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh contains all the great laws and principles of social government. The basis of God’s perfect laws is love for humanity and help for human needs. If all people followed this Revelation, the masses would be immeasurably uplifted and the Cause of God glorified. This development of humanity will be gradual, not sudden. It will surely come to pass; it is impossible to swim against the current of Niagara. Teaching the Truth is like building bridges by which humanity may cross over the current which threatens. (Ten Days in the Light of Aqá, p. 13.)
GOD has created man lofty and noble; made him a dominant factor in creation. He has specialized man with supreme bestowals, conferred upon his mind perception, memory, abstraction and the powers of the senses. These gifts of God to man were intended to make him the manifestation of divine virtues, a radiant light in the world of creation, a source of life and the agency of constructiveness in the infinite fields of existence.
He (Bahá’u’lláh) teaches that it is incumbent upon all mankind to become fitted for some useful trade, craft or profession by which subsistence may be assured, and this efficiency is to be considered as an act of worship. (Pro. of U. P., p. 430.)
HEAVENLY teachings applicable to the advancement in human conditions have been revealed in this merciful age. This re-formation and renewal of the fundamental reality of religion constitute the true and outworking spirit of modernism, the unmistakable light of the world, the manifest effulgence of the Word of God, the divine remedy for all human ailment and the bounty of eternal life to all mankind. . . .
When the love of God is established, everything else will be realized. This is the true foundation of all economics. Reflect upon it. Manifest true economics to the people. Show what love is, what kindness is, what true severance is and generosity. (Pro. of U. P., Vol. 2, p. 435.)
THE economic question will have great importance in Europe and America. This question is impossible of solution except through the religion of God. Day by day it is settled, then it comes up again. It can not be settled save by the religion of God. . . . Nothing save the religion of God will solve it. Nothing save the religion of God. This will include both: the capitalist and laborers will be freed. . . . All will be in the utmost welfare and comfort.
Notwithstanding this, it does not mean that all are equal. It can not be so. For this reason, the prominent ones, the rich and the poor, will all be at ease. The people of the world are like an army. It has a general, officers and privates. It can not be possible for all to be privates or all to be officers. Each of these ranks is necessary. But all of them from the leaders to the lowest should know their duty. . . . This is the aim; there must be both those who direct and those who carry out the plans. . . . In America I said to the Socialists, “These plans which you have will lead to no results. Suppose you take the property of the rich;
what will you do after one year? All of you will be in need and will die from starvation. But it can not be so, for neither you nor the rich will be at rest.” This question of strikes can only be solved through the religion of God. . . . In the world of nature there is separation, there is the struggle for existence. These are the natural tendencies. This is irresistible. That which saves man from the world of nature is the Power of God. It is faith. It is the fear of God, and it will make man an angel; it transforms him. From all these conditions it frees him. It acts opposite to that of nature. It breaks the sovereignty of nature, and without this (power) it is not possible. (Light of the World, pp. 46-49.)
IT WILL not be possible in the future for men to amass great fortunes by the labor of others. The rich will willingly divide. They will come to this gradually, naturally, by their own volition. It will never be accomplished by war and bloodshed. The ruling power or government can not treat the rich unjustly. To force them to divide their wealth would be unjust. In the future, proportionately about three-quarters of the profits will go to the workmen and one-quarter to the owner. This condition will prevail in about one century. It will certainly come to pass. (Ten Days in the Light of Aqa, p. 5.)
THE doctrine of “human solidarity” is well developed in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. Human solidarity is greater than equality. Equality is obtained, more or less, through force or legislation, but human solidarity is realized through the exercise of free will. The virtue of man made manifest through voluntary philanthropy based upon the idea of human solidarity is as follows: Rich men give to the poor–that is, they assist the poor, but by their own desire. It is not well that the poor should coerce the rich to contribute to them. Such coercion would be followed by disintegration and the organization of the affairs of society would be disturbed.
The idea of human solidarity, based upon mutual help and understanding, would lead to peace and comfort of the world of humanity, would be the cause of the illumination of the world of humanity, and the means of prosperity and glory of the world. (Compilation, War, Peace and Government, p. 94.)
THE Social Plan: The seventh teaching (of Bahá’u’lláh) suggests a plan whereby all the individual members may enjoy the utmost comfort and welfare. The degrees of society must be preserved. The farmer will continue to till the soil, the artist pursue his art, the banker to finance the nation. An army has need of its general, captain, and private soldiers. The degrees varying with the pursuits are essential. But in this Bahá’í plan there is no class hatred. Each is to be protected and each individual member of the body politic is to live in the greatest comfort and happiness. Work is to be provided for all and there will be no needy ones seen in the streets. (B. S., paragraph 572.)
TODAY the greatest need of the world is the animating, unifying presence of the Holy Spirit. Until it becomes effective, penetrating and interpenetrating hearts and spirits, and until perfect, reasoning faith shall be implanted in the minds of men, it will be impossible for the social body to be inspired with security and confidence. (Pro. of U. P., Vol. 2, p. 315.)
ECONOMY is the foundation of human prosperity. The spendthrift is always in trouble. Prodigality on the part of any person is an unpardonable sin. We must never live on others like a parasitic plant. Every person must have a profession, whether it be literary or manual; and must live a clean, manly, honest life, an example of purity to be imitated by others. It is more kingly to be satisfied with a crust of stale bread than to enjoy a sumptuous dinner of many courses, the money for which comes out of the pockets of others. The mind of a contented person is always peaceful and his heart at rest. He is like a monarch ruling over the whole world. How happily such a man helps himself to his frugal meals! How joyfully he takes his walks, how peacefully he sleeps! (B. S., paragraph 829.)
NOW I want to tell you about the laws of God. According to the divine law, employees should not be paid merely by wages. Nay, rather, they should be partners in every work. The question of socialization is very difficult. . . . The owners of properties, mines and factories should share their incomes with their employees, and give a fairly certain percentage of their profits to their working-men, in order that the employees should receive, besides their wages, some of the general income of the factory so that the employee may strive with his soul in the work.” (Star of the West, Vol. 8, p. 7.)
YOU have questioned me about strikes: This question is and will be the subject of great difficulties. Strikes are due to two causes. One is the extreme sharpness and rapacity of the capitalists and manufacturers; the other, the excesses, the avidities, and ill-will of the workmen and artisans. It is therefore necessary to remedy these two causes.
But the principal cause of these difficulties lies in the laws of the present civilization: for they lead to a small number accumulating incomparable fortunes, beyond their needs; whilst the greater number remains destitute, stripped, and in the greatest misery. This is contrary to justice, to humanity, to equity; it is the height of iniquity, the opposite to what causes divine satisfaction. . . . Then rules and laws should be established to regulate the excessive fortunes of certain private individuals and to limit the misery of millions of the poor masses; thus a certain moderation would be obtained. . . .
It would be well, with regard to the social rights of manufacturers, workmen and artisans, that laws be established, giving moderate profits to manufacturers, and to workmen the necessary means of existence and security for the future. . . . But the mutual rights of both associated parties will be fixed and established according to custom by just and impartial laws. (Some Answered Questions, Appendix.)
THE supreme need of humanity is cooperation and reciprocity. The stronger the ties of fellowship and solidarity amongst men the greater will be the power of constructiveness and accomplishment in all the planes of human activity. Without cooperation and reciprocal attitude, the individual member of human society remains self-centered, uninspired by altruistic purposes, limited and solitary in development like the animal and plant organisms of the lower kingdoms. The lower creatures are not in need of cooperation and reciprocity. A tree can live solitary and alone, but this is impossible for man, without retrogression. Therefore,
every cooperative attitude and activity of human life is praiseworthy and foreintended by the will of God. (Pro. of U. P., Vol. 2, p. 332.)
IS IT possible, that seeing one of his fellow creatures starving, destitute of everything, a man can rest and live comfortably in his luxurious mansion? He who meets another in the greatest misery, can he enjoy his fortune? Therefore, in the religion of God, it is prescribed and established that wealthy men each year give a certain part of their fortune for the maintenance of the poor and unfortunate. This is the foundation of the religion of God, and the most essential of the commandments.
While man is not forced by the Government—whenever by the natural tendency of his good heart and with the greatest spirituality, he makes provision for the poor, it is most praiseworthy, and well pleasing to God and man.
Such is the meaning of the good works in the divine books and tablets. (Ans. Ques., Appendix.)
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APPOINTMENT AND PROMOTION
IN making appointments, the only criterion must be fitness for the position. Before this paramount consideration, all others, such as seniority, social or financial status, family connection or personal friendship, must give way. Bahá’u’lláh says:
“The fifth Ishraq (Effulgence) is the knowledge by governments of the condition of the governed, and the conferring of ranks according to desert and merit. Regard to this matter is strictly enjoined upon every chief and ruler, that haply traitors may not usurp the positions of trustworthy men nor spoilers occupy the seats of guardians.”
It needs but little consideration to show that when this principle becomes generally accepted and acted upon, the transformation in our social life will be astounding. When each individual is given the position for which his talents and capabilities specially fit him, he will be able to put his heart into his work and become an artist in his profession, with incalculable benefit to himself and the rest of the world.
wealth nor excessive poverty.”
A LARGE and successful manufacturing concern has offered a prize of five thousand dollars for the best essay on the subject of “The Theory of Wages.” The contest, it is stated, is open to economists of this country and abroad.
The basic theory of wages lies deep, and no hypothesis that predicates a difference between theory and practice will ever be useful outside of academic discussion. In order to develop a theory embodying the idea of usefulness and general acceptance, such a theory must be postulated on fact, stripped of pretense, prejudice and tradition. It must be rooted in the soil of understanding and tolerance. It must be developed for the very truth it contains and not to justify some existing social structure which sadly needs bolstering. It must not be offered as a sop to a sorely tried class. It must not conceal some clever trick under the guise of fairness. It must not favor some at the expense of others. It must be, as nearly as possible, unalloyed justice.
Truth has ever been the goal of patient scientists and it is sought through the microscope in its minuteness, through the telescope in all its vastness; but ever slowly, piece by piece, must knowledge be completed. Scientific truths rarely burst upon an age as a glorious sunrise. It is the scientific method, frequently scorned by those outside who endeavor to span the void between ignorance and knowledge by a single convulsive leap, which assists timely solutions.
Perhaps the true theory of wages has lain undiscovered through the ages, and has escaped recognition because the search has not been sufficiently deep or perhaps because human relationships have a way of developing and becoming crystallized without any apparent directing force. Perhaps a true theory has not been wanted?
When, in the march of events, did the theory of wages begin to trouble humanity?
In the dim vistas of man’s beginning we see him, as an individual. Whatever he acquired or used he controlled by his own effort. If he needed food, he exerted himself sufficiently to gather fruit or vegetables or to kill some living thing. The satisfaction of his hunger was his wage. If he shivered from the cold the comfort of an animal skin coat amply repaid him for the trouble of acquiring it. Personal comfort and satisfaction was his wage, and so through the whole gamut of his personal wants and desires; all that early man asked, in return for effort and energy expended, was a certain minimum of personal well being.
This same situation extended to his family as it does in the animal life today. It is true that here we have the beginnings of a division of labor and tasks. The male often provides the food and protection while the female is immediately responsible for the rearing of the young.
This division of labor seems to be instinctive and hardly inculcates any idea of mutual compensation for acts performed. Neither male nor female owes the other more nor less. The relationship is a natural one and represents a satisfactory, mutually agreeable contract in a very simple form.
As man developed finer sensibilities he derived some modicum of pleasure and satisfaction in the eagerness with which an especially fine bit of food was received by his hungry family. Again, he felt amply repaid.
Not until one man began to actually work for or do things for another do we strike the beginning of wage consideration. As soon as man began to associate with others for any reason whatsoever, mutual protection, gregariousness, social inclination or what not, he found that some of his fellow beings were more adept at certain tasks than he. As society developed, the division of labor followed quite naturally, each doing the things for which he was best fitted as demanded by the state of civilization of the time.
Thus we may picture a very early transaction as that of one man trading a crude weapon, which he had fashioned, for the skin of an animal prepared by another. The value of the articles exchanged in this barter was entirely a matter of personal desire and need. The weapon may have been a much better weapon than the skin was a coat, but one wanted the weapon, the other the coat, and there was no question of valuing, comparatively, the thing given or the thing received. Each was satisfied and pleased with the trade. The wage in one case was the hide and in the other the weapon which eventually found its way in their respective possessions. Each represented labor expended, and the basic idea of wage is–some reward or compensation for work done.
As long as the article received fulfilled the need felt, we can imagine no dissatisfaction with it as a reward or payment. Thus the first wage was satisfactory to all concerned. Soon a disturbing element crept into the institution of barter. Two men made a business of fashioning weapons and one made them much better than the other. Both need some covering for the body and approach the man with a hide to exchange. Which weapon will the primitive tailor choose? The best, of course, and what must be the feelings of the man with the inferior weapon, who needs the coat and does not get it? Dissatisfaction, deep chagrin and envy, for the handiwork of his hands has not brought him the fulfillment of his most important need. What can he do? He can seek out another coat-maker, if there be one, or perhaps trade his inferior weapon for a poor coat and carry biting covetousness towards the other weapon-maker in his heart.
What difference is there between this weapon-maker and the laborer who battles his way home on a crowded car after a hard day’s work and is all but run down by some luxuriant limousine? Basically, their feelings must be the same with perhaps a difference in degree only.
What course is open to the maker of the inferior weapon who realizes that the work of his hands may not fulfill his needs? It is a new realization and causes grave concern. Shall he try to make something else, a difficult thing to attempt, or shall he doggedly struggle to make as good weapons as the other fellow that his wants may be met? This may be beyond his capacity. The elements of rivalry and competition, mixed with
dissatisfaction, now modify the idea of compensation received. Comparative values arise and with them the conception of comparative rewards. At this stage, the fact that the reward received is perfectly capable of giving personal comfort is discounted by the knowledge that some one else has a similar article of better quality which he has received as a reward from labor. The mere fact that an object brings desired fulfillment of a basic desire is not enough, for in addition has grown the desire not only to have a coat to cover the body, but to have just as good a coat as any one else.
Classification of wages has begun and with it gradation of labor and scaling of reward. A conclusion is inevitable, namely—that men, although created free and equal in some respects, have vastly different abilities and capacities and will therefore receive, in justice, different rewards. This consideration is fundamental, and a successful theory of wages must recognize this as a truth. At the same time these different beings must be satisfied to be happy. Any system which fails to recognize and compensate for the differences in capacities or seeks to level the high in favor of the low is tampering with incentive. In any army, there always have been and perforce must always be those who lead and those who are led; that mass effort, integrated, may be effective. This fact of social organization is emphasized more and more as education and specialization result in highly trained individuals.
A wage has several fundamental requirements. It must be sufficient to fulfill the actual personal wants and needs of man as a being. This is a minimum.
Beyond this it must consider the value of the labor rendered in accordance with the standards of the times. If a man is an excellent tailor and there be a demand for good clothes, his wage must be higher than that of a tailor of inferior clothes, or—all will become inferior tailors. The reward should be in accordance with the grade of work performed. Men of different abilities will receive different wages, despite the grumbling of the inferiors and the arrogance of the superiors. Here the question may well be asked as to who or what fixes the existing standards. The standard is fixed by demand, by the structure of society, by conditions as they happen to be. “A laborer is worthy of his hire.” The reassurance of this realization lies in the tendency which makes every inferior to become a superior that he may earn a master’s wages.
Wages symbolize reward. No longer is mere personal comfort considered sufficient and no longer does the joy of construction suffice. The aim is not to construct a thing in the best possible manner for the joy of the making, but to do so in order that wages may be received, not only wages, but as great wage as can possibly be attained. And for what end? That one may not only live as well as another, but a little better if it is at all possible. From a cooperative society where the weapon-maker assisted the coat-maker, primarily to satisfy wants, but practically that better weapons and coats might be available; society has progressed to the point where individuals are keen rivals struggling from one standard of living to another.
There are those who live on the highest scale, which it is only natural to wish to emulate. A comparative few set the pace which raises the general average and then are prone to condemn others who strive to attain the same level.
The rich employer, in a small industrial community, may wonder why the working men in the valley below are not content with their cottages. Perhaps they would be more so were it not for his glittering mansion on the hill, eternally suggesting the possibility of luxurious existence.
Evidently the consideration of wages leads us into the necessity of endeavoring to analyze that most mysterious thing—human nature.
The science of psychology has made rapid strides in the last few years and is now prying open doors of real insight. The subject is summarized admirably in Prof. Patrick's book, and the following are excerpts from his chapter on “The Psychology of Work:“
“Dr. Cabot in his book, ‘What Men Live By,’ says that real life consists of four things: work, play, love and worship.
“Psychology may be able to throw a little light on such questions of the day as how to reduce the hours of labor and still get the world’s work done, how to harmonize capital and labor, or how to organize society so that all shall be laborers, because such questions, as they are now discussed, presuppose a certain industrial system which might not rest on a psychological basis.
“In all reconstruction movements of the day an extreme emphasis is placed upon work. It is hoped that the idle rich and idlers of all kinds will get to work. It is hoped that an ever increasing number of men of the world will lend a hand in the work of the world.
“It would seem, therefore, to be the very first step in planning the society of the future to find out what the normal function of man is and plan our society with due regard to the materials we have to work with.”
Speaking of the instinct of workmanship, the author continues:
“It is in this kind of activity that man finds his real life. This initiative, this ‘exercise of genius,’ this foresight and daring, this instinctive effort to win fame and fortune, this delight in the testing and spanning of our powers—is it work or play? Anyway, it is life. In this instinctive workmanship, we see man at his best. We see him exercising his normal function.
“The work of the modern industrial laborer is a species of drudgery in unhappy contrast with the spontaneous creative work which belongs to man’s original nature. One can not but wonder how much of the unrest of the day and friction between capital and labor is due merely to a kind of irritability which is the result of a life not according to nature.
“There is too much confinement about our life. It is not discipline that we object to. Mankind has ever lived under the severest discipline for long centuries. It is rather confinement, physical and mental confinement, that causes the trouble.
“It would appear, then, that, if disharmonies are to be avoided, work must be natural; it must proceed from the instinct of workmanship. Or if it is in the form of a drudgery, it must be vitalized by loyalty, emulation or love. Thus far it appears that man’s instinctive needs do not find expression in the work of the modern industrial laborer. To what extent will social unrest be quieted by increase of wages? Disharmonies and unrest do not disappear with increase in wages.”
This author believes that the only possible solution of the question, and that one by no means certain, is industrial partnership.
Thus is given the modern scientific summary of the problem. We can
not but realize that it is inseparably bound up with the whole question of the future of society and the coming changes in our economic systems. In concluding that part of his views, Prof. Patrick voices grave doubt that even his theory will suffice.
And so we find it, through all the Writings of the present day. Elaborate plans are suggested, but in the end the suggestion is invariably made that perhaps even the scheme suggested will not work. There is therefore a lack of faith in science alone being able to solve the riddle. Grave concern for the future is added to a confusion of ideas, to the end that the average person has naught left but to shake his head and wonder.
The picture is painted. The light of science, with its intense rays leaves us cold. No thrill of assurance comes, no comforting sense of peace. We are left in apprehension. Work and wages are inseparably bound up in the maze of economic problems and maladjustments.
How refreshing, how reassuring, how full of comfort and inspiration are the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and ’Abdu’l-Bahá, shedding light into the dark corners, pointing out THE WAY, offering solution for the ills, and hope to agitated souls. For instance, the following from Bahá’u’lláh:
“O My Servants! Ye are the trees of My Garden, ye must bear fresh and beautiful fruits, that ye and others may be profited by them. Therefore it is necessary for ye to engage in arts and business. This is the means of attaining wealth, O ye possessors of intellect. Affairs depend upon means, and the blessing of God will appear therein and enrich ye. Fruitless trees have been and will be only fit for fire.
“O My Servants! The lowest of men are those who bear no fruit upon the earth; they are indeed counted as dead. Nay, the dead are preferred in the Presence of God before those who are indolent and negligent.
“O My Servants! The best of people are they who gain by work, and spend for themselves and their kindred in the Love of God, the Lord of all the Creatures.”
What more inspiring words could be uttered to speed us to our daily tasks? Lowly duties assume a spiritual significance. For the first time our necessary daily work is glorified in the words of ’Abdu’l-Bahá, as follows:
“In the Bahá’í Cause, arts, sciences, and all crafts are considered as WORSHIP. The man who makes a piece of notepaper to the best of his ability, conscientiously concentrating all his forces on perfecting it, is giving praise to God. Briefly, all effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do service to humanity. This is worship: to serve mankind and minister to people’s needs. Service is prayer. A physician ministering to the sick, gently, tenderly, free from prejudice, and believing in the solidarity of the human race—he is offering praise.
“The end of every material work is without result, because it is perishable and inconstant, but the first real work is attraction to the fragrances of God, enkindlement with the fire of the love of God, reading the verses of Unity, and beholding the lights from the dawning places of mystery. After that cometh the training of the soul, purification of character and service to humanity. If thou art able to accomplish any one of these, the result is eternal and the fruit everlasting.”
“The spiritual teachings of the Religion of God alone can create this love, unity and accord in human hearts. Therefore, hold to these heavenly agencies which God has provided so that through the Love of God this soul-tie may be established, this heart attachment realized, the light of the reality of unity be reflected from you throughout the universe.
“The secrets of the whole economic questions are divine in nature, and are concerned with the world of the heart and spirit. In the Bahá’í Teachings this is most completely explained, and without the consideration of the Bahá’í Teachings it is impossible to bring about a better state.
“The question of socialization is very important. It will not be solved by strikes for wages. All the governments of the world must be united and organize an assembly, the members of which should be elected from the parliaments and the nobles of the nations. These must plan, with the utmost wisdom and power, so that neither the capitalists suffer from enormous losses nor the laborers become needy. In the utmost moderation they should make the law, then announce to the public that the rights of the working people are to be strongly preserved. Also the rights of the capitalists are to be preserved. When such a general plan is adopted by the will of both sides, should a strike occur, all the governments of the world collectively should resist it. Otherwise, the work will lead to much destruction, especially in Europe. Terrible things will take place. One of the causes of a universal European war will be this question. For instance, the owners of properties, mines and factories should share their incomes with their employees, and give a certain fair percentage of their products to their workingmen, in order that the employees may receive, besides their wages, some of the general income of the factory, so that the employee may strive with his soul in his work.”
What a divinely scientific plan! Nothing could be simpler, clearer or more effective. Nothing essential can be added. The plan is complete and comprehensive. In the light of these wonderful teachings we can carry on, confident that in due time all those economic obstacles to human happiness and prosperity will be removed.
conditions have been revealed in this merciful age. This re-formation and renewal of the fundamental reality of religion constitute the true and outworking spirit of modernism, the unmistakable light of the world, the manifest effulgence of the Word of God, the divine remedy for all human ailment and the bounty of eternal life to all mankind.”
The following is part of an address delivered by Jinab’i-Fadil, a renowned Persian Bahá’í teacher, during his visit to this country. The notes have been contributed by Dr. Edna Morgan McKinney.—Editor.
difierences between nations should disappear.”
THE Parliament of Man, or the International Legislative Congress, is one of the fundamental principles of His Holiness, Bahá’u’lláh. Bahá’u’lláh over fifty years ago in numerous epistles and many tablets emphasized the organization, the establishment of the Parliament of Man for the safeguarding of the nations. He called all the kings, emperors and presidents of the world to this high station of universal fellowship and asked them to bring together a Parliament of Man which would vouchsafe the rights of humanity. This heavenly gardener of the world of humanity planted this seed over fifty years ago in the hearts of the people. The seed pushed forth its head from the dark chamber of the soil and little by little it grew and developed until today it has grown up into a great tree. Its twigs and branches are extending into the hearts of many thousands of people in all parts of the world. The spiritually-minded people, the forward looking men and women, realize, that although we have achieved great results in the past fifty years, the result of the future will be far greater; nay, rather, in a short time we will be able to herald in the dawn of Universal Peace.
That great gathering of international peace, the Parliament of Man, which even from a physical standpoint will be the most perfect, the most artistic, the most comprehensive expression of universal ideals on the face of the earth, will be established in a spot of the earth which geographically and spiritually will be most favorable to the interrelations and intercommunications of all the races of the world. That assemblage will be composed of the wisest, the most far-sighted, and the most perfect and sagacious statesmen and great leaders of the world. It will become an asylum and court of last appeal for all the children of men. It will be the objective center towards which the eyes of all the people of the world will be turned. In other words, it will be the brain, not only the physical brain, but the international and spiritual brain, of the world of humanity, which will exist for the betterment of the world of man. The representatives of all the nations, whether great powers or small powers, will gather together in that great assemblage to discuss ways and means for bringing about the international solutions of all problems and they will constitute in fact the intelligence of the wisest men of all the countries. Laws will be legislated in the international tribunal which will vouchsafe the happiness and prosperity of the world of man. Those laws and those principles which will create better understanding between the people will issue
forth from the spring. The brightest intellects and the most luminous thoughts which will upraise and create a world of good for humanity will be emanated from that Parliament. Just as the electric energy runs through the various wires to light the house, thus laws will be spread all over the world.
The world of humanity is like the individual body of man. The individual body of man is composed of many members and organs, every limb and organ has a function, and these functions work together orderly for the life of man. A man desires to accomplish certain things. He first of all will begin to organize in a way a parliament, a legislative parliament in his own mind and the functions of the brain begin to consult about the work that the man wants to do. In this consultation assembly in the brain the members sit together and begin to talk whether this work should be done or not, and this discussion takes place in the cerebrum, the seat of thought, and these ideals begin gathering their forces in the cerebrum and cerrebellum, and they begin to discuss ways and means and to see if it is advisable to carry the thing out or not. The evil or good powers, such as the power of love, of hate; the power of absolutism, of co-operation; the power of light, of ignorance; gather their forces in the brain and they begin to debate, and, in the long run, one of these two elements will gain the victory over the other. The president of that consultative assembly in the brain is the faculty of reason. When this imaginative faculty is assisted by the power of the Holy Spirit, the result, of consultation will be wonderful and conducive to much good. The final result will be in accordance with happiness and prosperity and welfare of the man himself. No sooner does the president of this consultative assembly put his seal of approval on this decision than all the other agencies of the organization in the body start to put it into action, these agencies being the executive department of that legislative assembly in the brain.
Now let us carry this simile a little further and apply it to the social organization. It has likewise a consultative assembly, and that will be the international court of arbitration which will be composed of the brightest and most sagacious members of all humanity. That international Parliament of Man will be similar unto the brain and the mind. Just as the mind is the ruler in the temple of man, that larger mind will be a ruler in the temple of humanity, and you must then know that when these great minds come together, and they think in no other way than for the welfare of humanity, the laws and statutes issued from that great universal brain will be obeyed by all the members of the system without hesitation. The representative members of the Parliament of Man having effaced themselves entirely, they will be under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit and all that they will consider and all their deliberations and laws will be inspired by that great power, for they will think of nothing else but to upraise and spiritualize humanity. That is why His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh in many of his writings says that when the Parliament of Man is established and all these spiritual and wise representatives have come together, they will be under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit and all their laws will be in accord with the happiness of human kind.
Unquestionably there are certain conditions for the members of the Parliament of Man. The first condition
for the acceptance of the members is that they must be entirely free from religious prejudices. Second they must be entirely free from national bias and patriotic prejudices. In fact, they must be free and quit of all kinds of prejudices. They must extricate themselves from all the passions and desires of the material world which brings man into the snares of struggle for existence. They must be turned at all times toward the immortal kingdom of the world of truth. For if they are not free from all these prejudices and if they are not turning their attention at all times toward the Kingdom of God, and if they are not wholly devoted to the well being of humanity, then they will not be able to reflect the truth and legislate just laws for all the children of men.
The more civilization becomes complicated the greater will be the number of human wants and the greater will be the contiguity of the different parts of the world and the neighborliness of the world of mankind. Even today the world has reached to such a stage that the five continents of the world are like five neighbors.
The establishment of the Parliament of Man is an indisputable need and wise statesmen recognize the necessity of such an international assembly in order to equalize the rights and establish justice amongst mankind. We feel assured that one of the great nations of the earth which is civilized and illumined will put forth an effort and call the nations to the formation of such a Parliament of Man. This nation will invite the kings and presidents and rulers of all the other countries and they will come together and discuss dispassionately their economic and other problems and that nation will win forever a great name for all posterity.
About fifty years ago Bahá’u’lláh wrote as follows concerning the establishment of the Parliament of Man:
“The kings of the earth (may God assist them) must arise and must hold fast to this cause—that is, universal peace—which will be the greatest means for the happiness and protection of the world. It is hoped that they may arise to do that which will be conducive to the happiness of the people. They must organize a great assembly where the kings or their ministers or counsellors present themselves and issue forth the command of conciliation and confederation and they must turn their thoughts from armament to disarmament, and if in the future one of the kings from amongst the kings may arise in rebellion, all the kings and all the rulers arise to quell that rebellion. Under such a condition there would be no need of large armies and armaments and the means of warfare, except that there should be enough for the protection of the internal affairs of the state. Should they attain to this great good the inhabitants of the countries will be living in the cradle of peace and happiness, and will be engaged in their own affairs and the lamentations and moaning of the majority of mankind will come to an end. It is more praiseworthy and it is much better if in that great assembly the kings and rulers themselves may be present. In the estimation of God that king which will arise from amongst the kings and rulers to issue forth this command, he will be the envy of all of them.”
THE universal light for this planet is from the sun, and the special electric ray which tonight illumines this hall appears through the invention of man. In like manner the activities which are trying to establish solidarity between the nations, and infuse the spirit of universalism in the hearts of the children of men are like unto divine rays from the sun of reality, and the brightest ray is the coming of the universal language. Its achievement is the greatest virtue of the age for such an instrument will remove misunderstandings from amongst the peoples of the earth and will cement their hearts together. This medium will enable each individual member of the human family to be informed of the scientific accomplishments of all.
The basis of knowledge and the excellencies of endeavor in this world are to teach and to be taught. To acquire sciences, and to teach them in turn, depends upon language, and when the international auxiliary tongue becomes universal, it is easily conceivable that the acquirement of knowledge and instruction will likewise become universal.
Misunderstandings keep people from mutual association and these misunderstandings will not be dispelled except through the medium of a common ground of communication. Every intelligent man will bear testimony to this. A mutual language will become the mightiest means toward universal progress, for it will cement the East and the West; It will make the world one home and become the divine impulse for human advancement. It will upraise the standard of oneness of the world of humanity and make the earth a universal commonwealth. It will create love between the children of men and good fellowship between the various creeds.
Today we observe that various means of unity are being brought forward, and this in itself is an evidence that the divine confirmations surround us.
One sign of unity is the construction of an international auxiliary language—Esperanto.
Let us strive untiringly to spread this language.
Praise be to God that Dr. Zamenhof has constructed the Esperanto language. It has all the potential qualities of universal adoption. All of us must be grateful and thankful to him for his noble effort, for in this matter he has served his fellowman well. He has done a service which will bestow divine benefits on all peoples. With untiring effort and self-sacrifice on the part of its devotees, it holds a promise of universal acceptation.
Therefore every one of us must study this language and make every effort to spread it, so that each day it may receive a wider recognition, be accepted by all nations and governments of the world and become a part of the curriculum of all the public schools. I hope that the business of the future international conferences and congresses will be carried on in Esperanto.
In the coming ages, two languages will be taught in the schools, one the native tongue, the other an international auxiliary language.—From the "Divine Philosophy of ’Abdu’l-Bahá.”
The psychology of places is brought out in the following article by Mrs. Holbach, an English author who has written several books of travel on the Balkans and Near-East. When in the United States on a lecturing tour in 1912, she met ’Abdu’l-Bahá, whom she had previously heard of in the East, and was attracted to the Bahá’í Cause. With her husband she spent the following winter at Haifa, Palestine, where she was collecting materials for a book on the Bahá’í Cause, but the war intervened. While at Haifa she wrote various articles on the Cause, the most important of which was published in “The Nineteenth Century.” If the ideal League of Nations, the necessity for which was proclaimed to the world by Bahá’u’lláh, should finally be established at Geneva, would it not be an instance of the law of spiritual attraction? Indeed, there is an atmosphere of places. Just as Palestine, pregnant with holy vibrations, has been the home of so much great spiritual teaching, so Geneva seems to have a special destiny working toward world peace and progress.—Editor.
I BELIEVE in the psychological atmosphere of places! It seems as if the vibrations sent out by men and women who are inspired by a spirit of selfless service and good will linger in the scenes where their good deeds were done and draw their kindred spirits even after many years. I have had my faith in this strengthened in Geneva. One day in ascending the flight of old stone steps that leads to the charming garden of the Maison Internationale I noticed an inscription on the wall recording that the house has been the home of the founder of “Esperanto.” I thought very likely the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom had taken this as a sign to guide them in their choice. But no! They took the house without having seen the tablet! How far, far away seem the days of 1905 when Dr. Zamenhof first dreamed of an international language that should break down the bar of diverse speech between the peoples of the world.
Where now the Palais des Nations stands, a peace seed was dropped by a woman who believed in Christian charity even in time of war! Just ten years ago, when the war-spirit ran highest, she gave a lecture in the old Hotel National in aid of the British Red Cross. She was a loyal Englishwoman, and sorely tempted in her inmost soul to be carried away at times by the war mentality of all around her. Yet she fought the fight in her own soul, and after the lecture she pleaded with her French and German audience for the starving women and children in the city of Geneva—starving because their breadwinner had gone to the front–the wives and little children of Germans who had homes in Switzerland. She asked for a collection to be made for them “in the Name of Him Who said that we should love our enemies and do good to them that hate us!” And her audience responded for one little minute; love triumphed over hate and a British officer grasped the speaker’s hand and the British chaplain was a real Christian and rose to
his feet to support the appeal. The coins made music in the speaker’s ears as they dropped in the box held at the door for “the women and children of the enemy.” Next day the German Consul also for a moment saw the gleam when he received the collection and read the note which said: “This represents the humanity that is above nationality.” And when the lecturer came once more to Geneva and learned that the Hotel National had become the Palais des Nations she dared to believe that the psychological atmosphere of places was once more proved, and the little peace seed she sowed in tears had grown and drawn to the spot where it fell those who founded the League of Nations.
Not one among the thousands that come to Geneva know the modest Hotel du Salut, otherwise known as the Hotel de l’Union, owned and managed by the Salvation Army, which has done such fine work in the city of Geneva. Adjoining the hotel is a Home differing little from the hotel, only cheaper, where many pathetic war victims here found not only refuge, but also a home and friends.
I met, among others, there an old lady of eighty-one, the widow of a diplomat who had served the former Austrian empire for nearly forty years. Her husband came from Prague and he served his country last in Zara, which is now Italian; therefore, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Italy differed as to who should pay her pension, with the result that no one did so! The Salvation Army found the poor old lady starving and through their instrumentality she was repatriated as a Swiss, so that she could share in the fund raised for Swiss refugees from war-devastated countries. Those who have only associated the Salvationists with bands of loud street preaching—in other words, a religion of emotionalism–little know of the magnificent philanthropic work which I saw done in Geneva, and which goes on all over the world under the Army’s Banner of Peace.
But it was the psychological atmosphere of places that drew the Salvationists to the Hotel de l’Union. Nay, in the Hotel de l’Union, this house where I now write, forty years ago the first two Salvationists who came to Switzerland were arrested by the police and taken under escort to the frontier as “disturbers of the peace,” but before they left they fell on their knees and prayed for Switzerland and the city and people of Geneva. Surely their prayer was heard.
Little wonder that Geneva has become the home of the League of Nations! I understood why when I wandered through the narrow streets surrounding the Cathedral and stood reverently before the house in which Henri Dunant, founder of the Red Cross, first saw the light. He was born in the same year as William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, in a time of darkness and ignorance and limited vision, but both men undoubtedly reflected the Light of the New Day; they saw the gleam and followed it till it led them to establish two of the great forces for internationalism of the last century. The Red Cross and the Salvation Army were lamps that lit the darkness even of the Great War.
Then there were the stern Reformers, Calvin and John Knox. The Lutheran Church of Geneva is close to the Dunant Memorial, and as I stood there the Lutheran pastor in long black gown and shovel hat came out. With his flowing beard and dress of bygone days, he seemed a figure from the line of the Reformers as he walked the cobbled
streets beneath the ancient trees. He looked a kindly soul and I accosted him and began to speak of the emotion these old streets of Geneva called up. I think he failed to understand.
We have outgrown, most of us, at least, the theology of Calvin and John Knox, but the martyr spirit that was in them is immortal! They dared to denounce what their conscience condemned and they were ready to suffer for righteousness’ sake. All that was best in their work remains, and the Reformers’ Monument has been erected to their memory by a generation widely differing from them in dogma, but one with them in their desire to help suffering humanity to realize its divinity.
Is not the League of Nations in its essence a religious conception? Religion and politics in the past have been unfortunately divorced. I do not suggest that all the nations in the League have suddenly been converted and joined it for the good of humanity, but I am certain that many of the delegates are actuated by the highest motives.
It was Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Movement for universal brotherhood and peace, who first proclaimed the necessity for a World Court to end war. In the middle of the last century he sent forth his great spiritual message which puts the authentic stamp of God’s Will upon an Ideal League of Nations.
A Bureau for International Bahá’í work having been this year established in Geneva at the desire of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Cause, makes the psychological importance of this Swiss city even more pronounced.
often sad, but his sadness does not come from causes relating to himself. He longs that a soul becomes illumined, but the soul prefers darkness; he yearns to change the ignorance of the people into knowledge, their error into guidance, their insincerity into truth, their faithlessness into firmness; but people prefer their own shadows, and he who manifests God becomes sad over the negligence of these sleeping ones. Are they not of the heedless?
The following brief biographical sketch of the life of one of our most distinguished Bahá’í teachers and authors, is contributed by the Bahá’í National Spiritual Assembly of England. Attached to and made a part of it is the appreciative expression of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Cause.—Editor.
JOHN EBENEZER ESSLEMONT, who passed away at Haifa November 22, 1925, was born on May 19, 1874, the youngest son of John E. Esslemont of Fairford, Cults, Aberdeenshire.
He received his preliminary education at Ferryhill public school and continued his studies at the Robert Gordon College and ultimately at Aberdeen University, where he graduated with honors in April, 1898, obtaining not only the medical degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and of Surgery, but also a Philip Research Scholarship at the University. He spent the second half of 1899 at Berne and Strasburg, at both of which places he wrote papers on his research work, which were published and considered valuable.
Returning to Scotland in December, 1899, Esslemont took up the position of assistant to Professor Cash at Aberdeen University, which position he held until 1901, when he went to Australia, remaining there two years. During this residence in Australia, he married on December 19, 1902.
Early in his life Esslemont’s health proved a cause of trouble and anxiety, and in 1903 he was obliged to leave Australia, returning to Aberdeenshire, where he spent the summer, but found it necessary in the winter of that year to proceed to South Africa, the climate of which country it was hoped would prove beneficial to his pulmonary ailment. He remained in South Africa for five years, returning to his native country in 1908, when he obtained the post of resident medical officer at the Home Sanatorium, Southbourne, Bournemouth, which he continued to hold until 1923, when, owing to the death of the proprietor, the Sanatorium was closed and Esslemont found himself without medical occupation.
In 1924 he received a warm invitation from Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'í Cause, asking him to spend the winter at Haifa, and early in November he left London, proceeding direct to Port Said. Writing from Malta, the only port of call, on November 15th, Esslemont spoke of a delightful voyage and of feeling much improved in health. He spent a day or two in Port Said, where he was most warmly received by the friends, and arrived at Haifa on November 21st. Here he at once devoted himself to the work of assisting Shoghi Effendi in his multifarious correspondence, which work he continued in spite of ill-health until the end.
Such is a brief account of the material side of Esslemont’s life; it remains now to say something of the spiritual side, which continues and will continue for evermore.
Whilst at Bournemouth in 1912 Esslemont, in association with several other doctors, took up the question of State medical service and in 1914 he read a paper on this subject before the British Medical Association at its meeting at Bournemouth, which by the attention it aroused helped greatly
the deliberations of the Advisory Committee on Public Health. The wife of one of Esslemont’s associates in this work, who had met ’Abdu’l-Bahá in London in 1911, first mentioned the Bahá’í Cause to Esslemont in December, 1914, and lent him some pamphlets. He had been searching for Truth in many directions, but without finding that which could satisfy his innate religious feeling; on hearing, however, the Bahá’í message he was at once impressed by its beauty and thoroughness; so much so that without delay he procured all books in English which dealt with the subject. Most truly applicable to Esslemont are the words of the Beloved Master: “Blessed is he that the Word of God had reached him and_ had found his soul ‘awake.’”
His progress in the study of the Sacred Books was therefore rapid, for already in 1915 he was writing to the lady above-mentioned recommending what books she should read; and in February, 1916, little more than a twelve-month after he himself first received the Glad Tidings, he wrote at length to a Bahá’í friend in Manchester in terms which show how thoroughly he had accepted the Bahá’í teachings and how profoundly he had already studied them. Thus he writes:
“We can each become like our friend if we make the great surrender of self and selfishness and become willing channels for the Divine Spirit. There is no limit to what the human spirit can achieve in the strength of Divine Inspiration. The germ of the Divine Nature is in every man; only most of us are not manifesting it. Instead, we are smothering it. It is like a plant, which needs sun and rain for its growth, the Sun and Rain of the Divine Love and Bounty. We have the power either to open our hearts to that Love and Bounty or to reject them. Only by turning our attention and interest away from the world and turning them to God can we grow in spirit. Such turning means attending to the reality and inner significance of things instead of to the outward appearance. It means that our interest in and love for everythlng in all God’s universe should vastly increase, but that we should regard all outward appearances but as the garments of the inner realities, as dawning places for the Glory of God. Oh! may people all over the world soon turn to God, as revealed in Bahá’u’lláh, with humble and contrite hearts, begging for His forgiveness and blessing and imploring His mercy and bounty! Then shall His Kingdom come in men’s hearts and the whole world become one home and all mankind one family.”
This extract from one of Esslemont’s early letters shows so clearly the spirit which illumined all his words and actions, that its insertion here will be forgiven by those who read his stirring admonition and appeal. That he himself did in very truth turn to God as revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, and that having so turned, he never deviated by one hair’s breadth from the path of love and righteousness is a fact known to those who had the privilege of meeting him and listening to his glowing talks as well as to those who are acquainted with him only through his writings inspired as they are with that same loving spirit which was so apparent to those who knew him personally.
Esslemont’s work as a personal teacher, apart from his letters, began in Bournemouth, where a group of adherents to the Cause gathered under his auspices, resulting in the formation of a Spiritual Assembly of
which he was the first chairman, a position he continued to occupy until he left England in 1924. In this connection it may be mentioned that he was also the representative of the Bournemouth group on the National Spiritual Assembly of England, of which body he became Vice-President, and which benefited much by his counsel and advice.
Not satisfied with studying the Bahá’í writings for himself alone, which led him to learn Persian so as
--PHOTO--
A picture of Dr. Esslemont much liked by his friends.
to read them in the original language, Esslemont set about writing for the instruction of others. The first nine chapters of his justly celebrated book, “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era,” which were written during the World War, were submitted to the Beloved Master when peace led to the reopening of communications with Haifa, with the result that Esslemont received an invitation from ’Abdu’l-Bahá to visit Haifa, which he did in the winter of 1919-20. During this visit the Beloved Master discussed the book with the author, making suggestions for its improvement, and indeed read through and revised some three and a half chapters, which had been translated into Persian for the purpose.
The third chapter relating to Bahá’u’lláh was first published as a separate pamphlet, and it was proposed to issue a new edition on the occasion of the Conference on some living religions within the British Empire which was held in London in the autumn of 1924; on consideration, however, it appeared that a more general pamphlet would be both more appropriate and more useful, and thus “Bahá’u’lláh and His Message” came to be written by Esslemont, who also wrote the small leaflet, “What Is the Bahá’í Movement?”
It was not only by his printed works that Esslemont became known to the Bahá’í world, for he was an indefatigable and voluminous correspondent not only in English, but also in Esperanto, of which universal language he was a complete master. Amongst his last labors during his stay at Haifa in 1925 was the revision of the Esperanto translation of the above-mentioned leaflet which had been prepared for the meeting of the Universal Esperanto Congress at Geneva in August of that year. Another work on which he was also engaged towards the close of his earthly career was the translation into German of his large book.
These evidences of Esslemont’s labors in the service of the Cause remain open to all, but of the loving services which he so gladly and selflessly rendered to all with whom he came into personal contact, only they can give full account from the inmost recesses of their hearts; but surely all whom he helped will forever bear in mind the inestimable benefits conferred upon them by his words, and more, perhaps, by his living example
of what a true Bahá’í should be, for he was nigh unsurpassed in selflessness, in utter devotion and obedience to the Bahá’í teachings, in love and trustfulness to all his fellows.
No better appreciation of Dr. Esslemont and of his services to the Bahá’í Cause can be given than that contained in the following letter which the Guardian of the Bahá’í Cause wrote after the passing of him who loved the Cause so well and served it so faithfully:
“It is with feelings of overwhelming sorrow that I communicate to you the news of yet another loss which the Almighty, in His inscrutable wisdom, has chosen to inflict upon our beloved Cause. On the 22nd of November, 1925—that memorable and sacred day in which the Bahá'ís of the Orient celebrated the twin Festivals of the Declaration of the Bab and the Birthday of ’Abdu’l-Bahá—Dr. John E. Esslemont passed on to the Abha Kingdom. His end was as swift as it was unexpected. Suffering from the effects of a chronic and insidious disease, he fell at last a victim to the inevitable complications that ensued, the fatal course of which neither the efforts of vigilant physicians nor the devoted cares of his many friends could possibly deflect.
“He bore his sufferings with admirable fortitude, with calm resignation and courage. Though convinced that his ailments would never henceforth forsake him, yet many a time he revealed a burning desire that the friends residing in the Holy Land should, while visiting the Shrines, implore the All-Merciful to prolong his days that he may bring to a fuller completion his humble share of service to the Threshold of Bahá’u’lláh. To this noble request all hearts warmly responded. But this was not to be. His close association with my work in Haifa, in which I had placed fondest hopes, was suddenly cut short. His book, however, an abiding monument to his pure intention, will, alone, inspire generations yet unborn to tread the path of truth and service as steadfastly and as unostentatiously as was trodden by its beloved author. The Cause he loved so well he served even unto his last day with exemplary faith and unstinted devotion. His tenacity of faith, his high integrity, his self-effacement, his industry and painstaking labors were traits of a character the noble qualities of which will live and live forever after him. To me personally he was the warmest of friends, a trusted counsellor, an indefatigable collaborator, lovable companion.
“With tearful eyes I supplicate at the Threshold of Bahá’u’lláh—and request you all to join—in my ardent prayers, for the fuller unfolding in the realms beyond of a soul that has already achieved so high a spiritual standing in this world. For by the beauty of his character, by his knowledge of the Cause, by the conspicuous achievements of his book, he has immortalized his name, and by sheer merit deserved to rank as one of the Hands of the Cause of God.
“He has been laid to rest in the heart of that beautifully situated Bahá’í burial ground at the foot of Carmel, close to the mortal remains of that venerable soul, Haji Mirza Vakilu’d-Dawlih, the illustrious cousin of the Báb and chief builder of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar of ’Ishqabad. Pilgrims visiting his grave from far and near will, with pride and gratitude, do honor to a name that adorned the annals of an immortal Cause.
“May he eternally rest in peace.”
“But if the body undergoes a change the spirit need not be touched. When you break a glass on which the sun shines the glass is broken, but the sun still shines. . . . The same is true of the spirit of man. Though death destroys his body, it has no power
over his spirit, which is eternal, everlasting . . .“
WE have received the trist news that our dear, great brother, Dr. Esslemont, passed away in Haifa, Palestine, November 22, 1925. So another wonderful Bahá’í will continue his precious services in the Most High Kingdom. He was distinguished for his genuine spirituality and severed life. He was likewise distinguished as a scholar and author.
Dr. Esslemont first heard of the Bahá’í Movement one Sunday in December, 1914, when he was taking dinner with two friends in London, a man and his wife. The hostess had seen ’Abdu’l-Bahá in London and said she had a booklet about the Cause. She loaned it to Dr. Esslemont. He became so interested that he sent to the London Bahá’í Assembly for information and bought all the books that were published in English.
I met Dr. Esslemont for the first time in Haifa in April, 1925. He was ill in a hospital there. His room was banked with flowers and scores of people called each day to inquire how he was. A little later he was better and could return to his room which was with Bahá’í friends and close beside ’Abdu’l-Baha’s home. Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Cause, loved Dr. Esslemont deeply; he did everything for his happiness and his health with the same thoughtful efficiency that he gives to the Holy Cause.
Our Bahá’í brother was a great scholar. Everything he did bore the mark of extreme efficiency. His life was orderly. His books, his papers, everything he possessed were in their proper place; he knew exactly where they were; he knew just where to tell any one to look for a quotation, a book, or anything else which he needed. In our Esperanto work he was not satisfied just with any word, but sometimes we would discuss a dozen words and search their exact meanings in several dictionaries to find the word that would most brilliantly express the spirit of each thought.
During these convalescing days in Haifa, his Persian teacher used to come each evening and sit beside the bed and talk Persian to Dr. Esslemont for one hour. Then next day, in Esperanto, Dr. Esslemont would tell me the wonderful stories about the Bahá’í Cause which his Persian instructor had related the night before. They were so thrilling that if they could be recorded adequately the book would surely be at the top of the list of “best sellers.”
Always happy, always smiling was Dr. Esslemont. He never spoke about his illness. One day when he could not work, I said to him: “If you do not do anything, you are still doing much work every day, for your book is spreading the Bahá’í Message in every land.” Many volumes of this book, “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era,” have been sent to university and other great libraries in China and Japan. One youth, twenty-two years of age, in China, remained in the dormitory of his university during the
Christmas holidays, to translate chapters of Dr. Esslemont’s book into Chinese for the Chinese newspapers. Several Chinese young men in various cities have translated parts of it for their pupils. Esperantists in Europe know the book better than any other Bahá’í book because the chapter on “Religion and Science” has been translated into Esperanto, and the edition entirely sold. If the entire book could be published in Esperanto it would find a ready sale. I have five copies of this book, in English, and they are always loaned, often they are sent on to me, from city to city. Last evening, in Vienna, Austria, at my first meeting with the Bahá’ís one young man said he was trying to learn English so that he could read Dr. Esslemont’s book. One very bright young woman, but blind, said she would translate the book into German if she could get some one to read it to her in English. She has done much translating. I told them the book was being translated into German and they were delighted. On my table is a note to Dr. Esslemont urging him to hurry the German proofs of “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era” because all Germany and Vienna are longing to have the book.
Dr. Esslemont wrote “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era” to answer for others the questions which he wished answered when he was first studying about the Bahá’í Movement. Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Cause, has said that it is the best book which has been written about the Cause.
Dr. Esslemont’s sudden passing into the Eternal Realm brings home to us the importance of appreciating the value of the time. Are we working to the utmost and happily? Is our work efficient? If it is, whether in this world or the next, we are a joy-bringer to our friends and to all humanity.
“ALL CREATION, whether of the mineral, vegetable or animal kingdom, is compelled to obey the law of motion; it must either ascend or descend. But, with the human soul, there is no decline. Its only movement is towards perfection—growth and progress alone constitute the motion of the soul.
Divine perfection is infinite; therefore, the progress of the soul is also infinite. From the very birth of a human being, the soul progresses, the intellect grows, and knowledge increases. When the body dies, the soul lives on. All the differing degrees of created physical beings are limited; but the soul is limitless!
The whole physical creation is perishable. . . . This composition of atoms, which constitutes the body or mortal element of any created being, is temporary. . . . With the soul it is different. The soul is not a combination of elements, it is not composed of many atoms, it is of one indivisible substance, therefore eternal. It is entirely out of the order of the physical creation; it is immortal. . . .
The comprehenson of that other life depends on our spiritual birth!”
THIRTY years ago, when a youngster of twelve summers, in my native village in Russia, my private teacher taught me the portion of the Bible about God’s command to Samuel, that Saul should arm his people and march to kill off every living Amalekites, from sucklings to gray-headed. My teacher’s face grew grim and stern, his usual smile disappeared.
I asked him how this story could be true that the Master of the universe should issue such a brutal command; and he declared that this story was in contradiction of the spirit of Abraham, who begged the Master of the universe to save Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of ten righteous persons. And even when a people do deserve punishment, the Master of the universe does not need any mortals to do destructive work for him. He has his messengers–the elements of nature–to do it for him, as he did to Pharaoh and Korah. God can shake the mighty mountains; he does not need any assistance of human hands. This story of Samuel must have another meaning, he said.
And as a guide for future understanding of the Scriptures as well as other literature, he read for me a portion of a book called “The Road of the Righteous,” written by a philosopher who had lived in Italy over two hundred years ago. It declared that the soul of man must approach Godliness, and look at the world from a universal point of view, as the Creator of the universe does. To him all offspring of men are his children. He desires that they all be happy, and live without any discrimination, regardless of color or nationality.
When the human family increased and they began to cross mountains and rivers, to settle in valleys and plains, they did not find any landmarks to show to what group of people the land belonged. Neither did the wandering groups have any special names.
The sun sheds its rays universally. The earth and its people are a part of the universe, and they should never be considered in distinct groups.
With these principles I should be able, he said, to distinguish what is true teaching and what are false doctrines.
But life did not progress in accordance with my teacher’s ethics. On the eastside of my native town, the Russian Imperialists were erecting a powerful fortification and flooding the district with soldiers. (The taxes would better have been spent to maintain schools and colleges than for the upkeep of a great army, and the piling up of ammunition).
To the west of our town, only twenty miles away, the German Monarchists were drilling the school children for military service. When I visited my cousins in Germany they boasted of their ability to march into our town and capture the great fort that the Russian Imperialists were erecting. I asked them why they were so proud of their soldiering. “You are not going to destroy our homes and kill or wound us, are you?” I asked. I could not reason with my little cousins; their minds were poisoned with militarism. Our playmates, our very relations, were inclined to destroy our lives!
I came back to my teacher with a sad heart, and told him that very
few children were being brought up in the spirit he was teaching me. Most of the school children were being educated to believe that as soon as a boy was placed in a military uniform, he had almost a right to murder and plunder.
He smiled and said to me, “Europe is old and decayed, and is prepared to commit suicide. Go to America when you are old enough! There Washington and his illustrious successors have laid a foundation for a world republic. And from the East will come forth a new Teacher, a new Redeemer, who will free humanity from the evils of materialism.”
I came to this land (America) as a youth. The language was strange to me, but I loved this great commonwealth. To see a great country without military uniforms, without brutal officers to spy upon the people, impressed me immensely, and I decided to learn to understand my new homeland. I had to work hard for a living and I was unable to attend school.
My acquaintances spoke their native language, and I had no opportunity to learn the language of my new fatherland. But I spent my Sundays in the churches listening to the sermons and hymns. I would visit several churches of various denominations on each Sunday. When I learned to understand what the ministers were speaking about, I was greatly disappointed.
I made up my mind to travel to another city and visit still another denomination which I had heard was very spiritual. I read their books and listened to the services in their churches. But I was not at all satisfied. The faces of the congregation were grim, and the smile of God did not seem to cheer them. The people were attached to traditions and customs. They were not progressive. They were a people of the book, but not of the spirit.
Then I started all over again to search for some movement to bring the human family to a better understanding, and I made my rounds again to the churches and temples. I attended churches of various denominations, listened to sermons of all kinds, and observed closely the ceremonies and utterances. Some were more pleasant, more congenial than others, but the spirit of the oneness of the human family was lacking. There was no vision for harmonious thinking. Where was the hope of good understanding for a united human family?
I saw the after-war effects here in the land of the world’s republic, our home-coming warriors crippled in mind and body, begging for jobs, gassed and diseased. I could see them fading away in their early life, leaving behind them helpless widows and feeble orphans, and my heart ached for the suffering youth, and I prayed to find some group of people who would lead humanity to harmony and peace.
I made a closer study of various social movements and of religious groups, and I found them to be talking of lofty ideals, but the day of universal peace and harmony seemed postponed for an indefinite period.
I happened to recall the story of Bahá’ís in Persia who believe in practical action to mould humanity into one family, but I knew of no group like that in the land of my adoption. Then, like the hand of destiny, something led me to a lecture to hear Jinab’i-Fadil, a Bahá’í teacher who spoke on the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, and I discovered that I am a Bahá’í, and as such I shall live.
The following is an excerpt from on letter written by Mr. Howard MacNutt, a, Bahá'í lecturer and writer. In these few words he has succeeded in portraying very vividly, for an inquirer, the Bahá'í Movement as he sees it.—Editor.
YOU know, of course, that we are Bahá’ís, and if I mistake not, you are familiar with the fundamental principles of Bahá’í belief—that it is not an organization or propaganda, but rather what I choose to call an organism of spiritually vitalized followers of True Religion, of Reality, of the Manifest Word, in contradistinctiron to sects, denominations, code, creed and interpretation. Personally I give you statement and testimony, after twenty-eight years close allegiance to this Universal Movement, that it is not only impregnable from any and every standpoint of inquiry and belief, but that it embodies the essence of all that is true and spiritually vital in every religious teaching, past and present. In the Bahá’í Revelation all religious systems find their apotheosis and reconciliation. This was the promise recorded in all the heavenly books—Torah, Gospel, Koran, Zend, Rig Veda, etc.—that a day of God would dawn upon the world and the Sun of Truth (Reality) would arise for the “healing of the nations.” This divine dynamic and impulse; this spiritual remedy for the world-sickness; this True Day of judgment, resurrection and redemption clearly foretokened by Christ and the essence of all prophetic announcement, could only be fulfilled in terms of Divinity Itself—that is to say, through the appearance of the “Glory of the Lord.“
Briefly: We follow a Teaching and Utterance which has the intrinsic spiritual power to establish Unity and Love in the hearts of divergent, irreconcilable followers of all religious systems, sects, factions and creeds. This is a perfect proof, a valid and visible evidence of Its source and power.
The Bahá’ís are found throughout the world. They have buried their antagonisms and hostilities. They continue to follow their own Prophets, but, illumined by Bahá’u’lláh, accept all other Manifestations of the Word, live up to the principles of their own religious belief and behold in Bahá’u’lláh the consummate “Word made flesh” in order that peace and love may now glorify the world.
I ask you as a thoughtful, sensitized soul, to investigate the Reality of this Manifestation, ponder upon His Utterances, know Him by His fruits.
Miami, Florida,
January 4, 1926.
Erratum: An error of the printer, which was corrected in the proof but slipped through the final publication, appears in the article “Many Mansions,” by Keith Ransom-Kehler, in the December, 1925, “Star of the West.” On page 639, first column, second line from the bottom of the page, the Word “selfishness” is used instead of the word “selflessness,” which was intended.
