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| VOL. 20 | APRIL, 1929 | NO. 1 |
| Page | |
Editorial, Stanwood Cobb | 3 |
The Races of Men—Many or One?, Louis G. Gregory | 7 |
Bahá’í Collegiates, Marzieh Nabil | 12 |
The Wandering Jew, Loulie Mathews | 14 |
The Swiftness of Liberating Forces, Dr. Susan I. Moody | 17 |
William H. Randall, 1863-1929, Ruth Wales Randall | 22 |
Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney, May Maxwell | 26 |
A Remedy for ”The Confusion of Tongues,”
Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick | 28 |
later co-operation of Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi; preserved, fostered and by them turned over to the National Spiritual Assembly, with all valuable
assets, as a gift of love to the Cause of God.STANWOOD COBB | Editor |
MARIAM HANEY | Associate Editor |
MARGARET B. MCDANIEL | Business Manager |
Subscriptions: $3.00 per year; 25 cents a copy. Two copies to same name and address, $5.00 per year. Please send change of address by the middle of the month and be sure to send OLD as well as NEW address. Kindly send all communications and make postoffice orders and checks payable to Baha'i News Service, 706 Otis Building, Washington, D. C., U. S. A. Entered as second-class matter April 9, 1911, at the postoffice at Washington, D. C., under the Act of March 3, 1897. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103 Act of October 3, 1917, authorized September 1, 1922.
I feel the urge to remind you one and all of the necessity of keeping ever in mind this fundamental verity that the efficacy of the spiritual forces centering in, and radiating from, the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár* in the West will in a great measure depend upon the extent to which we, the pioneer workers in that land will, with clear vision, unquenchable faith, and inflexible determination, resolve to voluntarily abnegate temporal advantages in our support of so meritorious an endeavor.
“The higher the degree of our renunciation and self-sacrifice, the wider the range of the contributing believers, the more apparent will become the vitalizing forces that are to emanate from this unique and sacred edifice; and the greater, in consequence, the stimulating effect it will exert upon the propagation of the Faith in the days to come.
“Not by the abundance of our donations, not even by the spontaneity of our efforts, but rather by the degree of self-abnegation which our contributions will entail, can we effectively promote the speedy realization of ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s cherished desire. How great our responsibility, how immense our task, how priceless the advantages that we can reap!”—Excerpt from a letter of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'i Cause, to American Bahá'is.
| VOL. 20 | APRIL, 1929 | NO. 1 |
most pruned by the gardeners is that one which, when the summer comes, will have the most beautiful blossoms and
the most abundant fruit.”-’Abdu’l-Bahá.LAST MONTH we described what might be called the laws of success: to harmonize with our human environment; to train and exert our full energies along the line of our greatest abilities; and to practice frugality and temperance in habits of living. We stated that by applying these principles to life, every individual could achieve a personal success, greater or less according to individual capacity.
But some readers may object that this is too roseate a picture of life, and that even with one’s best efforts, failure often comes.
Let us try to perceive life in such a way as to account for the unforeseen, unavoidable failures—those ebbing tides which leave wrecked hopes upon dry sands.
IN THE first place, it must be realized that these so-called laws of success are not mechanically sure of attaining results. They are, it is true, preliminary requirements which must be satisfied. But no certain outcome is guaranteed by Destiny as a result.
The factor of uncertainty is that Ruler who is the Giver of success. Man may plough and man may sow–must indeed plough and sow if he
wishes successful fruitage—but it is God alone Who giveth the harvest, according to His Will.
In the realm of nature, this truth is only too apparent. With the utmost industry and skill the agriculturist may take all the preliminary steps necessary to a successful harvest. But too late a frost in spring or too early a frost in autumn, too little rain or too much rain, pests of insects-many uncertain factors enter in between the utmost applied art and energy of the farmer, and a final success. Most ironic obstacle of all, is when the harvest yields are so plentiful that markets are glutted and prices do not even cover costs of harvesting.
AS IN agriculture, so in all other pursuits of man, an act of Destiny may always intervene between human effort and human success.
It is clear that could man become master of his destiny by understanding and applying certain laws, he could build for himself a permanent pedestal of greatness—secure against all failure.
But this is contrary to the one great law to which the whole universe moves, the law of Unity.
Only One possesses established, permanent power. There is no indestructible pedestal of greatness which man may mount, no matter how keen his understanding of nature’s laws, nor how resolute his will.
OUR PART toward success is to do our best in meeting all the requirements of life. “Man must be tireless in his effort,” says ’Abdu’l-Bahá. “Once his effort is directed in the proper channel if he does not succeed today he will succeed tomorrow. Effort in itself is one of the noblest traits of human character. Devotion to one’s calling, effort in its speedy execution, simplicity of spirit and steadfastness through all the ups and downs, these are the hall-marks of success. A person characterized with these attributes will gather the fruits of his labors. . . ”
But on the other hand ’Abdu’l-Bahá admonishes us as to the precariousness of life, for He says, “A merchant goes to his office every day in the year; he plans commercial enterprises, undertakes vast schemes, organizes large companies but at the end of the year he has not gained any profit. On the other hand another merchant through one stroke of good luck gains large profits in one day. Now the former merchant, although he worked harder all through the year, did not achieve any success, while the latter although he worked only one day yet the outcome of his activity was prosperous.”
What Cause is it that thus lifts man’s plans to successful culmination? It is the “One Power that animates and dominates all things.”
Man must make effort, but divine
help is needed for successful outcome. “No capacity is limited,” said ’Abdu’l-Bahá, “when led by the Spirit of God.”
WHAT THEN can we say about failure? Especially that kind of failure that comes from no apparent fault or lack of effort on our part?
There are times in every man’s life when he faces an ebbing tide. Sometimes it comes at the very close of a good and useful life. How can we reconcile these things with our optimistic view of the universe?
To understand this kind of failure—which is due not to lack of fulfilling the requirements of success, but apparently to the will of Destiny—we must realize how universally phenomenal existence is governed by the law of rhythm.
Why must day become ever recurrently darkened into night? Why do we get tired and need to pass a third of our life upon this planet in that state of non-activity called sleep? Why do winds and rain so lash at times the earth and all that walk thereon?
So, also, we may ask, why is man’s fortune now good, now bad? Why is he at times lifted up into unforseen prosperity and again brought low into an unexpected and apparently unearned meagreness of living?
THIS LAW of rhythm which governs all phenomenal activity—including our own human activities as being independent entities possessed of will—is to teach us that there is a Power greater than ourselves to which we must bow.
These misfortunes are to purge us of self-will, of conceit, of that
Luciferian quality in us which would urge us on to deem ourselves independent creators.
Thus we are not permitted to be creators of our own destinies. We are taught by unavoidable misfortunes, disasters and failures, to realize God as the Creator of all things, including our own individual destinies.
There are no impersonal laws of success which, by obeying, man can become omnipotent. If so, the universe would mechanically lend itself to limitlessly increasing success and power of the individual. But this is impossible.
Just when success seems most stably founded upon skill and effort and most rightly earned, there may loom up a dark menacing cloud which like a cyclonic force brings unearned catastrophe.
Why?
In order that man may learn to know that God is the only Power, the only Success.
In order that man may get a better sense of values, and perceive that the outer paraphernalia of life are as nothing. For in their time success and failure each shall pass away, as Bahá’u’lláh taught in this concrete statement, “Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not; and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not; for both shall pass away and be no more.”
AFTER ALL it is not failure or success that is important. These, as Bahá’u’lláh assures us, are of no importance. It is how we meet worldly failure or success that is of importance.
“Work,“ says ’Abdu’l-Bahá, “for the sake of God and for the
improvement of humanity, without any expectation of praise or reward.”
If we thus live, and direct our endeavors, we shall not be greatly puffed up by success, nor perturbed by failure.
As a landscape tends to level out when seen from a great enough height—so the ups and downs of life are seen as unimportant functions of the plane of phenomenality, when viewed from the plane of the spirit.
MAN HAS IT in his power to meet failure nobly, and without cringing. As he bears himself in outward failure, so will other men bear themselves toward him.
To be humble in success and kingly in misfortune is the prerogative of spiritual man.
And as for man’s attitude in periods of failure toward God, the Giver of all things—here one must know only patience, love and gratitude.
’Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that if our love of God is due only to favors He has showered upon us, it is not a real love. No, our love for God should be on a plane above phenomenality. Misfortunes come to test us as to the quality of our love and devotion.
In reality, such misfortunes may become conducive to the utmost spiritual development and to our ultimate glory. In the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh we read, “My calamity is My providence; outwardly it is fire and vengeance, but inwardly it is light and mercy.”
WHO SHALL say that the flood tide is the only tide that brings to us
wealth? In the ebb tides there are also riches to be found, nuggets of pure gold hidden in the sand, which the waves of life, turbulent and active, have washed clear for us and now leave exposed to our gaze.
Many of us have been privileged to know a man who thus explored in his last years the riches of poverty. In these years of outer failure and broken health—above humiliation, above bitterness, above despair-he gained such a spiritual sweetness and wisdom that the last rich year of his life blessed us all more even than did his previous years of worldly success.
Therefore, I say, that even failure may become not failure, but success of more golden quality than before.
IF PERIODS of failure, of ebbing
tides, are a test to the individual
who suffers them, they are also a
test to his friends and to society.
Very lovingly, very patiently, very humbly must we walk with such a friend, lest like the friends of Job we seem puffed up in our own conceit, and become of no comfort to the sufferer.
For failure, say what we may, is like illness a period of great suffering. It is then that a man needs his friends. It is then faith and loyalty become most cheering and helpful.
Society, too, has its duty to perform toward failure. In the Bahá’i
world, according to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, no individual can be left to face alone the consequences of disaster. If his income, after the utmost earnest effort on his part, is not sufficient for his needs, society itself must equalize out of the public funds his income to his needs.
Thus, in the future Bahá’i world, failure will be deprived of its greatest curse—the fear of deprivation, of want of the basic needs of life for oneself and for one’s family.
LET US KEEP ever in mind, then,
the nature of life’s tides and realize
that they both flood and ebb.
For ourselves and for others, we
need this bit of wisdom.
Let us also realize that life has infinite continuity. It does not end here. Sad as it may seem from an earthly point of view for a man’s life to come to a close in a period of depressed fortune, in reality it may be just the needed preparation for a glorious career beyond the pale of death.
And now that we see life as a whole, we no longer see success or failure as separate and antagonistic elements. They are but the warp and woof of life, merging into patterns the beauty and brilliancy of which depend upon the skill and faith and love with which we weave.
And at our side stands always the Master, ready to guide our awkward fingers and to train them ever to a greater skill.
The first article on “The Races of Men,” by Mr. Gregory appeared in the March number of this magazine and analyzed the more scientific aspects of race. In the following the religious and spiritual phases of the subject are convincingly presented.—Editor.
THE nineteenth century saw human slavery, as an institution sanctioned by law, banished from all civilized communities. The twentieth century sees the evolution of a new kind of freedom, one which liberates minds from hoary superstitions and ancient dogmas, one which vibrates with the consciousness of a common humanity. Men now see as never before that class tyranny brings unhappiness to the aggressor no less than to the victim.
The spread of the social sciences is bringing enlightening contacts among people of all races and nations. All the races of mankind, no matter how delayed their development in some cases may be,—with encouragement, opportunity, sympathy and understanding, may attain the heights.
The colored philosopher and educator, the late Booker Washington, in his autobiography, recalled that during his boyhood he sometimes engaged in wrestling. On such occasions he observed that if he threw another boy to the ground, if he held him there he would be compelled to stay down with him; but if he arose the other boy would also rise. So his motto was, “All men up! No one down!” Such is the true philosophy of life.
AMONG THE EARLY white settlers of America was at least one group that regarded the red aborigines as being worthy of the treatment of
men. In Pennsylvania under the guidance of William Penn, white and red men entered into a bond of mutual trust that was not to be sundered as long as the sun should give light. This colony was thus saved from the bloodshed which disgraced most of the others. It seems a natural sequence that today the largest school supported by the American Government for the training of Indians should be on the soil of Pennsylvania, a commonwealth which has gained wealth and renown through upholding its standards of justice to men of all races.
In the memoirs of General U. S. Grant he relates how once when visiting the outposts of his army on Southern soil, a call was raised, “Make way for the commanding general of the army, General Grant!” To his surprise he saw himself surrounded by Confederate soldiers who had raised this call. Although these men were a part of an army with which his own was constantly fighting, yet these troops saluted him and made no attempt to capture him or do him bodily harm.
It had so happened that for some days the outposts of the two armies, Federal and Confederate, had touched each other and the soldiers on both sides, free from rancor, had become entirely friendly, exchanged what they possessed of the comforts of life as well as its amenities and were accustomed to
salute each other’s officers when they appeared. In the early days of the great war a similar condition of friendliness appeared among the soldiers of the contending armies in France.
If men engaged in deadly conflict can pause long enough to discover and act upon the basis of their common humanity, certainly the forces of peace should strive for the means of making it durable, and in this nothing is more desirable than a farewell to class tyranny and the banishment of what the sociologist calls the superiority complex from all the world. The light of science powerfully aids this.
AMONG THE YOUTH of the world
there is a great and continuous
awakening to the need of friendliness
and cooperation among all
races and nations. Recently,
among many incidents of a similar
nature, the writer had the pleasure
of mingling with an inter-racial and
inter-national group of students
made up of representatives of
Johns Hopkins University, the
University of Maryland, the University
of Delaware, Morgan College
and Howard University.
Their faces shone with happiness as from the standpoint of biology, sociology, anthropology and genetics they discussed, almost without dissenting voice, the potential equality of all races and the desirability of their mingling freely without prejudice in all the activities and amenities of life.
With the usual naivete, charm and courage of youth, they seemed to care nothing about what their elders, who were wrapped up in the
traditions of the past, might think of their present acts and attitudes. And they had summoned to their gathering three modernist and learned scientists to confirm them in their thoughts. Thus the orb of science beams with increasing brilliancy upon a growing world of thought and discovery.
THIS LIGHT OF science is but the
reflection of a far “greater and
more glorious Light” that has appeared
with majestic splendor in
the world today. This second light
is Religion pure and undefiled from
the Throne of God, or Temple of
Manifestation.
The Bahá’i Revelation is the divine intervention in human affairs. Its ideals, teachings and principles will remove the superstitions that pall, the hatreds that blight, the prejudices that becloud, and the preparation for slaughter that now threatens the existence of all humanity.
Clearer than the deductions of science, weightier than the might of princes, wiser than the councils of statesmen, kinder than the hearts of philanthropists, and sweeter than the songs of seraphs is the Voice of God, calling all mankind to the Unity of the human family, the oneness of the world of humanity. This is the true guidance of all men in their relationship with their fellows, whether they be of the same race or nation or of others. The great law of universal well-being and happiness is set forth with a simplicity, purity, majesty and power which leaves no one in doubt.
“Verily the words which have descended from the Heaven of the
Will of God are the Source of unity and harmony for the world. Close your eyes to racial differences and welcome all with the Light of Oneness.”
Those who move in the direction of the Divine Will as expressed by the Manifestation of God, His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh, have the mightiest confirmation to support their efforts and are assured of victory, no matter how difficult the way may seem. A distinguished Southern educator who heard the Servant of God, His Holiness ’Abdu’l-Bahá, address the Lake Mohonk Peace Conference in 1912, quotes Him as opening His luminous address by saying:
“From time immemorial we have been taught the Unity of God, the Unity of God, the Unity of God! But in this day the divine lesson is the unity of man, the unity of man, the unity of man!”
Dr. Samuel C. Mitchell declared that from listening to this holy man whom he recognized as a Prophet, he had decided for himself never again to draw a vertical line upon his fellow-men. The great horizon line which covers all mankind, is sufficient for him. How happily does this illustrate the power and penetration of the Creative Word, that it should raise up from a single utterance one who has declared and reechoed it upon many platforms.
’Abdu’l-Bahá says: “God has made mankind one family: no race is superior to another. . . . God is the Shepherd of all and we are His flock. There are not many races. There is only one race.”
Although the Sun of Truth is still largely hidden, “veiled by its own splendor,” yet Its rays are penetrating
the remotest corners of the earth, creating in souls a consciousness which binds all hearts together. Common sense and reason are explaining away the barriers of color which are caused by adjustment of people to climatic states over long periods of time. Scientists in many fields of research are thrilled by the discovery of a common human heritage which they sometimes boldly declare in words similar to those found in the sacred text. Statesmen, national and international, are making the Divine Spirit the foundation upon which they are striving to build a new social structure with justice to all, while in growing numbers people who take religion seriously are finding heart balm through their helpful interest in other people’s affairs.
Some years ago the venerable Bishop of Georgia, Rt. Rev. Atticus G. Haygood, amazed his followers by boldly declaring in his book, “Our Brother in Black,” that no attainment of the white race was impossible for the colored.
Governor Charles Aycock of North Carolina inaugurated a policy of large expenditure for education that would help white and black upon this basis:
“We hold our title to power by the tenure of service to God, and if we fail to administer equal and exact justice to the Negro we shall in the fullness of time lose power ourselves, for we must know that the God who is love, trusts no people with authority for the purpose of enabling them to do injustice.”
Although the strongholds of prejudice seem invincible, the clouds of superstitions lower, the veils of ignorance overshadow and the resources
of rancor prepare for strife, yet upon the plane of being the Sun of Truth is radiant and will remove in time all dust from minds and all rust from hearts, to the end that the true Glory of God and the brightness of man may appear in the unity of the world. The shadows of the sunset and the glory of the dawn are both revealed in the Words that follow from the pen of ’Abdu’l-Bahá:
“It is very strange to see how ‘illusion’ has taken possession of the hearts of men while ‘Reality’ has no sway whatsoever. For example—racial difference is an optical illusion! It is a figment of imagination, yet how deep-seated and powerful its influence! No one can deny the fact that mankind in toto are the progeny of Adam; that they are offshoots of one primal stock, yet the optical illusion has so radically misrepresented this plain truth that they have divided and subdivided themselves into so many tribes and nations. . . . . Although many intelligent men amongst them know that this racial difference is an optical illusion, yet they all confess their inability to stand firm before its uncanny, invisible power.
“The world of humanity is like unto one kindred and one family. Because of the climatic conditions of the zones through the passing ages colors have become different. In the torrid zone on account of the intensity of the effect of the sun throughout the ages the dark race appeared. In the frigid zone on account of the severity of the cold and the ineffectiveness of the heat the white race appeared. In the temperate zone the yellow, brown
and red races came into existence. But in reality mankind is one race. Because it is one race unquestionably there must be union and harmony and no seperation or discord.
“The teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are the breaths of the Holy Spirit which create men anew. Personal amity, both in private and public, is emphasized and insisted upon. . . Bahá’is believe that mankind must love mankind; that universal amity must be practiced; that dead dogmas must be thrown away; that we are at the threshold of the Era of Interpendence; that we must forget prejudice and that universal love must become the dominant note of the twentieth century. . . . . The tree of humanity is one and is planted by God. The orgin is one and the end must also be one.”
THUS IT IS clearly established through both religion and science that the only race is the human race. The illuminati of all groups today, upon the basis of the divine principle of the oneness of humanity, are working to build a new order in the world. Their ranks are widening day by day and among them are included all branches of the human family. They have crossed the borderland of separation and view with delight the world of unity. With reverence and appreciation they perceive the descent of heavenly guidance. In the sacred books of the past this divine favor is pictured as the Holy City.
The cities of the world today present to the gaze of the traveler striking contrasts between old and new. In days of yore the construction of homes was in the nature of a castle. Each house was defended
by a high fence or wall, behind which dogs barked furiously at all who approached, who were presumably foes until otherwise proven. Such places did not lack beauty. Nor were passers—by always wanting in charm. But in each case the beauty and charm were hidden by defensive battlements. Such are the cities of hearts when their love is concealed by the battlements erected by superstition and fear. In many of the new cities the absence of walls reveals velvet lawns and the varied charm of flowers. The adornments of the home, the sport of the children, the family cooperation in simple toil, create impressions of friendliness and accentuate the joy of life.
Those who visualize the City of God have faith in the final outcome of human destiny through a love that transcends all boundaries of race. Herein lies joy to the worker whose toil is linked with heaven as he serves mankind enmasse as well as singly. Peace to the nations when ready to pursue those ideals that guide the people of splendor. Perfection in education when the youth are allowed to treasure the jewels of minds and hearts despite the obstinate barriers of caste. Wealth for governments when the huge sums now given to armaments are by common consent turned into channels of construction. Solace for the needy when deserts are irrigated, waste places reclaimed, slums removed, the deep yields its coffers and the earth its fruits. Illumination to humanity when every man sees in his neighbor a garment in which God has clothed the reflection of the Manifestation of
Himself. Glory for the whole world when receptive to divine civilization which descends through the majestic revelation of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh, the Shining Orb of His Covenant and the protection of His laws by which all races are banded together in the exaltation of service.
The story runs that a youth long absent from home in pursuit of education returned and was over-joyed to find that he now had a younger brother, born during his absence. He eagerly and lovingly embraced the new-comer. But alas! That child of immature years seeing in his brother only a stranger and all unaware of the relationship made a great outcry, wiggled out of his arms and even scratched his brother’s face.
Such is all too often the attitude of people of one group toward those of another when uninformed of the divine law which makes all men brothers. Such immaturity in a time of rapid changes must soon happily pass as that which is real comes more and more into view.
That reality is the cooperation of all mankind in productive enterprises, the awakening of spiritual life, the assurance of the way of God, and the enkindlement of the flame of divine love which removes all clouds. To forsake prejudice is better far than to amass wealth. The conquest of animosities is far greater than victory over ones foes. The struggle for universal good is far nobler than the desire for personal success.
The Glory of the rising Sun reveals the way. Victory and joy to those who strive!
This illuminating article pointing out the trivialities too current in college life, and making clear how the Baha’i teaching lifts the student to a more serious concept of life and duty to humanity, will be read with interest by all who, like the Editors, are impressed with the tragedy of the inadequacy of higher education in this day and age. The author is now a Junior at Stanford University.
THERE is a French perfume called “Always Me.” “Always me”—that is the trouble with most of us. That is why we are stunted both spiritually and intellectually, why we cannot see over our ruts! That is why two-thirds of life passes us by, leaving no trace of a reaction. It is “Always Us.” If we are full of ourselves, life can give us nothing. If a glass is full of water, who can fill it with wine?
Being full of ourselves means that we are glued to concrete trivialities. How many pounds have I gained? How many hours did I sleep last night? Is the pink hat more becoming to me, or the purple? We eventually become as lost in trivialities as a fly swamped in fly-paper. The result is that we can no longer respond to the essential meanings of life. Great truths embarrass us. It even happens that if some one mentions life after death or the brotherhood of man, we raise our eyebrows as if something indecent had occurred. We squirm and turn to the weather. It is a known fact that in the more formal of our everyday experiences only trivialities are a permitted subject of conversation. It is “Always Me.”
And now Bahá’u’lláh has appeared, and has set us free. He has burned away the trivial, has made
us responsive to concepts, has brought us rest from the involved inanity of everyday existence.
And so it is that to the Bahá’i student, a course in astronomy means—not the cold dark hours on the observatory roof, or the lengthy calculations interrupted by clouds, but the fact that “the heavens declare the Glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork.” The “Glory of God” is what we are seeking, and as the universe is unfolded before us, our worship increases. To appreciate the wonder of the workmanship, we must be familiar with phenomena. For only a musician can judge music; only a trained mind can see deep enough into life to be bewildered at its perfection.
To the Bahá’i student, then, sciences are a means of reaching God. They are a cause of increased faith. For each new discovery, each proven fact, completely coincides with and elucidates the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh and Àbdu’l-Bahá.
There are, too, the so-called cultural courses; the stories of what man has done, and what he has thought. The philosophy textbook, a thesaurus of gropings, which has sent many a good mind stumbling into outer darkness. The splattered histories, which make us ashamed of our forbears’ tragic
and persistent stupidities, make us delight in the occasional glow of a great name. The psychology courses, promising so much, and leaving us adrift by mid-semester. (For one of education’s greatest values is that it emphasizes not only the extent of man’s knowledge but the depth of his ignorance). In all of these, too, we approach God, this time through man, His most representative creation. And these serve but to continually reiterate humanity’s need of a tool to rebuild itself with.
YES, COLLEGE offers a glittering display of all forms of knowledge—there for the taking. And the freshmen are enthusiastic. At last they are going to handle Reality.
But what of the seniors? They graduate sobered, they emerge tired of the search, or defiant, or confused. Some are withdrawn into themselves, resolved not to think. Some cling to the shreds of their past belief. Some intelligently express opinions which a dervish in a trance would be ashamed of. Materially speaking, they graduate excellent citizens; spiritually, they are desolate.
But this is not true of Bahá’i students. We have a standard to judge by. We cannot lose our way in the bog of conflicting facts. Having proven with every strength of our reasoning the truth of the Bahá’i teachings, we have a touchstone
by which to distinguish real from unreal. It is as simple as determining, by an axiom, the outcome of a geometry problem.
Socially as well, Bahá’i training is an important determinant. We do not, for instance, take college too seriously. We know that it is not a matter of life and death, but just one of the countless stages of soul development. On the other hand, we do not skim through too lightly; we feel it a moral obligation to do the work efficiently, realizing that such work is prayer if sincerely done, and that our subjects are chosen with a view to future Bahá'i service.
Prayer itself—so uncollegiate—is an important factor in our lives—supplies us with energy, elucidates our problems, normalizes existence.
In some ways Bahá’is are spectators in college life—watching the others, studying their reactions, trying to discover how we must influence them toward effecting a new world order—realizing meanwhile that we are dealing with the best trained minds in the country.
Our chief difference from them is that we know where we are going—they do not. Our burden is therefore much heavier than theirs. We have a definite reason for existing. We have our place in a definite plan of world betterment. We are acquiring skill for a definite future task.
TO understand the outer causes that led the Jews to intensive mysticism, it is necessary to consider their experiences in the early days of Christianity.
Before the end of the first Century, Jerusalem was razed to the ground. On the spot where the great synagogue stood (so often spoken of in the Gospels) a temple was erected to Jupiter, and above the Holy Sepulcher another was reared and dedicated to Venus.
An attempt to free the Jews from Roman rule, in 135 A. D., under the leadership of Barricichibas, proved a tragic failure. It resulted in the annihilation of political nationality, and it was estimated that over a million Jews fell in this uprising. From henceforth, they were forbidden to enter the gates of the Holy City, and were treated with humiliating cruelties. It was not until the accession of the Emperor Antonious that they had a respite from persecution.
Meanwhile, a great spiritual wave had swept over the people, and fifty years after the siege of Jerusalem, the Misnah, under the name of Talmud, was collected, which contained a number of laws, social and moral, as well as religious.
The social laws included a detailed account of daily life: How to enter a shop, what to say to a shop-keeper, how to eat your food. No modern etiquette book was more complete. The manuscript was edited and completed by Judah, at
the height of the Palestine Patriarchy, in the third Century.
As Christianity spread and was made a state religion, under Constantine, the Jews were meted out injustice from all quarters. They lost most of their civil rights, and every measure tended to repress and thrust them into isolation. They were regarded as a lower order of being, degraded and worthy of contempt, regardless of the value of their actions. Sometimes an Emperor graciously accorded them special liberty, but an apex of tyranny was reached in the reign of Justinian (553), when the Jews were forbidden to read the Talmud aloud, even in the synagogues, and a law was passed prohibiting them from entering commerce, or holding any position above that of manual labor. When they were obliged to testify in court, the Emperor forced them to do so girded in thorns, standing in water, so that they should not pollute the earth of the Christians; and, instead of swearing by one central law, they were obliged to swear by each law separately.
Finding themselves walled off from the life of the community, they formed a number of secret societies. Having to walk the streets as outcasts, in secret they rode in the Chariot of Ezekiel. They spoke together of angels and their visitations among them were the topic of the day. They began to penetrate more deeply the esoteric meaning of the Scriptures, and honor was accorded first to those
who had knowledge of the secret name of God in proportion to the mystic knowledge each had acquired. The God of their fathers drew nigh and the power of vision became their delight.
In secret, they fed the poor, and in secret they planned a migration to Egypt, where five hundred years before they had been in bondage. Here a new and more complete Talmud was collected, known as the Babylonian Talmud which is in use to this day. The Persian ruler allowed them to be governed by a Patriarch of their own choosing, who, in turn, was responsible to him. They founded two great Academies, Sura and Nehardes, to which flocked the Zoroasterian Persians.
During the days the Jews passed under the Roman yoke, they showed no sign of retaliation, they had formulated a saying: “The law of the government under which we live is the law.” These words reflect the spirit of Jesus: “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s.”
For a hundred and fifty years they were intensely alive to the deeper phases of religion and education, humble and grateful for their privileges. With the rise of Muhammadanism, however, both the Jews and Zoroasterians became undesirable subjects. The former silently folded their tents and returned whence they had come. They did not at first penetrate far inland, but settled along the Mediterranean. It was in Spain, however, that their most brilliant scholars were born.
In their wanderings, the Jews had assimilated the culture of the Greek, Roman and Persian civilizations,
but it was especially the coming of Christ and the purity of the early Christian thought that penetrated their rigid laws and lifted them above theology into a closer union with God.
It is pleasant to remember that Charlemagne (742-814) treated the Jews with kindness, as a truly Christian ruler, in marked contrast to the other sovereigns of that day.
Before the tenth Century, the Jews had caught from Islam the creative spirit of poetry, philosophy, and science. As the dawn of the Muhammadan sun rose, it gave light to the minds of the Jews according to their capacity. As the light of Christ had given them power to penetrate the esoteric meaning of the Scriptures, that of Muhammad had given them an intellectual renaissance. As each Prophet so emphatically states, that the light He brings is for the whole world, our lack of knowledge and belief may dim its light, but its shining excludes no one.
Let us be admonished by the examples of persecution and narrowness afforded by history. The myth of the Wandering Jew is an apt illustration of the desire on the part of humanity to justify their cruel acts.
The Wandering Jew was a legendary figure, doomed to wander over the face of the earth until the second coming of Christ. This ageless being walked beside Christ on His way to the Cross, and said to Him, “Go Thou more quickly”, and the Lord replied, “I go, but thou shalt wait until I return.” This legend repeated by the Bishop of Schleswig, in 1602, who said he
had met the Wandering Jew, was readily credited and applauded by the civilized world. It was speedily printed by one Shristoff Scrutzer. (And as history has since proved that no such person has ever existed), therefore, it was clearly a secret manuscript printed under a false name. This pamphlet ran through forty editions, and was translated into every tongue. Before the end of the century, the Eternel Jew became a current expression and reports of his appearance were given in every land. Even in 1830 he passed along the by-ways of London, while as late as 1868 he presumed to saunter through a public square of Salt Lake City where he bought a newspaper and absorbed its contents in the presence of the awe-stricken citizens. Thus have our fathers stated and there were many who believed.
The myth of the Wandering Jew heightened prejudice, adding to the
race a mysterious, uncanny quality, but of far graver consequence was the justification of the Christian in his attitude towards the Jew. If God thus punished a man, was it not meet that mankind should shun and despise him also. How different are the following words of ’Àbdu’l-Bahá on prejudice!
“Beware of prejudice, light is good in whatsoever lamp it is burning. A rose is beautiful in whatsoever garden it may bloom. A star has the same radiance whether it shines from the East or the West.”
And again He says, “Consort with all the peoples of the earth with the utmost kindliness and goodwill that all the worlds of being may be filled with the holy ecstasy of the grace of Baha. That ignorance, envy, hate and rancour may vanish from the earth and the darkness of estrangement amidst the peoples and kindred nations may give way to the light of Unity.”
- All are the leaves of one great Tree,
- As forming God’s Humanity,
- Yet we His children draw the lines,
- That separate, and discord make,
- With prejudice, we fill our hearts,
- Nor seek in love to give and take.
- We look at all the different hues
- Of skin—and some we frown upon,
- While God—who did each one create,
- Sees but the red heart-blood as one.
- To be a unit of the whole,
- The good of all alone to seek,
- To know that all must rise or fall;
- To help the saddened and the weak;
- This is the purpose of God’s Plan,
- The Oneness of Humanity,
- All leaves upon His Tree of Life,
- Or drops of His vast Sea.
A very remarkable figure is Dr. Moody who, at the age of seventy-seven years is renewing her life of devotion to the progress of Persia. For fifteen years she had served in that country, but returned to America for a well earned rest necessary for her health. She had indefatigably worked for the women of Persia not only as a practicing physician but as head of the Tarbiat School founded and maintained by Bahá’is. During this period her medical work with the Persian women was very notable. How the people of Tihrán appreciated her previous services to them is shown in their reception of her on her return as described in this article. She is doing a great work toward the important goal of uniting the East and West.
The following is compiled from her recent letter giving a detailed account of her journey from New York to Tihrán.—Editor.
“We pray that God will unite the East and the West in order that these two civilizations may be exchanged and mutually enjoyed. I am sure it will come to pass, for this is the radiant century. This is an age for the outpouring of divine mercy upon the exigency of this new century-the unity of the East and the West. It will surely be accomplished.”—’Abdu’l-Bahá.
THE “liberating forces” at work everywhere are bringing about vast changes in the social order of the world, and no place are they more apparent than in the East and Near East. The progress in the past was seemingly slow, but to those who had the vision, the divine law has ever been operating, even swiftly, for the Holy Spirit has been at work on the inner plane, seeds have been germinating in the soil of human hearts which have brought forth many blessings and many notable changes. The foundation of the old order has been crumbling for some time, and more rapidly than any one realized, until today the lifting of humanity into the new order is being demonstrated in very definite reforms so sure and certain that “he who runs may read.”
To bring about changes necessary to the unity of the East and the West was not, and is not, easy of accomplishment, for the requirements of the New Age assuredly demand first, understanding hearts, touched by the Light of Guidance, and secondly, trained minds.
On the steamer crossing the Atlantic Dr. Moody and her traveling companion Miss Adelaide Sharp of San Francisco, (now director of the Tarbiat School in Tihrán, Persia) were happily surprised to find a distinguished Rabbi and his interesting wife deeply engrossed in the study of Bahá’i literature. They were so touched by the dynamic unifying power of the Bahá’i Cause that the Rabbi decided to arrange a Unity Meeting the last Sunday morning on the steamer. The speakers on this occasion were the Rabbi, some Christian missionaries and Dr. Moody. At the close of the service a Greek said to Dr. Moody, “On behalf of myself and all the Greeks I wish to thank you from my heart for your Persian prayer.“ Thus the leaven works. It was an interesting coincidence, too, that later Dr. Moody should again meet the Rabbi and his wife in Tiberias.
A brief visit of twelve days was made in Haifa, situated at the foot
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Photographed in Kermanshah, Persia. Left to right: Mohamed Labib, who established the Children’s Savings Bank named “Nonahallan Co.,” which has branches in eight Persian cities. He is a noted Esperantist and a skilled photographer; Dr. Susan I. Moody, distinguished Doctor and famous Internationalist; Dr. Habibollah Moayid, known to many Americans, and also in Germany, as “Khodabaksh;” Miss Adelaide Sharp, American director of the Tarbiat School for Girls in Tihrán.
of Mt. Carmel, and now the most famous city of Palestine. It is here where the Guardian and Center of the Bahá’i Cause, Shoghi Effendi, has his home, as well as the other members of ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s family. At present Haifa is being remarkably developed under the hands of Palestinian Jews and of the British. The prophecies of ’Abdu’l-Bahá in regard to the future of Haifa, ’Akká and the beautiful semi-circular bay of Haifa, are daily being fulfilled and the future will bring still more wonderful improvements.
Dr. Moody and Miss Sharp lived at the Bahá’i Pilgrim House in Haifa, and were privileged to have many conferences there with Shoghi Effendi, who, though very tired from overwork, gave them much of his time. They found Bahiyyih Khanum (the sister of ’Abdu’l-Bahá, called the Greatest Holy Leaf) though advanced in age, much better in health than for many years. Another item of interest to Bahá’is is that Monever Khanum (youngest daughter of ’Abdu’l-Bahá) and her husband, Mirza Ahmad Yazdi, former Persian Consul at Port Said, are now living in Haifa permanently, both being eminently fitted to render valuable services to the Bahá’i Cause. The story about Rooha Khanum, (second daughter of ’Abdu’l-Bahá and the wife of Mirza Jalal), managing two households, her own and that of Shoghi Effendi, and yet finding time to take into her home two sick women and nurse them herself, was an interesting sidelight on the life of sacrifice lived in the Bahá’i colony at Haifa, for every one serves, and serves sacrificially including Miss Effie Baker, hostess of the Pilgrim House and Fugeta the well known Japanese Bahá’i server. Here is one spot on the face of this earth where every one forgets self and self-interests, and thinks only of how best to serve others.
Then follows the oft-repeated
story of all who have ever had the blessing of this visit, namely, that it is heartbreaking to leave the beloved family of ’Abdu’l-Bahá, for once having witnesed the love of God in action, and so perfectly and completely exemplified, one naturally wishes to remain forever in such a holy atmosphere.
But Tihrán, Persia was the destination of these two American travelers, so they started on their long journey, traveling by way of Tiberias to Damascus, thence over the Syrian and Arabian deserts in a Dodge car carrying sixteen passengers. Dr. Moody describes some of their interesting experiences in these words:
“The transport usually stays over night at a caravansary, but as there was a glorious full moon a vote was taken and carried that we should have our evening meal and then ride all night.
“While we were at table a fine looking British officer came to me and said, ‘How do you do Dr. Moody!’ Think of it,—in the middle of the Arabian desert, at night! I answered, ‘How did you know that I was here?’ And he replied, ‘When you came in the door I recognized you.’ He was none other than Dr. Fortescue, whom I knew well in Tihrán. We had a fine visit. He is now at the head of all British medical work in Mesopotamia, with headquarters in Bagdad.
“This incident recalls another similar which occurred on the Panama Canal. An American greeted me by name, on the deck of our steamer, and I recognized a former Chargé d’Affaires of our Legation in Tihrán. He is now American Ambassador in San Salvador. He
wrote in my autograph book, ‘A remembrance of Persian roses in a Persian garden in 1916.’ My journeyings are replete with like pleasant memories.”
Coming back to that all night moonlight ride on the desert in the Dodge car, Dr. Moody tells us none slept, but every one revelled in the rare experiences, and of course arrived in Bagdad hours before the usual scheduled time.
Here our friends remained for six days visiting among Bahá’is. Particular reference is made to their attendance at two very important meetings in the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar (the “dawning place of the worship of God.” or Bahá’i Temple); also of an afternoon meeting for women and an evening meeting for men, the latter particularly interesting on account of the presence of the “Afnan” (one related to the Holy Family) and Sheik Mohi ed Din, traveling Bahá’i teacher “a tall man with a fine presence”; a distinguished group also on account of the variety of dress and headgear. “The vibration of Bahá’i love and unity was the gift we carried from these meetings,” says Dr. Moody.
A short visit was next made in Kermanshah, one of the notable cities of Persia famous for the rug-weaving art. “And here we were guests at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Habibollah Khodabaksh, meeting old and new friends and another fervent Bahá’i traveling teacher, Jenabi Fazel Shirazi, who taught many years in the Boy’s Tarbiat School of Tihrán.” Dr. Moody goes on to state, “We had spent Christmas in Haifa, Palestine; New Year’s day we had attended the
memorable gathering in Bagdad; and on January sixth we were speeding toward Hamadan, Persia. We had to change cars at Bagdad, and so hired a Hudson car to take us through from that city to Tihrán—cost twenty-nine English pounds. It was a new car and we had an expert chauffeur. The weather was perfect, no snow in the mountain passes up to this time.
Arriving in Hamadan, where almost every one in the city is a Bahá’i, our friends were guests of two noted Bahá'i doctors of the Jewish race—Dr. Hafiz es Saheh and his son Dr. Yohanna Hafiz, and what Dr. Moody says about their visit must be given in her own words:
“The Hamadan Bahá’is are numerous and prosperous. The large property owned by the Assembly comprises their Boy’s and Girl’s Schools, as well as a Mashriqu’l-Adhkar where we met an audience of seven hundred men. What a thrill it gave us! I told them I wished Shoghi Effendi (Guardian of the Bahá’i Cause) were standing in my place. The wave of smiles that swept over those happy faces foretold the greeting awaiting him when he will be free to carry out the expressed longing in his heart.
“At an afternoon meeting three hundred women were in the Temple,” and Dr. Moody says she greeted each one of them personally. The Bahá’i Boy’s School in Hamadan is most prosperous and there is an excellent corps of teachers under the new superintendent Mirza Ahmed Raazee of Tabriz. The Girl’s School is likewise very prosperous, and Dr. Moody was particularly pleased to find a
graduate of the Tarbiat School in Tihrán as one of the teachers. Another meeting with the women Bahá’is of this city was pronounced a rare treat,—the chanting of the Bahá’i tablets, prayers and poems was followed by a social hour.
Three days were spent in the city of Kazvin, a center well known among Bahá’is. Our friends were the guests of Dr. Assad-ol-Hokema and at his home they saw hosts of Bahá’is, among them the young widow of the late lamented Mahmoud Zargonni. She is an accomplished student and is conversant with English and Esperanto.
From Kazvin we started the days’ ride to Tihran, the capital of Persia, and the goal of this long journey. “We arrived after dark and a little late, but we were taken directly to the home of Mirza Feriborze whom we found waiting outside of the gate for us,” says Dr. Moody. Briefly she gives this picture of their activities:
“We had a good nights’ rest and then the friends began to come. ‘Ferry and Sarvar’ kept open house. They came singly, in groups, Committees, Assemblies,—more than seven hundred the first week, and still we are greeting many new and old friends, both women and men, and happy are we!
“Words fail to express the joy of our ‘home-coming.’ The warm hearts of the Persian race are a storehouse of love. I thought I knew them thoroughly, but this experience contradicts such an assertion. I wish you might have seen how that love overflowed in gifts—potted vines and plants, large bouquets of flowers, two beautiful silver vases, many boxes of
confectionery, cakes decorated and frosted, sweets of all kinds. Do you wonder that the two Americans were completely overwhelmed?
“Miss Sharp has now been busy at the school for two weeks, studying conditions, teachers and methods with a view to bringing every department up to date, that our Bahá’i Girl’s School may be an advance guard to aid in developing this New Persia which is greatly in evidence everywhere.
“I find the Bahá’i men actively interested in the important field of the progress of women. Meetings for conference are fully established. One of these I have already attended here in the home of Mirza Feriborze where we are staying. There were one hundred women present with a committee of nine men. There were three excellent
addresses by women and three by men, touching upon important points and practical opportunities for service. I shall be present at a second one soon in another section of the city. My incomplete command of the language prevents the giving of an adequate conception of this most important new move.
“It has recently been truly asserted that, ‘The progress of Persia in the last few years exceeds that of the former two hundred.’ The Mullahs are no longer in control of affairs, nor do they wear the old turban but the skip-cap, which, by order of Pehlevi, Reza Shah, is the universal hat of all Persians. The Mullahs who remain in Parliment are few in number and cannot force the enactment of new unjust laws, although the old ones have not yet been rescinded.”
His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh appeared in the Orient and renewed the foundations of the divine teachings. His revelation of the Word embodies completely the teachings of all the Prophets, expressed in principles and precepts applicable to the needs and conditions of the modern world; amplified and adapted to present day questions and critical human problems. That is to say, the words of His Holiness Bahá'u’lláh are the essences of the words of the Prophets of the past. They are the very spirit of the age and the cause of the unity and illumination of the east and the west. The followers of His teachings are in conformity with the precepts and commands of all the former heavenly messengers. Differences and dissensions which destroy the foundations of the world of humanity and are contrary to the will and good pleasure of God, disappear completely in the light of the revelation of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh; difficult problems are solved, unity and love are established. For the good pleasure of God is the effulgence of love and the establishing of unity and fellowship in the human world; whereas discord, contention, warfare and strife are satanic outcomes and contrary to the will of the Merciful.-’Abdu’l-Bahá.
THE ranks of the Bahá’i Cause in America have lost one of its best known and most sincere adherents in the person of Mr. William H. Randall of Boston, who passed into the life eternal on February 11, 1929.
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Mr. Randall center and Mrs. Randall right, with other pilgrims visiting ’Abdu‘l-Bahá at Haifa
Mr. Randall was born in Boston, April 19, 1863, and was christened in the Roman Catholic Church. He was educated at Chauncey Hall school and abroad, and was a great student of history, science and religion during his school days and for the remainder of his life.
He entered the shipping business in the last days of the old “Clipper Ship,” and rose from office boy to President of the Company. A few years before the World War he organized the firm of William H. Randall Company, owners of a large line of steamers. During the war he was a consultant member of the United States Shipping Board, and appeared before the U. S. Senate for that Committee.
But with him all business was secondary to the great “spiritual business” in which he was so deeply engrossed, for his greatest activity in life was the study of religion. He investigated quite impartially all Faiths that came to his notice.
He first heard of the Bahá’i Teachings through Miss Alice Buckton of England, who told a group of our friends about the Bahá’i martyrs. Through Miss Buckton he met Mr. Harlan F. Ober who supplied him with Bahá’i literature, and who spent days and nights in our home explaining the Teachings. In the summer of 1912 Mr. Randall met ’Ábdu’l-Bahá at the Charlesgate in Boston, and later ’Ábdu’l-Bahá came to our home.
The next summer (1913) he became a trustee of the Green Acre Fellowship (now the Bahá’i Summer Colony at Green Acre, Eliot, Maine).
In 1914 Mr. Randall was elected to the Bahá’i Temple Unity (the
National Executive Committee of the Bahá’is at that time), and served on said Committee for ten consecutive years. During this period the money was raised for the Temple Foundation, and as he was either Treasurer or Chairman of the Committee most of the time, he was extremely active.
His greatest interest in life was promulgating the Bahá’i Teachings and holding aloft the standards of this Cause. As Mr. Randall was for the most part an inspirational speaker, his services were very effective and successful, and in his travels far and wide over the country, he spoke before many Assemblies and gatherings, always giving the Bahá’i Message from one angle or another. Probably his largest audience was at Lily Dale, N. Y., where he addressed a thousand or more at the Spiritualist Camp, having accompanied Jinab-i-Fadil, also an invited speaker, and Miss Martha Root who was reporting the Conferences.
Long before an active Bahá’i Teaching Committee was organized he had placed teachers in the field, and was always eager to assist any one who would and could go forth and give the Bahá’i Message.
Perhaps his greatest work was at Green Acre. In the early days when he was called to work there, he was able to serve Green Acre in a material way in holding together for the Bahá’is the various properties and making vast improvements.
Miss Sarah Farmer, the founder of Green Acre Fellowship, was in those days confined in a Sanitarium. Through Mr. Randall’s efforts her release was brought about, thus fulfilling the promise to her by
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Ábdu'l-Bahá, with Mr. Randall in the background. A picture much appreciated.
’Ábdu’l-Bahá that she would pass away in her own home.
One of her fondest dreams was to have an electric lighting system installed at Green Acre. And this Mr. Randall accomplished the last summer of her life.
His interest in Green Acre never lessened, and those who have been with him there each summer have realized his untiring energy in furtherance of the great work at that Center, called by ’Abdu’l-Bahá “The Green Àkká of America.” He spent his last summer there giving spiritual inspiration to many. Surely he will be greatly missed in that wonderful Bahá’i Summer Colony which he so materially helped in organizing and maintaining even to the end of his life.
Mr. Randall’s outstanding characteristics were his wonderful sense of justice, his undying generosity, and, during the later years of his life, his humility and severance. He reached what seemed to us the true state of “radiant acquiescence.”
In 1919 he made a pilgrimage to Haifá, Palestine, to visit ’Ábdu’l-Bahá. From his own notes of that visit the following is quoted:
“The Master ’Àbdu’l-Bahá sent for me after the meeting, and Shoghi Effendi accompanied me to his bedroom. As I entered, the Voice of the Beloved Master most sweetly called to me, ‘I have asked you to come to my bedroom. You are now in the Kingdom-in the kingdom of my heart and it is eternal. Your heart is a magnet that attracts the bounties of God. Your purpose is pure. I am greatly pleased with you. Many I love; some I have confidence in; but I both love you and have confidence in you; you will never leave me even though you depart from here. You must be a candle aflame, and unite the friends in America. You must love them. You must be a center of love. Your heart is a magnet. I love you very much, and I expect much of you . . . My love is with you always. You may ask anything you wish.’ Then ’Àbdu’l-Bahá closed His luminous eyes.
“I said, ‘My Lord, I want only the flame of your love eternally in my heart to make me steadfast and to serve Thy Cause and the friends of God.’ His eyes opened and again He spoke, ‘Your wish is granted. You are in the Kingdom—the veils like clouds shut out the Shining Reality, but it is present. Christ once said, ‘I shall not eat again of the grapes until I eat them in my Father’s kingdom!’ I hope we shall eat together in the Kingdom as we are eating now. Thou art under the protection of God.”
During the past fifteen years Mr. Randall has given innumerable lectures in Boston on the Bahá’i Cause, speaking from many different platforms. His last public address was in the Temple Israel in December before an audience of three hundred. He was well known as a very convincing speaker, not only as a lecturer of note, but very often presided as chairman with rare tact and charm.
The greatest tribute, however, is contained in the cable from Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’i Cause, Haifa, Palestine, who referred to him as “the distinguished and beloved servant of Bahá’u’lláh.” He needs no greater crown for this commendation is all-inclusive.
- He had not far to go.
- When death called, it was but a step
- Which took him to the Unseen Realm, his home.
- There he had long lived, glowing with its brightness,
- While we, his neighbors, chiefly saw the shadows
- Which unseen lights cast on our earthly plane.
- Living among us, dear to all who knew him,
- He lived already in the realm of spirit.
- Nothing less held him. His soul was centered always
- On inner forms of beauty, thoughts, ideals—
- And tenderness for all men and their woes.
- Loving, and loved, and walking with his Master;
- He had not far to go when he was called.
- Nor is he far from us, who love and need him.
- He leads us still. The living truths he taught us,
- He teaches all the more, now, when the veils
- Have lifted, and he sees that light undimmed—
- Which always he has seen—and ever shown us—
- In his sweet, noble countenance, and golden speech.
God blesses him, and blesses us through him, Since we, too, have not far to go— Because he shows the way and leads us on.
MR. DREYFUS-BARNEY first heard of the Bahá’i message in Paris, France, in the summer of 1901. He was at the time an agnostic who believed that life and character are above dogma and creed. Although he had never believed in any force transcending nature, nor had he received intimations of the possible existence of a Supreme Being, yet after hearing of the advent of Bahá’u’lláh his inner susceptibilities became unfolded and in his subsequent study of the teachings and his visit to ’Abdu’l-Bahá in the prison of ’Akká, he attained a supreme realization of the significance and importance of this message to the world.
At that time translations of the Bahá’i teachings in any language were so meagre that the greatest proof of their power lay in the dauntless faith and courage of the early followers. As with the disciples of Christ, so was it with these early believers—by their faith and ardor, their devotion and enthusiasm, they became magnets attracting others to their ranks.
Thenceforth Mr. Dreyfus-Barney set himself the task of mastering the Persian language and studying the writings of Bahá’u’lláh in the original, translating these teachings, so fundamental to the needs of the age, into French.
As a profound scholar, a loved and trusted friend among his associates, as a man of deep sympathies, intellectual attainment and sound judgment, he was well prepared to grasp and accept the sublime teachings
of Bahá’u’lláh and become their greatest advocate and exponent in France.
Among his most important works are: L’Oeuvre de Bahá’u’lláh, L’Epitre an Fils du Loup by Bahá’u’lláh, Essai sur le Baháisme.
His activities and services in the spread of the Bahá’i faith were by no means confined to France for Mr. Dreyfus-Barney visited most of the European countries, the United States and Canada, China, Japan, Egypt, Algiers, Persia, the cradle of the Bahá’i faith, and other countries, everywhere leaving the impress of his lofty character, his breadth of vision, his mature knowledge of the religion of Bahá’u’llah.
His presentation of the Cause among all peoples enhanced its honor and prestige, and among the friends he was invariably a unifying influence, welding them in those deeper bonds of brotherly love which is the essence of the Bahá’i faith.
The following typical incidents in his life will be of interest to the reader:
At a meeting and conference at the Sorbonne, the most famous institute of learning in France, during a scientific and philosophic discussion, Mr. Dreyfus-Barney was the first to expound in that center of learning the principle of Bahá’u’lláh on the duality of the Universe.
This teaching of the duality of all phenomena is a basic law innate in creation. Briefly stated, it is that all phenomena have two poles or opposites and that it is on these alternate
rungs of the ladder of human experience that man contacts with the facts of life.
Darkness of itself is non-existent but is the absence of light; evil of itself is non-existent, but is the absence of good; cold is the absence of heat; hate is the absence of love; ignorance the absence of knowledge, and death the absence of life. These constitute the positive and negative poles of creation and are the means whereby man may emerge from obscure gropings after truth into the clear light of “indubitable knowledge.”
Just as in nature, through this law of contrasts, man discerns that which is harmful to him from that which is for his well-being, so morally and spiritually through the revealed teachings of the Prophets “man becomes able to discern light from darkness, truth from error” and to ascend in the scale of conscious knowledge. It is this power of conscious choice vested in the free-will of man, which distinguishes him from the animal and is the determining factor in the evolution of his character and of his immortal spiritual entity.
Another interesting incident occurred on his return from one of his visits to India, when he brought with him negatives of groups of native Bahá’is. Taking these to be developed and printed, the photographer informed him that these pictures were not genuine but had in some way been artificially produced. Mr. Dreyfus-Barney asked him his reasons for such a statement, whereupon the photographer said, “The people in these groups are of such mixed caste that they could never be brought together without killing one another. Therefore, it is evident that these pictures
are not genuine.”
Mr. Dreyfus-Barney explained that these groups of natives who formerly had been in the utmost enmity and hatred were now united in the bonds of love and brotherhood through the power of Bahá’u’lláh and His teachings.
Like many Bahá’is he combined a rare sweetness of nature with great firmness and strength, and his criterion for estimating the true worth and status of his fellow Bahá’is is a standard for all. He said that he considered every soul in their relation to God and to the Cause, never in their relation to him. Thus he said if anyone hurt or wronged him he did not allow this to influence his judgment, this being merely a transient personal matter, but always considered each person in their relation to God and their service to the Cause.
On the recent death of Mr. Dreyfus-Barney in Paris, after a lingering illness, Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’i Cause writes:
“His gifts of unfailing sympathy and penetrating insight, his wide knowledge and mature experience, all of which he utilized for the glory and propagation of the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, will be gratefully remembered by future generations who, as the days go by, will better estimate the abiding value of the responsibilities he shouldered for the introduction and consolidation of the Bahá’i faith in the Western world.”
In these brief and fragmentary memories of early associations with one who has become an internationally known figure in the Bahá’i Cause, I pay my humble tribute to a great soul and a life long friend.
“The Confusion of Tongues,” by Charles W. Ferguson, Doubleday, Doran and Company, Inc., Garden City, New York. A brief review of one of the chapters of this book, namely, that devoted to “Bahá'ism.” Mrs. Kirkpatrick has admirably and with rare spiritual charm analyzed Mr. Ferguson’s so-called “descriptions.” She makes it clear that it is quite impossible to give an accurate picture unless one has vision and seeks and sees the truth with an unbiased mind.
IN his recent book, “The Confusion of Tongues,“ Mr. Charles W. Ferguson has described with some care nineteen so-called cults or “isms” which he finds flourishing in American religious life today. These nineteen, he discovers, are only a small fraction of the quite unbelievable number of religious cults which find such a fertile soil for growth in present day America.
The author has done some careful investigating and shows a desire to be accurate in his statements. However, the method of treating a subject and the author’s own reactions may have as much to do with leaving a correct impression with the reader as the accurate statement of facts.
Material for such a book must necessarily be selected and evaluated before being used, even though the author purposes simply to describe. His purpose, says Mr. Ferguson in his preface, is descriptive and not theological. He adds, however, “Clearly I have been beguiled by the odd, but not, I hope, to the point of inaccuracy.”
Has not Mr. Ferguson, in selecting his material, assumed too easily that all so-called cults or “isms” which are not strictly orthodox or conventional must of necessity have something odd and amusing about them?
In this chaos of modern cults, this “confusion of tongues,” one does well to be guarded, even skeptical, to question deeply before one passes final judgment. But is there not some way to tell the true from the false, the reasonable from the erratic, the truly spiritual from the superficial? Is there not an antidote for the “confusion of tongues?”
Is there not such a thing as a pure religion, making for the true progress of humanity? Is it not a possible thing for such a religion to be born in modern times? What are the tests by which we shall recognize such a religion? We cannot help feeling that it is because Mr. Ferguson has ignored such questions or answered them with too little insight that he has included a chapter on “Baháism” in his book; that if the author had sensed the true spirit of the Bahá’i Movement, he would have felt that a chapter on this subject did not belong in the kind of book he has chosen to write.
Although Mr. Upton Sinclair gives only a paragraph to the Bahá’is in his book, “Profits of Religion,” and although he is somewhat inaccurate in the use of terms, we think he comes much closer to sensing the true Bahá’i spirit than does Mr. Ferguson.
Mr. Sinclair says: “I would not
be understood as believing that all our cults are undiluted fakery, for that would be doing injustice to some earnest people. There are in this country many followers of the Persian reformer, Abbas Effendi, who call themselves Babists and who have what I am inclined to think is the purest and most dignified religion in existence.”
Slowly indeed and in spite of ridicule and of vigorous and prejudiced opposition, the Bahá’is are making a place for themselves in the western world, and many thoughtful and earnest people in America are beginning to recognize, as does Mr. Sinclair, that the Bahá’i Religion is both dignified and pure.
IN CONSIDERING the different attitudes taken toward the Movement by those outside the Bahá’i Cause, we must not overlook that from the beginning scholarly men and women have given serious consideration to the Movement. Charles Baudouin in “Contemporary Studies,” says: “We Westerners are too apt to imagine that the huge continent of Asia is sleeping as soundly as a mummy. . . . and we blush when we realize our previous ignorance of the fact that towards the middle of the nineteenth century Asia gave birth to a great religious movement—a movement signalized for its spiritual purity. . . . Above all we are impressed by the fact that, in our own time, such a manifestation can occur, and that the new faith should have undergone a development far more extensive than that undergone in the same space of time nearly two thousand years ago by budding Christianity. . . The Bahá’ist ethical code is dominated by the law of
love taught by Jesus and by all the Prophets. In the thousand and one details of practical life, this law of love is subject to manifold interpretations. That of Bahá’u’lláh is unquestionably one of the most comprehensive of these, one of the most exalted, one of the most satisfactory to the modern mind.
“Bahá’ism, then, is an ethical system, a system of social morality. But it would be a mistake to regard Bahá’ist teaching as a collection of abstract rules imposed from without. Bahá’ism is permeated with a sane and noble mysticism; nothing could be more firmly rooted in the inner life, more benignly spiritual; nothing could speak more intimately to the soul, in low tones and as if from within. . .”
In 1892 Earl Curzon wrote speaking of the Bábis, as he calls them: “Of no small account, then, must be the tenets of a creed that can awaken in its followers so rare and beautiful a spirit of self-sacrifice. ”
Such passages as these reveal that there have always been sympathetic observers among understanding and learned men who have recognized the exalted spirit of the Founders of the Bahá’i Religion and the power of their teachings and spirit to recreate the lives of men.
We do not wish to be unduly critical of either Mr. Ferguson’s point of view or the sincerity of his desire for accuracy. He discovers some good things in Bahá’ism. But it seems fair to set out a few facts either overlooked or disregarded by the author of “The Confusion of Tongues,” and to try to correct some impressions he leaves, which we believe give the general reader an incorrect understanding
of the Bahá’i Movement.
“Like all cults, it is not a cult,” Mr. Ferguson says. In regard to this we may note that in the fall of 1924 in connection with the great exposition of the British Empire at Wembly, there was held in London a conference of the Living Religions of the British Empire. At this conference the Bahá’i Religion took its place among the eleven or twelve other living religions of the Empire. Two vital and scholarly papers were read on the Bahá’i Religion at the conference. This recognition would seem to classify it as a religion rather than a cult.
If we wish to place emphasis on a living religion, it is interesting to note that Harry Charles Lukach says of it, “Of all the religions which have been encountered in this journey. . . it (Bahá’ism) is the only one which is alive, which is aggressive, which is extending its frontiers, instead of secluding itself within its ancient haunts. It is a thing which may revivify Islam, and make great changes on the face of the Asiatic world.”
IN ATTEMPTING to trace the history of the Bahá’i Cause one must remember that the Movement started in a country where religious fanatacism was so intense that those opposing the Cause did not hesitate to spread and cause to be printed false and calumnious reports, and even to falsify manuscripts. Hence the conflicting stories which Mr. Ferguson finds in the early history.
In America the Bahá’i Movement was first publicly mentioned at the Congress of Religions at Chicago, held in 1893 in connection with the Columbian Exposition. Dr. Henry
H. Jessup, a Christian missionary and teacher of Beirut,, Syria, used these words: “In the Palace of Bahji, or Delight, just outside the Fortress of Akká on the Syrian coast, there died a few months since, a famous Persian sage, the Babi Saint, named Bahá’u’lláh—the “Glory of God”—the head of that vast reform part of Persian Moslems, who accept the New Testament as the Word of God and Christ as the Deliverer of men, who regard all nations as one, and all men as brothers. Three years ago he was visited by a Cambridge scholar and gave utterance to sentiments so noble, so Christ-like, that we repeat them as our closing words: ‘That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religions should cease and differences of race be annulled. What harm is there in this? Yet so it shall be. These fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the Most Great Peace shall come. Do not you in Europe need this also? Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind.”
IN THE interpretation of the lives, characters, and words of the Founders and Expounder of the Bahá’i Movement, Mr. Ferguson’s point of view has caused him to give not only an inadequate but misleading picture. In touching here and there the lives and words of anyone it is very difficult to give an all-round fair impression, but where one’s object is to find amusing material in lives that were essentially
noble and heroic, to treat lightly lives and words that are vital, earnest and serious, it is, we think, impossible to give a true, an accurate picture.
The testimony of those who have known these historic figures at first hand, whether believers or non-believers, except those influenced by fanatical religious prejudice, show that they were men of rare intellectual power and saintly character commanding veneration and winning love, often even from would-be enemies. As they were many-sided, so their appeal was many-sided, and we find them respected by the influential and mighty and loved by the poor and ignorant.
Of ’Abdu’l-Bahá Dr. J. E. Esselmont says: “From the beginning of the British occupation large numbers of soldiers and Government officials of all ranks, even the highest, sought interviews with ’Abdu’l-Bahá, delighting in His illuminating talks, His breadth of view and depth of insight, His dignified courtesy and genial hospitality.” Such respect paid to Him during His life and the homage shown Him at His death by believers and non-believers alike indicate that He was a man of rare endowment and saintly character.
Neither the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh nor ’Abdu’l-Bahá were ordinary men, seeking self-aggrandizement by the founding of a cult. The Báb met a martyr’s death willingly, joyfully. Of Him Professor Ross of University College, London says, “His wonderful life needs no comment. If ever a life spoke for itself, it is the Báb’s with its simplicity, integrity and unswerving devotion to the Truth that was born in Him.”
Professor T. K. Cheyne, Oxford professor and world-famous Bible student said of Him: “His combination of mildness and power is so rare that we have to place Him in a line with super-normal men.” And these are but two of many such testimonies as to the purity and power of the Báb’s life.
Of the compelling majesty and kingliness, of the gentleness and selflessness of Bahá’u’lláh there is abundant testimony, while friends and enemies alike bear witness to His knowledge, wisdom and power. His writings show forth truth, justice, a yearning love, mercy. His entire life was one of complete self-abnegation. He sacrificed worldly possessions and comforts, and endured untold suffering and hardship. What was the source of this superhuman strength, power and courage?
His message is a call for world peace based on a plea for world brotherhood, emphasizing the necessity for universal education, the freeing ourselves from racial, religious and national prejudices, the establishment of economic justice as auxiliary to and necessary for bringing about the international peace and harmony which has been the dream of prophets, poets and idealists for centuries.
But it is not Bahá’u’lláh’s call to universal peace that such people as Mr. Ferguson object to. Mr. Ferguson puts his finger on the heart of the matter when he says, referring to their stand for peace: “What they (the Bahá’is) have done is not so absurd as the reason they give for doing it.” The objection is that Bahá’u’lláh has given this message, so sorely needed by and so well fitted to the
modern world, as one inspired by God, one who fulfills the prophecies of all religions and one who has come to unite all religions.
Whether this belief is true or false is a claim which can be settled neither by argument nor by ridicule. Each individual must question and search and decide for himself. There are many who are not satisfied to dismiss this question lightly.
THERE ARE OF necessity all shades and degrees of belief as to just what is meant by a Messenger of God and special revelation and as to how the Spirit of God works to bring about a better world. The Bahá’is feel only respect for all who are sincerely seeking to cooperate in bringing about this better world, whatever their particular belief.
But does not the world need Divine Guidance in order to bring about this better world that we all long for? Devoted followers of Christ believe that the true Christ spirit applied to the present world problems will solve them. In Bahá’u’lláh and His teaching we find this Christ spirit with fresh and recreating power. Many both ignorant and learned believe that the Christ must come again.
In Bahá’u’lláh is the Christ spirit come again. Bahá’u’lláh has given a message lofty and ennobling, peculiarly adapted to the present needs of the world. It has already brought light and life to thousands of souls. It is uniting Jew, Muhammadan and Christian. Is it fitting to treat slightingly the Messenger or speak lightly of the message? Is not Light good in whatsoever lamp it is burning?
Recognizing Bahá’u’llah’s power and sainthood, Professor T. K. Cheyne says, “If there has been any Prophet in recent times, it is to Bahá’u’lláh that we must go. Character is the final judge. Bahá’u’llah was a man of the highest class—that of the Prophets.”
Of the illumined character and penetrating power of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, Dr. Esselmont finds but one explanation:
“The more we study the lives and teachings of the Báb and Bahá’u’llàh and the progress of the movement they founded, the more impossible does it seem to find any explanation of their greatness, except the one put forward by themselves, namely, Divine Inspiration. They were reared in an atmosphere of fantacism and bigotry. They had only the most elementary education. They had no contact with western culture; no political or financial power to back them. The great ones of earth ignored or opposed them. They were shut up in prison and their books burned. They had no help but that of God, yet already their triumph is manifest and magnificent.”
Briefly then these inspired Bahá’i Prophets bring this message as a remedy for “The Confusion of Tongues”—
That we are living at the dawn of a New Age of Universal Peace.
That nothing but sincere love and altruism among nations and individuals can bring about this Age of Peace. “Science cannot create amity in human hearts. Neither can patriotism or racial prejudice effect a remedy. It must be accomplished solely through the Divine Bounties and Spiritual Bestowals which have descended from God in this Day for that purpose.”
If we have hearing ears we may hear the music from this dawning Age of Peace instead of the discord of “The Confusion of Tongues.”
