| ←Index | Star of the West Volume 23 - Issue 1 |
Issue 2→ |
 Proofread onceReturn to PDF view
|
We are working hard to have proofread and nicely formatted text for you to read. Here is our progress on this section:
|
| VOL. 23 | APRIL, 1932 | No. 1 |
THE BAHA'I TEMPLE
LEADERS of religion, exponents of political theories, governors of human institutions, who at present are witnessing with perplexity and dismay the bankruptcy of their ideas, and the disintegration of their handiwork, would do well to turn their gaze to the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, and to meditate upon the World Order which, lying enshrined in His teachings, is slowly and imperceptibly rising amid the welter and chaos of present-day civilization. They need have no doubt or anxiety regarding the nature, the origin or validity of the institutions which the adherents of the Faith are building up throughout the world. For these lie embedded in the teachings themselves, unadulterated and unobscured by unwarrantable inferences, or unauthorized interpretations of His Word."
| VOL. 23 | APRIL, 1932 | NO. 1 |
| Page | |
The New Age, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá | 15 |
Editorial, Stanwood Cobb | 3 |
Secretary Wilbur on World Problems, Howard C. Ives | 6 |
Letters Home (China), Keith Ransom-Kehler | 10 |
Disarmament Conference and the Extraordinary Session of the League of Nations, Martha L. Root | 15 |
The Bahá’i Temple, Dr. Zia Bagdadi | 20 |
Jews, Catholics and Protestants Confer, Louis G. Gregory | 23 |
Seeking and Finding by One Who Has “Sought” and “Found“ | 27 |
The Old Order Changeth, Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick | 30 |
STANWOOD COBB | Editor |
MARIAM HANEY | Associate Editor |
BERTHA HYDE KIRKPATRICK | Assistant Editor |
MARGARET B. MCDANIEL | Business Manager |
Great Britain, Mrs. Annie B. Romer; Persia, Mr. A. Samimi; Japan and China, Miss Agnes B. Alexander; Egypt, Mohamed Moustafa Effendi; International, Miss Martha L. Root.
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 The Baha'i
Magazine, 1112 Shoreham Bldg., 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.
--PHOTO--
A modern Chinese wedding, Shanghai, July 15, 1931, uniting S. F. Wang, professor of political science and Miss Yeetsun Yen, teacher of ethics. Dr. Y. S. Tsao, a Bahá’i friend and author of several articles on the Bahá’i Cause, officiated.
| VOL. 23 | APRIL, 1932 | NO. 1 |
and amity amongst mankind. it establishes communication between various nations and religions. It removes all antagonisms. And when this Cause is fully spread . . . warfare will be a thing of the past, universal peace will be realized, the oneness of the world of humanity will be recognized, and religion and science will
work hand in hand."—‘Abdu’l-Bahá.TO WHAT kind of leadership should we entrust the world today in this period of catastrophe and gloom? Economists are beginning to see that to entrust the leadership of society to the institution of “Business” has proved a flat failure. The great organizations of commerce, industry and banking–all motivated by desire for profit–have for a prolonged period displayed such efficiency of management and production as to almost give promise of establishing a permanent civilization assuring prosperity and comfort to the average individual. Yet just at the point at which this average prosperity was becoming the most striking economic phenomenon in the history of mankind, the whole structure collapsed; and this downfall of the economic structure was due to the very same force which had caused its marvelous erection–the desire for profit.
It is one thing to start in motion the machinery of production. This is easily done through the force of individualistic self-seeking, which has dominated not only our business life but far too basically the whole structure of our civilization. This force is sufficient to set in motion the wheels of industry. But it seems to be powerless to regulate
production and distribution in any sane or safe way. So long as business holds the reins, and greed is the chief motive for action, civilization will undergo periodic man-made catastrophies presumably of ever increasing fatality.
NO, IT IS not the business world
motivated by profit-making which
should be granted leadership in our
civilization. The world can be
made safe only by relegating business
to its proper role of subservance
to general prosperity and
welfare.
But what force is there great enough to gain ascendancy over the self-seeking motives of man and establish an organization based on justice, mutuality and sympathy for the needs of the masses? In other words, a civilization based upon the Golden Rule. What can accomplish such a miracle, save the power of religion? This is just what religion is for! It is the master emotion which alone can dominate all the petty self-seeking and disruptive emotions of man. It has done this in the past. It can do it again.
Where shall we look, however, for this Spiritual Force capable of salvaging humanity from the many misfortunes into which it has been plunged by its own self-seeking?
Is any existing religion vital enough today to stem the tide of selfishness, of rancor, of economic and military warfare? Is there any religion capable of establishing unity, not only within one country but between all the races and religions of the world? Is there any movement visible to us which is capable of establishing a world brotherhood based upon mutuality, understanding and love; thus abolishing warfare and establishing an era of universal peace and prosperity?
Yes, there is a movement which promises just this—the Bahá’i Movement for universal peace and for universal religion. Here we have a forceful and pure teaching free from all traditional dogma, free from the accretions of man-made theology; with platform of principles designed to put into effect the perfect civilization, and with a dynamic power capable of attracting human beings of every race, religion or cultural background.
THE BAHA’I Movement has been successfully operative in the hearts of men of many races and religions for now long over half a century and has amply demonstrated its great unifying power and its ability to change human lives, making effective upon earth those principles of conduct which all Founders of religion have preached to humanity but which fail to be expressed in the old age of every great institutionalized religion.
If any of the great world religions, grown hoary with age, could effect this salvaging of humanity, there would be no need of The Bahá’i Movement; and we should
indeed welcome such a manifestation of vitality on the part of the old and now standardized religions. But everywhere we look today, we find that institutionalized religion is expressing, not the pure Voice of God for this age, but the spirit of its environing community. In other words, we find the Church divided upon all the vital issues of the day. There is no unity of concept, or unity of action. Throughout Christendom, as the poet puts it: “The world is too much with us; late and soon, getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.”
It is because the secular world has too much impinged upon the world of religion that this latter department of human living has lost its dynamic and directive power. When that day comes that the Church is the expression of man’s intelligence and good will rather than the expression of God’s vision, then the Church loses its power to re-make human lives and re-form humanity. It is always at such a point as this that a new religious movement springs up. The Divine Power invades again the heart of humanity to impell it to greater heights of spiritual and cultural progress. This has happend always in the past. It is happening today, in the spiritual resurgence on this planet known as The Bahá’i Movement.
THE REVELATION of Bahá’u’lláh
gives us the perfect plan for a new
civilization that shall be founded on
absolute justice, equity, mercy, love
and service. A universal civilization,
not particular to one nation or
one race, but spreading its beneficence
over all the world.
Where can we find elsewhere a
Force capable of bringing all the religions and races together? Existing religions, seeking to convert the whole world to their fold, must first demonstrate to rival religionists that their faiths are inferior to the propagandist’s faith. For instance, if Christian missionaries would win Muhammadans to Christianity, they must demonstrate to the Muhammadan that however good their own religion may be, Christianity is much superior. Conversely a Muhammadan seeking to win over a Christian to his religion would have to make a like claim of superiority and finality for Islam.
Now the loyalty of human nature is such that while many Christians recognize that there are splendid qualities in the Faith of Islam, there are very few, if any, who renounce Christianity to become Muhammadans. Similarly, while many enlightened Muhammadans today admire the teachings of Christ, they are not inclined to renounce Islam in order to become Christians. So we see that no existing religion has the possibility of converting the whole world to its fold. Religious unity for the world cannot come about in such a way.
NOW THE miracle of The Bahá’i
Movement is that it calls upon no
one to renounce the authority of
his own religion. It does not have
to demonstrate to any religionist a
falseness in his ancestral faith.
Rather it calls upon him to recognize
the reality and completion of
his own religion in this resurgence
of spiritual Force which has come to the world through the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá said during one of my visits to Him at Haifa, in answer to the query of a missionary conference in Edinburgh “Does the Bahá’i religion seek to supercede Christianity?” “No, the Bahá’i Movement does not supercede Christianity but completes it and carries out its meaning.”
So does the Bahá’i movement also carry out and complete the meaning of Muhammadanism, of Zoroastrianism, of Judaism, of Buddhism, of Confucianism. We witness therefore the marvellous phenomenon that adherents of all of these great world religions are becoming Bahá’is. They do so because they see in the Bahá’i Movement the true fruition of their own religion. And on becoming Bahá’is they become brothers—one and all members of a great and loving Universal Family pledged and destined to bring universal brotherhood, universal peace, and universal prosperity to mankind.
The Bahá’i Faith is not a separatist movement. It has no desire to work in rivalry with other religions, or to prove any religion inferior or faulty. It has but one aim. This aim is to bring to earth the Kingd m of God, and to establish on this planet the Divine Civilization promised by all the Great Ones of the past. This is its aim. And its brief history has already given abundant testimony of its power of achieving this lofty and unparalleled goal for humanity.
DR. WILBUR received me in his office on the sixth floor of the great building devoted to the Department of the Interior. He laid aside his work and greeted me with courtesy and attention. After expressing my appreciation of his willingness to give me time from his busy day I explained the object of my call.
“What is your hope regarding the possible harmonizing of the various discordant elements making up the factors of our modern civilization?
“The Bahá’i Magazine represents a Movement whose members in all the countries, nations and races of the world are working towards harmony and mutual understanding, and the gradual building up of international peace and cooperation. In your opinion can this be brought about, and how?”
“The situation is this,” he said,—and it is evidently distinctive of the man that not a moment was lost in discursive remarks “the world has suddenly been thrown into a neighborhood and the problem is so to adjust these new and untried relations as to function without serious friction. This is a difficult matter, for the human race, either as individuals or families or national groups, are not ruled by their intellects but by their emotions. Consequently the average man, or group of men, in any sudden stress of events, does not stop to consider the wisest and best thing to do under the circumstances, but is
swayed by the passions or feelings of the moment. This course is almost invariably taken even when the results of such action are clearly seen by the unimpassioned observer to have quite disastrous results. If your next door neighbor encroaches a few inches on your property in a building operation your first impulse is to push him back where he belongs. His natural impulse is to enforce his claim. You both are moved primarily not by calm judicial judgments but by emotional reactions. The probable result is that you both go to extreme lengths, even to the extent of mortgaging your properties to pay attorney fees, whereas wisdom would clearly dictate a calm settlement of the difficulty by friendly discussion. The fact that the final best interests of both parties are best served by mutual concessions and the maintenance of good-will does not weigh at all under the emotional stress of the occasion, and the further you are carried by this emotional wave the more difficult it is to draw back or to recover the ground of calm reason.
“Now if this is true between neighbors speaking the same language and living under the same government and social and religious institutions, how much greater is the problem when international relations are involved in which the disputants are controlled emotionally by differing racial and religious backgrounds and subject to different governments, laws and institutions.
“This is the situation in the world today. World commerce; world intercommunication; world relations as a whole have suddenly taken the place of the local, limited, provincial relations of the past: But men have not been able to adjust their emotional reactions or their intellectual processes to this new situation. Naturally the difficulties increase with the complexities, and the complexities are inevitable with the increasing number of factors in the situation.”
“HOW SHALL we deal with these
complex problems,” I asked, “when
the national and racial interests are
so varied and often so antagonistic?
In talking with thoughtful people in
all walks of life I find that all are
pretty well agreed as to the problem
and the difficulties in adjusting
its factors harmoniously, but none
has any practical plan for dealing
comprehensively with these complexities.
Yet it is plain to all that
some world plan is needed.”
“It must be a more or less gradual evolution,” Dr. Wilbur replied, “we can note progress year by year. Thirty years ago if such a situation had arisen as has lately confronted us in the Far East everybody would have taken sides and joined in the fray. But in this case world opinion was focussed in a judicial body and the serious nature of the result was minimized, if not averted.”
”WE ARE deeply interested in advancing
harmonious relations between
the various races of the
world,” I said. “The Bahá’i
Movement takes the scientific attitude
that the various races sprang
from one common stock and that
prejudice based upon color, habits or racial characteristics has no basis of fact. Do you consider that the future of the human race can be adjusted to an harmonious relationship?“
“The secret of the whole racial difficulty,” he replied, “lies in the fact that the various races have been mixed up too suddenly. The world has been thrown into one neighborhood so quickly, with so little preparation, or with none, that the various peoples and races have had their attention focussed upon each other’s defects rather than upon their good qualities. Take the Negro in this country, for instance, within fifty years his status has been changed from chattel slavery to equality in citizenship. If while this process of adjustment was going on we had had to contend with a dominant characteristic in the negro temperament of moroseness, sourness, rebellious meanness, think what a tragic situation we should have had. On the contrary we see in the Negro race the characteristic attitude of cheerfulness, happy reactions to conditions even when most trying, a more or less radiant acceptance of the situation coupled with a determined will to overcome it. Surely this is a most admirable characteristic and one that the white race might well emulate. Now if our race could emphasize this quality and teach it to their children, while endeavoring to teach the Negro more and more of those qualities which have so aided their own racial advancement, harmony would very quickly be brought about. This is increasingly being recognized and practiced. So with the Chinese and the other races of humanity. The
Chinese civilization dates back four thousand years or more. Surely this must be due to inherent qualities of a very high order. Let us investigate these qualities and try to emulate them.”
AT THIS point I ventured: “You
have spoken of the fact that men’s
actions are invariably determined
by their emotions rather than by
their mental processes. Is it not
probable, then, that the final adjustment
of world psychology to the
idea of racial, national, religious,
social and economic solidarity and
harmony will come through what
we might call a great revival of
pure religion? For instance, to accept
the historicity of the Mosaic
tradition for the moment, if we
could imagine a modern Moses
bringing to the world as a whole
a code of laws adaptable to conditions
now facing us; a code founded
upon the eternal basis of love and
good-will, but adapting this principle
practically to a world suddenly
thrown into these new and untried
relationships, would not this
provide that very emotional appeal
of which you have spoken as the dominating
influence in human motivation?”
I had previously handed to Dr. Wilbur a copy of the Bahá’i Magazine and he had said that he was to some extent familiar with the Movement.
He indicated, in answer to my question, that such an appeal might be effective but plainly was wondering how this could be brought about. I continued, for I was anxious to secure his opinion on the practicability of the Divine Plan: “This is exactly what the Bahá’is of the world are concerned in. We believe
that a great and divinely appointed Leader has appeared whose function it is to apply the eternal laws and the eternal springs of action to the new social, scientific, religious, economic and international relationships. And this large and constantly increasing group of men and women in all parts of the world are assured that Bahá’u’lláh has actually provided a code of laws, a plan of action, an architectural blue-print, so to speak, of and for this new Social World Order.”
I then briefly sketched the framework of this World Order as now being established by Shoghi Effendi: the Local House of Justice; the National House of Justice and the soon-to-be-established International House of Justice, and touched upon the functions of each as being adapted to bring order and harmony out of the existing chaos and strife.
“The only answer possible to that outline of your world program is that the world can only wait and see,” he said. “If there is sufficient power, sufficient spiritual appeal, sufficient sacrificial service to the cause of suffering humanity, so that the minds and actions and, above all, the emotions of any considerable numbers of the peoples of the world are swayed by this ideal then it will take root and no one can predict the result.”
“Do you think it possible or
feasible to organize a United States
of the World on the lines of our
Federal Government, or as M.
Briand advanced the idea of a
United States of Europe?”
“This is a political question”, he answered, “and politics, we should always remember, is a constantly
changing factor in human affairs. We should try to visualize humanity as an ever-flowing stream in which the generations come and go but Humanity flows on. In this stream the changing generations evolve constantly new experiments to deal with changing conditions. What we call politics is one of these experiments. We must deal with conditions as they occur, and we must use the means which humanity finds at its hand at the moment, and be practical in doing this. But we must never forget that the Goal of all endeavor is the betterment of the race as a whole in its ever onward march.”
“DO YOU consider the hope for
the unification of the world a reasonable
one?
“I prefer the word, harmonize rather than unification, he answered. “To unify implies a much longer and more difficult process than to harmonize. Unity implies amalgamation, whereas harmony implies a spiritual brotherhood while allowing an infinite diversity in the free expression of individual, social and national characteristics.”
This so closely paralleled Abdu’l-Bahá’s own words that I was much impressed.
“Do you anticipate great upheavels in world conditions in the process of this harmonious adjustment?” I asked: “Is it possible, do you think, for men to learn to forget their selfish, isolated, provincial
attitudes in the light of a larger, more enlightened, more harmonious relationship, without going through some pretty severe tuitional stress?”
“Such lessons may be learned,” he answered, “without extremes of hardship. It is true that we all, nations as well as individuals, advance in wisdom and culture by steps more or less difficult of negotiation, but we must hope that mankind will learn this lesson without too great trials.”
“You are hopeful, then, that the world of humanity will surely attain to an harmonious world relationship?“
“I am certainly an optimist,” Dr. Wilbur said, “I feel assured that we have not advanced as far as we have on this road without attaining some feeling of security that that advance will continue. I cannot imagine that the thoughtful people of the world would consent to the governments and those responsible for world affairs taking any backward steps.”
On this note I took my leave, greatly impressed with the breadth of view, the humanitarian spirit and practical wisdom of the Secretary of the Interior. He did not quote the following words from Ralph Waldo Emerson, but they fit very appropriately into the atmosphere surrounding his last words: “Shall we not trust the Power which has guided us so tenderly and taught us so much, secure that the future shall be worthy of the past?”
“The great question appertaining to humanity is religion. The first condition is that man must intelligently investigate its foundations. The second condition is that he must admit and acknowledge the oneness of the world of humanity. By this means the attainment of true fellowship among mankind is assured and the alienation of races and individuals is prevented. All must be considered the servants of God. all must recognize God as the one kind Protector and Creator.”
This is the second of a series of letters from the pen of Mrs. Ransom-Kehler describing her missionary tours in the Far East. The first letter was on Nikko and Japan, published in the January number.
WHAT a glorious thing it is to be a Bahá’i and know that wherever you go there will always be those who extend a loving welcome; what a moving experience always to see the eager smiling upturned faces of Bahá’is waiting to greet you as you sail into the ports of the world.
Yes, there she is: Fung Ling Liu, my charming young Chinese friend, sister of a Cantonese Bahá’i, Mr. C. S. Liu, former Director of the Bureau of Agriculture, now President of the Agricultural College of Sun Yat Sen University. Miss Liu has just taken her Master’s degree at the University of Michigan and received her appointment as Professor of history at Ling Nan University in her native city of Canton.
We drove about Hong Kong until time for the afternoon train.
Before these first contacts with China I felt like a cat in a library or a canary bird in an observation car. China is the comprehender not the comprehended. Vast, mysterious, swarming, imperturbable, materialistic, detached, casual, intense, chaotic, ordered, completely paradoxical and baffling, China remains changeless in grandeur or ruin, in victory or defeat, in affluence or poverty. She absorbs whatever goes against her, and scattered through her wide domains we see strange evidences of the forgotten back-wash of alien tribes and peoples lingering on amidst her impervious culture like stranded galleons
attesting a misprized adventure.
Where there are more things than men science flourishes; where there are more men than things philosophy develops. China comprises a fourth part of this earth’s population, and her four hundred million people are meditative, resigned.
But as if to chastise me for daring to draw conclusions about the infinite, for such China is, so far as a human survey goes, I am challenged by all of the modern evidences of China’s eager progress.
It is no use. China is something to experience, not to describe.
Suddenly we passed out of the modern British squares and parks, for Hong Kong is a possession of Great Britain, surrounded by China after the Boxer uprising. Without preparation we drove over the Bund or waterfront, and for the first time I was confronted with the actual pragmatic meaning of Chinese population; for the face of the waters was literally packed with tiny covered junks which are the only homes known to the thousands who inhabit them.
Both my mind and heart played me the most dangerous trick, for I could neither think nor feel, just for a moment, that this seething mass was actually human; identities were so obscured by gigantic multiplication, personalities so obliterated in their problematic immensity that it took a very definite act of imagination to remember that
in the squalor and deprivation, before the lidless gaze of the passing public, in spaces the size of closets, men and women were struggling and hoping; borrowing and lending; heeding the ceaseless cry of hunger; marrying and giving in marriage; bringing forth their young; a poignant pulsating part of that strange drama “of laughter and despair, of beauty and passion, of having and losing that the soul calls life.”
Trying to express the sudden catch of marvel and revulsion that seized me at the sight of my fellow-beings huddled like muskrats on a raft, it was evident that to Ling it was a “conditioned reflex” which seemed as natural to her as graft and gangsters seem to us: Terrible? Yes—but; c’est la vie.
Our train was scheduled to leave Kowloon, the port of Hong Kong, for Canton at four o’clock. At five minutes to four we stepped from the ferry and rushed to the baggage check room to redeem my mountainous luggage and get it aboard the train. You cannot travel round the world, in every kind of climate, without being prepared for every exigency; while Bahá’i literature is cumbersome, heavy and indispensible.
I have heard that the principal products of New Zealand are wool, butter and scenery. The principal products of China are rice, rickshas and people, so you are never at a loss to get help. Half a dozen coolies sprang up by magic and started running with packages and parcels for the train. We were making fair progress when a troublesome customs official spoiled our plans by insisting on a scrutiny of the short and simple flannels of the poor.
While in Shanghai, Mr. Touty, a devout and devoted Bahá’i, had presented me, on behalf of the Shanghai friends, with the most gorgeous basket of flowers that I have ever received or ever seen. It was enormous and very heavy, for it was filled with earth. And this was a conspicuous part of my equipment.
Not even deigning to go back I left poor Ling to struggle With the customs official which she did so effectually that in a few moments back they all came running; having commandeered a truck from somewhere out of the way, for no effort is made in China to save human brawn.
Accommodating spectators picked up the smaller lighter cases, scattered like chaff from the flying hand-car, and tossed them on to the platform after us. “Six, seven, eight, nine and the flowers,” I panted breathlessly as the train began to move.
The conductor took no pains to conceal his displeasure. “Take it off the platform” he commanded. There was not a seat to be had—not one; the racks were crowded; so suit cases, hat boxes, packages and flowers were piled in a formidable heap just inside the door; in endless procession guards, waiters, officials, and passengers, propelled by that Oriental restlessness that fosters a kind of perpetual motion, scaled them for half an hour.
At last, in self defense I suppose, (we were travelling second) the conductor led us to a compartment in the first-class with four affluent American sailors; they handled the embarrassing baggage like toothpicks and gave me a sense of security amidst the unusual situation.
Of course this all seems very trivial, but to me it is significant as illustrating the Chinese temperament. In the first place to hold any rank in China, even that of brakeman or conductor, is of superlative importance, and he must have service and assistance befitting his station. So for no good reason assignable to Americans the conductor whose duties seemed to require a constant patrol of the train, was accompanied by two and sometimes three assistants. When they first came to the pile of luggage stopping the passage way, “this can’t stand here” he said. But assuring himself with a glance, that there was no place else to put it, during all the succeeding trips until he found us a place, he and the other officials climbed over it without the slightest notice, as if it were part of the stationary equipment. The Chinese accepts with absolute patience and resignation conditions that cannot be remedied.
Canton is a purely Chinese city. Whatever improvements we see here are of Chinese origin, not foreign, as in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
My host Mr. C. S. Liu who embraced the Cause on hearing Jenabe Fazel while an undergraduate at Cornell, is a young man of exceptional capacity who has contributed much to the advancement of agricultural practice and enlightenment among the farmers of China. “I feel”, he said, “that I can best serve the Bahá’i Cause here by improving the agrarian situation.” He showed me a survey that, as Director of the Agricultural Bureau, he had compiled giving valuable data and suggestions to the farmers. He had propagated a new
rice that would double the increase over other varieties.
He had been married only a few months to a charming and talented young Chinese girl, who speaking little English, would retire with Ling to talk over personal things, while Mr. Liu and I sat night after night discussing China, her problems, the Bahá’i Cause and world affairs.
By a skillful guidance that was almost feminine he had in a few conversations adroitly turned me from my superficial preconceptions and given me a more penetrating approach to the Chinese psychology and character.
Of course I was horrified, as the Occidental must always be, at the casual value set on human life and human effort. Never before have I felt such a veneration for brawn and muscle. Here is a sinister standard of the equality between men and women, for all through the streets they are hitched up together—old women and young men, old men and young girls—hauling great wagon loads of sand, brick or mortar. For every horse and automobile pulling in the streets there seemed to be a hundred human beings. Labor saving devices are unknown; and I felt an actual awe as I realized that all the great civilizations that had been built, before the coming of Bahá’u’lláh into the world, had sprung from the expenditure of man’s physical energy.
My first reaction was that here was a nation broken and despairing, bereft and unhappy. People do not smile; they look weighed and cheerless. Mr. Liu and I sat talking in the drawing room of his suburban home. They had just moved into a newly finished apartment and the
electric wiring was not yet completed. A brisk typhoon sucked the flame up the lamp chimney and the beautiful painted scrolls that decorated the walls rattled to its boistrous blowing.
“But you cannot judge Chinese character by Occidental standards; enthusiasm and the superficial expression of enjoyment are out of keeping with the Chinese conception of dignity and discipline. Ten years ago there was not a wide paved street in Canton; today you were admiring her endless chain of boulevards. This is not the expression of hopelessness and despair. All that China needs is peace.” He continued: “Canton has equipped expedition after expedition; money that should go into education, road building, industrialization, farm improvement, which would restore confidence and stop banditry, goes for arms and ammunition. China’s revenue is enormous and a few years of peace would find her solving all her ancient preblems.”
Reverence for age, respect for the opinions of others, regard for personal rights, that would enable a Chinese to put aside his own pressing business while he waited for someone to finish a game or to point a discussion, impressed me more and more as I took a deeper scrutiny of these remarkable and, to us, mysterious beings. In one aspect they seem like the French—casual, logical, cynical; in another they remind me of Americans.
Having just left Japan the contrast was even more impressive; for in Japan the human equation is of the utmost importance. When you enter a Japanese shop or restaurant an event of importance has transpired! You have arrived!
Everybody bows and stands at attention. But entering a Chinese shop is much like going into an American place of business; nobody is impressed with your presence nor seems to care whether you are there or somewhere else.
From China we have derived silk, porcelain, tea, portable block-printing, gun powder and the mariner’s compass. Splendid in her sumptuous advancement when Europe, a primeval forest, was populated by barbarians, she is not content to dream of her past, but is already turning her endless energies into new channels of expression. For never at any moment has China been lethargic; a lazy Chinese is inconceivable; to support nearly half a billion human beings on her limited territory means intense and endless toil.
An energetic and industrious people, they seem gifted with the physical strength of the superman. They never look lean or emaciated; in the squalor and struggle they look muscular, healthy, well set-up. Ricksha coolies earn about a dollar a day, which at the present rate of exchange is seventeen cents. Exhausted as they must be after such strenuous work you see them bathing and washing their clothes in the hot season only a loin cloth.
The Chinese are the bankers and merchants of the Orient. The women are sometimes more gifted than the men in commercial pursuits. An interesting example of this was Madame Liu, mother of my friends and of eight other equally intelligent and competent children. They hold among them degrees from Wellesley, Smith, Columbia, Yale, Bryn-Mawr, Cornell and Michigan, and are occupying
positions of importance and trust throughout China. Madame Liu was born into a family of Christian converts but not before her feet had been broken in accordance with the ancient Chinese custom. Due to the revolution, this, together with the queue and the former costume, have been abolished.
Her husband, Dr. Liu, a renowned Cantonese physician and classmate of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, died some years ago having sacrificed his property through a mistaken investment. This tiny, frail, little lily-footed woman was left to rear and educate several of the children. Through wise and shrewd investments she has built and owns a fine three-story residence in the heart of Canton and is now quite independent, through her own efforts. What American woman of middle age could exceed that accomplishment? On her pathetic broken feet she could always out distance me on my sound ones. And she had that same open mind and candid inquiry that is a Chinese trait.
“You must tell me more about the Bahá’i Movement,” she said. Ling translated and once again I regretted the language barrier that separates us from our fellows. After giving those proofs and evidences that establish Bahá’u’lláh as the Promised One for whom the world has been waiting, she said,
“I must continue my inquiry until I know the truth. The terrible mistakes of the past were due to men’s blindness and ignorance. The gravest results may follow from keeping one’s mind closed to truth.”
Bravo! Gallant and courageous little lady! Formulating, I prayed, the new outlook of the quickened womanhood of the world. In the course of the conversation she disavowed being educated; “But,” Ling quickly interpolated, “She knows and remembers the classics much better than we do.”
The spell of China is ineffaceable. I have not told you of my visit in Shanghai, nor of my contact with the radiant group of Bahá’is there, for that must be a recital of its own.
There is something indescribably poignant and living about the blue of the Chinese sky, a delicate self-effacing blue like the color of old Canton porcelain, but withal a depth so vast, so calm, that you feel it reflected in her people. Art, poetry, resignation and a vital persistence, the quaint, the inspiring and the hopeful reside in that changeless azure.
With a great pang of reluctance I left China, as she works out a new and fitting destiny under her quiet sky.
“O people of God! Be not occupied with yourselves. Be intent on the betterment of the world and the training of nations.”
Miss Root gives us here an inspiring report of the above Conferences as seen through Bahá'i eyes. She was not only present at these sessions, but met some of the delegates and sent them Bahá'i books. Some of the delegates invited her to call, and a few called upon her. Several of them she had met in her sojourns in the different continents.
DEAR reader, stop and catch your breath and together let us see if we have the capacity, the insight, to grasp what has taken place here in Geneva, Switzerland from February second until today, at this Disarmament Conference March eighteen, 1932; and with it this Extraordinary Session of the League of Nations called at the request of China. Are they the beginning of the Parliament of Man-not a perfect Parliament of Man as outlined by Bahá’u’lláh—but the greatest attempt in this direction that the world has yet witnessed.
Picture how we came to Geneva, succeeded in getting tickets for the sessions; how we stood in line for three hours waiting for the doors to open for this world-heralded Disarmament Conference. Sixty nations, representing one billion seven hundred million people who are spending twenty-five billions of dollars a year for military preparedness, have sent their delegates here to find a way to reduce these armaments. Experts have been ten years getting ready for this event.
The doors swing open, and we soon find ourselves in an upper gallery in the centre of Geneva’s largest hall. It is a good vantage-ground. Leaning over, we can see below us the President, Mr. Arthur
Henderson, and we can look directly into the eyes of the delegates from fifty-nine countries and one “observer country.” The world’s peace has been viewed for six thousand years from the periphery, but in this moment we see it at its center!
No matter what comes, this Disarmament Conference will be a phenomenal success esoterically, because through it the consciousness of the world is awakened to the necessity and to the possibility of realizing universal peace. The principles of Bahá’u’lláh for a New World Order, enunciated more than sixty years ago, are beginning to be worked out. Old ideas are passing, private wars for private gain are being criticized. Four great empire governments destroyed during the world war, the German Empire, the Russian Empire, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, and the Turkish Empire, have nationals in this audience who proclaim a passionate will to peace. They and the thirteen new countries formed since that world crash have a new outlook. This Disarmament Conference shows a group of fine delegates sent from every part of the globe. For them just to see one another, to hear one another’s aims for disarmament and peace, is a big help to world understanding. The moulders
of world politics are present too, countries have sent some of their greatest statesmen.
As the days go by, and we hear the speeches, we may well ask ourselves: Is this a solemn Tribunal or is it only a remarkable oratorical contest? Is it in reality the dawn of that Golden Age of all the centuries, when men will have the courage to arise and speak for pure justice and the welfare of humanity?
It isn’t quite any of these, yet it is the first beginnings of all of them! The searchlights of world public opinion have so flashed on these meetings that possibly some big nations who used to find the secret sessions very convenient to talk over what they would not care to say outright, have felt it more necessary to speak openly. This frank, open consultation is one of the principles of the new day.
The small nations, every one of them, have had the courage to speak on the necessity of keeping international agreements already made and not condoning the deeds of nations who break them. For the first time in history, the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh that all countries large and small should be represented and be heard equally, is being realized. (Not quite all, but nearly all countries are represented here.) And all countries have some delegates who stand like Gibraltars for peace. Some indeed have voiced a very high spiritual note. Bahá’is will be interested to know that a few of the delegates either are Bahá’is or at least have heard and approved the universal principles of Bahá’u’lláh for world peace*
* A few of the delegates personally said to the writer that it was most fitting to look into these Baha'i Teachings at the time of this Conference.
ONE DOES not need to know or ask by what names the following delegates call their religions, but here are some of the high lights of spirit: Mr. Eduard Benes, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Czechoslovakia, quoted his countryman Comenius, “‘Therefore, you ambassadors of peace, if you fully deserve your name, bear in mind not only the plans of mankind, but also the plans of God; consider not only what your kings demand of you, but also, what the King of Kings demands of you, and take as your goal, not war but peace.’
“Our present enterprise,“ Mr. Benes continued, “is not a mere human undertaking; it is destined to become historic, immortal in the annals of mankind, either by its success or failure—to overlap generations and to outlive the political preoccupations of men and parties and the local and national institutions that exist in our day.”
The delegate from Spain, Mr. Luis de Zulueta Escolano, Minister of Foreign Affairs said: “In order to abolish war, which is international anarchy, we must create international order—We say with the utmost deference for the nations concerned, that until the United States of America and the Soviet Union have joined the League, it is difficult to imagine how total disarmament can be brought about.—I would remind my colleagues that the Spanish delegation has been engaged upon this question from the standpoint of the predominant part which the press should take in moral disarmament. We have also stressed the importance we attach
to the co-operation of women, and the Conference will very soon be consulted on the proposals submitted to it by the Council, on our recommendation for ensuring the collaboration of women in this work of peace, on which they have expended so much effort.”
Mr. Salvador de Madariaga, Ambassador of Spain, in an informal talk spoke of how absurd it would be for the hands, the eyes, the heart or any other members of the human body to work against one another; and that it is just as idle for nations to plot one against another. “When we recognize that we are all parts of one whole, then we are truly morally disarmed.”
Poland took a splendid stand for moral disarmament, saying that simultaneously with this gradual disarmament must come spiritual unarming, an unwillingness to kill, and an absence of rancour. She advocates education for the cure of international hatreds. She has had the insight to go directly to the root of the matter. Metal disarmament good as it is, must go with moral disarmament.
One sentence of President Henderson went straight to the heart: “Some tragedies of life are due to the follies of inaction!”
Another speaker said there is a danger that we shall lose the illumination by which we live.
Mr. Alexandre Malinoff, President of the Sobranje, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria, pointed out that general disarmament must be the final goal; that goal is very difficult, but we may prepare for it by putting aside forever the false and pessimistic idea that war is an inevitable necessity. His own words were: “We must not confine our
efforts to humanizing the methods of war; we must destroy the idea of war itself.”
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Belgium, Mr. Hugh Gibson who spoke for the United States delegation said that the United States had entered this first world conference on the limitation and reduction of armaments with the determination to leave nothing undone to achieve substantial progress. His words were: “The task before the nations of the world is not to minimize the problems, but, fully mindful of them, to gather strength and determination from the conviction that the demand for a regime of international confidence, co-operation and peace will in the end have its way.”
The Persian delegate, Mirza Hussein Khan Ala, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Paris, showed in his speech, that Persia takes a most honorable and liberal stand for disarmament. This head of the Persian delegation pointed out clearly how fate has placed Iran at the world’s crossroads, how she is the connecting link between the east and the west. He emphasized that the thought of peace must be instilled into the consciousness of the world. Almost all of the speakers, (and I am sorry not to mention some of the thoughts from each of their addresses), proved how the masses in all continents are looking to this conference, and hoping that perhaps “through the wise councils and deliberations, this ideal of universal peace may leap forth from the world of words into the arena of actuality,” as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá so ardently proclaimed sometime would come to pass.
A FEATURE for the Disarmament Conferences which has not yet been tried and could with profit be studied, is Bahá’u’lláh’s plan that the delegates should be elected by the people rather than appointed by the particular government in office at the time.
One of the very impressive moments at the Conference was when the delegation representing forty-five millions of the women of the world from fifty-six countries, presented resolutions adopted at that time for actual limitation of armaments and for moral disarmament. Mrs. Laura Dreyfus-Barney took an active part in the work of this delegation.
Mr. Andre Tardieu, president of the French Delegation presented the plan of an international police force. One military delegate said to me that the idea itself is excellent but the result would depend on how wisely it is put into operation. The abolition of military aviation, he said, must go hand in hand with making civil aviation international.
A Bahá’i note was sounded in so many speeches, it must certainly give Bahá’is new courage to see these principles discussed by some people who perhaps never heard the word Bahá’i. The spirit of the new age is in the air. “Be and it is.” So a sure way to peace is the promotion of these universal teachings of Bahá’u’lláh among the diplomats, the press, the educators and the masses.
The peoples of the world, when they understand these teachings, can bring such a pressure to bear, that governments must disarm. The best way to force out darkness is to bring in Light!
THE THREATENED war between Japan and China, if it had to be it was well that it came at the time of this Disarmament Conference and that the Extraordinary Session of the League of Nations was called now, because it showed to all the world how very essential are universal principles for peace.
As a Bahá’i, I see the inner Japan and China, and I know the secret of their coming together as brothers. Visiting Japan in 1930 the head of the Bureau of Religions said to me that Japan was so eager in realizing material progress in civilization that perhaps she had neglected the spiritual civilization. He continued: “Recently our people have become aware of the defects of the past sixty years and they are becoming more conscious of the need of the religious part. There are as many denominations in Japan as in the west. I am sick of denominations, and I consider it very desirable to have all these religions united. If Bahá’ism can succeed in uniting all religions, the Bahá’i Movement will be the ideal of the world.” Many of the great men of Japan were interested in the spiritual advancement of their people.
Count Okuma had said to me on a former visit to Japan: “What the youth of Japan need more than anything else, is pure religion. Not the creeds of the Christians nor the dogmas of the Buddhists, but the pure teachings of Christ and the pure teachings of Buddha. I will study these universal principles of Bahá’u’lláh and if they offer pure religion, I shall teach them to the youth of Japan.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá said of Japan: “Japan will turn ablaze! Japan
with one other country will take the lead in the spiritual reawakening of peoples and nations that the world shall soon witness.” He said how good it would be if a group of Bahá’is could travel through Japan.
China, on the other hand, holds the key to the next few centuries. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said if these universal peace principles could be given to a few of the thinkers of China, they themselves would take them to their people. One day, in New York City, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said to Mr. Mountfort Mills: “If China does not accept these universal peace principles of Bahá’u’lláh, China will become the greatest military power in the world.” But China is taking a deep interest in them, and it is the nations that accept these principles, live them and promote them that will take the lead in the new civilization of the future. There will be great friendships among those nations.
HERE IN Geneva a world drama is
unfolding before our eyes. We
know what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who was
in Geneva in 1911, meant when He
said: “There is a spiritual force
in the Lake of Geneva, there is a
spiritual force in the Lake of Galilee,
and the forces are akin.” It
is here that the League of Nations
has put into reality some of the principles for the Parliament of Man. During the first days of this Disarmament Conference, I thought that if the League came out strongly with the spirit of the Covenant, it might be the time when the United States would join the League of Nations. There cannot be complete disarmament and world peace until every nation joins in a world society, until boundaries are defined, and nations through the spiritual Teachings of God become trustworthy.
Greater than the question of Shanghai and Manchuria, is the question of the functioning of the League of Nations. China, this great power representing one-fourth of the population of the globe, turned to the League and rested her case with it. Sitting at these sessions, I feel that if the League does not stand by what it promised, China, losing faith in the word of the west may build up such a military organization that in less than a century, some of the present great western powers may be destroyed; and perhaps the higher League of Nations, represented by all countries and in reality a Universal Court of Arbitration may be situated not in Europe, but in China!
“How pressing and sacred the responsibility that now weighs upon those who are already acquainted with these Teachings! How glorious the task of those who are called upon to vindicate their truth, and demonstrate their practicability to an unbelieving world! Nothing short of an immovable conviction in their divine origin, and their uniqueness in the annals of religion; nothing short of an unwavering purpose to execute and apply them to the administrative machinery of the Cause, can be sufficient to establish their reality, and insure their success. How vast is the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh! How great the magnitude of His blessings showered upon humanity in this day! And yet, how poor, how inadequate our conception of their significance and glory! This generation stands too close to so colossal a Revelation to appreciate, in their full measure, the infinite possibilities of His Faith. the unprecedented character of His Cause, and the mysterious dispensations of His Providence.
“When the foundation of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is laid in America, and that divine edifice is completed, a most wonderful and thrilling motion will appear in the world of existence.”
“When its accessories are completed and its full machinery starts running, when the melody of vocal and instrumental music arises and bursts upon the air with its joyous trends, when the prayers and supplications addressed at dawn and at sunrise ascend to the Throne of the Almighty, then will the effect of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár be made evident and manifest.”—‘Abdul-Bahá.
IT was just about a year ago that the second stage of building the Bahá’i Temple in Wilmette, near Chicago, was completed, the Temple officially dedicated at the opening of the Annual Convention, and the great glad-tidings broadcasted from the heart of America to every country throughout the world. To Bahá’is everywhere this joyous news was like a welcome shower to the soil of dry and thirsty plants.
Every intelligent reader knows that certain material things have tremendous spiritual effect and influence. For instance, music—both from instrument and voice—simply signifies hearing material vibrations in the air; and beauty only means material shape, form and consistency of an object, yet, how great is the power of their influence upon the human soul. Therefore, is it a wonder, that this new House of Worship—the Bahá’i Temple of America—even in its incomplete stage, has created such world wide interest? To describe all the wonderful effects caused by this Holy Sanctuary would require considerable amount of time and space, which, unfortunately, are both lacking at this time. For this reason just a few facts based on personal knowledge and observation will be
* Literally translated means “The Dawning-place of Praises,” generally referred to as Baha’i Temple.
mentioned with the hope that they may be of interest to the readers of the Bahá’i Magazine.
The first effect that emanated from the Temple was the great joy that has filled the hearts of all the Bahá’is of the world. For now they can plainly see their Universal Cause firmly established in its outer edifice, the Temple, which is the symbol of the inner, the emblem of the unity of all religions, nations, and races. As Ruhi Effendi Afnan says:
“Behind and beyond the actual Temple there is a spirit and a program for world reform of which the building is only an expression.”
Another blessing came through the power of the Temple to unite in genuine unity, fellowship and enthusiasm the Bahá’is of America, especially in the greatest metropolitan center of the middle west, Chicago and its suburban towns. Bahá’is from Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin, drive with their friends to attend the Sunday meeting in the Foundation Hall of the Temple.
As to the public interest the Temple has created—it is beyond any description. People of every walk of life, tourists from all parts of the country and foreign lands, come singly and in groups, every day and at all hours. Architects, engineers,
master mechanics and builders marvel at the peerless design and strength of the Temple. Merchants wonder at the beauty and texture of the priceless rugs which decorate the walls of the Foundation Hall. On learning of the history connected with these rugs, most of the visitors become moved with spiritual emotions. For these rugs originally were made by Bahá’i expert Persian rug weavers. Every one of the millions of knots had to be tied by their hands, while their eyes were shedding tears because of their pure love and sincere devotion to their beloved Master, Bahá’u’lláh, and for His Holy Shrine to which these rugs were sent from Persia. There they were placed and remained for many years until the Guardian of the Bahá’i Cause, Shoghi Effendi, sent them as a present from their sacred place to America’s Bahá’i Temple.
Doctors, teachers and students who visit the Temple and attend the meetings express deep interest and appreciation after they hear the Bahá’i program for a new world civilization that is free from depression and human suffering.
In a letter which Ruhi Effendi Afnan wrote from Haifa he says:
“Shoghi Effendi is very glad to hear that the Temple is creating such interest around and that many people are daily coming to visit it and listen to the lectures given there. This is the realization of the Master’s explicit promise. It will become even more true when the Temple is completed and the ornamentations, both of the exterior and interior, added. Let us hope for that day to come and spare no effort in spreading its realization.”
In order to help the care-taker in meeting the multitudes of visitors, Bahá’i volunteers from Wilmette and Chicago are giving many hours of their time, taking turns in showing
visitors around and answering their questions. Notwithstanding this more help is still needed.
“There is something about this Temple that seems to uplift my soul,” said a visitor to his wife. “That is just how I feel, dear” was her reply.
While talking to Dr. Alexander Magnus, Medical Director of the Chicago Sanitarium, who in years past, shared my office, a young man said to him; “Say, Doctor, in Christian churches you find Christians, in Muhammadan Mosques you find Muhammadans, in Jewish Synagogues you find Jews, in Hindu Temples you find Hindus. But in the Bahá’i Temple, you find them all—Christians, Muhammadans, Jews, Hindus, Japanese, Chinese, Zoroastrians, different sects, nationalities and races. The doctor replied, “That is what the world needs, but human nature is slow in taking its medicine.”
Mr. John –––, a paralyzed young man, who used to receive a little help now and then from me before depression days, came to my office about four months ago looking for work. He looked desperate. “Come to my house in Wilmette tomorrow morning. We will have breakfast together and talk things over,” I suggested. He came, and after breakfast I took him to the Temple and told him to sit and pray with me. Then leaving the Temple, I told him to go and look for work. But on that same afternoon, lo and behold! That same John ___ appeared again at my office door! “What are you doing here?” I exclaimed. “Oh, I just came to let you know I found a job near here,” said he, with a big smile.
It is very significant indeed, to see how, during the day, from the heart of the Temple the light of spiritual knowledge and divine guidance is shining upon those who, with pure hearts and receptive minds enter therein and how during the night the powerful electric light streaming forth through its high glass dome is guiding airplanes and boats on Lake Michigan.
Praying for its completion, Ruhi Effendi wrote: “May God help the friends to sustain their sacrifices until the edifice is completed.“
And here is a new appeal from the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, which reached me a few days ago:
“I trust and pray that your collective, self-sacrificing endeavors will reinforce the resources of the National Assembly and will enable them to place the necessary contracts for the decoration of the dome and insure its completion by the end of the spring of 1933. May the Almighty guide, bless, and sustain you in your stupendous task and reward you a thousand fold for your manifold services to His Faith.”
Let us hope and pray and sacrifice, that the Temple may be completed by the end of next spring, that its blessings may appear and thrill the world.
Nothing short of direct and constant interaction between the spiritual forces emanating from this House of Worship centering in the heart of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, and the energies consciously displayed by those who administer its affairs in their service to humanity can possibly provide the necessary agency capable of removing the ills that have so long and so grievously afflicted humanity. For it is assuredly upon the consciousness of the efficacy of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, reinforced on one hand by spiritual communion with His Spirit, and on the other by the intelligent application and the faithful execution of the principles and laws He revealed, that the salvation of a world in travail must ultimately depend. And of all the institutions that stand associated with His Holy Name, surely none save the institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár can most adequately provide the essentials of Bahá’i worship and service, both so vital to the regeneration of the world. Therein lies the secret of the loftiness, of the potency, of the unique position of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár as one of the outstanding institutions conceived by Bahá’u’lláh.—Shoghi Effendi.
Mr. Gregory is a Bahá'i teacher of broad culture and wide travels in behalf of the Bahá’i Cause. He is a member of the National Bahá’i Spiritual Assembly and the National Interracial Committee. His observations on this remarkable attempt at the breaking down of religious prejudices is well worth our attention.
THE Spirit of the new age and the Light from on High are reflected nowadays in many gatherings of men. Peoples whose differences, from all traditions, have been thought irreconcilable, are trying to find fellowship. Those may well be joyous who, essaying the impossible, succeed.
A most interesting and inspiring series of meetings was the national conference of Jews, Catholics and Protestants recently held at our nation’s capital. It was a seminar of ten sessions, is organized as a going concern, and numbers among its sponsors and workers many of the most eminent people of the nation. Statesmen, magnates, bishops, rabbis, judges, authors, editors, educators, philanthropists, celebrities of many kinds, lent their active or constructive presence. They met those of lesser degree on terms of equality and friendliness, without stiffness or ceremony. The meetings, though many and varied, were as direct as a body of business men would be in their efforts to explore and remove within the nation all friction caused by religious rancor. The general theme was “Religious liberty and mutual understanding” and membership was unrestricted save by the formality of a small fee. Its hope was to remove prejudices among the three leading religious groups in America. It felt that
such narrowness came mostly as a heritage and has been most unfortunate in the rust and friction it brings into such necessary human relations as business, social life and government.
At the same time it was stated and reiterated by various speakers, that no hope or expectation of a change of faith by any of those numbered within the three religious groups was in sight. But all seemed to feel that they could unite in service to country and in those humanitarian measures of relief which all men admire.
Three keynote speakers appeared at the opening session. Rt. Rev. J. E. Freeman, Protestant Episcopal Bishop of Washington said in part:
“This conference has no design of effecting some new kind of ecclesiastical merger. But the forces of this age are compelling us to regard more seriously the words of Benjamin Franklin, ‘We’ll hang together or we’ll hang separately!’ Jew, Catholic and Protestant, these are our designations; but they shall not render us immune to an appeal that concerns our solidarity as a people or our peace and security as a nation.”
Rev. Francis J. Haas, director of the National Catholic School of Social Service, declared, “The man or the woman, whether Catholic, Protestant
or Jew, who raises the voice of bigotry is a traitor to his country and a criminal before his God. We are here not to impugn each others beliefs, but to indict the forces that prevent us from living and working happily together.”
Rabbi Abram Simon of the Washington Hebrew Congregation, averred:
“We propose in this conference to drag into the open our prejudices and misinterpretations, examine them objectively and submit them to the light of unbiased study. In that way only shall we be able to sweep away the errors and lay new foundations for an edifice of fraternal relations among people of opposite acts and faiths.”
The seminars used the laboratory method in bringing to light causes of woe in our national life. Ilustrations among many offered were:—”Vocational discrimination against Jews, et al; social ostracism of groups; Unconscious training in regard to prejudices; Conscious religious education that leads to prejudices; Personal insults and attacks against individuals; Political prejudices; Fear of certain organizations; Fear of intermarriage; Money profits growing out of the exploitation of certain prejudices; Unyielding opposition to a group, with utter ignorance of individuals composing it; Love of uniformity by many people; Ignorance; Intense nationalism.”
THE SEMINAR in considering these and related subjects turned into a U table conference. Seated on a platform in full view of the large audience was a group of eminent thinkers, representing three religious groups and two races. These
men were expected to supply remedies for the many ills. Among the wise things said may be mentioned the following:
“Whenever one group of its own motion separates itself from all other groups, it by such an attitude breeds misunderstandings.“
“Religious groups should study the historical background of other groups thereby discovering the causes of present practices which are misunderstood.”
“Eliminate from school books all teachings which foment prejudices.”
“Clergymen often oppose mergers of faiths, rarely the laity.”
“Read the Bible without interpretation.“
“Read in the schools extracts from the Holy Books of all religions.”
Thus it may be illustrated how the conference, projected to study and correct only national ills, would not infrequently gravitate to the plane of universality and embrace mankind.
This tendency may be illustrated further by the story of a young clergyman who told how he had been a Presbyterian by birth, had attended a Congregational divinity school and was now filling a pastorate in a large city and in a subdivision which contained a great number of Jews and Muhammadans. His life was now made joyous by service to all three religions and to such an extent are his energies used up that he has neither time nor strength to mention creeds. He closed with an exhortation to lay emphasis upon justice, social ethics and work.
Another very earnest speaker declared that he was born a Morman,
but had relatives among both Catholics and Protestants, so that he could not oppose other religions without hating his own kith and kin. Now he found delight in gathering together the hundred Morman students in Washington and with them studying all religions. He was told about the Bahá’i outlook and place of meeting.
THE CONFERENCE spent a considerable
part of its time divided into
round table seminars, allowing
more intimate contacts between people
of different faiths and comparison
of varied viewpoints. This
brought out some of the trials experienced
by minority groups in our
religious and community life. An
enjoyable feature was the noontide
luncheon served on two occasions
and showing no racial, sectional,
class or creedal barriers. A United
States Senator from the far South
was observed seated at a table with
one or more colored delegates.
Breadth and friendliness pervaded
all the meetings. People spoke with
much frankness but also with good
humor.
When the matter of prejudices as affecting the white and colored was broached at one of the meetings, it was ruled out by the chairman as not coming within the scope of the conference, which was organized. only to remove religious prejudices. This decision was far from unanimous and on a test vote might have been overruled. Later at one of the large sessions a high tribute was paid the colored race for its cultural contribution to American civilization, a notable address was made by the eloquent president of Howard University, and the Men’s Glee Club of that great institution gave
a recital of Negro music which seemed greatly appreciated by all. Toward the end of this recital one of the colored delegates was observed to approach the director, who had just announced the Crucifixion as one of the concluding songs. The suggestion which was acted upon was that this song be omitted, as it brings much of heartache to our Jewish friends who were present in such numbers and showing forth so much happiness.
PERHAPS the highest flight of this
conference was attained on the second
day, when Dr. Carlton J. H.
Hayes of Columbia University, who
shared the honors of co-chairmen
with Hon. Newton D. Baker for the
Protestants and Roger W. Strauss,
Esq. for the Jews, spoke on “Historical
Backgrounds for the Discussion
of Inter-Group Relations.” In
a most powerful way, the speaker
showed the inevitable tendencies of
religious majorities to oppress dissenting
minorities. “The majority
religion has always the chief responsibility
in assuring, as well as
proclaiming, religious liberty,” he
said. “As minorities, Jews and
Catholics have been eager for
equality of treatment in politics and
society; more eager to obtain such
rights than the Protestant majority
to grant them. Thereby friction
has been increased. The test of religious
liberty is not the admission
to equality of only such persons as
believe the same as we do or are indifferent
to religion. It is whether
we admit such persons who believe
quite differently from ourselves and
are zealous in the practice of their
religion. While I believe that I am
right, I must sincerely respect your
belief that you are right.” He
then proceded to flay the Jewish majority for their intolerant attitude toward a new Prophet nearly two thousand years ago. Some of our Jewish friends were observed to wince under his castigation. Although himself a Catholic, he next excoriated Catholic majorities for their inhuman treatment of both Jews and Protestants. Next he paid his respects to Protestant majorities for their barbarous treatment of Catholics and Jews and sometimes even other Protestants, and for the sometimes unholy alliances of Protestant sects with each other for tyrannic sway over Catholics and Jews. These statements were established by historical records beyond cavil and as a summing up of his indictment this veritable “Daniel come to judgment” demanded of Jews, Catholics and Protestants that each and all should say, Mea Culpa! So powerful was the tide of eloquence, so perfect the style abounding in brilliant epigrams, so evenly balanced were the scales of justice upheld, that at the close of this remarkable address Catholics, Protestants and Jews arose to their feet as one, with prolonged applause.
THIS CONFERENCE was noble, exalted
and worthy of great praise.
People of breadth and vision, with
love for humanity and passion for
service are included in its membership.
Like all things human in
origin it was subject to human limitations.
It was not a world conference.
It made no official attempt to
solve world problems as such, its
specific and definite objective being
to make life more livable for citizens
of the United States and Canada. It took its cue from George Washington, illustrious father of the American government, who in his words to Catholics, Protestants and Jews counselled tolerance and freedom. Had he not been free from bigotry he could not have been the truly great man that history records.
This conference did not aim at organic unity. Such a purpose was inconceivable to its delegates as a whole. Yet they are preparing the way for such a step. Therefore more power to them! As this conference includes people of great influence, and meets in various cities, those who are informed of the program and message of Bahá’u’lláh should follow it up and enroll as members. A teaching which proves the unity of religion and science has much to offer them. A true unity will come only when all superstitions vanish. A touching incident of the conference was the attitude of the venerable Rabbi Morris Lazeron of Baltimore, who committed the gathering to the inevitable separations caused by creeds, and yet, as if apologetic for the fixedness of dogmas, advocated for each and all the virtue of humility. “A greater Jew than myself,” he declared, obviously alluding to Jesus Christ, “once taught that virtue.” O that the Master of ‘Akká might address them, demonstrating as He did the “underlying unity and basic harmony of all religions.” His message they must know. His spirit they will eventually find. Even now it animates their endeavors. The Bahá’i seeds which were sown in the limited opportunities offered, appeared to be finding fertile soil.
“In whatsoever matter man wisheth to engage, he must first acquire some capability and make provisions and preparations therefor.”
THE eventful trip from the Atlantic to the Pacific during those happy months attained its climax in the Spring when I met face to face His Holiness ‘Abdn’l-Bahá in Chicago (1912). Viewed in retrospect those months were indeed a period of definite preparation for this greatest gift of my life!
Before passing on to the glorious hour, however, I wish to take you with me into another harbor where my soul found comfort and strength and a fuller realization of what such a contact would entail should I ever attain the meeting (with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá).
Thornton Chase, like Mrs. Lua Getsinger mentioned in Chapter 3, whom I met at that time, also shared most generously with me his experiences in ‘Akká and Haifa. These two devoted and selfless disciples of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, especially, seemed to quicken and release a latent spiritual dynamic within my heart and soul, making each step along the Path an increase of attraction and illumination.
Mr. Chase was a veritable tower of spiritual strength, coupled with humility, gentleness and unceasing service. He stood out preeminently as a lover of God and a brother to all mankind. I was greatly impressed by the depth of his inner understanding, the breadth of his spiritual vision and the clarity of his mind. He possessed an inner
stillness that at times was startling, and as he taught it was as though one stepped with him into an inner world that might be called a holy court, in which the spiritual sight became more keen, the inner ear more attuned to divine melodies, and the spirit seemed to contact with the Reality of existence. His attraction to the “Divine Beloved One” was so complete that he found it difficult to carry on in the practical world of affairs.
He was connected with one of the large Life Insurance Companies of America, and shortly before I met him had been transferred from the middle west to California, largely due to the fact that they felt he devoted too much time to the spread of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
This transfer did not at first cause him joy, but desiring always to be where he could serve most, he wrote to a friend, “My moving to the coast has not been of my own will or making but I am moved without any action on my part. Let us hope it is for some purpose of God to His Cause. . . . Give my loving greetings to the dear friends there (Cincinnati) and bid them be firm and steadfast under all conditions.”
As his business took him from city to city he arranged in advance so that almost every night of his life he was engaged in speaking about the Cause of God before groups or individuals. Cold, heat
or storm were never deterrents in his pathway.
A stenographer in one of the offices where he called occasionally delights to tell of her impressions of him as he passed in and out. She says that the moment he entered there was a different atmosphere. He filled the room with joy and happiness and lifted every one around him. That a light seemed to pour forth from his countenance. Countless and similar testimonies are still current in the cities thru which he passed.
I am convinced that the greatest service that I can render our readers at this juncture is to put you directly in touch with his luminous spirit thru quoting a few extracts from his letters written to believers. You will thus clearly realize what he meant to me, at that time a young seeker after truth, who had been a student of the Bahái teachings for a comparatively short period. The Water of Life was given clear and pure from that stream to my thirsty heart.
As far back as 1901, which was several years before he had visited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Most Great Prison in ‘Akká, he wrote these words: “I wish that every believer, and everyone who has been inclined toward these Truths could have heard Mrs. Isabella Brittingham (another faithful disciple of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá) who spoke to us here (Chicago) a week ago. . . . She gives us the most clear and understandable account of our dear Master of any we have received, and her words and manner, wisdom and sincerity, stir our minds and hearts with great power, and confirm us in all that we have dared to hope. He, the most dignified, the most majestic,
the most humble, the sweetest, the highest and the lowest, the king and the servant, the wisest, the most powerful, the most loving, the most merciful of all men, is indeed our Lord and Master, our princely leader in this religion of unity and of servitude. His whole life is one of devoted service in little things as well as in great, to each pilgrim there, to every person, He renders His service, never accepting even a piece of bread, until all present are first provided for. And this is not assumption on His part, but is the sincere outflowing of His love to each and all, and this same love asserts itself constantly in gladness or pain, in peace or in trouble, in freedom or imprisonment.”
And again in this paean of devotion referring to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he pours forth his innermost soul in deepest adoration: “He is the Master! He is the Christ-Spirit of this Great Age! He is the Anointed One! The Appointed of His Father! That Father was the Greatest Manifestation of God–Bahá’u’lláh. He (‘Abdu’l-Bahá) is the Center of the Covenant; the Healer and Satisfier of longing hearts! The King of servitude to Humanity!“
Replying to a letter which had dealt with such subjects as higher criticism, the psychic realm, and psychical research, he says: “It is good to be skeptical provided one does not bar himself from any conviction. The skepticism of an open mind is excellent, and better than a too great readiness to accept whatever appears. Yet it is better to believe all things than to believe nothing. In fact beliefs do not amount to much until they enter the life and re-create it.
“Higher criticism, after all is
only an effort of the human mind, and is not comparable to that Highest Criticism which is of the All-Knowing, the Wise One. It is but playing in shallow pools while the great ocean of divine utterances of perfect knowledge and wisdom, is swelling up its waves for our use. It is but drinking at a little rivulet instead of quenching our thirst forever at the fountain of sweet water gushing out from the height of the mountain.
“Psychic Research is a dangerous plaything, not at all safe for any soul unless he be grounded and anchored already in the Truth of the Living God. The psychic realm is a field of danger, lying between the plane of earth and the heaven of Spirit. No human soul needs any psychic baptism in order to attain to his Highest, but rather the baptism of the Water of Truth, of real knowledge and holy instructions and the baptism of the Spirit, which is the blending of the life with the Spirit of God, so that His will becomes the center and power of our lives. Then, when He has entered His home—the human heart—the whole temple is illumined and each of its pillars becomes radiative with Light. This is the true process of advancement, and most wonderfully does Bahá’u’lláh give us that Light and guides us in the Right Path.”
Severals years later when referring to his visit to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at ‘Akká he said, “It rejoices his heart to know of American believers, because he forsees that the great Light is to be reflected from America to the farthest Orient, China, India, Japan and even Persia.”
In speaking of Bahá’is, he says—“We do not argue . . . argument
rarely convinces, but rather antagonizes. In fact argument implies opposites, and the Bahá’i teaching is not so much words as living and it implies harmony and agreement, not opposition.”
Subsequent to his Pilgrimage to Akká he wrote: “The Bahá’i Revelation is for every soul who is sincere, and to such it can bring a satisfaction and assurance that is permanent and sweet. I do earnestly hope that our friend Dr. ——— will be attracted to ‘Akká, and that going there she will carry an open mind, a sincere heart, an unprejudiced attention. She will find a Man, one so entirely natural and devoid of assumption. . . . One whose words will be so simple that children would be interested, One to whom personality is of no account. . . . But if once her soul meets ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, she will find that after her visit, and as ships and trains bear her farther away from Him, she will increasingly wish that she might return to sit at His feet and learn more of Him.”
“Sometimes our friends are surprised that the visitors to ‘Akká do not write or tell more important things concerning their experiences there. They all tell about the same story—of the pleasant greetings, the wishes for their happiness, the inquiries for the progress of the Cause in America, and a few simple instructions drawn from little things or occurrences there. But ask those returning ones what they desire most of all, and you will find it is the wish to go again to ‘Akká. And you will find that those simple good wishes and “Table Talks” have sown seeds in their souls, and they are not the same as they were before they went. . . . One cannot
taste of heaven without longing for the atmosphere of heaven.”
THORNTON CHASE was born in Springfield, Mass., and ascended to the world of light in California in the Fall of 1912. In Inglewood Cemetery, Los Angeles on October 4, 1912, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá paid to him the following great tribute: “This revered personage was the first Bahá’i in America. He served the Cause faithfully and his services will ever be remembered throughout ages and cycles. . . . For the present his worth is not known, but in the future it will be inestimably dear. His sun will ever be shining, his stars will ever bestow the light. The people will honor this grave. Therefore, the friends of God must visit this grave and on my behalf
* Two books by Thornton Chase—“In Galilee” and “The Baha’i Revelation,” have already brought guidance and illumination to countless souls.
bring flowers and seek the sublimity of the spiritual station for him and have the utmost consideration for the members of his family. This personage will not be forgotten.”
A beautiful slab now marks the spot where his body rests. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself provided this stone and Mr. Charles Mason Remey designed The Greatest Name that is inscribed thereon.
Doubtless he, beholding with clearer vision, realizes why he was led to California, and what is even now, thru the Divine Wisdom being accomplished at that grave. Bahá’i friends from all parts of the world gather there to pray for him, and give praise to Almighty God for such a life! Of him ‘Abdu’l-Bahá once said: “Thornton Chase is unique and peerless.”*
NEWS of a novel trip has recently come to us. Two friends, one colored and one white, traveled together as friends and equals in the South. The plan was to assume that there was no prejudice against this very reasonable relationship and the object to spread the Bahá’i Message both by example and by word of mouth. Of these two friends, one was gifted as a singer, the other as a public speaker. The two were received not only with courtesy in the dozen or so colleges and universities visited but with real hospitality and joy. As guests in many homes they formed real friendships. The complete account of this trip is full of
human interest and significance. The few extracts quoted below show how old prejudices are dropping away and a new spirit is being born.
EARLY IN the trip the following
scene took place on the campus of
a southern state university. Could
it have gone unchallenged twenty-five
or even ten years ago?
“After parking my car, we walked on the campus together and located Dr. –––, a nationally renowned sociologist, who was lecturing to his class in civics. We waited for the conclusion of his lecture at the entrance of his classroom, on the advice of a student in
the hall. As the students emerged they found Mr. N. and I chatting and joking together in a most natural and friendly manner. Dr. ––– soon saw us and greeted us most cordially. . . . Behind him trailed several students who were absorbing the entire incident, and showing their astonishment at the phenomenon of our visit.”
WE ARE reminded by the next incident,
which occurred on the return
trip, that the old order still
persists and that the need of more
workers like these two devoted
souls is urgent.
“I am compelled here to relate the only unpleasant incident of our entire trip. On the very doorstep of A. University at C., as we were leaving, we assisted two boys, who were hiking their way from Florida to New York. After we had left Professor A., I stopped at a restaurant to purchase some sandwiches for these boys. Mr. N. (my colored friend and companion), inquired if I desired him to go with me, to which I readily said ‘Yes’. We entered the restaurant, which was connected with a hotel on the main street. I ordered the sandwiches. There was no one else in the restaurant at that time except the counterman (white). Before the sandwiches were ready another man (white) came in and sat at the counter. Mr. N. and I remained standing. The counterman returned with the sandwiches, and because of the presence of the additional patron, commanded Mr. N. to remove his hat. Mr. N. paid no attention to his request. I started to pay the man for the food but he kept his attention fixed on Mr. N., and repeated his command. Then
I lost my patience and said, ‘This man (meaning the patron) has his hat on. I have my hat on. Why should he take his hat off?’ ‘We do not permit colored people in here, unless they remove their hats,’ he replied. Whereupon Mr. N. walked out slowly, having retained his composure throughout. I was not quite satisfied so I walked over to the news counter and purchased a newspaper. Then I told the counterman of how wonderfully gifted a man Mr. N. was and he said it made no difference, he was a negro. I left with a sad heart at the thought that my companion so cultured, so splendid in character—the equal of any man of any color or race-should have suffered such unjust discrimination.
BUT HERE is a little incident
which gives us courage:
“We learned from Professor A. that he was for three years the head of the French Department at A. University. While there he was elected to membership in the ––– Club. This group is composed of members of the faculty of the University of ––– in the same city. At the time of his election a number of professors objected to his dark skin and threatened to resign. Whereupon twenty-five of the members evidenced their resentment of so narrow a prejudice by voluntarily resigning to form a new club with Professor A., meeting regularly with him at A. University. This was a splendid testimony of the esteem he enjoyed while in C. The group regretfully dissolved when he moved away.”
FROM ONE deeply interested and
experienced in inter-racial amity
work, a Director of Extension Service in one university visited, comes this advice:
“We should not emphasize inter-racial activities as organizations, but as individuals.
“We should (1) set up our objectives: better relations, and equality according to merit and ability; (2) plan our activities, such as dances, dinners, concerts, etc., and carry them out in a normal way; (3) follow through the definite steps of the plan.”
THE FOLLOWING moving words
were spoken by a teacher of history
in a college for colored students, on
hearing the Bahá’i Message for the
first time:
“The Bahá’i Movement is the greatest Movement in the world today, and is worthy of any man devoting all his life to it. To achieve the objects of this Movement is worth all other things put together. Because when it achieves its objectives all other things right themselves and we will have peace. We are all working for peace.
“When truth is sounded and you are in tune, your soul responds and tells you it is true. When I heard this Movement explained it resounded through my soul. . . . I will take every opportunity to spread this wherever possible. I consider it my mission. I am going to know more about it. I am going to be free. It has a dynamic. It is bound to succeed existing religions, because present religion is of the past, and I am going to let it stay in the past.”
AND THESE telling words were uttered
by the president of another
college to his students:
“These two gentlemen have no
consciousness that they represent two different races. Out of the Holy Land—Palestine—that laboratory of religions—this Bahá’i Movement came. I want to tell you the story of my brother. When we were younger, I remember he went to my mother and said that he was dissatisfied and was going to find another God. After he had gone I found my mother weeping and she asked. ‘Will he find another God’? Now that is the situation all over the world. Over here they are looking up and praying to God–over there they are looking up and praying to God. All are praying to the same God for there is but one God. This movement goes further and says there is one humanity. . . . In spite of all differences, man must find a means of uniting in a common brotherhood.”
IN A PRIVATE interview was revealed the true spiritual nature of one of the professors of a state university. These are some of his words:
“In this world today we are trying to get the fruits of love through the spirit of hate. . . . If the world ever goes forward it must step forward through love and kindness and mutuality. Our whole life must be mystical. We must draw nearer to God. We must know God. We must take time to be holy. The Prophets of the world have always been men apart from the crowd. Truth must come out from deserts, from mountains and from prisons.”
THESE FRAGMENTS give us a glimpse of the new spirit that is surely developing in our country. They show some of the first fruits of what one of the two travelers calls the “most unique journey” he had ever undertaken. “I believe,” he says, “it marks the beginning of a new era in the history of inter-racial work in the South. This prophecy has already found some fulfillment, for another similar trip was accomplished soon after this pioneer one.“*
* This later trip was made by two distinguished Baha’i teachers–one colored and the other white, and one a member of the National Interracial Committee of the Baha’is. The reports coming to us about this trip in the interests of the divine art of getting on together, indicate that great progress has been made.
THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE, being The Addresses of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in America, in two volumes. Price, each, $2.50.
BAHÁ'U'LLÁH AND THE NEW ERA, by Dr. J. E. Esslemont, a gifted scientific scholar of England. This is the most comprehensive summary and explanation of the Bahá'í Teachings as yet given in a single volume. Price, $1.00; paper cover, 50 cents.
THE WISDOM TALKS OF 'ABDU'L-BAHÁ in Paris. This series of talks covers a wide range of subjects, and is perhaps the best single volume at a low price in which 'Abdu'l-Bahá explains in His own words the Bahá'í Teaching. Price, paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1.00.
BAHÁ'Í SCRIPTURES. This book, compiled by Horace Holley, is a remarkable compendium of the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. It contains a vast amount of material and is indexed. This Paper Edition (only ¾-inch thick) Price, $2.50.
THE BAHÁ'Í WORLD, a Biennial International Record (formerly Bahá'í Year Book). Prepared under the auspices of the Bahá'í National Assembly of America with the approval of Shoghi Effendi. Price, cloth, $2.50.
All books may be secured from The Bahá'í Publishing Committee, Post office Box 348, Grand Central Station, New York City.
FIVE MONTHS' subscription to a new subscriber, $1.00; yearly subscription, $3.00. Two subscriptions to one address, $5.00. Three subscriptions to one address, $7.50. Ten new subscriptions to one address, $25.00 (in United States and Canada). If requested, the subscriber may receive one or more copies and have the remaining copies sent to other addresses.
Two subscriptions, one to come each month, and one to be sent in a volume bound in half-leather, at the end of the year, $5.75 of the two subscriptions; postage for bound volume additional.
Single copies, 25 cents each; ten copies to one address, $2.00. Address The Bahá'í Magazine, 1112 Shoreham Bldg., Washington, D. C.
Bound volumes Nos. 15 and 16, covering the years 1924 to 1925 and 1925 to 1926, contain many of the most valuable and instructive Bahá'í teachings compiled from the writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, on such subjects as Education, Peace, The Solution of the Economic Problem, Cooperation and Unity, Proof of the Existence of God, and others equally as important. They also contain articles on various phases of the Bahá'i Cause and its teachings contributed by Bahá'í writers and presented with clearness and accuracy, reports of conferences and conventions, Bahá'í News and Travel Notes and other interesting information. Volumes 17, 18 and 19 contain valuable material and information for students of religion, sociology, science, etc., both Bahá'ís and non-Bahá'ís.
All volumes carry illustrations of great historical value.
Bound in half leather, each volume $3.50; if two volumes are bound together, for $6.00; postage additional.
All of the bound volumes of earlier years are filled with such remarkable spiritual teachings of the New Age that they constitute a priceless library. Volumes 2, 3, 4 and 5 contain many sublime records of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's teachings, addresses and interviews in Europe and America. (Volumes 2 and 3 are now exhausted and Volume 4 cannot be supplied in a complete form as several numbers of this volume are exhausted.)
Volumes 7 and 8, which are, also, often bound together, contain the wonderful compilations on the Divine Art of Living and the New Covenant.
Volume 9 contains varied records from the Holy Land and 'Abdu'l-Bahá's words on the material, intellectual and spiritual education of children; and both volumes 9 and 10 filled with Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá written after the Great War.
Volumes 11 and 12 contain many Tablets and pictures and inspiring accounts of visits with 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Haifa, where members of all religions and races gathered in unity at the table of the Master. Volume 12 also gives the immortal narrative of His last days on earth and His ascension into the Kingdom.
Volume 13 contains priceless letters of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá'i Cause, articles of universal interest and other valuable material.
Volume 14 contains letters of Shoghi Effendi, also his translations of the divine writings of Bahá'ulláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá as well as a brilliant series of articles and historical accounts.
Bound in half leather, single volumes $3.50; if two volumes are bound together, for $6.00. Postage additional.
