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THE BAHA'I TEMPLE
"The crowning institution in every Bahá'í community.
"This vast endeavor is unparalleled in modern times in its world-wide range, its spontaneity, its heroic and holy character."
| VOL. 23 | DECEMBER, 1932 | No. 9 |
NEVER indeed have there been such widespread and basic upheavals, whether in the social, economic or political spheres of human activity as those now going on in different parts of the world. Never have there been so many and varied sources of danger as those that now threaten the structure of society. The following words of Bahá'u'lláh are indeed significant as we pause to reflect upon the present state of a strangely disordered world: 'How long will humanity persist in its waywardness? How long will injustice continue? How long is chaos and confusion to reign amongst men? How long will discord agiate the face of society? The winds of despair are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divides and afflicts the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appears to be lamentably defective'. . . .
"Might there not emerge out of the agony of a shaken world a religious revival of such scope and power as to even transcend the potency of those world-directing forces with which the Religions of the Past have, at fixed intervals and according to an inscrutable Wisdom, revived the fortunes of declining ages and peoples? Might not the bankruptcy of this present, this highly-vaunted materialistic civilization, in itself clear away the choking weeds that now hinder the unfoldment and future efflorescence of God's struggling Faith? . . .
"To claim to have grasped all the implications of Bahá'u'lláh's prodigious scheme for world-wide human solidarity, or to have fathomed its import, would be presumptuous on the part of even the declared supporters of His Faith. To attempt to visualize it in all its possibilities, to estimate its future benefits, to picture its glory, would be premature at even so advanced a stage in the evolution of mankind.
"All we can reasonably venture to attempt is to strive to obtain a glimpse of the first streaks of the promised Dawn that must, in the fulness of time, chase away the gloom that has encircled humanity. All we can do is to point out, in their broadest outlines, what appears to us to be the principles underlying the World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, as amplified and enunciated by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, the Center of His Covenant with all mankind and the appointed Interpreter and Expounder of His Word."
| VOL. 23 | DECEMBER, 1932 | NO. 9 |
No Multiplicity of Races, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá | 275 |
The Meaning of Christ, ‘Abdul’-Bahá | 266 |
Editorial, Stanwood Cobb | 263 |
Letters Home, Keith Ransom-Kehler | 270 |
The Garden of the Heart, a Poem, Elizabeth Hackley | 274 |
The Call Went Forth, Doris McKay | 276 |
Awakened Persia (Compiled) A. H. Naimi and Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick | 280 |
World Friendship, Margaret Campbell | 282 |
The Nature of the Divine Manifestations, Glenn A. Shook | 284 |
Only Yesterday, a Book Review, Sylvia Paine | 288 |
World Thought and Progress | 290 |
STANWOOD COBB, MARIAM HANEY, BERTHA HYDE KIRKPATRICK | Editors |
MARGARET B. MCDANIEL | Business Manager |
For the United States and Canada
International
|
For Foreign Countries
MRS. ANNIE B. Romer, Great Britain MR. A. SAMIMI, Persia MISS AGNES B. ALEXANDER, Japan and China MOHAMED MUSTAFA EFFENDI, Egypt |
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.
- I saw a man of another race,
- Foreign garb and an alien face,
- And was turning away with a bitter frown
- When an angel voice came whispering down.
- “Walk with him,” I heard it say,
- “Only a mile along his way”.
- I walked with him to the highway’s end
- And found that the alien was my friend.
- I saw a man in a servant’s gear,
- Walking alone, though crowds were near;
- Then I walked with him as with the other
- And found that the servant was my brother.
- I walked with men of dusky faces,
- Men from the distant Mongol races,
- Men of varied political schools,
- Divergent in faiths and forms and rules.
- With a common fatherhood, all were brothers,
- Yet each stood alien from the others.
- Then I heard the Voice of the Master say,
- With the grieving tears of a distant day,
- “How oft would I have gathered you,
- But ye would not.” Oh, brothers true,
- How can peace on earth be wrought
- Till we learn the lesson the Master taught?
- Yonder a stranger walks today;
- Go with him a mile upon his way.
| VOL. 23 | DECEMBER, 1932 | NO. 9 |
in Him—which in the Holy Books is symbolized as the Word. . . . . The reality of Christ was the embodiment of divine virtues and attributes of God. For in Divinity there is no duality. All adjectives, nouns and pronouns in that court of sanctity are one, there is neither multiplicity nor division.”
—‘Abdu’l-Bahá.CHRIST was born into a world filled with sin. All the evil of ancient Ninevah and Babylon, had been gradually seeping through into Syria; into all of Asia Minor; had corrupted the Greek civilization; and was now beginning to infect the hitherto sound and sturdy culture of the Roman people. The virtues of primitive peoples—simplicity of living, loyalty, hardiness and hospitality, religious devotion and faithful performance of ethical obligations in the name of religion—had given place to a spiritual apathy, to extreme sensualism, to an attitude of cynicism as regards the claim of any duty. Greed, envy, hatred, held terrible sway upon the hearts of men. The race was to the swift and cunning. Others fell by the way and lay there, as in the story of the good Samaritan, with little chance of help.
This was the world into which Christ came, bringing a message not new—because spiritual truth is pristine—but vitally renewing, resurrecting in the hearts of men the ancient truths of simplicity, of faith, of charity.
IT WAS not easy for Christ, with
all His spiritual potency, to make
saints out of His disciples. Peter,
giving way to anger and violence
in the garden of Gethsemane, overcome with fear and disloyalty at the trial of Christ; John, Apostle of love, urging Christ to call down from heaven fiery battalions of angels to consume their enemies,–hardly could we recognize in these disciples the glorious devotees they were later to become when the leaven planted in them by their Teacher had had time to work and bring glorious results of character development. The episodes during the lifetime and mission of Christ form but an introduction to the colossal work of developing Christian living, of slowly forming Christian communities in the Mediterranean world.
All of the apostles, in striving to train these little groups of early Christians, emphasized the necessity of keeping one’s self “unspotted from the world.” Particularly did they urge the importance of considering the body as the temple of the spirit, and of preserving its purity and integrity.
And what a need there was for some effective doctrine of purity! For Paganism was permeated with sexual depravity similar to that traditionally associated with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sexual laxity and indulgence was eating like a cancer into the core of
the vitality of the Mediterranean culture. It had ruined the Greeks and was now reaching into the very heart of the Roman world, vitiating its ancient moralities and starting a current of degeneracy which Pagan moralists were unable to prevent.
Now in the midst of all this evil there began to grow up little communities holding ideals dazzling in their beauty, chastity and spiritual love.
The ideals were there in shining glory. But it took several generations for even these Christian communities to manifest real purity of living. This they did achieve in time, by dint of utter segregation from the current of life of the Pagan world about them.
There was no possibility of reforming the Pagan world. Therefore the injunction of the apostles to their little flocks was to withdraw from the life of the world. The Christian communicants must begin to lead new lives wholly distinct from the Pagan life about them. They must be born not of the flesh but of the spirit. They must endeavor to live the Christ-life, relying for help in their pilgrim’s progress upon prayer and a sense of unity with the Christos.
WHAT a marvelous appeal all this
made to the innate spark of nobility
in every man and woman! The
poor, the down-trodden, the sensualist,
the drunkard heard it and responded.
Many in positions of
social superiority, of wealth, of
luxury, heard it and became attached.
Gradually complete little communities grew up, isolating themselves
from the Pagan life about them. Communities well balanced; economically self-sufficing; representative of every strata of society, of various vocations, of various degrees of wealth.
Harmoniously and perfectly these early Christians learned to live together, in their common love for Christ and their earnest desire to follow in His steps.
HUMANITARIAN institutions began
to blossom out in these communities
as a direct expression of the
Christian doctrine of the love of
God and man. The early Christians
put forth every endeavor to
bring it about that their communal
life satisfied the ideals of service
and cooperation which their souls
acknowledged as divine truth.
Committees were formed for the care of the sick and needy; committees to distribute food and necessities to the poor; institutions to care for the orphans and widows.
In these Christian circles no longer did the law of the jungle hold—that the race was to the swift and that the devil could take the hindermost. Now a livelihood was assured to every communicant. No one should suffer dire want while others possessed abundance. In the name of God the Father and of Christ the Son, all members of the living church were knit together in a brotherhood as efficacious in practice as it was glorious in concept.
AT FIRST these benevolent practices
of the early Christians had to
be carried on in secret because of
the persecutions to which Christians
were liable. But as the rigor
of these persecutions lessened and a general Pagan tolerance developed, we find the Christians manifesting their kind deeds in a more public way.
Soon their unique humanitarian works began to attract the attention of Roman moralists. “We must,” they said, “emulate the benevolence of the Christians, if we would prevent this Sect from growing to the point of absorbing the whole Pagan world!”
These writers realized that the universal practice of love and service which characterized Christian communities was proving a very tempting attraction to Pagan peoples in whose midst these Christians existed; specially attractive to all who were in suffering or misfortune.
IT WAS far easier for the Christians
to practice moral living than
for the Pagans, even those of the
highest ideals. For the Christians
had that greatest of aids to ethical
living—the motivation of religion.
They believed that they possessed,
each one, an immortal soul; that
this soul was their real self; that
the proper development of the soul
was the chief aim of life upon this
planet; that all their deeds here
built into character, into soul-structure
and would bear fruit in one
way or another in the future life.
This pitiful handful of years which
formed their destiny upon this
planet was of infinitessimal value
compared to the great stretch of
eternity which lay before them.
How childish, how foolish, how
even tragic—to waste the rich spiritual
opportunities of this life in
riotous or selfish living, and thus
* Baha’u'llah—“Hidden Words.”
incur immense liabilities toward the future existence!
Therefore the Christians, prompted by the most efficacious moral motives which any one can have—the love of God and the desire to grow more perfect—endeavored to express righteousness in all their thoughts and deeds. They knew that the greatest reward for doing right is to grow more and more near to God; and that the greatest punishment for doing evil is to grow more evil and more densely veiled from that Truth which the initiated know as Love.
Compare this noble path of progress onward and upward forever with the doctrine which held the lives of the contemporaneus Pagans. “Carpe diem!” sang Horace, “Let us seize the day, spend it in profligacy, enjoy ourselves, make merry, for we know not what the morrow will bring!”
IN HOW similar a situation to the
ancient Mediterranean world at the
time of Christ is the paganistic
world of today! A world without
faith, without guidance, without
moral standards. A despairing
world, seeking in pleasures of the
senses an anodyne to the drab sorrows
of hopelessness.
And again, as in the days of Caesar, a Day Star rises on the horizon to flood the murky earth with penetrating rays of Warmth and Light. Again the Spirit of Truth spreads abroad the beneficent, purifying, invigorating Message of the Kingdom:
“O Son of the Supreme! To the eternal I call thee, yet thou dost seek that which perisheth. What hath made thee turn away from Our desire and seek thine own?”*
A compilation from the revealed Words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the divinely appointed authoritative Interpreter of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
CHRIST’S birthday is a glorious day. . . . It is necessary that these anniversary celebrations be observed, else man in his negligence would forget all about his Creator. But we should seek to penetrate the dark veils of custom and imitation of ancestors, perchance we may discover the reality of the meaning.
The advent of Christ on this earth was a blessed day for it was the day on which the Sun of Reality dawned; the day on which all beings were revivified. In the world’s calendar, it was the beginning of a Heavenly Spring. . . . When He was on earth He was not thought much of notwithstanding they were awaiting His coming with great impatience. They thought that they would be His intimate friends. When He came they knew Him not; they persecuted Him and finally killed Him. (Unity Triumphant, p 111).
THE REALITY of Christ, that is to say the Word of God, is the cause of spiritual life. It is a “quickening spirit,” meaning that all the imperfections which come from the requirements of the physical life of man, are transformed into human perfections by the teachings and education of that spirit. Therefore Christ was a quickening spirit, and the cause of life in all mankind. The position of Christ was that of absolute perfection; He made His divine perfections shine like the sun upon all believing souls, and the
bounties of the light shone and radiated in the reality of men. . . . The Reality of Christ was a clear and polished mirror of the greatest purity and fineness, and the Sun of Reality, that is to say, the Essence of Oneness, with its infinite perfections and attributes, became visible in the mirror. . . . The Christ sacrificed Himself so that men might be freed from the imperfections of the physical nature, and might become possessed of the virtues of the spiritual nature. This spiritual nature, which came into existence through the bounty of the Divine Reality, is the reunion of all perfections, and appears through the breath of the Holy Spirit; it is the divine perfections, it is light, spirituality, guidance, exaltation, high aspiration, justice, love, grace, kindness to all, philanthropy, the essence of life. It is the reflection of the splendor of the Sun of Reality. . . . (Answered Questions, pp. 136- 137).
CHRIST came saying, “I am born of the Holy Spirit.” Though it is new easy for the Christians to believe this assertion, at that time it was very difficult. The text of the Gospel says, “Is not this the son of Joseph of Nazareth whom we know? How can He say, therefore, I came down from heaven?”
Briefly this man, who apparently and in the eyes of all, was lowly, arose with such great power that He abolished a religion that had lasted fifteen hundred years, at a
time when the slightest deviation from it exposed the offender to danger or to death. Moreover, in the days of Christ the morals of the whole world and the condition of the Israelites had become completely confused and corrupted, and Israel had fallen into a state of the utmost degradation, misery, and bondage. . . .
This young man, Christ, by the help of a supernatural power, abrogated the ancient Mosaic law, reformed the general morals, and once again laid the foundation of eternal glory for the Israelites. Moreover, He brought to humanity the glad-tidings of universal peace, and spread abroad teachings which were not for Israel alone, but were for the general happiness of the whole human race.
Those who first strove to do away with Him were the Israelites and His own kindred. To all outward appearances they overcame Him, and brought Him into direct distress. At last they crowned Him with the crown of thorns and crucified Him. But Christ, while apparently in the deepest misery and affliction, proclaimed: “This Sun will be resplendent, this Light will shine, My grace will surround the world, and all My enemies will be brought low. ” And as He said, so it was; for all the kings of the earth have not been able to withstand Him. Nay, all their standards have been overthrown, whilst the banner of that Oppressed One has been raised to the zenith.
But this is opposed to all the rules of human reason. Then it becomes clear and evident that this Glorious Being was a true Educator of the world of humanity, and that
He was helped and confirmed by Divine Power. (Answered Questions, p. 20.)
WHEN His Holiness Christ appeared amongst the Jews, the first thing He did was to proclaim the validity of the Mosaic mission. He declared that the Torah, the Old Testament, was the Book of God. . . . The fame of Moses, through the Christian Movement, was spread broadcast . . . it was through the instrumentality of Christ, it was through the translation of the New Testament—the little volume of the Gospel—that the Old Testament, the Torah, was translated into six hundred languages and spread throughout the world at large. . . .
Likewise, with the superlative power and the efficacious Word of God He gathered together most of the nations of the East and the West. This was accomplished at a time when those nations were in the utmost of contention and strife. He ushered all of them into the overshadowing tent of the oneness of humanity. He so educated them that they united and agreed, even so that the Roman, the Greek, the Chaldean, the Assyrian and the Egyptian nations were perfectly blended, and the heavenly civilization was the result. (Bahá'i Scriptures, p. p. 394, 395.)
THOSE who looked at the material body of Christ, and saw Him enduring all the hardships and trials, marveled that He was the Messiah because He was in this lowly condition. As they were considering His physical being they failed to see the Light shining within it. But those
who looked to the spiritual and the real existence of the spirit in Christ, firmly believed in Him.
We must not look at the lantern but at the Light—the candle inside the lantern. (Bahá'i Scriptures, p 498.)
CHRIST SAID that nothing could ascend into heaven except that which came down from heaven. He also said, “I came from heaven and will return to heaven,” and “The Son of Man is in heaven.” He said this while still upon the earth and notwithstanding the fact that he had been born from Mary. There is no doubt Christ came from heaven and always was in heaven, but when He spoke He did not mean the literal sky. What then is meant by heaven? Science proves that there is no heaven or sky, but all is limitless space and one universe. In this limitless space the heavenly spheres revolve and have their orbits. But the “heaven” of Christ is that invisible world which is beyond the sight and comprehension of mere man. It is the spiritual condition. Therefore the “heaven” of Christ is the Will of God. The Sun of that heaven will never set. In it the moon and stars are always shining. It is the limitless Kingdom of God. It is sanctified from all place. Christ is always there. (Ten Days in the Light of ‘Akká, p. 26.)
WHEN CHRIST appeared He manifested Himself at Jerusalem. He called men to the Kingdom of God, He invited them to eternal life, and He told them to acquire human perfections. The Light of Guidance was shed forth by that radiant Star,
and He at length gave His life for humanity. All through His blessed life He suffered oppression and hardship, and in spite of all this humanity was His enemy. They denied Him, scorned him, ill-treated Him, and cursed Him. He was not treated like a man—and yet in spite of all this He was the embodiment of pity, and of supreme goodness and love. He loved all humanity, but they treated Him as an enemy and were incapable of appreciating Him. They set no value on His words, and were not illumined by the flame of His love.
Later they realized who He was. That He was the sacred and Divine Light, and that His words held eternal life. His heart was full of love for all the world, His goodness was destined to reach each one—and as they began to realize these things they repented, but He had been crucified!
It was not until many years after His ascension that they knew Who He was, and at the time of His ascension He had only a very few disciples; only a comparatively small following believed His precepts and followed His laws. The ignorant said, “Who is this individual; He has only a few disciples?” But those who knew said, “He is the Sun who will shine in the East and in the West, He is the Manifestation Who shall give life to the world. What the first disciples had seen the world realized later. (Wisdom Talks in Paris, p. p. 114-115.)
THE HOLY, divine Manifestations did not reveal themselves for the purpose of founding a nation, sect or faction. They did not appear in
order that a certain number might acknowledge their Prophethood. They did not declare their heavenly mission and message in order to lay the foundation for a religious belief. Even His Holiness Christ did not become manifest that we should merely believe in Him as the Christ, follow Him and adore His mention. All these are limited in scope and requirement, whereas the Reality of Christ is an unlimited essence. The infinite and unlimited Reality cannot be bounded by any limitation. Nay, rather His Holiness Christ appeared in order to illumine the world of humanity, to render the earthly world celestial, to make the human kingdom a realm of angels, to unite the hearts, to enkindle the light of love in human souls, so that such souls might become independent, attaining complete unity and fellowship, turning to God, entering into the divine kingdom, receiving the bounties and bestowals of God and partaking of the manna from heaven. Through Christ they were intended to be baptized by the Holy Spirit, attain a new spirit and realize the life everlasting. All the holy precepts and the announcements of prophetic laws were for these various and heavenly purposes. (Promulgation of Universal Peace, Vol. 2, p. 438.)
THE CAUSE of Bahá’u’lláh is the same as the Cause of Christ. It is the same temple and the same foundation. Both of these are spiritual springtimes and seasons of the soul-refreshing awakening and the cause of the renovation of the life of mankind.
The spring of this year is the same as the spring of last year. The origins and ends are the same. The sun of today is the sun of yesterday. In the coming of Christ, the divine teachings were given in accordance with the infancy of the human race. The teachings of Bahá’u’lláh have the same basic principles, but are according to the stage of the maturity of the world and the requirements of this illumined age. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. 3, p. 535.)
TRUTH is one and without division. The teachings of Jesus are in a concentrated form. Men do not agree to this day as to the meaning of many of His sayings. His teachings are as a flower in the bud. Today, the bud is unfolding into a flower. Bahá’u’lláh has expanded and fulfilled the teachings, and has applied them in detail to the whole world.
There is one God; mankind is one; the foundations of religion are one. Let us worship Him, and give praise for all His great Prophets and Messengers who have manifested His brightness and glory. (Wisdom Talks in London, p. 93.)
CHRIST was a heavenly physician. He brought spiritual health and healing into the world. Bahá’u’lláh is likewise a divine physician. He has revealed prescriptions for removing disease from the body politic and has remedied human conditions by spiritual power. (Promulgation of Universal Peace, Vol. 2, p. 244.)
In her world travels in behalf of the Bahá’i Movement the author takes time to write to friends impressions derived from her varied experiences. These “Letters Home” we are glad to be able to present to the readers of the Bahá’i Magazine. The first installment appearing in the January 1932 number described the author’s visit to Nikko and other places in Japan. In the April number she gave some of her impressions of China. Herein we find a description of her contacts with the Maoris of New Zealand.
LOST for centuries in the forgotten back-wash of nations, the Maoris of New Zealand furnish a remarkable ethnological study.
As you can well imagine I have no authority near me here in Persia, but if I remember correctly Griffith Taylor, Professor Dixon and others assert a close kinship between the Ainus of Japan and the Maoris, assigning to these primitive folk a Caucasian origin. This is a direct challenge to the Polynesian descent ordinarily ascribed to them. I remember Professor Thomas’ having dealt with this subject but as it is now near twenty-five years since we sat under his inspiring tutelage I can’t in the least recall his conclusions.
However, Griffith Taylor, with characteristic vigor and clarity, presents an exciting graph in which he shows that the oldest races have strayed furthest from the point of origin. The most primitive vehicles are those furthest from the great cities; those only recently discarded within a closer radius, while the newest modes of locomotion are in the city and its environs. In excavating, the oldest things would be found in the lowest strata, the later things nearer the surface. Basing his conclusion on this argument he says that the Ainus and Maoris have been flung to the periphery of the globe by gradual displacement
from the seat of their Caucasian origin through the development of newer races.
But my interest in the Maoris was neither formal nor ethnological. Here is a group, fast vanishing, that gives us a picture of life in a spacious, poetic aspect.
Clever and alert the Maori, to his great detriment, has quickly assumed the habits of our western civilization. Our customs and practices are totally unsuited to the requirements of races who, through cycles of unmolested effort, have developed their own proper and protective mores. As a result of abandoning by force of circumstances, his own mode of life, the Maori population of New Zealand has been decimated. These statistics are quite informal but some one told me that whereas they numbered over a million at the time of the British occupation there now remain some sixty-five thousand.
They must have been a nation of poets and artists for everything they touched, before they were corrupted by civilization, seems to bear the impress of beauty except Niki the mascot, and the totem figures.
In the War Memorial Museum (which graces and dominates the city of Auckland overlooking from an eminence its beautiful harbor), are preserved the finest examples
of early Maori artistry. A magnificent war canoe fashioned to carry near a hundred warriors was hollowed from a giant tree and spliced with infinite ingenuity to form its double prow. The indelible decoration of conventional design in black and white on the red background of the exterior showed a mastery of balance, scale and symmetry. It was far more akin to the Arabic than to the Greek, the two masters of pure design, and unlike any Polynesian art with which I am familiar.
Their ubiquitous wood-carvings are of a genre entirely different from their painting. Although they lack delicacy, and the figures are crude, literal and often ugly, there is an opulent vigor of detail about them that bespeaks a robust and dramatic taste. The houses, with their low-hanging eaves, had originally no windows and only one entrance door.
At Rotorua, the famous thermal region of New Zealand, there is a model “Pa” or village. It interested me far more than the natural wonders, which in spite of great exploitation on the part of New Zealanders seem decidedly feeble in comparison to Yellowstone Park, for example. But in the “Pa” I saw a faithful reproduction of the original environment of the Maori.
Around the village is a double stockade designed with deep strategy, to discomfit an attacking enemy; for inside the first stockade is a trench in which the spearmen concealed themselves, wounding the legs of the attackers and thus incapacitating them. The Priest and One Chief dominated the village life and occupied the best houses. A cache, on stilts
very like that used by our northern tribes of Indians, preserved the villiage food from marauding animals. Specially selected maidens prepared that of the priest and fed him by hand.
The Town Hall, as it were, the central meeting place, was a thing of joyous beauty in miniature: the broad roof-tree and beams were decorated with Arabesques in black, red and white, since the house is thatched with stout straw the low eaves were supported by red pilasters ornately carved with the legends and traditions of the race. Much mother of pearl was used on the figures and the whole effect was that of the exotic, the remote and the wondrous. There was not one false note, not one detail that marred the sense of perfect harmony.
Many heroic and interesting tales are told of the Maoris by the British in their experience of subjugating them. They had a sense of justice and fairplay well illustrated by the fact that when their ammunition was exhausted the Chief sent word to the English Commander that hostilities must cease until they could supply themselves. They were astonished when their opponents refused, since they themselves never took advantage of a helpless enemy.
The native poi or dance is remarkably graceful. There is scarcely any movement of the body except a plastic pose, but the intricate coordination of the hands and arms in the manipulation of the poi-ball calls for magnificent skill. The Maoris are tall and muscularly built (another evidence in favor of their western origin), and execute the war dance, intended
--PHOTO--
Miss Rangi, a Rotorua guide in Maori costume.
to excite the valor of the fighters, with inexhaustible vitality and ease.
THROUGH the kindness of the
Maori Society in Auckland I Was
given a letter of introduction to
Chief Mita Taupopoki when I set
out for Rotorua. By good fortune,
on the evening of my arrival, I met
Guide Rangi, a clever, gifted and
beautiful Maori woman, with the
accomplishments of both races. I
spoke to her of my letter to the
Chief and of my mission and told
her that I would visit Wacka, the
Maori village, upon my return from
Wairacki.
Chief Taupopoki, as you can see from his photograph, is a handsome and impressive old gentleman. He received me with dignity and kindness, explaining that a previous
meeting had long been arranged for that evening, but that if I would come he would gather together as many as possible to hear my message. On my return after dinner, I was greeted by a delegation, conducted to the central meeting place, while the Chief sent a boy around with a huge bell to announce my arrival and summon the Arawa tribe. In ten minutes the hall was quite filled and the Chief arose to welcome and to introduce me.
After a few complimentary phrases he said, “To what great matter are we about to listen? A subject of such urgent importance that this stranger traveling over many seas and abandoning her native land has come to share with the Maoris, obscure and forgotten, her valuable news. We await impatiently the unfolding of her purpose.”
Although I speak no Maori I could recognize it as an endearing and gracious language. Its expressions are poesy and its cadences a song. The Maoris are natural orators, the women as well as the men, and express themselves on public occasions with singular rhythm and felicity.
In giving the message I stressed the fact that the solidarity of mankind to which Bahá’u’lláh summons us does not mean the reduction of all human beings to a dead level of similarity; but rather the interdependent functioning of the various races and kindreds, each making its unique and indispensable contribution to the perfect expression of the body politic. In the Bahá’i social scheme the purpose is not to make Maoris something quite different from themselves, but to stimulate them and all other peoples
to attain their own highest development as a contribution to human advancement and welfare.
Then I spoke of how Bahá’u’lláh had already accomplished the purport of His message in uniting all the religions, races, nations and classes of the world, how ancient animosities and hereditary hatreds had been conquered and forgotten under the Banner of Divine Unity.
When I had finished there were a series of intelligent and important questions asked me. The Maoris are a very keen and apt race and the educated amongst them attain the highest culture. In this connection I think Mrs. Rewa Bennett, the first Maori woman to hold the office of magistrate; Mrs. Colwill and Mr. Paul, official Maori interpreter to the government.
When the questions had been answered the Chief asked a native Christian minister to thank me and then closed the meeting. “It is now evident”, he said “why this great news must be spread far and wide. The cessation of hatred, the establishment of good will in the world–surely there is nothing greater than this. The Maoris heartily welcome the assurance that this One of Whom our messenger has spoken is already accomplishing this end.”
On my return to Auckland I was honored by an invitation to a Maori banquet at Oraki. It was very impressive. Following the custom, the men came out to greet us but the women performed the welcoming poi. I was to witness the ancient method of cooking called te hangi. A trench is dug and into it are flung stones which have lain in a great fire; onto the stones is thrown the
--PHOTO--
Chief Mita Taupopoki who summoned the Arawa tribe of Maoris to hear the Bahá'i Message.
meat and around it are piled potatoes and other vegetables; a large basket of clams is placed at one side and at the other, fish wrapped in flax leaves. When all is ready, equally hot stones are placed on top of the food and a bucket of water dashed over the whole which is now covered with rough cloths, on which earth is immediately packed, closing in the hot steam.
In the mean time the women have been deftly weaving lovely baskets from flax leaves which will serve as dishes for the hot food.
Since the hangi cannot be disturbed for an hour we go into the hall to carry on the program. Mrs. Witaka, the spokesman of the village, arises to greet me.
“The Maoris rejoice that one from afar has come to share with them her knowledge of the great world. But you have come to a deserted home, where only a tale and a recollection can speak to you: the Maoris have departed! You must seek for them beyond.” Her words were intensely solemn and impressive, and though I could not understand her, I saw that those who could were deeply moved. “The affairs of those far removed are echoed here amongst us, nor are we so remote that we can escape the cares that burden mankind. We would know if you bring comfort and peace to those who need this message. That you have honored us with your coming and displayed a generous kindness to us has warmed and rejoiced our hearts. Speak then that we may know the purpose that speeds you round the world. My greetings are finished.”
When her speech had been translated I gave the Bahá’i message, Mr. Graham, a naturalized Maori, translating. Once more I spoke of how Bahá’u’lláh had united His followers and redeemed us from our prejudice and hardness of heart. Since the Maoris are nearly all Christian converts, I stressed the fact that the foundation of His message is identical with that of Jesus.
“To whatever degree the Maori tribes fought and contended, at least you were united in your religious belief: you all worshipped alike Rangi, the Mother of Heaven; but now your religion has divided you. You have taken over the quarrels and contentions of Christendom and in your sectarian loyalties are learning to hate and oppose each other. And this, too, in the name of Him Who said: ‘By this shall men know that you are My disciples—that you love
one another,’ a Maori can’t say ‘my basket’, ‘my food’, ‘my coat’: you must say ‘our basket,’ ‘our food’: but you are forced to say ‘my religion’ for you do not hold it in common—religion the one thing that was revealed to bring unity, joy and concord into our lives. Bahá’u’lláh has wiped away these differences and united us as children of the One Heavenly Father.”
After a poetic speech of thanks on the part of Mrs. Witaka we went to open the hangi. The odor was delicious, and piling the food into the flax baskets and trays, we sat down to a delectable feast.
After an appropriate ceremony I took my leave, performing te hangi the pressing—not the rubbing—of noses with my gracious hostesses.
It is many a winter, my dear, since we tramped across the campus in the slush, to our class in “Social Origins”; but you were a haunting presence at these interesting and significant meetings. Here is a gifted, an ingenious and a socially-minded people dropping into desuetude. Nature has but one motto: “Adapt or perish.” They were perfectly adapted to their natural surroundings. Will they be able to readapt to the requirements of an artificial life soon enough to preserve for us the evidence of their ancient and generous culture?
- There is a garden in your heart
- That is filled with blossoms rare.
- How do I know, you ask of me?
- Because I catch the fragrance there!
PREJUDICE of all kinds, whether religious, racial, patriotic or political are destructive of divine foundations in man. All the warfare and bloodshed in human history have been the outcome of prejudice. This earth is one home and nativity. God has created mankind with equal endowment and right to live upon the earth. . . . Racial prejudice or separation is unnatural and proceeds from human motive and ignorance. All are the children and servants of God. Why should we be separated by artificial and imaginary boundaries? . . . We are human and superior in intelligence. Is it befitting that lower creatures should manifest virtues which lack expression in man?”
* * * *
WHEN the man who is spiritually sagacious and possessed of insight views the world of humanity, he will observe that the Lights of the divine bounty are flooding all mankind just as the lights of the sun shed their splendor upon all existing things. All phenomena of material existence are revealed through the ray emanating from the sun. Without light nothing would be visible. Similarly all phenomena in the inner world of reality receive the bounties of God from the Source of divine bestowal. This human plane or kingdom is one creation and all souls are the signs and traces of the divine bounty. In this plane there are no exceptions; all have been recipients of their bestowals through the heavenly bounty. . . . All humanity are the children of God; they belong to the same family, to the same original race. There can be no multiplicity of races since all are the descendants of Adam. This signifies that racial assumption and distinction is nothing but superstition. . . . God did not make these divisions. These distinctions have had their origin in man himself. Therefore as they are against the plan and purpose of the reality they are false and imaginary.”
* * * *
RACIAL and national prejudice which separate mankind into groups and branches, likewise have a false and unjustifiable foundation, for all men are the children of Adam and essentially of one family. There should be no racial alienation or national division among humankind . . . they have neither significance nor recognition in the estimation of God. . . . God has not divided this surface by boundaries and barriers to separate races and peoples. . . . By this division and separation into groups and branches of mankind, prejudice is engendered. . . . Therefore it has been decreed by God in this day that these prejudices and differences shall be laid aside.”
Nabil’s Narrative of the early history of the Bahá’i Cause published under the title “The Dawn-Breakers”* and translated by Shophi Effendi, is of such supreme importance that articles have appeared from time to time reviewing portions of this sacred book. Mrs. McKay’s first article on the subject appeared in the September number.
IN the world that men call real importance is attached to the solid and the tangible. Ponderousness and resistance impress us with their durability until someday when we see how a sprouting seed has cracked a stone.
With all its fragility, the seed belongs to a higher kingdom than the stone. It has within itself the quality of growth. Its expanding cells must fulfill their destiny of accomplishment, so the persistent, tender, green thing triumphs over the venerable stone.
Every age has its fertile seeds which render acquiescent the soil from which the New shall grow. For instance, today we see the young shoots of the new internationalism conquering the old world order.
In Persia, at the time of the Declaration of the Báb, a spiritual reformation made an attack upon the ramparts of a long-established “Church-state”. Those who were most aware of the decadent condition of a nation and a Faith that still claimed their loyalty, perceived that by the process of crystalization this institution had become, even as the mineral, incapable of aught but decomposition. Growth was not in it. This condition expressed itself through moral decay, fanatical adherence to tradition, political corruption. Against this legion of monsters were to be arrayed the celestial purity of purpose,
* Bahá’i Publishing Committee, P. O. Box 348, Grand Central Station, New York City.
illumination, attractiveness and high courage of the Forces of Light. It was the battle of the eternal sun with the transient clouds, of good with evil.
In the records of the Bábi Movement we recognize among deafening discordant sounds, “the Voice in the Wilderness”. We hear the Call and the answering voices of those who respond—voices which promise ere long to swell to a chorus, ringing throughout the world.
IN PERSIA the greatest event of
the day is the first, for the sun rising
on the horizon becomes for a
moment an inverted cup; at this
instant, according to Muhammadan
tradition, the divine bounties are
poured upon the world.
That hour had come and Ali-Muhammad (later known as the Báb) climbed to the roof of His merchant uncle’s house in Bushir to apostrophize the rising orb. That His was not an ordinary orison the neighboring roofs could testify. With joy, tears and prayers He raised His arms in the direction of the divine symbol, imbued for Him, by reason of His inner knowledge, with a significance which brought daily ecstasy. He addressed His Vision, charging the golden atmosphere with syllables of adoration, the beauty of which made His devout Muhammadan neighbors remember the angel Gabriel.
By day, this Youth was well known in the market-place. He was a courteous and soft-spoken dealer in grains, respected for His ability, in spite of His extreme youth, in handling His uncle’s business. It was in the year ’59 (1843) that the potential qualities innate in this pure spirit found their destiny in a dream. He thought He drank a few drops of the blood of the martyred Imám Husayn. This mystic communion made the fire which glowed within Him to burst into a flame. “When I awoke”, He later said, “I felt that the spirit of God had permeated and taken possession of my soul. My heart was filled with the joy of His Divine presence and the mysteries of His Revelation were unfolded before my eyes in all their glory.”
It was not long after this experience that the Call became articulate upon the lips of this same Youth for His was the chalice designed to hold the celestial wine, the cup offered to a parched and thirsty world. Great events were shaping when, in the year ’60, He made known His Mission to the disciple, Mullá Husayn. It was at Shiráz, on the memorable night of May 23rd, 1844, that He declared to that first apostle: “O thou who art the first to believe in Me! Verily I say I am the Báb, the Gate of God, and thou art the Bábu’l-Báb, the gate of that Gate. Eighteen souls must, in the beginning, spontaneously and of their own accord, accept Me and recognize the truth of My Revelation. Unwarned and uninvited, each of these must seek independently to find Me . . . Ere we depart we shall appoint unto each of the eighteen souls his special mission and shall send them forth to accomplish their task. We
shall instruct them to teach the Word of God and to quicken the souls of men.”
IT WAS as He said. A few weeks
passed and His expected band
of followers gathered in His
presence. These persons, known
as the Letters of the Living, had
been disciples of the revered
teacher Siyyid Kázim, who
throughout his life had taught the
advent of the Promised One. A
company of them had followed
Mullá Husayn from Karbilá to
Shíráz, in which direction he had
left them in pursuit of his divine
Quest. When upon their arrival
they read in his face signs that
tranquility had taken the place of
the agitation with which he had left
them, they asked what could have
appeased his longing for his concealed
Beloved. Mullá Husayn
begged them to retire to the seclusion
of their cells in the Masjid-i-Ilkháni
and to supplicate God for
illumination. In this period of
meditation and prayer their intuitive
powers became so acute that
each one attained to the desired
knowledge and was guided, even as
Mullá Husayn had been, to the recognition
of the Báb. Now He had
summoned them to Him to receive
their instructions for the time had
come for them to depart.
He, to whom they so reverently listened was a Youth of twenty-two, of medium height and pleasing appearance, wearing the green sash and turban of a descendant of Muhammad. Quddus, the youngest and last of His chosen disciples, had recoegnized Him instantly by the majesty of His gait. This power and grace spoke through His slightest gesture. His voice was a fountain of enchantment, melodious
accompaniment to words of divine grace. His manner was a blend of humility, great kindliness and complete fearlessness. His eyes seemed to gaze upon the past, present and future as one scroll. They were wells of unfathomable wisdom; in their depths one might become submerged in that sublime and unparalleled passion, the love of God. Thus seemed the Báb to His Letters on the day of their setting forth.
Such words as these He then addressed to them:
“O My beloved friends! You are the bearers of the Name of God in this day. . . . You are the witnesses of the Dawn of the promised Day of God. You are the partakers of the mystic chalice of His Revelation. . . .
Beseech the Lord your God to grant that no earthly entanglements, no worldly affections, no ephemeral pursuits, can tarnish the purity, or embitter the sweetness of the grace that flows through you. . . .
I am preparing you for the advent of a mighty Day. Exert the utmost endeavour that, in the world to come, I who am now instructing you, may, before the mercy-seat of God, rejoice in your deeds and glory in your achievements. The secret of the Day that is to come is now concealed. Scatter throughout the length and breadth of this land, and, with steadfast feet and sanctified hearts, prepare the way for His coming. . . Arise in His name, put your trust wholly in Him, and be assured of ultimate victory.”
The significance of these words was well understood by those who of their own choice were prepared to embark upon this most dangerous enterprise. This miracle of a Youth Who had welded their souls together with the fire of Love, was the Manifestation of God, as, in another age, Muhammad and Christ had been. He had been chosen for the Authorship of Words which welled involuntarily from a Divine Source. He was the vehicle of the Supreme Intelligence. He was the angelic herald of change. His mission was to proclaim another event
* Followers of Shaykh Admad and Siyyid Kazim.
still more marvelous, the near advent of another divine Appearance, Who would be the promised Messiah for all the religions of the world.
The apostles hastened into the arena of the Islamic world, each to his own province, to the cities of Najaf and Karbilá in Iráq, to Isfáhán, Káshan, Tihran, to Khurásán. In each the call was raised, “Awake, awake, for lo! the Gate of God is open, and the morning Light is shedding its radiance upon all mankind! The Promised One is made manifest; prepare the way for Him, O, people of the earth! Deprive not yourselves of its redeeming grace, nor close your eyes to its refulgent glory!”
The Báb, accompanied by Quddus made religious pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina with the intention of formally stating His Mission in those strongholds of the Muhammadan Faith. At Mecca, confronting Mírzá Muhít, leader of the Shaykhi Community,* He spoke as follows: “Verily I declare none besides Me, in this day, either in the East or in the West, can claim to be the Gate that leads men to the knowledge of God.” The historian says that “Mírzá Muhít, unable to withstand the sweeping Revelation proclaimed by the Báb, fled in terror from His face.”
For wherever this Message was sounded it was as if a powerful searchlight had been turned upon the souls of all men; the moths hurled themselves into the dazzling light regardless of life itself, the beetles scuttled away in consternation. The Muhammadan world was expecting the appearance of the Báb but when brought face to face with the full import of His declaration and proofs, the thought became
intolerable—even as the claims of Jesus had aroused the opposition of Jews. The religious leaders in whom the thought of self predominated tried with incredible cruelty to exterminate the growing Movement. But there were others who were spiritually awake who listened to the arguments attentively and accepted their good fortune with astonished joy.
What a drama on all the Persian stage! What moving scenes! What echoes of clamouring mobs, firing squads, cannons, chanting of prayers and cries to God! Mullá Sádiq, the venerable divine, listens to the lad Quddus; he pronounces the Báb’s words from his pulpit and is scourged by a thousand lashes. A sifter of wheat runs through the bazaars of Isfáhán on his way to “sift” the souls of the people in the Persian cities; he cries: “Whomsoever I find ready to espouse the Cause I have embraced, I will ask to join me and hasten forthwith to the field of martyrdom.” Táhirih, jewel of Persian women, rides hundreds of miles across Persia in a howdak and before the conference of Badasht repudiates Muhammadan tradition by tearing off her veil. Mullá Husayn raises the Black Standard (of Muhammadan prophecy) and marches across Persia while the ranks of his supporters lengthen; he and his companions are starved, attacked, bombarded, at the Fort of the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsí; he dies in the arms of Quddus while a smile lingers on his lips. A dervish comes from India to see the Báb in prison, he starts back, alone and on foot to labor for the Cause in his native land. Seven famous men are executed at Tihrán eagerly seeking to precede each other in
this final test of their sincerity. Vahíd, the most learned man in Persia, leans out of an upstairs window in his house at Yazd, and exhorts his followers who even then are hemmed in by a furious mob led by a regiment. Sulaymán Khán dances and sings while candles burn in sockets cut in His flesh; he is on his way to his execution and the mob hurls epithets and stones. People stream in the direction of the Báb, to curse, to question, to adore. The Movement grows.
IT HAD taken the Báb two months
of sea voyaging to reach the city
of Mecca where He addressed an
epistle to an inattentive Sherif in
which He set forth His claims. It
is now seven years later and the
Sherif is questioning a pilgrim
from Persia as to the Author of
this manuscript, which at length
had been read. What had been
the circumstances attending that
Call in the land of Persia?
“A great commotion” remarked the pilgrim, “has indeed seized that land during the last few years. A Youth, a descendant of the Prophet and a merchant by profession, has claimed that His utterance was the voice of Divine inspiration. . . . A multitude of people, both high and low, civil and ecclesiastical, among the inhabitants of Persia, have rallied round His standard and have willingly sacrificed themselves in His path. That Youth has, during the past year . . . . suffered martyrdom in Tabríz, in the province of Ádhirbáyján. They who persecuted Him sought by this means to extinguish the light which He kindled in that land. Since His martyrdom, however, His influence has pervaded all classes of people.”
A RECENT letter written by Mr. A. H. Naimi, secretary of the Unity Committee of the East and the West of the Tihrán Spiritual Assembly, contains much of interest to readers of this magazine since it shows what is taking place in the country which gave birth to the Founders of the Bahá’i Movement in the last century; the country which was capable of producing souls of such purity and fortitude as were necessary to understand and spread the Great Message and the country which at the same time could produce those misguided souls who inflicted such revolting tortures and such inhuman persecutions upon these pure ones as we shrink from recalling. Present developments in such a country are of significance.
In his opening paragraph Mr. Naimi says: “We certainly believe that the Bahá’i Cause will spread throughout the world and will shed its spiritual light into the darkest corners of human misery, but it is in human nature for one to rejoice over every new sign which indicates the realization of the triumph he is seeking.
“Fortunately such signs are not wanting. The message of Bahá’i love is spreading in the world with wide and sure steps. There is, no doubt, the indifference and disinterestedness of the mass of the people, in the East as in the West, toward all matters concerning religion; but there are armies of life and light,—persons endowed with pure souls who understand the glory and majesty of the divine message as soon
as they hear of it. . . . The Qur’án says that such persons are like pure and inflammable oil which ignites even if untouched by a flame. This class of pure souls abounds in the time of all Manifestations; the powers of the Spiritual Springtime bring the plant of their souls to such a state of maturity . . . that the buds open out by the merest breeze—nay by the merest nothing. They range between wonderful orbits of spiritual light, like St. Peter, Ali and Quddus . . . and ordinary believers who . . . obtain their admission into the divine fold by easy search or difficult groping.”
In paying tribute to the intrepid few who established the Cause and made possible the present progress Mr. Naimi says: “But consider what these few did; with soul and body they lived for the divine cause. They forgot wife and children, life and wealth, and dashed headlong into the field of battle; showed such chivalrous fortitude and intrepid courage as brought tears of compassion from their direst enemies. They were the army of freedom, the veteran warriors of peace and human felicity who did their duty with purity of motive; who brought about the present comparative comfort for friends; who paved the way for the onward march of the divine message to continents and realms beyond their imaginations.”
“As a result,” he continues, “we see annual Bahá’i conventions holding meetings in various centers of the world; we witness the sixth Bahá’i All-Persia Annual Convention opening and continuing its sessions
with a serenity befitting the congress of a dominant nation in place of the secret and cautious meetings of the early friends in subterranean haunts under the continual peril of detection and persecution.
“We wish that every one of the believers could witness with his own eyes the manifest progress of the Cause in the light of this Sixth Annual Convention which held its twelve sessions from the second to the thirteenth Shahr-ul-Jamal 89 (April 29 to May 10th, 1932). Delegates from all parts of Persia took part in the proceedings with such a love of duty and devotion to the divine interests of the Cause that it touched the hardest in heart and the most stubborn in disposition.
“Resolutions adopted by this body of Bahá’is cover a vast range of human activities bearing on many phases of life, both material and spiritual. In educational matters, for example, the convention resolved that a kindergarten be created wherever there is a Bahá’i school; that the Bahá’i community in localities where there are no public schools should try to influence the local and central educational authorities with a view to the creation of such schools or in the event that such efforts fail to produce the desired effect and where local Bahá’i resources are far from being sufficient to provide for the opening of a school, however primitive and primary, the Bahá’is should send their children to the neighboring towns where there are public schools. In a country where unity of purpose and national associations or understandings are unknown or sneered at, the Convention
requires that the Bahá’i Youth Association should open branches throughout the country and the plan is already partially carried out.
“The Convention expressed the wish that inter-marriage between friends of different original creeds should be encouraged and sponsored by the Spiritual Assemblies. Examples of inter-marriage between Israelites and Moslems and between Zoroastrians and Moslems exist nowhere in the country outside the Bahá’i religion.
“In a realm where some years ago the mere suspicion of attachment to the new religion would have entailed dire and cruel tortures and certain death for the suspected ones, the Convention required that Bahá’i dates should adorn all commercial, private and general corresspondence; that friends should greet with Alláh-u-Abhá instead of the official Moslem greeting of Salam-un-Aleikum; that under no circumstances should Bahá’is conceal their faith; that they should register their names and those of their families as Bahá’is in the local census; that they should keep Bahá’i festivals in their commercial, scholastic, and office activities: that they should marry according to Bahá’i precepts to which official recognition has been given in some districts and that they should dispose of their legacies in accordance with the Bahá’i regulations concerning inheritance.
“In Persia where there are no sustained and continued efforts for the advancement of the women, the Convention suggests that Bahá’i adult women’s classes should be created everywhere; that instruction in various domestic and ornamental
arts should be provided for the Bahá’i women; that Bahá’i women of culture should write treatises for the education of the women and contribute articles to the local press bearing on subjects of spiritual interest; and that Bahá’i Women Teaching classes should be opened in every center for the training of women teachers to spread the Cause.
“We dare not go into more details of the numerous subjects which were dealt with by the Convention as such an attempt would require a volume, but the fact is definitely established to us and to all impartial non-Bahá’is that the Cause has made a steady headway amidst destructive and opposing factors in Persia and in many other countries. It remains for us to sustain and intensify our efforts for some more years when we shall certainly have our reward in seeing the world awakening to the sense of its immediate
* “Mysterious Forces of Civilization,” p. 104.
and imperative need for these teachings of Divine Guidance.”
SOME forty years ago ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
in a treatise, addressed these
words to the Persian people; “You
that were masters of the world and
in the van of mankind—how is it
that you have lost your ancient
glory, that you have slept in the
corner of obscurity? You who were
once the fount of teaching and the
spring of the progress of humanity—why
have you now become so exhausted
and degenerate and negligible? . . .
Open the eyes of your
judgment and discern what it is
that you sorely need. Gird up the
loins of resolution and enthusiasm,
and strive for the means of education
and advancement.”*
Surely Mr. Naimi’s letter gives us evidence that our friends in Persia are now girding up the “loins of resolution and enthusiasm”.
THE occasion of the tenth Olympiade at Los Angeles, California, offered to the Bahá’is of Southern California an unparalleled opportunity to arrange a meeting to celebrate world friendship. Leaders of several groups joined together in a concerted effort to promote better understanding between members of different nations. On the night of August Fourth, at the rooms of the Friday Morning Club, the power of the Bahá’i principles was proven in a never-to-be-forgotten commingling of clubs.
Mrs. Stuart W. French graciously presided at this International Friendship Meeting and introduced Mayor Porter, who welcomed the guests and friends at that time. According to Mayor Porter, the promotion of friendship through the housing together of thirty-eight nations gave rise to great satisfaction. Heretofore it has been considered impossible to bring into friendly living conditions the representatives of such varying manners and customs. While the world watched, Los Angeles became the garden in which blossomed such a flower as
the Olympic village. Have we not ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s own promise that “Los Angeles is a good city?” In the light of that promise we are not surprised when the fragrance of fellowship, such as the world has never before witnessed, becomes a living fact.
DR. ADRIAN HARTOG, Consul of the
Netherlands, with pardonable pride
called attention to the fact that he
represents a country so wise that it
has wasted nothing on armed combat
for more than a hundred years.
While other countries are deep in
the struggle with war debts, moratoriums
and heavy death taxes, the
Netherlands is using its funds for
construction. Instead of paying for
past mistakes, it is able to pay for
the reclamation of its water front
and many other improvements. Holland
wastes no time criticising any
other country for foolish expenditures,
but she is busily engaged in
setting an example for the new race
to follow. The Bahá’i principle of
equal opportunities of development
and equal rights and privileges for
both sexes was well exemplified by
the representatives from Holland
for they sent an equal number of
young men and Women to the Olympic
Games.
OF TREMENDOUS import was the
address of Ralph Lindstrom, Olympiade
Committee representative.
The spirit of peace hovered near
while he spoke. His was a message
of pride and gratitude for the perfect
sportsmanship of the national
contestants in the games. As seen
through this man’s eyes the various
contestants were not more interested
in carrying the day for their
own countries than in advancing for
all humanity a new record. Undoubtedly
the highest note sounded in the symphony of the evening was struck by this visitor (Ralph Lindstrom) when he said that no nation could justly advance its own standards by painting its own virtues against a prepared background of the faults of other countries. Mr. Lindstrom expressed enthusiasm for international sportsmanship which he considered the most natural lubricant for the creaking joints of prejudice.
THE meeting closed after Mrs. French repeated ‘Abdul’-Bahá’s
- “O Thou kind Lord!
- Thou hast created all humanity from the
- same parents,
- Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to
- the same household.
- In Thy Holy Presence all are Thy Servants;
- And all mankind is sheltered beneath Thy
- Tabernacle.
- Thy children are gathered at Thy Table
- of Bounty
- And have become radiant through the
- light of Thy Providence.
- “O God! Thou art kind to all.
- Thou hast provided for all, dost shelter all,
- conferest life upon all.
- Thou hast endowed each and all with talents
- and faculties,
- And all are submerged in the Ocean of
- Thy Mercy.
- “O Thou generous Lord! Unite all.
- Let the religions agree and make all nations
- one;
- So that they may see each other as one
- family
- And the whole earth as one home.
- May they all live together in perfect harmony.
- “O God! Raise aloft the banner of the oneness
- of mankind.
- O God! Establish the Most Great Peace.
- O God! Weld our hearts into one heart.
- “O Thou Kind Father, God!
- Gladden our hearts through the fragrance
- of Thy Love.
- Brighten our eyes through the light of
- Thy Guidance.
- Delight our ears with the melody of Thy
- Word,
- And shelter us all in the stronghold of
- Thy Providence.
- “Thou are the Mighty and Powerful;
- Thou art the Forgiving;
- And Thou art the One Who overlookest the
- shortcomings of all mankind!”
In the first chapter published in the October number, the author stressed the slow evolutionary process of the concept of God from the earliest times. The second chapter in the November number treated of the nature of the Divine Manifestations. Herein is emphasized the importance of the Prophet as the way to God and the Medium through Whom the Light flows to the world. The fourth chapter, which will appear in the January number, will conclude the series.
WHEN the Prophet comes into the world He always differentiates, in no uncertain terms, between the scaffolding and the solid structure of religion and it is sometimes a surprise to religious doctors that the majority of their ideas are useless. But just as fitful spirits paved the way for deities of continuous character so our metaphysical notions may have been a necessary preliminary to the truth that has been given to us by the Manifestations for this day. Therefore many of our traditional ideas in religion and philosophy must give way to advanced ideas, ideas compatible with the maturity of this age. This is particularly true with the current concepts of the nature of the Divine Manifestations. Even the great mystics, who have preserved the reality of religion for us, have often gone astray upon such concepts as the Divine Essence. To quote Heiler1: “The incomprehensible paradox that the small human ‘I’ has become an infinite ‘I’ the mystic can understand only as meaning that he himself has become God. As Plotinus says, the ecstatic ‘has become God, nay, rather he is God.’ Catherine of Genoa declares joyfully: ‘My “I” is God, and I know no other “I” but this my God.’ And Madam Guyon expresses herself in a similar fashion.”
In the very nature of the case the
1 Heiler, Frederich, “Prayer” p. 141.
Prophet alone can assist us in tearing down the scaffolding which has helped construct the edifice but which is now not only useless but unsightly. We must there turn to the Prophet and let Him report what He has seen and experienced.
AT THE outset, the idea of a Manifestation
of God coming to our
planet in this day is so unique that
the world at large cannot grasp it.
To the majority of mankind religions
are, in the last analysis, institutions
of the past, and to this
majority progress can only be made
by walking reluctantly backwards.
The popular belief today concerning
Christ amounts to nothing more
than this: He was and is an example
of a perfect life and can
therefore serve, regardless of theological
controversy, as a model for
our lives. But this vacuous belief
is inadequate for our present needs.
It is popular because it satisfies a
flickering desire for something religious
without interfering with our
every-day pursuits.
It often happens that the more we study an ancient religion the more irrelevant does that religion become to our modern life unless we possess some spiritual quality. This is confirmed by experience both past and present. If we are spiritual, however, then our study will assist us in making a correct
estimate of any religion. Hocking* gets at the root of the matter when he says, “The deeds of the mystics constitute the hard parts of history; the rest has its day and passes.”
We are concerned here, however, with a world which is not primarily spiritual. Hence at the outset, we cannot expect the unspiritual philosophers to make many contributions to our knowledge of the nature of the Prophets; rather we must be prepared to reject many of their conclusions.
In dealing with every-day affairs we constantly fall back upon generalizations derived from experience. The good executive uses standardized decisions wherever he can to simplify his work and to avoid mental strain. When we discover a new principle, however, our generalizations may be of very little value to us; we must rely upon logic. It is no less true in the field of religion. When the great Prophet comes into the world He brings truths that we cannot grasp if we hold to the superstitions of our ancestors. Bahá’u’lláh not only warns us of the futility of falling back upon tradition but sets it forth as a principle. The “independent investigation of truth” and “the abandonment of all prejudices” are as necessary for the preservation of society today as the “Thou shalt nots” of the Pentateuch.
Let us see then, in the light of the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá how far our knowledge of God and the Manifestations
* Hocking “The Meaning of God in Human Experience.”
1 “Some Answered Questions” p. 170.
of God agrees with the truth.
When we say that God is just, we are not describing God for we cannot think of justice unless we think of some person. Therefore the word “justice” gives us no concept of His form or being. On the other hand we cannot think of God as unjust, therefore in the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,1 “We affirm these names and attributes, not to prove the perfections of God but to deny that He is capable of imperfections.” The difficulty here is not that God is just and something more which is beyond us, but rather that we do not know what the justice of God is, for if we did we would probably understand the essence of God. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says,1 “It is not that we comprehend His knowledge, His sight, His power and life, for it is beyond our comprehension; for the essential names and attributes of God are identical with His Essence, and His Essence is above all comprehension.” If we could understand the reality of God we would then look beyond for what, I suppose, we might call the essence of essences and should we attain that we would still look beyond; which is just a complicated way of saying we never can understand the essence. We speak the truth when we say that God is just, He always has been just, and always will be just, but the statement does not imply that we comprehend God’s justice.
Nevertheless, we are forced to admit that such a statement must convey something to the mind for we all feel that when we think of God’s justice we have something very definite
in mind but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá makes it clear that the qualities attributed to God can, have meaning only when applied to the Manifestations of God, otherwise we are thinking of God as a creature like ourselves which is pure imagination. He says1 “Accordingly all these attributes, names, praises, and eulogies apply to the places of Manifestation; and all that we imagine and suppose besides them is mere imagination, for we have no means of comprehending that which is invisible and inaccessible.”
This is a very illuminating statement for it shows clearly that all philosophical speculations as to the nature of God are futile. In this instance then, we are not justified in making any inference regarding the justice of God. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says,2 “Therefore reflect that different peoples of the world are revolving around imaginations, and are worshippers of idols of thoughts and conjectures. They are not aware of this; they consider their imaginations to be the Reality which is withdrawn from all comprehension, and purified from all descriptions. They regard themselves as the people of unity and the others as the worshippers of idols; but idols at least have a mineral existence, while the idols of thoughts and imaginations of man are but fancies; they have not even mineral existence.” Again He says,2 “However far mind may progress, though it may reach to the final degree of comprehension, the limit of understanding, it beholds the divine sign and attributes in the world of creation, and not in the world of God.”
1 “Some Answered Questions” p. 176.
2 “Some Answered Questions” p. 167.
3 Eddington, A. S., “Science and the Unseen World.”
THE SCIENTIFIC development of recent years may be of assistance to us here. Up to the end of the nineteenth century scientists were confident that we could reduce the physical world to mechanical models and that when a model could be built to represent a given phenomenon, the phenomenon was completely explained. In that period they sought for no reality beyond the mechanical explanation. To them, matter could be reduced to small particles like billard balls, and light was a wave disturbance in an ether, like a wave in an elastic solid, say, a rope. Today, however, we realize that the reality must lie beyond the models, beyond the mathematical equations. If we cannot comprehend the reality or essence of the physical world which is visible, it seems highly improbable that we will be able to throw much light upon the world of God.
It is interesting to recall, in this connection, a statement by Eddington3 just a few years ago. He says: “Penetrating as deeply as we can by the methods of physical investigation into the nature of a human being we reach only symbolic description. Far from attempting to dogmatize as to the nature of the reality thus symbolized, physics most strongly insists that its methods do not penetrate behind the symbolism.”
When we turn back to early man, therefore, we see that his God, must have been, in the very nature of the case, decidedly anthropomorphic. Even idols have their place in primitive religion and may be regarded with as much respect as philosophical abstractions.
WHAT applies to justice applies to any other attribute like mercy or power. When we say that God is merciful we simply affirm that He cannot be unmerciful and be God, but that does not mean that we, His creation, understand His mercy. We may understand the mercy of man, a creature like ourselves, but the mercy of God may be something quite different from the mercy of man. We are merciful to our children and deprive them of that which is harmful but they may in some instances regard our mercy as punishment.
When the world is dark and deprived of the Divine Spirit, man sometimes raises this question, “If God is merciful how can He permit suffering?” This question has always bothered sincere people who are loving and kind. They would relieve the suffering of the world; how can a merciful God permit it? Is He not as kind as they to His creatures? The question implies that we understand the mercy of God, or what amounts to the same thing, that the mercy of God is identical with our mercy. This may seem a little difficult at first, but it is because we have never realized our limitations when it comes to speculations concerning the nature of Divinity. Again, as we pointed out earlier, all extant religions were born in a static world but we actually are living in an evolving world and it is certain that we will get more and more light as the world advances. It is also interesting to note, in this connection, that the great saints have always suffered and yet they never feel that suffering is imcompatible with Divine mercy.
1 “Some Answered Questions” p. 168.
Let us consider another attribute. We may say that God is infinite or omnipotent but here again the statement does not carry with it the assumption that we comprehend the infinite or omnipotent character of God. To begin with we cannot form a definite picture of infinity in the physical world. If something increases without limit it exceeds all bounds. No matter how the mind strives to conceive of a great physical magnitude, infinity always lies beyond. This limitation certainly holds in the spiritual world.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá1 makes this clear when He says,“It is evident that the human understanding is a quality of the existence of man, and that man is a sign of God. How can the quality of the sign surround the creator of the sign? That is to say, how can the understanding, which is a quality of the existence of man, comprehend God. Therefore the Reality of the Divinity is hidden from all comprehension and concealed from the minds of all men.”
We are now in a position to consider a modern philosophical dilemma. “How can God be merciful and omnipotent? He might permit suffering because His power is limited or He might have the power to eliminate suffering but not be merciful. How can He be both merciful and all powerful?” The question seems plausible, at first sight, but in the light of the great spiritual truths revealed to us in this day the statement is meaningless. If we cannot comprehend the omnipotence of God we cannot make any inference regarding it.
To affirm certain attributes of God is not therefore, identical with understanding these attributes when applied to God.
The attributes apply to the Manifestations or Prophets of God. To quote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá again, “Therefore all that the human reality knows, discovers and understands of the names, attributes and perfections of God, refer to these Holy Manifestations. There is no access to anything else: ‘the way is closed and seeking is forbidden.’”1
Many great philosophers have realized that the Creator of all things must be unknowable. Spencer makes this clear in his First Principles. He says: “By continually seeking to know and being continually thrown back with a deepened conviction of the impossibility of knowing, we keep alive the consciousness that it is alike our highest
1 “Some Answered Questions” p. 169.
2 Bahá’u’llah, “Words of Wisdom.”
wisdom and our highest duty to regard that through which all things exist as the Unknowable.”
Unfortunately, however, such men sometimes fail to realize that a knowledge of the attributes of God may be obtained through His Manifestations. In other words, we are not entirely devoid of any knowledge of God, or of the Unknowable, except as this knowledge refers to His Reality.
The approach to God then, is only through His Messengers. All our knowledge of God must come through the Manifestations. “The source of all learning is the knowledge of God, exalted be His glory, and this cannot be attained save through the knowledge of His divine Manifestation.”2
“Only Yesteday” by Frederick Lewis Allen. New York-Harper’s—$3.00. A brief review of a widely read book by a member of the Bahá’i Youth Group who is now a graduate student at one of our large universities.
IT is always a fascinating game to turn the clock back in our imagination a few years and note the changes in our lives and outlook since then. Lewis Allen in his recent book Only Yesterday does this very thing for us in an unusually comprehensive and readable manner. Merely as a review of facts this would be an extremely profitable and entertaining account, but Mr. Allen adds further interest by interpreting these events causally and showing the prevailing state of mind and general attitude of the people which underlay the facts. The book leaves us wondering
if after all we are not more ready to accept the element of faith which we have so light-heartedly thrown to the winds in the past ten years. Our search for new and greater freedom in social, religious, and economic realms has lead us to a revolt from pre-war morals and religious beliefs. But to our surprise we are left rather cold with no guarantee of economic security and in a life which, although new, is barren of certainty and meaning.
To PICTURE mentally what we have experienced let us glance
quickly at the picture Mr. Allen paints for us.
Immediately after the war came the period of the Red Scare in which any idea smacking of reform or progress was branded as radical and hence dangerously anti-American. It was a natural hangover of war time patriotism and extreme nationalism when everybody promoting every conceivable interest “wrapped themselves in Old Glory and the mantle of the founding Fathers and allied their opponents with Lenin.”
Then followed the revolt in manners and morals when people, intoxicated with the spirit of “eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die” laughed Victorian restraints and taboos to scorn and sought new thrill and freedom in movies, sex confession magazines, violation of prohibition, and Freudianism.
The Coolidge era of prosperity was one of blatant advertising big business promoted by high pressure salesmanship and schemes for installment buying. This “prosperity spirit” spilled over into fields of education and religion. There was a boom in production of outlines of knowledge. It was the time when Bruce Barton sold Christianity to the public by showing its resemblance to business. “Jesus”, he said, “picked up twelve men from the bottom ranks of business and forged them into an organization that conquered the world . . . nowhere is there such a startling example of executive success as the way in which that organization was brought together.
* ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Expounder of the Bahá’i Faith enunciated this principle of unity between science and religion: “There is no contradiction between true religion and science. When a religion is opposed to science it becomes mere superstition; that which is contrary to knowledge is ignorance . . . It ls impossible for religion to be contrary to science even though some intellects are too weak or too immature to understand truth. . . . Put all your beliefs into harmony with science; there can be no opposition, for truth is one. When religion, shorn of its superstitions, traditions, and unintelligent dogmas, shows its conformity with science, then there will be a great unifying, cleansing force in the world which will sweep before it all wars, disagreements, discords and struggles and then will mankind be united in the power of the love of God.”
His parables were the most powerful advertisement of all time . . . He would be a national advertiser today.”
The companion god to Big Business was Science. The heated debate over evolution took place. People were surrounded with new machines, read of new discoveries and delved into Einstein and Eddington’s latest theory of the Universe. Dr. Fosdick is quoted:
“The men of faith might claim for their position ancient tradition, practical usefulness, and spiritual desirability, but one query could prick all such bubbles ‘is it scientific?’ When a prominent scientist comes out strongly for religion all the churches thank Heaven and take courage as though it were the highest possible compliment to God to have Eddington believe in Him.”
If we are to find a new faith, it must be one which will best take account of the contributions of science and of the scientific outlook we have gained thereby.*
There was a restlessness about the whole spirit of the decade. For a time we went wild over Mah Jong, then Cue and crossword puzzles. Red Grange was the national hero one day, Lindbergh the next. But Mr. Allen points out that the really unique and pathetic thing about the spirit of new freedom and rebellion from religion, morals and ethics of pre-war days was the disillusionment which set in almost as soon as the rebellion. Nothing in the new philosophy of life was secure, its very purpose was scientifically undiscoverable and “in all this fog there was no solid thing on which
a man could lay hold and say ‘this is real’”.
And so with Al Capone and alcohol, racketeering and gang warfare, the stock market boom and succeeding crash, the tempestuous post-war decade ended.
Of the future Mr. Allen hesitates to predict. He points out clearly that with the end of the prosperity era Americans find themselves living in an altered world which calls for “new adjustments, new ideas, new habits of thought and a new order of values. The psychological as well as economic climate is changing.”
AS WE ARE finding that a faith is indispensable, even in the present changing world, may we not discover that progress and change are as possible in the religious as in economic and social realms? ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in a talk given in
America in 1912 at the Unitarian conference in Boston said:
“Religion is the outer expression of the divine reality. Therefore it must be living, vitalized, moving and progressive. The divine institutes are continuously active and evolutionary; therefore the revelation of them must be progressive and continuous. All things are subject to re-formation . . . It is evident that no vital results are now forthcoming from the customs, institutions, and standpoints of the past . . . . This is the century of Universal Peace and the reality of the divine kingdom.”
May it not be possible to find, in a faith which recognizes reason, science and the fundamental unity of all religions a stimulus to put new meaning into the new life toward which we are evolving, a force which may carry us to the highest stage in the evolution of society which we yet have known?
INTERDEPENDENCE and technical socialization are responsible for marvels of industrial achievement, yet business administration has inherited the creed that business is primarily for financial profit, and that he who acquires most profits is most enviable. That attitude has been restrained and modified by prevailing decency of men in business, yet an acknowledged philosophy has a way of working itself out in practice.
“The theory of business primarily for profit constantly mars or thwarts creative effort. In recent years financial manipulation by
some industrial leaders for private gain has largely destroyed the confidence in industrial leadership on which business rests. To a large degree our present economic plight is the fruit of business for the greatest possible profit. The idea of “profits first,” by discrediting our industrial order, may destroy the present spontaneous and vital interdependence of industry, and bring upon us arbitrary political socialization.
“Watching workmen pour out of an automobile plant, or observing the range of ideas and interests at a convention of executives, one wonders
that from frail human nature and limited background there can emerge such a miracle of skill as the modern automobile. Yet to the designers even that seems crude as compared with possibilities.
“Things men can make are so fine, yet social aims and conduct are so crude! Are men of a high order of intelligence in dealing with things, but of a low order in dealing with men? I believe not. Interest in social relations and responsibilities as intense as now exists for industrial supremacy would change human relations in industry as greatly as it has changed productive methods. The average man can better understand what is fair and fine in human relations than he can understand mechanical complexities. If desire for leadership could be centered on improving human relations, near miracles could be achieved in that field.
“A cure can come only by the dominance of other incentives than ‘profits first’. This is an ethical issue.”—Excerpts from a series of articles on Ethics by Arthur E. Morgan, President of Antioch College, Antioch Notes.
THE ORIENT is in a period of transition; it is at the doorway and entrance of a new economic and industrial life and expansion that staggers human thought to effectively grasp. The commerce of the world is shifting to the Pacific, the home of two-thirds of the population of the globe. Despairing today perhaps, yet even now, the peoples of the Pacific must begin to prepare for a period of prosperity such as the world may never have dreamed of. Misunderstanding among the
peoples of the Pacific may retard their great destiny, but cannot prevent it. It is inevitable.”—Japan Times and Mail, Tokyo.
“HAWAII offers to the world something unique. The Islands are a vast human laboratory, and in the years just ahead the eyes of thoughtful men and women the world over will be focussed on what will be working out here. The new internationalism is upon us. Soon it will be impossible to divide the world into water-tight compartments, whose insulation is a selfish nationalism. To be water-tight in that sense is not to be war-tight, and the future will concern itself more and more with the fusion of races.
“The most interesting phenomenon in Hawaii, to my mind, is this racial fusion. The Islands, as part of the United States represent a crucible within a melting-pot. In the crucible you find in process of fusion, races generally regarded as antagnostic. Closer and more prolonged studies than are possible to a passing publicist are necessary to evaluate what is happening and to predict the ultimate results. Direct political consequences today may blind observers to the promises of tomorrow, but Hawaii should attract the greatest ethnologists in the world to watch and measure the progress that is being made in the greatest racial experiment the world has known. Truly East meets West in these Islands, warring philosophies have had to make a truce under the American flag, and have had leisure in that enforced peace to study each other and endeavor to find a common ground, a lowest common denominator. Hawaii will,
perhaps, one day furnish a tremendous object lesson to the world.”—Frank A. Russell, special Commissioner “Melbourne Herald.” From an article in the Honolulu Advertiser.
“CHINA is the oldest living country
but today it is also one of the
youngest republics. It occupies an
important place in the world not
only because of the extent of its territory
and the density of its population,
but also because of its tremendous
undeveloped natural resources.
Once her resources are developed
and made available for the
use of mankind, China will undoubtedly
move forward to a place of
power among the modern nations.
“No matter in what direction one may turn in China, he will see that Old China is passing and New China arriving. The young republic is now in transition from the agricultural to the industrial stage. Modern education is opening the eyes of the Chinese people to the advantage of new machinery and scientific research in the industrial development of the country. As a result of this, both men and women everywhere have awakened to a national consciousness and their attention is being directed to the development of the
unlimited wealth of the nation.
“Today changes are many and rapid in China. Keen observers of Chinese affairs are witnessing the rapid displacement of the old order of things by the new. For the first time in Chinese history laws are enacted that bestow upon women equal rights in matters of property and inheritance. Laws recognize no marriage contracts except those consummated by the young folk and permit women to sue for divorce. Chinese women have come out of their homes and are now active in practically every walk of public life.
“There are now more than two hundred Chinese women holding important offices in the service of the national government at Nanking. Women clerks, secretaries and typists are to be seen in Canton as well as in Peiping. It is a pertinent indication that our women folks are awake politically and otherwise. And for this, they should be congratulated and encouraged. For the first time in the history of China, men and women are working hand in hand, in the upbuilding of a new political life in China. The hand that rocks the cradle will help guide the destiny of the Chinese Republic.”–King-Chau Mui, Consul of China, Honolulu Advertiser.
“If you desire to love God, love thy fellowmen. In them you can see the image and likeness of God. If you are eager to serve God, serve mankind. Renounce the self in the Self of God. When the aerial mariner steers his airship skyward, little by little the inharmony and incongruity of the world of matter are lost, and before his astonished vision he sees widespread the wonderful panorama of God’s creation. Likewise when the student of the path of Reality has attained to the loftiest summit of divine love, he will not look upon the ugliness and misery of mankind; he will not observe any differences; he will not see any racial and patriotic differences; but he will look upon humanity with the glorified vision of a seer and a prophet. Let us all strive that we may attain to this highest pinnacle of ideal and spiritual life.”
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.
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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.
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