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NORMAN THOMAS
Marion Holley
* *
ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION IN
THE NEW WORLD ORDER
Paul Edmond Haney, M.B.A.
* *
HAIFA CALLING
Florence E. Pinchon
* *
CHANGING CONDITIONS
IN PERSIA
A. H. Naimi
* *
CRY HAVOC
Hussein Rabbani, M.A.
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| VOL. 24 | JANUARY, 1934 | No. 10 |
1. Unfettered search after truth, and the abandonment of all superstition and prejudice.
2. The Oneness of Mankind; all are "leaves of one tree, flowers in one garden.”
3. Religion must be a cause of love and harmony, else it is no religion.
4. All religions are one in their fundamental principles.
5. Religion must go hand-in-hand with science. Faith and reason must be in full accord.
6. Universal peace: The establishment of International Arbitration and an International Parliament.
7. The adoption of an International Secondary Language which shall be taught in all the schools of the world.
8. Compulsory education—especially for girls, who will be mothers and the first educators of the next generation.
9. Equal opportunities of development and equal rights and privileges for both sexes.
10. Work for all: No idle rich and no idle poor, "work in the spirit of service is worship."
11. Abolition of extremes of poverty and wealth: Care for the needy.
12. Recognition of the Unity of God and obedience to His Commands, as revealed through His Divine Manifestations.
| VOL. 24 | JANUARY, 1934 | No. 10 |
The Mount Carmel of the Future, `Abdu'l-Bahá | 307 |
Editorial, Stanwood Cobb | 291 |
A Fellowship of Free Men—An Interview with Norman Thomas, Marion Holley | 294 |
Economic Organization in the New World Order, Paul Edmond Haney, M. B. A. | 298 |
Haifa Calling, Florence E. Pinchon | 303 |
Letters Home, Keith Ransom-Kehler | 308 |
Rich Offerings, a Poem, Nell Griffith Wilson | 312 |
Changing Conditions in Persia, A. H. Naimi | 313 |
Cry Havoc!—Hussein Rabbani, M . A. | 316 |
Memorials of the Faithful | 319 |
STANWOOD COBB, MARIAM HANEY, BERTHA HYDE KIRKPATRICK | Editors |
MARGARET B. MCDANIEL | Business Manager |
| CONTRIBUTING EDITORS | |
| For the United States and Canada | International |
| ALFRED E. LUNT LEROY IOAS SYLVIA PAINE MARION HOLLEY DOROTHY BAKER LOULIE MATHEWS MAY MAXWELL DORIS McKAY |
HUSSEIN RABBANI, M. A. Palestine and Near East Central Europe Great Britain Persia China AGNES B. ALEXANDER Japan |
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 Bahá'i Magazine, 1000 Chandler 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.
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A group of Persian men and women, Bahá’is, who gathered in the outskirts of Tihrán, to bid farewell to their beloved American sister and teacher, Keith Ransom-Kehler (center, rear, with hat on). Such unheard of events accompanying the remarkable mission of Mrs. Ransom-Kehler throughout Persia created great excitement both among Bahá'i and non-Bahá’i communities of that land.
| VOL. 24 | JANUARY, 1934 | No. 10 |
tranquility of all existent beings. . . . Truly I say, whatever lowers the lofty station of religion will increase heedlessness in the wicked, and finally result in anarchy. . . . Consider the civilization of the people of the Occident—how it has occasioned commotion and agitation to the people of the world. Infernal instruments have been devised, and such atrocity is displayed in the destruction of life as has not been seen by the eye of the world, nor heard by the ear of nations. It is impossible to reform these violent, overwhelming evils except the peoples of the world become united upon a certain issue or under the shadow of one religion.”
“THE PROBLEM of statesmanship is to mold a policy leading toward a higher state of humanity”, declared Secretary of Agriculture Wallace in a recent address before the Federal Council of Churches. “True statesmanship and true religion therefore have much in common.” And he went on to picture a nation controlled by spiritual principles, and denied the claims of those who contend that greed and profit seeking are the mainsprings of human conduct. “But it will be impossible to enter into the still almost limitless possibilities of science and invention until we have acquired a new faith, a faith which is based on a richer concept of the potentialities of human nature than that of the economists, scientists and business men of the nineteenth century. . . . The religious keynote, the economic keynote, the scientific keynote of the new age must be the overwhelming realization that mankind now has such mental and spiritual powers and such control over nature that the doctrine of the struggle for existence is definitely outmoded and replaced by the higher law of cooperation.”
It is extremely significant for a prominent official of high rank in the
United States—one concerned so vitally with great enterprises for public welfare—to voice a doctrine of spiritually inspired statesmanship. In general it is the function of government to execute and administer the existing order of things. But today governments the world over are being forced by the compelling power of circumstance to attempt to create some new order of things which will establish stability and security in the midst of this failing civilization.
Secretary Wallace emphasizes the main cause of our depression as being human greed over-developed by a system of private profit seeking and of unregulated brutal competition. The whole question of any new order of things hinges upon whether it is possible for humanity to be motivated by other emotions than those of greed. Plainly, however, when such an alternative is considered it is immediately realized that religion is the only power that can offer motives of a non-profit seeking type strong enough to control human nature. Thus we find national coordination of the religious, economic and scientific approaches to the new age based on the realization that the doctrine of
the struggle for existence is definitely outmoded and replaced by the higher law of cooperation.
THE SYSTEM of unlimited profit
seeking and competition necessarily
creates a struggle for existence as
brutal in the economic world as is
the biological struggle for existence
in the jungle. It has seemed that
the struggle for existence was a
necessary or inevitable part of human
evolution, as it is indeed in the
lower forms of life. To a certain
extent this is still true. Undoubtedly
superior human beings, in whatever
line of human enterprise, will rise
to the top. But that men need to
struggle selfishly and cruelly merely
in order to gain an existence is no
longer true, thanks to the efficacy of
modern science and to the immense
resources of our planet. When cooperation
supercedes selfish competition,
there will be plenty for all.
This truth is evident, viewed from
any standpoint, when we realize
that today more food is being produced
in this country, and more
goods manufactured, than can be
consumed by the populace. It takes
no stretch of the imagination to
conceive that a cooperative organization
of society can provide all the
necessities and many comforts for
the entire populace.
This is easy to state, but it is not easy to bring to pass. And why? Because the immensely selfish egoism which is a part of human nature intervenes. There are those who, for purposes of luxury and power, want more than their normal share of life’s goods. And unfortunately those who have such selfish desires are apt also to be the strongest in intelligence, will power, cunning and ruthlessness.
In another, much larger group of humans, the tendency to inertia so deepseated in every human being serves as an obstacle to the new cooperative society. The majority of people instinctively and unreasoningly shrink from any change in their accustomed mode of living and of doing business.
But time and tide will not wait upon such dalliers. Destiny is forc ng the new economic order by sheer weight of utter failure of the old. Fortunate it is that we have available as leaders for this new political, economic and social planning, men of vision, men of earnest effort, men of sincere motives of service. Mistakes may be made. But once a goal such as Secretary Wallace has envisioned is firmly fixed in the conscience of the State, we shall arrive after a certain amount of effort and struggle and difficulties.
THIS LOOKS pretty much like the
millenium, does it not? A social
economic state in which employment
is guaranteed to every one; in
which want is abolished; in which
ideals of service prevail over the
desire of profit seeking and exploitation.
Can this be brought
about without the powerful aid
which religion is able to lend to
idealism? Impossible, it would
seem, to establish such a state without
the aid of a vast spiritual force,
a new conscience, a new heart of
humanity. This truth, too, Secretary
Wallace envisions and states.
It is a truth that is indeed patent to
the student of history and of human
nature.
WHEN ALL is said and done
and the new social economic state
is established, what will it be like?
Here we come to an amazing fact! This ideal state which represents the most advanced vision of humanity—what is it but the New World Order of Bahá’u’lláh revealed to the world over sixty years ago from the prison walls of an obscure Oriental city.
Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed a divine civilization built upon divinely revealed principles of equality of opportunity, security and comfort for every individual. Joined with this Declaration was also a spiritual potency, a dynamic influence setting to work a vast and mysterious movement of Destiny toward this established goal.
Over sixty years ago Bahá’u’lláh spoke of vast changes coming; of the shaking of the foundations of every nation; of a day when the learned would be bewildered and the wise men confounded; of a day when the universal conflagration of war would burn as a caustic until it consumed the core of martial evil from the heart of humanity.
The hour for universal peace has not yet arrived. But one more war with the methods of wholesale destruction now planned would certainly prove a war that would end
war, while at the same time tragically exterminating perhaps a third of the planetary population. Is it possible for the peoples of the world to reflect upon the lessons of the past war and make a reformation without the agony of this one last titanic Armageddon; or must they learn the bitter lesson of woe? The choice lies still within the will and intelligence of humanity. But the unbiased observer may dread the prevailing emotional strains of whole populaces bringing to pass that of which the intelligence disapproves, and which the reason disavows.
Yet whether through war or through intelligent evolution of the spirit of man, universal peace shall come to pass and the New World Order shall be established! Our descendants shall witness and enjoy the benefits of a new society based upon universal justice; they shall participate in a new civilization the splendor of which shall out shine all that man has known or conceived!
All this Bahá’u’lláh declared. And Destiny and events are rushing forward with accelerated speed toward the proving of His Word.
“That the Cause associated with the Name of Bahá’u’lláh feeds itself upon those hidden springs of celestial strength which no force of human personality, whatever its glamour, can replace; that its reliance is solely upon that mystic Source with which no worldly advantage, be it wealth, fame, or learning can compare; that it propagates itself by ways mysterious and utterly at variance with the standards accepted by the generality of mankind, will, if not already apparent, become increasingly manifest as it forges ahead towards fresh conquests in its struggle for the spiritual regeneration of mankind.”
“This matter of the struggle for existence is the fountain-head of all calamities and is the supreme affliction.”—‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
connection with Socialism,1 the following interview with Norman Thomas will be of great interest to all readers of this magazine. Although we may not agree with his ideas regarding the future economic structure or with the methods he proposes of attaining it, we shall find ourselves in strong sympathy with his idealism and his noble vision of a state of society in which the individual is freed from that
economic strain and terror which is perhaps the chief curse of humanity today.CLASS struggle?” Norman Thomas, Socialist candidate for President in 1932, did not hesitate to attack my question. “The reason for emphasizing class struggle is to gain solidarity among the workers. It’s our practical tool for effecting a transformation of society. I don’t mean by that extermination of individuals, but only of the rights of one class to own and use property for power. We want a classless society. . . . No! Not a dull uniformity. There will be classes in the sense of interest groups, occupational groups, diversity of abilities, even degrees of ownership; but property for power will be socially owned. Class struggle is the practical unifying motive for doing this job. I admit that one objection to Communism is too extreme an emphasis of struggle and hate. In Russia they pursue the bourgeoisie, even to the second generation. We don’t mean that. We use it only as a tool, to gain solidarity. It is the most effective immediate way of bringing about what is the only possible ideal for the world. I call it a fellowship of free men.”
1 For a description of the Bahá’i economic state, see article on page 298.
Mr. Thomas, who has been speaking with the earnestness and sincerity which so deeply characterize him, smiled as I exclaimed over the felicity of his phrase. “A fellowship of free men!” The aim of socialism, I remembered his writing, is “to hold up the vision of a classless society to the workers of the world, a society from which poverty and war are forever banished.”
“But the transition will not be easy.”
We were sitting in my car in front of the Hotel Tulare. To obtain an interview, I had driven him ten miles on his way to inspect the area of the cotton strike, which had gained for California so much undesired publicity. As we waited for the accompanying car, we watched the men and women on the street, hurrying to work, pausing to window-shop, all engaged in habitual tasks, their faces set in masks of vague or lustreless expression. Meanwhile thirty miles away more than three thousand strikers were camping in their tent city. The name could scarcely dignify the dust in which they slept, cooked their small rations over stoves constructed out
of wash tubs and tin cans, gave birth to babies, watched other children die of malnutrition, and waited through passing weeks for some settlement by which they might work and earn at least a living wage. That they were Mexicans and migratory workers made them no less human, although it absolved the citizens from interest in their case.
“The transition will not be easy,” said Mr. Thomas, “due to the weight of prejudices of all imaginable kinds. For instance, take this cotton situation—”
THE FACT which has always impressed
me, the interviewer, in her
acquaintance with socialism and the
Socialist party, is the extreme
emphasis placed upon the economic
problem. Not only is the course of
history said to be economically determined,
but the very goal of
society appears to involve plenty
and economic freedom more than
anything else. Our present situation
is ascribed by them to the capitalist
system. Hence the socialists’ insistence
on class struggle as an implement
of progress. It is quite
true that Mr. Thomas insists that
“socialism is more than the sum
total of specific changes . . . It is a
way of life and loyalty.” And in
another place he writes: “An adequate
philosophy is what we need
above all else in America.” But
these observations are obviously beside
the main point, which is that
our crisis is economic in character,
and its solution therefore an economic
one.
We may feel that this is an exaggerated viewpoint, not only exaggerated but insufficient. Mr. Thomas has himself written such sentences as these: “The realization of this
potential abundance . . . will not by any means automatically save us.” “Racial, religious and national prejudices will not fall simply by bidding workers think of their own interests . .” “The ideal of class solidarity is ethical . .” “To reach that harbor requires the creative energy of the informed human will.”
. . . “No,” said Mr. Thomas, “socialism is not limited to the solution of the economic problem. But this is so much more pressing than any other problem that we emphasize it. I will even agree with Harry Elmer Barnes that ‘the establishment of a socialistic commonwealth should terminate the operation of economic determinism.’ Of course that indicates that economic determinism is not fundamental to society. The trouble with Communists is that they try to press the economic explanation into metaphysics. You can’t explain all of history rigidly by this standard. But let me put in a reservation. It is a very good explanation for the occurrences and developments of the last hundreds of years. As a matter of fact, we will never be rid of the economic factor altogether. I expect there will always be maladjustments, even in the socialist order, requiring our attention.”
I was impressed by the honesty of this man, by his breadth of understanding, his lack of dogmatic blindness. “But what about our immediate problem? Can that be solved by attention only to the economic conditions?”
“No. Of course we won’t be able to gain the economic solution independent of changes in ideology. There is a large degree of action and inter-action. Still, you must
admit that the actual process of changing the economic order will greatly affect and shape human thinking. That is one of the best ways. Communism, for example, has certainly developed a characteristic ethics. But that’s another story—”
“Yes. I remember your article, ‘Puritan Fathers.’ ‘The real test of the Communist attempt to rid the world of religion will come when—and if—its own achievements as a secular religion of a well-ordered system of production and distribution . . . are fairly secure.’ I wish we could follow that up . . . ”
“Not today—”
I longed for the privacy of an open fire and a winter’s night. To discuss religion with a Socialist is an opportunity not often gained. And Mr. Thomas has a background for it. Not only were his father and grandfather in the ministry, but he himself preached in a Presbyterian pulpit for seven years. That he has grown out of his religion makes his obvious spiritual aspiration the more attractive.
“You see,” he continued, “I’m skeptical of your question. People who ask me this usually conclude with the observation that of course we must return to traditional religion. That’s why I’m wary of emphasizing the problem of human nature. There’s been too much sentimentality already. We grow more and more remote from the immediate issue.”
He had touched the center of our inadequacy. I sympathized, having met on innumerable occasions the same response, a response which any sane man recognizes as bankrupt. But now to the issue.
“Well then, what do you propose?
Can you transform attitudes swiftly enough?”
He shook his head gravely. “I don’t think any man alive can answer that. History is an amazing process. It’s difficult to say why changes come. No one can foretell that we will make this change in time. That can only be recorded after the event. All we can do is the thing at hand, the concrete job, and not give up hope until we have to.”
For a moment we drove in silence.
“You see,” he added, “I have no patience with those who talk continually in ideal terms, and fail to carry on the immediate task.”
It was plain to see that the fellowship of free men was still remote in his judgment, separated, perhaps, by a gulf which might prove our calamity. My mind returned to some sentences written by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: “The fundamentals of the whole economic condition are divine in nature and are associated with the world of the heart and spirit. . . Economic questions are most interesting, but the power which moves, controls and attracts the hearts of men is the love of God.” Would Mr. Thomas consider that a bad dream? Possibly. But his own hopes seemed to me unhappily visionary.
“After all,” I ventured, “isn’t our whole problem a spiritual one, the application of that ancient principle—call it what you will—the oneness of mankind? Isn’t this our situation: that for the first time in history a spiritual principle must become the practical formula?”
“Quite right,” he agreed. “But the adjustment into that time will not be easy. Yes, ultimately I guess it’s a question of the Golden Rule.
But there’s another verse we often quote from that most abused book, one that has been misapplied by the capitalist. ‘The poor ye have always with you.’ How true that was when it was written! It is no longer necessarily true. And this is the hopeful fact. In the end, it will surely be easier to apply the principle of sharing for mutual benefit, when sharing is a necessity, than it has been to establish it upon a basis of scarcity.”
For a moment he hesitated, as if to draw sustenance from the wonder of that ideal world. I shared the vision.
“The most pressing problem,” Mr. Thomas said, “is to show the worker an immediate sacrifice of personal gain for the ultimate ideal.”
To engage the loyalties and energies of men in the service of a new world order, is not this the challenge that we all face?
“If the world should remain as it is today, great danger will face it; but if reconciliation and unity are witnessed, if security and confidence be established, if with heart and soul we strive in order that the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh may find effective penetration in the realities of humankind, inducing fellowship and accord, binding together the hearts of the various religious and uniting divergent peoples,—the world of mankind shall attain peace and composure, the will of God will become the will of man, and the earth a veritable habitation of angels. Souls shall be educated, vice be dispelled, the virtues of the world of humanity prevail, materialism pass away, religion be strengthened and prove to be the bond which shall cement together the hearts of men.”
The following article written by a young Bahá'i student of economic problems, presents very clearly and concisely the fundamental changes which the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh will introduce into the economic life of the nations. The reader will see in these principles revealed by Bahá’u’lláh a goal of universal justice and beneficence to which the conscience of humanity is even now approaching due to the moral purging of misfortunes and economic suffering.
THE unprecedented business depression of the last four years has brought about an almost complete stagnation and breakdown of the fundamental economic processes of production, distribution and exchange.
Under our present planless economic system, it was inevitable that such a condition should bring in its wake a great amount of human suffering in varying degrees among practically all classes of people. Is it possible that such a state of affairs is one of the unavoidable concomitants of modern civilization and that mankind must continue to suffer these great hardships at periodic intervals? The answer to this question, fortunately, is in the negative, for there is a solution which is quite simple in its outline and substance, but which contains all the essential components of a new economic organization for society, divine in nature, yet intensely practical in its direct application to the everyday economic life of man.
This plan constitutes one of the twelve basic principles given to the world by the Persian prophet Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’i faith. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh, who interpreted His Father’s teachings and gave them to the Occidental world, placed great
1 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, Vol. 2, pp. 233-34.
emphasis upon the solution of the economic problem, and in His writings and published addresses one finds a complete exposition of the Bahá’i teachings on this subject.
The keynote of the Bahá’i solution is found in the following quotation from one of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s lectures in America:
“The fundamentals of the whole economic condition are divine in nature and are associated with the world of the heart and spirit. This is fully explained in the Bahá’i teaching, and without knowledge of its principles no improvement in the economic state can be realized. The Bahá’is will bring about this improvement and betterment but not through sedition and appeal to physical force; not through warfare, but welfare . . If it is accomplished in this way it will be most praiseworthy because then it will be for the sake of God and in the pathway of His service . . . Economic questions are most interesting but the power which moves, controls and attracts the hearts of men is the love of God.”1
Thus the sine qua non of the Bahá’i economic plan is that it is to be founded upon a new concept of the relationship between God and man which, in turn, will be the means of bringing about a new concept of the social relationship of man to man.
At this point, undoubtedly, the cynic will say, “Yes, that is all very well, but it is too idealistic. Unless there is something more definite upon which to base this relationship it can never be brought about.”
The Bahá’i teachings, however, do
contain a carefully integrated economic plan for the world of the future. In order to gain a clear picture of the implications of this plan, it is necessary first to ascertain in what respects it differs from individualistic capitalism on the one hand and socialism or communism on the other.
In a word, the Bahá’i economic philosophy proposes a system in which the best features of each of these are incorporated.
Perhaps the greatest defect of capitalism, as recent history has so clearly demonstrated, is its inflexibility in the face of changing conditions with the resultant concentration of purchasing power in the hands of a very small proportion of the population. Obviously such a condition, if it is not remedied, will bring about the ultimate destruction of the system itself, for a wide distribution of purchasing power is necessary to insure that continuous production and consumption of material goods without which no industry can hope permanently to survive and prosper. Thus it is apparent that the employer, in the last analysis, is as dependent upon the ability of the worker to pay for and consume the products of his factory as the worker is upon the employer for the wage or salary which enables him to make such purchases. If the greater proportion of the income of society is concentrated in the hands of the few, the whole economic machine is thrown out of balance and all classes inevitably suffer.
On the other hand, it is just as impossible to achieve a Lycurgian or communistic state of absolute equality in the distribution of
1 Esslemont, J. E., Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, p. 166.
wealth, for there are innate differences of degree in human capacity and individual initiative. If production is to be carried on in the most efficient manner, there must be commensurate rewards for those who risk their capital in productive enterprises. Also it is essential that the institution of private property be preserved in order to encourage saving and the creation of the capital which is necessary to insure the creation and maintenance of the instruments of production.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, recognizing these defects of both the present system and any socialistic or communistic experiment, has expounded a new divine economic philosophy, the substance of which is found in the following quotation:
“The arrangements of the circumstances of the people must be such that poverty shall disappear, that everyone, as far as possible, according to his rank and position, shall share in comfort and well-being. We see among us men who are overburdened with riches on the one hand, and on the other those unfortunate ones who starve with nothing; . . . This condition of affairs is wrong, and must be remedied. Now the remedy must be carefully undertaken. It cannot be done by bringing to pass absolute equality between men. Equality is a chimera! It is entirely impracticable. Even if equality could be achieved it could not continue; and if its existence were possible, the whole order of the world would be destroyed. The Law of Order must always obtain in the world of humanity . . . Humanity, like a great army, requires a general, captains, under-officers in their degree, and soldiers, each with their appointed duties . . .
“Certainly, some being enormously rich and others lamentably poor, an organization is necessary to control and improve this state of affairs. It is important to limit riches, as it is also of importance to limit poverty. Either extreme is not good . . .
“There must be special laws made, dealing with these extremes of riches and Want . . . The government of the countries should conform to the Divine Law which gives equal Justice to all . . .”1
THIS THEN is the foundation upon which the future economic state
will rest. Now as to the actual mechanism by means of which these principles are to be put into effect.
THERE are really three distinct
phases of the Bahá’i economic plan,
namely the agricultural solution;
the industrial solution; and the
question of inheritance.
Since agriculture is the basic industry, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has expressly stated that any solution of the economic problem must begin with the farmer and the small agricultural communities.
The plan as outlined below is in terms applicable to the village life of the Orient. However, only minor changes will be necessary to adapt its principles to the agricultural economy of the West.
According to the Bahá’i plan, a storehouse, or House of Finance is to be created in the central village of each farming district.1 The administration of this institution will be delegated to a board of control, elected from the population of each community. This storehouse will have seven chief revenues, as follows:
1. Taxes on farm produce. 2. Taxes on animals. 3. Intestate wealth. 4. Revenues from mines (consisting of one-third or one-fourth of the income, depending on the nature of the mine). 5. Newly-discovered wealth (one-half of all buried treasure and other forms of new wealth goes to the storehouse). 6. Lost articles (one-half the value of such wealth goes to the storehouse if the owner cannot be found). 7. Voluntary contributions.
The expenditures of the storehouse, likewise, will be divided into seven chief classes, namely:
1. Taxes to the general government (one-tenth of the income of the storehouse goes to the public treasury). 2. The care of the poor. 3. The care of the permanently
1 For a more detailed treatment of the institution of the storehouse and the agricultural solution, c. f. Latimer, G. O., “A New Social Contract”, Bahá’i Magazine, Vol 16, pp. 450-51.
2 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’i Magazine, Vol. 8, p. 7
infirm. 4. Support of orphanages. 5. Education. 6. Institutions for the deaf and blind. 7. Public health.
In the collection of items (1) and (2) of the revenues of the storehouse, the principle of a graduated tax is to be applied, so that each person contributes according to his ability. If certain individuals, by reason of circumstances beyond their control, are unable to produce sufficient for their needs and are thus faced with want, the resources of the entire community which have been pooled in the storehouse are drawn upon to the extent necessary to prevent these individuals from suffering hardship.
It should be noted that under this system the private ownership of land is preserved, but the income from this land is taxed according to the ability of the owner to pay such taxes, and thus there is to be a certain amount of socialization in the agricultural industry.
IN THE industrial solution, the
principle of socialization is carried
a little further, although here also
the institution of private property
is retained. The Bahá’i plan for
the socialization of industry is described
by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the following
words:
“ . . . According to the divine law, employees should not be paid merely by wages. Nay, rather they should be partners in every work. The question of socialization is very difficult. It will not be solved by strikes for wages . . . The owners of properties, mines and factories should share their incomes with their employees, and give a fairly certain percentage of their profits to their working-men in order that the employees should receive, besides their wages, some of the general income of the factory, so that the employee may strive with his soul in the work.”2
In another place ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said:
“ . . . Therefore, laws and regulations should be established which would permit the workmen to receive from the factory owner their wages and a share in the fourth or fifth part of the profits, according to the wants of the factory; or in some other way the body of workmen and the manufacturers should share equitably the profits and advantages.“1
It is obvious that a mere wage payment, however large, will not satisfy the laborer, for experience has shown that labor as a group is always striving for higher wages; no sooner is one wage increase granted than an attempt is made to secure an even higher one. On the other hand, the capitalist is constantly striving to economize on his labor cost, and therefore, under our present system the interests of capital and labor are antithetical.
However, if the worker is admitted to a share in the equity of the corporation it is to his interest to strive to the best of his ability to increase the profits of the organization, for his income, beyond a certain minimum, will vary directly with the profitableness of the enterprise, just as does that of the capitalist at present.
And how, it may be asked, will this benefit the capitalist? In the first place, the morale of his workers will be benefited, and this will, in turn, bring about a more efficient utilization of the factors of production which he owns; therefore his own income per unit of capital will be increased, and labor troubles will become a thing of the past.
The divine wisdom of the Bahá’i plan for the industrial organization of the future is thus apparent, for it retains the best features of capitalism,
1 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “Some Answered Questions”, p. 313.
2 Abu’l-Fadl, The Brilliant Proof, p. 35.
namely the incentive for saving and for individual effort and initiative, while at the same time it distributes the income of society in an equitable manner which will insure a widespread distribution of purchasing power.
THERE REMAINS to be considered
the third phase of the Bahá’i plan,
which concerns the question of inheritance.
The Bahá’i teachings on this point and their social significance have been very ably stated by Mirza Abu’l-Fadl, the distinguished Persian Bahá’i scholar. The following quotation from his writings contains the essential features of the plan:
“Inasmuch as the matter of death among mankind is an unavoidable event, if the distribution of the estate left by those who ascend to God should be effected according to this divine recommendation, it will be impossible for wealth to be accumulated by the few . . ., leaving others deprived and afflicted by poverty and want. For the Mighty Lawgiver Bahá’u’lláh has dealt with this important affair in this manner: He has divided the heirs of the deceased into seven classes, including teachers, who are the spiritual fathers of enlightened individuals in the world of humanity. The heritage is divided according to the number 2520, which is the lowest number comprising the integral fractions of nine. Under this division the seven classes eligible to legacies are as follows: first, offspring; second, wives; third, fathers; fourth, mothers; fifth, brothers; sixth, sisters; seventh, teachers.
The nearest relatives are arranged the closest. Each class receives its due according to the number of sixty, which runs down through all. He (Bahá’u’lláh) has decreed that these seven classes mentioned will come equally into possession of their legitimate rights, each receiving his share from this division . . . with this command in operation wealth . . . will always be in circulation among all. All mankind will inherit from one another and all will be benefited from this capital.“2
This method of bringing about a more equitable distribution of the world’s wealth is of course an evolutionary one, the results of which
may not be apparent for some time. However, the effect is cumulative, and once it is firmly established, concentration of great wealth in the hands of the few will no longer exist.
IT HAS been possible in this article
to present only the fundamental
principles of the Bahá’i economic
plan. These principles, however,
contain the real key to a permanent
and lasting solution of the greatest
problem which confronts modern
civilization. But it should be emphasized
that it will not be possible
to establish this divine economy in
a permanent way until the other
basic Bahá’i principles such as The
Oneness of Humanity, Universal Peace, Universal Education, etc., become a reality in the world, for each of these ideals is dependent upon the others for its ultimate and full realization.
The solution of the economic problem, nevertheless, is one of the cornerstones upon which the New World Order prophesied by Bahá’u’lláh must be built, for it is the question which is the most directly related to the everyday life of man, and until the Bahá’i plan is put into effect, the world will continue to struggle in the morass of periodic economic depression with its inevitable and disastrous results.
“In present-day America the conventional pattern of society which molds its citizens, though exceptionally pervasive and penetrating, is wholly inadequate to the times. New patterns of thought and action are necessary to release our creative powers and to refine and integrate our efforts. This must be the work of individuals. The elemental soul of the people may he stirring to a new pattern of life, but whether that pattern shall be great and adequate, or shall be trivial and abortive, depends on the leadership of individuals. The negative philosophy of social determination will not produce that leadership. Men are heeded who conserve and commit their whole powers to the achievement of a new and better social and governmental pattern.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, as early as 1914 when Syria was still in the possession of the Turks, made remarkable prophecies about the commercial development of the harbor of Haifa. As so significant a part of the prophecy has now come to pass, it is easy to conceive as its complete fulfillment the vision of the magnificent metropolis which will one day arise from the slopes and approaches of Mt. Carmel. Haifa, because of its geographic situation, possesses such immense advantages for commerce with the Hinterland of the Near East that in the future it may well become the chief emporium of Western Asia.
“Some day ‘Akká and Haifa will be connected as one large city, with a long breakwater sheltering harbor and clocks, and a driveway, through orange groves, skirting the sea. The ships of all nations will be seen here, commerce will thrive, and the Bay of ‘Akká will be the center of the pilgrimage of the world–the sovereignty of world reverence.”
IT was a thrilling moment when, on the morning of the 31st of October, 1933, we paused in the business of the day, to listen to the voice of Haifa, Palestine, calling the British Isles.
The broadcast was taking place on the occasion of the opening, by the High Commissioner of Palestine, of the new harbour, whose construction now makes the port of Haifa one of the finest and most sheltered havens in the Mediterranean.
However, to Bahá’is generally, the ceremony meant something far more than the mere inauguration of a harbour. For not only does it mark the opening of a new door between the Eastern and Western worlds—in itself an event of outstanding consequence both to world communications and world relations—but to those who could trace, however dimly, the working-out of a
divine plan and purpose, the happening seemed fraught with a profound spiritual significance.
The masterly description given in the broadcast of the beautiful and historic scene in which the ceremony took place, with all its ancient and sacred associations, and now its new world importance, filled one with a deep content. For were we not actual witnesses of the beginning of the fulfilment of those glowing predictions, uttered long ago by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, concerning the brilliant destiny that awaited this, the home of His life-long exile and labours?
Authoritative writers suggest that the immediate future is likely to witness a re-awakening of the whole of the region formerly known to us as Asia Minor. In Palestine this renaissance is already well begun, with its radiating point at the port of Haifa. Symbolic of this progressive spirit, the new harbour here will constitute a landmark in the annals of world intercourse, and play a leading part in the developments that are taking place in the Near and Middle East.
THE ANCIENT town of Haifa lies
on the southern horn of a magnificent
bay, three miles deep and nine
miles wide, just where the green
promontory of Mt. Carmel breaks
the two hundred miles of inhospitable
--PHOTO--
Main Breakwater, Harbor of Haifa.
coast-line and yellow sand-dunes stretching northwards from Port Said.
At the other extremity of the bay, the grey fortress of ‘Akká—the Acre of the Crusades, and Christianity’s last stronghold in Palestine—stands out into the blue Syrian Sea. The great semi-circular harbour so formed is now spanned by a breakwater about one and a half miles long, which runs out from Rasel-Kerim at the northern extremity of the base of Mt. Carmel, eastwards, in a line parallel to the town front. The leeside of the harbour is formed by another breakwater, about half a mile long, running out at right angles to the main one. The sheltered haven so constituted encloses an area about the size of Genoa harbour, and can afford accommodation to every class of vessel navigating the Levant.
Yet contrary to what has happened in the case of most other seaports,
the harbour does not overshadow the town, but has been designed to suit the landscape and lit with due proportion into the whole noble picture.
All who have visited this spot seem to agree that, as Sir Cunliffe Lister observed in his reply from London to the High Commissioner, it is a monument to British engineering genius, and an achievement of which they may be justly proud. And, in this connection, it may not be without interest to note, that if two imaginary lines were drawn across the globe, passing through the widespread British dominions and colonies, they would quite naturally meet and intersect at this point of the Holy Land. While Haifa, in the near future, is likely to become an important naval, land and air base of the Empire.
YET, IN spite of its unique position and rich associations, until
within quite recent years this particular part of the Near East has lain all neglected and forgotten by men.
In the days of the Canaanites, Haifa was known as Shikmona, and later, to the Jews, as Hepha or haven. Among the Medes and Phoenicians it was famed as an important station on the highroads of the nations. For Nature appears to have endowed it with advantages granted to no other seaport on the Eastern Mediterranean.
About half a century ago, a group of prominent Englishmen, recognising the immense possibilities of this locality, agitated for the cession of Haifa to Great Britain. And later, the author of “New Old Land” and founder of the modern Zionist Movement, sailed along its shores and envisioned for it a brilliant future.
But it was in 1868, at the time when the whole country lay under the indolent Turkish rule, that the first flush of another dawn broke above these ancient hills of God, and a breeze of a new morning ruffled its sleeping waves. For when ‘Akká was but a grim penal settlement—a home of the owl and the bat—and Haifa a small obscure town, a Messenger of God was sent here by the Persian and Turkish governments, as a life-long prisoner and exile. And so, here, beneath the shadow of Mt. Carmel, in the land of Jesus Christ and of the Prophets, Bahá’u’lláh lived and suffered, and finally triumphed, delivering to men His message of world unity and peace, and pointing out the spiritual and practical means by which such a consummation might be achieved.
Visiting pilgrims tell us that, from this time onward the whole
district began to change; that even the atmosphere seemed charged with a purer and more vibrant quality. So intimately related are the things of earth and heaven, things temporal and things eternal.
Amid these fateful days of darkness and chaos, we find ourselves turning, with ever increasing longing, towards the heavenly Light that once shone from that lonely fortress, hearing again across the world’s troubled waters the reassuring voice of the Counsellor of Nations: “Be not afraid.”—“These fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the Most Grreat Peace shall come!”
Today we are witnessing in the steadily growing importance of Haifa and its magnificent harbour, the materialisation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s predictions, and the justification of all those who have dared to dream greatly concerning her. Planted at the feet of green and majestic Carmel she is beginning to blossom like the proverbial rose.
One of the principal causes contributing to this prosperity is, of course, the fact that at Haifa the gigantic pipe-line of some 600 miles, through which will pour the petroleum from the oil fields of Mosul, will find its outlet to the refineries and to the sea. This vast enterprise and the implications that oil–the igniter of the nations—brings in its wake would alone entitle Haifa to be called—“City of Light and of the Future.”
It is also anticipated that for economic, political and strategic reasons, ere long a railway will follow the route of the oil-pipes, crossing the wide stretches of desert that lie between Haifa and Baghdad, and tapping the trade of Upper Mesopotamia,
the Euphrates Valley and Eastern Turkey, and so forming a truly golden link between the Eastern and Western Worlds.
A link that, as some of us realise, was forged spiritually long ago, when Bahá’u’lláh journeyed across these same deserts in hardship and suffering in order that a path might be blazoned for the kinship of East and West, and differences of race be annulled.
SO COMES today the wheel of destiny
full circle, and Haifa is again
about to fulfil her ancient purpose
as a highway for the nations,
as well as a great distributing center
for the world’s merchandise.
Soon, as a certain writer has predicted,—“We
shall hear of wool
from Mosul, barley and grains from
Irak and Palestine, dates from
Amara, potash and phosphates from
the Dead Sea, rice, skins and hides
from Persia, oranges from Jaffa . . .
precious articles from Central Asia
and India, all passing through
Haifa to the markets of the West.”
In short, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá foretold,
it will become one of the first emporiums
of the world.
And the story does not end here.
It is, indeed, only the beginning. Few of us can imagine the high destiny that awaits this “radiant white spot” from which has flashed forth, in this new cycle of human power, the guiding Light of the Spirit.
“The flowers of civilization and culture from all nations will be brought here to blend their fragrances together and blaze the way for the brotherhood of man.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá prophesied in 1914: “The entire harbour from ‘Akká to Haifa will be one path of illumination. Carmel itself will be submerged in a sea of light. A person standing on the summit of the mountain, and passengers on the incoming steamers will look upon the most sublime and majestic spectacle of the whole world.”
The searchlight, that shines across the harbour from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's shrine on the mountain-side, is itself a witness that the word of God is being accomplished. As the Psalmist sang: “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is Mt. Zion”—because it has been and is destined increasingly to become—“the City of the great King.”
“The air here at Mount Carmel is fragrant and the earth is sweet. . . . I have breathed the air of many country places and have seen much natural scenery, but the air of this mountain is most wholesome, vitalizing, and its scenery is very entrancing. Purity of air, sublimity of panorama and beauty of landscape are united on Mount Carmel presenting to the eye a noble and inspiring spectacle of nature; its panorama of sea and land is very unique, its sun is all-glorious, its moon all-beautiful and its stars are all-sparkling.
“Many Israelitish prophets either lived here or passed a portion of their lives
or sojourned for a while or spent the last days of their existence on this mountain.
“This is the Holy Land, the land which gave birth to the prophets—Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, David, Solomon, Moses, Isaiah, Zechariah, and last of all, Christ. Elijah lived on Mount Carmel. You must love this land very much because all these holy happenings have taken place here. His Holiness Christ came to this holy mountain many times. The atmosphere is permeated with wonderful spirituality.”
THE MOUNT CARMEL OF THE FUTURE . . .
Concerning the Development
of Haifa, Palestine.IN THE future the distance between ‘Akká and Haifa will be built up, and the two cities will join and clasp hands, becoming the two terminal sections of one mighty metropolis. As I look now over this scene, I see so clearly that it will become one of the first emporiums of the world. This great semi-circular bay will be transformed into the finest harbor, wherein the ships of all nations will seek shelter and refuge. The great vessels of all peoples will come to this port, bringing on their decks thousands and thousands of men and women from every part of the globe. The mountain and the plain will be dotted with the most modern buildings and palaces. Industries will be established and various institutions of philanthropic nature will be founded. . . . Wonderful gardens, orchards, groves and parks will be laid out on all sides. At night the great city will be lighted by electricity. The entire harbor from ‘Akká to Haifa will be one path of illumination. Powerful searchlights will be placed on both sides of Mount Carmel to guide the steamers. Mount Carmel itself, from top to bottom, will be submerged in a sea of light. A person standing on the summit of Mount Carmel, and the passengers of the steamers coming to it, will look upon the most sublime and majestic spectacle of the whole world!”1
THE DAY will come when this mountain will be resplendent with light–lights from top to bottom. On one side of it there will be a hotel, a universal hotel. Its doors will be open to all the people of the world. Whoever comes will be a guest. On the other side of the mountain there will be a university in which all the higher sciences will be taught. On another part of it there will be a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár (Bahá’i Temple). On another part of it there will be a home for the incurables. In still another part there will be a home for the poor. In still another part there will be a home for orphans. All these will be administered with love.
“I foresee that this harbor [Haifa] will be full of vessels. And from here to the blessed Shrine [Bahje] there will be wide avenues, on both sides of which there will be trees and gardens. On the surrounding land at Bahje similar institutions to those on Mount Carmel will be established. And from all these places the songs of praise and exaltation will be raised to the Supreme Concourse.”2
1 Haifa, February 14, 1914.
2 Mount Carmel, January 4, 1920.
The final installment of Mrs. Ransom-Kehler's “Letters” giving an account of her missionary travels in Persia—brought to an end by her tragic and untimely death—here find posthumus publication. The reader will note in this article a description of the strain and stress incident to travel in the East, to which she lent herself a willing martyr, but which lowered her resistance and made her susceptible to the contagion which caused her demise.
AS I lay in a state of collapse from the rigors of my journey between Bábul and Rasht, I opened my Moffatt Testament and read the words of Paul to the Corinthians:
“I have been often at the point of death. Five times have I got forty lashes (all but one) from the Jews; three times have I been beaten by the Romans; three times ship-wrecked; once pelted with stones, adrift at sea for a whole day and night; I have been often on my travels, I have been in danger from rivers and robbers, in danger from Jews and Gentiles, through danger of town and desert, through dangers on the sea, through danger among false brothers, through labor and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger and thirst, starving many a time, cold, ill-clad, and all the rest of it. And then there is the pressing business of each day.” . . . “I am satisfied for His sake with weakness, insults, trouble, persecution and calamity.”*
It was now the middle of November and the winter rains had started relentlessly by the time we were ready to leave Babul. Dr. Bassár and the Spiritual Assembly urged us to stay lest we meet great difficulty on our journey but we decided that it was wiser to start before conditions got worse.
We left in a downpour at nine o’clock Friday morning hoping to reach Shaksavar, after a brief meeting with the believers enroute, in that evening.
The rain stopped again miraculously, as it had on our return from Arabkhayl, while I spoke from the porch of my host’s home to what seemed to me the entire village of Fraidunkavár.
* II Corinthians 11:24-28; 12:10.
A great procession of cars convoyed us to the next town and there, with tears, I parted from the glorious Bahá’is of Bábul.
Soon our road was skirting the beach of the Caspian Sea and so continued until we crossed the Sefrioud (Wide River) in the Province of Gilan.
THROUGHOUT the length and
breadth of Persia there is no such
thing as a navigable stream; but in
Mazindarán hundreds of creeks and
rivulets flow from the perpetual
snows of the Alburz range into the
great sea. These are spanned by as
many bridges, rather flimsy, temporary
affairs; for the road commissioner
at one point told us that
that particular bridge was being replaced
for the fourth time in a year.
The earth is a rich loose gravelly alluvial
soil that gives way under any
undue pressure.
After an hour or two of rain the creeks and streams begin to roll like torrents, gutting their banks and even washing rocks along to the furious sea. Both the works of nature and the works of man combine in threat and insecurity, that very soon become a menace and a devastation. The bridges range from three or four loose boards to about sixty feet in length, and fly by when “the going is good”, like telegraph poles past a train. But at this season and
--PHOTO--
under these circumstances we had to stop and examine every structure.
The first bridge that we attempted to cross, after parting from our friends, had lost from its center enough planks to permit the front end of the car to drop through. Here began the tedium and exertion of searching for heavy boards and putting them in place. That continued to be a quite regular part of our journey from then on.
By now the rain was pouring and the car was heaving through sheets of muddy water. It was an old model loaded to the gun-holes with our luggage, camping kit, bedding and all the necessities for just such an emergency.
Stopping every few hundred yards to examine roads and bridges we found their condition growing steadily worse as we neared the sea, for the whole push and weight of the torrents were dashing to their outlet with cumulative violence. We came to the first of many bridges dismantled and crumpled by the
flood. A crude temporary structure had been thrown over the stream twenty feet lower than the bridge bed, which spanned it on a tressle at the level of the highway. To go from this level to the water’s edge in the deep mud of an unpaved descent, and on the opposite bank to reach the highway again was problem enough in itself; but the temporary bridge, only loosely anchored on the crumbling banks, presented a very grave danger.
ALAI AND NAJIMIYYIH crossed
first on foot; Vahid and I stood in
the rain and mud on the near side
praying fervently. Water was already
dashing furiously over the
tottering boards and as the heavy
car rolled onto it, it began to wave
like a flag.
“Allah’u’Abha! he is clear,” we cried to each other as the car miraculously mounted the opposite bank, and we followed across with mincing steps and baited breath, hoping to be equally fortunate. As we stepped
ashore Vahid and I agreed that the bridge couldn’t last much longer, and in a short time, we later learned, it was washed out to sea.
The car stalled on the hillside: finally enough stragglers appeared to push it over the crown on to the road. All of them were dripping and plastered with the mud and filthy water showered over them from the rear wheels trying to get traction. Alai looked like an Abyssinian chieftain. But this, which would ordinarily have seemed a bad experience, went almost unnoticed in the midst of the actual dangers that confronted us.
Hasan Aqa ground his brakes and jammed on the emergency just in time to keep us from plunging into a deep stream where the road approach to the bridge had been swept away by the chafing eddies of a backwash.
Another interminable wait while road-menders, who luckily were passing, found long stout timbers to cover the gap. When these were nailed to the exposed beams of the bridge that were barely the width of the wheels apart, the car made a perilous crossing without two inches to spare, right or left.
But we still had the cheering thought that though late we could arrive in Shaksavar—only sixty miles from Bábul—that night, and rest from our labors.
The rain nagged wearily on; the sea on our right was turgid and wild, the mountains on our left sodden and gray, the road beneath us spongy and treacherous, and all man’s friendly efforts were nullified by the elements. We made a conscious attempt at cheerfulness and nonchalance, which deceived neither ourselves nor each other, and as
each fresh danger was passed chanted a prayer of gratitude.
For two kilometers we ploughed on without mishap, then another devastated bridge confronted us, but this time with no temporary structure to replace it.
Rahmat’u’lláh (whose other name is Alai) and Hasan Aqa went to find a ford in the stream but returned to say that it was rolling higher than the car and that crossing was absolutely impossible.
SO HERE we were hemmed in by
the now impassable bridge that we
had miraculously crossed behind us
and this furious wall of water before
us to a little spit of land about
a mile wide. There was no village
in sight. A man on horseback passed
us going inland and we told him to
send food and aid.
As a bounty of Providence an old deserted tumble-down shack by the roadside offered shelter for the night. An abundance of wood, left in a corner by its former occupant years before, enabled the men speedily to build two fires, one in the enclosed room, and one in the open thatched pavilion adjoining, where food was cooked, water heated and clothes dried. Camp cots were opened and our bedding, all too scanty for five adults on a bitter night, was spread in the enclosed room.
At length we saw lanterns coming through the wood, and by-and-by three men from a distant village appeared. We hastily sent them back for samovar, utensils and provisions, and after an unconscionable time spent in coming and going a great steaming pilau was served and life took on a brighter aspect.
The villagers brought tea, chicken
and a huge bowl of mast or clabber with sticks of charcoal crossed on it.
“Why the charcoal?” I inquired. “Nothing black must be brought into the house after sunset,” they explained, “and nothing white must be taken out of it.” So they covered the mast with charcoal to deceive the evil spirits into believing that no opening had been left for them by the removal of a color which they hate.
Vahid and Hasan Aqa slept in the car. They said that it would have been stripped by morning, even in this uninhabited place, if they had not done so.
The skies wept their last and through the serried yellow clouds of their troubled recollection a dazed, bleared moonlight fell. The sea throbbed and beat like a mighty engine, and the superstitious visitors, who are very weatherwise told us that that sound betokened the end of the rain.
We were all nipped to the marrow with the stabbing cold and were early astir to rebuild the fires, breakfast, and thaw out before our next adventure.
True to its reputation Mázindarán was rapidly forgetting the sullen violence of her storm, for the sun was now shining brilliantly and the waters were rapidly subsiding.
OUR DELAPIDATED shelter was only
a few hundred yards from the creek
and when we arrived we found the
road-force already busy repairing
the bridge. Alai and Vahid walked
the beams of the dismantled structure
to the opposite shore, had the
heaviest luggage carried across,
and left Najjie and me in the car to
ford the stream. As we started to
mount the banks after crossing, the
--PHOTO--
The Sifi Rud (Wide River) near its outlet in the Caspian Sea.
engine stalled, the rear of the car not only formed a dam that sent the water mounting but also was sinking in the muddy bed of the river. The road-menders hastily came to our assistance as the water swilled over the floor of the car. As many as could find hand space lifted, while a dozen of them pulled violently on a rope attached to the front bumper. With a mighty effort they heaved up the rear wheels, the men in front pulling the car ashore; Hasan Aqa started his engine while the men at the ropes, uninitiated in the Life and Habits of the automobile, continued to run ahead pulling, even after it was under its own power. I was frantic lest some of them be hurt, and at last as the car gained momentum they all cast loose and we reached the highway without accident. At the very moment that we passed, the superintendent received instructions from the engineer to permit no one to cross there until the bridge was repaired.
Whenever a Persian undertakes anything difficult it is to the rhythmic refrain: “Ya Ali! Ya Mohamat! Ya Allah!” (Oh Ali, oh Mohamet, oh God), very much as sailors cry “Heave ho.” As the car was visibly sinking I kept repeating with great fervor “Ya Bahá ul Abha.” When they heard me they all stopped
dead in amazement wondering perhaps if this was the familiar name of one of the Imams. They would have left us to drown I suppose if I had told them that it was the Name of the Promised Husayn who had come to establish peace and justice in the world.
Full of hope and gratitude for clear weather and sunshine we passed a little thatched village and
came to the Amir rud (river of the Minister). The heavy mail car was stuck fast near the shore, the lighter road car had been turned over three times and lay on its side in the swollen curent; the bridge was gone.
So we turned back to find accommodation in the village until the flood abated or the bridge was finished.
- There is a love that knows
- no barrier of race or creed,
- There is a beauty
- that the soul alone can see,
- A loneliness
- that has no answer to its need
- Save faith that God
- is near throughout eternity.
- There is a courage
- that defies the deepest pain,
- There is a happiness
- that triumphs over grief,
- A wealth not measured
- by mere worldy gain,
- And firm assurance
- that effaces unbelief.
- There is a loveliness
- that only hearts discern,
- There is a calmness
- that surmounts all strife—
- All these, and others,
- let me humbly learn,
- That I may bring
- rich offerings to eternal life.
The following article adapted from material sent us by Mr. Naimi, describes the rapid progress Persia, is making under the stimulus of the Bahá'i Movement.
NO greater evidence is visible of the creative power of the words of Bahá’u’lláh than the progress and development that is rapidly taking place in Persia.
Nearly a century has passed since the Bahá’i Movement arose in Persia. This world movement dedicated to progress and the perfectioning of humanity—how has it been able to thrive in the country of its origin, a country which has been among the most backward in the world. In 1844, the year of its origin, no man could have foreseen any rational prospects for the spread of this modernistic message. Materialistic tendencies, firm-rooted and seemingly unshakeable, swayed all the civilized world. The East, that is to say the garden where the divine seedling was to gain foothold seemed doomed to an irrevocable bigotry, prejudice and ignorance. Consider our own beloved. country, Persia. The people were in a mass martyred under the cruel rule of ignorant despots swayed by the powerful hand of demagogic mullas who condemned them to moral and spiritual perdition by thousands just for the sake of their greedy and inhuman designs.
Women were mere figures of nothingness, to whom every opportunity of spiritual, moral and material education was utterly denied.* They were veiled in the inner courtyards, kept under the weight of their own ignorance and superstition as tools and means of satisfaction
* There were a few exceptions among the upper classes.
of men’s fancy. The resultant ignorance and moral debility of children brought up by such incompetent mothers doomed the future generations for at least another five-hundred years to degradation and stagnation. The superstitions, the soul-killing rituals, mournings, total negation of all sane social and progressive principles, unchanged for the last six or seven centuries, were keeping the aspirations for a moral and material betterment throughout the whole country at the lowest point.
IN A STATE of such chaotic moral
and social standards the call to salvation
of both soul and body raised
by the Herald of the Bahá’i
Movement, the Báb, was met by an
orgy of persecution, torture and
suppression. All classes of society,
headed by the despotic and ignorant
rulers and by the clergy, joined
hands to annihilate this only hope
of Persia’s resuscitation. Thousands
of innocent souls were most
cruelly put to death. Yet the divine
plant took root, irrigated by
the life blood of thirty thousand
martyrs who renounced not their
faith either on the gallows or in the
fire and so made firm the basis of
Persia’s, nay, of the world’s, spiritual,
economic and material deliverance . . . .
what was the result?
Not more than eighty years later, we see the gradual realization of the promised changes.
I AM NOT concerned here with the gradual progress of this divine Cause in the West or in the East outside of my own country as such an attempt would require much careful study. Everybody has heard something of the firm rooting that this Cause has gained in the most civilized countries of the world, both in Europe and in America; remote spots of Australia and obscure corners in the Pacific Ocean have not failed to partake of the soul-vivifying rays of the Sun of Truth. The basic principles of this religion: Equality of men and women; brotherhood of all men; total negation of all religious, social, racial and political prejudices; obligatory and universal education of boys and girls under equal conditions; the realization of the world’s Great Peace; the establishment of a great International House of Justice in the center of the world for administering justice to all nations on an equal footing; the change of religious rituals and principles long adhered to by all religions; the creation of a universal language auxiliary to the mother-tongue of each nation and other remedies which are the panacea for healing the sick world:—these principles stood in evident opposition and contradiction to all that was universally sought and loved in Persia.
But the era of rebirth was started. The emancipation of women and their education gradually appeared; whereas education in scientific accomplishments of a girl was considered tantamount to sin and even boys received such mediocre educational attention as to make them good only for very low occupations. But we now see general enthusiasm
for the education of boys and girls alike. The education of a woman and her study of sciences is no longer looked upon with indignation and disgust. Schools for boys and girls and even for grown-ups are opened by the hundreds and the government which formerly opposed any advancement of the people in modern thought is now fostering all means to this end.
The power of the clergy is shaken and legislative and public opinion shows signs that its influence is no longer wanted. The government, which has been most backward, is showing signs of enlightenment and modernization. The weakness of character, both in the government and in the people, which made Persia an easy victim of political machinations of all descriptions is giving way to a gradual rise in ideals. Statesmen formerly easy and profuse in their professions of flattering amity to political factions and even to foreign powers now think well before they accede to such temptations.
We do not mean to say that all advancement in this country is directly due to the appearance of this Divine Cause in Persia for the spirit of the age would not have failed to show its effects sooner or later here; but we firmly believe with all Bahá’is and with the more enlightened elements in our country, that directly or indirectly the Bahá’i Cause is the sole source of these general signs of gradual awakening. For the spirit of the age is the evident result of the advent of the spiritual springtime caused by the rise of the Sun of Truth, Bahá’u’lláh. The Baha’i Movement then is the sole and unique factor which directly and indirectly
breathed the breath of life and revival into the perishing and decaying body of the Persian nation. The world will in time recognize that to this Cause we owe such magnificent fruits as the world owed centuries back to Jesus Christ who saved mankind with His message of love; as the world owed to Muhammad and in fact to all other Divine Manifestations who have been Heralds of the great periodical Spiritual Springtimes. How and with what success can we attempt to explain the unseen but penetrating influence of the dawn of the Sun of Truth in the hearts and souls of all mankind when it is impossible to explain fully in detail even the direct and indirect effects of the dawn of our earthly sun upon our handful of dust, this world?
We see Bahá’is by hundreds in Persia raised out of the mass of common people. Before they embrace the Cause many are corrupt and devoid of all promise; after conversion we see them shining like gems in the horizon of morality. Bakers and shoe-makers, butlers
and butchers, illiterate and unaccomplished, stand up as Bahá’is with such marvels of fortitude and devotion to the service of humanity as bewilder all observers.
A look into the episodes accompanying the early growth of this Cause in Persia helps us to understand how deep-lying are the forces which are producing these changes in Persia. You see a simple peasant engaged in serious discussion over the Bahá’i religion with a clergyman distinguished for his theological knowledge and dumbfounding him by his simple but decisive proofs; or a blacksmith transformed and polished by divine education to such an extent that while sentenced to death without trial for the sake of his religion, he turns to his persecutors, who have the power to pardon if he will forsake his religion and pours out to them the Bahá’i teachings with such eloquence and simplicity as to arouse the enthusiasm of the onlookers and the alarm of the authorities.
“Prophets are Founders; they establish a new religion and make new creatures of men; they change the general morals, promote new customs and rules, renew the cycle and the law. Their Appearance is like the season of spring which arrays all earthly beings in a new garment and gives them a new life.”
A review of a singularly interesting and stimulating book on the subject of war and peace, written in the form of an article in two parts. In the first part, which follows, Mr. Rabbani emphasizes the point which the author brings out, namely, the gravity of the situation in which we are involved. The second part of the article which deals with the “way out” will appear in the February number.1
MR. BEVERLEY NICHOLS, an avowed irenic and a brilliant writer on social questions, gives in this, the latest book from his pen, a most convincing and penetrating analysis of the forces that are working against peace, and presents a challenge to our present-day leaders on whom rests the chief responsibility of guiding and adjusting the many and complicated interests of the world.
The book also marks one of the most decisive stages in the long and violent crusade for peace which the writer has so assiduously and so bravely fought, and should stimulate every thoughtful person who is conscious of the great need of the hour to pause, reflect and take a decisive action against the forces that are so increasingly threatening the welfare and progress of society. It is also a challenge to the youth of our age upon whose shoulders has been placed the responsibility of building a strong public opinion against war.
As the title of the book clearly indicates the author wishes to draw the attention of the public to the gravity of the situation in which we are involved. Never before perhaps was the world so much prepared for war as it looks to be at the present time. And yet, no one can deny that all nations have been so badly
1 Cry Havoc! By Beverley Nichols, Jonathan Cape, London, 1933.
chastised by the last “Great War” that none of them is really eager to commit again such a truly social suicide. This is exactly the dilemma with which we are faced. But has not history shown that mere unwillingness to fight is not sufficient to prevent war, that in many cases peoples and nations have been simply dragged to it by forces which, if they could check at the start, they were later on completely unable to neutralize or counteract? For war is not purely the outcome of conscious will. But the conditions leading to war are those which, if not entirely deliberate, can at least be remedied before they become too dangerous. War is, therefore, the culmination of a process which can be counteracted at the start, but which, if left unchecked, results in a state of chaos against which no power, however formidable, can resist.
This is, therefore, the dilemma: peoples and nations are tired of war and yet they are preparing themselves for war, if not quite deliberately, at least to the extent that they are unwilling to check the development of those forces which we know will ultimately lead to a general outbreak.
What the nature, origin and effectiveness of these forces are Mr. Beverley Nichols tells us in the first
of the three parts into which his book may be divided. Herein he analyzes with a remarkable lucidity and in a concrete way the preparations the world is making both for attack and for defence.
Mr. Nichols claims that the real instigators of war are the owners of large armament firms like the Bethlehem Steel Company in America, Vickers Armstrong in England, Schneider Creusot in France, who for their own selfish financial interests influence the governments to wage those deadly wars which have for so long stained the pages of hisstory. Nothing short of the complete prohibition of the private manufacture of arms can put an end to such a system. It is armament firms who foment war scares, who continually bribe government officials, who seek to influence public opinion through control of the press, and who spread false reports concerning military and naval programmes of foreign countries in order to stimulate armament expenditure.
The conclusion which the author draws is that the preparations for attack are by far more effective and more numerous than the means of defence. “By steps which may have stumbled, but have at least been honest, we have reached the conclusion that another great war would almost certainly result in the extinction of tens of millions of Europe’s civilian population, by gas, by death from the air, by starvation or disease. We have suggested (not without expert corroboration), that no amount of war ‘preparation’, short of covering a whole country with a roof of steel, will be of any avail against the Furies that are
1 pp. 114-115.
straining at the leash. We have decided that such futile ‘preparations’ as we and other nations are making, are only likely to make it more difficult to hold that leash, are only likely to act as irritants . . . that nothing will save civilization, if war breaks out.”1
IT IS, indeed, a very gloomy picture
which the author unfolds before
our eyes, and the decidedly pessimistic
tone in which he concludes
his study of the present-day forces
of war would have crushed every
hope for peace had it not been for
his analysis of the efforts the world
is making for international reconciliation
and goodwill. Here a
beam of hope penetrates into our
heart, disperses for some time the
threatening clouds of disillusionment,
so crushing and so bitterly
hostile in their gloomy appearance.
Here too, however, our hope is soon
turned into discontent and our faith
into skepticism. The positive and
constructive forces of peace appear
to be too weak in the face of the
swelling army of Mars.
Geneva, that “City of Hope,” where the world’s highest Tribunal has its seat, and to which all convinced advocates of peace eagerly turn their gaze in the hope of finding something to help them to attain their goal, offers a depressing spectacle. Though beautifully situated on the shores of an adorable lake “laced with bridges, and alive with birds”, Geneva, the Geneva of the Internationalists, afforded the most discouraging site that an ardent seeker of peace could ever contemplate. The external appearance of the building of the League itself was disappointing, and was fully expressive
of the atmosphere in which the meetings were conducted. “All the time” remarks the author “I stared up at this singularly uninspiring edifice. It seemed utterly impossible that this could house the League of Nations. For although it would not be accurate to say that I had dreamed of a white palace set upon a hill, with doves crooning among groves of myrtle, it would be even more inaccurate to say that I had dreamed of a second rate hotel in a back street, with a garden containing only a few old Brussels sprouts.”1
Recording his impressions about one of the sessions of the Disarmament Conference he was able to attend he writes as follows: “The truth about the Disarmament Conference, as I saw it, on that first afternoon, seemed to be exceedingly ugly.”2 And further on he writes: “Life seemed to have lost all purpose. Is it odd for any man to become so morbidly dejected by disillusionment over an abstraction like the League of Nations? Ought a man to keep such despairing mood for the occasions when he is betrayed by his mistress? Perhaps. But, you see, for a very long period I had felt that civilisation was drifting, ever more swiftly, to utter destruction, and that the only harbour in sight was Geneva. Now, Geneva, seemed only a mirage after all. I was condemned to live and die in a
1 p. 125. 2 p. 128. 3 p. 134. 4 p. 149.
mad and purposeless world!”3
Mr. Nichols’ impression of the League, though in many respects gloomy, does not carry him, however, to the point of denying the principle upon which the League is based. He is, no doubt, fully alive to the tremendous obstacles that block its way and prevent it from acquiring the true status of a powerful international body. He is by no means a blind admirer of an institution which is still in its infancy. What he is striving to emphasize is the necessity of a League, and even though that institution is actually far too short of what it should be yet, the mere idea which it serves to promote is essential to the progress of the world.
“Thus the days went by”, he remarks, “while I wandered about at will, gathering impressions. And the more I saw of the League and its work, the more I felt that here at last was a real internationalism, a real sense that the world, at last, had found some central directing force, if only the world would listen. . . . . As each day passed the League seemed more and more obviously essential.”4 Being a convinced lover of peace he undoubtedly favours the idea of an international organization, but he cannot but admit that the actual embodiment of this idea in the existing League is far too short of what it should be.
“Oneness of the world of humanity insures the glorification of man. International peace is the assurance of the welfare of all humankind. There are no greater motives and purposes in the human soul. . . . Today the human world is in need of a great power by which these glorious principles and purposes may be executed. . . . Through spiritual means and the divine power it [Universal Peace] is possible and practicable.”
This series of brief biographies of the leading followers of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh was composed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1915 and published in Haifa in 1924 in Persian. These translations into English have been made by the request of Shoghi Effendi. The aim has been to render them into colloquial English rather than to follow a literary translation. This work was done specially for The Bahá’i Magazine. The translator states that she does not consider these translations final.
ONE of those who emigrated to Baghdád was the late Pidar-Ján-i-Qazvini. This winning old man was distracted by the love of God, dazzled by the beauty of the Creator. When he reached Baghdád he spent his days and nights chanting prayers, and though he walked on earth his heart was in paradise. To obey the law of God he plied a trade; he had no money, but he Would carry stockings under his arm and peddle them through the streets and bazaars; pick-pockets would steal them, until at last he had to lay them across the palms of his hands; but he was so deep in prayer that once thieves snatched the stockings from his hands without his knowing it–he was walking in another world, heedless of this; as always he was in that strange condition, awestruck and overcome.
He passed some time in ‘Iráq, and came into the presence of Bahá’u’lláh almost every day. His name was ‘Abdu’lláh, but the Friends called him Pidar-Ján (dear father) because he was like a kind father to all of them. At last with the blessing of Bahá’u’lláh he rose to the All-Powerful Lord. . . .
AMONG those who emigrated and were near to Bahá’u’lláh and were imprisoned, were Mirzá Mahmud of Káshán and Jináb-i-Aqá Ridá of Shiráz. These two souls were aflame with the love and knowledge of God. From childhood on they were reared in God’s grace, and for fifty-five years they rendered services that can never fittingly be told in words.
When Bahá’u’lláh left Baghdád for Constantinople, a great crowd of people made up His cavalcade, and there was famine on the way and every hardship. These two beings walked twenty or twenty-five miles a day before the howdah; they would reach the halting-place exhausted, but would set about cooking food to serve the Friends. They truly endured more than men can bear. Some times it happened that they slept only two or three hours out of twenty-four, because when all the friends had eaten, these two would wash the pans and dishes, and finish near midnight; then they would rest, to wake before dawn, pack, and walk on again ahead of Bahá’u’lláh’s howdah. What a service they were able to render, what a bounty they were singled out for! They walked before Bahá’u’lláh
from Baghdád to Constantinople; they comforted the Friends, made them happy, served each one with whatever he asked.
Aqá Ridá ánd Mirzá Mahmud were both the incarnation of divine love, severed from all but God. During all that time no one heard them raise their voice; they hurt no one, they lived straightforwardly. Bahá’u’lláh showed them the greatest favor; they would often come into His presence and He would express approval of them.
In his early teens, Mirzá Mahmud had traveled to Baghdád from Káshán, while Aqá Ridá became a Bahá’i in Baghdád; here they existed in a way that can hardly be pictured. There was a group of seven of the greatest Bahá’is in Baghdád, who lived together in one bare room, because they were poor; they could hardly keep body and soul together, but they were so happy that they thought it was paradise; they were entirely pleased with life; some nights they would chant prayers until dawn. In the daytime they worked; one of them would make ten paras, another perhaps twenty paras, others forty or
fifty, and they would spend this money for their evening meal. Once when the others had earned nothing one of the seven earned twenty paras, he took the coins and bought dates, and the seven made a meal of them—so spare their life was, but so joyous.
These two estimable people spent their days achieving human goodness. They were aware and heedful, they were fair of speech; they wished for nothing but the good pleasure of Bahá’u’lláh, wanted no gift but service at the sacred Threshold. After the supreme affliction, the passing of Bahá’u’lláh, they wasted with sorrow and prayed for death; they stayed firm in the Covenant, bestirred themselves to spread the Cause of the Light of the World. They were my close companions and worthy of every trust; they were lowly and humble, pure nothingness, they never spoke a word about themselves. At last during my absence they ascended to the Kingdom. I grieved deeply that I was not present when they died; I was there in spirit, mourning for them, but outwardly I took no leave of them and this saddens me. . . .
“In Persia the early believers in this [Bahá’i] Revelation met with the utmost opposition, persecution and cruelty at the hands of their fellow-countrymen, but they faced all calamities and ordeals with sublime heroism, firmness and patience. Their baptism was in their own blood, for many thousands of them perished as martyrs. . . . For sixty years or more anyone in Persia who dared to own allegiance to the Báb or Bahá’u’lláh did so at the risk of his property, his freedom and even of his life. Yet this determined and ferocious opposition could no more check the progress of the Movement than a cloud of dust could keep the sun from rising.
“From one end of Persia to the other Bahá'is are now to be found in almost every city, town and village, and even amongst the nomad tribes. . . . Recruited from many and diverse sects, which were bitterly hostile to each other, they now form a great fellowship of friends who acknowledge brotherhood, not only with each other, but with all men everywhere who are working for the unification and upliftment of humanity, for the removal of all prejudices and conflict, and for the establishment of the Kingdom of God in the world.”
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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The Herald of the South, G. P. O. Box 447 D, Adelaide, Australia.
Kawkab-i-Hind (Published in Urdu), Karol Bagh, Delhi, India.
La Nova Tago (Published in Esperanto), Friedrich Voglerstrasse 4, Weinheim, Baden, Germany.
Sonne der Wahrheit (Published in German), Stuttgart, Germany.
