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Vol. III June 5, 1912 No. 5
Record of Fourth Annual Convention of the Bahai Temple Unity, Chicago, April 27th-May 1st, 1912 (Illustrated) | 2 |
Address Delivered by Abdul-Baha at Washington, D. C., April 25th, 1912 | 7 |
PUBLISHED NINETEEN TIMES A YEAR
By the BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, 515 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
Entered as second-class matter April 9, 1911, at the post office at Chicago, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Albert R. Windust — EDITORS — Gertrude Buikema
Persian Editor—Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, 509 McLachlen Bldg., Washington, D. C., U. S. A.
Associate Editor—Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi, Chicago
Terms: $1.00 per year; 10 cents per copy.
Note—Until further notice, distribution in the Orient is through Agents.
Make Money Orders payable to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
To personal checks please add sufficient to cover the bank exchange.
Address all communications to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.
TABLET FROM ABDUL-BAHA.
HE IS GOD!
O thou Star of the West!
Be thou happy! Be thou happy! Shouldst thou continue to remain firm and eternal, ere long, thou shalt become the Star of the East and shalt spread in every country and clime. Thou art the first paper of the Bahais which is organized in the country of America. Although for the present thy subscribers are limited, thy form is small and thy voice weak, yet shouldst thou stand unshakable, become the object of the attention of the friends and the center of the generosity of the leaders of the faith who are firm in the Covenant, in the future thy subscribers will become hosts after hosts like unto the waves of the sea; thy volume will increase, thy arena will become vast and spacious and thy voice and fame will be raised and become world-wide—and at last thou shalt become the first paper of the world of humanity. Yet all these depend upon firmness, firmness, firmness!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Vol. III Chicago (June 5, 1912) Nur No. 5
BAHAI TEMPLE UNITY.
CHICAGO, APRIL 27th-MAY 1st, 1912.MORNING SESSION, MONDAY, APRIL 29, 1912, CORINTHIAN HALL, MASONIC TEMPLE.
THE Convention was opened by the singing of the hymn entitled, "Mashrak-el-Azkar," composed by Mrs. Marian C. Hotchkiss, of Washington, D. C., after which Mr. Albert H. Hall, President of the Temple Unity, called the Convention to order as follows:
"The Fourth Annual Convention of Bahai Temple Unity is now open and you are here by the call of the Executive Committee, whose work for the year will be reported to you in the course of the Convention. This is wholly democratic. This meeting is yours. Your Committee has done the work of the year in the light of your direction and has brought you here. We will now proceed to choose the Chairman of the Convention."
On the nomination of Miss Boylan, seconded by Mr. Ober and unanimously carried, Mr. Albert H. Hall, of Minneapolis, was elected Chairman of the Convention.
On the nomination of Mr. Ober, seconded by Miss Boylan and unanimously carried, Mr. Bernard M. Jacobsen was elected Secretary of the Convention and Miss Gertrude Buikema was elected Assistant Secretary.
The Secretary was directed to call the roll of the Assemblies, upon which the delegates present responded with greetings and reported for each Assembly. The following Assemblies and delegates responded upon such roll call:
Cincinnati, Ohio | Mrs. Annie L. Palmerton, del. |
Los Angeles, Calif. | Mr. Sigurd Russell, del. |
| Greeting read from Mrs. A. E. Spriggs, of Guatemala City, Central America | |
Honolulu, Hawaii | Miss Elizabeth Muther, del. |
Fairhope, Alabama | Mrs. Paul K. Dealy, del. |
Tropico, Calif. | Mrs. Harriet M. Cline, del. |
Pasadena, Calif. | Mrs. Henrietta C. Wagner, del. |
San Francisco and Oakland, Calif. | Dr. Frederick W. D'Evelyn, del. |
| Miss Ella M. Bailey, alt. | |
Denver, Colo. | Mrs. Josephine Clark, del. |
Chicago, Ill. | Dr. W. F. Nutt, del. |
| Mrs. Corinne True, del. | |
| Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi, alt. | |
| Mrs. Luella Kirchner, alt. | |
Kenosha, Wis. | Bernard M. Jacobsen, del. |
St. Paul, Minn. | Dr. Clement Woolson, del. |
| Mrs. Leona A. Woolson, alt. | |
Minneapolis, Minn. | Mr. Albert H. Hall, del. |
| Dr. Homer S. Harper, alt. | |
New York Mills, Minn. | Mr. Olof Pary, del. |
Washington, D. C. | Mrs. Pauline Knoblock Hannen, del. |
| Greetings read from Stuttgart, Germany. | |
| Greetings read from Bombay, India. | |
Washington, D. C. | Mr. Louis G. Gregory, del. |
Rockford, Ill. | Mr. Willard H. Ashton, del. |
Ithaca, N. Y. | Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm, del. |
Milwaukee, Wis. | Mrs. Charlotte Morton, del. |
New York City | Mr. Mountfort Mills, del. |
| Miss Annie T. Boylen, del. | |
Genoa Junction, Wis. | Mrs. C. S. Hargis, del. |
Spokane, Washington | Mr. Albert C. Killius, del. |
| Mrs. Albert C. Killius, alt. | |
Racine, Wis. | Mr. Andrew J. Nelson, del. |
Adjournment until 1:30 p. m.[Page 3]
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Extract from words spoken by Abdul-Baha at the home of Mr. Arthur P. Dodge, New York City, pertaining to the Mashrak-el-Azkar, were read by Mrs. Palmerton as follows:
"Question—'We have been told to have a temporary Mashrak-el-Azkar.' Answer—'In those places where they have no Mashrak-el-Azkar they rent a home and call it by that name. Today, the Mashrak-el-Azkar in Chicago has great importance. All the Bahais must turn their faces in that directon. Why is it so important? Because it has become known
throughout the East and the West that the Bahais wish to build a Mashrak-el-Azkar. It has found great importance. All ears are waiting for news coming from Chicago about the Mashrak-el-Azkar . . . . . The matter of the Mashrak-el-Azkar does not depend on personal endeavor, it needs public endeavor. When in Ishkabad the believers desired to build the Mashrak-el-Azkar, all the friends centered their attention on that place. There was no individuality anywhere, and thus they were able to build.'"
Continuation of the roll call:
Buffalo, N. Y. | Miss Grace Robarts, alt. |
Akron, Ohio | Mrs. Russell L. Brooker, del. |
| Mr. Russell L. Brooker, alt. | |
Philadelphia, Pa. | Mrs. Mary Revell, del. |
Portland, Oregon | Mr. J. H. Latimer, del. |
| Mrs. J. H. Latimer, alt. | |
Hudson and Jersey City, N. J. | Mr. Walter Goodfellow, alt. |
Montclair, N. J. | Mrs. Alice R. Beede, del. |
| Miss Irene C. Holmes, alt. | |
Muskegon, Mich. | Mrs. Mary Emily Walker, del. |
| Mrs. Helene Bagge, Alt. | |
Pittsburgh, Pa. | Miss Martha L. Root, del. |
Lawrence and Bangor, Mich. | Mrs. Byron S. Lane, del. |
| Mr. Byron S. Lane, alt. | |
Baltimore, Md. | Mrs. Edward L. Struven, del. |
| Mrs. H. Emmel, alt. | |
Boston, Mass. | Mr. Harlan F. Ober, del. |
Fruitport, Mich. | Mrs. Julius Fraser, del. |
Cleveland, Ohio | Dr. Pauline Barton-Peeke, del. |
London, England | Miss Louise Matthew, del. |
Everett, Wash. | Mr. Washington McCormick, del. |
| Mrs. Washington McCormick, alt. | |
Seattle, Wash. | Mrs. Charlotte Gillen, del. |
| Mrs. Ida A. Finch, alt. | |
Huntington, Ind. | Mr. Chas. A. Butler, del. |
Jersey City and North Hudson, N. J. | Mr. William H. Hoar, del. |
Washington, D. C. | Mrs. Marian C. Hotchkiss, alt. |
| Mrs. W. P. Allen, alt. | |
New York City | Mrs. Ellen Beecher, —. |
Walla Walla, Wash. | Mrs. Nellie Jones, —. |
| Mrs. Clara Davis, —. | |
Ithaca, N. Y. | Mrs. Pauline Crandall, —. |
[VISITORS—There were many visiting friends present.
Those whose names we were able to make note
of were as follows: Mrs. Helen S. Goodall, Mrs.
Ella G. Cooper, Mrs. Lua Getsinger, Oakland and
San Francisco, Calif.; Miss Georgiana Dean, Fairhope,
Ala.; Mrs. Willard H. Ashton, Rockford, Ill.; Mrs.
Adele Stuber, Mr. Benjamin F. Taylor, Miss Cora
Watson, Cincinnati, O.; Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Allen,
Mr. Luxmore, Akron, O.; Rev. C. Burchart, Bangor,
Mich.; Mrs. M. E.. Powell, Mrs. L. Eardley, Mr. E.
H. Eardley, Baltimore, Md.; Mrs. Alice A. Davidson,
Mrs. Foster, Mrs. C. M. Swingle, Mrs. Lillian E.
McClellan, Mrs. Ella F. Priday, Miss Minnie E.[Page 4]
Graham, Cleveland, O.; Mr. and Mrs. John Deremo
and party, Fruitport, Mich.; Mrs. Alice W. Bailey,
Minneapolis, Minn.; Mr. Joseph H. Hannen, Mrs.
Claudia Coles, Mrs. Howard Struven, Washington, D. C.;
Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Chapman, St. Louis, Mo.;
Mr. John D. Bosch, Geyserville, Calif.; Mr. Vaughn,
New Jersey; Mrs. Olof Pary, New York Mills, Minn.;
Miss Barbara Fitting, Miss Marie Wilson, Boston,
Mass.; Mr. and Mrs. H. Goodale, Mr. and Mrs.
Packman, Mrs. Rosa Harman, Mr. and Mrs. August
Anderson, Kenosha, Wis.; Miss Josephine Locke,
Los Angeles, Calif.]
On motion by Mr. Mills, duly seconded by Mr. Jacobsen, and unanimously adopted, the Chairman was requested to appoint an Auditing Committee to audit the accounts of the Treasurer and Financial Secretary.
The Chairman appointed as such committee Mr. William Addison, Mr. Harlan F. Ober and Mr. George Lesch.
On motion, adjournment was taken until 10 a. m. Tuesday, April 30th, and the session was closed with the singing of the "Benediction."
MORNING SESSION, TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 1912, CORINTHIAN HALL, MASONIC TEMPLE.
The session was opened by the singing of the hymn, "Great Day of God."
Prayer: "O Thou, my God, and the Beloved of my heart! With the name of this Day Thou has adorned Thy Tablet, which is known only to Thee. Thou hast called it 'The Day of God.' Nothing is to be seen therein but Thy Supreme Self, and naught is to be remembered save Thy sweetest Name. Wherefore, when He appeared, the foundations of nations trembled, the learned were bewildered and the wise men were confounded, save those who came near unto Thee, took from the hand of Favor the pure wine of Thy Inspiration, and drank in Thy name, saying: 'Praise be unto Thee, O Desire of the nations! Praise be to Thee, O Beloved of the hearts of the yearning!'"
Mr. Bernard M. Jacobson, Secretary, submitted the following:
SECRETARY'S REPORT.
Mr. Chairman, Brothers and Sisters:
The past year has been one devoted to carrying out the plans of the previous Convention when, you will remember, two essential problems were given to the Unity Committee to carry out. One was the acquiring of the land lying upon the Lake Front opposite the main tract of the Temple grounds; the other incorporating the Publishing Society with the Bahai Temple Unity.
The first of these projects was commenced last September when Brother Hall and I arranged for interviews with Mr. Peter Conrad, the owner of the Property. After numerous interviews a price of $17,000 was finally agreed upon. Mr. Conrad originally wanted $65 per foot for this ground and required $7,000 cash and $5,000 per year until paid. We felt that this was more than we could carry, so the proposed plan for the use of the grounds were laid before him and he finally agreed to give us our present terms of $17,000,—$5,000 cash, $3,000 per year, at 5% interest until paid. This gave us a saving in interest and a longer term to pay the balance, which was a decided advantage for the Unity.
Mr. Conrad became so enthused with the object of our institutions that he has since then offered us the use of the $3,000 which we are to pay him in September as a loan for the purchase of other grounds if desired. The spirit of good-will has followed all of our transactions with these people. After acquiring these lands we found a Mr. Yost had several old buildings upon the grounds, which he had leased from Mr. Conrad. As these buildings were undesirable and obstructed our view of the lake, they were later removed at our request. Some time previous a Mr. Jankowski, a fisherman, had moved a small hut upon the triangle of our grounds and we experienced considerable difficulty in removing him. We found it necessary to charge him a small rental, which was placed at $1.00 per month, to prevent his laying claim to any ownership of grounds which would involve us in legal proceedings. Notice was finally served upon him, but not until suit was brought by the trustees was he removed.
At a recent meeting of the Executive Committee plans were made for the removal of the embankment on Sheridan Road preparatory to putting in cement sidewalk. In going over the matter we learned that this would cost several hundred dollars, so we found a contractor in Evanston, a Mr. Wigginson, who could use this material for filling. While not suitable for concrete work, it is an excellent substitute for cinders. He went over the ground with me and agreed to remove the same for the use of the material, giving us a small sum of money besides. We thereby saved the Unity several hundred dollars.
Also we desire to report that Mr. Bayes,
who owns the mortgage on the main tract of
land, has been consulted on several occasions
regarding an extension of said mortgage. At[Page 5]
our first meeting with him he wanted us to
pay him the total amount or extend the same
for two years. This we did not deem advisable,
so we informed him that we would raise
the money, pay him, and terminate our dealings
with him. He did not seem to like this,
however, and agreed finally to extend the same
for one year. We thereby saved another six
hundred dollars for the Unity. These negotiations
are still under way, and some disposition
will have to be made of them on June 24,
when the mortgage is due. The committee
therefore submits this proposition to the Convention
for some action to be agreed upon in
raising funds for the payment of same.
We have also investigated prices placed upon all lands lying on Linden Avenue south between Sheridan Road and the Drainage Canal. These range in price from $35 to $40 a foot and most of these parcels can be secured if immediate action is taken. We did not feel justified in purchasing any of these properties, but submit the matter to this body for consideration. On the opposite side of Sheridan Road, adjacent to Mr. Conrad's property, is a Mr. Teufel who owns 450 feet on Sheridan Road and has the whole piece for sale, including an elegant brown stone building, but we did not feel that we could use the building at present, so Mr. Teufel has promised us that in the event of his selling the property, he will give us the two lots lying directly north should we so desire.
Then there is another piece of property owned by Mr. Yost, which lies north and adjacent to the piece we bought from Mr. Conrad and consists of about 140 feet frontage on Sheridan Road. Several meetings have been held with Mr. Yost, but his price is exorbitant at present. Therefore, we have decided to let this matter rest until some future time.
The other important matter taken up by the Convention last year was that of the Publishing Society. Since that tme several meetings been formed consisting of the following members: Mr. Thornton Chase, President, Mr. Albert H. Hall, Vice-President, Miss Mary Lesch, Financial Secretary, Miss Gertrude Buikema, Secretary, Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm, Mr. James W. Woodworth, Mr. Albert R. Windust, Mr. Mountfort Mills and Mr. Edwin W. Woodcock. The Publishing Society was indebted to the extent of $1,700 and ways and means have been devised for clearing this deficit, about one-half of the same has now been paid. Many of the books were out of print and funds have been and are being raised to replenish this stock and at present the Publishing Society is on a better basis, both financially and otherwise, than it has been for some time, and at present the publishing board is striving to have copies of all the books printed and kept in stock. This is a project that takes time and they hope by the next Convention to have it in better shape than ever.
There are many things I would like to report that I know would be interesting to you, but owing to the limited time and the many other duties that are before us, I will now close.
Thanking you for your kind attention in behalf of the Executive Board of the Bahai Temple Unity, I am,
- Yours in service,
- Bernard M. Jacobsen, Secretary.
FINANCIAL SECRETARY'S REPORT.
Mrs. Corinne True, Financial Secretary, reported that contributions had been received from the following cities since the Convention of 1911:
| Minneapolis, Minn. | Hammond. Ill. |
| Chicago, Ill. | Oakland, Calif. |
| Cleveland, Ohio. | San Francisco, Calif. |
| Helena, Mont. | Clarkston, Wash. |
| New York, N. Y. | Mansfield Centre, Conn. |
| Racine, Wis. | Sienna, Italy. |
| Cincinnati, Ohio. | West Willington, Conn. |
| Washington, D. C. | Quay, Flordia. |
| Fruitport, Mich. | Paris, France. |
| New York Mills, Minn. | Briar Cliff, N. Y. |
| Baltimore, Md. | Grand Rapids, Mich. |
| Milwaukee, Wis. | Conklin, Mich. |
| Eliot, Maine. | Teheran, Persia. |
| Clyde, Ill. | Englewood, N. J. |
| Turk, Wash. | Utica, N. Y. |
| Omak, Wash. | Akron, Ohio. |
| Portland, Oregon. | Springfield, Mass. |
| Port Said, Egypt. | St. Louis, Mo. |
| Pittsburgh, Pa. | Fairhope Ala. |
| New Haven, Conn. | Kittery, Maine. |
| Walla Walla, Wash. | Pleasanton, Calif. |
| Denver, Colo. | Cairo, Egypt. |
| Honolulu, Hawaii. | London, England. |
| St. Paul, Minn. | East Rand, Transvaal, South Africa. |
| Tombstone, Arizona. | |
| Hudson, N. Y. | Cicero, Ill. |
| Montreal. Canada. | Newark, N. J. |
| Seattle, Wash. | Pavilion, N. Y. |
| Philadelphia, Pa. | Pasadena, Calif. |
| Boston, Mass. | Columbus, Ohio. |
| Dixon, Ill. | North Augusta, S. C. |
| Lewiston, Idaho. | Stuttgart, Germany. |
| Bangor, Mich. | Newport, Vermont. |
| Cornwall, England. | Rochester, N. Y. |
| Johnstown, N. Y. | Cortland. N. Y. |
| Salt Lake City, Utah. | Montclair, N. J. |
| Columbus, Ohio. | Kenosha, Wis. |
| Atlantic City, N. J. | Malden, Mass. |
| Mansfield Center, Conn. | Ithaca, N. Y. |
| Sussex, England. | Crystal Lake, Ill. |
| Buffalo, N. Y. | Ranier, Oregon. |
| Eliot, Maine. | West Barrington, R. I. |
| Muskegon, Mich. | Warwick, England. |
| Spokane, Wash. | Cambridge, Mass. |
| Brooklyn, N. Y. | Everett, Wash. |
| Genoa Junction, Wis. | Summerduck, Virginia. |
| Johnstown, N. Y. | Hager City, Wis. |
| Panama, N. Y. | Anaconda, Montana. |
| Tropico, Calif. | Musorela, Montana. |
| Elizabeth, N. J. | San Mateo, Calif. |
| Jersey City, N. J. | Morenci, Arizona. |
Corinne True, Financial Secretary.
Adjournment taken until 1:30 p. m.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Miss Masson brought to the Convention a copy of the Theosophical Messenger, containing an article on the Bahai Revelation, and a message from the editor that copies for free distribution would be sent to the Convention, if desired.
On motion of Mr. Hannen, duly seconded by Mr. Jacobsen and unanimously adopted, a vote of thanks was tendered to the editor of the Theosophical Messenger, and the Secretary was instructed to write to him, conveying the greetings of the Convention as one of the joint bodies with them in the great work.
Mr. Willard H. Ashton, Treasurer, submitted the following report:
Balance on hand at the time of the Convention, 1911 | $ 3,704.68 | |
Contributions received since then | 7292.45 | |
Interest | $38.62 | |
Less exchange | 5.80 | 32.82 |
| $ 11,029.95 | ||
Paid on land | $ 7,500.00 | |
Interest | 675.00 | |
Assessments | 475.98 | |
Taxes | 501.55 | |
Expenses | 930.66 | |
| $10,083.19 | ||
Cash on hand | 946.76 | |
| $ 11,029.95 | ||
Willard H. Ashton, Treasurer.
The Chairman announced and ruled that the Convention now proceed to the election of an Executive Board for the ensuing year by an informal ballot, each delegate voting for nine members of the Executive Board.
The Chairman appointed as tellers Mr. J. H. Latimer and Mr. Sigurd Russell.
In counting the number of votes, it was found there was a tie between Mr. Gregory and Dr. Nutt. Each resigned in favor of the other. On motion by Mr. Wilhelm, duly seconded by Dr. Harper, and unanimously adopted, Dr. Nutt's resignation was accepted.
On motion by Miss Boylan, duly seconded by Mr. Russell, and unanimously adopted, the informal ballot taken was made the formal ballot of the Convention and the nine friends receiving the highest number and plurality of votes by the ballot were declared the nine members of the Executive Board of Temple Unity, duly elected for the ensuing year.
The Executive Board thus elected was as follows:
- Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi.
- Mrs. Corinne True.
- Mr. Albert H. Hall.
- Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm.
- Mr. Bernard M. Jacobsen.
- Mr. Willard H. Ashton.
- Mrs. Annie L. Parmerton.
- Mr. Mountfort Mills.
- Mr. Louis G. Gregory.
On motion by Mr. Ober, duly seconded by Miss Robarts, and unanimously adopted, the Secretary was authorized to prepare a brief statement of the proceedings of the Convention for publication in the STAR OF THE WEST.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 1912, IN TENT, MASHRAK-EL-AZKAR
GROUNDS.
The delegates and friends assembled under a tent erected upon the Mashrak-el-Azkar site wherein Abdul-Baha addressed them concerning the grounds and buildings to be erected thereon, after which Miss Irene C. Holmes, of New York, presented Abdul-Baha with a golden trowel intended for use in laying the corner stone. The foundation not being ready for this, it was planned that the friends leave the tent and gather together upon the spot marking the exact centre of the grounds, where the trowel was used in excavating and placing a stone—thus formally dedicating the Mashrak-el-Azkar site. After Abdul-Baha's departure for the city, the friends returned to the tent and devoted the remainder of the afternoon to speaking and suggesting plans for future work.
It was unanimously decided that the debt on the main tract of land be paid June 24, 1912, and the delegates urge the same in their respective assemblies.
It was suggested that a vote of thanks be
extended to the Chicago Assembly for the hospitality
extended to the visitors.[Page 7]
On motion by Mr. Ober, seconded by Mr. Mills, the Secretary was instructed to send letters to the Assemblies telling of the dedication of the site and visit to the grounds of the Mashrak-el-Azkar, by Abdul-Baha; also to send to them copies of his address delivered on the grounds.
Thus adjourned the Fourth Annual Convention of Bahai Temple Unity.
- Respectfully submitted,
- ALBERT H. HALL, President.
- BERNARD M. JACOBSEN, Secretary.
"O people of the earth! Advance toward Him who hath advanced toward you, for verily He is the Face of God among you; His Evidence is in your midst and His Proof unto you, and He hath come to you with Signs (the Word), the like of which the most learned have failed to produce. The Tree of Mount Sinai (Moses), speaketh in the bosom of the world, and the Holy Spirit (Christ) crieth among the nations: 'Lo! The Desired One hath come with evident Dominion.'"—Tablet to Napoleon III.
IN the world of existence the greatest bestowals of God are His Teachings. The other Bounties of God are limited as regards their benefits. For example, the human existence itself is a Divine Bestowal, but it is limited. Sight is a Bestowal of God, but it is limited. Hearing is one of the Divine Bestowals, yet it is limited. And so on with all the other bestowals. The circle is limited; except the Divine Teachings, the circle of which is boundless. There is no termination thereof. Ages and centuries pass away, and the efficacy of these Teachings lasts, like unto the spirit of life which animates the world of existence. Without that, the world of humanity is like the animal kingdom. What difference is there between the animal and man? The difference between the animal and the man is this: That the animal is not capable of appreciating the Teachings of God, whereas man is worthy of these Teachings. In the animal kingdom, there is no such teaching. There is no extraordinary progress. At most it is a development of the organism. It is small in the beginning; it becomes developed and becomes larger; but it has not the intellectual sphere to enlarge. Therefore the Teachings of God are the bestowals specialized for man. Although the Teachings of God are Reality, yet with the passage of time and the lapse of ages, thick clouds envelop that Sun. These clouds are imitations or superstitions; they are not the fundamentals. Then again the Power of the Sun of Truth arises and disperses these clouds
*Translated by Dr. Ameen U. Fareed and taken stenographically by Joseph H. Hannen.
and once more shines gloriously. For a long time the Sun of Truth was beclouded by clouds of superstition and limitations, until His Holiness BAHA'O'LLAH appeared in the world, and scattered these clouds of darkness and revealed the foundations of the Teachings of God.
The first Teaching of BAHA'O'LLAH is the
duty incumbent upon all to investigate Reality.
What does it mean to investigate Reality? It
means that man must forget all hearsay.
For he does not know whether the hearsay is
in accordance with Reality or not. He must
examine Truth. Wherever he finds the Truth
or Reality he must hold to it. All else he must
forsake, for outside of Reality there is naught
but superstitions and imaginations! For example,
during the days of Jesus Christ the
Jews were anticipating the appearance of the
Messiah, and they were day and night praying
and supplicating God that His Holiness the
Promised One might appear. Why was it that
when He did appear they rejected Him? They
negated Him? They did not believe in Him?
Nay, rather, they persecuted and tormented
Him! There was no torment which they did not
inflict upon Him! They cursed Him, persecuted
Him, placed on His head a crown of thorns
and took Him around through the streets, circumambulated
Him, scorning Him, and ultimately
crucified Him! Why did they commit
this? Because they did not investigate the Truth
or Reality. Had they investgated the Reality,
they would have surely believed on Him. They
would have respected Him, revered Him most
highly. They would have considered His Manifestation
as the greatest Bestowal descending[Page 8]
upon man. They would have considered Him
the very Saviour of man; but alas! they were
veiled and held to imitations and did not investigate
the Reality. They were submerged in the
sea of superstitions and were deprived of witnessing
that Glorious Bounty, and were hindered
from the fragrances or breaths of the
Holy Spirit, and suffered in themselves the
greatest debasement and degradation. There
are many religions, denominations, various peoples
and different opinions in the world today;
but Reality is one. Why should there be these
differences? Because they do not investigate
the fundamental unity. If they investigate or
examine the Reality, they shall be agreed and
united. For Reality is indivisible. It is not
multiple. Hence it will become evident that in
man there is nothing of greater import than
the investigation of Truth.
The Second Teaching of BAHA'O'LLAH is the Oneness of the world of humanity. That is to say, all humanity is the Servant of God. All have been reared in the lap of the Favors of God. All have been blessed with the Bounties of the same Sun. All have quaffed to satisfaction or repletion from the Fountain of God, and all in His estimation are equal as servants. He is kind to all. Hence no man should prefer himself to another man, or express pride towards another. No man should scornfully consider another. No man should deprive another man. All must be considered as submerged in the sea of God's Mercy. With the greatest kindliness and gentleness he must associate with humanity in general. With his heart he must love all. At most the conditions are these: Some are ignorant; they must be trained, educated. One is sick; he must be healed. One is as a child; he must be helped to attain maturity. We must not detest him who is sick. We must not scorn or curse him. We must not shun him. But rather with the utmost kindness and tenderness must he be cared for. Likewise the infant must not be treated with disdain just because it is an infant. It must be reared and trained, educated, in order that it may develop and advance and attain maturity. This is the second principle laid down by BAHA'O'LLAH.
The third Principle laid down by BAHA'O'LLAH, or the third Teaching concerning that Principle, is that Religion and Science are correspondents. Every religion which is not in accordance with established science is superstition. Religion must be reasonable. If it be not reasonable, it is superstition, and has no foundation. It is like a mirage which deceives man by leading him to think that it is a body of water. God has endowed man with reason that he may perceive. If we state that such and such a subject is not to be reasoned out and tested according to the established logic of the intellect, then what is the use of the reason which God has given man? Although the eye is the perceiving organ in order that it may differentiate colors, the hearing is a faculty of distinction in order that it may distinguish voices, taste is a sense of perception so that it may sense the various properties of objects, such as bitter, sweet, and otherwise, the sense of smell is for the purpose of differentiation in order that it may deduce the various odors and distinguish or differentiate one from the other; yet the circle of the perceptions of the five senses is exceedingly limited. But the intellectual faculty of man is unlimited in its circle or sphere. The eye can see details at best a mile, but the intellect can perceive the East and the West. The ear can hear modulations of a tone at a distance of say 1,000 feet at most; but the intellect of man can discover astronomical verities in the very firmaments. It works subterranean in geological discoveries. It can discover things in the seventh stratum of the earth. All the traces which we observe, the products of invention, are the results of intellectual investigation. All the sciences and arts are the products of the intellect. All the crafts and things which have been produced by craftsmanship are things which have been produced by the intellect. Hence one can see that within the human organism, the human being, the intellect holds supreme station. Now, if a religious rule or principle be not reasonable, surely it is superstition! This is the Third Principle which I have illustrated, and the other principles I shall illustrate at another time. I intended speaking of another subject this afternoon, but some of the ladies asked me if I would not explain the Principles of this Movement, hence I began the discussion of the Teachings of BAHA'O'LLAH.
In issue No. 3 we stated it was our plan to devote this issue to the visit of Abdul-Baha in New York City and vicinity. The labor of compiling the interviews and addresses and preparing them for publication has taken considerable time and thereby delayed in reaching us. We expect to begin their publication in issue No. 7.
The Editors.
