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Vol. III June 24, 1912 No. 6
Address by Abdul-Baha at Hotel Schenley, Pittsburgh, Pa., May 7th, 1912 | 2 |
Table-Talk by Abdul-Baha at Cleveland, O., May 6th, 1912 (Illustrated) | 5 |
Interview Between a Prominent Rabbi and Abdul-Baha | 6 |
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.
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 24, 1912) Rahmat No. 6
I HAVE come from the far off Orient to visit your country. Surely this continent is praiseworthy from all directions. The country is prosperous. The people present very good manners, and civilization is most progressive. Therefore I consider it becoming to expound for you an epitome of the teachings of BAHA'O'LLAH, in order that you may be informed.
About sixty years ago when there was in Persia the greatest enmity and dissension and strife among the various peoples and denominations, and warfare and strife were rampant in other parts of the world, His Holiness BAHA'O'LLAH appeared in Persia, and began devoting his time to the education of the people generally. He united the various peoples and divergent sects and nations. He removed from among the people religious prejudice, racial prejudice, patriotic prejudice and political bias. He caused the greatest bond of unity to be established among the various peoples.
The enmity then existing among the people was so great that even ordinary associations were out of the question. They would not consult with one another with amity at all. Through the power of the education of BAHA'O'LLAH the result was the contrary, for just now in Persia there is perfect accord and amity among different religions, varying peoples, and divergent sects and denominations.
But this was not an easy matter.
In a word: BAHA'O'LLAH bore great difficulties along this line. He became imprisoned; torments were inflicted upon Him. He was banished from His country, but every ordeal He bore cheerfully. Ultimately He was enabled to promulgate His teachings, even from prison, and He hoisted the banner of the oneness of humankind, and promulgated the oneness of the human world.
Among the teachings of BAHA'O'LLAH are the following:
First, it is incumbent upon all humanity to investigate truth. If investigation be made in regard to truth all shall be agreed and united, for truth or reality is not multiple; it is not divisible. It will be seen that different religions have one truth underlying them, hence their truth or reality is one.
To explain: The foundations of all the
divine religions are one, for each one of the
divine religions is divisible into two departments.
One is concerned with the moral
world, with the spiritual susceptibilities, with
the animations of the conscience, and that is
essential; that is one, it is the reality, changeless
and not subject to transformation. His
Holiness Abraham was the herald of this
reality. His Holiness Moses was the promulgator[Page 3]
of the reality. His Holiness Jesus Christ
was the founder of the reality. Likewise, the
rest of the Divine Prophets, were all promulgators
and founders of the reality or the
truth. The second department, in all the divine
religions, is the accidental and concerns
the material affairs of human beings. This is
ever subject to changes in accordance with
the exigencies of the time, for time is not
always the same, and its expediencies differ.
Consider, in the Mosaic day, there were ten commandments enacted by him in regard to murder, which were in accordance with the exigencies of that time and day; likewise very severe punishments. For example: An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth; and it was the command that if a man should commit theft to the extent of even a small amount, his hand was to be chopped off. Such a law was suitable for that time, for the people of Israel dwelt in the wilderness, and in the wilderness, or the Sahara, no other punishment can be observed. But in the time of Jesus Christ, this was not expedient, and His Holiness Jesus Christ abrogated those commands.
In short, every religion of the different religions is divisible into two divisions: One division concerns the morals, which is the essential, and not subject to change or transformation; the other division, which touches human beings, is the accidental, and changes, in accordance with the exigencies of time. But the nations have forsaken the religion of the Divine teaching and they have invented certain imitations; and inasmuch as these imitations and superstitions differ, therefore dissensions and difference have taken place among the religions and they are constantly at warfare and strife. If all the religions would refer to the truth or foundations underlying them, which is the truth or reality, all would be agreed and united, for the reality is one. It is not multiple nor is it divisible.
The second principle or teaching of BAHA'O'LLAH touches the oneness of humanity. That all humanity is the servant of God, belonging to one family. The bestowals of God encompass all. He has created them all; He has provided for all; He nurtures all; He preserves all and to all He is kind.
This is the Divine policy, and it is impossible for a human being to lay the foundation for a better policy than that of God. Hence we must execute the policies of the glorious God, and that is the oneness of the world of humanity. We must be kind to all. Inasmuch as God is kind to all, why should we be unkind? Inasmuch as all belong to the same household in this case, why should they exercise any enmity or strife? Therefore, all humanity must be looked at with the same glance, with the same eye; all must be loved; to all must we be kind. The noblest of men is he who serves humankind. And he is nearest the threshold of God who is the least of the servants of God. The glory and majesty of man are dependent upon his servitude to humankind and not in the exercise of enmity or strife.
The third teaching or principal of BAHA'O'LLAH concerns this mighty fact that religion and science are correspondents, agreeing with each other perfectly; for any religious subject which is not agreeable to science is superstitious and unreasonable, because science is reality and religion essentially is reality; therefore the two correspond; and when any religious question does not correspond with reason, does not agree with science, it is absolute superstition or imagination, and not at all worthy of the credence of man, for the opposites or the antithesis of knowledge or science is superstition. We say it is science or knowledge in ignorance, and if we say that religion is opposed to science, then it must be ignorance, hence religious subjects must be in accordance with scientific promises—must be reasonable. If they oppose a reasonable standard of science, they are superstitious and not at all worthy of acceptance.
The fourth principal or teaching of BAHA'O'LLAH concerns the equality of humankind; the readjustment of or equalization of the economic standards of the time, of the livlihood of humankind. For the poor are in abject distress, in the greatest need, and in the greatest misfortune; and that is not right, that some individual should be enthroned in luxury, in the greatest wealth, more than necessary, and some in the lowest degree of want. This is not worthy of the world of humanity.
There is need of an equalization so that all
may have an apportionment in the comforts
of life. For example, the wealthy man, whose
table is adorned with all kinds of delicacies,
must allow the poor to have at least his necessities.
It is not right that one should have
all the delicacies and all foods on his table
when another is in want of the necessities of
life. The rich must be merciful to the poor[Page 4]
and out of their own willing hearts should
they uplift them, they should not be forced.
There must be a readjustment and legislation
which shall equalize conditions until humankind
may have composure and rest with the
utmost ease.
The fifth principal is the following: That religious prejudice, sectarian prejudice, racial prejudice, patriotic prejudice, and political prejudice are the very destroyers of human foundations. All the religionists are servants of God. All races are human in kind. The service of the earth is one activity. In this case, why should there be warfare and strife? All must be united and agreed, and all must serve the world of humanity.
The sixth is that concerning the equality of man and woman. BAHA'O'LLAH declares that man and woman are both human, and that in the estimation of God there is no distinction of gender. The one whose heart is purer, whose deeds are greater and nobler, is the most acceptable, whether male or female. Secondly, there is this gender in all created beings. In the vegetable kingdom we find it, in the animal kingdom it exists, and there we see perfect equality, no distinction whatever. The animal, although not reasonable, does not allow any distinction between the male and the female. Why should man, who has reason, who has intelligence, who is just, who has sensibilities of the conscience, be willing that one of the members of the world of humanity should be considered imperfect? Surely no sound intelligence and conscience will accept this. Therefore womankind must be educated in order to fulfill the prerogatives of the male.
There must be no difference between the female and the male. They must be equally educated in order that womankind may present the same capacity and may keep up the same pace with man. Then the world of humanity will find peace. In the past ages humanity has always been defective, but if womankind shall become educated then war will be dispelled. They will not be willing to allow warfare. For it is the woman who cares for the youth, for the young. As they educate the young until they reach maturity, they will not be willing to have their brave young men killed and cut into pieces on the battlefield. Surely they are the ones who shall serve the "Most Great Peace" in international arbitration. Assuredly they will be the ones who will remove warfare from among humankind.
Inasmuch as human society consists of two organs, one the male, the other the female, the happiness of the world of humanity cannot be assured unless they are both perfect. Therefore they must try to have womankind reach the same status as men.
Among the other teachings of BAHA'O'LLAH is education. All the members of society must be educated. Not a single individual should be deprived of education, but each should receive according to his capacity. They must not be left in the grade of ignorance, for ignorance is a defect in the human world. All mankind must have a portion of science and philosophy; that is, to have as much as is necessary. It is impossible to have all men scientists and philosophers, but each should be educated according to his deserts and needs.
Among the teachings of BAHA'O'LLAH is likewise the following: That the world of humanity is in need of the breath of the Holy Spirit, for the oneness of humanity is necessary. The most great peace is necessary, and it is self-evident that this cannot be assured through racial force; it cannot be promulgated through the patriotic force, for countries differ. And it is certain that political force will not accomplish it, for the interests of the government differ. And it will not be accomplished through a consensus of opinion, for opinions differ. There is need of a force which can execute the oneness of humanity and which can destroy the foundations of warfare and strife. Through human agencies this is an impossibility. Hence it must be through spiritual agencies. And no other force has such power as the Holy spirit, hence this can be made feasible through the breath of the Holy Spirit.
No matter how far the material world advances, it cannot establish the happiness of the human world. Rather when the material civilization shall be linked with the spiritual or divine civilization, then happiness will be assured. Then material civilization will not contribute its services to the forces of evil to destroy the oneness of humanity, for through the factors of the material civilization good and evil advance together—keep up the same pace.
For example, consider how greatly material civilization has advanced in the last decade, in this century. Consider how many schools and colleges have been founded, hospitals have been founded, asylums for the orphans
CLEVELAND was the fourth city to have the blessed privilege of a visit from Abdul-Baha, who came here from Chicago, May 6. Only a short time had been given to herald his coming, yet the auditorium of Hotel Euclid, seating about four hundred, was filled with people whose hearts rejoiced as they listened to the address delivered by him, and which appeared in the last issue of the STAR OF THE WEST.
The photograph of the Cleveland friends with Abdul-Baha, reproduced herewith, was
taken at Dr Swingle's Sanitorium, where the following Table-Talk* was given:
"This is a good city, a pleasant city. The climate is pleasant; the views are charming. All the cities of America seem to be large and beautiful and the people are prosperous. Truly the American continent has advanced very much and in the future will advance greatly. It will lead all other nations spiritually, for its illumination is far-reaching. The flag of freedom, the banner of liberty is unfurled; but the prosperity and advancement of every city, the happiness and the greatness of every country depend upon its hearing and becoming obedient to the call of God. The light of reality must shine therein. Divine civilization needs
*Translated by Dr. Ameen U. Fareed, and taken stenographically by Sigel T. Brooks.
to be founded. The radiance of the kingdom shall be diffused. Material civilization is likened to the body, whereas the divine civilization is likened to the spirit. The body not manifesting the spirit is dead; the fruitless tree is useless.
"Jesus declares that there is spiritual capacity in some people; for all are not submerged in the sea of materialism. They seek the spirit; they turn to God and they long for the Kingdom. I hope that these revered people may obtain both phases of progress; both material
and spiritual progress. Just as they have advanced along material lines so remarkably, so may they likewise advance in spiritual development until the body be most refined and beautiful and obtain the wealth of the spiritual potentiality and efficiency.
"Praise be to God! the Sun of Reality has
dawned and its effulgences are shining from all
horizons. The signs of God are resplendent
and the teachings of the heavenly teachers are
promulgated. In order that all created beings
may obtain a portion of the Divine bestowals,
may their hearts be directed to the Kingdom of
God and become illuminated by witnessing the
lights of God! May the spirit be regained
through the Divine graces of the Lord, and
may the East and the West be bound together!
Thus may oneness and harmony manifest itself[Page 6]
in all regions. Thus may all people become the
manifestation of oneness, and by becoming as
one being, may they become one family and obtain
the bounty everlasting; may the doors of
the Kingdom be opened from all directions and
praise the Name of ABHA in all regions."
ENTERING the room the Rabbi saluted, which was answered by Abdul-Baha in like manner.
Abdul-Baha: "You are most welcome Rabbi."
Rabbi: "I have long desired to meet you."
Abdul-Baha : "Very good; very good."
Rabbi: "Your address yesterday was excellent. I have had the pleasure of hearing you upon two other occasions, but your address of yesterday had an extraordinary universality. You have very clearly established the teachings of brotherhood but I am afraid that, although your principles are very lofty they will not be accepted by all the religionists and the workers for peace."
Abdul-Baha: "Reality will always be victorious. No one can stand before the onward march of reality. The phenomenal is always conquered by the eternal. All the contingent beings are defeated by the will of heaven. One small Arabian boy can lead two thousand camels in the Sahara. One intelligent Hindoo boy can conquer an elephant."
Rabbi: "It is true. In the Bible we have the statement that 'A little child shall lead them.'"
Abdul-Baha: "Truth will always be victorious; therefore it does not know defeat but the people of reality must exert great effort, and if the people of reality neglect to display this effort that is another matter. The people of reality must demonstrate their willingness in this direction. They must realize that the greatest reality of this age is the oneness of the human world. They must forget traditions and imitations of the past. For instance, if we look upon the Catholic religion we see that they believe that an important part is the transubstantiation; that is, the change of the bread and wine into the body of Christ. If we ponder a little we realize that this is a non-essential. It is imitation and the reverse of reality.
"Again, if we look at the Hindoos we see that they have made images and worship them as deities, and they have eight million such deities in their temples. It is evident that these are superstitions and imaginations. They worship the cow, the stone, the water and the forces of nature—all these are imitations of the past and they have no foundation whatever."
Rabbi: "Do you then regard the transubstantiation as being on the same ground as the worshipping of idols?"
Abdul-Baha: "All these are imitations. They have no reality. As these are the opposite of realities, therefore they have no foundation. Everything that keeps man away from God, is an idol. Everything which detracts man's attention from God is an idol, no matter what it is."
Rabbi: "Then every channel between God and His creature is an idol?"
Abdul-Baha: "Consider, let us not bind
ourselves with imitations. Let us study the
condition of the Jews for a moment. When
they were in Egypt they were captives; they
were poor; they were prisoners in the hand of
Pharaoh; they were ignored; they were a dependent
people, they were surrounded by all
kinds of troubles and vicissitudes; the people
looked down upon them; they were considered
as outcasts. Then Moses came. He gathered
them together; inspired them with the power
of unity; imparted to them new life; taught
them the laws of God encouraging them
in the morals and virtues of humanity;
delivered them from the hand of Pharoah;
freed them from the bondage of
captivity; educated them, trained them and
carried them away from the land of darkness
into the holy of holies of light. Their power
was increased; their majesty became refulgent;
their fame was spread throughout the
world, until they were enabled to found the
Solomonic sovereignty. In philosophy and art
they attained such heights that the philosophers
of Greece and Rome travelled long distances
to learn from them. Now is it possible
to say that to revere and respect these
souls is equivalent to the worshipping of idols?
We must respect Moses because he achieved
a work which no one else could do. It is an
evident fact that His Holiness Moses was a[Page 7]
channel between God and man. No further
proof is required for this. I do not attempt
to prove the validity of Moses by pointing
to his turning the rod into a serpent; instead
I give evident proofs.
"Again you will note that His Highness Christ was a Jew. Ponder well over this matter: The Jews were captives in the hand of the Romans; they were their slaves. From every standpoint they were scattered and impoverished. Nebuchadnezzar carried seventy thousand of them into captivity at Babylon. Even today the tombs of Esther and Daniel are there. And afterwards what did Titus, the Roman Emperor, not do! He entirely destroyed the foundation of the Jewish temple. The effect of the destruction of Titus is manifest up to this time for we see them scattered all over the world. His Holiness Christ appeared and established unity among the Romans, the Greeks, the Chaldeans, the Assyrians, the Europeans and the Americans. He established a bond of unity between all the nations. All the great prophets, the kings and the worthies of the Israelitish nation could not make the Persians believe in Moses. All the prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Nehemiah, et al., could not make one Zoroastrian believe in Moses. But one Jew came and many millions believe in Him. He spread His name in the East and in the West. He caused the Bible to be translated in all the languages of the world, and today nearly every home contains a Bible. He demonstrated throughout the world to all the nations of the world that the Israelitish people were the chosen people, that the Israelitish prophets were the prophets of God, that their books were the books of God, that their words were the words of God. This is evident. These are not intellectual or traditional evidences but they are such evidences as permit of no discussion. Look at America. You see a Bible in almost every house that you enter. See what Christ has accomplished. Witness what one soul who was crucified has accomplished.
"When He was living upon the earth He was alone, ridiculed and rejected by His own people. Almost everybody cursed and ridiculed Him. His own relatives left Him; even His disciples almost abandoned Him; they placed upon His head a crown of thorns and paraded Him over the streets, and finally they crucified Him. He was alone! alone! but the traces of His work and the signs of His message have filled the world. Man must be just. After these statements no one can deny the greatness of Christ. Now is it evident to you that all these conditions among the nations are on account of injustice? If they had all been just they would have been united on this principle: that these prophets were channels for the bounty of God, for they were the first teachers of mankind.
"The philosophers are also teachers but all they could do was to teach themselves and a few other souls. But the prophets of God taught the whole world. They trained all the children of men in morals and ethics. Who can say that they failed to accomplish their work, and who would give the names of the philosophers the first place?"
Rabbi: "Indeed, indeed you are one of the greatest logicians of the world. Up to this time I have been talking to you as a man; now I will address you as a Rabbi. Your premises and syllogisms do not agree. It is not correct to say that Christ has accomplished all these things, for but few of his teachings were accepted until about three hundred and fifty years after his crucifixion—"
Abdul-Baha here exclaimed: "I understand, I understand," and then continued: "His Highness Moses laid the foundation but the result of His teachings became apparent during the time of Solomon. If there had been no Moses there would have been no Solomon. The sovereignty of Solomon was the outcome of the principles of Moses. If there had been no Moses the children of Israel would have been entirely lost, and up to this time they would have been slaves in the land of Pharoah. Their very name would have disappeared from the page of history. Moses laid down a few principles, but the results of those principles became apparent five hundred years afterward. If an inquirer is just he will realize that Moses laid with His own hand Solomonic universality. Likewise if His Highness Christ had not laid the foundations of Christianity, the evident signs which we see today would not have been realized.
"I scatter the seeds today, six months hence they may become apparent. In the meantime, can anyone deny the germination of these seeds, and when they are grown, repudiate the fact that these plants owe their origin to the seed?"
Rabbi: "Suppose that Christ was the Promised One of the Jews; how did the doctrine of divinity creep in among the Christians?"
Abdul-Baha: "Do not look upon the Christians
of today. The Christians are today submerged[Page 8]
in the sea of imitation. It is evident
that man is the highest of God's creatures on
the face of the earth. For example, there
are certain attributes which are apparent in the
mineral kingdom. The vegetable kingdom
has the attributes existing in the mineral kingdom
but with another attribute, which is the power
of growth. The animal has the attributes
of the mineral and the vegetable kingdoms
but with another attribute, which is the power
of instinct. Therefore the animal is a composite
of the mineral and vegetable kingdoms,
but man has the virtues of the mineral kingdom,
the virtues of the vegetable kingdom,
the virtues of the animal kingdom and another
distinct virtue, which is that of intellect,
consequently man is the highest creation of
God. He is the peerless creature and in him
are contained all the virtues of the human
world.
"Christ was the mirror; God was the Sun. The Sun appeared with all its effulgence and splendor in the mirror; that is, the virtues, the perfections and the characteristics of God appeared in Christ. This is what is meant where it is written in the Bible that 'We have created man in our own image.' The perfect man is the visage and image of God, just as the mirror reflects the sun. We can not say that the sun has come down from heaven and has taken a place in the mirror. The sun is eternal, living in its own station. It had no ascent or descent, entrance or exit; but the rays and the heat of the sun have become fully reflected in the clear mirror. That is why Christ said the future is in the sun and the sun is in the future. The Sun of Truth reflected itself in the mirrors of Moses and Christ."
Rabbi: "Most wonderful! We must name this divine philosophy the philosophy of Abdul-Baha. I am extraordinarily delighted to have had this privilege to talk with you."
Abdul-Baha: "I am very happy indeed to meet you."
Rabbi: "I hope I will have the pleasure of meeting you again."
Abdul-Baha: "God willing. May you be under His protection."
have been founded, the science of medicine has advanced. Together with this there has been an advance in the invention of the means and instruments of destruction. In the early days the instrument of destruction was the sword; today it is the gun. In the early days the organ of destruction or warfare was the dagger; today it is the rifle. How many dreadnaughts have been built; how many torpedoes have been invented, and how many kinds of ammunition have been invented!
All this is the result of material civilization. Therefore just as material civilization serves the good purposes of life it also serves the evil ends. But the Divine civilization is good, because it is concerned with the reign of morals. Consider how much the Prophets have contributed to the reign of morals. His Holiness, Jesus Christ, summoned all to the most great peace. He called all to the acquisition of good morals.
If good morals which constitute the Divine civilization shall become united with the spiritual civilization there is no doubt that the happiness of the world of humanity shall hoist its banner and from every direction composure and rest shall be forthcoming. Humankind shall achieve extraordinary progress, the sphere of thought will be greatly enlarged, great inventions will be made, great spirituality will reveal itself, for humanity there will be great joy, and the life eternal will then be conferred thereon. The spiritual force will make itself effective and the breath of the Holy Spirit will penetrate.
Therefore, just as the material civilization progresses so should the merciful civilization likewise become progressive until the greatest and utmost aims and desires of humanity may be realized.
These are a few of the principles of BAHA'O'LLAH presented to you very briefly, so that if you hear of the Bahai movement and the Bahai teachings you may be informed of what their status is. And this is given to you to act as a stimulus to your knowledge. I ask God to aid this prosperous nation, this fair government, and this wonderful continent with all His blessings.
