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STAR OF THE WEST
"We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; that all nations shall become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men shall be strengthened; that diversity of religion shall cease and differences of race be annulled. So it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the ‘Most Great Peace’ shall come."—BAHA'O'LLAH.
Vol. VI Eizzat 1, 71 (September 8, 1915) No. 10
Recent letters from Mirza Ahmad Sohrab to Bahais in America*
Home of Abdul-Baha, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Syria, July 1, 1915.
Mrs. Corinne True, Chicago.
My dear sister in the Faith!
The spirit suggests to me to write you a letter and convey to you the news of the good health of Abdul-Baha and those who moth-like fly around this divine candle. For the last ten months we have received not one letter from America nor under the present circumstances have I been able to mail to the Bahai world the spiritual words and advice as well as the description of the selfless deeds and divine actions of the Beloved. Thus from an external and superficial standpoint we have been separated from each other, but from the ideal standpoint our relations were not interrupted in the least. There is no separation for those who are engaged in the services of the Cause. They may not hear from each other, but their hearts are united, their altruistic aims are for the moral illumination of their fellowmen and their highest desire is to serve in an effective manner the religion of Truth.
We are waiting patiently to hear the results of the First International Bahai Congress and the progress of the Mashrak-el-Azkar. We read its preliminary program in the STAR OF THE WEST. After that we have received no more information. Abdul-Baha gave a stirring
*LETTER FROM MR. HANNEN.
Dear brother Windust:
At the suggestion of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, from whom I have heard two or three times recently, I give you below extracts from his letters to me covering matters of general interest, and also information concerning his correspondence with others. It is suggested that you obtain from several or all to whom he has also written recently, extracts from his letters, the whole or a compilation to be published in the STAR OF THE WEST from time to time as current news from Haifa. It would appear that communication has again been established with that city; and of course it goes without saying that the friends will be most interested in all news concerning Abdul-Baha and his servants who are privileged to be near him in these days. If I can be of any further service in this matter, pray command me.
On July 8, 1915, Mirza Ahmad Sohrab writes: "According to Abdul-Baha's suggestion, I am writing a series of short letters to the different believers of the west, giving the news of his health. . . . I wonder whether all these letters will be received by the different individuals. Will you and brother Windust see to it that the general portions of these letters dealing with the teachings and the health of Abdul-Baha are reproduced in one or two numbers of the STAR OF THE WEST? This is very important.
"Abdul-Baha is quite well, spending most of his time with the members of the holy family and enjoying a much-needed rest in these last years of his life. A few days ago a pilgrim arrived from Bagdad. It had taken him fifty days for the journey. He is an old resident of Bagdad, but a Persian by birth. Another incident worth relating is the arrival of our Persian students from the American College in Beirut. Their presence has given us a new zest of life. They chant and sing, and are full of activity.
"Very few things happen in these parts, and from a spiritual standpoint, except Abdul-Baha and his work and deeds and words, there is nothing worth recording. It is, his love and grace that keeps us awake and alive."
Faithfully yours, Joseph H. Hannen.
talk in this regard which no doubt you will read in its opportune time. You must know by this time that none of the letters mailed to Port Said during the past many months were received by us. Personally I feel sad because all the ways of correspondence are closed and the glad-tidings of the kingdom could not be sent out or received. Undoubtedly, there must needs be a wisdom in this which will appear later on. God's ways are inscrutable and unsearchable. All that we can say is: We do not understand. Let His will be done. No doubt all these turmoils and disturbances are the result of man's heedlessness and negligence, and those who are conversant with biblical prophecies and their fulfilment in these days, do not need any other proof.
Praise be to God! that Abdul-Baha is quite well. After many months of stay in Abou Senan the holy family and the friends are back in Haifa, and the Beloved at the present time is passing quite peaceful days with them. There are no tablets to be written, no pilgrims to meet and talk to and no strenuous outward activities. Our days are like a calm, limpid stream, flowing smoothly and with no inundation. The surface, like the mirror, is silver-like and clear. Now and then he delivers an informal talk or discusses in a heart-to-heart manner on the beauty and advantage of love and amity. These thoughts are the dancing ripples of light which appear on the stream to delight our eyes and enrapture the cars. We are happy to be in his neighborhood during these crucial months of the history of mankind and watch daily his acts of charity and hear his words of loving kindness. He is always doing some good and is ever ready to go to the help of the needy and those who are in want. He often remembers his many trips to and through Chicago and reviews for the benefit of the friends the many meetings held in your house and other places. The memory of his tour in the United States, the devotion and sincerity of the friends, the reception given to him by the churches and meetings, the inspiration and satisfaction of the services rendered at the threshold of the Almighty form a great consolation in these days of inactivity. He often prays for the spiritual success and prosperity of the believers and hopes they will embody in their lives the ideal principles of Truth.
I am thinking of the friends of Chicago. Their kindness to me will never be forgotten. Day and night I pray that they may arise with greater zeal and enthusiasm in the promotion of the Word of God.
Please give them my sincere greeting. I hope that a day may come when I may have the pleasure and privilege of meeting them again.
I am as ever, your faithful brother,
(Signed) Ahmad.
Home of Abdul-Baha,
Mt. Carmel, Haifa, Syria.
July 4, 1915.
Mr. Arthur E. Lunt, Boston.
My very dear brother:
This being your fourth day of July, no doubt America, is holding a national holiday to praise God, the author of their blessings and the sustainer of their independence. Long may that land be bright with freedom's holy light! In prostrated attitude and agonizing despair the embattled legions of Europe and the countless hosts of Asia look toward America to behold the rays of hope. They are straining their ears to hear the voice of love and peace. The United States, as a racial and religious composite photographer, has demonstrated to the whole world by keeping peace and goodwill amongst its heterogeneous population that the idea of the brotherhood of man is not an utopia, but an actual reality. With the dynamic force of the "New Dispensation" she must become the leader of this hotly-waged crusade for international arbitration and the universal Court of Justice. This will be the crowning glory of America as the benefactor of the world of humanity.
It is a very long time, my dear brother, that I have not heard from you, nor from the friends of God. My heart is aching to hear the news and know the details of the services rendered by your good self and other equally devoted brothers and sisters.
In the STAR OF THE WEST, No. 16 or 17 (after these two numbers we have received no other), I read your name as a speaker at the First International Bahai Congress in San Francisco. I hope that in the future it will be my great pleasure to read a copy of your address. . . .
Praise be to God! that the health of Abdul-Baha is good. He much needed this rest, but he longs to hear the news of the friends and look into the shining faces of the pilgrims. . . .
All the friends here are well and send you their warmest greeting and salutation. All of us are praying for your success. Often Abdul-Baha speaks about his spiritual experiences and the glowing meetings in Boston and Green Acre. He hopes and prays that the former may become the rose-garden of Truth and the latter the elysium of heavenly beatitudes. These two spots were blessed with his holy presence and many of you heard his words and utterances. What greater privilege is conceivable than this! Now we must put forward extraordinary effort to serve the holy Cause and teach, not only by words but by self-sacrificing deeds and charitable thoughts.
Seldom a day passes that I do not think of you and of my ineffable experiences in Boston and Green Acre. Your love and kindness is ever remembered.
Please convey my sincere greeting to all the friends in these two places and assure them of the love and affection of the Beloved for each and all.
Hoping to see you and converse with you as in the olden time, I am as ever,
Your faithful brother,
(Signed) Ahmad.
Home of Abdul-Baha,
Mount Carmel, Haifa, Syria.
July 5, 1915.
Mrs. May Maxwell, Montreal, Canada.
My dear spiritual sister!
Is it not a long, long time that we have received any news from you? It seems to me an age. What has caused this sudden interruption of all correspondence, the unexpected closing of the wide gate of intellectual and spiritual association, and the hurried ending of the chapter of all sweet ideal relations? Is it not strange, nay rather a sad commentary on the spirit of our time that the East is deprived of the glad heart-uplifting news of the West, and the West has become bereft of the life-imparting breaths of the holy spirit wafting from the kingdom of Peace? It is true that the ideal tie with which the hearts of the friends are bound together will not be broken by these accidental circumstances; but it is nevertheless true that constant co-operation, relation and mutual helpfulness will increase its strength, durability and solidity. With this point of view we must ever think of the widening of the sphere of spiritual and social relations between the members of the human commonwealth.
It is now about ten months that we have had no news from the believers in America nor have I been in a position to write them about the news of the health and spiritual activities of the Beloved. Leaving aside the celestial blessings and benedictions that are vouchsafed to one by living near the abode of Abdul-Baha, the only other source of my pleasure and happiness was the arrival of soul-clearing news from the western friends. You do not know how much we all hunger and thirst for this bread and water. Often I feel extremely sad and unhappy over all these human misfortunes and miseries and how all the people are caught in a mad whirlpool of sufferings and trials; but then I realize my utter helplessness in the face of all these lofty mountains of hardships.
STAR OF THE WEST
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.
Editorial Staff: ALBERT R. WINDUST — GERTRUDE BUIKEMA — DR. ZIA M. BAGDADI
Honorary Member: MIRZA AHMAD SOHRAB
Terms: $1.50 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. VI
No. 10
Whenever I am attacked with these thoughts I turn my face towards the Center of the Covenant and then I feel assured that the end will be light, peace, progress and love.
Praise be to God! that the health of the Beloved is quite good in these days. The present condition of the world has forced upon him a much needed rest. From his earliest childhood he has been so active and energetic that he would not take a rest under any consideration. Now after several months of stay in Abou Senan, a village near Acca, the holy family and the believers have returned to Haifa and he is spending his days quietly with the blessed members of his household. We have no pilgrims to whom he may deliver formal talks nor do we receive any letters requiring immediate attention. Peacefully and calmly these spiritual days succeed each other like the lovely days of an ideal tropical spring. In the garden of the hearts the birds of contentment sing and in the field of the spirits the roses of assurance bloom. Now and then he delights our ears with a charming spiritual discourse, setting before our eyes the shining gems of truth and the brilliant pearls of wisdom. These jewels of heavenly brightness are diligently collected as they fall from his seraphic tongue: thus future humanity may adorn therewith the temples of their beings.
My dear sister! The Beloved thinks of you and of your husband and of "his" little darling Mary. Often he speaks about his never-to-be-forgotten sojourn in your city, the light-beaming faces of the friends, the spiritual meetings held in your house, the attraction and enkindlement of the hearts, your faithfulness and loyalty to the Cause of God and your contagious enthusiasm in the diffusion of the fragrance of God. Whenever he reviews these events, his face becomes illumined and were I a painter I would place on the canvas the rapturous smile of his countenance and the inimitable gesture of his hands!
Please convey to all the friends my sincere Bahai greeting and let them know that we are all thinking of them and pray for their spiritual and physical success and prosperity. . . . .
I am as ever your sincere brother,
(Signed) Ahmad.
Mount Carmel, Haifa, Syria.
July 18, 1915.
Messrs. Howard and Edward Struven, Baltimore, Md.
Often have I spoken about your spiritual meetings to your Oriental brothers and their faces have glowed with joy and enthusiasm because they realized more than others the beatitude and blessing of peace and love based on the knowledge of God. Although I have not written you all this time yet have I especially remembered you in the presence of Abdul-Baha and when praying at the threshold of the Blessed Perfection,—so that all of you may attain to complete happiness and composure of mind both in this world and the world to come. No doubt you have also prayed for this unworthy servant, for we are so much in need of each other's prayers in these days of darkness and gross materialism. Of course Abdul-Baha does not only pray for us, he is praying for the whole world, that its inhabitants may become illumined with the rays of the Sun of Reality, their hearts become the caskets of the jewels of good-will and fellowship, their minds the chamber of the lofty ideals of brotherhood and their ultimate object the progress of humanity. He hopes that the practice of altruism and the inculcation of optimism may become the general rule and not the exception and the law of fellow-feeling and sympathy widely spread. He is looking to the friends for the creation of a better understanding between nations and the diffusion of the fragrance of the holy spirit. The world is sick and those who claim to be the wise physicians must treat this patient with farsighted wisdom and perception. Will their treatment cure or only aggravate the malady? It is the duty of the friends of God to show to the denizens of this globe, through their deeds and explanations what love means, what toleration signifies, what is the meaning of brotherhood, and what is the standard of true solidarity. These are the things that are demanded of each one of us and we must perform them more or less according to our abilities and attainments. The Beloved longs to see the friends as the embodiment of charity and loving-kindness, as the personification of fraternity and neighborliness. He expects them to shine as the stars in this dark night of mutual hatred and enmity, and guide the wandering steps to the station of certainty and assurance. They must be the vivifiers of the dead, joy-bringers and the dispellers of gloom. Only in this manner can we bring happiness to his sorrow-laden heart.
Now that Abdul-Baha is living on the slope of Mount Carmel near the holy tomb of the Bab, his health is much improved, in fact he is well and enjoying the fresh, vitalizing breeze wafting from the far away hills in this Holy Land. We meet him two or three times a day and are uplifted by the grandeur and beauty of his moral and spiritual discourses. These are of course our golden days for we have him all to ourselves. No pilgrims throng the streets of Haifa and no reading of letters take up the time. Each day is a blissful recurrence of the one just past, all being strung into a white rosary of sweet memory.
Our dear mother Lua [Getsinger] lives with the holy family at the foot of the mountains and is very happy.
Please present my grateful greeting to all the dear friends. I hope I will be given the opportunity to see them again and talk with them on the things we prize most.
I am as ever, your faithful brother,
(Signed) Ahmad.
Mount Carmel, Haifa, Syria,
August 8, 1915.
Miss Ghodsea Ashraf.
My dear sister in the light of Abdul-Baha!
Soon it will be three years that I have left the United States—three years overflowing with spiritual memories and divine events. Each day was equal to a
thousand years and each hour most important in its ideal signification. They were such days the like of which will not be found in the annals of history. Their beauties cannot be compared with those of the most precious jewels or the majesty of principalities and kingdoms. Each day was a white limpid pearl strung on the golden thread of time, a fruitful tree planted in the garden of life, a blue heaven studded with the bright stars of humanitarian ideals, a garden adorned with the most fragrant flowers, a most perfect portrait painted by the hand of the master artist, a charming song the notes of which will enrapture the hearts of many thousands and a new dedication to the service of the Cause of God and the promotion of the Word of God.
The sweetness and affability of these days will never be forgotten, nor will they ever be erased from the tablet of consciousness. I wish all the friends were with me to enjoy the sublime pictures; engraving them on the retina of the eyes. It is one thing to take part in an event, and another thing to describe it. One cannot put on paper those sudden outbursts of joy, those indefinable moments of tremulous pleasure, those happy events of the past which appear in the life of every individual, leaving behind a deep and lasting impression. The greatest writers have acknowledged their limitations when they had to describe the details of the most wonderful epochs of their lives. They could not cast into the mould of cold words the warm and glowing sentiments of their hearts. They struggled, they strove, but at last they laid aside their pens and confessed their inability. Similarly I have tried to form a clear mental picture of all the marvelous events of the last three years, but they come crowding upon me with such variety and number that I retire from the field precipitously. It is impossible to duly appreciate one of these events, appearing in order and gradation one after another.
My dear Ghodsea! I hope you have made great progress in your education and have bedecked the chambers of your mind and the mansion of your heart with imperial thoughts and queenly sentiments. This will not only make Abdul-Baha happy but all those who are sympathizing with the movement tending toward the emancipation of the Persian women, suffering them to become the intellectual and spiritual peers of the women of the civilized world.
Praise be to God! that from the time of your arrival in America you have been confirmed at every step and have been advancing year after year. This is a great bounty on the part of God and there is no doubt that you are appreciating it. All of us expect from you the performance of great and signal services. I dare say that few of the Persian girls have had the wonderful opportunities prepared for you by the grace and mercy of Abdul-Baha, and I feel certain that you have availed yourself of each one of them in a noble and thankful manner. You know what our great poet Sadi says in the beginning of his book: "In every breath two blessings are contained and for every blessing a separate thanksgiving is due." If the mere process of expiration and inhalation involves so many blessings and thanksgivings, how much more then should we thank our Father who has showered upon us all His graces and favors.
If you desire to know something about our condition here: Praise be to God! We are all well, especially our Beloved's health is excellent. He is living now on the slope of Mount Carmel and we have the rare pleasure of seeing him two or three times a day.
There is a possibility of my return to Washington after this war. No doubt four years in America have worked wonders in you and I anticipate seeing these pleasing changes. In myself I do not see any radical change, except I have grown older and the hairs of my head are getting white. Youth is a flitting image which like a character in a moving picture
shows itself for a few years which in comparison to eternity are far less than a few seconds and then flies away forever. . . .
I am as ever your sincere well-wisher,
(Signed) Ahmad.
Mount Carmel, Haifa, Syria, August 9, 1915.
Dr. and Mrs. Bagdadi, Chicago.
My dear brother and sister in the Cause of God!
During the last month I wished so much to write you a letter and express to you my spiritual love and devotion and now I avail myself of the first opportunity offered to me. Because you are the natives of this blessed land, because your dear families live here, and you have been brought up in this sacred atmosphere, you are never forgotten both in the holy presence and at the divine threshold of the Blessed Perfection. Our love for and devotion to you ever prompt us to remember you and pray for you, and we anticipate to receive good news from you. On one hand Abbas Ikbal is spending his vacation on Mount Carmel in company with the Persian students from the American college, on the other hand your mother and sister and your three brothers are permanent dwellers in Haifa. All these dear ones are well, happy and in good health and, with the friends of God, remember you and supplicate for your success and prosperity.
Abdul-Baha's health is excellent. He is at the time of this writing living in the house of Aga Abbas Goli adjoining the tomb of the Bab.
It is now more than a month that he has come up. The weather at the foot of the mountain is quite warm during the summer, while here on its high slope it is cool and refreshing, the vitalizing breeze ever blowing from the sacred hills beyond. . . .
My dear brother! Now that the Beloved lives on Mount Carmel we see him every morning and evening. In the morning he comes to Mosafer Khaneh* and while walking to and fro he uplifts our hearts through his spiritual talks and conversations. Like unto the white pearls we gather the words of wisdom falling from his divine lips, collecting them for the timely presentation to the eastern and western friends. In the afternoon for an hour or so he walks majestically in front of the Magham,☨ then directing his steps toward the holy of holies we follow him quietly and offer our prayer in behalf of all the friends.
It is now nearly one year that we have no letters from America. We do not know what our friends are doing and how are they getting along. Please give my sincere greeting to each and all and tell them I have not forgotten them. Every day I pray for them and hope they will be confirmed with the breaths of the holy spirit. The Persian students, especially Abbas Ikbal and Mirza Badi send you their heartiest greeting.
Ever your faithful brother,
(Signed) Ahmad.
* Mosafer Khaneh—Pilgrims' House. ☨ Magham—the tomb of the Bab.
Mount Carmel, Haifa, Syria.
August 15, 1915.
[Louis G. Gregory, Washington, D. C.]
. . . . . His [Abdul-Baha's] desire is that all the believers characterize themselves with these [divine] attributes, adorn their temples with these garments, ornament their bodies with these decorations and illumine their homes with these glistening lamps. Then and not until then will they be considered as his sons and daughters. His real solicitude is for their spiritual welfare and happiness. Above everything else he wishes them to be joy-bringers to this sorrow-laden world. This is considered to be their greatest mission. They must cry at the top of their voices:
"Rejoice! Rejoice! O thou world of
humanity! The tree of thy hope is
near the time of fruition!
"Rejoice! Rejoice! The rivers of celestial
ideals are flowing from the mountains
of decree!
"Rejoice! Rejoice! The gales of love
and peace have stirred deeply the sea
of God's grace and pity!
"Rejoice! Rejoice! The music of reality
has attracted the hearts of all the sincere
ones!
"Rejoice! Rejoice! The trees of the gardens
of truth are bedecked with the
most luscious fruits.
"Rejoice! Rejoice! The Beloved of all
nations will soon enter the assembly
of the children of men with a radiant
face!
"Rejoice! Rejoice! for the earth of capabilities
is already begemmed [ornamented]
with the sweet amaranths of
love and the fragrant lilies of affection!"
In such wise the friends must work, for as the moral physicians of the world of humanity, their pharmacopœia must be filled with all kinds of medicines; thus they may be able to treat every kind of illness and disease. Firmness and steadfastness is the condition whereby they may attain to this unparalleled station. They must close their eyes to the world and the things contained therein. Their work is in the realm of the spirit; their efforts are along the line of morality and the inculcation of ethical principles. They look at all times towards heaven and are enraptured with the beauty of the Beloved. They are not attached to anything. They pray at morn and eve for the misguided children of men and wish them naught but good and prosperity. The heaven of their minds is not darkened with the clouds of prejudices nor the chambers of their hearts bedimmed with the smoke of hostility. They are released from all such ties and are soaring in the atmosphere of sanctity.
I am writing you this letter from the lovely garden of Abdul-Baha. He is just walking amidst the beds of roses and talking with a number of friends on the corruptibility of nature and the sacredness of the Word of God. Like unto the sun, he shines upon the just and unjust. Every day we descend from the Pilgrim's House and spend several hours in the verdant garden and listen to the words of truth and wisdom. They are indeed life-giving and soul-uplifting. I wish you were present; but I am sure you can accomplish better and more efficient work where you are.
Abdul-Baha, remembers you and sends you his greeting. He prays for all the friends at the Holy Threshold and the blessed tomb of the Bab.
Give my greeting to . . . . . . all the friends We are all well and happy. I anticipate the time when I shall have the pleasure of seeing you face to face.
I am ever your sincere brother
(Signed) Ahmad.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO MASHRAK-EL-AZKAR FUNDS
| On hand at opening of Convention in San Francisco | $8,150.92 |
| Amount received from April 17th to Sept. 1st, 1915 | 1,718.96 |
| Total | $9,869.88 |
| Expenses | 661.95 |
| In bank August 31, 1915 | $9,207.93 |
BAHAI TEMPLE UNITY,
Corinne True, Financial Secretary.
A few of the Greatest Name stones, in ring and brooch sizes, received direct from Haifa some time ago, may be obtained so long as the supply lasts. Interested friends may address Joseph H. Hannen, P. O. Box 1319, Washington, D. C., for particulars and prices. This distribution is planned at the request of those who have been unable to procure the stones, none of which are now being sent over.
