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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 Elm 1, 71 (October 16, 1915) No. 12
"Tell Everyone Now is the Time to Teach and Spread the Cause!"
LETTERS FROM LUA GETSINGER
Port Said, Egypt,
Sept. 20, 1915.
Mrs. Bagdadi, Chicago.
Dear Zeenat Khanum:
I promised your brother, Who came to see me on board our American Cruiser, Des Moines, August 30th, which took me and many hundreds of refugees from Haifa, that I would write you as soon as possible after reaching some destination from which it would be possible to get mail through to you. I arrived in Port Said, September 14th, so tired and exhausted that I could do nothing but talk to the friends who have been so long without news of Abdul-Baha! Praise be to God! when I left he was in good health though surrounded by difficulties and dangers which I am powerless to describe.
What he has not done for Syria! "The army of God," as Abdul-Baha named the locusts—which came in such clouds as to darken the sun—completed the difficulties by way of misery, starvation and death. Such suffering as was manifest on all sides can scarcely be believed. People were coming day and night begging and weeping at his gate. He became the sole comfort and hope of the people whether they are believers or unbelievers!
Your mother and family were well and your mother especially was so wishing and longing to hear from you. There is no reason why you cannot write direct to Haifa as long as America is neutral and you do not write about war matters. The Bahais in America could have been writing all this time direct to Haifa; but they have sent everything to Port Said which was cut off from Turkey a year ago. Abdul-Baha said, now the friends should not address him—as he did not wish to trouble them—and perhaps their letters would not reach him; but that anyone could write Mirza Ahmad Sohrab or other friends in Haifa, so long as America is not in the conflict. Thus please Zeenat, do write to your mother and family; but write in English or Arabic. No news had come from Fatima Khanum for a long time and I am sorry to say that nothing had been heard from any of Dr. Zia's people for some time. . . . .
I am enclosing a photograph of a tablet to the American Bahais which was revealed August 27th, and which I got through the custom house with the assistance
of the American Consul at Haifa. Please ask Dr. Zia to translate it to Mrs. True and then give it to the STAR OF THE WEST. I do not just yet know when I shall reach America as I have some work to do in France first. I am writing an account of my last months with Abdul-Baha and family to Mr. Hannen which will probably be sent to all centers. . . . .
I am sent forth again "to herald The Covenant" by its holy Center, and I shall do it with his divine assistance better and more powerfully than I have ever done. . . .
Please say to all the friends that I love them all, and I am ready to meet them in the spirit of the Center of God's holy Covenant which is naught save pure, spiritual divine love! I wish everybody success in the service of His Great Cause, and ask them to pray for me—the least and most unworthy of all His faithful servants. . . . .
With most sincere Bahai greetings to you and your husband, I am as always,
Yours in the service and love of Abdul-Baha,
(Signed) Lua.
Port Said, Egypt,
Sept. 21, 1915.
Mr. Joseph H. Hannen, Washington, D. C.
My dear Bahai friend:
I arrived here a week ago from the island of Crete, having left Haifa on our American cruiser, Des Moines, which brought away from Haifa two hundred and ninety refugees and myself. I was ready to leave the middle of June on the U. S. S. Tennessee, but as some of the students in Beyrouth succeeded in getting away, Abdul-Baha decided that I should stay until later. When the news filtered through of the possibility of America declaring war, and our gunboat came to the very port of Haifa, he said: "Now is the time for you to go and give news to the friends in Egypt, Europe and America. It is a long time that they are without any word, and I desire to send you to them, after which you are to go and teach." Then he wrote a tablet to the friends in America, gave me my instructions, and I left. I shall send a photographic copy of the tablet on the next mail, with a short account of the last few days in Haifa, which were stirring and moving ones for everybody.
Abdul-Baha was well, though surrounded with the greatest dangers and difficulties when I left. He left Haifa for Nazareth at noon, August 29th, and I sailed the next morning, August 30th. . . . He has been encompassed by difficulties on all sides for months, and more especially since the locusts came and destroyed everything, which has caused hundreds to suffer and die from starvation. We were absolutely without news from any quarter for months, and greatly wondered why no one from America wrote, as it was the only neutral country from which news could come. And now that must cease also, as far as addressing Abdul-Baha is concerned; but I do hope you will try and write
Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, if only post cards. Letters via Constantinople must all pass the censorship, remember, so no word about war, politics or prophecies!
We passed through three bombardments, which were all localized, therefore no lives were lost. What the people are to do there this winter, only God knows. The cold rains will be an added misery to their already manifold woes. It was wonderful to witness the calm majesty of Abdul-Baha as he went about among the people, whose only hope and help he is! . . .
I shall come to America as soon as possible, though I have work to do elsewhere first. I enclose you a translation of the tablet above-mentioned, and will send photographic copy of the original next mail. I send the French translation, made in Haifa by Shoghi Effendi, Abdul-Baha's grandson; also the English. Please let the friends see them. I have had such a fatiguing journey, and feel so very exhausted physically that I cannot write more at present; beside I only just have time to catch the mail, which closes at midnight. Please give my most sincere greetings to all in the service, and love of the Covenant of God, especially your dear wife, Mrs. Haney and Mrs. Parsons. Abdul-Baha said: "Tell everyone now is the time to teach and spread the Cause!" The friends in Cairo and here are all well, and send greetings to all in Washington.
O these days of trial and test! The whole world has been flung into the melting pot. Each individual soul must be put into the crucible and "tried as gold is tried and refined as silver is refined." The Center of the Covenant now sitteth as the Refiner, and it is he who judgeth the purity, capacity and station of every servant. He is the divine assayer who accepts and rejects. He alone knows the hearts, and in him only can one find justice and truth. He is the judge of the high court in the supreme concourse, who renders judgments in righteousness and stations the souls of his sincere worshippers! In this day all must be sure that he is the Center from which every living soul is sent forth, and to which every faithful and sincere one must turn!
More later. As ever, yours faithfully,
In the Center of the Covenant,
(Signed) Lua.
TABLET
Haifa, August 27, 1915.
To the beloved of God in America—On them be glory and bounty!
The maid-servant of God, Lua, was a long time occupied in India in spreading the fragrances of the love of God. She is now ready to return to the regions of America. Show her every consideration. She is firm in the Covenant of love. In reality she worked vigorously during her sojourn in India, and she is worthy of love.
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Address letters to Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, care of Mirza Jalal Irani, Haifa, Syria.
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. 12
"The confirmation of the Kingdom of Abba shall descend uninterruptedly upon those souls who are firm in the Covenant"
TABLET
To the beloved of God in America—On them be glory and bounty!
The maid-servant of God, Lua, was a long time occupied in India in spreading the fragrances of the love of God. She is now ready to return to the regions of America. Show her every consideration. She is firm in the Covenant of love. In reality she worked vigorously during her sojourn in India, and she is worthy of love.
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Haifa, August 27, 1915.
ALLAH'O'ABHA!
On the opposite page we take pleasure in reproducing a photographic copy of the original tablet written by Abdul-Baha sent through Lua Getsinger to the Bahais in America, the English translation of which is given above. Perhaps, some who read the simple statements in this tablet may wonder why it was written at all, inasmuch as the bearer is well known to all the Bahais in America; yet to those who are informed of the spread of the Bahai Cause in the West, it is replete with meanings.
What we have in mind is this: It is the duty of Bahais, of course, to receive all, whether from the East or the West in the spirit of friendship, but as a protection to the Cause, Abdul-Baha has made it a rule that any one coming from the East, whether a Bahai or not, even if it be one of his own relatives, who does not bring a letter of permission written in his [Abdul-Baha's] own handwriting with his own signature—such an one must not be approached by the Bahais, who must even shun him.
The following extracts from tablets and cablegrams sent by Abdul-Baha to Bahais in America, explain this important matter:—
Tablet revealed many years ago:
O ye beloved of God! Highway robbers are many and hypocrites are innumerable. The wolves clothe themselves with the shepherd's garment and thieves show themselves in the form of watchmen. Hereafter, if any Persian or Oriental come to those parts, even though he be from the very city of Akka, if ye find he does not possess a letter written by the hand and sealed by the seal of Abdul-Baha, you must decidedly avoid him. (Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Cable from London to Wilhelmite, New York, received December 30, 1912:
Receive no Persian, even my family, without autographic permission. Communicate to all friends. (Signed) ABDUL-BAHA.
--PHOTO-- Facsimile of original tablet to the American Bahais brought by Lua Getsinger
From a tablet to Charles Mason Remey, Washington, D. C., translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, London, England, December 29, 1912:
Awaken the friends, for ere long a test shall come. Perchance some persons, outwardly firm and inwardly wavering, shall come to those parts in order to weaken the faith of the friends in the Covenant of God. Let them be awake! Let them be mindful! As long as they see a trace of violation of the Covenant, they must hold aloof from the violator. Day and night let them strive so that the lights of the Kingdom of Abha may encircle the globe, and the darkness of error may be entirely dispelled. (Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Cablegram received February 3, 1913, from Paris to Wilhelmite, New York:
We have reached Paris. Greetings to all. Any Persian, be he my own
son or daughter, if he comes to America without having a new permission written in my own handwriting or signature, do not meet him at all. Inform all cities. (Signed) ABBAS.
Cablegram from Paris, February 14, 1913, to Parsons-Remey, Washington:
I am servant of Baha! His holiness Baha'o'llah is unique and peerless. All must turn to Baha'o'llah. This is the religion of Abdul-Baha. Firmness in the Covenant means love and obedience to the command of Abdul-Baha. Announce this. (Signed) ABBAS.
Portion of a tablet to Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm, translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, March 25, 1913, Paris, France. The original of this tablet is in Abdul-Baha's own handwriting:
Convey my longing greeting to all the believers of God throughout all the cities of America and announce to them on my behalf that if any person from amongst the Persian believers who may be well known as to his character, whether man or woman—although he may be my own son or daughter—comes to America and has not a new permission for his going to America written with my own handwriting and signed with my own signature, you must not give him any attention at all. Whosoever speaks with him is a violator of the Covenant! This question is most important. Undoubtedly you must show the utmost caution. There are some wolves in sheep's clothes who may claim to be shepherds. Whosoever from amongst the Persian believers arrives in America although he may be related to me,—that is,—even if he be my son-in-law or she be my daughter, first ask of him the letter giving him a new permission to come again to America. If he shows you any such letter, be most careful and attentive that it is my writing and my signature, that they may not be counterfeits. Then you cable to me and inquire about him. When the answer is received by you that it is correct then you meet him, otherwise do not associate with him. Announce the contents of this letter to all the believers and the maid-servants of the Merciful throughout America. (Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Excerpt from tablet to Mrs. Harriet Cline, Los Angeles, Calif., translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, Paris, March 29, 1913:
Today firmness in the Covenant is the means of the promotion of the Word of God and conducive to the effect of the word of man. Any explanation which does not accord with the Covenant will have no effect whatever. Therefore, whosoever heralds the Covenant of God, unquestionably he is confirmed. This has been tried a thousand times: Any soul who violates the Covenant and Testament in the least degree, immediately he is cut off; even in this material world he will become afflicted with remorse and regret. (Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
From a tablet to an American Bahai, translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, Paris, March 4, 1913:
Whosoever claims that Abdul-Baha has given to him a tablet or sent a cablegram he must prove it (by showing it). Do not accept the saying of anyone on mere statement. He must bring forth the unmistakable and valid
evidence, signed by my own written signature and not the signature on a cablegram which cannot be substantiated. (Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Message from Abdul-Baha in his own handwriting, to the American Bahais, translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, September 18, 1913, Ramleh, Egypt.
Any Persian, whether Bahai, or belonging to the ancient religions of Persia,—in short, any Persian—without carrying in his hand a letter either in my handwriting, or signed with my signature, the believers must not associate with him or speak to him, even if he is Shoghi Effendi or Rouhi Effendi (the two grandsons of Abdul-Baha). The friends must demand of him before anything else, his credential letter, written in my handwriting, or signed with my signature. (Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Portion of a tablet to Mr. Charles Mason Remey, translated in Ramleh, Egypt, September 23, 1913:
I have repeatedly written that any Persian—although he be my relative or Afnan—if he has no credential in his hand, the believers must not at all approach him, or associate with him, because all the enemies of the Cause in Persia—Yahyais, Nakazeen and Sufists—are turning their attention to America and will come in order to weaken the Cause of God. You must protect the Cause of God, and Write to every one, and awaken all, that they must not meet any Persian who has not in his hand a credential in my handwriting and signature. (Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
In response to a letter detailing the circumstances attending the arrival in San Francisco of two Persians from India (via Honolulu), without credentials, of their appearance at a Bahai meeting, of their being advised to leave and return to their hotel, and of their being entertained subsequently in the home of a believer, the following tablet was revealed by Abdul-Baha. Translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, Ramleh, Egypt, September 30, 1913:
O thou who are attracted to the Kingdom of Abha! Thy letter was received. Its details concerning those two persons (Persians) became known. You have acted most reasonably. Every Persian, or non-Persian, who comes from the East and has not in his hand a letter from me, although he may be one of my relatives, the believers must not receive him, neither should they let him enter into their meetings. For some wolves are coming from Persia to those parts in order to tear the sheep of God, and to scatter the seeds of corruption and to become the means of division—especially the followers of Mirza Yahya. To receive those souls would be like permitting a thief to enter a home, or like letting a wolf into a flock (of sheep). Unquestionably this is not permissible!
A man may receive his own enemy into his house and show him the utmost respect and consideration, but it is not allowable to receive a thief into his house, nor a traitor into his home, nor a wolf into the flock. This would be injustice. Although the heart of the wolf is displeased at this, yet the sheep of God must be protected. . . . . . . . .
Show ye the utmost kindness toward enemies, that is, ignorant enemies, but not toward traitorous and treacherous enemies. I hope that through the divine bounty and favor you may be guarded and protected.
Say to those two persons (Persians): "Because! we have explicit instructions in regard to this matter we cannot disobey them. It would have been
better for you to have gone first to Akka, and, receiving permission and credentials, to have come to America from there. Then you would have experienced the utmost consideration. You must likewise obey this command. If you are sincere believers, act according to this clear injunction." (Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Portion of a tablet to Miss Juliet Thompson, New York City, translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, October 29, 1913, Ramleh, Egypt:
Convey this message to each and all the believers in New York: Any person who comes to America from the East, whether Bahai or non-Bahai, although he may be one of my relatives, such as Mirza Jalal, Mirza Mohsen and Mirza Hadi (the three sons-in-law of Abdul-Baha), who has not in his hand a letter of permission in my handwriting and signature, the believers of God must not at all approach him, but shun him and know that he is a wolf—he has come to scatter the flock; a thief—he has come to rob the house. . . . . .
From a tablet to the friends of God and the maid-servants of the Merciful, United States of America; translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, home of Abdul-Baha, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Syria, April 19, 1914. (These words are in the handwriting of Abdul-Baha):
If a Persian comes from the East to those parts—supposing the impossible: Although he may be my own son, or the only daughter of Abdul-Baha—without having in his hand an epistle with my own hand and my own signature, to meet and hold conversation with him is forbidden. For whosoever goes to America without permission has no other aim save sedition and the violation of the Covenant. (Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Tablet to Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm, New York City, translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, August 2, 1913, Ramleh, Egypt:
The confirmation of the Kingdom of Abha shall descend uninterruptedly upon those souls who are firm in the Covenant. Thou hast well observed that every firm one is assisted and aided and every violator is degraded, humiliated and lost. It is very astonishing that people are not admonished. They have observed how Mirza Mohamed Ali on account of the violation of the Covenant descended to the lowest degree of humiliation, and yet they do not become mindful. They have seen how others through disobedience to the Testament have fallen into a well of degradation, and yet they are not awakened. This Covenant is the Covenant of his holiness, Baha'o'llah. Now its importance is not known befittingly; but in the future it shall attain to such a degree of importance that if a king violates to the extent of one atom he shall be cut off immediately.
Consider that during the life of Christ—May my life be a sacrifice to him!—his cause had no importance whatsoever; nay, rather the people scoffed and ridiculed him, and according to the text of the Gospel they called him Beezlebub. Now you can see the importance which it had later. (Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
In the light of the foregoing, further comment on our part is unnecessary. "Peace be upon those who follow guidance."
It is evident that those who are favored with a written word of approval from Abdul-Baha should receive every consideration. Lua Getsinger has been thus favored; "she is worthy of love." —The Editors.
