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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. VII Rahmat 1, 72 (June 24, 1916) No. 6
The Way to Universal Peace
Extracts from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, May, 1914
"WHAT is the greatest need of the world of humanity?"
Abdul-Baha answered:
"Today, in the world of humanity, the most important matter is the question of universal peace. The realization of this principle is the crying need of the time. People have become restive and discontented. The political world of every civilized nation has become a vast arena for the exhibition of militarism and the display of martial spirit. The minds of the statesmen and cabinet ministers, of every government, are chiefly occupied with the question of war, and the council chambers are resounding with the call to war. Self-interest is at the bottom of every war. Greed, commerce, exploitation, the pushing further of the boundaries of the kingdom, colonization, the preservation of the treaty rights, the safeguarding of the lives and interests of the citizens, are a few of the many pretexts for going to war. And it has been proven by experience that the results of war are ruinous, both to the conquerors and the conquered. Countries are laid waste, public property trampled under foot, commerce is paralyzed, fields crimsoned with the innocent blood and the progress of the world retarded. How can a person rectify a wrong by committing a greater wrong, shedding the blood of his brothers? The major part of the revenue of every country is expended upon military preparations—infernal engines, the filling of arsenals with powder and shot, the construction of rapid-firing guns, the building of fortifications and soldiers' barracks and the annual maintenance of the army and navy. From the peasants upward every class of society is heavily taxed to feed this insatiable monster of war. The poor people have wrested from them all that they make with the sweat of their brows and the labor of their hands.
"In reality war is continuous. The moral effect of the expenditures of these colossal sums of money upon military purposes is just as deteriorating as the actual war and its train of dreadful carnage and horrors. The ideal and moral forces of the contending parties become barbaric and bestial, the spiritual powers are stunted and the laws of divine civilization are disregarded. Such a financial drain ossifies the veins and muscles of the body politic, and congeals the delicate sensibilities of the spirit.
"There is not the least doubt that the nation or government which puts forward an extraordinary effort in the promotion of universal peace will be encircled with divine confirmations, and will be the object of honor and respect amongst all the inhabitants of the earth. Such an action will be conducive to the prosperity and well-being of mankind. Concerning this question of universal peace, fifty years ago his holiness BAHA'O'LLAH wrote to all the sovereigns and monarchs of the world explaining in detail the benefits of peace and the evils of bloodshed. Amongst other things he hath said: Originally mankind was one family, united and compact; later on the members of
this happy family were divided and subdivided through ignorance and prejudice. Now the time has come again for their final unification. Universal peace will bring this long-wished for consummation.
"Once the parliament of man is established and its constituent parts organized, the governments of the world having entered into a covenant of eternal friendship will have no need of keeping large standing, armies and navies. A few battalions to preserve internal order and an international police to keep the highways of the seas clear will be all that is necessary. Then these huge sums will be diverted to other more useful channels, pauperism will disappear, knowledge will increase, the victories of peace will be sung by poets and bards, knowledge will improve the conditions and mankind will be rocked in the cradle of felicity and bliss. Then, whether a government is constitutional or republic, hereditary monarchy or democratic, the rulers will devote their time to the prosperity of their nations, the legislation of just and sane laws and the fostering of closer and more amicable relations with their neighbors; thus the world of humanity may become a mirror in which are reflected the virtues and attributes of the kingdom of God."
"What is your opinion concerning disarmament?"
Abdul-Baha answered: "By a general agreement all the governments of the world must disarm simultaneously and at the same time. It will not do if one lays down arms and the others refuse to do so. The nations of the world must concur with each other concerning this supremely important subject, that they may abandon together these deadly weapons of human slaughter. As long as one power increases her military and naval budget, another power will be forced into the crazed competition through her natural and supposed interests. For example, Germany has increasingly added to a vast sum for the maintenance of her army. This alarms the French statesmen and volatile patriots, and affects the calm and steady nerves of the Britishers across the channel. Immediately there will be rumors of war, talk of German aggression, German ambition. The yellow journals write searing editorials, jingoism becomes the topic of the capitals, the air is filled with suspicions. Someone will see, for the purposes of expediency, a German dirigible flying over French fortifications or English forts making observations. A hue and a cry will be raised from every quarter of the country and thus there will be a corresponding increase in the estimates of the Minister of War for the defence of our homes and our hearths, our women and our sweethearts from the attack of strangers. The same argument is resorted to when the French nation adds one or two years to her military conscription and the English imperialists emphasize in public meetings the doctrine of the double standard power. Now as long as Germany continues in her own military perfection the French will walk in her footsteps trying at every turn to increase their own war ammunitions in order to be prepared for any national crisis or sudden attack. Hence it seems the only solution lies in the fact of universal disarmament on the part of all the nations.
"When we speak of universal peace we mean that all the governments must change their fleets of battleships and dreadnaughts to a mighty fleet of merchant marine, plying the oceans of the world, uniting the distant shores and interweaving the commercial, intellectual and moral forces of mankind. But should England alone transform the character of her warships she will be at the mercy of her enemies and will remain powerless and defenceless. The British Isles will be unquestionably threatened by a powerful invading, well-disciplined host. Hence, aside from any national prowess, the English people are pushed into this weltering whirlpool of military and naval expenditures and are struggling
to keep their heads above the seething water all around them which, unless calmed down, will drown all of them, irrespective of any nationality.
"Once a person met his friend in the street and after the exchange of courtesies gave him a hard blow in the face. 'Why dost thou do this?' 'Hast thou not read in the Gospel wherein Christ says, "Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek turn to him the other also?" Now according to this admonition let me smite thee on thy left cheek also.' The man submitted to the second blow quite willingly and they parted. Next day they met each other again and the man received two more blows on his cheeks without any evident murmur. They met the third day and he was going to inflict upon him the same blows. 'Wait a minute, my friend. I am not the only person in the world to live according to the teachings of Christ. Thou also art one. I have obeyed him two days and the next two days will be my turn.' With these words he smote the man on his cheek and asked him to turn the other side also.
"Now the question of disarmament must be put into practice by all the nations and not only by one or two. Consequently the advocates of peace must strive day and night so that the individuals of every country may become peace-loving, public opinion may gain a strong and permanent footing, and day by day the army of international peace be increased, complete disarmament be realized and the flag of universal conciliation be waving on the summit of the mountains of the earth."
"How can Universal Peace be realized?"
Abdul-Baha answered: "The ideals of peace must be nurtured and spread amongst the inhabitants of the world; they must be instructed in the school of peace, so that they may fully comprehend the benefits of peace and the evils of war. First: the financiers and bankers must desist from lending money to any government that contemplates waging an unjust war upon an innocent nation. Second: the presidents and managers of the railroad and steamship companies must refrain from transporting war munitions, infernal engines and guns and cannons and powder from one country into another. Third: the soldiers must petition through their representatives, the ministers of war, the politicians, the congressmen and the generals to put forth in a clear, intelligible language the reasons and the causes which have brought them to the brink of such a national calamity. The soldiers must demand this as one of their prerogatives. 'Demonstrate to us,' they must say, 'that this is a just war and we will then enter the battlefield; otherwise we will not take one step. O ye kings and rulers, politicians and war-mongers; ye who spend your lives in most exquisite palaces of Italian architecture; ye who sleep in airy, well-ventilated apartments; ye who decorate your reception and dining halls with lovely pictures, sculptures, hangings and frescoes; ye who walk in perfect Elysiums, wreathed in orange and myrtle groves, the air redolent with delicious perfumes and vocal with the sweet songs of a thousand birds, the earth like a luxuriant carpet of emerald grass, bright flowers dotting the meadows and trees clothed in verdure; ye who are dressed in costly silk and finely-woven textures; ye who lie down on soft feathery couches; ye who partake of the most delicious and savory dishes; ye who enjoy the utmost ease and comfort in your wondrous mansions; ye who attend rare musical concerts whenever you feel a little disconcerted and sad; ye who adorn your large halls with green festoons and cut flowers, fresh garlands, and verdant wreaths, illuminating them with thousands of electric lights, while the exquisite fragrance of the flowers, the soft, ravishing music, the fairy-like illumination lend enchantment; ye who are in such, environments,
(Continued page 48)
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.
Terms: $1.50 per year; 10 cents per copy.
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. VII
No. 6
The Divine Immanence
In the Tablet of Ahmad, BAHA'O'LLAH says:
O MY servants! The Ancient Beauty commands: Hasten to the shadow of immortality, nearness and mercy, from the shadow of desire, remoteness and heedlessness. Be ye resigned like unto the earth, so that the fragrant, sacred, multicolored myrtles of my knowledge may grow in the soil of existence. Be ye ablaze like unto fire, so that ye may consume thick veils, and immortalize the cold and veiled bodies through the heat of divine love. Be ye pure like unto air, so that ye may enter the secret abode of my friendship. . . .
O servants! If ye be informed of the wonders of my generosity and grace, which I have deposited in you, ye will certainly be cut from all directions and, seeking to know your own selves, which is identical with knowing myself, will find yourselves independent of all save me, and will see the ocean of my providence, and the depths of my beneficence in yourselves with your outward and inward eye, as manifest and clear rs the sun shining from the name of Abha.* Do not waste this most holy, most wonderful station through the promptings of fancy and desire, and through the falsehood of superstition and blindness. Ye are in likeness as a bird which, with all joy and fragrance, soars with the utmost security in the cheerful air of the praised One. Then in the imaginary hope of grains (of food) it inclines toward the mud and water of the earth and, with all eagerness, besmears itself with dust and mire. Then, when it attempts to reascend, it finds itself unable and a captive, forasmuch as wings besmeared with water and clay are not capable of flight. At that time the bird of the exalted heaven finds itself a dweller in the mortal earth. Now, O servants, do not besmear your wings with the mire of heedlessness and imagination, and with the earth of animosity and rancor, that ye may not be deprived, and prevented from soaring in the sacred heavens of knowledge. . . .
O servants! If ye are the messengers of sight, enter the city of the seeing! If ye are the people of hearing, step into the land of the hearing. If ye are the possessors of heart, choose an abode in the fortress of the assured ones, so
*Abha means: The Most Glorious; it is a name for God, like "The Ancient Beauty" in the first line,—The Editors.
that in these dark days ye may not be veiled from witnessing the lights of the beauty of Abha. For this year is the year of the most mighty purification and the most great tests.
O servants! Inscribe the exhortations of the Spirit with the pen of resignation and the ink of submission and assurance upon the tablet of the heart, and turn thereto in every instant, lest ye neglect a single letter thereof, and advance towards the True One with all exertion, turning away from all save him. For this is the root of the leaf of command grown upon the divine Tree. . . . This world is a show without reality, find is a non-existence adorned in the form of existence. Do not attach your hearts thereto. Do not sever yourselves from the Creator, and be not of those who are heedless.
Truly I say, the world is like unto a mirage which has the shadow of water. The athirst make abundant efforts in its search, but, when reaching it, remain deprived and portionless. Or, it is like unto the image of a loved one which is destitute of life and soul. When the lover reaches it he finds it of no worth and value, and finds no gain save great pain and despondency.
O servants! If in these visible days and present world matters appear from the realm of decree contrary to your wish be ye not depressed for happy and divine days shall come and spiritual worlds of holiness shall become manifest. In all those days and worlds for you a portion is ordained, a sustenance is determined, and a food is established. Ye shall certainly attain to all these, were ye to exchange the garment of mortality for the garment of immortality, and enter the station of the paradise of Abha, which is the everlasting abode of glorious, sacred souls!
All things are a proof of your existence—if ye emerge from the gloomy dust of non-existence. Be not grieved at the hardships of these numbered days, and be not dejected if your outward bodies are destroyed in the path of the Beloved One. For every destruction is followed by a construction, and a paradise of rest is concealed in every hardship.
News from Abdul-Baha
Extracts from Letters of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
Haifa, Syria, Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, 1916.
Mr. Joseph H. Hannen,
My Dear Brother in the Faith:
After a very arduous trip through rain, storm, gale and cold, I arrived at Haifa. Abdul-Baha greeted me warmly and tenderly, and inquired about the health of the Beirut friends. My highest desire was realized, because I was permitted again to look into his divine and spiritual face. For three days I was in bed as a result of my cold, but, praise be to God, I am much better, and this morning I was permitted to be with Abdul-Baha for about one hour. . . . .
Still one hour before the glorious sun rises from the east. I have been up for the last sixty minutes, packing my clothes, books and papers, and making myself ready to depart in three hours for Tiberias. I will be alone on this sacred voyage, travelling in the personal carriage of Abdul-Baha, while he and his family will depart this evening with the train—thus I will have the privilege of walking behind him again around the sacred shores of the Sea of Galilee. On my way, I shall stop one night in Nazareth, the residence of Joseph and Mary. (Luke 1:26-27.) It is said that when
Jesus returned from Egypt, he lived in this town until he entered upon his great work of spiritual love. All the scenes that are directly related to the Manifestations of God are precious in the sight of men—especially in the estimation of those who are born generations afterwards. They look upon such scenes with the eyes of faith; they spiritualize every event connected with their lives; they kiss the very stones upon which they imagine these Godlike men have walked; they carry away its soil as a sacred memento, and they keep its memory fresh in their minds all through their lives. . . . .
Yesterday afternoon, Abdul-Baha came up to the Pilgrims' Home to visit the holy tomb of the Báb before his departure for Tiberias. As it was Sunday, all the friends had come up also. He sat for half an hour in the sun, and I was glad to translate for him and others the general contents of your last letter of December 2, 1915. Everyone was pleased to hear the good news of the progress of the Cause of human brotherhood and international peace. "Very good! Very good!" Abdul-Baha said. After drinking tea, we followed him into the sacred tomb and as each person entered the holy room, he gave him the rosewater. It was a beautiful, quiet service. Abdul-Baha prayed for all the believers in Europe and America, and hoped that the outpourings of the Holy Spirit may descend upon every one of them. Never did we pray for and remember the believers as we are doing in these days. I am,
Your faithful brother,
Ahmad Sohrab.
Mount Carmel, Haifa, Syria,
August 12, 1915.
To Arthur Pillsbury Dodge.
My Dear Spiritual Brother:
What are the Pacifists doing? Why do we not hear their voices? We always hoped America would play a most important part in bringing about the question of International Arbitration and our hope is still undimmed and our faith strong. This glorious service must assuredly be rendered by the Americans, and this Sun must arise from the horizon of that liberty-loving country.
Praise be to God that the health of Abdul-Baha is good and all the friends in Acca and Haifa are under the shade of the tree of his divine protection. For about a month he stayed with us on the high and breezy slope of Mount Carmel, but it is now three days since he has gone down to visit the family. We are so fortunate as to have the privilege of seeing him three or four times a day, listening to his elevating talks and being uplifted by his spirituality and joyousness. . . . . . . . .
As you know things move slowly in the east and the people walk in the beaten track of their ancestors; consequently nothing happens in these days worth relating. All the news imparts sadness and sorrow. . . . . . .
Abdul-Baha sends to you and all, his heartfelt greetings. I wish so much I could write a letter to each one of the friends, but this cannot be done nowadays.
I am as ever, your faithful brother,
Ahmad Sohrab.
In a recent letter to the financial secretary of Bahai Temple Unity, a friend writes:
"There are about twenty ways in which we could spend a given dollar these days without being convicted of extravagances. But, as my husband said last month, "When we deprive ourselves, it is a small matter, even if it means serious personal discomfort; if we deprive the Mashrak-el-Azkar, the whole race will be deprived of the wonderful lessons it is going to teach."
The League to Enforce Peace
Letter from C. Mason Remey
June 1, 1916.
Dear Friends:—
On May 26th and 27th we had convening here in Washington the first annual Congress of the League to Enforce Peace. As the Bahai Movement was represented by delegates to this convention, I am sure it would interest you to know about the matter.
The platform of the League is very much along the lines of universal peace as outlined by Abdul-Baha in The Mysterious Forces of Civilization. At the invitation of Mr. Wm. H. Short, secretary of the League, Mr. Lunt, president of the Bahai Temple Unity, appointed a committee of us to represent the Unity at this convention. We sat during the better part of two days listening to speeches by the greatest thinkers and foremost progressivists of this country. The spirit of the sessions was most inspiring. In all of the proceedings we saw the Bahai spirit manifesting itself for principles of world peace, which were voiced, as far as they went, in accordance with the constructive spiritual teachings of Abdul-Baha.
Toward the last of the convention the chairman of our committee, Mr. Hannen, was called upon by Mr. Taft, president of the convention, to deliver the greeting of the Bahais. Mr. Hannen read the following words which had been prepared by our committee:
"The delegates to this assemblage representing the Bahai Temple Unity are in sincere sympathy with the objects of the League to Enforce Peace.
"The Bahai Movement is for the Oneness of Humanity along religious, economic and social lines.
"In the words of BAHA'O'LLAH, the founder of this movement:
"'These fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall cease, and the Most Great Peace shall come. Let not a man glory in that he loves his country; let him rather glory in that he loves his kind.'"
This quotation from the words of BAHA'O'LLAH came as a benediction and a summing up of everything which had gone before. The audience was moved and the applause was not only strong, but sustained for several moments; not a spasmodic outburst of applause such as had greeted some of the speakers, but rather an applause which started and swelled slowly attaining the maximum, and then gradually diminishing.
A banquet followed the proceedings, the last speech of which was made by the President of the United States, who brought out the following points, which were such as to have brought joy to all of us who are striving to establish the cause of universal peace.
During his remarks the President said: "To preserve the peace of the world against political ambition and selfish hostility, in service of a common order, a common justice and a common peace, the United States is ready to join in any association of nations."
"Only when the great nations of the world have reached some sort of agreement as to what they hold to be fundamental to their common interest, and as to some feasible method of acting in concert when any nation or group of nations seeks to disturb those fundamental things, can we feel that civilization is at last in a way of justifying its existence and claiming to be finally established. It is clear that nations must in the future be governed by the same high code of honor that we demand of individuals."
"The nations of the world have become each other's neighbors. It is to their interest that they should understand each other. In order that they may understand each other, it is imperative that they should agree to co-operate in a common cause, and that they should so act that the guiding principle of that common
cause shall be evenhanded and impartial justice."
"We believe in a universal association of the nations to maintain the inviolate security of the highway of the seas for the common and unhindered use of all the nations of the world, and to prevent any war begun either contrary to treaty covenants or without warning and full submission of the causes to the opinion of the world as a virtual guarantee of territorial integrity and political independence."
"I came to avow and to give expressions to the confidence I feel that the world is even now upon the eve of a great consummation, when some common force will be brought into existence which shall safeguard right as the first and most fundamental interest of all peoples and all governments, when coercion shall be summoned not to the service of political ambition or selfish hostility, but to the service of a common order, a common justice and a common peace. God grant that the dawn of that day of frank dealing and of settled peace, concord and cooperation may be near at hand."
When we compare these ideas with the great principles of Abdul-Baha expressed in The Mysterious Forces of Civilization, we can see the marvelous working of the Divine Ordinances in the souls of humanity. May the hope of Abdul-Baha soon be realized—that America may uphold the standard of Universal Justice among nations.
C. Mason Remey.
The Way to Universal Peace
(Continued from page 43)
while holding the ladies in your arms dance to the tune of lively music: Come forth from your hiding-places, enter into the battlefield if you like to attack each other and tear each other to pieces if you desire to air your so-called contentions! This discord and feud are between you; why do you make the innocent people a party to it? If fighting and bloodshed are good things then lead them into the fray by your presence!'
"In short, every means which produces war must be checked and the causes which prevent the occurrence of war be advanced, so that physical conflict may become an impossibility. On the other hand every country must be properly delimited, its exact frontiers marked, its national integrity secured, its permanent independence protected, and its vital interests honored by the family of nations. These services ought to be rendered by an imperial, international commission. In this manner all causes of friction and differences will be removed. And in case there should arise some disputes between them they may arbitrate before the parliament of man, the representatives of which will be chosen from amongst the wisest and most judicious men of all the nations of the world."
(Alhammeh, Lake Tiberias, Syria, May 11th and 12th, 1914.)
While in London in 1912, Abdul-Baha was asked:
"By what process will this peace on earth be established? Will it come at once after a universal declaration of the truth?"
"No, it will come about gradually," said Abdul-Baha. "A plant that grows too quickly lasts but a short time. You are my family," and he looked about with a smile, "my new children! If a family lives in unison, great results are obtained. Widen the circle; when a city lives in intimate accord greater results will follow, and a continent that is fully united will likewise unite all other continents. Then will be the time of the greatest results, for all the inhabitants of the earth belong to one native land."
