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[Page 145]
The Bahai Assembly
of Chicago
cordially invites you to participate
in the celebration of the
One hundredth Anniversary
of the birth of
Baha'o'llah
to be held at the
Auditorium Hotel
from November the tenth to
the twelfth inclusive
Nineteen Hundred Seventeen
[Fac-simile of page one of Invitation Program issued by the Bahai Assembly of Chicago]
1817 Baha'o'llah 1917
IN this age, BAHA'O'LLAH has breathed the Holy Spirit into the dead body of the world. Consequently, every weak soul is strengthened by those divine outbreathings. Every poor man will become rich, every darkened soul will become illumined, every ignorant one will become wise, because the confirmations of the Holy Spirit are descending like unto torrents. A new era of divine consciousness is upon us. The world of humanity is going through a process of transformation. A new race is being developed. The thoughts of human brotherhood are permeating the depths of hearts and a new spirit of universal consciousness is being profoundly felt by all men.
From the utterances of ABDUL-BAHA
PROGRAM
CENTENNIAL FESTIVAL
Saturday evening, at six o'clock
CINEMATOGRAPH EXHIBITION
Abdul-Baha in America
(Castle Theater, State and Madison Streets)
Sunday morning, at nine o'clock
BAHA'O'LLAH'S CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD CIVILIZATION
Sunday afternoon, at half past three o'clock
SERVICE ON THE MASHRAK-EL-AZKAR GROUNDS AT WILMETTE
Monday morning, at half past ten o'clock (weather permitting)
CONVENTION OF TEACHING
Monday afternoon, at three o'clock
THE MASHRAK-EL-AZKAR IN AMERICA
Monday evening, at eight o'clock
(Pages two and three of Invitation Program issued by the Bahai Assembly of Chicago)
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. VIII Elm 1, 73 (October 16, 1917) No. 12
Letter of Invitation to the Centennial Festival to be held in Chicago, November 10-12, 1917
Dear Friends:—
The One Hundredth Anniversary of the birth of His Holiness, Baha'o'llah, approaches. The day is anticipated by the Bahais of the World as an occasion for the universal proclamation of the supreme mission of that great and radiant Manifestation.
And, that the Message of Baha'o'llah—that dynamic Message of love for all peoples and races, that great, unifying Message—shall fittingly be acclaimed, on this significant occasion, the House of Spirituality, in behalf of the Bahai Assembly of Chicago, calls you to participate in the commemoration of the day.
God, in His bounty, has given, through the Revelation of Baha'o'llah, the spiritual remedy for the sick body of the world. God, in His mercy to humanity, through the Bab, the herald of the Kingdom; through the appointment of a supreme Center, Abdul-Baha, to whom, after the passing of Baha'o'llah, all should turn, without deviation, has fulfilled all the prophecies of the Holy Books.
So great a Message the Bahais of the world are charged to deliver.
Let the Centennial Celebration be, in reality, a festival of love. And let this Twelfth Day of November, 1917, be forever remembered in the annals of the Bahai Movement.
Let this gathering demonstrate to the world the power of the Message of Baha'o'llah to dispel all superstitions of the past; to unite the hearts of humanity and bring them into direct harmony with the divine will.
A program of great beauty and attraction has been prepared. Prominent speakers from the various Assemblies of America will be in attendance. And altogether the occasion will be one of complete joy and fragrance.
The presence of the friends in great numbers is desired, that the light of their faces and the love in their hearts may impress the world with the truth of the Message and the Mission of Baha'o'llah.
Through the courtesy of the STAR OF THE WEST, we shall be able to see again the moving pictures of Abdul-Baha, as he walked among us, during his visit to America, in 1912.
On Monday, the Anniversary Day, a pilgrimage to the Temple Grounds, weather permitting; the Convention of Teaching and the illustrated exposition of the Mashrak-el-Azkar, emphasizing its tremendous significance to the world, will close what we believe will be one of the most memorable festivals of the Bahai Calendar.
Come! And indicate your intention to do so, by writing at once to that effect to the Secretary of the House of Spirituality, 56 East Congress Street, Chicago.
Faithfully yours, in the service of El-Abha,
Carl Scheffler, Secretary.
Letter by the President of the Bahai Temple Unity
"Baha'o'llah came to breathe life into the dead body of the world."
Dear friends in El-Abha:
This Peerless Century for which all centuries have existed, in which all the horizons of the world have been illumined and which encircles the world of man with the glory of God, completes the span of its centennial Nov. 12th, the Hundredth Anniversary of the birth of Baha'o'llah.
This age, the meeting point of the eternal past with the eternal future, has opened the attraction of earth to the hosts of heaven longing to follow in His Visitation; and to the hosts of earth has opened the doors of Heaven to walk with the Center of His Covenant. How great is the bounty that we are privileged to live in this radiant day, this age of bestowals!
- "Now what will our endeavors
- show forth from the degrees of devotion?"
In a world torn with dissension and rent with division the Bahai body must be the dayspring of composure, the organism of unity sustaining the breath of the Holy Spirit.
- "It is not your work but that of
- the Holy Spirit which you breathe
- forth through the Word. This is a
- fundamental truth; when you
- breathe forth the breath of the Holy
- Spirit from your hearts into the
- world, commerce and politics will
- take care of themselves in perfect
- harmony. All arts and sciences will
- become revealed and the knowledge
- of God will be manifested."
Abdul-Baha.
The mystery of unity consists in spiritually breathing together, that the arteries of the world may be purified by the respiration of heaven. In all the Assemblages gathered together on Nov. 12th lovingly to commemorate with joy and glad tidings the birth of Baha'o'llah, individually and in Assembly, let us supplicate the Lordly Oneness to bestow upon His servants, as an organic body, the breath of the Holy Spirit to unite us and show forth to mankind the fruits of unity, for this breath of oneness is the attribute of God in the world of His humanity.
Thereby will we show forth the degrees of devotion.
The Chicago Convention of 1916 pledged for itself and the Bahais of America to have subscribed by this Anniversary date of Nov. 12th, the initial fund indicated by Abdul-Baha, for the conception of the foundation of the Mashrak-el-Azkar.
Each feels the share of his responsibility. This accomplishment will bring to us all the joy of a new era in this Century of Light. Can we make this blessed commemoration the fulfillment of our heart's desire, the Temple fund to start the Temple, that the spiritual and material foundations may meet?
Thus will we show forth the degrees of our endeavor.
- "Verily the founding of the
- Mashrak-el-Azkar will mark the
- inception of the Kingdom of God
- on earth." Abdul-Baha.
The hand of Power has placed in our hands this kingly service.
The Executive Board sends to you its greetings, and joins with you in loving commemoration, that this meeting of Nov. 12th may fulfill the aspirations of our hopes.
Executive Board,
BAHAI TEMPLE UNITY.
William H. Randall, President.
News from Palestine
Extract from a Letter dated at Devonshire, England, August 17, 1917, from Mirza Lotfullah Hakim to Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm
I am sure you will be interested to hear some news of the beloved Abdul-Baha. Two days ago I had a letter from a friend in Cairo dated July 25, 1917, giving the following news:
"I have been hearing from home regularly lately, but they only write a few lines and simply tell me that they are all well and that Agha (i e., Abdul-Baha) is well and is sometimes at Haifa and other times at Acca. The food question is not as difficult as we hear of especially in that district; but undoubtedly there is a shortage of all imported goods, and food is tolerably expensive."
News from Japan
Tokyo, Japan, August, 1917.
To the STAR OF THE WEST.
I was so pleased you published the photograph of Miss Alexander's group, but sad to say the group is suspended for a while. Miss Alexander was suddenly called to her home at Honolulu and we are all heart broken. I feel especially sad for those who were groping in the dark looking to her for light. Dr. Auger, who is still here, will do all he can to spread the Work. A young Japanese, Tokugiro Torii (a blind man), is to open a Bahai center in September, and an English center will be opened at Shiba Park early in the fall, so the seed scattered with such a lavish hand by Miss Alexander will not have been in vain. . . . I feel Miss Alexander's mantle has fallen upon me during her absence and it is my prayer that I may do a little to prove worthy.
With many greetings in His Greatest Name.
(Mrs.) E. Emma Erskine-Hahn.
News from Washington, D. C.
To the STAR OF THE WEST.
Following the report of the Boston Convention, as reported in the STAR OF THE WEST, a number of calls have reached Washington for help in establishing a Children's Sunday Class. Among the letters received are communications from London, from British Columbia and from Cleveland, Ohio, etc. Replies have been forwarded, with a prayer that they may be of some service. But the Cleveland request and answer was quickly followed by a personal demonstration, Sunday and Monday, September 23-24, of two of the many methods which we have tried in Washington. Praise God! I found the children and young people marvels of spiritual insight. Their quick responsiveness and eagerness to learn more, their unwillingness to go home when the hour was ended, desiring more and more of the Words, were evident proof that the hour has struck for the training of children along spiritual lines, that they may be prepared to carry on the work of the Cause; that they may be taught to teach one another and learn to ask intelligent questions of one another; simply guided by an enthusiastic, loving teacher. This is the plan laid down by our beloved Abdul-Baha.
After two wonderful meetings with the children and young people of the Cleveland Assembly, I am convinced that it is the spirit of the children themselves that must determine the wisest method. We are still most willing to
(Continued on page 152)
STAR OF THE WEST
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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
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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.
Vol. VIII
No. 12
The coming Convention of Teaching at Chicago, Nov. 12.
LETTER ISSUED BY THE HOUSE OF SPIRITUALITY
Dear Bahai Friends:—
As the day approaches for the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Baha'o'llah there has awakened within the hearts of the believers a fervent desire to make the occasion not only a time of great rejoicing, but the beginning of greater service to the Bahai Cause, that the whole world may know of the mission of the Manifestation and the presence among us of the Center of the Covenant, Abdul-Baha.
It will be remembered, that the Teaching Tablets received in August, 1916, were a distinct call to service to the various sections of the United States and Canada. Friends arose in response to that call. The Message has been carried far—into every state in the Union and many new Assemblies have been created.
Notwithstanding the extent of the work already accomplished, we are deeply conscious of our failure to reach that high standard of effective service set for us by Abdul-Baha. And some of us are asking ourselves vital questions that must be answered before the truth of the Revelation of Baha'o'llah shall penetrate the heart of America:
How shall we respond to the emphatic call of Abdul-Baha?
How shall we spread broadcast over America this Message of Light and Life!
How shall we carry conviction of its essential truth into the millions of human hearts?
How, in this day of prodigious achievement, shall the Revelation of Baha-o'-llah be presented, to fulfill the requirements of so tremendous a Message, in so tremendous an age?
How shall the work of teaching be carried forward into potential centers of innumerable Assemblies?
Briefly, how shall we spread the Message into every corner of America?
In contemplating the work before us, it has been thought by the members of the House of Spirituality, that more effective service can be rendered to the Cause, should the Bahais of the central states, our particular field of action, come together, into a closer union, of which every center shall be a working unit.
We believe the permanent work of spreading the great Cause is of supreme importance. And no more fitting memorial can there be to Baha'o'llah than the achievement of a strongly unified movement for its promotion.
So, looking toward this end, let representatives from every Assembly of the middle west meet in convention, in Chicago, during the coming celebration of the
birth of the Manifestation, prepared to consider ways and means for launching a vigorous campaign of teaching in our allotted territory.
We, in Chicago, would co-operate with you in this great service, and we are confident that this, our earnest desire, is reciprocated by you. Together we can accomplish what alone we cannot effect. . . . .
Let this celebration not supersede in your minds and hearts the vastly important task of spreading the Cause.
If it is impossible for you to attend the celebration, make it possible to attend the Convention of Teaching. . . . .
A call similar to this from the House of Spirituality of Chicago began the organization of the Mashrak-el-Azkar work.
Who knows what great results may develop from this, its second call?
Let us arise with enthusiasm to the service of Abdul-Baha.
Faithfully, in the service of the Center of the Covenant, Abdul-Baha,
THE HOUSE OF SPIRITUALITY,
Carl Scheffler, Secretary,
Corrections
To the STAR OF THE WEST.
Feeling assured that it is your intention to have all statements issuing from the STAR OF THE WEST conform to the reality, I beg leave to call your attention to a portion of the report of the Convention of the Bahai Temple Unity, held in Boston, on page 116, No. 9, Vol. VIII, it is stated, as follows:
"Mr. Frank E. Osborne read a complete Bahai calendar on which he has been working for the past four or five years. Abdul-Baha gave it his verbal sanction. It was referred to the executive board."
As this is at least misleading it gives me pleasure to advise you as to the facts, that you may be able to correctly inform your readers. In the year 1911, this servant was commanded to "confer with those who are versed in astronomy and mathematics and make the calendar complete and perfect in accordance with the scientific, then print and publish it."
The result of my effort in this direction was given to Abdul-Baha in June, 1912, in the shape of a Bahai calendar with dates of importance set forth and blended with the Gregorian calendar. On the fourth of July, 1912, he informed me that "the transference of dates from the lunar year to that of the solar year made this a matter of great importance and that he would send it to Persia for correction." And the calendar that was given to the convention was this one which Abdul-Baha received from Persia and handed to me December 4, 1912, with the statement, "Now your calendar is correct," but it was not published because I was desirous of having this "word" over the signature of Abdul-Baha, and was in hopes that this might be brought about through the good offices of the executive committee of the Bahai Temple Unity.
The Persian manuscript which Abdul-Baha received with an English translation was delivered to that committee.
With Bahai greeting and a prayer for the continued success of the STAR, believe me
Your servant,
F. E. Osborne.
To the STAR OF THE WEST.
My address on "The Religious Aspect of Esperanto" as delivered in New York on May 27th was very hastily and unexpectedly prepared and was given without any thought of its being published. The announcement of the address was
printed and distributed by those in charge of the meeting before I knew about the matter, and its publication in your journal was also a surprise to me. All this is of no importance except that the hasty preparation of the address, and its being printed without my having a chance to revise it somewhat, has been the cause of an error of statement which I would thank you very much to correct. My statements about the translators of the Kasitaj Vortoj were as I then understood the matter, but I am now trustworthily informed that no help was received in this special work from Teheran, and that our brother Lotfullah Hakim, whose name appears on the title page jointly with that of Dr. Esslemont, is a medical student in London.
This work is destined to be one of the classics of Bahai Esperanto literature, and any reference to it should be quite correct. May I therefore ask you to publish in the STAR OF THE WEST that lines 6 to 8 of column two of page 82 should read:
"was done jointly by an English physician, a Persian medical student living in London, and"
Yours truly,
Rufus W. Powell.
The "Hidden Words" in Esperanto
Bahai Esperanto circles, and friends in general, will be much interested in the appearance of an attractive booklet entitled, Kasitaj Vortoj de Baha'u'llah (el la Persa), which is just at hand, from the press of the British Esperanto Association. This is a translation of the Persian Hidden Words, directly from the original Persian manuscript into Esperanto, done jointly by Lotfullah Hakim, of Persia and London, and Dr. John E. Esslemont, Res. Med. Supt., The Home Sanatorium, West Southbourne, nr. Bournemouth, England.
It is said that this translation conveys a wonderfully clear presentation of the original Persian concepts, excelling in many respects the possibilities of English translations. The style has been approved enthusiastically by Col. John Pollen, the noted Orientalist, of England.
This volume is being handled by the Bahai Publishing Society, 4319 Lake Park Ave., Chicago, at 10c per copy for the paper-bound and 40c per copy for the leather-bound edition.
News from Washington, D. C.
(Continued from page 149)
share with others what we have tried. But the real help is of the Spirit and personal contact with the children. Therefore it is hoped that more calls may come for personal service, to which we shall endeavor to respond.
The friends of Cleveland are aflame with the fire of the love of God. I was literally in heaven while with them. Letters have been received since my return, of which the following quotation will indicate the spirit: "You recall in Abdul-Baha's tablet to the Cleveland Assembly, he says that 'ere long the doors of the everlasting glory will be opened before your faces.' I feel sure that this visit is one of the channels for this promise becoming fulfilled."
The meeting in Akron, Ohio, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Brooker, was another heavenly feast. Mrs. Brooker has a class of children, on a week afternoon. It was not, however, my pleasure to meet them.
The Washington Assembly is actively engaged in the great work. Meetings are held regularly on Friday and Sunday nights, the latter in beautiful "Studio Hall." Mr. Richard Mayer, of Boston, was a recent visiting speaker, and we
are planning to have Mr. James F. Morton, Jr. and Dr. Hilles Cole, of New York City, in the near future. Visiting friends who are available for addresses on Sunday nights are invited to communicate with Mr. Hannen, the Secretary of the Assembly, at P. O. Box 1319.
Mr. Louis G. Gregory is planning to leave for an extended teaching tour, having closed his home and given up his business for that purpose, and Rev. D. S. Tate is also booked for an extended visit in the South, where he will teach the Cause in a very wide area.
It is contemplated that in the STAR OF THE WEST a compilation of teachings and instructions concerning the teaching of children will soon be published, this having been assembled by the Committee appointed for that purpose following the action of the Boston Convention.
Pauline A. Hannen.
A Communication to the Government at Washington
This letter was composed and compiled by Alfred E. Lunt, at the request of the executive board of the Bahai Temple Unity during its recent meeting in Green Acre, and sent to the officials at Washington, D. C.
August 30, 1917.
Department of State, Washington, D. C.
Dear Sirs:
It seems opportune and may prove of assistance to the Government in view of the existing state of world war in which our country is a participant, if we record at this time with the Department of State certain of the laws and precepts of Baha'o'llah and Abdul-Baha relative to the fundamental attitude and duty of the Bahais, at such a time as this, toward existing governments and especially the government of the United States. These laws and precepts are plain and unequivocal and require no elucidation by us, nor is it our purpose to attempt to interpret them or call attention to other than their plain meaning. We would respectfully emphasize only the peculiar and striking relevancy of these principles to the special circumstances surrounding this world war and to the aspirations of the nations concerning the establishment of an ultimate lasting peace.
1. One of the great laws of Baha'o'llah, the founder of the Bahai movement, is this:
"In every country or government where any of this (Bahai) community resides, they must behave toward that government with faithfulness, trustfulness and truthfulness." (See Glad Tidings, 5th.)
2. Abdul-Baha, the center and leader of the Bahai movement since the departure of Baha'o'llah in 1892, in a Tablet issued some years before the outbreak of the present war, said:
"My object in telling the American believers that they should not interfere in the affairs of the government is this: that they should not make any trouble and that they should not move against the opinion of the government; but obedience to the laws and the administration of the Commonwealth is necessary.
3. Speaking of certain Bahais, citizens of a foreign belligerent country which in 1914 was enforcing conscription laws, Abdul-Baha said "their duty is to obey their government."
4. In the book entitled Some Answered Questions, published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., London, 1908, at pages 309 and 310, Abdul-Baha re-capitulates the true principles underlying the words of Christ "Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the left also." He says:
"This was for the purpose of teaching men not to take personal revenge.
Christ did not mean that if a wolf should fall upon a flock of sheep and wish to destroy it that the wolf be encouraged to do so. No, if Christ had known that a wolf had entered the fold and was about to destroy the sheep, most certainly he would have prevented it.
"The constitution of the communities depends upon justice, not upon forgiveness. Then what Christ meant by forgiveness and pardon is not that when nations attack you, burn your homes, plunder your goods, assault your wives, children and relatives, and violate your honor, you should be submissive in the presence of these tyrannical foes and allow them to perform all their cruelties and oppressions. No, the words of Christ refer to the conduct of two individuals toward each other: if one person assaults another the injured one should forgive him; but the communities must protect the rights of man. So, if someone assaults, injures, oppresses and wounds me, I will offer no resistance and I will forgive him, but if a person wishes to assault . . . . . (one who was present) certainly I will prevent him. Although for the malefactor non-interference is apparently a kindness, it would be an oppression to . . . . . ."
Speaking of a similar situation to two American pilgrims in Acca, Syria, many years ago, Abdul-Baha, said:
"(Under such circumstances) if I should fail to make an effort to protect you, I should be not only responsible for your injury, but also guilty of connivance with the enemy."
5. Again in the book entitled The Mysterious Forces of Civilization, published some forty years ago in the Orient, Abdul-Baha said:
"War is sometimes the great foundation of peace and destroying is the cause of re-building. If, for example, a great sovereign should wage war against a threatening foe or for the unification of the whole body of people and divided kingdom, he should urge the steed of resolution into the race-course of bravery and courage; in short, his war may be attuned to the melodies of peace; and then verily this fury is kindness itself and this oppression is the essence of justice itself and this war is the source of reconciliation."
The foregoing extracts have clear application to questions arising under the present selective draft act, claims for exemption on the basis of belief, etc.
We deem this statement of interest to the Government because the great principle of Universal Peace is a fundamental principle of the Bahai movement. It may be invoked in the utmost good faith by conscientious objectors who are not informed of the detailed applications to the existing situation above quoted. On the general principle of Universal Peace, Baha'o'llah said in 1889 to Professor E. G. Brown of the University of Cambridge:
"We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; yet they deem us a stirrer up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage and banishment. That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease and differences of race be annulled;—what harm is there in this? Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come. Is not this that which Christ foretold? Yet do we see your kings and rulers lavishing their treasures more freely on means for the destruction of the human race than on that which would conduce to the happiness of mankind. These strifes and this bloodshed and discord must
cease, and all men he as one kindred and one family.
"Let not a man glory in this that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind."
And again he said in the Words of Paradise:
"O ye wise men among nations! Turn your eyes away from foreignness and gaze unto oneness, and hold fast unto the means which conduce to the tranquillity and security of the whole world. This span-wide world is but one native land and one locality. Abandon that glory which is the cause of discord, and turn unto that which promotes harmony. To the people of Baha glory is ill knowledge, good deeds, good morals and wisdom—not in native land, or station. O people of the earth; appreciate the worth of this heavenly word, for it is like unto a ship for the sea of knowledge, and is as the sun to the universe of perception."
But it is explicitly laid down that the realization of Universal Peace can be attained only through certain conditions precedent. On this point, quoting from the writings of Abdul-Baha, he says in The Mysterious Forces of Civilization:
"When keeping fast hold of the means of enforcing their views they, (the rulers and sovereignties of the world) shall establish a union of the states of the world, and conclude a definite treaty and strict alliance between them upon conditions not to be evaded. When the whole race has been consulted through their representatives and invited to corroborate this treaty which verily would be a treaty of universal peace and would be accounted sacred by all the peoples of the earth, it would be the duty of the united powers of the world to see that this great treaty should be strengthened and should endure.
"In such a universal treaty, the limits of the borders and boundaries of every state should be fixed, and the customs and laws of every government; all agreements and affairs of state and the arrangements between the various governments should be propounded and settled in due form; the size of the armaments of each government should likewise be definitely agreed upon, because if in the case of any state there were to be an increase in the preparation for war, it would be cause of alarm to the other states. At any rate, the bases of this powerful alliance should be so fixed that, if one of the states afterwards broke any of the articles of it, the rest of the nations of the world would rise up, and destroy it. Yea, the whole human race would band its forces together to exterminate it."
And again, from the writings of Baha'o'llah over fifty years ago it is recorded as follows:
"Originally mankind was one family, united and compact; later on the members of this happy family were divided and sub-divided through ignorance and prejudice. Now the time has come again for their final unification and universal peace will bring the long-wished for consummation."
In 1914, Abdul-Baha, just prior to the outbreak of the present war, said:
"By a general agreement all the governments of the world must disarm simultaneously. It will not do if one lays down its arms and the other refuses to do so. The nations of the world must concur with each other concerning this supremely important subject; thus they may abandon together these deadly weapons of human slaughter. As long as one power increases its military or naval budget, another power will be forced into this crazed competition through its natural and supposed interests. Therefore, the question of disarmament must be put into practice by all the nations and
not only by one or two. . . . 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, 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, the victories of peace will be sung by poets and bards, knowledge will increase and improve every condition, and mankind will be rocked in the cradle of felicity and bliss. Then, whether a government is constitutional, republican, hereditary monarchy, or democratic, the rulers will devote their energies to the prosperity of their peoples, the enactment 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 all the virtues and attributes of the kingdom of God."
It is thus seen that the Universal Peace contemplated is synonymous with the well-being of all humanity, and the ultimate establishment of the essential spiritual and material relationship between and among all the nations of the globe in an eternal bond of unity, and that to secure this, concerted action is necessary. Questions, therefore, relating to the establishment of such a peace, and, on the other hand, questions of citizenship arising in any one of the belligerent nations, may be purely differentiated. One relates to an ultimate status toward which present conditions are inevitably tending, the other to an existing exigency prior to the establishment of that status. For each of these conditions we have quoted the necessary application from the foundation principles of the Bahai movement. And these principles are seen to be in perfect harmony when applied to their proper and corresponding set of circumstances.
We find pleasure, therefore, in closing this statement with a steadfast and unwavering pledge of loyalty and fidelity to the government of the United States and to its laws. With all lovers of humanity, we yearn for the permanent establishment of a righteous peace and the deliverance of man from the slaying of his brother of whatever nation or race, for this is no other than the destruction of the divine edifice (i.e. The Temple of Man). But if it be necessary, that, in order thus to become soldiers in the great army of peace, we now enlist in our country's marching hosts through the wise behests of our government, then this also is our wish and our duty, and to this we subscribe our allegiance knowing that from this greatest of world conflagrations shall arise the Phoenix of the spiritual civilization, and that from this conflict shall emerge the tabernacle of the oneness of the world of humanity under whose protecting shade all mankind shall gather.
"May the shining star of eternal felicity and happiness of the world of humanity dawn with this utmost brilliancy from the horizon of international comity, and the luminous orb of international brotherhood of all races and tongues illumine that united gathering of humanity with the ineffable light of God throughout countless ages and cycles."
A copy of this original communication is sent to the Provost Marshal General, and will be further published in the Bahai publications of the country. We invite your attention to the booklet enclosed and to the announcement of the twelve Basic principles therein set forth.
Yours respectfully,
Bahai Temple Unity, by its Executive Board,
William H. Randall, President.
