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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. VIII Karnal 1, 73 (August 20, 1917) No. 9
Mashrak-el-Azkar Convention and Bahai Congress
Held by the Bahai Temple Unity for the Exposition of the Universal Principles, Economic, Social and Religious, of the Bahai Movement
All Sessions held at Hotel Brunswick, April 29-May 2, 1917, Boston, Massachusetts
THE sessions of the Congress were held Sunday afternoon and each evening from Sunday to Wednesday. There were addresses upon the social, economic and spiritual principles which the Bahai Movement is today presenting to the world, and beautiful music interspersed among the addresses. The music helped to heighten the glory of that spiritual atmosphere which made the Congress often so irresistible in its appeal to the hearts and the spirits. Among the speakers were Mr. Horace Holley, Mr. Howard MacNutt, and Mr. Hooper Harris of New York, Mr. Albert H. Hall of Minneapolis, Mrs. Corinne True of Chicago, Mrs. Mary H. Ford of Kansas City, Mrs. May Maxwell of Montreal and Mr. Joseph H. Hannen of Washington. Each session of the Congress was crowded with eager listeners—their bright faces betokening the joy with which the Gospel of Baha'o'llah and Abdul-Baha is being received in this year of 1917.
The Feast of El-Rizwan
OPENING the glorious events in Boston preceding the ninth annual Mashrak-el-Azkar convention was the memorable and lovely Rizwan Feast held Saturday evening, April 28th, in Filene's great store. Fragrant and exquisite made the place resemble somewhat the Garden of El-Rizwan and the spirit was the same as in that blessed and hallowed spot in the Orient. Everyone present heard the call to service, heard it as never before with throbs of longing, with yearning, with sincerity of purpose, with a determination to become "refulgent dawns." It was as though Abdul-Baha, stood in their spiritual presence and said: "Arise, shine, for Light has come! The Glory of God has arisen upon thee; the Sun of Truth is in this Word!"
Among the speakers were Mr. Wm. H. Randall, Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm, Mrs. Mary H. Ford, Mr. Louis G. Gregory, Mr. Alfred E. Lunt, and Mr. Joseph H. Hannen. Delightful music was given and a feature of the evening was the singing of the National Anthem, words and music composed by Mr. Edward B. Kinney and dedicated to the President of the United States, His Excellency, Woodrow Wilson.
Pot-Pourri of Convention Fragrances
By Martha L. Root.
THE ninth annual Mashrak-el-Azkar convention, assembled at the suggestion of Abdul-Baha, was opened at 10 o'clock, Monday morning, April 30, 1917, at Hotel Brunswick, Boston, Mass. The chairman, Alfred E. Lunt, concisely stated its purpose:
"We are here to do Abdul-Baha's will. We are here with illumined vision, we pray, with ears listening for the divine guidance, to catch the desire of the Center of the Covenant for this gathering, and to do it; for he has in a tablet indicated, as he always indicates, that there is a great purpose in each one of these gatherings.
"Those of you who have assembled in past conventions know that in each one a great and fundamental spiritual problem has come before the convention for settlement, and in every ease it has been settled right and has received the blessed confirmation of Abdul-Baha later."
Importance of Teaching.
The vision of the 1917 convention was glimpsed when the teaching tablets of Abdul-Baha were read, and action was taken to translate that vision into enduring form in firm and permanent action.
Mr. Hooper Harris voiced the thought of all when he said: "The one specific call for this convention is to take up in a fitting manner the matter of the promotion of teaching."
Mrs. Ella G. Cooper added that just as the previous year the convention was fired by the inspiration of giving, so this season it would be aflame through the plan of teaching.
A motion was made at once by Mr. Albert H. Hall that the Unity co-operate in the plan of teaching and spreading the teachings in the North American continent, communicated in the five tablets by Abdul-Baha, and that the Unity recognize the persons addressed in each of the five geographical divisions of North America as the persons best fitted to initiate the work in their several geographical boundaries fixed in the tablets. Quoting the speaker directly, "That we ask the executive board of this Unity to be elected, to co-operate and to co-ordinate the energies of this Unity with those five persons, so superintending the work in the five geographical divisions fixed by Abdul-Baha."
In the discussion on teaching which followed it was suggested by one of the speakers "that if we are to spread the light of the new Kingdom into all the cities and towns of America, we must have both organization and freedom. We must present the most great glad tidings 'systematically and enthusiastically,' Abdul-Baha has said. This requires that there be committees in each of the five great districts to systematize and guide the divine campaign in their district. It requires also a central committee which shall be a sort of clearing house to keep mutual understanding among the five districts.
"But the greatest need is for freedom, for the most glorious spontaneity which the Bahai Cause can present, lest anyone check the Holy Spirit when it is going into action. The five great tablets ring like a divine bell from the heaven of the new era calling everyone who hears to arise, if he can, and teach. If he cannot go to new cities let him then contribute some money and send or assist in sending someone else. He may send his contribution to the central committee of his district, or to his assembly, or he may send out some pure and illumined teacher himself. The great call of the hour is that the work be done and that radiant messengers of the good news enter every city and hamlet of our continent with the message that the most
great community and world brotherhood is at hand.
"In our teaching campaign consultation in the open-minded spirit of perfect love is of supreme importance for most of us gaze upon the Center of Guidance through the colored glasses of our particular temperament and training. Some see the light of God's Center of Reality as red, others as violet or orange. Perhaps if we can unite our minds in pure love we may also combine these many colors so perfectly that they will shine forth as the pure white light of God's truth, the perfect light from which they are all descended. Then can we send forth our teachers and go forth ourselves so firm and wise and radiant in the light of God's new guidance that through us His light may enter the doorway of innumerable hearts.
"But let no one try to direct very much or put his own will into operation, because perhaps he does not know what God wants, and God works in a mysterious way to spread His Cause throughout America."
Mr. Hall's motion was then amended to the effect that "we recommend, in the spirit of loving consultation, that each one of these districts to which each one of these tablets is directed, shall get together in any way that seems wise and elect a committee of five or nine people, and let them elect a committee which has central guidance for all the committees and let the central committee feel itself merely a clearing house."
Before putting the motion as the question of authority came up, one speaker expressed the spirit of the tablets when he said: "We are not organizing the teachings. We are organizing a little group to assist the teaching. Don't you realize that God does the teaching? It is the Holy Spirit that is going to do the teaching. It is the pure fire from the words of the teacher that is going to illumine the world. You cannot organize this teaching; the force of the love of God will spread through this country in spite of, and quite beyond our organization. Let us just realize that we are doing this to bring together a little harmonious group with the idea and intent of assisting those pure hearts to rise and go forth, who with their words can illumine this great continent."
Business and Spiritual Fragrance Combined.
Interspersed with some alluring business reports were the sweet-scented spiritual messages of delegates gathered in Boston to bear witness to the power of God in this day. Mr. Wm. H. Randall well expressed how the Bahais combine business and the real spiritual fragrance in their gatherings.
"I think," said Mr. Randall, "that we must not feel when we speak of matters which we call business, and material, that we have divorced that line from spirituality. We must have a body through which the spirit speaks, and it seems to me that a proof of our interest in the material affairs of the Mashrak-el-Azkar is the demonstration of our spirituality and our spiritual effort to see that it becomes built and established.
"To me the very greatest note we can strike in the world is to bring the business world and the economic world into line with the new spiritual economics whereby our business affairs are governed, and in the broad fields of life breathe forth the fragrance of the rose-garden of the Covenant.
"As a delegate from Boston I have resigned, because Boston is its own delegate. The spirit of Boston is surrounding you and is bringing to you its own message of love. It is bringing you its welcome; it is filling this hall daily with many who will come to hear the spiritual message which you have brought them. Abdul-Baha at a feast once said, 'At this feast we have entered into a new hour and that new hour in the day of God brings a new bounty.' You have brought to Boston a new hour. You
have brought to Boston a new bounty. Boston never again will be the same. Its spiritual center has been established by the supplications of every heart here to the Center of Reality.
"Our service here is to put into motion a great spiritual tide. The tides of the ocean move to the attraction of the moon, and the tide is really the effort of the ocean to lift itself up to the moon of its attraction. And this great spiritual tide here is the effort of these hearts, and the unified love of this assembly to lift itself up to the orb of the Covenant, to the moon of guidance. Therefore, we cease to be individual in our real work, and we become a living stream of spiritual fire that shall mold the peoples of the world into the great streams which are moving always toward the orb of the Covenant."
After giving a full Mashrak-el-Azkar report Mr. Randall mentioned that some of the pledges read "As much as we can give" and some "one-nineteenth of all I earn." In every case where these were the forms of the subscriptions the subscriptions seemed to increase all the time. Prosperity seemed to come to the people who were giving one-nineteenth, and to those who said "I will give all I can." "Thus many of the pledgers," continued Mr. Randall, "have doubled and trebled the amount of their pledges. So that a little more of this wonderful prosperity, a little more of this deep spiritual insight into the great foundation of the Mashrak-el-Azkar, will, I hope, enable us to cable to our beloved Master before the fall that we have the sum which will permit us to prepare for the building."
Mr. Randall summed the spirit of our work together in these words: "The great binding love of the Center of the Covenant is not a philosophy. That binding and unifying power is not the language of words, but it is a language of the deep spiritual love which brings us all together in the great unifying power of oneness and the desire to make our efforts a oneness."
The New Booklets.
Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm's attractive booklets, merrily called "Big Bens" and "Little Bens," were one of the bright features of the convention. They made their debut at the Ridwan Feast, as favors, and so popular did they become that the edition of 15,000 is sold and another edition of 75,000 is just filled. "Many people say," explained Mr. Wilhelm, "'Your meeting was interesting, and some very beautiful things were said, but I am not sure I know what it is all about.' Now if we can place in their hands something, at an expense so small that we can give them out liberally, something they can take home and read at their leisure and thus get the principles this movement stands for, they are very likely to speak of this matter to some good friend whose judgment they value, and pass the booklet on."
These booklets may be purchased from the nearest assembly or from the Bahai Publishing Society, 4319 Lake Park avenue, Chicago, Ill. The price is $19 a thousand for the big and $9 a thousand for the little booklets. The plan is for every Bahai in the United States to keep these at hand and daily put some into circulation.
Mr. Albert H. Hall made a motion which was carried: "That this Unity recommend the early publication in standard form of all the Tablets of Baha'o'llah thus far translated into English and which are available to us through English translations approved by the board, with the exception of the Kitab-el-Akdas and the Ighan; that these publications be in a standard form, contemplating the uniformity with future publications of Abdul-Baha; and that for the purpose of promoting and accomplishing that work Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm and Miss Mary Lesch be appointed a special committee to co-ordinate this unity with the Bahai Publishing Society,
and also that they co-ordinate with them all other volunteers in this work.
He then moved that for the purpose of carrying out this work covered by the resolution just adopted, Mr. Wilhelm and Miss Lesch be appointed a special committee to co-ordinate and secure the co-operation of the Bahiai Temple Unity with the Bahai Publishing Society and all other volunteers to that work who will assist therein.
Star of the West.
There was much enthusiasm over the way the STAR OF THE WEST has been growing in interest and the splendid way it has been bringing good things to readers. Mr. Hall said, "In our meetings there is nothing so good as the STAR OF THE WEST," and he made a motion that an appreciation be sent to the editors.
Mr. Wilhelm said that everything that comes out now in the STAR is so broad gauge that it is excellent to pass along. His exact words were: "Now to come down to the business end for a moment, if we could double its subscription it would be so enormously better than it is now you would not know it. Anybody that knows anything about printing will tell you that the big expense is the first thousand. There is not a single booklet that we have that is so splendidly adapted to interest people as the STAR OF THE WEST. And I move that in the first communication that is sent out to the membership at large a request be made to all believers who can, to take an additional copy. And they will see mighty quickly what a wonderful improvement it will make in the STAR OF THE WEST."
Mr. Hall suggested that there be brought to their attention the plan of ordering five, ten or twenty copies for distribution, to be paid for by the assembly, as a teaching agency.
[It was later suggested in Chicago that it would be a great service if those who could afford it would send in five, ten, twenty or a hundred subscriptions and distribute or let traveling teachers distribute the extra copies to those who are today hungering for the life-giving words which the STAR OF THE WEST is presenting.]
Teachings for Bahai Sunday Schools.
Mr. Andrew J. Nelson, delegate from Racine, Wis., asked for information about teaching small children in a Bahai Sunday School or Saturday school or whatever day is chosen. The children in Racine are asking for a Sunday School (they did have one, but the young women teachers married and the young men have joined the United States army). "Therefore," he said, "if there is any one among you who can suggest a method to teach the children, so that they will not need to go through what the older ones have, I wish you would bear it in mind."
Mrs. Breed replied: "If you will get into communication with Mr. Joseph H. Hannen in Washington, D. C., you will get plenty of ideas for a Sunday School.
One Boston delegate said this was one of the most important suggestions made in the convention for it is a tremendous inspiration that we should not neglect these beautiful children, who really are in the world to take up the work which we shall leave almost unworthily done.
"The time has come to take up this question of teaching children," said Mrs. Grace Ober. "Abdul-Baha has promised that some very wonderful children will arise in the Cause. He was asked as to whether we should send the children to the Sunday Schools. He said, 'No! Why lay a foundation that will later need to be torn down?' So it behooves us to do some work for these children. We in Cambridge wrote all over the country for information as
to what to do for the children because we did not know enough about it; and if you had seen the shower of letters that came to us you would realize that the time has come.
"This matter is so near our hearts that we desire to have some definite action taken, so that we can go forward immediately with the work. Mrs. Joseph H. Hannen, when in Acca, received some very wonderful instructions from Abdul-Baha regarding the teaching of children. She has this material and material is coming into Cambridge from all over the land. I move that a committee be formed of possibly nine members for the collection of material to be put into some definite form which will prove of assistance all over the world, which will meet the needs not only of very little children, but the children who are in different degrees of unfolding. If we had a group of nine workers to draw from all the writings of Baha'o'llah and Abdul-Baha, whatever there is on this subject, possibly then when the committee was brought together they could reduce it to a committee of three and get the matter into some definite booklet or serial form."
The motion was seconded and carried unanimously, Mrs. Hannen being made chairman.
Mr. Hannen, who received the instructions with Mrs. Hannen at Acca, mentioned that those instructions were particularly to the effect that the Words of Baha'o'llah, such as the Words of Wisdom and Hidden Words, be made the basis of the teachings—"the very words that we have thought the deepest and the part that we would need to bring to them last." But those were the instructions.
M. Eshte'al-Ebn Kalanter said that Abdul-Baha had told him on several different occasions that we all look to the next generation. Bahais of today have brought in with them their prejudices and it is a mighty task for each of them to withstand the tests which are constantly nourished by these shades of bias; whereas the new generation will be free from this handicap, not having had any teachings of the schools of religion preceding Baha'o'llah, they will look upon all humanity as equal before God.
M. Kalanter also said that Mr. and Mrs. Hannen will be considered the parents of the Bahai Sunday School idea in America.
Mr. Harlan F. Ober told of Bahai night schools in India where young people attending other day schools are taught Bahai principles in the evening.
Bahai Books in Libraries.
Mr. Joseph H. Hannen gave an account of the placing of Bahai books in the leading libraries of America. A list of several hundred public libraries, representing a rather complete list from the Library of Congress was circularized in regard to Bahai books. In several instances large libraries such as that at Princeton, purchased at the full catalogue price such of the books they did not have. Other libraries willing to accept them were furnished with books. Mr. Hannen gave special praise to Mr. Ober, Mr. Harris, Mr. Remey and Miss Elizabeth Hopper for their help. Nearly six hundred copies of Mr. Remey's two books are in American public libraries. The Shirazi family of Rangoon, Burma, had translations of these two books made by the hundreds for distribution in the Orient.
Some Beautiful Messages.
Some great meetings in the southland were spoken of by Mr. Louis G. Gregory and a new but radiant Bahai, Mr. Samuel Tait. One point made by Mr. Gregory was: "Abdul-Baha, in his tablet that was revealed since the war began, says that the hearts of the people are in a marvelous state of receptivity, and in traveling about through the country one finds just this condition. He describes
also the condition of the teachers as they go forward. They must be severed from everything but God and be willing to do the will of God wherever that leads. And he declares that if the teachers go forth with these qualifications that all opposition shall be swept away. He says something like this: The ephemeral moth shall become the soaring falcon, and the butterfly shall become the eagle of the Testament, that everything in the way of opposition shall be swept away by this resistless fire of the love of God, if the teachers only go forth equipped with the word of God to do this wonderful work."
Mr. Tait told of visits to scores of southern cities and he said: "At all of these places I found a wonderful awakening. Some of the things that impressed me after my return from the field were the demonstrations of the power of the Branch.* I never realized the power of the Branch until I returned. I have been just saturated and impregnated by the power of the Branch, the greatest Covenant! And the thought that impressed me was that in this universal movement if we only had the effulgence of this divine glory that is permeating the world and the very atoms of the universe, we could capture the world!"
Mrs. Mabel Geary speaking for the northwest announced that Seattle has recently built a hall of its own. It has also formed a little public service bureau, the only one in Seattle. When Mr. and Mrs. Gillen's daughter was married in Seattle, the Bahai service was used and the bride and bridegroom gave the nineteen-day feast in their new home that same evening. Seattle, too, has the distinction of teaching the Bahai Cause to a Japanese. Abdul-Baha sent him a tablet urging him to illumine his own land, and the young man went back to his country, spoke in eight schools, published
* Refers to Abdul-Baha, the "Greatest Branch."
in Japanese a booklet about the Cause, and designed a card "Bahai, the New Revelation," which he spread over the country.
Mrs. Carre of Newark, N. J ., described the Bahai burial service which was used at her daughter's funeral. Many friends of the beautiful girl accepted the Bahai teaching because she had lived it so radiantly. One man who had only known the girl by sight came to hear what religion had so illumined her face. When he heard the Message he said: "Why from the time I was a little boy, I have wanted this Revelation, and when my mother would call me in for anything I would think, 'Oh! now she is going to tell me that wonderful thing I wanted to know.' And I have grown up and never heard of it until now." He died three weeks later, a glorious Bahai.
Here is a line from Dr. F. W. D'Evelyn's talk. He said (quoting Abdul-Baha): "'The banner of Baha'o'llah will be upraised, and all the people of America will hear the call of God.' As Abdul-Baha said to us in San Francisco, 'If all the forces of the world rise against you, they will not prevail, for they are retrogressing, but you are progressing.'
"On our last meeting night before I left, the friends were gathered together to give me a message, and to have a vibrant keynote between myself and my colleague and those at home, and they selected that passage on page 155 of the Paris Talks, 'Cease the contemplation of your own finite selves, and fix your eyes upon regnant reality. Then will the soul come into the full nature of the divine power of the spirit and receive the blessing of infinite bounty'."
He continued: "May this convention be a great creative center from which will emanate a power which shall go forward, breaking down and overcoming every barrier until there be fulfilled the promises of Baha'o'llah and Abdul-Baha, that this flag will float above every
(Continued on page 115)
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
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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.
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. VIII
No. 9
Conduct of the Assembly and Duties of Its Committee of Consultation
Words of Abdul-Baha: From the Diary of Mirza Mahmood. Translated by Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi, Chicago
ABDUL-BAHA addressed the Bahai children in the parlor of the Plaza Hotel, Chicago, on the morning of May 5, 1912. After embracing them with the utmost tenderness, and giving them candy and flowers, he said, "According to the words of Christ, you are the children of the Kingdom. And according to the words of Baha'o'llah, you are the candles of the world of humanity, for your hearts are in the utmost chastity, and your souls are in the utmost holiness. You are not entangled by this world. And like unto a mirror, your hearts are pure and clear. Your fathers and mothers must train you with the utmost tenderness and teach you the best manners and perfections, in order that you may be perfectly qualified with the virtues of the world of humanity; that you may advance in all the stations, that you may acquire sciences and arts, become the cause of the manifestation of everlasting bounties and universal progress."
Then Abdul-Baha turned and spoke to the friends:
"I am going, but you must arise to serve the word of God. Your hearts must become pure and your intentions sincere, in order that you may become the recipients of the divine bestowals. Consider that, although the sun shines equally upon all things, yet in the clear mirror the reflection is most brilliant and not in the black stone. That great brilliancy and its heat are produced because of the clearness of the glass and the crystal. If there were no clearness and purity, no such effects would have been manifested. Likewise, should the rain fall on salty earth, it would never have effect. But, if it falls on a good, pure soil, it becomes green and verdant and brings forth fruits.
"Today is the day when the pure hearts have a share of the everlasting bestowals and the sanctified souls are being illumined by the eternal manifestations. Praise be to God, you are believers in God; assured by the words of God and are turned to the Kingdom of God. You have heard the divine call. Your hearts are moved by the breezes of the paradise of Abha. You have good intentions. Your purpose is the good-pleasure of God. You desire to serve in the Kingdom of the Merciful One.
Therefore, arise in the utmost power. Be in the utmost unity. Never become angry with one another. Let your eyes be directed toward the Kingdom of truth and not toward the world of creation. Love the creatures for the sake of God, not for themselves. You never become angry if you love them for the sake of God, because humanity is not perfect.
--GREATEST NAME--
IN EVERY COUNTRY or government where any of this community reside [i. e., the Bahais], they must behave toward that government with faithfulness, trustfulness and truthfulness. This is that which is revealed from the Presence of the Ancient Commander! It is obligatory and incumbent on the people of the world in general, to assist this Most Great Cause,—which has descended from the Heaven of the Will of the King of Pre-existence—that perchance the fire of animosity which is ablaze in the hearts of some of the nations, may be quenched through the water of Divine Wisdom and Lordly Commands and Exhortations, and that the light of union and accord may irradiate and illumine the regions of the world.
Words of BAHA'O'LLAH from The Glad Tidings.
Undoubtedly, every human being has imperfection. And you will always become unhappy if you look toward the people. But if you look toward God, you will love them and be kind to them all, because the world of God is the world of perfection and complete mercy. Therefore, do not look at the shortcomings of anybody. Look at all with the sight of forgiveness. The imperfect eye looks at imperfections. The eye that covers faults looks toward the Creator of the souls, because He created them all; trains them all, provides for them. To all He gives soul and life. He gives eyes and ears. Therefore, all are the signs of His grandeur. You must love all, be kind to all. The poor must be cared for, the weak protected, the sick
healed, the ignorant taught and educated.
"Therefore, my hope is that the unity and the harmony of the friends of Chicago may become the cause of the unity of all the friends in America, and all the people become the recipients of their courtesy. That is, that they may become the example for all. Then the confirmations of the Kingdom of Abha and
the bestowals of the Sun of Reality will be all encircling."
At the home of Mrs. Corinne True, November 1, 1912:
The Spiritual Committee of Consultation asked Abdul-Baha as to the duties of the Committee. He answered:
"The first duty of the members is to effect their own unity and harmony, in order to obtain good results. If there be no unity, or the Committee becomes the cause of inharmony, undoubtedly, it is better that it does not exist. If the Committee of Consultation or the general assembly becomes the cause of unhappiness, it must be abandoned. How pleased I was with the friends in California. They said: 'We do not want a Committee of Consultation lest we fall into the thought of leadership and superiority and become the cause of dissension. But, now, praise be to God, we are serving according to our capacity and have no thought or aim, except the spreading of the fragrances of God.'
"Therefore, when the unity of the members of the Committee is established, their second duty is to read the verses and communes, to be in a state of commemoration and mindfulness, that they may see each other as if in the presence of God.
"The third duty of the Committee is consultation and meditation regarding the teaching of the Cause of God in all regions and climes. They must arise for this great purpose with all their power; they must declare and hasten the necessary steps for teaching the Cause of God.
"Their fourth duty is to meditate and consult for the helping of the poor and the weak and the protection of the sick.
"Their fifth duty is to correct and manage the affairs of the friends and attend to other matters concerning the Cause."
The Symbolic Meaning of Walking on the Sea
Words of Abdul-Baha: From the Notes of Miss E. Rosenberg, 1901
IN this story (the "miracle" of Jesus walking on the water) of our Lord Jesus, the Sea of Tiberius represents the ocean of creation,—the two shores represent earthly truth and spiritual truth. The boat or ark stands for arguments and reasons by which men acquire knowledge and in this boat Jesus' disciples were tossed on the waves of the ocean of creation. The shore which Jesus left in order to come to them, walking on the water, represents earthly knowledge. The haven or shore to which he guided them represents spiritual knowledge.
There are three ways of apprehending truth: 1. The earthly way,—by means of the five senses; 2. The way of argument and reasoning—and all philosophers have taught that it is possible to reach the knowledge of all truth by this method; 3. The spiritual way,—by which man receives knowledge from the inner light or inspiration. The ancient philosophers and indeed the philosophers of all times have taught that the first method,—that is by means of the five senses,—was the one certain way of knowing truth. . . . . . For instance, people in the desert often see a most beautiful mirage of trees and water, but the nearer you approach to this phantom, the more it fades away, and you begin to perceive its unreality. All this proves that the evidence of the senses alone is not to be relied on for conceiving the truth.
The ancient philosophers have also taught that by the intellect (the second method of argument and reasoning) accurate and absolute knowledge of everything can be obtained. . . . . But it is evident that we cannot rely on this second method of obtaining knowledge to insure absolute accuracy. Successive philosophers are always contradicting each other, and propounding diverse
theories. If absolute knowledge were to be obtained by this means, the wisest philosophers would agree in saying the same things.
There is yet a third method of acquiring knowledge,—by revelation, or the inspired books; but the difficulty in this case is that every person's interpretation of the book is colored by his own individuality. In the time of Jesus Christ, the Jews were prevented from accepting him by clinging to the literal interpretation of their book. . . . .
As we have before said in the account of this miracle, the disciples of Jesus attempted to sail over the sea of creation in the ark of argument and reasoning, finding great difficulty and danger in proving the truth by so doing. But when Christ, the Light of the world, who knew all things by the light of inner spiritual illumination, came to them in their boat, walking by his knowledge over the ocean of existence, and having no need of the ark of argument, then immediately they were at their desired haven.
Mashrak-el-Azkar Convention and Bahai Congress
(Continued from page 111)
region, and every ear in America will hear the call of Allah'o'Abha!"
Miss Edna McKinney, representing Denver, spoke of a November night in Chicago but ten years ago when Mrs. Corinne True gave a dinner and nine persons from as many assemblies stayed afterward to discuss the possibility of forming an association for the erection of a Mashrak-el-Azkar in this country. That night there were about ten at the dinner. At the Rizwan Feast last Saturday night in the year of 1917 nearly four hundred friends were present, drawn by one great impulse to build the temple and to serve humanity.
"There is but one thing in the world today which can cause such a quickening, and that is the power of the Center of the Covenant.
"This wonderful ninth convention is the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Baha'o'llah."
From Mrs. Josephine C. De Lagnel: "When I was in the presence of Abdul-Baha, I supplicated again and again that I might be his servant, and this one answer he always gave me: 'You know a poor, ignorant, Persian woman has become a great teacher on account of the love in her heart'."
Mrs. Claudia Stuart Coles: "In this day no matter what mistake we make, it can be corrected, because the power of the Holy Spirit is surging through the whole world. As in the time of the apostles nineteen hundred years ago, so today the Pentecostal visitation gives to the weak and vacillating the power to go forth and die for the faith that God had lighted in their hearts.
"Our duty is merely to look at the Center of the Covenant and receive the light that is shining, and we need not bother with any fear as to how the world is to be run. But the power of the Spirit is remaking us all, and no law that we make, no word that we say, can stand before the will of God in this day which is to make us anew."
Mrs. Greenleaf quoted Abdul-Baha as saying to her: "Be patient, be magnificently patient" and again, "Be happy. Happiness is life and sorrow is death. Be happy," then she knew that happiness came through activity. Another time he said to her, "The general of the army is never so much interested in the reserve forces, but it is necessary for him to be in communication with those at the front." Mrs. Greenleaf ended her talk by saying "Baha'o'llah is the center of light in the world. Need we worry too much about the darkness? When the center rises within the sky, it takes within its bosom all the light of
the stars, and we behold not the stars for we have the dawn of the day."
Among the stories relating to the Mashrak-el-Azkar, Roy C. Wilhelm gave the following: "Abdul-Baha told the story of the rich man who gave all he had; and he told about the widow who was left with two children to support and supported them by knitting socks, and that of every pair of socks she knit, one went to the support of herself and her children and the other went to the building of the Mashrak-el-Azkar; and he turned and said, 'These are the things that will build the Mashrak-el-Azkar in America.'"
Relative to certain matters which came up, Mr. A. W. Randall quoted the following words from Abdul-Baha: "There are no officers in this Cause. I do not and have not appointed any one to perform any special services, but I encourage every one to engage in the service of the Kingdom. The foundation of this Cause is purely a democracy, and not a theocracy."
Greatest Name Used for Applause.
An innovation at the convention was that instead of clapping to show appreciation, the friends were asked to use the Greatest Name.
Suggestion: Who will write a good article for the encyclopaedias? People are turning to them for facts about the Bahai movement.
It was moved and carried that Dr. Bagdadi and M. Kalanter translate the desires of Abdul-Baha, on the conduct of assemblies and the five things its committee of consultation should do and that this be published in the STAR OF THE WEST.*
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.
Dr. Hills Cole presented a resolution which was passed that the Bahai Temple
*See page 112.
Unity of America express its sympathy with Esperantists throughout the world in the loss of leadership sustained by them through the recent death of Dr. Zamenhof, desiring to join with them in paying tribute to the aspirations and endeavors of this true lover and advocate of universal peace, and commend to Bahais everywhere active participation in the work which, under God, Dr. Zamenhof was permitted to bring to so advanced a stage of fruition.
Membership of Executive Board.
The membership of the executive board for the coming year consists of Mr. H. Randall, chairman; Mr. Roy C. Wilhelm, Mr. Albert H. Hall, Mrs. Corinne True, Mr. Harlan F. Ober, M. Eshte'al-Ebn Kalanter, Mrs. A. S. Parsons, Mr. Alfred E. Lunt, and Mrs. H. Emogene Hoagg.
The chairman of the board read the words of Abdul-Baha: "In meetings of consultation the majority should rule, but it is far preferable that there should be such unity that there be no majority, that all should be of one mind.
"In the election of the House of Spirituality (Spiritual Assembly of Consultation) no political tactics shall enter. They must be free from self, not anxious to further their own personal ambitions. The existence of the Spiritual Assembly is for no other purpose than to discuss those means which would further the promotion of the Cause; or otherwise its non-existence is better than its existence. . . .
"The apostles of Christ never devised any political schemes whereby to win the majority of votes. The result is that when we mention the names of John, of Peter, of Matthew, a wonderful spirituality is obtained, the hearts are inspired and the souls rejoiced. The disciples were not politicians, they were harbingers of the glad tidings of the Kingdom. They did not know anything about elections, votes, initiative and referendum. They knew Him only, Similarly,
this Cause is pure spiritually. It deals with the moral aspect of mankind. The hearts of the believers must be fountains of the love of Baha'o'llah. Freeing themselves from all withering restrictions, they must occupy themselves with the promulgation of the Word."
Memorial Service for Mrs. Lua Getsinger.
On the last day of Rizwan, and the last day of the convention, as it was the first anniversary of the passing from this earth of Mrs. Lua Getsinger, at short memorial service was held for her. Mrs. May Maxwell spoke thus of the spiritual mother of so many souls in America: "Lua, needs no eulogy from human beings. But whenever I think of her I remember something that Abdul-Baha said about her to me, 'It is indeed the truth that Lua has guided many, many, many souls into the Kingdom.'
"I think—as the convention is disbanding and we are going forth to the really great work for which in this convention we have received such inspiration, that it has been like drinking from a fountain of living water, it is fitting that we speak of Lua. It has seemed that last year's convention was like a limpid pool that was still and calm and deep, reflecting the image of the Center of the Convent, on that day when Lua gave up her life far away in the land of Egypt. I think many of us felt last year that the spiritual temple came into being on that day and at that convention. But this has been much more wonderful, because it has been like a surging sea, the tempestuous waves of power surging through this convention in all our hearts and souls; but the depths—those great depths of love—of wonderful love that we all feel for one another have remained untouched and undisturbed; and they are surely the basis of all that work we are going forth to do.
"And if we can attain to any part of the sacrifice and service of Lua, we shall do well, because I never knew her to refuse any call, no matter how weak, exhausted, or tired. She would always give up everything to serve. One day in Paris, at one moment's notice she gave up her trip to London and gave up her tickets to give the message to one man, because he wanted to hear it from Lua."
A silent prayer followed in memory of that one who was among the first to herald in America the new Kingdom of universal love and peace.
Adjourned to Meet in Chicago.
The Boston session was adjourned to meet in Chicago, June 17th, formally to ratify within the State of Illinois the action of the Boston meeting.
In the homes of Boston Bahais, delegates who remained a day longer, met and had wonderful times praying for the return of the pilgrims to the different parts of the country.
The One Day Convention in Chicago
ON the seventeenth of June friends from Boston, San Francisco, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh gathered in Chicago for a joyous one-day congress. The occasion of their meeting was the ratifying of the plans made in Boston for the Temple to be built in Chicago. This business was quickly finished and then came the chief glory of the day—two meetings, one in the afternoon at the Auditorium Hotel, another in the evening at the Masonic Temple which the Chicago Bahais had arranged.
Both meetings were crowded with eager seekers for the light of God. And the light of God's love and truth was there, shining with conquering brilliance. At times the Holy Spirit seemed to sweep the audiences in bright waves. Many had a new and holy consciousness that the Day of God had really dawned
in this night of war. To some this consciousness was so vivid that at midnight they felt all the freshness and glory of the morning. Others who came to Chicago for the day went away feeling they had been born from above by the Eternal Life flowing bright from the Kingdom of Abha.
Addresses delivered at the Bahai Congress
THE ONENESS OF HUMANITY.
Outline of Talk by Mr. Horace Holley at Boston.
WE live today in an organized, developed society, among the accumulated resources of the past. The youthful mind, feeling its own solitary weakness in the presence of so much authority and power, tends to discredit its own resources and its own power, and early becomes susceptible to the all-pervading influences of materialism. For, in the broad view of things, materialism is simply the preponderance of external influence over the innate quality of the individual spiritual life. The ordinary mind, therefore, learns to develop its imitative, memorizing qualities at the expense of its creative, independent attributes. It locates authority in institutions, and traditional customs and beliefs rather than in spiritual impulse. In all activities, however, the creative work is done by minds which use accumulated knowledge, tradition and custom as fuel to their own vision. Without such minds in art, science, politics and philisophy—to say nothing of religion—the world would rapidly become stagnant, the slave of material doctrines. The vision of the few keeps alive the faith that the ultimate authority is really invested in the individual soul, for every new advance, every improvement, comes from some soul's independent activity. The spirit creates all things, and without spiritual activity thoughts decay.
Thus when we deal with the sources of things, even those things not commonly called religious, we perceive that society is essentially a manifestation of states of mind. Though most minds are early benumbed into the belief that they are the results and not the causes of society, materialism actually creates nothing, it merely has the power to perpetuate error and lack of faith.
Since We have come to a condition of affairs where the influence of minds upon one another is the all-determining factor in life, almost totally replacing the influence of the natural environment which determined life in earlier times, nothing is more important today than a general realization of the truth that society, in the long run, reflects mental states. "To still manifest the mental states established under primitive conditions, still hold to the physical law of self-preservation and rivalry learned in the jungle, though the great war, as well as unrest and disturbance throughout society, show clearly enough that the physical law is no longer a guide but a betrayal. In other words, we stand half way between two civilizations—that in which nature determines thought, and that in which thought looks for guidance from the world of consciousness. In the world of consciousness we have a reality as universal, and far more powerful than nature, we have the Divine Manifestation, the Prophet who exemplifies not merely the Will but also the Reality of God.
Revelation is the proper environment of man's spiritual self. Revelation is the mother nature of the soul. It is the universe into which all men must be born anew to live complete, free lives. The religious teaching of love has been negative by man's fear of his fellow—the Bahai teaching of Unity casts out this fear by showing the inter-dependence in which all now live. Love or Christianity, is like a ship which has been drawn up on the sands of spiritual
ignorance. Unity, or the Bahai Movement, is the sea in which that ship can now be launched.
Long ago it was said that the proper study of mankind is man. Man, however, exemplifies all degrees of existence from the lowest animal up. To study man in general is to find abundant proofs for every opinion about life. The proper study of mankind is really Man—the Revelator, the Mirror in which our true attributes can be beheld.
RELIGION MUST BE THE CAUSE OF UNITY IN THE HUMAN WORLD
From Talk by Mr. Howard MacNutt at Boston.
THIS is the Cycle of Definition;—not only have the meanings of the prophecies, terms and symbols of the heavenly books become manifest, but now is the time of clear vision, real perception and accurate observation. A few years ago, standing in the Lick observatory upon the summit of Mt. Hamilton in California, looking out into the starry abysses, an astronomer said to me, "Tonight definition is perfect; all the constellations are visible." In this day of inner perception and spiritual vision, standing in the lofty height of the Universal Manifestation, Baha'o'llah, we behold the divine Manifestations as one in the heaven of the Will of God, each constellation clear, distinct and shining in its own time and place, but all coordinated in the oneness of an infinite perfection.
Baha'o'llah is the object-glass of our spiritual telescope; Abdul-Baha is the lens or eye-piece through whom when rightly focused we view not his personality, but the light of the Abha splendor streaming through him.
Religion then is the revealed will of God by the light of which the conscious eye of man is quickened into intuitive recognition of the divine plan and Covenant. The natal hunger of human consciousness proves this knowledge must be revealed. Therefore the Word is made flesh only in the human kingdom.
Religion has been considered as codes of philosophical explanation and theological interpretation. In reality these have been satanic fancies. The very antithesis of true religion, are therefore the cause of disunion and hatred. Still the fact of the Word pro-claims "Religion must be the cause of unity in the human world."
Each Manifestation has sounded the true diapason harmony of the inner and outer spheres. Mankind wanders away from the pitch, becomes dissonant, then another Manifestation sounds the original chord, summoning the world again to the true harmony.
This is the cycle of spiritual democracy. We are in the evolutionary times of transition from autocracy to democracy; from theocracy to individual responsibility of service and greater measure of judgment. It is the cycle of universal problems and universal solutions. The various systems of religious belief were not intended to unite before this day of God. Rivers mingle in their outlet with the ocean, but not in their courses. The barriers or watersheds are the concealed ordinances and ceremonials.
The materials for the divine temple of unity are now assembled. They cannot build themselves together into the plan of the Architect. The Architect himself does not build the structure. There must be a master builder who combines the materials in obedience to the Architect's intention. This master-builder is the Center of the Covenant through whom a creative cosmic constructive power is now manifesting itself. At the point of boiling, every atom of water is in intense agitation; then a new element, steam, appears. We are at the climax of ebullition.
Once I saw thousands of fishes stranded in pools upon the beach. They could not reach the ocean nor reach one another. I tried to help them, but not until the great ocean tide itself came in
were they blended with it and brought together in salvation and unity. This unity of man in the revealed will of God, is the bounty of God descending upon those who now see the sign of the Son of Man in the heaven of religion, coming with his angels and servants to quicken conscious perception of the heavenly Covenant and its Center, Abdul-Baha.
THE EQUALITY OF MEN AND WOMEN
Resume of Address by Mr. Louis G. Gregory at Boston
THE Day of God is the day of freedom for all the varied elements of humanity. It accords with divine justice that each and all may develop their powers without hindrance from their fellows. Hand in hand With the oneness of humanity is the other principle, the equality of men and women. Humanity "cannot exist half-slave and half-free." Women must be free in order that men may be free. Considering the physical, mental and spiritual effects: thralldom rests as heavily upon the oppressor as upon the oppressed.
Are women inferior to men on the physical plane? This proposition cannot be scientifically proved. Instances are multiplied where women perform the tasks usually assigned to men with good results. In this great cycle the latent powers of women become more and more patent. It becomes apparent that any relative weakness on the part of women can be corrected by proper exercise and training. In the lower kingdoms, the female is often more active and powerful than the male. With the opportunities now afforded to women for physical culture, men who boast of physical prowess may look to their laurels.
Are the sexes intellectually equal? Although in past ages women who arose to places of commanding influence were rare and exceptional, yet a number of such cases can be cited to prove their inherent powers. In politics they have successfully ruled nations, inspiring their subjects to growth and freedom. Their contributions to literature, art and science have won fame and even in war time they have been forces to be reckoned with. Their right to vote grows in public favor throughout the world. Here again any seeming inequality of the sexes yields to those opportunities for education which the new cycle brings.
On the spiritual plane the attainments of women cannot be questioned. The thing speaks for itself. In nearly all religions women are in the majority and be it said to their eternal honor, they do not exercise over men the tyranny of a majority. How noble is that modesty, how spiritual is that trait, by which they so often themselves and vote men into office!
Many great women have arisen in the world. Among the very greatest was Kurrat-ul-Ayn, who was a follower of the Báb and one of the nineteen Letters of the Living. Beautiful, witty, learned, she became, through divine power, a brilliant star of reality. She spread the light of God and wrought a marvel toward the emancipation of women. She sacrificed life and more than life, in the path of God. Traces of her glorious service may now be found in all parts of the world.
The greatest attribute of God is His justice. The Most Great Peace will be permanent because its basis is divine justice. The equality of men and women is a light of reality. The Bab, Baha'o'llah and Abdul-Baha, have in oneness proclaimed this principle. The thing is done which ought to be done. The light shines, though the darkness doth not understand. In the Kingdom of El-Abha, no differences are recognized. The purest heart is most acceptable to God, whether man or woman.
