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WORLD
ORDER
THE ONENESS OF MANKIND
HUSSEIN RABBANI
•
GLIMPSES OF SWEDEN
OLIVIA KELSEY
•
CARL LINDHAGEN
Illustration
•
THE RADIANCE OF HIS GLORY
BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
•
HOLY SPIRIT
MAMIE L. SETO
FEBRUARY 1936
Price .20c
CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
(Continued)
HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS AMONG NATIONS
OSCAR NEWFANG
•
THE STORY OF ISLAM, III
ZIA M. BAGHDADI
•
SOCIAL TRENDS IN AMERICAN LIFE
BERTHA HYDE KIRKPATRICK
•
RELIGIOUS PATHS AND WORLD ORDER
PAUL R. ANDERSON
•
THE WORLD OF THE SOUL
Editorial
Change of address should be reported one month in advance.
World Order is published monthly in New York, N. Y. by the Publishing Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada.
Editors, Stanwood Cobb and Horace Holley.
Business Manager, C. R. Wood.
Publication Office—
- 135 East 50th Street, New York, N. Y.
Editorial Office—
- 119 Waverly Place, New York, N. Y.
Subscriptions: $2.00 per year, $1.75 to Public Libraries. Rate to addresses outside the United States, $2.25, foreign Library rate, $2.00, Single copies, 20 cents. Checks and money orders should be made payable to World Order Magazine, 135 East 50th Street, New York, N. Y. Entered as second class matter, May 1, 1935, at the post office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Contents copyrighted 1936 by Bahá’í Publishing Committee February, 1936. Vol 1, No. 11
WORLD ORDER
FEBRUARY 1936
NUMBER 11 VOLUME 1
•
THE WORLD OF THE SOUL
EDITORIAL
•
MEN live today in a social environment suddenly and unexpectedly extended far beyond the range to which our historical experience has adapted the capacity of human nature. The daily press, recording the more startling events taking place in all countries, has made the world a village where every mishap stands visible, and every tragic experience cries aloud.
Our ancestors through the ages had no such overwhelming contact with human events. Their range of personal experience was limited to what could be seen or heard by rumor and gossip restricted to a small local area. Despite the periodic climaxes of pestilence, war and other tragedy, a kind of balance existed between the individual’s hopes and his fears, his ability to struggle and his ability to endure.
In the world of today, this balance has been destroyed. The tale of personal suffering and mass disturbance, poured in upon the individual from the five continents hour by hour, reduces the individual to an impotence, a passivity of experience in the face of international turmoil, for which the human mind and nervous system was never prepared. Rumor has become an electric megaphone outside our door, an explosion torturing the soul and distorting the very nature of human existence. We see not one fatal accident, but are forced to witness ten thousand accidents. We live through not one riot, but are dragged into psychic participation with all the riots and upheavals that happen to all humanity in all cities and towns.
WHAT is the world of the soul? Is it a place beyond time, a subjective refuge requiring no proof in terms of daily reality, but the more deeply cherished because, even though it is repudiated by the multitude, its essence consists in repudiation of the multitude itself? Is it a mystic formula of the mind, a secret mood of the heart?
[Page 402]
There are chapters in human history,
not less real than those devoted
to kings and conquerors, which reveal
vividly the truth that the soul
of man has its own world, its own
reality, timeless and placeless, yet
located in time and place, a world
existing simultaneously with the
world of physical and social man, yet
not circumscribed by its laws and conditions
—a world created for men but
raised upon eternal foundations men
cannot overthrow.
This is that world established for the soul by the Prophet in His gospel, His teaching, His message. When one has faith that “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” one stands within the gate of a Kingdom no less actual and substantial than the kingdoms of earth, no less knowable than the realms which the physical scientist acclaims.
Those who accept and believe the Manifestation of God, because they turn from an outer world seething with catastrophe to a world filled with the light of divine assurance, are as beings reborn and renewed. They have no need for subjective refuge: the world of the soul, though it be non-physical, is a world so firm and substantial that by the very faith of the believers the structure of civilization itself is eventually transformed. Who can deny power and reality to the Prophet’s teaching, when early Christianity could not merely survive the onslaught of a pagan Empire but raised a new and better society upon its ruin?
In all this troubled age there is no kingdom of assurance like that created in the words of Bahá’u’lláh. “The beginning of all things is the knowledge of God, and the end of all things is strict observance of whatsoever hath been sent down from the empyrean of the Divine Will.” “This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things . . . Beseech ye the one true God to grant that all men may be graciously assisted to fulfil that which is acceptable in Our sight. Soon will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead.” “Look not upon the creatures except with the eye of kindliness and mercy, for Our loving providence hath pervaded all created things, and Our grace encompasseth the earth and the heavens. This is the Day whereon the true servants of God partake of the life-giving waters of reunion, the Day whereon those that are nigh unto Him are able to drink of the soft-flowing river of immortality.” “God’s purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The first is to liberate the children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light of true understanding. The second is to insure the peace and tranquillity of mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be established.” “These are not days of prosperity and triumph. The whole of mankind is in the grip of manifold ills. Strive, therefore, to save its life through the wholesome medicine which the almighty hand of the unerring Physician hath prepared.”
The central theme in Bahá’u’lláh’s message to the world is expounded by His great-grandson, who calls attention to the vital fact that the conception of world unity implies the cooperation of diverse social groups, and not the uniformity sought by advocates of the Utopian vision.
•
A WORLD FAITH
Studies in the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh
VI. THE ONENESS OF MANKIND
By HUSSEIN RABBANI
•
To every student of the Bahá’í Revelation who has sufficiently read and pondered on the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh it is evident that the principle of the Oneness of Mankind constitutes the central theme of His message to the world. In fact, it is the chief and distinguishing feature of His Faith, and the very cornerstone of His system of world unification. All His social and humanitarian teachings, when carefully examined, converge on this fundamental doctrine, and are even subordinated to it. According to Him, there is no social goal higher than this, at least in the world as it is constituted at present, and there is no cause on earth which can claim any superior loyalty, sacrifice or devotion from the individual. It thus represents the highest degree of perfection in the present stage of the evolution of society, and the highest state of maturity which mankind has thus far reached.
“The gift of God to this enlightened age,” says ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “is the knowledge of the Oneness of Mankind, and of the fundamental oneness of religion.” And again He says: “In every Dispensation the light of Divine Guidance has been focussed upon one central theme. . . . In this wondrous Revelation, this glorious century, the foundation of the Faith of God and the distinguishing feature of His Law is the consciousness of the Oneness of Mankind.”
“The Tabernacle of Unity has been
raised,” Bahá’u’lláh proclaims in His
message to all mankind, “regard ye
not one another as strangers. Ye are
the fruits of one tree and the leaves
of one branch.” In another Tablet
He says: “The fundamental purpose
animating the Faith of God and His
Religion is to safeguard the interests
and promote the unity of the human
race, and to foster the spirit of love
and fellowship amongst men.” To
late Prof. E. G. Browne, who visited
Him at Bahji in the year 1890, He
addressed these truly prophetic words:
“We desire but the good of the world
[Page 404]
and the happiness of the nations. . . .
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. . . . Yet so it shall
be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous
wars shall pass away, and the
‘Most Great Peace’ shall come. . . .
Let not a man glory in this, that he
loves his country; let him rather glory
in this, that he loves his kind. . . ”
This consciousness of world unity, however, is not only the keynote of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. It actually embodies the very spirit of the age in which we live. Obviously, in former ages and centuries, when people were so much isolated and separated from each other by vast and apparently unconquerable distances, such a consciousness of world solidarity could not possibly exist. But in our time, through the gigantic progress realized in the field of science and industry, the world has so much shrunk, and has become so greatly unified, that its peoples have been inevitably brought into a closer contact than ever, and have as a result developed a feeling of solidarity which their ancestors could not possibly acquire.
WORLD interdependence is, indeed, the most outstanding characteristic of our present era. It is the most vital and binding of our social laws. And it is precisely because our so-called leaders, in practically all realms of human activity, have failed to make an adequate application of this law to all our personal and social relationships that the world has become subjected to such frequent upheavals that every now and then threaten to disrupt its unity, nay to undermine the very foundations of its existence.
“In cycles gone by,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reveals in one of His Tablets, “though harmony was established, yet, owing to the absence of means, the unity of all mankind could not have been achieved. Continents remained widely divided, nay even among the peoples of one and the same continent association and interchange of thought were well-nigh impossible. Consequently intercourse, understanding and unity amongst all the peoples and kindreds of the earth were unattainable. In this day, however, means of communication have multiplied and the five continents of the earth have virtually merged into one. . . . In like manner all the members of the human family, whether peoples or governments, cities or villages, have become increasingly interdependent. For none self-sufficiency is any longer possible inasmuch as political ties unite all peoples and nations, and the bonds of trade and industry, of agriculture and education, are being strengthened every day. Hence the unity of all mankind can in this day be achieved.”
Enumerating the various kinds of
unity to be established in the world,
He further adds; “The first candle
is unity in the political realm, the
early glimmerings of which can now
be discerned. The second candle is
unity of thought in world undertakings,
the consummation of which
[Page 405]
will ere long be witnessed. The third
candle is unity in freedom which will
surely come to pass. The fourth candle
is unity in religion which is the
cornerstone of the foundation itself,
and which, by the power of God,
will be revealed in all its splendor.
The fifth candle is the unity of nations
—a unity which in this century
will be securely established, causing
all the peoples of the world to regard
themselves as citizens of one common
fatherland. The sixth candle is unity
of races, making of all that dwell on
earth peoples and kindreds of one
race. The seventh candle is unity of
language, i.e., the choice of a universal
tongue in which all peoples
will be instructed and converse. Each
and every one of these will inevitably
come to pass, inasmuch as the power
of the Kingdom of God will aid and
assist in their realization.”
The Bahá’í message of world unity is thus in complete harmony with the spirit of the age, and is a confirmation of the new trends and developments in social evolution. It is, indeed, significant that at a time when the long historic trend toward diversity was coming to an end, and was being reversed in the direction of unity and cooperation, at such a critical moment a Divine Messenger should have made His appearance in the person of Bahá’u’lláh, and should have brought forth a message destined to accelerate, direct and bring into full light this tendency toward social solidarity and cooperation in the world.
THE Bahá’ís, indeed, believe that no matter how profound this feeling of world unity may be it cannot by itself succeed in reconstructing the world according to the social pattern proposed by Bahá’u’lláh. For the consciousness of the Oneness of Mankind, although a direct and natural outcome of the transformations that have taken place in the realm of science, industry and commerce, is too vague, too indefinite a sentiment to be able to effect any thorough change in the organic structure of the world. It must needs be given a more coherent form, and also a powerful means of expression, in order to become an adequate constructive social force. This perfection, the Bahá’ís are convinced, can be achieved only through the medium of a Divine Revealer.
In His Tablet to Queen Victoria Bahá’u’lláh reveals the following: “That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith. This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician.”
For Bahá’u’lláh’s message of world
unity, though closely related to the
spirit of brotherhood animating the
world, cannot be confined to such a
mere expression of a social tendency.
It is far more comprehensive and definite
than any such general re-awakening.
Through Bahá’u’lláh the consciousness
of the Oneness of Mankind
has been raised and transformed
from a state of pure aspirational feeling
into a potent constructive social
force, capable of establishing a new
[Page 406]
Divine Order in the world.
“Let there be no mistake,” Shoghi Effendi writes in his ‘Goal of a New World Order,’ “The principle of the Oneness of Mankind—the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh revolve—is no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism or an expression of vague and pious hope. Its appeal is not to be merely identified with a re-awakening of the spirit of brotherhood and good-will among men, nor does it aim solely at the fostering of harmonious cooperation among individual peoples and nations. . . . It does not constitute merely the enunciation of an ideal, but stands inseparably associated with an inStitution adequate to embody its truth, demonstrate its validity, and perpetuate its influence. It implies an organic change in the structure of present- day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced. . . . It calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarization of the whole civilized world—a world organically unified in all the essential aspects of its life, its political machinery, its spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its script and language, and yet infinite in the diversity of the national characteristics of its federated units.”
BUT what are the implications of this principle of the Oneness of Mankind?
Its first and foremost implication is a general spiritual reawakening in the individual, through a deep realization of the unity of God and of His entire creation. It is thus fundamentally a psychological transformation, based on a deep-rooted belief in the essential Oneness of God, and of the world He has fashioned. Such a conception of the Divine Being is bound to create in every man’s heart a consciousness of loyalty sufficiently powerful to obliterate the differences, whether religious, racial or political, that separate him from the rest of his fellow-men.
For the fundamental cause of disunity and disharmony in the world is the individualism of human nature. And this individualism owes its exiStence to the fact that man possesses a will power. It is because of this individuality of volition that we find such a continual clash between the ideas, needs and desires of men. What is needed, therefore, is some force capable of adjusting these conflicting interests and desires, and this is a task which religion alone can accomplish. By merging the wills of separate individuals in the Will of God, it establishes a supreme loyalty through which men find their interests miraculously identified. By turning to that Essence of Oneness, individuals who had hitherto been living in a state of perpetual conflict, find themselves transmuted into self- sacrificing, self-giving souls capable of communing together in absolute unity and with a perfect love. In this state of communion they become as “one soul in many bodies.” This is a unity which the Love of God can alone establish in the world, and not until such a love completely imbues and permeates the hearts of men can mankind ever hope to achieve a world civilization that can be perfect and enduring.
[Page 407]
Religion, therefore, is the only
force that can create in the individual
a true consciousness of the Oneness of
Mankind. As its meaning clearly indicates,
it acts as a cohesive power,
a unifying force, a solvent of individual
and social differences. By transforming
and ennobling our inner emotions
and feelings, through a
genuine and constructive belief in
God, it releases such spiritual forces
that can kill out baser instincts, and
bridge the inner and outer differences
that separate us from each other.
“The source of perfect unity and love in the world of human existence,” says ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “is the bond and oneness of reality. When the divine and fundamental reality enters human hearts and lives, it conserves and protects all states and conditions of mankind, establishing that intrinsic oneness of the world of humanity which can only come into being through the efficacy of the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit is like unto the life in the human body, which blends all differences of parts and members in unity and agreement. . . . Just as the human spirit of life is the cause of coordination among the various parts of the human organism, the Holy Spirit is the controlling cause of the unity and coordination of mankind. That is to say, the bond or oneness of humanity cannot be effectively established save through the power of the Holy Spirit, for the world of humanity is a composite body and the Holy Spirit is the animating principle of its life. . . .”
Speaking of the transforming power of the Word of God, Bahá’u’lláh thus addresses one of His followers: “Is it within human power, O Hakim, to effect in the constituent elements of any of the minute and indivisible particles of matter so complete a transformation as to transmute it into purest gold? Perplexing and difficult as this may appear, the still greater task of converting satanic strength into heavenly power is one that We have been empowered to accomplish. The Force capable of such a transformation transcendeth the potency of the Elixir itself. The Word of God, alone, can claim the distinction of being endowed with the capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change.”
These words of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá make it quite clear that no enduring and perfect unity can exist in the outer world until first there is established in the psychology of every individual and nation a powerful consciousness of the essential oneness of mankind. And there can be no consciousness of such a oneness in the world, until religion through its energizing and unifying influence creates in the hearts of mankind a love and loyalty superior to every earthly attachment or desire.
UNLIKE the abstract method
of the rationalists who seek to impose
upon the individual a system which
they themselves have devised in partial
or complete disregard of the complexity
of human nature, the principles
of Bahá’u’lláh aim first at a
transformation and perfection of
man’s inner life, and through such a
perfection attempt to build up a new
social order that is enduring and effective.
Bahá’u’lláh’s method is thus
[Page 408]
psychological, as it proceeds from the
inner realm of emotions and feelings
to the outer realm of institutions.
There can be no unity in the external
world unless the inner world of the
heart is transformed through the
power of the Holy Spirit. The unity
of mankind must be first established
in the hearts and minds of people before
it manifests itself and takes definite
shape in the form of institutions.
But such a fundamental spiritual transformation is not sufficient to bring about unity in the organic structure of the world. There is another, and no less essential a prerequisite. It is the embodiment of the principle of unity through diversity as a vital element in any system of world unification, and its application to all human relationships, of whatever nature or scope.
The Bahá’í doctrine of the Oneness of Mankind is, indeed, fundamentally based on the belief that world unity can be achieved only if individual and social differences that are legitimate and valuable are maintained, and even fostered. For Bahá’u’lláh’s conception of the world commonwealth of the future can by no means be identified with the cosmopolitan ideas and doctrines of the Utopians who, in utter disregard of the complexity of human nature, seek to obliterate all existing differences, even those that are helpful to the growth and progress of civilization, and to establish in their place a social order that is uniform and colorless. Unlike these visionary social reformers, He realized that total uniformity in the world constitutes not only a danger but an impossibility. He recognized the usefulness of the geographical, ethnical, linguistic and social differences in the world, but also emphasized the supreme necessity of subordinating them to the major collective interests of mankind.
“Consider the flowers of a garden,” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains: “Though differing in kind, color, form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm and addeth unto their beauty. How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruit, the branches and the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and color! Diversity of hues, form and shape enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof. In like manner, when divers shades of thought, temperament and character, are brought together under the power and influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made manifest. Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas and convictions of the children of men.”
Thus, the principle of unity in diversity
constitutes one of the basic
elements of Bahá’u’lláh’s program for
the unification of the world. His call
“is primarily directed against all
forms of provincialism, all insularities,
and prejudices,” and does not
aim at the subversion of the legitimate
allegiances and loyalties of the
[Page 409]
individual to his race or nation. His
plan of world unity has a two-fold
spiritual and social character, implying
first as it does a fundamental
change of heart, a spiritual and moral
regeneration which will inevitably
pave the way, and make possible the
establishment of such institutions that
are essential for bringing about unity
and peace in the world.
The World Order proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh is, therefore, essentially Divine in character and spiritual in its very foundations, and as such transcends all man-made doctrines and institutions. In it, the Bahá’ís believe they have recognized the Divine Plan for this day. This conviction carries with it the assurance that no matter how tremendous and insuperable the existing obstacles may be, the cause of peace and unity is bound to triumph in the world. In the words of Shoghi Effendi: “The proclamation of the Oneness of Mankind —the head cornerstone of Bahá’u’lláh’s all-embracing dominion—implies at once a warning and a promise —a warning that in it lies the sole means for the salvation of a greatly suffering world, a promise that its realization is at hand.”
There have been many types of traveler—the explorer, the trader, the soldier, the diplomat, and the tourist. The editors are pleased to publish one more article on a nation and people visited in order to discover new confirmations of the truth that the deepest roots of human existence draw upon powers of unity and not powers of strife.
•
GLIMPSES OF SWEDEN
By OLIVIA KELSEY
•
SWEDEN is the oldest of the three Scandinavian Kingdoms. “When the Germanic groups went south in great folk migrations to mingle their blood with the Mediterranean races,” says Hanna Astrup Larsen, editor of the American-Scandinavian Review, “the Scandinavians stayed behind and in their isolation developed their own peculiar heritage.”
Ancient tradition has etched in the
consciousness of her leaders the spirit
of public-mindedness and in the consciousness
of her people faith in the
Crown. And from the period of the
Wasa Kings, in the sixteenth century,
when King Gustavus Adolphus organized
state and Crown leadership,
embodying the definite paternalistic
attitude of the state toward the people
and the recognition of education as
an important factor in the life of
society, the moral influence of the
[Page 410]
Crown was enhanced.
Today Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, with a distinctly democratic representation and a parliamentary government. The left wing is always a strong factor in the Riksdag, the socialist party having now and then risen to a commanding position. Nevertheless Royal Committees and advisers appointed by the Crown are unhampered in the execution of decisions reached by the Riksdag.
In His Tablet “The Glad Tidings,” Bahá’u’lláh makes mention of the ideal government—a fusion of aristocracy and democracy through the medium of consultation: “Although a republican form of government,” He says, “profits all the people of the world, yet the majesty of kingship is one of the signs of God. We do not wish that the countries of the world should be deprived thereof. If statesmen combine the two into one form, their reward will be great before God.”
The tradition of the nobility, having its impetus under King Gustavus Adolphus, has also been of importance. Indeed, the public-mindedness of the nobility, reaching its crest in the seventeenth century, and which later fell into neglect and abuse, created a tradition of noblesse oblige which still obtains, although nowadays the nobility as a separate group exercises no influence.
But the national development of Sweden is unique in the traditions of her peasantry. Says Miss Larsen: “The national impulse of Scandinavian countries turned not only backward to the past but also inward to the study of the peasants, who were thought to have carried on the traditions of the fathers most unbroken.” The capacity of the Swede for organization and legislation is innate but this sense of law and order —through which far-flung changes have been achieved without revolution —grew out of the early political training and responsibility imposed upon the peasantry, for the landowning peasantry of Sweden has exercised political rights since early in the fifteenth century. This capacity had its inception in the period when the Wasa Kings, founders of the principles of Swedish statesmanship, introduced the severe practice of forcing the people to participate in decisions of national scope—war, peace, taxation and educational reform. Characteristic of the precision and conscientiousness of the Swede, no one was permitted to remain unconcerned. Hardship and peril beset the traveler in those days and the representative of a district would, before setting forth on his journey, put his affairs in order and partake of the last communion! Consequently, representation in the Riksdag was a responsibility hardly to be sought after with enthusiasm!
Property owners of each district
were required to sign the decision of
the Riksdag which their delegate
brought back with him. In later times
Swedish peasants have had their
seats in the King’s cabinet and no
movement or reform can pass the
Riksdag without their influence. The
stabilizing influence of the peasantry
has served to strengthen the prestige
of the Crown and the custom of conferring
titles on persons of the lower
[Page 411]
classes distinguished for public service,
has extended and fertilized the
nobility. “The Scandinavian,” writes
H. G. Leach, editor of Forum and an
outstanding authority on Scandinavia
in the United States, in his book
“Angevin Britain and Scandinavia”,
“are freemen. They understand organized
democracy. . . . The Norseman
belonged to those people who,
unlike the destroying Tartar, possess
the strength and latent power of
growth that enable them to adopt a
civilization without decaying under
it. Instead they bettered what they
found, advancing rapidly from students
to teachers. . . . The ancient
Scandinavian rivalled the modern
Japanese in taking on a new material
civilization in a day.”
NATIONAL and social coalescence are further enhanced by racial and religious homogeneity, for with the exception of approximately one and a half percent the population is Swedish in origin and belongs to the Swedish state church.
The peasantry of Sweden has not only contributed to the past, but to the present progress of Swedish society. In contradistinction to the experience of a people growing out of serfdom, they are conversant with the trend of national affairs, the importance of the arts and sciences in the development of civilization and have a keen appreciation of co-operative activities, of finance and commerce. Freedom from the consciousness growing out of the practice of serfdom has created a peasantry with aristocratic traditions and has been a powerful factor in obviating that sharp cleavage between classes which became accentuated under autocratic rule.
The part played by the peasantry in the development of Sweden is of unique interest to students of Bahá’í principles, for recognition of the fundamental position of the agricultural unit is unequivocally set forth in the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and amplified by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá again and again in His unique station as Interpreter of the Revelation: “In reality,” He says, “so far great injustice has befallen the common people. . . . The community needs financier, farmer, merchant and laborer, just as an army must be composed of commander, officers and private. . . . but justness of opportunity for all. . . . First and foremost
CARL LINDHAGEN
[Page 412]
is the principle that to all the members
of the body politic shall be given
the greatest achievements of the
world of humanity. Each one shall
have the utmost welfare and well-
being. To solve this problem we
must begin with the farmer; there
will we lay a foundation for system
and order, because the peasant class
and the agricultural class exceed other
classes in the importance of their
service. . . . It is important to limit
riches as it is also of importance to
limit poverty. . . . A financier with
colossal wealth should not exist
whilst near him is a poor man in dire
necessity. When we see poverty allowed
to reach a condition of starvation
it is a sure sign that somewhere
we shall find tyranny. The rich must
give of their abundance, they must
soften their hearts and cultivate a
compassionate intelligence.”
RELIGION has initiated in Sweden three distinct phases of national development: The initial phase of exotic influence began in the period of the Vikings, 800-1000; the second phase might be said to constitute the Medieval Catholic Church when the intellectual life fused with that of the continent of Europe, and the third phase—the Reformation—from which issued national independence and entrance upon a new political and economic experience. It marked the inception of interest in elementary education. Today school and church are classified under one department head with representation in the King’s Cabinet.
The Christian Faith was originally planted in Sweden by the Crusaders Ansgarius and Birgitta early in the ninth century and while the Scandinavian may adopt a material civilization with facility, the fact that Christianity was not officially inaugurated as a state religion till the eleventh century demonstrates the depth of religious susceptibility of the Norseman. The old “pagan” faith was not subverted till after the conquest of England by the Danish Kings, Sweyn and Canute.
Significantly, Ansgarius foresaw a future spiritual glory for Sweden. “A great light” he said “will emanate from the North.” That was early in the ninth century. Early in the eighteenth century, nine centuries later, Sweden gave birth to a spiritual genius, Emmanuel Swedenborg. His advent, the spiritual life he released, had the effect of refreshing spring showers. He magnified anew the belief in immortality, picturing graphically in his interpretative scriptural writings the continuity of life—a factor of incalculable potency in relieving the egocentric maladies that attack mankind.
In the journey of the soul, depicted with transcendental beauty by Bahá’u’lláh in “Seven Valleys”, He writes: “O Son, if thou canst overcome sleep thou wilt also be able to conquer death and if thou canst prevent thy waking from sleep wilt thou be able to prevent thy rising after death.”
And the scientific exposition of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá inculcates a clear knowledge
of this teaching: “The immortality
of the soul,” He says, “is mentioned
in the Holy Books. It is the
fundamental basis of divine religions
. . .Total annihilation is an impossibility.
At most, composition is ever
[Page 413]
subject to decomposition or disintegration. . . .
This is the law of creation
in its endless forms and infinite variety.
As existence can never become
non-existence there is no death for
men. . . . The rational proof of this is
that the atoms of the material elements
are transferable from one form
of existence to another, from one degree
and kingdom to another, lower
or higher. For example, an atom of
the soil of dust of earth may traverse
the kingdoms from mineral to man
by successive incorporations into the
bodies of the organisms of those kingdoms. . . .
Throughout these degrees
. . . . it retains its atomic existence and
is never annihilated nor relegated to
non-existence. . . . Death, therefore,
is applicable to a change or transference
from one degree or condition to
another. . . . The purpose is this:
that the everlasting bestowal of God
vouchsafed to man is never subject
to corruption. . . . The conception of
annihilation is a factor in human degradation,
a cause of human debasement
and lowliness, a source of human
fear and abjection. It has been
conducive to the dispersion and weakening
of human thought, whereas the
realization of existence and continuity
has upraised man to sublimity of
ideals, established the foundations of
human progress and stimulated the
development of heavenly virtues. . . .
Spiritual existence is absolute immortality,
completeness and unchangeable
being.”
The philosophical and spiritual teachings of Emmanuel Swedenborg penetrated the West. In a Tablet addressed to an American Bahá’í, E. E. Wrestling-Brewster, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave to Emmanuel Swedenborg the significance of minor prophet: “As soon as a bird is fledged” he said in that Tablet “it cannot keep itself on the ground. . . . When the season of spring dawns, a new and wonderful motion and rejuvenation is witnessed in all the existing things; the mountains and meadows are revived; the trees find freshness and delicacy and are clothed with radiant and bright leaves, blossoms and fruit. . . . In reality Emmanuel was the forerunner of the second coming of His Holiness the Christ and the herald of the path to the Kingdom. . . . I hope that thou wilt arise to perform all that which His Highness Emmanuel hath predicted. . . .”
IN recent times a movement
to recapture the spirit released by
Swedenborg was set in motion under
the leadership of the late Archbishop
Nathan Söderblom of Uppsala, Sweden.
The ancient church of Ansgarius,
situated on the island of Visneg
Ö outside of Stockholm, was renovated
and in 1930 an exalted spiritual
ceremony took place in that
church. There congregated the Ruling
House of Sweden, Archbishops
representing most of the nations of
Europe, besides eminent men and
women. The late Archbishop Söderblom
presiding called to mind the
sacrifice of those early Crusaders in
promoting a new Faith—his theme
taken from the twenty-foutth Psalm:
“Lift up your head, O ye gates and
be ye lifted up ye everlasting doors;
and the King of Glory shall come in.
. . . Who is this King of Glory! The
Lord of Hosts, He is the King of
[Page 414]
Glory!”
Throughout his arduous career, the late Archbishop Söderblom devoted his far-reaching influence to the propagation of spiritual and humanitarian ideals. He investigated and endorsed the Bahá’í teachings, finding in them the fulfillment of his loftiest aspirations. In his later years he worked to establish those principles. His efforts have borne fruit. In her recent travels throughout Northern Europe, the international Bahá’í teacher, Mrs. Louise Erickson, was impressed with a new spirit permeating her native land, Sweden. “Wherever I spoke, wherever I met thinking people,” she said, “I felt the presence of a new spirit. Frequently I heard the remark ‘Our beloved Archbishop Söderblom was an ardent advocate of those very principles which you are disseminating.’” And Mrs. Erickson added, “The cultured people of Sweden are putting into practice the Principles revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, although unaware of their source. The movements for peace in Sweden are strong.”
WHEN the newspapers of Sweden announced that Mrs. Louise Erickson, Swedish-American Bahá’í teacher had—in an audience with the Crown Prince—presented His Royal Highness with literature on the Bahá’í Faith, it was the signal for widespread interest and as it offered a remedy for the social, religious, national and political ills which have beset mankind, it made a strong appeal to leaders of peace movements. To eager inquirers Mrs. Erickson lost no time in declaring the Principles of Bahá’u’lláh to be the creative source for the solution and healing of these problems. She spoke of this new Faith as “a religion not new but revitalized and freed from dogmas and rituals.” To leaders of Peace organizations Mrs. Erickson said simply: “Peace cannot be accomplished with a plan. You must have principles. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said that Peace will come—it is the spirit of the age!”
MRS. ERICKSON found that distinguished public servant of Sweden, Carl Lindhagen, a strong advocate of Peace. In a remarkable interview granted her by the former Mayor of Stockholm, Mrs. Erickson received inestimable support. “When he conceded the interview,” she said, “he invited me to come and see his home. ‘Come out to my house,’ he said, ‘I want you to see my home.’”
The house is built on a high rock. Viewed as one approaches from below it appears like a great white swan resting against the rock. Mr. Lindhagen met me at the door and invited me to the veranda to meet Mrs. Lindhagen and there to view the scenery. From the veranda the panorama is mountains, valleys and water. You gaze out over Lake Mälär, the most historic spot in Sweden. It completely surrounds the little town of Mariefred, on a tiny island, and there is Gripsholm Castle built by the great King Gustav Vasa.
Mr. Lindhagen intended that this
should be an inspiration to me. It
was. The home and the environment
were to me the key to the personality
of my host. “We are too busy with
humanitarian work and our writing,”
[Page 415]
Mrs. Lindhagen told me, “to enjoy
our home.”
In the library we had coffee and smörbröd—coffee is the rare treat in Sweden—and the conversation settled on the paramount question: Peace. I outlined the principles of Bahá’u’lláh, dwelling especially on the oneness of mankind, the abolition of all prejudices, harmony between science and religion, the equality of privileges for men and women, universal education and a universal language. My host listened attentively and answered:
“I have always thought along these lines. But if they build on the Principle of a Universal Language that alone will establish Peace. It is a medium for universal understanding. I believe in the Principle, that is Why I work for it.” Esperanto is becoming increasingly popular in Sweden.
“You must speak Esperanto very well,” I ventured, recalling public addresses made by Mr. Lindhagen in Stockholm at the Esperanto Convention in 1934 and at Danzig, where he had planted a tree at a public ceremony given by the Esperantists there. Gathering from all corners of the globe, representatives of this organization brought with them the soil in which the tree was planted.
“No,” he answered, “I studied that speech in Esperanto especially for the Convention.”
“Have you seen the Crown Prince?” he asked.
“No,” I told him, “I have no acquaintance who can open the way to an audience.”
He arose, excused himself with exquisite courtesy and left the room. “I have talked with the Crown Prince on the telephone,” he announced when he came back, “and he will receive you next Tuesday at ten in the morning.”
It was my wish to leave with Mr. Lindhagen a copy of “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era.” He requested me to autograph it and seating me at his own desk he said, “Write my name and yours under it. On my vacation I shall study it.”
This instructive and refreshing interview —which seemed to pass so quickly—had consumed several hours and was the means of my audience with the Crown Prince.
“Bend your minds and wills,” Bahá’u’lláh admonished over sixty years ago, “to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that haply the dissensions that divide it may through the power of the Most Great Name, be blotted out from its face and all mankind become the upholders of one Order, and the inhabitants of one City . . . . . Ye dwell in one world and have been created through the operation of one Will.”
In a beautiful home one hour’s ride outside of Stockholm, Mrs. Erickson found Harold Thilander, blind Esperantist and publisher of Braille books. This remarkable man has translated into Esperanto and published in Braille a considerable number of Bahá’í pamphlets.
NOWADAYS the ancient democratic
spirit of Sweden is embodied
in His Royal Highness, Gustav
Adolph, the beloved Crown Prince.
“The Crown Prince,” Mrs. Erickson
related, “is required to participate in
[Page 416]
social activities ranging anywhere
from the dedication of universities,
public parks, museums and schools
to cattle conventions. He instils
new ideas and practical methods as
well as the pattern of noble ideals
and beauty. I believe he is surely one
of the busiest men in all the world.
To have met him personally is an experience
I shall cherish always. That
meeting opened every single door and
was the greatest means for the spreading
of the universal teachings of
Bahá’u’lláh.”
“In Copenhagen, I phoned Mrs. Ruth Bryan Owen, American Ambassadress to Denmark. I had met her distinguished father, William Jennings Bryan, after his pilgrimage to ’Acca while ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was still in prison there. She arranged for me an opportunity to present His Majesty, King of Denmark, with a copy of ‘Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era’ in Danish.”
UP from the age of the Vikings, to Ansgarius and Birgetta, through the Medieval Ages to the Reformation and Swedenborg—destined as the herald of the approach of the Promised Age—the influence perpetuating the onward march of Sweden has been without doubt, superbly spiritual. This preparation, combined with a natural religious yearning, is indeed significant of a spiritual destiny. That spirit it must have been that sustained her and stayed precipitation into the World War and in the present maelstrom of conflicting and unpredictable events in which the nations of Europe are becoming more and more submerged, is it not possible that Sweden, reinforced with new spiritual values—the dynamic Principles and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh—will not be caught in the disintegrating forces of war and aggression; will keep aloof and stand ready to lead the way out of the perplexities and chaos of that old world order?
“Verily, we have ordained unto every land a destiny, unto every hour a fate; unto every utterance a time, unto every circumstance a word. Consider the case of Greece! Verily we made it the center of wisdom for a long period. But when the time of its end came, its throne became veiled, its tongue dumb, its lamp extinct, and its standard reversed. Thus We give and take away. Verily thy Lord is the Taker, the Giver, the Mighty, the Potent.” (Bahá’u’lláh).
The chief function of religion has always been twofold: to create unity and direction in the inner life of the individual and to establish unity and cooperation in the collective life of man, in the life of society as a whole. . . . The failure of religion thus far to achieve this second great end has not been the fault of religion as such; it has been due rather to the absence of certain pre-requisite conditions which were absolutely essential to the coming of anything even approximating world unity, or human brotherhood, or a Kingdom of God on earth.—JOHN HERMAN RANDALL, in A World Community.
“Whereas in days past every lover besought and searched after his Beloved, it is the Beloved Himself who now is calling His lovers and is inviting them to attain His presence.”
•
THE RADIANCE OF HIS GLORY
WORDS OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
•
RETRACE your steps, O My servants, and incline your hearts to Him Who is the Source of your creation. Deliver yourselves from your evil and corrupt affections, and hasten to embrace the light of the undying Fire that gloweth on the Sinai of this mysterious and transcendent Revelation. Corrupt not the holy, the all- embracing, and primal Word of God, and seek nor to profane its sanctity or to debase its exalted character. O heedless ones! Though the wonders of My mercy have encompassed all created things, both visible and invisible, and though the revelations of My grace and bounty have permeated every atom of the universe, yet the rod with which I can chastise the wicked is grievous, and the fierceness of Mine anger against them terrible. With ears that are sanctified from vain-glory and worldly desires hearken unto the counsels which I, in My merciful kindness, have revealed unto you, and with your inner and outer eyes contemplate the evidences of My marvelous Revelation. . . .
O My servants! Deprive not yourselves
of the unfading and resplendent
Light that shineth within the
Lamp of Divine glory. Let the flame
of the love of God burn brightly within
your radiant hearts. Feed it with
the oil of Divine guidance, and protect
it within the shelter of your
constancy. Guard it within the globe
of trust and detachment from all else
but God, so that the evil whisperings
of the ungodly may not extinguish its
light. O My servants! My holy, My
divinely ordained Revelation may
be likened unto an ocean in whose
depths are concealed innumerable
pearls of great price, of surpassing
luster. It is the duty of every seeker
to bestir himself and strive to attain
the shores of this ocean, so that he
may, in proportion to the eagerness
of his search and the efforts he hath
exerted, partake of such benefits as
have been preordained in God’s irrevocable
and hidden Tablets. If no
one be willing to direct his steps
towards its shores, if every one should
fail to arise and find Him, can such
a failure be said to have robbed this
ocean of its power or to have lessened,
to any degree, its treasures? How
vain, how contemptible, are the imaginations
which your hearts have devised,
and are still devising! O My
[Page 418]
servants! The one true God is My
witness! This most great, this fathomless
and surging Ocean is near,
astonishingly near, unto you. Behold
it is closer to you than your life-vein!
Swift as the twinkling of an eye ye
can, if ye but wish it, reach and partake
of this imperishable favor, this
God-given grace, this incorruptible
gift, this most potent and unspeakably
glorious bounty.
O My servants! Could ye apprehend with what wonders of My munificence and bounty I have willed to entrust your souls, ye would, of a truth, rid yourselves of attachment to all created things, and would gain a true knowledge of your own selves —a knowledge which is the same as the comprehension of Mine own Being. Ye would find yourselves independent of all else but Me, and would perceive, with your inner and outer eye, and as manifest as the revelation of My effulgent name, the seas of My loving-kindness and bounty moving within you. Suffer not your idle fancies, your evil passions, your insincerity and blindness of heart to dim the luster, or stain the sancrity, of so lofty a station. Ye are even as the bird which soareth, with the full force of its mighty wings and with complete and joyous confidence, through the immensity of the heavens, until, impelled to satisfy its hunger, it turneth longingly to the water and clay of the earth below it, and, having been entrapped in the mesh of its desire, findeth itself impotent to resume its flight to the realms whence it came. Powerless to shake off the burden weighing on its sullied wings, that bird, hitherto an inmate of the heavens, is now forced to seek a dwelling-place upon the dust. Wherefore, O My servants, defile not your wings with the clay of waywardness and vain desires, and suffer them not to be stained with the dust of envy and hate, that ye may not be hindered from soaring in the heavens of My divine knowledge.
RELEASE yourselves, O nightingales of God, from the thorns and brambles of wretchedness and misery, and wing your flight to the rose- garden of unfading splendor. O My friends that dwell upon the dust! Haste forth unto your celestial habitation. Announce unto yourselves the joyful tidings: “He Who is the Best-Beloved is come! He hath crowned Himself with the glory of God’s Revelation, and hath unlocked to the face of men the doors of His ancient Paradise.” Let all eyes rejoice, and let every ear be gladdened, for now is the time to gaze on His beauty, now is the fit time to hearken to His voice. Proclaim unto every longing lover: “Behold, your Well- Beloved hath come among men!” And to the messengers of the Monarch of love impart the tidings: “Lo, the Adored One hath appeared arrayed in the fullness of His glory!” O lovers of His beauty! Turn the anguish of your separation from Him into the joy of an everlasting reunion, and let the sweetness of His presence dissolve the bitterness of your remoteness from His court.
Behold how the manifold grace of
God, which is being showered from
the clouds of Divine glory, hath, in
[Page 419]
this day, encompassed the world. For
whereas in days past every lover besought
and searched after his Beloved,
it is the Beloved Himself Who
now is calling His lovers and is inviting
them to attain His presence.
Take heed lest ye forfeit so precious
a favor; beware lest ye belittle so remarkable
a token of His grace. Abandon
not the incorruptible benefits, and
be not content with that which perisheth.
Lift up the veil that obscureth
your vision, and dispel the darkness
with which it is enveloped, that ye
may gaze on the naked beauty of the
Beloved’s face, may behold that which
no eye hath beheld, and hear that
which no ear hath heard.
Hear Me, ye mortal birds! In the Rose-Garden of changeless splendor a Flower hath begun to bloom, compared to which every other flower is but a thorn, and before the brightness of Whose glory the very essence of beauty must pale and wither. Arise, therefore, and, with the whole enthusiasm of your hearts, with all the eagerness of your souls, the full fervor of your will, and the concentrated efforts of your entire being, strive to attain the paradise of His presence, and endeavor to inhale the fragrance of the incorruptible Flower, to breathe the sweet savors of holiness, and to obtain a portion of this perfume of celestial glory. Whoso followeth this counsel, will break his chains asunder, will taste the abandonment of enraptured love, will attain unto his heart’s desire, and will surrender his soul into the hands of his Beloved. Bursting through his cage, he will, even as the bird of the spirit, wing his flight to his holy and everlasting nest.
Night hath succeeded day, and day hath succeeded night, and the hours and moments of your lives have come and gone, and yet none of you hath, for one instant, consented to detach himself from that which perisheth. Bestir yourselves, that the brief moments that are still yours may not be dissipated and lost. Even as the swiftness of lightning your days shall pass, and your bodies shall be laid to rest beneath a canopy of dust. What can ye then achieve? How can ye atone for your past failure?
The everlasting Candle shineth in its naked glory. Behold how it hath consumed every mortal veil. O ye moth-like lovers of His light! Brave every danger, and consecrate your souls to its consuming flame. O ye that thirst after Him! Strip yourselves of every earthly affection, and hasten to embrace your Beloved. With a zest that none can equal make haste to attain unto Him. The Flower, thus far hidden from the sight of men, is unveiled to your eyes. In the open radiance of His glory He standeth before you. His voice summoneth all the holy and sanctified beings to come and be united with Him. Happy is he that turneth thereunto; well is it with him that hath attained, and gazed on the light of so wondrous a countenance.
AND now concerning thy question
regarding the soul of man and its
survival after death. Know thou of
a truth that the soul, after its separation
from the body, will continue to
progress until it attaineth the presence
of God, in a state and condition
[Page 420]
which neither the revolution of ages
and centuries, nor the changes and
chances of this world, can alter. It
will endure as long as the Kingdom
of God, His sovereignty, His dominion
and power will endure. It will
manifest the signs of God and His attributes,
and will reveal His loving
kindness and bounty. The movement
of My Pen is stilled when it attempteth
to befittingly describe the loftiness
and glory of so exalted a station.
The honor with which the Hand of
Mercy will invest the soul is such as
no tongue can adequately reveal, nor
any other earthly agency describe.
Blessed is the soul which, at the hour
of its separation from the body, is
sanctified from the vain imaginings
of the peoples of the world. Such a
soul liveth and moveth in accordance
with the Will of its Creator, and
entereth the all-highest Paradise. The
Maids of Heaven, inmates of the loftiest
mansions, will circle around it,
and the Prophets of God and His
chosen ones will seek its companionship.
With them that soul will freely
converse, and will recount unto them
that which it hath been made to endure
in the path of God, the Lord of
all worlds. If any man be told that
which hath been ordained for such
a soul in the worlds of God, the Lord
of the throne on high and of earth below,
his whole being will instantly
blaze out in his great longing to attain
that most exalted, that sanctified
and resplendent station. . . . The nature
of the soul after death can never
be described, nor is it meet and permissible
to reveal its whole character
to the eyes of men. The Prophets
and Messengers of God have been
sent down for the sole purpose of
guiding mankind to the straight Path
of Truth. The purpose underlying
their revelation hath been to educate
all men, that they may, at the hour
of death, ascend, in the utmost purity
and sanctity and with absolute detachment,
to the throne of the Most High.
The light which these souls radiate
is responsible for the progress of the
world and advancement of its peoples.
They are like unto leaven
which leaveneth the world of being,
and constitute the animating force
through which the arts and wonders
of the world are made manifest.
Through them the clouds rain their
bounty upon men, and the earth
bringeth forth its fruits. All things
must needs have a cause, a motive
power, an animating principle. These
souls and symbols of detachment have
provided, and will continue to provide,
the supreme moving impulse in
the world of being. The world beyond
is as different from this world
as this world is different from that
of the child while still in the womb
of its mother. When the soul attaineth
the Presence of God, it will assume
the form that best befitteth its
immortality and is worthy of its celestial
habitation. Such an existence
is a contingent and not an absolute
existence, inasmuch as the former is
preceded by a cause, whilst the latter
is independent thereof. Absolute existence
is strictly confined to God,
exalted be His glory. Well is it with
them that apprehend this truth.
The modern child seems to understand machines by instinct, but the modern adult has lost knowledge of the supreme power which can penetrate the soul and exalt every life.
•
HOLY SPIRIT
By MAMIE L. SETO
•
THE science of right living is brought about by the aid of the divine power of the Holy Spirit.
The power of the Holy Spirit emanating from the Manifestations of God in past ages both in the Orient and Occident, has brought humanity up to its present state of development. We are now in a new age or cycle, and in this age “Bahá’u’lláh has breathed the Holy Spirit into the dead body of the world, consequently every weak soul is strengthened by these fresh Divine out-breathings; 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 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 all regions. New ideals are stirring the depths of hearts, and a new spirit of universal consciousness is being profoundly felt by all men.”
“By the righteousness of God,” Bahá’u’lláh wishing to reveal the full potency of His Invincible power asserts, “should a man, all alone, arise in the name of Bahá and put on the armor of His love, him will the Almighty cause to be victorious, though the forces of earth and heaven be arrayed against him. By God, besides Whom is none other God! Should any one arise for the triumph of our cause, him will God render victorious though tens of thousands of enemies be leagued against him. And if his love for me wax stronger, God will establish his ascendancy over all the powers of earth and heaven. Thus have we breathed the spirit of power into all regions.”[1]
It is indeed a great deprivation and loss not to know of this power, which is released into the world today for us. “The world of humanity cannot advance”, says ‘Abdu’l-Bahá “through mere physical power and intellectual attainments, nay, rather the Holy Spirit is essential. The divine father must assist the human world to attain maturity.”
“The greatest need of the world is
the animating, unifying presence of
the Holy Spirit, until it becomes effective,
penetrating and inter-penetrating
[Page 422]
hearts and spirits, and until
perfect reasoning faith shall be implanted
in the minds of men, it will
be impossible for the social body to
be inspired with security and confidence.”
Man is ever seeking happiness, yet real abiding happiness has not been found.
When the race was young man lived in a primitive way requiring only physical necessities. As it evolved mental faculties of a high order it began devising ways and means of easier living. The object of all discoveries and inventions has been to make life easier and more delightful. Great progress has been made along these lines, yet man has not found happiness. True happiness will come when we make the Holy Spirit a conscious power in our lives. We will then glorify our material civilization, which means we will live in a golden age of peace and happiness.
“When in the course of evolution the stage of thought and reason has been reached the human mind acts as a mirror reflecting the glory of God.”[2]
Quoting from Paradoxical Philosophy in his book “Natural Law In the Spiritual World,” Drummond writes:
“I believe, that as time goes on the work of the Holy Spirit will be continuously shown in the gradual insight which the human race will attain into the true essence of the Christian Religion. I am thus of the opinion that a standing miracle exists and that it has ever existed—a direct and continual influence exerted by the spiritual on the natural.”
Therefore a Bahá’í has real pioneer work to do in his individual life— demonstrating this advanced and perfect way of living.
The Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, writes very clearly on this matter in the following words:
“But let us all remember in this connection that prior to every conceivable measure destined to raise the efficiency of our administrative activities, more vital than any scheme which the most resourceful amongst us can devise, far above the most elaborate structure which the concerted efforts of organized assemblies can hope to raise is the realization down in the innermost heart of every true believer of the regenerating power, the supreme necessity, the unfailing efficacy of the message he bears. I assure you, dear friends, that nothing short of such an immovable conviction could have in days past enabled our beloved Cause to weather the blackest storms in its history. Naught else can today vitalize the manifold activities in which unnumbered disciples of the Faith are engaged; naught else can provide that driving force and sustaining power that are both so essential to the success of vast and enduring achievements. It is this spirit, that above all else we should sedulously guard, and strive with all our might to fortify and exemplify in all our undertakings.”[3]
And again he reminds us of this power, the reliance on which is the only way to success.
“That the cause associated with
the name of Bahá’u’lláh feeds itself
[Page 423]
upon those hidden springs of celestial
strength which no force of human
personality, whatever its glamour,
can replace; and that its reliance is
solely upon that mystic source with
which no worldly advantage, be it
wealth, fame or learning can compare;
that it propagates itself by
ways mysterious and utterly at variance
with the standards accepted by
the generality of mankind will, if not
already apparent, become increasingly
manifest as it forges ahead toward
fresh conquests in its struggle for the
spiritual regeneration of mankind.
Indeed how could it, unsupported as
it has ever been by the counsels and
the resources of the wise, the rich, and
the learned in the land of its birth,
have succeeded in breaking asunder
the shackles that weighed upon it at
the hour of its birth, in emerging unscathed
from the storms that agitated
its infancy, had not its animating
breath been quickened by that spirit
which is born of God and on which
all success, wherever and however it
be sought, must ultimately depend.”
The confirmations of the Holy Spirit are present under certain conditions.
“Faith is the magnet which draws the confirmation of the Merciful One. Service is the magnet which attracts the heavenly strength.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá).
The following words of the Guardian call to mind how an attitude of indifference or a life of inactivity retard the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
“If we relax in our purpose, if we falter in our faith, if we neglect the varied opportunities given us from time to time by an all-wise and gracious Master, we are not merely failing in what is our most vital and conspicuous obligation, but are thereby insensibly retarding the flow of those quickening energies which can alone insure the vigorous and speedy development of God’s struggling Faith!”[4]
Lack of love and unity among the believers also acts as an obstacle to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as cited in the following words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
“Unity of the hearts of the friends of God attracts the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and capable souls receive the bounties of the Divine Mysteries, they become the distributors of the Light. Inharmony destroys the magnet to attract the divine elixir and all become deprived.”
The Holy Spirit in its completeness is given only to the Prophets (Manifestations) of God, Moses, Christ, Buddha, Muhammad, Bab, Bahá’u’lláh. The people can possess but the rays of the Holy Spirit, yet in having the rays they are richly endowed, for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
“If thou partake but one ray from that Center thou wilt become self- sufficient from the world, finding a new condition, witnessing an exaltation which over-shadows all the existence.
“Pray God that thou mayst catch with all thy exertion the lights of love from that Center.”
The Holy Spirit is a quickening power, through it the powers of intellect and heart are illumined.
“The divine intellectual power is
the special attribute of the Holy Manifestations
and Dawning-Places of
[Page 424]
Prophethood; a ray of this light falls
upon the mirror of the hearts of the
righteous, and a portion and a share
of this power comes to them through
the Holy Manifestations.”
“So the Holy Spirit touching the heart of man wakens him to eternal life. Like the sun to earth it brings to man warmth, energy and perfection. It gives him all possibilities. The cause of life widens before his eyes, eternity opens to him and becomes his, he no longer knows fear, for the wealth of God is his and every moment is his inviolable possession. Limitations disappear, and he becomes more and more sensitive to the teachings of the Holy Spirit and all things are his own.”[5]
The results of this power in the life of the individual are as follows:
“The confirmations of the spirit are all those powers and gifts with which some are born and which men sometimes call genius, but for which others have to strive with infinite pains. They come to that man or woman who accepts his life with radiant acquiesence.”[6]
“Whoever receives this power is able to influence all with whom he comes in contact.”
“No capacity is limited when led by the spirit of God.”
“The captive of the Holy Spirit is exempt from every captivity.”
The results to the world at large are vast and far reaching, as we see from these words: “When you breathe forth the breath of the Holy Spirit (faith and assurance) from your hearts into the world, commerce and politics will take care of themselves with perfect harmony. All arts and sciences will become revealed and knowledge of God will be manifested. It is not your work, but that of the Holy Spirit which you breathe forth through the Word.”
And again: “If tremendous progress in a short time be desired by a people in any social reform, any undertaking for the good of humanity, they must lay hold of the Spiritual Potency. Then will their advancement appear phenomenal, their success magical. This spiritual potency will enable the worker to keep before the eye of the mind the picture of the divine civilization —that kingdom for the coming of which we have been praying for nigh two thousand years.”
So the psychologist-educator has this great task—of building up altogether new expectations. Wherever, nowadays, two or three are gathered together for the mutual understanding of international difficulties, there the spirit of a new world prevails. It is that spirit of a new world—the world we are slowly moulding into shape—which must become the chief concern of education. There is no fatal necessity that our children should grow up war-minded. Children are surprisingly reasonable.
The author of “World Federation,” published in the August and September, 1935 issues, deals with the pressing problem caused by the existence of two types of nation—those which have sufficient territory and whose whose territory is economically insufficient. He finds the only peaceful solution lies in the establishment of Federal Union by all States.
•
HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS AMONG THE NATIONS
By OSCAR NEWFANG
•
FOUR of the seven great powers hold such extensive territories that their appetite for expansion is sated; the other three are still hungry. After more than a century of expansion had extended the territories of the United States, first to the Mississippi, and then across the whole continent to the Pacific, President Wilson stated: “This country will never annex another square mile of territory.” In a similar vein Stalin has recently said: “The Union of Soviet Republics does not want an inch of anybody’s territory, nor will we yield an inch of our own.” The British Empire and France both hold such vast territories in Africa, Asia and elsewhere, that they are sufficiently burdened with their administration and neither apparently desires any further expansion.
In a far different situation, however, are Japan, Italy and Germany. They are countries with dense populations, insufficient natural resources and insignificant colonies. While the Haves are strongly in favor of maintaining the agreeable status in which they find themselves and therefore demand peace and non-aggression against established boundaries, the Have-nots refuse to be bound in perpetuity to a condition of inadequate land for their populations and inadequate resources to maintain a good standard of living; and as they can see no way to change the status quo by peaceful means, they refuse to be bound by the League of Nations to the obligation to “respect and preserve as against external aggression the territorial integrity and existing political independence of all members of the League”—that is, of practically every country in the world.
Hence Japan has proceeded to establish
the puppet state of Manchukuo
under her control and is now
trying to detach a large section of
northern China under her protectorate.
Similarly, Italy has undertaken
to conquer and annex Ethiopia as a
field for the settlement of her excess
[Page 426]
population and a source of needed
raw materials. so, too, the German
Fuehrer has clearly indicated that
Germany wants to expand eastward
and obtain political control of the
rich agricultural region of the Ukraine.
In opposing these warlike policies of the “Have-nots,” the sated nations call to the attention of the “Have- nots” the conditions under which the vast “mandated” territories are held under the League of Nations Covenant as guaranteeing equal access to raw materials and equal trade facilities for all members of the League in these extensive territories. They insist, further, that “in all ordinary times” outside nations have equal raw material access and trade facilities in the colonies of the great powers with the holders of the colonies themselves. They claim, therefore, that it is unnecessary for the “Have-nots” to make war in order to acquire additional lands.
To these arguments the “Have- nots” reply that they cannot feel secure in having access to indispensable raw materials and markets only “in all ordinary times,” which in plain language means at the good pleasure and at the mercy of the “Haves” who hold these territories. They insist that they must have under their own political and exclusive control at all times sufficient lands and sufficient natural resources to live, whether in times of peace or of war; otherwise they cannot remain great powers, but must continue to exist merely at the mercy of and subject to the domination of the “Haves,” who are able to cut them off from the vital necessities of their national lives. And so, since the League Covenant demands that the existing possessions of territories and the existing boundaries shall be maintained inviolate, Japan and Germany have left the League, and Italy has flouted its obligation. As a consequence the peace of the world is gravely threatened.
WHAT IS THE REMEDY?
Britain, by far the largest holder of colonial territories, has finally recognized the danger of this situation, and her Foreign Secretary in a speech at Geneva has offered to consider by what methods those nations that have no colonies may be satisfactorily assured of fair and equal access to the raw materials and markets of the mandated and other colonial regions of the earth. The British intimate that they would be willing to have the whole subject considered by the Assembly or the Council of the League under Article 11, which states that it is “the friendly right of each member of the League to bring to the attention of the Assembly or of the Council any circumstance whatever affecting international relations which threatens to disturb international peace or the good understanding between nations upon which peace depends;” or under Article 19, which states that “the Assembly may from time to time advise the reconsideration by members of the League of treaties which have become inapplicable and the consideration of international conditions whose continuance might endanger the peace of the world.”
Should there be held a general
[Page 427]
League discussion of the methods of
assuring for all countries world-wide
access to raw materials on equal and
unhampered terms, what could be
done about it? It is obvious that no
possible redistribution of the undeveloped
regions of the earth could be
made which would give every one of
the seven great powers under its own
political control every one of the raw
materials essential to modern economic
and military self-containment.
And even if this were possible, it
would merely arouse a demand for
similar economic self-sufficiency by
the remaining fifty members of the
League, who would complain that
they must remain at the mercy of the
great powers for many of their economic
and military necessities.
Since it would, therefore, prove impossible to give each country in its own territory all essential materials, it would become necessary to consider a method of making sure and certain at all times access to vitally necessary materials outside its own territory. In other words, the solution of the problem demands an arrangement that would absolutely guarantee international trade against any possible interruption at any time.
This can be accomplished only by the establishment of a political authority over all the countries, having sufficient power to prevent any restrictions whatever upon trade among the various nations. Without such a general world political control security of access to raw materials and to markets throughout the world cannot be guaranteed at all times to the various countries: without such an effective world organization international trade will always be subject to interruption by a strongly armed power.
This problem has been solved, in actual political history, by the device of a federal union, and this is the minimum amount of world organization by which it can be solved. The forty-eight sovereign states Of America have no fear regarding their access to vital raw materials and necessary markets outside their own limits. They are guaranteed these facilities at all times by the general authority and the superior power of the Federal Government. The same solution was found necessary to abolish the friction among the states of the Australian Federation. In Germany a general federal structure was found necessary even after the intermediate step of a customs union had been taken, in order to abolish trade frictions and restrictions among her states. The federal solution, therefore, has worked in actual practice in a number of instances throughout the world; and there is every probability that it would work among the states members of the League of Nations.
The League, in fact, already has
the necessary organs of a federal
structure, and these merely require
full development in order to
strengthen its present loose structure
into a firm and effective form of
World Federation. By developing
the Assembly into a legislature with
proper representation and authority
to act finally in international relations;
by developing the Permanent
Court of International Justice into a
World Supreme Court with original
[Page 428]
and compulsory jurisdiction in inter-
state controversies; by developing the
Council into a world Executive Cabinet
equipped with sufficient forces,
land, sea and air, to compel the peaceful
submission of disputes to the
Court and peaceful acceptance of its
decisions, the League can be evolved
into a strong Federation which will
not only assure to every member state
equal and unhampered access to the
world’s raw materials and the world’s
markets, but will be able effectively
to maintain permanent world peace.
Fatal divisions appeared after Muhammad’s death, and the conquering Arabs eventually came under the dominion of the Turks—the result of unjust interference against which the Prophet had warned them.
•
THE STORY OF ISLAM
By ZIA M. BAGDADI
III
•
THE cause of division and rise of sects in Islam was primarily because Muhammad left no son, no will or testament after him. He wanted to write a will but Umar prevented it. For before his last earthly hours, Muhammad asked for pen and paper, “to write a will, that you may not have any differences after my passing away,” He said to those present at his bedside. One of the men arose and went to bring a pen and paper. Umar followed the man and ordered him to go back, “because the man was delirious.” He meant that Muhammad was out of his head because of the fever. “The Book of God (the Qur’án) is sufficient for us,” he added. The believer, fearing Umar, did not dare disobey him. That was how it happened that no will was made, and great troubles occured after Muhammad.
Abú-Bakr was hastily elected by an
assembly of notables in 644 A. D. to
be the first Khalifih, the title borne
by the successor of Muhammad in
temporal and religious authority.
This choice, however, did not suit
those followers who knew the station
of ‘Alí, not only on account of his
relationship as cousin and son in-law
of the Prophet, but also because of
his capacity, heroism and great services.
Moreover, long before his departure,
Muhammad announced the
name of his most favored and chosen
disciple ‘Alí. “I am the city of knowledge
and ‘Alí is its gate. To whomsoever
I am Master, ‘Alí also is his
[Page 429]
Master.”
Many of the tribes remained aloof from Islam on account of Abú-Bakr. Others, kept silent for the sake of harmony and peace.
Abú-Bakr’s father, on learning of his son’s election to be the leader, was very much astonished. When he was told that it was only by reason of his son’s age as the oldest among the chief disciples, he laughed and said, “Do you mean to say that my son is older than I, his father?”
During the two years and three months of Abú-Bakr’s leadership, however, all the inhabitants of Arabia, Palestine, and a part of Syria were brought under the flag of Islam. On Abú-Bakr’s death, ‘Umar became the second Khalifih. In his day, all Syria, Egypt and most of Persia were subdued by Islám. While at the mosque of the Prophet at Medina, ‘Umar was assassinated by a Persian slave, Fayrúz Daylami, ‘Uthman succeeded ‘Umar as the third Khalifih. As the Prophet’s secretary, he fixed the text of the Qur’án. During his reign, all Persia was conquered and the influence of Islám penetrated the heart of Africa. Soon, however, fresh troubles appeared because ‘Uthman began to favor the Chiefs of the Umayyads, who were his relatives. Wise men, and amongst them ‘Alí, advised him to be just and warned him to change his dangerous attitude, especially because Muhammad did not trust the leaders of the Umayyads.
But ‘Uthman persisted in his favoratist attitude until he was assassinated by Muhammad, the son of Abú- Bakr.
‘Alí, surnamed “the lion of God,” became the fourth Khalifih. Mu‘awiyih, who was the governor and leader of the Umayyads and whose capitol was Damascus in Syria, falsely accused ‘Alí of instigating the assassination of ‘Uthman. After persuading the chiefs at Mecca, including ‘A’yshih, Muhammad’s second wife, he succeeded in fomenting a rebellion against ‘Alí, which resulted in a battle known as the “battle on the day of the camel,” that was fought in ‘Iraq, and ‘Alí’s forces inflicted defeat.
Later, however, Mua’wiyih gathered his forces again and marched on ‘Alí from Syria at the head of an army of 19,000 warriors, and for five years they fought with ‘Alí without any decisive result. Finally, while praying in the Mosque at Kufih near Baghdad, ‘Alí was stabbed to death from behind by a fanatic, ‘Abdu’l-Rahmán, the son of Muljam. ‘Alí was buried at Najaf, near Baghdad.
After ‘Alí’s death, Mu’áviyih also died. He was succeeded by his son, Yaz’id, who, was even more determined than his father to exterminate Muhammad’s family.
At this time, Islam was divided into three great sects. (1) The Shi’ah, who wanted to have the ruling power in the hands of God’s favored people —the Prophets and his descendants— the leader to be called “Imám.” (2) The Sunnites or Sunnis who favored a government of the people and the head to be the Caliph, elected by an assembly of the notables. (3) The Khawarij (outcasts), those who cared to be governed only by the book of God, the laws of the Qur’án.
The Shi’ah, after Muhammad, considered
[Page 430]
no one equal to ‘Alí, his wife,
Fatimih, the daughter of Muhammad,
and ‘Alí’s sons, Hasan and
Husayn. They despise even to today,
all other Caliphs of Islam. On the
other hand, the Sunnis, though they
do not despise ‘Alí, do not favor him
above the other Caliphs.
Now with this division and confusion, the son of ‘Alí and Fatimih, Husayn, was the only figure who stood prominent on the platform of 1eadership. His brother Hasan had been poisoned by the wicked Mu‘aviyih’s order. This time, Yazid, the son of Mu‘aviyih, was the one to plot against the life of Husayn and annihilate the family of Muhammad. Knowing how to lure Husayn for ultimate destruction, Yazid had a letter written to Husayn inviting him to leave Mecca and come to Syria where the people were anxious to acclaim him as their leader and Caliph He also had this letter signed by 10,000 of his men.
On receiving this invitation, Husayn at first was reluctant, but later he consented to go. He was accompanied by all members of the family of Muhammad who were seventy in number. As they reached Karbilá in ‘Iráq, Husayn and his companions found themselves victims in a trap set for them by Yazid. They were surrounded by 10,000 of Yazid’s warriors, who after cutting off their water and food supply demanded by order of Yazid that Husayn pledge his obedience to their Chief or fight for his life. Husayn and his men companions, who were very few in comparison to the numbers of his enemy, drew their swords and gave battle. For three days they fought desperately. Finally, Husayn fell wounded and was beheaded by Shimr, fulfilling a prophecy of Muhammad.
THIS episode of the martyrdom of Husayn and his brave companions is so important in the estimation of the Shi’ahs that to the present day this sect, especially in Persia, wherever they are, in every land, observe religiously its commemoration. They call this anniversary, “The Day of ‘Ashurá”, meaning the “10th Day” of the Arabian month of Muharram of the year 680 A. D. when Husayn was martyred.
In the second, third and fourth century of the Hijirah the followers of Islam found themselves under the flags of three Kingdoms of different caliphs.
1. The Umayyad Kingdom, a dynasty founded by Mu‘a‘viyih in Syria in 661 A.D. Damascus was their capital.
2. The ‘Abbasid Kingdom, a dynasty founded by ‘Abbas, Muhammad’s uncle in 749 A.D. and their capital was Baghdad.
3. The Fatimite Kingdom, named
from Fatimih, the daughter of Muhammad
and wife of ‘Ali, founded
in 1258. Their capital was Tunis, Algeria.
Later numerous sects were created
but for the sake of brevity, the
Turks may be mentioned here. This
is because the Turks and the Turkish
and Ottoman Empire played an important
role in Islam. The origin of
the Turks is from central Asia, the
country called Turkestan. They were
200,000 in number. When the religion
[Page 431]
of Islam penetrated the heart
of Asia, all of them accepted it. In
strength, and hospitality they resemble
the Arabs and through the influence
of the teachings of Muhammad
they began to advance in good morals
and high ideals. The Arabian statesmen,
especially some of the Abbásid
Caliphs at Baghdad, became very
much concerned over the success and
prestige of the Turks. Finally, fearing
the rising Turk might push himself
forward and grasp the power
from the hand of the Arab, they decided
to break their power by dividing
them into two divisions, one half,
that is 100,000, were to leave altogether
their native land Turkestan,
and migrate to the Near East in Asia
Minor. The Arabs by this plan forgot
to heed Muhammad’s advice, “leave
the Turks alone and do not bother
them as long as they do not bother
you.”
Briefly the Arabs carried their plan thoroughly and effectively. They forced half of the Turks to leave their land. That is how the present Turkey was founded in Asia Minor.
This oppression on the part of the Arabs was such a tragic blow dealt the Turks, that from that very moment the oppressed people became determined to crush the Arabs and make themselves the rulers. They eventually prepared themselves with the necessary equipment and swept upon the Arabs like a hurricane. They proved irresistible and the Arabs learned their fatal mistake when it was too late.
After subduing the Arabs, the Turks marched on the Greeks and the Romans, until they captured their capital Constantinople (Istanbul). That was in 1453 under the leadership of Mohammad II the conqueror.
The Ottoman Sultans and Caliphs began with Ultiman I who in 1299 founded this Turkish dynasty.
The Sultans of Turkey were regarded as the heads of the religious and temporal government of Islam and their capital, Constantinople, remained the seat of their kings until after the world war in 1918, when through Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Ata Turk), the City of Anqarah, in the heart of Asia Minor became the new capital, the name, Caliph, abandoned, and the government was transformed into a republic.
(To be Continued)
An individual is never an isolated being psychologically, not only because of the effect of others as stimuli on him, but because of his very nature which makes it impossible for him to exist or to fulfill himself except as a member of a group. The group is of the most vital importance to him, because of his own nature. Rationality has no meaning if it does not involve an individual functioning as part of a group. The intellectualist mode of thinking was accepted under the delusion that the individual was the unit of thought.
The compulsory regulation of economic activities developed by individual enterprise has produced the philosophy of “collectivism”—a halfway house on the road to that spiritually unified society in which coordination of effort will be accepted as the necessary ethics of an enduring World Order.
•
SOCIAL TRENDS IN AMERICAN LIFE
10. GOVERNMENT
By BERTHA HYDE KIRKPATRICK
•
IN this series of articles an endeavor has been made to review several of the chapters in Professor Counts’ comprehensive book[1] and thus to give a brief survey of the changes which have taken place in American social institutions and practices in the past 150 years and to indicate the present trends as these changes continue. We have seen that in the colonial or pre-industrial period the family was the social or economic unit; that it was virtually self-sustaining, for it produced and manufactured practically all the necessities of life, and that all members of the family took part in this production; that such matters as health, recreation, and education were largely taken care of in the family; that communication was limited to short distances or else took a very long time and from an economic standpoint was unimportant; that science and scientific research as we know them today were unknown; that the
administration of justice was a comparatively simple community affair; that the introduction of power-driven machinery took the processes of production out of the family and created big cities for carrying on centralized industry on an enormous scale; that the whole trend has been towards centralization and collectivism and away from the independence of the individual and the family; that with these changes new social and economic demands have come upon us so rapidly and in such great numbers that we have been unable to make the proper adjustments either in our thinking, our moral standards, or our institutions; that in these changes a favored class has arisen and become powerful and that a submerged and exploited class has developed; and that today there are conflicts and contradictions in American life which are producing chaos and seemingly insurmountable problems.
This survey would not be complete
[Page 433]
without noting the effect which these
tremendous social and economic
changes have had upon the government.
When the central government
of the United States of America was
first established there was a sharp
line between economics and politics.
On this point Professor Counts says:
“Beginning their national existence
with the theory that economics and
politics were fairly distinct departments
of social life, the American
people, without being really aware
of their shift of position and even
while continuing to employ the language
of their fathers, are well on
the road to the opposite arc of the
cycle. The line between economy
and government is becoming increasingly
difficult to discern. Here certainly
is one of the most profound
trends in the history of the United
States.”[2]
This trend is shown by the various aspects of economic legislation with which we find Congress concerned as the changes in industry which we have already noted took place. Not only are taxes and tariffs included in these regulations, but banking, conservation of natural resources, agriculture, labor conditions, corporate enterprise, besides various other business activities and social needs.
THERE is a marked significance in this increasing concern of the government in economic, social and business affairs. It indicates collectivism and socialization although certain powerful and influential groups still proclaim their belief in the individualism that, theoretically, prevailed in the nineteenth century. Some legislation has favored and aided these smaller but influential groups, while other has checked their power and favored the larger mass of the citizens. Says Professor Counts, surveying the data he has assembled in his book: “The corporate or collectivist trend in American economy has moved hand-in-hand with the advance of industrial civilization. This conclusion is suggested by data presented in practically every chapter of the present volume. For a time, as the family surrendered its functions, the burden was often transferred to individual, and private enterprise. But eventually the community, through cooperative or government action, reasserted itself in area after area, but on a vastly enlarged scale. Thus in the spheres of communication and education the state early took a hand. And in the realms of health, recreation, science, and art the trend is clearly toward restraint on the profit seeking motive, toward coordination and socialization of services, and toward the growth of public concern. Even in the field of the administration of the law, the most conservative of institutions, the sense of social responsibility is being quickened.”[3]
What Professor Counts would have
us as intelligent beings do is to get
above our routine habit of thought
and action and our own desires long
enough to see what is happening and
summon all our wisdom and energy
and virtue to working with and guiding
the irresistible current instead of
idly drifting with it or struggling
against it. He points out that the
very technological forces which man’s
brilliant intellect has set in motion
[Page 434]
demand a collectivistic policy. Humanity
has become interdependent.
No longer do we feed ourselves,
clothe ourselves, or go on a journey
without the aid of hundreds or
thousands of our fellow humans.
Neither can individual enterprise unaided
longer initiate and carry out
great business and commercial enterprises
as in the past century. Corporations
and cooperative activities
are working where formerly individuals
or small groups were sufficient.
“The corporation is a form of collective
enterprise”, says Professor
Counts, “coming upon the scene when
individual enterprise proved incapable
of marshalling the huge aggregations
of capital necessary to launch
and sustain the vast undertakings
demanded by industrial society.”[4]
Another evidence of the trend toward a socialized economy is the growth of social planning which, according to Professor Counts, goes hand-in-hand with technology. Technology, he says, “directly opposes because of its planful and rational character, the chaos, the secrecy, the irrationality of the principle of competition and the rule of individual caprice. Appearing first in the sphere of scientific management in industry and proclaiming the revolutionary gospel of efficiency, social planning has spread from one area to another.”[5]
City planning has now become an organized science and national planning appears in many departments of our government. Finally, Professor Counts observes we must not overlook that “in modern society there is a collectivism in disaster. The current depression shows how helpless the individual or family may be in the face of social forces. . . Whether men wish it or not, they live today in a world in which they must share increasingly both prosperity and adversity.”[6]
A “most crucial issue” then arises. “In whose interests,” asks Professor Counts, “are the unrivalled productive forces of the nation to be employed? In whose name will the natural riches, the industrial equipment, the science and technology of the country be administered? . . . Conceivably it might be controlled either in the interests of some small ruling caste, or in the interests of the masses of the people. . . . In the light of the democratic ideal there can of course be but one answer to this question. Whatever institutional arrangements may ultimately prove most satisfactory, the interest of the ordinary man and woman must always be regarded as paramount. No other solution of the problem can be tolerable to the American people. It represents the application of a great historic ideal to the realities of industrial civilization. It represents the union of democracy and some form of collectivism in economy.”[7]
With an economic system established
which provides security and
abundance for all, with people freed
from the anxiety and never ceasing
toil which is now necessary for mere
existence, the American people can
develop higher, more spiritual values.
“At last”, says Professor Counts,
“men may enter a world in which
they may devote their energies, not
to the savage struggle for bread, but
to the cultivation of the things of the
[Page 435]
spirit.”[8]
To bring about the understanding and intelligence necessary for establishing the right kind of economic system Professor Counts would depend largely upon our public schools. New and carefully planned curricula must be introduced. But just here it seems fair to raise the question: can this new social order be brought about simply by making people more intelligent, that is by education in purely intellectual fields? Also, can a plan be agreed upon by a sufficient number to make it workable?
It seems to the present writer that this opportunity to survey ourselves for the past 150 years and to see the present trends, which Professor Counts has given us is a very valuable contribution. All these changes and trends should be understood by people and the facts faced and used intelligently. But also social and economic plans should be studied, especially any such plan which carries with it the spiritual dynamic necessary to cause unity in its acceptance and to furnish power for putting it in action. For the troubles from which humanity is suffering and the diseased condition of the present social order is so deep seated that only a remedy which touches the spiritual nature of man and a plan which includes his spiritual rebirth will avail.
A STUDY of such plans would
lead to the investigation of the great
movement which dawned in Persia
at about the same time these changes
which we have been noting in America
began, a movement whose object
was the establishment of a new world
order. This movement was carried
forward by three Supermen. It was
inaugurated by the Báb, established
by Bahá’u’lláh, developed and proclaimed
in America by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Bahá’u’lláh understood the root of the
changes going on in America and the
world. He also understood that these
changes were more far-reaching than
is realized by most people and would
inevitably result in a new and infinitely
better social and economic order
than the world has ever seen. Most
pointedly He wrote, “Soon will the
present order be rolled up and a new
one spread out in its stead.” Knowing
that even the wisest men could
not agree upon the best plan for this
new world order, He Himself laid
down its essential principles and
scope. These laws, principles, and
exhortations should be studied by all
who desire to help to bring in a better
social order. We speak not lightly
or superstitiously when we say they
are God-given to meet the present
emergency. Of this world order
Shoghi Effendi has said, “It is toward
this goal—the goal of a new world
order, Divine in origin, all-embracing
in scope, equitable in principle, challenging
in its features—that a harassed
humanity must strive.” This
world order calls for simultaneous
disarmament by all the nations of the
world; for world peace which would
be insured by a world super-state and
international court; for an international
auxiliary language which would
greatly aid world understanding; for
equal educational opportunities for
all which would include religious and
spiritual education; for a use of scientific
inventions and discoveries for
[Page 436]
the impartial good of all mankind
and for the understanding that there
is no fundamental conflict between
science and religion; for social and
economic justice for all classes (there
must be no idle rich and no idle
poor, labor disputes must be settled
so that there will be no injustice
either to the owners or the workers,
the workers must be part owners,
that is there must be profit sharing,
taxes must be adjusted and graduated
in a fair way); and finally, for one
universal religion.
The basic principle of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order is the welfare of all mankind, that all classes, races and nations shall receive equal opportunities. In regard to the changes which this World Order will initiate, Shoghi Effendi says: “The call of Bahá’u’lláh is primarily directed against all forms of provincialism, all insularities and prejudices. If long-cherished ideals and time-honored institutions, if certain social assumptions and religious formulae have ceased to promote the welfare of the generality of mankind, if they no longer minister to the needs of a continually evolving humanity, let them be swept away and relegated to the limbo of obsolescent and forgotten doctrines. Why should these, in a world subject to the immutable law of change and decay, be exempt from the deterioration that must needs overtake every human institution? For legal standards, political and economic theories are solely designed to safeguard the interests of humanity as a whole, and not humanity to be crucified for the preservation of the integrity of any particular law or doctrine.”
And these further words of Shoghi Effendi will help us to understand the depth of the meaning and the vastness of the scope of Bahá’u’lláh’s World Order: “It calls for no less than the reconstruction and the demilitarization of the whole civilized world—a world organically unified in all the essential aspects of its life, its political machinery, its spiritual aspiration, its trade and finance, its script and language, and yet infinite in the diversity of the national characteristics of its federated units.
“It represents the consummation of human evolution—an evolution that has had its earliest beginnings in the birth of family life, its subsequent development in the achievement of tribal solidarity, leading in turn to the constitution of the city- state, and expanding later into the institution of independent and sovereign nations.
“The principle of the Oneness of Mankind, as proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh, carries with it no more and no less than a solemn assertion that attainment to this final stage in this stupendous evolution is not only necessary but inevitable, that its realization is fast approaching, and that nothing short of a power that is born of God can succeed in establishing it.”[9]
SURELY it is no mere accident
that at the same time when collectivism
in many and ramifying
forms was developing in America,
leading in a definite direction but
making many problems, Bahá’u’lláh’s
teaching was being established in the
[Page 437]
East and being spread into the West.
When the need becomes urgent the
remedy is at hand. “At so critical an
hour in the history of civilization it
behooves the leaders of all the nations
of the world, great and small,
. . . to give heed to the clarion call of
Bahá’u’lláh and, . . . arise manfully
to carry out in its entirety the one
remedial scheme He, the Divine
Physician, has prescribed for an ailing
humanity.”[10] But especially is it encumbent
upon America not only to
apply this remedy to her own affairs,
but to take the lead in applying it to
world affairs, “For America has developed
powers and capacities greater
and more wonderful than other
nations.”[11]
(Concluded)
- ↑ George S. Counts, The Social Foundations of Education. Scribners.
- ↑ Ibid, p. 421.
- ↑ Ibid, p. 501.
- ↑ Ibid, p. 502.
- ↑ Ibid, p. 505.
- ↑ Ibid, p. 506.
- ↑ Ibid, p. 530.
- ↑ Ibid, p. 531.
- ↑ Goal of a New World Order, p. 22.
- ↑ Ibid, p. 16.
- ↑ America and the Most Great Peace, Quoted on p. 8 from the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
The Professor of Philosophy at Lake Erie College analyzes three current books in which established religious traditions seek to relate truth to the unparalleled demands of the present epoch.
•
RELIGIOUS PATHS AND WORLD ORDER
By PAUL RUSSELL ANDERSON
•
MEN seek satisfying paths of
human living in varied ways. One of
the paradoxes of religion is that the
religious life demands clear purpose
and sincere conviction, while the attainment
of such purpose and conviction
invariably creates a closed circle
oftentimes accompanied by dogmatism
and intolerance. The way out
of such provincialism is hardly
through the development of religious
imperialism, no matter how subtle
and attractively decorated it may be.
Men’s minds do not function the same
and men’s emotions are not expressed
in like manner. It is impossible for
the hard-shelled rationalist to prove
or disprove the validity of the mystic
way. It is equally difficult for the
mystic to convince the rationalist of
the efficacy of an experience he
prima facie excludes from consideration.
Argument, whether based on
the coherence of logical assumptions
or on the more flexible ground work
of emotional satisfaction, rarely augments
the ranks of any particular
faith to any appreciable degree. The
forces which lead men this way or
that in the selection of a satisfying
religion are varied and contradictory;
the strongest, and most often the
[Page 438]
deciding, influence is the particular
psychological make-up of the individual
with its resultant stresses and
strains out of which is forged a satisfying
program and way of human
living. A highly theological faith
will satisfy some but not others. The
same is true of ethical refinement and
of mystical enthusiasm. The hope of
religion seems to lie more in a tolerant
and appreciative interest in many
ways of life rather than in the exclusive
projection of any one limited
creed.
I
MAURICE RECKITT’S book on
Christian Sociology takes an unpopular
view of religion in an age little
enamored of the wiles of theology.[1]
Sociologists shun the use of such a
phrase as “Christian Sociology,” implying
as it does a preconceived view
of social life. Sociology has been attempting
to make itself as scientific
as possible and, being young as it
is, violently opposes being used in
such a setting, perhaps even more
than the physicist would in the use
of such a phrase as “Christian Physics.”
“Christian Sociology” has been
used more in England than in America
and Mr. Reckitt does well to define
the meaning of his terms to include,
in addition to the empirical interests
of Sociology proper, a vision of a
social order based on Christian values
and a code of social ethics for the
individual. The author presents a
composite position deriving much of
his thought from the ideals of the
Christian Social Movement and adding
many of his own applications of
this thought to the evils of the modern
industrial and financial order.
The key to his whole thought is to
be found in the first and last chapters
in which he contends that the true
motive for social action today lies
not in any empirical ethic but in theology
itself. He is critical of secularism
for its emphasis upon natural
events and tendencies over against
the power of the human will, its
gradual contraction of the area of
moral judgment, and its criterion of
personality as success in the world
of finance. Only by a preservation
of Christian faith in the Trinity can
society be regenerated. He says, “For
faith is the oxygen without which
society cannot live in health and vitality,
and it is even less discoverable
upon the purely natural plane.” His
is not an other-worldly view, except
as he feels the motive for social progress
must be generated by the consciousness
of a supernatural divine
will and purpose. Industrial, or financial,
civilization has gone on the
rocks, he feels, because it has not
been inspired by the proper dynamic.
Political life has suffered from the
lack of conscience and a program for
the development of the good life; it
has lacked moral incentive. He feels
that in and through the political
order must be infused a Christian
motive inspired by Christian men.
Religion must embrace the whole of
life and not be pidgeon-holed as an
accessory. The release of personality
must be the goal toward which Christian
Sociology must work in order
to save man from complete subservience
to non-moral industrial civilization.
He stresses the need for
vocation rather than employment,
[Page 439]
contends that interest in vocation
should be provided for every man,
that the tension of industrial effort
should be relieved by alternating
creative and repetitive work, that
such products of industrial life as
cannot be manufactured without unrelieved
strain should be discarded,
that work should be related to social
utility. These, along with other
changes, he feels, would provide
greater justice in the social order. He
hopes for a greater distribution of
leisure to free man from enslavement
to the machine. He favors Social
Credit as a way of providing greater
credit for the consumer, clearer determination
of a “just price” and greater
distribution of wealth. The Whole
industrial order must be controlled
and guided, not by the desire to
acquire money but by the ideal of
freeing human personality.
HIS chapter on “A World Order” suggests the necessity of less international organization but more unity of mankind on the basis of fundamental beliefs. International financial machinery, the League of Nations, all existing institutions for the furtherance of world order are limited in possibility because they are products of a world not united by theological agreement. His conviction is that the true unity of mankind can come only as a unified religious orthodoxy is developed. To him, that religious unity can be found only in Christianity. He says, “The effort to establish universal brotherhood without giving men any finer reasons than those which fear or convenience may supply for their regarding those naturally strange to them as brothers, is an effort that can never succeed. There can be no secure guarantee of fellowship apart from the acknowledgment of the Source, the Holy Trinity, from which fellowship springs.”
Obviously, Mr. Reckitt’s position is anti-empirical and none too realistic. There is little agreement among Christian thinkers themselves as to the ultimate practical goals of human life and there is little reason to suspect that Christian imperialism will ever be very successful; it certainly hasn’t been in the past. The motive behind what the author says, namely, to inspire the development of reasoned social goals based upon principles of justice and goodness is highly provocative and worthy. As to how these can be attained through theological agreement, after centuries and ages of toil in that direction, remains a mystery. One cannot doubt, however, the appeal of belief and orthodoxy to many people. It is upon this alone that much of the strength of some faiths depends today. Men do not, and probably will not, be satisfied to live without some thought about the nature of the world, but the importance of reasoned belief may, or may not, lead to the convictions about the social order which Mr. Reckitt holds.
II
The way of the orthodox is based
upon the tenability of certain beliefs
which are held to have sanction in
the very nature of the universe. In
this the mystic follows rather closely.
The mystic is more individualistic
than the orthodox person but rooted
[Page 440]
in the very marrow of his soul is a
deep conviction that the universe is
friendly toward him and possesses
goodness as a fundamental attribute.
It is such a conviction which gives
him solace in moments of despair,
ecstatic serenity in moments of peace.
The way of orthodoxy leads to formalism,
the way of the mystic
leads to an adventurous future. Sir
Francis Younghusband’s recent book
on contemporary, or near contemporary,
mystics presents a varied
picture of the way the mystic seeks
the satisfying life.[2] The figures Sir
Francis portrays have all lived somewhat
within his own lifetime. His
selection includes names not well-
known to the average reader, but
characters whose lives present delightfully
varied experiences along
the mystic way about whom the
mechanically-dominated individual
in western life might well read with
great profit. From Hindu life he has
chosen Keshub Chander Sen, the reforming
prophet, Ramakrishna, the
provincial priest, and Vivekananda,
Ramakrishna’s evangelical follower.
Ste. Thérèse de Lisieux, the misanthropic
nun, represents Roman
Catholicism, the authoress of The
Golden Fountain Protestantism, and
Evan Roberts and the Welsh Revival
mass mysticism. The Báb, with important
qualifications, is chosen to
represent Muhammadan mysticism.
With this varied coterie of personalities
the distinctness and yet the similarity
of all mystical experience finds
expression.
THE Báb, although not a typical representative of Muhammadan mysticism, was chosen because he shared the joy, serenity, and firmness of conviction characteristic of mysticism and because of his modernity; The Báb is pictured by Sir Francis as the Imam so patiently awaited by the Shiah sect of Islam. The author deals with the Báb’s revelation to Husayn, his selection of his followers, his trip to Mecca and its resultant disappointment, the penetration of the Báb’s faith through Persia, the continued persecution and martyrdom of Ali, Husayn, Quddus and finally of the Báb himself, and the furtherance of the cause through Bahá’u’lláh. Sir Francis spends more time on the Báb’s sense of prophethood and his power of revelation than on the resultant movement and the social and religious ideals which followed; this is to be expected in a volume whose purpose is to bring out the mystical leanings of modern seers. The Báb’s sense of a divine plan working in and through him associates him somewhat more with the mystic way than is true of many of his followers whose practical social zeal has carried them far.
Sir Francis sees certain common
experiences among mystics, namely,
earnestness of purpose, yearning after
perfection, suffering, joy, serenity,
certitude, desire to communicate
joy, and a sense of fellowship with
others. The differences, however,
are no less apparent. Some hear
voices, others have visions; their approaches,
the method of transmitting
their experiences, and their attitude
toward celibacy differ. The author
seeks, in his last two chapters, to arrive
at some tenable conclusions about
[Page 441]
the mystic way in modern life. He
sees the necessity of combining mystic
intuition with rational thought, basing
fundamental concepts of the
natural world on science and philosophy
but adding to these the mystic
sense of unity in, and friendliness
with, the universe. He looks upon
the creative process at work in the
universe as a developing one in which
man’s energies must be exerted to
the full, yet inspired by the vision of
a world unitary in purpose. He sees
no necessity for the mystic to resign
from active participation in the quest
for personal enlargement or to practice
celibacy, but conceives of the
mystic emotion as a more complete
expression of the personality of man.
He says, “So judging, the aim in the
world process would seem to be a
state of living more intense and more
ecstatic than even the joy of lovers
can give us an inkling, and bringing
a serenity and assurance which can
only come of completest satisfaction
of every need of body, mind and
spirit.” He sees through the extenuation
of mysticism a world peopled
with creative spirits, individual and
free, yet united in a common spirit of
friendly communication with the
Creative Spirit. Sir Francis’ own
view of mysticism will probably seem
more ennobling to the average contemporary
than the views of some
of the figures he deals with in this
volume. Nevertheless, for an understanding
of the variety of ways the
mystic seeks solace and serenity this
book merits attention.
III
IN contrast to the temper
of mind which seeks a way of life
through conviction of a supernatural
destiny or through an intuitive grasp
of reality stands the modern naturalist
with his faith in scientific knowledge
and in the human values which
can be derived from it. The acquiescent
and the aesthetic is often paralleled
by the ethical way, sometimes
with much greater poignancy for
those who seek it and seek it sincerely.
The modern industrial era has
made us well aware of the almost
unlimited possibilities in human life;
it has made many feel that the values
of this life are certain, that transcendent
values and supernatural hopes are
illusory. To this practical, yet highly
cultural, interest have turned many
modern minds. One representative
of this tendency is Rationalism, a
movement ably espoused by Har
Dayal in his recent book.[3] Dayal
contends that the supreme devotion
of human life should be to the enrichment
of human personality
through the development of the life
of the mind. It is a distinctly humanistic
position, disdaining the ultimate
problems of the nature and destiny of
the universe in favor of the immediate
concerns of human life. There is
evidence of wide reading in many
fields of human knowledge, a richness
of example and reference in this
volume, but all is tied up with the
fundamental hypothesis of the author
that human personality has a distinct
plane of its own in the universe and,
being the highest plane, it should demand
primary allegiance in the hope
of extending its boundaries to make
life more pleasant and abundant. The
book is divided into four parts dealing
[Page 442]
with intellectual, physical, aesthetic,
and ethical culture. Each of these
is subdivided into chapters dealing
with various fields with which the
modern man should acquaint himself
and through which man can be emancipated.
It appeals to the reviewer
as a very helpful guide to the
average college student, or the like,
whose knowledge is somewhat dissembled
and whose greatest need
oftentimes is a broadened view of
various ennobling fields of human
culture. The conclusions at which
Dayal often arrives are less valuable
than the circumspect view of human
knowledge he takes. As a matter of
fact, there is constant arrogance as
far as the certainty of his conclusions
is concerned. For instance, in dealing
with science, after having spoken of
astronomy, he says that one will always
be free from superstition if three
truths are accepted: (1) that nature
is automatic and autonomous, (2)
that the universe is without beginning
or end, and (3) that there is no creator
or creation. Or again, in speaking
of philosophy, he warns of pitfalls
in even being interested in the Absolute
(or any substitute), the problem
of knowledge, the problem of
judgments, the problem of determinism,
and the relations of mind
and matter. Such a statement as this
shows the provincial and exclusive
nature of his thought: “Don’t waste
time on the unscientific metaphysicians,
ancient and modern. They do
not deserve to be named.” Who is
to judge as to when you have come
across an unscientific metaphysician?
One can be very scientific in one age
and unscientific in another.
It would be well to present the
author’s thought on two significant
subjects, personal ethics and what he
terms “The Five Concentric Circles.”
In ethics he rejects all value philosophy,
with complete and sweeping
denial, based on theological or metaphysical
tenets. In this, he wipes the
slate clean of most of the significant
ethical views of the past. He proposes
that the ideal of life is “The
complete and harmonious develoment
of human Personality in all its
four aspects—physical, intellectual,
aesthetic, and ethical.” Such a personality
must be developed in the
social milieu, with the guidance of a
living teacher and the inspiration of
great prophetic figures, through fellowship
and through meditation. The
two chief virtues, he contends, are
earnestness and unselfishness (or sociability).
Earnestness is comprised
of simplicity and conscientiousness.
Unselfishness is expressed through
helpfulness, patience, appreciativeness,
right speech, modesty, love of
justice, and fairness to animals. Kindness
and service should be practiced
toward defectives, the sick, the poor,
and institutions which serve these
groups. Humanity, he feels, is basically
one. The barriers which keep
mankind apart are race and nationality.
He suggests a chemically applied
paint to make men the same color
and an international language such as
Esperanto to bridge national barriers.
The unity of humanity should be
furthered by five great allegiances,
which he figuratively speaks of as
“The Five Concentric Circles.” They
are family, relatives, municipality,
nation, and world-state. The world-
[Page 443]
state as the logical culmination of
human effort points toward the oneness
of mankind. This development,
he contends, can never come through
arbitration and diplomacy, which
such organs as the League of Nations
represent. It must come through a
re-education of the human race in
world history rather than national
history, in the establishment of a
world-capital, a world literature and
language, increased travel, a developing
social homogeneity and a world
philosophy. This world-state would
be guided by no particular religion,
for ethical aims would be a part of
the political order itself. Democracy,
liberty, equality and fraternity would
be the basic pillars of the new political
order. Capitalism must die and
socialism, with properly controlled
production, consumption, and distribution,
take its place. Only through
such drastic changes in the world of
the present does the author feel the
new world order can develop. Realistic
enough to appreciate the imaginative
vision in which his ideas are
framed, he hopes only that the march
of civilization can be steady and secure
enough to bring these ultimate
values to fruition.
IV
THE views presented by these three authors are in some respects inspired by opposite poles of fundamental belief. The Christian evangelical sees the way through accepted religious tenets. The mystic looks to the future as an unravelling of the spiritual forces of mankind. The humanist favors the freeing of man from ignorance and superstition and the substitution for these of practical social objectives. The first is logically determined, the second intuitively inspired, and the third empirically grounded. Despite, however, the diversity of fundamental approaches, the goal toward which these paths strive is remarkably akin in outline. All recognize the validity of sincere convictions as basic for consistent and consequential progress. All see the necessity for the rebirth of some shared vision of human living. All agree on the practicality of programs of action to right the course of human civilization. All alike see the ultimate demand of a world culture before the significant universal problems of today can be satisfactorily solved. The urgency of the present hour for friendly intercourse between nations and races permits of no time to waste energy on the disintegrating effect of argument over approaches. It does command the cohering allegiance of all, of whatever temperament or inclination, to merge forces in the attainment of the real and significant goals toward which the civilized world must move. In the quest for world order based upon equity and equality the theologian, the mystic and the ethicist can combine. One cannot submerge really significant differences of opinion but one can emphasize the important points of agreement. The way of the individual may be as varied as inclination itself, but if the goal be not dissimilar, as it seems not to be with the present writers, the hopeful search for a universal human society may be found to be more smooth than present affairs would dare suggest.
WORLD ORDER
“The world’s equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order.”—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
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The old order perishes, not to be restored, but beneath the forces of destruction a universal, a divine Spirit remolds humanity within the creation of a new order and a new cycle of unity, of spiritual knowledge and of peace.
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