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APRIL.1944
THE BIRTH OF THE BABi REVELATION Shoghi Effendi
DEDICATION TO THE WORLD’S PEACE Editorial
Garreta Busey
WORLD DEMOCRACY AND THE RACES Robert W. Kenney
NEW WORLD A-COMING Book Revieuz
Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick
FEAST OF RlvaN References
WITH OUR READERS Editorial
15:
{THE BAHA’I’ MAGAZINE ;
W arlzl Order was founded March 21, 1910 as Bahá’í News, the first organ of the American Bahá’ís. In March, 1911, its title was changed' 7 to Star of the West. Beginning November, 1922 the magazine appeared ' 3% under the name of The Bahá’í Magazine. The issue of April, 1935 " i 9 carried the present title of World Order, combining The Bahá’í Maga- , _ zine and W orld Unity, which had been founded October, 1927. The , "2: present number represents Volume XXXV of the continuous Bahá’ír A publication.
WORLD ORDER is published monthly in Wilmette, 111., by the Publishing Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. EDITORS: Garreta Busey, Alice Simmons Cox, Gertrude K. Henning, Horace Holley, Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick.
Editofidl Office 69 Annorsronn ROAD, Wmmmn, ILL.
Publication Office 110 LINDEN AVENUE, Wanna, In.
C R. Wood, Business Manager Printed in U.S.A.
APRIL, 1944, VOLUME X, NUMBER 1
SUBSCRIPTIONS: $1.50 per year, for United States, its territories and possessions; for Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Central and South America. Single copies, 15c. Foreign subscriptions, $1.75. Make checks and money orders payable to World Order Magazine, 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinqis. Entered as second class > ,, matter April 1,1940, at the post office at Wilmette, 111., under the Act of March ‘1 3,1879. Contents copyrighted 1944 by Bahá’í Publishing Committee.Title , ,registered at U. S. Patent Office.
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CHANGE OF ADDRESS SHOULD BE REPORTED ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE
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VOLUME X
AY 23, 1844, signalizes the commencement of the most turbulent period of the Heroic Age of the Bahá’í Era, an age which marks the opening of the most glorious epoch in the greatest cycle which the spiritual history of mankind has yet witnessed. No more than a span of nine short years marks the duration of this most spectacular, this most tragic, this most eventful period of the first Bahá’í century. It was ushered in by the birth of a Revelation whose Bearer posterity will acclaim as the “Point round Whom the realities of the Prophets and ”Messengers revolve”, and terminated with the first stirrings of a still more potent Revelation, “whose day”, Bahá’u’lláh Himself affirms, “every Prophet hath announced”, for which “the soul
‘ of every Divine Messenger hath gt‘hirsted”, and through which
WOBLD GBDEB
The Bahá’í Magazine APRIL, 1944
NUMBER 1
The Birth of the Bábi Revelation
SHOGHI EFFENDI
“God hath proved the hearts of the entire company of His Messengers and Prophets”. Little, wonder that the immortal chronicler of the events associated with the birth and rise of the Bahá’í Revelation has seen fit to devote no less than half of his moving narrative to the description of those happenings that have during such a brief space of time so greatly enriched, through their tragedy and heroism, the religious annals of mankind. In sheer dramatic power, in the rapidity with which events of momentous importance succeeded each other, in the holocaust which baptized its birth, in the miraculous circumstances attending the martyrdom of the One Who had ushered it in, in the potentialities with which it had been from the outset so thoroughly impregnated, in the forces to which it eventually gave birth, this nine year
2
period may well rank as unique in the whole range of man’s religious experience. We behold, as we survey the episodes of this first act of a sublime drama, the figure of its Master Hero, the B511), arise meteor-like above the horizon of s_lliréz, traverse the sombre sky of Persia from south to north, decline with tragic swiftness, and perish in a blaze of glory. We see His satellites, a galaxy of God-intoxicated heroes, mount above that same horizon, irradiate that same incandescent light, burn themselves out with that self-same swiftness, and impart in their turn an added impetus to the steadily gathering momentum of God’s nascent Faith.
He Who communicated the original impulse to so incalculable a Movement was none other than the promised Qa’im (He who ariseth), the Sahibu’z-Zamén (the Lord of the Age), Who assumed the exclusive right of annulling the Whole Qur’ánic Dispensatjon, Who styled Himself “the Primal Point from which have been generated all created things . . . the Countenance of God Whose splendor can never be obscured, the Light of God Whose radiance can never fade.” The people among whom He appeared were the most decadent
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race in the civilized world, grossly ignorant, savage, cruel, steeped in prejudice, servile in their submission to an almost deified hierarchy, ‘ recalling in their abjectness the Israelites of Egypt in the days of Moses, in their fanaticism the Jews in the days of Jesus, and in their perversity the idolators of Arabia in the days of Muhammad. The arch-enemy who repudiated His claim, challenged His authority, persecuted His Cause, succeeded in almost quenching His light, and who eventually became disintegrated under the impact of His Revelation was the Shi‘ih priesthood. Fiercely fanatic, unspeakably corrupt, enjoying unlimited ascendancy over the masses, jealous of their position, and irreconcilahly opposed to all liberal ideas, the members of this caste had for one thousand years invoked the name of the Hidden Imam, their breasts had glowed with the expectation of His advent, their pulpits had rung with the praises of His world-embracing dominion, their lips were still devoutl)r and perpetually murmuring prayers for the hastening of His coming. The willing tools who prostituted their high office for the accomplishment of the enemy’s designs were no less than the sovereigns
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THE BABI' REVELATION 3
of the Qéjar dynasty, first, the bigoted, the sickly, the vacillating Muhammad Shah, who at the last moment cancelled the Béh’s imminent visit to the capital, and, second, the youthful and inexperienced Nésiri’d-Din Shéh, who gave his ready assent to the sentence of his Captive’s death. The arch villains who joined hands With the prime movers of so wicked a conspiracy were the two grand visirs, Hájí Mirzá Áqásí, the idolized tutor of Muhammad Shah, a vulgar, falseh e a r t e d a n d fickle-minded schemer, and the arbitrary, bloodthirsty, reckless AmirNizém, Mirzá Taqi Iflién, the first of whom exiled the Bath to the mountain fastnesses of Adhirhéyjén, and the latter decreed His death in Tahriz. Their accomplice in these and other heinous crimes was a government bolstered up by a flock of idle, parasitical princelings and governors, corrupt, incompetent, tenaciously holding to their illgotten privileges, and utterly subservient to a notoriously degraded clerical order. The heroes whose deeds shine upon! the record of this fierce spiritual contest, involving at once people, clergy, monarch and government, were the Béh’s chosen disciples, the Letters of the Living, and
their companions, the trail-hreakers of the New Day, who to so much intrigue, ignorance, depravity, cruelty, superstition and cowardice opposed a spirit exalted, unquenchahle and aweinspiring, a knowledge surprisingly profound, an eloquence sweeping in its force, a piety unexcelled in fervor, a courage leonine in its fierceness, a selfahnegation saintly in its purity, a resolve granite-like in its firmness, a vision stupendous in its range, a veneration for the Prophets and His Iméms disconcerting to their adversaries, a power of persuasion alarming to their antagonists7 a standard of faith and a code of conduct that challenged and revolutionized the lives of their countrymen.
The opening scene of the initial act of this great drama was laid in the upper chamber of the modest residence of the son of a mercer of Shíráz, in an obscure corner of that city. The time was the hour before sunset, on the 22nd day of May, 1844. The participants were the Báb, a twenty-five year old siyyid, of pure and holy lineage, and the young Mullá Husayn, the first to believe in Him. Their meeting immediately before that interview seemed to be purely fortuitous. The interview itself was
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protracted till the hour of dawn. The Host remained closeted alone with His guest, nor was the sleeping city remotely aware of the import of the conversation they held with each other. No record has passed to posterity of that unique night save the fragmentary but highly illuminating account that fell from the lips of Mullá. Husayn.
“I sat spellbound by His utterance, oblivious of time and of those who awaited me,” he himself has testified, after describing the nature of the questions he had put to his Host and the conclusive replies he had received from Him, replies which had established beyond the shadow of a doubt the validity of His claim to be the promised Qa’1m.“Suddenly the call of the Mu’ ad_hd__l_1in, summoning the faithful to their morning prayer, awakened me from the state of ecstasy into which I seemed to have fallen. All the delights, all the inefiable glories, which the Almighty has recounted in His Book as the priceless possessions of the people of Paradise—these I seemed to be experiencing that night. Methinks I was in a place of which it could be truly said: ‘Therein no toil shall reach us, and therein no weariness shall touch us’; ‘No vain discourse
shall they bear therein, nor any falsehood, but only the cry, “Peace! Peace!” ’; ‘Their cry therein shall be, “Glory to Thee, O God!” and their salutation therein, “Peace”, and the close of their cry, “Praise be to God, Lord of all creatures!” ’ Sleep had departed from me that night. I was enthralled by the music of that voice which rose and fell as He chanted; now swelling forth as He revealed verses of the Qayyfimu’l-As‘mé’, again acquiring ethereal, subtle harmonies as He uttered the prayers He was revealing. At the end of each invocation, He would repeat this verse: ‘F ar from the glory of thy Lord, the All-Glorious, be that Which His creatures affirm of Him! And peace be upon His Messengers! And praise be to God, the Lord of all beings!’ ”
“This Revelation”, Mullá Husayn has further testified, “so suddenly and impetuously thrust upon me, came as a thunderbolt which, for a time, seemed to have benumbed my faculties. I was blinded by its dazzling splendor and overwhelmed by its crushing force. Excitement, joy, awe, and wonder stirred the depths of my soul. Predominant among these emotions was a sense of gladness and strength which seemed to have transfigured me.
THE BABf REVELATION 5
How feeble and impotent, how dejected and timid, I had felt previously! Then I could neither write nor walk, so tremulous were my hands and feet. Now, however, the knowledge of His Revelation had galvanized my being. I felt possessed of such courage and power that were the world, all its peoples and its potentates, to rise against me, I would, alone and undaunted, withstand their onslaught. The universe seemed but a handful of dust in my grasp. I seemed to be the voice of Gabriel personified, calling unto all mankind: ‘Awake, for, 10! the morning Light has broken. Arise, for His Cause is made manifest. The portal of His grace is open wide; enter therein, O peoples of the world! For He Who is your promised One is come!’ ”
A more significant light, however, is shed on this episode, marking the Declaration of the Mission of the Bath, by the perusal of that “first, greatest and mightiest” of all books in the Babi Dispensation, the celebrated commentary on the Sfirih of Joseph, the first chapter of which, we are assured, proceeded, in its entirety, in the course of that night of nights from the pen of its divine Revealer. The description of this episode by Mullá
Husayn, as well as the opening pages of that Book attest the magnitude and force of that weighty Declaration. A claim to be no less than the mouthpiece of God Himself, promised by the Prophets of bygone ages; the assertion that He was, at the same time, the Herald of One immeasurably greater than Himself; the summons which He trumpeted forth to the kings and princes of the earth; the dire warnings directed to the Chief Magistrate of the realm, Muhammad §héh; the counsel imparted to Haji Mirza Aqasi to fear God, and the peremptory command to abdicate his authority as grand vizir of the Sháh and submit to the One Who is the “Inheritor of the earth and all that is therein”; the challenge issued to the rulers of the world proclaiming the self-suHiciency of His Cause, denouncing the vanity of their ephemeral power, and calling upon them to “lay aside, one and all, their dominion”, and deliver His Message to “lands in both the East and the West” — these constitute the dominant features of that initial contact that marked the birth, and fixed the date, of the inception of the most glorious era in the spiritual life of mankind. With this historic Declaration
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the dawn of an Age that signalizes the consummation of all ages‘ had broken. The first impulse of a momentous Revelation had been communicated to the one “but for whom”, according to the testimony of the Kitáb-i-lqa’m, “God would not have been established upon the seat of His mercy, nor ascended the throne of eternal glory.” Not until forty days had elapsed, however, did the enrollment of the seventeen remaining Letters of the Living commence. Gradually, spontaneously, some in sleep, others while awake, some through fasting and prayer, others through dreams and vis'ions, they discovered the Object of their quest, and were enlisted under the banner of the new-born Faith. The last, but in rank the first, of these Letters to be inscribed on the Preserved Tablet was the erudite, the twenty-two year old Quddfis, a direct descendant of the Imém Hasan and the most esteemed disciple of Siyyid Káẓim. Immediately preceding him, a woman, the only one of her sex, who, unlike her fellow-disciples, never attained the presence of the B511), was invested with the rank of apostleship in the new Dispensation. A poetess, little under thirty years of age, of distinguished birth, of bewitching charm, of
captivating eloquence, indomitable in spirit, unorthodox in her views, audacious in her acts, immortalized as Táhirih (the Pure One) by the “Tongue of Glory”, and sumamed Qurratu’l-‘Ayn (Solace of the Eyes) by Siyyid Káẓim, her teacher, she had, in consequence of the appearance of the Báb to her in a dream, received the first intimation of a Cause which was destined to exalt her to the fairest heights of fame, and on which she, through her bold heroism, was to shed such imperishable luster.
These “first Letters generated from the Primal Point”, this “company of angels arrayed before God on the Day of His coming”, these “Repositories of His Mystery”, these “Springs that have welled out from the Source of His Revelation”, these first companions who, in the words of the Persian Bayan, “enjoy nearest access to God”, these “Luminaries that have, from everlasting, bowed down, and will everlastingly continue to bow down, before the Celestial Throne”, and lastly these “elders” mentioned in the Book of Revelation as “sitting before God on their seats”, “clothed in white raiment” and wearing on their heads “crowns of gold”these were, ere their dispersal,
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THE BABf REVELATION 7
summoned to the Báb’s presence, Who addressed to them His parting Words, entrusted to each a specific task, and assigned to some of them as the proper field of their activities their native provinces. He enjoined them to observe the utmost caution and moderation in their behavior, unveiled the loftiness of their rank, and stressed the magnitude of their responsibilities. He recalled the words addressed by Jesus to His disciples, and emphasized the superlative greatness' of the New Day. He warned them lest by turning back they forfeit the Kingdom of God, and assured them that if they did God’s bidding, God would make them His heirs and spiritual leaders among men. He hinted at the secret, and announced the approach, of a still mightier Day, and bade them prepare themselves for its advent. He called to remembrance the triumph of Abraham over Nimrod, of Moses over Pharoah, of Jesus over the Jewish people, and of Muhammad over the tribes of Arabia, and asserted the inevitability and ultimate ascendancy of His own Revelation. To the care of Mullá Ḥusayn He committed a mission, more specific in character and mightier in import. He affirmed that His covenant with
him had been established, cautioned him to be forbearing with the divines he would encounter, directed him to proceed to Ṭihrán, and alluded, in the most glowing terms‘, to the as yet unrevealed Mystery enshrined in that city—a Mystery that would, He affirmed, transcend the light shed by both Hijéz and Shíráz.
Galvanized into action by the mandate conferred upon them, launched on their perilous and revolutionizing mission, these lesser luminaries who, together with the Báb, constitute the first Vahid (Unity) of the Dispensation of the Bayén, scattered far and wide through the 'provinces of their native land, where, with matchless heroism, they resisted the savage and concerted onslaught of the forces arrayed against them, and immortalized their Faith by their own exploits and those of their co-religionists, raising thereby a tumult that convulsed their country and sent its echoes reverberating as far as the capitals of Western Europe.
It was not until, however, the Bab had received the eagerly anticipated letter of Mullá Husayn, His trusted and beloved lieutenant, communicating the joyful tidings of his interview with Bahá’u’lláh, that He decided to undertake His long and
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arduous pilgrimage to the Tombs of His ancestors. In the month of Sha‘bén, of the year 1260 A.H. (September, 1844) He Who, both on His father’s and mother’s side, was of the seed of the illustrious Fátimih, and Who was a descendant of the Imam Husayn, the most eminent among the lawful successors of the Prophet of Islam, proceeded, in fulfilment of Islamic traditions, to visit the Kaaba. He embarked from Bfishihr on the 19th of Ramadan (October, 1844) on a sailing vessel, accompanied by Quddfis whom He was assiduously preparing for the assumption of his future office. Landing at Jaddih after a stormy voyage of over a month’s duration, He donned the pilgrim’s garb, mounted a camel, and set out for Mecca, arriving on the first of th’l-Hajjih (December 12). Quddfis, holding the bridle in his hands, accompanied his Master on foot to that holy Shrine. On the day of ‘Arafih, the Prophet-pilgrim of Shíráz, His chronicler relates, devoted His whole time to prayer. On the day of Nahr He proceeded to Muné, where He sacrificed according to custom nineteen lambs, nine in His own name, seven in the name of Quddfis, and three in the name of the
Ethiopian servant who attended Him. He afterwards, in company with the other pilgrims, encompassed the Kaaba and performed the rites prescribed for the pilgrimage.
His visit to Hijéz was marked by two episodes of particular importance. The first was the declaration of His mission and His open challenge to the haughty Mirzá Muhit-i-Kirméni, one of the most outstanding exponents of the §hayk_hi school, who at times went so far as to assert his independence of the leadership of that school assumed after the death of Siyyid Káẓim by Hájí Muhammad Karim Khan, a redoubtable enemy of the Bábi Faith. The second was the invitation, in the form of an Epistle, conveyed by Quddfis, to the Sherif of Mecca, in which the custodian of the House of God was called upon to embrace the truth of the new Revelation. Absorbed in his own pursuits the Sherif however failed to respond. Seven years later, when in the course of a conversation with a certain Hájí Niyaz-i-Baghdádi, this s'ame Sherif was informed of the circumstances attending the mission and martyrdom of the Prophet of Shiréz, he listened attentively to the description of those events
THE 3531' REVELATION 9
and expressed his indignation at the tragic fate that had overtaken Him.
The Báb’s visit to Medina marked the conclusion of His pilgrimage. Regaining Jaddih, He returned to Bfishihr, where one of His first acts was to bid His last farewell to His fellowtraveler and disciple, and to assure him that he would meet the Beloved of their hearts. He, moreover, announced to him that he would be crowned with a martyr’s death, and that He Himself would subsequently suffer a similar fate at the hands of their common foe.
The Báb’s return to His native land (Safar 1261) (February March, 1845) was the signal for a commotion that rocked the entire country. The fire which the declaration of His mission had lit was being fanned into flame through the dispersal and activities of His appointed disciples. Already within the space of less than two years it had kindled the passions of friend and foe alike. The outbreak of the conflagration did not even await the return to His‘ native city of the One Who had generated it. The implications of a Revelation, thrust so dramatically upon a race so degenerate, so inflammable in temper, could indeed have had
no other consequence than to excite within men’s bosoms the fiercest passions of fear, of hate, of rage and envy. A Faith Whose Founder did not content Himself with the claim to be the Gate of the Hidden Imam, Who assumed a rank that excelled even that of the Séhib’z-Zamén, Who regarded Himself as the precursor of one incomparably greater than Himself, Who peremptorily commanded not only the subjects of the Shéh, but the monarch himself, and even the kings and princes of the earth,. to forsake their all and follow Him, Who claimed to be the inheritor of the earth and all that is therein—a Faith Whose religious doctrines, Whose ethical standards, social principles and religious laws challenged the whole structure of the society in which it was born, soon ranged, with startling unanimity, the mass of the people behind their priests, and behind their chief magistrate, with his ministers and his government, and welded them into an opposition sworn to destroy, root and branch, the movement initiated by One Whom they regarded as an impious and presumptuous pretender.
With the Báb’s return to Shíráz the initial collision of
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irreconcilable forces may be said to have commenced. Already the energetic and audacious Mullá ‘Aliy-i-Bastami, one of the Letters of the Living, “the first to leave the House of God (Shíráz) and the first to suffer for His sake”, who, in the presence of one of the leading exponents of shi‘ih Islam, the far-famed Shaylfl1 Muhammad Hasan, had audaciously asserted that from the pen of his neW-found Master within the space of forty-eight hours, verses had streamed that equalled in number those of the Qur’án, which it took its Author twenty-three years to reveal, had been excommunicated, chained, disgraced, imprisoned, and, in all probability, done to death. Mullá Sádiq-i-Ighurésani, impelled by the injunction of the Báb in the K_hasé’il-i-Sab’ih to alter the sacrosanct formula of the Adhan, sounded it in its amended form before a scandalized congregation in Shíráz, and was instantly arrested, reviled, stripped of his garments, and scourged with a thous'and lashes. The Villanous Husayn Khan, the Nizamu’d-Dawlih, the governor of Fairs, who had read the challenge thrown out in the Qayyfimu’l-Asma’, having ordered that Mullá Sadiq together with Quddfis and another
believer be summarily and publicly punished, caused their beards to be burned, their noses pierced, and threaded with halters; then, having been led through the streets in this disgraceful condition, they were expelled from the city.
The people of Shíráz were by that time wild with excitement. A violent controversy was raging in the masjids, the madrisihs, the bazaars, and other public places. Peace and security were gravely imperilled. Fearful, envious, thoroughly angered, the mullas were beginning to perceive the seriousness of their position. The governor, greatly alarmed, ordered the Báb to be arrested. He was brought to Shíráz under escort, and, in the presence of Husayn Khán, was severely rebuked, and so violently struck in the face that His turban fell to the ground. Upon the intervention of the ImamJum‘ih He was released on parole, and entrusted to the custody of His maternal uncle Hájí Mirzá Siyyid ‘Ali. A brief lull ensued, enabling the captive Youth to celebrate the Naw—Rfiz of that and the succeeding year in an atmosphere of relative tranquillity in the company of His mother, His wife, and His uncle. Meanwhile the fever that had
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seized His followers was communicating itself to the members of the clergy and to the merchant clas'ses, and was invading the higher circles of society. Indeed, a wave of passionate inquiry had swept the whole country, and unnumbered congregations were listening with wonder to the testimonies eloquently and fearlessly related by the Báb’s itinerant messengers.
The commotion had assumed such proportions that the Shah, unable any longer to ignore the situation, delegated the trusted Siyyid Yaḥyáy-i-Dérébi, surnamed Vahid, one of the most erudite, eloquent and influential of his subjects—a man who had committed to memory no less than thirty thousand traditionsto investigate and report to him the true situation. Broad-minded, highly imaginative, zealous by nature, intimately associated with the court, he, in the course of three interviews, was completely won over by the arguments and personality of the Báb. Their first interview centered around the metaphysical teachings of Islam, the most obscure passages of the Qur’án, and the traditions and prophecies of the Imams. In the course of the second interview Vahid was astounded to find that the questions which he had
intended to submit for elucidation had been eflaced from his retentive memory, and yet, to his utter amazement, he discovered that the B531) was answering the very questions he had forgotten. During the third interview the circumstances attending the revelation of the Báb’s commentary on the Sfirih of Kawthar, comprising no less than two thousand verses, so overpowered the delegate of the Shéh that he, contenting himself with a mere written report to the Court Chamberlain, arose forthwith to dedicate his entire life and resources to the service of a Faith that was to requite him with the crown of martyrdom during the Nayriz upheaval. He who had firmly resolved to confute the arguments of an obscure siyyid of Shiréz, to induce Him to abandon His ideas, and to conduct Him to Ṭihrán as an evidence of the ascendancy he had achieved over Him, was made to feel, as he himself later acknowledged, as “lowly as the dust beneath His feet”. Even Husayn Igién, who had been Vahid’s host during his stay in Shiréz, was compelled to write to the Shah and express the conviction that his Majesty’s illustrious delegate had become a
Babi.
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Another famous advocate of the Cause of the B511), even fiercer in zeal than Vahid, and almost as eminent in rank, was Mulla Muhammad-‘Aliy-i-Zanjéni, surnamed Hujjat. An Alghbéri, a vehement controversalist, of a bold and independent temper of mind, impatient of restraint, a man who had dared condemn the whole ecclesiastical hierarchy from the Abvéh-i-Arba‘ih down to the humblest mullé, he had more than once, through his superior talents and fervid eloquence, publicly confounded his orthodox Shi‘ih adversaries. Such a person could not remain indifferent to a Cause that was producing so grave a cleavage among his countrymen. The disciple he sent to Shiréz to investigate the matter fell immediately under the spell of the Bah. The perusal of but a page of the Qay-ylimu’l-Asmá, brought by that messenger to Hujjat, sufficed to efiect such a transformation within him that he declared, before the assembled ‘ulamés of his native city that should the Author of that work pronounce day to he night and the sun to he a shadow he would unhesitatingly uphold his verdict.
Yet another recruit to the everswelling army of the new Faith was the eminent scholar, Mirzá
Ahmad-i-Azghandi, the m o s' t learned, the wisest and the most outstanding among the ulamés of Ighurésén, who, in anticipation of the advent of the promised Qé‘im, had compiled above twelve thousand traditions and prophecies concerning the time and character of the expected Revelation, had circulated them among His fellow-disciples, and had encouraged them to quote them extensively to all congregations and in all meetings]. While the situation was steadily deteriorating in the provinces, the bitter hostility of the people of Shíráz was rapidly moving towards a climax. Husayn Khan, vindictive, relentless, exasperated, by the reports of his sleeples‘s agents that his Captive’s power and fame were hourly growing, decided to take immediate action. It is even reported that his accomplice, Haji Mirza Áqásí, had ordered him to kill secretly the would-be disrupter of the state and the wrecker of its established religion. By order of the governor the chief constable, ‘Abdu’l-Hamid IQIén, scaled, in the dead of night, the wall and entered the house of Hájí Mirzá Siyyid ‘Ali, where the Báb was confined, arrested Him, and confiscated all His‘ books and documents. That very
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THE BABi REVELATION 13
night, however, took place an event which, in its dramatic suddenness, was no doubt providentially designed to confound the schemes of the plotters, and enable the Object of their hatred to prolong His ministry and consummate His Revelation. An outbreak of cholera, devastating in its virulence, had, since midnight, already smitten above a hundred people. The dread of the plague had entered every heart, and the inhabitants of the stricken city were, amid shrieks of pain and grief, fleeing in confusion. Three of the governor’s domestics had already died. Members of his family were lying dangerously ill. In his despair he, leaving the dead unburied, had fled to a garden in the outskirts of the city. ‘Abdu’lHamid Igién, confronted by this unexpected development, decided to conduct the Báb to His own home. He was appalled, upon his arrival, to learn that his son lay in the death-throes of the plague. In his despair he threw himself at the feet of the Báb, begged to be forgiven, adjured Him not to visit upon the son the sins of the father, and pledged his word to resign his post, and never again to accept such a position. Finding that his prayer had been answered, he
addressed a plea to the governor begging him to release his Captive, and thereby deflect the fatal course of this dire visitation. Husayn Ighén acceded to his request, and released his Prisoner on condition of His quitting the city.
Miraculously preserved by an almighty and watchful Providence, the Báb proceeded to Isféhén (September, 1846), accompanied by Siyyid KazimZanjéni. Another lull ensued, a brief period of comparative tranquillity during which the Divine processes which had been set in motion gathered further momentum, precipitating a series of events leading to the imprisonment of the B51) in the fortresses of Méh-kfi and Chihriq, and culminating in His martyrdom in the barrack-square of Tabríz. Well aware of the impending trials that were to afflict Him, the Báb had, ere His final separation from His family, bequeathed to His mother and His wife all His possessions, had confided to the latter the secret of what was to befall Him, and revealed for her a special prayer the reading of which, He assured her, would resolve her perplexities and allay her sorrows. The first forty days of His sojourn in Isféhén were spent as the guest of Mirzá
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El: " “ U
14 WORLD ORDER
Siyyid Muhammad, the Sultanu’l-‘Ulamé, the Imam-Jum‘ih, one of the principal ecclesiastical dignitaries of the realm, in accordance with the instructions of th e governor of th e city, Manuchihr Khan, the Mu‘tamidu’d-Dawlih, who had received from the Báb a letter requesting him to appoint the place Where He should dwell. He was ceremoniously received, and such was the spell He cast over the people of that city that, on one occasion, after His return from the public bath, an eager multitude clamored for the water that had been used for His ablutions. So magic was His charm that His host, forgetful of the dignity of his high rank, was wont to wait personally upon Him. It was at the request of this same prelate that the 3511), one night, after supper, revealed His‘ well-known commentary on the Surih of Va’l-‘Asr. " Writing with astonishing rapidity, He, in a few hours, had devoted to the exposition of the significance of only the first letter of that Surih—a letter which Shaylg_h Ahmad-iAhsa’i had stressed, and which Bahá’u’lláh refers to in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas — verses that equalled in number a third of the Qur’án, a feat that called forth
s'uch an outburst of reverent
astonishment from those who witnessed it that they arose and kissed the hem of His robe.
The tumultuous enthusiasm of
the people of Iṣfahán was meanwhile visibly increasing. Crowds
of people, some impelled by
curiosity, others eager to discover the truth, still others
anxious to be healed of their
infirmities, flocked from every
quarter of the city to the house
of the Imém-Jum‘ih. The wise
and judicious Manutiiihr IQIén
could not resist the temptation
of vis'iting so strange, so intriguing a Personage. Before a
brilliant assemblage of the most
accomplished divines He, a Georgian by origin and a Christian by
birth, requested the Báb to expound and demonstrate the truth
of Muhammad’s specific mission.
To this request, which thos‘e present had felt compelled to decline,
the Bill readily responded. In
less than two hours, and in“ the
space of fifty pages, He had not
only revealed a minute, a vigorous and original dissertation on
this noble theme, but had also
linked it with both the coming
of the Qé‘im and the return of
the Imam Husayn — an exposition that prompted Manudlihr
Khan to declare before that
gathering his‘ faith in the Prophet
of Islam, as well as his recogni
[Page 15]
THE 1353i REVELATION 15
tion of the supernatural gifts with which the Author of so convincing a treatise was endowed.
These evidences of the growing ascendancy exercised by an unlearned Youth on the governor and the people of a city rightly regarded as one of the strongholds‘ of Shi‘ah Islam, alarmed the ecclesiastical authorities. Refraining from any act of open hostility which they knew full well would defeat their purpose, they sought, by encouraging the circulation of the wildest rumors, to induce the Grand Vizir of the‘ Shéh to save a situation that was growing hourly more acute and menacing. The popularity enjoyed by the B511), His personal prestige, and the honors accorded Him by His‘ countrymen had now reached their high watermark. The shadows of an impending doom began to fast gather about Him. A series of tragedies from then on followed in rapid sequence destined to culminate in His own death and the apparent extinction of the influence of His Faith.
The overbearing and crafty Haji Mirza Áqásí, fearful lest the sway of the Báb encompass his' sovereign and thus seal his own doom, was aroused as never before. Prompted by a suspicion that the Báb possessed the secret
sympathies of the Mu‘tamid, and well aware of the confidence reposed in him by the shéh, he severely upbraided the ImamJum‘ih for the neglect of his s'acred duty. He, at the same time, lavished, in several letters, his favors upon the ‘ulamés of Iṣfahán, whom he had hitherto ignored. From the pulpits of that city an incited clergy began to hurl vituperation and calumny upon the Author of what was to them a hateful and much to be feared heresy. The Sháh himself was induced to summon the Bab to his capital. Manuchihr Elan, hidden to arrange for His departure, decided to transfer His residence temporarily to his own home. Meanwhile the mujtahids and ‘ulamas, dismayed at the signs of so pervasive an influence, summoned a gathering which issued an abusive document signed and sealed by the ecclesiastical leaders of the city, denouncing the Báb as a heretic and condemning Him to death. Even the Imém-Jum‘ih was constrained to add his written testimony that the Accused was devoid of reason and judgment. The Mu‘tamid, in his great embarrassment, and in order to appease the rising tumult, conceived a plan whereby an increasingly restive populace were made
16 WORLD ORDER
to believe that the Bah had left
for Ṭihrán, while he succeeded in ensuring for Him a brief respite of four months in the privacy of the ‘Imarat-i-Khurshid, the governor’s private residence in Iṣfahán. It was in those days that the host expressed the desire to consecrate all his possessions, evaluated by his contemporaries at no less than forty million francs, to the furtherance of the interests of the new Faith, declared his intention of converting Muhammad Shéh, of inducing him to rid himself of a shameful and profligate minister, and of obtaining his royal assent to the marriage of one of
his sisters with the Bah. The sudden death of the Mu‘tamid, however, foretold by the Báb Himself, accelerated the course of the approaching crisis. The ruthless and rapacious Gurgin Ifllan, the deputy governor, induced the Shéh to issue a second summons ordering that the captive Youth be sent in disguise to Ṭihrán, accompanied by a mounted escort. To this written mandate of the sovereign the vile Gurgin Iflién, who had previously discovered and destroyed the will of his uncle, the Mu‘tamid, and seized his property, unhesitatingly responded. At the distance of less than thirty miles from the
capital, hOWCVBI,’ in the fortress
of Kinér—Cird, a messenger delivered to Muhammad Big, who
headed the escort, a written order
from Hájí Mirza Áqásí instructing him to proceed to Kulayn,
and there await further instructions. This was, shortly after,
followed by a letter which the
Shéh had himself addressed to
the Báb, dated Rabi‘u‘th-Lhéni
1263 (March 19 - April 17,
1847), and which, though
couched in courteous terms,
clearly indicated the extent of
the baneful influence exercised
by the Grand Vizir on his
sovereign. The plans so fondly
cherished by Manuc_hihr Khan
were now utterly undone. The
fortress of Méh-Kfi, not far from
the village of that same name,
whose inhabitants had long enjoyed the patronage of the Grand
Vizir, situated in the remotest
northwestern corner of Adhirbéyjén, was the place of incarceration assigned by Muhammad
shéh, on the advice of his perfidious minister, for the Bah. No
more than one companion and
one attendant from among His
followers were allowed to keep
Him company in those bleak and
inhospitable surroundings. Allpowerful and crafty, that minister had, on the pretext of the
necessity of his master’s con
[Page 17]
THE 8531' REVELATION 17
centrating his immediate attention on a recent rebellion in K_hurésén and a revolt in Kirmén, succeeded in foiling a plan, which, had it materialized, would
have had the most serious repercussions on his own fortunes, as Well as on the immediate destinies of his government, its ruler and its people.
The Word of God hath set the heart of the world afire; how regrettable if ye fail to be enkindled with its flame! Please God, ye will regard this blessed night as the night of unity, will knit your souls together, and resolve to adorn yourselves with the ornament of a goodly and praiseworthy character. Let your principal concern he to rescue the fallen from the slough of impending extinction, and to help him embrace the ancient Faith of God. Your behavior towards your neighbor should be such as to manifest clearly the signs of the one true God, for ye are the first among men to be re-created by His Spirit, the first to adore and how the knee before Him, the first to circle round His throne of glory. I swear by Him Who hath caused Me to reveal whatever hath pleased Him! Ye are better known to the inmates of the Kingdom on high than ye are known to your own selves. Think ye these words to be vain and empty? Would that ye had the power to perceive the things your Lord, the All-Merciful, doth. see——things that attest the excellence of your rank, that bear witness to the greatness of your worth, that proclaim the sublimity of your station! God grant that your desires and unmortified passions may not hinder you from that which hath been ordained for you.
—Bahá’u’lláh
[clitoria/
DEDICATION TO THE WORLD’S PEACE
OR the past seven years, we,
the Bahá’ís of North America, have been devoted to the task of establishing, in the growing catastrophe, a series of centers, outposts of the Most Great Peace, in every state of the Union, in every province of Canada, and in every republic of Central and South America. In order to finish this work before the appointed time, the end of the first Bahá’í century, a stream of pioneers and settlers have gone forth to earn by the sacrifice of their homes, their comfort, and even their lives, the recompense so gloriously described by Bahá’u’lláh: “Whoso hath attained their presence will glory in their meeting, and all that dwell in every land will be illumined by their memory.”
But this work was given to the whole Bahá’í community; and the whole community, as the vanguard of a new and peaceful civilization, will be blessed if it is well done.
Let no one, however, misunderstand the nature of this blessing. Let no one delude himself with the belief that, after any great
18
spiritual effort, he may sit back and luxuriate in the refreshing breezes of Divine Bounty while the Cause of God goes on automatically as a result of his past exertions. The blessings earned by serving God are not material. They are not rest and ease and freedom from the troubles of the age in which We live. They are entirely spiritual: a wider opportunity for service, and those qualities which will enable us to serve. They are energy, courage, love, steadfastness, severance, dedication. They are the equipment for a great effort, and they are given to us because our very striving will have increased our capacity to strive. ‘
Some favored beings seem to spring full-grown into that spiritual maturity which We call the Bahá’í life, but the great majority of us reach a state of dedication only by a long process of training. We contemplate detachment as a beautiful state which we may achieve sometime in the future, as we timidly, even reluctantly, repeat the prayers enjoined by Bahá’u’lláh. “Behold me standing ready to do Thy
[Page 19]
DEDICATION TO PEACE 19
will and Thy desire, and wishing naught else except Thy good pleasure,” we say, and slowly or swiftly, according to our destiny, that powerful assertion takes possession of us and becomes for us the truth. One personal des'ire after another vanishes, as one duty after another becomes the answer to our prayer, and gradually we begin to feel the meaning of dedication.
In these last months of the seven years, with their inescapable labors so necessary to the salvation of human s‘ociety—in these months when, in the midst of increasing difficulties, 9. final surge of spirit was demanded, personal happiness has lost much of its savor, for we have come to know in some measure the blessing of dedication to Reality.
Thus re-created, shall we expect to rest? The Guardian has‘ already prepared us for the tremendous work which lies ahead. In a letter to the young Bahá’ís at Louhelen School last summer, he exhorted them to study deeply that they may be ready to heal the sick souls of men. Such work we will find at our very doors, but there will he pioneering as well. The teaching plan of these past seven years has erected only a rudi mentary foundation for a peaceful world order in South America and in much of the northern continent as well. Nothing stands still, and if we are to keep the foundation firm, it must not be abandoned for a single instant. Shoghi Effendi has outlined for us in “The Advent of Divine Justice” the task of “the rising generation of American believers.” They must extend and reinforce those foundations and help to erect on them the framework of the Administrative Order of their Faith, that pattern for harmonious living “in conformity with the spiritual and administrative principles governing the life and activities of every established Bahá’í community throughout the world.”
Not only has the Guardian thus set before us a new object, but he has outlined the steps by which it is to be accomplished: the sending out of pioneers and settlers, the increase of the material resources at their disposal, the translation and publication of much more Bahá’í literature, and the careful study of the possibilities of all the countries of the hemisphere and of the obstacles‘ to be overcome in each.
But not even then, when the Administrative Order has been firmly established in the western
20 WORLD ORDER
hemisphere, may we pause, for
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablets carry us still farther afield. “The moment,” wrote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “this Divine Mes‘sage is carried forward by the American believers from the shores of America, and is propagated throughout the continents of Europe, of Asia, of Africa, and of Australasia, and as far as the islands of the Pacific, this community will find
the throne of an everlasting dominion. Then will all the peoples of the world witness that this community is spiritually illumined and divinely guided.
Then will the whole earth resound with the praises of its
majesty and greatness.”
We have only begun our labors. Ours it must be to establish unity in the love of God
itself securely established upon throughout the world. G. B.
Praise be to God! the mediaeval ages of darkness have passed away and this century of radiance has dawned,——this century wherein the reality of things is becoming evident,—wherein science is penetrating, the mysteries of, the universe, the oneness of the world of humanity is being established and service to mankind is the paramount motive of all existence. Shall we remain steeped in our fanaticisms and cling to our prejudices? Is it fitting that we should still be bound and restricted by ancient fables and superstitions of the pa; be handicapped by superannuated beliefs and the ignorances of dark ages, waging religious wars, fighting and shedding blood, shunning and anathematizing each other? Is this becoming? Is it not better for us to be loving and considerate toward each other? Is it not preferable to enjoy fellowship and unity; join in anthems of praise to the most high God and extol all His prophets in the spirit of acceptance and true vision? Then indeed this world will become a paradise and the promised Day
of God will dawn. —‘ABDU’L-BAHA
[Page 21]
World Democracy and the Races
ROBERT W. KENNEY
NE of the lessons which the
world is- coming to learn is that justice and expediency often come to the same thing. Good people have known that for centuries. The cynics are beginning to understand it. Expediency, to be really effective, to last any length of time, must be just.
This lesson is worth remembering today when America is one of the great forces' in determining the future of the world. Unless we are just in our treatment of nations, we shall not have a peace but a temporary armistice.
There are many political parties today, at home and abroad. And I suppose there are even more schools of political thought concerning the treatment of the races. But to my way of thinking each of these parties and schools of thought belongs to one of two groups. Either it believes the races are equal and deserves equal treatment,—or it does not. Other differences in its thinking are of comparatively small cons'equence. One group may explain its belief in superiority on
21
grounds of blood or of geography or on historical or religious grounds. I do not think this is important. The reasons given may involve dangerous concepts, and it has proved difficult and disastrous to overcome some of them. But the importance so far as the future of the world is concerned lies not in the reasons given for a nation’s superiority, but in the belief itself.
I do not belong to such a group. I am one of those who believe in the essential equality, in the tribunal of international law, of all races. I will not here argue the justice of such a helief. I do not think this audience needs a discussion of the fact that anthropologists not only disagree with political concepts of race but deny that any one race is by nature superior to another. Nor do I think it worth the time of this audience to deal with the fact,—which is clear to anyone’s eyes,—that difi'erences between the so-called races are not as great as differences which may be found between different members of the same races. I do not believe this audience
22 WORLD ORDER
needs such an argument or discussion. What I shall say on this subject must be understood to be based on the tenet that, whatever physical differences may exist, the races are entitled to equality in the tribunal of international law.
In discussing this subject there is a strong temptation to deal with injustices of the past. The treatment by the great industrial powers of the world of those whom they choose to call the “backward nations” has been enough to deserve the erection of wailing walls wherever thinking peoples congregate. Superiority in the development of mechanized munitions_ has been the practical ground for distinguishing the so-called “civilized” from the “backward” people. This distinction is, to say the least, an exceedingly doubtful basis for superiority. But I do not think it will serve any great purpose to recount the injustices. That has been done. It is even now being done by those who were present and who know. For our part we must recognize the evils, and we must recognize attitudes which evil treatment has produced. These are conditions which we must deal with. But I turn my talk to the future in the belief that its direction
will he diflerent from the past.
If there is one hope which is in the heart of every human being today, it is the hope for a durable peace. The great hope is that this war will justify itself by being the last war. We can accomplish this, I firmly believe, not by mere military victory, not even by settling economic and geographic differences, but by recognizing and enforcing the principle of racial and national equality throughout the entire world. This is the point at which justice and expediency meet and are identical. I do not think we will have a lasting peace unless we deal justly with the peoples of the world,—unless justice means the same thing in every tongue, and unless the justice accorded the black, the brown and the yellow peoples of our planet is not one whit inferior to the justice we give to the white peoples.
This is the truth which we are learning by means of a tragedy so great that all the wars of history shrink to insignificance by comparison. This is the lesson which is being cut into the hearts of the cynics, the self-centered, and the innocently misguided.
I believe that expediency and
justice and the hope for a lasting
peace all point to a world democ
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j
DEMOCRACY AND RACE 23
racy of all the nations. This democracy does not necessarily mean the same thing as a national democracy. But it does imply certain fundamental likenesses.
Equality before the law is the rock on which any truly democratic nation is founded. Without this principle there is no democracy. Where the powers of the state operate differently on different persons, justice is mere rhetoric. So it must he in international law.
We must start with the principle of equality before international law. Each nation fairly and honestly recognized as such by its own people must be allowed to stand in the international tribunal on an exact equality With every other such nation.
There is a simple statement, but the principle is profound. Its implications are far-reaching. First, it hypothecates the existence of an international law. This is planetary revolution——-or better still, evolution —— from chaos to order, because the fact is, notwithstanding we have all read and heard about international law since the time of Grotius in the Seventeenth Century,——there is now no international law in a true sense.
Law implies the recognition of a force superior to its subjects. In the old days when nations were beginning to develop as political entities, that force was the brute strength of the powerful, the feudal lord and his band of followers. It was the strength of the governing group as opposed to the people who were governed. In modern times, in democracies, that force which is superior to those who must obey the law is the collective strength of the Whole citizenry. The force which today makes law efiective in our country is the society which enacts it, the mass of citizens, as distinct from the individual to whom the law is applied. On a national scale we have arrived at a point where there is in one sense an identity between the rulers and the governed. The same people who enact the laws are those who must obey them. But the force of the law exists in the collective strength of the society which desires its enforcement. The man who violates the law transgresses against his fellows, against society, and he invokes a force superior to his will, because it is the will and strength of society as a whole.
Now, in the realm of international law there is no such
[Page 24]
24 WORLD ORDER
superior collective force. At least there is no recognized superior force. One of the fundamental tenets of present day international law is the doctrine of national sovereignty, one aspect of which is that nothing is superior to the nation. The doctrine is wholly autonomous and need not yield to any order, rule or decree. It can enter into treaties and thus bind itself if it wishes to. But it need not. If it does enter into a treaty and violates it, there is no tribunal to mete out justice. Of course there is the military strength of other nations, but this is not founded on law; this is bas‘ed on steel and gun powder, and it may be,——and it has been,—balled into action without any transgression.
The nations now stand in the position of a group of men on a desert planet. They recognize no law. Not one of them recognizes any force other than brute force. The one who is well armed can be arrogant and agpressive. The smaller man must cower and live on the leavings of the others. The result is,well, it is modern history. It is imperialism,——it is enslavement,—it is coalition for power, ———it is spheres; of influence,and above all it is war and
rumors of war so constant that wives shudder and the new mother looks at her infant son with fear that the world may not know peace soon enough.
The establishment of International Law,——a collective force Superior to the will of the individual nations,—is the first step toward a lasting peace. And that law must embody the principle of equality. If it does not do so, both in principle and in practice, we shall build not a peace but merely a series of dams to shut off the flood of protest. That may secure quiet for a time; the dams, built of highsounding words and deadly munitions, may hold off the floods for a while. But no injustice is ever dissipated. It drops quietly into the accumulation. Each adds its power to that already there, and little by little the force of human protest against injustice grows and grows,—-until the inevitable explosion, until the dams are burst and once again the world is at war.
Equality before the international tribunal will give the injured a placeto air its protest and an impartial hearing, and will deal fairly with the controversy presented.
I would not purport to state
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DEMOCRACY AND RACE 25
all of the things which equality should bring to the nations. It may even not be wis'e to try to say them all, but instead to announce the principle and to deal with specific things as they arise. However that may be, all of the wisdom of our times could not be better spent than in dealing with this problem of equality among the nations. It is a problem for an age, not for a man.
Economic equality, equal opportunity for access to raw materials, free choice of government, the Four Freedoms of the Atlantic Charter—all of these are but a part of the profound meaning to be given, in International Law—to the word equality.
But all of these things are as naught compared to the elimination of racial diflerences as barriers, as grounds for giving or denying privileges. The reason is simple.
It is true that a race is not a nation, but those terms are so closely identified in the popular mind that they are often confused, and the confusion is enhanced by the vague and varying meanings given to each of those terms. Are the British a race? The Japanese? No. Each has national peculiarities of a physical nature, but each is probably a mixture of several distinct hu man types, or, if you wish, races. Still we often speak of the Japanese and the British as if they were races of people.
This is a natural confusion. Similar types of people tend to congregate in the same areas, and often political entities, which we call nations, arise. Particularly in Asia and to a lesser degree in Europe, fairly distinct types of human beings have developed within the political boundaries of ancient countries. Only in comparatively recent times have there grown up countries like our own and the Union of South African Republics which are melting pots of many races. These are exceptions.
By and large we tend to think of nations in terms of specific types of people. There are distinctions in our minds between the Parisian and, say, the Basque or the Alsatian. There are larger distinctions between all of these, the Gallic peoples and, say, the Danes or Bulgarians. But these distinctions disappear when we consider the French and the Malayans . When differences in color appear, political boundaries and national concepts dwindle into the background.
Yet this is exactly what we must not let happen. This habit of thought, this unfounded, evil,
26 WORLD ORDER
and disastrous tradition of racial superiority has too often led us to deal with nations on the basis of color and race. And this must end. In the international tribunal Thailand must be entitled to stand as proudly and as confidently as Britain, Liberia must be heard as fully and as fairly as the United States.
Those nations little and big whose people have skins different from ours must be won to confidence. This will not be eas‘y. We have made it difficult, next to impossible, and it will require skill and patience to help the colored nations forget coolie-ism, extra-territorial courts, absenteeownership, the lash and the gallows, and the other ugly attributes of white superiority. We cannot erase these things by words alone or by beautiful gestures, though forthright words will help and tact will be necessary. More important than these will be the things we do.
No nation will suffer its destiny to be shaped by another. But no nation today can demand that it alone shall be the master of its own fate. Ours is a contracting planet. The great spaces that isolated primitive countries have disappeared, and the seas and skies are filled with swift trafi’ic. Today no nation stands
alone, no nation lives by itself, and no nation faces the future in isolation. The voices of all nations must be heard in fashioning the future of each.
Yesterday’s history records the settling of mandates of islands of brown and black peoples. White people met at polished tables and sealed crisp documents. Were the inhabitants consulted?
When the great industralized powers admit to their treaties and conferences equal spokesmen from interested and affected colored races, then we will have done the deed, we will have taken the step to earn their confidence. Not until then. When questions and problems which are the concern of the entire world—such as a lasting peace —are discussed and determined by delegates from all nations, then we will be on the road to deserved confidence. When the arms of the entire world are at the call of the voice of the colored nations against a so-called “civilized” aggressor—that is to say, when justice is enforced without discrimination for color —then we will have the right to hope for a lasting peace.
I have only this to add: the white peoples have distinguished themselves by the development
[Page 27]
DEMOCRACY AND RACE 27
of power. But this is not the same as wisdom. Power without wisdom has given us centuries of wars which have grown in size and devastation as our power has grown. We fair skinned peoples have not yet mastered the art of living peaceably with our neighbors. We cannot be proud of that tradition of wars. We have much to learn and we cannot, even for the most selfish reasons, ignore
the counsel and wisdom of the colored races.
I began by talking about justice and expediency, and I end
on that note. That group of nations Which today sets, directly or indirectly, its own color as masters of this planet may tomorrow find power in the hands of another, a more numerous, or more powerful race or color. To make a lasting peace and a harmonious way of international life, it is the expedient, the only way—to give equal voice to nations regardless of race or color. And Justice to all peoples has always‘ pointed the same way.
Address delivered in symposium on Race Unity held by the Bahá’í Assembly of San Francisco in the Palace Hotel Ballroom, September 24, 1943.
The virtues and attributes pertaining unto God are all evident and manifest, and have been mentioned and
described in all the heavenly Books.
Among them are
trustworthiness, truthfulness, purity of heart while communing with God, forbearance, resignation to whatever the Almighty hath decreed, contentment with the things His Will hath provided, patience, nay thankfulness in the midst of tribulation, and complete reliance, in all circumstances, upon Him. These rank, according to the estimate of God, among the highest and most laudable of all acts. All other acts are, and will ever remain, secondary and subordinate unto them.
—‘ABDU’L-BAHA
- __J
NEW WORLD A-COMING
Book Review BERTHA HYDE KIRKPATRICK
HIS book“ is one of the Life-in America Prize Books and Mr. Ottley sub-titles it “Inside Black America”. It is, as he says, an intimately detailed story of Negro life in America. Much, but by no means all, of the book deals with life in Harlem for, the author says, “To grasp the inner meaning of life in Black America one must put his finger on the pulse of Harlem.” And it is because the author does show us the inner meaning of life in Black America that the book should be read by all who would have an understanding of the race, of its upsurging demands for recognition of its achievements, and above all, for justice. Indeed such an understanding is necessary if one would understand America.
The author, a journalist writing of his own race, has packed the book with facts—historic, economic, social. These are not just dull facts, but events and experiences in the lives of real people, outstanding members of the race, sometimes in the political field, sometimes in the professional, sometimes as labor leaders, as champion fighters or as musicians and authors. The achievements recounted refute all the arguments constantly brought forth by the prejudiced many who cling determinedly to the false belief that the black race is an inferior one.
Mr. Ottley warns us that the race is no longer a patient race. He sees
‘New World A-Coming, by Roi Ottley, Houghton, Mifiin 81 Co.
28
a “great dark mass of people of unknown potentialities—loudly assertive of its aspirations.” There is tremendous race consciousness born of injustice and enforced segregation. These people are united “on the question of their rights—moral, economic, political—which to them
mean the right to integration in American life.”
Yet in some ways the race is not united, for just as in white America, there are marked classes in Black America, though the depression, Mr. Ottley says, tended to make these lines less marked. One cannot read this book, in fact, without knowing, if he did not before, that color of skin is. not what determines characteristics. Individuals of any and all races and peoples may develop fine characteristics under right environment and may sink to the lowest animal levels under adverse influences. In Harlem there is the extreme of the moneyed aristocracy of Sugar Hill on the one hand; and on the other, the sick, degraded, often criminal, human outcasts living in wretched hovels and overcrowded tenements. Mr. Ottley describes these as the “slum-shocked”. There are the churches and the gambling dens. There are the cultured, educated groups and those eager and struggling for education. And so it is logical that there should be varied types of leadership. The author finds significance and worth in the extra ordinary plans and achievements of Father Divine in that some of the
[Page 29]
INSIDE BLACK AMERICA 29
deeply impoverished have seen a possibility of something better than they have ever known economically. Even J. A. Rogers with his “100 Amazing Facts About the Negro,” however erroneous some of his facts, has helped to arouse sluggish minds and discouraged souls. Dr. W. E. B. DuBois has had great influence in his work for the social and economic betterment of his race but now there is a tendency to follow more radical leadership such as that of Philip Randolph of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. The great achievements of artists such as Marian Anderson stir racial pride in all Negroes and belief in themselves as members of the same race. Joe Louis is admired for his achievements and loved for his genuine humility and sincere devotion for the betterment of his race.
While Mr. Ottley’s book deals primarily with Black America he is aware that the “color problem has become a world-wide issue to settle here and now.” He reports some American Negroes as saying that victory of the United Nations would
provide only a brief peace unless
the white world acts unreservedly to make true the words of Sumner Welles, that “Our victory must bring in its train the liberation of all peoples. Discrimination between peo ples because of race, creed, or color must be abolished.”
Aware as he is of almost certain dangerous outbreaks Mr. Ottley helieves in America and that the freedom for which the nation stands will prevail. “The Negro’s cause will rise or fall with America. He knows well that his destiny is intimately
bound to that of the nation. America stands today as a symbol of freedom! The loss of this symbol will mean the loss of hope for white and black alike. This war, undeniably belongs to the Negro as well as to the white man. To this extent it may he called a ‘People’s War’-for in spite of selfish interests 3 new world is a-coming with the sweep and fury of the Resurrection.”
Can this new world come peacefully, the reader asks himself as he reads these closing words expressing Mr. Ottley’s faith in the true ideals of America, or must it come with fury, with race riots and bloodshed? All those familiar with the Bahá’í teachings know that it is coming in America and in the world, but cannot forget the warning words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá written some thirty years ago:
“The most important teaching of His Highness Bahá’u’lláh is to leave behind racial, political, religious and patriotic prejudices. Until these prejudices are entirely removed from the people of the world, the realm of humanity will find no rest. Nay, rather discord and bloodshed will be increased day by day, and the foundation of the prosperity of the world of man will be destroyed.”
And writing especially of America ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: “This enmity and hatred which exist between the white and the colored races is very dangerous and there is no doubt it will end in bloodshed unless the penetration of the word of God, the breaths of the Holy Spirit and the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are diffused amongst them and love instead of hatred is established between the races.”
F east of Riḍván
References. Compilation: “Bahá’u’lláh is the Promised One expected by all Nations” —“Star of West”, Vol. 9, No. 1.
Station of Bahá’u’lláh—“Gleanings”, 211, 102; “Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh”, pp. 12, 13, 17, 21; “Epistle to the Son of the Wolf”, pp. 1, 41, 43, 155-156.
Accounts of the first Riḍván:
(a) “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era”—p. 38.
(1)) “Star of West”—V01. 8, No. 13, p. 169 (2nd. Col.)
(c) “Abbas Effendi, His Life and Teachings” by Myron Phelps——pp. 28-31. ‘ .
(d) “The Chosen Highway” by Lady Blomfield—pp. 57-58.
(6) “Bahá’u’lláh” by H. M. Balyuzi~p. 15.
Devotion to Bahá’u’lláh—“Gleanings”—p. 321; “Epistle to Son of Wolf” —p. 48.
State and condition of Bahá’u’lláh—“Star of West”, Vol. 8, p. 171 (lst col.)
“Gleanings”—pp. 126, 239; “Promised Day Is Come”—pp. 42-43. “Epistle to the Son of Wolf”—p. 52.
His mission was made known to Bahá’u’lláh—“Gleanings”——pp. 90, 103; “Epistle to the Son of Wolf”——pp. 11, 21, 22.
The Purpose of the Coming of Bahá’u’lláh—“Gleanings”——pp. 79-81-99, 108, 287; “Epistle to the Son of Wolf”—pp. 33-34.
Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh—“Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh”——pp. 8, 9, 11, 14. Great opportunity of this day—“Gleanings”, pp. 320-322; “Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh”——pp. 14, 15, 18. Greatest gift to man—“Gleanings”~p. 195; “Promised Day” p. 24. Gradually unfolding—“Gleanings”—pp. 76, 87. Only means of unity—“Cleanings”———p. 286. Influence of—“Gleanings”~—pp. 189-190. Power of—“Gleanings”—pp. 142, 183, 219-220; “Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh” p. 15. Progressive——"Gleanings”—-pp. 68, 73-74. Proof Of—“G1eanings”—p. 105. Purpose of—“Gleanings”——pp. 206, 215. Universality of—“Gleanings”—pp. 92-98. Victory of—“Gleanings”——p. 341; “Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh”~pp. 14, 19. Tablet of Visitation: “Prayers and Meditations”—-—-p. 310.
“Epistle to the Son of the Wolf,” pp. 1-2, 46-49. Call of the Divine Beloved: “Gleanings,” pp. 319-322; 323-325.
Messages to the Kings: “Promised Day is Come,” pp. 24, 28, 29, 30-35, 40. Prayers for Riḍván: “Prayers and Meditations,” pp. 4, 273, 277, 200-202.
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[Page 31]
WITH OUR READERS
THIS April issue of WORLD ORDER
begins volume ten of our magazine. This also is the first issue of WORLD ORDER in the second century of the Bahá’í Faith, for officially the second century began March twenty-first of the old calendar which is the first day of Bahá. in the year 101 of the Bahá’í Faith. rBahá’ís speak of the first day of the New Year as Naw-Rúz. The new cover design and new type form of the magazine is one way of marking the beginning of the new century.
1' i I
In our March issue appeared the introduction to the new book in
which Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, surveys the important events of the Cause in the first century of the Faith. This month we print the first chapter, “The Birth of the Bábi Revelation”. Our readers are most fortunate to have this introduction and the first few chapters available before the complete book, whose value in understanding and spreading our Faith can hardly be over-estimated, is off the press.
Last September the Baha’ 1s of San Francisco sponsored a public meeting on the theme of racial unity and understanding. This meeting was well publicized, largely attended and well reported. Rabbi Rudolph Coffee of that city acted as chairman. The speakers were Mrs. Dorothy Baker, well known Bahá’í speaker, and the Honorable Robert W. Kenney, Attorney General of the
State of California. We print this month the paper given by Attorney General Kenney under the title “World Democracy and the Races”.
“New World A-Coming”, book review by Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick of our staff, gives the editors one more opportunity to emphasize the principle of race unity which lies at the very heart of the Bahá’í teachings. The magazine acclaims the new and inspired voices arising to cry aloud for the justice, the fellowship and the equality of human values which God has made His gift to the peoples of this age. It is our hope that this review of Mr. Ottley’s book will assist in arousing interest in his courageous and determined effort to reflect light on human relations too long conducted outside the area of the responsible agencies of civilization.
Miss Busey’s editorial, “Dedication to the World’s Peace”, addressed especially to Bahá’ís will cause us all to seriously ask ourselves, individually and collectively,——are we ready for the second century?
We reprint this month in which we observe the Feast of Riḍván a list of references which will be helpful in arranging programs for celebrating these joyful days.
l 4} i
WORLD ORDER has many friends and we like to hear from them. We wonder if there are other subscription copies which like the one belonging to a Pennsylvania subscriber become worn out from much lending
31
32 WORLD ORDER
and much reading. Our friend writes: “Can you spare me an extra copy of the January (1944) issue? So many have been interested in the first article about the Congress of Religions entitled ‘Reflected in the West’ that my copy will not be fit for filing. The whole issue was particularly pleasing to me.”
Isolated believers are particularly warm friends. One such writes: “No one knows what a heart warming greeting and inspiration WORLD ORDER is to an isolated believer. It is my prayer that world chaos will never prevent its reaching me.”
And one of our friends in the army writes: “Many thanks for the WORLD ORDER magazine which reaches me regularly. It certainly is maintaining its high degree of newsiness combined with a wealth of spiritual food and aptly selected portions from His Creative Word.”
Another of our readers asks for several extra copies of the February number in order to pass on to her friends the comprehensive article in which Horace Holley so clearly set worth the history of the Bahá’í Faith and its tremendous significance in the world today.
And here is a heart warming letter from Minnesota: “I hope the day will come when all the peoples of the world will read this little magazine. Although it is small in size it is large in contents. It reminds me of ‘The best gifts come in the smallest packages.’ Truly this magazine is the loveliest gift anyone could receive.”
The above reminds us of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s prophecy about the Bahá’í
Magazine (then called Star of the
West). His last message to the
Star was: “Do not look now at the
small influence of The Star of the
West. A day will come when this
will be the greatest paper in the
world. It will be spread in the East
and in the Wes .”
The editors ask that our contributors and all our friends will continue to help us maintain the present standard and gain the higher one set by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi. We are constantly in need of and looking for new contributors.
Our readers are asked to note the brief reference to the history of the magazine now made at the top of the inside front cover. number, as is pointed out, actually might be issued as No. 1,Vol. XXXV. There is behind us a long and ardent history, not merely the history of a periodical but the history of a religious community which has employed a magazine as one of the instruments of its .own development.
The back numbers of the Bahá’í magazine are generally regarded as one of the most precious possessions a believer may have«—his entrance into vivid association with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His journey through America in 1912, his association with the evolving thought of the believers, and now since 1921 with the Guardian whose guidance carries us forward to the fulfilment of our destiny.
—THE EDITORS.
The present ' ' V
Bahá’í World Faith
This hook contains'a representative selection of’the Writings of ‘ ,' Bahá’u’lláh and of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and is the largest collection of Bahá’í . 1
literature in English translation now available in one volume. '5’
A detailed Table of Contents and an Index make the Bahá’í teach‘ings readily accessible for study as well as reading and meditation.
The plan of the book arranges the contents in nine chapters, as , .’follows: Part One—Writings of Bahá’u’lláh Chapter One—The Great Announcement ' Chapter Two—The Promised One Chapter Three—The Life of the Soul Chapter F our—Laws of the New Age Chapter F ive—The Mystery of God
Part Two—Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Chapter Six—The Faith of Bahá’u’lláh Chapter Seven—Soul, Mind and Spirit Chapter Eight—T he Loom of Reality Chapter Nine—The Divine Plan
Each of these chapters has been treated as a unit of significance, and the sequence of the nine chapters conveys a sense of the unfoldment of the Bahá’í Dispensation in the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, His Will and Testament, the Tablets and Addresses of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and in His Testament and Plan for the quld Order of Bahá’u’lláh.
The passages selected have been taken from fifteen different pu_b- { Ir ' = lications as well as from the National Archives. ,
Printed on thin light paper and bound in green fabrik‘oid. 465 pages. Per copy, $1.50.
Bahá’í PUBLISHING COMMITTEE 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois
[Page 34]
Q7 mb‘acmg scape, eqtutable m i
pnnclple, challenglng 1n its features
—that a_ harassed humanity must stnvei—Shoghz Efiendz.
