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WORLD
ORDER
JUNE, 1944
A UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF WORSHIP
- 1. Its Construction—Allen B. McDaniel
- 2. Its Significance—Carl Scheffler
THE MEETING OF THE AMERICAS
- 1. Cosmic Mission of the Americas—Philip Leonard Green
- 2. Bahá’u’lláh’s Gift to Latin America—Octavio Illescas
- 3. The Awakening of Latin America—Mrs. Stuart W. French
1844—ORIENT AND OCCIDENT, Editorial—Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick
THE ONENESS OF HUMANITY—William Kenneth Christian
AMERICA AND THE MOST GREAT PEACE—Rowland Estall
WITH OUR READERS
THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE
World 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 to Star of the West. Beginning November, 1922 the magazine appeared under the name of The Bahá’í Magazine. The issue of April, 1935 carried the present title of World Order, combining The Bahá’í Magazine and World Unity, which had been founded October, 1927. The present number represents Volume XXXV of the continuous Bahá’í publication.
WORLD ORDER is published monthly in Wilmette, Ill., 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.
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Printed in U.S.A.
JUNE, 1944, VOLUME X, NUMBER 3
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Order Magazine, 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois. Entered as second class
matter April 1, 1940, at the post office at Wilmette, Ill., under the Act of March
3, 1879. Contents copyrighted 1944 by Bahá’í Publishing Committee. Title
registered at U. S. Patent Office.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS SHOULD BE REPORTED
ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE
WORLD ORDER
The Bahá’í Magazine
VOLUME X JUNE, 1944 NUMBER 3
A Universal House of Worship
1. ITS CONSTRUCTION
ALLEN B. McDANIEL
IN JUNE, 1920, at an Annual
Convention in the Engineering
Societies Building in New York
City, followers of the Bahá’í
Faith from the United States and
Canada, with many visitors from
other parts of the world, assembled
to select a design for the
Temple to be erected on the site
near Chicago. Among seven
different designs presented, the
one represented by a beautiful
plaster model, submitted by
Louis Jean Bourgeois, was
unanimously chosen. The architect
in explaining his design used
the following words:
“The teachings of Bahá’u’lláh (Glory of God) unify the religions of the world into one universal religion, and as we know that all great historic religions developed a new architecture, so the Bahá’í Temple is the plastic expression of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. In the Bahá’í Temple is used a composite architecture, expressing the essence in line of each of the great architectural styles, harmonizing them into one whole.”
Two years later the Temple Trustees completed the construction of the foundation, comprising a circular structure supported on nine concrete caissons extending to bedrock.
Over a period of some nine
years, while voluntary contributions
were flowing in from the
followers of the Faith the world
over, studies were made by a
special committee of architects
and engineers to find practicable
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materials and devise efficient and
economic methods for the construction
of the super-structure
of this unique building. Although
no precedents were available,
when funds became sufficient in
the spring of 1930 to proceed
with the construction, the Trustees
were advised by their consultants
to follow a new technique,
comprising the building
of a skeleton superstructure of
steel and concrete, enclosed with
a structural glass dome, windows
and temporary doors. This plan
was adopted, a contract was
awarded to the George A. Fuller
Company of New York, and such
a structure was completed well
within the contract price by the
summer of 1931.
As the result of years of research on the part of the consultants, the Trustees awarded a contract in 1932 for the exterior ornamentation Of the dome and its great ribs. This unique and difficult task was successfully performed by the Earley Studio of Rosslyn, Virginia, by the summer of 1934. A series of subsequent contracts carried on the ornamentation of the Temple in a series of steps comprising the clerestory, the second or gallery story, the main story and finally the steps.
In the prosecution of the Temple ornamentation, it has been necessary to develop the use of new materials, to devise new techniques of design and to work out new methods of construction. Thus over a period of nine years, as funds have become available, the Temple Trustees have authorized the continuance of the work by the contractor, and in spite of many obstacles and difficulties the work has gone forward to its successful completion about a year and a half before the end of the Seven Year Plan.
At the inception of the Seven Year Plan, upon advices from the Guardian of the Faith, presented to the Temple Trustees and the Annual Convention by one of the Trustees, Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher, a special technical committee consisting of Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís, and laymen and technical experts, was appointed and made a thorough investigation of the project. Upon the committee’s recommendation the Trustees proceeded with the exterior ornamentation, utilizing the same contractor, supervising engineer, materials and methods that had been employed in the work of the dome and the clerestory.
2. ITS SIGNIFICANCE
CARL SCHEFFLER
This House of Worship is of
tremendous importance to the
whole Bahá’í world. As you
may know, it is the second structure
of its kind, the first one
being located in southern Russia.
This building is much the larger
one, and since it is the first one
in America, it has the distinction
of being the mother Temple in
not only America but in the
Western world. Its greatest distinction
derives not from this but
from the fact that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
visited the ground upon which
the building stands in 1912.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh,
the Founder of the
Bahá’í Faith, was the great
Exemplar of His Father’s Teachings.
To the Bahá’í world He
was known as the Master, a title
given to Him by his Father, but
he wished only to be known as
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which means the
Servant of God. He was not
only the Exemplar of the Teachings
of the Faith, but he was to
the Western world the most perfect
teacher of its marvelous
tenets. But above all, he was the
sole interpreter of the Revelation
of His Father, so designated in
the Will and Testament of Bahá’u’lláh,
and as the interpreter of
the meanings of the books left to
the world for the guidance and
training of the nations. He insured
this Faith from the corruption
that has destroyed other
religions. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was
known also as the Center of the
Covenant of God.
Because of the reverence that always will be attached to the mention of His name it is apparent that the Bahá’ís will always regard this structure as their foremost House of Worship in the world. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá not only visited this ground, but dedicated it to the service of the Faith. His prayer for the success of the building enterprise was uttered here and He, with his own hands, placed the corner stone in the soil. This stone is now imbedded in the structure.
Bahá’ís everywhere have contributed
enthusiastically to its
building. They have come from
all parts of the world to see it
and pictures of it are to be found
in every city, village, and hamlet
of the world where there are
Bahá’ís and this means almost
everywhere; in the jungle areas
of India, in Africa, in Persia, in
China, from the tip of the
straights of Magellan to Alaska
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and in the islands of the sea. It
is a Universal House of Worship,
for the members of the
Bahá’í Faith are from every religious
Faith; they are of every
race and nation.
It will be noted that it is a nine sided structure. This unique building form will in the future characterize all Bahá’í Houses of Worship. It is so specified in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. The number nine is used as a symbol of unification. All of the other numbers are included in nine. Bahá’u’lláh has declared that the greatest need of humanity in this day is unity. The keynote of His guidance to mankind is universal brotherhood. He, in unequivocal language, declares the oneness of humanity; that all are the children of one God. With marvelous clarity He utters Truths that unquestionably will triumph over misunderstanding, ignorance and prejudice.
A startling example of such Teaching is given regarding religious prejudice. He points out that religion is a progressive unfoldment of the Will of God, constantly moving through the instrumentality of a succession of prophets who with unerring guidance advance the growth of the world. Concepts of religion as a fixed, stationary element in life become untenable in the light of this thought. Through it the different religions are explained, since it is easy to comprehend the idea of a great succession of Divine Manifestations Whom we know as the Prophets Who are the educators of the human race. In this sublime utterance lies the power to demolish the barriers of religious prejudice.
In a similar challenging manner
all manner of prejudice is
overcome. Have not the events
of recent times demonstrated beyond
question the permanent
necessity of such truths as these?
There can be no doubt of the
pressing need in every land for
this key to human conciliation.
Illusions of superiority which
have so poisoned the body of
humanity, too, are dispelled by
the re-establishment of a true
standard of value in which inner
realities that elevate are made
to displace materialistic concepts
that have too long degraded mankind.
A man rises toward a
greater stature not through the
accumulation of gold or land or
the domination of his fellows,
but through the development of
spiritual characteristics. He
glories in the acquisition of
knowledge that enables him to
serve man better. His success
lies in his ability to promote the
love of God and in the attainment
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of such things as tend to harmonize,
elevate and make truly
happy those who are around him.
From the name of the building, Bahá’í House of Worship, everyone instantly perceives the purpose of the structure. Naturally in any land where such a building is erected people will be inclined to regard the word “worship” from the background of their own experience. They, therefore, are puzzled by learning that in this building there will be no chancel or pulpit, no altar of any kind. There will be no organ or other instrumental music. Nor is there a clergy connected with its worship. No set form of service or ritual is to be practiced within its walls. Bahá’ís will enter there singly or collectively to worship, but the prayer and meditation is individual. There is indicated in the Writings that some form of chanting, I think somewhat similar to that of the Greek or Russian chant, may be used, but this is a matter of future development. The Words of Bahá’u’lláh clearly show that the recitation of prayers, the intonation of the Holy Writings, is the cause of the elevation of the human spirit. He says, “Intone, O my servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the Words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb. Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must sooner or later exercise its influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Source of power and wisdom.”
In the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
the meaning of worship is given
a broader meaning than is generally
known. A man’s life must
be made to conform to the precepts
that are the standard for
the good life in this day. Bahá’u’lláh
declares that “the principles
of faith is to lessen words
and to increase deeds. He Whose
words exceed his acts, know
verily, that his non-being is
better than his being and death
better than his life.” He gives
a further emphasis to this by
declaring that work performed
in the service of humanity is
worship, thus elevating and
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ennobling work in a manner that
will inspire man’s efforts and
definitely discourage slothfulness.
Indeed He commands that
all men must work. It is incumbent
on all men to learn
crafts, trades or professions and
to practice them.
Bahá’í Houses of Worship will in future be built in all the cities of the world. These centers of spiritual strength and power will gradually exert a powerful influence on human society. Associated with each of them will be those institutions that represent the public services for the communities. Schools, a hospital, an orphanage, a home for the aged, and such others as may be suited to the needs of the people will become associated with these structures. Thus men will attain a new orientation toward life; they will build a new social order founded on widely expanded concepts. Their relations to their fellow men will be so altered that peace and prosperity will become the rule rather than fleeting experience.
To America, this edifice stands as a beacon of destiny. It points toward the fulfilment of the hopes of the country’s founders— heralding to the inhabitants of the whole world the ideals that inspired them and showing the way toward a united states of the world. The vision of Bahá’u’lláh was far reaching. The plans that men now strive laboriously to contrive, the hopes they set for world cooperation have all long since been set forth in such form and with such regard for thorough detail as to reveal the failures of lesser efforts even before they are made.
To the western hemisphere this building stands as the center of a new culture. Here the Latins of the southern continent and the Anglo-Saxons of the north find their binding tie. Through its divine inspiration they will now find true unity. For the first time they can be confident that the seemingly insurmountable barriers of religion and different culture will be overcome. A new education will truly unite them.
This Shrine will become a center of pilgrimage to men from all parts of the world. If you regard it as beautiful now, try, if you will, to envision the effect of the love of God that will inspire generations in the future. They will seek to embellish this structure with a grandeur that will surpass all present dreams of beauty.
Excerpts from addresses delivered on the program of the Bahá’í Centenary, Wilmette, Illinois, May 19-25, 1944.
The Meeting of the Americas
1. COSMIC MISSION OF THE AMERICAS
PHILIP LEONARD GREEN
THE honor of speaking in this
beautiful House of Worship
during the centenary of the
Bahá’í Faith which it so fittingly
symbolizes and upon a subject
so close to the hearts of its leaders,
is fraught with great spiritual
significance.
My first contact with the ideals promoted by this world-wide community of devoted men and women came almost two decades ago through the late Mary Hanford Ford, who presented me with a booklet entitled “The World of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá”. Expecting to find in it little more than an interesting explanation of Oriental mysticism, I was overcome with surprise to read not only the exposition of a philosophy which exalted international cooperation to the status of a religion but which even made specific prophecies with regard to inter-American developments, which have since become largely transformed into reality. These were all the more significant when we realize by whom and in what times they were given to the world. They came from the lips of a Persian mystic who could have had no special interest in singling out the Pan-American movement for preferential mention. He made them in 1912, during a period when relations among the American republics were rapidly degenerating. The interview during which these prophecies were promulgated was reported in these words: “So he said there would be in the end a United States of the World, as compact as the present United States of America.” When asked if this change would appear suddenly, he said, no, that it would arise first in the western continent. The bond between North and South America would be greatly strengthened, he declared, and later, the entire two continents, including Mexico and Canada, would grow so harmonious that they would act upon all important questions like one country.
These words could almost be
mistaken for those of an enthusiastic
Pan-Americanist. Sincere
workers in the cause of inter-American
concord can find in
them that spiritual strength which
they need at every turn on the
[Page 80]
long road to genuine amity which
we in the Americas still have to
travel. They lift the mission of
the true inter-Americanist far
above the shifting sands of arrangements
built solely on material
convenience. They bring a
sense of worthwhileness and assurance
even when the forces of
cynicism, hard-heartedness and
ineffectuality tend to engulf us.
They point out in crystal-clear
terms to Americans of the South,
Center and North, the cosmic
mission which has been reserved
for them if they can but grasp its
meaning and meet its requirements.
The first and foremost among these conditions—one which is far from fulfilment at this time —is a genuine intellectual and spiritual understanding even among that portion of the American nations capable of such understanding. The magnitude of attaining such a goal is enough to discourage most of those who contemplate this task. Yet the pursuit of the Pan-American ideal antedates the establishment of the first free American republic. At the Battle of Savannah, eight hundred volunteer troops from Haiti fought alongside the English colonists. Again, it was President Pétion of Haiti who supplied the great Liberator of northern South America, with valuable assistance in the struggle for Venezuelan freedom. Bolívar referred to Pétion as “the author of our liberties”.
Another example of inter-American cooperation was given by that other great figure of Latin American history, the Argentine General, José de San Martín, who was instrumental in freeing both Chile and Peru. Various forefathers of the Latin American republics had broad visions of inter-American unity in the earliest days of their national life. Among these were the distinguished Honduran intellectual, José Cecilio del Valle and the Argentine Bernardo Monteagudo. The former published a plan which he called “Federation of all the states of America” in his paper Amigo de la Patria at Guatemala City as early as 1822. The latter was the author of another comprehensive blueprint for inter-American union, which is said to have had a profound effect on the thinking of Simón Bolívar. These were but a few in the galaxy of early Latin American protagonists of the Pan-American cause.
In our own country, they had
their counterparts in such distinguished
figures as Thomas
Jefferson, James Monroe, John
Quincy Adams and, of course,
the great Henry Clay, whose
[Page 81]
name is perhaps more widely
known in Latin America than in
his own land. For ten long years,
Henry Clay fought almost singlehandedly
on behalf of recognition
for the newly arising Spanish-American
nations. He was one
of the first leaders in our country
to call attention to the cultural
attainments of Latin Americans.
First, in the common struggles
for their political independence
and then in the common dangers
of their early national existence,
the young republics of America
found bonds of brotherhood
which strengthened them in days
of stress.
The Monroe Doctrine, a warning to non-American nations against further encroachments on the American Hemisphere, became upon its declaration a rallying point for inter-American unity, a far cry from the symbol of imperialism into which it was later converted by a long list of errors. The Doctrine in its original form received a most cordial welcome from many Latin American political leaders. It was only in later years, when it became confused with other ideas which followed in its wake, that Latin Americans began to suspect the United States of sinister motives. That this suspicion had ample basis in a long train of unhappy events, no impartial student of inter-American affairs would now deny. The acquisition of one-half of Mexico’s territory by the United States, the exploits of the filibuster William Walker in Central America, the Panama Canal incident, the tendency of our leading statesmen during a certain era to speak glibly of our “manifest destiny” and the unfair exploitation of Latin American peoples by certain of our fellow-citizens to whom profits meant more than the good name of their own country, were just a few of the causes that operated against the promotion of inter-American friendship over many years. Under these conditions, can we be surprised that Latin Americans increasingly referred to the United States as the “Octopus of the North” rather than in terms of admiration such as they had used in the time of Henry Clay?
You may naturally ask how
much of this feeling of distrust
remains at the present time. I
wish I could tell you that it has
been completely eliminated. Unfortunately,
such as not the case
and we might as well know it and
face it. Professional Good
Neighborism may in part save
the day in wartime, when self-preservation
leaves no other
course open but cooperation; but
huge expenditures of money in
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themselves will never achieve the
kind of friendship which we must
have in the Americas if we are
to assume a unique mission;
President Avila Camacho of
Mexico recently expressed the
concern of most Latin American
leaders when he said “The Good
Neighbor policy will lose all of
its historical meaning if we look
at it only as an instrument of
Pan-American conciliation in the
moment of danger”.
There is no happy prospect for the endurance and growth of a movement that is built on negative motivations. Upon the close of the present war, a sharp decline in Pan-American effort is bound to set in unless we refuse now to lose our perspective under the unusual stresses of war and unless we determine to hold fast to the tenets of unadulterated, Bolivarian Pan-Americanism. For this ideal has nothing whatsoever to do with the type of synthetic friendship which is superinduced temporarily by spending fantastic sums of money. The type of Pan-American friendship which Bolívar and all the other great Pan-American leaders envisioned cannot be bought that way. The exchange of material things may have a large part in it but in the last analysis, it cannot be attained except through the operation of spiritual forces.
Bolívar first sensed this, when, as an exile on the island of Jamaica in the year 1815, he sent out his famous letter, frequently referred to as the Prophetic Letter, in which he expressed the hope that one day Panama might be for the New World what Corinth had been for the Old. Eleven years passed before his vision of a congress of the Americas began to take shape with the small but famous gathering at Panama. To practical-minded people, the Bolivarian Congress of 1826 was beyond doubt a failure. Yet the seeds of subsequent inter-American cooperation were sown there. They were nurtured at a number of international Latin-American gatherings that followed, though at one time the very existence of the inter-American ideal was threatened.
Finally, the Pan-American
movement was given substantial
impetus when Secretary of State
James B. Blaine of the United
States brought together the delegates
of the American republics
in 1899, at what was to be the
first in a long series of international
conferences, the eighth
of which was held at Lima, Peru,
in 1938. Some of these were
characterized by acrimonious
debates on sundry issues; others
[Page 83]
were the springboards for many
a constructive effort.
At the very first of these gatherings, the American republics organized an international office which later became known as the Pan-American Union—the first practical approach to a working society of nations in the history of the world. Started as a unit for the compilation and publication of economic data only, the Pan-American Union of today is an institution that serves such widely differing interests as agriculture, labor, music and travel. Aside from the Pan-American Union, a number of specialized organizations have been set up by the American republics at their various general and technical conferences. Among these are the American Institute for the Protection of Childhood, the Gorgas Memorial Laboratory, the Inter-American Commission of Women, the Inter-American Radio Office, the Inter-American Trade-Marks Bureau, the Pan-American Highway Confederation, the Pan-American Institute of Geography and History, the Pan-American Railway Committee and the Pan-American Sanitary Bureau. Recently, the Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences was organized. Since about two-thirds of the people of the Americas derive their living from agriculture in one form or another, it is quite evident that an organization which is intended to serve as a channel for mutual helpfulness in solving common problems can contribute in no small measure to the type of rapprochement that has a sound basis.
Supplementing these organizations is a rather intricate network of treaties and commissions for the conciliation and arbitration of disputes that may arise in the Americas. Though it must be admitted that they have not always succeeded in avoiding conflict, no one will deny that the record of the Americas in this regard can still be considered as exemplary.
Governmental machinery
alone, however, will not guarantee
the ultimate triumph of
the inter-American cause. Official
effort must be ably supplemented
by enlightened cooperation on
the part of the people. To this
end, it is highly important that
the tools for marshalling and
dispensing the information so
necessary to such understanding,
be forged and kept in good working
order. In this connection,
it is to the credit of the schools,
colleges, universities, libraries,
museums and professional organizations
of the American republics
that they have taken up the
[Page 84]
cause of inter-American understanding
with so much interest
and zeal. Business associations,
labor organizations, teachers’ associations,
student leagues, learned
societies, women’s associations,
political and religious
bodies, the press and the radio
have also seen a new vision of
usefulness in recent years
through bringing the message of
inter-American friendship to
their constituencies.
Students of Latin American affairs whose interest goes back beyond the heyday of war-begotten enthusiasm for things Latin American, cannot forget that until about seven years ago, the spiritual descendants of Henry Clay in the United States could be counted in three figures if indeed three figures were needed. Now, in the general confusion of values aggravated by war, these devoted trail blazers frequently find the basic significance of their long-time dedication to the inter-American ideal obscured by newcomers, many of whom three or four years ago would have had difficulty in locating Latin America on the map, assuming that they had even been interested.
Under such conditions, it takes a peculiar brand of courage to keep one’s faith. The spiritual nourishment which such groups as yours can make available is of supreme importance in this connection. It can bring to the true guardians of the inter-American cause the inescapable truth that they must not consider their movement as a casual, detached effort in the realm of human association only, but rather, as part of a vast plan having far greater significance than any individual or group of individuals. The goal of inter-American amity is one that has ever required untold sacrifices of those who chose to pursue it honorably. There is nothing in past experience to warrant the assumption that it will be attained by people who are indifferent to the higher disciplines it demands. Fortunately, in every American nation there is already a small group of effective people thoroughly convinced of the path which the Americas must follow in the challenging days ahead and ready to act in accordance with their beliefs at the appointed time. It is only because of this that we can dare to assert our supreme confidence in a future day, when, under God, the Americas will stand truly united, both for their own welfare and in unselfish service to all mankind.
2. BAHÁ’U’LLÁH’S GIFT TO LATIN AMERICA
OCTAVIO ILLESCAS
To a failing world in which
the seeds of greed and hatred
were germinating, to the human
race over which the black clouds
of Armageddon were gathering,
Bahá’u’lláh, the Glory of God,
the divine manifestation of this
Age, brought a great gift.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Center of the Covenant, described it in these words: “The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and the fundamental oneness of religion.”
Bahá’u’lláh expressed the center theme of his teachings in these words:
“The tabernacle of Unity has been raised, regard ye not one another as strangers—of one tree ye are the fruit and of one bough the leaves—the world is but one country, and mankind its citizens.”
These words are not mere religious platitudes; no, they are the Will of God for the people of the earth at this time. Together with this vibrant message, Bahá’u’lláh has brought to this new cycle of religion the power to bring these things to pass.
Whatever is necessary to bring the peoples of the earth under the Banner of Unity unfurled by Bahá’u’lláh, will happen, is already happening.
The forces that cause destruction among the human family will be destroyed by their own doings. The civilization based on greed and suspicion that changes the gifts of God to humanity: inventions, scientific and industrial development, commercial expansion, etc., into new causes for strife and new and more powerful instruments of destruction, will give way to a new civilization based on good will and cooperation in which the gifts of God will be used only for the welfare of the human family.
Bahá’u’lláh’s message is the light that will guide the world out of chaos, it is the clarification, the summing up, the climax of the teachings of all the prophets of God that have come before. It is the divine banner under which chastized humanity will gather to build a new civilization based on the true principles of religion.
But how will Latin America
respond to this gift of God? Will
they hear the message? Will they
see the vision? And what will
[Page 86]
the Bahá’í teachings do for the
Latin American people?
To those of us who know and love Latin America, and to those of us who are Latin Americans, it is evident that the Bahá’í teachings are the needed stimulus that will enable Latin America not only to make rapid strides on the path of a new and better civilization, but to take active part in helping to establish it on the Earth.
The characteristic politeness and hospitality of the Latin Nations, where the expression: “This is your home,” as a welcome to the stranger is commonly heard, is a step towards the divine pattern.
The religious heritage, the well-known fervor and devotion of the masses, in the Latin American Nations will be the fertile soil on which the seeds of the Bahá’í Faith, a religion of action, a religion in which service to humanity is worship of God— will grow and hear rich fruits.
Unity, the center theme of the Bahá’í teachings, is not new to Latin America. The Latin American Nations, because of the strong links forged during those glorious days when national independence was won, believe in the lasting solidarity of the Western Hemisphere. Simon Bolívar, the great liberator, the man of vision, after the war of independence was won, became an apostle of Continental Unity—a concert of American nations living and working together in unison. Back in 1826, he called the first inter-American Conference to meet in Panama City. Unfortunately, this meeting was a disappointment, mostly because Bolívar was so far ahead of his time. So clear was his vision, so great his love for this hemisphere, that Pan-Americanism in over fifty years of work, after its new start, sixty years later, in the Washington Conference of 1889, is not ready yet to perform the functions set forth by Bolívar for the first Conference. It won’t be very difficult for the Bahá’í teachings to extend this belief in Continental Unity to the saving belief in World Unity.
Yes, we are sure Latin America will hear the message and will see the inspiring vision. Latin America has been called, with a smile, the land of mañana, the land of tomorrow. Due to the limitations imposed upon individual effort during the Colonial period and the influence of that period left as an heritage to the Latin American Nations, the people of these countries have not yet caught the tempo of the more industrialized nations of the North.
[Page 87]
They have proved through
their history that when they have
an inspiring goal, they are capable
of overcoming insurmountable
difficulties to reach that goal.
Just as its mountains, forests, and virgin soil contain untapped riches, so do the people of Latin America contain outstanding capacities, signs of which have been already seen. Sons and daughters of Latin America have earned respect for their attainments in scientific and literary fields.
When the heart and soul of Latin America is reached by the quickening power of the Bahá’í teachings, these so far hidden capacities will come to light and Latin America will take its God-given station among the sister nations of the world.
In this “mañana”, this tomorrow, the crops from its fertile soil will help to feed the peoples of the Earth; the metal from its mines will contribute to the happiness and welfare of humanity; and the Latin American people will, by the bounty of God, help to establish the Unity of Mankind.
3. THE AWAKENING OF LATIN AMERICA
MRS. STUART W. FRENCH
The Words of Bahá’u’lláh are
the origin of the all-compelling
force which has set astir the
whole world. He especially directs
the following to the American
Republics when He says:—
“O ye elected representatives of the people in every land! Take ye counsel together and let your concern be only for that which profiteth Mankind and bettereth the condition thereof, if ye be of them that scan heedfully. Regard the world as a human body afflicted through various causes with grave disorders and maladies. . . . That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy, the mighty instrument for the healing of 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 Physician. This verily is the Truth and all else naught but error.”
Fired by these Utterances and
further sensing the urge to go
forth on this great Mission where
Shoghi Effendi addresses the
[Page 88]
prospective pioneers in the “Advent
of Divine Justice” when
further quoting Bahá’u’lláh, he
says: “And finally, let these soul
stirring Words of Bahá’u’lláh, as
they pursue their course throughout
the length and breadth of the
southern American continent, be
ever ready on their lips, a solace
to their hearts, a light on their
path, a companion in their loneliness
and a daily sustenance in
their journeys:
“‘O wayfarer in the path of God! Take thou thy portion of the ocean of His grace, and deprive not thyself of the things that lie hidden in its depths. . . . With the hands of renunciation draw forth from its life-giving waters, and sprinkle therewith all created things, that they may be cleansed from all man-made limitations and may approach the Mighty Seat of God; . . . By the righteousness of God! Whoso openeth his lips in this day, and maketh mention of the name of his Lord the hosts of divine inspiration shall descend upon him from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. . . ’ ”
Thus “putting their whole trust in God as the best provision for their journey” our devoted heralds have fared forth on their heavenly mission. We cannot fathom the inscrutable Wisdom of God that designed the northern section of the American continent, (speaking now as of one continent formed by the two Americas) to be the harbinger of the Kingdom to the southern section. But in this divine decree there was a two-fold blessing for Latin America; first because of the abundance of literature with which our teachers are now equipped, and which will increase as more and more translations are made and printed, and secondly because Latin America, through a period of unconscious waiting, has been spared all the trials and tumult of our early days. Latin America has received the Great Announcement that the Faith will be firmly established, when the significance of the Mighty Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh has been thoroughly rooted in the hearts, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has definitely directed our procedure, when the Administrative Order has been set up with the Guardian to watch over it, to guide the way and to protect it from the encroachment of every enemy.
Our pioneer teachers have
given their all to Latin America.
Enfolded in the breast of that
continent lies the beloved shell
of one of our greatest souls,
whose shrine will become a place
of pilgrimage and whose spirit
now hovers over that land like a
[Page 89]
radiant, burning flame of love
which must find reflection in the
hearts of all.
In each of the Latin American Republics there is now a nucleus; in all but five there are Spiritual Assemblies, and the five which are still lacking the necessary quota are so near to it that even as we are meeting here tonight the goal may be reached! In every country these pioneers have met with the greatest courtesy. They have grown to love those lands and to wish to make their home there. From the border line of Mexico to the Straits of Magellan, from the tropics of Brazil to the mountain peaks of Bolivia, “The length and breadth of that land” as the Guardian instructed, has the Cause of God been heralded, by radio and by press, by lectures and by the loving example of their service have these pioneers accomplished the “meeting of the Americas”.
And now as we stand on the threshold of the second Bahá’í century we witness the crumbling of the old order as we pass forever out of its orbit and arm ourselves for the spiritual conquest of the entire world. In this great mission we look forward confidently to the increasing cooperation of the people of Latin America themselves who already have begun pioneering in their own lands. For to all pioneers ‘Abdu’l-Bahá addresses these Words:
“O ye apostles of Bahá’u’lláh! May my life be sacrificed for you! Behold the portals which Bahá’u’lláh hath opened before you! Consider how exalted and lofty is the station you are destined to attain; how unique the favors with which you have been endowed.” . . . “The full measure of your success is as yet unrevealed, its significance still unapprehended. Erelong you will, with your own eyes, witness how brilliantly every one of you, even as a shining star, will radiate in the firmament of your country the light of Divine Guidance and will bestow upon its people the glory of an everlasting life.” . . . “Exert yourselves; your mission is unspeakably glorious. Should success crown your enterprise, America will assuredly evolve into a center from which waves of spiritual power will emanate, and the throne of the Kingdom of God will, in the plenitude of its majesty and glory be firmly established.”
Excerpts from addresses delivered on the program of the Bahá’í Centenary, Wilmette, Illinois, May 19-25, 1944.
Editorial
1844—ORIENT AND OCCIDENT
DURING the past month
Bahá’ís all over the world
have commemorated the one hundredth
anniversary of the birth
of their Faith. In the United
States Bahá’ís from Canada,
Mexico, Central America, South
America and nearby islands have
spent a week together at the
Bahá’í House of Worship in
Wilmette, fittingly celebrating
the event and counselling together.
On the evening of May
22nd, two hours and eleven minutes
after sunset, sacred services
in that Universal House of Worship
commemorated the very
hour when the Báb, in the privacy
of His own home, declared
to His first disciple that He was
the long expected Promised One,
the Inaugurator of the New Age.
As revealed that night this Message
was to be carried to “lands
in both the East and the West.”
That night marked the dawn of
the age of peace, the age of
unity, when the hearts of all people
should become united in one
religion and all nations should
come under one world government.
But by no means do all people as yet recognize the importance of this festival. As we look back it seems strange that it was fifty years before this great glad news came to America, and we find many saying, if this event is really so important to us in the Western World why have we not heard of it before? Such inquirers scarcely realize how widely separated Orient and Occident were one hundred years ago in distance and even more in interests.
What was happening in America
in 1844 and the years nearby,
before and after? What were the
interests of the people? Were
they looking for a fresh revelation
from God? There were indeed
stirrings in the religious
world, revivals, missionary activity,
and the birth of new sects.
And we must not forget that it
was in 1844 that the thousands
of followers of William Miller
who had set that date for the
miraculous return of Christ were
bitterly disappointed having been
led astray by too literal interpretation
of the Scriptures. These
are not the things, however,
which cause the wonder and comment
[Page 91]
of those who survey the
past century. Rather it is the
phenomenal development of science
and invention, a development
again and again termed
marvelous, yet never explained.
One writer marking the centenary of his own publication says: “To an extraordinary degree, 1844 was a year which marked the division of the old and the new.” He notes particularly that it was in 1844 that the historic first message, “What hath God wrought”, went over the telegraph wires and that it was at this time that steam was applied in earnest to ocean transportation.
So while in the East spiritual forces were being released which changed the hearts of men and united those who had been of opposing races and religions in a brotherhood so true that they gave their lives for their belief, in the West the inventive spirit of man was quickened to bring forth means for rapid communication and transportation, the physical means for uniting the East and the West.
Can we believe that it was quite by accident that a fresh revelation of religion in the East and the unparalleled development of science in the West took place simultaneously? Is it not plain that science and vital religion are both necessary to unite the opposing forces in East and West and bring all into one world community? There is no need to point out to what straits the misapplication of science has led us, to repeat “that each new invention intended for peaceful benefits has been drafted into the service of war”. Do we need to be told that the only force powerful enough to rightly direct this inventive genius of man is true religion? “Had material civilization been combined with Divine civilization,” asserts ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “these fiery weapons would never have been invented. Nay, rather, human energy would have been wholly denoted to useful inventions and would have been concentrated on praiseworthy discoveries.”
It is idle to speculate as to what a different world this might now have been had the majority of people listened and obeyed when fifty years ago the great Message of Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb did come to the Western World. But it is not too late to accept and follow the Divine guidance which this fresh revelation of God’s will has given for building the new world in which science is made, not the master, but the servant of religion.
The Oneness of Humanity
WILLIAM KENNETH CHRISTIAN
“THE Tabernacle of Unity
has been raised; regard
ye not one another as strangers.
. . . Of one tree are all ye the
fruit and of one bough the leaves.
. . . The world is but one country
and mankind its citizens.”
So wrote Bahá’u’lláh seventy years ago, at a time when the masses of the world’s peoples were concerned with local problems, local needs, and local aspirations. And Bahá’u’lláh wrote this at a time when the leaders of the world’s peoples were giving no heed to questions of world order.
Yet in the first half of this first Bahá’í century, two momentous things were occurring. Every force making for change in the lives of men was being accelerated at a rate beyond any comparison with a previous era in history. Steel rails were flung across continents. The human voice was projected over a wire; the human voice was captured on a disk. The center of living was changed from a particular city, town, village, or isolated farm. Travel and communication, with an awesome swiftness, revolutionized the area of men’s activity. The practical meaning of time changed. The five continents, the seas and oceans of the world, and the islands on their waters, were all drawn steadily closer.
During this same period, Bahá’u’lláh, in prison and in exile, lifted high the spiritual banner of world unity and justice. He claimed to be a Messenger of God, a Manifestation of Truth with the same spiritual power and divine authority that had characterized Jesus and the High Prophets of the past. He restated the spiritual obligations of man to God. He exhorted men to a life of honesty, truthfulness, purity, and service.
He decried the growing injustice
in the world, the increasing
blight and horror of war, the
insidious poisons of racial prejudice,
of class antagonism, of false
national doctrines. He urged
the leaders of the world to assemble
an international legislature
which might act to remove
the causes of the world’s distress.
But the mighty ones of the earth
ignored His plea, and so the
world’s peoples now move relentlessly
through this bloody epoch,
unconscious of the fact that a
divine remedy has already been
[Page 93]
given to them.
The chief purpose of Bahá’u’lláh’s mission is to establish world-wide justice through unity. He has proclaimed: “The best-beloved of all things in My sight is Justice.” And this is a proclamation of justice for all men. Bahá’u’lláh did not mean justice for a certain class, for a certain race, for a certain nation, or for a limited combination of nations. He looked at the world as a unit with planetary needs. He regarded the needs, the hopes, and the possibilities of all men. He meant, quite literally, justice for all men, everywhere.
The keynote to this unity which Bahá’u’lláh has declared the basis for universal justice, is the principle of the Oneness of Humanity. This principle is neither “a pious hope” nor a mere restatement of the ideal of brotherhood. Bahá’u’lláh has established again in the heart and the mind the living reality of faith. He creates the desire to achieve justice for all men. He creates an awareness of God’s love and purpose. He creates a desire to praise God in word and in deed. But far more than this, Bahá’u’lláh has inseparably joined the spiritual and the practical aspects of life. The Oneness of Humanity is “the pivot round which all the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh revolve.” The social principles of Bahá’u’lláh —consultation, collective security for the maintenance of peace, universal government, universal education—these, and others, are all methods for establishing human oneness. Bahá’u’lláh places social action and responsibility on the same high level of obligation with individual morality. In fact, the divine order for human society, found in the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, is so practical that, in its basic elements, it is being applied now among the Bahá’ís of the world.
By the Oneness of Humanity is meant that all human beings are the children of God; that there is no specially-chosen race in the sight of God; that differing colors of skin constitute an element of variety, and not an element of innate difference or superiority; that differences of religious background are no longer a sufficient excuse for one group of people remaining aloof from another; that variations in political views and economic advantages do not constitute a justification for dominance and exploitation.
And the Oneness of Humanity
requires the recognition of the
equality of men and women. It
requires the formulating of a
[Page 94]
world system of education, with
some basic curriculum, and with
this universal educational program
open to boys and girls
alike. It requires the selection
of an international auxiliary
language to facilitate trade,
travel, and communication. It
means that religion and science
should be regarded as co-partners,
since they are the great
and complementary instruments
which can lead the human race
along the road of decency and
enriched living. This dynamic
principle also requires the erection
of a world federal government,
a super-government, representing
the peoples of the earth,
dedicated to justice without regard
to race, religion, or region.
When this war subsides, the human and material wreckage will be dreadful. We will see the evidence on every hand. And the statisticians will compile their lists. But they will not be able to measure the dark cesspool of hatred, of prejudice, of warped and crooked doctrines.
No limited nationalistic principle, no limited racial principle can serve as the basis for rebuilding our shattered world. We cannot return to the localisms of the past. The habits of the past are no longer safe. The thinking of the past can only betray us now. The world needs the vision of Bahá’u’lláh. It needs the impact of His loving spirit. It needs the solid unity which only He can create. We must, therefore, sound a warning that the Oneness of Mankind is “the sole means for the salvation of a greatly suffering world.”
The American people, especially, are challenged by this principle. For this republic which has developed a high form of just government and which has many times stretched the hand of assistance to oppressed peoples, this republic harbors also one of the most virulent forms of race hatred. Millions of people in this country, because of a mere difference in color, are cursed with an economic, social, and psychological stigma. This is the gravest internal problem for the American people in these years when a world order is evolving.
Besides a warning, this principle,
enunciated eloquently and
insistently by Bahá’u’lláh, brings
“a promise that its realization is
at hand.” The first beam of this
sun of promise flashed across the
darkened sky of Persia when the
youthful Báb heralded a new
religious dispensation. The
words of this Forerunner cut
the thick veils of bigotry and
ignorance which lay like a vast
fog over that land. He inspired
His followers to deeds of such
[Page 95]
valor that the promise of spiritual
regeneration in Persia was
heard by great scholars in the
continent of Europe. The second
beam of promise might well be
the announcement by Bahá’u’lláh
of His mission as God’s
Manifestation in our age. The
third beam of promise would be
the embryonic world order,
found in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh
and erected by the believers
under the guidance of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi,
Guardian of the Faith.
Shoghi Effendi has written: “Leaders of religion, exponents of political theories, governors of human institutions, who at present are witnessing with perplexity and dismay the bankruptcy of their ideas, and the disintegration of their handiwork, would do well to turn their gaze to the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, and to meditate upon the World Order which, lying enshrined in His teachings, is slowly and imperceptibly rising amid the welter and chaos of present-day civilization.”
Bahá’u’lláh already has created the impossible—the uniting of peoples of all races and cultures in one world-Wide spiritual community. The methods and the standard of the Bahá’í world community incline neither to the East nor the West, neither to the Jew nor the Gentile, neither to the rich nor the poor, neither to the white nor the colored. Within the Bahá’í community, the Oneness of Humanity is already an accomplished fact. A divine pattern of world order has been given, and it is already taking form in the communities of Bahá’ís throughout the world.
The Oneness of Humanity demands the moral and intellectual regeneration of the individual. Each age requires the new measure of a man. Bahá’u’lláh sets the standard thus: “All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.” . . . “Bend your energies to whatever may foster the education of men.” . . . “Let your vision be world-embracing rather than confined to your own self.” . . . “Equity is the most fundamental among human virtues. The evaluation of all things must needs depend upon it.” . . . “Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue.” . . . “That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race.”
The new measure of a man—
[Page 96]
what can create a new type of
thinking and conduct? What
force can so inspire and sharpen
the minds of men that they may
be fit instruments for the creation
of a just and enduring world
order? The answer is religious
faith. Religion, renewed in our
age by a Manifestation of God;
religion, purified from the prejudices
and superstitions of the
past; religion, restated in the
terms of our age and fashioned
for the needs and possibilities of
our age—such a Faith, Bahá’ís
are convinced, has the power to
regenerate mankind. Such a
Faith is the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh
—a divine remedy sent by God
for the healing of the nations and
the resurrection of man.
The Bahá’í lives and moves and has his being in the belief that the Kingdom of God will be established upon the earth. The Bahá’í is that individual who, through the confirming power of faith in Bahá’u’lláh, struggles against the currents of disunity and prejudice in the whirlpool of public opinion, and struggles within himself, in an effort to rise to a level of spiritual maturity and social action where he lives the principle of the Oneness of Mankind. The Bahá’í is the promise and the sign that a new type of conduct is being fashioned —men and women with a world vision and a sense of humanity that is deep and all-inclusive.
The Oneness of Humanity also
“implies an organic change in the
structure of present-day society.”
Bahá’u’lláh foresaw that humanity
was about to enter a crisis of
unparalleled magnitude, and that
the final resolution of that crisis
would require the establishment
of a world government. In the
words of the Guardian of the
Faith: “Some form of a world
Super-State must needs be
evolved, in whose favor all the
nations of the world will have
willingly ceded every claim to
make war, certain rights to impose
taxation and all rights to
maintain armaments, except for
purposes of maintaining internal
order within their respective
dominions. Such a state will
have to include within its orbit
an International Executive adequate
to enforce supreme and
unchallengeable authority on
every recalcitrant member of the
commonwealth; a World Parliament
whose members shall be
elected by the people in their respective
countries and whose election
shall be confirmed by their
respective governments; and a
Supreme Tribunal whose judgment
will have a binding effect
even in such cases where the
parties concerned did not voluntarily
[Page 97]
agree to submit their cases
to its consideration.” This world
government would promulgate “a
single code of international law
—the product of the considered
judgment of the world’s federated
representatives.” Such a
World Order as this which
Bahá’u’lláh anticipated, would
make the Oneness of Humanity
a living fact everywhere upon the
earth.
The spiritual regeneration of men and women, and the erection of a world government will mark the beginning of the greatest era in human history. Slowly men have progressed from the filthy, diseased, superstitious, and ignorant conditions of the early ages. Starting with the tribal form of society, larger and more orderly units of government have been evolved. The knowledge of men and their sense of idealism have also developed.
But the childhood of the human race is over. The wars and chaos of our time mark the height of humanity’s adolescence. World unity will mark the beginning of humanity’s maturity. Bahá’u’lláh heralds the achievement of this goal. The objective of His Faith is to unite the peoples of the world in “one faith and one order.” This will be “humanity’s coming of age.”
We discover, then, that this pivotal principle of Bahá’u’lláh, the Oneness of Humanity, is not “a pious hope” nor a mere restatement of the ideal of brotherhood. It is a clear warning, yet also holds the promise of definite realization. It demands the moral and intellectual regeneration of the individual. It “implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society.” Finally, it “represents the consummation of human evolution.”
Bahá’u’lláh has written: “This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors have poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things. It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-kindness. . . . Soon will the present-day Order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead.”
This is the consummating age,
the climactic age, the fruit-bearing
age in human history. But a
consummation is not an easy
thing, no matter how much men
may devoutly wish for it. A
great climax is never reached
without pain. The tree cannot
bear fruit unless the fragile
beauty of the blossom dies, to be
reborn in a form and with a substance
[Page 98]
that will nourish men and
women. The peoples of the earth
dwell in the fear, misery, and
blood of war. But this war marks
the death pangs of the old order
of materialism, of greed for
power, of exploitation, and of
disunity. God moves in human
history. His hand is above all
things. The old order is perishing
around us. A new order,
founded on the Oneness of Humanity,
is taking shape under the
guidance and protection of God.
When we think, at this Centennial, of the glorious events of the past one hundred years, of the rich treasury of truth in the Bahá’í Revelation, and of the undreamed and immeasurable possibilities of the future, our joy is mixed with a great gratitude. Is it any wonder that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said: “Behold the portals which Bahá’u’lláh hath opened to you.”
Address delivered on the program of the Bahá’í Centenary, May 19-25, 1944.
God is one; the effulgence of God is one; and humanity constitutes the servants of that one God. God is kind to all. He creates and provides for all; and all are under his care and protection. The Sun of Truth, the Word of God shines upon all mankind; the divine cloud pours down its precious rain; the gentle zephyrs of his mercy blow and all humanity is submerged in the ocean of his eternal justice and loving-kindness. God has created mankind from the same progeny in order that they may associate in good-fellowship, exercise love toward each other and live together in unity and brotherhood.
But we have acted contrary to the will and good-pleasure of God. We have been the cause of enmity and disunion. We have separated from each other and risen against each other in opposition and strife. How many have been the wars between the peoples and nations! What bloodshed! Numberless are the cities and homes which have been laid waste. All of this has been contrary to the good-pleasure of God for he hath willed love for humanity. He is clement and merciful to all his creatures. He hath ordained amity and fellowship amongst men. —‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
America and the Most Great Peace
ROWLAND ESTALL
IF EVIDENCE were needed to
prove the prophetic insight
of the Founders of the Bahá’í
Faith, surely none more powerful
could be offered than this gathering
here in the heart of the
American continent, where over
a thousand of its members from
every part of North and South
America have assembled to do
honor to their Faith, and to celebrate
the hundredth anniversary
of its birth.
How far removed did Persia
seem, and how remote the possibility
of its influence upon the
life and future of this country,
when the first reference was
made to this new world religion
by an obscure clergyman speaking
in Chicago in 1893. Not so
remote, however, that the potentiality
of the brief message there
spoken could fail to strike a
responsive chord in at least the
hearts of a few receptive souls
who heard it. From their historic
journey to ‘Akká just fifty years
ago of which we have heard tonight,
and the subsequent early
development of the Faith on this
Continent, climaxed by the visit
of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to America in
1912, followed by the steady
consolidation and growth of the
American Bahá’í Community,
crowned eventually by this most
recent and challenging expansion
of the Faith to all parts of this
hemisphere, has now come about
this extraordinary gathering. If
from so unlikely a beginning
such tremendous progress has
taken place; what, we may well
ask ourselves, is likely to be the
result fifty years from now of
this present Convention. Here
we must draw again upon the
vision and wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
and of Shoghi Effendi, His
appointed successor, to gain
further insight into the world
mission which has been given to
America. For ‘Abdu’l-Bahá specially
laid upon America the
responsibility of becoming the
standard-bearer of the Most
Great Peace and of carrying to
all corners of the world His
Father’s universal teachings for
the ultimate unity and solidarity
of the human family. “May this
American Democracy”, He declared,
“be the first nation to
establish the foundation of international
agreement. May it be
the first nation to proclaim the
unity of mankind. May it be the
first to unfurl the Standard of
the Most Great Peace.” And
[Page 100]
again: “. . . The American nation
is equipped and empowered to
accomplish that which will adorn
the pages of history, to become
the envy of the world, and be
blest in both the East and the
West for the triumph of its people.
. . . The American Continent
gives signs and evidences of
very great advancement. Its
future is even more promising,
for its influence and illumination
are far-reaching. It will lead
all nations spiritually.”
Shoghi Effendi after Him, in a recent letter to the Bahá’ís of America, has referred clearly both to the conscious efforts exerted towards the fulfillment of this purpose by the organized community of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh in the North American continent and the unconscious forces that are simultaneously although insensibly shaping the destiny of America and moulding it into an instrument fitted to “lay the corner-stone of a universal and enduring peace, to proclaim the solidarity, the unity and maturity of mankind and assist in the establishment of the promised reign of righteousness on earth.”
The initial goal in this great
world purpose often referred to
as the Lesser Peace by Bahá’u’lláh,
is expected to terminate
in the achievement of political
unity throughout the world.
Speaking to an official of the
United States Government during
His visit to America in 1912,
who had questioned him as to
the best manner in which to promote
the interests of his Government
and people, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
replied, “You can best serve
your country if you strive, in
your capacity as a citizen of the
world, to assist in the eventful
application of the principle of
federalism underlying the government
of your own country to
the relationships now existing
between the peoples and nations
of the world.” Evidences are
accumulating rapidly that the
people of America are at last
willing to accept this advice given
so long ago, and to see in it their
own best self-interest. Such
evidences might be cited as the
change from historic isolationism,
so rapid since Pearl Harbour,
the almost simultaneous
participation in the common
world war, and the enormous
part which the American people
and the resources of this Continent
are playing in the fight
against Fascism, that dark nightmare
of repressed and ancient
fears sprung suddenly into conscious
expression again for a last
battle between the world of nature
and its evil spirits personified
in the mind of Man, and the
[Page 101]
maturing God-like consciousness
which seeks now to attain a final
victory after its long journey
through the lesser worlds. Signs
are not wanting also that we are
recognizing the need to clean up
our own festering prejudices and
give effect to the equality of racial
rights so that we can properly
speak out against similar prejudices
in other parts of the world
and under different flags. So
common is the assumption now
that America must play its part
in creating some lasting form of
collective security, with the necessary
power to back it up, that
we even begin at times to lose
sight of the importance of keeping
this next specific goal in
mind, lest at the last minute reactionary
forces should abort again
the sincere attempts of America’s
leaders, as happened under similar
circumstances following the
last war, to throw the weight of
this country’s enormous political
and material power behind the
will of its people for an effective
world peace. Already, however,
beginnings are being made to
organize the world’s resources,
and the promise is not lacking
that all peoples everywhere shall
have access to an equitable share
in its goods and services, which
only the growing consciousness
of world unity could have engendered.
The beginnings made
in this direction by the United
Nations’ Relief and Rehabilitation
Administration are themselves
a conspicuous contribution
towards the achievement of economic
and political unity which,
as I have indicated, is the meaning
of the Lesser Peace.
While this secular activity is
going on, the American Bahá’ís,
spurred by the specific challenge
of their teachings, are preparing
now, after the accomplishments
of the last fifty years, to play an
ever-increasing role in the world
propagation of their Faith, and
the ultimate realization of all its
principles, which is the goal of
the Most Great Peace. For peace
cannot be secured by legislation
alone, nor can science effect it,
but only the recognition of the
Divine purpose for all mankind
and the ultimate adoption of one
world faith can ever insure the
peace and tranquillity of the
world. This ultimate goal is
best expressed in a passage from
Bahá’u’lláh’s letter to Queen Victoria
in which He said: “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
[Page 102]
inspired Physician. This verily
is the truth, and all else naught
but error.”
Here are some of the more
specific tasks which American
Bahá’ís have already been given.
On the teaching front they have
been enjoined by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
in those historic tablets to
America which enunciated America’s
Spiritual Mission, to undertake
the spreading of the Faith
throughout Europe, Asia, Africa
and Australasia after its secure
establishment in this hemisphere.
This alone is a task of unparalleled
magnitude. Simultaneously,
and on the administrative
front, Shoghi Effendi, the first
Guardian of the Faith, has provided
the following summary of
some of the opportunities in the
development of the Faith in
which the American Bahá’ís will
be called upon to play a part:
“The election of the International
House of Justice and its establishment
in the Holy Land, the
spiritual and administrative center
of the Bahá’í world, together
with the formation of its auxiliary
branches and subsidiary institutions;
the gradual erection
of the various dependencies of
the First Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of
the West, and the intricate issues
involving the establishment and
the extension of the structural
basis of Bahá’í community life;
the codification and promulgation
of the ordinances of the Most
Holy Book, necessitating the
formation, in certain countries of
the East, of properly constituted
and officially recognized courts
of Bahá’í law; the building of
the Third Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of
the Bahá’í world in the outskirts
of the city of Ṭihrán, to be followed
by the rise of a similar
House of Worship in the Holy
Land itself; the deliverance of
Bahá’í communities from the
fetters of religious orthodoxy in
such Islamic countries as Persia,
‘Iráq, and Egypt, and the consequent
recognition, by the civil
authorities in those states, of the
independent status and religious
character of Bahá’í National and
local Assemblies; the precautionary
and defensive measures
to be devised, coordinated and
carried out to counteract the full
force of the inescapable attacks
which the organized efforts of
ecclesiastical organizations of
various denominations will progressively
launch and relentlessly
pursue; and last, but not least,
the multitudinous issues that
must be faced, the obstacles that
must be overcome and the responsibilities
that must be assumed,
to enable a sore-tried Faith to
pass through the successive stages
of unmitigated obscurity, of
active repression, and of complete
[Page 103]
emancipation, leading in
turn to its being acknowledged
as an independent Faith, enjoying
the status of full equality
with its sister religions, to be
followed by its establishment and
recognition as a State religion,
which in turn must give way to
its assumption of the rights and
prerogatives associated with the
Bahá’í State, functioning in the
plenitude of its powers, a stage
which must ultimately culminate
in the emergence of the worldwide
Bahá’í Commonwealth,
animated wholly by the spirit,
and operating solely in direct
conformity with the laws and
principles of Bahá’u’lláh.”
Here then are two goals—the
Lesser and the Most Great Peace.
The former looks towards the
establishment of a preliminary
and intermediary form of world
order built upon the existing,
although fundamentally inadequate
political institutions. The
latter represents a complete
transformation in both the spirit
and form of society throughout
the world, and the conscious,
voluntary integration of humanity
with the Divine purpose. For
Man does not live by bread
alone. It is not enough to provide
food, clothing and shelter—
the necessities of life—and to
distribute these throughout the
rest of this devastated world.
Not only food and material
necessities are required, but new
spiritual life and healing. Ours
is the task to sow again in the
earth of men’s hearts, scorched
by the fires of conflict and hatred,
the fertile seeds of love and
unity, to bring sustenance once
more to the starved and suffering
spirits of men. From this Continent
we must send forth men
and women to associate in fellowship
with the peoples of the
world, and to unite them, even as
the people of this continent associate
together in friendship and
freedom.
This is our opportunity both as individuals and citizens of this free Continent. The task is God’s, but we must rise to do our part. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness can no longer be the ideal of one nation and not of others. We can no longer escape from an old world to a new. Such former conceptions of geographic isolation and refuge are gone forever. We are but one world. If there is death and destruction anywhere it is ours. The bell tolls for America, too. If there is to be happiness for us, there must be happiness too for all people everywhere. This is the new self-evident truth, and is the world logic of the premise that all men are created equal.
From Centenary Program, May 19-25, 1944.
WITH OUR READERS
THIS issue of World Order is a souvenir of the Bahá’í Centenary celebration just passed, a record in part of that great occasion. From time to time we expect to print other Centenary addresses for which we lack space in this issue.
* * *
Friday evening, May 19, when the first meeting of the Centenary celebration was held was devoted to the history and meaning of the Bahá’í House of Worship, the exterior ornamentation of which was completed in 1943 as preparation for this anniversary. Allen B. McDaniel whose address on the construction of this universal house of worship we print is a consulting engineer of Washington, D. C., and Waterford, Virginia; a Bahá’í of long standing, and from the beginning of its construction, the wise and devoted consultant in building problems of the edifice.
Carl Scheffler, well known to our readers as one of the early followers of Bahá’u’lláh, has also been associated for many years with the building of the House of Worship. Mr. Scheffler is an artist and art teacher in Evanston, Illinois.
Tuesday evening’s theme, May 23, was that of North America. At that time, Mr. Rowland Estall spoke on “America and the Most Great Peace.” Mr. Estall is secretary of the Regional Teaching Committee of that part of Canada in which he now lives, Manitoba. He not only helped found the Winnipeg Assembly but also has been active in the Cause in Montreal and Vancouver. He is a graduate of McGill University.
The program Wednesday evening, May 24, was devoted to the general topic of the meeting of the Americas. Eleven delegates from Latin American republics were present. The historic background of the rise of the Pan-American movement was presented by the guest speaker, Philip Leonard Green of Washington, D. C., an authority in this field.
Sr. Octavio Illescas, a Peruvian now residing in Los Angeles, California, who is chairman of the Bahá’í Inter-America teaching committee, spoke the same evening on the subject, “Bahá’u’lláh’s Gift to Latin America.” His address and that of Mrs. Stuart French, “The Awakening of Latin America,” appear in this number of World Order.
Mrs. French is secretary of the Bahá’í Inter-America Teaching Committee which has dispatched teachers and settlers to many parts of Central and South America.
William Kenneth Christian whose address, “The Oneness of Humanity” appears in this issue is a frequent contributor to World Order. Mr. Christian is a graduate of New York State College for Teachers and Cornell University. He is now teaching at Syracuse University. He has also taught at Bahá’í summer schools and is secretary of the Bahá’í College Teacher’s Bureau.
The July issue will present a number of additional Centenary talks.
Bahá’í Literature
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, selected and translated by
Shoghi Effendi. The Bahá’í teachings on the nature of religion, the soul,
the basis of civilization and the oneness of mankind. Bound in fabrikoid.
360 pages. $2.00.
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, translated by Shoghi Effendi. Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh toward the end of His earthly mission, this text is a majestic and deeply-moving exposition of His fundamental principles and laws and of the sufferings endured by the Manifestation for the sake of mankind. Bound in cloth. 186 pages. $1.50.
The Kitáb-i-Íqán, translated by Shoghi Effendi. This work (The Book of Certitude) unifies and coordinates the revealed Religions of the past, demonstrating their oneness in fulfillment of the purposes of Revelation. Bound in cloth. 262 pages. $2.50.
Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, selected and translated by Shoghi Effendi. The supreme expression of devotion to God; a spiritual flame which enkindles the heart and illumines the mind. 348 pages. Bound in fabrikoid. $2.00.
Some Answered Questions. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá's explanation of questions concerning the relation of man to God, the nature of the Manifestation, human capacities, fulfillment of prophecy, etc. Bound in cloth. 350 pages. $1.50.
The Promulgation of Universal Peace. In this collection of His American talks, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laid the basis for a firm understanding of the attitudes, principles and spiritual laws which enter into the establishment of true Peace. 492 pages. Bound in cloth. $2.50.
Bahá’í Prayers, a selection of Prayers revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, each Prayer translated by Shoghi Effendi. 72 pages. Bound in fabrikoid, $0.75. Paper cover, $0.35.
The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, by Shoghi Effendi. On the nature of the new social pattern revealed by Bahá’u’lláh for the attainment of divine justice in civilization. Bound in fabrikoid. 234 pages. $1.50.
BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING COMMITTEE
110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois
The Faith of Bahá’u’lláh has assimilated,
by virtue of its creative, its regulative and
ennobling energies, the varied races, nationalities,
creeds and classes that have
sought its shadow, and have pledged unswerving
fealty to its cause.
—SHOGHI EFFENDI