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[Page 319]

WORLD ORDER

FEBRUARY, 1946

World Order Is the Goal — Horace Holley

The Challenge of the Atomic Age — Arthur Dahl

In the Army — Benjamin Kaufman

Worship in One Faith, Editorial — Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick

This Earth One Country, Book Review — William Kenneth Christian

An Early Teacher — Eleanor Crane Carter

“Then Tell Me,” Poem — Elsie Paterson Cranmer

Bahá’í World Faith, Book Review — Eleanor Sweney Hutchens

Bahá’í, Poem — Ruth Foster Froemming

The Guardianship and the Administrative Order Study Outline — Paul E. Haney

With Our Readers

15c

THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE [Page 320]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 XXXVI of the continuous Bahá’í publication.

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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, William Kenneth Christian, Gertrude K. Henning, Horace Holley, Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick.

Editorial Office

Mrs. Gertrude K. Henning, Secretary

69 ABBOTTSFORD ROAD, WINNETKA, ILL.

Publication Office

110 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, ILL.

C. R. Wood, Business Manager Printed in U.S.A.

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FEBRUARY, 1946, VOLUME XI, NUMBER 11

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, Illinois. Entered as second class matter April 1, 1940, at the post office at Wilmette, Ill., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Content copyrighted 1946 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

[Page 321]

World Order Is the Goal

HORACE HOLLEY

Our Chairman referred to a day one hundred and one years ago as a great and significant day in the rise of a world faith. In 1844 a new spiritual condition was established in the life of mankind. A great impulse was released for the development of human intelligence and feeling, and a new and new and higher direction was given to the forces of social evolution.

In the hour of dawn the sun may be obscured by the mists of the early day. Nevertheless it shines behind the clouds and the mist and its penetrating light and heat do make their effect upon all living things.

Men realize that they live in a physical world where light is not vaguely diffused and reflected from all the innumerable objects of the earth without a definite source; where light is not an attribute of things in themselves but has its source in the sun.

But when the light of a new truth dawns upon human consciousness, people for a time feel a stirring, and they are moved by some particular ideal or possibility, that seems nearest to their personal life or their innate powers.

Eventually, however, history demonstrates the fact that Truth is not a self-germinating spiritual influence. It is not something wafted back and forth by human argument and debate, but Truth is a thing that is created, a power that becomes manifest in one particular and unique type of spiritual being. It is when we turn to the source of the Truth and receive its direct rays and its guidance that we can in our humility and weakness become part of a great organism of Truth whose combined effect is irresistible and serves as the ultimate source of all change and progress in this world.

The year 1844 coincided with certain outer changes in men’s social condition, outer and perceptible conditions which we can examine with the calm and dispassionate eye of the historian, [Page 322]until we begin to realize that there is a connection between the flowing out of the spiritual force through a great prophetic being, and those significant changes in the physical conditions of man's life which are required in order to make the new spiritual power come to actual fulfilment in this world.

The first great historical change was that the age-long social condition of man's ordered existence had become completely overthrown. I mean by that, the condition of territorial isolation which has been the basis on which all human societies, races, nations and creeds have developed in the past. It is because the large or small bodies of human beings were geographically separated, one from another, long enough for each group to be stamped with unique character, to evolve a particular way of thinking and feeling, that made the group a self-centered entity. It is because of this condition that certain peoples have different colored skins, that the peoples have different languages, that we have evolved different economic systems and different philosophies to explain the truths of social progress or the cosmic truths of the Universe itself.

Until 1844 then, humanity consisted of an infinite number of diversities. Each diversity composed of human beings, like you and me, but each group of human beings became convinced that its destiny was unique, that it had to strive for perpetuation of its life and fulfilment of its need in a condition of latent or active struggle with all other similar groups of human beings.

Indeed, the student who endeavored at that time to give the world a fundamental life principle evolved the theory of the struggle for existence, and people became convinced that only by adaptation to that principle could any group have survival in this world, that man had been given that law as a determining element of human existence, that the only valid purpose could be to attain sufficient power to make the law work for one's own group, even at the expense of other human societies.

But about the year 1844 the principle of territorial isolation was overthrown and all these diversities became the physical inhabitants of one world that had been physically unified and in which the principle of diversity could no longer hope to prevail, because the other name for diversity is isolation.

Therefore, the world's peoples, black and white, Oriental or Western, have been living for one hundred years, carrying for- [Page 323]

WORLD ORDER IS THE GOAL

ward the inertia of struggle and difference and yet human lives have been based upon the new principle of unity and cooperation, a principle which we have only dimly apprehended, imperfectly grasped, and assuredly not yet applied in any of the important undertakings of life.

Coinciding with that new social condition we find another manifestation of a new day in the sudden capacity given to human beings to apply scientific truths to invention and industry and revolutionize the fundamental activity of man's life, the activity of securing food and shelter and the things that we need and the things we desire. The application of science to industry intensified this annihilation of physical separation, uniting the peoples of the world together in an ever-increasing bond of economic interdependence.

If we look at the machine which modern genius has evolved in the evolution of the great factory, we realize what human beings have done is to find a way to embody thought in the substances of the lower kingdoms and attain a fulfilment of expression for mental powers utterly transcending the physical capacity of hand and arm and foot. Men have been the machine man and the horse and the dog and the other beasts of burden until this new day when thought found its embodiment and society entered a new era of possibility, when through mechanical production we possessed the facilities for eliminating poverty and want from the surface of the earth.

We, however, have sought in this new day to reapply the principle of the struggle for existence on a greater scale, and we have mis-used this power of thought and the servitude of the lower kingdoms which thought requires for its mechanical expression. We have employed this genius, not to face the fundamental human problems of poverty and ignorance, not to remove the sense of the alien which is the dark cloud between us and our fellowmen, but we multiplied our capacity to destroy, and because we held this destructive power in our hands we projected fear and terror to other peoples and when they entered the same arena of scientific military equipment they stimulated the sense of fear in us.

Therefore, you have from 1844 to 1914, the development of a crisis in which human beings were sharpening the sword, which inevitably would be turned against themselves. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá mentioned, at the expiration of the First World War, in [Page 324]a solemn prayer that He breathed forth on Mount Carmel in Palestine; He said: "Forgive them, God, they have plowed too deep in the field of war."

Now, the new spiritual condition which has not been as perceptible to us as these external social changes has been the capacity to grasp the truth of the oneness of mankind, and this truth came into the world, not by the mental activity of the scientists or the philosopher. It came, as Truth has always been born in the world of mankind - it came as the life expression of a Divine Will, acting through a hallowed and consecrated being who could embody a truth because He had yielded up those selfish elements of human personality which in us drag every truth down into the arena of the struggle for existence.

Therefore, if we would be true students of history, aware of all the forces released in our day, we cannot afford to overlook the element of that heroism, that sacrifice that was the characteristic of all those who come to this world with a spiritual mission, and which in them conveys to the people who look with a clear and illumined eye the sense of the working of a Divine Will.

Therefore, in the darkened land of Persia - from a rational point of view perhaps the most unlikely place on earth for the revelation of a new and higher truth-this principle of the oneness of humanity was impressed in the destiny of the human race through the martyrdom and sacrifice of the great being associated with the founding of the Bahá’í Faith.

How are you and I to begin apprehending this principle of the oneness of mankind? It is completely alien to our traditional culture, whether political, economic, philosophic or religious in character. It is new and it is unprecedented.

The word oneness is simple. We know the letters with which the word is composed, but the truth for which it stands has a simplicity for which you and I are unprepared in the little complexity of our restless minds.

But there is an approach to the conviction that there is but one destiny for all humanity, that there is no enduring victory for any race of people or any nation or empire, nor class, nor creed in this new age.

The approach was indicated in that, since the prophetic being came to this age at a time when man was more mature than when the earlier prophets came, He could reveal the processes by which spiritual truth and energy enter into the evolving life of the human race. [Page 325]

WORLD ORDER IS THE GOAL

The founder of the Bahá’í Faith declared that He did not come as a new and different prophet. The inner being and essence of all the prophets is the same. If you have true reverence for the founder of any previous revelation, whether Moses or Jesus or Buddha or Zoroaster or Muḥammad you must have equal reverence for all other prophets, because if you deny one, you deny the reality of all. You cannot accept one Divine Lawgiver unless you accept them all as messengers from the same God.

But we see there is diversity of religion in the world. There is a difference between the prophets as manifested in the social expression of the various religions. The answer to this problem is that the prophet reveals the truth for which the people are prepared and He unfolds a larger possibility in the evolution of mankind. He is like a teacher that in one day inculcates the fundamental lessons of the alphabet and numbers in the class of the child. Then as the child becomes more mature the teacher can return and unfold greater knowledge and reveal higher mysteries. It is the one teacher but the times change and as each prophet appears in the world, the former dispensations are annulled and if the people turn to the source of the creative energy in their own time they become adapted to solve the problems of their age. We have been given this supreme problem of universal peace as the greatest challenge ever laid upon humanity to give expression to its fundamental power.

We cannot solve the problem of universal peace by political statutes because political statutes can be enacted and given a material power but statutes do not change the consciousness of human beings. Universal peace will not come about through any manipulation of the economic interest of the various parties at issue today. Universal peace is not something that we can purchase, nor something we can control. It is that organic relationship of human beings in union, so as to make them act as an organism.

Peace is the unity of human beings arranged in a world pattern, and therefore any peace that endeavors to maintain the fallacy of independent and diverse sovereignties is simply not a peace. It may use the word but it does not inaugurate the fact.

Now, when a new era is brought into human consciousness (and our histories make it perfectly clear that human life has gone from cycle to cycle and from era to era), we know that [Page 326]at the moment when one age begins to decay and a new age is born there is a bitter period of darkness when human beings are uncertain and divided in themselves, and the world seems to be given over to chaos. There seems to be no possibility of reforming this intensity of struggle that characterizes the collapse of a great civilization.

How many generations suffered when the Roman Empire went into decay? How terrible was the immorality and the and the cruelty that characterized the people of that collapsing empire until the new spirit released from Christ in Palestine began to penetrate and revive the darkened souls of men?

Bahá’u’lláh says of these early years of the new era: "The vitality of men's belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it. The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society; what else but the Elixir of His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it?"

Bahá’u’lláh said, and He declared in the letters He addressed to the kings, the rulers, the heads of religions throughout the world, seventy years ago, warning them that society would come to chaos if they could not find a new law of God: "Soon will the present-day Order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead.

"The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing Order appeareth to be lamentably defective."

And He said, to clarify once and for all in this mature age the ultimate spiritual basis of all human society: "The religion of God and His Cause is the greatest cause and the mightiest means for the development of the world, the training of nations; the tranquillity of the servants and the security of the people of all lands have been due to the Divine precepts and ordinances. Religion is the greatest cause for the appearance of this great gift. It bestows the cup of vitality, confers immortal life and imparts eternal benefits."

Bahá’u’lláh used the word "religion" as meaning the expression of the Heavenly Power through the consecrated spirit of the Prophets. He did not mean that you and I can write creeds and make ceremonials and invent new modes of worship. That is a movement of the human imagination. It is not a law or a power that brings new life into the human world.

Therefore, today, if we seek a basis on which universal peace and world order can be estab- [Page 327]

WORLD ORDER IS THE GOAL

lished, we must find it in the one power which will unify the consciences of human beings and make them feel themselves part of one great body.

There is no real contact and association between human beings beyond the little personal realm of our private emotions unless we are gathered together in the encircling principle of spiritual truth. Bahá’u’lláh has given us the symbol of that Divine Law today to which all the peoples of the world can turn and in turning draw near, and in drawing near to the principle of unity and peace, draw near to each other because the meaning of this day is that the principle of the struggle for existence is to be destroyed and the law of cooperation made the basis of the life of men.

Therefore, we say that this new era is the most blessed time that has ever come to humanity. Our very sufferings and our fears can be a blessing to us if through them we can leave our inner fears and superstitions behind, if our vision can be clarified, if we realize that God is the God of all mankind, He is not the God of our nation or race or class or creed. If we can realize that God is the source of all life, then we can be sure that He has the means of expressing that power so that it will be equally valid to the people of the East and of the West.

Bahá’u’lláh said: “My object is none other than the betterment of the world and the tranquillity of its peoples. The well-being of mankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.

“Through the power of the words He hath uttered the whole of the human race can be illumined with the light of unity, and the remembrance of His Name is able to set on fire the hearts of all men, and burn away the veils that intervene between them and His glory.

Now, there have been very significant indirect and unconscious responses to this spiritual power. What we call “the Peace Movement” arose with great influence in the early years of the 19th century. Thousands, perhaps millions of people were stirred as long as 75 or 80 years ago by a vision of the possibility of peace in this time. They worked through the instruments at hand. They expressed their ardor and conviction in the terminology to which they were accustomed. They went from disappointment to disappointment, but the seeds of that hope could never be uprooted, nor men be put back into the lesser pattern of the former era.

So we came to the year 1918— [Page 328]1919, when for the first time great responsible nations assembled together to try to write the Covenant of the League of Nations. Now, the Spirit uses all the instruments which exist and undoubtedly that was a great educational factor in the life of the people today. It had to be a failure politically, because we did not go through the process of spiritual development upon which peace can rest, but the principle of peace was brought from the abstract realm of truth into the world of human action and the name of Woodrow Wilson will be honored for ages because he primarily had the courage perhaps I might say the stubbornness to insist that this new vision of peace should be at least attempted by the nations.

But the nations retained their independent sovereignties and while the League was able to transact many useful international affairs and set up many international bodies of great usefulness which have trained wonderful workers for humanitarian ends, nevertheless, the League of Nations was like a second mortgage on a property. The nations were going to pay themselves first and be assured of their economic and industrial welfare in comparison with other nations, and with any energy or resources left over they were willing to support the League. The nations could not, alas, pay their domestic debts and the second mortgage was soon foreclosed.

Now, my friends, in this year 1945 a larger number of nations, and, thank God, including the nations of North America, have combined again in a Charter that indirectly expresses in the world the movement of the Spirit which we see directly expressed in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. For in this world, things evolve slowly. Nothing perfect is created all at once. You have the seed and you sow the seed and after a time you have the fruitful tree. You have a truth and you sow it in the minds of men and after a time the truth comes to fulfilment. Therefore, from the Bahá’í point of view we have a condition today in which a great technical work has been done in the name of peace, but, alas, the hearts and souls of the people are not united in mutual trust. We still think of ourselves as parts of different systems, of different races, pursuing different interests, and we hope we can retain these varieties and still have peace.

But the Law of God is that humanity is given a certain length of time in which to adapt to the new principle, and the outbreak of the Second World War meant that we had exceeded our [Page 329]

WORLD ORDER IS THE GOAL

allotted time, and therefore we were given a supreme suffering to remind us of the need to turn for guidance to an Almighty Hand.

For the first time in the history of Religion, Bahá’u’lláh has given us not merely laws, principles, precepts, prayers and forms of worship, but He has given us a social pattern which the Bahá’ís are confident will be accepted by the leaders of the world, because in that pattern the ultimate sovereignty is vested in all mankind and is reflected in obedience to the Divine Will, that there is no more any separation of nations, nor separation of economic classes, but the working out of an organic human society, the first traces of which have already been given to the world as a demonstration in the community of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh. If you will watch their lives you will see that in their coming together in little groups, people of different classes and races and creeds, people who are equally sincere and devoted to the study of the new revelation, have fellowship with similar groups of believers in other countries, and this great new creation of light is drawing in power, day by day. The demonstration of its life in the world is that mankind cannot continue under the conditions of the past. We must have peace if we would retain the integrity of our existence as human beings.

Finally, I will read from a description of the future Commonwealth which the Bahá’ís uphold as the perfect pattern of this principle of unity:

"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 agree to submit their case to its consideration."

Address delivered at Bahá’í meeting, Royal York Hotel, Toronto, October 29. 1945. [Page 330]

The Challenge of the Atomic Age

ARTHUR DAHL

EVENTS in the field of international bomb was announced, clearly indicate that the statesmen of the world, and presumably the peoples for whom they are spokesmen, have utterly failed to grasp the implications of this momentous scientific development. For distrust between nations has been growing, and has been accompanied by increasing skepticism of the attempts to achieve international organization and by a falling back towards old concepts of balance of power and control of strategic areas. The vacillating foreign policy of the United States has not escaped these failings.

Yet any consideration of the harnessing of atomic power cannot but warn us of the powder keg we are so complacently sitting on. The danger is made only too clear by the following twelve facts about the atomic bomb, abstracted by Time from the mass of data published to date:

1. Atomic weapons will overshadow peacetime uses of atomic energy, at least until the world is confident that it has atomic weapons under control.

2. No military or scientific defense can be expected.

3. Breaking up cities is the only practical defense idea advanced so far.

4. Much larger atomic charges are in prospect, adapted for delivery to a target as rockets, as robombs, or shipped in wardrobe trunks.

5. Atomic weapons might kill 20% of a nation’s people in an hour. No nation lost 10% of its people by military action in all the years of World War II.

6. All major powers have access to the necessary raw materials.

7. No big secret protects the atomic bomb. The U. S. alone knows some engineering quirks, which other nations may learn in a few years.

8. The cost of atomic weapons is not prohibitive. Any nation that can afford a large army or navy can afford them.

9. Out-producing the enemy is not much advantage in atomic warfare. Two hundred bombs may be better than 100, but 10,000 is no better than 5,000, because 5,000 would destroy all important targets in a country. Consequently, a small, relatively poor nation might defeat a larger, richer nation.

10. Atomic weapons increase the incentive to aggression by multiplying the advantage of surprise.

11. International control will be extremely difficult. Expert inspectors will have to follow raw materials through every step of the process, which would be almost impossible in nations intent on evading control.

12. Publication of atomic research data will mitigate distrust, but complete national or international control of atomic research is impossible.

It is inescapable that old concepts of military strategy are basically altered, that the great powers can no longer expect to keep the peace by policing the world, that no power, [Page 331]

CHALLENGE

great or small, is safe so long as the will to make war remains in any part of the world.

Some people have tended to regard the atomic bomb as merely another and more potent weapon of the type which fitted into the military pattern of the war just completed. When Cassandras warn that an atomic war could mean the rapid end of our civilization, they point out that even atomic bombs are effective only against concentrations of population, that they could not hope to kill everybody. This is perfectly true, and enough people and books would probably survive to furnish the nucleus for the rebuilding of our civilization. But it would take centuries, and the destructiveness that would result from such an attack would be of such an order as to constitute, for practical purposes, the end of civilization and a high standard of living in our times, and must be avoided at all costs.

The scientists who created the atomic bomb realize this full well, and are vigorously pointing out the ineffectiveness of present-day controls to regulate the bomb, and the necessity for true world control and organization.* Yet men of affairs, and people everywhere, have either missed the point, or are afraid to bring themselves to face the issue squarely, since it means tossing overboard deeply rooted concepts carried over from the past.

Life posed the challenge when it bluntly began a recent editorial on the bomb* with the statement that no religion, philosophy, educational institution, or other thinking group had come up with a plan or an idea which met on a spiritual level the challenge the atomic bomb has made on the material level. We must abolish the will to war, or else, in spite of all the physical precautions we might take, the atomic bomb will be used to destroy us. And time is of the essence. This is not an academic problem for future ages to solve. It is something we are face to face with today, that must be met at once, and it takes precedence over all other questions, opinions, prejudices, or customs.

Bahá’ís take issue with Life's statement that no spiritual program has appeared to meet the challenge of the atomic bomb. Their program, which measures up fully to this challenge, is contained within the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, and has been available to those who would listen for more than seventy years. The condition which makes the bomb so dangerous, the disunity among nations and races in a world that has become physically united and interdependent, is not new. It has been recognized and challenged by Bahá’í leaders for a century. But the atomic bomb potentially places in the hands of irresponsible people a new weapon so destructive that it makes the alleviation of this condition of disunity imperative without further delay.

The condition arises from a lack of spiritual values in our age, and can be solved only by reconstructing the moral and spiritual framework of our society. To do this, the barriers between the religions, races, and nations of the world must be bridged. Such a task, reaching all peoples everywhere, needs a compre-

\*Life for October 29, 1945. Also see statement of Albert Einstein in Atlantic Monthly for November, 1945. Also Nation, November 17, 1945. [Page 332]hensive plan, and a powerful spiritual dynamic to put it into effect. Both of these are found within the Bahá’í Faith. By recognizing the Divine Origin and the essential harmoniousness of the teachings of the Founders of all the major religions, Bahá’u’lláh laid the foundation for reconciling the religious differences that have been one of the principal obstacles to close contact between the great regions of the world. By advocating, more than seventy years ago, a sovereign world government, He anticipated what is today recognized as one of the prime necessities for lasting peace. And since Bahá’ís look upon Him as the Prophet of God for this age, fulfilling the same function and bringing with Him the same dynamic power to influence the minds and hearts of men as Christ, Moses, and Muḥammad before Him, they believe their Faith offers the spiritual force needed to put this mighty plan into practical operation by leading all peoples to embrace once more the basic moral values that have so largely been forgotten.

There is no longer time for halfway measures. The problems of our age must be met comprehensively and thoroughly. It is a tremendous task, one which needs the breadth, the spiritual insight, and the realistic approach of the Bahá’í Faith. The world can no longer afford to ignore this great Teaching.

This is not only a time of extreme danger, but of great opportunity. For, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, present Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith: "The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, whose supreme mission is none other but the achievement of this organic and spiritual unity of the whole body of nations, should, if we be faithful to its implications, be regarded as signalizing through its advent the coming of age of the entire human race. Who can doubt that such a consummation must signalize, in its turn, the inauguration of a world civilization such as no mortal eye hath ever beheld or human mind conceived? Who is it that can imagine the lofty standard which such a civilization, as it unfolds itself, is destined to attain? Who can measure the heights to which human intelligence, liberated from its shackles, will soar?"

Today nothing but the power of the Word of God which encompasses the realities of things can bring the thoughts, the minds, the hearts and the spirits under the shade of one Tree. He is the potent in all things, the vivifier of souls, the preserver and the controller of the world of mankind. Praise be to God, in this day the light of the Word of God has shone forth upon all regions, and from all sects, communities, nations, tribes, peoples, religions and denominations, souls have gathered under the shadow of the Word of Oneness and have in the most intimate fellowship united and harmonized!

‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ [Page 333]

In the Army

BENJAMIN KAUFMAN

HERE is not a man, woman or child in the world today who has not been touched somewhat by the war. The cataclysmic forces which it unleashed cannot be described adequately in words, but to the man in the Service, as his contacts with these forces increased, certain things stand forth bold and clear. For example, he knows that humanity needs more than a World Charter supported by most nations. He knows that a world police force alone cannot quench international crime, and he knows that universal peace did not arrive with the atomic bomb and final surrender. He feels that there is an elusive requisite to be added. Some are seeking it, some have given up hope, some believe they have found it.

Here are a few mild' personal examples to illustrate why G.I. Joe is beginning to stop and do some independent thinking. Multiply them a million fold and you will be getting only a small fraction of what has happened in Europe, Asia and Africa during the last six years.

I asked a woman in Belgium whether there were any Jews in her town. Silently she led me to the rear of the house where grass was beginning to sprout over three mounds of earth. “Here is where they are,” she answered simply.

A hospitable family in Edinburgh put me up for the night. Over the mantelpiece hung pictures of a son and daughter in uniform. “The boy isn't coming back,” said the Mother. “We hope the girl will.”

I handed a bar of chocolate to a destitute child somewhere in Flanders. He grabbed it eagerly and raced away to devour it in hiding, fearful lest someone take this manna from him.

The sole survivor of a torpedoed Liberty ship told me of his experiences. Twenty-four days he lay on a raft, awaiting death or insanity. His food consisted of raw fish which he managed to catch when they swam up to nibble at his fingers.

I walked by the prisoners' cage in Namur. Eyes, sullen, dark, full of hatred and venom, stared out at me.

I met the young pilot of a P-51 in Calcutta. His plane had been shot down over Burma and he had walked forty miles through the jungle to escape capture. His body was covered with sores and [Page 334]itches. “I'm not talking," he said bitterly. "No one back home would believe my story. It's too fantastic."

It all leads to one, great unavoidable question: What has man wrought? From London to Moscow, from Paris to Chungking, from Port Said to the North Sea, the evidence indelibly is carved in the hearts and on the faces of millions.

For what did we fight? (I use the word in its highest sense.) It does not suffice merely to answer apple pie, or chocolate sodas at the corner drug store, or the right to live as one pleases. Happily I have known soldiers who dignified their lives with loftier sentiments than these.

They who have suffered know the answer—the answer that comes not alone through suffering that is experienced personally, which is difficult enough, but through the suffering that one sees about him and is unable to assuage. The thin, emaciated bodies of hungry, weary children, the resigned looks of women from battle-torn France, Holland and Belgium, old before their time, faintly hoping for the return of husband, brother or sweetheart, and the haggard faces of men who have seen their homes demolished and their loved ones destroyed. Some day a mighty pen will describe the pent-up emotions that have welled in their hearts, but those of us who were present have no need of such corroboration. It was there to observe and touch and feel.

I stood for the first time in June of 1945 in Wilmette, Illinois. Before me, peeping majestically over green trees, delicate in its exquisite tracery, rose the Temple of Light shining like a beacon.

At that moment the sum total of it all left one all-inclusive thought. Humanity requires a spiritual renaissance to strengthen its moral fibers and resuscitate a dying soul. With it must come moral integrity, an understanding and respect for the rights of others, and education accessible to everyone. If wars are to cease, if hate is to depart from the hearts of men, if earth-shaking sorrows are to visit us no more, if children are to smile again, if kindness, mercy and justice are to illuminate this world, men everywhere must hearken to God's guiding principles and learn to follow them.

All that leads to the quickening of the peoples and the salvation of the world hath been revealed from the kingdom of utterance by the Lord of Mankind.

—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH [Page 335]

Worship in One Faith

A MONG the things which seem revolutionary to some in the initial stages of investigating the outward evidences and signs of the Bahá’í Faith is the matter of form of worship. Often it is asked: what in the Bahá’í Faith takes the place of the weekly service in the Christian and Jewish Faiths? Others when told of one universal religion with no sects or divisions and a universal house of worship often ask: since individuals vary so much in temperament, belief, and spiritual and intellectual endowment do we not need many types of worship to satisfy the religious needs of the various types of individuals? Accustomed, as we are, to freedom of belief and worship, it seems to some unnecessary and perhaps even intolerant to look forward to a time when all peoples, regardless of former or ancestral beliefs will worship together in one universal house of worship. But further study of the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh makes one realize that He has bestowed upon humanity not an arbitrary command forcing people into a common mold, but something vastly greater, the establishment of the fundamental oneness of all true religion.

The idea and practice of religious tolerance has made progress in recent years, but it seems difficult for people to grasp the great truth of unity in religion. This is partly due to indifference due to the fact that we look at to religious belief. It is partly the differences of the religions of the world as they are practiced today. And truly these differences are great. But Bahá’u’lláh calls us to consider the basic teachings of those Holy Messengers of God Who in all cases and in spite of all opposition taught and established the love of God and of fellow men. Differences are due to the needs of the times and to later man-made interpretations of the original teachings, to rituals and ceremonials introduced by the priestly class.

intellectual acceptance of the But it is something more than fact of unity in religion that makes the sincere seeker pondering the words of Bahá’u’lláh forget religious differences and know with joy that the great inspired Prophets Who established pure religions have not only brought the same fundamental Message from God but that They are one in spirit in that they were [Page 336]all moved by the one indwelling Spirit of God, that They "have all appeared and raised the call with the one purpose of transforming the world of man into the Kingdom of God" and that through Bahá’u’lláh God has once more raised the call to establish the Kingdom on earth and made unity in religion the foundation stone of the Kingdom, the necessary basis for enduring peace.

Those to whom this truth becomes reality gladly draw together in worship whether they come from Christian, Hebrew or other Faiths, discarding rituals, creeds and ceremonies of former Faiths.

So Bahá’í worship is simple, for, according to the instructions of Bahá’u’lláh, in the Bahá’í Faith are no clergy, no preaching, no ritual. Religious instruction is given in school, in the home and in special classes. Since this new dispensation ushered in by Bahá’u’lláh is the age in which mankind reaches his spiritual maturity, a clerical class is no longer necessary; each individual is responsible for his own approach to and communion with God. Revealed prayers and other holy inspired words and meditation are used.

Each morning and evening prayers and holy utterances will be read or chanted in the universal house of worship provided in every community. Daily obligatory prayers are used by each individual in the privacy of his home. Worship is observed at the unity feast or meeting held every nineteen days.

Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, makes clear the meaning, beauty and effectiveness of Bahá’í worship when he writes:

"The central House of Bahá’í Worship ... will gather within its chastened walls, in a serenely spiritual atmosphere, only those who, discarding forever the trappings of elaborate and ostentatious ceremony, are willing worshipers of the one true God, as manifested in this age in the Person of Bahá’u’lláh.

Theirs will be the conviction that an all-loving and ever-watchful Father Who, in the past, and at various stages in the evolution of mankind, has sent forth His Prophets as the Bearers of His Message and the Manifestations of His Light to mankind, cannot at this critical period of their civilization withhold from His children the Guidance which they sorely need amid the darkness which has beset them, and which neither the light of science nor that of human wisdom and intellect and wisdom can succeed in dissipating." —B. H. K. [Page 337]

Book Review

BY WILLIAM KENNETH CHRISTIAN

AS THE world enters the atomic age and discussion centers around the awesome possibilities ahead, Bahá’ís are fortunate in the publication of Emeric Sala's book This Earth One Country. Although the book contains no mention of the atomic bomb, the deeper questions now so dramatically forced into public consciousness are here dealt with from the Bahá’í viewpoint.

Three things make Mr. Sala's book a valuable addition to Bahá’í literature: first, the simplicity of language in which the book is written; second, the clarity in showing the relationship of the Bahá’í teachings to world economic and social problems; and, third, the excellent summary of the Bahá’í world community.

Mr. Sala realizes that there are many people who have no connection with institutional religion, yet are deeply concerned about world problems and realize the moral dilemma of our time. He has written with such people in mind and so begins his argument by showing the basis of a planetary economy. As a successful business man and student of economics, he knows his ground.

The problem of one economic world poses three large political alternatives: world-domination, world-association (as in a league), and world federation. The analysis of these possibilities is brief and pointed; recent events greatly reinforce the argument for world federation.

But the question of a moral standard by which world problems may be solved, is the heart of the book. Chapter III "The Christian Individual in an Immoral Society" will be disturbing to the traditional minded who would offer the naked Golden Rule as answer to the atomic bomb. In this chapter Mr. Sala discusses the historic reasons why Christianity did not build a culture reflecting Christian love.

From the time of Christ's momentous declaration: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's", there has grown a deep chasm between the individual Christian morality and the morality of those nations inhabited by Christian people.

"The people Christ taught did not belong to an integrated society with an awakened social consciousness. How could it have been otherwise? In an agricultural world, for the Christian world was, until very recently, mainly pastoral and agricultural, the individual tiller of the soil lived a solitary and contemplative life. He depended for his sustenance on the elements of nature rather than the life of the community. While worshipping God and getting along peacefully with his few neighbors, he remained ignorant of the world and its inhabitants. In our age of speed, we are apt to forget that for eighteen hundred years the average Christian did not wander more than thirty miles from the place of his birth."

Although a Church was necessary for the promulgation of Christ's

This Earth One Country, Emeric Sala. Bruce Humphries, Boston, Mass. 1945. [Page 338]Message, that Church never succeeded in carrying individual Christian love over into the economic and political activities of nations. And so a dual morality a high standard of love in the Christian individual as opposed to the rapacious, materialistic ethic of self-worshipping nation-states—has become firmly embedded in the western tradition.

This patent ethical dichotomy has caused many people to turn from religion as an effective force in establishing a world of organized decency and law. It is at this point that Mr. Sala introduces the challenging features of the Bahá’í Faith. Justice, he points out, is the world ethical goal toward which Bahá’ís are working. "The highest moral expression between groups or nations is not love, which can issue only from individuals, but justice, which is the impersonal expression of a collective conscience."

To clarify the claims advanced by Bahá’u’lláh, Mr. Sala proposes answering several questions. "First, can religion have a wide-spread effect upon the institutions of society? This we must know, since nineteen hundred years of Christianity brought primarily change only to individuals. Second, how do the social institutions and principles of the Bahá’í faith meet modern needs? Third, does the first hundred years of the Bahá’í faith indicate an ability to change the social outlook of individuals enough to effect a radical change in society?"

Over half the book is devoted to answering these questions. And of this latter half, perhaps the finest discussion is that which centers in Chapter V, "The Supranational Community." Mr. Sala discusses the Bahá’ís as people, and their objectives. The administrative institutions created by Bahá’u’lláh are carefully described as a functioning pattern of world order. He shows how a spiritual democracy without party politics works.

The technique of consultation is clearly set forth. "In Bahá’í consultation each mind gives as well as takes, is constantly trained to remain open, and to understand and appreciate other points of view than its own. The ideas born in such a meeting are the result of creative interaction with other minds, inspired by a common faith and a common aim: the welfare of the whole community. The union of these unselfish minds produces a breadth of vision and a power of insight which is incomprehensible to the uninitiated."

This chapter is the best short summary of the functioning Bahá’í order that I have ever seen, except for the statement of the Guardian. It is clear, comprehensive, and especially stimulating to those who do not know of the Bahá’í Faith.

Readers will also be grateful for the care with which the book is annotated and for the fine index. Copies of This Earth One Country may be ordered through the Bahá’í Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois, $2.50.

Excerpt from Shoghi Effendi

It is the structure of His New World Order now stirring in the womb of the administrative institutions He Himself created, that will serve both as a pattern and a nucleus of that world commonwealth which is the sure, the inevitable destiny of the peoples of the earth.

—SHOGHI EFFENDI [Page 339]

An Early Teacher

ELEANOR CRANE CARTER

Thirty years ago a woman came to our town a stranger. In one hand she carried a suitcase, in the other she held the moist warm palm of a little girl, her daughter. To our town, smug in its material wealth and content with its social and religious standards, this woman came unannounced and unafraid to earn a living for herself and child. Her face radiated ethereal happiness and her large dark eyes seemed to see far beyond. The living she sought to earn was not paramount in her thoughts. She wanted to tell these people of the new prophet who had come to the world. "His name is Bahá’u’lláh," she said simply. "It means Glory of God."

The town had long been divided by its many creeds out of which social and business strata had been drawn. Members of each church did not associate with other religious groups and a newcomer would wisely reflect on his choice of affiliation for the sake of his material success. But this woman sought no sectarian nor social prestige. Man made distinctions were nothing to her, for had not Bahá’u’lláh, the new prophet, said, “Ye are all the fruits of one tree, leaves of one branch and members of the same family.”

And only a meager living did she seek to earn for again had not Bahá’u’lláh said, “O Son of Being! If poverty overtake thee, be not sad; for in time the Lord of wealth shall visit thee. Fear not abasement for glory shall one day rest on thee.”

Day after day often times miles in the country she walked from house to house, hoping not so much for the sale of her goods as that the doors of people's hearts would be open to receive her message.

"Do you realize what a glorious age you live in?" she would ask with her face aglow and her eyes sparkling with joy. "This is a New Day, a New Age, a New Cycle. The old order is passing away and a New Dispensation has come." Then, as if looking at a vision before her, she would continue, "Just as the sun arises from the East to bring material light to the world after a period of darkness. . . so does God send Divine Revealers to bring spiritual light to mankind. Since the beginning of time these Divine Messengers have come. Zoroaster, Moses, Jesus, Muḥammad and now Bahá’u’lláh has come to" [Page 340]unite all religions, races and nations. These prophets are like notes in a heavenly song and we must not accent one note more than the other lest we mar the harmony. How wonderful! How clear are God's plans."

With great tenderness she would tell of the Báb His purity of life and cruel martyrdom — a story of such bravery, such sacrifice, such faith that it always increased in beauty with each repetition.

"Báb means Gate," she said, "and like John the Baptist in the time of Jesus, He came to prepare the people for the advent of the Promised One. . . . Some heeded . . . others disbelieved and killed Him for bringing them a message of love, in hopes of quenching this heavenly light but it could not be stopped any more than they could stop this material sun from shining. . . . All mankind can do is to close its heart from seeing it ... and just as the Báb foretold Bahá’u’lláh, the great Revealer, came only to be imprisoned by these same blind people. Even then they could not shut out His light. It penetrated deeper and deeper through the thick prison walls even to us here in America. Yes, some Americans have gone and seen and believed. After many years of imprisonment and exile, Bahá’u’lláh died, asking that His eldest son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, carry on His great message. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá means 'servant of God.' He and other members of His family were freed a few years ago and now live in ‘Akká. . . only two years ago He came to America to spread these teachings and while here He visited the grave of the first American believer just seventy miles from here.”

“‘Abdu’l-Bahá came and we did not know? ... Why were we deprived this privilege?"

"One does not have to see to believe," she answered. "I, too, never saw Him. Think always of Him as a loving father. Ask yourself when problems come, 'How would He want me to do?' And never doubt a Manifestation of God. Believe and do what they have bidden you do — some day, if not now, you will see the wisdom of it."

On her table stood a picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. By it always was a vase of flowers. "‘Abdu’l-Bahá loves flowers ... their perfume is significant of His life," she would say, looking tenderly at them. "He loves children, too, and has several beautiful grandchildren." There before us was the picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. “He has grandchildren He loves flowers—He lives to serve His father and mankind" — these are living people walking, talking — [Page 341]

EARLY TEACHER

ing, loving not story book people.

"On the wall above ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s picture was the Arabic word meaning "God Most Glorious, the Greatest Name, she called it and said it signified these teachings Bahá’u’lláh had brought. They were called the Bahá’í Faith . . . Bahá’í meaning Light. "The Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Bahá’í Faith." How melodiously she spoke these words! Would the time ever come when we, too, could do likewise?

"Some day these words will be spoken universally. They will become as well known as the names in the Bible," she assured us.

In her tiny two rooms she began her meetings. A few worn tablets sent by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to American believers, copied and handed on, lip to lip, heart to heart, stories of the history of the Faith, and a paper bound copy of Bahá’u’lláh’s Hidden Words with a few prayers few prayers included were her only material. Night after night three adults and three children gathered there to read these words - spelling, stammering out their pronunciation only to meet her happy smile and approval. She explained the significance and necessity of The Nineteen Day Feast, established by Bahá’u’lláh and considered it a very special privilege. On these occasions her small table would be perfumed from the scent of a homemade bouquet oftentimes a single rose placed in the center with two candles on either side which radiated a light not confined to the limitations of wax and string. No ceremonial banquet could be served with greater love and devotion than her often times simple fare of cocoa and crackers.

In time, as ever, the opposers worked to belittle, criticize and ridicule this "new fangled religion" without investigation. Never a look of reproach or discouragement clouded her countenance for had not Bahá’u’lláh said in the Hidden Words:

"O My Servant!

"Free thyself from the fetters of this world, and loose thy soul from the prison of self. Seize thy chance, for it will come to thee no more.

"O Man of Two Visions!

"Close one eye and open the other. Close one to the world and all that is therein, and open the other to the hallowed beauty of the Beloved." And had not ‘Abdu’l-Bahá admonished those who believed to "Be silent concerning the faults of others, to pray for them, and to help them through kindness to correct their faults." The Báb, too, had [Page 342]uttered this assurance: "God will assist all those who arise to serve.”

She stayed among us several years, living as near as was humanly possible to all the Divine precepts she had brought. When the time came for her departure, she went away as unostentatiously as she had come her daughter now a young woman sharing the weight of the suitcase.

•

Thirty years ago! In the interim ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed from this world, appointing His eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Cause He had so dearly loved. These teachings have encircled the globe. The words are spoken in seventy-eight countries, representing thirty-one races. Our town has become more tolerant. Union prayers are held by the various churches and fellowship meetings have come out of the social groups. The names "the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi and the Bahá’í Cause" are familiar words and fall easily from the lips of many.

•

Some may not know who first spoke them in our town . . . others will never forget. To some her words fell like dewdrops and melted away . . to others they became precious diamonds in this the world's most priceless heritage. And whether they believed or disbelieved the message she brought, no one who contacted her was left unmoved, untouched by the radiance of her spirit.

Death came a swift messenger to her a few years ago. In crossing a street one stormy night she was instantly killed by an unseen car. To those who knew her it is easy to believe she was looking far beyond impending danger, listening to the notes of her heavenly melody. In tribute to her I quote from her source of inspiration, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, the following:

"O Son of Spirit! "My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting."

The ordinances of God have been sent down from the heaven of His most august Revelation. All must diligently observe them. Man's supreme distinction, his real advancement, his final victory have always depended, and will continue to depend upon them. Whoso keepeth the commandments of God shall attain everlasting felicity. —BAHÁ’U’LLÁH [Page 343]

“THEN TELL ME”

"Then tell me. Do the children know the Father and confess Him or do they contradict Him as the people contradicted Him before?"

ELSIE PATERSON CRANMER

We wandered in perpetual night, Without a star, without a moon, The Sun from which men drew their light Was hid in clouds themselves had wrought. The earth was dumb and still and stark. Oh, star for which the wise men sought Was there not once a promise made That He would come when night was dark... Are we betrayed, are we betrayed?

In other lands, and other skies Lived Eastern Christs, as well-beloved As our own Christ, the Jewish Lord. Their light gave knowledge to the wise They too had strange symbolic birth And lived and died and rose again, And left with men their holy Word. Praise be to God that He has left His finger-prints on all the earth! Yet, still our brothers weep, bereft: "The gold has gone from that gold story We too have lost the heavens' glory."

I have a secret I must tell For it bursts my breast with its bursting bell, When night was blackest and most men slept, The promise given was kept, was kept. He shook the earth with His thunderous tread And stirred the living and woke the dead Who rose from their self-wrapped winding sheet At the thud of His sounding shattering feet. Though the whole earth shivered, scarce none knew why Scarce any knew when the Lord went by. And lightless moon now rich with light Oh, darkened Sun, now bright with gold, The story of the Lord is told. Shout His New Name both wide and far Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’u’lláh! [Page 344]

Book Review

ELEANOR SWENEY HUTCHENS

The Word of God has the power to create men's hearts anew. It can make a new heaven and a new earth to descend upon mankind, can destroy the selfishness and smallness of the hearts, and can fill the souls with an overwhelming love for all mankind, a love made strong because it is the love of God.

The world has never been more in need of that regeneration. The Israel of Moses' day, the Judea of Christ's time, the Arabia of Muḥammad's era were none of them more materialistic, none of them more headlong in their rush towards destruction than the world of today. The corruption of society, the laxness of morality, the disobedience to God's commands, the fear and suspicion that rule men's hearts are all signs of the end of a civilization. The mercy of God in former ages sent a Moses, a Christ, a Muḥammad to be the salvation of a people, the builders of a new civilization. The message of Bahá’u’lláh is that God has sent one of His Prophets once again to lead men to a fuller life.

Bahá’í World Faith, a recently published selection of the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His son, offers to humanity the Word of God for today. There are prayers that reshape the lives of those who use them. There are exhortations that refresh the spirit and reinterpret good and evil. There are laws for the maintenance of universal peace and the creation of a worldwide civilization. There are explanations of the Scriptures of the past and proofs of the Divine Mission of Bahá’u’lláh.

Here also are the talks and letters of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’u’lláh’s chosen Exemplar and Interpreter. A great feast is spread for the nourishment of a starving world.

The organization of Bahá’í World Faith makes it a valuable aid to the study of the Faith. The editor, Mr. Horace Holley, has collected from all available authentic English translations, including many previously unpublished tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, arranging the material according to subject matter and developing the distinctive features of the Bahá’í Revelation. There are five chapters correlating the various writings of Bahá’u’lláh under these subjects: I. The Great Announcement; II. The Promised One; III. The Life of the Soul; IV. Laws of the New Age; V. The Mystery of God. Then there are four carefully edited chapters from the writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: VI. The Faith of Bahá’u’lláh; VII. Soul, Mind, and Spirit; VIII. The Loom of Reality; IX. The Divine Plan. These chapter headings indicate the general plan of the book.

The student is given further aids in a very complete table of contents, a good index, and an appendix giving the source of each selection.

To Napoleon III of France, to Queen Victoria of England, to Alexander II of Russia, to Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany, to the Shah of Persia and the Sultán of Turkey, and to their successors as well as to the rulers of the world collectively, Bahá’u’lláh issued commands unique [Page 345]

BAHÁ’Í FAITH

in the history of religion. These letters are a valuable portion of the Bahá’í World Faith. He addressed king and emperor as “One having authority,” saying, “Your glory consisteth not in your sovereignty, but rather in your nearness unto God and your observance of His command as sent down in His holy and preserved Tablets.” Again He said, “Thou art God’s shadow on earth. Strive therefore to act in such manner as befitteth so eminent, so august a station.” To these rulers He gave principles for universal peace and just government.

The magnificent concept of one continuous divine religion progressing through the periodic Revelations borne by the great Prophets is developed by Bahá’u’lláh in other passages quoted, and the part Bahá’u’lláh plays in the Divine Plan is explained by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in well chosen selections. Of all these Prophets, Bahá’u’lláh writes: “Whosoever recognizeth them hath recognized God. Whosoever hearkeneth to their call hearkeneth to the Voice of God, and whosoever testifieth to the truth of their Revelation hath testified to the ruth of God Himself. Whosoever turneth away from them hath turned away from God, and whoso disbelieveth in them has disbelieved in God. Every one of them is the wav of God that connecteth this world with the realms above, and the standards of His Truth unto evervone in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. They are the Manifestations of God amidst men, the evidences of His Truth, and the signs of His Glory.”

The meditations of Bahá’u’lláh on the spiritual life known as the Hidden Words are perhaps the most widely known of all His writings. These are included in Bahá’í World Faith in part. “Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is the place of My Revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation,” He wrote, and in a series of such brief and poetic passages, He crystallized the spirit of all religions.

His prayers are unexampled hymns of praise. Choice selections from these are included in the book. There are prayers for nearness to God, for protection, for purity, for forgiveness, for healing, for our loved ones, for guidance, for the regeneration of the world. In no other way can our knowledge of God’s attributes be gained so well as by reading and praying the prayers of Bahá’u’lláh.

In the volume are also Bahá’u’lláh’s explanation of immortality which reinterprets the old concept of Heaven and Hell as states of nearness and distance from God, yet does not destroy the moral effects of belief in reward and punishment. The goal of life in this world and the next is search for the presence of God. Passages from both Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are included concerning the eternal life of the soul of man.

The bases of the Bahá’í plan for universal peace are given in various places in the volume, but are presented most clearly perhaps in the letter which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote to the Committee for Durable Peace, The Hague, in 1919. It outlines the international organization that shall come about, composed of members of every nation of the world gathered in an international legislature. All disputes must be submitted to an international court whose decisions will be enforced by an international police force. A universal auxiliary language will be taught in all the [Page 346]schools. There will be a uniform system of weights and measures, a single currency, and a uniform calendar. But these outward organizations can never achieve the Kingdom of God on earth until the individuals have transformed themselves with love for God and devotion to the interests of each other. The principle of the onesness of humanity and the abolition of all prejudice, whether racial, class, religious, national, or political must come about before the realization of the Most Great Peace. It is the message of the book, Bahá’í World Faith that God has once again sent His Messenger to guide and inspire man to universal brotherhood and absolute servitude to God.

If there could be but two Bahá’í books in each of our libraries, they should probably be Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, John Esslemont's summary of the principles and teachings of the Bahá’í faith, the lives of its founders, and its history, and Bahá’í World Faith, the new, comprehensive compilation of the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

This is one in a series of articles on Bahá’í books.

BAHÁ’Í

RUTH FOSTER FROEMMING

Bahá’í means “spiritual light,” its glorious ray, Toward brotherhood and peace lights mankind's way. Shows blessed states to which man can unfold, When golden rule supplants the rule of gold. Sends beams of light to show wherein man failed; Solves economic wrongs from which he ailed. Illuminates the path to brotherhood, As kinship of mankind is understood. Dissolves disunity of class and creed, And fosters love, Man's universal need. Equality of sex its light has brought, That links to progress be more firmly wrought. In answer to man's wish for wars to cease, It points the way to international peace. And speeds the day when world security Will lift the hearts of all humanity. Thus to the world, Bahá’í, the super-sun, Proclaims with God that all mankind is one! [Page 347]

I. INTRODUCTION

A Study Outline PAUL E. HANEY

FOUNDATIONS of the ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER

A. Scope of Course. 1. Origins of the Administrative Order. 2. The Twin Pillars of the Administrative Structure — The Guardianship and the Universal House of Justice. 3. Present-Day Functions of National Bahá’í Administrative Bodies. 4. The Local Spiritual Assembly and the Bahá’í Community. 5. The Individual Believer; Laws and Ordinances. 6. Broad Significance of the Administrative Order: The Bahá’í World Commonwealth.

B. Foundations of the Administrative Order. 1. Writings of Bahá’u’lláh. (a) The Book of the Covenant. (b) Tablet of the Branch. (c) Kitáb-i-Aqdas. (d) Words of Paradise. (e) Thirteenth Glad Tidings.

References: Three Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 141-143; 152 Bahá’í World Faith, pp. 182-183; 195-196

2. The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. (a) Appointment of the Guardian. (b) Explanation of Institution of Universal House of Justice.

References: The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Excerpts, 1940 Edition). The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 143-157. Bahá’í Administration (Third Edition, 1936), pp. 53-54.

II. THE TWIN PILLARS of the ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE — THE GUARDIANSHIP and the UNIVERSAL HOUSE of JUSTICE

A. The Institution of the Guardianship. 1. Authority and Responsibilities-Relation to Central Figures — Unique Character of Institution of Guardianship. 2. Permanent Head of Universal House of Justice. 3. Successorship. 4. The Hands of the Cause.

B. The Universal House of Justice. 1. Functions. 2. Method of Election "Secondary Houses of Justice." [Page 348]3. Clearly Defined Spheres of Jurisdiction of Guardian and Uni- versal House of Justice.

References: The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Excerpts, 1940 Edition). The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 143-157. Bahá’í Administration (Third Edition, 1936), pp. 36, 41, 54. Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. I, p. 90. Bahá’í World Faith, p. 176. The Advent of Divine Justice, pp. 11-12. Some Answered Questions, pp. 67-68, 198-199. Bahá’í News, Number 77, p. 2.

III. PRESENT-DAY FUNCTIONS of NATIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE BODIES

A. The American National Spiritual Assembly. 1. Chief Pillar of Future House of Justice. 2. Formation and Legal Organization. 3. Method of Election. 4. Authority and Responsibilities. 5. Relation to Local Assemblies.

References: The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 89. Bahá’í Administration (Third Edition, 1936), pp. 34-35, 74-75, 78-79. Bahá’í Procedure (Second Edition, 1942), p. 65. Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the National Spiritual Assembly (1945 Revision).

B. The National Convention. 1. Two-fold Function. 2. Basis of Election of Delegates. 3. Administrative Status of Convention. 4. Convention Procedure. 5. Time of Holding Convention.

References: Bahá’í Administration, pp. 69, 81-82. By-Laws of the National Spritual Assembly, Article VIII. Bahá’í Procedure (Second Edition, 1942), pp. 77-91. Bahá’í News, Number 38, p. 1; Number 91, pp. 1-3.

IV. THE LOCAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY and the BAHA’I COMMUNITY

A. Significance of Institution of Local Spiritual Assembly. B. Election, Duties and Obligations of Local Assemblies. C. Relationship to Community and to the National Spiritual Assem- bly; The Nineteen Day Feast.

References: Bahá’í Administration, pp. 20-24, 32, 54, 118. Bahá’í Procedure (1937 Edition), Section II, 1-29. [Page 349]Bahá’í Procedure (Second Edition, 1942), pp. 29-57, 108-115. The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 6. By-Laws of the National Spiritual Assembly, Article VII. A Procedure for the Conduct of the Local Spiritual Assembly (Insert, Bahá’í News, August, 1945). Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Vol. I, pp. 1-26.

V. THE INDIVIDUAL BELIEVER: LAWS and ORDINANCES.

A. The Individual and the Community. B. Obligations and Rights of Individual Believers; Administrative Procedure. C. Laws and Ordinances.

References: Bahá’í Procedure (1937 Edition), Section I, 1-22. Bahá’í Procedure (Second Edition, 1942), pp. 3-25. Bahá’í World Faith, pp. 166-203. Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Full Text), p. 10.

VI. BROAD SIGNIFICANCE of the ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER; THE BAHA’Í WORLD COMMONWEALTH.

A. The Guiding Principles of World Order; The Federation of Mankind. B. The Lesser Peace and the Most Great Peace. C. Future World Peace Assured as a Fundamental Accomplishment of the Administrative Order of Bahá’u’lláh.

References: The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 6-7, 18-19, 34-38, 40-41, 45, 156-167, 162-163, 202-204. The Advent of Divine Justice, pp. 11-12, 72-77. The Promised Day Is Come, pp. 128-129. Bahá’í World Faith, p. 247. Star of the West, Vol. XIII, p. 253.

High aims and pure motives, however laudable in themselves, will surely not suffice if unsupported by measures that are practicable and methods that are sound. Wealth of sentiment, abundance of good-will and effort, will prove of little avail if we should fail to exercise discrimination and restraint and neglect to direct their flow along the most profitable channels. The unfettered freedom of the individual should be tempered with mutual consultation and sacrifice, and the spirit of initiative and enterprise should be reinforced by a deeper realization of the supreme necessity for concerted action and a fuller devotion to the common weal.

-Shoghi EffENDI [Page 350]

WITH OUR READERS

Our leading article, "World Order Is the Goal," is a talk given by Horace Holley at Toronto where the first of a series of public meetings was held October 29. These public meetings, held in eleven key cities, are a concerted effort to carry the Bahá’í Message to leaders of thought and to the masses throughout the country. They are planned and sponsored by the Bahá’í National Assembly and supported and carried out by the combined efforts of such national committees as the public meetings, the radio, the public relations, the news service and other committees in cooperation with local Bahá’í committees in the cities where the meetings are held. By the time this issue of World Order is in print meetings will have been held in Toronto, Boston, Washington, Atlanta, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Denver. Other cities where they will be held are Portland, New York, Detroit and Chicago. From time to time World Order plans to print other talks given in this important series of public meetings.

Many and diverse are opinions about the significance and use of atomic energy. Fear rivals hope in regard to its use. Is it not possible that there is a deeper significance to the age of atomic power than most as yet suspect? In his article "The Challenge of the Atomic Age" Arthur Dahl sheds the light of Bahá’í teachings on this important subject. Mr. Dahl is a frequent contributor to World Order. His review of the book Black Boy was in our January issue. Mr. Dahl's home is in Palo Alto, California.

In our August, 1942, issue we printed "In the Army," by Benjamin Kaufman, a member of the Los Angeles Bahá’í community. In this issue we print another article by the same author under the same title. Lt. Kaufman writes: "In the fall of 1942 an article, "In the Army" expressing my thoughts upon induction was published in World Order. Now after three and a half years I would like to submit the enclosed effort based on n a similar theme. I have been overseas four times and have recently returned from India. I feel that my thoughts are representative of a soldier and a Bahá’í.”

William Kenneth Christian's review of Emeric Sala's book, This Earth One Country, is comprehensive and most timely. Bahá’ís will find this book invaluable for gaining a broader view of the Bahá’í Faith and its implications and as a means of approach for those not familiar with Bahá’í Teachings. It may be obtained from the Bahá’í Publishing Committee, 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois. Mr. Christian teaches in the department of Written and Spoken English of the Basic College of Michigan State College at East Lansing.

In connection with her story, "An Early Bahá’í Teacher,” Eleanor Crane Carter writes as follows: "It has long been my desire to pay tribute to Santa Paula's (California) [Page 351]

WITH OUR READERS

first Bahá’í teacher, the late Mrs. Lesly O'Keefe Long. I quoted mainly from the Hidden Words, her source of inspiration, which, as I recall, was the only book in print at that time."

Only rarely do we receive contributions from our Bahá’í friends in England so when we received the poem "Then Tell Me" by Elsie Paterson Cranmer of Southbourne, near Bournemouth, we wrote asking Mrs. Cranmer if she would tell us something about herself and her Bahá’í experiences. Mrs. Cranmer is an artist in both poetry and music. Her poems have appeared in many British magazines and several books of her collected poems have been printed. She is a talented pianist who instructs both in piano and in choir singing. Parts of her letter tell us something about her Bahá’í experiences and her work for the Bahá’í Faith.

She writes: “I lost my husband and my two brothers in the late war [world war I] and had later a terrible breakdown (we had some other personal tragedies in our family) and this breakdown was really the instrument used by Bahá’u’lláh for bringing me into the Cause. Before then I had been an agnostic of the rankest and most virulent nature and looked upon all religion as so much 'dope,' including Bahá’í! But when I was so ill and God had stripped me, it seemed, of everything, suddenly it appeared to me that nothing in the world was of any value save God and I began to identify myself with the Bahá’í Faith. This was many years ago, when I got well. Later I served on the L.S.A. for over a year and finally (or later, I should say) removed to Bournemouth. I have held weekly Bahá’í picnic meetings here every Saturday. Sometimes as many as sixteen attend.

"When my sister-in-law and I first settled here we had only two Bahá’ís, one completely inactive owing to business circumstances, and the other semi-active. We have now seventeen Bahá’ís and quite a flourishing community. We worked so hard last winter at my picnics that we made six Bahá’ís in six months and we were delighted with the success of our efforts. I am now beginning the picnics again and do so pray for further success. We have only comparatively recently formed an Assembly and we've not got our center yet which we want very badly...

"Miss Pinchon [some of of our readers will remember Miss Pinchon's book, The Coming of the Glory.] has been in the Cause for many years but her health prevents her from taking any active part. If and when the community gets stronger I shall hope to pioneer.

"I know Norman Smith and Clarence Stigal, now in Chicago, who himself sends me literature for my teaching work and also Duncan McAlear whom I've not met, but who writes regularly, and he too sends literature which is most helpful to me in my teaching work."

Eleanor Sweney Hutchens, formerly of Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, and a graduate of the University of Illinois and one of our younger contributors, is now living in Palos Heights, Illinois. Her appreciative survey or review of the book, Bahá’í World Faith, is a number in our Bahá’í Literature series. This is Mrs. Hutchens' first contribution to World Order. [Page 352]Included in this number is an out-line for study of "The Guardianship and the Administrative Order" by Paul Haney. This should be This should be helpful especially to new believers who have not made a careful study of the Bahá’í Administrative Order. Mr. Haney is a member of the local Assembly of Alexandria, Virginia, and chairman of the regional teaching committee for Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.

Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick who contributes the editorial this month on "Worship in One Faith" has her home in Olivet, Michigan.

In writing of Philip Marangella in this department in our October issue through a slip we wrongly stated that his home was in Wilmington, Delaware. We are sorry for the mistake. He is living in New Orleans where he is chairman of the local Bahá’í Assembly. Mr. Marangella has served the Cause in many ways and in many places since he came into the Faith in 1921. He has served on Bahá’í Assemblies in Washington, Eliot, Teaneck, New York and Chicago and spoken in most of the states east of the Mississippi before college groups and Rotary and other service clubs. He and his wife spent fifteen months in Cuba and established the Bahá’í center in Havana. A few years ago we published a letter from his daughter, Mrs. Ayned McComb, who has been pioneering in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the past four years. At present Mr. Marangella is employed by the United States Maritime Commission in a financial advisory capacity. His permanent home is in McLean, Virginia.

The aim of World Order Magazine is to help Bahá’ís themselves to broaden their understanding of the Bahá’í Faith, to help them in their teaching, and through them to reach individuals who are interested in this Faith and the general public. The editors appreciate letters telling how you think we can better fulfill our aims.

We are always in need of fresh, vital, well written human interest stories and articles, examples of how the Bahá’í Faith works.

In a fine report of a course on speaking and writing given at Green Acre last summer we find some excellent rules and suggestions for writing. We have space to select only a few:

"Remember the 'you-psychology'; use it always; that is, write from the other fellow's point of view because you must get the truth to him in his terms of thinking.

"Make only one major point—amplify as you like, but stick to the one point.

"Know the subject—know much more than you say. Say no more than absolutely necessary.

"In presenting Bahá’í ideas keep terminology down to easy understanding of readers.

And here are some general suggestions which apply to both writing and speaking:

"Know what is going on—study Time, News Digest, news broadcasts, etc.

"Be familiar with the Teachings that have application to events and public interests.

"Keep a file of speeches (non-Bahá’í) that can be quoted, indicating need for the Bahá’í Faith.”

—THE EDITORS [Page 353]

Bahá’í World Faith

This book contains a representative selection of the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and is the largest collection of Bahá’í literature in English translation now available in one volume.

A detailed Table of Contents and an Index make the Bahá’í teachings 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 Four-Laws of the New Age Chapter Five-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-The 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 World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.

The passages selected have been taken from fifteen different publications as well as from the National Archives.

Printed on thin light paper and bound in green fabrikoid. 465 pages. Per copy, $1.50.

BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING COMMITTEE 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois [Page 354]

TRUTHS FOR A NEW DAY

promulgated by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá throughout North America in 1912

These teachings were given by Bahá’u’lláh over seventy years ago and are to be found in His published writings of that time.

The oneness of mankind. Independent investigation of truth. The foundation of all religions is one. Religion must be the cause of unity. Religion must be in accord with science and reason. Equality between men and women. Prejudice of all kinds must be forgotten. Universal peace. Universal education. Spiritual solution of the economic problem. A universal language. An international tribunal.