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BAHAi
MAGAZINE
AUGUST, 1947
The Root of Knowledge
Louise A. Groger
The Bahá’í Faith in India
Shirin Fozdar
Unity in the Love of God, Editorial
Eleanor S. Hulchens
The Renewal of Civilization
Book Review William Tucker
A Bahá’í Enters the Hermit Kingdom Agnes B. Alexander
The Mature Man Bahá’í Words for Meditation
With Our Readers
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 Magm zine and World Unity, which had been founded October, 1927. The
r,;
present number represents Volume XXXVIII of the continuous Baha 1
publication.
WORLD ORDER is published monthly in Wilmette, 111., by the Publishing Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. Carreta Busey, Editor; Eleanor S. Hutchens, Mabel H.
Paine, Associate Editors.
Publication Office 110 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, ILL.
C. R. Wood, Business Manager Printed in USA.
Editorial Office Miss Carreta Busey, Editor 503 WEST ELM STREET, URBANA, ILL.
AUGUST, 1947, VOLUME XIII, NUMBER 5
SUBSCRIPTIONS: $2.00 per year, for United States, its territories and possessions; for Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Central and South America. Single copies, 20c. Foreign subscriptions, $21.25. 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, 111., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Content copyrighted 1947 by Bahá’í Publishing Committee. Title registered at U. 5. Patent Office.
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HE distinction of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh from all before it is that by the Ancient Decree of God it is to be accepted by all humanity. There will be no more a number of concurrent systems of faith and order, but one system elaborated and expressed by the agreement of all nations. The consciousness of the human race has now in the fullness of time reached a new degree of development. It is capable of appreciating at last the unity of the race. To this education everyone of the Prophets of the past has contributed His share. The work of none of them is lost. The work of all lives still in the attainment of the race today. Now through the supreme advent of Bahá’u’lláh it is completed by a new and crowning bestowal of the grace of the everlasting Cod and of His Holy Spirit. Men everywhere are now to believe and know at last the truth of the old revelation that there is one Father of us all, that the earth is one home, and that all men are brothers, and this belief is to direct conduct and to become the basis of the New World Order. Bahá’u’lláh has hidden all His followers to purge their hearts of all religious and racial prejudice, and of all national or racial animosities. Obedience
to this command is held today as the hall-mark Of the loyal Bahá’í.
Excerpts from The Promise of All Ages ' By GEORGE T‘OWNSHEND
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WGBLD 0BDEB
The Bahá’í Magazine
VOLUME XIII
AUGUST, 1947
NUMBER 5
The Root of Knowledge
LOUISE A. GROGER
MONG the words of Bahá ’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, are these: “The source of all learning is the knowledge of God, and this cannot be attained save through the knowledge of His divine Manifestation.”
When a Bahá’í speaks of the divine Manifestation he means the Prophet, the Man of God, the F ounder of Religion, Who brings a message to mankind which He claims is divinely revealed and which proves to hold inspiration, education, and the power to influence men’s minds and hearts for good over a period of successive generations. His followers develop a religion based on His Teachings, Teachings which have given them a moral and ethical code for human association and an understanding of the spiritual values of this world and of a life after this which their teacher has promised them will be theirs if they live according to His Law.
Bahá’ís believe that man has
never been without this divine assistance from God in the form of a revelation of His Wisdom. A Revelation which they believe is given through the agency of a man like other men, with a human soul, but touched with the Divine Spirit, that Holy Ghost of which we read in the New Testament, the Angel Gabriel of the Qur’án, the Voice in the Burning Bush in the time of Moses. In other words a man who has the unique station of Prophet or Manifestation of God to man as the result of direct Divine Revelation.
The Manifestation has been likened to a clear mirror reflecting the image of the sun, which is the Reality of God, through the agency of the Divine Spirit, that emanation from God which may be likened to the rays of the material sun which strikes the mirror and are reflected from it in the form of an exact image of the sun itself. We might place any number of mirrors in a row, each one would reflect a perfect image of
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the sun, yet none would be the sun nor would there be more than one sun no matter how many images of it we were able to see.
It is in this image of the qualities of God and of the Wisdom of God, reflected through the revealed Teachings of His Prophet or Manifestation, that Bahá’ís believe we can find the only knowledge of God that is directly available to us. In His Essence, the Creator of all things, being greater than His Creation, can in no wise be conceived or known by His Creation. He cannot be known by even that portion of it, the human race, that was created by Him in His own image and likeness. But through His Manifestation, His Love, His Wisdom, His Laws, and His Will for mankind may be known.
With knowledge of His qualities comes love for the source of those qualities, and man achieves the purpose for which he was created, to know and to love God. Among the words of Bahá’u’lláh are these: “O Son of Man! Love Me that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not My Love can in no wise reach thee.” Again: “O Son of Man! I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.”
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To be offered the source of all learning as it exists in the teachings of the Manifestation of God for the day in which we live is a bounty for which this generation, above all others that have preceded it, should be grateful.
General knowledge has become such a complex thing that no one individual can possibly absorb all of it. The available knowledge in any particular field is so vast that specialists find themselves completely occupied in acquiring what is known of comparatively small sections of the general subject in which they are interested. Medicine is a good example. Not so long ago a good family physician felt that he knew reasonably well through training and experience all that could be taught about the treatment of disease. Today a general practitioner makes it his business to know his patient’s history, to diagnose with the aid of many laboratories and technicians, and for many particular difficulties to advise that his patient consult a specialist in that work.
Or if we investigate the field of mechanics, of physics, of applied science generally, we find ourselves overwhelmed with the numbers of kinds of engineers the colleges and universities are asked" to produce. We hear of civil, mechanical, electrical, and
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KNOWLEDGE
chemical engineers, and many others. None of them knows everything even of the specific knowledge already acquired by men in his particular field, let alone all there is yet to discover. At the same time each specialist is so limited in his opportunity to acquire knowledge of so much else in the world, by the very demands that are made on his time and energy to learn his own subject well, that any demand that the field of human knowledge as a whole should be the attainment of each individual would be insupportable.
On the other hand, only that man who can see the universe whole and entire, its reasons for being and his reasons for being, who has a high ethical standard and moral principles for personal conduct and for community conduct which motivate his life, is a really educated man no matter how great his attainment may be in the acquisition of specific knowledge.
But today the highly educated person is in considerable doubt when faced with the problem of choosing the religion which should give him this spiritual background. Most of the Faiths he may investigate are so overlaid with the accretions of centuries of human interpretation and commentary on the Teach 149
ings of their Founders, so buried in ritual and creed, so bound by ideas and beliefs that are no longer acceptable in the light of the knowledge of the material world which has been acquired just in this last century, that those who accept them are often forced to divorce their spiritual life from their material life so the conflict involved will not become a hazard to their mental and spiritual health.
Bahá’ís believe that the original teachings of Moses, or Christ, or Muhammad would not have caused this conflict. That, as far as they went, they would have supported all the knowledge we can obtain of ourselves and this universe in which we live. But the teachings of a former day were suited to the needs of that day. In this day man needs a spiritual education which will not only be acceptable in the light of his material education but will lead him on to still greater heights in his search for the truths of the phenomenal world. We believe that the spiritual education need ed today is available in the Bahá’í Faith.
The Bahá’í teaching of the Oneness of God, the Creator of the entire universe, is certainly acceptable to those scientists whose knowledge of universal law leads them to believe that
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there must be a Supreme Intelligence responsible for its plan and its operation. The Bahá’í teaching that the essence of God may not be known agrees with their belief that the Supreme Intelligence may not be given a name, a form, a place, or any other limitation within which our finite minds must operate.
The oneness of mankind is also an accepted fact to those who are trained in today’s knowledge of physiology, anthropology, and psychology. The anthropologist finds that each of our supposedly separate races develop in similar ways under similar conditions. The physiologist knows that comparatively slight differences in pigmentation or in bony structure
are actually Of the most minor importance in the physiological life of man. Diflerences which occur in a higher percentage of the total number of individuals in each of the several races which have been accepted as distinguishable by those differences may be found almost completely demonstrated in the members of any one race if one looks hard enough for their examples. The psychiatrist finds the potential mental capacity of men the same on an average irrespective of race or color. Such differences as are found to exist among races and peoples by these sciences Of
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mankind are also found to be very largely influenced by conditions that are subject to alteration. Diet, climate, types of work, social background, and degrees of education, may one or all be the reasons for any Visible or demonstrable diflerences between peoples. Between individuals there are of course those inborn differences of talent and capacity as well as appearance Which occur so that in the human race as in the blades of grass in the field there will he no two exactly alike in all of God’s creation. Such individual differences make possible the diversity of human undertaking and accomplishment and give each man his right to a unique place in society which no one else can fill for him.
The principle of the oneness of religion is acceptable and provable from a similar scientific Viewpoint. Religion, as the Bahá’í understands it, is man’s attitude toward God as expressed in his daily life. This attitude is conditioned by the education he has had in the nature of God, the Will of God, the Law of God. God alone can be the source of such knowledge and must have been responsible for its appearance in the world. Therefore that religious teaching which has proved itself through the years as a support, an assistance, and a spirit
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ual education to mankind must
have come from the one source and be in its essence one.
It is logical to think of the religions of the world as the various grades in school and of mankind as the pupil who is growing in knowledge and in wisdom as well as in stature as he progresses from one class to the next. Not discarding what has been learned in the first grade because he has advanced to the fifth or the tenth grade or even into the university but always adding to his store of knowledge and skills.
If we see these past religions as fitted to the time, place, and people to whom they Were revealed it is logical that there should have been many in ages when mankind, through developing all over the planet, was not in direct communication with his fellows in other geographical regions and not able to receive directly Teachings given from just one location. The various races were in different stages of mental and physical development also and teachings which were suitable to advance the civilization of one race would not have been sufficient for another or would have
been too advanced in concept for a backward people.
Today, the progress humanity has made in the realm of the
physical sciences makes the world
that one world we have heard of so much in recent years. It grows smaller day by day. The most backward peoples are being rapidly educated by the impact of the material progress of the more advanced members of the race and by the need to compete on a more nearly level degree with other races and nations of the world for a share of its wealth. There is room in the world now for only one religion and it must be inclusive, not exclusive. It must fit the needs of all mankind, fulfill the aspirations of all mankind, accept the background brought to it by every member of the human race.
The unity of science and religion is again only an extension of the idea that the content of religion, the revealed knowledge of God and Will of God, the Creator of the universe, could hardly be contrary to the discoverable truths of the operation of that universe. In every age a close and unbiased investigation of the real Truths of Religion and the provable truths of science would have found no disagreement between them. What has caused the discord that has arisen has been the disagreement between the mistaken interpretations made by men in expounding the teachings of their Prophets and the unproven, and therefore often mis 151
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takenly held theories, of scientists.
The four basic spiritual teachings of all religion have been the Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, the authority of the Prophet, and the life after death. The most advanced scientists have accepted the reality of a Creator of the universe. We have mentioned the proofs offered by science itself of the oneness or brotherhood of the whole human race. Modern historians know that religion has been the source of our great civilizations and that a man of particular and unique qualifications, the Manifestation, has been in each instance the source of that religion, therefore, in the final analysis, the source of civilization. And, finally, it has recently been reported that efforts are being made to put psychical research on a scientific basis so that in time to come perhaps the most materially minded scientist will have satisfactory proof of that one claim of religion that he has so far not been able to prove to his satisfaction, the the survival of the individual personality after death.
It is evident from these four unities that are taught by the Bahá’í Faith that Unity is the watchword for this Dispensation as Love was that of the Christian Dispensation, or Submission to
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the Will of God that of the Muhammadan. And indeed we find the cry for unity raised on every side today. We find no thinking person denying the need for unity but all people searching for a point of unity.
Bahá’ís believe that the Bahá’í Faith is the answer to this need, that it was given to us by a loving and an all-wise Creator because this was the time ordained for its revelation so that once more the fountain of divine knowledge might be filled at its source and might flow freely to assuage the thirst of every man for education in the things of the spirit and for direction to meet the social needs of his community.
Since 1844 the Bahá’í principles of equality between men and women, lack of prejudice of race, creed, class or nationality, universal peace, universal education, a universal auxiliary language, a world federation and international tribunal have been spread more and more widely over the earth. Bahá’ís believe this advance in social consciousness has come about both through the efforts of the followers of Bahá’u’lláh and through the spiritual effect of His Manifestation upon sensitive souls the world over.
In these 103 years the Bahá’í Faith itself has grown until it now claims adherents in eighty
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countries of the world. They represent every race, creed, nationality and class. The Faith itself is the perfect demonstration that prejudices can be forgotten and that variety in the part makes for beauty in the whole.
In proposing a world federation, which I have mentioned as one of the Bahá’í principles, Bahá’u’lláh implemented it with an international police force, an international tribunal, and a solution of the economic problem based on spiritual values, in other words putting into effect the golden rule on an economic and an international basis.
A few statesmen have been saying for a long time that economic reform is essential to real peace. They recommend the removal of trade barriers and of financial and raw-material monopolies, which cause world depression and conflict. The solution of course will have to be on the basis of brotherly love and consideration, acknowledging the fact that we not only should treat others as we would wish to be treated but that we must treat them as we would wish to be treated or we will again be building up the forces of envy and suspicion which will finally break their bonds and flame over the world in a conflict to the death.
The universal education combined with a universal auxiliary language which Bahá’u’lláh advocated will be a necessity in a world grown so small. In some of our American cities now we know the difficulties that lie in a situation in which parts of the population never learn the generally accepted tongue, or have never had the type of schooling which the rest of the community has enjoyed and so holds itself aloof and suspicious, and suspected in turn. In fact it was just such a situation as this in Warsaw, Poland, which moved young Dr. Zamenhof to build a universal auxiliary language, Esperanto. Such a community of language and education as that foreseen by Bahá’u’lláh will be the basis of a newly developed
feeling of world citizenship, so that in the future it may be truly
said of everyone “Glory is not his who loves his own country, but glory is his who loves his kind.” We have had to grow from putting ourselves first to putting our families first, from putting our families first to putting our country first. In the future we will make the next step which means putting the good of all mankind above the good of that group which we call our nation.
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People in general are pretty sure these days that we must achieve peace in our time if there is to be anyone left to enjoy it. Bahá’ís know that only through practicing on a world-wide scale those ethical and social principles which Bahá’u’lláh enunciated almost a hundred years ago can that peace be achieved. In fact we are finding it already in effect in the Bahá’í world. Our task is to try to make plain to you the fact that you can find the answers to today’s problems in the teachings of the Manifestation for this day, Bahá’u’lláh, Who was, we believe, divinely inspired with those answers.
Surely it is a challenging thing for anyone to say to you that problems which the best minds of this generation find unanswerable are already answered. We can only ask you to accept that challenge and investigate for yourselves the claims the Bahá’ís
make.
In the words of Bahá’u’lláh: “Only when the lamp of search . . . is kindled within the seeker’s heart . . . will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of doubt and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being. . . . Then will the manifold favors and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new life upon the seeker that he will find himself endOWed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart,
and a new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive Within every atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute certitude. He will discover in all things the mysteries of Divine Revelation, and the evidences of an everlasting Manifestation.”
Surely the world, contracted and transformed into a single highly complex organism by the marvelous progress achieved in the realm of physical science, by the world-wide expansion of commerce and industry, and struggling, under the pressure of world economic forces, amidst the pitfalls of a materialistic civilization, stands in dire need of a restatement of the Truth underlying all the Revelations of the past in a language suited to its essential requirements. And what voice other than that of Bahá’u’lláhthe Mouthpiece of God for this age—is capable of effecting a transformation of society as radical as that which He has already accomplished in the hearts of those men and women, so diversified and seemingly irreconcilable, who constitute the body of His declared followers throughout the world?
——SHocH1 EFFENDI
The Bahá’í Faith in India
SHIRIN FOZDAR
NDIA has been from antiquity
a land of heroes and saints. Long before the Western world knew the meaning of the word civilization and culture, the Indian people had risen to enviable heights in statesmanship, warcraft, literature, philosophy, economics, architecture, sculpture and arts. The fame of her greatness had spread far and wide. The entire life of the people in India was governed by the accumulated teachings of the Vedas, the Upnishads and the Gita. A wonderful period of research continued and lasted until the advent of Christ. Large Viharas, scattered all over the country and run by selfless monks, imparted knowledge to the seekers, and contributed to the moral and educational progress of man. But unfortunately all her past glory has vanished, and she is passing through a very critical period in her history. The old moorings are being broken, as she ventures into uncharted seas, annihilating ancient landmarks. The people are craving for democracy, since the ideal of the king, hitherto held as God, has lost its hold.
In the field of industry it is apparent that the old handicrafts
have been neglected under the competition of machinery; the carriage and pair has been replaced by car. Smooth trading has become difficult owing to unions and strikes, combines and lockouts. Luxury has taken hold of man, increasing thereby his expenditure and enjoyment. The old staid formulas have been replaced by new theories with new values.
One thing which strikes the student of ancient history more than anything else, is the revolutionary change, which is taking place in the internal condition of the people. Barriers of caste are fast disappearing. The traditional respect for and sanctity of a Brahmin has disappeared, and he is now more relegated to the kitchen as a cook, whereas the depressed classes have revolted, and assert that there is something radically wrong with a system that condemns a man for life for the accident of birth. He, therefore, aspired, and befittingly fills even the Viceroy’s council. Thus the Varna Ashram Dharma is getting the Varna (caste) knocked out of its root. Hinduism, noted for its exclusiveness, is vying With other faiths eagerly trying to convert others to its fold; inter 155
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marriages are growing apace; bomb and anarchist activities have often replaced love and Ahimsa (non-violence) , and curiously the people see nothing incongruous in it. On the contrary, the perpetrators of such crime are worshipped as heroes. Spiritual leanings, reverence for pilgrimage, reverence for parents and elders, the sanctity of marriage, the fidelity of the wife, the submissiveness of the daughter, have all vanished.
In the name of modernity and progress the canker of immorality is eating into the Vitals of Indian society. The women assert that in a country with a population of forty crores, half of which consists of women, 33% of which is leading a life of compulsory widowhood which more often is due to marriages arranged by the parents in their childhood, they could not be bound to be faithful to what remained only a memory. Husbands, according to ancient scriptures, were to be worshipped as gods, but With the idea of justice revised, women no longer feel inclined to adore a god with feet of clay.
In the field of politics, experiment after experiment was tried and failed. The cause of communal disunity enshrouds this vast continent in a grip of death. Schisms and sects having crept
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into various religions, each religion is again a house divided against itself. Over two hundred fifty languages prove a bar to the afiinity and love which a language can create. Industries and manufacture are also not faring well, due to lack of honest men. The greed and avarice of a few having cornered the wealth of this country, watch with unconcern the starvation and poverty of the toiling millions. Only 1% of this country’s population enjoys 33% of this country’s wealth. Another 33% of people share 33% of wealth and the remaining 66% must live on the rest of the wealth (33%).
The disparity between a capitalist and a laborer being great, the worker himself is not at ease about his future. Again, India being an agricultural country with 700,000 villages, has 34 million families who are always famished, ignorant, illiterate, and unemployed for a third of the year. It is not that God has not endowed this country with sufficient fertile soil, water and everything essential to feed comfortably the teeming millions, but unfortunately the implements used for agriculture are as crude and primitive as those used in the days
of the Vedas or Shree Krishna.
The maldistribution of land is
also a great cause for this appall
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ing poverty. Some landlords possess acres of land and gorge themselves on the sweat of their laborers, and with the income buy themselves a passage to hell by squandering their income in unmentionable ways; whereas there are others, who own such small strips of land, which in spite of all their efforts do not yield sufficiently to maintain a whole family.
The people in this country, in the name of Ahimsa (non-violence) and charity, feed the ants and the snakes, but can, if their own material interest demands, watch without compunction their countrymen starve to death. These conditions will not improve merely by trade and industrial revivals, political constitutions, increase of schools and book learning, accumulation of wealth and property. The foremost thing essential is a change of heart. The natural in- stincts of self-preservation, selfenjoyment and self-acquisition are subordinated by a man whose heart is filled with love for God and His creatures.
Nations rise to greatness by real worth of character, and that is based on man’s inmost beliefs, whether he acknowledges it or not, and these beliefs are in reality his religion. Religion is the ideal which a man follows. It
influences his character and elevates his whole life. It teaches him a true value by affirming that human life is but the beginning of a vaster one to come after death, and which depends on the way the present one is led, just as our tomorrows are the results of actions done today.
Unfortunately true religion has been strangled under the accumulating load of superstition, dogmas, sacrifices, rituals and priestcraft. The sneer and ridicule of the modern man is directed towards the dogmas and mythologies which have crept into all religions and have beclouded the truth to the extent that fact can no longer be distinguished from fiction. It is due to misrepresentation of true religion that interested people have made it a cause for disunity, communal disharmony, hatred and discord, through which the perpetual enslavement of this country to some outside power is assured.
The present condition in this country is reminiscent of events mentioned centuries ago by the learned Shaikhul Akbar Muhiuddin Ibne Arabi, while relating the events which would take place befort the advent of Qiamat (Resurrection) .
“There will be no peace except the sleep. The people of the East will praise those of the West,
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women will be considered men’s equals, iron will be more costly than gold, 21 new metal resembling silver will be discovered, people will like to take their food before the shops in open bazaars, dresses will be very short. Women will shamelessly roam outside: their houses, people will be in their beds even after the sun has risen, they will fly in the air like birds, they will be able: to send messages instantaneously to other countries. Beds, etc., will be of iron; people will be conveyed from one place to another by lifeless things which will pass through the earth at great speed, people will not love their parents, religion will be no more, the sun will come down to the earth at night and people will welcome: its rays.
Yyas rishi (sage), in Shrimad Bhagwal, while foretelling about future events which were to prevail in Kali Yug,* states:
“In the coming years, Kali Yug will become stronger and religion, truth, chastity, mercy, piety, longevity, power and remembrance will all become more and more less ever day.
“In Kali Yug, money will become the sole test of birth, conduct and good qualities of a man. Money alone will be the test of justice, for justice will be bought
and sold.
- An age marked by violence and wars.
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“The number of thieves will greatly increase in the country; even the Vedas (Hindu Scriptures) will be polluted by wicked people by mixing them with spurious material. The Brahmins will occupy themselves in filling their bellies and enjoying their lust.
“Merchants will be dishonest in their business. People will favor earning their living by dishonest means in spite of there being no trouble in their lives.
“Low people will accept charity by putting on the dress of a Sadhu. Irreligious pundits will preach from high positions.
“People Will forget love and become enemies over a small amount of money. They will try to do harm even to their own near and dear ones over money.
“People will forsake even their parents and children for the sake of enjoying property and for gratifying their earthly desires.
“In Kali Yug, people will go against the Vedas and will forget to worship God, whom even Brahma is always worshipping.”
At such a time when religion
is at its lowest ebb and humanity so thoroughly wayward we are assured by Shree Krishna, in the Gita:
“Whenever there is decay of righteousness, O Bharat, and there is exaltation of unrighteous
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ness then I Myself come forth, for the protection of the righteous, for the destruction of the evildoers; for the sake of firmly establishing righteousness I am born from age to age.”
As if in fulfillment of this promise a call was raised in 1863 by Bahá’u’lláh (Bhargo Devasia or Glory of God) in Persia (Arya Varta), the land of the Aryas. He proclaimed to have arisen to uproot irreligion and to establish the truth, for He claimed to be
the universally expected Manifestation.
Soon the clergy and the government combined in their efforts to nip this movement in the bud. Bahá’u’lláh, Who had been brought up in the lap of luxury, being the son of a minister of Persia, was soon imprisoned with His family. He was branded, bastinadoed, and made homeless, a captive, and despoiled of all His goods. He was transferred from one prison to another, until in 1892 after forty years of confinement He passed away on 28th May at the age of seventy-five. Fortunately the enemies of Bahá’u’lláh could not confine His Message behind prison bars. It spread and enveloped the whole of Pet'sia. Lack of any education and the firm belief in their being the chosen people of God, enabled the shi‘ih Muslims of Persia to
perform the most rapaeious deeds without the least compunction. Bahá’u’lláh had arisen in the midst of a people who were dishonest, degenerate, ignorant, fanatical, heartless and unscrupulous. Persia had been enfeebled by these vices, and groaned under the yoke of foreign powers which spread further and further their spheres of influence. Those at the helm of government, and the clergy who were the custodians of Islam, miserably lacked the power to perceive the greatness of this new Message, and could not appreciate the great value of the gifts that Bahá’u’lláh sought to bestow on the people. Baffled in their efforts to check this influence, the clergy, through their persistent persecution sought to destroy good with evil, love with hate. The Bahá’ís, as the votaries of this new Faith were called, were subjected to a violent and unrelenting persecution. They were insulted, driven from home, impoverished, beaten, exiled, paraded under torture through the streets, beheaded, torn limb from limb, or massacred indiscriminately by hundreds and thousands. Knife and bludgeon, boiling water and slow fire, these and similar were the methods used by the priesthood against the object of their wrath. It is estimated that nearly twenty thousand gave their
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lives in order that their blood may water the seed of love and brotherhood sown by Bahá’u’lláh. Thus today we find the followers spread throughout the nook and corner of the globe, trying to encourage, enlighten and cheer those who have lost faith in the goodness of man.
The Bahá’ís feel that the importance of this movement will soon be established since it bestows the very blessings that humanity needs today. In these pages we shall refer to the blessings which this Message can bestow upon this unfortunate country in its hour of need.
The foremost principle being the freedom of conscience, whereby every individual is given a personal choice on attaining twenty-one years of age to select, after independent investigation, the religion he feels most suitable for this age. According to this system babes in their cradles and infants will not have any religion foisted upon them which later in their life might prove a straitjacket barring their spiritual progress. Having been given the freedom to choose, the chooser is apt to practice the religion thus selected out of love and free will.
The stress laid by Bahá’u’lláh on the oneness of mankind, universal brotherhood, and the abolition of prejudices of race, reli gion, caste and creed is bound to remove the prevalent contempt for the depressed classes and the hatred between the sister communities. He says, “The Tabernacle of Unity has been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. . . . Ye are all fruits of one tree and leaves of one branch. Glory is not his who loves his own country, but glory is his who loves his kind.”
Bahá’u’lláh’s insistence on religion conforming with science shows how wrong is the general belief that religion is opposed to science and progress, and that it is conducive to blind belief, fanaticism, dogmas and superstition. This principle when adhered to would eliminate all the myths and miracles which have crept into various religions, and have thrown into the background the real tenets of a Prophet. These later accretions have been the cause of discord between one religion and another. Their trial, according to the test of science, and their elimination would prove the fundamental unity of all faiths.
Equality of sexes as preached by the Bahá’ís will liberate half the population of this country, which constitutes the fairer sex, and set them on a pedestal unheard of in the past.
For centuries woman in this
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INDIA 161
country was fed upon superstitions and dogmas in the garb of religion. Manmade laws and religious ethics compelled her to remain backward and ignorant. Man was deified, and woman drudged for him in his life time, and burnt on his funeral pyre to achieve a doubtful salvation.
Man encouraged these sacrifices on the part of woman. He had been trained to regard her life as of no consequence. The vacant place of a dead wife was immediately filled by a younger and more desirable candidate. Mothers in India grieved at the birth of a daughter and rejoiced at that of a son. The boys were pampered from childhood and permitted to bully the girls. Thus spoilt and self—opinionated they grew into manhood expecting their mothers, sisters and wives to live and die for them.
Bahá’u’lláh has put an end to this injustice by declaring that man and woman are like the two wings of a bird, which when reinforced with the same impulse will soar heavenward to the summit of progress. Girls in this system inherit as much as the boys, and are enjoined to be educated equally. Bahá’u’lláh has laid greater stress on the education of the girls than that of the boys. Wives are granted equal privileges as their husbands in mar riage, d i v o r c e, inheritance. Equipped with necessary training, freed from traditional superstitions and dogmas, women must be encouraged to shoulder with men, not as rivals but as helpmates, the responsibility of governing the world. An emancipated and powerful womanhood in this land of Ahimsaean wield a great influence not for the betterment of this country alone, but for the whole world.
The Bahá’í solution of the economic problems deals sternly with economic exploitation of one class by another or between nations. The paramount importance of proper planning is obvious in a country like India where three-fourths of the population is mainly dependent on the produce of the soil, the pressure on which is continuously on the increase with the growth of population at the rate of five millions a year.
In 1944 the Bombay Plan, an ambitious program of postwar development of India, drew public attention in this country as well as abroad. Unfortunately, the question of distribution was not dealt with by the authors, although they have promised to issue a supplementary scheme later dealing with this point. It is quite apparent that this question is far more important from the point of View of the exploited than from
162 WORLD ORDER
that of production, as the vast majority of the population of India are on the verge of starvation with very remote chance of betterment, and only a few top people might grow immensely rich as a result of the operation of the scheme.
Bahá’u’lláh’s economic plan begins with the farmers, for He has raised the status of agriculture. According to this plan the farmer has to take one-tenth of the produce of the cultivation. A general store has to he built in every village for all the income and products to be gathered. Then it will be decided as to who is rich and who is poor. Those farmers who have no more to spare in addition to their normal expenses, must be exempted from taxation, and the rich should be taxed heavily. A man’s capacity for production and his needs will he equalized an d reconciled through taxation. If his production exceeds, he will pay a tax, but if his necessities exceed his income he will receive an equivalent amount to balance his budget. No poverty, indebtedness and unemployment are permitted according to the Bahá’í plan. The emphasis it lays on agriculture and the need to control the distribution in the interests of the nation at large are salutary principles which should apeal to all
sane men, but it does not mean that Bahá’u’lláh desired every country to remain industrially backward and to be a nation of farmers. He has laid emphasis on all backward countries being assisted by world federation to march with the times and progress industrially. Industrialization is essential to create and ahsorb the unemployed. It will ahsorh the raw material capacity of agriculture, fully utilize the mineral resources of the country and produce enough to meet the consumption requirements of the people. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said that according to the divine law, employees should not he paid merely by wages; rather they should he partners in every work. The owners of properties, mines and factories should share their incomes with their employees, and give a fair percentage of their profits to their working men in order that the employee should receive in addition to his wages some of the general income of the factory.
The crux of the whole problem is that the Vital importance of labor in the scheme of. production should be recognized and properly provided for. A minimum income standard should be fixed for the entire labor world, both agricultural and industrial. An equitable distribution of what is
INDIA
produced is of supreme importance; otherwise, increasing the production capacity of the nation would be meaningless to the millions who may still continue to be underpaid and famished, while a few may be rolling in wealth. In order to facilitate a wider distribution of wealth, Bahá’u’lláh has laid down an inheritance law, whereby not only the children of the rich may not keep all the wealth in the family by inheritance but the legacy may be divided among children, husband 01' wife, father, mother, brothers, sisters and teachers. Thus all these measures will lead to a lessening Of the inequalities of income, better and more employment and an equitable distribution of wealth.
The emphasis laid by Baha ’u’lláh on the. adoption of an international auxiliary language in addition to the mother tongue, and compulsory universal education should prove a boon to India, where hundreds of languages are spoken, and hatred created because of lack of language affinity. Universal education is essential also as at present only fifteen per cent of India’s vast population may be called
educated. Much of the fanaticism and misery that prevails in this country can be traced to lack of education and ignorance.
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One may ask how the Bahá’ís propose to establish these principles in the world. According to Bahá’u’lláh, after the ravages of a world catclysm, when nations would be left bleeding, beggared and bankrupt, they will realise that human power alone cannot reconstruct the world. The Light of the Spirit must be added to the light of man’s intellect, and in an atmosphere of love and harmony the future commonwealth —~ a
form of super state, will be evolved.
It is futile to deny that a workable solution is the crying need of this age. Scientific inventions and modern industrialism have laid the foundation for international cooperation. Mankind should feel privileged to build upon universal foundations an edifice that will shelter all humanity. Indifference or opposition to the signs of the times will bring in its wake
ruin and misery.
Men have learnt to talk in terms of world wars, world peace, world language, world federation, world economy; and we live in a world which has actually contracted into a neighborhood through the agencies of transportation, economics and intercommunieations. Why, in the name of everything that is consistent, is it so difficult to accept a Prophet with a world message?
Unity in the Love of God
—-—6:[itoria/
EOPLE everywhere recognize
today that the world must become united and that we must learn to cooperate with each other if we are not to destroy one another. At the same time we speak of the need for oneness, we are baffled to find nationalism raising suspicion between nations, to find racialism determined to solidify one race against another, to find class consciousness belligerent, to find religious prejudice strong.
The world has tried to unite itself along the lines of each of these lesser loyalties, but has found that unity of nation only tends to range one nation against another, that unity of race makes for conflict between races, that unity of class makes for econoic warfare, and that even unity in religious creed often brings persecution of those of other creeds. What is needed to unite the world is evidently some mightier force not yet tried.
Bahá’u’lláh said, “That which the Lord has ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all of its peoples in one universal Cause one Common Faith.” A phrase in
one of Bahá’u’lláh’s prayers suggests the essence of that Faith, “unity in the love of God.”
If men become once again consumed with the love of God, their hearts will be filled with love for all that God created. They will love each other as brothers and no longer be conscious of differences of nationality, race, class, or creed. They will he so dazzled by the Glory of God that they will see His Beauty shining from every human face. They will find no one their enemy and will unite joyfully with all people without feeling the exclusiveness that mars lesser unities. They will be so desirous of serving God that they will gladly give their time, energy and money for the service of each other.
Bahá’ís must demonstrate the effectiveness of that unity by filling themselves so completely with love for God that that love overflows into their daily attitudes, words, and actions. If we are truly Bahá’ís it will be no effort for us to love and cooperate with each other. If we have not enough love to forgive all shortcomings and strive unceasingly for unity,
’9!
we are not Baha ls.
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LOVE OF GOD
Unity is not possible unless the whole being is focused upon God. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá instructed: “Love the creatures for the sake of God and not for the sake of themselves. You will never become angry or impatient if you love them for the sake of God. Humanity is not perfect. There are imperfections in every human being, and you will always be unhappy if you look toward the people themselves. But if you look toward God you will love them and be kind to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and of complete mercy. Therefore do not look at the shortcomings of anybody; see with the sight of forgiveness. The imperfect eye beholds imperfections. The eye that covers faults looks toward the Creator of souls. He created them, trains them, en dows them with capacity and life, sight and hearing; therefore they
165
are signs of His grandeur. You must love and be kind to everybody, care for the poor, protect the weak, heal the sick, teach and educate the ignorant.”
By praying we may direct our own hearts toward God, and when we use prayers like this one re: vealed by Bahá’u’lláh, we help to establish unity in the love of God throughout the world.
“0 My God! 0 My God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants and reveal to them Thy great purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy laws. Help them, O God, in their endeavor and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God, leave them not to themselves, but guide their footsteps by the light of Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love.
“Verily, Thou are their helper and their Lord!”
——E.S.H.
Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people. They that follow their lusts and corrupt inclinations, have erred and dissipated their efforts. They, indeed, are of the lost. Strive, O people, that your eyes may be directed towards the mercy of God, that your hearts may be attuned to His wondrous remembrance, that your souls may rest confidently upon His grace and bounty, that your feet may tread the path of His gcod-pleasure. Such are the counsels which I bequeath unto you. Would that ye might follow My counsels!
»—Bahá’u’lláh
THE RENEWAL OF CIVILIZATION
Book Review WILLIAM TUCKER
THE Renewal of Civilization by
David Hofman brings to us in clear and stirring words the story
and essential tenets of the Bahá’í Faith.
Opening his book with a brief history, the author tells the story of the Bab, who arising in the darkened land of Persia in 1844 proclaimed to the world the birth of a new spiritual age. An age in which all men and women would be joined together in one faith, and peace would reign throughout the world.
The Báb explained that it was his mission to herald the coming of “Him Whom God shall manifest,” and promised that his appearance was very near. This magnificent personage was to be called Bahá’u’lláh, meaning the Glory of God, and was to lead men to the Most Great Peace.
After a brief ministry of only six
years, during which over twenty thousand men, women and children were martyred because they were his followers, the Báb was sentenced to death and executed by a firing squad in Tabríz. This terrible blow, which the authorities thought would stop all heresy, actually caused the Bábis to come in thousands to water with their life-blood the seed of the Day which it was their privilege to announce.
The Renewal of Civilization by David Hofman, published by George Ronald for The Bahá’í Publishing Trust, London, England.
Continuing his brief history, the author describes in glowing terms the Life of Bahá’u’lláh, Who, after giving himself to the cause of the Bab, was finally arrested and thrown into the prison of Tihran. While in this gloomy and loathsome place, and suflering every possible indignity, He received the first intimations of His divine mission. In a dream He heard these all glorious words: “Verily We will aid Thee to triumph by Thyself and Thy pen. Grieve not for that which hath befallen Thee, and have no fear. Truly Thou art of them that are secure. Ere long shall the Lord send forth and reveal the treasures of the earth, men who shall give Thee Victory by Thyself and by Thy Name wherewith the Lord hath revived the hearts of them that know.”
However, since the time was not ripe, Bahá’u’lláh did not declare himself to be the one promised by the Báb until the twenty-first of April, 1863. This declaration was made to a small group of Babis in Bag_hdéd on the eve of His banish ment to Constantinople.
Four months later Bahá’u’lláh was again banished, this time to Adrianople, Where He made a public declaration of His mission.
Finally in 1868, fulfilling the prophecies Of the Bible and the Qu’rén, Bahá’u’lláh was sent into yet more
distant exile, this time to Palestine. While here Bahá’u’lláh was visited
by Edward Browne, Fellow of Pembroke College. The account of this
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THE RENEWAL OF CIVILIZATION 167
interview, which is given by David Hofman, is the only one recorded by a westerner.
Bahá’u’lláh, through His teachings and pure life, drew people close together in love and brotherhood. Muhammadans, Jews, Christians, and people of other faiths came together as one and knelt in praise of the Glorious Father.
After giving this brief history of the Bahá’í Faith, Holman poses and answers the two questions which are the challenge of the twentieth cen' tury. “Why does mankind develop at all, and why has this development taken place at different times in different parts of the world?”
The author, in answer to the first question, points out clearly that history is a process of development towards a definite goal. For thousands of years mankind has had a vision of a great day when “they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,” when “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of its Lord,” when there will be established on earth the kingdom of God. This then is the goal men are struggling for and therefore the reason for man’s continuous development.
We now come to our second question. “Why have civilizations risen, and fallen, at different times in different parts of the world?”
Mankind, through a slow process, builds up his civilization over a period of many years. After reachings its peak civilization begins to disintegrate until finally it is once again cloaked in darkness. This cycle is repeated endlessly; first there is darkness, then advancement, then another decline which is followed by a renaissance.
David Hofman states that this renewal of vigor in the human world is accomplished by the unfailing appearance “of a succession of Great Souls especially appointed and empowered for the task. These Great Souls, who are men and yet more than men, are the key figures of history. It is they who inspire the onward movement of mankind and determine the manifold phases of human progress and enlightenment.”
These Great Souls, or Prophets, came at different times in the history of the world, but they always bring that spiritual power which is so necessary for the renewal of civilization.
In the words of David Hofman, “the present world provides only the institutions of adolescence and youth: competitive nationalism, social and economic classes, party politics and sectarian religion.”
What we need today are new and universal institutions; a world economic system, a world government, a world society, a true corporate state of mankind.
To establish such an order, mankind must grow up morally and intellectually. He must acquire a social conscience or no system established will make life worth living.
The author points out that today none of the historic institutions or religions of the past give any promise of a renaissance which is needed so desperately hy the world. Where does our salvation lie?
Hofman gives the answer in his book, The Renewal of Civilization, when he sets forth the divine principles and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. He discusses in detail the principles of the World Order which are:
1. Oneness of Mankind
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2. Oneness of Religion
3. Independent Investigation of Truth
4. Abandonment of Prejudice and Superstition
5. Universal Compulsory Education
6. Equality of Men and Women
7. Adoption of International Auxiliary Language
8. Harmony Science
9. Economic Principles: Work for All; Abolition of extremes of Poverty and Wealth
10. Universal House of Justice
11. A World Tribunal
12. Universal Peace
These principles, which must be established before we can have lasting peace and unity, indicate clearly
the all-embracing nature of the Bahá’í Faith.
The author emphasizes, however, that no matter how universal these tabove principles are, the Bahá’í Faith is no panacea. For a social reformation rests upon individual conduct and cannot be imposed according to somehody’s blueprint.
The world order of Bahá’u’lláh is founded on the spiritual concept of the oneness of mankind and raises a structure by which this unity may be preserved and developed. “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens” is its principle.
of Religion and
David Hofman makes it clear that Bahá’u’lláh does nqt provide an inflexible system of economics. He only establishes the basic principles and expects us to build the structure from the foundation He has laid.
The author states, however, that “a world economic system must be
WORLD ORDER
planned, capable of supplying the greatest achievements of humanity to everyone, a system in which reciprocity and symmetry replace the present disorderly competition.”
In the chapter on administration it is brought out that unity of mankind can only he achieved through religion. Instead of being a great divisive force, as it has been down through the ages, religion should coordinate and unite all the functions of man. This unity is provided for by the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh. In this unique document, which the author explains in detail, a Guardian
is provided which protects the unity of the Faith.
Hofman devotes his last chapter to a brief summary of the vast changes mankind has undergone in the first one hundred years of this era. He points out that these changes indicate clearly that the promised age is no superstitious illusion, but is being born now out of our present disintegrating civilization. In closing he appeals to us to listen to the allpowerful words of Bahá’u’lláh: “The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the Holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. Out of Zion hath gone forth the Law of God, and Jerusalem, and the hills and land thereof, are filled with the glory of His Revelation. Happy is the man that pondereth in his heart that which hath been revealed in the Books of God, the Helper in Peril, the Self—Subsisting.”
“Soon will the present day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead.”
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A Bahá’í Enters the Hermit Kingdom
AGNES B. ALEXANDER
HILE the beloved Master
was still on earth, the Bahá’í Message reached Korea. In His Divine Plan ‘Abdu’l.Bahá remembered the people of the Hermit Kingdom, the Land of the Morning Calm, and opened the way that they might hear the comforting Message of Bahá’u’lláh.
As an instrument in the hands of the Divine Gardener, I spent a month in the old capitol, Seoul, during August and September, 1921. There I witnessed that mysterious power of which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: “Bahá’u’lláh has given us an irresistible power Which all the nations of the world cannot withstand.”
In early 1920, a Korean student, Oh Sang Sun, or Mr. Oh, as we called him, often visited the little Japanese Bahá’í home in Tokyo, where Mrs. Ida Finch was then living with me. He hecame deeply attracted to the Cause and I hoped he would be the one to carry the Bahá’í Message to his people.
One day after I had been supplicating for Mr. Oh, suddenly a great joy filled my heart and I knew then that I would go myself to Korea. Soon after I was invited with Mr. Oh to the home
of Mr. N. Yanagi, a friend of the Koreans, with whom Mr. 011 was leaving for his homeland. On Mr. Yanagi’s return to Tokyo he wrote me: “Your visit to Abiko gave me indeed great pleasure. Your enthusiastic talk not only directed me to the Bahá’í Revelation, but showed me the depths of your faith. I received your kind letter and the many pamphlets you sent me at Seoul. I hope you will go to Korea, as soon as possible. I believe your faith in the Bahá’í Truth is fresh and vital enough for the Korean people because they are now thirsty for true religion.”
At that time a number of J apanese Esperanto publication‘s had articles about the Bahá’í Cause, because the Esperantists had great sympathy with the principle of a universal language. Some Korean Esperantists thus learned of the Cause and wrote me. One of them published in a
Korean magazine an article about the Cause. After Mr. Oh’s return to
Korea, although I wrote and sent him Bahá’í literature, no word came in reply. More than a year had passed when in August, 1921, I suddenly became aware that the time had arrived for me
169
170
to go to Korea. Besides Mr. 011 I knew no one there. In order to give the Bahá’í Message, I knew I should first have official permission, as everything was under police surveillance.
I telephoned to a Japanese friend, who was educated in the United States, and who had once offered to help me, that I was going to Korea. Immediately he came to see me. He advised me first to see Viscount Effendi Shibusawa, with whom I was acquainted, and telephoned making an appointment for me to meet him. Viscount Shibusawa was a nobleman, a great financier, as well as philanthropist, and had started the first modern bank in Japan, and later in Korea.
On the appointed day I met Viscount Shibusawa and explained to him the purpose of my intended visit to Korea. He asked many questions and we talked for more than an hour. I had with me ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s words to Miss F anny Knobloch, who went to teach in South Africa. “It may be that the government,” He wrote, “of those regions will check thee. Thou shouldst say: ‘I am a Bahá’í and am a friend of all religions and nations. I consider all to be of one race and count them as my relatives. I have divine love and not racial
WORLD ORDER
and sectarian love. According to the palpable written command of Bahá’u’lláh I do not pronounce a word pertaining to politics, because we are forbidden to interfere in political aflairs. We are concerned with affairs which are heavenly. We are servants unto the world of morality. We consider that religious, racial, political and national prejudices are destructive to the world of humanity. We believe that the whole of the surface of the earth constitutes one home and all mankind form one family. With all we are in the utmost sincerity and kindness.’ ”
When Viscount Shibusawa heard these words, he was delighted, especially that the
Bahá’ís did not interfere in political affairs. To my great surprise he announced with a smile
that he would himself give me
introductions to the Governor of
Korea and others with whom he
was personally acquainted. Then
he expressed his admiration that
I had come alone to Japan, and
had stood alone and taken nothing from anyone. I felt overwhelmed, for little had I
dreamed of receiving introductions from him. The all-prevailing power of God was manifest!
A few days later, a messenger
brought me four letters of introduction from Viscount Shibu
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THE HERMIT KINGDOM
sawa written in Japanese style on scrolls.
I sent word to Mr. Yanagi that I was going to Korea, but learned he was then there. The evening before my departure, he returned to Tokyo and came immediately to see me. He gave me an introduction to the Japanese editor of the English paper, Seoul Press, and advised me to first confer with him.
In a week I was on the train bound for Seoul. I felt as though I were going to my family instead of a strange country. The realization that it was virgin soil ready for seed sowing thrilled me. Reaching Seoul the evening of the second day, I went to the Chosen hotel, the only hospice for foreign travelers. In the morning I telephoned to the editor of the Seoul Press, who came immediately to see me. When I told him I had introductions from Viscount Shibusawa, he asked to see one of them. After reading it he was ready to do anything for me and advised me to go the next morning to the government offices with my introduction t0 the governor.
That afternoon a young man came to see me to whom Mr. Torii, the blind Bahá’í believer in Japan, had telegraphed of my coming to Seoul. Although deaf,
171
he was skilled in lip reading and understood English. Mr. Torii had once written me of him, that he was the first among the deaf of Japan to be attracted to the Cause. He offered to assist me and became a devoted friend.
When I thanked him, he said that he did it for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
The next morning I called at the government offices. As the governor was absent, I was presented to the Governor General, Viscount Saito, a distinguished man. After a short conversation, in which I presented him with a J apanese Bahá’í booklet, his secretary and two others from the Foreign Relations Department interviewed me. None of these men had heard of the Bahá’í Cause. I gave each one a Japanese Bahá’í booklet and explained the Bahá’í teaching that one must respect the government of the country where he resides, and therefore I desired to do everything in harmony with the government. Two hours were spent at the government offices that memorable morning. During this time the Chief of Police was told of me, and ordered that I should be given freedom to teach in Korea. The power of the Greatest Name was manifested! With a light heart I returned to the hotel.
Mr. Kurita came again that
172
afternoon with friends, and together we called on the Director of the YMCA, to whom I had been given an introduction at the government offices. My one desire was to find Mr. Oh. The Director said he was living in Seoul, but he did not know his address.
The third morning the Seoul Press had an item telling of my coming and the purpose of my visit to Korea. The same morning I called at the American Consulate. Presenting my card I mentioned the Cause, that I had government permission to teach in Korea, and left a Bahá’í booklet. I then went to the First Bank and presented by introduction to the manager. He left his work and talked with me of spiritual things, and then invited me to come again and also to his home for a Japanese dinner.
When I returned to the hotel, I found a reporter from a Japanese newspaper waiting to see me. He had an introduction from the Governor-General’s secretary and asked me to accompany him to the newspaper office for an interview. There a photograph was taken which appeared the next day in the paper with a picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the first to be published in Korea. Later, Mr. Kurita and friends came to go out with me. In my great desire
WORLD ORDER
to find Mr. Oh, I turned to the Center of the Covenant and supplicated His assistance. As We were riding in a street car, suddenly my hand was grasped. It was Mr. Oh! He returned with me to the hotel and expressed his desire to do everything possible to assist me. Then the doors hegan to open. He not only helped to open the way for his people to hear the Bahá’í Message, but acted as interpreter and guide. In God’s plan it seemed he was
destined to be the link through which the Cause reached his people. It was God’s wisdom that I did not find him until the government connections had been made. I was happy to learn that although he had not written me, he had received everything I sent him from Tokyo.
The next morning Mr. 0h accompanied me to the office of the leading Korean newspaper, the Dong-a, which was published in the Korean language and script. A very good article about the Cause appeared afterwards in the paper illustrated with pictures of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the Chicago Temple.
Among callers who came to
see me was an official from the
Governor-General’s office who
had recently returned after
twelve years spent in study in
America. Also from the Relig
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THE HERMIT KINGDOM
ious Section of the government, came a Mr. Datte, who had lived in Hawaii and knew some of my relatives. He offered his services to help me. Mr. Kurita gave a tea party for me and the International Friendship Association held a reception for me and invited me to speak on the Bahá’í Cause. Its members were officials and prominent men of Seoul. For the first time three women were invited to attend especially for my sake. The following day both the Japanese and English newspapers had notices of the meeting.
After a week had passed God’s plan for the opening of the Cause in that land was apparent. The highest officials were the first to hear of it, seven of whom had personal talks with me. Next were the newspaper editors, all of whom published articles about the Cause. The Seoul Press, though small, on three occasions published something concerning the Cause, twice giving a column to the Bahá’í teachings. Although the word, “Bahá’í,” was new to these editors, in no instance was the least prejudice shown.
I consulted Mr. Datte as to how I could meet the Korean people to tell them the Glad-Tidings. Through his suggestion, Mr. Oh introduced me to one of the leaders of a Korean society
173
which united the different religionists of the Far East. After an hour’s interview he said We should unite and it was arranged for me to speak in their hall. The
smeeting was held with only a
day’s notice which appeared in the Korean daily. When I reached the meeting place with Mr. Oh, to my great surprise I found it to be a large hall, where before me were hundreds of Koreans seated cross-legged on the matted floor, almost all in their
white linen costumes. The men sat on one side and the women, a small part of the great audience; on the other side. Mr. Oh estimated that about nine hundred were present. He spoke first, and although I did not understand what he said, he seemed inspired. I spoke simply, showing a picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and emphasizing the point that He was the Center of the Covenant, to whom all could turn for comfort. Mr. Datte came and brought word to me from a member of the Foreign Relations Department that he was very glad I was going to speak, so the way was made easy for me to speak with freedom. After the meeting a teacher of the society came with great joy and said the Bahá’í teachings were what he believed. Mr. Datte spoke with him and suggested that the Bahá’í booklet
174 should be published in the Kor ean language.
Before going to Korea, Mrs. Kunz of Urbana, Illinois, wrote me of their meeting on the steamer, when on their way to Palestine, a Korean Christian who became interested in the Bahá’í teachings and later met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. She wrote that if I should ever go to Korea, she hoped I would be able to find him, but did not mention his name. On inquiry I found that Mr. 0h had met him and he gave me his address in the country, to which I wrote. On September 1, I received a reply. Mr. Roh wrote in part: “I was glad to hear of your visit to Seoul. Your first visit to this country shall ever remain in the history of the people. The Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has given me the very timely message for this generation .
I pray that you shall ever be under the Divine guidance during these days in order that the great work may be started in the right method and direction. I shall call
on you soon after my arrival in Seoul.”
On September 5, the happy meeting with Mr. Roh took place. As I sat in the hotel lobby that evening, a young man entered. Without introduction we seemed to know each other. It was Mr. Roh. Almost at the same time
WORLD ORDER
Mr. Oh came in to see me. It was an eventful meeting of the three of us! I recognized the great capacity of Mr. Bob. It seemed that when he heard from Professor and Mrs. Kunz of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, he decided to go to Haifa to meet Him, but at Tiberias he found ‘Abdu’l-Bahá occupied the room next to his. There he had the blessing of several interviews with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who asked, him about his future work and counseled him to teach only from the words of Christ as recorded in the Gospels. Mr. Bob was connected with a Christian mission and said, because of his position, he could not work openly for the Cause. The next day We met unexpectedly and had another talk, and again I urged him to work with Mr. Oh, for it was apparent this was a Divine plan and would have results.
The banker, whom I had met, invited me to speak to his clerks. Although only a few understood English, some seeds were sown. After the talk I was entertained with an American lady teacher at his home with a Japanese feast. When I remarked that there were nine present, the host replied that he had planned it because nine was the Bahá’í number.
On September 8, in the lunch room of the Korean YMCA, I
THE HERMIT KINGDOM
gave a Bahá’í feast. Mr. 0h invited his friends who were interested in the Cause. As only a few understood English, he interpreted for us. A wonderful spirit was present at that first Bahá’í feast held in Korea. I told those present that at the same time all over the world similar feasts were being held, and thus a great world unity was being established. The conversation centered around ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and the questions asked concerned Him, His station, His daily life, etc. Someone asked if He were like Christ, and they appeared to have great capacity and understanding. Cards were passed around on which they wrote in Korean their sentiments and names to he sent to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Mr. Oh translated these for me as follows: “The message of Truth which shines all around the universe. The same origin from the first. Newest voice of Truth. Long life to the Bahá’í, the fair and impartial. Various streams running into the same ocean. Just now I found the brilliant light of Bahá’í. The universal supreme mountain of
Truth. Oh freedom! Oh Bahá’í!”
The next evening the young men gave me a Korean feast. As some of those who were present the night before could not come, others took their places. It was a
175
heavenly feast and again those present wrote their names to be sent ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and a photograph was taken. The next day one of the young men came to see me. He said he had stayed up until 2 o’clock the night before reading the Bahá’í booklet and thinking it over.
An inspiring afternoon was spent at the Buddhist school where Mr. Oh taught. The school was conducted in an oldBuddhist monastery in the suburbs of Seoul, a quiet spot where there was an atmosphere of harmony.
The students gathered in the temple hall. Mr. Oh introduced me
to them and then interpreted for
me. With my first words I showed
a picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. As I
spoke the expressions of the students’ faces changed becoming
more and more earnest. After the
meeting I lingered with a few
others and the inspiration came
to send a greeting to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá from that spot. Mr. Oh and
another teacher wrote in English
as follows: “The college students
have touched the new spirit and
there burned in their hearts wonderful inspiration. This wonderful opportunity was experienced
through Miss Alexander’s earnest message which was brought
into this land of ‘morning calm.”
I experienced a wonderful Truth
and new spirit.” Mr. Oh trans
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176 WORLD ORDER
lated the students sentiments as follows: “To my Master ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who is the Hero of universal peace in the world. Offering hearty thanks to our unseen Master who is in the far away land. I am most interested and offer thanks for the great Bahá’í spirit of the equality of humanity and the breaking up of all prejudice, which is the Common need in’ modern life. I have found the principle of true life in your teachings and I promise to be a very good friend with you.”
With Mr. Oh a visit was made to the society which gave its hall for the public Bahá’í meeting. We also visited one of its schools where I was invited to speak. As they had no room large enough to accommodate all the students; they stood in the open under the hot sun. In interpreting Mr. Oh said he added emphasis to all I said. A student came to me afterwards and asked if he could come to see me. Later he came with two friends from his home town in the North where he had seen a Bahá’í booklet. He was eager to procure Bahá’í books and learn more about the Cause.
On September 17, the last meeting was held with the Korean friends. Mr. Oh spoke first, addressing me. Then I urged the friends to meet each week and study the teachings and left some
Bahá’í literature with Mr. Oh to form the nucleus of a Bahá’í library. Mr. Oh’s devotion in assisting me to give the Bahá’í Message to his people was worthy of a thousand thanks. During all those days nothing had come in our path to hinder the spread of the Cause in that land.
It was my privilege on the last day in Seoul to distribute nineteen bouquets among the poor Korean patients in the Severance hospital. I did it in the Master’s Name and the joy which came in the faces of the patients was a pleasure to witness.
On September 19, I left Seoul
to return to Tokyo. There I received a letter from Fujita dated
the Tomb of the Báb, November
9, 1921, in which he wrote: “The
Master has written a very long
Tablet to the friends in Korea
which you will soon receive. The
unexpected happened and the Beloved Master left us three weeks
later. On F ebruary 14, 1922, I
received two Tablets revealed by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, His last eternal
messages to be sent to the Far
East. One was addressed: “To
the new friends in Korea,” dated
November 5, 1921. Fifteen
names were mentioned of those
who sent their messages to Him.
It follows: “O ye heavenly sons!
Your heartfelt and sincere greetings have reached ‘Abdu’l
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THE HERMIT KINGDOM
Bahá’s ears and your message gave great spiritual pleasure.
“Praise be to God, that celestial light guided and led you to the Sun of Reality, bestowed everlasting life and granted heavenly illumination. Ye are like the seedlings which have been planted by the hand of the Bestower in His Spiritual Rose-Carden. It is my hope that, through the warmth of the Sun of Reality, the pouring down of the showers of mercy and the waiting of the breezes of bestowal, ye may progress day by day, so that each one may become a blessed tree, full of leaves and flowers and throw our shade over great multitudes.
“The Graces of the Kingdom of Abhá are the rays of the Sun of Reality. It illumines the earth and heaven, makes the star a shining moon, turns the speck into a huge mountain, bestows strength to the weak, gives everlasting healing to the sick, grants heavenly treasures to the poor, confirms the oppressed ones to everlasting glory and turns the people of darkness to those of light.
“0 heavenly friends, the doors of heaven have been opened, the lights of God have shone forth and the heavenly Call has been raised. Summon ye all humanity to listen to this Heavenly Call
117
and invite them to the Celestial World, so that they may find a new spirit and attain to a new life. In all conditions my heart and spirit are with you.”
Another Tablet, dated November 7, 1921, was addressed to me as follows: “O thou who proclaimest the Kingdom of God!
“Thy letter has been received and gave much joy. Praise be to God that the confirmations of the Kingdom of Abba reached and thou becamest the cause of the guidance of the souls. It is my hope that in Korea thou wilt raise the banner of the Greatest Guidance. Convey my utmost kindness to Mr. Bob. I have utmost love for him and ask for him heavenly blessings.”
After my return to Japan from Korea in 1921, no word came from the friends there. Two years later, in October, 1923, I stopped in Seoul on the way to Peiping and met again some of the Korean friends. Mr. Oh was teaching in a Buddhist college and arranged for me to speak to the young men, when a photograph was taken. I had brought with me a large framed photograph of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and a painting of the Greatest Name, which I left at the college. These
were shown in the photograph taken that day.
The Mature Man
BAHA’I' WORDS FOR MEDITATION
A good character is, verily, the best mantle for;men from God . . . The
light of a good character surpasseth the light of the sun and the radiance thereof. (p. 20)
The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct. (p. 20 )
Be fair to yourselves and to others that the evidences of justice may he revealed through your deeds . . . (p. 20)
Equity is the most fundamental among human virtues. The evaluation of all things must needs depend upon it. (p. 20)
He that is unjust in his judgment is destitute of the characteristics that distinguish man’s stations. (p. 20)
Beautify your tongues, O people, with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with the ornament of honesty. (p. 21)
It is through your deeds that ye can distinguish yourselves from others. (10. 21)
Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues. Without truthfulness progress and success . . . are impossible . . . When this holy attribute is established in man, all the divine qualities will also be acquired. (p. 21)
The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among men . . . The organization of the world and the tranquillity of mankind depend upon it.
(p- 23)
There can he no doubt whatever that if the day-star of justice which the clouds of tyranny have obscured, were to shed its light upon men, the face of the earth would be completely transformed. (p. 23 )
The canopy of existence resteth upon the pole of justice and not of forgiveness, and the life of mankind dependeth on justice and not on forgiveness. (p. 24)
We desire but the good of the world . . . that all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race he annulled. (p. 31)
These selections are from The Advent of Divine Justice.
178
WITH OUR READERS
LOUISE Groger_was first introduced to readers of W 0er 0rder in the September, 1946, issue with her article, “Religion, Too, Evolves.” We suggest that our readers turn again to this column in that issue and read her interesting story of how a visit to the. Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette was the first step Which led to her accepting the Bahá’í Faith, and also of leading several others to the Faith. In “The Root of Knowledge” Mrs. Groger sets out some of the fundamental Bahá’í beliefs. Her home is in San Francisco where she is an active member of the Bahá’í community.
Shirin Fozdar, who contributes “The Bahá’í Faith in India,” lives in Poona which is not far from Bombay; Mrs. Fozdar travels and lectures extensively in the interests of the Bahá’í Faith especially before school and college groups. She has been the means of interesting educators and other influential people in the Faith. In December, 1938, issue of World Order is a previous contribution from Mrs. Fozdar entitled “lranian Influence in India.” The last paragraph in that article fits so well into the scene today when India is being partitioned into two states on account of longstanding religious prejudice that we quote it here:
“Religious prejudices have proved the bane of India. Hindus owing to their religious division of caste and creed were so weakened that they easily lost to the Muslim invaders. Later the religious differences be tween the Hindus and Muslims had created such a wide gulf that any foreign power could easily seek domination in this ancient land. Even today communal riots are a common occurrence, and unity between these two great religions of India seems out of the question. fran’s greatest contribution, the Bahá’í Faith, alone can save India from this internal bloodshed. Through its teachings these two communities can be cemented together, and with its the birth of a regenerated India.”
William Tucker, who reviews David Hofman’s book, The Renewal of Civilization, is a student Who graduated in June from the East Carolina Teachers’ College in North Carolina and plans to continue his studies in the field of optometry. He enrolled as believer in the Bahá’í Faith about a year ago. This review is another in our Bahá’í literature series.
As Korea, The Hermit Kingdom, with its long background of culture comes into the international picture, our readers will be glad to read Agnes Alexander’s account which shOWS that some seed sowing of the Bahá’í Message has been done there. Bahá’ís know Miss Alexander as one who pioneered for the Bahá’í Faith for several years in Japan. We are indebted to her for the compilation of Tablets which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote to Japanese Bahá’ís and which we printed in our June, 1946, issue. In looking over back issues of W 0er Order we also find, under the title
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[Page 180]
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. Universal language.
An international tribunal.
