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W©EKED
0 33393133 FEBRUARY, 1949
TH E The First Bahá’í European Conference . . Mary Keene Sprague’ BA H A" Non-Governmental Organizations in
the United Nations To the End of the Storm
Duart Vinson Brown
News from Italy, II Ugo R. Giachery
Open Letter to Westbrook Pegler
Christ and Bahá’u’lláh Words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
If Not in Our Churches, Where?
Gertrude K. Henning
The Source of Happiness, Editorial
Eleanor S. Hutchens
Bahá’í: A World Faith
Mary Jane Daniel] Langrall
Sidewalk Cafe Hascle M. Combleth
The Dream, Poem Gertrude W. Robinson
What Modern Man Must Know About Religion
A Compilation
Compensation, Poem Stanton A. Cohlenz
With Our Readers
MAGAZINE
WORLD ORDER is published monthly in Wilmette, 111., by the Phblishing Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Editor: Garreta Busey. Managing Editor: Eleanor S. Hutchens. Associate Editors: Victor de Araujo, Elsa Blakely, Robert Dun, Pearle Easterbrook, Gertrude Henning, Flora Emily Hones, Mabel H. Paine.
Publication Office 110 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, ILL. C. R. Wood, Business Manager Printed in USA;
Editorial Office Mrs. Eleanor S. Hutchens, 307 SOUTH PRAIRIE, CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS
FEBRUARY,’ 1949, VOLUME XIV, NUMBER 11
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, $2.25. Make checks and money orders payable to World Order Maguzine, 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois. Entered as second class matter April 1, 1940, at the post oflioe at Wilmette, 11L, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Content copyrighted 1949 by grihé’i Publishing Committee. Title Registered at US. Patent cc.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS SHOULD BE REPORTED ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE
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THE frontispiece this month shows the Shrine of the Báb
situated on the slopes of Mt. Carmel just outside
the city of Haifa, Israel. Mt. Carmel has known the footsteps
of many of the prophets of God. Here Elijah called the
children of Israel back to the worship of the one true God.
Here, it has been told, Christ, the divine Son of God, “W116
had not where to lay His head,” sometimes came in His
wanderings.
Through a strange over-ruling of Providence, Bahá’u’lláh. the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, with a group of His followers, was exiled to Palestine in 1868. Thus the Bahá’í Faith, which originated in Persia, was henceforth centered in the Holy Land. 011 this account it was that the remains of the Báb, the Forerunner of the Faith, after His martyrdom in 1350, had ultimately to be transferred to Palestine. As the Faith was under severest persecution by the Muhammadan authorities the remains were kept hidden; this necessitated frequent removals from one secret place to another. After repeated transfers and owing to the utmost vigilance on the part of the faithful followers it was possible to bring these sacred remains at last, in 1908, to Mt. Carmel. Here ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in accordance with the wishes of His Great Father, Bahá’u’lláh, laid them to rest and had erected over them the present simple structure shown in our frontispiece.
Within the Shrine is an atmosphere of infinite holiness. The radiant spirit of the Báb, Who was martyred for humanity in much the same way as Christ, seems to speak to the open heart of the beauty and power of sacrifice.
Mr. Giachery’s article in this issue shows how the Shrine is now being completed in great beailty.
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WORLD ORDER
The Bahá’í Magazine
VOLUME XIV
FEBRUARY, 1949
NUMBER 11
The First Bahá’í European Conference
MARY KEENE SPRAGUE
N ASSURANCE of hope in
these darkening times was this first gathering, in Geneva, of Bahá’ís from fourteen European countries and from Australia, the Near East, and the Western Hemisphere, for it demonstrated the irresistible advance of a new and peaceful order for mankind. Bahá’í communities throughout the world are dedicated to the awakening of a world consciousness and contain within their administrative order the means for actively unifying the most diverse peoples. These communities are the germ of that new civilization which must replace the disintegrating society of the presenl time. The spread of this Faith in Europe, therefore, is a sign of. ultimate peace.
The success of this conference is especially heartening because it occurred on time, even, perhaps, a little'ahead of schedule. For there is a schedule. Along with Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings on world .unity, we have been given
a plan for its advancement. Known to Bahá’ís as the Divine Plan, it was set forth by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá immediately after the first World War and has been subdivided by the Guardian into seven-year periods during which certain objectives are to be accomplished, stages which have proved to synchronize perfectly with world conditions as they change. Now, between the years 1946 and 1953, is the time for the establishment of Bahá’í communities in ten European countries. How ready Europe is for the assurance which this Faith has to offer is shown by her welcome to the teachers who have gone there and by the fact that this conference could be held only two years after the European teaching project was announced.
The conference was opened at two o’clock on the afternoon of Saturday, May 22, 1948. The largeroom on the ground floor of the International Center, where
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the European Teaching Committee has offices, was an ideal setting. It is a long, beautiful room, running straight through the building, with separate consulting rooms at either end, one of them overlooking Lake Geneva. There was a platform with a table where the four members of the Committee sat. On the table, which was decorated very effectively with flowers and plants, was a picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, to Whom the conference was dedicated. At long tables to the right and left were seated the groups that needed French and German translation. In the center, facing the Committee, sat the Englishspeaking group. The ten goal countries were all represented: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Switzerland. And with them were Bahá’ís from Australia, Germany, Austria, France, England and Scotland, lrén, ‘Iráq, and
N orth America.
For those of us who helped to organize it, the realization of what we were experiencing at this first European conference was almost overwhelming. As we looked over those shining faces from eighteen countries of the world, gathered together under one roof with only one purpose in their hearts, that of promoting
WORLD ORDER
the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, when only eighteen short months before there had been, in most of Europe, nothing to gather together, we were filled with a deep humility. Organization and planning can produce a well-oiled machine, but no amount of planning can produce the spirit which is the essence of the desire to make the human machine tick. It is something that is spontaneous, that cannot be planned or counted on; but when it is present it is just as real as brilliant sunshine.
The conference was opened with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s prayer for all nations, followed by a prayer for the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith. The Chairman spoke of the Divine Plan and the relation of the European teaching project to it. She told of its three stages: the First Seven Year Plan, which spread the Faith in the Western Hemisphere from Anchorage, Alaska, to Puenta Arenas, Chile; the present Seven Year Plan with its four objectives, one of which is to establish Bahá’í communi ties in ten countries of Europe;
and the third, which will spread the Faith throughout the rest of the world. During her talk, she noted that May Maxwell had been responsible for the first Bahá’í Assembly in Paris and mentioned Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney
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EUROPEAN CONFERENCE
as the first French, and Thomas Breakwell as the first English believer. After her talk the reading of a cable from the Guardian created a momentum that continued throughout the conference.
The rest of the session was devoted to the roll-call, which was thrilling beyond words, the reading of cabled greetings, the appointment of committees, and other organizational matters.
That evening was the anniversary of the beginning of the Bahá’í Faith, the declaration by the Báb of His Mission, to Mulla Husayn, the first of His followers. We met for dinner at the Hotel de la Paix and then walked by the lake while the room was being re-arranged for the commemoration of this great event. It had been beautifully worked out by the Luxembourg group and was a dramatization of the story of the inception of the Faith against exquisite background music. The voice representing that of the Báb was truly magnificent in His announcement, “I am the Mystic Fane . . . ” At the end, the narrator said: “And now today in ten countries of Western Europe, new voices are arising . . . ” And a believer from each of the ten countries stood and said in his native language the Báb’s prayer, the Remover of Difficulties. At the end of the ceremony the cable
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to the Guardianwas read by the committee that had composed it.
During the interval while we had been walking by the lake, three people from Denmark who had come to the conference with the Danish group, declared their intention of becoming Bahá’ís. They said that the beauty of the afternoon session and the spirit they had felt there had swept aside their last resistance.
Sunday morning, afternoon, and evening were devoted to the subject of the Bahá’í Administrative Order, the structure on which the coming World Civilization will be built. The import- ‘ ance of the Institution of the Guardianship was stressed and the point that, for the first time in the history of religion, the continuity of authority for guidance and for the interpretation of the Word has been authorized in the handwriting of the Manifestation of God, Himself. The Guardian is our focal point and is the fulfillment of the promise that the latter day will not be followed by night.
The morning and afternoon sessions of Tuesday, May 24th, were devoted to the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, and that evening we had our first public meeting. It had been advertised in three of the leading Geneva papers, invitations had been mailed, and one
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hundred large posters had been placed at strategic points throughout the city. The Athenee, a
charming hall at the University of Geneva where many interesting meetings are held, was filled to capacity.
The next day we heard reports brought in by the committees we had appointed at the beginning of the conference. The discussion of teaching methods was particularly valuable and lively. We laughed when someone quoted Orcella Rexford’s formula for a good speaker (“One who stood up, spoke up, and shut up”) and the German translator asked “'How do I translate ‘shut up’?”
That evening the sessions in Geneva closed on an international note. Madame DreyfusBarney told of her early experiences in ‘Akká and of compiling the book, “Some Answered Questions.” A report on the United Nations Conference included the news that the Bahá’ís of the world had been recognized as the Bahá’í International Community. And we heard of the purchase in Italy of the marble for the Shrine of the Báb on Mt. Carmel, 11 building spoken of by the Guard ian as the beginning of the International House of Justice.
The conference was to end in Berne, and the next morning three large motor coaches, full of radiantly happy Bahá’ís, started forth for the capital. In Geneva the Committee had been in consultation with individuals and groups every waking second when we were not in session, but this day, travelling through magnificent mountain scenery, stopping for lunch at the picturesque vi]. lage of Morat, we could eniny our Bahá’í fellowship. That night we closed the conference with a second public meeting, held in Beme. We are told by the Guardian that, in spite of the immeasurable importance of this First European Conference, it was merely an initial step towards the World Conferences of the future. But those of us who were privileged to attend it will remember it for a quality of spirit resembling thal which we experienced at the climax of the Centenary celebration in the Temple at Wilmette. The conferences of the future ‘ will undoubtedly be larger and, perhaps, better organized, but this was the first. It was unique, and its spirit can never be recaptured.
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Non-Governmental Organizations
in the United Nations UNITED NATIONS PRESS DIVISION
HE Charter of the United Na tions begins with the words “We the peoples of the United Nations.” Thus, the framers of the Charter, recognizing the importange of the participation of the people in the work of the United Nations, made it possible for the Organization to tap the expert knowledge of organizations non-governmental in character.
Realizing that the activities of these bodies had developed to the point where they could sometimes supplement the work of governments and work between governments, the framers provided a channel to make use of their knowledge and experience. The Economic and Social Council was asked, under Article 71 of the Charter. to make suitable arrangements for consulting with Non-Covernmental Orgénizations on economic and social problems, and those of education, culture and health. So far under this mandate, the Council has made arrangements to consult with seventv-four organizations.
A far larger group of NonGovernmental Organizations are cooperating with the United NaIions Department of Public In formation in fulfilling another function—keeping the people of the world fully informed on the work of the ,United Nations. Two hundred and fifty international organizations and over a thousand national ones are taking part in this work of stimulating public interest and opinion and disseminating information. Material covering all United Nations activities, political as well as matters within the scope of the Economic and Social Council, is provided by the Department of Public Information, in addition to which many organizations maintain their own observer-correspondents at Lake Success.
The Department of Public Information has arranged several conferences to provide for an interchange of ideas and projects among the cooperating organizations and to improve its assistance to them. During the first. which took place in February of 1947 at Lake Success, the Department agreed to issue a semimonthly news sheet in severai languages reporting on United Nations activities for the organizations. The value of citizens' discussion groups in local communities throughout the world
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was discussed and the UN agreed to encourage their formation.
An interim conference, in September of that year, heard a plea of the organizations that the Department of Public Information’s program be extended and strengthened. At the most recent meeting last spring in Geneva, the Non-Governmental Organizations formally recognized their responsibility toward supplementing official UN information in every possible manner. In turn, they made several suggestions for new DPI action, namely an extension of its broadcasting service to open the way for a future United Nations world radio center. Also they pointed to the value of offering a prize each year to the best documentary film contributing to international understanding. As their part in the effort to awaken interest in the United Nations, the organizations agreed to organize a Voluntary Speakers Bureau. Another opportunity for an exchange of ideas will be an April 1949 conference already scheduled by DPI.
At the present stage in the development of a world organization, the importance of NonGovernmental Organizations is partially reflected by the fact that many more individuals are directly- engaged in their activities
than in those of the United Na tions. Conferences such as the recent Amsterdam meeting of the
World Council of Churches and the World Youth Festival (sponsored by the World Federation of Democratic Youth) held in Prague last year, bring together tens of thousands of people. They gather to discuss aims and prob-. lems reaching above the boundaries of states.
Non-Covernmental Organizations have often been able to bring about governmental action within their own fields of interest, on international levels as well as on national ones. The ideas for the first international treaty to protect workers were originated by the International Association for Labor Legislation and by its efforts were included in a Franco-Italian treaty signed in 1904. This action paved the way for th: creation of international labor conventions. Another step forward in this movement was the formation of the International Labor Organization by the Peace Conference following the First World War—an organization devoted to improving labor conditions and living standards. Its existence may be partially attributed to the earlier efforts of NenCovernmental Organizations.
Turning to the specific arrangements made for organizu‘
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UNITED NATIONS
tions consulting with the Economic and Social Council, three categories have been designated for their relations with the Council in recognition of their widely varying purposes and interests. Category A organizations, intimately linked with economic or social aspects of life in their communities, are interested in most of the Council’s activities and are given the highest privileges in cooperating with the United Nations (i.e. American Federation of Labor, International Chamber of Commerce). Category B organizations with a special competence, are concerned with a few of the Council’s activities (i.e. Boy Scouts International Bureau, World Jewish Congress); and Category C organizations are primarily concerned with helping to develop public opinion (i.e. R0tary International) .
Machinery created for organizational cooperation with the Economic and Social Council includes, together with the privilege of attending the Council’s meetings, the right for consultants to submit written statements expressing their organization’s views. Such comments from organizations in Category A will be circulated to all United Nations members, to the specialized agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations as well as to li 369
braries and universities throughout the world. Those of the other organizations will be made available to members of the Council if they so request.
The organizations in the first category have a further privilege. They may ask the Council to dis cuss new matters; for example, the American Federation of Labor asked that measures for protecting migrant and immigrant labor be considered. The Council asked for the views of its labor agency, the International Labor Organization, on the AFL suggestions, after which it will enter into a full discussion of the problems.
As the result of another organization’s request, the Council discussed the problem of equal pay for equal work. United Nations members have been asked to assure that neither sex, race, language nor religion will prejudice workers receiving equal remuneration for equal work. This item was submitted by the World Federation of Trade Unions.
The members of Non-Governmental Organizations are in an excellent position to support the idea of the United Nations. They are accustomed to cooperating for common purposes. By helping to organize interests on a world basis, they can exert a real influence toward world unity.
T0 the End of the Storm
' DUART VINSON BROWN
In the middle of the night hoofs clattered On the cobblestones, and a man’s voice shout.
ed: “The British are coming!”
What a thrill must have shot through the hearts of the early Americans who heard the voice of Paul Revere in that darkness of long ago! But there was fear mixed with the thrill, for a grave battle was soon to he joined. The untried minute men of America were to stand up against the British regular army, the pride of Europe. Yet even more than this was soon to be at issue, for what was to be tested was whether little else than spirit and will alone could defeat the mightiest empire on earth.
In the seven years of fighting that followed, America demonstrated to the world what spirit could do. But it was a pitifully small number of Americans who showed that spirit. The tattered, freezing, half-starving veterans at Valley Forge, who stumbled behind the indomitable figure of Washington, numbered but a few thousand. The courageous Americans who dared board the ship Bon Homme Richard with John Paul J ones and heard the British
lion in his lair numbered less than two hundred souls. Yet these few brave men upset the world and created a new nation, dedicated to liberty and justice under
God.
Let us stand again in spirit with Captain Jones aboard his mortally wounded ship at the battle of Flamborough Head on England’s coast. The Serapis, the finest, fightingest warship in England’s navy, copper-sheathed, and with a battery of the best guns Europe could make, was battering the heart out of the poor old converted East Indiaman, the Bon Homme Richard. The American ship ' was, sinking slowly under her Captain’s feet, full of a motley, wounded and decimated crew, manning guns that had seen their best days twenty years before. What chance did the Bon H 0mme Richard have
against England’s best?
We can picture the flames running up the rigging, filling the night with a weird glare, the wounded, lying moaning and bloody on the crimson decks, the holes gaping in the sails, the broken and shattered cannon. We can hear the many fires hissing, the exhausted men shouting
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END OF THE STORM
hoarsely, the musket balls whining by, the screams of the dying, and, above all, the constant, terrible crash and roar of the big guns of the Serapis, literally blasting the Bon Homme Richard’s insides into halves. Out of the night comes the confident voice of the British Captain:
“Sir, do you strike your colors?”
Then through the darkness smashes a bull’s bellow of an answer with words to thunder down the centuries; to fill the faint-hearted with flaming courage, to lift the honor of America before all nations, and turn an apparently sure debacle into the most noble naval victory of human history:
“I have just begun to fight!” shouts John Paul Jones.
It is no accident that Captain Jones was one of the earliest Internationalists. He believed himself a citizen of the world before even he was a citizen of America. Far ahead of his time in worldoutlook as were Franklin, Washington and Jefl'erson, he saw that the cause for which he was fighting would set the pattern for the future world. It was this foreknowledge that gave him the courage and the will to fight against seemingly insurmountable odds. He had that intangible quality called faith, faith in him 371
self, faith in America, and faith in mankind. And it was this faith, not guns or bullets, that won against the overwhelming might of England.
Today we face a similar period of world crisis, a new time when the fate of human liberty and human justice hangs delicately in the balance. The forces of selfishness and evil have the same might and power on their side, as dangerous within America as without. Intolerance, hatred, prejudice, complacency, these are the enemies, as fatal as massed artillery or the atom bomb. No need to point a finger at others. Within our own nation is our first and most treacherous and potent foe, our own weakness of will, our own bending to the easy way, our own closing of eyes to our duty as men. And again the answer is faith, the same flaming faith that made John Paul Jones spread his legs wide on the sinking deck of the Bon H omme Richard and hurl in the face of almost certain defeat the astonishing words:
“I have just begun to fight!”
You may think that this is an appeal to return 'to the narrow patriotism of the past with its flag waving and its marching to bands. But you would be wrong, because the time for that has gone forever. The world is the stage
372 WORLD ORDER
now and it is too dangerous a stage for petty nationalism. The issue is no longer America, or Russia, or England—it is mankind! The atom bomb has seen to that, as only the scientists know fully, and they are badly frightened men.
There is a nucleus of fighting
souls in the world today who have John Paul Jones’ complete faith in themselves and in the human race. They see the present troubled hours as the last spasm of the hurricane before the end of storm. The world shall be free; it shall have peace; and there shall be God’s justice over all. The Peace to come will not be the half-peace that is really only a breathing spell between wars, but the great peace of a united world in which the lawless nation states have merged their wills in the will of humankind.
These warriors of the spirit who have complete faith in the victory of world peace form no mere political organization. They belong to no cult nor sect, nor gathering of the superstitious waiting for the end of the world. They form instead a complex, interwoven, world-wide organization of mature people, of thinking men and women, who have adopted the scientific outlook on life and realize that the bonds with the past must be loosened,
if man is to surge forward to his destiny. They have a plan and a course of action, a step by step way to a shining goal, world unity. To reach this goal, all members stand ready to cut loose the last fetters of superstition, of stupid prejudice between nations and races and religions. They are ready to give men the rallying standard of “unity” around which can gather all people of good will.
But the thing that makes of this unity of world citizens such a powerful center for all the fore: es of unity in the world is its tremendous faith. No threat 01' actuality of war, no angry words of statesmen, no muttering and howling of mobs for blood, no oppression, no belittling, can shake in the slightest this faith. In darkest Persia in the nineteenth century this faith has already gone through its greatest baptism of fire. Twenty thousand martyrs died that a World Faith might live. Today this faith moves onward, upward, forward, drawing more and more people into its shelter, filling more and more hearts with courage to fight through spiritual words and deeds for a greater and more glorious future world.
Whence comes this faith and what gives it power?
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END OF THE STORM
It comes from the same eternal source that has always helped men in their hours of peril: it
comes, from 0951.
What is God but the essence of good, the essence of love, the essence of unity, in man? And has not every great religion taught these same things,'an‘d swayed millions of its followers to lead better lives because of their belief? And has not each religion in turn been twisted by knaves and fools to make it an instrument of their selfish power? And so the bitter, bitter walls of prejudice have grown between the peoples of the world?
Now, out of Persia in the person of the latest of the Prophets, comes the Word of God to break through these shells of the past, and show the world’s peoples that all their religions came originally from God, for each Prophet was the perfect mirror of His Lord. Why must we cling to the exact beliefs of our ancestors?
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Why must we look with suspicion on others of different faith or different tongue? This way has led always to disunity, to fighting, to slander, to hatred, and to unhappiness. Can this be God’s will?
No, man has had to learn through bitter lessons. And now comes the last and bitterest lesson of them all. Millions will yet suffer terribly before those who have learned will gather around the banner that will end all suffering, the banner of unity. The Bahá’í World Faith forms the vanguard of future world unity, the fighting hearts who, like John Paul Jones on the deck of the' Bon HommeRichard, see only
victory through all the storm of shot and shell.
But instead of swords and bullets Bahá’ís use words and deeds of love and unity that man’s long struggle upward may yet find a
peaceful haven in the brotherhood of the world.
The Bahá’í Faith teaches that the fundamental purpose of religion is to promote concord and harmony, and that it constitutes the sole and ultimate basis of a peaceful, an ordered and progressive society.
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News From Italy, II
UGO R. GIACHERY
N APRIL 29, at four o’clock
in the afternoon, in a room of the Hotel Savoia in Rome, William Sutherland Maxwell, acting for Shoghi Effendi, signed the first contract for the marble necessary to complete the Báb’s Shrine on Mount Carmel. As the signatures were being affixed to the document, the fine drizzle which had been falling for many hours ceased as by magic, and a
ray of the warm spring sun lit.
up the room.
All those present looked at the skies through the open balcony
'and smiled cheerfully, whilethis
correspondent reviewed rapidly in his mind the contrasting conditions prevailing on this joyous occasion, and those during the tremendous hours which followed the noon of July 9, ninety-eight years before, when an obscuring gale swept the city of Tabríz at the time of the Báb’s martyrdom.
On May 5, a second contract was signed in the same room, and a complex and ponderous machinery was set in motion. Architects, draftsmen, quarriers, stonecutters, sculptors, and artists began a momentous activitylwhich has now lasted nine months and will continue until spring. We
are all familiar ?vith the beautiful colored plate which appears in Volume IX of the Bahá’í W orld, giving the architect’s design of the Shrine, but only a few of us have seen the countless accurate drawings of this unique building, a mighty work done by one man.
The Italian architects who have had the opportunity to examine these plans have expressed their admiration, with the highest words of praise, for the conception, the style, the elegance, and the exquisite intricacy of the decoration which characterize the entire project.
So begins the befitting completion of the work envisioned by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which He so dramatically described, “Every stone of that building, every stone of the road leading to it, I have with infinite tears and at tremendous cost, raised and placed in position.” Around and above the present Edifice erected by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, this beautiful new exterior is to be placed, as by enchantment, within the matchless setting of magnificent gardens. The Persian gardens of Haifa are the finest in the East, and the constant loving supervision of the
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ITALY 375
Guardian has embellished them to a degree almost impossible to visualize.
At ground level there is to be a quadrate colonnade, with twenty-four columns and eight pilasters of Rose Granite of Baveno, each fifteen .feet high ‘and resting on bases of the same. granite.
All tourists who have visited Italy know Lake Maggiore. Between Stresa and Verbania on the shores of this romantic lake, stands Mount Mottarone, famous for the unique view of Lombardy’s plains. On the north side of this mountain, lies the Cava del Camoscio, or Quarry of the Chamois, from which the rose granite for the columns, pilaster, and bases has been quarried. Huge blacks have been hewn from the side of the mountain, thence lowered by cog-rail to the plains and transported by sturdy horse drawn carts, to the marbleworks in Gravellona. Scores of men have been at work on these blocks, week after week; producing by their accurate, painstaking labor, the most perfect columns that glisten like mirrors in the sun. Nearly every column has been packed as if it were preciousglassware, in mammoth wooden boxes ready to be shipped to Israel.
The columns and the pilasters will support beautifully carved
capitals of rare design, embodying classic elements of ancient Roman architecture and the delicate filigree-like motifs of Persia. Twenty-eight carved arches will sustain the facade with sculptured panels and will join the four monumental corners into a harmonious ensemble. The arches, panels, corners, and facades are being made, piece by piece, of a marble-like stone called. Chiampo. This stone, which is quarried near Vicenza, fifty miles north-west of Venice, is hard, compact, of uniform texture, and the delicate tint of whéat’s straw at harvest time. Car loads of large blocks of Chiampo have been carried from the quarry to Pietrasanta, on the Tyrrenian sea. Pietrasanta, just north of Pisa, is one of the foremost marble working centers of Italy, not far from Carrara. Here a large group of skilled artists, carvers, stonecutters, carpenters, and sculptors have been mobilized under the guidance of two
.ahle architects (one, a College
professor) to transfer into stone
the dream-like conception of Mr. Maxwell.
This correspondent has had the special privilege of visiting the laboratory of Pietrasanta where over sixty men work daily with incredible facility to make the p’eces of the building which will
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dove-tail to perfection. It is a the history of the Cause, unsxght never to be forgotton: (102— known actors in the unfolding of
ens Of Inen at work. in clouds Of the most glorious of all Plans as duet raised by their drills and envisaged by Bahá’u’lláh. chlsels, deft fingers movmg Wlth _ .
care and skill shaping the stone Now in Pietrasanta also, a they have learned to love, hum- large portion of the outdoor yard ble artists contributing to the cm is covered with immense packing
graving of pages of splendor in cases ready to be shipped.
INNATE DIFFERENCES
In the Bahá’í view the child’s nature is not like so much wax that can be molded indifferently to any shape according to the will of the teacher. Nay, each from the first has his own God-given character and individuality which can develop to the best advantage only in a particular way; and that way in each case is unique. No two people haVe exactly the same capabilities and talents, and the true educator will never attempt to force tw0 natures into the same mold. In fact, he will never attempt to force any nature into any mold. Rather he will reverently tend the developing powers of the young nature, encourage and protect them, and supply the nourishment and assistance which they need. His work is like that of a gardener tending different plants. One plant likes the bright sunshine, another the cool shade; one loves the water’s edge and another the dry knoll; one thrives best on sandy soil and another on rich loam. Each must have its needs appropriately supplied, else its perfections can never be fully revealed.
-—DR. J. E. ESSLEMONT.
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Open Letter to Westbrook Pegler
Dear Mr. Pegler:
In one of your recent syndicated columns we note your statement: “I do, however, venture a fearless rejection of babism as a hellish doctrine, and I pray that Commissioner Graves took measures to put Satan’s gang to flight if not to the torch.
“My counsel in such matters tells me that babism is a Persian delusion launched early in the century by a swami named Abdul Baha, known 21150 as the Báb. This theologic error also is known as Bahá’í and seems to encroach on cubish Hinduism, although there probably is material for a holy war in that unguarded assertion alone.”
When the Báb arose in Persia during 1844 to inaugurate a new religious dispensation He was denounced with this same bitterness by the Islamic chiefs and civil rulers of Persia, and His person, His teachings and His followers subjected to ruthless measures of extermination. The Báb’s mission continued only six years, during which time He was twice immured in dungeons, subjected to physical torture, and publicly executed on July 9, 1850. Twenty thousand followers were savagely slain by mobs
under approval of civil authorities instigated by the ecclesiastics.
Why was a church-state tyr—. anny so determined to slay the Bab and suppress His religion? Because the Báb had revealed a pure and spiritual teaching which by contrast utterly condemned the prevailing system of oppressive superstition and materialistic privilege; because the Báb restored to the people their sacred right to know the Word of God; because the Báb Himself was selfless, humble, sincere and utterly true to His unique mission.
They thought He was trying to reform Islam and reinstate the original gospel of Muhammad. The Báb addressed His message to the world of His time and not to Persia alone. The meaning and the hope of every ancient revealed faith converged upon this prophetic being and' this time, 1844, when a long historic period ended and a new time began.
That is what the Bah means: that exclusiveness of race, class and nation no longer has spiritual sanction or social validity, for a world era has dawned. He means also that in reality there have never been diverse, separate and discordant revelations of
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truth, even though the unity of divine revelation and its progressive unfoldment could not be explicitly uttered until today.
The Báb has made a profound impression on scholars and poets of the West through the intense drama of His life, the nobility of His spirit, the exalted nature of His mission, and the charm of His personality. In Him a light burned, a light which His most venomous opposer could not extinguish nor the grave enclose.
His mission, like His person, is now beyond the reach of any denier because its essential purpose has been completely fulfilled. As the seed dies for the tree, or the flower for the fruit, so what has been historically identified as “babism” has become transmuted into the larger and more powerful expression of religion, the Bahá’í faith. The Báb shattered the old patterns by separating truth from error in every faith, sect or creed on earth. He also heralded the coming of Bahá’u’lláh.
In the Bahá’í faith, religion has been made the common experience of mankind and the impetlis to the formation of a world civilization. “The Bahá’í faith recognizes the unity of God and
of His Prophets, upholds the
principle of an unfettered search
after truth, condemns all forms
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of superstition and prejudice, teaches that the fundamental purpose of religion is to promote concord and harmony, that it must go hand-in-hand with science, and that it constitutes the sole and ultimate basis of a peaceful, an ordered and progressive society.”
After the martyrdom of the Bab, the forces of opposition cen; tered upon Bahá’u’lláh. He was immured in a noisome dungeon of Ṭihrán, exiled to Baghdad, Constantinople, Adrianople and finally imprisoned in the fortress of ‘Akká, in the Holy Land. Under such conditions Bahá’u’lláh called upon the kings, rulers and religious leaders to recognime and heed the spirit of universal peace, and created a body of religious laws, principles, teachings and devotions which have been carried to ninety-one countries and translated into some forty languages.
Without a new and universal spiritual quickening and guidance, how can the divided sects attain brotherhood and the nations peace? Without a rebirth from the rivalries Of clan, race ‘ and class, how can we become members of the human race?
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in your statement inadvertently identified with the Bath, was appointed in Bahá’u’lláh’s testament the head
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T0 WESTBROOK PEGLER
and exemplar and interpreter of His faith. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá came to Europe in 1911 and to America in 1912, presenting the Bahá’í aims and teachings by invitation in universities, churches, synagogues and peace societies. The stenographic notes of these pub} he talks have been published under the title “Promulgation of Universal Peace.”
While in America ‘Abdu’l-Bahá dedicated the site of the Bahá’í House of Worship on Lake Michigan here in Wilmette, and the construction of that temple represents one of the many significant results of His journey. He likewise arranged for the transfer of the remains of the Báb from Persia to the Holy Land and built a mausoleum on Mount Carmel.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá died in 1921. To unify and sustain the growing international Bahá’í community He appointed a Guardian to serve after Him. The Guardian, Shoghi Rabhani, maintains the Bahá’í world center at Haifa, Israel. Under his direction the believers in nine different countries have formed elective national administrative bodies, organized publishing and teaching activity and developed new Bahá’í com munities in many lands. Before
1953 three additional national bodies will he established.
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‘ These nine national Bahá’í communities are accredited to United Nations as an international non-governmental organization.
The Báb said to His disciples: “The days when idle worship was deemed sufficient are ended.” Bahá’u’lláh declared: “The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said to the public: “Universal peace is assured . . . as a fundamental accomplishment of the religion of God; that peace shall prevail among nations, governments and peoples, among religions, races and all conditions of mankind.”
With this letter we enclose a reprint of some of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s public talks in America (World Order Through World Faith), a summary of the history, aims and teachings (The Faith of Bahá’u’lláh), a statement on “A Pattern for Future Society”, and some expressions of appreciation by non-Bahá’í public men. and women.
With this material you will have sufficient authentic information in the event that you feel any concern for correction of errors of fact or implication in the statement made by you.
Yours truly, National Spiritual Assembly, Horace Holley, Secretary.
Christ and Bahá’u’lláh Words of -‘Abdu’l-Bah¢i
His Holiness Jesus Christ was an educator of humanity. His teachings were altruistic, His bestowals universal. He taught mankind by the power of the Holy Spirit and not through human agency, for the human power is limited whereas the divine power is illimitable and infinite. The influence and accomplishment of Christ will attest this. . . . The purpose of this is to show that the Holy Manifestations of God, the divine Prophets, are the first teachers of the human race. They are liniversal educators and the fundamental principles they have laid down are the causes and factors of the advancement of nations.
(Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 82)
. . , . Each Manifestation is the heart of the world and the proficient Physician of every patient. The world of humanity is sick, but that skilled Physician hath the remedy and He bestoweth divine teachings, exhortations and advices which are the remedy of every ailment and the dressing for every wound. Undoubtedly, the wise physician discovereth the needs of the patient at every season and prescribeth medicine . . . The pre scription of the proficient physicians of the past and the future will not be the same; nay, rather they will be in accord with the ailment of the patient . . . In former dispensations the sick body of the world could not bear the strong and overpowering remedies. That is why His Highness the Christ said: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot hear them now. Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of the Comforter, who is sent by the Father, is come, He will guide you into all truth.”
(Tablets of Abdu’l-Bahá, vol. III, p. 538)
The appearance of the Manifestations of God are the divine springtime. When His Holiness Christ appeared in this world it was like the vernal bounty; the outpouring descended; the efiulgences of the Merciful encircled all things; the human world found new life life. Even the physical world partook of it.‘
The divine perfections were upraised souls were trained in the school of heaven so that all grades of human existence received life and light. Then by degrees theSe fragrances of heaven were discontinued; the season of winter came upon the world; the
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CHRIST AND Bahá’u’lláh 381
beauties of spring vanished; the excellencies and perfections were no longer evident; the phenomenal world and its materialities conquered everything; the spiritualities of life were lost; the world of existence became like unto a lifeless body; there was
come into this world. He has renewed that springtime, the same fragrances are wafting; the same heat of the Sun is giving life; the same cloud is pouring its rain and with our own eyes we see that the world of existence is advancing and progressing. The human
no trace of the Spring left. world has found new life.”
His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh has
(Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 8)
If Not in Our Churches, Where?
In my close acquaintance is a very fine woman who is a trained nurse by profession. Since rearing her family she has donated her services to a children’s clinic where children of any nationality or color are admitted. She speaks of these children with such interest and love. She ministers to their comfort and needs even outside her office at the clinic.
In talking to her the other day I found her much disturbed over an incident that had occurred in her church. The minister had admitted a colored family into its membership. This same beneficent woman expressed her concern over such a departure from custom in her long established and respected church. She even went so far as to express her desire to withdraw from its membership and stated her gratefulness that her own children were grown and would not have to go to Sunday School with the children of this colored family.
I could not help wondering what was at the root of her thinking when she so willingly took care of the‘physical needs of children whose skin color was different from hers and refused to accept them during her time of worship at her church. I concluded that her Sunday worship was something that she had given very little thought to. Had she understood the teachings of Christ as she does her nurse’s training she would have accepted association with this family in the house of worship to which they both had come.
If not in our churches, where should we exercise the brotherhood of men?
I believe that is Where the teachings of J esus should be practiced most sin cerely. It is not enough to say we believe in the oneness of mankind; we
must in addition show that we mean it in our actions. This is true for all peoples; be they white, black or yellow.
GERTRUDE K. HENNING
44 1?.”
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The Source of Happiness
——-—£a[iloria/
IS THERE anyone who does not
yearn to know the source of happiness? And if the source of it has been discovered, isn’t it within the province of an editorial to share that knowledge?
All of theold paths to joy have failed to reach their intended goal. Wealth gives only the things that money can buy. Fame leads to the satisfaction of pride, but is fleeting, and the road to it is strewn with thorns of jealousy, envy, and ill will. The path of knowledge, elevated though it is, extends forever, without reaching a destination. Art, though hewitching, is also frustrating; for the perfect poem, the magnificent symphony, the inspired painting never appear. Even human Love does not always lead to happiness, for the one loved may be separated from us by death or may prove unworthy or ungrateful and the road may become blocked. Wealth, Fame, Knowledge, Art, Love, none of these in themselves reveals the source of happiness.
Just as surely as these do not insure happiness, neither do ill health, poverty, loneliness, imprisonment or, even persecution
always prevent happiness. It is clear that the constant inner joy which man pursues is elusive, but not impossible to attain. Bahá’ís believe that happiness is a Spiritual quality that comes with the devotion of the individual to God.
Briefly worded, this is their reasoning. Each of God’s created things is characterized by certain qualities. The rock is hard, stable, strong. The tree is tall-growing, leaf-and-fruit-bearing, shadegiving. The ant is small, active, engaged in instinctive work for the welfare of the hive. The cow is large, tractable, grazing, and milk-producing. Each performs the functions for which, it was created; therefore it would be difficult to imagine an unhappy rock or tree or ant or cow..
Man is a more complex creature, but he too, must function as God intended that he should if he is to be happy. He must care for his body if he is to continue to live, but an abundance of food and sleep will not satisfy him. He must use his penetrating mind to solve the problems that surround him, for that too, is one of his functions. But the man who develops only his body and his
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SOURCE OF HAPPINESS 333
mind is still incomplete; for within each human being is that mysterious quality which we call the spirit or the soul. Both the body and the mind are the tools of the spirit of man, that immortal portion which searches for God and seeks to do His Will. No one is truly happy who does not develop the qualities of the spirit.
One of the identifying marks of a Messenger of God, taught ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is that He is a “joybringer, and the herald of the kingdom of happiness.” These Prophets are the means by which God communicates with humankind, demonstrating His love for them, revealing His will for them. Those who, throughout the ages, have followed these Messengers have known happiness, for they have been able to unfold their own spirits. The quickening efiect of the spiritual power released by these great ones has been like springtime after a winter of ice and cold. That springtime has occurred not just once, but seasonally, as often
as the winter of unbelief and hatred has chilled the hearts of
men.
The world changes from century t0 century, and our duties
change with it. Today Bahá’u’lláh helps us to understand the purpose and Will of God for this age in which we are living. He teaches that our thoughts must be world-embracing, that our compassion and respect and love must go out to all, whatever their nation or creed or race. He helps us by the prayers which He has revealed to draw near to the throne of God. He so exalts our understanding of the wisdom anal grandeur of God that we desire to make His will our will. He inspires us with trust in God so that we are filled with a longing to place all that we are and all that we haVe into His care, willingly submitting to whatever hardshipsmight befall us in His path. He has declared “Blessed and happy is the man who today dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race.”
Today, again the Voice of God arouses mankind, renewing his spirit, opening the doors of happiness to him. Speaking through Bahá’u’lláh, Cod once again calls to us, saying, “Sorrow not save that thou art far from Us. Rejoice not save that thou are drawing near and returning unto
US-” ——E. s. H.
.-_.—:;x_-W-
Bahá’í: A World Faith
MARY JANE DANIELL LANGRALL
“ HE Earth is but One Country: and Mankind Its Citi zens.” These words are inscribed over one of the doors of the beautiful Bahá’í House of Worship situated on the shores of Lake Michigan in Wilmette, Illinois.
“Bahá’í” — does the word sound strange to you? It did to me, too, when I heard it for the first time in the spring of 1944. What does this word stand for? Just what is the “Bahá’í Faith”?
In all religions there are prophecies of a time when God will
make this earth a “heaven,” when '
peace shall rule and all men shall love and worship God. And all religions have prophesied the coming of one who would bring
this peace on earth. In 1863, in '
the dark country of Persia, a young man arose who claimed that he was the heralded oneand he took the name Bahá’u’lláh, the “Glory of God”. The story of Bahá’u’lláh’s life is a fascinating one. He was of noble birth, but he renounced his position and gave all his time and wealth to the benefiting of mankind. He was persecuted, however, by the Muhammadan religionists and by the rulers of Persia, was banished from city to city, and was
finally condemned to the “Most Great Prison” at ‘Akká, Palestine. There he lived until his death in 1892.
During‘these prison years he wrote voluminously, calling mankind to return to God, to follow the teachings of the prophets of God, to realize that _all men are brothers, all sons of the one Father, God.
Here are some of the precepts of Bahá’u’lláh:
My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart that thine may be a sovereignty, ancient, imperishable and everlasting.
The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice. 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.
The source of all learning is the knowledge of God; exalted be His glory.
Do these words sound familiar to you—be. you Jew, Christian, Zoroastrian, Hindu, Muhammadan? They are the same truths as brought by all prophets or “Manifestations” of God- to help the people of the world to know God!
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A WORLD FAITH 385
Each in his own way has brought these messages.
Bahá’ís believe that Bahá’u’lláh is the messenger of God for this day. He has not only brought once again these age-old truths; he has gone a step further. He has brought aid for a world striving toward unity. He gave the basis of a world organization of nations, a world court, made suggestions for a new economy, told of the need of a universal auxiliary language, taught that science and“ religion must agree, advanced the station of Womanhood to equality with man, advocated education for all, and stressed that prejudice of all kinds—racial, religious, national ~—must be discarded, and that a universal religion, uniting all previous religions, must be established.
What aims to strive for! In over eighty countries of the world Bahá’í communities are working towards these goals. The writings of Bahá’u’lláh have been translated into forty-five languages. Using these writings to guide them, Bahá’ís are striving toward the establishment of world unity, which shall come,
You may ask, “J ust what have these idealistic principles meant in your personal life?” It is difficult to explain the inner satisfaction gained from supporting
ideals so deeply believed in. The world’s future looks very dark to most people, but Bahá’ís believe the old adage, “It is darkest before the dawn.” We know that the world will succeed in its struggle toward unity. This gives us an inner confidence and peace of mind. And the incentive to bring about an early realization of this unity encourages us to work more diligently.
To attend Bahá’í meetings is to strengthen belief in this foreordained world peace. Last year I attended the Bahá’í National Convention, held at the House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. As I sat at the Convention Hall and looked at the individuals composing the more than three hundred gathered there, my heart grew full with wonder and joy. Here were representatives of many races: white, negro, yellow, red; of many nationalities: Mexican, Canadian, Australian,
South American—and of course '
representatives from all the United States; of various religious backgrounds: Jewish, Christian, Muhammadan, Hindu, Zoroastrian—~—all gathered in love and harmony. The discussions were interesting and enlightening, each one who spoke presenting his own point of view, but never argumentative, and all following the decision radiantly once it was
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given. This is the type of convention the world is striving for. “The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions.”
This summer, once again I was uplifted by this feeling of actual “unity in diversity.” I taught a class of seven-year olds at Green Acre, the Bahá’í Summer School in Eliot, Maine. My class consisted of six little boys and two little girls. Each came from a different background; some had skin of a different color from the others; some had mothers and fathers who came from far-away countries; but all were united, loving friends. These children were free from prejudices; they liked, or disliked sometimes, a person for himself, his character. They would discuss among themselves just what they wanted to do; then they would all abide by the decision once rendered and have a happy time. They practiced the idea of consultation, and when any problem arose, they brought it to the consultation period, discussed it and solved it. They were actually putting into practice these wonderful ideals of the Bahá’í Faith. As they grow into manhood and womanhood, they will pass these teachings on to their children. Thus they will help toward the building of world unity.
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Since I was quite an active
member of the Baptist Church before becoming a Bahá’í, I am
often asked this question: “How
could you give up Christ and
your church for this unknown
sect?” Perhaps that question has
come to your mind as you have
been reading this article. First,
may I repeat,. this is not merely
a sect of Christianity, or of Judaism, or of any other faith. The
Bahá’í World Faith is a distinct
revealed religion. It is a religion
which includes all the religions
of the past. It is the Universal
Religion for this day. And although one does give up one’s
church membership—just as a
Jew in becoming a Christian is
no longer a member of a synagogue—one does not give up
one’s love for Christ. To the contrary, one is now able to understand more perfectly Christ’s
marvelous teachings and to realize that one’s love for Christ
has deepened because of this understanding. We are taught in
our Christian religion to look
for just such a day as this when
Christ should come again. Christ
foretold beautifully this event in
the Parable of the Vineyard. We,
are all familiar with it, but have
we ever thought of its significance? When Bahá’u’lláh came
he praised and glorified Christ,
and he opened up to us the mean
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A WORLD FAITH
ing of many of Christ’s parables and stories. How thankful I am to my parents for giving me such a firm Christian foundation which enabled me to recognize the Manifestation of God for this day!
As Christians, though, we are apt to be somewhat narrow about the truths that other religions have taught and to think that our way is the only way. But, of course, that is just what the Muhammadans think about their religion, the Hindus about theirs, and so on. That is exactly why Bahá’u’lláh came. He came to show that all faiths are fundamentally the same, and that since all worship the one God, all have received the same message through diflerent messengers. He also taught that there must be‘ no antagonism between adherents of various religions, but rather they must love and work in harmony with all peoples. This can be done through the Bahá’í Faith.
The organization of this faith is unique. There is no paid clergy. All Bahá’ís are teachers to the extent of their capacity. In each place where there are nine believers there is organized a “Local Spiritual Assembly”, which is the governing body of the Bahá’í Community. The countries have their elected “National Spiritual Assembly”, which is the
387
governing body for the Bahá’ís of that entire country. As soon as feasible, an “International House of Justice” will he formed with elected representatives of the Bahá’ís of the entire world. This great organization is for one pur pose: the carrying out of Bahá’u’lláh’s plan for World Unity.
There is another unique feature about the Bahá’í Faith. We have the actual writings of the Prophet himself available for all to read and study. One does not have to study the teachings through the writings of some other person. One can go to the words of God’s representative. He offers us, in His own words, the solution of the world’s problems. He points the way to the accomplishment of this world objectiveL—Unity.
“The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.
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“We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by selfconceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and Infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.
“Incline your ears to the sweet melody of this Prisoner. Arise
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and lift up your voices, that haply they that are fast asleep may be awakened. Say: O ye who are dead! The Hand of Divine bounty proffereth unto you the Water of Life. Hasten and drink your fill. Whose hath been re-bor‘n in this Day shall never die; whose remaineth dead, shall never live.”
Thus Bahá’u’lláh has written. He has made a great claim. He has stated that he is God’s representative on earth—the return of Christ, the return of Muhammad, the one looked for all over the world. Should you investigate this claim? One of the principles of the Bahá’í Faith is independent investigation of truth. I offer you this privilege.
The Bahá’í Faith condemns all forms of superstition and prejudice.
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Sidewalk Cafe
HASCLE M. CORNBLETH
Y THE time I had taken another shower and changed
clothes again the sidewalk tables were empty. The last few of the
daring among the elite fluttered their fans with a sigh as they hastened to their confines behind barred windows of respectable homes. I chose a table on the broad expanse of the street called “9th of October” and ordered a small cup of the rich coffee so redolent of Guayaquil.
I don’t know how long I sat there. A breeze had come up bringing the odor of cocoa beans drying on the streets by the waterfront a few blocks away.
Les was sitting across from me drinking a coca cola. He must have just come from work for he was making notes, as he was to be chairman at the meeting. I knew Emilio was leaning on the back of my chair. I could see his key chain swinging.
“In the matter of Procedure in Administration”——-Emilio’s deep soft voice came in one of his seldom uttered business meetings of the Assembly should be held separate from the Feasts.” I knew they enjoyed catching me drowsing. I was usually too active. Les’s slender fingers went on with their notes as
comments—“The '
he smiled at me and said, “That’s a matter to be taken up for discussion at the next assembly meeting. Remind me to bring along a copy of the Procedure.” Emilio struck the open palm of his hand sharply against his forehead and smiled. He had been a boxer, welterweight, I guess, and it must have been the harmony of muscles brought into play by the smile on his handsome young face that reflected the dream in his eyes whenever he made sweet music or read a Bahá’í prayer.
“Hola, Juan Luis!” called Les, “Who is going to read the opening prayer? Johnnie always?" “It’s all arranged,” said Juan Luis. “Ysidro will read the opening prayer. Lauro has a good talk prepared. And our friend here will take charge of the question and answer period.” Les was the first to see Juan Luis. Les had a discerning eye. He was the first Ecuadorian to accept the Bahá’í Message from John Stearns before Johnnie made the supreme sacrifice. The boys adored Johnnie. They speak of him happily and lovingly. Juan Luis said he had to see his children first and would meet us later. Les clapped his hands for the waiter. I suggested we go to the Chez Pancho.
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It was less expensive there. Emilio quickly agreed. They had the best spaghetti in all of Ecuador there.
Bili drove up in a car. He couldn’t come to the meeting. He had important medical exams. He had given the message to Dr. X, who had accepted enthusiastically, but was slow in affiliating because of fear. Someone said that, if he did not have the courage of his convictions, we did not want him. Someone else said we had not the choice. The Bahá’í Message was for all and the choice was the individual’s. Someone else said it was _not fear; he had not yet realized the full import of the message. When he did there could be no fear of anything or anyone, strong or weak. Either one was a Christian or not a Christian. If one was Christian enough to accept the “return” then one necessarily had to be a Bahá’í and there could he no fear. We decided we were not to judge.
Half way to Chez Pancho we met Lauro. Bili had suggested that he stress the twelve basic principles in his talk. We ate spaghetti and talked.
When we arrived at Else’s Beauty Salon, Else greeted us at the door. The room was already
half filled. Colette was already there. She had brought Judith
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who was destined to be the second native Ecuadorian woman to become a Bahá’í.
Sr. Arturo, who had heard of the Faith twenty years before in New York, came and brought Sr. Martinez and Antonio Safadi. They had come before as they were friends of Hazel Messimore the lovely and cultured American Bahá’í educator who has done so much to establish the prestige of the Faith in Ecuador. Mr. Safadi had seen the name Bahá’í on a building in his native Syria some thirty-five years previously; but had only now received the Message. Miss Messimore came with an American friend. And there were Pepe and Jorge and Ysidro, and the lovely Tini. The buzz of conversation rose in hillows of humor and friendliness that comes from close association. One heard scraps of conversation from different points in the room—on science, music and the arts; medicine, aircraft and diplomacy; economics, living levels and inventions; folklore and literature; education, philosophy and religion, till one’s head reeled with the desire to participate in each or make mental notes.
Quiet came abruptly and pleasantly with the opening prayer. Lauro gave a good talk,
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SIDEWALK CAFE 391
well prepared. The question and answer period was a joy to all of us, for Bolivar, who had studied the Faith for some time, but had - not declared himself, was carried away by enthusiasm and gave clearly elucidated answers.
We talked till about midnight, said our good-nights to'Else and walked Judith home. Then we walked Colette home, talking all the while. Then we walked Bolivar home. Bolivar was interested in conversation, so we walked back thelength of the 9th of October street to the rotunda and along the malecon on the waterfront. Someone started singing. We sang all the way to Hazel’s hotel. Hazel wanted a cup of coffee, so we stopped at a table on the street and talked. Then we walked to the rotunda again and watched the boats and the moon and the rippling waters as we spoke of Haig Kevorkian and Virginia Orbison, and sang. Bolivar looked at his watch and took off for home. Juan Luis said good-night. So did Jorge. We took Hazel to her hotel and serenaded her. Then we walked to the Cafe Americano at the far end of the 9th of October, a cheap little cafe we could always find open. Pepe bade us good-night after asking for some literature. It was four o’clock. The night was warm. We sang as the boys
walked me to my hotel. “Farolito,” I remember, “Little lantern, that hardly lights thy deserted street.” They waited until I had climbed the three flights to my little room and appeared on the balcony- above them to wave goodnight. I looked longingly after them as they went singing down the street. They stopped a block away to wave again. I was annoyed at being separated from them, but listened to their sweet music drifting up to me from the distance.
That was yesterday. Tonightl sit in the patio Of the home of relatives high in the hills overlooking the lights of Hollywood fanning out as far as the eye can see.
I am alone, separated, useless as an amputated finger. The radio and television bring me no solace as I think of the friends. Jorge is in California. Ysidro is in Detroit. I wonder if I will ever meet Haig, they say he says the prayers in Spanish so beautifully. He is in Buenos Aires. Hazel is in Ohio, working as educators do. Her father is now a Bahá’í. Virginia is in Spain. Les has been in Spain and is to go to Venezuela. Else is in her native Norway. Lauro is in Ambato. Dear, sweet, spiritual Colette and her two young sons, Jacques
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and Pierre, are in French Morocco.
I look over the balcony of the patio into the myriad of lights beyond and see nothing but Emilio, Lauro and Les sauntering ofi into the distance. I hear nothing but the blatant blast of horns and sirens.
Like empty sterile pages in a book, devoid of the traces of the _Word of The Author, my days go slowly, blankly, by. Fruitless, each day as a year adding its quota of white hairs to my heard as time recedes into the past.
WORLD ORDER
Dear God! How can I choose to pray until I can find again a chair at a sidewalk cafe, somewhere. Somewhere, where a friend can find me and we can read together the exquisite poetry of Bahá’u’lláh’s prayer, “Create in me——a pure heart—O my Lord—and renew—a tranquil conscience—Within me—”
But then His words come to my mind: “Be not grieved if thou performest it thyself alone. Let God be all-sufficient for thee. Commune intimately with His Spirit, and be thou of the thankful.”
THE DREAM GERTRUDE W. ROBINSON
Into the very soul of me
Life wove a dream;
Among all far-flung visions It reigns supreme.
Above the age-long, varying paths That men have trod,
“Peace among men!” it whispers;
“Glory to God!”
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What Modern Man Must Know About Religion
A C ompilation
(Continued)
26. The nations and religions are steeped in blind and bigoted imitations. A man is a Jew because his father was a Jew. The Muhammadan follows implicitly the footsteps of his ancestors in belief and observance. The Buddhist is true to his heredity as a Buddhist. That is to say they profess religious belief blindly and without investigation, making unity and agreement impossible. It is evident therefore that this condition will not he remedied without a reformation in the world of religion. In other words the fundamental reality of the divine religions must be renewed, reformed, revoiced to mankind.
27. The knowledge of the Reality of the Divinity is impossible and unattainable, but the knowledge of the Manifestations of God is the knowledge of God, for the bounties, splendors, and divine attributes are apparent in them. Therefore if man attains to the knowledge of the Manifestations of God, he will attain to the knowledge of God; and if he be neglectful of the knowledge of the Holy Manifestation, he will be bereft of the knowledge of
God. It is then ascertained and proved that the Holy Manifestations are the center of the bounty, signs, and perfections of God. Blessed are those who receive the light of the divine bounties from the enlightened Dawning-points!
28. The connection between God and the creatures is that of the creator to the creation; it is like the connection between the
sun and the dark bodies of con tingent beings, and is the connection between the maker and the things that he has made. The sun in its own essence is independent of the bodies which it lights; for its light is in itself, and is free and independent of the terrestrial globe; so the earth is under the influence of the sun and receives its light, whereas the sun and its rays are entirely independent of the earth. But if there were no sun, the earth and all earthly beings could not exist.
The dependence through the creatures upon God is a dependence of emanation: that is to say ——creatures emanate from God, they do not manifest Him. The relation is that of emanation and not that of manifestation. The light of the sun emanates from the sun, it does not manifest it.
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The appearance through emanation is like the appearance of the rays from the luminary of the horizons of the world: that is to say, the holy essence of the Sun of Truth is not divided, and does not descend to the condition of the creatures. In the same way, the globe of the sun does not become divided and» does not descend to the earth; no, the rays of the Sim, which are its bounty, emanate from it, and illumine
the dark bodies.
29. All the divine Manifestations have proclaimed the oneness of God and the unity of mankind. They have taught that men should love and mutually help each other in order that they might progress. Now if this conception of religion be true, its essential principle is the oneness
WORLD ORDER
of humanity. The fundamental truth of the Manifestations is peace. This underlies all relig ion, all justice. The divine pur pose is that men should live in unity, concord and agreement and should love one another. Consider the virtues of the human world and realize that the oneness of humanity is the primary foundation of them all. Read the Gospel and the other holy books. You will find their fundamentals are one and the same. Therefore unity is the essential truth of religion and when so understood embraces all the virtues of the human world.
REFERENCES 26. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 226. 27. Ibid., p. 323.
28. Ibid., p. 315. 29. Ibid., p. 245.
COMPENSATION
STANTON A. COBLENZ
' Strangely, the things we give are what we are: It is the squandered light that makes the star; The river, flowing deathward to the sea Spills out its life, and so lives deathlessly.
WITH OUR READERS
MRS. MARY KEENE SPRAGUE reports on the “First Bahá’í European Conference” in our lead article this month. It was her privilege to attend the conference in Geneva, Switzerland, last May. Mrs. Sprague, who lives in New York, is ’vicechairman of the Bahá’í European Teaching Committee. She is also very active in Bahá’í work as a member of the Greenacre School committee. '
The >United Nations Department of Public Information, has graciously contributed the article on “Non Governmental Organizations in the United Nations.” The Bahá’í International Community has been recognized by the United Nations as an international nongovernmental organization. T h is Community is a union of nine .Bahá’í National Assemblies for the purpose of maintaining a rela‘ tionship to the United Nations. It has no other function or authority, and is not an international Bahá’í institution such as‘the International House of Justice will he at a later date. The Bahá’í International Community acts solely in relation to the United Nations.
Mr. Duart Vinson Brown suggests
in his article “To The End of The Storm” that our times, like those of
early American history, are times of
crisis. When we last heard from him, Mr. Brown described himself “as busy as ten bird dogs as usual. Trying to found your own publishing
company has many ups and downs, but there is no let-up to being busy.” Mr. Brown was referring to the “Na-. V turegraph Company.” Naturegraphs are loose leaf pages containing pictures, distribution maps and descriptions of birds, insects, butterflies, etc., found in the United States. They are used mainly in schools, but also by many people interested in wild life. Fortunately, as we may see by the regularity of Mr. Brown’s contributions to our pages, he is not too busy to contribute articles and poems that we always enjoy printing.
In “News From Italy, II,” Ugo R. Giachery, who is a Bahá’í pioneer in Italy, tells us of the contracts signed for the quarrying and shipping of the marble necessary for the completion of the Shrine of the Ball), on Mount Carmel, in Palestine. He describes what the shrine will look
‘like when completed. Asa contrast,
a photograph of the present simple structure is shown in this issue.
“Open Letter to‘ Westbrook Pegler” does not indicate, as some might suppose when glancing at the title, that World Order.has become an organ dealing with‘ controversial subjects, a publication for attacks and counter-attacks. The editors have published this letter, an official statement of the Bahá’í National Assembly, because they find it to be an excellent clarification of facts. Agreement or disagreement with the Bahá’í tenets is not their main concern;_ but clarification of what these tenets are, what the history of the
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Bahá’í Faith has been since 1844, is
something they are eager to make known.
Mrs. Eleanor S. Hutchens considers in her editorial this month the true source of happiness and finds it to be a spiritual quality that comes with the devotion of an individual to Gad. She further remarks that the renewal of the spirit of mankind today, with the coming of Bahá’u’lláh, has once more opened the doors of happiness to all men. Mrs. Hutchens also contributed the article “Do You Believe In Christ" in our issue of December last. ‘
Another one of our editors, Mrs. Gertrude K. Henning, has related an incident, in her short piece “If Not In Our Churches, Where?”, which shows that prejudice can only he proved absent when a no-prejudice test can he applied, with positive results, both to the professional and social life of a person.
We are pleased to welcome to the pages of World Order a new con tributor in the person of Mrs. Mary J. Langrall, author of this month’s article “Bahá’í: A World Faith." Mrs. Langrall was born and raised in the South. She graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in 1942 with a degree in English literature. Her marriage to Harrison Langrall, IL, of Baltimore, Maryland, brought her in contact with the Bahá’í faith, and in October, 1946, she became a member of the Baltimore Bahá’í community. Mrs. Langrall has a regular job as secretary in the Department of Geography, at John Hopkins University, where her husband is a pre—medical student. Her Bahá’í Work has included
WORLD ORDER
teaching one of the children’s classes at the Greenacre Bahá’í school, in the summer of 1947. At the present time
she is treasurer of the Baltimore Bahá’í assembly.
Hascle M. Cornbleth, whose first contribution to World Order comes out this month, was at one time a Bahá’í pioneer teacher in Ecuador. His “Sidewalk Cafe" might be called a reminiscence of the Bahá’í spirit he found in the people of that country, and is perhaps a fine illustration of the universality of the Faith, in its adaptation both to the psychological make-up of the people of different countries and to their customs.
Mr. Cornbleth is now living in Hollywood, California. We are happy to welcome his work to our pages.
Circleville, Ohio, is the home of Gertrude W. Robinson, who is a frequent contributor of poems and articles. In this issue we print her latest poem “The Dream.”
Stanton A. Cohlenz, author of the poem “Compensation,” is not new to readers of World Order. Last June we published a poemv by Mr. Coblenz called “Leaves,” and later in our September issue we printed his poem “Builders.” Anyone who glances through a writer’s magazine that prints the markets for poetry, will find listed the verse-quarterly “Wings,” the address P. O. Box 332', Mill Valley, California, and the name of Stanton A. Coblenz, Editor. Mr. Cohlenz has been editor of “Wings” for the last fifteen years. He has contributed to many magazines both poetry and prose. He has written books and compiled anthologies; the last anthology was “The Music Makers,” in 1945.
Bahá’í Literature
Writings of Shoghi Effendi Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith
Distributed by Bahá’í Publishing Committee 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois
THE WORLD ORDER OF Bahá’u’lláh
This book reveals the role to be played by the Bahá’í world community and its institutions during the collapse of the old order and the rise of a new civilization. It gives a pattern of future society, with an insight into the meaning of the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh.
THE ADVENT 01F DIVINE JUSTICE
In December, 1938, Shoghi Effendi, as Guardian of the Bahá’í Cause, set in motion the first stages of the world mission conferred by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá upon the North American Bahá’í community. He portrays clearly the ideals and behavior patterns of a Bahá’í believer.
THE ’PROMISED DAY IS COME
This is a history of the modern world set forth in terms of the Revelations proclaimed by the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh and Their rejection by the civil, religious and educational leaders of Their day. War and revolution explained as evidences of a process of Divine chastisement inflicted upon the entire human race to purify it for the blessings of God’s Kingdom on
. earth.
Bahá’í ADMINISTRATION
A picture of the development of local, and national Bahá’í institutions in North America during the years following the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. An exposition of the Will of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, which is a source of guidance
for new believers.
GOD PASSES BY
A summary of the first hundred years of Bahá’í history, presenting the mission of the Báb, the mission of Bahá’u’lláh and the ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
[Page 398]
WORLD ORDER is the organ of
the Bahá’ís of the United States. It prints
each month articles of interest to all who are
looking for a new and better world.
The Bahá’í Faith is a world religion. It originated in Persia in 1844. Its Founder is Bahá’u’lláh; its Forerunner the Báb; its Interpreter and Exemplar ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh; its present Guardian is Shoghi Effendi.
Its world headquarters are in Haifa, Palestine. It has now spread to ninety-one countries of the world. Its fundamental principles are the oneness of all revealed religions and the unity of mankind. Its goal is world peace and a new and divine civilization.
