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[Page 341]

WORLD ORDER

THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE

VOLUME VI   JANUARY, 1941   NUMBER 10

The Life Beyond

Stanwood Cobb

THE DIVINE MESSENGERS ARE SENT

TO RENEW THE VISION OF THE SOUL

AT THE end of every religious epoch, just when the spirit of religion is being born anew through the agency of a Manifestation of God, humanity finds itself in a lamentable condition of skepticism and disbelief. Not only does it deny God, but what is more extraordinary, it denies itself. That is to say, it denies the eternal existence of its own soul, thus putting itself on a level with the beasts and voluntarily abnegating its high estate as children of the Most High God and heirs to a spiritual kingdom.

The superb faith in the future life brought to the world by Christ which so inspired His early followers as to destroy entirely the fear of death, has almost entirely departed from the world of Christendom, yea, even from the hearts of those who call upon His name.

Not only does the materialistic science of today deny the continued existence of the soul; but those who still adhere to [Page 342] the teachings of Christ hold only a tenuous faith in it. The current phraseology of the day in regard to death is similar to that in the pagan days when Homer sang and lamented the fate of those deprived of this bright earth life. Yes, in the Occident death today is universally viewed as a misfortune, a deprivation, a substitution for existence of non-existence, or at best a tenebrous existence which is a poor exchange for the glories of our earth life illumined and warmed as it is by the rays of a visible sun.

It is just because humanity is prone to lose the vision, prone to reverse the order of things and put the finite before the infinite, the mortal before the immortal, the material before the spiritual, that it becomes necessary for God to send a Messenger to renew the vision and bring again to humanity the interpretation of this life as a fragment only of complete individual existence.

For the most part, the message of these Spiritual Teachers is one of joy and of great promise. But there is another aspect to their teaching, a necessary corrollary to a future life of joy for the spiritually minded. If there are to be rewards for the spiritual, there are also to be punishments, or let us say deprivations, for the unspiritual.

This dual teaching of reward and punishment after death has been one of the most important factors in the spreading of the great world religions. In the teachings of Buddha, of Christ, of Muḥammad, as well as in the teachings of the apostles of these Manifestations, the doctrine of a judgment day, of a time when one’s deeds would determine one’s subsequent state of existence, was greatly emphasized and became an inspiring though stern incentive to the acceptance of the said religion and to the living of a spiritual life.

The vivid symbols and allegories used to warn an ignorant, [Page 343] concrete-minded humanity such as existed in the time of Christ and of Muḥammad, such as exists still in large numbers, have been rightly interpreted by modern intelligence as standing for spiritual rather than material rewards and punishments.

THE WAY OF SALVATION

This interpretation of eschatology has not prevailed so long but what many Christians still living can look back to the day when the first proponents and expounders of universal salvation, or Universalists as they were called, were considered as anathema by the literal minded.

That mankind is prone to the concrete is evidenced by the luminous portrayals of the punishment of evil doers in the next life which adorn not only the walls of many a Christian church and monastery, but also the walls of Buddhist temples in the East. I have myself seen in the monasteries of Greece and of Bulgaria depictions of the tortures of the damned which show a belief as regards God only possible to men in whom the spirit of revenge predominates, to the exclusion of all mercy.

The Universalists were right in seeing such punishments as incompatible with the Divine Mercy, and in interpreting the teachings of Christ as referring not to material things but to the inner, spiritual evolution of the soul; and to a system of intrinsic rather than extrinsic rewards and punishments. Also they were right in calling the attention of theologians to the fact that the Greek Word “aeon” which had been wrongly translated as “eternity” meant rather an “age” or “epoch,” thus overthrowing the theory of eternal punishment and substituting for it the theory, much more comforting, of universal salvation.

This doctrine of universal salvation, opening up vistas of [Page 344] eternal progress, opportunities of gaining the spiritual qualities even after the soul has passed through that mystic corridor of Death into a land the nature and laws of which no man fully knoweth—this comforting doctrine has by now permeated the religious thought of advanced thinkers in every sect or denomination. And that is well.

But as usual the reaction to one extreme has led to the opposite extreme. Those who still, in this age of agnosticism, keep the faith of an eternal life, hold too careless a thought in regard to it. It is assumed that everything will be all right there; that God is merciful and kind and wishes everyone to be happy; that somehow death initiates one into the spiritual life of immortality and the blessed state of the saints.

This careless and false assumption is destroying the very essence of the teachings of the Christ, and of every great Founder of Religion. To interpret the system of rewards and punishments as symbolical is well. But by some kind of legerdemain to whisk away every degree of reward and punishment is to controvert the teachings not only of the Holy Books but of nature and existence as well. In the universe that we see and know around us nothing comes unearned. Effort is the price to be paid for every good thing. And the result of non-effort is sorrow and pain.

And this, too, is compatible with, nay, part of, the mercy of God. For the thing of chief importance to man, as to the stages of life below the human, is effort. Nothing earned without effort—this is the universal motto, this is the law on which the universe is run.

Applying this law to the doctrine of a future life, one comes face to face with this astounding truth, that immortality has to be earned. It is not a quality inherent in this earth life, nor a gift lightly laid at the feet of all who die. How simple [Page 345] and cheerfully unthinking, to assume that the mere event of death can change an unspiritual person into a spiritual one, or usher devotees of the sense-world into an experience available only to those who have during this earth life developed their spiritual susceptibilities!

To maintain this untruth is to deny those stern and mighty laws upon which the universe is built—-the law of gravitation, the law of cause and effect, the law of evolution.

Bahá’u’lláh, though in the main bringing to mankind a message of joy, announced also those sterner truths which the world has shrunk from facing. “Sanctify yourselves, O people of the earth, that perchance ye may attain to the station which God hath ordained for you. . . . Travelers in the path of faith must sanctify and purify themselves from all material things . . . so that they may become recipients of the invisible and infinite bounties . . . Otherwise man shall never reach the bourne of immortality.”

Again, interpreting the meaning of the judgment day as taught by former prophets: “The paradise and fire in the apparent life were and will ever be the acceptance and the rejection; and after the ascension of the spirit, there are paradises which have no equal, and also fire which has no likeness, which are the fruit of the deeds of the advancer and opposer.”

It is impossible to consider this life apart from the future life. It is all one great whole. The thought of what is to come after death is not only a great comfort in times of earthly stress and suffering, but is also a powerful influence toward right conduct in this life.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said that without this vision of the next life there cannot be enough incentive to ethical conduct here. The rewards and punishments which are assigned here for our actions are as nothing to the more important results of our [Page 346] earthly deeds which come to us in the hereafter.

That is why every Manifestation emphasizes the life hereafter in connection with the teaching of how this life should be lived.

And just what are the rewards of a spiritual life here? Always, the universal laws are just, logical, beneficent. And the result hereafter of developing a spiritual nature here is just what one might suppose it to be, the power and ability of enjoying spiritual things.

But here is the impressive fact. The next world is a world of spirit, not of matter; and spiritual things are the only things one can enjoy there. No other source of happiness exists.

The terrible deprivation in the hereafter of those who have not developed the spiritual life must by this become apparent. There is no immediate possibility of happiness for them in the heaven-world because they have not developed the powers to use and appreciate the things of the heaven-world, they are born into it, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says, deaf, dumb and blind.

True, they have a sort of existence there, but as the existence in this world of a stone compared to that of a human being. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá used another figure, even more appalling, in saying of an immensely wealthy man held as great in the eyes of this world, that in the next world he would be rolled up like a scroll and put away.

Is there any salvation possible, then, for those who die sinners and are ushered into the next world in a state of evil? There is a possibility of progress, but not by self—effort; only through the grace of God and the prayers and efforts of the saints. That is because the activities of the beyond-world are not as here. Heaven is not a place for the exercise of self- will, for self-development. This world is the stage of existence designed for us for self-improving, for struggle against [Page 347] the obstacles which evil sets in our path. The purpose of this earth life is through it and by means of it to become spiritual.

Oh, if mortals would only realize the importance of this truth, they would drop everything and seek the Kingdom. Christ has compared it to a hidden treasure, or to a pearl of great price, for which the man aware of values would sell all he had of other wealth.

That is why all the prophets emphasize the importance, the necessity of salvation here and now. To be born once is to be but an earth-being. We must be born again to become inhabitants of the Kingdom, spiritual beings, children of God.

And again I say let us not deceive ourselves. Death does not initiate us into these glories. The man who is born again, of the spirit, perceives the realities and attains the joys of the spirit here and now, and forever after. And the man who dies, not in the spirit, faces an existence the tragedy, the suffering of which melts the hearts of angels and causes God Himself, in His great pity, to descend to earth, as it were, in the persons of His Manifestations, to warn humanity of these stern laws, these laws stern yet beneficent.

“Salvation” is the message of these Great Ones. And the means of “salvation” also they give us, by their word, their lives, by the immense, incalculable influence of their divine enlightenment and spiritual power.

Love, prayer, aspiration toward God; and toward man love and good deeds. This is the way to salvation.

Shall we say that man is to become good in order to enjoy the after-life? Or shall we say that becoming good, the rewards of heaven are his?

It matters not which way we look at it. It is all one. And the one essence of it all is Love. Love is the fulfilment of the law, and love is heaven.

[Page 348] So it is plain that the immortal life is a spiritual condition. Not securable by the physical process of dying. Not a mere sequence to this earth—life. But a condition, above time and place, a station to which we may attain while still in the flesh.

And having attained, while here, immortal life, we go on from joy to joy, from miracle to miracle of God’s love, travelers in the heavenly world fully equipped for the strange, marvelous journeys there.

And not having attained immortality while here, we enter the other world crippled, halting, still—born, helpless, deprived of the ineffable glories——yea, deprived of every source of happiness.

WELCOMED INTO PARADISE

So it is well while living here to think of the hereafter. It is well to practice the spiritual life. It is well to be severed from the world. Then shall life, even this life, become more glorious the nearer one approaches the limits of the earth-journey.

And for those whose spiritual senses are developed, who wait equipped for the far journey, the departure shall not be tragic. Death shall lose its sting. Of those who die spiritual, it is true that ere the heart stops beating the soul is welcomed into paradise; and the body makes no opposition to the going, lays no claim upon its master, holds not back as holds the body of the sense man his soul back in ghastly struggle. So the good die peacefully. And in the future ages live yet more peacefully, rapt in heavenly essences and perfumes, inspired with higher forms of energy for the achievement of tasks beyond our ability now to comprehend.

[Page 349]

The Secret of Prayer

Kathrine Baldwin

THERE is a great difference between reading a prayer, and actually praying.

While in the act of praying one forgets entirely the human self and becomes a part of the spiritual vibrations in the surrounding atmosphere. In the giving up of the human self completely one comes directly under the Light of the Holy Spirit. And through the warmth of the divine glow of that Radiance, the soul is opened to the inflow of regenerated Life.

To truly pray, the self is enveloped in love of Praise and Gratitude to God Almighty. Words become as wings which transport the soul for the moment to His Threshold. Therefore how necessary it is that the revealed prayers of Bahá’u’lláh, or any Divinely revealed prayer, be learned so that no outward hindrance may come between the flight of prayer.

As an example of this state of consciousness is the glorious prayer given by Bahá’u’lláh:

“From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity give me to drink, O my God, and of the fruits of the tree of Thy being enable me to taste, O my Hope! From the crystal springs of Thy love suffer me to quaff, O my Glory, and beneath the shadow of Thine everlasting providence let me abide, O my Light! Within the meadows of Thy nearness, before Thy presence, make me able to roam, O my Beloved, and at the right hand of the throne of Thy mercy seat me, O my Desire! From the fragrant breezes of Thy joy let a breath pass over [Page 350] me, O my God, and into the heights of the paradise of Thy reality let me gain admission, O my Adored One! To the melodies of the dove of Thy oneness suffer me to hearken, O Resplendent One, and through the spirit of Thy power and Thy might quicken me, O my Provider! In the spirit of Thy love keep me steadfast, O my Succorer, and in the path of Thy good—pleasure set firm my steps, O my Maker! Within the garden of Thine immortality, before Thy countenance, let me abide for ever, O thou Who art merciful unto me, and upon the seat of Thy glory stablish me, O Thou Who art my Possessor! To the heaven of Thy loving-kindness lift me up, O my Quickener, and unto the Day-Star of Thy guidance lead me, O Thou my Attractor! Before the revelations of Thine invisible spirit summon me to be present, Thou Who art my Origin and my Highest Wish, and unto the essence of the fragrance of Thy beauty, which Thou wilt manifest, cause me to return, O Thou Who art my God!

“Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou art, verily, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious, the All—Highest.”

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Humanity, torn with dissension and burning with hate, is crying at this hour for a fuller measure of that love which is born of God, that love which in the last resort will prove the one solvent of its incalculable difficulties and problems. Is it not incumbent upon us, whose hearts are aglow with love for Him, to make still greater effort, to manifest that love in all its purity and power in our dealings with our fellow-men? May our love of our beloved Master, so ardent, so disinterested in all its aspects, find its true expression in love for our fellow-brethren and sisters in the faith as well as for all mankind.—SHOGHI EFFENDI

[Page 351]

The Divine Art of Living

A Compilation

CHAPTER TEN

RECTITUDE AND PURITY

DEEDS MORE POWERFUL THAN WORDS

THOU hast said aright, that verily, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá looketh to deeds and not to words. Even as it was said by Christ, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 311)

The companions of God are in this day, the lump that must leaven the peoples of the world. They must show forth such trustworthiness, such truthfulness, and perseverance, such deeds and character that all mankind may profit by their example. . . . Within the very breath of such souls as are pure and sanctified far-reaching potentialities are hidden. So great are these potentialities that they exercise their influence upon all created things. (Bahá’u’lláh, cited in The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 19)

O army of God! Through the protection and help vouchsafed by the Blessed Beauty, ye must conduct yourselves in such a manner that ye may stand out distinguished and brilliant as the sun among other souls. Should any one of you enter a city, he should become a center of attraction by reason of his sincerity, his faithfulness and love, his honesty and fidelity, his truthfulness and lovingkindness towards all the people of the world, so that the people of that city cry out and say: “This [Page 352] man is unquestionably a Bahá’í', for his manners, his behavior, his conduct, his morals, his nature, and disposition reflect the attributes of the Bahá’ís. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Idem, p. 21)

Beware, O people of Bahá, lest ye walk in the ways of them whose words differ from their deeds. Strive that ye may be enabled to manifest to the peoples of the earth the signs of God, and to mirror forth His commandments. Let your acts be a guide unto all mankind, for the professions of most men, be they high or low, differ from their conduct. It is through your deeds that ye can distinguish yourselves from others.

One righteous act is endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as to cause it to pass beyond the heaven of heavens. It can tear every bond asunder, and hath the power to restore the force that hath spent itself and vanished. . . . Be pure, O people of God, be pure; be righteous, be righteous. (Bahá’u’lláh, Idem, pp. 21, 20)

HONESTY

Truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues. Without truthfulness progress and success, in all the Worlds of God, are impossible for any soul. When this holy attribute is established in man, all the divine qualities will also be acquired. (Bahá’u’lláh, Idem, p. 22)

Let truthfulness and courtesy be your adorning. Suffer not yourselves to be deprived of the robe of forbearance and justice, that the sweet savors of holiness may be wafted from your hearts upon all created things. (Gleanings, p. 305)

You must live and act with the utmost truthfulness, righteousness, chastity, uprightness, purity, sanctity, justice and equity. But if—I seek refuge in God—any one betray the least of trusts or neglect and be remiss in the performance of duties which are intrusted to him, or by oppression takes one [Page 353] penny of extortion from the subjects, or seeks after his own personal, selfish aims and ends in the attainment of his own interests, he shall undoubtedly remain deprived of the out-pourings of His Highness the Almighty! Beware! Beware! lest ye fall short in that which ye are commanded in this Tablet! (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 403, 404)

If the whole earth were to be converted into silver and gold, no man who can be said to have truly ascended into the heaven of faith and certitude would deign to regard it, much less to seize and keep it. . . . They who dwell within the tabernacle of God, and are established upon the seats of everlasting glory, will refuse though they be dying of hunger to stretch their hands, and seize unlawfully the property of their neighbor, however vile and worthless he may be. (Bahá’u’lláh, cited in The Advent of Divine Justice pp. 19, 20)

JUSTICE AND EQUITY

Be fair to yourselves and to others that the evidences of Justice may be revealed through your deeds among our faithful servants. Equity is the most fundamental among human virtues. The evaluation of all things must needs depend upon it. . . . Observe equity in your judgment, ye men of understanding heart! He that is unjust in his judgment is destitute of the characteristics that distinguish man’s station.

The canopy of existence resteth upon the pole of justice, and not of forgiveness, and the life of mankind dependeth upon justice and not on forgiveness.

That which traineth the world is justice, for it is upheld by two pillars, reward and punishment. These two pillars are the sources of life to the world.

Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures. . . . Know thou, of a truth, these great oppressions that have befallen [Page 354] the world, are preparing it for the advent of the Most Great Justice. . . . The light of men is Justice, quench it not with the contrary winds of oppression and tyranny. The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among men. (Bahá’u’lláh, Idem, pp. 20-24 passim)

O Son of Spirit! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. (Hidden Words)

PURITY OF HEART AND THOUGHT

Disencumber yourselves of all attachment to this world and the vanities thereof. Beware that ye approach them not, inasmuch as they prompt you to walk after your own lusts and covetous desires, and hinder you from entering the straight and glorious Path. . . . They that follow their lusts and corrupt inclinations have erred and dissipated their efforts. They indeed are of the lost. (Bahá’u’lláh, cited in The Advent of Divine Justice, pp. 25-27 passim) . . . O friends! Prefer not your will to Mine, never desire that which I have not desired for you, and approach Me not with lifeless hearts defiled with worldly desires and cravings. (Hidden Words)

Blessed thou art and more blessed thou shalt be if thy feet be firm, thy heart tranquil through the fragrance of His Holy Spirit and thy secret and hidden thoughts pure before the Lord of Hosts. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 704)

The civilization so often vaunted by the learned exponents of arts and sciences, will, if allowed to overleap the bounds of moderation, bring great evil upon men. . . . If carried to excess, civilization will prove as prolific a source of evil as it had been of goodness when kept Within the restraints of moderation. . . . He hath chosen out of the whole world the hearts of His servants, and made them each a seat for the revelation of His [Page 355] glory. Wherefore, sanctify them from every defilement, that the things for which they were created may be engraven upon them. (Bahá’u’lláh, cited in The Advent of Divine Justice, pp. 25—27 passim)

O Quintessence of Passion! Put away all covetousness and seek contentment; for the covetous hath ever been deprived, and the contented hath ever been loved and praised.

O Ye that Pride Yourselves on Mortal Riches! Know ye in truth that wealth is a mighty barrier between the seeker and his desire. . . . The rich but for a few, shall in no wise attain the court of His presence nor enter the city of content and resignation. Well is it then with him who, being rich, is not hindered by his riches from the eternal kingdom, nor deprived by them of imperishable dominion. . . . The splendor of such a wealthy man shall illuminate the dwellers of heaven, even as the sun enlightens the people of the earth! (Hidden Words)

He is not to be numbered with the people of Bahá who followeth his mundane desires, or fixeth his heart on the things of the earth. He is my true follower who, if he come to a valley of pure gold, will pass straight through it aloof as a cloud, and will neither turn back nor pause. Such a man is assuredly of Me. . . . And if he met the fairest and most comely of women, he would not feel his heart seduced by the least shadow of desire for her beauty. Such an one indeed is the creation of spotless chastity.

They that have tarnished the fair name of the Cause of God by following the things of the flesh—these are in palpable error! Purity and chastity have been and still are, the most great ornaments for the handmaidens of God. . . . The brightness of the light of chastity sheddeth its illumination upon the worlds of the spirit. (Bahá’u’lláh, cited in The Advent of Divine Justice, pp. 26, 27)

[Page 356] The drinking of wine is, according to the text of the Most Holy Book, forbidden; for it is the cause of chronic diseases, weakeneth the nerves, and consumeth the mind. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Idem, p. 27)

Beware lest ye barter away the River that is life indeed for that which the souls of the pure-hearted detest. Become ye intoxicated with the wine of the love of God, and not with that which deadeneth your minds, O ye that adore Him! Verily it hath been forbidden unto every believer, whether man, or woman. (Bahá’u’lláh, Idem)

TRUE LIBERTY

Know ye that the embodiment of liberty and its symbol is the animal. That which beseemeth man is submission unto such restraints as will protect him from his own ignorance, and guard him against the harm of the mischief-maker. Liberty causeth man to overstep the bounds of propriety, and to infringe on the dignity of his station. It debaseth him to the level of extreme depravity and wickedness.

Regard men as a flock of sheep that need a shepherd for their protection. . . .

The liberty that profiteth you is to be found nowhere except in complete servitude unto God, the Eternal Truth. Whoso hath tasted of its sweetness will refuse to barter it for all the dominion of earth and heaven. (Idem, Gleanings, pp. 335, 336)

Verily I pray unto my Lord. . . . that He shall strengthen thee, and cause thee to be purged and purified from the dross of the world, holy and sanctified from carnal passions, . . . . and in all things adhering to the law of God. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 332)

[Page 357]

My Convictions

Augustus Thorndike Sawyer

GROUNDED in the principles of Christianity in early life, I have had faith to believe in the ultimate triumph of those principles. But I have come to realize, and I think we all agree, that with all the preaching and teaching of religious leaders, this result has not been attained. People, as a rule, have not exemplified in their own lives tolerance, brotherly love, or freedom from prejudice, but have often shown a feeling of superiority towards peoples of other races and even to people of the same race. So much hatred, envy, selfishness and desire for power both political and economic, has dominated the nations, that Christ’s teachings seem to have been forgotten by the majority.

God has sent the Promised One of all ages, and when the world listens, understands and heeds His teachings and realizes the Oneness of Mankind, that we are our brother’s keeper, and the folly of hate and war, then peace on earth and good will towards all men will be accomplished.

Responsibility for the world’s peace should rest heavily upon the great leaders of the world today, and some plan should be worked out to get these leaders to meet around a council table to discuss a method to meet the world’s needs for unity, equality and the opportunity for each nation to work out its own particular problems.

Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed such a plan for World Order, World Peace, and an International House of justice, as the solution of this problem. Many prominent men in various countries are thinking very seriously along these lines.

I was greatly impressed when reading of the Bahá’í Cause, [Page 358] its origin and growth, of the divine power back of it and through it. In the lives of these teachers, the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh, and ‘Abdu’l—Bahá, was shown something more than ordinary power, and one cannot but conclude that they were divinely inspired and that this plan of a World Order is of God. I would commend to all not familiar with this plan, to study Bahá’u’lláh’s and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s writings on this subject and learn for themselves the solid foundation upon which this plan is built. One of the principles of the Bahá’í Faith is “Independent investigation of Truth.”

Christ said: “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

Another basic Bahá’í teaching is, “The Oneness of Mankind.” The Christ also said: “There shall be one fold and one Shepherd.”

The study of this Bahá’í Faith and of the lives of its founders led me to the conclusion that this is the only salvation for the world and it should be the duty of all Christians, as well as peoples of all religious beliefs, to accept it and do all in their power to bring about a world of brotherly love and unity, for in no other way can peace be assured and all nations live in harmony and prosperity.

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Consider the former generations. Witness how every time the Day Star of Divine bounty hath shed the light of His Revelation upon the world, the people of His Day have arisen against Him, and repudiated His truth. They who were regarded as the leaders of men have invariably striven to hinder their followers from turning unto Him Who is the Ocean of God’s limitless bounty.—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH

[Page 359]

BAHÁ’Í ANSWERS TO WORLD QUESTIONS

HOW IS SPIRIT RELATED TO BODY?

WE HAVE already explained that man’s spirit is not in his body, because it is freed and sanctified from entrance and exit, which are bodily conditions. The connection of the spirit with the body is like that of the sun with the mirror. Briefly the human spirit is in one condition; it neither becomes ill from diseases of the body, nor cured by its health, it does not become sick, nor weak, nor miserable, nor poor, nor light, nor small. That is to say, it will not be injured because of the infirmities of the body, and no effect will be visible even if the body becomes weak or if the hands and feet and tongue be cut off, or if it loses the power of hearing or sight. Therefore it is evident and certain that the spirit is different from the body, and that its duration is independent of that of the body; on the contrary, the spirit with the utmost greatness rules in the world of the body, and its power and influence, like the bounty of the sun in the mirror, are apparent and visible. But when the mirror becomes dusty or breaks, it will cease to reflect the rays of the sun. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 265, 266)

Know thou that the soul of man is exalted above, and is independent of all infirmities of body or mind. That a sick person showeth signs of weakness is due to the hindrances that interpose themselves between his soul and his body, for the soul itself remaineth unaffected by any bodily ailments. Consider [Page 360] the light of the lamp. Though an external object may interfere with its radiance, the light itself continueth to shine with undiminished power. In like manner, every malady afflicting the body of man is an impediment that preventeth the soul from manifesting its inherent might and power. When it leaveth the body, however, it will evince such ascendency as no force on earth can equal. Every pure, every refined and sanctified soul will be endowed with tremendous power, and shall rejoice with exceeding gladness. (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings, pp. 153, 154)

DO THESE PURE SOULS SERVE HUMANITY?

The soul that hath remained faithful to the Cause of God, and stood unwaveringly firm in His Path shall, after his ascension, be possessed of such power that all the worlds which the Almighty hath created can benefit through him. Such a soul provideth, at the bidding of the Ideal King and Divine Educator, the pure leaven that leaveneth the world of being, and furnisheth the power through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest. Consider how meal needeth leaven to be leavened with. Those souls that are the symbols of detachment are the leaven of the world. Meditate on this, and be of the thankful. (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings, p. 161)

BY WHAT PATH MAY MAN ATTAIN?

The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High. (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings, pp. 156, 157)

[Page 361] Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is endowed with such potency as can instill new life into every human frame, if ye be of them that comprehend this truth. (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings, p. 141)

DOES GRIEF AFFECT THE DEPARTED?

Although the loss of a son is indeed heart-breaking and beyond the limit of human endurance, yet the heedful and observant person is assured that the son hath not been lost, but, instead, hath stepped from this world into another, and he will find him in the Divine Realms. . . . Thou hast faith, art turning thy face toward the everlasting Kingdom and believing in the existence of heavenly worlds. Therefore be thou not disconsolate, do not languish; do not sigh; and refrain from wailing and bemoaning, for agitation deeply affects his soul in the Divine Realm. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, XIV, 40)

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To them that are endowed with understanding, it is clear and manifest that, when the fire of the love of Jesus consumed the veils of Jewish limitations, and His authority was made apparent and partially enforced, He, the Revealer of the unseen Beauty, addressing one day His disciples, referred unto His passing, and, kindling in their hearts the fire of bereavement, said unto them: “I go away and come again unto you.” And in another place He said: “I go and another will come, Who will tell you all that I have not told you, and will fulfil all that I have said.” Both these sayings have but one meaning, were ye to ponder upon the Manifestations of the Unity of God with Divine insight.—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH

[Page 362]

An Approach to World Government

William Kenneth Christian

“EVERY AGE is an age that is dying and an age that is coming to birth.”

Motion and change is one of the absolute laws of life. We can see its operation in the physical, social, and material spheres of life. We see the change of seasons, the cycle of day and night, the germination, growth, and final decay of forms of vegetation. We see the life cycle of man, and we witness the rise and fall of great social groups, of nations and of empires.

The story of the rise of man is a graphic illustration of the operation of the law of change in its social aspects. The beginnings of human evolution are still shrouded in mystery. The cave man lived crudely, barely satisfying his needs and wants. He was in constant terror of the elements. The discoveries of fire and the wheel, and the development of speech made possible the growth of greater social units. So that from the cave life developed the definite family unit. This was followed by the uniting of families into tribes: for protection, for economic benefits, and for a more satisfying social life.

Tribes that had become settled united, and the city unit was formed. Following this, came leagues of cities, again for protection for mutual economic benefits, and, finally, for cultural and social advantages. Leagues of cities gradually led to the formation of what has come to be the modern state. [Page 363] When we look back to this slow rise from primitive ways, we see that the nature of man himself has been such that life could not stop at any one of the social units just mentioned.

Each social unit has had to face the problem of sovereignty, i.e. the place of authority in the social organism. In the cave life the strongest man possessed the voice and authority of law. In the family unit, the man, as head of the family, was the seat of authority. In most tribal forms, the elders of the tribe, acting as “head” of the tribal family, possessed the power of authority. At first, glimmerings of what we call democracy were to be found in certain tribal organizations. In the city, sovereignty rested generally in the ruling family, a ruling group or individual, and sometimes in a group selected by a somewhat democratic system. In the league of cities, some form of sovereignty for certain matters was clearly recognized. In the modern state, sovereignty has probably had its most clearly-defined place in the social units. We recognize the necessity for law, for a means of developing and changing law, and for an executive to make the law work. This attitude toward sovereignty applies equally to democratic and non-democratic forms of state.

WORLD GOVERNMENT INEVITABLE

At the very beginning of any consideration of world government, we must recognize the law of motion and change, and we must consider the problem of sovereignty. The stages through which man has passed and the inventions which are the fruit of his genius would seem to make a world government inevitable at some time. And any close view of modern conditions indicates clearly that now for the first time it is possible to achieve such a social form.

Also, we must recognize that a world government presupposes [Page 364] a world sovereignty. It has been impossible in the past to create larger social units without changing the seat of sovereignty. We found in the formation of the United States that complete authority could not reside in the individual state. Some amount of sovereignty had to be surrendered to a larger federal unit before the federal unit could work. Any world government would mean the application of federalism on a planetary scale and the surrendering of some degree of sovereignty to the world federal unit. If we do not recognize this problem of sovereignty, any consideration of world government is mere wishful thinking.

But in its larger aspects, world government is not solely a political problem, but a problem of civilization, a problem of the unifying of people.

Of what is a government composed? First, it is basically the expression of a spirit and a definite attitude toward life, that is, every government is based on a concept of man. Second, there is a structure of government expressing this concept.

In America, democracy is based upon the conception of man as having certain natural rights, rights with which he is endowed because he is born human. This concept is considered to derive from the influence of the teachings of Christ concerning the immortality of the soul. The structure of government in the United States consists basically of a written Bill of Rights, a written constitution, and a federal system to give expression to the democratic concept of man.

All civilizations have their roots in a concept of man. A civilization based upon slavery runs upon the assumption that certain races or peoples are inferior to others. A tyranny is based upon the assumption that power gives a man the right to rule as he pleases over others. And the democratic concept of natural rights we have already mentioned.

[Page 365]

A NEW CONCEPT OF MAN

To make possible a world government would mean the creation of world civilization so we would need to attain a universal concept of man. This is easily possible.

Man is “the supreme talisman.” He is the summation of all the physical kingdoms. He possesses the cohesive force of the mineral, the power of growth of the vegetable, instincts characteristic of the animal, but above all and beyond all this, man possesses the power of idealism and ideation. This distinguishes him with a great plus from the other forms of life. And this distinguishing dual characteristic is true of all people born human. There is no innately superior or inferior race. We have the authority of long and careful scientific investigation for this statement.

Since, then, all men possess a basic natural endowment, it becomes clear that we can and must unite men in order to establish a universal concept of man as basis for a world government. Our problem therefore becomes a problem of achieving unity on a world scale.

There are only two general methods by which world unity could be achieved. It could be made possible either by a long series of wars and the domination of a single political philosophy. Or it could be made possible by a spiritual impulse which, by uniting men through idealism, will make clear their basic oneness. Either of these methods would result in a concept of man which would have universal recognition. But the method of war would result in a fallacious concept of man. A world government erected on such a premise would inevitably disintegrate and would probably bring even greater chaos than the present outmoded system of nationalism.

All men can unite on three things. First, a desire for [Page 366] happiness. The ancient Greek philosophers clearly recognized that all people desired a satisfaction of basic needs and wants which would result in their happiness. We refer to this now as an “economic urge” which drives people to seek satisfaction for the basic needs of life.

Second, all men can unite in a belief in God. The recent study of the religions of the world known as Comparative Religions makes clear that peoples of all revealed religions believe in God as the creator and source of life. Although the names of God are many: Ahura Mazda, Jehovah, Allah, or God, they mean the same thing. It is the conditions of social evolution and the impossibility for a world-sharing of knowledge until very recent times, that has resulted in the antagonism of the world’s faiths. We can now see that there is no basis for this antagonism except prejudice, fallacious doctrines, and traditions carefully promoted by the denominational systems. Spiritually, all men have a basis for uniting. Men can unite in the knowledge of the oneness of God.

Third, as part of this world religious heritage, we find that all men believe in man as the highest form of creation and that worship of God can best be expressed in service to one’s fellowman. When we add this great fact to the scientific fact of equal innate capacity in all racial groups, we find that the oneness of mankind stares us in the face. All men can unite because mankind is one.

A BASIS FOR WORLD UNITY

Only on these three cultural and spiritual facts is there an obvious basis for world unity. For even the inventions which make unity practicable are an outgrowth of these facts. It is therefore possible to create a world civilization, for we have [Page 367] at hand the latent materials for the promulgation of a universal concept of man.

What therefore can we do? We must analyze and strive to eradicate prejudice. Any social form which keeps men apart, which is contrary to a universal desire for happiness, or contrary to the oneness of religion and the oneness of mankind, is a betrayal of man and a stumbling stone to the natural achievement of world civilization and a world government. We must fight prejudices of religion, race, and creed. Positively, we must strive for world unity.

After much consideration of this problem, I have become convinced that the spiritual impulse, though it may not achieve widespread immediate results, is the only agency for creating the spirit that would enable a world federation to function. As we noted previously, every government is based on a spirit that upholds a concept of man. We must achieve a spirit that will create and reinforce universal rights for men.

The Bahá’í Faith is the only world faith consciously promulgating the oneness of religion and the oneness of mankind as the basis for world civilization. The Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, show how we can solve the problem of world sovereignty and provide a rule of justice for all peoples.

Clearly defined in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is a spiritual- democratic concept of man. The Bahá’í Faith achieves the spiritual regeneration of the individual and has the divine power to unite people of all types, background, race, and religion. It not only formulates a valid universal concept of man, but harnesses the energy of people to work for the concrete realization of a world order. And Bahá’u’lláh has created that spirit of unity and devotion which makes it possible to attain.

[Page 368] “The long ages of infancy and childhood, through which the human race had to pass, have receded into the background. Humanity is now experiencing the commotions invariably associated with the most turbulent stage of its evolution, the stage of adolescence, when the impetuosity of youth and its vehemence reach their climax, and must gradually be superseded by the calmness, the wisdom, and the maturity that characterize the stage of manhood. Then will the human race reach that stature of ripeness which will enable it to acquire all the powers and capacities upon which its ultimate development must depend.

“Unification of the whole of mankind is the hall-mark of the stage which human society is now approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed humanity is striving. Nation—building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax. A world, growing to maturity, must abandon this fetish, recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships, and establish once for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental principle of its life.

“A world federal system, ruling the whole earth and exercising unchallengeable authority over its unimaginably vast resources, blending and embodying the ideals of both the East and the West, liberated from the curse of war and its miseries, and bent on the exploitation of all the available sources of energy on the surface of the planet, a system in which Force is made the servant of Justice, whose life is sustained by its universal recognition of one God and by its allegiance to one common Revelation—such is the goal towards which humanity, impelled by the unifying forces of life, is moving.” (Shoghi Effendi, The Unfoldment of World Civilization)

[Page 369]

TESTAMENT OF FRIENDSHIP

BOOK REVIEW

Marion Holley

WHEN first I picked up Testament of Friendship, I did so innocently enough, knowing only that I should find in Vera Brittain an old acquaintance whose vivid and poignant style, and keen perception of the sad madness of our world would, in all likelihood, give me some rest and satisfaction. For in these days, contrary to the prevailing mood that books and theatres should only make one laugh, my taste requires a soberer truth in which suffering may be shared, not relegated.

But this book was not alone Vera Brittain, as I had known her in Testament of Youth, one who had experienced in the loss and unforgettable pain of war a terrible weariness, and yet, through youth’s persistent energy, had rebuilt her self and her perspective, from which she could both create literature and make some contribution to her generation’s prospects. No, this book was another reality, another personality, so strong and vital and courageous and altogether good, that its author could justly say of Winifred Holtby, her friend, “She was a ...saint...”

I do not know whether others may find in this biography the same excitement which was mine, to recognize in Winifred Holtby the embodiment of the best of a period, that little space between one war and another which was her life’s maturity, from Oxford days in 1920 to the consummate achievement of South Riding, finished less than a month before her death in 1935.

Already the characteristics of those two post-war decades have faded from our view, obliterated by the crashing tragedy and swirl of events so confusing, so overwhelming and catastrophic, that not even the simplest-minded of us may longer doubt that “we stand on the threshold of an age whose convulsions proclaim alike the death- pangs of the old order and the birth-pangs of the new.” Our thoughts and powers are already engulfed in the struggle which Winifred Holtby, like so many others of her generation, strove to avert.

[Page 370] In the clamor of these “fateful forties” we do not hear her voice, patiently interpreting her convictions to countless audiences of the League of Nations Union. “As the Christian ethic was to our fathers, so is the idea of world unity to us today. . . . There’s never been a lack of men willing to die bravely. The trouble is to find a few able to live sensibly.” And again in letter after letter, as in this one from Geneva, “For I am quite sure of this, that if the League should break to—morrow——though I do not think it will——there will be no time for fruitless regret nor bitterness. We shall simply realize that we did not dig deep enough; that we tried to impose upon the shifting sands of hereditary suspicion and jealousy a false structure of unity condemned to fall; and that if we believe, as I believe, that human personality has the power to triumph over the heritage of its own folly, we must go back to our own countries and teach, not to the children who were reared to those antagonisms, but to the sons and daughters that shall be born to us, the lessons that our own mistakes have taught us.”

She rested her best hopes upon such education and with pen and tongue, as journalist, teacher, and committee-member, from Hyde Park to South Africa, she spent her force in an untiring crusade. She espoused the cause of race minorities, of the friendless and deprived, and even in her personal life lavished her imagination and resources to nourish a host of friends and chance acquaintances who came to depend upon her strength and generosity. To Vera Brittain she seemed to possess a “deplorable exploitability,” the inevitable product of a “sensitive social conscience” and measureless, profund compassion. Her pity was incurable; through it her energies were dissipated, her best novels unwritten and forever lost. To one who expostulated she wrote: “I cannot see your jacarandas because of the mist in my eyes that rises from the tears of my friends in poverty and bitterness and hatred.”

Today We have lived to see the collapse of the League of Nations, the futility of that system of education which failed to probe to the roots of action or aspire to the heights of impersonal and noble purpose, and we have lived to submit to an uprush of passion and bitter prejudice which no one, five years dead, could even imagine. The vitality which Winifred Holtby so greatly dispensed, the faith she [Page 371] nurtured so bravely in that cynic world, all her words and all her life were swept away, not by premature death at the age of thirty- seven, but in the irresistible tide of human negligence and catastrophe which is swallowing up in its path every institution and dear tradition created by Europeans through a millenium.

Although she could no more predict this end than her contemporaries, I think she guessed it. “Even if We live to see Europe lose herself in the shadows of another dark age, our great-grandchildren will see the Renaissance—and for them we must keep the torch burning.” And despite the bright promise of her literary genius which, like an eager, restless flame, burned to be writing itself in story, poetry, or play, I think she did not really regret her divided life. For Winifred Holtby was the instrument, perhaps unknowingly so, of the destiny of her time, and her deeds speak to the truth of Bahá’u’lláh’s joyful affirmation: “We have, at the bidding of the omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a new life into every human frame and instilled into every word a fresh potency. All created things proclaim the evidences of this world-wide regeneration.”

Testament of Friendship is a clear-cut witness of “new life”; in it we may learn to find, if we will, the noblest cause in justice, though we cannot, more than Winifred Holtby, escape its price. “Why, Rosalind, what great new thing was ever born but when for this cause a man would leave his father and mother and sister and lover, even, if need be, his own life, to serve it?”

Note: All excerpts from Testament of Friendship by Vera Brittain, Macmillan, 1940, and from Letters to a Friend by Winifred Holtby, Macmillan, 1938.

[Page 372]

BAHÁ’Í LESSONS

“The Father Hath Come”

I. God reveals Himself to man through Manifestation.

God is above comprehension, Gl 3, 46-47, 49; Íqán 98-99.

Man can only comprehend attributes, qualities, SAQ 255-7, 167-70.

Man can only know God through attributes of His Manifestations, Gl 47, 49-50 (Íqán 98-100); SAQ 170-72; 257-8; 270.

Each Manifestation endowed with all Names of God, Gl 48-49 (Íqán 103-4).

Meaning of “I am God,” Gl 54-55 (Íqán 178-180); Gl 66-67.

Oneness of Manifestations with the Word, Gl 50-52 (Íqán 152-4); Íqán 161-3; SAQ 174, 178.

Station of distinction, Gl 52-54 (Íqán 176-8); Íqán 20-21.

Measure of Revelation, Gl 87-88, 78-81, 76-77; WOB 117.

Tree of Revelation grows, SAQ 141; WOB 114, 163-4.

Station of Reality of Prophethood has neither beginning nor end, SAQ 174-5, 179, 132-4, 254.

Individuality of Manifestation is phenomenal, SAQ 173, 175.

Individuality is Place of Manifestation, SAQ 145.

How individuality and Reality are one, SAQ 177-9, 97-8; SA of W 14:275.

II. Jesus spoke of God by the Name of “Father.”

Described God as “Father,” John 8:41-49; 6:27.

Father greater than all, John 10:29; Mark 14:36.

Prayed to the Father, Luke 22:42; 23:34, 46; Matt. 6:6, 9; John 12:27, 28; 17.

Christ and the Father are one, John 10:30.

The Father in Christ, John 10:37-38; 14:10; 17:21-26.

The Father to be seen through Christ, John 6:46; 14:9, 6, 7.

Father glorified in the Son, John 14:13.

Christ’s Message received from Father, John 10:18; 8:28; 14:24.

Christ ascended to His Father, John 14:28; 20:17; 16:28.

[Page 373]

Father known only through the Son, Matt. 11:27; John 14:6.

Son to come in the Glory of His Father, Matt. 16:27-28.

Glory not yet revealed; but to come, Matt. 16:26-28; 24:30-31.

Father will give another Comforter, John 14:16, 17; 15:26-27.

His Kingdom to come, Matt. 16:28; 6:10; 25:31-34; 12:32.

III. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá clarifies meaning of “Father” and of “Son.”

Place of individuality of Manifestation called the “Son” in Christ, SAQ 131, 145.

Measure of Son’s Revelation relative to Bahá’u’lláh’s, SAQ 141.

Significance of the Trinity as oneness of perfections, SAQ 129-131.

Sun of Reality is the Essence, SAQ 131, 242.

Bahá’u’lláh’s Manifestation is the perfect Appearance, SAQ 141.

Holy Reality of Prophethood, the “Father,” SAQ 131, 242, 175; Wisdom 19-21.

“The Father is in Me,” oneness of Christ’s individual reality with Holy Reality, John 14:7-11 (Cf SAQ 131, 145, 242, 96-98; Prom 168-9).

God does not incarnate Himself, SAQ 169 (see also Gl 49).

IV. In Bahá’u’lláh the Father hath come to earth.

Prophecy of His coming, Isaiah 9:6 (New Era 262-3); Matt. 21:33-41.

Return of Son in His Kingdom in Glory of Father, WOB 104; New Era 268, 274.

The Day of God Himself, Íqán 143; Gl 10-11; WOB 106; New Era 155.

Bahá’u’lláh, the return of Christ, WOB 139; the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, Jehovah, Desire of the World, the Word, WOB 104, 106, 133.

Holy Spirit today, the Most Great Spirit, WOB 109.

Bahá’u’lláh, the Father, WOB 104 (BS # 49, p. 125); Era 154.

Son did not reveal full effulgence of Father, WOB 104.

Supreme Manifestation of God, Bahá’u’lláh, WOB 128 (Cf SAQ 141).

[Page 374]

WITH OUR READERS

INTERESTING and helpful comments continue to come from our readers. One of the Cleveland friends writes: “I can’t tell you how much I enjoy our magazine now and how helpful it is in our community meetings, and as a means of introduction and contacts for the Cause.” Do others agree? Another friend writes from Santa Rosa: “Enclosed find money order . . . for your very fine magazine. After reading it the cob-web of war news one hears over the radio and reads in papers and magazines is cleared away.”

The success of the Milwaukee community in building up the subscription list in that community may offer a helpful suggestion to others. Miss Helen Keisch writes: “Our Spiritual Assembly voted to appoint me to enroll new subscribers for the WORLD ORDER MAGAZINE. So I wish to tell you what I did with those September copies that were sent to the Assembly. You sent us 50 copies. Twelve were sold before they were turned over to me, and then with every new subscription I gave one September copy free. Is that what you wanted me to do? Up-to-date there are 16 new subscribers enrolled and some still pending.” And our business manager says that Miss Keisch has sent in 27 new subscriptions in all.

A somewhat different experience is reported from another city where the secretary has been trying to build up news-stands sales. She writes: “Wherever I have placed these books the people have tried to get them across, have been cooperating and interested. However, the complaint is that they are beyond the comprehension of those who know nothing of the Bahá’í Revelation. I have given the Message to the clerks at the book stalls.”

We should like to hear from others who have tried to build up news-stand sales. Has any one been successful? Has any one suggestions as to how to make WORLD ORDER attractive to the general public? Since changing the form of the magazine it has been the policy of the editors to make WORLD ORDER first of all {{page|375|file=World_Order_Vol6_Issue10.pdf|page=35} valuable and stimulating to Bahá’ís themselves and useful to them in planning programs for meetings and study classes; and second to provide, in handy form, material that can be given to those who have learned something about the Cause. Probably everything in an issue will not appeal to everyone and different issues will appeal to different types of people. This issue, devoted largely to the subject of immortality, will, we believe, have a wide appeal since that is a subject of almost universal interest.

These few words from Phoenix, Arizona speak volumes: “I certainly do enjoy WORLD ORDER.” And this comment from Riverton, N. J., reminds us to ask you again to send us short helpful experiences of your own such as the incident referred to here: “I like the WORLD ORDER in its present form very much. The Answers to World Questions is splendid and we always study them carefully, also the study outlines. The letter about Laura Jones and her Tablet was helpful to me.”

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And here are excerpts from a letter from one of our Braille transcribers which speaks for itself:

“The Bahá’í Lessons covering such widely, such needed and well-balanced subjects will not only help to concentrate study for which I have now so little time, but will also furnish without lengthy research, material which can be used in Braille correspondence. Bahá’í Answers and Bahá’í Truths seem particularly adapted for Braille transcriptions. Blind folks are deeply interested in the present-day problems such as are covered in the April issue of the magazine under Bahá’í Answers.

“As to Divine Art of Living, its title will appeal very much to blind folks. I am hoping it can be transcribed and bound in one volume. There is need, in my opinion, of a compilation of just that size. A large volume, in full size Braille paper, usually contains not more than one hundred pages, and each page 145 to 155 words. It is possible when all goes well to transcribe such material in about four to five weeks. Other transcribers would do this more quickly as all of them have two good hands; I can use the right only.”

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Immortality is the theme for [Page 376] this January issue and the leading article is by Stanwood Cobb, one of our editors and principal of the Chevy Chase School near Washington, D. C. Mr. Cobb has long been connected with the Cause and with the BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE in its various forms and under its successive titles. We offer no apologies for reprinting this and occasionally other articles from THE STAR OF THE WEST since there is so much valuable material in those old numbers and since many of the newer believers do not have access to them.

Other articles are: An Approach to World Government, by William Kenneth Christian, whose work appears frequently in WORLD ORDER; The Secret of Prayer, by Kathrine Baldwin; and a personal testimony My Convictions, by Augustus Thorndike Sawyer, of Three Rivers, Massachusetts.

The regular departments continue: a book review on Testament of Friendship, by Marion Holley whose articles are well known to Bahá’ís; The Divine Art of Living, now in its tenth installment, compiled by Mrs. Mabel Paine of Urbana, Illinois; Bahá’í Answers to World Questions, compiled by Mrs. Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick of Olivet, Michigan, and Bahá’í Lessons, prepared by Mrs. Alice Simmons Cox, Peoria, Illinois.

THE EDITORS

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Now surely, if ever, is the time for us, the chosen ones of Bahá’u’lláh and the bearers of His Message to the world, to endeavor by day and by night, to deepen, first and foremost, the Spirit of His Cause in our own individual lives, and then labor, and labor incessantly to exemplify in all our dealings with our fellow-men that noble Spirit of which His beloved Son ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has been all the days of His life a true and unique exponent. The sayings of our beloved Master have been noised abroad, His name has filled all regions, and the eyes of mankind are now turned expectant towards His disciples who hear His name and profess His teachings.—SHOGHI EFFENDI.