World Order/Volume 6/Issue 5/Text

←Issue 4

World Order Volume 6 - Issue 5

Issue 6→

Return to PDF view Proofread once

[Page 153]

WORLD ORDER

THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE

VOLUME VI AUGUST, 1940 NUMBER 5

---

The Lesser and the Most Great Peace

George Orr Latimer

A DISCUSSION OF THE EVOLUTION OF WORLD PEACE FROM POLITICAL TO SPIRITUAL CIVILIZATION

AT A RECEPTION by the New York Peace Society on May 13, 1912, the guest of honor, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, made the following significant statement: “Today there is no greater glory for man than that of service in the cause of the ‘Most Great Peace.’ Peace is light whereas war is darkness. Peace is life; war is death. Peace is guidance; war is error. Peace is the foundation of God; war is satanic institution. Peace is the illumination of the world of humanity; war is the destroyer of human foundations.” During this memorable visit to America He further indicated that it would take only a spark to explode the mighty arsenals of Europe. Two years later the conflagration of war swept over the greater part of that continent, [Page 154] finally involving the United States in an effort to end all war. At the close of the so-called World War, certain institutions were established, including the League of Nations, for the express purpose of settling the disputes, rivalries and differences between nations by means of arbitration, rather than a resort to armed force. And now twenty-eight years after the utterance above quoted, the world is again hurled into a maelstrom of terror and bloodshed that is destined to eclipse all previous wars of recorded history in its destruction of life, property, liberty,—even civilization itself; for today the machinery of warfare is so perfected that entire nations can be obliterated in the span of a few days or weeks. Is it not the time to re-examine the factors that produce a civilization and to study the “science of peace” so that the energies and inventions of man will be devoted to the establishment of human brotherhood which is the basic creative law of God and His Prophets?

It is evident that some idea of World Order must be adopted if peace is to become a permanent reality. The material means that have been utilized in the past have proved futile in stemming the tides of war, aggression and exploitation, due mainly to the fact that the sovereign nations after signing some peace pact, still maintain their right to do as they will by recognizing no authority greater than their own. As long as this attitude remains, national security which rests on armed strength, along with the control of markets and materials, becomes more important than collective security. Each nation will still claim the right to be judge and jury in every case involving its relationship with some other sovereign state. This attitude has greatly developed in recent years to the extent that some writers have aptly termed it the “Religion of Nationalism.” It means that the interests of one country [Page 155] are greater than those of a group of nations united by some solemn agreement for the welfare of all. Certainly nationalism as a religion cannot be reconciled with any traditional religion for the obvious reason that it would have to vary according to one’s nationality rather than to one’s faith in God.

NEED FOR WORLD CONTROL

This need for some form of world control has found serious consideration at the hands of H. G. Wells and more recently by Clarence K. Streit who served as correspondent for the New York Times at Geneva for the past ten years, following the destinies of the League of Nations. In his book, Union Now, Mr. Streit discusses the merits of the League system and that of a federal system and declares that a League of states inherently is bound to fail because it is not a government of men. There are three main points in his thesis; first that International Government is necessary, second that the only form of International Government which is workable and compatible with liberty and democracy is a Federal Union, and third that this Federal Union should begin with the existing democracies instead of waiting until the entire world is ready. His book points out that the fifteen democracies, some of which have since lost their autonomy, should pool their economic and military strength under a central and popularly elected government. They would have to give up a certain amount of sovereignty to this central government, but would retain all their national characteristics that are found in the different states in a Federal government. He has proposed a constitution, based on an adaptation of the constitution of the United States, with the legislative power vested in Deputies and Senators to be elected according to population, an executive power vested in a Board of five citizens at least 35 years of age, three [Page 156] of whom are elected directly by the citizens of the Union, one by the House and one by the Senate, and a judicial power vested in a High Court of not to exceed eleven judges who are appointed for life and such lower courts as may be established from time to time by law. There are other points of interest such as the appointment of a premier by the Board, which office is dependent upon the confidence of the Congress; also that no religious test shall be required as a qualification to any office of public trust in the Union.

The principal objects of the Union would be to keep democracy intact as a form of government, to abolish high tariffs by the practice of free trade throughout the Union and to admit other nations as fast as they were willing to surrender part of their sovereignity. It is assumed that the control of the vast resources of the present democracies with their military establishments would be sufficient to maintain peace both within its own government as well as repel attacks against any of its members, and that it would not attempt to spread the ideals of democracy by force. However, the whole question of peace resolves itself upon the establishment of a form of world order that will include all the individuals, communities and nations of the world. It has become quite evident that “no scheme which the calculations of the highest statesmanship may yet devise; no doctrine which the most distinguished exponents of economic theory may hope to advance; no principle which the most ardent of moralists may strive to inculcate, can provide, in the last resort, adequate foundations upon which the future of a distracted world can be built.” (Shoghi Effendi, The Goal of A New World Order.) The League of Nations with all its good intent was only a balance of Powers, whose representatives had no authority for decision but had to refer all important matters back to their respective governments. Thus [Page 157] any attempt to unify the world for permanent peace can succeed only to the extent to which such effort includes all the nations of the world.

The vision of world peace is not an illusion but its appearance in the realm of reality depends upon an impartial insight into human values, with a stout resolution needed for its realization, for, according to Mr. H. G. Wells, (The Common-Sense of World Peace): “We are facing a task vast and difficult enough to tax all the gifts and resources of mankind, a task whose magnitude the majority of us—even among the most devoted—are only beginning to comprehend, and the very prevalent persuasion that a few amiable declarations, a few amiable conferences, a Pact or so and a picnic or so, will suffice to lay the foundations of a permanent world peace is a pure delusion. A permanent world peace implies a profound revolution in the nature of every existing government upon earth, and in the fundamental ideas upon which that government is based.”

MORE THAN HUMAN POWER REQUIRED

Something more than human power is necessary for the establishment of peace on earth and its counterpart, good will toward men. Great was the desire for peace after the world war. All the governments tired of war—with its huge expenditures and great loss of life, the countless orphans and the destitute widows, all yearned for peace. The representatives of the various nations assembled in Paris to lay the foundations of Universal Peace, yet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá foresaw at that time, that in the atmosphere of self-interest and misunderstanding that still prevailed, no permanent peace could be established because the spiritual factor had been left out of the discussions. In a letter to the late Dr. David Buchanan, [Page 158] a classmate of President Wilson, written in January, 1919, He wrote as follows: “In such an atmosphere Universal Peace will not be practicable, nay rather fresh difficulties will arise. This is because interests are conflicting and aims are at variance. We pray and beseech at the Divine Kingdom and beg for the world of humanity rest and composure. For Universal Peace will not be brought about through human power and shall not shine in full splendor unless this weighty and important matter be realized through the Word of God and be made to shine forth through the influence of the Kingdom of God. Eventually it shall be thoroughly established through the power of Bahá’u’lláh. Verily, his honor, President Wilson, is self-sacrificing in this path and is striving with heart and soul with perfect good-will in the world of humanity. Similarly, the equitable government of Great Britain is expending a great deal of effort. Undoubtedly the general condition of the people and the state of small oppressed nationalities will not remain as before. Justice and Right shall be fortified but the establishment of Universal Peace will be realized fully through the power of the Word of God.”

A copy of this Tablet was sent to the President’s headquarters in France and its receipt acknowledged by his secretary. History has already recorded the rejection of a spiritual basis and the ultimate shattering of most of the noble ideals brought to the council chamber at Versailles, with its culmination in the present world catastrophe. Yet the great service for peace is still ahead of us, in spite of the surrounding gloom, for it is God’s Will that Peace and the Unification of mankind be established in this world. In 1915, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote to Andrew Carnegie: “Therefore, ere long, a vast and unlimited field will be opened before your view for the display of your powers and energies. You must promote this glorious intention [Page 159] with the heavenly power and the confirmation of the Holy Spirit. I am praying in your behalf that you may pitch a pavilion and unfurl a flag in the world of peace, love and eternal life.”

The concept of world federation was envisaged by Bahá’u’lláh over seventy years ago. Shortly after His declaration that He was the Promised One of past cycles who was to establish a spiritual civilization on earth He proclaimed: “These fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away and the ‘Most Great Peace’ shall come!” He sent Tablets to the Rulers and Kings of the world, announcing His Mission and calling them to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, thus sowing the germinating seeds of a real and lasting federation. He warned that “the signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing Order appeareth to be lamentably defective.” He prophesied that: “soon will the present day Order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead.” His appeals were rejected and the rulers continued to increase their expenditures for military preparedness and soon Europe and Asia were once more plunged into war. His final call to the sovereigns of the earth was in the following admonishment: “Now that ye have refused the Most Great Peace, hold fast unto this Lesser Peace, that haply ye may in some degree better your own condition and that of your dependents.”

THE NATURE OF THE LESSER PEACE

It is evident from the above quotations that the establishment of world peace will come in two stages: The Lesser and the Most Great Peace. The Lesser Peace will be achieved when war is abolished as the method of settling quarrels and disputes between nations. To this end, Bahá’u’lláh, in the [Page 160] Tablet to Queen Victoria, admonishes the heads of governments to “be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions. . . . Be united, O kings of the earth, for thereby the tempest of discord will be stilled amongst you, and your peoples find rest, if ye be of them that comprehend. Should any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice.” This statement indicates that “some form of a world Super-State must be evolved that will establish a single code of international law” with a Supreme Tribunal whose decisions in carrying the law into effect will have a binding result upon any and all disputant parties. It calls for a World Parliament or Congress composed of elected representatives of the people with an International Executive strong enough to enforce the solemn compact entered into by the nations. Each nation will necessarily surrender its claims to make war, as well as the rights to impose certain taxes, to this supreme commonwealth. A world community will gradually be developed, thus transmuting the “Religion of Nationalism” into a lasting consciousness of world citizenship. By general agreement the governments of the world will disarm, retaining only sufficient arms to preserve internal order, however, these governments will contribute a proportionate share of their army and navy to establish an international police force for the preservation of the union of all the states and the enforcement of the great treaty that will create the foundation for universal peace. This is a very brief outline of the World Federation found in the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. There are one or two points of vital import which are further developed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. in a letter sent to the Central Organization for a Durable Peace, at The Hague in 1919. One is that the national assemblies of each country [Page 161] should elect the choicest men of its country who are well informed concerning international laws and the relationships between governments and who are likewise aware of the essential needs of humanity. The number of the representatives are in proportion to the number of inhabitants of each country. The election of these representatives must be confirmed by the congress or parliament of each nation, by the cabinet and by the national executive so that they truly represent the government. The members of the Supreme Tribunal will be chosen from these delegates, thus the will of the people will be fully expressed at the council chamber, and when a decision is arrived at, either unanimously or by majority-rule, there will no longer be any pretext for objection as both the plaintiff and defendant are properly represented by their duly accredited representatives.

The Bahá’í plan seeks to broaden the basis of the existing foundations of society in a changing and evolving world. “Its purpose,” writes Shoghi Effendi, (Goal of a New World Order) “is neither to stifle the flame of a sane and intelligent patriotism in men’s hearts, nor to abolish the system of national autonomy so essential if the evils of excessive centralization are to be avoided. It does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity of ethnical origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of thought and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of the world. It calls for a wider loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any that has animated the human race. It insists upon the subordination of national impulses and interests to the imperative claims of a unified world. It repudiates excessive centralization on one hand, and disclaims all attempts at uniformity on the other.” When the members or organs of the human body lack coordination, disease, dissolution and finally death result. The body-politic [Page 162] can well be likened to the human organism. If the various members are cooperating in harmony, life will find expression in the fullest degree, but dissention and rivalry will inevitably lead to discord and warfare, disintegration will follow and ultimate extinction will be the result.

It is increasingly apparent that to achieve this “Lesser Peace,” humanity will have to pass through the fire of a severe ordeal before the warring elements of present-day civilization can be welded and fused into a new alloy of international concord. The maimed from the battlefields, the bombed civilian population, the bereaved widows, the homeless orphans and the purged refugees, one and all will demand from their chastened leaders, a new world order. The institutions that will safeguard the peoples and nations of the world will arise as a phoenix from the ashes of the present conflict.

THE MOST GREAT PEACE

But from the Bahá’í viewpoint, there is yet another step to be taken, that of the establishment of the “Most Great Peace.” “This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician,” declares Bahá’u’lláh. It is the union of all the people of the world in one common Faith. The social laws and institutions established by Bahá’u’lláh cannot be separated from His moral precepts and spiritual principles. He not only called upon the Rulers of the world to establish the institutions that would prevent warfare, but He likewise exhorted them to accept His Revelation, destined to spiritualize the world and to fuse the races, creeds, classes and nations into a divinely conceived World Order. To the people who accept His Mission, He declares (Tablet to Napoleon): “The sword of wisdom is sharper than the sword of steel—if ye are of those who know. [Page 163] Draw forth the sword in My name and power, then invade the cities of the hearts of those who are fortifying themselves in the fortification of desire.” Humanity is entering the stage of maturity both individually and collectively. As the individual assumes his responsibility as an apostle of the Cause of God in this day, so likewise the nations of the world must accept their collective obligation to establish a World Order based on the Word of God.

Universal Peace will ultimately be achieved and it will signify the establishment of the Kingdom of God upon earth. The “Lesser Peace” may come in the near future, while the “Most Great Peace” will eventually be realized and remain eternally effective and secure, through the potency of Divine decree. There will be a merging of the two elements—the organization of a world commonwealth and the institution of a world religion, and then Universal Peace will be fully realized, by this achievement of organic and spiritual unity. In its fullness, the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh is not alone another stage in the progressive prophetic cycles that have come to this earth, nor is it yet another spiritual revival, but it represents the founding of a world civilization and culture, with its leaders and representatives responsible to a world citizenry for the maintenance of new moral standards, new virtues, higher ideals and greater service to the common weal. It represents the growth of mankind from adolescence to maturity through a process of spiritual integration culminating in that Golden Age proclaimed by all the prophets of the past as the ultimate destiny for man on this planet.

“This is a new cycle of human power,” declares ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. “All the horizons of the world are luminous, and the world will become indeed as a garden and a paradise. It is the hour of unity of the sons of men . . . ”

[Page 164]

Universal Fermentation

AS WE view the world around us, we are compelled to observe the manifold evidences of that universal fermentation which, in every continent of the globe and in every department of human life, be it religious, social, economic or political, is purging and reshaping humanity in anticipation of the Day when the wholeness of the human race will have been recognized and its unity established. A twofold process, however, can be distinguished, each tending, in its own way and with an accelerated momentum, to bring to a climax the forces that are transforming the face of our planet. The first is essentially an integrating process, while the second is fundamentally disruptive. The former, as it steadily evolves, unfolds a System which may well serve as a pattern for that World policy towards which a strangely-disordered world is continually advancing; while the latter, as its disintegrating influence deepens, tends to tear down, with increasing violence, the antiquated barriers that seek to block humanity’s progress towards its destined goal. The constructive process stands associated with the nascent Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, and is the harbinger of the New World Order that Faith must erelong establish. The destructive forces that characterize the other should be identified with a civilization that has refused to answer to the expectation of a new age, and is consequently falling into chaos and decline.

Shoghi Effendi

[Page 165]

The Divine Art of Living

A Compilation

CHAPTER FIVE

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

Benefits of Prayer

AS TO THY QUESTION, “Why pray? What is the wisdom thereof, for God has established everything and executes all affairs after the best order . . . therefore what is the wisdom in beseeching and supplicating and in stating one’s wants and seeking help?” Know thou, verily, it is becoming of a weak one to supplicate to the strong One and it behooveth a seeker of bounty to beseech the glorious, bountiful One. When one supplicates to his Lord, turns to Him and seeks bounty from His ocean, this supplication is by itself a light to his heart, an illumination to his sight, a life to his soul and an exaltation to his being.

Therefore during thy supplications to God and thy reciting, “Thy name is my healing,” consider how thy heart is cheered, thy soul delighted by the spirit of the love of God and thy mind attracted to the kingdom of God! By these attractions one’s ability and capacity increase. When the vessel is widened the water increaseth and when the thirst grows the bounty of the cloud becomes agreeable to the taste of man. This is the mystery of supplication and the wisdom of stating one’s wants. (A Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, vol. VIII, pp. 44, 45)

[Page 166] O thou spiritual friend! Thou hast asked the wisdom of prayer. Know thou that prayer is indispensable and obligatory and man under no pretext whatsoever is excused therefrom unless he be mentally unsound or an insurmountable obstacle prevent him.

The wisdom of prayer is this, that it causes a connection between the servant and the True One, because in that state of prayer man with all his heart and soul turns his face towards His Highness the Almighty, seeking His association and desiring His love and compassion. The greatest happiness for a lover is to converse with his beloved, and the greatest gift for a seeker is to become familiar with the object of his longing. That is why the greatest hope of every soul who is attracted to the kingdom of God is to find an opportunity to entreat and supplicate at the ocean of His utterance, goodness and generosity.

Besides all this, prayer and fasting is the cause of awakening and mindfulness and is conducive to protection and preservation from tests. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 683)

Your faces shall be enlightened with the radiance of supplication to God (and) invocation to Him. (Idem, p. 3)

Know that in every home where God is praised and prayed to, and His kingdom proclaimed, that home is a garden of God and a paradise of His happiness. (Idem, p. 69)

Say, God sufficeth all things above all things, and nothing in the heavens or in the earth but God sufficeth. Verily He is in Himself, the Knower, the Sustainer, the Omnipotent. (A Prayer revealed by the Báb)

HOW TO PRAY

Trust in the favors of thy Lord; supplicate unto Him and beseech in the middle of the night and at early morn just as a [Page 167] needy and captive one beseeches. It is incumbent upon thee to turn unto the Kingdom of God and to pray, supplicate and invoke during all times. This is the means by which thy soul shall ascend upward to the apex of the gift of God. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 694, 695)

Set all thy hope in God and cleave tenaciously to His unfailing mercy. (Gleanings, p. 323)

O Son of Light! Forget all save Me and commune with My Spirit. This is the essence of My command, therefore turn unto it. (Arabic Hidden Words, 16)

Turn your faces away from . . . your own finite selves and fix your eyes upon the Everlasting Radiance; then will your souls receive in full measure the Divine power of the Spirit and the blessings of the Infinite Bounty. (Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 155)

Commit thyself to God; give up thy will and choose that of God; abandon thy desire and lay hold on that of God. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 89, 90)

The truest adorning (of the human heart) is the recognition of the truth that “He doeth whatsoever He willeth, and ordaineth that which He pleaseth.” (Gleanings, p. 291)

O thou advancer toward the Kingdom! Endeavor thou day by day to increase thy yearning and attraction so that the attitude of supplication and prayer may be realized more often. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 522)

Chant (or recite) the words of God every morning and evening. The one who neglects this has not been faithful to the Covenant of God and His agreement, and he who turns away from it today is of those who have turned away from God. Fear God, O my people! Let not too much reading (of the Sacred Word) . . . make you proud. To chant but one verse with joy and gladness is better for you than reading all [Page 168] the revelations of the omnipotent God with carelessness. Chant the Tablets of God in such measure that ye be not overtaken with fatigue and depression. Burden not the soul so as to cause exhaustion and languor, but rather refresh it that thus it may soar on the wings of revelation to the Dawning-place of proofs. This brings you nearer to God, were ye of those who understand. (Bahá’u’lláh, cited in “Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era,” pp. 114, 115)

In the name of the Lord!

O Lord, my God and my Haven in my distress! My Shield and my Shelter in my woes! My Asylum and Refuge in time of need and in my loneliness my Companion! In my anguish my Solace, and in my solitude a loving Friend. The Remover of the pangs of my sorrows and the Pardoner of my sins!

Wholly unto Thee do I turn, fervently imploring Thee with all my heart, my mind and my tongue, to shield me from all that runs counter to Thy will, in this, the cycle of Thy divine unity, and to cleanse me of all defilement that will hinder me from seeking, stainless and unsullied, the shade of the Tree of Thy grace. (Hidden Words, ed. 1923, pp. 86, 87)

NEED TO PRAY THROUGH A MANIFESTATION

No one hath any way to the reality of Deity except through the instrumentality of the Manifestation. To suppose so is a theory and not a fact. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 214)

If thou art a man of prayer and piety, fly on the wings of help from the Holy Souls, in order that thou mayest know the mysteries of the Friend and attain to the lights of the Beloved One. (Seven Valleys, p. 16)

[Page 169]

WHAT TO PRAY FOR

Grief and sorrow do not come to us by chance, they are sent to us by the Divine Mercy for our own perfecting.

While a man is happy he may forget his God, but when grief comes and sorrows overwhelm him, then will he remember his Father Who is in Heaven, and Who is able to deliver him from his humiliations. (Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 45)

Is there any remover of difficulties but God! Say, Praise be to God! He is God! All are His servants and all are standing by His Command. (Prayer revealed by the Báb)

Endeavor and supplicate and pray God that, day unto day, thy firmness and steadfastness may grow and that thy countenance may radiate through the light of guidance. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 168)

Pray to God that He may strengthen you in divine virtue, so that you may be as angels in the world, and beacons of light to disclose the mysteries of the Kingdom to those with understanding hearts. (Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 55)

Forget all else save God, be in communion with Him, supplicate and pray to Him to make thee conqueror over the material things, impressed by the bounties of the Kingdom, commemorating the name of thy Lord, pure from all else save Him, and imbued with the spiritual attributes of those who are holy . . . then shall thy breaths have effect upon the hearts . . . (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 247)

“Life Everlasting” means “Turning to God.” (Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 102)

Day and night I pray to Heaven for you that strength may be yours, and that, one and all, you may participate in the blessings of Bahá’u’lláh, and enter into the Kingdom.

I supplicate that you may become as new beings, illumined [Page 170] with the Divine Light . . . and that from one end of Europe to the other the knowledge of the love of God may spread.

May this boundless love so fill your hearts and minds that sadness may find no room to enter.

May your eyes be opened to see the signs of the Kingdom of God, and may yours ears be unstopped so that you may hear with a perfect understanding the Heavenly Proclamation sounding in your midst.

May your souls receive help and comfort, and, being so strengthened, may they be enabled to live in accordance with the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.

I pray for each and all that . . . the brightness of your light and the warmth of your affection may reach the heart of every sad and sorrowing child of God.

I counsel you that you study earnestly the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, so that, God helping you, you may in deed and truth become Bahá’ís. (Idem, pp. 86, 87)

The prayer of the Prophets of God has always been, and still is: O God! I long to lay down my life in the path to Thee! I desire to shed my blood for Thee, and to make the supreme sacrifice. (Idem, p. 45)

Waft, then, unto me, O my God and my beloved, from the right hand of Thy mercy and Thy lovingkindness, the holy breaths of Thy favors, that they may draw me away from myself and from the world unto the courts of Thy nearness and Thy presence. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee . . . (Prayers and Meditations, p. 312)

[Page 171]

BAHÁ’Í ANSWERS TO WORLD QUESTIONS

WHAT ARE SOME FUNDAMENTAL CAUSES OF WAR?

AT PRESENT Universal Peace is a matter of great importance, but unity of conscience is essential, so that the foundation of this matter may become secure, its establishment firm and its edifice strong.

Among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is, that religious, racial, political, economic, and patriotic prejudices destroy the edifice of humanity. As long as these prejudices persist, the struggle for existence must remain dominant, and bloodthirstiness and rapacity continue. Therefore, even as in the past, the world of humanity cannot be saved from the darkness and cannot attain illumination except through the abandonment of prejudices and the acquisition of the morals of the Kingdom.

And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is justice and right. Until these are realized on the plane of existence, all things shall be in disorder and remain imperfect. The world of mankind is a world of oppression and cruelty, and a realm of aggression and error.

Among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is man’s freedom, that through the ideal Power he should be free and emancipated from the captivity of the world of nature, for as man is captive to nature he is a ferocious animal, as the struggle for existence is one of the exigencies of the world of nature. This matter of the struggle for existence is the fountainhead of all calamities and is the supreme affliction.

[Page 172]

CAN MANKIND RISE ABOVE THE WORLD OF NATURE?

THE WORLD OF MANKIND is in need of the breaths of the Holy Spirit. Without the spirit the world of mankind is lifeless, and without this light the world of mankind is in utter darkness. For the world of nature is an animal world. Until man is born again from the world of nature, that is to say becomes detached from the world of nature, he is essentially an animal, and it is the teachings of God which convert this animal into a human soul.

And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is that religion is a mighty bulwark. If the edifice of religion shakes and totters, commotion and chaos will ensue and the order of things will be utterly upset, for in the world of mankind there are two safeguards that protect man from wrongdoing. One is the law that punishes the criminal; but the law prevents only the manifest crime and not the concealed sin; whereas the ideal safeguard, namely, the religion of God, prevents both the manifest and the concealed crime, trains man, educates morals, compels the adoption of virtues and is the all inclusive power which guarantees the felicity of the world of mankind. But by religion is meant that which is ascertained by investigation and not that which is based on mere imitation, the foundation of Divine Religions and not human imitations. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablet to the Committee on Durable Peace, The Hague, pp. 17, 18)

[Page 173]

WORLD ORDER: HOW?

Annamarie Kunz Honnold

A CRUEL and devastating chain of events on a world-wide stage has awakened in man a heartfelt cry for “peace,” for “world order,” and for “security.” A maturing mankind, aroused only by the folly of its own actions, is at last thinking in terms of a united Europe or the linking of the Americas, or even in terms of a world federation. For experience has thrust upon us but two remaining alternatives: annihilation or unification.

Yearning for the peace and security which would result from unification, we strive to find a form for its conception. What form would be essential for world order? A world ruled by the united democracies or by the dictatorships? An expanded Anglo-French federation? A “world brain” as Mr. H. G. Wells proposes in “The Fate of Man?” A reestablished and reorganized exclusive League of Nations? There are people who believe that peace and world order will be witnessed only when all the nations in the world unite in a great inclusive federation in which each constituent is primarily concerned with the life and good of the whole rather than with the advantages which its own country can derive by being a member of that world federation.

A house is no more stable than is its foundation. At one time the late Chief Justice Cardozo, speaking of man’s desire that law be made true to its ideal of justice, stated, “Let us gather up the driftwood and leave the waters pure.” This statement is valid, not only for the law, but also for the condition of the world at large. The driftwood of nationalism [Page 174] and imperialism, of the will to possess power and to dominate, of armament races and increases, and of propaganda, greed, and misunderstanding, must be wiped from the face of the earth. But the driftwood is to be found not only in the governments, which represent the nations, but also in the people composing the countries in the form of racial prejudice, class consciousness, religious bigotry, intellectual snobbishness, self-satisfaction, egotism, and contentment with the personal status quo. The eradication of these combined subversive forces will leave the waters pure for peace and security, unity and the oneness of mankind. With the breaking of these shackles man can not only build a new world order, but he can erect it on a solid foundation.

Obviously a pressing responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of each and every man. Do we shudder at this stupendous task which, to be remedial, must be witnessed soon, lest it be too late? Have we reason to believe that we can really ever witness a change in human nature or prevent history from repeating itself? William Ernest Hocking, professor of philosophy at Harvard, says, “To any one who asserts as a dogma that ‘Human nature never changes,’ it is fair to reply, ‘It is human nature to change itself.’” It is not imperative that history repeat itself. The life of man is mature only after time and experience have wrought their mutation; so is it in the life of nations. Furthermore, just as, suddenly after a comparatively long period of growth and development, the chick is born, in the process of evolution changes which are revolutionary and cataclysmic in their effects occur almost in the twinkling of an eye.

But how can we help usher in the long-dreamed-of, long-prayed-for “kingdom of God” upon this earth? A perplexed world gives innumerable answers. Man, in his egotism, still [Page 175] thinks that his mind, alone and unaided, can solve this gigantic problem. He pleads for education, which is indeed an essential. But does scholastic advancement necessarily reform man’s way of living and thinking? Four years ago several groups of students were tested in order to determine if their attitude toward races other than their own changed with their advancement in education. The conclusions were disheartening. The groups studied, which are undoubtedly not unlike other such groups, led to the conclusion that friendliness toward people of other races than one’s own does not increase in college unless special attempts are made to eradicate prejudices and hatreds through developing an appreciation for other people and their cultures. Those students who studied sociology were as a group more friendly toward members of other races than were those who had not studied in this field; and when the sociology student coupled religion with this study, he was even less likely to be prejudiced than the sociology group as a whole. But the deplorable fact that the seniors who had not had social studies were no less prejudiced than the freshmen entering school stands out in discouraging relief. In fact, social distance, racially speaking, was found to increase up until the thirty-fifth year, at which time it decreased. Education offers little chance of providing a permanent solution as long as teachers are imbued with narrow loyalties and petty prejudices.

Is there an answer in travel, which is available for relatively few people and which at best offers but small glimpses of life? In hearing and reading what limited secular and disagreeing minds devise as a solution for this world knot? In studying international law, which, by only slight provocation, can be ruthlessly discarded? These means, though vital and important, [Page 176] are inadequate: they attempt by the limitations of the human intellect to solve a problem which is fundamentally spiritual.

Is there an answer in religion? Religion, which has been the cause of strife and warfare, of hatreds and narrow-mindedness, of separating the Christian and the Jew, and the Jew and the Muhammadan? Will the five hundred and ninety-two Christian sects assemble in one peaceful brotherhood? It is true that in some long-established religions an effort is being made toward non-sectarianism. Two of the foremost religious leaders in this country have broken away from sectarian abodes of worship. Mr. John Haynes Holmes offers religious services in what is known as the Community Church, and Rabbi Stephan S. Wise in the Free Synagogue. Praiseworthy indeed is this breaking away from old and arbitrary boundary lines and superficial ceremonies. But the Jew must unite with the Christian, the Christian with the Muhammadan, and the Muhammadan with the Buddhist. Christ once said, “Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.” Religion, in its purity, stripped of its man-made weaknesses which permit divisions and narrow-mindedness, exclusiveness and prejudices, and adapted for the present conditions, can offer a solution which is at the same time both feasible and capable of great effectiveness.

Christ said, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

[Page 177] Bahá’ís in already more than fifty countries in the world accept Bahá’u’lláh, the Author of their Faith, as that Spirit of Truth. In Him they find the long-promised Imam Mahdi, the Messiah, and the return of Christ. In Him the great religions of the world meet, as on a mountain top, with freedom and great breadth of vision. God’s great gift to man today is a Guide and a World Teacher who carries a message pure and simple in its enunciation—unity and the oneness of mankind —but supremely difficult in its thorough application unless aided by a Power outside of that of man.

Heavy was the price paid by Bahá’u’lláh for ushering in a new world order with a mighty call for peace and oneness. His work began in dark and decadent Persia where the soil was ripe with hatreds, fear, and bigotry. His call if heeded would subtly undermine the tottering civilization then carried forward by incompetent hands. Consequently, Bahá’u’lláh followed the path of persecution, which former Manifestations of God had trod before Him. He knew long years of exile and imprisonment. Yet the foulest of conditions and the most humiliating of treatment were powerless to still His pen or halt His actions. From prison walls He addressed the rulers of the earth imploring them to establish just governments, international peace, and true religion. Writing of His message for unity to Queen Victoria of England, He stated, “—that which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world, is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one Common Faith.”

Bahá’u’lláh, moved by the will of God and giving man His irrefutable message of unity, sought day and night to [Page 178] offer the world its remedy—a world-embracing remedy meant for all men, regardless of nationality, race, color, class, or creed, a remedy applicable not only for the social, political, and economic elements in a world desperately in need of a solution, but also for the individual. The Bahá’í' is conscious that in order to achieve complete security, man must establish not only a “Lesser Peace,” in the unity of political bodies, but also the “Most Great Peace,” in which political and economic as well as spiritual factors are united. The conductor of a symphony orchestra seeks harmony not only in the string or woodwind sections. He strives for the harmony of all the parts. A world at peace calls for a new man, the product of spiritual rebirth. And this transformation must make itself evident on a “planetary scale.”

It is not unlikely that out of the present world chaos will emerge another League of Nations. Imperative for the new world order are the establishing of a world federation, an international parliament and executive, a supreme tribunal, the disarmament of the nations and an international police force, one code of international law, and the demolition of economic barriers. Of supreme necessity are also the cooperation of capital and labor and the use of an international auxiliary language to facilitate understanding among the peoples. For these, the followers of Bahá’u’lláh are working.

But the Bahá’í is also concerned with the foundation of the house in order that it will be secure. Each man must set his own sphere in order: it is in dire need of a spring cleaning. Haughtily man walks the path of abandoned morality. Spiritually he is dead. God-consciousness with a broad love for His creation in place of self-concern and idle pursuits brings to life a new spiritual man. Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed, “—regard ye not one another as strangers. . . . Of one tree are all ye [Page 179] the fruit and of one bough the leaves. . . . The World is but one country and mankind its citizens. . . . Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country, let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind.” And who are our kinds? All men! The modest and the aggressive, the liberal and the conservative, the employe and the employer, the man of the north side of the tracks and the man on the south side, the Negro and the white man, the Jew and the Christian, the German and the French, the Occidental and the Oriental. These men, in reality, are our brothers, united in one common Father. Are we sufficiently conscious of this? Is its realization reflected in our daily lives? It is not sufficient that we should understand this intellectually or that science should help substantiate our claim. Our hearts must be armed with love for all men, for only then will adequate action be forthcoming. This age calls for a greater love than that of family blood. Our love, our feeling of “withness” with other people, as against mere good will, must encircle the world. If both man’s heart and mind are thus revitalized, then and then only is his desire for world peace no longer an idle dream but a rapidly emerging reality.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Interpreter of Bahá’u’lláh’s word, has explained that “—when divers shades of thought, temperament and character, are brought together under the power and influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made manifest. Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas, and convictions of the children of men.”

Is there any one who would dispute that these ideals are not worth working for? Who relishes feeling uncomfortable when [Page 180] he steps outside of his own nation, race, color, or class? Is there any young man eager for life who enjoys the thought that tomorrow he may be called to the colors? Or is there any one who cherishes the thought that a Pierre Curie had reason to fear that the world was perhaps not mature enough to know how to use radium for the good of the human race rather than for its injury? And who is really happy that Nobel’s discovery of a powerful explosive is being used for the destruction of man rather than to consistently perform an admirable piece of work? Today no effort, however great or small, expended for the oneness of mankind will be in vain.

The followers of Bahá’u’lláh cannot be accused of wishful thinking, for they are motivated into action by a power which is real and dynamic. They are charged with joy and activity as a battery is charged with electricity. Bahá’u’lláh stated, “That one indeed is a man who today dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race.” The Bahá’í seeks the good in every human being, and at least attempts to follow in the path of his exemplar, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who saw in all the face of His Heavenly Father. It was He who said, “I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of his heart on love and unity. When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love. When soldiers of the world draw their swords to kill, soldiers of God clasp each other’s hands. So may all the savagery of men disappear by the mercy of God, working through the pure in heart and the sincere of soul. Do not think the peace of the world an ideal impossible to attain. Nothing is impossible to the divine benevolence of God. If you desire with all your heart friendship with every race on earth, your thought, spiritual [Page 181] and positive, will spread, it will become the desire of others, growing stronger until it reaches the minds of all men.” Armed with the master emotion of love for God and His entire creation, the Bahá’í eagerly exerts his best efforts to establishing securely a new world order. The grave responsibility facing us today leaves no room in the man of understanding for occasional activity, moderate concern, or passive interest.

Many a realist may regard the Bahá’í’s ideal as merely Utopian. Perfection is, of course, impossible, but unparalleled regeneration and a more nearly approximated perfection are not only possible but already apparent in the world. On one occasion already in 1919 there sat at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s table many different peoples: Arab, Turk, Persian, Kurd, Hindu, Buddhist, Muhammadan, Jew, Christian, Japanese, English, and American. Bahá’í groups the world over are heterogeneous, consisting of people from all walks of life, from a multitude of races and nationalities. “. . . . what voice other than that of Bahá’u’lláh —the Mouthpiece of God for this age—is capable of effecting a transformation of society as radical as that which He has already accomplished in the hearts of those men and women, so diversified and seemingly irreconcilable, who constitute the body of His declared followers throughout the world?”

A new inclusive man is most assuredly being born today. He, in turn, is ushering into existence an inclusive world order in which peace and security are apparent in even the smallest working unit. This world order is being built on a solid foundation.

[Page 182]

To South America In 1919

From Martha Root’s Diary

Edited by Helen Bishop

AFTER ILLNESS from intense fatigue, the strain of the strike and the knowledge that many of the passengers spoke a different language spiritually—smoking, drinking, bridge, and poker—Martha did not try to solve her problem of giving the Message for two days. Her vivid thought was that she of all persons was the least fitted to meet such a group. She was not well; she did not dance or play cards, neither was she an enthusiastic sportswoman. Still, reading the creative Word, every line that seemed to spring up from the page was a path for her to follow: “Let not conventionality cause you to seem cold and unsympathetic when you meet strange people from other countries. Be kind to the strangers, help them to feel at home, ask if you may render them any service, try to make their lives a little happier. Let those who meet you know without your proclaiming the fact that you are indeed a Bahá’í.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá)

This evening lecture on “Bahá’í Principles” so early in the voyage opened the way for many quiet talks on deck. The Christian Scientist said: “Your talk made a great impression: even the ‘beer bums’ say it’s a good kind of religion.” The drinking on this ship is extraordinary. Martha’s room is beside the bar. This and the fact that her room-mate keeps two monkeys makes Martha understand what ‘Abdu’l-Bahá meant in her Tablet: “. . . that thou mayest forget rest and composure.” The “grave-diggers” and “gentlemen drunkards”—as the girls call them—congregate around the bar from six A. M. until two P. M. These men are wonderfully bright; they represent [Page 183] some of the largest business concerns in the world; and they could carry the Message to over fifty millions of people in South America. In talks on deck one learns that some of them had religious parents; and one or two had begun in ministerial schools, but they have broken away from their religion. All have good qualities and their realities shine forth in some fine traits.

Often the ones that a Bahá’í would expect to accept this Message fall back to sleep, and the ones that look to be fast asleep wake up. The miracle of seed-sowing is that humans can never guess accurately which seeds are coming up. If any Bahá’í can forget his own poor capacity and stand evanescent, Bahá’u’lláh can speak. It may help other Bahá’í teachers to pray the prayer revealed for Abul Fazl: “I pray Thee by the effulgence of the Sun of Thy beneficence, and by the waves of the sea of Thy generosity, to put into my words and utterances a trace of the Traces of Thy Supreme Word so that the reality of all things may be attracted and drawn.”

One night Martha went into the smoking-room as usual to say good-night to her pleasant room-mate, who was the champion poker-player on the ship. One of the business men called Martha over and asked her to drink champagne in honor of his birthday. When she declined the drink, but wished him happy returns of the day, he proposed a toast to the Bahá’í Cause—the Logos come again to earth. Later he asked for a booklet and several talks followed. The booklets were not given out that first Sunday evening for it seemed better to wait until the friends asked for them.

It has been “a family party.” The chief steward said: “Why don’t you tell our help about this religion?” The Bahá’í pilgrimage might never have been made by Martha if these stewards had not worked day and night, cooking, cajoling, [Page 184] keeping the ship “going” during the strike. These stewards were told and the Chinese had the Message sent to them, for the Captain would not permit Martha to go down to places where they worked. Martha sent them the Tablet beginning, “China, China, Chinaward—who will arise and go to China?”

Martha studied the Catholic religion carefully during the voyage in order to present the Message from that standpoint.

At the fancy-dress ball Martha went dressed as a Persian; and the Captain asked her to present the prizes.

Para was the first city in South America sighted after a voyage of two weeks. It is situated at the mouth of the great Amazon river and has a population of 175,000 inhabitants. It rains every day in this city on the Equator, and people make all their appointments for “after the rain.”

Passengers from “The X” had one day ashore. Starting out at nine, the conventional ride was taken. Down in the markets and shops later in the afternoon Martha gave out a few booklets. They say that in South America a woman should never walk out alone, but in the afternoon “after the rain,” when the other passengers were getting on to street cars to ride around the city, Martha suddenly left them saying that she was going to hunt for some newspaper offices. After several inquiries among newsboys—and pointing to their journals— one of the boys took her to a newspaper office. It proved to be the largest newspaper in Para.

Fifteen men sat writing. No one spoke English. She was ushered into a newspaper “parlour” and one of the older editors talked with her in French. She tried to explain the Bahá’í Cause in Esperanto. He asked her to write one thousand words for their journal. She had to write it in English, but just as she finished, a man came in. The others jumped up in excitement for this man could speak English. He is the best [Page 185] lawyer in Para, the one for the steamship company which owns “The X.” So far as is known no one in Para had heard of the Bahá’í Revelation.

“The X” five days later touched Ceara, a city of 45,000. There are but few foreigners there and it is not as progressive as Para. A few passengers went ashore in small sail boats, jumping into the craft with considerable danger of landing in the ocean. It was evening. In the two hours stay Martha could give out only a few booklets.

Pernambuco, the fourth largest city in South America in commercial importance, was reached by Martha on August 11, 1919. Bahia, which had been closed on account of yellow fever lay several hundred miles below, en route to Rio de Janeiro. That began the inner drama leading to what was best for Martha to do. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in His recent Tablets, had particularly mentioned the importance of Bahia and that Bahá’ís should travel there. On the other hand, yellow fever had been raging in Bahia, and the recent rains had only begun to stop its violence. To go to Bahia might mean a long delay and a quarantine of two weeks outside of Rio’s port.

Throwing herself down on the bunk in the stateroom after this perplexing day, Martha looked through the porthole into the darkness where Jupiter alone shone brightly, steadily, unmoved in his course. She arose and ordered her bags ashore, where she had made reservations with two steamship companies in hope of getting a passage to Bahia on a Brazilian ship.

(To he continued)

[Page 186]

ON WORLD FEDERATION

BOOK REVIEW

Horace Holley

THE SUBJECT of world federation has for some years been receiving very widespread attention, signalizing a degree of maturity in the peace movement far beyond the stage when peace was considered to be a matter of harmonious sentiment, correct ethics and religious conviction.

The work by Oscar Newfang contains both English and French texts. Copies of the book were distributed widely among statesmen and members of the League of Nations some months prior to the outbreak of the present war. The author is not a journalist developing a new and important theme, but a worker and believer in world principles who began as long ago as 1921 to study the fundamental problems of human relationships. Titles of his previous works are: The Development of Character, The Road to World Peace, Harmony Between Capital and Labor, The United States of the World, Economic Welfare, etc. In the present work, Mr. Newfang does not attempt to expound the theoretical principles of federalism, which he considered in a previous book, but to outline the minimum conditions of world peace which might be established through changes in the constitution of the League of Nations.

World Federation, nevertheless, can be studied by one who has no knowledge of the subject, and supplies a useful approach to the problem of political world order.

It is divided into three parts: The Conditions of Permanent World Peace; Present Non-Fulfilment of the Conditions of World Peace; and The Fulfilment of the Conditions of World Peace. The existence of war makes it unnecessary any longer to argue that the world had failed to lay a basis for world unity.

Part One traces the gradual attainment of internal or domestic peace in clan, tribe and nation, with special emphasis on the consolidation of the forces of law and order in Great Britain, France, Germany [Page 187] and Italy. Mr. Newfang has rendered a great service by pointing out so clearly that peace is and has always been a continuous historic process. Only its world scope is new. All else, the ethical, psychological, economic, legal, social and political aspects, has been traversed over and over again in the course of human experience. The step from tribe to nation is not different from the step from nation to world in any essential condition except, perhaps, this one vital condition, that each previous advance has still left an area of conflict, and thus has not compelled the race to abandon the whole practice and concept of war. But the attainment of world peace does involve this final abandonment of sanctioned violence and disruption.

The aim of Part One is to lay down the two necessary conditions of permanent peace—political unity and economic freedom, defined as follows: I, a single, effective, acceptable authority throughout the whole area in which the peace is to be kept, and 2, free movement of goods, money and persons throughout the same area. Less than this represents temporary truce, treaty, alliance or agreement. Peace must involve a socially homogenous structure.

Part Three consists of an analysis of the League of Nations and an explanation of its inherent failure, with a means of developing the League into a World Federation. Whether or not the next step in unification proceeds on the basis of the League, the author’s treatment of the problems involved in transforming the League structure into a Federal structure carries the reader through the heart of the peace movement as far as political action is concerned. “The strength of the League of Nations must . . . be increased to the point at which it can absolutely guarantee to the peoples of the world both political security and economic freedom, while at the same time reserving to its member states the largest possible measure of autonomy consistent with these two essential conditions of world peace.”

This, incidentally, was precisely the same necessity faced, on a smaller scale, by the thirteen American colonies when their League of Friendship began to fail them. Indeed, one of the striking merits of this author’s conception is the degree to which he follows the precedent established by history in the application of his general thesis to a par»ticular international situation.

[Page 188] “. . . Three changes are absolutely necessary. The Assembly must be enabled to act definitely and finally by majority rule; the World Court must be given obligatory jurisdiction in all international disputes; and the Council must be furnished with adequate armed power to enforce the laws of the Assembly and the decisions of the Court.”

Another change which is implied if not emphasized, is that in a federation, the central government has a direct relationship with each and every citizen of the united nations, while in a League the central body deals only with the participating governments. World federation, therefore, means an international order on the analogy of the American system, with an equality of citizenship conferred upon all adult persons in all the nations involved.

The central or federal government, on the other hand, exercises only those functions and powers conferred upon it by the participating states. These states represent the general reservoir of power and authority, the central state they set up is restricted and limited by the specific delegation of power. The immense social importance of the federal principle lies in the fact that it is the only political method yet found for uniting different sovereignties on a basis of equality. World federation, therefore, is an instrument which can, to a degree, serve the spirit of unity typified by the very essence of religion. World federation can abolish the danger of war and invasion, give equal opportunity of access to raw materials and undeveloped areas, provide the opportunity for discussion and cooperation on common interests, and enable the people of the world to take the first steps toward that oneness of faith which represents the goal of human evolution.

---

The world is in travail and its agitation waxeth day by day. Its face is turned towards waywardness and unbelief. Such shall be its plight that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly. Its perversity will long continue. And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then and only then will the Divine Standard be unfurled and the Nightengale of Paradise warble its melody.—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH

[Page 189]

BAHÁ’Í LESSONS

The Goal of World Order

(References are to The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh unless otherwise specified)

I. The Working of Divine Destiny

This is the Day of God, Gleanings, 13, 10-11.

The Age of Transition, Gleanings, 6-7, 29-35.

An Era of Tribulation, Gleanings, 39-46; W. O. B., 201-2.

A Two-fold Process of Change, 170, 194-6, 155-60.

Events of the Age of Transition, 171.

Fall of Kingdoms and Empires, 171-4.

Islam Suffers Severe Blows, 175-6, 179.

What of Christianity? 180-3.

Moral Downfall, 186-9.

Political and Economic Decline, 188-190.

Ever-Deepening Gloom, 190; Advent, 68-9.

II. The Maturity of Man

Humanity’s Coming of Age, 43, 163-5. (Promulgation, 127-8, 135-6).

Process of Integration, 165-6.

Pangs of Birth and Death, 168.

World Unity the Goal, 202-4.

New World Order, 161-2.

The Wilsonian Ideal, 191, 193; Advent, 74, 75.

Lesser Peace, 162, 192. (Gleanings, 249-50, 253-4).

Most Great Peace, 162-3. (Gleanings, 260, 255, 238; Promulgation, 9-10, 16-17, 26, 186).

Celestial Strength, 51-2, 54-5.

Measured with Dispensations of the Past, 55-6, 61-3, 100-108.

America and the Most Great Peace, 73-8. (Promulgation 34, 54, 80; Advent, 72, 74, 76-7).

[Page 190]

III. World Order of Bahá’u’lláh

A. Bahá’í Institutions

Relation of the Guardianship and Universal House of Justice, 147-8, 149-150.

The Guardian as Interpreter, 148-150.

Appointment of the Guardians, Will and Testament, 9, 12-13, 14.

Integrity of the Guardianship, 150-1.

Legislative Functions of the House of Justice, 149, 150.

Exponent and Guardian of Divine Justice, Advent, 18.

Formation of Universal House of Justice, 7.

Nucleus and Forerunner of World Order, Advent, 16.

Future Power of Assemblies, 6-7.

National Assemblies, 147. (Will and Testament, 16).

Charter of New World Order, 144.

B. Protection of the True Faith. (References to Will).

Greatest of All Things, 9.

The Guardianship, 12-13, 19.

Prayer for Protection, 11.

The Universal House of Justice, 13.

Hands of the Cause, 13.

Teaching the Cause, 11-12, 14, 18-19.

IV. World Order of Bahá’u’lláh

C. Fundamental Characteristics.

Divine in Origin, 3-6.

Relation of Bahá’í World Order to Present Administration, 144, 156-7.

Need of a Visible Order, 19.

Animating Purpose, 9-10.

Has Upset World’s Equilibrium, Gleanings, 136.

Essentials of a Divine Economy, 19, 20.

Distinctions Between Bahá’í World Order and Other Governing Institutions, 152-5.

A Living Organism, 22-23.

The Kingdom of God, 156-7, 205-6. (Gleanings, 35-6, 260).

[Page 191]

WITH OUR READERS

“WHY NOT a question-and-answer letter department, to which non-Bahá’ís as well as Bahá’ís could write, other Bahá’ís answering them?” writes one of our readers. We invite questions. This column will include such correspondence, at least a limited amount. When it gets too large for this column . . . but we will not cross bridges. Two or three other good suggestions have come to us which we hope to make use of in time. We are glad to know that some are making successful use of the magazine in study classes.

And here is the first bit of personal experience which has been sent in to share with others. Do you too find that sometimes your efforts in teaching others which seemed not an entire success have been effective in teaching yourself? This letter concerns “a controversial discussion of the New World Order after dinner at the International House of the University of California in Berkeley.” And the letter proceeds: “This was not teaching. Teaching is leading out the soul along its pre-ordained course, helping the soul to unfold its own self. The measure of successful teaching is the measure of what the soul accepts: that which was achieved is teaching—that much and no more. To arouse opposition, controversy, argument, to wrestle with a spirit—whether one throws it to the ground or not—is to struggle but not to teach; it may be to win, but it has not advanced the soul of that person. It may have injured it. Teaching may be only a cup of coffee, an anecdote, a gesture which attracts. There must be this attraction, this desire for for what you give, and this attraction will lead to a higher, and so on. Like Plato’s ascending loves. Teaching begins where the soul is—not where you are. . . .

“On the other hand, there are times when one must defend the Cause, but this is a different matter. It may result in teaching— but teaching is not its purpose. . . .”

* * *

This month’s articles center more or less directly on the peace [Page 192] of the world. Only the newer Bahá’ís, and perhaps not they, need an introduction to George O. Latimer who sends his comprehensive article on the Greater and the Lesser Peace from his home in Portland, Oregon. Mr. Latimer has made pilgrimages to Haifa and traveled through Europe in the interests of the Cause. For a number of years he served on our National Spiritual Assembly and has helped the Cause notably in many ways. In recent years he has done invaluable work as Properties Representative for Bahá’í Trusteeships.

Annamarie Honnold, whose article World Order: How? presents the peace program from a somewhat different angle, is an active Bahá’í among our young people and got her start in the Urbana, Illinois, community whence have come so many devoted Bahá’ís. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York.

This issue is greatly enriched by the publication of the first part of the account of Martha Root’s pioneer trip through South America. Of Martha Root, who passed away last September, the Guardian has written: “Her departure constitutes the heaviest blow which the teaching force not only in America but throughout the entire Bahá’í World has sustained since the passing of our beloved Master.” She was “the embodiment of those teaching qualities which only a few Bahá’í teachers whether in the East or the West, can claim to have attained.” This material from Martha Root’s diary has been edited for the magazine by Mrs. Helen Bishop whose articles in past issues of World Order, readers of the magazine will remember. Mrs. Bishop has spent some time in Haifa and has traveled and lectured extensively in European countries. For some time she was resident director of the Bahá’í International Bureau at Geneva, Switzerland.

The book review this month by Horace Holley, one of our editors and secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly—the compilation on The Divine Art of Living by Mrs. Mabel Paine of Urbana, Illinois, The Bahá’í Answers to World Questions, and the study Outline compiled by Alice Simmons Cox, complete this issue.

The Editors