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[Page 191]

WORLD ORDER

THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE

September, 1940

• Islám’s Contribution to World Culture . Stanwood Cobb   193

• This Divine Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bahá’u’lláh   204

• Prayer and Meditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Compilation   205

• To South America in 1919, II . . . . . . . . Helen Bishop   211

• Bahá’í Answers to World Questions

Who Was Muhammad? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   216

What Did He Teach? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   216

Why Christian Disagreement? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   217

How Is Bahá’í Faith Related to Other Religions? . . . . . .   217

• Triumphant Pilgrimage, Book Review . . Lorna Tasker   219

• Bahai Lessons . . . . 224   • With Our Readers . . 226

FIFTEEN CENTS

[Page 192]

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. This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician . . . Soon will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead.— BAHÁ’U’LLÁH

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CHANGE OF ADDRESS SHOULD BE REPORTED ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE

WORLD ORDER is published monthly in Wilmette, Ill., by the Publishing Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. EDITORS: Stanwood Cobb, Alice Simmons Cox, Horace Holley, Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick. CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Marcia Steward Atwater, Hasan M. Balyusi, Dale S. Cole, Geneveive L. Coy, Shirin Fozdar, Marzieh Gail, Inez Greeven, Annamarie Honnold, G. A. Shook.

Editorial and Publication Office

536 SHERIDAN ROAD, WILMETTE, ILL.

C. R. Wood, Business Manager

Printed in U.S.A.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $1.50 per year, for United States, its territories and possessions; for Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Central and South America. Single copies, 15c, Foreign subscriptions, $1.75. Make checks and money orders payable to World Order Magazine, 536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, Illinois, or 135 East 50th Street, New York, N. Y. Entered as second class matter April 1, 1940, at the post office at Wilmette, Ill., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Contents copyrighted 1940 by Bahá’í Publishing Committee. Title registered at U. S. Patent Office.

SEPTEMBER 1940, VOLUME VI, NUMBER 6

[Page 193]

WORLD ORDER

THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE

VOLUME VI SEPTEMBER, 1940 NUMBER 6

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Islám’s Contribution to World Culture

Stanwood Cobb

THE CHRISTIAN WORLD is very little aware of the great contributions which Islám has made to world culture. This is for two reasons. First, because religious bigotry has given such a bias to history as written by Occidentals that only recently have historians dealt in a truthful and objective manner with Islámic civilization. In fact, H. G. Well’s Outline of History was one of the first general histories to give any due appreciation to the Islámic contributions to civilization. A second reason for neglect of Islámic origins of many phases of our present culture is due to the inability of scholars up to the present to study the source material of Islámic Culture, which is in Arabic. Only very recently have Western historians realized the necessity for the knowledge of Arabic, in order to get at this source material. The true history of Islám has not yet appeared. It will require decades of careful research in Arabic manuscripts before such a history can be [Page 194] achieved. In treating briefly the subject of Islámic civilization a few of the outstanding points will be listed, upon which the general public needs most to be informed, giving thus a birds-eye view of this great theme which deserves volumes of treatment.

LED THE WORLD

1. Every world religion has created a civilization, but no other instance is so striking in this respect as the rapid and intense blossoming forth of Islám into a great world culture and civilization. Other religions have taken centuries to fructify in arts and culture. In the case of Islám, this fructification became marked within a century from the death of the prophet, Muhammad, and for the following three centuries, the period roughly covering 750 and 1050 A. D., Islámic civilization led the world.

The factor of religion can be indisputably assigned as the chief cause of this great creation of culture, and of its spread throughout the Islámic world from India in the East, to Spain and the Pyrenees on the Western outposts. Even Christian historians recognize and state that it was the spiritual élan of Islám which stimulated this rapid development of Islámic culture—that same spiritual élan which had been the chief cause of the Muslim’s extraordinarily rapid conquest of half the known world.

There was a buoyancy, an intellectual as well as spiritual energy, an extraordinary cultural dynamics characterizing the rise of Islámic civilization. Far from being true that the Qur’án was opposed to science, it was in fact the chief stimulus of that great Islámic learning which was to pour its abundant blessings upon the whole known world.

There is nothing in the essential teachings of Islám antipathetic [Page 195] to science and technology. Modernistic Muslims themselves are now making this claim, pointing with pride to the great achievements of Islámic culture in the past. The fact is that every religion, in its essential teachings tends to stimulate and create a culture of immense benefit to the progress of humanity. And of all such creations, the contributions of Islám to culture have been the most notable, the most rapidly developed, the most intense in their emanations from the fountainhead of the religion—the source of Revelation.

FOUR GREAT ERAS

2. Islámic culture not only is important in itself and in its contributions to subsequent world civilization, but it stands out as one of the four great world eras of creative culture. These periods are the Egypto-Mesopotamian, the Graeco-Roman, the Islámic, and the modern Industrial-Technological.

As suggested in the first part of this article, historians have kept us in such ignorance of the true greatness of Islámic culture that very few Occidentals, in considering the great eras of culture which have led to the present status of civilization, would ascribe that high position to the Islámic era which in reality it deserves, as being one of the four chief periods of creative culture in all the world’s history.

SCIENCE AND FINE ARTS

3. A most extraordinary fact about Islámic civilization is that it led the world for three centuries, not only in its contributions to science, but also to the fine arts and the practical arts. During the period from 750 to 1050 A.D. no portion of the planet lived in such comfort, security, peace, and happiness as did the peoples of Islám. Here for three hundred years intellectuality was at its height, creative abilities [Page 196] were given ample scope and rewards, and fertile minds were enabled to blossom forth and bless the world with their abilities. The opportunities and the rewards offered to scholars, irrespective of creed or race, attracted into the orbit of Islám all the leading mentalities of Western Asia and North Africa. The courts of the various Caliphates were thronged with scholars of many races and religions—Persians, Greeks, Copts, Jews and others. Islám was very hospitable to high scholarship, irrespective of race or creed. In truth Islám has had a much more tolerant course of history than has Christianity. It never forced its creed upon others, nor did it bar adherents of other religions from its own cultural life and environment. Rather it eagerly welcomed all who had anything to contribute, whether Muslim, Jew, or Christian.

The extraordinary extent to which Islámic culture during three centuries led the whole world is evidenced by the space given to Islámic contributions to scientific progress in George Sarton’s “Introduction to the History of Science.” During these three great centuries of Islámic culture the contributions of Islám to world science, as listed by George Sarton, composed around 65% of the whole world’s scientific contributions during this period. In other words, not only did Islámic culture lead the world for these three centuries but it practically composed the whole world’s activity in science and progress of the arts of life.

FROM INDIA TO SPAIN

4. The universal scope of this Islámic culture is amazing. During these three centuries, Islámic civilization was spread fairly uniformly from the borders of India to the Pyrenees in Spain. The great scholars of Islám were often peripatetic. They wandered from court to court as opportunity called [Page 197] them, from the distant cities of Samarkand and Bokhara in Turkestan to Baghdad on the Euphrates, to Damascus, Cairo, and to Cordova and Toledo in Spain—either going on their own initiative or as a result of specific invitation of Caliphs who desired their renowned services.

For the first time in history peace reigned throughout this vast district of Islámic civilization. Merchants and scholars could travel in safety from India to Spain. This political tranquility and unity, flowing from the strong spiritual unity of Islám, was one of the chief reasons for the rapid rise of Islámic culture. Great wealth flowed to the leading cities of Islám through the avenues of a commerce made possible by the peaceful, organized condition newly established throughout the Muslim world. Culture has always thus flowed as an aftermath of wealth in urban centers, and undoubtedly always will. A new world religion had created order and security in a vast domain which for centuries had been a prey to disorder and insecurity. Never before in the history of the planet had the region east of Syria been joined in peaceful political order and in active commerce to what in the previous epoch was known as the Graeco-Roman civilization of the Mediterranean world. Islám had penetrated farther east than the Roman influence had penetrated, had conquered Persia—unconquerable by the Romans—and had penetrated even into the semi-barbaric regions of Afghanistan and Turkestan, causing the rise of great wealthy and cultured cities in a region formerly devoid of civilization.

Throughout this great Muslim world, discoveries, inventions, and scholarly contributions could be and were made available to all the various centers of Islám. A close fellowship and connection functioned through this great Islámic organism held together above the exigencies of the dispersive [Page 198] human emotions by means of the powerfully cohesive force of the Qur’án.

A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE

5. Islámic civilization was both the cause and the result of a unique linguistic situation which has prevailed only a few times in the world’s history. There operated effectively throughout the whole Islámic world a universal auxiliary language, Arabic—the language of the Sacred Book. Scholars of various races who gravitated to Muslim centers of culture had to master Arabic in order to function in these centers. Jews and Christians of various national and linquistic origins became conversant with Arabic and wrote all their works in that language. Arabic thus became the common language of commerce and scholarship.

The vast importance of linguistic unity in building up a great era of civilization is indisputable, that is why Bahá’u’lláh includes it as one of the fundamental principles of the New World Order. We can see it functioning in Islám as an extraordinary factor of unity and of the rise of civilization. Scholars of all races, as has been pointed out in the previous section, frequently moved from court to court, from university to university, giving their services, seeking the widest possible avenues for their creative abilities. This possibility of flexible movement on a common linguistic basis in the Islámic world was a great aid to scholars, enabling creative geniuses in all parts of the Islámic world to exchange their knowledge and build up a common stock of scientific information which could be drawn upon for technology and the practical arts. Christians of European countries even studied Arabic from 1000 A. D. on in order to attend Arabic universities and avail themselves of Arabic science and culture.

[Page 199] A study of history proves conclusively the desirability and need of linguistic unity for the growth of a world civilization. Undoubtedly a universal auxiliary language will be selected and become operative in all countries of the world before the end of the present century.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF ISLÁM

6. The particular contributions of Islám to world civilization can be rendered here only with extreme brevity. Islámic scholars began to revive and to restore the learnings of the ancient world, chiefly existent in Greek manuscripts in Alexandria, Constantinople, and other Greek centers. Caliphs who became devotees of learning eagerly sought out such manuscripts and had them translated into Arabic. Every court had its staff of translators who were busy organizing immense libraries which came to comprise the whole world’s existent body of scientific knowledge. In all the major Islámic cities universities were founded and education flourished.

The Muslim scholars restored Greek philosophy to the world, especially the philosophy of Aristotle and Plato. Aristotle, undoubtedly the greatest sheer intellect the world has ever known, became the foster-father of Islámic thought and science, later to be handed over to Medieval Europe to perform there a similar function.

The scientific learning of the past, much of which goes back to very ancient times to include the learning of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia as well as that of Greece, was thus collected, organized and handed on to the world by Islámic scholarship, which in this sense formed the function of bridging to the modern world the learning of ancient epochs.

But Islámic scholarship performed a much more vital function than that of resurrecting, organizing, and handing over [Page 200] to Europe the ancient learnings. It also made definite creative contributions, greatly adding to the world’s body of knowledge of science and technology. Algebra, the beginning of which had been created by the Greeks, was so expanded by the Muslims, as to deserve to be credited chiefly to them. Chemistry also is practically a creation of Muslim scholarship. Through their development of chemistry the Muslims made great contributions to medicine, metallurgy, and the practical arts. Astronomy, taken over from the Greeks, was greatly advanced by the Muslims. The first telescope known to history was built for a Muslim caliph in distant Turkestan.

The Muslims borrowed the cypher from India and by means of it developed the Arabic decimal system of arithmetic. Without the decimal system, modern science would be impossible. In fact, it would be difficult to transact modern business without it. The science and art of arithmetic was, in its modern sense, created by the Muslims.

The science and art of medicine and surgery were greatly advanced by Muslim scholarship. They gathered together all the knowledge of the ancient world, in which Egypt and Greece stood out as the great discoverers of medical science and procedure. The Muslim physicians added many discoyeries of their own, and also achieved immensely useful classifications of various diseases with factors of diagnosis. In fact, the Muslims deserve equal rank in the history of medicine with the ancient Egyptians and the Greeks. Muslims were able to do something forbidden to Christians by their religious traditions—that is, to dissect the human body. Thus Muslim surgery far surpassed the surgery of benighted Christendom. Christian princes often traveled to Islámic countries in order to avail themselves of methods of healing and surgery in these great medical centers.

[Page 201] Agriculture, horticulture, and stirpiculture were immensely advanced by the Muslims. They revived the ancient art of irrigation which had once made Mesopotamia the garden of the world; now again Mesopotamia flourished with canals and irrigation projects, finally to be destroyed by the wild hordes of Mongols under Genghis Khan. The Muslims introduced the art of irrigation into Spain for the first time, and with agricultural science and skill made Spain blossom like the rose. In fact, historians state that at no other time in history were the people of Spain so prosperous and happy as under the Islámic rule of the Moors.

The list of the things introduced into the cultural life of Europe is impressive, and can only be partially covered in this brief article. We are indebted to the Muslims for many of the articles of food which enriched the former meager diet of Europe, namely: sugar, coffee, rice, cherries, peaches, apricots and gooseberries. In textiles we are indebted to the Muslims for all cotton fabrics, which they were the means of introducing to Europe. Many of the delicate cotton fabrics we prize so today were either invented by the Muslims or taken over by them from previous cultures of the Orient and introduced by them to Europe. Some of the names of such textiles indicate their Muslim origin—muslin, damask, cambric, etc. Metallurgy was an art which the Muslims greatly advanced; whether or not they were the discoverers of the process of making steel, they certainly are to be credited with the development of that art and for handing it over to Europe.

The greatest single contribution which Islám has made to civilization is one which it did not create but borrowed from the Chinese—the art of papermaking. A Muslim general in warfare with the Chinese on the borders of Turkestan was intrigued by the discovery, on a Chinese prisoner, of a piece [Page 202] of paper. Eagerly he questioned him about it, got other prisoners to describe to him the art of papermaking, and this became the initial cause of the manufacturing of paper spreading from the confinements of China throughout the Islámic world and eventually to Europe. Without paper, the modern book would be impossible, thus it may be said that the art of printing itself depended, fundamentally, upon the art of manufacturing paper. Thus our modern age of science and universal education would have been impossible without this immense cultural contribution, flowing originally from China, but which the modern world owes distinctly to Muslim cultural enterprise.

SOURCE OF THE RENAISSANCE

8. Islám, impinging culturally upon adjacent Christian countries, was the virtual creator of the Renaissance in Europe. The points at which the Islámic culture chiefly operated upon European culture were Sicily and Spain. Frederick the Second, King of the Christian part of Sicily and of Naples, was greatly intrigued by Islámic thought and culture. In fact, so tolerant and even sympathetic was he to Islámic culture that he was in danger of being convicted of heresy by the Catholic Church. The Moorish culture of Spain exerted a still greater influence upon Europe. Open-minded Christians compared the lovely civilization of Andalusia with their own meager culture and were forced to ponder as to whether Islám had not some legitimate claims to existence. Gradually, they came to frequent the cultural centers of Islám and bring back its learnings to Christendom. It was in this way that the beginnings of the European university took place during the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

At this period, Islámic culture was reaching an ebb-tide. [Page 203] Dissension and stagnation, luxury and sensuality—and at the eastern end of the Mediterranean the cataclysmic impact of the Mongolian horde under Genghis Khan—brought to an end the golden age of Islámic creative activity. From now on Christendom appears more dynamic in its intellectual and spiritual life. Creative mentalities arise throughout Christian Europe to forward scholarship in the newly founded university of Padua, Paris and Oxford. European science, building upon the foundations handed over to it by Islám, began to make those discoveries in physics and chemistry which laid the foundations for our modern industrial and technological age.

It is fascinating to study this particular period in the world’s history of culture, from 1050 to 1600 A.D., a period in which one can discern clearly the ebbing of one great cultural tide and the waxing of another. Islám had lost its forward moving power. It was now entering upon a long period of scholasticism, obscuritism and crystallization. Christian Europe, on the contrary, was throwing off its sluggishness of barbarism and beginning to take that stride which was eventually to give it world leadership and domination.

The author’s chief concern in regard to this article is that it may help to counteract that bias of superciliousness with which the Christian Occidental has tended to view Islámic civilization. We have only to go back a few centuries to realize that our present superiority in world civilization is but a fluent and fugacious thing. Therefore our attitude toward those countries of the world less advanced technologically than us should be one of modesty, of brotherhood and helpfulness. Let us offer what we have of good for the benefit of the world. But let us not boast. For viewing history as a whole, we have very little ground for boasting.

[Page 204]

THIS DIVINE LAW

I BESEECH THEE by Thy Most Great Name, to open the eyes of Thy servants that they may behold Thee shining above the horizon of Thy majesty and glory, and that they may not be hindered by the croaking of the raven from harkening to the voice of the Dove of Thy sublime oneness, nor be prevented by the corrupt waters from partaking of the pure wine of Thy bounty and the everlasting streams of Thy gifts.

Gather them, then, together around this Divine Law, the covenant of which Thou hast established with all Thy Prophets and Thy Messengers, and whose ordinances Thou hast written down in Thy Tablets and Thy Scriptures. Raise them up, moreover, to such heights as will enable them to perceive Thy Call.

Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou art, verily, the Inaccessible, the All-Glorious—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH

[Page 205]

The Divine Art of Living

A Compilation

CHAPTER SIX

PRAYER AND MEDITATION

Answers to Prayer

GOD answers the prayers of all His servants. He answers the prayer of this plant. The plant prays potentially, “O God! send me rain!” God answers the prayer and the plant grows . . . Did we not pray potentially for needed blessings before we were created? When we came into this world did we not find our prayers answered? Did we not find mother, father, food, light, home and every other necessity and blessing, although we did not actually ask for them? Therefore it is natural that God will give to us when we ask Him. His mercy is all-encircling.

But we ask for things which the divine wisdom does not desire for us and there is no answer to our prayer. . . . We pray, “O God! make me wealthy!” If this prayer were universally answered, human affairs would be at a standstill. There would be none left to work in the streets, none to till the soil, none to build, none to run the trains. . . . The affairs of the world would be interfered with, energies crippled and progress hindered. But whatever we ask for, which is in accord with divine wisdom, God will answer. (Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 241, 242)

A servant is drawn unto Me through prayers until I answer [Page 206] Him; and when I have answered his prayers, I become the ear wherewith he heareth. (Seven Valleys, p. 21)

Surely a day will come when all thy desires will be attained and God will answer all that which thou hast prayed for in thine heart. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 122)

Thou art He Who changeth through His bidding abasement into glory, and weakness into strength, and powerlessness into might, and fear into calm, and doubt into certainty. No God is there but Thee, the Mighty, the Beneficent.

Thou disappointest no one who hath sought Thee, nor dost Thou keep back from Thee anyone who hath desired Thee. Ordain Thou for me what becometh the heaven of Thy generosity, and the ocean of Thy bounty. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful. (Prayers and Meditations, pp. 249, 250)

WHEN TO PRAY

At the dawn of every day he (the true seeker) should commune with God, and with all his soul persevere in the quest of his Beloved. (Iqán, p. 194)

Supplication to God at morn and eve is conducive to the joy of hearts and prayer causes spirituality and fragrance. Thou shouldst necessarily continue therein. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 186)

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 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. (Idem, pp. 694, 695)

In these (warring) countries today there is hardly a house [Page 207] free from the sound of bitter weeping, scarcely can one find a home untouched by the cruel hand of war.

Alas! we see on all sides how cruel, prejudiced and unjust is man, and how slow he is to believe in God and follow His commandments.

Why is man so hard of heart? It is because he does not yet know God. If he had knowledge of God he could not act in direct opposition to His laws. If only the laws and precepts of the Prophets of God had been believed, understood and followed, wars would no longer darken the face of the earth.

If man had even the rudiments of justice, such a state of things would be impossible.

PRAYER FOR OTHERS

Therefore, I say unto you pray—pray and turn your faces to God, that He, in His infinite compassion and mercy, may help and succor these misguided ones. Pray that He will grant them spiritual understanding and teach them tolerance and mercy, that the eyes of their minds may be opened and that they may be endued with the gift of the Spirit. . . . I beseech you all to pray with heart and soul that this may be accomplished. (Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 105, 106)

With all his heart should the seeker avoid fellowship with evil doers, and pray for the remission of their sins. (Iqán, p. 194)

Pray thou that the ill-natured become good-natured and the weak become strong. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 277)

Reflect a while and consider how they that are the loved ones of God must conduct themselves, and to what heights they must soar. Beseech thou, at all times, Thy Lord, the God of Mercy, to aid them to do what He willeth. He, verily, is the Most Powerful, the All-Glorious. (Gleanings, p. 243)

[Page 208] O maid-servant of God! Do beseech and pray constantly for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and beg the confirmation and assistance of God in his behalf, because I am earnestly fond of the prayer of the maid-servants of God in my behalf. . . . I begged of God to ordain all good unto thee for thy praying for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 113)

. . . Have mercy, O Lord, on the feeble, make whole the sick, and quench the burning thirst.

Gladden the bosom wherein the fire of Thy love doth smoulder and set it aglow with the flame of Thy celestial love and spirit.

Robe the Tabernacles of Divine Unity with the vesture of holiness and set upon my head the crown of Thy favor. (Hidden Words, ed. 1923, p. 87)

UNITED PRAYER

. . . Establish a spiritual meeting-place wherefrom the incense of sanctity and purity will rise up to God, assemble there with fragrance and spirituality and celebrate the Name of your Lord by day and by night. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá p. 661)

Supplication and prayer on behalf of others will surely be effective. When hearts are united, when faces are turned towards the Kingdom of Abhá, surely enlightenment will be the result. (Star of the West, vol. viii, p. 47)

INTERCESSORY PRAYER

As the spirit of man after putting off this material form has an everlasting life, certainly any existing being is capable of making progress; therefore it is permitted to ask for advancement, [Page 209] forgiveness, mercy, beneficence, and blessings for a man after his death, because existence is capable of progression. That is why in the prayers of Bahá’u’lláh, forgiveness and remission of sins are asked for those who have died. Moreover, as people in this world are in need of God, they will also need Him in the other world. The creatures are always in need, and God is absolutely independent, whether in this world or in the world to come.

The wealth of the other world is nearness to God. Consequently it is certain that those who are near the Divine Court are allowed to intercede, and this intercession is approved by God. But intercession in the other world is not like intercession in this world: it is another thing, another reality, which cannot be expressed in words. (Some Answered Questions, p. 268)

MEDITATION AND THE REVEALED WORD OF GOD

Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths. (Gleanings, p. 136)

One hour’s reflection is preferable to seventy years of pious worship. (Iqán, p. 238)

Through the faculty of meditation man attains to eternal life; the bestowal of the Spirit is given in reflection and meditation.

The spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened during meditation; through it affairs of which man knew nothing are unfolded before his view. . . .

Meditation is the key for opening the doors of mysteries . . . in that subjective mood man is immersed in the ocean of spiritual life and can unfold the secrets of things-in-themselves. To illustrate this, think of man as endowed with two [Page 210] kinds of sight; when the power of insight is being used the power of vision does not see.

This faculty of meditation frees man from the animal nature, discerns the reality of things, puts man in touch with God.

This faculty brings forth from the invisible plane the sciences and arts. Through the meditative faculty inventions are made possible, colossal undertakings are carried out; through it governments can run smoothly. Through this faculty man enters into the very Kingdom of God. . . .

The meditative faculty is akin to the mirror; if you put it before earthly objects it will reflect them. . . .

But if you turn the mirror of your spirits heavenwards. . . the rays of the Sun of Reality will be reflected in your hearts, and the virtues of the Kingdom will be obtained.

Therefore let us keep this faculty rightly directed—turning it to the heavenly Sun and not to earthly objects—so that we may discover the secrets of the Kingdom, and comprehend the allegories of the Bible and the mysteries of the Spirit. (Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 163, 164)

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Whosoever hath recognized Thee will turn to none save Thee, and will seek from Thee naught else except Thyself. Thou art the sole Desire of the heart of him whose thoughts are fixed on Thee, and the highest aspiration of whosoever is wholly devoted unto Thee.—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH.

[Page 211]

To South America In 1919

From Martha L. Root’s Diary

Edited by Helen Bishop

II

THERE IS almost no English spoken in Pernambuco. Portuguese is heard everywhere. Martha, by chance hearing there was an American business woman at the Hotel Parque, went there to try to see her and engage a room in the same hotel until a ship arrived.

The American woman met Martha most cordially. Almost immediately Martha said, “I am a Bahá’í,” and the American woman replied, “Did you ever know my cousin, Lua Getsinger?”

As there was no room in the inn, this woman had a cot put into her room for Martha.

Business men aboard “The X” had heard of Mrs. Z’s ability, and when Martha went back to the ship to say goodbye and tell them of her companion, the passengers in their hearts knew it was an answered prayer. The Captain and others asked for more blue booklets.

Martha had been to the editor of the largest newspaper in Pernambuco. After speaking with the editor in French, she wrote an article on The Bahá’í Movement and Esperanto. Mrs. Z. took Martha to every one of the five leading newspapers in Pernambuco and was interpreter for Martha.

The next morning the boat stopped for six hours in Maceio, a city of 70,000. A merchant who knew Mrs. Z. came out with a sailboat and took her and Martha to see his city. After a motor ride he drove to all the newspaper offices. When the editors were not in he took his guests to call at their homes.

[Page 212] Bahia is a city of 200,000 inhabitants. The word Bahia means bay and the city is called Bay of Saint Saviour or Bay of All Saints. It was founded in April, 1549 by Thomas De Souza, a nobleman, accompanied by Jesuits.

There are 365 churches in Bahia. The tendency among the literary is to become “positivistos” meaning “rationalists” not altogether atheists. Many of them have been educated in France and their literature consists of French philosophy and French novels. Several of the distinguished public men of Brazil are rationalists, however it is said that the women and the lower classes are devout Catholics. Martha found “the thinkers” of Brazil much interested in universal religion and nowhere did she encounter antagonism.

Rio de Janeiro harbor is called the most beautiful in the world. It is eighteen miles long and sixteen miles wide, a magnificent “bowl” encircled by stupendous mountains with slender pinnacles capped by graceful and restless palm trees. Of these companionable trees legend says they cannot live beyond the sound of human voices. In this “bowl” are a hundred islands. Rio, one of the show places of the earth, is remembered always for its scenery.

Martha arrived the best time of all—the sunset hour. It was August 27, 1919. She gave the Bahá’í Message about as follows: interviewing the American Consul General on the first day, he introduced her to the editor of the “Journal de . . . ”, who was calling at the Consulate. The editor was interested in the Bahá’í Cause and gave it about three-fourths of a column. An excellent article outlining the vital principles. Also, he gave Martha the addresses of an Esperanto writer and the President of the Esperanto Society of Brazil.

Not only in the interviews, but later in the report of Esperanto meetings and notice of the Bahá’í books placed in the Rio [Page 213] Library, the newspapers spoke again of the Bahá’í Cause. The best introduction for the Bahá’í Cause anywhere is through the newspapers. It is a fact that when Martha gave the Message individually, an interest had already been created because hearers had seen something about it in the press.

Martha spoke about the Cause in the Consulate, at the American Embassy, the Brazilian School of Naval Aviation, Brazilian Army School of Aviation, the American Chamber of Commerce in Rio, to several Brazilian families, to a cocoa plantation owner and to American, British, French and Brazilian business men.

Nothing would be more courteous than to publish the Bahá’í booklets in Portuguese and send them to the new friends interested there. They do not like Spanish. It is better to send in English than in Spanish. Mr. Harry Randall foresaw the immense advantage of translations so he had five thousand booklets published in Spanish for Martha’s use in Argentina. (Now she prays they will be awaiting her arrival.)

The three hundred other booklets given by Mr. Roy Wilhelm and one hundred given by other friends have all gone to men and women who read them the day they were received.

Martha left Rio de Janeiro September fifth for Sao Paulo. The journey is twelve hours through a paradise of wealth not yet discovered by the world. It will take thousands of years to develop its resources and send them around the globe.

Sao Paulo is more like the “Chicago” of Brazil, that is to say it is a city of manufacturing. Unlike Chicago, Sao Paulo was built from the beginning with a love of the beautiful. Its station de luxe is beside a famous park.

On the train September tenth from Sao Paulo for Santos, Martha saw what is probably the richest short railroad in the world—and the most perfect. An American railroad president [Page 214] was asked what could be done to improve it and said that he knew of nothing unless it were to set its rails with diamonds.

In the morning she looked for the library—not a city library, but a large library for all those employed in business. The director, who spoke English, was not in, but it was an easy matter to turn to their own files and show the articles about the Bahá’í Cause in a dozen papers. They seemed delighted to accept the books.

Martha’s journalistic trip to Brazil has been not only to give the Message, but to study customs and manners, exchange thoughts and ideals, and learn how friends in other parts of the world can help their fellowman here. Brazilians of the better classes in the large cities have much broader views and are far more cultivated than people in the United States realize. They are not specialists, but have a general and genuine culture. Many of them have been educated in Europe and have centuries of refinement back of them. Their manners are so perfect and pleasing that one cannot help wishing other countries had ways as gentle and polite. Nor are they creed-bound: the very broadness of the Bahá’í Movement appeals to them.

Theosophists who saw the Bahá’í article in “La Tribuna” of Santos called and invited Martha to address their society. As she is sailing today, they appointed a commission to meet at the hotel this morning.

First on shipboard during the six days’ voyage, there was a great storm. As these travelers had been en route from France for four weeks, they had made their friendships before Martha came aboard. One Frenchman, upon seeing “The Greatest Name” in Persian characters on Martha’s book asked about it: he knew Arabic and was attracted thereby. Another young Frenchman was the son of the head of a newspaper telegraph bureau in Paris. To them Martha explained the Cause. Two [Page 215] days later she suggested that they call a conference in the dining-room for all passengers, and that he interpret for her. This took two days to prepare.

Almost everyone came to the conference announced by the Captain for four o’clock immediately after tea. The Frenchman read the address, then, as friends asked questions, Martha (asking all to pardon her French) replied. All helped. As one man said, “When people really wish to know about something, it is easier to understand.” And the young Frenchman in saying goodbye added, “I have not always understood well ze words you speak me, but I understand ze life you have,— and it is for that I am interested.”

September 19, 1919, Martha spent in Montevideo, where the ship stopped for twelve hours. Martha’s room-mate on “The X” ship out from New York lived there. The latter was an American who had married an Uruguayan—really of an Italian family yet naturalized. The father-in-law had been a passenger on the ship. So Martha went to their business house, from where they took her by car to their beautiful home. After lunch and a drive, a Bahá’í Book was placed in the English Club, another in the National Library, which is a part of Montevideo’s University. They called upon the editor of the leading paper who used an article.

(To be continued)

[Page 216]

BAHÁ’Í ANSWERS TO WORLD QUESTIONS

WHO WAS MUHAMMAD?

MUHAMMAD was sent from God to work among a people as savage and uncivilized as the wild beasts. They were quite devoid of understanding, nor had they any feelings of love, sympathy and pity. Women were so degraded and despised that a man could bury his daughter alive, and he had as many wives to be his slaves as he chose. Among these half-animal people Muhammad was sent with His Divine message. He taught the people that idol worship was wrong, but that they should reverence Christ, Moses and the Prophets. Under His influence they became a more enlightened and civilized people and arose from the degraded state in which He found them. Was not this a good work, and worthy of all praise, respect and love? . . .

Muhammad recognized the sublime grandeur of Christ and the greatness of Moses and the Prophets. If only the whole world would acknowledge the greatness of Muhammad and all the heaven-sent Teachers, strife and discord would soon vanish from the face of the earth, and God’s Kingdom would come among men. (Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 42, 43)

WHAT DID HE TEACH REGARDING CHRIST?

It is significant and convincing that when His Holiness Muhammad proclaimed His work and mission, His first objection to His own followers was, “Why have you not believed [Page 217] on Jesus Christ? Why have you not accepted the Gospel? Why have you not believed in Moses? Why have you not followed the precepts of the Old Testament? Why have you not understood the prophets of Israel? Why have you not believed in the disciples of Christ? The first duty incumbent upon you, O Arabians, is to accept and believe in these. You must consider Moses as a Prophet. You must accept Jesus Christ as the Word of God. You must believe in Jesus Christ as the product of the Holy Spirit.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 196)

WHY HAVE CHRISTIANS AND MUHAMMADANS BEEN IN DISAGREEMENT?

It is evident that ignorance and misunderstanding have caused so much warfare and strife between Christians and Muhammadans. If both should investigate the underlying truth of their religious beliefs, the outcome would be unity and agreement; strife and bitterness would pass away forever and the world of humanity would find peace and composure. . . . If the Holy Books were rightly understood none of this discord and distress would have existed, but love and fellowship would have prevailed instead. This is true with all other religions as well. . . . The essential purpose of the religion of God is to establish unity among mankind. (Idem, p. 197)

HOW IS THE BAHÁ’Í FAITH RELATED TO OTHER REVEALED RELIGIONS?

The Revelation, of which Bahá’u’lláh is the source and center, abrogates none of the religions that have preceded it, nor does it attempt, in the slightest degree, to distort their features or to belittle their value. It disclaims any intention [Page 218] of dwarfing any of the Prophets of the past, or of whittling down the eternal verity of their teachings. It can, in no wise, conflict with the spirit that animates their claims, nor does it seek to undermine the basis of any man’s allegiance to their cause. Its declared, its primary purpose is to enable every adherent of these Faiths to obtain a fuller understanding of the religion with which he stands identified, and to acquire a clearer apprehension of its purpose. It is neither eclectic in the presentation of its truths, nor arrogant in the affirmation of its claims. Its teachings revolve around the fundamental principle that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is progressive, not final. Unequivocally and without the least reservation it proclaims all established religions to be Divine in origin, identical in their aims, complementary in their functions, continuous in their purpose, indispensable in their value to mankind. . . .

To contend that any particular religion is final, that “all Revelation is ended, that the portals of Divine mercy are closed, that from the daysprings of eternal holiness no sun shall rise again, that the ocean of everlasting bounty is forever stilled, and that out of the Tabernacle of Ancient Glory the Messengers of God have ceased to be made manifest” would indeed be nothing less than sheer blasphemy. (Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 58)

[Page 219]

TRIUMPHANT PILGRIMAGE

BOOK REVIEW

Lorna Tasker

DAVID CHALE was a young Englishman, and, like many other young Englishmen, well able to get what he wanted, but the trouble was— he didn’t know what he wanted. He was nervous, jumpy, always dissatisfied, always looking for something. He threw up one job after another, once even slamming a cup of tea into the smug face of his employer.

Then he went into the service of the Rajah of Sarawak in the East Indies. There he came into contact with the Malays and their religion, and there he found the peace of mind he so much needed. As he worked among these people, he began to realize the tremendous force that Islám is in the lives of its followers. He also realized the power for peace that Islám might be in the world, if it could only be awakened to its power. He saw the ancient customs of the people degenerating under the influence of the white men. He saw the tendency to split into sects, to become disunited by petty quarrels and jealousies. That seemed to Chale an appalling thing. He became fired with the ambition to study the Qur’án, to become a Muslim himself, to go on the pilgrimage to Mecca, and then try to bring the Malays back to a true appreciation of the teaching of Islám, thus saving them from deterioration and social disintegration.

The story of his spiritual struggle in making up his mind to become a Muslim, and then his experiences in the journey to Mecca on the great annual pilgrimage to the holy places, is fascinating reading. We seem to go along with him and his Malayan wife, sharing their hopes and despairs, their eagerness, their high resolve, their disappointments, their final triumph. And we find something of the Muslim patience and resignation to the will of God permeating our own lives for days after reading this remarkable story.

To the Bahá’í, in particular, this book has much significance. What Chale learned by studying the fundamental truths of Islám and by experiencing their vitalizing and rejuvenating power, we know [Page 220] is the essential of all religious experience, and the nearer one gets to the Source of the power, the more vital the experience. We see, however, what Chale did not see—that the revitalizing breath that must be infused into Islám in order to restore its purity and unite its disorganized peoples, cannot come from anything less than a divine source—another coming from God in the form of a prophet. We know that the coming of Bahá’u’lláh has united, not only the Muhammadan world, but all the world in a brotherhood as beautiful as the brotherhood Chale experienced on his trip to Mecca. We know that the need he felt for bringing Islám up to date, for awakening a spiritual leadership in Mecca, for renewing the power of the religion in men’s lives, has already been met in the Manifestation of Bahá’u’lláh, who has fulfilled not only the needs of Islám, but the needs of all religions.

All this enhances, rather than detracts from our interest in the story, because Chale’s experience is a sincere one. Anyone who has not had an opportunity to study the teachings of Islám will find here a sympathetic and accurate account.

ONE AT PEACE

Much stress is laid on the peace of mind of the true followers of Islám. The word “Muslim” means “one at peace.” The story is told of a man who was imprisoned for a month under horrible conditions, He never complained, but bore up under his afflictions with great calm, only every now and then muttering “Alláh-u-Akbar”— “God is the Greatest!” Chale realized that the man had “drawn his courage from one source and one only: from his faith, which enjoined submission not to man but to God.”

Another extraordinary thing about Islám is the brotherhood it creates. Chale saw men of all races, all stations of life, and all kinds of political beliefs, living together in amity. During the whole time of the pilgrimage there was no fighting. There were no brawls, or quarreling, or drunken men. All were united in a common need of worship, a worship that meant more to them than food or comfort.

“If Islám has that power in Arabia, why can’t it be extended throughout the countries of the world?” cried Chale, and his cry finds an echo in our own hearts.

[Page 221] The third fact that impresses the mind upon reading this story is the tremendous effect upon the Muslims of the pilgrimage to Mecca. At Mecca, the pilgrim’s sins are all forgiven. He has a chance to start anew. It is like a rebirth. All kinds of sickness, mental and physical, are thrown off in the ecstasy of faith felt by the true believer. The overcoming of the many obstacles of the pilgrimage engenders courage and fortitude. One who has had the experience can never be the same again. For many, it is their only glimpse of the world outside their own home town. Many sacrifice for years in order to gain the necessary means for the journey. All this infuses into the lives of the people a quality of purpose, of high aim, that ennobles an otherwise humdrum existence, and makes the humblest adherent of Islám aware of his membership in a great brotherhood. With membership, comes responsibility, and the code of ethics of the Qur’án permeates the lives of people in villages thousands of miles from Mecca.

A RELIGIOUS AND A CIVIL CODE

Chale found no phase of the life of the people that was not covered by the Qur’án’s teachings, which provided both a religious and a civil code. Muhammad, true prophet that He was, did not destroy the other religions of the world, but simply taught the oneness of God. He did not burden His people with dogmas and difficult creeds. Islám has a simple creed. There can be no conflict between science and religion, between the intellect and the heart, in such a simple statement of belief.

“I believe in God and the oneness of God, and that Muhammad is the true Prophet of God.” That is all one has to say to become a Muslim.

The teachings of Muhammad in the Qur’án are similar to the teachings of all great religions. There are injunctions against avarice, anger, envy, suspicion, slander and quarrelling; against pride, usury, and debt. The people are instructed to respect the ties of blood, to distribute alms, to be fair in speech, to grant pardon, to do good to their parents, to treat women and children, especially orphans, kindly, to be courteous, to be friendly to strangers, and to strive for wisdom. Force was not to be used in converting others—only kindness. This [Page 222] makes us realize what mistaken ideas westerners have obtained about Islám. We have only to go back to the source to see that the followers of Muhammad, especially the Turks, have corrupted the true teachings and done things Muhammad would never have countenanced.

Islám apparently enters into the lives of its followers much more intimately than the Christian religion does. A number of short prayers are quoted in this book—prayers for every occasion. Munireh, Chale’s wife, upon trying on a new dress said:

“All praise be to God who clothed me with this garment and granted it to me without my power and might.”

When she made up her face, she recited:

“All praise is due to God. Oh, God, beautify my spirit as Thou hast created my body beautiful and preserve my face from the fire of hell.”

Many times Chale saw a man subdue his anger in a few minutes by fingering his beads and repeating, “All praise is due to God.”

After the host at dinner had said grace, the guests murmured the prayer for the host:

“O God, bless that which thou hast provided for him, and have mercy upon him.”

PRAYER FOR EVERY OCCASION

Indeed, there is a prayer for every occasion—upon entering a city, upon washing the hands, upon accepting a cup from a slave, upon meeting and upon saying goodbye to a friend. “The Muslim remembers God at every moment. Quotations from the Qur’án form an important part of every conversation. An amusing example of this was the incident when Chale accidentally blundered into a roomful of women. The husband of the women was angry. Chale apologized and mentioned that it had been so dark he had not seen the faces of the women. The man was relieved.

“Whoso curses a man without cause makes the curse return upon his head,” he observed amiably. “And God fills the heart of one who asks pardon.”

“And he is most esteemed in the sight of God who pardons one that has injured him,” quoted Chale politely.

[Page 223] “A sincere repenter of faults is as one who has committed none,” said the Afghan generously.

“And the wrath of the true believer lasts no longer than the time it takes him to adjust his turban,” replied Chale, not to be outdone.

They parted on the best of terms.

In a day when war is spreading over the world, a book which makes clear the underlying principles of so large a part of the world’s population, cannot fail to be of interest to students of world history as well as to students of religion. There is a sixth pillar of Islám, according to this book: that if any of the Prophet’s people are menaced, the others must come to their assistance. Chale returned from his pilgrimage determined to work for the cause of peace. We wonder what he thinks now. Perhaps he, too, has come to realize that never the power of mere man, but only the power of God, can regenerate and guide human affairs, no matter how divine may be the principles upon which we base our efforts, and that today there is need of the new breath of that Divine Spirit, to revitalize not only Islám, but the whole world.

---

I render Thee thanks, O Thou Who hast lighted Thy fire within my soul, and cast the beams of Thy light into my heart, that Thou hast taught Thy servants how to make mention of Thee, and revealed unto them the ways whereby they can supplicate Thee, through Thy most holy and exalted tongue, and Thy most august and precious speech. But for Thy leave, who is there that could venture to express Thy might and Thy grandeur?—.BAHÁ’U’LLÁH

[Page 224]

BAHÁ’Í LESSONS

Progressive Revelation

A. Nature, or Definition of Progressive Revelation

1. Series of Manifestations

2. Greatest Gift of God to Man

3. Versus Creational Revelation

References: For group:—Promulgation, 373, 459-60; W. O. B., 57-61, 113-18. Special assignments:—Gleanings, 73-4, 172-4, 195; Íqán, 102-3, 167; Jeremiah 25:4; Matt. 10:40-41; Mark 1:22; John 7:28-9; Gen. 5:24; 6:8-9; 12:1-3; 37:6-11; 49:22-24; Hebrews 7:15-21; Qur’án, 5:48-53; 57:27-8; 45:76-9; Zend Avesta (Darmesteter), 304-7, 270.

B. Need of Progressive Revelation

1. Infinite, inaccessible Nature of God

2. Finite Nature of Man

3. Dual Nature of Man

4. Law of Cyclic Progress

5. Geographical and Evolutionary Difference of Peoples

6. Holy Spirit, the Intermediator

References: Group:—New Era, 244-8; S. A. Q. XXXVI; Wisdom, 52-3, 53-5, 27-28; Promulgation, 387. Assignments:—Gleanings, 46-7, 49, 77-78, 158-9; Íqán, 98-100; S. A. Q., III, XIV, XXXVII, XLI; Luke 16:13; Qur’án, 42:50-3; 16:38; John 10:9-11.

C. Effects of Revelation

1. Great Religions

2. Development of Individual Capacities

3. Advanced Civilizations

References: Group:—Íqán, 32-3, 145-6; Hidden Words, (A)4, 59, (P)33; Prayers and Meditations, 294, 228; W. O. B., 25, 42-107, 194-201; 202-6; New Era, 164-5; 108. Assignments:—Gleanings, 4-5; 326-7, 67-8, 77-8, 262-3, 340, [Page 225] 158-9, 177-9, 259-60; S. A. Q., VI-IX; Promulgation, 192, 385-6, 399-400, 362, 168; Intro. to Rodwell, The Koran; The Way of Buddha, Wisdom of East Series, 18; Wells, Outline of History, 444-6; West, The Ancient World, 86, 90.

D. Station of the Manifestations

1. Bearers of Word, Mirrors of Reality

2. Infallibility

3. Distinction from lesser Prophets

4. Relationship in Time

5. Specific Measure of Revelation

6. The Báb and Bahá’u’lláh

7. Two-fold Station, Three-fold Nature

8. Archetypes, Focal Centers, Motivating Powers

References: Group:—New Era, 150-2; W. O. B., 57-60, 103-8; 124-8; S. A. Q., XXXVII; Bahá’í S., par 511; Assignments:—Gleanings, 47-50, 73-4, 76-80, 50-61, 87-9, 157; P and M, 49-54, 128; Íqán, 34, 99-100, 103-4, 152-4, 159-63, 176-81; John 1:18,8; 56-58, 1:1-14, 14:6-10; Zend Avesta (Darmesteter), 160, 163-4; World Order Mag. V. 13-15; Qur’án, 33:40, 2:253-4; Malachi, 3:11.

E. Recognition of Latest Manifestation

1. Is Attainment of Presence of God

2. Is Fruit of Man’s Earthly Existence

3. Possible for All Men

4. Necessary for Spiritual Life

5. Essential for Transformation of Society Today

6. Detachment Required

7. Essence of Faith

8. Possible Only Through Light of Manifestation

9. Entails Obedience

References: Group:—Gleanings, 70, 302-3, 168-9, 271, 105-6; S. A. Q., LXXXIV; New Era, 95-100. Assignments:—Gleanings, 113, 183-4, 189-90, 200-5, 340-1, 206, 272-4, 82-5, 20-1, 169, 211-12, 323, 7-9, 264-7, 293, 143, 331; Íqán, 35, 90-1, 75, 192-6; P and M, 136, 246, 256; S. A. Q., XXXI, XXXII.

[Page 226]

WITH OUR READERS

TO THOSE of our readers who have been to one of the Bahá’í Summer Schools the following excerpts from letters from Louise Caswell and Cora Oliver will not be news, but others will be glad to learn something of the conditions which our pioneers find in Panama, the place which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said “will become very important in the future. The teachings once established there will unite the East and the West, the North and the South.”

“Of a population of 29,834 the majority are Jamaican Negroes with a sprinkling of Hindus, Europeans and Mestizos (Spanish and American Indians),” writes Mrs. Caswell. “In a great port city the apostle of Bahá’u’lláh bears the burden of an unregenerate humanity. Established for commercial profit the city of Colon fairly shouts materialism. Flanked by the U. S. Army on the Christobal side and by the U. S. Navy across the bay at Coco Solo this city harbors thousands of day laborers, Jamaicans, who work in the Canal Zone or for the Panama Railroad. Hindu merchants of Front Street invite the passer-by to come in and buy silks, perfumes, laces and Oriental articles of luxury. Aside from these shops the main business in Colon is that of the ‘Cantina’ or saloon and the night club.

“Where then may the light of the new day break through this obscuring haze of materialism and this froth of luxury, frivolity and sensuality? God has a plan and it will be fulfilled. We Bahá’ís have but to do our part by becoming pure channels for the release of His energy.”

Then follows this condensed account of a six weeks’ teaching campaign in Colon:

“Trusting in Bahá’u’lláh’s unfailing guidance, I left Panama City and arrived at Pension Margot, New Christobal, Colon, March 27. German refugees manage the pension and here I met and gave the message to Czecho-Slovakian Jews, a Hungarian Jew going to New Jersey, an Austrian Jewess physician en route to Quito Ecuador, a German Jewess going to Cuba and [Page 227] then to New York, some German Jews going to Ohio, a German Jewess going to Mexico, some French Jews (Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era in French), some German Jews going to the States, Santo Domingo or remaining in Panama. Some became illumined with the Teachings especially an elderly gentleman who had studied and memorized parts of the Qur’án with a Muhammadan in Egypt. Many books were left there including Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era in German.”

An excerpt from Cora Oliver’s letter tells more about the nine or ten days when John Stearns was there: “During the ten-day visit of the Bahá’í pioneer settler to Ecuador, John P. Stearns, the fragrances of the spirit were showered upon the groups and individuals with whom he came in contact. “Those were glorious days when John put his shoulder to the wheel of the Panama activities and gave the Message as only one of his ability, detachment and devotion can. His visit included visits to the Silver Schools as a guest of the superintendent; lectures to the La Boca faculty and La Boca study group, the Christobal Army and Navy Y.M.C.A. (time did not permit his accepting the invitation to speak at the Balboa Y.M.C.A.); La Escuela de Artes y Oficios where meetings are again being held; informal and comprehensive talks at homes of friends in Colon and Panama; and personal interviews. . . . John left a lasting impression of the Teachings in Panama. Ecuador is fortunate in having him.”

This month Professor Stanwood Cobb, one of our editors, contributes a valuable article on The Contribution of Islám to World Culture. Professor Cobb is a distinguished writer and educator, the founder of The Progressive Education Association. Many of his books bear directly on the Bahá’í Faith, such as Security for a Failing World and Character, and many others use the Bahá’í Teachings in an indirect way. He is principal of the Chevy Chase Day School and of the Mast Cove Camp at Eliot, Maine.

A second contribution which will aid in our understanding of Islám (which, by the way, the Guardian speaks of as a subject “still new to the majority of believers, but whose importance for a sound understanding of the Cause is absolutely indispensable”) is the review by Miss Lorna Tasker of the book [Page 228] Triumphant Pilgrimage. Miss Tasker is a teacher in Beverly, Massachusetts and has sent occasional contributions to the magazine before. During the past two years she has contributed to Green Acre, a valuable course on current events. Mrs. Mabel Paine of Urbana, Illinois, adds to her compilation on The Divine Art of Living by continuing the chapter on Prayer and Meditation. The department Bahá’í Answers to World Questions uses the Creative Word as a source to increase our knowledge of Muhammad and Islám. Much more information could be gleaned from the Teachings. The study outline this month is on Progressive Revelation, by Alice Simmons Cox.

We continue Martha Root’s journey to South America as reported by Helen Bishop in her second installment.

The editors are particularly pleased at the interest which readers feel in the series of Study Outlines, initiated as an experiment but continued because of the usefulness this department has. Continuous study, of course, is a characteristic of spiritual faith in this age. Creeds and theologies may be learned in youth, and once acquired make infrequent demands upon the mind. Truth, however, is a living universe and not the static picture of philosophic abstractions. The real Bahá’í continues to study throughout life. Each enlargement of knowledge compels greater effort and offers richer reward.

It is therefore nothing less than inspiring to realize how many individuals and groups are making use of the Study Outlines. To an even greater degree is appreciated and used the monthly chapters in the compilation Divine Art of Living.

What is happening is nothing less than a complete reorganization of human relations, as the race undergoes transformation from youth to maturity. In this reorganization, spiritual knowledge implies capacity for a greatly enhanced sharing of inner experience.

[Page 229]

BAHÁ’Í LITERATURE

Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, selected and translated by Shoghi Effendi. The Bahá’í teachings on the nature of religion, the soul, the basis of civilization and the oneness of mankind. $2.00.

Hidden Words, translated by Shoghi Effendi. The essential teachings of all the Prophets, revealed by Bahá’u’lláh in a series of brief passages providing the ideal material for meditation. In fabrikoid, $0.75. Paper covers, $0.50.

The Seven Valleys and The Four Valleys. The mystic path of the soul revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, consummated in the discovery of the Friend. Translated by Ali-Kuli Khan, N. D. In fabrikoid, $0.75. Paper covers, $0.50.

Some Answered Questions. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s explanation of questions concerning the relation of man to God, the nature of the Manifestation, human capacities, fulfillment of prophecy, etc., $1.50.

The Reality of Man. Compiled from words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá dealing with mind, soul and spirit. $0.50.

The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, by Shoghi Effendi. On the nature of the new social pattern revealed by Bahá’u’lláh for the attainment of divine justice in civilization. $1.50.

Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, by J. E. Esslemont. The recommended introductory work on the Bahá’í Faith, presenting its history, teachings and answers to world questions. In fabrikoid, $0.75. Paper covers, $0.50.

The Promise of All Ages, by Christophil. “The evolution of religion to its culmination in World Faith. $1.50.

Security for a Failing World, by Stanwood Cobb. An exposition of the rise of a new world commonwealth imbued with the spirit of cooperation and peace. Paper covers, $0.75.

BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING COMMITTEE, P. O. BOX 348,

GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX, NEW YORK

Western Division, Mrs. E. F. Smith,

940 Leavenworth St., San Francisco

[Page 230]

Address yourselves to the promotion of the well-being and tranquillity of the children of men. Bend your minds and wills to the education of the peoples and kindreds of the earth, that haply the dissensions that divide it may, through the power of the Most Great Name, be blotted out from its face, and all mankind become the upholders of one Order, and the inhabitants of one City. Illumine and hallow your hearts; let them not be profaned by the thorns of hate or the thistles of malice. Ye dwell in one world, and have been created through the operation of one Will. Blessed is he who mingleth with all men in a spirit of utmost kindliness and love.

—BAHÁ’U’LLÁH