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[Page 187]

WORLD ORDER

THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE

September, 1941

• A Scientific Approach to Religion . . . Howard Luxmoore Carpenter   189

• Abandon Not the Everlasting Beauty, Poem . . . Lorna Tasker   198

• The Crumbling of Religious Orthodoxy . . . Shoghi Effendi   199

• Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Henry C. Beecher   205

• Compensation, Poem . . . . . . . . Virginia Moran Evans   206

• What We Go Through . . . . . . . . . . . Julia Robinson   207

• The Earth Is One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Opal Howell   210

• How to Achieve Love and Unity . . . . . . . Compilation   212

• Bahá’í Lessons . . . .   219   • With Our Readers . . .   221

FIFTEEN CENTS

[Page 188]

THAT WHICH THE LORD HATH ORDAINED AS THE SOVEREIGN REMEDY AND MIGHTIEST INSTRUMENTS 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, Genevieve L. Coy, Mae Dyer, Shirin Fozdar, Marzieh Gail, Inez Greeven, Annamarie Honnold, G. A. Shook.

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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, 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois. Entered as second class matter April 1, 1940, at the post office at Wilmette, Ill., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Contents copyrighted 1941 by Bahá’í Publishing Committee. Title registered at U. S. Patent Office.

SEPTEMBER 1941, VOLUME VII, NUMBER 6

[Page 189]

WORLD ORDER

THE BAHÁ’Í MAGAZINE

VOLUME VII   SEPTEMBER, 1941   NUMBER 6

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A Scientific Approach to Religion

Howard Luxmoore Carpenter

A WAY OF DEALING WITH BELIEF

THROUGH THE APPROACH OF SCIENCE

ALL THE ancient arts are becoming sciences. Cooking, salesmanship, raising children, even courtship are now called sciences. The average man uses “science” as casually as any household term; and when a word is bandied about thus readily it acquires connotations which may increase its value for poets but which scarcely make for clarity.

At once, then, we must limit ourselves to the exact meaning of the word, science. Science is accumulated and accepted knowledge systematized and formulated with reference to the discovery of general truths or the operation of general laws, in particular relating to the physical world. It is a system of knowledge supported by facts. The facts are experimental results, and the experiments can be repeated and corroborated by others, thus placing the science on a firm basis of proven fact. Whatever ideas, conjectures, or theories suggest themselves to the experimenter all point the way to new fields for [Page 190] experimental discovery. But it is always well to keep in mind that the foundation of any science is proven fact, controlled experiments repeatable at will. Physics, chemistry, biology, etc., are well-grounded sciences. Psychology is struggling to become a grownup science. Some branches of medicine are already scientifically sound. On the other hand it must be pointed out here that certain so-called sciences are excluded by our terms, and must be relegated to the class of pseudo-sciences, for the reason that they are not based on experimental facts: such are metaphysics, occultism, alchemy, astrology, phrenology, numerology, and philosophy. We do not say that astrology, for example, is true or false, but merely that controlled experimentation in astrology does not give consistent results in the hands of different experimenters. On the other hand physicists are constantly checking the results of other physicists in order to corroborate their findings.

When you ask a man what his religion is you may get any answer, from the Golden Rule to numerology, to this or that sect. Given an opportunity some people would make a religion of vegetarianism. But we know that religion is something that far surpasses the creeds and dogmas of a single church, the idiosyncrasies of a sect, the intellectual machinations of a philosopher, or the ethical perfections of a sociologist. All these contain something of the substance of religion, but true religion contains something more that these other systems of thought lack.

The single church lacks universality, a sect is an offshoot from some larger religious trunk; ethical standards may improve the world but they lack the uplifting effect of the worship of God, and, lastly, philosophy can go as far as is humanly possible to prove the existence of God, and it can describe in detail the perfect human character and the perfect human [Page 191] state, but it lacks the stimulating and cohesive effect of religion. In other words philosophy lays out the perfect plan, but there is no spiritual stimulus to follow the plan. Ergo, a system of philosophy always has a very limited number of followers. The reason is simple: there is no prophet to give himself as the perfect example, whose life is the pattern for his followers to imitate.

Then religion can, for our purposes, best be described as the belief in the One True God, the acceptance of the prophet of God who brought teachings for His particular time in the history of the world, and the system of morality arising from those teachings—the beneficent effect upon the individual’s life. Thus a Christian is one who lives according to the teachings of Christ, a Muslim follows the teachings of Muḥammad, and a Bahá’í is one in this day and age who believes in the One True God, who accepts Bahá’u’lláh’s message of universal consciousness for this particular era of the world’s progression.

RELIGION NOT A SCIENCE

By the scientific approach to religion we mean a way of dealing with the belief in God, the belief in His manifestation or prophet and the teachings of the prophet by means of the accepted method of science, experimental facts. In simple words, can we make religion a science? Can we deal with religion in the laboratory? No, we cannot. There is no scientific approach to religion by means of the ordinary scientific tools. There is no means at our disposal of accurately recording experimental results in our dealings with God. A person may be able to prove the existence of God to himself quite satisfactorily with what he considers scientific accuracy, but that proof rarely convinces another person, who may consider it no proof at all.

Can anyone devise an experiment for proving the existence [Page 192] of God, for showing good, provable cause for the phenomena attendant on a Manifestation of God? What I want to point out is simply this: that there is no accumulated volume of facts concerning God, describing God, or analyzing God, and no possible way of obtaining experimental data concerning divine things. Otherwise stated, man cannot know God; he can know the attributes of God through God’s prophets: namely, majesty, omniscience, mercy, kindness and the like. But as for actually knowing God, it is impossible. How could the material world possess anything showing definite facts about the divine worlds, when divinity is utterly beyond human comprehension?

I think the reader must agree with me that any approach to religion through a strictly scientific channel is out of the question. I do not say that there are no facts in religion. I may be able to collect any number of facts about religion but they are not demonstrable facts. They are not the results of experiments which are repeatable at will. They are sufficient to prove something to me, but I cannot use them to prove it to someone else. And in that way they are not, strictly speaking, scientific.

It would now appear that I am deserting my own topic, and asserting that we cannot even be sure that God exists. But since I am a Bahá’í it goes without saying that I am a theist, that I believe most ardently in the One True God. And before leaving the experimental approach to God, I should like to add this: that just as we cannot weigh, demonstrate and prove God scientifically, it is equally impossible for anyone scientifically to disprove God. An atheist has nothing to stand on except his defiant gesture of denying God until someone can convince him God exists; what a stand for him to take when he has no means to prove his belief, does not attempt to prove his belief, but always tosses the burden of proof onto the theist.

I would not venture to disprove atheism to these people. I [Page 193] would not even discuss the condition with them. They do not engage in their socratic dialogues in order to arrive at a better understanding of the situation, but merely to hear the rattle of their phrases. Francis Bacon wrote: “The Scripture saith, ‘The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God’; it is not said, ‘The fool hath thought in his heart’.” They glimpse the scientific world when they learn elements of physics, chemistry, biology. They come away with a speaking acquaintance with the quantum theory, atomic structure, cathode rays. They have seen photographs of various spectra. They have watched the gyrations of a paramoecium and the lethargic ambling of an amoeba. And henceforward to them the world and universe are classified, summarized, and adequately explained, and they feel so superior that they refuse to be impressed by anything further, least of all by an intangible God who can, they think, add nothing to their lives.

FOUR CAUSES OF ATHEISM

Perhaps it would be well to point out why atheism is so prevalent at present. Francis Bacon gave four causes of atheism: multiple divisions in religion, the custom of profane scoffing in holy matters, scandal of priests, and “lastly, learned times, specially with peace and prosperity; for troubles and adversities do more bow men’s minds to religion.” Here are all the necessary reasons for the present general indifference to God. For instance, multiple divisions in religion; this country (especially California) swarms with sects, schisms, cults, churches, systems of philosophy. Each berates the others. Each struggles to stay alive. Christianity is divided into how many sects? Islám is likewise so divided. “If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred, and division it would be better to be without it,” said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; “and to withdraw from such a religion would [Page 194] be a truly religious act.” In one way, then, the atheist has made an advance in discarding religion—if only he would not discard God along with the dogmas and isms.

And then that last reason, “learned times.” Never in the history of the world, as our records go, have so many men progressed so far in the different branches of learning as at present; while religion, in Bacon’s day and, where the non-Bahá’í is concerned, in ours, has lagged hundreds of years behind. Moreover those just past their twenties are still suffering from the spiritual indifference that resulted from post-war prosperity. Strange that modern, enlightened people should fit neatly into a pattern described in every detail over three hundred years ago by an Elizabethan. We see that the atheist is a creature of his environment. And he has no use for a God that can add nothing to his life; he cannot disprove God; he merely ignores God.

When I said that I could not, strictly speaking, prove God scientifically, I was speaking of science as laboratory science— the conducting of experiments and the accumulation of facts. But there is another aspect of science that has not been referred to—the philosophical aspect, which only a prosaic and unimaginative worker could fail to perceive.

Every Bahá’í is required to prove the existence of God for himself-to satisfy his own intelligence that there is a Divine Will in the Universe. We do not have to prove it to others. But we are instructed not to accept the Bahá’í Faith because our parents did, or because of emotional reasons, but because we have proved its truth and validity to the satisfaction of our intellect. Faith is a wonderful basis to build on, but faith, even the strongest, can be upset very readily when an honest mind meets an undeniable fact. Thus a young person who has been taught that Christ will appear on a cloud and all the world will [Page 195] see Him, would have a sudden reversal of faith into extreme scepticism when he learned in high school physics that a vaporous cloud could not buoy up a human body, and that light waves could not be refracted to the other side of the world to show an image of Christ to the residents of, let us say, Asia.

The scientific approach to religion is to me the only approach. In fact my acceptance of the Bahá’í Teachings has perhaps been too strictly on the mental level. At any rate I have, to my own satisfaction, proved the existence of a Divine Intelligence. That my proof might not seem a proof to another person does not concern me. In this I have used both the laboratory, experimental side and the philosophical side of science, and in order not to appear too imaginative I would stress the former, the experimental side.

Let us take those two overworked examples—the atom and the amoeba. (They must be exhausted from being so constantly used in interminable arguments.) Chemical and spectroscopic data show that atoms are made up of a nucleus with a varying number of surrounding electrons. Physicists know all about atoms. They have measured the amount of electricity that each electron contains; they know the mass of an electron, they know that cathode rays in a vacuum tube are capable of throwing an electron clear out of its orbit and removing it entirely. But they cannot tell what made the electron or where it came from.

As for the amoeba, it is a little one-celled animal that creeps around by sticking part of itself out in one direction and then climbing over. No amoeba has ever died a natural death. When it feels that it has reached the proper age it proceeds to divide itself into two halves which promptly leave each other without so much as a brotherly farewell. Biologists know that the little animal has a nucleus made up of certain proteins, [Page 196] the rest of the cell’s substance being made up of certain other proteins. They know what temperatures kill the amoeba and at what temperature it lives the best. But no matter how carefully the biologists assemble the same particular proteins and incubate them at the proper temperature there will be no amoeba produced—no sign of life.

And whatever marvelous discoveries are made in any scientific field there is always that screen, beyond which it is impossible to see. And what is beyond that screen is God to my way of thinking. And I do not visualize any person or thing when I say God because I have no way of knowing what is on the other side of that screen. Call It the Divine Intelligence, Divine Force, Heavenly Father, or God. No living man can describe God. But it seems to me that only a short-sighted, insensitive person can deny that there is a great Intelligence guiding and controlling all the intricate mechanism of the universe.

PROOFS OF THE CREATOR

In describing creation and the proofs of the Creator, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that there are only three possible kinds of composition: accidental, involuntary, and voluntary. Regarding the first He says that there can be no such things as accidental composition since no effect is conceivable without a cause. Composition is an effect and must have a cause. The second, involuntary, means that each element has an inherent property of composition, that it is the nature of elements to compose themselves. But if this were true, then it would be impossible for there to be decomposition. This is self-evident. Only the third type remains—voluntary composition: this means that composition is effected by the action of a superior will. The obvious fact that creation exists is thus sufficient proof of a creator.

[Page 197] A clear, starry night is sufficient scientific proof of God to a mind that is not too puffed up with its own importance. The nearest star is so far away that the distance baffles even the most flighty imagination. If the star were suddenly obliterated the human race would not know about it for many hundreds of years. One may look out into the sky for countless miles. And the stars go on forever, beyond that. Our solar system may be the smallest of numerous solar systems for all we know. No one has any idea of the actual extent of the universe. Is it not presumptuous of the materialist to feel that he understands the why and the wherefore of this tremendous system? Can any but the great egoist reject a Divine Intelligence, God, as the controlling force behind the universe?

And this seems to me the truly scientific approach to religion. Beyond everything we investigate, we find this tremendous hidden Force, this evidence of Supreme Intelligence. Is it not true, then, that we do have an enormous volume of experimental data concerning God? Every scientific problem, if pursued far enough, brings us face to face with a fresh demonstration of the Divine Will. Therefore, my earlier statement was inexact—there are experimental facts concerning God. The laboratory is the best possible place to prove the existence of God. Every experiment, if done thoughtfully and with any degree of insight, is an exquisite revelation of the Divine Will.

[Page 198]

“Abandon Not the Everlasting Beauty for a Charm That Fadeth . . .”

LORNA TASKER

Because you are fearless,

You can pass, and leave

The flower swinging in the wind

Below the garden path,

But I must breathless wait

Lest one frail petal fall,

Or a leaf drop,

Or this sweet sunlight

Never shine again.

So you will find the deathless Flower,

And never grieve to see

These petals drifting on the wind

With fading hours,

And never need to know

How the pale evening

Clings to quivering leaves.

[Page 199]

The Crumbling of Religious Orthodoxy

Shoghi Effendi

THE DECLINE in the fortunes of the crowned wielders of temporal power has been paralleled by a no less startling deterioration in the influence exercised by the world’s spiritual leaders. The colossal events that have heralded the dissolution of so many kingdoms and empires have almost synchronized with the crumbling of the seemingly inviolable strongholds of religious orthodoxy. That same process which, swiftly and tragically, sealed the doom of kings and emperors, and extinguished their dynasties, has operated in the case of the ecclesiastical leaders of both Christianity and Islám, damaging their prestige, and, in some cases, overthrowing their highest institutions. “Power hath been seized” indeed, from both “kings and ecclesiastics.” The glory of the former has been eclipsed, the power of the latter irretrievably lost.

Those leaders who exercised guidance and control over the ecclesiastical hierarchies of their respective religions have, likewise, been appealed to, warned, and reproved by Bahá’u’lláh, in terms no less uncertain than those in which the sovereigns who presided over the destinies of their subjects have been addressed. They, too, and more particularly the heads of Muslim ecclesiastical orders, have, in conjunction with despots and potentates, launched their assaults and thundered their anathemas against the Founders of the Faith of God, its followers, its principles, and its institutions. Were not the divines of Persia the first who hoisted the standard of revolt, who inflamed [Page 200] the ignorant and subservient masses against it, and who instigated the civil authorities, through their outcry, their threats, their lies, their calumnies, and denunciations, to decree the banishments, to enact the laws, to launch the punitive campaigns, and to carry out the executions and massacres that fill the pages of its history? So abominable and savage was the butchery committed in a single day, instigated by these divines, and so typical of the “callousness of the brute and the ingenuity of the fiend” that Renan, in his “Les Apôtres,” characterized that day as “perhaps unparalleled in the history of the world.”

It was these divines, who, by these very acts, sowed the seeds of the disintegration of their own institutions, institutions that were so potent, so famous, and appeared so invulnerable when the Faith was born. It was they who, by assuming so lightly and foolishly, such awful responsibilities, were primarily answerable for the release of those violent and disruptive influences that have unchained disasters as catastrophic as those which overwhelmed kings, dynasties, and empires, and which constitute the most noteworthy landmarks in the history of the first century of the Bahá’í era.

This process of deterioration, however startling in its initial manifestations, is still operating with undiminished force, and will, as the opposition to the Faith of God, from various sources and in distant fields, gathers momentum, be further accelerated and reveal still more remarkable evidences of its devastating power. I cannot, in view of the proportions which this communication has already assumed, expatiate, as fully as I would wish, on the aspects of this weighty theme which, together with the reaction of the sovereigns of the earth to the Message of Bahá’u’lláh, is one of the most fascinating and edifying episodes in the dramatic story of His Faith. I will only consider the repercussions of the violent assaults made by the ecclesiastical [Page 201] leaders of Islám and, to a lesser degree, by certain exponents of Christian orthodoxy upon their respective institutions. I will preface these observations with some passages gleaned from the great mass of Bahá’u’lláh Tablets which, both directly and indirectly, bear reference to Muslim and Christian divines, and which throw such a powerful light on the dismal disasters that have overtaken, and are still overtaking, the ecclesiastical hierarchies of the two religions with which the Faith has been immediately concerned.

It must not be inferred, however, that Bahá’u’lláh directed His historic address exclusively to the leaders of Islám and Christianity, or that the impact of an all-pervading Faith on the strongholds of religious orthodoxy is to be confined to the institutions of these two religious systems. “The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth,” affirms Bahá’u’lláh, “is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the Holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. . . . This is the Day which the Pen of the Most High hath glorified in all the Holy Scriptures. There is no verse in them that doth not declare the glory of His holy Name, and no Book that doth not testify unto the loftiness of this most exalted theme.” “Were We,” He adds, “to make mention of all that hath been revealed in these heavenly Books and Holy Scriptures concerning this Revelation, this Tablet would assume impossible dimensions.” As the promise of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh is enshrined in all the Scriptures of past religions, so does its Author address Himself to their followers, and particularly to their responsible leaders who have intervened between Him and their respective congregations. “At one time,” writes Bahá’u’lláh, “We address the people of the Torah and summon them unto Him Who is the Revealer of verses, Who hath come from Him Who layeth low the necks of men. . . . At another, We [Page 202] address the people of the Evangel and say: ‘The All-Glorious is come in this Name whereby the Breeze of God hath wafted over all religions.’ . . . At still another, We address the people of the Qur’án saying: ‘Fear the All-Merciful, and cavil not at Him through Whom all religions were founded.’ . . . Know thou, moreover, that We have addressed to the Magians Our Tablets, and adorned them with Our Law. . . . We have revealed in them the essence of all the hints and allusions contained in their Books. The Lord, verily, is the Almighty, the All-Knowing.”

Addressing the Jewish people Bahá’u’lláh has written: “The Most Great Law is come, and the Ancient Beauty ruleth upon the throne of David. Thus hath My Pen spoken that which the histories of bygone ages have related. At this time, however, David crieth aloud and saith: ‘O my loving Lord! Do Thou number me with such as have stood steadfast in Thy Cause, O Thou through Whom the faces have been illumined, and the footsteps have slipped!’” And again: “The Breath hath been wafted, and the Breeze hath blown, and from Zion hath appeared that which was hidden, and from Jerusalem is heard the Voice of God, the One, the Incomparable, the Omniscient.” Furthermore, in His “Epistle to the Son of the Wolf” Bahá’u’lláh has revealed: “Lend an ear unto the song of David. He saith: ‘Who will bring me into the Strong City?’ The Strong City is ‘Akká, which hath been named the Most Great Prison, and which possesseth a fortress and mighty ramparts. O Shaykh! Peruse that which Isaiah hath spoken in His Book. He saith: ‘Get thee up into the high mountain, O Zion, that bringest good tidings; lift up thy voice with strength, O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings. Lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah: ‘Behold your God! Behold the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule [Page 203] for Him.’ This Day all the signs have appeared. A great City hath descended from heaven, and Zion trembleth and exulteth with joy at the Revelation of God, for it hath heard the Voice of God on every side.”

To the priestly caste, holding sacerdotal supremacy over the followers of the Faith of Zoroaster, that same Voice, identifying itself with the voice of the promised Sháh-Bahrám, has declared: “O high priests! Ears have been given you that they may hearken unto the mystery of Him Who is the Self-Dependent, and eyes that they may behold Him. Wherefore flee ye? The Incomparable Friend is manifest. He speaketh that wherein lieth salvation. Were ye, O high priests, to discover the perfume of the rose-garden of understanding, ye would seek none other but Him, and would recognize, in His new vesture, the All-Wise and Peerless One, and would turn your eyes from the world and all who seek it, and would arise to help Him.” “Whatsoever hath been announced in the Books,” Bahá’u’lláh, replying to a Zoroastrian who had inquired regarding the promised Sháh-Bahrám, has written, “hath been revealed and made clear. From every direction the signs have been manifested. The Omnipotent One is calling, in this Day, and announcing the appearance of the Supreme Heaven.” “This is not the day,” He, in another Tablet declares, “whereon the high priests can command and exercise their authority. In your Book it is stated that the high priests will, on that Day, lead men far astray, and will prevent them from drawing nigh unto Him. He indeed is a high priest who hath seen the light and hastened unto the way leading to the Beloved.” “Say, O high priests!” He, again addresses them, “The Hand of Omnipotence is stretched forth from behind the clouds; behold ye it with new eyes. The tokens of His majesty and greatness are unveiled; gaze ye on them with [Page 204] pure eyes. . . . Say, O high priests! Ye are held in reverence because of My Name, and yet ye flee Me! Ye are the high priests of the Temple. Had ye been the high priests of the Omnipotent One, ye would have been united with Him, and would have recognized Him. . . . Say, O high priests! No man’s acts shall be acceptable, in this Day, unless he forsaketh mankind and all that men possess, and setteth his face towards the Omnipotent One.”

It is not, however, with either of these two Faiths that we are primarily concerned. It is to Islám and, to a lesser extent, to Christianity, that my theme is directly related. Islám, from which the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh has sprung, even as did Christianity from Judaism, is the religion within whose pale that Faith first rose and developed, from whose ranks the great mass of Bahá’í adherents have been recruited, and by whose leaders they have been, and indeed are still being, persecuted. Christianity, on the other hand, is the religion to which the vast majority of Bahá’ís of non-Islamic extraction belong, within whose spiritual domain the Administrative Order of the Faith of God is rapidly advancing, and by whose ecclesiastical exponents that Order is being increasingly assailed. Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and even Zoroastrianism which, in the main, are still unaware of the potentialities of the Cause of God, and whose response to its Message is as yet negligible, the Muḥammadan and Christian Faiths may be regarded as the two religious systems which are sustaining, at this formative stage in its evolution, the full impact of so tremendous a Revelation.

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The third selection from “The Promised Day Is Come,” by Shoghi Effendi.

[Page 205]

Faith

Henry C. Beecher

FAITH is an eternal conviction which comes into a man’s life from the heart of God out of the beautiful and realistic experience known to the Christian world as being “born again.” It is the awakening to consciousness of the sleeping soul.

To such a man come evidences of a divine reality more convincing than that of any material sense experience. He has been brought face to face with a soul confirmation transcending all sciences, all philosophies, and fraught with a joy so far excelling the pleasures of sense or intellect that, though it often seems temporarily to fade or disappear, nevertheless leaves an impression on his memory which hovers above him like an angel of light whose presence he can recall and worship even though at times it be lost in the clouds of earthly pleasures or hidden by the veils of materiality.

When to such a man the materialist’s arguments appear plausible or unanswerable in logic this faith, this tiny spark of God’s great love, this Bird of Paradise which has nestled in his heart, will reappear to refute the materialist, bring reassurance and comfort and lure him on to greater heights of realization and confidence. For faith is hope renewed and negatives doubt and discouragement as sunlight negatives darkness.

How many a storm-tossed, desperately despairing man to whom this faith was given has found through it what had become his heart’s unworded desire, “that peace which passeth understanding.”

[Page 206] All of the great Manifestations of God are One and their spirit of infinite love is all-pervading. Therefore such a faith may come into the heart of any seeker in any age and in any clime. It is indeed a bestowal of the universal bounty of God in Whose sight all human kind are brothers.

This faith, once born within the man, will burn indefinitely as a ray of exquisite spiritual light, love and warmth, so long as he shall continue to encourage it. This no doubt is the faith to which Christ so often alluded as of the greatest significance, which Paul so beautifully and vividly defined as “the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” and which is of the very essence of the Bahá’í Revelation.

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COMPENSATION

Virginia Moran Evans

Nothing is ever finished,

Nothing is ever done;

There is no final chapter,

The tale is never spun!

The past lives on forever,

The present cannot die,

So long as there are cycles,

So long as there is sky!

The time may change the garment

And modify the frame,

There is no real destruction,

The essence is the same.

The dream today may shatter,

The heart today may rend,

The years shall re-assemble,

Tomorrow’s hand shall mend!

[Page 207]

What We Go Through

Julia Robinson

WELCOME to Town Hall, ladies and gentlemen. As I look out over this fine audience, and I can say vast audience this year, I realize with even deeper conviction that human beings can no more retard the development of a right idea than can they regulate and retard the development of the cosmic laws of the universe. Town Hall is a right idea and a good idea, ladies and gentlemen, and a typically American idea, and therefore it has grown and will continue to grow. . . . Under the chains of what we hope are the remnants of ancient barbarism, our flag of the United States is being unfurled and paid tribute to. The discerning realize that it is the symbol of the oneness of the world of humanity, and the quality of thinking for which it stands will leaven the human world and insure the dignity of man’s heritage. How can any of us today, ladies and gentlemen, “contemplating the misery, the helplessness and the degradation of mankind, help but realize the necessity for the fresh, quickening power of a new divine revelation and the consequent revival of those Spiritual forces which have, at fixed intervals during the evolution of mankind, rehabilitated the fortunes of society”?

Undoubtedly what we are going through today are the forerunners of this new step forward. The mentally alert and aware sense the simmering and fermenting that is going on through world consciousness and they hear the faint whispering of the words, “The New World Order.” What does [Page 208] that mean, ladies and gentlemen? Let us turn back the pages of history and analyze for just a moment. The supermen throughout all ages have drawn wayward humanity back to the premise that it would be illogical for a Creator, a Divine Intelligence, Principle, or whatever you wish to call it, to create magnificent laws for the plant, mineral and animal kingdom, and leave humanity as an orphan wandering helplessly in perpetual anarchy. And these same super-men, these inspired prophets of the ages have also, since time immemorial, bidden us to love one another, to live in unity, and to respect the privileges of life. Doesn’t this prove that this constant reiteration means that these spiritual ordinances have the same validity for mankind that the scientific laws have for the lower kingdoms? But mankind isn’t interested in that. Mankind is interested in the material construction of the lamp and fails to see the light which shines therein. It is to this light, the spiritual core of the New World Order, that we dedicate Town Hall. There is no super-man or leader or statesman of this, our generation, who has more nobly caught the vision and essence of the New World Order than the inspired prophet and philosopher of Persia, Bahá’u’lláh.

In order to help crystallize the mental breeze that is wafting through the mind of humanity, I would like to enumerate at this time the ten principles or pillars of the New World Order as expounded by Bahá’u’lláh. First. The independent investigation of reality—no man should follow blindly his ancestors and forefathers. Two. The abandonment of all prejudices. Religious, patriotic and racial prejudices must disappear because they are the destroyers of human society. We must become the cause of the unity of the human race. Three. The Oneness of the world of humanity. Different races and different creeds must associate with each other in [Page 209] perfect friendship. There is unity in diversity, Four. The foundation of all religion is one. If we set aside all superstition and rituals and seek the reality of the foundation we shall all agree. Five. Religion must be in accord with science and reason. Religion must agree with science so that science shall sustain religion and religion explain science. Six. A universal language shall be adopted and taught in the schools and academies of the world. All must acquire this language. Seven. Universal education is obligatory and it is incumbent upon everyone to engage in some occupation such as art, trades and the like. Eight. Equality between men and women. One course of education promotes unity among mankind. Nine. A universal tribunal where leaders of exalted moral acumen shall establish a union of the states of the world and conclude a definite treaty and strict alliance between them upon conditions not to be evaded. A reflection of this parliament of man shall be established in each community and called “The House of Justice.” Ten. Universal peace amongst governments, amongst religions, amongst races, and amongst the denizens of all regions.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Great Peace will not come until man realizes his true identity, until man shall glory, not in the fact that he loves his country, but in the fact that he loves his kind. I have the very great honor of dedicating this, our Town Hall of San Francisco, to Universal Peace, to the unity of mankind, to the New World Order.

[Page 210]

The Earth Is One

Opal Howell

THE WORLD is again engaged in warfare. After the last act of this war has been moved from the stage—and it will take some time to remove all the stage scenery and effects—what shall we do? Have a repeat performance, or shall we prevent it?

As a preventive, some are advocating a United States of Europe; others, a union of all the Democracies of the world. It has been suggested that we have an international police force to subdue bandits among nations much as we treat a bandit in a local community.

A federated state in Europe would be a step in the right direction. A union of all the Democracies would have been a step in the right direction. But only as the League of Nations was a step in the right direction. It failed. Why? For one reason, because it did not include all nations, and the world is a unit. All countries are physically united by our modern transportation methods and communication systems, but they must be politically united before we can have a lasting and universal peace. Economically the earth is one. It must be united politically if we would forever banish strife and bloodshed.

How is America going to stand toward such a union? Shall we do as before—when the League of Nations was brought into being—think we can stand by ourselves, isolated from the rest of the world? Afraid to have others meddle in our affairs? Or shall we take an active part in the establishment of this union and universal peace?

Many people think that Woodrow Wilson originated the idea of a union of nations. He was a great idealist and saw that [Page 211] unity was needed. But his League of Nations was a limited league and doomed to failure because, among other reasons, it did not include all nations.

The true plan for the union of all nations and peoples of the world was given by the Persian Prophet, Bahá’u’lláh, three quarters of a century ago. It is a plan for the organization of all nations of the world. Provision is made for the establishment of a Supreme Tribunal, composed of elected representatives of all nations, whose rulings are to be obeyed by all nations, and if any nation be negligent or dilatory in the execution of its rulings, the rest of the nations are to rise up against it, because all the governments and nations of the world are the supporters of this Supreme Tribunal. It is further provided that there shall be established a union of the states of the world and a definite treaty concluded fixing the limits of borders and boundaries of every state and the customs and laws of every government; that all agreements and affairs of state and arrangements between the various governments should be propounded and settled; the size of the armaments for each government definitely agreed upon. The bases of this powerful alliance should be so fixed that if any one of the states broke any of the articles of it, the rest of the nations should rise up and reduce it to utter submission.

Let us never forget that any union or league of nations which does not include all nations will fail. It must include the whole world. If we as Americans are going to survive we must consider ourselves as one of the nations of the world and not living on an isolated planet of our own. Our salvation lies in cooperating with other nations and setting the stage for universal peace. For the world is a unit and the earth is one!

---

A talk given in an oratorical contest held in Kansas City.

[Page 212]

The Divine Art of Living

A Compilation

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

HOW TO ACHIEVE LOVE AND UNITY

ENLARGING OUR HORIZON

EVERY human creature is the servant of God. All have been created and reared by the power and favor of God; all have been blessed with the bounties of the same Sun of Divine truth; all have quaffed from the fountain of the infinite mercy of God; and all in His estimation and love are equal as servants. He is beneficent and kind to all. Therefore no one should glorify himself over another; no one should manifest pride or superiority toward another; no one should look upon another with scorn and contempt and no one should deprive or oppress a fellow creature. All must be considered as submerged in the ocean of God’s mercy. We must associate with all humanity with gentleness and kindliness. We must love all with love of the heart. Some are ignorant; they must be trained and educated. One is sick; he must be healed. Another is as a child; we must assist him to attain maturity. We must not detest him who is ailing, neither shun him, scorn, nor curse him; but care for him with the utmost kindness and tenderness. An infant must not be treated with disdain simply because it is an infant. Our responsibility is to train, educate and develop it in order that it may advance toward maturity. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 60)

[Page 213] ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:—I have just been told that there has been a terrible accident in this country. A train has fallen into the river and at least twenty people have been killed . . . I am filled with wonder and surprise to notice what interest and excitement has been aroused throughout the whole country on account of the death of twenty people, while they remain cold and indifferent to the fact that thousands of Italians, Turks and Arabs are killed in Tripoli! . . . Yet these unfortunate people are human beings, too.

Why is there so much interest and eager sympathy shown towards these twenty individuals, while for five thousand persons there is none? They are all men, they all belong to the family of mankind, but they are of other lands and races. It is no concern of the disinterested countries if these men are cut to pieces, this wholesale slaughter does not affect them! How unjust, how cruel this is, how utterly devoid of any good and true feeling! The people of these other lands have children and wives, mothers, daughters and little sons! In these countries today there is hardly a house 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. (Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 105, 106)

I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of your 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. Thoughts of war bring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness and content. Thoughts of [Page 214] love are constructive of brotherhood, peace, friendship and happiness. . . .

If you desire with all your heart friendship with every race on earth, your thought, spiritual and positive, will spread; it will become the desire of others, growing stronger and stronger, until it reaches the minds of all men. (Idem, pp. 24, 25)

When you love a member of your family or a compatriot, let it be with a ray of the Infinite Love! Let it be in God, and for God! . . . Shed the light of a boundless love on every human being whom you meet. (Idem, p. 33)

Be in perfect unity. Never become angry with one another. . . . Love the creatures for the sake of God and not for themselves. You will never become angry or impatient if you love them for the sake of God. Humanity is not perfect. There are imperfections in every human being and you will always become unhappy if you look toward the people themselves. But if you look toward God you will love them and be kind to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and complete mercy. Therefore do not look at the shortcomings of anybody; see with the sight of forgiveness. The imperfect eye beholds imperfections. The eye that covers faults looks towards the Creator of souls. He created them, trains and provides for them, endows them with capacity and life, sight and hearing; therefore they are the signs of His grandeur. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 89)

The great and fundamental teachings of Bahá’u’lláh are the oneness of God and unity of mankind. This is the bond of union among Bahá’ís all over the world. They become united themselves, then unite others. It is impossible to unite unless united. (Idem, p. 150)

[Page 215] In this Cause, consultation is of vital importance; but spiritual conference and not the mere voicing of personal views is intended. . . . Consultation must have for its object the investigation of truth. He who expresses an opinion should not voice it as correct and right but set it forth as a contribution to the consensus of opinion; . . . Man should weigh his opinions with the utmost serenity, calmness and composure. Before expressing his own views he should carefully consider the views already advanced by others. If he finds that a previously expressed opinion is more true and worthy, he should accept it immediately and not willfully hold to an opinion of his own. By this excellent method he endeavors to arrive at unity and truth. . . . True consultation is spiritual conference in the attitude and atmosphere of love. Members must love each other in the spirit of fellowship in order that good results may be forthcoming. Love and fellowship are the foundation. (Idem, pp. 68, 69)

Pray to God that thou mayest become . . . a lover of men and a well-wisher of humankind.

Real love is impossible unless one turn his face toward God and be attracted to His Beauty. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 546, 505)

I recognize in (Thy servants) naught else except the bond that bindeth them to Thy names and Thine attributes. (Bahá’u’lláh, in Prayers and Meditations)

SHOWING KINDNESS

WHEN a man turns his face to God he finds sunshine everywhere. All men are his brothers. Let not conventionality cause you to seem cold and unsympathetic, when you meet strange people from other countries. Do not look at them as if you suspected them of being evil-doers, thieves and boors. [Page 216] You think it necessary to be very careful, not to expose yourselves to the risk of making acquaintance with such, possibly, undesirable people. . . .

I ask you not to think only of yourselves. Be kind to the strangers, whether they come from Turkey, Japan, Persia, Russia, China or any other country in the world. Help to make them feel at home, find out where they are staying, ask if you may render them any service; try to make their lives a little happier.

In this way, even if, sometimes, what you at first suspected should be true, still go out of your way to be kind to them— this kindness will help them to become better.

Let those who meet you know, without your proclaiming the fact, that you are indeed a Bahá’í.

Put into practice the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh, that of kindness to all nations. Do not be content with showing friendship in words alone; let your heart burn with loving-kindness for all who may cross your path. (Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 11, 12)

I desire (that) . . . the friends in America . . . may become a new people, . . . ready to sacrifice everything for each other, even life itself; then I will know that the cause of Bahá’u’lláh has been established. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 213)

Be most loving one to another. Burn away, wholly for the sake of the Well-Beloved, the veil of self with the flame of the undying Fire, and with faces, joyous and beaming with light, associate with your neighbor.

A kindly tongue is the lodestone of the hearts of men. It is the bread of the spirit, it clotheth the words with meaning, it is the fountain of the light of wisdom and understanding.

[Page 217] Be calm and self-dependent in your relations with your fellowmen, and deal with them in fairness and justice. Turn treachery to trust, slander to brotherly counsel, oppression to justice, heedlessness to the remembrance of God. (Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings, pp. 316, 289, The Bahá’í World, vol. 2, p. 63)

WARNINGS AND PROMISES

DO NOT complain of others. Refrain from reprimanding them and if you wish to give admonition or advice let it be offered in such a way that it will not burden the receiver.

Beware lest ye estrange yourselves from the servants of God. (‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 448, 465)

Self-love is a strange trait and the means of destruction of many important souls in the world. If man be imbued with all good qualities but be selfish, all the other virtues will fade or pass away and eventually he will grow worse.

The greatest means for the union and harmony of all is spiritual meetings. This matter is very important and is as a magnet (to attract) Divine confirmation.

When a man ariseth to expound the arguments of God and to invite people to enter the religion of God, . . . and advanceth consummate proofs concerning the appearance of the great Kingdom, then intense love shall become manifest in his heart. This love causeth the development of his spirit by the grace of the beneficent Lord.

If love, friendship, association and unity be established among the believers, the door of all significances will be opened and each believer of God will be able to explain and interpret all of the holy Books. (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 136, 21, 125, 681, 647)

[Page 218] O Son of Being! How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me.

Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to thee, and say not that which thou doest not. This is my command to thee, do thou observe it.

O Son of Dust! Verily I say unto thee: of all men the most negligent is he that disputeth idly and seeketh to advance himself over his brother. Say, O brethren! Let deeds not words be your adorning.

O My servant! Purge thy heart from malice and, innocent of envy, enter the divine court of holiness. (Bahá’u’lláh, Hidden Words)

Take heed lest ye offend any soul, or sadden and vilify your fellowmen, be they friend or foe; nay rather let your prayers be offered for them all, and supplicate for every one of them the favors and tender mercies of the Most High. Beware, beware, lest ye cherish revenge in your hearts, though the offender be your deadly enemy.

O ye beloved of the Lord! Commit not that which defileth the limpid stream of love or destroyeth the sweet fragrance of friendship. By the righteousness of the Lord! ye were created to show love one to another and not perversity and rancor. (Bahá’u’lláh, in The Bahá’í World, vol. 2, p. 55)

(Concluded)

[Page 219]

BAHÁ’Í LESSONS

The World Tomorrow

I. God’s Promise of a New World

Old Testament

1. A new Prophet, Isaiah 11:1; Malachi 3:1; Zechariah 6:13-14

2. Universal peace, Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:6, 9, 52:6-7

3. Knowledge, justice, righteousness . . . Isaiah 9:1-10; 35:1-2

New Testament

1. The Kingdom, Matthew 25:31-46

2. The New Jerusalem, Revelation 21:1-4, 22-27

Bahá’í Interpretations of Bible Prophecies, SAQ 72-76; Promised Day Is Come, 126, 31, 47-48; WOB 205

Qur’án

1.Coming of the Lord, (Súrih) 39:68-75; (Súrih) 36:48-58

2. The Kingdom, (Súrih) 61:1-56. (Use Rodwell translation)

Bahá’í Literature

1. New Order, Gl 7; PD 16

2. New earth, WOB 169

3. Union of peoples, Gl 255

4. Coming of age of humanity, WOB 163; PD 128

General Readings: PD 120-123; Advent 64-67

II. Bahá’í Administrative Order the Nucleus

Pattern of New World Order, WOB 144, 152, 156; PD 122, 15

How it differs from old orders, WOB 145, 20-21

Where authority is vested, WOB 3-5

1. The Twin Pillars, WOB 147-152

The Guardianship

Universal House of Justice

[Page 220]

2. National Spiritual Assemblies, or Houses of Justice, WOB 5, 7

3. Local Houses of Justice, WOB 5, 6

A Living Organism, WOB 22-23

III. Goal of the New World Order

Aim of Administrative Order, WOB 156-7

Charter of this New World Order, WOB 144

World Super-State, WOB 39

World Unity in Diversity, WOB 41, 202-3; PD 124-6

Principle of Oneness, WOB 42-44

Federation of Mankind, WOB 45, 204

A world religion, WOB 163, 196

A world loyalty, PD 126-7; WOB 198

World Commonwealth, WOB 196; PD 128-9

Lesser and Most Great Peace, WOB 162; PD 26

World civilization, PD 4, 128; WOB 204-6

IV. A New Race of Humanity

Its Nature

1. New eye, new ear, new heart . . . Gl 267

2. Matchless tongue . . . deed, Gl 39

3. Spiritualization of man, WOB 162

4. Coming of age, WOB 163-5; PD 128

5. The true believer, Gl 288; WOB 108; Advent 62-63

6. Redemption through Bahá’u’lláh, Advent 14-15

Unprecedented outpouring of Grace, WOB 63

Offered to all men, Gl 271

Its Present Privilege and Responsibility

1. Two-fold obligation, Gl 289-90

Steadfastness in faith

Observance of laws

2. Building the Temple, WOB 67

3. Teaching the Faith, Gl 334; Advent 69-72; Bahá’í News 145:1-2 (July, 1941)

[Page 221]

WITH OUR READERS

MOST of our Bahá’í readers realize that Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, by Dr. J. E. Esslemont has been translated into about forty languages. But many of us have not read the remarkable story of the printing of the Polish translation of this book which was accomplished in 1940. We take the liberty of condensing this story which was told by Mrs. Anne Lynch in her annual report of the International Bahá’í Bureau at Geneva:

Only a year ago the Bahá’ís in Switzerland were rejoicing over the printing of the German Esslemont, and it seemed then had this not been accomplished before the breaking out of the war it would have been impossible. This year we have witnessed that what seems impossible to man is possible to the Divine Will, for which human obstacles do not exist.

The Guardian’s instructions with regard to Lidia Zamenhof’s translation of Dr. Esslemont’s book into Polish were,— to print without delay. Accordingly details were worked out with the printer who had produced the German edition. This printer is in Annemasse, a frontier town in France which is practically a suburb of Geneva. But in March frontiers closed between France and Switzerland and to send printed matter by mail endangered its loss. Printer’s prices in Geneva were more than double those in Annemasse. Since mails between Geneva and Paris were more regular plans were made to have the book printed in Paris. A personal friend, Mme. Pomper, a Polish refugee, found a Polish printer and herself agreed to correct the proof. The Guardian approved of the plan and in April the manuscript was sent to Mme. Dreyfus-Barney in Paris. She, however, suggested that the printing had best be done in Annemasse and the proofreading in Paris. But the Paris Spiritual Assembly saw difficulties and in May a distressing note came from the Secretary of the Spiritual Assembly saying that the Bahá’ís were being obliged to leave Paris and that the printer had been instructed to send all [Page 222] communications to Geneva.

Now problems arose as to whether it would be possible and safe to send proofs back and forth across the border. Events moved fast. Only one guiding principle was clear: the Guardian’s repeated urging to go forward with the publication. And one after another the obstacles fell before the all-compelling power of the Divine Will to further His Cause in this tottering world. A card came from Mme. Pomper telling of her distress and saying that she could no longer undertake the proofreading. I decided to proofread myself, following the spelling letter by letter, and instructed the printer to go ahead. The manuscript had already reached him from Paris.

In July the initial payment was made and the printer started work when suddenly all communication between France and Switzerland stopped. There were rumors of the complete surrounding of the canton of Geneva and for ten days I was in great anxiety. On the eleventh day a telephone call from the head of the Publications section of the International Labor Office was received. He had just been to Annemasse under a special visa (the I. L. O. did business with the same printer) and brought back the Polish manuscript to me as no business could now be conducted.

Things seemed at a complete standstill and another week went by. Then one sunny morning the doorbell rang and the printer in person appeared beaming with smiles; he had obtained a permanent pass and proposed to undertake the work again. “For,” he stated, “I have confidence in you, and if you are willing to trust me, there is no reason why we should not go ahead with the work.” Thus once more I parted with the precious manuscript which recrossed the border a second time into France.

As soon as the first proof sheets came in I began reading them, letter by letter, but found that my knowledge of Polish, a mere smattering, was insufficient to safeguard accuracy. That same day a stranger telephoned to say that he had a message for me from a Polish soldier named Boris Pomper. That very day 17,000 Polish soldiers had escaped from France into Switzerland and been interned there. Boris wished me to write to his mother that he was safe. He was the younger son of Mme. [Page 223] Pomper who was to have done the proofreading. Correspondence followed with Boris, a young engineer who had just finished his training at the Sorbonne and been obliged to join the Polish army in France. He was eager to undertake the proofreading and permission for him to do this was finally obtained from the military authorities at Berne. As the work progressed he became more and more interested in the teachings. Naturally there was some difficulty in getting the proof sheets back and forth from Annemasse, but for the first two months Mr. Larvor of the I. L. O. had himself kindly taken them.

In September the work was drawing to a close when there were again rumors of army occupation of the part of France encircling the Canton of Geneva and the printer begged for a further payment. Half the cost had been met by the friends; the Guardian had offered the other half. But at this moment transfer of funds from the Near East seemed impossible. Cablegrams were exchanged and Mme. Dreyfus-Barney, with the Guardian’s approval, advanced the other half and payment was made. By November the work was completed and sample copies were sent out. The Polish internees find the book “beautiful.” These Polish soldiers will have to remain till the end of the war.

The International Bureau of Education, which has a special section engaged in supplying war prisoners and internees with books, kindly furnished a complete list of the Polish internment camps in Switzerland, whereupon two copies of Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era were donated to each of the forty-two camp libraries.

* * *

“A Scientific Approach to Religion” will we believe appeal to many readers for it was written from the standpoint of a young man, a trained scientist, a Bahá’í. The author, Howard Luxmoore Carpenter, after completing his medical training at Leland Stanford University, went with his wife to practice medicine in Írán. But before he could establish himself in practice his health failed and he was obliged to return to California where he passed away in November, 1935. Among his unpublished papers was this article, “A Scientific Approach to Religion.” Other articles from his pen have appeared [Page 224] from time to time in World Order.

Last fall at the opening of the San Francisco Town Hall Series, Miss Julia Robinson, Associate Director of Town Hall, made Bahá’u’lláh’s principles for world peace the basis of her remarks prior to introducing the first speaker of the season, Sir Hubert Wilkins. We are happy to be able to print Miss Robinson’s address given before 1800 people.

Henry C. Beecher makes his second contribution to World Order with his article on “Faith.” Our readers will remember his poem “Infinitudes” in the December issue. Bahá’ís may feel better acquainted with him if we mention that Mrs. Dorothy Beecher Baker is his daughter.

“The Earth Is One” contributed by Miss Opal Howell, is the transcript, she tells us, of a talk she delivered in a prize contest held in Kansas City recently.

We continue this month excerpts from the most recent letter from Shoghi Effendi. In this most challenging letter the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith places the blame for the world’s present plight with fine sense of justice on the various classes of humanity. The letter is now published in its entirety and may be obtained from The Bahá’í Publishing Committee, Wilmette, Illinois, the title being “The Promised Day Is Come.”

Lorna Tasker, author of the poem “Abandon Not the Everlasting Beauty,” first learned of the Bahá’í Faith at Green Acre. Now, some ten years later, she is serving as chairman of the Green Acre School Committee.

The author of the other poem published this month, Mrs. Virginia Moran Evans, is a member of the Bahá’í Community of Dayton, Ohio.

The Study Outline in “The World Tomorrow,” prepared by Mrs. Zoe Meyer of Peoria, provides a very interesting approach to religion which will no doubt be used by many local study classes this year.

“How to Achieve Love and Unity” is the fitting title of the final chapter of “The Divine Art of Living.” The editors appreciate the able and loving work which Mrs. Paine has put into this compilation during the past eighteen months. Mrs. Zoe Meyer in her study outline furnishes us with abundant material for four weeks’ study.

—THE EDITORS.

[Page 225]

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. Bound in fabrikoid. 360 pages. $2.00.

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, translated by Shoghi Effendi. Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh toward the end of His earthly mission, this text is a majestic and deeply-moving exposition of His fundamental principles and laws and of the sufferings endured by the Manifestation for the sake of mankind. Bound in cloth. 186 pages. $1.50.

Kitáb-i-Íqán, Translated by Shoghi Effendi. This work (Book of Certitude) unifies and coordinates the revealed Religions of the past, demonstrating their oneness in fulfillment of the purpose of Revelation. Bound in cloth. 198 pages. $2.50.

Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, selected and translated by Shoghi Effendi. The supreme expression of devotion to God; a spiritual flame which enkindles the heart and illumines the mind. 348 pages. Bound in fabrikoid. $2.00.

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. Bound in cloth. 350 pages. $1.50.

The Promulgation of Universal Peace. In this collection of His American talks, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laid the basis for a firm understanding of the attitudes, principles and spiritual laws which enter into the establishment of true Peace. 492 pages. Bound in cloth. $2.50.

Bahá’í Prayers, a selection of Prayers revealed by Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, each Prayer translated by Shoghi Effendi. 72 pages. Bound in fabrikoid, $0.75. Paper cover, $0.35.

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. Bound in fabrikoid. 234 pages. $1.50.

BAHÁ’Í PUBLISHING COMMITTEE

110 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, ILLINOIS

[Page 226]

Bahá’í Social and Spiritual Principles

UNFETTERED SEARCH AFTER TRUTH AND THE ABANDONMENT OF ALL SUPERSTITION AND PREJUDICE.

THE ONENESS OF MANKIND: ALL ARE “LEAVES OF ONE TREE, FLOWERS OF ONE GARDEN.”

RELIGION MUST BE THE CAUSE OF LOVE AND HARMONY, ELSE IT IS NO RELIGION.

ALL RELIGIONS ARE ONE IN THEIR FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES.

RELIGION MUST GO HAND-IN-HAND WITH SCIENCE. FAITH AND REASON MUST BE IN FULL ACCORD.

UNIVERSAL PEACE: THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A FEDERATED INTERNATIONAL ORDER.

THE ADOPTION OF AN INTERNATIONAL SECONDARY LANGUAGE WHICH SHALL BE TAUGHT IN ALL THE SCHOOLS OF THE WORLD.

COMPULSORY EDUCATION AND USEFUL TRAINING.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES OF DEVELOPMENT; EQUAL RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES FOR BOTH SEXES.

WORK FOR ALL; NO IDLE RICH AND NO IDLE POOR. “WORK IN THE SPIRIT OF SERVICE IS WORSHIP.”

ABOLITION OF EXTREMES OF POVERTY AND WEALTH; CARE FOR THE NEEDY.

RECOGNITION OF THE UNITY OF GOD AND OBEDIENCE TO HIS COMMANDS AS REVEALED THROUGH HIS DIVINE MANIFESTATION.