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[Page 395]

PYORLD

ORDER

THE BAHAT MAGAZINE March, 1943

eo Reloion and Mconomucs= je. Fae Arthur Dahl 397

1. et This American: Democracy 2.2. os ‘“Abdwl-Baha 412

! e Summons to New York ......... a ‘Abdwl-Baha 413 a our. 1.005. Can Pioneer 44..cos . <., Adrienne Ellis 415

Be ne Cityor God 2) ie ee Ella C. Quant 420

é

Religion and the Social Program, Editorial Horace Holley 422

Country Church ‘Poem, <= i. Audrey Robarts 424

¢ With Our Readers .. 426 «¢ Index .. 430

FIFTEEN CENTS [Page 396]

‘THE BODY OF THE HUMAN WORLD Is sICK. ITs REMEDY AND HEALING WILL BE THE ONENESS OF THE KINGDOM OF HUMANITY. ITs LIFE Is THE Mosr Great PEace. Its ILLUMINATION AND QUICKENING Is LOVE. Its HAPPINESS THE ATTAINMENT OF SPIRITUAL PERFECTIONS. Ir Is MY WISH AND HOPE THAT IN THE BOUNTIES AND FAVORS OF THE BiEssEpD PERFECTION WE MAY FIND A NEW LIFE, ACQUIRE A NEW POWER AND ATTAIN TO A WONDERFUL AND SUPREME SOURCE OF ENERGY SO THAT THE Mosr Great PEACE OF DIVINE INTENTION SHALL BE ESTABLISHED UPON THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE UNITY OF THE WORLD OF MEN wiTH Gop.—‘ABpU’L-BaHA.

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 Bah#is of the United States and Canada. EDITORS: Garreta Busey, Alice Simmons Cox, Horace Holley, Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick.

Editorial O ffice 1109 Wesr Girr AVENUE, Peoria, ILL.

Publication O fice 110 LinpEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, ILL.

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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 1942 by Baha’i Publishing Committee. Title registered at U. §. Patent Office.

Marcu, 1943, VotumeE VIII, Numper 12

[Page 397]WORLD ORDER

THE BAHAI MAGAZINE

VOLUME VIII Marcu, 1943 NUMBER 12

Religion and Economics Arthur Dahl

RENEWAL OF RELIGION ESSENTIAL TO

SOLUTION OF WORLD ECONOMIC PROBLEM

Tue Band’i Fartu, for the first time in the history of major religions, has included principles relative to the fields of world politics and economics within the body of its teachings. It has provided for a world government, an international house of justice, an international police force, and a common language. It has laid the groundwork for the elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty, for the equitable division of profits between labor and capital, for the establishment of an internationally regulated system of commerce and finance. It has given a key to reducing the amplitude of business cycles through the medium of a general storehouse.

The inclusion of such secular subjects in the Bahai teachings has proved one of its great contributions and one of its most controversial issues. People in our times have been too accustomed to pigeon-holing their religious and their business and social activities in separate mental compartments to take kindly to such a concept, or even to understand it. Centuries

397, [Page 398]398 World Order

of traditional thought must be neutralized before the average man can begin to accept the idea that religion should take the lead in solving economic problems.

Strangely enough, the intellectuals, supposedly expressing the vanguard of modern thought, have been as insensitive to this inevitable trend as the people at large. Practically nothing has been written in recent years about the relationship between these two fields. I consulted the Stanford University library, housing more than half a million volumes, and although the card index system contained a drawer and a half of cards on the basic subject of religion, relating it to almost every conceivable subject, from religion and sociology to religion and lust, there was not a single card dealing with religion and economics. Nor was there any reference to this subject in the’ past five years of the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature.

Little wonder, then, that Baha’ teachers frequently find this phase of the teachings one of the most difficult to present to new inquirers. Here is a concrete instance where religion is encroaching upon another field of human endeavor hitherto regarded as completely independent and sacrosanct, which instinctively makes many people suspicious and resentful, particularly if they already have formed decided opinions on economic questions.

Obviously, such a situation must be handled by the teacher with considerable tact. But the true need goes even beyond that. Presumably the inquirer has not yet reached the stage of accepting the teachings as the Word of God, as originating from a wisdom greater than his own. Therefore these propositions must be presented to him in his own language, and backed by reasoning which he can understand and agree with.

By this I do not mean that the teacher should engage in long and involved economic arguments with the inquirer. [Page 399]Religion and Economics 399

Nothing could be more futile and potentially harmful. But the teacher should be prepared to defend the broad inclusion of economic principles in the Baha’i teachings in order to hold the interest and the confidence of the inquirer until such time as he is able to relate this question to the broader problem of the spiritual authenticity of the Faith in its entirety.

To suggest a train of thought in this connection, I shall in this article attempt, through purely secular reasoning, to build a case in support of the thesis: a world-wide renewal of true, spiritually endowed religion is an essential prerequisite to a permanent, long-range solution of the economic problem.

Basic SImpLiciry oF PRoBLEM

The first step is to have clearly in mind the nature of the economic problem. Its basic simplicity has been lost sight of in recent years, due partly to the increase in specialization, which causes each person to think of economics in terms of his own particular interests, and partly to the development of an intricate and involved professional science of economics, which has often become so engrossed in technical considerations that it has lost sight of some of the simple fundamental truths.

Phrased in plain language, economics may be defined as the art and science of getting the most out of what we have. Put more precisely, it may be considered a field of human effort designed to achieve the most harmoniously productive relationship between three interacting factors: (1) the physical characteristics of the material world as man finds it; (2) man’s potential ability, along both manual and intellectual lines, to bring about alterations in this physical environment; (3) man’s desires, urges, and wants, whose need for satisfaction motivate him to utilize his abilities to alter this physical environment.

The relationship between these three factors is basically simple, yet in its actual operation is unapproachably complex. [Page 400]400 World Order

Any discussion within the confines of an article of this type must be highly oversimplified, and can at best serve to suggest a possible channel of thought.

The characteristics of the material world which man inhabits (factor 1) may be roughly grouped into the following categories:

(a) Inanimate objects which are immutably fixed quantitatively, qualitatively, and locationally, except for gradual change over long geological periods of time. Examples: the land, the seas and other major bodies of water, and the minerals buried in the earth.

(b) Growing things. Included here are all crops and living things other than man. These are subject to limitations of quantity and fertility of land, irregular distribution of climatic characteristics, fluctuations in weather, and the presence of various destructive enemies, of which each living thing has one or more peculiar to it. Subject to these limitations, a certain quantity and distribution of living things would grow wild regardless of man’s influence, but beyond that man has control of their growth, deciding what shall exist, where, and in what quantity.

(c) Processes and characteristics which are outside of man’s control, but which influence or limit the results of his efforts. Three broad fields are most important here: physical laws, such as the law of gravity; physical phenomena, such as the weather, earthquakes, etc.; and the chemical potentiality of the ninety-two elements, that is, the physical limit to the forms they can take through combination.

(d) Processes subject entirely to man’s control, except for the limitations imposed by nature discussed under (a), (b), and (c). This includes man’s productive activities, manufac[Page 401]Religion and Economics 401

turing and processing, where the products found in nature are extracted, reshaped, recombined, and refined.

To relate this factor to factors (2) and (3), let us look at man’s economic relationship to his environment in broad perspective. (Since this discussion is concerned with the material economic problem, it will be necessary, for the sake of simplicity, to disregard the question of Divine influence on material events.) If man did not live in the world, the realm of nature would drift aimlessly on from year to year, century to century. Some plants and animals would grow wild, subject to nature’s law of survival. The land and the seas would change gradually, and the variations in weather would occur just as we know them. But only a small portion of the potentiality inherent in the material world would ever be realized.

Now, into this environment containing a set distribution of land, sea, and minerals, a variable distribution of living things, influenced by both controllable and uncontrollable natural phenomena, and subject to limitations of chemical combination and certain definite physical laws, is placed man. He contains within himself the other two elements of the equation. On the one hand he is subject to a complex series of urges and desires, which can be satisfied, at least in part, on the material plane. On the other hand, he possesses the ability to take the action necessary to produce the alterations in his material environment which will satisfy these wants. A complicating variable is the tendency for many of these actions to produce negative satisfaction or displeasure, which must be balanced against the positive satisfaction produced as a result of the action.

The economic problem, then, is to obtain the most broadly productive and satisfying balance between the total expenditure of man’s efforts and material resources, and the satisfac[Page 402]402 World Order

tion he obtains from such expenditure. Looked at in this light, the crux of the problem is obviously the question of motivation: how to get perverse man to do that which it is within his power to do, and which will ultimately best satisfy his wants.

A SpEctaLizED Economy

The problem becomes more difficult the more technologically advanced a civilization becomes. This is because the increase in specialization which accompanies technological progress separates and makes more indirect, as far as individual men are concerned, the action taken to alter the physical environment (production), and the ultimate satisfaction of man’s desires (consumption).

In a primitive economy, wants are simple: food, clothing, shelter, protection from enemies, and the processes of satisfying them are not only simple but are usually performed by the same small integrated group that receives the benefits.

Today our desires, though basically the same as those of our aboriginal ancestors, have been greatly elaborated and expanded, so that we demand products requiring raw materials from widely separated parts of the world, which must pass through complex series of manufacturing operations, and then flow through the intricate channels of our vast system of distribution before reaching the ultimate consumer. Conversely, the contribution of most individuals to the productive process is the repetition of a single small segment of an operation which in turn is only a step in a large series of operations.

This complexity in our economic structure has caused most people to entirely lose sight of the basically simple relationship between what they give to and what they take from the economic process, and the necessity for maintaining an equitable and productive point of balance between these two factors [Page 403]Religion and Economics 403

for mankind in total. The use of money as a measure and common denominator for all goods and services, and the prevalent but erroneous tendency to regard money itself as wealth, only adds to this confusion.

Scientific knowledge, imperfect as it is, has at least progressed sufficiently so that one could gather together a group of detached and unprejudiced experts and say to them: “J am speaking for mankind. We want you to plan our economic lives so that we as a group can get the fullest measure of benefit from the world in which we live. Each of us will perform whatever function you deem best.” And one could expect them to devise a plan which, if carried out in good faith, should raise the world standard of living many times over the current level. For we have failed badly in our economic efforts. The war itself is the final, crucial indication. Before that there were many others: inexcusable poverty even in the relatively wealthy United States; unhealthy living and working environments; the vast waste of human energies on basically non-productive functions, such as bureaucracy, tax administration, police protection (man vs. man), and red tape; the suppression of progressive patents because of interference with existing corporate business; and the large scale production and sale of socially harmful products.

A blueprint of our failure could be drawn by outlining the differences between the economic world as it was before the war, and the relatively superior economic world the scientists could work out for us, if we would let them. We had protective tariffs and inefficient ersatz production in order to advance our “national interest” through self-sufficiency, instead of free commercial intercourse throughout the world. We left undeveloped some of the greatest stores of natural resources on the globe, because one nation was afraid another [Page 404]404 World Order

nation would plunder any investment it might make. We pitted economic class against class, rather than co-operating for mutual advantage. We held down the backward peoples of the world, instead of building them up, so that they in turn could help build us up farther.

And this failure has been a failure of motivation. The people have not understood the total problem, have not seen where their true self-interest lies. They have been guided by short-sighted, destructive principles designed to benefit the individual as against the small group, the small group as against the large, whereas the basis of contemporary economics should be the conception of mankind as a single unit, combatting forces outside of itself. And so, in looking ahead toward a solution of the economic problem, we must examine the sources of human motivation to find our answer.

LimiTATIONs OF CAPITALISM

There are, today, three principal classifications of philosophies which dictate human motivation. One emphasizes the individual (capitalism); one adopts the social approach (socialism, communism, fascism, etc.); the third combines the best elements of each (religion).

The capitalistic system operates under the premise that the free, unincumbered, well-informed individual, motivated by his various material wants and desires (power, display, comfort, security, indolence, etc.), summed up as self-interest, will always do that which will best serve that self-interest, and that, aided by a series of natural economic laws (supply and demand, marginal productivity, etc.), collectively mankind will do that which will satisfy its collective self-interest.

The mechanical basis of this system is the concept of “profit” and “income” received from the productive process. One of the most articulate defenders of the system, Carl [Page 405]Religion and Economics 405

Snyder, admits this in Capitalism the Creator when he says: “Easy to see that if the fundamental force, the opportunity of profit, the lust for gain, is destroyed, it is much like taking away the mainspring of a watch. It (the capitalistic system) simply will not work.” The point is emphasized in the popular slogan: “I’m not in business for my health.”

Capitalism has undoubtedly contributed much toward the attainment of our present level of material progress, and has many strong points in its favor as an economic philosophy. However, there are also important reasons why, by itself, capitalism could not be expected to achieve a really satisfactory solution of the economic problem.

(1) It presupposes that all men are moral, which to date has never been the case. Like any race, economic competition must be subject to certain rules if it is to be fair, rules enforcible against all participants. Injustice must result if some people govern their actions by a moral code which means nothing to some of their competitors. Yet the only alternative outside the realm of morals and religion is collectively enforced (i.e., by government) restriction and regulation, which is contrary to the philosophy of capitalism.

(2) It presupposes equal freedom for all men, which again is unrealistic. Since men do vary widely in their abilities and. ambitions, it is inevitable that those who are most able and aggressive, if subject to no internal or external restraints, will amass power at the expense of their weaker fellows. The effect is cumulative: the more power, the easier to gain additional power. And the result of concentrated power is restraint of competition, which has been much in evidence in the development of both big business and strong organized labor, to the detriment of the people and the capitalistic system.

(3) It presupposes that men know what they want, and [Page 406]406 World Order

that these wants correspond to what is best for them from a moral point of view. The ease with which highly organized contemporary propaganda and advertising can sell people ideas and products they have no real use for, and which may even be harmful, disproves both points of this thesis.

(4) Being a material philosophy, it concentrates man’s attention on material things. A man’s worth becomes determined by his physical possessions, thus perpetuating the vicious circle of false motivation.

(5) By stressing the actions of the individual, capitalism has failed utterly to put over the idea of the community of interest of groups, local, national, and world-wide, and the necessity for co-operative action to lick the economic problem.

Stare Conrrot Misses Arm

The second broad category of motivation lies in that group of philosophies which looks to the state and social control for economic salvation. These regard the individual as of less importance than the social group of which he is a part: the cell theory, i.e., the cells live for the body, not the body for the cells. Asa result, the countries now operating under these philosophies have been able to achieve a degree of co-opera-tion and unity of organization not yet attained under capitalism, an advantage which has thus far set them in good stead in the war effort.

Nevertheless, from the longer term they too contain serious defects which limit their chance for successfully solving the economic problem.

(1) Basically, these philosophies disregard all spiritual purposes in man’s life, forcibly eliminating them when they appear as an important influence. The good of the state repre[Page 407]Religion and Economics 407

sents life’s deepest aim. History has yet to record an instance where such a goal has been sufficient to inspire a race of people to constructive effort over a significant period of time.

(2) Violence is an integral part of the system of operations they employ. This is obviously destructive of important human and material resources, and therefore uneconomic and antisocial. Most philosophers condemn the achievement of

even a desirable end by undesirable means. Re

(3) By centralizing the economic life of the nation in the hands of the few individuals who control the state, an opportunity is created for abuse on a vaster scale than has ever been possible under capitalism.

(4) Those fascist philosophies which espouse the concept of racial superiority are running directly counter to the concept previously developed of an approach to economics from the point of view of mankind as a single unit. Any economic plan proposed by such a philosophy could be acceptable only to the particular race which will be expressly benefited.

(5) Pure communism, on the other hand, presupposes and requires a mutual trust and co-operativeness on the part of all peoples which is far from being realized today.

(6) The same objection can be raised to the various world federation schemes now being proposed to take effect either now or after the war, admirable though they are in intent. In any kind of a planned society or large-scale co-operative organization, the people must be able to trust and respect the planners and leaders. Today, in most countries, there is much doubt among the people as to the ability and integrity of their own leaders and those of other nations. Such distrust can only be dispelled by fundamental changes in moral levels. [Page 408]408 World Order

Neep or Morar Values

The third, and the greatest, source of human motivation is religion, and the solution to our broad economic problem can lie only in individual and social control through the worldwide application of a single, unified religion teaching a co-ordinated, contemporaneously pertinent set of religious principles.

In the vast pages of history, religion has shown itself to be the only force capable of bringing about acceptance of moral values to an extent sufficient to importantly raise the level of civilizations. There is good correlation between the degree of influence of a genuine, divinely inspired religion upon the life of a people, and the relative cultural and economic level of that people’s civilization.

Today it is generally recognized that spiritually the world is at one of its lowest ebbs. The churches have lost the respect and interest of the majority of people, and much of the support they do enjoy is superficial and insincere.

To this decline of spiritual influence can be attributed most of the calamities which are now besetting the suffering world. Conversely, people the world over must return to a fresh faith and belief in basic religious teachings as a guiding force in their daily lives if a permanent solution to the staggering difficulties which must be faced after the war is to be achieved. The fundamental cause of the agony must be corrected if a lasting cure is to be obtained.

Such a spiritual rebirth is essential to a solution of the economic problem because of one simple but all-important fact: the outline of human actions provided by religious principles closely corresponds to the pattern required to achieve the best relationship between the three economic factors previously analyzed. [Page 409]Religion and Economics 409

Only a little reflection is needed to comprehend the truth of this proposition. Religions teach co-operativeness, unselfishness, trust of others, abstention from violence and destructiveness. Acceptance of these and the many other sound religious principles would enable mankind to free its energies for direct attack on problems of production and distribution on a worldwide basis. On this framework of general acceptance of sound principles of living, our technical experts could go to work and really give the world a high and equitably balanced standard of living.

BaHA’t Provisions

To this point I have been speaking of religion in general terms. The Baha’{ teachings contain many specific provisions which, if generally put into practice, would immediately and concretely aid in the solution of the economic problem, Following is a brief mention of a few of these contributions:

(1) Reconciliation of the religious differences of the various races, and elimination of race prejudice, will do more than any other achievement to lay the groundwork for international economic co-operation.

(2) The abolition of war is essential to the permanence of any economic organization on a world basis.

(3) Belief that work is worship will dispel the idea adopted by an alarming number of people before the war, that the world owes them a living. It will increase people’s consciousness of what they contribute to, as well as what they take from, the economic process, and will also bring them to question the social value as well as the profitability of their jobs.

(4) Much of the present materialistic outlook will be dispelled. Since an individual’s worth will no longer be measured in the community by his physical wealth, men will not [Page 410]410 World Order

feel driven to any lengths to make money, regardless of bad effects on others or themselves. Well-directed efforts which result in the general economic betterment of the world community will command the greatest respect.

(5) If business men, both national and international, feel that they can trust and rely on each other, much waste motion now expended on protective and control mechanisms will be eliminated.

(6) An international political structure will immeasurably simplify the functioning of an international economy.

(7) Reduction or elimination of class hatred and mistrust, enabling labor and management to work with rather than against one another, will do away with another great waste of human resources.

(8) World-wide increase in general and technical education for both sexes will greatly increase the available supply of human resources by expanding the usefulness of individuals.

(9) Adoption of a universal language will facilitate international commerce.

(10) Reduction or elimination of the use of alcohol and other socially debilitating habits will check another great waste of human resources, and will increase the usefulness of millions of individuals.

A New Era

We are living in a period of rapid and far-reaching change. The very structure of society is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Serious thinkers in all parts of the world are earnestly striving to work out the pattern of a better world order which can be built when the spilling of blood has ceased. [Page 411]Religion and Economics ALI

Yet no political or economic plan, no matter how brilliantly conceived, can hope to permanently succeed unless the hearts of men are pure and their motives upright. Here is where the first basic change must come. Many are skeptical that such a change can ever be brought about. Yet the great religions have accomplished it in the past. It is the crying need of the world today, to which God has already furnished the answer. Let the world heed that answer, and enter a new, limitless era of progress.

UNITY OF THE WORLD

The world is, in truth, moving on towards its destiny. The interdependence of the peoples and nations of the earth, whatever the leaders of the divisive forces of the world may say or do, is already an accomplished fact. Its unity in the economic sphere is now understood and recognized. ‘The welfare of the part means the welfare of the whole, and the distress of the part brings the distress of the whole. The Revelation of Baha’u’llah has, in His own words, “lent a fresh impulse and set a new direction” to this vast process now operating in the world. The fires lit by this great ordeal are the consequences of men’s failure to recognize it. “They are, moreover, hastening its consummation. Adversity, prolonged, world-wide, afflictive, allied to chaos and universal destruction, must needs convulse the nations, stir the conscience of the world, disillusion the masses, precipitate a radical change in the very conception of society, and coalesce ultimately the disjointed, the bleeding limbs of mankind into one body, single, organically united, and indivisible—SHocur EFFEnpl. [Page 412]aN

O Tuov kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy gladtidings. O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the “Most Great Peace”, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy

bounty and bestowal.

—Appu’L-BaHA.

412 [Page 413]Summons ‘Io New York

‘A bdu’l-Baha

WELCcoME, very welcome, exceedingly welcome!

I have stayed in New York a long time. Although at times I went away, I have always returned to New York, because I wished New York to advance greatly. In former times New York was the Bahaé’{ center. It had precedent over other cities from every standpoint, even in point of numbers. I would like to see New York now as it was formerly, that is, with many friends. I would like to see this assembly increase day by day, and this is contingent upon one thing, that is, you must set aside all differences and become one in thought. This is the call of the Kingdom of Abha.

When water is distributed through various channels or founts, none of the fountains shall have sufficient strength and power, all of them will be meager. But when you shut off the sources and force the water in one direction, you will see a tremendous outflow. Even so it is with the thought of mankind. When human thought is not centered, it is working here and elsewhere; no thought force will be strong. But if you shut off all other thought forces and make all as one thought, there will be a tremendous power in that one direction. Therefore, you must forsake all [diverging] thoughts, be united, set aside all [differing] intentions and hold only to one intention. This is the summons to the Kingdom of Abha. This is the invitation to the great Kingdom of the Lord.

If this is accomplished, New York, in the course of a year, will become bright; it will become fragrant; it will become a

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rose garden; it will be delightful. The rays of the Sun of Light will shine. The faces will be most happy. Human realities will develop, the station of revelation and discovery will be attained and the stars of God will become resplendent.

Hitherto unpublished address by ‘Abdu’l-Baha given at 309 West 78th Street, New York, November 27, 1912.

THE BEST-BELOVED

Release yourselves, O nightingales of God, from the thorns and brambles of wretchedness and misery, and wing your flight to the rose-garden of unfading splendor. O My friends that dwell upon the dust! Haste forth unto your celestial habitation. Announce unto yourselves the joyful tidings: “He Who is the Best-Beloved is come! He hath crowned Himself with the glory of God’s Revelation, and hath unlocked to the face of men the doors of His ancient Paradise.” Let all eyes rejoice, and let every ear be gladdened, for now is the time to gaze on His beauty, now is the fit time to hearken to His voice. Proclaim unto every longing lover: “Behold, your Well-Beloved hath come among men!” and to the messengers of the Monarch of love impart the tidings: “Lo, the Adored One hath appeared arrayed in the fullness of His glory!” O lovers of His beauty! Turn the anguish of your separation from Him into the joy of an eternal reunion, and let the sweetness of His presence dissolve the bitterness of your remoteness from His court.

Behold how the manifold grace of God, which is being showered from the clouds of Divine glory, hath, in this day, encompassed the world.

—BaAHA’U’LLAH. [Page 415]You, Too, Can Pioneer

Adrienne Ellis

THE ONLY requisites for a pioneer in this day are an unlimited faith in the power and guidance of Baha’u’llah and an unquenchable desire for service to the Throne of the Ancient Beauty. As a motivating power—if you haven’t one already —just read again the Guardian’s latest message, his “supremely urgent call” to arise and establish Baha’u’llah’s Word of world unity in every part of the Americas by 1944. That in itself should so awaken you that you would be ready to go in a week as I was. When I decided to go the Guardian had not yet written that particular message; nevertheless I felt the same impelling power that it gives you.

When I went to the Baha’i Summer School at Geyserville, California, in July, 1942, my plans for fall were uncertain. I had considered going to school but it seemed there might be drawbacks there. Whatever I had in mind it wasn’t pioneering—yet within a week I was practically on the way. The first morning at Summer School I went up the hill to the redwood grove for devotions with a group of other early risers, among them a young lady named Eva Lee Flack with whom I had spent an evening two years previously but had not met since, though I heard she was very active in the Youth Group in Los Angeles. After devotions were finished and we were going down the hill, Eva and I fell to talking of pioneering as that was the point of emphasis for the Summer School this year. We both said we had long wished to go but were hesitant about going alone. Then we spoke of the great need for

415 [Page 416]416 World Order

pioneers and of how eager we were to be of service. By the time we were at the bottom of the hill, Eva had presented the logical solution—“Why don’t we go together???” Momentous question destined to change our lives,—for within the week we had met with the National Teaching Committee and had received permission, pending the sanction of the National Spiritual Assembly; Eva had heard from her parents (both Baha’is) who gave her their proud blessing. My Mother (who was at Geyserville with me) expressed herself well pleased with my decision. All the dear friends gave us much encouragement and inspiration, especially such friends as Honor Kempton, Helen Griffing, Helen Robinson and the Searses, who had worked in the pioneering field and were able

to give us many helpful pointers. We also were given many wonderful Baha’i books.

After Summer School we went to Eva’s home in Los Angeles to prepare for our trip in October to Greensboro, North Carolina. The friends exhibited the greatest kindness and generosity and showered us with many beautiful gifts. The only cloud on the horizon was my uncertainty concerning the opinion of my father who is not a Bahai. Imagine then my overwhelming joy at receiving from him a message saying, “I freely approve of your decision and hope you will be able to do much for the Cause.” Thus does Baha’u’llah remove the barriers.

At last came the day of our departure when, with a mingling of grief and joy we bade farewell to our families and the friends who came to the station to see us off. Thus we began the 2,500 mile trip at the end of which awaited we knew not what of heartache, sorrow and disappointment, or of joy, but we were determined to bear all, that we might share with our brothers and sisters in the South this glorious message of one[Page 417]Pioneer 417

ness for which they have prayerfully waited over a weary expanse of years.

Our journey was the perfect prelude to pioneering, for we visited Baha’is in San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Laramie, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D. C. With the exception of Chicago, we stayed in these cities just long enough to have a meeting with the friends, then hastened on.

In San Francisco Dr. Mildred Nichols and Marion Holley gave a lovely tea to which the friends came and we all enjoyed a material and spiritual feast. Ella Cooper told us a very beautiful story of the Master illustrating His way of teaching by living the Baha’i life.

In Salt Lake City we spoke to a group of twenty-two Baha’is and non-Baha’is. The discussion which followed was very spirited and enlightening. If you feel incapable of talking to a group of people about the Faith, forget your fear— say a prayer and the Greatest Name and open your mouth; Baha’u’llah does the rest. From your lips streams a flood of inspired words much more effective and suitable for the occasion than any you could have fashioned.

In Laramie we had an illuminating demonstration of the pervasive potency which Baha’u’llah bestows when one is a clear channel. We spoke, with no preparation, before the small group which gathered in Val Thornton’s home. There were two non-Baha’is present. We prayed for guidance and this we received in measure so bountiful that all of us in the room were lifted up into the Abha Kingdom. Eva and I scarcely knew we were speaking, and when we had finished there was a silence during which we felt a Presence and our souls were exalted. The two non-Baha’is were tremendously impressed and uplifted and went away with a resolution to study the Teachings intensively. [Page 418]418 World Order

Denver was our next stop, and here we had the pleasure of staying with two other pioneers, one from my state— Mildred Hiatt—and one from Eva’s state—Ruth Westgate. Artemus Lamb, pioneer from Beverly Hills, California, graciously took us around to see all the friends. During the two evenings we were there, the friends and seekers came in to see us and the conversation always turned to the Faith. Among the dear ones we met were the Lillywhites, the steadfast family who have kept the Faith alive in Denver for a good many years.

Chicago was the pinnacle of the trip, for while there we saw the Temple, that Divine instrument destined to be the cause of hundreds coming into the Faith. Though we knew it to be firmly anchored on the earth it seemed to us to be suspended in the misty heavens, a vessel to receive the outpouring of God’s mercy and love and to shower them forthwith on a tortured and despairing humanity.

Washington was our last stopover and we had the delightful surprise of meeting and hearing Mme. Ali-Kuli Khan and Dr. Stanwood Cobb. We also visited the Philip Marangellas in their lovely new home and met many of the friends there.

From Washington we came at last to Greensboro where, through prayer and guidance, we found exactly the kind of lodging best suited to advance our work here. We were especially happy to find the Baha’?i Community of Greensboro on a solid foundation, needing only to grow in knowledge and experience. The five weeks that we have been here have been crammed with activity and adventure. We learn every day how to turn more completely to Baha’w’llah and this is the answer to the question, ““Why pioneer?” You are constantly aware of being divinely protected and sustained in all you do for the Cause. You realize what a great privilege and bounty [Page 419]Pioneer 419

it is to teach His Blessed Faith and that the pioneering field is a proving ground where you are tested for greater things to come.

Baha’is especially must put first things first and teachers are the paramount need at this time. Why, then, do you wait? “Arise in His name, put your trust wholly in Him, and be assured of ultimate victory.”

O My beloved friends! You are the bearers of the name of God in this Day. You have been chosen as the repositories of His mystery. Tt behooves each one of you to manifest the attributes of God, and to exemplify by your deeds and words the signs of His righteousness, His power and glory. The very members of your body must bear witness to the loftiness of your purpose, the integrity of your life, the reality of your faith, and the exalted character of your devotion. ... You are the witnesses of the Dawn of the promised Day of God. You are the partakers of the mystic chalice of His Revelation... . Purge your hearts of worldly desires, and let angelic virtues be your adorning. ... The time is come when naught but the purest motive, supported by deeds of stainless purity, can ascend to the throne of the Most High and be acceptable unto Him. ... Heed not your weaknesses and fraility; fix your gaze upon the invincible power of the Lord, your God, the Almighty. Has He not, in past days, caused Abraham, in spite of His seeming helplessness, to triumph over the forces of Nimrod? Has He not established the ascendancy of Jesus, poor and lowly as He was in the eyes of men, over the combined forces of the Jewish people? Has he not subjected the barbarous and militant tribes of Arabia to the holy and transforming discipline of Muhammad, His Prophet? Arise in His name, put your trust wholly in Him, and be assured of ultimate victory.” —Tue BAz, To His Discipues, [Page 420]The City of God Ella C. Quant

One morning last summer my Best-Beloved asked me to accompany Him to a beautiful City. I agreed willingly, for beauty always lifts me out of myself and fills me with a happiness I lack words to express.

The name of that City is more or less familiar to all, but I will ask you to be patient with me, for I shall not yet mention it. I wish first to share with you some of the beautiful descriptions that the Best-Beloved gave. He spoke of the “blades of grass” with such a reverence that I understood as never before that each kingdom of creation manifests the Glory of God according to a pre-ordained capacity. He told me of the beauty of the rose-bushes, and of the myriad songbirds perched therein and pouring out in “blissful rapture their melody”. He spoke of the other flowers—the wondrous tulips, the perfume shedding hyacinths—and He said: “The Flower, thus far hidden from the sight of men, is unveiled to your eyes.”

As the Best-Beloved talked, it seemed that He was saying to me—one of the kingdom of mankind—“Be as resigned and submissive as the earth, that from the soil of your being there may blossom the fragrant, the holy and multi-colored hyacinths of My Knowledge.”

I lack words to express all that the Best-Beloved said of the beauty of that City. But after all, beauty is not all of life! He told me that the people of that City have “wealth without gold”. Thus He taught me that true wealth is imperishable. He also said that the people in the City have “immortality

420 [Page 421]City of God 421

without death”, and then I seemed to understand how the horizon of life can be so illumined that death is “glad tidings” —the laying aside of the worn-out garment for a new.

Now you begin to question! You say—“If such a City actually exists, it must be very old and far removed from our present-day living.”

The Best-Beloved claims that the City is old,—ancient,— but every so often it is modernized and brought really up to date.

Yes, as you are thinking, the people in that City enjoy peace and meditation. The Best-Beloved said, however, that the people therein also “valiantly labor”. (Once He said that a task done in the spirit of service to mankind is accepted by God as worship.) He also said that the people who live in “that City are so attached to it that to leave it, is, to them, unthinkable”. You say you feel, too, that such a place is truly a haven for the soul.

Now, let me tell you the name of the City, as given by the Best-Beloved: “The City is none other than the Word of God revealed in every age and dispensation. In the days of Moses it was the Pentateuch; in the days of Jesus, the Gospel; in the days of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, the Qur’4n; . . . and in the dispensation of Him Whom God will make manifest, His own Book—the Book unto which all the Books of former dispensations must needs be referred, the Book that standeth amongst them all transcendent and supreme.”

Dear friend, the best time to start for that City is at the Dawn, before the heat and confusion of the day is upon us. The Best-Beloved is always waiting to guide. [Page 422]Religion and the Social Program

THE TRUE social program is to be found in the truths of revealed religion. ‘These truths, renewed and extended by the Prophets from age to age, have established the universal goal for mankind in a promised day of peace, but have made its attainment conditional upon men’s acceptance of the truth and their practice of truth in their daily lives.

Therein lies the vital difference between religion as divine assurance, and social program as a political or economic policy. Religion demands faith, sacrifice and pure character. Political and economic policy call for intellectual agreement. Religion offers the reinforcement of a higher will and the guidance of a higher wisdom. Public policy operates on the impetus which can be supplied by a party working through the mechanism of the state.

When we speak of political and economic “truth” we mean something quite different from spiritual truth. The history of civilization has too frequently been the substitution of political and economic policies for the realities of religion. Whenever the spirit of religion is left out, human efforts are unsuccessful.

We see the distinction clearly when we think of early Christianity and the decadent Roman Empire. Christianity renewed the vision of human attainment. It fired the soul with determination to assist in the development of a community which would reflect the mercy and the justice of divine law. Rome, on the other hand, possessed of all human authority and power, but bereft of the spirit of faith in God, crumbled to ruin.

The world today is, on a larger scale, in the same condition as it was nineteen hundred years ago. Again the individual is crushed

422 [Page 423]Social Program 423

beneath the weight of a civilization that has lost its way. We have been trying too long to solve human problems from outside, forgetting that the very essence of all human problems is lack of faith in God. A generation engaged in a gigantic world war needs to return to the way of spiritual truth, realizing that there can be no social program promising fundamental betterment until there is a human race which has risen to a higher level of character, sympathy, understanding, and good will.

Baha’u’llah, founder of the Baha'i Faith, laid the basis for the spiritual unity of mankind more than seventy years ago. He interpreted the true purpose of all former religions as steps in the direction of the world unity needed today. In one age, the Prophet created tribal unity, in another age He created unity of race. ‘Today the purpose of religion is to unite mankind. Therefore the Baha’i teachings uphold universal peace as the divine solution to human problems, not merely as an optional policy for one nation or another, or a program which can be made competitive between different schools of social philosophy.

The difference between this spiritual conception of human development and the political ideals now current is that the Baha’is include the unity of religions, the unity of races and the unity of classes with the unity of nations as the goal of man today. As Baha’wllah declared as long ago as 1870, “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.” But Baha’u’llah has not made social order an easy or superficial goal. ‘To attain it there must be a new consecration of mind and heart for capacity to leave behind our . prejudices, our materialism, and our inertia. “There are followers of Baha’u’llah today in more than sixty countries of East and West, and these members of the world religion constitute a nucleus of the great brotherhood to rise upon the ruins of past civilizations.

—H. H. [Page 424]Country Church Audrey Robarts

The grassy roadway winds beyond the creek, Through quiet cedary woods all leafy dark And past two smooth-hooked swinging gates, Up to the churchyard on the hill.

With its graves of years gone by,

The little church itself is set with stones Both round and square. Its padlock, Looking on first glance secure,

Slips coldly in the hand.

A blue and yellow light comes in

Through pointed windows, till the eye

Turns upward to the arching of the sanctuary— A cricket beats the only sound

In all this holy stillness,

Where prayers of many hearts have poured Before their God—and prayer glows now,

And praises and remembrance,

The Greatest Name repeated, hushed, in awe.

“Fe is not here, for He is risen”

Is graven on the glass,

A message for His true ones, His sincere. This Book, so near on its tall stand Ought further to confirm—

424. [Page 425]Country Church 425

Impulsively the fingers find a page,

A verse unsearched for holds the eye

And back two thousand years the Galilean speaks. . . .

“Ye make clean the outside of the cup. . . . but inwardly

Ye are like unto sepulchres, full of dead men’s bones.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered

Wererehils And ye would not!”

Like all their fathers before them The prophets they have stoned. Yet further—“Behold your house Is left unto you desolate”— Tears flow down.

But still did He not say

“Ye shall not see Me henceforth Till ye shall say,

‘Blessed is he that cometh

In the name of the Lord’ ”?

Turning then with pensive step

And whispered prayer for all who enter there, As asked by written word upon the wall— The door is closed; the lock warm now, Swings lightly in its place.

With vision of God’s promise bright fulfilled We ask: How long, O Baha’u’llah,

Before Thine own, all men, shall turn Toward Thine Ancient, Glorious Face! [Page 426]

WITH OUR READERS

Our Inter-America Committee keeps us informed about our pioneers in Latin America in as far as it is possible in the limited space of Bah#i News. And how eagerly we read these items. World Order hopes from time to time to be able to print letters and articles which will give us more intimate and complete pictures of the life and surroundings of our pioneer friends.

A letter from Mrs. Ayned McComb, one of the group of seven Baha’is in Puerto Rico, which tells something of life there and of the growth of the Cause and which we are privileged to share with our readers, has recently come to hand. She writes in part:

“The Puerto Ricans greatly admire color, creative art and the beauty of language so that by appealing to them through these mediums we can best reach their hearts and at the same time fulfill the innate feeling and love for these expressions which they so cherish.” Mrs, McComb explains that in some cases it Is difficult for those they teach to

fix their attention for a long time on so deep a subject as the Bahai Faith, so that they are obliged to proceed slowly. This is on account of the enervating climate and struggle for material existence. But here and there they find souls ready for the Faith and to them she says, “We can reveal in its entirety the matchless beauty of this precious Revelation.” Mrs. McComb continues, “The people whom we have met so far have been as a result of our daily work and activities and to many of them we give literature to read or lend books to study in either English or Spanish.

. . Phe” Puerto: Ricans whom we have contacted have come from all avenues of life: one a lady who is head of the Girl Scout organization on the island ..., another a gentleman who is head of the Engineering Association of Puerto Rico, a member of the Woman’s study club, a professor of the University of Puerto Rico, and others.

“We are copying off excerpts from the words of Bahda’u’llah

426 [Page 427]With Our Readers

and ‘Abdu’l-Baha in both English and Spanish onto single sheets of paper of note book size. This is being done with hektograph equipment, using colored ink and illuminating somewhat in artistic manner. We are giving these excerpts to those people who have showed the keenest interest. The passages are chosen carefully so that at first the broader spiritual principles are used. . . . Later to these same people we will give other quotations which define more closely the things one must accept in order to become a recognized believer in the Community of the Most Great Name.

“One of the first things accomplished by Mrs. Disdier and Miss Jones when they arrived was the placement in the Carnegie Public Library and the Library of the University of Puerto Rico certain of the Baha’{ books. .. . The Carnegie Library still has displayed on its bulletin board ... the jacket of Security for a Failing World and the two pamphlets The World Religion and What is the Bah@i Faith?

“Our membership in San Juan comprises seven believers and we function as a group with Mr. Lucien McComb as the chairman. We observe all the

427

Nineteen Day feasts and anniversaries. .. . We keep the minutes of each business meeting, maintain regular correspondence with the Inter-America Committee and are preserving carefully all records of the early beginnings of the teaching work here for the archives of the future.

“Our work was slowed somewhat by the fact that we have moved several times and much time had to be spent in getting settled, but now that my family and Miss Jones are living together with us we are able to carry on in a more intensified way than before. We are all living in a lovely large apartment well suited for holding gatherings and entertaining socially. It is very essential to show hospitality and to share with others our bounties. .

“Although it may seem that little has actually been accomplished, still the ground work is being laid solidly and surely, and future days will witness the realization of our great vision for this tropic isle set like a gem in the Caribbean. We feel that this place would be an ideal spot for conducting a summer school because of its central location and because here the Americas meet and people from both North and [Page 428]428

South America mingle. Also the fact that the people speak both English and Spanish fluently makes it distinctive. We hope that after the war is over this may be worked out and that Puerto Rico will shine as a brilliant star in the diadem of service to our beloved Faith.”

kk Ox

In the carefully written paper entitled “Religion and Economics’, Arthur L. Dahl, Jr., clearly shows that a right solution of the world’s economic problems cannot be obtained apart from religion. This article contains material which Mr. Dahl gave in a talk at Geyserville Summer School in 1941 and repeated later in San Francisco. He has put his ideas into written form at the request of several who heard his talk. Mr. Dahl’s experience and training have led him to think deeply on this subject. He received a master’s degree from Leland-Stanford University and is now a member of the San Francisco firm of Hunter, Turrell and Dahl, engaged in estate management and investors’ counsel. Our readers will remember a book review by Mr. Dahl in our October, 1942, issue.

Adrienne Ellis, who has writ World Order

ten the enthusiastic article, “You, Too, Can Pioneer”, is one of our younger Baha’is. She has been very active on the Baha’{ Youth Committee of Phoenix, Arizona, where she also served as a member of the Spiritual Assembly. Before she began to pioneer she had made several Baha’i talks on radio and had written as a reporter to the newspapers. For one year she was active in the Los Angeles Community. Miss Ellis is a member of a family of eight, all of whom have shown interest in the ‘Teachings of Baha@w lah. In addition to her mother and herself, three children of fifteen and under are declared Baha’is. This new pioneer for the Faith first heard of the Baha’i Cause when she went to sing at a Baha’i meeting in 1938, and she gave the Message to her mother.

It was forty years ago that Ella C. Quant, who has written “The City of God”, received the Message from Mrs. Isabella D. Brittingham in Johnstown, N. Y. That spring she says she recalls vividly “the grass was greener, the song birds sweeter, all nature was happy with me, and, in my own experience I could verify all that the poets had ever written about love—for I knew that my [Page 429]With Our Readers

The new the new Garment accentuated the sweetness of His Presence.”

With Mrs. Margaret LaGrange, Mrs. Quant had the privilege of meeting ‘Abdu’lBaha in New York City in 1912, and during five days she was given the bounty of seeing Him.

In speaking of the miracle of Shoghi Effendi’s position as the Guardian of the Cause of God, Mrs. Quant says: “It is a miracle for each soul, and will ever be. Shoghi Effendi has so loved me, cheered and encouraged me, insignificant as I am, that I lack words to express it all. Whatever the Master planted in me, Shoghi Effendi has watered and tended with divine love.”

Beloved had come. Name and

There was a time, she adds, “when it seemed I knew and corresponded with every believer in America,—but, how the Cause has grown!” She is now serving as chairman of the Braille Transcriptions Committee, and makes her home in Schenectady, N. Y.

Audrey Robarts, whose poem, “Country Church”, we print this month lives in Montreal, Canada, where both she and her

national

429

husband are active on the regional teaching committee, in the Canadian Summer School and in other teaching projects. Many will remember that Mr. and Mrs. Robarts were in the group from Canada who reached the 1942 Bahai Convention in spite of great difficulties.

The prayer of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the editorial by Horace Holley, this department and the index complete this issue. The index reminds us all that with this March number volume VIII of World Order is completed. Is the complete volume not worthy of preservation? Have you something to contribute for volume IX,—some brief helpful experience for this column or a longer article for the main part of the magazine?

not

In the February issue, page 374, last paragraph, lines six and seven, should be: “That he would . .. xcather than) she son would ...”; and page 376, paragraph 3, should read: “We remember the divan where He sat in His last days; remember His white felt cap on the cushion; His ewer and basin; the small leather slippers by His bed.”

THE EDITORS. [Page 430]INDEX WORLD ORDER

VoLUME ErIcHT, APRIL, 1942—Marcu, 1943

TITLES ‘Abduw’l-Baha, The Souvenir of, by Shirley Warde, 73 Acknowledgment, Poem, by Virginia

Moran Evans, 175

Affliction, The Purpose of, by Elizabeth P. Hackley, 217

America, I Would Not Leave, ‘Abduw’l-Baha, 223

Army, In the, by Benjamin Kaufman, 170

Baha’?i Community, The: A Divine Creation, by Chester F, Barnett, 264; Community — Not Church, by William Kenneth Christian, 317; A Living Organism, by Annamarie Honnold, 342

Baha’i Lessons, ed. by Alice S, Cox, 32, 69, 105, 140, 176, 213

Baha’i World, From the Center of the, by Ruhiyyih Khanum, 47

Baha’wllah as Protector, Hyde Paine, 109

Behind the Deed, Poem, by Polly McClennen, 58

Black Hero, by Ellsworth Blackwell, 26

Brazil In Renaissance, by Beatrice Irwin, 388

Buenos Aires, by Philip G. Sprague, 205

Calendar for a World Faith, A, by Horace Holley, 145

Carmel’s Aged Slopes, On, Poem, by William Kenneth Christian, 262

Challenging Hour, This, by Charles S. Krug, 311

City of God, The, by Ella C. Quant, 420

Color and Human Nature, Book Review, by Garreta Busey, 173

by

by Mabel

Convention, Editorial, by Garreta Busey, 24

Country Church, Poem, by Audrey Robarts, 424

Covenant, Protection of, Tablet, by

‘Abdw’l-Baha, 181

Covenant, The, by Albert Windust, 225, 272, 299, 350

Covenant, The (Baha’i Lessons) , 32, 213

Covenant Unfolds in the Kingdom of God, The, Compilation, 194

Cycles of Civilization, by J. M. Haggard, 289

Day of God, The, by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 338

Days of Noah Were, As the, by Olga

Finke, 133

Divine Banner, The, by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 325

Divine Policy, A, Editorial, by Horace Holley, 270

Education for Armageddon, Editorial, by Garreta Busey, 241

Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, On the, by Ali-Kuli Khan, 59

Freedom, The Source of, Editorial, by Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick, 159

God, The Voice of, Editorial, by Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick, 52

Haifa, In, Poem, by Polly McClennen, 224

Happiness of Mankind Will Be Realized, The, by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 55

Heavenly Forces Will Overcome, The, by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 153

Hope, The Door of, by Elizabeth P. Hackley, 63

Hour, This Challenging, by Charles S. Krug, 311

Hour Has Struck, The, Editorial, by Garreta Busey, 340

House of Worship, Baha’i, Drawing by Carl Scheffler, 326

House of Worship of a World Faith, The, by Horace Holley, 327

Illumination, by Felipe Madrigal, 156

[Israel] Hear, O Israel! Poem, by Gertrude W. Robinson, 122

Jew, Bahai to, by Louis G. Gregory, V9

Live, That All May, Editorial, by Alice S. Cox, 392

430 [Page 431]Index

Love and Justice, by Henry C. Beecher, 284

Love in Diversity, by Lethia C. Fleming, 385

Man (Baha’i Lessons), 105

Man, The Invisible, by Roberta Christian, 127

Man Is Responsible, by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 369

Manifestation, The, by Polly McClennen, 20

Materialism, The Repudiation of, by Robert Louis Koehl, 243

Moral Order for Mankind, A, Editorial, by Horace Holley, 138

New York, Summons to, by ‘Abdu’lBaha, 413

Obedience, The Mystery of Spiritual, by Dale S. Cole, 89

On Hearing the Bahd’i Message, Poem, Preble Thale, 384

Opposers, The First, by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 123

Patriotism, ‘The Alice S$. Cox, 94

Peace, Charter for World, by Alice S. Coxee!

Pioneer, You, Too, Can, by Adrienne Ellis, 415

Pray? Why, by Etta D. Steckler, 161

Prayer, My Experience With, by Etty Graeffe, 165

Prayers, by Baha’u’llah, 23, 54, 88, 118, IS2502e02, Zl, 298, 339, 419

Promise Is Fulfilled, God’s, by Evelyn Lackey Bivins, 361

Promised Day, The (Baha’i Lessons), 176

Qur’in, Introduction to (Bahéi Lessons), 69

Rainbow of Promise, Editorial, by Alice S. Cox, 203

Ready, Be Ever, by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 21

Religion and Economics, by Arthur Dahl, 397

Religion and the Social Program, Editorial, by Horace Holley, 422

Religions, The Divine Unity of (Bahai Lessons), 140

New, Editorial, by

431

Revelation, Creation and, Editorial, by Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick, 315

Songs, Poems, by Cora Ball Moten, 104

Souvenir of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, The, by Shirley Warde, 73

Spirit of Power Confirmeth Thee, The, Letters, by Helen Griffing, 96

Statesmanship, The New Dimension in, by Marcia Steward Atwater, 66

Timeless Land, The, Book Review, by Arthur Dahl, 246

Truth, Independent Investigation of, by William Kenneth Christian, 236

Unity, Tabernacle of, by Phyllis Durroh, 378

Victory, Unchallengeable, by Harvey Gift, 37

Where’er You Walk, by Marzieh Gail, 372

With Our Readers, ed. by Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick, 34, 71, 107, 142, 178, 215, 250, 286, 322, 358, 394, 426

Word Is Made Flesh, The, by Mary Hammond, 253

World Order, The New, Book Review, by Robert L. Gulick, 29

Maye

AUTHORS

‘Abdw’l-Baha, Words of:—Be Ever Ready, 21; The Happiness of Mankind Will Be Realized, 55; The First Opposers, 123; The Heavenly Forces Will Overcome, 153; Protection of the Covenant, Tablet, 181; I Would Not Leave America, 223; The Divine Banner, 325; The Day of God, 338; Man Is Responsible, 369; Let This American Democracy, 412; Summons to New York, 413

Atwater, Marcia Steward, The New Dimension in Statesmanship, 66

Bahéuwllah, Words of :—Create in Me a Pure Heart, Prayer, 23; How Can I Choose to Sleep, Prayer, 54 and 152; Glorified Art Thou, Prayer, 88; Lauded Be Thy Name, Prayer, 118; Glorified Be Thy Name, Prayer, 222; Thou Art the Lord, Prayer, 261; All Praise, Prayer, 298; I Have Risen This Morning, Prayer, 339 [Page 432]432

Barnett, Chester F., The Baha’i Community: A Divine Creation, 264

Beecher, Henry C., Love and Justice, 284

Bivins, Evelyn Lackey, God’s Promise Is Fulfilled, 361

Blackwell, Ellsworth, Black Hero, 26

Busey, Garreta, Convention, 24; Color and Human Nature, 173; Education for Armageddon, 241; The Hour Has Struck, 340

Christian, Roberta, The Invisible Man, 127

Christian, William Kenneth, Independent Investigation of Truth, 236; On Carmel’s Aged Slopes, 262; The Bahé?i Community: Community—Not Church, 317

Cole, Dale S., The Mystery of Spiritual Obedience, 89

Cox, Alice S., Charter for World Peace, 1; The New Patriotism, 94; Rainbow of Promise, 203; That All May Live, 392

Dahl, Arthur, The Timeless Land, 246; Religion and Economics, 397

Durroh, Phyllis, Tabernacle of Unity, 378

Ellis, Adrienne, You, Too, Can Pioneer, 415

Evans, Virginia Moran, Acknowledgment, 175

Finke, Olga, As the Days of Noah Were, 133

Fleming, Lethia C., Love in Diversity, 385

Gail, Marzieh, Where’er You Walk, 372

Gift, Maye Harvey, Unchallengeable Victory, 37 Graeffe, Etty, My Experience With

Prayer, 165

Gregory, Louis G., Baha’i to Jew, 119

Griffing, Helen, The Spirit of Power Confirmeth Thee, 96

Gulick, Robert L., The New World Order, 29

Hackley, Elizabeth P., The Door of Hope, 63; The Purpose of Affliction, PAGE

World Order

Haggard, J. M., Cycles of Civilization, 289

Hammond, Mary, The Word Is Made Flesh, 253

Holley, Horace, A Moral Order for Mankind, 138; A Calendar for a World Faith, 145; A Divine Policy, 270; The House of Worship of a World Faith, 327; Religion and the Social Program, 422

Honnold, Annamarie, A Living Organism, 342

Irwin, Beatrice, Brazil in Renaissance, 388

Kaufman, Benjamin, In the Army, 170

Khan, Ali-Kuli, On the Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, 59

Kirkpatrick, Bertha Hyde, The Voice of God, 52; The Source of Freedom, 159; Creation and Revelation, 315; With Our Readers, 34, 71, 107, 142, 178, 215; 250, 286, 322, 358, 394; 426

Koehl, Robert Louis, The Repudiation of Materialism, 243

Krug, Charles S., This Hour, 311

Madrigal, Felipe, Ilumination, 156

McClennen, Polly, The Manifestation, 20; Behind the Deed, 58; In Haifa, 224

Moten, Cora Ball, Songs, 104

Paine, Mabel Hyde, Baha’wllah as Protector, 109

Quant, Ella C., The City of God, 420

Robarts, Audrey, Country Church, 424

Robinson, Gertrude W., Hear, O Israel! 122

Ruhiyyih Khanum, From the of the Bahai World, 47

Scheffler, Carl, Baha?i House of Worship, Drawing, 326

Sprague, Philip G., Buenos Aires, 205

Steckler, Etta D., Why Pray? 161

Thale, Preble, On Hearing the Bahda?{ Message, Poem, 384

Warde, Shirley, The ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 73

Windust, Albert, The Covenant, 225, 272, 2995 350

Challenging

Center

Souvenir of [Page 433]Baha’i Literature

Gleanings from the Writings of Bah@wlléh, selected and translated by Shoghi Effendi. ‘The Baha’i 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 Baha’uw’llah 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.

The Kitab-i-[qém, translated by Shoghi Effendi. This work (The Book of Certitude) unifies and coordinates the revealed Religions of the

past, demonstrating their oneness in fulfillment of the purposes of Revelation. Bound in cloth. 262 pages. $2.50.

Prayers and Meditations by Bahdwllah, 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-Baha’s explanation of questions concerning the relation of man to God, the nature of the Manifesta tion, 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, ‘Abdw1-Baha 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.

Bah@i Prayers, a selection of Prayers revealed by Baha'u'llah, the Bab and ‘Abdu’l-Baha, each Prayer translated by Shoghi Effendi. 72 pages. Bound in fabrikoid, $0.75. Paper cover, $0.35.

The World Order of Bah@wllah, by Shoghi Effendi. On the nature of the new social pattern revealed by Baha’wllah for the attainment of divine justice in civilization, Bound in fabrikoid., 234 pages. $1.50.

BAHA’I PUBLISHING COMMITTEE 110 LINDEN AVENUE, WILMETTE, ILLINOIS [Page 434]THE BAHA’I FAITH

RECOGNIZES THE UNITY OF Gop AND His PRoPHETS,

UPHOLDS THE PRINCIPLE OF AN UNFETTERED SEARCH AFTER TRUTH,

ConDEMNS ALL FORMS OF SUPERSTITION AND PREJUDICE,

TEACHES THAT THE FUNDAMENTAL PURPOSE OF RELIGION IS TO PROMOTE CONCORD AND HARMONY, THAT IT MUST GO HAND IN HAND WITH SCIENCE, AND THAT IT CONSTITUTES THE SOLE AND ULTIMATE BASIS OF A PEACEFUL, AN ORDERED AND PROGRESSIVE SOCIETY. ...

INCULCATES THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES FOR BOTH SEXES,

ADVOCATES COMPULSORY EDUCATION,

ABOLISHES EXTREMES OF POVERTY AND WEALTH,

EXaLTS WORK PERFORMED IN THE SPIRIT OF SERVICE TO THE RANK OF WORSHIP,

RECOMMENDS THE ADOPTION OF AN AUXILIARY INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE, ...

PRoyIDES THE NECESSARY AGENCIES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT AND SAFEGUARDING OF A PERMANENT AND UNIVERSAL PEACE,

—SnHocuHi Errenpi.