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WORDS AND PRAYERS OF BAHA’U’LLAH L ET your morning be better than your evening and your day an improvement on the morning. Man’s honor lies in service and perfection, not in ornamentation, wealth and possessions.-—-Qu0te_d from “Lessons in Religion.” O God, my God! Thy Grace hath emboldened me, and Thy Justice filled me with terror. Happy is that man whom Thou hast endued with Thy Grace and woe to him that receiveth Thy Justice. Lord! I have fled from Thy Justice, and have sought Thy Grace, have turned from Thy \/Vrath and implored Thy Pardon. I beseech Thee, by T-hy Power, Thy Sovereignty, Thy Glory and Thy Favour to illumine mankind with the Light of Thy Know edge, that all things may show Thy Handiwork, may unfold the mysteries of Thy Power, and may reveal the Light of Thy Knowledge. Thou art the One that hath caused all things to be made manifest and hath shone upon them with the Light of Thy Care and Thy Providence. Thou art the All-Bountiful, the Gracious. Translated by Shoghi A pure heart create within me, O My Lord. A tranquil soul renew within me, O my Hope. Through the spirit of command make me firm in Thy Cause, O my Beloved. By the light of grandeur show unto me Thy Path, O my Desire. By the might of loftiness cause me to ascend unto the heaven of Thy Sanctity, O my Beginning. Through the breezes of immortality cause me to rejoice, O my End. By the melodies of eternity tranquilize me, O my Companion. By the riches of Thy Pre-Existent C-ountenance deliver me from aught else save Thee, O my Lord. And by the Manifestation of Thy Everlasting Identity rejoice me, O Thou art more apparent than my appearance, O Thou art more hidden than my inmost heart.
‘Abdu’l-Baha Frontispiece of “Unity Triumphant.” Reproduced through the courtesy of the author, Miss Elizabeth Herrick
STAR OF THE WEST VOL. 14 DECEMBER, I923 Through Pride Will Man Be Reduced to the Lowest Rank PECULIAR inspiration comes to one from perusing the word of God in a foreign language. That first vivid impression, veiled by long familiarity with the text as it exists in English, -has been restored to me in all its freshness upon reading the Hidden W ords in German. One verse has especially impressed me, both from its meaning and from some of the experiences of my travels. "Wegen der sterbliehen Herrschaft weniger Tage habt ihr Meine unsterbliche Herrschaf-t verworfen, eu-ch selbst in rote und gelbe Gewéindcr gekleidet und damit geprahlt. Ich erkliire bei Meiner Schijnheit, class Ich euch alle unter das gleichgefiirbte Zel-t cles Staubes bringen und die Farben x-"on allen entfernen werde, nur nicht von denen, welehe Meine Farbe, rein von allen andern, erwéihlten." “For a fleeting sovereignty of a few days have you abandoned My imperishable dominion and arrayed yourselves in mortal hues and pride yourselves therein. I declare by My beauty, that I will bring you all under the uni-colored canopy of dust and take -away the color from all, except from those who have chosen My color, pure from all others." has said that it is better to read one Hidden Word than hundreds of pages of any other literature. T-here— fore, let us meditate somewhat on the significance of this mighty utterance. Let us consider some of the examples of fallen glory. In passing through Holland on our way to Germany, our train wen-t close by Do-om, where William II languishes in exile. Our thoughts were much upon him. 'When we reached Berlin we found his former palace turned into a museum. I shall never forget the impression received upon traversing these corridors and rooms and gorgeous halls, so recently consecrated to the glory of the Hohenzollern House. There had been a. time when every gateway and approach was sternly guarded when at the buglecalls announcing the forth-riding of His Majesty, the sidewalk crowds and trafhc of the street had -drawn aside in breathless, almost religious silence to make way for the through-passing of this mortal glory, And now the common crowd invaded the erstwhile halls of imperial grandeur, Yes, penetrated even to that holy of holies, the golden throne room, access to which had been esteemed so high! I was rerninded of the so-similar fate of the tyrant Abdul Ha-rnicl's palace at Yildiz, in the immediate period subsequent to his forced abdication in the Revolution of 1908. Here, too, the common crowds had penetrated, eager and curious, to see the interior of that sac
rosanct, guarded as few palaces have ever been. As I went through it at that time I was struck by the carelessness of the guards, and the of the amused crowd thronging these secret and treasured r00ms—a natural reaction against their former terror of the Sultan. It was during the last days of Abdul Ha-mid that life was so seriously threatened. Then in a few days we saw the captive of injustice set free to make his glorious and victorious journey through Europe and America; while the former Sultan, whose rule had been for thirty years the most absolute in the world, was to languish out his life in a sad and miserable captivity. In the museum at Leipzig we were held spellbound by Lehn'bach’s portrait of Bismarck. Those wonderful eyes of the great diplomat and statesman glowed from the canvas with a cold blue flame. They were eyes before which no man could stand in opposition; eyes revealing the great mind, the invincible will, the gigantic magnetism of the man who moulded Europe to his desire. Yet that mind and will and niagnetism had to yield before the determination of the imperial young master to rule alone. And not only did Bismarck’s life end in dismissal and exile from the court whose glory he had created, but we see now the utter failure and collapse of all the structure -he built up by “blood and iron." Only there remains the good that he conceived and executed-—the unity of the great German people formerly divided into kingdoms and duchies and free cities at constant fratricidal war. So God uses man to forward that which is good; and that which man does of evil is quickly frustrated. In the same gallery was a wonderful picture of that other great conqueror and superman, Napoleon. How he stormed over Europe, terrifying w-hole populations, making and un-making kings, and moulding states to suit his will; yet he lived to see his conquests come to naught, a helpless prisoner on a lonely isle. In THROUGH PRIDE MAN FALLETH the Corcoran Gallery at Washington is a statue of him as in his dying (lays, looking out over life with still his great will and invincible spirit, learning perhaps certain lessons of the spirit. In his “Memories of the Time 18064813," Friedrich von Mueller, Chancellor of \-Vcimar, which we visited while passing through Germany, tells us of his interview with Napoleon, in which -he sought pardon and safety for his master, Carl August, Duke of V\/eimar. Napoleon was very angry with the duke for having fought against him on the side of Prussia; angry, also, because the duke did not now immediately abandon allegiance to his over-lord, the King of Prussia. To secure this audience the duke’s chancellor had followed Napoleon humbly and bescechingly from to Flrfurt, from Erfurt to Raumburg, from Raumburg to VVittenbe1'g, from \-Vittenberg to Potsdam. At last Napoleon granted the long-sought-for interview-. It is a dramatic scene, as described by Mueller. (I translate from the German.) “Finally came the moment. I was called into the imperial cabinet, in the midst of which, in rather a defiant attitude, stood Napoleon in his green Chasseur-uniform, his hat under his arm . . The Emperor broke out into the bitterest reproachcs over the conduct of the Duke, my Master. . . . . ‘You see,’ he said, ‘what I did with the Duke of Braunschweig. I will drive these wolves in the employ of Italy back to those they came from. Like this hat,’ 11ere he threw it angrily to the ground, ‘will I overthrow and "humiliate them. And I have a great desire to do so with your prince.’ ‘By Heaven, if one has not at least a hundred thousand men and a goodly count of cannon, one had better not undertake war with me. These Prussians had as much and more, but what help was that to them? I have scattered them like spray in the wind, I have crushed them down, and they will not lift their heads again.’
GREAT IMPERIALISTS OF HISTORY What a picture of despotic power! The great conqueror asserting his might and prowess; the faithful servant pleading for the throne of his master, who had done no ill but to fulfill his duty to the King of Prussia. After much storming, Napoleon softened and promised to keep the‘ duke upon his throne. “But.” and here he spoke again in fiery mood, “let your duke well understand, that he owes his land and his political existence only and solely to the high respect, the deep friendship which I have for his wife, the duchess and for her wurtl1y sister.” Of no man is there recorded such an impressinn of over-mastering power as of this world conqueror. Women hung their heads and blushed as he walked past them. His bravest, roughest generals became tame and awe-inspired in his presence. For a time he held Europe in the hollow of his hand, and there seemed no deliverance. But G0ethe’s mother, writing to Weimar in this period of storm and stress from Mainz, which had fallen into the possession of Napoleon, says, “Yet God still lives, and everything can turn out better than many now believe. A single moment can change everything." And so it turned out. Nap0le0n"s power went to ruin more quickly even than it had been built up. One more example of fallen glory comes to mind—the greatest example in history of a terrifying, conquering empire smashed suddenly to pieces! When Sennaeherib, the great Assyrian king, was on his way to conquer Egypt, he stopped at a walled city of an insignificant little kingdom and called upon it to surrender. It was a city and a kingdom hardly worthy of his conquest, and wor~ thy of his attention only because it lay in his line of march and communications, and its existence as a stronghold had become to the Assyrians a danger. It was the general opinion that the city should be immediately surrendered. The councilors so advised, the people so clamored, and the king was so minded. For woe to that city which resisted Assyria and then was conquered. Death, destruction, tortures unspeakable for the leading defenders——this was the policy of fright-fulness that had made the word “Assyrians” a name to terrify even babes with, and had lowered the courage and resistance of those whom Assyria would conquer. One man alone stood out against the decision to sun-render. It was Isaiah, the man of God. To the thundering, earth-shaking armies of Sennacherib he had nothing to oppose but the invisible power and protection of Jehovah. He alone had no fear. By his fiery and inspired words he aroused new courage in the people, the eouneilors, the king, He promised them safety. He assured them of the invisible protection, And in one night a plague coming from the marshes of Egypt so smote the Assyrian army, killing a hunclrecl and eighty-five thousand, that "Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed," to use the simple and quaintly expressive language of t-he Bible, “and went and returned, and dwelt at Ninevah.” The Assyrian empire vanished as magically as it had arisen. Within less than a. hundred years after Sennacherib so threatened the destruction of ]erusa— lem, Ninevah, the capital of Assyria, fell before the combined armies of the Chaldeans and Medea and Persians. The terrible scourge of the East was at last laid low. “Its fall was forever. When two centuries later Xenephon and his ten thousand Greeks marched past the place, the Assyrian nation was but a vague tradition, and Ninevah, its great city, was a vast heap of rubbish as it is today. Even the Assyrian speech had passed away.”* Read in Nahum, Chapter 3, the rejoining of Israel at the downfall of this wicked and terrific city. This passage gives a. vivid picture of the fallen greatness of Assyria, one of the most powerTBreasted—Anc£ent Times.
ful militaristic empires known to history, which for all its superb war-strength ended in dust. Ill * * ROM these noteworthy examples which history 0Pfers, and from many other examples of near and far times, one may see how prone to fall is mortal glory. Over-weening pride is destined to destruction. However great man’?will, he cannot battle against GOCI. S0 profoundly were the ancient Greeks impressed with this vulnerability of earthly princes, that they dreaded a too great success; dreaded, above all, the pride that is wont to come with success. For they feared the jealousy of the gods, and believed the only safeguard lay in propitiatory sacrifices. VV e know today that the only sacrifices God wants from men of success and high position are gratitude, humility, and service; and that the only safety in such altitudes is guidance. If we reflect we can very easily see why unlimited power of will cannot be granted to mortals. Vl/hat would become of the universe if men of such gigantic wills as Bismarck or Napoleon should go on attaining more and more of power, here and in the next existence? not the universe become an anarchy, a war between demonic wills? have seen what havoc such conflicts make of the fair earth we live upon. Shall the heavens themselves become but the theatre of war? For selfish, egoistic wills can never attain to unity and harmony among themselves. Each seeks to predominate, but no one is powerful enough to eternally hold rule. Our very conception of the universe is against this. The word, itself, by derivation, means unity, organization, a rez/0Iw'ng of solar systems according to one plan. And whose will shall prevail throughout the universe, save His? But God’s will is not, like man’s will, a domination, but a will of love and guidance. It does not seek to crush, THROUGH~ PRIDE MAN FALLETH but to perfect. What a wonderful example of this was afforded us in the life of ’A-bdu’l-Bahzi. He did not give commands. He opportunities for service. Never did one feel His will infringing upon one’s personal freedom. It was offered us only as a guidance, as a gift of love. If we did not accept, it was our loss, and his grief. Nor did he ever seek to dazzle strangers by the greatness of his station, by any manifestation of His power. Those who had capacity to see, were permitted at times to see him as power. But his power was gently and mercifu ly veiled frnm others. So God works. He could in a moment convince all men of His supremacy. But he chooses not to do so. They must convince themselves. They must discover Him. If they do not choose to do so, they are permitted to conceive of and worship themselves as power, until the time comes for a striking lesson. Even then God works not in anger, but as the Great Educator, leading us on by rewards and punishments to a knowledge of His Truths. Those who employ their abilities to the utmost are given power. That is their reward. But if they do not ascribe that power to God. they are eventually humiliated. That is their punishment. Every human will must be turned to God, and revolve about His will. I am so convinced of this, not only from the teachings of God’s word, and from the deductions of reason, but also from observations based on life and from history, that wherever I see a human will set itself up to rule and reign in a pride that is forgetful of God, I know a crash is imminent. It is true of individuals, it is true of nations, it is true of our whole planet. In this day and generation, although we are unaware of it, we are all living perilously near this eminence of pride. The whole Occident has become so ‘confident of its powers over nature through
THE SPIRITUAL PHYSICIAN scientific knowledge, so puffed with pride over its achievements, -that it has forgotten God. I hesitate to think of the lessons that may be in store for our planet. If we, as Baha'is, cannot turn other men to the consciousness of God, we can at least increase that consciousness in ourselves, until we realize God as “the One Power which animates and dominates all things.” It is not without reason that Baha’u’llah has given us the daily prayer: “I testify that Thou hast made us to know Thee and -to adore Thee. I testify that at this moment I am -powerless and Thou art powerful, I am weak and Thou art mighty, I am poor and Th01Jl art rich." If we can say that and feel that daily, we are safe under the shadow of His protection. Otherwise we are in danger of vanity and egoistic pride; for there is no temptation to which man, even. spiritual man, is more subject than that of ascribing power and glory to himself instead of to God. Not only our own safety, ‘but the safety of the Baha’i Cause, lies in this humility and evanescence. For where there is self-will and pride, there is emulation, envy, recrimination, disharmony, and eventually a loss of all spiritual power from the individual and from the group. There is only one road to. advancement in the Kingdom. “Verily man is uplifted to the heaven of glory and power through Meekness; again, through Pride, is he degraded to the lowest station.” THE SPIRITUAL PHYSICIAN O thou who art attracted to God, may God uphold thee! I implore God, the Ever—Living, the Everlasting, to assist thee to spread the spirit of life all circumstances and conditions, to cheer thy breast by the eternal secret and the hidden mystery, as mentioned in the Bible, the Gospel and Psalms, that thou mayest arise to spread the Most Great Glad Tidings in those regions, to express thyself with an effective power which penetrates into the realities of all things, that thy face may brilliantly shine among the beloved, that the utterances falling from thy tongue in the great public meetings may be like the flowing and running waters, and that the Holy Spirit may confirm thee in the most great assemblies—if thy face be sincerely turned to God, thy heart pure, and thou sacrificest to thy Lord thy spirit, thy personality, thy soul and thy heart, so that nothing is left of thee, neither thought, mention, voice, or even a whisper, save the word Set aside all desires, leave worldly matters, devote thyself to God, be filled with the Spirit, guide the people to safety and bring to them the holy fragrances which emanate from the Kingdom of By the life of Bahzi, he who is filled with the love of Bahé, and forgets all things, the Holy Spirit will be heard from his lips and the Spirit of Life will fill his heart, the Lights of the Sign will shine forth from his face, words will issue from his mouth in strands of pearls, and all sickness and disease will be healed by the laying on of the hands. is upon thee! (Signed) ’Abdu’l-Bahé ’Abbés. Tablet to Mr. Charles Greenleaf.
THE ASCENSION TWO years have passed since Baha, the beloved Master, departed from his earthly tabernacle and ascended into the Celestial Concourse. For seventy years he was to our world a visible center of the light of unity. In the years of almost universal war he unceasingly held aloft the banner of the most great peace and called the nations to universal brotherhood and love. And then, he seemed to depart from us just when our sorely affiicted humanity needed, most, his mighty presence and the constant ministrations of t-he Divine Physician. But the last two years have shown us that in reality he has never left us, that he is nearer than ever before and from the heavenly world t-he radiance of his spirit is bringing life to all the world. tells of how the friends in Russia, invited to visit their city, how accepted the invitation and then, before the journey was accomplished, departed from this World. Straightway a Wonderful, dynamic, spiritual outpouring appeared in Many people began to investigate the Cause, the Mashriqu"lwas filled to the doors and so eager was the interest in the heavenly teachings that the believers hardly had time for rest or sleep ‘but were constantly teaching. And there appeared among the friends such a beautiful spirit of faithfulness, affection and severance that it seemed as though they were living M1 the other world. Then they realized that the Master had visited them in spirit and in truth and his promise to them was fulfilled. All over the Bahéfi world, and especially in the East, there has been the same glorious outpouring of the water of life, and the fire of the Holy Spirit and greater and stronger grows the realization that he being lifted up draweth all men untu him. OF THE MASTER THE PASSING of the MASTER From “Letters from PaIe.m'ne”* By B. Pullen-Barry (‘I WANT to tell you of a very interesting visit I paid when at Haifa to the Persian Colony established there,” to the family of Baha. "The (Bahifi) religion appeals to Jews as well as to Muslims, Christians and seekers of spiritual inspiration of all religions or schools of thought. There is a town in Persia with a population of 5,000 Jews and 4,000 of them are followers of Baha’u’l1ah. . . , "In the year 1844, a young Persian merchant known as the Bab (Gate), proclaimed the coming of a great worldteacher and set to work to prepare Persia for his coming. Sceptical Muslims at him, persecuted him, and in 1850 he was martyred for his faith. From Persia in 1853 arose taught great principles for the guidance of the world and preached a lofty spiritual religion. Until that date there was no interc0mmunica— tion available to unite the world. Certainly in Asia nations and races were divided by insurmountable natural barriers. Here, however, .in the midst of a Muhammadan land, we find a Leader calling the world to Universal Peace, directing men to the Investigation of Truth, proclaiming the Equality of Man and Woman, the Need of Universal Education and Language, asserting the Oneness of Religion and Humanity, of Religion and Science, striving to eliminate social, political and religious prejudice, and at that date declaring the necessity of a Universal Tribunal to arbitrate international differences. . . . “With all this spirituality and loft)‘ teaching and outlook, one who knew in the -closing years of his life records how the prophet of Carmel ‘The Judaic Publishing Cm, Ltd... London.
THE ASCENSION OF THE MASTER took the liveliest interest in world It will be remembered that shortly before his death King George had conferred the honour of knighthood on the great Teacher. When General Allenby swept up the coast from Egypt, he went for counsel first -to ’Abdu’l-Balti. When Zionists arrived in Palestine they sought the venerable seer’s advice. . . . “He taught the equality of man and woman, saying, ‘The world of humanity has two wings, man and woman; if one wing is weak, then the bird cannot fly.‘ He -has -been described as a majestic, venerable figure, clad in the flowing aba, his head crowned with a turban white as his head and hair, his piercing deep—set eyes ‘shook the heart,’ his smile ‘poured its sweetness over all.’ . . . “His funeral was such the like of which Palestine had never seen before, was the general verdict. A deep feeling of veneration, respect and love for the deceased and sympathy for the rn0'urni11g relatives he left behind him brought together great crowds, different in religion, race and language. His tomb lies halfway up the slopes of Carmel and the wonderful procession, about ten thousand in number, who wended their way to it, was composed of all the notabilities in Palestine—]ewS, Christian-5, Muslims, Druses, Egyptians, Greeks, Turks, Kurds, and a host of American and European friends, Syrian men, women and children, all followed their Beloved One. It was headed by a guard of honour consisting of the City Constabulary Force, followed by Boy Scouts of the Muslim and Christian cormrnunities holding aloft their banners, then came a company of Muslim choristers chanting verses from the Qur’an. The chiefs of the Muslim community, headed by the Mufti, with a number of Christian priests, Latin, Greek and Anglican, preceded the borne on the shoulders of those he loved. Immediately behind it came the members of his family, next to them walked the British High Commissioner, the Governor of Jerusalem 265 and the Governor of Phoenicia. After them, the Consul and the notables of the land, then followed the vast multitudes who believed in him and reverenced him. The procession walking very slowly took about two hours to reach the mausoleum which had ‘been prepared for these won~ derful Persian reformers. “The remains of the Bab who heralded had already been laid to rest in the center of a set of three rooms, posterior to those destined for Baha, which look out on the Great Sea over the town of Haifa.” THE SHRINE OF THE MASTER From diary notes of C harles M ason Remey upon his visit to H aifa in M arch, I932. ARLY in the morning following my arrival in Haifa I went up the mountain alone to visit the Holy Tomb of the Master and that of the Béb. I found Mirza Abbas Gholi within the shrine placing handfuls of freshly cut flowers upon the thresholds of the inner chambers. The arrangement of the three back chambers of the Tomb, which constitute the tomb proper of the Bab, are the same as formerly, but the three front chambers facing the north, instead of being used for various purposes, as formerly, now form the tomb of the Master. Curtis Kelsey, who went to Haifa from America in order to install electric light plants at the Holy Tombs and in the Colony, has made an artistic arrangement in his wiring of the Tombs upon Mount Carmel and one quite in harmony with the style and character of the buildings. The black iron lamps hang as formerly, suspended from the high, vaulted ceiling, but he has reversed the shades, thus giving the effect of an indirect lighting system. The venetian iron candelabra, in the inner shrine of the Bath, which the Master permitted me to make and place there some
years ago, is still hanging as before, with its nine tall candles, save that in the central sanctuary lamp, where formerly there hung a glass oil container with a floating wick, there is now an electric bulb. A very powerful electric light is placed on the exterior of the tomb, directly above the main doorway to the north. This is lighted every evening and it forms a focal point on the mountainside and is visible for many miles out at sea. Several times, in the night, after the household had quieted, Lotfullah Hakim and I climbed up the mountain to the Tomb of the Master, for a few moments of prayer before the door of the Shrine which at that late hour was invariably locked though lights from within might have led one to imagine the building to be open. As is customary in the Orient, burial shrines of importance are kept illumine-d by night. The Bahifi sacred Shrines are never left in darkness. I wish that I might adequately describe the spiritual experience of those nocturnal pilgrimages. The beauty of the spot is beyond description in words. In the clear, scintillating moonlight of the Orient the eye can see for many miles. From this Holy Tomb, Mount Hermon, with its cap of snow, seventy or eighty miles distant, was distinctly visible in the clear moonlight. About the Tomb are fragrant trees, shrubs and flowers. On -still nights, when there was little wind, the air would often be heavy with the fragrance of orange blossoms as we knelt on the deorsill pouring out our hearts in prayer and supplieation. . . . ii One evening during the visit, Shoghi Effendi brought with him to the Pilgrim House the original text of the blessed Testament of the Master. We stood about the table as ‘he reverently laid the package thereon, carefully unfolding the envelope from a silk handkerchief in which it was wrapped. As -he took thc three Tablets from the cover we saw that each was in the handwriting of the Maste1'—written, as Shoghi THE ASCENSION OF THE MASTER called our attention to witness——with0ut hesitation or correction and signed by the Master in several places. We stood with bated breath in the presence of this document of documents in which is contained the wondrous plan for the spiritual organization of the Cause of God and our guidance for a thousand or thousands of years. The substance of the Testament was, of course, most unexpected. No one could have anticipated its wonderful ordinances. But as one studies it and imbilbes its thought he sees at once that no other plan could have been made for guarding and preserving the Cause save the one which the Master has given in his Will. Never have I read anything which gave me the joy and the inspiration that this holy document produced in my heart. It filled my heart with the assurance that the Cause was safely guarded. It gives us a fixed direction toward which to turn and a permanent center about which we all are to revolve so long as we are in this world. APOSTLES OF THE MASTER AY my soul be a sacrifice to the steadfast in the Cause of God! The first glad tidings, the first happiness and joy is the return of the Distinguished Branch to the Holy Land and the Holy Shrines. This has glad-dened the hearts of all the Bahifis. The second, 0 spiritual sisters, and handrnaids of the Merciful, is that, praise be to God! after the setting of the Light of the World and the ascent of the Beloved of the World continuous glad tidings and good news have come to the Holy Shrines of the faithfulness of the friends in holding meetings for teaching, in serving the world of humanity, with unity, love, charity and kindness to the people of Bahzi. This brightens the tearstained eyes and heals the broken, wounded hearts. In truth it should be
THE GREAT WORK OF EDUCATION so. For in the Blessed Will most of the exhortations are to this effect: “Do not seek repose for a moment. Do not rest for an instant. Go forth to all parts of the world. Be dispersed into every village and town. Be satisfied until you have given the Message in all the regions of the world.” We must look to the disciples of His Holiness Christ and see what they did after the crucifixion of their Lord. Mary Magdalene was only a woman from Magdala, yet her star shines in the heaven of Christianity. And Her Holiness the Pure, Qurratu’lAyn, may my soul be a sacrifice to her! although the days of her sacrifice were not very many, yet she became a brilliant star in the heaven of the Cause of God. Among the friends all over the world her name has become a. symbol of sacrifice. In former days there were many steadfast men who sacrificed their pure lives on the field of mart)-'1'dom. But such deeds were unheard-of among women. Now, praise be to God! His Holiness ’Aibdu’l-Baha has elevated the station of woman and has proclaimed that in this cycle man and woman are like the two wings of the bird. Neither is superior to the other. Girls must be educated as well if not better than boys. And His Holiness has said that in this age there will appear women who will be the glory of men. There is no doubt that the promises of the Prophets of God will be fulfilled. And in a short while everything that said will come -to pass. As ]in:'ib-i-Avarih has told us, at the present time in Tihi-an about fifty women, with hearts and brilliant, prepared to lecture and give explanations, are equipped for all kinds of service. This news has indeed gladdened our hearts, He has named the dear sisters and has asked that this one should write and let them know that this bereft mortal has made mention of them in the Holy Shrines. O beloved sisters! praise he to that the field of service is vast and the hungry souls are many. The seekers and the thirsty ones are waiting, and these women are ready! But alas, that some of the people of Persia are bloodthirsty and unjust! . . . It is reported that two handmaids of the Merciful, one the daughter of the deceased Vazir M01-carram of Ishfah-an and the other the granddaughter of Noor Ibn Nayyerin, of Ishfahan, have started out to spread the Cause in their surroun-ding country. This news has made us very happy. The description of the meetings in Qazvin, and in the different cities of America also gave us great happiness. It indeed indicates that the hope, the wish of all the friends is the spreading of the Cause of God. We beseech the True One that He will keep them under His protection, and we hope that they may attain to that service which is worthy of His Threshold. Alas, that now the Light of God has hidden itself and the peerless face has disappeared from among us and the sun of knowledge and forgiveness has set and the cause of joy and the foundation of happiness has chosen absence! . . . ‘Ne hope that in this year the blessings of God and His heavenly bestowals will decree for the Bahifiis results which will exceed expectations. We seek mercy for His servants. The maidservant to the threshold of God, THE GLORIOUS WORK or EDUCATION To the Friends of God. To them he Glory! It is plain and evident to everyone that the foundation of all life is education. Wcre it not for the gift of education no one would have been created, nor would there be any (human) life. In this great cycle and chosen century the Blessed Beauty may my life be a sacrifice to him! has made education important above all other
questions, giving it the highest place among blessings. In many instances, in different places, in the holy Tablets and the divine Verses he has written and commanded every man and woman, every king, and every wellwisher of the nations to carry on this Work, which is the highest and II1OS’t honorable of all services before God. In the day of His Holiness Baha, the question of education has again been given first place. He has praised the promoters of this great work, for education has become a great He has declared and explained God's displeasure with those who heed not this great command. The writings of ’Abdu’l-Baha are full of this subject. He especially advises the training of girls and the girls of today who are the mothers of tomorrow. It is manifest that the first tutor of the child is the mother. If the mother is not endowed with heavenly morals and is not possessed of merciful qualities, and knowledge, she is indeed not fit for her work as educator. And if she is not prepared to undertake the education of the children -this is a sin. It is clear, therefore, that the education of girls is most important. Therefore, every merciful friend and handmaid of God, in every city and town, should do as much as possible to obey this great command, even if in their respective cities this work is already established. Because this servant from early childhood has hoped for some means for the education of Bahéfi girls, I one day when in the presence of the Master, besought him that, if it were his wish, we might found here a small school for Bahéfi children, where they could, from the beginning, acquire morals, and learn the history of the Cause. Pointing toward Mount Carmel, he said: “This long mountain will be covered with schools, hospitals and Pilgrim Houses. All that has been foretold will come to THE GREAT WORK OF EDUCATION pass.” I said that I had in mind -the little piece of land which Haji Mi’rza Hassan had given. ’Abdu’l-Bahé. replied: “There is a piece of land opposite the Holy Shrine. Gholi, the owner, at the Feast of Ridvén offered it as a gift. and it was accepted. We must purchase all the adjoining land. That is a good location for a school. It has beautiful scenery and pure air, and is near the Holy Shrines.” At that time the faithful leaf, Miss Sanderson, was at Haifa. She asked permission to share in this work. granted this request. And the revered Mr. Remey drew the plan for the school and presented it for the approval of We now have a large piece of land, and the fifteen hundred pounds which belonged to this one have been given to this work. About a thousand pounds have come, from all parts of the world. Bu-t the success of this undertaking depends entirely upon the assistance of the faithful friends. ‘Ne hope that in the day of the Distinguished Branch, with the help of the Holy Leaves and through the exertions of the beloved brothers and sisters, this work will be accomplished. But this work must be carried out in accordance with the plans and arrangements of Shoghi Efiendi, which are, that anyone who wishes to send a contribution to the school will do so in the name of the Leaves, the daughters of ’Abdu’l-Ba-hi1. And the receipt, signed by these four, Ziah Khénum, Rooha Khanum, Tooba Khénum and Monevar Khzlnum, will be forwarded to the donor. The money contributed will be placed in the Bank of Haifa in the name of the aforementioned ladies until a suflicienr sum has been collected. Every great undertaking has had a small beginning; therefore, we must now also be satisfied with a small beginning. (Signed) Monireh.
HERALDS OF THE NEW DAY Adapted from addresses given in London by Jinéb-i-Avérih, whose great history of the Bahi’i Cause is now being published in Persian in Cairo, Egypt HEN Qurratu’l—’Ay'11 was a child there was in_ Persia a very celebrated rnulla, Shaykh Ahmad Ahsai_ So great a scholar was he that throughout all the Muhammadan world he had no peer. Shaykh Ahmad Ahsai was the first divine to attack certain established beliefs prevalent among the Muslims, one of which was that Muhammad in his living, physical body departed fI'U-I11 this earth and ascended into heaven, a belief similar to that held by many Christians with regard to the Christ. There were other Muharnmaclans who in their heartedisbelieved this teaching, but Shaykh Ahmad was the first who had the courage to publicly declare against it. Another Muhanlmadan doctrine was that of the resurrection of the body. Shaykh Ahmad taught his students that the physical body cannot go to heaven, that it will not rise but will disintegrate; while the spirit will be taken up and will dwell in the presence of God. He explained that it was the spirit of Muhammad, not his body, which ascended. Again, the Shaykh taught that God always sends teachers to His people, to lead them to His Kingdom, and that this divine bounty had not ceased. The Muharnmadans believed that there was had been hidden for a thousand years—-who would appear suddenly, a great teacher. Shaykh Ahmad said that the Promised One would not come that way; he would be manifest shortly but would be born in the natural way. This teaching of the Shaykh was of utmost importance to the Muslims, because for a thousand years they -had -been looking for this person who they believed had been in hiding for that period. And now the Shaykh said he would be born, and would appear very shortly. Although strictly forbidden by the mullés, these teachings found many adherents, until thousands of people became followers of Shaylch Ahmad. They were popularly known as “Shaykhi,” and by many of the n1ullas_ were called atheists. At last the teachings of Shaykh Ahmad were carried to Qazvin, the home of Qurratu’I-’Ayn and her relatives. Her father and her eldest uncle, both of whom were mullés, opposed the Shaykh. But her two younger uncles believed him and secretly became his followers. Qurratu’1-’Ayn’s father and uncle had many discussions about the Shaykh, calling him, in private, which means, “Turned away from God and not of the Muhammadan religion.” Qurratu’l-’Ayn. then between thirteen and fourteen years of age, listened to these conversations. and said, “The Shaykh is right and my father and uncle are wrong.” She secured the books and writings of the Shaykh and read them constantly. Whereupon her father and uncle said to her, “Read on-1* books. Read our writings Vie know better than he." Shaykh Ahmad Ahsai went from Karbala to Khorassan and thence to Tihran where he met Shah Fathe Ali who so honored him that he offered to share with him his throne. But the Shaykh refused, and left for Karbala, on his journey passing through Qazvin. After the death of Shaykh Ahmad Ahsai, his disciple Siyyid Kazim, carried forward his teachings, constantly telling his disciples and students that soon, within a few years, the Promised One would appear. Through the assistance of her younger uncle, who believed in Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyicl Kazim, Qurratu’l‘Ayn and able to correspond with Siyyid Kazim and secure his writings. She
THE CHILDHOOD OF THE BAB watched eagerly for the Promised One, and Often told her younger uncle that unless the new order appeared and the Muhammadan religion was changed the condition of women in the East would become much worse. She would say, “Vl/ill a day come when new laws and revelations will be revealed, and shall I be one of the first to follow those teachings and give my life for my sisters?" Her longing for the coming of the great Teacher and the new era became so strong that at last she besought her uncle, her father and her husband for permission to make a pilgrimage to Karbala. She knew that there she would be able to meet Siyyid Kazim. Through the efforts of her younger uncle this permission was at last granted and she set out upon her wonderful journey, accompanied by this uncle. were her sorrow and disappointment to hear, three days before her arrival in Karbala, the news of the death of Siyyid Kazirn! However, she soon remembered that the Siyyid had left glad tidings Of the One to come, and who would come quickly, and her heart was again filled with happiness. She journeyed on to Karbala and there visited the family of the Siyyid, who gave her access to many of the Siyyid’s unpublished writings, some of which were not even finished. As she read she exclaimed, “Behold, how much the Shaykh and the Siyyicl have left us. They have left us a sea of writings.” There was no one to take the place of Siyyid Kazim and teach his students. So Qurratu’l-’Ayn came forward and announced that she would take this place, would teach his followers just what the Siyyid had taught and impart to them his knowledge. This caused much discussion among the Siyyid’s followers. Then thirty—tw0 of the students said, "VVe will go and hear her once or twice. If we are satisfied we will advise the others to come, and she will teach them.” It was extremely dangerous and cult for Qurratu’1-’Ayn to teach men and for them to come to hear her for in those days—and even at the present time in many places—w0men were kept veiled and in utmost seclusion. But Qurratu’l’Ayn overcame all difficulties, had a curtain arranged in the room, and behind this sat and taught those thirty-two students who came to hear her. The)" soon recognized her as the one who could best teach them and saw that she was greater than all the divines in Karbala. For more than a year she taught these students, and all the time she wept and prayed that when the Promised One came she might recognize him. And she urged the people to watch for him and obey Him who was shortly to come into the world. W/hen Mullzi Husayn-i-Bushr1'1’i visited the and became convinced that he was the Promised One, he told the news to Mullé ’Ali Bastami, who likewise became a follower of the the second disciple. Mullé ’Ali Bastami then went to Karbala, and there announced the great tidings that the New Light had arisen. \Vhen Qurratu’l-"Ayn heard this news she summoned him to her presence and asked, “W'hat proofs have you, and where is he?” Mullzi ’Ali gave her some of the writings and of the Béb. She took them, and straightway became a believer. The following day when her pupils came for their lesson she announced the glad tidings that the longexpected time was at hand, saying, “All the promises given by the Shaykh and the Siyyid have come to pass. The Promised One is on earth today!” AND A LITTLE C1-IIL1) SHALL LEAD THEM A-n Incident from the Early Life of the Bdb E now wish to know if Qurratu’1 had seen or met or had had any direct communication with the previous to his public appearance and, if not, how she became acquainted with him. She had heard that there was a young man in Shiraz, twenty-five years of age,
THE CHILDHOOD -OF THE BAB who from childhood had lived a perfect life and shown wonderful signs of wisdom and inspiration. But she had never seen him or had access to his writings, and she did not know that the one of whom Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim s-poke was this same youth. All that she knew concerning the had been told her by Siyyid javad, one of the greatest (divines) in Karbala. When Haiji Siyyid Javad went to Shiraz the Bab, at that time called Siyyid ‘Ali Muhammad, was between seven and eight years of age. Haji Siyyid ]'avad states: One night I was invited to the house of the uncle of this little boy, and I perceived some beautiful traits in the little child's character which aroused my interest. This uncle, Hziji Siyyid ’Ali, had charge of the little child, as his father ‘had died. I spent the night in the house of Hiiji Siyyitl ’Ali and, in the early morning I heard a tiny, sweet little voice in the next room, which I found to be a prayer room. It was a little child’s voice inprayer—such prayers, such a voice, such devotion that I became absolutely enraptured and I, who was a great divine and was known to he very learned hecame quite humble upon hearing those beautiful words, 50 that I wanted to open the door and go out and see who that little child was. I waited patiently until dawn, when Siyyid ’Ali came and met me. And t-hen that little child came, and I saw that he was the little child between seven and eight years of age— and he it was who had been chanting in the prayer room. As soon as I gazed upon the child I saw such illumination, and on his face an expression so beautiful, that I felt I could not find throughout the whole human race one like him. Before I could ask Siyyid ’Ali who he was, Siyyid ’Ali said, "This is my sister’s child.” When we were having breakfast I asked a few simple questions of the little “Malia: A Muhammadan priest. One who boy, and he answered me in a deep and grave way, such as one would expect from a very learned person. The child then said, “I am going to school,” and left. I asked where that child went to school and the uncle answered, “He goes to Shaykh Abed to school.” I was so much drawn to the child that I could not stay where I was but got up and followed him to the house of Shaykh Abcd. Shaykh Abed, who was a teacher for the young, was surprised to see me, so great a scholar, so welliknown and so famous that the Governor came out and welcomed me into the town, coming to his house unheralded. I at once stood the wonderment in the face of the Shaykh and said to him: “I have not come to see you. I followed this little child,” pointing to him. Then I asked the S-haykh: “What do you think of this boy '5'” As soon as I said this the Shaykh showed great emotion, saying: “What are you asking me? This child seems to me to be ready to proclaim, to give out a. message to -the world. What can I say about this child!” He said, further: “You see that this child comes to my school as a pupil, but in reality he is my teacher and I am his pupil, During classtime he says so many wonderful things and goes into so many deep and important questions that I have never heard anything like it in all my life. When the children go out to play one sees him sitting there, reading most important writings. If the children come and insist that he go and play with them he goes an-d engages them in a way which they do not understand; then he slips away and returns to his work.” The admiration of this Shaykh for the child so increased my own admiration and wonder that I returned to the house of Siyyid ‘Ali and told him what Sh-aykh Abed had said to me. The uncle answered: “I hear so much about this boy. Yet, if I told anything people would
only say, ‘he likes to speak well of his nephew.’ Hiji Siyyid I-avad urged the uncle to tell him more about the little boy. S0 at last the uncle consented and -told him of a wonderful dream which the child had had, when five years old. He dreamed that a pair of scales hung down from heaven. In one side of the scales was one of the prophets; in the other side, which was empty, this little child was placed by an invisible hand. Then this side weighed down the other, and the prophet seemed to be going up and the little boy coming down. “Then, again,” the uncle said, “we went one day to a public bath. The child slept when there. Suddenly he awoke and said, ‘I dreamed that the roof of the bath next door fell down and killed seven ladies.’ were surprised, but when we came out of the bath we discovered that this had actually happened." If -we were to recount in detail the proofs -of the truth of the it would take a long time. it to say that after the proclaimed his mission this uncle and this teacher believed in him, and the uncle was, finally, martyred in his footsteps. WHAT IS NEW IN THE BAHA’I TEACHING$ This, indeed, is proof! All these wonderful in-cidents about the Bib were related to Qurratu’1-’Ayn by Haji Siyyid Iavad, and thus she came to know him. When eighteen years old the Bilb made a pilgrimage to Karbala, where he met Hilji Siyyid Kazim of Rasht who also recognized signs of the greatness and illumination in this youth. These things and what she had read in the books of old made Qurratu’l—’Ayn confident that the light was to come from Shiraz. Therefore when she heard that the youth, Siyyid ’Ali Muhammad, in Shiraz, had proclaimed his mission she instantly believed in him, and when she read some of his writings these confirmed still more deeply her belief. When she heard this news and became a follower of the Bzib her whole attitude, condition and point of view were completely changed. She now spoke with such power and insight that those who had seen and heard her before were astonished, and exclaimed, “This is not the woman we knew before!” She was so that at any gathering of men or women where she spoke she won the entire attention and the very heart and soul of the audience? WHAT IS NEW IN THE BAHA’I TEACHINGS OME of the new teachings of Baha’u’llah, specialized for the needs of this radiant century, are the inde— pendent investigation of truth, the oneness of mankind, universal peace, a universal court ef arbitral justice, equality of men and women, universal education, the unity of -science and religion, the un— derlying oneness of all existing faiths, that work done in the spirit of service is worship, etc.* outlines some of these teachings in the brilliant Tasblet quoted on the inside cover of this Bahifs addresses in Divine Phiiosofvhyi 51 (1st edition); in the Star of the West, v0. 8, p. 31. magazine, when he likens these principles to the rays of the -sun. “The spreading of these rays,” he says, “will deliver the world of humanity from the darkness of ignorance and strangeness and lead it to the center of all these rays.” That center is the Sun of Reality from which they have all proceeded. That Sun of Truth has been reflected in dazzling, penetrating power in the mirror of the heart and mind of the great Manifestation of our age, Baha’u’llah. The divine Manifestation in every age is the center of
\VHAT IS NEW IN THE BAHA'I TEACHINGS 2.73 the power which can put the ideals of the age into practice. He transmits the Holy Spirit which creates men anew so that they can live and spread teachings. Whenever he appears on earth he is always the gloriously new element in the solution of the world’s problems. And strangely enough, the thinkers of the age often do not reckon with this method by which God solves their problems. “The greatest divine bounty,” says ’Abdn’1-Baha, “is the appearance of the Manifestation of God. How can we ever limit and eircumscri-be this bestowal In reality it is the greatest of spiritual gifts.” “Although the stars are scintillating, yet the sun is superior to them in luminosity. Likewise, these holy, divine Manifestations are and must always be distinguished above all other beings in every attribute of glory and perfection that it may be proven that the Manifestation is the true teacher, that he is the real trainer, that he is the sun of truth. For, it is not possible for us to train any one human individual and, after training him, to believe that he is the holy, divine Manifestation! The holy, divine Manifestation must be endowed with divine knowledge, and not one instructed in school-learning. He must be the educator and not the educated.”'I' “A young boy educated in Oxford will not become the universal educator of mankind. One who is in need of the knowledge of the professors of a uni~ versity will not become the Manifestation of God. Christ was not taught by any man, yet he was a universal educator. did not study, but his knowledge was immeasurable. He became the instructor of the world of humanity. Even his enemies testify to this fact.”2fI “In a word, the holy Manifestation of God must be in every great aspect distinguished above all else in order that he may be able to train the body politic, in order that he may have power to eradicate darkness, to cause the advancement of the world of humanity from one plane to a higher one, may be able through the penetrative power of his word to promote and spread broadcast universal peace among men, bring about unity of men and religions through divine power, -harmonize all sects and religions and convert all nations and races into one nativity and one fatI1erland.”§ “T-he Virtues and perfections of the world of humanity are infinite, but degrees exist. The outward form may change, but the inherent qualities persist. The lower degree cannot attain to the higher degree. For example, however much the mineral may advance its progress is limited to the mineral world_ It is possible for the black carbon to become the brilliant diamond, but it cannot attain to the vegetable kingdom not obtain the virtue of growth. Likewise, however much the tree may advance it can never reach to the degree of the animal nor is it able to acquire the power of hearing and sight. Its phases of progress are circumscribed, within the circle of the vegetable kingdom. Where formerly it was fruitless, it has now become fruitful. Or, where formerly it produced small and bitter fruit it now yields large and perfect fruit. “Consequently, however much the creatures may make progress they will not be able to attain to the station of the Holy Manifestations. Although Peter and Paul made infinite progress, yet they did not reach to the station of His Holiness Christ. He was the essence of essences, and they belonged to the world of change and mutation.”‘|I “Yea, all are from God--but one man is so exalted that others bow down before him and -he is adored by them, like Christ, and Moses who called people to the oneness of divinity and who became the cause of the education of a
SIGNS OF THE TIMES nation—while another is so degraded that he adores clay, and worships insects and serpents. Are these two one and the same? No, certainly not! Nay, divine Manifestations are a separate creation. “All are equal in birth, but leek how much -they differ in intelligence. One is the wisest of the wisest and a founder of the laws of happiness and prosperity; while the other is the most ignorant of the ignorant, and a destroyer of the edifice of peace and honor. “This shows that Prophets have a. station of their own. Many crossed the desert sands of Sinai but it was Moses who heard the voice of God, because divine Manifestations have a spiritual power peculiar to themselves. Mighty nations swayed the world at the time of the appearance of divine Manifestations, but they were all degraded and obliterated. But behold! what a banner did Christ, a single person, having no helper or assistant, unfurll "All are from God, but all have different stations. Both man and animals are from God-—but what a difierence is there between them Question: "Did Jesus first realize his mission when the Spirit descended upon him in the form of a clove “The Holy Spirit was always with Christ.” Question: “Did he know of it ?" “It was hidden from others, but manifest to him. The story about the dove is simply a. metaphor. N0 dove came down. Amongst the people, the Baptist felt that the Holy Spirit was in Christ, The Holy Spirit was always with Christ. He knew about his mission from early childhood.” Question: “Did the Bib, and also know of their mission from early childhood?” Question: "In a. book I read that at the age of twenty-four the Bib realized his mission.” From diary of Mi’:-25 Mahmoud, Oct. 30, 1912. “From childhood it was apparent to him, like the sun. The people felt his greatness although they did not know about his future.’’** :1: 2: Thus, whenever “the ever widening circle of man’s knowledge meets the spiritual world the Manifestation of God is sent to mirror forth His splendor.” The enumeration of the universal principles gives only a few of the -rays of the world—illuminating sun.H' No one can know all the revelation until he has fully known and reflected in his life and deeds the center and source of it all, God"s new Manifestation. “The source of all learning is the knowledge of God, exalted is His Glory! and this cannot be attained save through the knowledge of His Divine Manifestations." SIGNS OF THE TIMES HE Daily H amid, the London Labor organ, declares that the first act of 21 Labor Government should be to ap* point a Minister for Peace. His motto should be Si ‘axis pacem, para pacem, and his duty should be to prepare for peace more assiduously and more intelligently than war ministers have prepared for war. Among the methods suggested would be to provide, in cooperation with the educational authorities, suitable international histories for school youths, to spread throughout the masses a real and sympathetic understanding of other peoples, and to organize pilgrimages of peace to visit other lands. He would use the press, the platform and the international news service to encourage international cooperation and to preach the folly of‘war. He would see that foreign visitors were suitably received, and would dispatch missions to every country to cultivate the friendship of foreign peoples.--From the Living Age. "From notes sent to America by Mr. Fugeta.
EIGNS OF THE TIMES The spirit of justice and friendliness seems to have prevailed once more. This time in the case of Albania. The League of Nations has accepted her as a member and protected her from dismemberment by the surrounding hostile and greedy nations. Albania is still a free nati0n.—— From Our World. Our World points out a weakness of the League of Nations, which has been brought out in dealing with the I-talian— Greek dilemma and difficulties that grew out of it. It is composed of “regular fellows," who are not inclined to sacrifice political careers to an ideal. No magic formula has been discovered for turning the delegates into supermen. We think that nothing but the Holy Spirit can supply this magic formula. said, “Yea, the Breezes of the Holy Spirit will inspire the whole world. 0, peoples and nations! arise and work and be happy! And gather together under the tent of the unity of mankind!” One hundred an-d Frenchmen traveled with Marc Sangnier into Germany to meet scores of distinguished Germans at the Freiburg c0nference— the Third International Democratic Congress. The discussion of the FrancoGerman relations was frank and spirit of friendliness was maintained throughout. The fact that the French and German delegates did not arrive at an understanding is disappointing, but the conference marks a long step in advance of the idea of revenge and hostility which has gripped the man in the street in both c0untries.—F1-om The World Tomarrow. said one time at a meeting in which many races were represented: “Let this gathering a foreshadowing of what will, in very truth, take place in the world, when every child 275 of God realizes that they are all the leaves of one tree, flowers in one garden, drops in one ocean, and sons and daughters of one Father, whose name is Love.” Stronger and stronger, in millions of hearts, is rising a realization of the need of a World Court, to save the war-bewildered nations. More than a hundred thousand Christian churches in the United States have just observed 2. World Court Week, in an endeavor to promote the acceptance of the plan of the late President Harding. Women’s Clubs of America are seeking to interest the women of the world in a concerted campaign for a real and lasting peace. has proclaimed, for many years, that the women of the world may become its greatest peaeemakers. The world court to succeed must be built on the sublime foundation of the oneness of mankind, It must include every nation. Its laws must be God's universal justice. Today everything universal is divine and is reinforced by all the powers of the divine universe. There is no wonder when a soul advances to God, (there is) when he remains firm in the Straight Path, increases, constantly, the fire of the love of God, bears trials and difficulties, and withstands every great storm. For on a calm day every man unfurls the sails of the ship, and sails upon the sea without any fear of drowning, though he be of the most weak. But the sailor is he who sets out and sails on the ocean even when it is stormy, the winds howling and the waves raging. Thus, there is no wonder in confessing the appearance of the Kingdom of God, but true wonder consists in good deeds, obedience to the commands and teachings of the True Lord and firrnness in this path even when the storm is at its heigh-t.—’Abdu’Z-Bahd. Mr. Alfred ii. Lunt in It reads: “Love and greetings from the A cablegtam from S1-10ghiEffendi was received on November 15th by Mr. Alfred E. Lunt in Boston. It reads: “Love and greetings from the Holy Land. Shoghi.”
BAHA’I NEWS London, England. Oatabar I9, 1923. CCORDING to the letters received from some friends in Switzerland, the beloved Guardian of the Cause, Shoghi Effendi, is in perfect health, and we expect that at the end of this month or early in November he will be back in the Holy Land to resume the care of our Cause and to lead us to success and the victorious unity of all mankind under the of Faith and Love. Ruhi Effendi Afnan and Ruh-Anguiz Khanum have arrived in London. Ruhi Effendi has already joined the University to complete his education. Their arrival here was a great joy to all the Baha'i friends and we are unboundedly happy and proud to have them as the honorable members of our community. Our dear friend, Dr. Lotfullah, left us for Tihran, Persia, via Haifa and Baghdad. Dr. Lotfullah was one of the nearest Baha'1’is to our Great Master, and he came here after the passing of Bahé. Dr. Lotfullah is one of our most faithful friends and a real Bahéfi. He was loved by everybody here and his departure is a great loss to our community and our Spiritual Assembly. Dr. Esslemont has written a very fine book on the Bahéfi Cause, called, and the New Era. It is considered to be t-he best, most complete account of the Cause in English. The whole of the manuscript was sent to the Master and was translated into Persian for him. ’Abdu’I-Baha took the greatest interest in this book and made many suggestions for its improvement. He personally revised the first three chap~ ters before his ascension. Shoghi Effendi, the beloved Guardian, also read it and gave it his warm approval. Many of the friends here, as well as Avérih, gave him help in preparing it. It is new printed and -published, and we hope it will prove most valuable in spreading a knowledge of the Cause. Miss Herrick has also written and published a book on the Cause, containing many valuable talks by and most interesting information. The title of the book is Unity Triumphant. The Spiritual Assembly of London has also, with the gracious permission of Shoghi Effendi, printed 21. new edition of the Hidden Words, translated by himself, for the use of the friends here. It also contains many Bahéfi prayers, at the end of the book. It has been printed for us by the friends in Stuttgart as a means of helping the friends there through the payment for this work. We have a library for the use of the friends, containing more than one hundred volumes of books, and also the monthly numbers of the STAR OF THE. VVI-:sT as they appear. Mrs. George is the librarian. The friends are able to borrow these books for study in their own homes. Our dear friend, Mrs. Thornburgh Cropper, has been away from London for several months. We are most glad to hear that she is returning shortly and will be settled in .London. She is one of the most influential friends and was the first one to join the Cause in this country. Her presence in the meetings always inspires everybody. Lady Blomfield is now in Switzerland, where she has established a Bahéfi center and meetings in Geneva. She speaks at various societies and meetings in favor of our beloved Cause. Lady Blomfield, as is well known, accompanied Shoghi Etfendi to Haifa after the passing of the Master, and lived there for several months. She has prepared a book giving a most interesting account of some of the early events of the Cause, as related to her by the Greatest Holy Leaf and the ladies of the household. It is hoped that it will be printed before long. The news of her successful work in Switzerland fills our hearts with joy
NEW BOOKS and we are sure that everybody will be glad to hear of it. The circular letters are coming from Palestine, Persia, Turkistan, Caucasus, India, America, Africa and Syria and bring us great joy, We read them in our meetings and thank every Bahéfi community for sfincling us these reports of the fulfillment of their duty. The circular letter of Tashkent brings us great joy. The work of the Bahéfi friends there surprises everybody here, because such a small community as theirs has attained such great success, has opened schools and a library, and has proved to be one of the most active centers. The friends of England greet all the Bahifi friends in the world, and wish them every success in their work for the help of mankind and for Eternal Love. London Bahéfi Spiritual Assembly. (Signed) Ethel Rosenberg, Secretary. INAB-I-FADIL, with his family, arrived in Chicago on the afternoon of November eleventh, in time for the beautiful Feast given at the Temple in commemoration of the birthday of has been in Montreal and Toronto, Canada, for the past month, where he addressed college students, clubs and eager groups of the seekers of the Light, He spoke at the Feast in the Temple of that great day, November 12, 1817, when the WorldTeacher appeared on earth. A wonderful spiritual atmosphere the Temple. It made us all realize how in the future this universal House of Worship will attract the multitudes to its doors. Jinab-i-Fadil will spend a month or more in Chicago, speaking many times to schools, clubs, forums and churches. Sunday afternoon, November 18th, he spoke at the Bahifi Temple, to a splendid audience, on Palestine, the geographical and spiritual center of the world, Dr. Z-ia, M. Bagdadi interpreted. NEW BOOKS Shoghi Effel-1di’s Translation of the Hidden ‘Words--Lessons in Religion NE of the greatest events in the O recent history of the Baha'i Cause is the appearance of Shoghi English translation of the Hidden Words, which will now become, more and more, one of the most beloved books in the world, because it gives in brief, luminous, penetrating sentences the essence of the spiritual life. Dr. Esslernont tells in his splendid book, and the New Era of how, -as went walking along the Tigris River these Hidden Words flashed into his mind. Then he would return home, a great light and joy shining in his countenance, and would commit these priceless sentences into writing. Scholars tell us of the matchless, divine melody and beauty of the Hidden Words in the original Persian. often spoke of the need of having them adequately translated, And now the beloved Guardian of the Cause through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit has rendered them into the most beautiful English, producing one of the great translations of the world. As we commit them to memory their beauty pervades our mind and spirit like a divine elixir, with a heart—transforming radiance, and through our spirit flows that living water “that murmureth with the melody of Thy glory and Thy remen1bra.nee.” Therefore, it is the greatest glad tidings to hear that the English friends have published these Hidden Words. LESSONS IN RELIGION, a textbook for the spiritual education of children, has just been -published by the Tudor Press ‘in Boston. The author is Muhammad ’Ali Alkany, one of the renowned teachers of It is translated into English by Miss Edith Roohie Sanderson of Paris, with an introduction by Mr. Horace Holley. The
English translation was submitted to shortly before his ascension, zmcl he said: “Print this book. It will be very useful.” When we read its luminous pages we realize the meaning of the Master's words. The lessons are presented with a directness, a simplicity, a moral and spiritual intensity, a conviction which ring like a clear bell. The spiritual education of children is the hope of the world. The chief aim of this little book is to teach the children so to live that they will illumine and unite the nations. “For God’s army has ever been good, pure deeds,” “as belief without deeds is not acceptable.” The book opens with the question: What is the purpose of our creation? Answer: To know and to reflect the spirit of God. To know God is to acknowledge His Manifestations and to obey the laws which they reveal from the heaven of the Divine Will. “The Holy Utterances are conducive to eternal life and the cause of illumination for humanity.” “We know a religious person as one who obeys the commands and laws of God.” The lessons present one by one the divine teachings of the Manifestation of today. All the friends will wish to read this book and to have the children they know and love master its contents. The proceeds from the sale of the little volume will go to the building of the school for girls on Mount Carmel, which is so beautifully described by the wife of in her article in this issue, called “Apostles of the Master.” Lessons in Religion-Bahé.’i Publishing Society, 508 South Dearburn Street, Chicago. $1.00, postage additional. PI-IONOGRAPI-I records are now being made of “The Benediction,” composed by Mrs. Louise R. Waite. One side of the record will hold a piano rendition, by Mrs. Waite, of “The Benediction,” with violin obbligato. For the other side, Madame Linné sings the words. Mrs. Waite’s playing is so arranged that PREPARATION FOR SPIRITUAL TEACHING the friends can use her record to accompany them in singing. wrote concerning “Thc Benediction” : “T0 the Spiritual Assembly of Bahifis of Chicago, “The song and anthem that Louise R. Waite raised in the Assembly of the Unity of Bahéfis reached to the ears of the people of the Kingdom. It bestowed joy and fragrance upon the spiritual OTIES. “I ask God that this song may be sung eternally -and this melody and anthem become everlasting. “Upon you be “(Signed) These records may be had from Mrs. Waite, 1534 Stanley Avenue, Hollywood, California; $1.00, postage additional. For Assemblies to order in lots would reduce the cost of postage. Half of the proceeds from the sale of these records will be given to the fund for the rapid building of the great Temple at Wilmette. PREPARATION FOR SPIRITUAL TEACHING The other day, in Chicago, Fédil outlined the oharacteristics of the spiritual teacher: (1) A real and firm faith; (2) a thorough knowledge of the Bahéfi teachings; (3) the giving of the Message with wisdom; (4) supplication and prayer so that the mind and the heart may be purified and the Message may have effect in the hearts of the people; (5) severance from aught else save God. Then he spoke of the methods of study_the teachings employed in Persia; how children, from severi years of age, are trained to deliver the divine Message with knowledge and wisdom. In the classes for the younger and older students, the teacher of the teachers will assign a topic for each session of the class. Different members will then look up references from various Bahifi books and write a paper on the topic assigned, presenting it in their own language. These papers will be read at the next meeting of the class, and a composite article of the topic under discussion will be prepared from the various articles.
HOW TO STUDY THE BAHA'I TEACHINGS 3. The World-Transforming Influence of the Divine Manifestations. Some Answered Questions, Chapter pp. Suggested References for Four Meetings to Study the Great Teachings Concerning The Manifestations: 1. Essence Is Incomprehensible. The Manifestations Reveal Him. Ighcm, pp. Bahci’i Proofs, 1st and 2nd Introductions on the Divine Unity and Its Manifestations; Exodus, 33:18 paséim; Star bf the West, Vol. 7, 69-76, Soma Answered Questions, Chapters, 38, 189-191; Vol. 8, pp. 55-68; 83-104. SOME CHRISTMAS SUGGESTIONS Where can we find a more perfect Christmas gift than a subscription to the STAR OF "rm: VVEsT! It will bring to our friends every month the new message of peace on earth, good will to all nations and religions. It will rejoice -their hearts with the best glad tidings known on earth today. VVe will gladly send a special Christmas card to your friend announcing the gift of a subscription. The STAR OF THE is presenting articles of universal appeal, on the signs of the times and their spiritual interpretation, studies in comparative religions, great chapters in history, words on pure and sanctified living and its glorious results. Another beautiful Christmas gift is a set of the priceless bound volumes of the STAR or T1-IE To order a subscription, a bound volume, or set of bound volumes is also a Christmas gift to the Kingdom of God for it helps this Star of the Kingdom to spread its light more widely and more brilliantly. Volume 8, or volumes 7 and 8, bound into one book, with the title, “The Divine Art of Living,” makes a beautiful Christmas gift, and an excellent introduction to the teachings, from the spiritual point of view. (See the announcement on the back cover.) Volume 13 is offered, during the Christmas season, at the special rate of $3.00, bound in half-leather. Special 5-months’ subscriptions to new subscribers, $1.00; a yearly subscription, and a bound volume to come at the end of the year, $5.75.
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