The Promulgation of Universal Peace
by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá · English · Gutenberg #19285 · 1,207,964 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: The Promulgation of Universal Peace
Author: ʻAbdu'l-Bahá
Release date: September 18, 2006 [eBook #19285]
Most recently updated: June 26, 2020
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE ***
The Promulgation of Universal Peace
by 'Abdu'l-Baha
Edition 1, (September 2006)
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CONTENTS
Baha'i Terms of Use
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN
11 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
12 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Howard MacNutt
935 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York
12 April 1912
Talk at Studio of Miss Phillips
39 West Sixty-seventh Street, New York
13 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Morten
141 East Twenty-first Street, New York
14 April 1912
Talk at Church of the Ascension
Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street, New York
14 April 1912
Talk at Union Meeting of Advanced Thought Centers
Carnegie Lyceum
West Fifty-seventh Street, New York
15 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mountfort Mills
327 West End Avenue, New York
16 April 1912
Talk at Hotel Ansonia to Baha'i Friends of New Jersey
Broadway and Seventy-third Street, New York
17 April 1912
Talk at Hotel Ansonia
Broadway and Seventy-third Street, New York
17 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
18 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall L. Emery
273 West Ninetieth Street, New York
19 April 1912
Talk at Earl Hall
Columbia University, New York
19 April 1912
Talk at Bowery Mission
227 Bowery, New York
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
20 April 1912
Talk at Orient-Occident-Unity Conference
Public Library Hall, Washington, D.C.
21 April 1912
Talk at Studio Hall
1219 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D.C.
21 April 1912
Talk at Universalist Church
Thirteenth and L Streets, Washington, D.C.
22 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
23 April 1912
Talk at Howard University
Washington, D.C.
23 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
23 April 1912
Talk to Bethel Literary Society
Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church
M Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
24 April 1912
Talk at Children's Reception
Studio Hall
1219 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D.C.
24 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
24 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mrs. Andrew J. Dyer
1937 Thirteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
25 April 1912
Talk to Theosophical Society
Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
25 April 1912
Message to Esperantists
Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
25 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CHICAGO, WILMETTE, AND EVANSTON
30 April 1912
Talk at Public Meeting Concluding Convention of Baha'i Temple Unity
Drill Hall, Masonic Temple, Chicago, Illinois
30 April 1912
Talk at Hull House
Chicago, Illinois
30 April 1912
Talk at Fourth Annual Conference of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People
Handel Hall, Chicago, Illinois
1 May 1912
Talk at Dedication of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar Grounds
Wilmette, Illinois
2 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
2 May 1912
Talk to Federation of Women's Clubs
Hotel La Salle, Chicago, Illinois
2 May 1912
Talk at Baha'i Women's Reception
Hotel La Salle, Chicago, Illinois
2 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
2 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
3 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
3 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
4 May 1912
Talk to Theosophical Society
Northwestern University Hall, Evanston, Illinois
5 May 1912
Talk at Children's Meeting
Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
5 May 1912
Talk at Plymouth Congregational Church
935 East Fiftieth Street
Chicago, Illinois
5 May 1912
Talk at All-Souls Church
Lincoln Center, Chicago, Illinois
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CLEVELAND
6 May 1912
Talk at Euclid Hall
Cleveland, Ohio
6 May 1912
Talk at Sanatorium of Dr. C. M. Swingle
Cleveland, Ohio
TALK 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN PITTSBURGH
7 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Schenley
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK, MONTCLAIR, AND JERSEY CITY
11 May 1912
Talk at 227 Riverside Drive, New York
12 May 1912
Talk at Unity Church
Montclair, New Jersey
12 May 1912
Talk at Meeting of International Peace Forum
Grace Methodist Episcopal Church
West 104th Street, New York
13 May 1912
Talk at Reception by New York Peace Society
Hotel Astor, New York
19 May 1912
Talk at Church of the Divine Paternity
Central Park West, New York
19 May 1912
Talk at Brotherhood Church
Bergen and Fairview Avenues, Jersey City, New Jersey
20 May 1912
Talk at Woman's Suffrage Meeting
Metropolitan Temple
Seventh Avenue and Fourteenth Street, New York
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CAMBRIDGE AND BOSTON
23 May 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Francis W. Breed
367 Harvard Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts
24 May 1912
Talk at Free Religious Association, or Unitarian Conference
Boston, Massachusetts
25 May 1912
Huntington Chambers
Boston, Massachusetts
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK AND FANWOOD
26 May 1912
Talk at Mount Morris Baptist Church
Fifth Avenue and 126th Street, New York
28 May 1912
Talk at Reception at Metropolitan Temple
Seventh Avenue and Fourteenth Street, New York
29 May 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
30 May 1912
Talk at Theosophical Lodge
Broadway and Seventy-ninth Street, New York
31 May 1912
Talk at Town Hall
Fanwood, New Jersey
2 June 1912
Talk at Church of the Ascension
Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street, New York
8 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN PHILADELPHIA
9 June 1912
Talk at Unitarian Church
Fifteenth Street and Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
9 June 1912
Talk at Baptist Temple
Broad and Berks Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN
11 June 1912
Talk at Open Committee Meeting
Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
11 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
11 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
12 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
15 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
16 June 1912
Talk at Fourth Unitarian Church
Beverly Road, Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York
16 June 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Howard MacNutt
935 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York
16 June 1912
Talk at Central Congregational Church
Hancock Street, Brooklyn, New York
17 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
18 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
20 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN MONTCLAIR AND WEST ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY
23 June 1912
Talk at Montclair, New Jersey
29 June 1912
Talk at Unity Feast, Outdoors
West Englewood, New Jersey
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK
1 July 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
1 July 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
5 July 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
5 July 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
6 July 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
14 July 1912
Talk at All Souls Unitarian Church
Fourth Avenue and Twentieth Street, New York
15 July 1912
Talk at Home of Dr. and Mrs. Florian Krug
830 Park Avenue, New York
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN BOSTON
23 July 1912
Talk at Hotel Victoria
Boston, Massachusetts
24 July 1912
Talk to Theosophical Society
The Kensington
Exeter and Boylston Streets, Boston, Massachusetts
25 July 1912
Talk at Hotel Victoria
Boston, Massachusetts
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN DUBLIN
5 August 1912
Talk at Dublin Inn
Dublin, New Hampshire
6 August 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
Dublin, New Hampshire
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED AT GREEN ACRE
16 August 1912
Talk at Green Acre
Eliot, Maine
17 August 1912
Talk at Green Acre
Eliot, Maine
17 August 1912
Talk at Green Acre
Eliot, Maine
17 August 1912
Talk at Green Acre
Eliot, Maine
17 August 1912
Talk at Green Acre
Eliot, Maine
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN BOSTON AND MALDEN
25 August 1912
Talk at the New Thought Forum
Metaphysical Club
Boston, Massachusetts
26 August 1912
Talk at Franklin Square House
Boston, Massachusetts
27 August 1912
Talk at Metaphysical Club
Boston, Massachusetts
29 August 1912
Talk at Home of Madame Morey
34 Hillside Avenue, Malden, Massachusetts
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN MONTREAL
1 September 1912
Talk at Church of the Messiah
Montreal, Canada
1 September 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell
716 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Canada
1 September 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell
716 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Canada
2 September 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell
716 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Canada
5 September 1912
Talk at St. James Methodist Church
Montreal, Canada
TALK 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CHICAGO
16 September 1912
Talk at Home of Mrs. Corinne True
5338 Kenmore Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
TALK 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN MINNEAPOLIS
20 September 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. Albert L. Hall
2030 Queen Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota
TALK 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN ST. PAUL
20 September 1912
Talk at Home of Dr. and Mrs. Clement Woolson
870 Laurel Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN DENVER
24 September 1912
Talk at Home of Mrs. Roberts
Denver, Colorado
25 September 1912
Talk at Second Divine Science Church
3929 West Thirty-eighth Avenue, Denver, Colorado
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN OAKLAND, PALO ALTO, SAN FRANCISCO, AND
SACRAMENTO
7 October 1912
Talk to Japanese Young Men's Christian Association
Japanese Independent Church, Oakland, California
8 October 1912
Talk at Leland Stanford Junior University
Palo Alto, California
10 October 1912
Talk at Open Forum
San Francisco, California
12 October 1912
Talk at Temple Emmanu-El
450 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California
25 October 1912
Talk at Hotel Sacramento
Sacramento, California
26 October 1912
Talk at Assembly Hall, Hotel Sacramento
Sacramento, California
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CHICAGO
31 October 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
1 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mrs. Corinne True
5338 Kenmore Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
TALK 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CINCINNATI
5 November 1912
Talk at Grand Hotel
Cincinnati, Ohio
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN WASHINGTON, D. C.
6 November 1912
Talk at Universalist Church
Thirteenth and L Streets, NW, Washington, D.C.
7 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
7 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
8 November 1912
Talk at Eighth Street Temple, Synagogue
Washington, D. C.
9 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
9 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
9 November 1912
Talk at Baha'i Banquet
Rauscher's Hall, Washington, D. C.
10 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
10 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Hannen
1252 Eighth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
10 November 1912
Talk at 1901 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK
15 November 1912
Talk at Home of Miss Juliet Thompson
48 West Tenth Street, New York
16 November 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
17 November 1912
Talk at Genealogical Hall
252 West Fifty-eighth Street, New York
18 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank K. Moxey
575 Riverside Drive, New York
23 November 1912
Talk at Banquet
Great Northern Hotel
118 West Fifty-seventh Street, New York
29 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
2 December 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
2 December 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
3 December 1912
Talk at Home of Dr. and Mrs. Florian Krug
830 Park Avenue, New York
3 December 1912
Talk to Mr. Kinney's Bible Class
780 West End Avenue, New York
3 December 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
4 December 1912
Talk to Theosophical Society
2228 Broadway, New York
5 December 1912
Talk on Day of Departure
On Board Steamship Celtic, New York
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN
11 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
Notes by Hooper Harris
How are you? Welcome! Welcome!
After arriving today, although weary with travel, I had the utmost longing
and yearning to see you and could not resist this meeting. Now that I have
met you, all my weariness has vanished, for your meeting is the cause of
spiritual happiness.
I was in Egypt and was not feeling well, but I wished to come to you in
America. My friends said, "This is a long journey; the sea is wide; you
should remain here." But the more they advised and insisted, the greater
became my longing to take this trip, and now I have come to America to
meet the friends of God. This long voyage will prove how great is my love
for you. There were many troubles and vicissitudes, but, in the thought of
meeting you, all these things vanished and were forgotten.
I am greatly pleased with the city of New York. Its harbor entrance, its
piers, buildings and broad avenues are magnificent and beautiful. Truly,
it is a wonderful city. As New York has made such progress in material
civilization, I hope that it may also advance spiritually in the Kingdom
and Covenant of God so that the friends here may become the cause of the
illumination of America, that this city may become the city of love and
that the fragrances of God may be spread from this place to all parts of
the world. I have come for this. I pray that you may be manifestations of
the love of Baha'u'llah, that each one of you may become like a clear lamp
of crystal from which the rays of the bounties of the Blessed Perfection
may shine forth to all nations and peoples. This is my highest aspiration.
It was a long, long trip. The more we traveled, the greater seemed the
expanse of the sea. The weather was brilliant and fine throughout; there
was no storm and no end to the sea.
I am very happy to meet you all here today. Praise be to God that your
faces are shining with the love of Baha'u'llah. To behold them is the
cause of great spiritual happiness. We have arranged to meet you every day
at the homes of the friends.
In the East people were asking me, "Why do you undertake this long voyage?
Your body cannot endure such hardships of travel." When it is necessary,
my body can endure everything. It has withstood forty years of
imprisonment and can still undergo the utmost trials.
I will see you again. Now I will greet each one of you personally. It is
my hope that you will all be happy and that we may meet again and again.
12 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Howard MacNutt
935 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York
Notes by Howard MacNutt
This is a most happy visit. I have crossed the sea from the land of the
Orient for the joy of meeting the friends of God. Although I am weary
after my long journey, the light of the spirit shining in your faces
brings me rest and reward. In this meeting the divine susceptibilities are
radiant. This is a spiritual house, the home of the spirit. There is no
discord here; all is love and unity. When souls are gathered together in
this way, the divine bestowals descend. The purpose of the creation of man
is the attainment of the supreme virtues of humanity through descent of
the heavenly bestowals. The purpose of man's creation is, therefore, unity
and harmony, not discord and separateness. If the atoms which compose the
kingdom of the minerals were without affinity for each other, the earth
would never have been formed, the universe could not have been created.
Because they have affinity for each other, the power of life is able to
manifest itself, and the organisms of the phenomenal world become
possible. When this attraction or atomic affinity is destroyed, the power
of life ceases to manifest; death and nonexistence result.
It is so, likewise, in the spiritual world. That world is the Kingdom of
complete attraction and affinity. It is the Kingdom of the One Divine
Spirit, the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the affinity and love manifest in
this meeting, the divine susceptibilities witnessed here are not of this
world but of the world of the Kingdom. When the souls become separated and
selfish, the divine bounties do not descend, and the lights of the Supreme
Concourse are no longer reflected even though the bodies meet together. A
mirror with its back turned to the sun has no power to reflect the sun's
effulgence. Praise be to God! The purpose of this assembly is love and
unity.
The divine Prophets came to establish the unity of the Kingdom in human
hearts. All of them proclaimed the glad tidings of the divine bestowals to
the world of mankind. All brought the same message of divine love to the
world. Jesus Christ gave His life upon the cross for the unity of mankind.
Those who believed in Him likewise sacrificed life, honor, possessions,
family, everything, that this human world might be released from the hell
of discord, enmity and strife. His foundation was the oneness of humanity.
Only a few were attracted to Him. They were not the kings and rulers of
His time. They were not rich and important people. Some of them were
catchers of fish. Most of them were ignorant men, not trained in the
knowledge of this world. One of the greatest of them, Peter, could not
remember the days of the week. All of them were men of the least
consequence in the eyes of the world. But their hearts were pure and
attracted by the fires of the Divine Spirit manifested in Christ. With
this small army Christ conquered the world of the East and the West. Kings
and nations rose against Him. Philosophers and the greatest men of
learning assailed and blasphemed His Cause. All were defeated and
overcome, their tongues silenced, their lamps extinguished, their hatred
quenched; no trace of them now remains. They have become as nonexistent,
while His Kingdom is triumphant and eternal.
The brilliant star of His Cause has ascended to the zenith, while night
has enveloped and eclipsed His enemies. His name, beloved and adored by a
few disciples, now commands the reverence of kings and nations of the
world. His power is eternal; His sovereignty will continue forever, while
those who opposed Him are sleeping in the dust, their very names unknown,
forgotten. The little army of disciples has become a mighty cohort of
millions. The Heavenly Host, the Supreme Concourse are His legions; the
Word of God is His sword; the power of God is His victory.
Jesus Christ knew this would come to pass and was content to suffer. His
abasement was His glorification; His crown of thorns, a heavenly diadem.
When they pressed it upon His blessed head and spat in His beautiful face,
they laid the foundation of His everlasting Kingdom. He still reigns,
while they and their names have become lost and unknown. He is eternal and
glorious; they are nonexistent. They sought to destroy Him, but they
destroyed themselves and increased the intensity of His flame by the winds
of their opposition.
Through His death and teachings we have entered into His Kingdom. His
essential teaching was the unity of mankind and the attainment of supreme
human virtues through love. He came to establish the Kingdom of peace and
everlasting life. Can you find in His words any justification for discord
and enmity? The purpose of His life and the glory of His death were to set
mankind free from the sins of strife, war and bloodshed. The great nations
of the world boast that their laws and civilization are based upon the
religion of Christ. Why then do they make war upon each other? The Kingdom
of Christ cannot be upheld by destroying and disobeying it. The banners of
His armies cannot lead the forces of Satan. Consider the sad picture of
Italy carrying war into Tripoli. If you should announce that Italy was a
barbarous nation and not Christian, this would be vehemently denied. But
would Christ sanction what they are doing in Tripoli? Is this destruction
of human life obedience to His laws and teachings? Where does He command
it? Where does He consent to it? He was killed by His enemies; He did not
kill. He even loved and prayed for those who hung Him on the cross.
Therefore, these wars and cruelties, this bloodshed and sorrow are
Antichrist, not Christ. These are the forces of death and Satan, not the
hosts of the Supreme Concourse of heaven.
No less bitter is the conflict between sects and denominations. Christ was
a divine Center of unity and love. Whenever discord prevails instead of
unity, wherever hatred and antagonism take the place of love and spiritual
fellowship, Antichrist reigns instead of Christ. Who is right in these
controversies and hatreds between the sects? Did Christ command them to
love or to hate each other? He loved even His enemies and prayed in the
hour of His crucifixion for those who killed Him. Therefore, to be a
Christian is not merely to bear the name of Christ and say, "I belong to a
Christian government." To be a real Christian is to be a servant in His
Cause and Kingdom, to go forth under His banner of peace and love toward
all mankind, to be self-sacrificing and obedient, to become quickened by
the breaths of the Holy Spirit, to be mirrors reflecting the radiance of
the divinity of Christ, to be fruitful trees in the garden of His
planting, to refresh the world by the water of life of His teachings--in
all things to be like Him and filled with the spirit of His love.
Praise be to God! The light of unity and love is shining in these faces.
These spiritual susceptibilities are the real fruits of heaven. The Bab
and Baha'u'llah over sixty years ago proclaimed the glad tidings of
universal peace. The Bab was martyred in the Cause of God. Baha'u'llah
suffered forty years as a prisoner and exile in order that the Kingdom of
love might be established in the East and West. He has made it possible
for us to meet here in love and unity. Because He suffered imprisonment,
we are free to proclaim the oneness of the world of humanity for which He
stood so long and faithfully. He was chained in dungeons, He was without
food, His companions were thieves and criminals, He was subjected to every
kind of abuse and infliction, but throughout it all He never ceased to
proclaim the reality of the Word of God and the oneness of humanity. We
have been brought together here by the power of His Word--you from America,
I from Persia--all in love and unity of spirit. Was this possible in former
centuries? If it is possible now after fifty years of sacrifice and
teaching, what shall we expect in the wonderful centuries coming?
Therefore, let your faces be more radiant with hope and heavenly
determination to serve the Cause of God, to spread the pure fragrances of
the divine rose garden of unity, to awaken spiritual susceptibilities in
the hearts of mankind, to kindle anew the spirit of humanity with divine
fires and to reflect the glory of heaven to this gloomy world of
materialism. When you possess these divine susceptibilities, you will be
able to awaken and develop them in others. We cannot give of our wealth to
the poor unless we possess it. How can the poor give to the poor? How can
the soul that is deprived of the heavenly bounties develop in other souls
capacity to receive those bounties?
Array yourselves in the perfection of divine virtues. I hope you may be
quickened and vivified by the breaths of the Holy Spirit. Then shall ye
indeed become the angels of heaven whom Christ promised would appear in
this Day to gather the harvest of divine planting. This is my hope. This
is my prayer for you.
12 April 1912
Talk at Studio of Miss Phillips
39 West Sixty-seventh Street, New York
Notes by John G. Grundy
I give you greeting in love and unity. The affairs of this world are to be
accounted as nothing compared to the joy and heavenly happiness of meeting
the friends of God. It is to experience this great joy and blessing that I
have come here although weary from my long voyage upon the sea. Tonight I
am in the greatest happiness, looking upon this concourse of God. Your
meeting here is surely an evidence that you are upholding the Cause of
God, that you are aiding and assisting in establishing the Kingdom of God.
Therefore, the culmination of my happiness is to look upon your faces and
realize that you have been brought together by the power of the Blessed
Perfection, Baha'u'llah. In this meeting you are upholding His standard
and assisting His Cause. Therefore, I behold in you the making of a goodly
tree upon which divine fruits will appear to give sustenance to the world
of humanity.
With hearts set aglow by the fire of the love of God and spirits refreshed
by the food of the heavenly spirit you must go forth as the disciples
nineteen hundred years ago, quickening the hearts of men by the call of
glad tidings, the light of God in your faces, severed from everything save
God. Therefore, order your lives in accordance with the first principle of
the divine teaching, which is love. Service to humanity is service to God.
Let the love and light of the Kingdom radiate through you until all who
look upon you shall be illumined by its reflection. Be as stars, brilliant
and sparkling in the loftiness of their heavenly station. Do you
appreciate the Day in which you live?
This is the century of the Blessed Perfection!
This is the cycle of the light of His beauty!
This is the consummate day of all the Prophets!
These are the days of seed sowing. These are the days of tree planting.
The bountiful bestowals of God are successive. He who sows a seed in this
day will behold his reward in the fruits and harvest of the heavenly
Kingdom. This timely seed, when planted in the hearts of the beloved of
God, will be watered by showers of divine mercy and warmed by the sunshine
of divine love. Its fruitage and flower shall be the solidarity of
mankind, the perfection of justice and the praiseworthy attributes of
heaven manifest in humanity. All who sow such a seed and plant such a tree
according to the teachings of Baha'u'llah shall surely witness this divine
outcome in the degrees of its perfection and will attain unto the good
pleasure of the Merciful One.
Today the nations of the world are self-engaged, occupied with mortal and
transitory accomplishments, consumed by the fires of passion and self.
Self is dominant; enmity and animosity prevail. Nations and peoples are
thinking only of their worldly interests and outcomes. The clash of war
and din of strife are heard among them. But the friends of the Blessed
Perfection have no thoughts save the thoughts of heaven and the love of
God. Therefore, you must without delay employ your powers in spreading the
effulgent glow of the love of God and so order your lives that you may be
known and seen as examples of its radiance. You must deal with all in
loving-kindness in order that this precious seed entrusted to your
planting may continue to grow and bring forth its perfect fruit. The love
and mercy of God will accomplish this through you if you have love in your
own heart.
The doors of the Kingdom are opened. The lights of the Sun of Truth are
shining. The clouds of divine mercy are raining down their priceless
jewels. The zephyrs of a new and divine springtime are wafting their
fragrant breaths from the invisible world. Know ye then the value of these
days.
Awake ye to the realization of this heavenly opportunity. Strive with all
the power of your souls, your deeds, actions and words to assist the
spread of these glad tidings and the descent of this merciful bounty. You
are the reality and expression of your deeds and actions. If you abide by
the precepts and teachings of the Blessed Perfection, the heavenly world
and ancient Kingdom will be yours--eternal happiness, love and everlasting
life. The divine bounties are flowing. Each one of you has been given the
opportunity of becoming a tree yielding abundant fruits. This is the
springtime of Baha'u'llah. The verdure and foliage of spiritual growth are
appearing in great abundance in the gardens of human hearts. Know ye the
value of these passing days and vanishing nights. Strive to attain a
station of absolute love one toward another. By the absence of love,
enmity increases. By the exercise of love, love strengthens and enmities
dwindle away.
Consider me--in the years of my advanced age, burdened with physical
infirmities--crossing the wide ocean to look upon your faces. It is my hope
that through the life of the spirit you may all become as one soul, as one
tree adorning the rose garden of the Kingdom. It is my hope that the
endless treasures of the bestowals of God may be yours here and hereafter.
It is my prayer that the Supreme Concourse may be illumined by your
brilliant lights shining forever in the heavens of eternal glory.
13 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Morten
141 East Twenty-first Street, New York
Notes by Esther Foster
Praise be to God! This is a radiant gathering. The faces are brilliant
with the light of God. The hearts are attracted to the Kingdom of Baha. I
beg of God that day by day your faces may become brighter; day by day you
may draw nearer to God; day by day you may take a greater portion from the
outpourings of the Holy Spirit so that you may become encircled by the
bounties of heaven.
The spiritual world is like unto the phenomenal world. They are the exact
counterpart of each other. Whatever objects appear in this world of
existence are the outer pictures of the world of heaven. When we look upon
the phenomenal world, we perceive that it is divided into four seasons;
one is the season of spring, another the season of summer, another autumn
and then these three seasons are followed by winter. When the season of
spring appears in the arena of existence, the whole world is rejuvenated
and finds new life. The soul-refreshing breeze is wafted from every
direction; the soul-quickening bounty is everywhere; the cloud of mercy
showers down its rain, and the sun shines upon everything. Day by day we
perceive that the signs of vegetation are all about us. Wonderful flowers,
hyacinths and roses perfume the nostrils. The trees are full of leaves and
blossoms, and the blossoms are followed by fruit. The spring and summer
are followed by autumn and winter. The flowers wither and are no more; the
leaves turn gray and life has gone. Then comes another springtime; the
former springtime is renewed; again a new life stirs within everything.
The appearances of the Manifestations of God are the divine springtime.
When Christ appeared in this world, it was like the vernal bounty; the
outpouring descended; the effulgences of the Merciful encircled all
things; the human world found new life. Even the physical world partook of
it. The divine perfections were upraised; souls were trained in the school
of heaven so that all grades of human existence received life and light.
Then by degrees these fragrances of heaven were discontinued; the season
of winter came upon the world; the beauties of spring vanished; the
excellences and perfections passed away; the lights and quickening were no
longer evident; the phenomenal world and its materialities conquered
everything; the spiritualities of life were lost; the world of existence
became life unto a lifeless body; there was no trace of the spring left.
Baha'u'llah has come into this world. He has renewed that springtime. The
same fragrances are wafting; the same heat of the Sun is giving life; the
same cloud is pouring its rain, and with our own eyes we see that the
world of existence is advancing and progressing. The human world has found
new life.
I hope that each and all of you may become like unto verdant and green
trees so that through the breezes of the divine spring, the outpouring of
heaven, the heat of the Sun of Truth, you may become eternally refreshed;
that you may bear blossoms and become fruitful; that you may not be as
fruitless trees. Fruitless trees do not bring forth fruits or flowers. I
hope that all of you may become friends of the paradise of Abha, appearing
with the utmost freshness and spiritual beauty. I pray in your behalf and
beg of God confirmation and assistance.
14 April 1912
Talk at Church of the Ascension
Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street, New York
Notes by Ahmad Sohrab and Howard MacNutt
In his scriptural lesson this morning the revered doctor read a verse from
the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, "For now we see through a
glass, darkly; but then face to face."
The light of truth has heretofore been seen dimly through variegated
glasses, but now the splendors of Divinity shall be visible through the
translucent mirrors of pure hearts and spirits. The light of truth is the
divine teaching, heavenly instruction, merciful principles and spiritual
civilization. Since my arrival in this country I find that material
civilization has progressed greatly, that commerce has attained the utmost
degree of expansion; arts, agriculture and all details of material
civilization have reached the highest stage of perfection, but spiritual
civilization has been left behind. Material civilization is like unto the
lamp, while spiritual civilization is the light in that lamp. If the
material and spiritual civilization become united, then we will have the
light and the lamp together, and the outcome will be perfect. For material
civilization is like unto a beautiful body, and spiritual civilization is
like unto the spirit of life. If that wondrous spirit of life enters this
beautiful body, the body will become a channel for the distribution and
development of the perfections of humanity.
Jesus Christ came to teach the people of the world this heavenly
civilization and not material civilization. He breathed the breath of the
Holy Spirit into the body of the world and established an illumined
civilization. Among the principles of divine civilization He came to
proclaim is the Most Great Peace of mankind. Among His principles of
spiritual civilization is the oneness of the kingdom of humanity. Among
the principles of heavenly civilization He brought is the virtue of the
human world. Among the principles of celestial civilization He announced
is the improvement and betterment of human morals.
Today the world of humanity is in need of international unity and
conciliation. To establish these great fundamental principles a propelling
power is needed. It is self-evident that the unity of the human world and
the Most Great Peace cannot be accomplished through material means. They
cannot be established through political power, for the political interests
of nations are various and the policies of peoples are divergent and
conflicting. They cannot be founded through racial or patriotic power, for
these are human powers, selfish and weak. The very nature of racial
differences and patriotic prejudices prevents the realization of this
unity and agreement. Therefore, it is evidenced that the promotion of the
oneness of the kingdom of humanity, which is the essence of the teachings
of all the Manifestations of God, is impossible except through the divine
power and breaths of the Holy Spirit. Other powers are too weak and are
incapable of accomplishing this.
For man two wings are necessary. One wing is physical power and material
civilization; the other is spiritual power and divine civilization. With
one wing only, flight is impossible. Two wings are essential. Therefore,
no matter how much material civilization advances, it cannot attain to
perfection except through the uplift of spiritual civilization.
All the Prophets have come to promote divine bestowals, to found the
spiritual civilization and teach the principles of morality. Therefore, we
must strive with all our powers so that spiritual influences may gain the
victory. For material forces have attacked mankind. The world of humanity
is submerged in a sea of materialism. The rays of the Sun of Reality are
seen but dimly and darkly through opaque glasses. The penetrative power of
the divine bounty is not fully manifest.
In Persia among the various religions and sects there were intense
differences. Baha'u'llah appeared in that country and founded the
spiritual civilization. He established affiliation among the various
peoples, promoted the oneness of the human world and unfurled the banner
of the Most Great Peace. He wrote special Epistles covering these facts to
all the kings and rulers of nations. Sixty years ago He conveyed His
message to the leaders of the political world and to high dignitaries of
the spiritual world. Therefore, spiritual civilization is progressing in
the Orient, and oneness of humanity and peace among the nations is being
accomplished step by step. Now I find a strong movement for universal
peace emanating from America. It is my hope that this standard of the
oneness of the world of humanity may be upraised with the utmost solidity
so that the Orient and Occident may become perfectly reconciled and attain
complete intercommunication, the hearts of the East and West become united
and attracted, real union become unveiled, the light of guidance shine,
divine effulgences be seen day by day so that the world of humanity may
find complete tranquillity, the eternal happiness of man become evident
and the hearts of the people of the world be as mirrors in which the rays
of the Sun of Reality may be reflected. Consequently, it is my request
that you should strive so that the light of reality may shine and the
everlasting felicity of the world of man become apparent.
I will pray for you so you may attain this everlasting happiness. When I
arrived in this city, I was made very happy, for I perceived that the
people here have capacity for divine bestowals and have worthiness for the
civilization of heaven. I pray that you may attain to all merciful
bounties.
O Almighty! O God! O Thou compassionate One! This servant of Thine has
hastened to the regions of the West from the uttermost parts of the East
that, perchance, these nostrils may be perfumed by the fragrances of Thy
bestowals; that the breeze of the rose garden of guidance may blow over
these cities; that the people may attain to the capacity of receiving Thy
favors; that the hearts may be rejoiced through Thy glad tidings; that the
eyes may behold the light of reality; that the ears may hearken to the
call of the Kingdom. O Almighty! Illumine the hearts. O kind God! Make the
souls the envy of the rose garden and the meadow. O incomparable Beloved!
Waft the fragrance of Thy bounty. Radiate the lights of compassion so that
the hearts may be cleansed and purified and that they may take a share and
portion from Thy confirmations. Verily, this congregation is seeking Thy
path, searching for Thy mystery, beholding Thy face and desiring to be
characterized with Thine attributes.
O Almighty! Confer Thou infinite bounties. Bestow Thine inexhaustible
treasury so that these impotent ones may become powerful.
Verily, Thou art the Kind. Thou art the Generous. Thou art the Omniscient,
the Omnipotent.
14 April 1912
Talk at Union Meeting of Advanced Thought Centers
Carnegie Lyceum
West Fifty-seventh Street, New York
Notes by Mountfort Mills and Howard MacNutt
I have come from distant lands to visit the meetings and assemblies of
this country. In every meeting I find people gathered, loving each other;
therefore, I am greatly pleased. The bond of union is evidenced in this
assembly today, where the power of God has brought together in faith,
agreement and concord those who are engaged in furthering the development
of the human world. It is my hope that all mankind may become similarly
united in the bond and agreement of love. Unity is the expression of the
loving power of God and reflects the reality of Divinity. It is
resplendent in this Day through the bestowals of light upon humanity.
Throughout the universe the divine power is effulgent in endless images
and pictures. The world of creation, the world of humanity may be likened
to the earth itself and the divine power to the sun. This Sun has shone
upon all mankind. In the endless variety of its reflections the divine
Will is manifested. Consider how all are recipients of the bounty of the
same Sun. At most the difference between them is that of degree, for the
effulgence is one effulgence, the one light emanating from the Sun. This
will express the oneness of the world of humanity. The body politic, or
the social unity of the human world, may be likened to an ocean, and each
member, each individual, a wave upon that same ocean.
The light of the sun becomes apparent in each object according to the
capacity of that object. The difference is simply one of degree and
receptivity. The stone would be a recipient only to a limited extent;
another created thing might be as a mirror wherein the sun is fully
reflected; but the same light shines upon both.
The most important thing is to polish the mirrors of hearts in order that
they may become illumined and receptive of the divine light. One heart may
possess the capacity of the polished mirror; another, be covered and
obscured by the dust and dross of this world. Although the same Sun is
shining upon both, in the mirror which is polished, pure and sanctified
you may behold the Sun in all its fullness, glory and power, revealing its
majesty and effulgence; but in the mirror which is rusted and obscured
there is no capacity for reflection, although so far as the Sun itself is
concerned it is shining thereon and is neither lessened nor deprived.
Therefore, our duty lies in seeking to polish the mirrors of our hearts in
order that we shall become reflectors of that light and recipients of the
divine bounties which may be fully revealed through them.
This means the oneness of the world of humanity. That is to say, when this
human body politic reaches a state of absolute unity, the effulgence of
the eternal Sun will make its fullest light and heat manifest. Therefore,
we must not make distinctions between individual members of the human
family. We must not consider any soul as barren or deprived. Our duty lies
in educating souls so that the Sun of the bestowals of God shall become
resplendent in them, and this is possible through the power of the oneness
of humanity. The more love is expressed among mankind and the stronger the
power of unity, the greater will be this reflection and revelation, for
the greatest bestowal of God is love. Love is the source of all the
bestowals of God. Until love takes possession of the heart, no other
divine bounty can be revealed in it.
All the Prophets have striven to make love manifest in the hearts of men.
Jesus Christ sought to create this love in the hearts. He suffered all
difficulties and ordeals that perchance the human heart might become the
fountain source of love. Therefore, we must strive with all our heart and
soul that this love may take possession of us so that all humanity--whether
it be in the East or in the West--may be connected through the bond of this
divine affection; for we are all the waves of one sea; we have come into
being through the same bestowal and are recipients from the same center.
The lights of earth are all acceptable, but the center of effulgence is
the sun, and we must direct our gaze to the sun. God is the Supreme
Center. The more we turn toward this Center of Light, the greater will be
our capacity.
In the Orient there were great differences among races and peoples. They
hated each other, and there was no association among them. Various and
divergent sects were hostile, irreconcilable. The different races were in
constant war and conflict. About sixty years ago Baha'u'llah appeared upon
the eastern horizon. He caused love and unity to become manifest among
these antagonistic peoples. He united them with the bond of love; their
former hatred and animosity passed away; love and unity reigned instead.
It was a dark world; it became radiant. A new springtime appeared through
Him, for the Sun of Truth had risen again. In the fields and meadows of
human hearts variegated flowers of inner significance were blooming, and
the good fruits of the Kingdom of God became manifest.
I have come here with this mission: that through your endeavors, through
your heavenly morals, through your devoted efforts a perfect bond of unity
and love may be established between the East and the West so that the
bestowals of God may descend upon all and that all may be seen to be the
parts of the same tree--the great tree of the human family. For mankind may
be likened to the branches, leaves, blossoms and fruit of that tree.
The favors of God are unending, limitless. Infinite bounties have
encompassed the world. We must emulate the bounties of God, and just as
each one of them--the bounty of life, for instance--surrounds and
encompasses all, so likewise must we be connected and blended together
until each part shall become the expression of the whole.
Consider: We plant a seed. A complete and perfect tree appears from it,
and from each seed of this tree another tree can be produced. Therefore,
the part is expressive of the whole, for this seed was a part of the tree,
but therein potentially was the whole tree. So each one of us may become
expressive or representative of all the bounties of life to mankind. This
is the unity of the world of humanity. This is the bestowal of God. This
is the felicity of the human world, and this is the manifestation of the
divine favor.
15 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mountfort Mills
327 West End Avenue, New York
Compiled from Stenographic Notes by Howard MacNutt
A few days ago I arrived in New York, coming direct from Alexandria. On a
former trip I traveled to Europe, visiting Paris and London. Paris is most
beautiful in outward appearance. The evidences of material civilization
there are very great, but the spiritual civilization is far behind. I
found the people of that city submerged and drowning in a sea of
materialism. Their conversations and discussions were limited to natural
and physical phenomena, without mention of God. I was greatly astonished.
Most of the scholars, professors and learned men proved to be
materialists. I said to them, "I am surprised and astonished that men of
such perceptive caliber and evident knowledge should still be captives of
nature, not recognizing the self-evident Reality."
The phenomenal world is entirely subject to the rule and control of
natural law. These myriad suns, satellites and heavenly bodies throughout
endless space are all captives of nature. They cannot transgress in a
single point or particular the fixed laws which govern the physical
universe. The sun in its immensity, the ocean in its vastness are
incapable of violating these universal laws. All phenomenal beings--the
plants in their kingdom, even the animals with their intelligence--are
nature's subjects and captives. All live within the bounds of natural law,
and nature is the ruler of all except man. Man is not the captive of
nature, for although according to natural law he is a being of the earth,
yet he guides ships over the ocean, flies through the air in airplanes,
descends in submarines; therefore, he has overcome natural law and made it
subservient to his wishes. For instance, he imprisons in an incandescent
lamp the illimitable natural energy called electricity--a material force
which can cleave mountains--and bids it give him light. He takes the human
voice and confines it in the phonograph for his benefit and amusement.
According to his natural power man should be able to communicate a limited
distance, but by overcoming the restrictions of nature he can annihilate
space and send telephone messages thousands of miles. All the sciences,
arts and discoveries were mysteries of nature, and according to natural
law these mysteries should remain latent, hidden; but man has proceeded to
break this law, free himself from this rule and bring them forth into the
realm of the visible. Therefore, he is the ruler and commander of nature.
Man has intelligence; nature has not. Man has volition; nature has none.
Man has memory; nature is without it. Man has the reasoning faculty;
nature is deprived. Man has the perceptive faculty; nature cannot
perceive. It is therefore proved and evident that man is nobler than
nature.
If we accept the supposition that man is but a part of nature, we are
confronted by an illogical statement, for this is equivalent to claiming
that a part may be endowed with qualities which are absent in the whole.
For man who is a part of nature has perception, intelligence, memory,
conscious reflection and susceptibility, while nature itself is quite
bereft of them. How is it possible for the part to be possessed of
qualities or faculties which are absent in the whole? The truth is that
God has given to man certain powers which are supernatural. How then can
man be considered a captive of nature? Is he not dominating and
controlling nature to his own uses more and more? Is he not the very
divinity of nature? Shall we say nature is blind, nature is not
perceptive, nature is without volition and not alive, and then relegate
man to nature and its limitations? How can we answer this question? How
will the materialists and scholastic atheists prove and support such a
supposition? As a matter of fact, they themselves make natural laws
subservient to their own wish and purpose. The proof is complete that in
man there is a power beyond the limitations of nature, and that power is
the bestowal of God.
In New York I find the people more endowed with spiritual
susceptibilities. They are not mere captives of nature's control; they are
rising out of the bonds and burden of captivity. For this reason I am very
happy and hopeful that, God willing, in this populous country, in this
vast continent of the West, the virtues of the world of humanity shall
become resplendent; that the oneness of human world-power, the love of
God, may enkindle the hearts, and that international peace may hoist its
standards, influencing all other regions and countries from here. This is
my hope.
16 April 1912
Talk at Hotel Ansonia to Baha'i Friends of New Jersey
Broadway and Seventy-third Street, New York
Notes by Ahmad Sohrab
Souls from the East and West have been brought together here through the
power of the Holy Spirit. Such a gathering as this would be impossible
through material means. A meeting of this kind has never been established
in New York, for here tonight we find people from remote regions of the
earth, associated with the people of America in the utmost love and
spiritual unity. This is only possible through the power of God. Christ
appeared in this world nineteen hundred years ago to establish ties of
unity and bonds of love between the various nations and different
communities. He cemented together the sciences of Rome and the splendors
of the civilization of Greece. He also accomplished affiliation between
the Assyrian kingdom and the power of Egypt. The blending of these nations
in unity, love and agreement had been impossible, but Christ through
divine power established this condition among the children of men.
A much greater difficulty confronts us today when we endeavor to establish
unity between the Orient and the Occident. Baha'u'llah through the power
of heaven has brought the East and the West together. Erelong we shall
know that they have been cemented by the power of God. The oneness of the
kingdom of humanity will supplant the banner of conquest, and all
communities of the earth will gather under its protection. No nation with
separate and restricted boundaries--such as Persia, for instance--will
exist. The United States of America will be known only as a name. Germany,
France, England, Turkey, Arabia--all these various nations will be welded
together in unity. When the people of the future are asked, "To which
nationality do you belong?" the answer will be, "To the nationality of
humanity. I am living under the shadow of Baha'u'llah. I am the servant of
Baha'u'llah. I belong to the army of the Most Great Peace." The people of
the future will not say, "I belong to the nation of England, France or
Persia"; for all of them will be citizens of a universal nationality--the
one family, the one country, the one world of humanity--and then these
wars, hatreds and strifes will pass away.
Baha'u'llah appeared in a country which was the center of prejudice. In
that country were many different communities, religions, sects and
denominations. All the animosities of past centuries existed among them.
They were ready to kill each other. They considered the killing of others
who did not agree with them in religious belief an act of worship.
Baha'u'llah established such unity and agreement between these various
communities that the greatest love and amity are now witnessed among them.
Today the Baha'is of the East are longing with deep desire to see you face
to face. Their highest hope and fondest wish is that the day may come when
they will be gathered together in an assembly with you. Consider well the
power that accomplished this wonderful transformation.
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 Most Great Peace. Its
illumination and quickening is love. Its happiness is the attainment of
spiritual perfections. It is my wish and hope that in the bounties and
favors of the Blessed Perfection we may find a new life, acquire a new
power and attain to a wonderful and supreme source of energy so that the
Most Great Peace of divine intention shall be established upon the
foundations of the unity of the world of men with God. May the love of God
be spread from this city, from this meeting to all the surrounding
countries. Nay, may America become the distributing center of spiritual
enlightenment, and all the world receive this heavenly blessing! For
America has developed powers and capacities greater and more wonderful
than other nations. While it is true that its people have attained a
marvelous material civilization, I hope that spiritual forces may animate
this great body and a corresponding spiritual civilization be established.
May the inhabitants of this country become like angels of heaven with
faces turned continually toward God. May all of them become the servants
of the Omnipotent One. May they rise from present material attainments to
such a height that heavenly illumination may stream from this center to
all the peoples of the world.
The divine Jerusalem has come down from heaven. The bride of Zion has
appeared. The voice of the Kingdom of God has been raised. May you attain
supreme capacity and magnetic attraction in this realm of might and
power--manifesting new energy and wonderful accomplishment, for God is your
Assister and Helper. The breath of the Holy Spirit is your comforter, and
the angels of heaven surround you. I desire this power for you. Rest
assured that these bounties now overshadow you.
17 April 1912
Talk at Hotel Ansonia
Broadway and Seventy-third Street, New York
Notes by Howard MacNutt
During my visit to London and Paris last year I had many talks with the
materialistic philosophers of Europe. The basis of all their conclusions
is that the acquisition of knowledge of phenomena is according to a fixed,
invariable law--a law mathematically exact in its operation through the
senses. For instance, the eye sees a chair; therefore, there is no doubt
of the chair's existence. The eye looks up into the heavens and beholds
the sun; I see flowers upon this table; I smell their fragrance; I hear
sounds outside, etc. This, they say, is a fixed mathematical law of
perception and deduction, the operation of which admits of no doubt
whatever; for inasmuch as the universe is subject to our sensing, the
proof is self-evident that our knowledge of it must be gained through the
avenues of the senses. That is to say, the materialists announce that the
criterion and standard of human knowledge is sense perception. Among the
Greeks and Romans the criterion of knowledge was reason--that whatever is
provable and acceptable by reason must necessarily be admitted as true. A
third standard or criterion is the opinion held by theologians that
traditions or prophetic statement and interpretations constitute the basis
of human knowing. There is still another, a fourth criterion, upheld by
religionists and metaphysicians who say that the source and channel of all
human penetration into the unknown is through inspiration. Briefly then,
these four criteria according to the declarations of men are: first, sense
perception; second, reason; third, traditions; fourth, inspiration.
In Europe I told the philosophers and scientists of materialism that the
criterion of the senses is not reliable. For instance, consider a mirror
and the images reflected in it. These images have no actual corporeal
existence. Yet if you had never seen a mirror, you would firmly insist and
believe that they were real. The eye sees a mirage upon the desert as a
lake of water, but there is no reality in it. As we stand upon the deck of
a steamer, the shore appears to be moving, yet we know the land is
stationary and we are moving. The earth was believed to be fixed and the
sun revolving about it, but although this appears to be so, the reverse is
now known to be true. A whirling torch makes a circle of fire appear
before the eye, yet we realize there is but one point of light. We behold
a shadow moving upon the ground, but it has no material existence, no
substance. In deserts the atmospheric effects are particularly productive
of illusions which deceive the eye. Once I saw a mirage in which a whole
caravan appeared traveling upward into the sky. In the far North other
deceptive phenomena appear and baffle human vision. Sometimes three or
four suns, called by scientists mock suns, will be shining at the same
time, whereas we know that the great solar orb is one and that it remains
fixed and single. In brief, the senses are continually deceived, and we
are unable to separate that which is reality from that which is not.
As to the second criterion--reason--this likewise is unreliable and not to
be depended upon. This human world is an ocean of varying opinions. If
reason is the perfect standard and criterion of knowledge, why are
opinions at variance and why do philosophers disagree so completely with
each other? This is a clear proof that human reason is not to be relied
upon as an infallible criterion. For instance, great discoveries and
announcements of former centuries are continually upset and discarded by
the wise men of today. Mathematicians, astronomers, chemical scientists
continually disprove and reject the conclusions of the ancients; nothing
is fixed, nothing final; everything is continually changing because human
reason is progressing along new roads of investigation and arriving at new
conclusions every day. In the future much that is announced and accepted
as true now will be rejected and disproved. And so it will continue ad
infinitum.
When we consider the third criterion--traditions--upheld by theologians as
the avenue and standard of knowledge, we find this source equally
unreliable and unworthy of dependence. For religious traditions are the
report and record of understanding and interpretation of the Book. By what
means has this understanding, this interpretation been reached? By the
analysis of human reason. When we read the Book of God, the faculty of
comprehension by which we form conclusions is reason. Reason is mind. If
we are not endowed with perfect reason, how can we comprehend the meanings
of the Word of God? Therefore, human reason, as already pointed out, is by
its very nature finite and faulty in conclusions. It cannot surround the
Reality Itself, the Infinite Word. Inasmuch as the source of traditions
and interpretations is human reason, and human reason is faulty, how can
we depend upon its findings for real knowledge?
The fourth criterion I have named is inspiration through which it is
claimed the reality of knowledge is attainable. What is inspiration? It is
the influx of the human heart. But what are satanic promptings which
afflict mankind? They are the influx of the heart also. How shall we
differentiate between them? The question arises: How shall we know whether
we are following inspiration from God or satanic promptings of the human
soul? Briefly, the point is that in the human material world of phenomena
these four are the only existing criteria or avenues of knowledge, and all
of them are faulty and unreliable. What then remains? How shall we attain
the reality of knowledge? By the breaths and promptings of the Holy
Spirit, which is light and knowledge itself. Through it the human mind is
quickened and fortified into true conclusions and perfect knowledge. This
is conclusive argument showing that all available human criteria are
erroneous and defective, but the divine standard of knowledge is
infallible. Therefore, man is not justified in saying, "I know because I
perceive through my senses," or "I know because it is proved through my
faculty of reason," or "I know because it is according to tradition and
interpretation of the Holy Book," or "I know because I am inspired." All
human standards of judgment are faulty, finite.
17 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
Notes by John G. Grundy
In the Holy Books it is recorded that when the Sun of Truth dawns, it will
appear in the East, and its light will be reflected in the West. Already
its dawning has taken place in the East, and its signs are appearing in
the West. Its illumination shall spread rapidly and widely in the
Occident. The Sun of Truth has risen in Persia, and its effulgence is now
manifest here in America. This is the greatest proof of its appearance in
the horizon of the world, as recorded in the heavenly Books. Praise be to
God! That which is prophesied in the Holy Books has been fulfilled.
On Sunday last at Carnegie Hall the revered soul who introduced
'Abdu'l-Baha gave voice to the statement that according to tradition
demons would appear from the land of the sunrise, but now we find angels
appearing instead. At the time this statement was made a reply was not
possible, but today we will speak of it. The great spiritual lights have
always appeared in the East. The Blessed Perfection, Baha'u'llah, appeared
in the East. Jesus Christ dawned upon the horizon of the East. Moses,
Aaron, Joseph and all the Israelitish prophets such as Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
Isaiah and others appeared from the Orient. The lights of Muhammad and the
Bab shone from the East. The eastern horizon has been flooded with the
effulgence of these great lights, and only from the East have they risen
to shine upon the West. Now--praise be to God!--you are living in the dawn
of a cycle when the Sun of Truth is again shining forth from the East,
illumining all regions.
The world has become a new world. The darkness of night which has
enveloped humanity is passing. A new day has dawned. Divine
susceptibilities and heavenly capacities are developing in human souls
under the training of the Sun of Truth. The capacities of souls are
different. Their conditions are various. For example, certain minerals
come from the stony regions of the earth. All are minerals, all are
produced by the same sun, but one remains a stone while another develops
the capacity of a glittering gem or jewel. From one plot of land tulips
and hyacinths grow; from another, thorns and thistles. Each plot receives
the bounty of the sunshine, but the capacity to receive it is not the
same. Therefore, it is requisite that we must develop capacity and divine
susceptibility in order that the merciful bounty of the Sun of Truth
intended for this age and time in which we are living may reflect from us
as light from pure crystals.
The bounties of the Blessed Perfection are infinite. We must endeavor to
increase our capacity daily, to strengthen and enlarge our capabilities
for receiving them, to become as perfect mirrors. The more polished and
clean the mirror, the more effulgent is its reflection of the lights of
the Sun of Truth. Be like a well-cultivated garden wherein the roses and
variegated flowers of heaven are growing in fragrance and beauty. It is my
hope that your hearts may become as ready ground, carefully tilled and
prepared, upon which the divine showers of the bounties of the Blessed
Perfection may descend and the zephyrs of this divine springtime may blow
with quickening breath. Then will the garden of your hearts bring forth
its flowers of delightful fragrance to refresh the nostril of the heavenly
Gardener. Let your hearts reflect the glories of the Sun of Truth in their
many colors to gladden the eye of the divine Cultivator Who has nourished
them. Day by day become more closely attracted in order that the love of
God may illumine all those with whom you come in contact. Be as one
spirit, one soul, leaves of one tree, flowers of one garden, waves of one
ocean.
As difference in degree of capacity exists among human souls, as
difference in capability is found, therefore, individualities will differ
one from another. But in reality this is a reason for unity and not for
discord and enmity. If the flowers of a garden were all of one color, the
effect would be monotonous to the eye; but if the colors are variegated,
it is most pleasing and wonderful. The difference in adornment of color
and capacity of reflection among the flowers gives the garden its beauty
and charm. Therefore, although we are of different individualities,
different in ideas and of various fragrances, let us strive like flowers
of the same divine garden to live together in harmony. Even though each
soul has its own individual perfume and color, all are reflecting the same
light, all contributing fragrance to the same breeze which blows through
the garden, all continuing to grow in complete harmony and accord. Become
as waves of one sea, trees of one forest, growing in the utmost love,
agreement and unity.
If you attain to such a capacity of love and unity, the Blessed Perfection
will shower infinite graces of the spiritual Kingdom upon you, guide,
protect and preserve you under the shadow of His Word, increase your
happiness in this world and uphold you through all difficulties.
Therefore, it is my hope that day by day you will become more and more
effulgent in the horizon of heaven, advance nearer and nearer toward the
Kingdom of Abha, attain greater and greater bounties of the Blessed
Perfection. I am joyful, for I perceive the evidences of great love among
you. I go to Chicago, and when I return I hope that love will have become
infinite. Then will it be an eternal joy to me and the friends in the
Orient.
18 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall L. Emery
273 West Ninetieth Street, New York
Notes by Miss Dixon
Tonight I wish to tell you something of the history of the Baha'i
Revelation.
The Blessed Perfection, Baha'u'llah, belonged to the nobility of Persia.
From earliest childhood He was distinguished among His relatives and
friends. They said, "This child has extraordinary power." In wisdom,
intelligence and as a source of new knowledge, He was advanced beyond His
age and superior to His surroundings. All who knew Him were astonished at
His precocity. It was usual for them to say, "Such a child will not live,"
for it is commonly believed that precocious children do not reach
maturity. During the period of youth the Blessed Perfection did not enter
school. He was not willing to be taught. This fact is well established
among the Persians of Tihran. Nevertheless, He was capable of solving the
difficult problems of all who came to Him. In whatever meeting, scientific
assembly or theological discussion He was found, He became the authority
of explanation upon intricate and abstruse questions presented.
Until His father passed away, Baha'u'llah did not seek position or
political station notwithstanding His connection with the government. This
occasioned surprise and comment. It was frequently said, "How is it that a
young man of such keen intelligence and subtle perception does not seek
lucrative appointments? As a matter of fact, every position is open to
him." This is an historical statement fully attested by the people of
Persia.
He was most generous, giving abundantly to the poor. None who came to Him
were turned away. The doors of His house were open to all. He always had
many guests. This unbounded generosity was conducive to greater
astonishment from the fact that He sought neither position nor prominence.
In commenting upon this His friends said He would become impoverished, for
His expenses were many and His wealth becoming more and more limited. "Why
is he not thinking of his own affairs?" they inquired of each other; but
some who were wise declared, "This personage is connected with another
world; he has something sublime within him that is not evident now; the
day is coming when it will be manifested." In truth, the Blessed
Perfection was a refuge for every weak one, a shelter for every fearing
one, kind to every indigent one, lenient and loving to all creatures.
He became well-known in regard to these qualities before the Bab appeared.
Then Baha'u'llah declared the Bab's mission to be true and promulgated His
teachings. The Bab announced that the greater Manifestation would take
place after Him and called the Promised One "Him Whom God shall make
manifest," saying that nine years later the reality of His own mission
would become apparent. In His writings He stated that in the ninth year
this expected One would be known; in the ninth year they would attain to
all glory and felicity; in the ninth year they would advance rapidly.
Between Baha'u'llah and the Bab there was communication privately. The Bab
wrote a letter containing three hundred and sixty derivatives of the root
Baha. The Bab was martyred in Tabriz; and Baha'u'llah, exiled into 'Iraq
in 1852, announced Himself in Ba_gh_dad. For the Persian government had
decided that as long as He remained in Persia the peace of the country
would be disturbed; therefore, He was exiled in the expectation that
Persia would become quiet. His banishment, however, produced the opposite
effect. New tumult arose, and the mention of His greatness and influence
spread everywhere throughout the country. The proclamation of His
manifestation and mission was made in Ba_gh_dad. He called His friends
together there and spoke to them of God.
At one point He left the city and went alone into the mountains of
Kurdistan, where He made His abode in caves and grottoes. A part of this
time He lived in the city of Sulaymaniyyih. Two years passed during which
neither His friends nor family knew just where He was.
Although Baha'u'llah was solitary, secluded and unknown in His retirement,
the report spread throughout Kurdistan that this was a most remarkable and
learned Personage, gifted with a wonderful power of attraction. In a short
time Kurdistan was magnetized with His love. During this period
Baha'u'llah lived in poverty. His garments were those of the poor and
needy. His food was that of the indigent and lowly. An atmosphere of
majesty haloed Him as the sun at midday. Everywhere He was greatly revered
and beloved.
After two years He returned to Ba_gh_dad. Friends He had known in
Sulaymaniyyih came to visit Him. They found Him in His accustomed
environment of ease and affluence and were astonished at the appointments
of One Who had lived in seclusion under such frugal conditions in
Kurdistan.
The Persian government believed the banishment of the Blessed Perfection
from Persia would be the extermination of His Cause in that country. These
rulers now realized that it spread more rapidly. His prestige increased;
His teachings became more widely circulated. The chiefs of Persia then
used their influence to have Baha'u'llah exiled from Ba_gh_dad. He was
summoned to Constantinople by the Turkish authorities. While in
Constantinople He ignored every restriction, especially the hostility of
ministers of state and clergy. The official representatives of Persia
again brought their influence to bear upon the Turkish authorities and
succeeded in having Baha'u'llah banished from Constantinople to
Adrianople, the object being to keep Him as far away as possible from
Persia and render His communication with that country more difficult.
Nevertheless, the Cause still spread and strengthened.
Finally, they consulted together and said, "We have banished Baha'u'llah
from place to place, but each time he is exiled his cause is more widely
extended, his proclamation increases in power, and day by day his lamp is
becoming brighter. This is due to the fact that we have exiled him to
large cities and populous centers. Therefore, we will send him to a penal
colony as a prisoner so that all may know he is the associate of
murderers, robbers and criminals; in a short time he and his followers
will perish." The Sultan of Turkey then banished Him to the prison of Akka
in Syria.
When Baha'u'llah arrived at Akka, through the power of God He was able to
hoist His banner. His light at first had been a star; now it became a
mighty sun, and the illumination of His Cause expanded from the East to
the West. Inside prison walls He wrote Epistles to all the kings and
rulers of nations, summoning them to arbitration and universal peace. Some
of the kings received His words with disdain and contempt. One of these
was the Sultan of the Ottoman kingdom. Napoleon III of France did not
reply. A second Epistle was addressed to him. It stated, "I have written
you an Epistle before this, summoning you to the Cause of God, but you are
of the heedless. You have proclaimed that you were the defender of the
oppressed; now it hath become evident that you are not. Nor are you kind
to your own suffering and oppressed people. Your actions are contrary to
your own interests, and your kingly pride must fall. Because of your
arrogance God shortly will destroy your sovereignty. France will flee away
from you, and you will be overwhelmed by a great conquest. There will be
lamentation and mourning, women bemoaning the loss of their sons." This
arraignment of Napoleon III was published and spread.
Read it and consider: one prisoner, single and solitary, without assistant
or defender, a foreigner and stranger imprisoned in the fortress of Akka,
writing such letters to the Emperor of France and Sultan of Turkey.
Reflect upon this: how Baha'u'llah upraised the standard of His Cause in
prison. Refer to history. It is without parallel. No such thing has
happened before that time nor since--a prisoner and an exile advancing His
Cause and spreading His teachings broadcast so that eventually He became
powerful enough to conquer the very king who banished Him.
His Cause spread more and more. The Blessed Perfection was a prisoner
twenty-five years. During all this time He was subjected to the
indignities and revilement of the people. He was persecuted, mocked and
put in chains. In Persia His properties were pillaged and His possessions
confiscated. First, there was banishment from Persia to Ba_gh_dad, then to
Constantinople, then to Adrianople, finally from Rumelia to the prison
fortress of Akka.
During His lifetime He was intensely active. His energy was unlimited.
Scarcely one night was passed in restful sleep. He bore these ordeals,
suffered these calamities and difficulties in order that a manifestation
of selflessness and service might become apparent in the world of
humanity; that the Most Great Peace should become a reality; that human
souls might appear as the angels of heaven; that heavenly miracles would
be wrought among men; that human faith should be strengthened and
perfected; that the precious, priceless bestowal of God--the human
mind--might be developed to its fullest capacity in the temple of the body;
and that man might become the reflection and likeness of God, even as it
hath been revealed in the Bible, "Let us make man in our image."
Briefly, the Blessed Perfection bore all these ordeals and calamities in
order that our hearts might become enkindled and radiant, our spirits be
glorified, our faults become virtues, our ignorance be transformed into
knowledge; in order that we might attain the real fruits of humanity and
acquire heavenly graces; in order that, although pilgrims upon earth, we
should travel the road of the heavenly Kingdom, and, although needy and
poor, we might receive the treasures of eternal life. For this has He
borne these difficulties and sorrows.
Trust all to God. The lights of God are resplendent. The blessed Epistles
are spreading. The blessed teachings are promulgated throughout the East
and West. Soon you will see that the heavenly Words have established the
oneness of the world of humanity. The banner of the Most Great Peace has
been unfurled, and the great community is appearing.
19 April 1912
Talk at Earl Hall
Columbia University, New York
From Stenographic Notes
If we look with a perceiving eye upon the world of creation, we find that
all existing things may be classified as follows: first, mineral--that is
to say, matter or substance appearing in various forms of composition;
second, vegetable--possessing the virtues of the mineral plus the power of
augmentation or growth, indicating a degree higher and more specialized
than the mineral; third, animal--possessing the attributes of the mineral
and vegetable plus the power of sense perception; fourth, human--the
highest specialized organism of visible creation, embodying the qualities
of the mineral, vegetable and animal plus an ideal endowment absolutely
absent in the lower kingdoms--the power of intellectual investigation into
the mysteries of outer phenomena. The outcome of this intellectual
endowment is science, which is especially characteristic of man. This
scientific power investigates and apprehends created objects and the laws
surrounding them. It is the discoverer of the hidden and mysterious
secrets of the material universe and is peculiar to man alone. The most
noble and praiseworthy accomplishment of man, therefore, is scientific
knowledge and attainment.
Science may be likened to a mirror wherein the images of the mysteries of
outer phenomena are reflected. It brings forth and exhibits to us in the
arena of knowledge all the product of the past. It links together past and
present. The philosophical conclusions of bygone centuries, the teachings
of the Prophets and wisdom of former sages are crystallized and reproduced
in the scientific advancement of today. Science is the discoverer of the
past. From its premises of past and present we deduce conclusions as to
the future. Science is the governor of nature and its mysteries, the one
agency by which man explores the institutions of material creation. All
created things are captives of nature and subject to its laws. They cannot
transgress the control of these laws in one detail or particular. The
infinite starry worlds and heavenly bodies are nature's obedient subjects.
The earth and its myriad organisms, all minerals, plants and animals are
thralls of its dominion. But man through the exercise of his scientific,
intellectual power can rise out of this condition, can modify, change and
control nature according to his own wishes and uses. Science, so to speak,
is the breaker of the laws of nature.
Consider, for example, that man according to natural law should dwell upon
the surface of the earth. By overcoming this law and restriction, however,
he sails in ships over the ocean, mounts to the zenith in airplanes and
sinks to the depths of the sea in submarines. This is against the fiat of
nature and a violation of her sovereignty and dominion. Nature's laws and
methods, the hidden secrets and mysteries of the universe, human
inventions and discoveries, all our scientific acquisitions should
naturally remain concealed and unknown, but man through his intellectual
acumen searches them out of the plane of the invisible, draws them into
the plane of the visible, exposes and explains them. For instance, one of
the mysteries of nature is electricity. According to nature this force,
this energy, should remain latent and hidden, but man scientifically
breaks through the very laws of nature, arrests it and even imprisons it
for his use.
In brief, man through the possession of this ideal endowment of scientific
investigation is the most noble product of creation, the governor of
nature. He takes the sword from nature's hand and uses it upon nature's
head. According to natural law night is a period of darkness and
obscurity, but man by utilizing the power of electricity, by wielding this
electric sword overcomes the darkness and dispels the gloom. Man is
superior to nature and makes nature do his bidding. Man is a sensitive
being; nature is without sensation. Man has memory and reason; nature
lacks them. Man is nobler than nature. There are powers within him of
which nature is devoid. It may be claimed that these powers are from
nature itself and that man is a part of nature. In answer to this
statement we will say that if nature is the whole and man is a part of
that whole, how could it be possible for a part to possess qualities and
virtues which are absent in the whole? Undoubtedly the part must be
endowed with the same qualities and properties as the whole. For example,
the hair is a part of the human anatomy. It cannot contain elements which
are not found in other parts of the body, for in all cases the component
elements of the body are the same. Therefore, it is manifest and evident
that man, although in body a part of nature, nevertheless in spirit
possesses a power transcending nature; for if he were simply a part of
nature and limited to material laws, he could possess only the things
which nature embodies. God has conferred upon and added to man a
distinctive power--the faculty of intellectual investigation into the
secrets of creation, the acquisition of higher knowledge--the greatest
virtue of which is scientific enlightenment.
This endowment is the most praiseworthy power of man, for through its
employment and exercise the betterment of the human race is accomplished,
the development of the virtues of mankind is made possible and the spirit
and mysteries of God become manifest. Therefore, I am greatly pleased with
my visit to this university. Praise be to God that this country abounds in
such institutions of learning where the knowledge of sciences and arts may
readily be acquired.
As material and physical sciences are taught here and are constantly
unfolding in wider vistas of attainment, I am hopeful that spiritual
development may also follow and keep pace with these outer advantages. As
material knowledge is illuminating those within the walls of this great
temple of learning, so also may the light of the spirit, the inner and
divine light of the real philosophy glorify this institution. The most
important principle of divine philosophy is the oneness of the world of
humanity, the unity of mankind, the bond conjoining East and West, the tie
of love which blends human hearts.
Therefore, it is our duty to put forth our greatest efforts and summon all
our energies in order that the bonds of unity and accord may be
established among mankind. For thousands of years we have had bloodshed
and strife. It is enough; it is sufficient. Now is the time to associate
together in love and harmony. For thousands of years we have tried the
sword and warfare; let mankind for a time at least live in peace. Review
history and consider how much savagery, how much bloodshed and battle the
world has witnessed. It has been either religious warfare, political
warfare or some other clash of human interests. The world of humanity has
never enjoyed the blessing of universal peace. Year by year the implements
of warfare have been increased and perfected. Consider the wars of past
centuries; only ten, fifteen or twenty thousand at the most were killed,
but now it is possible to kill one hundred thousand in a single day. In
ancient times warfare was carried on with the sword; today it is the
smokeless gun. Formerly, battleships were sailing vessels; today they are
dreadnoughts. Consider the increase and improvement in the weapons of war.
God has created us all human, and all countries of the world are parts of
the same globe. We are all His servants. He is kind and just to all. Why
should we be unkind and unjust to each other? He provides for all. Why
should we deprive one another? He protects and preserves all. Why should
we kill our fellow creatures? If this warfare and strife be for the sake
of religion, it is evident that it violates the spirit and basis of all
religion. All the divine Manifestations have proclaimed the oneness of God
and the unity of mankind. They have taught that men should love and
mutually help each other in order that they might progress. Now if this
conception of religion be true, its essential principle is the oneness of
humanity. The fundamental truth of the Manifestations is peace. This
underlies all religion, all justice. The divine purpose is that men should
live in unity, concord and agreement and should love one another. Consider
the virtues of the human world and realize that the oneness of humanity is
the primary foundation of them all. Read the Gospel and the other Holy
Books. You will find their fundamentals are one and the same. Therefore,
unity is the essential truth of religion and, when so understood, embraces
all the virtues of the human world. Praise be to God! This knowledge has
been spread, eyes have been opened, and ears have become attentive.
Therefore, we must endeavor to promulgate and practice the religion of God
which has been founded by all the Prophets. And the religion of God is
absolute love and unity.
19 April 1912
Talk at Bowery Mission
227 Bowery, New York
From Stenographic Notes
Tonight I am very happy, for I have come here to meet my friends. I
consider you my relatives, my companions; and I am your comrade.
You must be thankful to God that you are poor, for Jesus Christ has said,
"Blessed are the poor." He never said, "Blessed are the rich." He said,
too, that the Kingdom is for the poor and that it is easier for a camel to
enter a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter God's Kingdom.
Therefore, you must be thankful to God that although in this world you are
indigent, yet the treasures of God are within your reach; and although in
the material realm you are poor, yet in the Kingdom of God you are
precious. Jesus Himself was poor. He did not belong to the rich. He passed
His time in the desert, traveling among the poor, and lived upon the herbs
of the field. He had no place to lay His head, no home. He was exposed in
the open to heat, cold and frost--to inclement weather of all kinds--yet He
chose this rather than riches. If riches were considered a glory, the
Prophet Moses would have chosen them; Jesus would have been a rich man.
When Jesus Christ appeared, it was the poor who first accepted Him, not
the rich. Therefore, you are the disciples of Jesus Christ; you are His
comrades, for He outwardly was poor, not rich. Even this earth's happiness
does not depend upon wealth. You will find many of the wealthy exposed to
dangers and troubled by difficulties, and in their last moments upon the
bed of death there remains the regret that they must be separated from
that to which their hearts are so attached. They come into this world
naked, and they must go from it naked. All they possess they must leave
behind and pass away solitary, alone. Often at the time of death their
souls are filled with remorse; and worst of all, their hope in the mercy
of God is less than ours. Praise be to God! Our hope is in the mercy of
God, and there is no doubt that the divine compassion is bestowed upon the
poor. Jesus Christ said so; Baha'u'llah said so. While Baha'u'llah was in
Ba_gh_dad, still in possession of great wealth, He left all He had and
went alone from the city, living two years among the poor. They were His
comrades. He ate with them, slept with them and gloried in being one of
them. He chose for one of His names the title of The Poor One and often in
His Writings refers to Himself as Darvi_sh_, which in Persian means poor;
and of this title He was very proud. He admonished all that we must be the
servants of the poor, helpers of the poor, remember the sorrows of the
poor, associate with them; for thereby we may inherit the Kingdom of
heaven. God has not said that there are mansions prepared for us if we
pass our time associating with the rich, but He has said there are many
mansions prepared for the servants of the poor, for the poor are very dear
to God. The mercies and bounties of God are with them. The rich are mostly
negligent, inattentive, steeped in worldliness, depending upon their
means, whereas the poor are dependent upon God, and their reliance is upon
Him, not upon themselves. Therefore, the poor are nearer the threshold of
God and His throne.
Jesus was a poor man. One night when He was out in the fields, the rain
began to fall. He had no place to go for shelter so He lifted His eyes
toward heaven, saying, "O Father! For the birds of the air Thou hast
created nests, for the sheep a fold, for the animals dens, for the fish
places of refuge, but for Me Thou hast provided no shelter. There is no
place where I may lay My head. My bed consists of the cold ground; My
lamps at night are the stars, and My food is the grass of the field. Yet
who upon earth is richer than I? For the greatest blessing Thou hast not
given to the rich and mighty but unto Me, for Thou hast given Me the poor.
To me Thou hast granted this blessing. They are Mine. Therefore am I the
richest man on earth."
So, my comrades, you are following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Your
lives are similar to His life; your attitude is like unto His; you
resemble Him more than the rich do. Therefore, we will thank God that we
have been so blessed with real riches. And in conclusion, I ask you to
accept 'Abdu'l-Baha as your servant.
At the end of this meeting, 'Abdu'l-Baha stood at the Bowery entrance to
the Mission hall, shaking hands with four or five hundred men and placing
within each palm a piece of silver.
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
20 April 1912
Talk at Orient-Occident-Unity Conference
Public Library Hall, Washington, D.C.
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
Tonight I am most happy in presenting myself before an audience such as
this. I am an Oriental and have come into the West to meet the people of
the Occident. Praise be to God! Upon the faces of those assembled here I
perceive the light of God. This I consider an evidence of the possibility
of uniting the East and the West, of establishing a perfect bond between
Persia and America--one of the objects of this conference. For the Persians
there is no government better fitted to contribute to the development of
their natural resources and the helping of their national needs in a
reciprocal alliance than the United States of America, and for the
Americans there could be no better industrial outlet and market than the
virgin commercial soil of Persia. The mineral wealth of Persia is still
latent and untouched. It is my hope that the great American democracy may
be instrumental in developing these hidden resources and that a bond of
perfect amity and unity may be established between the American republic
and the government of Persia. May this bond--whether material or
spiritual--be well cemented. May the material civilization of America find
complete efficacy and establishment in Persia, and may the spiritual
civilization of Persia find acceptance and response in America.
Some of the creatures of existence can live solitary and alone. A tree,
for instance, may live without the assistance and cooperation of other
trees. Some animals are isolated and lead a separate existence away from
their kind. But this is impossible for man. In his life and being
cooperation and association are essential. Through association and meeting
we find happiness and development, individual and collective.
For instance, when there is intercourse and cooperation between two
villages, the advancement of each will be assured. Likewise, if
intercommunication is established between two cities, both will benefit
and progress. And if a reciprocal basis of agreement be reached between
two countries, their individual and mutual interests will find great
development. Therefore, in the unity of this radiant assemblage I behold
the link between Orient and Occident. Such unity is the means and
instrument of cooperation between the various countries of the East and
West. It is evident, then, that the outcomes from this basis of agreement
and accord are numberless and unlimited. Surely there will be great
harvests of results forthcoming for Persia and America. In Persia advanced
material civilization will be established and the doors thrown open wide
to American commerce.
Above and beyond all this, a great love and fountain of affection shall
bind and blend these two remote peoples, for Baha'u'llah has proclaimed to
the world the solidarity of nations and the oneness of humanity.
Addressing all mankind He has said, "Ye are all leaves of one tree and the
drops of one sea." The world of humanity has been expressed by Him as a
unit--as one family. It is, therefore, hoped that the American and Persian
nations may be conjoined and united in reciprocal love. May they become
one race endowed with the same susceptibilities. May these bonds of amity
and accord be firmly established.
Baha'u'llah passed forty years of His life in prison and exile in order
that He might upraise the banner of the oneness of the world of men. For
this He bore all these ordeals and difficulties. He was under the dominion
of 'Abdu'l-Hamid. I, too, was in the prison of 'Abdu'l-Hamid until the
Committee of Union and Progress hoisted the standard of liberty and my
fetters were removed. They exhibited great kindness and love toward me. I
was made free and thereby enabled to come to this country. Were it not for
the action of this Committee, I should not be with you here tonight.
Therefore, you must all ask assistance and confirmation in behalf of this
Committee through which the liberty of Turkey was proclaimed.
Briefly, I have traveled this long distance, crossed the Atlantic Ocean to
this western continent in the desire and hope that the strongest bond of
unity may be established between America and Persia. I know this to be
your wish and purpose also and am sure of your cooperation. We shall,
therefore, offer supplication in the divine threshold that a great love
may take possession of the hearts of men and unite the nations of the
world. We will pray that the ensign of international peace may be uplifted
and that the oneness of the world of humanity may be realized and
accomplished. All this is made possible and practicable through your
efforts. May this American democracy be the first nation to establish the
foundation of international agreement. May it be the first nation to
proclaim the universality of mankind. May it be the first to upraise the
standard of the Most Great Peace, and through this nation of democracy may
these philanthropic intentions and institutions be spread broadcast
throughout the world. Truly, this is a great and revered nation. Here
liberty has reached its highest degree. The intentions of its people are
most praiseworthy. They are, indeed, worthy of being the first to build
the Tabernacle of the Most Great Peace and proclaim the oneness of
mankind. I will supplicate God for assistance and confirmation in your
behalf.
21 April 1912
Talk at Studio Hall
1219 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D.C.
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
I have come here to visit you. With the greatest longing I have wished to
see you. Realizing it was only with great difficulty that you could come
to me and that very few could make the trip, I decided to come to you so
that all might have the pleasure of meeting. Praise be to God! I am here,
and I am looking into your faces--faces radiant with inner beauty, hearts
attracted to the Kingdom of Abha, spirits exhilarated through the glad
tidings of God. Therefore, I have experienced the greatest possible
happiness. And surely this happiness must be mutual, for the hearts are
connected with each other and are filled with the same vibration. The
flame and the light of love are reflected in all. Spiritual
susceptibilities and heart longings fill every heart. If we should offer a
hundred thousand thanksgivings every moment to the threshold of God for
this love which has blended the Orient and Occident, we would fail to
express our gratitude sufficiently. If all the powers of earth should seek
to bring about this love between East and West, they would prove
incapable. If they wished to establish this unity, it would prove
impossible. But Baha'u'llah has accomplished both through the power of the
Holy Spirit, and this bond of unity through love is indissoluble. It shall
continue unto time everlasting, and day by day its power shall increase.
Erelong it shall enchain the world, and eventually the hearts of all the
nations of the world will be brought together by its constraining clasp.
The world of humanity shall become the manifestation of the lights of
Divinity, and the bestowals of God shall surround all. From the
standpoints of both material and spiritual civilization extraordinary
progress and development will be witnessed. In this present cycle there
will be an evolution in civilization unparalleled in the history of the
world. The world of humanity has, heretofore, been in the stage of
infancy; now it is approaching maturity. Just as the individual human
organism, having attained the period of maturity, reaches its fullest
degree of physical strength and ripened intellectual faculties so that in
one year of this ripened period there is witnessed an unprecedented
measure of development, likewise the world of humanity in this cycle of
its completeness and consummation will realize an immeasurable upward
progress, and that power of accomplishment whereof each individual human
reality is the depository of God--that outworking Universal Spirit--like the
intellectual faculty, will reveal itself in infinite degrees of
perfection.
Therefore, thank ye God that ye have come into the plane of existence in
this radiant century wherein the bestowals of God are appearing from all
directions, when the doors of the Kingdom have been opened unto you, the
call of God is being raised, and the virtues of the human world are in the
process of unfoldment. The day has come when all darkness is to be
dispelled, and the Sun of Truth shall shine forth radiantly. This time of
the world may be likened to the equinoctial in the annual cycle. For,
verily, this is the spring season of God. In the Holy Books a promise is
given that the springtime of God shall make itself manifest; Jerusalem,
the Holy City, shall descend from heaven; Zion shall leap forth and dance;
and the Holy Land shall be submerged in the ocean of divine effulgence.
At the time of the vernal equinox in the material world a wonderful
vibrant energy and new life-quickening is observed everywhere in the
vegetable kingdom; the animal and human kingdoms are resuscitated and move
forward with a new impulse. The whole world is born anew, resurrected.
Gentle zephyrs are set in motion, wafting and fragrant; flowers bloom; the
trees are in blossom, the air temperate and delightful; how pleasant and
beautiful become the mountains, fields and meadows. Likewise, the
spiritual bounty and springtime of God quicken the world of humanity with
a new animus and vivification. All the virtues which have been deposited
and potential in human hearts are being revealed from that Reality as
flowers and blossoms from divine gardens. It is a day of joy, a time of
happiness, a period of spiritual growth. I beg of God that this divine
spiritual civilization may have the fullest impression and effect upon
you. May you become as growing plants. May the trees of your hearts bring
forth new leaves and variegated blossoms. May ideal fruits appear from
them in order that the world of humanity, which has grown and developed in
material civilization, may be quickened in the bringing forth of spiritual
ideals. Just as human intellects have revealed the secrets of matter and
have brought forth from the realm of the invisible the mysteries of
nature, may minds and spirits, likewise, come into the knowledge of the
verities of God, and the realities of the Kingdom be made manifest in
human hearts. Then the world will be the paradise of Abha, the standard of
the Most Great Peace will be borne aloft, and the oneness of the world of
humanity in all its beauty, glory and significance will become apparent.
And now in your presence I wish to pray in your behalf. Let your hearts be
attentive and directed to the Kingdom of Abha.
Prayer in Persian
It is my hope that the supplication I have offered to the Kingdom of Abha
in your behalf may soon be answered and that its results and effects may
become manifest in your hearts and lives.
21 April 1912
Talk at Universalist Church
Thirteenth and L Streets, Washington, D.C.
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
The doctrines and creed of this church, so capably expressed by its
revered minister, are truly commendable, sanctified and worthy of praise
and glorification, for these precepts are opposed to the deep-rooted
religious prejudices of the day. It is evident that prejudices arising
from adherence to religious forms and imitation of ancestral beliefs have
hindered the progress of humanity thousands of years. How many wars and
battles have been fought, how much division, discord and hatred have been
caused by this form of prejudice! But inasmuch as this century is a
century of the revelation of reality--praise be to God!--the thoughts of men
are being directed toward the welfare and unity of humanity. Daily the
mirage of imitations is passing away, and the ocean of truth is surging
more tumultuously. All the existing nations had a divine foundation of
truth or reality originally, which was intended to be conducive to the
unity and accord of mankind, but the light of that reality gradually
became obscured. The darkness of superstitions and imitations came and
took its place, binding the world of humanity in the chains and fetters of
ignorance. Enmity arose among men, increasing to such an extent that
nation strove against nation in hatred and violence. War has been a
religious and political human heritage.
Now it is enough! We must investigate reality. We must put away these
superstitions. It is a self-evident truth that all humanity is the
creation of God. All are His servants and under His protection. All are
recipients of His bestowals. God is kind to all His servants. At most it
is this: that some are ignorant; they must be educated in order that they
may become intelligent. Some are immature as children; they must be aided
and assisted in order that they may become mature. Some are sick and
ailing; they must be healed. But the suffering patient must not be tested
by false treatment. The child must not be warped and hindered in its
development. The ignorant must not be restricted by censure and criticism.
We must look for the real, true remedy.
All the Prophets of God, including Jesus Christ, appeared in the world for
the education of humanity, to develop immature souls into maturity, to
transform the ignorant of mankind into the knowing, thereby establishing
love and unity through divine education and training. The Prophets have
not come to cause discord and enmity. For God has wished all good for His
servants, and he who wishes the servants of God evil is against God; he
has not obeyed the will and emulated the example of God; he has followed
Satanic leadings and footprints. The attributes of God are love and mercy;
the attribute of Satan is hate. Therefore, he who is merciful and kind to
his fellowmen is manifesting the divine attribute, and he who is hating
and hostile toward a fellow creature is satanic. God is absolute love,
even as Jesus Christ has declared, and Satan is utter hatred. Wherever
love is witnessed, know that there is a manifestation of God's mercy;
whenever you meet hatred and enmity, know that these are the evidences and
attributes of Satan. The Prophets have appeared in this world with the
mission that human souls may become the expressions of the Merciful, that
they may be educated and developed, attain to love and amity and establish
peace and agreement.
In the world of existence the animal is a captive of nature. Its actions
are according to the exigencies and requirements of nature. It has no
consideration or consciousness of good and evil. It simply follows its
natural instinct and inclination. The Prophets of God have come to show
man the way of righteousness in order that he may not follow his own
natural impulse but govern his action by the light of Their precept and
example. According to Their teachings he should do that which is found to
be praiseworthy by the standard of reason and judgment of intellect, even
though it be opposed to his natural human inclination; and he should not
do that which is found to be unworthy by that same standard, even though
it be in the direction of his natural impulse and desire. Therefore, man
must follow and manifest the attributes of the Merciful.
The imperfect members of society, the weak souls in humanity, follow their
natural trend. Their lives and actions are in accord with their natural
propensities; they are captives of physical susceptibilities; they are not
in touch or in tune with the spiritual bounties. Man has two aspects: the
physical, which is subject to nature, and the merciful or divine, which is
connected with God. If the physical or natural disposition in him should
overcome the heavenly and merciful, he is, then, the most degraded of
animal beings; and if the divine and spiritual should triumph over the
human and natural, he is, verily, an angel. The Prophets come into the
world to guide and educate humanity so that the animal nature of man may
disappear and the divinity of his powers become awakened. The divine
aspect or spiritual nature consists of the breaths of the Holy Spirit. The
second birth of which Jesus has spoken refers to the appearance of this
heavenly nature in man. It is expressed in the baptism of the Holy Spirit,
and he who is baptized by the Holy Spirit is a veritable manifestation of
divine mercy to mankind. Then he becomes just and kind to all humanity; he
entertains prejudice and ill will toward none; he shuns no nation or
people.
The foundations of the divine religions are one. If we investigate these
foundations, we discover much ground for agreement, but if we consider the
imitations of forms and ancestral beliefs, we find points of disagreement
and division; for these imitations differ, while the sources and
foundations are one and the same. That is to say, the fundamentals are
conducive to unity, but imitations are the cause of disunion and
dismemberment. Whosoever is lacking in love for humanity or manifests
hatred and bigotry toward any part of it violates the foundation and
source of his own belief and is holding to forms and imitations. Jesus
Christ declares that the sun rises upon the evil and the good, and the
rain descends upon the just and the unjust--upon all humanity alike. Christ
was a divine mercy which shone upon all mankind, the medium for the
descent of the bounty of God, and the bounty of God is transcendent,
unrestricted, universal.
The revered minister read from the words of the Gospel, "I have yet many
things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the
Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." The century
has dawned when the Spirit of Truth can reveal these verities to mankind,
proclaim that very Word, establish the real foundations of Christianity
and deliver the nations and peoples from the bondage of forms and
imitations. The cause of discord, prejudice and animosity will be removed,
the basis of love and amity be established. Therefore, all of you must
strive with heart and soul in order that enmity may disappear entirely and
that strife and hatred pass away absolutely from the midst of the human
world. You must listen to the admonition of this Spirit of Truth. You must
follow the example and footprints of Jesus Christ. Read the Gospels. Jesus
Christ was mercy itself, was love itself. He even prayed in behalf of His
executioners--for those who crucified Him--saying, "Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do." If they knew what they were doing, they
would not have done it. Consider how kind Jesus Christ was, that even upon
the cross He prayed for His oppressors. We must follow His example. We
must emulate the Prophets of God. We must follow Jesus Christ. We must
free ourselves from all these imitations which are the source of darkness
in the world.
I shall ask you a question: Did God create us for love or for enmity? Did
He create us for peace or discord? Surely He has created us for love;
therefore, we should live in accordance with His will. Do not listen to
anything that is prejudiced, for self-interest prompts men to be
prejudiced. They are thoughtful only of their own will and purposes. They
live and move in darkness. Consider how many different nations and
divergent religious beliefs existed when Christ appeared. Enmity and
strife prevailed among them--Romans, Greeks, Assyrians, Egyptians--all
warring and hostile toward each other. Christ, through the breaths of the
Holy Spirit, united them, established fellowship among them so that no
trace of strife remained. Under His standard they became united and lived
in peace through His teachings. Which is preferable and more commendable?
To follow the example of Jesus Christ or to manifest the satanic instinct?
Let us strive with all our powers to unite the East and West so that the
nations of the world may be advanced and that all may live according to
the one foundation of the religions of God. The essentials of the divine
religion are one reality, indivisible and not multiple. It is one. And
when through investigation we find it to be single, we have a basis for
the oneness of the world of humanity. I will pray for you, asking
confirmation and assistance in your behalf.
22 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
See how good Baha'u'llah is to us, how great the power of His Word! From
what distant parts of the world He has brought us together in this house
and caused us to meet at this heavenly table, for love has prepared a
feast and bidden 'Abdu'l-Baha to let this entertainment be in His name.
What a union of hearts and what a confirmation of Baha'u'llah between East
and West has been established! How His bounty has embraced all! How His
favors have been perfected for all!
When the Muslims conquered Persia, the chief of the Zoroastrian high
priests went to drink wine. According to Muslim law wine is forbidden, and
he who drinks it must be punished by eighty-one strokes of the whip.
Therefore, the Muslims arrested the high priest and whipped him. At that
time the Arabs were considered very low and degraded by the Persians,
scarcely to be accounted as human beings. As Muhammad was an Arab, the
Persians looked upon Him with disdain; but when the high priest saw the
evidences of a power in Muhammad which controlled these despised people,
he cried out, "O thou Arabian Muhammad, what hast thou done? What hast
thou done which has made thy people arrest the chief high priest of the
Zoroastrians for committing something unlawful in thy religion?" By this
circumstance the prejudice which caused the Zoroastrian to shun the Muslim
had been overcome, for he recognized in what had happened to him the great
influence Muhammad exercised over these people.
Today in this meeting we have an evidence of how Baha'u'llah through the
power of the love of God has exercised a wonderful spiritual influence
throughout the world. From the remotest parts of Persia and the Orient He
has caused men to come to this table to meet with the people of the West
in the utmost love and affection, union and harmony. Behold how the power
of Baha'u'llah has brought the East and West together. And 'Abdu'l-Baha is
standing, serving you. There is neither rod nor blow, whip nor sword; but
the power of the love of God has accomplished this.
In this world we judge a cause or movement by its progress and
development. Some movements appear, manifest a brief period of activity,
then discontinue. Others show forth a greater measure of growth and
strength, but before attaining mature development, weaken, disintegrate
and are lost in oblivion. Neither of these mentioned are progressive and
permanent.
There is still another kind of movement or cause which from a very small,
inconspicuous beginning goes forward with sure and steady progress,
gradually broadening and widening until it has assumed universal
dimensions. The Baha'i Movement is of this nature. For instance, when
Baha'u'llah was exiled from Persia with 'Abdu'l-Baha and the rest of His
family, they traveled the long road from Tihran to Ba_gh_dad, passing
through many towns and villages. During the whole of that journey and
distance they did not meet a single believer in the Cause for which they
had been banished. At that time very little was known about it in any part
of the world. Even in Ba_gh_dad there was but one believer who had been
taught by Baha'u'llah Himself in Persia. Later on, two or three others
appeared. You will see, therefore, that at the beginning the Cause of
Baha'u'llah was almost unknown, but on account of being a divine Movement
it grew and developed with irresistible spiritual power until in this day,
wherever you travel--East or West--and in whatever country you journey, you
will meet Baha'i assemblies and institutions. This is an evidence that the
Baha'is are spreading the blessings of unity and progressive development
throughout the world under the direction of divine guidance and purpose,
while other movements which are only temporary in their activities and
accomplishments have no real, universal significance.
23 April 1912
Talk at Howard University
Washington, D.C.
Translated by Amin Banani
Today I am most happy, for I see here a gathering of the servants of God.
I see white and black sitting together. There are no whites and blacks
before God. All colors are one, and that is the color of servitude to God.
Scent and color are not important. The heart is important. If the heart is
pure, white or black or any color makes no difference. God does not look
at colors; He looks at the hearts. He whose heart is pure is better. He
whose character is better is more pleasing. He who turns more to the Abha
Kingdom is more advanced.
In the realm of existence colors are of no importance. Observe in the
mineral kingdom colors are not the cause of discord. In the vegetable
kingdom the colors of multicolored flowers are not the cause of discord.
Rather, colors are the cause of the adornment of the garden because a
single color has no appeal; but when you observe many-colored flowers,
there is charm and display.
The world of humanity, too, is like a garden, and humankind are like the
many-colored flowers. Therefore, different colors constitute an adornment.
In the same way, there are many colors in the realm of animals. Doves are
of many colors; nevertheless, they live in utmost harmony. They never look
at color; instead, they look at the species. How often white doves fly
with black ones. In the same way, other birds and varicolored animals
never look at color; they look at the species.
Now ponder this: Animals, despite the fact that they lack reason and
understanding, do not make colors the cause of conflict. Why should man,
who has reason, create conflict? This is wholly unworthy of him.
Especially white and black are the descendants of the same Adam; they
belong to one household. In origin they were one; they were the same
color. Adam was of one color. Eve had one color. All humanity is descended
from them. Therefore, in origin they are one. These colors developed later
due to climates and regions; they have no significance whatsoever.
Therefore, today I am very happy that white and black have gathered
together in this meeting. I hope this coming together and harmony reaches
such a degree that no distinctions shall remain between them, and they
shall be together in the utmost harmony and love.
But I wish to say one thing in order that the blacks may become grateful
to the whites and the whites become loving toward the blacks. If you go to
Africa and see the blacks of Africa, you will realize how much progress
you have made. Praise be to God! You are like the whites; there are no
great distinctions left. But the blacks of Africa are treated as servants.
The first proclamation of emancipation for the blacks was made by the
whites of America. How they fought and sacrificed until they freed the
blacks! Then it spread to other places. The blacks of Africa were in
complete bondage, but your emancipation led to their freedom also--that is,
the European states emulated the Americans, and the emancipation
proclamation became universal. It was for your sake that the whites of
America made such an effort. Were it not for this effort, universal
emancipation would not have been proclaimed.
Therefore, you must be very grateful to the whites of America, and the
whites must become very loving toward you so that you may progress in all
human grades. Strive jointly to make extraordinary progress and mix
together completely. In short, you must be very thankful to the whites who
were the cause of your freedom in America. Had you not been freed, other
blacks would not have been freed either. Now--praise be to God!--everyone is
free and lives in tranquillity. I pray that you attain to such a degree of
good character and behavior that the names of black and white shall
vanish. All shall be called human, just as the name for a flight of doves
is dove. They are not called black and white. Likewise with other birds.
I hope that you attain to such a high degree--and this is impossible except
through love. You must try to create love between yourselves; and this
love does not come about unless you are grateful to the whites, and the
whites are loving toward you, and endeavor to promote your advancement and
enhance your honor. This will be the cause of love. Differences between
black and white will be completely obliterated; indeed, ethnic and
national differences will all disappear.
I am very happy to see you and thank God that this meeting is composed of
people of both races and that both are gathered in perfect love and
harmony. I hope this becomes the example of universal harmony and love
until no title remains except that of humanity. Such a title demonstrates
the perfection of the human world and is the cause of eternal glory and
human happiness. I pray that you be with one another in utmost harmony and
love and strive to enable each other to live in comfort.
23 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
Today I have been speaking from dawn until now, yet because of love,
fellowship and desire to be with you, I have come here to speak again
briefly. Within the last few days a terrible event has happened in the
world, an event saddening to every heart and grieving every spirit. I
refer to the Titanic disaster, in which many of our fellow human beings
were drowned, a number of beautiful souls passed beyond this earthly life.
Although such an event is indeed regrettable, we must realize that
everything which happens is due to some wisdom and that nothing happens
without a reason. Therein is a mystery; but whatever the reason and
mystery, it was a very sad occurrence, one which brought tears to many
eyes and distress to many souls. I was greatly affected by this disaster.
Some of those who were lost voyaged on the Cedric with us as far as Naples
and afterward sailed upon the other ship. When I think of them, I am very
sad indeed. But when I consider this calamity in another aspect, I am
consoled by the realization that the worlds of God are infinite; that
though they were deprived of this existence, they have other opportunities
in the life beyond, even as Christ has said, "In my Father's house are
many mansions." They were called away from the temporary and transferred
to the eternal; they abandoned this material existence and entered the
portals of the spiritual world. Foregoing the pleasures and comforts of
the earthly, they now partake of a joy and happiness far more abiding and
real, for they have hastened to the Kingdom of God. The mercy of God is
infinite, and it is our duty to remember these departed souls in our
prayers and supplications that they may draw nearer and nearer to the
Source itself.
These human conditions may be likened to the matrix of the mother from
which a child is to be born into the spacious outer world. At first the
infant finds it very difficult to reconcile itself to its new existence.
It cries as if not wishing to be separated from its narrow abode and
imagining that life is restricted to that limited space. It is reluctant
to leave its home, but nature forces it into this world. Having come into
its new conditions, it finds that it has passed from darkness into a
sphere of radiance; from gloomy and restricted surroundings it has been
transferred to a spacious and delightful environment. Its nourishment was
the blood of the mother; now it finds delicious food to enjoy. Its new
life is filled with brightness and beauty; it looks with wonder and
delight upon the mountains, meadows and fields of green, the rivers and
fountains, the wonderful stars; it breathes the life-quickening
atmosphere; and then it praises God for its release from the confinement
of its former condition and attainment to the freedom of a new realm. This
analogy expresses the relation of the temporal world to the life
hereafter--the transition of the soul of man from darkness and uncertainty
to the light and reality of the eternal Kingdom. At first it is very
difficult to welcome death, but after attaining its new condition the soul
is grateful, for it has been released from the bondage of the limited to
enjoy the liberties of the unlimited. It has been freed from a world of
sorrow, grief and trials to live in a world of unending bliss and joy. The
phenomenal and physical have been abandoned in order that it may attain
the opportunities of the ideal and spiritual. Therefore, the souls of
those who have passed away from earth and completed their span of mortal
pilgrimage in the Titanic disaster have hastened to a world superior to
this. They have soared away from these conditions of darkness and dim
vision into the realm of light. These are the only considerations which
can comfort and console those whom they have left behind.
Furthermore, these events have deeper reasons. Their object and purpose is
to teach man certain lessons. We are living in a day of reliance upon
material conditions. Men imagine that the great size and strength of a
ship, the perfection of machinery or the skill of a navigator will ensure
safety, but these disasters sometimes take place that men may know that
God is the real Protector. If it be the will of God to protect man, a
little ship may escape destruction, whereas the greatest and most
perfectly constructed vessel with the best and most skillful navigator may
not survive a danger such as was present on the ocean. The purpose is that
the people of the world may turn to God, the One Protector; that human
souls may rely upon His preservation and know that He is the real safety.
These events happen in order that man's faith may be increased and
strengthened. Therefore, although we feel sad and disheartened, we must
supplicate God to turn our hearts to the Kingdom and pray for these
departed souls with faith in His infinite mercy so that, although they
have been deprived of this earthly life, they may enjoy a new existence in
the supreme mansions of the Heavenly Father.
Let no one imagine that these words imply that man should not be thorough
and careful in his undertakings. God has endowed man with intelligence so
that he may safeguard and protect himself. Therefore, he must provide and
surround himself with all that scientific skill can produce. He must be
deliberate, thoughtful and thorough in his purposes, build the best ship
and provide the most experienced captain; yet, withal, let him rely upon
God and consider God as the one Keeper. If God protects, nothing can
imperil man's safety; and if it be not His will to safeguard, no amount of
preparation and precaution will avail.
23 April 1912
Talk to Bethel Literary Society
Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church
M Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
As I stand here tonight and look upon this assembly, I am reminded
curiously of a beautiful bouquet of violets gathered together in varying
colors, dark and light. This is an evidence and indication that the United
States of America is a just and free government, for I see black and white
seated together in perfect harmony and agreement. Hearts are united. This
just government makes such a meeting possible. You should thank God
continually that you enjoy the security and protection of a government
which furthers your development and rules with impartial equity and
equality toward all, even as a father; for in the human world there is no
greater blessing. This evening I will speak to you upon scientific
subjects.
The virtues of humanity are many, but science is the most noble of them
all. The distinction which man enjoys above and beyond the station of the
animal is due to this paramount virtue. It is a bestowal of God; it is not
material; it is divine. Science is an effulgence of the Sun of Reality,
the power of investigating and discovering the verities of the universe,
the means by which man finds a pathway to God. All the powers and
attributes of man are human and hereditary in origin--outcomes of nature's
processes--except the intellect, which is supernatural. Through
intellectual and intelligent inquiry science is the discoverer of all
things. It unites present and past, reveals the history of bygone nations
and events, and confers upon man today the essence of all human knowledge
and attainment throughout the ages. By intellectual processes and logical
deductions of reason this superpower in man can penetrate the mysteries of
the future and anticipate its happenings.
Science is the first emanation from God toward man. All created beings
embody the potentiality of material perfection, but the power of
intellectual investigation and scientific acquisition is a higher virtue
specialized to man alone. Other beings and organisms are deprived of this
potentiality and attainment. God has created or deposited this love of
reality in man. The development and progress of a nation is according to
the measure and degree of that nation's scientific attainments. Through
this means its greatness is continually increased, and day by day the
welfare and prosperity of its people are assured.
All blessings are divine in origin, but none can be compared with this
power of intellectual investigation and research, which is an eternal gift
producing fruits of unending delight. Man is ever partaking of these
fruits. All other blessings are temporary; this is an everlasting
possession. Even sovereignty has its limitations and overthrow; this is a
kingship and dominion which none may usurp or destroy. Briefly, it is an
eternal blessing and divine bestowal, the supreme gift of God to man.
Therefore, you should put forward your most earnest efforts toward the
acquisition of science and arts. The greater your attainment, the higher
your standard in the divine purpose. The man of science is perceiving and
endowed with vision, whereas he who is ignorant and neglectful of this
development is blind. The investigating mind is attentive, alive; the
callous and indifferent mind is deaf and dead. A scientific man is a true
index and representative of humanity, for through processes of inductive
reasoning and research he is informed of all that appertains to humanity,
its status, conditions and happenings. He studies the human body politic,
understands social problems and weaves the web and texture of
civilization. In fact, science may be likened to a mirror wherein the
infinite forms and images of existing things are revealed and reflected.
It is the very foundation of all individual and national development.
Without this basis of investigation, development is impossible. Therefore,
seek with diligent endeavor the knowledge and attainment of all that lies
within the power of this wonderful bestowal.
We have already stated that science or the attribute of scientific
penetration is supernatural and that all other blessings of God are within
the boundary of nature. What is the proof of this? All created things
except man are captives of nature. The stars and suns swinging through
infinite space, all earthly forms of life and existence--whether mineral,
vegetable or animal--come under the dominion and control of natural law.
Man through scientific knowledge and power rules nature and utilizes her
laws to do his bidding. According to natural limitations he is a creature
of earth, restricted to life upon its surface, but through scientific
utilization of material laws he soars in the sky, sails upon the ocean and
dives beneath it. The products of his invention and discovery, so familiar
to us in daily life, were once mysteries of nature. For instance, man has
brought electricity out of the plane of the invisible into the plane of
the visible, harnessed and imprisoned that mysterious natural agent and
made it the servant of his needs and wishes. Similar instances are many,
but we will not prolong this. Man, as it were, takes the sword out of
nature's hand and with it for his scepter of authority dominates nature
itself. Nature is without the crown of human faculties and attributes. Man
possesses conscious intelligence and reflection; nature does not. This is
an established fundamental among philosophers. Man is endowed with
volition and memory; nature has neither. Man can seek out the mysteries
latent in nature, whereas nature is not conscious of her own hidden
phenomena. Man is progressive; nature is stationary, without the power of
progression or retrogression. Man is endowed with ideal virtues--for
example, intellection, volition, faith, confession and acknowledgment of
God--while nature is devoid of all these. The ideal faculties of man,
including the capacity for scientific acquisition, are beyond nature's
ken. These are powers whereby man is differentiated and distinguished from
all other forms of life. This is the bestowal of divine idealism, the
crown adorning human heads. Notwithstanding the gift of this supernatural
power, it is most amazing that materialists still consider themselves
within the bonds and captivity of nature. The truth is that God has
endowed man with virtues, powers and ideal faculties of which nature is
entirely bereft and by which man is elevated, distinguished and superior.
We must thank God for these bestowals, for these powers He has given us,
for this crown He has placed upon our heads.
How shall we utilize these gifts and expend these bounties? By directing
our efforts toward the unification of the human race. We must use these
powers in establishing the oneness of the world of humanity, appreciate
these virtues by accomplishing the unity of whites and blacks, devote this
divine intelligence to the perfecting of amity and accord among all
branches of the human family so that under the protection and providence
of God the East and West may hold each other's hands and become as lovers.
Then will mankind be as one nation, one race and kind--as waves of one
ocean. Although these waves may differ in form and shape, they are waves
of the same sea. Flowers may be variegated in colors, but they are all
flowers of one garden. Trees differ though they grow in the same orchard.
All are nourished and quickened into life by the bounty of the same rain,
all grow and develop by the heat and light of the one sun, all are
refreshed and exhilarated by the same breeze that they may bring forth
varied fruits. This is according to the creative wisdom. If all trees bore
the same kind of fruit, it would cease to be delicious. In their
never-ending variety man finds enjoyment instead of monotony.
And now as I look into your faces, I am reminded of trees varying in color
and form but all bearing luscious and delectable fruits, fragrant and
delightful to the inner and outer senses. The radiance and spirituality of
this meeting is through the favor of God. Our hearts are uplifted in
thankfulness to Him. Praise be to God! You are living upon the great
continent of the West, enjoying the perfect liberty, security and peace of
this just government. There is no cause for sorrow or unhappiness
anywhere; every means of happiness and enjoyment is about you, for in this
human world there is no greater blessing than liberty. You do not know. I,
who for forty years have been a prisoner, do know. I do know the value and
blessing of liberty. For you have been and are now living in freedom, and
you have no fear of anybody. Is there a greater blessing than this?
Freedom! Liberty! Security! These are the great bestowals of God.
Therefore, praise ye God! I will now pray in your behalf.
24 April 1912
Talk at Children's Reception
Studio Hall
1219 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D.C.
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
What a wonderful meeting this is! These are the children of the Kingdom.
The song we have just listened to was very beautiful in melody and words.
The art of music is divine and effective. It is the food of the soul and
spirit. Through the power and charm of music the spirit of man is
uplifted. It has wonderful sway and effect in the hearts of children, for
their hearts are pure, and melodies have great influence in them. The
latent talents with which the hearts of these children are endowed will
find expression through the medium of music. Therefore, you must exert
yourselves to make them proficient; teach them to sing with excellence and
effect. It is incumbent upon each child to know something of music, for
without knowledge of this art the melodies of instrument and voice cannot
be rightly enjoyed. Likewise, it is necessary that the schools teach it in
order that the souls and hearts of the pupils may become vivified and
exhilarated and their lives be brightened with enjoyment.
Today illumined and spiritual children are gathered in this meeting. They
are the children of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of heaven is for such souls
as these, for they are near to God. They have pure hearts. They have
spiritual faces. The effect of the divine teachings is manifest in the
perfect purity of their hearts. That is why Christ has addressed the
world, saying, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye
shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven"--that is, men must become pure
in heart to know God. The teachings have had great effect. Spiritual
souls! Tender souls! The hearts of all children are of the utmost purity.
They are mirrors upon which no dust has fallen. But this purity is on
account of weakness and innocence, not on account of any strength and
testing, for as this is the early period of their childhood, their hearts
and minds are unsullied by the world. They cannot display any great
intelligence. They have neither hypocrisy nor deceit. This is on account
of the child's weakness, whereas the man becomes pure through his
strength. Through the power of intelligence he becomes simple; through the
great power of reason and understanding and not through the power of
weakness he becomes sincere. When he attains to the state of perfection,
he will receive these qualities; his heart becomes purified, his spirit
enlightened, his soul is sensitized and tender--all through his great
strength. This is the difference between the perfect man and the child.
Both have the underlying qualities of simplicity and sincerity--the child
through the power of weakness and the man through the power of strength.
I pray in behalf of these children and beg confirmation and assistance for
them from the Kingdom of Abha so that each one may be trained under the
shadow of the protection of God, each may become like a lighted candle in
the world of humanity, a tender and growing plant in the rose garden of
Abha; that these children may be so trained and educated that they shall
give life to the world of humanity; that they may receive insight; that
they may bestow hearing upon the people of the world; that they may sow
the seeds of eternal life and be accepted in the threshold of God; that
they may become characterized with such virtues, perfections and qualities
that their mothers, fathers and relatives will be thankful to God, well
pleased and hopeful. This is my wish and prayer.
I give you my advice, and it is this: Train these children with divine
exhortations. From their childhood instill in their hearts the love of God
so they may manifest in their lives the fear of God and have confidence in
the bestowals of God. Teach them to free themselves from human
imperfections and to acquire the divine perfections latent in the heart of
man. The life of man is useful if he attains the perfections of man. If he
becomes the center of the imperfections of the world of humanity, death is
better than life, and nonexistence better than existence. Therefore, make
ye an effort in order that these children may be rightly trained and
educated and that each one of them may attain perfection in the world of
humanity. Know ye the value of these children, for they are all my
children.
24 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
You are welcome this afternoon, most welcome. I am ever happy to see you.
I ask God that meeting me may be productive of results; that it may not be
like ordinary gatherings, for those who hold meetings where groups of
people assemble usually have some interest to further. Praise be to God! I
have no personal interests. I have an interest in the Kingdom, and this is
a sincere intention. I have perfect love for you; therefore, I have
traveled this long distance to meet and greet you. I hope that these
gatherings may be productive of great results, and there is no greater
result than the love of God. There is no greater result than bonds of
service in the divine Kingdom and attainment to the good pleasure of the
Lord. Therefore, I desire that your hearts may be directed to the Kingdom
of God, that your intentions may be pure and sincere, your purposes turned
toward altruistic accomplishment unmindful of your own welfare; nay,
rather, may all your intentions center in the welfare of humanity, and may
you seek to sacrifice yourselves in the pathway of devotion to mankind.
Even as Jesus Christ forfeited His life, may you, likewise, offer
yourselves in the threshold of sacrifice for the betterment of the world;
and just as Baha'u'llah suffered severe ordeals and calamities nearly
fifty years for you, may you be willing to undergo difficulties and
withstand catastrophes for humanity in general. May you bear these trials
and tests most willingly and joyously, for every night is followed by a
day, and every day has a night. Every spring has an autumn, and every
autumn has its spring. The coming of a Manifestation of God is the season
of spiritual spring. For instance, the appearance of Christ was a divine
springtime. Therefore, it caused a great commotion and vibrant movement in
the world of humanity. The Sun of Reality dawned, the cloud of mercy
poured down its rain, the breezes of providence moved, the world became a
new world, mankind reflected an extraordinary radiance, souls were
educated, minds were developed, intelligences became acute, and the human
world attained a new freshness of life, like unto the advent of spring.
Then gradually that spring was followed by the autumn of death and decay.
The teachings of Christ were forgotten. The Christly bounties ceased.
Divine moralities disappeared. Day ended in night. The people became
negligent and oblivious. Minds weakened until conditions reached such a
crisis that material science rose in the ascendant. Knowledge and sciences
of the Kingdom became obsolete, the mysteries of God deepened, and the
traces of the bounties of Christ were completely obliterated. The nations
were enmeshed in superstition and blind imitation. Discord and
disagreement arose, culminating in strife, war and bloodshed. Hearts were
torn asunder in violence. Various denominations appeared, diverse sects
and creeds arose, and the whole world was plunged into darkness.
At such a time as this Baha'u'llah dawned from the horizon of Persia. He
reformed and renewed the fundamentals and realities of Christ's teachings.
He endured the greatest difficulties and underwent the severest ordeals.
Praise be to God that the teachings of God are revoiced, the light of
reality has dawned again, the effulgence is increasing daily, and the
radiance is shining more gloriously in the zenith. From the cloud of mercy
a deluge is descending; the Sun of Reality is brilliant in its eternal
station. Again we are hopeful that the same springtime may pitch its tent
and that these boundless bestowals may appear once more among us. Through
your efforts and sincerity this is made possible. If you arise in the
Cause of God with divine power, heavenly grace, the sincerity of the
Kingdom, a merciful heart and decisive intention, it is certain that the
world of humanity will be entirely illumined, the moralities of mankind
will become merciful, the foundations of the Most Great Peace will be
laid, and the oneness of the kingdom of man will become a reality. This is
the great bounty I desire for you, and I pray and supplicate the divine
threshold, imploring in your behalf.
O Thou merciful God! O Thou Who art mighty and powerful! O Thou most kind
Father! These servants have gathered together, turning to Thee,
supplicating Thy threshold, desiring Thine endless bounties from Thy great
assurance. They have no purpose save Thy good pleasure. They have no
intention save service to the world of humanity.
O God! Make this assemblage radiant. Make the hearts merciful. Confer the
bounties of the Holy Spirit. Endow them with a power from heaven. Bless
them with heavenly minds. Increase their sincerity, so that with all
humility and contrition they may turn to Thy kingdom and be occupied with
service to the world of humanity. May each one become a radiant candle.
May each one become a brilliant star. May each one become beautiful in
color and redolent of fragrance in the Kingdom of God.
O kind Father! Confer Thy blessings. Consider not our shortcomings.
Shelter us under Thy protection. Remember not our sins. Heal us with Thy
mercy. We are weak; Thou art mighty. We are poor; Thou art rich. We are
sick; Thou art the Physician. We are needy; Thou art most generous.
O God! Endow us with Thy providence. Thou art the Powerful. Thou art the
Giver. Thou art the Beneficent.
24 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mrs. Andrew J. Dyer
1937 Thirteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
A meeting such as this seems like a beautiful cluster of precious
jewels--pearls, rubies, diamonds, sapphires. It is a source of joy and
delight. Whatever is conducive to the unity of the world of mankind is
most acceptable and praiseworthy; whatever is the cause of discord and
disunion is saddening and deplorable. Consider the significance of unity
and harmony.
This evening I will speak to you upon the subject of existence and
nonexistence, life and death. Existence is the expression and outcome of
composition and combination. Nonexistence is the expression and outcome of
division and disintegration. If we study the forms of existence in the
material universe, we find that all created things are the result of
composition. Material elements have grouped together in infinite variety
and endless forms. Each organism is a compound; each object is an
expression of elemental affinity. We find the complex human organism
simply an aggregation of cellular structure; the tree is a composite of
plant cells; the animal, a combination and grouping of cellular atoms or
units, and so on. Existence or the expression of being is, therefore,
composition; and nonexistence is decomposition, division, disintegration.
When elements have been brought together in a certain plan of combination,
the result is the human organism; when these elements separate and
disperse, the outcome is death and nonexistence. Life is, therefore, the
product of composition; and death signifies decomposition.
Likewise, in the world of minds and souls, fellowship, which is an
expression of composition, is conducive to life, whereas discord, which is
an expression of decomposition, is the equivalent of death. Without
cohesion among the individual elements which compose the body politic,
disintegration and decay must inevitably follow and life be extinguished.
Ferocious animals have no fellowship. The vultures and tigers are
solitary, whereas domestic animals live together in complete harmony. The
sheep, black and white, associate without discord. Birds of various
species and colors wing their flight and feed together without a trace of
enmity or disagreement. Therefore, in the world of humanity it is wise and
seemly that all the individual members should manifest unity and affinity.
In the clustered jewels of the races may the blacks be as sapphires and
rubies and the whites as diamonds and pearls. The composite beauty of
humanity will be witnessed in their unity and blending. How glorious the
spectacle of real unity among mankind! How conducive to peace, confidence
and happiness if races and nations were united in fellowship and accord!
The Prophets of God were sent into the world upon this mission of unity
and agreement: that these long-separated sheep might flock together. When
the sheep separate, they are exposed to danger, but in a flock and under
protection of the shepherd they are safe from the attack of all ferocious
enemies.
When the racial elements of the American nation unite in actual fellowship
and accord, the lights of the oneness of humanity will shine, the day of
eternal glory and bliss will dawn, the spirit of God encompass, and the
divine favors descend. Under the leadership and training of God, the real
Shepherd, all will be protected and preserved. He will lead them in green
pastures of happiness and sustenance, and they will attain to the real
goal of existence. This is the blessing and benefit of unity; this is the
outcome of love. This is the sign of the Most Great Peace; this is the
star of the oneness of the human world. Consider how blessed this
condition will be. I pray for you and ask the confirmation and assistance
of God in your behalf.
25 April 1912
Talk to Theosophical Society
Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
The greatest power in the realm and range of human existence is spirit--the
divine breath which animates and pervades all things. It is manifested
throughout creation in different degrees or kingdoms. In the vegetable
kingdom it is the augmentative spirit or power of growth, the animus of
life and development in plants, trees and organisms of the floral world.
In this degree of its manifestation spirit is unconscious of the powers
which qualify the kingdom of the animal. The distinctive virtue or plus of
the animal is sense perception; it sees, hears, smells, tastes and feels
but is incapable, in turn, of conscious ideation or reflection which
characterizes and differentiates the human kingdom. The animal neither
exercises nor apprehends this distinctive human power and gift. From the
visible it cannot draw conclusions regarding the invisible, whereas the
human mind from visible and known premises attains knowledge of the
unknown and invisible. For instance, Christopher Columbus from information
based upon known and provable facts drew conclusions which led him
unerringly across the vast ocean to the unknown continent of America. Such
power of accomplishment is beyond the range of animal intelligence.
Therefore, this power is a distinctive attribute of the human spirit and
kingdom. The animal spirit cannot penetrate and discover the mysteries of
things. It is a captive of the senses. No amount of teaching, for
instance, would enable it to grasp the fact that the sun is stationary,
and the earth moves around it. Likewise, the human spirit has its
limitations. It cannot comprehend the phenomena of the Kingdom
transcending the human station, for it is a captive of powers and life
forces which have their operation upon its own plane of existence, and it
cannot go beyond that boundary.
There is, however, another Spirit, which may be termed the Divine, to
which Jesus Christ refers when He declares that man must be born of its
quickening and baptized with its living fire. Souls deprived of that
Spirit are accounted as dead, though they are possessed of the human
spirit. Jesus Christ has pronounced them dead inasmuch as they have no
portion of the Divine Spirit. He says, "Let the dead bury their dead." In
another instance He declares, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." By this He means that
souls, though alive in the human kingdom, are nevertheless dead if devoid
of this particular spirit of divine quickening. They have not partaken of
the divine life of the higher Kingdom, for the soul which partakes of the
power of the Divine Spirit is, verily, living.
This quickening spirit emanates spontaneously from the Sun of Truth, from
the reality of Divinity, and is not a revelation or a manifestation. It is
like the rays of the sun. The rays are emanations from the sun. This does
not mean that the sun has become divisible, that a part of the sun has
come out into space. This plant beside me has risen from the seed;
therefore, it is a manifestation and unfoldment of the seed. The seed, as
you can see, has unfolded in manifestation, and the result is this plant.
Every leaf of the plant is a part of the seed. But the reality of Divinity
is indivisible, and each individual of humankind cannot be a part of it as
is often claimed. Nay, rather, the individual realities of mankind, when
spiritually born, are emanations from the reality of Divinity, just as the
flame, heat and light of the sun are the effulgence of the sun and not a
part of the sun itself. Therefore, a spirit has emanated from the reality
of Divinity, and its effulgences have become visible in human entities or
realities. This ray and this heat are permanent. There is no cessation in
the effulgence. As long as the sun exists, the heat and light will exist,
and inasmuch as eternality is a property of Divinity, this emanation is
everlasting. There is no cessation in its outpouring. The more the world
of humanity develops, the more the effulgences or emanations of Divinity
will become revealed, just as the stone, when it becomes polished and pure
as a mirror, will reflect in fuller degree the glory and splendor of the
sun.
The mission of the Prophets, the revelation of the Holy Books, the
manifestation of the heavenly Teachers and the purpose of divine
philosophy all center in the training of the human realities so that they
may become clear and pure as mirrors and reflect the light and love of the
Sun of Reality. Therefore, I hope that--whether you be in the East or the
West--you will strive with heart and soul in order that day by day the
world of humanity may become glorified, more spiritual, more sanctified;
and that the splendor of the Sun of Reality may be revealed fully in human
hearts as in a mirror. This is worthy of the world of mankind. This is the
true evolution and progress of humanity. This is the supreme bestowal.
Otherwise, by simple development along material lines man is not
perfected. At most, the physical aspect of man, his natural or material
conditions, may become stabilized and improved, but he will remain
deprived of the spiritual or divine bestowal. He is then like a body
without a spirit, a lamp without the light, an eye without the power of
vision, an ear that hears no sound, a mind incapable of perceiving, an
intellect minus the power of reason.
Man has two powers; and his development, two aspects. One power is
connected with the material world, and by it he is capable of material
advancement. The other power is spiritual, and through its development his
inner, potential nature is awakened. These powers are like two wings. Both
must be developed, for flight is impossible with one wing. Praise be to
God! Material advancement has been evident in the world, but there is need
of spiritual advancement in like proportion. We must strive unceasingly
and without rest to accomplish the development of the spiritual nature in
man, and endeavor with tireless energy to advance humanity toward the
nobility of its true and intended station. For the body of man is
accidental; it is of no importance. The time of its disintegration will
inevitably come. But the spirit of man is essential and, therefore,
eternal. It is a divine bounty. It is the effulgence of the Sun of Reality
and, therefore, of greater importance than the physical body.
I pray for you. You have come to visit me, and I am most grateful. I shall
ask confirmation and assistance for you from God, the Generous, the
Bestower, that you may be aided in serving the world of humanity.
25 April 1912
Message to Esperantists
Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
Today the greatest need of the world of humanity is discontinuance of the
existing misunderstandings among nations. This can be accomplished through
the unity of language. Unless the unity of languages is realized, the Most
Great Peace and the oneness of the human world cannot be effectively
organized and established because the function of language is to portray
the mysteries and secrets of human hearts. The heart is like a box, and
language is the key. Only by using the key can we open the box and observe
the gems it contains. Therefore, the question of an auxiliary
international tongue has the utmost importance. Through this means
international education and training become possible; the evidence and
history of the past can be acquired. The spread of the known facts of the
human world depends upon language. The explanation of divine teachings can
only be through this medium. As long as diversity of tongues and lack of
comprehension of other languages continue, these glorious aims cannot be
realized. Therefore, the very first service to the world of man is to
establish this auxiliary international means of communication. It will
become the cause of the tranquillity of the human commonwealth. Through it
sciences and arts will be spread among the nations, and it will prove to
be the means of the progress and development of all races. We must
endeavor with all our powers to establish this international auxiliary
language throughout the world. It is my hope that it may be perfected
through the bounties of God and that intelligent men may be selected from
the various countries of the world to organize an international congress
whose chief aim will be the promotion of this universal medium of speech.
25 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
In the world of existence the greatest bestowals of God are His teachings.
The other bounties of God are limited as regards their benefits and
provision. Human existence itself is a divine bestowal, but it is
circumscribed with limitations. Sight and hearing are bounties of God;
both are limited. And so it is with all the other bestowals; the circle of
their operation is confined, restricted, whereas the sphere of the divine
teachings is boundless. Centuries and ages pass away, but their efficacy
continues like the spirit of life which animates the world of existence.
Without the teachings of God the world of humanity is like the animal
kingdom. What difference is there between the animal and man? The
difference is this: that the animal is not capable of apprehending the
divine teachings, whereas man is worthy of them and possesses the capacity
to understand. In the animal kingdom there is no such bestowal; therefore,
there is limited progression. At most, evolution in that kingdom is a
development of the organism. In the beginning it is small, undeveloped; it
develops, becomes larger; but its sphere of intellectual growth is
limited. Therefore, the teachings of God are the bestowals specialized for
man.
Although the divine teachings are truth and reality, yet with the passage
of time thick clouds envelop and obscure them. These clouds are imitations
and superstitions; they are not the fundamentals. Then the Sun of Truth,
the Word of God, arises again, shines forth once more in the glory of its
power and disperses the enveloping darkness.
For a long time the divine precepts of the effulgent Word were obscured by
clouds of superstition and error until Baha'u'llah appeared upon the
horizon of humanity, rent the shadows, scattered the clouds and revealed
anew the foundations of the teachings of God.
The first teaching of Baha'u'llah is the duty incumbent upon all to
investigate reality. What does it mean to investigate reality? It means
that man must forget all hearsay and examine truth himself, for he does
not know whether statements he hears are in accordance with reality or
not. Wherever he finds truth or reality, he must hold to it, forsaking,
discarding all else; for outside of reality there is naught but
superstition and imagination. For example, during the days of Jesus Christ
the Jews were expecting the appearance of the Messiah, praying and
beseeching God day and night that the Promised One might appear. Why did
they reject Him when He did appear? They denied Him absolutely, refused to
believe in Him. There was no abuse and persecution which they did not heap
upon Him. They reviled Him with curses, placed a crown of thorns upon His
head, led Him through the streets in scorn and derision and finally
crucified Him. Why did they do this? Because they did not investigate the
truth or reality of Christ and were not able to recognize Him as the
Messiah of God. Had they investigated sincerely for themselves, they would
surely have believed in Him, respected Him and bowed before Him in
reverence. They would have considered His manifestation the greatest
bestowal upon mankind. They would have accepted Him as the very Savior of
man; but, alas, they were veiled, they held to imitations of ancestral
beliefs and hearsay and did not investigate the truth of Christ. They were
submerged in the sea of superstitions and were, therefore, deprived of
witnessing that glorious bounty; they were withheld from the fragrances or
breaths of the Holy Spirit and suffered in themselves the greatest
debasement and degradation.
Reality or truth is one, yet there are many religious beliefs,
denominations, creeds and differing opinions in the world today. Why
should these differences exist? Because they do not investigate and
examine the fundamental unity, which is one and unchangeable. If they seek
reality itself, they will agree and be united; for reality is indivisible
and not multiple. It is evident, therefore, that there is nothing of
greater importance to mankind than the investigation of truth.
The second teaching of Baha'u'llah is the oneness of the world of
humanity. Every human creature is the servant of God. All have been
created and reared by the power and favor of God; all have been blessed
with the bounties of the same Sun of divine truth; all have quaffed from
the fountain of the infinite mercy of God; and all in His estimation and
love are equal as servants. He is beneficent and kind to all. Therefore,
no one should glorify himself over another; no one should manifest pride
or superiority toward another; no one should look upon another with scorn
and contempt; and no one should deprive or oppress a fellow creature. All
must be considered as submerged in the ocean of God's mercy. We must
associate with all humanity in gentleness and kindliness. We must love all
with love of the heart. Some are ignorant; they must be trained and
educated. One is sick; he must be healed. Another is as a child; we must
assist him to attain maturity. We must not detest him who is ailing,
neither shun him, scorn nor curse him, but care for him with the utmost
kindness and tenderness. An infant must not be treated with disdain simply
because it is an infant. Our responsibility is to train, educate and
develop it in order that it may advance toward maturity.
The third teaching or principle of Baha'u'llah is that religion and
science are in complete agreement. Every religion which is not in
accordance with established science is superstition. Religion must be
reasonable. If it does not square with reason, it is superstition and
without foundation. It is like a mirage, which deceives man by leading him
to think it is a body of water. God has endowed man with reason that he
may perceive what is true. If we insist that such and such a subject is
not to be reasoned out and tested according to the established logical
modes of the intellect, what is the use of the reason which God has given
man? The eye is the organ of sense by which we view the world of outer
phenomena; hearing is the faculty for distinguishing sounds; taste senses
the properties of objects, such as bitter, sweet; smell detects and
differentiates odors; touch reveals attributes of matter and perfects our
communication with the outer world; yet after all, the circle and range of
perception by the five senses is exceedingly limited. But the intellectual
faculty of man is unlimited in its sphere of action. The eye views details
perhaps a mile, but the intellect can perceive the far East and West. The
ear may hear tone modulations at one thousand feet, but the mind of man
can detect the harmonies of the heavenly spheres as they swing in their
courses. Mind makes geological discoveries in subterranean depths and
determines the processes of creation in the earth's lowest strata. The
sciences and arts, all inventions, crafts, trades and their products have
come forth from the intellect of man. It is evident that within the human
organism the intellect occupies the supreme station. Therefore, if
religious belief, principle or creed is not in accordance with the
intellect and the power of reason, it is surely superstition.
At another time I shall speak further of the principles revealed in the
teachings of Baha'u'llah.
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CHICAGO, WILMETTE, AND EVANSTON
30 April 1912
Talk at Public Meeting Concluding Convention of Baha'i Temple Unity
Drill Hall, Masonic Temple, Chicago, Illinois
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
Among the institutes of the Holy Books is that of the foundation of places
of worship. That is to say, an edifice or temple is to be built in order
that humanity might find a place of meeting, and this is to be conducive
to unity and fellowship among them. The real temple is the very Word of
God; for to it all humanity must turn, and it is the center of unity for
all mankind. It is the collective center, the cause of accord and
communion of hearts, the sign of the solidarity of the human race, the
source of eternal life. Temples are the symbols of the divine uniting
force so that when the people gather there in the House of God they may
recall the fact that the law has been revealed for them and that the law
is to unite them. They will realize that just as this temple was founded
for the unification of mankind, the law preceding and creating it came
forth in the manifest Word. Jesus Christ, addressing Peter, said, "Thou
art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." This utterance was
indicative of the faith of Peter, signifying: This faith of thine, O
Peter, is the very cause and message of unity to the nations; it shall be
the bond of union between the hearts of men and the foundation of the
oneness of the world of humanity. In brief, the original purpose of
temples and houses of worship is simply that of unity--places of meeting
where various peoples, different races and souls of every capacity may
come together in order that love and agreement should be manifest between
them. That is why Baha'u'llah has commanded that a place of worship be
built for all the religionists of the world; that all religions, races and
sects may come together within its universal shelter; that the
proclamation of the oneness of mankind shall go forth from its open courts
of holiness--the announcement that humanity is the servant of God and that
all are submerged in the ocean of His mercy. It is the
Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar. The world of existence may be likened to this
temple and place of worship. For just as the external world is a place
where the people of all races and colors, varying faiths, denominations
and conditions come together--just as they are submerged in the same sea of
divine favors--so, likewise, all may meet under the dome of the
Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar and adore the one God in the same spirit of truth;
for the ages of darkness have passed away, and the century of light has
come. Ignorant prejudices are being dispelled, and the light of unity is
shining. The differences existing between nations and peoples will soon be
annulled, and the fundamentals of the divine religions, which are no other
than the oneness and solidarity of the human race, are being established.
For thousands of years the human race has been at war. It is enough. Now
let mankind, for a time at least, consort in amity and peace. Enmity and
hatred have ruled. Let the world, for a period, exercise love. For
thousands of years the nations have denied each other, considering each
other as infidel and inferior. It is sufficient. We must now realize that
we are the servants of one God, that we turn to one beneficent Father,
live under one divine law, seek one reality and have one desire. Thus may
we live in the utmost friendship and love, and in return the favors and
bounties of God shall surround us; the world of humanity will be reformed;
mankind, enjoy a new life; eternal light will illumine, and heavenly
moralities become manifest.
Then divine policy shall govern the world, for the divine policy is the
oneness of humanity. God is just and kind to all. He considers all as His
servants. He excludes none, and His judgments are correct and true. No
matter how complete human policy and foresight may appear, they are
imperfect. If we do not seek the counsel of God or if we refuse to follow
His dictates, it is presumptive evidence that we are knowing and wise,
whereas God is ignorant; that we are sagacious and God is not. God forbid!
We seek shelter in His mercy for this suggestion! No matter how far the
human intelligence may advance, it is still but a drop, while divine
omniscience is the ocean. Shall we say that a drop is imbued or endowed
with qualities of which the ocean is devoid? Shall we believe that the
policy and plan of this atom of a human soul are superior to the wisdom of
the Omniscient? There is no greater ignorance than this. Briefly, some are
mere children; with the utmost love we must educate them to make them
wise. Others are sick and ailing; we must tenderly treat them until they
recover. Some have unworthy morals; we must train them toward the standard
of true morality. Other than this we are all the servants of one God and
under the providence and protection of one Father.
These are the institutions of God and the foundations of His temple, the
Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar. The outer edifice is a symbol of the inner. May the
people be admonished thereby.
I pray in your behalf that your hearts may be enlightened with the light
of the love of God; that your minds may develop daily; that your spirits
may become aglow with the fire and illumination of His glad tidings, until
these divine foundations may become established throughout the human
world. The first of these institutions and foundations is the oneness of
humanity and love among mankind. The second is the Most Great Peace.
Praise be to God! This American democracy manifests capacity, showing
forth readiness to become the standard-bearer of the Most Great Peace. May
its hosts be the hosts of the oneness of humanity. May they serve the
threshold of God and spread the message of the good pleasure of God.
O Thou 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 glad tidings. 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.
30 April 1912
Talk at Hull House
Chicago, Illinois
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
When we view the world of creation, we find that all living things may be
classified under two aspects of existence. First, they possess bodies
composed of material substance common to all--whether vegetable, animal or
human. This is their point of agreement or, as it is philosophically
termed, their point of contact. Second, they vary and differ from each
other in degree and function--that is to say, in their respective kingdoms.
This is their point of distinction and differentiation. For instance, the
vegetable and animal are alike in the fact that their bodies are composed
of the same material elements but widely different in their kingdoms and
powers. Man is like the animal in physical structure but otherwise
immeasurably separated and superior.
In the human kingdom itself there are points of contact, properties common
to all mankind; likewise, there are points of distinction which separate
race from race, individual from individual. If the points of contact,
which are the common properties of humanity, overcome the peculiar points
of distinction, unity is assured. On the other hand, if the points of
differentiation overcome the points of agreement, disunion and weakness
result. One of the important questions which affect the unity and the
solidarity of mankind is the fellowship and equality of the white and
colored races. Between these two races certain points of agreement and
points of distinction exist which warrant just and mutual consideration.
The points of contact are many; for in the material or physical plane of
being, both are constituted alike and exist under the same law of growth
and bodily development. Furthermore, both live and move in the plane of
the senses and are endowed with human intelligence. There are many other
mutual qualifications. In this country, the United States of America,
patriotism is common to both races; all have equal rights to citizenship,
speak one language, receive the blessings of the same civilization, and
follow the precepts of the same religion. In fact numerous points of
partnership and agreement exist between the two races; whereas the one
point of distinction is that of color. Shall this, the least of all
distinctions, be allowed to separate you as races and individuals? In
physical bodies, in the law of growth, in sense endowment, intelligence,
patriotism, language, citizenship, civilization and religion you are one
and the same. A single point of distinction exists--that of racial color.
God is not pleased with--neither should any reasonable or intelligent man
be willing to recognize--inequality in the races because of this
distinction.
But there is need of a superior power to overcome human prejudices, a
power which nothing in the world of mankind can withstand and which will
overshadow the effect of all other forces at work in human conditions.
That irresistible power is the love of God. It is my hope and prayer that
it may destroy the prejudice of this one point of distinction between you
and unite you all permanently under its hallowed protection. Baha'u'llah
has proclaimed the oneness of the world of humanity. He has caused various
nations and divergent creeds to unite. He has declared that difference of
race and color is like the variegated beauty of flowers in a garden. If
you enter a garden, you will see yellow, white, blue, red flowers in
profusion and beauty--each radiant within itself and although different
from the others, lending its own charm to them. Racial difference in the
human kingdom is similar. If all the flowers in a garden were of the same
color, the effect would be monotonous and wearying to the eye.
Therefore, Baha'u'llah hath said that the various races of humankind lend
a composite harmony and beauty of color to the whole. Let all associate,
therefore, in this great human garden even as flowers grow and blend
together side by side without discord or disagreement between them.
30 April 1912
Talk at Fourth Annual Conference of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People
Handel Hall, Chicago, Illinois
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
According to the words of the Old Testament God has said, "Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness." This indicates that man is of the image
and likeness of God--that is to say, the perfections of God, the divine
virtues, are reflected or revealed in the human reality. Just as the light
and effulgence of the sun when cast upon a polished mirror are reflected
fully, gloriously, so, likewise, the qualities and attributes of Divinity
are radiated from the depths of a pure human heart. This is an evidence
that man is the most noble of God's creatures.
Each kingdom of creation is endowed with its necessary complement of
attributes and powers. The mineral possesses inherent virtues of its own
kingdom in the scale of existence. The vegetable possesses the qualities
of the mineral plus an augmentative virtue, or power of growth. The animal
is endowed with the virtues of both the mineral and vegetable plane plus
the power of intellect. The human kingdom is replete with the perfections
of all the kingdoms below it with the addition of powers peculiar to man
alone. Man is, therefore, superior to all the creatures below him, the
loftiest and most glorious being of creation. Man is the microcosm; and
the infinite universe, the macrocosm. The mysteries of the greater world,
or macrocosm, are expressed or revealed in the lesser world, the
microcosm. The tree, so to speak, is the greater world, and the seed in
its relation to the tree is the lesser world. But the whole of the great
tree is potentially latent and hidden in the little seed. When this seed
is planted and cultivated, the tree is revealed. Likewise, the greater
world, the macrocosm, is latent and miniatured in the lesser world, or
microcosm, of man. This constitutes the universality or perfection of
virtues potential in mankind. Therefore, it is said that man has been
created in the image and likeness of God.
Let us now discover more specifically how he is the image and likeness of
God and what is the standard or criterion by which he can be measured and
estimated. This standard can be no other than the divine virtues which are
revealed in him. Therefore, every man imbued with divine qualities, who
reflects heavenly moralities and perfections, who is the expression of
ideal and praiseworthy attributes, is, verily, in the image and likeness
of God. If a man possesses wealth, can we call him an image and likeness
of God? Or is human honor and notoriety the criterion of divine nearness?
Can we apply the test of racial color and say that man of a certain
hue--white, black, brown, yellow, red--is the true image of his Creator? We
must conclude that color is not the standard and estimate of judgment and
that it is of no importance, for color is accidental in nature. The spirit
and intelligence of man is essential, and that is the manifestation of
divine virtues, the merciful bestowals of God, the eternal life and
baptism through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, be it known that color or race
is of no importance. He who is the image and likeness of God, who is the
manifestation of the bestowals of God, is acceptable at the threshold of
God--whether his color be white, black or brown; it matters not. Man is not
man simply because of bodily attributes. The standard of divine measure
and judgment is his intelligence and spirit.
Therefore, let this be the only criterion and estimate, for this is the
image and likeness of God. A man's heart may be pure and white though his
outer skin be black; or his heart be dark and sinful though his racial
color is white. The character and purity of the heart is of all
importance. The heart illumined by the light of God is nearest and dearest
to God, and inasmuch as God has endowed man with such favor that he is
called the image of God, this is truly a supreme perfection of attainment,
a divine station which is not to be sacrificed by the mere accident of
color.
1 May 1912
Talk at Dedication of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar Grounds
Wilmette, Illinois
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
The power which has gathered you here today notwithstanding the cold and
windy weather is, indeed, mighty and wonderful. It is the power of God,
the divine favor of Baha'u'llah which has drawn you together. We praise
God that through His constraining love human souls are assembled and
associated in this way.
Thousands of Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kars, dawning points of praise and mention
of God for all religionists will be built in the East and in the West, but
this, being the first one erected in the Occident, has great importance.
In the future there will be many here and elsewhere--in Asia, Europe, even
in Africa, New Zealand and Australia--but this edifice in Chicago is of
especial significance. It has the same importance as the
Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar in I_sh_qabad, Caucasus, Russia, the first one built
there. In Persia there are many; some are houses which have been utilized
for the purpose, others are homes entirely devoted to the divine Cause,
and in some places temporary structures have been erected. In all the
cities of Persia there are Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kars, but the great dawning
point was founded in I_sh_qabad. It possesses superlative importance
because it was the first Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar built. All the Baha'i
friends agreed and contributed their utmost assistance and effort. The
Afnan devoted his wealth, gave all he had to it. From such a mighty and
combined effort a beautiful edifice arose. Notwithstanding their
contributions to that building, they have assisted the fund here in
Chicago as well. The Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar in I_sh_qabad is almost
completed. It is centrally located, nine avenues leading into it, nine
gardens, nine fountains; all the arrangement and construction is according
to the principle and proportion of the number nine. It is like a beautiful
bouquet. Imagine a very lofty, imposing edifice surrounded completely by
gardens of variegated flowers, with nine avenues leading through them,
nine fountains and pools of water. Such is its matchless, beautiful
design. Now they are building a hospital, a school for orphans, a home for
cripples, a hospice and a large dispensary. God willing, when it is fully
completed, it will be a paradise.
I hope the Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar in Chicago will be like this. Endeavor to
have the grounds circular in shape. If possible, adjust and exchange the
plots in order to make the dimensions and boundaries circular. The
Ma_sh_riqu'l-A_dh_kar cannot be triangular in shape. It must be in the
form of a circle.
2 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
In this Cause consultation is of vital importance, but spiritual
conference and not the mere voicing of personal views is intended. In
France I was present at a session of the senate, but the experience was
not impressive. Parliamentary procedure should have for its object the
attainment of the light of truth upon questions presented and not furnish
a battleground for opposition and self-opinion. Antagonism and
contradiction are unfortunate and always destructive to truth. In the
parliamentary meeting mentioned, altercation and useless quibbling were
frequent; the result, mostly confusion and turmoil; even in one instance a
physical encounter took place between two members. It was not consultation
but comedy.
The purpose is to emphasize the statement that consultation must have for
its object the investigation of truth. He who expresses an opinion should
not voice it as correct and right but set it forth as a contribution to
the consensus of opinion, for the light of reality becomes apparent when
two opinions coincide. A spark is produced when flint and steel come
together. Man should weigh his opinions with the utmost serenity, calmness
and composure. Before expressing his own views he should carefully
consider the views already advanced by others. If he finds that a
previously expressed opinion is more true and worthy, he should accept it
immediately and not willfully hold to an opinion of his own. By this
excellent method he endeavors to arrive at unity and truth. Opposition and
division are deplorable. It is better then to have the opinion of a wise,
sagacious man; otherwise, contradiction and altercation, in which varied
and divergent views are presented, will make it necessary for a judicial
body to render decision upon the question. Even a majority opinion or
consensus may be incorrect. A thousand people may hold to one view and be
mistaken, whereas one sagacious person may be right. Therefore, true
consultation is spiritual conference in the attitude and atmosphere of
love. Members must love each other in the spirit of fellowship in order
that good results may be forthcoming. Love and fellowship are the
foundation.
The most memorable instance of spiritual consultation was the meeting of
the disciples of Jesus Christ upon the mount after His ascension. They
said, "Jesus Christ has been crucified, and we have no longer association
and intercourse with Him in His physical body; therefore, we must be loyal
and faithful to Him, we must be grateful and appreciate Him, for He has
raised us from the dead, He made us wise, He has given us eternal life.
What shall we do to be faithful to Him?" And so they held council. One of
them said, "We must detach ourselves from the chains and fetters of the
world; otherwise, we cannot be faithful." The others replied, "That is
so." Another said, "Either we must be married and faithful to our wives
and children or serve our Lord free from these ties. We cannot be occupied
with the care and provision for families and at the same time herald the
Kingdom in the wilderness. Therefore, let those who are unmarried remain
so, and those who have married provide means of sustenance and comfort for
their families and then go forth to spread the message of glad tidings."
There were no dissenting voices; all agreed, saying, "That is right." A
third disciple said, "To perform worthy deeds in the Kingdom we must be
further self-sacrificing. From now on we should forego ease and bodily
comfort, accept every difficulty, forget self and teach the Cause of God."
This found acceptance and approval by all the others. Finally a fourth
disciple said, "There is still another aspect to our faith and unity. For
Jesus' sake we shall be beaten, imprisoned and exiled. They may kill us.
Let us receive this lesson now. Let us realize and resolve that though we
are beaten, banished, cursed, spat upon and led forth to be killed, we
shall accept all this joyfully, loving those who hate and wound us." All
the disciples replied, "Surely we will--it is agreed; this is right." Then
they descended from the summit of the mountain, and each went forth in a
different direction upon his divine mission.
This was true consultation. This was spiritual consultation and not the
mere voicing of personal views in parliamentary opposition and debate.
2 May 1912
Talk to Federation of Women's Clubs
Hotel La Salle, Chicago, Illinois
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
One of the functions of the sun is to quicken and reveal the hidden
realities of the kingdoms of existence. Through the light and heat of the
great central luminary, all that is potential in the earth is awakened and
comes forth into the realm of the visible. The fruit hidden in the tree
appears upon its branches in response to the power of the sun; man and all
other organisms live, move and have their being under its developing rays;
nature is resplendent with countless evolutionary forms through its
pervading impulse--so that we can say a function of the sun is the
revelation of the mysteries and creative purposes hidden within the
phenomenal world.
The outer sun is a sign or symbol of the inner and ideal Sun of Truth, the
Word of God. Inasmuch as this is the century of light, it is evident that
the Sun of Reality, the Word, has revealed itself to all humankind. One of
the potentialities hidden in the realm of humanity was the capability or
capacity of womanhood. Through the effulgent rays of divine illumination
the capacity of woman has become so awakened and manifest in this age that
equality of man and woman is an established fact. In past ages woman was
wronged and oppressed. This was especially the case in Asia and Africa. In
certain parts of Asia women were not considered as members of humankind.
They were looked upon as inferior, unworthy creatures, subordinate and
subject to man. A certain people known as the Nusayris held to the belief
for a long period that woman was the incarnation of the evil spirit, or
Satan, and that man alone was the manifestation of God, the Merciful. At
last this century of light dawned, the realities shone forth, and the
mysteries long hidden from human vision were revealed. Among these
revealed realities was the great principle of the equality of man and
woman, which is now finding recognition throughout the whole
world--America, Europe and the Orient.
History records the appearance in the world of women who have been signs
of guidance, power and accomplishment. Some were notable poets, some
philosophers and scientists, others courageous upon the field of battle.
Qurratu'l-'Ayn, a Baha'i, was a poetess. She discomfited the learned men
of Persia by her brilliancy and fervor. When she entered a meeting, even
the learned were silent. She was so well versed in philosophy and science
that those in her presence always considered and consulted her first. Her
courage was unparalleled; she faced her enemies fearlessly until she was
killed. She withstood a despotic king, the _Sh_ah of Persia, who had the
power to decree the death of any of his subjects. There was not a day
during which he did not command the execution of some. This woman singly
and alone withstood such a despot until her last breath, then gave her
life for her faith.
Consider the mysteries revealed during the last half century, all due to
the effulgence of the Sun of Reality, which has been so gloriously
manifested in this age and cycle. In this day man must investigate reality
impartially and without prejudice in order to reach the true knowledge and
conclusions. What, then, constitutes the inequality between man and woman?
Both are human. In powers and function each is the complement of the
other. At most it is this: that woman has been denied the opportunities
which man has so long enjoyed, especially the privilege of education. But
even this is not always a shortcoming. Shall we consider it an
imperfection and weakness in her nature that she is not proficient in the
school of military tactics, that she cannot go forth to the field of
battle and kill, that she is not able to handle a deadly weapon? Nay,
rather, is it not a compliment when we say that in hardness of heart and
cruelty she is inferior to man? The woman who is asked to arm herself and
kill her fellow creatures will say, "I cannot." Is this to be considered a
fault and lack of qualification as man's equal? Yet be it known that if
woman had been taught and trained in the military science of slaughter,
she would have been the equivalent of man even in this accomplishment. But
God forbid! May woman never attain this proficiency; may she never wield
weapons of war, for the destruction of humanity is not a glorious
achievement. The upbuilding of a home, the bringing of joy and comfort
into human hearts are truly glories of mankind. Let not a man glory in
this, that he can kill his fellow creatures; nay, rather, let him glory in
this, that he can love them.
When we consider the kingdoms of existence below man, we find no
distinction or estimate of superiority and inferiority between male and
female. Among the myriad organisms of the vegetable and animal kingdoms
sex exists, but there is no differentiation whatever as to relative
importance and value in the equation of life. If we investigate
impartially, we may even find species in which the female is superior or
preferable to the male. For instance, there are trees such as the fig, the
male of which is fruitless while the female is fruitful. The male of the
date palm is valueless while the female bears abundantly. Inasmuch as we
find no ground for distinction or superiority according to the creative
wisdom in the lower kingdoms, is it logical or becoming of man to make
such distinction in regard to himself? The male of the animal kingdom does
not glory in its being male and superior to the female. In fact, equality
exists and is recognized. Why should man, a higher and more intelligent
creature, deny and deprive himself of this equality the animals enjoy? His
surest index and guide as to the creative intention concerning himself are
the conditions and analogies of the kingdoms below him where equality of
the sexes is fundamental.
The truth is that all mankind are the creatures and servants of one God,
and in His estimate all are human. Man is a generic term applying to all
humanity. The biblical statement "Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness" does not mean that woman was not created. The image and likeness
of God apply to her as well. In Persian and Arabic there are two distinct
words translated into English as man: one meaning man and woman
collectively, the other distinguishing man as male from woman the female.
The first word and its pronoun are generic, collective; the other is
restricted to the male. This is the same in Hebrew.
To accept and observe a distinction which God has not intended in creation
is ignorance and superstition. The fact which is to be considered,
however, is that woman, having formerly been deprived, must now be allowed
equal opportunities with man for education and training. There must be no
difference in their education. Until the reality of equality between man
and woman is fully established and attained, the highest social
development of mankind is not possible. Even granted that woman is
inferior to man in some degree of capacity or accomplishment, this or any
other distinction would continue to be productive of discord and trouble.
The only remedy is education, opportunity; for equality means equal
qualification. In brief, the assumption of superiority by man will
continue to be depressing to the ambition of woman, as if her attainment
to equality was creationally impossible; woman's aspiration toward
advancement will be checked by it, and she will gradually become hopeless.
On the contrary, we must declare that her capacity is equal, even greater
than man's. This will inspire her with hope and ambition, and her
susceptibilities for advancement will continually increase. She must not
be told and taught that she is weaker and inferior in capacity and
qualification. If a pupil is told that his intelligence is less than his
fellow pupils, it is a very great drawback and handicap to his progress.
He must be encouraged to advance by the statement, "You are most capable,
and if you endeavor, you will attain the highest degree."
It is my hope that the banner of equality may be raised throughout the
five continents where as yet it is not fully recognized and established.
In this enlightened world of the West woman has advanced an immeasurable
degree beyond the women of the Orient. And let it be known once more that
until woman and man recognize and realize equality, social and political
progress here or anywhere will not be possible. For the world of humanity
consists of two parts or members: one is woman; the other is man. Until
these two members are equal in strength, the oneness of humanity cannot be
established, and the happiness and felicity of mankind will not be a
reality. God willing, this is to be so.
2 May 1912
Talk at Baha'i Women's Reception
Hotel La Salle, Chicago, Illinois
Notes by Joseph H. Hannen
When we look upon the kingdoms of creation below man, we find three forms
or planes of existence which await education and development. For
instance, the function of a gardener is to till the soil of the mineral
kingdom and plant a tree which under his training and cultivation will
attain perfection of growth. If it be wild and fruitless, it may be made
fruitful and prolific by grafting. If small and unsightly, it will become
lofty, beautiful and verdant under the gardener's training, whereas a tree
bereft of his cultivation retrogresses daily, its fruit grows acrid and
bitter as the trees of the jungle, or it may become entirely barren and
bereft of its fruitage. Likewise, we observe that animals which have
undergone training in their sphere of limitation will progress and advance
unmistakably, become more beautiful in appearance and increase in
intelligence. For instance, how intelligent and knowing the Arabian horse
has become through training, even how polite this horse has become through
education. As to the human world: It is more in need of guidance and
education than the lower creatures. Reflect upon the vast difference
between the inhabitants of Africa and those of America. Here the people
have been civilized and uplifted; there they are in the utmost and abject
state of savagery. What is the cause of their savagery and the reason of
your civilizat
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