PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE, THE
(U.S., Second ed., 1982)
PUP.ZIP (FN)
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?
After arriving today, although weary with travel, I had the utmost
longing and yearning to see you and could not resist this
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, "Th the sea is
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.
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
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.
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
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
Ther 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 lif death and nonexistence
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.
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.
a few were attracted to Him.
They were not the kings and rulers of
They were not rich and important people.
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.
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
Philosophers and the greatest men of learning assailed and
blasphemed His Cause.
All were defeated and overcome, their
tongues silenced, their lamps extinguished, t
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.
H 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.
Heavenly Host, the Supreme Concourse are H the Word
of God is H the power of God is His victory.
Jesus Christ knew this would come to pass and was content to
His abasement was H 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
He still reigns, while they and their names have become
lost and unknown.
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
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
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.
the sad picture of Italy carrying war into Tripoli.
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 H He did
He even loved and prayed for those who hung Him on the
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
Who is right in these controversies and hatreds between the
Did Christ command them to love or to hate each other?
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
Praise be to God!
The light of unity and love is shining in these
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
&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
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
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
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
The bountiful bestowals of God are successive.
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.
S enmity and animosity prevail.
Nations and peoples are thinking only of their worldly interests and
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.
ye then the value of these days.
Awake ye to the realization of this heavenly opportunity.
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
You are the reality and expression of your deeds and
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
Know ye the value of these passing days and vanishing
Strive to attain a station of absolute love one toward
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
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
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
I beg of God that day by day your faces may become
day by day you may draw nearer to G 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.
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
divid 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
soul-quickening
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.
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.
flowers wi the leaves turn gray and life has
Then come the former s
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
the effulgences of the
the human world found new life.
Even the physical world partook of it.
The divine perfections were
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 heav the season of winter
the beautie the excellences
and per the lights and quickening were
the phenomenal world and its materialities conquered{~
the spiritualiti the world of
existence became life
there was no trace of the
spring left.
&Baha'u'llah has come into this world.
He has renewed that
springtime.
The same fr the same heat of the
S 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
that you may bear blossoms and become
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, 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.
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 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.
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.
powers are too weak and are incapable of accomplishing this.
For man two wings are necessary.
One wing is physical power
and m the other is spiritual power and divine
civilization.
With one wing only, flight is impossible.
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{~
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 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 T that the breeze of the rose garden
of guidance may bl that the people may attain
to the capacity of receiving T that the hearts may be rejoiced
through T that the eyes may behold the light
that the ears may hearken to the call of the Kingdom.
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.
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,
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
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
another created thing might be as a mirror wherein
the su 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
One heart may possess the capacity of
another, be covered and obscured by the dust and dross of this
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 ma
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
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
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
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 t for we
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
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.
sixty years ago &Baha'u'llah appeared upon the eastern horizon.
caused love and unity to become manifest among these antagonistic
He united them w their former
hatred and a love and unity reigned instead.
I 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
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.{~
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, de
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{~
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, 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.
M nature has not.
nature has none.
M nature is without
Man has t nature is deprived.
Man has the
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
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?
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?
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' 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 shal 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.
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.
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.
people of the future are asked, "To which nationality do you belong?"
the answer will be, "To the nationality of humanity.
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."
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
&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
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.
may America become the distributing center of spiritual enlightenment,
and all the world receive this heavenly blessing!
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
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
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.
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
therefore, there is no doubt of the chair's existence.
looks up into the heavens I see flowers upon
I s I hear sounds outside, etc.
they say, is a fixed mathematical law of perception and deduction,
the operation of which admits
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
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:
second, third, 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.
stand upon the deck of a steamer, the shore appears to be moving,
yet we know the land is stationary and we are moving.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 conclus nothing is fixed,
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.
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
How shall we differentiate between them?
The question
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.
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.
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 tulip 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.
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 m 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.
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
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
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
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.
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
but some who were wise declared, "This personage is
connecte he has something sublime within
him tha 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
In His writings He stated that in the ninth year this expected
O in the ninth year they would attain to
al 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 &T and
&Baha'u'llah, exiled into &Iraq in 1852, announced Himself in
For the Persian government had decided that as long as
He remained in Persia the peace of the countr
therefore, He was exiled in the expectation that Persia would become
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 &Baghdad.
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.
part of this time He lived in the city of &Sulaymaniyyih.
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
After two years He returned to &Baghdad.
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.
Hi His teachings became more widely circulated.
The chiefs of Persia then used their influence to have
&Baha'u'llah exiled from &Baghdad.
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
in a short time he and his followers will perish."
&Sultan of Turkey then banished Him to the prison of &Akka in{~
When &Baha'u'llah arrived at &Akka, through the power of God
He was able to hoist His banner.
His light at f
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.
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
defen now it hath become evident that you are
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
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 &Baghdad, 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.
these ordeals, suffered these calamities and difficulties in order
that a manifestation of selflessness and service might become apparent
in t that the Most Great Peace should
that human souls might appear as the angels of
that heavenly miracles would
human faith should be streng that the precious,{~
priceless bestowal of God--the human mind--might be
developed to its fullest capacity in th 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 transf in order that we might attain
the real fruits of humanity and acq 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.
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:
mineral--that is to say, matter or substance appearing in various
second, vegetable--possessing the virtues
of the mineral plus the power of augmentation or growth, indicating
a degree higher and more speciali third,
animal--possessing the attributes of the mineral and vegetable
plus the power 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.
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
Science is the discoverer of the past.
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.
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