Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: William Sears, The Flame: The Story of Lua, bahai-library.com.
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THE FLAME

l?J
WILLIAM SEARS
and
ROBERT QUIGLEY

GEORGE RONALD
OXFORD
First published in 1972
by George Ronald
46 High Street, Kidlington,
Oxford, England

Reprinted 1973
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Printed in Great Britain by
Richard Clay (The Chaucer Press), Ltd.,
Bungay, Suffolk
Contents
Foreword

Part I
I'fI-IE SEARCH
I. The Three Questions 10
2. Like MotIler, Like Daughter 10
3. God Is Everybody's Business 13
4. Chicago Is Not Broadway 18
5. The Flame Is I<indled 21
6. Return Home: The Precious Gift 23
Part II
IN THE HOLY LAND
7. Lua Arrives in the I-Ioly Land 30
8. Lua Meets the Master 32
9. A I...Ietter from Lua 36
10 •. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Father of the Poor 40
I I. 'Follo\v ~fe; be as I am' 44
12. The First 11artyr for \Y/omen's Rights 46
13. Lua Leaves the Master: From Sunlight
into Darkness 50

Part III
THE \VEST AIDS THE EAST
14. The \vest Shall Replace the East 54
15. The Bab and Baha'u'lhih: The Dawn and
the Sun 57
16. The Flame Begins to Burn l\1ore Brightly 62
17. Lua's l\iission to the I<ing 66

Part IV
HERALD OF THE COVENANT
18. 'Abdu'l-Baha Arrives in r\merica 72
19. Lua and the lVfaster l\feet .i\gain 77
20. Lua's Schemes Go Astray 82
2. I. The Faith Is Established in America 84
22. From the Holy Land to the Golden Gate 89
2. 3. ./1. Standing Ovation for the Herald of
Peace 91
24. The Flame Ignites Many Fires 95
2. 5. 'I appoint you, Lua, as a Herald of the
Covenant I' 99
26. Nlother-teacher of the West 102
27. 'Oh, Baha'u'llahI \X'hat hast Thou done?' 105
2.8. Fare"\vell to America 107

Part V
IN !-11S FOOTSTEPS
2.9. The Flame Spreads to Other Lands I 12
30. Following in His Footsteps 114
3I. Lua Sees the NIaster for the Last Time 120
32. \Var Encircles the Flame 123
33. The Angel of Death 12.7
34. 'Lua, who shall live through all the ages' 131
35. A Martyr's Crown 134

A Final Tribute 138
LUA MOORE GETSINGER

born NOVeJJlber Ist, I8JI-died lYlay Ist, I9I6
'Mother-teacher of the American Baha'i
Community'
Foreword
This tribute to the 'immortal Lua' has been written
by two fellow-Americans \vho were privileged to
visit her place of burial beside the Nile river in
Egypt many years after her death.
Lua was given the title: 'The Banner!' She was
the very first to plant the flag of the Baha'i Faith in
many parts of the West; eventually, of the world.
Lua inspired thousands, in more than one generation, to take up the task after her. She gave her life
in the process.
This is not an attempt to tell a complete and
definitive story of so rich a life. Future historians
will gather the full treasure from every source, and
only then will there be a fitting description of this
courageous and beautiful woman \-vho ,\vas so loved
and respected for her service to humanity on three
continents. These are but a fe\v episodes taken from
her life, but they sho\v plainly why she will come
to be known in the future as one of the outstanding
women of this age.
This account has been taken from magazines,
newspaper articles, letters, books, in 1JJcmoriam
columns, and from personal interviews with those
who knew her. It cannot stand as a completely
accurate story of that precious life inasmuch as too
much time has passed, too few records have been
kept, too many doors ,\vere closed to us, and too
many memories are lost to total recall. Yet, even
those who could not remember the words Lua
spoke, never forgot the music of her presence.
'There was something about her,' they said. 'Something special.' They might have forgotten the details
of many incidents, but they always recalled vividly
the atmosphere that surrounded Lua. Their eyes
glistened as they spoke of the tremendous impact
Lua had upon those who met her.
There are now Baha'is in over fifty thousand
centres in all parts of the world. National Baha'i
Assemblies represent more than three hundred
countries, territories, islands and dominions. It
is tragic that after nearly a century the people of the
West should still be uninformed about this astonishing woman, and equally regrettable that countless numbers of new Baha'is have not yet heard of
the 'immortal Lua', although they may have been
given the 'breath of life' by one of her 'children'. It
is to remedy this lack that we have recaptured here
the excitement of her beginning days.
May these brief eye-witness accounts of her contemporaries, these excerpts from her own correspondence, once again bring to life for you this
'flame of God'.
Although a major part of the story comes from
official records and books, still this account will
have to remain mostly in that category known as
pilgrims' notes.
Even so, it is our hope that you will find in these
pages some of the throbbing joy, wonder and awe
which filled the hearts of those who met her in
person. WILLIA1f SEARS
ROBERT QUIGLEY
Part I

THE SEARCH
I. The Three Questions
He looked at Lua. His eyes were filled \vitl1 tender
love.
'What will you do if they persecute you ?'
'I shall know that it is a heavenly gift, and that
the love of God is descending upon me.'
'And what \vill you do if they put you into
prison ?'
'I shall thank God that I have been permitted to
follow in the footsteps of my beloved Master.' Lua's
beautiful face glo\ved with compassion. '1 shall tllen
be s11aring but a small portion of your suffering.'
'And if they kill you?'
She did not hesitate.
'I shall know that the very first wish I ever asked
of you has been granted, and I have been privileged
to give my life that men may hear the \vord of God.'

2. Like Mother, Like Dauglzter
Across the deep green meadows, the happy musical
laugh of the little girl could be heard by her father
as he drew a dipper of "vater from the pump. He
watched his daughter Lua go racing barefoot
through the grass, carrying on a gay conversation
with her friends the animals as she fled swiftly past
them. Her father shook his head wonderingly.
He sighed, 'She's just like her mother.'
There was something strange and wonderful
about them both. Something just beyond his reach.
He didn't understand it. Still, he could tell from
the way they would at times smile at each other that
they understood it.
It didn't really matter, he told himself, because
he loved them both so very much.
Both Lua and her mother were born in rural
upstate New York in the village of Hume. Both
shared an outer life of delight in the farm with its
green fields and gro"ving things, but an inner life of
unrest and dissatisfaction. There was no one to
answer their questions. They hungered for knowledge of every kind, especially knowledge of God
and His creation, but each cup seemed to be empty.
It all began with Lua's mother. Ellen McBride
Moore imbibed these ideas with her mother's milk.
She "vas but five when the call for the first woman's
rights convention in all history was made in that
same upper New York at Seneca Falls. Change was
in the air.
Ellen McBride Moore was born in 1843. It was
the year of the great comet. All eyes stared up at
the night skies searching the heavens in fear of the
great fiery tail millions of miles long. Some said it
heralded the end of the world.
It was all part of a period of strange, growing
millennial zeal. Bible scholars in three continents
said their studies of scripture pointed to the
imminent return of Christ. People in the United
States, Canada, England, Europe, even in Asia,
were discussing and debating the issue in great
II
detail. Many confidently expected to see Him
'coming in the clouds of heaven' as He had promised. Some even sold their possessions, prepared
ascension robes, and went up into the mountains to
await Christ's coming.

In the nearby rolling hills \vhere New York and
Pennsylvania meet, Joseph Smith, the founder of
the Mormon Faith, had had his vision of a great
new day coming. He was to give his life for these
beliefs in 1844, a year after Lua's mother was born.
Farther along these same Pennsylvania hills,
William Miller and his flock had organized entire
communities who were prepared for the coming of
Jesus, the Christ. They finally decided this Event
would take place in spring, 1844.
Lua's childhood was filled with such tales of
wonder and awe. Her mother, Ellen McBride
Moore, grew up with a great unquenched thirst to
know the truth about those days. Wl1y had Christ
failed to return as everyone expected? Or had He
come, and had everyone missed Him this time, too,
as they did the first time? Had Christ fooled them
all, and come as He promised 'like a thief in the
night' ? Without anyone recognizing Him? Was He
perhaps living on the earth no\v? \Vhat an exciting
thought!
But if so, where was He?

No one gave a satisfactory answer to these questions when Lua's mother asked them. Many became
impatient with her. They told her not to 'tamper'
with these mysteries. Ellen McBride Moore felt that
for every good question there should be a good
answer. Her intense curiosity was often a source of
acute distress to her family and her friends. Her
husband and her minister especially felt the sting
of her probing mind.
During the days when Mrs Moore carried Lua in
her womb, her thirst for knowledge was directed
towards religion. She wanted to know the truth
about God and His Messengers, about man, about
the Bible, about the soul, about everything connected with religion. Her zeal had reached its peak.
At every opportunity, whether at home, in public,
or in church, Lua's mother would speak out. She
was frank and she was fearless. She demanded
answers to her questions.
It is also suspected that she was a bit of a nuisance.
Especially to her minister. There were a lot of her
questions to which he, himself, would have liked a
better answer. But he knew better than to ask such
things during church service.
One day it reached a crisis.

3. God Is Everybody's Buslness
There was a knock on the door.
Mr Moore admitted the minister of their local
church. Both were embarrassed. Both knew why he
was there.
'1 have come to solicit your help,' the clergyman
said.
He entered the house in a state of annoyance. He
was distressed when he sa\v that Lua's mother was
present.
'Mr tfoore,' he began, 'the last thing I want to
do is complain about your wife. She's a fine woman.
But I'll come right to the point. She must stop asking so many questions. Especially in the Bible Class.
It's disturbing. Most disturbing to the other
people.'
Obviously it was disturbing to the country parson
as well.
Mr Moore shrugged his shoulders. He was sympathetic. God knows, he too had felt the frustration of trying to satisfy his wife's constant hunger
for knowledge about things of the spirit.
'What do you suggest?' he asked.
'There are some things that just can't be answered,' the clergyman said patiently.
'I know,' Mr ~foore sighed. 'I kno"\v. It disturbs
me, too. She asks me the same questions. What can
I tell her? I'm only a farmer. When she asks, "How
is it possible to explain the Bible where it says that
Christ \vill come down in a cloud? Everyone knows
that scientifically clouds are vapours that rise up
from the earth. They don't come down. Is the Bible
\vrong?" What can I tell her? I don't know myself.'
The clergyman was impatient. 'It's a pity that
our women become involved in these new-fangled
ideas.'
'Perhaps,' Mr 1100re said. 'But my \vife feels
that God is everybody's business, not just the
men's. So that kind of ans"\ver will never satisfy
her.'
Lua's father would have been much happier
furrowing a field behind his team than talking
about God and the Bible, but now that the parson
was here, perhaps this was his cl1ance. A minister
should know the answers.
'Tell me,' he asked, 'when the Bible says that all
eyes shall see Christ when He comes down from
heaven, my wife wants to know h01JJ? How will
they all see Him? She says that with the curvature
of the earth it \vould take Christ hundreds and
hundreds of thousands of solo descents before He
could get around to everybody in the vl0rld. Mind
you, those are her ideas, not mine. But how can I
answer that ?'
'There are some things that are very difficult to
answer.'
'Especially difficult questions.'
'Many of these things must be taken on faith.'
Ellen 11cBride Moore could remain quiet no
longer. She couldn't resist putting in her own two
cents' worth. After all, they were her questions.
'What about Christ wal1~rJng on the water? What
about all the dead coming out of their graves on the
day of Resurrection? Where will we have room for
them all?'
'Those,' the minister replied, speaking strictly
to Lua's father, 'are exactly the sort of questions
that your wife shouldn't ask in public.'
'Why not? If we've got good answers ?'
'They cause unrest in the congregation. Answers
that satisfy one person don't satisfy another.'
'None of them satisfies my wife apparently.'
Lua's mother held her tongue, and with great
difficulty sat quietly through the rest of the conversation. She sighed. If they insisted that she
remain silent she would obey. But they couldn't
stop her from thinking. And she thought to herself
that if Christ had returned and if she knew where to
find Him, at least He wouldn't make excuses. He
would be able to answer her questions.

The following Sunday was almost unbearable to
her. Question after question sprang unasked to her
lips. If the rest of the congregation knew as little
as she did about all these things, how could they be
so satisfied. Yet, everyone else seemed perfectly
content. They smiled and nodded as the minister
spoke. She felt there must be something wrong
with her, but the more the minister preached, the
more questions Lua's mother had about everything
he was saying. Only his fierce frown from time to
time kept her silent. She wanted to shout out her
doubts.
Were there really three Persons in the Trinity?
Why were there so many different religions in the
first place? Why was mankind repeatedly plagued
with the ruin of war? Didn't God have some plan
to end the differences and prejudice among races?
Was it right for some to be so terribly rich and some
so terribly poor, and be neighbours? Why couldn't
the world have peace? Were all foreigners really
dangerous? Why shouldn't everyone love the whole
world and not only his own native land? Why?
Why? Why? Why?
Lua's mother kept her peace, but her heart was
filled with anguish and sorrow. She didn't care if
they ever became wealthy, all she wanted was the
answers to her questions. She was sure that knowledge was the real wealth. In her agony of spirit,
Ellen McBride Moore prayed fervently to Almighty
God: 'If this child I am carrying in my womb is a
girl, may she be given the chance to speak out and
know the truth that has been so long denied to me,
her mother.'
Her prayer was answered. At least the first part
of her prayer. The child was a girl. She \vas named
Lua. Lua Moore \vas born on November 1st, 1871,
the same day on which her father had been born
and her parents married.

Her sister gives the following description of Lua
during those early days:
'Lua had lovely reddish brown hair. It fell in
waves about her face, and was so long she could sit
on it. Her skin was fair. Her eyes were large and
blue. She was as straight and slender as a \vhite
birch.'
Lua's education was the regular public school one.
From the beginning, her sister said, Lua's teachers
realized that they \vere dealing wit11 a gifted child.
Many an afternoon Lua spent together after school
with her teacher learning more than the regular
class could give her. She had an unusual eloquence
that stirred her listeners even as a child. Her singing
voice was sweet and true as well. Even in childhood there was a quality of the Lorelei about
her that held a promise of some sweet distant
mystery.
Lua grew more beautiful, eloquent and talented
with the passing years. She was soon in need of a
greater teacher. Lua's mother was urged to send her
to some place where tl10se rare talents could be
properly developed.
Eventually Lua's beautiful singing voice and
natural gift for the theatre dre"\v her to Chicago to
study dramatic art. Her friends were puzzled. They
\vondered why, "\vith her great gifts, Lua preferred
Chicago to New Yark. There was far more opportunity for a dramatic future in Ne"v York, they told
her. After all, Broadway "vas in New York, not
Chicago.
Lua herself admitted that she really didn't know
\vhy she chose Chicago. She thought of going to
New York, but each time she did, some inner force
drew her to Chicago. Lua couldn't resist it. Lua's
lifetime was to be filled with these strange inner
promptings of the spirit. Lua invariably felt herself
powerless to disobey them.
Her friends laughingly ridiculed "vhat they
called Lua's peculiar 'hunches'. Lua insisted that
they were not 'hunches'. They were some sort of
guidance, she said, and she was not able to help
herself.
Lua never knew where these inner compulsions
would lead, but she had to follow. One of the
strongest she had ever experienced led her to
Chicago.

4. Chicago Is Not Broadway
In Chicago Lua soon outgrew her teachers. This
was to be her fate throughout life. Nothing seemed
able to quench her thirst for greater skill and more
knowledge. Her restless spirit drove her on and on,
IS
always seeking something she could not find,
winning new triumphs but soon finding them
empty.
Gradually Lua realized that no career, however
triumphant, would ever satisfy her. Her inner
promptings told that her destiny lay in another
direction, in the realm of the spirit. She suspected
that her life was never to be one of outward \vealth,
fame, comfort and security.
Lua's entire life became a tnodern search for the
Holy Grail.
Lua went fron1 church to c11urch, still seeking
answers to those questions \vhich her mother had
planted in her heart so long ago. Like her mother,
Lua always left empty-handed. Group after group
disappointed her. She found these societies, movements and cults to be the n1ere shadovv of reality.
But the greater her disappointment, the greater
became her hunger, and the more ardent became
her search.

Lua \vas only twenty-two years old \vhen the
famous World's Fair began in Chicago in 1893. It
was on that occasion that the \Vorld's Parliament of
Religion \vas assembled and the first \vord came to
the \YJestern world about a \vonderful ne\v Faith
which had arisen in the East.
A paper \vritten by a Christian clergyman, Dr
Henry H. Jessup of Beirut, \vas read. It said, in
part, that 'just outside the Fortress of 'Akka, on
the Syrian coast, there died a few months since, a
famous Persian sage... named Baha'u'lhih-the
"Glory of God" ... [He] gave utterance to sentiments so noble, so Christlike, that we repeat them
as our closing words:
, "That all nations should become one in faith
and all men as brothers; that the bond of affection
and unity between the sons of men should be
strengthened; that diversity of religions should
cease and differences of race be annulled. Wllat
harm is t11ere in this ? Yet so it shall be. These
frultless strifes, these ruinous ,vars shall pass a,\vay,
and 'the ~1ost Great Peace' shall come . . . I . et not
a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let
him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind." ,
\Vhile this was taking place at the Parliament of
Religion, Lua in the quiet of her room was praying
to Almighty God: 'Please help me to find the truth
at last.'
Lua knew that some 'inner prompting' had led
her to Chicago. She felt this force gro\.ving within
her. Every impulse of her being was intensified.
Lua \vas confident that some\vhere, somehow, both
her prayer and her mother's \vould soon be fulfilled.
While reading the ne\vspaper, Lua came upon the
story about the \Vorld's Parliament of Religion. In
that article, l1er eyes fell for the first time upon the
name of Baha'll'llah, the Founder of the Baha'i
Faith.
It was to be a day of even greater \vonders for
Lua.
She felt an irresistible urge to visit a friend whose
brother \vas a professor. While Lua was there
another guest arrived. Her 110st had met this
stranger that very day. As they chatted, the professor
had become impressed \vith the stranger's knowledge
of the Near East. Suddenly, almost against his will,
the professor told them, he had invited this stranger,
a Persian, home for dinner.
The evening passed all too quickly as they discussed subject after subject. Then just before it
ended, Lua found herself speaking to the stranger
quite suddenly and spontaneously.
'Do you know of the Persian, Baha'u'lhih, and
His Faith which was mentioned at the World's
Parliament of Religion ?'
There was a long silent moment. The stranger
looked at Lua, smiled as though he had been
anticipating the question and said:
'I am a follower of Baha'u'llah.'

5. The Flame Is Klndled
Lua could learn no more that first night. The
questions she did ask had all been ansvvered with a
simplicity and clarity which set her on fire.
Lua could hardly contain her excitement and
eagerness.
The stranger asked Lua to be patient. He assured
Lua that the day would come when she would learn
more about this new Faith, and would have the
answers to all her questions.
Lua returned to her room exhilarated. She
couldn't bear to wait. She was crushed when he
refused to tell her any more that first night. But it
was a wonderful beginning, and it carried her to
new heights.
Lua prayed all that night and again the next
morning. Always in her thoughts "\vere those inspiring \vords of Baha'u'lhih : 'All nations should
become one in Faith.'
A stab-like thrill went through her body. If
only her mother \V"'ere here to share the greatness of
this day. Lua said that instinctively she felt certain
that this was the day the whole world had been
waiting for, the day of the 'one fold and one shepl1erd', the day of 'the Kingdom of God on earth'.
Lua was confident that she \vas nearing the end of
her search.
She breathed a prayer: '0 Almighty God, make
this be the end of my search. Do not let this cup
be empty! Don't make my eager heart \vait any
longer.'
Lua's reverie was interrupted by a knock at the
door. It \vas a dear friend, 11adame Nlaartens. She
had come to Lua wit11 great ne\vs. Madame Maartens herself tells ho\v she came to Lua that day full
of enthusiasm:
'Lua,' she said, 'I have found a \vonderful new
religion. I think it is exactly \vhat you have been
searching for.'
Lua was grateful, but she was not to be deflected
from her own exciting discovery. She told Madame
Maartens that she had made an exciting discovery
of her own. Lua refused to be side-tracked. Perhaps
there might be a message from the stranger at any
time.
Madame Maartens was insistent.
'There's a meeting this very night,' she told Lua.
'Please come and see for yourself.'
Lua was impatient, but lviadame Maartens was
such a kindly ,voman and had befriended her in that
22.
lonely city; so Lua hid her disappointment and ,vent
to the meeting.
When she was introduced to the teacher, Lua's
heart knotted in a brief spasm. There standing
before her was the stranger I
Never was a heart so full of joy.

6. Return ROlne: TIle Precious Gift
During the "veeks of intensive study that followed,
Lua was always among the first to arrive at the
meetings and the last to leave.
To her joy and delight, she discovered that
already there were follo\vers of Baha'u'llah in
America. They \vere called Baha'is. She \vas told
that Baha'i meant 'follo\,ver of Baha'u'llah' just as
Christian meant 'follower of Christ'.
The Name Baha'u'llah \vhen translated into
English, Lua discovered, meant 'the glory of the
Lord' or 'the glory of God'. The \",\Torld Centre of
the Baha'i Faith \vas in the Holy Land on tlle very
spot \vhich Isaial1 had prophesied \vould see 'the
glory of God'.
What days of excitement they \vere!
Question after question was answered : Yes,
Baha'u'llih is the return of Christ. Yes, lIe has
fulfilled all the prophecies of the Bible. Yes, His
followers believe in prayer and the immortality of
the human soul. Yes, all the races are equal, one
before God. Yes, yes, yes-ans\vers to all those
questions l1er mother asked \vhile Lua \vas still a
child in her \vomb. Gradually, all her doubts were
removed.
Lua was carried aloft to new heights by the
wholesome Teachings of Baha'u'llah. Each night in
her . room she would review the lesson, ti.me and
agam.
Although Baha'u'llah had written over one
hundred volumes, none of these \vas available yet
in America; so it was necessary for Lua to memorize
the \vonderful words of His Faith. She repeated
them over and over until His thrilling Teachings
became a part of her being:
'There is but one God and one religion. 1tfoses,
Christ, Mul).ammad, Baha'u'llah, all the great
Prophets and Messengers of God have taught the
one same truth. We are all the leaves of one tree
and the drops of one ocean. Though the Speakers
are many, the Word is One.'
'Prejudice of all kinds must be forever abandoned, and all men live as brothers. All men, whatever their country, creed or colour, are the children
of one Father, God.'
'The best beloved of all things in My sight is
Justice.'

During those early days Lua had the Teachings
of Baha'u'llah engraved on her mind. She absorbed
every word, always seeking more understanding.
This truth had struck her like a mighty thunderbolt.
It had captured her soul.
As the months went by, the inevitable happened.
Lua once again eclipsed her teacher. Her insistent
demands for further information about this glorious
Message were redoubled. Lua's intense longing
craved for more nourishment than any teacher
could supply. Her thirst for knowledge was too
great to be quenched at a mountain stream, her
spirit cried out for the ocean.
Lua was told that there was a wonderful man in
the Holy Land, the Son of Baha'u'llah. His name
was 'Abdu'l-Baha. He \vas the Source to \vhich she
could turn. '.l\ bdu'l-Baha, she \vas told, 'Nould be
able to answer all the rest of her questions.
Lua \vas filled with inner serenity and happiness.
This time she kne\v there \vould be no disappointment. She was being led to the fountain-head of this
spiritual truth.
If only she could reach Him!
Lua knew in her heart that her long quest \vas
ended. S11e thought at once of her mother, the
courageous Ellen McBride Moore, who had sent
her out on tIle sea of search. Lua knew that she
must share this priceless treasure \vith her.

Lua left immediately for her farm home in upper
Ne\v y'" ork, her face glowing with the Glad Tidings.
Her family recognized at once that Lua's radiance
came fron1 some inner secret '\vhich she could
hardly contain.
The '\vords of her sister best describe that magical
night \vhen Lua told them the '\vonderful story of
her discovery.
'One moonlight night, Lua, ~fother, another of
my sisters and myself went into the parlour. Whenever any momentous decisions were to be made in
the 1tfoore family, they were alvvays made in the
parlour.
'We were all breathless with excitement. Lua's
2.5
letters from Chicago had been full of hidden hints
and suggestions of wonderful things to come. She
had refused to tell us by mail. She had piqued our
curiosity until it was at fever pitch. Now she was
with us to tell us what had made her so radiant and
ethereal.'
In the stillness of that room where so many
questions had remained unans\vered for such a long
time, Lua recited a prayer. The \vords were ne\v and
\vonderfuI. The very atmosphere \vas charged \vith
anticipation. Lua's mother follo\ved every gesture
\vith her eyes.
Slo\vly Lua began to speak. She became more
animated and excited as she \vent along. Her face
shone with a \vonderful light. She told her family
many of the unforgettable things she l1ad discov"ered
about the Baha'i Faith: l"1hi5 was the 'last day' foretold by Jesus. This \vas the day of the coming of the
Promise of All Ages.
Little by little, one at a time, she ans"\vered those
questions which her mother had asked during
those long-ago days when a 'millennial zeal' had
been s\veeping their countryside.
Lua could read both the question and the hope in
her mother's eyes, 'If only it could be true l'
Then, almost as if in answer to her mother's unasked question, Lua looked at her \vitIl a smile of
joy and rapture. It vIas one of those 'exchanged
glances' from her childhood "\vhich had been their
special link \vith each other. Her mother's heart
leaped.
'It is true,' Lua said. 'Christ has returned.'
Lua's sister, who later shared with Lua many
thrilling moments of victorious teaching, has said,
'It is impossible to describe the feeling of \vonder
that evening, and the excitement Lua's '\vords
generated in our hearts.'
Lua looked at them, ller face radiating such
beauty, such poignancy, such happiness, that they
knew she was lost to them forever. Her delight in
the future would lie in her service to her new-found
family, mankind. There ,\vas a s,\veet sorro\v in her
enraptured countenance that spoke of suffering
mingled with joy.
'Even no,\v, as \ve talk here together,' Lua exclaimed, 'there are followers of this Faith in many
parts of the \vorld building the Christ-promised
Kingdom of God on earth.'
She embraced her mother and her sisters, hugging
them to her heart.
'I,' Lua told them, 'would give my life to be one
of them.'
Part II

IN THE HOLY LAND
7. Lua Arrives in the Holy Land
Lua remained with her family long enough to prove
to them beyond a shado"\v of a doubt that, incredible
as her announcement appeared, it was indeed the
truth.
Lua cited proof after proof from both the Old
and New Testaments.
She showed them prophecies in these holy Books
which demonstrated clearly that Baha'u'llih was
undoubtedly the Return of Christ. He was the 'Son'
returned in the 'glory of the Father'.
Lua reminded her mother of those years immediately after her birth, when Christians all over the
world had awaited the appearance of Christ, for 1844
was the year of the greatest expectancy. This very
year, Lua told them, was the year of the beginning
of the Baha'i Faith.
In moments like these Lua's face would be transformed. She was like a visitor from another kingdom. She was but twenty-three years old when she
became a follower of Baha'u'llah. She never seemed
to age. Her spirit ","'as a flame of youth, always
burning with the same brilliant light.
In the words of Juliet Thompson, one of Lua's
dearest friends: 'She al\.vays seemed to me to have
flown do"\vn out of the nowhere of the sky and lit on
earth for just a little \vhile for the sole purpose of
heralding her Lord.'
Lua's long-pent-up eloquence 110\V had a channel
for release. She became afiarrle \vith the 1fessage of
Baha' u'11ah.
Lua sct out on her teaching journeys, travelling
from coast to coast in .1\merlca. t-fhese \vere but a
prelude to the \~isits she ".vould 1nake to the continents of the earth, ne\7Tr setting dcnvn her burden
until the last hours of her life.
No \vonder Lua \vas ablaze. lIer entire life had
been a prepar3.tion for this hour. She had been recreated. l)uring her travels, her glo\-ving spirit set
many other souls on fire \yit11 the same enthusiasm.
She attracted Jevls, Christians, 1vIuslims, even
sceptics and atheists to this universal religion.
An10ng those she taught, some \vere to become
the most famous of the early l1croes and heroines of
the Baha'i I~aith.
On one of her journeys, Lua helped the wife of
a fan10us An1erican Senator to embrace the Faith.
Phoebe I-Iearst shared tiua's enthusiasm. Lua
kindled a great desire in lYfrs Hearst to go to the
I-Ioly Land and nlcet 'Abdu'l-Baha. TIley all longed
to visit the scene \vhere these \vonders had taken
place and see thern \vith their o\vn eyes. What a
bounty and privilege it \vould be to \valk in those
places \\7here Baha'u'lhih \valked; to go to the
prison-city of 'Akka, that sacred spot spoken of in
Scripture by the prophet I-Iosea \vho said it \vould
be given to man as 'a door of hope'.
Above all, they would be able to see and talk
with Baha'u'lhih's eldest son, 'Abdu'l-Baha, \X7ho
had shared I-lis Father's exile and imprisonnlent for
forty years.
'Abdu'l-Baha \vas alive! He could be seen! He
still lived in that same prison-city and \vas loved by
all. He was known as 'The NIaster', a title given
Him by His Father. They \vould be able to hear
from His o\vn lips the answers to their questions.
He \vould tell them ho\v they could best serve God
in this day. t'fhey \vould see and talk wit11 the Person
to Whom Baha'u'llah said all mankind should turn
if they sougllt truth and guidance. It \vould be a
holy pilgrimage. No sacrifice could be too great.
They made plans to leave as soon as possible.
We can only imagine the excitement Lua experienced during these days of preparation.
Several other Baha'is \vere invited to join them.
In Paris a fe\v more were added to the party.
Among them \vas the illustrious lYfay (Ellis Bolles)
Maxwell \Vh01TI Lua herself had won over to the
Faith. Lua's hllsband, Edward Getsinger, also
accompanied the party.
In Egypt a fe\v others joined the group. Finally,
the pilgrims numbered fifteen. Because of the
danger \vhich still surrounded 'Abdu'l-Baha, as a
Prisoner and an Exile, they arrived gradually in
three successive parties.
Lua was in the very first group. She reached the
prison-city on December loth, 1898.

8. Lua Meets the Master
It was truly an 'historic' pilgrimage upon which
Lua had launched them. None of them would
ever be the same.
Little did that handful of believers dream of the
significance of their journey and the world-wide
consequences \vhich would follo\v their entry into
the prison-city of 'j\kki.
They \vere the first of a long line of pilgrims who
\vould come in a ceaseless flo\v from all parts of
the \vorld, even do\vn to the present day. Only t\VO
World \vars could interrupt this constant, and
ever-increasing, movement of visitors to the Bahi'i
World Centre.
Those first, unique pilgrims "vere forced to
arrive in small numbers, and at irregular intervals,
because they, like their beloved Master, 'Abdu'l-
Baha, ,\vere in effect 'prisoners' themselves \vhen
they ,\vere "\vith Hi!n.
'Abdu'l-Baha explained to pilgrims, \vho came
eight years later, a truth that \vas even more applicable to Lua and her companions.
'This is a prison,' 'Abdu'l-Baha said, 'and in
prison one cannot find rest. \-xrhatever it may be,
this is a prison and you \vill stay son1e days in
this prison \vith us, and you will be counted as
.
prIsoners.
'In fact, you are my con1panions in servitude to
the \vorld, and you are in prison as I alTI, and in
everything \ve are partners.'
No words could bring greater l1appiness to the
heart of a pilgrim. Imagine the joy of sharing, even
on that pitifully small scale, the sorro\vs and
imprisonment of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
When Lua and her friends met 'Abdu'l-Baha for
the first time, their \vorld became another world.
All that had happened to them in the past \vas of no
consequence. This was the moment of their rebirth.
Later they "\V~ould perform acts \vhich ,\vollld astound
the Baha'is of both East and \,lest.
In concert \vith their fellow-believers [raIn other
countries, the spiritual children of these early
Baha'is \vould settle in more than one hundred
countries in eleven tTIonths, and plant the banner of
Baha'u'llah in over fifty thousand places on the
surface of the planet.
Only future historians \vill be able to adequately
recount and properly assess the value of that matchless first pilgrimage, and its impact upon the history
of the Baha'i I~aitll and the fate of the \~vorld.

The days \vhich those first pilgrliTIs spent in the
prison-city of 'Akki \vere precious 1110n1cnts they
\vould treasure all their lives.
In this vicinity, Baha'u'lhih spent nearly a quarter
of a century as a Prisoner and an Exile. So foul was
the atmosphere, so unsanitary and disease-·ridden,
that a proverb declared: 'If a bird flies over 'Akka,
it dies l'
Yet in that unfragrant place these first pilgrims
experienced nothing but happiness. ~rhey \vere
prisoners \vhere Baha'u'llah and 'l\bdu'l-Baha had
been I)risoners. 1"ihey \vere surrounded by love eaell
step of the way.
11ay 11axwell, Lua's dear friend, recalled their
first visit to 'Abdu'l-Baha in these words:
'During the three wonderful days and nigbts we
spent in that sacred spot \ve heard naught but the
mention of G-od; His 1-Ioly Name was on every
tongue; 1-1is beauty and goodness were the theme of
all conversation; His Glorious Cause [the Baha'i
Faith] the only aim of every life. Whenever we
gathered together in one of the rootns they spoke
unceasingly of the Blessed Perfection [Baha'u'llah],
relating incidents in the life of the Beloved, mentioning His \17ords, telling of I-lis deeds and the
passionate love and devotion of His follo"\vers
until our hearts ached vvith love and longing.'
'Abdu'l-Baha told the pilgrims not to be sad
because He "\vas a Prisoner.
'Anyone can be happy in the state of comfort,
ease, success, health, pleasure and joy,' He said, 'but
if one be happy and contented in the time of
trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, that is the
proof of nobility.'
This \-vas the lesson '.t\bdu'l-Baha taught these
pilgrims.
'Grieve not because of 1ny imprisonment and
calamity,' He ,\vrote, 'for this prison is my beautiful
garden, my mansioned paradise and my throne of
dominion among mankind.'
Lua and her fellow pilgrims learned many a
lesson at 'Abdu'l-Baha's feet. His personal "\vants
were few. He worked from early morning to late at
night. Two simple meals a day were sufficient for
Him. His \vardrobe held only a fe'vv garments of
inexpensive material. 'Abdu'l-Baha could not bear
to live in luxury \vhile others \vere in "\vant.
One of Lua's conten1poraries has described those
days of pilgrimage, saying:
'To 'Abdu'l-Baha, as a teacher and friend, came
men and women from every race, religion and
nation, to sit at his table like favored guests, questioning him about the social, spiritual or moral
program each had most at heart, and after a stay
lasting fronl a fe\v hours to n1any rnonths, returning
home, inspired, renewed and enlightened. The
\vorld surely never possessed such a guest-house
as this.
'Within these doors the rigid castes of India
melted a\vay, the racial prejudice of ]e\v, Christian
and 11uhammadan became less than a melnory;
and every convention save the essentialla\v of ,varm
hearts and aspiring minds broke down, banned and
forbidden by the unifying sympathy of the master of
the house. It \vas like a I(ing i\rthur and the
Round Table ... but an _A.rtl1ur \v11o knighted
\vornen as well as n1en, and sent them a\vay not
\-vith the s\vord but \vith the Word.'
Such was Lua \vho \vas to become the 'motherteacher of the \X'est' and a 'herald' of that ne\v day
'"
soon to dawn in America. 'Abdu'l-Baha gave her
the Persian title, I~iva, the Banner. She would wave
the flag of the Covenant in many lands.

9. A Letter from Lua
Lua herself has left an account of her first lneeting
with 'Abdu'l-Baha. It is best told in her o\vn \vords
in a letter \vhich she sent to i\merica:
'To my friends in Chicago, Greetings!
'We reached Haifa, Thursday, December 9th,*
about 10.30 p.m. and ,,,ere met by three of the
Baha'is. WTe slept but little that night. Our minds
were occupied \vith the thought that perhaps tomorrow we shall see our beloved Master, 'Abdu'l-
Baha. We arose early the next morning, our hearts
eagerly expectant, but all day no word came. In
the evening a letter came stating that He would be
pleased to welcome us 011 the nlorrow and that
"His heart longed to see the first American
pilgrims" .
'As you tnay imagine, sleep \vas out of the question that night as well. The hours passed much too
slowly until the dawn of the morrow should come.
I arose early, dressing myself vlith much care, feeling the best I had was not half good enough to
wear upon this first visit to the Holy City. Shortly
after eight o'clock, the carriage drove us to the
dwelling place of our Gracious Master.
'It is about five miles * from Haifa to 'Akka along
the road to the sea. Indeed the road is in the sea,
for the horses were walking in the water and at
times the waves dashed nearly to the top of the
wheels. After riding for about a quarter of an hour
we could see the city in the distance. It was a
beautiful morning, and as we looked we could but
think of a description in the Dible, "A city all of
gold beside the crystal sea." It was bathed in a
flood of golden sunshine and the sea splashing up
against its walls sparkled with splendorl
'We gradually approached nearer and nearer
until at last we entered the city by its solitary gate
and drove straight to the house of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
'We entered the garden, ascended one flight of
stairs and were shown into a hall, or reception
room, where we removed our wraps. By the violent
beating of my heart, I kne\\T I was soon to behold
the Blessed Face of our Beloved Master. \Ve
* More nearly nine miles.
reached the door and stopped. Before us, in the
center of the room, stood a man clad in long railnent, -vvith a "\vhitc turban 01111i8 head. I-Ie stretched
out I-lis hand to us while .fIis face -vvas lighted by a
rare s\veet slnile of joy and "\velcorne. I stood there
for a moment unable to move. Then my heart gave
a great throb, and scarcely kno\ving "That I ,vas
doing, I held out my arms crying, "IVfy I..ord, 11y
I...Iord 1" I rushed to Him, kneeling at Ilis blessed
feet, and sobbed like a child. He put His dear hand
A

upon lny bowed head and said in a voice that
seemed like a strain of s\veet music, "\\7elcome,
\velcome, my dear children, you are \velcome; arise
and be of good cheer." Then He sat do\vn upon a
lo\v divan, and I sat on one side almost facing Him.
Then He began to talk to us . . .
'So s\viftly did the time pass that we ,vere quite
astonished vlhen dinner \vas announced ...
'I-Ie seated rne on. I-lis right. I felt too happy to
eat and sat \vith my eyes riveted upon His glorious
face. He turned to\vard me and s\veetly smiling,
i
said, "1 he love of God burning in your heart is
manifested upon your face and it gives us joy to
look upon you."
'Later that night, I-Ie came again. One of the
friends asked permission to sit near Ifinl, Vvhich Vias
granted. After a moment }Ie turned to\\'ard me,
smiled, and \vaved His hand that I also might C01ne.
I sat down at I-lis blessed feet \vhile I-Ie took mv J

hand, looking do\vn upon me tenderly as a loving
father. He sat and conversed \vith us for nearly an
hour. T1hen He arose and 'wished us good night,
blessing us, and we all retired.
'1 couldn't sleep. My heart was too full. 1 was t90
infinitely happy. I could only live over and over
again the precious moments I had spent in His
presence and longed to see Him once more. I fell
into a sweet sleep just as morning was break-
.
lng.
'That evening He sat us all at the table and dismissed the servants saying He would serve us
Himself. He did not sit at the table with us, but
waited upon us. At the conclusion of the meal, He
said, "I have served you tonight that you may
learn the lesson of ever serving your fellow creatures
with love and kindness."
'The next morning He brought a beautiful bunch
of white narcissus. He sat down and drank tea with
us, then arose and bade us adieu. We were going
back to Haifa that day and He had been called
away. As we "vere leaving the city we saw Him
standing by the gate. He smiled at us as we passed.
Our hearts were both sorrowful and happy. Happy
because we had seen Him, but sorrowful because
we were leaving Him.'
Lua closed her letter to her American friends,
.
saylng:
'These words are very weak and inadequate. But
no one could describe this place and it is foolish to
try. Each must see for himself. Therefore, pray
God earnestly that the blessings of coming here
may soon be besto",red upon you.
'And now I send you all my love and pray God to
bless you now and forever. 1-fay your hearts all be
united and your souls become as one soul living in
separate bodies. Thus you will resemble our Lord,
and draw nearer unto God the loving Father of us
all!
'Your loving sister and co-worker in the Cause,
Lua.'

10. 'Abdu'l-Bahti, Father of the Poor
Lua \vrote many letters to her friends in America.
She told then1 all she could about the beautiful life
of 'Abdu'l-Baha. She described the many moving
scenes by which she was surrounded in the Holy
Land. She shared with them touching, heart-warming stories showing the special love which the
people of Haifa and 'Akka had for the Master.
Each of the pilgrims in Lua's party experienced
days of delight and joy, days \vhich recalled the
zeal and ecstasy of those v/ho first met Jesus the
Christ. Each received confirmations and was fired
vvith great eagerness to serve the Cause of God.
Each had his own story to tell. Perhaps we should
see 'Abdu'l-Baha through their eyes as well.
The first member of the Negro race ever to
embrace the Baha'i Faith in America was in that
first party of pilgrims in 1898. Robert Turner
became a faithful believer all the days of his life.
He was 'transported by the influence exerted by
'Abdu'l-Bahi in the course of that epoch-making
pilgrimage'. Nothing throughout his long life
would ever again becloud the 'radiance' or 'lessen
the intensity of the emotions which the lovingkindness showered by 'Abdu'l-Baha upon him had
excited in his breast.'
Mrs Hearst, the friend who had been their
hostess on the journey, declared those days to be
'the most memorable' of her life. She described
'Abdu'l-Bahi as 'the Inost \vonderful Being I have
ever met or ever expect to meet in this world'. She
alluded to the 'spiritual attnosphere which surrounds Him and most po\verfully affects all those
"\vho are blest by being near Him' as something
'indescribable' .
May Max\vell, \vho vvas to becon1e the motherteacher of Europe, and to open France and Canada
to the Fait11 of Bahi'u'llih, recorded for posterity
her never-to-be-forgotten impressions of her first
glimpse of 'Abdu'l-Baha, and l1er meeting \vith
Him.
' ... I can remember neither joy nor pain nor
anything that I can name. I had been carried suddenly to too great a height; my soul had come in
contact \rvith the Divine Spirit; and this force so
pure, so holy, so mighty, had overwhelmed me ...
We could not remove our eyes from His glorious
face: we heard all He said; \rve drank tea with Him
at His bidding; but existence seemed suspended, and
when He arose and suddenly left us \ve came back
with a start to life: but never again, oh I never
again, thank God, to tlle same life on this earth!'

Let us share a glimpse of 'Abdu'l-Baha from the
pen of one \vho was 110t a Baha'i, a famous American attorney. He also was a guest of 'Abdu'l-Baha
during those same years. His name was Myron H.
Phelps.
Mr Phelps \rvas so moved by 'Abdu'l-Baha's
Christlike life that he set down in deathless language a picture of 'Abdu'l-Baha, as Lua herself had
seen Him many times in the streets of the ancient
city of 'Akka. He wrote an entire book about
'Abdu'l-Baha.
On one occasion, Phelps described a typical day
in the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha:
'Some day at this season, ... you may see the
poor of Akka gathered at one of the shops \vhere
clothes are sold, receiving cloaks from the Master.
Upon many, especially the most infirm or crippled,
he himself places the garment, adjusts it ... approvingly, as if to say, "Therel Now you will do
well ... "
'On feast days he visits the poor at their homes.
He chats with them, inquires into their health and
comfort, mentions by name those who are absent,
and leaves gifts for all ...
'He himself eats but once a day, and then bread,
olives, and cheese suffice him.
'His room is small and bare, with only a matting
on the stone floor. His habit is to sleep upon this
floor. Not long ago a friend, thinking that this
must be hard for a man of advancing years, presented him with a bed fitted with springs and
mattress. So these stand in his room also, but are
rarely used. "For how," he says, "can I bear to
sleep in luxury when so many of the poor have not
even shelter?" So he lies upon the floor and covers
himself only with his cloak ...
'He is the beloved of all the city, high and low.
And how could it be otherwise? For to this man it
is the law, as it was to Jesus of Nazareth, to do good
to those who injure him ...
42.
'This 1faster ['Abdu'l-Baha] is as simple as his
soul is great. He claims nothing for himself-neither
conlfort, nor honour, nor repose. Three or four
hours of sleep suffice him; all the remainder of hls
time and allilis strength are given to the succour of
those "\vho suffer, in spirit or in body. "I am," he
says, "the servant of God."
'Such is Abbas Effendi ['Abdu'l-Baha], the
IYIaster of Akka.'

l\1ay lYfax\vell described 'vividly t1le day 'Abdu'l-
Baha unexpectedly told thenl to prepare to go from
Haifa to 'Akka. ~fay was feeling ill.
'On Tuesday night,' l\1ay later wrote, 'I told my
spiritual mother [LuaJ that the Master evidently
did not realize hov{ ill and weak I was or He would
never have expected me to leave with the others on
Wednesday morning. Ohl We of little faith! No
\vonder SllC smiled and shook l1er head, saying,
"You will soon realize sotnething of the power of
'Abdu'l-Baha."
'It was about dawn when I awoke, feeling myself
stirred by a breeze. I cannot describe what followed,
but through lny soul was flowing an essence; a
mighty, unseen force \vas penetrating all my being,
expanding it \vith boundless life and love and
happiness, lifting and enfolding me in its mighty
strength and peace.'

'Abdu'l-Bahi assured that first party of pilgrims
that every soul, no matter ho\v humble his station
in life, could win great victories for the Cause of
God.
'We can all serve in the Cause of God,' 'Abdu'l-
Baha said, 'no matter \vhat our occupation is. No
occupation can prevent the soul coming to God.
Peter was a fisherman, yet he accomplished most
wonderful things; but the heart must be turned
al\vays to\vard God, no matter \vhat the \vork is;
this is the itnportant thing; and then the po\ver of
God \vill \vork in us. We are like a piece of iron in
the midst of the fire which becomes heated to such
a degree that it partakes of the nature of the fire
and gives out the same effect to all it touchesso is the soul that is al"\vays turned to\vard God, and
filled witll the spirit.'

I I. 'Follow Me; be as I an]"
When the day came for those first pilgrims to leave
'that perfumed land "\vhich is forever blest and holy
above all places', their hearts "\vere l1eavy. Soon
they would be on the high. seas sailing a\rvay from
His wondrous presence.
'Abdu'l-Baha
. called them to Him that final
morning.
Lua's beloved May NIax\vell captured for all of
them the spirit of that last intervie\v with 'Abdu'l-
Baha before their departure. May testified to the
atmosphere of love that surrounded them all in
these words:
'In the might and majesty of His presence our
fear was turned to perfect faith, our weakness into
strength, our sorro\v into 110pe and ourselves forgotten in our love for I-lim. As we sat before Him
waiting to hear His words, some of the believers
wept bitterly. He asked them for His sake not to
weep, nor \vould He talk to us or teach us until all
tears were banished . . .'
Among 'Abdu'l-Baha's \vords of comfort and
inspiration on that occasion \vere these:
'You have come here among the first and your
reward is great. There are two visits; the first is
for a blessing; then ye come and are blest and are
sent fortil to work in God's vineyard; the second ye
come with music and the banners flying, like
soldiers, in gladness and triumph to receive your
reward.'
'Abdu'l-Baha promised Lua, May Max\vell and
their fellow-pilgrims that the 'spirit' which flooded
through all of them in this day far exceeded that
animating the great figures of past religions.
' ... I say unto you,' 'Abdu'l-Baha declared, 'that
anyone who will rise up in the Cause of God at this
time shall be filled with the spirit of God, and that
He '\vill send His hosts from heaven to help you,
and that nothing shall be impossible to you if you
have faith.'
What a '\vonderful promise. The souls of His
listeners were galvanized. They \vere eager to rush
forth into the vineyard.
'And no\v I give you a commandment which
shall be for a covenant between you and Me-that
ye have faith; that your faith be steadfast as a rock
that no storms can move, that nothing can disturb,
and that it endure through all things even to the
end; even should ye Ilear that your Lord has been
crucified, be not shaken in your faith; for I am with
you al"vays, whether living or dead, I am with you
to the end. As ye have faith so shall your po\vers and
blessings be. This is the balance-this is the balance
-this is the balance.'
'Abdu'l-Baha closed that interview, which was
to change the Western world and ultimately the
face of the globe, with these words of tender love:
'Now the time has come \vhen we must part, but
the separation is only of our bodies, in spirit we are
united ... Great mercy and blessings are promised
to the people of your land [America], but on one
condition: that their hearts are filled \vith the fire of
love, that they live in perfect kindness and harmony
like one soul in different bodies. If they fail in this
condition the great blessings \vill be deferred.
Never forget this; look at one another with the
eye of perfection; look at }J:e, follow Me, be as I
am; take no thought for yourselves or your lives,
whether ye eat or whether yc sleep, "\vhether ye are
comfortable, whether ye are \vell or ill, "\vhether ye
are with friends or foes, whether ye receive praise
or blame; for all of these things ye must care not at
all. Look at Me and be as I am; ye must die to
yourselves and to the world, so shall ye be born
again and enter the I<ingdom of Heaven. Be110ld a
candle how it gives its light. It weeps its life a\vay
drop by drop in order to give fortll its flame of
light.'

12. The Flrst l\lartyr for Women's Rlgllts
With such words and memories as t11ese engraved
on their hearts and minds, those first pilgrims \vent
from the Holy Land-May to Paris, Lua to America.
Lua had no\v but one purpose in mind. She was
deternlined to tell all the \vorld about Baha'u'llah.
The Teachings of the Baha'i Faith had taken full
possession of her soul.
'Abdu'l-Baha had instructed Lua that in her
teaching she must become as courageous as
Tahirih, the greatest heroine of the early days of the
Ba11a'i Faith in Persia. rfahirih, like Lua, "vas also
in her t\venties \vhen she first heard of the Faith.
Tahirih, a young poetess of outstanding beauty
and intelligence, \vas called the Persian Joan of Arc.
When she gave her life in martyrdonl for this Faith,
a famous European diplomat called her martyrdom
'one of the most affecting episodes in modern
history'. Such was rrahirih's eloquence that '\vhen she
spoke one felt stirred to the depths of one's soul, was
filled \vith adrniration, and was moved to tears'.
A professor from Cambridge University had
written that 'the appearance of such a \VOlIlan' as
Tahirih was 'a prodigy-nay, almost a miracle'.

There were special historical links bet\vecn these
two heroines of the Baha'i raith, the matchless
Tahirih, peerless and unequalled, and the one
'Abdu'l-Baha said should be her counterpart in
America, the ilnnl0rtal Lua.
When Lua's mother was five years old, in 1848,
the first Woman's Rights Conference was held in
upper New Yark, the beginning of tIle movement
for women's suffrage in America. In the same year,
in the tiny hamlet of Badasht in Persia, the early
followers of the Baha'i Faith held their first
Conference.
Dr T. K. Cheyne, a reno\vned Bible scholar at
Oxford University, \,vrote of that gathering in his
book, The Reconciliation of Races and Religions, saying
that as a result of the coming of the Bab, Prophet-
Forerunner of the Baha'i Faith, the distinctions
bet"veen 'races' and between 'male and female' "\vere
at an end. Suc11 things \,vere discussed on that
historic occasion. It was then that Tahirih, casting
off the 'veil' and breaking \'vith the past Islamic
subjugation of "vomen, proclaitned: 'I am the bugle!
I am the bell!' sounding an end to the fetters that
bound her sex.
Only a short time later, Tahirih was to be slain
for her beliefs. She \vas martyred in 1852, the year
in which another \\1oman's Rights Convention was
held in that same upper New York, just nineteen
years before Lua's birth.
Tahirih has been called 'the first woman suffrage
martyr'.
Dr Cheyne, in this same book, stated: 'If there
has been any propl1et in recent times, it is to
Baha'u'llah that we must go.' He also declared that
Tahirih's 'insight' came from Baha'u'lhih, \'Vho
presided at that historic Conference in Badas11t.
Cheyne credited Tahirih \'vith 'opening the catalogue of social reforms in Persia'.
This was the heroine whom 'Abdu'l-Baha held
up to Lua as the example she must follow.
'Abdu'l-Baha said that Tahirih
. was 'a brand afire
with the love of God'. He told Lua she must exert
every effort to be like her. He gave her a prayer to
recite so that she might achieve this goal.
Lua, who knew of the glory and greatness of
Tahirih, protested that she could not. 'It is beyond
me,' she said. 'I am too \veak, too filled with faults. If
I pray to be like her, God will kno\v that I am lying.'
'Abdu'l-Baha said 'You must l'
He told Lua to pray always that she \vould be like
Tahirih, who had broken with the past, cast off the
veil and provided the trumpet-blast that had helped
to herald this Ne\v Day of God.

Lua did her best to obey 'Abdu'l-Baha. Her l1eart
was surrendered in uns\verving love and obedience
to every \Y/ ord of His instructions.
Lua fully accepted Baha'u'llah as the Nlessenger
of God for this day. She believed in every Word He
had written as a guide to mankind. Because of this
complete and unquestioned dedication, her soul \vas
infused with a divine quality of love for all human
beings. Tfhis universal love gave Lua an unconscious and effortless ability to magnetize and inspire
those with whom she came in contact.
One could never forget the picture of Lua
standing straight as a lance before an assembly of
people, her head thro\vn back, her eyes alight,
opening her lips and pouring forth a stream of
golden eloquence.
For 'Abdu'l-Baha had bestovved a unique and
special gift of eloquence upon Lua. Lua confided
this secret to 11er friend Juliet Thompson, an
American portrait painter. The Master, she said,
had promised her that she would have this gift.
All Lua had to do when facing an audience was to
rely completely on the strong current of her Faith,
turn to 'Abdu'l-Baha, and He ,vould not fail her.
The fact that Lua did indeed possess this n1agic
gift of eloquence \vas testified to repeatedly by her
listeners. They \vould sit spellbound by Lua's voice,
entranced by her astonishing \vords, so simple, so
basic, and so moving. I-Ier friend, 1vfiss Thompson,
often said that Lua reminded her of Tahirih
. and her
ecstatic announcement before her death: 'I an1 the
bugle! I am the bell!'

13. Lua Leaves the Alaster: Frol1l Sunlight into
Darkness
Lua's destiny \vas to carry her often between
America and 'l\kka. It was on one of her many
visits to 'l\bdu'l-Bahi that l1cr impatience for
spiritual gro\vth caused her to exclain1, 'Oh, my
beloved 11aster, I want to be perfected I I \vant to be
perfected quickly I'
'Abdu'l-Baha looked at her \vith a loving smile
and gently shook His head.
Lua repeated her request more urgently.
'Quickly! I \vant to be perfected quickly so that I
may truly serve Thee.'
'Abdu'l-Baha warned her that she could not
stand the process of being 'perfected quickly'.
'Oh, yes, I can,' she cried, 'if it will make me a
better servant to Thee.'
'Abdu'l-Baha "vas firm. ;-rhe creation of Almighty
God is perfect, but the perfections appear gradually.
The seed comes to fruitage through the growth of
the tree. But Lua's impetuous spirit would not be
stilled.
Patiently, the Master educated this eager servant,
preparing her for the years of teaching that lay
ahead.
The Ivies sage Lua \vas to carry to the world was
simple: The religion of God is one religion, and all
the !vfessengers have taught the same fundamental
truth. In the Teachings of Moses we see the seed,
in those of Christ the plant, in those of Mu1).ammad
the branches, in those of the Bab and Baha'u'llah
the fruit. All are part of the single, unfolding, progressively revealed Truth. All teach the same inward truths about God, the soul, immortality; but
Their outward Teachings are adapted to the age in
which These 11essengers appear, and change according to the needs of society. All Their laws,
principles, and institutions are for the betterment of
mankind.
Mr Thornton Chase, the first person to accept
Baha'u'lhih itl America, expressed these truths as he
felt them after his pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Thornton Chase became a Baha'i just a fe\v months
before Lua. He followed her to the presence of
'Abdu'l-Baha, and wrote:
'Five days we remained \vithln those ,valls,
prisoners \vitIl Him \vIlo dwells in that "Greatest
Prison". It is a prison of peace, of love and service.
No wish, no desire is there save the good of mankind, the peace of the world, the acknowledgment of
the Fatherhood of God and the mutual rights of
men as His creatures, His children.'

The hour came for Lua to leave 'Akka yet
another time. She was being sent out into the
'vineyard of God'. 'Abdu'1-Ba11a told her to put
into practice all that she had learned there at the
heart of the Faith.
The instructions of 'Abdu'l-Baha \.vere loving
and tender. Yet, to Lua, leaving the presence of
'Abdu'l-Baha was the worst possible disaster.
She felt she had been banished fro>m her beloved
Master. She felt that 'Abdu'l-Baha was sending l1er
away to teach l1er patience. She kne'\v only too \vell
hovv desperately s11e needed to learn this lesson, but
leaving 'Abdu'l-Baha \vas like going from the sunlight into the darkness. A sudden transition from
life to death. It was almost too much for Lua's
spirit.
But she bowed her head meekly and obeyed. She
returned at once to America.

Part III

THE WEST AIDS THE EAST
14. The "Vest Shall Replace the East
Future historians \vill be botll intrigued and
fascinated by the many 'links' \vhich bind the
people of the \Vest to the Baha'i Faith, and have so
united the1TI ever since its birth in Persia in 1844.
In the very hour of that birth, the Bab, \Vho "vas
the Herald of the Baha'i Faith, called out to tI1e
people of the West, as vlell as to those of the East.
He urged them to spontaneously seek their Lord,
and to arise for the service of mankind.
In His first Book, begun on that night, the Bab
'directly addressed the "peoples of tbe West," and
significantly bade them "issue forth" from their
H cities" to aid God, and U beco1JJe as brethren" in His

"one and indivisible religion".'
Baha'u'llah, in anticipation of this development
of His Faith in the West, \vrote: (lit the East, the
light of His Revelation hath broken; in the fPest the
signs of His dOlninion have appeared.'
And 'Abdu'l-Baha was later to \vrite, (The day is
approaching when J'e shall 11/ilness h01VJ through tbe
splendor of the Faith of Bah!l' u' Ildh J the ff7est will have
replaced the East, radiatillg the light of Divine gttidance.'
Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Baha'i Faith and
grandson of 'Abdu'l-Baha, therefore points out:
'The importance of so momentous a development in
the evolution of the Faith of Baha'u'lhih-the
establishment of His Cause in the Nort11 American
continent-~t a time "\vhen 'Abdu'l-Bahi had just
inaugurated His ]\fisslon ... can in no "\vise be
overestimated. '
Thus we begin to realize the significance of that
historic first pilgrimage undertaken by Lua and l1er
illustrious companions from the West.

1"ihe Blessed Bah "\-vas martyred in 1850, s110t
down by a firing-squad of 750 old-style muskets.
The first ,Tolley failed to kill I-lim. It cut the cords
that bound Him, thereby freeing Him. The French
author IvI. C. I-iuart Vlrote: 'It was a real miracle.'
The Frel1c11 historian A. L. ~f. Nicolas described
that event as a thing 'unique in the annals [of the
history] of humanity'.
The Bab's sacred remains \vere hidden from His
enemies, and moved from place to place for fifty
years* until, at last, they arrived in the Holy Land
to be enton1bed 011 the side of God's holy lTIountain,
Carmel, on the site chosen by Baha'u'lUill Hin1self.
It was in the same period that Lua and her conlpanions arrived as the first pilgrims from the \Y/est.
In that same year of 1899, 'Abdu'l-Bahi ,vent to
Mount Carmel and there, \vith I-lis own hands, laid
the foundation-stone for the Edifice of the Shrine
of the Bab \vhich His Father, Bahi'u'llih, l1ad told
Him to build on that exact spot. ,\-{lithin a few
months I-Ie began its construction.

Ten years later, 'Abdu'l-Baha's royal enemy,
Sul~an '.1\bdu'l-I:-Iamfd II, lost his throne. During
* By the lunar calendar.
the intervening years, in spite of His enemies \vho
had threatened to exile Him to Africa, cast Him into
the sea, or hang Him on the gallows, 'Abdu'l-
BaM had serenely continued His work on the
Shrine for the sacred remains of the Bab. Now it
was finished.
The Sultan \vas overthro\vn. He became a
prisoner and an exile. 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself has
said, 'God took the chains from off my neck and
placed them about the neck of 'Abdu'l-Ijamid.'
How Lua's heart must have leaped for joy \vhen, a
decade after her first pilgrimage, she heard the
news that her beloved l\1aster was free at last I He
had spent half a century as a prisoner and an exile,
from the age of nine until, fifty-six years later, His
imprisonment came to an end.
Almost immediately, 'Abdu'l-Baha prepared to
place the remains of the Bab in the white marble
sarcophagus \vhich had been designed for that purpose and sent as a gift by the Baha'is of Rangoon,
Burma. He was free to fulfil the sacred task given
Him by His Father. The holy dust of the Bab would
soon rest in the 'vineyard of God', Mount Carmel.
'Abdu'l-Baha Himself has described this accomplishment as 'one of the most signal acts' of His
Ministry. On more than one occasion, we are told
by the Guardian, He 'testified' that 'the safe transfer
of these remains', vvhich had been hidden from
enemies and moved from place to place for over
half a century, the 'construction of a befitting
mausoleum to receive them', and their interment
with His own hands in their final and 'permanent
resting-place' together constituted one of the 'three
principal objectives' of His mISS1on. His achieven1ent has been called' one of the outstanding events
in the first Baha'i centurv'.
'"

15. The Bab and Baha'u'lldlz: the DaUJfl and the
Sun
Baha'u'lhih I-i:imself had chosen the site \vhere the
Shrine of the Bab \vas to be built. I-lis tent had been
pitched on the side of Mount Carmel, and, while
seated near a clump of cypress trees \vhich still
stand as sentinels, He had pointed out the exact
spot. It \vas Bah8~'u'llah \X'ho gave to 'l\.bdu'l-Baha
the task of raising that noble structure and arranging for that sacred dust to be brought from Persia.
Now the time had come w11en 'l~.bdu'l-Baha's
arduous labour \vas reaching an end. All the sorrows, hardships and suffering were forgotten. The
Blessed Bab, Who vIas the 'return of Elijah', would
be laid to rest for all time \vithin sight of the famous
Cave of Elijah on Mount Carmel.
It was in 1909 that Lua \vas privileged to receive a
letter from tIle Holy I.land, announcing the good
news of the final entombment of those sacred
remains in the bosom of the 'holy hill'.
Lua and all the Baha'is in the West were deeply
affected \vhen they received a description of the
moving events that took place on that occasion.
\Vhat a glorious moment it \vas! And in that
moment the closeness bet\veen the East, the West,
and the heart of the Baha'i Faith in t11e Holy Land
,vas strikingly demonstrated, as we shall see.
In order that \ve may fully appreciate the significance of this achievement, and experience with Lua
the joy that surrounded l1er "vhen she heard the
ne\'ilS, \ve shall revic\v briefly some of the events
that led up to this victory. Lua herself had no doubt
heard these stories many times from the lips of the
Master and her fello\v-pilgritTIs from Persia.

The Bab frequently told His follo\vers that I-Ie,
Himself, \vas merely 'the channel of grace from
some great Person still behind the ,reil of glory
[Baha]'. It "vas the Bab's \vish that I-Ie should
never be separated from Baha'u'lhih in life or in
death.
In the early days of His lvIinistry, the Bab journeyed to\vard Tihran, the capital of fran and the
birthplace of Baha'u'lhih. Tihran has been described
in the Baha'i \Vritings as 'the mother of the \vorld'.
The Bah visited a nearby sacred Shrine. While in
that neighbourhood, He revealed a Tablet \vhich
He instructed His follo"\v"ers to chant there. The
love \v11ic11 the Bab had for Baha'u'llali is evident
in . the words which He addressed to that buried
saInt:
'\Y/ell it is \vith you to have found your resting
place ... under the shado\v of lYfy Beloved. Would
that I might be entombed \vithin the precincts of
that holy ground!'
Follo\ving His martyrdom, the remains of the
Bab, which had been cast into a moat outside the
city of Tab riz , \vere rescued by His followers,
brought to Tihran, and for a time were entombed in
that very Shrine \vithin the shado\v of Baha'u'llah.
They \vere transferred from place to place, from
danger to safety, under the direction of Bahi'u'lhih,
for nearly fifty years, until they reached the I-Ialy
J.Jand "\vhcre for all tin1e the 1101y Dust of the Bab
"\vould rest 'under the shado\v' of I-lis Beloved.

Nabil, the historian of those early days, enriches
our understanding of the significance of the entombment of the rcnlains of the Bab on IvIount
Carmel, by pointing to the unique love that had
bound the Bab and Baha'u'llah toget11cr since the
earlies t days of the Bahi'i F ai tho
Baha'u'llah, Nabil tells us, had such a love for
the Bab that I-Ie \vould not let flirn suffer any pain,
indignity, or humiliation in \vhich fIe, Baha'u'llah,
did not share.
The Bib "vas first confined ill the house of the
Chief Constable of Shiraz in Persia. Shortly after
this, Bahi'u'lhih \vas confined in the house of one of
the religious leaders in tfihran.
The Bab's second imprisonment was in the castle
of 1vIah-Ku; that of Baha'u'llah followed "\vhen He
was imprisoned in the residence of the governor of
Amul.
rrhe Bab \vas scourged in the prayer-house in
l abriz. t"rhc very same punishment "\vas inflicted
f

shortly af!er this upon Baha'u'lla11 in the prayerhouse at Amul.
The Bab's third imprisonment was in the castle
of Chihriq; that of Bahi'u'lhih in the Black-Pit
prison of Tihran.
The Bab was struck in the face with missiles
when paraded through the streets of Tabriz, beaten,
ridiculed and humiliated; Baha'u'llah was pelted
'\vith stones ill the streets of ):i.mul, again in NiyaJa,
still again '\vhile paraded in chains bareheaded and
barefooted in the blazing sun ell rottle to the Siyah-
Chal prison. I-Ie was beaten, ridiculed, hutniliated,
and cast into a deep underground pit, His feet in
stocks. I-Ie \vas \veighted do\vn \vith hundredpound chains that tore His flesh. He "vas chained
to the floor and to Ills companions in that black
darkness.
'The Bab \vas slain in the public square of
Tabriz; Baha'u'lhih began a half century of persecution as a l=>risoner and an Exile. He \vas
poisoned in the Black-Pit prison. He ,\vas set upon
by assassins in Baghdad. He \vas poisoned t\vice
again in Adrianople. He \vas arrested and interrogated by soldiers on hvo separate occasions, and
shut up in the fortress prison of 'Akka, the most
dreaded prison in all the Turkish empire.
Nabil recounts in his history: 'Tfhe Bab, \vhose
trials and sufferings had preceded, in almost every
case, those of Baha'u'lhih, had offered I-limself to
ransom His Beloved [Baha'u'llah] from the perils
that beset that precious Life; \vhile Baha'u'lhih, on
11.is part, un"\villing that He \vho so greatly loved
I-lim should be the sole Sufferer, shared at every
turn the cup that had touched His [the Bib's] lips.
Such love no eye has ever beheld, nor has nl0rtal
heart conceived such mutual devotion. If the
branches of every tree \vere turned into pens, and
all the seas into ink, and earth and heaven rolled
into one parchment, the immensity of that love
would still remain unexplored, and the depths of
that devotion unfathomed.'
There is yet another example of the unique oneness that bound together the Bib and Baha'u'llih.
It can be found by examining the calendar of
Persia.
According to the 365-day solar calendar of the
West, in which the days of the month never change,
the Bab was born on October 20th and Bahi'u'llah
was born on November I zth. But, according to the
36o-day lunar calendar in the land of Their birth,
in which the days of the n10ntb. change each year,
the Bab was born on the first day of Mul;arram
and Baha'll'llah on the second day of Mul).arram;
One after the Other, first the Bab, then Baha'u'llah.
In Persia, these t\vin successive Holy Days are
celebrated as one great joyous Festival.
Thus in every way Their 11issions \vere bound
together for all eternity. No\v, even Their sacred
remains were united forever in the Holy Land, and
the promises in all the holy Scriptures were at last
fulfilled. The wish of the Bab, Whose Name means
'the gate', had come true at last. He would rest
forever 'in the shadow of His Beloved'. Today His
golden-domed Shrine looks across the blue Bay of
Haifa to\vard Bahji, outside 'Akka, where Baha'u'llah, Whose Name means 'the glory of God',
lies enshrined in a garden that has made the 'desert
blossom as the rose'.
The glory of God, Bahi'u'llah, had come to the
Holy Land from the East through the gate, the Bab,
as foretold by Ezekiel. That glorious Kingdom of
God 011 earth promised by Christ would through
them become a reality.
The Bab and Baha'u'llah WeTe together at last in
that 'sno\,v-\vhite spot', the 'nest of all the I'rophets
of God'. They represented the 'return' of l~lijtlh
and Christ to Christianity; i\Iessiah ben Joseph and
l~.[essiab ben Israel to Judaism; tbe A1ibdi and Jesus tbe
Christ to Sunni Islam; the Od'itl! and tbe I!Jltilii
, C"'>,.,.,

I-lttsaVI1 to Shi'ih Islanl: Usbfdar-l*rldh and the L}bdh-
• ~ .J ,~<._.~_. _~_

Babrtllil to Zoroastrianism. ffhev vvere the first and .J

second TrttJ1Jpct blasts of the Qur'an; the second
U70e and the third of the Book of Revelation; the
Da\vn and the Sun of the ne\v Day.
\'/hen \ve realize \Vho the Bab and Bahi'u'llih
\verc, \ve no longer \vonder at the devotion, sacrifice and zeal of such heroines as Lua. \Ve only
ll1arvel that thousands UpOl1 thousands n10re all
over the \,vorld have not risen up to carryon her
noble \'vork.

Lua had the 'eyes to see' and' ears to hear'. She \,laS
taught by 'l\.bdu'l-Bahi f-limself. She \vas set
ablaze by the knowledge that once again God had
made Himself kno\vn to man, and that this time not
one but tJro rvressengcrs of God had \valked on the
face of the earth. This heavenly kno'\vlcdgc inspired
her to travel, to pioneer, to teach, to accomplish
such deeds as \\,-rould \vin her the titles of 'immortal'
and 'herald' and 'banner' of the Baha'i Faith.
Lua "vas ilT.tpatient to follo\v in the footsteps of
the Bab, Baha'u'llah and her beloved Master.

16. The Flante Beglns to Burn !tIore Brightly
The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, Shoghi Effendi,
has preserved for all time a picture of the moving
spectacle which took place in 1vfarch 19°9 when
'Abdu'l-Baha, after overcoming half a lifetime of
obstacles and opposition, finally placed the holy
Dust of the Bab beneath the Shrine He had built to
receive that precious Gift.
, 'Abdu'l-Baha,' he has written, 'had the marble
sarcophagus transported with great labor to the
vault prepared for it, and in the evening, by the
light of a single lamp, He laid within it, with His
own hands-in the presence of believers from the
East and from the West and in circumstances at
once solemn and moving-the wooden casket
containing
. the sacred remains of the Bab and His
companlon.
'When all was finished, and the earthly remains
of the Martyr-Prophet of Shiraz were, at long last,
safely deposited for their everlasting rest in the
bosom of God's holy mountain, 'Abdu'l-Baha, Who
had cast aside His turban, removed His shoes and
thrown off His cloak, bent low over the still open
sarcophagus, His silver hair waving about His head
and His face transfigured and luminous, rested His
forehead on the border of the wooden casket, and,
sobbing aloud, wept with SUCll a weeping that all
those who were present wept with Him. That
night He could not sleep, so overwhelmed was He
with emotion.'

Once again we see the unique and mysterious
tie that binds the Baha'i Faith to its followers in the
West.
'Abdu'l-Baha sent a Letter to the Baha'is of the
world announcing this glorious victory. He also
told them that no sooner had He returned to I-lis
hOlne than a cablegram \-vas received, informing
Him that the Baha'is of An1erica had held their first
official Convention and had decided on the site and
construction of the first Baha'i IIouse of VVrorship in
the West.
'Abdu'l-Baha had \vritten as far back as 1893,
the year after Baha'u'lhih's passing, that I-lis l~ather's
Faith would some day have great success in the
North American continent. His enemies had hooted
in derision at such \vords from a helpless, condemned Prisoner who might be executed at any hour.
Yet in that very year I893, the Baha'i Faith
was first mentioned in the \Vest at the \Vorld's
I)arliament of Religion. Lua \-vas but one of
many \-vho were immediately intrigued by that
announcement.
A year later, Thornton Chase became the first
Baha'i in the West. Lua follo\ved rapidly upon his
heels. Others quickly joined then1.
Then, as we have seen, in Decernber 1898, Lua
and her fello\v-pilgrilns landed for the first time in
the Holy Land.
Although those f1rst pilgrims were as yet blind to
the great significance of that event, 'l\bdu'l-Baha
understood it only too well. What a flood of joy
and gratitude to Baha'u'llih must have swept over
Him as He looked upon their faces-the very first
rays of a dawning light in the \\1est.
'Abdu'l-Baha was soon to "vrite:
'The West hath acquired illumination from the
East, but, in some respects, the reflection of the
light hath been greater in the Occident.' He also
dccL::.red that 'the East hath, verily, been illumined
vvith the light of the ICingdom. Erelong will this
same light shed a still greater illutnination upon the
West.'
'Abdu'l-Baha could \vell have been referring to
such teachers as Lua when He said:
'The Blessed Perfection [Baha'u'llah] knows
that day and night-rather every hour-I am looking to\vard the East and toward the \Vest, toward
the North and to\vard the South, to see whether
severed and attracted souls have arisen to teach the
Cause of God ... whether enkindled hearts are
raising their clarion voices in the assemblages of
mankind ... These souls are my lost jewels.
\'7henever I find a trace of them, or someone gives
me a clue about them, I become infinitely happy and,
adding to my zeal, I continue my indefatigable
search. I pray to God that He may give me many
such je\vels in America.'

Exciting ne\v teaching victories \vere taking place
on every front, but still Lua suffered greatly because
her heart longed to be with 'Abdu'l-Baha. She was
never truly happy a\vay from I-lim.
The only way Lua could fill the agonizing loneliness of separation from her beloved Master, was
to lose herself completely in the teaching work.
She rededicated ller entire life to spreading the glad
tidings of Baha'u'llih' scorning. I-Jua knew that teaching was her only salvation, but little did she kno\v
that it would win for her the crown of 'motherteacher of the American Baha'i community'.
'j\ bdu'I-13aha had told I,ua time and tinl1.e again:
'Day and night thou must engage in spreading
the Teachings of Baha'u'lhih. Nothing else will
avail thee,' He had said.
Lua longed to become one of 'Abdu'l-Baha's
'lost jewels'. Perhaps then it might be possible for
her to return to the l-Ioly Land. She forgot everything but teaching the Word of God. She began to
plant the seeds in all parts of America.
Lua's life became a living example of the \Vords
of Baha'u'llah:
'Be unrestrained as the wind, while carrying the
11essage [of God] ... It bloweth in every direction,
as bidden by its Creator.'
Lua prayed constantly that her reckless and unsubdued spirit would quickly learn the lesson of
patience. One of her colleagues said, 'She was impatient to be patient.'
It was not an easy lesson for her. Lua felt certain
that 'Abdu'l-Baha vvas waiting for her to win this
struggle, and if she could achieve this victory over
herself, He would open before her eyes new doors
, of service.

17. Lua's Mlsslon to tIle Klng
A short time later, a letter arrived from 'Abdu'l-
Baha. It called upon Lua to undertake one of her
most important missions. One of her friends ,vas
present when the letter arrived. The following is
her account.
It not only describes the radiant joy and happiness of Lua, who now considered herself reunited
\vith her beloved 11aster, but it also tells of the
dramatic and moving events that follo,ved 'Abdu'l-
Baha's summons.
'Lua was surprised when she opened her letter
from the 11aster, to find that \vithin was another
letter. Suddenly her face drained of color.
, "What's wrong?" I asked.
'Lua didn't ans\,ver. She continued reading with
increased agitation. Her manner told me that the
letter contained some staggering news.
'''It is a letter written by 'Abdu'l-Baha," she
told me. "It is addressed to the Shah, the I(ing of
Persia, who is in Paris!" Lua hesitated as if the
thought were almost too much to bear. "The j\tfaster
has asked me to take it to the Shah and deliver it in
person."
'The letter explained that once again the religious
fanatics in Persia had begun persecuting the
followers of tl1e Baha'i Faith. These shameless
persecutions had taken place spasmodically since
the earliest days of the Faith. 11any believers,
among them women and children, had been, and
were still being killed for their belief.
, 'Abdu'l-Baha wrote to the Shah on behalf of
those helpless, tortured Baha'is. He asked the I(ing
to extend his protection to them. To make sure that
His tablet to the I(ing would be delivered, He
arranged to send it by a special messenger. Although there were many Baha'is in Paris at that
time, it was to America and to Lua that 'Abdu'l-
Baha turned to seek this messenger. He asked Lua
to be His representative and personally carry this
important message to the Shah. She was to deliver
it to him with her own hands.
'As soon as Lua arrived in Paris, she sought out
the Prime 1v1inister of Persia. She \vas turned away
at his door. She \vas infortned that I-lis Excellency
could see no one. The Prime Minister's son was
seriously ill and not expected to live.
'But Lua \vould not be sent a\vay defeated. She
turned to the official's secretary and said, "Would
you take a message from me to His Excellency, and
permit me to wait for his answer?"
, "There is no purpose in your waiting for his
answer," the secretary insisted. "He will see no
one."
'Lua gently persisted, "Will you ask him if I
may see him tomorrow should his son be healed in
the meantime?"
'The secretary fro\vned impatiently, dismissed her
and turned away. Lua did not leave. Finally the
secretary looked at her once more. She smiled at
him with loving patience. He shrugged his
shoulders, sighed, and said, "Very well. Y ou wait
here." He went into the next room. Immediately
Lua began to pray quietly to herself.
'Soon the secretary returned, a puzzled look in
his eyes.
, "The Minister will see you tomorro\v. But only
upon your own conditions I"
'Lua thanked him and withdrew.
'That night she gathered together as many of
the Baha'is of Paris as possible. \Vhen tlley were
assembled, she told them of her mission and asked
them for their help.
, "Let us sit up all night and pray for the little
boy," she urged. She told them hO\\T the j\faster
had taught her that any difficulty could be solved
through prayer. All that "vas necessary ,vas to be
sincere.'
Both Baha'u'llih and 'Abdu'l-Baha then1selves
resorted to the power of prayer in titnes of difficulty.
Baha'u'lhih, during the days of trial in Baghdad,
when He \vas surrounded by enemies, directed IIis
followers to recite over and over a prayer revealed
by the Bab for just such times of crisis.
One of Baha'u'llih's companions has himself testified to just such an occasion:
'I stood rooted to the spot, lifeless, dried up as a
dead tree, ready to fall under the impact of the
stunning po\ver of His [Baha'u'llah's] words.
Finally, He said:
'''Bid them recite: 'Is there any Remover of
difficulties save G·od? Say: Praised be God! He is
God! All are His servants, and all abide by His
bidding l' Tell them to repeat it five hundred times,
nay, a thousand times, by day and by night, sleeping
and waking, that haply the Countenance of Glory
may be unveiled to their eyes, and tiers of light
descend upon them." ,
Baha'is throughout the world, as well as their
friends and sympathizers, have found this simple
prayer of the Bab a source of great comfort and
assistance in time of need.
\VtTith such prayers, Lua called upon the Baha'is
of Paris to assist her with her mission.
'\X?ith Lua leading them,' her friend's report
continues, 'they began!t vigil that lasted through the
night.
'The next n10rning Lua returned to the Prin1e
1rfinister's office. The secretary greeted her with a
broad and welcoming smile. He said simply, "The
Prime Minister will see you right away."
'Lua's eyes twinkled. "Is the little boy better?"
'The secretary nodded. "The crisis is passed. lIe is
well on his "vay to recovery."
'The secretary then opened the door that led to
the Prime Minister.'
Thus Lua was able to present one of the petitions
through official channels, by which it eventually
reached the Shah.
1-frs ~Iariam I-Ianey, another one of the stout
hearted servants of Baha'u'lhih in America, made
the journey to Paris with Lua. She has recalled the
events surrounding that mission.
'Two petitions reached I-lis ~Iajesty, the Shih,'
]\;frs Haney wrote; 'one was presented in person by
Lua on behalf of the Baha'is in Paris, at the Elysee
Palace Hotel where the Shah and his entourage
were staying.'
Muzaffari'd-Din-Shah
. - left the 110tel with his
Prime Minister, 'stepped into his waiting carriage
and drove away \-vith the petition in his hand'.
For some time follo\ving the presentation of
these two petitions, there \-vas a remarkable cessation
of persecution.
Part IV

HERALD OF TI-IE COVENANT
18. 'Abdu' 1-Bahd Arrives ill A.111erica
'Abdu'l-Baha "vas still under confinement and close
scrutiny when Lua made her first visit to the floly
I.-and in 1898. It was not until ten years later
in 1908 that 'Abdu'l-Baha was given His freedom.
Immediately fIe n1ade plans to visit the West.
'Abdu'l-Baha, the Exemplar of 1-1is Father's Faith,
Vlas about to give His follo\vers a personal example
of what it meant to arise and teach the Cause of
God.
'Abdu'l-Baha 'was at this time broken in health.
He suffered from several maladies brougllt on by the
strains and stresses of a tragic life spent almost
wholly in exile and imprisonment.'
First He laid to rest the holy Dust of the Bab in
'a safe and pern1anent' resting-place. He fulfilled
this historic 1vfission given Him by His Father.
Once that priceless 'trust' had been completed,
'Abdu'l-Baha 'arose \vith sublime courage, confidence and resolution to consecrate what little
strengtl1 remained to Him, in the evening of His
life, to a service of such heroic proportions that no
parallel to it is to be found in the annals of the first
Baha'i century'.
The Son of Baha'u'llah "vas soon to travel 'first
to Egypt, then to Europe and later to America'.
His grandson and Guardian of the Bahi'i Faith,
Shoghi Effendi, has written that these journeys
\vould 'mark, if we would correctly appraise their
historic importance, a turning point of the utmost
significance in the history of the century'.
'Abdu'l-Bahi, Lua's beloved 1rlaster, was free at
last! He was on His way to ignite fires that would
never be quenched. Except for a brief period during
the First \Vorld War 'Abdu'l-Baha would now
enjoy to the end of His life a freedom v;.rhich has
never since been withdrawn from the Institutions
of the Baha'i Faith at its world centre.
'So momentous a change in the fortunes of the
Faith was the signal for such an outburst of activity
on His part as to dumbfound His follo,vers in East
and West with admiration and wonder, and
exercise an imperishable influence on the course of
its future history.'

One of the greatest days of Lua's life \vas April
11th, 1912, when her dream came true, and the
steamship Cedric sailed into New York harbour
bringing 'Abdu'l-Baha on I-lis historic visit to the
shores of America.
'Abdu'l-Baha's arrival was an occasion for excitement, not only among the Baha'is but for the press
and the people of New York as well. Newspaper
reporters and News Service representatives came
aboard the Cedric at quarantine and interviewed
'Abdu'l-Bahi coming up the bay.
Versions of that historic interview appeared in
newspapers all over America and around the world.
It was the greatest single instance of the proclamation of the Faith of Baha'u'llah since the days of its
birth.
'Abdu'l-Baha had truly, as promised by 1-1is
Father, raised His voice in the West.
The follo'\ving account is a description, both of
'Abdu'l-Baha Himself, and the purpose of His
Mission, written not by a Baha'i but by a newspaper correspondent representing the New York
City Ne'\vs Association.
The press was keenly interested in the words of
an exile and a prisoner ",7ho, after half a century of
such suffering, was free to speak at last to the
world.
'He comes on a mission of international peace,'
reporter \\1. 1). Dodge explained in his press account, 'to attend and address the Peace Conference
at Lake J\;Iohonk the latter part of this month, and
to address various peace meetings, educational
societies, religious organizations ...
"Abdu'l-Baha was found on the upper deck,
standing where he could see the pilot, his long,
flowing oriental robe flapping in the breeze. 1-Ie
was clothed in a long, black robe open at the front
and disclosing another robe of light tan. Upon his
head was a pure ",rhite turban, such as all eastern
patriarchs wear.
'His face was light itself as he scanned the harbor
and greeted the reporters... I-Ie is a man of
medium height, though at first sight he seemed to
be much taller. He is strongly and solidly built,
and '\veighs probably one hundred and sixty-five
pounds. As he paced the deck, talking \vith the
reporters, he appeared alert and active in e"v"ery
movement, his head thrown back and splendidly
poised upon his broad, square shoulders, most of
the time. A profusion of iron grey hair bursting out
at the sides of the turban and hanging long upon the
neck; a large, massive head, full-domed and remarkably wide across the forehead and temples, the
forehead rising like a great palisade above the eyes,
which were very wide apart, their orbits large and
deep, looking out from under massive overhanging
brows; strong Roman nose, generous ears, decisive
yet kindly mouth and chin; a creamy white complexion, beard same color as his hair, worn full over
the face and carefully trimmed at almost full
length-this completes an insufficient word picture
of this "Wise Man out of the East".'
'Abdu'l-Bahi spoke at length to the press representatives, ans\vering all their questions about
peace, war, the rights of women, freedom of the
press, education, true liberty and true religion.
'Abdu'l-Bahi displayed wisdom, love and a
sense of humour as He chatted with the press
reporters in His stateroom. He recalled an incident
from the previous winter when a young Christian
was about to set off on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
The pilgrim was worried, feeling that he did not
have the right spirit and sense of reverence.
'The proper spirit in which to visit places
hallowed by remembrances of Christ,' 'Abdu'l-
Bahi told His young visitor, 'is one of constant
communion with God. Love for God will be
the telegraph wire, one end of which is in the
Kingdom of the Spirit, and the other in your
heart.'
'I am afraid my telegrap11 '''lire is broken,' the
would-be pilgrim complajned.
'Then,' said 'Abdu'l-Baha, laughing heartily, 'I
told him : "You will have to use wireless
telegraphy." ,

\Vhen the ship came abreast of the Statue of
Liberty, 'Abdu'l-Baha stood erect facing the
Statue and held up 1-lis arms in salutation.
'There is the new "\vorld's symbol of liberty and
freedom,' He said. 'After being forty years a
prisoner I can tell you that freedom is not a matter
of place. It is a condition ... \vhen one is released
from the prison of self, that is indeed a release.'
'Abdu'l-Baha waved farc\vell to the Statue as the
ship turned to\-vards 1\1anhattan. rfo the reporters
He said, 'In forn1er ages it has been said, "~ro lo\re
one's native land is faith." But the tongue in this
d. ay says, "Gl-ory lS not hOIS v/no
° 1 1
loves hOIS natIve
.
land, but glory is his \vho loves his kindhumanitv." ,
~

'Abdu'l-Baha gazed up at the jagged skyline of
those stone-canyons of Ne\v York.
'These,' fIe said, 'are the minarets of \Y!estern
\Vorld commerce and industry.'
'Abdu'l-Baha suggested to the reporters that just
as these buildings reached heavenward, so should
the people vlho occupied theln be al\vays striving
for the betterment of humanity, for universal peace,
and for the good of all nations and mankind in
general.
'The bricks make the house,' I-Ie told them, 'and
if the bricks are bad the house \vill not stand ...
It is necessary for individuals to become as good
bricks, to eradicate from then1selves race and
religious hatred, greed and a limited patriotism, so
that, whetller they find then1selves guiding the
government, or founding a honle, the result of
their efforts may be peace and prosperity, love and
happiness. '

Such "vere the '\vords first spoken by 'Abdu'l-
Baha in America. Such \vere the scenes that greeted
Him as He gazed for the first time upon this land
"\vhich Baha'u'llih had addressed in His summons to
the presidents and rulers of the Republics of the
West. Now 'Abdu'l-Bahi was in one of those
lands to help its leaders 'bind ... the broken with
the hands of justice', \vords which Baha'u'llah I-limself had directed to these same rulers.

19. Lua and the Master Atfeet Agaln
'.l\.bdu'l-Baha had been in America less than a
month w11en He took one of the most historic
actions of His entire journey.
The site of the Baha'i House of \vorship in
Wihnette, Illinois, the 'holiest House of \vorship
ever to be raised to the Name of Baha'u'llah', \vas
barren land on that chill, windy ivIay day when
'Abdu'l-Baha, ",dth 1-lis o"\vn hands, laid the
corner-stone of that prototype edifice that would
sooner or later change the face of human society.
The Baha'is of America were gathered at a
Convention in Chicago just preceding that great
ev'ent. Lua was addressing an assembled crowd of
over a thousand. She had just returned from a
triumphant teaching tour in California.
Lua's visit to California had been successful
beyond all expectation, yet Lua was never fully
a,\vare of the influence she had on others. Her heart
\vas always anchored in her love for 'Abdu'l-Bahiresults she left to God and to the future.
Her presence in San Francisco in 1911, just preceding 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit to America, had been
of great importance to another Baha'i, John I-Ienry
Hyde Dunn. lIe has often told ho\v he sought Lua
out on every occasion for a private interview. She
gave him generously of her time. No doubt one of
Lua's 'inner promptings' told her that this was one
of 'Abdu'l-Baha's 'lost jewels'. Hyde Dunn, with
his wife, Clara, would in a few years sail away to the
Antipodes and open up the entire continent of
Australia to the Baha'i Faith.
John David Bosch, '\vho with his wife, Louise,
pioneered to Tahiti and opened those South Pacific
Islands to the Cause of God, also made a gift of his
beautiful Geyserville, California, property to the
Faith. It became one of the first and most influential
of the Baha'i summer schools. It continues to function on an ever-expanding scale even until today.
Mr Bosch has himself explained that it was the visit
of Lua which inspired hin1 to write to 'Abdu'l-
Baha and offer his land for the benefit 'of the
teachings of Baha'u'llah'.
These were a few of the teaching victories that
Lua, the 'mother-teacher of the West', unwittingly
brought to Chicago on that historic occasion, to
lay at the feet of her belo'ved !\fraster, 'Abdu'l,..
Baha.

At the exact moment that this 'herald' of the
Cause was addressing her fellow-Baha'is in Chicago,
the exciting news was announced that '.f\bdu'l-
Baha had arrived at the Convention I
Imagine, if you are a Christian, the happiness tllat
would have flooded every l1cart in Rome if, not long
after the beginning of Christianity, the .t\postle
Peter or Paul had appeared in person at a huge
gathering of the followers of 11is I-Ioliness Christ.
Then magnify that feeling a thousandfold, for
Baha'u'lhih, the return of Christ, f-i"oundcr of the
Baha'i Faith, llad "\vith I-lis o\vn Pen, in a written
Will and Testament, appointed 'Abdu'l-Baha as His
Successor, the One to Whom the entire "\vorld
should turn. There \vere no doubts. It \vas a Covenant for all time.
'Abdu'l-Baha, the Son of the Promised One of
all religions, \vas \valking in their midst, on the
face of the earth, here in Chicago. The moment His
blessed countenance appeared in the door\vay, a
thrill of expectancy electrified the Convention hall.
'At once, the vast concourse, as one person,
arose' in breathless silence as the One Whom they
had so long awaited appeared. Ho\v many times
Lua described that unforgettable moment to her
friends. All eyes were on her beloved Master as He
slowly made His \vay towards the front. Tears of
joy Ro\ved. His smiling, radiant countenance
lifted their hearts into another kingdom. That
reverent hush \vas broken only by the soft, wruspered prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving, and
here and there a sob, torn from the depths of hearts
which had longed so earnestly to witness this
moment, but despaired of ever living to see it.
But it was true! He was here among them!
'Abdu'l-Baha! The Master! The Mystery of God!
The Son of Baha'u'lla11 !
They knew that such a tnoment would never
come to them again.
No other Baha'i Convention in the glorious
future history of His Father's Faith would ever
share the presence of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Centre of
Baha'u'llah's Mighty Covenant with mankind. It
was indeed a moment unique, precious, historymaking. At long last 'Abdu'l-Baha faced His dearly
loved followers in the West and spoke words of
encouragement and inspiration. He told them about
the great significance of the Temple whose foundation-stone was to be placed the follo\ving day.
'Abdu'l-Baha told them that this edifice 'was
founded for the unification of mankind ... '.
It is doubtful if many were able to take in His
words until they read them later. Their hearts were
too full of the majesty and magic of His presence
among them. Words did not matter. It was the
heart and soul that understood the joy and wonder
of it all.
The spirit of that hour was captured by the chorus
as it sang in joyous harmony of the 'Great Day of
God'.

The following day, Baha'is from all over America
gathered in Wilmette on the site of the future
Temple, a Temple \vhich \vould be the most holy
House of Worship ever to be raised in the Name of
Baha'u'lhlh.
Lua \vas there all that occasion and heard her
beloved 11as ter say:
'The po\ver \vhich has gathered you here today
notwithstanding the cold and \vindy \veather is
indeed Inighty and \vonderful. It is the power of
God, the divine favor of Baha'u'llah [Glory of
God] "\vhich has dra\vn you together.'
'Abdu'l-Baha predicted that out of this Temple,
thousands of other temples would be born in all
parts of the \vorld, but that this House of Worship
would be t11e lTIother of thelTI all.
'It marks,' I-Ie has \vritten, 'the inception of the
I<ingdom of God on earth.'
\Vhat a blessing for Lua and that relatively small
group of Baha'is to be present on that memorable
occasion witll 'Abdu'l-Baha, to see and participate
in the very earliest beginnings of the Christpromised I(ingdom of God on earth.
'Abdu'l-Baha called upon the people of the various
races and nationalities who were there to participate
and turn a bit of soil on behalf of their own people.
Finally, at the end, 'Abdu'l-Baha set the stone in
place on behalf of all the peoples of the world, and
the 1rfother Temple was born.
To the Baha'is assembled on that occasion, relatively few in number, with very limited resources,
'Abdu'l-Baha said, 'lvIake a beginning and all \vill
come well.' Their task was to raise up a Mother
Temple, and to conquer the \vorld with the sword
of Baha'u'llih's Teachings.
'In the unseen ,vorld,' He said, 'the Temple is
already built.'

20. Lua's Scllemes Go Astray
It wasn't always possible for Lua to follow '.f\bdu'l-
Bahi everywhere He travelled, but she did her best.
In fact, one of 1-4ua's greatest joys ,vas thinking up
ne,v \vays by ,vhich she could be \vith '.l\bdu'l-
Baha in 1-1i5 journeys throughout J\mcrica. She
longed to be in I-lis presence at a]] times. This took
a great deal of scheming on her part. 'Abdu'l-Baha
\vas well aware of Lua's love-inspired little plots.
Once in Ilaifa, as she ,vas preparing to leave I-lim,
'Abdu'I-Baha is reported to have said laughingly,
'\Xlill you begin to schelne to find a way to return
here as soon as you reach .l~n1erica?'
'No, beloved l\1aster,' Lua answered honestly.
'I shall begin scheming as soon as I am on the boat.'
'Abdu'I-Baha spent tl1e months of June and July
in Ne\v York. These ,vere days of delight for Lua.
Late in June, however, 'Abdu'I-Baha called Lua to
Him and broke the news that lie \vanted her to go
to California to do some teaching work for the
Faith. Lua was frantic. She didn't want to leave
Him. She was so eager to be with Him, she \vould
frequently forget the lesson of patience \vhich He
\-vas trying to teacl1 her.
Lua went to see her dear friend Juliet Thompson,
11er fello\v-conspirator in these attempts to be near
the Master. Lua explained another of her schemes.
She knew tllat 'Abdu'I-Baha had asked Juliet to
paint her portrait. Since this ,\vas a portrait which
82.
'Abdu'I-Ba11a had Hitnself requested, it was a
\vonderful indication of the great love He had for
Lua.
Lua's plot revolved around this painting.
'Julie,' she said, 'the 1'iaster has told you to paint
n1y portrait. IJlease, dear, tell Ifin:1 that )TOll can't
paint my portrait if I an1 in California.'
'He knou/s that.'
'But if you remind 1-li111, perhaps He'll think it's
more important for me to be here \vith Hill1.'
'The itnportant thing,' Juliet said, 'is to be
obedient to the lvfaster.'
'I am obedient to the 1rfaster. I'm going to California. But a little later on \vhen I can't possibly be
\vith 'Abdu'l-Baha.'
'Lua!'
'Please?'
It was impossible for Juliet to refuse Lua when
she was so persuasive. So Juliet \vent to the J\faster.
She told 'Abdu'l-Baha that she couldn't paint
Lua's portrait if Lua \vere far off in California. The
Master laughed heartily and told her to tell Lua
that she \vould be back in Ne\v York again in a
year and that 11er portrait could be painted then.
His final instructions \vcre, 'Tell Lua to go to
California. '
Juliet delivered this message. Lua sighed, and
accepted the inevitable. But she didn't go to California immediately because 'Abdu'l-Bahi was
leaving the next day for Montclair, New Jersey,
and Lua wanted to go there instead. For just this
one last time. r\.fter all, Ne\v Jersey was west of
New York and was on the way toward California.
8;
'Come on, Julie,' Lua urged. 'Let's go to Montclair to see 'Abdu'l-Baha!'
Juliet \-vas shocked. 'But we can't do that, Lua,'
she told her friend. '\\le haven't been invited.
Besides, \ve have to go-I mean you have to go to
California. '
'But we have a perfect excuse,' Lua insisted. '\"'" ou
have all the proofs of those recent p11otographs
which were taken of 'Abdu'l-Baha. He should see
them so that He can approve of them.'
'Do you real!J think so?' Juliet asked. She was
beginning. to \veaken herself. Lua \vas very
persuasIve.
'Of course, dear,' Lua assured her. And off they
went to lVfontclair together.

The 1vlaster looked at the photographs, but He
didn't look at Lua.

2 I. TIle Faith Is Establislled in America
Lua began to think tl1at 'Abdu'l-Baha would never
look at her again. At least not until she "vent to
California. Still, she wouldn't be Lua if she failed
to make one last gallant attempt to remain in the
East witll her beloved Master.
I~ua was obedient to the ~faster in all things
except this longing desire never to leave Him
during His visit to America. The Persian Baha'is in
'Abdu'l-Baha's party were displeased with Lua
because she didn't leave immediately for California.
'fo them such a delay was unthinkable.
'Abdu'l-Baha with His sin-covering eye must
often have been distressed by the lack of response
even on the part of those who loved Him to arise
to teach.
'If the friends of God listen to my first word,' He
said, 'they will find the success of this world and of
the next world therein. But there are some who
prefer their o\vn thoughts above mine, and when
they fall they beg me to save them. Progress and
prosperity are jn the first word. For example,
should I say to so and so, "Go thou to America,"
and he should reply, "I beg to remain a few
days more," I give him permission to do as lle
wishes. But this is not my thought; it is his
thought.'
'Abdu'l-Baha, however, did not give Lua permission to stay. He insisted on her leaving for
California. It was a match of "\vits and love, and Lua
of course kne\v from the first that her beloved
Master would win. She \vas only to@ well aware of
her shortcomings as, on that occasion, were many
of her fellow-Baha,'is. They were annoyed and some
were very put out with her. 'Abdu'l-Baha was
tender and patient.
Perhaps because Lua had arisen to teach. She
had gone to America at the 11aster's bidding,
although with plaintive reluctance. She had
travelled from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. She
had addressed a huge meeting in San Diego, on the
deck of the United States battleship California, the
flagship of the fleet. She had encouraged a fellow-
Baha'i and helped to inspire him to open up an
entire continent. She had inspired another believer
to offer a gift of land \vhich began one of the first
Ba.ha'i schools in .Lt\merica. She had set ablaze
another precious soul who opened up still another
continent to the Faith. Her spiritual cllildren were
enlisting in the 'radiant army' of Baha'u'llah on
every side. t-fhey ,\vere 31110ng the staunchest and
lllost devoted 'soldiers' of the Covenant. No doubt
this dedication out'\vcighed ller human frailties,
and captured the 1{aster's heart.
It \vas retniniscent of the story of 1Vlary who so
loved Christ that she anointed His precious feet
with a \\~hole pound of very costly ointment. It
displeased SOine of His followers. Especially Judas
Iscariot, "\vho betrayed fiim, objected, saying it
should be sold and the tnoney given to the poor.
Christ replied that Mary had saved this gift of love
because He "rould soon leave then1. 'For the poor
always ye llave \vith you; but ll1e ye have not
al,-vays.'
It is always n10re inlportant to please God than
to please one's fellO\v-believers.

'Abdu'l-Baha's next visit ,vas to Teaneck, Ne\v
Jersey, to a property that became known itl
Baha'i history as Evergreen Cabul.
'Abdu'1-13al1a invited all the Baha'is to join Him
in a large unity Feast. 1"1·his event has been commemorated every year since, even to the current
day, as one of the happiest of Ba11i'i occasions, and
the single official annual commemoration of His
visit.
Yes, 'Abdu'l-Baha also inv-ited Lua.
Slle \vas delighted, but to her chagrin she soon
realized that, immediately the Feast ,vas over)
'Abdu'l-Baha still expected her to leave for
California.
Lua \vas lost in the "\-vonder of His presence on
that history-making occasion. During that 'Unity
Feast' held on June 29th, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Baha made
it plain that the Faith of Baha'u'llah had, on that
date, truly been established in America.
\Ve can s11are through Lua's eyes the exciten1ent
that stirred each of those American Baha'is who
heard 'Abdu'l-Baha's voice that day. \Ve can see
Him yet, standing amidst the tall dark pines on that
emerald green lawn. TIle scent of pine and the soft
needles beneatll the trees, the fragrant air and blue
skies, made it a heavenly day. So many were the
flowers which His loved ones had brought that
they overflowed onto the grass, and it appeared
as though the very eartll beneath His feet had
been embroidered into a multicoloured green
carpet.
'This assembly,' 'Abdu'l-Baha told them on tllat
unforgettable day, 'has a name and significance
which will last forever. Hundreds of thousands of
meetings shall be held to commemorate this
occasion and the very ,vords I speak to you today
shall be repeated in them for ages to come. Therefore be ye rejoiced for ye are sheltered beneath the
providence of God. Be happy and joyous because the
bestowals of God are intended for you and the life
of the Holy Spirit is breathing upon you ... for
you are the ones who are called to uplift the cause
of unity among the D,ations of the earth . . .'
Many of the seeds sown that day "\vere to blosson1
in a later age. 1\rIany of those listening ,\vere to arise
and become 'lions of the Covenant of Baha'u'lhih'.
Certainly Lua was among them.

When the Unity Feast was over, Lua discovered
that she had a bad case of poison-ivy. She was overjoyed. The distress and swelling were such as to
incapacitate her-especially for long-distance traveL
She immediately notified her friend Juliet about her
delightful affliction.
Miss Thompson came at once to Lua's hotel
room. Juliet took one look at Lua's s\vollen ankles
and said, 'It's a punishment.'
'No, it's a reward.'
Juliet was insistent. 'It's a test.'
Lua said, 'It's guidance.'
Juliet was not convinced.
'Please, Julie,' Lua begged. 'Go to the Master
and tell Him my feet are all swollen up with poisonivy, that I can't even walk. So I can't possibly
leave for California until the poison-ivy is gone.'
Reluctantly Juliet carried the message.
The Master laughed again.
'1 will cure Lua,' He said.
On the table near-by "vas a pot of cold tea.
'Abdu'l-Bahi pointed to it.
'G-ive Lua a drink from this pot of tea,' He said.
Juliet returned to Lua "\vith the tea. Lua was
obedient and drank it to the last drop.
In the late afternoon the Master came to visit her.
'Now,' He said laughing, 'you are well, Lua.
You can leave for California.' With a mischievous
twinkle, He added, 'I cured you "\vith a cup of cold
tea.'
After 'Abdu'l-Baha had gone, Juliet rose from
her chair, picked up Lua's empty teacup and,
standing where the :NIaster had stood, looked first
into the teacup and then at Lua. With the same mischievous t\vinkle that had lighted 'Abdu'l-Baha's
eyes, Juliet said:
'I see by the tea-leaves in your cup t11at you are
going to go on a long journey!'

One account of this incident reported that
'Abdu'l-Baha sent Lua an apple and a pomegranate
to eat, and that she gravely, steadily and thoroughly
che\ved them down to the last morsel: swallowing
her 'cure' in which lay the seeds of her own defeat.
Another declared that it was an apple and a glass of
pomegranate juice. Lua's sister who had heard Lua
laugh over the story many times insisted that it was
a cup of cold tea.
Perhaps it was all three. One thing is certain, and
all agree, Lua was cured, and couldn't think of
another reason for not going to California. She
had been cured both ounvardly and inwardly. And
to her intense delight, the journey turned out to be a
blessing. 'Abdu'l-Bahi had sent her on ahead to
prepare the way. Soon He and His party joined her
in California.

22. From the Ho!y Land to the Golden Gate

'Abdu'l-Baha stayed in America eight months. He
travelled from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and
back. He spoke in both Canada and the United
States, proclaiming His Father's Faith.
'Abdu'l-Baha's trip across America, undertaken
at an age of nearly seventy, covered over five
thousand miles. He spoke before all sizes and types
of audience. These talks have filled t\VO volumes.
David Starr Jordan, the IJresident of Stanford
University, introduced 111m in these words:
, 'Abdu'l-Balui \vill surely unite the East and the
\Vest: for He treads the mystic way \vith practical
feet.'
An account of the travels of 'Abdu'l-Baha would
be a volume in itself! 111 New York City alone He
delivered public addresses and made formal visits to
no less than fifty-five places. He \vas engaged in
spreading Baha'u'llah's 1fessage of fellowship and
love from early da\vn until late at night.
In view of the constant and concentrated travels
of 'Abdu'l-Baha in North America, how pathetic
sound those excuses of the people in the West who
repeatedly asked Lua, 'Why haven't I heard about
the Baha'i FaitI1 before? It sounds wonderful, but
it's all so new.'
Lua told them frankly that it vvasn't new at all.
It had begun nearly three-quarters of a century
before. She explained that Baha'u'llah had written
to the kings and rulers of the world in His day.
She told them all the \vonderful truths she had
learned from 'Abdu'l-Baha: How Baha'u'llih had
addressed the 11eads of Christianity, Judaism and
Islam. He also directed a special Message to the
'elected representatives' of the peoples in all
countries.
Baha'u'lhih proclaimed, in the clearest terms, His
Mission as the return of Christ, the Promised One
foretold in all holy Books. lIe offered ample proof
to support His claim.
Baha'u'lhih wrote separate lvfessages to kings,
emperors, and ministers of state in both the East
and the West. I-Ie addressed the presidents and rulers
of the Republics of the Western world, including
the President of the United States.
Baha'u'llah directed His Teachings to leaders in
the intellectual, political, literary, 1nystical, commercial and hutuanitarian spheres of activity.
lIe sent a special Letter to the Pope in Rome.
He directed separate 1\Iessages to tlle entire hierarchy of Christianity: the patriarchs, the archbishops, tIle bishops, the monks, the priests, and the
people of Christianity.
For nearly a quarter of a century, Baha'u'lhih's
Pen never ceased proclaiming to all humanity that
the day so long a\vaited by all the great religions,
the day of the one fold and one shepherd, had at
last arrived .

.2 3. A Standing Ovation for tIle Herald of Peace
What was it that' Abdu'l-Baha told the peoples of the
West that enabled Him to 'recreate' so many of them,
and lay the foundation for an enduring kingdom?
What ,vas the Call that 'Abdu'l-Baha urged Lua
and her fellow-believers to raise in every land?
Perhaps we shall understand their passionate devotion to Him and their remarkable zeal, if we
examine, however briefly, the fundamental Teachings which 'Abdu'l-Baha stressed during those
months in America.
In God Passes By there is a lnoving account of
these matchless journeys. Shoghi Effendi, the
Guardian of the Baha'i Fait11 and 'Abdu'l-Baha's
grandson, sumn1arizes His potent Message to the
people residing in the materialistic West. While
'Abdu'l-Bahi "\vas teaching the \vorld, He \vas also
deepening the kno\vledge of His own followers.
'It was in the course of these epoch-making
journeys and before large and representative
audiences, at times exceeding a thousand people,
that 'Abdu'l-Baha expounded, with brilliant simplicity, with persuasiveness and force, and for the
first time in His Ministry, those basic and distinguishing principles of His Father's Faith ... '
These teachings, Shoghi Effendi declared, 'together \vith the la\vs and ordinances revealed in
[Baha'u'lhih's Most Holy Book] constitute the
bedrock of God's latest Revelation to mankind'.
The Guardian then listed the most outstanding
of the teachings of 'Abdu'l-Bahi which, after Him,
Lua and her fellow-disciples were to proclaim in
every state and province:
'The independent search after truth, unfettered by
superstition or tradition; the oneness of t11e entire
human race, the pivotal principle and fundamental
doctrine of the Faith; the basic unity of all religions;
the condemnation of all forms of prejudice, \vhether
religious, racial, class or national; the harmony
\vhich must exist between religion and science; the
equality of men and women, the two \vings on
"\vhich the bird of human kind is able to soar; the
introduction of compulsory education; the adoption of a universal auxiliary language; the abolition
of the extremes of wealth and poverty; the institution of a world tribunal for the adjudication of
disputes between nations; the exaltation of \-vork,
performed in the spirit of service, to the rank of
worship; the glorification of justice as the ruling
principle in human society, and of religion as a
bulwark for the protection of all peoples and
nations; and the establishment of a permanent and
universal peace as the supreme goal of all mankind
-these stand out as the essential elements of that
Divine polity \vhich He proclaimed to leaders of
public thought as well as to the masses at large in
the course of these missionary journeys.'

'Abdu'l-Baha also dealt with the current problems
facing society. He predicted the inevitable coming
of the First World War. He later warned about the
coming of the Second World War. He said they
were inevitable because mankind had failed to
accept and enforce Baha'u'llah's Teachings. Baha'u'llah was the Messenger of God for this day,
the Lawgiver and Guide, but the world had turned
a deaf ear. It was no\v paying the price, and the
sufferings were only beginning.
During tl10se travels 'Abdu'l-Baha foretold the
grave racial strife whicl1 would shatter the peace
and well-being of America. There \-vas only one
remedy, He said. Her people must immediately put
into practice Baha'u'llah's Teachings on the oneness
and complete equality of all races. Blood would run
in the streets of American cities if these healing
principles were not used to prevent this tragedy.
'Abdu'l-Baha foreshadowed the radical changes
that \vould take place in Eut-ope. He \varned that if
the statesmen did not unite to prevent it, the entire
continent would be set ablaze.
He anticipated the terrible persecution of tlle
Jews on European soil.
'Abdu'l-Baha talked to Presidents, Prime lvfinisters, Cabinet members, Mayors, Governors, Senators, Congressmen, members of Parliament, military
leaders, religious leaders of all faiths.
'Every morning,' one of 'Abdu'l-Baha's follo\vers
has related, 'according to 1-1is custom, the 11aster
expounded the principles of the teaching of
Baha'u'llih to those \vho gathered around Him, the
learned and the unlearned, eager and respectful.'
People of all nationalities, creeds and backgrounds came to talk with Him. They came from
East and West. They \vere theosophists, agnostics,
atheists, materialists, spiritualists, Christian
Scientists, social reformers, militants, Hindus,
Sufis, lYluslims, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Christians, Jews, church dignitaries, ambassadors, pashas, nobility and peasants. There \vas no end to it.
'Abdu'l-Baha sat at breakfast with the Lord
11ayor of London. I-Ie wrote in the Bible of the
City Temple of London, 'This book is the holy
Book of God'. He addressed an overflowing congregation at St. John's, Westminster. The Bishop's
chair was placed in a position of honour for Him.
The Prisoner, the exile, the despised, the One
they had threatened to crucify on the gates of
'Akka, was being acclaimed on all sides.
He spoke to presidents of universities, to Admiral
Peary, Alexander Graham Bell, Theodore Roosevelt, Rabbi Stephen Wise, Hudson Maxim the arms
manufacturer, Andre\v Carnegie, and to the destitute in the Bo\,very district of New York.
On several occasions, 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke before
as many as three and four gatherings in one
day, addressing two and three thousand listeners
who followed \vith keen eagerness His every
word.
One day 'Abdu'l-Baha entered a Congregational
Church in Chicago. The Rector of the church told
the packed audience that he had been making plans
to go to 'Akka to meet 'Abdu'l-Baha, when news
came that the Master was en route to America.
'Today,' the Rector said, 'God has conferred a
great blessing upon us. 'Abdu'l-Ba11a is here \vith
us.'
The Rector then introduced Him as a beloved
'Herald of Peace'.
When 'Abdu'l-Baha came to the pulpit, the
audience rose in unison, and something unique in
the history of that Protestant church took place.
Although they were inside the church, the audience
was so caught up in the spirit of His presence that
they greeted 'Abdu'l-Baha with loud and prolonged cheers, until the walls of the building
reverberated. Such was His effect upon those who
saw Him.

24. The Flame Ignltes Many Fires
Lua, as well as the other heroes and heroines of
those early days, witnessed many such scenes of
unforgettable beauty, majesty and tenderness as
'Abdu'l-Baha 'recreated' the spirits of the receptive
believers He met. He kindled fresh fires of devotion
and dedication in the hearts of almost all whom He
encountered on His incredible American journeys.
He was always on the move.
'Abdu'l-Baha addressed peace conferences in
several States. He spoke to students and professors
at Columbia, Stanford, Ho"\vard and Ne\v York
universities. He participated in the fourth annual
conference of the National ~Association for the
Advancement of the Colored People.
'Abdu'l-Baha fearlessly asserted the truth of the
prophetic mission of Jesus Christ before no less than
t"\vo thousand Jews assembled in the Temple
Emmanu-EI, a Jewish synagogue in San Francisco.
He boldly championed the mission of Mul;amlnad
before packed audiences in Protestant churches.
He courageously upheld the divine character of
the mission of Moses. He empllasized the oneness
of all the Messengers of God.
With characteristic vigour and courage He proclaimed Baha'u'llah's Teachings on the complete
equality of the races; not in 'tolerance' which is
negative, but in the equality of opportunity for all
races in every field of human endeavour, and in all
parts of the world without exception.
'Abdu'l-Baha Himself demonstrated the sincerity
of Baha'u'lhih's principle of the 'oneness of mankind' by His own encouragement of, and participation in, an interracial marriage of Baha'is. He
'united two of l-lis followers' of different nationalities and races. Louis G. Gregory, a Negro, was
married to Louise Matthews of the white race.
'Abdu'l-Bahi highly praised such marriages
between the races, saying:
'If it be possible, gather together these t\VO races,
black and wl1ite, into one assembly, and put such
love into their hearts that they shall not only unite
but even intermarry. Be sure that the results of this
'\vill abolis11 differences and disputes between black
and white. IYforeover, by the Will of God, may it be
so. This is a great service to humanity.'
Louis G. Gregory ,\vas one of the early coworkers of Lua. This brilliant American Negro
Baha'i and teacher served as a member of the
National Spiritual .t\ssembly of the Baha'is of the
United States, the highest elective post to which
any Baha'i can attain in his own area. At the time
of his death, a cablegram ,\vas sent to the entire
Baha'i \vorld by Shoghi Effendi, World Head of the
Baha'i Faith, praising this colleague of Lua as the
dearly loved, 'noble-minded, golden-hearted Louis
Gregory, pride (and) example' to all.
The Baha'i \vorld \vas told that he, Louis
Gregory, occupied a 'unique position' because of
his dedicated services and that the 'rising Baha'i
generation (in the) African continent' would glory
in his memory.
'Abdu'l-Baha also paid a touching tribute to
Thornton Chase, the first Baha'i in America. He
visited the grave of Mr Chase in Inglewood,
California, a suburb of Los Angeles. This was a
special 'pilgrimage' by 'Abdu'l-Baha to the last
resting-place of the very first soul to embrace the
Cause of Baha'u'lhlh in the West.
'Abdu'l-Baha stopped beside the grave without
asking directions, praised the green verdure and
flowers. He stood silent a few minutes, then taking
the bouquet of flowers which had been brought
with Him, He adorned the grave with His own
hands, with a love, tenderness and affection that
touched every heart.
'Abdu'l-Baha faced the Holy Land and chanted
the Tablet of Visitation, a prayer read at the tomb of
Baha'u'llah. He then spoke about the nobility,
sacrifice and dedication of Thornton Chase, and
before leaving, bowed to kiss the gravestone.
Lua, looking on, was but one of many who
longed to attain such a station, such a place in the
heart of the Master.
Thornton Chase, the first to accept Baha'u'llah
in the West, and one of the first to lay down his
life as a Baha'i and consecrate the soil of the
American continent, had spent five memorable days
on pilgrimage as 'a prisoner' with 'Abdu'l-Baha.
Now that pilgrimage was repaid.
Thornton Chase had been in the forefront of
the battle since 1894, the year both he and Lua
embraced the Faith. They exemplified words which
'Abdu'l-Baha had spoken to a Western pilgrim:
'The general does not love most the man in the
back of the ranks. He loves most the man in front.
If you knew the value of these days, you would
not eat, you would not sleep, you would not
walk. You would run and give to all the Glad
Tidings!'
These words described the final years of Lua's life.
She increased her pace. She added new continents
to her list of battle-fronts. In the happiness of
serving 'Abdu'l-Baha she did indeed 'run' in all
directions to give the Glad Tidings.
In the joy of the year of 1912, Lua, so full of
youth, vitality and eagerness, never dreamed that
so little time "vas left to her; that in four short
years, in the midst of a world war, she would be
struck down, a martyr.

25. 'I appolnt YOt!-, Lila, as a Herald of the
Covenant!'
\Vhen the friends urged the Master to rest and
conserve His energy, He told them that sometimes
material rest could rob man of spiritual rest. The
time "vas short, the hours precious. Whenever He
thought of setting down His burden of work,
'Abdu'I-BaI1a said He could hear the voice of His
beloved Father, Baha'u'llah, calling to Him:
'March! MarchI'
In the midst of this endless activity, 'Abdu'l-
Baha reluctantly agreed to the constantly repeated
request of the believers that fIe permit Juliet
Thompson to paint His portrait.
Miss Thompson has recorded her memory of that
first sitting in her studio in New York City.
'Never shall I forget that day the Master was
posing for His portrait. He said to Lua, "This
makes me sleepy."
'I said, "Tell the 11aster to go to sleep, Lua. I can
paint Him while He sleeps."
'The Master closed His eyes. He sat perfectly
upright, still as a statue. I was so awed that I could
not paint. Suddenly His eyes flashed open. It
seemed to me that the room shook as He began to
speak. I "vas shattered by His power as He unveiled
to our eyes the meaning of "The Covenant of
God".'
During those awe-inspiring moments 'Abdu'l-
Bahi explained the great Covenant that God made
with mankind. He said that God \vill never forget
man, but will al\vays, from tin1e to time, send do\vn
a Prophet to guide him. Moses was such a Prophet.
So was Christ. l\nd Nlu1}ammad. So \vas
Bahi'u'llih.
'Abdu'l-Bahi spoke of the great Covenant of
Bahi'u'llih, God's Prophet for this day. He told
them of Bahi'u'lhih's \Xlill and Testament, \vritten
in Bahi'u'llih's own hand, which appointed Hin1,
'Abdu'l-Baha, to be the Centre of His Faith to
Whom all should turn.
In that city of New York, 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke
many times of th.e Covenant of God. It was the
strong rope to \vhich all believers could cling, confident that no human power could divide, dismember or break up the Baha'i Faith in the future.
The enemies of this Cause, both "vithin and without the Faith, would take their axes to chop at the
roots of this sacred Covenant, but the blades \vould
break off in their hands, the scars would heal over,
and the Faith of Baha'u'llih would go on un~
impaired and undivided, unlike the religions of the
past which succumbed to division and sects.
In New York, during His visit, 'Abdu'l-Baha
read before a general assembly of follo"\vers,
Baha'u'llah's ne\vly translated Tablet of the Branch,
in which Bahi'tl'llih had clearly and emphatically
appointed 'Abdu'l-Bahi as His Successor. New
York City 'henceforth became designated as the
City of the Covenant'.
We can itnagine the impact of 'Abdu'l-Baha's
words upon such a prepared channel as Lua.
'Abdu'l-Bahi's words unfolded before the eyes
of both Lua and Juliet a fresh vision of the greatness of the Baha'i Faith. '-fhey realized in a flash
that this glorious Message was not for the Baha'is
alone. It was for all mankind. They began to
understand better just Who Baha'u'llah was.
There "\vould never be any doubt in their minds
that the Promised One for all mankind had appeared on earth in their day, and that His Name
,vas Baha'u'llah. They \vere now standing before
His Son, spellbound and enraptured by His
words.
Lua and Juliet both were to tell that moving
story many times-how they were captivated by His
voice, transported to another world. Juliet found
herself still staring at her empty canvas. She had
not touched her brush to it.
The magnitude of the meaning of the words
spoken by 'Abdu'l-Baha paralyzed the women.
They dared not look upon His face, they said. The
light was blinding I The very walls vibrated! If
ever human beings had heard the Voice of God on
earth speaking through a perfect channel, they felt
that they had heard it that wondrous day.
They admitted their inability to recapture the
moment or to describe it. All either of them could
do \vas to make a feeble attempt to describe the
mystery of \vhat took place. Human language was
entirely inadequate. Several times, they said, they
were both on the verge of fainting away.
'\Vhen I finally became aware of my surroundings,' Juliet recalled, 'I could hear the soft sobbing
of Lua. Poor LuaI She had scarcely recovered fronl
the awesome majesty of what had just taken place,
,vhen the ~faster looked directly into her eyes and
proclaimed:
, "I appoint you, Lua, as a Herald of the Covenant. Go forth and proclaim this truth!"
'Lua's tears vanished. She stood before us transfigured. In that moment I realized the great station
to which she had been called by the Master. She
was a flame of God I Like lnetal put into the fire,
all that had been the Lua of the past was burned
away, and she had no,v taken on the characteristics
of the fire.
, "Recreate me, 0 beloved Master!" she cried,
"that I may truly herald Thy Faith."
'Then Lua looked at me. She could see the tears
that filled my eyes. She did not know that they were
being shed in happiness at the wonder and beauty
of the scene I had been privileged to ,vitness. She
thought that my spirit was feeling deprived. Out
of the tenderness of her heart, she turned to the
Master and pleaded gently.
, "Julie wants to be recreated, too." ,

26. Mother-teacher of the West
When 'Abdu'l-Baha arrived in New York I-Ie said
to His follo~vers:
'This long voyage will prove how great is my
love for you. There \vere many troubles and vicissitudes, but in the thought of meeting you, all these
things vanished . . .'
Upon leaving thcn1 eight months later, I-lis
back-breaking labour completed, 'Abdu'l-Baha
declared:
'~rhis is 1ny last nleeting with you, for no\v I am
on the ship ready to sail a\vay. These are my final
\vords of ex110rtation. I have repeatedly summoned
you to the cause of the unity of the \vorld of humanity, announcing that all mankind are the servants of
the same God; that God is the creator of all ...
Therefore you must manifest the greatest kindness
and love to\)/ard the nations of the world, setting
aside fanaticism, abandoning religious, national
and racial prejudice ... Direct your whole effort
to\vard tl1e happiness of those \.vho are despondent,
bcsto\v food upon the hungry, clothe tl1e needy
and glorify the l1umble.'
'l\bdu'I-Baha expected great things of those early
lleroines and heroes suc11 as Lua and May and others
\vhose names have beC01TIC legends.
'I l1ave planted the seeds in Anlcrica,' 'Abdu'l-
Baha told them. 'You tTIust nurture thenl and care
for them. If you do this, they will yield an abundant
harvest ... You must arise '\vith superhuman
strength to spread the l-ieachings, for the Cause is
great; and whosoever shall arise in this day to teach,
know that he will be assisted by the Divine Concourse ... It is the Day of the proclamation of the
I<ingdom! . . . Erelong this Call shall yield the
most glorious results and \vill fill the \vorld with its
fruits.'
10 3
The Baha'is of this present generation are no"v
harvesting in every part of the globe the seeds
planted by those pioneer-teachers in the days when
'Abdu'l-Baha \valked the streets of America.
We begin to understand the 'flame' that burned
within Lua until she "vas consumed by the fire and
hea t of that Call.
These all too brief glin1pses of the visit of 'Abdu'l-
Baha to America, \'vhich set ablaze Lua's heart and
directed her future course, above all help us to
grasp
. the deep significance of those apostolic
Journeys.
Shoghi Effendi has put these travels into their
proper historic perspective:
"Abdu'l-Baha's historic journeys to the West,'
he wrote, 'and in particular His eight-month tour
of the United States of America, may be said to
have marked the culmination of His ministry, a
ministry \vhose untold blessings and stupendous
achievements only future generations can adequately
estimate.'
This journey enabled 'Abdu'l-Baha to complete
triumphantly the last of the three most important
objectives of His entire ministry: (I) erecting the
Shrine for the sacred remains of the precious Bab,
(2) inspiring and initiating the construction of the
first Baha'i House of Worship in 'Ishqabad, Russian
rfurkistan, and (3) planting the banner of His
Father's Faith permanently in the soil of the
West.
The last objective, Shoghi Effendi has told us, was
the most important of all. It was a 'three-year-long
mission to the Western world-a mission so
momentous that it deserves to rank as the greatest
exploit ever to be associated \vith His ministry'.
Lua lived in those days and was privileged to
\vitness the fulfilment of all three of these objectives, and the triumphs of her beloved Nlaster.
Lua was a girl of but twenty-t\VO when she
first heard of the Baha'i Faith; she was still in her
t\venties when she "vent on her unforgettable first
visit to 'Abdu'l-Baha; and she \vas in the full tide of
her youthful beauty and eloquence when the Master
came to America to complete the third, and crowning, triumph of His ministry. The flame which tIle
11aster had kindled in Lua's lleart would set ablaze
other fires all over America, and would win for her
the title 'mother-teacher of the West'.

27. 'Oh, Bahd'tt'lldh! What hast Thou done?'
To Lua, the final week of 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit to
America vanished as quickly as a mist before the
sun. The joy of those days would soon be over. But
what days of victory they had been.
Shoghi Effendi has captured the poignant contrast between those times of American triumph and
'Abdu'l-Baha's early sufferings and persecution.
The l\/faster's American followers, for years to
come, \vould radiate the happiness and wonder of
the hours He had shared with them. 'Abdu'l-Baha,
I-limself, must have been stirred to His depths by
the ever-increasing signs of the respect being shown
to His Father's Faith.
'Who knows what lnemories stirred within Him,'
8hoghi Effendi writes of his beloved Grandfather,
10 5
'as He stood before the thundering \vaters of Niagara, breathing the free air of a far distant land, or
gazed, in the course of a brief and much-needed
rest, upon the green \voods and countryside in
Glenvvood Springs, or nloved \vith a retinue of
Oriental believers along the paths of the Trocadero
gardens in Paris, or \valked alone in the evening
beside the majestic Hudson on Riverside Drive in
Nc\v York, or as He paced the terrace of the Hotel
du Pare at Thonon-Ies-Bains, overlooking the Lake
of Geneva, or as lIe \vatched from Serpentine
Bridge in London the pearly chain of lights beneat11
the trees stretching as far as the eye could see?
1Iemories of the sorrows, the poverty, the overhanging doanl of His earlier years; memories of His
nl0ther \vho sold her gold buttons to provide 11im,
His brother and His sister \vith sustenance, and who
\vas forced, in her darkest hours, to place a handful
of dry flour in the palm of I-lis hand to appease His
llunger; of 11is own childhood when pursued and
derided by a mob of rumans in the streets ofTihran;
of the danlp and gloon1Y room, formerly a morgue,
\vhich He occupied in the barracks of 'Akka and of
His imprisonment in the dungeon of that citymemories such as t11ese must surely l1ave thronged
His mind. Thoughts, too, must have visited Him
of t~e Bab's captivity in the mountain fastnesses
of Adhirbayjan [Persia], when at night time He
\vas refused even a lamp, and of His cruel and
tragic execution when hundreds of bullets riddled
His youthful breast. Above all His thoughts must
have centered on Baha'u'llah, \Vhom He loved so
passionately and \Vhose trials He had witnessed
and had shared from Ilis boyllood. The vermininfested Sfyah-Chal [prison] of Tihran; the bastinado inflicted upon Him in Amul; the humble fare
which filled His kashkul \vhile He [Baha'u'lhih]
lived for t\VO years the life of a dervish in the
mountains of I{urdistan; the days in Baghdad when
He did not even possess a change of linen, and
\vhen His [Bahi'u'llah's1 follo\vers subsisted on a
handful of dates; I-lis conhnelnent behind the
prison-\valls of '.r,\kka, \vhen for nine years even
the sight of verdure \vas denied }-1in1; and the public
humiliation to \vhich fIe \vas subjected at government headquarters in that city-pictures from the
tragic past such as these must have many a tin1e
overpowered flim \vith feelings of mingled gratitude and sorro"\v, as He '\vitnessed the many marks
of respect, of esteem, and honor now shown Him
['Abdu'l-Baha] and the Faith \vhich he represented.'
One evening as I-Ie \vas being driven to fulfil His
third engagement in one day, in the nation's capital
at \"XTashington, 'Abdu'l-Baha \vas heard to exclaim:
'0 Baha'u'llah! \Vhat hast Thou done? 0
Baha'u'llah! 11ay my life be sacrificed for Thee! ...
How full were Thy days with trials and tribulations!
How severe the ordeals Thou didst endure! How
solid the foundation Thou hast finally laid, and ho"\v
glorious the banner Thou didst hoist!'

28. Fare1vell to Amerlca
The morning of December 5th, 1912, was the day
of yet another parting for Lua and her beloved
10 7
Master. The S.S. Celtic lay in the New York harbour ready to carry 'Abdu'l-Baha a\vay from these
shores forever. tIe \vas saying fare\vell to all of
His American friends. His face \vas a mosaic of
beauty.
Suddenly a hush calne over the cro\vded deck.
Newspaper men, photographers and friends all
turned their gaze on that one lone figure. In the
silence, all that could be heard was the sound of
distant ships, the occasional blast of a tug whistle,
the distant rush of the great city, and the cry of the
birds.
Then the :iYfaster began to speak.
The following eye\,vitness account of these last
minutes aboard the Celtic \vas \'vritten by an American clergyman of the Unitarian Church, Howard
Colby Ives. So great \vas the spiritual impact of his
meeting with 'Abdu'l-Baha, so intense ,,"vas the love
\'vhich the 11aster kindled in his l1eart, that he left his
church, and dedicated the remaining days of his life
to teaching the Faith of Baha'u'llah.
For the last time in America, I-Io\,vard Ives later
wrote, that wonderful voice resounded across the
deck of the S.S. Celtic:
'When the Master had finished speaking,' Ives
recorded, 'He requested all present to con1e to Him
that He might take their hands in a parting expression of love. How impressive that scene! How filled
with a significance beyond words to express. The
Master's majestic yet tender figure stood framed in
the great circle of flowers with which the friends
had surrounded Him as their parting gifts. Ho\,v
fragrant and beautiful it \,vas with its atmosphere of
a world far removed from that of the sordid
material world \vhich encircled us on every side.
'We slowly passed in front of him. To each He
gave a handful of flowers, bestowing the last of the
flowers upon the very last friend. To each 'Abdu'l-
Baha spoke a few \vords of love and encouragement.'
For a still, still moment, the ship was a silent
island as the friends looked longingly for the last
time upon that \vonderful face. The quiet rapture
of that moment was shattered by a cry that stabbed
every heart, 'All visitors ashore!'
No one wanted to be the first to leave. Each one
tried to be among the very last to go do"\vn the
gangplank.
The friends gathered on the \vharf. They looked
up at the figure of their Master as the ship slowly
moved out into the great river. The sun broke
through the clouds like a giant searchlight from
heaven flooding the deck. 'Abdu'l-Baha stood at the
rail. His silvery "\vhite hair and beard moved gently
in the breeze. 1-lis erect, tnajestic figure was outlined
clearly against the sky.
Farther and farther He was drawing away from
them. Everyone of them could feel the pull of his
heart toward the ship "\vith its precious cargo. As
1-Ie moved slowly out of their sight, it seemed to
those lonely, heart-broken onlookers as though the
sun had ceased to shine and all of the birds had
stopped their singing.

'Abdu'l-Baha looked back at that great stone city
with its man-made mountains crowding the sky.
Who \vill ever kno\v the thoughts that filled His
heart as the ship dre\v a\vay from America.
He, 'Abdu'l-Baha, after forty years as a prisoner,
had at long last fulfilled the prophecy His Father
had made so many years before. Baha'u'llah had
told Him that one day He would raise His voice in
the \V'estern vlorld to summon its people to God.
Every victory, every unexpected door that opened,
'Abdu'l-Baha attributed to Baha'u'llih, not to
I-limself. 1-1is Blessed l~ather had sustained and
inspired Him at every step along that arduous p3th.
No\v it ""vas finished! F'inishedl
Perhaps 'Abdu'l-Baha's lips n10ved in a quiet
prayer of thanksgiving: 'God is 1\:10st Glorious!
God is j\!fost G-lorious l'

Part V

IN HIS FOOTSTEPS
2.9. The Flame Spreads to Other Lands
For many long months Lua was separated from her
beloved Master by an ocean. She prayed each day
that she might be made worthy to serve Him.
One day when she returned home depressed with
her lack of accomplishment in the pathway of the
Cause of God, a letter was awaiting her. It was
postmarked Palestine! The moment Lua touched
it, she felt an 'inner prompting' toward some great
event.
It held an exciting assignment from 'Abdu'l-
Baha. Just as 'Abdu'l-Baha had sailed from the East
to the West to spread the Faith, He now summoned
Lua to travel from West to East to do the same
thing. He called upon Lua to carry the Message of
Baha'u'lhih to India.
She obeyed immediately.
When her assignment was completed, Lua, to her
complete joy, returned not to America but to the
Holy Land to be in the presence of the Master.
She had successfully accomplished her mission.
Whatever 'Abdu'l-Baha wanted undertaken, Lua
was prompt to volunteer. The Master praised Lua's
work in India and wrote to the West of her victories.
Because of her ceaseless teaching and travelling,
particularly in Europe and America where she
planted the flag of the Faith in many hearts, the
Master proclaimed her 'The Banner'.
Lua 'often sat at that 'blessed table' in the Holy
Land. She sat at the feet of the Master and drank in
as much as she could contain from the ocean of His
wisdom. Following her teaching victories in India,
Lua remained for seven months in the presence of
her beloved Master.

On one occasion it is said that the Master told
Lua that Baha'u'lhih had chosen her for His work
when she was but a little girl on the farm. He also
said that in the days to come, her home in Hume,
New York, would be a place of pilgrimage. And
some time in the future, thousands would one day
journey to that farm in upper New York where she
had once run barefoot as a child.
'Abdu'l-Baha showered her with such kindness
and love that Lua felt her life had been too richly
blessed with happiness. She felt an increasing need
of participating in some of the suffering which had
been the lot of 'Abdu'l-Baha for half a century. His
whole life had been a living martyrdom. Within
Lua there now grew a great longing to share this
martyrdom. After all, she was one of the 'spiritual
descendants' of those heroic Dawn-Breakers of the
Faith in Persia. More than twenty thousand of them
had given their lives and stained the sands of Persia
red with blood. Of what value was one small life ?
Lua's spirit hungered, not to weep away its life
in drops but, like a giant sky-rocket, to spill its
treasures to the night in some great sudden sacrifice
that might win new glories for the Faith.
Lua went to the Master and asked Him if He
would permit her to become a martyr. The account
of her constant pleading is told movingly and amusingly in the diary of Dr Yunis I(han Afrukhtih,
a secretary of'Abdu'l-Baha in those days. So eagerly
did Lua desire to become a martyr to her Faith that
she enlisted the help of some of the friends in the
Holy Land.
Lua could no longer call upon her dear friend
Juliet Thompson to plead with the Master, so she
used her eloquence and charm to try and influence
some of the Persian Baha'is who were with 'Abdu'l-
Baha to intercede for her. Those who refused to
intercede, she asked to pray in the holy Shrines that
she might be privileged to die for the Faith.
When 'Abdu'l-Baha heard her first request, he
laughed with enjoyment. He looked upon her with
much tenderness and love. When Lua persisted
in her request, 'Abdu'l-Baha became silent and
would not answer her. Finally, Lua entreated no
more.
She wrote to some of 11er friends in America and
spoke laughingly herself of her own intensity at this
time. She said, 'I made such a nuisance of myself
with everyone, in my great desire to give my life for
the Faith, that eventually every one of the friends
was earnestly praying that I might in truth be
granted my request, and the sooner the better.'

30. Following in His Footsteps
One of the deepest longings of Lua's life was that
some day she might be permitted to follow in the
Master's footsteps, even if only for the shortest
distance.
There is a touching story told in pilgrims' notes,
although we could not find the original to substantiate it, which tells of the day that Lua was
walking with 'Abdu'l-Baha and some of the friends
on the white sands of the sea near 'Akka.
Lua, it is said, suddenly became aware of the
Master's tracks in the soft sand. She was walking a
pace or two behind Him. Quite spontaneously she
stepped behind 'Abdu'l-Bahi and began to trace
His footsteps by placing her shoes one at a time in
each of His footprints.
Perhaps it is only a fable, as Lua soon became a
legend in her own time, and it is difficult to sort fact
from fiction, but there is a lesson we all can learn
from the story, whatever its origin.
Without turning, 'Abdu'l-Bahi said sharply,
'What are you doing?'
Lua replied cheerily, 'I am following in your
footsteps. '
'Abdu'l-Bahi was silent for some time. Then He
repeated more forcefully, 'Lua, what are you
doing?'
She said, 'I am walking in your footsteps, beloved Master.'
Without a word, 'Abdu'l-Bahi strode on.
Lua, it is said, felt a chill as she realized the utter
futility and presumptuousness of such a weak instrument as herself ever daring to aspire to walk in
the footsteps of the 'Mystery of God'.
Suddenly Lua felt an agonizing pain in her ankle.
She looked down. She had been stung by a scorpion.
She cried out, but the Master did not turn or slow
His stride.
Lua walked on \vith the utmost difficulty. Her
ankle was swelling rapidly. The pain was becoming
intense. But she clenched her teeth and forced herself to continlle.
When the suffering had become almost unbearable, 'Abdu'l-Baha turned and came back.
'This,' He told her, 'is what it means to walk in
my footsteps.'
'Abdu'l-Baha touched her head gently with His
hand. Lua's eyes were brimming with tears. She
understood the lesson.
The Master turned and continued on His way,
Lua limping after Him as best she could. She felt the
pain gradually diminishing as she tried to keep up
with her beloved Master.

It was at this time that one of the Baha'is staying
in the Holy Land told Lua the story of a youthful
Baha'i named 'Abdu'l-Vahhab. He, too, had
longed earnestly to walk in the footsteps of his
Beloved. About this story there could be no doubt,
for it was verified by the Pen of Baha'u'lhih Himself.
Lua listened with enraptured interest.

'Abdu'l-Vahhab was from Shiraz. When he was
living in Ka?imayn, his love for Baha'u'llah became
so overpowering that he left home and followed
Bahi'u'llah to Tihran. He longed to be in
Baha'u'llah's presence once more. 'Abdu'l-Vahhib
yearned to walk in the footsteps of his Beloved.
Before 'Abdu'l-Vahhab arrived in Tihran,
Baha'u'llah had been seized and arrested. Although
history proved Him to be innocent of any wrongdoing, Baha'u'llah was paraded bareheaded, barefooted, and in chains for miles under the blazing
sun. His hat was knocked off and His garments
stripped from His body. He was stoned along the
route. He was beaten by the mounted guards who
escorted Him to prison. Finally they cast Him into
a black sunless pit underground. There He was
chained to the floor. His feet were put in stocks.
His shoulders were weighted down by a huge heavy
one-hundred-pound chain which tore His flesh and
scarred Him for life.
When 'Abdu'l-Vahhab arrived in Tihran
. searching for Baha'u'llah, he, too, was arrested as a follower
. of this new religion. He was thrown into
prIson.
'Abdu'l-Vahhab was heart-broken. His prayers
had not been answered. Now he would remain a
prisoner or-who knows-perhaps be slain as an
innocent victim of prejudice, never again to look
upon the face of Baha'u'llah. 'Abdu'l-Vahhab
feared that his longing to walk in the footsteps of
that Blessed Beauty would never be realized.
Surely, God had forsaken him.
'Abdu'l-Vahhab was shoved down the stone
steps of the Black Pit prison into that impenetrable
darkness. He was chained to the other prisoners.
When 'Abdu'l-Vahhab's eyes gradually became
accustomed to the darkness, he turned to look at
the prisoner beside him.
He looked into the eyes of Baha'u'llah I
He was chained to his Beloved, and that terrible
dungeon with its awful stench of f1:ccumulating
filth, its vermin, chains and threat of death, became
a fragrant paradise.
Baha'u'lhih Himself wrote of those hours spent
with
. 'Abdu'l-Vahhab in the Siyah-Chal (Black Pit)
prlson:
Every day Our gaolers, entering Our cell, would
call the name of one of Our companions, bidding
him arise and follow them to the foot of the
gallows ...
We were awakened one night, ere break of
day, by 'Abdu'l-Vahhab, who was bound with
Us to the same chains .... He asked Us whether
We were awake, and proceeded to relate to Us
his dream. 'I have this night,' he said, 'been
soaring into a space of infinite vastness and
beauty. I seemed to be uplifted on wings that
carried me wherever I desired to go. A feeling of
rapturous delight filled my soul. I flew in the
midst of that immensity with a swiftness and ease
that I cannot describe.'
Baha'u'llah looked with love upon 'Abdu'l-
Vahhab. He said to him:
Today it will be your turn to sacrifice yourself
for this Cause. May you remain firm and steadfast to the end. You will then find yourself
soaring in that same limitless space of which you
dreamed, traversing with the same ease and
swiftness the realm of immortal sovereignty,
and gazing with that same rapture upon the
Infinite Horizon.
Baha'u'llah's words came true. That morning
when the door was opened to let a shaft of sunlight
down into the deep black pit, the gaoler made his
way down the steps and called out a name.
"Abdu'l-Vahhib l'
Baha'u'llah "\vrote of 'Abdu'l-Vahhib's joy when
he heard that fatal name called out, and was freed
of his chains.
Baha'u'llah said:
Throwing off his chains, he sprang to his feet,
embraced each of his fellow-prisoners, and,
taking Us into his arms, pressed Us lovingly to
his heart. That moment We discovered that he
had no shoes to wear. We gave him Our own,
and, speaking a last word of encouragement and
cheer, sent him forth to the scene of his martyrdom. Later on, his executioner came to Us,
praising in glowing language the spirit which
that youth had shown.
'Abdu'l-Vahhib had not only fulfilled his longing to walk in Baha'u'llah's footsteps, to share His
suffering. 'Abdu'l-Vahhib had walked to his death
in Baha'u'llih's very shoes.
He had given up friends, fame, wealth, family,
and finally life itself.

'This,' the Persian Baha'is told Lua, 'is what it
means to walk in the footsteps of your Beloved.'
To Lua, such a sacrifice was not a deterrent, it was
a spur. The taste of affliction was as sweet as honey.
She longed to share the countless agonies of
Baha'u'Ilih and her beloved Master.
Instead of quenching her fire, the story of
'Abdu'l-Vahhab poured oil on the flames. After all,
she was a spiritual descendant of that illustrious
Dawn-Breaker. If martyrdom was good enough for
him, it was good enough for Lua.
Lua hoped that some day, somewhere, if only in
the tiniest measure, her tribulations would, as
Baha'u'llah has said of His own suffering, help lift
the yoke of tyranny from off the necks of men.

3 I. Lua Sees the Master for the Last Tl,ne
Lua was in the Holy Land with 'Abdu'l-Bahi for
seven wonderful months in 1915, during the First
World War.
One day 'Abdu'l-Bahi called Lua to Him. \X'ith
great gentleness He told l1er that she must leave at
once for America. Soon Germany would be at war
with her country and she would no longer be able
to receive His protection in Haifa.
Lua felt a chill of premonition when she heard
His . words. She knew they would never meet
again.
'Abdu'l-Baha understood the anguish in Lua's
heart. He softened the pain of parting by reminding
her once again of her great responsibility. It was her
duty to awaken a sleeping America. She must be a
Herald of the Covenant of God among the people
of the West. She must return to America, 'Abdu'l-
Baha told her, and ceaselessly teach the Cause of
God. This, 'Abdu'l-Baha said, was His dearest
wish.
Lua knew there was no escape from this command. It "vas for this very purpose that she had
been taught and trained by the }yIaster. To \vhom
much is given, from him much is expected. All of
the love and the kno\vledge the Master had showered on Lua \vas not really hers at all. It belonged to
those \vhom she had already taught and must yet
teach.
Painfully aware of her own weaknesses, Lua
asked 'Abdu'l-Baha to grant her the bounty of
taking upon herself the sins of her children in the
Faith. Perhaps in this way she could purify herself
and release them from bondage.
'Let me bear the weight of their sins,' Lua begged
'Abdu'l-Baha, 'that they may be freed of this burden and be able to teach with pure spirit.'

Lua had learned her lesson of detachment. One
precious conversation with the Master would
remain with her always, locked forever in her
memory, words spoken to Lua and a companion
before they set off on their teaching journey to
India. Lua has preserved that conversation in her
own pilgrim notes.
'What will you do if they dispute these teachings ?'
'Abdu'l-Baha asked Lua.
'I shall turn to 'Abdu'l-Baha and call upon Him
for spiritual confirmation. After repeating the
Greatest Name of Baha'u'llah, I shall open my
mouth and say what is given me to say.'
'What will you do if they persecute you ?'
'I shall know it is a heavenly gift, and that the
love of God is descending upon me.'
'What will you do if they put you in prison?'
'I shall thank God that I have walked in His path,
and have at last been permitted to share what
'Abdu'l-Baha has suffered for years.'
'Abdu'l-Baha was silent for a moment. He asked:
'And what will you do if they kill you?'
'1 shall know that the first wish that I ever asked
of 'Abdu'l-Baha had been granted, and that I have
been privileged to give my life that men may hear
the Word of God.'
Lua's eyes were filled with tears. She looked at
her Beloved and said, 'And the minute my soul is
freed from my body, I shall fly to God from Whom
I hope I shall never be separated through all
eternity.'
There was a long silence. The Master's eyes were
closed. At length He said:
'When one goes forth to teach, he should think of
all these things. He must be prepared at all times,
for whatever comes in the path of God.'

Lua clung to 'Abdu'l-Baha's hand that last day,
draining courage from it. Her eyes lingered on that
countenance she loved more than all else on earth.
'Abdu'l-Baha knew her heart. His eyes were
especially kind that day. His words were particularly
tender and loving. His smile was surpassingly
sweet.
Lua turned and sobbing quietly left His presence,
but her heart remained. She would never again look
upon that beloved face, nor hear that wondrous
voice, nor drink in that matchless wisdom, nor be
sheltered by the warmth of that protecting spirit.
She was leaving. She was leaving her beloved
12.2.
Master, never to see Him in this world again. Never
again I
'Abdu'l-Baha demonstrated the confidence He
had in Lua in a special Tablet [Letter] which He
addressed to America. 'Abdu'l-Baha commented
on Lua's successful work in India, and called upon
the American Baha'is to s110w 11er their love.
He wrote:
'To the beloved of God in America-On them
be glory and bounty I
'The maid-servant of God, Lua, was a long time
occupied in India in spreading the fragrances of the
love of God. She is now ready to return to the
regions of America. Show her every consideration.
She is firm in the Covenant of love. In reality she
\vorked vigorously during her sojourn in India,
and she is worthy of love.
'Haifa, August 2.7, 1915
(signed) 'Abdu'l-Baha 'Abbas.'

Lua carried that precious Tablet with her as she
hurried to her ship. She was rushing into the
future, toward America, impatient to teach and
teach and teach.
Lua knew that this alone could help to fill the
utter loneliness and hunger for the days that were
never to return again.

32. War Encircles the Flame
As that 'land of unfading splendour' disappeared
into the haze of the sea, perhaps Lua relived her
long-ago visit when she looked upon the Master
12.3
for the first time. Was it possible that it had all
happened eighteen years ago? It seemed like
yesterday.
Prominent among her memories must have been
the excitement and drama of those first Baha'i
meetings in Paris which followed that pilgrimage,
when 'Abdu'l-Baha had sent May Maxwell to open
Europe to the Faith of Baha'u'llah.
Imagine!
For the first time on this planet, an entire continent was being introduced, in terms it could
understand, to a Faith which was soon to encircle
the world. People were being told that Christ had
returned. The Promised One of all religions had
appeared!
These noble souls, heroines and heroes, were the
forerunners in the West of a tidal wave of teaching that in little over half a century was to establish centres in some fifty thousand places in the
world.
Their spiritual children, and their children's
children, would soon raise up over one hundred
National Spiritual Assemblies representing more
than three hundred countries, territories and dominions. These two partners, the communities of
believers from the Cradle of the Faith in Persia and
the Cradle of its Administrative Order in America,
would be leaders in establishing on a local, national
and international foundation the Christ-promised
Kingdom of God on earth.
They, with their fellow Baha'is in all lands,
would participate in the first Baha'i World Convention, and the election of the Universal House of
Justice, that Supreme Administrative Body called
for by the Pen of Baha'u'llah Himself.

The excitement of those early days in Paris
became even more enthralling when 'Abdu'l-Baha
sent them one of the most gifted and brilliant
teachers of the East, Mirza Abu'l-Fa<;ll. His task
was to deepen and strengthen 'Abdu'l-Baha's
'western children'.
This peerless messenger from 'Abdu'l-Bahi
opened new horizons of understanding, and helped
prepare them for their world-encircling mission of
teaching.
Who would have foreseen this mighty harvest
during those beginning days in Paris? Lua certainly, and May Maxwell, and perhaps a handful of
those other God-intoxicated teachers who made the
capital city of France sing with their song of the
kingdom.
One can almost hear Lua, as she stands at the
rail of her ship, looking back for the last time at
Mount Carmel, and dreaming of those early days
-the first pilgrimage; the night she told her mother
about the Faith; above all, the Master's visit to
America. Down the corridors of time we can hear
her quietly whisper: 'Such days I Such days I'
Agnes Alexander, one of only three believers to
be mentioned by name in 'Abdu'l-Baha's Tablets of
the Divine Plan, was there at the Paris meetings. She
soon left for the Orient to ignite the light of the
Baha'i Faith in Hawaii and Japan. She wrote with a
special tenderness of those days of rapture:
'An atmosphere of pure light pervaded the Paris
12.5
meetings, so much so that one was transported, as
it were, from the world of man to that of God.'
Juliet Thompson, Lua's dear friend Julie, also
attended and told of the love that bound Lua, May
-all of them-together:
'That Paris group was so deeply united in love
and faith-so carried away, so intoxicated "\vith love
for the beloved Master; our great teac11er, 11irza
Abu'l-Fagl, so heavenly wise-that those days were
the days of miracle, of all but incredible confirmations. '

Who would have dreamed that in such a short
time the earthly dust of the 'immortal Lua' and
that of the 'illustrious' Abu'l-Fagl-they who had
met each other in Paris-would lie beneath a single
monument along the shores of the silver Nile in
Egypt.
Or, that the brilliant, eloquent child of Lua's
heart and tongue, May 1faxwell, would also win a
martyr's crown in far off Argentina, a country so
remote from her native land.
Both Lua and May, obedient to the summons of
their beloved Master, 'Abdu'l-Baha, had arisen to
teach the Cause of God with every breath of their
lives. They had become 'pieces of iron' in 'the
midst of the fire', filled with the spirit. Their candles
had wept away their lives, drop by drop, and 'shed
imperishable lustre' upon the American Baha'i
community.
'Abdu'l-Baha was later to write:
'Among the miracles which distinguish this Dispensation is this, that women have evinced a greater
12.6
boldness than men when enlisted in the ranks of the
Faith.'
Both Lua and May had been privileged to return
to that 'blessed spot' on a 'second visit' with their
'banners flying, like soldiers, in gladness and
triumph'. They went out again into the battle for a
final time, both to lay down their lives on behalf of
their precious Faith so that people in all lands might
kno\v about Baha'u'lhih, the Redeemer of men, the
only hope for present-day society.

Such memories of the past and visions of the
future must have inspired and encouraged Lua
as she sailed away that final time from the land of
her heart's desire, from that 'snow-white spot', that
'nest of all the Prophets of God'.
Lua never reached America. She sailed from
Haifa with two hundred and ninety refugees on
board the United States cruiser Des Moines and
finally reached Egypt via the Island of Crete.
When Lua reached Egypt, she became desperately ill, and was forced to leave the ship. While she
was in Egypt the war encircled her.
But Lua's heart, impatient to be off this planet
now that it could no longer be with the Master,
braved every danger.

33. The Angel of Death
Lua's sister writes the following account of those
last days in Cairo, Egypt:
'There she nursed the sick and wounded with
every bit of her limited strength. The soldiers
12 7
adored her and called her "the Lady in Blue".'
Because of her dress.
In the last years of her life, Lua always wore a
simple costume, blue in colour and very conservative. 'Abdu'l-Baha had earlier suggested a more
moderate dress and Lua had obeyed at once, never
to change the style.
A friend whom Lua had introduced to the Faith
in California described Lua's ethereal look with her
large blue eyes, brown hair, fair skin. The impact
was softened by her temperate dress and often
proved a 'safeguard to her during many hazardous
experiences in many countries as she travelled in
her service to the Faith'.
This friend has written: 'Later in San Francisco
Lua gave me a pair of long white kid gloves, the
last remnant of her finery which she had enjoyed so
much.'
The days during which Lua had lived in both
worlds were gone. For years, her heart had been
anchored only in the I<ingdom.

Lua kept her failing health a secret from all. She
had been violently stricken with fever while in
India. This proved too much for an always frail
body. Lua's strong spirit had hidden her delicate
health from almost everyone throughout her life.
But the Master was always aware of Lua's acute
suffering. She rose above illness and pain to carry
out His command to teach. At one particularly desperate time of illness in Lua's life, 'Abdu'l-Baha is
reported to have said, 'I told the Angel of Death
to stay away.'
The fever now had greatly sapped her strength
and gravely afflicted her heart. While working at
intense pitch during those last hectic weeks in a
world. gone mad with war, Lua contracted pneumonia.
She rallied for a short while, but her spirit would
not let her rest. She felt too keenly the shortness of
time. She could think of but one \vord: 'Teach!'
One day Lua said to some of her friends, 'I am
sure that until the last days of our lives we shall be
learning lessons, for this world is a school from
which we graduate only when we leave it. I shall
be glad when the last days come, and the school is
forever (as far as I am concerned) dismissed.'
Then she looked at the picture of 'Abdu'l-Baha
which hung on the wall and said, 'But His will, not
mine, be done: For all I ever want to do is His will
and to be severed from all save God.'
During those days, Lua was busily writing 'an
account of my last months with 'Abdu'l-Baha'. She
wrote to her fellow-Baha'is in America telling them
that 'Abdu'l-Baha was well.
'Abdu'l-Baha had given Lua the assignment of
carrying the latest news to the Baha'is in Africa,
Europe and America.
'Now is the time,' He told her, 'for you to go and
gives news to the friends in Egypt, ~urope and
America. It is a long time that they are without any
word, and I desire to send you to them, after which
you are to go and teach.'
Lua reached Egypt, was delayed by the war, so
at once she began her teaching work there in Africa.
She wrote to America, apologizing for her delay.
12 9
'I do not just yet know when I shall reach
America,' she told them, 'as I have some work
to do in France first ....
'1 am sent forth again "to herald the Covenant"
by its holy Centre ['Abdu'l-Baha], and I shall do it
with His divine assistance better and more powerfully than I have ever done ...
'Please say to all the friends that I love them all,
and I am ready to meet them in the spirit of the
Center of God's holy Covenant which is naught
save pure, spiritual divine love I I wish everybody
success in the service of His Great Cause, and ask
them to pray for me-the least and most unworthy
of all His faithful servants ...
'Yours in the service and love of 'Abdu'l-Baha,
(signed) Lua
Port Said, Egypt
Sept. 2. I, 19 1 5.'

Although her health was failing, Lua increased
the tempo of her teaching activities. The poorer she
felt, the more intense became her determination
to serve.
Lua's friends pleaded with her to rest. She smiled
and said, 'The Master does not rest. He said,
"Sometimes material rest can deprive us of spiritual rest.'"
Late one spring day in Cairo, Lua returned to
her home. She had spent many long hours instructing some students who were eager to hear more
about the Baha'i Faith. Lua was very weak and
tired, but in spite of this she had never looked more
radiant and gay.
Lua bade her friends a loving good night and
went to her room. A short time later they heard a
sharp cry of pain. Lua was in great anguish. Even
then she thought of only one thing, 'Abdu'l-Baha.
She called out loudly three times: 'God is Most
Glorious I God is Most Glorious I God is Most
Glorious I'
This time the Angel of Death did not stay away.
Lua was not quite forty-five when she died, so very
young and so very beautiful.

34. 'Lua, who shall live through all the ages'
Lua had written often to her dear friend 'Julie'
during those last days. When Miss Thompson received word of Lua's passing it brought back
memories of that joyous day long past when both
she and Lua had been with 'Abdu'l-Baha in New
York. She has recorded that moment for history:
'Lua knelt before 'Abdu'l-Baha and offered our
lives for the Faith. "From this moment on," Lua
told the Master, "Julie and I dedicate our lives to
Thee. And we beg at last to die in Thy path. Don't
we, Julie?'"
Julie never had a chance to answer. Lua was
sweeping them both onto the field of martyrdom.
Lua couldn't conceive of a Baha'i who didn't long
to shed that 'crimson ink' in the path of Baha'u'lhih.
Juliet tells how eagerly Lua offered both their
lives for the Master.
, "We want to drink the cup of martyrdom.
Don't we, Julie?" Before I could answer, Lua continued: "0 beloved Master, it would be so good for
13 1
the Cause of Baha'u'llih if t\VO Americans could die
for the Faith! Please grant it!" She turned to me
and said, "Take hold of His robe, Julie, and beseech!"
'The Master said, "Very good." But this did not
satisfy Lua. "Say yes, Master!" she begged. "Oh,
Julie, beg Him to say yes!"
'''I accept the dedication of your lives now,"
'Abdu'l-Bahi told them. "The rest will be determined later."
'Now it has been determined. 'Abdu'l-Bahi once
said to me, "Lua has a tender heart." That tender
heart, too anguished, suddenly ceased to beat.'

In one of the last letters she ever \vrote, Lua
addressed these words to May Maxwell whom she
had brought into the Faith in Paris in 1898:
'''Thus let him who is in the house-top not come
down, and him who is in the field not turn back."
For each one must begin in whatever place he finds
himself to face facts and conditions as they are,
and know that the present environment is the best
for his future, be it in the fields, all fresh and green,
or the desert with the dreary burning sands. The
final goal to be attained is "Severance from all else
save God". And in His great mercy He puts each
one in the place where the painful process may be
quickest and best accomplished. Hence I am in
Egypt, and you are among the snowdrifts of
Canada ... My only hope, aim, or ambition was to
go to America and to do what 'Abdu'l-Baha desired
me to do. No one will ever know save Him in this
world what it would have meant had I accom-
132.
plished it ... It seems that God does not accept my
life as a sacrifice in His path, yet I long for it with
all my soul ... If I cannot attain it, all I ask is that
you may all succeed where I failed.'

The link that bound Lua's heart to that of May
Maxwell was unique and precious. It is small
'\vonder that when the first word of Lua's death
reached her, May wrote an eloquent tribute to this
great Baha'i teacher and Herald of the Covenant of
Baha'u'llah.
'Great and wonderful were [Lua's] qualities-in
her own person she bore the sins and weaknesses of
us all, and redeeming herself she redeemed us. She
broke the path through the untrod forest: ... she
cast her soul and body into the stream and perished
making the bridge by which we cross ... The
passion of Divine love that consumed her heart shall
light the hearts of mankind forever and forever.'
'For hours I have seen Lua, the woman, the
child,' May \vrote, 'all love and tenderness, dying
far away-alone. Far from the land where she
sowed the seed from the Atlantic to the Pacificfrom the land where she arose like the dawning
star heralding the light of Baha'u'llah in those days
when the Occident lay frozen in the grasp of
materialism-and far from all those who should
have loved her and cherished her as a priceless
gift from God.'
'I believe,' May wrote, 'that the last time Lua left
her Beloved 'Abdu'l-Baha she died to all save God
and took the "step of the soul" by which the spirit
of truth and reality dawned in the Cause in America.'
May saw a 'victorious Lua, majestic in her deaththe Lua who shall live through all ages' and at the
same time saw Lua, the woman, the eager child of
the Covenant hungering for ways, however small,
in which she could serve her beloved 'Abdu'l-
Baha. May's pen was tender and sad as she wrote:
'I could only see her frail form, her lovely, sensitive face, her pleading child's eyes. I could only hear
the cry of her soul, her yearning for sacrifice in the
Path of God. Without home, money, or any earthly
hope or refuge-after her years of suffering, service
and sacrifice, she attained her supreme desire and
lay, at last, a martyr I'

3 5· A Martyr's Crown
'Abdu'l-Baha was filled with great sorro\v when
the news of Lua's death reached Him.
The Master was "\valking one afternoon along
the shores of the Sea of Galilee when He received
the tragic 'news of the death of the beloved Lua'.
One of 'Abdu'l-Baha's secretaries has recalled
the deep sorrow the Master felt at the passing of this
great Baha'i teacher.
'He was deeply affected,' he wrote, 'and felt more
than any of us this great loss. Since that day I have
heard Him more than a hundred times exclaiming
with a moving voice: "What a loss! What a loss!
What a loss 1'"
In a letter which this same secretary of the Master
sent to America it was pointed out how 'unique' a
teacher Lua had been.
She was one of the very earliest Baha'is in
America to travel extensively and raise the call of
the Kingdom.
She was one of the very first pilgrims from the
West to visit 'Abdu'l-Baha in 'Akka.
She 'travelled throughout the continents of
America, Europe, Asia and Africa to spread the
Word of God.'
She brought many outstanding souls into the
Faith, both men and women, who themselves carried on her work with skill and enthusiasm in all
parts of the world.
She was the only 'believer who visited the Shah
of Persia years ago in Paris and interceded' on
behalf of the Baha'is in that land, as instructed by
the Master, 'Abdu'l-Baha.
Lua was a disciple of 'Abdu'l-Baha. She was
'taught by Him, educated by Him, and sent out
by Him' to proclaim the Baha'i Faith to the
world.
Lua was 'one of the very few souls who visited
the Holy Land seven or eight times, lived in the
blessed household for months at a time, and was
considered as one of the members of the holy
family, one of the daughters of 'Abdu'l-Baha.'
All those who knew Lua's true worth were to
echo those words of the Master: 'What a loss I'
'Abdu'l-Baha cabled to her friends in America:
'The maid servant of God, Lua, enkindled with
the fire of His love, has passed away. In the latter
days of her life, the heart disease with which she
had been afflicted became greatly aggravated.'· He
prayed that God would grant the soul of Lua a
palace for a home.
Then 'Abdu'l-Baha called upon the American
believers to rise up and follow Lua's example. He
called her a 'Herald of t11e Covenant', and praised
her highly for following His command to 'Go forth
and proclaim this Faith'.
'Lua, that blessed leaf,' 'Abdu'l-Baha said, 'has
been the cause of guidance to many a soul, for she
was endowed with a heart that was attracted, a
tongue that was eloquent, and she spent her time
day and night teaching. At present she is calling
from the Kingdom saying, "0 ye my children! Do
ye know what bounty I have attained?'"
When her remains were transferred to their final
resting-place, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith,
Shoghi Effendi, announced to the entire Baha'i
world this event, describing her in these terms:
'The immortal Lua, mother-teacher of the
American Baha'i community, herald of the dawn of
the Day of the Covenant ... '
And still today her voice calls out from every
land. It speaks through those whose hearts were
touched by her, the mother-teacher of the West.
Her spiritual children, and her children's children,
enkindled by her flame lift up their heads in love
and delight whenever her name is spoken. They
have taken up the torch and will hold it aloft enkindling new fires of teaching in every land, until
the entire planet is illumined with the light of
Baha'u'llah.
So it is that Lua still teaches on earth through
hearts which she awakened. They can hear her voice
callout that echo of Tahirih: '1 am the bugle! I am
the bellI'
Lua, homeless on earth, now has in the world
on high her 'palace'. This is the promise of her
beloved Master.
Silent in her shrine, her golden eloquence forever stilled on earth, Lua sleeps beneath the dust of
a quiet hill in Egypt. Her simple monument looks
across the silver Nile to where the setting sun disappears behind the ancient pyramids, those tombs
of long-forgotten kings.
Far from her native land, this restless spirit, this
flame of God, the 'immortal Lua' achieved her
heart's desire and won a martyr's crown.

A FINAL TRIBUTE

One hundred years ago, November 1st, 1871, that
'herald' of the Baha'i Faith, the 'immortal Lua' was
born. In 1971, Baha'is throughout America and
Canada honoured her memory in thanksgiving for
the gift of 'life' she bestowed upon so many of
them.
It is only fitting that this all too inadequate
account of her dramatic life should close with this
final tribute from the Pen of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the
Master Lua loved so dearly.
The following are the ,vords of 'Abdu'l-Baha
which will remain forever as the balance in which
we may weigh the life of this heroine of God:

'Supplication for the attracted maid-servant of God,
Lua, who ascended to the Supreme Concourse-Upon her
be greeting and praise!
'He is God!
'0 LordI 0 LordI Verily Thy maid-servant who
was attracted with the fragrances of Thy Holiness,
enkindled with the fire of Thy Love, the herald of
Thy Name, the spreader of Thy Signs among Thy
people, ascended to Thee with humility and lowliness, trusting in Thee with all her heart, liberated
from all worldly ties and attractions, hoping for
Thy Universal Favour and Mercy, desiring to
13 8
enter Thy radiant Presence, supplicating Thy allencircling Bounty, and begging for the descent of
Thy glorious Bestowals!
'0 LordI Exalt her station, submerge her in the
ocean of Thy Compassion and establish her in the
midst of the Paradise of Immortality, in the Universe of I..Jights, the Centre of the Beatific Mysteries.
'0 Lord 1 She believed in Thee, chanted Thy
verses, turned her face toward Thee with all her
heart; her spirit was rejoiced through Thy gladtidings and her soul was purified through the fire
of Thy Love. Then amidst the concourse of humanity, she arose in the promotion of Thy Word,
suffered every thirsty one to drink from the goblet
of Thy Guidance and healed every sick one witll
the antidote of Thy Knowledge. In Thy Path she
travelled to distant countries and remote regions
and gave the good-news of Thy Kingdom throughout vast and spacious continents-until through
the difficulties that she endured in Thy Path, her
very flesh and bones were melted, diseases and
sicknessses attacked her, her frail body failed her,
her nerves and muscles weakened their functions
and her heart became the target of conflicting ailments. Then while hoping for the immortal life,
the eternal existence, she abandoned this mortal,
ephemeral world.
'0 Lordi Grant her a palace in the neighbourhood of Thy Most Great Mercy; cause her to dwell
in the gardens of Thy paradise, the Most High;
illumine her countenance with the effulgence of
Thy good-pleasure, in the Kingdom of Thy Glory;
usher her into the heaven of Thy Meeting and
suffer her to live everlastingly in the assemblage of
transfiguration, whose refulgent lights are shining
upon
. the world of hearts and the realm of consCl0usness.
'Verily, Thou art the Forgiving, verily Thou art
the Pardoner, and verily Thou art the Merciful of
the Most Merciful!
'(Signed) 'Abdu'l-Baha 'Abbas.'
Quotations are reproduced as in the original texts.

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