Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Juliet Thompson, Abdu'l-Baha's First Days in America, bahai-library.com.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

ABDUL BAHA'S
FIRST DAYS
IN AMERICA

FROM THE DAIRY
OF JULIET THOMPSON

PRINTED BY
THE ROYCROFTERS, EAST AURORA, NEW YORK
.April II> I924
~H~E waited at the pier five radiant hour~. At last,
~ t. •. through t~e haze of the harbor ... a shr~ loomed.
c.r,J. ru,l • ( The ship docked, but Abdul Baha did not np-
~ '--~-~ "" pear. SuJJenly I had a great glimpse! In the dim
C~~-WC~ interior of the ship, barely visible, striding co and
~.A,- un:ḥ7~fro near the door ... ,vas One ,vith a step that
shook youlJust that one Stride, charged ,vith power, the S\Veep
of a robe, a majestic head, turban-crowned ... chat ,vas all I
saw-but my heart stopped.
We saw Him in the afternoon at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Kinney.
When I arrived Abdul Baba was sitting in the center of the dining-
room, near the Oower-screwn table. His aba \vas of cream-color. At
His knees stood Sanford and Howard Kinney and His arn1s ,,,ere
around chcn1. He was very \vhice and shining. No words could
describe the ineffable peace of Hi1n. The people stood around Him in
rows and circles-several huhdred in the roon1s; many , ..áere sitting
on the flo.or in the dining-roo1n. \Ve n1aJc a dark background for
His effulgence. Our tears only reOected Hin1; and there ,verc many,
many who were weeping just at the sight of 1-lim .... just at t11e
sight of that divinencss. For at last we saw divineness-incarnace ...
( Divinely He turned His head from one child to anothcr-fro1n one
group to another. I wish I could describe that tum of the he:id. It is
ineffable ... an oh, so tender turn, with that indescribable divine
grace caught by Leonardo da Vinci in His Christ of the Lase Suppcr-
(in the study for the head)--but in Abdul Baba irradiated with
smiles and a Ufting of those eyes filled with glory, which even
Leonardo, with all his mystery, could not have painted. The very
◄ 5 ):-
essence of compassion, the poignancy of tenderness is in that turn of
the head ...
.April r2.th
A t-tESSAGJl fron1 Abdul Daha to my rnother:
" Con,áey to thy dear mother the greetings of AbHA. Say to her:
• Always ren1ember my advices. It is my hope that thou mayest
forget everything save God. Nothing in this world is sufficient for
man. God alone is sufficient for hin1. GoJ is the protector of man.
AU the world ..viU not protect the soul.á "

eA.priJIJth
T OD.t Y Abdul spoke at hlatioric lvfortcn ás. Ag:iin because of
D.:zh-a
the immense crowd He spoke st:tnJing on the stairway, don1inating
:ill the be:iuty of that house by His superlative Dcauty.
His theme th:it day ,vas the spiritual seasons, and in the midst of
His address a delicious little thing happened ,vhich, slight tho' it
was, I ,vant ro keep. In its very sli~htt)c:ss, it "áill dra,v the people of
the futurc closer to the !\laster, just as it dre,v us.
Those render little touches of His hun1or :inJ si1nplicity-ho,v prec-
ious they are!-bridging at the tnomcnt the illimitable space het,veen
us and His perfection-making His divinity acccssiblcl The dis-
ciples in the past, looking back io those mystctious J;1ys,vith their
Lord over the :i.byss of their trngic sep:1r:1tion fro,n Hiin, ,vc:rc, I
suppose, a,vcd into silence .tbout the little rhiu.~J-the :11lor.1blelittl,
thingJ. So " the Man of Sorro,vs " h;1s been just-the .l\1an of
Sorro,vs to us-Love and Sorrow. \Ve h.1ve never fonned any con-
ception of the .1\1:inof Love and Joy, grc:it, bouyant joy, a Christ
whose love overflowed in little tendernesses and ,vhose joy over-
flowed in fun and ,vit-a happy, s1niling, laughing Chrisc.
But no,v to tell you of chis little thing: \Vith His celestial elo-
quence .Abdul Daha had described the spiritual springtime-the
qujckcning ::ind aiv.akcning to Jjfc, .. V.i T .1bcsr:1n,.. He began
2nd paused for the translation-when poor Ahmad (the translator)
lost the English word I But while Ahtnad stood, c.onfuscd :ind help-
less, .Abdul D.aha, wjrh .2 smile of brjgbt humor, translated for Hirn-
◄ 6):--
self: '' Summer," He laughed. Whereupon a little ripple of delight
ran through the audicncc. The charm of Him had captured chen1.all!
{ Afterwards He went up to rest in Mr. Morten's room. He had seen
one hundred and forty people .that n1orning, and was so spent that
He see1ncd almost ill. Bis fatigue \Vas evident to all, and yet-the
people had no pity I \Vhen I returned from an errand to the kitchen,
I found that His rest was being cruelly intruded on. Literally hun-
dreds of people were streaming tow;irds Hjs room. A dozen ivcre in
the room; at the door ,vere many eager faces, and behind them,
coming up the stairs-a procession!
"Oh, can't we shut the door?" I asked the interpreter. But Abdul
Baba heard my question.
" Let them come now,'' He said, gently.
The disciples' attitude and-the ~1ascer's attitude! \\'hat a differ-
ence there has always been between chem Iáá Suffer rhe liccle children
to come unto me! " And the disciples \Vere such little children
themselves that He had to put it that way-" suffer them! "
Tenderly He pressed a baby to His breast, smiling and fondling it.
" DeautifuJ b.abyJ LjttJc chicken! " He said, in His dear English~
then explained that " little chicken " was the Turkish pet name: for
child.
A young single taxer began to question Him, •• What message shall
I take to my friends? "
" Tell them," laughed the Master, with that wonderful spice of
keen hun1or in His face, " to come into the Kingdom of God. There
they will find plenty of land-and there are no taxes on it! "
..A.prilI8th
THIS morning the Master agreed to go to the Bowery Mission,
and He began to speak about it.
á" I want to give them some money," He said to me, " I am i11love
with the poor. How many poor men go to the Mission? ..
•• .About three hundred,"
•• Take this bill to the bank, Juliet, and change it into quarters,"
He said, and He drew from His breast a thou.sandfranc note. " Keep
the money," He further instructed me,áá and meet me at the Mission
..;(1 ►
with it in a bag." And He gave the same instructions to Edward
Getsinger, with a second thousand franc note.
As I lefc the room, with son1e lilies of the valley in my hand, che
pretty little chambermaid stopped me.
" Did He give you those? "she asked .
.. y cs. ..
" He gave me some flowers yesterday-some roses. I think He is a
Saint."
The next night ,ve met the M:ister at the Bo,very Mission. Of the
scene there ) ,vrote to J\áIr.... • th:tt fine person so strangely with-
held from giving his life to the Master, ,vhosc principles he serves.
through some blindness of the inrcllect. To him ,vho seems to roe
the type of that rich young m:tn who, though he came to Jesus
loving him, still ,vould not sell all to follow Him, I quoted the
words of the Master to the poor. Hoi.v He had begun:
•á Christ said, • Dlesseclare the poor.á He never said, Dlcsscd are the
rich."
How He had gone on:
•• Ther.efore, you musl be thankful to God that although in this
world you are indigent, yet the treasures of God arc within your
reach; and although in the material realm you arc poor, yet in the
Kingdom of God you arc precious.
" His Holiness, Jesus Himself, was poor. He did not belong to the
rich! He passed His time in the d~scrt, traveling among the poor and
Jived upon the herbs of the Jield. He had no place to lay His head-
no home. He was exposed io the open to heat, cold and frost" (how
descriptive of the lives of those who }jsccnedl), " to inclement
weather of all kinds; yet He chose this rather than riches. If riches
were considered a glory, the Prophet Moses would have chosen
them, Jesus ,vould have chosen them. ~ 7hcn Jesus appeared, it w:ts
the poor who accepted Him fust,not the rich. Thercfore,yo11 arc the
disciples of Christ; you arc His comrades, for He, outwardly, was
poor, not rich.
"Even earthly happiness does not depend upon wealth. You will find
many of the wealthy i:xposed to dangers and troubled by difficulties,
and in their last moments upon the bed of cleath there remains the
◄ 8 ):-
regret that they must be separated from that to which their hearts
arc so attached. They come into this ,vorld naked and they must go
fro1n it naked. All they possess they must leave behind and pass
away solitary, alone. Often at the time of death their souls arc
(iJlcJ with ren1orse, and, worst of all, their hope in the mercy of God
is less than ours. Praise be to God, our hope is the mercy of God,
and there is no doubt rhat the Divine Coinp:1ssion is bestowed upon
the poor; His Holiness Jesus Christ said so. His Holiness Bah:i'o'-
llah said so ... The poor are very dear to God. The mercies and
bounties of God are with the1n. The rich are mostly negligent, in-
attentive, steeped in worldliness, depending upon their means,
whereas the poor arc dependent upon God, and their reliance is upon
Him-not upon themselves. Therefore, the poor are nearer to the
threshold of God and co His throne.
•• Jesus was a poor man. One night when He was out in the fields the
rain began to fall. He had no place to go for shelter, so He lifted His
eyes toward Heaven, saying: ' 0 Father! áFor the birds of the air
Thou hast created nests, for the sheep a fold, (oráthe animals dens, for
the (tshcs places of refuge, but for me Thou hast provide-I no shelter.
There is no place where I can lay my head. My bed is the cold
ground. My lamps at night arc the stars and n1y food the herbs of the
field. Yet who upon earth is richer than I ? For the greatest blessing
Thou hast not given to the rich and mighty, but unto me Thou hast
given the po()r!
'' ' To me Thou hast granted this blessing. They ate 111ine!Therefore,
am I the richest one on earth.' "
(Ah, can you not feel the divine love in the words ... the yearn-
ing . . . the ptofundicjes of tenderness-the unspeakable consola-
tion? It was Jike a song of love-a deeply s,.,,elling anthem.)
" So, my cdtnfades, you arc following in Ebe foocsccps of Jesus
Christ. Your lives are similar to His Jife. Your attitude is Jike unto
His. You resemble Him more than the rich resemble Him. Therefore
we will thank God that we have been so blessed wich real tichcs.
( '' And in conclusion I asJc you to accept Abdul Bah a as your
serv~nt. ••
I then tried to describe chat wonderful sccoc in which Abdul Baba
-;(9):-
proved His servitude to them: How He had stood at the church door
to greer the men as they passed out, and to more than greet them-to
add to those tender words of His a gift.
Ah, the pitiful procession-the bread-line-the hon1eless, the hun-
gry, the moral failures-broken figures, blurred faces, sunken nten.
\Vhy should I attempt to paint such a scene! Of course, I am not
equal to it. Only ... here was a forlorn army o( men in the depths
of life-in the very " mud and scum of things," where, nevertheless,
as the poet so greatly says: •• al,vays, al,vays, son1eching sings,"
and here stood One who looked Divine, receiving them like-prodi-
gal sons?-strayed sheep-No!-like His dear and unblemished
children! Ah, how can I say it more truly than in this way-here
stood the Eternal Christ, in His reGection -on the shining mirror of
the Scrv.1nt, Abdul Da-ha-the Eternal Christ and His beloved poor,
,vho, ,vrecks though they seemed, rese111bledHim " more th,10 the
rich resen1bled Hirn I "
Into each poor palm as He clasped it He pressed His little gift of two,
three or four qu;1rters-just a symbol-anc! the price of a bed I Not
a m:111,vas shelterlcss that night! 1\nd n1:1ny, I could see, found a
spiritual shelter, a hon1e in His heart. I couJd see it by the faces
lifted to His-and in His face bent on theirs.
It was ,vonderf ul to ,vitncss the looks interchanged. First, the look
in the poor, lifted f;1ce of grateful surprise at the gift found in the
pal1n; then the lifted eyes ,videning ,vith ,vonder, as they 111ctthe
divine gaze bent upon the,n; then a Oash of revelation from the eyes
of Abdul Daha-a Oash of mysterious love, while His hand closed
tightly again over that other hand with the clasp that saves.
Who can teJI the effect of that im1nortal glance through the lives,
and even at the moment of death, perhaps, of each of these men?
Who can tell what the !vfastcr tl'''e that night?
I write and \vrite, but I can not express His love-the divine pro-
fundity of it, the poignancy of it, the divine wealth and ,varmth, the
consolation of it ... These can only be felt; there are no human
words to convey them. This record is a futile one-it is wholly in-
expressive-it is an external thing. I can not make it simple enough,
nor great . . . l started to say, &r(at enough t Who could? llut I least
◄ 10)=,-
of all! But tny words seem ill-chosen. I can not find the right ones.
I realize, too, as I write, that I am a babe in such things .... that
I am just on the surface ... that I have not apprehended. Yet,
perhaps, if I write of the app,ara11ceI no\v, I-or others-may use
then1 as symbols, seeing n1ore of their significance later. I can only
try.
My pen has run away with me. I have not in the Jc:ist quoted ,vhat I
wrote to Mr .... I said none of these things to him. I told him,
however, of an incident after our return from the hotel.
In the upper hall, on our way to the l-.iaster's apartment, ,ve had
met the little chan1bcr1naid-the girl who the day before had told
me of the roses He had given her. In the bag there were about eighty
quarters left over from the Mission, and all these the i\Iaster emp-
tied into the little maid's apron. Then He passed s,viftly into His
aparuncnt, we following-all but Mr. Grundy, ,vhom the 1n:1id
stopped.
"Oh, sec what He has given me," she said. And when Mr. Grundy
told her of His gifts to the men at the Mission: .. I ,vill do the same
with this money," she exclain1cd, " I, coo, ,viii give it."
Later, as we sat in a group around the Master, \vho was at that
moment saying with a laugh (in reply to some question as to the
advisability of charity), "assuredly, give to the poor! If you give
them only words, when they put their h:inds into their pockets
they ,viii find thetnselves none the richer for you! •á there canie a
light tap at the door and there on the threshold stood the Jittle
chambcro1aid. Her eyes were glistening with tears and in a sort of
wonder, and obl•vious of the rest of us, she walked scraight up to the
Master:
" I came to say good-bye, sir," she said, timidly anJ brokenly,
" and to thank you {or all your goodness to me . . . I never
expected such goodness. And to ask you-to pray for me!"
Her head drooped, her voice broke . . . she turned and went out
quickly.
There were many things I saw, and many things I heard, too, that
night which I did not mention in my leccer.
The Master took me back to supper with Him. As we drove up
..:(11)>
l3road\'vay (imagine beii1g ,vith Hi1n on the " Great White \Vay,")
as ,v.e drove up the crudely glittering screet, flashing with electric
advercisetncnts, He spoke of chem sn1ilingly.
l3ahaáo'llah, He told us, had loved light.
•á He could never get enough light. He taught us to economize in
everything else, but to use light freely."
•• Ir is ro;1rvelous," I said, " co be driving through this glitter of
ligbc "vich the real Light-tbe Light of lights! "
•á This is nothing," He answered. " This is only the beginning. We
will be cogechc:r in all the worlds of God. You can not realize here
whac thac means. You can not imagine it. You can form no concep-
tion here-here in the elemental world-of what it will be to be
wich me in che Eternal \Vorlds I "
c5Hay22nd.
On, those mornings at the Hotel Ansonia, in the f19wer-61ledrooms I
{ The Master would invariably keep me all morning, calling flle
again and again to Him. People thronged there; sometimes o~e
hundred and nfty in a morning. He would become exhausccd arid
teceive them in bed.
Sitting in cbe outer room I would watch chem go in and come out-
all different ... as if they had had a bath of life-freshened-
(tuickened-or like candles that had been lighted.
leonard .Abbott came out with flushed cheeks and brightened eyes.
{ •• That beautiful bead against the pillo ...vs ! " he said to me.
( Charles Rann Kennedy exclaimed: " I was in the Presence of
God!"
One dear woman-a Mrs. Angel, till that moment a stranger to me,
tame from the Master's room straight to me. Her whole being was áin
agitation.
•á Oh," she sobbed, with her he:td on my shoulder, "He told me I
would be blessed . . . that I would beco1nc all I wished to be. lie
told me I would be blessed I "
Nancy ShoJJ wenr in with me. \Vhen we left she said: " J could not
have stood the vibrations in there one moment longer. Power en-
circles chat bed.'á
-.{11 ►
~~t(~ASHINGTON Was beautiful, the banners of the
. .., t.. spring floating out evef}"vhere. The a venues \Vere
/~ • leafy botvers, the parks gay and fragrant \Vith
. ~ flower-beds and blossoming bushes, and the grass-
( )..~l""W~) plots of the houses also afire ,vith the color of
2(L;A,.........-u:h_;__,w
flower-beds.
The day after I arrived, Tuesday, April 1-3rd, I met the :r,.1asterat
luncheon at the Persian embassy. The table was scre\.vn ,vith rose-
leaves, as the Master's table al,vays is in Acea, and Orienta.I dishes
were served ... A colored man was present and che 1'1aster gave
a wonderful talk on the subject of race-prejudice, which, ho,vever,
I will not quote. here, as it has been kept ... and besides I am long-
ing to catch up with these days-rhese days ,vhosc significances ate
unfolded to me as those in \Vashington were not. These days ,vhen
lam feeling with all my capacity for feeling .. , these days when
all the portals of my heart arc fiung ,vide open and the fire of the
Beyond is sweeping through n1y heart-these days ,vhen the veils
are torn from my eyes and I am seeing through the cryst:ils of tears
the Manifest Gloryf Somehow I .don"t feel much like writing abOIJt
Washington. This heart was not .awakened then!
But He said a lovely thing at Khan's table, which I m11.rt keep. There
had been a Jong conversation about material and spiritual diseases-
their separate origins and separate cures. Consumption h;id a spiritual
cause; it often originated in grief; the cure therefore must be spiritual.
The cause of insanity was spiritual. A dear woman present, '"'áho had
been a Christian Scientist, brought up the question of healing extreme
physical cases, such as broken bones, through the power of mental
•
suggestion.
" If all the spirits in the air," laughed Abdul Daha, " were to con-
gregate together, they could not create a salad{ Nevertheless, the
spirit of tnan is powerlul. For the spirit of man can soar in the
firmament of knowledge, can discover realities, can confer life, can
r<:ceivethe Divine glad tidings. Is not chis greater than rnaking a
salad? "-,vith anotl1er happy laugh.
One more s,vccr thing. The .servants were rather late bringing in one
of the coutses. Florence Khaoun1 made so1ne laughing apology for
keeping every one waiting, whereupon little Rahim spoke up.
" Even the King of Persia has to wait, does n't He, mother? "
(" Rahim, dear," said Florence:, "Abdul Baha is the King of the
whole world."
.. Oh I " said Rahim, very much abashed, " I forgot."
After the luncheon a meeting had been arranged for three o'clock,
to ,vhich a number of very distinguished people came, among thern
Zia Pasha (the Turkish minister) and his entire family, Duke Lita
and his ,vi(c, Peary, Alexander Grahan\ Dell, and a nu1nber of other
wc:11-known people. The h,f:isttr, when at J;ist He came do,vnstairs,
after having rested a litclc: and given several private intervie,vs,
addressed the people, standing in the doorway in the sin1plest and
freest of attitudes and speaking wirh a captivating sweetness, a
startling clarity, and the un:tnswcrable logic and app:1lling sin1plicity
of the Prophet's basic te;1ching. Zia Pasha stood near Hi,n, his eyes
fued in an intent regard lull of deep wonder on chac pure and noble
figure. \Vhen the discourse was ended he turned to me. " This is
irrefutable:. This is pure logic," he said ...
After the meeting at the Persian embassy, one was itnmcdiately held
at Mrs. Parsons', in her beautiful Georgian house. It is a house of
rare rcfinenicnt and dignity, and there, in a toom designed specially
for this purpose (since the house has been recently built), Abdul
Daha held daily meetings, receiving all the notables of \Vashington.
l think I must describe: that room: A long and lofty hall, imtnacu-
lateJy white, its ceiling, paneled walls and high mantel carved
delicately and ornamented with white garlands; pale, green curtains
of Jun1inous silk :lt the many windows, and in front of the mantel a
-e( 14 ):-
platform always banked high with criuison roses-wonderful
American beauties, in tall glass vases . . .
And . . . the M4.rltr . . . entering that room of studied simpli-
city and conventional elegance with the free step of One ,vho ,vas
king and yet Friend of all; walking with His natural majesty, yet
with the simplicity of His great realness, to one of the ,vindo,vs,
standing by the fluttering silk curtains and, ,vhile He talked ,vith
that matchless case to the asse1nblcd people, gazing out into the
light. Turning fro1n the window, striding to and fro (still pouring
forth His heart-stirring utterances) with a seep so vibrant it shook
you; piercing our souls with those strange eyes-uplifcin.g His eyes
till glory streamed upon the1n-talkjng-talking-moving back and
forth incessantly with restless gestures-pushing hack His turban,
revealing the sweep of the line of His forehead-chat great donie;
pushing it forward again almost do,vn to His eyebrows-which gave
Him a peculiar majesty; charging, filJing the room ,vith m:igoetic
currents, with a 1nysterious energy. Once He burst into the room,
a chiJd upon His shoulders. For a moment He held her, caressing
her wich radiant love. Then He sec her down :unidst che roses.
( On Thursday Abdul Baha dined at the Turkish embassy and it
was my privilege to be there.
To give you the picture:-Ncver, I think, have I seen a table so
beautiful. It was like a rose-garden. Roses lay in melting loveliness
its whoJe length, rising in a great rose-pink mound in the center-
where sat Abdul Baba, facing Zia Pasha. Florence Khanum and
Carey, Mada1nc Ibrahim Zia Bey (daughter-in-la,v ofZia Pasha),
the American wives of Oriental diplomats, were placed on either
side of the Master and I sat next to Carey.
'fhere are times when Abdul Baha looks colossal-when His holi-
ness shines dazzfiogfy. That night He was in white, wich a pale,
honey-colored aha. Zia P:isha, opposite Him, watched Him ,vith
heightened color and tear-filled eyes, his keen, old face strangely
softened.
Abdul Baha gave a great address on the civilizations built on the
basic teachings of the Prophets; then He spoke of the dinner as
-::( l5 )>
" a \vonderful occasion." "'the East and the \Vest," He said, " arc
met in perfect love tonight."
There was a something in His words as He spoke them-a some-
thing so poignant, so revealing of the realities of things-so creative
of fla,nt, that rears rushed to my eyes and for a 111omentI was over-
come.
Later He spoke of the deep significance of the two international
marriages represented there. Ca.cey rnade me very happy by saying:
"Juliet Thompson told tne long ago of your teachings, when I was
only fifteen years old." \Vhat fruit that seed had borne-sown in a
child!
Zia Pasha made a great address. Turning the face of a lover to the
Master, as he stood before that wonderful seated Figure, across the
mound of roses, he caJled Abdul Baba " the Unique One of the age,
who had come to spread His glory and perfection amongst us."
( á• I am not worthy of this," said the Master, simply.
Oh, the meekness! I used to hate that word meekness, espcciaJly
in connection ,vith Christ-tiJI I saw the ~laster. Then l realized
this: that it is one of the essential attributes of God'ás Manifesta-
tions-and a ray of intense and unique power ... of such power,
indeed, that l have seen it changtthe a11110Jph,re.I am not speaking at
random. This happened at Acea, when the Master said: "Jesus ,vas
the Bread that came do,vn from Heaven., but I am the Food prepared
by the Blessed Beauty,Baha 'o'Jlah. '' A Something celestial,affecting
me like Ji/v,r light, fiJled the rooni. Perhaps I sbould put it in this
way-chat it is one of the attributes of the Servant, and when the
Manifestation in the Station of the Servant shows forth this attri-
bute, which is identical with self-effacement-and all traces of the
Servant disappear ... then the Station of the Glory alone is seen.
•• There was God and there was nothing with Him.••
As I bade Zia Pasha good night, loolcing at me through a mist of
tears, he said:
á• Truly, He is a Saint."
ONn day Mrs ... invited the Master to drive \vich her, and ,vas
good enough to ask me, too. \Ve drove to the Soldiers' Home. The
family of Mrs ... have been terribly persecuted by the newsp:1pers
-though prior to Abdul Baha's visit to this country. Oh, the
wonderful Mascerl Scarcely had He taken His seat in the mocor ,vhen
He said to Mrs ...
" How the newspapers here: persecute one I "
It was such a sympathetic subjcct!-at once Mrs ... opened her
heart.
"Come away!" said Abdul Baha. "Elude these journalists! Come
to Haifa, where there is peace. Juliet will tell you there is pc.ace in
Haifa."
Then He gave a wonderful talk. He spoke of how I loved her and of
my praise of her. He clothed my 11n11tltrtd 1ho11gh1.r
in His words.
Think how sweet to be exprt.r.rtdby Hi,11!He spoke of her philan-
thropic deeds and prayed that these might increase.
"Nothing endures," He said, taking her dear, but conventional
hand-seizing and keeping it-while she covered the joined hands
with her cloak-" nothing save the Love of God endures. Look at
these trees, all in blossom no,v I .. And, in words v,hich I ,vill not
attempt to quote, He described the inevitable coming of autumn.
" This is a symbol of human life," He said." Remember Babylon."
He drew vividly for us a picture of the former Babylon, its stateli-
ness and splendor; then of Babylon today ... the ruins of today,
e1npty of life save for the hyena, " pro,vliog among its crumbling
stones," silent, except for the vioce of the O\Vlby night, or the lark
in the lonely sunshine. "Remember Tyre," He continued ... Here,
too, was beauty and splendor and pomp. Think of Tyre now! I
have been there- I have seenl "
He spoke of my mother that day.
"She is good-very good. Her heart is very pure. When we met her
face became radiant."
... 1 was so thankful to be in Washington I At the daily meetings
at Mrs. Parsons• there would be glimpses of many dear faces and, to
my unspeakable joy, I found hoses of the friends of my childhood
-:( 17 ►
there. The dear friend with who,n I was staying went with me to áthe
mt.t.\ings nt:).t\)' t.áit.t)' O::t)'-!.t::tn~ing 'i>Ometime-s
'/.Dtoug'n tbe who\e
afternoon, iJl though she was, because of her intense interest.
( One day, however, ~he was not with me. She was giving a dinner
that night and we were going to the opera afterward and she had to
rest for this, so; being free for an hour or so, ;1.fterthe meeting I
staid to have a 'lisit with Edna, who was serving the Master at the
telephone upstairs. \Vhile Edna and 1 \Vere talking, suddenly the
Master came into the room.
"I was just going out for a drive," He said, " but stay till I return,
Edna, and you too, Juliet, stay. I will see yoll when I return."
( So I waited; J waited-and waited! Half-pas~ six came seven.
Our dinner, on account of the opera, was to be at half-t>ast seven-
My hostess lived a Jong way off, rather indirect on the car-line, and
I had not kept the motor.
•á Go, Juliet, I will explain," urged Edna. But I could not. He had
told me co stay.
And now I am going to digress and tell you what stems another
story.
l was certainly no more than ten years old when a ~ery presumptuous
aspiration took _possessionof my infant brain. I f:>cganto dream of
some day paintiflg the Christ. I even prayed for itl Child though I
was, I violently bated the accepted conceptions of the Christ-sweet,
effeminate, ineffc-ctual. " I will paint a Kint.I " l said, "The King
of Love I"
.And I never lost this hope till I saw the Master. Then I knew thilt
110 one could everpaint the Christi The life of the Spirit of life-th11t
animation !-the endless reveaHng-rhe Glory-how could these be
captuted in mate,ial? Can you pai.at the lightning?
Imagine my wonder-my almost dismay-my mingled Tear aod
rapture at the news that was given rne by Mrs. Gibbons when the
Master fuse arrived in America. The night before .He landed she had
received a Tablet, in which He had said: "On my arrival in Ame~-
ica Miss Juliet Thompson shall paint a wonderful portrait of me."
( It was a little after seven when the Master catne baclc from His
-tf18)>-
drive. Entering the room where He had left me, and where, of course,
I was still waiting, He said:
... Ah, Juliet! For your sake I returned. Mrs. Hemm.ick wanted co
keep me, but I had asked you to wait. Therefore, I returned." After
a slight pause He added: •á \Vould you like to come up and paint me
to1norrow? "
So I learned the reward of obedience. \Vhat a re,.vard for such simple
obedience I Once in Haifa He said to me:
•á Keep my words; obey my commands and you \viii marvel at the
results."
By a miracle I was not late for my dinner engagement. The dinner
-at the last moment-was postponed, by another guest, a half-hour I
( The next morning I went to Him early with my box of pastels, but,
though it was only eight o'clock, quite a cro\vd had already garherc:d
and I felt that our morning was doomed to be a broken one.
Not only that, but the light in all the roo1ns ,vas vtly poor ancl,veak,
and the delicate wall-papers with bunches of flo,vers on them you
could not think of putting behind His head! For a while I \Vas in
despair, for I dared not offer the suggestion that was in my mind. In
the end, however, the artist overca1ne the disciple in me and, beg-
ging the Master to forgive me if I were doing a wrong thing, I asked
if He would pose in New York instead. This He consented to do so
freely and sweetly that I had no more qualms :ibout it ...
The next day I went to Mrs. Parsons, having promised to meet Lee
McClung there-the treasurer of the United States, ,.vho had asked
me to arrange an interview with A.bdu1 Baha for him. 1 arrived a
little in advance of hin1, and \vhile I was waiting in the hall to be
announced, a door opened and there stood the Master, beckoning to
we. He w.ts alone, so we had to fall baclc.on His English and my
Persian! h precious little talk it was! ...
When the transJaror appeared: .. Tell Juliet," began rhe t-.i:iscer at
once, '' that she teaches well." (I repeat this praise only because it
is Ilisl) " I have met many people who have been affected by you,
Juliet. You arc not eloquent; you are not fluent, bur your h,art
teaches. You speak with an emotion-a feeling ,vhich makes people
ask, • What is this that she has'? • Then they inquire-they seek and
-:(19)>
/ind. It is so, too, with Lua. You never find Lua speaking with dry
eyes! You will be confirmed; a great bounty will descend upon you.
You will become eloquent. Your tongue ,vill be loosed. Teach-
always teach. The confirmations of the Holy Spirit descend upon
those ,vho teach constantly. Neverfeel fear. .The Holy Spirit will give
you the words to say, Never/ear.You will grow stronger and stronger."
{ His vibrant power as He spoke thrilled me and fear wa.s forever
banished from my mind. The great courage of that erect head aod
uplifted hand-the absolute confidence in God for mel I ;im sure I
shall always sec this when in the future I begin to speak.

WeEN Lee McCJung dined with us that night I asked him:
( .. ln what way did Abdul .Baba impress you~ "
He began shyly: " f seemed to be in the presence of one of the great
old prophets-Isaiah-Eliiah-Moi;es. And yet-it was more th.r.n
that-He was like Christ . . . No-now I have itl-Hc seemed ,o
me like my Divine Father."*

•Two years later~ Mc0u11gdied.
-c( 10 ):-
~'lf"-"o/:}}gN Saturday the Master returned to Ne\v York-
-.,,&~K) Saturday, May 11th-jusc one month from the
n-,,,,,._ ~ day of His first arrival.
~ ,,;<..a. A few of us prepared His rooms and filled them
t>i~~~J with flowers for Hi1n-Carrie Kinney. Lua Gc:t-
;ḥ7~.A,---uh,~ singer, rvtay Maxwell, Kate Ivc:s, Gr:ice Roberts
and I. lvlr. Mills and Mr. \Voodcock ,vere also there ,vaicing.
His little apa.rc1nenc (at the Hudson Apartment House, on River-
side Drive) was high above the world; ics windo,vs framed the sky.
Now they were all open and the breeze blc:w in freshly from the
.
river.
About five o'clock He came. Oh, the Coming of that Presence! If
only-only I could convey co the future the great vibration of it!
The hearts arc almost suffocated with joy-the eyes burn ,vich tears
at that step! It is futile to cry co express it. Sometimes when the sun
breaks through clouds and spreads a great glo\v, like a pouring ouc
of fire from its be:,.rt, I get so1nething of that feeling.
Taking a seat by the windo\v the Master began to talk to us, with
supreme love and gladness-witti\y-eloqucnt\y-tenderly---carr)'-
ing us up on wings of lire to the apex of sublin1e feeling; then turn-
ing our tears to sudden little ripples of laughter as an unexpected
gleam of wit flashed out; then melting our hearts with His yearning
affection.
Lua, May and I, the three closest sisters I believe in chis Cause,
bound together by our rapturous memories of chose early days of che
Cause in Paris. when the Faith, the Knowledge and che Lo,áe of
Abdul Baha were just dawning on the three of us-Lua, r.fay and I,
for the first time together in the glory of His Presence, sat in a cor-
◄ 1.1 ):-
ner oo the floor, gazing through tears at Him, and whenever we could
tear our eyes from the sorrowful yet radiant beauty of that Face,
silhouetted against the sky, gazing at each other, speechless, in
wonder too deep {or words ... still through tears.

Day after day I was with Him there. Lua and I had permission to be
always with Him. He would seod for me agaio and agaio.
"My Lord," I would plead, .. I should not cake your tin1e. I do not
want to take your time. I am only too thankful to be here-serving
at a distance-somewhere in your atmosphere."
" I know you are content with whatever I do; therefore I send for
you." He said.
On the 13th of May a meeting of the Peace Conference was held at
the Hotel Astor, at wbich Abdul Baba was the Guest of Honor and
the chief speaker. Dr. Grant was one of the speakers. He sat at the
right of Abdul Baha, Rabbi \Vise at the left. The Jewish rabbi, the
Christian clergyman IAh,the symbolism of tlut trio sitting together
in the foreground of the platform of the World-Peace Conference,
with the Center of the Covenant for its center! He who had come
to unite the Je,vs and the Christians!
Abdul Baba was really too ill to have gone to that meeting. He
bad been in bed all day, suffering from complete exhaustion. I had
been ,vith Him all day. Once during the day I asked Him: " Must
you go to the Hotel Astor when you are so ill?"
á• I ,vork by the confirmations of the Holy Spirit," He answered.
" l do not work by hygienic laws. If I did I would get nothing done.á•
( On Friday, May 14th, a native of Indi.a came to sec me, sent by
Mr. Barakat-'Ullah,-Kahn Bahadur Allah Bahksk of Lahore. I
asked him to return to my meeting that night. He did so and beá
came enchanted with the teachings. Immediately he went to the
?vfaster. Three days later he wrote to me:
" Abdul Baba is the Divine Light of today."
A few perfect days, thco the Master went to Boston.
Io the meanwhile He spoke at the Church of the Divine Paternity.
This was unbearably beautiful.
My impres$ioo, as I look back, is that the Church was Byzantine,
-c( 2.1.)>
recalling the worship of early Christians. The interior was of gray
stone.
Ah, the look of Him that day I
Then, more vividly than ever before, He shone out as the Divine
Shepherd, come at .last to His flocks. I have said this before-I had
felt it before, but never so overwhelmingly as now. I ,vept through-
out tlie service. In front of tne sac Lua, her eyes fixed in rapt regard
on the Master, her face stilled and immeasur:ibly greatened by ics
look of recognition-of profound re:ilizacion.
Soon I caught a glimpse of another face-a man's. He was a friend
of mine, Mt. Bailey, a dear Mid-Victorian, inordinately proud of
his nineteenth century acheism and in mortal terror of his inevitable
twentieth century conversion I And now-his hour had come! Never
have I seen a face more couched I It was very wistful-very soft,
the eyes, curiously limpid and with a sort of shy reverence in them,
fastened on the Mas_ter.
He met me at the Master's apartment that µternoon, making •his
entrance with these words:
" I have been thinking since this morning that the way to the at-
tainment of greatness is through elimination."
(This was his opening remark-uoprefaced-don't you love it?)
( " You felt," I ventured, •• the simplicity of the Master? ••
"One would naturally feel the simplicity of Niagara! " almost
resentfully.
'' Did you feel-the beauty of His face?áá
" The patriarchal grandeur of His face can not be denied."
Later, how his eyes hung on that face!

ONthe 1.1st of May Mrs. Tatum• had a reception, co ,vhich the
Master came. The people who were there were of thefashionable,vorld
wicha sprinklingoftheartistsand the literary set. Mrs. Sheridan ,vas
• Io December of that ycáar Mrs. Tatum came to sec me. "The !',f:istcr," she told me.
" said such a s~raoge tbjog to me just before H_eleft _America.I_ had bcco ci,:prcssiog
my regret to Him that l liad noc my automobile this autumn 1n Ne,v Yori.: to put
at His disposal again, and He answered, 'Sooo you will have oo use for ao automo-
bile, Mrs. Tatum, for sooo you will be ri<liog in a chariot of 6rc. • l wonder what He
meaot?" Withio a vay kw weeks dear Mrs. Tatum passed suddeoly from this world.
-:(2.3 ►
pouring tea. Louis Potter was there-dear Louis Potter.• " Oh,
a11gu11 Juliet! "he exclaimed when he caught sight of me and at once
attached himself to Lua and me. The house was very large, airy and
beautiful !-with a great white staircase in the center and big rooms
branching out from this central hall.
Suddenly there \Vas a stir an1ong the people ... and ... Abdul
Daha ,vas in our midst.
He walked over to a big, yellow couch in the bow window and sat
do,vn. I think I must tell you how He looked there. His s.urroundings
were all wbire; sunlight streamed in; the shadows on His face were
transparent; His profile \vas outlined with a lun1inous penciling; His
background was the crystal of the wide central window pane-the
sky beyond. Behind Him stood the Persians.
•• Come, Louis,'' I. said to Louis Potter, 11 let us go to the Master."
Louis had never seen the Master till then and he went skipping
fonvard like a little, buoyant faun, his head on one side and his
hands outstretched,
"Ah-h-h," he s2id, as if he could not help it,-it was a little cry
{rom his soul-as though be were just tornint ho,n,-and ,vas so t,laJ.
And the t.1ascer too, said, " Ah-h-h! " His voice thrilling with
love beyond our understanding-with a recognition-a welcome
beyond our understanding-His arms open wide.
Soon Dr. Gr.ant arrived. As soon as He appeared in the room the
Master rose almost eagerly, smiling and holJiog out His hand.
£ááAh! Dr. Graotl" He said.
I fclt in Dr. Grant a great Jcf..:rcncc-ycs, even 1norc-affcction, real
affection. They stood for some ti1ne, their bands clasped in one
another's. Dr. Grant is taller than the Master and that so erect
head of his ,vas bo,ved with great gencfcness-tcnderness, even-
-to\\•arJ the t-.1aster, ,vhose vibrant Presence dominated the whole
scene. A Persian was translating, but tbe \vords ,Ycrc so low that I
could not catch them. The greeting at an end, D,. Grant sat down
close to the Master on the curved white window seat.
----
• Louis Pocrcr, a great sc11lptor,died very tragica.lly in August of that year, 1911.
He had nor y.ct accepted the 111:istcr,but he loved Hin1 and was beginning to study
the Tc-2chin,:s. The last thing fro111his gifted hand was a tiny bas-relief of Abdul
Bah.a-a medal.
Soon Abdul Baha began to speak.
He \Vas very happy to be with us, He said. "Think of the contrast I
For years criminals had been His associares and now He ,vas asso-
ciating ,vith us (how sweet to 11scriminals!). His ouclook for years
had been from :t prison window and He had been conttncJ ,vithin the
litnits of :t fortress; now He found Hirnsel( in spacious honics ...
( His talk, at first appa.rently desultory, gradually shaped itself
toward some distinct point, which, ho,vever, He kept veiled until
the end. l wondered ,vhat was corning. \Vhcn it came it was like a
thunderclap.
" Think of itl " He said, " T,vo kings ,vere dethroned in order chat
I might be freedI This is naught bur pure destiny."
I looked toward Dr. Grant. Instead of the skeptical expression I
had expected to find, l s;tw th:ic he ,vas strangely moved. He had
been listening, still with that expression of tender dc(.:rencc, his
head slightly tipped to one side, looking, as he has each time I have
seen him in the Master's presence, singularly young, singularly
softened-but now there was a ,,isibJe stirring of his souJ through
his face.
" And now," ended the ~-laster, rising to His feet with che action of
a king, " you here in America must ,vork with me for the peace of
the world and the oneness of humanity."
And with this He left us-the roo1n seeming strangely empty after
He had gone.
the next morning early I had a ,velcome visitor, dear Ho,vard
MacNutt. He greeted me with a radiant face. I knc,v he had good
news! Then he told me. He bad just bec:n breakfasting w,ich Dr.
Grant and the Master was to speak again in the Church of the
.Ascension-in the Forum I The meeting had been arranged for
June 1.nd.
They had a deep talk-Howard tvfacNutt and Dr. Grant. Dr. Grant
had talked freely about the day before. He had spoken of the Master's
address and of its great climax.
" As I listened," he said, " I realized profoundly that this \Vas a
historical moment; that before me sat One who, imprisoned for the
..;(1.5)>
cause of humanity, had been freed by the power of God alone,
through che dethroning of two kings,"
t 1nust paint one word-picture-a morning in-how curious, I
started to say " the Rizwan I " I mean-Riverside Drivel-in that
hallowed little strip of a parkwhich.\ve all love cocall" His garden,"
into which He escaped so often to rest-,vhich is holy with His
prayers; or where we sometimes walked with Him in the evenings,
or He took his daily exercise. Just a gravel p:ith, some benches and
young trees and a low stone walJ shutting off the slope co the river
far below-but unspeakably beautiful forever to me. Morning, as
I started co say, in our Riz~van; Abdul Bah a in the sunJight, His
turban glistening white in it, pouring attat of rose on our hands
and heads, pouring it out lavishly and with an incense of love
breathing frorn Him as I-le did it, which it is impossible to describe,
a very rapture of love, as though love indeed were the one detect•
able thing in the univetsc and the soutcc of all joy. Oh, that lovel-
the pale, sparkling, early n1orning sunshine, the perfume, th.it
figure in the graceful flowing robes and the glistening turban . . .
the Center of a Force which made everything around Him u noná
existent!
There is something almost miraculous in the way the Master takes
the sunlight. No one else looks so bright in it. It makes Him trans•
lucent, like. a shining mirror.
Yesterday Jnorning Qune 11, 1911.,) I went up early to the Master's
housc-th;it house ,vhose door was opened about eight in the
n)Ornin~, or earlier, and kept open all day, ,vich no one to guard it,
till midnight.
He had been away and I h:id not seen Him for three days. I had
brought my p:istcls, thinking He might want to sit for me, but I
found Him looking utterly spent. He was in the lower reception room,
or hall, the English basemeni of the house, and Valiolah Khan was
with Hi1n. He looked up with brilliant eyes.
" \Vhat do you want of us, Juliet? á• he smHed.
"Only to he near you! áá-(1 had hidden my pastels).
" You must excuse me from sitting for the portrait today. I am not
able today,"
Then He talked to us a little, but soon went out alone, to " the
garden," leaving Ruth, Valiolah and me together.
" It is Wonderful, .. said Ruth, as Abdul Baha went, " co see ho,v
the world is quickened today in all directions."
"And to know," I nddcd," that the voice rbat is quickening it, so
..
powerfully quickening it, is that tender voice that s1,oke to us just
now.
Toda:y-(June 11.)I went up early to His house, but not early enough.
As I turned into 78th street I saw Him at the other end of the
b\ock on His way to the garden, His turban a dazzling spot in the
sunlight, His robes floating out ,vith great grace as He ,valkcd.
( Lltcr he returned. ~fiss Duck ton had arrived by that tin1e and a
poor little waif of humanity, a Jewess. She was all in black, this
poor child, with a little, pale face, careworn and teanvorn.
I had been in the kitchen \Vith Lu:1. I carne out upon a scene domin-
ated by the Master. He ,vas sitting, as usual, at the ,vindo,v, the
strong carving of bis (ace thro,vn into rclic:f by masses of shado,v,
his turban and white aba bright in the sunlight. On one side sat
Miss Buckton, on the other, this poor, stricken child. While the
biggest tears I have ever seen splashed from her eyes she told him
her hopelessly dismal story.
••Don• t grieve no,v, don' c grieve," he said. He ,vas very, very still,
and I think he was calming her.
"My brother has been in prison for three years. He was imprisoned
unjustly. It ,vas not his fault; he ,vas led; he ,vas ,veak, a victim of
others. He has four n1orc years to serve. My father and mother arc
depressed all the time. ~1y brother-in-Jaw who ,vas our support h:is
just died."
There it was, the sum of human misery: poverty, weakness, disgrace,
sorro,v, desp:iir and the maddening pall of gloom.
•• You must trust in God," said Abdul Daha.
á• Dut the more I trust the worse things become! " she sobbed.
( " You have never trusted."
" But my mother is reading the psalms all the time. She does not
deserve that God should so abandon her! I read the psalms myself,
-:( 1.7):-
the ninety-first psalm and the twenty-third psalm every night before
\ go to bed. \ pr.ay, too."
" To pray is not to read psalms. To pray is to trust in God and to be
submissive in all things to Hi1n. Be submissive, then things will
change for you. Put your family in God's hands. Love God's will.
Strong ships are not conquered by the sea; they ride the waves!
Now be a strong ship, not a battered one."
At noon 1 took Dr. Grant co Hirn. A,5we sat alone in the library,
waiting for Abdul Ba.ha to return from the garden, I said:
" I think what He said at Mr. Gifford Pinchot's last week was very
interesting, that the people were rising like a great tide, wave upon
wave, and unless the capitalists realized soon, they would be driven
out ,.,ich violence; that the people in the future would not work for
wages, but for an interest in the concern."
Just then Lua appeared at the door of the room where she had been
sitting, bending toward the stairway with beautiful reverence.
" The !\{aster is coming? " I asked.
'' Y cs, He is coining, Juliet."
He came into the room with both hands extended, and in a voice lilce
a chin1e from His heart He said:
" Oh-h, Dr. Grant, Dr. Grant."
Such love, such gladness, such sweetness, such welcome!
Then I sJippcd out.
When 1 re-entered the room Abdul Baba was signing a photograph
{or Dr. Grant, rather, ..vriting a prayer on it .
.. And now," Abdul Baba said, as He presented it; "you must give
me your photograph. I ,vant your face. I have given you mine, now
.
you roust give me yours.
..
" I will pray for you," He added, as He said f~ewell to Dr. Grant.
" I will mention you daily in my prayers."
Abdul Bah a detained me .i. moment. As l re}oincd Dr. Grant, in the
Automobile, VaHolah Kb.in was entering the house.
"Do you see that young man going into the house? " I asked.
"That is Valiolah Khan. His father was cut into pieces alive while
his o,vn little son, V aJioJah •s youngest brother, was forced to look
oo at the but<:hery.
" • If you will deny Daha'o'llah," the executioners said to the child,
• We will take you to the Palace of the Shah and honors and wealth
will be heaped upon you!•
" • Bue I do not ,vane these things,' the little fello,v answered.
" • Then-if you do not deny Him,' they continued, • we will kill
you worse than your father (I am expressing this just as V aJiolah
Khan did, in his English).
" ' You may kill 1ne a thousand times worse,' was the reply, • Is my
life of more value than my father's? To die io the parh of Baha'o'llah
is my supreme desire! •
" Then they fell on the child and choked him co death.
"A day or ~vo ago," I continued," Valiolah Khan asked me about
the portrait of Abdul Baha-ho,v it was getting on?
" • One should paint the soul in a portrait, I think,• he said.
{ " But who could paint the soul of Abdul Baha? " I asked.
" He dre,v himself up, his eyes kindling.
" • \Ve can paint it ,vith our blood I • " he replied.
The next day, Wednesday,June IJth, as usual,! ,vent very early to
the Master's house, so early that no one was there-th:tt is, no callers.
Some of the Persians, of course, were ,vith Him-Valiolah Khan and
~lirza Ali Akbar. I found them in the lo,.,.er reception hall, the
English basement. Abdul Baba was sitting in the big chair in the
corner near the ,vindow. He called me to a scat near Him, then began
smilingly-to speak His clear words of divine encouragement to me.
"Juliet is absolutely truthful ... For chis I love her very much."
After a moment He added: " She tells me everything. She conceals
nothing from me I "
"My Lord," I said, "it would be useless to try to conceal any-
thing from you. I coulJ hide nothing I "
"That is true," said the Master, raising one hand, " nothing-
nochingl "
Soon He rose." Stay here," He bade me and went out with Ahmad.
• • •
After He had returned and given some private inrervie,vs to those
waiting, He talked to the people assembled on the first floor, sitting
at the far end of the room, His back half to the window into which
-<{2.9)>
the sun poured. The strongest i1nage in my memoty is this lu1ninous
one of rite M.1scer sitting by the window, the tnaicscic head domina-
ting the holy figure, reaching us with smiles and gestures divine.
C The meeting over, a few of us we.at upstairs co Mrs. Cliampney's
toom, to unite in a healing prayer for Mrs. Hinkle-Smith, but no
sooner had Lua begun co chant it than there came-a divine inter-
ruption I The Master looked in at the door, calling "Juliet!•á
Whereupon I joyously deserted Mrs. Hinkle-Smith and ran out to
Hirn.
" Bring your things in here," He said, pointing to the front room,
the library.
Oh, these sittings, so wonderful, yet so difficult! We move from
room to room, from background to background, light to light. He
has given tne three half-hours, each time in a dilTerent room! And
Abdul Ba.ha-who could paint Him?
The next morning, Thursday, l went up very early to the house, but
did .not see the ~faster. But Lua and I had a wonderful talk with
Valiolah Khan.
"I\1y father," said VaJiolah Khan," was tnuch with Baha'o'llah.
One oighc Baha'o'Jlah, as He strode back and forth in His room,
said co my father: • At scared periods souls are sent to earth by che
l\lighty God with what we calJ the Power of the Great Ether. And
those ,vho possess this Power can do anything; they have all power.
Even this walk of mine,' said Daha'o'llah, •has an elfect in the world.
His floliness Jesus Chrisc had chis Power. The people of His time
thought of Him as a poor youth whom they had cruci.ficJ; but He
possessed the Pol,áer of chc Grcac Ether; therefore, He could aoc
remain underground. This etheral Power rose and quickened the
world. And now look to the Master,' said Baha'o'llah, ' for this
Po,ver is His.'
••.Baha'o'llah," added Valiolah Kh:tn, .. taught myfathet much about
Agha. Agha (M;ister), yo11know, is one of the titles of Abdul Daha,
and the Greatest Branch is another and the Greatest Mystery of God
another. By all these we call Him in Persia. The Blessed Perfection
(Baha'o'llah) revealed the Station of Abdul Baba to my father.
And my father wrote many poems to the Master-though the
-<(30):-
Master would scold him and say: •You must not write such things
to Mel • But the heart of my father could not keep quiec. He once
wrote:
"0 Dawning Place of the Beauty of God,
I know Theef
Though Thou sbroudest Thyself in a thousand veils,
l know Thee!
Though Thou shouldst assume the tatters of a beggar,
Still would I know Theel''
In the l:ttc afternoon I returned ,vith my mother. He received us in
His room, full of toses and lilies and carnations.
•• Ah-hi Mrs. Thompson! Mahraba! M,ahrabal"
The intonation of that M,1braha-a ,velcome from a heart deeper
than any hutnan heart-:1 ,,,clcome, indeed I Only this generation
may kno,v it on earth, but it is before all the world and the future
at the threshold of Heaven I ...
The next morning I sa,v the Master alone and V\'C spoke of a friend,
who h;2d /:ijJcJ to understand Abd uJ .B:1h:1 ás me.ailing the othc.r
day, thinking He meant to teach ascctism, that the spirit and the
Oesh were t,vo separate things.
" That is not ,vh:tt I said;' replied Abdul D:1.ha,•• I said that the
spiritual man anJ the materialist wetc two different beings. The
spirit is in the flesh," He added.
" Yes, I know," I ans,vered, beaming at the beauty of this and its
deep significance, for there it all was-everything was s:iid in those
six ,vords.
j,,ly Jth .
. . . . . . Tnosu precious sittings, so few-,vich dear Lua and May
praying beside me ,vhile I worked-perceiving and encouraging
inc while I painted with a blind aoJ breathless speed, lificd up on
a wave of inspiracioa-on!y /((lint.
" The Holy Spirit alone can paint this portrait," I s:iid to the
M.i.ster one day, "All confum.i.tion comes from Theel Oh, inspir:
mel"
"You will be inspired," the Master replied, "for you are painting
only for che sake of God."
Then-I let go I-relying on His promise: and on the prayers of May
and Lua, and then a great wave of inspiration ca1ne, lifting me up to
unimagined heights of confidence-endowing me with clear, sure
perception-above all, filling-thrilling me with feeling so profound
and immense that my hand, strangely certain-as direct as though
guided by a more powerful one-trembled so it could scarcely
execute.
In five half-hours the portrait ,vas done (all except a sitting for
a fe,v last touches), each day in a different Hght and environment.
( To be painting fron1 the Face of God and realirting this I Oh
artists of the future, thi11k,,vhat that n1cans!-and forgive the in-
adequate expression I h:1ve left to you. Dec:1useof these difficulties
I could not n1ake a studied portrait-it is only an impression. The
light was unspeakably weak and poor-everything txternal was
against me. But they say it is really like the Master. He says so. He
said, " It is the very nature." Due 11othi11gis like Hirn to me! That
imrnortal flash of the eyes-that rnouch, supc:rhurnanly 1nobilc-
the piercing brilliancy and sweetness of the look-the celestial light
of the ever-changing (ace-who clould paint? An emanation of
holiness that is almost visible-I find it in none of the photographs
-I can find no words for it- .... You will have: to wait-oh,
peoplc-,vho are to co1nc-till you sec Hi1n in theSuprcrncConcourse.
( There was that other day, ,vhcn in His address to the believers
Abdul B.tha declared Himself the Center of the Covenant. The words
are on record, though not all,some He Himself struck out when the
notes were presented to Hiln, so that the record is less strong, more
guarded than the spoken ,vords were. They were uttered with a great
calm. That day was the 19th of June.
On June 2.1stAbdul Baha went to Montclair. Two <bys later Lua,
Georgie Ralston and I were with Him there.
He served at the table chat day. I shall never forget His look of
mystery as He entered with a dish of fruit. le was a glass bowl,filled
with golden peaches. Without turning His head-His face was set
straight before Him and was strangely and majestically still in ex-
-cf31)>
pressioo-He turned a piercing glance on Lua and myself. It ,vas a
glance like a. sword, strangely watchful, as it flashed from the cor-
ners of His eyes, while His face ,vas turned aln1ost profile.
Before lunch, having banished Lua, Georgie and me to the back
porch, He joined us there, striding up and do,vn and talking to us.
As He walked He shook us ,virh His po,ver. I felt myself rene\ved in
the currents of life eddying fron1 liin1. I felt myself sparkle with this
vi"ific:1tion, this exhilaration.
His eyes-chose eyes of light, which seen1 to be, :rnd are, ever look-
ing into heaven, into that mysterious plane hidden from our sight,
and when they alight for an instant upon earth glance a,vay at once,
back to the mysteries-,vere more than ever brillianrly rcsclcss rhat
day; l!is '"hole being, indeed, ,v:is restless ,vith a strange force. It
scemecl as though the li.f!htning of the Spirit could scarcely endure
to re1nain harnessed to the body. His whole bearing "'á:is unusually
foreign to earth. He seemed almost out of the body.
\Vhile we ,vcrc sitting :,round Him on the porch I told Him that a
wotn;,n I knew, ,..,ho h:\J seen Hi,n once but knc,.., nothing of Hitn,
had s:iid she would like co á• live nc:tr Him."
He laughed, "She does not ,vant to Jive near ~fe. She only ,vaots a
good time."
.
Then He gre,v serious. "To live nc:tr Me," He said, "one n1usc h:tve
t.,[y :tin,s and objects. Do you rernenihcr the rich young m:in \\'ho
wanted to Jive near Christ, anJ ,,áhen he found out ,vh:1c it cost to
live near Hi,n-that it n1eant to give a\vay all his possessions, and
to take up a cross and follo,v Christ-then," the Master laughed,
" he fled a,vay I "
" A1nong the disciples of the Bab," continued Abdul Baba, " ,verc
two, his a1nanuensis and a fir1n believer. On the eve of the Bab's
martyrdom, the believer prayed, • Oh, let me die with you! '
" The amanuensis said, ' \Vhat shall I do? •
" • \Vhat shaJJ I do? • laughed the Master, in gentle mockery,
• What do yo1,1want Mc to do? •
" The Bab said, ' Protect yourself.'
" The disciple died with the Bab, his head upon the breast of the
<f33 ):-
Bab, and their bodies were mingled in death. The amanuensis died
in prisoo, anyway, but think of the difference in their stations I
"There was another martyr," continued AbJul Daha, after a moment.
"Mirza ... of Shiraz. He saw Daha"o'Jlah only once, but he so
loved the Dlc:ssedBeauty that he could not help but follow hitn to
Teheran, though Baha'o'llah had told him to remain in Shira.z
with his aged parents, who h:1d also beco1ne believers. Still he
follo,ved ! And when he reached Tehcran it was just at the time that
a great persecution had fallen upon the Dahais because of the
attempt on the life of Nassir-id-Din Shah by two fanatical believers.
And Baha'o'llah had been cast into a dungeon. And it was in the
Jungton that Mirza ... Shira:zi found Him again when he-
asking for Daha'o'Jlah-was led to the dungeon to be chained with
eleven ocher disciples to his Master! So he found Him again! The
disciples were all bound by the san1e chain to Daha'o"llah. Set into
the chains were iron collars which were fastened by iron pins around
the neck, and each day a believer \.vas unchained and blled, till
Baha'o'lJah alone was left, and none kncv, whose turn would be
next. The ftrsc intimation one recci\áed that bis time had come was
when the gaoler took out the pin from the collar. Then Mirza ...
Shirazi stepped joyfully forward. First he kissed the feet of the
Blessed Beauty . . . and then. . . . "
Suddenly Abdul Baha's whole aspect changed. It was as though the
spirit of che martyr had entered into Him ... With His head
thrillingly erect, snapping His fingers high in the air, beating on
the porch with His foot till we could scarcely endure the vibrations
set up-such electric po,ver radiated from Him-Hesangthemartyr's
song, ecstatic and tragic beyond anything I had ever he.ard.
This was \vhat the Cause meant then I This was what it meant to live
near Him! Another realm opened co me-the realm of Divine Tragedy.
{ " And thus," ended Abdul Baha, " singing and dancing he went
to his death-and a hundred executionc:rs fell on him!
"And later his old parents came to Baha'o'Jlah, praising God that
their son had given his life in the Path of God! "
He sank back into His chair. Tears swelled io my eyes, blurring
everything. When they cleared I saw a yet stranger look on His.face.
◄ 34 ►
His eyes were unmist:ikably fixed on the Invisible. They were as
brilliant as jc,vcls and so filled ,vith delight that chey almost m:idc
His vision rc:il to us. A s1nilc of exultation played on His lips. \'cry
low, so chat it sounded Jikc an echo, 1-lehu1nn1cd the martyr's song.
{ " See! " I-le exclai rued, " the eCfect that the death of a 1narcyr
has in the ,vorld. It h:is changed 111ycondition."
There \Vas a rnoment of silence; then He s:1id:
" \Vh;tt it is, Juliet, that you arc pondering so deeply? "
.. I ,v:1s thinking of the look on your f:1ce ,vhcn you said th:it your
condition ,v;is changed. J ,vas chinking I had seen a flash of the joy
of God over those who die h:ippily for hun1anity."
" There ,v:is one name," He said, " that al,v:iys brought joy to the
f:icc of 13:1h:1'o'll:1h.His expression would ch:inge :ic the mention of
it. It \Vas l\(;1ry of I\.Iagd:ila."
I did not sec the ~faster a.gain till the 2.9th of June, the day of His
fc:1st at \Vest Englewood. Then I entered His Presence in Roy \Vil-
hc:l1n's house.
I had gone to \\fest Engle,vooJ ,vith Silvia. \Ve ,v:ilkcd up fro1n the
little sc-ation, dear Berthalin Osgood ,vich us, through the s,,ácct,-
wilJ country, p:ist the grove ,vhere che tables ,vere spread for che
feast-:1 great circle cleared of underbrush, sh:idy :ind fragrant ,vich
tall pine-trees, in the n1idst of tangled ,voods-then on up to the
house \.vhcre f-le was-He \.vhose Presence fillcJ our -eyes \.vith light
and without whotn our days had been very dim and lifeless!
Ah, there He was again I-There in a corner of the porch that unique
Figure in the flowing garrnents, which meant che heavenly garment
to usl I sped across the lawn-forgetting poor Silvia-forgetting
everything! He looked down at me with eyes so grave, so deep in
their regard-oh, so wonderful-a profound welcome. Then ,ve sat
on the porch with Him for a v.áhile.
Later, He led us to the grove. There He talked to the people, sitting
beneath a great tree, with a poor, old woman on one side-very
poor and humble, but with the most shining faith, and on the other.
side Mrs. Krug, With her radiant prettiness and rich cloches.
His words have been preserved. I will not repeat them. I remember
, ,:( 35 ►
them, besides, very imperfectly. But He said one thing v,hich woke
all my being:
"This is a New Day; a New Hour."
At the end of this divine talk the feast was ready; but no sooner
had this been announced than a sudden storm blew up; there was a
peal of thunder; the clouds rolled very ro,v. Abdul Baha stepped
out into the road and ,valkcd to the extren1e cod of it, ,vhcre
there was a cross-ro::id. There a chair had been left, and, as I
watched Him from a dist.1nce,1 s.1,vHim sic down in jr, while the
Persians s~ood around Him. I then sa,v Him lift His face to the sky.
1-lehad gone very far from the house. The thunder was still threat-
ening and the clouds were ominously black. Su<ldenly a winád sprang
up-the clouds began to flee across the sky-blue patches appeared
-and the sun came out. Theo the Master rose and walked baclc
to the grove. Thi1 I 11110.
Later as ,ve sat at the table He anointed us ,vith rose-water.
I ,vas not at a table but sitting on the ground beneath a tree, with
one or t\VObelievers.
•á Friends here/ " srnilcd che Mascer. In Hi.s voice was a deep and
thrilling joy. The union of hearts gives Him such rest. Then with a
heart-shaking look, ,vhich bad as it ,vere the musk of love in it, He
rubbed my face hard ~vith the rose-perfume.
So He p:isscd arnong all the tables anointing all the people-a
divine figure in His flowing robes ,vith the gracious and gentle
beauty of the Shepherd-touching and caressing with those singu-
larly tender yet vital fingers ... all our blind faces! ...
But the \vooderfu.1-the indescribably \vonderful time came later.
The Master ,vent out alone and ren1aioed away hours, \Vhcn He
r.cturned it was dark. A few of us were sitting on the porch, Lua,
1Iay, Silvia, Marjorie anJ myself, and a yo.ung colored n1an, Neval
Thomas. Below us on the gi:ass sat the people-that is, those who
had lingered-who could not teat themselves away. Their white
clothes in the dusk were as soft as n1oth wings, In their hands they
held burning tapers-really to keep off the mosquitoesl~but the
effect was of tiny wands tipped with red stars and the incense was
like some Eastern temple. It w-as a fairy-like picture. The Master
-:( 36 ):-
took a chair in the center of the step, and delicately holding a ta~r
Hin1sclf, He spoke in ,vords of flame! I can sec it all vividly still-
and shall through my life-those trcrnbling red stars an1ong che dim
\\áhire figures on the gr:iss; behind them a most ,vonderful tall tree,
luxurt:tnt, ,vich rolling outlines-now a great black cloud against
che silver st:trS.
The ~f:tstcr I could not sec, as I stood at His back, but the ,vords ,vere
the rnorc po,vcrful to rne for th:it. Often I lose the ,vords in g1zing
at the F;ice. He had turned before beginning to speak, and given
me a long and unfathomable look.
Th:it speech, thank God, is reácorded-othenvise the words could
never be rcmcntbcrcd. le ,vas a re,ácrberating call to His disciples to
rise in this Day of the Great Resurrection out of the tomb of self
and gather around Him to revivify the world.
Defore He had finished He rose from His chair and started do,vn the
path, passing bet,veen the ,vhite figures ,vith their trembling red
st:1rs..
.. Pc:tt-e be ,vith you," He said as He recedetl into the darkness, the
rich liquid Persian and the quivering tr:inslation floating back to us
from His invisibility, " I will pray for you."
Ah, the Divine Figure growing din1mer and dimmet till at last the
darkness engulfed it! Ah, the voice that came back even when the
figure ,vas beyond our sight I May I remember this in the future-
nay, how could I forget it?

ONthe fourth of July my mother had her birthday dinner ,vith the
rvfascer. Ho\v sweet He was to 1namma-fle led her to the sofa and
with that ,vonderful freedom of 1-lis-frc:eclorn of che King and yet-
of the Supren1e Friend-drew her down beside Him. Carrie Kinney,
Georgie Ralston and I were sitting at a little distance ...
" On the fourth of July three years ago," I remarked to the Master,
.. Mrs. Kinney and I were with You in Acea. You took us to the
Tomb of Baha'o'llah. I never dreamed I would keep an anniversary
with You in New York." . . .
At t-he table He joked with mamma because she would not eac.
" I perceive you arc angel," He said, •á angels do not eat."
~◄ 37)=-
•• The Master sees l am not an angel," I laughed, " because I ea.t
everything He puts on my plate."
•• I perceive you are a very clever person I Mrs. Thotnpson," He coná
tinued, •á is going home to a luscious dinner and is saving her
appetite for it! "
" You are very 'kind to me," said maruma a little later.
" God knO\VSthe degrees of it I " He :111s,vered. . .
At another time that evening He spoke of tests.
" Even the sword," He saiJ, " is no test to the Persian believers.
They are given a chance to recant; they cry out instead,' Ya Baha
El Abhal ' Then the sword is raised; they cry out all the more:,
' Ya Baba El Abhal' ••
I write ,vords, but nothing can convey the subtle influence of Abdul
Baha-the fragrance of His love, falling on our hearts like balm,
e,chilarating our spirits, changing even our physical aspect-brightá
e11ing the eyes, bringing color to the (aces, freshening all with joy.
The fragrance of His Jove, the power of His peace, the currents of
Life, streaming out from that strong Center-that calm .and glowá
iog Center . . . \n \-\is "Presencewe are in Heaven.
" And a man shall be as a shelter from the wind 1 as the shadow of~
great rock in a weary land."

ON Monday, July 9th, I went with the Master and the little banc:l
of Persians to the Natural Hiscory Musc:u111.It ,vas a very hot day.
\Vben we reached che Ninth Avenue corner of theMuseun1, where the
employees' entrance is located, there was still a long stretch of su.11
between us and the main door and Abdul Daha was evidently so
weary that I felt we rnust find some nearer entrance for Hin1. So,
while He sat down to rest on a ledge of the cn1bankn1ent, 1 started
off in search of one. The employees' Joor ,vas Jocked, so I hurried
o.flfurther, even veniuring past a sign 1narked " No thoroughfare;''
but, just a.sI succccdcd in passing this, I was stopped by a shrill
whistle, and turned to lace the ,vatchman of the grounds. He was
a little old Jew, ,vith a kind face. I explained why I was breaking the
rules and asked if he could lead us to a door nearer than the n1ain one,
He turned and looked at Abdul Baba, it that Figure from the East,
<(38)>
from the Past-not of this "vorld or this time at all-sitting so quiet
on chc ledge of the e1nb.:tnkn1cnt;and His face softened curiously.
"Corne with n1e," he s:1iJ. Then, as Abdul Baba, ,-.,ith the rest of
us, follo,ved him: " ls He :l Jc,v? "
•á No," I said," He is A\x\ul Ilaha, of Persia."
The old Jew asked nothing rnorc-rhen-though I sensed that he
wished to, but I did not feel at liberty to spc:tk-Abdul Bah:i Himá
self was there to speak.
\Ve went through the l\1useurn, AbJu) Dab.a.being quite amused with
the big ,vhalc, saying: " He could hold seventy Jon:ihsl "
In the rvfcxican exhibit, ,vhich interested Hiin very much, He found
traces of Persian ;1rt, and :ilso remarked on the close resemblance of
the sculpture to \\'h:tt had ncen found in Egpyt.
"Only 1hi1 is better," He said.
"There is a tr:idition," I said, "of a connection between this
country and Asia in the far past."
"Assuredly," He answered, " before a great catastrophe there was
connection bct,vecn Asia an<l A1ncrica."
Though the Masrer had alreacly rested in the ~iuseum He sat down
again just outside on a soft little curve of ground beneath a young
trc:e. He sat some little time there, we standing behind on the flags
of the ,valL:. Was He waiting for some one? .Byand bye the old Je,v
stole up to us.
" Is He tired? " he whispered softly to me. " \Vho is He? He look.s
like a great m:10. "
Divining that the Jew was a socialist, I replied that Abdul Baba was
a great sufferer Cot the Cause of Brotherhood.
Then I told him something of the story of the Master's sufferings.
" I would like to speak to Him," said the Jew, so I led him to the
Master.
The Master loolce~ up, His brilliant eyes full of sweetness.
"Come and sit by me," He said.
" No, I must not," answered the watchman.
•• Is it against the rules for me to sit on the grass?" asked the Master.
{"Not for.1011"(with tenderness).
" If it is against the rules I will get up."
-c(39)>
"No,Jou may sit there all day."
"You didn't sec the whole of the Museum," continued the old
watchman. " \Vould you like to go back after you have rested?
There are the fossils and the birds."
" No," said the Master smiling, " lam tired of going about looking
at the things of this world. I want to go above and travel and see in
the spiritual worlds. \\ 1hat do you think about that? " He asked
suddenly, with another luminous smile. The old watchman looked
puzzled and scratched his head.
" Which would you ratber possess," pursued the Master, " the
material or the spiritual world? "
"Well, I guess the material," the watchman answered seriously.
" You 1:nO\Vyou havethat, anyway."
" But you do not lose it when you attain the spiritual. When you go
upstairs in a house you do not leave the house. The lower floor is
11nder you."
"Oh, yes! " All of a sudden light broke from the old man's face.
Then the Master rose and standing beneath that young tree, the
sun shining on His- robes, taught the old Jew with His irrefutable
logic, yet with irresistible smiles and charm, of the spiritual agree-
ment of Christ and Moses. Oh, if only I could make you seethat
picture-call it into life ag:iin for you-the old Jew and his un-
recot,ni~,JMessialJ-tbis One of whotn he had asked, " Is He a Jew? "
-who had so strangely magnetized him and inspired him with
tenderness and awe; the touched, questioning face of the Jew ...
and ... the Radiant Stranger, like a vision of some long past
prophet, " the Ancient of Days," aod .. the Divine Youth," in one,
by some strange alchemy of the spirit. Surely the Jew must have felt
something. Christians had said of this Visitor from the East, " that
figure makes me think of the plains of Judea, .. _ .. I seemed to be
talking with Moses or Isaiah." Race instinct, deep race-hopes must
have stirred within thcjew.
(I returned a number of times to the Museum to find the old watch-
man, but I never saw bis face again. He must have been called very
soon " upstairs in the house." )
'fIIE S1\N FRANCl~CO llAII,\'I 1\SSI::.\ICLY
a111101t11ccs
1áwo S.EllIES OF LECTUHES
by
OAIIA'I CONVEN'ftON SPEAKEHS

CENER4L SUBJECT-1'/IE El'OLUTJON Of' Rt;LJG/0:V
Friday Evenings at the Con1n1on,rcnlthClub,
3-15Sutter Street, ~an Francisco,
at 8 o'clock-
May 1-The Seven Day!l of Crealiori-lts Spiritual /11terpretatio11
~Ins. E1,1zAoET11 GnEENLEAF, i\lns. i\-(AY i\L\X\\"ELL,
i\IR. Lot;rs G. GntconY
"'Jayl'1--Harn1onizi11gthe Bible tt'itli !llodern Science
l\á1n.A.tnrr.r ,•A11.
M-ay21-The A-lostSucce!ls/ul Persons in Hun1a11llistory
i\ln. AtnEnT VAIL
May 28-The Greatest Religious Discouery of ,l/ o<ler111'i111es
~IR. ALBERT \I AIL

Wednesday Afternoons al the Ouha'i Library,
2108 Scott Street, San Francisco,
nl 3 o'clock-
f\1'ay5-A Recent Visit to Palestine l\-lns.ELIZAllF.TII GnEE:'liLEAF
May 12-T/i.e Spiritual 111.fluenceof Abdu'l Baha
A-Ins.!\1.•1á J\l.-tx1r1::1.L
May 19-The C.iy of lmn1ortality a,ul the Gate 1'fiereto
l\ln. ALBERT \' AIL
1\-lay26--The Scientific Laius of Prayer ~In. ALBERT VAIL

You are cordiaJJy jnvHed

Choisissez un second texte à lire en parallèle — une traduction, ou tout autre texte.