# A Wise Man from the East

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> A Wise Man from the East
> By Felicia R. Scatcherd ("Felix Rudolph")
> 
> Reprinted from the "International Psychic Gazette."
> 
> W      HEN Abdul Baba first came to England, I
> refused all invitations to visit him. I
> had met those who had made pilgrim-
> ages to his prison-l1ome in Akka, and they
> talked so much about "'"fhe Blessed Perfection"
> and '' The Manifested Splendour" that, though
> interested in what seemed a useful enough
> form of hero-worship for those to whon1 it
> appealed, I had no desire to see Abbas Effendi
> for myself.
> Yet from the first moment that I heard of the
> Bahai movement I recognised its value, and in
> London and Paris promoted its interests when-
> ever the occasion occurred.
> One day in February, 1907, I met that earnest
> Bahai, Mr. Arthur Cuthbert. He introduced his
> companion, Mr. Sidney Sprague, as one who had
> come from America to spread the Bahai teaching.
> Mr. Sprague had been sometime in England,
> but progress had been slow, and he was slightly
> disheartened.
> I took my card from my pocket, and giving
> it to Mr. Sprague, said : " tell the Edi tor of the
> Review of Revie'le,s I want him to interview you.
> If he does this, and becomes your friend, you will
> have all the impetus you need.''
> That one page interview in the March number
> I
> of the Revie'lv of T?.evieivs for 1907, written by
> t\lr. W. rr. Stead, still seen1s to me one of the
> clearest sun1maries of the T3ahai teachings.
> Fron1 ti1ne to ti1ne I attend_ed ~ Dahai assetnbly,
> but re1nained as aloof from its influence as ever.
> In European 'T'urkey \vhere it was i_nost needed
> it n1ade little progress.        I had pointed out to
> Aluned Riza, then President           of the l"urkish
> Chan1 ber, and others, how grievous it \Vas for
> their country, that the Young Turk Reformers
> ,vere mainly         Positivists    or Atheists,      and
> suggested the initiation         of a movement that
> should attempt to bring out the spiritual truths
> of Islam \vhile dropping the accretions of the
> ages.      But these well-intentioned       Rationalists
> only began to attend the orthodox services in their
> mosques, and the people despised them yet more
> heartily for this sad surrender. So I had only made
> matters worse. I was some,vhat indignant that
> the drawing rooms of London, Paris and Ne,v
> York \Vere coquetting          with this ne\ver faith,
> instead of endeavouring to spread it among the
> peoples whence it had sprung, ,vho ,vere in sore
> need of its enlightenment.
> Then in the spring of 1911, a clear friend
> compelled me to accompany her to a reception
> of Abdul Baha, then, as now, the guest of
> Lady Blomfield, of 97, Cadogan                 Gardens.
> The submissive        s,veetness    with    which the
> venerable man received the homage of his
> followers affected me strongly.            I ,vondered
> ,vhether, like the gifted Heinrich Heine, he ever
> shrank from the burden of an enforced role of
> ?ivinity.    And an impulse seized n1e to see hi 111
> 10 converse with an intellectual        and spiritual
> peer. But when I cast about to find such a
> one, I realised the true greatness of the n1an in
> ..
> ...,
> \\Those presence I found n1yself. I did not go
> forward ,vi th the rest to greet hi1n on this first
> occasion. I stood at the door busy with my
> thoughts. And as if he knevv these thoughts,
> as be passed out, he gave me a playful slap on the
> ann, as one would administer reproof to a wilful
> child, and his eyes danced vvith merriment.
> Again and again I have noticed evidence of his
> a \Vareness of the mental states of those around
> hin1. And I am assured that this keen intuition
> has been observed in his correspondence.     'fhose
> ,,rhom he has never seen have been amazed to
> receive, from the Prophet in Akka, correct
> perceptions of conditions pertaining to them in
> America.
> Then it occurred to me that Mr. Stead vvas
> the person I wished to see in converse with the
> teacher from the East. During that memorable
> 111eeting I gained much insight into the characters
> of these two remarkable men. Abbas Effendi
> was delighted ,vhen he learned that, from its
> inception, the Review of Reviews had been already
> a pulpit from which the leading tenets of
> Bahaism had been vigorously enunciated.
> To explain ho\v I obtained         the portrait
> published in this month's Gazette, I will quote
> from one of my note books :-
> Alex:andrz.'a, Sun. 2I Jan., 19I2.  A beautiful morning, my
> second Sunday in Egypt.      We are on our way to see Abbas
> Effendi, Dr. and l\frs. Platon Drakoules and n1yself. I had
> met this ]eader and inspirer of his fellows many times before
> under the grey skies of London, when his smile of sunny
> welcome seemed to atone for the absence of the sunshine, due
> even on an English autumn day.
> Years ago, l\fr. Sidney Sprague, had been the guest of
> Dr. Drakoules, and had held a Bahaist meeting in the Doctor's
> Oxford home, when he had ardently desired that the Greek
> Heformer should make the personal acquaintance of the
> " Great Teacher from the East." And now by a strange
> coincidence th is wish was to be realised, and l\fr. Sprague was
> to be the interpreter between these two devoted souls-the
> younger standing for _tl~eSocial ~ege_neration of_ i\1ankind, the
> elder reprt:senting ~ptntual Illum1nal1on and Umty.
> In London surro~tnded by the leaders of Western thought,
> Abdul 13aha h;d rendered null and void K.ipling's dictum :
> ,, For East is East, and vVest is West,
> But they twain shall never meet."
> Here in the East, I wondered what effect would be produced
> upon' us, where his picturesque personality had no longer the
> charm of uniqueness.
> Vie found him in a villa, opposite the new Victoria Hotel,
> Rameleh. Although only 10 a. m., he had been astir for hour;;,
> attending to his enormous corresponde nee, and receiving
> visitors. Again, in his presence, the old sense of goodness
> and simplicity overwhelmed one. The venerable figure in its
> Persian costume, was just as unique in its Eastern setting, as
> in London.
> Of middle-stature, and broadly-built, he yet strikes one at
> times, as if he were tall, and is undoubtedly imposing.     0val-
> faced, and large-featured,      with heavy eyebrows, a nose
> resembling that of General Booth, he has the compelling
> personality of all born leaders of men. His grey eyes are
> unusually expressive.     In moments of excitement they become
> dark and deep in the piercing intensity of their gaze. I
> have seen them flash as if generating a kind of lightning, and
> then they soften and brighten and change expression with all
> the varying moods of his active mentality.    But whether under
> the influence of sorrow or joy, indignation or pity, they are
> always surcharged with sympathy.       One who knows no word
> of Persian can share the emotions of his soul by watching the
> lights and shadows in his eyes. When, as often, he closes
> them, then one need only follow the movements of his no less
> wonderful hands.
> I will not dwe11 on the details of the glad welcome, the
> oriental hospitality, the fragrant Persian tea, and the groups
> of waiting disciples from all quarters of the globe. I will only
> summarise the points in the discussion not generally dwt:lt on:-
> Dr. Drakou1es asked, whether Abdul Baha did not think
> that injustice in industrial arrangements, resulting in antagon-
> ism between classes, owing to the existence of extreme poverty
> and excessive riches, militated against his teaching3 of Love
> and Unity.
> He replied, that he could assure him on the authority of his
> father, Baha'u'llah, that the legislation of the world was
> approaching a time when it would become illegal to own more
> than a certain atnount of wealth. He added that the principle
> of unity was as~erting itself more and more, and that under its
> influence class antagonis1n will be recognised as immoral.
> This led' the conversation. to the subject of ethics, especially
> in relation lo the lower animals.
> Dr. Drakonles asked, whether he did not hold it to be
> inunoral to exploit the sub-human races for our benefit, either
> in the domains of science, diet, or amusement?
> Abdul Ilaha gave a definite reply in the affirmative. That
> is, he emphasised his beli~f that the destruction of humble life
> for the benefit of hu1nan life was inconsistent with the
> principle of Unity. He said, that this teaching would become
> accentuated later on. At the present time mankind is not ripe
> for certain aspects of truth. Even as Jesus, the Christ,
> refrained from saying to the world at large what he deemed
> it necessary to impart to his esoteric circle, so he, Abdul Baha,
> felt his general teaching circumscribed by the same necessity.
> But further manifestation of the Divine would lead to freer and
> fuller exposition of the fact of the Oneness of all Life-the
> basic principle of unity or love.
> \Vhile in Cairo we made the acquaintance of
> other members of Abdul Baha's family. His
> <laughters came to see us, and ,ve visited the
> Bahai centres there, as "''ell as the home of our
> good friend l\ir. Sprague, who had married a
> niece of the l\tlaster, to vvhose cause he is
> devoting his life.
> On our return to Alexandria, I went again to
> Rameleh, to obtain pern1ission for a Greek
> painter, of great talent (Madame 1'halia
> Caravias), to make a painting of the Master. This
> permission ,vas accorded, mainly> I believe,
> owing to his daughter's persuasion.       You see, I
> felt unless the prophet adopted the veil the women
> ,vere casting on one side he could not avoid
> portraits being taken. One fine one had already
> been made, and he had been photographed
> several tin1es without permission.         Then he
> gave me the now well-knov;n photo at the head
> of this article, with leave to do what I liked
> ,vith it, so l have let the I~ditor use it for his
> l)ortra it c;al lery.
> I ,v i~hed i\Ir. Lc \v i s to see :\ lJbas E ffend i
> for hi1nself. 1\nd J.,ady Hlo1nfield kindly arran,red 0
> an intervie,v for us on the 2nd of Januarv.
> t\lr. Child, the \Yell-kno\vn         pahni~t, also
> acco111panicd us.         I longed, in tl1e interests ,,f
> science, to get i1npressions of those rnarvellous
> hands, should :\bdul Baba not object.
> t\lr. I..,e\vis put questions on reincarnation,   the
> in1n1aculate conception, etc. In ans\vering the
> latter question, 1\bdul Baba finished \Vith one of
> his quaint observations,          to the effect that to
> those ,vho accepted the creation of the first man
> ,vithout       any hun1an parent, it should not be
> difficult to accept the birth of a being ,vi th one
> human parent only !
> His ans\ver about reincarnation            was ve1v.,
> interesting.        In the Contenzporary Review last
> year, an article appeared by that able ,vriter,
> Constance Maud: in which the i\Iaster's vie\YS on
> the subject are given at length.
> Then delicious tea '\\'as served in J:>ersian
> fashion.        It made n1e feel I ,vas back in Egypt,
> and I dared again to 1nake a request.          l~he kind
> and eloquent interpreter (Mirza Ahn1ad Sohrab)
> explained my wish, and Abdul Baha submitted
> to the process of having an impression of his
> hands taken, with the utmost graciousness and
> good-will, and signed the four imprints, ,vhich
> I hope \\till appear in next month's Gazette, ,vi th
> l\1r. Child's delineation.
> "Now, lvlr. Editor, what are your impressions
> of this 1"'eacher from the East?''
> He~e is \Yh~t ~e thought. I quote hin1 \\'ith-
> out his perm1ss1011,and he will have to let it
> stand or fill up the gap it leaves:-
> l le is the posll1vc strong man, the father, the pioneer,
> the leader, the 1uan of dogged determination and per-
> severance;     com'Jiued with the negative genlle man, the
> n1other, the shepherd, the man of patience and !-Jmpathy,
> intuitive and spiritual, teaching by symbuls and parables,
> n\ther than hy logical appeals to tl.e intellect.  Ile is the mp,tic
> and the initiate who ha'; received Ids divine iJl11mination in the
> ~ilence and the solit11des, .incl whose greatest diflicuhy in life
> will pnlhably he lo find in this mundane world, audiences to
> understa1Hl aml appreciate his mystical inspirations.
> No,Y for a ,vord as to the I3ahai religion                 and
> its teaching.
> 'rile existence of a Supre1ne l3ei ng, the Goel of
> all religions, and of n spirit in 111an \V hich
> survives the death of the body, are regarded as
> foundation       principles, never to be called in
> question.
> '"fhe chief Positive '"l'eachings may he briefly
> summed up as follows:-
> The union of all races and religions.
> 'fhe abolition of \Varfare and the establish-
> ment of international arbitration.
> 'Tlle adoption of a universal language.
> l"he equality of the sexes.
> rvlonogamy,as opposed to celibacy or polygamy
> The equal education of all children-girls
> as ,vell as boys-as a religious duty.
> The exercise of son1e profession, art or trade,
> compulsory for all adults
> 'fhe provision of \vork for all.
> 'fhe principal Prohibitions       are equally \vise
> and essential:-
> _-\ny special p~i~stho?d, apart_ fro1n the l_a~ty,
> asceticism, or l1v1ng 1n seclusion, mend1c1ty,
> slavery, cruelty to ani cnals,. gambling, the
> taking of opium and alcoholic beverages, are
> all alike, strictly forbidden.
> I vri 11 conclude this desu 1tory pa per by
> quoting fron1 Abdul l~aha's Tablet to the l1ahais
> of linKland--
> " O ye Sons and l)aughters of the I(ingdom !
> 
> * *
> '' It is easy to accept the l{ingdo1n, but it is
> difficult to endure therein, for the tests are hard
> and heavy. On all occasions the English are
> firn1 ... being neither prone to begin a rnatter
> ... nor ready to abandon it for a Ii ttle reason ...
> \ 1erily in every undertaking they show firmness.
> "l\1y hope is this :-that the out breathing of the
> Holy Spirit be inspired into your hearts; that
> your tongues begin to reveal the mysteries
> and to expound the meaning and the truth of
> the Holy Books. May the friends become
> physicians, to cure by the Divine Teachings the
> deep-rooted diseases of the body of the wor Id, to
> give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, Ii fe
> to the dead, and awakening to the sleepers. Be
> sure that the blessing of the Holy Spirit \vill
> descend upon you, and that the Hosts ofthe
> Kingdom will come to your aid.
> "Upon you be the Glory of God.''
> 
> (Given at Ramleh,       Egypt,    May, 1911.     Translated    by
> '"famadum ul l\folk).
> 
> John Lewis & Compy., 5, Bridewell P/ac,, Ludgate Circus, London, E.C,
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> — *A Wise Man from the East (Used by permission of the curator)*