Persia and the Regeneration of Islam
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Thepaperreadwas-                                beenand are beingconverted.In European
Turkey, and morenotablyin AsiaticTurkey,
PERSIA AND THE REGENERATION OF votaries                and propagandists  ofthe newmove-
ISLAM.                      mentsare increasing yearly.I conversed    with
someof these in Baghdad,and foundthem
By Bernard Temple.
zealousand sanguine. In Egypt,itappears,
A Societywhichseeks,amongotherworthy Bahais are becomingnumerous. Morocco,
objects,"to increasethe tradeof the realm Algeria,Tunisand Tripoli,I am told,arenot
byextending   thesphere   ofBritish commerce," beingleftunvisited.  The northern  provincesof
may  be  presumed   to  have practical concern India provide a large  potential harvest-field,
withthepossibilities   of economicprogressin wherethereare alreadymanysowers,and I
backwardcountries. But it is on a higher havemetBahaisin Bombay,           Karachi,Quetta,
ground- thoughthat is nota low ground       -  Peshawar,Rawalpindi,Lahore, Delhi and
thatI venture to submit   tothislearnedSociety Lucknow-all proselytes   from Islam. Outside
certainoftheresultsof mylongtravelsinthe theMoslemworldBahai missionaries,            quietly
East. This Societyis an outcome,and its purposefuland steadfast,are carryingthe
ofthe" Kitab-ul-Aqdas    "
multifarious workis an expression,   ofan order teachings                           (theMost
of civilisationhitherto  attainedonlyby ad- Holy Book) intomanyunsuspectedregions.
vancedWestern     nations; and itis mypresent Converts   have been wonamongthe Sikhsof
purpose to  show  that  some  Eastern  nations Amritsar and the Brahmansof Benares,in
have lately,undercircumstances     of romantic whichcities I have met a few of themin
interest,become possessed of a powerfulfriendly         converse ; among the Buddhistsof
impulse to ascend  to  the same  superiorplane. Ceylon, Burma   and   Siam; and amongthe
Not everyacorngrowsintoan oak. This Taoistsof Chinaapd the Shintoists             ofJapan.
is trueof otherthingsbesidesbotany. It is Japan,indeed,is said to be provingparticu-
true of religiousmovements.Therefore        the larlyresponsiveto the call. Many Persian
worldhas generallybeen heedlessof small Jewsin Tehranhave becomeBahais, and I
beginnings. Sometimesthe worldhas had have beenprivileged            to attendsome of their
cause toregret  itsinattention.Europe,at the secretorsemi-secret   assemblies.TheseJewish
present time,is notshowing    itselfregardfulof Bahaistellmethatin Hamadan,inPersia,one
theriseofthenewreligiousmovement,        called oftheoldestJewishsettlements    in theworld,
"Bahaism," in Persia. Asia is bynomeans where the reputed tombs of Esther and
unmindful  ofthephenomenon.      Is Europewise Mordecaiare shown,at least a thirdof the
in itsindifference?                             Jewishcommunity   has openlyorsecretly   gone
Let us reflect,fora moment,    uponthe be- overto thenewmovement.No Christian         mis-
ginning  ofIslam.    When   theProphet  took to sionaryto the        in
Jews any     part  of theworld
preachingin the wildsof Arabia,to semi- can boasta triumph           equal tothis. The Par-
barbaroustribesof idolatrousnomads,Con- sees of Bombay,who have preserved                their
stantinople  was the capital of Christendom.religiousand racial integrity    forcenturies  by
Muhammad     himself  had tofleeforhislifefrom dintofan impenetrable   aloofness, arenow,for
hisownkithand kin at Mecca. Yet in less thefirst       timeintheirhistory, beginning  to show
thana hundredyearsthe SaracenicEmpire signs of doubtingthemselvessince Bahai
extended  from Lisbonin Portugalto Karachi influences     reachedthem,and manyParsees
in India; and to-daythe Christian     cathedral have actuallybecomeBahais,whileothers(I
ofSt. Sophiais a Muhammadan       mosque.       have been toldby one of theirnumber)are
Europe's unconcern    regarding  Bahaism  in heldback onlyby social restraints.A more
Persia,andbeyond,has noteventhe excuse intellectual        formof Bahai proselytism       has
that the beginningis small. Alreadythe expandedintoEurope,and has beenfruitful             in
numberof Bahais in theworldis statedto Russia, Germany,            France,and England. 1
exceedtwomillion,    thoughthefounderofthe founda largecommunity         ofBahaisflourishing
Faithwas stillpreaching    whenMr.Gladstone in Baku. The numberof Bahais in London
was preparingto hurlhis last thunderboltsis appreciable      : smallercirclesexistin Man-
at the House of Lords. Not less than one- chester,Liverpool,Edinburgh,          and Glasgow.
fifthofthepopulation   ofPersiais estimated  to The United States of Americapromiseto
haveembracedBahaism. Nor are adherents become a great Western strongholdof
recruited solelyfrom  the Shiah sectof Islam. Bahaism,and manyAmericanshavebeenat
SunniMuhammadans        in large numbers  have the pains of mastering   the Persianlanguage

withthe sole object of studying         the Bahai to overlookthe truemissionof Persia'snew
scriptures and commentaries       in theoriginal. prophet.Accordingto thisundoubtedly            well-
I have had the privilegeof manylong and informed             authority  :-
earnesttalkswithoneof theseAmerican           con-    BahaUllahhasknown      howtotransform    Babism
verts- a gentleman   ofculture  andscholarship   -  intoa universal         which
religion,      is presented as the
inhischarming    Persianhomein Tehran,who, fulfilment        andcompletion   ofall theancient   faiths.
though   enjoying  large    private means,  is de-  The Jews  await  the  Messiah, the  Christians the
votinglaboriousand even drudging          yearsto return  ofChrist, theMuslims   theMahdi,theBud-
the cause,withthat calm,settledenthusiasm dhiststheFifthBuddha,the Zoroastrians                  Shah
whichBahai teacherscommonly           show. An Bahram,      theHindoosthere-incarnation    ofKrishna,
-                             Baha
Americanlady has composeda Bahai hymn andtheAtheistsa better                 socialorganisation.
Ullah represents all these,and  thus  destroys the
ingood literary   Persian,whichwas shownto rivalries       and  the enmities ofthedifferent
mebya PersianBahai whenI wasin Isfahan. reconciles                                           religions;
themin theirprimitive   purity, andfrees
Canada also is beginning      to give friendly ear them  fromthecorruption  ofdogmas   andrites.For
to the newteaching,especiallythe citiesof Bahaismhasno clergy,              no religiousceremonial, no
Montreal,  Quebec,andToronto. Beforegoing publicprayers          ; itsonlydogma   is beliefinGodand
further, perhapsI oughtto statethatI am not in His Manifestations                   Moses,
^Zoroaster,      Jesus, &c.,
a Bahai.                                            BahaUllah). Ritualholdsnoplaceinthereligion,
which must beexpressed inalltheactions  oflifeand
Significance of Bahaism.                    accomplished in neighbourly  love. Monogamy      is
What thenis Bahaism? There are still universally           recommended.   A universal language, and
people in EuropewhoconfuseBahaismwith thecreation               of tribunals between   nations, are to
Babism. That is notan unnatural         mistake. suppress wars.
The Bab was the firstand the lesserof two            Bahaismis thusmade out to be a sortof
teachers,and his followers      called themselves spiritualVolapuk or Esperanto           - a world
Babis,untilthe secondand greaterteacher, religion. This is the truth. EveryBahai
Baha (or Baha Ullah) appeared,who super- wouldendorseit. The Bahai scriptures                 would
seded the Bab, as the Bab himself       had fore- confirm  it. But I ventureto hold that it is
told. The relationbetweenthe twoteachers notthe wholetruth. I would evensuggest
is comparedby Bahais with that between thatit obscureswhat,forpracticalpurposes,                   is
John   the Baptist  and   Jesus-  the  former  pre- a greater truth.   The  factis that  Bahaism,   in
pared the way forthe latter. To call the itsessentialcharacter,             as I understand     it,is
Bahais " Babis" is, therefore,       like calling nota religion,   but a religiousmovement.If
Christians" Baptists." Babis, properlyso- itwerea religion            itschanceof diffusion   would
called- thatis, followers   oftheBab, whohave probably      be small. Like Theosophy,       itmight
notbecomefollowers      of Baha Ullah- number captivatehereand therea fewintellectual              or
no moreperhapsthana fewhundred.Prac- romantic               souls,becomea fashionin salonsof
ticallytheyarean extinct     sect.                 philosophicalunrest,and sink softlyinto
Bahaism,then,is notBabism. Whatis it ? oblivion.Thirteen             hundred yearshaveelapsed
I shallnotreferinquirers      to Bahai literature,since the youngestof the world'sgreatreli-
whichis now copious and- thanksto the gionswas born,and humanity                      seemstohave
splendidindustry   of thateminent     Orientalist,crystallised  intotwo main classes: one,too
Professor E. G. Browne     - accessible. As an warmly      attachedto theoldcreedstobe turned
Asiatic travellerI have learntthat a wide away fromthem; the other,too coldlyin-
differencemaydividethetheory       of a religion different  to be stirredby any new creed.
fromits practice. For myownpart,I have Bahaismappearsas the complement                       of reli-
notbeen contentto examineBahaismin the gion. It is, in verybrief,the Protestantism
"                     but of Islam. It comesto inauguratethe Re-
recondite pagesofthe Kitab-ul-Aqdas,"
have investigated   it inthemindsof menwho formation          in Asia. Its spiritis anti-papal,
professand preachitstenets,especially       in its anti-episcopal,  anti-clerical. The Bab was
nativehome. Learned Europeanwriterson the JohnHuss of Persia; Baha Ullah was
thesubjecthave notalwaysappearedto show the MàrtinLuther. Therein,to my mind,
~an adequateappreciation       of this distinctionlies the force,the promise,I may say the
•between dead doctrinesand livingimpulses. historical        momentousness,    of Bahaism.
Thus,even the mostcarefulof the shorter Smallmindsrunlightlyto extravagances                       of
.summaries of Bahai teaching,whichappears eulogyand of denunciation.Let it appear
in theFrenchencyclopaedia     ofLarousse,seems thata nobleandvenerable          institution has out-

lived its uses,and thereare men who will tothepotentialities            of anyhumanmovement-
overwhelm   it withvituperation.      Of thissort, It is a limitation  of present-day  fact. You-
as a rule,is theanti-clerical    fury.Theremay have onlyto considerthatthe Muhammadan-
naturally comea timeinthedevelopment            of a convertsto Bahaismnumbermorethantwo
great religionwhenits priests,         who are its million,and the non-Muhammadan        converts
teachers, cease to be a helpand evenbecome onlya fewthousand,            to perceivethe strength
a drag. It is confessedly      so withteachersin of the statement.The Bahai drçam of a
otherdomainsof knowledge.The graduate world-wide               propagandais doubtlessa proper,
who goes forthfromhis university              to do and may even be a reasonable,object of
intellectual  prodigiesin the worldmight,if aspirationand endeavour.My concernhere
compelled  to remainforlifeundercollegiate is withwhatis actuallybeingaccomplished.
tutelage,degenerateinto a pedant. But to
say that a religionon arrivingat spiritual Historical Comparisons between
maturity   maybe justified,     in certaincircum-                Eukope and Asia.
stances,in freeingitselffromecclesiastical If the Reformation                 in Christendom   be-
bondsis notto sanction     vilification  ofall sacer- broughtintoviewforcomparison    - so faras
dotal institutions.    Probablyno religionhas comparison         can go- withthis new Reforma-
been,orcouldbe,rearedthrough            theperilsof tionin Islam,someremarkable      parallelswilb
unpopularinfancy,       and the difficulties       of appear. In earliestdays, several centuries
juvenescence,   exceptby priests. It is only beforethe Reformation            dawnedin Europe,
whenpriestly   poweroutstays      itsoffice,orover- Christianity  divided itself into two great
stepsit,orcorrupts    it,thatitincurs    justblame. Churches,  the Greekand the Roman,which-
History, unfortunately,   provides   manyexamples neveragaincommingled,       andto thisdaydwell
of clericalabuse: buthistory        also glowswith apart,the one ruledby its Patriarchs,the
therenown     of priestly   workswhichhavecon- otherby its Popes. Islam similarly,           in its-
tributed  totheuplifting    ofmankind.                 youngyears,splitup intotwogreatChurches,
Islam,like otherreligions,      owes its growth the Sunniand the Shiah,whichneverafter-
and its greatnessin large measureto its wardsrecombined,                 and stillremainmutually
priests. Unhappily,     it also owesto themits antagonistic,      the one underits Caliphs,the
decayand itsdownfall.Thisis no irresponsi-otherunderitsImamsortheirsuccessors. In
ble pronouncement     ; it is theverdict    of those bothcases priestly zealotrywidenedthegulf
who have,perhaps,the best rightto be the and keptitopen. One ofthe cherished                  aims
judges- representative      Muhammadans.       I have of Bahaism is to bringSunnisand Shiahs
movedaboutthe Moslemworldforfourteentogether                  againin a reformed  faithoflove.
years,and everywhere       in mytravels-in India,               pretensions
Priestly           to temporalpower,in
in Persia,andinArabia-earnestMuhamma- Christendom                 as in Islam,brought  Church  and
dans (notBahais) have urgedupon me the State intofrequent                conflict,and generallyit
same strongconviction.This is far from was thepeople,distracted                betweentheircivil'
implying   thatthewholeof Islam has become dutiesand theirreligiousfears,whosuffered
consciousof itsdegradation        and of thecause. most. Bahaismseekstoreconcile       thespiritual
Enlightment    is, as yet,limitedalmostentirely andtemporal        authoritiesin Islam byshowing
totheinconsiderable      literateclasses,and the thateachis a necessary      adjunctof theother
uninstructed   millions  stillpreserve   muchofthe theChurchperforms      thereligiousfunctions of
old superstitious     venerationfor Mujtahids, theState; theStatedischarges         thecivilobliga-
Mullahs,Syeds,Dervishes,        Pirs,Imamzadehs, tionsoftheChurch.
and otheradorablepeople. Butthenewanti-                Abuseof priestly power,in Christendom   as
clericalidea is surelyspreading,       and it seems in Islam,provoked   fromtimeto timesporadic
to be thespecialmissionofBahaismtopropa- outbreaks             of whatmaybe called premature
gate it to the ends of the Moslemuniverse. Protestantism,            and in both religionsthese
Some ofthe mostlearnedPersianBahaisto revoltswereextirpated                 byfireand slaughter.
whomI have submitted         thisviewof Bahaism The massacreby Pope InnocentIII. of the
at Tehranconferences        have acknowledged      its hereticalAlbigensesin Languedoc,whose
justness,and haveobjectedonlyto the impli- offending           was thattheyanticipated   Lutherby
cationthatthe energiesof the newteaching threecenturies,              could be matchedby more
arelimited   to theregeneration      of Islam. This tfyanone agonisingtale fromthe historyof
limitation  is notof mymaking. I am thelast earlyIslam.
to presume   toseta boundofmyownimagining When we get down to later times, the-

parallelism  growscloser. Fromthe twelfthdiffusion           of satiricalepigramsand allegories,
century  a change appeared in the universal directedagainsttheheadsof theChurchand
acceptanceby the Christiannationsof the againstthemonks.Last summer,                     whenI was
orthodox   faithof Rome. In that age there in Isfahan,the bazaar was excitedby the
brokeupontheChurcha floodofheresy            which secretcirculation   of a lampoonrepresenting
nopersecution   was able thoroughly    to stemtill AghaNejefi(one of themostpowerful          Mujta-
itfinally overspread  halfthesurface   ofEurope. hids in the Shiah clergyand the supreme
Men openlybegan to thinkforthemselves            in religioushead in CentralPersia) standing
religious           to
matters, rejectparticular      teachings crestfallen  beforethe Throneof Judgement,
of the Papacy, and to protestagainst the whileAllahpouredscornand wrathuponhim»
despotismof the clergy. The Waldensesin Anti-clerical             pamphleteering     of this sortis
Lombardy,    Germany,  Flanders,   Spain,  France,  now  common    in many   Persian   cities,though
and England,setup theBibleas theirsolerule itis stilltimidand furtive.Christian             protests
of faith, and renounced   entirely   the arbitraryin 1508wereparticularly      loudagainstthe use
usagesandtraditions     of ecclesiasticism.   Like of the Latin tonguein the servicesof the
the Albigenses,theysuffered,       but  the  fireof Church. The religiousreformers        in Persia
rebellion was nowtoo bigto be extinguished,are nowbeginning             to make a corresponding
thoughfora timeit could no more than grievance                oftheuse ofArabicinthemosques»
smoulder.JohnHuss in Bohemia,following But it was MartinLutherwho gave co-
theteachings   ofWycliffe   in England,sethim- herence, energy and permanenceto the
selftorestore  thepurity and simplicity   ofscrip- scatteredforcesof ChristianProtestantism.
turalChristianity,   ard was excommunicatedAnd- so faras the movement                yetextends-it
bythePope. When,undera safeconduct,              he is Baha Ullah who has wrought          the same
wenttotheCouncilofConstance          to defend  his wonder    for  Muhammadan         Protestantism.
opinions  before theclergyofall thenations,      he MartinLutherbeganthecampaignbyassert-
was seized,orderedto recant,and, refusing, ing the rightsof humanreason. The same
burntto death. Similarly,in the twelfth was thefirstplankin Baha Ullah's spiritual
of the Muhammadanera a change platform.Indeed Bahaismdeliberately                       uses
century
appearedin theuniversal       acceptanceby the theweaponagainst         itself  byinsisting its
that
Moslem    nations of  the Orthodoxy     of  Mecca   own  teaching   shall  be   subjectedby every
andof Kerbela. Similarly,      therebrokeupon individual       to hisprivatejudgment. Luther's
the MussulmanChurcha floodof heresy firstcollisionwiththePope arose out of the
whichno persecution       was able thoroughlysale of " indulgences." The theory             ofindul-
to stem. Similarly,the Bab, defyingthe gences in the RomanCatholicsystem,                       itwill
fanaticism   of the Shiah hierarchy,     shook   by be remembered,    was   that  many   saints   and
his fieryeloquencethe supportsof whatmay pious men had donemoregood worksand
be called the Papacy of Islam,in seekingto bornemoresuffering             thanwas required     forthe
restore  the              of              Muham-    remission  of their sins  :  the surplus  consti-
simplicity Quranic
the
madanism   ; and in like mannerwas excom- tuteda treasureforthe Church,which
was  authorised  to distribute in exchange
municated.Thereafter,    beguiledbyperfidious Pope
pledgesofsafety,    he delivered  himself  intothe forpiousgifts. In themindsofthe ignorant
handsofhis enemies,     believing  thathe would an indulgencebecameequal to a licencefor
be permitted   to justify opinionsin open sin. One of the most perniciousreligious
his
from thepretensions    of
controversy, as no threatcouldmovehim abuses inPersiaarises sell to
and,
the
to retract,   he  was  some  of  the  priests to                  people
duringhis imprisonment
executed.                                          places in Heaven; indeedthereare priests
the incrediblelength of issuing
JohnHuss and the Bab, each in his turn, who go
werebutthevoices crying        in the wilderness.   tickets or passes forParadiseinthe manner
It was notuntilthe sixteenth    century   thatthe of the booking-office  of a theatre. I knowof
waveofpopularfeeling       againstabsolutism     in one case,  in the city  of Qum,wheresucha
the  Roman   Church  broke all  bounds.   Erasmus   ticketwas  declared transferable.    Baha Ullah
started a schoolofFree-thought.      Free-thoughtattacked     this  scandal             and
fiercely, thereby
has to-daybecomewidely                 among    the threw down   the  gauntlet.    Luthernextpro-
prevalent
intellectual classesin Persia,and was,indeed, ceededto assail theauthority          of thePopeand
one ofthefirstphenomena         to kindlethepro-. the  doctrines of theRoman    Catholic Church   ina
fire of  Baha   Ullah.     The   Christian  succession  of printed pamphlets   and sermons,
phetic                                                                                      to read.
populacesin Europewereinfluenced            by the whichall Europeshoweditselfeager

Baba Ullahwrotethe" Kitab-ul-Aqdas,"         the forms  of government,  withparliamentary con-
" Kitab-ul-Iqan,"and the " Kitab-ul-Ahd,,,troloverlaw,justice,and finance. Can any-
besidesnumerous      lettersor "tablets," all of one supposeit to be a merecoincidence      that
whichare now being¿steadilydisseminatedin Persia and Turkey             the beginnings  ofreli-
through  Asia. When Pope Leo X. resorted giousreformation,          as representedbyBahaism,
to excommunication,    Lutherretorted  byburn- havebeenfollowed     bythefirststepsinpolitical
ingthePapal decreein public. Baha Ullah, reformation,         and that the waftingof Bahai
in similarcircumstances,      not less scornfullyideas to Egypt,India,Arabia,Morocco,and
deridedhis excommunicators.        Graduallyin Algeriais beingaccompaniedbynewforms          of
Europenoblesand princes,       as well as some Orientalunrest    ? Or can anyonebelievethat
priests,beganto supportthe Lutheran       cause, the influence  of this regenerative spiritwill
untilits suppression   byviolenceceasedtobe carryno further        thanthat? Let us cast but
eventhinkable.The followers      of Baha Ullah onemoreglanceat theReformation        in Europe
already  include  members    of the rulingfamily   and reflect
upon largerconsequences.The
its
in Persia- Viziers,Parliamentary      Deputies, religiousand politicalchangesthatitinaugu-
Governors   of Provinces,  and severalpriestsor rated were not its end: theywere but the
Mullahs; and although     persecution in Persia meansto a moresplendid     reformation. "Rich
has notceased,it is nowobligedforthe most indeed,"says one of the soberestof ourhis-
partto resort  to quieterand subtlermethods. torians," has been the harvestof thatgreat
One of mymostinfluential      Bahai friends was, period. The spiritof inquiry,   once set free,
beforehis conversion,   an eminent   Mujtahidor has changedand blessedthewholeworld.To
Muhammadan       prelate. Pope AdrianVI., in thiswe owe in modernliterature         someofthe
alarm,calledto his aid the rulersofAustria, noblestcreationsofthe humanintellect.To
France and Germany,      and a lastfiercecam- thisare due thediscoveries      of science,which
paignagainstheresy     was thussetgoing. The havemadelifelonger,easier,brighter.         Hence
sonand apostleofBaha Ullah,AbbasEffendi, have comein everylandthetriumphs               oftruth
has told how the Ulema (religiousdoctors) and geniusoverprejudiceand power. This it
constrained  the PersianGovernment       to take is whichhas createdthe greatestof modern
activemeasuresagainsttheReformer          and to republics,and has filledthe colonialworld
orderthepillageand massacreofhisfollowers. withflourishing,         self-governingpeoples; has
Luthertranslated    the Bible intoGerman,    and revealedthe secretsof CentralAfricaand
thereby  dealtecclesiastical  authorityoneofits the isles of the great Pacific; has dimi-
heaviestblows. Baha Ullahhasdirected         that nisheddistancebysteam,and destroyed     itby
the Bible,the Quran,and his ownscriptureselectricity        ; has struckoffthe fetters   of the
are tobe translated   intoeverylanguageinthe slave,and,lastand best,has madethenations
world. Luther,himselfa monk,assailedthe knoweach other,and in thatknowledge                has
principle of monasticism    bymarrying   a nun. prepared,   and is preparing, forthe reignof
Baha Ullah adjuresthepriestsofall religions universal      peace." A Reformation   onEuropean
to renouncecelibacyand to preachby their soiland a Reformation           onAsiaticsoilwillnot
example,mingling      in the lifeof the people. necessarilyproduceidenticalharvests.But
This personalparallelismmightbe carried beforeanyoneattemptsto makelightof the
further, butitssignificance   mustnowbe suffi- potentialities   of an awakenedIslam,let him
ciently apparent. History    to-dayis openinga recallthesplendidproofs     ofpowerwhichearly
newpage inAsia.                                   Muhammadanism     gavetotheworlderepriestly
ButtheReformation     in Europe,as all know, abusecorrupted    and debasedit. " TheArab
was not a m^rerevoltagainstRome. The Conquerors,"              weread," at first unletteredfoes
essenceof the movement      is thevindication  of ofartand science,soonbeganto makea pro-
the principle,  independent   of time,place, or gressin cultureas rapidas had been that
circumstance,   thatman is, in hisverynature, oftheirarms.Theyacquired,andwerezealous
destinedto be free. Fromthereligious        free- inpromoting  elsewhere, thecivilisationof the
domwonbytheanti-clerical         upheavalofthe Greekand Orientalworldwhich they had
sixteenth  century  came,in a largemeasure, subduedin Egypt,Asia Minor,and Persia.
thepoliticalrightsnowenjoyedbythegreatest Greatcitieswerebuilt,commerceand manu-
and most enlightened      peoplesin theworld. facturesflourished,      and schoolsarose in all
Indeed,theoutstanding      civicfactof thelast partsof theSaracenicEmpire. The resultof
threecenturies  is thefirm establishment almost theefforts  madewas thattheSaracensplayed
throughout  theWestern    worldofconstitutionala greatand honourable     partin theintellectual

history  of theMiddleAges. Theirquickness duredthegreatest                  torturesfortheir Faith. Herewe
and theirpoeticsensibility      wereconspicuous find       a record   ofheroic   devotion,  bravery, andself-
in scienceand in literature    in thedarkertimes      sacrifice,which,   asProfessor E.  G. Browne  says,may
of Europe,and theirserviceswereespecially perhaps                be paralleled   in history,  butcannotbe
valuablein connectionwithmedicalscience surpassed.
and philosophy." So writesa calmand dis-                 TheBab hadleftbehind        hima beautiful   hopeas
a legacy to his followers,namely,  that" He whom   God
passionateCambridgehistorian.When re- shallmanifest                   " should  arrive andcomplete   whathe
generated   Islamrecovers    itslostinheritance   in               had onlyimperfectly    begun.Forseveral
the domainof civilisation       and culture,    who (theBab) after  the death  of the  Bab, which occurred  in
years
shallsetboundsto itsfurther      achievements    ?    1850,themovement        seemed ina precariouscondition.
It hada bad reputation       withthePersianGovern-
Origin of Bahaism.                       ment,  it waslookeddownuponwithcontempt              by
some nearly    all thePersians     of wealth andposition,   its
It maybeusefulhereto setforth       briefly                                                        andno
accountoftheoriginand riseofBahaismand followers                 couldonlymeettogether       secretly,
one  dared  to breathe  thehated  name ofBabi; indeed,
of the general natureof its teachings,as it seemed                 fora timeas though       theMullahshad
viewedfromthe Bahai standpoint.I am succeeded                     in crushing  outtheyoung     Faithentirely.
indebtedto Mr. SidneySprague,a distin- Therewasthegreatest                       needforthecoming      ofthe
guishedAmericanBahai, whomI had the " Piomised                      One,"tosavethemovement       from  extinc-
goodfortune    to meetin Persia,forthe follow- tion,andtorestore             thezealandcourage    oftheper-
ingsummary     ofleadingevents:-                      secuted  Babis. Theywere       notto be disappointed  in
]n theyear1844,thereappeared          in Persiaa their   hope,for,   during  theearlysixties,  there arose
youth, MirzaAli Muhammad       byname,whocalled one whosegrandpersonality,               wonderful powers   of
himself  theBab,thatis the"Door" or "Gate," utterance,             andinspired   writings, proclaimed himto
through  which mencouldarrive   at theknowledge   of be the"Manifestation"          forwhich  theBabiswere
Truth.Thesignificance    ofthistitleina Muhamma-waiting        ; and when,indeed,Baha Ullahpublicly
dancountry   maybe appreciated   whenit is recalled declared      thathe wasthe"Promised        One,"whose
that, accordingto Muhammadan     belief,  thedoorof coming      theBab hadforetold,      thegreatmajority   of
knowledge  was closed twelve centuries ago, when the  the  Babis    hailed him   with joy  as theirLord  and
Muhammadan    Messiah,  orMahdi,   disappeared  from Redeemer.
amongst   men,  and  will not be  re-opened the BahaUllahwas bornin 1817,and cameof a
till
Messiah  comeagain. TheBabbeganhismission         as wealthy     andnoblefamily.As a young           man,he
a " Door,"byopening    thepeople'sminds    tothereal became     a follower  oftheBab,though     he hadnever
truths oftheirownreligion.   Likeallgreat   prophets,seenhim. His prominence          as a teacherofthenew
hedidnotcometodestroy,     buttofulfil.He didnot Faithledto hisimprisonment              inTehran.Forsome
tellhisMuhammadan     hearers thatthey  hadbeende- time     hewaskeptin chains,        untilfinallyhiswealth
ludedall these years bya falseprophet,    buthedid, was confiscated,      andhe was exiledto thecityof
however,  ratethem soundly - asJesus didtheScribes Baghdad,       byarrangement    with  theSultan ofTurkey.
- fortheir  hypocrisy,andfortheir  distortion oftrue Whilethere,      he continued   to teachthepeople,   and
religion.  He also explained to them the   truemean-  his influence  over   them  became  very great.  During
ingoftheirprophecies    andtraditions   thata Mahdi twoyears      hewithdrew    himself tothemountains,  near
should come;foretelling  the advent of   Baha  Ullah. Baghdad,    and  lived apart from men,  passing histime
ThewordsoftheBab werenaturally           greetedwith inprayer    andmeditation.     Onhisreturn,  he publicly
derision'by the Muhammadan     "Pharisees,"  and the  proclaimed    his mission,  which  was thatof establish-
Babhadto endure     insultandpersecution,   culminat- ing peace     and   religious unity  in theworld.   He
inginhisimprisonment    anddeath.He wasshot,      by calledto menof everyraceand creedto assist
order ofthePersian   Government,  in a publicsquare himin establishing          the Kingdomof God and
inTabriz.                                             the brotherhood       of man upon^the earth.The
Thelifeoftheyoung      reformer wasnotsacrificedMuhammadan           Mullahsof Baghdadsoonbecame
invain.During    hislifetime,greatnumbers   ofearnest alarmed    at havinga manof suchinfluence           and
menandwomen      hadalliedthemselves     to hiscause, powerin theirmidst,        andpetitioned  theOttoman
andhad beendiligent     in spreading   his teachingsGovernment       to remove    him. Baha Ullah was
throughout Persia,sothat soonthemovement     grew to accordingly   summoned    toConstantinople,  andthence
suchan extent  thatthePersian   Government   andthe banished     to Adrianople.    In Adrianople BahaUllah
Mullahs, or priests,becamealaimed,     seeingin ita wrote    thosefamous     letters(sentlaterfrom   Acre)to
seriousmenace  to thesupremacy    of Islam,andbe- theKingsofEuropeandto thePope,calling                   on
lieving thatitmust havesomepolitical    aswellas re- themto abandon         theirthoughts   ofwarfare  andto
ligiousmeaning.Orders    weregiven  to plunder  and assistin establishing      unity.The letters   alsocon-
persecutethefollowers              and
oftheBab, during        those  tained prophetical    utterances which were afterwards
daikyears  many thousands  gaveuptheir        oren- fulfilled.
lives,                    One suchutterance,     following  upona

slight putuponBahaUllah'smission,         foretold the itsprogress   in theWestern    world, all these things
downfall  of Napoleon   III. at a timewhenthis compel           at leastinterest.   TheyoungPersian      Bab
adventurer, afterthefamous   coupdétat , heldabsolute gave to his followers       certainforms     and doc-
poweras Emperor      of theFrench.Another         such trines,and somerulesdrawn        up in a bookknown
utterance, following upona gracious    letter sentby as the" Bayan"; butat the sametimehe con-
QueenVictoria     to Baha Ullah,foretold     forHer tinually     proclaimed  thathewasbutthéherald         of
Majesty  a phenomenally   longandprosperous      reign, onegreater    whoshouldcomeafterhim,andhe
at a timewhenthemonarchy       in England  couldstill toldhisdisciples     to be in constant  expectation  of
besaidtobeunder     theremains   ofa cloud. After    a " Himwhom      Godshall manifest."   TheBab,indeed,
fewweeksi-pent     in Adrianople,    Baha Ullahwas inaugurated        a greatreform,     but his movement
againbanished   to a stillmore   inaccessiblespot,the remained     moreor less Persian   and Muhammadan,
littlefortress
town  ofAcre,orAkka,onthecoastof andonefeelsthatit never                couldhavebecome     uni-
Syria. Here,with    hislittle bandoffollowers,   Baha versal.It remained     forBahaUllah,whocameafter
Ullahpassedsomeofthemostterrible          years ofthe theBab,togiveto themovement            itstruly  broad,
•exile,forAcrecouldonly     bedescribed aspestilential,  catholicanduniversal  spirit.Inthe" BookofLaws,"
anditseems    probable thatBahaUllahwassentthere BahaUllahtellshisfollowers            thatthesword   must for
in thehopethatfever      wouldsoonquietly     ridthe ever  beputaway    : initsplacethe" Word    " must arise.
woildofhim. BahaUllahspentmostofhistime He proclaims                   universal peace,andcallsuponthe
while inAcreinteaching     thenewfaith   tothosefew nations     tosettletheir differencesbya boardofarbi-
lollowers whocouldholdcommunication        withhim, tration.      He pleadsfora broadspirit      offriendship
in writing   hisinstructions  andadmonitions     to the andtolerance,   tobe shown   to all thepeoples  ofthe
Tvorld, insending  epistles,or" Tablets,"  to followersearth  : " Ye areallthefruits   ofonetree,"   asheex-
in differentparts, andin writing   a book,known     as presses  it. He enjoins   his followers  to seekfora
theBookofLaws. In 1892,       after fortyyears ofexile universal  language.He says: " Thisis themeans      ot
and imprisonment,     Baha Ullah'searthly      ministryunion,  ifyeknew    it,andthegreatest    source ofcon-
•came  toan end. He leftwordto hisdisciples        that cordandcivilisation,   didyerecognise   it." He tells
afterhisdeparture  they should looktohiseldestson, parents     thatthey  must  educate theirchildren,boyand
AbbasEffendi,    as their leaderandteacher   - theone girlalike,giving     themthebestinstruction     theycan
on whoseshoulders      his mantleshouldfall,the afford,        andthepoormust     beeducated    bya boardof
exponent   andpromulgator     of histeachings   to the councillors   tobeelected ineachcity,  forheconsiders
world.                                                   thatuntil ignorance beuprooted   there canbenotrue
Since1892Abbas Effendi,         whothereafter    as- progress.    All mustlearnandpractise      somecraft,
sumedthetitleofAbdulBaha(theServant           ofGod), trade,  orproféssion,  which,ifpractised conscientiously
hasbeentheleader    oftheBahaimovement,     andunder anddiligently,     willbe considered   as thehighest  act
his guidance   it has grown    andexpanded    untilits ofworship.     There  arenopriests  connected with this
influence hasbecome   felt inallquarters oftheglobe. religion,    andthosewhoteachthisFaithshouldnot
A striking  example  ofthiswaswitnessed   bymewhen receive       anypay,butsupport       themselves  by other
I visitedAcrein1906,    andmetmenthere     from  India, means.Theacquisition      oftheartsandsciences      is
Burma,Persia,Arabia,Egypt,Turkey,              Russia, recommended.       Marriage  is advised,  and celibacy
France,  England  andAmerica,    allassembled  tolisten and asceticismare condemned.Baha Ullah
to theteaching   oftheMaster      (thenamebywhich wishes        his religion   to be one of joyand glad-
AbdulBahaisuniversally      called).Thesemen,   belong ness. He strongly      condemns    gambling,   theuse
ingtovarious   races,creeds   andsects,weregatheredof opium,intemperance,            and othervices,and
Tound   onetable, breaking  bread  together,andgreet- he laysdownsomeinteresting           hygienic laws. A
ingeachotheras brothers.        Cansucha scenebe lawis givenadvocating            kindness   to animals,  and
paralleled inanyother   spotonearth   ?                 beastsofburden     arenot to be ill-treated  or over-
loaded.BoththeBab and Baha Ullahpreached
Teachings of Bahaism.                        theemancipation    ofwomen.Underthisteaching,
I am further   indebted   toMr.SidneySprague woman           assumes   herrightful position as theequalof
for the following                   of the principal man.      In the following    words,Baha Ullah tells
summary                          hisfollowers   howthenewreligion     should betaught
teachingsof Bahaism. It seems to mepre- to theworld:" Beware                      lest    make   the Wordof
ferableto give an authoritative        Bahai exposi- God thecauseof                    ye
opposition  and stumbling,    or
tionlikethis,ratherthanan exposition            ofmy the sourceof hatred                         If    have  a
own:-                                                                            among    you.      ye
wordoran essence      which another  havenot,sayit
TheBahai movement        claimsto be theDivine to himwiththetongueofloveand kindness.If
instiument   forbringing    religious  unityintothe it be accepted      andimpressed,    theendis attained;
world.Thelongrollofitsmartyrs,          thewonderful    ifnot,leavehimto himself,      andprayforhim,but
livesofits founders,    its regenerating  influence  in do notmolest    him." It willthusbe seenthatthe
Persia,thefactthatpeopleofnearly           every  race, message   oftheBahaimovement       is oneofpeaceto
creedandsecthavebeenattracted         toit,andfinallytheworld,      andthattheBahaisconsider      this" Mani-

festation" as butanother                   ofdivine  truth energy.Yet they        arenottwosuns. Norhasthe
outpouring
<upon earth
the        ; thatBahaisarelovers       oftheLight suncomedownfrom             itsplacein theheaven      inorder
from  whatever    horizon   it mayappear,looking        on togointothemirror.         To-day   I smashthismirror.
thedifferent   " Prophets,'  ' orfounders   ofreligion,  as To-morrow     I procure   another  mirror,  andfindthe
so manydifferent      lampsthrough      which  thisLight suninthattoo. Thesecondmirror               is notthesame
shoneforth,    andbywhich       all theworld     hasbeen as thefirst    mirror.    Thesunin it is thesamesun.
illumined ; therefore   Bahaism   considers   all religionsMosesandMuhammad            arenotthesameman. The
to be divine,   andpossessing      theessence    ofTruth Manifestation      inthem   is thesameManifestation.      It
whichhas sincebecomeobscured               by the super- maybeobjected         thatthelightthatMosesshedand
stitionsandceremonial      practices addedbyman. In thelight          thatMuhammad        shedseem  different.  True.
other words,   theteaching    oftheBahaiFaithis that In mirrors          ofdifferently  coloured  glassthesunpre-
■the Logos,orWord,spoken          ofinthefirst     chaptersents    differentlycoloured   appearances.    Butwhatis
ofSt.John,hasmanifested          itself on thisearth,    in colour  ? Colouris incomplete        light. The seven
wastages,    at various  times  andto various     peoples ; prismatic   rays, whenall arepresent,      givecomplete
those inwhomthisWordhasbeenfully               manifested    light.The sevenprophetical        dispensations,*   when
¿»nd             aremenknown      as the" Prophets     " or allarepresent,    givecomplete   Truth. It is themission
perfected,
■" Manifestations  ofGod,"andthrough         them  wehear ofBahaism      tobring   aboutsucha combination.       Will
thevoiceofGodspeaking          to humanity.     The dis- it be contended       thatsomeor anyoftheProphets
tinctiveclaimoftheBahaiFaithis thattheeternal gaveforth                 nolight,   notevencoloured     light  ? Con-
Wordhasmanifested       itselfin ourday,morepower- sider          this: Was there     evera prophét    whodidnot
fullythaneverbefore,      in theperson    ofBahaUllah. denounce       'perjury,  theft, adultery andmurder;      who
Besidesthewritings     already mentioned,    BahaUllah, didnotenjoin        charity,morality, dutifulness  andrever-
whilein prison,      composed    several   booksdealing ence? ThatiswhyBahaism               contemns   no religion,
withmetaphysical,      philosophical   and socialpro- andreverences          all religions.  At theworst,     evenit
blems.Thesebookswerewritten              in Persianand theglassofsomereligions             be smoked,    it admits a
Arabic, and   but   three  or four  of them    have  been   certain quantity  oflight.   There are some   eyes, weak
translated intoWestern      tongues.Someofthebest andwatery,             whichcannotbearlight        at all unless it
translations arein French,    namely,   "  Le Livre  de la  come  through  smoked    glass.
Certitude " (Kitab-ul-Iqan),    " Les ParolesCachées
"       "
•enPersanand LesPréceptes            deBahaisme    " trans-       Esoteric Philosophy of Bahaism.^
latedbyM. Hippolyte                   and
Dreyfus, published          by     I havenevermettwomen,I haveneverread
Ernest Leroux,   Paris. Themost       important  workof twobooks,whoseaccountsof Bahaiteaching
Baha Ullah,the" Kitab-ul-Aqdas            " (MostHoly                                                         forme
whollyagree. It wouldnotbe difficult
Book),hasnotyetbeenfully        translated.                 to presentto you manydifferent             conceptsof
Mr.SidneySprague'sdescription              ofBahaism Bahaism,gatheredin mytravel,each resting
is characterised      by calmnessand simplicity. on seemingauthority.This is, perhaps,only
Forgreaterpicturesqueness            of exposition    one naturalin the case of a religiousmovement
mustturnfrom       theWesterner       to theEasterner. which,setting           outto emancipatethe intellect,
A PersianBahai of highauthority,              formerly   a turnseach individualmindloose in a new
Muhammadan          doctorofdivinity,       favoured   me worldof vividthoughtto reasonout its own
withthe following        graphicexplanation        of his faithbyitsownstrength.The following                   half-
newcreed:-                                                   mystical,   half-transcendental,      play     of  ideas
Thereis onlyone God. Thereis onlyone proceedsfroma schoolof esotericBahaism
Truth.Godis infinite.          Truthis infinite.     Man, m Persia,whoseexistenceappearsto be un-
foeingfinite,cannot   know    God ; cannot   know   Truth.   knownto Europe:-
Manknows    something    ofGod; something       ofTruth. Bahaism        teaches  thatman,inhis"earliest      spiritual
Thisis because    there  hasbeena finite    Manifestation    weakness,  has to support     himselfbyprops.These
ofGod; a finite     Revelation  ofTruth.TheMani' propsaresevenin number.                     Theyareindispensable
ofGodis one. TheRevelation
festation                                     ofTruth   is aidsto man'sspiritual      growth.Without       them man
one. Moseswas theManifestation           ; so wasJesus, wouldfaintandcollapse.Theyputhimuponhis
-sowas Muhammad,           so was Baha Ullah.^ All feet,          they enable   himtowalk,they    givehimstrength,
4heseare one. The Pentateuch           was theRevela- confidence,         courage,  andhope. Butstilltheyare
tion,so was the Gospel,so was the Quran, props,                    andas propsthey       areto beusedonlytothe
so was the Kitab-ul-Aqdas.All theseare end thattheymayultimately                                be dispensed    with.
one.Is thishardto understand           ? Consider      the Man'sspiritual    progress,  in fact,consists  inlearning
sun.Thesunin theheavenis abovemyreach. to discard                       thesepropsone by one,as a young
Hereinmyhandis a mirror         which  contains  thesun. *                                 - Noah,
To mysenses    there isnodifference,           indegree, According         to oneversion           Abraham,    Moses,
except               David,Jesus, Muhammad,     andBahaUllah.According      to
between thesunin theheaven          and thesunin the another        version - Moses,  Zoroaster, Confucius,   Buddha,
mirror.Bothsunsgiveoutlightandheatand Jesus,                      Muhammad,    BahaUllah.

(6o                  JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS.                                       May27,1910.

swimmer    learnsto discard    floats,andtö rely   more If not,whatis themeaning             of thatstrangely      re-
and moreon his own God-given             powers.The iterated     verse  intheNewTestament,           " He thathathr-
rationale oftheprocess    is explained  byBahaism    as earstohearlethimhear"? Andwhat              isthemeaning
follows:-                                               oftheOldTestament       Psalm,  " Whoshallascend         into•
Whenman,after       passing successively through  the the hill
öf  the  Lord,  or who   shall   stand  in  His  holy
mental  stagesof brutalism,     heathenism,  and pan^ place? He whohathcleanhands              anda pureheart     ?"
theism, arrives  at lastat theconception    ofoneom- Can onlyMoseseverhopeto ascendthespiritual
niscientandomnipotent      God,he cannot     easilybear Sinai? Can onlyMoseseverhopeto haveclean-
thegreatness  ofthethought.      He isappalled   bythe hands  anda pureheart     ? Bahaism      remarks  that  when
majesty oftheDeity.He is paralysed         byhisown Godfirst      calledtothechildSamuel         (I. Samuel   III. 4)-
insignificance.  He darenot approach       his terribletheundiscerning     boyrantoEli andsaid," HereI am,
Maker, though   there  is need  to      for
pray bounty,     for forthou  didst call me." Thusdoesmancontinually
love,andforlight.To hishelpcomes          thefirstprop turn away  hisearfrom    hisGodtohislawgiver.         ButEli
- anintermediary-    thePriest.ThePriest,      bysepa-  answered,  "I  called  thee not.     It shall be if He   call
rationfrom  thecommon     people, bydetachment    from theethatthoushaltsay,Speak,Lord,forThy
carnalengrossments,     by purification  of bodyand servant    heareth."     Thusis thesecond      propdiscarded.
sanctificationofmind,   mayventure   onbehalf  ofsinful Therefore, saystheBahai" Logos" inthat           same  book
to kneel  in              before God's        called" Hidden    Words     -
humanity               supplication               great
judgment-seat.     Is thisideaofpriestly    intercession " O Son of Spirit. The bestofall to Me is
wrong ? askedBahaism.Is itanevilthing         thatman justice.Castit notasideifthoudesirest                Me,and
should beginthespiritual     ascentbyconfessing     his neglectit not,thatthoumayest            be faithful  toMe,
ownlittleness  andGod'sgreatness      ? Bynomeans. forbyitthouwiltbestrengthened                andseeallthings
,Butwhat   isa priest ? A goodandholyman.Espe- with           thine owneyes,    andnotwiththeeyesofmen,
ciallyhe is a man. Cannot        thenall menhopeto andknow          them   bythineownknowledge           andnotby
become   goodandtomake       themselves  holy  ? When theknowledge        ofanyintheworld.Meditate             this-
manrealises  (ashe is destined   torealise)thatheand howthoushouldst         be.
thepriest  arenottwodifferent      orders ofbeing,  but "O Son of Man. The Lighthas shoneupon
twomanifestations     ofthesameorder      ofbeing,   the theefromthe Horizonof the Mount,and the
mission  of thepriest     willbe accomplished,      and Spirit ofHoliness     hasbreathed      in theSinaiofthy
humanity  willbecome     a raceofpriests.Therefore,      heart.Therefore     cleansethyself     from   obstacles  and
saystheLogos,through        themouth    ofBahaUllah, imaginations,     and   enter into  this   Mansion,   that  thou
as recorded  in" Hidden    Words  " :- „                                                          lifeandprepared
" O SonofSpirit.I haveordained                        mayest befitted   fortheeverlasting
forthee, from to meetme,where          no death,no trouble         and no
theTreeofSplendour,       theholiest fruits.Whyhast calamity      canbefall   thee."
thoulaidthem     asideandbeencontented       with those Man'sthird                 needisfora Prophet.The
thatareinferior   ? Return,   therefore, to thatwhich lawofGod spiritual            there  is wanting    inmanthe
isbestfortheeintheHighest       Horizon.                             being   given,
" O Son ofMan. Letthysatisfaction                          to
spirit   honour    and  obey  it ;  and   a  prophet   arises
be inMe, whosedivine                       fervour,                  and
andnotinthose     whoareinferior   toMe,andseeknot                       illumination,              eloquence
passionstirtheslumbering     hearts   ofthepeople.Birt
helpfrom   anybesideMe,for     nonesaveMewillever
what,asksBahaism        again,is a prophet       ? What
satisfythee.                                             where                     DanielandEzekiel        ? What
" O Son of Spirit. Myrightto theeis                         Isaiah, Jeremiah,
great wasthewriter   oftheBookofRevelation           ? They   were
andcannot    be denied.Mybounty        to theeis over- men. AndhasnotGodmadeall menofthesame
flowing andcannot    bewitheld.Mylovefortheeis                               intothem   thesamespirit     ? When
andcannot    berepulsed.                         clayandbreathed
existing                            Mylighttotheeis jealousdisciples      complained   toMosesthatsomequite
apparent andcannot     beobscured."
Whenman's     first        needhasthus    beensatis- ordinary people   intheIsraelite    campwerepresuming
spiritual                          to playtheprophet,      thegreatHebrew          leaderex-
fied, and  the prop  discarded, a second  spiritualneed claimed,  " Wouldto God ye wereall prophets."
assertsitself,theneedfora Lawgiver.      God,itisfelt, Andso goesthethird                      Therefore
hasa will; that willexpresses itselfinlaws; those                                   prop.                  saysthe
laws        in" Hidden     Words  " :-
aretobeheard    andobeyed.   Butjustasmaninhisfirst "    Logos
self-abasement  darenotspeak    toGodexcept     through O Son ofExistence.             MyLampthouart,and
themouth    ofa priest, so mandarenotat first     listen MyLightisinthee;be enlightened             byIt,andseek
to Godexcept    through  theearsofa lawgiver.      This notanybeside     Me,forI havecreated         theerich,    and
is themeaning   ofthebookofExodus        which   records bestowed My   grace   abundantly   upon   thee.
(XX. 19)thattheChildren       ofIsraelsaidtoMoses     at   "O Son of Existence.By thehandsofpower
thefootofMountSinai,u Speakthouwithus and I madetheeandbythefingers                         ofstrength     I created
wewillhear; butletnotGodspeakwithus,lestwe theeanddeposited                   intheetheEssence        ofMyLight;
die." Butwhat,     asksBahaism,    is a lawgiver  ? A therefore   depend   uponIt andnotuponanything             else,
man. A manwhohasfitted           himself to receive the forMyaction    isperfect  andMycommand           haseffect.
WordofGod. Cannot          all menso fitthemselves?      Doubtnotthisandhavenouncertainty             therein.

" O SonofMan. Cheerthyheartwith'              delight,which    everymanmustperform,       notvicariously,  but
thatthoumayest     befitted  tomeetMe,andbecome in hisownperson,             erehecanenter    intotheKingdom
a mirror ofMybeauty."                                     ofHeaven.   Andthus   thefifth propisdispensed   with.
Man'sfourth    spiritual needis fora Saviour.Man Therefore        itiswritten  in " Hidden   Words -
cannot viewhisownwickedness         without   dreading a    " O Son ofMan, Thoudesirest           gold,andWe
catastrophic  penalty,          he
which, believes,      not  himself  desire thyseparation   from  it. Thouhastrealised
butonlya specially    appointed    redeemer   canavert. therichesof-thyself     therein,  butI knowthatthy
Oppressed   bythevisionofthewrath         tocome,man riches     lieinpurifying  thyself from it.
feelsthathe mustthrow       himself intothearmsofa          " O SonofMan.Distribute       Mypossessions   among
Saviour.Bahaism      hesitates  to disturb man'sbelief Mypoor,thatin heaventhoumayest               receive front
inthisawful   subject.ttThefear     oftheLord,"says theboundless        treasures  ofglory  andfrom   thestores
theOldTestament,      "is thebeginning     ofwisdom." ofeternal     bliss. ButbyMyLife,thesacrifice       ofthe
The beginning,     yes,butnottheend. Whatis a spirit           is more  glorious, couldst thoubutseewith     My
a Saviour  ? asksBahaism.A man,bornofwoman. eye.
A manwithpowerto save men. The true                           O Son ofMan. Foreverything          thereisa sign.
function ofa Saviour     is thusto savebyexample,Thesignofloveispatience                through  Myordealand
to saveby pointing     thewayofsalvation      ; inother long-suffering  forMysake.
to demonstrate    on thespiritual                   " O Son of Man. The sincere         loverlongsfor
words,                                      planewhat
all theworldaccepts      on thephysical     plane - that  sufferingas  the rebel  craves for forgiveness andthe
(rodhelpsonlythosewho helpthemselves.                 A sinner  prays formercy.
Saviour is a lighthouse,  nota lifeboat.Awaythen " O SonofExistence.Keepmycommand                        because
withthisfourth      prop. Therefore     says theBahai oftheloveforMe, anddenythyself               ifthoulovest
bookof" Hidden      Words  " :-                           Mypleasure.
" O SonofPerception.                                      " O SonofSpirit.Ifthoudesirest         Me,lovenot
MyFortthouart,there-
fore enter therein thatthoumayest    besaved.             thyself,andifthouseekest     Mypleasure,   regard  not
" O SonofMan. ThouartMypossession,                 and thine own,thatthoumayest       die in Me andI livein
Mypossession     willneverbe destroyed.        Whyart thee?"
thouafraid  ofthy   destruction?   ThouartMylight, Man'ssixthspiritual             needis fora divine   incarna-
and My lightwillneverbe extinguished.              Why tion. ManseekstoknowGod,to sse God. Man
dreade&t  thouextinction  ? ThouartMysplendour,cannot            ofhisownfinite    power  setouttolookforthe
andMysplendour       willnever   be veiled.Thouart infinite       God. He mustwaitpatiently         andhumbly
Mygarment,     andMygarment        willnever   be worn tillGodinhisownchosen           time bepleased  tomani-
out. Therefore    dwellin thyloveto Me,thatthou fest          Himself.Sucha manifestation,      accommodating
mayest find  MeintheHighest      Horizon."                itselfto thehumanlimits       of sensory   perception,
Man's fifth    spiritual  need is fora Sacrifice.materialises        as an incaination  - spirit clothedwith
Whether   theunderlying    ideabe propitiation    orex- flesh-  Divinity visiblebyitshumanity    - Godinman.
piation, there  must  be, itis thought,  a great  atone-  Here,  then,  for once,  a man   indeed  becomes   the
ment,  to be consummated       in thesacrifice   of life. mirror of hisMaker.Butwhy         onlyforonce? asks
Bahaism   approaches   thissubject,    as it approachesBahaism.According           to thebookof Genesis       all
thepreceding    subjects, withreverence.      Butwho, mankind      wascreated  intheimageandafter       thelike-
asksBahaism,    is thevictim  ofthesacrifice  ? A man nessofGod. All mankind            is thus,in virtue  ofits
offlesh andblood. Theessence         of thedoctrine   is divine  similitude,something   morethan"human":
notaffected  (forthepresent   purpose)  bytheassertionit has someelements          of thedivine.Andso the
orthedenial   ofthedivinity  ofthebeing    whois sacri- greater   incarnation  appealsto all lesserincarna-
ficed,because  ineither caseitis from   a being walkingtions.Or, as the Old Testament               marvellously
thisearth ofoursintheoutward       form  ofa manthat putsit- "Be ye holy,forI am holy." In the
thesacrifice is demanded.     Shallman,in thelong New Testament            manis adjuredto put offcor-
course of hisspiritual   evolution, riseto theheight ruption      andto put on incorruption       ; to putoff
of striving  to embody    in his ownlifethegrand mortality         andtoputonimmortality.         Whatis cor-
examplesof the Priest,the Lawgiver,the ruption                     butchange,and whatis mortality            but
Prophet  and   the  Saviour,   and  then   shrink   from  catastrophic change ?    How   shall a  man   put   off
imitating   the yet moresublimeexampleof changefulness                  andputon changelessness       unlesshe
theSacrifice?It is recorded        thatJesussaid:- attaintoa perfection         from  which  nochange    can be
"Excepta manbe bornagainhe cannot             enter  the betterment - unless hebecome    divine ? Anincarna-
Kingdom   ofHeaven."To be bornagainonemust tion,then,                is perfection  descended  uponandmani-
first
die,because   birth is essentially thebeginning   of fested in onemanto showhowall other          menmay
a newlife. Whatis thatwhich       must   dieorbe sacri- hopetoascend     toandbecome      manifestations  ofthe
ficed? Theoldlifeofsin. There         is,saysBahaism,likeperiection.      Thesupreme     purpose,  inbrief, is to
a stillhigher  view. Thatwhich        is merely  human turn   man'sreverence    uponhimself.    Hereby   departs
inmanmustdie,in orderthatthatwhich             is divine man'ssixth  prop. Therefore    declares the" Logosiy
in manmaybeborn. Thisis thesupreme              sacrificein " Hidden   Words  " :-

'ÓÔ2                  JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIKTY OF ARTS.                                      May27,1910.

u O Son of Spirit.I created      theesublime,    but long; that Islamic countriesare stranded
thouhastdegraded      thyself.Therefore  ascend  tothat centuriesbehindthe times; that the very
forwhich   thouwastcreated.                              inertnessof the Muhammadan              worldin an
a O Son of Spirit. I havecreated            theerich. age of strenuous    progressprovesits senility        ;
Whydostthoumakethyself           poor? I madethee that,in fact,Moslemculturestandsto-day
mighty.Whydostthoudegrade              thyself?   From           where it stood in the days of the
theEssence   ofKnowledge     I manifested  thee. Why exactly
" ArabianNights." I shallnotattempt              here
seekest thouanother    beside Me? Fromtheclayof
loveI kneaded      thee. Whysearchest                    tocontrovert any  of those   assumptions,    because
thouforan-
other ? Turnthysight     untothyself thatthoumayestthat wouldinvolveme in a comprehensive
findMestanding      within thee,powerful,  mighty   and surveyof the social,political,and economic
supreme.                                                 conditions of 175,000,000      of the humanrace,
" O Son of theThrone.                          is My spreading    into  three  continents.      1 shallcon-
Thyhearing
hearing ; hearthouwith    it. Thysightis Mysight      ; tentmyself    withpointingout thatevenifall
seethouwith    it, thatthoumayest     testify to Me in theassumptions      be grantedin substance,        they
thyinmost   soul,a supreme            andthatI may countin favourof Islamichopesrather
holiness,                                                                   than
'testify tothee,   inMyself a highposition.                against; because they indicatethat the
" O SonofExistence.Thy          heartis Myhome      ; careerof Islam closelyconforms               with the
purify itforMydescent.Thyspirit         is Myoutlook   ; normalin history.Almosteverygreatreligion
prepare  itforMyManifestation.    "
has passed througha phase of stagnation.
Man'sseventh      and last spiritual  needis fora Almost                                              is one
heaven.Theflesh        has itsdwelling-place    of pain: thousandalwaystheperiodofstagnation
where  shallthespirit    abidein bliss? It willhave                 years.    For   just   a thousand     years
beenunderstood     from thepresent              thatthe  the infant religion   sleeps    in the   arms   of its
exposition                    Thereafter    it  is a           child   and
predominant    theme   of Babaitheology    is thatman    priests.                          grown
hastobetaught       tolookwithin  forthatwhich    hehas runsalone. For a thousandyearsthepriests
allalongbeenseeking      without.  Whyshould      itnot nursedJudaism.In 1491B.c. we haveMoses
besowithman'sneedfora Heaven           ? asksBahaism. declaring    - " This shall be the priest's due
In thescientific   world itwasnotuntil   educationalists from  thepeople,fromthemthatoffer             a sacri-
realised thattheartofeducation      is todraw    out,not  fice,whether  it be ox  or  sheep  ;  and  theyshall
to putin, thatthecurricula        of theschools     were giveuntothepriestthe shoulder,           and thetwo
rationalised.  Spiritual education,properly  understoodcheeksand the maw. The first-fruit               also of
is alsoa drawing     outofthatwhich    iswithin.This thycorn,ofthywine,and ofthineoil,and the
isthemeaning    ofthat  wonderfuldeclaration  intheNew first  of thefleeceof thysheep,shaltthougive
Testament   : " TheKingdom     ofHeaven  iswithin  you." him. FortheLordthyGod hathchosenhim
Surrender,   thentheseventh      and last prop. And outofall                                             in the
itherefore  itis written in" Hidden   Words   " :-                  thytribes,to standto minister
" O SonofExistence.                                    name  ofthe  Lord,  him   and   his  sons  for ever."
ThyParadise    is Mylove,
and thyheavenis Mynearness.           Therefore    enter -In 397B.c.- thatis, one thousandyearslater
thouandtarry     not. Thisis whatwasordained          for we   havetheHebrewprophet           Malachisaying
'tlieeinOurhighest     kingdom   andsupreme               - " Andnow,O yepriests,          thiscommandment
4tO SonofSpirit.Thefirst                   majesty.
utterance  is- Possess is foryou ... Ye aredeparted         outoftheway;
a good,a pureandenlightened           heart,thatthou yehave caused manyto stumbleat thelaw;
mayest   possessa continual,     eternal and immortalyehavecorrupted          the covenant      of Levi,saith
kingdom."                                                the Lord of Hosts. Therefore             have I also
madeyoucontemptible       and base before     all the
Future of Islam.                                            as yehavenotkeptMyways,
people,according
Timewillnotpermit         meon thisoccasionto but have been partialin the law." For a
•enter anyfurther     intoa philosophical       studyof thousand   yearsthepriests      nursed   Brahmanism.
the teachingsof Bahaism. It willbe suffici-Accordingto authorities,                     Vedic Brahmanism
entlyapparent,       I think,  thattherehas arisen established        itselfin India about 1600B.c. In
in Islam,thanksto thefreshness            and fineness 550 B.c.- thatis, one thousandyearslater-
ofPersianthought,        a regenerative    influence  of Buddhaaroseto overthrow         Brahmanic     ecclesia
almostincalculableenergy. It onlyremains asticism. For a thousandyearsthe priests
forme, in conclusion,        to notice,verybriefly,nursedHellenic Paganism. The siege of
theargument        ofthosewhothinkthatIslam,in Troy,which appears to be about the first
fallingfromits proudestate,has fallenlike recordedfact of Greek history,                          is generally
Lucifer,neverto riseagain. The argument, supposedtohaveoccurred,                         ifitoccurred    at all,
as I understand      it,is baseduponthefollowingabout 1200 B.c. In 146 b.c.- that is, one
.assumptions      : thatIslamhas laindormant          too thousand years later- Greece became a

27,1910.
■May                  JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS.                                             663

Roman province,and so lost the powerto protagonist                    ofPan-Islamism,     whowasveryfarfrom
workoutherownindependent              destiny. Fora being       a Bab,wasundoubtedly       oneofthose      whohad
thousandyears the priestsnursed                  Roman     done  most  to  inaugurate    the  national  movement.
foundation    of Quiteapartfromthequestion            as to the dispute
Paganism. The half-mythical                                between Subh-i-Ezel    and  Baha    as           thesuc-
Romeis supposedto date from753B.c. In                                                              regards
cession,hehad  never  succeeded   in  obtaining  satisfac-
324 A.D.- thatis, one thousandyearslater-                      answers  to the   following  questions: - (1) What
tory
was establishedas the State new doestheBahaidoctrine
Christianity                                                   light                             throw  uponmeta-
religionin Rome. For a thousandyearsthe physical                   orspiritual  truth ? (2)In whatrespect     is the
priestsnursed Christianity.In the fourth system                 ofethics   which  itadvocates   superior  toChris-
centuryafterChristpriestlyauthority                  first tianity
? (3) Canitbemaintained       that, intheapplica-
asserteditselfsuccessfully          in the Christian tionofthose        ethics,  theBahaisarematerially        more
Church. In thefifteenth        century    - thatis, one consistent    thantheChristians         or the Moslems      ?
thousandyearslater        - JohnHuss startedthe
Reformation.      Withthesehistorical                       M. Hippolyte Dreyfus thoughttherewas
parallels no                  as theChairman      seemed   toimply,
in mind,letus nowremark           thatfora thousand           contradiction,
between  the  fact  that  Subh-i-Ezel    hadbeenin a
yearsthepriests     nursedIslam. TheSaracenic                                                               andthe
with   its                          datesfrom way    appointed  bytheBab as hissuccessor,
Empire,            powerful   hierarchy,                  factthatJater   on BahaUllahclaimed        tobea mani-
the eighthcentury,        A.D. The spiritwhich festation           ofGod,viz.,theoneforetold           bytheBab
'begat Babism and Bahaism began to himself,                        because  theBabonly     appointed   hissuccessor
(manifest    itselfin Persia at the close of the in orderto havean organisation                   ready towaitfor
•eighteenth   century,   thatis, onethousand       years theone whomGod wouldmanifest.                 BahaUllah
.later. I am farfrompropounding               the " one wasmuch     more  advanced    thantheBab; hisreligion
"                                                         one,whiletheBab wasmerely             a
thousandyears formula            as a positive    argu- was a universal
ment. I am farfromtryingto read                  a  new   Shiah reformer,  and  that accounted    forthe  difference
meaninginto the Psalmist'srhapsody,"A between                      them.Theinfluence         oftheBahaisin the
thousandyearsin Thysightis but as yester-                  revolution could    not  be   denied,   a statement     he
I   would              this  :  the  fact  that  was  able   to  makebecausehe was in Tehran
day."                onlysay                                                                  whentheMoham-
Islam has slumberedfora thousandyears at thetimeof therevolution,
aifords nosufficient                      forthebelief    medan   clergy   took   refuge    in   Qum. At that
justification                    time        were    quite  decidednot to return         to
they
thattherecan nowbe no awakening. Formy TehranunlesstheShahhimself                                 camethereand
•ownpart,I believethateventsare shapingin                            anddismissed     all theEuropean     function-
Asia whichmay end in re-constructing                      apologised
the aries
employed  bytheGovernment.         It wasdecidedly
wholefabricof present-day            internationalism     an anti-foreign  movement.      TheBahaisthought         it
and mayadd a chapterto the world'shistory wasa pitytohavesucha bigmovement                            degenerating
as dramatic    andas momentous         as anythathas intoa sectarian         and clerical   movement,     and they
.beenwritten.                                                      askedfora constitution
therefore                           andeducation    ; and
infact,
that,        wastheprinciple    ofBahaism.
Prof.G. Hagopiansaidhe had thehonour                 of
DISCUSSION.                                    the               of Jemal-ud-Din,    about  1892,
making acquaintance
TheChairman      (Professor Browne)    saidthat,while when   hewasa refugee     from   Persia,  andwasinstru-
•entertaining a very great  affectionandadmiration    for mental  in enabling    himto givea lecture         at the
theBabis,he wasnotprepared         to admit   eitherthat National Liberal   Clubonthecondition      ofhiscountry.
fthey weretobeconsidered     asmere  reformers  ofIslam, He wouldbedelighted        tohearfrom     anytravellers   in
orthatthey  had exercised any great  influence in bring-  Persiawhether    such  a regeneration    had  yet   taken
ingabout  thepresent national  movement    inPersia. He placeinthatcountry      thatitwouldbepossible        in the
out
.pointed    that,in  a sense, the ideals  of the Bahais,  futuretofind the  same  spirit animating   the people   of
ivhichaimedat a universal      religion  anda universalthecountry     as wasrecently    evidenced   in Londonby
language,  werein sharpcontrast        to thoseof the theBritish      peoplewhenKingEdward,            thePeace-
^Nationalists,which aimed   at the  maintenance   ofthe maker,  .wascarried   tohislastresting-place    - thespirit
integrityofPersiaandofthePersián          characteristics.ofprogress andpeace.
He also dissented     fromthe author's       viewthat
3ahaismwas necessarily       tolerant,   and he con- Mr.W. A. Moore,in reply               to thelastspeaker's
tendedthat the Bab had assigned                to  him-   question,thought   the conduct  of  theTurkish   Govern-
than  that which   ment since  the  establishment   of  theConstitution    in
selfa moreimportant        position                                                                      that
theBahaisweredisposed        to  ascribe   to him.   In  Turkey was  an  absolutely  conclusive   proof        they
bisownview   itwasunfair   tosaythattheMohamme-desired          both peaceandprogress,      andalthough     things
to the  national  movement    had not gone  by any  means  so far  or sowell  inPersia,
danshadnotcontributed                                                                             movement    wasa
sinPersia, sinceSay)idJemal-ud-Din,       thewellknown todeny    that thePersian   constitutional

progressive movement   wasa complete    denial of fact. thefacts.Persiahadtodealwithherneighbours,
He was rather    astonished  at theusemadebythe andthequestion            'fcashowshewastogetalongwith
author allthrough hispaper  ofthewords   " priest" and them,and howtheywereto be prevented               from
" priesthood," which  hedidnotbelieve     werecorrecttaking     part in  the  movement.   He  thought  Persia
wordstoemploy     inreference   toIslam. He didnot would       getthrough   if,inherexternal          sheled
affairs,
thinkthere  wasanything  sacerdotal  atallinthewhole a quietlife. He wasquitesurethatinthefuture           she
ofIslam. Withregard       totheauthor's    glorification wouldwinonlybytheprocess         of moderation,   for
oftheBahais,             he
personallysupported      theChairman's    which the  modern  movement  inthe East  had such  an
contention,  becauseduring    theactualtroubles      in extraordinary capacity.
Persia, he happened   to be in Tabriz,   andtheword
thathe always   heardwasBabi,and thatwasthe TheChairmanentirely                     agreed withMr.Moore's
stickthatwas used by the reactionists         to beat ciiticism    of the use of the word"priest"by
theConstitutionalist  party.Thetitleofthepaper theauthor.It was22years                sincehewasin Persia,
seemedto himto be misleading,        becauseifIslam andtheword        Bahaiswasthen   hardly  everusedatall,
wasíegenerated    inthewaytheauthor       suggested,  it theteimBabisbeing               usedthroughout
universally                 the
ceasedto be Islamaltogether.        Bahaism   was not country.     Withregard   totolerance, hewasnotquite
reallya religionatall,butmore    orlessa philosophy.     surewhether,   ifBahaismsucceeded      in capturing.
It wasa product  which  camefrom    theEast,andwas Persia,      itwould  beanymoretolerant     thanIslamism.
a kindofuniversal    toleration.  "When,  forinstance,Personally,   hewasvery   much disinclined tothink  that
theauthor  stated thattruth  wasone,hewasutteringthere       wasanyconsiderable    number  ofBabisorBahais
oneof theimmortal      platitudes oftheworldwhich amongtheTurks,             because, so faras he knew,    the
hadbeensaidin every       age. It wasa greattrufkYoungTurkish              movement   was identified  witha
which wasalwaysstriking     peopleafresh,   butitdid literary   movement   having itsoriginentirelyinFrench
notmakea newreligion       to saythattruth    wasone. sources,    a largeproportion oftheYoungTurks      being;
Theanalogy   between  thesunandthemirror        which Free-Thinkers.
hadbeenreferred    to hada verydistinct     Athanasian
touchaboutit. It reminded            himofthenews- Mr.BernardTemple,inreply                  tothequestion   of
paperwhich     someyearsago ago started       a column whether     Bahaism   was thecauseoftheawakening
on curios   and antiquities, whichwaswritten      bya whichwas at present         visiblein Persiaand other
manwhohadcomeabsolutely           fresh to thesubject,Islamiccountries,      saidthatin suchbigdiscussions
andwhowasmaking        discoveries  every daythathaä itwasdifficult      to saywhatwasthecauseandwhat
beenmadebefore,      buttheresult   wasthathe made theeffect.He didnotclaim            forBahaism   more   than
thesubject    muchmoreinteresting       thanan expert thatitwasperhaps        themost conspicuous andremark-
would  havedone. He couldnothelpthinking           that ableexpression  oftheawakening    which, undoubtedly,
someofthephilosophic    truths  thatwere   putforwardwastakingplacein theEast,particularly             in the
as representing  Bahaism   werein muchthesame Islamic           East. So faras hehadmadea comparison
category.   Theywerea product    ofmodern   mentality,   between  theMohammedan       religion and Bahaism,
a process ofthought   which wasgoing     onalloverthe hehopedhe hadmadeit clearthathewasnota
world.He didnotagree         withtheauthor     thatthe Bahai»   noran apologist   fortheBahaireligion     orits
Turkish   movement   was in anywayan outcome          of teaching ; he merely  wished, as a traveller, to give
sucha religion.He thought       itwasmuch    more  true someof hisobservations       uponthecourseof the
to saythatthereligion     itselfwasa symptom     rathermovement      in Persiaand its meaning.Although
than a cause.Sucha movement       ofthought  wastaking he had in manyways a greatadmiration                 for
placenotonly    inIslam,butinJapan,       andmany     of Bahaism,   he was not prepared      to rebutevery
theYoungTurk     leaders weredistinctly   free-thinkers.         remark
critical       thatcouldbe addressed     againstit.
Theforward    movement   towards   universal tolerationRecenttravellers      in Persiawereagreedthatthe
and brotherhood     tookthe formof a desirefor mostprogressive               elements in thatcountry      were
international agreement    and universal    peace,and associated     directly  or indirectlywiththe Bahai
was a sort of cosmopolitan           movement.     The movement.      He quiteadmitted   it wasinappropriate
Chairman     had statedthatif Persiawereleft tousetheterm"priest"in connection                     with Islam,
alone he believed     she wouldpull through.         In butthedifficulty    he experienced in thatconnection
onesensehe wasin complete         agreement   withthè wasthathe madea comparison            between   religions
remark.   If Persiacouldbeisolated,    andherinternalwhich      had priests   andtheIslamicreligion,     which
struggle  tookplaceas between       theold and new maintained         religious functionaries forwhoseoffice
régime , which waspractically  between       andgood
evil,         , andstatustherewasno equivalent        in theEnglish
therewasnottheslightest      doubt  which  wouldulti- language.Whenheusedtheterm" priests"               inre~
mately win; infact,  ifshehadbeenleftalonefrom lation          toIslamhemeantthatthere        existedinPer*ia
the beginning    therewouldhavebeenno doubt andother               partsoftheMohammedan        world menwho
whichwouldhavewonalready.But.to suppose claimed                   tohavea monopoly    ofknowledge   regarding
thatPersiahad been,or was goingto be, left thereligion                of Mahomet,    andthecommon       people
absolutely toherself,seemed   tohimutterly    toignore wereboundto haverecourse        tothose  learned people

May27,içio.          JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF ARTS.                                         665

forthatknowledge,      which wasnotobtainable     other- which  itrelates.SirEldonGorst's                narra-
interesting
wise. The Quranwas in Arabic,a languagetionis framed                     very much  afterthemodel   oftheIndian
whichevento the Arabswas, in its QuranicAdministration                     Reports,  withthisimportant    differ-
form,   practically  unknown   ; and theQuranand ence,thatthelatter             areseldomavailable    untillong
theliterature   encompassing    it couldonlybe com- after      theexpiry   oftheyearunder   review.Hencethe
municated    to theignorant   people  bya learned  class, Indian reports, through  theirbelated appearance, lose
which  wascareful    to preserve itsmonopoly    oflearn- much   oftheir  significanceandinterest.
ing; andin thatsensehe spokeofthemullahs               as    The present    report is dated26thMarchlast,
priests, notwishing      to institute  anyclosercom- and its very firstcomments                 deal withthe
parison   between    the  mullahs   of  the   East   and   assassination of  the  late Prime    Minister, about
the priests    of theWest. He was glad it had a monthpreviously,                      so it may be con-
beenpointed      out thatthe movement         in Turkeysidered     quiteup-to-date,    and'in thisand other
owed,practically,     nothing  to Bahaism.Whathe respects          itmay'serve  as anexample   which  many other
•had wishedto conveyin thatconnection                was British official reports in various partsoftheworld
motthat Bahaismhad inspired              the revolution    woulddowellto emulate.On thesubject           of the
in Turkey,     though  he was prepared       to showit murder     Mr.Roosevelt     hasrecently  spoken  strongly
toadgonea considerable      waytowards      inspiring the andfearlessly  : SirEldonGorst's  remarks  arecouched
movement    inPersia: he wished    to showthatthere inmuch        thesamevein. He saysoftheassassin        that
was, not  in  Persiaalone,but  more  or less throughout   he was "one    of those miserable  creatures offeeble
theIslamic   world, a realspirit ofprogress    which, so intellect anddisordered    ideas,whoareunconscious
faras historical    comparisons   went,   could  only  be  dupes of   the greater criminals,whopreach    violent
likened tothespirit   oftheReformation      thatexisted methods    which   theythemselves   areafraid  to carry
in Europe.Thatspirit        hadvarious   manifestations,   intoeffect."Ofthevictim,       Boutros  GhaliPasha,
-oneof the mostmarvellous            of whichwas the whofirst       entered  theMinistry  in 1893as Minister  of
Bahai movement.        Another   remarkable     manifes-Finance,    SirEldonremarks     that"his deathis an
tation,  if considered   separately,  was the politicalirreparable     lossto Egypt,   andthatit willbe long
revolution   in Persiaandin Turkey,     which  hadhad before     theKhediveand his country         finda more
theextraordinary    effectofsweeping     away   the old-  devoted, single-minded,  and capable servant."
«fashioned  absolutism,  the reliçtof centuries,     and During1909thePressLaw, whichhad been
substituting  in its placethatforwhich       peoplehad revised  intheearly   partoftheyear,    wasapplied  with
beenstriving    in theWestforcountless       years, viz., great,perhaps   toogreat,  moderation.    Twopapers
constitutional   government   withParliamentary    insti- werewarned     and one was suppressed,     the latter
tutions.Howmuch        oftheinspiration   thathadgiven having    beenalready    suspended  undertheordinary
ribetothose   great        movements
political            wasduetosome lawbythenative          tribunals,anditseditor   sentenced
particular source ormanwasa mootquestion.His to twelve                months'  imprisonment.    Another  editor
:greatobject  onthepresent   occasion wastoshow     from was sentenced     to threemonths'    imprisonment  for
•thepoint  of view of a recent travellerhow   veryeffec-  passing scurrilous libels on the  late Boutros Pasha
tivethose various eruptive forces were,  andhowinti- andanother        highnativeofficial.Thesewarnings,
mately  one   must be connected  with  the  other.  The   however,   have  not been enoughto prevent        the
remark  which    hadbeenmadethatPersia        couldbest extreme     Nationalist  journalsfromattacking      the
makeprogress    under  thenewrégime    bygetting  along authorities   withvirulence  andcontempt,    andunless
wellwith  herneighbours,  raised anenormous    question.thisattitude    is definitelyabandoned   it willbtcome
While  thatadvice   sounded ideal,hewassorry     tohave necessary,    so Sir Eldonsignificantly     remarks, to
-tosaythathisfeeling     was,after  twelve  months'  resi- applythePressLawwithgreat-er       severitythanhere-
dencein Persia,thatit wasalmost          as difficult for tofore.
a country  likePersiatogetonwell,atanyratewith Thecotton                crop,inspite ofa goodNileandfavour-
oneofitsneighbours,      under  present  circumstances,   ableweather,   has beenmuchbelowtheaverage         of
as fora lambtogetonwith       a wolf.                     recentyears.   High  prices have.to some  extentcom-
pensated  forthefalling   offoftheyield,   but,never-
On themotion      of the Chairman,a voteof theless,            theresult  comesas a great    disappointment
thanks  wasaccorded     to Mr.Templeforhispaper, to thosewhohadhopedforsomeimprovement                       of
andthemeeting     terminated.                             thefinancial position sincethecrisisof 1907. The
-- Persia and the Regeneration of Islam (Used by permission of the curator)