# Biography of Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Laura C. Dreyfus-Barney, Biography of Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Biography of Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney
> 
> Laura C. Dreyfus-Barney
> Shoghi Effendi
> 
> Thomas Linard, editor
> 
> 1928-1929
> 
> Hippolyte Dreyfus' relation to Bahá'u'lláh, to
> `Abdu'l-Bahá and to the Guardian can best be understood
> when one reads the moving letter that Shoghi Effendi wrote
> immediately after his death in December 1928. (See The
> Bahá'í World Volume III, Page 210). The Guardian
> expresses the nobility of his service and spirit better than
> I could hope to do. I shall attempt merely to point out
> certain things which prepared Hippolyte Dreyfus for life, and
> enabled him to gain the confidence of men and women of very
> different standing.
> 
> He was an only son of a well-known French family. He had all
> the advantages that could be obtained from a happy home and
> from an intellectual and artistic center such as Paris at the
> height of its culture. He grew up strong in appreciation of
> life and all that it has to offer. When he reached manhood
> his questing mind led him onward to ever-vaster horizons.
> 
> Law was the profession he chose and he became the secretary
> of one of the most prominent barristers in France. While he
> pursued his career with success he came close to the problems
> and difficulties of many people, and his generosity of heart
> gave him a subtle understanding of human nature. He had the
> rare quality of being more interested in others than in
> himself.
> 
> He spoke little of the past. What I know of his life before
> 1900 has come to me through outside channels. For instance,
> it was his sister who told me of his fondness for mountain
> climbing. Again, at his death a friend wrote me that in the
> whirl of a Parisian life he founded with her a welfare
> society for home visiting, and was untiring in his support of
> those who had so little of that of which he had so much.
> 
> The Dreyfus family used to give musicales frequented by
> people of taste, including many artists. It was at one of
> these entertainments that he met Mrs. Sanderson and her
> daughters, Sybil of opera fame and Edith who became later a
> leading Bahá'í in France. It was through May Bolles that
> both Edith and Hippolyte entered the Faith a short time after
> she had given me the Message. It was really May, our
> spiritual guide, who started the Bahá'í group in France;
> though the Babi and Bahá'í movement was known to an elite
> through the writings of several distinguished French authors.
> 
> The first meeting with Hippolyte Dreyfus that I can recall
> was in 1900 in Paris on the threshold of May Bolles'
> apartment near l'École des Beaux Arts. He was
> leaving, I was arriving to hear more of the Babi epilogue.
> Though I was away from France almost constantly from 1901 to
> 1906 I knew that he had become an outstanding Bahá'í and
> that his father and mother, his sister and brother-in-law had
> all joined the Cause. Their gracious home was a center for
> inquirers and followers. Their summer house,
> "Daru'l-Salam" on Mont Pelèrin,
> Switzerland, was also open wide to people of many lands and
> many beliefs. It was on this mountain that he made some of
> his first French translations of the writings of
> Bahá'u'lláh with Mirza Habibu'llah of Shiraz.
> 
> Hippolyte Dreyfus was already an excellent linguist and his
> trained mind grasped readily the force and beauty of the
> idioms of the Persian tongue that he had decided to learn.
> His constant reading of Bahá'u'lláh's works in
> this language and later on in Arabic gave him an unusual
> insight into the teachings and mission of this great
> Manifestation. Throughout the years he translated and
> published many of these works.
> 
> He translated from the Arabic the Book of Aqdas which he
> annotated during a sojourn in `Akka with the aid of
> `Abdu'l-Bahá. This work as well as the French translation
> of the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá, and a number
> of valuable tablets are unpublished. May they be preserved in
> my Paris home!
> 
> His translation of
> An-Nuru'l-Abha-fi-Mufawadat (Some Answered
> Questions) was appreciated by the French reader and he
> was requested to write an introductory book on the Bahá'í
> Cause which he named Essai sur le
> Béhaïsme. He published articles in
> reviews: of particular interest is his study on the
> Mashriqu'l-Adhkar.
> 
> He visited the Holy Land seven or eight times. His last three
> trips were after the departure of `Abdu'l-Bahá, when he
> wished to be with the Guardian whom he had known as a youth
> and for whom he bore a deep and understanding love. As soon
> as the news of the Master's death reached us in Burma we
> returned to Palestine as rapidly as transportation could take
> us. [His trip to `Akka in 1903 was with Lua Getsinger and
> Edith Sanderson]. The last journey East was in 1926 with
> his valued friend Mountfort Mills. They visited Shoghi
> Effendi in Haifa in that year and went on to Cairo on a
> special mission for the Guardian before returning to France.
> He was often called upon to perform these special missions,
> to arrange an audience with the Shah of Persia during his
> visit to Paris [in 1902] when a Bahá'í delegation
> was received to protest the persecutions then taking place in
> Persia against their spiritual brethren. Again in 1906 he was
> one of the two first Bahá'ís from the West sent to
> Persia. Later in Tunis he obtained from the French
> authorities permission to have the Bahá'í teachings
> promulgated in Tunisia.
> 
> It was he who met `Abdu'l-Bahá at Marseille in 1911 when
> the Master reached Europe for the first time. He had the
> privilege of guiding him to Thonon-les-Bains. The Master
> delighted in the verdant country the train passed through to
> bring him to this quiet place on the Lake of Geneva, where
> the Bahá'ís came to see him from other parts of Europe.
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá relied on Hippolyte Dreyfus to arrange
> his stays in France and his trip to and from England. He
> called upon him not only to interpret into French an address
> he gave in Pasteur Wagner's noted church in Paris, but
> also to interpret into English the words he spoke to the
> congregations of some of the outstanding churches in London.
> The Master liked talking with this refined Frenchman skilled
> in répartie. There was no restraint between
> them. Hippolyte Dreyfus never put himself forward, but he was
> always ready to carry out the most difficult tasks that might
> be asked of him. He never "borrowed trouble"; he
> faced situations with ease and when the occasion demanded
> with unflinching courage. He was rapid in decision, but
> deliberate in manner.
> 
> While he and I were in Qingdao, China, ready to journey up
> the Yangzi River and overland by trail to Kunming (Yunnan),
> the war broke out in 1914. Through his adroitness we got away
> from the German colony and returned to France in time for him
> to assume his military obligations. These were for the most
> part in censorship because of his military classification,
> linguistic abilities and legal training. He welcomed the
> League of Nations as a great experiment and went several
> times to Geneva to follow the sessions and to talk with
> statesmen and experts.
> 
> Before and after the war he traveled extensively, making
> friends easily wherever he went. Sometimes on train or
> steamer, at the bridge table, at the Sorbonne, and again in
> long walks which he liked to take through the city and in the
> country.
> 
> Hippolyte Dreyfus was a well balanced and independent person.
> He liked both thought and action. He could sit at his desk
> and translate and read all day and late into the night. Or he
> could go for a swim or horseback ride with friends or alone.
> Though ready of speech and eloquent he preferred talking of
> the Bahá'í Message to individuals and to small groups
> rather than addressing large audiences.
> 
> What he did he did with pleasure. He never grumbled. He took
> life as it came. In suffering he showed the simple fortitude
> which manifested a mature soul. He was ready to die.
> 
> In the words of the Guardian: "His gifts of unfailing
> sympathy and penetrating insight, his wide knowledge and
> mature experience, all of which he utilised for the glory and
> propagation of the Message of Bahá'u'lláh, will be
> gratefully remembered by future generations who, as the days
> go by, will better estimate the abiding value of the
> responsibilities he shouldered for the introduction and
> consolidation of the Bahá'í Faith in the Western
> world."
> 
> Letters and Telegrams from Shoghi Effendi
> 
> Many of you manifested interest for my posting on Hippolyte
> Dreyfus-Barney. So I persist and send you the telegrams and
> letters Shoghi Effendi wrote to Laura Dreyfus-Barney and
> Hippolyte's sister Mrs. Yvonne Meyer-May after
> Hippolyte's death (I appended a text written by Mrs.
> Meyer-May, which she sent to Shoghi Effendi -- I don't
> know when). The letters and telegrams are copied after
> photocopies of the originals, and Yvonne Meyer-May's
> text after a typed transcription. --Thomas Linard
> 
> Telegram to Dreyfus-Barney Paris 15 [rue] Greuze
> 
> Haifa December 21, 1928
> 
> FAMILY FRIENDS GRIEF STRICKEN PROFOUNDLY FEEL HIS LOSS
> OFFERING HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES PRAYING FOR HIS BELOVED SOUL
> -- SHOGHI
> 
> Telegram to Dreyfus-Barney 15 [rue] Greuze Paris
> 
> Haifa December 21, 1928
> 
> MOTHER MYSELF OVERWHELMED WITH UNSPEAKABLE SORROW MEMORY OF
> HIS INESTIMABLE LOVING SUPPORT IN DAYS OF DARK AFFLICTION
> FOLLOWING MASTERS PASSING EVER ENSHRINED IN OUR HEARTS ASSURE
> YOU TENDEREST SYMPATHY -- SHOGHI
> 
> Haifa, Palestine
> 
> Dec. 21, 1928
> 
> My dear Laura Khanum:
> 
> We were all profoundly moved when we received the news of the
> passing of our dear Hippolyte, and I assure you that since
> the ascension of our Beloved, the family, and myself
> included, never felt the sense of loss & the pain of
> overwhelming sorrow as acutely as we did the night we
> received your wire, announcing the passing of one who was
> close & dear to us all.
> 
> Needless to say how overpowering is the sense of his loss to
> me, in particular, who received from him such comfort and
> support in perhaps the darkest days of my life, &
> cherished the fondest hopes for his future contribution to
> the advancement of the international work of the Cause.
> 
> None, I can confidently assert, among the
> Bahá'ís of the East & the West,
> combined to the extent that he did the qualities of genial
> & enlivening fellowship, of intimate acquaintance with
> the manifold aspects of the Cause, of sound judgement &
> distinctive ability, of close familiarity with the problems
> & condition of the world -- all of which made him such a
> lovable, esteemed & useful collaborator & friend.
> 
> I have, impelled by my love & admiration for him,
> addressed the enclosed message to my co-workers throughout
> the West, that those who knew him not may recognise his
> standing & appreciate his achievements. I am certain that
> the National Spiritual Assemblies of America & Persia,
> responding to my cabled request, will take the necessary
> measures for the holding of memorial gatherings as a tribute
> to one who advanced so effectively the international interest
> of the Cause.
> 
> I will for ever regret that, not realizing the gravity &
> the hopelessness of the illness which afflicted him, I failed
> to demonstrate in a fuller manner, the sentiments of profound
> & abiding affection that I have always cherished for him
> in my heart.
> 
> My mother wishes me to express to you her deep sense of
> affectionate sympathy in the loss of one who proved such a
> sustaining & sympathetic friend in her gloomiest hours of
> anxiety & sorrow.
> 
> Rest assured, dear Laura Khanum, that in my hours of prayer
> & meditation at the holy Shrines, I will frequently &
> tenderly remember my dearly-beloved friend &
> fellow-worker who has served so well our beloved Cause &
> is now receiving from the hands of our Master the reward of
> his notable achievements.
> 
> With kind regards & deepest sympathy,
> 
> Yours affectionately,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> Jan. 24, 1929
> 
> Dear Laura Khanum,
> 
> I thank you for the beautiful & touching poem you sent me
> as well as for the two previous letters you wrote me in
> connexion with the passing of our dear Hippolyte.
> 
> I have shared their contents with the family who deeply
> sympathize with you in your sorrow & loneliness.
> 
> I very much desire to have a good portrait of my departed
> friend to keep in my study wherein we have spent delightful
> hours conversing & collaborating with regard to the
> affairs of the Cause. With your consent I should very much
> like to forward a copy to America for publication in the next
> issue of the Bahá'í World. I am sending to your address a
> copy of the one recently published & would welcome any
> comment you wish to make.
> 
> Wishing you the best of health, & success in your work.
> 
> Believe me, dear Laura Khanum,
> 
> Yours affectionately
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> Haifa, Palestine
> 
> March 12, 1929
> 
> My dear Laura Khanum:
> 
> I have delayed answering your very kind letter till the
> receipt of the most welcome photos of our departed &
> beloved Hippolyte, one of which I will take the liberty with
> your consent, to send to America for publication in the next
> issue of the Bahá'í World.
> 
> I am deeply appreciative of your generous offer of a
> scholarship in memory of your dear husband, & I feel that
> the vest procedure would be to send the pamphlet you sent me
> to the Teheran Assembly who will be acquainted thereby with
> the nature of the work of the university & will be better
> qualified to appoint the suitable student. I will myself
> communicate with them & will ask them to write to you
> directly in connexion with any matters that may arise in
> future. I find it difficult to make the appointment in
> person, a I find no one here in Haifa or the adjoining
> countries that could really use to the best advantage the
> opportunities presented by such a university. Furthermore, a
> direct connexion with the recognized national representatives
> of the Bahá'ís of Persia, would I feel, be more
> appropriate & closer to the wish of Hippolyte himself.
> 
> Please, be assured, dear Laura Khanum, of my profound
> sympathy with you in your great bereavement, as well as of my
> lively gratitude for your noble & generous action.
> 
> Yours affectionately,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> Envelope:
> 
> Madame Paul Meyer-May
> 
> 21 Boulevard Beausejour,
> 
> Paris,
> 
> France
> 
> Jan. 24, 1929
> 
> Dear Madam:
> 
> I am deeply touched & grateful to you for your beautiful
> translation of my circular letter in connexion with the
> passing of our dear Hippolyte. What I have written &
> attempted to express is indeed only an inadequate tribute to
> the many & unforgettable services he has rendered to the
> Cause & humanity in the course of his rich & fruitful
> life.
> 
> I deeply sympathize with you in the severe loss you sustain,
> and will supplicate the almighty comforter to cheer &
> sustain you in your sorrow.
> 
> Hoping to meet you some day in Haifa, & welcome you in
> our home,
> 
> I am yours very sincerely,
> 
> Shoghi
> 
> CV sent from Yvonne Meyer-May to Shoghi Effendi
> 
> Curriculum vitae et activités de
> Hippolyte DREYFUS, né à Paris le 12 Avril 1873,
> fit ses études au Lycée Condorcet. Il suivit
> ensuite les cours de la Faculté de Droit et de
> l'École des Sciences Politiques.
> 
> Docteur en Droit en 1898 avec une thèse sur les
> Droits de Succession du Conjoint Survivant, il
> s'intéressait aux questions sociales et comme
> membre très actif de la Société des
> Visiteurs dès sa fondation, il partageait son temps
> entre les malheureux et ses fonctions de secrétaire de
> Me Thevenet, avocat à la cour, ancien Garde
> des Sceaux.
> 
> En 1900, il eut connaissance de la religion bahaie. Fortement
> intéressé, il partit pour
> St-Jean-d'Acre afin de voir Abdul Baha
> "le Maître" qui y était
> emprisonné. Il en revint convaincu de
> l'intérêt social et mondial de cette Cause
> et désormais sa vie fut consacrée à
> l'étude des civilisations et à la
> propagation de la pensée bahaie.
> 
> Il apprit le persan et l'arabe pour pouvoir lire les
> textes originaux des livres du Bab et de Baha Ullah.
> 
> Dans son premier voyage aux Indes et en Birmanie qu'il
> entreprit pour visiter les Bahais et gagner la Perse, il
> étudia à fond toutes les religions hindoues et
> de l'Asie Centrale. Il ne put arriver en Perse, et de
> retour à Paris, fit des conférences à
> Paris et à Lyon.
> 
> Le Livre de la Certitude
> (Kitab-i-Iqan) fut traduit et publié en
> 1905.
> 
> En 1906, il visita la Perse où, grâce à
> sa connaissance de la langue qu'il parlait et
> écrivait couramment, il put nouer des amitiés
> qui lui restèrent toujours fidèles.
> 
> Les Paroles Cachées furent
> publiées en 1905
> 
> Les Préceptes du Bahaisme furent
> publiées en 1906
> 
> Les Leçons de Saint-Jean-d'Acre
> furent publiées en 1908
> 
> L'Essai sur le Bahaisme furent
> publiées en 1909
> 
> L'Épître au Fils du Loup furent
> publiées en 1913
> 
> L'Oeuvre de Baha Ullah furent
> publiées en 1923-1924 (3 volumes)
> 
> (Envoyé à Shoghi Effendi par la soeur du
> disparu, Madame Yvonne Meyer-May)
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views26256 views since posted 2000; last edit 2025-04-04 21:42 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../dreyfus-barney_biography_hippolyte_dreyfus-barney;
> URLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.org
> Languages
> English, French
> Permission
> fair use
> History
> Formatted 2000 by Thomas Linard.
> Share
> 
> Shortlink: bahai-library.com/473
> Citation: ris/473
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> — *Biography of Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney (Used by permission of the curator)*