# The Coming of The Glory

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Florence Pinchon, The Coming of The Glory, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> ABDUL     BAHA
> The Servant of "THE GLORY."
> THE COMING
> 0/
> "THE GLOR yu
> (As described in the Bahai Writings)
> 
> By
> FLORENCE E. PINCHON
> 
> 192 8
> LONDON: SIMPKIN MARSHALL LTD.
> E.Cá4
> PrioIted i" Great Bntai" bll B'beMU1' Ba"lie "" So'" Ltd.•
> TM Tn"it" Prua. Won:elfet'.
> PREFATORY NOTE
> IN this little volume is presented in a
> concise and picturesque form the story
> of a remarkable Movement which is
> attracting the attention of enlightened
> and progressive minds in every part
> of the world. Here live for us the
> Great Ones who were the channels for
> this vital message of peace, brotherhood, and world unity.
> The book appeared serially in the
> Bahai Magazine, " Star of the West,"
> published in Washington, U.S.A., 1927-
> 28, and has been revised and highly
> commended by Shoghi Effendi, the
> Guardian of the Bahai Cause.
> Literature may be obtained from and
> inquiries addressed to:-
> BAHAI PUBLISHING COMMITTEE,
> P.O. Box 348, GRAND CENTRAL STATION,
> NEW YORK CITY, N.Y., U.S.A.
> 
> BAHAI NATIONAL AssEMBLY,
> 58, NORTH END ROAD,
> GOLDERS GREEN,
> LoNDON, N.W.II.
> CONTENTS
> CHAP.                                   PAGE
> 
> I    THE ARGUMENT AND PROá
> LOGUE                          9
> II   NIGHT                             30
> III   THE MORNING STAR                  41
> IV    THE SUN OF TRUTH                  61
> V    THE    MOON     OF    WISDOM
> AND GUIDANCE -                87
> VI    THE GUARDIAN          OF THE
> CAUSE                        108
> 
> VII    A     GLIMPSE        OF   THE
> GOLDEN AGE                   115
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> 
> CHAPTER I
> 
> THE ARGUMENT AXD PROLOGUE
> 
> THERE were five of us gathered on the
> lawn beneath the shade of the old elm
> tree, on that summer afternoon, all
> students at the university, and, as it
> happened, representing in our more
> specific interests, Science, History and
> Religion, with l\Iary, perhaps, to personate Intuition or Heart. I was, so to
> speak, the odd man, and these were my
> special friends.
> We had been idly discussing many
> things-sport, politics, literature and
> art; until, plucking up courage, I
> ventured to ask: "Have you fellows
> ever heard of the Golden Age ? "
> Their answer was a shout of laughter.
> But I was not dismayed, for I felt I
> had something to say on the subject.
> "The Golden Age!" exclaimed
> Oliver, the budding scientist of our
> little party. "It makes me think of
> chasing butterflies on a day like this
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> or of lambs-not lying down with the
> wolf-but frisking about among the
> daisies in the spring."
> 1/ The phrase,JJ contributed Arthur,
> 
> who was specializing in history, "always conjures up for me a vision of my
> old nursery-a guarded fire, a tawny
> rug, and a small boy poring over a
> brightly-coloured book of fairy tales.
> Curiously enough, I never can dissociate the Golden Age from the
> sailing of the Argo and the quest of
> the Holy Grail. It somehow seems to
> imply a spirit of romance and adventure; a childlike or poetic soul for
> belief in its possibility."
> Peter, whose father had destined him
> for the Church, declared: "It makes
> me think of the Coming of the Son of
> Man in the clouds of heaven. How
> preposterous it sounds though, doesn't
> it ? And some words in the Old
> Testament: • The glory of God shall
> cover the earth as the waters cover the
> sea.' Perhaps that is a forecast of
> something of the kind, Ay?"
> And the youngest, swinging gently
> in the hammock, concluded: "I t
> may be just a myth; but one likes to
> believe that such a time might come
> some day, in some way, as one likes
> THE ARGUMENT AND PROLOGUE
> to believe in love and in survival after
> death."
> "Well, Socrates, I think that you
> ought, first of all, to give us your pet
> version of the subject. How, to begin
> with, would you define this Golden
> Age? " demanded Oliver.
> " The Golden Age seems to me," I
> answered, " like a new Spiritual Springtime for the world. The dawn of a new
> day or of another cycle in human history,
> in which righteousness shall reign on
> the earth, and a new civilization, such
> as the world has never before known,
> replace the old. A time when universal
> peace shall be established, and the
> oneness of all mankind, irrespective of
> colour, class or creed, be recognised.
> When all religions shall have become
> purged of their materialism, dogma and
> superstition, and shall have realised
> that in essence they are one. When
> science, harmonizing with a purified
> religion, shall have become a great
> unifying, cleansing force. When liberty,
> justice, universal education and a
> universal language shall be the order
> of the day. When love and wisdom,
> gradually gaining dominance over our
> animal natures, shall eradicate social
> evils, poverty and disease, and solve
> II
> THE CO\Il:\'G OF "THE GLORY"
> our economic problems. \Vhen inventions, discoveries, science and art,
> directed to constnlCtive, instead of
> destmctive purposes, and inspired by
> noble ideals, shall unite to create a
> , new earth.' ..
> .. Humph! That's a truly wonderful
> picture, old man," exclaimed Oliver.
> " You have, in fact, sat with the poet
> 'in a golden chair, and splashed at a
> ten-leagued canvas with brushes of
> comet's hair.' But if you' worked for
> an age at a sitting and never were
> tired at all,' you couldn't hope to
> produce anything like that in the
> world. For there are, I beg to point
> out, several simple facts that would
> make the realization of such a beautiful
> state of affairs impossible. Human
> nature would have to undergo a pretty
> drastic change to begin with. And in
> biology there is no evidence at all to prove
> that it can ever change-radically."
> " Yet isn't change the law of life?
> Transmutation and change are requirements of life. Modern science teaches
> that eyen minerals are subject to this
> law. That changes, either slow or
> gradual, or seemingly sudden and
> dramatic, are going on continuously
> among creatures of all grades. Minerals
> THE ARGUMENT AND PROLOGUE
> melt at boiling point-the solid becomes
> a liquid, the liquid a gas, the seed
> genninates, the grub grows wings,
> the babe is born. And as you have
> read, I think, Professor Drummond's
> . Natural Law in the Spiritual World,'
> I am sure you will be ready to admit
> that the same great law applies in the
> finer realms of being to the higher life
> of the soul of man. Under certain influences a person's whole life-viewpoint, desire and activity-has been
> known to radically alter. Our bodies
> completely change every seven years.
> Why should human nature alone be a
> static thing? "
> .. You mean," observed Peter, .. that
> a man can become. as the Bible puts
> it, ' born again' or converted into a
> higher type."
> .. Certainly. And the transformation
> with him also may be effected, either by
> the sudden flash that, for instance,
> transmuted a Saul into a Paul, or by
> the more gradual process that made an
> apostle of your (excuse me) somewhat
> cowardly namesake .
> .. Besides, religion and education are
> both based on the assumption that
> human nature can be changed, indeed
> completely transformed."
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> II You seem to have forgotten, old
> chap, that we have had a world war and
> quite disproved your beautiful assumption," remarked Arthur. I Scratch a
> Russian and you find a Tartar' is
> true of us all. Neither psychology
> nor sociology support your argument.
> War, the outcome of fear and greed.
> is apparently an ingrained instinct
> -a kind of biological necessity. All
> the records of history teach one
> that."
> II  But history can show us the evolution of an idea. No doubt primitive
> man thought like you as he slew his
> brother. Then forced to realise that
> only by co-operation could he preserve
> his mvn life, he united with his kindred
> to form a tribe. Then tribes united
> for mutual safety, then countries, then
> nations. And now the late war has
> taught us that international co-operation and peace are absolutely essential
> to the maintenance of civilization itself.
> As a certain well-known writer has
> pointed out: to-day is a race between
> education in these ideals or complete
> world catastrophe."
> II But shall we succeed in the race?
> Think of the changes that must be
> effected in human character and affairs
> THE ARGU~lE:\T AND PROLOGUE
> before this one ideal can be realised, to
> say nothing of all the others! "
> " All these ideals I have outlined are
> really interdependent. The attainment
> of one involves and necessitates the
> attainment of the others. And, I
> frankly admit, apart from religion and
> the operation of spiritual forces within
> man himself, there is no hope of my
> Golden Age."
> " True, my friend," said Peter. "But
> what is religion? As you know, I'm
> destined for a Protestant Church. My
> chum at college expects, one day, to
> become a Rabbi. And the other, whenever we discuss religion, swears by the
> Koran. We all agree that we ought to
> love God and one another; but beyond
> that we don't know where we are.
> What we are taught appears out-ofdate-a mixture of dogma and credulity,
> and some of it contrary to reason."
> " Unhappily that is so. Love, itself
> is fundamental to all the world's great
> Faiths. But the outward ordinances
> and laws alter according to the times
> in which they were given. For even
> religions, you know, are subject to that
> great law of creation--change. Take a
> flower. I t comes forth from the seed in
> springtime; it reaches a state of
> IS
> TIlE CO:\U!\'G OF .. THE GLORY"
> maturity, then dies. A man develops
> until he attains a certain age, then
> begins to decline. The same is true of
> the ,,"orldls chief religions. They are
> initiated by a Jloses, a Christ, a l\Iohammed. They blossom out, fulfil their
> guiding, educative, transforming mission, reach their zenith, then begin to
> fade away; their pure outlines blurred
> by changing conditions of human need,
> by narrow conceptions and materialistic
> interpretations.' ,
> " You imply then that this must be
> the old age or wintcr, so to speak, of all
> religions, as we know them? "
> "Yes. But taking an analogy again
> from nature-if Winter comes, Spring
> must swiftly follow. Her seeds are
> already germinating warm beneath the
> snow, ready to burst forth simultaneously into new life of all kinds,
> when the sun shines again. Yet it is
> not so much a new life, as life renewed."
> "I sec," struck in Oliver, "that's
> what you mcan by a spiritual Springtime. A kind of re-birth of everything
> -like a bud bursting into flower, a
> caterpillar into a butterfly-old ideas
> and modes of life getting completely
> transformed, and things speeding up
> THE    ARGU~IENT      AND PROLOGUE
> until humanity too bursts into whatan angel? "
> " Into a finer, deeper state of cOnsciousness quite different from the old.
> Into the flowers of human nature, \vhich
> are spiritual qualities. Or, to put it
> scientifically, into a higher rate of
> vibration. This higher vibration implying a condition of aspiring energy,
> peace and harmony, goodwill and love."
> " I have just been trying to remember," came thoughtfully from the
> hammock, " some of the various books
> I have read on the social conditions
> of the future; books by Bellamy, 'NeBs,
> Shaw and many modern prophets, to
> say nothing of the poets. 1 think Walt
> \Vhitman believed in the dawn of a new
> and finer social order; Tolstoi said
> that all the faiths would, eventually,
> have to come into one humane universal f ai th ."
> "Yes," added Arthur, "and one
> naturally approves of much that IS
> written by the idealists and thinkers of
> to-day. But the trouble is that they
> don't all agree in their ideas. Some of
> their t forecasts' are positively alarming.
> While even the Utopias leave much to
> be desired-were their materialisation
> possible. "
> THE COl\lING OF "THE GLORY"
> "That, I think, is only natural,
> because, however clear their vision may
> be they are but mortals and see
> 'through a glass darkly' or just
> through one small pane."
> " Then take all the numerous societies and' isms' that are working for
> constructive purposes. Yet how divergent their ideas! And each one seems
> so sure that their particular method
> is the best. But do you honestly think
> that, if to-morrow the whole world
> could turn, say-either Christian Scientist or Theosophist, New Thought or
> Spiritualist, Second Adventist or
> Socialist, Communist or Vegetarian,
> or join one of the Leagues for peace and
> freedom, that all its problems would
> thereby be solved? "
> "No. Not by a long way," I answered. "For the simple reason that
> the panaceas and remedies each offer
> for the world's sickness are only partial
> ones, and the medicines themselves are
> often blended with undesirable elements. Or attention is focused upon
> only one or hvo of our vast modern
> problems, while others equally important, are neglected. Each refiects, as
> it were, more or less clearly some ray
> of Truth, but none the whole sun."
> THE ARGUMENT AND PROLOGUE
> "Then perhaps it needs," pursued
> Arthur, " what Sir Philip Gibbs in his
> 'Hope of Europe J suggests-a unification of all these progressive movements. Some focal point where all
> could find a common centre, as an
> axis is the focal point of a wheel. Some
> authoritative spiritual leadership to
> unite them, so that differences could
> merge in one supreme loyalty-a unity
> in diversity. But he does not see how
> it could be done-neither do I."
> " Had we been left without clear
> guidance and to our own devices," I
> said, " there is no doubt that, for an
> indefinite period of time, we should
> continue to have this tangled mass of
> cross purposes in religion and education,
> in political, social and governmental
> affairs. Our leaders would maintain
> an endless struggle with overwhelming
> difficulties and no coherent policy.
> The garden of man would remain more
> or less a jungle."
> " But where," demanded Peter, .. is
> clear guidance to be found, and is there
> a way out? "
> "Yes. I believe there is. But for
> it we shall have to come back to
> religion. You remember those words
> in Isaiah:-
> THE   CO~lING   OF "THE GLORY"
> " My thoughts are not your thoughts
> neither are your ways My ways, saith
> the Lord.   For as the heavens are
> higher than the earth, so are My ways
> higher than your ways, and My
> thoughts than your thoughts."
> " Oh," he exclaimed, " you do believe
> in the Bible then! I wish one could
> understand it better. Don't you think
> that Jesus predicted the last war and
> the other world troubles when he
> spoke of:-
> " Upon the earth distress of nations
> with perplexity; the sea and the
> waves roaring; men's hearts failing
> them for fear and for looking after
> those things that are coming upon the
> earth."
> "I could quote you, too," he continued eagerly, " ever so many passages
> in the Old and New Testaments, which
> seem to refer to some special period of
> time, or some particular event, but
> when or what nobody rea.lly knows- or
> if they think they do-their explanations are unconvincing.       Joel, for
> instance, says :-' Verily the day of the
> Lord is great and very terrible, and
> who can abide it ? '
> "And Jeremiah :-' Alas, for the
> THE ARGU:\IEXT AND PROLOGUE
> day is great, so that none is like it.'
> Then there is that verse in Daniel which
> speaks of the Day of Preparation, and
> I    the time of the end' when 'many
> shall run to and fro and knowledge shall
> be increased.' Then there are all the
> predictions about the Jews going back
> to Palestine; and the signs by which
> we shonkl know that a Second Advent
> was near, given by Christ Himself .
> .. Once I asked our Bishop whether
> these \vere those' last days' referred to.
> I Certainly,' he said, for we are living
> I
> 
> in most amazing times.'
> Then,' I replied, 'of course you are
> ..   I
> 
> trying to prepare people for the Coming
> of the Son of Man. For didn't Christ
> say that by these things we should recognise that" the hour of your redemption draweth nigh." ,
> .. He just stared at me in astonishment and remarked-' Oh, my dera
> boy, I am glad you know your Bible
> so well. It means that His Holy
> Spirit will come again in our hearts.
> The kingdom of heaven is within
> If
> 
> you " you remember.'
> In a way, I suppose, he was right.
> If
> 
> But it didn't really explain anything.
> And when, the other evening, I heard
> that wonderful Hallelujah Chorus,' by
> I
> 
> THE COMING OF .. THE GLORY"
> Handel, and thought about the words
> afterwards, I simply couldn't see how
> they referred, as we arc told, to Jesus.
> You all know them, of course.
> It goes:-
> . . .. "The Government shall be upon
> his shoulders. And his name shall be
> called, Wonderful, Councillor, the
> Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,
> the Prince of Peace." . . .
> "For war has never ceased, nor its
> cessation even thought of since A.D.-
> until quite \\'ithin recent years. Nor
> has it been His precepts that obtained
> governments and councils. Far from it!
> "Anyway, I don't think orthodox
> Christians, as a whole, hold any definite
> ideas of or belief in the fulfilment of
> these prophecies. And of course, they
> are rather vague . . ."
> He stopped abruptly, quite out of
> breath .
> .. Not so much' vague' perhaps," I
> observed, " as ' veiled' by clouds-the
> clouds of preconceived and limited
> ideas. As a rule prophecy is never
> understood, save by a few, until after
> its fulfilment. Sometimes not even
> then. Take the Jews. You remember
> Christ said:
> THE ARGUI\IENT AND PROL(){iUE
> "1 have many things to say unto
> you, but ye cannot bear them now.
> Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of Truth
> is come, he will guide you into all truth,
> for he will take the things that arc mine
> and reveal them unto you."
> " There is to be a progressive revelation, you see. As a matter of fact, not
> only our own Bible, but all the sacred
> scriptures of all the world's chief
> religions contain references, both clear
> and veiled, to the ' Coming' of a new
> day or age, at the time of the advent
> of another Messiah or :Messengcr of
> God. And the adherents of these
> religions are, like ourselves, perplexed,
> at variance, expectant.        In many
> hearts all over the world there is a
> genuine longing for some divine deliverance; a belief, although indefinite and
> blind, in its possibility."
> " Now I come to think of it," observed Mary, "there is a kind of
> expectancy' in the air '-a feeling that
> something might be going to happen
> on a big scale. Everything around us
> and we, ourselves, seem to be changing
> so quickly, we scarcely know whercwe
> are-so to speak."
> " Those who care to do so," I replied.
> " can see that profound changes are
> THE CO~IING OF "THE GLORY"
> rapidly taking place in all human ideas,
> relationships and institutions.     For
> instance, H. G. \-Vells has recently
> pointed out that there is a biological
> f
> 
> revolution in progress of far profounder
> moment than any French or Russian
> revolution.' And this will ultimately
> have the effect of so preserving and
> prolonging life that it will alter our
> whole outlook. It is evident that there
> is a universal disturbance and awakening. New aspirations are inspiring
> every department of human activity.
> Religion is broadening and showing
> an inclination to become more unified.
> Indeed, all the signs point to the fact
> that we are entering into a stupendous,
> universal renaissance-the Springtime
> of a world."
> " Then you consider that these are all
> indications of the approach of an age
> called by some the Millennium?"
> asked Arthur.
> Of I believe them to be the effects of
> a great spiritual, but, as yet, generally
> unrecognised Cause and Dynamic; the
> beginning of a big advance by humanity; the coming in of the Golden Age.
> "Then," I continued, .. Nature provides us with endless analogies. Watch
> that moving amreba, how it projects
> THE   ARGU~IENT         AND PROLOGUE
> forward on its pathway a fmger-like
> filament! See the strain on that foremost point, as the whole body pulls
> forward to a definite, though to us,
> infinitesimal advance.     Humanity is
> not unlike the ama:ba, time after time
> projecting out into its future path a
> great fihment-a pioneer-idealist. The
> weight and strain of the body of humanity is laid upon him. And the advance
> can only be made if, on the one hand,
> he holds absolutely true to the Light
> within him, true to the goal desired;
> and on the other, binds closely to him
> with the bonds of love and compassion,
> the inert minds and hearts of men. If
> these conditions prevail, the world
> follows him .
> .. Thus it is with the Saviours of the
> race-with Moses, Jesus, ?lfohammed,
> Buddha, and in a lesser degree, with all
> the pure souls who are their followers
> in spirit. They are the mighty Filaments of humanity, the l\Jovcrs of
> mountains, the Leaders and Dynamic
> Force of progress."
> .. You infer then," remarked Oliver,
> "that great cycles in human history
> are always initiated by, or the result of
> some Manifestation of what you call
> 2S
> THE COl\IING OF "THE GLORY"
> GOD appearing in the world of men
> and acting as-a lever? "
> " Just so. Moses, as you know, laid
> the foundations of Jewish law; Jesus
> initiated the Christian era; !\Iohammed made of savage tribes the mighty
> Arabian civilization."
> "But," Peter objected, "we Christians have always understood that
> Jesus Christ was the one and only
> Saviour or Manifestation of God to
> men."
> "And Moslems think the same of
> Mohammed," I replied, "the Jews
> also of l\loses. But do you think it
> reasonable to believe that God, the
> Eternal Spirit, should have revealed his
> Will and Purpose only once throughout
> all the countless centuries of human
> evolution? Did not the vast empire
> of China, whose beginnings are lost in
> the mists of antiquity, need the wisdom
> and humane ethics of a Confucius; the
> diverse peoples of India the illumination
> of a Buddha; the ancient kingdoms
> of Persia the purity of a Zoroaster;
> the wild Arabs the restraining influence
> of a Mohammed? Might not all these
> have been sent by a Supreme Intelligence as Educators and Guides to
> mankind, leading them forward on the
> THE ARGUl\lENT AND PROLOGUE
> endless pathway of spiritual progress
> and development? "
> " But," stnlck in Oliver, " what you
> call GOD is not an Entity, but a great
> creative Energy-the vital essence of
> Life itself, and so quite beyond human
> knowledge and comprehension."
> "c'2rtainly. Both science and philosophy agree that to knowledge of this
> Divine Essence' the way is barred and
> the road impassable.' How dare one
> pretend to define or describe the infinite First Cause? Y ct arc its effects
> everywhere apparent. Creation is a
> continuous emanation of the bounty
> of this originating Will; and it {s
> evident to science that throughout the
> universe one increasing and unchanging
> Purpose runs.       Everything, in its
> degree, reflects this unknown Power,
> as material objects reflect the light of
> the sun. A stone reflects Him. In
> the savage we can trace the faculties
> that speak of a wonderful Creator.
> Geniuses, pocts, saints-above all the
> Founders of world religions reveal His
> attributes. These last, as pure mirrors,
> transmit His Image to mankind in the
> highest and most perfect degree."
> "Well then, my dear chap," cried
> Arthur, "where is this I\Eghty Fila-
> THE CO:\IING OF "THE GLORY"
> ment or Perfect Mirror of whom you
> speak? Where are we to find the
> guidance and leadership that a \vhole
> world could and would acknowledgethat focal point? "
> " Whv," exclaimed Peter, " for this
> it seemsá to me, we should need nothing
> less than Carlyle's . fresh revelation,'
> and that in terms of a new world's
> understanding-a spiritual unifier, another educator, such as you described,
> but this time for all humanity-in fact
> a Universal Messiah! ..
> " You arc right! " I said, " And what
> I want you to let me do now, is to give
> you a few facts of modern history,
> which will, I feel sure, convince any
> unprejudiced, reasoning mind, that
> to our weary, chaotic world God has
> already granted that' fresh revelation.'
> That our mighty need has been met by
> a mighty supply. That a :\lessC'Ilger
> has come, as He was promised in our
> own and other scriptures. A divinelyinspired programme, and principles,
> capable of universal application, ideally
> practical, all-comprehensive, are laid
> before us. A ncw spiritual dynamic is
> pulsating through the arteries of mankind to-day, which will enable us to
> rise above former conditions of earth
> THE    ARGUME~T       AND PROLOGUE
> life, into a finer consciousness. And
> this will imply the incorporation of all
> these ideals and principles into every
> day life and activities.
> " For to-day is, in truth, the 'day
> of the Lord' so long foretold, though
> the clouds of ignorance, prejudice, and
> indifference as yet hide His Glorious
> Face. He has come 'as a thief in the
> night' and we have forgotten or neglected to watch. The glory of the
> Golden Age already glimmers across
> the hilltops. And with your help,
> , ere you are old and grey and full of
> sleep,' the visions of the poets, prophets,
> saints, this goal towards which humanityis journeying, these noble aspirations
> of the brightest and best among us,
> this' far-off divine event to which the
> whole creation moves '-will have begun to materialize. Aod the world
> will have, at least, entered the threshold of an era of unity, peace, happiness
> and progress such as it . hath oot
> entered into the heart of man to conceive.'
> "Now I will let History speak for
> itself. The sun is the proof of its own
> shining."
> CHAPTER II
> 
> NIGHT
> 
> STA~DING now, as we believe, in the
> morning hours of a new era in history.
> it is difficult, indeed almost painful, to
> glance backwards and recall the gloomy
> winter of materialism and discontent
> which layover Europe and the world
> generally, during the 18th and the
> larger part of the 19th centuries. So
> quickly and drastically have conditions
> altered, that these past centuries seem
> already submerged in the ocean of
> oblivion.
> But at this time, the world, by bitter
> antagonisms and prejudices, was riven,
> like the surface of a giant glacier, into
> innumerable and dangerous fissures.
> Fissures which threatened, even then,
> to widen into a world cataclysm. Herein lurked yawning abysses of wars,
> revolutions and agnosticism, into which
> humanity was constantly stumbling.
> Guides \,,áere few, and the lights that
> still shone were feeble and ullcertain.
> Cold mists enveloped the minds of
> NIGHT
> men-the mists of racial, religious,
> sectarian, patriotic and class hatred and
> prejudice.
> Universal peace was, as yet, undreamt of as a possibility. Sympathies
> were confined within national bonds.
> The ide. lIs of brotherhood in the social
> world and co-operation in the economic,
> were unrecognised. And education for
> the poorer classes was rudimentary or
> grossly lacking.
> The discoveries of modern science had
> disclosed to thinking people the bigotry
> and superstitions enclosing, like a hard
> shell, the pure gem of rciigion. And,
> in disgust, they threw the gem itself
> away. As Carlyle, when writing of
> the 18th century pointed out:-
> 
> "There was need once more of a
> Divine Revelation to the torpid and
> frivolous children of men, if they were
> not to sink altogether into the ape
> condition."
> Revolutions, strife, lust, greed, economic rivalries and bitter animosity between science and religion were denizens
> of this almost starless night.
> How striking are the contrasts presented by even the material conditions
> of those days and ours! As we rise from
> THE CO~IING OF "THE GLORYá'
> the earth and spread our shining wings,
> or with lightning speed flash by in our
> motor-cars, we gaze back with pitying
> surprise at the lumbering stage-coach
> and the early railroads of the days of
> Dickens.
> From the freedom of modern womanhood, we recall \'lith a wondering smile,
> the foolish restrictions and conventions.
> the crinolines and manners of the early
> Victorian era.
> Facing the marvels of radio and the
> recent astounding discoveries of science
> regarding ether and energy, vibration
> and light, we remember the days of the
> first telegraph and postal services.
> From our luxurious liners ancl express
> trains that seem almost to annihilate
> distance, \ve recall the times when to
> ordinary folk a jonrney anywhere was
> in the nature oJ an adventure!
> With scarcely a track of land on the
> globe unexplored. to recall the days
> when intrepid men still sought pathways to the Poles, and Livingstone
> toiled through menacing jungles, where,
> to-day hover aeroplanes or rattles the
> Cape to Cairo" through."
> Surely, during the last eighty years,
> the revolving wheel of Time has spun
> with amazing rapidity; set into a
> KIGHT
> quickened and ever-increasing motion
> by that mysterious spiritual Power
> that is now revitalising and renewing
> the face of the whole earth.
> 
> PERSIA.
> 
> In Persia also, at this period, the
> night was at its darkest, as it always is
> just before the dawn. To most of us
> Persia seems a somewhat remote, unknowable land. It is, possibly, associated in our minds with a glamoured
> jumble of the colourful tales of the
> "Arabian Nights," a peacock throne,
> roses and nightingales, lovely carpets
> and Omar Khayyam.
> Or perchance, recalling a little history, we remember the Pass of Thermopyl::e; the ancient military glories
> of a vast and imperious empire; the
> fame and splendour of Xerxes and
> Darius, of Artaxerxes and Prince
> Cyrus; and the conquering ~adir Shah,
> who, in his last triumph, sweeping
> through India, brought back the most
> precious and glittering trophy ever
> wrenched from its rightful owncrsthe said peacock throne.
> But alas! This famous land has
> fallen from all its former proud estate,
> THE COilIING OF "THE GLORY"
> and during the last century, had sunk
> to the depths of utter decadence and
> depravity. The country was governed
> bv a feudal system similar to that of
> l{nghnd in the l\Iiddle Ages. Government and the administration of justice
> were utterly incfflcient and hopelessLy
> corrupt. Pillage and robbery were of
> common occurrence and life everywhere was unsafe. Bribery and dishonesty pervaded all departments of
> social and political life. Education was
> shockingly neglected. Women were
> kept in ignorance and seclusion, and
> \vere not permitted in the streets unless
> enveloped in a heavy black veil covering the head and \vhole body, called a
> " chadllr." As a certain writer hns
> described them :-" Like black, shapeless phantoms they steal silently along
> in the shadow of the walls."
> Yet are the Persians a naturally gay
> people, fond of meetings and fetes, of
> music and flowers. They are fine
> horsemen and love sport; they are
> hospitable and friendly, with charming
> manners and remarkable courtesy.
> That this charm can conceal treachery
> and even cold-blooded cruelty, earning
> the Persian the title of "courtly
> primitive" is due, very largely, to the
> ~IGHT
> 
> decadence of his religion and the tyranny
> and cormption of his government. For
> the same reason lying had come to be
> "almost part of the instinct of selfpreservation." An easy, somewhat
> natural process, for the Persian speech
> is extremely ornate, from our viewpoint, embellishment, amplification and
> beautiful poetical allusion forming part
> of its very fabric.
> It is, therefore, a la.nd where poets
> receive their filII meed of appreciation;
> the shrines of the most venerated being
> often places of pilgrimage. Among
> the most famous, one calls to mind the
> two poets of Shiraz,-Hafiz, who gave
> to the world perfect models of lyrical
> composition; Sa'di whose ghazals are
> rich in spiritual thought, sparkling wit
> and graceful expression. While the
> allegorical and mystical poems of
> Jehihuddin-Rumi, the Sufi, are sublime in ideas and utterance.
> But-and it is a very significant butat the time of which I am writing,
> religion, which in the East is by far the
> most important factor in civilization,
> had become utterly degenerate. Religion is a source of inspiration and an
> integral part of Eastern life to an extent
> that we of the West can scarcely
> THE Cm,n~G OF .. THE GLORY"
> imagine. Mohammedanism, the prevailing religion, was split-like Christianity-into a number of rival sects, of
> which the Shi'ite was the principal or
> state form. The spirit of its Founder,
> and the pure essence of his teachings
> had become over-laid and lost beneath
> a mass of mere ritual and ceremonies,
> gross superstition and perversion. The
> priests were corrupt, bigoted and selfseeking; but so great was their hold
> over the illiterate masses that even
> government had to submit to their
> dictates. The Moslem reviled and
> regarded as unclean all men of different
> faiths to his own. Picture him actually
> washing the money he had taken from
> a Jew or a Christian before putting it in
> his pocket! Similarly the Jews hated
> and cursed the Moslems antI Christians, while the Zoroastrians rc~arded
> their fellow-countrymen as unworthy
> of association. Thus waS this unhappy
> country shrouded in intense moral and
> spiritual gloom.
> These were the dark conditions prevailing in the land which had, at this
> time, been chosen by God in His inscrutable wisdom, as the stage whereon
> was to be enacted the sublimest Drama
> of the Ages. The very sombreness of
> NIGHT
> the background serving but to enhance
> the Radiance which would illuminate
> it " above the brightness of the sun at
> noonday."
> For, amid such a state of affairs as
> this, in some souls the flame of pure
> religion l,urnt brightly. Here and there
> throughout the country were to be
> found groups of people, many of them
> highly cultured and gifted, who had
> kept their spiritual vision clear. Men
> and women who longed for the coming
> of God's kingdom upon earth; and who
> helieved in the promises made in the
> Koran, as in our own Scriptures, that
> a Mahdi or Messiah would soon come
> to men in order to establish a reign of
> righteousness and peace. With hearts
> torn by the terrible materialism and
> corruption around them, they waited
> and ...vatched for signs of the long-expected Coming. And in 1843, some
> among them set out, like the three wise
> men, on a long and definite search for
> this Master of a New Day, this Star of
> Guidance and of the Morning.
> In the Bhagavad-Gita, the sacred
> writings of India, we read : -
> 
> . . . . "Whenever there is a decline
> of virtue and an insurrection of vice and
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> injustice in the world, then I incarnate
> from age to age, for the preservation
> of the just, the destruction of the
> wicked, and the establishment of righteousness."
> And in the hour of the world's
> darkness, in the hour of Persia's midnight, there was a great cry heard:-
> .. Behold the Bridegroom cometh,
> go ye forth to meet him! "
> FOREWORD
> 
> THURSDA v, 23rd l\hy, 1844 (corresponding in the Mohammedan calendar
> to the 5th Jamadiul Awal, 12(jO A.H.)
> was destined to be a memorable day in
> the history of Persia and of the world.
> On the evening of this day, in the city
> of Shiraz-home of poets and ancient
> seat of Persian culture-the patient
> search of one of the ,vise men, the
> learned Mullah Rusayn, came to a
> joyously successful end. For, behold!
> here he found a youth of twenty-four,
> whose utter purity of life, profoundly
> inspired utterances, intuitive knowledge and wisdom, brilliant writings
> and wonderful pO\vcr of attraction,
> coupled with remarkable beauty of
> face and form, amply fulfilled everyone
> of the ten signs by which the Seekers
> were to recognise the new Prophet,
> His name was Mirza Ali l\fohammed,
> and he was a Sayyid, that is, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed.
> THE COl\lING OF .. THE GLORY"
> The same evening, at Teheran, in the
> household of Mirza Hussain Ali of
> Noor-afterwards known as Baha'u'-
> Bah-was born his eldest son, Abbas
> Effendi, afterwards known as Abdul
> Baha.
> On the morning of the next day, as
> though the 'Vest made material response to the spiritual proclamation of
> the East, there Hashed round the world
> the first telegraphic message in the
> words-" ''''hat hath God wrought ! "
> but neither Persia nor the world knew
> then what infinite gift had been bestowed upon a warring, divided humanity. What all-encircling bond ofVnity
> was even then streaming forth from
> the realms of Light and Love to bind
> "the \\Thole round earth by gold
> chains about the feet of God."
> 
> CHAPTER III
> 
> TIlE l\IOR;';IXG STAR
> 
> "Before the coming of each one of
> the 1U£rrors of Ullity, the signs of that
> Mamjeslation appear in the outward
> heaven, as «(lell as in the inward heaven,
> which is the station of the Sun of K nowledge, the Aloon of Wisdom, and the
> Stars of Sig1l1jicances and Utterance.
> It is the appearance of a perfect man,
> before every iWanijestation, to train and
> prepare the servants for the meeting of
> that Sun of Divinity and 1'v100n of
> Unity."
> (Bahai Scriptures, P. 22).
> IIA nd the glory of God came inlo the
> house by the way of the gate, whose
> prospect is towards the East."
> (Ezekiel, Chap: 43, v. 4)á
> It is the month of December, 1844,
> and Mecca, the sacred centre of pilgrimage and holy city of Islam, is
> more than usually crowded. Streams
> of caravans have, for weeks past, been
> Til E CO:'l!lNG OF "TilE GLORY"
> pouring in along all the main routesfrom Cairo, Damasclls, Irak, and from
> the Port of Jiddeh on the Red Sea,
> some 45 miles a'way.
> The pilgrim bands are weary, weary
> also the heavily-laden camels and mules.
> For the journey along the scorching
> dusty highways and through the endless labyrinths of valleys and passes
> intersecting the rough ramparts of
> hills, has been for most of them a long
> and hazardous undertaking.
> But at length, from the summit of
> the Red mountain, \vhich immediately
> overlooks the city, the vast courtyard
> of the Great Mosque, crowned with its
> seven minarets, bursts suddenly into
> view. For the great square, surrounded
> by numberless colonnades and Sp,tCiOllS
> arcades, dominates all other features of
> Mecca, and is its sole centre and focus.
> To-day the terraced roofs of the
> numerous houses enclosing this space
> are thronged, mainly with women;
> while a waving mass of white-robed
> humanity fills the square itself. For
> this is a day of special celebration, at
> the height of the pilgrim season.
> An endless chain of new arrivals is
> passing round the Ka'ba-the chief
> sacred building-in order to kiss, as
> THE MORNING STAR
> devout Catholics kiss the toe of the
> Pope, the venerated Black Stone,
> which is fixed into an exterior angle of
> the wall.
> Mullahs and mendicants, sheikhs and
> dervishes, Persian and Arabian divines;
> poor, trayel-worn devotees, merchants
> and hangers-on of the bazaars, jostle
> and crush one another in their efforts
> to get ncar the slender gilt spire, crowning the white marble pulpit. For
> rumour has it, that a Youth of Shiraz,
> gifted with extraordinary wisdom and
> knowledge, is to address the people and
> expound the Book. '
> f
> 
> All eyes in that vast concourse,
> gathered from every part of the l\'loslem
> world, are turned towards the spot
> where stands the erect and majestic
> figure of the young Prophet. His
> beautiful face, in which the dark brown
> eyes shine like stars, radiates a nobility
> and purity of purpose, impressing all
> who are fortunate enough to catch a
> glimpse of him. And when Sayyid Ali
> Mohammed begins to speak, a profound hush falls over the whole
> assembly.
> In a voice of wonderful sweetness and
> reverence, he reads some suras from
> the Koran. Familiar verses they are;
> TIll': ('O\lINC; OF .. THE GLORY"
> but, as he rcads, the words seem to glow
> with a ne\\' Illeaning, conveying other,
> deeper signifIcances. Some are prophecies uttered by the Prophet Mohammed relating to the coming of the longexpected Mahdi, and others to the
> people's reception of the divine Messengers of God.
> " \Vhenever a messenger cometh unto
> you with that which your souls desire
> not, ye proudly reject him, accusing
> some of imposture and slaying others."
> " 0 the misery of men! No messenger cometh unto them but they laugh
> him to scorn."
> Then the Preacher closes the Book,
> and begins, as 2000 years ago, in an
> ancient synagoglle of Palestine, began
> another \'outhflll Preacher to sav:á-
> "This d;y is this Scripture fulfilled
> in your cars." With irresistible argument and hrilliant proof, he proceeds
> to unfold to his hearers the true interpretations of these prophecies, and how
> they are, at this time, beginning to find
> their fulfilment.
> He explains that the" resurrection"
> spoken of in the Koran (as in our own
> Bible) is not a physical thing, but
> expresses in a pictorial way, the
> TilE ~IORN[N'G STAR
> awakening of souls dead in materialism
> and out-worn ideas. That this awakening is to be the sign of, and accompany,
> the advent of a divine Messenger. Hell
> is not a place, but a condition of
> selfishness, bigotry, doubt and indifference. Paradise is the recognition
> of God's Manifestation to men, and life
> lived in accordance with the teachings
> He gives.
> Then in burning words of eloquence,
> such as none present have ever heard,
> he denounces the degradation and cormption into which religion had fallen,
> and the gross dishonesty of the clergy.
> He exhorts the people to cleanse their
> hearts and minds of man-made dogmas, meaningless rituals and ceremonies, trivial supersti tiol1s, and prepare themselves for the coming of a
> glad new age.
> To deliver such a message in the
> supreme stronghold of these very
> rituals, superstitions, rriestcraft, demanded, as none can fail to recognise,
> a God-like conviction and courage.
> But listen! \Vhat amazing news is
> this? For now in tones like a great
> bell, the Preacher is announcing that
> he, himself, has been sent hV God as a
> herald, to prepare the w~~y for the
> 4S
> THE   CO~HNG    OF "THE GLORY"
> coming of a Great One, still behind the
> Veil. He is but the" Bab .. that is the
> rt Gate,"  for the entrance of this
> Greatest Glory.     "He whom God
> would manifest" is soon to make His
> Appearance among men, to usher in a
> new era, an age of universal unity and
> love. For those bitterly antagonistic
> sects, a saying hard indeed!
> And hark!     Now the Youth of
> Shiraz is uttering an impassioned
> prayer to that Great One rt by whose
> will he moved, and to the bonds of
> whose love he clung."
> .. 0 my Master! 0 my Lord! I
> have accepted every persecution in
> order to prepare the people for Thy
> coming, so that when Thou shouldst
> unveil Thyself, they might be ready
> to meet Thee."
> The effect of the Bab's wonderful
> words upon that vast audience is as
> diverse as it is remarkable. For let
> us picture to ourselves what would
> happen if, one day, someone mounted
> the pulpit of one of our principal
> churches, and with unmistakable
> authority, delivered to us lucid and
> wholly new explanations of the wellknown sayings of Christ. Threw a
> THE :\lOR:\ING STAR
> fresh light upon obscure or disputed
> passages in the Old Testament, in
> Daniel or in Revelations. Then picture
> him finally announcing that prophecy
> was now being fulfilled, in that another
> Advent was about to take place" in
> the glory of the Father." Why, the
> bigoted among us would be shocked,
> the indifferent aroused, and all truly
> humble hearts enraptured, according
> to our spiritual and mental capacities
> to receive fresh ideas and a progressive
> revelation.
> It is as though a dazzling searchlight
> of Truth sweeps over the assembly,
> flashing into all hearts, revealing their
> inmost thoughts, testing their essential
> worthiness.
> There are many in the throng who already know the Bab. Some remember
> the luminous face of the young devotee,
> who, a few years before, had appeared
> at Karbala. Where, at the holy shrine
> of Imam Hossein, the martyred grandson of Mohammed, he had, with the
> utmost humility and reverence, uttered prayers of such sublime beauty
> and inspiration, that all the worshippers had turned to listen.
> And the priests murmur, as did the
> scribes and pharisees before them: " Is
> THE CO\ITXG OF "THE GLORY"
> not this an orphaned you th engaged in
> trade at Shiraz, whose uncle and
> guardian we well know? How comes
> he to declare himself a Messenger from
> God? "
> Others again call to mind the rare
> purity and holiness of his daily life; the
> amazing erudition he had shown since
> early childhood; the brilliant essays
> he wrote in Persian and Arabic, that
> astonished the scholars and learned men,
> howbeit his schooling had been of the
> scantiest.
> While in the hearts of the clergy leapt
> the fierce flames of jealousy and fear,
> as they see their influence waning, their
> power, and the sources of their wealth
> being destroyed.       Already they are
> plotting against him.
> But one of those present-a man of
> clear spiritual in sigh t-recognises in
> the Bab the serene and unusual fellowpassenger he had met on the boat,
> crossing the Red Sea. A violent storm
> had then arisen, threatening imminent
> ship-wreck. But apart from the other
> travellers, who became frantic with
> fear, this young man had sat alone,
> sunk apparently in a deep meditation.
> His serenity had made a remarkable
> impression. And soon after, the storm
> THE ~v[ORNING STAR
> had ceased and all again been calm.
> This man becomes one of the Bab's
> most devoted disciples.
> And some there are who had waited,
> longcd and prayed for just such a new
> revelation of Truth. Into these prepared minds and hearts the searchlight
> flashes so radiant a conviction of the
> divine origin and authority of the
> Messenger and his Message, such an
> assurance and faith, that subsequent
> trials and martyrdoms of unparalleled
> cruelty arc utterly unable to shake.
> Meanwhile, the followers of the Bab
> have already begun to travel throughout the length and breadth of Persia,
> appealing to their fellow-countrymen
> to purify their hearts from prejudice,
> and accept the glad tidings of the dawn
> of a new spiritual dispensation.
> A group of disciples, of whom Mullah
> Husayn was, as we know, the first,
> gather round the Bab, and with himself
> are called the
> NINETEEN
> LETTERS of the LIVING.
> These are sent forth with special instructions and epistles written by the
> Bab, to teach and enlighten the Mohammedan world. Fearless, full of energy
> and enthusiasm, these early pioneers
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> sacrifice their careers, and every earthly
> possession, in order to obey the Divine
> Call. They are continually taken into
> custody, ridiculed, bastinadoed, tortured, martyred. All this they accept
> as though their enemies offer precious
> incense.
> Among them is KURRATU'L-A YN
> a beautiful and highly-gifted poetess,
> who withstands the power of the Shah,
> and proclaims the Cause with such
> inspired utterance that she wins all
> hearts. Finally she suffered, with
> radiant acquiescence, a violent death.
> Then Mullah Sadig, an eminent
> Mohammedan and head of a Mosque,
> reads from his pulpit the Bab's illuminating interpretations of the Koran.
> And when, from the turret, the
> mohazin's voice rings out the call to
> prayer-" Allah is great and Mohammed is his Prophet I "-the Mullah bids
> him add: "And behold! hath there
> appeared a great Gate of Knowledge! ..
> The fanatical priests are, naturally.
> indignant. The Governor summonses
> him to answer for these startling innovations before a large concourse in a
> public hall. So noble and dignified is
> his mien that all rise to do him deference. Whereupon this brave old man
> a
> THE ~lORNING STAR
> cries :-" You are all asleep! Rouse
> yourselves! Listen to this Divine Call !
> The One of whom our Scriptures speak
> is here. This is his Message." Cruel
> torture and banishment alone answer
> him.
> But one could fill many volumes with
> the records of those whose names will,
> one day, be accorded an honoured
> place in the long scroll of religious
> history. "Letters" indeed they were
> -inscribed in deeds of daring rectitude,
> in eloquent utterances, in sublime
> devotion, in their own red bloodknown and read of all men !
> At twenty-three years of age, the
> Bab marries a girl of beautiful character, a relative of his family, who is
> deeply attached to him. The son born
> to them lives but a few months. Then,
> one night, their bedroom is violently
> broken into by a fanatical mob, led
> by the Mayor of the town. The Bab is
> dragged from his bed and out of the
> house, without a word of explanation.
> And this is the last of her beloved
> husband the girl-wife is ever to see!
> Now the Prophet, banished from his
> home at Shiraz, travels to Ispahan, an
> important town in the heart of the
> country. Although his coming has
> THE CO~I'IIKG OF "THE GLORY"
> been unannounced, rumour precedes
> him, and the people run out to meet
> him and fall at his feet. The Governor,
> a truly religious man, welcomes him,
> afterwards becoming a believer.
> Wonderful days for the Cause follow.
> Here, doors are thro\vn open and all
> who will are allO\ved to freely visit the
> Bab and listen to his glowing words.
> Many notables and divines arrive.
> Numberless questions are asked-both
> trivial and abstrusc. But the Prophet
> answers all with such wisdom and insight that the inquirers are amazed,
> and can grasp but fragments of the
> rich feast of knowledge spread before
> them. Or, without a moment's reflection, the replies are written with the
> speed of lightning, and yet \vith a penmanship that exhibits the art in its
> perfection. For, we remember, that
> writing is regarded as an art in Persia,
> and admired, as we would, a fine painting in oils or water-colours.
> But as the Bab's wisdom, knowledge
> and love attract more and more peoplc
> to his adherence, the attitude of the
> mullahs grows increasingly threatening. At length, they compel the Governor to consent to his exile. So Manoucher Khan, a good man, but fearful,
> THE !'.IORNING STAR
> orders the guards escorting him to leave
> the city by one gate, but secretly bring
> their prisoner back by another. Therefore here, in the Governor's palace he
> remains a prisoner-guest for forty days.
> Then the kindly nIler dies and the
> Shah orders the Bab's removal to
> Tihran, the capital.
> But these repeated banishments serve
> but to spread the new message. A
> conflagration of divine fire sweeps
> through the land. No matter how
> secret the Bab's removal is kept by the
> authorities, nImour of his approach
> precedes him.      The people, taking
> risks which daily increase, seek to
> attain his meeting. As strict orders are
> given that the Bab must not be allowed
> to enter the towns and villages passed
> on the long journeys from province to
> province, the guards strike camp outside. But whether by day or by night,
> believers are waiting to greet him;
> bribing the guards for permission to
> listen, but for a few minutes, to that
> beloved voice and to receive his precious blessing.
> On one occasion, the band of wild,
> unlettered tribesmen, who had been
> selected to escort the Bab on a further banishment to northern Persia,
> S3
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY to
> become, ere the journey's end, his
> ardent adherents. When Christians
> are chosen, hoping that they will prove
> indifferent to a prophet of Islam, the
> same thing happens.
> It is the Bab's great desire to be permitted to address the Shah himself.
> What grand opportunities for reform
> and enlightenment for the whole nation
> might result would the Persian court
> pay heed to the divine commands!
> Alas! enemies prevent the meeting.
> But Nasr-ed-din-Shah, although fiendishly cruel, was enterprising, as his
> numerous buildings and edifices in
> the capital bear witness. Resolved to
> obtain some reliable information concerning the young divine, he selects an
> eminent chief priest, in whom he has
> confidence, and dispatches him to investigate the matter.
> But the old man, having heard the
> Bab speak, falls at his feet, enraptured,
> and humbly begs to be accepted as a
> follower. He had found a prisoner
> whose humiliations, scourgings, exiles,
> cannot conceal the majesty of his
> spiritual kingship, and for whom it was
> a privilege to live, or to die, as he does, a
> martyr.
> Now set in a tide of persecution.
> THE MORNING STAR
> Daily helpless Babis, in all parts of the
> country, suffer for their faith: beheaded, hanged, chopped to pieces,
> blown from the mouths of cannon, torá
> tured in every conceivable form-of
> whom the world was not worthy. And,
> as ever, the blood of the martyrs is but
> the seed of their Cause.
> There is a remarkable passage, regarded as authentic by the Shi'ite
> Mohammedans themselves, quoted in
> Prof. E. G. Browne's" New History
> of the Bab."
> 
> " In him shall be the perfection of
> Moses, the preciousness of Jesus, and
> the patience of Job. His saints shall
> be abased in his time, and their heads
> shall be exchanged as presents . . .
> they shall be slain and burned and shall
> be afraid, fearful and dismayed; the
> earth shall be dyed with their blood,
> lamentation shall prevail amongst their
> women; these are my saints indeed."
> About this time occurs an event unparalleled in religious history, full as
> that history has been of cruelty and
> courage, bigotry and faith, bitter persecution and heroic endurance. Vie
> have but to recall to our minds the
> Covenanters hiding in the misty Scotch
> THE CO~[JNG OF "THE GLORY"
> mountains, the Waldenses fighting
> guerilla wars among the I talian Alps,
> the carly Christians burrowing in the
> catacombs of Rome, and now we see
> the Babis besieged in the jungles of
> l\fazandaran.
> For, as the latter's enemies grow more
> active, violent attacks upon them are
> constantly made. The Bab had forbidden armed opposition. "Force can
> accomplish nothing. In this day we
> must teach the people by faith and
> persuasion, self-sacrifice and non-resistance," he had said. But, at times,
> they are obliged to band together and
> defend themselves and their families
> from the ferocity of assault.
> Accordingly, some 400 of them take
> refuge in a wild and mountainous
> country bordering the Caspian Sea.
> Here, in the fastnesses of a denselywooded swamp, in the centre of which
> stands an ancient shrine, the little
> band has hidden. Thousands of guards,
> armed with guns and cannon, reinforced by a mass of the fanatical and
> easily-roused populace, surround them.
> While, within the jungle, the defenders
> kneel in prayer; and pass the time in
> meditation and spiritual communion.
> For nine months this strange siege
> THE :MORNING STAR
> lasts. Starvation point is reached.
> The horses are consumed, then the
> leather of their harness, then the very
> grass. Still they hold the foe at bay.
> Finally, the Gcneral falls back on
> strategy.     Upon the holy Koran he
> swears a covenant to spare their lives
> and alluw them to quictly disperse, if
> they will leave their stronghold. Great
> is the joy and relief of the heroic little
> band! Obediently they file out and
> lay down their arms. A fcast is spread
> before them, and as famished, they
> begin to partake, the soldiers spring
> upon them and massacre everyone.
> Meanwhile, where is their beloved
> Leader? In every direction his disciples go seeking him, anxious and
> sorrowing: but no trace can be found.
> At last it is whispered that the Government has secreted him far away in a
> remote and dreary fortress, in the
> northern extreme of Persia.
> Confined under severe restrictions,
> shut away from all friends, often even
> from light, yet the undaunted Bab continues to write. And his works, comprising over twenty volumes, include
> elaborate commentaries, profound expositions, impassioned prayers. The
> key-note of them all being the praise
> THE COJUNG OF "THE GLORY"
> of that Reality soon to be manifested
> to the world. For the young Prophet
> declares that he is " a letter out of that
> most mighty Book, a dewdrop from
> that limitless Ocean." The Beyan, his
> principal work, is left, like some grand
> symphony, unfinished. As though he
> knew that his book, like his mission,
> was only the prelude to those glorious,
> universal harmonies,        that sublime
> literature that would be written by the
> Supreme Pcn of" He whom God would
> manifest."
> When in the grim fortress of Maku,
> where a faithful disciple at length found
> him, the shadow of the approaching
> end falls, the Bab sends, by trusty
> messenger, to a young man afterwards
> known as Baha'u'llah. For although
> these two had never met on earth, in
> the realms of spirit they are one. And
> the Bab has recognised, in Mirza
> Hussain Ali, the ONE whose advent
> he had so steadfastly and courageously
> heralded.
> Then comes the order to the Governor of Tabriz to bring forth the prisoncr.
> An important meeting of officials and
> dignitaries is held. Bitterly he is questioned, condemned as a heretic, sentenced to death. He is also condemned
> THE MORNING STAR
> to the bastinado. But the court servants, at the risk of their own lives,
> refuse to obey the order. However,
> one of the officials, mad with rage,
> perpetrates the cruel deed himself.
> So in the early morning hours of the
> 9th July, 1850, the Prophet, válith bare
> head <~nd bastinadoed feet, is forced
> to tread his Via Dolorosa, to the place
> of execution in the barrack square. Excited thousands follow him. He, and a
> devoted disciple who has begged to be
> permitted to die with him, are suspended by ropes to the walls of the
> citadel in the open square. A regiment
> of soldiers is drawn up and ordered to
> fire. The volley rings out. But lo!
> when the smoke has cleared it is found
> that the ropes alone have been severed,
> so that the prisoners have dropped to
> the ground unhurt. And the Bab is not
> there. But where can he be? The
> soldiers find him in a little barrack
> room behind. Back he is brought, and
> the two again suspended. But the
> regiment, regarding the incident as a
> miracle, refuse to fire again. So another
> squad is summoned-and the bodies
> fall to the ground riddled with bullets.
> And Time, itself, will but serve to
> hallow that barrack square of Tabriz, as
> S9
> THE Cm.HNG OF "THE GLORY"
> it has kept in everlasting memory a
> cross at Calvary.
> The Bab is dead. But the flame he
> has lighted will never know extinction.
> *       *        *       *
> Now in the land of rose-gardens and
> nightingales, the hounds of hell are let
> loose upon the doves of holiness.
> A youth, deranged with grief at the
> martyrdom of the Bab, fires at the Shah
> ,,,ith a fowling-piece.    This forms a
> convenient pretext whereby the enemies can seek to exterminate every adherent of the Cause.
> During the ensuing years, across the
> lurid stage sweep scenes of unimaginable cruelty, unheard of refinements of
> revenge and torture.        The bonfires
> of Nero, the terrors of the Inquisition,
> the flames of Smithfield pale before
> some of the deeds of darkness
> that are perpetrated-perpetrated
> too with the weak consent of the Persian Government. Deeds that. even
> at the time of writing. have not wholly
> ceased in that benighted country.
> Over 20,000 men, women and children die for the sake of a glad new
> Message of purity, peace and love.
> So strange. so blind, are the ways of
> men!
> CHAPTER IV
> 
> THE SUN OF TRUTH
> 
> " 0 Son oj Man!
> How long wilt thou be asleep upon
> thy couch? Lijt thy head jrom slumber, jor verily the Sltn hath already
> reached midday: that it may shine
> upon thee with the lights of beauty."
> (" Hidden Words")
> "Shadows disappear when a Universal Lamp is lighted."
> (Abdul Balta).
> The Morning Star pales its radiance
> before the I~ising Sun. The Herald has
> fulfilled his task. The Promised One
> is here.
> AMID the confusion of this reign of
> terror, there emerged into the anguished
> arena another Leader-Mirza Hussain
> Ali of Koor-subsequently known as
> Baha'u'llah, i.e., Glory of God.
> Born on the 12th November, 1817.
> Baha'u'llah. like the Lord Gautama,
> was reared in luxury and refinement,
> his family being one of the noblest and
> fir
> THE CO~HNG OF "THE GLORY"
> wealthiest in Persia. Like his great
> Forerunner also, he had, from infancy,
> exhibited signs of grcatncss, profound
> erudition, unerring wisdom. \Vhen only
> nine years old, he frequented the
> cabinet of ministers. At twelve, as
> Jesus in the Temple, he spoke in important assemblies on intricate metaphysical and religious problems, with a
> knowledge and inspiration to which all
> paid the greatest deference. When his
> father, a minister of state died, every
> position in the Government was open
> to his brilliant eldest son. But, like
> the Buddha, he forsook the riches of
> earth, and went forth fearlessly and
> alone, in order that once again to
> wandering men might be revealed the
> pathway of renunciation that leads to
> the Palace of Life.
> Now that pathway had led him from
> the foot of the throne to the foulest of
> the imperial dungeons. Although his
> innocence regarding the attack on the
> Shah was indisputably proved, his
> house was sacked, his possessions confiscated, his family captured and stoned.
> In a dark and filthy dungeon, already
> overcrowded with thieves and assassins,
> heavily chained about the neck, this
> gently-nurtured, heroic Man of God
> THE SUN OF TRUTH
> lay, with some of his followers, for four
> months. Almost every day one or more
> of them was taken out to torture or
> death. These would answer the dreadful summons with joy; kiss the hands
> of Baha'u'llah, and hasten with eagerness to the place of martyrdom. Impossible! No, for this gloomy prisonhouse was alight with such divine
> Love, enthusiasm and spiritual happiness that it had become to these souls
> the very gate of heaven!
> Baha'u'Uah relates how one night he
> had a dream, in which he heard voices
> all about him speaking marvellous
> words of comfort and assurance.
> 
> " Grieve not for that which hath
> befallen thee and have no fear . . .
> Verily thou art of them who are secure
> . . . Verily We will aid thee to
> triumph by thyself and by thy pen."
> 
> But it seemed as though the body
> of Baha'u'Uah would not longer endure
> the frightful suffering, when he was
> summoned again before the Tribunal,
> and partly owing to the kindly intervention of the H.ussian Ambassador,
> sentence of death was commuted to
> one of exile.
> THE CO?-.lING OF "THE GLORY"
> Oh, that long and terrible journey
> in the depths of \vinter to Baghdad!
> The insufficient food and clothing, the
> lack of vital necessities, the exposure
> and fatigue! Only the love of Baha'u'-
> 11ah for the world he came to redeem,
> only the love that he inspired in his
> family and disciples made it possible
> to endure and survive.
> Yet in one of his Tablets he wrote : -
> 
> " The more they heap persecutions
> upon us, the more our Cause will
> spread. Jf they drown us in the sea.
> my voice will be raised from the desert.
> If they throw me down from the mountains, my voice will be heard from the
> sea! Because I have come, not of
> myself, but by the command of God."
> In those last words lay the source of
> the strength, the secret of this holy
> Messenger. .. Not of myself . . . but
> of God." Did not Christ say the same?
> .. I do the Will of Him that sent me."
> 
> BAGHDAD-to the Western mind
> what a glamour seems always to hang
> over that ancient city of the Tigris,
> whose yellow-red brick walls, terraced
> roofs, countless turrets and gleaming
> domes rise from the midst of its date-
> THE SUN OF TRUTH
> palms and pomegranates, olives and
> fig-trees. Baghdad-for five centuries
> the seat of the powerful caliphates.
> Baghdad of the cruel Tartars, the
> cause of constant rivalries and bloodshed. Baghdad-which the influence
> of :'Ifohammedanism made the ccntre
> of the great Arabian civilization. Baghdad of Haroun-al-Raschid and his
> beloved Zobeida, when at the pinnacle
> of its prosperity and learning, through
> it poured the riches of India and Persia,
> Turkestan and Araby.
> But when in the year 1853, the
> exhausted and destitute little band of
> exiles reached the shelter of its portals,
> the city had lost much of its former
> greatness. Yet, merchants and traders
> from every part of the Eastern and
> even from the \Vestern world still
> thronged its fine bazaars. While Arabs
> and Turks, Persians and Inclians, Jews
> and Christians, jostled each other in
> the narrow unpaved streets; and caravans laden \"ith merchandise "took
> the golden road to Samarkhand."
> This banishment, thought the enemies of the Cause, would exterminate
> the Babi Movement in Persia, and
> effectually put an end to the influence
> of Baha'u'llah. But how foolish was
> THE COl\IING OF "THE GLORY"
> their wisdom! In this cosmopolitan
> centre the result \vas exactly opposite,
> and the field offered for the spread of
> the new l\lessage was wider than ever.
> \\'hile for the historian of the future, the
> greatest glory of Baghdad will be that,
> for eleven vears, it was the home of a
> Saviour ot" mankind.
> Yet, even here, not for one moment
> did enemies leave him in peace; among
> them now being a foe of his own household. Subh-i-Azal, a half-brother, arrived in the town, and instigated by
> jealousy, sought to undermine his
> influence.
> So presently, Baha'u'Uah, leaving
> both those who loved and those who
> hated him, went forth secretly into
> the mountains.
> These times of withdrawal from all
> the world's turmoil and distraction,
> these spiritual breathing-spaces for
> unintermpted communion with God,
> seem necessary to those upon whose
> divine humanity has been laid world
> responsibility.      Moses sought the
> heights of Sinai, Buddha the Indian
> forests, JeSllS the wilderness, Baha'u'-
> Hah the wilds of Kurdistan. Here in
> caves and grottoes, often without
> food or rest, clothed in poorest raiment,
> THE SU~ OF TRUTH
> wandered the Prophet for two years.
> Of this period of his life little is known.
> Yet his influence made itself felt.
> Reports soon spread even through
> these isolated regions, that a man of
> remarkable knowledge and power of
> attraction was among them. Though
> in so poor and lowly a condition, affection and reverence followed him whereever he passed. As Abdul Baha, his
> son, tells us :-" An atmosphere of
> majesty haloed him as the sun at
> noonday" and "Kurdistan became
> magnetized with his love."
> The holy confirmations that descended upon him during this period
> Baha'u'Uah describes in the following
> wonderful words ; -
> 
> "I was as one amongst mankind,
> slumbering upon my couch. The gales
> of the All-Glorious passed by me and
> taught me the knowledge of what hath
> been. This thing is not from me, but
> from One who is mighty and allknowing. He bade me proclaim betwixt the earth and the heaven, and for
> this hath there befallen me that whereat
> the eyes of those who know overflow
> with tears . . . .
> " This is a leaf which the breezes of the
> Will of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Ex-
> THE CO~[JNG OF "THE GLORY I I
> tolled have stirred. Can it be still
> when the rushing winds blow? . . .
> His decisive Command did come.
> causing me to speak for His Celebration amidst the worlds."
> Then from the mountain-top Baha-
> 'u'llah descended again to the world
> of men at Baghdad. Oh! the joy of
> that reunion! Abdul Baha, the little
> son, falling overwhelmed at the feet
> of his Father and Lord.
> During the remaining years passed
> in this city, Abdul Baha grew from
> boyhood into early manhood.          His
> devotion to and care of his Father
> being wonderful to see. Indeed the
> son's will and understanding reflected
> always that of his Father's, as Baha'u'-
> llah mirrored forth to men the Eternal
> Mystery and Perfect Will of God.
> \\'hile still quite young, Abdul Baha
> tried to protect his Father from the
> visits of the merely curious or the insincere. He interviewed them first.
> answering questions and giving counsel
> with a sagacity that astonished all who
> met him. He assisted the family and
> assumed most of the household responsib iIi ties.
> This was a period of great activity
> THE SU:\f OF TRUTH
> for the Cause. Baha'u'llah bent his
> energy and attention to organising and
> directing the enthusiasm of the believers; explaining to them the true
> significance of the Hab's mission and
> preparing them to recognise the :\fanifestation foretold. From far and ncar
> people ot all nations and faiths, including many prominent men, came to visit
> Baha'u'llah, and hear his teachings. To
> them he revealed the Oneness of :\lankind :-" Ye are all leaves of one tree,
> drops of one sea, flO\vers of one garden."
> This teaching lies at the very heart
> of this Revelation, inculcating in human
> beings a new keen sense of their identity.
> He taught that the great founders of
> religions, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha,
> Mohammed, Christ, were all Messengers of God, perfect mirrors reflecting
> His attributes to men. The essence of
> the teachings they delivered is the same
> throughout the ages; only the outward forms being changed according
> to the requirements of the times in
> which they were given. The Light
> is the same in whatever lamp it is
> burning; the sun, whether it shines
> from the East or from the \Vest. The
> Manifestation about to be revealed
> on
> THE CO?vUNG OF "THE GLORY"
> would bring to a riven world the divine
> gift of religious unity.
> \Vith irrefutable arguments that
> satisfied and illumined all sincere
> inquirers, Baha'u'llah expounded to the
> l\Ioslems the prophecies and inner
> meanings of the Koran, and the clear
> declaration made by ?lIohammcd as to
> the corning of a Mahdi in the day of
> resurrection. He reminded the Jew of
> the prophecies in the Old Testament
> regarding the long period of exile and
> oppression the Children of Israel would
> endure before the Lord of Hosts would
> appear to gather them from all nations.
> To the Christians he unfolded the sayings of Christ as to the many wars and
> afflictions which would occur until the
> coming of the Son of Man "in the
> glory of the Father." To the Zoroastrian and Sufi the warnings they had
> received as to the 3000 years of conflict that must pass before the coming
> of Shah Bahram to establish a reign
> of peace and righteousness.
> He unfolded the meaning of Life, its
> essential unity and interdependence,
> and states of spiritual consciousness
> realised by the soul both here and hereafter. Such knowledge could only
> have been innate and inspired, acquired
> THE SUN OF TRUTH
> -even had it been possible-in no
> earthly collcge.
> The envoys that the ~lullahsJ still
> plotting against him, scnt to test him,
> returned, confounded, acknO\vledging
> the peerlessness of his wisdom and
> understanding.
> A request was brought that Baha'u'-
> 11ah should perform some miracle as
> proof of his prophcthood.        But he
> made answer that" miracles," so called,
> were not in themselves proofs of
> prophethood, being but the operation
> of laws, as yet, little known to man.
> But, whatever sign they desired and
> agreed upon, he was willing to give on
> condition that, if fulfilled, they would
> cease their opposition. From so fearless a challenge they shrank in dismay;
> realising that. in the open, they dared
> not meet him. Angry and baffled they
> persisted in their efforts to obtain his
> removal.
> But while the dark intrigues and
> machinations of his foes and of the
> Persian and Turkish Governments \vere
> gathering round him, Baha'u'llah remained serene and confident. Ahvays
> very happy with nature. he would
> walk in the evenings along the banks
> of the Tigris. where the quaint round
> THE CO:\[ING OF "THE GLORY"
> boats of basket-work, covered with
> skins, plied busily their way, even as
> they did, perchance, in the days when
> Babylon and Nineveh were mighty
> cities of the land. Returning with
> radiant face, Baha'u'llah would proceed to write down verses of exquisite
> beauty and wisdom. Verses within
> which are enfolded meaning upon meaning of comfort, rebuke, illumination.
> The precious manuscripts had to be
> carefully concealed for a long time
> from the ever-present enemy; but
> now the translations from the original
> Persian and Arabic have been given
> to us in the little book known as
> "Hidden Words." from which the
> following few excerpts are quoted:
> 
> " 0 Son of Spirit!
> "The first counsel is: Possess a good, a
> pure, an enlightened heart, that thou
> mayest possess a kingdom, eternal,
> immortal, ancient and without end."
> " 0 Son of Being!
> co By the hands of power I have made
> thee, and by the fingers of strength have
> I created thee. I have placed in thee
> the essence of my Light; therefore
> depend upon it and upon nothing
> else, for my Action is perfect, and my
> Command has effecL"
> THE SUN OF TRUTH
> " 0 Son of Spirit!
> .. I have created thee rich, why dost
> thou make thyself poor? Noble have
> I made thee, \vhy dost thou degrade
> thyself? Of the essence of knowledge I
> have manifested thee; why searchest
> thou for another than me? From
> thp. clay of love I ha ve kneaded
> thee; why desirest thou another?
> Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou
> mayest find Me, standing within thee,
> powerful, mighty and supreme! ..
> 
> At length, in 1863, the long-anticipated blow fell. Baha'u'llah was
> summoned by the Sultan to Constantinople. Consternation reigned amongst
> the believers everywhere.          They
> thronged his house dismayed and
> heart-broken. So great was the pressure that it was decided, while preparations were being made for the
> long journey, to camp outside the
> town in a garden belonging to a certain Pasha.
> In this garden of Hidvan,during these
> twelve days, (April 21st to May 3rd)
> took place an important event in
> Bahai history. For Baha'u'llah announced to his immediate followers
> that he. himself, was the Promised One
> of all the faiths and ages-the ~Ianifes-
> THE CO~IING OF .. THE GLORY"
> tation of God to men. As a great
> Physician he had come to heal a sinsick world. As the sun in the springtime to make all things new. He had
> come to establish an era of universal
> progress and enlightenment. He upon
> whose head any moment the sword
> might fall, yet showed himself dignified,
> assured, exalted-changing the sorrow
> of his followers into joy, their fears into
> confidence and enthusiasm. Friends
> from far and near crowded the gardens,
> even the Governor and officials coming to pay a last deference to the
> gracious and noble Exile.
> So the great drama unfolds itself.
> Slowly the caravan, consisting of the
> Prophet, his family and some seventy
> followers who refused to leave him,
> moved forward on the long trek to
> Constantinople. Throughout the day,
> by the side of his Father's wagon rode
> Abdul Baha. At night he guarded his
> tent, never all through that journey
> relaxing in the most watchful vigilance.
> Now scene after scene of suffering
> and persecution followed.         Confinement in utterly inadequate quarters.
> Questioning and hostility from the
> clergy and authorities. Then further
> banishment through the heavily-falling
> '7Ll
> THE SU~ OF TRUTH
> snow, again in a state bordering on
> destitution, to Adrianople.
> Here in this important city of
> Roumelia, imprisonment in verminous,
> overcrowded rooms. But through it all
> the majesty of the Prisoner shone more
> and more clearly. As calamities increased, only the brighter grew his
> radiance, spiritual influence and authority. An authority that even his bitter
> enemies acknowledged and feared.
> As Baha'u'llah wrote : -
> 
> .. I am not impatient of calamities
> in His way, nor of afflictions for His
> love and at His good pleasure. God
> hath made afflictions as a morning
> shower to His green pasture, and as a
> wick for His lamp, whereby earth and
> heaven are illumined,"
> 
> At length came a little relief from
> the acute hardships; the gathering
> together again of a large following;
> the writing of many important 'works,
> and among them his now famous
> Epistles to the Kings. Jn language
> eloquently appealing, yet authoritative,
> he, their prisoner, addressed the Shah
> of Persia and the Sultan of Turkey.
> rebuking their tyrannies, summoning
> THE CO;\IING OF "THE GLORY I I
> them to righteo1lsness and just government. He also wrote other Letters to
> the crowned heads of Europe, proclaiming his station as a 1I1essenger
> from God; exhorting them to establish justice in their countries and international peace. }Iany of the startling
> prophecies contained in these Epistles
> haye already fonnd fulfilment.
> Then Baha'u'llah made a public declaration of his mission; and from this
> time on his followers became known as
> Bahais, i.e., followers of the Light.
> The Cause began now to assume a universal significance. ~ot only the East
> needed to be illumined, guided, purified, but also the West. As a great
> trumpet call the voice of God's fllessenger rang across the world, and is ringing to-day with ever increasing insistence.
> 
> "This is the hour of unity of the
> sons of men . . . . All nations should
> become one in faith, and all men as
> brothers; the bonds of affection and
> unity between the sons of men should
> be strengthened; diversitvof religion
> should cease, and differences of race
> be annulled. . . .
> .. So it shall be! These fruitless
> strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass
> THE SUN OF TRUTH
> away, and the MOST GREAT PEACE
> shall come."
> 
> To-day these ideas are alive in the
> world and steadily growing in importance. But sixty years ago they
> would have been considered, except
> by a f~w, impossible dreams.
> Then came the enemies' final challenge-banishment to a penal colony
> in northern Palestine, a place to which
> only criminals of the worst type were
> sent to die-to" the most great prison"
> of Akka.
> 
> AKKA-on the last day of August,
> 1868-its cold, grim fortifications
> frowning at the shrinking group of harassed prisoners, some seventy in number, men, women and children, whose
> jail it ,vas to be till kindly dea til should
> set them free. And as the gates of
> " this most desolate of cities and metropolis of the owl" closed behind them,
> this must have been the tragic end, had
> Baha'u'llah's mission not heen of divine
> Origin and Mandate. But instead of
> defeat, it became the cro\'ming glory
> of his long passion and travail for the
> souls of men.
> On arrival, the whole company were,
> THE CO~lING OF "THE GLORY"
> at once, fiung into two indescribably
> foul rooms; deprived of proper drinking water, beds and food. Consequently malaria, dysentry, typhoid
> and other sicknesses befell them all.
> Even their dead were treated as dogs.
> No one was allowed outside the prison
> door except under guard. So pestilential was the climate and prevailing conditions, that it was said, " a bird could
> not fly over Akka and live."
> For two years they suffered these
> appalling miseries. But during all the
> time the little company remdned in
> great spiritual happiness, rejoicing to
> share in the afflictions of their beloved
> Leader and Lord. And many of them
> lived to see even the climate undergo
> a wonderful transformation; and the
> Governor of Akka, in willing obedience
> to Baha'u'llah's request, repair the old
> Roman aqueduct; thus supplying the
> town with clean, fresh water. Abdul
> Baha's loving skill and care for them,
> especially during the times of grave
> sickness, "vas also a source of infmite
> solace. While the Prophet wrote:-
> .. Fear not. These doors will be
> opened. My tent shall be pitched on
> Mt. Carmel and the utmost joy shall be
> realised. "
> 7R
> THE SUN OF TRUTH
> Yet communication ""ith the outside world and with the believers in
> Persia and other countries was entirely
> cut off.    Picture the soldiers even
> splitting open the loaves of bread
> brought in to the prisoners, lest they
> should contain a message!
> But look! Far away on a moat encircling those forbidding walls; walls
> which once had echoed to the victorious shouts of the Crusaders, stand a
> group of pilgrims from Persia.         They
> had travelled on foot all the "vay-a
> journey of six months-enduring great
> hardships, running grave risks, in order
> to obtain a glimpse of their l\'Iaster. He
> stands at the barrack window. They
> gaze upon him and "veep. Then turn
> reluctantly away, filled with renewed
> strength for service and sacrifice. A
> proof of spiritual attraction surely rare
> in the annals of history!
> During the long years of confinement
> in this gloomy prison-house, Baha'u'Uah
> penned numberless Tablets, dealing with
> every department and phase of life,
> both material and spiritual. In them
> he laid down the great principles that
> are to serve as foundation-stones whereon to erect the new edifice of a divine
> civilization.
> i9
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> To Baha'u'llah " religion is not one
> of life's several aspects, but the predominant spirit which expresses itself through all aspects, producing in its
> purity, harmony among the diverse elements of will, imagination, feeling
> and thought. First, the realization of
> God; then the realization of self; then
> the realization of one's relation to his
> fellowmen and to the world."
> (Paper read at World Conference on
> Religions, in 1924).
> Some of these writings would make
> an appeal to the most simple, others to
> the most profound minds. The principles one can grasp at once; the
> teachings and their application demand
> the study and the devotion of a lifetime. Indeed, the true significance
> of the mission and station of Baha'u'-
> Hah none can fully grasp; while the
> meaning and purpose of the new Revelation only future centuries \. . ill unfold .
> .. For through Him appeared all
> that was hidden and invisible from all
> eternity . . . Through Him the standard of knowledge is planted in the
> world, and the banner of unity is raised
> among the nations. The meeting of
> THE SUN OF TRUTH
> God cannot be obtained save through
> meeting Him. . . .
> .. The One who hath come from the
> heaven of Pre-existence with the Greatest Name, and with a power that the
> hosts of the earth fail to withstand."
> (Bahai Scriptures, P. 153).
> Baha'u'llah is the voice of God. In
> his writings it is clear that sometimes he
> speaks as a man, entirely submissive
> and obedient to the Will of God. At
> other times he speaks as God, Himself,
> and writes as the Supreme and Eternal
> Pen.
> 
> "There hath not been in my soul
> but the Truth, and in myself naught
> could be seen but God."
> (Suratu'l-Haykel).
> 
> So passed the years, until one day,
> Baha'u'llah expressed a longing to
> gaze again upon the beauties of nature
> he had always so greatly loved. He
> said :-" I have not gazed on verdure
> for nine years. The country is the
> world of the soul, the city the world
> of bodies."
> Abdul Baha determined that his
> Father's implied wish should be fulfilled, and at once set about trying to
> Hr              6
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> find means for its accomplishment.
> In wonderful ways these were discovered, And Abdul Baha, in spite of
> the repeated orders forbidding prisoners
> to venture outside the city walls, was
> able to leave the town and arrange for
> the residence of his Father and the
> family in a beautiful mansion a few
> miles distant. So Baha'u'llah, regardless of man-imposed restrictions, at
> length threw his prison-bonds aside and
> passed out to the freedom of a home at
> Bahji.
> And now, although still nominally a
> prisoner, he lived as a prince among
> men. Not \\lith outward magnificence
> and luxury, but in a blessed state of
> exemption from privations and confinement, and as a spiritual King among
> his devoted followers.
> Now from every quarter poured in a
> continuous stream of pilgrims, devotees
> and seekers after Truth. The offerings
> of hundreds of thousands of loyal and
> ardent disciples were laid at his feet.
> Prominent people, Governors and officials constantly sought for admission
> to his presence. But Abdul Baha,
> guarding as ever his beloved parent,
> admitted very few, undertaking the
> ..
> duty and responsibilities of meeting
> ~
> THE SUN OF TRUTH
> and talking with all comers. When
> those in official authority came, they
> were either refused admittance, or
> when allowed to enter, were almost
> overcome with reverence and awe.
> In the light of these events, it is
> interesting to recall an ancient lIr-1ohammedan saying \vhich runs :-" Blessed
> is he who has visited Akka, and blessed
> is that one who has visited the Visitor
> of Akka."
> The following remarkable and wellknown description of a visit paid to
> Baha'u'llah by the late Prof. Browne of
> Cambridge, is taken from " A Traveller's Narrative."
> . . . " A second or two elapsed ere
> with a throb of wonder and awe, I
> became definitely conscious that the
> room was not untenanted. In the
> corner where the divan met the wall
> sat a wondrous and venerable figure,
> crowned with a felt head-dress of the
> kind called 'taj' by dervishes, but of
> unusual height and make, round the
> base of which was wound a small white
> turban. The face of him on whom I
> gazed I can never forget, though I
> cannot describe it. Those piercing eyes
> seemed to read one's very soul; power
> and authority sat on that ample
> brow; while the deep lines on the fore-
> THE CO~[JNG OF "THE GLORY"
> head and face implied an age which the
> jet-black hair and beard flowing down
> in indistinguishable luxuriance almost
> to the waist seemed to belie. No need
> to ask in whose presence I stood, as I
> bowed myself before One who is the
> object of a devotion and love which
> kings might envy and emperors sigh
> for in vain."
> On the 28th May, 1892, at the age of
> 75, Baha'u'llah passed out from his
> earthly tabernacle and ascended to the
> realms of the Supreme Concourse from
> whence he had come to be the Guide and
> Teacher of men. He was laid to rest
> in a beautiful tomb on the plain of
> Akka, close to the mansion of Bahji.
> So once again in the story of the
> ages, a Divine Being has known crucifixion and exaltation, humiliation and
> adoration in the sacred land of Palestine. Upon the Mount of Elijah he
> pitched his tent of glory, cven as he
> predicted. And from the top of Cannel,
> as from the prison of Akka, Baha'u'llah
> is making his voice heard throughou t
> the world to-day.
> For to-day is the" day of resurrection " from matcrial conceptions, effete
> ideas, worn-out customs. This is the
> great "day of judgment" so often
> THE SUN OF TRUTH
> spoken of in the Bible, which was to
> come in the last days,"-that is, at
> II
> 
> the end of the age, or world-cycle. For
> the Coming of the Glory of God in
> Baha'u'llah has been, and still is, a
> time of supreme trial and testing, both
> for individuals and for every nation
> on earth.
> But now" the people that walked in
> darkness have seen a great Light; they
> that dwell in the land of the shadow
> of death, upon them hath the Light
> shined."
> " Unto you that fear My Name shall
> the Sun of Righteousness arise with
> healing in his '\'ings." Yes, with
> healing for all the sickness, physical,
> mental and spiritual of a sinful, discordant, weary ,,,áorId.
> With unmistakable clarity Baha'u'-
> llah has stated his mission and offered
> irrefutable proofs of his claim.
> " Surely the Father hath come and
> hath fulfilled that which you were
> promised in the kingdom of God."
> "Verily He hath come from heaven
> as He came from it the first time."
> "Fear God . . . follow Him who
> hath appeared unto you with manifest
> knowledge and evident certainty."
> (Bahai Scriptures).
> 8S
> THE CO:\IING OF "THE GLORY                II
> 
> With "evident certainty "-for by
> the fulfilment of prophecy; by the
> creative power of his words, which can
> change and transfonn all hearts, from
> the most cultured to the most ignorant,
> from the highest to the most lowly; by
> his marvellous life of suffering and forty
> years of imprisonment, through which
> His majesty shone undimmed; lastly,
> by his teachings, he has proved the
> validity of his claim to all \\rho will
> investigate. There is no greater proof
> than these Teachings. They are the
> spirit of this cycle, the light of this age.
> And from Baha'u'llah has appeared
> such a cleansing, unifying, revivifying
> power that it cannot but ultimately
> succeed in redeeming the whole world.
> 
> CHAPTER V
> 
> THE MOON OF WISDOM AND GUIDANCE
> 
> " Verily, lIe is JlJyselj, the shining
> place oj my Identity, the East oj my
> Cause, the Heaven oj my Bounty, the
> Sea oj ml Will, the Lamp oj my
> Guidance.'
> (Balza'tt' llaJz).
> ABBAS EFFEND I, aftenvards known
> as Abdul Baha, i.e., Servant of the
> Glory, was appointed by Baha'u'llah's
> will to interpret, expound and promulgate, both in the East and the West,
> his Father's message and teachings.
> One Manifestation is as the sun, the
> other as the moon reflecting the sun's
> light.
> Baha'u'llah wrote : -
> " When the ocean of my Presence
> hath ebbed and the Book of Revelation
> hath been completed, turn your faces
> towards Him whom God hath purposed, who hath branched from this
> ancient Root."
> In Persia the eldest son of a family
> is often called" the greatest branch,"
> THE COl\IING OF .. THE GLORY"
> and Bible prophecies contain many
> passages in which this term is significantly used. One of the most striking
> is to be found in the lIth chapter of
> Isaiah, beginning:
> 
> " And there shall corne forth a rod
> out of the stern of Jesse and a branch
> shall grow out of his roots."
> 
> Among the Bahais, Abdul Baha is
> frequently referred to by this title.
> The life story of Abdul Baha is the
> life story of Baha'u'llah, in all of whose
> sufferings, imprisonments, and labours
> he fully shared from a very early age.
> He constituted himself, as we have seen,
> his Father's helper and protector,
> assuming the duties and responsibilities of the household; and later of
> the necessary financial and business
> arrangements of the life at Bahji, and
> during the long years following Baha'u'-
> Hah's ascension. Thus proving that
> efficiency in material matters is an
> essential part of the spiritual life;
> that work performed in a spirit of love
> and service is an act of worship and a
> form of prayer.
> It was, for instance, O\ving to his wise
> foresight and energy in personally
> THE }'[OON OF WISDOM
> organising extensive agricultural operations near Tiberias, that, during the
> years of the Great 'Var, famine was
> averted, not only for Haifa and Akka,
> but for all the neighbouring districts.
> The fruitful, practical work he performed during these trying years, as
> also his efforts for conciliation, his
> generosity, hospitality and unique wisdom, so impressing the British government that, after their occupation of the
> country, a knighthood was conferred
> upon him.
> Abdul Baha was a perfect Exemplar
> of absolute devotion to the Cause of his
> Father, of complete service and selfsacrifice.
> The story of his marriage, while still
> a prisoner in Akka, with a girl of the
> utmost purity and spirituality, who
> was born in a remarkable way through
> the blessing of the Dab, is told by
> Moneereh Khanum herself.
> After a long journey from Persia,
> which had involved much risk and
> secrecy, she stood in the blessed presence of Baha'u'llah, whose first words
> were :-
> "We have brought you into the
> prison at such a time, when the door of
> meeting is closed to all the believers.
> THE CO:\I1NG OF "THE GLORY"
> This is for no other reason than to
> prove to everyone the power and might
> of God."
> But the marriage was delayed because of the lack of even a separate bedroom; till a kindly friend removed the
> partition behveen his own house and
> Baha'u'llah's, and so added to the
> latter another room.
> "Then the night of union, preferable
> to a hundred thousand vears, drew
> nigh . . . About nine o'clock in the
> evening . . . . I \vas permitted to stand
> in the presence of Baha'u'llah. He
> said :-' Thou must be very thankful,
> for thou hast attained to this most
> great favour and bestowal.'
> After that blessed hour and fortunate
> time, I dwelt in the paradise of eternity
> with a world of longing, attraction,
> humility and submission. I entered
> the room prepared for the Greatest
> Branch, and experienced his favour, his
> affection, his glory and his grandeur.
> If I were to write the details of the
> fifty years of my association with the
> Beloved of the world, of his love, mercy
> and bounty, I \vould need fifty years
> more of time and opportunity to write
> it. "
> Of this marriage four daughters have
> survived the hardships and imprisongo
> THE ~IOON OF WISDOM
> ment and are, to-day, still offering
> loving and selfless service in the
> Cause.
> 
> For thirty years after the passing of
> Baha'u'llah, Abdul Baha continued the
> work; applying in his own life the
> precepts given and establishing them
> as facts before giving them to the
> world. Before teaching that • the
> Foundation of all Religions is one,'
> he gathered together in his home at
> Haifa, men of every race and creed and
> created behveen them the utmost
> harmony and sympathy.
> As Mr. Horace Holley writes in his
> "Modern Social Religion."
> " The world surely never possessed
> such a guest-house as this. \Vithin its
> doors the rigid castes of India melted
> away, the racial prejudices of Jew,
> Christian and Mohammedan became
> less than a memory; and every convention save the essential law of warm
> hearts and aspiring minds broke down,
> banned and forbidden by the unifying
> sympathy of the Master of the house.
> It was like a King Arthur and the
> Round Table . . . but an Arthur who
> knighted women as well as men and
> sent them away not with the s\vord
> but with the word."
> THE COl\[JNG OF .. THE GLORY"
> 'Vhen the revolution in Turkey released, in 1908, all political and religious
> prisoners in the Ottoman Empire,
> Abdul Baha was, at last, set free.
> Then, in response to urgent appeals,
> he started out, at 67 years of age, and
> after life-long suffering and imprisonment, to tour through Europe, including the British Isles, and America,
> delivering Baha'u'llah's message to
> audiences representing \Vestern civilization in every aspect and phase. During
> these remarkable journeys he met and
> conversed with men and women of
> every type, nationality and creed. He
> addressed University students, ",romen's
> suffrage societies, peace organizations    J
> 
> Esperantists, Socialists, Agnostics, Mormons, Christians, Jews, and churches
> of almost all denominations, giving the
> universal Teachings from the particular
> point of view most suited to the understanding of each.
> A special correspondent of the New
> York World in December, 1921, thus
> describes him :
> "Having once looked upon Abdul
> Baha, his personality is indelibly impressed upon the mind: the majestic
> venerable figure clad in the flowing aba,
> his head crowned with a turban white
> THE ~[QO~ OF WISDO:-'1
> as his head and hair: the piercing deepset eyes whose glances shake the heart;
> the smile that pours its s\veetness over
> all . . . . "
> And the character and work of this
> gentle, illuminating Teacher is now
> known to great numbers of people
> scattered throughout the world. Countless are the stories related by eyewitnesses; stories told with deep emotion by those who kne\v and loved him,
> of his amazing kindness, sympathy,
> unerring intuitions, sparkling humour,
> humility and all-comprehending knowledge.
> IIYes, I have met Abdul Baha," remarks one here and there with brightening face, as at the remembrance of a
> most precious experience. But how
> great ,vas the privilege, how golden
> the opportunity presented to them, few
> could realise at the time. No one 'who
> attained to that meeting could ever be
> quite the same after. For the meeting
> with a Holy One of God is in the nature
> of a test, a test of a soul's spiritual perceptions. The capacity to perceive the
> significance and station of the Messenger was not given to all. But none
> could fail to feel the radiation of his
> personality, his all-embracing love.
> THE COMJ~G OF "THE GLORY"
> N ow shall we touch very briefly on
> one or two of the outstanding Principles given by Abdul Baha, which
> ,,,hen practically applied, would form a
> solution to all the present-day problems.
> We have already spoken of the
> Principle that 'the Foundation of all
> Religions is one' and how this was exemplified. Also the emphasis laid by
> Baha'u'llah on the essential Oneness of
> Mankind. When men realise that they
> are all parts of one organism, of one
> spiritual" Grand Man of the Heavens"
> as Swedenborg has expressed it, whose
> cells or atoms, so to speak, we are,
> then they will substitute co-operation
> for conflict, mutual service for one of
> selfish competition; then will the
> powers and possibilities of human
> nature become increasingly manifest.
> "Be," says Abdul Baha, "as one soul in
> many bodies." An idea startling in its
> inference as to our intimate, essential
> relationship to one another.
> The Search for Truth must be fearless and unbiased. \Ve must not be
> content to accept any teaching or
> tradition contrary to reason, nor believe doctrines that we cannot understand. True independent search for
> Reality leads to the investigation of
> THE MOO~ OF WISDOM
> one's own inner processes of thought,
> and to the ultimate realisation that
> true independence and freedom is severance from passion and personal desire.
> Religion must be in accord with
> reason and science. And the man of
> science must appreciate religion that
> is purified from dogma and superstition. An unprejudiced scientist enquiring into the Bahai teachings on the
> nature of God, creation, evolution, body
> and soul, etc., will not only find himself
> in perfect agreement with the explanations given, but on many a perplexing
> and abstruse problem receive glorious
> enlightenment.
> 
> If Faith and reason are like the two
> wings of the Bird of Humanity. It
> cannot fly with one wing alone. If it
> tries to fly with the wing of religion
> alone it will land in the slough of superstition; if it tries to fly with the wing
> of science alone it will end in the dreary
> bog of materialism."
> (Paris Talks by Abdul Baha).
> An organic, universal Principle is also
> the Equality of Men and Women. The
> solution of our spiritual and social
> problems can only be reached when
> this is realised and attained. It is
> THE   CO~IING    OF "THE GLORY"
> interesting indeed to watch with what
> rapidity this idea is growing to-day.
> Even in the East great changes are
> evident in the status and education of
> women.
> Again, Abdul Baha declares that
> religion in its universal aspect must produce a solution of the Economic problems. He teaches that useful work
> should be performed by all. That
> wealth, \vhether it is material, mental
> or spiritual should be voluntarily
> shared; that the extremes of wealth
> and poverty must be abolished and
> destitution made impossible, as also
> all forms of industrial slavery. He
> provides the key to the solution of our
> labour troubles and lays the foundation-stones \vhereon may be erected
> by an enlightened humanity a new and
> divine social order and world civilization.
> But the Principle by which Abdul
> Baha is most widely known at present,
> is that of Universal Peace. Over 60
> years ago, Baha'u'llah advocated the
> establishment of a League of Nations
> and Supreme International Tribunal.
> He also advised that, by general agreement, all the governments of the world
> should disarm simultaneously. To-day
> we see this idea creating great agencies
> nn
> THE MOO\' OF WISDOM
> and institutions which are tending to
> bind the hearts and minds of humanity
> in ever closer relationships. But this
> world federation can only be realised
> through properly constituted democratic selection, and by fulfilling among
> individuals and among nations the
> spiritual conditions for the establishment of real justice and peace. The
> legislative function is not an affair of
> politics, influence, money, but a spiritual function of enlightened and perfectly qualified men.
> Another aid to peace will be the promulgation of a universal auxiliary
> language. About the time that Baha-
> 'u'l1ah announced this Principle, Dr.
> Zamenhof, the founder and inventor
> of Esperanto was born in Poland. And
> this wonderfully simple and adaptable
> language has, during the last 35 years,
> proved a useful medium for international intercourse. The introduction
> of some auxiliary language into all the
> schools of the world would remove one
> of the greatest obstacles to international
> and interracial understanding and
> peace.
> 
> Abdul Baha returned to Haifa from
> his strenuous tours in 1913. In his
> 97            7
> THE em,IING OF "THE GLORY"
> home here during the Great \Var, and
> after its close, up to the last day or two
> of his life, he continued to \'lork with
> unabated energy.
> Countless were the letters and tablets of inspiration and counsel he wrote
> to Bahais both collectively and individually all over the world. Letters
> that are the recipients' most priceless
> possessions; tablets that are now being
> carefully collected and published.
> Day after day, in his guest house and
> at his hospitable table, visitors from
> every quarter of the globe were entertained. Questions relating to every
> conceivable subject were presented for
> his solution or exposition-social and
> individual, scientific and metaphysical
> problems; questions regarding creation, life, future states of existence;
> parables, obscure passages, prophecies
> in various sacred scriptures, and in the
> Bible.     Thus was fulfilled Christ's
> promise that :-" Vlhen he, the Spirit
> of Truth, is come, he will guide you into
> all Truth, for he will take the things
> that are mine and reveal them unto
> you." Notes of the replies given were
> frequently taken doviIl and now form a
> veritable fount of information as they
> have been published in .. Some Answered
> q8
> THE MOO:\f OF \VISDOM
> Questions" and in other books and
> literature.
> Then would the visitors return to
> their own countries, or go forth on the
> travelling missions assigned to them,
> filled with a deep spiritual joy and
> understanding and with a new humility; fired with renewed determination
> to live more nobly, work more earnestly
> to spread these Teachings, realising
> ever more clearly that, in them alone
> now lies the world's hope of salvation
> and path of progress.
> 
> Not only did Abdul Baha manifest
> an amazing capacity for work, but he
> lived always in an attitude of praise and
> gratitude to God, which is, essentially,
> an attitude of prayer. At midnight and
> in the early morning, he \vould often
> awake and pray; sometimes passing
> a whole night in meditation and' in
> conversation with God.'
> Prayers have been written by both
> Abdul Baha and by Baha'u'llah of
> unique power and beauty-prayers
> which meet every occasion and need.
> Prayers for healing, for those who have
> passed within the veil: for knowledge,
> t
> 
> guidance, prosperity and illumination.
> Prayers, whose effectiveness may only
> THE CO\II;'Il'G OF "THE GLORY"
> be realised in their constant, earnest,
> daily use. Prayer is the language of
> the spirit; it enlarges the capacity to
> receive; brings into action higher
> forces, of which, as yet, little is known.
> Even a feeble pressure is often able to
> release a great power, as the lifting of a
> sluice gate may regulate mighty waters,
> or as the opening of a little window
> may let in a flood of sunshine.
> Abdul Baha, like Jesus Christ, tanght
> his followers the divine way of forgiveness of all personal enemies and
> injuries; his own life being a perpetual
> example.
> As an instance, may be mentioned
> the story of a certain ~Ioslem at Akka
> who, fo~ over twenty years, persisted
> in showing towards the Master the
> bitterest antagonism. lIe reviled him
> ,,,áhen they passed in the street, sullenly
> resenting the unfailing gentleness and
> courtesy with which he was treated.
> But at last the man fell sick. Then
> Abdul Baha sent him medicine, a
> doctor, and even went to visit him.
> Ovenvhelmed by such an enduring,
> forgiving love, the enemy ",.as turned
> finally, into a devoted friend. Would
> that \ve, too, in our relationships with
> our fellows knew how to forgive unto
> r ()()
> THE :\100;\, OF WISDOM
> 'seventy times seven,' p1a.cing our
> reliance upon this most effective force
> in the universe, upon Love, which is
> God manifested.
> In Abdul Baha was revealed, as in
> his great Father, the personification of
> positive, constructive, universal Love,
> which radiating out to all created
> beings, quickened in their consciousness
> a responsive longing for a universal
> oneness and peace.
> Constantly the Master visited among
> the poor and the sick. The stories of
> his power to heal, to comfort, to transform hearts \vould require many books
> to relate them. He loved to laugh and
> make those around him happy. One
> of the signs by which we were to recognise the Great One, said Abdul Baha,
> was that" He must be a joybringer and
> the herald of the kingdom of happiness."
> He loved flowers and s\veet perfumes,
> animals and especially horses; and he
> instructed his followers to treat the
> animal creation \vith the utmost kindness. From Nature in all its aspects
> he would draw analogies rich in beauty
> and significance.
> With regard to what is commonly
> called 'miracle-working' Abdul Baha
> THE COl\UNG OF "THE GLORY"
> taught that this may be incidental to,
> but is not alone, a proof of prophethood, being but the out'working of
> laws little known or understood by
> men. But, naturally, around his household wonderful and inexplicable things
> constantly occurred. And in lives that
> are purified and dedicated to his service, a divine Power manifests itself
> in many mysterious ways. For the
> promise has been given that those who
> rise up in the Cause of God, at this time,
> shall be filled with the Spirit. And
> " He will send his hosts from heaven to
> help you, and nothing shall be impossible to you, if you have faith."
> For "the moth shall become as the
> eagle, and the drop as the rivers and
> seas." In the \vorld of dreams, in
> visions, in flashing intuitions, illumination, warning, guidance is afforded, as
> well as in the more normal or more
> generally recognised channels of everyday living. But Abdul Baha advised
> his followers not to seek to develop
> the psychic faculties, but to let them
> unfold gradually as their souls become
> attuned to higher vibrations, and to
> breathing the purer, more rarefied air
> of the realms of spirit.
> THE MOO:-J OF WISDOl\1
> Thus were spent the tireless days of
> the nearly eighty years of this Prophet
> of God, until Monday, November
> 28th, I92I, when he passed away so
> swiftly and quietly that his daughters,
> watching by his bed, thought he had
> but fallen asleep.
> The funeral which, according to
> Eastern custom, took place on the
> following day, is unique in the records
> of all such events. Ten thousand
> mourners, even in that brief time,
> gathered together, representing many
> religions, races, tongues, and all ranks
> of society-from the High Commissioner of Palestine and the Governor of
> Jerusalem, to the poorest beggars in
> Haifa. The heads and prominent men
> of religious communities were there-
> Jews, Christians, Moslems, Druses,
> Egyptians, Greeks, Turks, Kurds, and
> American, European and native friends.
> Amid the wailing of .. 0 God! our
> Father has left us, our Father has left
> us!" the vast concourse slowly wended
> its way up Mt. Carmel to the tomb
> of the Bab, wherein the body of Abdul
> Baha was also to be enshrined. In the
> garden here, nine representative
> speakers paid such sincere and fervent tribute to the purity and nobility
> THE CO:\IING OF "THE GLORY"
> of the life that had just closed, and to
> the ideals for which he had so suffered
> and laboured, that no more fitting
> proof could have been offered that these
> labours had not been in vain. Here on
> the Mount of God it was made manifest
> that the Bahai Revelation had already
> begun to permeate and transfonn the
> world.
> The following are just a few sentences
> culled from the speeches delivered on
> this occasion and at a memorial feast
> that was held 40 days later, and from
> papers which recorded the event. They
> will convey more clearly than any
> words I can write, the impression, made
> by Sir Abdul Baha Abbas on all who
> had ever come within the sphere of his
> influence.
> A :Moslem Priest, on behalf of his
> co-religionists : -
> . . . "What am I to set forth the
> achievements of this Leader of Mankind? They are too glorious to be
> praised, too many to recount. Suffice
> It to say, that he has left in every peart
> the most profound impression, on
> every tongue the most wondrous praise.
> And he that leaveth a memory so
> lovely, so imperishable, he indeed, is
> not dead."
> THE ~[OO~ OF \VISDOl\l
> Spoken by a Christian .
> . . . "0 bitter is the anguish caused
> by this heart-rending calamity! It is
> not only our country's loss but a
> world's affliction! He hath lived for
> \vell-nigh 80 years the life of the Messengers and Apostles of God. Fellow
> Christians . . . we sav farewell to the
> material bodv of our- Abbas . . . but
> his reality, our spiritual Abbas \vill
> never leave our minds, our thoughts,
> our hearts, our tongues."
> . . . "A Voice summoning mankind to love, to unity and peace; a
> Voice the source whereof, had it been
> anything but pure in motive, could in
> no wise have succeeded in sending its
> waves with the swiftness of lightning
> throughout the world."
> 
> The M oming Post of England concluded its report : -
> 
> .. His persistent messages as to the
> divine ongin and unity of mankind were
> as impressive as the Messenger himself."
> 
> The T£mes of India in its editorial
> article gave an account of the Bahai
> Movement and wrote : -
> THE    CO~IING   OF "THE GLORY"
> ... "It is not for us now to judge
> whether the purity, the mysticism and
> the exalted ideas of Bahaism will continue unchanged after the loss of the
> great Leader, or to speculate on whether
> Bahaism will some day become a force
> in the \vorld as great, or greater than
> Christianitv or Islam... but we
> would pay tribute to the memory
> of a man who \viclded a vast influence
> for good . . . who showed the West
> that religion is a vital force that can
> never be disregarded."
> From among Abdul Baha's words of
> counsel and farewell, I can only quote
> a few phrases. Like Christ, he comforted his disciples with the fragrant
> promise :-
> 
> " Remember whether or not I be on
> earth, my Presence will be with you
> always."
> In a letter of infinite pathos he
> wrote :-
> " Friends! . . . the time is coming
> when I shall be no longer with you . . .
> I have served the Cause of Baha'u'llah
> to the utmost of my ability. I have
> laboured night and day all the years
> of my life . . . .
> " 0 how I long to see the loved ones
> THE )\[00:\ OF \VISDOM
> taking upon themselves the responsibilities of the Cause! Now is the
> time to proclaim the Kingdom of Baha.
> Now is the hour of love and union. The
> spirit of my life is the welcome tidings
> of the unity of the people of Baha."
> " The mystic nightingale is warbling
> for them all,
> Will they not listen?
> The bird of paradise is singing;
> Will thev not heed?
> The angel of Ablla is calling to them;
> Will they not hearken?
> The herald of the Covenant is pleading;
> Will they not obey?"
> One of the sections of his Testament
> closes with this prayer:
> " a God, my God! I call Thee, thy
> Prophets and thy l\lessengers, thy
> Saints and thy Holy Ones, to witness
> that I have declared conclusively thy
> proofs unto thy loved ones, and set
> forth clearly all things unto them,
> that they may watch over thy Faith,
> guard thy straight path, and protect
> thy resplendent Law. Thou art verily
> the All-knowing, the All-wise!"
> 
> CHAPTER VI
> 
> THE GUARDIAN OF THE CAUSE
> 
> " Not until the dYllamt'c love we
> cJzerish for H£m is sufficiently reflected
> in its power and pW'ity in all our
> dealings with our fellowmen, however
> remotely cOllnected and humble in origin,
> can we hope to exalt in the eyes of a
> self-seeking world the gelluineness of the
> all-collquerillg love of God. Not until
> we ti'iJe ollrscl'iJCS the hfe of a true Baltai
> can ice hope to demonstrate the creative
> and transfor1llillg potency of the F aitlt
> we profess,"
> (SHOGHI    EFFENDI.)
> AND now that six years have passed
> since the memorable event on Mt.
> Carmel, how stands the Bahai Cause
> to-day?
> We find that its appeal has become
> world-wide; that in the short space of
> eighty-three years, since the Bab's
> proclamation in r844, the Message has
> been carried to practically every
> country and land.
> THE GUARDIA:-J OF TIlE CAUSE
> In Persia, itself, the blood of the
> martyrs has not been shed in vain, for
> adherents are to be found in a quite
> considerable number of the villages and
> towns. The radiance of the Sun of
> Truth illumines the mystic East, the
> energetic West; for through the Bahai
> Message pulsates a magnetic power
> that attracts all intelligent men and
> women. The teachings it offers are
> " the spirit of this age, the essence of
> all the highest ideals of this century."
> The new phase into which the work of
> the Cause entered at the Passing of" the
> Master," required systematic organization in order to more closely unite
> its followers, make more efficient the
> promulgation of its principles. This
> had been provided for, in that Abdul
> Baha, in his will, appointed his grandson, the eldest son of his eldest daughter, to take up the unique and responsible position of Guardian of the Cause.
> A body called the • Hands of the
> Cause' co-operates with the Guardian
> in his noble task. And wherever in any
> to\vn or district, those who sincerely
> believe in the Message and are prepared to obey its commands exceed
> nine III number, a body called a
> Spiritual Assembly is formed. The
> THE Cm,HNG OF "THE GLORY"
> plan adopted is as simple as it is effective. The body of the believers in every
> country elect delegates who in turn
> elect the members of the National
> Assembly for that country. The members of this Assembly elect directly the
> members of the International House
> of Justice, at the head of which stands
> the Guardian. This system is intended
> to be a prototype, and to form the
> framework, as it were, of that new
> social order which is destined to come
> into manifestation with the dawn of a
> divine civilization.
> By means of news-letters sent out
> regularly by these assemblies, by visiting teachers, by the publication of
> magazines, the \\lidely-scattered followers of the Movement are kept in
> sympathetic touch with one another,
> and informed of all its diverse activities and progress.
> Yet regarding this, listen to the admonition that comes from the eloquent pen of the youthful Guardian
> of the Cause, Shoghi Effendi : -
> II Not by the force of numbers, not
> by the mere exposition of a set of new
> and noble principles, not by an organized campaign of teaching-no matter how world-wide and elaborate in
> IrO
> THE GUARDIAN OF THE CAUSE
> its character-not even by the staunchness of our faith or the exaltation of
> our enthusiasm, can we ultimately hope
> to vindicate in the eyes of a critical
> and sceptical age, the supreme claim
> of the Abha Revelation. One thing,
> and only one thing, will unfailing~y and
> alone secure the undoubted tnumph
> of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent
> to which our own inner life and private
> character mirror forth, in their manifold aspects, the splendour of those
> eternal principles proclaimed by Baha-
> 'u'Uah."
> 
> When Abdul Baha passed away in
> 1921, Shoghi Effendi was only twentyfive years of age, and a student at
> BaIliol College, Oxford.        A recent
> visitor to Haifa (which is still the home
> of Abdul Baha's family, the headquarters and centre of the Cause),
> writing in the Star oj the West, November, 1926, describes the stupendous
> task laid upon his shoulders.
> 
> " The unique and outstanding figure
> in the world to-day is Shoghi Effendi.
> Unique, because the guardianship of
> this great Cause is in his hands, and his
> humility, modesty, economy, and
> self-effacement are monumental. Outstanding, because he is the only person,
> III
> THE CO).[JNG OF "THE GLORY"
> we may safely say, who, entrusted
> with the affairs of millions of souls,
> has but one thought and one mindthe speedy promulgation of peace and
> goodwill throughout the world. His
> personal life is absolutely and definitely
> sacrificed. . ..
> The ladies of the household (Abdul
> Baha's four daughters, the \'life and
> sister) typify the Cause as Love and
> Faith. Shoghi Effendi adds to this the
> elan of the New Day-Action and
> Progress.
> So to comprehend and administer all
> the relationships in a huge organization
> that only satisfaction and illumination
> result . . . to clarify \'lith a word the
> most obscure situations; to release in
> countless souls the tides of energy
> tha t will sweep the cargoes of these
> Tidings round the world; to remain
> so poised in God as to be completely
> naturalized into His attributes-these
> are some of the characteristics of Shoghi
> Effendi . . . And this without reference to his surpassing mental capacities
> . . . The world, its politics, social
> relationships,     economic situations,
> schemes, plans, aspirations, programmes, defeat, successes, lie under his
> scrutiny like infusoria beneath a microscope."
> And as I close this brief and all too
> THE GUARDIAN OF THE CAUSE
> inadequate outline of this, the greatest
> of modern Movements, the most
> momentous series of Events in human
> history, maybe you are asking your~
> selves-" If this is true, what should be
> my personal attitude towards it ? "
> When a dazzling noonday sun is
> flooding earth and sky, why remain fast
> shut within the House of Doubt?
> Why close the windows of the soul to
> the new light of understanding; re~
> clining upon the couch of negligence,
> with the blinds of prejudice or the cur~
> tains of indifference drawn against the
> spiritual sunshine which is waiting
> to enter and flood your whole being
> with glad, new life? " Arise I shine! for
> thy Light is come, and the Glory of
> the Lord is risen upon thee! "
> If the import of these Teachings has
> been grasped ever so slightly, one is
> impelled to recognize in them uni~
> versal Truth; and in the sublime
> Messengers through whom they were
> revealed, yet another and fuller Manifestation of the Logos to men. Increasing numbers, all over the world,
> are finding in them the answer to
> every intellectual inquiry, satisfaction
> for every longing of the heart, guidance
> for every phase and aspect of life.
> THE COMING OF        II   THE GLORY"
> Bestowing upon them a new spirit, a
> new power, it brightens the intellect,
> enlarges the horizon, expands the comprehension, provides a fresh and noble
> purpose and stimulus, and a joy and
> strength that will never fade away, but
> grow to all Eternity. "Happy is he,"
> says Abdul Baha, "who penetrates the
> mysteries, and who takes his share
> from the world of life."
> In these Teachings lies the Divine
> Plan for this present age and for many
> ages to come. Herein is our own priceless opportunity to become all and far
> more, than we had ever hoped or
> dreamed we could be. Herein is
> shown our supreme path of service to
> humanity. Herein is the ultimate goal
> of this life and the life beyond. Herein
> lies the brilliant pearl of cosmic consciousness and the shining star of our
> spiritual destiny.
> CHAPTER VII
> A GLIMPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> 
> " Now in the world of being the hand
> of divine power hath firmly laid the
> foundations of this all highest bounty
> and this wondrous gift. Whatsoever
> is latent in the innermost of this holy
> cycle shall gradually appear and be
> made manifest; for now is but the
> beginning of its growth and the dayspring of the revelation oj its signs.
> Ere the close oj this century and of this
> age, it shall be made clear and evident,
> how wondrous was that springtide and
> how heavenly was that [Jilt."
> (Abdul Balta).
> ERE I had finished speaking, the sun
> had set in a blaze of burnished copper,
> and the twilight was slowly deepening
> into night. Yet no one stirred. Mary,
> still lying in her hammock, looked as
> though she had passed into a happy
> trance.      An early moon gleamed
> through the dusky branches of the
> trees upon the four rapt faces of the
> listeners.
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> Arthur was the first to break the
> reverent silence. His voice held a new
> note of humility .
> .. If this wonderful story you have
> told us is true-and I do not doubt but
> that it can all be authenticated-why
> have we heard nothing of it before? "
> "That is a very natural question.
> But, you see, the Movement is given
> no advertisement in the ordinary way.
> I t progresses only by means of individual influence,literature, and where
> opportunity occurs, by public lectures.
> If you remember, it was a hundred
> years after Christ's ascension, before
> the world began to hear of Christianity.
> It is only six years since that of Abdul
> Baha's Passing, yet there are numbers
> of Bahais throughout the world to-day.
> Also the Light is being reflected by
> many pure minds, and the new ideals
> upheld by many progressive institutions that remain unconscious of the
> true source of their guidance and
> illumination."
> From Oliver came a meditative
> murmur-
> .. Science and Religion-at lasthand in hand. One with its clearness
> and purity-the other with its power
> and passion. What possibilities . . . !"
> A GLIMPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> Then questioned Peter, a trifle wistfully-
> " Since this Revelation is a written
> one, and so everybody can read and
> understand for themselves, my profession will no longer be needed, I
> suppose? "
> " In this Universal Religion there is
> neither room nor need for elaborate
> rites and ceremonies. All are to be
> missionaries and teachers, according
> to their capacities-' kings and priests
> unto God' -not one particular class.
> And the teachings will be given for the
> love and joy of it, not to earn a livelihood. Monks and nuns are advised to
> live a spiritual life in the world, not
> apart from it. Those who wish to
> greatly serve their fellow men must
> show it by their deeds, not by their
> peculiar style of dress."
> Then Mary remarked softly:
> " It is all and infinitely more than I
> could ever have hoped or dreamed.
> I can feel that it is Truth."
> .. For the love of God is broader than the
> measures of man'. mind;
> And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind."
> 
> •      •     •    •     •    •     •     •       •
> Then across the moonlight drifted a
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> curious shadow. like giant wings outspread above us, over the garden trees.
> A strange humming filled the air,
> causing our hearts to beat with an
> intense and awed anticipation. Presently through the breathless silence
> stole a Voice, far, sweet and compelling .
> .. 0 Sons of Desire: How long wilt
> thou soar in the realms of passion ?
> Wings have I bestowed upon thee,
> that thou may est fly.
> " Come! Come and see! . . . .the
> things which God hath prepared . . .
> hath prepared for them that love
> Him . . . "
> And before we were aware of what
> was happening, Imagination, like some
> great spiritual aeroplane, had caught
> us up, and spreading her swift, shining
> wings, had swept us forward, with the
> rapidity of thought, through a hundred
> years or more of world history.
> Through the vast phantasmagoria of
> world events; of earthquake, fire and
> flood, which wrought their shattering
> changes in the planet'S surface.
> Through yet another devastating war;
> through revolutions, labour troubles,
> the turmoils of Bolshevism, economic
> rivalries and disputes. Through the
> mighty phantoms of anarchy and chaos
> I18
> A GLIl\IPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> cast by wide-spread irreligion, when
> the doors of hope and happiness were
> closed to large sections of mankind.
> Yet, while as in a titanic cinematograph
> these dark shapes and shadows of sin,
> and its consequent affliction, chased
> each other across the world screen,
> above it all there shone with an undimmed, steadily growing radiance,
> the light of the Glory of God. Like the
> Shekinah of old that gleamed over the
> Mercy-seat, it shed its glow of guidance
> upon all the problems and complexities
> of individual and national life; its
> assurance and comfort throughout all
> the greatest tribulations.
> "For through affliction hath His
> Light shone, and His praise been
> bright unceasingly; this hath been
> His method through past ages and bygone times."
> But now, at length, the Sun had
> melted and dispersed these gloomy
> clouds of prejudice, greed and ignorance, veiling the true nature of man;
> and this nether world, like the surface
> of some clear, calm lake, had become
> the very mirror of the Realms on High.
> The Plan of the ages, unfolded by the
> heavenly Architect, having been at
> 1I9
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> last accepted and put into execution by
> the builders, humanity had begun to
> rear the new and glorious edifice of a
> Divine Civilization.
> "For every plan is in need of a
> power for its execution. The penetrative power in the world of existence
> is the confinna tion of the Kingdom of
> Abha. Every plan and system which
> is assisted by this Power will be established . . . 'and will be realised among
> men."
> As our ethereal aeroplane, poised like
> a bird in the fleckless blue, swept
> downwards into the lower belts of the
> earth's atmosphere, we became aware
> of subtle changes, as though some new
> element had entered into the planet's
> aura; a new clarity and brightness
> pervaded it, as if in correspondence
> with and a radiation from a higher and
> purer state of consciousness on the
> part of its inhabitants.
> Extremes of heat and cold appeared
> to be less severe; the temperatures
> were more equable, the climates more
> agreeable. So marvellously and intimately are man's thoughts and actions interwoven with the finer forces
> of Nature and the vast Unseen.
> A GLIMPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> " Look! " cried Oliver, pointing admiringly below, where, heading in all
> directions of the compass, sped great
> argosies of the air. While other craft
> of strange shapes and sizes soared, like
> winged insects into the sky, generating
> their motive power from the inexhaustible stores of the ether itself.
> And our scientific friend, who in these
> matters was far keener than the rest of
> us, exclaimed at a kind of invisible
> network of communication, swift as
> light, more perfect than radio, that
> covered the earth from pole to pole,
> transmitting not only sound, but form
> and colour.
> Rules and regulations governed all
> these extensive and varied intercommunications. But everywhere there
> appeared to be right of way. For,
> although still existed boundaries and
> border-lines, the old barriers and restrictions between nations and countries
> had been totally abolished. In vain we
> sought for the old fortifications that
> once had grimly frowned on frontiers;
> for the huge battleships that had
> jealously guarded dividing seas, for
> official spies, imposing custom-houses.
> These things evidently belonged now to
> the tales of the past.
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> " For in this age the boundaries of
> terrestrial things have extended; minds
> have taken on a broader range of
> vision; realities have been unfolded
> and the secrets of being have been
> brought into the realm of possibility.
> What is the spirit of this age? What
> is its focal point? It is the establishment of universal peace, the establishment of the knowledge that humanity
> is one family."
> 
> And mankind, guided by this principle of Oneness, and the different
> attitude such a realisation had involved, had discovered the means
> whereby all could become partners in
> the earth's surface, and in the exploitation of its natural resources and treasures. Co-operation and mutual trust,
> an interracial sense of fellowship and
> good-will had made possible free and
> abundant interchange of both material
> and mental wealth; while spiritually-
> 
> " Each to Truth's rich market brings,
> I ts bright, divine imaginings,
> In rival tribute to surprise
> The world with native merchandise. "
> 
> The motto of this amazingly pros-
> A GLIMPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> perous and happy age was: .. Glory is
> not his who loves his native land alone,
> but glory is his who loves his kind."
> No heavy boom of cannon, therefore,
> no sharp rattle of musketry, no piercing
> cries of pain and death greeted our
> ears, as we hovered above this erstwhile
> planet of sorrow. For with the dawn
> of aNew Day, the nightmare of war and
> strife had passed away, and universal
> Peace had been gloriously enthroned .
> ., But how," eagerly questioned
> Arthur, can such a state of affairs
> II
> 
> be maintained? "
> In answer to his question, lower and
> lower we dropped towards a magnificent pile of buildings, situated in a
> great central city, which, both geographically and spiritually had been
> found most favourable to intercommunication with all the races of men.
> " Oh," he cried," I think I can
> guess l I t is a similar idea to that
> initiated by certain nations after the
> War of 1914."
> Yes, he was right. On closer inspection. we discovered that the dream
> of many a noble statesman had, at last,
> materialised. For this was indeed a
> Parliament of Man at the apex of the
> world, a Supreme International Tri-
> 12 3
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> bunal and World Court. Here, in
> constant conclave assembled the wisest,
> the most far-sighted, the most sagacious
> representatives and leaders of every
> nation on earth. It was the centre
> towards which all peoples turned their
> gaze, receiving therefrom guidance and
> justice. It functioned as the mighty
> brain of mankind. Its members were
> the Elect of the Elect, having been
> chosen from the national Parliaments
> or Houses of Justice representing every
> country. These in their turn were the
> delegates chosen by a body of secondary
> electors chosen by the mass of the
> people. Every portion of mankind
> was thus, in all international affairs,
> fairly represented at and controlled
> by the decisions of this World Court.
> To it were brought all controversial
> problems, and any nation instigating
> war would be resisted by all the others.
> Thus was war rendered impossible.
> Only a small force guarded each land;
> only an international marine police
> patrolled the peaceful oceans, and
> regulated the merchant fleets plying
> from coast to coast.
> And memory recalled to us visions
> of the seers in by-gone ages, of Isaiah,
> A GLIMPSE OF THE GOLDEIi AGE
> John of Patmos and many an ancient
> bard. And Abdul Baha's prediction : -
> 
> " Universal peace will raise its tent
> in the centre of the earth; and the
> blessed tree of life will grow and spread
> to such an extent that it will overshadow the East and the West. Strong
> and weak, rich and poor, antagonistic
> sects and hostile nations, which are
> like the wolf and the lamb, the leopard
> and kid, the lion and the calf, will act
> toward each other with the most complete love, friendship, justice and
> equity."
> 
> " I am longing to see things in more
> detail," cried Mary. "Do you think
> we could take a peep, say, at the little
> islands of Britain? I used to worry
> about the unemployment and labour
> problems there, and wonder if she
> would revive."
> Swiftly we skimmed the intervening
> distances of sea and land; noticing
> as we did so, how the earth had robed
> herself in fresh lovelinesses of colour
> and perfume. Many wide stretches of
> grey desert and wilderness had been
> reclaimed, and were blossoming with
> verdure and grain. For in every land
> agriculture was receiving, it appeared,
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> the skill and attention it had so long
> required. Prosperous farms and settlements abounded. Huge and ugly cities
> had been to a large extent decentralised,
> and now that heavy transport was
> conveyed by air, and science had
> learnt how to eliminate unpleasant
> sounds, the rush, noise and dirt characterising the cities of former times had
> vanished completely. People lived in
> greater simplicity, yet in more real
> comfort and refinement, because science
> had solved, by means of electricity
> and ether, all the old difficulties of
> heat and light. These now were
> abundant, beautiful, and within the
> reach of all.
> We decided that we would alight at
> the next landing-place and try to study
> more closely the life now existing in a
> district once known to some of our
> party as .. England's hop-fields."
> No smell of hops, however, greeted
> us as we walked between the tall,
> fragrant hedgerows, because this new
> world had proved .. how much the
> renouncing of tobacco, wine and opium
> gives health, strength, intellectual enjoyment, penetration of judgment and
> physical vigour." Instead, the fields
> were sown with grains of all kinds, with
> A GLIMPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> orchards of fruit and nuts, with sweetscented herbs and flowers. Medical
> science having discovered that man's
> natural food grows out of the ground,
> much less animal food was consumed
> than in former times.
> Thus it appeared that humanity had
> evolved a keener mentality, a finer
> sensitiveness, since it had ceased to
> consume coarse food, artificial stimulants, poisons and narcotics.
> Arthur glanced with open admiration
> at some graceful, dignifled women who
> passed us on the road. Their sun-tanned
> faces shone with health and happiness.
> Their raiment was extremely simple,
> but of lovely texture and colouring.
> "Beautiful as Greek models," I
> heard him remark, "but far more
> spiritual in expression."
> By this time we had reached, apparently, the centre of the district we
> were inspecting, which was occupied by
> a kind of market square, flanked on
> one side by a large building. This
> proved to be the local House of Justice;
> in reality a kind of central storehouse
> and distributing centre established for
> the benefit of the farmer and all the
> members of that particular community.
> These in turn supported the House of
> THE COMING OF .. THE GLORY"
> Justice, the members of which were
> elected by the district for their wisdom,
> experience and administrative ability.
> The House had definite revenues, such
> as an income tax, a tax on animals and
> inheritance, on treasures of the earth,
> mines, oil-wells, etc. At harvest time a
> General Board appropriated a certain
> percentage of the entire harvest for
> this central storehouse. There were, of
> course, expenditures also-the running
> costs of the institution, salaries, adá
> ministration of public safety and hygiene, tithes to the government of the
> country, support of orphans, cripples, of
> educational establishments, supplying
> deficiencies in the incomes of the poor.
> This last method had entirely supplanted and made unnecessary those
> always hated institutions known, in
> the past, in this country, as "workhouses."
> "I am disappointed to find an income-tax still existing," observed Mary.
> But we found, on inquiry, that the
> tax was a graduated one, only levied
> in cases where the income exceeded all
> necessary expenditure; the percentage
> of tax increasing with the surplus of
> income. On the other hand, if anyone
> through misfortune were unable to
> A GLIMPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> earn enough to meet his expenses for
> the year, what he lacked for the maintenance of himself and his family was
> supplied from public funds. So were the
> extremes of destitution on the one
> hand, and useless extravagance on the
> other , avoided.
> 
> Yet it was not so much new laws, as
> the new spirit abroad in the world that
> had made possible these just and
> humane conditions. For this generation had grasped the great principle
> of Voluntary Sharing; had realised
> that all the love, beauty, truth, justice,
> science on earth was the result of this
> sharing; and that wealth of gold or
> possessions was but a talent on the
> material plane to be likewise used for
> the benefit of one's fellows. The experiments of Socialists, Communists, and
> others had, at last, convinced men that
> equality among them there can never
> be-but that mutual dependence is
> the essence of all material, as well as
> mental and spiritual progress and
> happiness. Thus had humanity become
> released from captivity to nature; from
> that ceaseless struggle for existence
> which constituted in former times so
> supreme an affliction.
> 12 9
> THE COMIl\'G OF "THE GLORY"
> Coming out of this simple yet effective House of Justice, we found our
> eyes attracted to a building through
> whose wide windows issued sounds of
> children's voices singing.      All the
> rooms, as well as the pretty gardens
> and playgrounds adjoining. seemed
> filled with the clearest and most delicate colours. The science of colour
> being now understood and developed
> and used for both healing and educational purposes. Every device that an
> enlightened humanity could supply for
> the developmcnt of the child was
> combined in the sunshiny edifice before us. These boys and girls were
> indeed in the Golden Age, when
> , education' was a word possessing new
> and delightful meanings. No longer
> was a child considered as wax to be
> moulded indifferently to any shape;
> no longer must it strain to conform to
> a standard utterly at variance with
> its natural capacities. Indeed it was
> encouraged to develop its peculiar
> abilities. character and individuality to
> the best possible advantage.         The
> teacher. like a wise gardcner. protecting, pruning. supplying nourishment
> and assistance as needed. Above all,
> the children were taught that obedience
> A GLIMPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> to God's commands, and service to
> humanity are the highest aims in life;
> and to regard their innate powers and
> faculties as gifts to be developed for
> the good of all.
> As Baha'u'llah taught:
> " Knowledge is like unto wings for
> the being of man, and is like a ladder
> of ascending. To acquire knowledge
> is incumbent upon all, but of those
> sciences which may profit the people
> of the earth, not such as begin in mere
> words and end in mere words. The
> possessors of sciences and arts have a
> great right among the people."
> The advance that humanity had
> made was not only in knowledge, but
> in power to practice that knO\vledge.
> No wonder that a new order of being,
> a race of supermen and women, was now
> rapidly being evolved.
> An educational system that had
> become universal had, we learnt, been
> established by the Supreme International Tribunal, and this included
> instruction in an international auxiliary
> language, thus giving to all nations,
> both in the Occident and Orient, the
> priceless boon of one common tongue.
> As Teaching was now regarded as
> such highly important work, demanding
> I   I
> THE COMING OF I I THE GLORY"
> only the best and most qualified type
> of men and women, the profession
> carried adequate rcmuneration.     In
> taxes on inheritance estates, teachers
> were given a share-regarded as heirs
> in an owner's will. The schools, themselves, being built and supported by
> community funds.
> If But is nobody out of work?"
> demanded Peter. "Nobody idle or
> drifting about aimlessly?"
> No, because mankind now had
> realised the dignity of labour. The
> Bahai law of .. work for all" had put
> to use the splcndid potentialities of
> human energy, and had guided this
> energy and creative power into channels of natural expression, free from
> coercion, free from fear. Education
> had enabled men to find the work for
> which each was best fitted. The hours
> of labour were shortened, till all, however humble, could enjoy sufficient
> leisure and recreation. Also the general
> attitude to work had changed. Fear
> of poverty now removed, monetary
> gain was no longer the chief incentive.
> "Nobody worked for money, and nobody
> worked for fame,
> But each for the JOY of the working."
> 13 2
> A GLI!\IPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> Work had become identical with
> worship.
> " The best of men, said Baha'u'llah,
> are they who gain by work, and expend
> for themselves and their kindred in the
> love of God."
> But look! \Vhat is that cluster of
> buildings standing somewhat removed
> from the rest of the township, out of
> which young men and women are
> pouring for their noonday meal and
> rest, or games in the fields adjoining?
> Factory workers? Yes. For factories too have been revolutionised, and
> built where possible out in the open
> country. The establishment of industrial democracy had eliminated the old
> distinctions between capital and labour,
> and the bitter feelings that once so
> often prevailed between master and
> man. \Vorkers now received not only
> their wages, but a definite share both
> in profits and management.         Thus
> making employees' and employers'
> interests identical.   Friendly co-operation and consultation had replaced
> the industrial slavery, strikes and
> lock-outs of a chaotic and perplexed
> by-gone age.
> That group of houses and gardens
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> yonder are their homes, where, no
> longer huddled in tenements and dark
> streets, every man may" sit under his
> own fig tree."
> "And these little homes," queried
> Mary, "I \.... onder if they are really
> happier than in past centuries? "
> How could it be otherwise? In
> woman's particular domain were reflected all the new factors promoting
> the welfare of society, of the child and
> the worker. The vital changes regarding
> her status in the world, which had begun
> to manifest at the end of the 19th
> century, had come now to full fruitionher equality with man having been
> completely established in every department of life. Physical and mental
> force had lost its dominance, and the
> more spiritual qualities characterising
> the feminine nature, such as intuition,
> mental alertness, love and service,
> daily gained in strength. The East
> especially had made amazing strides in
> prosperity and power since the emancipation and education of its women.
> Monogamy was practically universal,
> and the ideas and ideals involved in the
> marriage contract purified and spiritualised. So that divorce was seldom
> used; but when necessary, it was, after
> A GLBIPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> a year's separation, done quietly by
> mutual agreement. The miseries and
> indecencies of 'divorce courts' being
> now quite unknown.
> 
> But Peter was naturally anxious to
> see the kind of churches in which
> people worshipped now-a-days. So,
> lightly skimming the intervening distance, \ve arrived in a large and populous town where many nations met.
> High above the tree-tops we caught
> sight of a beautiful, shining ,,,hite
> dome. \Ve alighted at a convenient
> aerodrome adjoining a remarkable collection of buildings, enclosed in fine,
> park-like estates. One of nine avenues
> led our wandering footsteps among
> gardens filled \vith choice shrubs and
> lovely flowers towards some point in the
> centre. The splashing of fountains,
> the songs of birds made happy music
> everY'vhere. Soon we stood before a
> fine, polygon edifice, to whose nine
> doors of entrance the avenues had
> converged, and which like some exquisite architectural bouquet, was the
> focal-point and crown of the whole.
> But who could hope to describe in
> mere words, the majestic dome and
> springing columns, the beauty and
> THE COMING OF "THE GLORY"
> strength of this embodiment and externalization of the great spiritual
> tmth of religious Unity! Surely it
> might have been such a vision that
> Tennyson beheld when he wrote : -
> "I dreamed
> That stone by stone I reared a sacred
> fane,
> A temple, neither pagod, mosque nor
> church,
> But loftier, simpler, always opendoored
> To every breath from heaven, and
> Truth and Peace,
> And Love and Justice came and
> dwelt therein."
> In the spacious rotunda beneath the
> dome were assembled people belonging
> to every race, nation or creed. Beside
> the black-browed representative of
> Mosaic law knelt the once despised
> follower of Jesus of Nazareth; the
> devout and prayerful Moslem bowed
> himself with that Bahai brother whom
> once he had so bitterly persecuted;
> while an Indian Buddhist, his dark
> eyes shining with mystic joy, stood
> clasping the hand of a Christian to
> whom he had formerly been a " heathen."
> Up in a wide, encircling gallery,
> I 6
> A GLIMPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> children's voices were chanting. MUSIC,
> rich, sweet, soul-entrancing filled the
> air. Words floated down to US:
> "0 God! This is a day, the Light of
> which
> Thou hast made hal v above the sun and
> its effulgence."
> .. Glory be unto Thee, 0 Thou God of
> the world
> And desire of nations.
> o Thou who hast become manifest in
> the Greatest Name."
> I t was the morning hour of worship,
> and the common aspiration of all
> hearts found expression in the words of
> a beautiful old hymn.
> "Gather us in, Thou LOVE that
> fillest all I
> Gather our rival faiths within thy
> fold!
> Rend each man's temple-veil and bid
> it fall,
> That we may know that Thou hast
> been of old;
> Gather us in.", . , ,
> But now we turned from religion in
> its aspect of praise and prayer, to
> examine the numerous buildings by
> Which this Temple of Unity was sur-
> THE CO;"IING OF "THE GLORY ~
> rounded, and of which it appeared to
> be the centre.
> There stood a universitv for the
> study of the higher scicnce~; science
> in this enlightened age having become
> the handmaid of religion, and their coopera tion making possible achievements
> undreamt of by scientific experts of
> former times. Here a hospital had
> been erected, whose services for the
> healing of the body \vent hand-inhand with mental and spiritual processes of cure. Although perfect physical health had not, as yet, been
> attained by men, diseases were rapidly
> disappearing as the material and divine
> worlds came more and more into harmony with each other. Science having
> proved that Light in aU its varied forms
> was Life-light and colour, herbs and
> diet, were increasingly employed instead of drugs, and operations. Indeed, the quality of the light everywhere, we noticed, seemed softer, yet
> clearer and more diffused. For the
> greatest physical exemplar of the Spirit
> of God is light, and the increase in its
> use and understanding was but the
> natural correspondence to the new
> outpouring upon the world of humanity
> of spiritual Light.
> A GLI~IPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> There was a joy too in the faces of
> people, as though they had discovered
> a meaning and purpose in Life. They
> moved with springing step, as though
> Nature's conquerors, instead of her
> slaves, they trod air rather than earth.
> Thus it was that, by purity of thought
> and harmonious living, by right use
> of all the means to health revealed by
> science, the power of God was turning
> sorrow into happiness, disease into wellbeing. As Abdul Baha had promised:
> .. When the Divine ?'1essage is understood, all troubles will vanish."
> We were also interested to observe
> a marked increase in longevity. Apparently, nobody now was too old at
> sixty for any business or occupation.
> For the middle period of life had greatly
> extended and come to be regarded as
> the most valuable; while the first
> twenty years were mainly devoted to
> education and physical development.
> Numerous were the other buildings
> we saw, including a fine guest-house,
> opened to all men; buildings where
> feasts and conventions were held, and
> others of a philanthropic and educational nature.
> But our time was fast drawing to a
> THE CO:'lIING OF "THE GLORY"
> close. Had time calculations too been
> changed to meet the requirements of
> this NC\V Era ?
> To our surprise, we discovered that
> it was New Year's Day-the first day
> of the first month, called Baha, i.e.,
> Splendour of God, that we in Western
> Europe used to know as the Spring
> Equinox, March 21St. No longer, it
> appeared, were men divided and perplexed by varying systems and methods
> of calculation. A new, universal calendar had been established bv the
> Supreme Tribunal. A year nov.á consisted of 19 months of 19 days each, i.e.,
> of 361 days, with the addition of certain
> intercalary days, in order to adjust it to
> the solar year; the New Era having
> begun in that wonderful year of the
> Bab's declaration of his mission, and of
> Abdul Baha's birth, 1844.
> 
> So on this radiant day of Springthis New Year's Day of 2044-two
> hundred :years since the Dawn first
> broke over a dark, discordant world,
> we glided upwards once more into the
> sky, to pay our final visit to a world
> which had so marvellously been made
> anew.
> On the wings of that most wonderful
> A GLIMPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> gift of God to men-a purifIed imagination-we sped over ocean and land,
> over snowy mountain-tops and dark
> fringed forests, till \ve paused, hovering
> above the deep blue waters of the
> Mediterranean Sea.
> Below us ocean-liners, merchantcraft, giant airships and \vinged vessels
> of all kinds were heading in a continuous procession eastwards. We followed where they led, till we found
> ourselves poised above one of the chief
> ports and emporiums of the world.
> Daylight was failing, but we \vere able
> to descry the noble curve of a mountain,
> magnificent buildings and mansions,
> colleges and institutions, orchards, gardens and parks adorning all its slopes
> and the adjoining plain.           rn the
> spacious semi-circular harbour rode at
> anchor the ships of many nations. For
> into this mighty centre was being
> poured the wealth and culture, the
> service and honour, the love and devotion of the finest products of every
> civilization. Here in the cause of the
> reconciliation and brotherhood of mankind, met the earth's noblest and best.
> Between two ports that formed the
> terminals of one great city, blazed a
> pathway of illumination. Electricity
> THE COi\lING OF "THE GLORY"
> turned night into day; while from the
> heights above, immense searchlights
> began to sweep the darkening waters of
> the surrounding ocean.
> But our eyes followed groups of
> people who, chanting, wended their
> way across a wide and gracious expanse, shaded by trees and adorned
> with flowers, towards a lovely garden,
> where tall cypresses stand sentinel
> about the noble Shrine that holds the
> sacred dust of God's Tabernacle with
> men, and now constituting earth's most
> hallowed spot.
> Other pilgrims could be seen ascending the slopes of the mountain, where
> rises from out the trees the beautiful
> Shrine of the heroic Bab and the world's
> most      beloved" Servant    II  of the
> Glory. Out of every country, race and
> religion these pilgrims come to meet
> in the love and light of a New Jerusalem, to kneel together in this holy
> place in peace and joy, in fellowship
> made perfect; like the vision granted
> to the inspired writer of the Apocalypse,
> of the tribes tha.t came from the East
> and the West, from the North and the
> South, to sit down together at the
> marriage supper of the Lamb.
> Enthralled we gazed upon the moun-
> A GLIMPSE OF THE GOLDEN AGE
> tain, robed in its mantle of light, while
> gratitude and awe, reverence and
> exaltation almost overwhelmed our
> senses. Of all the cycles of human history, surely this was the sublimest spectacle, the most divine consummation!
> Almost we thought we could hear
> Isaiah as he sang:
> 
> •   •   Of the increase of His Govern-
> •   II
> 
> ment and of peace there shall be no
> end."
> .. The glory of Lebanon shall be given
> unto it: the glory (Baha) of Carmel
> and Sharon. They shall see the excellency of the Lord and the glory (Baha)
> of our God."
> 
> And with him joined, it seemed, a
> multitude of the heavenly host, singing
> above the plains of Akka, as they did
> above those of Bethlehem: "Glory
> to God in the highest and on earth
> peace, goodwill toward men." And
> with them that glad multitude of the
> Redeemed-which no man could number-of all nations, kindreds, people
> and tongues, saying:
> " Blessing and glory, wisdom and
> thanksgiving and honour and power and
> I
> THE CO~UNG OF "THE GLORY"
> might be unto our God for ever and
> ever I "
> While toward them earth lifted her
> most melodious voices in anthems of
> praise. " Glory be unto thee, 0 God, fOI"
> thy Manifestation of Love to mankind."
> " Hosanna 1 Peace on earth and Glory
> in the Highest!" And then it seemed
> as though the whole round globe, the
> surging seas, the very stars above us
> united in the joyous hannonies of one
> grand cosmic symphony, and all the
> leaves of the forests clapped their hands .
> •    •    •    •               •    •
> But the radiance grew dim; the
> celestial strains rose fainter and fainter
> on the listening air; imagination faltered before the splendour of that
> vision. And as once more around us
> closed the clouds of Time and Space, OUI'
> hearts within us burned with inexpressible longing, to take our place and
> have our share, no matter howeveI'
> humble, in that glad and glorious Coming of the Glory of God.
>
> — *The Coming of The Glory (Used by permission of the curator)*