# The Flame: The Story of Lua

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: William Sears, The Flame: The Story of Lua, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> THE FLAME
> 
> l?J
> WILLIAM SEARS
> and
> ROBERT QUIGLEY
> 
> GEORGE RONALD
> OXFORD
> First published in 1972
> by George Ronald
> 46 High Street, Kidlington,
> Oxford, England
> 
> Reprinted 1973
> ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
> 
> Printed in Great Britain by
> Richard Clay (The Chaucer Press), Ltd.,
> Bungay, Suffolk
> Contents
> Foreword
> 
> Part I
> I'fI-IE SEARCH
> I. The Three Questions                       10
> 2. Like MotIler, Like Daughter               10
> 3. God Is Everybody's Business               13
> 4. Chicago Is Not Broadway                   18
> 5. The Flame Is I<indled                     21
> 6. Return Home: The Precious Gift            23
> Part II
> IN THE HOLY LAND
> 7. Lua Arrives in the I-Ioly Land           30
> 8. Lua Meets the Master                     32
> 9. A I...Ietter from Lua                   36
> 10 •. 'Abdu'l-Baha, Father of the Poor       40
> I I. 'Follo\v ~fe; be as I am'               44
> 12. The First 11artyr for \Y/omen's Rights   46
> 13. Lua Leaves the Master: From Sunlight
> into Darkness                          50
> 
> Part III
> THE \VEST AIDS THE EAST
> 14. The \vest Shall Replace the East         54
> 15. The Bab and Baha'u'lhih: The Dawn and
> the Sun                                  57
> 16. The Flame Begins to Burn l\1ore Brightly      62
> 17. Lua's l\iission to the I<ing                  66
> 
> Part IV
> HERALD OF THE COVENANT
> 18. 'Abdu'l-Baha Arrives in r\merica              72
> 19. Lua and the lVfaster l\feet .i\gain        77
> 20. Lua's Schemes Go Astray                    82
> 2. I. The Faith Is Established in America      84
> 22. From the Holy Land to the Golden Gate      89
> 2. 3. ./1. Standing Ovation for the Herald of
> Peace                                    91
> 24. The Flame Ignites Many Fires               95
> 2. 5. 'I appoint you, Lua, as a Herald of the
> Covenant I'                              99
> 26. Nlother-teacher of the West               102
> 27. 'Oh, Baha'u'llahI \X'hat hast Thou done?' 105
> 2.8. Fare"\vell to America                    107
> 
> Part V
> IN !-11S FOOTSTEPS
> 2.9. The Flame Spreads to Other Lands            I 12
> 30. Following in His Footsteps                   114
> 3I. Lua Sees the NIaster for the Last Time       120
> 32. \Var Encircles the Flame                     123
> 33. The Angel of Death                           12.7
> 34. 'Lua, who shall live through all the ages'   131
> 35. A Martyr's Crown                             134
> 
> A Final Tribute                              138
> LUA MOORE GETSINGER
> 
> born NOVeJJlber Ist, I8JI-died lYlay Ist, I9I6
> 'Mother-teacher of the American Baha'i
> Community'
> Foreword
> This tribute to the 'immortal Lua' has been written
> by two fellow-Americans \vho were privileged to
> visit her place of burial beside the Nile river in
> Egypt many years after her death.
> Lua was given the title: 'The Banner!' She was
> the very first to plant the flag of the Baha'i Faith in
> many parts of the West; eventually, of the world.
> Lua inspired thousands, in more than one generation, to take up the task after her. She gave her life
> in the process.
> This is not an attempt to tell a complete and
> definitive story of so rich a life. Future historians
> will gather the full treasure from every source, and
> only then will there be a fitting description of this
> courageous and beautiful woman \-vho ,\vas so loved
> and respected for her service to humanity on three
> continents. These are but a fe\v episodes taken from
> her life, but they sho\v plainly why she will come
> to be known in the future as one of the outstanding
> women of this age.
> This account has been taken from magazines,
> newspaper articles, letters, books, in 1JJcmoriam
> columns, and from personal interviews with those
> who knew her. It cannot stand as a completely
> accurate story of that precious life inasmuch as too
> much time has passed, too few records have been
> kept, too many doors ,\vere closed to us, and too
> many memories are lost to total recall. Yet, even
> those who could not remember the words Lua
> spoke, never forgot the music of her presence.
> 'There was something about her,' they said. 'Something special.' They might have forgotten the details
> of many incidents, but they always recalled vividly
> the atmosphere that surrounded Lua. Their eyes
> glistened as they spoke of the tremendous impact
> Lua had upon those who met her.
> There are now Baha'is in over fifty thousand
> centres in all parts of the world. National Baha'i
> Assemblies represent more than three hundred
> countries, territories, islands and dominions. It
> is tragic that after nearly a century the people of the
> West should still be uninformed about this astonishing woman, and equally regrettable that countless numbers of new Baha'is have not yet heard of
> the 'immortal Lua', although they may have been
> given the 'breath of life' by one of her 'children'. It
> is to remedy this lack that we have recaptured here
> the excitement of her beginning days.
> May these brief eye-witness accounts of her contemporaries, these excerpts from her own correspondence, once again bring to life for you this
> 'flame of God'.
> Although a major part of the story comes from
> official records and books, still this account will
> have to remain mostly in that category known as
> pilgrims' notes.
> Even so, it is our hope that you will find in these
> pages some of the throbbing joy, wonder and awe
> which filled the hearts of those who met her in
> person.                             WILLIA1f SEARS
> ROBERT QUIGLEY
> Part I
> 
> THE SEARCH
> I.   The Three Questions
> He looked at Lua. His eyes were filled \vitl1 tender
> love.
> 'What will you do if they persecute you ?'
> 'I shall know that it is a heavenly gift, and that
> the love of God is descending upon me.'
> 'And what \vill you do if they put you into
> prison ?'
> 'I shall thank God that I have been permitted to
> follow in the footsteps of my beloved Master.' Lua's
> beautiful face glo\ved with compassion. '1 shall tllen
> be s11aring but a small portion of your suffering.'
> 'And if they kill you?'
> She did not hesitate.
> 'I shall know that the very first wish I ever asked
> of you has been granted, and I have been privileged
> to give my life that men may hear the \vord of God.'
> 
> 2.   Like Mother, Like Dauglzter
> Across the deep green meadows, the happy musical
> laugh of the little girl could be heard by her father
> as he drew a dipper of "vater from the pump. He
> watched his daughter Lua go racing barefoot
> through the grass, carrying on a gay conversation
> with her friends the animals as she fled swiftly past
> them. Her father shook his head wonderingly.
> He sighed, 'She's just like her mother.'
> There was something strange and wonderful
> about them both. Something just beyond his reach.
> He didn't understand it. Still, he could tell from
> the way they would at times smile at each other that
> they understood it.
> It didn't really matter, he told himself, because
> he loved them both so very much.
> Both Lua and her mother were born in rural
> upstate New York in the village of Hume. Both
> shared an outer life of delight in the farm with its
> green fields and gro"ving things, but an inner life of
> unrest and dissatisfaction. There was no one to
> answer their questions. They hungered for knowledge of every kind, especially knowledge of God
> and His creation, but each cup seemed to be empty.
> It all began with Lua's mother. Ellen McBride
> Moore imbibed these ideas with her mother's milk.
> She "vas but five when the call for the first woman's
> rights convention in all history was made in that
> same upper New York at Seneca Falls. Change was
> in the air.
> Ellen McBride Moore was born in 1843. It was
> the year of the great comet. All eyes stared up at
> the night skies searching the heavens in fear of the
> great fiery tail millions of miles long. Some said it
> heralded the end of the world.
> It was all part of a period of strange, growing
> millennial zeal. Bible scholars in three continents
> said their studies of scripture pointed to the
> imminent return of Christ. People in the United
> States, Canada, England, Europe, even in Asia,
> were discussing and debating the issue in great
> II
> detail. Many confidently expected to see Him
> 'coming in the clouds of heaven' as He had promised. Some even sold their possessions, prepared
> ascension robes, and went up into the mountains to
> await Christ's coming.
> 
> In the nearby rolling hills \vhere New York and
> Pennsylvania meet, Joseph Smith, the founder of
> the Mormon Faith, had had his vision of a great
> new day coming. He was to give his life for these
> beliefs in 1844, a year after Lua's mother was born.
> Farther along these same Pennsylvania hills,
> William Miller and his flock had organized entire
> communities who were prepared for the coming of
> Jesus, the Christ. They finally decided this Event
> would take place in spring, 1844.
> Lua's childhood was filled with such tales of
> wonder and awe. Her mother, Ellen McBride
> Moore, grew up with a great unquenched thirst to
> know the truth about those days. Wl1y had Christ
> failed to return as everyone expected? Or had He
> come, and had everyone missed Him this time, too,
> as they did the first time? Had Christ fooled them
> all, and come as He promised 'like a thief in the
> night' ? Without anyone recognizing Him? Was He
> perhaps living on the earth no\v? \Vhat an exciting
> thought!
> But if so, where was He?
> 
> No one gave a satisfactory answer to these questions when Lua's mother asked them. Many became
> impatient with her. They told her not to 'tamper'
> with these mysteries. Ellen McBride Moore felt that
> for every good question there should be a good
> answer. Her intense curiosity was often a source of
> acute distress to her family and her friends. Her
> husband and her minister especially felt the sting
> of her probing mind.
> During the days when Mrs Moore carried Lua in
> her womb, her thirst for knowledge was directed
> towards religion. She wanted to know the truth
> about God and His Messengers, about man, about
> the Bible, about the soul, about everything connected with religion. Her zeal had reached its peak.
> At every opportunity, whether at home, in public,
> or in church, Lua's mother would speak out. She
> was frank and she was fearless. She demanded
> answers to her questions.
> It is also suspected that she was a bit of a nuisance.
> Especially to her minister. There were a lot of her
> questions to which he, himself, would have liked a
> better answer. But he knew better than to ask such
> things during church service.
> One day it reached a crisis.
> 
> 3. God Is Everybody's Buslness
> There was a knock on the door.
> Mr Moore admitted the minister of their local
> church. Both were embarrassed. Both knew why he
> was there.
> '1 have come to solicit your help,' the clergyman
> said.
> He entered the house in a state of annoyance. He
> was distressed when he sa\v that Lua's mother was
> present.
> 'Mr tfoore,' he began, 'the last thing I want to
> do is complain about your wife. She's a fine woman.
> But I'll come right to the point. She must stop asking so many questions. Especially in the Bible Class.
> It's disturbing. Most disturbing to the other
> people.'
> Obviously it was disturbing to the country parson
> as well.
> Mr Moore shrugged his shoulders. He was sympathetic. God knows, he too had felt the frustration of trying to satisfy his wife's constant hunger
> for knowledge about things of the spirit.
> 'What do you suggest?' he asked.
> 'There are some things that just can't be answered,' the clergyman said patiently.
> 'I know,' Mr ~foore sighed. 'I kno"\v. It disturbs
> me, too. She asks me the same questions. What can
> I tell her? I'm only a farmer. When she asks, "How
> is it possible to explain the Bible where it says that
> Christ \vill come down in a cloud? Everyone knows
> that scientifically clouds are vapours that rise up
> from the earth. They don't come down. Is the Bible
> \vrong?" What can I tell her? I don't know myself.'
> The clergyman was impatient. 'It's a pity that
> our women become involved in these new-fangled
> ideas.'
> 'Perhaps,' Mr 1100re said. 'But my \vife feels
> that God is everybody's business, not just the
> men's. So that kind of ans"\ver will never satisfy
> her.'
> Lua's father would have been much happier
> furrowing a field behind his team than talking
> about God and the Bible, but now that the parson
> was here, perhaps this was his cl1ance. A minister
> should know the answers.
> 'Tell me,' he asked, 'when the Bible says that all
> eyes shall see Christ when He comes down from
> heaven, my wife wants to know h01JJ? How will
> they all see Him? She says that with the curvature
> of the earth it \vould take Christ hundreds and
> hundreds of thousands of solo descents before He
> could get around to everybody in the vl0rld. Mind
> you, those are her ideas, not mine. But how can I
> answer that ?'
> 'There are some things that are very difficult to
> answer.'
> 'Especially difficult questions.'
> 'Many of these things must be taken on faith.'
> Ellen 11cBride Moore could remain quiet no
> longer. She couldn't resist putting in her own two
> cents' worth. After all, they were her questions.
> 'What about Christ wal1~rJng on the water? What
> about all the dead coming out of their graves on the
> day of Resurrection? Where will we have room for
> them all?'
> 'Those,' the minister replied, speaking strictly
> to Lua's father, 'are exactly the sort of questions
> that your wife shouldn't ask in public.'
> 'Why not? If we've got good answers ?'
> 'They cause unrest in the congregation. Answers
> that satisfy one person don't satisfy another.'
> 'None of them satisfies my wife apparently.'
> Lua's mother held her tongue, and with great
> difficulty sat quietly through the rest of the conversation. She sighed. If they insisted that she
> remain silent she would obey. But they couldn't
> stop her from thinking. And she thought to herself
> that if Christ had returned and if she knew where to
> find Him, at least He wouldn't make excuses. He
> would be able to answer her questions.
> 
> The following Sunday was almost unbearable to
> her. Question after question sprang unasked to her
> lips. If the rest of the congregation knew as little
> as she did about all these things, how could they be
> so satisfied. Yet, everyone else seemed perfectly
> content. They smiled and nodded as the minister
> spoke. She felt there must be something wrong
> with her, but the more the minister preached, the
> more questions Lua's mother had about everything
> he was saying. Only his fierce frown from time to
> time kept her silent. She wanted to shout out her
> doubts.
> Were there really three Persons in the Trinity?
> Why were there so many different religions in the
> first place? Why was mankind repeatedly plagued
> with the ruin of war? Didn't God have some plan
> to end the differences and prejudice among races?
> Was it right for some to be so terribly rich and some
> so terribly poor, and be neighbours? Why couldn't
> the world have peace? Were all foreigners really
> dangerous? Why shouldn't everyone love the whole
> world and not only his own native land? Why?
> Why? Why? Why?
> Lua's mother kept her peace, but her heart was
> filled with anguish and sorrow. She didn't care if
> they ever became wealthy, all she wanted was the
> answers to her questions. She was sure that knowledge was the real wealth. In her agony of spirit,
> Ellen McBride Moore prayed fervently to Almighty
> God: 'If this child I am carrying in my womb is a
> girl, may she be given the chance to speak out and
> know the truth that has been so long denied to me,
> her mother.'
> Her prayer was answered. At least the first part
> of her prayer. The child was a girl. She \vas named
> Lua. Lua Moore \vas born on November 1st, 1871,
> the same day on which her father had been born
> and her parents married.
> 
> Her sister gives the following description of Lua
> during those early days:
> 'Lua had lovely reddish brown hair. It fell in
> waves about her face, and was so long she could sit
> on it. Her skin was fair. Her eyes were large and
> blue. She was as straight and slender as a \vhite
> birch.'
> Lua's education was the regular public school one.
> From the beginning, her sister said, Lua's teachers
> realized that they \vere dealing wit11 a gifted child.
> Many an afternoon Lua spent together after school
> with her teacher learning more than the regular
> class could give her. She had an unusual eloquence
> that stirred her listeners even as a child. Her singing
> voice was sweet and true as well. Even in childhood there was a quality of the Lorelei about
> her that held a promise of some sweet distant
> mystery.
> Lua grew more beautiful, eloquent and talented
> with the passing years. She was soon in need of a
> greater teacher. Lua's mother was urged to send her
> to some place where tl10se rare talents could be
> properly developed.
> Eventually Lua's beautiful singing voice and
> natural gift for the theatre dre"\v her to Chicago to
> study dramatic art. Her friends were puzzled. They
> \vondered why, "\vith her great gifts, Lua preferred
> Chicago to New Yark. There was far more opportunity for a dramatic future in Ne"v York, they told
> her. After all, Broadway "vas in New York, not
> Chicago.
> Lua herself admitted that she really didn't know
> \vhy she chose Chicago. She thought of going to
> New York, but each time she did, some inner force
> drew her to Chicago. Lua couldn't resist it. Lua's
> lifetime was to be filled with these strange inner
> promptings of the spirit. Lua invariably felt herself
> powerless to disobey them.
> Her friends laughingly ridiculed "vhat they
> called Lua's peculiar 'hunches'. Lua insisted that
> they were not 'hunches'. They were some sort of
> guidance, she said, and she was not able to help
> herself.
> Lua never knew where these inner compulsions
> would lead, but she had to follow. One of the
> strongest she had ever experienced led her to
> Chicago.
> 
> 4. Chicago Is Not Broadway
> In Chicago Lua soon outgrew her teachers. This
> was to be her fate throughout life. Nothing seemed
> able to quench her thirst for greater skill and more
> knowledge. Her restless spirit drove her on and on,
> IS
> always seeking something she could not find,
> winning new triumphs but soon finding them
> empty.
> Gradually Lua realized that no career, however
> triumphant, would ever satisfy her. Her inner
> promptings told that her destiny lay in another
> direction, in the realm of the spirit. She suspected
> that her life was never to be one of outward \vealth,
> fame, comfort and security.
> Lua's entire life became a tnodern search for the
> Holy Grail.
> Lua went fron1 church to c11urch, still seeking
> answers to those questions \vhich her mother had
> planted in her heart so long ago. Like her mother,
> Lua always left empty-handed. Group after group
> disappointed her. She found these societies, movements and cults to be the n1ere shadovv of reality.
> But the greater her disappointment, the greater
> became her hunger, and the more ardent became
> her search.
> 
> Lua \vas only twenty-two years old \vhen the
> famous World's Fair began in Chicago in 1893. It
> was on that occasion that the \Vorld's Parliament of
> Religion \vas assembled and the first \vord came to
> the \YJestern world about a \vonderful ne\v Faith
> which had arisen in the East.
> A paper \vritten by a Christian clergyman, Dr
> Henry H. Jessup of Beirut, \vas read. It said, in
> part, that 'just outside the Fortress of 'Akka, on
> the Syrian coast, there died a few months since, a
> famous Persian sage... named Baha'u'lhih-the
> "Glory of God" ... [He] gave utterance to sentiments so noble, so Christlike, that we repeat them
> as our closing words:
> , "That all nations should become one in faith
> and all men as brothers; that the bond of affection
> and unity between the sons of men should be
> strengthened; that diversity of religions should
> cease and differences of race be annulled. Wllat
> harm is t11ere in this ? Yet so it shall be. These
> frultless strifes, these ruinous ,vars shall pass a,\vay,
> and 'the ~1ost Great Peace' shall come . . . I . et not
> a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let
> him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind." ,
> \Vhile this was taking place at the Parliament of
> Religion, Lua in the quiet of her room was praying
> to Almighty God: 'Please help me to find the truth
> at last.'
> Lua knew that some 'inner prompting' had led
> her to Chicago. She felt this force gro\.ving within
> her. Every impulse of her being was intensified.
> Lua \vas confident that some\vhere, somehow, both
> her prayer and her mother's \vould soon be fulfilled.
> While reading the ne\vspaper, Lua came upon the
> story about the \Vorld's Parliament of Religion. In
> that article, l1er eyes fell for the first time upon the
> name of Baha'll'llah, the Founder of the Baha'i
> Faith.
> It was to be a day of even greater \vonders for
> Lua.
> She felt an irresistible urge to visit a friend whose
> brother \vas a professor. While Lua was there
> another guest arrived. Her 110st had met this
> stranger that very day. As they chatted, the professor
> had become impressed \vith the stranger's knowledge
> of the Near East. Suddenly, almost against his will,
> the professor told them, he had invited this stranger,
> a Persian, home for dinner.
> The evening passed all too quickly as they discussed subject after subject. Then just before it
> ended, Lua found herself speaking to the stranger
> quite suddenly and spontaneously.
> 'Do you know of the Persian, Baha'u'lhih, and
> His Faith which was mentioned at the World's
> Parliament of Religion ?'
> There was a long silent moment. The stranger
> looked at Lua, smiled as though he had been
> anticipating the question and said:
> 'I am a follower of Baha'u'llah.'
> 
> 5. The Flame Is Klndled
> Lua could learn no more that first night. The
> questions she did ask had all been ansvvered with a
> simplicity and clarity which set her on fire.
> Lua could hardly contain her excitement and
> eagerness.
> The stranger asked Lua to be patient. He assured
> Lua that the day would come when she would learn
> more about this new Faith, and would have the
> answers to all her questions.
> Lua returned to her room exhilarated. She
> couldn't bear to wait. She was crushed when he
> refused to tell her any more that first night. But it
> was a wonderful beginning, and it carried her to
> new heights.
> Lua prayed all that night and again the next
> morning. Always in her thoughts "\vere those inspiring \vords of Baha'u'lhih : 'All nations should
> become one in Faith.'
> A stab-like thrill went through her body. If
> only her mother \V"'ere here to share the greatness of
> this day. Lua said that instinctively she felt certain
> that this was the day the whole world had been
> waiting for, the day of the 'one fold and one shepl1erd', the day of 'the Kingdom of God on earth'.
> Lua was confident that she \vas nearing the end of
> her search.
> She breathed a prayer: '0 Almighty God, make
> this be the end of my search. Do not let this cup
> be empty! Don't make my eager heart \vait any
> longer.'
> Lua's reverie was interrupted by a knock at the
> door. It \vas a dear friend, 11adame Nlaartens. She
> had come to Lua wit11 great ne\vs. Madame Maartens herself tells ho\v she came to Lua that day full
> of enthusiasm:
> 'Lua,' she said, 'I have found a \vonderful new
> religion. I think it is exactly \vhat you have been
> searching for.'
> Lua was grateful, but she was not to be deflected
> from her own exciting discovery. She told Madame
> Maartens that she had made an exciting discovery
> of her own. Lua refused to be side-tracked. Perhaps
> there might be a message from the stranger at any
> time.
> Madame Maartens was insistent.
> 'There's a meeting this very night,' she told Lua.
> 'Please come and see for yourself.'
> Lua was impatient, but lviadame Maartens was
> such a kindly ,voman and had befriended her in that
> 22.
> lonely city; so Lua hid her disappointment and ,vent
> to the meeting.
> When she was introduced to the teacher, Lua's
> heart knotted in a brief spasm. There standing
> before her was the stranger I
> Never was a heart so full of joy.
> 
> 6. Return ROlne: TIle Precious Gift
> During the "veeks of intensive study that followed,
> Lua was always among the first to arrive at the
> meetings and the last to leave.
> To her joy and delight, she discovered that
> already there were follo\vers of Baha'u'llah in
> America. They \vere called Baha'is. She \vas told
> that Baha'i meant 'follo\,ver of Baha'u'llah' just as
> Christian meant 'follower of Christ'.
> The Name Baha'u'llah \vhen translated into
> English, Lua discovered, meant 'the glory of the
> Lord' or 'the glory of God'. The \",\Torld Centre of
> the Baha'i Faith \vas in the Holy Land on tlle very
> spot \vhich Isaial1 had prophesied \vould see 'the
> glory of God'.
> What days of excitement they \vere!
> Question after question was answered : Yes,
> Baha'u'llih is the return of Christ. Yes, lIe has
> fulfilled all the prophecies of the Bible. Yes, His
> followers believe in prayer and the immortality of
> the human soul. Yes, all the races are equal, one
> before God. Yes, yes, yes-ans\vers to all those
> questions l1er mother asked \vhile Lua \vas still a
> child in her \vomb. Gradually, all her doubts were
> removed.
> Lua was carried aloft to new heights by the
> wholesome Teachings of Baha'u'llah. Each night in
> her . room she would review the lesson, ti.me and
> agam.
> Although Baha'u'llah had written over one
> hundred volumes, none of these \vas available yet
> in America; so it was necessary for Lua to memorize
> the \vonderful words of His Faith. She repeated
> them over and over until His thrilling Teachings
> became a part of her being:
> 'There is but one God and one religion. 1tfoses,
> Christ, Mul).ammad, Baha'u'llah, all the great
> Prophets and Messengers of God have taught the
> one same truth. We are all the leaves of one tree
> and the drops of one ocean. Though the Speakers
> are many, the Word is One.'
> 'Prejudice of all kinds must be forever abandoned, and all men live as brothers. All men, whatever their country, creed or colour, are the children
> of one Father, God.'
> 'The best beloved of all things in My sight is
> Justice.'
> 
> During those early days Lua had the Teachings
> of Baha'u'llah engraved on her mind. She absorbed
> every word, always seeking more understanding.
> This truth had struck her like a mighty thunderbolt.
> It had captured her soul.
> As the months went by, the inevitable happened.
> Lua once again eclipsed her teacher. Her insistent
> demands for further information about this glorious
> Message were redoubled. Lua's intense longing
> craved for more nourishment than any teacher
> could supply. Her thirst for knowledge was too
> great to be quenched at a mountain stream, her
> spirit cried out for the ocean.
> Lua was told that there was a wonderful man in
> the Holy Land, the Son of Baha'u'llah. His name
> was 'Abdu'l-Baha. He \vas the Source to \vhich she
> could turn. '.l\ bdu'l-Baha, she \vas told, 'Nould be
> able to answer all the rest of her questions.
> Lua \vas filled with inner serenity and happiness.
> This time she kne\v there \vould be no disappointment. She was being led to the fountain-head of this
> spiritual truth.
> If only she could reach Him!
> Lua knew in her heart that her long quest \vas
> ended. S11e thought at once of her mother, the
> courageous Ellen McBride Moore, who had sent
> her out on tIle sea of search. Lua knew that she
> must share this priceless treasure \vith her.
> 
> Lua left immediately for her farm home in upper
> Ne\v y'" ork, her face glowing with the Glad Tidings.
> Her family recognized at once that Lua's radiance
> came fron1 some inner secret '\vhich she could
> hardly contain.
> The '\vords of her sister best describe that magical
> night \vhen Lua told them the '\vonderful story of
> her discovery.
> 'One moonlight night, Lua, ~fother, another of
> my sisters and myself went into the parlour. Whenever any momentous decisions were to be made in
> the 1tfoore family, they were alvvays made in the
> parlour.
> 'We were all breathless with excitement. Lua's
> 2.5
> letters from Chicago had been full of hidden hints
> and suggestions of wonderful things to come. She
> had refused to tell us by mail. She had piqued our
> curiosity until it was at fever pitch. Now she was
> with us to tell us what had made her so radiant and
> ethereal.'
> In the stillness of that room where so many
> questions had remained unans\vered for such a long
> time, Lua recited a prayer. The \vords were ne\v and
> \vonderfuI. The very atmosphere \vas charged \vith
> anticipation. Lua's mother follo\ved every gesture
> \vith her eyes.
> Slo\vly Lua began to speak. She became more
> animated and excited as she \vent along. Her face
> shone with a \vonderful light. She told her family
> many of the unforgettable things she l1ad discov"ered
> about the Baha'i Faith: l"1hi5 was the 'last day' foretold by Jesus. This \vas the day of the coming of the
> Promise of All Ages.
> Little by little, one at a time, she ans"\vered those
> questions which her mother had asked during
> those long-ago days when a 'millennial zeal' had
> been s\veeping their countryside.
> Lua could read both the question and the hope in
> her mother's eyes, 'If only it could be true l'
> Then, almost as if in answer to her mother's unasked question, Lua looked at her \vitIl a smile of
> joy and rapture. It vIas one of those 'exchanged
> glances' from her childhood "\vhich had been their
> special link \vith each other. Her mother's heart
> leaped.
> 'It is true,' Lua said. 'Christ has returned.'
> Lua's sister, who later shared with Lua many
> thrilling moments of victorious teaching, has said,
> 'It is impossible to describe the feeling of \vonder
> that evening, and the excitement Lua's '\vords
> generated in our hearts.'
> Lua looked at them, ller face radiating such
> beauty, such poignancy, such happiness, that they
> knew she was lost to them forever. Her delight in
> the future would lie in her service to her new-found
> family, mankind. There ,\vas a s,\veet sorro\v in her
> enraptured countenance that spoke of suffering
> mingled with joy.
> 'Even no,\v, as \ve talk here together,' Lua exclaimed, 'there are followers of this Faith in many
> parts of the \vorld building the Christ-promised
> Kingdom of God on earth.'
> She embraced her mother and her sisters, hugging
> them to her heart.
> 'I,' Lua told them, 'would give my life to be one
> of them.'
> Part II
> 
> IN THE HOLY LAND
> 7. Lua Arrives in the Holy Land
> Lua remained with her family long enough to prove
> to them beyond a shado"\v of a doubt that, incredible
> as her announcement appeared, it was indeed the
> truth.
> Lua cited proof after proof from both the Old
> and New Testaments.
> She showed them prophecies in these holy Books
> which demonstrated clearly that Baha'u'llih was
> undoubtedly the Return of Christ. He was the 'Son'
> returned in the 'glory of the Father'.
> Lua reminded her mother of those years immediately after her birth, when Christians all over the
> world had awaited the appearance of Christ, for 1844
> was the year of the greatest expectancy. This very
> year, Lua told them, was the year of the beginning
> of the Baha'i Faith.
> In moments like these Lua's face would be transformed. She was like a visitor from another kingdom. She was but twenty-three years old when she
> became a follower of Baha'u'llah. She never seemed
> to age. Her spirit ","'as a flame of youth, always
> burning with the same brilliant light.
> In the words of Juliet Thompson, one of Lua's
> dearest friends: 'She al\.vays seemed to me to have
> flown do"\vn out of the nowhere of the sky and lit on
> earth for just a little \vhile for the sole purpose of
> heralding her Lord.'
> Lua's long-pent-up eloquence 110\V had a channel
> for release. She became afiarrle \vith the 1fessage of
> Baha' u'11ah.
> Lua sct out on her teaching journeys, travelling
> from coast to coast in .1\merlca. t-fhese \vere but a
> prelude to the \~isits she ".vould 1nake to the continents of the earth, ne\7Tr setting dcnvn her burden
> until the last hours of her life.
> No \vonder Lua \vas ablaze. lIer entire life had
> been a prepar3.tion for this hour. She had been recreated. l)uring her travels, her glo\-ving spirit set
> many other souls on fire \yit11 the same enthusiasm.
> She attracted Jevls, Christians, 1vIuslims, even
> sceptics and atheists to this universal religion.
> An10ng those she taught, some \vere to become
> the most famous of the early l1croes and heroines of
> the Baha'i I~aith.
> On one of her journeys, Lua helped the wife of
> a fan10us An1erican Senator to embrace the Faith.
> Phoebe I-Iearst shared tiua's enthusiasm. Lua
> kindled a great desire in lYfrs Hearst to go to the
> I-Ioly Land and nlcet 'Abdu'l-Baha. TIley all longed
> to visit the scene \vhere these \vonders had taken
> place and see thern \vith their o\vn eyes. What a
> bounty and privilege it \vould be to \valk in those
> places \\7here Baha'u'lhih \valked; to go to the
> prison-city of 'Akka, that sacred spot spoken of in
> Scripture by the prophet I-Iosea \vho said it \vould
> be given to man as 'a door of hope'.
> Above all, they would be able to see and talk
> with Baha'u'lhih's eldest son, 'Abdu'l-Baha, \X7ho
> had shared I-lis Father's exile and imprisonnlent for
> forty years.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha \vas alive! He could be seen! He
> still lived in that same prison-city and \vas loved by
> all. He was known as 'The NIaster', a title given
> Him by His Father. They \vould be able to hear
> from His o\vn lips the answers to their questions.
> He \vould tell them ho\v they could best serve God
> in this day. t'fhey \vould see and talk wit11 the Person
> to Whom Baha'u'llah said all mankind should turn
> if they sougllt truth and guidance. It \vould be a
> holy pilgrimage. No sacrifice could be too great.
> They made plans to leave as soon as possible.
> We can only imagine the excitement Lua experienced during these days of preparation.
> Several other Baha'is \vere invited to join them.
> In Paris a fe\v more were added to the party.
> Among them \vas the illustrious lYfay (Ellis Bolles)
> Maxwell \Vh01TI Lua herself had won over to the
> Faith. Lua's hllsband, Edward Getsinger, also
> accompanied the party.
> In Egypt a fe\v others joined the group. Finally,
> the pilgrims numbered fifteen. Because of the
> danger \vhich still surrounded 'Abdu'l-Baha, as a
> Prisoner and an Exile, they arrived gradually in
> three successive parties.
> Lua was in the very first group. She reached the
> prison-city on December loth, 1898.
> 
> 8.   Lua Meets the Master
> It was truly an 'historic' pilgrimage upon which
> Lua had launched them. None of them would
> ever be the same.
> Little did that handful of believers dream of the
> significance of their journey and the world-wide
> consequences \vhich would follo\v their entry into
> the prison-city of 'j\kki.
> They \vere the first of a long line of pilgrims who
> \vould come in a ceaseless flo\v from all parts of
> the \vorld, even do\vn to the present day. Only t\VO
> World \vars could interrupt this constant, and
> ever-increasing, movement of visitors to the Bahi'i
> World Centre.
> Those first, unique pilgrims "vere forced to
> arrive in small numbers, and at irregular intervals,
> because they, like their beloved Master, 'Abdu'l-
> Baha, ,\vere in effect 'prisoners' themselves \vhen
> they ,\vere "\vith Hi!n.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha explained to pilgrims, \vho came
> eight years later, a truth that \vas even more applicable to Lua and her companions.
> 'This is a prison,' 'Abdu'l-Baha said, 'and in
> prison one cannot find rest. \-xrhatever it may be,
> this is a prison and you \vill stay son1e days in
> this prison \vith us, and you will be counted as
> .
> prIsoners.
> 'In fact, you are my con1panions in servitude to
> the \vorld, and you are in prison as I alTI, and in
> everything \ve are partners.'
> No words could bring greater l1appiness to the
> heart of a pilgrim. Imagine the joy of sharing, even
> on that pitifully small scale, the sorro\vs and
> imprisonment of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
> When Lua and her friends met 'Abdu'l-Baha for
> the first time, their \vorld became another world.
> All that had happened to them in the past \vas of no
> consequence. This was the moment of their rebirth.
> Later they "\V~ould perform acts \vhich ,\vollld astound
> the Baha'is of both East and \,lest.
> In concert \vith their fellow-believers [raIn other
> countries, the spiritual children of these early
> Baha'is \vould settle in more than one hundred
> countries in eleven tTIonths, and plant the banner of
> Baha'u'llah in over fifty thousand places on the
> surface of the planet.
> Only future historians \vill be able to adequately
> recount and properly assess the value of that matchless first pilgrimage, and its impact upon the history
> of the Baha'i I~aitll and the fate of the \~vorld.
> 
> The days \vhich those first pilgrliTIs spent in the
> prison-city of 'Akki \vere precious 1110n1cnts they
> \vould treasure all their lives.
> In this vicinity, Baha'u'lhih spent nearly a quarter
> of a century as a Prisoner and an Exile. So foul was
> the atmosphere, so unsanitary and disease-·ridden,
> that a proverb declared: 'If a bird flies over 'Akka,
> it dies l'
> Yet in that unfragrant place these first pilgrims
> experienced nothing but happiness. ~rhey \vere
> prisoners \vhere Baha'u'llah and 'l\bdu'l-Baha had
> been I)risoners. 1"ihey \vere surrounded by love eaell
> step of the way.
> 11ay 11axwell, Lua's dear friend, recalled their
> first visit to 'Abdu'l-Baha in these words:
> 'During the three wonderful days and nigbts we
> spent in that sacred spot \ve heard naught but the
> mention of G-od; His 1-Ioly Name was on every
> tongue; 1-1is beauty and goodness were the theme of
> all conversation; His Glorious Cause [the Baha'i
> Faith] the only aim of every life. Whenever we
> gathered together in one of the rootns they spoke
> unceasingly of the Blessed Perfection [Baha'u'llah],
> relating incidents in the life of the Beloved, mentioning His \17ords, telling of I-lis deeds and the
> passionate love and devotion of His follo"\vers
> until our hearts ached vvith love and longing.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha told the pilgrims not to be sad
> because He "\vas a Prisoner.
> 'Anyone can be happy in the state of comfort,
> ease, success, health, pleasure and joy,' He said, 'but
> if one be happy and contented in the time of
> trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, that is the
> proof of nobility.'
> This \-vas the lesson '.t\bdu'l-Baha taught these
> pilgrims.
> 'Grieve not because of 1ny imprisonment and
> calamity,' He ,\vrote, 'for this prison is my beautiful
> garden, my mansioned paradise and my throne of
> dominion among mankind.'
> Lua and her fellow pilgrims learned many a
> lesson at 'Abdu'l-Baha's feet. His personal "\vants
> were few. He worked from early morning to late at
> night. Two simple meals a day were sufficient for
> Him. His \vardrobe held only a fe'vv garments of
> inexpensive material. 'Abdu'l-Baha could not bear
> to live in luxury \vhile others \vere in "\vant.
> One of Lua's conten1poraries has described those
> days of pilgrimage, saying:
> 'To 'Abdu'l-Baha, as a teacher and friend, came
> men and women from every race, religion and
> nation, to sit at his table like favored guests, questioning him about the social, spiritual or moral
> program each had most at heart, and after a stay
> lasting fronl a fe\v hours to n1any rnonths, returning
> home, inspired, renewed and enlightened. The
> \vorld surely never possessed such a guest-house
> as this.
> 'Within these doors the rigid castes of India
> melted a\vay, the racial prejudice of ]e\v, Christian
> and 11uhammadan became less than a melnory;
> and every convention save the essentialla\v of ,varm
> hearts and aspiring minds broke down, banned and
> forbidden by the unifying sympathy of the master of
> the house. It \vas like a I(ing i\rthur and the
> Round Table ... but an _A.rtl1ur \v11o knighted
> \vornen as well as n1en, and sent them a\vay not
> \-vith the s\vord but \vith the Word.'
> Such was Lua \vho \vas to become the 'motherteacher of the \X'est' and a 'herald' of that ne\v day
> '"
> soon to dawn in America. 'Abdu'l-Baha gave her
> the Persian title, I~iva, the Banner. She would wave
> the flag of the Covenant in many lands.
> 
> 9. A Letter from Lua
> Lua herself has left an account of her first lneeting
> with 'Abdu'l-Baha. It is best told in her o\vn \vords
> in a letter \vhich she sent to i\merica:
> 'To my friends in Chicago, Greetings!
> 'We reached Haifa, Thursday, December 9th,*
> about 10.30 p.m. and ,,,ere met by three of the
> Baha'is. WTe slept but little that night. Our minds
> were occupied \vith the thought that perhaps tomorrow we shall see our beloved Master, 'Abdu'l-
> Baha. We arose early the next morning, our hearts
> eagerly expectant, but all day no word came. In
> the evening a letter came stating that He would be
> pleased to welcome us 011 the nlorrow and that
> "His heart longed to see the first American
> pilgrims" .
> 'As you tnay imagine, sleep \vas out of the question that night as well. The hours passed much too
> slowly until the dawn of the morrow should come.
> I arose early, dressing myself vlith much care, feeling the best I had was not half good enough to
> wear upon this first visit to the Holy City. Shortly
> after eight o'clock, the carriage drove us to the
> dwelling place of our Gracious Master.
> 'It is about five miles * from Haifa to 'Akka along
> the road to the sea. Indeed the road is in the sea,
> for the horses were walking in the water and at
> times the waves dashed nearly to the top of the
> wheels. After riding for about a quarter of an hour
> we could see the city in the distance. It was a
> beautiful morning, and as we looked we could but
> think of a description in the Dible, "A city all of
> gold beside the crystal sea." It was bathed in a
> flood of golden sunshine and the sea splashing up
> against its walls sparkled with splendorl
> 'We gradually approached nearer and nearer
> until at last we entered the city by its solitary gate
> and drove straight to the house of 'Abdu'l-Baha.
> 'We entered the garden, ascended one flight of
> stairs and were shown into a hall, or reception
> room, where we removed our wraps. By the violent
> beating of my heart, I kne\\T I was soon to behold
> the Blessed Face of our Beloved Master. \Ve
> * More nearly nine miles.
> reached the door and stopped. Before us, in the
> center of the room, stood a man clad in long railnent, -vvith a "\vhitc turban 01111i8 head. I-Ie stretched
> out I-lis hand to us while .fIis face -vvas lighted by a
> rare s\veet slnile of joy and "\velcorne. I stood there
> for a moment unable to move. Then my heart gave
> a great throb, and scarcely kno\ving "That I ,vas
> doing, I held out my arms crying, "IVfy I..ord, 11y
> I...Iord 1" I rushed to Him, kneeling at Ilis blessed
> feet, and sobbed like a child. He put His dear hand
> A
> 
> upon lny bowed head and said in a voice that
> seemed like a strain of s\veet music, "\\7elcome,
> \velcome, my dear children, you are \velcome; arise
> and be of good cheer." Then He sat do\vn upon a
> lo\v divan, and I sat on one side almost facing Him.
> Then He began to talk to us . . .
> 'So s\viftly did the time pass that we ,vere quite
> astonished vlhen dinner \vas announced ...
> 'I-Ie seated rne on. I-lis right. I felt too happy to
> eat and sat \vith my eyes riveted upon His glorious
> face. He turned to\vard me and s\veetly smiling,
> i
> said, "1 he love of God burning in your heart is
> manifested upon your face and it gives us joy to
> look upon you."
> 'Later that night, I-Ie came again. One of the
> friends asked permission to sit near Ifinl, Vvhich Vias
> granted. After a moment }Ie turned to\\'ard me,
> smiled, and \vaved His hand that I also might C01ne.
> I sat down at I-lis blessed feet \vhile I-Ie took mv     J
> 
> hand, looking do\vn upon me tenderly as a loving
> father. He sat and conversed \vith us for nearly an
> hour. T1hen He arose and 'wished us good night,
> blessing us, and we all retired.
> '1 couldn't sleep. My heart was too full. 1 was t90
> infinitely happy. I could only live over and over
> again the precious moments I had spent in His
> presence and longed to see Him once more. I fell
> into a sweet sleep just as morning was break-
> .
> lng.
> 'That evening He sat us all at the table and dismissed the servants saying He would serve us
> Himself. He did not sit at the table with us, but
> waited upon us. At the conclusion of the meal, He
> said, "I have served you tonight that you may
> learn the lesson of ever serving your fellow creatures
> with love and kindness."
> 'The next morning He brought a beautiful bunch
> of white narcissus. He sat down and drank tea with
> us, then arose and bade us adieu. We were going
> back to Haifa that day and He had been called
> away. As we "vere leaving the city we saw Him
> standing by the gate. He smiled at us as we passed.
> Our hearts were both sorrowful and happy. Happy
> because we had seen Him, but sorrowful because
> we were leaving Him.'
> Lua closed her letter to her American friends,
> .
> saylng:
> 'These words are very weak and inadequate. But
> no one could describe this place and it is foolish to
> try. Each must see for himself. Therefore, pray
> God earnestly that the blessings of coming here
> may soon be besto",red upon you.
> 'And now I send you all my love and pray God to
> bless you now and forever. 1-fay your hearts all be
> united and your souls become as one soul living in
> separate bodies. Thus you will resemble our Lord,
> and draw nearer unto God the loving Father of us
> all!
> 'Your loving sister and co-worker in the Cause,
> Lua.'
> 
> 10.   'Abdu'l-Bahti, Father of the Poor
> Lua \vrote many letters to her friends in America.
> She told then1 all she could about the beautiful life
> of 'Abdu'l-Baha. She described the many moving
> scenes by which she was surrounded in the Holy
> Land. She shared with them touching, heart-warming stories showing the special love which the
> people of Haifa and 'Akka had for the Master.
> Each of the pilgrims in Lua's party experienced
> days of delight and joy, days \vhich recalled the
> zeal and ecstasy of those v/ho first met Jesus the
> Christ. Each received confirmations and was fired
> vvith great eagerness to serve the Cause of God.
> Each had his own story to tell. Perhaps we should
> see 'Abdu'l-Baha through their eyes as well.
> The first member of the Negro race ever to
> embrace the Baha'i Faith in America was in that
> first party of pilgrims in 1898. Robert Turner
> became a faithful believer all the days of his life.
> He was 'transported by the influence exerted by
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi in the course of that epoch-making
> pilgrimage'. Nothing throughout his long life
> would ever again becloud the 'radiance' or 'lessen
> the intensity of the emotions which the lovingkindness showered by 'Abdu'l-Baha upon him had
> excited in his breast.'
> Mrs Hearst, the friend who had been their
> hostess on the journey, declared those days to be
> 'the most memorable' of her life. She described
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi as 'the Inost \vonderful Being I have
> ever met or ever expect to meet in this world'. She
> alluded to the 'spiritual attnosphere which surrounds Him and most po\verfully affects all those
> "\vho are blest by being near Him' as something
> 'indescribable' .
> May Max\vell, \vho vvas to becon1e the motherteacher of Europe, and to open France and Canada
> to the Fait11 of Bahi'u'llih, recorded for posterity
> her never-to-be-forgotten impressions of her first
> glimpse of 'Abdu'l-Baha, and l1er meeting \vith
> Him.
> ' ... I can remember neither joy nor pain nor
> anything that I can name. I had been carried suddenly to too great a height; my soul had come in
> contact \rvith the Divine Spirit; and this force so
> pure, so holy, so mighty, had overwhelmed me ...
> We could not remove our eyes from His glorious
> face: we heard all He said; \rve drank tea with Him
> at His bidding; but existence seemed suspended, and
> when He arose and suddenly left us \ve came back
> with a start to life: but never again, oh I never
> again, thank God, to tlle same life on this earth!'
> 
> Let us share a glimpse of 'Abdu'l-Baha from the
> pen of one \vho was 110t a Baha'i, a famous American attorney. He also was a guest of 'Abdu'l-Baha
> during those same years. His name was Myron H.
> Phelps.
> Mr Phelps \rvas so moved by 'Abdu'l-Baha's
> Christlike life that he set down in deathless language a picture of 'Abdu'l-Baha, as Lua herself had
> seen Him many times in the streets of the ancient
> city of 'Akka. He wrote an entire book about
> 'Abdu'l-Baha.
> On one occasion, Phelps described a typical day
> in the life of 'Abdu'l-Baha:
> 'Some day at this season, ... you may see the
> poor of Akka gathered at one of the shops \vhere
> clothes are sold, receiving cloaks from the Master.
> Upon many, especially the most infirm or crippled,
> he himself places the garment, adjusts it ... approvingly, as if to say, "Therel Now you will do
> well ... "
> 'On feast days he visits the poor at their homes.
> He chats with them, inquires into their health and
> comfort, mentions by name those who are absent,
> and leaves gifts for all ...
> 'He himself eats but once a day, and then bread,
> olives, and cheese suffice him.
> 'His room is small and bare, with only a matting
> on the stone floor. His habit is to sleep upon this
> floor. Not long ago a friend, thinking that this
> must be hard for a man of advancing years, presented him with a bed fitted with springs and
> mattress. So these stand in his room also, but are
> rarely used. "For how," he says, "can I bear to
> sleep in luxury when so many of the poor have not
> even shelter?" So he lies upon the floor and covers
> himself only with his cloak ...
> 'He is the beloved of all the city, high and low.
> And how could it be otherwise? For to this man it
> is the law, as it was to Jesus of Nazareth, to do good
> to those who injure him ...
> 42.
> 'This 1faster ['Abdu'l-Baha] is as simple as his
> soul is great. He claims nothing for himself-neither
> conlfort, nor honour, nor repose. Three or four
> hours of sleep suffice him; all the remainder of hls
> time and allilis strength are given to the succour of
> those "\vho suffer, in spirit or in body. "I am," he
> says, "the servant of God."
> 'Such is Abbas Effendi ['Abdu'l-Baha], the
> IYIaster of Akka.'
> 
> l\1ay lYfax\vell described 'vividly t1le day 'Abdu'l-
> Baha unexpectedly told thenl to prepare to go from
> Haifa to 'Akka. ~fay was feeling ill.
> 'On Tuesday night,' l\1ay later wrote, 'I told my
> spiritual mother [LuaJ that the Master evidently
> did not realize hov{ ill and weak I was or He would
> never have expected me to leave with the others on
> Wednesday morning. Ohl We of little faith! No
> \vonder SllC smiled and shook l1er head, saying,
> "You will soon realize sotnething of the power of
> 'Abdu'l-Baha."
> 'It was about dawn when I awoke, feeling myself
> stirred by a breeze. I cannot describe what followed,
> but through lny soul was flowing an essence; a
> mighty, unseen force \vas penetrating all my being,
> expanding it \vith boundless life and love and
> happiness, lifting and enfolding me in its mighty
> strength and peace.'
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi assured that first party of pilgrims
> that every soul, no matter ho\v humble his station
> in life, could win great victories for the Cause of
> God.
> 'We can all serve in the Cause of God,' 'Abdu'l-
> Baha said, 'no matter \vhat our occupation is. No
> occupation can prevent the soul coming to God.
> Peter was a fisherman, yet he accomplished most
> wonderful things; but the heart must be turned
> al\vays to\vard God, no matter \vhat the \vork is;
> this is the itnportant thing; and then the po\ver of
> God \vill \vork in us. We are like a piece of iron in
> the midst of the fire which becomes heated to such
> a degree that it partakes of the nature of the fire
> and gives out the same effect to all it touchesso is the soul that is al"\vays turned to\vard God, and
> filled witll the spirit.'
> 
> I I.   'Follow Me; be as I an]"
> When the day came for those first pilgrims to leave
> 'that perfumed land "\vhich is forever blest and holy
> above all places', their hearts "\vere l1eavy. Soon
> they would be on the high. seas sailing a\rvay from
> His wondrous presence.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha
> .          called them to Him that final
> morning.
> Lua's beloved May NIax\vell captured for all of
> them the spirit of that last intervie\v with 'Abdu'l-
> Baha before their departure. May testified to the
> atmosphere of love that surrounded them all in
> these words:
> 'In the might and majesty of His presence our
> fear was turned to perfect faith, our weakness into
> strength, our sorro\v into 110pe and ourselves forgotten in our love for I-lim. As we sat before Him
> waiting to hear His words, some of the believers
> wept bitterly. He asked them for His sake not to
> weep, nor \vould He talk to us or teach us until all
> tears were banished . . .'
> Among 'Abdu'l-Baha's \vords of comfort and
> inspiration on that occasion \vere these:
> 'You have come here among the first and your
> reward is great. There are two visits; the first is
> for a blessing; then ye come and are blest and are
> sent fortil to work in God's vineyard; the second ye
> come with music and the banners flying, like
> soldiers, in gladness and triumph to receive your
> reward.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha promised Lua, May Max\vell and
> their fellow-pilgrims that the 'spirit' which flooded
> through all of them in this day far exceeded that
> animating the great figures of past religions.
> ' ... I say unto you,' 'Abdu'l-Baha declared, 'that
> anyone who will rise up in the Cause of God at this
> time shall be filled with the spirit of God, and that
> He '\vill send His hosts from heaven to help you,
> and that nothing shall be impossible to you if you
> have faith.'
> What a '\vonderful promise. The souls of His
> listeners were galvanized. They \vere eager to rush
> forth into the vineyard.
> 'And no\v I give you a commandment which
> shall be for a covenant between you and Me-that
> ye have faith; that your faith be steadfast as a rock
> that no storms can move, that nothing can disturb,
> and that it endure through all things even to the
> end; even should ye Ilear that your Lord has been
> crucified, be not shaken in your faith; for I am with
> you al"vays, whether living or dead, I am with you
> to the end. As ye have faith so shall your po\vers and
> blessings be. This is the balance-this is the balance
> -this is the balance.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha closed that interview, which was
> to change the Western world and ultimately the
> face of the globe, with these words of tender love:
> 'Now the time has come \vhen we must part, but
> the separation is only of our bodies, in spirit we are
> united ... Great mercy and blessings are promised
> to the people of your land [America], but on one
> condition: that their hearts are filled \vith the fire of
> love, that they live in perfect kindness and harmony
> like one soul in different bodies. If they fail in this
> condition the great blessings \vill be deferred.
> Never forget this; look at one another with the
> eye of perfection; look at }J:e, follow Me, be as I
> am; take no thought for yourselves or your lives,
> whether ye eat or whether yc sleep, "\vhether ye are
> comfortable, whether ye are \vell or ill, "\vhether ye
> are with friends or foes, whether ye receive praise
> or blame; for all of these things ye must care not at
> all. Look at Me and be as I am; ye must die to
> yourselves and to the world, so shall ye be born
> again and enter the I<ingdom of Heaven. Be110ld a
> candle how it gives its light. It weeps its life a\vay
> drop by drop in order to give fortll its flame of
> light.'
> 
> 12.   The Flrst l\lartyr for Women's Rlgllts
> With such words and memories as t11ese engraved
> on their hearts and minds, those first pilgrims \vent
> from the Holy Land-May to Paris, Lua to America.
> Lua had no\v but one purpose in mind. She was
> deternlined to tell all the \vorld about Baha'u'llah.
> The Teachings of the Baha'i Faith had taken full
> possession of her soul.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha had instructed Lua that in her
> teaching she must become as courageous as
> Tahirih, the greatest heroine of the early days of the
> Ba11a'i Faith in Persia. rfahirih, like Lua, "vas also
> in her t\venties \vhen she first heard of the Faith.
> Tahirih, a young poetess of outstanding beauty
> and intelligence, \vas called the Persian Joan of Arc.
> When she gave her life in martyrdonl for this Faith,
> a famous European diplomat called her martyrdom
> 'one of the most affecting episodes in modern
> history'. Such was rrahirih's eloquence that '\vhen she
> spoke one felt stirred to the depths of one's soul, was
> filled \vith adrniration, and was moved to tears'.
> A professor from Cambridge University had
> written that 'the appearance of such a \VOlIlan' as
> Tahirih was 'a prodigy-nay, almost a miracle'.
> 
> There were special historical links bet\vecn these
> two heroines of the Baha'i raith, the matchless
> Tahirih, peerless and unequalled, and the one
> 'Abdu'l-Baha said should be her counterpart in
> America, the ilnnl0rtal Lua.
> When Lua's mother was five years old, in 1848,
> the first Woman's Rights Conference was held in
> upper New Yark, the beginning of tIle movement
> for women's suffrage in America. In the same year,
> in the tiny hamlet of Badasht in Persia, the early
> followers of the Baha'i Faith held their first
> Conference.
> Dr T. K. Cheyne, a reno\vned Bible scholar at
> Oxford University, \,vrote of that gathering in his
> book, The Reconciliation of Races and Religions, saying
> that as a result of the coming of the Bab, Prophet-
> Forerunner of the Baha'i Faith, the distinctions
> bet"veen 'races' and between 'male and female' "\vere
> at an end. Suc11 things \,vere discussed on that
> historic occasion. It was then that Tahirih, casting
> off the 'veil' and breaking \'vith the past Islamic
> subjugation of "vomen, proclaitned: 'I am the bugle!
> I am the bell!' sounding an end to the fetters that
> bound her sex.
> Only a short time later, Tahirih was to be slain
> for her beliefs. She \vas martyred in 1852, the year
> in which another \\1oman's Rights Convention was
> held in that same upper New York, just nineteen
> years before Lua's birth.
> Tahirih has been called 'the first woman suffrage
> martyr'.
> Dr Cheyne, in this same book, stated: 'If there
> has been any propl1et in recent times, it is to
> Baha'u'llah that we must go.' He also declared that
> Tahirih's 'insight' came from Baha'u'lhih, \'Vho
> presided at that historic Conference in Badas11t.
> Cheyne credited Tahirih \'vith 'opening the catalogue of social reforms in Persia'.
> This was the heroine whom 'Abdu'l-Baha held
> up to Lua as the example she must follow.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha said that Tahirih
> .      was 'a brand afire
> with the love of God'. He told Lua she must exert
> every effort to be like her. He gave her a prayer to
> recite so that she might achieve this goal.
> Lua, who knew of the glory and greatness of
> Tahirih, protested that she could not. 'It is beyond
> me,' she said. 'I am too \veak, too filled with faults. If
> I pray to be like her, God will kno\v that I am lying.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha said 'You must l'
> He told Lua to pray always that she \vould be like
> Tahirih, who had broken with the past, cast off the
> veil and provided the trumpet-blast that had helped
> to herald this Ne\v Day of God.
> 
> Lua did her best to obey 'Abdu'l-Baha. Her l1eart
> was surrendered in uns\verving love and obedience
> to every \Y/ ord of His instructions.
> Lua fully accepted Baha'u'llah as the Nlessenger
> of God for this day. She believed in every Word He
> had written as a guide to mankind. Because of this
> complete and unquestioned dedication, her soul \vas
> infused with a divine quality of love for all human
> beings. Tfhis universal love gave Lua an unconscious and effortless ability to magnetize and inspire
> those with whom she came in contact.
> One could never forget the picture of Lua
> standing straight as a lance before an assembly of
> people, her head thro\vn back, her eyes alight,
> opening her lips and pouring forth a stream of
> golden eloquence.
> For 'Abdu'l-Baha had bestovved a unique and
> special gift of eloquence upon Lua. Lua confided
> this secret to 11er friend Juliet Thompson, an
> American portrait painter. The Master, she said,
> had promised her that she would have this gift.
> All Lua had to do when facing an audience was to
> rely completely on the strong current of her Faith,
> turn to 'Abdu'l-Baha, and He ,vould not fail her.
> The fact that Lua did indeed possess this n1agic
> gift of eloquence \vas testified to repeatedly by her
> listeners. They \vould sit spellbound by Lua's voice,
> entranced by her astonishing \vords, so simple, so
> basic, and so moving. I-Ier friend, 1vfiss Thompson,
> often said that Lua reminded her of Tahirih
> .       and her
> ecstatic announcement before her death: 'I an1 the
> bugle! I am the bell!'
> 
> 13. Lua Leaves the Alaster: Frol1l Sunlight into
> Darkness
> Lua's destiny \vas to carry her often between
> America and 'l\kka. It was on one of her many
> visits to 'l\bdu'l-Bahi that l1cr impatience for
> spiritual gro\vth caused her to exclain1, 'Oh, my
> beloved 11aster, I want to be perfected I I \vant to be
> perfected quickly I'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha looked at her \vith a loving smile
> and gently shook His head.
> Lua repeated her request more urgently.
> 'Quickly! I \vant to be perfected quickly so that I
> may truly serve Thee.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha warned her that she could not
> stand the process of being 'perfected quickly'.
> 'Oh, yes, I can,' she cried, 'if it will make me a
> better servant to Thee.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha "vas firm. ;-rhe creation of Almighty
> God is perfect, but the perfections appear gradually.
> The seed comes to fruitage through the growth of
> the tree. But Lua's impetuous spirit would not be
> stilled.
> Patiently, the Master educated this eager servant,
> preparing her for the years of teaching that lay
> ahead.
> The Ivies sage Lua \vas to carry to the world was
> simple: The religion of God is one religion, and all
> the !vfessengers have taught the same fundamental
> truth. In the Teachings of Moses we see the seed,
> in those of Christ the plant, in those of Mu1).ammad
> the branches, in those of the Bab and Baha'u'llah
> the fruit. All are part of the single, unfolding, progressively revealed Truth. All teach the same inward truths about God, the soul, immortality; but
> Their outward Teachings are adapted to the age in
> which These 11essengers appear, and change according to the needs of society. All Their laws,
> principles, and institutions are for the betterment of
> mankind.
> Mr Thornton Chase, the first person to accept
> Baha'u'lhih itl America, expressed these truths as he
> felt them after his pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
> Thornton Chase became a Baha'i just a fe\v months
> before Lua. He followed her to the presence of
> 'Abdu'l-Baha, and wrote:
> 'Five days we remained \vithln those ,valls,
> prisoners \vitIl Him \vIlo dwells in that "Greatest
> Prison". It is a prison of peace, of love and service.
> No wish, no desire is there save the good of mankind, the peace of the world, the acknowledgment of
> the Fatherhood of God and the mutual rights of
> men as His creatures, His children.'
> 
> The hour came for Lua to leave 'Akka yet
> another time. She was being sent out into the
> 'vineyard of God'. 'Abdu'1-Ba11a told her to put
> into practice all that she had learned there at the
> heart of the Faith.
> The instructions of 'Abdu'l-Baha \.vere loving
> and tender. Yet, to Lua, leaving the presence of
> 'Abdu'l-Baha was the worst possible disaster.
> She felt she had been banished fro>m her beloved
> Master. She felt that 'Abdu'l-Baha was sending l1er
> away to teach l1er patience. She kne'\v only too \vell
> hovv desperately s11e needed to learn this lesson, but
> leaving 'Abdu'l-Baha \vas like going from the sunlight into the darkness. A sudden transition from
> life to death. It was almost too much for Lua's
> spirit.
> But she bowed her head meekly and obeyed. She
> returned at once to America.
> 
> Part III
> 
> THE WEST AIDS THE EAST
> 14. The "Vest Shall Replace the East
> Future historians \vill be botll intrigued and
> fascinated by the many 'links' \vhich bind the
> people of the \Vest to the Baha'i Faith, and have so
> united the1TI ever since its birth in Persia in 1844.
> In the very hour of that birth, the Bab, \Vho "vas
> the Herald of the Baha'i Faith, called out to tI1e
> people of the West, as vlell as to those of the East.
> He urged them to spontaneously seek their Lord,
> and to arise for the service of mankind.
> In His first Book, begun on that night, the Bab
> 'directly addressed the "peoples of tbe West," and
> significantly bade them "issue forth" from their
> H cities" to aid God, and U beco1JJe as brethren" in His
> 
> "one and indivisible religion".'
> Baha'u'llah, in anticipation of this development
> of His Faith in the West, \vrote: (lit the East, the
> light of His Revelation hath broken; in the fPest the
> signs of His dOlninion have appeared.'
> And 'Abdu'l-Baha was later to \vrite, (The day is
> approaching when J'e shall 11/ilness h01VJ through tbe
> splendor of the Faith of Bah!l' u' Ildh J the ff7est will have
> replaced the East, radiatillg the light of Divine gttidance.'
> Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Baha'i Faith and
> grandson of 'Abdu'l-Baha, therefore points out:
> 'The importance of so momentous a development in
> the evolution of the Faith of Baha'u'lhih-the
> establishment of His Cause in the Nort11 American
> continent-~t a time "\vhen 'Abdu'l-Bahi had just
> inaugurated His ]\fisslon ... can in no "\vise be
> overestimated. '
> Thus we begin to realize the significance of that
> historic first pilgrimage undertaken by Lua and l1er
> illustrious companions from the West.
> 
> 1"ihe Blessed Bah "\-vas martyred in 1850, s110t
> down by a firing-squad of 750 old-style muskets.
> The first ,Tolley failed to kill I-lim. It cut the cords
> that bound Him, thereby freeing Him. The French
> author IvI. C. I-iuart Vlrote: 'It was a real miracle.'
> The Frel1c11 historian A. L. ~f. Nicolas described
> that event as a thing 'unique in the annals [of the
> history] of humanity'.
> The Bab's sacred remains \vere hidden from His
> enemies, and moved from place to place for fifty
> years* until, at last, they arrived in the Holy Land
> to be enton1bed 011 the side of God's holy lTIountain,
> Carmel, on the site chosen by Baha'u'lUill Hin1self.
> It was in the same period that Lua and her conlpanions arrived as the first pilgrims from the \Y/est.
> In that same year of 1899, 'Abdu'l-Bahi ,vent to
> Mount Carmel and there, \vith I-lis own hands, laid
> the foundation-stone for the Edifice of the Shrine
> of the Bab \vhich His Father, Bahi'u'llih, l1ad told
> Him to build on that exact spot. ,\-{lithin a few
> months I-Ie began its construction.
> 
> Ten years later, 'Abdu'l-Baha's royal enemy,
> Sul~an '.1\bdu'l-I:-Iamfd II, lost his throne. During
> * By the lunar calendar.
> the intervening years, in spite of His enemies \vho
> had threatened to exile Him to Africa, cast Him into
> the sea, or hang Him on the gallows, 'Abdu'l-
> BaM had serenely continued His work on the
> Shrine for the sacred remains of the Bab. Now it
> was finished.
> The Sultan \vas overthro\vn. He became a
> prisoner and an exile. 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself has
> said, 'God took the chains from off my neck and
> placed them about the neck of 'Abdu'l-Ijamid.'
> How Lua's heart must have leaped for joy \vhen, a
> decade after her first pilgrimage, she heard the
> news that her beloved l\1aster was free at last I He
> had spent half a century as a prisoner and an exile,
> from the age of nine until, fifty-six years later, His
> imprisonment came to an end.
> Almost immediately, 'Abdu'l-Baha prepared to
> place the remains of the Bab in the white marble
> sarcophagus \vhich had been designed for that purpose and sent as a gift by the Baha'is of Rangoon,
> Burma. He was free to fulfil the sacred task given
> Him by His Father. The holy dust of the Bab would
> soon rest in the 'vineyard of God', Mount Carmel.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself has described this accomplishment as 'one of the most signal acts' of His
> Ministry. On more than one occasion, we are told
> by the Guardian, He 'testified' that 'the safe transfer
> of these remains', vvhich had been hidden from
> enemies and moved from place to place for over
> half a century, the 'construction of a befitting
> mausoleum to receive them', and their interment
> with His own hands in their final and 'permanent
> resting-place' together constituted one of the 'three
> principal objectives' of His mISS1on. His achieven1ent has been called' one of the outstanding events
> in the first Baha'i centurv'.
> '"
> 
> 15. The Bab and Baha'u'lldlz: the DaUJfl and the
> Sun
> Baha'u'lhih I-i:imself had chosen the site \vhere the
> Shrine of the Bab \vas to be built. I-lis tent had been
> pitched on the side of Mount Carmel, and, while
> seated near a clump of cypress trees \vhich still
> stand as sentinels, He had pointed out the exact
> spot. It \vas Bah8~'u'llah \X'ho gave to 'l\.bdu'l-Baha
> the task of raising that noble structure and arranging for that sacred dust to be brought from Persia.
> Now the time had come w11en 'l~.bdu'l-Baha's
> arduous labour \vas reaching an end. All the sorrows, hardships and suffering were forgotten. The
> Blessed Bab, Who vIas the 'return of Elijah', would
> be laid to rest for all time \vithin sight of the famous
> Cave of Elijah on Mount Carmel.
> It was in 1909 that Lua \vas privileged to receive a
> letter from tIle Holy I.land, announcing the good
> news of the final entombment of those sacred
> remains in the bosom of the 'holy hill'.
> Lua and all the Baha'is in the West were deeply
> affected \vhen they received a description of the
> moving events that took place on that occasion.
> \Vhat a glorious moment it \vas! And in that
> moment the closeness bet\veen the East, the West,
> and the heart of the Baha'i Faith in t11e Holy Land
> ,vas strikingly demonstrated, as we shall see.
> In order that \ve may fully appreciate the significance of this achievement, and experience with Lua
> the joy that surrounded l1er "vhen she heard the
> ne\'ilS, \ve shall revic\v briefly some of the events
> that led up to this victory. Lua herself had no doubt
> heard these stories many times from the lips of the
> Master and her fello\v-pilgritTIs from Persia.
> 
> The Bab frequently told His follo\vers that I-Ie,
> Himself, \vas merely 'the channel of grace from
> some great Person still behind the ,reil of glory
> [Baha]'. It "vas the Bab's \vish that I-Ie should
> never be separated from Baha'u'lhih in life or in
> death.
> In the early days of His lvIinistry, the Bab journeyed to\vard Tihran, the capital of fran and the
> birthplace of Baha'u'lhih. Tihran has been described
> in the Baha'i \Vritings as 'the mother of the \vorld'.
> The Bah visited a nearby sacred Shrine. While in
> that neighbourhood, He revealed a Tablet \vhich
> He instructed His follo"\v"ers to chant there. The
> love \v11ic11 the Bab had for Baha'u'llali is evident
> in . the words which He addressed to that buried
> saInt:
> '\Y/ell it is \vith you to have found your resting
> place ... under the shado\v of lYfy Beloved. Would
> that I might be entombed \vithin the precincts of
> that holy ground!'
> Follo\ving His martyrdom, the remains of the
> Bab, which had been cast into a moat outside the
> city of Tab riz , \vere rescued by His followers,
> brought to Tihran, and for a time were entombed in
> that very Shrine \vithin the shado\v of Baha'u'llah.
> They \vere transferred from place to place, from
> danger to safety, under the direction of Bahi'u'lhih,
> for nearly fifty years, until they reached the I-Ialy
> J.Jand "\vhcre for all tin1e the 1101y Dust of the Bab
> "\vould rest 'under the shado\v' of I-lis Beloved.
> 
> Nabil, the historian of those early days, enriches
> our understanding of the significance of the entombment of the rcnlains of the Bab on IvIount
> Carmel, by pointing to the unique love that had
> bound the Bab and Baha'u'llah toget11cr since the
> earlies t days of the Bahi'i F ai tho
> Baha'u'llah, Nabil tells us, had such a love for
> the Bab that I-Ie \vould not let flirn suffer any pain,
> indignity, or humiliation in \vhich fIe, Baha'u'llah,
> did not share.
> The Bib "vas first confined ill the house of the
> Chief Constable of Shiraz in Persia. Shortly after
> this, Bahi'u'lhih \vas confined in the house of one of
> the religious leaders in tfihran.
> The Bab's second imprisonment was in the castle
> of 1vIah-Ku; that of Baha'u'llah followed "\vhen He
> was imprisoned in the residence of the governor of
> Amul.
> rrhe Bab \vas scourged in the prayer-house in
> l abriz. t"rhc very same punishment "\vas inflicted
> f
> 
> shortly af!er this upon Baha'u'lla11 in the prayerhouse at Amul.
> The Bab's third imprisonment was in the castle
> of Chihriq; that of Bahi'u'lhih in the Black-Pit
> prison of Tihran.
> The Bab was struck in the face with missiles
> when paraded through the streets of Tabriz, beaten,
> ridiculed and humiliated; Baha'u'llah was pelted
> '\vith stones ill the streets of ):i.mul, again in NiyaJa,
> still again '\vhile paraded in chains bareheaded and
> barefooted in the blazing sun ell rottle to the Siyah-
> Chal prison. I-Ie was beaten, ridiculed, hutniliated,
> and cast into a deep underground pit, His feet in
> stocks. I-Ie \vas \veighted do\vn \vith hundredpound chains that tore His flesh. He "vas chained
> to the floor and to Ills companions in that black
> darkness.
> 'The Bab \vas slain in the public square of
> Tabriz; Baha'u'lhih began a half century of persecution as a l=>risoner and an Exile. He \vas
> poisoned in the Black-Pit prison. He ,\vas set upon
> by assassins in Baghdad. He \vas poisoned t\vice
> again in Adrianople. He \vas arrested and interrogated by soldiers on hvo separate occasions, and
> shut up in the fortress prison of 'Akka, the most
> dreaded prison in all the Turkish empire.
> Nabil recounts in his history: 'Tfhe Bab, \vhose
> trials and sufferings had preceded, in almost every
> case, those of Baha'u'lhih, had offered I-limself to
> ransom His Beloved [Baha'u'llah] from the perils
> that beset that precious Life; \vhile Baha'u'lhih, on
> 11.is part, un"\villing that He \vho so greatly loved
> I-lim should be the sole Sufferer, shared at every
> turn the cup that had touched His [the Bib's] lips.
> Such love no eye has ever beheld, nor has nl0rtal
> heart conceived such mutual devotion. If the
> branches of every tree \vere turned into pens, and
> all the seas into ink, and earth and heaven rolled
> into one parchment, the immensity of that love
> would still remain unexplored, and the depths of
> that devotion unfathomed.'
> There is yet another example of the unique oneness that bound together the Bib and Baha'u'llih.
> It can be found by examining the calendar of
> Persia.
> According to the 365-day solar calendar of the
> West, in which the days of the month never change,
> the Bab was born on October 20th and Bahi'u'llah
> was born on November I zth. But, according to the
> 36o-day lunar calendar in the land of Their birth,
> in which the days of the n10ntb. change each year,
> the Bab was born on the first day of Mul;arram
> and Baha'll'llah on the second day of Mul).arram;
> One after the Other, first the Bab, then Baha'u'llah.
> In Persia, these t\vin successive Holy Days are
> celebrated as one great joyous Festival.
> Thus in every way Their 11issions \vere bound
> together for all eternity. No\v, even Their sacred
> remains were united forever in the Holy Land, and
> the promises in all the holy Scriptures were at last
> fulfilled. The wish of the Bab, Whose Name means
> 'the gate', had come true at last. He would rest
> forever 'in the shadow of His Beloved'. Today His
> golden-domed Shrine looks across the blue Bay of
> Haifa to\vard Bahji, outside 'Akka, where Baha'u'llah, Whose Name means 'the glory of God',
> lies enshrined in a garden that has made the 'desert
> blossom as the rose'.
> The glory of God, Bahi'u'llah, had come to the
> Holy Land from the East through the gate, the Bab,
> as foretold by Ezekiel. That glorious Kingdom of
> God 011 earth promised by Christ would through
> them become a reality.
> The Bab and Baha'u'llah WeTe together at last in
> that 'sno\,v-\vhite spot', the 'nest of all the I'rophets
> of God'. They represented the 'return' of l~lijtlh
> and Christ to Christianity; i\Iessiah ben Joseph and
> l~.[essiab ben Israel to Judaism; tbe A1ibdi and Jesus tbe
> Christ to Sunni Islam; the Od'itl! and tbe I!Jltilii
> ,               C"'>,.,.,
> 
> I-lttsaVI1 to Shi'ih Islanl: Usbfdar-l*rldh and the L}bdh-
> •   ~                     .J        ,~<._.~_.               _~_
> 
> Babrtllil to Zoroastrianism. ffhev vvere the first and  .J
> 
> second TrttJ1Jpct blasts of the Qur'an; the second
> U70e and the third of the Book of Revelation; the
> Da\vn and the Sun of the ne\v Day.
> \'/hen \ve realize \Vho the Bab and Bahi'u'llih
> \verc, \ve no longer \vonder at the devotion, sacrifice and zeal of such heroines as Lua. \Ve only
> ll1arvel that thousands UpOl1 thousands n10re all
> over the \,vorld have not risen up to carryon her
> noble \'vork.
> 
> Lua had the 'eyes to see' and' ears to hear'. She \,laS
> taught by 'l\.bdu'l-Bahi f-limself. She \vas set
> ablaze by the knowledge that once again God had
> made Himself kno\vn to man, and that this time not
> one but tJro rvressengcrs of God had \valked on the
> face of the earth. This heavenly kno'\vlcdgc inspired
> her to travel, to pioneer, to teach, to accomplish
> such deeds as \\,-rould \vin her the titles of 'immortal'
> and 'herald' and 'banner' of the Baha'i Faith.
> Lua "vas ilT.tpatient to follo\v in the footsteps of
> the Bab, Baha'u'llah and her beloved Master.
> 
> 16. The Flante Beglns to Burn !tIore Brightly
> The Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, Shoghi Effendi,
> has preserved for all time a picture of the moving
> spectacle which took place in 1vfarch 19°9 when
> 'Abdu'l-Baha, after overcoming half a lifetime of
> obstacles and opposition, finally placed the holy
> Dust of the Bab beneath the Shrine He had built to
> receive that precious Gift.
> , 'Abdu'l-Baha,' he has written, 'had the marble
> sarcophagus transported with great labor to the
> vault prepared for it, and in the evening, by the
> light of a single lamp, He laid within it, with His
> own hands-in the presence of believers from the
> East and from the West and in circumstances at
> once solemn and moving-the wooden casket
> containing
> . the sacred remains of the Bab and His
> companlon.
> 'When all was finished, and the earthly remains
> of the Martyr-Prophet of Shiraz were, at long last,
> safely deposited for their everlasting rest in the
> bosom of God's holy mountain, 'Abdu'l-Baha, Who
> had cast aside His turban, removed His shoes and
> thrown off His cloak, bent low over the still open
> sarcophagus, His silver hair waving about His head
> and His face transfigured and luminous, rested His
> forehead on the border of the wooden casket, and,
> sobbing aloud, wept with SUCll a weeping that all
> those who were present wept with Him. That
> night He could not sleep, so overwhelmed was He
> with emotion.'
> 
> Once again we see the unique and mysterious
> tie that binds the Baha'i Faith to its followers in the
> West.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha sent a Letter to the Baha'is of the
> world announcing this glorious victory. He also
> told them that no sooner had He returned to I-lis
> hOlne than a cablegram \-vas received, informing
> Him that the Baha'is of An1erica had held their first
> official Convention and had decided on the site and
> construction of the first Baha'i IIouse of VVrorship in
> the West.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha had \vritten as far back as 1893,
> the year after Baha'u'lhih's passing, that I-lis l~ather's
> Faith would some day have great success in the
> North American continent. His enemies had hooted
> in derision at such \vords from a helpless, condemned Prisoner who might be executed at any hour.
> Yet in that very year I893, the Baha'i Faith
> was first mentioned in the \Vest at the \Vorld's
> I)arliament of Religion. Lua \-vas but one of
> many \-vho were immediately intrigued by that
> announcement.
> A year later, Thornton Chase became the first
> Baha'i in the West. Lua follo\ved rapidly upon his
> heels. Others quickly joined then1.
> Then, as we have seen, in Decernber 1898, Lua
> and her fello\v-pilgrilns landed for the first time in
> the Holy Land.
> Although those f1rst pilgrims were as yet blind to
> the great significance of that event, 'l\bdu'l-Baha
> understood it only too well. What a flood of joy
> and gratitude to Baha'u'llih must have swept over
> Him as He looked upon their faces-the very first
> rays of a dawning light in the \\1est.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha was soon to "vrite:
> 'The West hath acquired illumination from the
> East, but, in some respects, the reflection of the
> light hath been greater in the Occident.' He also
> dccL::.red that 'the East hath, verily, been illumined
> vvith the light of the ICingdom. Erelong will this
> same light shed a still greater illutnination upon the
> West.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha could \vell have been referring to
> such teachers as Lua when He said:
> 'The Blessed Perfection [Baha'u'llah] knows
> that day and night-rather every hour-I am looking to\vard the East and toward the \Vest, toward
> the North and to\vard the South, to see whether
> severed and attracted souls have arisen to teach the
> Cause of God ... whether enkindled hearts are
> raising their clarion voices in the assemblages of
> mankind ... These souls are my lost jewels.
> \'7henever I find a trace of them, or someone gives
> me a clue about them, I become infinitely happy and,
> adding to my zeal, I continue my indefatigable
> search. I pray to God that He may give me many
> such je\vels in America.'
> 
> Exciting ne\v teaching victories \vere taking place
> on every front, but still Lua suffered greatly because
> her heart longed to be with 'Abdu'l-Baha. She was
> never truly happy a\vay from I-lim.
> The only way Lua could fill the agonizing loneliness of separation from her beloved Master, was
> to lose herself completely in the teaching work.
> She rededicated ller entire life to spreading the glad
> tidings of Baha'u'llih' scorning. I-Jua knew that teaching was her only salvation, but little did she kno\v
> that it would win for her the crown of 'motherteacher of the American Baha'i community'.
> 'j\ bdu'I-13aha had told I,ua time and tinl1.e again:
> 'Day and night thou must engage in spreading
> the Teachings of Baha'u'lhih. Nothing else will
> avail thee,' He had said.
> Lua longed to become one of 'Abdu'l-Baha's
> 'lost jewels'. Perhaps then it might be possible for
> her to return to the l-Ioly Land. She forgot everything but teaching the Word of God. She began to
> plant the seeds in all parts of America.
> Lua's life became a living example of the \Vords
> of Baha'u'llah:
> 'Be unrestrained as the wind, while carrying the
> 11essage [of God] ... It bloweth in every direction,
> as bidden by its Creator.'
> Lua prayed constantly that her reckless and unsubdued spirit would quickly learn the lesson of
> patience. One of her colleagues said, 'She was impatient to be patient.'
> It was not an easy lesson for her. Lua felt certain
> that 'Abdu'l-Baha vvas waiting for her to win this
> struggle, and if she could achieve this victory over
> herself, He would open before her eyes new doors
> , of service.
> 
> 17. Lua's Mlsslon to tIle Klng
> A short time later, a letter arrived from 'Abdu'l-
> Baha. It called upon Lua to undertake one of her
> most important missions. One of her friends ,vas
> present when the letter arrived. The following is
> her account.
> It not only describes the radiant joy and happiness of Lua, who now considered herself reunited
> \vith her beloved 11aster, but it also tells of the
> dramatic and moving events that follo,ved 'Abdu'l-
> Baha's summons.
> 'Lua was surprised when she opened her letter
> from the 11aster, to find that \vithin was another
> letter. Suddenly her face drained of color.
> , "What's wrong?" I asked.
> 'Lua didn't ans\,ver. She continued reading with
> increased agitation. Her manner told me that the
> letter contained some staggering news.
> '''It is a letter written by 'Abdu'l-Baha," she
> told me. "It is addressed to the Shah, the I(ing of
> Persia, who is in Paris!" Lua hesitated as if the
> thought were almost too much to bear. "The j\tfaster
> has asked me to take it to the Shah and deliver it in
> person."
> 'The letter explained that once again the religious
> fanatics in Persia had begun persecuting the
> followers of tl1e Baha'i Faith. These shameless
> persecutions had taken place spasmodically since
> the earliest days of the Faith. 11any believers,
> among them women and children, had been, and
> were still being killed for their belief.
> , 'Abdu'l-Baha wrote to the Shah on behalf of
> those helpless, tortured Baha'is. He asked the I(ing
> to extend his protection to them. To make sure that
> His tablet to the I(ing would be delivered, He
> arranged to send it by a special messenger. Although there were many Baha'is in Paris at that
> time, it was to America and to Lua that 'Abdu'l-
> Baha turned to seek this messenger. He asked Lua
> to be His representative and personally carry this
> important message to the Shah. She was to deliver
> it to him with her own hands.
> 'As soon as Lua arrived in Paris, she sought out
> the Prime 1v1inister of Persia. She \vas turned away
> at his door. She \vas infortned that I-lis Excellency
> could see no one. The Prime Minister's son was
> seriously ill and not expected to live.
> 'But Lua \vould not be sent a\vay defeated. She
> turned to the official's secretary and said, "Would
> you take a message from me to His Excellency, and
> permit me to wait for his answer?"
> , "There is no purpose in your waiting for his
> answer," the secretary insisted. "He will see no
> one."
> 'Lua gently persisted, "Will you ask him if I
> may see him tomorrow should his son be healed in
> the meantime?"
> 'The secretary fro\vned impatiently, dismissed her
> and turned away. Lua did not leave. Finally the
> secretary looked at her once more. She smiled at
> him with loving patience. He shrugged his
> shoulders, sighed, and said, "Very well. Y ou wait
> here." He went into the next room. Immediately
> Lua began to pray quietly to herself.
> 'Soon the secretary returned, a puzzled look in
> his eyes.
> , "The Minister will see you tomorro\v. But only
> upon your own conditions I"
> 'Lua thanked him and withdrew.
> 'That night she gathered together as many of
> the Baha'is of Paris as possible. \Vhen tlley were
> assembled, she told them of her mission and asked
> them for their help.
> , "Let us sit up all night and pray for the little
> boy," she urged. She told them hO\\T the j\faster
> had taught her that any difficulty could be solved
> through prayer. All that "vas necessary ,vas to be
> sincere.'
> Both Baha'u'llih and 'Abdu'l-Baha then1selves
> resorted to the power of prayer in titnes of difficulty.
> Baha'u'lhih, during the days of trial in Baghdad,
> when He \vas surrounded by enemies, directed IIis
> followers to recite over and over a prayer revealed
> by the Bab for just such times of crisis.
> One of Baha'u'llih's companions has himself testified to just such an occasion:
> 'I stood rooted to the spot, lifeless, dried up as a
> dead tree, ready to fall under the impact of the
> stunning po\ver of His [Baha'u'llah's] words.
> Finally, He said:
> '''Bid them recite: 'Is there any Remover of
> difficulties save G·od? Say: Praised be God! He is
> God! All are His servants, and all abide by His
> bidding l' Tell them to repeat it five hundred times,
> nay, a thousand times, by day and by night, sleeping
> and waking, that haply the Countenance of Glory
> may be unveiled to their eyes, and tiers of light
> descend upon them." ,
> Baha'is throughout the world, as well as their
> friends and sympathizers, have found this simple
> prayer of the Bab a source of great comfort and
> assistance in time of need.
> \VtTith such prayers, Lua called upon the Baha'is
> of Paris to assist her with her mission.
> '\X?ith Lua leading them,' her friend's report
> continues, 'they began!t vigil that lasted through the
> night.
> 'The next n10rning Lua returned to the Prin1e
> 1rfinister's office. The secretary greeted her with a
> broad and welcoming smile. He said simply, "The
> Prime Minister will see you right away."
> 'Lua's eyes twinkled. "Is the little boy better?"
> 'The secretary nodded. "The crisis is passed. lIe is
> well on his "vay to recovery."
> 'The secretary then opened the door that led to
> the Prime Minister.'
> Thus Lua was able to present one of the petitions
> through official channels, by which it eventually
> reached the Shah.
> 1-frs ~Iariam I-Ianey, another one of the stout
> hearted servants of Baha'u'lhih in America, made
> the journey to Paris with Lua. She has recalled the
> events surrounding that mission.
> 'Two petitions reached I-lis ~Iajesty, the Shih,'
> ]\;frs Haney wrote; 'one was presented in person by
> Lua on behalf of the Baha'is in Paris, at the Elysee
> Palace Hotel where the Shah and his entourage
> were staying.'
> Muzaffari'd-Din-Shah
> .            -     left the 110tel with his
> Prime Minister, 'stepped into his waiting carriage
> and drove away \-vith the petition in his hand'.
> For some time follo\ving the presentation of
> these two petitions, there \-vas a remarkable cessation
> of persecution.
> Part IV
> 
> HERALD OF TI-IE COVENANT
> 18. 'Abdu' 1-Bahd Arrives ill A.111erica
> 'Abdu'l-Baha "vas still under confinement and close
> scrutiny when Lua made her first visit to the floly
> I.-and in 1898. It was not until ten years later
> in 1908 that 'Abdu'l-Baha was given His freedom.
> Immediately fIe n1ade plans to visit the West.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Exemplar of 1-1is Father's Faith,
> Vlas about to give His follo\vers a personal example
> of what it meant to arise and teach the Cause of
> God.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha 'was at this time broken in health.
> He suffered from several maladies brougllt on by the
> strains and stresses of a tragic life spent almost
> wholly in exile and imprisonment.'
> First He laid to rest the holy Dust of the Bab in
> 'a safe and pern1anent' resting-place. He fulfilled
> this historic 1vfission given Him by His Father.
> Once that priceless 'trust' had been completed,
> 'Abdu'l-Baha 'arose \vith sublime courage, confidence and resolution to consecrate what little
> strengtl1 remained to Him, in the evening of His
> life, to a service of such heroic proportions that no
> parallel to it is to be found in the annals of the first
> Baha'i century'.
> The Son of Baha'u'llah "vas soon to travel 'first
> to Egypt, then to Europe and later to America'.
> His grandson and Guardian of the Bahi'i Faith,
> Shoghi Effendi, has written that these journeys
> \vould 'mark, if we would correctly appraise their
> historic importance, a turning point of the utmost
> significance in the history of the century'.
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi, Lua's beloved 1rlaster, was free at
> last! He was on His way to ignite fires that would
> never be quenched. Except for a brief period during
> the First \Vorld War 'Abdu'l-Baha would now
> enjoy to the end of His life a freedom v;.rhich has
> never since been withdrawn from the Institutions
> of the Baha'i Faith at its world centre.
> 'So momentous a change in the fortunes of the
> Faith was the signal for such an outburst of activity
> on His part as to dumbfound His follo,vers in East
> and West with admiration and wonder, and
> exercise an imperishable influence on the course of
> its future history.'
> 
> One of the greatest days of Lua's life \vas April
> 11th, 1912, when her dream came true, and the
> steamship Cedric sailed into New York harbour
> bringing 'Abdu'l-Baha on I-lis historic visit to the
> shores of America.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha's arrival was an occasion for excitement, not only among the Baha'is but for the press
> and the people of New York as well. Newspaper
> reporters and News Service representatives came
> aboard the Cedric at quarantine and interviewed
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi coming up the bay.
> Versions of that historic interview appeared in
> newspapers all over America and around the world.
> It was the greatest single instance of the proclamation of the Faith of Baha'u'llah since the days of its
> birth.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha had truly, as promised by 1-1is
> Father, raised His voice in the West.
> The follo'\ving account is a description, both of
> 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself, and the purpose of His
> Mission, written not by a Baha'i but by a newspaper correspondent representing the New York
> City Ne'\vs Association.
> The press was keenly interested in the words of
> an exile and a prisoner ",7ho, after half a century of
> such suffering, was free to speak at last to the
> world.
> 'He comes on a mission of international peace,'
> reporter \\1. 1). Dodge explained in his press account, 'to attend and address the Peace Conference
> at Lake J\;Iohonk the latter part of this month, and
> to address various peace meetings, educational
> societies, religious organizations ...
> "Abdu'l-Baha was found on the upper deck,
> standing where he could see the pilot, his long,
> flowing oriental robe flapping in the breeze. 1-Ie
> was clothed in a long, black robe open at the front
> and disclosing another robe of light tan. Upon his
> head was a pure ",rhite turban, such as all eastern
> patriarchs wear.
> 'His face was light itself as he scanned the harbor
> and greeted the reporters... I-Ie is a man of
> medium height, though at first sight he seemed to
> be much taller. He is strongly and solidly built,
> and '\veighs probably one hundred and sixty-five
> pounds. As he paced the deck, talking \vith the
> reporters, he appeared alert and active in e"v"ery
> movement, his head thrown back and splendidly
> poised upon his broad, square shoulders, most of
> the time. A profusion of iron grey hair bursting out
> at the sides of the turban and hanging long upon the
> neck; a large, massive head, full-domed and remarkably wide across the forehead and temples, the
> forehead rising like a great palisade above the eyes,
> which were very wide apart, their orbits large and
> deep, looking out from under massive overhanging
> brows; strong Roman nose, generous ears, decisive
> yet kindly mouth and chin; a creamy white complexion, beard same color as his hair, worn full over
> the face and carefully trimmed at almost full
> length-this completes an insufficient word picture
> of this "Wise Man out of the East".'
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi spoke at length to the press representatives, ans\vering all their questions about
> peace, war, the rights of women, freedom of the
> press, education, true liberty and true religion.
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi displayed wisdom, love and a
> sense of humour as He chatted with the press
> reporters in His stateroom. He recalled an incident
> from the previous winter when a young Christian
> was about to set off on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
> The pilgrim was worried, feeling that he did not
> have the right spirit and sense of reverence.
> 'The proper spirit in which to visit places
> hallowed by remembrances of Christ,' 'Abdu'l-
> Bahi told His young visitor, 'is one of constant
> communion with God. Love for God will be
> the telegraph wire, one end of which is in the
> Kingdom of the Spirit, and the other in your
> heart.'
> 'I am afraid my telegrap11 '''lire is broken,' the
> would-be pilgrim complajned.
> 'Then,' said 'Abdu'l-Baha, laughing heartily, 'I
> told him : "You will have to use wireless
> telegraphy." ,
> 
> \Vhen the ship came abreast of the Statue of
> Liberty, 'Abdu'l-Baha stood erect facing the
> Statue and held up 1-lis arms in salutation.
> 'There is the new "\vorld's symbol of liberty and
> freedom,' He said. 'After being forty years a
> prisoner I can tell you that freedom is not a matter
> of place. It is a condition ... \vhen one is released
> from the prison of self, that is indeed a release.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha waved farc\vell to the Statue as the
> ship turned to\-vards 1\1anhattan. rfo the reporters
> He said, 'In forn1er ages it has been said, "~ro lo\re
> one's native land is faith." But the tongue in this
> d. ay says, "Gl-ory lS not hOIS v/no
> °              1 1
> loves hOIS natIve
> .
> land, but glory is his \vho loves his kindhumanitv." ,
> ~
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Baha gazed up at the jagged skyline of
> those stone-canyons of Ne\v York.
> 'These,' fIe said, 'are the minarets of \Y!estern
> \Vorld commerce and industry.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha suggested to the reporters that just
> as these buildings reached heavenward, so should
> the people vlho occupied theln be al\vays striving
> for the betterment of humanity, for universal peace,
> and for the good of all nations and mankind in
> general.
> 'The bricks make the house,' I-Ie told them, 'and
> if the bricks are bad the house \vill not stand ...
> It is necessary for individuals to become as good
> bricks, to eradicate from then1selves race and
> religious hatred, greed and a limited patriotism, so
> that, whetller they find then1selves guiding the
> government, or founding a honle, the result of
> their efforts may be peace and prosperity, love and
> happiness. '
> 
> Such "vere the '\vords first spoken by 'Abdu'l-
> Baha in America. Such \vere the scenes that greeted
> Him as He gazed for the first time upon this land
> "\vhich Baha'u'llih had addressed in His summons to
> the presidents and rulers of the Republics of the
> West. Now 'Abdu'l-Bahi was in one of those
> lands to help its leaders 'bind ... the broken with
> the hands of justice', \vords which Baha'u'llah I-limself had directed to these same rulers.
> 
> 19. Lua and the Master Atfeet Agaln
> '.l\.bdu'l-Baha had been in America less than a
> month w11en He took one of the most historic
> actions of His entire journey.
> The site of the Baha'i House of \vorship in
> Wihnette, Illinois, the 'holiest House of \vorship
> ever to be raised to the Name of Baha'u'llah', \vas
> barren land on that chill, windy ivIay day when
> 'Abdu'l-Baha, ",dth 1-lis o"\vn hands, laid the
> corner-stone of that prototype edifice that would
> sooner or later change the face of human society.
> The Baha'is of America were gathered at a
> Convention in Chicago just preceding that great
> ev'ent. Lua was addressing an assembled crowd of
> over a thousand. She had just returned from a
> triumphant teaching tour in California.
> Lua's visit to California had been successful
> beyond all expectation, yet Lua was never fully
> a,\vare of the influence she had on others. Her heart
> \vas always anchored in her love for 'Abdu'l-Bahiresults she left to God and to the future.
> Her presence in San Francisco in 1911, just preceding 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit to America, had been
> of great importance to another Baha'i, John I-Ienry
> Hyde Dunn. lIe has often told ho\v he sought Lua
> out on every occasion for a private interview. She
> gave him generously of her time. No doubt one of
> Lua's 'inner promptings' told her that this was one
> of 'Abdu'l-Baha's 'lost jewels'. Hyde Dunn, with
> his wife, Clara, would in a few years sail away to the
> Antipodes and open up the entire continent of
> Australia to the Baha'i Faith.
> John David Bosch, '\vho with his wife, Louise,
> pioneered to Tahiti and opened those South Pacific
> Islands to the Cause of God, also made a gift of his
> beautiful Geyserville, California, property to the
> Faith. It became one of the first and most influential
> of the Baha'i summer schools. It continues to function on an ever-expanding scale even until today.
> Mr Bosch has himself explained that it was the visit
> of Lua which inspired hin1 to write to 'Abdu'l-
> Baha and offer his land for the benefit 'of the
> teachings of Baha'u'llah'.
> These were a few of the teaching victories that
> Lua, the 'mother-teacher of the West', unwittingly
> brought to Chicago on that historic occasion, to
> lay at the feet of her belo'ved !\fraster, 'Abdu'l,..
> Baha.
> 
> At the exact moment that this 'herald' of the
> Cause was addressing her fellow-Baha'is in Chicago,
> the exciting news was announced that '.f\bdu'l-
> Baha had arrived at the Convention I
> Imagine, if you are a Christian, the happiness tllat
> would have flooded every l1cart in Rome if, not long
> after the beginning of Christianity, the .t\postle
> Peter or Paul had appeared in person at a huge
> gathering of the followers of 11is I-Ioliness Christ.
> Then magnify that feeling a thousandfold, for
> Baha'u'lhih, the return of Christ, f-i"oundcr of the
> Baha'i Faith, llad "\vith I-lis o\vn Pen, in a written
> Will and Testament, appointed 'Abdu'l-Baha as His
> Successor, the One to Whom the entire "\vorld
> should turn. There \vere no doubts. It \vas a Covenant for all time.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Son of the Promised One of
> all religions, \vas \valking in their midst, on the
> face of the earth, here in Chicago. The moment His
> blessed countenance appeared in the door\vay, a
> thrill of expectancy electrified the Convention hall.
> 'At once, the vast concourse, as one person,
> arose' in breathless silence as the One Whom they
> had so long awaited appeared. Ho\v many times
> Lua described that unforgettable moment to her
> friends. All eyes were on her beloved Master as He
> slowly made His \vay towards the front. Tears of
> joy Ro\ved. His smiling, radiant countenance
> lifted their hearts into another kingdom. That
> reverent hush \vas broken only by the soft, wruspered prayers of gratitude and thanksgiving, and
> here and there a sob, torn from the depths of hearts
> which had longed so earnestly to witness this
> moment, but despaired of ever living to see it.
> But it was true! He was here among them!
> 'Abdu'l-Baha! The Master! The Mystery of God!
> The Son of Baha'u'lla11 !
> They knew that such a tnoment would never
> come to them again.
> No other Baha'i Convention in the glorious
> future history of His Father's Faith would ever
> share the presence of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Centre of
> Baha'u'llah's Mighty Covenant with mankind. It
> was indeed a moment unique, precious, historymaking. At long last 'Abdu'l-Baha faced His dearly
> loved followers in the West and spoke words of
> encouragement and inspiration. He told them about
> the great significance of the Temple whose foundation-stone was to be placed the follo\ving day.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha told them that this edifice 'was
> founded for the unification of mankind ... '.
> It is doubtful if many were able to take in His
> words until they read them later. Their hearts were
> too full of the majesty and magic of His presence
> among them. Words did not matter. It was the
> heart and soul that understood the joy and wonder
> of it all.
> The spirit of that hour was captured by the chorus
> as it sang in joyous harmony of the 'Great Day of
> God'.
> 
> The following day, Baha'is from all over America
> gathered in Wilmette on the site of the future
> Temple, a Temple \vhich \vould be the most holy
> House of Worship ever to be raised in the Name of
> Baha'u'lhlh.
> Lua \vas there all that occasion and heard her
> beloved 11as ter say:
> 'The po\ver \vhich has gathered you here today
> notwithstanding the cold and \vindy \veather is
> indeed Inighty and \vonderful. It is the power of
> God, the divine favor of Baha'u'llah [Glory of
> God] "\vhich has dra\vn you together.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha predicted that out of this Temple,
> thousands of other temples would be born in all
> parts of the \vorld, but that this House of Worship
> would be t11e lTIother of thelTI all.
> 'It marks,' I-Ie has \vritten, 'the inception of the
> I<ingdom of God on earth.'
> \Vhat a blessing for Lua and that relatively small
> group of Baha'is to be present on that memorable
> occasion witll 'Abdu'l-Baha, to see and participate
> in the very earliest beginnings of the Christpromised I(ingdom of God on earth.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha called upon the people of the various
> races and nationalities who were there to participate
> and turn a bit of soil on behalf of their own people.
> Finally, at the end, 'Abdu'l-Baha set the stone in
> place on behalf of all the peoples of the world, and
> the 1rfother Temple was born.
> To the Baha'is assembled on that occasion, relatively few in number, with very limited resources,
> 'Abdu'l-Baha said, 'lvIake a beginning and all \vill
> come well.' Their task was to raise up a Mother
> Temple, and to conquer the \vorld with the sword
> of Baha'u'llih's Teachings.
> 'In the unseen ,vorld,' He said, 'the Temple is
> already built.'
> 
> 20.   Lua's Scllemes Go Astray
> It wasn't always possible for Lua to follow '.f\bdu'l-
> Bahi everywhere He travelled, but she did her best.
> In fact, one of 1-4ua's greatest joys ,vas thinking up
> ne,v \vays by ,vhich she could be \vith '.l\bdu'l-
> Baha in 1-1i5 journeys throughout J\mcrica. She
> longed to be in I-lis presence at a]] times. This took
> a great deal of scheming on her part. 'Abdu'l-Baha
> \vas well aware of Lua's love-inspired little plots.
> Once in Ilaifa, as she ,vas preparing to leave I-lim,
> 'Abdu'I-Baha is reported to have said laughingly,
> '\Xlill you begin to schelne to find a way to return
> here as soon as you reach .l~n1erica?'
> 'No, beloved l\1aster,' Lua answered honestly.
> 'I shall begin scheming as soon as I am on the boat.'
> 'Abdu'I-Baha spent tl1e months of June and July
> in Ne\v York. These ,vere days of delight for Lua.
> Late in June, however, 'Abdu'I-Baha called Lua to
> Him and broke the news that lie \vanted her to go
> to California to do some teaching work for the
> Faith. Lua was frantic. She didn't want to leave
> Him. She was so eager to be with Him, she \vould
> frequently forget the lesson of patience \vhich He
> \-vas trying to teacl1 her.
> Lua went to see her dear friend Juliet Thompson,
> 11er fello\v-conspirator in these attempts to be near
> the Master. Lua explained another of her schemes.
> She knew tllat 'Abdu'I-Baha had asked Juliet to
> paint her portrait. Since this ,\vas a portrait which
> 82.
> 'Abdu'I-Ba11a had Hitnself requested, it was a
> \vonderful indication of the great love He had for
> Lua.
> Lua's plot revolved around this painting.
> 'Julie,' she said, 'the 1'iaster has told you to paint
> n1y portrait. IJlease, dear, tell Ifin:1 that )TOll can't
> paint my portrait if I an1 in California.'
> 'He knou/s that.'
> 'But if you remind 1-li111, perhaps He'll think it's
> more important for me to be here \vith Hill1.'
> 'The itnportant thing,' Juliet said, 'is to be
> obedient to the lvfaster.'
> 'I am obedient to the 1rfaster. I'm going to California. But a little later on \vhen I can't possibly be
> \vith 'Abdu'l-Baha.'
> 'Lua!'
> 'Please?'
> It was impossible for Juliet to refuse Lua when
> she was so persuasive. So Juliet \vent to the J\faster.
> She told 'Abdu'l-Baha that she couldn't paint
> Lua's portrait if Lua \vere far off in California. The
> Master laughed heartily and told her to tell Lua
> that she \vould be back in Ne\v York again in a
> year and that 11er portrait could be painted then.
> His final instructions \vcre, 'Tell Lua to go to
> California. '
> Juliet delivered this message. Lua sighed, and
> accepted the inevitable. But she didn't go to California immediately because 'Abdu'l-Bahi was
> leaving the next day for Montclair, New Jersey,
> and Lua wanted to go there instead. For just this
> one last time. r\.fter all, Ne\v Jersey was west of
> New York and was on the way toward California.
> 8;
> 'Come on, Julie,' Lua urged. 'Let's go to Montclair to see 'Abdu'l-Baha!'
> Juliet \-vas shocked. 'But we can't do that, Lua,'
> she told her friend. '\\le haven't been invited.
> Besides, \ve have to go-I mean you have to go to
> California. '
> 'But we have a perfect excuse,' Lua insisted. '\"'" ou
> have all the proofs of those recent p11otographs
> which were taken of 'Abdu'l-Baha. He should see
> them so that He can approve of them.'
> 'Do you real!J think so?' Juliet asked. She was
> beginning.    to \veaken herself. Lua \vas very
> persuasIve.
> 'Of course, dear,' Lua assured her. And off they
> went to lVfontclair together.
> 
> The 1vlaster looked at the photographs, but He
> didn't look at Lua.
> 
> 2 I.   TIle Faith Is Establislled in America
> Lua began to think tl1at 'Abdu'l-Baha would never
> look at her again. At least not until she "vent to
> California. Still, she wouldn't be Lua if she failed
> to make one last gallant attempt to remain in the
> East witll her beloved Master.
> I~ua was obedient to the ~faster in all things
> except this longing desire never to leave Him
> during His visit to America. The Persian Baha'is in
> 'Abdu'l-Baha's party were displeased with Lua
> because she didn't leave immediately for California.
> 'fo them such a delay was unthinkable.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha with His sin-covering eye must
> often have been distressed by the lack of response
> even on the part of those who loved Him to arise
> to teach.
> 'If the friends of God listen to my first word,' He
> said, 'they will find the success of this world and of
> the next world therein. But there are some who
> prefer their o\vn thoughts above mine, and when
> they fall they beg me to save them. Progress and
> prosperity are jn the first word. For example,
> should I say to so and so, "Go thou to America,"
> and he should reply, "I beg to remain a few
> days more," I give him permission to do as lle
> wishes. But this is not my thought; it is his
> thought.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha, however, did not give Lua permission to stay. He insisted on her leaving for
> California. It was a match of "\vits and love, and Lua
> of course kne\v from the first that her beloved
> Master would win. She \vas only to@ well aware of
> her shortcomings as, on that occasion, were many
> of her fellow-Baha,'is. They were annoyed and some
> were very put out with her. 'Abdu'l-Baha was
> tender and patient.
> Perhaps because Lua had arisen to teach. She
> had gone to America at the 11aster's bidding,
> although with plaintive reluctance. She had
> travelled from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. She
> had addressed a huge meeting in San Diego, on the
> deck of the United States battleship California, the
> flagship of the fleet. She had encouraged a fellow-
> Baha'i and helped to inspire him to open up an
> entire continent. She had inspired another believer
> to offer a gift of land \vhich began one of the first
> Ba.ha'i schools in .Lt\merica. She had set ablaze
> another precious soul who opened up still another
> continent to the Faith. Her spiritual cllildren were
> enlisting in the 'radiant army' of Baha'u'llah on
> every side. t-fhey ,\vere 31110ng the staunchest and
> lllost devoted 'soldiers' of the Covenant. No doubt
> this dedication out'\vcighed ller human frailties,
> and captured the 1{aster's heart.
> It \vas retniniscent of the story of 1Vlary who so
> loved Christ that she anointed His precious feet
> with a \\~hole pound of very costly ointment. It
> displeased SOine of His followers. Especially Judas
> Iscariot, "\vho betrayed fiim, objected, saying it
> should be sold and the tnoney given to the poor.
> Christ replied that Mary had saved this gift of love
> because He "rould soon leave then1. 'For the poor
> always ye llave \vith you; but ll1e ye have not
> al,-vays.'
> It is always n10re inlportant to please God than
> to please one's fellO\v-believers.
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Baha's next visit ,vas to Teaneck, Ne\v
> Jersey, to a property that became known itl
> Baha'i history as Evergreen Cabul.
> 'Abdu'1-13al1a invited all the Baha'is to join Him
> in a large unity Feast. 1"1·his event has been commemorated every year since, even to the current
> day, as one of the happiest of Ba11i'i occasions, and
> the single official annual commemoration of His
> visit.
> Yes, 'Abdu'l-Baha also inv-ited Lua.
> Slle \vas delighted, but to her chagrin she soon
> realized that, immediately the Feast ,vas over)
> 'Abdu'l-Baha still expected her to leave for
> California.
> Lua \vas lost in the "\-vonder of His presence on
> that history-making occasion. During that 'Unity
> Feast' held on June 29th, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Baha made
> it plain that the Faith of Baha'u'llah had, on that
> date, truly been established in America.
> \Ve can s11are through Lua's eyes the exciten1ent
> that stirred each of those American Baha'is who
> heard 'Abdu'l-Baha's voice that day. \Ve can see
> Him yet, standing amidst the tall dark pines on that
> emerald green lawn. TIle scent of pine and the soft
> needles beneatll the trees, the fragrant air and blue
> skies, made it a heavenly day. So many were the
> flowers which His loved ones had brought that
> they overflowed onto the grass, and it appeared
> as though the very eartll beneath His feet had
> been embroidered into a multicoloured green
> carpet.
> 'This assembly,' 'Abdu'l-Baha told them on tllat
> unforgettable day, 'has a name and significance
> which will last forever. Hundreds of thousands of
> meetings shall be held to commemorate this
> occasion and the very ,vords I speak to you today
> shall be repeated in them for ages to come. Therefore be ye rejoiced for ye are sheltered beneath the
> providence of God. Be happy and joyous because the
> bestowals of God are intended for you and the life
> of the Holy Spirit is breathing upon you ... for
> you are the ones who are called to uplift the cause
> of unity among the D,ations of the earth . . .'
> Many of the seeds sown that day "\vere to blosson1
> in a later age. 1\rIany of those listening ,\vere to arise
> and become 'lions of the Covenant of Baha'u'lhih'.
> Certainly Lua was among them.
> 
> When the Unity Feast was over, Lua discovered
> that she had a bad case of poison-ivy. She was overjoyed. The distress and swelling were such as to
> incapacitate her-especially for long-distance traveL
> She immediately notified her friend Juliet about her
> delightful affliction.
> Miss Thompson came at once to Lua's hotel
> room. Juliet took one look at Lua's s\vollen ankles
> and said, 'It's a punishment.'
> 'No, it's a reward.'
> Juliet was insistent. 'It's a test.'
> Lua said, 'It's guidance.'
> Juliet was not convinced.
> 'Please, Julie,' Lua begged. 'Go to the Master
> and tell Him my feet are all swollen up with poisonivy, that I can't even walk. So I can't possibly
> leave for California until the poison-ivy is gone.'
> Reluctantly Juliet carried the message.
> The Master laughed again.
> '1 will cure Lua,' He said.
> On the table near-by "vas a pot of cold tea.
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi pointed to it.
> 'G-ive Lua a drink from this pot of tea,' He said.
> Juliet returned to Lua "\vith the tea. Lua was
> obedient and drank it to the last drop.
> In the late afternoon the Master came to visit her.
> 'Now,' He said laughing, 'you are well, Lua.
> You can leave for California.' With a mischievous
> twinkle, He added, 'I cured you "\vith a cup of cold
> tea.'
> After 'Abdu'l-Baha had gone, Juliet rose from
> her chair, picked up Lua's empty teacup and,
> standing where the :NIaster had stood, looked first
> into the teacup and then at Lua. With the same mischievous t\vinkle that had lighted 'Abdu'l-Baha's
> eyes, Juliet said:
> 'I see by the tea-leaves in your cup t11at you are
> going to go on a long journey!'
> 
> One account of this incident reported that
> 'Abdu'l-Baha sent Lua an apple and a pomegranate
> to eat, and that she gravely, steadily and thoroughly
> che\ved them down to the last morsel: swallowing
> her 'cure' in which lay the seeds of her own defeat.
> Another declared that it was an apple and a glass of
> pomegranate juice. Lua's sister who had heard Lua
> laugh over the story many times insisted that it was
> a cup of cold tea.
> Perhaps it was all three. One thing is certain, and
> all agree, Lua was cured, and couldn't think of
> another reason for not going to California. She
> had been cured both ounvardly and inwardly. And
> to her intense delight, the journey turned out to be a
> blessing. 'Abdu'l-Bahi had sent her on ahead to
> prepare the way. Soon He and His party joined her
> in California.
> 
> 22. From the Ho!y Land to the Golden Gate
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Baha stayed in America eight months. He
> travelled from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and
> back. He spoke in both Canada and the United
> States, proclaiming His Father's Faith.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha's trip across America, undertaken
> at an age of nearly seventy, covered over five
> thousand miles. He spoke before all sizes and types
> of audience. These talks have filled t\VO volumes.
> David Starr Jordan, the IJresident of Stanford
> University, introduced 111m in these words:
> , 'Abdu'l-Balui \vill surely unite the East and the
> \Vest: for He treads the mystic way \vith practical
> feet.'
> An account of the travels of 'Abdu'l-Baha would
> be a volume in itself! 111 New York City alone He
> delivered public addresses and made formal visits to
> no less than fifty-five places. He \vas engaged in
> spreading Baha'u'llah's 1fessage of fellowship and
> love from early da\vn until late at night.
> In view of the constant and concentrated travels
> of 'Abdu'l-Baha in North America, how pathetic
> sound those excuses of the people in the West who
> repeatedly asked Lua, 'Why haven't I heard about
> the Baha'i FaitI1 before? It sounds wonderful, but
> it's all so new.'
> Lua told them frankly that it vvasn't new at all.
> It had begun nearly three-quarters of a century
> before. She explained that Baha'u'llah had written
> to the kings and rulers of the world in His day.
> She told them all the \vonderful truths she had
> learned from 'Abdu'l-Baha: How Baha'u'llih had
> addressed the 11eads of Christianity, Judaism and
> Islam. He also directed a special Message to the
> 'elected representatives' of the peoples in all
> countries.
> Baha'u'lhih proclaimed, in the clearest terms, His
> Mission as the return of Christ, the Promised One
> foretold in all holy Books. lIe offered ample proof
> to support His claim.
> Baha'u'lhih wrote separate lvfessages to kings,
> emperors, and ministers of state in both the East
> and the West. I-Ie addressed the presidents and rulers
> of the Republics of the Western world, including
> the President of the United States.
> Baha'u'llah directed His Teachings to leaders in
> the intellectual, political, literary, 1nystical, commercial and hutuanitarian spheres of activity.
> lIe sent a special Letter to the Pope in Rome.
> He directed separate 1\Iessages to tlle entire hierarchy of Christianity: the patriarchs, the archbishops, tIle bishops, the monks, the priests, and the
> people of Christianity.
> For nearly a quarter of a century, Baha'u'lhih's
> Pen never ceased proclaiming to all humanity that
> the day so long a\vaited by all the great religions,
> the day of the one fold and one shepherd, had at
> last arrived .
> 
> .2 3.   A Standing Ovation for tIle Herald of Peace
> What was it that' Abdu'l-Baha told the peoples of the
> West that enabled Him to 'recreate' so many of them,
> and lay the foundation for an enduring kingdom?
> What ,vas the Call that 'Abdu'l-Baha urged Lua
> and her fellow-believers to raise in every land?
> Perhaps we shall understand their passionate devotion to Him and their remarkable zeal, if we
> examine, however briefly, the fundamental Teachings which 'Abdu'l-Baha stressed during those
> months in America.
> In God Passes By there is a lnoving account of
> these matchless journeys. Shoghi Effendi, the
> Guardian of the Baha'i Fait11 and 'Abdu'l-Baha's
> grandson, sumn1arizes His potent Message to the
> people residing in the materialistic West. While
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi "\vas teaching the \vorld, He \vas also
> deepening the kno\vledge of His own followers.
> 'It was in the course of these epoch-making
> journeys and before large and representative
> audiences, at times exceeding a thousand people,
> that 'Abdu'l-Baha expounded, with brilliant simplicity, with persuasiveness and force, and for the
> first time in His Ministry, those basic and distinguishing principles of His Father's Faith ... '
> These teachings, Shoghi Effendi declared, 'together \vith the la\vs and ordinances revealed in
> [Baha'u'lhih's Most Holy Book] constitute the
> bedrock of God's latest Revelation to mankind'.
> The Guardian then listed the most outstanding
> of the teachings of 'Abdu'l-Bahi which, after Him,
> Lua and her fellow-disciples were to proclaim in
> every state and province:
> 'The independent search after truth, unfettered by
> superstition or tradition; the oneness of t11e entire
> human race, the pivotal principle and fundamental
> doctrine of the Faith; the basic unity of all religions;
> the condemnation of all forms of prejudice, \vhether
> religious, racial, class or national; the harmony
> \vhich must exist between religion and science; the
> equality of men and women, the two \vings on
> "\vhich the bird of human kind is able to soar; the
> introduction of compulsory education; the adoption of a universal auxiliary language; the abolition
> of the extremes of wealth and poverty; the institution of a world tribunal for the adjudication of
> disputes between nations; the exaltation of \-vork,
> performed in the spirit of service, to the rank of
> worship; the glorification of justice as the ruling
> principle in human society, and of religion as a
> bulwark for the protection of all peoples and
> nations; and the establishment of a permanent and
> universal peace as the supreme goal of all mankind
> -these stand out as the essential elements of that
> Divine polity \vhich He proclaimed to leaders of
> public thought as well as to the masses at large in
> the course of these missionary journeys.'
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Baha also dealt with the current problems
> facing society. He predicted the inevitable coming
> of the First World War. He later warned about the
> coming of the Second World War. He said they
> were inevitable because mankind had failed to
> accept and enforce Baha'u'llah's Teachings. Baha'u'llah was the Messenger of God for this day,
> the Lawgiver and Guide, but the world had turned
> a deaf ear. It was no\v paying the price, and the
> sufferings were only beginning.
> During tl10se travels 'Abdu'l-Baha foretold the
> grave racial strife whicl1 would shatter the peace
> and well-being of America. There \-vas only one
> remedy, He said. Her people must immediately put
> into practice Baha'u'llah's Teachings on the oneness
> and complete equality of all races. Blood would run
> in the streets of American cities if these healing
> principles were not used to prevent this tragedy.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha foreshadowed the radical changes
> that \vould take place in Eut-ope. He \varned that if
> the statesmen did not unite to prevent it, the entire
> continent would be set ablaze.
> He anticipated the terrible persecution of tlle
> Jews on European soil.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha talked to Presidents, Prime lvfinisters, Cabinet members, Mayors, Governors, Senators, Congressmen, members of Parliament, military
> leaders, religious leaders of all faiths.
> 'Every morning,' one of 'Abdu'l-Baha's follo\vers
> has related, 'according to 1-1is custom, the 11aster
> expounded the principles of the teaching of
> Baha'u'llih to those \vho gathered around Him, the
> learned and the unlearned, eager and respectful.'
> People of all nationalities, creeds and backgrounds came to talk with Him. They came from
> East and West. They \vere theosophists, agnostics,
> atheists,    materialists,  spiritualists,   Christian
> Scientists, social reformers, militants, Hindus,
> Sufis, lYluslims, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Christians, Jews, church dignitaries, ambassadors, pashas, nobility and peasants. There \vas no end to it.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha sat at breakfast with the Lord
> 11ayor of London. I-Ie wrote in the Bible of the
> City Temple of London, 'This book is the holy
> Book of God'. He addressed an overflowing congregation at St. John's, Westminster. The Bishop's
> chair was placed in a position of honour for Him.
> The Prisoner, the exile, the despised, the One
> they had threatened to crucify on the gates of
> 'Akka, was being acclaimed on all sides.
> He spoke to presidents of universities, to Admiral
> Peary, Alexander Graham Bell, Theodore Roosevelt, Rabbi Stephen Wise, Hudson Maxim the arms
> manufacturer, Andre\v Carnegie, and to the destitute in the Bo\,very district of New York.
> On several occasions, 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke before
> as many as three and four gatherings in one
> day, addressing two and three thousand listeners
> who followed \vith keen eagerness His every
> word.
> One day 'Abdu'l-Baha entered a Congregational
> Church in Chicago. The Rector of the church told
> the packed audience that he had been making plans
> to go to 'Akka to meet 'Abdu'l-Baha, when news
> came that the Master was en route to America.
> 'Today,' the Rector said, 'God has conferred a
> great blessing upon us. 'Abdu'l-Ba11a is here \vith
> us.'
> The Rector then introduced Him as a beloved
> 'Herald of Peace'.
> When 'Abdu'l-Baha came to the pulpit, the
> audience rose in unison, and something unique in
> the history of that Protestant church took place.
> Although they were inside the church, the audience
> was so caught up in the spirit of His presence that
> they greeted 'Abdu'l-Baha with loud and prolonged cheers, until the walls of the building
> reverberated. Such was His effect upon those who
> saw Him.
> 
> 24. The Flame Ignltes Many Fires
> Lua, as well as the other heroes and heroines of
> those early days, witnessed many such scenes of
> unforgettable beauty, majesty and tenderness as
> 'Abdu'l-Baha 'recreated' the spirits of the receptive
> believers He met. He kindled fresh fires of devotion
> and dedication in the hearts of almost all whom He
> encountered on His incredible American journeys.
> He was always on the move.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha addressed peace conferences in
> several States. He spoke to students and professors
> at Columbia, Stanford, Ho"\vard and Ne\v York
> universities. He participated in the fourth annual
> conference of the National ~Association for the
> Advancement of the Colored People.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha fearlessly asserted the truth of the
> prophetic mission of Jesus Christ before no less than
> t"\vo thousand Jews assembled in the Temple
> Emmanu-EI, a Jewish synagogue in San Francisco.
> He boldly championed the mission of Mul;amlnad
> before packed audiences in Protestant churches.
> He courageously upheld the divine character of
> the mission of Moses. He empllasized the oneness
> of all the Messengers of God.
> With characteristic vigour and courage He proclaimed Baha'u'llah's Teachings on the complete
> equality of the races; not in 'tolerance' which is
> negative, but in the equality of opportunity for all
> races in every field of human endeavour, and in all
> parts of the world without exception.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha Himself demonstrated the sincerity
> of Baha'u'lhih's principle of the 'oneness of mankind' by His own encouragement of, and participation in, an interracial marriage of Baha'is. He
> 'united two of l-lis followers' of different nationalities and races. Louis G. Gregory, a Negro, was
> married to Louise Matthews of the white race.
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi highly praised such marriages
> between the races, saying:
> 'If it be possible, gather together these t\VO races,
> black and wl1ite, into one assembly, and put such
> love into their hearts that they shall not only unite
> but even intermarry. Be sure that the results of this
> '\vill abolis11 differences and disputes between black
> and white. IYforeover, by the Will of God, may it be
> so. This is a great service to humanity.'
> Louis G. Gregory ,\vas one of the early coworkers of Lua. This brilliant American Negro
> Baha'i and teacher served as a member of the
> National Spiritual .t\ssembly of the Baha'is of the
> United States, the highest elective post to which
> any Baha'i can attain in his own area. At the time
> of his death, a cablegram ,\vas sent to the entire
> Baha'i \vorld by Shoghi Effendi, World Head of the
> Baha'i Faith, praising this colleague of Lua as the
> dearly loved, 'noble-minded, golden-hearted Louis
> Gregory, pride (and) example' to all.
> The Baha'i \vorld \vas told that he, Louis
> Gregory, occupied a 'unique position' because of
> his dedicated services and that the 'rising Baha'i
> generation (in the) African continent' would glory
> in his memory.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha also paid a touching tribute to
> Thornton Chase, the first Baha'i in America. He
> visited the grave of Mr Chase in Inglewood,
> California, a suburb of Los Angeles. This was a
> special 'pilgrimage' by 'Abdu'l-Baha to the last
> resting-place of the very first soul to embrace the
> Cause of Baha'u'lhlh in the West.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha stopped beside the grave without
> asking directions, praised the green verdure and
> flowers. He stood silent a few minutes, then taking
> the bouquet of flowers which had been brought
> with Him, He adorned the grave with His own
> hands, with a love, tenderness and affection that
> touched every heart.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha faced the Holy Land and chanted
> the Tablet of Visitation, a prayer read at the tomb of
> Baha'u'llah. He then spoke about the nobility,
> sacrifice and dedication of Thornton Chase, and
> before leaving, bowed to kiss the gravestone.
> Lua, looking on, was but one of many who
> longed to attain such a station, such a place in the
> heart of the Master.
> Thornton Chase, the first to accept Baha'u'llah
> in the West, and one of the first to lay down his
> life as a Baha'i and consecrate the soil of the
> American continent, had spent five memorable days
> on pilgrimage as 'a prisoner' with 'Abdu'l-Baha.
> Now that pilgrimage was repaid.
> Thornton Chase had been in the forefront of
> the battle since 1894, the year both he and Lua
> embraced the Faith. They exemplified words which
> 'Abdu'l-Baha had spoken to a Western pilgrim:
> 'The general does not love most the man in the
> back of the ranks. He loves most the man in front.
> If you knew the value of these days, you would
> not eat, you would not sleep, you would not
> walk. You would run and give to all the Glad
> Tidings!'
> These words described the final years of Lua's life.
> She increased her pace. She added new continents
> to her list of battle-fronts. In the happiness of
> serving 'Abdu'l-Baha she did indeed 'run' in all
> directions to give the Glad Tidings.
> In the joy of the year of 1912, Lua, so full of
> youth, vitality and eagerness, never dreamed that
> so little time "vas left to her; that in four short
> years, in the midst of a world war, she would be
> struck down, a martyr.
> 
> 25. 'I appolnt YOt!-, Lila, as a Herald of the
> Covenant!'
> \Vhen the friends urged the Master to rest and
> conserve His energy, He told them that sometimes
> material rest could rob man of spiritual rest. The
> time "vas short, the hours precious. Whenever He
> thought of setting down His burden of work,
> 'Abdu'I-BaI1a said He could hear the voice of His
> beloved Father, Baha'u'llah, calling to Him:
> 'March! MarchI'
> In the midst of this endless activity, 'Abdu'l-
> Baha reluctantly agreed to the constantly repeated
> request of the believers that fIe permit Juliet
> Thompson to paint His portrait.
> Miss Thompson has recorded her memory of that
> first sitting in her studio in New York City.
> 'Never shall I forget that day the Master was
> posing for His portrait. He said to Lua, "This
> makes me sleepy."
> 'I said, "Tell the 11aster to go to sleep, Lua. I can
> paint Him while He sleeps."
> 'The Master closed His eyes. He sat perfectly
> upright, still as a statue. I was so awed that I could
> not paint. Suddenly His eyes flashed open. It
> seemed to me that the room shook as He began to
> speak. I "vas shattered by His power as He unveiled
> to our eyes the meaning of "The Covenant of
> God".'
> During those awe-inspiring moments 'Abdu'l-
> Bahi explained the great Covenant that God made
> with mankind. He said that God \vill never forget
> man, but will al\vays, from tin1e to time, send do\vn
> a Prophet to guide him. Moses was such a Prophet.
> So was Christ. l\nd Nlu1}ammad. So \vas
> Bahi'u'llih.
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi spoke of the great Covenant of
> Bahi'u'llih, God's Prophet for this day. He told
> them of Bahi'u'lhih's \Xlill and Testament, \vritten
> in Bahi'u'llih's own hand, which appointed Hin1,
> 'Abdu'l-Baha, to be the Centre of His Faith to
> Whom all should turn.
> In that city of New York, 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke
> many times of th.e Covenant of God. It was the
> strong rope to \vhich all believers could cling, confident that no human power could divide, dismember or break up the Baha'i Faith in the future.
> The enemies of this Cause, both "vithin and without the Faith, would take their axes to chop at the
> roots of this sacred Covenant, but the blades \vould
> break off in their hands, the scars would heal over,
> and the Faith of Baha'u'llih would go on un~
> impaired and undivided, unlike the religions of the
> past which succumbed to division and sects.
> In New York, during His visit, 'Abdu'l-Baha
> read before a general assembly of follo"\vers,
> Baha'u'llah's ne\vly translated Tablet of the Branch,
> in which Bahi'tl'llih had clearly and emphatically
> appointed 'Abdu'l-Bahi as His Successor. New
> York City 'henceforth became designated as the
> City of the Covenant'.
> We can itnagine the impact of 'Abdu'l-Baha's
> words upon such a prepared channel as Lua.
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi's words unfolded before the eyes
> of both Lua and Juliet a fresh vision of the greatness of the Baha'i Faith. '-fhey realized in a flash
> that this glorious Message was not for the Baha'is
> alone. It was for all mankind. They began to
> understand better just Who Baha'u'llah was.
> There "\vould never be any doubt in their minds
> that the Promised One for all mankind had appeared on earth in their day, and that His Name
> ,vas Baha'u'llah. They \vere now standing before
> His Son, spellbound and enraptured by His
> words.
> Lua and Juliet both were to tell that moving
> story many times-how they were captivated by His
> voice, transported to another world. Juliet found
> herself still staring at her empty canvas. She had
> not touched her brush to it.
> The magnitude of the meaning of the words
> spoken by 'Abdu'l-Baha paralyzed the women.
> They dared not look upon His face, they said. The
> light was blinding I The very walls vibrated! If
> ever human beings had heard the Voice of God on
> earth speaking through a perfect channel, they felt
> that they had heard it that wondrous day.
> They admitted their inability to recapture the
> moment or to describe it. All either of them could
> do \vas to make a feeble attempt to describe the
> mystery of \vhat took place. Human language was
> entirely inadequate. Several times, they said, they
> were both on the verge of fainting away.
> '\Vhen I finally became aware of my surroundings,' Juliet recalled, 'I could hear the soft sobbing
> of Lua. Poor LuaI She had scarcely recovered fronl
> the awesome majesty of what had just taken place,
> ,vhen the ~faster looked directly into her eyes and
> proclaimed:
> , "I appoint you, Lua, as a Herald of the Covenant. Go forth and proclaim this truth!"
> 'Lua's tears vanished. She stood before us transfigured. In that moment I realized the great station
> to which she had been called by the Master. She
> was a flame of God I Like lnetal put into the fire,
> all that had been the Lua of the past was burned
> away, and she had no,v taken on the characteristics
> of the fire.
> , "Recreate me, 0 beloved Master!" she cried,
> "that I may truly herald Thy Faith."
> 'Then Lua looked at me. She could see the tears
> that filled my eyes. She did not know that they were
> being shed in happiness at the wonder and beauty
> of the scene I had been privileged to ,vitness. She
> thought that my spirit was feeling deprived. Out
> of the tenderness of her heart, she turned to the
> Master and pleaded gently.
> , "Julie wants to be recreated, too." ,
> 
> 26. Mother-teacher of the West
> When 'Abdu'l-Baha arrived in New York I-Ie said
> to His follo~vers:
> 'This long voyage will prove how great is my
> love for you. There \vere many troubles and vicissitudes, but in the thought of meeting you, all these
> things vanished . . .'
> Upon leaving thcn1 eight months later, I-lis
> back-breaking labour completed, 'Abdu'l-Baha
> declared:
> '~rhis is 1ny last nleeting with you, for no\v I am
> on the ship ready to sail a\vay. These are my final
> \vords of ex110rtation. I have repeatedly summoned
> you to the cause of the unity of the \vorld of humanity, announcing that all mankind are the servants of
> the same God; that God is the creator of all ...
> Therefore you must manifest the greatest kindness
> and love to\)/ard the nations of the world, setting
> aside fanaticism, abandoning religious, national
> and racial prejudice ... Direct your whole effort
> to\vard tl1e happiness of those \.vho are despondent,
> bcsto\v food upon the hungry, clothe tl1e needy
> and glorify the l1umble.'
> 'l\bdu'I-Baha expected great things of those early
> lleroines and heroes suc11 as Lua and May and others
> \vhose names have beC01TIC legends.
> 'I l1ave planted the seeds in Anlcrica,' 'Abdu'l-
> Baha told them. 'You tTIust nurture thenl and care
> for them. If you do this, they will yield an abundant
> harvest ... You must arise '\vith superhuman
> strength to spread the l-ieachings, for the Cause is
> great; and whosoever shall arise in this day to teach,
> know that he will be assisted by the Divine Concourse ... It is the Day of the proclamation of the
> I<ingdom! . . . Erelong this Call shall yield the
> most glorious results and \vill fill the \vorld with its
> fruits.'
> 10 3
> The Baha'is of this present generation are no"v
> harvesting in every part of the globe the seeds
> planted by those pioneer-teachers in the days when
> 'Abdu'l-Baha \valked the streets of America.
> We begin to understand the 'flame' that burned
> within Lua until she "vas consumed by the fire and
> hea t of that Call.
> These all too brief glin1pses of the visit of 'Abdu'l-
> Baha to America, \'vhich set ablaze Lua's heart and
> directed her future course, above all help us to
> grasp
> .       the deep significance of those apostolic
> Journeys.
> Shoghi Effendi has put these travels into their
> proper historic perspective:
> "Abdu'l-Baha's historic journeys to the West,'
> he wrote, 'and in particular His eight-month tour
> of the United States of America, may be said to
> have marked the culmination of His ministry, a
> ministry \vhose untold blessings and stupendous
> achievements only future generations can adequately
> estimate.'
> This journey enabled 'Abdu'l-Baha to complete
> triumphantly the last of the three most important
> objectives of His entire ministry: (I) erecting the
> Shrine for the sacred remains of the precious Bab,
> (2) inspiring and initiating the construction of the
> first Baha'i House of Worship in 'Ishqabad, Russian
> rfurkistan, and (3) planting the banner of His
> Father's Faith permanently in the soil of the
> West.
> The last objective, Shoghi Effendi has told us, was
> the most important of all. It was a 'three-year-long
> mission to the Western world-a mission so
> momentous that it deserves to rank as the greatest
> exploit ever to be associated \vith His ministry'.
> Lua lived in those days and was privileged to
> \vitness the fulfilment of all three of these objectives, and the triumphs of her beloved Nlaster.
> Lua was a girl of but twenty-t\VO when she
> first heard of the Baha'i Faith; she was still in her
> t\venties when she "vent on her unforgettable first
> visit to 'Abdu'l-Baha; and she \vas in the full tide of
> her youthful beauty and eloquence when the Master
> came to America to complete the third, and crowning, triumph of His ministry. The flame which tIle
> 11aster had kindled in Lua's lleart would set ablaze
> other fires all over America, and would win for her
> the title 'mother-teacher of the West'.
> 
> 27. 'Oh, Bahd'tt'lldh! What hast Thou done?'
> To Lua, the final week of 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit to
> America vanished as quickly as a mist before the
> sun. The joy of those days would soon be over. But
> what days of victory they had been.
> Shoghi Effendi has captured the poignant contrast between those times of American triumph and
> 'Abdu'l-Baha's early sufferings and persecution.
> The l\/faster's American followers, for years to
> come, \vould radiate the happiness and wonder of
> the hours He had shared with them. 'Abdu'l-Baha,
> I-limself, must have been stirred to His depths by
> the ever-increasing signs of the respect being shown
> to His Father's Faith.
> 'Who knows what lnemories stirred within Him,'
> 8hoghi Effendi writes of his beloved Grandfather,
> 10 5
> 'as He stood before the thundering \vaters of Niagara, breathing the free air of a far distant land, or
> gazed, in the course of a brief and much-needed
> rest, upon the green \voods and countryside in
> Glenvvood Springs, or nloved \vith a retinue of
> Oriental believers along the paths of the Trocadero
> gardens in Paris, or \valked alone in the evening
> beside the majestic Hudson on Riverside Drive in
> Nc\v York, or as He paced the terrace of the Hotel
> du Pare at Thonon-Ies-Bains, overlooking the Lake
> of Geneva, or as lIe \vatched from Serpentine
> Bridge in London the pearly chain of lights beneat11
> the trees stretching as far as the eye could see?
> 1Iemories of the sorrows, the poverty, the overhanging doanl of His earlier years; memories of His
> nl0ther \vho sold her gold buttons to provide 11im,
> His brother and His sister \vith sustenance, and who
> \vas forced, in her darkest hours, to place a handful
> of dry flour in the palm of I-lis hand to appease His
> llunger; of 11is own childhood when pursued and
> derided by a mob of rumans in the streets ofTihran;
> of the danlp and gloon1Y room, formerly a morgue,
> \vhich He occupied in the barracks of 'Akka and of
> His imprisonment in the dungeon of that citymemories such as t11ese must surely l1ave thronged
> His mind. Thoughts, too, must have visited Him
> of t~e Bab's captivity in the mountain fastnesses
> of Adhirbayjan [Persia], when at night time He
> \vas refused even a lamp, and of His cruel and
> tragic execution when hundreds of bullets riddled
> His youthful breast. Above all His thoughts must
> have centered on Baha'u'llah, \Vhom He loved so
> passionately and \Vhose trials He had witnessed
> and had shared from Ilis boyllood. The vermininfested Sfyah-Chal [prison] of Tihran; the bastinado inflicted upon Him in Amul; the humble fare
> which filled His kashkul \vhile He [Baha'u'lhih]
> lived for t\VO years the life of a dervish in the
> mountains of I{urdistan; the days in Baghdad when
> He did not even possess a change of linen, and
> \vhen His [Bahi'u'llah's1 follo\vers subsisted on a
> handful of dates; I-lis conhnelnent behind the
> prison-\valls of '.r,\kka, \vhen for nine years even
> the sight of verdure \vas denied }-1in1; and the public
> humiliation to \vhich fIe \vas subjected at government headquarters in that city-pictures from the
> tragic past such as these must have many a tin1e
> overpowered flim \vith feelings of mingled gratitude and sorro"\v, as He '\vitnessed the many marks
> of respect, of esteem, and honor now shown Him
> ['Abdu'l-Baha] and the Faith \vhich he represented.'
> One evening as I-Ie \vas being driven to fulfil His
> third engagement in one day, in the nation's capital
> at \"XTashington, 'Abdu'l-Baha \vas heard to exclaim:
> '0 Baha'u'llah! \Vhat hast Thou done? 0
> Baha'u'llah! 11ay my life be sacrificed for Thee! ...
> How full were Thy days with trials and tribulations!
> How severe the ordeals Thou didst endure! How
> solid the foundation Thou hast finally laid, and ho"\v
> glorious the banner Thou didst hoist!'
> 
> 28. Fare1vell to Amerlca
> The morning of December 5th, 1912, was the day
> of yet another parting for Lua and her beloved
> 10 7
> Master. The S.S. Celtic lay in the New York harbour ready to carry 'Abdu'l-Baha a\vay from these
> shores forever. tIe \vas saying fare\vell to all of
> His American friends. His face \vas a mosaic of
> beauty.
> Suddenly a hush calne over the cro\vded deck.
> Newspaper men, photographers and friends all
> turned their gaze on that one lone figure. In the
> silence, all that could be heard was the sound of
> distant ships, the occasional blast of a tug whistle,
> the distant rush of the great city, and the cry of the
> birds.
> Then the :iYfaster began to speak.
> The following eye\,vitness account of these last
> minutes aboard the Celtic \vas \'vritten by an American clergyman of the Unitarian Church, Howard
> Colby Ives. So great \vas the spiritual impact of his
> meeting with 'Abdu'l-Baha, so intense ,,"vas the love
> \'vhich the 11aster kindled in his l1eart, that he left his
> church, and dedicated the remaining days of his life
> to teaching the Faith of Baha'u'llah.
> For the last time in America, I-Io\,vard Ives later
> wrote, that wonderful voice resounded across the
> deck of the S.S. Celtic:
> 'When the Master had finished speaking,' Ives
> recorded, 'He requested all present to con1e to Him
> that He might take their hands in a parting expression of love. How impressive that scene! How filled
> with a significance beyond words to express. The
> Master's majestic yet tender figure stood framed in
> the great circle of flowers with which the friends
> had surrounded Him as their parting gifts. Ho\,v
> fragrant and beautiful it \,vas with its atmosphere of
> a world far removed from that of the sordid
> material world \vhich encircled us on every side.
> 'We slowly passed in front of him. To each He
> gave a handful of flowers, bestowing the last of the
> flowers upon the very last friend. To each 'Abdu'l-
> Baha spoke a few \vords of love and encouragement.'
> For a still, still moment, the ship was a silent
> island as the friends looked longingly for the last
> time upon that \vonderful face. The quiet rapture
> of that moment was shattered by a cry that stabbed
> every heart, 'All visitors ashore!'
> No one wanted to be the first to leave. Each one
> tried to be among the very last to go do"\vn the
> gangplank.
> The friends gathered on the \vharf. They looked
> up at the figure of their Master as the ship slowly
> moved out into the great river. The sun broke
> through the clouds like a giant searchlight from
> heaven flooding the deck. 'Abdu'l-Baha stood at the
> rail. His silvery "\vhite hair and beard moved gently
> in the breeze. 1-lis erect, tnajestic figure was outlined
> clearly against the sky.
> Farther and farther He was drawing away from
> them. Everyone of them could feel the pull of his
> heart toward the ship "\vith its precious cargo. As
> 1-Ie moved slowly out of their sight, it seemed to
> those lonely, heart-broken onlookers as though the
> sun had ceased to shine and all of the birds had
> stopped their singing.
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Baha looked back at that great stone city
> with its man-made mountains crowding the sky.
> Who \vill ever kno\v the thoughts that filled His
> heart as the ship dre\v a\vay from America.
> He, 'Abdu'l-Baha, after forty years as a prisoner,
> had at long last fulfilled the prophecy His Father
> had made so many years before. Baha'u'llah had
> told Him that one day He would raise His voice in
> the \V'estern vlorld to summon its people to God.
> Every victory, every unexpected door that opened,
> 'Abdu'l-Baha attributed to Baha'u'llih, not to
> I-limself. 1-1is Blessed l~ather had sustained and
> inspired Him at every step along that arduous p3th.
> No\v it ""vas finished! F'inishedl
> Perhaps 'Abdu'l-Baha's lips n10ved in a quiet
> prayer of thanksgiving: 'God is 1\:10st Glorious!
> God is j\!fost G-lorious l'
> 
> Part V
> 
> IN HIS FOOTSTEPS
> 2.9. The Flame Spreads to Other Lands
> For many long months Lua was separated from her
> beloved Master by an ocean. She prayed each day
> that she might be made worthy to serve Him.
> One day when she returned home depressed with
> her lack of accomplishment in the pathway of the
> Cause of God, a letter was awaiting her. It was
> postmarked Palestine! The moment Lua touched
> it, she felt an 'inner prompting' toward some great
> event.
> It held an exciting assignment from 'Abdu'l-
> Baha. Just as 'Abdu'l-Baha had sailed from the East
> to the West to spread the Faith, He now summoned
> Lua to travel from West to East to do the same
> thing. He called upon Lua to carry the Message of
> Baha'u'lhih to India.
> She obeyed immediately.
> When her assignment was completed, Lua, to her
> complete joy, returned not to America but to the
> Holy Land to be in the presence of the Master.
> She had successfully accomplished her mission.
> Whatever 'Abdu'l-Baha wanted undertaken, Lua
> was prompt to volunteer. The Master praised Lua's
> work in India and wrote to the West of her victories.
> Because of her ceaseless teaching and travelling,
> particularly in Europe and America where she
> planted the flag of the Faith in many hearts, the
> Master proclaimed her 'The Banner'.
> Lua 'often sat at that 'blessed table' in the Holy
> Land. She sat at the feet of the Master and drank in
> as much as she could contain from the ocean of His
> wisdom. Following her teaching victories in India,
> Lua remained for seven months in the presence of
> her beloved Master.
> 
> On one occasion it is said that the Master told
> Lua that Baha'u'lhih had chosen her for His work
> when she was but a little girl on the farm. He also
> said that in the days to come, her home in Hume,
> New York, would be a place of pilgrimage. And
> some time in the future, thousands would one day
> journey to that farm in upper New York where she
> had once run barefoot as a child.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha showered her with such kindness
> and love that Lua felt her life had been too richly
> blessed with happiness. She felt an increasing need
> of participating in some of the suffering which had
> been the lot of 'Abdu'l-Baha for half a century. His
> whole life had been a living martyrdom. Within
> Lua there now grew a great longing to share this
> martyrdom. After all, she was one of the 'spiritual
> descendants' of those heroic Dawn-Breakers of the
> Faith in Persia. More than twenty thousand of them
> had given their lives and stained the sands of Persia
> red with blood. Of what value was one small life ?
> Lua's spirit hungered, not to weep away its life
> in drops but, like a giant sky-rocket, to spill its
> treasures to the night in some great sudden sacrifice
> that might win new glories for the Faith.
> Lua went to the Master and asked Him if He
> would permit her to become a martyr. The account
> of her constant pleading is told movingly and amusingly in the diary of Dr Yunis I(han Afrukhtih,
> a secretary of'Abdu'l-Baha in those days. So eagerly
> did Lua desire to become a martyr to her Faith that
> she enlisted the help of some of the friends in the
> Holy Land.
> Lua could no longer call upon her dear friend
> Juliet Thompson to plead with the Master, so she
> used her eloquence and charm to try and influence
> some of the Persian Baha'is who were with 'Abdu'l-
> Baha to intercede for her. Those who refused to
> intercede, she asked to pray in the holy Shrines that
> she might be privileged to die for the Faith.
> When 'Abdu'l-Baha heard her first request, he
> laughed with enjoyment. He looked upon her with
> much tenderness and love. When Lua persisted
> in her request, 'Abdu'l-Baha became silent and
> would not answer her. Finally, Lua entreated no
> more.
> She wrote to some of 11er friends in America and
> spoke laughingly herself of her own intensity at this
> time. She said, 'I made such a nuisance of myself
> with everyone, in my great desire to give my life for
> the Faith, that eventually every one of the friends
> was earnestly praying that I might in truth be
> granted my request, and the sooner the better.'
> 
> 30. Following in His Footsteps
> One of the deepest longings of Lua's life was that
> some day she might be permitted to follow in the
> Master's footsteps, even if only for the shortest
> distance.
> There is a touching story told in pilgrims' notes,
> although we could not find the original to substantiate it, which tells of the day that Lua was
> walking with 'Abdu'l-Baha and some of the friends
> on the white sands of the sea near 'Akka.
> Lua, it is said, suddenly became aware of the
> Master's tracks in the soft sand. She was walking a
> pace or two behind Him. Quite spontaneously she
> stepped behind 'Abdu'l-Bahi and began to trace
> His footsteps by placing her shoes one at a time in
> each of His footprints.
> Perhaps it is only a fable, as Lua soon became a
> legend in her own time, and it is difficult to sort fact
> from fiction, but there is a lesson we all can learn
> from the story, whatever its origin.
> Without turning, 'Abdu'l-Bahi said sharply,
> 'What are you doing?'
> Lua replied cheerily, 'I am following in your
> footsteps. '
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi was silent for some time. Then He
> repeated more forcefully, 'Lua, what are you
> doing?'
> She said, 'I am walking in your footsteps, beloved Master.'
> Without a word, 'Abdu'l-Bahi strode on.
> Lua, it is said, felt a chill as she realized the utter
> futility and presumptuousness of such a weak instrument as herself ever daring to aspire to walk in
> the footsteps of the 'Mystery of God'.
> Suddenly Lua felt an agonizing pain in her ankle.
> She looked down. She had been stung by a scorpion.
> She cried out, but the Master did not turn or slow
> His stride.
> Lua walked on \vith the utmost difficulty. Her
> ankle was swelling rapidly. The pain was becoming
> intense. But she clenched her teeth and forced herself to continlle.
> When the suffering had become almost unbearable, 'Abdu'l-Baha turned and came back.
> 'This,' He told her, 'is what it means to walk in
> my footsteps.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha touched her head gently with His
> hand. Lua's eyes were brimming with tears. She
> understood the lesson.
> The Master turned and continued on His way,
> Lua limping after Him as best she could. She felt the
> pain gradually diminishing as she tried to keep up
> with her beloved Master.
> 
> It was at this time that one of the Baha'is staying
> in the Holy Land told Lua the story of a youthful
> Baha'i named 'Abdu'l-Vahhab. He, too, had
> longed earnestly to walk in the footsteps of his
> Beloved. About this story there could be no doubt,
> for it was verified by the Pen of Baha'u'lhih Himself.
> Lua listened with enraptured interest.
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Vahhab was from Shiraz. When he was
> living in Ka?imayn, his love for Baha'u'llah became
> so overpowering that he left home and followed
> Bahi'u'llah to Tihran. He longed to be in
> Baha'u'llah's presence once more. 'Abdu'l-Vahhib
> yearned to walk in the footsteps of his Beloved.
> Before 'Abdu'l-Vahhab arrived in Tihran,
> Baha'u'llah had been seized and arrested. Although
> history proved Him to be innocent of any wrongdoing, Baha'u'llah was paraded bareheaded, barefooted, and in chains for miles under the blazing
> sun. His hat was knocked off and His garments
> stripped from His body. He was stoned along the
> route. He was beaten by the mounted guards who
> escorted Him to prison. Finally they cast Him into
> a black sunless pit underground. There He was
> chained to the floor. His feet were put in stocks.
> His shoulders were weighted down by a huge heavy
> one-hundred-pound chain which tore His flesh and
> scarred Him for life.
> When 'Abdu'l-Vahhab arrived in Tihran
> .      searching for Baha'u'llah, he, too, was arrested as a follower
> .    of this new religion. He was thrown into
> prIson.
> 'Abdu'l-Vahhab was heart-broken. His prayers
> had not been answered. Now he would remain a
> prisoner or-who knows-perhaps be slain as an
> innocent victim of prejudice, never again to look
> upon the face of Baha'u'llah. 'Abdu'l-Vahhab
> feared that his longing to walk in the footsteps of
> that Blessed Beauty would never be realized.
> Surely, God had forsaken him.
> 'Abdu'l-Vahhab was shoved down the stone
> steps of the Black Pit prison into that impenetrable
> darkness. He was chained to the other prisoners.
> When 'Abdu'l-Vahhab's eyes gradually became
> accustomed to the darkness, he turned to look at
> the prisoner beside him.
> He looked into the eyes of Baha'u'llah I
> He was chained to his Beloved, and that terrible
> dungeon with its awful stench of f1:ccumulating
> filth, its vermin, chains and threat of death, became
> a fragrant paradise.
> Baha'u'lhih Himself wrote of those hours spent
> with
> . 'Abdu'l-Vahhab in the Siyah-Chal (Black Pit)
> prlson:
> Every day Our gaolers, entering Our cell, would
> call the name of one of Our companions, bidding
> him arise and follow them to the foot of the
> gallows ...
> We were awakened one night, ere break of
> day, by 'Abdu'l-Vahhab, who was bound with
> Us to the same chains .... He asked Us whether
> We were awake, and proceeded to relate to Us
> his dream. 'I have this night,' he said, 'been
> soaring into a space of infinite vastness and
> beauty. I seemed to be uplifted on wings that
> carried me wherever I desired to go. A feeling of
> rapturous delight filled my soul. I flew in the
> midst of that immensity with a swiftness and ease
> that I cannot describe.'
> Baha'u'llah looked with love upon 'Abdu'l-
> Vahhab. He said to him:
> Today it will be your turn to sacrifice yourself
> for this Cause. May you remain firm and steadfast to the end. You will then find yourself
> soaring in that same limitless space of which you
> dreamed, traversing with the same ease and
> swiftness the realm of immortal sovereignty,
> and gazing with that same rapture upon the
> Infinite Horizon.
> Baha'u'llah's words came true. That morning
> when the door was opened to let a shaft of sunlight
> down into the deep black pit, the gaoler made his
> way down the steps and called out a name.
> "Abdu'l-Vahhib l'
> Baha'u'llah "\vrote of 'Abdu'l-Vahhib's joy when
> he heard that fatal name called out, and was freed
> of his chains.
> Baha'u'llah said:
> Throwing off his chains, he sprang to his feet,
> embraced each of his fellow-prisoners, and,
> taking Us into his arms, pressed Us lovingly to
> his heart. That moment We discovered that he
> had no shoes to wear. We gave him Our own,
> and, speaking a last word of encouragement and
> cheer, sent him forth to the scene of his martyrdom. Later on, his executioner came to Us,
> praising in glowing language the spirit which
> that youth had shown.
> 'Abdu'l-Vahhib had not only fulfilled his longing to walk in Baha'u'llah's footsteps, to share His
> suffering. 'Abdu'l-Vahhib had walked to his death
> in Baha'u'llih's very shoes.
> He had given up friends, fame, wealth, family,
> and finally life itself.
> 
> 'This,' the Persian Baha'is told Lua, 'is what it
> means to walk in the footsteps of your Beloved.'
> To Lua, such a sacrifice was not a deterrent, it was
> a spur. The taste of affliction was as sweet as honey.
> She longed to share the countless agonies of
> Baha'u'Ilih and her beloved Master.
> Instead of quenching her fire, the story of
> 'Abdu'l-Vahhab poured oil on the flames. After all,
> she was a spiritual descendant of that illustrious
> Dawn-Breaker. If martyrdom was good enough for
> him, it was good enough for Lua.
> Lua hoped that some day, somewhere, if only in
> the tiniest measure, her tribulations would, as
> Baha'u'llah has said of His own suffering, help lift
> the yoke of tyranny from off the necks of men.
> 
> 3 I. Lua Sees the Master for the Last Tl,ne
> Lua was in the Holy Land with 'Abdu'l-Bahi for
> seven wonderful months in 1915, during the First
> World War.
> One day 'Abdu'l-Bahi called Lua to Him. \X'ith
> great gentleness He told l1er that she must leave at
> once for America. Soon Germany would be at war
> with her country and she would no longer be able
> to receive His protection in Haifa.
> Lua felt a chill of premonition when she heard
> His . words. She knew they would never meet
> again.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha understood the anguish in Lua's
> heart. He softened the pain of parting by reminding
> her once again of her great responsibility. It was her
> duty to awaken a sleeping America. She must be a
> Herald of the Covenant of God among the people
> of the West. She must return to America, 'Abdu'l-
> Baha told her, and ceaselessly teach the Cause of
> God. This, 'Abdu'l-Baha said, was His dearest
> wish.
> Lua knew there was no escape from this command. It "vas for this very purpose that she had
> been taught and trained by the }yIaster. To \vhom
> much is given, from him much is expected. All of
> the love and the kno\vledge the Master had showered on Lua \vas not really hers at all. It belonged to
> those \vhom she had already taught and must yet
> teach.
> Painfully aware of her own weaknesses, Lua
> asked 'Abdu'l-Baha to grant her the bounty of
> taking upon herself the sins of her children in the
> Faith. Perhaps in this way she could purify herself
> and release them from bondage.
> 'Let me bear the weight of their sins,' Lua begged
> 'Abdu'l-Baha, 'that they may be freed of this burden and be able to teach with pure spirit.'
> 
> Lua had learned her lesson of detachment. One
> precious conversation with the Master would
> remain with her always, locked forever in her
> memory, words spoken to Lua and a companion
> before they set off on their teaching journey to
> India. Lua has preserved that conversation in her
> own pilgrim notes.
> 'What will you do if they dispute these teachings ?'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha asked Lua.
> 'I shall turn to 'Abdu'l-Baha and call upon Him
> for spiritual confirmation. After repeating the
> Greatest Name of Baha'u'llah, I shall open my
> mouth and say what is given me to say.'
> 'What will you do if they persecute you ?'
> 'I shall know it is a heavenly gift, and that the
> love of God is descending upon me.'
> 'What will you do if they put you in prison?'
> 'I shall thank God that I have walked in His path,
> and have at last been permitted to share what
> 'Abdu'l-Baha has suffered for years.'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha was silent for a moment. He asked:
> 'And what will you do if they kill you?'
> '1 shall know that the first wish that I ever asked
> of 'Abdu'l-Baha had been granted, and that I have
> been privileged to give my life that men may hear
> the Word of God.'
> Lua's eyes were filled with tears. She looked at
> her Beloved and said, 'And the minute my soul is
> freed from my body, I shall fly to God from Whom
> I hope I shall never be separated through all
> eternity.'
> There was a long silence. The Master's eyes were
> closed. At length He said:
> 'When one goes forth to teach, he should think of
> all these things. He must be prepared at all times,
> for whatever comes in the path of God.'
> 
> Lua clung to 'Abdu'l-Baha's hand that last day,
> draining courage from it. Her eyes lingered on that
> countenance she loved more than all else on earth.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha knew her heart. His eyes were
> especially kind that day. His words were particularly
> tender and loving. His smile was surpassingly
> sweet.
> Lua turned and sobbing quietly left His presence,
> but her heart remained. She would never again look
> upon that beloved face, nor hear that wondrous
> voice, nor drink in that matchless wisdom, nor be
> sheltered by the warmth of that protecting spirit.
> She was leaving. She was leaving her beloved
> 12.2.
> Master, never to see Him in this world again. Never
> again I
> 'Abdu'l-Baha demonstrated the confidence He
> had in Lua in a special Tablet [Letter] which He
> addressed to America. 'Abdu'l-Baha commented
> on Lua's successful work in India, and called upon
> the American Baha'is to s110w 11er their love.
> He wrote:
> 'To the beloved of God in America-On them
> be glory and bounty I
> 'The maid-servant of God, Lua, was a long time
> occupied in India in spreading the fragrances of the
> love of God. She is now ready to return to the
> regions of America. Show her every consideration.
> She is firm in the Covenant of love. In reality she
> \vorked vigorously during her sojourn in India,
> and she is worthy of love.
> 'Haifa, August 2.7, 1915
> (signed) 'Abdu'l-Baha 'Abbas.'
> 
> Lua carried that precious Tablet with her as she
> hurried to her ship. She was rushing into the
> future, toward America, impatient to teach and
> teach and teach.
> Lua knew that this alone could help to fill the
> utter loneliness and hunger for the days that were
> never to return again.
> 
> 32. War Encircles the Flame
> As that 'land of unfading splendour' disappeared
> into the haze of the sea, perhaps Lua relived her
> long-ago visit when she looked upon the Master
> 12.3
> for the first time. Was it possible that it had all
> happened eighteen years ago? It seemed like
> yesterday.
> Prominent among her memories must have been
> the excitement and drama of those first Baha'i
> meetings in Paris which followed that pilgrimage,
> when 'Abdu'l-Baha had sent May Maxwell to open
> Europe to the Faith of Baha'u'llah.
> Imagine!
> For the first time on this planet, an entire continent was being introduced, in terms it could
> understand, to a Faith which was soon to encircle
> the world. People were being told that Christ had
> returned. The Promised One of all religions had
> appeared!
> These noble souls, heroines and heroes, were the
> forerunners in the West of a tidal wave of teaching that in little over half a century was to establish centres in some fifty thousand places in the
> world.
> Their spiritual children, and their children's
> children, would soon raise up over one hundred
> National Spiritual Assemblies representing more
> than three hundred countries, territories and dominions. These two partners, the communities of
> believers from the Cradle of the Faith in Persia and
> the Cradle of its Administrative Order in America,
> would be leaders in establishing on a local, national
> and international foundation the Christ-promised
> Kingdom of God on earth.
> They, with their fellow Baha'is in all lands,
> would participate in the first Baha'i World Convention, and the election of the Universal House of
> Justice, that Supreme Administrative Body called
> for by the Pen of Baha'u'llah Himself.
> 
> The excitement of those early days in Paris
> became even more enthralling when 'Abdu'l-Baha
> sent them one of the most gifted and brilliant
> teachers of the East, Mirza Abu'l-Fa<;ll. His task
> was to deepen and strengthen 'Abdu'l-Baha's
> 'western children'.
> This peerless messenger from 'Abdu'l-Bahi
> opened new horizons of understanding, and helped
> prepare them for their world-encircling mission of
> teaching.
> Who would have foreseen this mighty harvest
> during those beginning days in Paris? Lua certainly, and May Maxwell, and perhaps a handful of
> those other God-intoxicated teachers who made the
> capital city of France sing with their song of the
> kingdom.
> One can almost hear Lua, as she stands at the
> rail of her ship, looking back for the last time at
> Mount Carmel, and dreaming of those early days
> -the first pilgrimage; the night she told her mother
> about the Faith; above all, the Master's visit to
> America. Down the corridors of time we can hear
> her quietly whisper: 'Such days I Such days I'
> Agnes Alexander, one of only three believers to
> be mentioned by name in 'Abdu'l-Baha's Tablets of
> the Divine Plan, was there at the Paris meetings. She
> soon left for the Orient to ignite the light of the
> Baha'i Faith in Hawaii and Japan. She wrote with a
> special tenderness of those days of rapture:
> 'An atmosphere of pure light pervaded the Paris
> 12.5
> meetings, so much so that one was transported, as
> it were, from the world of man to that of God.'
> Juliet Thompson, Lua's dear friend Julie, also
> attended and told of the love that bound Lua, May
> -all of them-together:
> 'That Paris group was so deeply united in love
> and faith-so carried away, so intoxicated "\vith love
> for the beloved Master; our great teac11er, 11irza
> Abu'l-Fagl, so heavenly wise-that those days were
> the days of miracle, of all but incredible confirmations. '
> 
> Who would have dreamed that in such a short
> time the earthly dust of the 'immortal Lua' and
> that of the 'illustrious' Abu'l-Fagl-they who had
> met each other in Paris-would lie beneath a single
> monument along the shores of the silver Nile in
> Egypt.
> Or, that the brilliant, eloquent child of Lua's
> heart and tongue, May 1faxwell, would also win a
> martyr's crown in far off Argentina, a country so
> remote from her native land.
> Both Lua and May, obedient to the summons of
> their beloved Master, 'Abdu'l-Baha, had arisen to
> teach the Cause of God with every breath of their
> lives. They had become 'pieces of iron' in 'the
> midst of the fire', filled with the spirit. Their candles
> had wept away their lives, drop by drop, and 'shed
> imperishable lustre' upon the American Baha'i
> community.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha was later to write:
> 'Among the miracles which distinguish this Dispensation is this, that women have evinced a greater
> 12.6
> boldness than men when enlisted in the ranks of the
> Faith.'
> Both Lua and May had been privileged to return
> to that 'blessed spot' on a 'second visit' with their
> 'banners flying, like soldiers, in gladness and
> triumph'. They went out again into the battle for a
> final time, both to lay down their lives on behalf of
> their precious Faith so that people in all lands might
> kno\v about Baha'u'lhih, the Redeemer of men, the
> only hope for present-day society.
> 
> Such memories of the past and visions of the
> future must have inspired and encouraged Lua
> as she sailed away that final time from the land of
> her heart's desire, from that 'snow-white spot', that
> 'nest of all the Prophets of God'.
> Lua never reached America. She sailed from
> Haifa with two hundred and ninety refugees on
> board the United States cruiser Des Moines and
> finally reached Egypt via the Island of Crete.
> When Lua reached Egypt, she became desperately ill, and was forced to leave the ship. While she
> was in Egypt the war encircled her.
> But Lua's heart, impatient to be off this planet
> now that it could no longer be with the Master,
> braved every danger.
> 
> 33. The Angel of Death
> Lua's sister writes the following account of those
> last days in Cairo, Egypt:
> 'There she nursed the sick and wounded with
> every bit of her limited strength. The soldiers
> 12   7
> adored her and called her "the Lady in Blue".'
> Because of her dress.
> In the last years of her life, Lua always wore a
> simple costume, blue in colour and very conservative. 'Abdu'l-Baha had earlier suggested a more
> moderate dress and Lua had obeyed at once, never
> to change the style.
> A friend whom Lua had introduced to the Faith
> in California described Lua's ethereal look with her
> large blue eyes, brown hair, fair skin. The impact
> was softened by her temperate dress and often
> proved a 'safeguard to her during many hazardous
> experiences in many countries as she travelled in
> her service to the Faith'.
> This friend has written: 'Later in San Francisco
> Lua gave me a pair of long white kid gloves, the
> last remnant of her finery which she had enjoyed so
> much.'
> The days during which Lua had lived in both
> worlds were gone. For years, her heart had been
> anchored only in the I<ingdom.
> 
> Lua kept her failing health a secret from all. She
> had been violently stricken with fever while in
> India. This proved too much for an always frail
> body. Lua's strong spirit had hidden her delicate
> health from almost everyone throughout her life.
> But the Master was always aware of Lua's acute
> suffering. She rose above illness and pain to carry
> out His command to teach. At one particularly desperate time of illness in Lua's life, 'Abdu'l-Baha is
> reported to have said, 'I told the Angel of Death
> to stay away.'
> The fever now had greatly sapped her strength
> and gravely afflicted her heart. While working at
> intense pitch during those last hectic weeks in a
> world. gone mad with war, Lua contracted pneumonia.
> She rallied for a short while, but her spirit would
> not let her rest. She felt too keenly the shortness of
> time. She could think of but one \vord: 'Teach!'
> One day Lua said to some of her friends, 'I am
> sure that until the last days of our lives we shall be
> learning lessons, for this world is a school from
> which we graduate only when we leave it. I shall
> be glad when the last days come, and the school is
> forever (as far as I am concerned) dismissed.'
> Then she looked at the picture of 'Abdu'l-Baha
> which hung on the wall and said, 'But His will, not
> mine, be done: For all I ever want to do is His will
> and to be severed from all save God.'
> During those days, Lua was busily writing 'an
> account of my last months with 'Abdu'l-Baha'. She
> wrote to her fellow-Baha'is in America telling them
> that 'Abdu'l-Baha was well.
> 'Abdu'l-Baha had given Lua the assignment of
> carrying the latest news to the Baha'is in Africa,
> Europe and America.
> 'Now is the time,' He told her, 'for you to go and
> gives news to the friends in Egypt, ~urope and
> America. It is a long time that they are without any
> word, and I desire to send you to them, after which
> you are to go and teach.'
> Lua reached Egypt, was delayed by the war, so
> at once she began her teaching work there in Africa.
> She wrote to America, apologizing for her delay.
> 12 9
> 'I do not just yet know when I shall reach
> America,' she told them, 'as I have some work
> to do in France first ....
> '1 am sent forth again "to herald the Covenant"
> by its holy Centre ['Abdu'l-Baha], and I shall do it
> with His divine assistance better and more powerfully than I have ever done ...
> 'Please say to all the friends that I love them all,
> and I am ready to meet them in the spirit of the
> Center of God's holy Covenant which is naught
> save pure, spiritual divine love I I wish everybody
> success in the service of His Great Cause, and ask
> them to pray for me-the least and most unworthy
> of all His faithful servants ...
> 'Yours in the service and love of 'Abdu'l-Baha,
> (signed) Lua
> Port Said, Egypt
> Sept. 2. I, 19 1 5.'
> 
> Although her health was failing, Lua increased
> the tempo of her teaching activities. The poorer she
> felt, the more intense became her determination
> to serve.
> Lua's friends pleaded with her to rest. She smiled
> and said, 'The Master does not rest. He said,
> "Sometimes material rest can deprive us of spiritual rest.'"
> Late one spring day in Cairo, Lua returned to
> her home. She had spent many long hours instructing some students who were eager to hear more
> about the Baha'i Faith. Lua was very weak and
> tired, but in spite of this she had never looked more
> radiant and gay.
> Lua bade her friends a loving good night and
> went to her room. A short time later they heard a
> sharp cry of pain. Lua was in great anguish. Even
> then she thought of only one thing, 'Abdu'l-Baha.
> She called out loudly three times: 'God is Most
> Glorious I God is Most Glorious I God is Most
> Glorious I'
> This time the Angel of Death did not stay away.
> Lua was not quite forty-five when she died, so very
> young and so very beautiful.
> 
> 34. 'Lua, who shall live through all the ages'
> Lua had written often to her dear friend 'Julie'
> during those last days. When Miss Thompson received word of Lua's passing it brought back
> memories of that joyous day long past when both
> she and Lua had been with 'Abdu'l-Baha in New
> York. She has recorded that moment for history:
> 'Lua knelt before 'Abdu'l-Baha and offered our
> lives for the Faith. "From this moment on," Lua
> told the Master, "Julie and I dedicate our lives to
> Thee. And we beg at last to die in Thy path. Don't
> we, Julie?'"
> Julie never had a chance to answer. Lua was
> sweeping them both onto the field of martyrdom.
> Lua couldn't conceive of a Baha'i who didn't long
> to shed that 'crimson ink' in the path of Baha'u'lhih.
> Juliet tells how eagerly Lua offered both their
> lives for the Master.
> , "We want to drink the cup of martyrdom.
> Don't we, Julie?" Before I could answer, Lua continued: "0 beloved Master, it would be so good for
> 13 1
> the Cause of Baha'u'llih if t\VO Americans could die
> for the Faith! Please grant it!" She turned to me
> and said, "Take hold of His robe, Julie, and beseech!"
> 'The Master said, "Very good." But this did not
> satisfy Lua. "Say yes, Master!" she begged. "Oh,
> Julie, beg Him to say yes!"
> '''I accept the dedication of your lives now,"
> 'Abdu'l-Bahi told them. "The rest will be determined later."
> 'Now it has been determined. 'Abdu'l-Bahi once
> said to me, "Lua has a tender heart." That tender
> heart, too anguished, suddenly ceased to beat.'
> 
> In one of the last letters she ever \vrote, Lua
> addressed these words to May Maxwell whom she
> had brought into the Faith in Paris in 1898:
> '''Thus let him who is in the house-top not come
> down, and him who is in the field not turn back."
> For each one must begin in whatever place he finds
> himself to face facts and conditions as they are,
> and know that the present environment is the best
> for his future, be it in the fields, all fresh and green,
> or the desert with the dreary burning sands. The
> final goal to be attained is "Severance from all else
> save God". And in His great mercy He puts each
> one in the place where the painful process may be
> quickest and best accomplished. Hence I am in
> Egypt, and you are among the snowdrifts of
> Canada ... My only hope, aim, or ambition was to
> go to America and to do what 'Abdu'l-Baha desired
> me to do. No one will ever know save Him in this
> world what it would have meant had I accom-
> 132.
> plished it ... It seems that God does not accept my
> life as a sacrifice in His path, yet I long for it with
> all my soul ... If I cannot attain it, all I ask is that
> you may all succeed where I failed.'
> 
> The link that bound Lua's heart to that of May
> Maxwell was unique and precious. It is small
> '\vonder that when the first word of Lua's death
> reached her, May wrote an eloquent tribute to this
> great Baha'i teacher and Herald of the Covenant of
> Baha'u'llah.
> 'Great and wonderful were [Lua's] qualities-in
> her own person she bore the sins and weaknesses of
> us all, and redeeming herself she redeemed us. She
> broke the path through the untrod forest: ... she
> cast her soul and body into the stream and perished
> making the bridge by which we cross ... The
> passion of Divine love that consumed her heart shall
> light the hearts of mankind forever and forever.'
> 'For hours I have seen Lua, the woman, the
> child,' May \vrote, 'all love and tenderness, dying
> far away-alone. Far from the land where she
> sowed the seed from the Atlantic to the Pacificfrom the land where she arose like the dawning
> star heralding the light of Baha'u'llah in those days
> when the Occident lay frozen in the grasp of
> materialism-and far from all those who should
> have loved her and cherished her as a priceless
> gift from God.'
> 'I believe,' May wrote, 'that the last time Lua left
> her Beloved 'Abdu'l-Baha she died to all save God
> and took the "step of the soul" by which the spirit
> of truth and reality dawned in the Cause in America.'
> May saw a 'victorious Lua, majestic in her deaththe Lua who shall live through all ages' and at the
> same time saw Lua, the woman, the eager child of
> the Covenant hungering for ways, however small,
> in which she could serve her beloved 'Abdu'l-
> Baha. May's pen was tender and sad as she wrote:
> 'I could only see her frail form, her lovely, sensitive face, her pleading child's eyes. I could only hear
> the cry of her soul, her yearning for sacrifice in the
> Path of God. Without home, money, or any earthly
> hope or refuge-after her years of suffering, service
> and sacrifice, she attained her supreme desire and
> lay, at last, a martyr I'
> 
> 3 5· A Martyr's Crown
> 'Abdu'l-Baha was filled with great sorro\v when
> the news of Lua's death reached Him.
> The Master was "\valking one afternoon along
> the shores of the Sea of Galilee when He received
> the tragic 'news of the death of the beloved Lua'.
> One of 'Abdu'l-Baha's secretaries has recalled
> the deep sorrow the Master felt at the passing of this
> great Baha'i teacher.
> 'He was deeply affected,' he wrote, 'and felt more
> than any of us this great loss. Since that day I have
> heard Him more than a hundred times exclaiming
> with a moving voice: "What a loss! What a loss!
> What a loss 1'"
> In a letter which this same secretary of the Master
> sent to America it was pointed out how 'unique' a
> teacher Lua had been.
> She was one of the very earliest Baha'is in
> America to travel extensively and raise the call of
> the Kingdom.
> She was one of the very first pilgrims from the
> West to visit 'Abdu'l-Baha in 'Akka.
> She 'travelled throughout the continents of
> America, Europe, Asia and Africa to spread the
> Word of God.'
> She brought many outstanding souls into the
> Faith, both men and women, who themselves carried on her work with skill and enthusiasm in all
> parts of the world.
> She was the only 'believer who visited the Shah
> of Persia years ago in Paris and interceded' on
> behalf of the Baha'is in that land, as instructed by
> the Master, 'Abdu'l-Baha.
> Lua was a disciple of 'Abdu'l-Baha. She was
> 'taught by Him, educated by Him, and sent out
> by Him' to proclaim the Baha'i Faith to the
> world.
> Lua was 'one of the very few souls who visited
> the Holy Land seven or eight times, lived in the
> blessed household for months at a time, and was
> considered as one of the members of the holy
> family, one of the daughters of 'Abdu'l-Baha.'
> All those who knew Lua's true worth were to
> echo those words of the Master: 'What a loss I'
> 'Abdu'l-Baha cabled to her friends in America:
> 'The maid servant of God, Lua, enkindled with
> the fire of His love, has passed away. In the latter
> days of her life, the heart disease with which she
> had been afflicted became greatly aggravated.'· He
> prayed that God would grant the soul of Lua a
> palace for a home.
> Then 'Abdu'l-Baha called upon the American
> believers to rise up and follow Lua's example. He
> called her a 'Herald of t11e Covenant', and praised
> her highly for following His command to 'Go forth
> and proclaim this Faith'.
> 'Lua, that blessed leaf,' 'Abdu'l-Baha said, 'has
> been the cause of guidance to many a soul, for she
> was endowed with a heart that was attracted, a
> tongue that was eloquent, and she spent her time
> day and night teaching. At present she is calling
> from the Kingdom saying, "0 ye my children! Do
> ye know what bounty I have attained?'"
> When her remains were transferred to their final
> resting-place, the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith,
> Shoghi Effendi, announced to the entire Baha'i
> world this event, describing her in these terms:
> 'The immortal Lua, mother-teacher of the
> American Baha'i community, herald of the dawn of
> the Day of the Covenant ... '
> And still today her voice calls out from every
> land. It speaks through those whose hearts were
> touched by her, the mother-teacher of the West.
> Her spiritual children, and her children's children,
> enkindled by her flame lift up their heads in love
> and delight whenever her name is spoken. They
> have taken up the torch and will hold it aloft enkindling new fires of teaching in every land, until
> the entire planet is illumined with the light of
> Baha'u'llah.
> So it is that Lua still teaches on earth through
> hearts which she awakened. They can hear her voice
> callout that echo of Tahirih: '1 am the bugle! I am
> the bellI'
> Lua, homeless on earth, now has in the world
> on high her 'palace'. This is the promise of her
> beloved Master.
> Silent in her shrine, her golden eloquence forever stilled on earth, Lua sleeps beneath the dust of
> a quiet hill in Egypt. Her simple monument looks
> across the silver Nile to where the setting sun disappears behind the ancient pyramids, those tombs
> of long-forgotten kings.
> Far from her native land, this restless spirit, this
> flame of God, the 'immortal Lua' achieved her
> heart's desire and won a martyr's crown.
> 
> A FINAL TRIBUTE
> 
> One hundred years ago, November 1st, 1871, that
> 'herald' of the Baha'i Faith, the 'immortal Lua' was
> born. In 1971, Baha'is throughout America and
> Canada honoured her memory in thanksgiving for
> the gift of 'life' she bestowed upon so many of
> them.
> It is only fitting that this all too inadequate
> account of her dramatic life should close with this
> final tribute from the Pen of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the
> Master Lua loved so dearly.
> The following are the ,vords of 'Abdu'l-Baha
> which will remain forever as the balance in which
> we may weigh the life of this heroine of God:
> 
> 'Supplication for the attracted maid-servant of God,
> Lua, who ascended to the Supreme Concourse-Upon her
> be greeting and praise!
> 'He is God!
> '0 LordI 0 LordI Verily Thy maid-servant who
> was attracted with the fragrances of Thy Holiness,
> enkindled with the fire of Thy Love, the herald of
> Thy Name, the spreader of Thy Signs among Thy
> people, ascended to Thee with humility and lowliness, trusting in Thee with all her heart, liberated
> from all worldly ties and attractions, hoping for
> Thy Universal Favour and Mercy, desiring to
> 13 8
> enter Thy radiant Presence, supplicating Thy allencircling Bounty, and begging for the descent of
> Thy glorious Bestowals!
> '0 LordI Exalt her station, submerge her in the
> ocean of Thy Compassion and establish her in the
> midst of the Paradise of Immortality, in the Universe of I..Jights, the Centre of the Beatific Mysteries.
> '0 Lord 1 She believed in Thee, chanted Thy
> verses, turned her face toward Thee with all her
> heart; her spirit was rejoiced through Thy gladtidings and her soul was purified through the fire
> of Thy Love. Then amidst the concourse of humanity, she arose in the promotion of Thy Word,
> suffered every thirsty one to drink from the goblet
> of Thy Guidance and healed every sick one witll
> the antidote of Thy Knowledge. In Thy Path she
> travelled to distant countries and remote regions
> and gave the good-news of Thy Kingdom throughout vast and spacious continents-until through
> the difficulties that she endured in Thy Path, her
> very flesh and bones were melted, diseases and
> sicknessses attacked her, her frail body failed her,
> her nerves and muscles weakened their functions
> and her heart became the target of conflicting ailments. Then while hoping for the immortal life,
> the eternal existence, she abandoned this mortal,
> ephemeral world.
> '0 Lordi Grant her a palace in the neighbourhood of Thy Most Great Mercy; cause her to dwell
> in the gardens of Thy paradise, the Most High;
> illumine her countenance with the effulgence of
> Thy good-pleasure, in the Kingdom of Thy Glory;
> usher her into the heaven of Thy Meeting and
> suffer her to live everlastingly in the assemblage of
> transfiguration, whose refulgent lights are shining
> upon
> . the world of hearts and the realm of consCl0usness.
> 'Verily, Thou art the Forgiving, verily Thou art
> the Pardoner, and verily Thou art the Merciful of
> the Most Merciful!
> '(Signed) 'Abdu'l-Baha 'Abbas.'
> Quotations are reproduced as in the original texts.
>
> — *The Flame: The Story of Lua (Used by permission of the curator)*