The Story of the Bahai Movement
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Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Sydney Sprague, The Story of the Bahai Movement, London: The Priory Press, 1907/1908, bahai-library.com.
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....... On   . . . . . ., .

THE I LAND.
The Story of the
Bahai Movement
., A Universal Religion

By
SYDNEY SPRAGUE

.. The people of Baba have not any aim save the
prosperity and reformation of the world and the
purifying of the nations."

SECOND      EDITION, REVISED.

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HARVARD
UNIVERSITY
LlBRAft..."

MAYLE'S PENNY SERIES.

I.   EDWARD FITZGERALD'S RUBAIYAT OF OMAR
KHAYYAM. with a Persian-English Vocabulary
not given in the other editions published in this
country.

II. THE BAHAI MOVEMENT.

TIl.   HIDDEN WORDS FROM THE ARABIC.

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THE BAHA! MOVEMENT

"PRA.ISE be to God that the divine Muse in this Bahai
dispensation is one of absolutp love and of pure spirituality.
It is not a worldly kingdom, for it is not war and dis-
trw, nor the oppression of one people by anothf!r. Its army
is the love of God, its victory is the ecstMY of the knowledge
of God; its battle is that of Truth, the e:rposition of the
Word i its warfare is against selfishness i its patience is its
reserve i its entire meel.-ness is its CO'IUJ.1WI'ing pOWf!r, and its
l0'08 for all is a glory for evermore. In a word it is spirit
and it is 10'0s."
" It is for us to CO'IUJider holD we may ed'UCate men that the
dark:n.eSB of ignoran!!e and heedlessn888 may disappear and
that the radianee of the kingdom may encompa88 the world;
that the nations of men may be delivf!red Irom selfish am-
bition and strife, and be rBVivijilld by the fragrance of God;
that animosity and hatred may be dispf!rsed and wholly dis-
appear, ,chile the attrading POWf!r of the 10'0e of God 80
completely unites the hearts of men, that all hearts beat as a
single heart; that the arteries of all mankind may pulBate
with the love of God,. that oontention and war may uttf!rZy
pass allDay, while peace and r6OO'n.ciliation lift their standard
in the midst of the earth and men beeome enamoured of one
another i that the joys oj spirituality may 'prevail O'Of!r
material pleasures i that East and W ut may delight in one
another as lovers, and North and South embrace ea!!h otltf!r in
dOBest affection " that the visible world may be the mirror of
the tl}Of'ld of the kingdom; that the image of the supreme

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I
The Bahai Movement
COfIOOUf'8e may be reflected in all gatWngB0/        mtIt,.
,!tat tluJ
eartk may be changed into tke paradise 0/ the GloriollM One,
and tke Divine JeruBalem embrace t'M ter7'8Btrial globe."

B        HESE are the words of a great teacher, a Persian by
birth, an exile from his country, and a prisoner of
the Turkish Government in the little fortress town
of Acre or Akka, at the foot of Mount Carmel, on the coast
of Syria; a man who for over forty years has been perse-
cuted and rejected, and endured the sufferings and privations
of a prisoner's life, and yet these triumphant words, sounding
a note of peace and joy, have recently fallen from his lips.
Have they no significance for the Western world' Let us
see if the life and teaching of this man now living but a few
miles distant from Nazareth itself, and which are having
such a stimulating effect throughout the Oriental world, may
not be suggestive. to the nation~ of the West. This teacher,
in fact, is making his appeal for religious unity not only to
the people of the East, but also to the people of the West,
and is there not as much need in the West as in the East,
for religious unity' It is said to-day that in the West,
there is more animosity and bitterness of feeling existing
between the various churches than ever before. How are
such divi>!ions to be healed 1
Let us turn to India for a momt'nt, and see what this
Bahai Movement has accomplished in a very short time.
When I visited the city of Rangoon a year ago, I attended
a Bahai meeting, at which representatives of six of the great
world religions were asscmbled together, united by a wonder-
ful bond of friendship and unity. This gathering was com-
posed chiefly of men of mature age, doctors, lawyers, govern-
ment employ~ and others, who had heen brought up as
atrict Mohammedans, BuddhistS, Hindus, Jews, Zoroastrians
and Christiane, yet here they were conferring together.
If this Bahai spirit of love and tolerance as taught; by the
"Master of Akka," 5n penetrate to India and draw together
1IIell of hostile faiths, may it not also shed ita benIgll in-
fluence over the neople of the West 1 Bu' i' is not necessary
4:

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A U niversal Religio~
to go to India to see what the Bahai M~vement has accom-
plished. In fact in the city of Paris it has already been
uniting Catholics, Protestants, Freethinkers and J ewa, and in
ether cities in Europe as well as in the United States and
Canada, the movement has been making its influence felt
and has attracted many to it.
The Bahai Movement claims to be the divine instrument
. for bringing religious unity into the world; and for this
reason, if for no other, it deserves attention. Its claim is
too vital and important to be set aside; the long roll of ita
martyrs; the wonderful lives of its founders; its regener-
ating influence in Persia; the fact that people of nEldrly
every race, creed and sect have been attracted to it, and finally,
ita progrt'ss in the western world, all these things compel, if
not admiration, at least interest. The birth of a great
religious movement is not a thing to be ignored. Who could
have imagined in the early days of Christianity, when it W88
teaching with great force and beauty the vital doctrine of
love and unity.-now 80 much lost sight of,-that a few
centuries later it would so powerfully affect the world. In
our study of the Bahai Movement we shall find many strik-
ing points of similarit.y between it and the early movement
.f the Christian faith.
All great religious movementa have been founded by BOme
great personality, who has a divine me8B&ge to deliver, and
who succeeds in so changing and rene\\'ing the lives of men
that they become saints and martyrs, and their blood becomes
in truth "the seed of the church."
Let me set forth as briefly as poSBible some of the
characteristics of this new religious movement known as the
Bahai Revelation, and what it has accomplished, and is still
accomplishing in the world to-ciay, together with some
account of its present leader Abdul Baha (Abbas Effendi),
~e man and his meBB&ge.
In order to understand Abbas Effendi's position in regard
to this movement, I must direct you to the great founder of
c   thls religion, Baha Ullah, and his forerunner, the Bab. At
the mention of the name of the Bab, there may be some who
will imagine that Babism and the Bahai Faith are one and
the same. But the latter is an outrgrowth of the former,

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The Bahai Movement
and differs from it essentially on many points, as one may
easily discover, either by studying the early history of Bab-,
ism and comparing it with the present movement known a&
the Bahai Revelation, or by reading the early writings of
the Bab and comparing them with those of Baha-Ullah,
from whom the present movement takes its name.
'While comparing the two, we can notice the striking
analogy that we have in New Testament history. We find
the religious movement inaugurated by John the Baptist,
differing materially from that begun by Jesus. Although
John the Baptist evidently taught doctrines and a certain
mode of living to his disciples, yet his only claim was that
of a voice crying in the wilderness, preparing the way for
one who was to be preferred before him. So it was with
l;he young Persian Bab, who gave to his followers certain
forms and doctrines, and some rules drawn up in a book
known as the "Bayan," but at the same time he continually
proclaimed that he was but the Herald of one greater, wh()
should come after him, and he told his disciples to be in
constant expectation of "Him, whom God shall manifest."
The Bab had indeed inaugurated a great reform, but his
movement remained more 01' less Persian and Mohammedan;
and one feels that it could never have become universal. It
remained for Baha Ullah, who came after the Bab, to give
this movement its truly broad, catholic and universal spirit
which it possesses to-day.
As a further elucidation, I will giVIl a brief sketch of the
movement from its beginning.
In the year 18~4 of our era, which corresponds to the year
1260 in the Mohammedan calendar, there appcared in Persia
a youth, Mirza Ali Mohamed by name, who called himself
tIte Bah, that is the door or gate through which men could
arrive at the knowledge of Truth or God.
'The Bab began his mission as a Door by opening the
people's minds to the real truths of their own religion, and
he, like all great prophets, did not come to destroy but to
fulfil, he did not tell his Mohammedan hearers that they had
been deluded all these years by a false prophet, hut he did,
however, rate them soundJy-as Jesus did the Pharisees--
for their hypocrisy and their distortion of true religion. He
B

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also explained to them the true meaning of their prophecies
and traditions that a Mahdi should come. To quote his own
words, "in the past whenever there was need, God raised
,up a prophet on the earth bearing a book containing a divine
revelation, and he will do the same in the future whenever
there is need."
The words of the Bab were naturally met with jeers and
derision by the Mohammedan pharisees, and he had to endure
insult and persecution CUlminating in his imprisonment and
death. He was shot by order of the Persian government, in
a public square in Tabriz.
The life of the young reformer was not sacrificed in vain j
during his life-time great numbers of earnest men and
women had allied themselves to his cause and had been
diligent in spreading his teachings throughout Persia, so that
soon the movement had grown to such an extent that the
Persian government and the Mullas became alarmed, think-
ing it a. serious menace to the supremacy of Islam, and
believing that the movement must have some political as
well as religious meaning. Orders were given to plunder and
persecute the followers of the Bab, and during these dark
years many thousands gave up their lives and endured the
worst oj tortures for their Faith. Here we find a record of
heroic devotion, bravery and self-sacrifice which, as Professor
E. G. Browne, of Cambridge, says, may perhaps be paralleled
in history but cannot be surpassed. T. H. Huxley, Ernest
Renan, and the Comte de Gobineau have also written in
terms of the greatest admiration of these Persian martyrs,
whom they can only compve to the early martyrs of the
Christian Faith. One is tempted to dwell on these stirrillg
events of the early days of the movement, but space does
not permit more than a passing allusion to them. No
account, however, should be given without at least mention-
ing the name of Kurratul-Ayn, that remarkable heroine who
has been called the Joan of Arc of her country and age. She
was the daughter of one of the leading Ullemas of Islam, a
woman of culture and position, known as a poetess, philoso-
pher, linguist and theologian; she early became a convert to
the new movement, and, leaving her home, travelled about
Persia, speakingly publicly, and, it is said, converting many
';

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The Bahai Movement
to the ne~ Faith. Finally she was seized by the scandalized
Mohammedana and cruelly martyred. This saintly woman
by her great courage has led the way for her sisters in the
Orient; and a new era for women has commenced, for both.
the Bab and Baha Ullah preached the emancipation of
women. Under this teaching woman assumes her rightfUl
position as the equal of man..
The Bab had left behind him a beautiful hope 88 a legacy
to his followers, namely, that "He whom God shall manifest,"
should arrive and complete what he had only imperfectly
begun.
For several years after the death of the Bab in 1850, the
movement seemed in a very precarious conaition; it had a
bad reputation with the Persian government; it was looked
down upon with contempt by nearly all the Persians of
wealth and position; its followers could only meet together
secretly, and no one dared to breathe the hated name of
II Babi,"; indeed it seemed for a time as though the Mullas
had succeeded in crushing· out the young Faith entirely_
There was the greatest need for the coming of the Promised
One to save the movement from extinction, to restore the
zeal and courage of the persecuted Babis. They were not to
be disappointed in their hope, for, during the early sixties,
there arose one whose grand personality, wonderful powers
of utterance, and inspired writings, proclaimed him to be the
Manifestation for which the Babis were waiting, and indeed
when Baba Ullah publicly proclaimed that he was the
Promised One, whose advent the Bab had foretold, the great
DU1Jority of the Babis hailed him with joy as their Lord and
Redeemer. There were, it is true, a few dissenting voices,
even in the Baba Ullah's own family, who were content with
the doctrines of the .Bah, and who did not wish to go beyond
these. These grouped themselves around Subh-i-Ezel, but
he never had many followers, and few of them now survive,
so that their refusal to accept the teachings of Baba Ullah
can hardly be called by the nlUlle of schism. The movement
has outlived this little trouble, and another and more recent
one, but its unity has been unimpaired, and it has emerged
triumphant from these trials, showing to the world that it
can preserve within itself thl unity which it lieaches.

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Bah. Ullah (the Glory of God) was born in 1817, and
came of a wealthy and noble family. As a young man
he became • follower of the Bab, although he had never
aeen him. His prominence as a teacher of the New Faith
led to hi/! imprisonment in Teheran. For some time he
was kept in chains, together with several others, until
finally hiB wealth was confiscated and he was exiled to
the city of Baghdad in the Sultan of Turkey's dominions.
'While there he continued to teach the people, and his
. influence over them became very great. During two years
he withdrew himself to the mountains near Baghdad, and
lived apart from mell, passing his time in prayer and medi-
tation. On his return he publicly proclaimed his mission,
which was that of establishing peace and religious unit,.
in the world. He called to men, of every creed and
race to oome under ~he standard of Unity, which he had
upraised, and as~ist him in establishing the Kingdom of
God and t.he Brntherllood of man upon the earth. The
Mohammedan Mullahs of Baghdad soon became alarmed
at having a man of such influence and power in their
midst, and petitioned the Ottom!\n government to have
him removed. Baha Ullah was accordingly summone(l to
appear in Constantinople, and, together with his family
and a little group of followers, he set out for that city. His
stay in Constantinople was short, for the Turkish government
decided to bani~h him to the city of Adrianople. From
Adrianople Baha Unah wrote those famous letters (sent later
from Akka) to the Kings of Europe and the Pope, calling
upon them to abandon their injustice, their thoughts of
warfare, and to assist in establiBhing Unity. The letters
also contained prophetical utterances which were soon after
fulfilled. After a few years spent in Adrianople, he. was
again banished to a still more inaccessible spot, the little
fortress town of Acre or Akka on the coast of Syria. Here
Baha Ullah and his little band of followers passed some of
the most terrible yeara of their exil!.', for Acre can only be
described as pf>stilentisl, and it seems probable that Baha
Ullah was Bent there in the hopes tha' a fever would soon
rid the world of him. ~'or some time he and hiB followen
were confined to two rooms in the barracks, but gradually
g

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The Bahai Movement
more leniency was Shown them, the heart of the go~rnor
becoming softened at witnessing the beroic sufferings of the
little band. Baha Ullah spent most of his time in Acre in
teaching those few followers who could hold communication
with him*; in writing his instructions and admonitions to
the world; in sending tablets to followers in dIfferent parts,
and in writing a book known as

. THE BOOK OF LAWS.

In this book Baha Ullah tells his followers that the sword
must for ever be put away; in its place the Word must
arise. He proclaims Universal Peace and calls upon the
nations to settle their differences by a board of arbitration;
he pleads for a broad spirit of friendship and tolerance to be
shown to all the peoples of the earth; "ye are all the fruits
of one trt..e," as he beautifully expresses it; he enjoins his
followers to seek for a universal language; he says, "this is
the means of union, if ye knew it, and the greatest source of
concord and civilization, did ye recognise it. Teach this
common language to the children in all schools, that the
whole world may become one land and one home"; he tells
parents that they must educate their children, boy and girl
alike, giving them the best education they can afford, and
that the poor must be educated by a board of Councillors
to be elected in each city, for he considers tha.t until
ignorance is uprooted there can be no true progress; and he
wishes so to impress on his followers the value of education,
that he says, "he who educates his own son or the son of
another, it is as though he educated the Son of God." All
must learn and practice some craft, trade or profession,
which if practised conscientiously and diligently, will be con-
sidered as the highest act of prayer and worship toward
God. There are no priests connected with this religion and

* There bas just been added to the little Penny Series "Hid-
den Words, from the Arabic," written by Baha Ullah.

•
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those who teach this Faith should not receive any pay but sup-
port themselves by other means. The acquisition of science
and art is commended. Marriage is advised, and celibacy
and asceticism condemned. Baha Ullah wishes his religion to
be one of joy and gladness. He tells his followers to asso-
ciate with all the people of the world, and to show forth to
others whatever good things they possess, in a word to be
in the world, but not of it. He strongly condemns gambling,
the use of opium, intemperance and othl'r vices, and he lays
down some interesting hygienic laws. A law is given, advo-
cating kindness to animals, and beasts of burden are not to
be ill-treated or overloaded. Baha Ullah submits this
" Book of Laws," as a standard rule of conduct, and a great
means of nniting the various peoples 80 separated by ditTerent
customs, prejudices, and habits. We cannot but admire the
remarkably modem and tolerant IIpirit that animates these
laws. All the things that Western reformers are striving
for to-day, find a place in his universal religion, and yet
these laws were written by Baha Ullah over forty years ago,
while confined in an Eastern prison.
In the following lines Baha Ullah tells his followers how
religion should be taught to the world. "0 Children of Baha
associate with all the people of the world, with men of all
religions, in concord and harmony, in the spirit of perfect
joy and fragrance. Remind them also of that which is for
the benefit of all, but beware lest ye make the Word of God
the cause of opposition and stumbling, or the source of
hatred among you. If ye have a word or an essence which
another has not, say it to him with the tongue of love and
kindness. If it be accepted and impressed the end is at-
tained, if not leave him to himself and pray for him, but do
not molest him. The tongue of kindness is attractive to the
heart and it is the sword of the spirit; it furnishes the true
relation of thought to utterance; it is as the horizon for the
arising of the sun of Wisdom and Knowledge. . . . Creatures
were created through love, let them live in friendship and
unity."
Now the question arises, do his followers, the Bahais, carry
out these laws, are they animated by the same spirit of
tolerance and good will that breathes through these in-
n

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The Bahai Movement
atructiona t I can but give my personal testimony of the
lives and practices of the Bahais, as I have seen them in
..rioue parts of the Orient, together with the testimony of
other men, an Englishman, an American, and a Frenchman.
Profeaaor Browne, the author of the invaluable "History
of Persian Literature," sayll, " The spirit which penades the
Bahais is such that it can hardly fail to affect most power-
fully all suhjected to its influence. Let those who have not.
lOOn dillbelieve me if they will, but should that spirit once
reveal itself to them they will experience an emotion they
are not likely to forget."
Myron H. Phelps of New York writes, "If we analyse
this apirit which pervades the Bahais, if we seek to pene-
trate that which marks them off from other men, the conclu-
sion to which we are brought is that its 888ence is expreaaed
in the one word Love. These men are lovers, lovers of God.
of their Master and Teacher, of each other, and of all man-
kind."
M. Hippolyte Dreyfus of Paris, who haarecently returned
from Persia, writes in a French review, that "he found
among the inhabitants of Teheran and other cities all those
imbued with liberal and progreBBive views were Bahais."
Finally let me speak of those Bahais who are subjects of
the British Empire, the Indian and Burmese Bahais, whom
I came to know well during a recent stay in India. Every
serioull-minded person who visits India and is a well-wisher
of that glorious country, must regret the unhappy diffeTtlnce&
that separate Indian from Indian, due chit<fty to religious
animOllity. How one longs for a solution of this vexed
problem. If only BOme broad faith could be found to in-
elude all the wrangling and hostile sects and creeds I No"
I believe moat earnt'stly that the solution of I,his llifficulty
lies in the :Rahai Movement. I have already JVlinted out
by an example taken from Rangoon, that, it haa brough'
aruut this very Unity which all are desiring. How has i"
been able to do this t
The first command that is gi ven to a Rahai by his Leader'
is this: Ie Do not antagonise or denounce any religion," he
alBO says that" God is to every human being as great; as the
indiv~dual mental capacity permits one to see him." The

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Bahai propagandist in India has not the difficulty that besete
a Christian miesionary, that of pulling down; his duty is
only to build on to what is already there, for the Bahai
teaches that the essence and truths of all religions are one i
he sees the Hindu, Buddhist and Mohammedan with the
aaml! eye, and he reverences the prophets of each; instead
of showing where they were wrong, he shows where 'they
were right; he acknowledges the common truth in Buddhism,
Mohammedanism, ChriAtianity, and other great religions;
he shows their adherents that a further revelation has come
through the teaching of Baha Ullah; that its particular'
mission is to uncover the truth of all religion by removing
prejudice and ignorance from the minds of the people, and
by uniting them in though" faith and love. The Bahai
does not disdain the prophecies which have come down to·
us from all religions, but points oub that they have all
referred to the coming of a great teacher who should estab-
lish peace and harmony on the earth.
Let me say here a word about prophecy. There are many,
• I know, who taJie no interest in the subject whatever, but,
we must remember that prophecies exist in every religion,
and they have to be reckoned with. If we are considering
a universal movement to ('.onsist only of a few cultured
minds, then we may perhaps dismias prophecy altogether,
but we are not; we are thinking of millions of Christiana,
Buddhists, Mohammedans and others, who all believe in
prophecy. Unless a movement can fulfil the propheci8lt
and expectations of these various peoples, it cannot succeed
in being universal, it will only become another sect. Th8
fact that the Bahai Faith does fulfil the prophecies of the
different religions, is one of the greatest arguments in favoqr'
of its unilersality. Another factor in the spreading of the
Bahai Religion in the East, is the marvellous spirit already
referred to, which animates the Bahaia, and is shown in
their self-sacrificing lives.

One of the reasons why Christianity has failed to become
the predominant religion in the East, is because of the
pl't'judice against it., due to the misrepresentation of its true
spirit. In a recent article b,. Professor Browne, he says,

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"I have often heard wonder expressed by Christian ministers
at the extraordinary success of Bahai misllionaries, as con-
trasted with the almost complete failure of their own.
~ How is it,' they say, 'that the Christian Doctrine, the
highest and noblest which the world has ever known, though
supported by all the resources of Western civilisation, can
only count its converts in ~Iohammedan lands by twos and
threes, while Bahaism can reckon them by thousands l'
The answer to my mind is as plain as the sun at mid-day.
Western Christianity, save in the rarest cases,' is more
Western than Christian, more racial than religious; and,
by dallying with doctrines plainly incompatible with the
.obvious meaning of its Founder's words, such as the
theories of 'racial supremacy,' 'imperial destiny,' 'sur-
'Vival of the fittest,' and the like, grows steadily more, rather
than less, material Did Christ belong to a 'dominant
mce,' or even to a European or 'white' race' .                   •
The dark-skinned races to whom the Christian missionaries
go are not fools, and have no object in practising that
curious self-deception wherewith so many excellent and
well-meaning European and American Christians blind them-
,selves to the obvious fact that they attach much more
importance to race than to religion; they clearly see the
inconsistency of those who, while professing to believe that
the God they worship incarnated Himself in the form of an
Asiatic man-for this is what it comes to--do nevertheless
habitually and almost instinctively express, both in speech
,and action, contempt for the 'natives' of Asia."
1 do not wish to enter into a controversy regarding the
merits or demerits of the missionaries in the Orient, pre-:
ferring simply to offer my tribute to some of those earnest
,and self-sacrificing ones whom I know, but I wonder how
many f)f them really believe that there is 8 probability or a
possibility of the many hundred millions of Mohammedans
.and others becoming Christians. Those who have lived in
the East know that it is as rare for a Mohammedan to
become a Christian, 8S it is for a Christian in the West to
become a Mohammedan. We must remember too, that
the Mohammedans and others believe just as firmly as the
Christians, that their religion will become predominant, but

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history itself gives the refutation to this belief. Take fol"
instance the two great religions of Christianity and M()J
hammedanitlm. Can we say that, after all the zeal, the
earnestness, the effort with which their adherents have tried.
to convert each other, they are any nearer being united thaIi
they were thirteen centuries ago t And among the millions-
of Buddhists in the world do we notice any perceptible
difference of numbers caused by their defection into otheJ."
religions' And Buddhists also are making converts, so it is
nothing but a continual exchange without approaching any
nearer to unity.
The present situation might be likened to a pyramid, one
side being given to the Christians, another to the Buddhists,
another to the Mohammedans, and another to the Hindus,
Each one is trying to draw his neighbour OVf'r to his side of
the pyramid. If instead of looking around, the} would look
'Up to the apex, they would behold the Light which they
all are seeking.
The great barrier separating Christians, Mohammedans,
Buddhists, and others, is at length being broken down
through the influence of this Bahai Movement, and a friendly,
even a fraternal relationship is being established among them.
There are not merely a few dozens so affected, but many
thousands. May we not say then that perhaps the true
spirit of Christianity is in this movement t W tl have but;.
the words of the· Christ, " Ye cannot gather figs from
thistles," and "by their fruits ye shall know them."

I have written a short account of the Bahais in India,
in a book entitled, "With the Rahais in India," and from
this I shall quote an inCIdent which happened while I
was in Bombay. I have mentioned that .Baha Ullah, in
his "Book of I..aws," advised that a council should be
elected in each Rahai community to look after the affairs of
that community. In Bombay 'hey have such a council
composed of nineteen persons, chiefly Mohammedans and
Zoroastrians. These two peoplell were anything but friendly
in the past, but now they are working togethpr harmoniously
for the common good. One night, while I was attending s
meeting of this council, .a poor Zoroastrian Rahai shopkeeper

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The Bahai Movement
.eame and told the members that aft'airs had been going very
badly with him, and that he waa on the point of failure.
The council deliberated, and decided that different members
.should give a part of their time each day to helping him in
his shop, lay in a new stock of goods and eive pecuniary
help if necessary. This was done, and soon the man was on
his feet again. This is an example to show that the Bahais
practice the fraternity which they preach.
A MohammeClan Rahai also arrived that evening in a
state of much perplexity. He had just received from a
:Mohammedan friend a hundred lottery tickets to dispose
of, the lottery being for some Mohammedan charity. "I
don't know what to do with them," the man said. "In the
Book of Laws, Baha; Ullah has strongly forbidden gambling,
but I am not sure whether a lottery would come under the
head of gambling or not. If I accept and distribute these
lottery tickets I may be breaking one of the laws, on the
other hand, if I refuse them, I shall probably make this
friend of mine, who is an influential Mohammedan, my
bitter enemy." The nineteen members of the House of
Justice, as the assembly ia called, deliberated together as to
what should be done. Finally, a Zoroastrian member saw
a way out of the diffioulty, and he proposed tnateach one of
the Bahais should take a ticket, and then return them with
the hundred rupees, writing that they did not care to take a
a chance in a lottery, but they were very glad to help a
Mohammedan charity. I wonder if all who read these lines
will appreciate the beauty a.nd the greatness of this act. It
.hows two great results of Rabai teaching-gambling, one of
'he most prevalent vices of the East, being looked uJ?On
with aversion; and the feeling of animosity and hatred
of Zoroastrian for Mohammedan, which has Andured for
centuries, becoming so modified, that they are glad to help
a Mohammedan charity. Truly this is no small fruit from
the Bahai tree. I Wish it· were possible to speak here of
many other cases of noble and disinterested examplea of
aervice for the common good, which came under my notice
in India.                                .
This spirit of love and service to fellow men was exem-
plified in an Indian Rahai actually giving his life, on one

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A Universal Religion
occasion, to save mine, and "greater love hath no man than
this."
"Think," a Persian Bahai once said to me, "when I WlUI
an orthodox Mohammedan, I used to wash my hands after
shaking hands with a Christian, thinking myself polluted,
now I want to shake haBds with all the worIeL"

Baha Ullah had been exil~ from his country in 1852, and
after forty years of exile, wandering, and impriaonment, his
earthly ministry came to an end.
He left word to his disciples that after his departure, they
should look to his eldest son, Abbas Effendi, &8 their Iead~
and teacher, the one on whose shoulders hia mantle was to
fall, the exponent and promulgator of hie teachings to the
world. Since 1892, Abbas Effendi, who, thereafter, assumed
the title Abdul Baha, the servant of God, haa been the
leader of the Bahai Movement, and under his wIse and
loving guidance it has grown and expanded, until ita influence
has been felt in the four corners of the earth. I saw a
striking example of this when I visited Acre some two years
ago, and met men-from India, Burmah, Pelllia, Arabia,
Egypt, Turkey, RU88ia, France, England and America-
assembled there, to listen to the teachings of the Master, the
name by which Abdul Baha is universally called. These
men, belonging to various races, creeds, and sects, were
gathered around one table breaking bread togetlier, and
greeting each other as friends and brothers. Can such a
scene be paralleled in any other spot on earth ,
Abdul Baha is more than a teacher, he is a living example
to men of what the Christ-life really is; love and kindn688
seem to radiate from him and his dsily life is an expression
of service to man He is showing to the materialistic and
IC6Ptical tweutieth century, that t.his life is not merely an
ideal, but a possibility, that we may take heart again and
"turn our sight to ourselves to find God standing within u.s,
powerful, mighty and supreme" (Baha Ullah); and that we
may come into the sonship of the Kingdom of God.
There have been Bome who have denied that such a per-
sonality as Jesus could have lived uPOl'. the earth. The life
of Abdul Baha proves the actuality of Jesus. The true

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The Bahai Movement
Bahai is also the truest Christian, he no longer speculates as
to whether it was possible that 80 perfect a being could have
trod the earth nineteen centuries ago; he looks at the life of
of the "Master of .Akka," and knows. Such a life is an
inspiration to the whole race. It is a greater argument for
the love of God and the truth of religion than all the books
of theology (old or new) ever written. Men have grown
tired of theori88 and speculations, they want to hear again
that note of love, unselfishness and brotherhood, that was
heard nineteen hundred years ago. Such a no~e is llgain
being sounded from that same Holy Land to-day, by the
servant of Goo; Abdul Raha, who is teaching the world the
forgotten truths, and preaching the true atonement, the
at-one-ment of man with man, and man with God, revealing
the true love, which is another word for service, the giving
of oneself for the whole. He is teaching the lesson of
oneness. No doctrines are so magnified by him that their
non-acceptance would shut any soul out of the Kingdom.
"All else save love," he says, "is merely outwardly uttered
words"; again he says, "this is a religion of deeds, not
words." He is calling to men and women of every race and
creed to come under the standard of Unity, which he' is
bearing aloft, to assist him in establishing the Kingdom of
God, the Brotherhood of man on the earth here and now.
Let those who are really desiring the reign of peace and
gOodwill to man, and not simply the 'triumph of their own
particular sect or creed, or of their own set of opinions,
listen to the appeal of this roan who calla us to unity. Can
we find anywhere to-day a greater instrument for bringing
about this Unity and Brotherhood of man which we profess
to desire, than in this Bahai Movement! It is giving to men,
what some writer has said, is the best thing that any religion
can give to man,--a ?i6W heart. It is uniting men in the
only way thp.y can be united, through love, understanding
and service.
It will be thus seen that the message of the Bahai Move-
menii is one of pence to the world, and that the Bahais
consider this Manifestation as but another outpouring of
Divine Truth upon the earth; that they are lovers of the
Light from whatever liorizon it may appear, considering the

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A Universal Religion
different prophets and divine teachers of the past as lamps
through which this Light shone forth and by which the
world has been enlightened; therefore it considers all
religions to be divine and possessing the essence of Truth
which has since become obscured by the superstitions and
different practices which have been added by man.
Considering the power of assimilation that the Babai
Religion has shown, its rapid growth amongst so many
different races and religions, and the bond of real sympathy,
affection and understanding which it is creating between
FASt and West, may we not say that its claim to be a
universal religion is not merely a beautiful ideal, but a
growing reality 1

What earnest observer of life can deny that the world
is passing through a great upheaval of thought. The old
order of things is passing away, whether we wish it or no,
men are everywhere seeking for truth, and people are being
tossed about by every wind of doctrine. Such is the
significance of the Higher Criticism, the New Theology, the
springing up of so many societies and sects, the fact that
many in Protestant lands are turning towards Catholicism,
and that many in Catholic lands are becoming Prot.,st8nts
or Free-thinkers. This is what is happening under Christian
governments, but the same upheaval is occurring in other
countries. What is to be the outcome of it all, There are
many who recoil from the cold and unsympathetio systems
of ethics put forward by certain materialists, and who at the
same time are repulsed by the extremes to which certain
occultists go. They feel the need of a religion, and yet the
message of the churches is no longer vital to them. It is to
such people that the Rahai Movement especially appeals.
A religion which exalts work, education, science, and peace,
should appeal to the Positivist, the Ethicist and the social
reformer, and while upholding all the great social reforms,
ne,'er loses grasp of the Eternal Realities. It contains that
spiritual force, that vital faith, which is necessary to put·
these reforms into execution.
Such a religion wholly divorced from a spirit of com-

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The Bahai Movement
mercialism, and whose only warfare is against selfishness,
must appeal to all that is highest and best in man.

" 0 Pe6pU of the tIJ01'ltll Th8 cretd Qf God is /01' love and
unUn, make it not to be a cause of discqrd and diss6ft8icm.
I enjoin you to the I6rvice of tke nations and to tlt.e pacification
8f tM flm'ld.
" 0 people oj the 1D01'ld I T16e pavilion OJ Unity is raised,
dt; not gaze upon eack other ?Cith the 61J68 of fOl'eignm's, 'lie are
all the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch.
"Let him not glory who loves his ou;n COUlli1'Y, but let him
glmy who lov8/1 the 1okole flm'ld,"-(Words of BAHA-ULLAB.)

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NOTES                      ON              SOME                    BOO KS

PUBLISHED                AT

THE         PRIORY PRESS ..                                HAMPSTEAD

No. :2                                                                    1908

L  OVE is the mystic art of the soul. She comes to us with gentle
movements, clad in quiet garb, "peaking of heavenly things. She
is the consecrating spirit whose presence vivifies and sanctifies all
human aspirations. Wi&hout her they ma) interest but cannot command.
She must be in them, then through her gracious presence will they glow
-pillars of fire to men in the dark nights of the wilderness. Love flows
through tbe whole human race floom God as notbing else does. All other
visions may fl>il us; all other voices be stilled for ever, but love remains,
and she will go with us all the way, bringing us ever nearer to tbat
Eternal Love through which the soul becomes one with the Eternal.
Thus it is written in this little book, which is at the heart of all that is
most worth baving in life.
•• One with the Et.rnal,"· by Edgar Daplyn, Is. net.

The Pilyrim of the I ".finite bids us remember that we are not to allow
ourselves to become soured or disappointed, or to think life a failure,
because we do not find that acceptance which our mission seems to
wan·ant. The largest measures of good the world has ever known have
been effected by those whose lives, regarded from an indh'idual or
personal point of view, were failures. It is by failure we succeed, just as
by doubting we lea.rn. Our failures educate a faculty in us; they take
their pmce o.~ instruments in our evolution; they do not lea"e us where
they found us; they record themselves on our being as steps of progress
and ele"ation, for there may be accomplished within us by failul'e some-
thing much more enduring and far more valuable than we obtain by any of
the rewards of temporal success, for the reward of every right act is con-
tained in itself, and its value is not increased in any degree by accidental or
subsidiary additions. In the Chinese Tao of Chuang-t,.e, which contains a.
noble lesson of the worth of directness of purpose in life and conduct,

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there is given a wholesome illustration of an independent and disinter-
ested course of action in the instance of a famous archer, "who did well
in hitting the mark, but ill in accepting praise for it."  We must learn.
whether we will or no. A higher and more desirable good is only gained
by abandoning a lower one. Thus St. Paul said, "I die daily," and every
such death was the commencement of a new life in a loftier state or
condition. We fail in order that we may succeed. The narrow and
oppressive creed of to.day must be supeneded by the wider outlook and
clearer illumination of to-morrow. The All·father lives and rules and
acts, entirely uninfluenced by our views, just as the sun in itself is unin·
fluenced by the clouds that veil our atmosphere. The Divine Fatherhood
once seen remains a fact for evel', whethel' perceived at a given moment
or not, We must trust in growth, not iu standing ~till; freelyaban-
doning the tran-itive and intermedillte for a more advanced manifestation
of spi! itual progress within us. The sincere searcher for truth will go
fearle_lIly forwaril, undismayed by decaying mode!! and caducent forms,
content to Ree his most cherished noLionl! and opinions crumble and
decline even before he can see the fuller light, on his upward way to a
better evolution.
• "The Pilgrim uf the Infinite," by William D,niea, 2•. 6d. net.

In Five Beads on a Stri1lg, * M r8. Rhys gives us the tentat i ve expres-
sion of such mu~ings as are started in the quietness of thought, when a
word or a chance memory seem to put one on the track of a discoyery.
In the first of these llIeditation~, which is called "Eidola," the imperish-
able memories of the acts and appearances of a mlln are concoived as
peopling the world with gentle ghosts, offspring of the man himself and
of the minds that perceived and remembered him, each eidolan being
some relation to its parents and yet living and sometimes persisting
with a stran)!e life of its own, with unpremeditated powers and in-
eluctible emanntions. "The Squirrel on the Nut·tree" takes us n~ain
to the land of memories, which is so pre~iouA a posse~sion of those whom
pain or di-ability debnrs from active life, that land whero "we can walk
un wetted in the ra:n, untired op the longest way," that land of enchant-
ment of which Heille wrote so wistfully, but wldeh is fr e only to those
who have abandone,1 cmdng. In" The Church H.oof" is celebrnted
one of several wonderful Norfolk churchcs whose hammel··beams are
peopled by an angelic host, and .. The Daughters of the (~reen Bay
Tree" id a gentle little sermon on the theme that women must eat of
the tree of knowledge of evil as well as of good.
* Fh"e lkads on a ~trillg," 3d. net.
II

The "Poems and Hymns" of the late Profe~sOl' Shuttleworth, the
well·known rector of S. Nicholas Cole.Abbey, htwe just been issued under
the editorRhip of the Rev. E. H. Koch; and Canon Scott· Holland has
contributed It charming introdnction. The poems of Henry Cary Shuttle-
Worl h reflect a tine and ~piritulll intelligence, Rn(1 they are full of the
sympnthetic vitality of the author; he wrote hi" hymns from the heart
nnd they ~poke itS directly to the hearts of others. As the writer in the
Gllltrdi"n recently expressed it, .. the poems, even npart from their per-
sonal intere.t, are worth pl'eserving, and in the more than pretty dedi-

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cation to his wife, the line in which he very modestly depreciates their
merit is enough itself to stamp him as a poet, He likens them to ' Dull
water moving through a Wil.ste of grll8s.' Many of the poems have ..
flavour of Home; some are devotional, for Christmas and Easter; all are
8unshiny. There is a fine war-song about Montrose, not unlike the
• Bonnie Dundee,' b:1llad_"
• " Poems and Hymns." by II: C. Shuttleworth. S•. 6<1. net.

VerRe4. * by Mrs. Allhusen and Mrs. Robertson Glallgow, is a little book
of short lyrical poems and songs which ring alternately with patriotism
and homely tenderness. In them the le~s obtrusive side of the results of
the Indian Mutiny and of the South African war are touched pictur-
esquely; we see the human being in the midst of the great event itself.
After these songs of the soldier and the exile. the homelier verses come.
In "Twice Wounded," there is the subtle sug~stion of a soul half re-
leased and then recalled, and "The Abbe ~Jcard," recalls to us that;
teacher of the deaf and dumb in Paris, who was guillotined during the
Re,-olution. •. Laborn.re est Orare," is a mother's plea to God ill excuse
for her prayers neglecte j in the hUlitle of a busy life.
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THE PRIOR Y PRESS BOOKLETS, 3d. each net.

Though,t'/1OOM Amid's "Jou,'na! In.tiJn~."              Thoughla .from. Goet" ••
Though" (i'Om. c, l'ke Lct!J»lo,n', B;'eviary."         Sdution. froui. Ie Sado;' Re,m'ht,...
Selection. I)'oul. II Jrilhehn "lld,te,",               Thought.   "'011' loubert,
lI"ande>:.jal. j·e...                              Thought. j>'O", Laem'do.i)'"
Thought. j>'om R,.ietetUl.                              Thong!,t. 'rom S"tllell i .. p"o" an,l Ve,.,••
Thov.gltta from. ..lIm'cu, A lutiiu ...                 Fi,_. B.ada 011 " SII'ing, by (J,'ae. Rhy••
Hop., bll Rob..'t F. Horton.                            Reading. froul Willicu,l Lute.

"Think on living," was, so Emerson tells uo, the ('hosen epitaph of 1certain wise mun. It is in the hope of conducing to such thought, that
the Prior.,! Pre.s' BooHef8, consisting of selections from ~reat thinkers
and writers of all time is heinl! issued. "'hile passages from the" Medi-
tations of Marcus Aurelius to himself" have been cho~en to pioneer the
series, bec,mse he, though a Roman emperor, a ml\n fnll of affairs, neyer
forgot the supreme place that thought should occupy in all life. While
regardinO' all mILD's natural cravings as legitimate, he nevertheless con-
sidered their satisfaction was lawful only when it did not invoh'e any
infring-cment of the universal good. Thus to him, as to Paul, while" all
things were lawful, all things were not expedient," For tIllS reason he
lays much stl'e,s upon !\Jail's Inner Self, that Self which. J'enouncing those
individual passions and de~ires that isolate and divide man from his
fellows. recogllise~ that it cun only full:v realise itself when it enters into
conscioll~ harmony with all cosmic life. Through that Self mall may

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enter into communion with the Godhea r ; for in it God speaks to man,
censuring or approving his every action.
*              *              *                .
In his meditations Amiel clearly discern~ and empha'lises the lack
among- Western nations of soul·culture; he d'9'ells upon the superiority
of the East over the 'Vest in this respect, prophecying that unless medI-
tation and contemplation have their pl'lce in m"n's life, progress will be
but another name for retrogrE's'!ion. Religion is the one llleans by whieh
this soul·culture is pos-ible; thus m'].n cannot Ih'e without religion; man
cannot live without meditation; man canuot live without God, are Amiel'.
oonstant themes.
Hi~ most marked charactllr-ifltic was an unquenchable love and rever-
ence for Truth. ~o ,trong was thi~ feeling that even in his lectures he
purposely repressed himself and his views, in order to present to his stu-
dents truth unembellished and unadorned; with the result that they
remained wholly unattracted and untouched by bis expositions. His own
love of Truth was too intense for him to realise' that others might not
share it with him: he forl!ot that personallO\'e and enthusiasm are often
the mirror in which m"n firdt: beholds Trnth's mar\'ellous beauty; it was
when gazing' into Beatrice'. eye~, that Dante first saw God. ThuB t;()
many AmieI'>! life has seemed" failure. It is for the reader to decide,
'Bfter reading these eelection!'l, whether Amiel did indeed live in vain.
..             *              *                *
Oarlyll'l's gospel to the world W8.ll, that only by accepting one's limi-
tations could one become truly bles>led. Mall is not free in tile sense that
he is free from all law : he is free only as he obeys the law of hi~ being.
The able man, the true king of men, IS he who can most clearly discern
what that law is. ThE'lI, when once it hHs been declared, Carlyle held
that all men should be made toO conform to it; for in sllch obedience alone
could they realise their truest welfare. He believed in the unity of all
life, hence to him it seemed impossible that man was made for happines8,
but rather for blessedness. Tl,is was becallse he had but a vague idea all
to what constItutes hnppiness. it being to him s.l'Donymous with /letting.
But if we accept Amiel's detinition, and regard it a!l the free development.
of the god within, independent of environment and all externals whatever,
then luippiness is only another name for blessedness, and stands for thai;
deep abiding sense of peace which is the outcome of the knowledge thai;
God is just, and that law, order and 10\'e are the ab801ute facts of exis-
tence. Such happiness may be the lot of all of us.
I           *              *              .                *
It was Carlyle who did most to bring Goethe prominentlv before the
English people; it was he who translated 'Vilbelm Mei8ter in~o Engli8h,
and it is from his translation that the following selections have heeD
made. Tbe book is a sketch of the development of man in all his endow-
ments and faculties, Itrlldually proceeding from the tirst rude exhibition.
of puppets and mountebanks, through the perfection of poetio and dra-
matic art, up to the unfoltling of the principle of religion, and the
greatest of all arts, the art of life, and in these quotations we see typified

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the best manner in which our youth mal be trained, so that when the
Wanderjahre arrives they may possess In themselves a sure guide that
will never fail.
*              •             *                 *
Epictetus is chiefly concerned with the practical application of the
ethics and theology of the Stoic philosophy; and our extracts are con-
fined to these subjects. Epicttotus virtually admits that his teaching is a
counsel of perfection; he frequently utters bitter complaints against the
Stoics whose philosophy is empty talk, belied by their conduct; and he
does not himself profess to have attained to the ideal which he expounds.
*              *             *                 *
In the" Layman's Breviary" of Leopold Schefer, we find the spirit
Of pure optimism, under it.s two chief aspects of rapturous contemplation
of the Divinity, and joyful acquiescence in the lot of man and the order
of Nature.
*              *             *                 *
The peculiar beauty of Joubert is not in what is exclusively intellec-
tual-it is in the union of soul with intellect·. He is the most prepossees-
ing and convincing of witnes8es to the good of loving light, and his
Thoughts, those emanations from his subtle and spiritual being, still
. shine for us with inextinguishable lustre.
*              *             *                 *
Those sayings from Goethe have heen chosen which show him in his
speculative mood, 8S the man who, like Plato's ideal philo~opher, was
.. forever longing after the whole of things, both human and divine."
. In this booklet will be found aphorisms from Profeesor Huxley's fine
translation of the E8I!ay on Nature,. which few seem to know, and which
Professor Huxley called "thi" wonderful rhapsody on 'Nature,' which
has been 0. delight to me from my youth up."
.              .                               ..
Emerson, more than any of the other great writers of the age is a
Voice. He does not argue hut he announces; he speaks when the Spirit
moves him, and not longer. He would haYe been a light of the age of
Buddha or of Solon, as well as of ours. Most of the extracts which are
given as well as those from Shelley, were selected under the supervision
of Dr. Richard Garnett. Those from Shelley are chiefly from hill proee
writings.                                  .
*              *             *                 *
Henri Lacordaire, one of the greatest of modern preachers anel
orator~, won men to the truth hy his eloquent reasoning. His voice was
like a burning torch, and its flame penetrated iJ!,to all mi\lds and hearts.
His life well fulfilled his own ideal of being, "strong as a diamond, more
tender than 0. mother."
*             .              *                 *
.   Dr. Horton in his preface tells us·that the turning-point in William
Law's teaching wall his acquaintance with the writings of the Germaa

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mystic, Jacob Behmen. It produCed a change in him not altogether
unlike that which was produCed in Wesley by his contact with the Mor·
avian Bohler. The pa.ssages in this booklet are taken from The 8plrit
of Prayer and The Spirit of £oue, works which followed this transfor·
mation, and they present a contrast to the earlier and better known work,
The Seri0U8 Oall. William Law is known to these two centuries of
studious and devout readers mainly by The Serio!1A OaJl; and rightly, for
that is a work of literary genius, which ranks itA! author with the masters
of Eighteenth Century prose.
n these later WritlOgs do not make the same claim to a place in
English literature, they deserve even more fully a place in ~nglish
religion, in the practical application of Christianity.
*               *               *                 *
THE PRIORY PRJo:Ss BOOKLETS are well printed on antique JlIIoper, and
form dainty substitutes for the customary Christmas cam. They can
also be had in limp leather (Is. 6d. net), and in Japanese vellum (9d. net),
bindings.
A DAINTY GIFT AT ANY TIME.
A case containing any six numbers of the ordinary edition, to·
gether with a beautiful hand·embroidered silk book cover (4s. 6d. net),
makes a pretty little gift. *
* The Priory PreS8 Booklets, Th....p.no. each net.

Uniform with this series are two little anthologies of Christmaa
H!Dlns, Carols and Poems. selected from the writings of Luther, Th.
II. Kempis, Jeremy Taylor, Southwell, Ben Johnson, Bishop Hall, Wither,
Shakespeare, Herrick, Vaughan, Watts, Hemane, Scott, Seuthey, C.
Rossetti, Thring, Hawker, Phillips Brooks, Lowell, George Macdonald,
Addington Symonds, Canon Wilton, H. C. Shuttleworth, Stopford
Brooke, and others.
A CHltISTlIIAS WISH
If in thy dreams some vision haunt thy way,
If in thy heart some hidden hope abide,
Too dee\>, too dear, to live in common day-
God glve thee joy of it this happy tide.
If in thy prayer some keener sense awaking,
Shew thee glad angels on life's dark hillside,
Tell thee the Christ is born, the bright day breaking-
God grant thee Jlrace of it this holl' tide.
H. C. SHUTTLEWORTH.
From A Second Garl_d of OkriatmtU YerN•
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In reading Mra. Glasg.>w's S!.:etche4 in Scarlet,· we feel, as the writer in
the Bookmo,n remarks, ., that we ha\'e soldier·sketches written from the
lile-written with a: pen dipped in sympathy, and that sympathy which
(lOmes from knowledge and experience. Every day affairs in a soldier's
life, entirely understood and sim:rly told, these are the thinjZs that make
up the little book. Humour an pathos, the bare facts and the under-
lying emotions of joy and pain, the common lot of man whkh is often 80
uncommon to each individual man-the writer has grasped all this, and
her words ring true, "
• .. Sketches ill Se&rlet," by Mrs. Glasgow, 10, Od, net.

The same writer has written "wo II.ttractlve II.nd II.mUI!I1OjI: little plays
for amateurs, which, as they require but little scenery, and are easy to
&Qt, would do admirably for home or school, or charity entertainments.
The Burglar contains parts for three women, two girls and two boys;
Mr. Verel:er's At Home,· of which the scene is au artist's studio, for &
man, three wOlDen and a girl.
• ",The Burglar" and "Mr. Vereker'. At Home," by MN. Glasgow, ed, net. each

In Wilere Wild Bird4 Sing, we are told in a series of monthly notes
about the birds, insects and flowers that are to be found in the woOds and
fields and I>l.08s and gardens of our country at all times and seasons of
the year. The writer is evidently a true lover of nature, and his eyes
have been trained to notice, not only the beauty of the June hedgrows,
but Nature's slighter touches, the lichens on the grey bark of the oak
tree, the silver threads of floating ~mer and the sheen of the dragon-
fly's win~. The author in his preface sayl.ll, he has tried "to make his
records 10 the simplest possible manner." In a large measure he has
succeeded, simply becanse his love of nature isquite spontaneous, and not
simulated for literary effect, as it is in so much modern writing of the
kind.
• "Whel'e Wild Bird. Sing," by James E, Whiting, I., net.

A Pro,e Poet of Ohildhood· is a little volume of selections from
Richter, compiled by Mrs. Sharman. All who are interested in the edu-
cation of children, will find valuable suggestions in the ideas contributed
to the subject by the great German p~et and philosopher. Richter
rightly views education as the development of strong and beautiful
cli8racter. and Jays the duty of watching and keeping its growth where it
ought to lie, with the parents. In his opinion, the cultivation of indi-
vidual character eclipses the mere acquisition of knowledge, although
upon this point also he has much to say. Few lDen have possessed such
insight into the workings of a child's thought and feelings, and perhaps
fewer still have deemed the study worthy of all the care that can be be-
.towed upon it. Philosophic toought poetically expressed, practical
hints jllowing with the rainbow hues of imagination, and a mingling of
humour and pathos truly characteristic are to be found in "Levana II
and the Autobiography of Jean Paul Richter.          .
* "A Prose Poet of Childhood," by K. B. Sharman, 1.. net.

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Sir Samuel Wilks has re.published in pamphlet form three lectures
delivered before the Hampstead Scientific Societ~. 1'he Relation of
Science to .A.rt in Reference to Trute and Beauty*-Splral.-.A.1IIbidexterity_
The subject of the fint lecture is a large one on which much could be
said on many sides and it is inconceivable' that any two people would
agree on all the questions which might arise out of it. Sir Samuel Wilh
deals with a very popular subject of dispute whcn he discusses the rela·
tion which exists between the utility and the beauty of buildings. He
does not agree with Ruskin in disliking the London Terminus of the
Midland Railway Company, which, "being Gothic, suggests an ecclefi-
astical edifice." He discusses the perennial question as to whether there
is a standard of beauty existing in the human mind and he favoun the
negative view on the gronnd that the Hottentot and the Greek ideals are
not identical, and quotes Ruskin's opinion tha.t "why we receive pleasure
from some forms and colours and not from others is no more to lie asked
Or answered than why we like sugar or dislike wormwood."                     .
* .. The RelAtion of Sclellce to Art In reference to Taate "nd Be&nty," by Sir Samuel
WUka, Bt., 6d •.net.

The writer tells us that his early interest in the subject of Spiral,·
was owing to his intercourse with his old colleague James Hinton, widely,
known as the author of a little book styled the .Mll',tery of Pa.in. Hinton.
contributed several articles 011 "Life and Nature," to the Cornhill, theD
under the editorship of Thackeray. In one of these he wrote the follow.
ing lines :-" The most .superficial glance reveals a spiral tendency as a
generlO.l characteristic both of the vegetable and animal creation, but a.
minute examination traces it in evely detail. An evidently spiral con-
struction is manifll8t from the lowest rudimenti of life UpWllrdfi through
every organ of the highest and most complex animal. The beautiful
spiral form of the branches of many trees a.nd of the shells which adorn
the coast, are striking examples merely of a universal law. The spiral il$
the direction a body moving under resistance ever tends to take.
Growth under resistance is the chief cause of the spiral form lI.S8umed by
living things. The formation of the heart also ill an illteresting illus·
tration of the law of spiral growth." This wa@the idea expressed by
Hinton many years ago,and is the text of the lecture. There is an in-
teresting drawing showing the close likeness of the human brain to t.he
walnut, first pointed out bl Cowley in the time of Charles 11. Other
illust.rations show Hogarth s Curve of Beauty, the Spiral Pump of
Archimedes, and the Human Heart.                                            .
* .. SplraJs, • by the Mme writer. 6d. net.
The lecture on Ambidexterity* points out ill a most lucid manner the
limitations of the use of the left hand and expo_ the fallacy of the be-
lief that true ambidexterity simply consists in teaching the left hand tq
copy slavishly movements which ha,'e been acquired by the right, Th~
author points out that the left hand is not an exact copy of the right and
the natural writing for the left band is " mirror writing," the thread of a.
screw intended to be driven1n by the left hand should be the reverse ot
that intended for the right, and 80 forth. Hence it follows that to train..

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the left hand to copy the writing of the right cannot be the foundationS'
of ambidexterity as some maintain but is based on an ignorance of ana·
tomical details. Sir Samuel Wilks does not discourage the training of
the left hand, but he does ul"Jl'e that the left hand should be trained to do-
on the left side of the body 8imilar things to those performed on the other
side by the right. To do this it will naturally move in the reverse direc·
tion to that taken by the right hand.
* "Ambidexterity," by the same author, 3d. net.
Under the titl~ of The Relation of Man to the Animal World, Sir
Samuel Wilks has repUblished an address which he delivered at the
Church Congress at Folkestone, a few years ago. Tho writer endeavours-
to bring before the reader what our actual position is as a nation towards
the lower kingdom of animals; and to show how very little the majority
of people have considered this wider question of our relation to all
animals generally.
• "The Relation of Mall to the Animal World," Is. net.

The Secret of the Unioeree and _other E~.ayl/, * are merely attempts ~.
indicate the lines along which future thought should progre~s; they aim
at being sU!r~estive rather than conclusive in the ideas they formulate,
and are published in the hope of stimulating man's individual thought-
upon the deep problems that underlie existence. The basis of tlieir
thought is evolution, with all its magnific'.lnt possibilities: evolution,
however, regarded from a philosophic, as well as from a scientific stand~
point.
" Men grow too great
For narrow creeds of right and wrong, which fade
Before the unmeasured thirst for good: while peace
Rises within them ever more and more."
-BROWNING •
• " The Secret of the Universe and other Essays." Sa. 6d. net.

A HELPFUL LITTLE BOOK.
Hope,· is the titl~ of a little book by Dr. Horton, in which the
writer speaks" to the prisoners of hope." baving himself lodged some-
time in the dungeon of despondency. For Hope dwells in dungeons-
rather than in palaces, and her speecfi is for the sorrowful rather than for
the joyful, and her music is more allied to the dirge than to the pean.
• .. Hope," by Robert F. Horton, 3d. net.

In introducing to children and their friends a popular re·issue of
HaPP!l Hour, for Ohildren, or, The ParentB' Oabinet,· Miss Conatance"
Hill writes that :-
The idea of such a publication was first started by my motber, Mrs.
Frederic Hill, then Mi!l8 Martha Cowper. Her plan, and that of her coo:
adjutora, was to combine, in each volume, writings upon a variety of
subjects suited to the different ages and differing tastes of the members of
a young family.

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SeTeral generations of such readers have proved by their enjoyment-
of fresh editions of the work that its purpose has been successfully carried
out.
Many children have been inspired with a love of mechanics, and have
made articles described in the writings on that subject. Others have
been taught to observe Nature, and even in earliest. childhood to compre-
hend some of her wonders; while all have found entertainment in the
tales and biographies.
Happily the ideas started by the authors of thiA work have been
adopted to a great extent in recent years, as is shown by a more enlight-
ened manner of teaching children than was formerly in vogue.. Object
lessons of all kinds are being introduced into our schools to give clear-
ideas and to open up paths in which the child himself Olay delight to push
forward. But these instructions are specially connected witli the desk
and the teacher, whereas" Happy Hours for Children, or, the Parents'
Cabinet, " is essentially a book for home and holiday.
* .. Happy Hours for Children," price 38. &d. net, for the set, which comprises sill
crown octavo volumes.

In De UrbibWi (:Id.) the author makes a vigorous protest against the
modern craze for straight wide roads, and by means of diagrams showl
the superiority of a "honeycomb" to a "chessboard" pattern. Several
reasons are adduced in support of a narrower type of road than finds
favour with the authorities that nowadays regulate such matters. The
paper concludes with a strong appeal for limitation of cities in the matter
of size, and enforced preservation of the country immediately round a
town. The same idea of " country verSU8 town" is illustrated in a short
allegory by the same author, entitled The IBland (Id. ) In neither of these
papers are the suggestions, whether made or implied, of a revolutionary
character; and the same moderation and mistrust of draRtic changes is
shown in the little paper entitled 'l'heShilling, the Foot, and the Pound (ld.)
which is in effect an earnest appeal against the introduction of the Metric
System, and an expression of doubt as to the practical advantages of               anv
Decimal system; though certain simplifications are at the 8ame time sug-
gested. The recent Esperanto Congrel!s at Cambridge drew from the
author of the above papers, a pamphlet on Modem Luti.. (4d.) in which the
possibilities of the classical language as a medium of international com-
munication are carefully examined. The conclusion arrived at is that a
simplified post-classical Latin is eminently suited for the purpose required,
owing to the wide spread study of Roman literature and the absence of
any possible international jealousy.
Lastly, we may refer to the booklet entitled Rota Harmonica (6d.) in
which the physical relations underlying the Harmonic Scale, are discussed
in a clear and popular manner, and exhibited in a convenient graphical
form. An interesting feature is a page of ordinary music, with the key-
note indicated tltToughout, which music has been set up ill and printed from
the usual type. A further attempt to simplify music takes the form of a
novel and interesting keyboard, very similar to the existing one, and (we
are assured) much easier to play upon owing to the fact thut only three
key-forms require to be l6l\rnt.

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"Schema Declinationum Conjugationumque Latinarum," being the
~Dfl.ections of the Latin Declensions and Conj ugations tabularlyarrallsred.
with illustrative examples for repetition. This is specially adapteU for
ase in schoobo, in conjunction with an ordinary grammar. It is in a limp
eloth cover, and the price ill fourpence net.

Dr. Horton ha.'! written three little books; in the first of these, he
speaks to us of Purity, Love, Unselfishness and Discipline, which he des-
cribes as being the four pillars which bear up the home; in the second he
tells about the Admiration of Success, of Success which is Failure, and of
Failure which is Succes8; in the third he describes Living together,
Living together in the Family, and Living together as Husband and
Wife.
* .. The Four Pillars of tho Home," by Dr. Horton, Od. net.
.. SIlCcea. and Failure," by Dr. Horton, 6d. net
.. On Living Together,"' by Dr. Horton, 6d. net.

MAYLE'S PENNY SERIES.

III 1856 Fitzileraid first saw a MS. of Omar Khayyam, the astronomer
.poet of Persia, and recognising the beauty of the verses he issued his
translation of them in 1859, and it is through this version that most
people will probably make their acquaintance. }!'itzGerald W&l! long in
coming into recognition, even after Meredith, Tennyson, Swinburne and
Rossetti had joined in his praise.                                   .
But few poems have been more widely read during the past few
years.   This little 'penny rep!,int contains a Persian-English vocabulary,
which should be of considerable use to those who possess copies of this
poem, ~for such a vocabulary is_~()t~o be found in tll~ID_o~expensiv~
editions publ~shed in thi~olmtry~

The second number of this Eeries is The Stm-y 0/ the Bahai Movement,
by Sydney Sprague. The distinct claim of the Bahai Faith is that the
Eternal Word has manifested itself to the world in our day in the person
of Baha Ullah, and that the Logos speaking through him, is giving new
spiritual life to the people through the power of the creative word.
Hidden Word"j'rom the Arabic, wa~ probably written by the Founder
of the Bahni ~Iovemellt during his impri~onment at Akka. It has been
termed by some the Bahni Gospel, by others the Bhagavad Gita of the
Bahais. Jt is presented as the third number of the penny series.

The Story 0/ Hamp .•tead, traces its growth from a Saxon village of
. of sixty souls to a borough with a population of over 80,000. It. is issued
at One Penny, and illustrated with reproductions from scarce old
engraving~.

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The R088lyn Hill Stf'1ll0nB now in courae of publication, are being
issued every month. The first number was issued in January, 1908.
The price is One Penny monthly.
I.   The Mystery of SotTOw.
II.   The Alchemy of Sacrifice.
111.   A Free Catholic Church,
IV.    i'he Mense of Sin,
*                 *                *                   *
Before Hampstead wa.'1 swallowed up in Greater London, that is to
f<II.y, before the latter part of the nineteenth century, the old village of
Hampstead and its surroundings had a character of their own. Ever
since that feclcles8 King James 1. came to the throne of England, Lon·
doners used to come to Hampstead in search of summer qaarters, or a
long summer holiday. Retired tradesmen who desired to end their days
in pure air amid rural scenes, settled there; patients came to drink the
waters of the once famous wells; and rich lawyers spent their hard-
earned leisure in the shady gardens which lay on the outskirts of the
village. From the time of Pope and Gay Hampstead became a favourite
resort of authors, actors, and divines; the artists who made Hampstead
famous came somewhat later. But the continuous history of the place
does not centre round any of these ~roups; it is to be sought in the
history of the Manor and the Parish Church. The Manor belonged to the
monks of S. Peter, Westminster; the Parish Church was their creation;
and both Manor and Church were in the charge of the Prior of the Abbey.
The records which the monks have left throw much light on the economic
and social condition of a rural villa:;re near a great metropolis in the
Middle Ages. After the Reformation the interest becomes more personal;
it turns largely on the lives of the lords of the Manor, notable personages,
whose fortunes were intimately connected with the history of the place;
and the lives of the vicars, who were men representative of their age,
leaders of the local society, and closely connected with the village Iffe.
We have many types, from the vigorous Tory High Churchman of Queen
Anne's day, Dr. Warren, who ouilied schoolboys and dissenters with
equal gusto, to Dr. Ainger of early Victorian times, the model of a pious
and energetic' Evangelical. We have too the Parish Clerk, frequentlr,
somnolent, who disturbed the congregation hy his irrelevant" .Amens. '
Park, the historian of Hampstead, was imperfectly acquainted with the
early history of both Church and Manor; and it has been worked out for
the first time by Mr. J. Kennedy, from the Westminster Abbey archives,
in his recently publisherl work, .. '.J;'he Manor and Parish Church of Hamp-
stead and its Vicars." * The post· Reformation history also is given more
more fully than in any previous work; and in subordination to the his·
tory of the Manor, of the Church, and of the Vicars, the history of the
village itself is sketched in for a background.
* "The lIanor and Pari.h Church of Hampstead "lid it. Vicars." by J. Kennedy,
illmJtrated, with portraits, views and maps, 4s. llet.

THE PRIORY PRESS will be pleased to furnis~ estimates
for printing at any time. Special attention is given to
privately printed books.

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-- The Story of the Bahai Movement (Used by permission of the curator)