In Memoriam
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Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: unknown, In Memoriam, New York: Bahá'í Publishing Committee, 1939, bahai-library.com.
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THE BAHA' I WORLD
A Biennial International Record

Prepared under the supervision of the National Spiritual Assembly
of the Baha'is of the United States and   Canada
with the approval of Shoghi Effendi

Volume VII
93   AND 94 OF THE BAHA'I ERA

APRIL 1936-1938 A.D.

Baha'i Publishing     Committee
New York, N. Y., U. S. A.
1939
xii                                          CONTENTS
P\C,E

54.   Arthur Moore                                                               529
55.   Prof. Dr. Jan Rypka, Charles University, Praha, Czechoslovakia             529
56.   A. L. M. Nicolas                                                       .   529
57.   President Eduard Benes of Czechoslovakia                                   530
III.   In   Memoriam                                                                         531
1.   Alfred E. Lunt                                                             531
2.   Dr. Zia Bagdadi                                                            535
3.   Mrs. Laurie C. Wilhelm                                                     539
4.   Mrs. Mary Hanford Ford                                                     541
5.   Elmore E. Duckett                                                          543
6.   Colonel Dr. I. Piruzbakht                                                  545
7.   Mirza Muhammad Kazim-Pur                                                   547
8.   Dr. Y. S. Tsao                                                             548
9.   Dr.    Muhammad Basjhir                                                    549
10.   Miss    Malakat Nusjhugati                                                 550
11.   Extracts from "Baha'i       News"                                          551

PART THREE
Baha'i Directory, 1937-1938                                                           555
1. Baha'i National Spiritual Assemblies                                            555
2.   Baha'i Local Spiritual Assemblies and Groups Alphabetically listed ac-
cording to Nations                               %
Abyssinia                                                                556
Albania                                                                  556
Australia                                                                556
Austria                                                                  556
Belgium                                                                  556
Brazil                                                                   556
Bulgaria                                                                 556
Burma                                                                    556
Canada                                                                   556
Caucasus                                                                 556
China                                                                    556
Czechoslovakia                                                           556
Denmark                                                                  557
Egypt                                                                    557
France                                                                   557
Germany                                                                  557
Great Britain and Ireland                                                 557
Hawaiian Islands                                                         558
Holland                                                                  558
Hungary                                                                  558
Iceland                                                                  558
India                                                                     558
Iran                                                                      559
'Iraq                                                                     559
Islands     (Society   Islands)                                           559
Italy                                                                     559
Japan                                                                     559
Jugoslavia                                                        .       559
IN MEMORIAM
ALFRED EASTMAN LUNT
BY Louis G. GREGORY AND HARLAN OBER

A,.LFRED EASTMAN LUNT departed                                it    successful as a business enterprise.   While
this life,    August    12,    1937, at his    home in        in     college   he was chosen President of     its

Beverly, Massachusetts.   His immediate fam-                  Republican Club, and then President of the
ily  a widow  and  five  children, and a host                 National Republican College League, which
of friends mourn his loss. His funeral was                    included clubs organized in most of the col-
attended by his relatives, neighbors and vis-                 leges of the United States.   He served ac-
iting Baha'is from Green Acre and neigh-                      tively in this capacity in several Presidential
boring centers.      The service in its simplicity,           campaigns, and those acquainted with his
contained the solace of Heavenly Teachings                    achievements, and the respect with which
and prayers, and proved to be             a    means of       he was held, are confident that had he not

teaching others the Faith that he loved.                      chosen to turn his energies with concen-
The National Spiritual Assembly, on                         trated attention toward the Baha'i Faith,

August 16, 1937, received the following ca-                   realizing that all other means were ineffec-
blegram from the Guardian:                                    tive, he would have risen to positions of
"Shocked distressed premature passing es-                   great importance in the government.
teemed beloved Lunt.     Future generations                      As a lawyer, he became Solicitor of his na-
will appraise his manifold outstanding con-                   tive city,and an associate in a well estab-
tributions to rise and establishment Faith                    lished and popular law firm in Boston.
BahaVllah American continent.                  Commu-         Called by Miss Sarah J. Farmer to act as het

nity his     bereaved co-workers could ill afford             legal counsel, he took the leadership in evolv-
lose   such critical period so fearless champion              ing those plans that protected her spiritual
their Cause.      Request entire body their Na-               program and the Green Acre properties.
tional representatives assemble his grave pay                       His services to the Green Acre Fellow-
tribute      behalf to him who so long and
my                                               ship, at a very critical period in its existence,
since    inception     acted as pillar        institution     as     well as over a    number of    years,   were
they represent. Convey Boston community                       perhaps among the most valuable of his ca-
assurance prayers, deepest brotherly sympa-                   reer, a career noteworthy for the variety and

thy their cruel irreparable loss."                            number of its accomplishments.           Although
He was for more than a generation one of                        the opposition retained very able counsel and
the most distinguished and useful servants                        aroused adverse public sentiment and wide-
of BahaVllah.     He was well prepared by                             newspaper criticism, carrying the
spread
college and legal education at Harvard Uni-                   matter to the Supreme Court of the State of
versity.      As a student he heard the Great                     Maine, the final decision was a complete vic-
Message from Dr. 'Ali-Kuli Khan, lecturing                        tory for the Baha'is and the friends of Miss
in the University. He obtained from it a                          Farmer.      A
few years later, this victory hav-
new life and inspiration toward achievement.                      ing established a new trend, Green Acre
He had very unusual abilities which shone                         came under the jurisdiction of the National
in the field of writing           and   in his    chosen          Spiritual Assembly, as the first Bah'i     Sum-
profession, the law.                                              mer School in America.
As    a   youth he edited and published              a           Although greatly pleased with      this evi-

weekly newspaper.             As a Harvard student,               dence of the legal and organizing ability of
he managed its Illustrated Magazine, making                       Mr. Lunt, the head of his law business was
532                                THE BAHA'f WORLD

Alfred E. Lunt.

greatly     disturbed   by   the   poignant     press   revealed his exceptional ability and leader-
criticism,  linking his associate with the              ship,    but   also   gave him an enormous fund
Baha'i Faith. To the demand that he choose              of experience which was destined to be of
between his activity in the Faith and his               great service to The Cause in the upbuilding
remunerative position, Mr. Lunt chose to                of the Administrative Order.              In frequent
open his own office.                                    discussions with these important men he was
In his work he was ever guided by the                able to show them that the spirit and the
Baha'i ideal of service, and his clientele was          wisdom revealed in the Teachings of Baha'-
a very broad one.      His wise and sympa-              u'llah    alone offered    that   solid   foundation
thetic understanding      brought many clients          upon which industrial peace could be built.
of foreign birth, and though often poor and               He was a patient and tireless worker, al-
unable to pay adequately for his services, he           ways devoted to principle and showing a
never failed them, but with wise guidance,              faith and courage worthy of the heroic age.
increased     their
understanding,            and    ac-    His personal interests were seemingly for-
quainted them with the spirit and point of              gotten in his devotion to the Faith. But a
view which was the inspiration of his own               few years ago, when actually in the midst of
life.                                                   great financial difficulties, a very wealthy
For many years he was counsel for an im-             friend offered to associate him in a law firm

portant Massachusetts Committee of Manu-                with a minimum guarantee of an income an-
facturers and Merchants in the handling of              nually of ten thousand dollars. Although
their   legislative   problems.    This   position      it
required no commitments           on his part,
bringing him in close contact with outstand-            save to work, yet because it         came from a
ing industrialists and merchants, not only              source which he felt might wish to affect
IN   MEMORIAM                                                        533

unfavorably his allegiance to his Faith, the        neglected, poor and weak, a               mark of true
offer was refused.                                  nobility.         He made himself one with people
The trials and vicissitudes of fortune ap-     of various races, classes and nationalities in
peared only to confirm his faith, for in all        the line of service.            He had his place also
situations he showed those characteristics,         among the strong, who drew upon his fine
which 'Abdu'1-Baha, in referring to the             endowment of power, and from whom, his
Green Acre controversy, described as "lion          capacities and virtues won admiration.
hearted."                                              Faithful unto death was he, traveling long
He was from the beginning of the Cause         distances over the country for administra-
in Boston, a member of its governing body.          tion and teaching when his body was weak-

During many years he was elected by the             ened with a malady which finally proved
Boston friends as one of the delegates to the       fatal. Meanwhile he showed no lessening of
Annual Convention. Of this body, he was             spiritual         attraction,    devotion   and    power.
many times chosen Chairman, the duties of           Just       two days before his passing, he wrote
which office he discharged with extraordi-          a most cheerful         and hopeful letter to one of
nary ability.    He conceived it to be his duty,    his friends, telling of his plans for future
not only to be acquainted with all the im-          activities.

portant matters under consideration, and to               Those who mourned his passing were con-
act with justice, but to stimulate all the del-     soled by the spiritual fragrance that attended

egates, in the     assumption and exercise of       it,    and by the eloquent tributes paid him
their privileges   and responsibilities.            by the Guardian's cables, as well as by the
He was a member of the Baha'i Temple           testimony of          many friends.       An extraordi-
Unity, the     first   corporation   organized to   nary honor was shown him by the members
build the Mashriqu'l Adhkar.         With the ex-   of the National Spiritual Assembly, which
ception of two short intervals he had mem-          body at the Guardian's request, and in his
bership in the National Spiritual Assembly          behalf,         journeyed   to    his   grave,    to   offer

during the entire period of its existence. In       prayers.  Truly his was the victorious life.
these two national bodies, serving sometimes           "The true man appeareth before the Mer-
aschairman, sometimes as secretary, and as          ciful like unto the Heavens.        His bright
a    memberof its various committees, he            and shining qualities are the stars. His traces
showed signal devotion and ability.                 are the educators of existence."                 From the
This brief account does not of course per-     Will of Baha'u'llah.
mit     a detailed report of a
life of singular             It   is   impossible, even for those       who love
dedication, of great breadth  of interest, of       him, properly to evaluate his life, which the
remarkable sincerity and courage.      Those        future alone will truly disclose. It may be
privileged to have corresponded with him,           said  with absolute certainty, however, that
appreciated his understanding heart, and the        he lived and    moved in the Divine Teach-
firmness and inspiration of his faith.              ings,  and especially in his later years, in the
Mention, however, should be made of the           advices, the assurances           and the sympathetic
fact that he  was not only outstanding as           understanding of the Guardian.               The entire
an administrator with great range of vision         loyalty of a heart, singularly pure and de-
and exact knowledge of details regarding            voted, turned completely toward his Guard-
the Cause in America, but he was also a             ian and the Guardian of the world.
teacher whose addresses and writings were                 In a letter to one of the American friends,
characterized by spiritual insight, knowledge       Shoghi Effendi wrote: "The passing of Mr.
of the Divine Teachings and understanding           Lunt constitutes yet another blow to the
of the needs of the soul. He delved deeply          American Baha'i Community, and leaves a
into the inner meanings of the Sacred Writ-         void in both the teaching and administrative
ings,and followed closely those movements           fields, which few of our present day be-
which were affecting a rapidly changing so-         lievers can fill. The memory of his mani-
ciety.                                              fold and undeniably rich and valuable serv-
He was affectionate and kind, reflecting       ices will        be deeply enshrined in the hearts
the Divine love in his readiness to serve the       and minds of those who had the privilege
THE BAHA'f WORLD
of working closely with him, or had been                         From that hour
sufficiently informed about his tireless 'activi-         When first the Light of Revelation broke
ties   for the Faith.   .   .   .
upon these Western Shores
"Words fail to express the sorrow and re-              You labored     till   out of the chaos and the
gret          the untimely death of such a
I feel at                                            groping loomed
precious, ardent and capable champion of                  The pattern of a "New World Order!"
our beloved Faith. The loss is indeed irrep-                     Labored ceaselessly,
arable, for he was the living embodiment                  Until the Divine of Plans revealed its thrill-
of such a rare combination of qualities as                  ing goal!
few can     display and         none can   surpass.   I   How must He, its Source and Center
will continue to    pray for his dear departed                  Whose thoughts turned toward us
soul   from the depths of my sorrowful yet                Whose heart leaped at our mention, have re-
grateful heart."                                            joiced,
To see, amid "this jungle of materialism"
thy challenge
ALFRED EASTMAN LUNT                              Hurling certainty against the fury of an un-
believing age!
"Haste forth
To thy Celestial Habitation, Veil-beloved,'                      Poets!   Seers!
'Lion of God's Cause'!"                          Shall ring thy epic, chronicled in love        and
We rejoice to hear of thy release!                          service!
Yet                                              That the unborn may recapture             may re-
Might not God have shared thee                had we        live with pride and gratitude thy story!
loved more?                                             How you stood, undaunted             in   an epoch
How may a soul "aglow with flame of the                     "steeped in falsity,"
undying fire" live                                      An advocate unfalterirtg in principle!
Except midst love?                                               To compromise unyielding
A pillar! in this Cause "so far beyond the
"Forty years" you sought, with "iron-sight"                 ken of men and angels!"
to elevate this Truth!
To hasten justice, to conquer pettiness and                      "Martyr hosts,
lust for power,                                         Who   guard     man's    station,   acclaim   thee:
The curse of prejudice, the fear of failure,                'Servant!'"
the blight of intellect!                                Thou, who in this Day "that casts a mighty
"Forty years" braving           a wilderness of trials      tumult in men's hearts"
knowing                                               Refused to swerve        hailing this passage "a
That phantasmal human hopes were doomed                     spiritual adventure!"
to traceless dust!                                      We, who aspire to pioneer for God, and dare
One of the "living" of the chosen few en-                   to build anew a broken world,

gaged to point a nation's course                        Guard sacredly the faith thy love renewed,
Toward spiritual dominion!                                  when stilled thy noble heart!
IN    MEMORIAM                                                      535

MEMORIAL SERVICE TO DR. ZIA MABSUT
BAGDADI, HELD IN THE BAHA'I HOUSE
OF WORSHIP, MAY 8, 1937
INTRODUCTORY WORDS BY MRS. TRUE
Mrs. Corinne True,         this a  joyous and not a sad occasion. May
Mr. Albert Windust,        all   who are present here turn in mind and

O                                  Chairmen.
N April llth, less than a month ago,
the Baha'i friends assembled in this         House
heart toward the Holy Shrine of BahaVllah,
as    we read this supplication (known as the
"Midnight Prayer")           :

of    Worship commemorating the Twenty-                 O Lord, I have turned my face unto the
fifth Anniversary of the Arrival of 'Abdu'i-          kingdom of Thy oneness and am immersed
Bahd in America, were shocked by the news             in the sea of Thy mercy.
of the sudden death of their beloved Baha'i                 O Lord, enlighten my spirit by beholding
brother, Dr. Zia     M. Bagdadi, at Augusta,          Thy light in this dark night and make me
Georgia.   Sincere expressions of sympathy            happy by the wine of Thy love in this won-
for his bereaved family were heard among              derful age. O Lord, make me hear Thy call,
the friends and      all   were anxious to learn      and open before my face the doors of heaven,
more of the details of his passing. A few             so that I may behold Thy glory and become

days later it was learned that the cause of           attracted to Thy beauty.
death was heart failure; that his body had              Verily, Thou art the light, the gift and
been laid away in the burial lot of one of            the giver, the ancient and the merciful!
the Baha'is of that city;        that his    widow
DR. BAGDADI' s GRANDFATHER AND FATHER
Zeenat, and daughter Parvene were coura-
geously endeavoring to adjust themselves                    Referring        to   NabiPs     Narrative,     The
and were planning to go to Beirut,           Syria,   Dawn-Breakers, pages 272 and 273, we find
the   home of Dr. Bagdadi's family in that            that Dr. Bagdadi's grandfather, "Shaykh

country.                                              Muhammad-i-Shibl and                 his   youthful   son,
The loss suffered by the Cause in America        Muhammad-Mustafa," accompanied Tahirih
began to be realized by the Baha'is and               from 'Iraq to Iran.
found full expression in a cablegram from                   A
little over a year after Dr. Bagdadi ar-

our beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, to              rived in America, word was received of the
the National Spiritual Assembly, as follows:          death of         his    father,   Muhammad-Mustafa
(Bagdadi), whose portrait and the news of
"Distressed sudden passing dearly beloved        his passing were published in Babd'i News
Dr. Bagdadi.     Loss inflicted (upon) national       (Vol.       I   of the Star of the West),        No. 17
interests (of) Faith irreparable.       His exem-     issue, wherein is recorded: "In him the Cause

plary faith, audacity, unquestioning loyalty,         has lost a great and useful servant.   All
indefatigable exertions unforgettable.   Ad-          loved and revered him and looked up to him
vise Baha'i communities (,of )     Chicago (and)      as    one of the spiritual souls of the earlier
surrounding regions hold befitting memorial           days.     His winsome manner and gentleness
gathering (in) Temple for which he so                 of heart attracted all those who came in con-
valiantly labored.    Ardently praying for him        tact with         him and carried away the sweet
and bereaved family.                                  fragrance of his life."
(Signed)   Shoghi."            In a Tablet from 'Abdu'1-Baha published
in the Star of the West, Volume X, No. 12,
Friends: In response to the request of our       are       these endearing words of           the beloved
beloved     Guardian and the desire of our            Master:         "Convey on my behalf, to Dr. Zia
hearts to hold a memorial service for our             Bagdadi the utmost love and kindness. In
departed brother, Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi,            we   my estimation, he is very near, for he is the
have gathered here this evening.                      son  of   his  honor Agha Muhammad-
We feel that he would wish us to make            Mustafa."
536                              THE        BAHA      '
I     WORLD

Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi.

DR. BAGDADI'S WORK ON THE STAR OF                from the Chicago College of Medicine and
THE WEST                         Surgery in May of this year (1911). He
intends to practice in America and be en-
Mr. Windust, who was one of the found-           gaged in serving the Cause of BahaVllah.
ers and editors of the Star of the West, spoke         We are confident the Star of the West has
of Dr. Bagdadi 's services to that magazine,           in       him an able and willing associate."
as    follows     Dr. Bagdadi    became    associate        In the Star of the West, Volume III, No.
editor of this Baha'i       publication, June     5,   15 issue, we find the following:         "A word of
1911, beginning with issue No.        5,   Volume      explanation is given regarding the re-appear-
II,   wherein we read: "It gives us pleasure to        ance of our Persian section after many
welcome to the editorial staff of the Star of          months.          As   the   editor,   Mirza   Ahmad
the West, Dr. Zia Mabsut Bagdadi ("Zia                 Sohrab, accompanied 'Abdu'l-Baha on most
Effendi"), the youngest son of the late M.             of His journeyings throughout America, it
Mustafa Bagdadi. Dr. Bagdadi received                  was almost impossible for him to look after
his early education in the Orient at the               the Persian section,        and now that he has
Arabian Literature school, Turkish Govern-             returned to the East,        it has become neces-

ment school and the American school.           His     sary to place that department in other hands.
childhood was blessed by seeing and being              Dr. Zia Bagdadi, who has been associated
with the Blessed Perfection BahaVllah, and             with him in this work, has consented to
in every year of his youth he visited the              render this service.        He is located in Chi-
Center of the Covenant, 'Abdu'l-Baha. He               cago."
came     to   America    in September, 1909, to
Throughout the remainder of the           issues

complete      a   course in medicine, graduating       of Volume III, and all of Volumes IV and          V
IN       MEMORIAM                                                      537

there were 19 issues in each volume Dr.                                    line with Haifa from the center of the build-

Bagdad! compiled and wrote the manuscript                                     ing.     In this photograph Dr. Bagdadi is seen
in the form of pages, which were photo-                                       digging the first shovelful of earth the
graphed, reduced to page size, etched on                                      other friends present following him in break-
zinc, which became the printing plates for                                    ing the ground. It was indeed fitting that
the Persian sections of the Star of the West                                  Dr. Bagdadi should have this honor, and his
262 pages. His beautiful style
a total of                                                                 association      with    this great    event *   is   suffi-

of writing was distinctly Arabic in char-                                     cient    evidence of       the   esteem his fellow-
acter. This labor was accomplished by Dr.                                     believers had for his valiant          and devoted la-
Bagdadi in addition to translating Tablets                                    bors     for   the    Temple     and    the Cause of
of 'Abdu'1-Baha and speaking on the*Cause                                     BahaVllah.
wherever     the       opportunity                     arose     all   this
aside from his practice of medicine                             and sur-      NOTEWORTHY QUALITIES OF DR. BAGDADI
gery.                                                                           Mr. Windust spoke of the time when his
family met 'Abdu'1-Baha in an upper room
DR. BAGDADI WITH 'ABDU'L-BAHA                                          at the home of Mrs. Davies in Chicago.
IN CHICAGO                                             When He saw the youngest child, He took
Reference was made to the photograph of                                    her upon His lap and called for someone to
'Abdu'1-Baha, together with five of the Ori-                                  bring candy for the little one. Dr. Bagdadi
ental Baha'is, taken by Mr. Killius in Lin-                                   instantly responded, leaping down the stairs
coln Park, Chicago, in 1912.                             Standing di-         two or more steps at a time, obtained the
rectly behind 'Abdu'1-Baha,                            on the right, is       candy, and sprang up stairs with it, handing
Dr. Bagdadi.          In looking at this photograph,                          the bowl to 'Abdu'1-Baha as a courier would
one is impressed with the thought that our                                    present an urgent message to a king. It was
beloved Guardian, Shoghi Effendi, has, in                                     an impressive demonstration to many who
his cablegram, perfectly described the quali-                                 witnessed      it,   of the divine qualities of "in-
ties of Dr. Bagdadi.                                                          stant,     exact and complete obedience" Dr.
This photograph was taken directly across                                  Bagdadi so remarkably possessed.
the street    from the Plaza Hotel.                                In this       Mrs. Grace Ober also testified to this out-
connection,      it    is        interesting             to    note that      standing characteristic of Dr. Bagdadi, by
when it was taken, no one dreamed that in                                     telling the following experience:     "I was
this same part of Lincoln Park, the Chi-                                      keeping house in          New York for 'Abdu'l-
cago Historical Society would erect the                                       Baha and His party of interpreters at the
splendid museum which stands there today.                                     time when He attended the Peace Confer-
ence at Lake Mohonk.       Late at night, the
DR. BAGDADI'S DEVOTED LABOR FOR THE                                           bell rang furiously and at the door stood Dr.
TEMPLE
Bagdadi, no hat upon his head, his hair
Shoghi Effendi, in his cablegram request-                                   disheveled, and his clothes covered with dust.
ing the holding of this memorial gathering                                    He rushed into the house saying 'Abdu'l-
for Dr. Bagdadi, states:    "Advise Baha'i .   .   .                          Baha had sent him to bring a rug to Lake
Communities of Chicago and surrounding                                        Mohonk at the earliest possible moment.                    I

regions hold befitting memorial gathering in                                  begged him    to have something to eat, to

Temple for which he so valiantly and de-                                      bathe and rest for a little while. But quickly
votedly labored."            .    .    .
finding what he wanted he rushed away with
In this connection                   we were reminded by                    it.
During the short time he was in the
Mrs. True, of the photograph taken on this                                    house I learned that 'Abdu'1-Baha wished to
Temple       March 21, 1921, and published
site                                                                present a gift to the Secretary of the Peace
in the Star of the West, Volume XII, No. 2.                                   Conference, Mr.   W. H. Short, Sec'y of the
It was the beginning of actual work for the
1 This
breaking of ground for the actual construc-
construction of the first MasJhriqu'l-Adhkar                                  tion of the caissons to bed rock should not be
in America; that            is,       the breaking of ground                  confused with the boring operations begun on Sep-
tember 24, 1920, to obtain a core of soil strata
for the digging of the first of the nine
before beginning the digging of the caissons, which
caissons to bed rock the one directly in                                      began March 21, 1921.   Editors
538                                   THE BAHA'f WORLD

Friends assembled on Mashriqu'l-Adhkar grounds, Chicago, March 21, 1921.
Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi digging first shovelful of earth.

New York Peace Society, before the close                          During these years Dr. Bagdadi was a
of its sessions next day, and that it was nec-                 pillar of strength to the Baha'is of America
essary that some one of His party go to the                    manifesting firmness in the Covenant and
city for it and return at once. Dr. Bagdadi                    all that it implies. He alone seemed to un-
had instantly volunteered. He discovered                       derstand the deep meanings of this most
there was no passenger train      at  that                     great    characteristic    that   is:   through the
hour and boarded a freight train, arriving                     power of the Covenant no one can create a
in    the   condition     I   described.    I    learned       sect or division in the Baha'i Faith; through
later that in returning he again rode                 on   a   this most great characteristic, the Center of

freight train as there was no other trans-                     the Covenant will protect the Cause from
portation at that early morning hour. Dr.                      now until at least one thousand years, and
Bagdadi       was   the       embodiment         of    the     perhaps until thousands of years have passed
quality of "Instant,          exact   and       complete       away.
obedience."                                                      Those who attended the eighth session of
The chairman expressed the thought that                   the Baha'i Congress at Hotel McAlpin, New
every one present at this memorial gather-                     York City, April 30th, 1919, will never for-
ing, who knew Dr. Bagdadi, no doubt cher-                      get Dr. Bagdadi's presentation of this most
ished in his heart and memory some par-                        important matter. Although he had been
ticular remembrance or many remembrances                       ill   for three days, he arose to astonishing
of our dearly beloved Dr. Bagdadi.                             heights and depths of understanding in this
address, unfolding all the qualities Shoghi
FIRMNESS IN THE COVENANT, AN OUT-                              Eflfendi    mentions in the cablegram prompt-
STANDING QUALITY OF DR. BAGDADI                                     this  memorial gathering of "exem-
ing
When 'Abdu'1-Baha came to America in                         plary faith, audacity, unquestioning loyalty,
1912, He awakened and began to educate                         indefatigable exertion"    combined with a
the Baha'is to the Most Great Characteristic                   dramatic appeal that was arresting and soul
of the Revelation of BahaVllah, namely,                        stirring. This outstanding address of that
The Center of the Covenant that which                          remarkable Congress was taken stenographi-
the      previous   Divine      Manifestations         did     cally and printed in      Volume XI of the Star
not bring. From that time until the day                        of the West.
of His ascension in 1921, He stressed its
DR. BAGDADI WRITES OF SEEING AND BEING
importance with ever increasing emphasis,
thus preparing them for the hour when                                         WITH BAHA'U'LLAH
His Will and Testament was brought to                            In the year 1929, Dr. Bagdadi wrote a

light.                                                         book telling of his birthplace and travels in
IN        MEMORIAM                                                539

the Orient under the title, Treasures of the                             MRS. LAURIE C. WILHELM
East.  In it he describes the peerless pano-
BY ROY C. WILHELM
rama of the Plain of 'Akka surrounded by
mountains and sea, in the center of which                       Mother's strong religious tendency began
is the Mansion of Bahji, located about one                    with her mother who was religious funda-
mile from the Mediterranean and three miles                   mentally though I do not recall her ever
from the town of 'Akk, Palestine. It was                      having attended a church; and she did not
here Baha'u'llah lived the last few years of                  believe that a system in      which professional
His exile until He departed to the Supreme                               preached for hire was in accord
religionists
World in 1892. Dr. Bagdad! tells that here,                   with the admonitions and example of Jesus.
when he was a child, he had the great privi-                  During my early years Grandmother often
lege of seeing and being with Baha'u'llah.                    spoke to me of so many of the Bible prophe-
He wrote:                                                     cies being fulfilled and said she believed the
"I had the greatest honor and privilege to                  Promised Age was near and we must all be
see BahaVllah and sit at His feet many days                   watchful to recognize the Great Day when
and nights in this Mansion. Here He used                      it came.   Mother and father were members
to hold my hand while walking to and fro                      of a denomination to which they sent me in
in His large room, revealing Tablets, chant-                  my youth    though they were not orthodox
ing the prayers with the most charming and                    in   their views, rather they shared Grand-
melodious voice, while one of the attendants                  mother's beliefs that the Creator of all hu-
took them down. Here I saw Him teaching                       manity was interested in all humanity.
and blessing the pilgrims who came from all                     About 1890 Mother became dissatisfied
lands. On hot days He would take me with                      with the churches and began searching for
Him to the outer alcove of the Mansion                        reality.    She investigated various teachings
where it was somewhat cooler. I would                         including the philosophies of the East, Chris-
stand in a corner with folded arms, my eyes                   tian Science, etc.     I   sometimes wondered,
fixed on His incomparable countenance,                        "What next?" Mother also felt deeply that
while the gentle breezes blew on His soft jet                 the Great Day was near, that it might come
black hair which reached almost to the waist,                 even in our time and how would we be
flowing beneath the taj, like a crown, that                   able to recognize its fulfillment!
covered His head and a part of His broad,                          Mother had a friend, kindred in thought,
full,   high forehead.                                        in Miss    Laura Jones,    also of   our old home
"From His light-colored garments which                      town       Zanesville, Ohio: they often met to-
were similar to those of         all    the    ancient        gether, and wondered if the Spirit might be
prophets, I had always inhaled the fragrance                  upon the earth at this time: how shall we
of the pure attar of roses.    At times He                    find Him, etc.      Shortly after the early 90's
would spend half an hour on the alcove, and                   Miss Laura      moved to Chicago.
There she
my eyes would remain fixed on His majestic                    heard of the Baha'i  Faith, and  wrote to
face. But whenever He glanced at me with                      Mother that she had found that for which
His brown, piercing, yet most affectionate                    they had been seeking. In her letter she in-
eyes, then I had to turn mine away and look                   cluded some pamphlets, among which was a
down on the floor.                                            copy of the "Hidden Words." Mother read
"At my birth,           Baha'u'llah   named me              these, and accepted immediately.    About
'Zia'   (Light) and gave me the Turkish title                 1898 or 1899, when I was a traveling sales-
But on my first visit to Him,
'Effendi.'                                                    man, Mother mailed me a page from a news-
when He inquired about my health, I re-                       paper containing a photograph of 'Abdu'l-
plied in Arabic 'Mabsoot' (I am happy).                 He    Baha and an article in which something was
questioned,    'How is your      father?'          I    an-   said to the effect that many regarded     Him as
swered,      'Mabsoot';    and   'How         is       your   a return of the Spirit.   Having in mind
mother?'     He asked.     'Mabsoot' was
my re-                 Mother's various explorations I was not so
ply.    He laughed heartily and after that He                 deeply impressed, but wrote upon the mar-
always     called   me Mabsoot     Eflfendi            (The   gin, "Strange if true" and returned it to her.
Happy One)."                                                  In 1901 and 1902, Mother and Father vis-
540                            THE       BAHA     '
I   WORLD

Mrs. Laurie C. Wilhelm.

ited   me in New York.      We went about to       from His bowl He told us to eat, and as we
various meetings and among them the Baha'i         had received food from His bowl, now we
meetings at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ar-           must return to America and likewise offer
thur P. Dodge: there we met May Maxwell,           His food to the people.
Mr.    and Mrs. Hoar, Dr. Getsinger and              In 1908 we moved from New York to
others.   I was conscious of a strong heart        West Englewood. During this summer a
attraction before much understanding came.         hundred or more of the Baha'i friends of
I recall   that two or three years later a fare-   New York and vicinity assembled for a picnic
well reception was given to Mirza Abu'l-           in the woods near our home.    In those days
Fadl at the Dodge home.                            it was very difficult to awaken interest.
Mother devoted much time to studying             Meetings were held in two or three homes,
the Bible: she became so impressed with the        and a dozen or so persons were attracted, but
connection and with the        and reason-
spirit                several moved away, two passed from this
and ex-
ableness of 'Abdu'l-Baha's teachings               world, and such changes took place that it
planations that her waking hours seemed            was several years more before a group was
mainly devoted to plans for reaching other         permanently started. I am reminded of a re-
sections.  In 1907 Mother and I went to            mark that 'Abdu'1-Baha once made, that
'Akka. 'Abdu'1-Baha told Mother she was            it
required a great expenditure of effort to
the cock which crowed preceding the dawn.          accomplish even small things in this world.
During the dinner, our last day there, He            Mother devoted her life to corresponding
took an unusually large bowl and filled it         with friends and inquirers far and near. Even
with bread and broth: then He asked for our        during those   last two and a half years of
bowls, and filling them with bread and broth       physical helplessness, her mind was centered
IN      MEMORIAM                                         541

Mrs. Mary Hanford Ford.

upon means for the advancement of the            associated with leading intellectuals in the
Faith. These past few weeks, when she could      United States and Europe.
speak only with difficulty, she would often           In 1901 Mrs. Ford was residing in Chicago
make suggestions, or perhaps inquire whether     in   an environment typical of her varied in-
I had heard from this person or another, or      terests.   Her household consisted of her
had written them recently.                       three children, Roland, Lynette and Gareth;
It is   indeed comforting to now have the      of a German woman and her young child; of
assurance of the Guardian that Mother       is   an American woman and her son; of a young
making a near   approach to the Beloved.         Negro student of Shakespeare. An account
of     her   home,   known   as   "The Haunted
House"       has, through Dr. Richard Hodgson,
MARY HANFORD FORD (Nov. 1, 1856
reached the archives of the American So-
FEB. 2, 1937)
ciety for Psychical Research. At this time
BY RUHANIYYIH (MADAME 'Au'-KuLi)                Mrs. Ford was a "Spiritist," her chief inter-
KHANUM                         est, however, lying not in psychic phenomena

Daughter of     a   Meadville,
Pennsylvania,       but in the spiritual life.    An atheist during
banker, wife of the owner and editor of the      her youth, she had regained faith at her
Kansas City, Missouri, Evening Mail, Mary        father's death-bed, feeling that the continu-
Hanford Ford was widely known as an au-          ity of the soul   had there been revealed to
thority on art, literature and music, and as a   her,   and she had begun an exhaustive study
student of economic problems and of devel-       of religion.Her personal library, including
opments in the field of science. At one time     many first editions, ran the length of the
art critic on the Kansas City Star, she was      house. She now began a course in compara-
542                               THE BAHA'l WORLD
tive    religions,   the   ninth lesson of which      the All Nations Club:           "When we speak of
proved to be a presentation of the Baha'i             the saints       I   think she was the reincarnation
Faith. The following summer she attended              of all of them." Mr. D. A. Mott, leader of
the Green Acre School of Religions, heard             the Vegetarian Society:  "She belonged to
Mirza Abu'1-Fadl and 'Ali-Kuli Khan, and              everybody. We never thought of her with
became a Baha'i; shortly thereafter, aided            a family and children; the human race was

by Miss Florence Breed, she began to teach            her family .         .       .   Some day            .   .   .   the truth of
the Baha'i Cause in Boston.                           her statements will be recognized, and also
To Madame          'Ali-Kuli   Khan when     she   her greatness as a teacher." Mrs. Villa Faulk-
visited  'Akka in 1906, 'Abdu'l-Bah4 said of          ner Page, Founder-Leader of the Fellowship
Mrs. Ford: "It is true that Mrs. Ford has             Life  More Abundant: "We have listened
served humanity long and faithfully. Now              with hearts deeply moved to the words
tell her, if she will arise to serve the Cause        spoken of one whom we all so dearly love;
of Baha'u'llah with equal zeal and fidelity,          not loved    .  but lov e" Dr. C. G. Pease,
.       .

her name will be mentioned in all the worlds          President of the Non-Smokers League: "Let
of God."     The remainder of her long life           us follow in her footsteps." Mr. Aldo Ran-
was devoted to fulfilling the Master's wish,          degger, noted composer, played his "The
and in many tablets He addressed her as "O            Apotheosis of the Soul" in her memory.
thou herald of the Kingdom of God!" Not               Baha'i speakers included Mr. James F. Mor-

only in the United States but also in Italy,          ton, former President of the American Es-
Switzerland, France and England she taught            peranto Society, who said: "She opened the
the    Baha'i   Faith
unceasingly, attracting            eyes of many of us to visions that otherwise
thousands of people through her devotion,             we could not have had. In the Esperanto
and her objective, brilliant, well-stocked            Movement she was a tower of strength."
mind. Meanwhile she continued her work                Mrs. Annie Romer: "The prayers       which                        .   .   .

as an art critic and writer; among her pub-           she offered ... on behalf of others filled
lished books are "The Oriental Rose,"
"The              many hours. She said we did not ask enough
World of 'Abdu'1-Baha" and "The Secret of             of the bounty of God."  Mr. afa Kinney:
Life." Even during her last months, she               "For years upon years we worked shoulder
taught the Cause and worked on a novel                to shoulder, like                     two horses at the plough;
dealing with industrial conditions.       Accom-      ploughing God's field that His plants might
panied by her daughter, Mrs. Lynette Storm,           grow there       .       .       ."    Madame 'Ali-Kuli Khan,
Mrs. Ford was in Clearwater, Florida, when            chairman of the gathering: "Mrs. Ford's
the end came.        She died whispering, "It is so   friends all know how clear and sure were her

beautiful, Lynette, it is so very beautiful!"         faith and her spiritual mission."  'Ali-Kuli
At a distinguished gathering held at the           Khan: "A saying of Goethe's is paraphrased
Baha'i Center in       New
York City to com-            thus: 'To live in a great idea is to think as
memorate the passing of Mrs. Ford, many               possible, things that seem impossible.  So is
non-Baha'i friends paid her tribute. 1     Among      the case with a great character; when both
them, Mr. Clarence Howells of the Fellow-             the great idea and the great character meet

ship of Reconciliation said, "A religion can          in thesame person, things appear which fill
be proven best by the lives of those who prac-        the world with wonders for thousands of
tise   it.   The proof of     the value of those      years' ";   he then read the following from a
teachings she gave, was expressed in the life         letter of Shoghi EfFendi regarding Mrs. Ford:
of Mary Hanford Ford. Surely the Baha'i               "Her unique and outstanding gifts enabled
Teachings are true, for they are effective in         her to promote effectively the best interests
that light." Miss Frances R. Grant, Vice-             of the Faith in                   its    new-born and divinely-
President of the Roerich Museum, New York             conceived institutions.                          I   will pray for her

City: "About Mrs. Ford there was this joy of          soul from the depths of                        my heart. Her serv-
devotion, and I must believe that though              ices will always be remembered and extolled."

duty pleases God, it is joy that best gladdens          1
There was given                 also,   several days alter, a beau-
Him, and it is the joyous devotee that is             tiful musicale, by Miss Rata Present, of Buffalo, in
closest to His heart."   Mr. H. T. Mason of           loving tribute to Mrs. Ford.
IN   MEMORIAM                                                                  543

Elmore Eugene Duckett.

ELMORE EUGENE DUCKETT                    Baha'i World Religion, in addressing an au-
dience gathered together at Hull House, in
BY WILLARD P. HATCH
Chicago, on April 30, 1912, said in part:
"Verily, thy Lord is the All-Knowing, His            "One of the important questions which
authority embraceth all things, rest thou as-       affect the unity and solidarity of human-
sured in the gracious favor of thy Lord.            kind     is    the fellowship and equality of the
The eye of His loving-kindness shall ever-          white and colored races.                    .       .   .

lastingly    be     directed   towards    thee."      "In         this       country, the United States of
"Gleanings From The Writings of Baha'-              America,            patriotism is common to both
u'llah."                                            races;    all       have equal rights in citizenship,
speak one language, receive the blessings of
"We work and pray for the Unity of Man-
the same civilization, and follow the precepts
kind, that    all   the races of the earth    may   of the same religion.         the one point of
.   .       .

become one race, all the countries one coun-
distinction is that of color.       God is not          .   .   .

try, and that all hearts may beat as one heart,
pleased with, neither should any reasonable
working together for perfect Unity and              or intelligent man be willing to recognize,
Brotherhood." 'Abdu'1-Baha, in "The One-
inequality in the races because of this dis-
ness of Mankind."
tinction.       .    .    .   His Holiness BahaVllah has
Mr. Elmore Eugene Duckett was thirty-             proclaimed the oneness of the world of hu-
nine years old when he passed away on Janu-         manity."
ary   1,   1937.    He possessed a "remarkable        Elmore Duckett did not find it difficult, as
spiritual insight."                                 a Baha'i,to become free from racial ani-
'Abdu'1-Baha, the great Exemplar of the           mosity.         A "remarkable spiritual insight,"
544                                        THE&BAHA'f WORLD
however, was not the only gift he possessed.                  such an extent that he was publicly awarded
All of his life he worked hard with the                       a badge of hofcor before his follow-workmen,

strength that was his.                To a casual observer,   by those at the head of the factory, for over
Elmore was, in a happy way, one of those                      ten years of commendable service. He took
classified as belonging to Labor; but he                      this award for el&ctly what it was worth,
showed how different the Baha'i conception                    for he  kneW that, if such action was not
of Labor is, by taking part in "no rebellious                 based upon the knowledge and love of God,
demands," and by being completely free                        then it was most likely an inexpensive way
from any deep-seated feeling of animosity                     of trying to keep the men satisfied; but he
against capitalists.                                          evidenced forbearance and patience, as Ba-
Concerning a phase of Labor problems,                       ha'i s are taught to do.
'Abdu'1-Baha writes, expressing the Baha'i                      True it is that the length of one's days,
attitude:                                                     as hasbeen pointed out by the Divine Ex-
".   .       .   .   Rules and laws should be estab-      emplar,   is   not important; to bear fruit in
lished to regulate the excessive fortunes of                  one's life is what counts.    Elmore Duckett,
certain private individuals, and limit the                    in his relatively short life,   was   a tree that

misery of millions of the poor masses               How-      bore a quantity of fruit.
ever, absolute equality is just as impossible,                  Elmore was born in Cripple Creek, Colo-
for absolute equality in fortunes, honors,                    rado, November 17, 1898. His family moved
commerce, agriculture, industry would end                      to Denver, Colorado, when he was ten years
in want of comfort, in discouragement. . . .                   of age.   Thereafter they traveled to Arizona,
It    therefore preferable for moderation to
is                                                        and it was in Bisbee, in 1915, that Elmore's
do its work. The main point is by means of                     cousin, who was to become his wife three
laws and regulations to hinder the constitu-                   years later, convinced him of the truth of
tion of the excessive fortunes of certain in-                  the Baha'i Faith.    This she did, aided by her
dividuals and to protect the essential needs                   mother.
of the masses. .  . The owner of the                              Of- this period Elmore Duckett's widow
.
factory
will no longer put aside daily a treasure which                writes:  "He (Elmore) became a wonderful
he has absolutely no need of (without taking                   Baha'i in a very short time  as he had never
into consideration that, if the fortune is dis-                taken any interest in any religious faith, he
proportionate, the capitalist succumbs under                   was free from all dogmas and creeds.          .   .   .

a formidable burden, and gets into great                       He studied Spanish and became very pro-
difficulties              and troubles; the administration     ficient, with the thought in mind of going
of an excessive fortune is very difficult and                  to Old Mexico to work and teach the Cause.
exhausts man's natural strength), and the                      In his study of the Spanish language, he met
workmen and artisans will no longer be in the                  many people in High School, and the private
greatest misery and -want, they will no longer                 nightclasses, who were entertained in our
be submitted to the worst privations at the                    home, and given the Baha'i Message.           .   .   .

end of their life.                                             We were married in Houston, Texas, June 5,
"As now man is not forced by the Govern-                  1918. We moved to Los Angeles May 1 9 2 2 ,           ,

ment, if by the natural tendency of his good                   where Kenneth (their only child) was born
heart, with the great^t spirituality he goes                   August 17, 1922."
to this expense for the poor, this will be a                     Unity was the one thing Elmore loved
thing very much praised, approved and pleas-                   most and he had a quiet and unobtrusive na-
'

ing."                              \                           ture which attracted many friends to him.
Elmore Duckett was fully aware of 'Abd-                     He lived in Monrovia, California, suburb of
u'1-Baha's words yet was he aware that one                     Los Angeles, at the time of his passing away.
man alone, except He be a Christ or Baha'u-                    The Monrovia paper carried a notice of his
'llah,could not bring about the change of                      death, and, among other things, wrote: "Mr.
conditions mentioned therein. Therefore he                     Duckett was chairman of the Spiritual As-
put his affair^ in the hands of God, and as                    sembly of the Bah'is of Los Angeles and
one of the great body of workmen in a                          had been a member of the Community of
Jwge factory, labored in the Baha'i spirit to                  the Baha'is of that     city for   many years.
IN   MEMORIAL                                            545

His entire time, other than what was neces-               was voted at the meeting that each member
sary for the maintenance of *the material                 of the Assembly should mention one good
needs of his family, was devoted to the                   quality of the deceased. The result was a
promulgation of the oneness of humanity                   moving compilation.      Among the qualities
and he 'consorted with all people with love               mentioned were: "sincerity; sacrifice of time
and fragrance.' He believed in the funda-                 for the Cause; devotion to the Cause;
mental oneness of religion and prayed con-                thoughtfulness of others; a good Baha'i in
stantly for 'the most great peace/ that has               the use of time; kindness, generosity to the
been visioned by the Prophets and poets of                Cause and to his friends; humility; his lack
the past, and which surely must be the con-               of fault-finding; a peace-maker."
summation of the evolution of man on this                   At his expressed wish, Elmore was buried
plane."                                                   in the last grave   remaining in the plot of
When Elmore Duckett's final illness over-            ground where Thornton Chase, first Ameri-
took him, he firmly believed that it was be-              can Baha'i, is at rest, in Inglewood Ceme-
cause of the fumes he was forced to breathe               tery, outside of Los Angeles, California.
daily in the prosecution of his work. He be-                On March 8, 1937, Shoghi Effendi sent the
lieved that the inflammation of his heart                 following message to Mrs. Finks, Secretary of
and the lining of his lungs was an inevitable             the Spiritual Assembly of Los Angeles, Cali-
result    of    the      conditions   surrounding   his   fornia.
labor,    a   result      that was hidden    from him       "Please convey to the relatives of the late
until it was too late to do anything about it.            Mr. Duckett the Guardian's sympathy and
His unusual physical strength gave way                    condolences on the occasion of the passing
slowly, after he was obliged to stop work,                away of their beloved and esteemed friend.
before the onslaught of this insidious inflam-            The services which he has rendered the Cause
mation.        Before its fatal effect was clear to       Shoghi Effendi deeply appreciates and he will
him, he planned, on recovery, never to return             specially pray for the progress of his soul in
to the factory position he had previously                 the Abha Kingdom."
held, which, as he expressed    he thought
it,

would be suicide; but intended to take part
in the effort to carry the Baha'i Faith to
COLONEL DR. IBRAHIM PIRUZBAKHT
one of the few states where it was not already                        BY ZIKRULLAH KHADEM
established.      His wish was to move to Reno,
Nevada.                                                     Colonel Dr. Piruzbakht was the eldest son
These hopes of moving to Nevada gave                    of the late Kazim Khan Amir Tuman, a dis-
way before the increasing encroachments of                tinguished Commanding Officer of his time,
Elmore's       illness.     Finally he learned    that,   very pious and devoted to his duty, belonging
should he        live,     he would become a bed-         to the family of Caucasian refugees.     The
ridden and helpless invalid.  Having always               following is a brief description of this family.
been so strong physically, he could not bear                One of the notorious events of the Qajar
to contemplate this thought.       He did not             regime was the war breaking out between
think, perhaps, of the spiritual uses of suffer-          fran and Russia, in consequence of which
ing,   nor of the spiritual services he could             some important provinces of Caucasia in Iran
render, even if ill. He preferred to die, and             fell into the hand of the Russians. Groups
itwas reported that he implored Baha'u'llah               of nobility, urged by
patriotic feelings,
left

to release him into the next world. His                   Caucasia for fran and were then called im-
prayer was granted.                                       migrants.    A number of them entered mili-
To indicate something of the love Elmore                tary services and others occupied high posi-
had inspired in the hearts of his fellow-                 tions.  At this happy era of the reign of
believers, as part of their love for God in the           H. M. Rida Shah Pahlavi under whose care
qualities they saw reflected, it is only neces-           and wise policy marvellous progress has been
sary to write of the meeting of the Spiritual             made in the country, a number* of the Re-
Assembly, of which he had been chairman,                  called immigrants are also numbered among

gathered together to discuss his funeral.            It   the devoted and reliable officers and conv
546                                     THE BAHA'f
manding Officers of the Army. D/. Piruz-                   Cormack and Mr. Colnman.           In 192J, he
bakht was also of this f ran-loving family,                received appointment      as   Director of the
born in fmrsm in the year 34 of the Baha'i                 Sepah Hospital (a military hospital) and
era corresponding with the year 1878 of                    during the last years of his life he served
the Christian era. He carried on his studies               with the rank of Colonel as the Director of
in the Cossak house, in the Iranian College                the Health Dept. of the Military Schools.
and in the Medical School from which he                    He discharged his duty most faithfully and
received his diploma in medicine.                          sincerely throughout the entire course of his
Early in his youth, he married his cousin,              services.
Farah Angiz Khanum, but feeling the need of                  In the year 1914, Dr. Piruzbakht was
completing his studies he traveled to Russia,              serving as Vice-Director at the Gendarmerie
France and Belgium, getting his diploma in                 Dept., having already completed his studies in
medicine, surgery and midwifery from the                   medicine. He began to investigate the Baha'i

Liege School of the latter country in 1907,                religion.   His official position, as well as his
corresponding with the year 63 of the Baha'i               family situation, were such as did not allow
era, and returning to his country in the same              him to have any contact with the Baha'i folk,
year, after 7 years of absence. It should also             owing to adverse religious feelings in Iran
be mentioned that at Colonel Piruzbakht's                  which threatened to put him and a number
time there were no means for one to educate                of Baha'is in grave difficulties.  Therefore
himself in frn such as are available now-a-                religious conversations were confined to the

days and his special efforts in such lines were            Doctor and myself for several months. He
indicative of ability and love for education.              was meanwhile given a number of Baha'i
After his return from Europe Dr. Piruz-                  books which he studied very carefully and
bakht was employed as physician in the Cos-                it was not long before this holy being became

saks*   quarters.        He later accompanied his          a believer and he bought many volumes of

father on a journey to Luristan and Adhir-                 Baha'i books which were available at that

bayjan and after staying in those provinces                time.   He was so inspired and inflamed by
for some time he returned to Tihran where                  the Baha'i books and tablets that, disregard-
he spent the rest of his life.          He attained the    ing his official position and personal restraint,
rank of Captain during            his services in the      he expressed his enthusiastic willingness to
Cossaks* Quarters.                                         meet the believers. The first meeting took
The writer has been in frequent contact               place in the house of the late Mirza Azizollah
with    this   honorable Doctor since he began             Vargha, one of the devoted servants of the
Gendarmerie Dept. (Road
his service in the                                         Cause and a distinguished believer; and the
Guards Dept.) and the following is an ac-                  late Semandar Qazvini and Mirza 'AH Akbar

count of my personal knowledge of the de-                  Rafsanjani   two well-known teachers of the
ceased.                                                    Cause were present at this little reception.
During the early formation of the Gendar-             In the course of the discussions he displayed
merie Dept. in Iran in the year 1914, Dr.                  such a spiritual zeal and depth of knowledge
Piruzbakht served as Vice-Director and later               of intellectual matters that he was heartily
as   Comptroller General and physician for a               admired by all those present.  After that
number of years and             finally   attained   the   meeting he recklessly maintained contact
rank of Major. After the dissolution of the                with the Baha'i groups and individuals and
Gendarmerie Dept. in 1918, he was appointed                his admirable character and faith earned him

by the General Health Dept. as Head of the                 such love and endearment in the Baha'i com-
Sanitation      Office    at   Karej,    42   kilometers   munity that he was appointed, in 1919, as
from Tihran, where a quarantine was being                  member of the Spiritual Assembly of Tihran
maintained. In 1920, he was employed as                    and also as Chief of the Tarbiyat School for
Doctor to the Provincial Dept. of Finance,                 Boys. Dr. Piruzbakht meanwhile undertook
Public Domains and Alimentation of Tihrdn                  to pay the tuition for some poor pupils.
which was an important Government Dept.                      After his conversion, Dr. Piruzbakht kept
and he carried on this duty during the office              in contact with the    members of his family
of the American Advisors, Colonel Mc-                      attempting to convert them to the Faith.     He
IN JVfEMORIAM                                                        547

did convert a number of them and some of                  senior officers of the           Army, with      a    large

the rest became friendly to the Cause.           Mean-    crowd of Baha'is and non-Baha'is were pres -
while,     notwithstanding his busy time, he              ent at the funeral.          They followed* the bier
managed to have talks with some of the men                afoot some distance          up the street and then
of high position and even with the Swedish                drove     their   cars      to    the   cemetery.      The
Officers in      the Gendarmerie,       giving them       funeral           was carried through in
service
books and tablets to read and acquainting                 the most honorable manner worthy of the
them with the importance of the Baha'i                    position of a devoted Colonel and a learned
Cause and the great material and moral bene-              Doctor.
fits which the principles of the Cause ren-                 A memorial service in his name was held
dered      to    the
country             and to
of   Iran               at the house of the deceased for several days,
the world.  The deceased, being so keen in                               which thousands of people
in the course of

serving the Cause, was always chosen as                   came to condole with the members of his
a     member       of important Baha'i Com-               family and to take part in the ceremony of
mittees     in    Tihran where he permanent-              chanting prayers and reading tablets. All
ly      stayed    after    embracing       the   Cause.   felt as if   they really had lost a dear relative
This year he was a member of both the                     or friend.
Teaching and the East and West Commit-                      Let us pray that the surviving members of
tees.                                                     his family will all follow his example in
Three Tablets from 'Abdu'1-Baha and two              serving the Cause and attaining the high
letters    from the Guardian, all showing his             spiritual position he attained.
ideal    position and conferring  on him his-
torical honors,        have been issued.
As was stated above, this admirable soul                      MIRZA MUHAMMAD KAZIM-PUR
spent his dear time in fran and abroad in                   Mirza Muhammad Kazim-Pur was the son
the field of education. During his hours of               of Haji      Muhammad Kazim-i-Shirazi, a de-
leisurefrom official duty, he held a private              vout Muslim business-man, widely known
dispensary at his house which he used not for             for his charitable activities, who had left

personal interest but for serving the poor and            Shiraz    and     settled    in    Yazd    in   the    year
promoting the Cause.          He paid medical visits      1236    (Persian  date, ca. 1857). With
to friends and strangers, usually without re-             his three brothers, Ahmad, 'Abdu'llah and

ceiving fees. He was so kind to all classes               'Ali-Akbar, Mirza Muhammad became a
of people without distinction of faith, that              Baha'i during the lifetime of Baha'u'llah,
even some of the Muslim religious authori-                and like them was an active servant of the
ties,    while knowing him to be a Baha'i, re-            Faith.
ferred to him because of their confidence in                 In 1281 the people of Yazd rose against
his     good faith and right conduct.            Men of   the Baha'is, plundered the home of 'Abdu-
various creeds often called at the Doctor's               'llah and put him to death. The remaining
dispensary and when he was through with his               three brothers were spared, Muhammad and

patients he had a friendly meeting with the               'Ali-Akbar being in Shahrud on business, and
visitors.                                                 Ahmad in 'Ishq4bad.
After a serious illness, Dr. Piruzbakht's                 Following the Yazd upheaval, the family
noble life ended at the age of 5 9 on Saturday            of Mirzd  Muhammad moved to Shahrud;
the 5th of Shahr of the Baha'i year 93 cor-               some years later, Mirza Muhammad, 'Ali-
responding with January 23, 1937.     num-       A        Akbar and their households left for 'Ishqa-
ber of his non-Bahd'i relatives insisted on               bad, and during this journey, were blessed
burial in a Moslem grave, but thanks to the               with a visit to 'Abdu'1-Baha in 1289. Re-
admirable courage and efforts of his daughter,            turning to 'Ishq&bad, Mirza Muhammad
Miss Furughu'z-Zamdn, a graduate of mid-                  some years later went back to Shdhrud,
wifery from the French Faculty of Medicine                where he engaged in business activities and
in Beirut, the deceased was taken to Gulastdn             service to the Cause. He was so energetic in

Javad, the Bah4'i cemetery.     Hundreds of               spreading the Faith that he provoked the
officers    including Commanding Officers and             anger of the townspeople, who, incited by
548                          THE BAHA'i WORLD

Mirza Muhammad Kazim-Pur.

the mujtahid Shaykh- Ahmad, rose against all                      DR. Y. S. TSAO
the Baha'is of Shahrud.
For four years, he and his family were sub-        The sad news has reached me from Shang-
jected to daily persecution, and finally in      hai that our beloved Chinese brother, Dr. Y.
1298 a crisis was reached, when, by order of     S.   Tsao, died suddenly in his car on the way
the same mujtahid, a mob of some 4,000           to his    home, on February 8,    at   4:30   p.   m.
people, armed with sticks, stones and knives,    Our brother, Mr. M. H. A. Ouskouli, writes
broke into his house to kill him and his two     me that Dr. Tsao had not been sick and also
sons,   'Abdu'l-Husayn Kazim-Pur-i-Amri,         he asked me to write the BAHA'I MAGAZINE
and 'Abbas. They seized Muhammad and             and ask if Dr. Tsao's picture could be pub-
his elder son 'Abdu'l-Husayn, and after beat-    lished with a short article.

ing them and subjecting them to extreme             The work which Dr. Tsao has done for the
torture, threw them into the streets for dead.   Cause of God in China is an everlasting
Mirza Muhammad and his son survived,          monument. It was he who translated Essle-
were treated by two doctors for about a          mont's book into Chinese. He was working
month and left for Tihran. Here Mirza            on the translation of "Some Answered Ques-
Muhammad continued in his devoted services       tions." About a month ago, his helper, Mr.
to     the Faith.   1309 he and his wife
In                           Tang, died and so there was a setback and
Sakinih-Banu visited the Guardian in Haifa.      now Dr. Tsao has flown to the Kingdom of
On Wednesday the 22nd of Dayman 1316             BahaVllah, as Mr. Ouskouli writes me.
(1937) he passed away suddenly at his place        Dr. Tsao first heard of the Baha'i Faith
of business; he was seventy-three years of       through Martha Root when he was the Presi-
age.                                             dent of Tsing    Hua College, the Boxer In-
IN    MEMORIAM                                            549

Dr. Muhammad Bashir of Alexandria, Egypt.

dcmnity College. Martha bravely went out                   DR. MUHAMMAD BASHIR
to the College without any previous intro-
Baha'is and non-Baha'is throughout Egypt
duction, but was received most kindly by
mourn the unexpected death on De-
still
Dr. Tsao and his wife, who is Swedish by
cember 21, 1936, of a leading pioneer and
birth, but American naturalized.   After-
-philanthropist,   Dr.   Muhammad     Bashir of
wards Dr. and Mrs. Tsao entertained us in
Alexandria, former chairman of the National
their home and invited me to speak in the
Spiritual Assembly of this country.
Auditorium of the College on the Baha'i
Son of a distinguished early believer, the
Faith to the whole student body, and a sec-
lateIbrahim Efrendi 'All, Dr. Bashir was
ond time he called a meeting for any students
born at Port Said November 30, 1891. Re-
who might be interested to meet and talk
ceiving his primary education in Port Said,
with us.
he graduated from high school in the Syrian
After eight years of service at Tsing Hua
Anglican College of Haifa and in August,
College, Peiping, Dr. and Mrs. Tsao moved to
1909, proceeded to the United States with
Shanghai, where they have lived since, and       Dr. Zia Bagdad! arriving in New York on
,
where they have formed the bond with the
September 14 of that year.    In 1913 he com-
Iranian Baha'is   who also live in Shanghai.
pleted his   medical course at Valparaiso Col-
Dr. Tsao was educated at Yale University
lege.
and also studied at Harvard.
The following quotations     are   from the
May the Baha'is pray for this wonderful
diary of the late doctor: "In May, 1911, I
soul who has so suddenly left us, and also for
left for Chicago to attend the Annual Con-
his   devoted wife   who must now carry on
vention ... I saw a great number of friends
alone.
and had the pleasure of ac-
in attendance,
In His love and service,                       companying Mrs. True and a group of
Baha'is to the grounds of the Mashriqu'l-
AGNES B. ALEXANDER.
Adhkar. I had the honor of meeting 'Abd-
Tokyo, February 17, 1937.                        u'l-Baha on September 3, 1912, at the house
550                            THE BAHA'f WORLD

Miss Malakat Nushugati of Port Said, Egypt.

of Mrs. True.     The Master received me with     Islam, and marked a marvellous achievement
His lordly kindness and love, saying, 'Your       in freeing Baha'is from its outworn     dogmas.
father is a blessed father, and God willing,      The passing away of Miss Malakat Nushu-
you shall be a blessed son; God willing, you      gati, daughter of Mahmud Effendi Nushu-
shall   be the herald of the Glad-tidings of      gati, a distinguished Baha'i of Port Said, on
God/ "                                            September the 17th, 1937, crowned the Faith
It was during that critical period of some      of Baha'u'llah with a fresh triumph.   En-
nine years ago, when the Baha'is resolved to      couraged by the father of the deceased the
approach the     Government with    a   view to   Spiritual Assembly of Port Said resolved to
clarifying their position in Egypt, that Dr.      perform, for the first time, the funeral cere-
Basjbir was chairman of the National Spirit-      mony according to purely Baha'i rites. This
ual Assembly,   and his courage strengthened      firm resolution was met with bitter opposi-
and inspired every believer. He did much to       tion on the part of Miss Nushiigati's non-

promote the Annual Conventions and to con-        Baha'i relatives. These relatives not only in-
solidate the Administrative Order. His serv-      sisted that the funeral be held     according to
ices to the Cause in Egypt can never be           Muslim rites, but threatened the Baha'is that
forgotten.                                        unless   they yielded to their request, they
would seize the body by force and create a
public disturbance. When they saw that the
Miss MALAKAT NUSHUGAT!                  Baha'is remained inflexible in their resolve to
A recent event, though outwardly sad,           perform    a   purely   Baha'i   ceremony,   they
served to signalize the severing of one of the    pleaded that at least the body should be car-
last links   of the chain of ancient fetters of   ried to the Mosque and there the Muslim
IN     MEMORIAM                                             551

prayers be read, but the Baha'is courageously       honor and extending every courtesy to the
persisted in their plan.                            dead. Crowds had gathered along the way to
A letter was sent by the Spiritual Assem-                                      The body
witness this first Baha'i funeral.

bly to the Commandant of Police, informing          was then placed in a car and, followed by
him of the situation. The funeral at 4              ten automobiles, proceeded to the cemetery.
o'clock proceeded to the burial place; in the       At  the grave Baha'i burial tablets were
front marched a band playing suitable music         chanted and as a considerable number of
and followed by the girls of the American           non-Baha'is were present, it was noted with
School, dressed in white and carrying bou-          what keen interest they followed the service.
quets of roses.   The body was borne for              The same evening Baha'is as well as large
about a half mile by loving Baha'i friends,         numbers of Muslims, Christians and Jews at-
the coffin was draped in pink and decorated         tended the meeting in -the Baha'i Hall and
with flowers.      The police, as a result of the   offered     their   condolences   and   sympathy.
much-appreciated action of the authorities,         During the whole occasion only the Baha'i
joined the procession, forming a guard of           tablets   were chanted.

APRIL, 1936                 APRIL, 1938
IN      MEMORIAM
Death proffereth unto every confident be-        Miss      Elizabeth   Chandler,   Ithaca,   New
liever the cup that is life indeed. It be-          York.
stoweth joy, and is the bearer of gladness.           Mrs. Elizabeth Hurlbut, San Francisco,
It   conferreth the gift of everlasing     life.    California.
BAHA'U'LLAH.                                          Miss Lillie Kendall, Aptos, California.
Mr. S. A. Roberts, Kelvin, Arizona.
Mrs. Kate Burke, Chicago.                        Mrs. Frances Carre, Mariposa, California.
Mrs.     Carolyn   Harbin,   Miami    Beach,     Dr. Albert Johnston, Montreal, Quebec,
Florida.                                            Canada.
Mr. Maurice Cohen,     New Haven, Conn.          Mrs. Evelyn Moore, Cambridge, Massa-
Mrs. E. B. Bullock, San Francisco, Cali-       chusetts.
fornia.                                               Miss Antoinette Sealts, Lima, Ohio.
Mrs. Louise Herman, Columbus, Ohio.              Mr. William Z. Ralph, Portland, Oregon.
Mrs. Anna Steinmetz, Minneapolis, Minn.          Miss A. R. Phipps, Oriskany, N. Y.
Dr. Edwin Karl Fisher, Los Angeles, Calif.       Mrs.      Cunningham,      Montreal,    Quebec,
Mrs. Elizabeth McGwan, Buffalo, N. Y.          Canada.
Mrs. Rosa Harmon, Kenosha, Wis.                  Mrs. A. B. Spear, Los Angeles, Calif.
Mrs.    Dora Dunbar Maule, McMinville,           Mrs. Phoebe R. Nelson, Chicago, 111.
Oregon.                                                  Mrs. Elizabeth R. Wilkinson, Brookline,
Mr. Myron Potter, Cleveland, Ohio.                Mass.
Mrs.    Edyth Blindt Bloom, Burlington,          Mr. Elmore E. Duckett, Los Angeles, Calif.
Iowa.                                                 Mr. Worsley G. Hambrough, San Diego,
Mrs. Helen Bell, Cleveland, Ohio.              Calif.
Miss Helen Clevenger, New York.                  Mr. Claude Warren, Binghamton, N. Y.
Mrs. Gertrude Harris, New York.                  Mrs. Laurie C. Wilhelm, West Englewood,
Mr. Irving Johnson, Chicago.                   New Jersey.
Mr. Charles N. Dible, Los Angeles, Calif.        Mr. Samuel Hadsell, Phoenix, Arizona.
(Not        reported at the time of his passing,      Mrs. Muriel Rucker, Toronto, Canada.
September, 1934.)                                     Mrs. Mary Arch, Washington, D.              C
Mrs. Gertrude Anderson, Chicago, 111.               Mrs. Edward Ruppers, Phoenix, Arizona.
Mr. Jacob Schmit, St. Paul, Minn.                Mrs. Daisy G. Fry, Visalia, Calif.
Miss Jessie Bush, Newark, New Jersey.            Miss Avis Morris, San Francisco, Calif.
J52                           THE BAHA'f WORLD
Mr. Paul K. Dealy, Fairhope, Alabama.         Mr. Cecil Carmody, New York.
Mr. T. C. Gunning-Davis, Chicago, 111.        Dr. Hettie West, Los Angeles, Calif.
Mr. Charles Parker', Hales Corners, Wise.     Mrs. Laura L. Drum, Washington, D. C.
Mrs. Rose Henderson, Toronto, Canada.         Mrs. Elizabeth Stein, Lima, Ohio.
Mrs. Mae Stone, Topeka, Kansas.               Mr. J. B. Gordon Hall, Fernandina, Fla.
Mrs. Mary Hanford Ford, Toledo, Ohio.         Mr. James Coe (former member of Racine
Mr. Worsley G. Hambrough, San Diego,        Baha'i community).
Calif.                                           Mrs. Mary A. Meredith, Buffalo, N. Y.
Mr. Claude Warren, Binghamton, N. Y.          Mrs. Margaret Lyons, Colorado Springs,
Mr. Charles Edsall, Montclair, N. J.        Col.
Mrs. Addie L. Cole, Los Angeles, Calif.       Mr. Dudley J. Stevison, Chicago, 111.
Mrs. Cecile Hill, Toledo, Ohio.               Mr. Gordon Hall, Fernandina, Fla.
Mrs. Mary D. Culver, Eliot, Maine.            Mr. Howard Fenton, Akron, Ohio.
Mrs. E. L. Cavanee, Urbana, 111.              Mrs. Andrew Fleming, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Mrs. Flora P. Stone, Urbana, 111.             Mrs. Cordie C. Cline, Yuba City, Calif.
Dr. Zia M. Bagdadi, Augusta, Ga.              Mrs. Mabel Nickerson, Chicago, 111.
Miss Harriet Williams, Boston, Mass.
Miss Mary Ruth Nitsche, Muskegon, Mich.
Some notable Iranian believers who passed
Miss Bertha L. Lackey, Worcester, Mass.
away during 1936-37.
Mrs. Carrie Timleck, Geneva, N. Y.
Mr.    Lloyd C.   Hawley, San Francisco,      Zaynu'l-'Abidin Abrari, Yazd.
fcalif.                                          Qabil Abadi'i, Abadih.
Miss Esther Davis, La Jolla, Calif.           Muhammad-Husayn Ulfat, Tihran.
Mr. Alfred E. Lunt, Beverly, Mass.            Muhammad-Natiq.
Mrs. Lucy A. Northrop, Oakland, Calif.        Hasan Fu'adi, Tihran.
Mrs. Abbie Campbell, Los Angeles, Calif.      Mihdi-Quli Mirza Mawzun, Hamadan.
-- In Memoriam (Used by permission of the curator)