# Table Talks and Notes Taken at Acca

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-21 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Corinne True, Table Talks and Notes Taken at Acca, Chicago: Bahá'í Publishing Society, 1907, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Table talks and notes taken at Acca
> by Corinne True and Mirza Hadi
> 
> Translated by Ameen Fareed1
> 
> Chicago: Bahai Publishing Society, 1907
> 
> Table Talks
> Taken down in Persian by Mirza-Hadi2
> at Acca, February, 1907
> 
> Translated by Dr Ameen Ullah Fareed
> at Chicago, July, 1907
> 
> Also
> 
> Notes Taken at Acca
> 
> by Mrs Corinne True3
> 
> Published by
> Bahai Publishing Society
> Chicago, Ill., USA.
> 
> Dr Amı́nu’llá h (Amı́n) Farı́d.
> Mı́rzá Há dı́ Shı́rá zı́ Afná n (89:;–8=>>), the father of Shoghi Effendi, married
> Ḍı́yá ’ı́yyih Khá num (daughter of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá , 8=M;–8=>8) in 89=>. They are
> the parents of Shoghi Effendi.
> Corinne Knight True (89:8–8=:8).
> Funds for the publication of this booklet having been provided, the
> proceeds from its sale will be devoted to the building of the Temple in
> America.
> 
> Published in Chicago, November, OPQR
> Table Talks by Abdulbaha
> 
> Answers to questions asked
> By Mrs Corinne True, and daughter
> Arna,1 at Acca, February ;<=>
> 
> Question: What is the significance of the word “He is God” which
> appears as the heading of every tablet and letter?
> 
> Answer: This is a usage of the people of the East; it is of Islam.
> Their purpose is that in every matter the commencement should be in
> the Name of God (i.e., everything we do must begin with the Name of
> God). As to its observance in the divine tablets, the purport is this: The
> reality of the Divine Entity is holy above comprehension, beyond
> definition, and far from the reach of imagination, for that which is
> imagined is finite, of man, and thereto man is infinite; and certainly the
> infinite is greater than the finite. Therefore, it is made evident that
> what is imagined is a creation and not the Creator, for the Essence of
> Divinity is beyond human imagination.2
> 
> Now all people worship an imagination, for they have created a God
> in the realm of imagination and him they worship. If you ask a soul,
> 
> Arna Corinne Perrin (89=S–8=M>).
> The human mind is limited, finite; the Divine Entity is Infinite, hence, man
> being finite cannot comprehend God, the Infinite. Man’s concept of God is
> his own creation, therefore he can comprehend it, Furthermore, he is utterly
> incapable of com-
> when he is praying, who art thou worshiping? He will say, God. Which
> god? The god of my conception. When; in truth, what he imagines is
> not God. Hence, all people are worshippers of imaginations and ideals.
> Consequently, there is no pathway or escape for man except the Holy
> Manifestations, for, as we said, the Essence of Divinity is pure, is holy
> and cannot.
> 
> .
> prehending the Infinite. In a Tablet to a Japanese Bahai the following is
> given:
> “All the people have formed a god in the world of thought, and that form of
> their own imagination they worship; when the fact is that the imagined form
> is finite and the human mind is infinite[8]. Surely the infinite is greater than
> the finite, for imagination is accidental (or non-essential) while the mind is
> essential; surely the essential is greater than the accidental.
> [8] Infinite in regard to imagination, for without the mind there would be no
> imagination.]
> “Therefore consider: All the sects and peoples worship their own thought;
> they create a god in their own minds and acknowledge him to be the creator
> of all things, when that form is a superstition—thus people adore and worship
> imagination (or illusion).
> “The Essence of the Divine Entity and the Unseen of the unseen is holy above
> imagination and is beyond thought. Consciousness doth not reach It. Within
> the capacity of comprehension of a produced (or created) reality that Ancient
> Reality cannot be contained. It is a different world; from it there is no
> information; arrival thereat is impossible; attainment thereto is prohibited
> and inaccessible. This much is known: It exists and Its existence is certain and
> proven—but the condition is unknown.
> “All the philosophers and the doctors know that It is, but they were perplexed
> in the comprehension of Its existence and were at last discouraged, and in
> great despair they left this world. For the comprehension of the condition and
> mysteries of that Reality of realities and Mystery of mysteries there is need for
> another power and another sense. That power and sense is not possessed by
> mankind, therefore they have not found any information. For example: If a
> man possess the power of hearing, the power of tasting, the power of smelling
> and the power of feeling but no power of seeing, he cannot see. Hence,
> through the powers and senses present in man the realization of the Unseen
> Reality, which is pure and holy above the reach of doubts, is impossible. Other
> powers are needed and other senses required. If those powers and senses are
> obtained, then information can be had; otherwise, not.” (JWTA, pp. ``–a; &
> Bahá’í World Faith, pp. a98–`.))
> be brought into the world of ideas. That which can be brought to
> ideation are the Holy and Divine Manifestations. Further than this, man
> has no other point for concentration. If he exceeds that bound, it will be
> an imagination.
> 
> Therefore, the purpose of the word “He is God” is this: That visible
> Majesty (the prophet) is the Promised Beauty of the Sun of Reality, the
> Manifestation of the mysteries of Divinity and Deity, the Revealer of the
> mysteries of the Merciful, the Origin of the signs of singleness. And I
> begin with His Blessed Name.
> 
> Question: What is the meaning of the disciples having spoken in all
> tongues?
> 
> Answer: The disciples taught in the language of the Kingdom. That
> language (or tongue) is the equivalent of all languages, for the Word of
> the Kingdom is an expression of heavenly significances and heavenly
> mysteries. Whosoever attains it, to him the realities and mysteries of
> creation are clear. The heavenly significances are the comprehensive
> reality of all tongues. Therefore, the Holy Spirit having delivered to the
> disciples the tongue of the Kingdom, they become conversant with the
> tongues of all nations. With whomsoever among the nations and
> peoples of the world they conversed, they proved to be co-linguists.
> Moreover, the known and taught languages of the present exceed a
> thousand tongues in number. Had the disciples known the literal lan-
> guages, they should have, at least, transcribed the Gospel in the tongue
> of some one of the nations, while as a matter of fact it was written only
> in the Hebraic and the Greek. The Gospel was not even written in the
> Roman tongue which was at that time an official language, since the
> government was in the hands of the Romans. As the disciples were not
> proficient in the Roman tongues they did not write the Gospel therein.
> 
> When His Holiness Abraham was ordained, when he established the
> Law of God, promulgated the new teachings and expounded the Divine
> mysteries, the tribes of Arthur and Chilled1 were wont to say: This is
> mere imagination and a story, a concept in the realm of thought which
> will not be realized in the outside world. They even said: It is sheer
> ignorance. They considered themselves the people of intellect and
> discernment.
> 
> It was only a short time after when it became evident that what His
> Holiness Abraham was saying was reality itself and their thoughts
> imagination, for in a short period the teachings of Abraham were
> established outwardly, the Holy Land was dedicated to his posterity, the
> foundation of the Law of God was laid; His Holiness Isaac and Jacob
> stepped into the plane of existence; his Holiness Joseph became the
> dear one of Egypt; His Holiness Ishmael was blessed and enlightened
> Mt. Paran.2
> 
> Moses, the Interlocutor, appeared and in the
> 
> People from Assur (or Ashur) and Chaldea.
> The location of the Pá rá n mountain, desert, wilderness, etc., is uncertain.
> Moses uses “Pá rá n” with special reference to Muḥ ammad. Muslim and
> Arabic traditions hold that the wilderness of Pá rá n is, broadly speaking, the
> Ḥijá z.
> desert of Sinai he witnessed the burning fire of God in the most verdant
> tree; he rescued the Israelites from the oppression and bondage of the
> Copts and led them to the Holy Land through the blessings of his
> teachings and law, which were suitable and agreeable to that period,
> and thus a great nation was organized.
> 
> With this perfect example (experience) before the people, it became
> evident that they had committed a mistake. Notwithstanding this they
> did not learn the lesson or heed the counsel. Nay, rather, when His
> Holiness Moses came, the people again sinned (literally, made a
> mistake), for the people of Pharaoh called the teachings and the law of
> His Holiness Moses illusion and of no importance. They considered
> their own thoughts reality.
> 
> Nevertheless in a short time it became clear and evident that what
> His Holiness Moses said was reality because it came to pass; the Law of
> God was fully established and became the cause of the honor and
> progress of all the Israelites. But the thoughts and conceptions of the
> Copts, the people of Pharaoh, were sheer imagination.
> 
> In sooth this was the second experience (literally, trial) and yet the
> people did not accept the warning and did not awaken, but rather
> remained in ignorance and negligence until His Holiness Christ with a
> smiling face and an eloquent tongue appeared diffused the fragrances of
> the rose-garden of mysteries and conferred the bounty of the Holy
> Spirit. People, notwith-
> standing the two trials they had before and the mistakes they had made,
> still said that the teachings of the glorious Gospel were illusions,
> thoughts and an imagination without foundation. They said it was void
> of philosophy; baseless thoughts. They thought they were wise, having
> lofty ideas; that they had intelligence; knew wisdom and were in
> possession of the quintessence of politics.
> 
> Before long it was evident that they had again made a mistake, for
> what Christ said was reality, was true; they were heavenly thoughts,
> Divine teachings, while the thoughts of the tribes and peoples were
> baseless imaginations. This was the third mistake. The trial was
> repeated in the appearance of His Holiness the Apostle (Muhammed)
> and His Holiness the Supreme (the Bab).
> 
> Now the Blessed Beauty (Baha’u’llah) has appeared. The merciful
> teachings and counsels have become evident. The summons to the
> oneness and unity of the world of humanity raised, the banner of the
> Kingdom of Peace unfurled, and the tent of concord and love among all
> the human race pitched in the center of the world, inviting all to it, and
> yet there are some ignorant ones who imagine that this Divine doctrine
> is without foundation and their own conceptions are lofty ideals. But
> soon it will be clear that what He has said is correct, solid and effective
> and the thoughts of all others devoid of significance.
> Question: What is the significance of “mystery” referred to in the
> blessed tablets?
> 
> Answer: Mystery signifies the subjects and questions which are far
> beyond the minds and comprehensions of the people. When a perfect
> personage unveils and expounds them, fair souls comprehend them.
> Therefore the reality of the Manifestation of Christ was, in the cycle of
> Moses, a mystery of Divine Mysteries, which afterward became
> revealed in the Manifestation of Christ.
> 
> Question: What Divine wisdom is there in fasting?
> 
> Answer: The Divine wisdom in fasting is manifold. Among them is
> this: As during those days (i.e. the period of fasting which the followers
> afterward observe) the Manifestation of the Sun of Reality, through
> Divine inspiration, is engaged in the Descent of Verses, the instituting of
> Divine Law and the arrangement of Teachings, through excessive
> occupation and intense attraction there remains no condition or time
> for eating and drinking. For example, when His Holiness Moses went to
> Mount Tur (Sinai)1 and there engaged in instituting the Law of God, he
> fasted forty days. For the purpose of awakening and admonishing the
> people of Israel, fasting was enjoined upon them.
> 
> Likewise His Holiness Christ in the beginning of instituting the
> Spiritual Law, the systematizing of the Teachings and the arrangement
> of counsels, for forty days abstained from
> 
> Ṭ ú r means “mountain”. Ṭ ú r as-Sı́nı́n or “Mount Sinai” (Sinai is a modern
> name) in the Sinai Peninsula is also known as Jabal Mú sá (“Mountain of
> Moses”). It represents the Manifestation of God. Logic suggests the true
> Mountain of Moses is Jabal al-Lawz (“Almond Mountain”).
> eating and drinking. In the beginning the disciples and Christians
> fasted. Later the assemblages of the chief Christians changed fasting
> into Lenten observances.
> 
> Likewise the Koran having descended in the month Ramazan,1
> fasting during that month became a duty. In like manner His Holiness
> the Supreme (the Bab), in the beginning of the Manifestation, through
> the excessive effect of descending Verses, passed days in which his
> nourishment was reduced to tea only.
> 
> Likewise, the Blessed Beauty (Baha’u’llah), when busy with
> instituting the Divine Teachings and during the days when the Verses
> (the Word of God) descended continuously, through the great effect of
> the Verses and the throbbing of the heart, took no food except the least
> amount.
> 
> The purpose is this: In order to follow the Divine Manifestations and
> for the purpose of admonition and the commemoration of their state, it
> became incumbent upon the people to fast during those days.
> 
> The Christians, as was written, formerly fasted fully. For every
> sincere soul who has a beloved longs to experience that state in which
> his beloved is. If his beloved is in a state of sorrow, he desires sorrow; if
> in a state of joy, he desires joy; if in a state of rest, he desires rest; if in a
> state of trouble, he desires trouble.
> 
> Now since in those days His Holiness the Supreme (the Bab) fasted
> many days, and the
> 
> Qur’á n and Ramaḍ á n.
> Blessed Beauty (Baha’u’llah) took but little food or drink, and some days
> Christ did not eat, it became necessary that the friends should follow
> that example. For thus saith He in the Tablet of Visitation: “They, the
> believers, have followed that which they were commanded, for love of
> Thee.” This is one wisdom of the wisdoms of fasting.
> 
> The second wisdom is this: Fasting is the cause of awakening man.
> The heart becomes tender and the spirituality of man increases. This is
> produced by the fact that man’s thoughts will be confined to the
> commemoration of God, and through this awakening and stimulation
> surely ideal advancements follow.
> 
> Third wisdom: Fasting is of two kinds, material and spiritual. The
> material fasting is abstaining from food or drink, that is, from the
> appetites of the body. But spiritual, ideal fasting is this, that man
> abstains from selfish passions, from negligence and from satanic animal
> traits. Therefore material fasting is a token of the spiritual fasting. That
> is: “O God! As I am fasting from the appetites of the body and not
> occupied with eating and drinking, even so purify and make holy my
> heart and my life from aught else save Thy Love, and protect and
> preserve my soul from self-passions and animal traits. Thus may the
> spirit associate with the Fragrances of Holiness and fast from
> everything else save Thy mention.”
> Notes Taken At Acca
> 
> By Mrs Corinne True
> February fR, OPQR
> 
> We reached Haifa on Monday evening, having taken ship at
> Alexandria Saturday afternoon. The trip from Port Said was beautiful
> and the sea was perfectly calm. As we neared Mt. Carmel the sun shone
> on the point, making a picture never to be forgotten. Fresh verdure and
> new life was beginning to be manifest. After landing, Cook’s man drove
> us to the Carmel House and there we breathed the most delicious air of
> quiet and peace, our hearts praising God that He had, in His Mercy,
> permitted us to come to the New Holy City, the New Jerusalem, to the
> King of Kings, enthroned in the hearts but imprisoned as far as the
> material world goes.
> 
> We remained two nights and a day in Haifa and the weather was
> most favorable for seeing the beauties of Haifa. The same day of our
> arrival the Master’s wife had driven into Haifa to see Rhooah Khanum1
> who is living, for the present, in Madame Jackson’s new house. The two
> sons-in-law of the Master came to the hotel for us to bring us to see the
> ladies and Mirza Assad Ullah.2 We were almost beside ourselves with
> the joy of realizing that actually and truly we were in Haifa, with Acca
> just across the bay ever in sight, and, further, to have the great
> 
> Rú ḥ á Khá num (899S–8=M8) one of the twin daughters of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá .
> Mı́rzá Asadu’llá h.
> privilege of seeing the Master’s wife and the daughter, was almost more
> than the capacity of the limited heart could endure. We went back to
> the hotel after a half hour’s visit with these holy souls. The moon was
> all but full and the entire setting seemed like heaven itself. We fell
> asleep on our pillows perfectly intoxicated with the realization that at
> last we were to visit the One upon whose Holy Utterances we had been
> feeding our souls for the past eight years. Sleep was very sweet that
> night and upon arising the next morning we looked out of our bedroom
> windows to see Acca across the blue sea and Carmel’s point bathed in
> the new morning’s sunshine—a veritable landscape dream almost too
> beautiful to belong to earth.
> 
> During the forenoon our traveling companion, Madame Scaramucci,1
> whom we had met for the first time at Port Said, took a carriage drive
> with my daughter Arna while I looked after certain packages and letters
> for the friends in Haifa. They had but just left me and turned the corner
> when Mirza Ameen’s brother came to the hotel to escort us to Mirza
> Assad Ullah’s home. I had to go alone because I did not know where to
> find Madame Scaramucci and Arna.
> 
> Mirza Assad Ullah, his wife, two sons and a daughter greeted me
> with great warmth, asking many questions about the friends in America
> and the progress of the Temple. The work which Chicago had been
> doing was clearly ex-
> 
> Probably Mary Emily Scaramucci (d. 8=>8) from Devon, UK.
> plained to him and he said it was well we had made it an American
> movement and he hoped it would be built by the believers of the world.
> He commended our wisdom in referring the location to the Master. The
> Master’s wife and the daughter Rhooah came to call, also a sister of the
> Master’s wife who lives in Haifa. Coffee and cookies were served, and
> after quite a visit, I went back to the hotel and found Arna and the Bahai
> sister had returned and were wondering where I could be.
> 
> The tomb of the Bab
> 
> At half past two we went to Madame Jacksons’ home, which is called
> the home of Abbas Effendi,1 to meet Rhooah Khanum who had invited
> us to drive with her to the Holy Tomb of the Bab on the side of Mt.
> Carmel.
> 
> The blessed Master’s carriage drove up for us and our hearts almost
> beat aloud to realize we were to drive in his carriage, with his beautiful
> daughter, to that Holy Tomb of the Bab, which every believer in the
> world knows about. Not only is its architecture remarkable, but its
> location is positively commanding, built upon the solid rock of the great
> mountain, very high up from the sea and looking down the main avenue
> of Haifa, which leads direct to the sea. A stone pier or landing was built
> a few years ago at Haifa for the Emperor of Germany, who visited the
> Holy Land, entering by way of Haifa because there is a large German
> settlement here.
> 
> ‘Abbá s Afandı́ (Effendi) (89;;–8=`8) adopted the name ‘Abdu’l-Bahá , “The
> Servant of Glory” (of Bahá ). He was the eldest son of Bahá ’u’llá h. He was
> given the honorific title Ai qá , ‘the Master’, by Bahá ’u’llá h.
> These Germans originally came to Haifa because they had reckoned
> from prophecies that this is the part of the Holy Land from which the
> Voice of God would be proclaimed at the second coming of Christ. A
> great interest existed in our hearts to see thoroughly this wonderful
> Tomb, and this desire had grown out of the work we had been doing for
> the Temple in America. After seeing its massive walls and solid
> masonry, we did not wonder that the Turkish Government might
> believe that the Master was building a great military fort. This Tomb is
> built to last for thousands of years, and one can quite believe it will after
> seeing it. There is a flower garden in front of this building and the wife
> of the keeper gathered a lovely bunch of red roses and brought them as
> a gift to us and later she came with a handful of violets. After Rhooah
> Khanum [sic] had explained the inner rooms—three in breadth, and,
> when complete, three in depth—we came out of the building to find this
> keeper’s dear little wife had placed four chairs in front of the building
> and was waiting to serve us a cup of Persian tea, and we sat in that
> wonderful place, looking over to Acca and down to Elijah’s cave and the
> wide sweep of the bay, and we knew there was nowhere else on earth
> another such a place. The Mercies of God, in this His Greatest Day, are
> so overwhelming that they are like a consuming fire. All of this had
> come to us in two days and we had not yet been to Acca. I said to our
> Bahai sister com-
> panion: “What must it be in the days before us if we have only touched,
> as it were, the hem of the garment?”
> 
> The ride to Acca
> 
> Another perfect moonlight night and a delicious sleep brought us to
> this morning. We had not received the word from Acca to come, but
> were expecting it. We were dressing for breakfast when a knock was
> heard at our door, and upon opening, Mirza Ameen’s brother was seen,
> bringing to us the glad tidings that we might take Cook’s carriage and go
> to the house of the Master that morning. After selecting the necessary
> clothing and packing our suitcases, leaving our trunks with Cook, we
> hired a sort of omnibus carriage with three horses to pull us, and
> started from Haifa at OQ o’clock.
> 
> The ride to Acca has been described by several pilgrims, but I must
> be frank to say no mortal can possibly from any description picture it to
> himself; he must actually take it to get any idea of its beauty. After
> passing through the narrow streets of old Haifa, we drove to the shore
> of the sea. The entire drive is on the sandy beach and nearly all of the
> time we were driving partly in the sea because the sand there was
> firmer and easier for the horses. Twice on the way we had to drive well
> out into the sea in order to pass the mouths of two streams which
> empty into the sea, the water coming almost into the wagon bed. One
> little word which the
> Master had said to Mrs Lucas, when she made the same pilgrimage, kept
> our hearts in perfect peace, and that word was this: “Love knows no
> fear.”
> 
> To an American, with everything so open and free about our cities,
> the entrance into Acca is something grewsome [sic] indeed and had we
> not known who was within its walls and under the shelter of whose
> roof we were to be domiciled, we would have fled with terror. It is a
> prison city which is truly named “The Greatest Prison”.
> 
> The meeting with Abdulbaha
> 
> We were greeted at the entrance by the Master’s son-in-law and
> another believer and kindly escorted to our room and our luggage
> placed there for us. We were left alone for a few minutes. Then a
> messenger rapped and inquired if Monevah Khanum1 might come to see
> us. We freshened ourselves up after the long, windy drive and were
> happy to greet the Master’s youngest daughter. She came to us so
> sweetly with those wonderful soulful bright eyes, bearing in her hand
> three beautiful roses plucked and sent to us by the Master with his
> welcome.
> 
> In a few minutes more the Master himself came into our room and
> we met him at the door, kissing his hand as he entered. His appearance
> is absolutely nothing like the picture in America. Once, when first I
> came into the knowledge of the Revelation, I dreamed of attaining the
> great
> 
> Fá ṭimah Naḥ rı́, aka Munı́rih Khá num, wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (89;9–8=a9).
> meeting and of bringing one of my daughters. The personage I saw in
> my dream was not like the picture, so for several years I had fancied it
> must be Baha’u’llah. Today, when the Master entered, there was the One
> whom I had seen in vision, and also I had brought one of my girls, and it
> is Arna. He came in so naturally and easily, bringing us a handful of
> hyacinths, purple and pink. He spoke many words of welcome to us and
> said it made him so happy to see the east and the west becoming so
> united; that the time was, and not long since, that an Occidental was
> greatly hated by the Orientals, but now, through the power of the Word
> of God which alone can thus unite the hearts, the cast and the west were
> loving each other very much, and he hoped it would increase day by day.
> 
> He said each believer has a certain time when he should make the
> desired visit, each having a certain work to do for the progress of the
> Cause. He hoped all would eventually attain to the meeting. After a few
> such explanations, he left us and the young daughter and another
> Persian believer’s wife (the brother of Ahmed and Mohammed Yazdi)
> joined us and talked with us until dinner was announced. When this
> sister came to us she brought us each a beautiful tangerine sent to us by
> the Master. How we longed to be able to keep these flowers and this
> fruit for our brothers and sisters in America, who are thinking of us
> these precious days spent in the home of Abdul-Baha!
> At dinner, which was served for us in the small dining room into
> which our room opens, the Master took each by the hand, giving us
> seats, placing Arna on his right as his guest of honor. The meal was
> served in courses by a Burmese believer who is serving in the Master’s
> home. The Master would take a bite or two and then give us beautiful
> lessons. He spoke of the difficulties the first Christians had in visiting
> John the Baptist while in prison. They were greatly persecuted and
> ridiculed for it. Then he showed how good and really necessary were
> these tests. As an illustration he compared a ship on the sea, tossed
> about by the wind and the waves, laden with cargo. No one on that
> ship, perhaps, is even comfortable, but the ship, nevertheless, brought
> food to the people and thus was the cause of life. So man must have the
> winds and waves of test in order that life be brought to the people. As
> no food could be had unless the wind and waves brought it, so no
> spiritual food can be had without the first workers in the Cause suffer
> tests. One point he particularly made was that in Jesus’ time the people
> came to test Jesus, but they did not know that He came to test them
> instead of their testing Him.
> 
> Our second day in Acca
> 
> At six o’clock yesterday afternoon the Master came to our room to
> call on us and gave us very beautiful teachings and then said some of
> the
> officials of Acca had come to call on him, so he could not take tea with
> us. We saw no more of him until this morning. Monevah Khanum came
> for us at R:kQ to come to the early morning gathering of the family, when
> tea is served and all chant from the Holy Utterances. A very dear little
> boy, the son of Hosein Yazdi, only about six years old chanted so sweetly.
> He came in so noiselessly, kneeling near the door, and sat with hands
> folded, listening until the Master requested him to chant. Then the
> Master praised him greatly and called him to come to him and gave him
> a handful of flowers. After visiting with the women of the household,
> the Master’s sister, the mother and four daughters and two Russian
> pilgrims from Ishkabad1 for half an hour or so, we went to breakfast
> with Monevah Khanum.
> 
> The Temple in America
> 
> In the course of an hour the Master sent for me to come to him and
> bring with me the letters and photographs which I had brought from
> America. Monevah Khanum took me to a room into which I had not
> been and there he was waiting for me. I gave him the numerous letters
> and then the photographs which he enjoyed greatly and said they were
> a most acceptable present to him. The roll of names for the Temple lay
> beside me, wrapped in a piece of wrapping paper, and before I had
> gotten to it to give it to him, he said that was for the Mashrek-el-
> 
> ‘Ishqá bá d, capital of Turkmenistan.
> Askar.1 After I had explained the long list of names to him, he patted me
> on the back and said I had done well and ever after this I was to be his
> daughter just as if I were Monevah Khanum, his own daughter. His
> satisfaction at the work we have done toward the Temple seemed to fill
> him with great joy. I asked him about the location and he said it must be
> built away from the stores and business portion of the city. Then the lay
> of the city was explained to him and the question was asked whether it
> was advisable to locate back from the business portion or on the lake
> side and he replied the lakeshore would be more beautiful for the
> location, as it must be in a very beautiful place. We must have as large a
> piece of land as we could get. Then he went into another room and
> brought to me a ground plan and said it must be like that. First the
> building, with nine sides, in the middle; then a circular court about that;
> leading from this circle were to be nine avenues; between each a
> garden, and in the middle of each garden a fountain of water. He said it
> would take much to build the Temple, but we must have meetings about
> the work, labor hard and pray to God and He would bless our efforts.
> The question of the design of the architecture of the building was asked
> and Mr Remey’s2 kind offer to help us in this was mentioned. He said
> several must consult together and not simply one person’s plans
> accepted. He said the Temple was the greatest matter today for the
> upbuilding of the Cause.
> 
> Mashriqu’l-Adhká r, “The dawning-place of prayers”.
> Charles Mason Remey (lmno–lpno), architect.
> When asked what was the means of bringing the greatest unity
> among the believers, he said:
> 
> “First, the character of the teachers, and Second, the work for the
> Temple.
> 
> “The teachers must so live that their deeds would teach the people
> even if they did not teach by word of mouth. The teachers are of the
> first importance; their lives must be examples.”
> 
> The Master gave glorious promises for the Chicago believers. He
> said very great souls should come from our Assembly, teachers who
> would not only enlighten America but other countries like China and
> Japan and the whole world. He said lie was pleased with the work in
> Chicago—it was “khaili khoob”.1
> 
> Our third day at Acca, March, ; ;<=>
> 
> We arose very early this morning to join the Master’s family in their
> meeting. After the chanting was finished and each one had been served
> a cup of tea, we went back to our rooms. The Master had some Syrian
> bread and a little cheese served hull and a cup of tea. This was his
> entire breakfast. We were served a nice breakfast about l o’clock and
> when nearly through eating Monevah Khanum came to us to know if we
> desired to see the Master giving to the poor, as was his custom every
> Friday morning. When we went to our windows which overlook a big
> court yard, we saw between two and three hundred men, women and
> children gathered. Such a motley crowd one can see
> 
> Khaylı́ khú b, Persian, “very good”.
> only in these parts. There were blind, lame, cripples and very feeble
> persons, the poorest clad collection of people almost that the earth
> contains. One man had his clothing made of a patched quilt, an old
> woman had gunny sacking for a cloak; children were so ragged that
> their clothing would scarcely stay on them.
> 
> Two or three of the men believers were with the Master. The people
> were required to arrange themselves orderly about two sides of the
> court and the Master began near the gate giving into the hand of each
> some piece of money and then each was required to pass out. It was a
> sight never to be forgotten to see the Master going from one to another,
> saying some word of praise or kindness to encourage each. With some
> he would stop to inquire into their health and he would pat them on the
> back, these poor, dirty looking creatures, and once in a while we would
> see him send someone away empty handed and he would reprimand
> him for his laziness. How clear and musical his voice sounded as he
> went from one to another, giving and praising! The men accompanying
> him kept order in great kindness, but firmness, and saw that each
> passed on as soon as he had received from the Master. Where, o where
> on this globe can one duplicate such a scene as is enacted every Friday
> morning in the court yard of the Master of Acca, who is himself a state
> prisoner to the Turkish government and has lived in prison or in exile
> since he was nine years of age!
> It is the Mohammedan1 Sabbath and we have heard all day from the
> Moslem minarets the loud chanting of the Musselmen. But saw we any
> one gathering the poor, the lame, the blind and halt in his own court
> yard and giving to them freely of what God had bestowed upon him and
> living with the bare necessities himself? If this is not the resurrection of
> the pure spirit of the humble Nazarene of O,PQQ years ago, then we need
> not look elsewhere, for its every appearance stamps it as such. Even the
> condition and costumes of the beggars bespeak the return.
> 
> After this crowd had departed, I chanced to pass by the Master’s
> door and I saw he was lying on his bed, very tired, but he saw me and
> would have his daughter bring me in and he said: “These are my
> friends; my friends. Some of them are my enemies, but they think I do
> not know it, because they appear friendly, and to them I am very kind,
> for one must love his enemies and do good to them.” The Master
> explained that there really was not work for the poor of Acca, only two
> avenues being open for them to earn, one by fishing and the other by
> carrying heavy loads. Yesterday, and for two or three days, the sea has
> raged madly so that no fishing could be done, and it requires great
> strength to carry heavy loads. He knows the impostors and will not
> encourage mendicancy, and as he passes them he rebukes them for
> laziness and idleness and tells them where they can go to obtain work.
> He said humanity was one great
> 
> Old offensive term meaning “the religion of Muḥ ammad”—use Islá m.
> Followers are Muslims.
> whole and they must help and sympathize with each other and develop
> the laws of attraction between the hearts. He said, “Look at this great
> universe with the sun, moon and planets all revolving in harmony; it is
> because of the great laws of attraction holding and binding them. Man
> must work to increase this love for his kind.”
> 
> The work done by the Chicago Assembly of Teaching in providing
> the Bahai home for Mrs Holcomb’s three grandchildren was described
> to the Master and he was greatly delighted, saying in English and with
> much force, “Beautiful! Beautiful!” He said to look after the orphans
> was one of the very first works for the believers. The orphans are God’s
> children and a great test to the people. I asked him if the grandmother
> should keep the children with her and he said while they were small,
> and then the believers should take them into their homes, train, educate
> them and teach them the Revelation. I explained that the Temple
> movement of this winter seemed to be brought about by our arising to
> help these orphans, and he smiled and said yes, God blesses us for doing
> good works every time.
> 
> After this he excused himself to attend to a large pile of Tablets he
> had been writing. Not one moment of the day is wasted by this Mighty
> Man of God.
> 
> At Of:kQ he came for us to come to dinner with him. He had been to
> the Mohammedan Mosque in the meantime. At the meal the ex-
> planation of the cloven tongues of fire descending upon the disciples
> after the crucifixion, and their being able to speak all tongues, was
> asked. The son-in-law took it down and Monevah will see that it is
> correct and give it to me for the believers.
> 
> I asked the Master if the fruit was the mystery of the tree that bore it
> and he said no, it was the mystery of the earth; that there was a germ or
> little forms of life in the soil, which was acted upon by the water and fed
> by the earth, and this was taken up by the roots, the trees having a
> circulation. Then leaves expose the sap of the tree to the sun and this
> colors the fruit. A tree will bear fruit if the leaves are cut off, but it will
> be poor and colorless.
> 
> During the afternoon the Master’s sister and the oldest daughter
> came to call on us in our room which is very large and pleasant, with
> windows overlooking the sea. We asked her to tell us a little of her
> experiences in the life time of the Blessed Perfection. She was only six
> years old when their exile began and she said her mother had the
> greatest suffering, for she had little children. When they were exiled to
> Acca, seventy-seven were put onto a steamer that was so dirty that it
> made them all very ill. They were given no food for four days and slept
> on deck. Only the Master and the Blessed Perfection could summon up
> courage to sit down and rest. The others were so distressed by the filth
> that they walked up and down the boat all the
> time. After four days they reached a city and two or three of the men
> were allowed to go in and buy some food. One believer was very ill and
> they wished to cook a little broth for him, but the captain of the boat
> would not allow even that, so they had to go without. When they landed
> they were taken in small boats to Acca and all the seventy-seven were
> put into a small prison, the door locked on them and no food provided
> for them. The Master’s sister said in the midst of such fearful calamities
> they were so happy to be in Acca, even in prison with no food, just
> because they were not separated from the Blessed Perfection. The
> women were not prisoners but went into exile and imprisonment in
> order to be with Baha’u’llah and Abdul-Baha that was more than food or
> comfort.
> 
> After a short visit the Master’s sister left us and said she would come
> often if only she could speak English with us. Someone came in a few
> moments later and brought Madame Scaramucci and me each a little
> bottle of attar of roses from the Master’s sister.
> 
> The older daughter remained for a little visit with us and told us of
> poor Nabil.1 He loved Baha’u’llah so much that, after His departure, he
> said he could not stay in this world. For three months he was so
> disconsolate. At last he wrote a beautiful poem, telling all that was in
> his heart, and gave it to a believer to give to the Master, but this believer
> forgot to give it right away. All that night the family heard someone
> 
> Mullá Muḥ ammad-i-Zarandı́ (89a8–89=`), more commonly known as Nabı́l-i-
> Aʻẓ am (“the Great Nabı́l”) or Nabı́l-i-Zarandı́.
> walking about the Holy Tomb and chanting prayers. The next morning
> he went to the sea, and leaving his clothes on shore, drowned himself.
> No one knew of it and they searched for him all over the mountains and
> around. Then his clothing was found and in four days his body was
> washed up and it was identified. When the poem was read by the
> Master, it was learned that he had decided he could stay on earth no
> longer—he loved and yearned so for Baha’u’llah.
> 
> One of the daughters dressed Arna as a Persian women and took her
> down in the streets of Acca and up into the pinnacle of the Mosque
> where the men go to pray and chant. Madame Scaramucci had a call
> from the Master, but it was such a busy day he did not come to us. After
> supper the women of the family were gathered in their parlor and
> desired us to join them. While there the Master came in and said we
> were blessed indeed to be able to come to Acca. There are two kinds of
> visits, one in which the person comes very thirsty and the water will
> taste very sweet to him; the other in which the person is not thirsty and
> the water will be bitter. The latter visit would much better not be made.
> We could not now realize what our visit meant; it was like a seed which
> would sprout and grow later and bear fruits that would endure
> throughout eternity.
> Saturday, March F, ;<=>
> 
> Arising early I went into the living room where the Master meets
> with his family every morning, between six and seven o’clock. The
> widow of one of the martyrs sits on the floor in the Persian style and
> makes and serves the tea every morning. Her husband was one of three
> brothers who were imprisoned for this Cause. For days they had no
> news about them. One day they heard a great noise in the street and
> looking out they saw three heads placed on long poles and being carried
> through the streets, and when in front of their home they tossed these
> heads into their mother’s room. She wiped them off with water and
> then threw them back, saying, “what I have given to God I will not take
> back”. This woman who makes the tea had been married only one year
> to one of these brothers. Having lost all of her relatives through the
> persecution, and Persian women having no openings for self-support,
> the Master took her into his household. What a wonderful household
> this is—over forty people living here in one home, some black, some
> white, Arabic, Persian, Burmese, Italian, Russian and now English and
> American! Not a loud command is heard and not one word of dispute;
> not one word of fault finding. Everyone goes about as if on tip toes.
> When they enter your room their slippers are left before the door and
> they come in with stocking feet and remain standing until you invite
> them to sit down. All the family and the servants gather in this one
> room every morning and chant the Holy Utterances and drink a cup of
> Persian tea. After this we go to our various rooms, and for the guests a
> breakfast is served later. The two little Arabic girls who are serving in
> the Master’s home, and are being educated by him, came in about ten
> o’clock and had an English lesson from Arna. They are trained to do
> housework and also go to school to an Italian teacher whom the Master
> hires to teach the children of his household.
> 
> At the table the question of the meaning of Babel and the
> confounding of tongues was asked and the Master said it meant the
> confusion of ideas, each one having his own idea and this brought
> destruction. Also, the meaning of Babylon was asked and the Master
> said Babylon signified the old religions, as Jerusalem signified the New
> Dispensation. A comparison of the words in English similar to many
> Persian words was made by the Master and he said the Persians were
> the old Aryan race starting beyond the Euxine Sea. As they increased
> they pushed west to Persia, then to Constantinople; from there over
> Europe and then to America. The origin of the North American Indian
> was asked and the Master said they came from the eastern side of Asia
> when the land between western America and Asia (Siberia) was
> connected. There has been much more land than there is now.
> When the Master came to call on us about six o’clock in the evening,
> Madame Scaramucci asked him if she might remain his guest until
> Monday. He replied yes she would love to keep us for a month, but that
> the present Governor of Acca is not his friend and it was better that we
> remain a short time. He said we would better all depart together, as we
> had come together (Madame Scaramucci, my daughter Arna and
> myself). Then he said there were two kinds of visits, one the temporal
> which sooner or later must terminate, and the other the spiritual which
> never terminates throughout eternity. Once he had a guest for eleven
> years. Although that was a long visit, yet it finally came to an end. The
> temporal visit has no effect unless it be the spiritual also.
> 
> A lesson on the seeing of a halo about the Master
> 
> The Master said there were four kinds of light; the light from the
> lamp was one; but because the face of a man does not give out light as
> the lamp does, is man less than the lamp or greater? Some worms give
> off a light—is man or the worm greater? Man does not give out such a
> light, but man has the kingdom of the mind and it is the light of the
> kingdom which some see when they love a person very much, and they
> mistake it for a material light when it is not. This comes from the
> emotional nature and is an imagination. Then there is the Light of the
> Holy Spirit possessed by God’s Chosen Ones. The minds of men cannot
> comprehend this Light—thus they martyr those who come with this
> Light. But time proves that their Light was the true Light and that the
> light of the minds of the men of their time was limited. They
> comprehend the past, present and future and see things as they will be
> when accomplished. St. John, on the Isle of Patmos, seeing into the
> future, foretold what would come to pass in this present Day. There is
> no time to this Light—it knows all things.
>
> — *Table Talks and Notes Taken at Acca (Used by permission of the curator)*