My Bahá'í Pilgrimage
By Ahmad Sohrab
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Autobiography from Childhood to Middle Life
MIRZA AHMAD SQHRAB
CopyrIght 959
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Manufactured in the United Skies by
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Universal Pu Company
by the same author
Heart Phantasies
'the New Humanity
Abdul Baha in Egypt
Renaissance
The Song of the Caravan
I Heard Him Say
Broken Silence
Abdul Baha's Grandson
The Story of the Divine Plan
The Will and Testament of Abdul Baha—an analysis
The Human Charter (compiled)
The Bible of Mankind (compiled and edited)
co-author of
The Gate
Silver Sun
Living Pictures
Jntroducsion
These pages give, in his own words, the background of one of the most effectual leaders of our age in the struggle toward a spiritual interpretation of modern problems, the day by day application of ideals we all acknowledge in theory but often fear to implement.
Mirza Ahmad Sohrab found his lifelong inspiration in the Bahai Cause, a movement launched in Persia in 1844 toward human oneness oneness of all re ligions (and rcspect for all of them), oneness of man kind regardless of race, an ideal of peace and of the brotherhood of man. In addition to the flab, known as the Forerunner, this Cause had two major seers or teachers, Baha-O and his son Abdul Baha, the latter playing a key role in the present book since Sohrab fer years was his secretary and reverent corn panron. But while the Bahai Cause from its inception
has been non-violent and has practised as welt as preached the utmost tolerance, it and its champion, Sohrah, have had to face bloody persecutions in the East. Later, even in America,. those who struggled to put into practice the precepts of the Bahai Cause have met with resistance and hardship.
This partial autobiography (ending in 1929) ran serially in The Caravan, the quarterly published by the educational organization known as the Caravan of East and West. It now appears in book form follow ing its author's death so that it can be available to inspire many, particularly the young, by presenting an extreme instance of triumph over difficulties through terrific personal effort and faith in a vital cause. Nothing in the story, on the other hand, suggests a desire to convert or to preach. Stress here is on a plain tale of actual happenings in a colorful and very active life.
In other writings, the author has told of the years of accomplishment that started where the present volume ends in 1929 when Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Stuyvesant Chanter began to add their strength to his. From t929 until his death in 1958 Sobrab and a small number of volunteers headed by Mrs. Chanler carried on a dynamic struggle to put into practice Bahai ideals throughout the world. Contests were or gaiiized that stimWated young people in many lands to study problems of world peace and think out for themselves the feasibility of One World. Mass Meet ings and debates were organized. Men like the great Einstein and Tagore became friends of the movement. The cause of freedom in India and Africa was stimu lated. At a crucial time in Germanys life, when Hitler vanished leaving that nation cut off from liberal trends, Sohrab's creation, the Caravan of tast and
West, brought inspiration to young Germans through hundreds of dubs in which study of and contact with other lands and races were put into practice The peoples of West Africa, now peaceably gaining free doni from Britain and France, have been affected pro foundly by the Caravan program under Sohrab's leadership. All religions have profited from a famous law suit won by Sohrab, in which it was decided that in the U.S.A. no group can monopolize or hold control over the name of a religion. The indefatigable Sohrab was in contact by personal letter with an incredibly large number of individuals of all races, personally sending medicines to various countries, helping Eur opeans and Asiaas to gain access to fruitful lives in U.S.A., pioneering in bringing the first German and Japanese art exhibits to America following World War II. The story of the Bahai Cause was put on the stage of New York's Metropolitan Opera House and its principles were dramatized at the New York World Fair. Sohrab meanwhile edited magazines with world wide audiences, travelled to Europe and Israel to stimulate interest in the Caravan. He laid such firm foundations in this intricate, farfiung program for the betterment of human life through application of spiritual principles that his work continues undisturbed
even by the death of the great man himself.
New York, October 20, /958 William D. Alien
Lict of Illustrations
Naji Seyyed Zeinel-Abedin, uncle of the author 10
Seyyed Assadullah 49
Abdul Baha in Acca 52
Sohrab and travelling Bahal Teacher 59
Hagi Niaz, Disciple of Baha-O-Llali, Sohrab and
Mirza Ahmad Ya2di, Persian Consul 61
Mirza Abul Fa21, the greatest teacher of them all 66
Miss Sarah Farmer 71
Sohrab and Lua Gettsinger 73
Sohrab as Secretary to the Persian Minbter 80
Bahai School at Tarbiat 89
Abdul Baha in Brooklyn—1912 92
Abdul Baha in Bri England 97
Abdul Balm at the house of Rev. It. J. Campbe]l 101
Sohrab s hfe in New York 120
Sohrab as Omar Khayyam in a musical produc
tion of the Rubayyat 125
Residence of Mr. and Mrs. L. S. Chanler now
Caravan House 131
Contents
CHAPTER 1
Esphahan
CHAPTER 2
My Grandmother 19
CHAPTER 7
Childhood Days 29
C 4
The Open Road 39
CHAPTER 5
Acca and Port Said 31
CHAPTER 6
Apprenticeship in Yanga Donya 65
CHAFFER 7
Diplomatic Service 29
CHAPTER B
The Great Tour 91
CHAPTER 9
Var \'ear in Prdestiiu' 103
CHAPTER 10
The Winding Trail to ii re 1 tIe Blue House I 9
'
Esphahan
JIt Seyved ZeincI_A bcdtn, u o I e hor
lI' are no beginnings to a race, but in seeking the beginnings of the Aryan race as an entity, the scene will be placed in Northern Persia, which as a consequence became known s Iran. In early times, thousands and thousands of years before Christ, these Aryans having outgrown their home land, started our on a movement of migration. A part of them pushed Westward and by degrees spread over lurope; another part dire itself Southward and penetrated into India. Now this second company, passing over a vast plane situated at a comparatively short distance from its point of
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Mv BAnAL PILGRIMAGE
departure, left a gro p behind to settle on its broad surFace, and these men laid the foundations of a town. The town, little by little, developed into a city which, with the passing of ccnturies, was repeatedly razed to the ground by the invader and again built up, hut which despite the excesses
fortune, endured. This was Esphahan.
A national story dating back to 2500 or 3 14.C. has come down to us. A certain tyrant named Zohak, Babylonian conqueror of Iran, imposed such heavy taxes on the people that he descended in legend as carrying on his shoulders two serpents which were part of his body, each of which had to be fed daily with the brains of a young man 0 woman. This human tribute was exacted for dec ades with the result that the families in that region were decimated. Finally Kaveh, a blacksmith of the town, who already had submitted to the sacrifice of fourteen children, was ordered to offer up hi last two sons. Then Kaveh lifted the standard o( rebellion, which happened to be the first object available—his own leather apron. This he mounted on a spear and he marched along the streets dc manding justice, while the people gathered in mul. titudes at his call. He overthrew the tyrant and es tablished a liberal government in sphahan, and the leather apron splendidly embellished with jewels was treasured in the city as a sacred relic. eventually becoming the emblem of the nation.
So Esphahan was considered by the generations as the cradle of liberty, and many forward- enterprises took root on its soil. Indeed the Espha nese, venerating their inheritance, did not stiffen
L 12J
ESP HA RAN
at the approach of new thoughts. Both consciously and unconsciously they developed into the originaPs of Iran.
It was appropriate, therefore, that the first Per sian follower o Mohammed should have been born in Esphahan. Salman, reared in the native Zoro astrian Faith, was an ardent seeker after Truth his interest in religious matters causing him to fre quent the Christian churches, a few of which had sprung up here and there in Iran. Having studied the doctrines offered, his insatiable thirst for knowl edge and experience led him to the Arabian Penin sula, and there, in the city of Mecca, he heard of the young came! driver who was looked upon as Prophet.
\%rhen, after some wanderings, Salman came into the presence of Mohammed, he had already learned the fundamentals of the Faith, and he accepted Islam with the sacrifices that it entailed, setting his name in history as one of the earliest and racist courageous of the Disciples. The writings of Sat man are included in the Hadiths, a compilation which, in the eyes of Musslemans, ranks second to the Koran.
Esphahan datcd its golden age from the Safavi Dynasty founded in the 16th century by the it lustrious Shah Abbas. Under this talented ruler, the city was laid out in contours that still hold today. We have the same wide avenues bordered by magnificent palaces; the same parks and gar dens; the same reservoirs and rivulets brought at that period from Zayandeh-Roud (River of Im. mortality) and set aflowing down the great boule [ ]
Mv BAHA PILGRIMAGE
yard, We have the same Royal Square, termed by Europeans the most imposing in the world; the same bridges and later ones besides, and then ba ,aars. baths and plazas of every date combining their marvels for the embellishment of the orig design. Above all in imporl and beauty, stand the hundreds of gorgeous mosques, on account of which Esphahan is genera]ly referred to as The City of Mosques and Minarets.
This Esphalian, a modern metropolis flourish ing amid decaying grandeur, had been the home of my mother's ancestors [ hundreds of years and it was in these surroundings that my family first felt the impact of the New Forces that were des tined to outline the epilogue of the Iran of the past.
In the early part of the 19th century the scholars a t mystics of Iran, through their studies of the Holy Books and their computations regarding the prophecies, were becoming increasingly aware ol the [ that the Promised One of Islam (Med as he was called) was due to make his appearance at almost any moment. For centuries the prayer Oh, MeMi! I-fasten thy coming!' had been pro nounced five times a day by the Faithful, and now, on the recognized eve of fulfillment, the centers ol islamic learning were pulsating with anxious ex pectancy. i family was among those which were fully conscious of the import of the times, so it was not surprising that my Grandmother, as a sensi tive girl in her teens, made contact with coming events through a dream.
She saw a young 'nail, slim and beautiful, clothed in the green which symbolized descent from the
[
ESPHAHAN
Prophet, and this apparitioll smiled at her with a smile of warmth and intimacy that touched hex soul to the quick. Then, in a few words, which she heard pronounced very clearly, he promised a fu ture for her descendants which would be involved with him.
In this dream my Grandmother was transported to the threshold of Paradise. I can say that she remained on that plane thereafter.
Some years later, a youthful reformer from Shiraz arose upon the horizon of Iran, announcing the imminent collapse of the old systems of thought and the dawn of a New Day of spiritual and prac tical emancipation. This teacher of modest parents age who, at the beginning of his missiQn had called himself the Dab (the Gate to knowledge) later had the temerity to assume the title of Mehdi.
Needless to say the clerical authorities, who for so long had anticipated this very contingency, arose as one man in opposition, and pursued the daring claimant with unremitting ferocity. They were successful in their efforts which very shortly c minaced in the execution of the Dab on the prison square of Tabriz.
Nevertheless, in spite of the short duration of the drama in which he played the central figure, the Dab had had many opportunities to leave the impress of his message on the multitudes. Among the Esphahanese there are two striking examples, taken from the opposite ends of society, of those who responded to his calL
The first in this city to unreservedly champion
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Mv BAHA PILGRIMAGE
tile New Cause of Freedom was i wheat sifter. When news of the u nmeicifui persecutions in (lined on the Followers of the Bab in a distant locality reached this man in his barn, he left his work and, still holding his sieve, rushed out into the Street.
'Where are you off to?' his neighbors cried alter him.
"1 go to the assistance of my friends."
And what do you intend to do with your sieve?'
My sieve! Oh!'' and he looked, as if for the first time, at his humble implement. Then he said thoughtfully, I wilt sift the people that I meet on my way. Those that pass through the sieve will be left behind, but those that remain in it will accompany me to the field of martyrdom
This symbol—the sieve, wherein are collected the self-forgetful, is one worthy to stand at least on a par with the leather apron of Kaveh, the black smith.
IThe second examjule oL a devoted Esphahani was the Governor of that city, and we are told of
remarkable scene svhich took place in the state gardens between the Eat) md this distinguished official. The latter said: '1 have, through the grace of God, bec:otrre (ware of tile truth of your claims and it i.s m ardent desire to consecrate Illyseli to he f ut-tile n of the ii lovem C i t N ow. I have fifty tiiOtls uICn at lii LOltlfl1 Ar the head of this army I plan to march to ilie gates of Tehe where I will demand in audience with the
h. It happens that oar sovereign has complete idence in me, therefore this military demon
16]
ESPRAHAN
stration will sirnp!y serve as proof of my determin ation. J believe that I can gain his support and it is even possible that I will obtain for you the hand of one of the royal princesses. I can see you as the virtual ruler of Iran, extirpating all traces of the superstition and intolerance that have stained the fair name of religion, and lifting high the standard of this wondrous Cause before the eyes of the na tions" Then he closed with these words, "I am very rich and have no children. All that I possess is yours.'
Was this a Satan tempting his Lord? Was it a Constantine able to direct the course of history? Certainly to an obscure propagandist, burning with eagerness to spread his ideas, it was a dazzling offer, yet how was it received?
"May God requite you for your noble m tions," the flab answered. So lofty a resolve is more precious than the act itself, but the diffusion of Gods truth cannot be effected by such means.'
Once more the Governor strove to serve his Master, in the mosque Masjid-i Shah" (Mosque of the King) he convened the ecclesiastical digni taries of Iran so that the validity of the Bab's claims might be discussed with the reformer in person. He counted on the logic that had so im pressed him to have like effect on the church. The proceedings were conducted with great pomp and lasted several days, thus giving opportunity to the hierarchy to oppose in body, and at great length, their single antagonist. The verdict was as might have been expected. The Mullahs had no inten tion of admitting that their Promised One had re [ ]
Mv BAHA PILGRIMAGE
vealed himself in so simple a guise, nevertheless, as many of the sessions took place in public, the people of Esphahan had the privilege of judging the arguments for themselves. In this way the seeds of spii-iwal reformation were scattered, and took
-not in many receptive hearts.
On one of these occasions, as the Bab stood in the mimbar (pulpit) presenting his case, a girl, who afterwards became my Grandmother, slipped into the mosque. Leaning against a pillar near the entrance, she listened, at first curiously and then with absorbed interest, her well-trained mind weighing the speakers every point - until presently all her being was startled into something very like acceptance. Alter the address was terminated and ihe mosque had emptied itself, she waited, unable to tear herself away, and then gaining courage, she sent an attendant to request for her an interview with the preacher.
The Bab never retused himselE to any one, and within a few moments my Grandmother found herself in his presence. Shyly she advanced toward him and as her eyes resteil on his [ for the Gist time, she realized in a flash that this was the Being that had appeared in her dream. Then, the Bali smiled as he had srn fled upon her before, and he said, 'We have met already. Do you' remember?
[ J
a
My Grandmother
Fa 20 b]
0 ne of the wisest of teachers once said to his followers: There is a certain word that should never be used. It is the word J."
Obviously in giving this advice, Confucius struck at the very root of all the evil in the world, and yet here I find niyself launched on the task of recount ing the story of my early years. The explanation is that my life was never meant to be an individual one. It simply was a small lamp lit in the vicinity of the Sun of Truth, which has burned since then, feebly, sometimes intermittently, as testimony to that Great Light from which it had caught its flame.
I was born in about 1894 in the village Sedeh, situated about twenty miles from Esphahan. My father Abdul Baghi, direct descendant of Moham med through Hussein, (eldest of the Prophet's two grandsons) was a farmer possessed of broad lands, granaries and gardens. He also was chief dyer of the town, and I well remember the great vats in
[
Mv BAJIA P1LoR
his factory filled with indigo dye in which thc white cloth woven by the villagers was colored blue. In appearance he was a tall, gaunt, bIac.k bearded man, with his black turban, symbol of his descent from the Prophet ever on his head. A rigid, orthodox observer of the law (lie never prayed less than five times a day), he was an exam ple of the virtuous N who was convinced that lie and his fellow-believers alone had direct passports to Paradise. Lord of his domain, of his flocks, of his men, intelligent, energetic, shrewd, dominating, he nevertheless at times showed a stern kindliness and was looked up to by the vil lagers, who imitated him in everything, as a model of honesty and rectitude. My father was a fine example o a Persian of the old school.
On the maternal side, my ancestry was alto gether different. For centuries residents of Espha ban, its members consisted of poets, philosophers. educators, lawyers. They were leaders of thought in many departments—a line of dreamers par ex cellence. In a word it was a non-conformist family, one seeking untrodden paths, while strangely enough its descent was of the same as my father's
—from the Prophet through the martyred Hus sein.
My Grandmother had four sons, of which I dis tinct]y remember two, and a daughter who be came my mother. One of these two sons broke class traditions to the extent of leaving home to study medicine in the capital, a departure from custom which astonished the community in view of the fact that physicians did not rank high in the eyes of the Islamic world. As it turned out,
22 J
My GRANDMOTHER
my uncle had chosen a calling for which he was well-fitted, and he became one of the greatest sur geons in the royal hospital of Teheran as well as the founder of several modern medical schools.
My other uncle remained at home. Philosopher, author, poet, and student deeply versed in the history and lore of ancient religions, he also was possessed of a strange mystical quality which did not imply asceticism in the least sense. Rather the reverse condition existed, for he was renowned for his conviviality, and Khodaa Deevaneh, as he was called, (Inspired Madman) attracted the un conventional and the daring, becoming the center of a liberal group of which he himself was the fascinating entertainer.
My Grandmother's house, which was home to the family, fronted on a small street named Mahal leh-Noe (New Street), that is, the entrance through the outer wall was there. The visitor who passed through this small gateway found himself in a passage, at the end of which was a door. A knocker summoned an attendant) who let the guest through another passage and lifted a curtain. Then the house was revealed standing beyond an inner streetway.
The house was large, enclosing a long luxuriant garden in the center of which a fountain played. The women's apartments and reception rooms overlooked this large garden Beyond were the men's quarters built around a smaller garden, and yet beyond the kitchen, the store-house and gra naries, and the stable.
This was my Grandmother's home. In it she lived as an inspired Madonna, surrounded by her
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Mv BAnAl PILGRIMAGE
children arid their children. Her personality, SO lofty, so sane, so generous, was the pivot around which the family circle turned, and even as the pivot was firmly fixed, so did the circumference move in perfect balance. I do not remember an instance of anything inharmonious taking place within that house. The relations among the mem bers of the family, among the servants in regard to their masters and themselves, among all toward the crowds of guests which frequented these most hospitable premises was everything that could have been desired, while through all the activities @f this normal and most busy Oriental household, a certain consciousness brooded—dreamlike, de tached, uplifted.
My Uncle owned several farms in the village of Sedeh. During the summer season the whole family used to migrate to them in order to escape the city's heat. On their broad lands they cultivated rice, tobacco, barley and wheat, and lived a life of pastoral informality. It was a vacation in every sense, the women even going to the length of discarding their veils for the time being. Under these conditions, a young neighboring farmer, who later became my father, saw the pearl of the house• hold and fell in love with her.
It was a meeting of two sides of the world. On the one hand -was a sensitive city bred girl who had been reared in art atmosphere of scholasticism and culture, on the other a man from the very heart of nature, vigorous, determined, hardheaded. My Uncle saw the advantageous sides of such a union from the material standpoint, but my Grand mother opposed the idea in her own gentle way,
[ 1
My GEANDMOTHER
expecting that her simple disapproval would carry full weight as usual. This, however, was an in stance where precedent gave way. As was often said afterward, it was the only time that she lost her case.
The wedding took place in Esphahan and,
is customary in Persia, was a very elaborate and costly affair, lasting seven days and seven nights. My Grandmother's house and garden were crowded to capacity with guests coming and going, eating and sleeping, watching fireworks, singing songs, re peating poems and prayers. Then, at the close of the festivities, the young farmer took home his Lovely bride, together with her substantial dowry of money, furnishings and livestock.
What happens when a nightingale flies into a cage, when a wave runs into a reservoir, when the Spring dislodges itself from its own blossoming trees and tries to function in mid-winter? Heart break, suspension of animation, death. After a year or more of existence in the restricted village, far from the pulse-beat of mental and spiritual life, my mother, still in her teens, quietly slipped away from the confines of the earth, leaving behind a baby a few months old. Then my Grandmother came and carried me to her home in Esphahan.
I was brought up in the garden. From the far thest boundaries of my memory the scent of roses comes back to me, as do the colors on the sectioned flower-petals of the morning-glory and on the lilac trees. Interlocked with the charm of this recol lection is the current of my Uncle's voice, still reaching me, melodious, enthralling, while through
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Mv BAnM PILGRIMAGE
it all, an influence more tangible than any that can be treasured by the senses yet bears upon me- the influence of my Grandmother.
I was fortunate in having my teacher close at hand. I did not have to cross the Street to study Saadi, Uafiz and Jelal-Ed-Din Rumi; my Grand mot was there to instruct me, Nor was I the only pupil. From every side the children came, rich children and poor children, to learn reading and writing, history and poetry, to say nothing of manners, for everything that my Grandmother knew was at the disposal of everyone. Never dis own anything" she would tell us, meaning that profound truths may lurk behind the most trivial matters, and again Never term your country nor your religion as best, for the others are just as good."
Often she would tell us fairy tales, and among these there was a certain story which went some thing like this:
Once upon a time there stood an ancient city, beautiful, rich and prosperous. It was adorned with palaces, bazaars and gardens, and everything that the heart could desire was to be found within its precincts. So the inhabitants were happy and untroubled until, with the passing of time, all the open spaces were taken up by buildings and the sky spaces became less and less and less. So it was that men, thinking only of their physical com forts, forgot the Divine Comfort.
As a result of living in the obscurity, divers strange maladies began to afflict tile once healthy population; tile music in the public parks ceased
26]
Mv GRANDMOTHER
and even the birds forgot to sing. Then one day a young Teacher appeared in the market place! and he gathered the people around him and an nounced that all must move out 0 the old city. You cannot live in these restricted quarters," he cold them, for here you cannot see the sun,, and the clouds and the panorama of God. Hasten, and get to work, and build for yourselves a New City in the open."
Did the peopie do it?" the children asked of my Grandmother.
'Oh no," and she shook her head very sorrow fully. 'The people made fun of the young Teacher and abused him, and they pkked up stones and pelted him with them. Yes, they killed the archi tect of the New City."
"Then it was never built, and everyone con tinued to live in the dark?'
The plans still exist," my Grandmother said, and then, 'Perhaps you will be the ones to carry them out."
I remember that I jumped to my feet at this challenge. "We can, we will do it,' I cried, 'We shall gather the bricks We shall grind the mortar! We shall plant the gardensi" and off I started with the others trotting after me, a company ol a dozen tots, and we marched round and round the fountain shouting at the top of our voices, We shall build the New City—out in the open— out in the lighti"
And my Grandmother stood on the terrace smil ing at us very wistCully.
27 ]
Fags 28 blank
3
Childhood Days
Fags blank
T eastern world believes in dreams. To an Oriental, dreams are not fantasies but projections of events that will transpire. The theory is that in dreams we enter the sub-conscious realm which is a treasury of explaitation and penetrable mysteries. If a person is very sensitive and idealistic, he can unravel the mysteries and find guidance. In ileep the spirit, like a great white canvas, receives im pressions of the infinite world.
When my Grandmother dreamt of the Bab, she knew that she had seen ahead but she did not expect that realization would be hers. Later, on meeting him, her life was transfigured. She felt that she had found the ultimate. However this was not the case, for as she absorbed the teachings of the young reformer which more and more were being repeated in many quarters, she came to grasp the essential point of his mission: He, a Prophet of
[ 3t I
Mv BAHAT PILGRIMAGE
Islam in his own right, was likewise the Forerun ner of One greater yet. It was the obligation of his followers to find Him whom God shall Manifest.
Thus my home was alerted to recognize Him when he came, and, when Baha-O-Llah took lead ership of the Bahais, my Grandmother recognized him with ease as the fulfillment of prophesy. She would tell us about Him whom she herself had never seen. "He is a joy maker' she said, 'and a joy giver. He will bestow a peace that overcomes all quarrels and all disputes—a peace that will establish actual family relationship among the children of men." And then especially: 'He is free, and will establish freedom in ideas and in living.''
The eastern world lives by authority—authority in religion, authority in politics. For ages these people have bowed to authority and actually have required it, and here was my Grandmother who had outgrown tile system of authority which binds the minds and makes people and nations staves! Authority yes, but not one that demands obedience, rather one that compels it through its own purity and truth.
Again she said: "A teacher must have no selfish thought, no desire to be served by others, but must ever be at the disposal oE his fellow men.
In childhood I would sit for hours in our garden, dreaming of Him who was the embodiment of joy, freedom and servitude to all men, and ever I passed my play-hours around this idea Together with the neighbors children I would construct little houses, many of them made of clay-bricks
[ 32 1
CHILDHOOD DAYS
with thatched roofs. We would make tiny tables and various pieces of furniture, and place them in the houses, always designing one chair for the Great Teacher should he happen to drop in. We used to plant seeds in the garden, but always I re served one patch of soil for Him to plant his seeds, and at our parties, when the maid would bring in the refreshments and light the candles, I would insist that one candle remain unlit for Him to light. This system of leaving an empty chair, a patch of soil, an unlit candle obsessed me for years, while my Grandmother drilled us in the idea that we must always keep space in our lives to be filled by the Higher Powers.
My earliest education was derived from my Grandmother and my Uncle. They read to me from the Holy Books of Islam and taught me to recite Persian poetry. The visions and dreams of philosophers and scholars became part of my life, and the excitement and romanticism of the Arabian Nights continuously haunted me. My memory was so well trained that I became adept at recitation and in the telling of tales, and I would entertain the other children by the hour with passages from books of all kinds, theological, historical, mystical, with poetry much accentuated. Then I went to school.
In the Mohammedan schools both teacher and pupils sat on the floor; there were notables, and the thought of punishment was always present. The bastinado stood in the room, to be used on the backward or dilliculE children. This instrument consists of a heavy board fitted with ropes. The
L 33 ]
Mv BAnA PILGRIMAGE
culprit lies on this board and his feet are lifted high by means of the ropes. Then the teacher beats the soles of the feet with a long, lithe stick. The pain is great because the soles of feet are very sensi tive. Often blood would flow. I came in for this punishment quite often and I would stuff my robe into my mouth to prevent me from crying out. I was not very long in that school, although I did stick it out for about a year longer than many of the others who ran away.
Next I was sent to a school in a colony of Armen ians which had resided some three hundred years in the vicinity of Esphahan. My Uncle had business relations with these Christians who often came to our house and when they proposed that I should study with their children, he did not think the idea out of the way. However to Mohammedan orthodoxy, which was dominant in our city, this association with Christians was a terrific breach of religious and social etiquette. The distance to be covered was six or seven miles on my donkey, but I did not mind this in the least as I was eager to learn -
Two items in my educational program left a mark on me, I began to study French, and I heard about America—the New World, Yanga Donya as it was called. We did not have any maps; it was just a name in the books, but somehow or other it rang a bell in me.
'You know about Yanga Donya?' I would say to my classmates. Some day I will be there. I will write to you £rom that place,' and the children would laugh at me and they dubbed me with the
1 34 j
CHarni000 DAYS
name "Yanga Donya" and I was known as suth among the Armenians.
I was about seven years of age when I felt that this school had nothing more to offer, so I induced two other boys to go forth with me and see the world. We did not tnvel far, for there were few roads and we were afoot, but we managed to stay away for a year and a half. Sometimes we did strike a highway and a passing caravan would give us a lift and so by hook or by crook we subsisted, going from village to village where I would tell stories in exchange for food. That period was training in resourcefulness and initiative, and I never regretted it, the more so that my family was not too deeply disturbed at my absence, counting on Allah to bring me back unharmed.
On returning. I found that a great change had taken place in our house. It had become the centre in Esphahan for the Bahais. Constant meetings were going on, al of them held with great' precau don for we were surrounded by enemies. Often some mysterious visitor or other would call on my Uncle and the two would engage in long, private con sitUations. I was used as• errand boy and would carry secret messages to all kinds of places. Through it all I knew that something tremendous and dan gerous was happening, and I would catch such words as the New Revelation, the New Day, and especially the wondrous and arresting name—Rain O-Llah
After a while my Grandmother decided to visit her other son who had become a leading physician
[ J
Mv BAnA PILGRIMAGE
nd surgeon in Teheran. 1 iccompanied her, and we travelled for fourteen clays through villages and deserts 'in ill we arrived at the capita!, where we remained over a period of nearly two years. Here my uncle taught me from elementary books on medicine, encouraged me to learn the properties of various herbs and even allowed me to mix drops and make pills. I spent my days in his clinic and became so absorbed in the art of healing that
certainly would have become a doctor if I could have chosen my career at that time. However it was decided that we return to Esphahan.
At home we found conditions changed to this extent, that the numerous meetings were held even more secretly. Pass words and signs had to be given by visitors before entering the house. A sense of peril Was manifest and encompassing.
In the month of Moharram, during which fana ticism always seeks expression, my Uncle was de nounced from the inimbar (pulpit) as an enemy of Isla deserving death. His property was declared to be the possession of the public.
One evening at about eight o'clock we were gath ered in the garden, old people and young people conversing in hushed voices and sometimes break ing into a low-toned chant, when a knock was heard at the door. I went to see who was there and could hear muffled sounds in the street. It seemed that a great crowd was without. Then someone shouted 'Open the door or we will break it through!''
I ran to tell my Uncle, but before I reached him
[
CHILDHOOD DAYS
the battering on the door, began and no words were necessary. Our people scattered, melting away in different directions, to the back of the house and over, the- garden walls. The mob was now in possession; clubs and stones in hand, the men were rushing about seeking my Uncle. Fortunately the women's quarters were overlooked, or else respect ed. I was huddled in a corner of the main house, hearing the shouts, the threats, the unhinging of the doors which were being carried away. Every thing was taken, furniture, hangings, rugs, utensils of all kinds. Even the flowers were 'trampled and the bushes uprooted. My half-brother was caught, and hauled away, and finally I was noticed and pulled to -the open. "This boy knows the name and address of every Bahai in the cityl"
Bring him along" the people shouted, and I was hurried to the house of the chief ?vfullah. In the presence of this dignitary I was questioned, gently at first, then roughly: 'Where is your uncle? Where are the Bahais? Name them!" I did not answer. Then they placed me in the bastinado and began to beat the soles of my feet. "Name themi" they kept repeating, while I too addressed myself:
You did not cry out In school. Keep silence now." The torture was so great that presently I became numb all over and fainted away, so -they carried me back to our entrance and left me there.
My Grandmother had been wandering around our ruined house and, as she stepped through what once had been the door way, she stumbled against my body and caught me up in her aims. By this time I was just regaining consciousness. Rejoicing
[ 37]
My BAHAL PILGRIMAGE
in that I was alive, my Grandmother carried me indoors and proceeded to wash my feet which were just a bleeding mass of flesh. The pain was excruti. ating, yet I kept my eyes on her face, so happy, so proud and stained with tears and the blood of my feet which she was kissing, and she said: 'These blessed feet which have entered the service of the Master!" As I looked at her face, I fainted again— this time for joy.
My Uncle had escaped by running along the roof of the house and dropping into the adjoining garden, which happened to be owned by a bitter enemy of the Cause and of himself. In falling, he had broken his leg. As he lay there he couldn't help moaning, so the neighbor's family found him and took him to the garret where they kept him for two nights and a day. God inspired these people to protect an injured man, and he was sheltered in a house where no one would have thought of searching for him. The second night he was brought to us.
At the far end of the stable which was stripped of all the animals, a small, frightened donkey re mained hidden in the hay. Before dawn, my Grand. mother brought him out and helped my Uncle and me to his back—a strong man and an eleven year old boy, neither of whom could stand on his Leet. Then sIte led the donkey along the deserted streets, past the empty market place, and through the gates of Esphahan where she bade us farewell. As we slowly advanced along the road, I turned back to wave my hand, and there was my Grandmother smiling bravely as she watched us leaving home, in my case forever.
L 38]
4
The Open Road
i&mong Orientals, fanaticism rises from the people's sincerity in regard to their religion and their zeal to protect it from infidelity or innova tion. We realized this, so the persecution applied to our family was quite comprehensible to us, the more so because we well knew that religion brings out both the best and the worst in men. We re spected our fellow-citizens on account of their love for Islam, but we also feared them knowing that they would stop at nothing in order to destroy my Uncle, which act in their eyes would be one of high devotional value. We had to make plans to get out of the radius of danger, but for the moment this was impossible as both my Uncle and I were in capacitated.
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Mv BAUM PILGRIMAGE
A certain Bahai had a house and garden at a distance of some three miles from the city. We presented ourselves at his door, still on our Little donkey, and asked for temporary shelter. This he afforded willingly in spite of the danger involved for him, and we spent our days in this garden under the care of a physician, while my Grand mother visited us regularly and brought us the news.
My half-brother had been beaten exactly as I had been and fined 1,000 tumans. Then he was set free as being of no account. Meanwhile my Grand mother had sold some jewelry, with the proceeds of which she bought needles, thread, thimbles, scis sors and all kinds of knicknacks useful to women and almost indispensable.
After forty days in his garden, we were in condi tion to leave the generous Bahai. We mounted our donkey, armed with a knapsack, half of which was packed with the sewing materials and half with herbs supplied by my Grandmother, atso drugs which my apprenticeship in the Teheran clinic had given me a slight knowledge of. HeartfeLt thanks to our host, a long farewell to my Grand mother and we started off on the road to nowherel
After a day's travel we reached a spring and sat down to rest under overshadowing branches. We made a little fire and p-epared tea. Whilst drink ing it, a horseman passed by, looked at us curiously and stopped. Our hearts were in our mouths for we knew that search-parties were scouting the roads for us, nevertheless he either was doubtful as to
£42]
THE OPEN ROAD
our identity ox else took pity on its, for after a few questions he rode on.
We were gypsies, 'vending our way from village to village, from town to town. We had to move among frequented areas which afforded us the means of subsistence. Our little store of sewing appliances was exchanged for food and sometimes For pennies which we spent on re-stocking, while our main practice was the relief of pain. My Uncle, who knew nothing of healing, was presumably
doctor, while 1 did the actual prescribing to the best of my abilities. In many cases it was easy to help, with quinine to lower fever, aspirin to relieve aches and colds, iodine to disinfect and lotions to dry up rashes. My Grandmothers herbs, the bene fits of which J knew, stood me in good stead, while my Uncle's confident manner and benevolent in terest contributed as much as the drugs toward bringing good results.
In one village many of the children had
trouble, and we treated them with boric acid. We saw the eyes becoming brighter and then went on our way. Having reached a distance of about three miles, we heard shouts coming from a distance, and turning, saw a group of men hurrying
us. Naturally we were alarmed, thinking that some thing had gone wrong with someone and that the doctor was blamed, but no, quite the reverse was the case. Word had gone around that miracles had been wrought and the townsmen were bent on showing their gratitude with offerings of wheat, barley, thickens and eggs, enough to load up four donkeys.
[
M Bu-TA PSLORIMAGE
When it was seen that we could not carry all our gifts, another idea came to our grateful pa tients. We were to return, to be royally entertained and attend to the many who required our services. So we went back, took part in a big feast and cared or dozens of visitors from other villages who had heard of the miracle man and were clamoring for attention. We stayed there for almost a week.
An experience in the wilderness Was very fright ening. We were called in to examine a man who had a serious stomach malady and, while in his tent, saw him pass away in a convulsion. As there was nothing to be done, we thought it wise to hurry off before any accusations could be made against us, and were well on our way when we were caught by his angry friends. They drove us back without ceremony, the while charging us with the death of the patient and threatening that if he were not brought back to life, our own lives would be exacted in place of his. We were led into the tent where the body lay, and ordered to set to work. My Uncle and I looked at each other, then we knelt beside the couch and I watched him as he gave himself up in prayer. I had never seen a [ so wrapt, so strangely detached. I prayed also i my own way. We must have been kneeling for something like half an hour when suddenly the body stirred. I felt the pulse. It was beating.
My Uncle rose to his feet. He looked exhausted, The man asked for a drink. Then the people be gan to scream. They carried the news outside, and an uproar arose in the tented city. Men and women danced, sang and jumped about making funny
[
T OPEN ROAD
noises in their throats. We thought it time to slip away and tried to, but they would not have it so, and we remained for a full week of celebration, while the sick man improved daily and finally, himself took part in the festivities.
In our wanderings we reached Abadeb, a re markable town in that half of the population was Bahai. A feast was held in a lovely garden abloom with flowers and alive with a clear running stream. More than a hundred elderly men, most of them with long white beards, sat on the ground in two rows, facing each other. over a marvelously laden banquet board. The younger ones stood about, No women were present.
Before taking part in the feast, all began to recite the words of Eaha-O-Llah, but ere they had gone far, someone rushed in with a sealed let ter. Knowing from whence it came, the envelope was carefully cut. Then the contents were chanted to the assemblage. This was a copy of one of Abdul Baha's earliest tablets to the Bahais of the United States. Through it we became aware of the fact that there actually were Bahais in America.
I watched the faces of the listeners; there was not a dry eye to be seen. All were weeping at the surprising news that the Bahai teachings had reached Yanga Donya, the New World.
f was a happy group of. people who finally turned their attention to the waiting feast, and they sat for long hours eating and discussing the amazing turn of events that had brought America within the circumference of the Cause. Meanwhile
[ :
- Mv BAHAX PIIGRIM&CE
I Was writing. Our host had given me permission to copy the Tablet, so when the time arrived
us to leave Abadeh, I was able to take with
the earliest words of Abdul flaha (among so many that were to foIlrnv) addressed to the New World.
I memorized the Tablet and from then on dur ing this pilgrimage in iran, I rccited it at all the Bahai meetings that we attended.
After some months of wandering, we reached the holy city of Shiraz where the Bab had declared his Message. Here, among the many Bahais whom we met, one stood out, majestic and marvelous— Seyyed Assadullah. This great disciple, who
been chosen as teacher to the children of Baha•O Llah, singled me out as being worthy of special instruction, and I spent long hours absorbing
knowledge and rejoicing in his characteristics.
In those days every Bahai teacher had the
lege of taking a person with him to visit Abdul Baha in Acca, so Seyyed Assadullah wrote to the Master and asked permission to bring me. When the answer came, it was stated that my Uncle should return to Esphahan, as the conditions were ameliorated and his presence was needed there. I should travel with Seyyed Assadullah and come to Acca. The Master added that the Cause held
great future for me.
On receiving these instructions, my Uncle and I parted. I left him who had taught me so much in learning and living, in whose presence I had always delighted, in whom the combination
mysticism, art and conviviality had always stirred
[ 46 ]
1' HE OPEN ROAD
me to happy acceptance—I left him with the pros pect of our meeting no more on this earth, and, in the care of Seyyed Assadullah, pushed south ward on the road of my destiny.
At Bandar Abbas we again found ourselves in a Bahai community. A person might live for years in such towns without knowing that any Bahais were round about, but by means of a letter of in troduction he could enter into another world, so different from the Islamic society of prejudice, so fraught with love and spiritual understanding. In this way we went from city to city, from village to village, always finding our own kind—simple people who could not write their names, scholars, philosophers, all united in the realization of some thing transcendent that had come their way.
From Bushir we took a little steamer to Bombay, where we found a large group of Zoroastrians who had become Bahai. Many of these people had res taurants and, as they were most hospitable, we seldom had to pay for our meals. Unaccustomed as I was to Indian cooking the food seemed very hot, but little by little I became used to it.
In Poona I received a shock. My Uncle sud denly appeared on the scene. It seemed that his family had advised him to delay his return for a while, so he had decided to run down to India to see me again. This event was so unexpected that joy left me breathless, and I remained in this state for the short period which fate had allowed us as a bonus. Then the time came for him to turn homeward in earne&t so as to fulfill Abdul Baha's
[
M BAUM PILGRIMAGE
wislics, and we parted on the deck ot the boat on which Seyyecl Assadullah and I sailed to Port Said.
I remember looking on him for the last time. He seemed strangely tall, and his beard, which had altered during the months of wandering, was of unaccustomed white. His eyes v'ere sad, with the deep sadness of resignation. So I saw him, and so I see him yet.
On the boat we spread our blankets and belong ings on the deck as did everyone else. Al! cooked and ate right there. It was a conglomeration 01 humanity, of various extractions and walks of life. One day a storm arose, and the little steamer, like an empty walnut shell, was raised to the sky and Forced to the bottom of the sea, up and down con tinuously, whilst mountains of water drenched everything in sight. When we put in at Port Said, we were minus everything except the clothes on our backs.
On the dock, Mirza Ahmad Yazdi, who later married Abdul Baha's youngest daughter, was awaiting us- I took us to his apartment, fed us and starred us off on another boat to Haifa. Here we were met by Mirza Taki Menshadi, secretary to Ahdul Baha. This man was the channel of cor respondence between the Master and the outside world. Thousands of letters came through his pen, the method used being a system of short-writing which he had developed himself and which later became currèht among the Bahais of Persia. In addition to this use Of abbreviated writing, Mirza Menshadi did not indulge in the usualepistolical. eloquent and flowing Persim style, in which pages
[
Seyyed Assadullah
Mv BAHAL PILGRIMAGE
were covered without anything being said. No pre liminary prayers and blessings went with his letters
—only news.
Mirza Menshadi told us that Abdul ilaha awaiting us in Acca so we took a cab and covered the distance which was about ten miles. On arriv ing, we were informed that the Master was visiting the Shrine of Baha-O-LIah, in Bahjee, quite a bit beyond the city, so we wen.t on afoot from there. As we were crossing the plain of Acca, we saw a company of people surrounding a person who was riding on a donkey. The group was moving slowly in the same direction as ourselves. We quickened our pace and caught up with the party. The Looked over his shoulder, saw us and dismounted. He advanced toward Seyyed Assadullah, his lowers making way before him, and reaching he exclaimed:
"Marhabah Khosh amadeed" (Welcomel Web comel You have travelled far). Then turning to me, he opened his arms and drew me to him, and he kissed my forehead.
You have suffered much," Abdul Baha said. Now you have reached home. I will take care of
you. I will protect you." He held my hand and to gether we walked toward the Shrine of Baha-O Llah, while the Sun of my life took its place in rue heavens.
[
5
Acca and Port Said
?)(f:H I H
In Ace; life was a profound experience. Here were exiles earnings a bare living in the bazaars, and all the while conscious of a presence in their midst around which they revolved. These families, well to do or rich before they left Persia, had accepted danger, hardship and want in order to follow Baha-O-.Llah without compromise, and now that their Lord had passed from the confines of this earth, they were turn ing to the same horizon of light, on which the person ality of Abdul Baha now shone upon them, warm and radiant. They called him Aga (Master) and they existed only with the thought of serving him, and of carrying out his wishes either spoken or unspoken.
In Persia, the art of calligraphy has always ranked high, and excellent calligraphers were in great de mand. Usually a period of study, covering ten or fifteen years, was required in order to turn out an ex pert. When these students had mastered the practice of handwriting they produced beautiful manuscripts
[
My B PILGRIMAGE
which were bound and took the place of printed books. Among the Bahais the teachings were dis seminated through the written word, and it fortunately happened that the group at Acca included two calli grap}iists of the first rank.
I met Jenabe Zain when he was at the age of ninety-two. Since his arrival in Acca. he had devoted his entire time to the copying of the works of Baha O-Llah for the benefit of pilgrims who were con stantly ariving in the Prison City. The pilgrims would buy the manuscripts at a nominal price, or if they couldn't pay anything receive them for nothing, and then they would take the precious pages with them to be recopied in other places. Jenabe Zain lived with his family in one small room. He was active, versatile and delightfully humorous. On reaching Acca, I be gan to visit him daily at five o'clock and he would tell me the story of the Bahai Cause, much of which he had experienced personally. It was the Master's wish that my knowledge of the movement, initiated in my Uncles garden and extended on my journey with Seyyed Assadullah, should be deepened through asso ciation with Jenabe Zain.
Musgin Galani, tall, sinewy and quite comical in appearance, was considerably younger than Jenabe Zain, being about seventy when I landed in Acca Also a super-calligraphist, he used his own type of expres sion which may be called poster or pen and ink paint ing. From a distance his work might look like a rooster or a bird of paradise, but on closer inspection one would find that the various parts of anatomy and the long swirling feathers consisted entirely of words. A saying of Baha-O-Llah: Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this,
[
AccA AND PORT SAID
that he loves his kind, might appear in the tail
another: Oh people, be not occupied with yourselves! Be intent on the betterment of hte world and the train ing of nations, would be discernible in the wings. The feet also and the head consisted of words, intricately and perfectly wrought, making of each poster a master piece. These word-paintings were at the disposal of visitors for a small sum or for nothing, even as were the manuscripts of Jenabe Zain, and travellers would take them back to Persia, Turkey, India and many parts of the Orient to be held as valuable reminders of halloed days in Acca.
Absorbed as they were on their practical work for the Cause, these artists yet recognized the fact that amusement is a necessary part of life, So, as their talents were varied, the two aged men organized meet ings to entertain the exiles and pilgrims. They would relate fables and illustrate them with shadow pictures on the wall, cast by their deft hands. The people followed each motion with appreciation, and often laughed till the tears ran down their cheeks. I can say that any performers of the West or East would have a hard time to find so receptive an audience. Those exiles knew how to entertain and be entertained. Being Bahais, they accepted the fact that life must be rounded, containing if possible a little of everything that is good.
As for me, I began to develop my memory in earnest. This accomplishment is considered essential among Orientals, and they teach their children to recite, not only chapters, but books in their entirety. I was pretty well started on this path, having recited the Arabian Nights for a living, during my days of vagrancy, as well as many other collections of stories.
(551
Mv BANAl PILORrMAOE
Now I had a more lofty purpose. ihe Tablets of Baha-O-LJah should be learned for use at Bahai meet ing where the heart expression.was needed more than mere reading. In recitation, the feelings have full play. Imagine an actor reading iris part I This duty was a delight and, alter studying these writings in the day d I used to walk by night on the parapet of Acea, declaiming to myself the marvellous words of tire Prophet v our times.
For thousands of years, Oricntals have chanted their sacred literature, and it became so engraved on their beings that they unconsciously translated these teach ings into deeds. Now we were ]ivin under conditions of immediate urgency. A new Cause of unimaginable import had to be introduced to people everywhere. The early followers had to he trained to meet the tasks ahead. There was no time to lose.
It was easy to work under the surveillance o Abdul Baha, aJthough he was not easy to please. Of the rank and file he expected little, but when he counted on a
person, his iequirernents were many. I did my work to the best of my ability, and when he slapped me on the cheek and said 'Marhaba (well done) Mirza Alirnad tire reward so far outweighed my efforts thai I was on fire to start again, at something, anything that would bring a smile to the face of my Master.
I stopped at the Inn, a square, one-story building within the walls of Acca, where both transients and residents were received. The corns overlooked an in ner court on four sides, this space accommodating the camels, horses, mules and donkeys of the travelers. Several stunted, unproductive fig trees stood in the enclosure, affording habitation to three owls which sat in torpor on their branches throughout the day and hooted and screeched incessantly throughout the
[ 56]
ACCA AND PORT SAID
night. On entering or leaving the Inn one had to pass the establishment of the undertaker, who carried on his busthess quite openly and without any squeamish oversensitiveness regarding the feelings of his fellow lodgers.
Abdal Baha had a room here, where the children of Acca, Bahais included, were taught the fundamentals of education together with the literature of Persia, Turkey and Arabia in the three languages. This was a
pioneering international school, conducted without consideration of race or religion. It was a foreshadow ing of those to follow, when nations and people Will have caught hold of the Bahai spirit, whether or not they recognize it by that name.
During the early days of Acca. after his release from the barracks, Abdul Baha had lived here, free to walk the streets in the daytime, but locked within the Inn at night. The city gates were always locked. Later, when the young Turks had overthrown the Sultan, Abdul Baha moved to a house which still stands, and was allowed freedom to pass at will into the country.
Jenabe Zain and Musgin Gaiam lived at the Inn while I was there, as did many other Eahais. Their ter of residence was long, while mine was very short
only thirty-nine days. When this time had passed, I went on my way with my head full of dreams— destination, Fort Said occupational field, the busi ness world.
Mirza Ahmad Yasdi had a department store in this cosmopolitan terminal, where he acted as Persian Con sul General. He was rather stout, convivial, quite shrewd in affairs, and at the same time gentle, courte ous and cultured. He spoke French perfectly, in the
[
Mv BAHA PILGRIMAGE
maimer of a Parisian. I was expected here; a room was reserved for me in Ahmad Yasdi's own apartment and a salary assigned, namely $500 per month. I didn't need even as much as that, as my food was provided for. These arrangements had been made through correspondence with the Mastcr who wanted
to acquire practical experience along some line.
All steamers plying between Orient and Occident pass through the Suez Canal, and daily these would emit their passengers at the docks, to pass a few hours or more in the inetrnational city that is Port Said. Within a year I had picked up a smattering of Greek, Arabic, Turkish, Italian and English. Already I knew French to some extent. Thus, little by little, it became possible for me to understand what the customers wanted, and this was necessary to say the least.
Actually there is not much difference between the selling of goods and the selling of an idea, and my Uncle had trained me well in the latter art. So I was able to enter into rapsodies regarding the richness of fabrics, the delicacy of ribbons and the durability of cooking utensils. Besides I had a liking for order and before long I had reorganized the whole store, setting the various sections of merchandise in their proper
places and bringing a new effect of comeliness to all departments. Ahmad Yasdi used to look about the premises and wonder at the changes that had been wrought. lie couldn't any more find the things that he used to put his right hand on, but as his Consula. duties kept him away much of the time, he was satis fied to let things run along under my supervision.
I interviewed the travelling salesmen who arrived from Europe with their bags of samples, and made good choices at satisfactory rates. I talked with the
[ ]
.cohrab and travel Bahal Teacher
Mv IIAIIAT PILGRIMAGE
clients on commerce, politics and religion, keeping them interested and amused. They were apt to return. At night I re-arranged the stock, dusted and swept and I nade the IJiace spick and span for the morning, In fact I became almost indispensable to my employer.
In addition to running a successful department store and holding the position o Consul General, Ahmad Yasd i was a link he twecn A bdu 1 Bali a an ci t Baliais of the Orient. Letters by the hundreds would he sent to Port Said in his care, and these he would turn over to special messengers who arrived weekly from Haifa to pick them up. We functioned as a little post office which was run most secretly, for the Turkish officials looked with disfavor on the Bahai Cause. In this activity we were scrupulously careful and discreet, while under our business aspect we were as natural and open as the day.
In this shop I first caine in con with Americans. Two young men from New York, Sons of Mr. Arthur Pillsbury Dodge, stopped in on their way to Acca to visit Abdul Baha. They were full of love for the Cause, and I was struck at finding in them the same spirit that animated the Bahais of the East. In time other Ameri cans turned up, and my childhood's wish to visit Yanga Donya flared up again.
I met a Scottish lady who ran a missionary school. She was an ardent Christian and most anxious to make converts. Thinking that I was a good prospect, she invited me to study with her, and I caught at this chance of learning the Bible and English too. I at tended her school assiduously in the evenings, and while I was more interested in the language than in the Bible, I got a lot out of beth. I owed this lady a great deal and respected bier love for Christianity
[
/
:4
k:
v
HaA, Njay, Disciple of Baha Sohrah
nI 31?::n Ahinod a:d Per.ch2n (
Mv BANAl PTlogIpIAOE
which had impelled her to uproot herself from home and take up residence in a strange land. It was a good experience and very useful to rue,
At this time I came to know another Bahai teacher, the greatest of them all. Mirza Abul Fazl of the College of Teheran, ranked among the outstanding intellec tuals of the East. He could have had any position in Persia, but chose instead to hold himself at the dis posal of Abdu] Baha. He lived off and on in Cairo, where he wrote books and received American visitors coming and going from Acca. He knew all the phil osophies and religions of the Orient and was an adept interpreter of the Bible. His mind was a fountain of knowledge. In regard to scholarship, Mirza Abul Fa21 could be likened to no one except the Master himself.
Mirza Abut Fazi came to Port Said where he visited Ahn,ad Yasdi every day. He used to sit on the side walk outside the store and watch the throngs of passers-by. Whenever I had a free moment I would slip out and ask him questions, and pretty soon he invited me to his rooms where we would talk far into the night. Sometimes he would read aloud from a book that he was writing, and ask my opinion as to this or that. 1-us works, as standards of Bahai writing, were studied in all countries where there were Bahais, and here was the author seeking the reactions of a teen aged boy who couldn't understand half of what he was hearing. That was Mirza Abul FazI! He would get an idea from the simplest individual, a carpenter perhaps or a salesman, and what is more, use it. He was a being so rare that, as I said before, one could compare him with no one short of Abdul Baha,
One day Mirza Abul FazI abruptly asked me if I wot.dd like to accompany lum to America. What!
[ 62 1
ACCA AND PORT SAID
Yanga Donya, where I had always wanted to go, where I had promised myself to go! I was so startled, so overwhelmed, that I could not say a word. My face must have been my answer.
Mirza Abul Fazi wrote to the Master asking per mission to take me to the United States, and Abdul Baha always yielded to his desires, So I immediately despatched letters to Persia saying that my premoni tion had come true and that I was on my way to Yanga Donya. Then came a hitch.
When Mirza Ahmad Yasdi heard about the plans that had been made, he did not relish them at all. I was an integral part of the business. I took care of the money. What woeld happen to the department stunt So ha, vu his part, wrote to Abdul Baha, and Abdul Baha yielded to him also, to a certain extent. I should stay behind and train someone whom the Master would send to take my place. When this was done, I could follow my teacher.
I was in a predicament. I couldn't write again to Persia saying that I was remaining in Port Said. I just didn't write at all and allowed the letters sent from home, care of Mr. Dodge in New York, to remain unanswered. I felt humiliated and baffled, yet I ex erted myself to train my substitute in the thousand things that were required.
Nine months passed, and I had just about given up hope of ever seeing America when a letter cane from the Master together with a little bag of gold. Mirza Abul Fazl wass ill hi Washhzgton. I should join him at once and serve him in every way.
I packed my few belongings, bade farewell to Ahmad Yasdi and embarked on a steamer bound for Marsei]les. I need not add that my heart was singing.
[ j
Fags 64 bl
6
Apprenticeship In
Yanga Donya
a
I
.
Mirra Abut Earl) r I e r eac her of them all
I tiad reached Yanga Donya, the new world on which my hopes had focussed way back in Persia. New York harbor struck me with wonder, but the immediate issue was to reach the house of Mr. Dodge. A porter toid me to take a taxicab, so
jumped into one and gave the address. On alight ing in a Street on the upper West Side, I was in formed by the driver that the fare was $8.00. Impossible! Why, in Persia one could buy two donkeys for, that sum! However it was not the time to comment on international economics; the money had to be paid and I did not have it. So Mr. Dodge advanced the $8.00 with the rueful aside thaL I might have covered the distance for five cents on the elevated train.
Mr. Dodge was largely occupied with writing books on the Cause. He started the first Bahai jour nal in this country. One of his sons was District Attorney. Mrs. Dodge spent much of her time su pervising activities in the kitchen, for their house was •a ceiuer of Bahai hospitality. The table was spread every day and every night, and hosts o people felt at liberty to drop in and take pot luck.
[
Mv BAHAT PILGRIMAGE
Of course a meeting was called to welcome me. About twenty-bye pcrsons came and I was expected to say a few words.
Now I had learned English from the missionary in Port Said, but I did not feel competent to first try my wings in public, so it was arranged that
should speak in French, while a Swiss woman who served in the house as cook would translate. I was shaking from head to foot and beads of sweat were standing on my brow, but I managed to make my self understood. I said:
My brothers and sisters of America. I bring you a message from Abdul Baha. He wishes you to forget yourselves and love your fellow men— to live, not for yourselves but in and for humanity
—to rise above the limitations of nature and abide in the jimi tiess nature of God, of truth, of eter nity."
That was my initial speech in this country, to be followed by countless others, yet in all my sub sequent experiences, I 'lever addressed a group more full of love, expectancy and appreciation. These people were the pioneers of the Bahai Cause in New York. They had caught the message at its early dawn, and their devotion was hard to match. My heart felt warm in their company. Two days later I had reached my destinatfon—Washington.
Mirza Abul Fail, who had recovered from his ill ness, was daily receivilzg people of all sorts in his room. Although he had been using other inter preters, my advent would enable him to have one constantly at hand. He spoke on the Bible, of which his knowledge was unexcelled, explained
[
APPRENTICESHIP IN YANGA DONYA
prophecies pointing to the Bahai Revelation and taught the Cause mainly through the authority of this one book. A distinguished Persian, by name All Kuli Khan, continued to interpret, while I observed his methods and prepared myself for tak ing over, the while cooking, serving, acting as errand boy and studying the language by night. When summer came, we went to Green Acre,
a i ne.
This was a remarkable center which had been founded by Miss Sarah Farmer who had attended the World Parliament of Religions, held at the Chicago Worlds Fair in lS9 1-lere the B.ahai Cause had been launched in America by an Arab named George Kheirulla, and Miss Farmer had immediately responded to it, accepting the new teaching with all the ardor of her warm nature. In the environs of her home at Green Acre, she reproduced the World Parliament of Religions in miniature form, adding to it—continuity. Thus, religious leaders and philosophers from both East and West came every summer to exchange thoughts on their beliefs, with a view to arriving at con clusions of unity, and Green Acre shot into sudden prominence in intellectual circles.
Miss Farmer, who had some money and was whiling to expend it without reserve, did the prepa ration and organizing of these conferences. A large tent was erected for meetings on a meadow over looking a broad river, happily named Piscataqua (River of Light) and people gathered from various parts of the country to attend these feasts of. reason. Many came from Portsmouth which was only four miles away, also from Boston and other parts of
[
Mv BAHAI PILGRIMAGE
New England. The Transcendentalists", inheritors of the illumination of Ralph Waldo Emerson, found kinship with the groups attending these meetings and the center became a haven for the liberals and the progressives.
In the mornings, the teachers would wander through the pine forests along the riverbank and many of them developcd the habit of conducting classes under different trees. Consequently certain ones became signalized under names, such as: Per. Sian Pine, Hindu Pine, Christian Pine, Arabian Oasis, and when Mirza Abul Fazi identified him. self with the place. we had a Mirza Abut Fazi Pine.
At the formal meetings Miss Farmer acted as a consummate, divine chairman, holding the reins of her little government with such kindliness and charm that the effect was indescribable. Thus through her leadership, intellectuals arid students of all races and creeds came together in joy and fragrance under the impelling influence of tile Bahai Cause.
Many notable flahais figured on the scene of Green Acre: Charles Mason Remey, son of the Admiral; Mr. I-looper Harris, deeply instructed in the teachings; Mr. Harlan Ober, Mr. 1-loward McKnutt, Mr. Alfred lurn, Mr. Mountford Mills a valuable and distinguished personality; Mrs. Mary Hanford Ford, who later became an effective teacher and Mr. Joseph Flannen who in future years cooperated with me under cflfficult circum stances when I badly needed support. Also there was Mrs. May Maxwell, and her pretty little daughter Mary who long ycars after became the wife of Shoghi Effendi. Mrs. Maxwell, as delicate
[
Mi Szrah Farmer
Mv BANAl PILGRIMAGE
iii appearance as a Dresdcn china shepherdess, was remarkably intelligent and forceFul. In subse quent years she became very influential. Among these devoted men and women, little lights in their own ways, a single person stood out as a star of magnitude. It was Lua Gettsinger.
This young woman was among the first Amen car' Bahais, having studied under the direction of Dr. Kheirul]a who had brought the Cause 1.0 the United States, I think that Lua had just about every quality—beauty, good heart, a keen mind, scholarship, fluency, passionate fervor and incom parable charm. Shortly after accepting the Cause she made a trip to Palestine and met Abdul Baha, who recognized her talents and made of her a fa vorite. On returning to this country, she studied
at the feet of Mirza Abul Fazl and became
competent teacher. As a matter of fact, she was a
school teacher to start with. Lua Gettsinger was a
major attraction at Green Acre, but she always
held herself free 10 travel at the behest of Abdul
l3aha, going as Far as India where she was royally
received in many cities by personages of high rank.
Unquestionably, apart from Mirza Abul FazI, Lua
Gettsitiger was the most brilliant of all Bahai
speakers.
After three years of teaching in this country, spent in New York, Washington, Chicago and Green Acre word came from the Master that \iirza Abul Faz was to return . Palestine. 11 went without saying that I was to accompany him, however my private instructions from Abdul Baha read that, if possible. I should remain behind.
[ j
Soh rab a ci Lua G U singer
Mv BAHAi PILGRIMAGE
This was difficult to explain because, as my orders were given [ me personally, I considered that it was a matter purely between the Master and me. So I just stated that I would rema in the United States and let it go at that. 01 course the Bahais raised a big cry, asserting that 1 was ungratetul and disloyal, and even Mirza Abut Fail telt sur prised and a little hurt b 1 held to my resolve of silence and parted wfth my beloved teacher without a word ol explanation.
I was left in New York with exactly in my pocket, and the Bahais were La a hit: "How wilt you support yourself? Be sure you don't come to us.''
"1
them
city.
As
I
walked
along,
feeling
very
desolate,
the
face
of
a woman came
to
my
mind.
Mirza Abul
Fail and I had visited this person in Vest 12th
Street. I knew that she ran a hoarding house and
I thought that I could recogni7.e the entrance. So
I tried out my luck rang a certain doorbell which
turned out to be the right one, and was admitted. I lived there for three months, earning my board
and lodging by cleaning the rooms for eighteen people, helping. in tile kitchen and waiting on table. Then the boarding house was closed and I became a vagrant, possessed of two dollars which were savings from tips. My economic situation, compared to the recent one when I had bade fare well to Mirza Ahul Fa on the dock, was bettered by (our times, yet I realized that I must husband my resources carefully. I had been meeting with
'vi
and
fifty cents
l me
they said.
you for anything,' I assured my way, quite alone in a big
not ask
went on
E 74]
APPRENTICESHIP IN YANQA DONYA
no Bahais nor did I intend to until my prospects were brighter.
About this time I received, a letter from Abdul Baha in which he praised my discretion at having remained in New York apparently to suit my own whim, and the knowledge that I had pleased him was more satisfying than any security whatsoever.
After my teacher had left, I had worked for three months in a boarding house job, now came three more months, again in one job—that of job lessness. I couldn't find any other. All day I walked the streets, and at night I slept on benches in Central Park under newspapers which I would tuck about me. Sometimes, on the most deserted walks, a policeman would turn up and send me scooting. As to Lood, I frequented saloons where bread, and sometimes butter, were given free with an order for beer at five cents. 1 didn drink beer, but was at liberty to take all the bread I wanted, and often a kindly bartender would substitute milk for the beer. On other occasions 1 stood in a bread tine on 6th Avenue, close to 14t Street. I ate once every twenty-four hours. My clothes, none too dapper at the start, had become ragged and dirty. I realized that I cut a very unprepos sessing f
1-labituaTly I trudged the pavements, along rich streets and poor streets, and one day, near 31st Street on Fifth Avenue, I heard my name pro. nounced for the first time in oh so bug. Ahmad! I turned, startled and looked into the kinuly eyes of Mr. Goen, father of a very intelligent Bahai whom I knew.
C 75 2
Mv BAUM PnGRIMAOE
''I saw you on the platform, ntcrpreting for hi irza Ahul Fail,'' he said.
I nodded, happy at the unexpected flash of friendship, while lie Look note of my appearance. Then without any preliminaries, he asked:
Do you need a job
I nodded again.
'come with me.
We walked together for a block and a half, entered the Waldorf Astoria and made our way to lie dining room - The headw ii ter Ca me forw aid.
''I would like you to give this boy a job," Mr. Goen said.
The headwaiter put mc in the care of another waiter who marshalled me to the kitchen .A long apron was tied around me and I learned that I was a busboy.
Busboys collect dishes and take them to the pantry. The task was easy and the pay good— a month with food. I rented a room close by and was more than satisfied. Then, alter nine months of playing second fiddle to t waiters the idea of becoming a full Hedged waiter myself was pro seined to mc by my fellow busboys.
\%Thy not?'' they urged. 'We have learned enough, and there are plenty o. openings at Atlan tic City"
I was dazzled at the prospect and agreed to go, but Fate planned otherwise. One early morning on my way to work, I bought a paper. There on the front page was news that the lately appointed
f 76 ]
APPRENTICESHIP IN YANQA DONYA
Persian Minister had arrived in New York and was stopping at the Waldorf Astoria.
Quietly I stuffed the paper into my pocket,
walked past the service quarters and into the
hotel through the main entrance. In two minutes
I was knocking at the door of the Persian suite.
A tail, thin man admitted me.
Salamon Aleikom," I ventured timidly,
'Aleikom Salam," was the genial response. 'Wel come, come in,' I was offered a chair.
'So you are a Persian' the Minister said. What are you doing here?
Oh, I working.
'Well, I'm working too. I'm starting on a new job, as you must know."
Evidently the Minister was relieved at finding a person to ta'k with in his own language, (or lie kept me for hours, while I also took pleasure in this sudden contact with one oI my own species. Presently he said:
'When I left Teheran, many young men asked to accompany me as secretary, but I didn't take any of them. Somehow I felt that Allah would provide. Now I am offering the position to you. Will you come with me to Washington?"
Looking back on it, I cannot imagine how I ex pressed myself. All I know is that I accepted.
My host ordered lanch and it was wheeled in. The waiter looked at me frowning, but I shook my head and he said nothing. After we had eaten and the dishes were removed, I explained the
[
Mv BAHAT PILGRIMAGE
situation I was a busboy in this very hotel.
What did the Minister do? He just laughed. I think I never heard a man laugh so heartily. The matter simply struck his fancy. Then he gave me money to buy a suit of clothes.
The next day at one o'clock, I followed my new employer into the dining room. The headwaiter tried to keep me out. I-Ic whispered in my ear, 'You're fired!", but the Minister said, He is my guest. Let him be."
Then I was served by the very waiter whom I served for months, while my friends the busboys whispered and giggled amongst themselves.
Immediately the story went about in kitchen quarters that I had never really been a busboy, but a spy on official business, and the next morn ing one newspaper carried an article headed 'From Kitchen to Persian Legation.
As closing scene to this experience, the waiters and busboys gave me a farewell dinner below stairs in the service dining room, but I was not the guest of honor. Oh no! The Persian Minister himself sat at the head of the table, and kept the conversation on a merry key with his [ words of English. Needless to say, the management pro vided a very good meal. Finally the busboys pre sented nie with a pair of gold cuff-links, bearing my initials and the Persian rose. I still have them.
A day or two later I said.my grateful goodbyes Lo the Waldorf Astoria and, following the Persian Minister into the taxi, gave the order:
"Pennsylvania Station!'
[
7
Diplomatic Service
.Vo/uah as rr? P'rsuzn rtiiui
rvI:am-TazohMulk, Persian Minister to the U.S., was well fitted for diplomacy. Responsible toward his obligations, cultured to a high degree, liberal in his thinking, he was moreover a bon enfant. Everybody liked him. When we reached Washing ton, a house on 16th Street which had been rented for the Legation stood ready to receive him. Also were waiting some twenty five or thirty trunks filled with Persian rugs, hangings and art objects. The first duty was to unpack the trunks and make the place livable. This was done with very good results.
Persian Legation was a little museum.
For me obviously it was a side of life altogether new. I came in contact with the diplomatic ways of East and West, rubbed elbows with statesmen and tasted of the intrigues that were operating behind the Oriental curtain. I shared in the social life that was ceaselessly going on at the Legation, answered personal and
[ St 3
Mv BAHA PILOmMAGE
official letters, and had enough time left to accept the position of correspondent offered me by two Persian magazines, the one published in Calcutta, the other in Cairo. These articles of mine, dispatched weekly, dealt with politics and education, and served to explain to Eastern readers the unfamiliar American attitude. They were reproduced in other Persia publications. This independent activhy, added to my official ones, gave me the sense of being a conciliatory influence and recalled to my mind the farewell of Abdu! Baha spoken to me at Acca. lie had said:
The world is your school. You have come to me from that school and! have taught you. Now I am sending you back to the world to learn more, to suffer more, to feel the pangs of hunger, to know the agony of disillusionment and to descend to the dept/is of sorrows so that you may rise to the heights of understanding. I am send ing you back to the world. Keep your eyes open, your ears unlocked, your mind unprejudiced, your spirit unsullied by worldly ambition. have one, and only one object before you to make of yourself a more and more perfected instru ment, so that when the time comes and I call you to the field of action, you may be ready.
So vast was the correspondence of Abdul Baha that he kept six secretaries, not only busy but overworked. Acca was the international nerve center of the Cause from which issued teachings and instructions to many parts of the East and West. Now Abdul Baha sent his communicatbn to me, and Washington became the American nerve center. Thousands of letters descended on the Persian Legation. I would translate them, keep a copy and forward another with the origina' to its
[
DIPLOMATIC SERVICE
destination. Likewise the American letters written to the Master were addressed to me, to be dispatched to Acca; During this period, hundreds upon hundreds of letters designated for the American Bahais came from the Master, and several decades later, these were bound in volumes and placed on the shelves of the Record Room in Caravan House.
Needless to say, all these events caused the Bahais to forget their feelings of aloofness toward me, and I became persona grata with them. Here I must mention the fact that only a small percentage of them had known about my refusal to return home with Mirza Abul Faz The majority was unacquainted with the situation and wondered why I had drifted away from them.
So the Persian legation became a Bahai post Slice.
'You have more correspondence than I" the Minister would remark. "Actually you are working for Abdul Baha, not for me."
Just the same he did not in the least object to this dual employment, but showed interest in the letters, many of which I read aloud to him. In fact, he ac cepted a very strange situation, which was that the American promotional center of a Cause which had been banned by his Government was now firmly set in the hallowed precincts of the Persian Legation.
Social life holds an outstanding place in the pro gram of any Embassy or Legation, and the Minister more than fulfilled this duty. He entertained con stantly in diplomatic circles and even encouraged the High Schools and Private Schools to send their students to study Persian art in his little Iranian museum. The boys and girls loved to come, for they would be served with tea and oriental sweets prepared
[ J
Mv BATItr FILGRrMAGE
in the kitchen by the Persian chef, and always the Minister had information to dispense on eastern weaving, painting or carving, together with little stories and jokes.
In spite of all his social obligations, the Minister had the desire to reserve one evening weekly for Bahai receptions. ihese were always crowded, becoming more and more so as the months passed. I began to teach, choosing one or another book of Baha-O to read from and discuss, and the Minister, who relied on me to conduct this group by myse]f, would be apt to drop in about ten o'clock and call for refreshments tobe served.
From earliest childhood I had lived under condi tions where hospitality was the key-note. My Grand mother had held herself at the disposai of a who came in; Abdul Baha welcomed, not only the world in his heart, but any individual to his side and at his table, and now I was with the Perthan Minister who was the prototype of cheer and conviviality. When any free evenings came around, my Chief would gather a few friends about him and entertain them informa and on these occasions I felt it incumbent on me to take a part in making the time pass pleasantly.
In spare hours, which I had managed to find off and on, I had browsed in the Public Library, and there I had come across some books on hypnotism. The sub jcct intrigued me and I learned quite a few points on putting a person into a trance, giving him orders which were supposed to be obeyed, and most important of all, extricating him from the trance. With this book-knowledge at hand and no experience whatso ever, I offered to divert a small group at the Legation with a try-out of my newly acquired science.
[
DIPLOMATIC SERVICE
I chose a subject, made the required passes and to (fly own amazement saw my man drift into somnam bulance. I told him to pronounce a certain word
was concentrating on which was to be found at the top of page so and so in the dictionary, and heard him repeat it. Then I brought him out of the trance with the pre-arranged signal.
This form of entertainment delighted the guests and I was encouraged to proceed with my experiments. I did so about once a week, becoming more and more adept until I could make any member of the group do whatever I said. In fact one of the guests so fell under my influence that he would start drifting off at the very sight of me. Of course it is understood that a subject will comply with orders only with'rn the limits of his conscience.
Having experimented successfully with every mem ber of the little circle, I became ambitious to the point of attempting a mass-hypnotism. One night all were put into trance and individual instructions given, but in the general excitement I forgot to specify the sign that would bring them back to normal. So proceedings started off on schedule, each doing his part. One man walked on four feet, roaring like a lion; a second declaimed the opening lines of the Declaration of Independe a third sang "Geleste Aida' at the top of his voice, while a fourth raised an insistent inquiry "To be or not to be, that is the question F' The remaining guests were engaged in other stunts, and I stood in the midst of the bedlam, supervising my subjects with pride and satisfaction.
The Persian Minister had been ordered to read aloud a certain confidential document received that morning, and he showed obstinacy. In the whole
[ 85 ]
Mv BANAl PILGRIMAGE
group, he was the only one that was not complying. However the spell proved too strong for him, and he made a beginning, but halted after pronouncing a few words. Caught by the power of hypnotism, yet unable to betray his conscience, he looked for a way out—the window! We were on the third floor of the house. At that moment I realized the awful fact that I had not given the sign to break the trance. Desper ately I threw myself on the Minister, thc while calling for help with all my might, but my companions con tinued roaring, reciting, singing. and paid no attention to me. The Minister's strength was super-human, due to the hypnotism, and he was utent on jumping. We struggled on the window sill, and then, as an Angel of Deliverance, the Persian chef rushed upon the scene, lie had heard the din from below stairs. So the two of us over the Minister, and I kicked him umnercifully until he snapped into normal. Then turning to the others, I applied the same unorthodox remedy to them, and it worked, Everyone became his natural but exhausted self. Finally I took account of the situation and said: It 'Sn t worth it. I will never touch hypnotism again," and I never did.
The Minister was most lavish in his expenditures. He spent everything he had, and one time he found himself in difficulties owing to the fact that his salary was unaccountably late in arriving from Persia. With out losing time, I explained the case by letter to Abdul Baha and received instructions that the Bahais should raise the money. Three thousand dollars were needed, and three thousand dollars came to my hand almost instantaneously. The major part of the sum was lent by May Maxwell with two others contribut ing. This assistance, unexpectedly coming to him out
F 86]
DIPLOMATIC SERVICE
of the blue sky, impressed my Chief deeply and never forgot it. Of course the- debt was paid due time.
After three years in the United States, the Minister was recalled. He bade me an affectionate farewell and returned home to receive another assignment.
Left to myself in Washington, I felt that it was opportune to develop cultural relations between my country and the United States, so with the assistance of a few friends, I formed the Persian American Edu cational Society. We organized a Conference at which was held a three-dat lecture and discussion series, and prepared an exhibit of Persian weeklies and various publications that had sprung up here and there. Like wise we sent American literatare to Persian libraries and schools. These activities, linking America with the Orient, caused me to conjure up a plan for an eventual building in Washington which would stand as a center of the arts, culture and science of East and West.
As a very practical form of service for the Persian American Educational Society, I instituted a scholar ship fund for teaching children in Persia. This was subscribed to by American Bahais, $18.00 annually covering the cost for one child. The distinguished teacher, Dr. Susan Moody, carried the brunt of this work in Teheran and its environs. She taught the children English, and the rudiments of schooling in that language Many progressed into higher brackets of learning, Between one and two hundred children were scholars at this Teheran school which was called Tarbiat. It received support from American Bahaji until Abdul Baha came to the United States, at which time I was too busy to give it proper attention. After
[ J
DIPLOMATLC SERVICE
a few years, the interest in this country dwindled and the scholarship project was mainly given up. However Tarbiat, as a Bahai school supported in Persia, con tinued to function.
At thh juncture I founded a bi-lingual journal in Persian and English, named Bahai News. Later it was printed in English only. Of course I continued to handle the correspondence from Acca as my first duty. I had my office for which Abdul Balm paid the rent, and was busy up to the eyes.
During these days the Ottoman government had been overthrown by the Young Turks, and the gates of all political prisons throughout the Empire
been opened. Abdul Baha, after close to a life-time of captivity, was free to go and come as he pleased. Suddenly we heard that he was in Egypt and
Bahais initiated a movement to invite him to the United States.
On my own initiative I started to raise funds
defer expenses, and in no time the sum of two thousand dollars was forwarded to the Master as an initial con tribution toward the proposed trip. Presently his an swer was received with the money order enclosed. Abdul Balm stated that he was coming, but that hi5 expenses were provided for Re said that there were many social needs in this country and, while he thanked the American Bahais for their consideration 1 would be glad if the money were expended on the poor of their own cities. It became my task to return the contributions to the donors, which I did rather sheepishly.
Abdul Eaha instructed me to meet him in Paris, so the chapter of my residence in Washington was closed, I sailed immediately, stayed with him for about
[
Mv BAnAl PILGRIMAGE
ten days at a pension, during which time he spoke of his plans for a trans-continental trip in the United States and Canada. He told me that he expected to sail for New York in about nine months and gave me three thousand dollars for any necesary work, prepara tory to Fils arrival. Then he sent me to Germany for a short sojourn with Mirza Assadullah, (not my old friend but another great servant of the Cause) at the c of which I accompanied him to Marseilles where he took the boat for Alexandria.
Back in Washington, this time as a transient, I launched on the great work. I created a board of writers, consisting of about one hundred men and women, and commissioned each to write from ten to twelve articles on various phases of the Cause. When finished, these were carefully read by a group of Bahai scholars, and the best selected some twenty five papers in all. Forty thousand copies of these articles were printed in galley proofs. also forty thousand cuts of Abdu] Baha and forty thousand booklets giving a resumé of the teachings. These were mailed to all newspapers, weeklys and monthlys as well as to insti tutions, colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada The former office of the Persian American Educational Society was a beehive where ten persons, more or tess, worked feverishly all day and much of the night.
In time our efforts began to bear fruit. Invitations to the Master came in from churches, synagogues and educational institutions. One month before his arrival, two hundred and fifty requests to hear him speak had been received. A schedule of appearances was in process of organization. The intelligentia of the country was alerted to receive Abdul Baha.
[
(gi
The Great Thur
I
\ V
• •::: :::1 .:: :r.:.
• ••:
E the morning of April 11th, 1912, 83. Cedric of the White Star Line sailed into New York harbor. A tugboat, engaged by the Associated Press, went out to meet it and dozens of reporters clam bered up the side of the ship. Radio messages from all parts of the United States and Canada were coming in. About three hundred Bahais from van ous cities waited on the dock. Abdul Baha disem barked and, followed by a cortege of cars. was transported to the house of Mr. and Mrs. Edward
J. Kinney, at 780 West End Avenue. Here he and his entourage took up residence during his stay in New York.
[
Mv BAHA PILGRrMAGE
When asked why he had undertaken such a long voyage, which might prove to be beyond his physi cal endurance, the Master answered:
When it is necessary! my body can endure every thing.'
The first mceting at which Adbul Baha spoke was held under the auspices of the Theosophical Society in Carnegie Recital Hall, and the first church that presente him was the Church of the Ascension on 10th Street and Fifth Avenue, of which Dr. Percy S. Grant was Rector. After numer ous addresses delivered in New York, Abdul Baha started on a tour of the United States. He visited \•Vashington, Baltimore, Boston, Pittsburgh, Chi cago, Denver, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Los Angeles and any number of towns along the way. He rested very little. Actually lie worked from eighteen to twenty hours in the twenty four, as did We five or six Persians who accompanied him, half of whom were secretaries. Dr. Ameen Fareed, a very emine scholar, interpreted at the large meetings and I at the smaller ones. My main duty was to conduct the trip.
The schedule in most cities was identical. Long lines of men and womcn waited for interviews which started at six o'clock in We morning and continued until eleven o'clock, at which time the Master gave an address. Then luncheon, Often fifteen, twenty or thirty people would be invited. and we would have to rush out to buy extra sup plies and prepare the meal. The hotels in many places allowed us this privilege. In the afternoons
[
THE GREAT TcWR
the Master spoke at one public meeting after an other, to. Christians in their churches, to Jews in their synagogues, to students in their auditoriums, to Women .Sufferage groups, Peace Societies, So cialists, Spiritualists, agnostics, philosophers teach ers, officials of all sorts, together with the poor and the unlearned, and all listened to the words which for nine months flowed from his lips like a Niagra Falls, irrigating the parched ground of minds and hearts. His marvellous treatices, comprising all aspects of religious and scientific thought, consti tute an example of what one.man can do—a captive since the age of nine, venturing into the world at sixty five, appearing before the elite of the nations, overturning the inherited concepts of his listeners and setting up new standards for people and for their governments.
Among the wealth of ideas which Abdul Baha scattered from coast to coast, I am picking out one sentence which gives the Bahai ideology with arrest ing brevity. At Howard University, Washington, DC. he said: I pray on your behalf that there shall be no name other than humanity amongst you.
In the Record Room at Caravan House are to be found thirty one volumes of press clippings that appeared in the newspapers and journals of the United States during this momentous trip. The publicity was extraordinary. After the Masters visit to the University of Palo Alto, a newspaper of that city reproduced his talk, with photographs and comments, covering four full pages. So it was to different degrees throughout the country. The public interest did not let down.
[
Mv BAIIM P
Probably Abdul Baha was the first Oriental lecturer who never received a cent for his talks. Often institutions were willing to pay, even as muci' as $500 which was an enonnous price in those days. but the Master would just laugh at the thought. I have not come to America to collect money" lie wou]d say, but only pure hearts and dedicated minds." Incidentally he never passed a collection plate without putting at least $5.00 into
it. When he visited the Bowerie Mission in New York, lie placed a shining fifty cent piece into every hand. Although these poor waifs had never heard of Abdul Baha before that night, at the close of the meeting it was impossible to buy back one of these coins for double the value.
On December 5th Abdul Balm and the rest of us sailed for Englaitd. That day I wrote the first chapter in my Diary, a series of volumes destined to become historic. Here daily, month after month, year after year, I took down the words of the Master, spoken formally and informally, recorded his actions, enumerated his plans and gave an inti mate account of him to be found nowhere else. If I had done nothing more in life, I could approach my Maker at the very end and say: Here is my gift to our times and those 1:0 follow. It is a portrait of Abdul Baha, sketched with unwavering atten don by one who loved him.
This Diary covers the period from the Master's departure from the United States to the clay when
saw him in Palestine for the last time- It consti tutes a storehouse of information, which appeared
[
l Baha in Bristol, Enaland
i v BAIl AT PILGRIM :\Glo
successively in Bahai periodicals A small section likewise was published in book form under the title: Abd ul Baha in Egypt. Eahai historians of the future will have a May-day in brousing through t.Iiis s record oF the Master I f
In London Abditi Balm and his party stayed at the apartment of Lady Bloontheld which, fully equipped with servants, had been placed at his disposal. lady Bloomfield and her family moved to a nearby hotel. Here as in the United States, I [ of visitors Formed early in the morni Hg, and the men and women welt received one by one, or in groups. The high and the low came, a former Vice-Roy to India, statesmen, ilergymen. ournal ists, suifragists. Mrs. Pankhurst and her daugh te held a meeting for Abdul Eaha on their cause— Women's Rights, which was also his cause. Thou sands oF people a Etenderl 1o this lecti.ire as well as to most others, the press gave generous spa it to the words of the great visitor.
A meeting for mothers was arranged in one of he slum sections oF the city and tile Master poured Ins love on these poor women and children, speak ing to one alter another and giving a shilling to each. On New Year's Eve he held a dinner at the Salvation Army. The appreciation shown by those lonely arid dispossessed ones was something to long remember.
One day a hobo rang the doorbell and some argument took place in the hall. Apparently he was being turned away. Ahdui Baha sensed what was going on and sent me to bring the man in.
9K 1
THE GREAT TouR
Now this hobo had been walking along the road forty miles away, when the wind brought a news paper clipping to his feet. He glanced at it and proceeded to read about Abdul Baha "Can this be true?' he said to himself. "I will go to London and see for myself." The Master kept him for quite a while and gave him money to buy a suit of clothes. After that he came continuously to the house and sometimes brought his hobo friends. Abdul l3aha found him intelligent, and liked to have him by. Sometimes he would place him along side of Lady Bloomfield, jufl to demonstrate his feeling of democracy, and Lady Bloomfield respond ed nobly and, after a while herself made a favorite of the hobo.
Archbishop Wilburforce was invited to meet
Abdul Baha, but he held back, merely sending a
message: 'We are all one behind the veil." Like a
flash, Abdul Baha responded with his own message:
Return to the Archbishop and say and the veil is thinning quite.' " Later the veil became so thin that the Archbishop made up his mind to call, and when he had spoken to the Master he felt that there was no separation between them.
Abdul Baha was invited to Oxford to speak be fore the professors of the University. His talk was along scientific lines and produced considerable effect. Among those who were especially impressed Was Professor Chayne who later wrote of him: 'He was a complete man. No one in our time, so far as my observation reaches, has lived the perfect life like Abdul liaha."
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Mv BA PILGRIMAGE
In closing this brief account of Abdul Bahas visit to England, I want to show him as he deliv ered I is first talk in that country and repeat his words delivered on that occasion, which have be come immortal. Incidentally, the Master always spoke without notes. He never referred to any paper.
fi Reverend K. [ Camphel], Pastor of the City 1cm pie, induced i is d istiiiguished guest saying:
ihis evening we have in the pulpit of the City Temple the leader of one of the most remarkable religious movements of this or any other age
Ihe English correspondeni AD. takes up the thread in one of his articles:
Abdul Balm then advanced arid addressed the cougregation. He spoke for eight rninutcs in Persian with considerable animation, his voice rising and falling as in a rhythmic chant. To wards the close he placed the palms of his hands together as in prayer. The translation (of his words which had been taken down) was read aftcrwards by Mr. W. Tudor Pole, as follows (in part):
- . This is a flew cycle of human power. A the horizons are luminous, and the world will indeed become as a garden and a para d?.se. It is the hour of the unity of the sons of men, and of the drawing together of all races and classes ... The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the one-
'00]
Abdul Baha at the house of Rev. R. J. Campbell
Mv B PILGRIMAGE
ness of mankind and the fundamental one ness of religion. Wars shall cease between nations, and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world, and all men shall live as brothers . There is one God; mankind is one, and the foundations of religion are one.
A flying trip to Edinburgh, replete with the same activities and we went on to Paris where the atmosphere was totai]y different. Only little meet ings here, but the succession of interviews con tinued. Then Germany where the people melted with love wherever the Master went. A short stop in Austria. and we took the boat for Port Said.
For quite a while, Orientals had been gathering in Egypt and Palestine to await Abdu] Raha, and as we sailed into port, we saw the dock alive with hundreds of people in their native dress Persians, Arabs, Turks, Russians, Hindus. It was a gay sight. glinting with color, but underneath was fervant emotion. The East was welcoming hack its own.
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9
War Years In
Palestine
Trhroughout his talks given on the great tour, Abdul Baha had stressed the imminent approach of disaster if the people did not recognize the spiritual bonds that united all of them under the outer covering of mistrust and hostility. "Go into battlel' he would say. 'Kill someone you have never seen — your brother
Sometimes the people objected to his ideas. After a certain meeting, a few complained: Why has this Persian come to Stuttgart? What has he to do with us? We do not want pacifistic principles. Peace is for the weak. War is for the mighty. Germany is a warlike, demonstrative nation."
In other places the men stated -that they were not factors in the making of wars. The govern ments attended to these things. It was their duty
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Mv BAHAT PILGRIMAGE
to obey. Abdu Eaha was never afraid to deal with the rulers, any more than Baha-O-LIah had been. lie repeatedly addressed them directly. I have the copy of a most marvellous talk given by the Master at a slightly later period than the one of which I am now writing. Actually it was delivered in March, 1913, but as it is along lines which were familiar to him, and being especially uncom promising and bold I am quoting one paragraph. Addressing their overlords in the name of the soldiers, he says:
Vain are you and vainer your thoughts! Let it be known that we no longer agree to shed our blood so copiously for the up holding of your fantc$tic reasons for war. Rather we are determined to break your combinations of powers, to hurl down your despotic thrones and regain the au MorlEy that you have usurped and as sumed. We are fighting to uproot the tree of your coarse influence, to cleanse our bodies of its tenacious burrs, to destroy their thousand nettled thistles of evil and promote the ideal of democracy upon the expanse of the earth. We are fighting to establish the principles of Divine Civiliza tion in the hearts of men and to hold aloft forever the banner of a Universal Com mon wealth.
Here was the voice of a man who had known
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WAR YEARS IN PALESTINE
almost life-long captivity and surveillance. Was his spirit broken?
Repeatedly during that American and European trip did Abdul Baha assert that war was inevitable unless the governments suppressed their selhsh interests and came to a general understanding- The newspapers of those months bear witness to this fact. Among the many, we have as heading: Abdul Eaha Prophesies Universal Conflagration — 19
The Master returned home in a state of deep disappointment. Outwardly, his journeyings had been successful beyond the expectations of any body, yet he left Europe with a sense of grief and frustration. Arriving in Palestine about the middle of the year l he resumed his normal life among his followers. About a year later the war broke out and Abdul Balm became a fanner.
Adjacent to the Sea of Galilee was a large com munity of Zoroastrians who were tillers of the soil. Abdul Baha moved to Tiberias and Adassiah and, through the experience of these people set up a vast planting project. Corn, wheat, barley and other foodstuffs were sown, and in due time the harvests were taken in and stored. So rich was the ground in this area that it yielded three or even four crops during the season.
With the transfer of the scene of war from the Dardanelles to Syria, the possessions of the people were requisitioned. The Turkish government took everything, livestock, household furnishings, even clothing. The houses were swept clean; there were no homes; there was no means of subsistence. Then came the locusts in numbers unprecedented as far
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My BAHAL PILGRrnIA0E
back as the memories of the oldest inhabitants could reach. Then came the famine.
To adequately describe the misery and degrada tion that ensued would be impossible, were 1 to cover pages. Suffice it to say that death was the order of the days and nights- In Lebanon alone, a than one hundred thousand persons sue cumbed to starvation.
My duties lay at the distributing end. The peop would come to the house, Jews, Christians, Mo hammedans, Druses, Bahais, and I would supply them with coupons. The Master computed the amount rep red by each Family. It was a thor oughly organized ration svsteni. So the war years i-oiled on with Abdul Baha guarding, protecting, saving the communities of Haifa and Acca.
Owing to the foresight of Abdul Baha, condi io,is in Haifa and Acca, though none too easy, were vividly different. Trains of camels plied between Tiherias arid Adassiah all d the Masters house in HaiLi. Here sacks of graiii and cases oi vegetables, fruits, ]]uts a lid olive oil were unloaded and packed in the great store-room. \1 a night's est, the caravans would return to the plantations For other consignments.
Caring for the needy was not our sole occupa tion. Thought had to be given to the years suc ceeding the war. One day the Master found me pouring over a world atlas. He pointed to the text and said: 'Translate,' so I began. While I was reading, he picked up some of my notes. '1 see you have been making a skeleton listing already. Very good. Proceed with it and later bring the ma
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WAR YEARS IN PALESTINE
terial to me. I still have this geography in my possession — a book which was destined to be asso ciated with a spiritual plan for the heating
nations.
On a Monday morning, it was March 26th, 1916, Abdul Balm was sitting at the window of his room, looking over the sea and far into infinitude. Sud denly he ordered me to bring pen and paper, saying 1 will dictate a Tablet to America.
This was the first of a succession of Tablets,
dressed to the different sections of the United States, to Canada, to the nations of the earth and the islands of the seas. They are documents of great beauty and power, revealing his vast inten tion. They are a charter for world teaching.
collection is called The Divine Plan.' Dictation on this document, which the Master took up on and off when lie was in the mood, covered a period of close to two years.
When completed, these Tablets were transcribed on large sheets of vellum by Noured-Din Zeine, who had learned the art of calligraphy from his lather Jenabe Zain. They were beautifully
mined, with borders of intricate tracery, and were placed underground until the day when they could be made public. ?' Ieanwhile the Master had in structed me to learn these Tablets by heart as precaution against the possibility that they might fall into the hands of the Turks and be destroyed.
It was a big undertaking, but I applied myself to it unremittingly and in eight or nine months I was letter-perfect. During this time of concen tration, I became familiar with every country to
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My BAnAl PILGRIMAGE
which the words were addressed, J felt that I was involved with each that I was part of each. High on Mount Carmel, I responded to the vibration of the globe as it spun before the eyes of my mind.
Often during the course of this memorizing, the Master would tell me to repeat to him one Tablet or another, and when my training was completed, he gathered his followers together in the great room adjacent to the shrine of the flab. Then he told them that he had draw up an order of the day concerning the nations and races, to the end that they might come together in the realization of the oneness of a phenomena and the consciousness that all inspirat is one, lie concluded: 'Now Mirza Ahmad will recite for you the Divine Plan.' It was five o'clock.
I began to chant the first Tablet to America. The Master's eyes were on me. The Bahais were listening, absorbed, enthralled. I lost myself in the words that I was repeating. An hour passed, two hours; my audience began to retax. Presently some were nodding, some were drifting off, but Abdul Raha's attention never wavered. Sometimes he scanned his court of fitful s and smfled at me encouragingly. So I went on through the last Tablet and stopped. It was eight o'clock.
The closing day of fighting in our legion took place on September 23rd, 1918. The Turks and Germans had raised a barricade on the waterfront, which was broken through by a detachment of Hindu cavalry. These horsemen drove through the streets, cutting down everyone in sight, and con tinued round the bay to Acca and down the road
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WAR YEARS IN PALESTINE
toward Tyre and Sidon. A evening General ICing, arriving at the head of the British troops, received the keys of the city.
'Is Abbas Effendi safe? These were the historic first words of General King, who presently was conducted to the house of the Master. He carried with him a little bag of sugar which he presented to Abdul Baha with the compliments of General Allenby.
That night the plain of Haifa had become a tented city, glimmering with lights, and the next morning the task of civil readjustment began.
General King picked out many young Bahais to help him, and the Master was most cooperative, however when I was included in the number, he objected. 'This one you cannot have. I have other work for him to do."
After the Armistice was declared, streams of let ters from all parts of the world began to pour in. The Master was especially eager to hear from
United States, but when news did arrive, it brought no happiness. What had the American Bahais been doing while Abdul Baha was isolated in Palestine? They had been quarreling. They had been ostracizing one another. They had formed
"Committee of Investigation.' They had chosen the birthday of Bah.a-O-Llah to persecute the inno cent in public.
As I started to translate to the Master the first letter from Chicago, my hands shook so much
the pages fell to the ground. Abdul Baha arose, picked them up and handed them back to me. He was very quiet. I think he knew something of what
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Mv BAHAT PILGRIMAGE
was coming. I began again and read for a long time, the Master sitting motionless. On reaching the end, I looked into his lace and saw that it was wet with tears.
'What have they done to thc Cause!' lie was speaking as iF to himsell. What have they done to the Cause!"
He commented on die information received, point by point, then turned to me.
You will go to America. You must dispel these clouds. The time has come when you are tn render a mighty service.'
1 did not relish this assignment and, for the first time in my life, began to make excuses to the Master, but he did not listen to me.
"Baha-O-Llah will support you, and I will pray for you. Have no fear."
During the next few weeks, I received minute instructions regarding my course of action in the United States, but the first requisite was to get there in time for the coming Bahai Convention. This seemed next to impossible as communications between America and the Near East had not yet been set up One night we dug the Divine Plan from the soil of Mount Carmel and I was ready to leave. On the last morning the Master spoke with me [ three hours, from eight to eleven o'clock. Then he kissed me on both cheeks and blessed me. According to my notes which I re corded at the first opportunity, some of his words were as follows:
Concentrate all your time in the service of
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WAR YEARS IN PALESTINE
the Cause. Attach not yourself to particu lars. Endeavor as far as possible to sadden no heart. I will never forget you. Day night you are before my sight. Few souls have stayed with me for so long a time. I declare by Baha-O-Llah that always midnight 1 shall pray for you, saying:
God! Confirm Mirza Ahmad, my son."
With these words in my ears and encompassed his wistful smiles I left the presence of my be loved Lord. It was the morning of December 22nd, 1918. I never saw Abdul Baha again.
At that especial period, Orientals were not per mitted to pass the frontier, but I broke through, claiming to be an Aryan, which indeed I was. Although permits for the United States were attainable, I managed to get one. In spite of fact that no western bound steamers were leaving Port Said, I wheedled passage on a Japanese cargo
and reached New York.
The events related in this chapter are embodied in my book entitled 'The Story of the Divine Plan" which was published in 1947. Here I just indicating the high points. The book continues with an account of my efforts in New York and Chicago to bring unity among the Bahais and of my championship of the excluded ones. It minates with the great Convention held at the McAlpine Hotel, New York, where, during week, the Tablets of the Divine Plan were un veiled one by one before enormous crowds.
All this was not done without opposition. Up
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Mv BAT-cAr PILGRmEAOE
the last minute, the Bahais put stumbling blacks in my path. They did not want me to appear on the platform of the Convention; they did not agree that I shou!d be the one to read the Tablets which I had brought; they even questioned the credentials given me by Abdul Baha. All these impediments were overstepped, due to magnificent support which I received from Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Han nen, Mr. and Mrs. William Randall, Mrs. May Maxwell, Miss Juliet Thompson, Mr. Mountford Mills, Mrs. Agnes Parsons, Mr. Louis Gregory, Mr. Roy Wilhelm, Mr. and Mrs. Flarlan Ober, Mr. William Hoar, Mrs. Isabel Chamberlin, Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Kinney, Mr. Alfred Lunt and others, and the Eleventh Bahai Convention went into history as a complete triumph. The Bahai Committee o Jnvestigation died a timely death, leaving behind only a ghost, yet a ghost apt to put on bones and flesh whenever given a chance, while the Tablets of the Divine Plan for the drawing together of all races and nations stands as an in- spired charter for this era and those to come, given to mankind by the Servant of God.
The dramatic Eleventh Bahai Convention, held so successfully, carried a small price in its wake. Personally I was exhausted. Since my arrival six weeks before, I had met suspicion disguised in every fonn, as well as flat-footed hostility. I had been put on the carpet and cross-examined like a criminal. Cables as to my mission had been sent to Abdul Baha, and when the answers arrived, these were studied with a view to finding in them subtle implications. All this was very wearing.
A lady in Chicago, member of the National
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WAR YEARS IN PALESTINE
Assembly, claimed that the Master had once said to her in confidence: "Do not trust Ahmad Sohrab." I allowed this rumor to circulate until my patience was exhausted, then I said: "Cable to Abdul Baha. Ask if he has said this oi me. If the answer comes back It is so,' I will retire from the convention and leave all its affairs in your hands." The cablegram was not sent.
After the sessions were in full swing, accusations were brought that I was imitating the Master. When you appear on the platfotiti, they said, "you walk like Abdul Baha; you talk like Abdul Baha; you make gestures as he did. We are de termined that such mimicry shall cease."
This was fun, and the answer easy. 'When I left Haifa," I explained the Master said to me:
'Mirza Ahmad! When you arrive in America, I want you to walk as I walk, speak as I speak. move as I move, think as I think, act as I act and live as I live. Now I never expected to fulfill this par ticular instruction, but if you think 1 have suc ceeded I can only be surprised and very happy."
In themselves these incidents were not too grave, yet the attempt in some quarters to forestall my plans were dangerous right up to the last minute. Through it all, I prayed for strength to see me through. If I could only read the last Tablet, after that I did not care! Then when my mission was accomplished, I went into delirium and did not know anything for four days.
The affairs of the Convention had proceeded according to plan, my critics having yielded step by step. The Committee of Investigation was
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Mv BAHA PILGRIMAGE
scrapped. All the ousted ones had been received back into the fold. I had had my way, which was the Master's way. I was simply following his in structions, yet victory as I said before entails a price. A sense of exasperation in my regard was felt in leading Bahai circles. These people had been told what to do by an Oriental, quite a young one at that, and although they recognized the precept of the equality of the races, the American amour pro had been wounded. Many who had held to me were still to be counted on, yet I knew that in the fit tu re my path in this coun try would he a thorny one.
measure was conducive to public interest.
I engaged myself with a newspaper in Maine, to send a weekly article on the the philosophy which actuated it. This called "Persian Pilgrim's Pen-Pictures" for the duration of the trip.
I kept the Secretary of the National Bahai As-
Abdul Baha sent Mir,a i tile United States. He and well versed in the knowledge of English. TI
interpret [ him and conduct h to coast. This was done with publicity arrived at in one state a remarkable and sustained. I had tern. On reaching a certain city study the history o that regi library. Then I would tie up with the lecture of Jenabe Faze! or was about to be delivered
jenabe Fazel to lecture was a devoted Persian teachings, but with no te Master wished me to is tour from coast great success, the Iter another being developed a sys or town, I would on in the public the facts learned which had been, right there. This
Portland, tour, and series was and lasted
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WAR YEARS IN PALESTINE
sembly informed as to all our doings, and sent copies of the talks given. These were released to the press and published in five booklets under the title 'The Solution of the World's Problems"
Mirza Jenabe Fazei of Teheran, Persia.
Thus every aspect of our teaching campaign. covering the country from New York to Oregon and back through Canada, was preserved. This literature is now to be found in the Record Room of Caravan House.
At the close of our journeyings, which lasted sixteen months, Jenahe Fazel and I parted in New York, to come together a year or so later on a repeat trip over the same territory. During the in terim he returned to Palestine, while I made
way westward to start a new chapter in my life.
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to
The Winding Trail to the
Little Blue House
S rub ctaytuu li i N Yo
little money, I managed by hook and by crook to reach Chicago, after which I rode the rails for the test of the journey to California. Lying face downward under the cars, gripping to one's position with hands and feet, watching the road bed of the train flying past only a few inches away from one's face, is an unrestful mode of travel, to say the least. On arriving at a city, I would dodge the conductors and station officials, find a place to wash and something to eat, rest in some corner and then board another train. So it went. I became identified with soot, and, on reaching the quiet of my destination and breathing the pure air of Cali fornia, had to be re-introduced to my former self. I did not mind the experience too much, for while my body was racing, my mind was at a standstill and that was a relief.
In Los Angeles, I reached my financial low-water mark. A weekly dinner with Mrs. Platt, a good Bahai friend of mine, constituted my main source
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of subsistance for seven days until the next weekly dinner came around. Through this lady I found some opportunities to lecture and developed two subjects which proved to be very acceptable to audiences. These were 'The Religion of Hu manity" and "The Religion of Art." I used these sibjects countless times, with variations. The latter was quite remunerative. Meanwhile, I lectured consistently on the Bahai Cause. These talks were more frequent and were of course given free.
One evening in 1921, on arriving for dinner at Mrs. Platt's house, I was handed a cablegram. I opened it, glanced at the signature 'Bahieh' and read the message which told me that Abdul Baha had ascended to tile Kingdom on Monday, No vember 28th. It was a blow between the eyes. I couldn't understand what had happened. I simply was terror stricken. I ran out of the house.
Somehow I got to my room and sat down in a chair, %Vas it true? Could the Master have left the earth so quietly, so suddenly? It was inconceivable that I wouldn't see him again, yet the cablegram came from the Greatest Holy Leaf, his sister. Yes) it must be true. The Sun of my life had sunk past the borders of the world into realms where I could not follow. Abdul l3aha was gone.
For three days I sat in my room, helpless and weeping, then I turned my spirit to him, as I always had when in need, and I felt his fingers tightening around my heart. This was the first sensation I had had since I opened that yellow envelope. I was coming back to life.
The Master hadn't trained me for collapse in
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TIlE WINDING TRAIL TO THE LITTLE BLUE HOUSE
emergency. The work that had to be done in his lifetime was all the more imperative now. I must go on, use my ingenuity, find ways and means of service. In his first Tablet to me, when I was just a young boy, he had said:
Although in the path of the True One thou art homeless and a wanderer, nevertheless put thy trust in Him.
and in his second Tablets he had addressed me:
Oh thou my perpetual companion!
I had to take his word for it. I would proceed with my life, wounded and desolate, yet never forsaken. Had he not called me his perpetual companion?
In spite of this resolve, periods of depression ensued. The movement was now under new leader ship and 1 no longer had a Court of Last Appeal in Haifa. The surface of my spirit became blank. Poverty was my only companion. I came to a point where life was unendurable, not a very admirable frame of mind for anyone, least of all for a person who had drunk so deeply at the Fountain of Life, but so it was.
It is a platitude to say that there is no perfect crime, and my attempted suicide was as crude as any could be. When I turned on the gas in my stove, I overlooked a crack in the window pane. Early the next morning, my landlady rushed into the room to find me woozy, but alive. She turned off the gas, threw open the window and dragged me into the hail.
"What have you been doing?" she looked at me
[
Mv BAu.kl PILCRIM4OE
severely, then softening: Don't won-y about the rent. You can stay at long as you like, and now come down to breakfast
She gave me coffee lvi th a ten dollar bill, while applied to mysell a good mental shaking. The landlady's hand stretched out to me that morning, remained a detail in high relief on the design of my life. When I presently took up residence in Hollywood 1 returned to Los Angeles to call on her horn time to time, but she never allowed me to repay the ten dollars.
1 became a frequenter of movie studios. As atmosphere 1 was acceptable and I got many a job in the crowds that figured in the big productions. I took part in films of Rudolph Valentino, Douglas Fairbanks! Lon Chaney and other actors and de veloped into an enthusiast of the drama. I came to know many stars and spoke at their houses. Sometimes of an evening I took in a double fee, the first for cooking dinner for as many as one hundred people, even two hundred, and the second For delivering a lecture afterwards in full Oriental dress. I gave Soirees on Omar Khayyam, whose Rubayyat I knew from cover to cover. These were in costume, the text being accompanied by music, eight or nine persons taking part. I spoke to groups on Persian poetry, Eastern philosophy and the great religions of the world. I founded Firdosi Salon" and persian-American Dramatic Club,' through the instrumentality of which my plays were produced before associations and in little theatres.
The seven years following the departure of
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So rob a.r Gm Kh u a ntu .cka prodt twit
of t.Ite Rubavyat
Mv BA PILGRIMAGE
Abdul Baha from this earth were my period of writing. Looking backward, it seems that my pen was never still. I brought out my first published work Heart Phantasies" and later The New Hu manity," a compendium of universal ideals which had appeared daily, chapter by chapter in a San tiago newspaper.
For currcnt and future use, I prepared twenty- one lectures on the religions of mankind. This en tailed extensive study which was most rewarding as it familiarized Inc with the history and scriptures of the various faiths which, in the light of Bahai understanding, are inspired and magnificent. This study was necessary (or teaching a cause, the out standing note of which is the authenticity of the religions to which the blocks of humanity turn. When people have put the word heathen in the closet along with the wives of Bluebeard, and added the parable of creation in six days followed by a seventh in which to relax, and the rest of the paraphernalia of horrors and ignorance on which mankind has been fed, there will at last be a chance to measure and deal with life in the light of maturity and confidence. One can not forever dip up the waters of Truth in a sieve. We may have caught a few drops, but. how much ha been wastedt
I was on familiar ground when I delved into the beauties of Persian literature. The spirit of the epic poets, the lyric poets, the mystic poets had been injected into my blood-stream at an early age, and my later pre-occupation with the Bahai Cause had only accentuated my appreciation of art. So I
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THE WINDING TRAIL TO THE LITTLE BLUE HOUSE
prepared approximately one hundred lectures on Persian poetry, and these stood me in good stead as a means of meagre and intermittent livelihood. The Bahais complained of the fact that I gave so much time to the arts, and countless times accused me of having "let the Cause." Actually, one of these fellow-believers of mine ordered twelve copies of "Heart Phantasies" in order to help me per sonally, and, having read the book, burned the whole lot. These people could not understand, what was so clear to me, that the Bahai Cause is life in its totality. This conviction of mine was a chief reason for the constant misunderstandings which arose between the Bahais and me.
Hollywood Bowl, America's greatest musical
phitheatre, lies open to the sky in the clasp of the hills. It is the home of melody for the general public and a never-ending source of power and help to the professional musician and the novice. The spirit of the Bowl touches everyone. People come to it as to a vast cathedral. Night after night they sit on its wooden benches, rich and poor, quarter of a million during the season, and the hearts are melted by what is heard and seen. 'Surely the Bowl must have its own emotions" I thought to myself, and so I wrote a poem entitled:
"I am the Bowl.'
The Hollywood Bowl Association published
poem in a beautifully iflustrated booklet, and (or a year or more it was sold at the gates every night at a price of 25c, half of which came to me.
The press of the SVest is generous in giving space to those who have a story to tell or ideas to im [
Mv BAHA PILGRIMAGE
part, and this held in my case. I was used to seeing long articles about myself, with my picture in Oriental robes, and this wasn't a success story by any means for I was always at a loss as to where the next meal would come from. Nevertheless, I enjoyed myself and made many friends.
An article on The New Humanity which ap peared in the book section of the 'Hollywood Citizen, gave me a bit of morbid satisfaction. If I had indeed been ground through the millstones of life (as who isntl) I was glad that the fact was recognized by some. Publicity is often balm to the spirit, and I felt isolated enough to seek solace in my own personality which I felt had been singled out for special hardships. This article which I might have written myself, so well did it describe me in my own eyes, read in part:
- a soldier of fortune, acquainted with grief, the Exile passed through that Arcana ol loneliness through which those must pass, who have the gift of rhythmic speech . for Beauty is not a cheap thing, nor lightly reached, and it is fed at bitter breasts and instructed at the bony knee of disillusion . The boy is now a man, Mirza Ahrnad Sohrab, and the Hand of the Potter made of him one of that polished court of diplomacy at the nation's capital. a member of the Persian Legation and he wrote. The years that had ground him through their nether and upper millstones, ground out a fine grist, hot with pain and wet with tears . . . In an age of frenzy and of crass materialism, this milling of grim years reached, with something of the great compassion of Divinity, our through
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THE WINDING TRAIL TO THE LITTLE BLUE HOUSE
unclean dust of striviflg and sweating peoples And they, many of them, turned and listened to him . Dare, dare, and then — dare more! this bugle call of a soul that itself had dared is the third of his P,,osary of Nineteen Pearls in his just issued book — The New Humanity.
"There is no saint without a past; there is no sinner without a future he reminds us in an all compassing epigram."
We had a Vagabond Club to which actors, writers and poets belonged, most of them destitute, all of them hungry. We used to meet at one an other's apartments or rooms and read aloud, i and discuss various schools of philosophy. Dr. Tis dale, psychologist and artist, evolved an ingenious principle of allaying hunger pangs. He would paint pictures on cardboards, using vivid color with in scriptions below. A bag of potatoes, motto: Idaho. A bunch of canots, motto; Juicy. An ear of corn, motto: Sweet. A can of stew, motto: Nourishing — it has everything. A slice of watenuelon, motto:
Succulent.
'You have to look at these pictures," he would not with the old method of just seeing them, with the new method of realizing them."
So we would stare and stare, and then go to bed on empty stomachs.
Sometimes one of us would have a little windfall and a celebration would take place. Provisions were bought and cooked, and we would have a wonder ful time. Dr. Tisdale acquitted himself nobly as trenchor-man, the while saying, "You see I taught you to realize these things. I know the law."
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Mv BAJIA PILGRIMAGE
The Dean of our little group was Peter Gray Wolf, columnist and poet. A vegetarian and health expert, he was possessed of a cheerfulness that did not wane. He never brought in any food, and he never helped with the cooking or washing up; he simply sat at the head of the table, our host wherever he happened to be. Peter Gray Wolf was everybody's favorite.
A budding actor named Taylor Graves otca sionally visited the Vagabond Club. We were sym pathetic to each other and often met on our own. Sometimes we would take long walks and, if the night overtook us, would clamber to the top of a haystack and sleep under the stars. He was a liohemian like myself and never stayed long in any place.
I knew Rabbi and Mrs. Mendes very well. They did not by any means fall into the category of vagrants and hobos, but were none the less my friends. Mrs. Mendes was most concerned with my welfare and did not want me to loiter in Ca for too long. "There is nothing for you here," she would say. 'Your future lies in New York."
Then I would complain: 'Believe me, Mrs. Mendes, I have done a lot in Los Angeles and Hollywood," but she would shake her head, in sisting: I will expect to hear news of you from New York."
The downs of life had not weakened my sense of responsibility toward the Cause, rather they gave me opportunity to spread the teachings in entirely new circles. I was known as a Bahai lecturer and went from house to house, from hall to hail,
[
!.. .::
Rendence of Mr. and Mrs. L. S. Chanler
now Caravan House
Mv BAHAI PILGRIMAGE
wherever there was an opening. When there were no openings, I simply had to make them.
One night in Los Angeles, after I had given a lecture on Mary Magdalene, a very striking look- rig woman approached the platform and asked for an appointment with me. She had been impressed by my treatment of the story, which contained many anecdotes on the life of this great disciple which are unknown in the western world, and she wanted me to write a scenario in the hope that it might prove a suitable vehicle for her talents. This lady was a well known vaudevi]Ie actress. Her lame was Valeska Surratt,
The script was prepared and placed in the hands of Miss Surrait, after which it went through many vicissitudes. At one time it was close to being pro duced and much publicity flared up in Hollywood, but my scenario did not reach the Klieg lights of the movie world. Instead it served a much better purpose. I found it necessary to go to New York to discuss btusi ness matters with Miss Surratt, who incidenta was a Bahai. Through her I met Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler.
Except for a few periods when I was anchored, most of my life had been spent on the road. As a child I wandered among the hilts of Persia, then down to India, through to Acca where I received my baptism of love, along the travel routes of the United States with periodical repetitions, up to Canada, among the countries of Europe back to the Near East and now meanderings on the Pa cific coast. I had kept going, and I was still young. I expected a future like unto the past, with never
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THE WINDING IRAIL TO THE LITTLE BLUE HousE
raised above my head, and then — I pie- myself at the doorway of 132 East 65th a vagabond, empty handed, possessing only spun within my brain and woven in my
That was some thirty years ago, and I am still here. The building has changed. It is now an at fice, a Bahai Library, an Art Gallery. It hums with activity, early and late, year in, year out. It is Caravan House, the center of an international movement. It is my home — the home of the world.
That campaign was made possible through gallantry and generosity of Mr. Chanler, and talent and selflessness of Mrs. Chanler who
a roof sented Street, fabrics heart.
to the unfinished look through the house that stands Behind that win ars of effort con- 1928 until this ye figured in so no need to corn- contain my books,
As I write these closing lines story of my impetuous career, I broad window of the little blue so innocently on the quiet Street. dow are the records of feverish ye ducted from this spot, covering writing in 1957, which years ha many publications that there is ment on them here. These rooms making quite
a varied and leaflets in mar ot the earth collection of paralleled an leaflet stands the New Hi opening 5ho
a stretch on the shelves; they contain abundant stock of pamphlets and y languages, with which the surface has been deluged; they contain a Bahai documents and literature Un ywhere. Among all these writings, one out significantly. It is The Ideals of story Society, which constituted the in the world-wide campaign directed from this address
the the has
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Mv flujAl PILGRIMAGE
been stan by me all these years. dreaming the dreams oE Balia-O-Llah and Abdul Baha, even as I have dreamed them and am dreaming them yet. I thank them and the many friends whose en couragernent made it possible for me to carry on from this place, where t living spirit of Abdul Eaha walks by (lay arid by night — Caravan House, hi his name, at his service.
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