`Abdu'l-Bahá's journeys to the West
Encyclopedia
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
undertook starting at the age of 67 from Palestine to the West from 1910 to 1913. `Abdu'l-Bahá was imprisoned at the age of 8 and suffered various degrees of privation most of his life. He was appointed as the successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
upon the passing of his father, Baha'u'llah
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
, which occurred on May 29, 1892. Sixteen years later he was suddenly freed at the age of 64 as a ramification of the Young Turk Revolution
Young Turk Revolution
The Young Turk Revolution of 1908 reversed the suspension of the Ottoman parliament by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, marking the onset of the Second Constitutional Era...
in 1908. During 1909 he saw to the early phase of the erection of the Shrine of the Báb
Shrine of the Báb
The Shrine of the Báb is a structure in Haifa, Israel where the remains of the Báb, founder of Bábism and forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh in the Bahá'í Faith, have been laid to rest; it is considered to be the second holiest place on Earth for Bahá'ís, after the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh in Acre...
and entombment of its occupants, and in 1910 transitioned his family residence to Haifa, near to the Shrine of the Báb. In 1910 he began to take steps to personally present the religion to the West.
At the time the major centers of Bahá'í population and scholarly activity were mostly in Iran. By the early 1900s the community of Azerbaijan, now centered in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, numbered perhaps 2000 individuals and several Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assemblies. In Turkmenistan the number of Bahá'ís in the community in Ashgabat rose to 4,000 (1,000 children) by 1918 with its own hospitals, schools, workshops and newspapers. In Uzbekistan a community of Bahá'ís in Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
had expanded to about 1900 members, supporting a library, Persian and Russian language schools, and publishing Bahá'í literature. By 1938, after numerous arrests and a policy of oppression of religion, most Bahá'ís were sent to prisons and camps or sent abroad and Bahá'í communities across the Soviet Union ceased to exist.
Meanwhile in the Occident the religion had been introduced in the late 1890s in several locales. Though significantly recovered by 1910 the religions followers still numbered less than a thousand across the entire West. With his visits, the small community was given a chance to consolidate and embrace a wider vision of the religion and attracted the attention of sympathetic attention from both religious, academic, and social leaders and newspapers and his talks became an important addition to the body of Bahá'í literature
Bahá'í literature
Bahá'í literature, like much religious text, covers a variety of topics and forms, including scripture and inspiration, interpretation, history and biography, introduction and study materials, and apologia...
. In succeeding decades communities of Bahá'ís would take form across North and South America, Australasia, Subsaharan Africa and the Far East and the religion would return to the regions of the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. The West has also changed since then - some of the organizations he spoke to no longer exist, (Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration
Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration
The Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration was founded in 1895 to support the cause of international arbitration, arbitration treaties, and an international court, and to generate public support on behalf of the cause...
, and Bethel Literary and Historical Society
Bethel Literary and Historical Society
The Bethel Literary and Historical Society was an organization founded in 1881 by African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Daniel Payne and continued at least until 1915. It represented a highly significant development in African American society in Washington DC...
,) though others, like the NAACP and Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
continue. One country would be remade when Austria-Hungary split, and the roles of the military, economic and political powers of the twentieth century would change.
Soon there would be some sixteen specific historical accounts of his travels to the West.
Among the last Bahá'ís to meet him in Palestine was Stanwood Cobb
Stanwood Cobb
Stanwood Cobb was an American educator, author and prominent Bahá'í of the 20th century.He was born in Newton, Massachusetts to Darius Cobb - a Civil War soldier, artist and descendent of Elder Henry Cobb of the second voyage of the Mayflower - and Eunice Hale - founding president of the Ladies...
who arrived for pilgrimage
Bahá'í pilgrimage
A Bahá'í pilgrimage currently consists of visiting the holy places in Haifa, Akká, and Bahjí at the Bahá'í World Centre in Northwest Israel. Bahá'ís do not have access to other places designated as sites for pilgrimage....
in the summer of 1910 when `Abdu'l-Bahá was still in Haifa. As arrangements were being made for the trip a message from Lady Blomfield
Lady Blomfield
Lady Sara Louisa Blomfield was a distinguished early member of the Bahá'í Faith in the British Isles, and a supporter of the rights of children and women....
extended an invitation for `Abdu'l-Bahá when he was in London. During these journeys Bahiyyih Khánum
Bahiyyih Khánum
Bahíyyih Khánum the only daughter of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and Ásíyih Khánum. She was born in 1846 with the given name Fatimih Sultan, and was entitled "Varaqiy-i-'Ulyá" or "Greatest Holy Leaf"...
, his sister, was given the position of acting head of the religion.
In the following the * Bold Dates/Places information comes from A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith by Peter Smith. Additional details with supplemental references in particular cases are included from comments of Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
, head of the religion after the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá, who designated some events of the trip as characterizing the importance of the trip of `Abdu'l-Bahá to Bahá'ís. These are noted in parenthesis.
First journey of `Abdu'l-Bahá
- 1910 Leaves HaifaHaifaHaifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, ~29 Aug. for Port SaidPort SaidPort Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
`Abdu'l-Bahá left Haifa for Port Said, Egypt, on August 29, 1910. He accompanied two visitors or pilgrims directly from the Shrine of the Báb
Shrine of the Báb
The Shrine of the Báb is a structure in Haifa, Israel where the remains of the Báb, founder of Bábism and forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh in the Bahá'í Faith, have been laid to rest; it is considered to be the second holiest place on Earth for Bahá'ís, after the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh in Acre...
down to the port where he took a ferry to Port Said about 4pm on the steamer "Kosseur London" and then telegrammed the Bahá'ís in Haifa that he was in Egypt. Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
was asked to come over 2 days later. While in Egypt there was increasingly positive coverage of him and the Bahá'ís from various Egyptian news outlets.
- Leaves Port Said for AlexandriaAlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
about October 1 (also lives nearby in Ramlih) , until 11 Aug. 1911
`Abdu'l-Bahá left Port Said for Alexandria about October 1. While in Alexandria he met with Briton Wellesley Tudor Pole
Wellesley Tudor Pole
Major Wellesley Tudor Pole O.B.E. was a spiritualist and early British Bahá'í.He authored many pamphlets and books and was a lifelong pursuer of religious and mystical questions and visions, being particularly involved with spiritualism and the Bahá'í Faith as well as the quest for the Holy Grail...
in November who then joins the religion. Certainly by April 1911 Bahá'ís from America are asking for him to travel to America and he in return is encouraging the Bahá'ís to be unified. Russian/Polish Isabella Grinevskaya
Isabella Grinevskaya
Isabella Grinevskaya was the pen name of Berta Friedberg, daughter of the author Abraham Shalom Friedberg and the first wife of Mordechai Spector....
visited him in 1911 and leaves having joined the religion. In late April Africa-American Louis Gregory goes on Bahá'í pilgrimage
Bahá'í pilgrimage
A Bahá'í pilgrimage currently consists of visiting the holy places in Haifa, Akká, and Bahjí at the Bahá'í World Centre in Northwest Israel. Bahá'ís do not have access to other places designated as sites for pilgrimage....
and met with `Abdu'l-Bahá while he was in Ramleh
Ramla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
until early May when Gregory returned to America through Europe. Later in May `Abdu'l-Bahá moved to Cairo. In June he suggested in a letter that if conditions among the Bahá'ís in America improve enough then his presence will solve more problems.
The entire Star of the West
Star of the West (Bahá'í magazine)
The Star of the West was a Bahá'í periodical which began publication on March 21, 1910 and ended publication under this title in March of 1935....
vol 2 no 9, the main serial magazine covering the religion in the West at the time, was devoted to presentations by leading Bahá'ís on July 26–29, 1911, to the First Universal Races Congress
First Universal Races Congress
In 1911 the First Universal Races Congress met in London at the University of London as an early effort of Anti-racism, at which distinguished speakers from many countries for four days discussed race problems and ways to improve interracial relations. The Congress was initiated on comments of...
held in London. Instead of attending himself he sent a representative, Tamaddunu'l-Mulk, to speak to the conference with assistance of Wellesley Tudor Pole and a letter published in the collected papers previous to the Congress. Juliet Thompson
Juliet Thompson
Juliet Thompson was an American Bahá'í, painter, and disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá. She is perhaps best remembered for her book The Diary of Juliet Thompson though she also painted a life-sized portrait of `Abdu'l-Bahá.-Early life and education:...
reached London August 4 via the RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
believing `Abdu'l-Bahá would be there but found his representative.
First Journey to Europe
Then from August to December 1911 he went on the first European trip and then returned to Egypt. On the European leg of the trip first he goes to Lake GenevaLake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
on the border of France and Switzerland, then to Britain to several cities where he offers talks, then to Paris, France, and then to winter again in Egypt. The purpose of these trips was to support the Bahá'í communities in the West and to further spread his father's teachings.
Various memoirs cover this period including:
Lake Geneva
On August 11, 1911 `Abdu'l-Bahá boarded the SS Corsican, an Allan Line Royal Mail SteamerAllan Line Royal Mail Steamers
The Allan Shipping Line was started in 1819, by Captain Alexander Allan of Saltcoats, Ayrshire, running dry goods from Greenock to sell in Montreal and returning with Canadian produce to sell back in Scotland, a route which quickly became synonymous with the Allan Line...
bound for Marseilles, France accompanied by secretary Mírzá Mahmúd
Mírzá Mahmúd
' also known by the appellation Fádil-i-Furúghí, was an eminent follower of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, a global religion of Persian origin...
, and personal assistant Khusraw. He is met by Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney, a prominent early French Bahá'í.
- Lake GenevaLake GenevaLake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
region, 22 August – Sept 3rd, (no speaking engagements)
`Abdu'l-Bahá sent a telegram to Thompson in London from Thonon-les-Bains
Thonon-les-Bains
Thonon-les-Bains is a town in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-History:...
on 22 August 1911; he and the representatives to the Universal Races Congress arrive at Thonon on August 27. `Abdu'l-Bahá stayed in Thonon-les-Bains
Thonon-les-Bains
Thonon-les-Bains is a town in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-History:...
in France for a few days. In Vevey
Vevey
Vevey is a town in Switzerland in the canton Vaud, on the north shore of Lake Geneva, near Lausanne.It was the seat of the district of the same name until 2006, and is now part of the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut District...
`Abdu'l-Bahá offered a talk on the Bahá'í point of view on the immortality of soul and relationship of worlds and on the subject of divorce. Horace Holley met `Abdu’l-Bahá in Switzerland. While in Thonon, at the request of Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan
Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan
Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan ("Mass'oud Mirza the Sultan's Shadow (5 January 1850-2 July 1918) was a Persian prince of the Qajar Dynasty; he was known as the "Yamin-al-Dowleh" ("Right Hand of the Government")...
, Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney introduced him to `Abdu'l-Bahá. Thompson shares comments of Hippolyte who heard Soltan's stammering apology for past wrongs. Soltan was responsible for the execution of King and Beloved of martyrs
Núrayn-i-Nayyirayn
Núrayn-i-Nayyirayn are two brothers who were followers of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, a global religion of Persian origin. They were beheaded in 1879 as a result of being Bahá'ís...
among others and was the eldest son of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (who himself ordered the Execution of the Báb
Execution of the Báb
On the morning of July 9, 1850 in Tabriz, a young Persian merchant known as the Báb was charged with apostasy and shot by order of the Prime Minister of the Persian Empire...
.) `Abdu'l-Bahá embraced him and invited his sons to lunch. Thus Bahram Mirza Sardar Mass'oud
Bahram Mirza Sardar Mass'oud
Prince Bahram Mirza Sardar Mass'oud was Persian Prince of Qajar Dynasty and constitutionalists, son of Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan and grand son of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar....
and Akbar Mass’oud
Akbar Mass’oud
Prince Akbar Mass'oud was Persian Prince and a member of Qajar Dynasty, son of Mass'oud Mirza Zell-e Soltan and grand son of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar.He Styled Mu'in us-Sultaneh before 1909...
met with the Bahá'ís. Apparently Akbar was affected by meeting `Abdu'l-Bahá. Later `Abdu'l-Bahá takes an automobile ride into the countryside and Juliet speaks of taking `Abdu'l-Bahá to Niagara Falls, a greater Fall than he was watching at the time.
Great Britain
- London, 4 – 23 September (evening of Sept. 10, first talk in the West)
While in London, `Abdu'l-Bahá stayed at a residence of Lady Blomfield
Lady Blomfield
Lady Sara Louisa Blomfield was a distinguished early member of the Bahá'í Faith in the British Isles, and a supporter of the rights of children and women....
starting when he arrives on Sept 4, 1911, a Monday. On Tuesday the 5th and a few more days `Abdu'l-Bahá was interviewed by an editor of the Christian Commonwealth, a weekly newspaper devoted to a liberal Christian theology. The editor was then also present at a meeting of Reverend Reginald John Campbell
Reginald John Campbell
Reginald John Campbell , British Congregationalist divine, son of a United Free Methodist minister of Scottish descent, was born in London and educated at schools in Bolton and Nottingham, where his father successively removed, and in Belfast, the home of his grandfather.At an early age he taught...
and `Abdu'l-Bahá whom Campbell then invited to speak at City Temple
City Temple (London)
City Temple Church is a church on Holborn Viaduct in London, most famous as the preaching place of 20th century liberal theologian Leslie Weatherhead.Other notable preachers include Thomas Goodwin and Joseph Parker....
- all printed in the Sept. 13th edition of the Christian Commonwealth and reprinted in the Star of the West Bahá'í magazine
Star of the West (Bahá'í magazine)
The Star of the West was a Bahá'í periodical which began publication on March 21, 1910 and ended publication under this title in March of 1935....
. On hand were the editor of the Commonwealth, Hippolate Dreyfus-Barney acting as translator, Tamaddunu'l-Mulk acting as secretary, and other ladies.
Sept 9th he took a trip to Byfleet
Byfleet
Byfleet is an inland island village forming a suburb of Woking in Surrey, England. It is in the east of the borough between the River Wey and the River Mole, and is within the M25 motorway....
near Surrey where he visited Alice Buckton and Anett Schepel at their home. On the evening of Sept 10 he gave his first public talk in the Occident at City Temple
City Temple (London)
City Temple Church is a church on Holborn Viaduct in London, most famous as the preaching place of 20th century liberal theologian Leslie Weatherhead.Other notable preachers include Thomas Goodwin and Joseph Parker....
The English translation was read by Wellesley Tudor Pole
Wellesley Tudor Pole
Major Wellesley Tudor Pole O.B.E. was a spiritualist and early British Bahá'í.He authored many pamphlets and books and was a lifelong pursuer of religious and mystical questions and visions, being particularly involved with spiritualism and the Bahá'í Faith as well as the quest for the Holy Grail...
and the talk was printed in the Christian Commonwealth newspaper on Sept. 13th:
O noble friends; seekers after God! …The banner of the Holy Spirit is uplifted, and men see it, and are assured with the knowledge that this is a new day.
The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion. War 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 will live as brothers.
In the Hidden WordsHidden WordsKalimát-i-Maknúnih or The Hidden Words is a book written in Baghdad around 1857 by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith...
Bahá’u’lláh says, “Justice is to be loved above all.” Praise be to God, in this country the standard of justice has been raised; a great effort is being made to give all souls an equal and a true place.…
There is one God; mankind is one; the foundations of religion are one. Let us worship Him, and give praise for all His great Prophets and Messengers who have manifested His brightness and glory. The blessing of the Eternal One be with you in all its richness, that each soul according to his measure may take freely of Him. Amen.
And while there he wrote
"This book is the Holy Book of God, of celestial Inspiration. It is the Bible of Salvation, the Noble Gospel. It is the mystery of the Kingdom and its light. It is the Divine Bounty, the sign of the guidance of God."in the church Bible as was also quoted in Christian Commonwealth.
On September 17, at the invitation of Albert Wilberforce
Albert Basil Orme Wilberforce
The Ven Albert Basil Orme Wilberforce, DD was an Anglican priest and author in the second half of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th...
, Archdeacon of Westminster, he addressed the congregation of Saint John the Divine
St John's Chapel, London
St. John's Chapel is located in the Tower of London. Dating from 1080, this complete 11th-century church is the oldest church in London.A Romanesque chapel, St. John's is on the second floor of the White Tower, which was built in 1077–97 as a keep or citadel, the oldest part of William the...
, in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
. He spoke on the subject of the kingdoms of mineral, vegetable, animal, humanity, and the Manifestations of God
Manifestation of God
The Manifestation of God is a concept in the Bahá'í Faith that refers to what are commonly called prophets. The Manifestations of God are a series of personages who reflect the attributes of the divine into the human world for the progress and advancement of human morals and civilization...
beneath God (for similar ideas see Great chain of being
Great chain of being
The great chain of being , is a Christian concept detailing a strict, religious hierarchical structure of all matter and life, believed to have been decreed by the Christian God.-Divisions:...
). Albert Wilberforce read the English translation himself. On the 28th `Abdu'l-Bahá returned to Byfleet again visiting Buckhorn and Schepel. He visited Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
on the 23rd–25th for several receptions and meetings though less public. On one such meeting he mentioned "When a thought of war enters your mind, supress it, and plant in its stead a positive thought of peace." On the 30th he speaks to a Theosophical Society
Theosophical Society
The Theosophical Society is an organization formed in 1875 to advance the spiritual principles and search for Truth known as Theosophy. The original organization, after splits and realignments has several successors...
meeting with attendance of Annie Besant
Annie Besant
Annie Besant was a prominent British Theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self rule.She was married at 19 to Frank Besant but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society ...
, Alfred Percy Sinnett
Alfred Percy Sinnett
Alfred Percy Sinnett was an English author and Theosophist.- Biography :Sinnett's father died while he was young, by 1851 Sinnett is listed as a "Scholar - London University", living with his widowed mother Jane whose occupation is listed as "Periodical Literature", and his older sister Sophia age...
, Eric Hammond
Eric Hammond
Eric Albert Barrett Hammond, OBE, was general secretary of the EETPU, a British trade union, from 1984 to 1992....
(who also published a volume on the religion in 1909.) Back in London Alice Buckton visited him and he went to Church House, Westminster to see a Christmas mystery play
Mystery play
Mystery plays and miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in medieval Europe. Medieval mystery plays focused on the representation of Bible stories in churches as tableaux with accompanying antiphonal song...
Eager Heart that she had written. He was seen weeping at the part in the play when the character Eager Hear fails to listen to Jesus.
- BristolBristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, 23 – 25 September
He met with many leading individuals including David Graham Pole, Claude Montefiore
Claude Montefiore
Claude Joseph Goldsmid Montefiore was son of Nathaniel Montefiore, and the great nephew of Sir Moses Montefiore. Some identify him as a significant figure in the contexts of modern Jewish religious thought, Jewish-Christian relations, and Anglo-Jewish socio-politics.-Education:He was educated at...
, Alexander Whyte
Alexander Whyte
Alexander Whyte was a Scottish divine. He was born at Kirriemuir in Forfarshire and educated at the University of Aberdeen and at New College, Edinburgh....
, Lady Evelyn Moreton as well as common people (one person who had no appointment was turned away though quickly `Abdu'l-Bahá called out "A heart has been hurt. Hasten, hasten, bring her to me!") A persistent person imposed himself without appointment. This was Rev. Peter Z. Easton, a Presbyterian in the Synod of the Northeast
Synod of the Northeast
Synod of the Northeast is an upper judicatory of the Presbyterian Church based in Stony Point, New York. The synod oversees twenty-two presbyteries in six New England states , two of the three Mid-Atlantic States , plus an overseas presbytery in the Republic of...
in New York and who had stationed in Tabriz from 1873 to 1880. Easton attempted to meet and challenge `Abdu'l-Bahá. He made those around him uncomfortable and `Abdu'l-Bahá withdrew him to a private conversation and then he left. Later he was able to have printed a polemic attack on the religion, Bahaism — A Warning, in the Evangelical Christendom newspaper of London (Sept.-Oct. 1911 edition.) This was responded to by Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl
Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl
' , or ' was the foremost Bahá'í scholar who helped spread the Bahá'í Faith in Egypt, Turkmenistan, and the United States. He is one of the few Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh who never actually met Bahá'u'lláh...
in his book The Brilliant Proof written in Dec. 1911.
- London, 25 September – 3 October
A pastor of a Congregational church in the east end of London invited him to give an address one Sunday evening. He also visited to Oxford here he met the higher Bible critic, Dr. Thomas Kelly Cheyne
Thomas Kelly Cheyne
Thomas Kelly Cheyne was an English divine and Biblical critic. He was born in London and educated at Merchant Taylors' School, London, and Oxford University....
. Though ill, `Abdu'l-Bahá embraced him and praised his life's work. News of his activity in Britain was covered in New Zealand in a couple publications.
On the 1st of October, 1911, he returned to Bristol to perform a wedding of Bahá'ís who had traveled from Persia and who brought humble gifts as well. At a farewell dinner Michael Ernest Sadler
Michael Ernest Sadler
Sir Michael Ernest Sadler KCSI was a British historian, educationalist and university administrator. He worked at the universities of Manchester and Leeds. He was a champion of the public school system.-Early life and education:...
spoke his own salutations as well as sharing the English translation of `Abdu'l-Bahá's words.
On October 3 `Abdu'l-Bahá left for Paris, France.
France
- Paris, 3 October – 2 December
Muhammad ibn `Abdu'l-Vahhad-i Qazvini and Seyyed Hasan Taqizadeh met `Abdu'l-Bahá on several occasions in October 1911 in Paris. It was during one of the meetings with Taqizadeh that `Abdu'l-Bahá personally first spoke on a telephone.
The book Paris Talks
Paris Talks
Paris Talks is a book transcribed from talks given by `Abdu'l-Bahá while in Paris. It was originally published as Talks by `Abdu'l-Bahá Given in Paris in 1912. `Abdu'l-Bahá did not read and authenticate the transcripts of his talks in Paris, and thus the authenticity of the talks is not known...
, part I, records talks of his while in Paris. In it for almost every day from Oct 16 to Nov 26 he gives talks. A few days there were extra talks (Oct 20, 27, Nov 9) and there are a few days of no talks (Oct 29, Nov 11-14, 16, 18.) The substance of the volume is from notes by "S.L.B", Sara Louisa Blomfield
Lady Blomfield
Lady Sara Louisa Blomfield was a distinguished early member of the Bahá'í Faith in the British Isles, and a supporter of the rights of children and women....
, her two daughters and a friend.
`Abdu'l-Bahá's first talk in Paris was on October 16. Later that same day guests gathered in a poor quarter outside Paris at a home for orphans by Mr and Mrs. Ponsonaille which was much praised by `Abdu'l-Bahá.
The talk on Oct 21st was of the sad news of the battle at Benghazi
Benghazi
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...
during the Italo-Turkish War
Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and...
, in Libya, saying in part "This earth is not man’s home, but his tomb. It is for their tombs these men are fighting. …. But war is made for the satisfaction of men’s ambition; for the sake of worldly gain to the few, terrible misery is brought to numberless homes, breaking the hearts of hundreds of men and women!" In the same talk he offered a wider statement on the positive: "I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of your heart on love and unity. When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love.... When soldiers of the world draw their swords to kill, soldiers of God clasp each other’s hands! So may all the savagery of man disappear by the Mercy of God, working through the pure in heart and the sincere of soul. Do not think the peace of the world an ideal impossible to attain!"
On the 24th he addressed Krishna and a mission of universal love and fellowship. On Nov 26 he spoke at Charles Wagner
Charles Wagner
Charles Wagner was a French reformed pastor whose inspirational writings were influential in shaping the reformed theology of his time.-Biography:...
's church Foyer de l-Ame.
December 2 he leaves France for Egypt.
Journey of `Abdu'l-Bahá to America
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, ultimately visiting some 40 cities, to once again spread his father's teachings. He arrived in New York City on 11 April 1912. While he spent most of his time in New York, he visited many cities on the east coast. Then in August he started a more extensive journey across to the West coast before starting to return east at the end of October. On 5 December 1912 he set sail back to Europe. Several people have taken note of the uniqueness of this trip - `Abdu'l-Bahá himself, author of 239 Days Dr. Allan L. Ward, and even a critic, Samuel Graham Wilson. `Abdu'l-Bahá says: "Up to the present time no one has traveled from Persia to America in this manner. Some have gone, but for personal gain and for trifling things. It may be said that it is the first voyage of the Easterners to America. I have strong hopes of divine assistance.... Hardships and disgrace in this path are, therefore, comforts and honor and the persecution of the soul, is a blessing." Ward says: "... never before during the formative years of a religion has a figure of like stature made a journey of such magnitude in a setting so different from that of His native land." Wilson says: "But Abdul Baha, except for Hindu Swamis, was the first Asiatic revelator America has received. Its hospitality showed up well. The public and press neither stoned the "prophet" nor caricatured him but looked with kindly eye upon the grave old man, in flowing oriental robes and white turban, with waving hoary hair and long white beard." One, who would be alone in a room with him and almost unable to speak any words in common, would forty three years later be able to mark his life before meeting him "much as the ten-year-old-child might be imagined to regard his matrix life, assuming him capable of that keen vision." Ultimately he met with David Starr Jordan
David Starr Jordan
David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
, president of Stanford University; Rabbi Stephen Samuel Wise
Stephen Samuel Wise
Stephen Samuel Wise was an Austro-Hungarian-born American Reform rabbi and Zionist leader.-Early life:...
of New York City; the inventor Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
; Jane Addams
Jane Addams
Jane Addams was a pioneer settlement worker, founder of Hull House in Chicago, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace...
, the noted social worker; the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
, who was touring America at the time; Herbert Putnam
Herbert Putnam
Herbert Putnam was an American lawyer, publisher, and librarian. He was the eighth Librarian of the United States Congress from 1899 to 1939.-Biography:...
, Librarian of Congress; the industrialist and humanitarian Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
; Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers was an English-born American cigar maker who became a labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor , and served as that organization's president from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 until his death in 1924...
, president of the American Federation of Labor; the Arctic explorer Admiral Robert Peary
Robert Peary
Robert Edwin Peary, Sr. was an American explorer who claimed to have been the first person, on April 6, 1909, to reach the geographic North Pole...
; as well as hundreds of American and Canadian Bahá’ís, recent converts to the religion.
A large number of memoirs cover this period including:
Special mention should note the book 239 Days; `Abdu'-Bahá's Journey in America by Dr. Allan L. Ward which brings together various references including newspapers, magazines, and memoirs for a detailed review of this period and builds on Ward's 1960 PhD dissertation.
On the SS Cedric
- Leaves AlexandriaAlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, 25 March
`Abdu'l-Bahá boarded the RMS Cedric
RMS Cedric
RMS Cedric was laid down in 1902 at the shipyard of Harland and Wolff, Belfast. RMS Cedric was the second of White Star's series known as the "Big Four", the other three being , and . Celtic was the first ship to exceed Brunel's in overall tonnage, which was quite an accomplishment, considering...
in Alexandria, Egypt bound for Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on March 25, 1912. Others with him include Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
, Asadu'lláh-i-Qumí, Dr Amínu'lláh Faríd, Mírzá Munír-i-Zayn, Áqá Khusraw, and Mahmúd-i-Zarqání. During the voyage a member of the Unitarians
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
onboard requested if `Abdu'l-Bahá would send a message to them. He replied with a message announcing "… Glad tidings, glad tidings, the Herald of the Kingdom has raised His voice." This seems to be the first message he related. Through several conversations it was arranged by several passengers that he address a larger audience on the ship. The ship arrived in Napels harbor on March 28, 1912. On the 29th several Bahá'ís from America and Britain boarded the ship. `Abdu'l-Bahá and his retinue did not disembark for fear of being confused with Turks during the ongoing Italo-Turkish War
Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and...
. Shoghi Effendi and two others were refused further passage by reason of a minor illness and were taken ashore. Though all were not convinced of the sincerity of the diagnosis and some presumed it was ill will against the voyagers as if they were Turkish `Abdu'l-Bahá observed "There is a wisdom in this matter which will become known later." The American Bahá'í community had sent thousands of dollars urging `Abdu'l-Bahá to leave the Cedric in Italy and travel to England to sail on the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. Instead he returned the money for charity and continued the voyage on the Cedric. Later he had a meeting with a survivor when he was at Green Acre
Green Acre
Green Acre is a conference facility in Eliot, Maine, in the United States. It was founded by Sarah Farmer in 1894. The name Green Acre came from poet John Greenleaf Whittier, a personal friend of the Farmer family....
. 'Did you know that this would happen?' she asked-`Abdu'l-Bahá answered `God inspires man's heart.' From Napels the group sailed on to New York - `Abdu'l-Bahá, Asadu'lláh-i-Qumí, Dr Amínu'lláh Faríd, Mahmúd-i-Zarqání, Mr and Mrs Percy Woodcock and their daughter from Canada, Mr and Mrs Austin from Denver, Colorado, and Miss Louisa Mathew (who would later marry Louis George Gregory
Louis George Gregory
Louis George Gregory was a prominent member of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1951 he was posthumously appointed a Hand of the Cause, the highest appointed position in the Bahá'í Faith, by Shoghi Effendi.-Early years:He was born on June 6, 1874 to African-American parents liberated during the Civil War...
). Other notables aboard included at least two Italian embassy officials; note `Abdu'l-Bahá was listed as an "author" on immigration paperwork. They passed Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
on April 3. Many letters and telegrams were sent and received during the voyage as well as various tablets written.
New England
- New York, 11 – 20 April (goes to the BoweryBoweryBowery may refer to:Streets:* The Bowery, a thoroughfare in Manhattan, New York City* Bowery Street is a street on Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y.In popular culture:* Bowery Amphitheatre, a building on the Bowery in New York City...
)
The ship arrived in New York harbor on the morning of April 11 and telegrams were sent and received from assemblies to announce his safe arrival while the passengers was processed for quarantine. Bahá'ís who had gathered at the port were generally sent to gather at a home to visit later. Reporters interviewed him while he was onboard and he elaborated on the trip and his goals. However a few, Marjorie Morten, Rhoda Nichols and Juliet Thompson
Juliet Thompson
Juliet Thompson was an American Bahá'í, painter, and disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá. She is perhaps best remembered for her book The Diary of Juliet Thompson though she also painted a life-sized portrait of `Abdu'l-Bahá.-Early life and education:...
, hid themselves to catch a glimpse of `Abdu'l-Bahá. While in New York he stayed at The Ansonia hotel. The first meeting with the Bahá'ís happened at the home of Edward B. Kinney, several blocks to the north west. The next talk was at Mr. and Mrs. Howard MacNutt's. Newspapers covered his arrival including the New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
and Washington Post. From April 11 until April 25 he gave at least one talk a day and most mornings and afternoons were spent meeting often one by one with visitors coming to his residence. Lua Getsinger
Lua Getsinger
Louise Aurora Getsinger known as Lua Getsinger was one of the first Western converts to the Bahá'í faith, converting in 1897. She was also a prominent disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá....
helped correspond with various Baha'is about `Abdu'l-Bahá´s plans as they evolved.
Rev. Percy Stickney Grant
Percy Stickney Grant
Percy Stickney Grant was an American Protestant Episcopalian clergyman. He was born in Boston and was educated at Harvard University and at the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge . He was assistant minister of the church of the Ascension and minister of St...
invited `Abdu'l-Bahá, through association with Juliet Thompson
Juliet Thompson
Juliet Thompson was an American Bahá'í, painter, and disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá. She is perhaps best remembered for her book The Diary of Juliet Thompson though she also painted a life-sized portrait of `Abdu'l-Bahá.-Early life and education:...
, to speak at Church of the Ascension which he did on the evening of April 14. The event was covered by the New York Times, New York Tribune and the Washington Post. The event caused a stir because, while there were rules in the Episcopal Church Canon forbidding someone of another ordination from preaching from the pulpit without the consent of the bishop, there was no provision against a non-ordained person offering prayer in the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
.
Mary Williams, aka Kate Carew
Kate Carew
Mary Williams , who wrote pseudonymously as Kate Carew, was a caricaturist self-styled as "The Only Woman Caricaturist". She worked at the New York World from 1890 to 1901, providing illustrated celebrity interviews....
, known for caricatures and who had seen some of life's suffering with a divorce, was among those who visited with `Abdu'l-Bahá and traveled with him for a number of days. She witnessed people who waited to see him individually as she did and his visit to the poor in the Bowery
Bowery
Bowery may refer to:Streets:* The Bowery, a thoroughfare in Manhattan, New York City* Bowery Street is a street on Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y.In popular culture:* Bowery Amphitheatre, a building on the Bowery in New York City...
still on the 16th. She was very imppressed with `Abdu'l-Bahá's generosity of spirit in bringing people of social standing to the Bowery as well as practicality that he then gave money to the poor while another reporter noted cynically mostly that a $100 of quarters only goes so far (note: Carew maintains it was $200 worth and that $100 in 1912 is over $2100 in 2010, thus a quarter is a little more than the value of a $5 bill in 2010.) Some boys were reported to heckle the event but were invited afterwards for a personal meeting. At this meeting, after greeting all the boys, `Abdu'l-Bahá singled out an african-american boy and compared him to a black rose as well as rich chocolate.
In Boston newspaper reporters asked `Abdu'l-Bahá why he had come to America, and he stated that he had come to participate in conferences on peace and that just giving warning messages is not enough. A full page summary of the religion was printed in the New York Times. A booklet on the religion was published late April.
- Washington, D.C., 20 – 28 April (seating arrangements of Louis George GregoryLouis George GregoryLouis George Gregory was a prominent member of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1951 he was posthumously appointed a Hand of the Cause, the highest appointed position in the Bahá'í Faith, by Shoghi Effendi.-Early years:He was born on June 6, 1874 to African-American parents liberated during the Civil War...
at reception by the ambassador of Turkey; speaks at Bethel Literary and Historical SocietyBethel Literary and Historical SocietyThe Bethel Literary and Historical Society was an organization founded in 1881 by African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Daniel Payne and continued at least until 1915. It represented a highly significant development in African American society in Washington DC...
, private meeting with Franklin MacVeaghFranklin MacVeaghFranklin MacVeagh was an American banker and Treasury Secretary.Born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Yale University in 1858, where he was a member of Skull and Bones. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1864. He worked as a wholesale grocer and lawyer...
, then Secretary of the United States Treasury and speaks to Howard UniversityHoward UniversityHoward University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
)
While in Washington DC a number of meetings took place as well as notable events. Just on the April 23rd `Abdu'l-Bahá attended several events. First he spoke at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
to over 1000 students, faculty, administrators and visitors - an event recently commemorated. Then he attended a reception by the Persian Charg-de-Affairs and the Turkish Ambassador - this is where the well known incident of moving the placenames ended up seating the only African-American present, Louis George Gregory
Louis George Gregory
Louis George Gregory was a prominent member of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1951 he was posthumously appointed a Hand of the Cause, the highest appointed position in the Bahá'í Faith, by Shoghi Effendi.-Early years:He was born on June 6, 1874 to African-American parents liberated during the Civil War...
, at the head of the table next to himself. Then he spoke publicly about the catastrophe of the Titanic sinking outlining several facets to ponder in relation to disasters while at the home of Agnes and Arthur Parsons. Then he spoke at a leading African-American institution of Washington DC, the Bethel Literary and Historical Society
Bethel Literary and Historical Society
The Bethel Literary and Historical Society was an organization founded in 1881 by African Methodist Episcopal Church Bishop Daniel Payne and continued at least until 1915. It represented a highly significant development in African American society in Washington DC...
which had been planned out by the end of March (thanks to the work of Louis Gregory) that `Abdu'l-Bahá was to visit the Washington DC based society. He continued to speak from the Parson's home to individuals and groups while in D.C. A Methodist minister suggested some of his listeners should teach him Christianity, though also judging him sincere.
Mid-West
- Chicago, 29 April – 6 May (attending the last session of the newly-founded Bahá’í Temple Unity; laying the dedication stone of the Bahá'í House of WorshipBahá'í House of WorshipA Bahá'í House of Worship, sometimes referred to by its Arabic name of Mashriqu'l-Adhkár ,is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Bahá'í Faith...
near Chicago; speaks to fourth annual conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleNational Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleThe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
)
On April 29 `Abdu'l-Bahá arrived in Chicago though later than anticipated to join in the national convention of Bahá'ís. Corinne True attended even though her last surviving son had died the prior evening. She had worked for decades and would continue to work for decades on raising the temple.
In dedicating the temple with a cornerstone brought by Nettie Tobin
Nettie Tobin
Esther Tobin, known as Nettie, was a widow and mother of two, who worked as a seamstress in Chicago around the turn of the 20th Century. Tobin, who wished to contribute to the construction of the Bahá'í House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois was not able to contribute monetarily...
, he admonished that "The outer edifice is a symbol of the inner" which was built on "faith" and in the Bahá'í dispensation was dedicated to "unity". It was at the dedication ceremony of the laying of the cornerstone of the Bahá'í House of Worship
Bahá'í House of Worship
A Bahá'í House of Worship, sometimes referred to by its Arabic name of Mashriqu'l-Adhkár ,is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Bahá'í Faith...
that `Abdu'l-Bahá revealed the prayer for America as it called:
O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy glad tidings. O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.
The NAACP's print magazine The Crisis
The Crisis
The Crisis is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , and was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois , Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Miller, W.S. Braithwaite, M. D. Maclean.The original title of the journal was...
printed an article in May introducing the religion and in June noting his talk at the fourth national convention. Robert Sengstacke Abbott
Robert Sengstacke Abbott
Robert Sengstacke Abbott was an African American lawyer and newspaper publisher.-Biography:Born on November 24, 1870 in St. Island, Georgia to former slave parents. Abbott was still a baby when his father, Thomas Abbott, died...
, an African American lawyer and newspaper publisher, met `Abdu'l-Bahá when covering a talk of his during his stay in Chicago at Jane Addams
Jane Addams
Jane Addams was a pioneer settlement worker, founder of Hull House in Chicago, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace...
' Hull House
Hull House
Hull House is a settlement house in the United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located in the Near West Side of , Hull House opened its doors to the recently arrived European immigrants. By 1911, Hull House had grown to 13 buildings. In 1912 the Hull...
.
- Cleveland, 6 – 7 May
Saichiro Fujita
Saichiro Fujita
Saichiro Fujita , a native of Yamaguchi Prefecture, was the second Japanese to become a member of the Bahá'í Faith from Japan. He was also distinguished by serving for many years at the Bahá'í World Centre through many of the heads of the religion from the time of `Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, the...
, one of the first Bahá'ís of Japanese descent, was living in Cleveland working for a Doctor Barton-Peek, a female Bahá'í, but failed to meet `Abdu'l-Bahá as he came through. Later on `Abdu'l-Bahá next trip west Fujita caught up and traveled with `Abdu'l-Bahá to the west coast and back east in the United States. While there he spoke at hotel twice and was interviewed by newspaper reporters. Among some who met `Abdu'l-Bahá, follow up trips by Louise Gregory and Alain Locke, would count some converts among the African-Americans there.
- Pittsburgh, 7 – 8 May
A speaking engagement in Pittsburg was arrange in early April through efforts of Martha Root
Martha Root
Martha Louise Root was a prominent traveling teacher of the Bahá'í Faith in the late 19th and early 20th century. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith called her "the foremost travel teacher in the first Bahá'í Century", and named her a Hand of the Cause posthumously...
. On June 17 a local newspaper published his concern about the ease of marriage and equality and partnership of spouses.
Back to North East
- Washington, D.C., 8 – 11 May
- New York, 11 – 14 May (Montclair,NJ, 12 May)
- Lake Mohonk, NY, 14 – 16 May (speaks at Lake Mohonk Conference on International ArbitrationLake Mohonk Conference on International ArbitrationThe Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration was founded in 1895 to support the cause of international arbitration, arbitration treaties, and an international court, and to generate public support on behalf of the cause...
)
In middle May `Abdu'l-Bahá addressed the Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration
Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration
The Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration was founded in 1895 to support the cause of international arbitration, arbitration treaties, and an international court, and to generate public support on behalf of the cause...
and stayed at the Mohonk Mountain House
Mohonk Mountain House
The Mohonk Mountain House also known as Lake Mohonk Mountain House, is a historic American resort hotel located on the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County, New York. Its prominent location in the town of New Paltz is just beyond the southern border of the Catskill Mountains on the western side of the...
(he had sent letters to the president and secretary of the conference for the conference the prior year.) His talk begins
"When we consider history, we find that civilization is progressing, but in this century its progress cannot be compared with that of past centuries. This is the century of light and of bounty. In the past, the unity of patriotism, the unity of nations and religions was established; but in this century, the oneness of the world of humanity is established; hence this century is greater than the past."He then outlines a brief history of religious conflict and then mentions Bahá'í teachings
Bahá'í teachings
The Bahá'í teachings represent a considerable number of theological, social, and spiritual ideas that were established in the Bahá'í Faith by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion, and clarified by successive leaders including `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's son, and Shoghi Effendi, `Abdu'l-Bahá's...
from Bahá'u'lláh such as individual investigation of truth, the oneness of humanity
Bahá'í Faith and the unity of humanity
The Bahá'í Faith and the unity of humanity is one of the central teachings of the Bahá'í Faith. The Bahá'í teachings state that since all humans have been created in the image of God, God does not make any distinction between people regardless of race or colour. Thus, because all humans have been...
, the complimentary role of religion and science
Bahá'í Faith and science
A fundamental principle of the Bahá'í Faith is the harmony of religion and science. Bahá'í scripture asserts that true science and true religion can never be in conflict. `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the religion, stated that religion without science leads to superstition and that...
, that religion should be the one bond to unite all society and if it produces strife and division, a cause of bloodshed and war and rapine, then irreligion is preferable to religion, the equality of women and men
Bahá'í Faith and gender equality
One of the fundamental teachings of the Bahá'í Faith is that men and women are equal, and that the equality of the sexes is a spiritual and moral standard that is essential for the unification of the planet and the unfoldment of peace. The Bahá'í teachings note the importance of implementing the...
, the abolition of the extremes of wealth and poverty, and that humanity needs more than philosophy - that it needs is and evermore needs the breadth of the Holy Spirit. A reverend heard his presentation invited him and introduced him at a reception at another event on May 28. Elbert Hubbard
Elbert Hubbard
Elbert Green Hubbard was an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. Raised in Hudson, Illinois, he met early success as a traveling salesman with the Larkin soap company. Today Hubbard is mostly known as the founder of the Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora, New York, an...
also noted `Abdu'l-Bahá at the Mohonk conference. Other mentions in diaries and biographies recalling the time noted him at the conference as well.
- New York, 16 – 22 May
- BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, 22 – 26 May (Worcester, MA, 23 May) - New York, 26 – 31 May
- FanwoodFanwood, New JerseyFanwood is a borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,318.Fanwood was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on October 2, 1895, from portions of Fanwood Township , based on the results of a...
, NJ, 31 May – 1 June - New York, 1 – 3 June
- MilfordMilford, PennsylvaniaMilford is a borough in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat. Its population was 1,021 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1796 by Judge John Biddis, one of the state's first four circuit judges, who named the settlement after his ancestral home in Wales.Milford has a...
, PA, 3 June - New York, 4 – 8 June
- Philadelphia, 8 – 10 June
- New York, 10 – 20 June (announces designations City of the Covenant, Center of the Covenant on the 19th)
On June 18 `Abdu'l-Bahá hosted a meeting at the MacNutt's home for the purpose of being filmed. Two films of `Abdu'l-Bahá were taken. One or two recordings of his voice were taken as well. The first was by a production company that asked if they could film him for few minutes to appear in a newsreel
Newsreel
A newsreel was a form of short documentary film prevalent in the first half of the 20th century, regularly released in a public presentation place and containing filmed news stories and items of topical interest. It was a source of news, current affairs and entertainment for millions of moviegoers...
the first week he arrived. He agreed over the objection of the Bahá'ís who felt the process was not socially proper. The second longer filming was done by Bahá'ís at the home of Howard MacNutt later on June 18. The one of these was incorporated into a 1985 documentary by the BBC TV unit in 1985 called "The Quiet Revolution" as part of the "Everyman" TV series. The second was also released and copied for Bahá'í communities overseas as a short movie called "Servant of Glory". Bahá'ís are cautioned to treat the viewing of these films with a respectful air. Lua Getsinger
Lua Getsinger
Louise Aurora Getsinger known as Lua Getsinger was one of the first Western converts to the Bahá'í faith, converting in 1897. She was also a prominent disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá....
is easily seen. Juliet Thompson
Juliet Thompson
Juliet Thompson was an American Bahá'í, painter, and disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá. She is perhaps best remembered for her book The Diary of Juliet Thompson though she also painted a life-sized portrait of `Abdu'l-Bahá.-Early life and education:...
says she attended. Getsinger's clothing generally appears dark in period photos and the film, however in actuality her clothing was accented with a royal dark blue robe and hat with layers of panels and silk trimmings.
A special development came in June. Over several days `Abdu'l-Bahá sat for a life-sized portrait by Juliet Thompson
Juliet Thompson
Juliet Thompson was an American Bahá'í, painter, and disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá. She is perhaps best remembered for her book The Diary of Juliet Thompson though she also painted a life-sized portrait of `Abdu'l-Bahá.-Early life and education:...
starting June 1. On another day of sitting for the portrait, June 19, Thompson witnessed Lua Getsinger
Lua Getsinger
Louise Aurora Getsinger known as Lua Getsinger was one of the first Western converts to the Bahá'í faith, converting in 1897. She was also a prominent disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá....
given a mission of conveying `Abdu'l-Bahá's status in the religion as the Center of the Covenant (see Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá
Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Bahá
A seminal document, written in three stages by `Abdu'l-Bahá. Several sections were written under imminent threat of harm. The first section was probably written in 1906....
) and that New York was the City of the Covenant (see perhaps 1992: Second Bahá'í World Congress.) When the group moved into the rest of the house Getsinger made the announcement and `Abdu'l-Bahá then spoke of Bahá'u'lláh's Kitáb-i-'Ahd and the Tablet of the Branch
Tablet of the Branch
The Súrih-i-Ghusn or Tablet of the Branch a tablet written by Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith in Adrianople. It clearly confirms a clearly high station for "the Branch of Holiness" .-See also:*Kitáb-i-Aqdas...
and declared His own station to be the 'Center of the Covenant' to those present. Following this announcement coverage in Star of the West noted "The time has come when the Bahais of the West should understand what is intended by "The Center of the Covenant" was the lead sentence of an article of the July 13, 1912 edition and followed by an editorial incorporating a letter of `Abdu'l-Bahá and an interview between Howard MacNutt and Badi'u'llah explaining the disagreement of Mírzá Muhammad `Alí
Mírzá Muhammad `Alí
Mírzá Muhammad `Alí was one of the sons of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He was born from his father's second wife, Fatimih Khanum, whom Bahá'u'lláh married in Tehran in 1849, and she was later known as Mahd-i-'Ulya....
, half brother of `Abdu'l-Bahá.
- MontclairMontclair, New Jersey-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
, NJ, 20 – 25 - New York, 25 – 29 June
- West Englewood, NJ (now TeaneckTeaneck, New JerseyTeaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
), 29 – 30 June (performs a Feast of Unity similar to a Nineteen Day FeastNineteen Day FeastThe Nineteen Day Feasts are regular community gatherings, occurring on the first day of each month of the Bahá'í calendar . Each gathering consists of a Devotional, Administrative, and Social part...
) with Bahá'ís, Jews, Moslems, Christians, and Caucasians, African-Americans, Persians attended. Today the property is known as the Wilhelm Bahá'í Properties.
Among his comments were
"First, you must become united and agreed among yourselves. You must be exceedingly kind and loving toward each other, willing to forfeit life in the pathway of another’s happiness. You must be ready to sacrifice your possessions in another’s behalf. The rich among you must show compassion toward the poor, and the well-to-do must look after those in distress. In Persia the friends offer their lives for each other, striving to assist and advance the interests and welfare of all the rest. They live in a perfect state of unity and agreement. Like the Persian friends you must be perfectly agreed and united to the extent and limit of sacrificing life. Your utmost desire must be to confer happiness upon each other. Each one must be the servant of the others, thoughtful of their comfort and welfare. "
Among those to attend was Martha Root
Martha Root
Martha Louise Root was a prominent traveling teacher of the Bahá'í Faith in the late 19th and early 20th century. Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith called her "the foremost travel teacher in the first Bahá'í Century", and named her a Hand of the Cause posthumously...
. For her it was a high point in her life and has since been commemorized as `Abdu'l-Bahá's "Souvenir Picnic" (where the goal is to find unity). The modern boundaries put the cite in Teaneck, NJ. It is at this event that Lua Getsinger
Lua Getsinger
Louise Aurora Getsinger known as Lua Getsinger was one of the first Western converts to the Bahá'í faith, converting in 1897. She was also a prominent disciple of `Abdu'l-Bahá....
intentionally walked through poison ivy hoping to make her incapable of leaving the presence of `Abdu'l-Bahá when he asked her to travel ahead of him to California. The site was hit by a severe storm March 30, 2010.
- MorristownMorristown, New JerseyMorristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
, NJ, 30 June - New York, 30 June – 23 July (West Englewood, NJ, 14 July)
- Boston, 23 – 24 July
- DublinDublin, New HampshireDublin is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,597 at the 2010 census. It is home to both the Dublin School and Yankee Magazine.-History:...
, NH, 24 July – 16 Aug. - Green AcreGreen AcreGreen Acre is a conference facility in Eliot, Maine, in the United States. It was founded by Sarah Farmer in 1894. The name Green Acre came from poet John Greenleaf Whittier, a personal friend of the Farmer family....
, EliotEliot, MaineEliot is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,204 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area....
, ME, 16 – 23 Aug. (blessing bestowed on the Open Forum at Green AcreGreen AcreGreen Acre is a conference facility in Eliot, Maine, in the United States. It was founded by Sarah Farmer in 1894. The name Green Acre came from poet John Greenleaf Whittier, a personal friend of the Farmer family....
) - MaldenMalden, MassachusettsMalden is a suburban city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 59,450 at the 2010 census. In 2009 Malden was ranked as the "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in Massachusetts by Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine.-History:...
, MA, 23 – 29 Aug.
First trip to Canada
- MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec, 30 Aug. – 9 Sept.
The early Canadian movement of Bahá'ís had not achieved a level of group identity - there were no adequate compilations of Bahá'í teachings for example. `Abdu'l-Bahá's time in Canada helped create such a focus that the community was distilled from those interested in the religion. He mentioned an intention of visiting Montreal as early as February 1912 and in August a phone number was listed for inquirers to arrange appointments. He left Green Acre to Boston and then rode to Montreal where he arrived near midnight at the Windsor train station
Windsor Station (Montreal)
Windsor Station is a former train station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, formerly serving as the city's Canadian Pacific Railway Station.Windsor Station was the Canadian Pacific Railway's headquarters built between 1887 and 1889. The Romanesque Revival building was designed by New York architect...
on Peel Street
Peel Street, Montreal
Peel Street is a major north-south street located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Street links Pine Avenue, near Mount Royal, in the north and Smith Street, in the Southwest borough, in the south. The street's southern end is at the Peel Basin of the Lachine Canal...
by William Sutherland Maxwell
William Sutherland Maxwell
William Sutherland Maxwell was a well-known Canadian architect and a Hand of the Cause in the Bahá'í Faith. He was born in Montreal, Canada to parents Edward John Maxwell and Johan MacBean.-Education:...
. On the next day among his visitors was Frederick Robertson Griffin who would later lead the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia
First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia
The First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia is a Unitarian Universalist congregation located at 2125 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
. Later that morning he visited a friend of the Maxwells who had a sick baby. In the afternoon he took a car ride around Montreal. That evening a reception was held including a local socialist leader. The next day he spoke at a unitarian church on Sherbrooke Street
Sherbrooke Street
Sherbrooke Street is a major east-west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal. The street begins in the town of Montreal West and ends on the extreme tip of the island in Pointe-aux-Trembles, intersecting Gouin Boulevard and joining up with Notre-Dame...
. Anne Savage recorded that she had sought him out but uncharacteristically was shy upon seeing him. He took up residence in the Windsor Hotel
Windsor Hotel (Montreal)
The Windsor Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is often considered to be the first grand hotel in Canada, and for decades billed itself as "the best in all the Dominion".-Early years:...
. The next day William Peterson, then Principal of McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
visited him. After a day of meeting individuals he took an afternoon excursion on his own possibly to the francophone part of the city and back. That evening he spoke to a socialist meeting addressing "The Economic Hapiness of the Human Race" - that we are as one family and should care for each other, not to have absolute equality but to have a firm minimum even for the poorest, to note foremost the position of the farmer, and a progressive tax
Progressive tax
A progressive tax is a tax by which the tax rate increases as the taxable base amount increases. "Progressive" describes a distribution effect on income or expenditure, referring to the way the rate progresses from low to high, where the average tax rate is less than the marginal tax rate...
system. The next day he rode the Mountain Elevator of Montreal. The next day Paul Bruchési
Paul Bruchési
Louis Joseph Napoléon Paul Bruchési, was a Canadian prelate.Ordained as a priest in 1878, he was appointed Archbishop in 1897. Both these appointments were in the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Montréal...
Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montréal is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the Province of Quebec. The Archbishop of Montréal is Metropolitan of a province that includes the suffragan dioceses of Joliette, Saint-Jean-Longueuil, Saint-Jérôme, and Valleyfield...
visited him. Later he spoke at the Saint James United Church
Saint James United Church (Montreal)
Saint James United Church is a heritage church in downtown Montreal, Quebec. It is a Protestant church affiliated with the United Church of Canada. It is located at 463 Saint Catherine Street West between Saint Alexandre and City Councillors Streets , in the borough of Ville-Marie...
. His talk outlined a comprehensive review of the Bahá'í teachings
Bahá'í teachings
The Bahá'í teachings represent a considerable number of theological, social, and spiritual ideas that were established in the Bahá'í Faith by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion, and clarified by successive leaders including `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's son, and Shoghi Effendi, `Abdu'l-Bahá's...
. Afterwards he said:
I find these two great American nations highly capable and advanced in all that appertains to progress and civilization. These governments are fair and equitable. The motives and purposes of these people are lofty and inspiring. Therefore, it is my hope that these revered nations may become prominent factors in the establishment of international peace and the oneness of the world of humanity; that they may lay the foundations of equality and spiritual brotherhood among mankind; that they may manifest the highest virtues of the human world, revere the divine lights of the Prophets of God and establish the reality of unity so necessary today in the affairs of nations. I pray that the nations of the East and West shall become one flock under the care and guidance of the divine Shepherd. Verily, this is the bestowal of God and the greatest honor of man. This is the glory of humanity. This is the good pleasure of God. I ask God for this with a contrite heart.Though `Abdu'l-Bahá had caught a cold and spent the 7th quiet in the hotel, the Harbor Grace Standard newspaper, of Harbour Grace, Dominion of Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
, printed a story summarizing several of his talks and trips.
After he left, the Winnipeg Free Press highlighted his position on the equality of women and men. His 1912 visit to Montreal also inspired humorist Stephen Leacock
Stephen Leacock
Stephen Butler Leacock, FRSC was an English-born Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist...
to parody him in his bestselling 1914 book Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich
Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich
Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich is a work of humorous fiction by Stephen Leacock first published in 1914. It is the follow-up to his 1912 classic Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town...
. All together some accounts of his talks and trips would reach 440,000 in French and English coverage. He travelled through several villages on the way back to the States. Perhaps most interesting is that the train passed through the town of Belleville, Ontario
Belleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...
at 1:47pm according to researcher Will C. Van den Hoonaard. A four-year-old Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
boy, Jimmy Loft, was sitting on a fence when the train went by. `Abdu'l-Bahá took that moment to stand up and facing the window smiled and waved. Loft was so surprised he toppled off the fence. In May 1948 he became one of the first native Canadian Bahá'ís.
Return to United States
- BuffaloBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, NY, 9 – 12 Sept.
He made a fleeting visit to the Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
on 12 September 1912, during the stay in Buffalo.
- Chicago, 12 – 15 Sept.
- KenoshaKenosha, WisconsinKenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...
, WI, 15 – 16 Sept. - Chicago, 16 Sept.
- Minneapolis, MN 16 – 21 Sept.
Midwest to West
- OmahaOmaha, NebraskaOmaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, NB, 21 Sept. - LincolnLincoln, NebraskaThe City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, NB, 23 Sept. - Denver, CO, 24 – 27 Sept. (marriage of Louis George GregoryLouis George GregoryLouis George Gregory was a prominent member of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1951 he was posthumously appointed a Hand of the Cause, the highest appointed position in the Bahá'í Faith, by Shoghi Effendi.-Early years:He was born on June 6, 1874 to African-American parents liberated during the Civil War...
and Louise Matthews back East)
While `Abdu'l-Bahá was traveling from Colorado to California, back in the east a marriage `Abdu'l-Bahá had encouraged from the passage on the Cedrec and repeated often took place - between Louis George Gregory
Louis George Gregory
Louis George Gregory was a prominent member of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1951 he was posthumously appointed a Hand of the Cause, the highest appointed position in the Bahá'í Faith, by Shoghi Effendi.-Early years:He was born on June 6, 1874 to African-American parents liberated during the Civil War...
and Louisa Matthew - on September 27.
- Glenwood SpringsGlenwood Springs, ColoradoThe City of Glenwood Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimated that the city population was 8,564 in 2005...
, CO, 28 Sept. - Salt Lake City, UT, 29 – 30 Sept.
On Sept 29 `Abdu'l-Bahá, accompanied by his translators and Saichiro Fujita
Saichiro Fujita
Saichiro Fujita , a native of Yamaguchi Prefecture, was the second Japanese to become a member of the Bahá'í Faith from Japan. He was also distinguished by serving for many years at the Bahá'í World Centre through many of the heads of the religion from the time of `Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, the...
and others stopped in Salt Lake City where he met with Bahá'ís and attended the Utah State Fair and visited the Mormon Tabernacle. During the Mormon’s annual convention, at the steps of the Temple, he was reported to have said: “They built me a temple but they will not let me in!” He left the next day and traveled by railcar to San Francisco, on what was then the Central Pacific Railroad, through Reno. Traveling all day through Nevada on it’s way to California, the train made regular stops but there’s no record of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá disembarking until his arrival in San Francisco. While traversing the Sierra Nevada, he made a reference to observing the snow sheds at Donner Pass
Donner Pass
Donner Pass is a mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, located above Donner Lake about nine miles west of Truckee, California. It has a steep approach from the east and a gradual approach from the west....
and the struggle of the pioneering members of the Donner Party
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
of 60 years earlier to illustrate the progress of the American West, personal endurance, perseverance and dedication.
California
- San Francisco, 1 – 13 Oct. (pilgrimage to the grave of Thornton ChaseThornton ChaseThornton Chase is commonly recognized as the first convert to the Bahá'í Faith of Occidental background...
)
Around 30 Bahá'ís in what would become Glendale California outside LA had gathered together to elect the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly for Los Angeles. Thornton Chase
Thornton Chase
Thornton Chase is commonly recognized as the first convert to the Bahá'í Faith of Occidental background...
, the first American Baha’i, had only recently arrived three months earlier from the Chicago area and was enthusiastic to form the institution. Among its first members were Charles Haney, Nellie Phillips, Henrietta Clark Wagner, Rosa Winterburn and Thornton Chase. Unfortunately Chase died on the evening of September 30 shortly before `Abdu'l-Bahá arrived October 1. He designated Chase's grave a place of pilgrimage, revealed a tablet of visitation (a prayer to say in remembrance of him), and decreed that his death be commemorated annually. Twenty-five Bahá'ís accompanied `Abdu'l-Bahá to Thornton Chase's grave. The prayer to be said is:
O my God! O my God! Verily, this is a servant of Thine, who did believe on Thee and in Thy signs; verily he harkened to Thy summons, turned to Thy Kingdom, humbled himself at Thy holy threshold, was possessed of a contrite heart, arose to serve Thy cause, to spread Thy fragrances, to promote Thy word, and to expound Thy wisdom.
Verily he guided the people to Thine ancient pathway, and led them to Thy way of rectitude. Verily he held the chalice of guidance in his right hand and gave unto those athirst to drink of the cup of Thy favor. He presented himself at Thy lofty threshold, where he laid his brow on the fragrant soil of Thy garden and circumambulated Thy all-glorious and sublime abode, the traces of which are wide-spread and the fragrances of whose loyalty are sensed everywhere. Later he returned to these vast and extensive countries and proclaimed Thy name amongst the people, until his respiration ceased and his outward sensation was suspended, returning to Thee with a heart throbbing with Thy love and with an eye opened in Thy direction.
O Lord! O Lord! Submerge him in the ocean of Thy glory. O Lord! O Lord! Usher him into Thy delectable garden. O Lord! O Lord! Usher him into Thy lofty paradise and cause him to be present in Thy meeting of transfiguration. O Lord! Submerge him in the ocean of Thy lights.
Verily, Thou art the Clement! Verily, Thou art the Merciful, the Precious, the Omnipotent
- PleasantonPleasanton, CaliforniaPleasanton is a city in Alameda County, California, incorporated in 1894. It is a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area located about east of Oakland, and west of Livermore. The population was 70,285 at the 2010 census. In 2005 and 2007, Pleasanton was ranked the wealthiest middle-sized city in...
, CA, 13 – 16 Oct. - San Francisco, 16 - 18 Oct. (? Leland Stanford University)
- Los Angeles, 18 - 21 Oct.
He stayed at the Hotel Lankershim while in Los Angeles where he was also able to give a talk.
- San Francisco, 21 – 25 Oct. (? speaks at Temple Emmanu-El)
- SacramentoSacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, 25 –º 26 Oct.
In California `Abdu'l-Bahá met first Bahá'í of Japanese descent, Kanichi Yamamoto
Kanichi Yamamoto
Kanichi Yamamoto was the first Japanese Bahá'í. He joined the religion in 1902. Some of his children also decided to join the Bahá'í Faith...
, in San Francisco and addressed a Japanese Christian congregation. A painting was done by Berkeley portrait artist Francess Soule Campbell while he was on the west coast as well. Clyde and Clara Dunn attended meetings where Abdu'l-Bahá.
At a farewell dinner from Oakland on Oct. 16th `Abdu'l-Bahá rose at the conclusion of a talk and directly proclaimed himself as the Center of the Covenant. An account was published in the November 4, 1912 edition of Star of the West.
Back across America
- Denver, 28 – 29 Oct.
- Chicago, 31 Oct. – 3 Nov.
- Cincinnati, OH, 5 – 6 Nov.
- Washington, D.C., 6 – 11 Nov.
On this return trip he was invited to speak at the Washington Hebrew Congregation
Washington Hebrew Congregation
The Washington Hebrew Congregation is a Jewish congregation formed on April 25, 1852, in Washington, D.C., by twenty-one members.Solomon Pribram was elected the first president. By 1854, there were forty-two members...
at their temple on Nov. 9th.
- BaltimoreBaltimoreBaltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, 11 Nov.
His coming to Baltimore was anticipated from early April and he spoke at a Unitarian church saying in part that "the world looked to America as the leader in the world-wide peace movement" and "not being a rival of any other power and not considering colonization schemes or conquests, made it an ideal country to lead the movement." His address was facilitated by Edward Struven.
- Philadelphia, 11 Nov.
- New York, 12 Nov. – 5 Dec.
On the evening of November 18, `Abdu'l-Bahá rendered a matter with Howard MacNutt. A few years before MacNutt has personally seen evidence against `Abdu'l-Bahá's half brother both in terms of his faithfulness and honesty. However on a matter of theology there were still differences of opinion among the Bahá'ís which followers of this brother were commenting on. Some Baha'is viewed `Abdu'l-Bahá as the return of Jesus personally, others as just a man with no special station. In the afternoon of November 18, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Kinney became the stage of a drama. "The Master put Howard MacNutt through a severe ordeal, an inevitable ordeal…" commented Juliet. According to Thompson `Abdu'l-Bahá had instructed MacNutt with a mission of going to Chicago to meet with the group of Bahá'ís who had associated themselves with Covenant Breakers and clarify their status in the religion. MacNutt failed to understand because of a convolution of theology and questions of loyalty and had avoided the issue, trying to justify his action in a letter to a Persian friend. The result was a dark shadow cast over the community, which since his return was shaken by arguments and uncertainty. `Abdu'l-Bahá called MacNutt in his room, and after a while he was heard to sternly ordering MacNutt to publicly recognize his mistake and retract his words. "Go down and tell the people: I was like Saul. Now I am Paul, for I see." Though reluctantly, MacNutt went down the stairs to the large assembly of believers and, "his back shrunken…" barely audible, went through his retraction. During this time Thompson witnessed `Abdu'l-Bahá leaning over the stair rail, head thrown far back, eyes closed, in anguished prayer. `Abdu'l-Bahá then called Mr. Kinney and others to his room and asked them to embrace Howard MacNutt, and from now on to work together promulgating the religion united and faithful to the covenant. The following night, someone gloated over MacNutt's chastisement. `Abdu'l-Bahá sighed: "I immersed Mr. MacNutt in the fountain of Job last night." MacNutt's loyalty and service never failed after his ordeal. He went on as a dedicated teacher of his beloved Faith, until his and Mrs. Mary MacNutt's untimely death in a car accident. MacNutt saw through collecting and publishing of the talks of `Abdul-Bahá and wrote a summary of the station of `Abdul-Bahá in 1922. The Bahá'í magazine Star of the West devoted the whole issue of Vol 3, No. 14, of November 23, 1912, to the subject of the station of `Abdu'l-Bahá as Center of the Covenant with three articles by Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl
Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl
' , or ' was the foremost Bahá'í scholar who helped spread the Bahá'í Faith in Egypt, Turkmenistan, and the United States. He is one of the few Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh who never actually met Bahá'u'lláh...
, reprints of the Kitáb-i-`Ahd and Tablet of the Branch
Tablet of the Branch
The Súrih-i-Ghusn or Tablet of the Branch a tablet written by Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith in Adrianople. It clearly confirms a clearly high station for "the Branch of Holiness" .-See also:*Kitáb-i-Aqdas...
by Bahá'u'lláh, and an article by Abdul Karim.
Later in November `Abdu'l-Bahá addressed a suffragette group elaborating on the equality of women and men.
Journey of `Abdu'l-Bahá to Europe
Back in Europe, he visited Britain, France, Austria-Hungary, and Germany. Finally on 12 June 1913 he returned to EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Several memoirs cover this period including:
Great Britain
- LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England, 13 – 16 Dec. - London, 16 Dec. – 6 Jan. 1913 (Oxford, 31 Dec.)
On Jan 2nd, he spoke on women's suffrage to the Women's Freedom League
Women's Freedom League
The Women's Freedom League was an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigned for women's suffrage and sexual equality.The group was founded in 1907 by seventy members of the Women's Social and Political Union including Teresa Billington-Greig, Charlotte Despard, Elizabeth How-Martyn, and...
- part of his address and print coverage of his talk noted the examples of Táhirih
Táhirih
Táhirih or Qurratu'l-`Ayn are both titles of Fátimih Baraghání , an influential poet and theologian of the Bábí Faith in Iran. Her life, influence and execution made her a key figure of the religion...
(or Qurratu'l-`Ayn), Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
, and Queen Zenobia
Zenobia
Zenobia was a 3rd-century Queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Roman Syria. She led a famous revolt against the Roman Empire. The second wife of King Septimius Odaenathus, Zenobia became queen of the Palmyrene Empire following Odaenathus' death in 267...
to the organization.
- EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, 6 – 10 Jan.
`Abdu'l-Bahá left London by the Euston Station
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
at 10am and arrived in Edinburgh at 6.15pm where he was met by Jane Elizabeth Whyte, notable Scottish Bahá'í, wife of Alexander Whyte
Alexander Whyte
Alexander Whyte was a Scottish divine. He was born at Kirriemuir in Forfarshire and educated at the University of Aberdeen and at New College, Edinburgh....
, and others. While in Edinburgh he and his associates stayed at the Georgian House of #7 Charlotte Square
Charlotte Square
Charlotte Square is a city square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square is located at the west end of George Street, intended to mirror St. Andrew Square in the east.-History:Initially named St...
. While in Edinburgh several stories appeared in The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
. On 7 Jan 'Abdu'l-Baha visited the Outlook Tower
Outlook Tower
Outlook Tower is a building in Edinburgh, Scotland, on the Royal Mile next to Edinburgh Castle. Known as "Short's Observatory, Museum of Science and Art" from 1853 to 1892, it was purchased and refurbished by Patrick Geddes in 1892 to transform into a "place of outlook and a type-museum as a key...
, then out on a driving tour of some of Edinburgh and the nearby countryside and in the afternoon he met with students of the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in the library of 7 Charlotte Sq, followed by a talk to the Edinburgh Esperanto Society in the Freemason's Hall. The meeting in the library was run by Alexander Whyte
Alexander Whyte
Alexander Whyte was a Scottish divine. He was born at Kirriemuir in Forfarshire and educated at the University of Aberdeen and at New College, Edinburgh....
who said "Dear and honoured Sir, I have had many meetings in this house, but never have I seen such a meeting It reminds me of what St. Paul said, ' God hath made of one blood all nations of men,' and of what our Lord said, ' They shall come from the East and the West, from the North and the South, and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God.'" Newspaper coverage lead to a stream of visitors to `Abdu'l-Bahá on Jan 8th. He next spoke at the Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art
Edinburgh College of Art is an art school in Edinburgh, Scotland, providing tertiary education in art and design disciplines for over two thousand students....
, then North Canongate School, in the afternoon and then in the evening at Rainy Hall, part of New College
New College, Edinburgh
New College was opened in 1846 as a college of the Free Church of Scotland, later of the United Free Church of Scotland, and from the 1930s has been the home of the School of Divinity of the University of Edinburgh...
followed by a viewing of Handel's Messiah in St Giles' Cathedral. Visitors again come on the 9th, another car tour, and then a talk on the equality of women, and a talk and dinner with the Theosophical society hosted by David Graham Pole. That night and or early the next morning `Abdu'l-Bahá wrote a letter to Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
. The letter commented on reading The Gospel of Wealth
The Gospel of Wealth
"Wealth", more commonly known as "The Gospel of Wealth", "the Richest man in the World," is an essay written by Andrew Carnegie in 1889 that described the responsibility of philanthropy by the new upper class of self-made rich...
. Some of the tablet is published in Selections of the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá:
O respected personage! I have read your work, The Gospel of Wealth, and noted therein truly apposite and sound recommendations for easing the lot of humankind.The Gospel is also annotated at length by other Bahá'ís. `Abdu'l-Bahá again sent a letter to Carnegie in 1915.
To state the matter briefly, the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh advocate voluntary sharing, and this is a greater thing than the equalization of wealth. For equalization must be imposed from without, while sharing is a matter of free choice.
Man reacheth perfection through good deeds, voluntarily performed, not through good deeds the doing of which was forced upon him. And sharing is a personally chosen righteous act: that is, the rich should extend assistance to the poor, they should expend their substance for the poor, but of their own free will, and not because the poor have gained this end by force. For the harvest of force is turmoil and the ruin of the social order. On the other hand voluntary sharing, the freely-chosen expending of one’s substance, leadeth to society’s comfort and peace. It lighteth up the world; it bestoweth honour upon humankind.
I have seen the good effects of your own philanthropy in America, in various universities, peace gatherings, and associations for the promotion of learning, as I travelled from city to city. Wherefore do I pray on your behalf that you shall ever be encompassed by the bounties and blessings of heaven, and shall perform many philanthropic deeds in East and West. Thus may you gleam as a lighted taper in the Kingdom of God, may attain honour and everlasting life, and shine out as a bright star on the horizon of eternity.
`Abdu'l-Bahá and his associates leave Edinburgh mid-morning on the 10th.
- London, 10 – 15 Jan.
- Bristol, 15 – 16 Jan.
- London, 16 – 21 Jan. (Woking, 18 Jan.)
Talk Given at 97 Cadogan Gardens, London, England, 16 January 1913
Continental Europe
- Paris, 22 Jan. – 30 March
In February 1913 he met with a group of Pairs professors and theological students at Pasteur Henri Monneir's Theological Seminary. Pasteur Monnier was a distinguished Protestant theologian, vice-president of the Protestant Federation of France
Protestant Federation of France
The Protestant Federation of France is a religious organisation created on 25 October 1905, which united the principal Protestant Christian groupings in France.-Federation:...
and professor of Protestant theology in Paris. While many of the original notes of the talks have been lost some have been kept and secondary versions have been printed. At the meeting `Abdu'l-Bahá responded to questions from Pasteur Monnier - on the nature of Christ, the relationship and similarities between the cause of Bahá'u'lláh and Christ, the relationship of Bahá'u'lláh and Christ with God, the possibility of the unity of religion and whether or the Bahá'í aim is to found a new religion.
- StuttgartStuttgartStuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, 1 – 8 April (Bad MergentheimBad MergentheimBad Mergentheim is a town in the Main-Tauber district in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.-History:Mergentheim is mentioned in chronicles as early as 1058, as the residence of the family of the counts of Hohenlohe, who early in the 13th century assigned the greater part of their estates in...
, 7 – 8 April)
He visited Germany for 8 days in 1913, including visiting Stuttgart, Esslingen and Bad Mergentheim. During this visit he spoke to a youth group as well as a gathering of Esperantists and responded to a marching parade of soldiers observing that the heavenly army is called for: "Ye shall scatter the forces of ignorance. Your war confers life; their war brings death. "
- ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, 8 April - BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, 9 – 19 April - Vienna, 19 – 24 April
- Stuttgart, 25 April – 1 May
- Paris, 2 May – 12 June
- Marseilles, 12 – 13 June
- Part II of
Return to Egypt
- Port Said, 17 June – 11 July
- Isma'iliyyahIsmaïlia-Notable natives:*Osman Ahmed Osman, a famous and influential Egyptian engineer, contractor, entrepreneur, and politician, was born in this town on 6 April 1917....
(aka Ismailia), 11 – 17 July - Alexandria (Ramlih), 17 July – 2 Dec.
- Returns to Haifa, 5 Dec.
The final return of `Abdu'l-Bahá from the West includes his remaining six months before returning to Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. The main account of this period is
See also
- Events in the years 1910, 1911, 1912, and 1913
- 1910 in rail transport1910 in rail transport-January events:* January 3 – Tired of its cars being routed to the Boston and Maine Railroad by mistake, the Brookville and Mahoning Railroad of Pennsylvania changes its name to the Pittsburg and Shawmut Railroad....
, 1911 in rail transport1911 in rail transport-January events:* January 23 – The Pontypridd railway accident in South Wales kills 11 people.-May events:* May 12 – Electric trains begin work between London Victoria station and Crystal Palace...
, 1912 in rail transport1912 in rail transport- January events :* January 3 – Canadian Pacific Railway leases the Dominion Atlantic Railway in Nova Scotia.* January 22 – The Florida East Coast Railway opens its rail connection to Key West.-February events:...
, 1913 in rail transport1913 in rail transport-February events:* February 1 - New York City's Grand Central Terminal opens as the world's largest train station to date.-May events:* May 7 - Tracklaying begins on the Graysonia, Nashville and Ashdown Railroad between Murfreesboro and Shawmut, Arkansas.-July events:* July 15 - Opening of the... - Bahá'í Faith in the United KingdomBahá'í Faith in the United KingdomThe Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom started in 1898 when Mrs. Mary Thornburgh-Cropper , an American by birth, become the first Bahá'í in England. Through the 1930s, the number of Bahá'ís in the United Kingdom grew, leading to a pioneer movement beginning after the Second World War with sixty...
- Bahá'í Faith in GermanyBahá'í Faith in GermanyThough mentioned in the Bahá'í literature in the 19th century, the Bahá'í Faith in Germany begins in the early 20th century when two emigrants to the United States returned on prolonged visits to Germany bringing their newfound religion. The first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was established...
External links
- The Journey West: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Travels - Europe & North America (1911-1913)
- BWNS: 100 years ago, historic journeys transformed a fledgling faith (30 August 2010).
- ‘Irfán Colloquium #97 (English) Centre for Bahá’í Studies: Acuto, Italy on July 3–6, 2010 - the beginning of a four year centenary celebration of `Abdu'l-Bahá's talks, and significant events associated with his historic travels to the West (1911–1913)