'ABDU'L-BAHA 'Abdu'l-Baha, fo>' fo>·ty years a prisoner in Palestine, because of mising the Standa1'd of the "Most Great Peace." f f BAHA'I YEAR BOOK VOLUME ONE-ApRIL, 1925'-ApRIL, 1926 Prepared under the supervision of the National Spiritual Assembly of the BAHA'is OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA with the approval of SHOGHI EFFENDI. BAHA'i PuBLISHING COMMITTEE P. O. Box 348, Grand Central Station, New York City, U. S. A. 1926. Copyright, 1926, by N·ational Spiritual As~embly of the Baha'is of the United States and Canada. CONTENTS PART ONE PAGE "0 Army of Life!" ______________________________________________ - -_ _ _ __ _ 12 A Statement of the Purpose and Principles of the Baha'i Faith______________ 13 Outline of Baha'i History _________ ._____ .____________________________ ___ - __ 15 The Passing of 'Abdu',l-Baha__________________________________ _____ ______ 19 PART Two Extracts from Baha'i Sacred Writings___________________________ __ _______ 35 A Statement on Present-day Administration of the Baha'i Caus.L___________ 45 Baha'i Calendar and Festivals___________________________________________ 56 The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar _ ___ _ _ ___ __________ _______ _____ _ ___ __ __ __ _ ____ ___ 59 Brief History of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in America_________________________ 64 Extracts from Mashriqu'l-Adhkar Report ________________________________ 71 The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of 'Ishqabad______________________________________ 79 Impressions of Haifa _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _____ _____ __ __ _ __ _ _ ____ _____ ___ _ _ _ __ _______ 81 ]{unjangun _______________________________________________________ ______ 84 Old and New Path;:, at Green Acre________________________________________ 87 World Unity Conference _________________________________ ________________ 95 PART THREE National Spiritual Assemblies ____________________________________________ 101 Leading Local Baha'i Centers ____________________________________________ 101 Baha'i Periodicals ___________________________________________ ___________ 103 Bibliography ___________________________________________________________ 105 References to the Baha'i MovemenL ______________________________________ 115 European and American Cities Vi·sited by 'A.bdu'I-BahL ____________________ 130 Transliteration of Oriental Terms Frequently Used in Baha'i Literature ______ 131 Dr. J. E. Esslemont ______________________________ ______________________ 133 PART FOUR The Relation of the Baha'i Cause to Modern Progre&sive Movements ________ 139 The Unity of Civilization __________________________________________ _____ 141 Equality of Men and Women _____________________________________________ 147 Esperanto and the Baha'i Teachings _______________ __ _____________________ 153 Unity of Religions __________________________________________ __ __________ 157 Science and Religion ____________________________ __ _________ ______________ 160 Universal Education ____ __ ___ ________ ___ ___ ___ _ ________ ___ _ _ _ __ _ ___ __ _ __ 163 Racial Amity __________________________________ _________________________ 165 The Economic Teaching of 'Abdu'I-BahL __________________________________ 170 World Peace -----_______________________________________________________ 173 5 NOTE: The editors regret that a few Oriental words and proper names appear with different spellings throughout the Year Book due to the fact that certain articles were written before the Oxford &tandard transliteration was adopted by the Baha'is. Also in other ways there has been no attempt to bring up to date the compilation of material, some of which covered a period "f many years. ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE 'Abdu'l-Baha __________________________________________ - --- ---- - - - - - _Frontispiece Original house occupied by the Bab_______________ _____ ____________ __________ 16 Avenue in Haifa leading to Mt. CarmeL_________________ __ _______ _______ _____ 22 Group of Baha'is in Baghdad, Iraq_______ ___ _______ __ ___ ___ _____ __ ____ ______ 34 Baha'i Assembly of Port Said, EgypL__________________________ __ ___________ 44 Delegates and friends attending Convention at Green Acre, Maine__ ____________ 52 The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar _______________________________ - ___ --- - ----- - --- - --- 58 Mr. Bourgeois' house-studio-€xterior and interior__________________ __________ 76 'Terraced descent from Tomb of the Bab and 'Abdu'I-BahL____________________ 82 Baha'i& of Kunjangun, India______ ___ _____ ___ ______________ ____________ ____ _ 86 Fellowship house and tea house at Green Acre, Maine________ __ ________________ 90 Peace flag-raising at Green Acre and view of grounds_________________________ 92 Floral emblem sent Major Imbrie ______ __ _________ _________ _____ __ ____ ____ __ _ 100 Baha'i stud'ents at Beirut University ________ ___________ ______ ___ _________ ___ 104 Jenab'i-Fadil at Santa Paula, California _____ ____ ___ _______ . ___ _____________ 106 Boys' school at 'Ishqabad, Ru&sia ___________________________________________ 110 Girls' schoc>l at 'Ishqabad, Rus,sia ______ ____________ __________ __ ___ _________ __ 116 Annual Feast at West Englewood, New Jersey __________ ______________________ 120 Baha'i Feast given Miss Alexander at Seoul, Korea. Buddhist College students at Seoul _____ ___ __ ______________ __ ___________ ________ ___ __ ___ __ __ _______ 122 Baha'i Mes&age carried to Alaska _______________________ ____ ______ __ _________ 124 Baha'i teachers in Australia and New Zealand ________________ ________________ 126 Mi,ss Effie Baker of Melbourne, Australia ____________ _________________________ 128 Dr. J. E. Esslemont __________________________________________________ --___ 132 Conference of Living Religions at London in 1924-______ ________________ ______ 138 Dr. and Mrs. K. M. Foujdar of Bombay, India ________ ________________________ 148 Esperanto students, Tokyo, J apan_ _____ ___ __ _ _____ ____ __ __ _ ___ ____ ___ _ _ _ _ _ __ 156 Baha'i Orphanage at Tokyo, Japan _____ ~ _____________________________ _______ 168 7 To SHOGHI EFFENDI Guardian of the Baha'i Cause this work is dedicated in hope that it will assist his efforts to promote that spiritual unity underlying and anticipating the "Most Great Peace" of BAHA'u'LLAH INTRODUCTION URING February, 1924, the suggestion was made to Shoghi Effendi that the time D seemed opportune for the organization of a committee of Baha'i editors, chosen from the Orient, Europe and America, to gather together the necessary data, facts, and other information for an annual reference book on the Baha'i Cause. During the eighty years that have passed since the announcement of the Bab, the movement has penetrated into many countries and made an indelible impression upon the thoughts of the age. If all the activities of the Baha'is could be gathered together, and the work of the Cause be properly edited each year, the result, it was felt, would be to advance the unified thought and action of the adherents of the Faith and disclose to others something of the significance of the world-wide movement called into being by the message of Baha'u'llah. As the result of that suggestion, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States and Canada was requested, pending the formation of an international board of Baha'i editors, to assume responsibility for the work. The editors appointed by that body present this first Baha'i Year Book in full knowledge that it falls all too short of the ideal. They request its readers to accept the book merely as a preliminary forecast and simple working model of an annual Baha'i work of reference ihe facilities for which can be developed as time goes on. Particularly do they regret the unavoidable emphasis placed upon the activities of the Baha'IS in the United States and Canada in comparison with those of other countries. In future issues of the Year Book equal emphasis can be secured through closer co-operation with the other National Spiritual Assemblies than could be asked for or received in the brief space of time at the disposal of the editors this year .. Sympathizers with the ideals of the movement are asked to give special attention to Part Four, consisting of a series of contributed articles on those universal principles pro­ mulgated so lucidly by 'Abdu'l-Baha and already generally accepted as the indications and proofs of a new day stirring in the heart of mankind. It is hoped that this section of the Baha'i Year Book will develop into a true review and analysis of world events from a spiritual point of view-an interpretation surely most desirable and helpful to students and workers in all fields. Suggestions and assistance leading to improvements in future volumes of the Year Book will be heartily welcomed from any source, particularly from the various National Spiritual Assemblies throughout the Baha'i world. Correspondence on the subject should be ad­ dressed to Year Book Committee, care National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States and Canada, 48 West 10th Street, New York, N. Y., U. S. A. NELLIE S. FRENCH, MARIAM HANEY, HORACE HOLLEY, CHARLES MASON REMEY, ALBERT WINDUST, Editors. PART ONE 1. "0 Army of Life!" II. A Statement of the Purpose and Principles of the BaM'i Faith. III. Outline of BaM'i History. IV. Passing of 'Abdu'I-BaM. 11 ARMY OF LIFE! East and West have joined to worship stars of faded splendor and have turned in prayer unto darkened horizons. Both have ut­ terly neglected the broad foundation of God's sa­ cred laws, and have grown unmindful of the merits and virtues of His religion. They have regarded certain customs and