The Promulgation of Universal Peace

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by 'Abdu'l-Baha

Edition 1, (September 2006)

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CONTENTS

Baha'i Terms of Use
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN
11 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
12 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Howard MacNutt
935 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York
12 April 1912
Talk at Studio of Miss Phillips
39 West Sixty-seventh Street, New York
13 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Morten
141 East Twenty-first Street, New York
14 April 1912
Talk at Church of the Ascension
Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street, New York
14 April 1912
Talk at Union Meeting of Advanced Thought Centers
Carnegie Lyceum
West Fifty-seventh Street, New York
15 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mountfort Mills
327 West End Avenue, New York
16 April 1912
Talk at Hotel Ansonia to Baha'i Friends of New Jersey
Broadway and Seventy-third Street, New York
17 April 1912
Talk at Hotel Ansonia
Broadway and Seventy-third Street, New York
17 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
18 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall L. Emery
273 West Ninetieth Street, New York
19 April 1912
Talk at Earl Hall
Columbia University, New York
19 April 1912
Talk at Bowery Mission
227 Bowery, New York
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
20 April 1912
Talk at Orient-Occident-Unity Conference
Public Library Hall, Washington, D.C.
21 April 1912
Talk at Studio Hall
1219 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D.C.
21 April 1912
Talk at Universalist Church
Thirteenth and L Streets, Washington, D.C.
22 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
23 April 1912
Talk at Howard University
Washington, D.C.
23 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
23 April 1912
Talk to Bethel Literary Society
Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church
M Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
24 April 1912
Talk at Children's Reception
Studio Hall
1219 Connecticut Avenue, Washington, D.C.
24 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
24 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mrs. Andrew J. Dyer
1937 Thirteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
25 April 1912
Talk to Theosophical Society
Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
25 April 1912
Message to Esperantists
Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
25 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CHICAGO, WILMETTE, AND EVANSTON
30 April 1912
Talk at Public Meeting Concluding Convention of Baha'i Temple Unity
Drill Hall, Masonic Temple, Chicago, Illinois
30 April 1912
Talk at Hull House
Chicago, Illinois
30 April 1912
Talk at Fourth Annual Conference of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People
Handel Hall, Chicago, Illinois
1 May 1912
Talk at Dedication of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar Grounds
Wilmette, Illinois
2 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
2 May 1912
Talk to Federation of Women's Clubs
Hotel La Salle, Chicago, Illinois
2 May 1912
Talk at Baha'i Women's Reception
Hotel La Salle, Chicago, Illinois
2 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
2 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
3 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
3 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
4 May 1912
Talk to Theosophical Society
Northwestern University Hall, Evanston, Illinois
5 May 1912
Talk at Children's Meeting
Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
5 May 1912
Talk at Plymouth Congregational Church
935 East Fiftieth Street
Chicago, Illinois
5 May 1912
Talk at All-Souls Church
Lincoln Center, Chicago, Illinois
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CLEVELAND
6 May 1912
Talk at Euclid Hall
Cleveland, Ohio
6 May 1912
Talk at Sanatorium of Dr. C. M. Swingle
Cleveland, Ohio
TALK 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN PITTSBURGH
7 May 1912
Talk at Hotel Schenley
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK, MONTCLAIR, AND JERSEY CITY
11 May 1912
Talk at 227 Riverside Drive, New York
12 May 1912
Talk at Unity Church
Montclair, New Jersey
12 May 1912
Talk at Meeting of International Peace Forum
Grace Methodist Episcopal Church
West 104th Street, New York
13 May 1912
Talk at Reception by New York Peace Society
Hotel Astor, New York
19 May 1912
Talk at Church of the Divine Paternity
Central Park West, New York
19 May 1912
Talk at Brotherhood Church
Bergen and Fairview Avenues, Jersey City, New Jersey
20 May 1912
Talk at Woman's Suffrage Meeting
Metropolitan Temple
Seventh Avenue and Fourteenth Street, New York
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CAMBRIDGE AND BOSTON
23 May 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Francis W. Breed
367 Harvard Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts
24 May 1912
Talk at Free Religious Association, or Unitarian Conference
Boston, Massachusetts
25 May 1912
Huntington Chambers
Boston, Massachusetts
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK AND FANWOOD
26 May 1912
Talk at Mount Morris Baptist Church
Fifth Avenue and 126th Street, New York
28 May 1912
Talk at Reception at Metropolitan Temple
Seventh Avenue and Fourteenth Street, New York
29 May 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
30 May 1912
Talk at Theosophical Lodge
Broadway and Seventy-ninth Street, New York
31 May 1912
Talk at Town Hall
Fanwood, New Jersey
2 June 1912
Talk at Church of the Ascension
Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street, New York
8 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN PHILADELPHIA
9 June 1912
Talk at Unitarian Church
Fifteenth Street and Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
9 June 1912
Talk at Baptist Temple
Broad and Berks Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN
11 June 1912
Talk at Open Committee Meeting
Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
11 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
11 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
12 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
15 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
16 June 1912
Talk at Fourth Unitarian Church
Beverly Road, Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York
16 June 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Howard MacNutt
935 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York
16 June 1912
Talk at Central Congregational Church
Hancock Street, Brooklyn, New York
17 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
18 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
20 June 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN MONTCLAIR AND WEST ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY
23 June 1912
Talk at Montclair, New Jersey
29 June 1912
Talk at Unity Feast, Outdoors
West Englewood, New Jersey
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK
1 July 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
1 July 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
5 July 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
5 July 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
6 July 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
14 July 1912
Talk at All Souls Unitarian Church
Fourth Avenue and Twentieth Street, New York
15 July 1912
Talk at Home of Dr. and Mrs. Florian Krug
830 Park Avenue, New York
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN BOSTON
23 July 1912
Talk at Hotel Victoria
Boston, Massachusetts
24 July 1912
Talk to Theosophical Society
The Kensington
Exeter and Boylston Streets, Boston, Massachusetts
25 July 1912
Talk at Hotel Victoria
Boston, Massachusetts
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN DUBLIN
5 August 1912
Talk at Dublin Inn
Dublin, New Hampshire
6 August 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
Dublin, New Hampshire
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED AT GREEN ACRE
16 August 1912
Talk at Green Acre
Eliot, Maine
17 August 1912
Talk at Green Acre
Eliot, Maine
17 August 1912
Talk at Green Acre
Eliot, Maine
17 August 1912
Talk at Green Acre
Eliot, Maine
17 August 1912
Talk at Green Acre
Eliot, Maine
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN BOSTON AND MALDEN
25 August 1912
Talk at the New Thought Forum
Metaphysical Club
Boston, Massachusetts
26 August 1912
Talk at Franklin Square House
Boston, Massachusetts
27 August 1912
Talk at Metaphysical Club
Boston, Massachusetts
29 August 1912
Talk at Home of Madame Morey
34 Hillside Avenue, Malden, Massachusetts
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN MONTREAL
1 September 1912
Talk at Church of the Messiah
Montreal, Canada
1 September 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell
716 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Canada
1 September 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell
716 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Canada
2 September 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. William Sutherland Maxwell
716 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Canada
5 September 1912
Talk at St. James Methodist Church
Montreal, Canada
TALK 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CHICAGO
16 September 1912
Talk at Home of Mrs. Corinne True
5338 Kenmore Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
TALK 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN MINNEAPOLIS
20 September 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. Albert L. Hall
2030 Queen Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota
TALK 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN ST. PAUL
20 September 1912
Talk at Home of Dr. and Mrs. Clement Woolson
870 Laurel Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN DENVER
24 September 1912
Talk at Home of Mrs. Roberts
Denver, Colorado
25 September 1912
Talk at Second Divine Science Church
3929 West Thirty-eighth Avenue, Denver, Colorado
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN OAKLAND, PALO ALTO, SAN FRANCISCO, AND
SACRAMENTO
7 October 1912
Talk to Japanese Young Men's Christian Association
Japanese Independent Church, Oakland, California
8 October 1912
Talk at Leland Stanford Junior University
Palo Alto, California
10 October 1912
Talk at Open Forum
San Francisco, California
12 October 1912
Talk at Temple Emmanu-El
450 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California
25 October 1912
Talk at Hotel Sacramento
Sacramento, California
26 October 1912
Talk at Assembly Hall, Hotel Sacramento
Sacramento, California
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CHICAGO
31 October 1912
Talk at Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois
1 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mrs. Corinne True
5338 Kenmore Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
TALK 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN CINCINNATI
5 November 1912
Talk at Grand Hotel
Cincinnati, Ohio
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN WASHINGTON, D. C.
6 November 1912
Talk at Universalist Church
Thirteenth and L Streets, NW, Washington, D.C.
7 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
7 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
8 November 1912
Talk at Eighth Street Temple, Synagogue
Washington, D. C.
9 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
9 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
9 November 1912
Talk at Baha'i Banquet
Rauscher's Hall, Washington, D. C.
10 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
10 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Hannen
1252 Eighth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
10 November 1912
Talk at 1901 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.
TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK
15 November 1912
Talk at Home of Miss Juliet Thompson
48 West Tenth Street, New York
16 November 1912
Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York
17 November 1912
Talk at Genealogical Hall
252 West Fifty-eighth Street, New York
18 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank K. Moxey
575 Riverside Drive, New York
23 November 1912
Talk at Banquet
Great Northern Hotel
118 West Fifty-seventh Street, New York
29 November 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
2 December 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
2 December 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
3 December 1912
Talk at Home of Dr. and Mrs. Florian Krug
830 Park Avenue, New York
3 December 1912
Talk to Mr. Kinney's Bible Class
780 West End Avenue, New York
3 December 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York
4 December 1912
Talk to Theosophical Society
2228 Broadway, New York
5 December 1912
Talk on Day of Departure
On Board Steamship Celtic, New York

TALKS 'ABDU'L-BAHA DELIVERED IN NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN

11 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney
780 West End Avenue, New York

Notes by Hooper Harris

How are you? Welcome! Welcome!

After arriving today, although weary with travel, I had the utmost longing
and yearning to see you and could not resist this meeting. Now that I have
met you, all my weariness has vanished, for your meeting is the cause of
spiritual happiness.

I was in Egypt and was not feeling well, but I wished to come to you in
America. My friends said, "This is a long journey; the sea is wide; you
should remain here." But the more they advised and insisted, the greater
became my longing to take this trip, and now I have come to America to
meet the friends of God. This long voyage will prove how great is my love
for you. There were many troubles and vicissitudes, but, in the thought of
meeting you, all these things vanished and were forgotten.

I am greatly pleased with the city of New York. Its harbor entrance, its
piers, buildings and broad avenues are magnificent and beautiful. Truly,
it is a wonderful city. As New York has made such progress in material
civilization, I hope that it may also advance spiritually in the Kingdom
and Covenant of God so that the friends here may become the cause of the
illumination of America, that this city may become the city of love and
that the fragrances of God may be spread from this place to all parts of
the world. I have come for this. I pray that you may be manifestations of
the love of Baha'u'llah, that each one of you may become like a clear lamp
of crystal from which the rays of the bounties of the Blessed Perfection
may shine forth to all nations and peoples. This is my highest aspiration.

It was a long, long trip. The more we traveled, the greater seemed the
expanse of the sea. The weather was brilliant and fine throughout; there
was no storm and no end to the sea.

I am very happy to meet you all here today. Praise be to God that your
faces are shining with the love of Baha'u'llah. To behold them is the
cause of great spiritual happiness. We have arranged to meet you every day
at the homes of the friends.

In the East people were asking me, "Why do you undertake this long voyage?
Your body cannot endure such hardships of travel." When it is necessary,
my body can endure everything. It has withstood forty years of
imprisonment and can still undergo the utmost trials.

I will see you again. Now I will greet each one of you personally. It is
my hope that you will all be happy and that we may meet again and again.

12 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Howard MacNutt
935 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York

Notes by Howard MacNutt

This is a most happy visit. I have crossed the sea from the land of the
Orient for the joy of meeting the friends of God. Although I am weary
after my long journey, the light of the spirit shining in your faces
brings me rest and reward. In this meeting the divine susceptibilities are
radiant. This is a spiritual house, the home of the spirit. There is no
discord here; all is love and unity. When souls are gathered together in
this way, the divine bestowals descend. The purpose of the creation of man
is the attainment of the supreme virtues of humanity through descent of
the heavenly bestowals. The purpose of man's creation is, therefore, unity
and harmony, not discord and separateness. If the atoms which compose the
kingdom of the minerals were without affinity for each other, the earth
would never have been formed, the universe could not have been created.
Because they have affinity for each other, the power of life is able to
manifest itself, and the organisms of the phenomenal world become
possible. When this attraction or atomic affinity is destroyed, the power
of life ceases to manifest; death and nonexistence result.

It is so, likewise, in the spiritual world. That world is the Kingdom of
complete attraction and affinity. It is the Kingdom of the One Divine
Spirit, the Kingdom of God. Therefore, the affinity and love manifest in
this meeting, the divine susceptibilities witnessed here are not of this
world but of the world of the Kingdom. When the souls become separated and
selfish, the divine bounties do not descend, and the lights of the Supreme
Concourse are no longer reflected even though the bodies meet together. A
mirror with its back turned to the sun has no power to reflect the sun's
effulgence. Praise be to God! The purpose of this assembly is love and
unity.

The divine Prophets came to establish the unity of the Kingdom in human
hearts. All of them proclaimed the glad tidings of the divine bestowals to
the world of mankind. All brought the same message of divine love to the
world. Jesus Christ gave His life upon the cross for the unity of mankind.
Those who believed in Him likewise sacrificed life, honor, possessions,
family, everything, that this human world might be released from the hell
of discord, enmity and strife. His foundation was the oneness of humanity.
Only a few were attracted to Him. They were not the kings and rulers of
His time. They were not rich and important people. Some of them were
catchers of fish. Most of them were ignorant men, not trained in the
knowledge of this world. One of the greatest of them, Peter, could not
remember the days of the week. All of them were men of the least
consequence in the eyes of the world. But their hearts were pure and
attracted by the fires of the Divine Spirit manifested in Christ. With
this small army Christ conquered the world of the East and the West. Kings
and nations rose against Him. Philosophers and the greatest men of
learning assailed and blasphemed His Cause. All were defeated and
overcome, their tongues silenced, their lamps extinguished, their hatred
quenched; no trace of them now remains. They have become as nonexistent,
while His Kingdom is triumphant and eternal.

The brilliant star of His Cause has ascended to the zenith, while night
has enveloped and eclipsed His enemies. His name, beloved and adored by a
few disciples, now commands the reverence of kings and nations of the
world. His power is eternal; His sovereignty will continue forever, while
those who opposed Him are sleeping in the dust, their very names unknown,
forgotten. The little army of disciples has become a mighty cohort of
millions. The Heavenly Host, the Supreme Concourse are His legions; the
Word of God is His sword; the power of God is His victory.

Jesus Christ knew this would come to pass and was content to suffer. His
abasement was His glorification; His crown of thorns, a heavenly diadem.
When they pressed it upon His blessed head and spat in His beautiful face,
they laid the foundation of His everlasting Kingdom. He still reigns,
while they and their names have become lost and unknown. He is eternal and
glorious; they are nonexistent. They sought to destroy Him, but they
destroyed themselves and increased the intensity of His flame by the winds
of their opposition.

Through His death and teachings we have entered into His Kingdom. His
essential teaching was the unity of mankind and the attainment of supreme
human virtues through love. He came to establish the Kingdom of peace and
everlasting life. Can you find in His words any justification for discord
and enmity? The purpose of His life and the glory of His death were to set
mankind free from the sins of strife, war and bloodshed. The great nations
of the world boast that their laws and civilization are based upon the
religion of Christ. Why then do they make war upon each other? The Kingdom
of Christ cannot be upheld by destroying and disobeying it. The banners of
His armies cannot lead the forces of Satan. Consider the sad picture of
Italy carrying war into Tripoli. If you should announce that Italy was a
barbarous nation and not Christian, this would be vehemently denied. But
would Christ sanction what they are doing in Tripoli? Is this destruction
of human life obedience to His laws and teachings? Where does He command
it? Where does He consent to it? He was killed by His enemies; He did not
kill. He even loved and prayed for those who hung Him on the cross.
Therefore, these wars and cruelties, this bloodshed and sorrow are
Antichrist, not Christ. These are the forces of death and Satan, not the
hosts of the Supreme Concourse of heaven.

No less bitter is the conflict between sects and denominations. Christ was
a divine Center of unity and love. Whenever discord prevails instead of
unity, wherever hatred and antagonism take the place of love and spiritual
fellowship, Antichrist reigns instead of Christ. Who is right in these
controversies and hatreds between the sects? Did Christ command them to
love or to hate each other? He loved even His enemies and prayed in the
hour of His crucifixion for those who killed Him. Therefore, to be a
Christian is not merely to bear the name of Christ and say, "I belong to a
Christian government." To be a real Christian is to be a servant in His
Cause and Kingdom, to go forth under His banner of peace and love toward
all mankind, to be self-sacrificing and obedient, to become quickened by
the breaths of the Holy Spirit, to be mirrors reflecting the radiance of
the divinity of Christ, to be fruitful trees in the garden of His
planting, to refresh the world by the water of life of His teachings--in
all things to be like Him and filled with the spirit of His love.

Praise be to God! The light of unity and love is shining in these faces.
These spiritual susceptibilities are the real fruits of heaven. The Bab
and Baha'u'llah over sixty years ago proclaimed the glad tidings of
universal peace. The Bab was martyred in the Cause of God. Baha'u'llah
suffered forty years as a prisoner and exile in order that the Kingdom of
love might be established in the East and West. He has made it possible
for us to meet here in love and unity. Because He suffered imprisonment,
we are free to proclaim the oneness of the world of humanity for which He
stood so long and faithfully. He was chained in dungeons, He was without
food, His companions were thieves and criminals, He was subjected to every
kind of abuse and infliction, but throughout it all He never ceased to
proclaim the reality of the Word of God and the oneness of humanity. We
have been brought together here by the power of His Word--you from America,
I from Persia--all in love and unity of spirit. Was this possible in former
centuries? If it is possible now after fifty years of sacrifice and
teaching, what shall we expect in the wonderful centuries coming?