St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 53

0 "87 in mn 0 11, a -as? mm 01 Vc Chicago Followers of Bahai Will Handle Every Stone and Girder Going Into New Structure The Cult, a Weird Jyf JyJi ,40, sr 7 1 I 4 fviu in Mrs-Lllyan Shaffner GENTLE-BORN Chicago women. The majority of women followers of followers of a strange Oriental Bahai are distinguished for musical, cult, are going to build a tem- literary, poetical or other tempera-pie with their own fair hands. mental gifts. One of the most noted As masons, artisans, laborers, they of its adherents is Geraldine Farrer, will conduct their strange toil until the prima donna. In Chicago the the most wonderful religious edifice in leaders include Mrs.

Lillyan Shaffner, the United States rears its towering novelist and dramatist; Mme. Ragua cupola proudly above the shores of Linne, a well-known soprano; Neilie Lake Michigan. E. Cox. author, and Dr.

Susan Ar-All for the glory of Bahai, founder mody, Mrs. Eva Russell, Mrs. A. B. and prophet of Bahaism, the mystic Burrows, Miss Jane Mason, Mrs.

Ed-faith that had its origin in far-away gar F. Wiate. Mrs. A. R.

Windust, Persia. Mrs. Cecll'a Harrison, Mrs. Albert These women, many of them writ- Kirchner, Thornton B. Chase, Mr.

and ei and singers of note and prominent Mrs. Marshall A. Roe and Mrs. Finn, in society, with fingers unused even The temple they are to build with to the lightest task of housekeeping, their own hands will be located at will lift stone upon atone, mix the Wilmette, on the north shore. The mortar, bear the lumber and hoist the only other Bahai Temple in existence, material to the dizzy heights of the Mashrek-El-Aczar at Iskhabad.

Rus-mounting structure. sia, will be used as a model. It will The building of the temple by the have nine sides and nine doors, at Bahaists themselves is not a neces- each of which a fountain will play, in sary rite or demanded by any of the accordance with the mysterious laws of worship. But the ob- of the sect. Nine and nineteen are ject is twoiold; first the exchequer of the magic numbers of the faith, the church in America is low.

but Another amazintr feature of thf of the Russian qahaktempl TO BE. MODEL OF OVg IN CHICAGO aoverument had proceeded to the ex- of Babi himself, who was im- Psonea in me ionress oi nerigu, but later waa removed to Tabriz. The amounts of the Babi execu- tion differ in minor details only. He was suspended by the armpits along with one of his disciples. Govern- ment soldiers fired a volley.

The disciple was killed, but the bullets only cut the cords which bound the Babi and he fel1 to tne E'ound. othe mill other belt operated a St. Louis saw for cutting up waste wood around the farm. 'That same day I saw my rural friend shaving himself with a New York safety razor. And after supper he brought out a box of Tampa cigars and we listened to music of a Chicago phonograph and a Detroit piano.

"Now the Interesting fact about all this is not that he seemed to have be- come suddenly prosperous or free with his money; the Important point is that all these articles from widely scattered points, even to the cigars, had been purchased by mall. Through advertising alone he had been suffl- ciemly impressed with the conven- I I i-m-e aim ui uuuca i uinc them on his own initiative. If the manufacturers only knew it, the farmer Is now his best prospective customer. One billion five hundred million dollars is the amount believed to be hoarded In -la. Th's refers to gold alone, and does not Include silver iuiicts uuuiri POST DISPATCII XOVEMBER 'r Ma RSHALL A.

fO. 51 The historians acree that Instead cf U8ing thiB remarkable deliverance ror ni8 escape, he meekly took reruge in a guardhouse, where he waa promptly dispatched by the soldiers, His death did not discourage his fol- lowers. Not long after th marytrdom or the Babi. the one of whom he had preached anoeared In the person of Baha Ullah, the "Manifestation." or God in the flesh. Under the severest perseecution, Baha Ullah, together with some of his followers, was exiled to Turkey in Europe and later on.

In 1868, was sent to the town of Acre, a penal colony situated on the Med- Iterranean. Just north of Mount Car- mel, in Syria. Upon arrival there, Baha Lllah made a declaration to the world in the form of letters to the kings and rulers of the earth, in which he declared to all his divine mission. Here in Acre he lived and taught until he died, in 1892. While durin'g the ministry of Baha Ullah he gave his teachings and spir- itual instructions, yet during that time his cause was not explained and established in the world in genera' To this end he commanded his fol- lowers upon his departure to turn tbe'r faces toward his son Abbas Ef- fendi as their spiritual guide, the ex- plainer of his teachings, the one who would establish his cause In the world mrt A a mi wVna.

hi. nC -uot mo mantle should fall. Abbas Effendi. who waa born In 1844 and until recently a state prisoner In the town of Acre, makes but one claim for himself that of service in the path of God. He signs himself Abdul Baha Abbas, whlth means Abbas, the Servant of Cod." He regarded by the Bahals as their spir mum uU cuuitic iw in 1.

1 presses the name of the deity hlm- self and also the sum total of tn prophets In the later dispensation The Bab is the chief of these li prophets. This sacred college of 19 cannot become extinct nntil the laat Judgment. On the death of any of its members the soul of the departed one Is immediately reincarnated in another follower, as In the Grand Lama. The morality of the sect la pure and cheerful. It Is said to be an advance on all other Oriental sects in Its treat ment of women.

Polvgamy and cod- cubioage are forbidden. It is also decreed that one of the 19 nronheta must also alway be female. Other leading precepts Include hospitality, charity and generous living and ab- tlnence from lntoxlfatlujf l'quors and drugs. Asceticism Is discountenanced and mendacity strictly prohibited. 1 1.

I ine irsuBPiamiuK oi lu.m viiruiw rel'gious sect to the western clvlil- tlon of Europe and America Is oae of the phenomena of the modern religious world. The total number of followers Is given as 13,000.000. Among the birds the swan Uvea to I the oldent. In extreme case rt-a -h-ing Zw The falcon has beu nr to live over 162 Year. EVA 5 Webster Abbas effendi, prophet ditions.

became a leading exponent and teacher of the sect. She was known among her followers as the "Consolation of the Eyes," from her loveliness. A third prominent apostle was Vntrnmnui nirnnmnchi The endeavor of the authorities to suppress the sect led to civil war. Hussein constructed a fort in Mazour- duan. where he defeated several expe- ditions that were sent against him Hussein was at last killed in battle and his followers put to death.

Th's hi nrinrlnol in th city of Zendian, after an obstinate de- fense. in May, 1850. Meanwhile, the FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS. AMONG the first beliefs be submitted to the novice are the fol- lowing from the "Revelations" of Baha Allah himself: "In all creation 'man Is ihe greatest "The soul of man is the Seed of God, because it, alone, contains the Essence of Immortality. "The beginning (I.

seed planting). Is the same for each soul, but this world Bpoils that soul. Heredity Is but an earthly product. "A perfected man is five fold. With'n this Kingdom exists the elements of the mineral, vegetable, animal, intellectual and spiritual being.

"The material body of man is a vehicle for communication; a thing of sensation and feeling; a symbol (in Its construction) of greater things; and, above all, it is a temple. Breath animates It and sustains its physical existence; food and water are the material helpers; the body, at every instant, passing through the cycle of loss and renewal. Circulating through it, its channels weaving like a vine with its branches, from, and returning to, that wonderful center, the heart, is the blood; and in tnat blood exists an indescribable, impalpable substance wh'ch is spiritual in Its characteristics. Science tells us that it exists only in the living blood, but not In the blood after death. "Deposited within this temple are the 'Pearls of God's secrets, and the Gems of His and the 'Crown Jewel therein is the Essence of Light! Heaven and earth are In this Kingdom.

"But It is man alone the only portion of Creation who Is able to understand the things of God who is out of harmony. And because of this one, dominant, discordant note all creation Is Jarred unon and trava'leth together. The dumb animals all about him are, in many respects, monumental examples to him. He alone. In whom dwells the Essence of Immortality, is faithless and asleep at his post.

Well might he pray that he may be permitted to exist throughout the duration of God's Dominion, and not become as the beasts which perish! Christ predicted this when He said: 'When the Son of man cometh, will be find faith on the earth St. Luke, 18. 8. "Man alone can attain the sublime heights on union with the Infinite. "When the soul hungers for the knowledge of its God.

and ft drinks from the unadulterated 'Cij of Immortality, that crystal draft, in its action upon that soul, resembles a drop of elixir upon a piece of copper, which, cleansing from all Impurity, transmutes It into pure gold. Thus, through sp'rltual evolution, man arises from the animal station (the station of sensation, which is our Satan) and attains the station of Intellect; then dies to that station and arises In the stat'on of spirit. It has been said that 'the last degree of reason is the flrst degree of Love." Oriental Religion, Gains Foothold in America What It Teaches and How It Has Soread City of Acre where him to imprisonment. From this time, while the Babi was ostensibly silent, his followers began to grow in num- ber and his teachings to spread in secret. He laid aside the title of Babi declaring himself to be the Nokteh.

inal 13 not merely ine recipient oi a divine revelation, but the focus to 'which all previous dispensations con- verge. Fresh proselytes were gained. One ot the leading converts was Mollah Hussein Boushrevieh. who became a powerful exponent of the doctrine. Another lendinc anostle was a eifted woman, Zerryn Taj (Crown of Gold), "ho, in defiance of Mohammedan tra- Wide Effect 'XTENSIONS of rural free mail delivery service is affording mail order concerns Increasing opportunity to reach tne farmers, and manufacturers in general, apprectat- ing the value of placing advertis'ng matter at the farm gate, have lost no time in soliciting country trade by The farmer always has been the best and most extensive purcbas- er and hence the principal supporter of the catalogue houses, but now manufacturer and wholesaler as well are bidding for his trade.

"I ran across a striding Instance the other day of how manufacturers with the aid of the rural mail serv- ice, have reached the farmers." said a Chicago business man to a writer, I 1 or several vears past i uave uecu spending a week each summer at the home of a farmer in Western Michi- Six vears aeo. before the mail service was introduced, that man had nomofiiai p-miifh because he had to work so hard. He complained that it took him hours every morning and little thinsr done around the house and barn, and his wile was always urea out irom aoing 1 I III ftll mHWIPHk vii 1 undertaking is that all the members of the cult will give up their homes for the time and live at the sacred grounds. They will form a regular tented city on the site, six acres on a high ridge overlooking Lake Michi- gan. WORK TO BEGIN SOON Although no date has been set for Kro.irin rmnnH th "--O o- wjh De begun before the first of the vear and ft will be such a work as ha8 never before been witnessed in this country.

But a few days ago. a woman worshiper carried from her home on the gouth Side, 10 miles awav. to the site in Wilmette. walk- lne aii wav. the first stone to be iatd jn tne foundation The history of the cult, as told by devotees, reads like chapters fron med himself occupying a secondary place to his successor, Ali, and the latter's sons, Hassan and Hosein.

It was in Persia that the mystical philosoDhy and poetry of the Sufis took root. The Sufis, while affecting profound respect for the externals of Mohammedanism, dissolves the lat- ter'a rigid Monotheism into Panthe- Ism. Babism Is one of the schools of Sufism. The founder of Babism made his first appearance 1843. On re- turning from a pilgrimage to Mecca i ne puDiisnea a aiary oi nis travels with a new commentary on the Ko- ran.

He proclaimed himself to be the forerunner of "he whom Go 1 would manifest." The Babi was soon ensrnrpri in a serious controversy with the regular Mohammedan clergy, whom he freely condemned The latter nhtnlnt A- cree from the Government forbidding iu iwui prcacn ana sentencing moet important it is a labor of love and reverence, so that every stone and brick and girder will be hal- lowed by the personal sacrifice of the faithful. The money at hand and to be contributed "will only purchase the material and the followers of the martyred Babi will do the rest. The Bahaists In Chicago number about 1000. There are less than 5000 iu me imi.ru ounes. uui me leaders declare the faith is spreading rapidly.

It Is an offshoot of Mohammedanism, etwntlally a system of pantheism. made up from gnostic, cabalistic and even Buddhistic sources. All indi- vidual existence, according to Ba- .1. i halsts is an emanation from Supreme wiij sua win ui uiuuiaieiy ue u- soroea into tne source wnence comes. of Rural Free Delivery Thwf ground work of the faith is The title of Babi.

or Bahai, is the startling declaratiou rived from the Persian word "Bab," that while It is Impossible for the meaning gate, and typifying "Gate of finite to comprehend the infinite, the Faith." It was assumed by the found-Almighty can and has made a face er of the sect, who was Seyed Mo-w hereby the ch'ldren of earth can hammed All. He was born at Shiraz know and love him. In other words, about 1S24. Persia is the least strict-that God assumed an earthly body ly Mohammedan of all the Mohamme-and lived for the space ot 75 years dan countries, the prophet Moham- lowed In teaching this great faith in the world. This town of Acre Is the shrine of the Bahaists, for Abbas, after being held a prisoner there by the Turkish Government for 40 years, since his release recently, continues to make it his home and will continue there until his death.

The Chicago followers of the faith, however, on the completion of their magnificent temple, hope to persuade him to make a Journey there for the dedication. Several Chicago devotees have made a pilgrimage to Acre, in- eluding Mrs. Marshall A. Roe. Among the prominent women who have gone there and are followers of the cult Is Mrs.

Phoebe A. Hearst, mother of the millionaire newspaper owner. The doctrines of uism, or Ban- Ism. are contained In an Arabic treatise which was written by the original Bab The historians V. I.

nave iuc uificiuusiiuui ui imuwui In Persia to the religious incompata- billty of the Aryan and Semitic races. Besides the main pantheistic doctrine of Babism It contains several peculiarly original features. Great Importance is attached to the number nine, which Is the sum of the attributes In the act of creation. Importance Is alfo attached to the number 19. which tnit-tlrally ex- the family washing and ironing.

"Two years later, after the mail service had come. I noticed that the best magazines and a live daily news- paper were always on tne reaa.ns; table, and I observed several times that, the advertisements were read with as mucu interest as the literary matter. Last week I went up there on my annual trip. I foun- the farm- er looking and feeling better than i had ever seen him before. He said that at last he was taking it easy and he took me out to a neatly construct- ed new building between the house and barn.

"Inside at one end stood a Lansing gasoline engine and around the other three sides, connected by belts to an i 1 1 overneaa arive were mioi'sc a variety of machines. If the farm- er wanted to. all he had to do was to start the engine and watch a Pitts burg pump sending water to a tank at the barn, a Grand Rapids wasb- ing machine cleansing the week's laundry, a Newark separator divld- in the milk from the cream and a Rochester churn turning the cream into uuiier. jusi hulsjub iue uuui u- uuaer me name oi nana man, in an earthly tenement from which he departed in 1S32. The prophetic character of Moses.

Christ and Mohammed is acknowledged, but all three aie considered mere precursors of Ba-ha L'llah. One of the cardinal features ot the sect Is the secrecy with which its meetings are held and its propaganda ca.r'ed on. This is said to be due soltly to the desire not to embarass the older members of the sect in Per- sia and other Mohammedan couptries, lUnrnlll' l(irlnv wno are literally a suspended sword. For this reason, although there are ItiitO followers of Bahai In Chicago, the existence of the religion was hardly known and the announcement of tbe building of the temple came as a huge surprise. Bahaism was first in- troductd in Chicago during the Co- lunibiau Exposition by Persian mis- SUNDAY MAUAZIXE ST.

LOUIS i.