• While there He encountered Zillu's-Sultán, the eldest son of the Sháh of the time, Násirid-Dín Sháh. It was he who had ratified the execution of the King of Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs and at least 100 others. The whole family was in exile in Geneva at this time. 'Abdu'l-Bahá was very courteous to this man who had been such an inveterate enemy of the Cause. [DJT172, AY19, GPB201] .
• The Master sent for Juliet Thompson who had been waiting in London for His permission to join Him.
• During His stay he had a visit from Annie Boylan, a member of the New York community that was experiencing disharmony. Unaware of Bahá'í election procedures, a group that was unhappy with the disunity and ineffectiveness of the Council had organized a vote to be rid of several of its Council members. 'Abdu'l-Bahá had written to the community a short time before recommending that the Council be expanded from 9 to 27 members so that all factions could be represented. He also recommended that women be included on the Council and that the name be changed to "the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of New York". This apparently addressed the problem of disunity because the New York community went on to contribute significantly to the progress of the Faith on a national level. [DJT181, BFA2p338]
• Horace Holley, who lived at Quattro Torri, Siena, Italy at the time, along with his wife Bertha Herbert and baby daughter Hertha, visited 'Abdu'l-Bahá on the 29th and 30th of August. Please see his Religion for Mankind p 232-237 for a pen portrait of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
• He met with Elizabeth Stewart and Lillian Kappes who were on their way to Tehran. [find reference]
• It would appear that He returned to Marseilles and travelled to London by sea. [SCU22-23]

He used the situation in Libya as an example of the senselessness of war. See Promulgation of Universal Peace p119]

At 5PM He arrived at His hotel, the Hotel Sacramento and gave a talk. The following day an article appeared in the Sacramento Bee reporting on the talk. [Remembering 'Abdu'l-Baha's Call for Unity, a Century after World War I Bahá'í World News Service 2018-11-26; PUP370; MD348-351]

• The Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration was founded in 1895 and was held annually until 1917 for the purpose of creating and directing public sentiment in favour of international arbitration, arbitration treaties, and an international court. For archives see Swarthmore College Peace Collection.
• These meetings at Lake Mohonk were instrumental in the creation of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. [Wikipedia]
• Picture.
• 'Abdu'l-Bahá sent Zia Baghdadi back to the city to obtain a carpet to be used as a gift for the president of the International Peace Society and His host, Mr Smiley. Baghdadi rode a freight train to New York, awoke the sleeping residents at 2 a.m., boarded the first train for Lake Mohonk, begged to ride on the mail run and arrived just as 'Abdu'l-Bahá was shaking Smiley's hand at 10 a.m. [Luminous Journey 58:00] iiiii
• See Who Will Bell the Cat: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Lake Mohonk by Janet Ruhe-Schoen.
• See "The Cause of Universal Peace: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Enduring Impact" by Kathryn Jewett Hogenson. This article looks at the circumstances around 'Abdu'l-Bahá's participation in the 1912 Lake Mohonk Arbitration Conference and the urgency and timeliness of His message over the subsequent decades. The article also reviews efforts of the Bahá'í community to promote world peace in the decades that followed.
• See a photo of Lake Mohonk in the article The Cause of Universal Peace; 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Enduring Impact by Kathryn Jewett Hogenson.

'Abdu'l-Bahá spent a total of 10 days in the house of Miss Wilson. Upon her passing in 1930 she willed the house to Shoghi Effendi and he asked the National Assembly to manage the property on his behalf. On the 27th of September, 1935 he executed a deed of trust transferring the property to the Trustees for the benefit of the NSA. [BW7p84]

At some point during the visit He attended the wedding of Ruby Breed, the younger sister of Florence Breed. The wedding was held in the Breed home and was presided over by an Episcopalian minister. [AY96]

On this date a short report was published in The Boston Post that noted ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s plan to speak on the pressing issue of peace. [Remembering 'Abdu'l-Baha's Call for Unity, a Century after World War I Bahá'í World News Service 2018-11-26]

As the ship that finally brought "'Abdu'l-Bahá to the shores of the American continent passed by the Statue of Liberty, He threw His arms wide open in greeting, saying "There is the new world's symbol of liberty and freedom. After being 40 years a prisoner I can tell you that freedom is not a matter of place. It is a condition. Unless one accept dire vicissitudes he will not attain. When one is released from the prison of self, that is indeed a release." ['Abdu'l-Bahá in Their Midst p.56; SYH54]

Sultan 'Abdu'l-Hamid II lived from 1842 to 1918) and reigned from 1876 to 1909. During his reign large portions of the Ottoman Empire were lost. Following his defeat in the war with Russia in 1878, Tunisia was occupied by France (1881), and Egypt was controlled by Britain (1882). In 1897, the Empire was forced by the Europeans to recognize the autonomy of Crete. The Sultán ruled as a despot, and brutally repressed the Armenians between 1894-6. In 1908, due to the lack of support among the army and the rise of the Young Turks, 'Abdu'l-Hamid was forced re-enact the Constitution of 1876 which he had suspended earlier, and which, for the first time in an Islámic state, defined the rights of both the ruler and his subjects. He was ultimately deposed when he attempted to plot a counterrevolution against the Young Turks and was exiled to Salonika, where he died in disgrace.

News reached Àbdu'l-Bahá of the impending conflict in the Balkan Peninsula. [Àbdu'l-Bahá in America

Note: Memories of 'Abdu'l-Bahá by Ali M Yazdi says that He returned to Ramleh on the 3rd of July.

Having heard that 'Abdu'l-Bahá was in Los Angeles, Mabel Rice-Wray took children Edris and Colston to the hotel where the Master was staying. They spent over an hour with 'Abdu'l-Bahá in His room. Both Edris and Colston sat on 'Abdu'l-Bahá's knee and were given cookies. Some years later, in response to a letter from their mother, 'Abdu'l-Bahá bestowed the name Rawshan ("brilliance") on Edris, and Ruqi on Colston, and revealed in their honour the well-known prayer for children that begins: "O my Lord! O my Lord! I am a child of tender years. Nourish me from the breast of Thy mercy ... " [Find a grave Edris Rawshan Wray]

In total 'Abdu'-Bahá spent about 171 days in Paris.

3 October to 2 December 1911 - 60 days          

 21 January to 30 March 1913 - 69 days          

       1 May to 12 June 1913 - 42 days          

                      Total   171 days          

Abdu'l-Bahá is reported to have said: "the freedom of Europeans, that an individual is free to do whatsoever he desires as long as he does not harm any other person," and says "In the religion of God, there is no freedom of action. Man cannot transgress the law of God, even if no harm is done to others. For the purpose of the law of God is education, for others and for oneself. In the sight of God, to harm oneself is the same as to harm someone else, and both are blameworthy." [Message 9 May 2014]

He left London for Paris. [AB154; SBR25, In the Footsteps of 'Abdu'l-Bahá p22]

"Having raised the warning and urged the world to work for peace, 'Abdu'l-Bahá returned on 5 December 1913 to Haifa, then part of the Ottoman Empire. Aware of the coming war, He took steps to protect the Bahá'í community under His stewardship and to avert a famine in the region. One of His first decisions upon returning to the Holy Land was to send home all the Bahá'ís who were visiting from abroad." [BWNS1297]

Talk at Reception at Metropolitan Temple, Seventh Avenue and Fourteenth Street, New York. [PUP150]

• For his obituary see BW9:597–9.
• 'Abdu'l-Jalíl Bey Sa'ad was, for many years, the president of the National Spiritual Assembly and a judge in the Civil Courts in Egypt. Through his sustained effort the Declaration of Trust was recognized as valid and legalized in 1934.
• He made an important contribution in translating into Arabic. Among his accomplishments were The Dawn-Breakers, Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, Laws of Personal Status and Rules of Procedure.
• In 1941 he employed the Declaration of Trust as an instrument to induce the Ministry of Civil Defence to grant permission to build the Hazíratu'l-Quds in Cairo. While supervising this project in the intense heat he fell ill and died suddenly after an operation.

Shoghi Effendi wrote of this Tablet: [GPB307]

The famous scientist and entomologist, Dr. Auguste Forel, was converted to the Faith through the influence of a Tablet sent him by 'Abdu'l‑Bahá—one of the most weighty the Master ever wrote.

• Later that day, by chance, 'Abdu'l-Bahá encountered the Persian prince, Sultán-Mas'ud Mírzá Zillu's-Sultán (1850-1918), the eldest son of Násirid-/dín Sháh, (1850-1918) in the Parc Hotel. He was in voluntary exile in Europe accompanied by his four sons. At various times, he had been the governor or governor-general of various provinces in Iran from 1862 to 1907 and had persecuted the Bahá'ís zealously. He was responsible for ratifying the execution of the King of Martyrs and the Beloved of Martyrs in 1879. Upon meeting 'Abdu'l-Bahá he presented his excuses but 'Abdu'l-Bahá forgave him by saying "All those things are in the past. Never think of them again." [DJT172-3, ABF17; ABW411]
• Annie Boylan arrived in Thonon-les-Bains from America by way of Lausanne. 'Abdu'l-Bahá is reported to have told her that the building of the Shrine of the Báb was the fulfillment of the prophecy that "the Lord would come and rebuild the temple that had been torn down". He added that the Tomb of the Báb and that of Bahá'u'lláh were considered the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkar. [SoW vol 11. no. 1 (March 21, 1920) p1-15, ABF18] iiiii
  • Annie Boylan had been on pilgrimage in October of 1908. [WMSH60]
  .

• This talk was published in the Star of the West Let There be Peace.

In a comment not in the transcript of the talk in Promulgation of Universal Peace He is recorded as having said that the Italians left their country:

"in order to persecute the poor Arabs…is nothing else than avarice and greediness".

To Him the occupation of Libya was "an illegal assault.

[Colonialism, Nationalism and Jewish Immigration to Palestine by Kamran Ekbal p19]

• Later in the day He spoke at the home of Mademoiselle Gastea, An Address on Truth. It was published in SoW Vol 2 No 18 February,1912 p3-6.

For several centuries the West has been now attacking the East like bandits with its armies and cavalries and has not stopped yet. And it is going to continue this assault with all troops at its disposal until Doomsday. You observe the large armies impetuously assaulting like lions from the woods of the Western world onto the battlefields of the East. Among these are an army of finance (tharwa), an army of industries (saná`a), an army of commerce (tijára), an army of politics (siyása), an army of knowledge (ma´árif) and an army of discoveries (iktisháfát), numerous soldiers loaded with war materiel, assaulting from the West with their sharp and deadly weapons and conquering the East in all its parts.

They had covenanted together, so they wrote, to remain at one in all things, and the signatories one and all had pledged themselves to make sacrifices in the pathway of the love of God, thus to achieve eternal life. [BTSG16, 17]
• See 'Abdu'l-Bahá's response in a tablet translated by Ali Kuli Khan 3 January 1906 in By Thy Strengthening Grace Appendix I by Duanne Hermann iiiii
• An authorized translation is available in SWAB, p. 242-246 (section 200).

See Talk 23 June 1913 for a provisional translation of the talk by Adib Masumian. As mentioned in the footnotes the unnamed man was Cardinal John Murphy Farley of New York.

This chart from the Department of Statistics at the Bahá'í World Centre shows the participation of women in Bahá'í institutions, the Continental Board of Councillors, the Auxiliary Board and National Spiritual Assemblies from 1953 to 1985.

Some historians claim that the racial terror connected with "Red Summer" began as early as 1917 during the bloody massacre that occurred in East St. Louis, Illinois, a barbaric pogrom that would eventually set the stage for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst episodes of post-Civil War racial violence ever committed against Black Americans. The Tulsa Massacre left as many as 300 Black people dead and destroyed more than 35 square blocks of Greenwood, an all-Black community so wealthy, the philosopher Booker T. Washington called it "Negro Wall Street." [Red Summer: When Racists Mobs Ruled]

The British army took the city in the 1st Battle of Haifa: The battle was won due to a courageous uphill assault by the Jodhpur Lancers of the Indian Army who took the German and Turkish artillery and machine gun emplacements on top of Mount Carmel by surprise. This attack is believed to have been one of the last cavalry charge in modern military history. Each year, on this date, the Indian Army commemorates this victory as Haifa Day. [AY104; BBR335; DH148, Scroll In 68095]

     Countries opened to the Faith:
          Independent countries                134
          Significant territories and islands  179
                                  Total        373

     Number of localities where Bahá'ís reside   43,341

     Number of local spiritual assemblies        10,318

Some of those serving at the school were: Susan Moody, Sydney Sprague, Lillian Kappas, Sarah Clock and Elizabeth Stewart. [GPB261]

During the course of the Ten-Year Crusade, 65 other pioneers from the United States, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and England came with some settling permanently.

Following the instructions of the Guardian during this phase, the pioneers concentrated their teaching work on the black and colored people of South Africa. "Coloured" in South Africa indicates people of mixed heritage as distinct from native black Africans. During these 10 years a few others declared their faith in Bahá'u'lláh, i.e. descendants of Malays who were imported as slaves over 300 years ago by the Dutch settlers, Indians and a few whites. The first black African to become a Bahá'í was Klaas Mtsweni, a Zulu in Pretoria in 1954.

By April 1956 the Bahá'í Faith had spread thinly over 15 countries of Southern Africa including the islands of the Indian Ocean and St. Helena, and a regional governing body, the Regional Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa was formed with its seat in Johannesburg. The National Convention was held at the farm owned by the Sears family.

Because of the system of apartheid practiced and legislated in South Africa, the Bahá'í Faith, the principles of which include the Oneness of Mankind, was taught for 32 years on a one-to-one basis mainly without publicity. Local Spiritual Assemblies were formed by plurality vote in all localities where there were 9 or more believers aged 21 years and over. These Assemblies were charged with making their own teaching plans and living a life based on the moral principles outlined by Bahá'u'lláh.

During this period of gestation, the Bahá'í Faith was being watched continually by the security police. Both the individual Bahá'ís and the administrative bodies were under police investigation and surveillance. However, although the believers never compromised the principles of the Faith and gradually developed racially integrated Bahá'í communities, the numbers were too small and peaceful to be considered a threat to the apartheid regime. By 1985 the marriage laws were relaxed. In 1990 a series of steps began that led to the repeal of apartheid legislation on the 17th of June 1991 and a democratic government was elected in 1994. [Progress of the Bahá'í Faith in South Africa since 1911]

The proper call number of Bahá'í literature is 297.89. The number 297 is given to Islam, and religions under that parentage are listed in that same general sequence. While the Bahá'í Faith is not a branch of Islam, our roots are in that faith, as the roots of Christianity were within Judaism. Most Bahá'í books published in North America under Bahá'í auspices will have the proper call number along with the copyright information inside the front cover.

It was recognized that the changing classifications of library listings is a very serious matter and once any change is made it must remain in effect a very long time in order to avoid the tremendous confusion that frequent changes and revisions would create in the library system involving thousands of local public libraries throughout the country. For this reason they asked that the community not make an issue of this, but can be helpful by calling the attention of local librarians to the proper classification of Baha'i books with the above given number. [Bahá'í National Review Issue 19 July 1969 p4-5]

MacNutt arrived in Chicago on August 8th. At ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s instructions, a feast was held on August 10, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Lesch, where the entire Chicago Bahá'í community was invited to be the guests of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. MacNutt delivered to the community ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s message of unity and love. The election was held the following day the 11th of August.

On Sunday evening, the 1rth of August, the Chicago Assembly selected a "Spiritual Meeling'' of nine, composed of men and women. whose service-according to the wish of Abdul-Ilahá -is, first, to propagate the teachings of the Revelation, and, second, to attend to other matters necessary lo the welfare of the assembly. [SoW Vol 3 No 9 20 August 1912 p16]

• The letter. [SoW Vol 2 No 15 December 12, 1911 p3]
• While crossing the Atlantic on the S.S. Cedric He told a newspaperman, "I am going to America at the invitation of the Peace Congresses of that place, as the fundamental principles of our Cause are universal peace, the oneness of the world of humanity and the equality of the rights of men..." When the ship docked in New York and the plank was lowered, the press clambered aboard to interview him and he told them, "Our object is... the unity of mankind... I have come to America to see the advocates of universal peace..." [Who Will Bell the Cat: The Story of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Visit to Lake Mohonk by Janet Ruhe-Schoen]
• These meetings at Lake Mohonk were instrumental in the creation of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. [Wikipedia]

When it became known to the Bahá'ís in Paris that the gravesite was once again vacant, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of France applied for permission to erect a permanent monument on the site. A competition was announced and a number of Bahá'í architects submitted a variety of designs. Cemetery officials were reluctant to give approval for an elaborate monument sothe National Assembly had to settle for a simple but dignified stone.

Now that the monument is in place, the location has become a focal point of pilgrimage. The Universal House of Justice has encouraged the French Bahá'í community to continue its efforts to retrieve Breakwell's remains from the charnel house and have them returned to their original grave.

The gathering at his grave site in the Pantin Cemetery in Paris on this day was to commemorate the 95th anniversary of his passing. [BW1997-98p104, 107; The Life of Thomas Breakwell by Rajwantee Lakshiman-Lepain P48-49]

Hólmfríôur facilitated Martha's teaching efforts with her knowledge of the language and local contacts. During her stay in Iceland she gave lectures and did radio interviews. In one of her radio appearances she did a review of Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era and left copies of this book in the libraries. The first ever article on the Bahá'í Faith in the Icelandic language was published in a newspaper. An editor interviewed her for an article and wrote another explaining the basics of the Faith. As she usually did, Martha made contact with the Theosophists and the Esperanto Society and presented a lecture in Esperanto. [The Soul of Iceland-A Bahá'í Saga by Martha Root; BW6p684]

It was neither her first nor her last pioneer experience. Between 1942 and 1946 she pioneered to Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil. After World War II she went to Madrid, Spain where she helped raise the first local spiritual assembly and she did the same thing in Barcelona the following year.

In July of 1953 she went to the Stockholm Intercontinental Teaching Conference where she offered to pioneer to Mallorca in one of the Balearic Islands, She stayed about one year before returning to Barcelona in August of 1954 where she attended the Iberian Teaching Conference that was attended by 60 people. Late that nine, she and nine others were arrested by the police and interrogated for 18 hours. They had thought that the Bahá'í were Communists.

In 1956 she moved to Portugal where she was elected to the first Iberian Regional Spiritual Assembly. After three years she was forced to leave by the authorities because of her Bahá'í activities, holding property and owning a telephone.

She was asked to go to Luxembourg where she spent nine years but made little progress in establishing the Faith. She was then asked to got to Malaga, Spain and by 1972 Malaga had a local spiritual assembly so she pioneered to Margella in 1979.

The National Spiritual Assembly asked her to write a history of the Faith in Spain which was completed in 1980.

As was her wish, she passed to the Abha Kingdom in 1985, still a pioneer. [KoB346-347; Wikipedia]

See also Also see Bahá'í World 19 pages 715-721 or 692-697 in the print version and Bahá'í News #586 January 1980 p2-5.

She remained in the Caroline Islands for fifty years, serving as an Auxiliary Board member for twenty. [BW22p320]

He and his companions took the trolley to see Niagara Falls and on His arrival at His hotel back in Buffalo He was greated by awaiting journalists,

The evening talk was about unity and amity among the peoples of the East and the West and also about the degrees of love which bring the whole creation into existence. [MD252-254]