Notes from Mr. Edward Struven, and Hebie Struven

The following story was told to me in 1961 in Bradenton, Florida, U.S.A., by Mr. Edward Struven who became a believer in the early 1900s through the teaching of Lua Getsinger.

Ed had a very deep desire to see Abdu'l-Baha when He came to the states in 1912. He was in his mid-thirties in age, was newly married and living n Baltimore, Maryland. Hearing that the Master was to be in New York City for a few weeks, he determined to make the trip. However he had very little money at the time, and could not afford fancy clothes; it was costing him about all he had to spare just to take the train to New York City and back. Upon arrival he learned the Master was being entertained at a location in the better part of the city, and he felt he was not dressed properly to be seen at such a festive occasion, especially since he did not want to be the source of embarrassment to the Master or His friends. Still he longed to see the Master. He decided he would go to the home where the Master was to be served a grand lunch with many important invited guests attending, and just wait quietly until after the luncheon and hen try and get a glimpse of the Master and then depart quietly. He arrived at the location and discovered that the Master was being hosted on the second floor of a fine brown stone mansion, the very finest style of city dwelling in those days. He waited down stairs unknown to those upstairs, and bided his time. When it was almost 2:00 PM in the afternoon Ed felt that those gathered upstairs would be finished with their meal, and he ascended the stairs to the gathering. He hoped only to peer into the room where the friends were gathered, nd to be able to at long last catch a glimpse of his beloved Master. Unknown to Ed, the Master's host had been trying unsuccessfully since noon to get the Master to partake of the food and the other guests to be likewise feted. The Master had lovingly delayed repeatedly these efforts without explaining why, and His host was perturbed, feeling the food would be cold, but could do nothing to hasten the Master who was busy speaking to the friends. When Ed stuck his head into the room the Master immediately came to him and embraced him and invited him to take the choice seat at the table. He had all the guests be seated and served each of them with his own hands, including His host ... as He had become the host Himself. Now, as Ed told the story, He had not had a full, decent meal in weeks, as his budget had been cut to the bone due to his meager financial situation at the time. As a result, he said his stomach had shrunk, and thus he knew he was not up to eating very much. However, when the Master came to him, He served Ed so much food that he literally stacked it on his plate. It was the dish "Persian pilau". Ed said he felt that if the Master had served him so much, He must know that he needed it and he determined to eat all his foods. When he finished, he pushed back his chair a bit from the table and was filled with the great joy that such an occasion evoked, but was so full he could barely move. Nevertheless the Master again came to him, and once again filled his plate to overflowing with the delicious food. Now Ed said he felt he could never finish a second helping, but that he would do his very best as the Master had served it to Him. Finally he completed the task, and felt he was about to burst, but still grateful that he had been able to take the portion that the Master had served him. He said he had never felt so full of good food in his life. Thus, feeling completely stuffed with the finest of food and imbibing for the first time of the spiritual food of the Master's presence, he was truly in another world. Thence, he was amazed when the Master came to him a third time and once again filled his plate to overflowing. He was overcome, and just knew he could not eat so much food, but decided that he would do his very best. At last he completed his banquet, and looked to see the Master smiling at Him and knowing that He knew more about him than he knew about himself, he was at long last at peace. He told me that he felt the Master was trying to teach him in a way he could accept that His bounties were without limit and that He could more than meet his needs when he turned to Him for help. As Ed suffered many trials and tests in his long life ... he lived to be more than ninety, and a brief description of his life is found in a recent issue of the Baha'i World ... this lesson strengthened him throughout his life.

Ed also told me the following story, and so far as I know it also has never been written down. As it has some interesting historical implications it is worth remembering. When the Master returned from His trip to California, one of the cities He was scheduled to re-visit was Washington, D.C. Since His earlier trip to that city certain Christian believers of a very fundamentalist viewpoint had decided He was the Anti-Christ. They had printed up a large bundle of handbills and were preparing to pass them out on the occasion of the Master's visit to the city. What actually took place was one of the strangest, most humorous and still serious situations which the Master found Himself faced with while in the states. Ed went to Washington to again see the Master and told me this entire story as he himself witnessed it. The Master was slated to speak in a Jewish synagogue, and a few of the friends were waiting for Him at the site, including Ed. Just prior to His arrival two of the fundamentalist Christians arrived with their arms loaded down with their abusive tracts and stationed themselves, one on each side of the door. Can you imagine such a sight? They handed to each Jew who entered their religious tract attacking the Master, no caring one iota whether or not the Jews believed in Christ or not, or even understood the significance of their accusation that He was the "anti-Christ". The friends who were awaiting the Master's arrival were appalled, and could not imagine what they could do to avert the embarrassment and possible negative scene when the Master arrived. Soon the Master arrived in one of the larger, finer automobiles of the day. He stepped down and strode majestically toward the synagogue. As He approached He turned His magnificent face filled with love and happiness toward the two befuddled Christian fanatics. Graciously He reached out and took the entire bundle of religious handbills from the hands of one of the astounded Christians, and then, turning gracefully to the other, repeated the process, and then strode on magnificently into the synagogue leaving both the Christians and the Baha'is amazed and overwhelmed with the beauty and the unexpectedness of the entire process of defusing the scene. Now, one must remember that the Master had spoken to a very large Jewish congregation in San Francisco and had found them very receptive. This, however, was not to be the case on this historic day. As He had in San Francisco, the Master proceeded to give a very long talk not only on the history of the Jewish religion, but also He laid bare to his listeners the role of Jesus Christ and Muhammad. It was more than his audience would accept. Ed, who was watching the entire proceedings, said several Jewish males stood up, and angrily took their watches from their watch pockets and holding them by their chains juggled them up and down in front of the Rabbi who had arranged this meeting. Now, one might think the Master would have shortened his talk or moderated His message. If one reads it in "Promulgation of Universal Peace," he sees that it is essentially the same message He gave in San Francisco and is not watered down at all. Considering the time the talk must have taken with a translator it far exceeded the normal time alotted to the Jewish service. The Rabbi was appalled at the rudeness of his congregation and the next day besought the Master's presence to apologize. The occasion of the Master's comments to the Rabbi is also recorded in "Promulgation of Universal Peace," but the above mentioned background is not recorded anywhere as far as I know. Once it is understood, it lends the entire scene even more meaning, and once again lifts the Master in our estimation into that realm above fantasy ... the heavenly realm of reality which is endowed with the power to overcome all obstacles.

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Hebie also told the following stories which have some historical insights regarding the maturity of the early American believers and how the Master coped with their foibles. Hebie herself had visited the Master when He was still in the Acca prison in 1906, and had to be smuggled into the city of Acca hidden under cabbages in a cart. She told me the story of the first visit of her sister, Lua Getsinger, to Acca, which had been told to her by Lua. At the time, Lua had a deep awareness of the station of the Master, and regarded Him as a King. Thus, when planning her visit she decided to dress herself in all the splendor one would if they were to be presented to a reigning King in Europe. She bought the finest silk dress she could find, and made sure it had a long train that trailed behind her. She also insisted that her husband, Edward, be dressed for the occasion, and made him purchase in haste a Prince Edward Coat with tails and striped trousers. Upon arrival in Acca, their boat had to anchor some distance out. The means of disembarking consisted of a small row-boat drawing near to their steamer with 3 men in it who were to help the passengers ashore. As the sea's waves lifted the small boat up near the steamer's railing, the passengers were to be held by the hands and dropped into the outstretched arms of the man in the middle of the boat whose job was to catch them. One of Mrs. Getsinger's fellow passengers was Mrs. Phoebe Hearst, the well known wife of a famous American west coast newspaper publisher who was also on pilgrimage to see the Master. However, she was filled with Victorian standards that did not permit some strange man to touch her body in such a way as the embracing procedure demanded, and announced to her fellow pilgrims that she, herself, would drop herself into the boat with no help from the fellow waiting below! Thus she lowered herself over the side of the boat, and as the small boat was lifted up on the waves, made the fatal drop ... missing the entire boat and being completely "baptized" in the mighty Mediterranean Sea!

Upon arrival of this little group in the prison in Acca, Lua donned her finery, although she was somewhat subdued by the harsh prison surroundings and began to suspect that her apparel was a bit out of place to say the least. Still, being a very strong willed and determined soul, she decided to go ahead with her plans but that she would modify it somewhat by wrapping her long train of silk around her arm rather than let it drag on the floor. Shew made Edward clothe himself in his Prince Edward suit, and when they were told they could come into the presence of the Master, she felt somewhat ready. Arriving in His presence, Lua curtsied in the most acceptable European manner, and Edward bowed from the waist ... which was his undoing, literally! He had never tried on the new trousers when he bought them, and they were very tight. As he bowed, the entire seat of his pants ripped out with loud noise! For a time he had to walk around the prison with seat of his pants pinned up until such time as they could be repaired. Now Edward was an enterprising soul, and soon noticed that the prison food was not the greatest. He decided, on his own, and without consulting anyone, that a few eggs would be a nice addition to the diet. He also noticed that the women in the prison were separated from the men by a lattice work of small strips of wood which permitted them to peek through into the other side in the Moslem fashion. Determining that this was not a very good state of affairs, he purchased a few hens, and built a small shed to house them. He decided the small strips of wood dividing the quarters were being badly misused in that way, so he removed them and used them to fashion a chicken roost in his hen house. All this was done while the Master was elsewhere. You can imagine the consternation when the Master returned and found the new living arrangements, etc. He carefully explained to Edward the danger to them all if they did not abide by the Moslem customs, while at the same time appreciating his motive and desire to help. It was during this time that the Master had Lua perform her well known deed of washing and tending to the ill friend of the Master in Acca. However, one aspect of that story is not so well known, according to Hebie. Lua was told by the Master to wear the Persian chador to cover her when she made the walk across Acca to perform this task, and the Master left her to do his request. Later in the day, after Lua had returned from her work, the Master asked her to recount her experience and she did so. He then asked her if she had worn the chador as he had requested. Lua said "NO", that she had gone in the middle of the day, and as it was very hot, she had felt it was an unnecessary burden, and did not need it to keep warm. The Master then, very sternly, told her of its meaning in the Persian Moslem customs, and that her action might have precipitated a riot endangering not only her own life but also all of the other believer's lives in Acca. Lua was appalled at her heedlessness. Now one would have thought that this would have been enough for her to learn this lesson, as she was an educated, adult woman with much wide worldly experience. However, the Master evidently wanted to drive the point home, for both Lua's and Edward's sake, as well as the rest of these "untamed" westerners! Hence, He had Lua to don the garment and make the entire walk to the man's home in Acca that she had bathed and cleaned house for, and then return, thereby treating her in some aspects as one would a naughty child. Thus, the "Herald of the Covenant" was introduced to her Lord, and the Western believers were invited into the Kingdom.

Jack E. McCants
Las Pinac, Philippines
March 18, 1980