‘Abdu’l-Baha’s advice to a travel teacher

Consecrate all thy time to the service of the Kingdom of God and the propagator of its principles. Let thine own supreme concern be the promotion of the Word of God.

Thou wilt ever be surrounded by the invisible angels of Confirmations and they will always come to thy assistance. Whenever thou dost enter a meeting, raise thy voice and say:

“O ye believers of God! This day is the day of your attraction! This day is the day in which you must diffuse the Fragrances of God! This day is the day that you must unfurl the Banner of the Kingdom of Abha! This day is the day of Peace and Concord! This day is the day of the proclamation of the oneness of the world of humanity! This day is the day of forgiveness and leniency! This day is the day of Truth and righteousness! This day is the day of conciliation and beatitude! This day is the day of awakening and enkindlement! Waste not your precious time in fault-finding and backbiting. Polish the surface of the mirrors of your hearts from the dross of human frailties. If you live according to the standard of other communities, then what difference does there exist between you and them? Baha'u'llah has summoned you to such a lofty summit the very thought of which is too dazzling a prospect! He has not chosen you to be satisfied with water and clay!"

Need for an International Language

Edinburgh Esperanto Society

Edinburgh, Scotland

January 7, 1913

[From The British Esperantist, February, 1913]

Every movement which promotes unity and harmony in the world is good, and everything which creates discord and content is bad. This is a century of illumination, surpassing all others in its many discoveries, its great inventions, and its vast and varied undertakings. But the greatest achieve anent of the age in conferring profit and pleasure on mankind is the creation of an auxiliary language for all. Oneness of language creates oneness of heart. Oneness of language engenders peace and harmony. It sweeps away all misunderstandings among peoples. It establishes harmony among the children of men. It gives to the human intellect a broader conception, a more commanding point of view.

Today the greatest need of humanity is to understand and to be understood. With the help of the International Language, every individual member of a community can learn of world happenings and become in touch with the ethical and scientific discoveries of the age. The auxiliary international language gives to us the key -- the key of keys which unlocks the secrets of the past. By its aid every nation henceforth will be able easily and without difficulty to work out its own scientific discoveries.

It is a well-known fact that the Oriental student coming to the west, in his efforts to acquaint himself with the discoveries and achievements of western civilization, must spend precious years of his life in acquiring the language of the land to which he comes before he can turn to the study of the special science in which he is interested. For example, let us suppose that a youth from India, Persia, Turkestan or Arabia comes to this country to study medicine. He must first struggle with the English language for four years, to the exclusion of all else, before he can even begin the study of medicine. Whereas, if the auxiliary international language were taught in all the schools during his childhood, he would learn the language in his own country, and afterward wherever he wished to go, he could easily pursue his specialty without loss of some of the best years of his life.