XTbe ©pen Court
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE
2)evote& to tbc Science of IRellQion, tbe IReliGlon ot Science, anb tbc Extension ot tbe IReliaious parliament f Oea
Editor: Dr. Paul Carus Associates: j ^ ^- Hegbler.
Mary Carus.
VOL. XVIII. (no. 7) July, 1904. NO. 578
CONTENl S :
Frontispiece. Petrarch.
Petrarch. (Illustrated.) Editor 385
The Japa7iese Floral Calendar. VII. The Morning-Glory. (Illustrated.)
Ernest W. Clement, M. A 394
A New Religion. (Illustrated.) (Concluded.) Editor 398
The Religion of Proto-Semitism. Editor. ... 421
The Yellow Peril. Editor. 430
Was Hamlet Insane? 435
Mr. George Brandes on the Shakespeare-Bacon Problem 437
The Praise of Hypocrisy. A Rejoinder 441
The Polygamy of the Mormons 443
The Theory of Evolution and Man's Place in Nature 444
Book Revieivs and Notes 445
CHICAGO
^be ©pen Court IpubUebind Company
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Copyright, 1904, bv The Open Court Publishing Co. Entered at the Chicago Post Office as Second-Class Matter
THE TRAVELS IN
Tartary, Thibet and China
of Mm. Hue AND Gabet
100 Illustrations. 688 Pages. CLOTH, 2 Vols., $2.00 (10s.)— Same, 1 Vol., $1.25, Net (5s. net.)
Read the Following Commendatory Notices:
"For forty years it has been one of the world's greatest books." — Western Christian Advocate.
"A treasury of information for the student of comparative religion, eth- nology, geography and natural history." — The Outlook.
"The work made a profound sensation. Although China and the other coun- tries of the Orient have been opened to foreigners in larger measure in recent years, few observers as keen and as well qualified to put their observations in finished form have appeared, and M. Hue's story remains among the best sources of information concerning the Thibetans and Mongolians." — The Watchman.
"These reprints ought to have a large sale. It would be a good time for the Catholic libraries to add them to their stock of works on travel. They will find that few books will have more readers than the missionary adven- tures of Abbe Hue and his no less daring companion." — The Catholic News.
"Our readers will remember the attempt of Mr. A. Henry Savage Landor, the explorer, to explore the mysteries of the holy city of L'hassa, in Thibet. The narrative of the frightful tortures he suffered when the Thibetans pene- trated his disguise, has been told by Mr. Landor himself. But where Mr. Landor failed, two very clever French missionaries succeeded. Father Hue and Father Gabet, disguised as Lamas, entered the sacred city, and for the first time the eyes of civilized men beheld the shocking religious ceremonials of L'hassa." — New York Journal.
"Fools, it is known, dash in where angels fear to tread, and there are also instances of missionaries dashing in where intrepid and experienced travelers fail. Such was the case with MM. Hue and Gabet, the two mild and modest French priests who, fifty years ago, without fuss, steadily made their untor- tured way from China across Thibet and entered L'hassa with the message of Christianity on their lips. It is true that they were not allowed to stay there as long as they had hoped, but they were in the Forbidden Land and the Sacred City for a sufficient time to gather enough facts to make an interest- ing and very valuable book, which on its appearance in the forties (both in France and England) fascinated our fathers much in the way that the writ- ings of Nansen and Stanley have fascinated us. To all readers of Mr. Landor' s new book who wish to supplement the information concerning the Forbidden Land there given, we can recommend the work of M. Hue. Time cannot mar the interest of his and M. Gabet's daring and successful enterprise." — The Academy London.
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PETRARCH.
.1304-1374.
Frotiti.sf'ie.e to Tkc O/on Cnurl .
The Open Court
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE
Devoted to the Science of Religion, the Religion of Science, and the Extension of the Religious Parliament Idea.
VOL. XVIII. (NO. 7.) JULY, 1904. NO. 578
Copyright by The Open Court Publishing Company, 1904.
PETRARCH,
BY THE EDirOR.
ITALY will celebrate this year, on July 20th, the six hundredth an- niversary of the birthday of one of her greatest sons, Francesco di Petrarca, poet, humanist, patriot, whose personality is typically Italian and has become an ideal and a prophetic prototype for later generations.
The original form of the poet's family name was Petracco. which, for the sake of euphony, was changed to the Latinised form Petrarca, and in English has been shortened to Petrarch.
In speaking of Petrarch we must remember, that, being 1)orn in 1304, he still lived in the Middle Ages and his striking character- istic consists in the modern cast of his mind which distinguished him personally and made him, prophetlike, anticipate both the rise of humanism and the national ideals of the Italian people.
Contemplating the grandeur of ancient Rome, Petrarch dreamed of the greatness of the Italian nation and he exclaimed :
"Unite, Italia, and dare once more be free!"
Petrarch was born at Arezzo, where his parents had taken ref- uge during a civil v.^ar, exiled from their native city Florence, then the m.ost powerful and opulent city of Italy. His mother, when al- lowed to return to the Florentine republic, settled in Incisa, a little village on the Arno above Florence, where she spent seven years with her two children, for she gave birth to a second boy, Gherardo, in 1307. In 1 3 12 the father, a lawyer, removed to Pisa and thence, in 13 13, to Avignon, the seat of the exiled Popes and the center, not only of the Christian Church, but also of all the luxuries and opu- lence of the times.
From his childhood Francesco was an admirer of the ancient
386 THE OPEN COURT.
classical authors, especially the Latin poets, Ovid and Virgil, but at the age of fifteen, yielding to his father's wish, he studied law, first at Montpelier (1319-1323) and then at Bologna (1323-1326). On the death of his father he returned to Avignon, and here, on the 6th day of April, 1326, the youth saw in the Church of Santa Clara a beautiful lady, Laura, who impressed him so deeply that ever after- wards she continued to exercise an indelible and decisive influence upon his life and poetry.
Literary critics are even now in doubt whether the figure of Laura was a real person or mere fiction, but a descendant of Laura, the Abbe de Sade, has undertaken the task of definitely settling the
Laura.
problem by proving the identity of the poet's love with the daughtei of Audibert di Nova, wife of Hugo de Sade, a beautiful and dis- tinguished lady, noble both in birth and in mind, whom the ardurous poet loved, or rather worshipped, with a rare and fervid infatuation, for she remained to him forever unapproachable, like a star in the sky, or the A^irgin Madonna of the Catholic Church.
Though we accept the contention that Laura actually existed, and though Petrarch had been enraptured by her appearance in ^ real encounter and was carried away by a love at first sight, we may still claim that the greater part of Laura's picture as we find it in the Sonnets, is the product of the poet's enthusiasm, who had lit-
PETRARCH.
387
tie opportunity to become totally acquainted with her and fed his unrequited love at a distance mainly upon the fancies of his own heart.
After Petrarch's Lchrjahre (1304-1326), his JVandcrjaJirc be- gan, the period in which his character was formed and the founda- tion laid for his fame as a poet (1327- 1337).
At Avignon Petrarch had become acquainted with Giacomo Colonna, who had just been installed by the Pope as Bishop to Lom- bez at the foot of the Pyrenees in Southern France, and he extended to the young poet an invitation to join him as a kind of secretary and travelling companion, which invitation was cheerfully accepted.
Avignon.
Petrarch took orders, but he never held any high position in the Church.
Petrarch was of a restless nature and could never stay for any length of time in one place. He grew restless at Lombez and un- dertook a longer journey, which brought him to Paris, Ghent, Liege, Cologne and also to Rome, and everywhere he met the most prom- inent scholars and leading men of the age.
Among the friends of Petrarch we note one, Ludovico, .1 learned German philosopher, whom the poet in his writings ad- dresses as "Socrates," and another, a native of Rome, by the name of Lelo, whom he calls "Laelius."
388
THE OPEN COURT.
Petrarch was a lover of books, and he planned to establish a great library, for which he deemed Venice to be the best place. The Venetian government gladly accepted his offer and received him with hospitality and great honor as a guest of the city. But Petrarch was much embittered by the infidelity of the young Venetians, who were followers of Averroes, and when he rebuked ''those freethink- ers who have a great contempt for Christ and His apostles as well as for all those who would not bow the knee to the Stagyrite," they retorted on him by a mock trial which they had publicly enacted in order to criticise his philosophical and religious views. The
1
mi
^
Library of St. Mark, on St. Mark's Place, Venice*.
judges of the farcical proceeding returned a verdict that Petrarch was "a. good man," but, added they ironically, "he was illiterate !"
Having returned to Avignon in 1337, Petrarch settled in Vau- cluse, a secluded spot situated about fifteen miles from the city, where he made his home for several years, devoting himself to lit- erary labors. To this period belongs the poet's relation to a woman whose name for unknown reasons he has concealed with as much scrupulous care as he has extolled the name of Laura. Two chil dren were born to Petrarch, a son, Giovanni, in 1337, and a daugh- ter, Francesca, in 1343. Both of them were adopted by the father and at his request, legitimised by the Pope.
*The tower on the right has fallen during the last year.
PETRARCH.
389
In the year 1341 Petrarch visited the court of King Robert of Naples, and at the initiative of this sovereign was crowned as poet-
Vaucluse*.
laureate at the Capitol of Rome under the applause of the Roman people.
*This picture, as well as the others of this article (with the exception of the sketch made by Petrarch), including the portraits of Petrarch and Laura, are re- produced from The Sonnets, Triumphs, and Other Poems of Petrarch, by Thomas Campbell.
390
THE OPEN COURT.
Rome in the meantime became the seat of great poHtical dis- turbances, and Cola di Ricnzi, who, with all his noble traits, was a visionary demagogue, succeeded in establishing what he fondly thought to be a restoration of the Republic of Rome, but which ac- tually was a mob-licensed tyranny, governed by him under the mod- est title of "Tribune." Petrarch supported Rienzi's cause, but could not prevent the final collapse of his short reign.
In 1348 Laura died of the plague on the same date on which the poet had seen her first, April 6th.
Sketch of Vaucluse By Petrach's Own Hand*. The words underneath the picture read as follows: " Tratisalfina solitudo mea jocundissima," which means, "my most delightful transalpine retreat." Pe- trarch drew this picture on his copy of Pliny's Natural History, in remem- brance of the pleasant hours which he had spent at Vaucluse.
The poet received the news of Laura's death at Selva Piana, and he wrote the following marginal note upon his copy of Virgil, which is still preserved and is by good authority regarded as unquestion- ably authentic :
"Laura, illustrious for her virtues, and for a long time cele-
* Petrarch's sketch has been impressed on the cover of Petrarch, the First Modern Scholar and Man of Letters, by Robinson and Rolfye, and is here repro- duced by the courtesy of the publishers, G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, London.
PETRARCH.
391
brated in my verse, for the first time appeared to my eyes on the 6th of April. 1327, in the church of St. Clara, at the first hour of
Selva Piana, Near Parma.
Rome.
Showing the dome of St. Peter at the distance and the Castle of St. Angelo to
the right.
the day. I was then in my youth. In the same city, and at the same hour, in tlie year 1348, this luminary disappeared from our world.
392
THE OPEN COURT.
I was then at Verona, ignorant of my wretched situation. Her chaste and beautiful body was buried the same day, after vespers, in the Church of Cordeliers. Her soul returned to its native mansion in Heaven. I have written this with a pleasure mixed with bitter- ness, to retrace the melancholy remembrance of 'MY GREAT LOSS.' This loss convinces me that I have nothing now left worth living for, since the strongest cord of my life is broken. By the grace of God, I shall easily renounce a world where my hopes have been vain and perishing. It is time for me to fly from Babylon when the knot that bound me to it is untied."
A new period begins for Petrarch. His love for Laura is less
Milan Cathedral.
passionate and more religious ; he is more resigned, bestowing great praise upon monastic life and solitude. He had been appointed Canon of Parma in 1346, which he had visited ever since from tim'i to time. He now, in 1348, accepted an invitation of the Archbishop Giovanni, Viscount of Milan, who was practically the tyrant of that city. In 1350 he became Archdeacon of Parma.
Finally Petrarch retired to Arqua, a little village in the Euganean Hills, about twelve miles south of Parma, where he con- tinued to devote himself to his favorite studies and poetical compo- sition, and there he was found dead on July i8th, 1374, among the books of his library.
Petrarch's last will requests his friends not to weep for his
PETRARCH. 393
death because tears do no good to the dead but may harm the hving He only asks for prayers and ahiis to the poor, leaving all details of the funeral to his friends, adding: "What signifies it to me where my body is laid?" He makes bequests in favor of religious orders and leaves an endowment for an anniversary mass which is still cel- ebrated on the 9th of July. Among his gifts to personal friends is one of fifty gold florins to Boccaccio "for to buy him a warm coat for his studies at night." He appoints Francesco da Bassano of Milan his heir for the purpose of paying out one half of his fortune "to the person to whom it is assigned" — who is commonly supposed to be Petrarch's daughter, Francesca. His brother, Gherardo, the Carthusian monk, is offered an option of either one hundred florins payable at once or ten florins every year.
Though Petrarch had taken an active part in the political his- tory of his time, he was a poet and rhetorician, not a hero and a char- acter. His scholarship, the elegance of his verses, and his amiable personality endeared him to both the aristocratic men of his time and the common people of Italy. Far from being a man of definite and consistent ideals, his life is full of contradictions. Mediaeval in thought and principle, he was modern in sentiment. Though an Italian patriot, he invited the German Emperor to continue the Ghibelline policy of imperial interference with Italian affairs. Though an admirer of the classics, he knew no Greek: "he was deaf to Homer as Homer was dumb to him." Though a humanist, he was a devout adherent to the most medifeval forms of Christianity Though an enthusiastic champion of the cause of liberty, he was an intimate friend of almost all of the tyrants of his time and was in- strumental in their retaining their power and usurped privileges. Though indebted to the Colonnas for many personal favors, he be- came an abettor of the Roman mob who massacred seven members of that noble family of Rome. Rome is to him once the eternal city, and then the impious Babylon. Though he refused lucrative po- sitions of high duties and honor (such as secretaryship to the Pope and the rectorship of the University of Florence) in order to pre- serve his independence, he practically lived upon favors from the powerful as their retainer and so remained all his life dependent upon their benevolence. All these and other traits would have been fatal to any man but him who in the "vanity fair" of his poetical fancies, was little conscious of his inconsistencies. His very shortcomings seem to have added to the charm of his j)ersonality and made it pos- sible that while he was still a child of the Middle Ages, he became Dne of the founders of modern Italv.
THE JAPANESE FLORAL CALENDAR.
ERNEST W. CLEMENT, M. A.
VII. THE MORNING-GLORY.
WHAT is known in the Occident as the morning-glory goes in Japan by the name of asagao, or "morning-face." But the Japanese variety is far beyond comparison with any other variety, as
A Mokning-Glory Seller.
we learned when our Japanese vines were the wonder and admiration of our Chicago neighbors. And the Tokyo master of the asagao, Suzuki by name, said to Miss Scidmore* : "Yes; I know the Korean and the American asagao are little wild things, like weeds, not beau- tiful or worth growing." And Miss Scidmore herself testifies as follows: "For size, beauty, range of color, and illimitable variety
THE JAPANESE FLORAL CALENDAR. | If ' ][ ,~l395
there attained, this sunrise llower precedes all others, until its cul- tivation has become a craze which is likely to spread to other coun- tries, and — who knows? — perhaps there introduce the current Jap- anese custom of five-o'clock-in-the-morning teas and garden parties.''
CONVOLVULUS;, OR (MORNING GlORY.)
The asagao is said to have been brought from China into Japan by scholars and priests who went over there to study Buddhism. And a Chinese priest who came to Japan wrote a poem to the following
3g6 THE OPEN COURT.
purport: "The asagao blooms and fades so quickly, only to prepare for tomorrow's glory." It is quite likely this connection with religion as well as the fact that it fades so quickly that makes the asagao un- suitable for use on felicitous occasions.
Miss Scidmore states that "the late Empress-Dowager, a conser- vator of many old customs and aristocratic traditions, and a gentle soul with a deep love of flowers, poetry and art, kept up the culture of the asagao, and had always a fine display of flowers at her city and summer palaces during the lotus-time of the year." But in Tokyo the finest morning-glory gardens are at a place called Iriya, beyond Uyeno Park; there wonderful varieties, too numerous to mention, are exhibited. Of the different colors, the dark blue takes first rank.
Two well-known poems about the morning-glory run as fol- lows : —
"Every morn, when the dawn brightens into joy, The morning-glory renews its beautiful flowers. And continues blooming long in this way, To give us hope and peace that wither not. " *
"Oh, for the heart Of the morning-glory !
Which, though its bloom is for a single hour. Is the same as that of the fir-tree, Which lives a thousand years."
The Japanese also have what they call hirugao, or "noon-face," and yugao, or "evening-face." The latter, which Occidentals would presumably name "evening-glory," seems to be especially famous for the beauty of its white blossoms. In the Genji Monogatari, a lady-love of the hero sings as follows : —
"The crystal dew at evening's hour Sleeps on the Yugao's beauteous flower ; Will this please him, whose glances bright. Gave to the flowers a dearer light ? "
The most famous verse about the morning-glory is, of course, that of the maiden, O Chiyo San, who, having found a vine with its blossoms twining around her well-bucket, would not disturb it, but went elsewhere to beg some water. The poem, which is in the form of the hokkii, runs as follows : —
' ' Asaffao ni Tsurnbc toraretc Morai-mizu."
* See the Ccutury Magazine for December, 1897.
THE JAPANESE FLORAL CALENDAR. 397
This means, literally translated, "By asagao bucket being taken, begged water." But Sir Edwin Arnold's poetical version is also worth quoting: —
" The morning-glory Her leaves and bells has bound My bucket-handle round. I could not break the bands Of those soft hands, The bucket and the well to her I left ; ' Lend me some water, for I come bereft.' "
With the recommendation to read Miss Scidmore's illustrated article, quoted above, for an insight into the occult features of morn- ing-glory culture in Japan, we close with her final sentence: "The asagao is the flower of Japanese flowers, the miracle of their flori- culture, and one may best ascribe it to pure necromancy, and cease to question and pursue."
A NEW RELIGION.
BY THE EDITOR.
[concluded.]
ABBAS EFFENDI.
Babism counts more adherents in Persia than one might ex- pect considering the fact that it is a proscribed faith. It counts adherents also in Mesopotamia and in Syria and other parts of the world. Even America can claim a goodly number of adherents to the new faith. In Chicago there is a Babist congregation, the speaker and representative of which is Ibrahim George Kheiralla, and a New York lawyer, Mr. Myron H. Phelps, visited Abbas Effendi, the present representative of Mirza Huscyn All's family. We shall in the following pages present a resume of both books, that of Mr. Phelps, which gives a description of the life and teach- ings of Abbas Effendi. and that of Mr. Kheiralla, which describes the faith and doctrines of the Babists who believe in Beha Ullah.
Mr. Myron H. Phel])s believes that the Christian idea has lost its hold on the Western nations. Materialism is increasing and the ethical, social, and political standards need some fresh spiritual impulse, but where shall we find it, if Christianity itself cannot give it. Mr. Phelps believes that it may be supplied by the teachings of Beha Ullah and his son and spiritual successor Abbas Effendi. Convinced of the importance of the Babist faith, Mr. Phelps went on a pilgrimage to Acre and visited the present representative of the most prominent branch of the Babist faith, Abbas Effendi, the son of Beha Ullah, and he undertook to write down for Western readers his life and teachings as he had it stated by Abbas Effendi himself.
The introduction to the book has been written by the Nestor of the Babist religion. Professor Edward G. Browne, whom he had the good fortune to meet in Cairo. Professor Browne in the preface dwells on the continued spread of the Babist faith, and he asks :
A NEW RELIGION.
399
"How is it that the Christian Doctrine, the highest and noblest which the world has ever known, though supported by all the re- sources of Western civilisation, can only count its converts in Mu- hammedan lands by twos and threes, while l^abism can reckon
Abbas Effendi. Gusn-i-Azam (The Greatest Branch). Taken over thirty years ago.
them by thousands? The answer, to my mind, is plain as the sun at midday. Western Christianity, save in the rarest cases, is more Western than Christian, more racial than religious; and, by dally- ing with doctrines plainly incompatible with the obvious meaning
400
THE OPEN COURT.
of its Founder's words, such as the theories of 'racial supremacy,' 'imperial destiny,' 'survival of the fittest,' and the like, grows stead- ily more rather than less material. Did Christ belong to a 'dominant
Muhammad-Ali Effendi. Gusn-i-Akbar (The Mightiest Branch) . Taken igoo.
race,' or even to a European or 'white' race? Nay, the 'dominant race' was represented by Pontius Pilate, the governor, who was
A NEW. RELIGION. 4OI
compelled to abandon his personal leanings toward clemency under constraint of 'political necessities' arising out of Rome's 'imperial destiny.'
"It is in manifest conflict with several other theories of life which practically regulate the conduct of all States and most in- dividuals in the Western world.
"Many even of the most excellent and earnest Christian mis- sionaries— not to speak of laymen — whom Europe and America send to Asia and Africa would be far less shocked at the idea of re- ceiving on terms of intimacy in the house or at their table a white- skinned atheist than a dark-skinned believer. The dark-skinned races to whom the Christian missionaries go are not fools, and have no object in practising that curious self-deception wherewith so many excellent and well-meaning European and American Chris- tians blind themselves to the obvious fact that they attach much more importance to race than religion; they clearly see the incon- sistency of those who, while professing to believe that the God they worship incarnated Himself in the form of an Asiatic man, — ■ for this is what it comes to, — do nevertheless habitually and almost instinctively express, both in speech and action, contempt for the 'native' of Asia."
There is an additional reason which gives the advantage to the Babist propagandists over the Christian missionary. While the latter explicitly or by implication rejects the Koran and Moham- med's prophetic mission, the former admits both and only denies their finality. Christian missionaries waste most of their efforts in proving the errors of Islam, but they forget that in destroying the Moslem's faith in their own religion, they are mostly making con- verts to scepticism or atheism, and they very rarely succeed in con- vincing them of the truth of Christianity. The Babist does not destroy but builds upon the religious convictions of people. He finds a foundation ready laid, but the Christian missionary deems it necessary to destroy the foundation and finds himself incapable of laying another one.
Babism makes a new synthesis of old ideas. It is the entire Eastern civilisation united into a new yet thoroughly consistent sys- tem. Not only do the Babists incorporate in their faith the tradi- tions of the Old and New Testaments, and of the Koran, but also some most significant documents of the Manichaeans of the Ismaili propagandists, the early Sufis, and also the spirit of profane poets such as Hafiz, the immortal poet of love and wine. Professor Browne in his introductory comments to Mr. Phelps' book further
402
THE OPEN COURT.
calls special attention to the attitude of the Babists with whom love of Beha Ullah is paramount. It is interesting- to notice first, their uncertainty as to the authorship of many of their own religious
JjhL^ ^i/'>,
ZiA 'Ullah Effendi. Gusni-Af har (The Holiest Branch). Departed October, 1898.
books; second the unfixed character of most important doctrines such as immortality of the soul; third, their inclination to ignore
A.NEW RELIGION. 403
and even suppress facts which they regard as useless or hurtful to their present aims. All these marks are characteristic of a growing faith. The Babists are by no means broad and tolerant. If they came into power in Persia, a case which is by no means impossible, the presecuted would be apt to turn persecutors.
The Behaists are especially fond of listening to the reading of the epistles of Beha Ullah which are mostly rhapsodies^ interspersed with ethical maxims, rarely touch- ing on questions of metaphysics, ontology, or eschatology. They show a dislike to historical investigation and says Professor Browne, "Some of them even showed great dis- like at his attempts to trace the evolution of Babi doctrine from the Shia sect of Muhammedans through that of the Shaykhi school (in which the Bab and many of his early disciples were educated), to the forms which it successively assumed in the hands of the Bab and his followers." An English diplomat who knew the Babists thoroughly once said to Professor Browne : "They regard you as one who, having before his eyes a beautiful flower, is not content to enjoy its beauty and fragrance, but must needs grub at its roots to ascertain from what foul manure it derived its sustenance."
The first part of Mr. Phelps's book is devoted to Beha Ullah's life which we learn here from the lips of his daughter Behiah Khanum, one of the Three Leaves, so-called, of the new prophet's family. The story is interesting in so far as it adds the zest of a personal narrative to the history of Beha Ullah as related by Pro- fessor Browme in his several accounts of the Babist movement. We learn also of the accusations made against Mirza Yahya who is sup- posed to have poisoned Beha Ullah, the father of Abbas Effendi, but the attending physician walked around the bed of the patient, and repeated three times, "I will give my life — I will give my life — I will give my life." Nine days later the physician died. Another physician was called in, but he looked upon the case as hopeless. Nevertheless Beha Ullah grew stronger and finally overcame the effects of the poison.
A footnote informs us that the Ezelis, the adherents of Mirza Yahya, claim that Beha Ullah had prepared the poison for the pur- pose of killing Mirza Yahya, but the dish of rice containing the poison was prepared with onions, a taste which Yahya disliked ; and Beha Ullah, thinking that his scheme had been betrayed, deemed it best to take a little of the poisoned rice, whereupon he almost died of its effects. Mr. Phelps simply states the narrative without giving his own opinion, and there is no need to believe the accusa-
404
THE OPEN COURT.
Badi 'Ullah Effendi. Gusn-i-Anwar (The Most Luminous Branch). Taken 1900.
A XKW rf,i.T(;tox. 405
tion of either party. It is quite common that fanatics are apt to ac cuse their rivals in dignity of the absurdest crimes, and we have here a highlv colored story on both sides which may be paralleled in al- most all the religions of history. The fact that Beha Ullah fell sick cannot be doubted ; that he had eaten rice together with his half-brother, his rival in the leadership of the Babist faith, may also be true, but that either had made an attempt to poison the other may be regarded as highly improbable.
When Beha Ullah died a new schism split up the Babist church, and Abbas Effcndi. the "Greatest Branch," became the recognised leader of one party, and Alohammed Ali Effcndi. the "Mightiest Branch," the leader of another party.
The philosophy of Behaism, especially its psychology and its ethics, are related by Mr. Phelps, and he adds a few discourses all of which are greatly interesting on the standards of truth, on the nature of God and the universe, on spirit, the parable of the seed, reincarnation, heavenly wisdom, on heaven and hell, on love, talks to children, the poor, the prayer, and similar topics.
A most charming picture of xA.bbas Effendi's daily life is given in the first chapter and brings the personal appearance of the man more home to us than can be done by an exposition of his philosophy and psychology. Mr. Phelps describes the master of Akka in the first chapter of his book.
THK MASTER OF AKKA.
"Imagine that we are in the ancient house of the still more ancient city of Akka, which was for a month my home. The room in which we arc faces the opposite wall of a uarrow paved street, which an acti\'e man might clear at a single bound. Above is the bright sun of Palestine ; to the right a glimpse of the old sea-wall and the blue IMediterrancau. As we sit we hear a singular sound rising from the pavement, thirty feet below — faint at first, and in- creasing. It is like the murmur of human voices. We open the window and look down. We see a crowd of human beings with patched and tattered garments. Let us descend to the street and see who these are.
"It is a noteworthy gathering. Many of these men are blind : many more are pale, emaciated, or aged. Some are on crutches ; some are so feeble that they can barely walk. Most of the women are closely veiled, but enough are uncovered to cause us well to be- lieve that, if veils were lifted, more pain and misery would be seen.
MousA Efffndi, El Kaleem. The Eldest Brother of Beha Ullah," *iMousa means " Moses," and El Kaleem " Speaker With^God,"
A NEW RELIGKIN. 407
Some of them carry babes with pinched and sallow faces. There are perhaps a hundred in this gathering, and besides, many children. They are of all the races one meets in these streets — Syrians, Arabs, Ethiopians, and many others.
"These people arc ranged against the walls or seated on the ground, apparently in an attitude of expectation; — for what do they wait? Let us wait with them.
"We have not long to wait. A door opens and a man comes out. He is of middle stature, strongly built. He wears flowing light-coloured robes. On his head is a light bufif fez with a whit.-^ cloth wound about it. He is perhaps sixty years of age. His long grey hair rests on his shoulders. His forhead is broad, full, and high, his nose slightly aquiline, his moustaches and beard, the lat- ter full though not heavy, nearly white. His eyes are grey and blue, large, and both soft and penetrating. His bearing is simple, but there is grace, dignity, and even majesty about his movements. He passes through the crowd, and as he goes utters words of salutation. We do not understand them. bv:t we see the benignity and the kind- liness of his countenance. He stations himself at a narrow angle of the street and motions to the people to come towards him. They crowd up a little too insistently. He pushes them gently back and lets them pass him one by one. As they come they hold their hands extended. In each open palm he places some small coins. He knows them all. He caresses them with his hand on the face, on the shoulders, on the head. Some he stops and questions. An aged negro who hobbles up, he greets with some kindly inquiry ; the old man's broad face breaks into a sunny smile, his white teeth glistening against his ebony skin as he replies. He stops a woman with a babe and fondly strokes the child. As they pass, some kiss his hand. To all he says, 'Marhabbali, uiarhahbah' — 'Well done, well done !'
'"So they all pass him. The children have been crowding around him with extended hands, but to them he has not given. However, at the end, as he turns to go, he throws a handful of cop- pers over his shoulder, for which they scramble.
"During this time this friend of the poor has not been unat- tended. Several men wearing red fezes, and with earnest and kindly faces, followed him from the house, stood near him and aided him in regulating the crowd, and now, with reverent manner and at a respectful distance, follow him away. When they address him they call him 'Master.'
"This scene you may see almost any day of the year in the
Khadim Ullah. The Servant of Beha Ullah.*
Khadim Ullah served Beha Ullah faithfully for over forty years. He survived his
master and died in 1901. We are informed that he supported
the cause of Mohammed Ali Effendi.
*The name Khadim Ullah means " Servant of God.
A NEW RKLICION. 409
streets of Akka. There are other scenes Hke it, whicli come only at the beginning- of the winter season. In the cold weather which is approaching, the poor will suffer, for, as in all cities, they are thinly clad. Some day at this season, if you are advised of the place and time, you may see the poor of Akka gathered at one of the shops where clothes are sold, receiving cloaks from the Master. Upon many, especially the most infirm or crippled, he himself places the garment, adjusts it with his own hands, and strokes it approv- ingly, as if to say, 'There! Now you will do well' There are five or six hundred poor in Akka, to all of whom he gives a warm gar- ment each year.
"On feast days he visits the poor at their homes. He chats with them, inquires into their health and comfort, mentions by name those who are absent, and leaves gifts for all.
"Nor is it the beggars only that he remembers. Those res- pectable poor who cannot beg, but luust suffer in silence — those whose daily labor will not support their families — to these he send? bread secretly. His left hand knowcth not what his right hand doeth.
"All the people know him and love him — the rich and the poor, the young and the old — even the babe leaping in its mother's arms. If he hears of anyone sick in the city — Aloslem or Christian, or of any other sect, it matters not — he is each day at their bedside, or sends a trusty messenger. If a physician is needed, and the patient poor, he brings or sends one. and also the necessary medicine. If he finds a leaking roof or a broken window menacing health, he summons a workman, and waits himself to see the breach repaired. If any one is in trouble, — if a son or a brother is thrown into prison, or he is threatened at law, or falls into any difficulty too heavy for him, — it is to the Master that he straightway makes appeal for counsel or for aid. Indeed, for counsel all con^c to him. rich as well as poor. He is the kind father of all the people.
"This man who gives so freely must be rich, you think? No far othervyise. Once his family was the wealthiest in all Persia. But this friend of the lowly, Hke the Galilean, has been oppressed by the great. For fifty years Jic and liis fainily have been exiles and prisoners. Their property has been confiscated and wasted, and but little has been left to him. Now that he has not much he must spend little for himself that he may give more to the poor. His garments are usually of cotton, and the cheapest that can be bought. Often his friends in Persia — for this man is indeed rich in friends, thousands and tens of thousands who would eagerly lay
4IO
THE OPEN COURT.
down their lives at his word — send him costly garments. These he wears once, out of respect for the sender ; then he gives them away.
"He does not permit his family to have luxuries. He himself eats but once a day, and then bread, olives, and cheese suffice him.
A PkEACHER ok BElIAIbM.
"His room is small and bare, with only a matting on the stone floor. His habit is to sleep upon this floor. Not long ago a friend, thinking that this must be hard for a man of advancing years, pre- sented him with a bed fitted with springs and mattress. So these stand in his room also, but are rarely used. 'For how,' he says.
A XKW RKI.TCTOX. 4I 1
'can I bear to sleep in luxury when so manv of the poor have not even shelter?' So he lies upon the floor and covers himself onl}' with his cloak.
"For more than thirty-four }cars this man has been a prisonci' at Akka. But his jailors have become his friends. The Governor of the city, the Commander of the Army Corps, respect and honout him as though he were their brother. No man's opinion or recom- mendation has greater weight with them. He is the beloved of all the city, high and low.
"This master is as simple as his soul is great. He claims noth- ing for himself — neither comfort, nor honour, nor repose. Three or four hours of sleep suffice him ; all the remainder of his time and all his strength are given to the succour of those who suffer, in spirit or in body. 'I am,' he says, 'the servant of God.'
"Such is Abbas Eft"endi, the Master of Akka."
THE LATEST DE\'ELOPMENTS OF BEH.AISM.
For the sake of completeness we have to add that the Behaist Chtu'ch has been rent again by a schism which at first sight seem- to be a personal matter, — question of leadership.
For a long time xA.bbas Effendi, the oldest son of Beha Ullah, has been the recognised head of the Church. He is the son of the wife whom Beha Ullah married first, some time before he had de- clared himself to be the Manifestation of God, and this xA.bbas is knov^n to Behaists as "the greatest branch." Three }oung half- broihers of Abbas Effendi were born to Beha Ullah by another wife and among them IMohammed Ali was called by his father "the mightiest branch."
For a long time the leadership of "the greatest branch" was accepted without objection, but finally a dissension arose between Abbas Effendi on one side and his younger half-brothers on the other, and the Behaists in Persia and other countries began to doubt the divine inspiration of "the greatest branch." In fact some of them declared that Abbas Effendi has changed the doctrine of his father and has introduced some innovations which are contrary to the spirit of Behaism. It seems that several Behaists, including some of the congregations that exist in the United States, no longer recognise Beha Ullah's oldest son "the greatest branch," but look to Mohammed Ali. "the mightiest branch," as their spiritual guide and head of the Church. Abbas Effendi claims that his authority is absolute and that it rests on the testament left him by his father
A NEW RELIGION. 4I3
J3eha Ullah, and it is true that Beha Ullah declared that his sons, among- them "the greatest branch," should spread his fragrances, but similar declarations have been made of the other branch, and so the opponents of Abbas Effendi claim that Beha Ullah intended to have his son. Mohammed Ali, succeed Abbas Effendi, and that the leadership