The Bahá’í World
Volume 2 : 1926-1928
THE BAHÁ’Í WORLD
PART FOUR
INTRODUCTION TO
“THE PROMULGATION OF
UNIVERSAL PEACE”
By
Howard McNutt
[The passing from this world of Mr. Howard MacNutt of Brooklyn, N. Y., in December, 1926, has prompted us to reproduce this Introduction to the Addresses of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá delivered in America in 1912 published under the title, “The Promulgation of Universal Peace,” which were compiled and edited by Mr. MacNutt. We do this knowing it is a fitting memorial to him as intended and recorded by the pen of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. In a Tablet dated at Palestine, July 20, 1919, addressed to Albert Windust, Chicago, printer of the book, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote: “Name the book which Mr. MacNutt is compiling, ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace.’ As to its Introduction, it should be written by Mr. MacNutt himself when in heart he is turning toward the ‘Abhá kingdom, so that he may leave a permanent trace behind him. Send a copy of it to the Holy Land.” The English original was sent to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for approval. By His direction it was translated into Persian and returned to the printer with instructions that both English and Persian should appear in the publication.—Editors].
Two years before the crash of the world war shook the continents and upheaved oceans ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás visited the United States of America proclaiming the glad-tidings of Universal Peace and the oneness of the world of humanity. In His message He reviewed social, religious and political conditions of the nations, foretold clearly the impending clash and conflict of militarism, summoning mankind to the standard of divine guidance upraised in this cycle of the cycles by the Manifestation and Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. His visit extending from April to December, 1912, covered an itinerary across the continent and return, involving an extraordinary and incredible expenditure of energy on the part of one who at the threshold of three score years and ten had spent practically His whole lifetime in exile and imprisonment for the cause of God.
This treasury of His words is a compilation of informal talks and extempore discourses delivered in Persian and Arabic, interpreted by proficient linguists who accompanied Him, and taken stenographically in both Oriental and Occidental tongue.
Upon the day of His arrival in New York He said, "It is my purpose to set forth in America the fundamental principles of the Revelation and Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. It will then become the duty of the Bahá’ís of this country to give these principles unfoldment and applica-
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