will before long prove to the world that the fundamental principles underlying all the religions are one, that their only points of difference are the minor questions that relate to rites, ceremonies and external practices which must be necessarily modified with the changes in human wants and environment. The world has already begun to realize that controversies over such secondary points only serve to alienate those sincere souls to whom the heart of religion is all important and who by nature would be willing rather to hold out the hand of fellowship to all who worship at the Altar of the One Living God, than to wrangle over forms that seem to their minds of only secondary value.
I have tried to give a picture of the high aim that Bahá’u’lláh had set before Him, and now I pray your attention for a few moments more to a brief description of the far-reaching changes brought about in the life of His followers.
In the East, especially in the land of its birth, Persia, where it admittedly stands, amid the chaos and corruption of its heedless inhabitants, as the beacon-light of progress and reform, its achievements have been great. There, under an unceasing storm of persecution, abuse and calumny, the Movement has not only wrought a fundamental revolution in the life of the individuals but has also inaugurated various reforms of which I shall mention only two.
Wherever the number of the Bahá’ís is sufficiently great, and they can afford the means, a school has been established to provide the necessary primary education for girls as well as for boys. As even these schools are under constant threat of being closed, the Bahá’ís have not been able to pursue this course to its desired extent. Only three years ago one of the schools which had been established after immeasurable sacrifices and difficulties, was burned down by the mob and its poor students severely beaten and dispersed.
I need not dwell upon the degrading position of women in such a state as Persia. Not only are they debarred from the smallest measure of freedom and education, but are in many cases considered nothing more than a mere appendage, an indispensable, but utterly servile member of the household. Wherever a Bahá’í community can provide schools for its boys it also institutes one for its girls. In fact, Bahá’u’lláh clearly states that, as the girls will be the mothers of the future generations, they must receive preferential treatment in education. In electing the members of the Spiritual Assemblies, which are the centre of Bahá’í activities, the women are given a position absolutely equal to that of the men. There remains only one more step to take, and that is to discard the veil. This has not yet been done, because we believe that in a backward and immature country such as Persia, the education of both boys and girls should make much greater progress before the adoption of so drastic and daring a reform. The Bahá’í women have, however, organized societies of their own to educate themselves and further their cause. Before long, we all hope, even the veil will be set aside and the women accorded a position in Persia equal to their sisters even in some of the most progressive states of Europe.
In the West, where enlightened and capable governments are continuously enacting laws which provide for the material well-being of the citizens, this field for Bahá’í activity has not been so great. Its influence has been mainly to create the spirit of international brotherhood and wipe out religious, social and economic prejudices. Those who have had the chance of attending a Bahá’í meeting, either in the East or in the West, can appreciate the important and far-reaching influence of the Movement along that line. People of different, and at times conflicting, views assemble and enjoy mutual love and harmony. Even the most illiterate of the Bahá’ís are free from prejudice. To them Christian or Jew, Muḥammadan or Zoroastrian, Eastern or Western, all stand on an equal footing and are considered as brothers in the love of the One God.