A Hall Full of Students
Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání, Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání, (1998), George Ronald
When in Bahá'í history
A retelling for children, based on Mahmúd's Diary (entries of 2 and 8 October 1912).
In October 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá was staying in San Francisco. One of His visitors was Dr David Starr Jordan, the president of Stanford University. He liked the Bahá'í teachings so much that he begged 'Abdu'l-Bahá to come and speak at his university.
So on the 8th of October, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Bahá went to Stanford, in the town of Palo Alto. Mírzá Maḥmúd, who travelled with Him and kept a diary of the journey, wrote down what happened.
The big auditorium was full. Mírzá Maḥmúd wrote that about eighteen hundred students were there, and one hundred and eighty professors, and many important people from the area besides. The rooms at the side and the hallways were full too, and people were standing outside the door.
Dr Jordan stood up to introduce the guest. He told the audience that 'Abdu'l-Bahá was one of the great religious teachers of the world, and that what He taught was not exactly a new religion:
The religion of brotherhood, of good will, of friendship between men and nations is as old as good thinking and good living may be.
Then 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke. He began by praising science, which finds out the truth about how things really are, and said He was glad to be in "the home of science." He talked about peace among the nations. He said that soldiers had died in wars over ideas like "we are Germans" and "our enemies are French," when really all people belong to one human family.
When He finished, the applause was so loud that Mírzá Maḥmúd said it shook the building. Dr Jordan stood up again and thanked 'Abdu'l-Bahá for His talk about the brotherhood of man and the value of peace between nations. He asked everyone to show their thanks by standing up, and the whole audience rose at once, clapping and stamping their feet.
Afterwards, 'Abdu'l-Bahá had lunch at Dr Jordan's home.
This is a retelling for children. For the fuller account, see "'Abdu'l-Bahá at Stanford University".
Cite this story
Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání, M.. (1998). *Mahmúd's Diary: The Diary of Mírzá Maḥmúd-i-Zarqání*. George Ronald.
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