devouring wolf while peace is like the angels of
heaven; war is the struggle for existence while peace is mutual aid and
cooperation among the peoples of the world and the cause of the
good-pleasure of the True One in the heavenly realm.

There is not one soul whose conscience does not testify that in this day
there is no more important matter in the world than that of Universal
Peace. Every just one bears witness to this and adores that esteemed
Assembly because its aim is that this darkness may be changed into light,
this bloodthirstiness into kindness, this torment into bliss, this
hardship into ease and this enmity and hatred into fellowship and love.
Therefore, the effort of those esteemed souls is worthy of praise and
commendation.

But the wise souls who are aware of the essential relationships emanating
from the realities of things consider that one single matter cannot, by
itself, influence the human reality as it ought and should, for until the
minds of men become united, no important matter can be accomplished. At
present Universal Peace is a matter of great importance, but unity of
conscience is essential, so that the foundation of this matter may become
secure, its establishment firm and its edifice strong.

Therefore His Holiness Baha'u'llah, fifty years ago, expounded this
question of Universal Peace at a time when He was confined in the fortress
of Akka and was wronged and imprisoned. He wrote about this important
matter of Universal Peace to all the great sovereigns of the world, and
established it among His friends in the Orient. The horizon of the East
was in utter darkness, nations displayed the utmost hatred and enmity
towards each other, religions thirsted for each other's blood, and it was
darkness upon darkness. At such a time His Holiness Baha'u'llah shone
forth like the sun from the horizon of the East and illumined Iran with
the lights of these teachings.

Among His teachings was the declaration of Universal Peace. People of
different nations, religions and sects who followed Him came together to
such an extent that remarkable gatherings were instituted consisting of
the various nations and religions of the East. Every soul who entered
these gatherings saw but one nation, one teaching, one pathway, one order,
for the teachings of His Holiness Baha'u'llah were not limited to the
establishment of Universal Peace. They embraced many teachings which
supplemented and supported that of Universal