ed and
educated and that each one of them may attain perfection in the world of
humanity. Know ye the value of these children, for they are all my
children.

24 April 1912
Talk at Home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Parsons
1700 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

Notes by Joseph H. Hannen

You are welcome this afternoon, most welcome. I am ever happy to see you.
I ask God that meeting me may be productive of results; that it may not be
like ordinary gatherings, for those who hold meetings where groups of
people assemble usually have some interest to further. Praise be to God! I
have no personal interests. I have an interest in the Kingdom, and this is
a sincere intention. I have perfect love for you; therefore, I have
traveled this long distance to meet and greet you. I hope that these
gatherings may be productive of great results, and there is no greater
result than the love of God. There is no greater result than bonds of
service in the divine Kingdom and attainment to the good pleasure of the
Lord. Therefore, I desire that your hearts may be directed to the Kingdom
of God, that your intentions may be pure and sincere, your purposes turned
toward altruistic accomplishment unmindful of your own welfare; nay,
rather, may all your intentions center in the welfare of humanity, and may
you seek to sacrifice yourselves in the pathway of devotion to mankind.
Even as Jesus Christ forfeited His life, may you, likewise, offer
yourselves in the threshold of sacrifice for the betterment of the world;
and just as Baha'u'llah suffered severe ordeals and calamities nearly
fifty years for you, may you be willing to undergo difficulties and
withstand catastrophes for humanity in general. May you bear these trials
and tests most willingly and joyously, for every night is followed by a
day, and every day has a night. Every spring has an autumn, and every
autumn has its spring. The coming of a Manifestation of God is the season
of spiritual spring. For instance, the appearance of Christ was a divine
springtime. Therefore, it caused a great commotion and vibrant movement in
the world of humanity. The Sun of Reality dawned, the cloud of mercy
poured down its rain, the breezes of providence moved, the world became a
new world, mankind reflected an extraordinary radiance, souls were
educated, minds were developed, intelligences became acute, and the human
world attained a new freshness of life, like unto the advent of spring.
Th