The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-06-23
BABISM.
A New Religion in Eastern Asia.

up in Eastern Asia within the last few years.
and which, having taken considerable hold of
the more intelligent of the Persian people,
has further developed itself in other countries
of the East. Its tenets are spreading day by
day over Turkey and India. It's pure morality,
and the antagonism it offers to the eneryated
doctrines Of Mohammedanism, are worthy Oh
attracting attention Speaking for ourselves,
we believe that Babism viii eventually super
sede the doctrine of the Koran, and largely
contribute to the future civilization OF the
Fast = Rabism is not Christianity, certainly,
but il may, perhaps, be considered great
stem towards it; and it is from this dual point
of view that we give to the history of a reli-
o,ion. till now comparatively unknown in
our country more extended space than
is accorded to those other theological
matters with which almost every one
is. or easily may be made, acquainted. In
IS43 there lived at Shiraz, in Persia, young
man, about eighteen years of age, named
Mirza-Ali- Mohammed. His parents pos
sessed some fortune, and from after events it
is supposed that Mirza-Ah was not brought
up without education. While still very young,
he undertook a pilgrimage to Mecca, in
which holy city it is probable that his mind
first gave room to religious impressions in
consistent with the orthodox Mohammedan
faith, and where he also conceived the design
of supplanting it by the substitution of an
other and more progressive religion. On his
return, he communicated the particulars of his
pilgrimage, and also a first commentary on
the S0urH of the Koran, called Joseph, to a
select assembly of persons at Shiraz. An i'm
mense impression was thereby created, and
throngs of literary and religious people
crowded to hear the discourses of Ali-Moham-
med In these he did not directly attack the
doctrines of Islamism, but founded his themes
generally on the sad, irreligious, and deplora-
BILE condition of humanity at large.
Certain illusions, however, adro1tly intro
duced here and there in his declamations-
which were so vaguely broached as not to
disturb and irritate religious prejudices on
the one hand, while they hattered elf-esteem
on the other-caused his teachings to assume
an increasing attractiveness. Day by day new
hearers came, and went away adherents to the
new religious system. His fame spread all
over Persia. The profoundly solemn and i'm
pressive nature of these scenes nsoved all
who took part therein, and even those Mus
sulmans most bigoted in their own faith,
spoke of them with a kind of awe. They
unanimously confessed that the eloquence of
Ali-Mohammed was both brilliant and con-
Vincing, and such as to be but family realized
by those who had not listened to it, Ali
Mohammed now assumed religious title of
apostleship He declared himself to be
the Bah, .. c., the dor, by which it was
alone possible to reach the presence of
God. Later on, he assumed another title, but
to the heterodox he is only known by his
former one. The orthodox Mussulmans, at
the instigation of the clergy were disposed to
put summary end to the propagation of
Babism; but upon reflection, the Shah, fearing
to excite an lnsuTection, and, perhaps. in
himself secretly favoring the new doctrine,
adopted temporizing policy. Converts then
prodigiously increased, and the Bah, upon
giving more explicit account of himself,
affirmed that he was not the Bd6, as he had at
first believed, or in other words the door, to
the knowledge and presence of God, but that
he was the Point, .. e., the generator of
truth, divine apparition, an embodied mani
festation of omnipotence; and it was as the
''Point" that his followers bestowed on him
the name of HeZret-e-Ala, or Sublime High-
ness = Moullah Houssein- -Mohammed - the
most venerated of the eighteen disciples of
the young prophet, and. to whom his adver-
sarles themselves accord the possession of
vast knowledge and great energy of character
was sent to Ispahan, and afterwards to
Kasan, where he made many converts. The
Bah 1--WE will follow the giving this title to
Ali-Mohammed, according to the common use)
also sent out two other missionaries in differ
ent directions. The first of these was Hadii
Mohammed-A -Ali-Balfouroushy, esteemed as a
saint among the Babists, and who was certainly
a very learned man, equally remarkable for his
purity of life and devotional character. The Sc
cond missionary sent out was woman perhaps
the most interesting personifcation of the
new religion. She was named originally
ZerTyn Tadji, the ''Crown of Gold, but she
is known under the surnames of Gourret-Oul-
Ayn, the Consolation Of the Eyes, and Hezret-
e-Taherah, Her Higtness the Pure. Hadji
Moullah, her father was distinguished legist,
and had married her at an early AGE to her
cousin Moullah. Both Mussulmans and
Babists agree in extolling the extraordinary
beauty of this young female, and it seems in
contestable that her mind and character were
even more remarkable than her personal
charms. 1t was in the bosom of her own
family that she first heard the Bah and his
doctrines spoken of. She opened a CORES
pondence with him, and very speedily became
the confdante and advocate of all his ideas.
She espoused publicly the new faith she had
awakened to, and spoke, not only against
polygamy, but also against the use of the veil,
appearing at the same time in public places
with an uncovered face, to the great scandal
of her relatives and of all true Moslems; but,
on the other hand, evoking the applause of
the numerous people who participated in her
religious enthusiasm, and whose numbers had
been greatly augmented by her own example,
AT last, tired out by the opportunities of her
father and her husband, she quilted her
home, and consecrated herself entirely to the
apostolic duties which the Bah had confided
to her. After this, her theological fame hecame
greatly increased, andsuch was the estimate she
had formed Of her own impersonifcation. that
one day, it is said, the Moullah Mohammed-
li-Balfouroushy having turned himself
towards the Mohammedan KSbLdh (see this
name), for praying Gourret-oul-Ayn took him
I. Al. - ~ NIofi 10