Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1911-11-09
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.


a faith, Behaism, formerly called Bah
ism, which its followers and some |
writer's in Europe and America, claim |
10 be the universal and final religion.
Since | have found religion to be. in |
practice, fundamental to my main the !
Sis In this series of articles, "The
Awaking of the Older Nations" | re-
paired hither to the home Of the head
OF the Bahists and its Messiah" Alb
dull BAHIA Abbas.
IL was somewhat Of shock to be
told, when / made inquiry at the large
gray stone house here, that Abbas Ell
fendi was away on vacation for his
health. The house was full Of people,
as | could tell by the voices of scurry-
ing females in the echoing hall, when
| succeeded In making my presence
known at the knobless doorbell. There
were several children playing in the
large, unsodded yard, and doubtless
one Of these reported the strangers
coming. These were grandchildren;
for Abbas Effendi has four daughters,
but no sons The whole family, or
group OF families, live in the one
house. Oriental fashion An English
governess. who is not Behaist, lives
with them to teach the children.
A messiah" at Summer Resort.
There are no disciples of the Bella
list Messiah" in Syria, except the
pilgrims who come here, and the num-
Der of these is regulated by Abbas Ef-
fendi himself. He is highly spoken of
by his neighbors. and especially by the
poor. TO whom he gives presents, some
times standing on the corner, and Civ
ing away a hundred garments. He is
enabled to do this by the rich pres
ents of his followers. who are said
TO number several million in Persia.
Abbas Effendi makes no claim to be
a healer, and he himself occasionally
needs the doctors attention. He is
simple in his manner OF life, and has
steadfastly refused to take more thar
one wife, despite the fact that he has
no son, and that his father before him
The Blessed Perfection" had tive
wives. His teachings permit polyg
amy, but they counsel against it,
Ihcongruous though It seemed t.
find a Messiah" gone away to health
resort. / followed Abbas Effendi tC
Alexandria, in Egypt, where l traileC
him by trolley car from huge sum
mer hotel to a magnificent private
house which he has rented for his
sojourn. There, Hospitality received
for Abbas Effendi is fond of visitors,
had most interesting interview will
the man whom a considerable numbe
Of Americans and Britons, and mil
lions in Asia, call Master" and hal
as the latest and fullest manifestation
Of the Deity.
A New Religion and Its Martyrs.
The proof of martyrdom has beer
abundantly given to Babism, or Beha
ism. The Bah himself was executed a
Tabriz IN 1850 at the age of 81. ST,
years after he had enunciated his gen
tie doctrines, and had called himself
The Gate" to knowledge, recalling
the prophecies Of the Bible and the
Koran, concerning a coming one. Ii
the bitter prosecutions by the Mos
lens that ensued. the followers Of the
, Bah met death finely. There were few
: recantations. and in a single year the
number of martyrdoms amounted t
as many as 10000.
I Two years after the death of tn,
Bah, a group of leaders fled to Bagdad
among them Mira Hassyn All, whom
/ the Bah had called "Beha Ullah, "Th'
| Glory of God" He spent two years IL
| the mountains in seclusion and medi
| tation. After a time he announced t
| a few of his closest friends, that h
| was the Manifestation" of whom The
| Bah had been the forerunner. II
| 1863 the Bagdad Babists were sen
| into exile at Adrianople. Five years
| later Beha, who had come to be gen
| orally accepted by Babists as thu
| Messiah (although not without rivals)
| who thenceforth called themselve
| "Behaists," was sent into confinement
| at Aka, a few miles north of Haifa
| where he produced many writings, ant
died In 1892. He was succeeded b.
his son, Abbas Effendi. who is called
by Bahists "Our Master" and "Ou
Lord" He, too, has had rivals-an'
the contentious of aspirants for thu
leadership has been blot on the his
| tory of Behaism, but he seems now t
| be generally accepted by nearly al
| professors of the faith. His Tablets,
| or messages, are regularly read in tn
| meetings of the faithful.
A Picturesque Personality.
The essence OF Behaism is the DOE
trine that messengers, or manifesto
tions, of God, are sent whenever tn
voice Of their predecessor becomes OF
scured. These "Messiahs" are FIRE
| quently given as Moses, zoroasteI
Buddha. Christ, Mahomet, and tn
founders of the Behai faith. or tn
Behai manifestations, the last is tn
fullest revelation of all. So read 1
the book upon Behaism which ind
most favor with the leaders OF IN
cult. or course this doctrine make
Abbas Effendi the greatest of all tn
| o~eohato ord {ncarnaffOna of God. /