The Visit of ’Abdu’l-Bahá to Clark University and Worcester (May 23, 1912)
The sequence of events as narrated in The Diary of Mírzá Mahmúd-i-Zarqání chronicling ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s Journey to America (Mahmud's diary)
(To see the activities of the Centennial Celebration in Clark University see the link at the botton of the page.)
Before the trip to Worcester
’Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the Bahá’í faith, Bahá’u’lláh, arrived in America on April 11, 1912 aboard the steamship S.S. Cedric. After spending a few weeks in NY giving a number of lectures, traveling to Chicago, and Boston, he visited Worcester, MA on May 23rd 1912
’Abdu’l-Bahá visited Boston for the first time May 22-26, 1912. May 23rd 1912 started with a visit to the Greek Syrian Relief Society hosted at the Denison House (the third settlement house founded in the US). Here he spoke to ~900 people about poverty and detachment. (R. H. Stockman. 2012. `Abdu'l-Bahá in America)
After lunch professor Blakeslee from Clark University “accompanied the Master to the town of Worcester, located about 50 miles from Boston.”
Why did ’Abdu’l-Bahá come to Worcester?
He was invited by Prof. George H. Blakeslee, chair of the History Dept. at Clark University.
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Source: Archives and Special Collections, Goddard Library, Clark University |
"George Hubbard Blakeslee taught history and international relations at Clark University from 1903 until his retirement in 1943. Dr. Blakeslee created and edited the first journal devoted to the study of international relations: the Journal of Race Development (it was later renamed the Journal of International Relations and in 1922 it merged with Foreign Affairs). He also founded at Clark University in 1909 a pioneering series of conferences about international relations." (Archives and Special Collections at Clark University) Prof. George H. Blakeslee was a pacifist and an orientalist. He was very likely aware of the tablet the Master presented at the First Universal Races Congress in London, July 1911. When the Master was invited to speak at The Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration on May 14-16, 1912, Prof. Blakeslee should have known about this. In the published proceedings of both conferences, Blakeslee appears as a committee member and representative for Massachusetts, respectively, but not explicitly listed as attendee. |
On May 14-16, ’Abdu’l-Bahá traveled from NYC to Lake Mohonk for the main meeting of the International Peace Society as the featured speaker. According to Mahmúd’s diary:
He praised the beauty of the place and the scenic grandeur of the route as His carriage drove for about an hour amidst green valleys, wooded hills, woodlands, waterfalls and natural springs.
Did ’Abdu’l-Bahá and Blakeslee connect at Lake Mohonk?
It's very likely that this was the place were the invitation came to 'Abdu'l-Bahá. But this is only a hypothesis.
The trip to Worcester
Passing through green and verdant plains and breathing the invigorating and pleasant air, ’Abdu’l-Bahá spoke sorrowfully in remembrance of the Blessed Beauty…, saying: ‘Would that the Blessed Beauty could have come to these regions! He loved such scenery very much’. Whenever He saw the green and fragrant countryside, He asked the driver to stop.
At one place, near the shore of a lake, the greenness of the landscape, the translucence of the water and the purity of the air so pleased Him that He instructed the driver to stop for awhile. The entire group stood and waited. No one dared say anything about the delay.
Which was the Master's lake?
Between Boston and Worcester along route 9 (the most likely route taken) there are three major bodies of water that were already present in 1912. From East to West they are: Cochituate Lake in Natick, Foss Reservoir in Framingham, and Sudbury Reservoir in Southborough. Either one could have been the lake that gave 'Abdu'l-Bahá such a pleasure.
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House @ 24 Richards St. nowadays. Source: Worcester LSA |
After tea ’Abdu’l-Bahá went to the meeting at the university, which had been arranged especially for His visit.
Clark University as the Master saw it (click on image to see a larger version). Source: Archives and Special Collections, Goddard Library, Clark University
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Jonas Clark Hall ~1910 . Source: Archives and Special Collections, Goddard Library, Clark University
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Jonas Clark Hall ~2010. Source: Worcester LSA |
’Abdu’l-Bahá’s talk happened ~ 4 PM and it was given in the gymnasium that was located in the basement of Jonas Clark Hall. The text of the Master's talk was published in Persian in Star of the West and translated by Baha'is in Worcester in the 1970's and deposited in the Library Archives at Clark University, where the text was recovered May 2011: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's talk @_Clark_University.pdf
More than one thousand students and faculty had assembled. Professor Hall thanked ’Abdu’l-Bahá for coming to the meeting.
After His address, some distinguished individuals and seekers were invited to a magnificent reception prepared for the Master. As the chancellor of the university had himself invited ’Abdu’l-Bahá, he himself served the Master.
The Master’s “Blessing” to Clark University
Mahmud's diary relates the following::
When it was time to leave, the Master took both the president's hands in His and said:
I am very pleased with you and delighted to see your university. You are, indeed, serving the world of humanity and expending your life for mankind. Above all, I wish for you the blessings of the Kingdom and desire that you will be a cause of the spread of sciences and arts. I will pray on your behalf that God may make you a standard of guidance and that the love of God may shine upon your heart. I have seen a great love and affection in you, as well as in the professors and scholars. I shall never forget this meeting, and I shall always remember and mention your services.’
Later He returned to Boston in the automobile especially provided for Him by the chancellor. The Master went directly to the home of Mrs. Alice Breed. As that evening was the commemoration of the Declaration of the Báb as well as the birthday of ’Abdu’l-Bahá” the Bahá’ís, with the utmost happiness and joy, had arranged a magnificent feast.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the visit of 'Abdu'l-Bahá to Worcester, the Bahá’í community of Worcester, Clark University, and the Bahá’í Campus Association of Clark University held an event on May 23rd, 2012 in the same space (now a classroom) that the Master gave his talk. Proceedings, presentations, and pictures of this event can be viewed at Centennial Celebration page.
This page was derived from abdulbahainworcester.blogspot.com. For more information about the settings of this talk, newspaper articles, as well as another version (translation) of the talk visit the previous Blog
Special thanks to the following individuals from Clark University
- Paul Ropp, Research Professor of Asian History
- Jack Foley, Vice President for Government and Community Affairs
- Fordyce Williams, Coordinator of Archives and Special Collections, Goddard Library
This is a work in progress if you can provide further information about these people, or corrections to this material, please contact us.
Last update: 5/12/2018