Japan Will Turn Ablaze! — Background and Themes
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Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Alexander, Agnes B. (Agnes Baldwin), 1875-1970,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.
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wealth. It was only through an idealistic power that he cemented them together proving that he was a prophet of God, an educator and trainer.
Likewise must we set aside prejudice in considering other divine educators, by investigating reality. For instance, let us take His Holiness Christ. He achieved results greater than Moses. He educated the body-politic, trained mighty nations. There is no doubt whatever that such souls were prophets, for the mission of prophethood is education, and these wondrous souls trained and educated mankind.
His Holiness Christ was a unique personage without helper or assistant. Single and solitary he arose to train great and mighty nations; the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Syrians, Chaldeans and Assyrians came under his influence. He was able to bind together many nations, melting them together as it were and pouring them into one mould, changing their enmity into love, war into peace. Under his influence satanic souls became veritable angels, tyrannical rulers became just, the human moral standard was raised. This proves that His Holiness Christ was an educator, a teacher and trainer of nations. If we deny this it is nought but injustice.
Blessed souls whether Moses, Jesus, Zoroaster, Krishna, Buddha, Confucius, or Muhammad were the cause of the illumination of the world of humanity. How can we deny such irrefutable proof? How can we be blind to such light? How can we dispute the validity of His Holiness Christ? This is injustice. This is a denial of reality. Man must be just. We must set aside bias and prejudice. We must abandon the imitations of ancestors and forefathers. We ourselves must investigate reality and be fair in judgment.
The old nation of Persia denied all these facts, harboring the utmost hatred and enmity toward other religious beliefs besides their own. We have investigated reality and found that these holy souls were all sent of God. All of them have sacrificed life, endured ordeals and tribulations in order that they might educate us. How can such love be forgotten? The light of Christ is evident. The candle of Buddha is shining. The star of Moses is sparkling. The flame ignited by Zoroaster is still burning. How can we deny them? It is injustice. It is a denial of complete evidence. If we forsake imitations all will become united and no differences will remain to separate us.
We entertain no prejudice against Muhammed. Outwardly the Arabian nation was instrumental in overthrowing the Parsee dominion, the sovereignty of Persia. Therefore the old Parsee nation manifested the utmost contempt toward the Arabs. But we deal justly and will never abandon the standard of fairness. The Arabians were in the utmost state of degradation. They were blood-thirsty and barbarous, so savage and degraded that the Arabian father often buried his own daughter alive. Consider, could any barbarian be lower than this? The nation consisted of warring, hostile tribal peoples inhabiting the vast Arabian peninsula, and their business consisted in fighting and pillaging each other, making captive women and children, killing each other. Muhammad appeared among such a people. He educated and unified these barbarous tribes, put an end to their shedding of blood. Through his education they reached such a degree of civilization that they subdued and governed continents and nations. What a great civilization was established in Spain by the Muhammadans! What a marvelous civilization was founded in Morocco by the Moors! What a powerful caliphate or successorship was set up in Baghdad! How much Islam served and furthered the cause of science! Why then should we deny Muhammad? If we deny him we awaken enmity and hatred. By our prejudice we become the cause of war and bloodshed; for prejudice was the cause of the tremendous storm which swept through human history for thirteen hundred years and still continues. Even now in the Balkans a commotion is apparent, reflecting it.
The editorial voice in Japan Will Turn Ablaze! emerges not through a single narrator but through the curated correspondence of early Bahá'í pioneers. Editor Barbara R. Sims selects letters and tablets that reveal distinct authorial choices in diction and tone: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's tablets employ a prophetic, exhortative register—phrases such as 'the Beloved' and 'confirmations and guidance' recur—while Shoghi Effendi's letters shift toward a more personal, encouraging style, addressing recipients as 'Dear and valued co-worker' and offering reassurance that 'the seeds you are so patiently and devotedly sowing will assuredly germinate.' This juxtaposition of divine authority and human perseverance shapes the work's rhetorical texture.
Diction of Devotion and Duty
The language of the tablets and letters consistently frames service to the Bahá'í Cause as both a spiritual obligation and a personal privilege. 'Abdu'l-Bahá's tablets to Agnes Alexander, for instance, employ imperatives and blessings: 'May the Beloved... continue to bless your manifold activities.' The diction is elevated, with frequent references to 'the Master' and 'the Beloved,' creating a sense of sacred mission. In contrast, Shoghi Effendi's letters adopt a more conversational yet still reverent tone, using phrases like 'I am proud of the spirit that so powerfully animates you.' This blend of formality and intimacy underscores the dual nature of the correspondence as both administrative guidance and spiritual counsel.
Dialogue Across Distance
The excerpts reveal a pattern of dialogue that bridges geographical and cultural gaps. 'Abdu'l-Bahá's tablets to Kanichi Yamamoto, dated from 1902 to 1909, show a consistent effort to encourage perseverance: 'Do not feel discouraged if the work you are doing for His Cause does not bear rich and immediate fruit.' The replies from Shoghi Effendi similarly acknowledge the challenges of pioneering in Japan, noting that 'the ground, of course, is not yet quite prepared.' This back-and-forth, though one-sided in the excerpts, constructs a narrative of sustained communication across decades, with each letter responding to reported efforts and setbacks. The editor's selection highlights the relational aspect of the Bahá'í administrative system.
Descriptive Details of Place and Person
While the excerpts focus on correspondence, descriptive elements occasionally surface, offering glimpses of setting and character. Shoghi Effendi's letter of July 6, 1935, references 'the villages and country' of Japan, where 'the peoples... are, as the Master has often remarked, spiritually-minded and eager to absorb a message.' This brief characterization contrasts with the 'large industrial centers,' suggesting a nuanced view of Japanese society. Similarly, the mention of Mr. Torii's desire to translate the 'New Era' into Braille for 'his blind friends' provides a concrete detail about individual initiative. These descriptive touches, though sparse, ground the spiritual discourse in specific human actions and locales.
Recurring Motifs of Sowing and Harvest
A persistent metaphor in the correspondence is that of agricultural labor: seeds, sowing, germination, and harvest. Shoghi Effendi writes to an unnamed recipient, 'The seeds you are so patiently and devotedly sowing will assuredly germinate, and future generations will reap an abundant harvest.' This motif appears in multiple letters, reinforcing the idea of gradual, patient growth. 'Abdu'l-Bahá's tablets also employ similar imagery, though often more abstractly. The recurrence of this metaphor across different correspondents and decades suggests a deliberate rhetorical strategy to frame the slow progress of the Bahá'í Faith in Japan as part of a divine plan, requiring steadfastness rather than immediate results.
Readers approaching Japan Will Turn Ablaze! should attend to the editorial hand that selects and arranges these documents. The juxtaposition of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's authoritative tablets with Shoghi Effendi's more personal letters creates a layered portrait of early Bahá'í expansion. The work rewards close attention to shifts in register and the recurring metaphors that unify the correspondence across time and distance.
Sometimes I think about how those early letters in Japan must have carried such quiet, deliberate care in every word choice. It reminded me of reading through The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 1 Psalms I.-XXXVIII. — Text and Context, where each verse feels like a patient hand resting on a shared ache. Both left me with a tenderness I didn’t expect.
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