is the capital of Persia, and His own birthplace, and says of it:--

Let nothing grieve thee, O Land of Ta (Tihran), for God hath
chosen thee to be the source of the joy of all mankind. He shall,
if it be His will, bless thy throne with one who will rule with
justice, who will gather together the flock of God which the
wolves have scattered. Such a ruler will, with joy and gladness,
turn his face towards, and extend his favors unto, the people of
Baha. He indeed is accounted in the sight of God as a jewel among
men. Upon him rest forever the glory of God, and the glory of all
that dwell in the kingdom of His Revelation.

Rejoice with great joy, for God hath made thee "the Day Spring of
His light," inasmuch as within thee was born the Manifestation of
His Glory. Be thou glad for this name that hath been conferred
upon thee--a name through which the Day Star of Grace hath shed its
splendor, through which both earth and heaven have been illumined.

Ere long will the state of affairs within thee be changed, and the
reins of power fall into the hands of the people. Verily, thy Lord
is the All-Knowing. His authority embraceth all things. Rest thou
assured in the gracious favor of thy Lord. The eye of His
loving-kindness shall everlastingly be directed towards thee. The
day is approaching when thy agitation will have been transmuted
into peace and quiet calm. Thus hath it been decreed in the
wondrous Book.--Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pp.
110-111.

So far, Persia has only begun to emerge from the period of confusion
foretold by Baha'u'llah, but already constitutional government has been
started, and signs are not lacking that a brighter era is at hand. Turkey

To the Sultan of Turkey and his Prime Minister ''Ali Pa_sh_a, Baha'u'llah,
then (in 1868) confined in a Turkish prison, addressed some of His most
solemn, grave warnings. To the Sultan He wrote from the Barracks at Akka:--

O thou who considerest thyself the greatest of all men ... erelong
thy name shall be forgotten and thou shalt find thyself in great
loss. According to thy opinion, this Quickener of the world and
its Peacemaker is culpable and seditious. What crime have the
women, children and suffering babes committed to merit thy wrath,
oppression and hate? You have persecuted a number of souls who
have shown no opp