less; fathers, lamenting the death of their sons; mothers, bewailing
the loss of dear ones. And what is the benefit after all? Nothing
conceivable. Is it, therefore, justifiable? The domestic animals do not
manifest hatred and cruelty toward each other; that is the attribute of
the wild and ferocious beasts. In a flock of one thousand sheep you will
witness no bloodshed. Numberless species of birds are peaceful in flocks.
Wolves, lions, tigers are ferocious because it is their natural and
necessary means for obtaining food. Man has no need of such ferocity; his
food is provided in other ways. Therefore, it is evident that warfare,
cruelty and bloodshed in the kingdom of man are caused by human greed,
hatred and selfishness. The kings and rulers of nations enjoy luxury and
ease in their palaces and send the common people to the battlefield--offer
them as the food and targets of cannon. Each day they invent new
instruments for the more complete destruction of the foundations of the
human race. They are callous and merciless toward their fellow creatures.
What shall atone for the sufferings and grief of mothers who have so
tenderly cared for their sons? What sleepless nights they have spent, and
what days of devotion and love they have given to bring their children to
maturity! Yet the savagery of these warring rulers causes great numbers of
their victims to be torn and mutilated in a day. What ignorance and
degradation, yea even greater than the ferocious beasts themselves! For a
wolf will carry away and devour one sheep at a time, whereas an ambitious
tyrant may cause the death of one hundred thousand men in a battle and
glory in his military prowess, saying, "I am commander in chief; I have
won this mighty victory." Consider the ignorance and inconsistency of the
human race. If a man kills another, no matter what the cause may be, he is
pronounced a murderer, imprisoned or executed; but the brutal oppressor
who has slain one hundred thousand is idolized as a hero, conqueror or
military genius. A man steals a small sum of money; he is called a thief
and sent to the penitentiary; but the military leader who invades and
pillages a whole kingdom is acclaimed heroic and a mighty man of valor.
How base and ignorant is man!

In Persia previous to the middle of the nineteenth century among the
various tribes and peoples, sects and denominations there existed the
greatest animosity, strife and hatred. At that time, too, all the ot