Prophet May Come

Founder of New Religion Invited to Lecture Here.

MOTHER’S DAY TO-MORROW

Methodists to Observe Twenty-third Anniversary of the Epworth League — Evangelistic Services Draw Throngs.

A Syracuse church is attempting to complete arrangements with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas, patriarch and prophet, and the supreme head of the new Bahá’í religion, to deliver a lecture in this city in the near future. Bahá Abbas arrived in this country from Persia recently to attend the dinner of the International Peace society Monday evening at which Andrew Carnegie will preside. The Rev. Dr. F. W. Betts has received assurances from Abbas’s friends in New York city that there is a possibility of his delivering a lecture in this city.

He conceived the new religion or cult years ago. His home was in Persia and as the state religion was Mohammedanism his new ideas were repugnant to the established religion and he was soon in deep trouble. After he had been warned by the Persian authorities that his religion could not be taught in that country he was prosecuted. Notwithstanding this, the religion grew by leaps and bounds and finally the Pasha gave his consent to its continuance.

Bahá Abbas in founding the new cult endeavored to take the best doctrines and principles from all religions of the world. He borrowed the doctrine of universal brotherhood from the Christian religion. He abhors war and strife and dreams of the day when one religion will be adopted. At present he has 20,000,000 who believe him a prophet — greater even than Christ.