Eliot (and Green Acre)

The nature of the activities of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá depended upon the character of the places He visited. In cities He was invited to speak at churches and universities, and at societies dedicated to various causes such as women’s rights, services for the blind, and relief for the poor. In addition to public addresses, he gave frequent interviews to individuals and members of the press, and visited the homes of people who were sick and unable to come to visit Him.

In rural settings, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke to smaller gatherings, visited local community groups and places of beauty, and met with individuals. One such rural locale was the Green Acre School in southern Maine. Named by one of its patrons, the poet John Greenleaf Whittier, Green Acre had developed into a famous and unique site, where people of all faiths and nationalities could gather and learn from one another. Founded by Sarah Farmer, one of the earliest American Bahá’ís, Green Acre was dedicated by her to the promotion of the universal spirit of the Bahá’í Faith.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá visited Green Acre for one week during August of 1912. During this time He gave frequent addresses, sometimes to several hundred, in the Green Acre Hall and in a nearby pine grove. He also visited a nearby girls’ camp, boys’ camp, and health camp which had each pitched their tents on the grassy slopes adjoining the river, and addressed the visitors at each of them. He addressed the residents of the town of Eliot who had gathered on the lawn of one of the residences at Green Acre, during the course of a Feast He hosted - a type of Bahá’í gathering dedicated to spiritual enrichment, followed by simple food and spiritual fellowship. He walked the slopes of one of Green Acre’s hills, foreseeing the day when institutions dedicated to higher education and to the worship of God would be established on its sylvan summit. An extremely sociable person and a vigorous walker, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá also called on people at a number of homes in the area, sharing prayers and divine education with them.

One of the lengthiest of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s addresses in America was given at Green Acre, on the subject of the investigation of reality, and the criteria for finding truth. In other addresses He spoke on the lofty station of the human being; the value of spiritual living in contrast to a materialistic approach to life; that human nature is essentially eternal; that it is the human spirit which makes scientific discoveries; how adherence to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh will bring an end to religiously-based wars; and, how, just as the light of each day’s sun brings life to the physical world, the succession of the Founders of the divine revelations vivify the inner world with God’s love and guidance.