Tells of Bahá’í Ideals

‘Abdu’l-Bahá Portrays Principles of Order of Which He Is Head.

The portrayal of the principles of the Bahá’í movement was the feature of a public meeting which was held at D.A.R. Continental Memorial Hall last night. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, world-leader of the Bahá’ís, was the principal speaker, and the meeting, which was held under the auspices of the Orient-Occident Unity, marked his last public appearance in the National Capital on his present tour of the eastern states.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá will be the guest of honor at a reception tonight by Mrs. Arthur Jeffery Parsons at her residence, 18th and R streets northwest. With his suite he will leave Washington tomorrow for Chicago, where he will attend the sessions of the fourth annual Bahá’í convention in the United States.

Draws Contrast of Conditions.

At the meeting last night ‘Abdu’l-Bahá drew a distinct parallel between the advancement of the women of the west and the women of the cast, and he cited the hall in which the meeting was held — a building constructed entirely by women — as an example of the progress of womankind in the western hemisphere.

The present advanced position of women in this country, he said, was due wholly to education. He predicted that co-education would be attained in the east, and that its accomplishment would mean that eastern women ultimately will attain the same plane as the men. Education for women in Persia was first instituted by the Bahá’ís. Full equality of the sexes in all the walks of life was prophesied by the speaker as being certain of accomplishment.

Other Speakers.

Other speakers at the meeting were Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor; A.C. Mon[a]han of the United States bureau of education and S.E. Kramer, a supervising principal of the local public schools.

Boston, Mass. Ideas.

The famous head of the Bahá’í movement, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is spending the week here and has made several addresses.