I hope that the people of the West may be illumined by the light of God; that the Kingdom may come to them, that they may find eternal Life, that the Spirit of God may spread like a fire among them, that they may be baptized with the Water of Life and may find a new birth. This is my desire; I hope by the will of God, He will cause you to receive it, and will make you happy. In the same way that you have education and material progress so may the light of God be your portion. God keep all of you in safety. NOTES OF CONVERSATIONS The Arrival in London The evening of his arrival in London, Monday, September 4th, 1911, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: Heaven has blessed this day. It was said that London should be a place for a great proclamation of the Faith. I was tired when I went on board the steamer, but when I reached London and beheld the faces of the friends my fatigue left me. Your great love refreshes me. I am very pleased with the English friends. The feeling that existed between the East and the West is changing in the Light of Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching. It used to be such that if an Occidental drank from the cup of an Oriental the cup would be considered polluted and would be broken. Now when a Western Bahá’í dines with an Eastern Bahá’í the vessels and the plates that he has used are kept apart and reverenced in his memory. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá then gave this historic instance of wonderful brotherly love: One day some soldiers came to the house of a Bahá’í and demanded that one of the guests should be given up for execution, according to their warrant. The host took his guest’s place and died in his stead. London The magnet of your love brought me to this country. My hope is that the Divine Light may shine here, and that the Heavenly Star of Bahá’u’lláh may strengthen you, so that you may be the cause of the oneness of humanity, that you may help to make the darkness of superstition and prejudice disappear and unite all creeds and nations. This is a brilliant century. Eyes are now open to the beauty of the oneness of humanity, of love and of brotherhood. The darkness of suppression will disappear and the light of unity will shine. We cannot bring love and unity to pass merely by talking of it. Knowledge is not enough. Wealth, science, education are good, we know: but we must also work and study to bring to maturity the fruit of knowledge.