The ring

The Ring, the Pin and the Photographs

      In January 1976, Marie and I were working on a Bahá'í exhibit depicting Progressive Revelation to be installed in our neighborhood Public Library and we needed pictures of ancient temples. Chris Filstrup, a Bahá'í friend, was head of the Oriental Dept. of The New York Public Library and was to introduce us to the Ancient Photographs Dept.

      The Oriental Dept. has in its collection unique original 19th cent. Bahá'í books, and on appointment day, January 2, Chris said to have just received some Bahá'í books he didn't have time to check yet. While he went with Marie to the photographs room, I looked at the books.

      Three of them dated @ 1930 were not significant. But there was beautiful leather bound Arabic edition @1898. I opened it, snapshots and letters were inserted between pages. These pictures had informally caught 'Abdu'l-Bahá in various attitudes and walking in Haifa. The letters were dated 1909/1910, one of them seemed to contain something. I opened delicately and there was a rose, still fresh of colors, pink and green and faintly smelling. The letter said: "Dear Asa, I picked up this rose this morning in the garden of 'Abdu'l-Bahá after the Master inhaled its perfume." Hooo! I was ready to put the whole thing in my purse!… Chris said this was "personal property," the Library would keep the book but he had to send the rest to our National Archives in Wilmette. The book was a gift to Asa Cochran, New York 1910.

      The name rang a bell. The first Bahá'í book given to me when I first met Bahá'ís in Tacoma, Wash., in 1962, was Not Every Sea Hath Pearls by Loulie Mathews. In the first chapter called "The Photograph," the author relates being a student of Asa Cochran in 1914, when one day she was told to wait in a small room sparsely furnished with chairs around the photograph of an old gentleman whose stare overpowered her soul.

      The following month, our Spiritual Assembly asked us to check weekly on a Bahá'í exhibit celebrating the American Bicentennial installed by the National Spiritual Assembly in the rotunda of Penn Station. On the last Sunday, Michel, Marie's son, then 12 years old, was with us as we planned to visit an antique show on the second floor. Marie went to antique shows searching for old Bahá'í books and Michel was looking for old comics. This was a "bicentennial" show of not much interest to us.

      Looking at the last exhibit of jewelry, Michel who was around the display case said: "Hey! There is a Bahá'í ring!" We could not see it and had to bend toward Michel's height to see a tiny gold ring with a brown stone: sure it was!… I asked for the price, crossing my fingers that I could afford it… The lady dealer said that this was a 200 years old ring. "It cannot be, this is a Bahá'í ring and the Faith started in 1844." "Are you Bahá'í? The stone may be Bahá'í, but the setting is older with that carving- one owl on each side, wings spread out toward the stone. The owl is an Indian symbol of wisdom in Washington State and this ring belonged to the Cochran family." We were stunned!

      Mrs. Reiner, explained the mystery. The Cochrans were part of the American lore in Washington State where they made their fortune. They moved to New York circa 1896 and Mrs. Cochran traveled around the world with their two young daughters who gave concerts as "musical prodigies". They lost their fortune during the Depression. The younger daughter, Olea, had died penniless this past December. The City of New York auctioned her house and estate. Books went to the Main Public Library, where we found their Bahá'í books, and antic dealers bought the rest by lots.

      Mrs. Reiner had bought boxes of letters bearing the name "Abd… Abd…," "'Abdu'l- Bahá?" "Yes." As a Jewish person, she had been interested to read some of these letters from the Holy Land and she had kept one box with photographs that she would be glad to give to us as Bahá'ís, we would only pay a nominal price for the frames. She sold me the ring "at a discount" and gave us her New Jersey address.

      This was a very moving encounter. The photographs in that box were taken during 'Abdu'l-Bahá's visit to New York in 1912. One of them, an original had the Master's signature and another was the work of renowned Gertrude Käsebier with a full sentence in Persian written by 'Abdu'l-Bahá. There was also a radiant gold pin which Marie could buy. It was engraved with the Greatest Name and a Persian writing on the back. The box contained some letters, translations of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's tablets. Three of them, dated 1909, were addressed to Mrs. Cochran asking her to travel to India for the Faith.

      Our Bahá'í friends were all excited by this amazing treasure-trove. We learned the translation of the Master's handwriting on the photograph: "O Lord, this handmaiden is working in Thy service, make her victorious." This was probably addressed to Mrs. Cochran who had traveled for the Faith. The engraving on the back of the pin: "Khátam Awliya" means "Symbol of the Saints," and may be associated with the name "Olea".

      When living in Los Angeles, in 1965, at a time of trial, after praying 'Abdu'l-Bahá for guidance, I had a dream in which a veiled Being, surrounded by light, was giving me this tiny brown ring. But, now we were not sure we should keep these precious objects.

      We showed the whole treasure to Hand of the Cause Mr. Khádem, who was very moved. He raised the ring, the pin and the photographs to his brow, praying. He confirmed that the small brown stone was one of the cornelians 'Abdu'l-Bahá had engraved to His specifications to give to friends for their services to the Faith. The inscriptions on the pin were also from the Master. We were deeply grateful for these gifts from beyond the grave, but what shall we do now? Mr. Khádem assured us: "You found them, 'Abdu'l-Bahá wanted you to have them for some reason, they are yours to keep."

      We thought that it was tragic we never learned of the plight of this family. Yet, our "finding" of these precious heirlooms may mean that these friends found peace and reward in the Abhá Kingdom.

      The photograph commented upon in Mrs. Mathews' book was of Juliet Thompson's portrait of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. We have it now, in its ebony frame, as shown in the picture of a makeshift altar as described in the book.

      Since 1972, when I first read the typescript of Juliet Thompson's diaries, I was making researches and gathering material on 'Abdu'l-Bahá's 1912 visit to New York for teaching purpose. The finding of this treasure, confirmed my resolve to write a book. These 1912 photographs are now in this book, perhaps the reason we found them was for us to give them back to the community of the City of the Covenant.

Eliane Lacroix-Hopson, with her
daughter, Marie-Danielle Samuel,
and her grandson, Michel G. Samuel