In short, before all the meetings in the West I cried out: "O ye thinkers of the world! O ye philosophers of the Occident! O ye scholars and sages of the earth! A threatening black cloud overshadows, which ere long shall envelop the horizon of humanity; an impetuous tempest is ahead, which shall shatter to splinters the ships of the lives of mankind, and a turbulent, furious torrent shall soon drown the countries and nations of Europe. Awaken ye! Awaken ye! Become ye mindful! Become ye mindful! Thus in the spirit of co-operation we may all arise with the utmost magnanimity and through the Favor and Providence of God hold aloft the flag of the Oneness of Humanity, promote the essentials of Universal Peace and deliver the inhabitants of the world from this Most Great Danger!"
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet; ‘Star of the West’, vol. 5, no. 16, December 12, 1914)