Such a gardener was John David Bosch. And the flowers he
tended were the men, women and children in whose hearts he had, at one time or
another, planted the seeds of spiritual truth. When he spoke of spiritual
things and of Baha'u'llah, there was a light in his clear blue eyes that seemed
to be a reflection of a splendor that few others have had the joy of beholding,
and when he looked into the eyes of a fellow human being a glow of friendliness
lighted up his face, crinkled his eyes at the corners and brought a quick smile
to his lips.
Although there are many friends who remember him as a young
man and possibly somewhat different in appearance, most of us who knew him only
in his later years were sure that he must always have been a distinctive individual.
He was tall and straight. His hair was white and he wore a well-trimmed white
beard. In the summertime, when he dressed in his spotless white serge and Panama hat, he had the look of a
man of noble rank.
He was a person of few words; he did not need to speak. His handclasp was warm and firm, and one was instantly at ease in his company. His every action was an expression of love and kindliness, and he was never happier than when serving his beloved Faith and Baha'i friends. To hear him tell of his precious experiences with 'Abdu'l-Baha was to feel that one had inhaled a bit of the fragrance of the Master's presence, and be drawn more closely both to Him and the John He loved so dearly.
John David Bosch (Johannes David Bosch) was born August 1,
1855, in New Sankt Johann in the Kanton of St. Gallen, Switzerland. His parents
and grandparents were followers of the reformer Zwingali, a contemporary of Martin
Luther. In the year 1621 twelve fathers of families in the Toggenburg of
Switzerland had established a fund of two thousand florins to provide financial
assistance every year to any two male descendants who cared to study theology.
John, a direct descendant of one of the founders, was entitled to the benefits
of this fund, but evidently God had other plans for him.
One of several children, he was but eleven years old when
his mother died. She had been a woman of culture and deep spiritual insight and
he felt her loss very keenly. His father married again. The second wife was a
follower of Swedenborg, and before long John became familiar with the books of
that renowned philosopher. Considering this exceptional religious background,
it is not surprising that his impressionable young mind was influenced to want
to know more about spiritual matters - a desire which was to be ultimately
satisfied years afterward in another part of the world.
His formal education ended at the age of fourteen. He soon
left home, going to Germany where for a few years he worked at and studied
wine-making. From there he went to France and spent five years in its famed
wine districts; then to Spain to further acquaint himself with his chosen
business.
In 1879 he came to America with his sister Louisa and her
husband, Johann Zuberbuhler, who planned to farm in Nebraska. For a while he
worked on railroad construction. He began to learn English, and having decided
that America should be his permanent home he made application for citizenship, which
was granted in due time. He did not remain long in Nebraska. Like many other
young men of that era, he heard the call of the West and determined to wend his
way to California. In Oklahoma he worked for four months on a large ranch where
he had charge of a thousand head of cattle and had to ride the range. The ranch
was owned by a Chickasaw Indian in whom he found a true and lasting friend. But
the lure of California was too strong to resist and so he set out again,
finally reaching Sacramento in 1881. During the next ten years he was occupied
in various branches of the wine trade in the southern part of the state.
In 1889 he paid a brief visit to his native land. Sometime after
his return he moved to northern California to become superintendent of the
large winery at Windsor in Sonoma County.
In 1899, under the direction of the California Wine
Association, he superintended the erection and equipment, at Geyserville, of
the largest and most modern winery in the country for the manufacture of dry
and sweet wines and brandies. He made his home there but retained his position
as superintendent of both wineries until his retirement from the business. He
also organized and managed the California Grape Nectar Company for the
production, by an improved process of sterilization, of a superior quality of
unfermented grape juice. This company he eventually turned over to the
Association. Between 1909 and 1936 he acquired extensive properties in Sonoma,
Mendocino, and Contra Costa Counties, on which were grown varied agricultural crops.
As there were many olive and prune trees on his Geyserville land, he at one
time experimented in the making of high grade olive oil, and built a plant for
prune-drying on a commercial scale; and a hobby of his had been the raising of
pure breed Swiss goats.
Incidentally, it was in 1900 that he completed his progress
in the Masonic Order, receiving the thirty-second degree and becoming a member
of San Francisco Scottish Rite Consistory No. l.
Throughout all these years Mr. Bosch persisted in his ardent
search for truth. Referring to his passing, a friend recalled that when he had
first met him he was investigating the claims of spiritualism and occult
sciences. "He was an unusual seeker after truth," the friend wrote,
"in that he was not urged because of misery or dissatisfaction in his
life, nor by curiosity. I saw him grasp the fact of the immortality of man, and
that seemed sufficient for him."
Mr. Bosch had not heard of the Baha'i Faith until early in
1905 when, traveling by train from San Francisco to Geyserville, he chanced to
meet an old acquaintance, a Mrs. Beckwith of Chicago. She was reading the book,
'Abbas Effendi, His .Life and Teachings, by Myron H. Phelps. He
picked it up, glanced over a few pages, and asked: "Where did you get this
book? It is good enough for me
and I want to buy a copy." She referred him to Mrs. Helen Goodall of
Oakland, upon whom he called three months later and learned of the history and
principles of the Faith. Having found what seemed to be the truth for which he had
been seeking, he endeavored to attend the meetings in her home at least once a
month. As these meetings were of the afternoon tea party variety, there were
seldom any men but himself present, and sometimes he would stand with one foot
on the ferry and the other on the wharf, hesitating whether to join the ladies
or remain in San Francisco; but always, when the whistle blew, he would be
aboard bound for Oakland and the Goodall home.
On May 29, 1905, he wrote his first letter to 'Abdu'l-Baha.
The acknowledgement, received through Mrs. Goodall, enjoined: "O thou John
Bosch: Raise the call of the Kingdom and give the Glad-Tidings to the people; guide
them to the Tree of Life, so that they may gather the fruits from that Tree and
attain that great Bounty."
That was the first of many Tablets from 'Abdu'l-Baha. Some
were addressed to him alone, and some to him and another believer together. One
was written June 23, 1912, to him and his friend, the famous Mr. Luther Burbank
of Santa Rosa. In this Tablet, 'Abdu'lBaha called them: "Ye two roses in the
Garden of the Knowledge of God," and expressed the hope that: "In the
utmost of freshness and beauty ye may became manifest; that is, ye may arise to
serve the Kingdom of God."
And in an earlier message 'Abdu'lBaha wrote: "With the
utmost humility I pray at the Kingdom of Abha that that soul [Mr. Bosch] may
become holy, find capacity to receive the outpouring of Eternity and become a
luminous star in the West."
Upon learning that the use of alcoholic liquor as a beverage
is forbidden in the teachings of Baha'u'llah, Mr. Bosch - a professional wine taster,
though a non-drinker of spirituous liquors - became troubled about what he
should do in regard to his wine business. Therefore, in a letter to 'Abdu'l-Baha, he asked for advice. In reply,
'Abdu'lBaha suggested that it would be better to engage in another business,
but gradually. Consequently he severed his connection with the Association in
1916 and applied himself to the further development of his properties .
Mr. Bosch attended the first Baha'i Temple Unity Convention
in Chicago, in 1909, as a delegate from the Pacific Coast and Hawaii. While
there he met many of the early Baha'is, and in a short time his home became a
point of attraction for traveling teachers, including Mr. Thornton Chase, Mr. Charles
Mason Remey, and Mrs. Isabella D. Brittingham; also Mrs. Lua Getsinger, whose
visit inspired him to write 'Abdu'l-Baha, December 1, 1910, "May this
simple place on the hills be dedicated to the universal spirit of the teachings
of Baha'u'llah."
When the news came that 'Abdu'l-Baha was on the way to
America, Mr. Bosch had such an overwhelming desire to see Him he started for
New York on April 12, 1912. At Chicago, hearing that 'Abdu'l-Baha was in
Washington, he went there instead, only to find that 'Abdu'l-Baha had not yet
left New York. So he hurried on to that city, arriving very early on a cold and
snowy morning. As soon as he had secured his room in the Hotel Ansonia he stole
to 'Abdu'l-Baha's suite and was admitted almost immediately.
Relating his experience to a friend, Mr. Bosch said:
When I entered the room I had a pocketful of questions to
ask 'Abdu'l-Baha, but when I saw Him I suddenly felt quite empty. I never took
the questions out. Eventually 'Abdu'l-Baha told me all that I had wanted to ask
Him. Foolishly I remarked that I had come three thousand miles to see Him, and He
smilingly replied, "I came seven thousand miles to see you." I told Him
that I, being a foreigner, had not the capacity of a speaker and that my work
so far had been to circulate books and a few pamphlets. 'Abdu'l-Baha said:
"You are doing very well; you are doing better than talking. With you it
is not words or the movement of the lips; with you it is the heart that speaks.
In your presence silence speaks and radiates." Then tea was brought in and
after we had both partaken of it 'Abdu'l-Baha said: "You are now one of
the family. You may come and go as you please."
I remained with 'Abdu'l-Baha while He received many
visitors. Then I went for a walk, and when I returned after an hour I was
amazed to see about two hundred people in the lobby. In a few minutes
'Abdu'l-Baha passed through. Noticing the respect that these people paid Him,
the assistant manager of the hotel, who was standing near me, remarked,
"That must be a man of God."
Three automobiles were awaiting 'Abdu'l-Baha and His party
to take them to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Kinney for luncheon.
'Abdu'lBaha stepped into the first one with two of the Persian friends. There
was a vacant seat and one of the attendants beckoned me to come. As I reached the
door, 'Abdu'l-Baha seized me by the hand and pulled me into the car, seating me
at His right. He seemed very tired. Immediately He put His arm around my waist,
dropped His head on my left shoulder, and with a deep sigh went to sleep.
During the entire hour's drive, while the friends in the automobiles looked at
the sights, 'Abdu'l-Baha slept.
When we arrived at the Kinney home a chair was placed in the
center of the room for 'Abdu'l-Baha, but He did not sit in it. Instead, He
walked about among the people, shaking hands. When He came to me He passed
right by without seeing me, and for a moment I felt hurt. Then I remembered that
in the morning He had told me that I was "one of the family," and I
knew then that there had been no need to say anything to me.
'Abdu'l-Baha departed for Washington five days later and Mr.
Bosch went in the same car; eight days afterward he again traveled in the same
car with Him to Chicago. It was
on this trip that 'Abdu'l-Baha bestowed upon him the name "Nurani,"
writing it out in His own hand and explaining, through an interpreter, that it
meant "full of light." Mr. Bosch humbly expressed the wish that
'Abdu'l-Baha might find time to visit his unpretentious home in Geyserville, to
which 'Abdu'l-Baha replied, "With you," -and repeating- "with
you, I would sleep in the basement."
Mr. Bosch remained in Chicago for the Annual Baha'i
Convention and was present when 'Abdu'l-Baha laid the foundation stone of the
Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, May 1, 1912.
The story of the visit of 'Abdu'l-Baha to California cannot
be told here, but suffice it to say that Mr. Bosch spent every possible moment
in His presence. In San Francisco, on January 19, 1914, Mr. Bosch married Mrs.
Louise Sophia Stapfer of New York, being the second marriage for each of them.
She, too, was a native of Switzerland, and from that time forward, in all their
activities, the names of "John and Louise" were inseparable.
When the Teaching Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Baha were released, Mr.
and Mrs. Bosch were eager to respond at once. As both spoke fluent French, they
chose Tahiti of the Society Islands in which to pioneer, and in 1920 they taught
for five months in Papeiti. One whom they met was a minister, and he later
thanked 'Abdu'l-Baha for sending these emissaries to his people. On the day of
their departure, the islanders showered them with gifts and, in accordance with
a Tahitian custom, bestowed upon Mr. Bosch a title meaning "First king of
the great family of Baha'is arrived among us."
In April of the next year Mr. and Mrs. Bosch left
Geyserville for Haifa to see 'Abdu'l-Baha. After visiting and teaching in
France, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy, they reached Haifa on November 14,
1921. Only their spoken words could adequately describe the joy and happiness
they had being with 'Abdu'l-Baha for two heavenly weeks. But no words could portray
the depth of the sorrow that descended upon them, and upon the household, and
upon all the Baha'is of the world, when 'Abdu'l-Baha passed away on November
28, 1921.
Two days before His passing, 'Abdu'lBaha had walked in the
garden with Mr. Bosch, giving him fruit from the orange trees. He was the last
Westerner to have this great blessing. Also to him was given the sacred
privilege of assisting the family with the preparations for the burial of the
Servant of God; and the shoulder upon which 'Abdu'l-Baha had slept in New York,
helped in Haifa to carry His casket to its final resting-place on Mt. Carmel.
At the request of Bahiyyih Khanum, the sister of
'Abdu'l-Baha, Mr. and Mrs. Bosch remained in Haifa for the customary forty days
of mourning. During this period, the grandson of 'Abdu'lBaha, Shoghi Effendi,
returned from England to become the first Guardian of the Baha'i Faith. When
Mr. and Mrs. Bosch took their leave, he handed them the first copy of the Will
and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha to deliver to the Baha'i Convention in Chicago in
April 1922.
En route to the United States they revisited Germany, and it
was then that Mr. Bosch was instrumental in bringing about one of the first
Baha'i meetings in Berlin.
Upon their return to Geyserville they were soon engrossed in
teaching work. Frequently they made trips to southern California. In the winter
of 1927- 1928 Mr. Bosch visited Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, in the latter
city aiding in the formation of the first local Spiritual Assembly in 1928. Wherever
he went he carried to the friends the spirit of love and devotion to the Faith
that motivated his own life. Mrs. Bosch, meanwhile, was doing her part,
traveling from place to place, striving to spread the Faith in Sonoma County.
But the greatest of all testimonials to their unremitting labors is the Baha'i
School at Geyserville.
On August 1, 1925, more than a hundred Baha'is from the San
Francisco Bay area, besides other guests, congregated at Geyserville to
celebrate the seventieth birthday of Mr. Bosch. It proved to be such a happy affair it was repeated the
succeeding year, and at that time the idea of a western school for the training
of Baha'i teachers began to take shape.
In the spring of 1927 the National Spiritual Assembly
appointed a committee of three - John Bosch, Leroy Ioas, and George Latimer - to
find a location for a western states Baha'i summer school. Mr. Bosch recalled that
he had written 'Abdu'l-Baha in 1919, offering his Geyserville property for
"a Baha'i community home or cooperative institution and Baha'i school."
Hence it was but natural that he should again offer the facilities of his ranch
for this purpose.
Thus the first Baha'i school in the West came into being,
the first session opening on his seventy-second birthday, August 1, 1927. In
subsequent letters the Guardian stressed the hope that this school would
"flourish and attract an increasing number of spiritually-minded, capable souls"
who would "in time unreservedly accept the Baha'i Revelation in its
entirety and thus reinforce the work that is being achieved for our beloved
Cause."
In 1936 Mr. and Mrs. Bosch deeded their property to the
National Spiritual Assembly, thereby establishing the school as a permanent
institution of the American Baha'i community. In previous years they had been
personal hosts to the friends, housing them without cost, and demonstrating
that unique spirit of hospitality which from the very beginning they had poured
out in a veritable flood upon Baha'is and non-Baha'is alike. Particularly was this
true at the Unity Feasts, that each year marked the opening of the sessions, at
which they so warmly welcomed everyone. From 1927 on, the success of the school
became the all-compelling purpose of their lives, and they liked nothing better
than to share with the friends, at four o'clock tea under the "Big
Tree," their recollections of 'Abdu'l-Baha', and the believers of former
days.
Mr. Bosch lived to see the school grow from a small,
informal gathering to an efficiently operating institution, from which many
young people went forth to take the teachings to countries in which he had once
traveled and taught. His last appearance at the school was on the festive
occasion of his eighty-ninth birthday when students and invited guests
assembled in the evening at Baha'i Hall to do him honor. An enormous cake,
bearing eighty-nine lighted candles, was brought in and placed upon the table
at which Mr. and Mrs. Bosch were seated. Then a long line of children marched
in, singing "Happy Birthday" as they laid their handfuls of flowers
on the table until it was entirely covered - evidence of the love cherished by
both old and young for these two selfless souls. Mr. Bosch, amid much advice
and laughter, at last succeeded in blowing out the candles. After individual
greetings and felicitations, the whole party moved down to the "Big
Tree" to partake of the cake and elaborate refreshments the hostesses had
prepared.
Following a lingering illness, Mr. Bosch passed quietly away
on July 22, 1946, just at the end of the twentieth session of the Baha'i
School, and nine days before his ninety-first birthday.
On July 24, at two o'clock in the afternoon, funeral rites
were held in Baha'i Hall where the body had lain in state since midmorning.
Masses of floral pieces bore silent witness to the affection, esteem and
respect of Baha'is, neighbors, and business associates. During the impressive
ceremonies conducted by Mr. Leroy Ioas, an intimate Baha'i friend, the village
stores remained closed. The pallbearers were neighbors and Baha'is representing
several nationalities. A beautiful spot in Olive Hill Cemetery, overlooking peaceful
Sonoma Valley and shaded by the trees so dear to him, is now his resting-place.
A cablegram sent by the Guardian from Haifa was received by
the National Spiritual Assembly July 29:
"Profoundly grieve passing dearly beloved, great-hearted,
high-minded, distinguished servant of Baha'u'llah, John Bosch. His saintly
life, pioneer services, historic contribution of institution of summer school, entitle
him to rank among outstanding figures of the closing years of heroic, and
opening years of formative age of the Baha'i Dispensation. Concourse on high
extol his exalted services. Assure his wife and valiant companion of my
deepfelt sympathy. Advise hold special gathering in Temple as tribute to his
imperishable memory."
As befitting one of such lofty station, the earthly chapter
of his life closed with a memorial service in the Baha'i. House of Worship at
Wilmette, on Sunday, November 24, 1946, to pay homage to his immortal memory.
(by
Charlotte M. Linfoot, ‘The Baha’i World 1946-1950)
