The Early Formation of Laura’s Personality

some questions answered: the life of laura barney people of different cultures and races. Eradication of racial prejudices through mutual understanding is one of her goals.2

This remarkable woman has already seen and lived with people of faraway lands and studied their living conditions and daily problems. She has already embarked on many noble causes. She has already presided over an important world congress in Rome. She has already traveled triumphantly across Canada and given talks at universities, private clubs, and women’s organizations about disarmament and world peace, receiving testimonies of appreciation.

This international woman met a spiritual leader from the East and accepted his teachings, the Bahá’í Faith. She gave those beliefs a central role in her life. She traveled to the native land of the Prophet-Founder of her Faith, Iran, and was the first western Bahá’í woman to do so. She compiled a book that was of inestimable value and service to her Faith.

She has been to Egypt many times and loves being in that country. Her first trip was at the turn of the century when she was not yet 21 years old! She likes the Egyptians very much and finds them very kind. But this time she is nostalgic. She misses her husband, who has passed away. They had stayed at Shepheard’s Hotel some years ago though there was unrest and violent rioting in Egypt at the time. This time she is on her own; however, she is carrying his suitcase, which is a reminder of him. She has also spent time in this city with her beloved mother some years earlier. She is missing her sister, especially after meeting some people who knew her and had read her books, and she is proud of her.

Not even separation from her loved ones and her loneliness will stop her from continuing forward on her mission of serving humanity and bringing peace to mankind. She will soon leave for other cities on her journey to continue a series of lectures on peace and disarmament, in Alexandria, Haifa, Beirut, Damascus, Ankara and Athens, before returning home to Paris. But who is this woman?

Who is this woman who at the turn of the 20th century had an ‘undaunted zeal for the objective of the brotherhood of man’ and remained vibrant and immersed in life to her very last day on earth? Who is this woman who met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Gandhi, Mussolini, Ezra Pound, Whistler and Eleanor Roosevelt? Who is this notable woman who held many positions with the International Council of Women and served as the Vice President of its Disarmament Committee? Who

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