Bahá’í News/Issue 137/Text

From Bahaiworks

[Page 1]

No. 137 YEAR 97, BAHÁ’Í ERA July, 1940

“BEFORE THE THRONE OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH[edit]

Cablegram from Shoghi Effendi

(The) stupendous struggle now convulsing (the) major part (of the) European continent (is) progressively revealing (the) ominous features, (and) increasingly assuming (the) proportions, (of) (the) titanic upheaval foreshadowed seventy years ago (by the) prophetic pen (of) Bahá’u’lláh. (The) disruptive forces associated (with) humanity’s world-shaking ordeal (are) closely interrelated (with the) constructive potentialities inherent (in the) American believers’ Divinely-ordained Plan. Both (are) directly hastening (the) emergence (of the) spiritual World Order stirring (in the) womb (of a) travailing age. (I) entreat (the) American Bahá’í Community, whatever (the) immediate or distant repercussions (of the) present turmoil on their own continent, however violent its impact (upon the) World center (of) their Faith, (to) pledge themselves anew, before (the) Throne (of) Bahá’u’lláh, (to) discharge, with unswerving aim, unfailing courage, invincible vigor, exemplary fidelity (and) ever-deepening consecration, (the) dual responsibility solemnly undertaken under (the) Seven Year Plan. (I) implore them (to) accelerate (their) efforts, increase (their) vigilance, deepen (their) unity, multiply (their) heroic feats, maintain (their) distant outposts (in the) teaching field (of) Latin America, (and) expedite (the) termination (of the) last stage (in the) ornamentation (of the) Temple. (I am) praying continually (with) redoubled fervor.

Received June 13, 1940.

“CONTINUOUS CONSECRATION”[edit]

Letter from Shoghi Effendi

Dear and valued co-workers:

To these words, written on my behalf, and in answer to your particular questions relating to the administrative issues that confront you in these days, I wish to add my own tribute to the magnificent manner in which you face the problems, both spiritual and administrative, which the expansion of the Faith is continually raising, and to the way in which you resolve them, explain their nature, and derive fresh strength from your experience of any one of them. The text of the annual reports, demonstrates this fact, and establishes for all time the high standard according to which the administrative machinery of the Faith is functioning, developing and consolidating itself under your able and energetic direction. As the administrative processes expand, as their operation steadily improves, as their necessity is more fully and strikingly demonstrated, and their beneficent influence correspondingly grows more apparent and evident, so will the blessings, the strength and guidance bestowed by Him Who animates and directs these processes be more abundantly vouchsafed to those who have been called upon to utilize them, in this age, for the execution of God’s Purpose and for the ultimate redemption of a sore-stricken travailing humanity. Many will be the setbacks, the shocks and the disturbances, which the commotions of a convulsive age must produce, yet no force, however violent and world-wide in its range and catastrophic in its immediate consequences, can either halt these processes or deflect their appointed course. How great, then, the privilege, and how staggering the responsibility, of those who are destined to guard over them and to bring them eventually to full fruition. Nothing short of utter, of continuous consecration to His Will and Purpose can enable them to fulfill their high destiny.

Haifa, May 15, 1940.

BAHÁ’ÍS AND MILITARY SERVICE[edit]

The further spread of the area of hostilities, involving now the Bahá’ís of so many countries, including Canada, makes it imperative for the believers to understand the principles which control the relation of Bahá’ís to military duty. The National Spiritual Assembly therefore summarizes the different points at issue for the information of all Bahá’ís.

  1. Bahá’ís are obedient to their government. The Bahá’í teachings do not sanction any principle of pacifism under [Page 2] which, for the sake of individual conscience, citizens claim the right to repudiate their obligation for military service when required.
  2. Bahá’ís, however, belonging as they do to a Faith whose essential purpose is to manifest the oneness of mankind and establish world order, are by their Teachings required to apply for exemption from combattant service whenever such exemption is legally provided by their government in time of war. Whenever possible the military duty of Bahá’ís is to be rendered through fields not involving the act of killing.
  3. Such exemption is granted under statutes enacted in connection with the actual state of war and cannot be obtained before the state of war exists.
  4. This exemption, for Bahá’ís, is claimed for them by their administrative bodies and is not sought by the individual believer for himself. Until there is a draft act, or the enactment of compulsory military duty, the conditions under which exemption can be officially granted do not exist.
  5. In the case of the United States and Canadian governments, the National Spiritual Assembly some years ago filed a statement on the Bahá’í Teachings concerning international peace, to provide a basis on which formal petition might be made for exemption of Bahá’ís from combattant service in view of the nature of their Faith. Since September, 1939, local Assemblies of Canada have petitioned for exemption of Bahá’ís on the basis of that statement filed by the N. S. A. The reply made has been to the effect that Canada has not yet adopted compulsory service, hence exemption is not necessary.
  6. Military service may be voluntary as well as compulsory. The principle laid down by the Guardian controlling voluntary enlistment is found in the following excerpt from his letter to the National Assembly of the British Isles as reprinted in Bahá’í News for January, 1940: “There are many other avenues through which the believers can assist in times of war by enlisting in services of a non-combattant nature—services that do not involve the direct shedding of blood—such as ambulance work, anti-air raid precaution service, office and administrative works, and it is for such types of national service that they should volunteer.


“It is immaterial whether such activities would still expose them to dangers, either at home or in the front, since their desire is not to protect their lives, but to desist from any acts of wilful murder.”

NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY.

“THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY MUST, AS ONE MAN, ARISE TO FULFILL THEM”[edit]

Beloved Friends:

The American Bahá’ís have come to the hour of their most glorious destiny. While others see only the manifestations of violence ruining the old civilization, the followers of Bahá’u’lláh behold the signs of regeneration and reformation of the human world. Their faith assures them that nothing can prevail except the Divine decree. Their spiritual knowledge embraces the understanding of current world events interpreted by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ and the Guardian in countless passages and texts. Now we must translate this unshakable faith into such vigorous teaching efforts that thousands will hasten to drink the cup and join our ranks.

A deeper zeal for teaching, the National Spiritual Assembly is convinced, constitutes the essence of the Bahá’í life in this hour. The very life of the spirit is nothing else but a continuous testimony to the Victory which Bahá’u’lláh manifested in the power of the Greatest Name! Bahá’í faith is no mere creed—its basis is complete conviction that the oneness of mankind is now being established upon the earth. Bahá’ís believe in the superiority of the power of God over all other forces, and the fulfillment of His policy over all human policies, and in the immortality of the soul above all instruments of destruction which hate and ignorance can devise. It is that universal faith which we are to demonstrate in this hour for a humanity fallen prey to the false gods of national, racial and sectarian prejudice.

This universal faith is not a philosophy but an inner experience. Without this inner experience the most learned of men is impotent, while as the Guardian has assured us, the simplest of men, imbued with true faith, can move the hearts of a multitude. Unlike former religions, the faith of the Bahá’í can mature in spiritual knowledge given by the teachings, and be perfectly demonstrated through the unity of the new social order which Bahá’u’lláh has established.

Therefore it is the plea of the National Assembly that the American Bahá’ís arise in active teaching service. “It is ... to the teaching requirements of the Seven Year Plan that the community of the American believers must henceforth direct their careful and sustained attention. The entire community must, as one man, arise to fulfill them. To teach the Cause of God, to proclaim its truths, to defend its interests, to demonstrate, by words as well as by deeds, its indispensability, its potency, and universality, should at no time be regarded as the exclusive concern or sole privilege of Bahá’í administrative institutions, be they Assemblies or committees. All must participate, however humble their origin, however limited their experience, however restricted their means, however deficient their education, however pressing their cares and preoccupations, however unfavorable the environment in which they live. ‘God,’ Bahá’u’lláh, Himself, has unmistakably revealed, ‘hath prescribed unto every one the duty of teaching His Cause.’ ‘Say,’ He further has written, ‘Teach ye the Cause of God, O people of Bahá, for God has prescribed unto every one the duty of proclaiming His Message, and regardeth it as the most meritorious of all deeds.’ ” (The Advent of Divine Justice, pp. 37, 38)

The more desperate the condition of the world, the more penetrating is His Word. The more incapable men become of solving their problems, the more convincing is the new World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. Let it be the first concern of each believer, to seize this Divine opportunity to teach. Let it be the first concern of each Assembly and each committee, to inspire. prepare, reinforce, assist and consolidate a vastly enlarged teaching activity.

Who, of those we know, are prepared for the Message? What fireside meetings can be held) What more potent public meetings arranged? Which teaching literature is best adapted for this person or that group? Is our community consecrated to continuous study of the Teachings? Are we using our opportunities for publicity and radio? These are the questions we should be raising at this time, leaving behind as much as possible all those minor issues of personality which consume time and strength without advancing the essential interests of the Faith. Those who are consecrated to teaching effort enter the world of the spirit where higher laws protect us from our negative self.

“The field is indeed so immense, the period so critical, the Cause so great, the workers so few, the time so short, the privilege so priceless, that no follower of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, worthy to bear His name, can afford a moment’s hesitation. That God-born Force, irresistible in its sweeping power, incalculable in its potency, unpredictable in its course, mysterious in its workings, and awe-inspiring in its manifestations—a Force which, as the Báb has written, ‘vibrates within the innermost being of ail created things,’ and which, according to Bahá’u’lláh, has through its ‘vibrating influence,’ ‘upset the equilibrium of the world and revolutionized its ordered life,’—such a Force, acting

[Page 3] even as a two-edged word, is, under our very eyes, sundering, on the one hand, the age-old ties which for centuries have held together the fabric of civilized society, and is unloosing, on the other, the bonds that still fetter the infant and as yet unemancipated Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. The undreamt-of opportunities offered through the operation of this Force,—the American believers must now rise, and fully and courageously exploit them. ‘The holy realities of the Concourse on high,’ writes ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘yearn, in this day, in the Most Exalted Paradise, to return unto this world, so that they may be aided to render some service to the threshold of the Abhá Beauty, and arise to demonstrate their servitude to His sacred Threshold.’ ”

NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

COMMUNICATION FROM THE GUARDIAN[edit]

For the information of the believers, the National Assembly cites the following passages from a letter written by the Guardian, through his secretary, dated April 15, 1940.

“In the matter of the use and distribution of prayer beads, in this and other matters of secondary importance he does not wish that any hard and fast rules be set up. The believers should not be required to use prayer beads, nor should they be prevented from doing so, as the Teachings do not contain any specific instruction on the subject.”

“The letter received by the Vancouver Assembly from the Department of National Defence acknowledging their letter on the subject of the exemption of Bahá’ís from combattant military duty has been read with gratification by the Guardian who, indeed, welcomes this action as yet another step forward in the consolidation and recognition of the administrative institutions of the Faith.”

“Regarding the question of Bahá’í membership in secret fraternal organizations: he thinks that for the present this matter should be left to the discretion of the friends, and that no statement on the subject, defining in a rigid and uniform way their attitude towards such bodies, would be necessary.”

THE TEACHING REQUIREMENTS OF THE SEVEN YEAR PLAN[edit]

The Guardian’s exposition of this subject in The Advent of Divine Justice (pp. 37-48) is summarized here in order to lend supreme emphasis to the subject of teaching, which the National Assembly wishes to make paramount this year. The friends will recall that the Guardian’s references to Inter-America teaching were


The Monuments Marking the Resting-Places of the Purest Branch and of the Mother of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá


similarly summarized in Bahá’í News of November, 1939.

  1. Superb and irresistible as is the beauty of the First Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the West ... it should be regarded ... as no more than an instrument for the more effective propagation of the Cause ...
  2. In this respect it should be viewed in the same light as the administrative institutions of the Faith which are designed as vehicles for the proper dissemination of its ideals, its tenets, and its verities.
  3. It is ... to the teaching requirements of the Seven Year Plan that the community ... must henceforth direct their careful and sustained attention.
  4. To teach ... should at no time be regarded as the exclusive concern or sole privilege of Bahá’í administrative institutions.
  5. How often ... have the lowliest adherents ... been capable of winning victories for their Cause.
  6. The field ... so immense, the period so critical, the Cause so great, the workers so few, the time so short, the privilege so priceless, that no follower ... can afford a moment’s hesitation.
  7. So precious an opportunity ... may never again recur. Now is the time, the appointed time, for the American believers ... to proclaim, through the agencies and channels of a specially designed Administrative Order, their capacity and readiness to rescue a fallen and sore-tried generation.
  8. The teaching campaign ... acquires ... an importance ... that can not be overestimated. [Page 4]
  9. Launched ... through the creative energies released by the Will of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ... it must ... be carried out in conformity with certain principles.
  10. Those who participate ... must ... thoroughly familiarize themselves with the ... history and teachings ... study ... the literature ... delve into its teachings, assimilate its laws and principles, ponder its admonitions, tenets and purposes, commit to memory certain of its exhortations and prayers, master the essentials of its administration ... keep abreast of its current affairs.
  11. They must ... obtain ... a sound knowledge ... of Islám.
  12. They must, whenever they contemplate any specific mission in the countries of Latin America ... acquire a certain proficiency in the languages ... of those countries.
  13. No participator of this inter-American campaign must feel that the initiative ... must rest solely with those agencies, whether Assemblies or committees, whose ... concern is ... this vital objective.
  14. It is the bounden duty of every American believer ... to initiate, promote and consolidate, within the limits fixed by the administrative principles ... any activity he or she deems fit to undertake.
  15. Neither should the threatening world situation, nor ... lack of material resources, of mental equipment, of knowledge, or of experience ... deter any prospective pioneer teacher.
  16. Having on his own initiative ... resolved to arise ... let him carefully consider every avenue of approach ... survey the possibilities ... devise such methods as association with clubs ... or participation in social, cultural, humanitarian, charitable, and educational organizations.
  17. Let him ... preserve its dignity, and station ... safeguard the integrity of its laws and principles ... decide ... the suitability of either the direct or indirect method of teaching.
  18. Let him ... shower ... kindness upon the seeker ... refrain at the outset from insisting on such laws and observances as might impose too severe a strain ... Let him, as soon as that stage (maturity of faith) has been attained, introduce him to the body of his fellow-believers, and seek ... to enable him to contribute his share to the enrichment of its (the Bahá’í community’s) life.
  19. Let every participator ... bear in mind the necessity of keeping in close and constant touch with those responsible agencies designed to direct, coordinate, and facilitate the teaching activities of the entire community.


Shrine of Greatest Holy Leaf at Top of Steps; Shrines of the Purest Branch and of the Mother of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at Right


  1. They ... should, through constant interchange of ideas, through letters circulars, reports, bulletins ... insure the smooth and speedy functioning of the teaching machinery of their Administrative Order.
  2. Upon every participator ... rests the spiritual obligation to make of the mandate of teaching ... the all-pervading concern of his life.
  3. If he be member of any Spiritual Assembly let him encourage his Assembly to consecrate a certain part of its time ... to ... consideration of such ways and means as may foster the campaign of teaching.
  4. If he attends his summer school ... let him consider such an occasion as a ... precious opportunity ... to enrich ... his knowledge.
  5. Let him ... seek ... through inter-community visits to stimulate the zeal for teaching.
  6. Let any one who feels the urge ... direct in particular the attention ... of the Negro, the Indian, the Eskimo, and Jewish races to his Faith.
  7. Let those ... holding administrative positions ... bear in mind the vital and urgent necessity of insuring ... the formation ... of groups ... and enable these ... nuclei to evolve ... into properly functioning ... Assemblies.
  8. To implant ... the banner of Bahá’u’lláh in the heart of these virgin territories, to erect the structural basis of His Administrative Order in their cities and villages ... constitute ... the first and most significant step.

TRANSLATION OF THE TABLET OF “THE EPISTLE TO THE SON OF THE WOLF”[edit]

In the June issue of Bahá’í News, a cablegram from the Guardian was published which announced that he was sending the first part of his translation of Epistle To the Son of the Wolf.

This was received in a letter dated May 7, 1940, with the following comment: “A careful comparison of this new translation of the Guardian with that of Mrs. Chanler’s clearly reveals how inadequate and misleading the latter is both from the point of view of accuracy and of faithfulness. It further shows how unconscientious Ahmad Sohrab has been in comparing that old translation with the original Persian and Arabic text of the Tablet. His description in the preface of the book of Mrs. Chanler’s rendering as ‘accurate’ and ‘faithful’ is altogether untrue, as not only her translation abounds with mistakes, but also reveals many important omissions. The term ‘Fear of God’ has apparently been deliberately changed in some cases into ‘Love of God’ towards the end of the book, as the French version which she translated proves (it).”

CONCERNING THE POSITION OF AMERICA IN THE WORLD WAR[edit]

With the Guardian’s consent, the National Assembly publishes an excerpt from the letter written by him to Miss Juliet Thompson on November 21, 1940. In giving permission, the Guardian informed the Assembly that “it should be published only for the information of the friends, and does not imply any collective action to be taken by them.”

“With regard to your question concerning the future position of America in the coming world war: it would be certainly premature to make any definite forecast at the present time, and the impression* that the Guardian meant that America would be necessarily drawn into the field of hostilities is also not correct. One thing, however, is absolutely certain, and which the Guardian himself has more than once emphasized, namely that nothing short of a full assumption by America of the grievous burdens, responsibilities and duties that naturally fall upon her as one

_____
* The impression that the last section of The Advent of Divine Justice means that America will inevitably enter the war.

[Page 5] of the leading nations of the world can enable her to fulfil the high political mission which she has been called upon to play in the future political and social reconstruction of mankind. The destiny of America is inseparably bound up with that of the rest of the world, and it would be impossible therefore to conceive of her taking, in the long run, a purely passive attitude in regard to political and social developments that transpire in and agitate the remaining four continents of the globe.”

INTER-AMERICA TEACHING[edit]

Among the important items of current news:

A Spanish edition of the excerpts from the Master’s Will and Testament has been published by the American Bahá’í Publishing Committee from the translation made by Mrs. Frances B. Stewart, the title being “La Ultima Voluntad Y Testamento De ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.” Copies can be obtained for 20 cents.

Work is being hastened as rapidly as possible on the printing of the following Spanish translations: Dr. Esslemont’s Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, Some Answered Questions, The Wisdom of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. When these books are ready, no time will be lost in getting copies to the pioneer teachers and groups.

Cuba: Mr. and Mrs. Philip Marangella have reported the confirmation of four Bahá’ís in Havana. This makes a strong group for development of a Spiritual Assembly. The address for correspondence is uncertain at this time, on account of a typhoid epidemic which has apparently compelled Mr. and Mrs. Marangella to seek residence in another quarter of the city. The arrangement for extending Mr. Marangella’s stay in Cuba for three months after July 15 had just been made when he advised by cable of the need for change of residence. The new Bahá’ís are: Mr. Jack Zoller, Mr. Eugenio Gines, Mr. Domingo Santos del Rio, and Mr. Perfecto Perez Toledo.

Honduras: The following excerpts from reports prepared by Mr. Antonio Roca after his return give the salient features of this pioneer’s accomplishments.

“I left Milwaukee September 23, 1939 by automobile via Laredo, Texas, arriving in Monterey, passing Mexican border September 27th. I immediately started giving the Message contacting people who I had contacted on my previous trip to Mexico. I reached Mexico City on September 28th, 1939 at 9 P.M.

“On the 29th of September I visited Mr. Espinosa and had a real treat and surprise to find a beautiful four room Center and was very happy to see that the Bahá’í Cause in Mexico had made such a great progress in such a short time. Mr. Espinosa


Detail of Monuments Erected by the Guardian to Commemorate the Purest Branch and the Mother of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá


and all the other friends were very friendly and explained to me the future plans they had for developing the Faith.

“Tegucigulpa is a town of about 45,000 inhabitants, the only capital in the world without railway connection, the main transportation facilities being trucks but mostly ox-carts. The town is small, colonial style, mostly one and two story buildings and some of the streets are still not paved. In the main Plaza there stands the great ‘Colonial Time Cathedral’ which my ancestors had given to the Central American Republics. I was overjoyed to be the chosen one to be able to give the message to those people so very much needed in this 20th century.

“Well prepared and fortified with an overflow of the spirit, I went to the newspapers, ‘El-Crosnista’ and ‘La Epoca,’ the only two there. They printed an article on my arrival and on the principles of the Faith, and extended a welcome to me and wished that my visit to their city would be pleasant, which is customary in that country.

“I first contacted the Spanish people, having to take my meals in a Spanish Restaurant and had a room in the Hotel Honduras. People showed an astonishing and surprising attitude that a born Spaniard would dare to come into a country where the Catholic Religion had ruled for 400 years, and was still extremely strong and teach such a Message as I had. But, nevertheless, with the Great Power of Bahá’u’lláh was able to travel all over the city and teach the Cause without any interference. After being there about ten days contacted the president of a Spiritual Society, ‘Nuevo Oriente,’ a Mr. Gonzalez, and he gave me addresses of those who he felt might be interested in the Cause. I was quite elated, they having sent three delegates to greet me on my arrival, and felt that perhaps here was a group who would become the Center for a group of seekers. They came three times to my room, that is as a group, and asked questions. They believed that what we taught was true, but it would be unable for them to carry on their commercial methods

[Page 6] which they had been using with their society. They recognized that the ‘Book of Certitude’ could only have been revealed by a Prophet of God and I continually pray that Bahá’u’lláh will nurture those seeds and that they may eventually bear fruit. Some of the people I talked to had been censured by the Government and they were afraid to come to the meetings. There were many Theosophists, Rosecrucians and Masons, and after hearing of the Message would ask for bigger books, not just pamphlets. None of the people I contacted made any effort to put at my disposal facilities where I could teach and some even said that I was teaching Anti-Christ. I visited people at their places or business and homes and they would promise that they would come to my room for classes but never showed up. The entire clothing business was controlled by Palestinians from Bethlehem. After being there a short time every one seemed to know the word ‘Bahá’í’ and it was discussed by many people among themselves and some of them would call me into their stores and ask me what I had. These people from Bethlehem after finding out that we were proclaiming the New Manifestation, they being Orthodox believers, were prone to deny and even laugh at the Cause and they were very antagonistic. There were many hours and days when I felt that my efforts would be a complete failure and that it would be impossible to establish the Faith in such a small town where every one knew every one else and particularly in business, and all business being controlled by different colonies, German, Spanish, Arabians. The natives are either very rich or very poor, being 50% Indian or Indian descent. In less than three months many hundreds of people heard about Bahá’u’lláh and His teachings. It was about two months after being there that I contacted the first believer, a famous writer and poetess, Mrs. Angela Ochoa Velasquez, and she was the instrument in bringing the rest of the believers. A group came to my hotel room to study and 7 of them declared themselves, three of them dropping out again when they realized the great purity of the Cause. It was then necessary to start all over again looking for new souls who would see the Light. Realizing that an Assembly should be established in Central America we all made an extra effort to contact souls who had already shown an interest in the Cause. When they realized that they would be the first to establish such a group and knowing that it would be necessary to register with the Government they feared it and we were unable to accomplish forming such an Assembly. But we were able to again contact three souls who became real believers.

“On March 10th we were privileged to


Bahá’í Youth at 1940 Convention. View Taken on Roof of Hotel Orrington, Evanston, Ill.


meet at the Airport, Mrs. ‎ Lorol Schopflocher‎ who stayed with us three days and helped us tremendously with our teaching work. She gave three lectures at the Hotel Asia, the attendance being 22, 35, 20. Every one hearing her was so pleased and enthusiastic, some of them later attending our classes, but as yet not confirmed.

“I am happy to report seven steadfast believers, who have attended classes for over three months, two or three times a week, and we feel that they will carry on with some little help. I left with them the necessary books and pamphlets sent to me by the National Publishing Committee. They all need our prayers for their spiritual growth and steadfastness. They promised earnestly to strive to establish an Assembly and Centre in Tegucigulpa.

“The greatest hindrance of all my teaching work was the lack of translations of Bahá’í books, such as the New Era, Some Answered Questions, and Procedure.

“I estimate that over 2,000 people heard the Message of Bahá’u’lláh in Tegucigulpa. All the Government ‎ employees‎ were very cordial to me personally and gave me full freedom of expressing the purpose and greatness of the New World Order.”

The following pioneers report on May Maxwell’s Memorial Services:

Costa Rica: Mrs. Amalia Ford and Mrs. Gayle Woolson, “We started our Bahá’í study class on Friday, April 26th, the same evening that we, as well as Bahá’ís the world over, observed the memorial meeting for May Maxwell. At our first meeting there were four Costa Ricans present: Senora Amenida de Castillo, Senorita Marta Guerra, Senor Edgar Saenz Bleu, Senor Jose J. Ulloa. The person who has been most cooperative with us, Senor Julian Castillo, was not able to be present at that meeting....”

Jamaica: Mr. and Mrs. John Shaw, “The memorial meeting for Mrs. Maxwell was held with reading from the Hidden Words and prayer book, and I also spoke of her service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh and sacrificing her life in His Cause. It was indeed a very spiritual meeting.”—Rosa L. Shaw.

Haiti: Mrs. Ruth Blackwell, “I have no memorial service to report except that I had a prayer for Mrs. Maxwell moi-meme. She was the sacrifice for this work.”

Dominican Republic: Miss Margaret Lentz, “There is nothing to report except that I read for myself the cables and reports and recited the prayers for the Departed. Maria Teresa did the same, as I had sent her copies and given her the hour that was indicated for the memorial gatherings.”

El Salvador: Clarence Iverson, John Eichenauer, Jr., “... on Friday evening, April 26th, we held our memorial meeting. We began at 7 so as to be the same time the Convention held theirs. We read the Victory Tablet first, the N. S. A.’s letter, with the Guardian’s cables about her station, the cable Ruhiyyih sent us ‘Loving Gratitude Lorol Clarence Yourself’ which she sent us March 16th when Lorol was here, pg. 279 of P. and M. and Teaching report of Mrs. Maxwell of Bahá’í News No. 48, Feb., 1932. At 8:00 P.M., Mr. Miguel Angel Canales, one of our students joined us and we held another meeting at the time specified in the N. S. A.’s letter. We read the N. S. A.’s letter again, 140, 345, 169-171 from Gleanings, and 254 from P. & M.”

The first Bahá’í baby born in South America, is Anthony Roy Worley, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, March 29, 1940. The Chairman of the Inter-American Committee presented an engraved cup to our first pioneer baby.

[Page 7] Gerrard Sluter reports that there are twenty-one believers in Guatemala and he is now in San Salvador visiting Clarence and Johnny on his way to Honduras to take Antonio Roca’s place who has returned to the United States.

Mrs. Stewart is doing excellent work in Mexico city, first stop in her year’s teaching journey. She proceeds next to El Salvador.

Quote, part of a letter from John Eichenauer, Jr. “Another letter I received was from Dorothy Cansdale, a Bahá’í youth of London, England, secretary of the assembly, dated March 5th. I had told her of my activities here and she wrote of their work, especially in the north of England, and of the darkened streets, sandbagged buildings. Also, Antoinette Bolton, a Bahá’í youth of Sidney, Australia, whose parents I met last year at Geyserville, in a letter dated February 21, wrote us of their summer school Jan. 6 to 21. Sixty in attendance.

“In our activities here, Clarence and I have been doing more individual work as Lorol advised us to forget about the former group of persons whom I thought were really interested and work with the ones she met. Through one of these, Ana Rosa Ochoa, we met Mr. Francisco Gavidia, a well educated Indian who studied in Paris, a historian, author, school teacher, whose complete works the Government is publishing. He has invented a Universal Language called ‘Salvador,’ about which he gave us a book and he gave us another about philosophy. We talked of Esperanto and other principles of the Faith and left Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era with him. Miss Ochoa also introduced us to Mercedes Maiti, another Indian lady who is interested in the Faith and has charge of two pages devoted to education each week in the same paper, ‘La Prensa Grafica,’ and who wants to help us find a group of young people to give the message to. Miss Ochoa has read The Iqán in Spanish and is reading Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era; she recently wrote an article about us ‘Embassadors of Peace and Fraternity,’ three copies of which I enclose for the Publicity Committee Press Book. Also through her, we met Salarrue, who Lorol also talked to, an artist, painter, author, well known in Central America and possibly to a certain extent in South America and he showed us a painting of his published in a U. S. magazine. Many of his books have been published and he gave us his latest, ‘Eso y Mas’ (That and More). He speaks English and we have given him Bahá’í Teachings on U. P., G. of N. W. O. and B. N. E., and a compilation of Lorol’s on U. W. C.; he said he has been a Bahá’í for a long time when we told him the principles and is sincerely interested. Then, too, we tell as always different people we meet at school, at dances, of the Faith and give pamphlets. About two weeks or so ago we held a meeting suggested by the National Youth Committee, an International evening, attended by about 28 young people. I presented some ideas about youth’s responsibility today and we had a nice discussion and Clarence furnished accordian music, and we served refreshments; we held it in a nearby college.”

Under the title of “Ambassadors of Peace and Brotherhood,” the following article appeared on Friday, April 19, 1940, in La Prensa Grafica, San Salvador.

Some months ago there arrived in El Salvador, two emissaries of the Bahá’í Faith, that is to say, ambassadors of a faith which we are not to believe concerns aged philosophers of alien tongues, attired in long tunics with heads enwrapped in turbans; neither is their Cause to be considered as a new religion. Rather is it a synthesis of all the good sought after by the religions.

John Eichenauer and Clarence Iverson are simply two youthful ambassadors of Peace and Brotherhood, convinced that, in a not too distant day, men, wearied of rending each other to pieces, will arrive at the conclusion that mankind is none other than the integration of one great family, the members of which ought not to conceive of themselves as citizens of one country only—but also of the world.

That is to say, there will come a day in which all men, after cruel wars, will be horrified to contemplate, from the height of a new ideal, the pestilential ruins of a corrupt civilization which went down before the assault of cannon and machinegun.

From those horrors there will arise, according to the faith of the Bahá’ís, the new era of peace and fraternity, the principles of which are the breaths of life from the Holy Spirit that creates men anew.

If we do not believe in the (ultimate) realization of this noble cause inasmuch as it is far too noble for this epoch of cannibalism, we appreciate at the least the sincerity and purity of the ideals sustaining these two youths of twenty years—which is, of itself, something rare at this hour when humanity suffers the reaction of all passions.

—By ANA ROSA OCHOA.
(Translation by H. P. B.)

RACE UNITY[edit]

“Consort with all the people with love and fragrance. Fellowship is the source of order in the world. Blessed are they who are kind and serve with love.”

—Bahá’u’lláh.

A small but important minority group to whom the Bahá’í Teachings will be spread in the future are the Eskimos, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has written, “Dispatch ye teachers to Greenland and the home of the Eskimos ... God willing, the call of the Kingdom may reach the ears of the Eskimos ... Should you display an effort, so that the fragrances of God may be diffused

[Page 8] among the Eskimos, its effect will be very great and far-reaching.”

How much do you know about the Eskimos? Here are a few facts to arouse your interest so that you will want to read further about these northern brethren of ours. There are estimated to be about 30,000 Eskimos in the world today. These Eskimos inhabit the Arctic regions extending from the Bering Straits over the northern coast of America and its groups of Arctic islands to the east coast of Greenland. Anthropologists do not agree as to the origin of the Eskimos, but the greater number today accept the view that the Eskimos are merely one kind of North American Indian, both in blood and language.

The living conditions of these people are very simple. Seal is their staple winter food and their most valuable resource supplying them with dog food, clothing, boats, tents, harpoonlines, light, and heat. The walrus, narwhal, whale, bear, and to a smaller extent the deer, fox, and hare, also afford important supplies. Thousands of birds are stored for winter use. In summer caribou are hunted, the skins of which furnish the clothing for the next winter.

Dwellings are of two kinds; tents for summer use and houses or huts for winter use. The tents are made of sealskin. The igloos or winter houses are varied in structure among the different groups. Usually they are built of stems chinked and covered with moss and banked up with snow. Many of the western and Laborador Eskimos, however, build their houses chiefly of wood.

The Eskimo family sometimes consists of from 40 to 60 people. Voluntary members who are blind, crippled or ill are taken into the household. The head of the family is proud of these, for by supporting them he proves that he is a capable bread-winner. The Eskimos are known for their great generosity and hospitality. They are friendly to strangers. On the whole the Eskimos are a happy people who are naturally fond of song and music. We are told that they laugh as much in a month as ordinary civilized people do in a year.

In the societal life of the Eskimos public opinion is a strong force. There are no chiefs, soldiers, police or prisons, and there are practically only two punishments: the disapproval of the community and death.

If you will read any one of the following books, you will learn a great many more facts about the Eskimos told in delightful fashion by these various authors:

Daylight Moon by Elizabeth Chabot Forrest, Frederick A. Stokes Co., N. Y., 1937.

Eskimo Year by George Miksch Sutton, The Macmillan Co., N. Y., 1934.

Thirty Years in the Golden North by Jan Welzl, The Macmillan Co., N. Y., 1932.

Arctic Adventure by Peter Freuchen, Farrar and Rinehart, N. Y., 1935.

Across Arctic America by Knud Rasmussen, G. P. Putman’s Sons, N. Y., 1927.

RACE UNITY COMMITTEE.

BAHÁ’Í CHILDREN AND THE CALENDAR[edit]

“Thank thou God that thou hast stepped into the arena of existence in such a blessed Age and hast opened ears and eyes in such a Day of Promise.”

—Bahá’í Scripture, 850.


Let us look at the Bahá’í Calendar in relation to our children. What significance does it have for them?

Before attempting to answer this question, we must first consider what is the child’s idea of time. A very young child has no time concept at all. Gradually he begins to learn through concrete experiences that the time of activity is called day-time and the time of inactivity (that is when he is asleep) is called night-time. Light and dark are not always associated with day and night for him. Frequently a small boy or girl upon awaking from his afternoon nap thinks that a new day has begun. All during the pre-school years there is much confusion in his understanding of this matter. Finally the day becomes associated with the light-giving sun (Why can’t we have the sun all the time? a small girl asks, concluding that then there would be only day and activity) and the night becomes associated with the darkness and also with the moon and the stars if the child’s attention is drawn to the contents of the night sky. But even after this simplest division of time is clarified for him, the pre-school child is still confused about yesterday; today and tomorrow. Remarks such as, “Mother brought me new shoes tomorrow,” (meaning yesterday) or “I will drink all my milk yesterday” (meaning tomorrow) are very common during this period. From a child’s point-of-view a minute is a very small amount of time; an hour a very great amount of time, while a day is endless.

When a child talks about time his concept is of something concrete exactly as though he were speaking of a piece of cake or an apple. A child once covered a sheet of paper with his scribblings and called it, “a piece of the day.” Children know that somehow clocks and watches are used for telling time but their concept is not that of a mature person. For example when Mary’s mother told her she might get up at three o’clock and showed Mary just where the two hands of the clock would be at that time, Mary age five, a few minutes later set the hands in that position and innocently insisted that it was three o’clock.

However the child whose day is well planned and run on schedule will understand the division of time more quickly than one whose day is irregularly spent. The same is true of the days in the week. After the hours, days and weeks are fairly well understood the child will then be ready to understand months and here is

[Page 9] where the Bahá’í Calendar can be introduced to advantage.

There are two special appeals that this calendar will make to the child if his parents will use them. One is the fact that a child likes to have names for every and anything. True the months of our current civil calendar do have names but they are not the attractive and understandable names such as the Bahá’í months have. Secondly, the child delights in celebrations. Each name on the Bahá’í Calendar such as Glory, Light, and Splendor and others suggest a celebration. Take for example, the month of Rahmat (translated Mercy, though Kindness is more within the experience of the child); this month, the child or children in a Bahá’í family could celebrate by being especially kind to his family, his friends; his pets; yes and even his garden (we remember that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá used to speak to the flowers) in so far that he will not neglect its care. Now he goes on to the month of Kalimat (words). This he will celebrate by giving especial attention to the words he uses. They will be kind, comforting and full of praise for others; and so on through the year.

Just as the child on a regular schedule, around the clock, through the day, develops into a stronger, sturdier child physically than one whose physical habits are ignored or irregular, so will the child who goes through the year month by month practicing spiritual qualities as suggested by the Bahá’í Calendar grow stronger and firmer spiritually than a child who neglects this practice. A wise parent will help his children to recognize and to follow the Bahá’í months on through the Bahá’í year.

An additional advantage is the fact that the child will develop the habit of thinking in Bahá’í terms relative to time. There needs to exist no confusion between the Civil and the Bahá’í Calendars no more than a child’s language is handicapped if he learns another language as well as his own provided of course that he is well grounded in his own language before he is taught another. Similarly, when a child is capable of grasping the idea of a month he will have no difficulty in recognizing the difference between the two calendars. It would be interesting to help him find his own birthday date on the Bahá’í Calendar or any other date that is especially interesting to him. The more he thinks in terms of the Bahá’í Calendar the more familiar he will become with it.

When the child has celebrated all the Bahá’í months at the end of the year and begins all over again he will better grasp the idea of a year and its possibilities. Then as the years go by he will be prepared to think in terms of cycles and particularly spiritual cycles. Great then will be his appreciation of the fact that he is living in the Greatest Spiritual Cycle of all time.

“This is a new cycle of human power—The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world, and all men will live as brothers.”—(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Scriptures, page 273.)

CHILD EDUCATION COMMITTEE.
By: Amy Brady Dwelly.

PUBLISHING ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Spiritual Potencies of That Consecrated Spot, by Shoghi Effendi. This communication dated December 21, 1939, has been given to all members of the American Bahá’í community, and now copies of the pamphlet can be obtained at 10c per copy.

La Ultimo Voluntad Y Testamento De ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Spanish translation of the pamphlet containing excerpts from the Master’s Will and Testament. Per copy, 20c.

I, Mary Magdalen, by Juliet Thompson. This novel of the early days of Christianity has now been published, and advance orders have been filled. Some of the Guardian’s favorable comments have already been publishod. Excerpts from other letters are here reproduced for the information of the friends. “As regards the drawings you have specially prepared for incorporation in the book—the Guardian has noted with much interest the explanations you have given regarding it and wishes to assure you of his full approval for its publication.” “I am well pleased with the manuscript of your book, its style, its general presentation and subject matter. I will continue to pray for its early publication and complete success.” “The kind and welcome assistance which the N. S. A. has extended in advertising the book through the medium of the Bahá’í News is particularly appreciated by the Guardian, who hopes that as a result the friends will be stimulated to cooperate in increasing its sale and thereby help, however indirectly, in spreading the knowledge of the ‎  ‎ Bahá’í teachings.” The Publishing Committee will continue to fill orders at $2.50 per copy, cash with order.

The address of the Western Division was inadvertently inserted in a recent issue incorrectly. The correct address of the West Division is Mrs. Emma F. Smith, 6732 Geary Blvd., San Francisco. New York address: P. O. Box 348, Grand Central Annex, New York, N. Y.

BAHÁ’Í CALENDAR[edit]

Nineteen Day Feasts: July 13, August 1, August 20.

Anniversaries and Festivals: Martyrdom of the Báb, July 9.

Meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly: July 2, 3, 4, at 536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette; August 17, 18, 19, at Green Acre, Eliot, Maine.

Bahá’í Schools: Green Acre, weekly courses, July 1 to August 31; Geyserville, July 7 to 28; Louhelen, Laboratory session, July 3 to 12; General session, August 11 to 18; Second Youth session, August 21 to 25.

TEACHING PRINCIPLE APPLIED TO WRITTEN WORD[edit]

The National Spiritual Assembly wishes to point out to the believers that the principle under which teaching work is conducted as a spiritual obligation and not for financial return applies to that type of teaching work done through writing as well as that which is carried on through classes and lectures. Particularly in the case of Bahá’í compilations, graded lessons and study courses or outlines, the Assembly feels that the important principle concerning the basis of Bahá’í teaching laid down by the Guardian a few years ago should now be generally adopted throughout the Bahá’í community. Written and printed teaching, therefore, is not to be sold under conditions providing financial return to the author or compiler. This type of study material, when approved by the Reviewing Committee and recommended for publication, should be regarded as the author’s donation to the progress of the teaching work, a service performed in the spirit of devotion to the Faith. No doubt there will be great spiritual reward for those who make such contributions as their sacrifice for the Cause.

BAHÁ’Í NEWS GIVEN TO ENROLLED YOUTH[edit]

The National Assembly wishes all duly enrolled Bahá’í youth hereafter to receive copies of Bahá’í News, through their local Assembly, if they reside in an organized community, through their group correspondent, or as isolated believers direct from the National Secretariat.

Assemblies and groups are requested to see that their youth members (between fifteen and twenty-one) receive copies regularly. If this calls for additional copies to be sent to the Assembly or group, the National Assembly should be informed as soon as possible.

The cooperation of the National Youth Committee is also requested in order that all isolated enrolled youth may be provided with copies, which means that a complete list of names and addresses must first be made.

[Page 10]

ASSEMBLIES REQUIRING SPECIAL TEACHING ASSISTANCE[edit]

Any local Assembly whose community membership falls below the minimum of nine believers required to maintain the Assembly status, and any Assembly which feels that there is danger that the number will drop to less than nine, are requested to notify the National Spiritual Assembly at once, so that effective teaching work can be arranged in order to increase the local membership.

WORLD ORDER FOR JULY[edit]

The July issue of World Order Magazine contains as special feature some excerpts from the Guardian’s translation of Epistle to the Son of the Wolf. This passage is published under the title “With the Waters of Detachment.”

The July issue also contains: “The Human Soul in This World of Chaos,” Alice Simmons Cox; “The Fortified City,” William Kenneth Christian; Bahá’í Answers to World Questions; “What Is Secure?” Gertrude D. Schurgast; another chapter in the new compilation on The Divine Art of Living; Book Review of “Toward the Christian Revolution,” Garreta Busey; Bahá’í Lessons, a study outline; and With Our Readers.

TEACHING AT THE HOUSE OF WORSHIP[edit]

During May, 1940, 1,581 persons visited the Temple and were guided through the edifice. This brings the total of visitors since January 1, 1940, to 3,848. In May, 1939, the visitors were less than 1940 by 308.

Some of those who came this May were from Chile, Poland and India. The Bahá’í Temple is becoming a world institution.

A large number of clubs and organizations brought their membership to the Temple:

Great Lakes Naval Training Station, five groups of apprentice seamen, total, 180. Muncie and Trafalgar, Indiana, high school students on Millers Tours, two groups, total, 70. Bohemian Women’s Club, Chicago, 25. Women’s Club of Waukegan, 35. Beacon Club, Chicago Y. W. C. A., 35. Convention of Illinois Federation of Women’s Clubs, delegates, 29. Girl Scouts, Evanston, 19. Young Peoples Society, St. Lukes Episcopal Church, Evanston, 12. Sunday School class, Third Unitarian Church, Chicago, 5. Young Peoples Society, Protestant Church, Libertyville, 25. WPA Adult Education Tour, Chicago Board of Education, 168. Y. W. C. A., Waukegan, 19. Psychology Class, National College of Education, Evanston, 9.


Exhibit Maintained in Shaw-Walker Store, July 1 and 2, 1939, and in Stouffer’s Store, Philadelphia, Week of August 6, 1939


ENROLLMENTS AND TRANSFERS[edit]

Evanston, one. West Haven, one. Buffalo, one. Los Angeles, four. New York, ten. Milwaukee, three and one youth. Boston, three. Chicago, six. Washington, two. Lima, twelve. Kansas City, two and one youth. Miami, one. Wilmette, one. Columbus, one. Teaneck, one. Racine, one and two youths.

IN MEMORIAM[edit]

Death proffereth unto every confident believer the cup that is life indeed. It bestoweth joy, and is the bearer of gladness. It confereth the gift of everlasting life.—Bahá’u’lláh.

Mrs. Caroline Lehman, West Gravenhurst, Canada.
Mrs. Rosa B. Espey, Chicago.
Mr. D. C. Wickham, Pentwater, Mich.
Mr. Jno. A. Roberson, St. Augustine.
Mrs. Helene Bagg Maxfield, Muskegon.
Mr. Louis Feltz, Milwaukee.

NEWS OF EAST AND WEST[edit]

The Library Committee has received from Mrs. Shirley Warde a very appreciate letter written by the Secretary of the Library Board of Burbank, Calif.

“The Burbank Library Board wishes to thank you and your organization for the four lovely Bahá’í books recently received. These are the first books of this kind that we have received and they are a distinct addition to our library of which we are so proud.”

The Twenty-Eighth Annual Souvenir of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Unity Feast at West Englewood was held Saturday afternoon and evening, June 29. The program as announced consisted of a concert from two to three P.M., address on The Oneness of Humanity by Annamarie Honnold and on Universal Peace by Harlan Ober, Roy C. Wilhelm presiding. A special Pan-American program followed. At the pine grove where the original Feast was held a period of prayers and meditations was conducted by Bernard B. Gottlieb. The evening session was devoted to informal talks. Word has been received that Mme. Laura Dreyfus-Barney, recently arrived from Paris, was among the distinguished Bahá’í guests present from other countries.

The most recent News Letter (April, 1940) received from the Haifa Assembly states that “It is our privilege to convey to you the glad tidings that our beloved Guardian is in the best of health. We are certain that this good news will always gladden the hearts of the believers throughout the world.”

Copies of the phonograph record of Martha Root’s message of farewell to the

[Page 11] believers of Auckland, N. Z. This recording was made at the request of the local Assembly, which has very kindly made arrangements to furnish copies for fifteen shillings sixpence, postage additional, in New Zealand currency. Send orders to Miss Margaret B. Stevenson, Secretary, 3 Cowie Road, Parnall, Auckland, S. E. 1, New Zealand.

Postcard size illustrations of the Bahá’í Exhibit at the Golden Gate World’s Fair, San Francisco, can be obtained from the Photograph and Sales Committee, H. E. Walrath, 4639 Beacon Street, Chicago.

Copies of The Rangoon Times have been received containing reproductions of extensive Bahá’í articles filling several columns of this paper. One is entitled “New Faith for Old,” by Shirin Fozdar; another, “The New World Order,” by Ormsby Mollier.

In these days the receipt of bulletins and news letters from the believers of other countries is a twofold blessing. The American friends can well appreciate the difficulties under which most National and local Assemblies throughout the Bahá’í world are obliged to maintain their activities, the slowness of communication, the increased economic pressure and also the element of supervision and censorship imposed in so many places during the war period. But the spirit of oneness within the Bahá’í community will resist these divisive influences and eventually overcome them and replace them with cooperation and harmony.

Among the news letters recently received are: Bahá’í News of the National Spiritual Assembly of Egypt and Sudan, March-April, 1940; Bahá’í News Letter, National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma, March, 1940; The New World Order, public teaching bulletin of the National Spiritual Assembly of the British Isles; Bahá’í Magazine, Herald of the South, published quarterly by the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand; Bahá’í Quarterly, also issued by the NSA of Australia and N. Z.; Bahá’í News Letter, December, 1939, published by the National Spiritual Assembly of Iraq; and Bahá’í Journal, the organ of the NSA of the British Isles, issue of April, 1940.

From Egypt we cull the following notes:

Bahá’í books and documents brought from Palestine by one of the believers were seized in customs on charge of political character and sent to El Azhar University for examination. At the University it was decided to destroy the literature. The NSA then made formal protest to the Prime Minister and the local authorities. The books were then returned to the Customs department. The matter is still in process of final settlement. A


Casting for Temple Main Story. A Duplicate of This Casting Has Been Sent to the Guardian and Placed by Him Near the Tombs


plot of land will be purchased in an important quarter of Cairo for the construction of a Haziratu’l-Quds. The NSA used the copies of The Bahá’í World received as a gift from Siegfried Schopflocher for distribution to leaders of the Egyptian government, to the various ‎ consulates‎, and to the British Embassy.

From India and Burma:

A six-year teaching plan has been adopted which the Guardian emphasizes strongly. Among the current teaching activities we note that the Bombay Assembly has held an important public meeting in the Municipal Hall, Kalyan, presided over by Mr. Ganesh Krishna Phadke, member of the Legislative Assembly, and the speakers listed were H. M. Manji, N. K. Bhagwant, M. H. Ilmi, and Mrs. Shirin Fozdar. Prof. Pritam Singh was invited to attend the Jubilee Celebrations of the Quadian Movement and found opportunity to give the Bahá’í message to many. He was accompanied by Moulvi Abdallah Vakil, who also taught actively. Prof. Singh has addressed the Multan Government College on the subject of Religion and Youth. At Lahore, many Hindu friends are becoming interested. The International Bahá’í Youth Day was observed in many cities of India, notably Karachi and Bombay. At Kadvai, a small town near Bombay, the believers are undergoing persecution. After two weeks of public agitation the Bahá’í are being boycotted by the other residents. The difficulty seems to arise from the fact that some believers have been Muslim priests who now realize the significance of

[Page 12] the administrative order. Copies of a Bahá’í calendar can be obtained for one anna each, postage additional, from National-Book-Stall, Deepchand Ohja Road, Bunder Road Extension, Karachi, India.

From a letter received by the NSA of Iraq from the Guardian: “The Guardian expressed utmost gladness and delight over the glad tidings of the completion of the Haziratu’l-Quds ... and said, ‘The region of Iraq will be an arena where lights will shine, and the first connecting link between Iran, which is the cradle of the Faith, and the Holy Land, the Point of Adoration of the people of Bahá’í. This momentous institution, therefore, is to be regarded as the first of the great preliminaries and glorious institutions which will be established in that blessed land, culminating in the recovery of the House of God, the hoisting of the Banner of His Faith, and the proclamation of His Dispensation in that region ...’ ”

From Australia and New Zealand:

Deep consideration is being given The Advent of Divine Justice. A very moving In Memorian notice of Martha L. Root has been published. The Guardian’s letter of instruction to the NSA of the British Isles (published in a recent issue of Bahá’í News) has been adopted with the request it be observed by the believers of Australia and New Zealand. Appreciation it expressed for the gift of copies of The Bahá’í


Temple Model and Book Exhibit, Yonkers Public Library, December 18, 1939-January 20, 1940


World made by Mr. Schopflocher. The subscription of Herald of the South is five shillings per year. Address: Secretary, Herald of the South, P. O. Box 447D, Adelaide, South Australia. The Bahá’í Summer School at Yerrinbool, New South Wales, was in session from January 6 to 20, but no report concerning it has yet been received.

From the British Isles:

The National Assembly has issued the following instruction. “During these days of turmoil there are many conflicting influences at work. Many new societies and movements, some harmless and some, under the guise of humanitarian or religious purposes, actively seditious, are coming to birth. It is the sacred duty of all followers of Bahá’u’lláh to remain aloof from all such movements, to withhold themselves from political entanglements, and to engage, with single minds and high resolve, in the dissemination of the ‘divine fragrances.’ While consorting ‘with all people with joy and fragrance’ they should be on their guard lest they be led, however unintentionally, to compromise the Faith. In all cases of doubt, the friends should consult their local Spiritual Assembly of the National Spiritual Assembly.”

In a letter from the Guardian to an English believer, the following excerpt was published by the National Assembly of that land. “The latest news he has received from the British NSA regarding the general conditions of the Cause in England, and in particular with reference to the extension of the Teaching work has been most exhilarating, and he indeed will pray that whatever hardships and privations which our dear English believers may come to endure in the course of this war, their vision of their high and essential duties and responsibilities towards the Faith, and their zeal to further extend and consolidate its interests, may increasingly deepen, and thereby enable them to befittingly acquit themselves of their high task.”

“WHILE THERE IS YET TIME”[edit]

“The American believers, standing on the threshold of the fourth year of the Seven Year Plan, pursue their God-given task with a radiance that no earthly gloom can dim, and will continue to shoulder its ever-growing duties and responsibilities with a vigor and loyalty that no earthly power can either sap or diminish.”

With these words, our beloved Guardian, in his letter of April 15, 1940, blazes the trail that the American believers are to follow in the prosecution of the Seven Year Plan in the days to come. In a world filled with travail and terror, amid political, economic and social convulsions of increasing intensity and extent, the path will not be easy nor the way plain. As our Guardian has intimated in recent letters, communication with our World Center may be cut off in the near future by the spread of the war to the Mediterranean area. While the severance of communications would bring temporary isolation, there can be no separation in the world of spiritual realities, and the power of the spirit of Bahá’u’lláh, flowing to us through the channel of our Guardian will unite us in deeper consecration and greater self-sacrificing efforts to fulfill our God-given task.

As the exterior ornamentation of the glorious symbol of our Faith, the Universal House of Worship, draws toward completion, there becomes an increasing need for the improvement of the grounds, so that this glorious structure will have a suitable setting. During the past year advantage has been taken of the opportunity to secure about 20,000 cubic yards of fill at a very low cost. Reinforced concrete entrances and areaways must be built soon so that the spreading of the fill and grading of the grounds may be completed. Additional funds in the amount of about $9,000 will be required for this work.

Never before in the life of mankind on this earth has there been such need for the word of God as today. Everywhere humanity is seeking spiritual food. Our spiritual opportunities and responsibilities are pressing and unlimited. Regular inflow of funds to the extent of $12,500 per month to meet the budget requirements of the National Fund is necessary to carry on the teaching work throughout the American continent.

May we arise to demonstrate our Guardian’s standard of service as expressed in his cablegram of June 17:

“‎  ‎Feel joyous gratitude (that) American believers (are) unfalteringly displaying (the) shining qualities (which) posterity (will) appraise (and) glorify; ‎  ‎I am praying (that) deepening gravity (of) world situation may nerve them (to) still greater efforts (to) attain nobler heights.”

NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY


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