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| No. 147 | YEAR 97, BAHÁ’Í ERA | October, 1941 |
“A Threefold Sense of Gratitude”[edit]
Letter from Shoghi Effendi
Dear and valued co-workers:
As I survey the activities and accomplishments of the American believers in recent months, and recall their reaction to the urgent call for service, embodied in the Seven Year Plan, I feel overwhelmed by a threefold sense of gratitude and admiration which I feel prompted to place on record, but which I cannot adequately express. Future generations can alone appraise correctly the value of their present services, and the Beloved, whose mandate they are so valiantly obeying, can alone befittingly reward them for the manner in which they are discharging their duties.
The virtual completion of a thirty year old enterprise, which was initiated in His days and blessed by His Hand, is the first and foremost accomplishment that must shed imperishable luster not only on the administrative annals of the Formative Age of the Faith, but on the entire record of the signal achievements performed in the course of the First Century of the Bahá’í Era. The steady expansion and consolidation of the world mission, entrusted by that same Master, to their hands and set in operation after His passing, constitutes the second object of my undying gratitude to a community that has abundantly demonstrated its worthiness to shoulder the superhuman tasks with which it has been entrusted. The spirit with which that same community has faced and resisted the onslaught of the enemies of the Faith who, for various reasons and with ever-increasing subtlety and malice, have persistently striven to disrupt the administrative machinery of an Order, foreshadowed by the Báb, enunciated by Bahá’u’lláh, and established by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is yet another testimony to the unrivalled merits and the eminent position attained by its privileged members since the ascension of the Center of the Covenant.
The extinction of the influence precariously exerted by some of these enemies, the decline that has set in in the fortunes of others, the sincere repentance expressed by still others, and their subsequent reinstatement and effectual participation in the teaching and administrative activities of the Faith, constitute in themselves sufficient evidence of the unconquerable power and invincible spirit which animates those who stand identified with and loyally carry out the provisions and injunctions of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
And now more particularly concerning the prime mover of this latest agitation, which, whatever its immediate consequences, will sooner or later come to be regarded as merely one more of those ugly and abortive attempts designed to undermine the foundation, and obscure the purpose, of the Administrative Order of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. Obscure in his origin, ambitious of leadership, untaught by the lesson of such as have erred before him, odious in the hopes he nurses, contemptible in the methods he pursues, shameless in his deliberate distortions of truths he has long since ceased to believe in, ludicrous in his present isolation and helplessness, wounded and exasperated by the downfall which his own folly has precipitated, he, the latest protagonist of a spurious cause, cannot but in the end be subjected, as remorselessly as his infamous predecessors, to the fate which they invariably have suffered.
Generated by the propelling and
purifying forces of a mysterious
Faith, born of delusion or malice,
winning a fleeting notoriety derived
from the precarious advantages of
wealth, fame or fortune, these
movements sponsored by deluded,
self-seeking adventurers find themselves,[Page 2]
sooner or later, enmeshed
in the machinations of their authors,
are buried in shame, and sink eventually
into complete oblivion.
The schism which their foolish leaders had contrived so sedulously to produce within the Faith, will soon, to their utter amazement, come to be regarded as a process of purification, a cleansing agency, which, far from decimating the ranks of its followers, reinforces its indestructible unity, and proclaims anew to a world, skeptical or indifferent, the cohesive strength of the institutions of that Faith, the incorruptibility of its purposes and principles, and the recuperative powers inherent in its community life.
Were anyone to imagine or expect that a Cause, comprising within its orbit so vast a portion of the globe, so turbulent in its history, so challenging in its claims, so diversified in the elements it has assimilated into its administrative structure, should, at all times be immune to any divergence of opinion, or any defection on the part of its multitudinous followers, it would be sheer delusion, wholly unreasonable and unwarranted, even in the face of the unprecedented evidence of the miraculous power which its rise and progress have so powerfully exhibited. That such a secession, however, whether effected by those who apostatize their faith or preach heretical doctrines, should have failed, after the lapse of a century, to split in twain the entire body of the adherents of the Faith, or to create a grave, a permanent and irremediable breach in its organic structure, is a fact too eloquent for even a casual observer of the internal processes of its administrative order to either deny or ignore.
Therein, every loyal and intelligent upholder of Bahá’u’lláh’s incomparable Covenant—a Covenant designed by Him as the sole refuge against schism, disruption and anarchy — will readily recognize the hall-mark of His Faith, and will acclaim it as the supreme gift conferred by Him Who is the Lord of Revelation upon the present and future generations who are destined, in this greatest of all Dispensations, to flock, from every creed and religion, to the banner, and espouse the Cause, of His Most Great Name.
Dear friends! Manifold, various, and at times extremely perilous, have been the tragic crises which the blind hatred, the unfounded presumption, the incredible folly, the abject perfidy, the vaulting ambition, of the enemy have intermittently engendered within the pale of the Faith. From some of its most powerful and renowned votaries, at the hands of its once trusted and ablest propagators, champions, and administrators, from the ranks of its most revered and highly-placed trustees whether as companions, amanuenses or appointed lieutenants of the Herald of the Faith, of its Author, and of the Center of His Covenant, from even those who were numbered among the kindred of the Manifestation, not excluding the brother, the sons and daughters of Bahá’u’lláh, and the nominee of the Báb Himself, a Faith, of such tender age, and enshrining so priceless a promise, has sustained blows as dire and treacherous as any recorded in the world’s religious history.
From the record of its tumultuous history, almost every page of which portrays a fresh crisis, is laden with the description of a new calamity, recounts the tale of a base betrayal, and is stained with the account of unspeakable atrocities, there emerges, clear and incontrovertible, the supreme truth that with every fresh outbreak of hostility to the Faith, whether from within or from without, a corresponding measure of outpouring grace, sustaining its defenders and confounding its adversaries, has been providentially released, communicating a fresh impulse to the onward march of the Faith, while this impetus, in its turn, would, through its manifestations, provoke fresh hostility in quarters heretofore unaware of its challenging implications — this increased hostility being accompanied by a still more arresting revelation of Divine Power and a more abundant effusion of celestial grace, which, by enabling the upholders of that Faith to register still more brilliant victories, would thereby generate issues of still more vital import and raise up still more formidable enemies against a Cause that cannot but, in the end, resolve those issues and crush the resistance of those enemies, through a still more glorious unfoldment of its inherent power.
The resistless march of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, viewed in this light, and propelled by the stimulating influences which the unwisdom of its enemies and the force latent within itself, both engender, resolves itself into a series of rhythmic pulsations, precipitated, on the one hand, through the explosive outbursts of its foes, and the vibrations of Divine Power, on the other, which speed it, with ever-increasing momentum, along that predestined course traced for it by the Hand of the Almighty.
As opposition to the Faith, from whatever source it may spring, whatever form it may assume, however violent its outbursts, is admittedly the motive-power that galvanizes on the one hand, the souls of its valiant defenders, and taps for them, on the other, fresh springs of that Divine and inexhaustible Energy, we who are called upon to represent, defend, and promote its interests, should, far from regarding any manifestation of hostility as an evidence of the weakening of the pillars of the Faith, acclaim it as both a God-sent gift and a God-sent opportunity which, if we remain undaunted, we can utilize for the furtherance of His Faith and the routing and complete elimination of its adversaries.
The Heroic Age of the Faith, born in anguish, nursed in adversity, and terminating in trials as woeful as those that greeted its birth, has been succeeded by that Formative Period which is to witness the gradual crystallization of those creative energies which the Faith has released, and the consequent emergence of that World Order for which those forces were made to operate.
Fierce and relentless will be the opposition which this crystallization and emergence must provoke. The alarm it must and will awaken, the envy it will certainly arouse, the misrepresentations to which it will remorselessly be subjected, the setbacks it must, sooner or later sustain, the commotions to which it must eventually give rise, the fruits it must in the end garner, the blessings it must inevitably bestow and the glorious, the Golden Age, it must irresistibly usher in, are just beginning to be faintly perceived, and will, as the old order crumbles beneath the weight of so stupendous a Revelation, become increasingly apparent and arresting.
Not ours, dear friends, to attempt
to survey the distant scene; ours
rather the duty to face the trials
of the present hour, to ponder the
meaning, to discharge the obligations,
to meet its challenge and utilize
the opportunity it offers to the
fullest extent of our ability and
power.
- Your true brother,
To the Spiritual Assemblies, Communities and groups of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada.
Beloved Friends:
In previous issues of Bahá’í News we have surveyed the tasks to be accomplished before 1944 and those definitely assigned to this Bahá’í year. Those tasks are not less than overwhelming, considered in the light of our human capacities and resources. But because they are steps in the Divine Plan, and not merely political or economic activities, their eventual accomplishment is fixed and certain. It is of the essence of the Divine Plan that the task and the power to perform it are two facets of the one same reality. Indeed, a Divine Plan is accomplished in the spiritual world before it is announced and proclaimed in the world of human personality.
Not one believer in this Cause is required to make personal sacrifices beyond his capacity, that is, in excess of his passionate desire to serve Bahá’u’lláh. We have no collective financial problem to solve, no problem of teaching work. The one single issue before us individually and collectively is the spiritual problem of how much we respond to the mysterious forces and powers offered us when we advance on His path. He has all knowledge and all wealth. This surrounding spirit of perfect accomplishment rushes to our aid when we have attained the station of true obedience. It will not confirm us in any ignorance, selfishness, ambition nor lack of union with the Bahá’í community.
These days are days of exalted mystery, for they are so imbued with omnipotent Power that the feeblest soul can exert mighty forces and the simple mind express profound wisdom.
Therefore the National Spiritual Assembly can but urge the friends
Main Story Ornamentation No. 6, September 22, 1941. Completion of first of the nine faces.
to lay aside all hesitation and doubt
in connection with the successful
carrying out of the schedule of
Bahá’í tasks. These tasks are signs and
indications that a great company of
souls have turned to God and seek
to obey His will. They are not burdens
nor obstacles to be avoided for
the sake of passive ease, but proofs
that a community of faithful souls
has been raised up by the power
of the Greatest Name.
What the Cause needs today is the spirit of the hero in every community, group and meeting. Our gatherings should reflect the fire of zeal which reveals the acceptance of the soul into the Kingdom. This zeal, this unconquerable conviction of success, combined with intelligent study of the tasks to be done, will create new standards and capacities. Having done what the Guardian wishes, we will turn to Him and appeal for more and harder tasks!
Who will raise this banner at the Nineteen Day Feasts, at the meetings of Assemblies and Committees? Who will give proof that his love for God has attracted God’s love for him? Who will assist in transforming the Seven Year Plan from a difficulty to the rarest of privileges?
- Faithfully yours,‘
Inter-America News[edit]
“Darkness hath encompassed
every land, O my God, and caused
most of Thy servants to tremble. I
beseech Thee, by Thy Most Great
Name, to raise in every city a new[Page 4]
creation that shall turn towards
Thee, and shall remember Thee
amidst Thy servants, and shall
unfurl by virtue of their utterances and
wisdom the ensigns of Thy victory,
and shall detach themselves
from all created things.
“Potent art Thou to do Thy pleasure. No God is there but Thee, the Most Powerful, He whose help is emplored by all men.”—Bahá’u’lláh.
The Inter-America Committee has received with great joy an inspirational report from Mr. and Mrs. Rafi Mottahedeh, telling of their recent trip through Central and South America. We quote from their report some of the high lights.
Rio de Janeiro
“Rio is a large, beautiful city and could have as stirring a center as New York, if the right pioneers are sent there. The people are very liberal minded and there are many refugees eager and willing to listen to the Faith.
“One meeting was held at Leonora’s apartment and was attended by approximately twenty-five people; newspaper men, physicians, refugees; one couple who had heard of the Bahá’í Faith in Vienna and several charming people of capacity. They seemed to be deeply interested and were eager for more meetings. When we returned from Sao Paulo we had a meeting at the Hotel Gloria in our suite which was very well attended, and several seemed to catch the fire of the Faith. A young newspaper reporter working for one of the most important papers in Rio, said that he would like to be considered a Bahá’í. He had heard of the Faith from Jeanne Bolles. We know that he will be a help to whoever will come there as a pioneer.”
Bahia
“Mr. Worley met us at the airport and he and his wife were extremely kind and cooperative. Our trip to this city was solely for the purpose of visiting the Bahá’ís.
“One man who can read knows Bahá’u’lláh and The New Era by heart, and his devotion and faith is beautiful to see. The leader of this small community is a Donna Antonia, an intelligent elderly lady. She lives in a hut with mud floors and does not even have the necessities of life. The sole decoration is a picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. We
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Congratulate”=== Heartily, joyously congratulate entire body (of) American Bahá’í community (on) remarkably rapid completion (of) ornamentation (of) first main story Temple unit. Whole Bahá’í world joins me (in) expression (of) undying gratitude. (The) conclusion (of) external decoration (of) sacred, historic edifice must needs signalize (the) intensification (of) concentration (of) unbounded efforts (of) victorious community (on) early fulfilment (of) teaching requirements (of the) Seven Year Plan. (I am) prompted (to) consecrate, (in the) course (of the) remaining years (of the) Plan, the National Assembly’s loving contribution destined (for) International Funds, (on) furtherance (of) intercontinental teaching campaign. Appeal (for) nobler, wider, more sustained efforts (to) insure (the) attainment (of the) one remaining striving goal. SHOGHI RABBANI
Cablegram received Sept. 29, 1941 |
brought with us a Persian rug with the Greatest Name and Bahá’í poetry woven in it and we felt that the best place to put it was in Donna Antonia’s home. We held one meeting at her house which was attended by the Worleys, the Brazilian believers, and their neighbors. The friends of these Brazilian believers fully realize how necessary it is for them to be Bahá’ís, but have not yet reached the point of confirmation. One Indian man among them was very keen and during the period of question and answer said, ‘Christ did not mean this carnival of religion that the Church has made.’ ”
Mrs. Mottahedeh especially mentions a meeting which was held at the British Club in Bahia and attended by about ten people. One of the persons most interested was a prominent doctor who is planning to attend Johns Hopkins in Baltimore this winter. “He is a native Brazilian, highly regarded in Bahia and we feel that his confirmation will give a great impetus to the work in that city.”
Buenos Aires, Argentina
“When we arrived at the airport there were about thirty people waiting to greet the passengers of the plane. About twenty-five of them were Bahá’ís who had come to meet us. Their excitement and ours was greater than we can describe to you.” Mrs. Mottahedeh here tells of the wonderful spirit infusing this entire community, and the wonderful work done by Mr. Sprague on his recent trip to Buenos Aires. “Their kindness to us and their love was overpowering. — They have a very nice center and conduct meetings two or three times a week. They have a young people’s group which is very much alive.
“Mr. Tormo, the chairman, has a country home at Ezeiza where the Bahá’ís and their friends gather almost every Sunday. This is really a sort of Bahá’í summer school and has some of the spirit of Green Acre. Its Sunday population varies from seventeen to seventy and everyone is welcome.
“We were thrilled to hear that the Buenos Aires believers are planning a new group in Patagonia. Mr. Tormo, is instructing a girl from Rio Negro in the Faith. She seems close to confirmation and will go back home to teach. They do, however, need a pioneer to go to that city to do the final work of confirmation.
“Another member of the Buenos Aires Local Assembly has gone to the north of Argentina to Corrientes and hopes to start a group there.
“The high point of our visit to Buenos Aires was the trip to Quilmes to visit the grave of Mrs. Maxwell. We covered the grave with flowers, then said prayers in Persian and English and Spanish. There were nine of us there.”
Santiago, Chile
“Marcia Atwater has a group of about eleven, most of whom have been Bahá’ís for only two months. They are all souls of capacity and we feel that the groundwork has been done to establish the Cause firmly in Chile. . . . She receives much favorable publicity and all of the newspaper men that she comes in contact with, know of the Faith. She is working for one of the newspapers besides doing her Bahá’í work.
“We held several meetings at Marcia’s
house and were able to give
[Page 5]
the Message to a small group. These
meetings were well attended. We
were able to give the Message to a
young Austrian refugee woman who
seems to have great capacity.
“When Marcia presented Bahá’í literature to some Government officials and told them the purpose for her visit and stay in Chile, she received encouragement to go on.”
Peru
“We were delighted with this country and found it the most interesting of all the places we visited. Despite the fact that here too you could reiterate the details of the miseries the people endure. Here you find the living remnants of Inca civilization. These people have never lost the greatness of this ancient civilization which was given them. There are many intelligent, wide-awake Peruvians and we felt this country is a fertile field for the Faith. The climate in most places is equitable and the people are as progressive as they can be, considering their economic condition. Peru is a land of enchantment both from the scenic point of view, its great past and the latent power that you feel in the people. . . . The Indians have noble faces and many of them are very beautiful. Lima, their capital, has the air of a busy cosmopolitan city.
“‘We regret that our limited time prevented us from making contacts for the Faith although we did meet an English woman connected with the British legation who seemed ready. We are sending her literature.”
Quito, Ecuador
Mr. and Mrs. Mottahedeh tell of their arrival in Ecuador and of our pioneer, Mr. John Stearns, taking them to meet the heads of an English cultural center. The three teachers are Ecuadorians and have started this center to promote better feeling between Britain and South America. “We invited two of these heads to meet at John Stearns’ house at his suggestion. About nine people came to that meeting including the first Ecuadorian Bahá’í upon whose face his faith can be read. He is a young boy, intelligent and with an inquiring mind. His family approved of his being a Bahá’í and know the Teachings.
“We were supposed to leave the morning after this meeting, but the
Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of San José, Costa Rica, newly established April 21, 1941.
plane could not come over the
mountains to Quito from Quayaquil,
so we had to stay another day. We
spent this day with Eduardo, the
Ecuadorian Bahá’í, and John. That
evening we held the first public
Bahá’í meeting in Ecuador which
was attended by about twenty-nine
people who listened with great
attention and who accepted with
alacrity the Bahá’í principles.
One of the heads of the school
said you may count me the second
Ecuadorian Bahá’í. His co-worker
will follow him also, I think. We
said to the group that if they thought
these principles were good, they
should start a weekly study class;
which suggestion was eagerly accepted.”
Panama
“Mrs. Caswell met us at the plane and we were so happy to see her and to be in the Canal Zone.
“Mrs. Oliver was working, so we spent most of our time with Louise Caswell. Both of them are working hard there under difficult conditions. There is much color prejudice and much natural feeling on the part of the Panamanians. We feel that their work has progressed extremely well considering the difficulties at hand. We held one meeting at the house of a Panamanian in the Canal Zone, which was attended by several young people as well as two colored teachers from La Boca School.”
Mr. and Mrs. Mottahedeh then told of another meeting which was very well attended and of their visits to several other Bahá’ís throughout the Canal Zone. Also of the difficulties the Bahá’ís have in getting together for meetings, as the heat, transportation and the distances between their homes all contribute to the slowness of progress in the Teachings.
In closing, Mr. and Mrs. Mottahedeh say; “We feel that it was a great privilege for us to be able to make this tremendous journey and feel that it has contributed to our own development. We also hope that we will be able to pass on to the believers here the urgency for their support of the South American work at any sacrifice.”
Miss Beatrice Irwin has written an interesting account of her trip to Rio. On the boat she says that she was able to give the Teachings to a group of thirty young Morman Missionaries and has given two Bahá’í talks at the Gloria Hotel in Rio, since her arrival.
The Inter-America Committee has received the registration cards of two new believers from Cuba and one from Haiti. Each name added to the Bahá’í Community of North and South America gives great joy to all the Bahá’ís throughout the Western Hemisphere.
The inter-America Committee is very glad to report that Mr. Arthur Rotunno from the Yonkers Assembly expects to move to Bermuda and will remain there at least two years.
Cuba
Miss Josephine Kruka writes that
she expects to return to Havana in
the early part of October to resume
[Page 6]
her teaching of the Cause in that
country. She asks that the prayers
of the believers in this country go
with her to Cuba and help establish
a Bahá’í Assembly by April of 1942.
Costa Rica
John Eichenauer reports much splendid activity in Central America. He is at present in Costa Rica, and writes as follows; “These have been glorious days having Louise Caswell with us in San Jose! She has been very well received by the Community and has spoken at several meetings. It’s been quite a reunion of pioneers. . . Last night, several members of the Community gave Louise and me a farewell dinner here in Gayle Woolson’s apartment. A delicious dinner, we were nine by coincidence. Tomorrow Gayle, Louise and I are going down to Puntarenas on a teaching trip to form a group there where the chairman is staying for a time. From there I will go to San Juan del Sur and up to Managua in time to meet Louise who will come back to Jose and take the plane next Wednesday for Managua. . . She plans to stay in Nicaragua about three days and I will try to take her also to meet the group and contacts in Masaya and Granada. Then she will go for several days to San Salvador where Clarence will show her around, arriving I judge around Saturday a week from the coming one. Then, as she has probably told you, several weeks in Guatemala and about the time she leaves Guatemala, I will head north after finishing some teaching work in Nicaragua to Honduras where we plan to meet again. I plan to arrive a few days before her and notify them of her coming so as to have a nice crowd out to meet her and stay there in Tegucigalpa and surrounding territory as long as the Committee sees fit.” John writes that his younger brother Marshall, a Bahá’í Youth, is planning to join him in Central America. He says: “It is my plan, may Bahá’u’lláh if He sees fit, confirm it, for us to go to Panama to pioneer and assist Louise and Cora and at the same time take jobs in the Canal Zone which Louise says are very plentiful.”
Mrs. Amalia Ford who has been for some time in San Jose as a pioneer, is returning home for a well earned rest. She has done a great
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Assure (Eve) Nicklin prayers (for) success (in) Peru. Convey (Eliabeth) Cheney loving concern, fervent prayers (for her) recovery (and my) deepest admiration. SHOGHI RABBANI
Cablegram received Sept. 30, 1941 |
deal in the establishing of the first
Bahá’í Assembly in Costa Rico.
Haiti
The Committee has received with great joy another registration card from Port au Prince, Haiti. The card has been forwarded by Mr. and Mrs. Blackwell.
Uruguay
Mr. Wilfrid Barton reports the registration of two splendid Bahá’ís of great capacity in Montevideo. The slow but steady growth of the Cause throughout South and Central America is a cause for deep joy in the hearts of all believers.
Mrs. Caswell and Mrs. Oliver have sent in the registration card of a new believer in the Canal Zone. The registration of this believer is a cause for great rejoicing as he is the leading Negro Educator of the Canal Zone. In view of the important place held by Panama as the crossroads of the world it is of inestimable value that the Bahá’í Community present within itself across section of the human race.
From Quito Mr. John Stearns writes a short account of the visit of Mr. and Mrs. Mottahedeh. “Their arrival was virtually without any forewarning. . . the cable from Lima reached me after their plane was supposed to have. Despite this in a hasty way we gathered together an interested handful for a small meeting Sunday night, really the first of such held in Ecuador. Bahá’u’lláh saw fit to detain them a second night by making landing conditions impossible for their plane north Monday. Monday evening they again talked to a larger group, assembled by the process of uniting the meeting classes at the English Center to hear them. Among these were many whom I was anxious to have reached. My only regret and the only regret of the friends they left was that it was impossible on such short notice to assemble all the people who should have met and heard them. Anyway we now have a study group, and their visit was like a drink of fresh water to me personally. Their stopover was a big lift in Ecuador.”
An inspiring report on the work in Chile has been received from Mrs. Marcia Atwater, who is living in Santiago. She writes of the steady progress made by the group of six Bahá’ís in their studies of the Cause and the constantly growing circle of people who are being made aware of the Teachings. She enclosed a copy of the talk given in Spanish by her, at the University of Santiago. The talk attracted a great deal of favorable publicity and interest. Mrs. Atwater intends to remain in Chile indefinitely.
Mrs. Frances Stewart writes of her return to Utica, New York, after a trip of many months through Central America. Mrs. Stewart was able to make many contacts and formed study groups throughout this part of the American Continent. Enclosed was a Spanish translation of the Tablet of Ahmad. Mrs. Stewart is also assisting in the translation of the new Spanish prayer book.
Venezuela
Miss Priscilla Rhoads writes that she is able to include the Bahá’í ideals in her educational work. She is planning to remain in Caracas indefinitely and to quote from her letter: “I simply can not imagine myself living in New York again. Life here is so much pleasanter, the people are so ‘simpatico’ and after awhile I shall be accepted as a person and not an ‘extrariero.’”
Mr. and Mrs. Roscoe Woods sailed from New Orleans on July 23rd, for Rio de Janeiro, where they intend to reside indefinitely. They will undoubtedly prove of great assistance in the teaching work already begun in that city.
Bolivia
Mrs. Eleanor Adler has returned
from La Paz, Bolivia, having
disembarked at New York, July 28th.
She was welcomed by a member of
the New York Community, Mrs.
Helen Lielnors. In Bolivia, which
first heard of the Cause in December,
1940, there are three Bahá’ís
[Page 7]
of great capacity carrying on the
work of Bahá’u’lláh. Another strong
link has been added to the growing
chain of believers on the American
Continent. The prayers of the North
American Bahá’í Community are
asked, that they may assist all of
the new groups in South America.
North America Teaching[edit]
Weighted down though we all have been by the consciousness of the appalling task yet before us, in the prosecution of the Seven-Year Plan throughout North America, a task demanding not less than the creation of an organized Spiritual Assembly in every State and Province of this vast land, yet on the other hand we are thrilled and overjoyed by the evidences of our Guardian’s good favor and confidence in our ability to prosecute our chosen work. “The quality and magnitude of the work already achieved . . . are inexpressibly exhilarating and infinitely meritorious,” he has written us recently, and again, “The Plan itself . . . bids fair, in the fifth year of its operation, to exceed the highest expectations of those who have so courageously launched it.”
It is indeed well that we should feel some confidence and hope, in an hour when we are privileged to pour out new gifts of spirit and sacrifice to our “world redemptive Faith, for whose precious sake the world is undergoing such agonies” . . . We are, by the inconceivable grace of God, physicians to the peoples of this world. As such, our field is enormous and our spirits, too, surge with an enormous eagerness, a very restlessness of zest to conquer it!
From a hundred points the National and Regional Teaching Committees are flooded with proofs of the new life and vigor which stirs the friends, evidence surely of that promised “operation (of) spiritual forces” which Shoghi Effendi tells us is accelerating in proportion to the world’s travail. The following paragraphs are only a sample of those proofs, but enough, we believe, to carry to each of us the conviction of success.
Two of the virgin States have already yielded a fruit of enough believers to establish Spiritual Assemblies
Group of Believers and Students of the Faith in Santiago, Chile, 1941.
in April. The cities are Arlington,
Virginia, and New Orleans,
Louisiana, both testimonies to
indefatigable Bahá’í service.
In Arkansas Mabel Ives and Reszi Sunshine are striving to accomplish the same goal, and recent figures show five believers in Hot Springs, three in Little Rock, with several other close friends for the Cause. These results have grown from two energetic campaigns in January and February, in which Howard Ives also wonderfully helped. One stimulating contact was Dr. Janet Miller, author of “Camel Bells of Baghdad,” who as a medical missionary spent a year in Persia, several times visiting the Tarbíyat School.
A major project this Fall will be conducted by the Regional Committee to strengthen New Orleans in October, then to open Moline, Alabama, and probably Gulfport, Mississippi. The technique will include contacts and advance publicity by Marion Little, a public campaign by Mabel Ives, and carefully-planned follow-up using many of the Southern friends.
In Texas the Faith has taken root in several centers and is progressing steadily. San Antonio now counts eight Bahá’ís with a twice-weekly study group. Both here and in Dallas Kathryn Frankland is doing historic work. Our new Dallas Bahá’í, Mrs. Elizabeth Bailey, sponsors a study class which Mrs. Frankland has twice visited, and this plan will doubtless continue in the Fall. Ruth and Leslie Hawthorn of Winterhaven have been rewarded with three recent registrations, including the first Mexican-American believer of Texas, the five of them scattered through Dimmit County which is larger than Rhode Island! In Corpus Christi our Regional secretary, Doris Corbin, is diligent in tying these and other efforts into a teaching program of ever-widening opportunity.
Still another virgin State is responding to the ceaseless efforts of Regional Committee and hard-working Bahá’ís: Rhode Island now boasts a group of five at Pawtucket, and four in Providence. In July Terah Smith arrived to reinforce, during the next weeks, their progress.
The Canadian friends, faced with
the prodigious challenge of five virgin
Provinces, have launched a nation-wide
campaign which, through
the medium of regional conferences
in or near Montreal, Toronto, and
Vancouver, has already enlisted the
best thought and services of every
available believer. During the next
months the Maritimes will be
bombarded with such teachers as Lorol
Schopflocher, Doris and Willard McKay,
Rosemary and Emeric Sala,
Amine and John DeMille, Ernest
Harrison, Elizabeth Cowles, Grace
Geary, not to mention the original
[Page 8]
pioneer of Nova Scotia, Beulah
Proctor. It is hoped that Moncton
will soon be reestablished as an Assembly,
while Halifax and Prince
Edward Island are more difficult
goals. In Ottawa the Cause is stoutly
represented by Winnifred Harvey,
while in Winnipeg Ernest Court
carries on a group in the absence
of Rowland Estall. Mr. Estall himself
is busy from Coast to Coast,
sharing his unique grasp of the
Faith and its teaching necessities,
“raised up,” in the words of one
friend, “to stimulate Canada to an
enlarged service.” After September
he will concentrate especially in the
Prairie Provinces which have
recently gained a new pioneer in Lulu
Barr, now living in Saskatoon. Plans
are also under way to send another
pioneer to Saskatchewan, while in
Alberta Doris Skinner is pushing the
work in Calgary and Edmonton, and
looking eagerly to British Columbia
for increasing aid.
The vitality of the Faith in far-off Alaska was tangibly displayed at the Geyserville School in the person of Janet Whitenack of Fairbanks, who has now returned to the North with her first experience of Bahá’í community life, and immeasurable affectionate greetings to warm our three pioneers of Anchorage. We have learned of two study groups in that outpost spot, with at least six students very close to active membership. “The spiritual conquest of Alaska is a much greater undertaking than I ever realized,” Honor Kempton writes, “but it will be done.” On that point we are none of us in doubt!
After two discouraging years in that difficult State, Nevada, Helen Griffing is at last gathering in her harvest. A group of six believers in Reno will join forces in September with Sylvia King, bent upon the addition of sufficient members to achieve their Assembly as soon as possible.
We are thrilled, also, to know that Ruth Moffett has undertaken new work in South Dakota, which she surveyed in June through flying visits to Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Deadwood, and Lead, giving two radio talks and several public lectures. At first, she writes, “I will confess that I did not consider it worthwhile to go up among the rattlesnakes, buffalo grass, and treeless distance . . . ,” but through this survey, she is now convinced of the opportunities for fruitful teaching, especially in Sioux Falls. Mrs. Moffett has also been devotedly at work in Iowa, a State to which Shoghi Effendi directed her efforts, with intensive campaigns during May and June in Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls, and Independence. The heartfelt hope of the Guardian for Local Assemblies is yet to be fulfilled in both these States.
Orcella Rexford has just proved convincingly that pioneering in Latin America may also be done at home! While teaching at Louhelen, she made several visits to the International Conference of Progressive Education at Ann Arbor, to which the American government had brought as guests some thirty-two Latin American delegates. One carried an introduction from Elizabeth Cheney in Paraguay, while Senor Torres of Nicaragua was a Bahá’í who had assisted Frances Stewart. Several of the delegates accepted invitations to Louhelen, including a distinguished Honduras woman educator, awarded life membership in Phi Lambda Theta for her conference work. Other fascinating friends were made in Ann Arbor, whose coming to the School contributed richly, including a group of scholarship students from the Philippines and an eminent Philippine artist.
With only thirty months until our centennial Convention, we are pressed to discover every talent and wisely administer every resource. Southern California, in an inter-community conference on August 3rd, has developed a valuable contribution to the problem of clarifying and coordinating the relationships of all agencies responsible for teaching. Some fifty believers, members of local teaching and extension committees, devoted an earnest session to a discussion among themselves and with representatives of the Regional and National Teaching Committees, of these relations and functions. Remarkable were the insight and enthusiasm gained by all who took part, and indeed the entire conference received the confirmation so abundantly promised us.
Surely, dear friends, the achievements of the past weeks are but a splendid foretaste of the bounties vouchsafed to our American community. “God’s own Plan has been set in motion,” our beloved Guardian assures us. “The powers of heaven and earth mysteriously assist in its execution.” May not these words of the Master continue to lead us on to the last step of our chosen Path?
“The Kingdom of God is possessed of limitless potency. Audacious must be the army of life if the confirming aid of that Kingdom is to be repeatedly vouchsafed unto it . . . Vast is the arena, and the time ripe to spur on the charger within it. Now is the time to reveal the force of one’s strength, the stoutness of one’s heart and the might of one’s soul.”
Bahá’í Calendar[edit]
Nineteen Day Feasts: Knowledge, October 16; Power, November 4; Speech, November 23.
Anniversaries: Birth of the Báb, October 20; Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, November 12; Day of the Covenant, November 26; Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, November 28.
Meetings of the National Spiritual Assembly: at Wilmette, October 3, 4, 5 and 6; at Wilmette, November 14, 15, 16.
In Memoriam[edit]
I have made death a messenger of joy to thee; wherefore dost thou grieve?—BAHA’U’LLÁH.
- Mrs. Ida Mae Gillis, Chicago.
- Mrs. Millie Moorman, Muskegon.
- Mrs. Charles Redeen, Millbrae,
California.
- Mrs. Martha Macbean, Montreal.
- Mr. M. L. Mereness, Helena.
- Mr. Henry Jersey, Lansing.
- Mr. Will Graham, Circleville, Ohio.
- Mr. Rowland M. Knight, Santa
Rosa (1940).
- Mr. Harry Raver, Los Angeles.
- Mrs. J. M. Eaves, Indianapolis.
(not Minneapolis as previously reported).
Enrollments and Transfers[edit]
Helena, three. Glendale, four. Los
Angeles, three. Chicago, three.
Richmond Highlands, one. Pasadena,
two and one youth. Atlanta,
two. San Diego, two. San Francisco,
one and one youth. Berkeley,[Page 9]
one. Washington, one. Yonkers,
one. Lima, one. Montreal, one. Vancouver,
one. Baltimore, one. Cleveland,
one. Haworth, one. Toronto,
one. Scranton, one. Detroit, one.
Oakland, one.
Five enrollments of isolated believers were reported in August, twenty-one in September.
Bahá’í Directory[edit]
Additions and Revisions to September 24
ASSEMBLIES
Musgekon, Mich. Change of address. Mrs. Iva Smack, Secretary, 1675 Ray Street.
Yonkers, N. Y. Correction of name. Mr. Samuel Newman, Secretary, 59 Mulford Gardens.
Madison, Wisc. New Secretary. Mrs. Mae Clark, Secretary, 629 Mendota Court.
COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS
GREEN ACRE SCHOOL
- Lorna Tasker, Chairman
- Helen Marjorie Wheeler, Secretary, 84
- Pleasant Street, Worcester, Mass.
- Mrs. Hattie Chamberlin, Recording
- Secretary
- Louis G. Gregory
- Glen A. Shook
- Rachel Small
- Harlan Ober
- Mrs. Harry Ford
- Harry Ford
- Jeanne Steed
- Justin Williams
GEYSERVILLE SCHOOL
- A. M. Yazdi, Chairman
- Gladys Linfoot, Secretary, 156 Nova
- Drive, Piedmont, Calif.
- John Bosch
- Mrs. Olive Meyer
- Irvin Somerhalder
- Louise Groger
- Mrs. Marian Yazdi
- Anita Ioas
LOUHELEN SCHOOL
- Edward Miessler, Chairman
- Mrs. L. W. Eggleston, Secretary,
- Louhelen Ranch, R. D. Davison, Mich.
- Miss Phyllis Hall, Recording Secretary
- Mrs. Beatrice Eardley
- Harry Whang
- L. W. Eggleston
- Mrs. Bertha Hyde Kirkpatrick
- Mrs. Dorothy Graf
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
- Mrs. E. R. Mathews, Chairman, P. O.
- Box 1064, Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Mrs. Charles Bishop, Secretary
- E. R. Mathews
- Mrs. Enos M. Barton
- George O. Latimer
- Mrs. Marion Little
- Mrs. Florence Morton
- Philip Sprague
- Mrs. R. Y. Mottahedeh
ANNUAL SOUVENIR OF ‘ABDU’l-BAHÁ
- Philip Sprague, Chairman
- Mrs. Carl Krug, Secretary, Abbott
- Court Road, Radburn, NJ.
Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Memphis, Tennessee, newly established April 21, 1941.
- Mrs. Edith Inglis
- Mrs. Amy Raubitschek
- Mrs. Annie K. Lewis
- Mrs. Archie Tichenor
- Benjamin Schreibman
- Mrs. Lulu Lux
- Mrs. Jean Sharpless
COMMITTEE ADDITIONS AND REVISIONS
BAHÁ’Í NEWS SERVICE
Address for correspondence: Mrs. David Camelon, Chairman, 125 Fourth Street, Wilmette, III.
BAHÁ’Í WORLD EDITORIAL
Member added: Mrs. Marzieh Gail.
LIBRARY
Address for correspondence: Mrs. S. H. Sims, Chairman, Box 116, Avon, N. J. New member added: Duncan McAlear.
REVIEWING
Helen Campbell unable to serve.
YOUTH
Appointment of more Officers: James Hammond, Editor; Robert Gaines, Business Manager; Mary Hammond, Regional Secretary for Eastern Area; Lloyd Gardiner, Regional Secretary for Middle West Area; Anita Ioas, Regional Secretary for Western Area; Pari Zia-Wallrath, Foreign Correspondent.
REGIONAL TEACHING COMMITTEES
Southern New York. Mrs. John Honnold unable to serve. Kansas-Missouri. Mrs. Cora Schulte unable to serve. Western Ontario. Lulu Barr, Elsie Beecroft, Mrs. Sarah Davies unable to serve. New members added: Mrs. Laura Davis, Amy Putnam.
{{--}
Bahá’ís in Army Camps[edit]
The National Youth Committee wishes to keep in touch with all believers who have been called under the draft. To carry out this plan, the Committee must have a complete list of such Bahá’ís. Kindly send name and present address (and previous address of Bahá’í connection) to Miss Betty Scheffler, Secretary, 1821 Lincoln Street, Evanston, III.
Publishing Announcement[edit]
The World Moves On To Its Destiny, by Shoghi Effendi, a four-page leaflet reprinting excerpts from recent words of the Guardian, including passages from The Promised Day Is Come, explaining the spiritual significance of the present world-struggle. This leaflet is expected to be widely used for teaching work, and the National Assembly ordered a large edition. The leaflet folds to fit standard size envelopes. Sold in lots of 100 only. Price, 100 copies for $0.50.
Feast Day and Anniversary Calendar. This four-page, card-size pocket reference contains the list and the dates of the Bahá’í Anniversaries, Festivals, Days of Fasting, Holy Days on which work should be suspended, dates of the Nineteen Day Feasts, and the Guardian’s letter of explanation. For Assemblies, Groups and Regional Secretaries, 100 cards for $1.00 for resale at 2 cents each. Or 25 cards for 50 cents if the larger quantity can not be used.
A Status of Virgin States and Provinces As of September 15, 1941[edit]
This graph, very simple, measures the work we have to do by 1944. It gives us the “temperature” of every virgin State and Province, by showing the number of declared believers in each one’s largest group. In some areas, you will see, there are no groups but only one or two Bahá’ís. Yet our Guardian’s goal is a Local Spiritual Assembly!
Briefly, a careful survey convinces us that supplementary pioneers are urgently required in these places: Alberta, Prince Edward Island, Vermont, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, North Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, Wyoming and Idaho.
A study of the graph reveals other areas which could and must be greatly strengthened by teachers —resident, circuit, or visiting.
- Only twenty-nine months remain!
“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.”
Temple Teaching[edit]
The Temple Guide Committee reports the following figures showing number of visitors in recent months: April, 451; May, 1103; June, 1317; July, 2391; total, four months, 5262. This represents a decline from the previous year, the result, it is said, of the lack of an adequate number of direction signs locating the entrance and making it clear that visitors are welcome.
Organizations and groups which sent a body of visitors included: North Park College, Bethel Sunday School, Baptist Union of Chicago, Howard Public School, Newcomers Club, Evanston, Women’s Society, Church of the Atonement, Chicago, Nit Wit Club, Evanston, Women’s Society, Epiphany Lutheran Church, Elmhurst, Methodist Church, Elmhurst, Wheelan Church, Evanston, Hope Lutheran Church, Chicago, Women’s Society, Carey Memorial Church, Wheaton, Great Lakes Naval Training Station (W.P.A. Education Tour), Grandmothers Club, Chicago, Lincolnwood Public School, Evanston, Tuskegee Institute.
Visitors registered during this period from many parts of Canada and the United States, as well as foreign countries: Mexico, Japan, France, England, China, India, Australia, Nicaragua, Peru.
In numbers affected, and by its direct association with the Bahá’í House of Worship, Temple guiding represents the most important single teaching project maintained by the American believers. Fortunate are those who as guides have the privilege of contributing to this responsible and far-reaching activity.
Race Unity at Green Acre[edit]
Twenty years ago American friends, following the instructions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, held the first convention for the solution of America’s greatest problem, that of race. Green Acre, over a period of many years, has nobly responded to the ideal of human oneness. A bright feature of last summer’s program was the Race-Unity conference held in August. It consisted of a succession of seven meetings over a period of three days, the entire record of which would make a readable and fascinating book. A more detailed report is being made for future use. Herein is but brief mention of some of its high spots.
Horace Holley as chairman, opened with a prayer; “Many a chilled heart has been set ablaze by the fire of Thy Love, etc.” Loving welcome was voiced and a graphic picture was presented of the Master’s visit to America, with its transforming ideals and wide range of human attraction.
Mrs. Harriet M. Kelsey served as musical director of the conference, utilizing the capacities of various instruments, contributing her own talents and that of her three children, Mary Louise, June and Carol and arranging for other numbers from Misses Lois Keller and Monevar Bechtold.
Miss Lorna B. Tasker, responding to the subject, “Racial Adjustment in Latin America,” impressed much of spiritual value by bringing vividly to our attention the way our Latin American neighbors regard human values and are utterly free from racial prejudices as pertaining to Indians, Spaniards or Portuguese and Negroes.
Mrs. Annamarie Kunz Honnold on “The Emergence of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh” shed light upon the growing feeling of human solidarity, illustrating the unknown talents of various groups and comparing mankind to a great chord in which many notes are needed to make a perfect blend.
Louis G. Gregory emphasized
“The Racial Basis of the New
Civilization,” bringing to view what
exploration, history, science and
[Page 11]
Divine Revelation have now proved of
equal capacities in all races.
Miss Mary Jacobs, an American Indian, told of the kindness of the Indians to the Pilgrim Fathers, who would have left their new homes had it not been for such encouragement.
Roy Wilkins, Editor of the Crisis Magazine, spoke of “Hopeful Trends in Race Relations,” presenting from the viewpoint of his broad horizon, both the realism and idealism of racial contacts. He paid a tribute to the Green Acre atmosphere.
Mrs. Mary Coristine, chairman, sounded a note of warning against old viewpoints and quoted the stirring Words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on the “New cycle of human power.”
Hermann Smith paid a tribute to the Chinese for their inventions, culture and contributions to human welfare.
Matthew W. Bullock related some unknown chapters of Negro history and expressed gratitude for his attraction to the Bahá’í Faith.
Mrs. Mary R. Swift read from the poems of the Negro poet, Dunbar, and one of the American addresses of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Carl Cartwright advocated the identification of oneness with each race and the abandonment of the thought of childhood amongst races.
Miss Jeanne Bolles mentioned the warmth of heart found among the South American people upon her late visit.
On Sunday morning, August 10th, the meeting especially planned to emphasize spiritual values, Mrs. S. E. G. Oglesby, chairman, read prayers and extracts from the Sacred Words. Mrs. Dorothy Baker gave a talk on “The Spiritual Bond of Unity,” how it had created great past civilizations and today is transforming mankind. “If we turn our hearts to the Gift of the Holy Spirit, the ‘little horned devil’ of prejudice, separation and animosity may be overcome.” She laid eloquent stress upon the blessedness attended with working for unity, as affecting not only the individual, but the world influence and spiritual station of America.
At the closing session Mrs. Ludmila Bechtold, chairman, impressed the importance of living true race relations, relying upon the power
|
On receiving information from a Canadian Assembly that shipments of Bahá’í News were held up in Customs, the National Assembly communicated with the Customs Division and has assurance that these copies may be delivered without payment of the War Exchange Tax. The package, however, must be labelled “Bahá’í News” and steps are being taken to provide this stamp on future shipments. Assemblies or groups having any further delays or difficulties are requested to report details to the National Bahá’í Office. |
and guidance of Bahá’u’lláh. Matthew
Bullock told of his own quest
for truth and how delighted he now
felt with the Bahá’í Teachings,
almost moved to declare himself a
believer. Curtis Kelsey recommended
ceaseless activity and firmness
in the divine teachings. Mrs. Edith
Inglis deplored the darkness of the
past and hailed the great change
in the world now taking place. Mrs.
Hilbert Dahl gave the Bahá’í teachings
on harmony in diversity. Mobry
C. Oglesby advocated wisdom
and moderation in teaching.
Horace Holley, in this clear vision of reality gave final expression, as quoted in part: “We have left the old world behind. We cannot return to the faith of our fathers. We must rise above the level of the past and build in our hearts a superconscious reservation of strength. There is a perfect judgment from a Higher Power and now we are called to be a part of the universal unity. Laws in future will regulate universal values. The cycle of separation is ended and now all may swim in the Great Ocean of Unity.”
Warm thanks were expressed to all who gathered, some drawn from long distances, for their presence, prayers, talents, expressions, and heart responses to this universal theme. The Green Acre Program and National Race Unity Committees cooperated in this service.
Teaching Conference Vogel Park Cleveland, Georgia June 14-21, 1941[edit]
The high spiritual atmosphere, unexcelled instruction, and the joys of Bahá’í fellowship will linger long in the memories of those who attended the Special Bahá’í Teaching Conference held again this year at Vogel Park. A total of thirty-one persons were present, Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís, and nineteen remained throughout the week.
In addition to her scholarly classwork on Some Answered Questions, Mrs. Hoagg most generously shared with us one evening many of her most precious memories of the Master, of her visits to Akká and Haifa, and of the early days of the Faith in this country. Mrs. Ives’s course was interrupted when she was called back to Mr. Ives, but Mrs. Terah C. Smith stepped into the breach, and gave us a wonderful series of lessons.
The younger people were most active, and spent hours together discussing many phases of the Teachings. Swimming, boating, driving, and picnicking together were our chief diversions, and all served to give us a greater appreciation of the joys of Bahá’í fellowship.
A note of greeting signed by all present was sent to the Guardian, and later a more detailed account telling him of our fine classes, our living arrangements, our sports, our picnics, and of the great beauty and serenity of Vogel Park and Lake Trahlyta, named for an Indian princess.
At a meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly held in Atlanta, Ga., in November, 1940, the four secretaries of the Regional Teaching Committees in the South were asked to undertake the responsibility of conducting this Conference.
Preparation of Publicity[edit]
As the Cause becomes more widely known and publicized in this country in the press the greater will become the margin of error.
Our experience has been that errors in newspapers concerning the Cause come through ignorance of the Cause and its principles rather than the malice of newspapermen.
First, our own copy must be
prepared with great care, accuracy
[Page 12]
and simplicity. This Committee
thought a short resume of what
happens to “copy” after it leaves
our hands would assist the friends
to understand why some of our
articles appear as they do.
Metropolitan papers have little room for anything besides “news.” So far, our own activities have not grown to the point of becoming “news.” Smaller papers, particularly small town weeklies do not use so large a proportion of their space for “spot-news,” of war and national activities and welcome “feature” material.
Whatever the size of the paper, the copy for that paper must be edited. First, it must fit the space designated for it. If the space is too short for the original copy, the copy must be either rewritten or cut down to fit. On large papers, a re-write man rearranges this material. On small town papers, the editor often rewrites the articles. Whoever writes or cuts down the article is simply doing his job and does not intentionally misrepresent the material he handles. In most instances, since he does not know about the Cause or its principles, his manner of rewriting the facts will convey a meaning different than our own. Most editors do not like to print what they consider “editorial” matter. Statements of our principles and quotations from the Writings are considered editorial in relation to our activities which are considered news. So, often statements about the Faith, which we cherish above the news of our activities, do not appear in the paper.
After an article has been edited it must have a headline or heading written to fit a space. The heading must contain a certain number of letters in the words used for good spacing and must as well convey the meaning of the article. To the average newspaperman the word “cult ” is a four letter word meaning “religion.” Since we are being taught the more minute meanings of words, we cannot be careless of our words. The problem of the Newspaperman is different. He often relies upon certain words because of their number of letters to fit a line.
After an article has been edited it is turned over to a printer who sets it up in type. He too can make mistakes. Considering the number of the people who handle an article and the number of processes it goes through, it is remarkable that more mistakes do not appear in papers all the time.
If we are to continue to use the press as a teaching medium we will have to be willing to use patience, tolerance and understanding of the newspaper problem and of newspaper editors as human beings. If we have written our own copy with great accuracy and simplicity, we will have to leave the rest to Bahá’u’lláh. We can bring the errors to the attention of the editors with a friendly letter or personal call. However, if the editor does nothing about our correction, it is usually best to forget the incident.
Never start an argument or controversy with an editor. Never make a personal call to scold or reprimand him.
An actual attack on the Cause is a different matter and should be handled through national channels.
Bahá’í News Service[edit]
The Bahá’í News Service Committee has been authorized by the National Spiritual Assembly to compile a planograph sheet of newspaper clippings concerning Bahá’í books placed in public or private libraries and Bahá’í talks given over the radio.
This sheet has been planned as a teaching aid for the friends.
We believe that there are many such clippings which the friends have not yet mailed in to this Committee for the Press Books and have been tucked away in personal or local files. May we ask the friends to help us by mailing to this Committee, immediately, any such clippings which would effectively serve this purpose.
MRS. VIRGINIA CAMELON, Chairman 125 Fourth Street, Wilmette, III.
Library Committee[edit]
Library requests have been coming in very slowly during the summer months. Will the friends contact more libraries and help us to establish a splendid record this year?
Assembly Library Committees: Our records are scanty for the leading cities in which there are established Assemblies. In many cases, we have records of the Bahá’í books in the Main Library but very little data concerning branch libraries and other types of libraries to which books have been donated in the past. Will the Assembly Library Committees kindly assist us in bringing our records up-to-date? We should appreciate copies of your reports for our files. Have you made a complete library survey of your city? In how many branch libraries have Bahá’í books been placed? Have you presented books to other libraries—Women’s Clubs, Peace Organizations, Jewish Libraries, Y.M. and Y.W.C.A. Libraries etc.? We hope to be able to make a general report of your library activities later to the friends passing along suggestions, plans and methods of library contacts which you have used successfully. Address all correspondence to Mrs. Frances McComb, 88 Lafayette Avenue, Englewood, New Jersey of this committee who will try to bring our records up-to-date with your assistance during the year.
Regional Teaching Committees: Have you sent along requests for library books for the new communities in which you are now working? Are there Bahá’í books in the libraries in the cities where there are disbanded Assemblies? Have you considered presenting books to the outlying libraries of these cities to attract new people to the meetings? Will you kindly cooperate with Mrs. Carl Krug, Abbot Court So., Radburn, New Jersey of the Library Committee in presenting books to the Army Service libraries in your region? You will receive a letter from Mrs. Krug concerning this Army library project giving further details and we hope that books will be donated to at least a hundred of these libraries during the year with your aid.
Bahá’í Groups and Pioneers: The presentation of books to your public libraries is a basic teaching activity which will give you local publicity and bring people to your Fireside Meetings. Contact the National Library Committee for books after interviewing your local librarian. Offer Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era and Foundations of World Unity as a gift set. Other titles are available if the librarian is receptive or local teaching activities warrant the offer of other volumes.
