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| BAHÁ’Í |  |
NEWS |
| No. 226 | DECEMBER, 1949 | YEAR 106 | BAHA’I ERA |
Temple Interior Progress
Temple Progress Report[edit]
Work is progressing at the Temple site on schedule. The ornamental casts have been put in place on the isolated round columns rising from the Temple floor (see picture), with the exception of those requiring special treatment due to the installation of the stairway and the entrance vestibules.
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Where can you find a photograph of Bahá’ís in Paris, about 1900? See Bahá’í World Vol. II, p. 29 |
The cast stone sections for the pilasters at the entrances and exits will be set in the spring of 1950, when present doors and partitions can be removed without causing excess expenditure for temporary enclosure.
As of the first week in November, approximately 8,000 square feet of ornamental castings had been set in place.
The casting of the ornamental tracery sections was scheduled to begin at the Earley Studios around the middle of November, and the first of these sections will probably be put in place early in 1950.
Meanwhile the ornamentation of the main square columns will proceed, and the next progress photo will show a view of one or more of these columns encased in the ornamental casting.
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“Praying (For) Increasing Success”
Cablegram from the Guardian “Delighted (at) progress (of) Temple work; urge uninterrupted reinforcement (of) Latin America (and) European enterprises through steady flow (of) pioneers, continued self-sacrifice; praying (for) increasing success (of your) high endeavors. Deepest loving appreciation. SHOGHI”
Cable received November 6, 1949. |
Work on the heating and ventilating system is continuing and ventilating ducts are 80 per cent complete above the Temple floor. The duct work in two of the alcoves can be seen in the accompanying picture.
Calendar[edit]
Feasts
- December 12—Masá’il—Questions.
- December 31—Sharaf—Honor.
NSA
- Meeting: Dec. 16, 17, 18.
“Direct” Teaching[edit]
(Excerpt from a letter by the Guardian dated April 24, 1949, to Mrs. Orpha Daugherty of Honolulu, T.H., written through his secretary).
“He approves of your desire to teach the principles of the Faith through radio. But he urges you to do all you can to always, however small the reference you are able to make to it may be, clearly identify or associate what you are giving out with Bahá’u’lláh. The time is too short now for us Bahá’ís to be able to first educate humanity and then tell it that the Source is this new World Faith. For their own spiritual protection people must hear of the name Bahá’í—then, if they turn blindly away, they cannot excuse themselves by saying they never even knew it existed! For dark days seem still ahead of the world, and outside of this Divine Refuge the people will not, we firmly believe, find inner conviction, peace and security. So they have a right to at least hear of the Cause as such.”
NSA Meeting
Schedule Increased[edit]
At the October meeting, the NSA revised its schedule of meetings by adding one session on October 31 to the meeting held October 28, 29 and 30; by adding a new meeting on January 20, 21 and 22, 1950; and by changing the date of the February meeting to February 17, 18 and 19.
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Shrine of the Báb, Wall of Northeast Corner.
The Guardian on Convention Workshops[edit]
Although the delegates at the last National Convention voted in favor of workshops, the National Spiritual Assembly felt it advisable to ascertain from the Guardian if workshops should be made a permanent part of the Convention procedure, and the answer from the Guardian follows: “He does not feel that workshops are suitable at the National Convention; the time at the disposal of the delegates is short, and the whole purpose of delegates to a Convention is that as a body they should take up the affairs of the Cause presented for discussion and air ideas and make recommendations. No doubt the workshop itself is a good technique and should be used at summer schools and even if found desirable, at Conferences, but for the Convention it is out of place.” (in a letter written through his secretary and dated August 25, 1949).
Shrine of the Báb, Northeast corner with Rose Baveno pilaster about to be put in place.
The Guardian’s Explanation of Theocracy[edit]
In a letter dated September 30, 1949, addressed to Mrs. Oni Finks, the Guardian answers a question addressed to him which arose during a study class discussion of David Hofman’s Commentary on the Master’s Will and Testament. The question was sent to the Guardian at the request of the Los Angeles Assembly.
“He thinks your question is well put. What the Guardian was referring to was the theocratic systems, such as the Catholic Church and the Caliphate, which are not divinely given as systems, but man-made, and yet, having partly derived from the teachings of Christ and Muḥammad are, in a sense, theocracies. The Bahá’í theocracy, on the contrary, is both divinely ordained as a system and, of course, based on the teachings of the Prophet Himself. This seems to reconcile the Guardian’s statement with Mr. Hofman’s.
“Theophany is used in the sense of Dispensation.
“He will certainly pray that Los Angeles may continue to grow in Bahá’í membership and the believers become ever more united and more active in serving the Faith.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Description of the Great Master[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly has been requested to authenticate the well known passage in which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in speaking in Budapest in 1911, gave the nine qualifications of the Great Master. Finding no signed Tablets on the subject, the N.S.A. referred the passage to the Guardian, and the following reply has been received.
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Proof of Nobility
“Anybody can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success, pleasure and joy; but if one will be happy and contented in the time of trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, it is the proof of nobility.” —‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
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“The statement the Master made about the ‘Great Master’ can be used for the present: It is quite possible that in Persia some copies of this can be found which will authenticate it.” — Shoghi Effendi, through his Secretary, August 18, 1949.
Shrine of the Báb, Northeast Corner. Gantry with Rose Baveno pilaster half raised.
Bahá’í Attitude Toward the Church[edit]
“The article of Dr. Townshend should be widely circulated and used. No matter what the attitude of people towards the churches in general may be it has nothing to do with our Bahá’í attitude, and Townshend has courageously stated this, and it has weight, in view of his former position in the Church,” — Shoghi Effendi, through his Secretary, August 18, 1949.
This reference to Dr. Townshend’s article means the statement he prepared in connection with his withdrawal as an ordained minister of the Episcopal Church. This important article has been published as a pamphlet by the British National Spiritual Assembly, and copies are available through the Publishing Committee at 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois. The title is, “The Old Churches and the New World Faith.”
Shrine of the Báb, Northeast corner with Rose Baveno pilaster erected.
| Score to Date — November 20, 1949 on Response to the Temple Fund | |||
| Group | Number | Estimated for 2 years | |
| $400 | 142 | ................... | $113,600.00 |
| $100 | 521 | ................... | $ 104,200.00 |
| $ 25 | 533 | ................... | $ 26,650.00 |
| *Special | 986 | ................... | $214,500.28 |
| Totals | 2,157 | ................... | $458,950.28 |
| Received against above resolves | $248,304.53 | ||
| *All resolves not falling in other three categories. Many friends have asked if they could send in their next year’s resolve now. This would be very helpful.
—TREASURER
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Temple grounds getting face-lifting by Larry Hautz, Narrine Kluge, Larry Kramer, and Phyllis Renshaw, among many who spent several weekends hauling away debris.
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“THE SUPPLY OF FUNDS, IN SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL TREASURY, CONSTITUTES ... THE LIFEBLOOD OF THOSE NASCENT INSTITUTIONS YOU ARE LABORING TO ERECT. ITS IMPORTANCE CANNOT, SURELY, BE OVERESTIMATED.” —SHOGHI EFFENDI
FIVE MONTHLY DEFICITS
The American believers are informed that while the Temple Building Fund is in excellent condition, the National Bahá’í Fund sustaining all Committee budgets and all national activities other than Temple has a deficit amounting to $16,235,00 as of October 1. The activities and budgets cannot be reduced, they are already at a minimum. There is but one solution—believers contributing to their local Assembly Fund, in addition to their Temple resolves paid directly to the National Treasurer, must know the facts and make a great increase in their regular monthly donations. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
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Prescription for Living, by Rúḥíyyih Khanum. Publication announced in October Bahá’í News at prices given to us previous to devaluation of British pound, is now to be sold at the following prices: Full cloth with dust cover $2.00; Stiff paper cover $1.00. Credit will be allowed for any prepaid orders at first quoted price.
Lest We Forget. The Publishing Committee reminds the friends that although World Order Magazine has been temporarily suspended, back numbers of the magazine, in which many most valuable articles appear, are available at 20c per copy. Also back numbers with exception of some issues of Star of the West, later named Bahá’í Magazine, are available at 10c per copy. These magazines contain so much good material and are useful for teaching work and for interesting inquirers. They are a reservoir of Bahá’í teachings.
“SEIZE A GOD-GIVEN OPPORTUNITY”[edit]
Your Personal “Bahá’í Plan”[edit]
American Bahá’ís, whom the Master termed His Trustees in carrying out the Divine Plan, are accustomed to associate the word “plan” with a mandate conferred upon them by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá or the Guardian. Many years ago the Master revealed a Tablet to an American believer which stated that the Temple was the inception of the organization of the Kingdom. Thus almost our entire American Bahá’í history has been a record of how our community has been fostered and cherished in the arms of Divine guidance.
But it is essential for each of us as individual Bahá’ís to form our own Bahá’í plan as well—our considered, prayerful and consecrated way of life as a follower of Bahá’u’lláh. No two individuals are alike. We differ in character, temperament, profession, knowledge, health and material means. Some of us are members of a large, well-ordered Bahá’í community; others carry on their Bahá’í lives in groups of five or six; some live their Bahá’í lives in spiritual solitude with infrequent opportunity to meet with other believers.
But wherever and however we live today, we owe it to ourselves and to the Cause we claim to love and revere, to lay down and abide by a steadfast spiritual plan. Perhaps one element of this plan is the proportion of income we resolve to devote to the Faith; another element is our determination to set aside a definite time for studying the teachings, either by ourselves or in a study class; still another aspect of our personal plan is to examine our list of acquaintances and select one or more who seem most likely to respond to our presentation of the Message. Endless are the factors which, affecting our personal life, can be made servants of the Faith of God.
Though a few souls serve by inspiration, and are checked and thwarted by arrangements planned in advance, the majority of us are like gardens of which only a small area is seeded for the harvest, or like houses wherein only a few rooms are furnished and used as the dwelling place of mind and heart.
May more of us be caught up in a strong movement of the will, inspired by devotion to the Faith, and succeed in ordering our daily existence for a fuller response to the infinitely precious opportunity we enjoy while yet on earth.
We might read once more the cablegram which the Guardian sent us on March 16 of this year in which he calls upon the friends to steel themselves without delay ... “to seize a God-given opportunity, meet a supreme challenge, and show forth a tenacity of purpose, a solidarity in sacrifice, an austerity in everyday life worthy the Prophet-Martyr of their-Faith ...”
The unplanned life can make only an occasional and partial response to such a challenge. Within a Divine Plan our personalities must take on new qualities of purpose and order.
“Meeting the Crisis”
“Tell the Story”[edit]
World Religion Day[edit]
The National Assembly has accepted the plan of the Public Relations Committee to promote January 15 as World Religion Day. Each Bahá’í group and assembly is urged to plan some type of public meeting on that date. Here is an opportunity to tell a key part of the Bahá’í story — the great theme of Progressive Revelation.
A public meeting on this theme can easily be adapted to a rented hall, a Bahá’í center, or a home. The essential thing is to plan now for an active part in this unified effort.
Suggested Plan:
- An evening of music and selected readings from the World’s
great Faiths.
- A psalm, the ten Commandments, or Hebrew promises of peace.
- The Sermon on the Mount.
- Verses from the Qur’án, showing emphasis on moral laws.
- Selected Bahá’í Writings, stressing the Day of peace and the coming together of religions.
- Readings about other religions,
from the following sources:
- Seven Great Bibles — Alfred Martin
- Sacred Writings of the World’s Great Religions — Frost
- World’s Living Religions — Hume
- Preface to Philosophy, Book of Readings — pp. 307-382 — Hoople, Piper, Tolley.
- A simple talk on Progressive Revelation.
- Basic similarities of the revealed Faiths. (See Alfred Martin’s
Seven Great Bibles, or his World’s Great Religions.)
- Identical Golden Rules listed.
- Comparatively similar morals, spiritual sentiments, yearnings, and strivings for actual realities.
- Duplication of the tenets in the Old Testament Ten Commandments.
- Progress of civilization through the revealed religions.
- Contribution of Judaism; Some Answered Questions, 14-19.
- Contribution of Christianity; Security for a Failing World, Chap. III—Cobb.
- Contribution of Islam; This Earth One Country, Chap. IV—Sala.
- The Civilization of Bahá’u’lláh: The Promised Day Is Come, 122-129—Shoghi Effendi, and Unfoldment of World Civilization, (closing pages)—Shoghi Effendi.
- Basic similarities of the revealed Faiths. (See Alfred Martin’s
Seven Great Bibles, or his World’s Great Religions.)
- A review or talk based upon the Iqán. In such a talk, the following points might be made: the purpose of the Manifestations of God, the reasons why people reject the Manifestations, the spiritual significance of religious symbolism, the two-fold nature of revelation, the lack of finality in any revelation, the the fulfillment by Bahá’u’lláh.
- A guest speaker on comparative religion, plus a Bahá’í speaker. In this case, the guest speaker should be sympathetic to the Faith. The Bahá’í speaker could well base his talk on those given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and found in Foundations of World Unity, or Promulgation of Universal Peace, especially the talk given at Temple Emmanu-El in San Francisco, pp. 355-365.
Important
Keep in mind the key objective for this meeting — a public proclamation, no matter how simple the setting, of the theme of progressive revelation. Do not try to present too much in the way of facts about the other Faiths. Present them with beauty and dignity; the sincere seeker
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will respond to this.
Be sure to offer a key pamphlet or two. The Principle of Religious Unity (purchasable through Public Relations) is excellent. You may also wish to offer Religion Returns and Christians, Jews, and Muḥammadans (obtained through the Bahá’í Publishing Committee.)
Also, announce follow-up meetings and direct people to Bahá’í books in the public library.
Audience Courtesy[edit]
What Can I do Personally
to Make the Meeting Better?
The importance of our service in the Cause cannot be over-emphasized; ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said:
“I hope that whosoever hears your words, sees your deeds and beholds your manners and behavior; may declare that these people are real Bahá’ís, the incarnation of love and amity.”
- By attending the public meetings—not every meeting necessarily but AT LEAST once a month.
- By remembering that these meetings are primarily for the public—and not social meetings just for the Bahá’ís. My constant thought must be, how to make them happy, joyous meetings that will attract the stranger.
Do I Need to Learn
“Audience Courtesy?”
- Whenever the door opens—after a meeting has started—do I turn around to see who came in, thus giving attention to the newcomer, instead of to the speaker, chairman or musician?
- Have I been guilty of whispering after the meeting has started? If I have, I must put myself in the place of the chairman or speaker, and think how I would feel if two people should begin to whisper while I was speaking.
- As a Bahá’í, I know full well the great power of prayer. Do I give to each speaker that aid and assistance? As the Faith grows—we are promised opposition: would it not be well to train myself NOW in the habit of upholding those taking part in a program—through the great power of PRAYER.
- Do I congregate with others in the hall directly in front of the door, thus making it difficult for the stranger to get in? Should not the stranger be met at the door only by an usher?
- Do I get to meetings on time—or better still 5 minutes early? Many returned pilgrims have told how Shoghi Effendi is the soul of punctuality.
National Merchandising Women tour the Temple. One of the many special groups which have, along with business, fraternal, religious, educational, journalistic, medical, and diplomatic personages comprised the 400,000 visitors to the Temple since
it was open to the public. One distinguished visitor was the Abbot Kocho Otani from
Japan, who heads some 6 million Buddhists. “Open ye the gates of the Temple to
all mankind,” said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and we can see how this is being done.
Public Relations[edit]
The Public Relations Committee has prepared and distributed a newspaper release on the celebration of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh.
The committee calls the special attention of the friends to the proclamation of World Religion Day by the National Spiritual Assembly. This annual calendar event, sponsored by the NSA and conducted under Bahá’í control, offers every local community and group a new and very important public relations instrument which, used effectively from year to year by the friends, can develop immense influence.
In most of our shared platforms the Bahá’ís act under the aegis of the former faiths. Here the believers can themselves initiate a public movement and invite others to respond to the call.
To assist in the promotion of this new annual celebration, the Public Relations Committee has announced World Religion Day to the press and prepared a local release for the Assemblies. The Public Relations pamphlet entitled “The Principle of Religious Unity” has been endorsed by the NSA for use as free literature and in preparing Bahá’í talks.
Copies of the pamphlet can be obtained at the rate of 50 copies for $1.25. Send order to Bahá’í Public Relations, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Ill.
World Religion Day[edit]
The National Spiritual Assembly has instituted an annual World Religion Day to be observed publicly by the Bahá’í communities wherever possible throughout the United States. The third Sunday of January each year has been designated for this celebration. In 1950 the date will be January 15.
Acting on recommendation of the Public Relations Committee, the NSA hopes that the Assemblies and groups, large and small, will make every effort to conduct some form of public meeting which will impress non-believers with the universality of the teachings and the power of the conviction of the friends.
The program can include non-Bahá’í guest speakers as well as believers. It can be a lecture, a symposium, a series of readings from the Holy Books, or whatever the local Assembly or committee decides. The purpose is to associate the term “World Religion” with the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, and to proclaim His Faith as the quickener of souls and the unifier of races and nations.
The National Assembly has requested the Programming Committee to prepare suggestions for the meeting. The Public Relations Committee is making a general announcement of World Religion Day to the press, and will provide local communities with a copy of this announcement and also with a release for the local press.
Marriages[edit]
First “All Swiss” Conference Held at Bern, November 5 and 6, 1949[edit]
(By Miss Honor Kempton, ETC representative in Geneva)
The Faith marches on in Europe. These are history making days. The first “All Swiss” Conference has been held. November 5 and 6, eighty of the Swiss friends gathered together to discuss the best way to achieve these goals set for us by the Guardian in his message to the Brussels Conference.
In the new “Bahá’í Center,” in Bern, the friends gathered. Only opened three days before, this Center already had taken on a Bahá’í atmosphere. It is a large light room. Upon the walls hang fine oil paintings—the gift of one of the believers. A large clock hangs on the wall—the gift of the Geneva Community. A space has been set aside where will stand a standard lamp—the gift of the Zurich Bahá’í community. The smiling face of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá looks down on all. One has a warm gay feeling as you enter the room. It is like the Brussels Center—a live spiritual nucleus. Registration was held in this room. Each person received an attractive badge. As the friends began to pour in from Geneva, Zurich, Wolfhalden, Lausanne, Nyon, Neuchatel, and Gossau and Basle, it became evident that the big new Bahá’í Center would not be big enough. A larger room, in the same building, was quickly obtained, prepared with flower decorations, temple pictures, book display, and the friends quickly settled down for the work ahead of them.
The Conference commenced with prayers and music. Madame Vautier, from Zurich, the oldest resident Bahá’í in Switzerland, read the opening prayer. Mr. Fritz Schar, Chairman of the Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Bern, presided during the entire Conference. His address of welcome was followed by the formation of a Committee to send a message to our beloved Guardian.
At the opening session Sunday, Mr. Fritz Semle of Wolfhalden gave a resume of the history of the Bahá’í Faith in Switzerland.
The three main sessions of the Conference were devoted to:
- The Divine Plan
- The Administrative Order
- The Covenant.
Miss Elsa Steinmetz unfolded the
story of the “Divine Plan of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá”, from the time of its inception down to the present day development. It was beautifully told.
It revealed to all the individual responsibility that goes with the bounty
of being a Bahá’í, showing how those
early Martyrs—our spiritual ancestors—accepted this responsibility and
gave their lives. Today the people
of Europe are also rising to fulfill
their responsibility towards their
particular task in the development of
the Plan of God.
In an effective, compelling manner, Mrs. Anne Lynch presented the structure of the Bahá’í Administrative Order. She brought it down from the International House of Justice to the local Spiritual Assembly, again pointing out our individual need for thoroughly studying and knowing the Administrative principles of the Bahá’í Faith so that we can conduct our lives accordingly.
The Covenant: Miss Doris Lohse explained this profound subject with a clarity which revealed her deep knowledge of this important teaching. As the European Teaching Committee has written: “so important is this basic teaching they feel that it should be taken up with deep and prayerful study in classes especially prepared for this purpose.”
A high note was struck Saturday evening with six new declarations—all of them Swiss residents from Geneva. Two more declarations came on Sunday—one from Bern and another from Wolfhalden. Another declaration from a young man in Geneva was received Monday morning, which brought the total number of declarations up to nine. This was not emotionalism. All have been studying the teachings, attending classes, public meetings for many months. It was the deep and powerful spirit, the result of our Guardian’s promised prayers, that touched their hearts. Their shining faces confirmed their simple words—“They too wanted to rise and serve Bahá’u’lláh and keep their Covenant with God.”
The final session was given over to ways and means of achieving the goals set for us by our Guardian. Plans were made for developing a “Swiss Bahá’í Journal” to promote closer fellowship and more active collaboration among the budding communities.
How easy, if we could walk into the Conference Hall, put on ear phones and listen in to French, English, German or Italian, by just turning
Bahá’í delegates to U.N. Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, June 27-28, 1949. From left: A. R. Hosein (spectator), Miss Honor Kempton, Mrs. Anne Lynch, Mrs. Anna Kuntz, Amín Bananí.
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a button, as it is in the United
Nations Building. Here we were all
gathered together at an “All Swiss
Conference,” yet again the external
barrier of language. Friends from
Geneva, Neuchatel, Lausanne, speaking French, the others speaking only
German, and when the Cause
reaches down into the Tessine Canton the Italian language will have
to be considered. So, translation was
necessary. It was no easy task to
translate on sight such profound material as the Covenant or Administrative Order.
On her way to England, Germany and Poland, Mrs. Amelia Collins stopped off at Bern especially to attend the Conference. We were deeply grateful for such a bounty. Also, Mr. Mason Remey, Mr. Raffi Mottahedeh and Mr. Manoutch Zabih shared with us the joys of this historical Conference.
The Faith marches on: These are the “budding communities” which the Guardian says “posterity will recognize as the bedrock of Bahá’u’lláh’s fast evolving administrative Order, as the torch-bearers of His embryonic World Order, and as the heralds of a yet unborn world civilization....”
Latin-American News[edit]
The first results of a new experiment in Latin-America are in, and have proven very encouraging.
It has been the practice in Latin-America to hold a summer school each year following the annual territorial congress. The summer schools have meant much to the Latin-American believers, but they have nevertheless had their drawbacks—the principal one being that there was only one school for all of Central America and the island countries, and only one for the entire South American continent. Then, too, these summer schools being held in connection with the annual territorial congress, could be attended only by the delegates to that congress. When these delegates returned to their respective countries, they naturally reported on the summer school as well as the congress, but inevitably the benefit of this was rather limited.
This year, however, it has become increasingly evident that, with the election of the Latin-American National Spiritual Assemblies approaching so rapidly, some changes would have to be made in the summer school setup. Therefore, at the suggestion of the Inter-America Committee,
Window display during week preceding UN day, Oct. 24 in Minneapolis. Theme used was a tribute to the UN goal of peace, and much attention of passersby was observed.
the National Teaching Committees for Central and South
America both have planned a series
of so-called regional teaching conferences for their respective territories.
The primary purpose of these conferences is to replace the annual
territorial summer schools with
courses of instruction on a more
nearly local level. In South America, conferences have been planned
in 5 cities; not more than 3 countries
will be represented at any one of
these conferences and some will take
in only one or two countries. In Central America, 4 conferences have
been planned, each one taking in
from 1 to 5 countries of that area;
for the most part, of course, the
countries in that area are much
smaller than in South America,
and the distances to be covered
are therefore considerably less.
In addition to the fact that each
conference will cover a much
smaller area than the former territorial summer schools, there will be
no official delegates. Rather, any
Bahá’í who is able to attend the conference for his particular area is
urged to do so. At this writing, reports have been received on two of
these conferences.
On October 9, nineteen Bahá’ís, representing four Bahá’í communities in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Bahia and Belo Horizonte) met in Rio de Janeiro for the opening session of a four-day conference. Courses of instruction prepared by CEBSA (the National Teaching Committee for South America) were given on Teacher Training; on Bahá’í Administration; on “Teaching Problems” (by Rúḥíyyih Khanum); and review of a study outline on Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era. The teachers included Edmund and Muriel Miessler, Rangvald Taetz, Leonora Armstrong and Esteban Canales. Esteban was also the official representative of CEBSA and in addition to the course which he gave, he led consultation on a number of vital matters connected with the teaching of the Faith, which are being submitted by CEBSA to the believers at all of the South American conferences. Esteban is to attend 3 of the other conferences in South America (in Montevideo, Uruguay; Santiago, Chile; and La Paz, Bolivia); and, as at Rio de Janeiro, he
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Bahá’ís attending the opening session of the First Regional Teaching Conference for Brazil held in Rio De Janeiro from October 9 to October 12, inclusive.
will act both as one of the teachers
and as CEBSA’s official representative. In his glowing report on the
conference in Rio de Janeiro, he
mentions that they had very fine
publicity; that there was a very successful public meeting held following the conference; that, as a result
of attending the conference, two
more of the Brazilian believers have
arisen to become teachers of the
Cause; and that, throughout the conference, there was the greatest harmony and unity among all of the
teachers and believers present.
In Bogota, also on October 9, another of these conferences got under way. It was intended for the believers of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, but these latter two countries were represented by only one Bahá’í each, both of whom were acting as teachers. However, the Colombian communities of Bogota, Barranquilla, Cali and Medellin all sent one or more representatives, for a total attendance of twenty-six. The same courses of instruction were given here as at Rio de Janeiro, and the teachers were Gayle Woolson, Mary Binda (who just recently left her home in Bolivia to pioneer in Caracas, Venezuela) and Eduardo Gonzales. Eduardo also acted as CEBSA’s representative at this particular conference. Gayle writes that a thrilling spirit of joy and unity permeated all the sessions, and the believers present described the conference as having “surpassed our hopes.” They are eagerly looking forward to the next time that they can have a conference of this type.
Moving still further north, we find that the first of the conferences for Central America should be getting under way in Havana at this writing. It is hoped that this conference will be attended by believers from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The teachers are to be Carlos Irrizarry (from Puerto Rico), Viva Lismore (from Cuba), Natalia Chavez, and Elizabeth Cheney. Natalia, as official representative of CEBMA (the National Teaching Committee for Central America and the Antilles), and Elizabeth, as representative of the Inter-America Committee, will participate also in the other 3 conferences in Central America (Tegucigalpa, Honduras; San Jose, Costa Rica; and Mexico City.) CEBMA has prepared the material to be presented at all 4 of these conferences, although, as in South America, the conference is under the direction of the Regional Teaching Committee for the country in which it is being held. The courses of instruction include a study of Bahá’í Administration; a course on Teacher Training; review of a study outline on Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era; a course on the responsibilities of Regional Teaching Committees; and study of the work plan which CEBMA has formulated for their territory.
The Inter-America Committee is greatly encouraged by the results of the conferences about which we have already received reports; and we confidently look forward to equally thrilling reports from the remaining 7 conferences. The success of these gatherings means a great deal, for they represent a long and significant step forward in the evolution of the Faith in Latin-America.
The Home Front[edit]
MONROVIA, CALIF.
Racial segregation at a municipal swimming pool in Monrovia, Cal. was ended on demand of NAACP with local Bahá’ís backing plea. Harold Gates, representing the Bahá’í community, appeared before the City Council, saying in part: “All humanity are the children of God, they belong to the same original family, and the same original race. There can be no multiplicity of races, since all are descendants of Adam. This signifies that racial assumption and distinction is nothing but superstition.” With this and the pleas of a minister, a lawyer, and a labor leader the council took action the same evening to end the discrimination.
When Mr. Gates visited the mayor the next day to thank him for the quick action by the Council, the mayor said, “That was a fine appeal Gates; if the colored people only realized that it is not force which will soften hearts, but your kind of spiritual appeal.”
The background for this thrilling situation was the invitation of a Negro lady in a speech class to Mrs. Gates to come to an NAACP meeting as her guest. The meeting was for the purpose of considering action on the swimming pool matter. So out of it arose the opportunity for calm, courageous Bahá’í action. Furthermore, as the affair was under consideration, the Bahá’í group placed relevant quotations in the local papers. Publicity following the Council’s commendable action spread far beyond the local scene, to many other papers. The way also opened for Bahá’í speakers to give the Faith in places hitherto closed.
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ATLANTA, GA.
In an A.T.C. conference Oct. 8-9 here, Harry Ford compared the LSA to a lock with tiny bolts under pressure, each of which is released by a certain part of the key. The LSA is a lock with nine bolts. The KEY is the Holy Spirit—each individual bolt in the lock must be released—the door opens to PROGRESSION in the Cause of God. Consultation is the act of unlocking the door. Consultation is a NEW SKILL — this should be a challenge to develop it, and it develops by practice.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá promised that for those who used the precious gift of consultation, “day by day there will be progression.” Baḥíyyih Ford, fresh from sitting in on some United Nations sessions, spoke of the pathetic absence of that PROGRESSION there, challenging us at the start to make our sessions different. She said that nothing ever made her appreciate Bahá’í consultation so much as watching the helplessness of groups that don’t have it.
MADISON, WIS.
Bahá’í youth at the University of Wisconsin were greatly aided by the 12 day series of evening talks by Mrs. Ruth Moffett, begun Sept. 21, on “New Amazing Keys to the Book of Revelation,” and various world subjects. Having attended a World Youth Council prior to the last war, she brought some of the most discussed questions out to stimulate the discussions after her University talks. Publicity on the series was given on bulletin board, campus paper, and a Madison paper.
CHAMPAIGN, ILL.
The Seabury Foundation here was the scene of the opening one of a series of talks on great religions of the world, sponsored by four local churches uniting in the Foundation. Farhang Javid spoke on the Bahá’í Faith and his presentation of progressive revelation was enthusiastically received by the 75 University students attending. He emphasized the need for unity and praised Seabury Foundation for recognizing that need. Discussion afterward lasted nearly an hour and it was felt his talk was well received. Publicity by posters and announcements in the participating churches helped materially.
Around the Bahá’í World[edit]
GERMANY
(From September Bahá’í Nachrichten)
Referring to the Five-Year Plan which the Bahá’ís in Germany have undertaken, the German National Spiritual Assembly and its Committees reminds all Bahá’í communities, groups and the isolated believers that “this plan can be fulfilled immediately if every believer puts into effect, literally, and with selfless dedication, the instructions of the Guardian:
“Each and every believer, undaunted by the uncertainties, the perils and the financial stringency afflicting the nation, must arise and insure, to the full measure of his or her capacity, that continuous and abundant flow of funds into the national Treasury ... which, in these early days of the administrative development of the Faith, is the indispensable medium for the growth and expansion of the Movement. Contributions to this fund constitute, in addition, a practical and effective way whereby every believer can test the measure and character of his faith, and prove in deeds the intensity of his devotion and attachment to the Cause ...
“We must be like the fountain or spring that is continually emptying itself of all that it has and is continually being refilled from an invisible source. To be continually giving out for the good of our fellows undeterred by the fear of poverty and reliant on the unfailing bounty of the Source of all wealth and all good—this is the secret of right living.” (Bahá’í Procedure, p. 8.)
“When ... a crisis sweeps over the world no person should hope to remain intact. We belong to an organic unit and when one part of the organism suffers all the rest of the body will feel its consequences. This is in fact the reason why Bahá’u’lláh calls our attention to the unity of mankind. But as Bahá’ís we should not let such hardships weaken our hope in the future ... We may be suffering at present but that will soon cease and glorious days will dawn.” (Bahá’í Procedure, p. 19)
The statement of the German NSA continues:
“We are always hearing that in the supposedly ‘rich’ America the completion of the Bahá’í Temple is only possible through the bravest, ever-continuing joy of giving on the part of the poorest of the poor, who are completely without means. Let us not lag behind in work and sacrifice for the Holy Cause, but also do our part, until we are all convinced that many little drops do make a sea.”
(From August Bahá’í Nachrichten)
German representatives of the Bahá’í International Community to the UN, appointed by the NSA of the Bahá’ís of Germany and Austria, are: Gunther Heyd, Ruprecht G. Krueger, and Eugene Schmidt.
CANADA
(From Canadian Bahá’í News)
John Robarts, chairman of the Canadian National Spiritual Assembly, was among the 13 Bahá’ís representing 17 countries at the European Teaching Conference held in Brussels last August. Mr. Robarts reported that “even the differences of language proved to be little barrier to those bonds of spiritual fellowship” which held members of the conference together.
At the Laurentian Summer school, Dr. Genevieve Coy, Dalton School psychologist of New York, taught a course on “Personality and Character”, and Marguerite Sears of Philadelphia taught courses on “Stories on the Faith” and “Public Speaking”. Average class attendance was 27 persons.
The first public meeting ever held in Quebec City was on August 11, with Mrs. Hilda Yen Male as the speaker. Publicity was obtained in four newspapers, and a radio interview was arranged during which direct questions about the Faith were asked.
Bahá’í Article in Encyclopedia Britannica Junior[edit]
The current edition of Britannica Junior, the reference work edited for children and youth, contains an illustrated article about the Faith contributed by Horace Holley at the editor’s request. The Public Relations Committee has written to encyclopedias regularly in recent years to offer them authentic material on the Faith.
Some Thoughts on Giving[edit]
- By Rúḥíyyih Khanum
What most astonishes any impartial observer of the Bahá’í Religion is that here is a Faith that not only believes that its greatest privilege is to give to the world, but that actually puts the sublime theory into practice. Not only do we Bahá’ís give our spiritual teachings, our principles, our unique World Order—which we are fully convinced can alone become the guarantee for international security, permanent peace and universal brotherhood—but we freely offer the advantages of our institutions, and the privilege of visiting and worshipping in our Holy Shrines and Temples, to all who seek their benefits and blessings. We go even further than giving, for we refuse any financial help from any person who is not a Bahá’í! We might say with truth that to be a Bahá’í is to be a giver, a benefactor of his fellowmen in the fullest sense of the word.
There are religions to which no one can belong except by right of birth, but I doubt if such bodies refuse to take a penny from any well-wishing non-member. We, on the contrary, open our arms and our doors to every human being, his color, his class, his creed, his abasement or exalted state, can never bar him from our midst, but his money we will never accept to finance our gifts to the world unless he becomes one of us. Within the Faith, for its avowed adherents, there is likewise a rather extraordinary attitude towards the question of financing it—for finances it must have, like any other form of undertaking. No Bahá’í is forced to give to the Faith: he has no entrance fee, no dues to pay; no collections are made. He is at liberty to give to the fund or not, just as he pleases. He receives all the benefits bestowed by the Faith entirely free: the services of his local assembly, his national assembly, all the supporting committees forming part of the Bahá’í administration, are at his disposal gratis. He never pays for Bahá’í News for his programs, for the messages of guidance received from the Guardian of the Faith. He is lovingly married and lovingly buried by his fellows with no fee attached. He attends the Conventions, the sessions of various schools and conferences, with no charges being made for such attendance. His temple is his own and no plate will be passed, no demand for money be made of him. He can be born a Bahá’í and die a Bahá’í without ever giving a penny to the Faith that shelters and cherishes him, and he will not be exposed to reproach for this. I think it would be difficult to find any denomination in the world that treats its members like this!
On the other hand a Faith which might appear to a shrewd materialist as having a very dreamy and unrealistic way of allowing its vast worldwide organization to function, has very emphatic teachings upon the subject of that harsh reality—Money.
Our teachings force nothing on the individual Bahá’í, but they are graphic, unique and profound on the subject of giving: you do not have to give if you do not want to, you are free, but if you do choose to give to the work of the Cause—in order to enable it to give to the whole world its light—you set spiritual machinery at work: for, teaches Bahá’u’lláh, to give is to receive. One should be like a spring that bubbling over its precious waters, finds that from a deeper source they are replenished. To give, in the truest analysis, is to confer on one’s self. God, the All-Possessing, rich in His Essence, in the highest sense of the word, the Paternal, the Munificent, the Ever-Lasting Giver, really never permits us to give Him anything for, every gesture of giving we make to Him—even to giving our lives for Him—He returns a thousandfold in blessings, tangible and intangible, which he showers upon us. He can never be in our debt, we are eternally in His debt. The joy of giving seems to be one of the joys the Creator has particularly reserved for Himself. Our joy in giving must always be a faint echo of His joy, a token, a symbol of the value He Himself has placed on giving.
We know that when we give a gift to a friend it conveys a sense of happiness and satisfaction when we see it as well received, or truly needed. What then do we feel when we give to the Cause of God? That money, little or a lot as it may be, we know is truly money well spent, for it is impartial, unselfish. It flows out to bring good to the world through enabling the Faith to carry on its work, execute its plans, publish its literature and erect its edifices, which are beacons of idealism to despairing humanity.
In theory I believe every Bahá’í sincerely desires to give some measure of financial support to the Cause so dear to his heart, and for many years I have been trying to find the answer to why each one of us does not always give. I have come to the conclusion there are a number of reasons: In the first place, I do not believe any Bahá’í anywhere, actually does not want to give. People with that psychology do not become Bahá’ís, only givers become Bahá’ís, people who so long to in some way uplift man’s lot, to draw nearer to God, to offer their hearts to Him, to build a better world. Though much self-seeking is satisfied through becoming a Bahá’í and finding what the individual soul has longed for—a means of greater self-expression, a new and deeper happiness, an atmosphere of tolerance and friendship, a stability and direction in life—yet essentially those who embrace the Faith are true givers in the finest sense of the word. They are willing too, to sacrifice many foibles, some bad habits, many preconceived ideas and prejudices in order to become Bahá’ís. No, Bahá’ís are no in-grown, miserly lot, far, far, from it.
But, as I see it, we are, most of us at any rate, not very methodical or co-ordinated in our way of doing things, (this, I may say, I have often felt in myself!) As no actual sum is ever demanded of us individually, as we are never solicited for money directly, as no form is handed us which we must fill in, we are a bit vague about when and how much to give. How I envy those people who are so efficient they have everything budgeted, and into their budget, big or little, is a sum for the Fund and the Fund actually gets it! I think that is the right way to do it. But I never did! When I was a girl, I don’t think I ever remember sending anything to the National Bahá’í
[Page 11]
Fund except on one occasion. I gave
at Feasts, but it was in a vague sort
of way, such as finding I had a sum
in my purse and going and giving it,
on the spur of the moment, to the
Treasurer. My mind just never grappled with the thought that I had a
moral obligation, and what did I intend to do about it? Nor did I then
really grasp what I now see so
clearly, that the little contributions
must always be the drops that form
the sea of the Bahá’í Fund. Some
very self-sacrificing, or very wealthy
believer may now and then produce a deluge which carries the
work over a crisis or enables some
great project to leap ahead, but such
outpourings should never be considered the source of Bahá’í monies,
the source, spiritually and financially, should be each single believer.
Another reason, aside from this disorderly way of not arranging one’s giving on a systematic basis, why so many Bahá’ís do not give is because they have so little to give. This I know is true, for there are many who feel that as their contribution could only be in cents and not in dollars, it is too little to give. They are ashamed, perhaps, or discouraged by the smallness of what they could really afford to contribute. But this is not right, for I am sure the less you have, but give out of your meagre store, the more precious it is in the Sight of God, the more truly needed by our Faith, for such money is surely blessed, being little and from one whose means are restricted, it represents a token of true love and devotion, it is the precious widow’s mite.
This “mite” reminds me of a Chicago Bahá’í, now dead, and perhaps many will recall to whom I refer in this story. She lived alone in a very poor part of the city and earned her living by giving piano lessons. All she could do on her slim earnings was to exist, frail, and I suspect, undernourished. When we had our great drive to build the Temple’s exterior crust of ornamentation, she had no way of getting any money to give to it, but, she told my Mother, she found a way: she walked to her lessons instead of taking the street car. Such self-sacrifice, on the part of a delicate, often ailing, middle-aged woman, must seem far out of proportion to the tiny sum she was able to save, over a long period, and send in to the Temple Fund. The work was completed, but she had never seen it. One day, though, she said she just could not wait any longer, so she blew herself to the trip out to Wilmette, and, as she said, when her eyes lighted on the erected Temple, all she could find to say was: “Oh you darling!” Can anyone doubt how that believer’s contribution has added to the spiritual blessing our Temple confers? We often say: “it’s not what you do, but how you do it;” or “it’s not what you say but how you say it.” It is also true: “not what you give, but how you give it.”
Another reason I think many are hindered in giving is because their type of mind is, shall I say, intimate in its approach to life. My mind, I know, works like that. If I contact something, if it seizes my imagination, I become really interested, but a big vague generality does not grip me so easily. I suppose there must be many others like me in this respect. For instance, the only sum I ever sent in for the Temple was a birthday present which I gave for the Dome. I could see (or thought I could) the little piece of lace-like design I had been instrumental in getting up there. I got a tremendous thrill out of this feeling! I need scarcely add I consider this a very immature attitude — but maybe others have it too? I often wonder, when I read in the Bahá’í News the general appeal for funds (which is as far as any Bahá’í body can go, in accordance with the spirit of free giving) if the very abstractness of it, the generality of it, does not fail to capture the attention of minds which work like mine?
We know a pioneer costs the Fund, let us say, a minimum of at least twelve hundred dollars a year. Most people could not possibly afford to support a whole pioneer a year. But suppose they were asked to do this: “Can you support a quarter of a pioneer?” Then they could feel that a quarter of that precious pioneering believer who is labouring in Chile, or Alaska or Nebraska, or Luxembourg, is kept at that historic task by the contribution they are making. Or why could not a little group decide: “we six (or we eight) will send out a deputy teacher; we will agree together to give a hundred dollars a month and ask that it be used for a pioneer to Europe, or some other place.” I see no reason why they should not ask whom their contribution is supporting and follow with interest — but not with interference — the activities of their “deputy.” For Bahá’u’lláh has clearly stated: if you cannot go forth and teach, send one in your stead.
Similarly, the interior decoration of the Temple is now under way: if say, a whole window, or an arch, or a section of the interior dome, could be broken down into a unit price, why should not an individual Bahá’í, or a community, or a group of friends, finance that particular section? Naturally, they must not expect their names to be affixed to the piece they were instrumental in erecting! But they would know that they got it up there. I realize this is perhaps an appeal to the immature side of human nature. The funds of the Cause must be essentially fluid if the work is to go on uninterrupted. But some minds may be more like mine, which can respond
The Local Spiritual Assembly of San Salvador, El Salvador, 1949-1950.
[Page 12]
much quicker to a thought like this: “Do you see that twenty-foot pipe? Do you think you can manage to lay it down for the system?” than to “Now friends, we will not get our harvest in if we do not get more water.”
Contributions from Assemblies for the Month of October, 1949[edit]
Alaska—Anchorage. Arizona—North Phoenix, Phoenix, Tucson. Arkansas—Eureka Springs, Little Rock. California—Alhambra, Berkeley, Beverley Hills, Burbank, Burlingame, Carmel, El Monte Twp., Escondido Twp., Fresno, Glendale, Glendale Twp., Inglewood, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Monrovia Twp., Oakland, Oceanside, Palo Alto, Pasadena, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, South Gate. Colorado—Colorado Springs, Denver. Connecticut—Greenwich, Hartford, New Haven. Delaware—Wilmington.
Dist. of Columbia—Washington. Florida—Jacksonville, Miami, St. Augustine. Georgia—Atlanta, Augusta. Hawaii—Honolulu, Maui. Idaho—Ada County, Boise. Illinois—Batavia, Champaign, Chicago, Danville, Evanston, Maywood, Oak Park, Peoria, Phoenix (Harvey), Springfield, Urbana, Wilmette, Winnetka. Indiana—Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend. Iowa—Cedar Rapids, Waterloo. Kansas—Topeka. Kentucky—Louisville.
|
Bahá’í News is published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States as the official news-letter of the Bahá’í Community. Edited for the National Spiritual Assembly by Bahá’í News Editorial Committee: Mrs. Roberta Christian, chairman, Mr. Richard Nolen, Mr. Gordon A. Fraser, Editorial office: Mrs. Roberta Christian, 1001 West Genesee St., Lansing, Mich. Please report changes of address and other matters pertaining to distribution to the Bahá’í National Office, 536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, Illinois. |
Louisiana—New Orleans. Maine—Portland. Maryland—Baltimore (Sept.). Massachusetts—Boston, Brookline, Springfield, Worcester.
Michigan—Ann Arbor, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Grosse Pointe, Lansing, Muskegon, Roseville. Minnesota—Duluth, Minneapolis, St. Paul. Missouri—Independence, Kansas City, St. Louis. Montana—Butte, Helena Great Falls. Nebraska—Macy, Omaha. Nevada—Reno. New Hampshire—Portsmouth. New Jersey—Bergenfield, Dumont, East Orange, Englewood, Jersey City, Newark, Red Bank, Ridgewood, Teaneck. New Mexico—Albuquerque. New York—Binghamton, Buffalo, Geneva, Jamestown, New York, Rochester, Syracuse, Waterloo, Yonkers.
North Dakota—Fargo. Ohio—Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, Columbus, Lima, Mansfield, Toledo. Oklahoma—Oklahoma City. Oregon—Portland. Pennsylvania—Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, West Chester. Rhode Island—Providence. South Carolina—Columbia, Greenville. South Dakota—Sioux Falls. Tennessee—Memphis. Texas—Houston, San Antonio. Vermont—Brattleboro. Virginia—Alexandria, Arlington. Washington—Kirkland, Marysville, Monroe, Richmond Highlands, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma. West Virginia—Charleston. Wisconsin—Kenosha, Madison, Milwaukee, Racine, Somers Twp., Wauwatosa. Wyoming—Laramie.
Total number of Assemblies | 174 |
Assemblies contributing | 152 |
Assemblies not contributing | 22 |
Groups contributing | 54 |
Individuals contributing | 67 |
| Special contribution from Bahá’í Junior Youth of Maywood |
Enrollments[edit]
Enrollments reported by
Local Spiritual Assemblies:
CALIF., Carmel 2; Burbank 2; Los Angeles 3; WASH., D.C., 1; GA., Augusta 1; IDAHO, Ada Co. 1; Boise 1; ILL., Chicago 4; Urbana 1; MASS., Boston 2; N. H., Portsmouth 3; N.Y., New York City 2; OHIO, Cleveland 2; TEXAS, Houston 1; WISC., Milwaukee 1; YOUTH 1.
Enrollments reported by
Regional Teaching Committees:
NORTHEASTERN STATES
- E. N.Y. 4
- So. N.Y., Conn. 1
- New Jersey 1
CENTRAL STATES
- Mich. 2
- Ill., Iowa 1
WESTERN STATES
- So. Calif. 1
- New Mexico 1
TOTALS: Adults 38, Youth, 1.
Directory Additions and Changes[edit]
|
Bahá’í Addresses
National Office:
Treasurer’s Office:
Make Checks Payable to:
National Bahá’í Fund
Bahá’í Publishing Committee
|
Local Spiritual Assembly Secretaries:
- Southgate, Calif.
- Miss Mary Ellen Reese
- 3616 Ardmore Ave.
- St. Louis, Mo.
- Mrs. Cora Rockwell
- 1954 Semple St., Z-12
- Mansfield, Ohio
- Mrs. Henriette Corrodi
- 323 Park Ave. W.
- Omaha, Nebr.
- Omaha Bahá’í Assembly
- Mrs. Alvin Myers, Act. Sec’y.
- 4520 S. 25th St., Z. 7
In Memoriam[edit]
- Mr. Perry Alexander, Upton, Mass. 9-20-49
- Miss Sarah Jane Jellett, Duluth, Minn. 5-15-49
- Mrs. Tillie Schend, Kenosha, Wis., 10-13-49
- Mr. Horace D. McAbee, Jacksonville, Fla. (reported 10-19-49)
- Mrs. Martha Shaw, San Francisco, Calif. (reported 11-1-49)
- Mr. Arthur Williams, Chicago, Ill. 10-26-49.
| Guardian | |
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Description of the Great Master | 2 |
Bahá’í Attitude toward the Churches | 2 |
Convention Workshops | 2 |
Direct Teaching | 2 |
“Praying for Increasing Success” | 1 |
“Seize a God-Given Opportunity” | 3 |
Theocracy | 2 |
Addresses | 12 |
Around the Bahá’í World | 9 |
Audience Courtesy | 5 |
Bahá’í Article in Encyclopedia Britannica Junior | 9 |
Calendar | 1 |
Directory | 12 |
Europe—Swiss Conference | 6 |
Enrollments | 12 |
| Fund | |
Assemblies Contributing | 12 |
Five Monthly Deficits | 3 |
Score to Date | 3 |
Home Front | 8 |
Latin America | 7 |
Marriages | 5 |
Memoriam | 12 |
| National Spiritual Assembly | |
Meeting Schedule Changed | 1 |
“Your Personal Bahá’í Plan” | 4 |
| Pictures | |
Brazil, Regional Conference | 8 |
European Delegates to UN Conference | 6 |
San Salvador, LSA | 11 |
Shrine of the Báb | 2 |
Temple Grounds Cleared | 3 |
Temple Interior Progress | 1 |
Temple Visitors | 5 |
Window Display, Minneapolis | 7 |
Programmers’ Corner | 4 |
Publishing Announcements | 3 |
Public Relations | 5 |
Rúḥíyyih Khanum, “Some Thoughts on Giving” | 10 |
World Religion Day | 5 |
