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| BAHÁ’Í NEWS | |||
| PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE BAHÁ’ÍS OF THE UNITED STATES | |||
| NO. 258 | BAHA’I YEAR 109 | AUGUST, 1952 | |
Progress at the World Center[edit]
National Spiritual Assembly of the
Bahá’ís of the United States,
Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
Dear Bahá’í Friends:
The International Bahá’í Council wishes to share with the friends news of the progress of the Faith at its World Center, and to inform them of what has been done during the past year, under the guidance of the beloved Guardian.
The Shrine of the Báb[edit]
With the steady progress in the construction of the Shrine of the Báb on Mt. Carmel, the eyes, not only of the Bahá’ís, are becoming increasingly fixed upon it, but also of the people of Israel. As the friends are already aware, the octagon of the Shrine is now complete. The eight minaret-like pinnacles, as well as the wrought iron panels of the balustrade are now erected, and constitute, as Shoghi Effendi so beautifully said, the second crown of the building, the first crown being the carved marble parapet of the arcade with its green mosaic panels. This balustrade has now been painted a deep green, and the motif brought out through the application of gold leaf. The effect is truly exquisite, so much so that many local people seem to be under the misapprehension that the building is now completed. Evidently what exists is to them sufficiently charming to constitute the end of the enterprise.
On April 8th, the preliminary work commenced on the third unit, which consists of the drum section of the Shrine, containing eighteen lancet windows, symbolic in number of the Eighteen Letters of the Living. It is upon this intermediary unit, 11 meters (33 feet) high, that the dome of the Shrine must rest. In spite of the fact that this drum is much smaller in circumference than the two previous units already built, it constitutes a knotty construction problem because it must be a perfect circle, and because it has two walls, an outer stone wall and an inner thin reinforced concrete one, which must
Model of the Shrine of the Báb.
[Page 2]
be built simultaneously. The fact that
we are gaining in height constantly,
also increases the difficulty of the
operation.
From the unveiling of the Shrine model in 1944, on the occasion of the first Centenary of the Declaration of the Báb, the question of what material to use for the dome was really the main problem which faced Mr. Sutherland Maxwell, its architect. He had an original and very beautiful idea: The dome of the Shrine of the Báb was to be covered with a fish-scale pattern of tiles, in diminishing sizes. His concept had been of either a green or a gold dome; but the Guardian considered that a golden dome was much more suitable for this Second Holiest Structure in the Bahá’í World; the Qiblih of the Faith, the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh, being naturally the Most Sacred. The problem of discovering a means of materializing this design faced the builders. Italian gold mosaic was considered a possibility, but discarded by the Guardian because of the uniform effect which the multitude of small facets would create at a distance, the original and highly decorative concept of tiles being entirely lost by such a treatment. Copper was out of the question because of the weight and the oxide staining which always occurs when this metal is used. That left only some form of porcelain or clay tile, or possibly a plastic material. The investigations of Dr. Ugo Giachery showed that plastic material was a risk, as no one can predict at present how it will react to years of exposure in this climate. There remained therefore only tile as a feasible solution.
While attending the 1951 European Teaching Conference in Holland, Dr. Giachery located an enterprising and long-established firm of tile makers in Utrecht. After a great deal of inquiry and experimentation on the part of this firm, a suitable solution to the problem of the dome seems to have been reached, and one which will realize the architect’s design. An under-glaze gold tile has now been developed and an order will shortly be placed for over 27,000 tiles, ranging in height from eight centimeters to twenty centimeters. The cost of these tiles will be approximately $11,000.
Hand in hand with the work on the Shrine, the fame of the Shrine is spreading, and one hears more and more comments upon it. The people not only of Haifa, but from many parts of Israel, take pride in it, and when they learn something of the teachings of the Faith, greatly admire what we stand for and what we are doing here in their country.
The friends are no doubt aware that ever since the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi has been extending not only the terraces between the Shrine and the Templar Colony at the foot of Mt. Carmel, but has been widening, eastward and westward, the terrace upon which the Shrine itself rests. One section has remained to be extended for a number of years, but the engineering problem involved was complicated, and the expense very great. This year, however, the Guardian has felt that the longer the delay in building this extension, the more hopelessly expensive such a construction would be, and he has consequently commenced work which will when completed add approximately 350 square meters to the terrace of the Shrine towards the east. This addition necessitates the construction of a nine meter high wall of more than 350 cubic meter content of stone. It is interesting to note that the stones for the work are being carried up from the ruins of the old city of Haifa, which are being removed in order to make way for a new development. When this portion of the terrace is completed, people visiting the Shrine will get the most wonderful view from this spot of the entire building, with the rays of the rising sun bringing out the Greatest Name in brilliant gold relief, in the northeastern corner of the arcade. It is anticipated that in about a month and a half, this extension will be completed. The cost of the work will be about $12,600.
Bahjí, comprising the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and His Mansion, receives an even greater flow of visitors than the Gardens here in Haifa; owing to the fact that because of construction, the immediate surroundings of the Shrine on Mt. Carmel are closed to the public. During the recent Passover celebrations, more than 1,500 people visited Bahjí, 500 of these in one day. The interiors of the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Mansion, as well as the House of Bahá’u’lláh in ‘Akká and the Mansion of Mazra’ih, have been greatly beautified during the past year, in preparation for the coming of the pilgrims.
The Mansion of Bahá’u’lláh[edit]
For six months, the Cause at its International Center went through a most irritating crisis and one which, had not the divine protection been so clearly vouchsafed to the Guardian and the friends serving him here, might have led to serious repercussions.
Ever since the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, as the friends are aware, the party of Muḥammad-‘Alí, his children, his relatives and a few supporters, have clustered around the Sacred Tomb. Upon the death of their Father, the sons of Bahá’u’lláh inherited shares in the Mansion where He passed away. In the course of many years, this building, so full of sacred associations, has witnessed the evidences of the violent animosity of the Covenant-breakers toward the Center of the Covenant.
The friends will remember from their perusal of Bahá’í history that already, while Bahá’u’lláh’s body was being prepared for the grave, Muḥammad-‘Alí was concentrating on his opposition to the Master. After the Ascension, and indeed until 1932, Muḥammad-‘Alí and his relatives resided in the Mansion of Bahá’u’lláh, in spite of the fact that the majority of the shares in this building were owned by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Badí’u’lláh himself, in order to raise funds for his seditious activities, sold his share of the house of his Father to the Inspector of Police of ‘Akká.
After the death of this man, and with tremendous inconvenience and legal complications, the Guardian succeeded in arranging to purchase back Badí’u’lláh’s original one-third share of the property. At this time, his son Musa Bahá’í was the Registrar of Lands in ‘Akká, and catching wind of the transaction, succeeded at the last moment in bringing pressure to bear on the Police Inspector’s heirs, and instead of the Cause coming into possession of the remaining one-third of the title deed, the Guardian succeeded in getting only one-sixth, and the other one-sixth fell into the hands of the Covenant-breakers and was registered in their names.
[Page 3]
About 1932, the Mansion of
Bahá’u’lláh, which had been occupied
by Muḥammad-‘Alí and his family
ever since 1892, had fallen into such
a state of disrepair that the roof
was caving in. Shoghi Effendi considered this not only a disgrace to
the memory of the Blessed Perfection, but also a responsibility which
devolved upon the Bahá’ís, and he
therefore represented to Muḥammad-‘Alí, the necessity of repairing the
building. Muḥammad-‘Alí, claiming
he had no funds for such a purpose
refused, but accepted the Guardian‘s
proposal that he should evacuate the
building, and allow the Bahá’ís to
restore it; he moved into the adjacent building, where his son still
lives.
After the Mansion had been restored to its original glory (and such a term is not an exaggeration, for it is a beautiful oriental palace built by a wealthy resident of ‘Akká during the last century), the Guardian invited the British District Commissioner to inspect it with him—furnished, its walls lined with bookcases and pictures of interest to the Bahá’í world, its cabinets containing Writings of Bahá’u’lláh in the original, the Room of Bahá’u’lláh itself restored, and original relics of His placed in it. It made such an impression that he agreed to ask the High Commissioner to include it as a Bahá’í Holy Place along with the Shrines and the House in ‘Akká, and exempt it from taxation. This was done. The status of the building changed from the personal residence of a son of Bahá’u’lláh to a Museum and Pilgrim House for the Bahá’ís; Muḥammad-‘Alí could no longer return, and was forced to remain where he had taken up his residence nearby.
A ruined blacksmith’s shop which had existed, owned and worked by one of the Covenant-breakers, right next to the wall of the Holy Tomb towards the east, the Guardian had likewise destroyed. He had removed the old stables, and the unsightliness and disorder had been cleared away, and a quiet inner court created between the block of buildings in which the Tomb is situated, and the wall of the Mansion Garden.
Towards the south, however, a small one-story building with five rooms, remained, and although since the days of Bahá’u’lláh and the Master,
The beautiful Mansion of Bahjí.
it had been in Bahá’í possession,
its title deed was part of the Mansion itself, of which the Covenant-breakers own one-sixth.
Last December, the Guardian, in view of the fact that the roofs of three of the rooms had caved in and the walls were crumbling, and the building becoming daily a more complete and dangerous ruin, instructed the caretaker of the Holy Shrine to demolish it. While he was doing this, the police arrived with an Order of Stay from the Haifa Court, to which the Covenant-breakers had appealed, in view of the fact that without their permission, property in which they had a share was being destroyed. As the Covenant-breakers had been left in their portion of the Mansion property, in other words, part of the building towards the north and some rooms toward the east, unmolested and uninterfered with by the Guardian, he naturally supposed that after the Center of the Faith had been in undisputed possession of the building in question since 1892, he was at liberty, as Custodian of the Bahá’í Holy Places, to tear it down. The bitterness, however, of the Covenant-breakers still motivated by the evil genius of Majdi’d-Din, who although only a few years short of 100, and paralyzed, is still living in the building adjacent to the Mansion, and led by the widow of Musa Bahá’í, the daughter of Badí’u’lláh, their hatred and their perennial desire to create mischief, again surged to the surface.
At the express request of the Covenant-breakers, a meeting was arranged at which two of them were present with their lawyer, the lawyer of the Guardian and two representatives of the Guardian, in an effort to settle the question peacefully out of court. However, the interview proved fruitless, because they continually raised the same old issues of sixty years ago which arose when Muḥammad-‘Alí challenged the authority of the Master. They did, however, make a few requests which the Guardian considered were justified, such as being allowed to pray alone in the Tomb, and that they would be permitted to enter during certain hours, etc. In spite of this concession on his part, they decided to go to the Court and place the matter before the Judge informally, rather than in the form of a trial. Twice the respective lawyers and parties concerned met in the Judge’s presence, but at both meetings the unreasoning animosity of the daughter of Badí’u’lláh in particular, made any agreement impossible. Indeed, it became evident that working through her advocate, one of the sharpest in the country, and one whom she had carefully filled with
[Page 4]
all kinds of misrepresentations as to
the true situation which arose after
the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, she had
no other intention than to prolong
the existing condition, which was
that the Guardian had been prevented legally from tearing down the
building, and, in the meantime the
case was neither being decided out
of Court nor being brought up in
Court. Every reasonable solution
having been consistently set aside
by the Covenant-breakers, the first
hearing of the Case was set.
The Guardian, in spite of his desire to remove the unsightly rubble that the ruined house had become after its semi-demolition, was willing that the case should as expeditiously as possible be tried, knowing full well that any verdict could not but be in his favor, not only on religious grounds, but because the building had been in his possession for over twenty years, which, according to the laws of this land, give a person certain well-defined rights.
It was not until the Covenant-breakers had the temerity to summon the Head of the Faith himself as a witness, that he decided to appeal to the Government to lift the matter entirely out of the jurisdiction of the Civil Court.
The three members of the International Bahá’í Council, Mr. Remey, Dr. Giachery and Mr. Ioas, consequently had interviews with high-ranking officials of the Foreign Office and the Prime Minister’s office, as well as with the Attorney-General and the Vice-Minister of Religions. It was evident immediately that the Government was quite aware of the fact that the Bahá’í Faith is united under the leadership of its legitimate Guardian, and that he is the true Custodian of the Bahá’í Holy Places. In view of this, the Attorney-General, in pursuance with instructions from the Minister of Religions, informed the President of the Haifa Court that according to a law existing in the Statutes since 1924, the case in question should not be tried by a Civil Court as it was a religious matter.
To the astonishment of all concerned, the lawyer of the Covenant-breakers decided to challenge the authority of this order of the Attorney-General on a technicality and to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. This in fact meant that the case would no longer be against the Guardian but against the Government itself!
Again interviews were had with the higher authorities in Jerusalem and Hakirya, and the Guardian’s own appeal to the Prime Minister was transmitted to him. This produced an immediate reaction. The legal adviser of the Prime Minister met with the Vice-Minister of Religions, the advocate of the Guardian and the advocate of the Covenant-breakers, and brought pressure to bear. The three Hands of the Cause, representing Shoghi Effendi, were in one room in the Ministry of Religions, and the Covenant-breakers in another, as the Bahá’ís had refused to meet with them any more. A stiff tussle ensued in which the lawyer of the Covenant-breakers repeatedly brought back more claims from Badí’u’lláh’s daughter, and the lawyer of the Guardian as consistently brought back from the members of the Council refusals to accept them. Finally the representative of the Prime Minister informed them that any further fight they wished to carry on would be with the Government and if they wanted to do that, they could. The result was acceptance on their part to drop the case and the appeal.
From December until the end of May, they had succeeded in preventing the Guardian from doing what he wished to in the precincts of the Holy Tomb. They had, from giving the impression of being poor people whose rights were being denied and who objected to the demolition of a building in which they had a slight interest, gradually revealed themselves as being vindictive, revengeful, and pursuing with great determination and skill, a definite object, which had nothing whatsoever to do with the building in question, or whether it was torn down or rebuilt; but which revealed itself as being a plan to either get a key for themselves to the Holy Shrine, which would give them the position of joint Custodian with the Guardian, or of securing rooms in the Mansion itself for their own “Bahá’í Archives.”
It would be no exaggeration to say that the entire course of the case was providential; and indeed all those here had the feeling that from beginning to end, it was pursuing a plan which no one could check or interfere with. Over and over again, when it seemed that the case would be dropped or settled out of Court or brought before the Judge and speedily dismissed, or the demolition Stay removed pending a hearing, or that the ruins would be torn down because the proper Civil authority had issued a demolition order, at the last moment, everything would go awry and the case would continue, growing and growing in importance, and going to ever higher official levels until it reached the Prime Minister himself. In fact, it gathered itself up like a big summer thunder cloud, and when it burst, crashed with full force on the heads of those who have disputed Bahá’u’lláh’s instructions, the Successorship of His beloved Son, the Will and Testament, and the Guardianship, for sixty years.
When the three members of the International Bahá’í Council left the Ministry of Religions in Jerusalem, they had in their possession a paper giving them full authority to tear down the ruins at once.
Within forty-eight hours of their return, a flat surface of rubble was all that remained. Servants, Arab laborers and Bahá’í pilgrims had scattered the stones of the building in a blast of joy.
New Garden at Bahjí[edit]
One week later, the Guardian of the Cause who went over to Bahjí himself to supervise the work, had created, in time for the night of the Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh a beautiful entrance, into what is now called the Holy Court leading to the Shrine. In front of the Mansion, and in the very spot where the ruined house had stood, a wide expanse of garden sprung from the dust, marble vases, carved white Carrara marble ornaments, lamp posts, cypress trees, borders, pebbled walks—lo! like a dream they spread before the eyes of the Bahá’ís. Indeed the Arab laborers would quote to each other an old saying: “The ring of Solomon has been found!”, which stems from a tradition that the king lost his ring, and that whoever found it and turned it on his finger—whatever he wished for would materialize instantly.
Without the innocent remark thrown out by the Guardian one day, as he left Bahjí after visiting the Holy Tomb to the keeper: “Bring laborers and destroy these ruins,” and which he made because he could
[Page 5]
no longer tolerate this dilapidation
so near the Holy Shrine, and because
he desired to build a befitting entrance at the end of the Garden adjacent to the Shrine, which had
never had, for sixty years, any entrance, befitting or otherwise, the
Covenant-breakers would not have
once again been routed, suffered defeat and lost many of the privileges
they enjoyed for sixty years in respect to visiting the Holy Shrine.
Indeed, it has been extraordinary the
way this case has brought to the attention of almost every important
Government Department in Israel,
the true stature of the Faith, what it
is doing here, who is its Head, what
its plans are for the future, what it
has already accomplished. One could
almost say that the International
Council were strangers to the Government in December, but, thanks
to the good offices of our enemies,
they became warm acquaintances!
The Purchase of Eighteen Additional Plots on Mount Carmel[edit]
One of the most important events during this past year has been the purchase at long last of eighteen additional plots on Mt. Carmel, in the vicinity of the resting-places of the Sister, the Mother and the Brother of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Upon the formation of the State of Israel in 1948, all enemy property was seized and placed under the Controller of Absentee Property. Within the last eighteen months the Government established, after the passing of suitable legislation in the Knesset (Parliament), a body known as the “Development Authority”, empowered to dispose of lands, subject to the approval of the Cabinet, either by lease or outright sale for dollars. After over a year’s negotiations with the Government, the eighteen plots were purchased for the sum of $118,000, and in April, 1952, transferred to the name of the Palestine Branch of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. In addition to these eighteen plots, totaling about six acres in area, the Guardian was able to purchase at the same time the remaining half of an empty plot facing both the Western Bahá’í Pilgrim House and the House of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, for the sum of $16,000. It was largely due to the intervention of His Worship the Mayor of Haifa, Mr. Aba Khoushy, that the Cause was able to secure this land at this price, the original price having been very much higher. The assurance it would be kept as a private open space induced His Worship to urge the Government to make a concession to the Bahá’ís in this matter.
Embryo of the Universal House of Worship[edit]
The International Bahá’í Council has been, during the past year, not only enlarged but strengthened through the addition to its membership of Mr. Leroy Ioas, who fulfills the function of Secretary-General; and Dr. Ugo Giachery, Member at
The Monument Gardens, the Resting Place of the Family of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in the vicinity of which the additional eighteen plots have been purchased.
Large. On more than one occasion,
the Guardian has pointed out to the
members of the Council that the
Charter upon which the Spiritual and
Administrative activities of the
Faith in Israel rest is the Tablet of
Carmel, revealed by Bahá’u’lláh on
Mt. Carmel. The “City of God” mentioned in this Tablet, is the Shrine
of the Báb, and the “Ark” means the
Laws of God, and refers to the Universal House of Justice, the embryo
of which is the present International
Bahá’í Council, which through successive stages will develop into the
Universal House of Justice to be established and function on this Holy
Mountain. Its membership now consists of:
- Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum, Liaison between the Guardian and the Council
- Charles Mason Remey, President
- Amelia Collins, Vice-President
- Ugo Giachery, Member at Large
- Leroy Ioas, Secretary-General
- Jessie Revell, Treasurer
- Ethel Revell, Western Assistant Secretary
- Lotfullah Hakim, Eastern Assistant Secretary
There are now four Hands of the Cause serving the Faith permanently at its International Center, as members of this Body. Dr. Giachery has paid two visits to Israel during the past three months, in order to assist with the work being undertaken here and this has meant that five Hands of the Cause were in the Holy Land. In addition to this, Mr. Zikrulláh Khadem, Mr. Shu’a’ulláh Alai, Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher and Mr. Moussa Banani, Hands of the Cause, have recently been in Haifa as pilgrims; in fact, two of them had the inestimable privilege of hearing from the Guardian’s own lips that he had appointed them as part of the second contingent of Hands of the Cause.
Plans Completed for Mashriqu’l-Adhkar on Mount Carmel[edit]
The President of the Council, Mr. Charles Mason Remey, has now completed his design for the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, which will be erected at a future date, somewhere on Mt. Carmel. During the past winter,
[Page 6]
he has had the opportunity of
consulting with the Guardian about
the final details, and having received
his suggestions and approval, is now
ready to order the model of his Temple in Italy, so that it can be exhibited in the Mother Temple of the
West in Wilmette during the historic
Convention of 1953. This building is
very monumental in character.
While not resembling synagogue,
church, mosque or any of the temples of former religions, it will have
a distinctive religious character and
dignity of its own. When constructed,
it will greatly enhance the institutions of the Faith at the World Center and fulfill yet another of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s cherished hopes. How soon
work on it could be undertaken is
not known at present; but the design carried out by the architect
chosen for this purpose by the Master Himself, has now been safeguarded for posterity, and is ready for
execution when the appointed time
comes.
Recognition of the Faith by the Israeli Government[edit]
The relations of the State of Israel with our beloved Guardian and the International Bahá’í Council have been friendly and cordial. We are happy to report that steady progress is being made in obtaining suitable legal recognition of the Faith here, from the Government. During the past few months, the exemption already given by both the Mandate Authorities and the Jewish State to material gifts received for the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh, the Shrine of the Báb, Mazra’ih, the House of Bahá’u’lláh in ‘Akká and the Gardens on Mt. Carmel, has been extended to cover all things received for the Western and Eastern Pilgrim Houses and the Home of the Head of the Faith. In addition to this, the Government has been both understanding and cooperative as regards the reduction of the heavy charges made in the port on material sent for the Shrine of the Báb, and gifts received for the Holy Places.
Aside from the very pleasant interview two of the present members of the International Bahá’í Council, Mrs. Collins and Mr. Ioas, had with the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. David Ben-Gurion, during his trip to America last summer, when they formed part of a delegation from the American National Spiritual Assembly received by him, contact has been made by various members of the Council and by Mr. Lawrence Hautz, with the following high-ranking officials of the State: Dr. Chaim Weizmann, President, at a reception at Rehovot; Miss Golda Myerson, Minister of Labor; Dr. David Z. Pinkas, Minister of Communications; Mr. Eliezer Kaplan, Minister of Finance; as well as Dr. W. Walter Eytan, Director General of the Foreign Ministry; Dr. Kurt Mendelsohn, Director of Customs and Excise; Dr. Zerah Warhaftig, Minister of Religions; Mr. Ahoud Avril, Director General to the Prime Minister, Mr. Shimon Eynat, Legal Adviser to the Prime Minister and the Attorney General, Mr. Kalman Cohen. It is both significant and interesting to note that the higher one goes in government circles, the greater is the courtesy shown and the wider the knowledge of the Faith possessed by its officials. Likewise at high levels we meet with ready understanding, and when assistance is necessary, we get it.
Pilgrims to Haifa — From the East and from the West[edit]
No report of Bahá’í activities during the past year could convey any sense of the stirring progress being made here that did not mention the arrival of the pilgrims. The first believer from the east to reach the Holy Land after more than ten years, during which the pilgrimage had been perforce suspended by the beloved Guardian, was Mr. Sami Doktoroglu, of Istanbul. After years of persecution, quiescence and obscurity, the Turkish believers have at last found themselves in a position to go ahead with their work in the service of Bahá’u’lláh. Thanks to the instructions carried back to them by this Bahá’í brother from the presence of the Guardian, they have organized their first three Spiritual Assemblies in the historic city of Istanbul, in Aintab and in Adana, and have recently purchased a portion of the land which is the site of the building once occupied by Bahá’u’lláh during his sojourn there in Constantinople. The first Bahá’í pilgrim to arrive from the west was Mr. Lawrence Hautz of Milwaukee. His eagerness to render any assistance within his power to the work here attracted the eye of Shoghi Effendi, who is ever ready to embark on new activities when he finds willing hands! It was in no small measure due to the enthusiasm and eagerness of this western Bahá’í friend that the purchase of the additional plots here in Haifa was so speedily and successfully concluded. He made many contacts with the Government and impressed upon them the importance of the International Center of the Faith here to the Bahá’ís the world over, assuring them that Israel has no better friends than the people who believe that what Bahá’u’lláh promised will be fulfilled, and that His promises about Israel will likewise be fulfilled.
During four months, more than a hundred friends have been the guests of the Guardian, and carried back from his presence inspiration, guidance, love and boundless zeal to their fellow Bahá’ís, upon their return to their own countries. The pilgrimage, due to lack of adequate accommodation here, for large numbers of people, has been limited to nine days, in order to enable more of the believers to come, and there is now so much to see that the friends are indeed kept very busy during their stay. They visit the two Holy Shrines, spending at least one night at Bahjí, in the Mansion of Bahá’u’lláh. They likewise visit the Room in the Most Great Prison once occupied by Bahá’u’lláh, and pray there. This room is now in the hands of the Bahá’ís, delivered officially by the authorities to them. They also visit the House in ‘Akká occupied by Bahá’u’lláh for many years, and in which He revealed the Aqdas, the Garden of the Riḍván, Mazra’ih, the two International Bahá’í Archives, and other local sites of historic interest. Their hearts are full of joy when they arrive, and their eyes full of tears when they depart. They constitute, as the Guardian has often pointed out, the stream of life-blood flowing in and out of the great heart of the Faith here. The members of the International Bahá’í Council look forward to the day when it will be feasible for ever-increasing numbers of the believers to have the inestimable privilege of meeting their Guardian face to face, imbibing from
[Page 7]
him the essence of their Faith, laying their foreheads on the Thresholds of their Holiest Shrines, and
gazing with wonder at the Sepulchre
of the Báb, as we often see it at
night, illumined, shining like a
glorious white queen on the slope of
the dark mountain, under a sky
studded by brilliant stars, and the
deep purple of the Mediterranean
stretching like a velvety carpet before it.
—INTERNATIONAL BAHÁ’Í COUNCIL
Charles Mason Remey,
President
Leroy C. Ioas,
Secretary-General
Haifa, Israel
July 1, 1952
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY[edit]
THE NATIONAL BUDGET[edit]
Dearly beloved friends:
When this statement appears in Bahá’í News, one-third of our Bahá’í year will have passed. It would be very gratifying to be able to report that one-third of our Budget for this year, namely $160,000, will have been received by the Treasurer’s office during that period. However, receipts have fallen far short of the monthly average of approximately $40,000 required to fulfill our requirements.
Consecration is an entity which manifests itself in every phase of our Bahá’í life, and must be applied with the same enthusiasm and vigor to the Fund as well as to our intensive teaching efforts. A Canadian Bahá’í, in a recent letter to his National Treasurer, wrote: “I realize, of course, that in giving money to the cause of Bahá’u’lláh I shower a blessing upon myself. I’m only sorry I couldn’t do it sooner. I pray that the total needed, here and around the world, will be reached. If each does his part, no doubt it will.”
A joyous spirit pervades the American Bahá’í Community as preparations begin to assume form for the Jubilee celebrations in the Holy Year whose threshold we approach. These celebrations will have world-wide significance and will mark the beginning of a World Crusade for our beloved Faith. Ours will be a preponderating role, but only if we have proudly fulfilled the tasks we have so eagerly assumed.
“God does not ask from any soul except according to his ability. Whosoever comes with one good act, God will give him tenfold. There is no doubt that the living Lord shall assist and confirm the generous soul. O ye lovers of the Beauty of the True One! Become ye self-sacrificing; become ye self-sacrificing.”
CORRECTIONS[edit]
The National Assembly wishes to correct the punctuation in the cable dated April 5,1952, published on page 2 of Bahá’í News for June.
The sentence reading “Inform National Assemblies (that) God’s avenging wrath having afflicted (in) rapid succession (during) recent years two sons, brother (and) sister-in-law (of) Archbreaker (of) Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant, (had) now struck down second son, Siyyid ‘Alí Nayer Afnan” should read “(has) now struck down second son (of) Siyyid ‘Alí, Nayer Afnan,” etc.
Convention Cable[edit]
The Guardian has sent a list of corrections to be made in the text of his Message to the National Convention as published in the May issue of Bahá’í News.
Page 2, third paragraph, fifth line, after the words “Civil Service” insert the words “(end of the)”. Seventh line, after the word “Indianapolis” insert a semicolon and interpolate the words “(by the)”.
Fourth paragraph, second line, after the word “Bahrayn” insert the word “Ahsa.”
Second column, first line, “(the) world community” should be “(a) world community.” End of first and beginning of second line, “(of the) divinely appointed” should be “(of a) divinely appointed.” Fourth line, “(of) world crisis” should be “(of a) world crisis.” Same line, “(in) execution” should be “(for the) execution.” Fifth line, “(and) subsequent unfoldment” should be “(the) subsequent unfoldment.” Same line, “unfoldment (of)” should be “unfoldment (of a).” Sixth line, after the word “civilization” insert the word “(and),” to read “civilization (and the) ultimate attainment,” etc. Eighth line, “(of the)” should be “(of a).”
CREDENTIALS FOR TRAVEL[edit]
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National Bahá’í Addresses
National Bahá’í Administrative Headquarters:
National Treasurer:
Bahá’í Publishing Committee:
Bahá’í News Editorial Office:
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The National Spiritual Assembly has provided two forms of Bahá’í identification card, one to be signed and issued by local Assemblies to community members traveling within the United States, the other signed and issued by the National Spiritual Assembly to American believers traveling abroad, and to isolated believers who travel in the United States.
All traveling believers are expected to carry proper credentials.
The Remedy of Every Ailment[edit]
O thou yearner after the Kingdom! Each Manifestation is the heart of the world and the proficient Physician of every patient. The world of humanity is sick, but that skilled Physician hath the healing remedy and He bestoweth divine teachings, exhortations and advices which are the remedy of every ailment and the dressing for every wound. Undoubtedly, the wise physician discovereth the needs of the patient at every season and prescribeth medicine.
- (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá)
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The Bahá’ís of Mandalay, Burma send their greetings to us by way of this photo of the members of their community. This is our first communication from Mandalay in many years.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS[edit]
AFRICA[edit]
Progress of the Administrative Order in East Africa[edit]
The British Africa News for June reports the election of officers of the two newly-formed Bahá’í Assemblies, in Kampala and Dar-es-Salaam, as follows:
- Kampala:
- Aliyullah Nakhjawani, Chairman
- Enoch Olinga, Vice-Chairman
- Philip Hainsworth, Secretary
- Samiheh Khanum Banani, Treasurer
- Violet Khanum Nakhjawani
- Moussa Banani
- Frederick Bigabwa
- Crispian Kajubi
- Peter Musoke
Peter Musoke represents the Buganda Tribe, and Enoch Olinga represents the Teso Tribe, of Uganda.
- Dar-es-Salaam:
- Jalal Nakhjawani, Chairman
- Mrs. Isobel Sabri, Vice-Chairman
- Hassan Sabri, Secretary
- Darakshandeh Khanum Nakhjawani, Treasurer
- Leslie Matola
- Denis Dudley-Smith Kutendele
- Frahang Naimi
- Gopalkrishnan Nayer
- Eustace Mwalimu
Leslie Matola represents the Yao tribe. He is a retired official interpreter of the High Court of Tanganyika. Eustace Mwalimu represents the Mbondei tribe and is a social welfare officer for the Tanganyika Government.
More joyful news comes from Kampala, reporting the purchase of the Haẓiratu’l-Quds, on the instructions of the Guardian. This is the second Hazira on the African Continent (the first was in Cairo) and will serve as the focal administrative point for all of the Bahá’í Communities of East and Central Africa.
Bahá’í Literature Needed for Addis Ababa[edit]
The friends everywhere can help with the teaching work in Ethiopia. Books and pamphlets in English, French and Italian for use in study classes, will be welcomed by Dr. V. Ries, P. O. Box 102, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The newly-elected officers of the Addis Ababa Spiritual Assembly are:
- Gila M. Bahta, Chairman
- David Talbot, Vice-Chairman
- Dr. V. Ries, Secretary
- Sabri Elias, Treasurer
- Mrs. Gila
- Mrs. Elias
- Alfred Shafi
- Mr. Birch
- Sayed Mansour
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND[edit]
Power of Attraction[edit]
“First there must be in the mind the radiant conviction and knowledge of an essential teaching factor before
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it can be brought into the physical
world. In other words, we build first
in the spiritual world, secondly in
the physical world. The development
of that knowledge in oneself will be
the magnet which will attract those
who need just that knowledge. The
power of attraction, which we need
so much, is inherent in spiritual
truth and knowledge. So let us avail
ourselves of the advice given in the
teachings and set the power of attraction at work.”
Convention Gives Impetus to Pioneering[edit]
A letter from a pioneering youth in Leeton, N. S. Wales states: “Our teaching work seems to have received a tremendous impetus; must have been the effect the Convention had on us. Pamphlets were dropped in letter-boxes, booklets sent to prominent people and quotations placed in the weekly paper, resulting in many inquiries.” Leeton, N. S. Wales is learning rapidly of the Bahá’í Faith!
Pioneering in Victoria[edit]
Pioneer, Violet Hoehnke, a sister on the staff of the Base Hospital at Ballarat, is busily engaged in teaching efforts in Ballarat, Bendigo, and Echuca. She makes regular visits to contacts, and is placing advertising in the local press to find inquirers.
International Cooperation in Teaching[edit]
Mrs. Shirin Fozdar of India will spend two and a half months, from August to October, speaking in goal towns and capital cities of New Zealand and Australia. Her prominence as one of the outstanding workers in the emancipation of women in India will insure ready access for her as a speaker on platforms of various women’s organizations in these lands. The National Spiritual Assembly, assisted by National Committees and Local Assemblies, and in cooperation with the National Spiritual Assembly of India is preparing a program for this teaching campaign.
Interview with American Bahá’í[edit]
An interview with an American Bahá’í, Mrs. Else Norden Waldman, made front-page news in the Taranki
First Bahá’í “Benelux” Conference. Some of the forty-seven Bahá’ís from Holland, Luxembourg and Belgium who gathered at the Brussels Bahá’í Center, April 12-14, 1952.
Herald, of New Plymouth, New Zealand on May 17, 1952. The article
gives an interesting account of German-born Mrs. Waldman’s education
in London, Paris, Berlin; her career
as interior decorator in New York
City and her intense interest in the
poor there, which led her into welfare work and public health nursing,
and her world travels. The article
states: “She decided to come to New
Zealand to see American friends in
Auckland and interest people in the
Dominion in the Bahá’í World Faith,
which seeks a universal religion, language and police force. Near Chicago on Lake Michigan the Bahá’í
followers are building, with their own
funds, a beautiful temple with nine
entrances symbolizing the major religions. When it is finished in 1953
people of all faiths will be able to
worship in it.”
In June Mrs. Waldman flew to the Fiji Islands where she has taken up a nursing post with the New Zealand Department of Health. She writes enthusiastically of her first Feast with the friends that included seven Indians and one Samoan.
BRITISH ISLES[edit]
British National Convention[edit]
The highlight of the Convention was a long detailed resolution on how consolidation might be furthered, recommending that each community set itself a goal, and proposing special meetings to inaugurate such a program. The British Bahá’í Community managed to maintain all their Assemblies through the valiant efforts of pioneers who came forward just in time. Consolidation has not yet been achieved, but we enter the second year of our Two Year Plan with the same number of Assemblies as we finished the Six Year Plan.
Youth Conference in Nottingham[edit]
A Youth Conference was held in Nottingham at the end of March. The enthusiasm among the participants bore fruit in valuable suggestions for youth work in the immediate future. The program included a Bahá’í drama, music, dancing, talks, discussion and a quiz.
Persian Pilgrims in Britain[edit]
The British Bahá’í Community has been fortunate recently in receiving a number of visits from Persian Bahá’ís who have made the pilgrimage to Haifa on their way to Britain. They have brought inspiring accounts of the World Center which made everyone yearn to go there.
CANADA[edit]
Fifth National Bahá’í Convention[edit]
The Brunswick Hotel, Moncton, New Brunswick, was the scene of this fifth National Convention. Sixteen delegates and twenty-five visitors were in attendance.
Our tremendous future development on the international plane was borne out by the discussion of the plans already laid down by the Guardian for the Jubilee Year. A delegate from each Province will attend the Wilmette Conference and a delegate from Canada will be sent to the Conference in New Delhi, India.
Our beloved Hand of the Cause, Freddy Schopflocher, gave a warm and vivid picture of his visit to Haifa which drew all present closer to the Guardian. The Haẓiratu’l-Quds for Canada is to be an administrative center and secretariat.
Convention consultation bore out the great necessity of completing our Five Year Plan; not as an end in itself but as an essential step in the evolution of the Faith into the international plane and as a vital part of the Divine Plan.
The whole tone of this Convention was one of enthusiasm; not the light, frivolous type of enthusiasm that passes with the moment but a mature, serious and sound enthusiasm based on a deep understanding of the importance of the sacred task and privilege of assisting in the execution of the Divine Plan. The words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as spoken to Howard Colby Ives might well express the feeling of all who attended, “This is the day for very great things.”
Canadian National Spiritual Assembly[edit]
| Lloyd Gardener | Laura Davis |
| John Robarts | Freddy Schopflocher |
| Emeric Sala | Rosemary Sala |
| Rowland Estall | Winnifred Harvey |
| Ross Woodman | |
Teaching in Ontario[edit]
The Ontario Teaching Committee held a regional conference May 11, in Hamilton with 60 Bahá’ís attending. Delegates from the National Convention reported on the Moncton Convention. Mrs. Margery McCormick of Evanston, Illinois, gave the friends a most inspiring message.
The recently completed Hazira of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Germany and Austria, located in Frankfurt am Main, Westendstrasse 24, where the National Convention was held, April 25-27. The Bahá’í Secretariat is housed in this building; there is a large and beautiful room for meetings, with adjacent kitchen and modern equipment. The National Bahá’í Library and Archives will soon be transferred to the Hazira.
Ontario Summer School[edit]
The Ontario Summer School will be held at Blue Mountain Lodge from August 2 to 9, with Curtis Kelsey of New Jersey and Rowland Estall as teachers.
On the Air in Ottawa[edit]
Recently a member of the Ottawa Bahá’í community was invited to comment on the Bahá’í Faith, sharing a panel discussion with a Carleton College professor and two staff members of Ottawa University on Station CKOY. The Faith was again mentioned on a weekly news round-up over the same station.
GERMANY[edit]
Administrative Cooperation[edit]
Bahá’í Nachrichten (the German “Bahá’í News”) has been issued during the past year as a real example of Bahá’í administrative cooperation. The contents are prepared in
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the Secretariat according to decisions of the National Spiritual Assembly. The paper has been donated
by a Bahá’í, the mimeographing apparatus and materials were paid for
from the National Bahá’í Fund. The
assembling, final typing and mimeographing of the issues and their
mailing is taken care of by members of the Karlsruhe Community in
a joint project, and the cost of mailing for the entire year was borne by
the Heidelberg community. Thus the
Bahá’í Nachrichten is a model of
purposeful, intelligent and self-sacrificing cooperation, which has contributed to the strengthening and
deepening of the understanding of
the Bahá’í administrative order.
National Spiritual Assembly of Germany[edit]
The newly elected National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Germany and Austria consists of the following members:
- Dr. Eugen Schmidt, Chairman
- Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel, Vice-Chairman
- Ruprecht G. Krüger, Secretary
- Otto Häfner, Treasurer
- Mrs. Anna Grossmann
- Werner Hartwig
- Dr. Heide Jäger
- Julius Henseler
- Mrs. Johanna von Werthern
SOUTH AMERICA[edit]
“Send Forth Throughout Thy Countries”[edit]
Because of changing conditions throughout Latin America, almost all of the North American pioneers have been sent to different countries. Eve Nicklin and Margot Miessler are now located in Montevideo, Uruguay, to help consolidate and stimulate the Bahá’í Community there. Gayle Woolson, Corresponding Secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, is living in Bucaramanga, Colombia, in order to help with the teaching and consolidation work in that community. Sheila Rice-Wray, who had been serving in Sucre, Bolivia, was returned to Central America at the request of their National Spiritual Assembly to work with the Bahá’í Community in the Dominican Republic. Dorothy Campbell, formerly Secretary of the Publishing Committee in La Paz, Bolivia, has taken over the duties of Secretary of the National Teaching
Members of the National Spiritual Assembly of South America. Standing, left to right: Bolivar Plaza of Ecuador; Rangvald Taetz of Montevideo, Uruguay; Edmund Miessler of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Manuel Vera of Lima, Peru; Guillermo Aguilar of Lima, Peru. Seated, left to right: Gayle Woolson of Bucaramanga, Colombia; Eve Nicklin of Lima, Peru; Mercedes Sanchez of Lima, Peru; and Margot Worley of Bahia, Brazil.
A view of the service dedicated to the Ezeiza International Bahá’í School at the opening of the Convention School Session, 1952.
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Committee and Editor of the
Noticias Bahá’ís of South America, in the National Office in Lima,
Peru.
Larry Kramer remains at his post in Quito, Ecuador; Elise Schreiber in Medellin, Colombia; Louise Groger in Punta Arenas, Chile; and Katherine Meyer in Caracas, Venezuela. Toni Fillon, from Chile, is now helping with the teaching work in Caracas.
Inspired by the stirring words of Dorothy Baker, Hand of the Cause of God, during the Convention in Buenos Aires, Mr. and Mrs. Juan Manuel Cacavelos of Cordoba, Argentina, volunteered to go anywhere on the Continent as self-supporting pioneers. The National Spiritual Assembly has asked them to go to Rosario, Argentina, to help the group of six believers attain Assembly status by next April. This couple, past middle-age, are cheerfully abandoning their home and business in a climate favorable to their health in order to become members of that great army of God and conquer new hearts in the service of Bahá’u’lláh. Truly they have responded to the call, “Oh, heroes of God, mount your steeds!”
NATIONAL NEWS[edit]
COMMEMORATION OF 'ABDU'L-BAHA'S VISIT[edit]
Flatbush Unitarian Church Holds Special Service[edit]
Dr. Karl Chworowsky, Pastor of the Flatbush Unitarian Church, is known and loved by his many Bahá’í friends. On June 15 he presented a special memorial service honoring the fortieth anniversary of the visit of the beloved Master to that church. Many Bahá’ís assembled with the congregation to hear Mrs. Mildred Mottahedeh speak on “The Rise of the Bahá’í Faith” and Mr. William de Forge speak on “The Personality of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.” There were readings from The Hidden Words and Bahá’í Scriptures. Mr. Charles Behrens was soloist.
As soon as they had been informed of this meeting, the National Spiritual
Bahá’í delegates and friends, with Dorothy Baker, Hand of the Cause, at the South American Convention in Buenos Aires, 1952.
Assembly sent the following
telegram, to Dr. Chworowsky:
“To you and to your congregation the members of the National Bahá’í Assembly desire to express grateful appreciation of the spiritual hospitality and fellowship offered the Bahá’ís in your service commemorating the fortieth anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s address in Flatbush Unitarian Church (Stop) Bahá’ís throughout America esteem and cherish your church for providing a gracious occasion for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to promulgate the teachings of Universal Peace”
MESSAGE OF GREETING SENT TO NAACP CONVENTION[edit]
Recalls Visit of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in 1912[edit]
The Annual Convention of the NAACP was held in Oklahoma City in 1952 (June 24-28). The National Spritual Assembly was reminded of the occasion, forty years ago, when that organization held its Annual Convention in Chicago. At that Convention, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke, summoning the delegates to strive for true racial unity. (P.U.P., Vol. I, p. 66). The following telegram was sent by the National Spiritual Assembly, to the 1952 NAACP Convention:
“On behalf American Bahá’ís we extend cordial greetings and sincere wishes successful conference (Stop) Now in this perilous time, every human being worthy his divine creation, must acclaim oneness of mankind and strive for nothing less than establishment promised Kingdom on earth (Stop) We recall gratefully opportunity given ‘Abdu’l-Bahá by your 1912 Convention Chicago to expound divine summons to unity of race.”
GLEANED FROM BULLETINS AND REPORTS[edit]
The following items tell us what is being done by some of our Bahá’í Communities and Committees, and are presented here to illustrate the various ways in which the Faith can be publicized.
Anchorage and Anchorage Recording District, Alaska have cooperated in the presentation of a series of classes on Comparative Religion for youth of Junior High and High School age. Edgar Russell had the opportunity of giving a talk on brotherhood at the Java Club of the YMCA in Anchorage.
Long Island friends have a very full summer program. In addition to numerous Fireside Meetings, and a Conference Institute, they are making plans for the booth they will conduct at the Mineola Fair (Mineola, New York, Sept. 9-13).
Cathedral of the Pines (Located near Rindge, New Hampshire) Bahá’í Service will be at 2:30 p.m. on August 9. The speakers will be Mr. William de Forge and Mrs. Dudley Blakely. You are urged to be there and to bring your friends as this is a real teaching opportunity.
Topeka, Kansas Bahá’í Center is listed in the official bulletin issued by the Chamber of Commerce of that city, in which points of interest are included.
NATIONAL COMMITTEES[edit]
THE GUARDIAN DELIGHTED TO HEAR LIBERIAN NEWS[edit]
Mrs. Marie Rice, Secretary
Africa Teaching Committee.
Dear Bahá’í Sister:
Your letter of February 13, 1952 has been received by the beloved Guardian, and he has instructed me to write you on his behalf. He has also in hand the enclosures which you sent him.
He was delighted to hear of the news in Liberia. Mr. Foster’s dedication and consecration are certainly beginning to bear fruit, and he feels sure that there will be great results achieved there in the future.
He urges your Committee to try to get out to Africa as many new pioneers during the coming year as possible, in order to bolster the work, preparatory to the holding of the Africa Conference next February.
In view of the fact that there seems to be the possibility of difficulties arising about holding the Intercontinental Teaching Conference in Kampala, he urges you to keep in closest touch with the British Africa Committee, and to do all you can to cooperate with them in solving any problems, as of course they are the convenors of the Conference.
When you write to the Collisons and to Mr. Foster and to the new Bahá’í in Liberia, please convey to them the Guardian’s loving greetings, and assure them of how delighted he is with the services they are rendering, and that he remembers them in his prayers.
He is most happy over the work your Committee is accomplishing, and feels that still more will undoubtedly be done during this coming year.
“May the Almighty bless you and
your dear co-workers to aid you to
extend continually the range of your
activities, and enable you to win
great and memorable victories in the
days to come.
Haifa, Israel
June 5, 1952
Dedicated Service of Pioneers to Africa[edit]
The foregoing letter, from our Beloved Guardian to the U. S. Africa Committee has added deep inspiration and momentum to the Committee’s efforts.
Liberia[edit]
The Committee also received by cable from William Foster, our pioneer in Liberia, the joyful news that there are eight more declarations in from Monrovia, bringing the total number of Bahá’ís there to eleven! Thus the dedicated service of pioneer Foster and the newly declared Bahá’ís in Monrovia will assure the first Liberian Bahá’í Assembly for the coming Holy Year. Loving greetings to our new Bahá’ís and appreciation were cabled to pioneer Foster by the Committee.
From letters received since the cable we learn that the new Liberian Bahá’ís are able and capable men who are in Monrovia. Some of them come from other countries, such as the Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Italy. Interesting reports were given of their teaching activities. With only a limited supply of Bahá’í literature, they have planned meetings which reflect enthusiasm and good programming. Two meetings are held each week, one on Wednesdays by invitation and a public meeting on Sundays. At a recent public meeting the Liberian friends presented a round table and discussion on “The Mystery of Sacrifice” as presented by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in one of his talks printed in “the Reality of Man.” Participating in this program were Messrs. Kporhanu, Brewe, Lattersighi, Amartey, Chapman and Foster. Members of the Round table were Messrs. Amagashi, O’Connor and O-Cloo.
The Gold Coast[edit]
News from the Gold Coast has informed us that Ethel Stephens is missing no opportunity to present the teachings, though she plans to begin her return journey to the United States in July. Mrs. Stephens writes that she has a fireside class, and that one of her pupils was permitted to use a Bahá’í prayer in the chapel of his school. Mrs. Stephens has received many invitations to speak and to show her excellent color slides. Before she leaves the Gold Coast she will have appeared before the important secondary schools and colleges in three different cities. As this news goes to press, the Committee has learned that one of the waiting Bahá’í pioneers has received an opportunity to work in the Gold Coast. Plans are underway to speed up his departure, so that when Mrs. Stephens leaves another Bahá’í will be present to carry on the work.
No news from the Collisons for this issue. However, we know that these dear friends are at work for the Faith they love so devotedly.
Committee Urges Cooperation of the Friends at Home[edit]
The U. S. Africa Committee for the current Bahá’í year has been greatly enlarged to assure better distribution of the Committee functions and an acceleration of the work. Regular and more frequent communications to our African Bahá’ís will be assured through the activity of Mrs. Marie Rice, one of the Committee’s secretaries. Laurence Hautz, Helena Robinson, Marguerite Sears and Alassin Wurie, and Bessie Barham will generate ideas and contacts for the acceleration of teaching and contact work among the Africans in the United States. Albert James, Marguerite Sears, Ethel Closson and Helena Robinson will collaborate on getting out a regular U. S. Africa Bulletin. Hazel Langrall, Marie Rice, Laurence Hautz and Ethel Closson will keep the summer schools abreast of the Africa teaching work. Rex Parmelee, Elsie Austin and Ludmilla Van Sombeek will work on job opportunities for the waiting pioneers.
The Committee would greatly appreciate the cooperation of the friends in getting photographs of Bahá’í activities to share with the American pioneers in Africa. If you have good snapshots of activities at the Temple, at the summer schools, or other Bahá’í events, won’t you please let the Committee borrow your film or send us copies for our American pioneers? These pictures will help transmit the love and interest to the friends far away from home. They will also constitute valuable teaching material and aids. If you have such things to share, please write Mrs. Marie Rice, 5925 - 14th Street, North, Arlington, Virginia.
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SETTLERS AND PIONEERS NEEDED IN THE UNITED STATES NOW
“The day of the settler and pioneer in America is not over. It is as vital as previously, if not more so.” (See Leroy Ioas’ letter of March 25, 1952 from Haifa in Bahá’í News, May, 1952.) Can You Volunteer to settle or pioneer in a goal city?
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The British Africa Committee has announced plans for the speedy development of a Bahá’í nucleus in Kenya. The U. S. Committee is working on a project to help send Americans there too. This is the next area in which our Beloved Guardian wishes an Assembly.
Plans are also going forward on the establishment of the first East African Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Kampala, the heart of Africa.
Members of the new British Africa Committee are Henry Backwell, Dorothy Ferraby, John Ferraby, Constance Langdon-Davies, Rustom Sabit and Mehdi Samandari.
Members of the 1952-53 U. S. Africa Committee are: Elsie Austin, Marie Rice, Bessie Barham, Mathew Bullock, Laurence Hautz, Rex Parmelee, Rassim Wurrie, Ethel Stephens, Loulie Mathews, Marguerite Sears, Ludmilla Van Sombeek, Ethel Closson, Hazel Langrall, Helena Robinson, Albert James and Amoz Gibson.
TIPS FOR TEACHING[edit]
Why doesn’t this unbelieving world come to its senses and embrace the universal Cause of Bahá’u’lláh? Why don’t the people enter the Faith in troops? Is it just the world that is to blame or is something wrong with my methods or even with me? For a splendid, stimulating dicussion of such questions, it is useful to turn to Rúḥíyyih Khánum’s “Teaching Problems,” an article that was first published as an insert in Bahá’í News, June 1949. This brilliant statement is helpful in the present teaching crusade—EACH ONE WIN ONE. (See Publishing announcement July, Bahá’í News).
Did every one in your community have an opportunity to attend one of the Summer Schools? If not, you can bring the Summer School home by building a local teaching conference for Bahá’ís around the experience of those in your community or a neighboring one who attended one of the sessions. This will give every believer a chance to gain fresh inspiration from the suggestions and methods of teaching given at the schools.
If you are a student yourself or if you live in a college town you can make a special effort to contact students from Hawaii, Alaska and from the sparsely settled States. Students away from home are often hungry for the hospitality and fellowship a Bahá’í home can offer. Remember that “one real genuine act of live and kindness may confirm a soul, just as teaching or studying from a book.”
A way to pioneer at home and help win goal IV: Establish contacts with American Indians who are attending universities or trade schools or who are living in your community. There are about 400,000 Indians in the United States and about 100,000 of them live off the reservations. Many young people who are educated outside, return to the reservations to live. Spreading the Teachings among this group could have far-reaching results.
JUBILEE PUBLICITY[edit]
In view of the importance of the Jubilee celebrations the National Spiritual Assembly has appointed a Bahá’í Centenary News Service committee which will prepare and distribute all publicity releases concerning the Holy Year events. This is the authentic publicity material which the friends are requested to use locally in every possible way. It is important that all publicity releases used throughout the country be based on the same information and that the friends follow the schedule suggested by the Bahá’í News Service Committee.
"WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM"[edit]
Welcome! Welcome! You are very welcome!
... This is the day of Bahá’u’lláh; the age of the Blessed Perfection; the cycle of the Greatest Name.
Be a Living Light![edit]
Praise be to God! that you have found eternal life from among the dead; that is, you have heard the call of the divine Kingdom, are attracted to the Heavenly Countenance and have turned your face toward the Center of the Light of Truth. I hope that you continue to be a living, eternal light!
A Heavenly Invitation[edit]
The Lord of the Kingdom hath invited, chosen and guided you through His pure favor, feeding you from the heavenly table of divine knowledge! Know ye the value of this favor and bounty and loosen your tongues in praise; showing forth the power of knowledge and assurance and breathing the spirit of guidance into the hearts of the seekers.
A Temple of Temples[edit]
I ask God to make the heart of every one of you a temple of the Divine Temples and to let the lamp of the great guidance be lighted therein.
“Exert yourselves; your mission is unspeakably glorious ...”
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“O ye apostles of Bahá’u’lláh! May my life be sacrificed for you! ... Behold the portals which Bahá’u’lláh hath opened before you! Consider how exalted and lofty is the station you are destined to attain; how unique the favors with which you have been endowed.” ... “The full measure of your success is as yet unrevealed, its significance still unapprehended. Erelong ye will, with your own eyes, witness how brilliantly every one of you, even as a shining star, will radiate in the firmament of your country the light of Divine Guidance, and will bestow upon its people the glory of an everlasting life.” ... “Exert yourselves; your mission is unspeakably glorious. Should success crown your enterprise, America will assuredly evolve into a center from which waves of spiritual power will emanate, and the throne of the Kingdom of God will, in the plenitude of its majesty and glory, be firmly established.” —‘Abdu’l-Bahá (quoted in “The Advent of Divine Justice,” p. 52).
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STUDENTS TOUR TEMPLE
On June 18, 1952, fourteen buses brought 600 students and teachers to the Bahá’í House of Worship. They were delegates and sponsors from the National Association of Student Councils who were holding their National Conference in Evanston.
48 states and Hawaii were represented in the National Association of Student Councils tour. An example of the interest and enthusiasm shown is expressed in the comment of a guest: “This trip to the Bahá’í Temple has made my coming to this Conference outstandingly worthwhile!”
IN MEMORIAM[edit]
Death proffereth unto every confident believer the cup that is life indeed. It bestoweth joy and is the bearer of gladness. It conferreth the gift of everlasting life.
- Mrs. Mary Snider, Peoria, Ill., May 26, 1952
- Mr. William Francis Haig, Bauxite, Arkansas, June 4, 1952
- Mrs. Emilie Baxley, Oakland, Calif., April 29, 1952
- Mrs. Maude Lacey, Madison, Wis., April 26, 1952
- Mrs. Mabel Kelsen, Albuquerque, N. M., (Date not reported)
NEW PUBLICATIONS[edit]
The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh has been reprinted with an Introduction by George Townshend. (paper binding, .40; Maroon Fabrikoid, $1)
110 Linden Avenue
Wilmette, Illinois
CALENDAR OF EVENTS[edit]
Feasts:
- August 1—Kamál, Perfection
- 20—Asmá’, Names
- September 8—‘Izzat, Might
- 27—Mashíyyat, Will
National Spiritual Assembly Meetings:
- August 29, 30, 31, and Sept. 1.
- October 3, 4 and 5.
Summer School Sessions:
- Geyserville—June 21—August 29, 1952
- Louhelen—June 29—August 29, 1952
- International School—July 5—August 15, 1952
- Green Acre—July 7—August 29, 1952
MARRIAGES[edit]
Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Verily, this thy servant and this Thy maid-servant have gathered under the shadow of Thy mercy and they are united through Thy favor and generosity. O Lord! Assist them in this Thy world and Thy Kingdom and destine for them every good through Thy bounty and grace ...
Three Rivers, Mass., Miss Barbara Norman (non-Bahá’í) to Mr. Thomas Greenway, May 31, 1952
Los Angeles, Calif., Miss Devora Ann Costanten to Mr. Leslie Dean Turner (non-Bahá’í) June 19, 1952
Muskegon, Mich., Miss Kathleen Duff to Mr. Ronald V. Versalle (non-Bahá’í) October 6, 1951
Muskegon, Mich., Miss Barbara Duff to Cpl. Milton W. Voorhies (non-Bahá’í) November 11, 1950
BAHA’I NEWS is published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. Copies are sent without charge to Bahá’ís throughout the United States, and to Bahá’í administrative bodies in other lands. Its purpose is to keep members of the Faith informed of international, national and local Bahá’í developments, and serve as an organ for the distribution of messages written by the Guardian of the Faith, the International Bahá’í Council, and the general announcements prepared by the American National Spiritual Assembly.
Reports, plans, news items and photographs of general interest are requested from national committees and local assemblies of the United States as well as from National Assemblies of other lands. Material is due in Wilmette on the first day of the month preceding the date of issue for which it is intended.
BAHA’I NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee. The Committee for 1952-1953: Mrs. Eunice Braun Chairman, Mrs. Gaylord Christensen, Mr. William C. Henning, Miss Farrukh Ioas.
Editorial Office: 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
Change of Address should be reported directly to National Bahá’í Administrative Headquarters, 536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
