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| No. 332 | BAHA’I YEAR 115 | OCTOBER, 1958 |
“The Most Important Work Human Beings Have Ever Done In the History of Our Planet”
A Communication From the Custodians of the Faith
IT IS nine months since our world was shaken and hearts broken by the passing of our beloved Guardian, Those poignant words which he wrote after the ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá now echo in our ears with a personal meaning to our generation: “The shock has been too terrible and sudden for us all to recover from in so short a time, but whenever we recall His Sayings and read His Writings, hope springs in our hearts and gives us peace that no other material comfort can give.” Although the official period of mourning has now ended, we know that inwardly each Bahá’í will always grieve deeply for the loss of that priceless embodiment of loving kindness and divine wisdom.
The spontaneous declarations of love for our beloved Guardian and loyalty to the Hands of the Cause, raised up by his sacred pen to be the “Chief Stewards of the embryonic world commonwealth of Bahá’u’lláh,” which have been received from all parts of the world, many of them voiced in terms of surpassing beauty, have been a source of great comfort and strength to us.
The Hands of the Cause serving in-the Holy Land, as well as the members of the International Bahá’í Council, have felt particularly the terrible physical absence of our beloved Guardian in this place most closely associated with him, where every object our eyes fall on recalls to us his labor, his perseverance, his final sacrifice. The great waves of prayer and of loving confidence, which have come pouring in to us from the national spiritual assemblies and the believers all over the world, have reassured and sustained us, and have given us strength and courage as we labor to protect the World Center and maintain it as the unifying hub of the great wheel of the Cause our Guardian so carefully built up and set in motion. This has given us assurance that our Guardian himself is aiding us to aid him. We thank all the friends for the support and assistance they have given, for the wonderful spirit of steadfastness they have shown, and the many deeds they have performed in the beloved Guardian’s name since his passing. This united action which has resulted in so many victories, is, in the words of the beloved Guardian himself, “an added proof to the world that there is a mighty spirit that animates the friends, that there is nothing impossible to them.”
The Custodians, the group of Hands serving at the World Center on behalf of the Hands of the Cause throughout the World, have had to meet and surmount many problems. Some of the permanently appointed Custodians, because of attendance at various conferences to which they were sent by the beloved Guardian, and for reasons of health, have been unable to be in residence at Haifa at all times. We have been fortunate, however, in having their places filled temporarily by the following Hands, who have acted as substitute Custodians: Ugo Giachery, John Ferraby, Shu’a’u’llah ’Alá’í, Adelbert Mühlschlegel, ‘Ali Muḥammad Varqá, and William Sears. This arrangement has been most fortuitous, as it has brought us first-hand reports of the status of the Faith in various areas and enabled these temporary Custodians to better sense the overall needs of the Faith as seen from the World Center.
Beloved friends, we are now, together, embarked upon the most important work which human beings have ever done in the history of our planet. Ours is the priceless privilege and the grave, inescapable responsibility of raising up that sacred institution, the Universal House of Justice. This can be done only after the complete triumph of his Ten-Year Plan, which is designed to lay the necessary foundation for that weighty and supreme Edifice of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. I
The measure of divine protection already accorded
our precious Cause at the World Center, in the cradle
of the Faith, and throughout the world, since the be[Page 2]
loved Guardian’s passing, has been truly miraculous.
Surely this is that same divine protection spoken of
by the Master in His letter to the entire Bahá’í world
following the passing of Bahá’u’lláh His words today
bring us not only solace in our bereavement, but a
firm and undying resolve to fulfill our high destiny.
“O ye beloved of the Lord! . . . Today is the day for steadfastness and constancy. Blessed are they that stand fast and firm and immovable as the rock, and brave the storm and stress of this tempestuous hour. They, verily, shall receive His divine assistance and shall be truly victorious . . . In His Most Holy Book He calleth the firm and steadfast of His friends. ‘O people of the world! Should the radiance of My Beauty be veiled, and the temple of My body be hidden, feel not perturbed, nay arise and bestir yourselves, that My Cause may triumph, and My Word be heard by all mankind.’ ”
With warm Bahá’í love,
In the service of the beloved Guardian,
Signed: RUHÍYYIH A. FURUTAN
A. Q. FAIZÍ PAUL HANEY
A. VARQÁ WILLIAM SEARS
Haifa, Israel
August 8, 1958
Commentary by U.S. National Spiritual Assembly[edit]
Beloved Friends:
Marking the end of the official period of mourning for our irreparable loss and grief at the passing of the beloved Guardian, the communication addressed to each individual believer throughout the world by the Hands of the Cause resident in the Holy Land, dated August 8, greatly strengthens the bond which unifies the believers in their devotion to the World Center.
How gratifying to Bahá’ís in these difficult days to learn of the “spontaneous declarations of love for our beloved Guardian and loyalty to the Hands of the Cause” received from all parts of the world, and the “great waves of prayer and of loving confidence which have been pouring in to us from national spiritual assemblies and the believers all over the world.”
On the other hand, as the Guardian said, “inwardly each Bahá’í will always grieve deeply for the loss of that priceless embodiment of loving kindness and divine wisdom.”
We are brought closer to the Work proceeding so energetically at the World Center by the realization that the Hands there have had to “meet and surmount many problems,” including the temporary replacement of those Hands who have missions to carry out elsewhere, or have been called away for reasons of health.
The climax of this communication comes in this passage: “Beloved friends, we are now, together, embarked upon the most important work which human beings have ever done in the history of our planet. Ours is the priceless privilege and the grave, inescapable responsibility of raising up that sacred institution, the Universal House of Justice. This can be done only after the complete triumph of the Ten-Year Plan, which is designed to lay the necessary foundation for that weighty and supreme edifice of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh.” Thus, spiritually renewed and purified by the forces conveyed through these words, we return to our immediate duties and responsibilities for assuring the success of the World Crusade.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Eleven Hands of the Cause, 2,259 Bahá’ís Attend Historic Fourth Intercontinental Conference in Frankfurt, Germany[edit]
THE fourth of the five Bahá’í Intercontinental Conferences requested by the beloved Guardian was visibly under his guiding and inspiring influence, and greatly blessed by the presence of his special representative, the revered Hand of the Cause of God, Mrs. Amelia Collins, vice-president of the International Bahá’í Council; and by ten other Hands of the Cause, nineteen Auxiliary Board members, representatives of sixteen regional and national spiritual assemblies, and 2,259 believers, more than half of them from Írán, which gave a deeply stirring manifestation of the unity of the East and the West, as foretold by the Master.
This historic conference was held at the Congress Hall, in Messegelande, Frankfurt/Main, Germany, from July 25 through 29, 1958, while from July 22 through 24 a reception for the registration of Bahá’ís took place at Stanley Hall in the Zoological Gardens.
The Words of Bahá’u’lláh: “It beseemeth all men in this day to take firm hold on the Most Great Name, and to establish the unity, of all mankind. There is no place to flee to, no refuge that anyone can seek except Him,” appeared on the cover of the attractive Conference Program, which carried also a sketch of the Mother Temple of Europe, to be erected by the Community of the Most Great Name near Frankfurt/Main. In the program we read the Call to the Conference by Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel, chairman of the host National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria, in which the five-fold purpose of the Conference was set forth; as well as the names of the national assemblies officially represented, as requested by the Guardian: the British Isles, represented by Ernest Gregory; Italy and Switzerland, by Fritz Schar; the United States, by Charles Wolcott; and Germany and Austria by Dr. Eugen Schmidt.
At the entrance to the Congress Hall a large sign
proclaimed Bahá’u’lláh’s afflrmation that “Religion is
a Radiant Light,” and dominating the interior of the
hall the Greatest Name, magnified many times,
hung against the grey-curtained wall back of the platform; many beautiful Persian rugs were on the floor,
as well as on the long table across the front of it,
the floor surrounding it, and the stairs leading up to
the platform. Here the Hands of the Cause were seated[Page 3]
during all the sessions of the Conference, with the
Auxiliary Board members and representatives of the
national spiritual assemblies seated in the first two
rows below the platform.
The Conference was convened by Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel, who announced that the Guardian’s representative was about to enter the Hall, whereupon the great assemblage arose in silent homage as Mrs. Amelia Collins ascended the platform, escorted by Dr. Ugo Giachery and Dr. Hermann Grossmann. A period of eloquent silence was followed by a memorial service for the Guardian, with readings from Prayers and Meditations, and the Prayer for the Divine Plan by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in German, English, and Persian.
Mrs. Collins Speaks of the Guardian[edit]
Mrs. Collins then addressed the friends; from her voice, carrying clear and strong over the microphone, and from her face, radiant and smiling, emanated a love that reached the heart of each one present.
“How can I ever find words to bring to you what is in my heart about our divine Guardian?” she asked. “I feel we must all fill ourselves at this time, so that his spirit and his wishes will carry us through the next five years of the Global Crusade he initiated, and enable us to consummate his every hope and wish! ‘This, the fulfillment of his own plan, is the loving memorial we must build for him.
“When I first heard of the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, I was a young believer, and after the provisions of His Will and Testament became known, my whole heart and soul turned to that ‘youthful Branch’ appointed by Him to watch over and guide the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. How I prayed that God would help me to make him happy! Early in 1923 I first met our divine Guardian in Haifa. He was just a young man, with all the determination to carry forward the great work entrusted to his care. He was so spontaneous, so loving and outgoing in the buoyancy of his beautiful heart. Through the years We all watched with wonder and in ever deepening devotion to him and appreciation of his God-given gifts, the unfoldment of Bahá’u’lláh’s Divine Order, which he built up so patiently and wisely all over the world; but, dear friends, at what a cost to himself!
“In 1951, when the Guardian called some of the friends to serve him in Haifa, I began to learn of some of the things he had passed through. His face was so sad, one could see his very spirit had been oppressed, during the time when the family opposed and finally abandoned the Faith and the Guardian to go their own way. I can truthfully say that for a number of years, we who served in the World Center seldom saw him smile . . . His sufferings had been heartbreaking.
“The Guardian had a profound and innate humility. Whenever the Faith was involved he was afire in his defense and king-like in the authority with which he spoke, but as a human being he was self-effacing, and would brush aside our adulation and praise and turn it toward the Central Figures of the Faith. We know this characteristic of his, how he would not allow a photo taken of himself, but invariably urged the friends to place a picture of the Master in the room. He would not permit the friends to have clothing or things of his, lest they might be considered as relics.
Congress Hall, Frankfurt/Main, Germany, where the
fourth Bahá’ís Intercontinental Conference was held on
July 25-29, 1958.
“After the years of sorrow and trial he went through
with the family, after his final separation from them,
came a new joy to our beloved Guardian. He loved
the progress that came with the goals of the Global
Crusade; it lifted him up. How can I ever describe to
you his eyes when he came over to the Pilgrim House
and spoke of a new achievement! His beautiful face
would be all smiles, he would spread out one of his
maps on the dining room table, and his fingers would
point out the new endowment or the new Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds purchased, or the new language translated, as
the case might be.
“I feel it would be no exaggeration to say that it was the progress of the Ten-Year Plan that gave him the encouragement to go on working so hard. More than once he said, during the last years of his life, that his ministry had lasted longer than that of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and he complained of the crushing burden, but none of us could think that it presaged his demise. . .”
Mrs. Collins then reviewed some of the manifold services which the Guardian had rendered the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, such as the completion of the Shrine of the Bah “with an arcade and dome, both of which the Master had stated it should have,” the erection of the monuments and Archives Building, and she described the developments at the World Center, reviewed the list of translations as well as the writings, which “streamed out over the world in a mighty flow of exquisite language.”
“It was his hand in everything,” she said, “from the littlest to the biggest thing . . . Many gloves fell apart on that hand but the work of the Cause went on uninterruptedly until the last night of his life!” When he had erected the machinery of the Bahá’í Administrative Order, he suddenly shifted the whole machinery into gear and called the first Seven-Year Plan, the first step of ‘Abdu’l-Baháls Divine Plan which is the instrument for the spiritual conquest of the entire globe . . . What a gift he had and what gifts he gave to us!”
Ten Hands of the Cause photographed at the Frankfurt Intercontinental Conference: From left to right are
Julál {{u|Kh}]ázeh, Enoch Olinga,, {{u|Dh}ikru’lláhKhádem, Dr.
Adelbert Mühlschlegel, Mrs. Amelia E. Collins, Hasan
Balyuzi, John Ferraby, John Robarts, Dr. Hermann
Grossmann, and Dr. Ugo Giachery. Hand of the Cause
Musa Banání also attended the conference, but was in
the hospital when this picture was taken.
In conclusion she said: “He made each believer feel
that he had a part to play; that he was precious to
the Faith and had deeds to discharge and enjoyed
privileges because he was a member of the community
of the Most Great Name. Let us never lose sight of
this . . . His work in this world is done—ours is not!
We are in a way Shoghi Effendi’s heirs. We have inherited this work. His plan is completed, ours is the
task to fulfill it. We must each of us complete our
share of the World Crusade. This is the memorial we
must build to our beloved Shoghi Effendi. Let us love
him now more than ever before, and through the
power of our love attract his love to us and bring his
blessings on our labors. Let us not fail him, for he
never failed us! Let us never forget him, for he never
forgot us!”
Prayers closed this morning session, which had indeed brought the believers close in spirit to the beloved Guardian, and the hearts were united in humble thanksgiving for him and for his great service. The prayers at the opening and closing of each session were in the different European languages with chanting in the Persian language, and all of the talks were translated into the English, German, and Persian languages, with a speed and skill that won the appreciation of everyone.
Message From the Hands in the Holy Land[edit]
In opening the afternoon session, Dr. Mühlschlegel, on behalf of the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria, which had been given the honor of organizing the conference, extended a warm and hearty greeting of welcome to all, and then announced that the message from the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land would be read first by Mrs. Collins, followed with a German translation by Dr. Hermann Grossmann, and a Persian translation by Jalál Kházeh.
This message enumerated the victories that had been won in the first five years of the Crusade and suggested that “It was this overall pattern of marked success . . . that undoubtedly caused our Guardian to unite us in these five Intercontinental Conferences, not only to humbly thank Bahá’u’lláh for mercies received, not only to deliberate on ways and means of accomplishing the next five years’ work, but as a reward for having served faithfully, with enthusiasm and consecration, this blessed Cause of God, and, as we now see, as a mercy in the hour of separation, a tender enfolding of us, his ‘dearly beloved coworkers’ in the arms of that one who, in his modesty and purity of heart, called himself only ‘your true brother.’ ”
The special tasks to be considered by the Conference were “that the budget, now being expended monthly for the construction of the Sydney Temple, be met, and that at least the major part of the sum required for the European Mashriqu’l-Adhkár be raised; and that of the ‘unprecedented increase’ in the number of believers throughout the world, calling for pioneers ‘in all continents, in all the islands opened to the Faith, on the homefronts, and in the goal territories . . .’ ”
The introduction of the Hands of the Cause of God by John Nielsen, chairman of the Regional National Spiritual Assembly of Scandinavia and Finland, followed, and each spoke a brief message of greeting; Mrs. Amelia Collins, Jalál Kházeh, Dr. Ugo Giachery, Dhikru’lláh Khádem, Enoch Olinga, Hasan Balyuzi, John Ferrahy, Dr. Hermann Grossmann, Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel, and John Robarts. Ethel Revel, a member of the International Bahá’í Council, also spoke briefly during these introductions.
It was announced that Musa Banání had hoped to be present, but was in the hospital; also that three Frankfurt newspapers had given publicity to the conference and each had a picture of the proposed Temple; that at the press conference there were nineteen representatives of the press; and that Dr. Eugen Schmidt had been given an interview over the radio and on television, This meeting had lasted lmtil after seven o‘clock, so no evening session was to be held.
Review at World Crusade Progress[edit]
The second day of the Conference was given over to
a review of the progress that had been made during
the first half of the Crusade. John Ferraby began
with a commentary on the Guardian’s map of achievements. He explained that the map shown on the screen
was a copy of the map on which the Guardian had
worked on the very last day of his life, and that a
scrap of paper in his own handwriting indicated how
some things were to be written and these final instructions were carried out so that the map appeared
as the Guardian wished it. Mr. Ferraby pointed out
some of the goals which had been achieved, such as
the national and regional assemblies formed, the
Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds and endowments purchased, the long
list of tribes in Africa—which particularly pleased the
Guardian, the nineteen Temple sites purchased during[Page 5]
the Crusade. and the recognition of Bahá’í Holy Days
in forty-four countries, which is a Sign that the Faith
is being recognized. He pointed out also that the map
was on display below the platform where the friends
could study it more closely, and he added, “He made
of it a work of art, a thing of beauty which we can
carry in our hearts as a memorial.”
This visual review of achievements was followed by the living review when nineteen members of the Auxiliary Boards for the propagation and protection of the Faith were called to the platform: in all, thirteen from Europe. three from Asia, two from Africa and one from America. Fifteen regional and national spiritual assemblies were represented, namely: Germany and Austria. the British Isles, Italy and Switzerland, United States, Írán, Arabian Peninsula, Pákistán, India and Burma, Northeast Africa, Northwest Africa. ‘Iráq, Northeast Asia, Benelux, Scandinavia and Finland, Iberian Peninsula, and France “This review of representatives is the greatest memorial to our Guardian,” cried Ugo Giachery. “For thirty-six years he prepared what we are witnessing now!”
Fourth Bahá’í Intercontinental Conference held at Congress Hall, Messegelande, Frankfurt/Main, Germany, on
July 25-29, 1958.
Knights of Bahá’u’lláh Introduced[edit]
The afternoon session began with the reading of the messages which had been received from over the world. Then, as a further “living review” of achievements, the Knights of Bahá’u’lláh, those who had arisen at the beginning of the Crusade to pioneer, were called to the platform and each one introduced by Dr. Giachery. Forty-eight were present from twenty-seven goal countries and islands of the Crusade. Each was presented with a pin with a nine-pointed star bearing the Greatest Name which had been sent from Japan for the occasion.
The evening session was reserved for “The Mother Temple of Europe.” Dr. Eugen Schmidt, the chairman of this session, first gave an impressive address about the spiritual significance of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár as the “visible embodiment of the Universality of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh,” and “the most powerful silent teacher.”
He introduced the architect, Teuto Rochell, who explained some of the architectural matters regarding[Page 6]
his plan in a talk on “An Idea Takes Form.” Pictures of the model were shown on the screen and
the architect explained the features of his plan for a
modern building of glass, steel, and cement with a
height of thirty meters, a diameter of forty meters,
and a glass dome with a diameter of twenty-four
meters, buttressed with twenty-seven ribs extending
down to the foundation, and a glass corridor with nine
entrances surrounding the base of the dome. A cross-section of the model gave the view of the interior,
which will seat 450 persons. The entire structure is to
cost from 1.2 million to 1.5 million German marks.
Model of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár to be constructed at
Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
Ruprecht Kruger spoke of “The Struggle for Justice
and Space,” which for the past five years has involved
the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria in much red tape, because it is necessary to secure
the permission of the local, regional, and national government to build the Temple. He explained that all land that is purchased must be approved by the authorities
because they have the right to buy the land first, and
only if they waive this right can the ground he bought
outright; there are eighteen persons judging the case,
and if one says no, it is impossible to purchase the
land.
“Usually this does not matter, yet one of them said no in our case,” he said. “The Christian Churches are responsible for the status quo and are strongly opposed,” with the result that several contracts have been signed but not approved.
A model of the proposed structure was on display, and a cross-section gave a view of the interior. Postcards of the model were on sale and many of the friends purchased them to send to Bahá’í communities, soliciting their prayers for the speedy construction of this beautiful Temple in the heart of Europe.
Viewing of Bahá’u’lláh’s Portrait[edit]
Sunday, July 27, the high point of the Conference, came when the friends gathered to enjoy the great privilege of beholding the portrait of Bahá’u’lláh while standing near the blessed earth from the Holy Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and viewing a lock of His precious hair, which Mrs. Collins had brought to the Conference as requested by the Guardian. Beautiful talisman roses adorned the table, which was covered with a lovely Persian rug. On one side stood Dr. Giachery and Mrs. Collins, and on the other Jalál Kházeh, Hasan Balyuzi, John Robarts, Enoch Olinga, Dhikru’lláh lfliadern, and Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel, Hands of the Cause.
As the believers filed by, Mrs. Collins, with a radiant smile, anointed the hand of each with attar of roses from a vial used by the Guardian for that purpose, and repeated the Greatest Name, ‘‘Alláh’u’Abhá!” It was a holy atmosphere of purification and dedication that pervaded the Congress Hall that morning. For more than four hours the believers passed by, and each one had the same loving, radiant greeting and the outstretched hand anointed with attar of roses by Mrs. Collins, who at the advanced age of 85 years was enabled to perform this sacred mission, the crowning act of a lifetime of service to our beloved Guardian. Surely no one present will ever hold age a barrier to activity in the Faith, nor doubt the assistance that is vouchsafed to those who arise to serve!
Thanksgiving to Bahá’u’lláh at Feast and Devotions[edit]
At the Unity Feast that evening the hearts turned in humble thanksgiving to Bahá’u’lláh. “First,”as Mr.Ferraby said, “for thirty-six years of the guidance of Shoghi Effendi, for that most potent Covenant which is one of the most distinguishing features of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh; and two of the products of that Covenant is the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and the Tablets of the Divine Plan, which is the Charter of the World Crusade. The first fruits were the two Seven-Year Plans, and the latest evidence of the Divine Plan is the Ten-Year Crusade. Now it is half ended. We have seen with our own eyes how the bounties of Bahá’u’lláh have been showered upon us in these first five years. All the lands of the world were settled by the rush of pioneers in the first year: we saw how the contributions of the friends supported the activities, the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds were established, and the endowments purchased. We achieved a very great deal in the third phase; the bounties of Bahá’u’lláh continued to be showered on us. Many national and regional assemblies were established.
“We are now in the fourth phase, when the Guardian expects a tremendous increase in the number of Bahá’ís throughout the world. Let us this evening, as we pray, feel that the bounties will continue to be showered on us until 1963 when the friends gather in Baghdad to celebrate!”
The devotional program of thankgiving to Bahá’u’lláh followed, and the readings and prayers also included the Prayer for the Departed for Fritzi Shaver, American pioneer to Switzerland for over ten years, who recently had passed away in Basle.
Dr. Grossmann presented many beautiful and precious gifts that had been received by the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria for the Temple:
Persian rugs, a picture of the mosque in which
Bahá’u’lláh prayed in Adrianople, a piece of plaster
from the room in which Bahá’u’lláh lived there, as well
as roses from Bahá’u’lláh’s House which He Himself[Page 7]
had planted when a prisoner in Adrianople, table covers, silver vases, a plaque carrying the Greatest Name,
a shirt of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and many other gifts too numerous to mention.
Donations for the Temple[edit]
Monday morning two long prayers were chanted in Persian, and it was explained that the Guardian had especially requested these prayers for the inauguration of the Temple in Wilmette. “These prayers have been used this morning,” Jalál Kházeh explained, “because we must new approach the task of securing donations for the Temple, one of the tasks mentioned by the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land . . . This is an important day, and We must be sure that the spirit of the Guardian is present. To explain this idea: if we visit a factory We see a lot of machinery working and functioning. They are working without their own will and knowledge. It is the will and Knowledge of the engineers who have produced them. The same is true of this Conference. We have come here from every part of the globe. Why did we do so? It was the Guardian’s wish that led us here!
“I remember when I was in Haifa with my friend, Mr. Navídí. We heard our Guardian tell about the progress of the Cause and the influence it will have in coming centuries. Mr. Navídí asked what use this progress would have for us for we would be dead. Could we witness such progress from the world beyond? The Guardian replied that of course our spirit will be able to witness from the world beyond what is going on here and the victories and emanations of these spirits are continuing their effect on the world. If now this is true of our spirits, we should rest assured that the sacred spirit of our beloved Guardian is a strong force and has great effect in our community and in the progress of the Cause.”
Charles Wolcott, delegate of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, and chairman of the morning session, made a few introductory remarks directed to the friends of Írán. “Your fathers and grandfathers,” he said, “have sacrificed with their blood for the Faith. Today we must use the means we have to show the Guardian that we give all our efforts and donations to the progress of the Cause. The fourth phase of the world Crusade has started. This stage must establish bulwarks of our Faith in all parts of the globe. Pioneers must arise and go to places which have not been reached. We need more centers everywhere. We must realize that the monthly cost of the Sydney building must be met regularly and we are about to begin the cost of the Mother Temple of Europe in Frankfurt.” He announced many donations, which had already come in, of money and jewelry; that an automobile had been given for the trip to ‘Akká from Haifa; that from an Afnán a candlestick had been given which will be placed on the Guardian’s grave in London.
Habib Sabet spoke of a Bahá’í who had asked the Guardian regarding the Crusade and he replied that he had measured the power and capacity of the friends around the world and had then made the Ten-Year Crusade. “It has been estimated that the expenses of the first five years that have been met thus far have exceeded twenty million dollars, and this amount has been paid by the Bahá’ís throughout the world,” he said.
“We all know that Mrs. Amelia Collins has been contributing continuously throughout her life . . . Today we have the pleasure to announce the donation of $50,000 which she gave when the efforts for the Temple started.” He continued to announce contributions that were sent to him on the platform, while the ushers distributed pledge forms in Persian, English, and German for those who wished to pledge a specific amount to be paid later, This hastened the collection of donations.
Cable to Hands in the Holy Land[edit]
The committee that had been requested to draft a cable to be sent to the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land, submitted the following which was unanimously adopted: SACRED SPIRIT BELOVED GUARDIAN SHELTERING CONFIRMING REVERED BELOVED REPRESENTATIVE AMELIA COLLINS NINE REVERED HANDS CAUSE 2259 BELIEVERS 57 COUNTRIES PRESENT THIS HISTORIC CONFERENCE. WITH GRATEFUL HEARTS WE HERE PLEDGE OURSELVES PROVE OUR LOVE DEVOTION TO HIM BY ACCOMPLISHING ALL REMAINING GOALS CRUSADE STOP WITH EVERY DEEPEST LOVE AND ASSURANCE FAITHFULNESS VENERATED HANDS CAUSE HOLY LAND BEG YOUR PRAYERS HOLY SHRINES.—FOURTH INTERCONTINENTAL CONFERENCE.
At the beginning of the afternoon session the three gifts from the Guardian to the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria were presented by Mrs. Collins, and received by the chairman, Dr. Mühlschlegel.
Excerpt From Convention Message Read[edit]
Joel Marangella, chairman of the afternoon session on pioneering, read an excerpt from the Convention Message of the Hands in the Holy Land concerning the attainment of every objective of the World Crusade. He then pointed out the goals that took priority were the countries not yet opened to the Faith, and the islands where there is just one Bahá’í pioneer at this time. Mimeographed forms in the different languages were distributed to those wishing to pioneer as Marion Hofman forcefully and dynamically spoke on “Our Pioneers.”
“The mission of Bahá’u’lláh is to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, therefore teaching is the essence of this Faith,” she stated. “We must take this message to every city and every person in the world. This is pioneering!”
Island Pioneers Introduced[edit]
The pioneers who now lived on an island alone were asked to come to the platform and give their name and the island on which they were pioneering so that the friends could better understand how many there were who needed help. Pioneers were there from the Faroes, Hebrides, Orkneys, Shetlands, Malta, Rhodes. Sardinia, Corsica, Sylt, and Iceland. Liechtenstein and Andorra were also mentioned as in need of pioneers. Then in response to this call for pioneers seventy-five believers arose, and were introduced to the friends.
Congress Hall Filled for Public Meeting[edit]
In the evening a public meeting was held in the
Congress Hall, to which had been invited the city of[Page 8]
ficials and friends of the Frankfurt Bahá’ís. The hall,
with a seating capacity of 2,500, was filled, and many
Bahá’ís stood in the balcony.
Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel spoke in German on the subject “The Earth is but One Country,” and Hasan Balyuzi spoke in English on “Religion is a Radiant Light.”
The last day of this great conference was devoted to a consideration of the remaining teaching needs of the Crusade, and Musa Banani, the Hand of the Cause of Africa, was able to be present. Before he spoke, a cabled reply from the Hands in the Holy Land was read: “HEARTS TOUCHED (BY) EVIDENCE (OF) DEDICATION AND DETERMINATION CONVEYED (BY) LOVING MESSAGE (AND) UNMISTAKEABLE EVIDENCE (OF) SPIRIT (OF THE) BELOVED GUARDIAN PERVADING (THE) UNPRECEDENTED HISTORIC CONFERENCE PLANNED BY HIM. ARDENTLY PRAYING (AT) SHRINES (FOR) ATTAINMENT (OF) ALL OBJECTIVES (OF) HOLY CRUSADE (AND) PARTICULARLY SPEEDY CONSTRUCTION (OF) MOTHER TEMPLE EUROPE THEREBY FULFILLING (THE) GOAL SO GREATLY CHERISHED (BY) OUR BELOVED.” HANDSFAITH.
Musa Banání, who had just left the hospital to come to the conference. gave a brief report of the development of the teaching work there “The beginning of the year 114,“ he said, “we had 3500 believers in Africa with 120 local assemblies; Uganda had 1200 believers with 55 assemblies. In the year 115 it was the wish of the Guardian that this should be doubled. I was one Hand with six members of the Auxiliary Board, and when we met in Salisbury, Rhodesia, we decided that We should be aided by teachers, and asked the Guardian for help. He gave us substantial funds, and a friend gave us $8,000, which was split up in four parts for the regional national assemblies in Africa. Today we have a fine result, with 6,000 believers in Africa grouped into 150 local assemblies. Uganda has 3,000 believers and 116 assemblies instead of 55 of the year before! These results have been achieved by the guidance of our Guardian. We hope next year to double these figures.”
Rostrum of the Congress Hall, Frankfurt/Main, Germany, crowded with volunteers for pioneering at the Intercontinental Conference.
Mr. Sabet was asked to report on the contributions; he announced that 915,917 D.M. had been contributed by the friends in cash and asked that another effort be put forth by the friends to make it a million; this goal was reached by further contributions.
At twelve o’clock there was a pause, and David Hofman explained that “at this very moment the friends in England are laying flowers on the most sacred and blessed spot in Europe, the grave of our beloved Guardian.” He then read the excerpts with reference to Shoghi Effendi from the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Review of Remaining Crusade Goals[edit]
Charles Wolcott then gave a brief review of the remaining goals to be attained in the next five years: “During the second Seven-Year Plan given by the Guardian to the United States, the original ten goal countries of Europe were opened. At the beginning of the Crusade our goal was a national assembly in each of these ten countries. Later in 1953 the Guardian added Finland and France. The Guardian knew our capacity and gave us our tasks step by step. The closing of the third phase of the Crusade witnessed the achievement of four regional assemblies in these countries. Now each must form its own national assembly in the coming five years. To do this we must have many local assemblies. Many local assemblies are the first step toward a national assembly.” He made an appeal for Latin America “where we need 150 pioneers to establish twenty local assemblies,” and appealed to the Bahá’ís of Holland to go to Dutch New Guinea.
Jalál Kházeh explained that “our principle aim is to establish the International House of Justice, and this matter needs great work and sacrifice. If we imagine the International House of Justice to be a structure it would be erected on about sixty pillars, each to stand as a symbol of a national spiritual assembly. When the plan started we had only twelve national assemblies, twelve pillars, then in 1956 we had three, in 1957 we had thirteen, and this year one; in 1959 there will be four more, totalling thirty-three. In reality, however, we will only have twenty-three as the remainder are regional national assemblies. We have then eleven national assemblies to be erected in Europe, three in Asia, and twenty in Latin America! Thirty-four pillars must be erected and then the dome should be put on these fifty-seven pillars. Our main goal is to build up the rest of the edifice which our Guardian has started.
“The important thing,” Mr. Wolcott reminded the friends, “is to keep this goal in front of you and take back to your homeland the thrilling news, and entreat all of the believers at home to become a part of this Crusade while there is yet time!”
The session then turned to a consideration of the teaching needs of the European countries. Jan Sysling, chairman of the Regional National Spiritual Assembly of the Benelux countries, spoke of Luxembourg; Hand of the Cause Dr. Varqá reported on Austria; Miss Virginia Orbison, a member of the National Assembly of the Iberian Peninsula, explained the requirements of Portugal and Spain; John Nielsen, chairman of the Regional National Assembly of Scandinavia and Finland, made a special plea for Finland; and Fritz Schar, chairman of the Italo-Swiss National Assembly, spoke on Switzerland and Italy.
A call for pioneers was raised for these areas, and fifty-eight responded. This brought the total number of volunteers to 133, which meant that both tasks laid before the conference had been achieved, with one million marks contributed and the above number of pioneer offers.
Appeal to the Government[edit]
A special committee had been appointed during the conference, at the request of the National Assembly of Germany and Austria, to appeal to the national government for the realization of the Temple project. Dr. Schmidt now announced that such an appeal had been drafted, and it was hoped that it would have an effect on the Hessian government.
Farewell to the Conference[edit]
The Hands of the Cause then one by one approached the microphone and said farewell to the friends, with comments on the achievements of the conference. In particular, the hearts of the audience were touched with these precious words of Mrs. Collins, which closed the sessions:
“Beloved friends, you have all become so dear to me in these days. You have all brought the Guardian nearer to me. There is little more to say, but I would like to add to what has been said today to those who have offered to go pioneering. To win one smile from the Guardian is enough to take you through a whole year of pioneering, and I am sure you won the first smile today!
“I am going to say something very personal. When our beloved Guardian informed me of the mission I was to perform, I became frightened, and then I laid it aside. I thought ‘I will see the Guardian before long and he will give me strength and he will tell me what to say,’ but we all know that plan was changed, and I came here fearing to face so many of the friends. I was not well, but miracle after miracle happened to me, and why? Because I felt the great loving spirit of the Guardian.
“For six weeks before I came to Frankfurt I practised almost every day to see how long I could stand, —knowing that I had a very sacred mission to perform. I never could endure over one half-hour, and I was completely exhausted! You all know what happened: I stood for over four hours! That was what the Guardian gave me and I am sharing it with you. Because that will happen to everyone of you if you will just do what the Guardian wishes you to do. You have the key here, and don’t lose it! We must each become a magnet, a magnet to attract the Holy Spirit—and I have felt that here every hour I have been with you, so precious and sacred!
“Several here this afternoon have said it was hard, it was sad, to say good-bye. I feel just the opposite. Every year when the Guardian parted from us in Haifa he would give me certain instructions; last Spring when he left he had said goodbye the evening before in my room, but the next morning when we were gathered to see him off, he took my hand and said, “Don't be sad!” So I leave those Words with you “Don’t be sad!”
—NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF GERMANY AND AUSTRIA IN COLLABORATION WITH AMELIA Bowman AND IAN SEMPLE
U. S. National Assembly Implements Dynamic, Decisive Homefront Campaign With Study Material to Deepen Understanding of Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings[edit]
In his last communication to the American Bahá’ís dated September 21, 1957, the beloved Guardian called more urgently than ever before upon “every single member of this strenuously laboring, clear-visioned, stout-hearted, spiritually endowed community . . . to immortalize this approaching, fateful hour in the evolution of a world Spiritual Crusade . . . with an instantaneous plan of action, at once so dynamic and decisive as to wipe out, on the one hand, the deficiencies which have . . . bogged down the operations of the Crusade on the homefront, and tremendously accelerate, on the other, the progress of the triple task . . . constituting one of its preeminent objectives.”
The three aspects of this task “which can brook no further delay” he named as being “spiritual reinvigoration, administrative expansion, and material replenishment.”
With this clearly-defined challenge before it, the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, following much prayer and consultation, has mapped out a “dynamic and decisive” homefront campaign for the remainder of the Ten-Year Plan, which incorporates the participation of every national committee, local spiritual assembly, Bahá’í group, and individual believer. The campaign was launched on August first with a letter addressed to every American Bahá’í, appealing for wholehearted response to all the requests made by the National Assembly, including the adoption of personal goals for maximum contribution to the three aspects of teaching and service called for by the beloved Guardian.
Since “spiritual reinvigoration” was named by Shoghi Effendi as first of the three points on which he pleaded for us to concentrate, the National Spiritual Assembly distributed at the same time an individual and group study and discussion outline designed to help every believer deepen his knowledge and understanding of the essential teachings regarding (1) the Station of Bahá’u’lláh, (2) the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, (3) the Mission of Bahá’u’lláh, and (4) His Laws and Teachings.
A section of the quartz facing for the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of Australia, being constructed near
Sydney. Behind this quartz facing the main cement supporting wall will be constructed. The
architect and builders expect the completion of construction by March 1959, to be followed
by interior decoration, furnishings, and exterior landscaping.
Further Study Material to Follow[edit]
Further study material will follow at regular intervals, each release dealing with certain fundamental
spiritual and administrative verities, aimed at indi[Page 11]
vidual reinvigoration, and better understanding and
application of basic administrative principles in local
and national activities.
National Bahá’í Endowment for Belgium, twenty acres
in area, located at Villers-la-Ville, purchased on June
28, 1958.
To give further impetus to this campaign, the National Spiritual Assembly has scheduled a series of
approximately forty conferences throughout the nation
to be held the latter part of October, and to be conducted by the Hands of the Cause, members of the
Auxiliary Boards, and members of the National Spiritual Assembly. At these conferences the friends will
be given opportunity to consult on the various aspects of the campaign, particularly on subjects relating to administration which appear to need clarification before “administrative expansion” can be realized.
By these and various other means, the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States is endeavoring to take dynamic leadership in wiping out the deficiencies which have “bogged down the operations of the Crusade on the homefront” and, in the words of Shoghi Effendi, to assist the American believers “to arise to the occasion which history has literally thrust upon them.”
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Custodians of Faith Restore Bounty of Pilgrimage to Holy land[edit]
The believers are informed that the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly has received a cablegram from the Custodians in Haifa stating that pilgrimage to the Holy Shrines will be reopened beginning December 1, 1958. Before proceeding to the Holy Land each pilgrim must have received approval from the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land of his or her application for the blessing of pilgrimage.
It is also to be understood that approval of pilgrimage is granted according to the priority of applications as received in Haifa. The Guardian made no distinction in dealing with applications, except this element of priority.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
The Bahá’í Home[edit]
As we near the date when the Bahá’í Home in Wilmette will be opened, the National Spiritual Assembly wishes to offer the friends, both for their own information and for accurate statements in speaking of the Home to non-Bahá’ís, an explanation of its particular purpose and the special advantages it assures to its guests.
All believers understand from the beloved Guardian’s instructions that the Bahá’í Home represents the first accessory of the Bahá’í House of Worship to be constructed, and in addition it is a Crusade goal assigned to the Bahá’ís of the United States.
As soon as possible a series of photographs will be taken showing exterior and interior views, and these illustrations when published will reveal the impressive architectural design, the efficient layout of rooms, and the very attractive furnishings and scheme of decoration. The photographs will also show at least the beginnings of a most attractive landscape plan prepared by Mr. Hilbert Dahl.
As a structure designed for a specific purpose, the Bahá’í Home when completed will be an achievement in which all believers can take pride.
It has already been reported that the Bahá’í Home accommodates twenty guests, the administrator, and a staff of workers. Not only is there a large reception room, hobby room, and library, but the landscaping plan also provides attractive garden paths and an area for leisurely outdoor hours.
The land was purchased, and the construction carried out, by the Temple Trustees. Since a home for the aged operates under special regulations, the Bahá’í Home has been incorporated, with a Board of Directors consisting of the nine annually elected members of the National Spiritual Assembly. This corporate body holds title to the land and building, will operate the Home, and maintain its own records, including a bank account in the name of The Bahá’í Home, Incorporated. The administrator will be Mrs. Florence Gibson, a Bahá’í, whose professional training admirably prepares her for the operation of the Home where personal relations are all-important.
What the Bahá’í Home offers is a beautiful home environment and pleasant association with other persons within the age group. There are many individuals who at the age of sixty-five find themselves facing ten or more years without family or intimate friends. For such persons the Bahá’í Home offers a haven of comfort and the opportunity to make a new circle of intimate friends. Moreover, because this Home is not a nursing home, the Bahá’í guest is not obliged to live with the sick, the helpless, and the senile.
Two guests will be offered accommodation as a gift from the American Bahá’í community. The other eighteen guests will pay as much as they can toward the actual cost of their maintenance. All guests are carefully chosen with reference to sound personal character and capacity for pleasant human relations.
What the American believers are accomplishing in
this unique project is to demonstrate to the public
the Bahá’í principles of the oneness of mankind and
humanitarian service. The Bahá’í Home makes no discrimination of race, religion, or nationality. It is hu[Page 12]
manitarian in a profound meaning of that word, because it enables its guests to overcome the sense of
loneliness and uselessness in this ruthless, materialistic
age—forms of spiritual poverty no less grievous than
lack of material wealth.
Our privilege in explaining the Bahá’í Home to non-believers is to point out that the term “humanitarian” means something far more than charity to aid those in need of material means. Under conditions now prevailing, every citizen receiving salary, wages, or other income, is taxed to a definite proportion of his earnings, and these taxes are or should be abundant for relief of poverty, especially when consideration is given to the operation of Social Security.
Therefore the Bahá’í Home, in essence, is a far-reaching humanitarian experiment. It is in no way to be compared with those institutions which give medical and other care including burial to inmates who have turned over their entire fortune.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Official Commemorations of the Passing of the Guardian Not to be Held[edit]
The U.S. National Spiritual Assembly has received from the Hands of the Cause residing in the Holy Land a letter dated August 11, addressed to all national assemblies. This communication reports a decision which each national assembly is requested to present to the believers.
“After careful thought and prayerful consideration, the Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land feel that it would be disloyal to the wishes of our beloved Guardian for us, or for the friends throughout the world, to gather on November 4 and officially commemorate his passing. His words given in the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh makes this very clear: ‘To commemorate any event associated with his life would be tantamount to a departure from those established truths that are enshrined within our beloved Faith.’ ”
The letter also states: “However, each individual believer may, indeed we feel should, remember this unforgettable day with prayers and meditation, and seek to rededicate himself to the service of the Faith and to ponder ways and means by which he can aid in achieving the goals set by the beloved Guardian.”
In accordance with this decision, the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly points out that on November 4, 1958. and also on successive anniversaries of the passing of the Guardian, no local, regional, or national meetings are to be held and no programs of commemoration prepared even for a few believers. The sacred character of the day will inspire individual believers, each by himself, to pray, meditate, and make effort to attain rededication to the service of the Faith.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
First Local Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Taipei,
Taiwan, formed on April 21, 1958.
Ghana Prime Minister Accepts Baha’i Citation of Appreciation During Visit to United States[edit]
When Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Prime Minister of Ghana, Africa, visited the United States in July, an effort was made by the National Spiritual Assembly to present to him in person a citation expressing the appreciation of the American Bahá’í community for his work in assuring freedom of religion to his people.
Since Dr. Nkrumah’s schedule was too full to permit a personal interview, the following letter and a beautifully framed photograph of the Bahá’í House of Worship was delivered to him in New York on July 24 by H. Borrah Kavelin, chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, and Mrs. Mildred Mottahedah:
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah,
Prime Minister
Ghana, Africa
Your Excellency:
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States, in our capacity of administrative body directing the affairs of the members of our Faith resident in this country, esteems it a high privilege to express respectful greeting and spiritual welcome on the occasion of your Excellency’s visit to the United States.
On behalf of the American members of our Faith, the National Spiritual Assembly more particularly honors your Excellency for the enactment of laws assuring religious freedom in the country of Ghana. For many years our Assembly has maintained Bahá’í teachers in all continents, and in the course of spreading the Bahá’í message affirming the unity of God, the unity of His Prophets, and the unity of mankind, we have experienced many forms of opposition arising from prejudice and the denial of the principle of religious freedom.
For this reason the American Bahá’ís desire to pay tribute to your Excellency for enlightened leadership in the moral and social progress of humanity. In token of this Bahá’í esteem we respectfully request your Excellency to accept the gift of an illustration of the Bahá’í House of Worship located in Wilmette, Illinois, Whose doors are open to all seekers without discrimination of creed, race or nation.
Sincerely,
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States. H. Borrah Kavelin, chairman Horace Holley, secretary.
Dr. Nkruman’s reply through his private secretary on July 31 is reproduced below:
49,166 Visit Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette During Summer Months[edit]
The number of visitors to the Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette during the three summer months of June, July, and August 1958 totalled 49,166, of which more than one-third were Sunday visitors. The visitors on one Sunday in July numbered over 2,000. These figures bring to more than 550,000 the number of individuals who have visited the Temple since its dedication on May 1, 1953.
During these same summer months, tours were arranged for approximately fifty special groups ranging in size from 15 to 550, or a total of more than 1,800, both adults and young people. Several of these groups were from churches and from YMCA and YWCA organizations from as far away as Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. The largest single group to have visited the Temple this year was composed of 350 retired employees of the Western Electric Company and their friends. Other large groups were composed of 150 delegates to the International Congress of Religious Libraries, librarians from the Chicago Historical Society, three bus loads of delegates attending the Lions International Convention, and 115 students from all the states of the United States and Canada, attending the National High School Institute at Northwestern University, all of them editors of high school publications who were to write articles on the Temple and the Faith for their local school papers. Fifty teachers attending summer session on the Chicago campus of Northwestern University were another very interested group.
The gardens surrounding the Temple were the special attraction for the Chicago Plant, Flower, and Fruit Guild of the Illinois Garden Club and for the Garden Club of the Village of Winnetka. The superintendent of a new cemetery was so impressed by the Temple landscaping that he requested the name and address of the landscape architect, Hilbert Dahl, for the purpose of consulting him for the landscaping of this new cemetery.
Not all visitors sign the guest registers, but an examination of the records for June, July, and August reveals that there were 374 visitors from 64 foreign countries, the largest number from Canada (47), Germany (26), Sweden (24). England (24) and Mexico (18). The seventeen countries of Asia represented were: India Pákistán, Burma, Israel, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaya, China, Formosa, Syria, Philippine Islands, Jordan, ‘Iráq, Japan, Írán, Russia, and HongKong. The twenty-one European countries listed included Hungary, Poland, Greece, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. There were visitors also from Australia, New Zealand, Guam, Hawaii, six countries in Africa, and fourteen in Latin America.
The Temple and the gardens continue to attract the attention of innumerable photographers who, in addition to taking their own pictures, purchase large numbers of colored slides and postcards to send to their friends back home. Many requests come to the National Spiritual Assembly for information from people all over the country. Frequently these inquires are addressed simply to “Bahá’í Temple, Wilmette (or Chicago), Illinois.”
In an effort to stimulate a still larger number of tours, the Temple Guides Committee has provided local spiritual assemblies in the area surrounding the Temple with posters which can be sent to organizations to post on their bulletin boards, inviting their members to visit the Bahá’í House of Worship singly or in groups, Thus the Bahá’í House of Worship continues to be the great “silent teacher.”
East Baton Rouge, La., Schools Recognize Baha’i Holy Days[edit]
The Bahá’í Group of Baton Rouge, La., has been informed by the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board that the state school law (R, S. 17:221-17:232—Sub-Part C) makes absence from school, for observance of religious holidays, legal absences. (The word parish as used in Louisiana is equivalent to the word county as used in other states).
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Baha’is of Alaska, Canada, and United States Contribute to First Alaskan Summer School[edit]
For the first time in history, Bahá’ís from other parts of Alaska, Canada, and the States converged on Juneau for an official Bahá’í gathering—the opening of the first permanent Bahá’í Summer School in Alaska. Juneau established its first Local Assembly a year ago, and a unique but most evident change in the spiritual atmosphere of the city was sensed by the friends who had been present in Juneau previous to that time. A spirit of general awakening seemed evident to all.
The Summer School was blessed with a message from the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land through the National Assembly of Alaska which read: “Please convey loving greeting attendants first Summer School.”
The total number attending the school sessions was thirty-nine, with ten of them being contacts, the students and teachers being drawn from ten places in Alaska, Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory, Seattle, and Evanston, Ill. The Bahá’ís were very grateful for this attendance, considering the vast distances involved, both within Alaska and from outside.
The school was opened with an informal Chinese dinner at the American Legion hall, rented for the entire summer school period, at which time the friends viewed a TV program presented by Mrs. Eunice Braun from Evanston, Ill., who was introduced by Monte Smith of the Juneau Bahá’í community. On Sunday afternoon the Juneau Bahá’ís were hosts at a picnic at Auke Bay, with a trip to see the nearby Mendenhall glacier.
Courses included “Bahá’í History,” and “Islám,” by Joan Anderson of Whitehorse; “Know Your Bahá’í Literature,” by Eunice Braun, Managing Director of the Bahá’í Publishing Trust in Wilmette; and “Prophecy and Christianity,” by Hazel Mori of Seattle. Two programs on “Morals and Ethics” were given by the youth, with Vivian Ayerst of Sitka and Janet Stout of Palmer presenting material at one session on “Child Education.”
Evenings were utilized as public teaching events, the first being Monday evening with a talk on “The Purpose of Life” by Eunice Braun; a Tuesday evening talk on “Christian Prophecy” by Hazel Mori; a youth session on Wednesday, and a showing of Life magazine slides on Islam by Joan Anderson on Thursday evening, coordinated with a slide-showing of Spain by Eunice Braun with emphasis on the Islamic period. On Friday evening a farewell party was held, after a talk by Hazel Mori, with a number of guests of the Bahá’ís attending.
Outstanding publicity for these events, and for the School, was obtained on radio, TV, and press through efforts of Monte Smith, publicity chairman. An unusually attractive window display was arranged by Herb Johnson through arrangements with Pan American airlines office—the most strategic place in the city.
Bahá’ís attending the school were grateful for the services of Don Anderson, who handled registration, housing, and social arrangements; Glenn Moul, session chairman; Janet Smith, in charge of devotions; Al Tasaka, official photographer; and Mrs. Marian Johnson, literature sales, and who also was secretary of the Summer School Committee.
Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of Osaka, Japan, donated by Hassan
Naderi.
Haziratu’l-Quds of Osaka, Japan, donated by Persian Pioneer[edit]
The third Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds of the Bahá’ís of Japan has been established with the gift of the residence of Hassan Naderi, Bahá’í pioneer in Osaka. The other Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds are the National Center in Tokyo and the Local Center in Amagasaki.
This newly-acquired Bahá’í Center is located near the heart of Osaka. It is a two-story residence with all necessary utilities on 357 square meters of land.
Two Chicago Television Programs Present Basic Facts of Faith, Temple Worship Program[edit]
Television station WBBM-TV (CBS), Chicago, is conducting a Public Affairs feature on the world’s great religions under the title “Pathways to Faith.” Each religion is presented through materials furnished by the religious group itself in a program prepared by WBBM-TV with the cooperation of representatives of the religion.
The series includes Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity and Bahá’í.
The Faith of Bahá’u’lláh was presented in two halfhour periods, 9:30-10:00 a.m., Sunday, August 24 and August 31.
On August 24 the history, teachings, and meaning of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh were vividly expressed in a number of black and white slides that included a photograph of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Mansion of Bahá’u’lláh. the Shrine of the Báb, the international Archives Building, Green Acre Institute, and Geyserville School. There was also a moving picture of the House of Worship in Wilmette. A running commentary on these subjects was delivered by the program announcer.
He then interviewed four representatives of the Faith,
who answered questions concerning the Founder, the
worldwide Bahá’í community, the basic teachings and
the administrative order, the relationship of the Faith
to other religions and to civil government, and the[Page 15]
principle of progressive revelation.
The Bahá’ís interviewed were Horace Holley, Miss Charlotte M. Linfoot, Miss Judy Bernstein, and Harlan Scheffler.
The concluding Bahá’í program, Sunday, August 31, consisted of the reproduction of a public worship program as conducted in the Temple auditorium, with readings from the Holy Books and selections by the Bahá’í Temple A Cappella Choir.
The readers taking part in the worship program on August 31 were Mrs. Lili Cloonan, Herbert Baler, Mrs. Anne Floyd, and Harlan Scheffler.
Following so closely the publication of the Bahá’í article by Guy Murchie in the Chicago Sunday Tribune; this TV performance, transmitted by so important a Chicago station, can be regarded as a notable landmark in the public recognition of our Faith in the United States.
—U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
Baha’i Teachers and Youth Contacts Form Cultural Club in San Salvador[edit]
A group of non-Bahá’í youth of San Salvador, El Salvador, together with three adult Bahá’ís as counselors, have founded the “Club Juvenil Excelsior" as a way of filling the moral and cultural vacuum threatening these earnest and promising students. They have had their meetings for several months in the local Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds.
“Contemplating the state in which society now finds itself,” begins their constitution, “we have decided to form a club with the proposal to gather youth who in the future will guide the society to noble and cultural ends.”
There are at present fifteen members, who with about ten guests listen to men of education or public affairs explain their work. One recent guest speaker was so intrigued by both the club and by what little he knew of the Bahá’í teachings that he spent the greater part of the program asking questions about the Faith. Though this was unexpected, it did give the believers the opportunity to explain the teachings without giving the youth, who are mostly Catholic, the feeling of being indoctrinated. Three of the youth have already said that they wish to become Bahá’ís.
The other activities of the club are recreational. It is open without discrimination to youth of all social classes, races, nationalities, and religions, and promises to respect the ideas of all the members. The constitution mentions that the applicants for membership must have “no vices,” and includes as the moral of the club, the entire text of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s “To Live the Life.”
Youth of three other cities of El Salvador have expressed a desire to form clubs using the same text.
Indian friends and Bahá’ís at the “Indian Days” gathering at the Gimlin ranch near Camp Verde, Ariz., on
July 26-27, reported in BAHÁ’Í NEWS for September.
Two Panama Baha’is Visit Guatemala, Mexico Seeking Employment to Settle as Pioneers[edit]
One of the greatest joys of teaching the Faith is to see our pupils rise on their own to spread the Message. Recently, two young men from Panama, Hector Ehrman and Alberto Landau, worked overtime for some months, saved their money, and went to the Annual Convention in Guatemala, visiting Bahá’í communities en route, and continuing their journey afterwards by land to Mexico where they visited many communities, deeply impressing all who saw and heard them with their obvious sincerity and dedication. They are looking for employment throughout this territory with the hope of becoming permanent pioneer settlers.
This is the kind of spirit that will make the Faith grow by leaps and bounds, because whereas the inhabitants of these countries rather take for granted North American pioneers and travellers, the idea of the Latins doing this work is still rather new and very convincing.
Yerrinbool Summer School Dates Announced[edit]
The twenty-third annual Yerrinbool Bahá’í Summer School will be held at “Bolton Place,” Yerrinbool, New South Wales, from December 26, 1958, to January 8, 1959.
Inquiries shou.ld be addressed to: Mrs. J . Vohradsky, secretary; Bahá’í Summer School Committee; 108 Prince’s Highway; Dapto, New South Wales.
BAHA’I IN THE NEWS[edit]
Magnolia Times, a mimeographed newsletter published by the patients in East Louisiana State Hospital, refers to the fact that Caroline Rogers, a Bahá’í employe, is described so favorably that the Faith is arousing attention.
The Chicago Sunday Tribune Magazine for June 1,[Page 16]
1958, had an article reporting the results of a poll
taken of a cross section of Chicago area teen-agers.
One of the questions asked was to name the historical
man and woman most admired, and the name of
Bahá’u’lláh was turned in by one student.
Bahá’ís at Green Acre Summer School, Eliot, Maine,
August 16, 1958.
The publication entitled An Expert’s Guide to Chicago includes the “famous Bahá’í Temple” as one of
the sights along the North Shore.
The Kiwanis Magazine, April 1958, published a visitor’s guide to Chicago in preparation for their Forty-Third Annual Convention, which included a map marked with nine featured places to see. The Bahá’í Temple was second on this list.
National Baha’i Addresses[edit]
Please Address Mail Correctly!
National Bahá’í Administrative Headquarters:[edit]
536 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, Ill.
National Treasurer:[edit]
112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Ill.
Make Checks Payable to: National Bahá’í Fund
Bahá’í Publishing Trust:[edit]
110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Ill.
Bahá’í News:[edit]
Editorial Office: 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Ill.
Subscription and change or address: 112 Linden Avenue. Wilmette, Ill.
A French illustrated magazine along the lines of Life Magazine in its March 15, 1958, number published a letter from a reader who had read an article previously published entitled “The Great Shepherds of the World” This letter suggested that the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh be added to the list of Prophets.
The Campfire Girl, January 1958, presented a “Capsule Calendar” for January which included World Religion Day on January 19.
The Lynn, Mass., Daily Evening Item, May 21, 1958, answered a question about how many people belonged to the Bahá’í religion. “When Shoghi Effendi, international Bahá’í leader, died in November 1957, it was reported the religion had nearly 4,000,000 members in 250 countries.”
The Daily Journal—Gazette and Commercial—Star, Mattoon, Ill., May 22, 1958, ran under the heading “Community Church Services—this Week’s Sermon” the text of the first number of the Bahá’í Public Relations Bulletin entitled “Religion.”
The Employment Security News, State of Idaho, of March 1958, published this item: “Rhoda Broughton wished all her friends a ‘happy New Year’ on Friday, March 21. She happily announced that she is going to Chicago in April as a delegate to the Bahá’í Convention.”
Calendar of Events[edit]
FEASTS[edit]
October 16—‘Ilm (Knowledge)
November 4—Qudrat (Power)
HOLY DAY[edit]
October 20—Birth of the Báb
PROCLAMATION EVENT[edit]
October 24—United Nations Day
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY MEETINGS[edit]
October 10-12
Baha’i House of Worship[edit]
Visiting Hours
Weekdays
1:00 pm. to 4:00 p.m. (Auditorium only)
Sundays and Holidays
10:30 am. to 5:00 p.m. [Entire building)
Service of Worship
Sundays
3:30 to 4:10 p.m.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States as 8 news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í World Community.
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.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee. The Committee for 1558-59: Mrs. Eunice Braun, Miss Charlotte Linfoot, Richard C. Thomas.
Editorial Office: 110 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
Change of address should be reported directly to National Bahá’í Office, 112 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, U.S.A.
