THE BULLETIN OF THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY
OF THE BAHA’IS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Office of the Secretary
P. O. BOX 139, STATION D, NEW YORK CITY
THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MASHRIQU’L-ADHKAR[edit]
A Letter from Shoghi Effendi
The Beloved of the Lord and the Handmaids of the Merciful Throughout the United States and Canada
My well-beloved friends:
Ever since that remarkable manifestation of Bahá’í solidarity and self-sacrifice which has signalized the proceedings of last year’s memorable Convention, I have been expectantly awaiting the news of a steady and continuous support of the Plan which can alone ensure, ere the present year draws to its close, the resumption of building operations on our beloved Temple.
Moved by an impulse that I could not resist, I have felt impelled to forego what may be regarded as the most valuable and sacred possession in the Holy Land for the furthering of that noble enterprise which you have set your hearts to achieve. With the hearty concurrence of our dear Bahá’í brother, Ziaoulláh Asgarzadeh, who years ago donated it to the Most Holy Shrine, this precious ornament of the Tomb of Bahá’u’lláh has been already shipped to your shores, with our fondest hope that the proceeds from its sale may at once ennoble and reinforce the unnumbered offerings of the American believers already accumulated on the altar of Bahá’í sacrifice. I have longed ever since to witness such evidences of spontaneous and generous response on your part as would tend to fortify within me a confidence that has never wavered in the inexhaustible vitality of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh in that land.
I need not stress at this moment the high hopes which so startling a display of unsparing devotion to our sacred Temple have already aroused in the breasts of the multitude of our brethren throughout the East. Nor is it I feel necessary to impress upon those who are primarily concerned with its erection the gradual change of outlook which the early prospect of the construction of the far-famed Mashriqu’l-Adhkár in America has unmistakably occasioned in high places among the hitherto sceptical and indifferent towards the merits and the practicability of the Faith proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh. Neither do I need to expatiate upon the hopes and fears of the Greatest Holy Leaf, now in the evening of her life, with deepening shadows caused by failing eye-sight and declining strength swiftly gathering about her, yearning to hear as the one remaining solace in her swiftly ebbing life the news of the resumption of work on an Edifice, the glories of which she has, from the lips of ’Abdu’l-Bahá, Himself, learned to admire. I cannot surely overrate at the present juncture in the progress of our task the challenging character of these remaining months of the year as a swiftly passing opportunity which it is in our power to seize and utilize, ere it is too late, for the edification of our expectant brethren throughout the East, for the vindication in the eyes of the world at large of the realities of our Faith, and last but not least for the realization of what is the Greatest Holy Leaf’s fondest desire.
As I have already intimated in the course of my conversations with visiting pilgrims, so vast and significant an enterprise as the construction of the first Mashriqu’l-Adhkár of the West should be supported, not by the munificence of a few but by the joint contributions of the entire mass of the convinced followers of the Faith. It cannot be denied that the emanations of spiritual power and inspiration destined to radiate from the central Edifice of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár will to a very large extent depend upon the range and variety of the contributing believers, as well as upon the nature and degree of self-abnegation which their unsolicited offerings will entail. Moreover, we should, I feel, regard it as an axiom and guiding principle of Bahá’í administration that in the conduct of every specific Bahá’í activity, as different from undertakings of a humanitarian, philanthropic, or charitable character, which may in future be conducted under Bahá’í auspices, only those who have already identified themselves with the Faith and are regarded as its avowed and unreserved supporters should be invited to join and collaborate. For apart from the consideration of embarrassing complications which the association of nonbelievers in the financing of institutions of a strictly Bahá’í character may conceivably engender in the administration of the Bahá’í community of the future, it should be remembered that these specific Bahá’í institutions, which should be viewed in the light of Bahá’u’lláh’s gifts bestowed upon the world, can best function and most powerfully exert their influence in the world only if reared and maintained solely by the support of those who are fully conscious of, and are unreservedly submissive to, the claims inherent in the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh. In cases, however, when a friend or sympathizer of the Faith eagerly insists on a
|
of the Bahá’is of the United States and Canada
P.O. Box 139, Station D, New York City Address for telegrams Horace Holley, 129 East 10th Street New York City Office of the Treasurer 1821 Lincoln Street Evanston, Ill. “The NEWS LETTER which you have lately initiated fulfills a very vital function and has been started admirably well. I would urge you to enlarge its scope, as much as your resources permit, that in time it may devote a special section to every phase of your activities, administrative, devotional, humanitarian, financial, educational and otherwise. That it may attain its object, it must combine the essential qualities of accuracy, reliability, thoroughness, dignity and wisdom. It should become a great factor in promoting understanding, providing information on Bahá’i activity, both local and foreign, in stimulating interest, in combating and safeguarding the institutions of the Cause. It should be made as representative as possible, should be replete with news, up-to-date in its information, and should arouse the keenest interest among believers and admirers alike in every corner of the globe. I cherish great hopes for its immediate future, and I trust you will devote your special attention to its development, and by devising well–conceived and world-wide measures transform this NEWS LETTER into what I hope will become the foremost Bahá’i Journal of the world.”—— SHOGHI EFFENDI |
monetary contribution for the promotion of the Faith, such gifts should be accepted and duly acknowledged by the elected representatives of the believers with the express understanding that they would be utilized by them only to reinforce that section of the Bahá’í Fund exclusively devoted to philanthropic or charitable purposes. For, as the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh extends in scope and in influence, and the resources of Bahá’í communities correspondingly multiply, it will become increasingly desirable to differentiate between such departments of the Bahá’í treasury as minister to the needs of the world at large, and those that are specifically designed to promote the direct interests of the Faith itself. From this apparent divorce between Bahá’í and humanitarian activities, it must not, however, be inferred that the animating purpose of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh stands at variance with the aims and objects of the humanitarian and philanthropic institutions of the day. Nay, it should be realized by every judicious promoter of the Faith that at such an early stage in the evolution and crystallization of the Cause such discriminating and precautionary measures are inevitable and even necessary if the nascent institutions of the Faith are to emerge triumphant and unimpaired from the present welter of confused and often conflicting interests with which they are surrounded. This note of warning may not be thought inappropriate at a time when, inflamed by a consuming passion to witness the early completion of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, we may not only be apt to acquiesce in the desire of those who, as yet uninitiated into the Cause, are willing to lend financial assistance to its institutions, but may even feel inclined to solicit from them such aid as it is in their power to render. Ours surely is the paramount duty so to acquit ourselves in the discharge of our most sacred task that in the days to come neither the tongue of the slanderer nor the pen of the malevolent may dare to insinuate that so beauteous, so significant an Edifice has been reared by anything short of the unanimous, the exclusive, and the self-sacrificing strivings of the small yet determined body of the convinced supporters of the Faith of Bahá’u’lláh. How delicate our task, how pressing the responsibility that weighs upon us, who are called upon on one hand to preserve inviolate the integrity and the identity of the regenerating Faith of Bahá’u’lláh, and to vindicate on the other its broad, its humanitarian, its all-embracing principles!
True, we cannot fail to realize at the present stage of our work the extremely limited number of contributors qualified to lend financial support to such a vast, such an elaborate and costly enterprise. We are fully aware of the many issues and varied Bahá’í activities that are unavoidably held in abeyance pending the successful conclusion of the Plan of Unified Action. We are only too conscious of the pressing need of some sort of befitting and concrete embodiment of the spirit animating the Cause that would stand in the heart of the American Continent both as a witness and as a rallying center to the manifold activities of a fast growing Faith. But spurred by those reflections may we not bestir ourselves and resolve as we have never resolved before to hasten by every means in our power the consummation of this all-absorbing yet so meritorious a task? I beseech you, dear friends, not to allow considerations of number, or the consciousness of the limitation of our resources, or even the experience of inevitable setbacks which every mighty undertaking is bound to encounter, to blur your vision, to dim your hopes, or to paralyze your efforts in the prosecution of your divinely appointed task. Neither, do I entreat you, to suffer the least deviation into the paths of expediency and compromise to obstruct those channels of vivifying grace that can alone provide the inspiration and strength vital not only to the successful conduct of its material construction, but to the fulfillment of its high destiny.
And while we bend our efforts and strain our nerves in a feverish pursuit to provide the necessary means for the speedy construction of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, may we not pause for a moment to examine those statements which set forth the purpose as well as the functions of this symbolical yet so spiritually potent Edifice? It will be readily admitted that at a time when the tenets of a Faith, not yet fully emerged from the fires of repression, are as yet improperly defined and imperfectly understood, the utmost caution should be exercised in revealing the true nature of those institutions which are indissolubly associated with its name.
Without attempting an exhaustive
survey of the distinguishing features
and purpose of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár,
I should feel content at the present
time to draw your attention to
what I regard certain misleading statements
that have found currency in various
quarters, and which may lead
gradually to a grave misapprehension
[Page 3]
of the true purpose and essential character
of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár.
It should be borne in mind that the central Edifice of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, round which in the fulness of time shall cluster such institutions of social service as shall afford relief to the suffering, sustenance to the poor, shelter to the wayfarer, solace to the bereaved, and education to the ignorant, should be regarded apart from these Dependencies, as a House solely designed and entirely dedicated to the worship of God in accordance with the few yet definitely prescribed principles established by Bahá’u’lláh in the Kitabu’l-Aqdás. It should not be inferred, however, from this general statement that the interior of the central Edifice itself will be converted into a conglomeration of religious services conducted along lines associated with the traditional procedure obtaining in churches, mosques, synagogues, and other temples of worship. Its various avenues of approach, all converging towards the central Hall beneath its dome, will not serve as admittance to those sectarian adherents of rigid formulae and man-made creeds, each bent, according to his way, to observe his rites, recite his prayers, perform his ablutions, and display the particular symbols of his faith, within separately defined sections of Bahá’u’lláh’s Universal House of Worship. Far from the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár offering such a spectacle of incoherent and confused sectarian observances and rites, a condition wholly incompatible with the provisions of the Aqdás and irreconcilable with the spirit it inculcates, the central House of Bahá’í worshipers, enshrined within the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, will gather within its chastened walls, in a serenely spiritual atmosphere, only those who, discarding forever the trappings of elaborate and ostentatious ceremony, are willing worshippers of the one true God, as manifested in this age in the Person of Bahá’u’lláh. To them will the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár symbolize the fundamental verity underlying the Bahá’í Faith, that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is not final but progressive. Theirs will be the conviction that an all-loving and ever-watchful Father Who, in the past, and at various stages in the evolution of mankind, has sent forth His Prophets as the Bearers of His Message and the Manifestations of His Light to mankind, cannot at this critical period of their civilization withhold from His children the Guidance which they sorely need amid the darkness which has beset them, and which neither the light of science nor that of human intellect and wisdom can succeed to dissipate. And thus having recognized in Bahá’u’lláh the source whence this celestial light proceeds, they will irresistibly feel attracted to seek the shelter of His House, and congregate therein, unhampered by ceremonials and unfettered by creed, to render homage to the one true God, the Essence and Orb of eternal Truth, and to exalt and magnify the name of His Messengers and Prophets Who, from time immemorial even unto our day, have, under divers circumstances and in varying measure, mirrored forth to a dark and wayward world the light of heavenly Guidance.
But however inspiring the conception of Bahá’í worship, as witnessed in the central Edifice of this exalted Temple, it cannot be regarded as the sole, nor even the essential, factor in the part which the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, as designed by Bahá’u’lláh, is destined to play in the organic life of the Bahá’í community. Divorced from the social, humanitarian, educational and scientific pursuits centering around the Dependencies of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, Bahá’í worship, however exalted in its conception, however passionate in fervor, can never hope to achieve beyond the meagre and often transitory results produced by the contemplations of the ascetic or the communion of the passive worshipper. It cannot afford lasting satisfaction and benefit to the worshipper himself, much less to humanity in general, unless and until translated and transfused into that dynamic and disinterested service to the cause of humanity which it is the supreme privilege of the Dependencies of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár to facilitate and promote. Nor will the exertions, no matter how disinterested and strenuous, of those who within the precincts of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár will be engaged in administering the affairs of the future Bahá’í Commonwealth, fructify and prosper unless they are brought into close and daily communion with those spiritual agencies centering in and radiating from the central Shrine of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. Nothing short of direct and constant interaction between the spiritual forces emanating from this House of Worship centering in the heart of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, and the energies consciously displayed by those who administer its affairs in their service to humanity can possibly provide the necessary agency capable of removing the ills that have so long and so grievously afflicted humanity. For it is assuredly upon the consciousness of the efficacy of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, reinforced on one hand by spiritual communion with His Spirit, and on the other by the intelligent application and the faithful execution of the principles and laws He revealed, that the salvation of a world in travail must ultimately depend. And of all the institutions that stand associated with His Holy Name, surely none save the institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár can most adequately provide the essentials of Bahá’í worship and service, both so vital to the regeneration of the world. Therein lies the secret of the loftiness, of the potency, of the unique position of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár as one of the outstanding institutions conceived by Bahá’u’lláh.
Dearly-beloved friends! May we not as the trustees of so priceless a heritage, arise to fulfill our high destiny?
Haifa, Palestine
October 25, 1929.
Meeting of the National Spiritual Assembly[edit]
The meeting of the National Assembly
held at Chevy Chase, Maryland,
November 16 and 17, 1929, is
summarized for the information of
the Bahá’í friends. It was reported
to the meeting that a copy of a recent
book attacking the validity of the Master’s
Will and Testament had been
forwarded to the Guardian. In view
of the fact that Shoghi Effendi’s letter
dated February 27, 1929, as distributed
by the National Assembly last April
in pamphlet form, represents the
Guardian’s reply to the attacks of this
character, the secretary was instructed
to send a general communication to
local Assemblies and groups to emphasize
the importance of that letter.
Mr. Scheffler, treasurer, reported a balance
on hand in both Temple and National
Assembly Funds as of October
31, $326,460.86. Original Tablets
of ’Abdu’l-Bahá to several individuals
were turned over to the Assembly,
it having been impossible to locate
these individuals since the Tablets arrived
in this country. The names are:
Edward Clark, Kansas; Mr. and Mrs.
Josiah Foote, Baltimore; Dr. Albert
Amsteen, care of Wilhelm, New York;
Betty H. London, Astor Hotel, New
York. The National Assembly desires
information concerning the present address
of these persons. In response to
a request from a local Spiritual Assembly
for a written form to be signed
by believers seeking recognition as
voting members, it was decided that
at present the status of the voting members
should be determined by collective
[Page 4]
consultation of the local Assemblies,
on the basis of the qualifications
laid down by Shoghi Effendi.
Evidence was presented to the meeting
that the passage known as “To Live
the Life” was compiled by the late
Mrs. Brittingham, and not revealed as
one continuous text by ’Abdu’l-Bahá.
Mr. Alfred E. Lunt was requested to
represent the Assembly in passing upon
the text of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár
leaflets issued by Mrs. Victoria Bedikian.
A letter of loving Bahá’í greeting
was received from the new Bahá’í
community established at Binghampton,
New York, as the result of the
teaching work of Mr. and Mrs. Howard
Ives. The suggestion received
from a local Assembly that the National
Assembly takes steps at once to
institute a home for aged and indigent
believers was held over for careful
study and investigation. It was voted
to appropriate the sum of $10,000 as
a donation to the National Bahá’í
Temple Fund. Detailed reports were
received from the Teaching, Publishing,
Finance and Legal Committees. It
was voted to publish in the NEWS
LETTER a statement requesting local
Assemblies to hold meetings for the
study of Bahá’í Administration.
Meeting of the Bahá’í Temple Trustees[edit]
A meeting of the Trustees for the Benefit of the National Spiritual Assembly, under the Bahá’í Temple Indenture, was held in Chevy Chase, Maryland, November 16, 1929. Mr. McDaniel reported that the contract had been placed for the construction of a steel bulkhead, reinforced with metal tie rods along the 200 feet of Temple shore property on Lake Michigan, at a cost of $33 a foot, to protect the Temple land from dangerous erosion from the rising lake water during storms. This cost has been met by a special donation from the National Assembly, leaving the Temple Fund intact. Mr. McDaniel further reported that progress has been made in securing a consulting board of engineers to assist the Trustees in fulfilling their responsibility in relation to Temple construction. In order to test the relative strength and endurance of two materials under consideration, the Earley Company and the Aluminum Company of America have been requested to prepare full-size sections of one detail in the Temple design, in cast stone and aluminum, respectively.
Meeting of the Green Acre Trustees[edit]
As already reported, Green Acre property is now vested in nine Trustees, under an Indenture of Trust similar in principle to that adopted by Bahá’í Temple Unity for the transfer of the Temple property last year. The Green Acre Indenture establishes the Trust “For the Benefit of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada”, with the result that the essential purposes and activities, as related to the progress of the Bahá’í Cause, continue unchanged. The following committee was appointed to represent the Trustees at Green Acre for the coming year: Mr. Glenn Shook, chairman, Mr. Siegfried Schopflocher, Mrs. Edith Inglis, Mrs. Allen McDaniel, Mrs. Henry C. Green, Mr. Louis Gregory. This committee was requested to appoint a Research Committee of three to make a thorough survey of Green Acre properties, problems and opportunities, and report their recommendation of future developments and activities. The Trustees voted not to accept any donations for Green Acre from non-Bahá’ís, the effect of which might be to set up any non-Bahá’í influence in Green Acre administration. The officers of the body of Trustees are: Mr. Allen B. McDaniel, chairman, Mr. Alfred E. Lunt, vice-chairman, Mr. Horace Holley, secretary, Mr. Carl Scheffler, treasurer.
Letter from the Treasurer[edit]
To the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada
Greeting:
The enclosed financial statement showing the status of the Fund October 31st is extremely important in view of the fact that the time limit to raise the balance of the $400,000 must definitely be set before the next Convention, inasmuch as the Guardian wants us to start building this year.
There can be no question but that this is a crucial moment in the Cause in this country, a time when the faith of the friends is being put to the test as never before. Their loyalty and devotion was proven last year, the virility of the Cause in America was demonstrated beyond the question of a doubt, but the task that we have undertaken is a big one, no bigger, however, than the bounty that was showered on us. What after all, could we do that would in any sense make us feel that we had done our duty toward the Cause? No gift that we can make nor any sacrifice will ever pay even a fraction of the great gift that was made to us. Let us, therefore, arise together, let each of us do what we can so that we may not all fail, for in this we are bound together as one soul, and unless each one makes the supreme sacrifice we will all fail.
This Temple of the Lord will without doubt be built, but our part in it hangs in the balance. The Guardian writes as follows:
“I grieve to learn of the comparative lull in the flow of funds for the Temple. I still entertain the fondest hope for the collection of the entire sum by the next Convention and feel strongly as I have already cabled the National Spiritual Assembly that no expenses, whatever should be incurred unless absolutely and urgently required, until the sum of $400,000 is attained. Do not feel disheartened. Persevere in your labors and be assured of my constant prayers.”
Let us all make a start toward systematic giving to this Fund. It is the only way that we can win. All the believers must join in to regularly give for the Temple, then day by day this Fund will move forward as never before, because we will be demonstrating our unity and steadfastness under the guidance of our beloved Guardian. As is well known, he has sent a most precious gift, a silken carpet that adorned the shrine of Bahá’u’lláh to inspire us also to make sacrifices. Some of the larger assemblies are making a special effort, New York City is alone undertaking to raise a large percentage of the money still needed. Chicago, too, is trying as never before. Let us all begin again for one last great effort.
With Bahá’í love and greeting, THE NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY.
- By: Carl Scheffler, Treasurer.
Evanston, Ill.,
November 8, 1929.
