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| No. 382 | BAHA’I YEAR 119 | JANUARY, 1963 |
Spiritual Health[edit]
THE SIGN of true faith is spiritual health — health of the individual Bahá’í and of the Bahá’í community. In this condition thoughts and activities are exalted above personality and are characterized by universal attributes and purposes. The individual believer finds himself fulfilled in unity with his fellow Bahá’ís; the community becomes fulfilled in service to humanity through demonstrating the power of the Divine Teachings.
Spiritual disease, on the contrary, dividing the minds and hearts, imprisons the individual within narrow confines of inconstant, varying impulses, either aggressive or timid in his relationship to others.
In this condition he cannot judge aright either himself or his fellow believers. To relieve the pressure of uneasiness he becomes prone to exaggerate the words and actions of others and to indulge in the sin of rumor and backbiting. Moreover, he tends to believe without proof in the rumor and suspicion spread by other negative souls. The result is a community which becomes unable to serve the constructive programs of the Bahá’í Teachings.
Gossip and backbiting stand as the most sinister and destructive evils of any society. At all costs they must be eliminated from the Bahá’í community. But, we ask, how can this be accomplished?
The remedy is twofold — prayer for spiritual health and observance of the true principle given us for the protection of the community.
When any individual believer knows that another believer is acting in a manner that is harmful to the Faith, he is to inform the local spiritual assembly and furnish proofs and evidence. This done, he has no further responsibility and can concentrate upon his own Bahá’í duties and obligations.
The assembly is then to invite the believer in question to attend a meeting for consultation, and he is given full opportunity to prove himself innocent of the charges. If the assembly accepts his proof, the matter is dropped and not discussed again. If the charges cannot be denied or removed, the assembly is then to report the matter to the national spiritual assembly for advice or further action, after which the national assembly assumes full responsibility for establishing either innocence or guilt; and, if guilt is established, for determining what action must be taken to protect the Cause.
We must bear in mind the fact that it is obligatory for every Bahá’í to report confidentially through administrative channels any condition which is harmful and destructive. This is not gossip nor backbiting. These evils arise solely when the Bahá’í indulges in rumor and gossip.
Rumor and gossip depend upon a ready listener. Bahá’ís hearing negative statements about other believers should refuse to listen and warn the gossiper to refer his suspicions to an administrative body. This practice will soon eliminate the circulation of negative statements. If it fails to do so, the believer indulging in idle rumor and gossip should himself be reported to the spiritual assembly.
“O Son of Spirit! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.”
German Temple Turned Over to Believers in “Richtfest” Ceremony[edit]
The Mother Temple of Europe rises in all its beauty almost exactly two years after the laying of the foundation stone (November 20, 1960) by deeply loved Hand Amelia Collins.
Members of the German National Spiritual Assembly, representatives of government, building contractors and workers listen attentively to the words of the architect.
Chairman of the National Assembly of Germany and members of the town council of Langenhain.
One of the workers mounted the ambulatory to read a self-composed poem in honor of the mighty structure. This is called the “Richtspruch” in German, and is an old established custom.
Mr. Rocholl, the patient, persevering and inspired architect, retraces part of the tortuous road which led to accomplishment. He pointed out that the building, though finished in the outward structure, yet calls for many hours of work before interior and landscaping are completed.
The Mayor of Langenhain addresses guests and workers. He wished the Bahá’í community continued growth and success through succeeding epochs and ages.
THE German word “Richtfest” symbolizes the feast
during which the finished shell of a building is handed
over to its owner by the contractor and the workers
who had the privilege of erecting it. It is a significant
step in the progress of a building.
The Bahá’í world on November 16, during the month of Power, was given the finished shell of the mighty and yet graceful structure of its first European House of Worship by those who had labored physically, with their hearts and with their minds to make it a reality before the winter storms.
A group of visitors from all over Europe, including authorities, builders, members of the press and the work force, attended the ceremony and listened to short addresses given by the chairman and vice-chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly, the mayor of the town of Langenhain, the architect, the building contractor and the speaker of the “Richtspruch.” All present signed a guest book.
The day was beautiful. Fresh snow and wind contributed to a vigorous atmosphere, compensated for by the light of joy and accomplishment in those who had labored many years and against formidable odds toward the fulfillment of this goal of the Crusade.
Teaching at the Sydney Temple[edit]
Increasingly larger crowds are visiting the Bahá’í House of Worship in Sydney, Australia. Thousands of pamphlets are being given out, with many people requesting literature to mail to their friends in other parts of the country or overseas.
The unsung heroes are those who are working hard to insure that the services are appropriate and in keeping with the dignity of the Faith, and that the Temple and grounds are in order. The services of the caretakers, the Maintenance and Temple Services Committees, and the believers who attend the work bees are wonderful evidence of the power of the Faith to inspire devoted action.
On special occasions the Temple and grounds are illuminated at night. The stark white structure, blending line and curve and reaching up to a black star-lit sky, must be seen to be appreciated.
Fortnightly firesides are held at the caretakers’ cottage, and have brought a remarkable response from the residents of adjoining areas. There is every likelihood that an assembly will be established in the Temple area by next Riḍván.
First Swiss Summer School[edit]
The first Bahá’í Summer School sponsored by the new national community of Switzerland was held at the Hotel Moy, Oberhofen, September 19-26. Total attendance reached 201 in addition to twenty-three children. The Thun community cooperated with the school committee to make a most pleasant and efficient arrangement, culminating in comfortable lodging, food at favorable prices and a smoothly-running program.
Classes in French were held in one part of the hotel while those in German were held in another section. Hand of the Cause Dr. Mühlschlegel was the constant supporter of every effort, participating with great insight in both the French and German sessions. For those who knew neither French nor German, he also spoke in English.
Children’s classes were held regularly by a dedicated committee, fully prepared for all age groups.
Evenings were free for records, slides, reports of recent teaching activities and other Bahá’í events. One evening was devoted to a costume party and dance — no two ideas of dress and dance step appeared to be alike, showing true diversity.
First Bahá’í Summer School sponsored by the new national community of Switzerland.
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Bahá’ís of Apia, Western Samoa, with Hand of the Cause H. Collis Featherstone (far right) at the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds.
Samoan Teaching Work Goes Forward[edit]
Hand of the Cause H. Collis Featherstone arrived in Apia, Western Samoa, on October 25, and was warmly welcomed by the assembled friends. Advance newspaper publicity had been obtained, and in the evening he spoke at a well-attended public meeting.
The following morning Mr. Featherstone was granted an interview with the Prime Minister of Western Samoa. They spent a cordial half-hour together discussing the Faith, the Prime Minister accepting a selection of Bahá’í literature presented by the Regional Assembly and the believers of Western Samoa. The friends of Upolu and Savai’i islands gave a welcome kava ceremony and feast at the Ḥaẓíratu’l-Quds in Apia, and this gathering was followed by another public meeting.
On October 27, Mr. Featherstone and two of the friends journeyed completely around Upolu island, visiting the new assembly at Matautu, Falealili, taking part in a kava ceremony and visiting chiefs. Then followed a traditional “sua” and feast. A new believer was enrolled at this time, and on the return trip to Apia two more contacts enrolled, opening another village to the Faith. In the evening a third public meeting was held, also well received.
Sunday, October 28, the friends of American Samoa welcomed Mr. Featherstone and Niuoleava Tuataga who accompanied him as translator. The Pago Pago community arranged a special feast which was followed by a short, intimate talk to the Bahá’ís. In the evening a public meeting was well attended with many questions asked.
Monday morning Mr. Featherstone met with some friends from the distant village of Alao, who brought the glad tidings of the wish of a number of people there to become Bahá’ís. Later in the morning he met the Acting Governor of American Samoa and spent a very friendly half-hour with him discussing the Faith and presenting literature on behalf of the Regional Spiritual Assembly and the Bahá’ís of American Samoa. In the evening Mr. Featherstone spoke to a large public gathering in the village of Vailotai.
As a result of the assistance given by Mr. Featherstone and the upsurge of teaching activity over the past few months, there were one hundred enrollments in Western Samoa during the first three weeks of November. In the same period six new villages were added and three virgin areas were opened to the Faith in American Samoa. In one village alone, seventy-one made their declarations.
There is a tremendous amount of consolidation work to do, but we can say the Faith is established. It is now widespread in Western Samoa, and in American Samoa only the islands of Manua remain as virgin area. Six assemblies are already functioning and six more will soon hold elections.
Crusade Goal of 20,000 Set by Philippines[edit]
The Santiago, Isabela, home of Jack Davis — the center of pioneering activities in the mass-conversion area of the Philippines — was the scene of a pioneer-training school, October 13-15, the first of many such schools. Fifty believers attended from eighteen localities and four provinces. From Makati, twenty kilometers away in the mountains, came members of the Ifagao tribe whose chief had said, “We will be people of the New Day.” Ifagaos also came from Dumabel where members of the Ilonggots, a fierce head-taking tribe, the despair of civil and religious leaders alike, are entering the community of the Greatest Name.
All felt the school was unique, marking the beginning of a great new wave of teaching activity; every heart felt a new height of inspiration; in every mind was the awareness of villages calling for pioneers, the tribes waiting in their mountain fastness for the visit of devoted teachers, as well as the immense task of deepening the newborn souls and consolidating communities.
The school resulted in the raising up of six full-time pioneers who, giving up jobs, leaving families, school or cherished ambitions, have dedicated their lives to the success of the beloved Guardian’s Crusade in the few months remaining. The spirit generated by the school led the National Teaching Committee of the Philippines to change the goal from 10,000 and 100 assemblies to 20,000 and 200 assemblies.
One Bahá’í farmer who raises ducks and could not leave his family said, “I will give money so someone else can go.” We saw the chain reaction started by this valorous deed on the part of a poor farmer when the friends in Manilla substantially increased their contributions to the National Fund.
In every heart was gratitude for the bounty of recent visits by two members of the Regional Assembly of South-East Asia, J. Fozdar and K. U. Payman; and always present was remembrance of Hand of the Cause Dr. Muhájir, under whose guidance and inspiration the wave of mass conversion first started in the Philippines only fourteen months ago. Dr. Muhájir told us to vie with Bolivia, reminding us that the beloved Guardian had high hopes for the brown races, that they might even outdistance Africa. This we hope to do with the help of Bahá’u’lláh.
OF THE PHILIPPIINES
Nalik Replaces Bentuni as Australian Crusade Goal[edit]
Following consultation between the Hands of the Faith in the Holy Land and the Australian National Assembly, the Hands have approved translation of Bahá’í literature into Nalik being substituted as a Crusade goal for translation into Bentuni which has proved inaccessible. Nalik is used in New Ireland, while Bentuni is used in remote parts of West Irian (formerly Dutch New Guinea).
Literature now has been translated into Nalik, completing the Crusade goal of translating material into fourteen specified Pacific languages. Translations have also been made into a further nine languages not specifically mentioned as Crusade goals.
Participants, including Hand of the Cause Featherstone, at Teaching Conference in Nukualofa, Tonga. During the same trip Mr. Featherstone also visited the New Hebrides, New Caledonia and the South Island of New Zealand.
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The Bahá’í Community of Duvallon, Haiti.
Group of believers in Haut-St. Marc, Moreau, Haiti.
Haiti Becomes Rapid Expansion Area[edit]
Haiti doubles her assemblies and more than doubles her membership! Mass conversion in this country has become a collective activity. Last March Mrs. Louise Caswell visited Haiti from Guatemala, and brought with her materials used for mass conversion in Africa, which the National Assembly had translated into French and Creole.
In the meantime three volunteer teachers were selected to pioneer in teaching the masses in Haiti — Jacques Hyacinthe, Vité Rigaud and Ampelius Posy. The National Assembly conducted a teaching seminar in Port au Prince for the purpose of taking each of the pioneers through the new materials. The seminars were led by Eustace Bailey, Andre St. Louis and Mrs. Ruth Blackwell.
Jacques Hyacinthe was the first pioneer to complete this course and he immediately went to the village of Pinson in the Artibonite Valley where a local assembly was established, which at this writing has a community of seventy members. He then extended his efforts to the nearby village of Duvallon, where another assembly was formed with a membership of seventy members also. He has been assisted in this work by Ampelius Posy.
On his own account Mr. Posy has been teaching in Haut-St. Marc, Moreau, where an assembly with a community of fifty-four members was brought into being.
In Berart, a village near Liancourt, our pioneer Jean Desert has worked to form an assembly with a sizable community. Another volunteer, Vité Rigaud, is teaching in the village of Montrouis, and we are sure there will be an assembly there very soon.
Bahá’í Schools have been inaugurated at Liancourt and at Pinson. We are in the process of constructing the first Bahá’í School building at Liancourt.
Bahá’í Summer School at Cap Haitian, Haiti, 1962.
A gathering of the believers of Pinson, Haiti.
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First National Bahá’í Summer School of Luxembourg.
Luxembourg Has First Bahá’í Summer School[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Luxembourg held their first national Summer School at Echternach, September 1-9. The participants were all lodged in the Hotel du Parc, where two public meetings were also held, with Dr. Eugen Schmidt and Huschmand Sabet as speakers. The school sessions took place in the Abbey (now a State High School) contiguous with the Basilica where St. Wilibrod, the Irish monk who introduced Christianity into Luxembourg many centuries ago, is buried. Miss Suzette Hipp, first Luxembourg Bahá’í, opened the school with eloquent words of greeting. About fifty people from nine countries attended.
Two Hands of the Cause were present most of the week: Dr. Adelbert Mühlschlegel of Germany and Leroy Ioas of Haifa with his wife, member of the International Council. The Ioases were especially interested in Luxembourg as their daughter Anita was one of the first pioneers to the country. Mr. Ioas told many fascinating stories about the Master, and also about the Guardian — the way he worked and reacted to the problems of the Crusade. Mr. Ioas stressed the importance of perseverance and much patience, and that Riḍván 1963 is not the end, but the beginning of an era of expansion.
The thirtieth year after the passing of the daughter of Bahá’u’lláh, Bahíyyih Khánum, was noted with comments by Mr. Ioas and Dr. Mühlschlegel. A description of the Greatest Holy Leaf and experiences while in her presence were recounted by Marion Little, the only person present who had had the privilege of meeting this holy woman of the Bahá’í Dispensation. The sum of $55 was donated by the friends for the Frankfurt Temple Fund in her name.
At one of the sessions Claude Levy gave a survey of the Grand Duchy leading up to the present day, enabling the believers to view their work in its historical perspective. Ned Blackmer of Bologna, Italy, former pioneer to Luxembourg, shared his thoughts about teaching, which gave all a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Luxembourg people.
A Unity Banquet closed the school; the friends left inspired by farewell words of Honor Kempton.
Nairobi Opens New Center and Starts Advanced Classes[edit]
A new permanent Bahá’í Center has been built in Nairobi, Kenya, through a generous gift from a Persian believer. The first sod for the foundation was turned by ‘Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum in February 1961, and the building was dedicated by Hand of the Cause Enoch Olinga in August 1962. The design and specifications were made by Mr. and Mrs. John Firmin, local Bahá’ís.
One of the big difficulties of spreading the Faith in Kenya has been that the most productive areas are 250 miles from Nairobi, the only place the pioneers have been able to find jobs. The time and cost of travel have seriously hampered the work. Now the friends will be able to follow the instructions of the beloved Guardian to “teach the African people and then send them out to spread the Faith.”
The first advanced course for Bahá’ís of Kenya took place in October. It is now planned that there will be frequent advanced classes held in the new Center, and this will enable all the local pioneers and friends to help with the instruction. During the courses the students reside at the Center and one extra Bahá’í is brought in to do the communal cooking. The students are also able to attend the normal local activities at the Center.
The advanced courses will be a natural follow-up to all the elementary courses taught up-country, the best students being brought to Nairobi for a week or two so that they in turn can become experienced teachers and then go back to their villages to teach.
For recreation the students eagerly help clear and prepare the large grounds for beautifying the Center. They also assist in arranging the statistical file.
There are now over 8,000 declaration cards and over 180 centers having more than nine believers. The Regional Committee is working toward getting many of the latter built into local assemblies without delay.
Bahá’í Center of Nairobi, Kenya, dedicated in August.
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Believers and guests at the first Bahá’í meeting to be held in Yverdon, Switzerland.
Swiss Believers Advance the Cause[edit]
On Sunday, September 30, the Bahá’ís of French-speaking Switzerland assembled in Yverdon for an all-day meeting. This was the first gathering of its kind to be held in that part of Switzerland, and it marked the opening of the city to the Faith. The morning sessions consisted of several talks and a forum followed by a dinner for fifty-four people.
The afternoon session was devoted to a public talk, “The United States of the World,” presented by Dr. H. Kamran of Anvers, Belgium. Seventy people attended, six of whom were non-Bahá’ís from Yverdon. Included in this group were the chairman and secretary of the World Federalists. The Journal de Yverdon afforded excellent coverage of the event.
The spirit of the occasion and the wonderful acceptance received by the Bahá’ís marked another forward step in strengthening the Cause in Switzerland. Following this wonderful beginning, Mrs. Marion Little of Vevey offered to pioneer in Yverdon.
UN Day Observed[edit]
For the observance of United Nations Day the Biel believers had excellent cooperation from the UN Committee which provided the place, films and invitations, and accepted a Bahá’í speaker who was written up in the invitations. The UN Committee invited their own members and those of the local Esperanto Club; only seven of the forty-four present were believers.
Frau Etty Graeffe gave an excellent talk that set the stage for inquiry about the Faith and eventual presentation of UN films.
The Biel believers feel that the willingness of the UN Committee to cooperate so fully was due in large part to the fine character of the Bahá’í UN meeting in 1961, and that their experience clearly indicates that Bahá’ís should take the initiative in organizing a UN Day meeting with the consent and cooperation of the local UN Committee.
The Bahá’í youth of Lausanne and Vevey organized a UN Day meeting in Lausanne, with Mrs. Mildred Mottahedeh as principal speaker. Mrs. Mottahedeh outlined the many agencies of the UN and the work being done all over the world. Then followed a panel presentation by Miss Irene Bennett, George Brawley and Dr. Farouhmand, all of whom linked the related activities of the UN with the Bahá’í Teachings.
One hundred fifty attended, of whom fifty were present for the first time at a Bahá’í gathering. The youth helped the audience engage in a question and answer period, and also prepared and served refreshments.
Part of the audience and the speaker, Dr. Kamran, Yverdon, Switzerland.
Dinner session of the “Journee baha’ie romande” held at Yverdon on September 30.
A Sampler From Mahmud’s Diary[edit]
We tend to forget what a star ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in the worldly sense, what a dazzling personality. We would be much mistaken if we thought of Him as an ivory-tower philosopher, a desert saint or One who spent His days only among the poor — although He loved them so much. The truth is that He Who was the perfect model for all Bahá’ís was splendid, sophisticated, in the good sense a man of the world; that He was equally at home in a palace or a hovel, with a beggar, scholar or prince. He excluded no class from what Queen Marie of Rumania has referred to as the “wide embrace” — the Bahá’í Faith — and none excluded Him. He would enter a city unknown, and His reception room would soon be overflowing. Weak and strong, known and unknown, they sought Him out. E. G. Browne, the Cambridge orientalist, kissed His hand in London — a gesture which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá heartily disliked and forbade. Persian grandees who had persecuted His followers at home hurried to bow down before Him in France, so that He commented: “Now let Násiri’d-Dín Sháh lift his head up out of the grave and see what is going on!”
Poets addressed odes to Him, for example ‘Arif in Paris, but He refused the tributes and mostly had them discarded. An exception, the Ode from Senna, which was written to Him over sixty years ago by my father Ali-Kuli Khan, He praised in a Tablet, adding, however, that His only glory was adoration beside the Sacred Threshold.
Artists painted Him, photographers took His picture, but my father says that few of the canvases and photographs are like Him, because He changed continually. A number of word pictures exist, Browne’s for example, of 1890:
“Seldom have I seen one whose appearance impressed me more. A tall strongly-built man holding himself straight as an arrow, with white turban and raiment, long black locks reaching almost to the shoulder, broad powerful forehead indicating a strong intellect combined with an unswerving will, eyes keen as a hawk’s, and strongly-marked but pleasing features — such was my first impression of Abbás Effendi ... Subsequent conversation with him served only to heighten the respect with which his appearance had from the first inspired me. One more eloquent of speech, more ready of argument, more apt of illustration, more intimately acquainted with the sacred books of the Jews, the Christians, and the Muhammadans, could, I should think, scarcely be found even amongst the eloquent, ready and subtle race to which he belongs. These qualities, combined with a bearing at once majestic and genial, made me cease to wonder at the influence and esteem which he enjoyed even beyond the circle of his father’s followers. About the greatness of this man and his power no one who had seen him could entertain a doubt.”
And Lady Blomfield says of Him as He was fifty years ago: “He wore a low-crowned táj, round which was folded a small, fine-linen turban of purest white; His hair and short beard were of that snowy whiteness which had once been black; His eyes were large, blue-gray with long, black lashes and well-marked eyebrows; His face was a beautiful oval with warm, ivory-coloured skin, a straight, finely-modelled nose, and firm, kind mouth ... His figure was of such perfect symmetry, and so full of dignity and grace, that the first impression was that of considerable height ... inner glory shone in every glance, and word, and movement as He came with hands out-stretched.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not reach His home until a year after He left America, December 5, 1912, exactly a year to the day. By then His three years of travelling in the West had, the Guardian writes, “called forth the last ounce of His ebbing strength.” The travel record is one of incredible accomplishments and triumphs. Mírzá Maḥmúd Zarqání, official chronicler of the journeys, was a member of the Master’s suite and set down what he could of those dawn-to-midnight days, those incantatory words. Almost Boswellian in its immediacy, and including many a behind-the-scenes, informal glimpse, his Diary seems to bring us the direct presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The notes, from which the following paragraphs were taken, begin with the Master’s voyage away from America across wintry seas to a final year of supreme effort in England and Scotland, and on the Continent far to the East. American Bahá’ís will rejoice some day to read the full text, where they are praised by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá more than once, and where He says His heart was happy among them because of all their activities for the Faith.
On the Celtic a woman came to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and told Him that she was afraid of death. “Then,” He said, “do something that will keep you from dying; that will instead, day by day make you more alive, and bring you everlasting life. According to the words of His Holiness Christ, those who enter the Kingdom of God will never die. Then enter the Divine Kingdom, and fear death no more.”
They spoke of the temporarily quiet Atlantic, and He said: “One must ride in the Ship of God; for this life is a stormy sea, and all the people on earth—that is, over two billion souls—will drown in it before a hundred years have passed. All, except those who ride in the Ship of God. Those will be saved.”
In London He gave them this fragment of dialogue between man and the Prophets:
“Always, man has confronted the Prophets with this: ‘We were enjoying ourselves, and living according
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to our own opinions and desires. We ate; we slept;
we sang; we danced. We had no fear of God, no hope of
Heaven; we liked what we were doing, we had our
own way. And then you came. You took away our
pleasures. You told us now of the wrath of God, again
of the fear of punishment and the hope of reward. You
upset our good way of life.’
“The Prophets of God have always replied: ‘You were content to stay in the animal world, We wanted to make you human beings. You were dark, We wanted you illumined. You were dead, We wanted you alive. You were earthly, We wanted you heavenly.’ ”
That same day, He spoke of love. “In the world of man,” He said, “love is the brightness of the beauty of God. If there be no love, this is the animal’s kingdom, for the distinguishing feature of man’s world is love. Until love appears among men, there can be no full happiness and peace. Notice how, when a person sits with a friend, his heart leaps, how happy he becomes, but when he sits with an enemy, what a punishment! We must therefore foster brotherhood and universal love.”
Asked how to treat a personal enemy He answered, “Leave the opposer to himself.”
Asked, “What is Satan?” He replied: “The insistent self.”
He would start the day by having prayers chanted, and Maḥmúd writes that these prayers “lay sweet on the palate of the soul.” The Master said: “It has been revealed in the Teachings that work is worship, but this does not mean that worship and the prescribed mentionings of God should be abandoned, for such worship is a requirement set forth in the Book of God. Prayer makes the heart mindful, it spiritualizes the soul, it causes the spirit to exult, it gladdens the breast, till Divine love appears and a man leans trustingly on the Lord and bows in lowliness at the Threshold of Grandeur.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá praised the British more than once, but He was unhappy in one of the great cities on the Continent and said of its inhabitants: “I see the people ... like bees or ants, coming and going by troops, surging past like waves, continually engrossed in their business. But if you should ask them, ‘What are you doing? Why all this commotion?’ you would find that they know nothing at all of their origin or their end, and that they look for no other good except eating and sleeping and assiduously pandering their sensual desires.”
After praising the scientific and technical accomplishments of this greatest of centuries He commented: “Now it would be well for them to bring about the means of travelling to other planets.”
On being a Bahá’í He said: “Up to now, to believe was to acknowledge, to make a confession of faith, but in this greatest of all Causes, believing means to have praiseworthy qualities and to perform praiseworthy acts.”
Of duty He told them: “Man’s duty is to persevere and struggle, and to hope for God’s help. Not for him to sit idly by, proud and unconcerned. Since he cannot know the outcome of events, he must ever choose the way of righteousness, learning from the past, for the future.”
Asked if, the fewer material things a man has, the more spiritual he becomes, the Master said: “Severance is not poverty but freedom of the heart ... When a man’s heart is free, and on fire with the love of God, every material benefit, every physical advantage, will only serve to develop his spiritual perfections.”
Illustrating He told them: “There were once two friends, one rich but free of heart, one poor but tied to the world. On a sudden the poor one suggested a journey and they set out, leaving everything behind. The poor one saw that his rich companion had really abandoned all his attachments, his possessions and affairs and was journeying along with no thought of return. He said, ‘Now that we are on our way, wait a while, I want to go back, I have a donkey, I want to bring my donkey along.’ The rich one said, ‘You are no traveller. You cannot even give up your donkey. For you, I deserted all I had, my wealth and circumstance, and I came away, and I had no thought of ever turning back. I had everything, and you had just one thing, and you cannot wait to return for that one thing — that donkey.’ ”
On another day, the Master gave them a story out of His own life: “I was a child, nine years old. In the thick of those calamities, when the enemy attacked, they stoned our house and it had filled up with stones. We had nobody to help us. There was only my mother,1 my sister,2 and Áqá Mírzá Muḥammad-Qulí.3 To protect us, my mother took us away from the Shimírán Gate to the Sangilaj quarter, where in the back lanes she found a house. In that house she watched over us and forbade us ever to set foot on the street. But one day the problem of how to get food became so urgent that my mother said to me: ‘Can you go to your aunt’s house?4 Tell her to find a few kráns5 for us, no matter how.’
“Our aunt lived in the Takyih6 of Hají Rajab-‘Alí, near the house of Mírzá Ḥasan Kajdamágh. I went there. She tried everywhere and finally managed to collect five kráns, which she tied up in the corner of a handkerchief and gave me.
“On my way back through the Takyih, the son of Mírzá Ḥasan recognized me. Immediately he called out, ‘This one is a Bábí!’ and the boys ran after me. The house of Mullá Ja’far of Astarábád was not far away, and I reached it and went into the entry. The son of Mullá Ja’far saw me but he did not put me out. Neither did he rout the boys.
“I stayed there till it was dark. When I left the place, the boys came after me again, shouting and throwing stones, following me until I got close to the store of Aqá Muḥammad Ṣandúqdár. The children did not come on any farther after that. When I reached home, exhausted and terrified, I fell to the ground. My mother asked, ‘What ails you?’ I could not tell her. I simply fell down. My mother took the handkerchief with the money and put me to bed and I slept.”
Later He added, “There was a time in Ṭihrán when we had every means of comfort and luxury, and then in a single day they pillaged our house and robbed us of everything. Living became so hard for us that there came a day when my mother took a little flour and shook it into my hand instead of bread, and I ate it like that.”
Continually, He repeated the basic theme of His life, that nothing really matters except the Cause of God:
“Look at the plains, look at the hills: they are defeated armies, they are hosts that fell in heaps and
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were levelled with the ground; they are the dust of
high pavilions, and palace and hall are the hole of owls
that feed upon the dead, the roost of carrion crows ...
All gain is loss, except in the great business of serving
God.”
_____
- The sheltered and beautiful Navváb, then at most in her mid twenties.
- Bahíyyih Khánum, the Most Exalted Leaf, then seven.
- An uncle of Bahá’u’lláh (?).
- A sister of Bahá’u’lláh.
- One-tenth of a tumán.
- A place where religious plays were performed.
(The editors of BAHÁ’Í NEWS are pleased to present this commentary on the recorded notes of Maḥmúd, chronicler of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s journeys. Although the words of the Master as presented in the notes are not the same as the “authoritative utterances” of His Tablets, they present a portrait of the Master that increases our understanding, wonder and appreciation of this beloved Exemplar of our Faith.)
Early Pioneer Passes in New Zealand[edit]
With the passing of Miss Ethel Blundell on June 22, the last link with the New Zealand pioneers of the Faith has been severed. As far back as 1913, she, with her mother, embraced the teachings, having read of them in the Christian Commonwealth during ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to England.
During the whole of her long life — she was eighty-five when she died—the Cause was Miss Blundell’s paramount occupation. She served on the Spiritual Assembly of Auckland from its inception in 1927 until her health began to fail. In 1934, when the first National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand was formed, she was elected to that body. Her home was always open for the promotion of the Faith, and many contacts as well as overseas Bahá’ís were entertained there.
In her passing New Zealand has lost a faithful and devoted servant of the Cause, and a gracious lady.
First National Spiritual Assembly of Norway, 1962-1963.
Left to right, seated: Trygve Nielsen, Modesta Hvide,
Gerd Strand, Lecile Webster. Standing: Mahmud Madjoob, Bodil Skodstrup, Aud Jervel-Pettersen, Amelia
Bowman, Bruce Johnson.
Delegates and Hand of the Cause Samandarí at the National Convention of the Bahá’ís of Turkey, 1962.
National Spiritual Assembly of Turkey, 1962-1963, with
Hand of the Cause Tarázu’lláh Samandarí. Left to
right, seated: Janad Ghuchani (secretary), M. Inan
(vice-chairman), Mr. Samandarí, Mrs. D. Tanrikut, S.
Doctoroghlu (chairman). Standing: H. Diriäz, D. Burhani, N. Özsula, M. Afnan, H. Mánevi (treasurer).
National Spiritual Assembly of South and West Africa,
1962-1963, with Hand of the Cause John Robarts. Left
to right, seated: Rudolfo Duna (vice-chairman), Bahiyyih Ford (assistant secretary), Mr. Robarts, Valera
Allen (secretary), William Masehla (recording secretary). Standing: Andrew Mofokeng, Lowell Johnson
(assistant secretary), Shidan Fat’he-Azam (treasurer),
Max Seepe, John Allen (chairman).
[Page 12]
First Spiritual Assembly of Duvallon, Haiti, 1962.
First Spiritual Assembly of Haut-St. Marc (Upper St. Marc), Moreau, Haiti, 1962.
First Spiritual Assembly of Pinson, Haiti, 1962, with pioneer Jacques Hyacinthe (far left).
First Members of Dog-Rib Tribe Enroll in Canada[edit]
In the Northwest Territories, the first members of the Dog-Rib Tribe have been registered as believers. This apparently is a result of extension teaching by the Spiritual Assembly of Yellowknife (NWT) in a nearby Indian Village.
The assembly, formed only recently, is actively engaged in teaching with many new enrollments in the town itself in addition to the nearby Indians. During the fall, Mrs. Shirley Lindstrom of Stewart Crossing (Yukon) spent a month in Yellowknife to help with the work, and it was during her visit that the assembly came into being.
Cable Tells Death of Long-Time Persian Covenant-Breaker[edit]
“Announce (that) Sobhi, arrogant covenant-breaker (in the) Cradle (of the) Faith, who for more than forty years ceaselessly attacked (the) Holy Cause, unsuccessfully sought (to) undermine its divine institutions, (was) stricken (with) fatal disease (and) passed away under wretched circumstances, following (the) same pattern (as) other members (of the) contemptible band (of) adversaries who lived (to) witness complete frustration (of) their hopes, abject failure (of) their machinations designed (to) prevent worldwide triumph (of the) Cause (of) Bahá’u’lláh. Airmail message (to) Hands (and) National Assemblies.”
Haifa, Israel
November 15, 1962
THE CHILD'S WAY[edit]
The Editorial Committee reminds the friends that this eight-page magazine is a communication link between Bahá’ís all over the world, through which ideas and materials in the area of child education can be shared. Please remember that The Child’s Way is a guide for parents and teachers; although stories, pictures, poetry and projects are offered, which appeal to the young people, they are to be used essentially in the parent-teacher-child relationship.
SPECIAL NOTICE — to local assemblies in particular. Back issues of the magazine will go on sale immediately for the cost of postage — approximately $.50 a set of six (one year) in the USA, and $1.00 outside the USA. Although Alaska and Hawaii are states it has been the policy to send the magazine by first class mail because of the distance and time. If these subscribers prefer to take advantage of lower rates the mailing can be second class.
In ordering a set of six, please state the Bahá’í year desired. They are complete back to year 116. Substitutions will be made whenever necessary. Make checks payable to The Child’s Way. Mail to Box 245, Wilmette, Illinois, USA.
Teaching Progress Continues in Panama[edit]
Great enthusiasm and happiness are felt in Panama due to the great progress in the teaching work; the number of believers has tripled. Enrollment of 1546 new Bahá’ís has been reported with the expectation of forming eleven additional local assemblies.
There are now just over 1200 Kuna Indians registered in the San Blas Islands, where seven of the new assemblies are to be formed. In the province of Chiriquí, nearly 180 Guaymi Indians have accepted the Faith, and will be instrumental in establishing four of the anticipated new local assemblies.
Bahá’í Magazine in German Now Available[edit]
All believers who speak German, or have friends who do, are invited to subscribe to
Blätter für Weltreligion und Weltbewusstsein
This is a quarterly magazine published under the auspices of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Germany, containing Holy Scriptures in German translation as well as articles, features, reports, commemorations and reviews of lasting interest.
Subscriptions (DM 3.20 or US $1.00, a year for one copy) or samples may be ordered from: Bahá’í-Briefe, Vertrieb, Care of Ulrich Peter Rommel, 73 Esslingen (Neckar), Hindenburgstr. 161, Western Germany. Please remit funds to Post Office Account Stuttgart No. 35 768 of Bahá’í-Verlag, Frankfurt/Main, mentioning Bahá’í-Briefe on the credit slip, or make checks payable to Bahá’í Verlag.
International Journalists Visit House of Worship[edit]
Brought to the United States by the Department of State to participate in a Foreign Journalistic Project, outstanding journalists from thirteen nations visited the Wilmette Temple on October 6 during a day of sightseeing. They were accompanied by the director and assistant director of the project.
One of the journalists, Nguyen-duy-Lieu of the Vietnam Press Agency in Saigon, has known pioneer Jamshed Fozdar for a number of years. Mr. Lieu, who spoke excellent English, made several interesting comments including these excerpts:
“The Bahá’í Faith was introduced into our country (about five years ago) ... Now we have a Bahá’í Center established in each of our forty-two provinces in southern Vietnam.” “Right now, Mr. Fozdar has left his business to devote nine months to teaching the Bahá’í Faith full time. Although I do not belong to the Bahá’í Faith, I respect it for motivating persons to this action.”
First Spiritual Assembly of Urbana, Ohio, formed April
1962. Left to right, seated: Mrs. Hazel Owens, Mrs.
Maxine Greene, Mrs. Helen Reech, Richard Davison
(chairman), Mrs. Marjorie Foster (recording secretary), Mrs. Beulah Miller. Standing: Mrs. Sarah Davison (secretary), Benjamin Bunch, Mrs. Betty Bunch
(treasurer).
First Spiritual Assembly of Norwalk, California, formed
April 1962. Left to right, seated: Bessie Powers, Yrma
Sarco, Rosalyn Wicks, Dana Holton. Standing: Milton
Lundblade, Howard Wicks, George Sarco, Charles
Holton, Hooshiar Saedi.
Spiritual Assembly of Eugene, Oregon, incorporated
September 12, 1962. Left to right, seated: Ruth Hupe,
Joan Ives (recording secretary), Ann Sherwood, Anne
Myers, Gwen Janti (secretary). Standing: Firuz Labib,
Norman Ives (chairman), Hal Addison (treasurer),
Khan Janti (vice-chairman).
[Page 14]
The first Spiritual Assembly composed entirely of Cham Bahá’ís, province of Binh-Tuy, South Vietnam.
First All-Cham Assembly Elected in South Vietnam[edit]
Great was the rejoicing when sixteen visiting members of the Cham Nation accepted the Cause immediately after the public celebration of the Birthday of the Báb, held in Saigon. These new believers live in the province of Binh-Tuy, and have now elected a local assembly — the first one made up entirely of Chams — and they are already planning to take the Faith to their people.
The Chams are the first minority group in the country to accept the Teachings, the other native Bahá’ís being Vietnamese. While the Cham Nation is now a minority group of about 30,000 in all Vietnam, its history — unlike that of other tribal groups — is glorious. Nearly a thousand years ago, the Chams were the leading nation in South Vietnam, Cambodia and parts of Laos. The huge Cham Towers, marking the peak of the Champa civilization and kingdom, can still be seen. The Chams are Indonesian and Malayan in stock, and their writing is ancient Pali which resembles Cambodian, Laotian and Thai writing.
These people are pure-hearted, and special techniques have been worked out for teaching them. Translation is already under way for small pamphlets in their own language.
Also in South Vietnam —
In many places celebrations of the Birthday of the Báb in October and of the Birthday of Bahá’u’lláh in November included large public meetings with generous publicity and excellent attendance.
At last report, enrollments had risen by 500, making a total of ninety local assemblies in the country.
A group of the believers who attended the anniversary of the Birth of the Báb, Saigon, South Vietnam.
The Bahá’í Centers of Cantho (left) and Vinh-Long in South Vietnam. Both of these buildings are used extensively in the teaching program.
U.S. Observances of United Nations Day Stress “Prayer for Peace in Action” Theme[edit]
“Reverence, dignity, gracious hospitality, and concern for humanity” were among the elements strongly stressed by the United Nations Committee of the Bahá’ís of the United States in its recommendations to the American Bahá’í community for the annual observance of both UN Day (October 24) and Human Rights Day (December 10). The theme chosen for both occasions was “United Nations — Prayer for Peace in Action,” and specific suggestions were made by the committee both as to how to create an atmosphere that would touch the hearts of those present and the nature and content of the programs themselves.
The believers were asked wherever possible to hold two programs for each observance. The committee prepared a folder for each event which suggested the type of music to open and close the program, the content of the brief introduction to be made by the chairman, and appropriate prayers and readings from the Bahá’í Writings, the Bible, and the Koran containing the promises and teachings of the Messengers of God for peace, brotherly love and justice for all mankind.
Among the items provided were registers which the guests were to be invited to sign. These books were to be sent to the United Nations Committee for presentation in an appropriate ceremony to the Secretary-General of UN as concrete testimony of the interest and support of the American Bahá’í community in the efforts being made by the United Nations for the establishment of peace and to insure respect for human rights throughout the world.
Limitation of space prohibits mentioning all the localities where either both or one of the two suggested programs were carried out. Since this report is being written before the observance of Human Rights Day it contains reference only to a few of the interesting accounts and publicity received following United Nations Day.
Representatives of Other Religions Invited[edit]
In some localities, such as Nassau County, New York, for example, representatives of the major religions were invited to read the selections in the program from their own Scriptures. At this meeting more than one hundred persons attended the Sunday program, fewer than half of whom were Bahá’ís. Many telephone calls were received highly commending the Bahá’ís on the spirit which prevailed and recommending that other meetings of this type be held from time to time. A further result was the establishment of a study class for several persons who asked to learn more about the Faith.
The local Spiritual Assembly of Duluth, Minnesota, reported on their program in part as follows: “Clergymen from two Methodist Churches, a Pentecostal Church, a Jewish rabbi, and a member of the University Religious Council joined the Bahá’ís in Scripture readings and prayers. The programs provided a splendid opportunity for bringing the Faith to the attention of clergy of many denominations and caused a few of them to investigate its teachings ...”
At the Beverly, Massachusetts observance, two ministers attended and offered prayers, special invitations having been sent to the rabbi, priest and eight ministers to participate in formulating the plans. Good radio and newspaper publicity brought the event to the attention of a large number of people although only twenty-four attended.
In El Paso, Texas, a member of the Bahá’í community was one of a group of four religious leaders (Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, and Bahá’í) who presented the city’s mayor with a proclamation for his signature marking United Nations Day in El Paso and urging the citizens to observe the day with prayer and thoughtfulness in their homes and places of worship “so that world peace will soon be forthcoming.”
Guest-Book Capacity Exceeded[edit]
The Bahá’ís of Corvallis, Oregon, commemorated the event by sponsoring the program for the Cosmopolitan Club on Oregon State College campus, with the talk being given by a speaker who had just returned from Thailand. The audience was a large one and the guest book signatures overran the number of pages which it contained. A fine United Nations display in one of the main buildings on the campus helped to give good publicity to the program.
The Phoenix, Arizona, Bahá’í community invited foreign students in their community to join in an international dinner, after which the suggested readings were rendered, in an atmosphere of complete reverence, by a man and woman sitting on opposite sides of the room. These were followed by singing songs from other lands. Seven countries were represented in the attendance of forty-eight persons, many of whom had opportunity to discuss the Faith with the believers in small groups during the evening.
The Bahá’ís of Boise, Idaho, combined their United Nations Day meeting and commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to America, to inaugurate United Nations Week. The meeting was scheduled on the city’s United Nations Day Calendar of Events open to the public. This was distributed to one hundred civic organizations and individuals working for United Nations.
In San Francisco, California, both meetings recommended by the United Stations Committee were carried out as suggested, with the readings being given by representatives of the Negro, Oriental and Caucasian races. Special invitations were printed for this event and were mailed to notable individuals, such as members of the various consulates located in San Francisco, leading political figures, and others whose interests might be parallel to the aims of the United
[Page 16]
Nations. Forty-eight persons attended the Sunday afternoon program, twenty-six of them being non-Bahá’ís, including the Consulate General of Korea, Keun
Pal Lee and his military aide, and four attracted by
the newspaper publicity. The Wednesday program was
attended by twenty-four persons, including a United
States Congressman. After each program refreshments
were served, during which time it was possible for
the Bahá’ís to discuss the Faith informally with individuals and small groups.
Baha’i Centers Collaborate[edit]
Of four “Prayer for Peace in Action” programs held in the Peoria, Illinois, vicinity, two were planned and carried out by three Bahá’í centers cooperating with nearby isolated Bahá’ís. At the evening meeting in Washington, Ronald Mathis, chairman of the Peoria Heights Local Spiritual Assembly, spoke on the subject, “Why Bahá’ís Support the United Nations.”
Two groups in Rockland County, New York, with a total of six believers, attracted fifty-four persons to their observance, more than half of whom were non-Bahá’ís. Mrs. Walter A. Blackwell, member of the U.S. United Nations Committee, was the speaker, and following her inspiring talk the entire audience responded to an invitation for further discussion and refreshments in two nearby Bahá’í homes.
Denver and Jefferson County Bahá’í communities in Colorado joined forces in their observance of UN Day, the special feature of their program being a splendid talk by Koshy Philip, UN delegate formerly from India. Bahá’í literature was distributed.
The Shorewood, Wisconsin, observance was attended by eighty persons, a third of whom were non-Bahá’ís. Four other Bahá’í communities cooperated in making the plans and issuing invitations. Each community contacted its mayor to learn the name of the local United Nations representative, and most had none. “A World United in Prayer” was the theme of the meeting with Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian and Bahá’í prayers being offered by followers of these religions for world peace.
The Bahá’í group of Clinton Township, Michigan, in collaboration with isolated believers in the surrounding area arranged a public meeting attended by twenty-four persons, with the President of the Michigan Division of the American Association of the United Nations as speaker on “The UN—Its Objectives and Accomplishments.” The sacred readings suggested by the UN Committee were used to open and close the meeting, together with portions of the “Unison Prayer for the UN” by John Golden used in the Meditation Room for UN delegates in the United Nations building.
Mrs. Clarice Weil, acting as Bahá’í representative for St. Louis, Webster Groves and Clayton, was able to explain the Bahá’í Faith at the planning meeting in September of Greater St. Louis Citizens’ Committee for the UN, where members of thirty organizations were present, and the UN Day activities of the Bahá’ís of these three communities were included in the report to the American Association of the United Nations which went to one hundred participating organizations in the calendar of events for UN Week.
In Des Moines, Iowa, the program consisted of a public meeting attended by fifty persons. Mr. Chet Randolph, member of the Governor’s Committee for the UN in Iowa and chairman of the Des Moines Council for the Experiment in International Living, spoke on the accomplishments thus far attained by the UN in the non-political phase of its activities, and Hugh E. Chance, secretary of the National Spiritual Assembly, spoke of the UN in terms of world government and of the transition that the Bahá’ís believe will take place in the world.
The believers of Cleveland (Ohio) and vicinity accepted an invitation from the Mayor’s UN Committee to participate in a luncheon-meeting. A table was reserved (left foreground), plainly marked Bahá’í World Faith, and those
attending demonstrated the oneness of mankind to the rest of the six hundred present. The Bahá’ís were listed on
the program as one of the sponsors of the occasion.
[Page 17]
Some of the foreign students at the UN Festival in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Participants in the United Nations Prayer Service in Duluth, Minnesota.
In Clayton, Missouri, the Bahá’ís not only carried
out the two programs suggested by the United Nations
Committee, but gave widespread publicity to the
events in the local schools through the use of posters
in the display cases and on the bulletin boards as
well as displays in a large store window, in the
bakery, gas station, and other places, where they
would be seen by large numbers of people. A panel
discussion on the relation of the Bahá’í teachings to
the United Nations, followed by a party and dance,
was sponsored by the Bahá’í community but executed
by and for the youth of Clayton and its neighboring
Bahá’í communities.
In Rapid City, South Dakota, where there are only two Bahá’ís, they presented the idea of a United Nations Day program to a group of interested citizens and foreign students, seeking to reinforce the contacts between the community and its temporary foreign residents. The result was a UN Festival on Saturday evening in the recreation hall of the Presbyterian Church, for which the League of Women Voters distributed announcements and students gave out posters. Professors and students from nearby colleges received special invitations and attended in representative numbers.
The Rapid City Bahá’í booth displayed Bahá’í and United Nations literature and more than thirty-four persons signed the guest register. The Bahá’ís present were able to make the acquaintance of some of the area’s best informed and active persons in matters relating to peace.
An isolated Bahá’í in Idaho Falls, Idaho, was singularly successful in her program which was attended by twelve adults and three children. The music was carefully selected to create a prayerful atmosphere for the reading of the sacred Scriptures. A beautiful recording of the Lord’s Prayer sung by Mario Lanza was played at the beginning, and the concluding prayer was that revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for America. The following Tuesday this believer, Mrs. Melissa Allen, spoke to the Soroptomist Club about the Faith. Advertising of the meeting was carried on all four local radio stations without charge for a full week.
Although the attendance was very small, the holding of the UN Day program on the Omaha Indian Reservation, Macy, Nebraska, was an impressive experience. An Omaha Indian was among those present.
The two Bahá’ís in Fort Pierce, Florida, held their meeting in the recreation center in the Negro section of that city, with seventy persons in attendance from five cities, forty-nine of them being non-Bahá’í Negroes. After the opening remarks by the chairman, the Lincoln Park Academy Senior Chorus consisting of forty-five young Negro members gave a beautiful rendition of “How Great Thou Art,” and after the reading of the prayers, a soloist sang “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” The closing number by the chorus was the befitting song, “No Man is an Island,” which pointed up the theme of the program. Miss Olive Alexander of Miami, Florida, gave a brief talk on the principles of the Bahá’í Faith and its challenge to the youth who will be the ones called upon to make the new World Order a reality.
A Family Observance[edit]
An isolated Bahá’í in Tillamook County, Oregon, was enthusiastically supported by her family in planning her program for the event which included a beautiful table arrangement for refreshments, impressive tape-recorded musical selections, the display of UN posters and one made by her son for the entry hall. Also on exhibit were Pacific Island artifacts and a portrait of a Micronesian student.
Although the program had been well publicized for several weeks, no outsiders attended, but the family held the meeting anyhow exactly as if the house had been filled. Writing about the experience, this believer said: “The program was far from a failure ... The atmosphere of acceptance of religion, in general, and the Bahá’í talk in particular, that the whole program engendered, made it a complete success.” It served as “a wonderful proclamation of the Faith,” and “as a result of the advertising and having loaned a neighbor a copy of Thief in the Night a two-hour conversation became possible on religion and the Bahá’í Faith with very receptive response.” Since this believer’s husband is a school teacher, several
[Page 18]
An international dinner and meeting marked the UN anniversary in Gallup, New Mexico.
of his students asked about the prayer service and
the Bahá’í Faith, saying that their parents had been
talking about it at home. Far from being discouraged, the family began planning immediately for the
observance of Human Rights Day.
In many localities where it seemed impossible or at least very difficult to arrange the “Prayer for Peace in Action” program, individual Bahá’ís made excellent use of publicity offered by the United Nations Committee, particularly a letter to newspaper editors which included a number of brief quotations from the Bahá’í Writings. It is not unlikely that the receptivity of the press to the Bahá’í publicity was greater than usual in view of the fact that during United Nations Week the world was facing one of
Exhibit sponsored by the Spiritual Assembly of Columbus, Ohio, at the United Nations Festival in October. About 300 inquirers were given literature.
the greatest crises in its history. In any event, all
communities, groups and isolated Bahá’ís who have
reported on their participation in this year’s observance of United Nations Day have indicated a greater
degree of response than ever before to the Bahá’í
literature, teachings and prayers on world peace and
human brotherhood.
Panama Recognizes Holy Days for School Children[edit]
Recently the Minister of Public Education for the Republic of Panama granted recognition of the Bahá’í Holy Days. All Bahá’í children may have excused absences on these days.
This has been a very difficult goal to achieve, and therefore the believers are gratified by its accomplishment.
International News Briefs[edit]
In September Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Williams of Murray Bridge traveled about a thousand miles in a teaching tour to aboriginal areas of South Australia. During this trip contact was renewed with many aborigines who had been met on a previous visit in May. Many discussions on the Faith were held, and slides of Bahá’í holy places and gatherings were shown.
In all areas the teachers were warmly received and found the native people receptive. A measure of their welcome was that the aboriginal people in several places showed them rock carvings, which are sacred to them.
The marriage of Miss Jaleh Mowzoun and Marc Daugherty on November 17 in Bangkok was recognized by the Thai government. The latter issued a certificate on the basis of the Bahá’í certificate.
Third Annual Institute Held at Green Lake[edit]
Nearly 200 Bahá’ís and their guests gathered at Green Lake, Wisconsin, for the third annual Central States Area Institute, November 9-11. The week end began with a social gathering Friday evening, followed by classes all day Saturday and Sunday morning.
Highlighting the program was a two-session presentation by Doug Martin, member of the National Assembly of Canada, on teaching the Faith to Christians. Mr. Martin had assembled a wealth of material, and his audience enjoyed both his knowledge and his humor.
The Temple Worship Service Committee conducted a beautiful devotional program. Dan Jordan and Fred Sudhop led classes, and Area Committee members spoke on activities throughout the area, including proclamation events.
A public meeting Saturday evening, at which Mr.
[Page 19]
Martin spoke on “The Promised One Is Come,” attracted non-Bahá’ís from Waupun and Ripon, and
was followed by discussion and refreshments.
It was a spiritually united, long-to-be-remembered gathering. The weather cooperated fully, with warm sunny days and moonlit nights. The loving atmosphere engendered such inspiration and happiness, that it seemed a natural consequence for three declarations to be made — either at the Institute or on the way home from it.
BAHA'I IN THE NEWS[edit]
On April 21 Belgium’s largest newspaper, LeSoir, pictured the German Temple. The caption stated that it was the first Bahá’í Temple in Europe, that it would be completed in 1963 and that many of its elements are prefabricated.
In connection with the anniversary of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit in 1912, the Sunday Journal and Star of Lincoln, Nebraska, ran a feature story on the Faith in the September 23 issue. The article mentions that the Master went to the home of William Jennings Bryan for tea, although Mr. Bryan was out of town, and that Mrs. Nina Siebert of Lincoln met Him when she was a child. Some of the principles were included as were quoted remarks of a local believer.
During September the Faith received substantial publicity in Bangkok, Thailand, when the newspapers Sarn Seri, Phim Thai and Siang Ang Thorng published feature stories, including sizable illustrations of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. In addition several papers ran articles about Mrs. Shirin Fozdar’s activities in behalf of women’s rights, and mentioned her connection with the Faith.
The October 1962 issue of the Western Voice of Motorola, a house organ circulated in Arizona and California among the employees of seven divisions of a radio manufacturing company, carried a non-Bahá’í editor’s account of a vacation trip which included a stop at the Geyserville Bahá’í School. The story mentioned interesting facts about the Faith, including the forthcoming Most Great Jubilee, and used two illustrations of the school. What the article could not tell was that the editor soon afterward married a Bahá’í girl.
In October the astrology magazine Horoscope said that in the Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church “we may witness a real transformation of religious values. It may be only a coincidence; but in April 1963 the new world religion, the Bahá’í Faith, will celebrate its first hundred years — the public proclamation by the Persian Prophet, Bahá’u’lláh, of his mission having occurred in Baghdad ... in 1863. A kind of ‘World Parliament’ will then be elected by representatives of the Bahá’í National Assemblies of more than fifty nations....”
On September 8 at the New York Bahá’í Center the
Young Adults Committee arranged for a Persian dinner, served to one hundred believers and friends. The
event was a tremendous success, and may be repeated.
The proceeds were contributed to the proclamation
effort for the New York City area.
The Christian Science Monitor in its Arts section of
September 29 devoted considerable space to artist
Mark Tobey and his exhibit at the Museum of Modern
Art in New York. In connection with Mr. Tobey’s
Bahá’í affiliation, the article states: “Premises of the
doctrine have influenced his artistic thinking. Basic
are concepts of unity, ‘progressive revelation’ and
humanity.”
Bahá’ís who participated in the program commemorating ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s visit to the Los Angeles area in 1912.
In the front row are Mrs. Flora Clark and her daughter
Mrs. Edith Camp, both of whom had the great bounty
of meeting the Master.
National Bahá’í Addresses
Please Address Mail Correctly!
|
In the Guahibo Indian village of La Nueva Era, Amazon Territory, Venezuela, newly enrolled believers gather with pioneer Eloy Carrascal.
The believers throughout the world are reminded that BAHÁ’Í NEWS is published for registered Bahá’ís only and under no circumstances should it be given to anyone else.
It must not be given to public or any libraries other than local Bahá’í community or Bahá’í school libraries, nor should it be discarded with waste papers and magazines collected for sale.
Many items appearing in BAHÁ’Í NEWS are confidential in nature and cannot be properly understood by persons not well grounded in the Faith. Those items which are of interest to the general public are circulated through public information channels utilized by the National Spiritual Assembly.
- FEASTS
- January 19—Sultán (Sovereignty)
- February 7—Mulk (Dominion)
- WORLD RELIGION DAY
- January 20—Discovering Unity in Religion
- U.S. NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY MEETINGS
- February 15-17
- Weekdays
- 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Auditorium only)
- Sundays and Holidays
- 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Entire building)
- Sundays
- 3:30 to 4:10 p.m.
- Sunday, January 20
- 4:15 p.m.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is published for circulation among Bahá’ís only by the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, as a news organ reporting current activities of the Bahá’í World Community.
BAHÁ’Í NEWS is edited by an annually appointed Editorial Committee: Mr. and Mrs. P. R. Meinhard, Managing Editors; Mrs. Eunice Braun, International News Editor; Miss Charlotte M. Linfoot, National Spiritual Assembly Representative.
Material must be received by the twentieth of the second month preceding date of issue. Address: Bahá’í News 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.
